Sunday, January 25, 2015

little hike through georgia | FDR state park

I grabbed my new Canon baby and drove an hour away from my college town with a friend for a fun adventure on MLK day this past week and it was a really good afternoon. I had the sudden urge to do something outside since the weather was nice so it was a fun, little spontaneous trip.

how freakin' beautiful. always admiring God's creation.
{I said to my friend Corinne "that's such a cool picture, it looks like a star!" to which she kindly reminded me that the sun is a star...stay in school, kids.}


bright little sneaks ft. my untied shoe

i look gross but #neature

the aforementioned Canon baby aka the light of my life

i'm a mega-fan of panoramic pictures and tend to take them wherever I go... 
 the overlook was so cool

throw what ya know, theta style

we went to FDR state park and i snapped a few selfies with the prez himself (we're BFFs now)

What did y'all do for the long weekend? Did you have nice weather where you live? We were so thankful to have a few days of sunshine before the yucky winter continued.

xoxo, Molly

Friday, January 9, 2015

real beauty in the modern world

Y'all, this topic just came to my brain and I'm going to try and calm it down and put it into clear, fully developed thoughts so bear with me. This is going to be a sort of "stream of consciousness."

I was just looking in the mirror, admiring my shiny hair that I somehow forced myself to straighten today and trying to overlook the massive red spots on my face. I've been struggling with cystic acne for the last few months and even with makeup it's really hard to cover up. Days where I'm not doing anything I tend to just not do my hair or makeup and just sit in my room and do nothing. If I make plans with someone, I rush to do my makeup and improvise with my hair. I genuinely enjoy putting on makeup and taking cute selfies in rooms where I know the lighting is flattering but it's almost not an option anymore to go out without makeup on because my acne is so bad. If someone Snapchats me and I'm not wearing makeup, I either try to cover the spots with my hand or I don't respond. I'm sure I have so many friends that wonder why my Snapchats always feature my hand resting in front of my mouth and it's for that reason. I'm really insecure about my acne and I don't like it when people see me without any makeup on.


I really enjoy makeup and I think makeup is such a fun thing to accentuate your beauty but you cannot let it define your beauty.


I wouldn't say that I think I'm only beautiful with makeup on but I know that I really don't feel all that beautiful when I have really bad breakouts all over my face. And this is tough. I let the world around me make me feel so insecure about something so minor. Someone told me one time that "no one notices your blemishes even when that's all you can see." Can even you imagine that? I remember laughing and thinking, "Yeah, right. No one notices all of this? *motioning to my chin area* I call BS on this one."

I feel like this is such a controversial topic and a really fine line to walk along because society is generally one way or another. Makeup either makes you beautiful or makeup is completely unnecessary.

I'm not saying that makeup is a bad thing. Not at all. Please, come and see the amount of makeup I've collected or follow me around on a trip to Sephora. I love makeup and I really always have. Makeup is cool but when you can't do anything or go anywhere without putting makeup on, I think that's where the problem lies.

We have let society tell us that a flawless complexion is the only way to be beautiful.

I feel like when I walk into a store, they don't see my face, they see my uncovered acne. When guess what? ACNE IS COMPLETELY NORMAL AND ALMOST ALL HUMAN BEINGS HAVE SUFFERED FROM IT AT SOME POINT IN THEIR LIVES. (and if you haven't, go admire your perfect skin in the mirror while the rest of us complain.) When did we start ignoring that? I did not choose to put this zit in the middle of my forehead, people. And you best believe that I am trying to cover the zit in the middle of my forehead up as best I can. I did not attach it to my face and I am not spending time with it on the weekend because it's my best friend. Acne sucks, no one likes it, and sometimes it's not a matter of just washing your face regularly, it's a hormone thing.

Beauty is not your appearance, beauty is your personality and I think that's something we've all forgotten. Society tells us that in order to be beautiful we have to have the right clothes, perfect makeup, flawless hair and a bubbly personality. Well, guess what? Beauty is not found on the outside. Beauty is found in how you treat others. People who can be seen as "beautiful" on the outside aren't always beautiful on the inside. Beauty is found in your actions and how you love the world around you. Beauty is found in your kindness shown to others. Beauty is not defined by a number on a scale or what size clothes you wear but by your words and actions.

