Z is for Zebra

I know, how random Kylea! But you know that all zebra's have a unique pattern to their stripes right? That's the same with any human. we are all unique in personalities, in styles, and in characteristics. 

I am unique

I am different

And I love it! 

My blog is a reflection of who I am. I am constantly trying to change or update the look and the feel, but I shouldn't. I like it! It may not be clean and hip, it may not fit everyones style, but it is what I think it should be right now

My blog is unique because: 

-I use purple everywhere to inspire creativity. And I will use a lot of it, because I want to inspire people. 

-I have a wacky picture of me because that is my personality. 

-I don't post a blog button, because I can never make one specific one. 

-I swear like a sailor and I have no fucking problem with it. 

-I am random with my posts, and when I post them. 

-I write like I am talking to my best friend. 

-I will rant about Ghillie, and I should continue to do so all of the time. 

-I sell sponsorships but I am only 34 followers strong. Why? Because I think y'all need cool giveaway gifts.

-I write about random shows and random things that not everyone is interested in. 

-I have stopped looking at the bigger blogging picture, so that I can focus on the fundamentals. 

Instead of being a unicorn, I think that we should be a Zebra. Unique, always around our "family", and maybe not the fastest but consistent.  

How is your page a Zebra? 

_________________________________________________________________________________

Drink of the day: 

Zombie Cocktail

1 oz. apricot brandy 1 oz. light rum 1 oz. dark or Jamaican rum 1 oz. lime juice 2 dashes grenadine orange juice 1 oz. Bacardi 151 rum

Y is for: Year

That title is a little vague huh? Well let me clarify it for you. On Saturday I will officially be 25. I have no problem with sharing my age with you guys, because I feel like saying 20 something, does not clearly define what I am like in real life. I was also probably the worst 21 and 22 year old on the planet as I did not drink, but on rare occasion. Ages 23 and 24 were totally different because I decided the hell with it. I had the 26 by 26, But I decided to take it out because I found that I was not actually keeping track of what I was doing. And what is the point if I am not going to dedicate myself to it?  So I decided that I am going to make 5 goals for this year. None that need to physically counted but ones that are meaningful. 
1.) Disconnect Every Sunday. This means no phone, tv, internet, or anything of the sorts. I get so wrapped up on the weekdays and it follows me into the weekends, that I need to make time to just disconnect. I need to schedule posts and twitter updates, but I don't need to be on my phone or computer all of the time.  2.) Take more pictures! I have found myself slacking on the picture department, especially ones that are not on my phone or Instagram. I need to take more pictures with my dslr, and have more taken of me.  3.) Read More. I think I put this on every goal list that I have. But I truly do want to read more. A lot more. 
4.) Be a better blogger. And by that I mean comment more and respond back to comments left by others.  I always do a spotty job of it and I want to do better at it. 
5.)Figure out what I am doing with School. I think this is my main goal right now. I don't want to learn how to manage a business. I already know how to do so through everything I do at work already. I want to get away from the work that I do already and be more creative in life. 
What would be your 5 goals? 

X : Ten things you should know about me.

Technically X is the roman numeral for the number 10. Here are 10 things you should know about me. 

I am in love with black and white movies.  I hate being alone, but like being single. My favorite color is Kelly Green.  I am easily envious of others.  I am literally a carbon copy of my mother, the apple did not fall far from the tree.  Hallmark Movie Channels make me all mushy.  Procrastination is a characteristic, not a habit.  I hate drinking out of plastic cups.  I speak fluent sarcasm, and like to think I know how to speak whale.  I have changed my major 3 times so obviously I do not know what I want to be when I grow up.  What are X things everyone should know about you?  _________________________________________________________________________________ Drink of the Day:  XUXUBana

