My Dirty 30: New Beginnings!

Hello good people! It's been a minute but I promise to update more lol.

I've reached another milestone today: I'm finally 30! Sometimes I still feel like I'm 18 so it's kinda surreal that this day is here but I have to say, I've been looking forward to turning 30 for the past 2 years. Seems like once I got past 27, I started going through a change. Many of the things that used to bother me and get under my skin I now let roll off my back. Unless it's something major (like family emergency or money issues), my stress level has gone waaaaay down. I'm not a robot so of course I acknowledge all of my feelings, I just know how to handle them better now lol. I'm much calmer than I was in my early 20s. I'm content with where my life is heading (down a path I'm carving for myself), and the friends and fam that bring me joy.

It's funny, when I was in my teens, I was sure I'd be engaged or married by the time I was 25, and that I'd have my first child at 30. However, as they say, life happens when you're busy making plans. I'm as single as a one-dollar bill and childless. But you know what? I couldn't be happier. Sure, I'd love to be in a relationship, and I've actually had some recent offers, but I decided a long time ago that I wouldn't be seriously involved with anyone unless it felt right. I've met some really cool guys to have fun with but none to become emotionally involved with. So, I'll stay single until I meet someone who knows how to be a lover, but most importantly, knows how to be a friend.

Career wise, I'm at the beginning. I've made some progress but I still have ways to go. I’m excited about my blog (my blog hits have been extremely good considering it’s only been two months), I’ve gotten some writing clips under my belt with a local magazine, and I’ve started working with an artist as part of his stylist team. Doing research on other fashion bloggers/stylists/consultants that I admire, I know that with time, patience, and some strategic moves, I can continue to grow and make a name for myself in this field. I’ve already set some goals for myself this year:

~Return to school (my schedule is still hectic but I miss being in school and I’m a little more than halfway done with attaining my Bachelor’s. I’ve reached out to get things started for Spring/Winter).

~Develop relationships with local retailers (I won’t go into detail but I have a few ideas that could be win-win situations for all parties involved!)

~Gain more clients. Wardrobe Consulting is something I’m interested in so I have to put myself out there more. May have to do a few pro bono projects but the process is fun, so it’ll be worth it.

~Grow my blog. I love KP Fusion. Researching and coming up with fresh content is fun. I hope to grow it enough to where I can finally move to my own site (as opposed to Blogger hosting it). I know I can do that now but I have my reasons for waiting. There’s so much more that I want to add to it. Everything just takes time.

Anyway, there are many more things I hope to accomplish this year but these are the majors. 30 is the beginning of a new chapter in my life and I’m ready to get started!

My Aha Moment: Vote For Me!

A few months ago, I filmed an "Aha Moment" with Mutual of Omaha during their tour across the country. Aha Moments are moments in your life that make an impact and/or change you in some way. My moment was about me deciding to leave corporate america and pursue happiness. As my friends know, I worked in Healthcare Management for 6 years. I worked my way up from being a clerk to the network development coordinator (contracting). I knew I needed at least a Bachelor's to go further up but when the time came for me to return to school, I decided to go in a completely different direction (but the direction that my heart was leaning towards), Fashion and Retail Management. Best decision I ever made. While I still have ways to go before I'm done with my studies, I'm happy that I started living for myself instead of doing what everyone else thought was best for me.

Anyhoo, I received an email last week letting me know that my moment was picked as one of the 75 finalists for their 2011 National Campaign! They filmed over 1,000 moments across the country so boy was i surprised! If you have a moment, visit this link  (aha moment: voting) to view my moment and *fingers crossed* vote for me. The first round of voting ends Oct 15!


xoxo Kim

No Country for the Bored and Confused

If you know me, you know that this is my FAVORITE time of the year. Summer was fun, but there's nothing like fall. You get to pull out all of your cute clothes and accessories, cook your favorite comfort foods (#allyummyeverything), and just sit and relax with friends as you watch the leaves turn and the days get shorter. These are the things I look forward to during this season.
What I do NOT look forward to is bored and/or confused exes coming out of the woodwork because Cuddle Season is nearing. Yup, Cuddle Season is fast approaching. People are now taking apps and testing out candidates to find their perfect Winter Boo (aren't sure what I mean? Click here).

Under normal circumstances, this could be fun. If you aren't already dating someone, your stock may go up as people start picking up the pace trying to secure that lucky fella or lady to share a toasty blanket with. This could be a plus for you, because it means more dates and more fun. Unfortunately, most of us are also starting to receive random texts, calls, Facebook Messages, BBM Pings, etc. from people that we have long forgotten about but for whatever reason, they haven't forgotten about us.

Sure, it starts innocent enough. "Hey how are you?" " How have you been?" "I was just checking on you, it's been a minute." blah, blah, blah. If you're polite and respond, I guarantee you will somehow, someway get sucked into the "we should catch up" conversation. Catching up leads to hanging out, and if it goes according to their plan, it will lead to them sharing a blanket with YOU.

Now if that's what you want, then fine. Go ahead and snuggle your little heart out. Me personally, I want to be left alone. I mean really, it's like there are certain people that no matter how many years later, they will always pop up out the blue trying to set up shop. It would be different if it was genuinely to say hello and then they went about their business. But noooo, I have learned from experience that if they contact me around this time of year, it's usually because they are bored, confused with life, or just plain single and assume that I am as well. Um, no.

When I was younger, I would entertain them reaching out because I felt like I HAD to remain friends with exes. If we didn't end on bad terms, why did we have to stop being friends? I've learned that it's not about that, though. Your life should only be filled with people, be it friends, family, or lovers, that bring a purpose to it. Sure we dated 2 years ago and it was fun-but why does that mean you have to text me everyday now or try to hang out? Why do we always have to talk about what it was like when we dated? Those are the things that irritate me when exes reach out. I've talked to too many men and women who have exes that feel like they will (or should) always have a place in their current life when that could be furthest from the truth. We're all at the point now that when it's over, it's over. You no longer pass go. You no longer get $200. Doesn't mean I have hard feelings or anything. It just means that if you contact me, more than likely your call/text/email will get the WTF face and then promptly be deleted. Let's treat this like High School: we can keep the fond memories but really, let's just keep the past in the past.

I've had 5 in the last 6 weeks "reach out" lol. Anybody else experiencing this?