Fashion & Lifestyle Blog by Emerson Hannon
It is a crazy time with all of the social distancing. Everyone is now working from home and together all the time! To be the best resource for you I have 7 tips to help you stay motivated. These tips will work now and also when everything returns back to normal. And for me that will mean I am still working from home! I also have a blog post on how I get the most out of my day with more tips!
Let’s be honest most of us don’t want to overpay and go to a 9 pm (obvi didn’t get a reservation until last minute) 5 course meal for valentine’s day. Sharing a few unique date night ideas that won’t break the bank! Also if you are last minute like me you still need a gift for your man. I got your covered in time for valentines day! Sharing my gift guide for him and her. In case you missed it I also shared my favorite looks for going out and staying in on vday here.
I am normally the type that makes a decision in about 3 seconds… unless it is what to eat for lunch. Now that could take days lol. I recently made the hardest decision of my life to date. Harder then deciding what college to attend….to move to Kalamazoo for a job or to Minneapolis for another. This was one that I actually had to think about!
Month after month my “Why I Stopped Drinking” blog post gets the most views and I get tuns of questions from all of you! So I am doing an updated blog and answering all of your questions on being a sober sally!
Like most 20 somethings, I liked to party. I mean I really really liked to party and when I got to college, it was socially acceptable and kinda cute when I lost my phone or woke up & didn’t know where I was. So that’s how it went black-out or get-out.
I graduated, got my first job in Kalamazoo as a post-market quality engineer…. and still the same, black-out or get-out EVERY weekend. Not so cute anymore. It was starting to impact my relationships. I tried to get in in control, one & done, no hard alcohol, stop drinking at a certain time….nothing worked . It got worse, so much so that I don’t even remember when my boyfriend broke up with me…I know, sad!
That was my first rock bottom and I’m not even counting the time I fell out of an uber at Wawa (7-eleven) & had to take a $700 ambulance to the hospital…right across the street. In February of 2015 I stopped drinking alcohol altogether, but I was still doing the same things. Hanging out with people who over drank, going to bars, and staying up late. I was constantly fielding questions and comments constantly… “Why aren’t you drinking?”, “Oh, can’t you just have one?”, “It’s fine, everyone drinks too much!” I kept telling myself I was fine. But after 9 months in October 2015, once again, it became too much. I realize now I didn’t like living in Kalamazoo & was struggling to find people I could connect or relate to. So, as you can imagine, I turned to drinking again. black-out or get-out all over again.
I started to tell myself that if I moved out of Kalamazoo everything would be fine, and that was why I was drinking so much.
In January of 2017 I moved to Minneapolis…which didn’t solve anything. In fact, it made it worse…more bars, more people to party with. My friend came to visit and again I hit rock bottom. I got so drunk, I lost my phone, left my bag at the bar && the worst of it was I left my friend at the bar. I realized that I didn’t like the person I was when I drank, selfish and irresponsible. Definitely not the qualities of the women I want to become and where I want to go with my career.
In March of 2017 I stopped drinking again && changed who I was hanging out with & where I spent my time. I turned to Bar Method workouts, shopping trips, fun nights out to dinner and now blogging! It definitely has not been easy and I still do get those questions & comments “Why aren’t you drinking?”, “Oh, can’t you just have one?”, “It’s fine, everyone drinks too much!”. I am much stronger now, having my family, friends & Ryan supporting me (even though Ryan works for a liquor distributor & loves his reds && whiskey!).
I have even grown to actually like being sober. So hopefully you aren’t as much of a hot mess as I was but here are some of the reasons why not drinking is awesome:
Two things that have been super helpful are A. having a drink of choice (soda water + splash of cranberry + a lime) and B. practicing saying “no thank you” and “no thank you I don’t drink”. I seriously practiced that on the phone with my mom! I’m hoping this post can help someone struggling like I was. I am always here to help anyone, answer their questions or just be someone to talk to.
xoxo E
Hey kittens have you met Penelope?! My new Louis Vuitton Montaigne BB bag! Shhhh… don’t tell her but I got her for less in Paris! But Louie never goes on sale, how did I manage this?! Click to see why LVs are discounted in Paris and how much I saved on my baby girl!
Continue reading “Paris Discount: How I Got Louis Vuitton for Less!”
Touched down in Amsterdam, checked into our hotel, showered and trying not to fall asleep (just have to make it to 8 pm! lol). We head to Paris later this week and I can’t wait to take you along! To kick off the week I am sharing 8 steps to travel internationally like a pro and a sneak peak at what I am wearing this week. Click to read more! Also ICYMI I shared How to Pack in a Carry-on for a Two Week Trip last year.
Continue reading “8 Steps to Travel Internationally Like a Pro”
Family x-mas jammies are on sale for 40% off today!
I love to travel, but don’t always have the time to do a bunch of research before (working full time and blogging) and find the best places to eat and see! I always get fomo when I get home to see a instagram snap of something AWESOME where I just was but missed it! I didn’t have to worry about that on our trip to Austin, TX because MLJ Vacay researched and planned the entire thing! & guess what the entire trip was Mr. Hannon approved…let me tell you that is pretty tough! Read on to hear about the process, our experience + all of my looks from the trip (P.S. some of them have never been seen!).
Continue reading “Have a Stress Free Vacation with MLJ Vacay”
Ryan & I just moved into a new apt, got a new king bed and have been in search for a mattress that lets us get a better sleep. Tried out a couple and our favorite was the new & improved Leesa Sleep mattress! Got you babes $160 off your Leesa mattress when you use code classycleanchic! Here are the top 4 reasons why we love our new mattress!
Continue reading “Sleeping Better with Leesa’s Newest Mattress”
dress use code classycleanchic for 15% off
Would you have guessed this picture was taken on a tripod? More than half of my pictures are taken by yours truly via my trusty tripod. I originally started taking pics with Amanda (that’s her name) because I lived alone, didn’t have anyone to take a picture (Ryan hadn’t appeared yet!)…nor did I want anyone to take one of me! I had no idea how to pose. In walks Amanda the tripod and the rest is history! Now for how to get the insta-worthy shot in 5 easy steps!