Coffee time with Gretta No. 5: Simplifying

How to Separate the, "I Wants," from the, "I Needs

Hello beautiful readers, here's video number five in my Coffee time with Gretta vlog series. I have an awesome topic for you guys today, so take a listen.

I wants vs. I needs

Learning the difference between a want and a need is crucial to living more simply, which I have been trying to do for the last couple of years. I've been getting rid of clothes, I've been trying to scale back my spending, and the most important part of this process is getting rid of the phrase, "I need that," unless it's a legitimate need.

You don't need the pair of booties. You want them. However, you do need to buy groceries this week.

You don't need the $15 bottle of wine if you can't afford it. You do need the carton of milk.

You don't need a dog. You do need a new winter coat because your current one has a hole in it.

You don't need a new pair of running shoes. You do need a pair of shoes to wear in your sister's wedding.

It's those things that most of us need a little help remembering.

What's something you can cut out of your life? Comment below.

Keep it Classy. Keep it Country,
Gretta Patrick <3

Gettin' Comfy

We all know what it's like to "get comfy" in a relationship

And you all probably just rolled our eyes at that saying.

Getting comfy can be good... in some ways, but in more ways than some, it can be very bad. Why? Because it forces the relationship to lose the spark.

Tell me, what happens when a person sits down on the couch, stays there a while, and gets comfy? That person is no longer motivated to do anything. Do you see where I'm going here? Getting comfy can be, well, comforting, but it does nothing for our motivation, and it's exactly the same in relationships.

People can get comfy in their relationships. It's so easy to do. You love him, you know he's going to be around all the time, you start taking some of the little things he does for granted, you get comfy, and pppphhhhhhhh.

That was the spark. Fizzling out.

How do you get that spark back in a long term relationship? 

You start dating again. Sometimes it takes a rough patch. In extreme cases, it takes a break or a break up to realize just how comfy you got, but once you realize it, you've got to do something about it, or things will end for good.  You may not realize right away just how downhill things are going, but once you hit a certain point, BAM! You're snowballing down a cliff and you can't hold on to anything.

Dating

So how do you avoid that? Like I said, start dating again. You don't have to text your boyfriend how much you loved your chipotle burrito bowl. You don't have to text him about how hard your class was today, and you certainly don't have to text him constantly throughout the day.

Texting

Text him the big things, and leave the small, or otherwise funny stories for when you see him. It will save you from texting him every. little. thing. you do during the day, and you'll only be able to tell him the things that stick out in your mind when you do see him. Whether that's at the end of the day, or at the end of the week, however much you want to see each other.

Consider his feelings, and he'll return the favor

Another thing about actually dating your boyfriend, when you were first dating, were you afraid to hurt his feelings? Yes, you were. Because you were so afraid to lose him at that point. When you get the idea in your head that he isn't going anywhere, you stop being afraid to hurt his feelings. You start nitpicking, and nagging.

Be afraid to hurt his feelings. You want him to be nice to you, so be nice to him. Don't be so quick to point out the "You never do this's," and "You never do that's," because they're so arbitrary! If you constantly argue, you're taking him for granted, because you're taking for granted that he'll always be there for you, no matter how much you nag on him.

Well girls, the nagging and fighting pile up, and eventually he's going to get fed up and weighed down.  Who knows what'll happen then? Do yourself a favor, and check yourself before you wreck yourself, or worse, wreck your relationship.

You are you and I am I. And in the end, if we end up together, it's beautiful. 

That's one of my favorite quotes from Boy Meets World.

It's also a great piece of advice for relationships. Don't be afraid to take your own time away from him. Especially if you two don't live together yet. This is extremely hard for girls to grasp, but you don't have to see your man every day. He's going to get fed up with you. If you live together this is different, but trust me, giving yourself some "me" time, can really help you find yourself in your relationship.

Getting lost in your love may sound romantic, but it just isn't. If you get lost in your love, you lose more than yourself, you lose the relationships with your friends and family.

In a relationship, you need more than just each other, you need friends and family. So do yourself a favor, tell your boyfriend that, hey, I'm taking a weekend at home this week, and next week I'm taking a girls weekend. Oh, and I'm visiting my sister this weekend, and trust me, you'll still find time to hang out.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder and the more time you spend doing your own things, the more you'll look forward to being in his arms again. Plus, you'll be a lot happier because you're spending time with all the people you love, not just one of them.

Keep it Classy, Keep it Country,
Gretta Patrick <3

How do you keep your spark in your relationships? Tell me in the comments below!

Coffee time with Gretta No. 4: Tech Detox

How turning off can seriously de-stress your life

Good morning loves! I'm so glad you joined me so bright and early for today's coffee time with Gretta! Today I'm doing a coffee time post in my pajamas for a very good reason. Watch and see! 

Don't be turned off by the title of this post. I'm not going to tell you to give up your phone for three days. I'm simply going to tell you how turning off your technologies - all of them - can help you get the one thing that keeps you de-stressed throughout your day: Sleep. 

