Ulta haul💄

Little @Ulta haul to kick start the weekend! I was out of a few things and decided to try a new Benefit cosmetics mascara and a few products from the Peach & Lilly’s skin care line! Restocked some of mine and David’s favorite @bondiboost products and of COURSE, my @itcosmetics foundation + a new color of their pillow lips!👏🏼 #blogger #beauty #ultahaul

Follow my shop @MarilynC. on the @shop.LTK app to shop this post and get my exclusive app-only content!

#liketkit #LTKunder100 #LTKbeauty #LTKunder50

@shop.ltk

SHOP MY ULTA PICKS HERE

Winter hat picks + style tip!❄️

Fun fact: I used to hate wearing hats until influencers taught me how to do it right. 😂 Part your hair down the middle, no matter HOW you normally part it. Pull hair forward. Put your hat on and pull it to just above your eye brows. I pull my hat on from the back forward to be sure I’m not slicking my hair back. Then, you just adjust your hair! Tuck any baby pieces that are in your eyes and fluff it a bit! So simple and so sad it took me up until a few years ago to figure it out. 😂

This beanie is actually brought to you courtesy of the @target dollar spot so linking some of my other favorites here!

#blogger #ltkblogger #fallfashion #winterfashion #styletip #ootd #bloggerstyle

Follow my shop @MarilynC. on the @shop.LTK app to shop this post and get my exclusive app-only content!

#liketkit #LTKHoliday #LTKstyletip #LTKSeasonal

@shop.ltk

CUTEST WINTER HATS LINKED HERE

Regret vs. Growth.

A past full of regret is a past not yet understood. 

It’s human nature to have those  “I can’t believe I did that” moments. But do you look at your past and genuinely regret it? Or do you just not yet understand it?

 Our past builds our story. It’s most likely full of bumps in the road, life lessons, let downs, mistakes, bigger mistakes, heartbreak, and a handful of situations we might now, handle differently. 

It’s no secret that everything we encounter has a purpose. It might not feel good at the moment but there is always a reason. You might have put yourself in some really tough situations at points. But, look where you are now. That’s the process of understanding it, the process of growth.

Connecting point A to point B. Realizing the cause and effect of your actions and behavior. Noticing how things ACTUALLY turned out. It’s understanding the lessons that have been taught, the things you’ve done, and maybe would never do again.

However, sometimes we misinterpret growth for regret. It’s not that we necessarily “regret” doing something, it’s that we did it and we saw what happened and now, we know we wouldn’t want to experience that again. It’s maybe feeling sorry or bad about things. But that shouldn’t be mistaken for regret, that’s growth. It’s knowing and accepting the mistakes. Apologizing when needed and moving forward. It’s learning and understanding. It’s seeing the outcome and realizing, we never want to feel that again or be the reason, someone else feels that way.

 Our past sculpts who we are as people. It helps guide us and teach us how to better handle things. But mistaking growth for regret, or simply not understanding your past, can prevent you from reaching your full potential. Holding on to the past not only isn’t healthy but keeps you from moving forward with your life.

 It can hold you back and draw you in. It can make you feel bad or guilty for things instead of embracing your story. It can prevent you from understanding and accepting that we’ve all made mistakes along the way. We’ve all lived and learned. We’ve all felt some type of pain or heartbreak. We’ve all been let down and most likely have been the cause of someone else’s let down.

 Understanding your past and your own story are key factors in life. It’s what allows you to move forward and grow as a person. It allows you to share your knowledge and lessons learned with others. It makes you stronger mentally, emotionally, and in some cases, physically. 

 So if you’re looking back at your past, do it to be reminded of how far you’ve come. Do it to understand and be proud of your growth. Do it to acknowledge the life lessons and do it to be grateful for the person you are today.

-MC

You can’t have a rainbow if you’re always chasing storms.

“You can’t have a rainbow if you’re always chasing storms.”

– Marilyn K.Pretty self-explanatory, right?Last weekend as we were getting ready to go out on the boat, I was reflecting on some of the recent conversations I’ve had with friends. About life, relationships, family, work. It made me realize how much I as a person have grown over the last two-three years. The things that interest me now, how I react to things. How I feel when certain topics come up. How true to myself I stay in conversations. I take pride in those things.   I have always, always been a positive person. I have always given the benefit of the doubt to people, even when they are far from deserving of it. I will justify someone’s actions with the fact that “everyone handles things differently” or “we don’t know what’s happening in their life”. And overall, I am easily and proudly one of the most understanding and caring people, most will ever meet. My home flooded with hurricane Matthew back in 2015. It had just been purchased months prior and not in a flood zone so it was the last thing anyone was expecting. Fast forward to 2018, it flooded again with hurricane Florence, this time, far worse than before. With that flood, came the ending of a relationship. Which had a waterfall effect to many other losses along the way. The coming year was a struggle to adjust to a new way of life. A lot of changes, bumps in the road and unexpected life events happened.   Through it all, I did my best to keep a smile on my face, roll with the life lessons, and have faith that everything happens for a reason. It does. But, that smile faded on some days and there was even a breaking point that required some serious adjustment in my thought process and attitude about things.  I’m not by any means saying life is full of rainbows and unicorns, it’d be a heck of a lot cooler if it was but that’s just not the reality of it. I’m also not saying that when life is pouring down on you, you can’t just break down with it. It’s nearly impossible to always keep a smile on your face and hope for the best.   What I am saying, is if you’re constantly picking at every negative in your life, you will never find anything worth smiling for. Hence, “chasing storms”.   We become so accepting of this lifestyle, we fall into a hole that seems to have no way out. Before you know it, even the good things in life, are being destroyed with negativity. Whether it’s actually there or we ourselves create it.  When we are constantly chasing drama, looking for problems, doubting things…that is all we will ever find, simply because it’s what we are searching for and we won’t stop until we have it. However, the thrill of that is short-lived. Once it’s gone, we need more. It’s a never-ending cycle that can never actually be satisfied. It puts us in a constant state of needing more.   Sometimes, we don’t even realize that’s what we are doing. When we are able to step back, see it, and accept it, is when you can change it. That’s when you can fight that urge and choose to see the good, the positive, the blessings in your life.

