Looking back on my life I realized I was just trying to get everyone’s approval no matter how crappy a person they were. Yes, I am a people pleaser but I’m learning more and more that I need to focus on myself. Enough of trying to give everything to get friends and family members who will stab you in the back the second you turn.

My true family is my siblings, brother in law and my nephews. Relatives aren’t all that great in my family. I was told countless times to watch out but only half listened. I tried seeing the best in people. That turned out to be very wrong. I learned recently that people will butter you up and pretend to like you just to get what they want. If they don’t, they will attack you.

I have finally learned not to care about those who fake caring about me. It will hurt them but it will be better for me. I’m slowly limiting talking to those people. Soon it will be almost nonexistent. Do I feel bad? A very small part of me does but the bigger part knows i will find people who aren’t related to me that will be more of a family than those relatives.

A message for you: In those times please don’t be afraid to cut ties. You don’t need that negativity in your life. Life is already stressful. Why add in something that’s even worse. Never apologize for improving your life. Take care of you. If they truly wanted to be in your life they wouldn’t have treated you the way they did. Never apologize for improving yourself. The longest relationship is with you. Make sure you’re not just happy with yourself but with the people around you.

Burn as many bridges as you need to feel your best self.

Wander Often,

Lois

I believe everyone has their own castle. It’s the place that has battle scars, ruins and damage from those that tried to attack you. The place you go to hide; to rebuild yourself. A safe place.

My castle had it’s share of scars. I mostly just leave them but sometimes I will patch them up.

After the tragic loss of my person, my castle ended with a catastrophic blow that left it in ruins. As the dust settled and I saw mine and my mothers crowns laying on a pile of rubble, I lost all hope. I didn’t just lose one queen but two.

It has taken 8 months and a new year to go back and see the ruins. I am slowly rebuilding my castle. It won’t be the same and I know nothing ever will but I need to keep moving. Wanting me to be happy was her goal.

Rebuild, reinvent, renew. Coming back stronger than before. As I slowly rebuild, so will my strength.

From my castle to yours….
Wander often,
Lois

I just took my first trip abroad for the holidays. Most people would go somewhere warm and tropical but I’m not like most and decided to take a 2 week holiday trip to Finland. Yep, you read that right; the chilly cold that is Finland in winter.

First off, I’ve been wanting to visit for the last two years. I fell in love with the landscape, then the culture and finally the people. I got so excited that I used to bug my mother by saying I would call or send a video on New Years to let her know how much I loved her. After she passed all hope of anything in my life vanished. It wasn’t until I started working that I believed it to be a sign. My job was closing for two weeks for vacation around Christmas to New Years. I couldn’t believe it. I took it as the right time to leave. It wasn’t just for me but for my mother too. The trip was a way to figure out what I want, a new start and if I’m being completely honest, a little bit of running away.

I knew very little of the Finnish language. Luckily the majority of people there spoke English. I really wanted to see the Northern Lights but it’s a hit or miss if they come out and are bright. I just saw a few faded ones. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t mad or upset by it. I enjoyed the landscape, fire and food none the less. New Years Eve isn’t like it is in New York but was enjoyable. ‘

The trip was more of a relax and recharge. Here are a few of the things I’ve seen out of the 300ish photos I took haha.

Sky Wheel

One of the museums I visited

Painting and sculpture museum I visited

New Years Eve

So adorabe. The Moomin snow sculptures.

Santa’s village was awe-inspiring.

Fire from Northern Lights tour

Cross Country Skiing

In Rovaniemi

Helsinki City Center

Skywheel, Sauna And pool

Wander Often,
Lois

I have officially moved into my new apartment with my younger sister in early December 2018. We got out of a bad lease that was two months in and ended up finding this place. I wanted to wait a bit to get situated. It’s a nice place. The adjusting to living someplace new is difficult. I semi lived on my own before I moved back home but the house still belonged to my mother. This time it’s different. No one I know owns it or lives around me. 

My sister is completely unpacked but I am still in boxes. I work the night shift at work so I’m tired half the time and want to sleep in. Weekend are for errands or repairing my family’s home so it can finish selling.

