Weekend Recap

Happy Monday everyone!

These past couple of weeks have been quite eventful for me. Since I'm getting back into the swing of blogging more often, I thought I'd update you on more than just this past weekend.

About 2 weeks ago, Pat decided that we should spontaneously go to the O.A.R. concert in my town. The free VIP tickets were also probably a big selling point haha.

Rachel, Marlo, & I. Love these girls \^^^/

Couldn't be happier!

The concert was, to no surprise, amazing!! Being that O.A.R. is Pat's favorite band, he normally gets really upset after seeing them in concert because it means that he probably won't get to see them for another year or so. This time, however, we actually had planned tickets to go see them in Philly the following Friday!

Pier's Landing was absolutely gorgeous. I still can't get over the view you have when you're inside the venue. The entire concert area is outdoors and we lucked out on such a beautiful night.

{ Steve, Jess, Pat, & I }

Fireworks over the bridge during the show!

Tops: Target || Shorts: Kohls

This is what it's like when I have to choose an outfit for an outing. Clothes everywhere. Tags on everything. Sending 100 pictures to my girlfriends to help me choose! I ended up going with the one on the left :) I thought it was more daytime appropriate.

This past week my family from Mexico was visiting for the week! My uncle and his son, as well as my 2 other cousins who are my age, came for the week to explore New York and enjoy some pool time at my house.

You think we're normal....

But we're really not.

Last Sunday we went to see Matilda the Musical. It was such a cute production and I can't get over how talented the young actors were!

After the show, we went to Fulton Market and walked around a bit before grabbing a bite to eat. When you're in and out of the city every day, you sometimes forget the small wonders you can find around New York.

Selfies on the mezzanine.

It was so good to see these two! We used to spend all of our summers together and visited each other a lot more often when we were younger. I can't wait to see them again :)

This past weekend was a pretty casual one, nothing too crazy. Oh, except that I beat Pat in mini golf!! Nothing like beating the most competitive person on this planet.

I totally got duped out of a hole-in-one at this hole..

After a crazy (but fun) couple of weeks, I ended this past weekend in the best possible.

17 years going strong!

Top & Sweater: Marshalls || Jeans: Old Navy || Shoes: Steve Madden (old) || Bag: Marshalls (old)

This girl has been my best friend since we were in the 2nd grade. When we got to high school she ended up going to a private school in a different town. Once college came she went all the way to Miami. I don't get to see her that often now, but when I do it's like we never left each others side. I'm so glad I got to get dim sum with her and her parents before she went back!!

Do you have any close friends that moved away?

What did you do this weekend?!

I've got a bit of a froe...

Perfectionism.

A characteristic trait that can either be friend or foe. In my case? It's become my "froe".

photo: j'Adore JCrew

Hey! Remember me? For those of you who do, to say it's been a while is an understatement! I won't go on and on about the reasons for being MIA -- I'll just list them (another list, duh): work, a little vacation, work, work, and (probably most of all) my perfectionism.

A while ago I mentioned that I have trouble making decisions, an issue that has stemmed from a fear of failing. I tend to avoid starting things or trying certain things because I feel as though I'm going to do it wrong or mess it up. It's not going to be perfect. No one's going to like it. I guess that fear has carried over into blogging.

When I look towards the future, I can see myself maintaining a successful blog (better yet, a full-functioning website). I see myself turning a love for writing and sharing things into a brand and business of my own. I can see all of these things that make me really happy inside, but I inch back whenever it comes to turning those sights into realities. I think a lot of it comes from a tendency to compare myself to others. This happens all too often here in the blog-world. I'm surrounded by all of these amazing blogs that I look up to and that have inspired me. All I can think about, however, is that mine will never be as good. It leaves me feeling stuck.

Is there such thing as "perfect"?

That brings me to where I am today. Stuck. Unsure of how to get myself out of the mental block that I've put myself in. Paralyzed by my froe -- on the one hand, perfectionism can send my blog down a path of success by creating really great, inspiring pieces. The other side of it (the more weighted side) is the never-ending need to fix a word here, tweak the layout there. I won't let myself finish or officially release it. There's still something missing that could make it even better!

Recently I started taking one of the eCourses A Beautiful Mess offers in order to help myself properly develop and nurture my blog. So far it's been going well and I'm looking forward to continuing with the process and learning so many of the tips 'n' tricks used by the inspirational creators of A Beautiful Mess. As I'm going through the lessons and finding out how to build my blog from ground up, I find myself stuck at the very starting point. A name.

What's in a name? In my mind it all starts with the name. Although we are taught not to judge a book by its cover, we all do it. It's how the world works. People are drawn to something based on the way it looks, the first impression it gives off. For a blog, that first thing people see or think about is the name. Did you read that last post on CoolBlogName? You HAVE to check out SomethingCatchy!  Yes, the content of the blog contributes to it, but having a catchy, roll-off-the-tongue name allows readers to easily remember you AND pass your blog onto others.

All of the pressure to create the perfect name has, undoubtedly, left me in a mind-block. Part of me wants to wait until I find the right name so I can establish my brand, yet I don't want to continue my many month hiatus. However, choosing something just to have a name makes me worried that I'll pick something I may get sick of or that won't be catchy enough. Are you starting to understand the mini battles that go on in my head?

Well that's where I'm at. That's what has kept me away for so long, but hopefully not anymore! I'm determined to move forward and get passed this froe! I guess we'll just have to see :)

Do you have any froe's of your own? Have you overcome any?