Quick update- Hiatus

Hi fellow readers. I just wanted to take a moment to let you know that I will be taking a short hiatus. Due to a tragic accident in my family, I need to take some time away to be with family and process this event.

I know I just made a commitment to be more present here on the blog, but this unexpected event takes priority right now.

Please keep my family in your pryers and I am hoping to be back soon.

Thank you for all of your support.

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Cat updates

It's Friday and I thought it would be fun to update you guys on Rick and Grace. They have both been bugging me for their interviews and thoughts they'd like put into this post. Silly kitties.

I've been meaning to do this update on the 2 munchkins for awhile now. The last I spoke of them Grace was still making the transition to not being the only cat anymore and Rick was finally fighting back when she harassed him.


The good news is that these two have become good buddies. They spend their mornings and evenings chasing eachother through the house. They have both claimed favorite sleeping spaces for the day and surprisingly they weren't the same spot.

Grace is 10 months old.  Rick is 13 months old. They grow so fast!

Grace has become the influencer (she must take after me) as Rick is more laid back and only seems to get in trouble when caught with one of Grace's bad habits.

Grace being a car model

Grace enjoys spending her days meowing at all of the lights that glare on the walls, curling up in her yoga mat (yes she has her own!) and rearranging the litter box sand every chance she gets. She can be stand offish at times and is known to nip at you when she's done being shown attention.

Rick on Grace's yoga mat

Rick is pretty laid back. He enjoys turning just about anything into a toy. They get bonus points if he can carry them in his mouth. Some favorites include balled up paper, toilet paper rolls, and Lego people. He loves being around people and snuggling. You will often find him curled up on a box or chasing around a toy.

I love these 2 munchkins to death and are so glad to have them in my life. They make everyday an adventure. Thank you for taking the time to stop and read up on my babies.

They thank you too. Happy Friday!

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Newsletters!



Remember back in October when I was super excited about my new newsletter? Remember how awesome it was? Yeah me either. That's because I hyped it all up and never ended up posting anything. Blogger fail. So now that I am turning over a new leaf and working hard to bring this blog back to life, I want to revisit the newsletter idea.

I want to be able to update my readers and share some behind the scenes stuff. The exclusives. So I am begging asking you to please consider signing up for my newsletter and I can promise you, you will get a newsletter and I won't spam you.

I am anticipating 1 to 2 newsletters a month. Maybe an extra one thrown in if there is something super exciting going on and I can't wait for the next one.

So what do you say? Will you join me?

Signing up is easy. I made the link super big, just in case you couldn't find it. :P



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My Relationship With Books



Reading has always been an interest to me, or so I thought. I would always read the newest rage out there. I read the Harry Potter series because everyone, including my mother was reading. My mom *gasp* read the Twilight before I did. I only got on board when the first movie came out. Thankfully I actually enjoyed both of these series, so I never really saw the issue. What issue am I talking about?

The issue is, I never found a genre of books that I personally enjoyed. I couldn't honestly look you in the face and say, I really love young adult books or self help books. I only read what was popular. That was until the 50 Shades of Grey series came out. I remember it was summer, and a book was going around at my job. At the time I didn't have cable or internet at my apartment so I decided to read the book. I got through the first book okay, but could not for the life of me finish the series.

It was then I realized I didn't actually know what I liked to read. That Christmas I got a kindle from my parents. I downloaded loads and loads of books off the free list daily. I read so many types of books, desperately trying to find what spoke to me. What would keep me up all night because I had to read "just one more page.."

That was back in 2012. Today I am re-aquainting myself with books. In the mist of life, I let reading fall onto the back burner. I wasn't going on daily adventures anymore and it really started to bother me. One of my promises to myself for 2016 was to read more. Explore new genres. See what it is that pulls me in these days.

Just in case you wanted to know, lately I really love YA (The Fault in Our Stars, etc), Self-Help (Anything Gretchen Rubin, Inspirational, etc), Dystopian (Hunger Games, Lunar Chronicles, etc), and Historical Fiction.