I think we've all gotten distracted along the way and we've let society and the media trick us into believing that you can only be beautiful if you look like the men and women who are shown in magazines or on TV and in movies. The world has so much possibility and if we all truly believed and bought into the idea of real beauty coming from within then I think we would see a drastic change in the media, in the beauty and fashion industries, in how we treat each other, and in so much more.

Just some food for thought. Hope y'all are having a great week and I hope you all know that you're beautiful in your own amazing and unique way.

xoxo, Molly

p.s. feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts on this subject! I'd love some feedback

Thursday, January 1, 2015

30 new year's resolutions you can keep in 2015

What's the problem with the resolutions we set? They're vague or highly unrealistic so they're impossible to keep. Here are 30 resolutions that you can substitute for the traditional ones that we all break every year {and if that's not you, give yourself a pat on the back and join the minority here!} and some that I'm going to throw in! 

1. Eat more fruits and vegetables.
{Substitute for eat healthy}

2. Go to the gym 2-3 times a week.
{If you don't work out at all, this should be an attainable goal to set}

3. Minimize caffeine intake.
{Insert your own realistic goal here, you soda/coffee-freak (i'm talking to myself here too)}

4. Set a budget for each month.
{Substitute for spend less money/spend money wisely}

5. Work on being happier.
{Kind of vague but happy people are fun to be around. This was my 2014 resolution and I can't tell you how many times I heard "Wow, you're so happy. How are you always so happy?" and Y'ALL, it's all in your mindset. I have bad days just like anyone else but it's how you choose to move on that show your true character. Fake it 'til ya make it, guys. (if I'm having a bad day, I like to avoid other people so I don't spread my bad vibes!)}

6. Get more sleep.
{Five hours of sleep every single night = an unpleasant and unhealthy person.}

7. Keep in contact with family and friends.
{This goes for those who are no longer at home, keep in contact with those who aren't around you because it feels so nice to have a long chat with someone you care deeply about and who deeply cares about you.}

8. Find your real friends and hang on to them.
{2014 was the year of this statement for me. College really tests your friendships and shows people's true colors. Find the friends who like you for you, not just your Instagram posts, and ones that will cheer you up on a bad day, help you get ready for special events/dates, and ones that you can talk for hours with and not ever get bored. You are an awesome person and you deserve awesome friends.}

9. Find new music to listen to.
{Further your collection, find someone or something new, and make really really good playlists. Oh and follow me on Spotify while you're at it?}

10. Get your eyebrows "on fleek."
{This saying was born in 2014 and I'm not letting it die just yet. Eyebrows frame your face and they really tie your whole face of makeup together when they look good. Tweeze them, wax them, fill them in, whatever you want to do.}

11. Get involved/give back.
{Join an organization, donate money/clothes/time. Helping others makes you happy and it doesn't cost a dime.}

12. Read at least one more book than you did last year.
{How easy is that? One book. If you can't read ONE book in an entire year, this resolution is not for you.}

13. Spend at least one more hour studying and one less watching Netflix.
{Again, one hour in your entire week. Set incentives. Your GPA won't get where you want it to be without studying. Trust me, I wish it would, too.}

14. Find your style.
{Find what you like and wear it. It's okay for your style to change because you aren't exactly the same person as you were in junior high, are you? Be brave and try something you wouldn't normally wear, too. Fashion is fun, don't take yourself too seriously.}

15. Start clearing out your Instant Queue on Netflix.
{I'm guilty of this too, y'all. My list is way too long and I haven't made time to watch half of it. Make this new year one where you try to finally clear it out. Words of wisdom: Don't start with Grey's Anatomy.} (if you're looking for something to watch, I suggest Gilmore Girls! :))

