Sep22

How To Make Apartment Management Easier

Posted on September 22, 2023 by lifewithlilred

The market size of property management exceeded $100 billion in 2021, and with more and more people choosing apartment living over family homes, there seems to be no end to the boom of property management. Suppose you want to expand your real estate portfolio to include apartment blocks, or you simply want to improve how you run your current properties. In that case, this post looks at some of the best ways to enhance apartment operations and give your tenants the best experience possible:

Eliminate Paperwork and Manual Records:

Manually filing paperwork or accounts can be laborious and lead to mistakes and longer timelines. Instead, you need to have a digital system that allows you to collate and record all the data and information you need from tenants and vendors in one place for easier access and more up-to-date information. This will enable you to better see what is happening and how things operate simultaneously without finding different records or correcting mistakes. If paperwork is something you struggle with, a real estate management company can assist with this to ensure that everything is in place for your tenants. This is a huge part of managing an apartment and needs to be done right.

Automate As Much As Possible:

Automation is key and goes hand in hand with digitizing your records and accounts. Whether this is automatically collecting rental payments, automating repair requests, maintenance schedules, or wages, the more you can get set up to run independently, the easier things will be for you. Building Automation and Control Systems allows you to streamline your operations and always stay in control. Speaking of running things more efficiently, a major hassle can be the constant replacement of keys and locks for your tenants. It can turn into a time consuming task and can be made easier. Considering a service like property management key systems can not only boost safety but keep your tenants in control of their keys at all times.

Outsource:

Outsourcing tedious or time-consuming jobs can lighten your load and allow you to make sure everything is taken care of. Always check with your local state about what is and isn’t legal when outsourcing apartment management to ensure everything is legal and above board. From pool maintenance to outsourcing building checks, safety assessments, or even front-of-house reception staff, you can ensure things are running like clockwork by using third parties to lighten the load. If you’d like to outsource pool maintenance, you can search for services in your local area here https://premierpoolservice.com/locations/ to help keep the pool pristine.

If your property for rent is serving as a vacation rental, it can also be really helpful to have outsourcing options available. This is especially important if you don’t live near your rental property. Looking into a cheap airbnb management company is a budget friendly way to assist with cleaning, maintenance, and interacting with guests. Services like this can provide your rental with higher reviews, repeat bookings, and happy clients.

Improve Communications:

Communications come in many different forms as a property manager. From conversing with tenants and dealing with issues face to face to replying to emails or dealing with vendors or contractors. How you communicate will impact how well you can manage your property and how easily things get done.

Be as clear and concise as possible when talking to residents, and always clarify things with them so you’re both on the same page. Having a third party present when discussing important topics can also be a good idea so everyone is confident about what is happening and you have a witness to discussions should you need it. Other options include using templates uploaded to a website or app that residents can use to log issues. Be it repairs, payment queries, complaints about neighbors, etc. This can allow you to keep all the information in one place and ensure nothing is overlooked when responding to multiple requests.

Managing an apartment isn’t an easy feat, and there are many things you need to juggle to keep things running smoothly. These tips can help you to become more organized, improve communications, and get off on the right foot for maximum satisfaction with employees and residents.

Featured Image By: Pexels

Sep22

Lil Red’s Book Club: Don’t You Cry By Mary Kubica Edition

Posted on September 22, 2023 by lifewithlilred

Standard

Lil Red’s Book Club: Don’t You Cry By Mary Kubica Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! Without giving any spoilers away, as always, we will be discussing a thriller by Mary Kubica called Don’t You Cry. I was not a huge fan of the last Kubica book I read called Just The Nicest Couple, but I did have one more book by her from the library and decided to give the author another shot. Was I overly impressed with Don’t You Cry? Not especially, but I thought the ending in this super slow burn read was pretty good. Before we begin, I will be placing a trigger warning on Don’t You Cry for general violence, abuse, and disturbing content. Now, let’s get to it:

Quinn and Esther are roommates/BFFS who live in Chicago. They became fast friends and are handling adult life as best as they can while still managing to squeeze in lots of fun. Both girls don’t have a close relationship with their families, but they found family in each other. Quinn and Esther have big plans to hit up a new martini bar in the city, however, Esther feels under the weather and Quinn ends up riding solo. The following morning, Quinn wakes up with a stranger in her bed, a hangover from hell, and her roommate is nowhere to be found.