I have been a member of Goodreads for a few years and just recently jouned a pretty active Facebook group about books. I am growing my TBR (to be read) list rapidly. I have read 6 books so far this year and am working on book 7. This is huge for me, as my track record has been pretty pitiful the last couple of years.

The good news is, I visited my local book sale and walked out with 7 books for $10. 6 of which were on my TBR list, so I call that I win. R and I also have this new thing where we pick out a book that we will both read. We base this on what we think the other person would of picked, but we can also tolerate ourselves to get through (We have a completely different taste in books!). I will write an update on that once we both read the books.

In the mean time, starting in June I am going to start writing a "What I read" post and do a little review on each book. Because I have only read 6, possibly 7 by the end of this month, I will do an update on ALL the books I read this year. In June I am going to strive to read more and hopefully have at least 2 or 3 books to update you on  moving forward.

What is your relationship with books? Any recommendations on things I should check out?

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Sunday Snap Vol. 4


The coffee is brewing and I'm in full on cooking mode for my Folgers brunch party this afternoon.

Just a quick snapshot of what you missed last week and what to expect this coming week.

Monday I posted what I've learned after 2 years of blogging. It's been what seems like a long 2 years but also seems like it was only yesterday that I started this little blog.

On Wednesday I had a little rant about opinions. Sometimes everybody has ine, but doesn't allow you to have one. So frustrating.

On Friday I talked about becoming a youtuber. I would live to ride around in my car talking to myself. Sounds fun right?

So next week I want to talk about books, summer clothes, and a post I've been writing for awhile now. Look for these and more next week!

Hope you have a great weekend. I want to leave you with this photo from last weekends tea party:

Butter that looks like pac man ghosts! I know, I know they were supposed to be tulips..

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If only I were a Youtuber...


Sometimes I think I should be a youtuber who drives around in my car and talks to you all. We'd have amazing conversations about life, important topics, and of course some powerful car karaoke sessions. Then I remember I don't like to be on camera and I probably wouldn't sound as good as I think I sound when I'm driving around talking to myself.

It was a great thought, but honestly I have some of the best thoughts and ideas when I'm driving. I talk out loud and sometimes record what I want to say here. Problem is, is sometimes saying it out loud and then writing it down don't sound the same to me. I know, I'm weird.

Although being the youtuber would have been in my favor this week when it came to blogging because 1. I would have gotten more posted this week. 2. No photos to take. And 3. I think there would of been some great content out there. (Maybe ;)

For real through I'm glad it's Friday. I had some much planned this week for posts, but didn't get the time in to finish them. Posts were written, just no photos to go with them.

Life kind of fell in my lap this week and suddenly my original to-do list changed from blog stuff to wedding stuff that needed my attention immediately.

I am hoping for a nice sunny weekend where I can get those photos taken on top of the rest of my original to-do list.

But for real.. should I do a random YouTube video here once in awhile?

Stop back on Sunday to see my Sunday Snap. More updates on what's coming next week and a little peak into the tea party I attended last Sunday. Happy weekend!

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Opinions are like..

For most of my life I was one of those people who kept to myself. I never argued differences in opinion or spoke up when I didn't agree with something. As I am getting older I am finding myself speaking up more and more.

It feels nice to have a voice. It also scares me sometimes to see the reactions of those people that I used to always agree with. They don't know how to handle me having my own thoughts. They tend to want to fight with me because I don't always see the world as they do.

In reality I NEVER did see the world as they did, just never wanted conflict. Now I see that these same couple of people will belittle me if they don't agree with me and try and make me feel like my opinion can't matter.

Why do we do this to ourselves?

I am angry some days at myself for allowing this behavior. Why did I allow myself to be degraded for someone else?

As part of my plan to love myself and find my own happiness, this is just one aspect of some of the changes I'm making. I'm no longer allowing someone else to make me feel less then them in effort to feed their own ego.

How do you deal with this type of person? Are you like I was and avoid conflict or do you stand up for your beliefs and put them in their place?

Reminder, once I receive 10 comments on Monday's post, I will choose someone to win a giftcard!

