The Countdown to 2023: Tidy Space, Tidy Mind

I don't know about you but any time my work space or my home space is cluttered, messy or dirty, I cannot focus on anything else. It is always on my mind. "I need to do laundry, I need to clean the kitchen, I need to tidy my room, I have to declutter the closet".

The Countdown to 2023: Love Yourself

People love to judge. Even you. Everyone has their own thoughts and opinions about others and other things. Not everyone says them out loud but they do think them. What I have learned in these 33 years on this planet is that you have to love yourself in every stage of your life, despite what others think of you. You might not be happy all the time with your looks, your weight, your surroundings and the way your life is going but always love yourself. 

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The Countdown to 2023: Are New Year Resolutions Still a Thing?

At the end of every year we make New Years resolutions. A resolution is the firm decision to do or not do something. Most of the time, we usually make a list of things we want to change for the better in our lives. Some people keep these resolutions but about 90% of the world, gives up within the month. So what makes us want to make these resoultions? It's the promise of a new beginning, the excitement of starting something off brand new. Even though our lives are technically still the same, the countdown starts over. A new beginning and a new chance to make things happen in our life.

The Countdown to 2023: Is health too much to ask for?

'Tis the season for everyone to be sick! At least that's what it seems like. Everywhere I turn someone is sick or just getting over being sick. I don't know about you, but I feel like this year is one of the worst years for the flu and covid. You can't escape it. I think it's even worse than last year. It could be because there are so many more people out and about this year. Covid isn't as talked about and feared as it was in the beginning or even last year. More people have the "I don't give a f" attitude about it. Even though people don't care, they really should. It's affecting everyone's holidays and everyone's lives. It isn't fair to others if you are sick and are going out in public and spreading it around. If you feel sick then you should stay home or at least have the decency to wear a mask in public (yes, we can still do that to prevent spreading germs). I have been sick this year (fever, cough you name it) and I feel like I am still not 100% recovered, especially when any time you go out you risk catching someone's sickness again. It's a never ending cycle. Anyways, today's column was more of a rant about this cloud of sickness that seems to not want to go away from our lives. I just wish people were more careful when sick. We have to look out for one another (I know, too much to ask for. Caring has gone out the window a long time ago. People seem to only care about themselves nowadays). Negativity and lack of respect for others should be things that we leave behind in 2022. Let's try and make the world a better place in the next year. Let's try and stay as healthy as possible and avoid making others sick if we are sick by staying home and taking care of ourselves. The world can wait for you to get better. What are your thoughts on this wave of sickness going around this season? What do you think is causing it all? Leave a thought in the comments!

Welcome to "The Daily A"

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Hi and welcome to "The Daily A" This is a daily column about life from my point of view as a 30 something year old who doesn't have a very traditional lifestyle. I will be talking about different topics that hopefully will start some conversations in the comments! I would love to hear ya'lls thoughts on the Daily topics! The A in "The Daily A" comes from my name, Adela... but I am sure you have figured that out already! If you have any topics you would like discussed or have any questions for me that I can go over in a column post then leave them down below in the comments! Let's talk about it!

The Countdown to 2023: The Social Media Madness

How much time per day do we spend on our phones, more specifically on social media? I for one, am on my phone the moment I get up. I am constantly on social media: Instagram, TikTok, Facebook. I noticed that I get sucked into other peoples lives very easily. I start comparing myself to others, I feel bad for others, I get mad at others. I spend a lot of my time on TikTok, which I am sure most people do (or Reels, Shorts). These videos are just snippets of somoene's life. You scroll and you see someone having a wonderful time, scroll again - someone is dying, scroll again - someone is decorating their house, scroll again - someone is putting makeup on, scroll again - someone's dog is dying, scroll again - someone is ranting about something that happened to them. It is DRAINING for our minds. I speak for myself but I am sure others feel the same way. I spend hrs just scrolling and immersing myself into all sorts of situations. My brain feels like it is on overload afterwards. So what do we do? This is the world we live in. With social media and the internet, everything is only a click or a scroll away. It's amazing but at the same time damaging. It can cause so much anxiety. Every single time I open Facebook, someone has passed away or something devastating has happened in the world. It makes me feel like I have to constantly watch my back. It's all the information that we receive in just a split second when we open up our social media accounts. This is why it's good to take breaks from social media or to limit our time online. We have to learn to breakaway and do other things. It's amazing to be able to always be in the know, but it is also amazing to live in the present and not forget to actually live our lives. One thing I always am reminded of every single day is that life is short. You have to make sure that you spend it in a way that fills your heart with joy and happiness. Remember, it's always good to have idols or look up to someone but it's not good to compare yourself to them. Your life is your life, with its ups and downs, just like everyone else. Most people don't show the downs and they sure as hell don't share them with the internet. Going into the New Year, let's learn how to appreciate what we have, spend less time on social media, live in the present, work on our mental health and do more of the things that make us happy. What are your thoughts on social media and the effect it has on our lives?

