#HalfTheStory -

Social media has driven many of my choices when it comes to appearing too vulnerable when posting. The negativity that stems from online platforms makes me sick and 95% of the time I opt to not play with the potential fire created from a single picture I post. I’m no celebrity but I also haven’t been able to escape the wrath of comments written by that insecure population of Instagram users. I also know I’m mentally stronger than anyone who chooses to put someone down with an online mask and can confidently handle the occasional and somewhat hilarious blows to my self-esteem.

When my good friend & blogger Larz of Livin’ Like Larz reached out to me about contributing to her #HalfTheStory Project, I realized now is the best time to be more authentic with my social media – sharing the good, the bad, the worst, the greatest, and the rewarding aspects of my life as a blogger – while sharing some of the weirdest habits, quirks and things that happen to me on occasion. There’s a lot more happening behind those VSCO filters and artsy angles that portray a vibrant, effortless lifestyle and I’d be lying if I didn’t confess to highlighting more of the higher points of my day on purpose. Which is why I’m kicking this off with one of my semi-secret quirks that not too many people know about me: When it comes to cleanliness and organization, I’m the scary definition of OCD.

I can’t tell you how many times I fell behind with a “to-do list” because my focus was on sterilizing the area I chose to work in. If my apartment is remotely out of place, I clean and organize until it’s something you’d see as an Ikea display. When I’m forced to not attend to something that needs to be straightened up or taken care of, I get anxious and somewhat panicky. Trust me when I’m caught in this frame of mindset – which can and has been triggered during very random hours/days of the week – people might question my sanity..

But there are upsides to it! I know where everything is always and rarely do I misplace something because of it. The “neat-freak” in me will make my future husband the happiest human when he realizes he doesn’t have to be responsible for any sort of tidiness, ever. Finally, I’m always prepared to have people over because my apartment is entertainment-ready! You’ll just see me cleaning all of it up at 3am when I return back from a night of fun because I won’t be able to sleep until its tidy AF…