2 oz XUXU Strawberry Liquor 

4 oz Banana Juice 

Fresh strawberry for garnish

Sunday Social: Pet peeves

This has to be my favorite sunday social ever, because I have a lot of pet peeves. I mean a lot.  1.) What is my biggest driving pet peeve?  When people cut 5 lanes of traffic because they are either lost or don't know where they are going. OH wait no!!! People who do not know how to merge!!! In AZ a lot of our freeways require that you merge lanes or onto the freeway, and people do not know how to merge.  2.) What is my blogging pet peeve?  When people don't read what they are posting. Or don't use spell check. I understand that I am not the most grammatically correct person, but when your posts look like a 6th grader wrote them I will not read them. 3.) Biggest shopping pet peeve?  When I am shopping with someone and they insist on going down every isle. I know what you want and need, and you don't need to go down the isle with the chemicals. That and screaming children. I know it is uncontrollable, but still.   4.) What is your biggest general pet peeve?  When people leave time on the microwave. I HATE THAT!!!! Just clear the damn time by hitting the clear button.  5.) What is your most irrational fear?  Getting stuck in an elevator. I already stop breathing when I get in them now, but if I were to get stuck or if it were to fall... I am going to stop now. 

W is for: a Wonderful Sponsor

In case you guys didn't know, my sponsor for this month also happens to be one of my roommates for Blogcation! It has been such an awesome month getting to know more about her, and having her sponsor my page. I am so ready for next January to be here, and I am positive I have the coolest roommates for Blogcation.  _________________________________________________________________________________ Please meet my Wonderful Sponsor, Heather from My Little HEA

Bloglovin/Twitter/Facebook/Pinterest/Instagram

Why did you start blogging? 

I've been heavily involved in other online platforms such as Fandoms, Comment Boards, so I love the online communities and though I've taken breaks in the past, I had the time and desire to jump back in last year. Plus, I'd been reading and following other blogs like Mama Laughlin and was just so inspired by what she was doing with her life and all of the encouragement she was giving and receiving that I wanted to share my life with others.

What is your favorite post on your blog? Why? 

I think my favorite post is probably my 30 Before Thirty just because it kind of shows a map of how the next year of my life might go.

What would you best piece of advice be for new bloggers? 

Have fun, but Plan! Make a plan of not only what you're going to post because it makes writing easier, at least for me. Also plan to have a set schedule for your posts so people know they can check back at a certain time and you'll be there; or at least your awesome post will!

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? 

A small, probably coastal town in one of the Carolinas. I always joke that I've never actually been there, but there are tentative plans for this year to change that. So, even though I've never been there I've seen plenty in movies and TV shows to know I would just love it!

You won the lottery, what is your first purchase? 

Pay off student loans! That would be my first thing, but the first purchase would probably be a house on or near the beach.

And because I have to ask!

What is your favorite Scrapbook brand? 

Heidi Swapp - she's my favorite designer too, along with Rhonna Farrer but I just absolutely love that I can buy Heidi's stuff in the store. I'm also a huge fan of Tim Holtz!

What is your FAVORITE, hands down no other flavor matters, cupcake? 

Chocolate, with buttercream frosting.

_________________________________________________________________________________
Since I know Heather's absolute FAVORITE color is Pink, I feel like it would only be appropriate if I had a Pink Drink for the day! 
Pink Cotton Candy 

1/2 oz of X-Rated fusion Liquor. 

1 1/2 oz SKYY Vodka 

1 oz cranberry juice

small tuft (chunk) of pink cotton candy! 

Place the cotton candy in the glass first, then pour in the shaken mixed liquids. 

____________

And for those of you who need a reason to go to Starbucks for a Frap today

Cotton Candy Frappuccino 

Vanilla Bean Frap with raspberry Syrup. 

1 pump for Tall 

2 for Grande 

3 For Venti 

But remember a lot of the baristas will not know what the hell you are asking for when you say cotton candy frap. So give them the recipe! 

V is for : Victories and Losses

Among the week were dozens of Victories and Losses. Especially for Friday. 

Victories: 

Making it to work on time AND hitting Starbucks.

Paying for someone else's drink as a Random act of kindness. 

Drinking half a beer at the baseball game! And by half a beer I really mean a full regular one. 

And for getting to see this guy, who celebrates his birthday 5 days before me. 

Posting for the position that we have open at our office. 

Winning an argument, and standing my ground. 

Loses: 

Posting Fridays post on time. 

Getting a significant amount of work done this week. 

Getting my chores done. 

Making dinner as planned for this week. 

Remembering my easter dinner tradition, until after easter. 

Next week I will hopefully be better. 