The Trish List Fact # 5: I have had 4 different blog layouts/themes in 2 years.

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After 2 years of blogging I have learned..



After 2 years of blogging I have learned.. (Also a giveaway at the end)

Always respond to your comments. Your readers took time out of their day to visit your page, read your post, and share their thoughts. Over the past 6 months I have severely lacked in this department and it really makes me feel badly. I let down my readers by putting them off for a week rather than getting back to them within a day. Don’t make the same mistakes. Readers don’t forget.

Visit fellow bloggers pages. This is a common courtesy. It helps the community and yourself by being supportive. Sometimes we all get caught up and reading and not commenting. This isn’t a bad thing per say, but dropping a comment regularly is a nice way to show your support for their blogs.

Always let your readers know when you are taking a break. If you just drop off the radar for a few weeks, it often leaves your readers hanging and in time if they don’t hear from you they stop coming back. Everyone deserves a break, but announcing it is always going to work out better than just going M.I.A.

Do take risks. But when you do take risks, make them risks you believe in. Don’t get caught up in what everyone else around you is doing. What works for one person may not work for you. If you are passionate about something, then take that risk.
Don’t be afraid to fail.

Not every idea is going to work. Not every post will go viral. Heck most posts won’t even come close to going viral.I have had so many ideas that have tanked, but you know what? No one criticized me. No one laughed and said “I told you so”. Life went on.

I’m still here.

Build community. Having support in blogging is just like having support with your job. There are people out there in the same boat as you with the same questions. Find each other and help each other out. Be cheerleaders to keep each other going. I have found friendships that extend past blogging through blogging. It’s an amazing thing.

I have been blogging now for 2 years and I still don’t know everything. I will continue to learn and find out new things every day just like someone who just started blogging. No one knows it all. Don’t ever let anyone make you feel like they do know it all. Even that blogger making six figures doesn’t know it all. They just know what works best for them.

Find what works best for you and you will be golden. This is my advice to you as a 2 year old blogger. It has taken me these short 2 years to learn what works for me and it will still be a work in progress.

Now for the fun part on a Monday.. I think it's about time for a giveaway! Once this post reaches 10 comments I will pick a random winner for a $10 gift card of your choice!

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Things I am most excited for this summer:

Summer is creeping up on us very quickly. Are you ready?


I have never been so ready for the warm weather and fun activities that come with summer. I am especially excited that a lot of these activities will be a part of my job. Makes work fun.

So what is it exactly that I am excited for?

Well the first thing I am excited for is wearing shorts. Now I know that one seems a little silly, but I can’t remember the last time I felt comfortable enough with my body to wear shorts. I recently discovered the 5” inseam in shorts, and it has saved my life. Yep. Really has. It doesn’t make me feel like my legs are being squished into my shorts any longer. Best feeling ever!

I also bought a swimsuit for the first time in like 4 years. And I really like this one. I think the last suit I bought was because I needed one like ASAP and it was cheap. Well it really was cheap. I have had nothing but problems with is since I got it. I got to wear my new one in Colorado and it was awesome! In love. (I will post pictures soon!)

I have many events to attend and help plan this summer. This is one of my favorite things in the world. I love to plan. Planning parties have always been easy for me. That’s probably why House Party picks me so often for sponsored parties. I will be hosting a Folgers Brunch in 2 weeks. Can't wait to get some friends together for some yummy food and hot delicious coffee!

Graduations are upon us. I will be attending my best friends ceremony this weekend. I am so proud of her! It's been a long time coming and I couldn't be more excited for her!

The absolute best thing about this coming summer is, it's going with the flow. Most of  the wedding plans are planned. We don't have any major vacations or weddings to attend. No reunions or major get togethers. Just one quiet free flowing summer.

I'll report back in the fall to see how it actually went. But for now, I'm planning on a no frills, peaceful summer.

What's got you excited about the summer?

The Trish List Fun Fact #4: When I picked my blog name, I planned to do it in list style once a week to match the name. Maybe that will happen in the future..


