So let me just start this by saying I am in no way an expert on music... actually I wouldn't call myself an expert at anything really. But I do know when I like something and I thought it would be cool to share with you guys a few of my favorite songs that currently grace my Spotify playlist Current Vibes.

Also just another quick warning if you check out my playlist even though it is called Current Vibes some of the Vibes are from a few months back that I've either just discovered or I can't bring myself to remove from my playlist because I love them.


1.) Green Light - Lorde

My favorite song this week is Lorde's new single. Not only was is written by her but it was produced by her and Jack Antonoff. If you know anything about me you know I think anything Jack Antonoff attaches his name to is amazing! I still jam The Bleacher album like it is brand new! But Green Light is an anthem and so relatable. I would also recommend watching the video because it's almost  cathartic.



2.) I Almost Went to College and Got a Job- Jesse Daniel Smith

This song is the perfect acoustic vibe to roll down the windows to on an  unseasonably warm March day. It also has lyrics that I most of us can relate about not being sure of what path to take in life. It is a beautiful human story laced with a more upbeat guitar sounds.





3.) Busy Man - Ralph

So first off shout out to my two of my closest friends, my brother, Nick, and Spencer Barrett for always having their fingers on the pulse of the newest music. They introduced me to Ralph a few months ago when we were driving in Nick's car with Spencer as the DJ. Busy Man is my personal favorite because of lyrics like, "are you really no good or is it just talk" and "just a puppy at your heal." It's just a classic song written about having a thing for a bad boy.





4.) Good Girl - LANY

Once again I was introduced to LANY in Nick's car with Spencer as the DJ. This is a reaccuring theme in my life when it comes to music. I remember Spencer playing ILYSB and joking that is stood for I Love You, Spencer Barrett. But Good Girl is their latest single and probably one of their best. Although I challenge you to find a LANY song that isn't great. With the chill beats and the lyrics that have you  vividly perfecting scenes in your mind it's impossible not to fall in love.


So these are just a few of my favorite songs this week. I hope you can enjoy them as much as I do!


Love,
Katie Sierra

A lot can change in a year. You can lose/gain weight. You can make new friends and say goodbye to old ones. You can maintain good health or you can find out you have a chronic incurable illness. You can lose sight of goals and dreams or you can achieve them. The only guarantee in life is just how fast and much things can. And a year is a pretty significant amount of time passed.

When I wrote my first blog post over a year ago that stated I wanted to be closer I didn't know just how much my life would change yet stay the same. When I wrote the blog post about closing over a year ago I was inspired and I felt like my life was on an upswing. I mean I'd been struggling with health issues and chronic pain issues for a while but I had four surgeries to help fix those issues. So I was convinced that 2016 would be my year. I found a retail job, started making videos, and started my last semester of college.

January was a good month I put out a video every week and worked good hours at my retail job getting hands on experience in my field of study. But time went on and January turned into February. During which I was still putting out videos consistently. But slowly my body started to wear down in a way I didn't except. I was tried more frequently and my ankles would hurt after being on them for short periods of time. In March I became less consistent with a weekly video post. Instead of wanting to film after work or on my days off I wanted to rest. I thought maybe it was normal and I just need to get back into the groove of retail life. So in April I made my last video for what would be an extended absence on YouTube. It was a makeup tutorial and giveaway for finally reaching 400 subscribers after I had been stuck at 382 for over a year. It was not my intention to stop after that video. I just knew I was tired and in more pain than I should be.

So I let go of making videos. I kept telling myself and my best friend, Kara, who at the time was helping me film and I was helping her by letting her use my camera, that we would get back to filming and editing soon. Kara watched me become a person I thought I was passed being. The person who cancels plans last minute to stay home and sleep. But she never once made me feel guilty. Even before we knew what was truly going on.

It wasn't until June that I decided to go to the doctor and get my swelling and aching joints checked. In a matter of months I was diagnosed with Sjogren's Syndrome, which is an autoimmune disease that causes your body to attack moisture producing glands in your body. I will link some websites that have a more in depth description for those who are interested.

Links to Sjogren's information:
http://www.sjogrens.org/home/about-sjogrens/symptoms
https://www.hopkinssjogrens.org/disease-information/

By the time I got my answers and started my treatment it was November and I felt miserable. I quit my retail job in search of a job that would be easier on my joints. Then I felt stuck. I seemed to be dealing with my life altering news by researching and trying to find out what at home remedies would help the pain but this was just another form of denial. It was like when I would obsess over a movie or book or person or band. I would learn so much about them because it kept my mind off of something that was more important. Don't get me wrong I'm still working my way through the grieving process but I'm starting to feel more like me again. I made a video in which I talked about my illness. I started to make short makeup tutorials on Snapchat and also try to post more regularly on Instagram. But I've always wanted to blog so I thought now is the time.

A lot can happen in year so I'm going to try to make good things happen this year.


The pictures below are just some of the small changes an invisible illness can make:
(Left to right)
1.) Swollen lips and bruised chin after lip biopsy to diagnosis
2.) Flushed cheeks and swollen under eyes
3.) Swollen feet and ankles
4.) Swelling of eyelids and under eyes

ALWAYS BE CLOSING


I'm the kind of person who never has trouble getting something started. I have no follow through. I can really enjoy and love doing the thing I've started but I'm always inconsistent. So for my New Year's resolution I've vowed to be a consistent closer. I'm off to a rocky start but I think it's one of those things that will take time. I just have to continue to make myself do things I want to do.

So one of the things I've always really wanted to do is make a beauty/fashion/lifestyle blog. I've never felt like I was good enough at these things to offer my opinions to world and that didn't suddenly change just because I've started this blog. I've just realized that most everybody feels the same way and if I enjoy posting these there shouldn't be anything stopping me. I'm an overthinker and I'm hyper critical. That is why a lot of my projects don't get finished. Thanks to a recent Casey Neistat video (link in the header) I'm going to strive to close instead of perfection.

Another big part of me becoming a closer is to update my YouTube Channel weekly. I've been so bad at this for the past almost three years that I've had my channel. So I'm going to put perfection aside and strive for good because the more you do something the better you get at. I've given myself a task of posting videos every Monday. I've already started the filming process for this Monday's video. I went out filming with my best friend, who is starting a channel also. I think her presence on YouTube will help me become a closer. I'm looking forward to this adventure with her.

This is my first post and I may look back in a week's time and decided it isn't perfect but I need to remind myself that it is good enough and it is finished. I closed.