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Do you advertise your birthday on Facebook?  If so, do you display the year as well?  If yes, that’s awesome — you’re truly celebrating an addition to your tenure on earth.  If you don’t share the year you were born, isn’t it more of celebrating just yourself? I love birthdays, but not on Facebook or any other social media.  The first time I received an avalanche of notifications on –/–/–, I was dumbfounded.  I had no idea that birthdays were “announced.”  I thought when I added my birthday it was som Celebrating Papa’s 80th birthday ten years ago e sort of requirement of Facebook.  Initially, it was fun hearing from people I barely knew.  I thought, wow, they must really like me but have been too shy to express it until wondrous Facebook made it easier for them.  Typically, only my immediate family and very dear, close friends contact me on the big day.  It was intense stuff having dozens of “Happy Birthday, Shelley, hope it’s a great day!” But then, after a couple years of participating in the Facebook BD frenzy, I realized if I neglected to wish one or two distant acquaintances HBD, there was a good chance they’d dis my sacred day that year as well.  And if someone I truly cared about missed my day, it would cryptically bother me.  I mean, who cares?  It bothered me that it bothered me, more than the birthday-less message I didn’t receive. So ya, Facebook birthday participation didn’t last long for me.  If you’re a friend of mine, I’m sorry I don’t wish you a HBD on Facebook.  It’s just too phoney baloney for me.  But, in the future I’m going to check and see if years are shared.  Those, I’ll not only wish HBD, but also congratulations! Thank you for stopping by, Love, Shelley https://10618.anovite.com/ Redken Chromatics Permanent Hair Color – 7N redken

Triangle Park is obsessed with skincare and anti-aging. Are you? “We only have one face to get through life with,” I tell my girls, “take good care of it.” Savanna and Diana learned early on to adopt healthy skin care habits. “Girls, facelift surgery is just no fun…trust me.” My mother (their grandmother) went under the knife when Savanna was a baby. She recuperated in my home before returning to Utah where she lived at the time. It was not a pretty experience. Invasive surgery is less popular today than it was 25+ years ago…thank God! Botox injections seem to be the procedure of choice these days, and not only for those of us over 40. Many doctors advise women in their 20s to begin the muscle-paralyzing botulism process. Stop those blasted expression indentations from forming in the first place. I tried Botox one time – total nightmare. It caused horrible diarrhea, uncontrollable tearing, fainting, and depression. My friend’s husband, a dentist, contemplated administering Botox to his patients. Before doing so he tried it himself to learn firsthand what it was like. He ended up in the ER with worse symptoms than I had. The biggest bummer about Botox being a bummer is that it “looks” really good. I have ten do’s/don’ts; five products I can’t live without; and, one supplement that is my holy grail: 10 SKIN CARE DO’S / DON’TS ·      Don’t pick pimples; scars are forever ·      Do remove/exfoliate all signs of dry skin, hair and peach fuzz; women look bad with beards and dead skin ·      Do get facials regularly; professionals deep clean and condition ·      Don’t leave the house without sunscreen; skin cancer is real and scary ·      Do use Occusoft lid cleansers occasionally; eyelids don’t get the attention they need ·      Don’t share eye make up; it’s an unsanitary germ swap ·      Do tone (alcohol free); toners are skin stabilizers ·      Don’t touch your face unless you wash your hands first; hormones are hard to control, keeping dirt off your face is not ·      Do use only your ring finger when working around eyes; it’s the most forgiving digit ·      NEVER EVER sleep in make up; it’s just so gross 5 SKIN CARE ITEMS I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT ·      Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil – Hourglass/Ash ·      Aveda Botanical Kinetics Hydrating Lotion (night) ·      Laura Mercier Flawless Skin Face Polish ·      Cetaphil Daily Facial Moisturizer / SPF 50 ·      Fresh Soy Face Cleanser ONE [HOLY GRAIL] SUPPLEMENT Anovite Colostrum6 has worked miracles for my daughter, Diana’s, skin and for my overall wellbeing (fabulous anti-ager!). We are beyond thrilled with it. I discovered Anovite products through a friend, Lisa.  It’s a long story.  In short, I was very ill last winter.  I started taking handfuls of vitamin supplements with little to no results.  Lisa sent me a free sample of Anovite Colostrum6, plus LimuZ.  