an open letter to the male species

Let’s talk about boys for a second. I love them, and hate them, they’re annoying, they're flirtatious, they’re good, and they’re bad. Lately, I’ve been having some boy issues. Well, I guess issues isn’t necessarily the right word, but "inconvenience" is more like it. I decided that I should write an open letter to the male species. I figure if just one guy reads this and learns something from this letter, then maybe, just maybe, we can have less of the bad guys (bad being the opposite of a gentleman; a f*ck boy if you will) and more of the good guys, the gentlemen. 

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So here it goes. 

Dear the male species,

Girls, however seemingly “complicated” are actually super simple. In fact, in order to woo a lady, one must follow the simple steps outlined below. They aren’t difficult, they’re fairly cheap (and often free), and are almost 100% guaranteed to sweep a girl off her feet, and into your loving arms. So please read the list carefully, bookmark it in your preferred browser, print it and hang it on the mirror you probably so often stare longingly into, or just, simply, read and understand what I’m saying. Please, I beg of you. 

1. If you like a girl, tell her or at least let her know. Don’t ever just expect a girl to make the first move. If you really want her in your life, you’ll put in the effort to make her part of it. You can text to make the first move or whatever, but this doesn’t mean that you don’t have to talk to her in real life. A text is just an introduction, a real conversation is where you really make the magic happen, so to speak. Nothing compares to a real life “hello” or, you know, an actual conversation. 
2. When you pick her up to go on a date, walk to her door, ring the bell or knock on the door, and talk to her parents (shake their hands, make small talk about the weather/sports/whatever, ask what time she needs to be home, etc.), and then laugh about how awkward it was afterwards while driving to your date destination. Parents aren’t scary, they just want to get to know the person that is taking their daughter out on a date. Don’t be nervous, just be yourself. 
3. Plan the date yourself. Don’t ask a girl to come up with the idea. She’ll most likely be happy with anything you plan, girls like it when the guy is in charge. She might be a feminist, but that doesn’t mean that you still can’t plan a date. The movies are great, dinner is great too, but it’s nice to come up with something creative sometimes too. Make her think you put some thought and originality into your plans. Go play glow in the dark putt putt, attend a local farmer’s market, go rock climbing or hiking, or just have a picnic in the park. Creativity = extra points, trust me on that one.  
4. Always tell her how your feel. If you think about her right when you wake up, shoot her a good morning text. If you think she’s prettier than the entire milky way, please, please, tell her that. On the flip side, if you feel like your relationship isn’t really working out, let her know, preferably not over text. More times that not, I’ve seen guys just stop talking to their girl instead of telling them how they feel. Don’t ever let a girl wonder where you stand with her. It might be hard for you to tell her, but it’s easier than having her mad at you or leaving her upset and sad. 
5. Be yourself, be honest, and be kind. These don’t really need elaborating… at least I don’t think they do. Just treat your girl with the respect that she so deserves. 

So there you have it. Five, relatively easy, ways to become (or remain) a gentleman. Please try them out and see what happens. 

If you’re a girl who’s reading this, feel free to share it with, you know, every single boy you’ve ever met. Or just one, I’ll settle for it just getting into the hands of one guy. 

Let me know if you have any more things to add to the list, there are probably infinite ways to woo a girl… am I right ladies??

Thanks for reading! 
xox
Chloe

addicted to change

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I’m addicted to change. I’m addicted to the idea of “new.” I’m addicted to seeing new things, trying new things, doing new things, and meeting new people. I like the idea of different. Different makes me uncomfortable, because it’s, well, different, but it also makes me excited. I like learning new things, and understanding new things. I think it’s mostly because when life is too consistent, life gets boring. Consistency equals boredom and being bored is something I strive to stay away from. 

I could blame this craving for the new on the fact that I’ve lived in six different cities and seven different houses. Or the fact that I attended three different high schools, in five years, in two cities. But I don’t want to “blame” anything on my love of the idea of newness. As a matter of fact, I don’t think “blame” is the right word, I think “thank” is a better word. I feel lucky to have had these experiences that have allowed me to embrace change. In fact, I embrace change so much that I crave it. I constantly crave something new. I am, in fact, addicted to it. 

Do you prefer consistency or newness? I’d love to know! 
xox
chloe

behind the 'gram

Instagram is weird if you think about it. It’s kind of like a life highlight reel, mixed with a diary, mixed with a whole lot of filters and hashtags and captions. It’s weird to think that so much thought can go into one, seemingly, simple picture. It’s also sad how much time I spend on the planning of an Instagram post. I try to think about the color scheme, the framing, the subject matter, the filter, the lighting, the caption, the hashtags, and then if I should or shouldn’t push the photo to Twitter. So much goes into one picture. 

I was recently tagged by Jamie from The Fashion Newcomer to post never posted Instagrams, but I usually delete the pictures that don’t make the cut so that I can make room for new pictures. So I decided that I’d post a behind the ‘gram post. Now, I’ve done this kind of post before, but you all seem to enjoy them for the most part so here goes yet another one. I hope you enjoy.

Dang Clementine 
I had an independent study class second semester this past school year and I basically got to come up with my own projects for the class. One of my projects was to continue working on my calligraphy so I brought all my supplies to school. As I was writing I was also simultaneously eating a clementine that happened to be disgusting. Then, I was stuck with inspiration for what ti write. I initially just posted this picture to my snapchat (it’s chloeg1 if you want to see me embarrass myself) but I decided it was good enough to make the Instagram cut. 

Scotland Skyline
I went on a school trip to Scotland for spring break and it was absolutely amazing. One of the days we visited Edinburgh and my friends and I climbed to the top of the Gothic Rocket. We had to go up hundreds of steps via a seemingly never-ending circle staircase and by the time I got to the top all I wanted to do was sit down. But the view was so beautiful. As I took this picture I was so extremely worried that my phone was going to fly out of my hands because it was so windy, but I managed to capture this photo, keep my phone in my hands, and enjoy the scenery. Props to me for restraining my clumsy self. 

Poolside Lemonade 
My friends and I adventured to the pool a few days ago, and we decided to bring our own lunch (aka buy lunch from Whole Foods). One of my friends and I decided that we were in the mood for a trendy drink and Hubert’s Lemonade caught our eye. Right when we got to the pool, I made my friend take a picture of our Lemonades. I took at least seven pictures at different angles and different ways of holding the bottle before I settled with this one. It then took me forever to figure out which filter to use. 

Instagram is an art form, I’m telling you. I’d love to read your behind the ‘gram post, so feel free to post one of your own and leave a link to it in the comments!
Thanks for reading! 
xox
Chloe