Beauty Tip # 18.

I read this in my May 2010 Allure magazine and wanted to do a short blog about it. The article is called: 22 Reasons to Look Better Naked.

"It's obvious that feeling good in your own skin requires that you take it easy on that creature looking back at you in the mirror. Less obvious: being kind to other women. 'There's nothing positive or attractive about criticizing another woman's appearance,' says self-esteem coach Laure Redmond. 'Even sitting around with your friends talking about how fat a certain celebrity looks or calling women 'cougar' is destructive- and it certainly doesn't make you feel any better about yourself.'"

I say this because there are a LOT of girls- yes I have certain ones in mind- that criticize girls for their hair, their weight, their life, etc. And you know what I think? That they are so miserable in their own life that they have to talk about other girls to make themselves feel better. But you know what?? You have to love yourself before you can attempt to love anyone else.

Idea #2

The last thing I wanted when I left Ohio was a relationship. I wanted a change… no, let me rephrase that…I needed a change. I had been stuck in the same Podunk town since I was a child and had gone to college to have the experience- thinking it would change something for me. But after the same parties, the same situations, the same thing day after day, I had finally had enough. I packed all of my stuff into my car and headed for home, but when my exit for home came up- I kept driving.

In front of me stood nothing but open interstate and the clear, blue horizon in front of me. I had no idea where I was going or what I was going to do when I got there, but I was going and that’s all that mattered to me.

As I drove to my destination unknown, I thought about my life… kinda boring, definitely uneventful. I had grown up in the rural area of Southeast Ohio, in the typical house with my parents and siblings- one older brother, who everyone thought the sun rose and set with, and one younger sister, who according to my parents was, “the cutest thing you’ve ever seen.” Gag me. Being the middle child did have its advantages because while my parents were tending to my siblings, I was getting away with things that I never would have gotten away with if I was the oldest, youngest, or even the only child. And as much I pushed the limit and wanted to get caught or punished to get my parents attention, it never happened. I was the forgotten child.

The forgotten child, I thought as I continued to drive. It had a nice ring to it. I mean what would truly happen if I never went home? My parents wouldn’t miss me, my siblings wouldn’t miss me, my roommates back at college definitely wouldn’t miss me. The girl that played her music too loud when her roommates were sweating exams the next day, the girl that came in way too late and clattered around because she wanted Ramen noodles at four in the morning… yeah they definitely wouldn’t miss me.

Copyright: AmandaVittitow.

Idea...

I haven't blogged in a while but have had a lot of ideas running through my head. Finally had to write an idea down to see where it took me.. here's the result. Who knows where it will end up if anywhere.

I own all rights to this.

I woke up the morning after and looked around his bedroom. It looked a whole lot different in the morning sunlight than it did in the dark- where the only light coming through was the softness of the moon. Now the morning sun made everything look extra bright, almost translucent. I rolled over to see him sleeping soundly next to me with his arm draped over his eyes to block out the sun, or maybe he was he was doing the same thing I was- trying to avoid me, like I was with him. But oh my god it was fun—ten years of playing catch up wrapped into two hours of pure, animal, never-going-to-see-you-again sex.

I peeled myself out of his bed and tried to step lightly across the hardwood floors. One of the boards creaked underneath me, immediately causing me to stop and turn around to see if I had woke him up. I sighed under my breath to see that he was still peacefully sleeping and continued walking through his room picking up my clothes that seemed to be in order from his bed to his bedroom door. First was my black, lacy underwear, second was my matching bra, third was my simple, black cocktail dress, fourth and fifth were my shoes and my hair barrette that I tossed as soon as the door was closed.

As soon as I was dressed, I opened the door and was just about out of his room- thinking I had played it safe.

“Hey,” I heard behind me.

Damn it. I was busted.

Word of mouth advertising really is free!!!

All right guys!!! The time has come to talk about my book and to get word out!! My publishing company says the more I talk about my book on the internet, the better off I will be. So here it goes: My first official blog to promote my book.

The title: Carry On, Oh My Soul

Genre: Fiction

Soon available as an E-book (will be available for download on Amazon, Google E-books, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, etc) and/or on Print.

Due Date: Around August or September... keep checking back for an official release date (trust me, Josh and I are just as excited about the official release date as we are about anything else).

Cost: $14.95 plus tax

I could give a short synopsis, but it's hard to do that without giving too much away. I will say this: The book talks about love, life, baseball, and fate.

I have put a lot of thought and hard work into this book, and I am very proud to call this my own.

The concept of this book came from a dream that I had had, and as soon as I woke up the next morning, I knew that this would be a great book. So you know what? Don't ever ignore your dreams. You never know where they might take you.

Please, please spread the word around about my book. I know if you buy it, you will not be disappointed. Thank you guys and gals!!! I really appreciate it!!!