Normally, Esther sings at a nearby church on Sunday mornings so it’s not strange that she’s gone. What is strange is that the window in Esther’s bedroom is wide open and the screen has been punched out. Why would Esther leave via fire escape when she can safely exit from their own front door? Still, Quinn is not worried. What if Esther was sneaking out to meet a guy and wanted to keep private matters private? In her hungover fugue, Quinn returns to bed and expects to be woken up with coffee and a pastry from her bestie.

Alex is eighteen years old and he lives in Michigan. All of his friends are away at college and he is stuck bussing tables at a lakeside cafe to pay the bills for his alcoholic father. Every day is the same for Alex – walk to work, go through the motions at the cafe, walk home, and find his dad either passed out on the couch or belligerent. Alex resides himself to knowing that this will be the rest of his life until, one day, things change. A stranger appears at the cafe. A lovely young woman whom he gives the nickname of “Pearl” because of a bracelet on her wrist.

Infatuated by this newcomer, Alex hopes for her arrival at the cafe every day and finally works up the nerve to speak to her. They don’t say much, she won’t even tell him her name. All he knows is that he likes her. Across the street from Alex’s dilapidated home is an even more dilapidated home. It has been abandoned for a long time and used to house a family whose young daughter died. Alex doesn’t know why, but he enters the home and who should he find but Pearl living in the ruins.

In Chicago, Quinn is desperately trying to piece the clues together to find her friend. While searching her bedroom, she finds strange notes, ATM receipts for substantial withdrawals, and legal documents confirming a change of name. Did Esther willingly leave on her own? Quinn has a hard time believing that because it’s just not like her. Where would she go, anyways – a small town in Michigan, perhaps? Something isn’t right and the answers lie with Pearl and Pearl alone. Will the mystery be solved before someone gets hurt? Read Don’t You Cry to find out!

I am not sure how I feel about Don’t You Cry. I do know I liked it much better than Just The Nicest Couple, but I don’t think I will read anything else from Mary Kubica after this. Her writing style just doesn’t match what I like. Her writing often times feels like she’s either trying too hard or not trying hard enough. Some of what she writes feels like a teenager wrote it for an English class – complete with the peppering of huge words for brownie points. It’s strange to read books that feel so disjointed with every turn of the page.

Both books I read by Kubica never felt cohesive, partially because she has a real knack for creating characters that are so unlikable. There is nothing special about any of them and it made Don’t You Cry drag on like no other. I did like the ending a lot, even if I figured it out beforehand, but it felt like pulling teeth to get to it. Don’t You Cry featured a plethora of dead end story lines, a somewhat uninspired plot, and a reminder of what a watered down thriller writer that Kubica is. Harsh, yes. But what can ya do?

I am going to rate Don’t You Cry with a five out of five stars. The book in its entirety was a snooze fest, but it had a better ending than Just The Nicest Couple and is why it received one star better. This is a book that you can definitely skip on!

What are you currently reading? What should I read next? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep21

Feed Your Dog Well With These Tips

Posted on September 21, 2023 by lifewithlilred

Standard

As a pet owner, you want to give the best life possible for your pet. When it comes to your dog, you need to make sure that they are exercising, eating well, and feeling positive and secure. Feeding your dog the nutritious diet that they need will help them to stay happy and healthy, but it can be a challenge when money isn’t matching what they need.

