On Sunday, a group of hot, sweaty, almost 30-year-old's went to Fuzzy's tacos to watch The Masters. Michael decided that this year for his birthday, we would get together to play soccer. We all realized that we (mostly me) are all incredibly out of shape. After the game we headed to Fuzzy's tacos to replenish the calories with cheese and margaritas.
I've never ever been interested in golf. But the fact that Jordan Speith was there (and only 21 years old) and from Dallas, I decided to watch. He happened to go to my “brother” high school Jesuit (and his girlfriend went to Ursuline, my high school). We, also, attended the same grade school (St. Monica), so, we practically knew each other, right? In fact, he's probably reading this in his green jacket right about now…
Because I'm now famous by default, I wanted to play a little game to see the other celebrities I'm connected to. Kind of like 6 degrees of Helene in Between.
First, I'm going to throw it back. WAY back. Both sides of my parent's families come from France. My mom claims that we are in direct relation to Marie Antoinette. Her reasoning is that when the French fled to Louisiana (that's where my parents are from) Antoinette's offspring jumped along too. And we're related. End of story. To further prove the point, when I visited the Palace of Versailles there was a woman named Helene. Coincidence? I think not. It's a family name after all.
Moving right along. As I said, my family is from Louisiana. Guess who else is? Britney Jean Spears. When we met a few years ago (yes, that happened) I just knew we were somehow related. I have no evidence save for the fact that we're both from the same state, and aren't all of Louisianan's related?
Beyonce is from Texas. One of her first shows was with Destiny's Child at the State Fair. I was present. She threw out fake dollar bills during “Bills, Bills, Bills” (of which I still own.) Michael is from Houston as is Queen B. I'm pretty sure we've crossed paths.
And lastly, Kevin Bacon, of course. Everyone's connected to him somehow. My grandfather once met Lauren Bacall. She was in the movie “My Fellow Americans” with Jack Lemmon. Jack Lemmon was in “JFK” with none other than Kevin Bacon.
And now a $50 BaubleBar giveaway with my pal, Kallie of But First, Coffee!
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For a special treat, I have Erica from Coming Up Roses here to share some her blogger and fashion savvy expertise! I'm always impressed when someone young (she just turned 21!) that has a knack for writing and sharing her story. 
Why did you start your blog?
I've always loved writing. In high school I interned at our city paper, and I started working for my campus fashion magazine my freshman year of college. But I soon got tired of having peer editors blatantly change my writing style to incorporate their own; it was so frustrating! I just love to talk – ha! – and I felt pretty limited just writing a few fashion pieces here and there and then still not really having ownership of my work. So Coming Up Roses was born, and it's meant to be just a hub of inspirational, funny, and pretty things for enjoyment every MWF!
Tell us about your personal style?
I think I'm usually a blend between Audrey Hepburn, a J. Crew catalog, and Blake Lively. Some days, I'm all about old-school class, pearls and a sockbun. Then I'm mixing bold prints in a make-a-professional-statement sortof way, because I love the preppy punch that the J. Crew lifestyle carries. And then I'm just going with comfy separates attempting I-woke-up-like-this chic, and Blake is the queen of that.
What type of blogs draw you in?
All of the blogs I regularly read bring something unique to the table while still being well-written, creative, and visually appealing. I love leaving a blog feeling like my day just got better. Maybe I learned something new, maybe I laughed out loud, maybe it was just a delight to read and got me feeling all introspective and thoughtful. Usually there's a wine reference in there somewhere, some bold, bright colors, and if it's a fashion blog and there's a photoshoot blooper…I'm hooked.
What is your favorite subject to post about and why?
Monday Mantras make me so happy, because I absolutely love getting comments and emails and messages from readers afterwards who really connected to it and had their Monday transformed because of it. Let's be real…sometimes Mondays suck. I always want Coming Up Roses to have an inspiring edge where people can come for some respite from life. I'm all about creating this grab-the-coffee-and-get-inspired feel good atmosphere, with a community of kickass #girlbosses who appreciate good people and good sass.
What's a favorite post you've written?
I'm going to cheat and say it's a tie between: 9 Reasons why Maxi Dresses are just Better, “You are Enough,” A Beginner's Guide to Budgeting, 13 Ways to Know he's a Keeper, 19 Things Every Blogger Knows to be True, and What I Learned from Learning to Parallel Park. You be the judge.
What's been the biggest traffic source for your blog?
Facebook, actually. I'm trying to transition that more to Pinterest, but Facebook for the win!
If you could offer one piece of must-have advice to an aspiring blogger, what would it be?
Keep your eyes on your own paper. While checking out other people's work is crucial to seeing what you aesthetically and creatively like and don't like, and just for brainstorming new things and making new friends, its easy to get sucked up in a sea of blogs and end up with less time to really perfect your own! Start by really hammering down your own brand. What do you stand for? What's your thing? What value will you bring to the interwebs? I really think these need to be at the forefront of your blog; especially when times get busy and tough (as they do…welcome, life!), you'll be grateful to have a sort of brand book for your blog that can bring you back to your roots and help you evolve thereafter!
Check out Erica's blog for more! Don't forget to check out her Facebook page– she's an expert and drives a lot of traffic from her blog there!
