What truly makes you happy?

What makes you happy in fashion or life in general? Are there certain trends that you like that are a result of something going on in your life whether it be personal or business related? There are quite a few things that make me happy but I’ll list the top things that have been making me happy recently or for quite some time.

FAMILY

Family is first and foremost the number 1 important thing in my life, especially now with my brother living in Boston during these terrible bombings. It’s amazing how nothing else in the world matters right now except for one person. Don’t get me wrong I care about the victims and anyone impacted by this and they are in my prayers as well, but my brother is well my brother, and he’s the only sibling I have.

My parents are my rock and have been there for me for my short almost 26 years of life. They were high school sweethearts and even though the fight like a married couple every once in a while, I hope that one day I will find a forever lasting love like they have. It’s rare these days. Their official wedding anniversary is coming up this Christmas, 30 years of marriage. The reason why I say official is because they actually had to get married 3 times in order to prove to the government/embassy they were actually married for the right reasons not just a ticket to America. My dad came to the states 3-4 years before my mom did. They were freshly married and apart for the first 3 years. Back then they didn’t have Skype and international phone calls were super expensive so they did it the old fashioned way; letters. They are still together to this day and I hope I have that when I find “the one.”

FURRY FAMILY MEMBERS

Now onto the two furry family members that we have. We have a maltese who’s name is Kuba and he’s going to be 8 on July 14th. He’s been in some pictures I’ve uploaded on here. He’s been with us ever since he was small enough to fit in a hat and in the palm of our hands. Originally he was my dog but when I started to not be home as much he gravitated towards my mom and now he won’t leave her side. He’s had a few medical problems in the past year and was in the animal hospital 3 times but he is ok and we have to take extra procedures to keep him healthy but he is still alive, and kicking more than ever!

The second furry family member is of most recent (I rescued her a year ago), a rescue dog that is half beagle half pug aka a puggle. I think they are calling mixed dogs hybrids now? Correct me if I’m wrong. When I lived in Texas (which I’ll talk about in another post) I was getting a little homesick so since I thought I would be an official Texan resident I went to the nearest animal shelter and brought back to my apartment my best friend, Lilly Savannah. I couldn’t pick a name so her name is Lilly but Savannah is her middle name. They say she was probably beaten and she was an illegal breeding dog which is why her womanly parts were sagging like cow utters. She was also under weight at 14 pounds and I plumped her up to a healthy weight of 25 pounds, well she needs to lose about two pounds now haha. The vet told me judging my her teeth and her body she is between 2 and 3 but it seems closer to 2 years old. With this being said she was having puppies when she was still a puppy. Whoever brought her to the shelter I’m am extremely greatful to you because you did the right thing instead of just walking past her leaving her to die in the streets. To the person who left her to die after she had a few litters I hope one day you will have a heart and the thoughts of what you did make you feel terrible and haunt you.

They really aren’t kidding when they say dogs are a man’s best friend, in my case woman’s best friend. When I was in and out of the hospital in 2005 (when we brought home Kuba) he was the best medicine anyone could possibly have. The fact that his tiny little body would cuddle up with me and if I cried or was in pain he was right there by my side licking my face to get me to smile, or he would try to get my mind off things by bringing me one of his toys to play fetch with. With Lilly she made my broken heart mend and she brought so much brightness to my life. When something bad happens I can go home to her jumping self and I forget about anything that happened during the day. She also saved my life in Texas when someone tried to break into my apartment. For a (at the time) 14 pound dog she had the most vicious bark that made her sound like a german shepherd ready to attack. Needless to say this woke up all the neighbors and the shadow figure that was standing in front of my window was no longer there.

GARDENING

Since I’m on the topic of Texas, before I got Lilly I took up a hobby of gardening. I had a small patio so all of my flowers were in flower pots and I absolutely loved it. Something about watching something grow and blossom just made my day that much better. I mean I think I killed one flower on accident by over watering it but at least I tried and it was my first time. When I was moving back home I could only take one flower pot because I had no room in my car for everything in my apartment, furniture, plus my dog. I chose to go with the flower pot that had the Texas flag and the marigolds that were planted from little seeds. Marigolds are my grandma’s favorite flower and it’s my birth flower so I thought it was fitting. Now I have a mini garden on my desk at home and I planted the seeds I saved from last years marigolds and I actually added a few more flowers since this picture was taken, I have some more cacti. This year I chose easier plants to take care of, ones that don’t need to be watered everyday.

FOOD

Since starting my new job I have tried so many new foods. I work for a Taiwainese company so I have been introduced to all the sea food you can possibly eat and lots of Asian food, and I’m not talking about Chinese take out or just regular sushi you can buy at the store. I’m talking about Asian Cuisine and delicacies which are definitely different from what I’m used to. I’ve even eaten fish stomach which is a delicacy. I will say my new favorite Asian food is actually Japanese and that’s sushi and sashimi, I don’t like anything raw but for some reason I like raw fish. Actually someone told me that because the Japanese eat so much raw fish they are healthier and they have the longest life span over any other country. I guess I’ll start eating more raw fish to be healthy.

Of course I still love my mom’s home cooking. I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of it, pierogi, cheesecake, meats, and her mashed potatoes are so good. My mom is on an organic kick too so everything just tastes so much better too. Plus she’s a entrepreneur, housewife (a more modern one), fashionista, mom, and wife so pretty much she’s super woman. There was a cute commercial I saw a few years ago where the child looks into the camera and says how her mom is a super hero. I definitely agree.

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In conclusion even though none of this really has to do with fashion, it is what I enjoy daily which goes along with fashion. Of course I love apparel, trends, hair, makeup, nails, accessories, and everything else that goes along with creating a whole look with all of these things, but I feel as though at the end of the day clothing can be replaced, the things you love and cherish can’t. Even though the gardening and the food part of this post can be replaced, I’m more so speaking about my family. Take a moment to really think about what matters to you in life.