Nutritious diets for dogs should give them the right amount of fats, proteins, and vitamins that they require for a healthy lifestyle. Every dog breed and every dog age requires different amounts of food, different natural dog treats, and a moderate level of high quality digestible protein. Understanding the best options for your dog’s health is important so here are some tips to help your dog eat well. Bon appetite!

Protein:

Head to the butchers if you are feeding your dog raw meat. It’s important to make sure that human grade meat doesn’t contain any preservatives. Avoid sausage, cooked or manufactured meats, and make sure that any uncooked bone is wider than the width of your three middle fingers. This is the best option for bone crunching. Marrow bones are very appealing for dogs so you should make sure that your human foods are bought from the butchers.

Sweet Potatoes:

If you want your dog to eat well and have plenty of nutrients, then adding sweet potato to their diet is really going to help. It will improve digestion and it also gives a good dose of beta carotene, which is helpful for healthy skin and bones.

Peanut Butter:

Peanut butter is an excellent snack for dogs, especially because of the vitamin B and the heart healthy fats. There’s a reason that you eat the peanut butter, and those are the same reasons that your dog should eat it too. It’s a good food to use for enrichment games and you can smooth it inside a Kong or other rubber dog toys for them to find and enjoy.

Parsley:

Add some parsley to dog food for minty fresh breath. Well, not quite minty fresh, but it will definitely be better than what it is! Parsley is a good way to improve your dog’s health and give them some much needed vitamins while making their breath smell good.

Porridge:

Puppies love porridge in the morning. If you are making yourself a bowl of porridge, consider making one for your pup as a fiber rich snack. All you need to do is avoid any added sugars or syrups and your dog will be able to enjoy it with you. It should be used exclusively as a treat, however, because while it’s fiber rich it’s not particularly rich in anything else.

Just like humans, the diet for your pet is extremely important. Feed them well with the tips above!

Featured Image By: Pexels

Sep21

Whatever The Weather OOTD

Posted on September 21, 2023 by lifewithlilred

Standard

Hello! No matter the time of year, everyone in Ohio knows the weather to be temperamental at best. For the past several weeks, we have fluctuated between hot AF, breezy, and rainy days. Most mornings, I am freezing my nads off only to be having a hot flash by mid afternoon! For flip flop weather, the best thing that you can do when you get ready for the day is layer. Then, as the temperature changes, all you have to do is add or remove your layering pieces to your liking.

Last week, my Early Fall OOTD began the saga of the switching weather and we are going to continue on with that theme. At this current juncture, cardigans are my layering BFF. It’s not cold enough for a coat, but you definitely need something to keep you warm until the day heats up. Whatever The Weather, I know that I will be rocking all the fall fashion – my favorite! Check it out:

Who? What? Wear?

Emerald Green Cardigan: Candie’s, Kohl’s

White Tank Top: Rachel Zoe, TJMaxx

Floral Pants: Nicole Miller, TJMaxx

Denim Platforms: Bamboo/Cape Robbin, TJMaxx

The necklace is handmade and was purchased at a vendor fair

The earrings are Lucky Brand and were a gift from my mom 🙂

Whenever I am styling an OOTD, I tend to start with one piece of clothing and build from there. In this case, I began from the bottom up in the pants department. Although I am forever partial to my black skinny jeans, I don’t want to wear them all of the time! I have many a patterned pants that deserve their day in the sort of sun and I decided to go with my floral pair by Nicole Miller. These pants were a strategic choice because they made styling SO easy. All I had to do was pull from colors that were featured in the pattern!

With something as bold as a patterned pant, it is wise to go simple for the rest of the look. Patterns on patterns can work, but they also can make for a haphazard appearance if not done properly. I don’t own anything patterned that would have even remotely gone well with my pants so I opted for a plain white tank by Rachel Zoe. Afterwards, I examined the pattern in the pants and pulled from the green in the leaves which helped me choose my emerald green cardi on top. Remember, the colors don’t have to be a perfect match – as long as they are from the same color family, you are golden.

