thebabyperks

To mi amiga Mikayla,

I decided to post some of the things that make me happy. One of my favorite past times is scrolling through Tumblr and Pinterest under the search "inspiration". Despite the negativity that seems to consume the news there is so much greatness in the world that fails to be brought to the spotlight.

I admit I'm a hesitant person. Or better yet, I'm a non-confrontational person. Finally, I'm a people-pleaser and want to do what makes other people happy. However, there comes a point where I need to step up and vocalized my opinion and over the past few days I've learned why it is important.

Nothing will change if you keep how you're feeling bottled up. If everyone else in your situation are avoiding confrontation, the root of the problem will never be addressed.

Furthermore, the person who may be the "problem" may not realize that their actions/words have affected people in the way they have. Often times the problem comes from the lack of understanding between two parties. 

What I want you all to get from this is speak up if you feel like there is something wrong in your situation. It may be tough, you may feel uneasy but the satisfaction you receive once you realize they understand your point of view is incredible.

Until next time,
Taylor xx

**Sorry I feel like this was really wordy even though it was short. I also realize that this is vague, I did this intentionally for personal reasons.

Sorry all, I really just needed to rant. For the entire year of marketing I've loved it and have understood everything, however, this unit is pricing. I can't seem to grasp it at all. We have this huge packet/study guide that I understand because we have examples coinciding with them but then I get to the quizzes and I can't seem to remember anything. My teacher is allowing us to retake them it just frustrates me because I'm trying really hard but still not getting it. We also have this huge pricing catalog we have to do that I thought I completed correctly but I actually did it ALL wrong so that's fabulous (sarcasm). I tried to go in and correct some of it tonight but lucky me the website our school district uses for teacher webpages is DOWN so I can't even get to what I need to fix my problems. Awesome (again more sarcasm).

Swimming is also wrapping up, which I'm so ready for but because it's wrapping up I'm supposed to be dropping a lot of time. My 500 time as been stuck around 6:33 which is still better than any time I ever got last year but my best this year was 6:29 and I want to go under that by our conference meet. My 200 free is right around 2:22-24 and I know I can break 2:22 I just haven't yet. I don't want this to sound like an excuse but I'm just so tired. We've practiced every single day since mid-November and my body is just dead. I'm trying to fix all of the technique problems I have and in turn I stress myself out about all the little things.

On a brighter note I guess, work starts up March 1 so I will start making money again. And at least I'm not trying to manage AP English on top of all of this.

Okay, rant closed, thanks for listening.

Taylor xx

I decided for this weeks blog post I wanted to do something a little more simple.  I took photos throughout my day on Saturday and thought I would share them here. There really isn't too much meaning behind each photo, it was to just catalog my day.

So first we have my selfie of the day. I'm really proud of my eye makeup, which you will see close up in a few pictures. After this photo I put lipstick on (you're welcome mom). 
 Now for the rest of my outfit; the photo above accurately represents the color of my sweater, the lighting in the photo below is off. Both my sweater and jeans are from American Eagle. I believe I bought the sweater last year so it may not be in American Eagle. The jeans are actually dark washed, regular, jeggings. I prefer jeggings over pure skinny jeans just because jeggings are so comfortable. However, jeggings are basically jeans...
 So I cropped this photo so you could just see my eyes. I used the Naked 2 palette to get this look. The base I used before applying my eyeshadow was the Maybelline Creamy Beige Color Tattoo. Then I applied "Verve" all over my eyelid.  I mixed "Tease" and "YDK" into my crease and blended it out. Next I added "Snakebite" to the outer part of my eyelide. I went back in and added more of the "Verve" to the middle of my eyelid to touch it up. After my eyeshadow was finished I used my NYC eyeliner pencil in brown and drew a thin line across my lash line. Finally I used my Maybelline the Rocket mascara to lengthen and add volume to my eyelashes. 
 My mom and I went to Bread Co. but I didn't take any photos there, but right after we went to TJ Maxx. I never end up purchasing things at TJ Maxx because they just don't work out. I really loved this sweater dress but there was a line across the sweater where the pattern misprinted (I know that's the reason the clothes are at TJ Maxx but I decided not to buy it). 
 I've always wanted turquoise or teal converse so when I saw these I flipped out, then I figured out they were size 9s and didn't fit me . 
 I was searching through the wall hangings and I loved this painting of the world. I like how it looks more rough, or rustic even.
 This is for my friend Ronnie, she loves cats obviously. 
 For dinner my family and I went to Applebee's. Applebee's has revamped their menus recently and their food was great. I ordered the "American Standard Burger". I wanted to take a picture of what it looked like on the menu and what it actually looked like but I forgot, so you can just enjoy the photo of it on the menu.
 Last but not least I made brownies from scratch last night and they were delicious. 
I realize that this was kind of a hodgepodge of events but I hope you still enjoyed it.