The new place is relaxing and comfortable that I have no problem calling it home. I feel safe and at peace. It is a gated complex which is a little pricier than the last place but worth it. Very spacious with high ceilings; the kind of place I always wanted to live in. This feels like the next step in the right direction.

Wander Often,
Lois

I recently went on a spontaneous trip to see my older sister in Staten Island. It was a much needed getaway. I have been so stressed and depressed lately. My sister noticed and wanted me to get away. I am quite lucky for her. I was going crazy with everything that has been going on.

My trip consisted of a good nights sleep with no waking up in the middle of it; which is very rare. A fun trip to the Bronx zoo and the Scholars garden. I came back better than I was and with a clearer head. Sometimes family knows what you need better then you do. Much love to my family; especially my two sisters.

Wander Often,
Lois

I had my life flipped upside down in the middle of July when my mother passed away from lung cancer and COPD on her birthday. She would have been 62 years old. That day not only did I lose my rock, best friend, my EVERYTHING but a big chunk of me too. I’m scared of what is next. I know I need to get a job and dealing with all of the estate stuff while slowly going into a depression is not easy. I’ve lost the will to do anything. Most of the time I just want to sleep and forget the world but know that I have things to do that keeps me up at night.

My plan is to be more active on here. I won’t be sappy and miserable like I am at this moment. This will be a journey of healing, self discovery, purpose and adventure. This chapter with a gaping hole in my chest is coming to a close and a new chapter has begun. Time to travel through Wonderland!

Wander Often,

Lois

I’m starting a new segment about moving back in with my family. I’m a few months late on this. I’ve been back home since the beginning of July. This took a while to come up with then I had no idea how to start. Finally I am. 

Being back home is exhausting. I never really had many happy memories in my childhood home. I am definitely not saying I had a horrible life but that there was quite a few unpleasant moments that i’d rather keep forgotten. I have been living by myself for 7 years before I had to come back home and LOVED living alone. I’ll admit it; the reason why I moved back was because of financial troubles. Couldn’t live off a part time job while waiting for them to make me full time. I knew that would never come no matter how valuable and hard working I was to the company but, that sliver of hope kept me there. I left that job in the middle of August 2016. I did have an online business that I left November 23rd of 2016. Coming to the realization that working an online jewelry business wasn’t all that great. I spent more money updating my boutique than I did making sales. Sad that it took me 2 years to to realize this. 

Since leaving my jobs I went back to college for Entrepreneurship but switched to Business Administration before my second semester started. I started with online classes for school and am still doing it. It was so I could focus on my online jewelry boutique but that obviously didn’t pan out. My first semester was disastrous. Staying up until 4 or 5 am and sleeping until noon is not healthy. You name it, I was so tired, cranky, and stressed. Luckily I passed all my class!! Hopefully I’ll be better prepared for next semester. 

Personally I never thought I would end up back at my families home at 26 years old. It sounds dumb but I felt like I was a failure if I did. I had a not-so-great job, no idea what I wanted to do with my life, and was just plain unhappy. This was possibly the lowest point in my life. 2016 is coming to a close in 3 days. I, along with everyone else will have a new start. Currently i’m done with making resolutions. The only one I will make and try to stick to is to be a hell of a better version of myself than last year. 

So if you are still with me after this rant I applaud you. Lets see where life takes me. After all i’m 26, living back home, and jobless; what’s the worst that can happen. 

As the great Stan Lee says “Excelsior!” (onward and upward to greater glory)         

Wander Often,

Lois

I have a number of things running through my head on a daily basis. Most times they come and go so fast that I can`t hold on to one long enough to do anything with it. So I have decided to create this blog for the things I can hold onto, passions and interests. Stuff may be jumbled or scattered but everything connects in one way or another.

Some of my like:

• Singing- even if it`s bad
• Sunshine
• Blowing Bubbles
• Laughing
• Reading Books- not on a kindle/tablet (I`m old school that way lol)

 

Hi everyone! So a few of these posts are back from 2015-2016. They are from my previous blog on blogger & just copied them over here. The old posts are my “Introduction” and the “26 & back home.” Don’t get me wrong, the intro is still the same but I’m definitely not 26 anymore. 

Just wanted to give a heads up in case there was any confusion. The latest post about my world turning upside down is from July 2018. 

This was just to clear stuff up. Take care.

Wander Often, 

Lois