Unsettled, Unicorns, and Unusual

Unsettled: 

• The entire month of April I feel like I have been missing something. I don't know what it is but I feel like I have forgotten to do something important. I hate that feeling. 
• I just had to post a job position for work although I will be leaving for a week in a week. I don't want to have to do interviews, mainly because I do not like rejecting people. 
• My boss had me on speaker when he was driving.... needless to say his wife was dying of laughter after I was talking about one of the sales guys and doing impersonations of him. I am so not use to anyone else being in his car when he is driving.... whoops. 

Unicorns:  So I saw this video and I just had to share it with you. It is that right amount of weird and crazy to make you watch it all of the way through.... And enjoy it. 

Unusual:  So today our office manager (of sorts) who happens to be like an older sister to me, sent out an email for our Fun Fact Friday that we do in the office. Since we were running out of fun facts she gave us a deserted island situation.  Here were her questions: 

If you were stranded on a desert island and you were allowed to bring the following items, tell me what they would be.

·         One food item

·         One famous person (living or deceased)

·         Top three songs (that you would be able to play on your solar powered IPOD)

Here were my answers (which will clue you in on my sense of humor): 

·         One food item- Siracha Sauce. Mainly because I am going to be able to find food on the island to eat. But if I am going to have to eat fish I am going to need something to mask the taste. Need to eat some tree bark? BAM! Make that bark sizzle. 

·         One famous person (living or deceased) Wilson the Volleyball. I do not want to be responsible for trying to feed another human being. Plus Wilson and I could play fun games together…. Like soccer… or volleyball…. Or kick the ball (it’s like kick the can).

·         Top three songs (that you would be able to play on your solar powered IPOD)

Chariots of Fire by Vangelis- So that I could run up and down the beach in a slow, dramatic manner.

Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen- So that Wilson and I can do the whole “let me gooo!” part together. 

You Raise me Up by Josh Groban- So that after a while I can truly express my gratitude to Wilson. 

And for those of you who think Wilson is not a celebrity BAM!  Wilson the Volleyball What would your answers be?  _________________________________________________________________________________ Drink of the day:  UV Liberty

1 Part UV Blue Vodka 

1 part Raspberry Sorbet 

1 part lemon-lime soda

Don't forget about the $50 Target giftcard that My Little HEA and I are giving away this week! There are only three days left to enter, and so many ways you could spend $50 in Target.  You know you want it... 

Target Anonymous: The shopping tales of an Ex team member

If you hadn't guessed it already, T is for Target. Yup that magical place that feels like Disneyland, except more expensive. We all have a problem with Target, and let's face it it is a bloggers best friend. So let me start with my intro.