Quitting Retail and Life Choices

Hi friends,

It has been awhile since I last posted anything on this blog! In fact, almost 3 months! There is an explanation for that and I will share it with you all today. Buckle in because there is a novel ahead to read!

Back in February, I decided to quit the Retail Industry. It was a tough decision to make but also an easy one at the same time. It was tough because retail is pretty much the only industry that I have ever worked in since entering the work field back in 2012. I have worked in retail for the past decade and I probably would have continued if it hadn't become such a horrible work environment in these past few years. 

I also had some amazing times in retail, I was recognized for some great achievements, got promoted, and worked with some really awesome people. Retail also allowed me to be creative, I loved merchandising a store, putting together displays and really seeing a vision come to life. 

I have a degree in Fashion Design but I never imagined that I would end up in the retail side of fashion, that was never part of my plan. I have always wanted to start my own boutique. That has always been my goal, ever since I can remember. Ten years later, I am working towards that goal but not how I would have imagined it. 

My senior collection on the runway and also the name of my first Blog :) 

Back to why I quit the retail industry. It became a place I dreaded to go into for many reasons. Some of them being unrealistic expectations, tremendous work load, and non existent work/life balance.

Working in retail management can be very draining in general but ever since COVID, it became unbearable. The customers changed, the companies started getting desperate because business slowed down. It's understandable, to a business owner, it is scary. It's how they deal with it that is important. How they treat their employees plays a big part in how that employee will perform in that job at their company.

For me, retail became a place where I couldn't breath anymore. My mental state was declining fast and I knew I had to do something about it.

I put in my two weeks without even having another job lined up and that was scary but I knew I couldn't take another day of retail.

I am at the point in my life where I am having to test out different avenues and see what works best for me. Should I have done this 10 years ago? Absolutely, but we all make the choices we make and learn from our mistakes and our triumphs accordingly. 

I have learned that a lot of people in their 30s are lost and still do not know what to do with their lives and that is ok. Life never goes according to plan and the world we live in has changed tremendously in the past few years. Us millennials have gone through quite a few world events and a lot of us cannot even afford to buy homes, live paycheck to paycheck and are barely living. This is something that has to change. 

Before jumping into a new job, I went on a trip to Florida, as you saw in my last post. The trip was amazing but the bills were not going to pay themselves so I had to start looking for a new job ASAP.

I didn't want to rush into anything and I was looking for a work from home job that I could do, while also working on my business, Adelore Creations that I own alongside my sister. 

I finally found a job, about a month after quitting retail, remote, in a completely different field: insurance, with a pretty cool startup company! I am not going to lie, it has been a hard transition with its ups and downs but every day is a new experience. 

Learning insurance, this has been one of the hardest trainings that I had to go through in my career, one because it was a completely new field that I knew absolutely nothing about and two, because it was an intense 6 week training program. I had to study for my licensing exam during the training program as well as learn on the job requirements. Kudos to those working in insurance and who have made a career out of it, my mom included because it is not easy. 

Now, is insurance something that I love doing? I cannot tell that for sure yet, but it is something I am taking one day at a time. I am a creative person and I love doing creative things. Insurance is very analytical and very black and white. It's been hard for me because I am usually a hands on, creative person and this has definitely been the opposite of that. 

Working from home is amazing but the job I had to take is an entry level customer service position which requires me to be on phones for pretty much the entire day. That is something I thought I would NEVER do because I am a person with anxiety and phones have always been one of the worst triggers for my anxiety. I can say that I am actually doing a pretty decent job on the phones but is it something that I want to do for a long period of time? Probably not. 

Dealing with the public, no matter what job you are in can be very draining but when you are working in Customer Service, about 70% of the people who call in are not happy about something and you are meant to be the one who fixes it for them. I love helping people but one thing I do not love is being demanded to do something or being yelled at. Some people have just lost all sense of respect and courtesy towards others and it is very sad to witness. 

My dream is that Adelore Creations will soon bloom and I can focus on that and continue focusing on growing the business in different avenues. That takes time and patience so all I can do is work hard, take it one day at a time and hope that all the hard work will pay off in the end. 