I was shocked by how quickly I began to feel better.  I mean REALLY shocked. I asked Savanna and Diana to try it, to help me determine if I was crazy or not.  They, TOO, said they felt really good while taking it (better mood, energy, attitude, etc.).  What I didn’t expect was how Diana’s face would clear up.  She’s had difficult skin outbreaks from time to time.  The results of Anovite Colostrum6 have exceeded all of our expectations in areas we never imagined. Check this amazing product (and others) out on my website:    https://10618.anovite.com/es/           and/or contact me at shelleysweeney@rocketmail.com.  There’s a 90-day money back guarantee.  What do you have to lose? Be good to your skin.  It will thank you down the road when you look in the mirror.  Simple healthy habits like cleansing, moisturizing, exfoliating, being a water-aholic and taking Anovite Colostrum6 (the purest, 6-hour, Colostrum out there) will keep you looking snappy in your selfies. IMHO, say NO to invasive surgery and Botox. Love, Shelley P.S. Our new website is taking longer than expected 🙁

She always says, “It’s short for Oreo, not Olivia. Life’s a constant search for which color we ‘oreos’ identify most with.” I can’t fully relate to O’s journey, but I try to. Figuratively speaking, all of us have an “oreo” journey of sorts: Which side of our families are we sandwiched into the most; which side do we relate to the most? With each passing birthday over a lifetime, a decision-making process develops as to which half of our genetic equation we more comfortably recognize. Or is the answer logically equal; it is what it is, no analysis necessary? Individual circumstances reign of course. Even though my parents were born and raised in close, small-town proximity, virtually nothing about their families was similar. Diversity was their common ground. Mother’s family: Energy Vibrancy Competition Father’s family: Calm Comforting Harmony In other words virtual opposites, IMHO. Putting my finger on which side I identify most with isn’t easy. In fact, this blog isn’t easy. Triangle Park came up with it because we attended a family celebration for my husband’s side of the family last weekend. A rare occasion; my girls seldom see that side. It isn’t far-fetched to suggest they “don’t know them.” My side, however, they are intimate with. We thought it’d be interesting to write about the contrasts between different sides of our families. Well, it turned out interesting indeed. Why? Because it’s hard! Try writing about both sides of your family and make it for public consumption. I discovered an unexpected cloud of: if I suggest this it will hurt his feelings; if I say that, it might hurt her feelings. This may be a cop out, but for me, it’s truly split down the middle. No doubt I’ve contemplated and analyzed it over the years; I was certain one side took precedence. I love and relate to both sides 50/50. The diversity of the whole is what makes me, me. O’s search clearly has a distinct variable that mine doesn’t have. I get that. But, our fundamental 50/50 and all the diversity combined within that, is what matters most. It makes Olivia, Olivia; you, you; and me, me. Contemplating which side you relate to most becomes irrelevant. All that matters is us. Thank you for stopping by our blog! Love, Shelley

We were somewhat cocooned in the beautiful, brand new, Baha Mar Resort. Actually, “somewhat” is an understatement.  We literally were cocooned on the grounds of Baha Mar…by choice.  It’s a downright spectacular enclave of restaurants, bars, pools, beaches, casinos, and high-end shops.  We were never without something to do, eat, or drink. It’s amazing how “pictures drive vacations” these days.  Back in the old days (haha), it was important to pack a camera just like it is in 2018, but the photographs, as I recall them, were not all consuming.  They were more like souvenirs, a take it or leave it, no big deal, option. Nowadays, vacation photo opportunities seemingly motivate and energize with incentives — the likes of which are “likes.”  But, what if a picture of you is unflattering?  What if it doesn’t show potential to satisfy the “likes” count that you might garner from an otherwise “great” (doctored?) shot.  Would you care?   Would you still post it? Getting older and watching myself fade away in the mirror is bad enough.  But, doing it publicly while watching my young, beautiful (if I do say so myself J) girls enjoy photogenic heaven, is the personal picture-pits.  (I love pictures and I love the game, but if you’re over 50, I’m going to assume you know what I’m talking about.) Solution:  Maintain an energetic sense of humor. One night while in Nassau, the three of us went out for a delicious dinner.  