(A little side note about the cardigan: It is old as dirt lol. I bought it when I was twenty I think? I needed business casual attire for a new job and felt oh so grown up in black slacks and the cardigan!)

Finally, it was time for accessories and shoes to complete the look. Since the top portion of my OOTD was completely plain, I added the gorgeous, feather adorned handmade necklace. It fit in beautifully with the earthy palette that I had established. Then, I put on turquoise Lucky Brand earrings to pull from the blue in the pants pattern. To create cohesion from head to toe, I went with my deep denim hued platforms to compliment the dark green on top and I was ready to go!

To end this Whatever The Weather OOTD, I will leave you with a little tongue twister we would warm up with when I did theater… Whether the weather is cold or whether the weather is hot, whatever the weather we’ll weather the weather, whether we like it or not. Try saying that five times fast!

What is your favorite jewel tone color? How do you rock patterned pants? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep20

Going To Therapy Update

Posted on September 20, 2023 by lifewithlilred

Standard

Hello!!! Last month I announced that I was going to start therapy and I was really looking forward to it. I thought it would be most helpful after this extremely difficult past year to have a third party to talk to. Unfortunately, I did not care for the therapist that I was seeing after my second session. It just wasn’t a good match at all and that’s okay. Sometimes you have to shop around to find a therapist that works for you.

To be honest, I was kind of put off immediately during my first session with the person who I was seeing. The meeting was brief – barely over a half hour and I don’t think she fully listened to what it was that I wanted to get out of therapy. At twenty-nine years young, I know myself enough to know what it is I needed and that was simply someone to talk to and unload all of these pent up emotions. During our following session, it felt like the therapist wasn’t really getting it. Instead of hearing my saga, she assigned “homework” and offered solutions for statements that were beside the point.

It wasn’t that I minded hearing ways to overcome stress in the now, but I thought I made myself clear enough that the issue was, first and foremost, issues in the past. I felt really disappointed after our second session because I didn’t feel heard and that is the entire point of therapy!! I decided to cancel my upcoming appointment that was scheduled and didn’t plan on trying a different therapist out. However, the receptionist who I was speaking with encouraged me to give it one more chance with someone who might be a better match for me.

I begrudgingly accepted the new appointment for early next month and I am proud that I did. I also am very appreciative to the receptionist who nudged me forward in that direction. I told myself beforehand that I would wait a few months for another shot at therapy and I’m glad that I didn’t drag my feet. Now, I feel hopeful for my upcoming session and I know it will do me a world of good. What’s that old saying? If at first you don’t like your therapist, try, try a new one? Lol.

Although it is discouraging for a therapist to not be a good fit, it’s a normal thing. My initial instinct was to give up for now and that’s not going to help me one bit. If you are in a similar situation, try again! I am lucky that the receptionist said the same to me and this is me encouraging all of you! ❤

Did you have to shop around for a therapist that worked for you? Who do you like to talk to about your problems? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep19

Sweet Surprises: Skeleton Champagne Flutes Edition

Posted on September 19, 2023 by lifewithlilred

Standard

Hello!! It is obviously no secret that Halloween is my happy time and Johnny and I maintain a spooky mindset all year round. Our Halloween decor is every day decor and we live for horror flicks and true crime documentaries. Spooky season soothes our souls and it’s so sweet when people reach out to us just to let us know which stores have the best Halloween decor out or which scary movie we have to watch. My dad, for example, is forever keeping me up to date on when our local discount store has a new shipment of spooky decorations out. What a guy! This past week, he surprised me with these darling skeleton champagne flutes and I adore them:

My dad purchased these flutes at Target and it gave me all the warm fuzzies because my mom told me that as soon as he saw them he said “Sarah would love these”. He was right on! They are just what I needed, in fact. I used to have wine glasses that were very similar from the Dollar Tree. Unfortunately, Johnny and I had to throw them out because they began leaking after a few months of use. I never forgot them because they were so cute and my new flutes are a perfect replacement.