How long do I have to detox? 

Really, I try to turn all technologies off for about an hour.  I read here that you should turn off your technologies from sundown till you go to sleep, but in the winter, it's sundown for what feels like most of the day! So I think turning off your technologies for an hour is much more doable than for multiple hours. 

So I can't use my phone at all?

I never said that! If someone calls, you, then answer it. It must be an emergency if they're calling an hour before bedtime. If someone texts you you can reply, but really it's the flickering lights on your cell phone screens and computer screens and TV screens that messes with your sleep patterns. What you don't want to do is aimlessly scroll through Facebook for hours directly before laying down, because that's when you run into problems. For me, it takes me twice as long to fall asleep when I mess with my phone right before bed. 

Tips for de-toxing

A couple of things I like to do are to put my phone charger in the kitchen. That way my phone isn't even in my room to wake me up. 

I also like to completely turn my computer off. I know that if I'm already tired, flipping the computer screen up may be easy, but to my sleepy brain, turning it on and waiting for it to power up is super unappealing. 

Read a book

Also, instead of turning on the TV or something before bed, I like to read a book. You all know I've been reading the bible lately, and for sleepy eyes, the bible is the perfect sleep aid. However, I also noticed that in college, reading anything would make me instantly tired. Then it hit me: If reading can make me want to nap in the library during the day, then it can certainly help me unwind at night. So besides reading scripture, what better way to fall asleep than with... The Great Gatsby, or Wuthering Heights, or Great Expectations, or even Twilight! (Not ashamed). 

 
 

How do you like to get ready for bed? Comment below! 

Keep it Classy. Keep it Country, 

Gretta Patrick <3

Coffee Time with Gretta No. 3: Just do something: Advice for the future.

This morning's coffee time is inspired by being inspired. 

I just graduated college. Now what?

It's officially the season of college graduations, and in today's day and age, it's unfortunately not uncommon to graduate without a job lined up.

So what do you do in the meantime? Do you just look for jobs, waitress or cashier for money, and then... sit around?

Heck no, techno! You do something!

What do you do? 

You're young, you don't have a lot of commitments, you have a few months before you have to start paying off your student loans, so figure out what you like to do... and just do it!

Example:
I know I want to be a reporter, but I also like to write. I like to generate content and be creative. So that means, I like to blog. So while I find a job, I'll be blogging and committing my creativity to my blog.

P.S: This has led to my new nickname, the "jobless blogger." Sticks and stones, love!

Do something you like to do. 

Who knows? You may end up making some money off your new hobby, or you could end up finding a job in whatever it is you want to do. And you know what, it's all because you figured out what you like to do!

I might be a reporter, and then a news anchor someday, but maybe this little pink camouflage blog might just become more successful than I realized it would. All I know right now is, I've just gotta do something, or I'll bust!

Keep it Classy. Keep it Country,
Gretta Patrick <3

What is it you would LOVE to do right now? Sound off in the comments!

Coffee Time with Gretta No. 2 "How to be a Robertson in a Kardashian World"

Should we be the type of woman who shows everything or the type that shows our inner beauty?

Courtesy of qpolitical.com

This is the second video in the Coffee Time with Gretta vlog series. This week's topic is, "How to be a Robertson in a Kardashian World"

Trashy vs. Sexy
We're inundated with certain ideals of how women should be, and we, as women, have the choice of being trashy or being sexy. Do those two adjectives sound like synonyms? Well, the thing is, we're not. I was recently inspired by this article to look at the differences between what's sexy and what's trashy.There's a big difference, so should we be more of a Kylie Jenner, or a  Sadie Robertson?



What makes a woman sexy?
I personally think that a smile is the sexiest thing a woman can wear, and it's a shame that many young women feel they need to wear less and less clothing in order to feel sexy. I feel my sexiest when I'm in my favorite skirt, my shirt that covers, and I'm not worried about wardrobe malfunctions happening. I think if more young women got into this mindset, the world would be a better place.

This is the dress I feel most sexy in. Not revealing, just cute!

When do you feel sexiest? Sound off in the comments below!

Keep it Classy. Keep it Country,
Gretta Patrick <3

What if I had never come to Loyola?

View from my Freshman year dorm

There's a life-changing question there. How would my life be different if I had gone somewhere else for my four-year degree.

Although I miss home terribly now, I probably wouldn't have gone to anywhere closer to home than I am now, because at age 18, I wanted to go as far away from Paris IL as I could.  I did strongly consider Indiana University.


Therefore, for the sake of argument, let's say I went to IU. What would be different about my life?