THAT is why I haven't posted here in awhile. Why I haven't had time to be creative, to make youtube videos, to create blog posts. I have been immersed into a whole new world of insurance and it is a very serious world. 

For now, I will take every day as it comes but working hard on the days I am off on the long term goals that I want to achieve. By the end of this year, I am hoping that the work we put into Adelore Creations will start paying off and we can really start living and working towards a brighter future. 

I will write a post about what is like switching fields in your 30s so keep an eye out for that if you are interested in that topic or if you have thought about starting a new career yourself. Even though this is not the finish line for me and the career that I am wanting to pursue for the rest of my life, it has definitely been interesting learning a new trade! 

Let me know if you have any questions about anything, and hopefully we will be back to talking about more fun topics very soon! 

Until next time, 

Wishing I was having a Butterbeer haha

Xoxo

What a ___ Wednesday! What a Vacation!

    I know, I know...It's been a couple of weeks since my last post but I have been going through a few life changes (quitting my job, looking for new opportunities) so I have been a little preoccupied with that recently. 

I did post a new Youtube video about a week and a half ago.  Check out my channel HERE if you would like to see it! It has to do with today's topic, which is Universal Orlando Resort!

As you saw in my last post, we went on a little 4 day trip to one of our favorite places in the world and I wanted to share a few places and spots with you all from our trip that we really enjoyed. 

We did go right at the beginning of Mardi Gras which I didn't know it was going to be happening until after I purchased the tickets but it was a nice surprise. 

Mardi Gras King and Queen

I do want to say that Universal was EXTREMELY packed for the month of February. Last year we went in June, right when the mask mandate was lifted and it was soooo busy. We researched when the "slower" times would be and the dates we picked, Feb 6th-10th, were supposed to be one of those times. Well, we were definitely fooled because it was as busy as June of 2021! We were literally in awe of how busy it was. 

Regardless of the crowds, we still had plenty of fun and we still enjoyed every minute of it. 

Here are some of our favorite spots: 

Spots in UNIVERSAL STUDIOS: 

1. Diagon Alley (and everything it entails)

Entrance to Diagon Alley (taken from inside)

Walking into Diagon Alley

At the entrance looking in at the amazing Gringotts Fire Breathing Dragon and drinking a Butterbeer :)

In Knockturn Alley (where dark wizards go)

Borgin & Burkes (shop in Knockturn Alley)

The Leaky Cauldron - Restaurant in Diagon Alley

Sticky Toffee Pudding at the Leaky Cauldron

Another picture of Gringotts from a different angle 

There is so much to do in Diagon Alley!

2. The Knight Bus

I wish I had more pictures of the Knight Bus- it's amazing! Plus you get to chat with the Conductor and the Talking Head!

3. Hogwarts Express/King's Cross Station

Hogwarts Express at Diagon Alley

Hogwarts Express at Hogsmeade 

4. Hollywood, New York and London! 

New York

LA

London

5. The JAWS corner 

and so many more spots!

The Butterbeer spot! We tried warm butterbeer here for the first time and it was DELICIOUS! 

ISLANDS OF ADVENTURE spots:

1. Spider Man Ride

This was a super fun 3D ride!

2. Hogsmeade and Hogwarts Castle

Every Flavor Beans

Amazing butterbeer!

3. Jurassic Park area

Velocicoaster

4. Poseidon's Fury Area

and so much more! 

Universal CITY WALK 

"A complex of dining, shopping, and entertainment sprawled around a gorgeous lagoon, with sweeping views of coaster skylines. It serves as the central hub of Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, and with an impressive and varied collection of shops and bites, many visitors find CityWalk to be a great place to spend a relaxing day playing miniature golf, seeing a show, or even getting a tattoo. After dark, CityWalk has a handful of vibrant nightlife options as well. Even if it’s not your final destination, CityWalk is definitely worth budgeting a bit of extra time for when passing through on the way to or from the parks." (from the Orlando Informer)

1. HARD ROCK CAFE and the view from across the pond from it :)

Inside the Hard Rock Cafe

2. PUTT PUTT GOLF - we played here on two different days and it was pretty fun!

3. All the stores especially the LEGACY store and the UNIVERSAL store. There are so many options to shop though.

4. All the little stand alone shopping spots in the middle of City Walk. 

We love Voodoo Donuts! 

Honestly, City Walk is just amazing for any time of day: breakfast, lunch, dinner or evening entertainment. It has everything you want and more. It is also such a great area if you want to have a drink and relax at one of their outdoor tables. 

All in all, I definitely recommend visiting Universal Orlando Resort at least once! This is now our go to vacation spot :) 

Until next time,

XoXo