Despite all of my parents’ children being thirty something, they firmly believe we are never too old for surprises. I can’t tell you the amount of times I have come over to their house to see new beauty goodies or Halloween decor for me after one of their trips to the store. It’s never anything expensive or extravagant and it never needs to be. Just knowing that they saw something that reminded them of me is more than enough. I cannot wait to break out my flutes for apple cider mimosas and toast to the bearers of this sweet surprise!

Cheers to Halloween, cheers to my parents, and cheers to all of you! Here’s to the best spooky season ever!

What is the last thing someone surprised you with? What is something that reminds your friends and family of you? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep18

Scary Fun Fall Activities

Posted on September 18, 2023 by lifewithlilred

Standard

Hello!!! Fall is the happiest time of the year for me and Johnny. The weather suits our vampire selves beautifully and autumn is when we finally emerge outdoors after a hot summer. We do not do well in the heat whatsoever and it’s so nice to be able to comfortably step out and do ALL of the fall activities together! Below are some of the things that we definitely plan on doing the next few months as well as some ideas for more fall fun. Check it out:

Hikes:

There are countless gorgeous Metro Parks in Ohio and Johnny and I live by a ton of them. Within a ten mile radius of our apartment are at least ten different ones that I can think of off the top of my head! During the week, we are hoping to fit in one or two hikes after work on the days that I get home early. It is such a joy to take a stroll through the woods during a crisp day and admire the changing leaves! Maybe we’ll even try to complete the annual Fall Hiking Spree this year, which is something we always talk about but never do lol.

Drive-In Movies:

I have only been to a drive-in movie once in my life and it freaking sucked! It was a rainy day, the car was cramped, and I was beyond over it. Johnny, on the other hand, loves a good drive-in and we plan on hitting up the one we live somewhat close to in October. The drive-in will be hosting scary movie marathons with old school horror flicks, slashers, and campy classics. It sounds like a hoot and will be a nice change of pace from our at home scary movie viewings.

Scavenger Hunts:

I think it would be so much fun to have a Halloween scavenger hunt with our friends and I would love to organize one. Perhaps a walk or drive through neighborhoods scouring Halloween decor to cross off our list? Or even visiting one of the numerous Spirit Halloweens in our area building a goofy costume on a budget. We could end the hunt making our own concoctions of spooky themed cocktails OR apple cider mimosas which I am dying to try. They sound delish! 😀

Pumpkin Partay:

One thing that Johnny and I haven’t done together is carve pumpkins and that feels like a must this year. I would love to take an afternoon trip to a pumpkin patch, pick out the perfect carving pumpkins, and make some masterpieces. Granted, no one could really see them from our balcony but we can and that’s all that matters. Here’s to me not injuring myself because this will be my first go at jack-o-lanterns – we’ll see what happens haha.

Bonfires:

This past Christmas, I got my dad a fire pit and Johnny and I can’t wait to use it this fall! We even have the kits to make the fire different colors, which will be super neat. Last year, Johnny and I had a blast passing out candy during Trick-or-Treat and we plan on creating a spooky setup with the fire pit, Halloween music, and of course dressing up too. I am SO excited to go costume shopping, although I don’t know how I’ll beat dressing up as Johnny last year!

Johnny and I are ready to live our best lives this fall and how can we not with so many Scary Fun Activities on our agenda?! Fall fun, here we come!

What is your favorite fall activity? What are you going to be for Halloween this year? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep17

Belated Nine Year Blogiversary!!

Posted on September 17, 2023 by lifewithlilred

Standard

Hello!!!! September 13th was lifewithlilred’s Nine Year Blogiversary and it came as a huge surprise to me lol. Obviously, because this is a belated celebration post! Not only was the date of this a shock, but also the length of time. It feels like just yesterday that twenty year old Sarah sat down and began her blogging journey. It is thrilling that almost a decade later, my blog is still going stronger than ever with daily content for the past four years and change!