1. I wouldn't have joined Alpha Chi Omega, or at least, I wouldn't have the same group of sisters as I do now.
2. I would never have gotten into a mess with the Loyola theatre people, which prompted me to change my major
3. I may not have changed my major to journalism. 
4. I wouldn't be living in this nice apartment that I love. 
5. I wouldn't have gotten the job I have a White House Black Market. 
6. I wouldn't hate Chicago as much as I do now. 
7. I'd be able to go home a lot more than I do now. 
8. I'd have completely different friends. 
9. The paddles on my wall would be from different women. 
10. I'd never have found that perfect, red dress from that vintage shop off the Addison stop. 
11. I wouldn't have become Catholic (or at least it is very unlikely that I would have had the same access to the RCIA program)
12. I wouldn't be in a rough patch in my relationship.
13. I would never have met Kyle. 

The bottom line is, my life would be much different. Will I ever know what my life would have been if I had chosen IU over Loyola? No, and that's the thing about life: You never know what it's going to bring.

Take those last two examples, yeah if I were at IU, I probably wouldn't be stressing over my relationship right now. I wouldn't be in this rough patch after having dated the same guy for two years. My life would probably be easier right at this second because I wouldn't have so much on my mind. On the other end of that spectrum though, I would never have even met Kyle. So, the choice I made to come to Loyola has impacted my life at a higher level than just causing me stress.
Sometimes people aren't good at looking back and seeing the bigger picture in that way. We tend to live for the here and now, and if the here and now isn't good, we make rash decisions rather than thinking things out.

Life is a series of choices, and I made the choice to come to Loyola. Do I absolutely love it all the time? Well, no, but I do know a lot more about myself because of it. For example, I know that I would not have liked the world of musical theatre as I thought I would. I also know that I love to write and read teleprompters. I know that I prefer wide open spaces of the country to the confines of a city. At a larger school in the middle of nowhere, I would never have found these things out, because I never would have tried the alternative. I may wonder what life in the city would be like... but now I know. I think we can all agree that knowing is infinitely better than wondering.

Knowledge hides on the outside of one's comfort zone. The funny thing is, I didn't know what my comfort zone was until my Loyola experience. Now I know where I'd be comfortable: Anywhere but a city. I know I want to be closer to family, and I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with Kyle.

Although I know for sure I would be more comfortable at a different school closer to home, that doesn't mean I should be at such a school at the moment. That's life, you have to stick out the rough patches in order to get to the most awesome part of your life.

Keep it Classy, Keep it Country.
Gretta Patrick <3

Give Me The Simple Life

As I looked at my notebook, the notebook that held everything, my reasons for becoming a Catholic, and all my notes from my RCIA class, I started to wonder, what would my life be like if I wasn't so materialistic. If I didn't have 7 "sratty" hair bows. If I didn't buy every sorority shirt and memorabilia that comes my way. If I didn't have my brand-new bracelet to brag about. What would happen if I just stopped buying things.

Jesus led by example, and if we all followed his example, nail salons and shoe stores would be out of business in a heartbeat, because people would realize that (although we may like to think so) buying that new pair of pumps won't make us happier. Getting a pedicure won't, and and picking up a new dress for my confirmation (although I would like to have one, as the one I brought from home is a sundress, and the weather is still cold) won't either.
It's time women, and men for that matter, faced the facts. Having nice things is just that, nice. It isn't fulfilling in any way. I think that more than anything I realize that now. It just kind of occurred to me as I was sitting on my bed, in the sheets that I dragged my mom to 7 stores to find, under the comforter that I want to replace because of a burn mark from a heating pad. Sitting beside my desk are my $145 ray-bans that I just had to have, my 7 new hair bows, my brand new fuzzy winter hat, and my new Vera Bradley bag.
None of this stuff made me happier. It's just taking up space. I'd have been fine with a plain set of bedsheets instead of the zebra ones I have now. This comforter keeps me plenty warm, even with the one brown-spot. The $5 sunglasses in my drawer would do the same job as the $145 ray-bans, I really didn't need all those hair-bows to feel like a real sorority girl. My fuzzy hat - I'd have done just fine with the brown knit hat made with love by my sister. And as for my Vera Bradley, I already have a perfectly good purse that I could still be using. Granted, I needed the new wallet, as mine had broken, but that's the only good reason I have had to buy anything lately.
What would happen if I couldn't buy anything except necessities? Would I be any less happy? I don't think so. I think that we focus too much on what we want instead of being grateful for what we have.
Instead of buying a new dress for confirmation in two weeks, I'm going to wear a pair of tights under my dress and a sweater over it, and focus on the experience rather than how I'm wearing a worn-out dress.
Instead of buying a new purse for the summer, I'm going to use one I bought a few summers back.
Instead of constantly wanting more, I'm going to stop and be thankful for what I have. 

Vlog 1: Coffee Time With Gretta.

Hey everyone! I'm starting my new "vlog" project! Called "Coffee Time with Gretta" and I'm really excited about it! As you all know, I've recently decided to try broadcast journalism, and I thought that doing vlogs would help! So Hope you enjoy my first Coffee Time! Leave me a comment!