I have been a Target addict for many years now, but my problem really started when I became a Target team member. I started off as a lowly cashier, working my way into the hearts of my two absolutely gorgeous GSTL's  and proving that I had the chops to stay on past the holiday season. I bagged that merchandise with ease and was always friendly to guests. I was the spitting image of what every cashier should look like. Soon after I was told I was going to be welcomed in to the permanent Target family, I started going a little crazy. Buying an item here and there, all of the newest DVD's and then clothes. I am a sucker for Mossimo. And when I was introduced to the guest service desk, it became even more dangerous. 
This is what happens when you are a cashier.  beep, beep, beep.... that's a cute top, but so not worth the $30......  beep, beep, beep.... oh I need to get dog food, thank you for the reminder lady.... beep, beep, beep, beep..... OMFG those shoes! "Where did you find these heels? Oh next to the Converse?" SCORE! I am so getting those when my shift ends.  Beep, beep, beep.... oh you get a $10 gift card with that toilet paper, I need toilet paper....  beep, beep, beep... oh that necklace, I need that necklace. "Are you sure you no longer want this necklace?" please say no, please say no "No worries I will put it back for you." THANK YOU SWEET BABY JESUS! And that is going in my drawer so that I can buy it on break...  beep, beep, beep.... Man this lady can spend some serious dough.....  "Thank you, don't forget to fill out our guest survey for your chance to win a five thousand dollar gift card." 
I thought I could beat my addiction by quitting, but then my new gorgeous GSTL boyfriend convinced me that I needed to go to the next level. I needed to become a GSTL. And my other absolutely (still to this day ) gorgeous GSTL, agreed. They were too handsome to say no to. 
Now for those of you who are sitting there like "What the fuck is a GSTL Kylea?" it stands for a Guest Service Team Lead. Now there are only two positions in a store for GSTL and then a Guest Service Associate (attendant?) or GSA. GSA's were just being introduced as I left for the second time so I am not completely sure on the job title. Guest Service Team Leads are in charge of the entire front end; meaning cashiers, guest service, photo, and you covered breaks for Food Ave. and Starbucks when needed. That and See.Spot.Save (technical name for the $1 spot) were your domaine. GSA's are the step above a cashier but not a team lead, because they are not cool enough. And  for those of you who caught the whole GSTL boyfriend, yea I made that happen. 
Now the thing that they do not warn you about when you are in charge of the front lanes is how easy it is to find stuff to buy. Plus the fact that as a team lead, you were able to see the next two weeks adds. And when you are randomly called in because another GSTL called out and you were the sucker who answered their cell, you have to buy a red shirt and pair of khaki's because of course you need something to wear. I was one of those employees who spent their entire check at work. And the lord knows it took everything in my power not to sign up for a Red Card and Target Check Card. If it weren't for that 26% interest rate, it would have happened. 
By the end of my Target Career I owned 32 plain red shirts. That didn't count all of the shirts that had designs or logos on them. And most, if not all of those shirts were Mossimo. I had also gone through a number of name badged (all of which I found after I left),  two instances of being pied in the face,  3 boyfriends, and a series of really bad stalkers. But I will save those tales for later. 
Currently, I am still stuck in my Target ways. I always hit the clearance, making sure to walk all of the end caps. I still scowl at employees who do not wear an earpiece for their walkies and push the annoying button on the cash registers when they are backed up. I even criticize employees who don't ask "Can I Help You Find Something?" And let's not forget me getting mad at people who give the cashiers a bad speed score by taking their sweet time pulling out the debit cards. The only exception to letting that speed score go red is if it is a little kid trying to count out the money; then it is just cute. 
But as a Target addict, my bill never reaches below $50, I always end up with a soy candle and mossimo tank in my cart, and I have single handedly managed to hit every clearance section of the store. I talk the lingo and even help the other guests from time to time. It drives my mother nuts. 

To celebrate this meeting of Target Anonymous I, along with the help of my beautiful sponsor Heather, are encouraging you guys to visit our retail version of crack by giving away free money to Target! YAY!  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

S is for: the best Social Media Tool

Ever gotten to a point where you thought posting to your Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and you various social media outlets was a pain? Have you gotten to the point where remembering to post every 4 hours for your giveaway was cutting into your blog planning? I know that I have been in this situation more than one time. It got to the point that I stopped looking at my twitter because it was too much to keep up with. But fear not, I am going to give you the best tool that I have found! 
HootSuite! If you guys have never been to HootSuite then you are missing out. And for those of you who do use it you know what a life saver it can be. HootSuite is literally your one stop for all of your social media. Being connected to your outlets is a 24/7 thing and you want to have easy access. 
For my hootsuite dashboard I have my Twitter Feed, Facebook, and Twitter Mentions up where I can view them. 

I can view comments on Facebook, favorite tweets, and catch up on my feeds. But the best part about hootsuite is that I can schedule posts. If you are doing a give away or entering in a give away, you can schedule that tweet to go out every day. Talk about convenience! It is also a dream for scheduling sponsor content. In a matter of minutes you can have all of your posts for the next month scheduled and ready to go. 

To schedule all you have to do is, write your post and hit the little calendar Icon. Your screen should look like this. 

It also gives you the word count for twitter, and shrinks your links for you! No more having to go to another site to shrink your hyperlinks. Now if you don't believe me, check out Living in Yellow's The Ten Best Tools for Bloggers post. Hootsuite is Number 7 on her list of helpful tools! Plus they now have a mobile app, so that you can schedule from anywhere, anytime! 
What is your favorite blogging tool or social media tool?  _________________________________________________________________________________
So there are a TON of drinks that start with S! So here are the drinks of the day! 