As always, the best part about lifewithlilred is all of the incredible friends and readers that have come along for the ride. And, man, have we been through a lot! You have all been there through major milestones in my life – graduating college, new jobs, and getting married. It is so special to me to know that my dear readers are there celebrating the good and offering support for the bad every step of the way. It inspires and motivates me to no end, which is the main reason lifewithlilred has kept on truckin all of these years.

Every day, I feel so excited to sit down and write and I think that my blog is a reflection of my favorite phrase “the joy of writing”. I write for me, I write for my beloved viewers, I would write for no viewers – it just makes me happy to do. lifewithlilred is something that brings me true joy and it is my safe haven that I have carved out in the great world wide web. For nine years, I have been in blogging bliss and I cannot wait to see what else is in store for my page in the years to come. ❤

Thank you to each and every one of you for being the driving force behind lifewithlilred for the past nine years. I could not do it without that love and support and it works both ways. I love all of you and wish nothing but for you to continue on in your blogging journey and experience the joy of writing every day!

Sep16

Lil Red’s Book Club: Just The Nicest Couple By Mary Kubica Edition

Posted on September 16, 2023 by lifewithlilred

Standard

Lil Red’s Book Club: Just The Nicest Couple By Mary Kubica Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! Without giving any spoilers away, as always, we are going to be discussing a thriller by Mary Kubica called Just The Nicest Couple. This book was pretty good, but suffered from a horrible case of an extremely lackluster grand reveal. Before we begin, I will be placing a trigger warning on Just The Nicest Couple for murder, violence, and miscarriages. Now, let’s get to it:

Lily and Christian really are just the nicest couple. They are self proclaimed “math nerds” and Lily is a beloved math teacher at the local high school. This is where she met her good friend, Nina, who is an English teacher and her neurosurgeon husband, Jake. The two couples have shared many an outing together for drinks and dinner and consider themselves to be close friends. But do the couples know each other or even their own partners as much as they think?

Nina and Jake’s marriage is on the rocks because the possessive husband doesn’t like Nina caring for her ailing mother. Meanwhile, Lily and Christian are in a very sensitive situation as Lily is with child and they have suffered many miscarriages before. Both couples are experiencing different changes, but it’s nothing in comparison to how their worlds are about to be turned upside down drastically. One day, Christian returns home to find Lily beside herself and her story drags them into a high stakes game of cat and mouse.

Lily says that she ran into Jake on a hiking trail and he brought her to a secluded area in the woods to look at a mother deer and her babies. Instead of seeing a sweet sight, Jake begins to hurt Lily. To defend herself and her baby, she hits him with a rock again and again and runs away. The only catch? Lily has no idea if she killed him or not. That day, Nina waits up for Jake almost all night and he doesn’t return home. He is nowhere to be found the following day, either, and won’t return any of Nina’s calls or texts.

Nina is not surprised to not hear from Jake as they had a tumultuous fight the day before. She assumes he’s crashing at a hotel blowing off some steam. It isn’t until the hospital Jake works at calls to say that he isn’t shown up for surgeries when she begins to worry. He loves his job even more than he loves her. Lily and Christian determine that there is no possible way Lily could have killed Jake and Lily tiptoes her way around Nina to gain intel and be the “good friend”.

The cops are less than helpful to Nina since Jake is an adult and can disappear if he wants to. So, she takes matters into her own hands and plays detective. It isn’t until a body is found in the woods that Lily and Christian’s panic surges. They have to be one step ahead of the cops’ investigation and Nina’s. As the story continues and Nina’s suspicion of the nice couple intensifies, Nina and Christian are all but ready for the cops to arrive and arrest them. But, what if Lily really didn’t kill Christian after all? And if not, who did? Read Just The Nicest Couple to find out!