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Book Sale



I am so fortunate to live in a community that loves to read. Every spring “The Friends of the Library” non-profit group puts on a massive book sale. They collect books all year and then sell them at cheap prices. It goes on for 3 weekends and each day the pricing goes down. The best day to go is the first day naturally but the pricing is more expensive.

I like to go and browse to see what they have, but tend to wait to the last days to buy when everything is super cheap. Yes this is a gamble, but I’ve still come away with some amazing books and barely any cost.

Last year I took my parents for the first time. My mom is a HUGE reader and she was in her glory. We looked for books in a series she had been reading and found a few books but not all of them. She decided to hold off because they were still pricey. I came back the last weekend and was able to get the rest of the series for her (It was about 7 books) for under $5.00.

This year I will not be around the opening weekend due to being in Denver (currently in transit to get home!), so I will have no choice but to pick through what’s left the 2nd weekend. I have already compiled my list of books I am looking for (I forgot to do this last year), and will take on the sale prepared. It gets so overwhelming that you forget what you originally came for. I tend to leave with 0 books I was looking for and a ton I just picked up.

Books bring me happiness these days. The sale this year will be like heaven and I will be like a kid in a candy store. Stay tuned to see what treasures I find.

Are you a reader? Does your city offer a booksale?


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10 facts you probably didn't know about me

Let me (re) introduce myself. Because some of you are brand spanking new to my blog (Welcome!), and others have been here awhile (Thank you!), I figured it was time to give you a few facts you may not have known about me.

Me and my Grace 

Also it's Friday, and who doesn't love a fun post.. And quick reminder. I will be out of town through Tuesday so maybe follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat which my user name is thetrishlist
to keep up with my adventures..

Well let’s start with the basics. As you all probably already know, my name is Trish

Now on to the more fun items:

I was born on December 31st. I always hated sharing my birthday with the new year. As a child, everyone was on vacation for the holidays so my party always had to be held earlier in the month. When I became an adult, no one wants to party with you unless you are having the “better” party. I have learned to just go with it and be grateful that I always get the next day off because, hello it’s New Years day. 

Both of my parents are twins. I don’t have children yet, but have been warned I may end up with little twins of my own. Not sure how I feel about that yet. 

I have a Bachelor degree in Marketing, but also decided along the way to get a certificate in interior decorating, makeup artistry, and got certified as an optician (I can make you eyeglasses).  

I really enjoy reviewing products. It must be the marketer in me. A few years ago when I was having financial problems, I lived off of freebies. I applied for everything I could because it would be one less thing I had to figure out how to buy. Now my situation has changed, but I still enjoy the frugal life. I love a good freebie, or sale. 

I have Lymes disease. I was lucky enough to get this under control before it really did some damage to my body. I still have aches in joints that slow me down from time to time, but for the most part I’m healthy and I keep moving. 

I got engaged on my mother’s birthday. She was just as thrilled as I was. I will always remember that day as a happy day because my mom was brought into the world that day and I said yes to marrying my best friend. 

I moved to Los Angeles when I was 21 to intern at an entertainment marketing company. I have some of the best memories from that time in my life and still have long time friends. 

I don’t like to drive in a car as a passenger. It sometimes gives me bad anxiety. I have been known to close my eyes while in the car if I am not driving. This stems from a very bad accident I was in as a passenger. I was the only one injured severely, so I now have trust issues. It’s not you, it’s me. 

I am a huge music nut. I am usually the person people come to ask who sang what song and when it came out. I also have worked a few tours in my time. They were some of the best times of my life. Music keeps me moving. 

I have had the same cell phone number for 15 years. I got my first cell phone my first year of college and have held on to that number ever since. No one else has ever had this number, so when I get a wrong number call (which is VERY rare), it truly is that they mis-dialed. It’s a great feeling. 

I hope you learned something new today. Thank you again for sticking with me! I don't think I mentioned this yet, but at the end of each post I will post a random fact about this page. Keep an eye on them. I am probably going to do a giveaway based on those facts..  

*The Trish List fun fact #3: I don't think I am good writer, but The Trish List is sometimes my favorite place to be. Writing for all of you.


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