Sex on the Beach

1/3 oz peach schnapps 1/3 oz Malibu coconut rum (YUM!)  1/3 oz pinapple (or orange) juice Splash of Rose Grenadine  Drink Umbrella (preferably a pink one) 
The Scarlet O'Hara 

1 1/4 c. Southern comfort  5 c. Cranberry Juice Cocktail  One 10 oz bottle of Club Soda  Juice of a lime.  (obviously this makes more than one, combine the ingredients in a punch bowl or pitcher.)
Screw Driver 

1 part Vodka  1 part OJ
Slippery Nipple

1 1/2 oz Sambuca  1/2 oz Irish Cream  1 drop Grenadine   

R is for Recognition

If you follow me on twitter, you may have noticed this post. 

I realized that day, that my company did not have a solid form or recognition for employees. Heck none of the companies I am intertwined with have one in place. My sister company has their WOW program but it is not linked to any of the employees or made noticeable to any of the employees. So no one knows that they have been recognized, unless the client copies them in. 
A lot of companies, especially a small one like mine, may not understand the importance of employee recognition. Even as bloggers, we can consider ourselves small business owners. After all, we do strive to produce a product for people to enjoy. Our employees are our sponsors. So today I wanted to give you a few tips on how to give meaningful recognition to our employees.  Be Consistent!  I think this is the hardest one to follow sometimes. We get carried away in life and often don't remember to be consistent with our recognition. Instead we remember in one day and then post like crazy. Although  this may not be apparently harmful, it is not helpful either. In our work, if we are constantly recognizing in one brief moment, the recognition no longer holds value. But if you are recognizing the talent of your employees in a fair and consistent manner, it shows them that you are recognizing their value as an asset to the team. Take the time read and recognize. 
Be Fair!  I know that there is a statement that runs around saying that life isn't fair. But recognition is fair, and it should be given in a fair manner. As a blogger you would not want to focus all of your attention on one of your sponsors. Unless you only have one, then by all means brag. You want to be fair in the recognition that you are giving. In a business setting, this means giving praise when it is deserved, and remembering all of the team not just one individual. After all if you do something for one, it automatically gives people the right to assume that you will do it for all. 
Be Clear!  Be clear in what you are recognizing them for. If you just say "nice job Jessica" they are not going to understand what you are praising them for? What did they do well?! Instead be clear about what you are impressed with and are recognizing, example being "Jessica, I found that the formatting on the Purchase order report you sent out was very helpful and easy to read. Thank you for taking the time to make it perfect." The second statement may be lengthy, but you are letting the employee know what you liked about the report. Being this clear also helps with any coaching that you may need to do in the future. For blogging purposes, being clear about what you loved about their post is the best. Don't just say " I love this post gurl!". Why did you love that post? Was it funny? Did you relate? Or are you just saying it because you need to comment on their posts? Give thought behind what you are writing or saying and it will show to your employee. 
Now a lot of the advice given above really goes toward a manager to an employee. But don't forget to recognize your co workers as well! This helps to build team moral and a sense of community.  Give shout outs, or a little thank you note to let them know that you noticed their hard work. Recognition can be given in many different forms. Even recognizing that they are having a hard day, and offering encouraging words can boost someones mood and outlook. 
What are your tips to recognizing members of your team or blogging community?  _______________________________________________________________________ R drink of the Day. 
Adult Root-beer Float

2 Oz of Pinnacle Whipped Vodka

Scoop of Vanilla Ice cream 

Root Beer

(you can also replace the vodka with Jagermeister if you prefer the flavor)  

Sunday Social!

Happy Sunday everyone, hope everyone is enjoying the day and is not massively hungover like I may be. This post is being written in parts, so I do not know if I am actually hungover yet or not. But by the way this week is already, the toilet will be my best friend today. 

5 Songs I will Love for the rest of my life.  What can I say, I am a sucker for classic love songs. 
Earth Angel by The Penguins 

I Won't Dance by Fred Astaire

Just The Way Look Tonight by Frank Sinatra

Moon River by Audrey Hepburn 

Can't Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley


5 things on my Bucket List

• Sky dive: Don't ask me why. I think I just put it on there because I wanted to conform with society, but I shouldn't be stupid because I am deathly afraid of heights and dying. 
• Travel for a year straight. No job other than writing and experiencing life. 
• Learn another language: Preferably before I visit a foreign country. 
• Post 5000 blog posts. I really just picked a random number to get to. But yea let's go for it. 
• Help someone complete one of their bucket list items. 