Just The Nicest Couple went back and forth from the perspective of Christian and Nina, and you all know how much I love an alternating narrator. I also enjoy a cat and mouse thriller so I thought the story line was an exciting and interesting one. I can’t say that any of the characters were particularly likeable, but I liked the plot and it kept me turning the page at a rapid pace. I finished it in just three sittings!

I was very much into this book until the last fifty or so pages and then it took a drastic turn for the worse. The grand reveal was just so dumb that it completely took away from everything that I had read leading up to it. I was expecting to give Just The Nicest Couple a fairly high star rating and it instantly plummeted. I, myself, did not figure out the reveal because it was just so unlikely and out of left field I didn’t even consider it. A book can be great, but if the ending is terrible then what’s the point?

In terms of writing, Mary Kubica was just alright in my opinion. Her writing style seemed very repetitive and I didn’t like how she used the same word or two so frequently in close proximity to each other. Just The Nicest Couple was also riddled with typos – at least ten and that is unacceptable to me. At times, this made the writing feel juvenile and left me feeling less than impressed. I grabbed another Kubica book from the library when I checked out Just The Nicest Couple, but I don’t think I will read any more after I finish her other book.

I wanted to like Just The Nicest Couple SO badly and was going to rate it highly. However, I can’t overlook such an epic failure of an ending and the massive amount of typos and spelling errors. I am going to rate this book with a four out of ten stars. Give it a read if you want, but it’s one that you’re not going to be missing out on.

What are you currently reading? What should I read next? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep15

Early Fall OOTD Bloopers

Posted on September 15, 2023 by lifewithlilred

Standard

Hello everyone and welcome to the blooper reel from my Early Fall OOTD! Similarly to the transition from spring to summer, dressing for early fall can be a head scratcher. Is it going to be chilly? Is it going to be blazing hot? Do I need a coat? Do I wear shorts? It can be a big fat question mark and I wanted to create a look that would be comfortable during crisp mornings and a warm afternoon. Let’s take a look at some of the shots that didn’t make my first, second, or third cut and discuss bellies. We all have them! Here we go:

Focused, flourishing, thriving.

I LOOK GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Definitely was getting distracted by a dog being walked 🙂

Luring you all in with my seductive gaze 😉

Wait…….. what???

Okay, seriously guys. WTF is this lol

Who, me? 😉

A conversation that I have frequently with my girlfriends is our changing bodies. Lol, weird but true and it makes sense. As all of my friends are in their late twenties/thirty somethings, we have noticed little things that we weren’t complaining about fresh out of high school. We feel tired constantly, our metabolism might have slowed, and areas that used to be toned are not the way it used to be. My “problem area” – my belly!

I will be the first to admit that when I wore this crop top, I was thinking a lot about “sucking it in”. Then, I remembered the advice that my girls and I always end our “body talks” with. Bodies change. Damnit, we are all almost or past thirty and our bodies simply aren’t going to look like they did in high school. They just aren’t and that’s okay. I also reminded myself of my golden rule when I briefly second guessed the top… Wear the clothes. Wear it, strut, and rock it. Am I going to have six pack abs? Hard no! That doesn’t mean I’m any less worthy of wearing a crop top than someone else.

As I get older, I feel more and more confident in myself than I ever did in my youth. In my early twenties, if I wasn’t wearing something that looked just so, you could forget about it. Now, I dress for me. I had a minor faltering when I put the crop top on and then I recalled sound advice from my friends and myself. Conclusion? Everyone has bellies. Everyone has butts. Everyone is not going to look the same and that’s a beautiful thing!

This Early Fall OOTD was made to teach everyone about styling a look for changes in weather. I like to think it did, but it also taught me a refresher on my golden rule and self confidence. What a win/win!!

How did your body change as you got older? What is something that you used to feel self conscious about? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

	lifewithlilred on New Hair, Who Dis?
	Dear Quiet on New Hair, Who Dis?
	lifewithlilred on Wedding Party OOTD
	lifewithlilred on Travel Turmoil In New Orl…
	Chantel Keona on Wedding Party OOTD