16. Travel.
{Go to a nearby city, another state, or a new country. You can learn so much from traveling.}

17. Take more pictures.
{Take pictures, print them out, and hang them somewhere you'll see them.}

18. Don't settle for less with boys.
{The boy who is meant to be with you will be with you and remarkably enough, it usually happens when you aren't looking for him. Set your standards high and if he doesn't meet them, he's not for you. It doesn't mean he's a bad person or not worth being friends with, he just isn't someone you should date. This resolution will save you some heartaches, awkward situations, and will make the long awaited "right guy" so much sweeter.}

19. Drink less.
{Lets all agree to remember our nights, drunks aren't fun to be around.

20. Go to more concerts/sporting events.
{Go with a friend or a group and make some good memories. You don't need good seats, just good company.}

21. Start a blog/YouTube channel.
{Have an idea? Start writing/filming. You don't have to have it all figured out, just start.}

22. Use social media less.
{You can look at a sunset without Instagramming it, you can think of something funny and not tweet it, you can hang out with friends without Snapchatting it. I'm guilty of all of the above, too.}

23. Put your phone away when spending time with people.
{It's actually pretty rude to ignore the people around you and stare at your phone screen all the time. I'm guilty of this one, too, okay? I'm not perfect, okay? Go on a date and leave your phone in the car. Ignore a text and give your date a kiss. Or don't, I'm just trying to help.}

24. Spend more time with your parents/family.
{Let them know you love them and spend some quality time with them. They love you, they raised you, they're the reason why you are where you are.}

25. Stop being so judgmental.
{People-watching is one thing, picking people apart without so much as one word between the two of you is another. Everyone has their own story and their own problems and their own walk through life and you never know where someone is in that walk. Someone they know could have just died, they could have cancer, they could be the CEO of a company, they could be absolutely brilliant. You don't know them, stop acting like you do. Give people a chance this year.}

26. Read a book of your Bible.
{Okay, this is a religious goal but it deserves its place on this list. I think it's tough to get through this one but a book of the Bible is doable. Pick one that has relevance in your life and read a devotional along with it so you can really get the most out of it. Read it with someone so you can compare thoughts. Read it with someone for accountability purposes.}

27. Set a goal; personally, academically, or at work.
{Set a goal that you can realistically obtain by the end of the year. Ex: If you're a student, set a realistic GPA goal. Don't set a goal that you can't reach because it will be a resolution you won't work for.}

28. Find someone to talk to.
{If you struggle with a mental illness or anxiety (or if you just want to talk to someone!), push yourself to go and talk to a professional or just an adult. This isn't something you can handle on your own and you really shouldn't bottle everything up. Find someone you can trust and talk to them regularly. Pushing yourself to go is the first step to getting help, coincidentally it's also the hardest.}

29. Take care of yourself.
{Take your makeup off at night. Eat a little better. Surround yourself with good people.}

30. Love yourself this year.
{Do things that make you happy and don't stop for people who get in the way of that. People who want you to be happy are worth your time and people who just want to get in the way aren't. Don't date guys who don't fit your standards. Guard your heart. Read more. Talk to your parents. Listen to good music. Listen to bad music. Do things that excite you. Do things that scare you. Go on adventures. Take a road trip. Be happy, make others happy, and spread your happiness.}

There are thirty resolutions in this list. You cannot tell me that you can't or won't keep one of these this year. Like come on, find music and read a single book are individually listed here. I've got faith in ya. Oh wait! I'll list another resolution that you can definitely take part in!

31. Read every post on doodleollymissmolly this year.

Y'all. I could probably count on both of my hands how many times I posted this year and that's going to change. (I probably shouldn't announce that it's going to change, that's usually when it doesn't work out.) Hopefully this little blog leaves you feeling a little happier, gives you a little laugh (my sense of humor isn't always laugh-provoking, I'll be the first to admit that), or inspires you a little. It's just whatever comes to my brain and I enjoy writing so it gives me a little outlet. I promise to throw in a joke every once in a while if you promise to half-smile or give me a pity laugh. Ooh, and maybe comment when you do it so I can get a visual? That would be great. Well, have a great 2015, y'all. I still haven't gotten over that. 2. 0. 1. 5. It looks weird. Have a great year, you deserve it.

xoxo, Molly