That’s when you’ll start to find your rainbows.

It isn’t always an easy thing to do. But when we are able to understand that we are choosing to stir the pot and create storms for ourselves, we are able to put a stop to it and take control. We are able to get through whatever storm is in our path and reach the rainbow at the end.   

-MC

Worry once.

How many times are we presented with a situation or circumstances that fill us with questions and uncertainty? Worrying how something will work out. 

We dissect the details, replay things over in our heads, talk them out trying to cover every possible outcome, attempting to figure it out for ourselves and be ready for the worst. We feel like we are doing something productive by spending so much time stressing over what we realistically, have no control over. So why? 

We mentally try to prepare ourselves for situations we were never meant to have a say in. We lose trust and faith in the process and try to take charge and responsibility for an outcome that is going to be what it will be. No matter how we try to interfere.

So why do we put ourselves through it once, let alone twice? We should only worry when it’s time to and even in that moment we should trust in the process. Even when things don’t make sense or when they don’t turn out how we hoped and prayed. We shouldn’t worry at all. We should have faith that everything happens the way it’s meant to and somethings, just aren’t meant to be.

The answer to “why” we do this, is quite simple. We create expectations in our minds. We are drawn in by certain details of things that make us desire them. We get ahead of ourselves picturing how wonderful something could be. Then we paint the picture of how WE want things to turn out. What WE want things to be. Most times, based on very little knowledge. Then, when there is an “unknown” or waiting period for how something will actually turn out or if it will, we try to soften the blow of the letdown that might come. Almost as if we know, what we are so badly hoping for, might not be best for us. Most of us know and are well aware, we don’t have the final say in how things pan out but this doesn’t make us any less human.

Our faith in God and His plans for our lives is what we have to turn to in these moments. While somethings might seem appealing and like great opportunities, who knows where those paths might lead us in the future. Who knows what problems they could create or the type of person they could turn us into. They might be great to start but perhaps take us in a direction we simply aren’t meant to go.

Have faith in God and your journey and if you must worry, only worry once.  

-MC

Beautiful Mess.

To say the least, it was challenging. Gorgeous and well worth it, but challenging.

A few weeks ago, David and I headed to Cleveland, South Carolina to go hiking at Raven Cliff Falls. It’s been a hot minute since I’ve been out walking through the woods let alone on an actual hike. The hike starts off easy and after about two miles in, you reach a viewing area where you can see the falls in the distance. From that point, you can turn around or continue on the Dismal Naturaland hiking loop.

The loop is an 8.8 mile trek with an elevation gain of about 2,240 feet that leads you to the falls. With warning signs posted about how strenuous the loop is and to account for an additional 4-6 hours of hiking, we had pretty much already made up our minds and continued our way up the trail.

To say the least, it was challenging. Gorgeous and well worth it, but challenging.

Raven Cliff Falls Cleveland South Carolina Naturaland Dismal Loop

In so many moments, it made me realize how difficult some things in life truly are and how honestly important it is to have the right people by your side. 

It made me realize how life has a funny way of putting you in your place. Even when you think you’ve got it handled and can deal with just about anything, something can be thrown your way that makes you realize you aren’t in control. Something that quickly reminds us to just have faith.

It made me remember how messy and unpredictable everything truly can be. How many unexpected turns and slippery slopes there are. How we are tested in ways you’d never even think possible. But also how amazing and rewarding those moments can be.

Life is messy but the mess and pain are temporary and when all of that’s gone, it’s really just beautiful.

-MK

Raven Cliff Falls Cleveland South Carolina Naturaland Dismal Loop
Raven Cliff Falls Cleveland South Carolina Naturaland Dismal Loop
Raven Cliff Falls Cleveland South Carolina Naturaland Dismal Loop
Raven Cliff Falls Cleveland South Carolina Naturaland Dismal Loop
Raven Cliff Falls Cleveland South Carolina Naturaland Dismal Loop Suspension Bridge
Raven Cliff Falls Cleveland South Carolina Naturaland Dismal Loop
Raven Cliff Falls Cleveland South Carolina Naturaland Dismal Loop
Raven Cliff Falls Cleveland South Carolina Naturaland Dismal Loop