Sav and Dan looked spectacular.  As for me, I was feeling all of 56 and then some.  After dinner we walked around the grounds to take some pictures. As my co-tri-angles were posing in their usual youthful way, I accidentally clicked the reverse camera button.  Gasp!  What I saw was nothing short of flabbergasting.  I went from seeing two 20-somethings to…omg…who is that weird looking woman and why is she on my camera screen? Nobody is more sensitive to lousy shots than I am (it’s a long, painful, story :-). But, get this!  Right then and there, I decided to give myself a great, big grin, and go into selfie overdrive.  Sav and Dan had no idea what I was doing; they were posing away.  I snapped the selfie and it was every bit as wretched as I knew it would be (don’t you sometimes hope they’re not going to be as bad as you think?).  It was perfectly imperfect and I loved it!  I said, “who gives a manure?” Why do pictures have to be flawlessly, phony-baloney?  We all know we’re far from flawless.  In stories, characters with flaws that readers can identify with are the most beloved characters.  Why not in pictures too? Here’s the dreadful selfie.  I must confess, I edited it.  The shadows, highlights, and sunburn on my neck desperately needed adjusting, lest I die of insecurity illness. The three of us laughed our booties off at the whole spectacle. PLEASE, please, PLEASE, girls, have a sense of humor and publicly share the not-so-good photos too.  If people (and you) don’t “like” the imperfect shots, perhaps they don’t sincerely like you. And, worse than that, perhaps they don’t have a sense of humor. Thanks for reading everyone!  Love, Shelley http://triangleparkatl.com/savanna-blog/2018/5/30/bahama-mama-picture-drama http://triangleparkatl.com/diana-blog/2018/5/30/toxic-pictures Also, I’m thrilled to mention that a story I wrote was chosen as a winner in the 2018 Bristol, England, Flash Fiction Walk, contest.  It will be read by an actor at a Bristol festival on June 16.  Here it is if you’d like to read it: Fate Folly Hottie alert at the Starbucks on Cabot Circus.  He squeezes in next to me on the sofa.  Good vibes.  He hasn’t shaven in a couple days.  He notices I notice.  I never lie.  It’s not a lie if it’s none of anyone’s business.  His almost beard looks amazing.  I straighten up and put my coffee on the table.  The energy is apparent.  Never mind, this is it.  Haven’t I seen you before?  Perfect.  Buuuzz kill.  Two kids crowd in, ‘Daddy, daddy.’  He scoops them onto his lap as if I’m invisible.  I’m going to lie now and say I didn’t care.

There is only one word to describe the Baha Mar resort in Nassau: magical. I hope when I go to heaven, that it will resemble this resort. From the lobby, to the rooms, to the pools, to the pristine beach, there wasn’t an “ugly” area to speak of. It felt like I was in an alternate reality during my 4-day stay with my mom and sister. So as not to forget our stay in this fantasy land, we took a TON of pictures. Every trip down to the ocean required a full on photoshoot, because how else would we remember such an incredible experience? After all, one of the best parts of vacation is all the Instagram posts you get to make (jk). On our first excursion down the beach, we immediately started snapping pics of each other. And we got some really great shots. A few of my favorite pics are from that first day (peep our Instagram to see these). But on the second day of our trip, our picture taking took a turn for the worse. The day in general started out a little rocky. We woke up with plans to meet with the concierge to discuss potential excursions for the week. By the end of our meeting, we had excursions planned for that day, the next day and the day after that! Four-wheeling, horseback riding and a trip to Blue Lagoon for a dolphin encounter. We were excited for all of these excursions, no doubt, but something felt off. Before our pickup time for four-wheeling, we decided to mosey down to the ocean for lunch. When we got down there, the sun was shining, blue water glistening and people were glowing, enjoying the gorgeous atmosphere. It didn’t take long for us to a reach a general consensus that we had no motivation to leave the resort. We quickly scurried up the path to the hotel and canceled 2/3 of our activities. Then we went to the room, put on our cute swimsuits and made our way back to the ocean. We staked out on some beach chairs and spent the next few hours playing in the water (and taking plenty of pics). We got some SUPER cute pics in the water, but toward the end of the day we were continuing our antics with not quite the best results. At one point my mom even got up in Diana’s face and took a pic so close that even Cindy