5 celebs I would love to hang out with for a day: 

Sophia Bush: I would love for her to be my life coach. Talk about a person who is driven and kind. 

Ryan Gosling... Yes, yes you can drive me home. 

Joseph Gordon Levitt changing the way TV is seen. 

Emma Stone Because she seems like she would be a fun person to drink with. 

Ty Pennington: One of my design role models, and my first celeb crush. I blame it on my moms need to watch trading spaces. 

5 things I always carry in my purse (when I actually carry one). 

• Wallet 
• 50 different receipts because I never throw them away.
• 3 chap sticks 
• My go to bag that has bandaids, floss, lotion, and hair ties. 
• My Planner  

5 books on my reading list: 

• Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell 
• The Maze Runner by James Dashner
• The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffrenbaugh 
• The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larson 

The last 5 photos on my Instagram:  Only because I filter my Instagram, and I am sure you don't want 50 of the same selfie. Although i Was in a selfie taking mood this week. 

PS.. not as hungover as originally thought.  Hoppy Easter Everyone! I hope EB brought you some cool treats! 

Quotes for Inspiration!

So if you haven't seen my birthday list post, in it I have these fantastic Harry Potter prints for my office. 

Since I am finally getting it back today, I am feeling rather inspired to decide what I am going to put in there. So today for Q I am simply doing Quotations that inspire Creativity. Hopefully I can get them printed out and framed. All to go on the walls this week! 

What quotes inspire you? 

P...P,P,P....P

Yea I got nothing. I actually did have something brilliant for the letter P for the A-Z Challenge and I wrote it on a sticky note, and lost said sticky note. And now I cannot remember what I wrote. So today I give you a ton of P's! 

So there is no lie that certain people have been driving me nuts lately. And by nuts I mean completely bat crap crazy. But when it comes to blogging, there are still people that I have been obsessed with lately. Heck I love all of you guys, because you keep me sane. And you don't ask stupid questions.
My weekly blog obsessions:
Not Before My Tea - She makes me jealous of her running habits, and inspires me to attempt running.
My Little HEA- Because she is rocking this A-Z Challenge!
Helene In Between- Because I just love her posts, and she is a skilled dancer.
Endless Bliss- Girl how do you read so many books! You and My Little HEA both!

Procrastination has not been my friend today or this week. Heck it is never my friend, and yet it is the horrible bad habit that I keep coming to. In order to prevent it from happening again, I busted out my planner and started with the day to day scheduling again. Personally I think I need an assistant, but that would require me to hire someone. And after the last fail, I am having trouble even deciding to post for positions. Anyone who lives in AZ want a job? Anyone??

So I have been meticulously looking for pictures on all of my hard drives of me to send to the wonderful Tiffany at Endless Bliss..... And I realized that all I have are thousands of selfies. So I told I decided that for my birthday I am getting portraits done. Best part, it's free because my wonderful hobbyist photographer mother is taking them! Now I am excited because I get to buy new outfits for it! I just need to decide where in Dallas I want to do them. I was thinking the Bishop Arts District or the Arboretum. Has anyone been to either of those places in Dallas, TX?

WHO DOESN'T LOVE PUPPIES?!!! There are two in particular that I have been cooing over, mostly because I see the most adorable pictures of them on Instagram and I WANT THEM!!!
Meet Filip and Liam! Totes adorbs right?! I mean look at them cuddling together, so precious!

And then you have Manny! Who is the doggy of my dreams!

To see more of Manny (and Filip and Liam) follow Manny on Instagram! You won't regret it! @manny_the_frenchie

I am totally done with the music station that is playing at work, and pretty much any song that is on the Top 100 chart. They can all go to song hell! So I did some random picking on spotify and found the Top 100 rock tracks, and I love it! You have the classic Boston, Iron Maiden, and Aerosmith and then you switch into some 30 Seconds to Mars, Skillet, and Avenge Sevenfold. Perfect for those angry music type days. 

This is one of the tracks that is on there! I love it.

Lola Montez by Volbeat