Like many of my fellow white Christian Americans, I’ve been horrified the last few days watching the riots in Charlottesville, Virginia. There’s something quite chilling about modern men carrying the Nazi flag. But that doesn’t compare to the act of domestic terrorism. How else would you describe someone intentionally driving a car into a crowd of people? Understandably, people of all races, religions, and political affiliations are speaking out against the white supremacists and their… [Read More]
5 Reasons to Take Birth Control (Besides Preventing Pregnancy)
With everything going on in my life, I haven’t been blogging much lately. Luckily I have a guest post to share with y’all today on a topic near and dear to my heart: hormonal contraception. When I was 24, my menstrual cramps became intolerable. I spent an entire day bedridden from pain during each menstrual cycle. After a few months, I started taking birth control. My cramps greatly lessened. This medication improved my quality of… [Read More]
August 2017 Goals // July Recap
Well. July didn’t exactly go as planned. Or rather, the hopes for productivity didn’t totally happen. As anticipated, I was depressed. (Still am). Add in a slew of Crohn’s problems, and you have me not doing much for a month. But I accomplished my biggest goal–I launched a new website to promote my mom’s book! Other than that, let’s see how I did with my monthly goals. Take the Belle Brita Reader Survey Note: This… [Read More]
Muddling Through Without My Mom
Thursday of last week marked two years since my mother died. Two years without my mom. It just doesn’t seem real. Part of me is still in denial, two years after my mother’s death. How could someone so vibrant and loving and precious not be alive? Coming to terms with grief isn’t about “moving on.” In fact I was just telling my dad that I don’t like that phrase. It doesn’t truly capture what it… [Read More]
July 2017 Goals // June Recap + 3rd Blogiversary!
Tomorrow we celebrate a great day in history… The day Belle Brita launched. Yes, my first-ever blog post here was on July 4, 2014. If I could do it over again, I would not have my first blog post be on a holiday. Hence why I’m blogging about my 3rd blogiversary a day early. Related: 7 Lessons I Learned in My First Year of Blogging I’m amazed at how far I’ve come as a blogger…. [Read More]
30 Before 30 Recap: Hits and Misses by My 30th Birthday
Earlier this month, I celebrated my 30th birthday! In fact, the celebration continues today as the last day of my birthday month. I created my 30 Before 30 list shortly after my mother died. At the time, I was still in this weird limbo of grief, a combination of numbness and denial. I was both productive and ambitious during this time period, but then my grief really hit me, and I’ve struggled to stay organized… [Read More]