Until next time,
Taylor xx
My YouTube Channel

I'm an introvert and everyone who knows me knows it. Lately I've been watching videos and reading a lot on introverts and thought I would share it with you which means, yes, I will have a ton of links in the description below. This post is going to be filled with misconceptions of introverts as well as opinions.

Misconception #1: We're all shy
Yes, I was cringe-worthy shy in elementary school and throughout middle school, however once I hit high school I broke that barrier. It's not that I don't talk a lot because I'm shy, it's more because I like listening more. I listen to everything going on and can pick up on multiple conversations, especially in school. This could be a plus if I'm friends with you because you can talk the entire time and I'm fine with it, I'll listen to all your problems. I'm not good at giving advice though, so spiel all of your issues on me but don't ask me what to do about it, sorry. 

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/271764158737150403/

Misconception #2: I don't hate people

http://personalitygrowth.com/11-problems-every-introvert-has-dealt-with/

Tonight at youth group we watched the movie "God's Not Dead" to kickstart the new year. Today I have decided to talk about something that I haven't really talked about on this blog, faith. It's not that I don't want to, it's that many times when someone says they are a Christian, society judges you before they listen to your own personal beliefs. 

via www.imdb.com

Oh, also the denomination I follow is Methodism.
For me it's fairly simple; I believe in God and that His son Jesus came to die on Earth for everyone's sins. As a follower of Christ, it's my responsibility to share my Lord and Savior with everybody that I come in contact with. I believe the way to heaven is believing in God and that his Son, who never sinned, came to save every single sinner/person on the earth.
As stated in John 3:16-For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. But John 3:17 is just as important- For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

The most life changing moments of my life have occurred on my mission trips. I have been on three: two to Joplin, Missouri, and one to Memphis, Tennessee. This summer my youth group is going to Tulsa, Oklahoma. We go to men's homeless shelters, the Boy's and Girl's Club, and boy's ranches. The people in the homeless shelters have so little yet they have so much because they have God and it radiates from them.

At church we just kicked off my favorite sermon series (which we did last year as well) called "I Am Second" and they are videos in which people share their testimony. These videos have, again, made a huge impact in my life. I will link the "I Am Second" YouTube channel down below for you all to check out. These videos include everyone from ex-rockstars, to actresses, and beyond. The stories are filmed spectacularly, part of the reason I love the series is because it deals with filming (my YouTube nerd-eness is showing) life-changing moments in people's lives.

That being said, I do not hate ANYBODY, I don't care if you're straight or gay, or whatever, because as a sinner myself it is not my place to judge anyone. It is God's sole responsibility to judge people. We as Christians are supposed to love anyone and everyone, and hating on a certain people for who they love goes against God's instructions to love everyone. And I know there are extremely traditional people out there who want to tell me I'm wrong (and maybe I am, but again it's all in God's hands) but I am going to love everyone as He calls me to do. 


I wish that when I tell people that I'm a Christian people would let me explain that I don't hate certain people and that I truly am an open person. If people were to put some of their judgmental ways aside I feel that more people could come into the faith and recognize the power of Christ. 

I'm going to post a ton of links below that may better explain myself and my faith.

Until next time,
Taylor xx

Listen to the song: God's Not Dead
Happy in Christ in St. Louis: Video I made for mission trip
My church's webpage: SunRise Family
"I Am Second" YouTube Channel

If you take part in social media you know the phrase "new year new me" has been getting a lot of hate. I agree to some extent that this phrase can be disastrous but I also see its potential.

For me I want to apply "new year new me" to my life in 2015 because I feel like 2014 was a year of starting to figure out who I want to be and that this year it will finally take shape. I want to be more confident, not apologize for everything, and be happy with who I am/do what I enjoy. I cut my hair and, as cheesy as it may sound, the physical change signifies a new me.

However, just because a new year is upon us does not mean that life will suddenly improve immensely. To have a "new year new me" you have to change certain aspects of your life. If you continue doing what you've always done, you'll just stay how you are. I want to be more confident, well I'm going to vlog more which will put me out of my comfort zone. I have to willingly open myself up to change in order to make the new year better. 

But again, you don't have to wait for the new year to make changes in your life. Every single day is a gift and provides an opportunity, make the most of it. Yes, it may be easier to say that you'll start over at the beginning of the new year but if you want to change your lifestyle do it TODAY. 

While people continuously hate on the phrase "new year new me", it can motivate people to change their lives. Put enough passion behind your cause and you can accomplish your goals. Because this is the first day of the year, analyze what you want to improve on in your life and complete actions that will lead you in the right direction.

Until next time,
Taylor xx