Crawford would cringe if she was the victim. We all got back to the room that afternoon eager to post on social media. My mom announced she would be posting a collection of pics. When I peeped Facebook to see what she posted, my first reaction was to scream “MOM WHY DID YOU POST THAT???” Let’s just say she didn’t post the best pic of my sis (the up close one) and also posted one of me and my sister on the bed on our phones (I look drunk in it). I guess it was out in the open that we aren’t as glamorous as we look on our instagrams. Social media is a glossy version of people’s lives. So I was quite shook when the opposite was on Facebook. What are your thoughts on less-than-flattering pics on social media? Here is a very unflattering pic of possibly one of my fave memories from the trip – eating truffle parm fries and drinking and Bahamian beer. Pic gone wrong

Ahh, vacation.  Triangle Park’s highly anticipated trip to the Bahamas has come and gone.  We truly had a wonderful time.  Some of you may have seen pictures of how we spent our days. We were somewhat cocooned in the beautiful, brand new, Baha Mar Resort.  Actually, “somewhat” is an understatement.  We literally were cocooned on the grounds of Baha Mar…by choice.  It’s a downright spectacular enclave of restaurants, bars, pools, beaches, casinos, and high-end shops.  We were never without something to do, eat, or drink. It’s amazing how “pictures drive vacations” these days.  Back in the old days (haha), it was important to pack a camera just like it is in 2018, but the photographs, as I recall them, were not all consuming.  They were more like souvenirs, a take it or leave it, no big deal, option. Nowadays, vacation photo opportunities seemingly motivate and energize with incentives — the likes of which are “likes.”  But, what if a picture of you is unflattering?  What if it doesn’t show potential to satisfy the “likes” count that you might garner from an otherwise “great” (doctored?) shot.  Would you care?   Would you still post it? Getting older and watching myself fade away in the mirror is bad enough.  But, doing it publicly while watching my young, beautiful (if I do say so myself J) girls enjoy photogenic heaven, is the personal picture-pits.  (I love pictures and I love the game, but if you’re over 50, I’m going to assume you know what I’m talking about.) Solution:  Maintain an energetic sense of humor. One night while in Nassau, the three of us went out for a delicious dinner.  Sav and Dan looked spectacular.  As for me, I was feeling all of 56 and then some.  After dinner we walked around the grounds to take some pictures. As my co-tri-angles were posing in their usual youthful way, I accidentally clicked the reverse camera button.  Gasp!  What I saw was nothing short of flabbergasting.  I went from seeing two 20-somethings to…omg…who is that weird looking woman and why is she on my camera screen? Nobody is more sensitive to lousy shots than I am (it’s a long, painful, story :-). But, get this!  Right then and there, I decided to give myself a great, big grin, and go into selfie overdrive.  Sav and Dan had no idea what I was doing; they were posing away.  I snapped the selfie and it was every bit as wretched as I knew it would be (don’t you sometimes hope they’re not going to be as bad as you think?).  It was perfectly imperfect and I loved it!  I said, “who gives a manure?” Why do pictures have to be flawlessly, phony-baloney?  We all know we’re far from flawless.  In stories, characters with flaws that readers can identify with are the most beloved characters.  Why not in pictures too? Here’s the dreadful selfie.  I must confess, I edited it.  The shadows, highlights, and sunburn on my neck desperately needed adjusting, lest I die of insecurity illness. The three of us laughed our booties off at the whole spectacle. PLEASE, please, PLEASE, girls, have a sense of humor and publicly share the not-so-good photos too.  If people (and you) don’t “like” the imperfect shots, perhaps they don’t sincerely like you. And, worse than that, perhaps they don’t have a sense of humor. Thanks for reading everyone!  Love, Shelley http://triangleparkatl.com/savanna-blog/2018/5/30/bahama-mama-picture-drama http://triangleparkatl.com/diana-blog/2018/5/30/toxic-pictures Also, I’m thrilled to mention that a story I wrote was chosen as a winner in the 2018 Bristol, England, Flash Fiction Walk, contest.  It will be read by an actor at a Bristol festival on June 16.  Here it is if you’d like to read it:

Remember the “no phone” rule in high school? At the time it annoyed me so very much. If one of my teachers would turn around during a lesson and I could tell they would be standing at the whiteboard for a couple minutes, I’d sneakily pull my backpack onto my lap and slip out my phone. Somehow, I mastered the art of looking at my phone while my eyes were on the whiteboard, but that’s another story. How to Break Up with Your Phone: The 30-Day Plan to Take Back Your Life By Catherine Price This was such a bad habit for me, that even today, I catch myself peeping my phone while it’s in my purse out of fear that someone will “catch” me on it. There is currently no one in my life monitoring my cell phone usage. I am an adult, after all. But a few months ago, I had an epiphany. I waste a TON of time on my phone. This isn’t groundbreaking news. Everyone knows phones can be massive time-wasters. But when I really thought about the amount of time I was spending on my phone, I was stunned. It was taking away so much valuable time that could be spent working, engaging friends, taking care of myself, etc. I knew I had to do something, so I decided to take a baby step: leaving my phone in my purse at work. This helped a little. But not enough. An hour would go by and I would start to feel an itch. An itch to see the latest Instagram post or text from my sister. So, I would pull it out and waste 5 minutes doing literally nothing. I knew I had to take a more drastic measure. I challenged myself to leave my phone in my car (secure and out of sight) during work hours. The first day was tough. I didn’t know how to take a “break” from work without my phone. But as the week wore on it became easier and easier. And I still check my phone at lunch. At this point, I hardly even think about my phone. Sometimes I get in my car to leave for the day, and I don’t even open the consul to check my phone because I have forgotten all about it! You may be wondering how I stay in touch with people during the day. And what if an emergency happened and I wasn’t reachable? The answer is G-Chat and email. I make sure to tell my closest friends and family about my new habit and let them know I am reachable on the computer. If you have trouble focusing in school or at work, I highly recommend leaving your phone somewhere out of reach for at least a few hours a day. It’ll be hard at first, but eventually you will forget all about it. Checking my phone instead of enjoying the event I was attending in 2017.

Hearing and reading about how excited my mom and sister are for the Bahamas has me reminiscing about my summer exactly a year ago. I spent last summer studying abroad in France, while traveling on the weekends. It was an absolutely incredible experience that I am ever grateful to my parents for, but with the good came quite a bit of bad. Things are bound to go wrong on vacation, and I’ve discovered a couple key things that help everything go smoothly and prevent disaster from striking: 1.     Portable charger. So many times when I was traveling I would find myself on a train or in a station for hours, without an outlet or charger, and my phone battery slowly dying. Having a portable charger helped avoid some big catastrophes, like missing a train, losing a friend, and getting lost. 2.     Cross-body purse. An absolute MUST when travelling, and honestly in everyday life. It keeps your wallet, passport, and phone extremely close and greatly reduces the chance of someone grabbing your purse off of your shoulder or someone pick-pocketing you. 3.     Reusable water bottle. My parents deem reusable water bottles a “millennial thing”, but they are essential in my everyday life, and when I’m travelling. Airports, train stations, colleges, malls, parks, literally everywhere all around the world has stations to fill up water bottles. Buying plastic bottles over and over again not only wastes money, but is bad for the environment. 4.     Checklist. Whether this be in your head, on your phone, or on a piece of paper, it’s utterly important to stay organized. I constantly run through my head, making sure I have my phone, wallet, and passport wherever I am. I always keep a checklist for what I’m packing, both on the plane and checked, so I know where everything is. I am so excited to go to the Bahamas in a week, and am even more excited to write about it. I hope these tips help you, whether you’re going on a road trip or halfway across the world!

The Tri-angles are going to the Bahamas.  It’s been 36 years since I’ve been there.  The girls have never been.  Jeff opted out on this one.  Excess travel and not desiring a hot(ter), humid, climate are keeping home.  What his absence means is…girls gone wild.  Well, maybe not, but you neeevverrr know. I gotta say, Savanna is a lot like me http://triangleparkatl.com/savanna-blog in that I’m in ward-robe planning over-drive: ·        Sparkly, rhinestone, sandals;  check ·        Classy Beach dress; check ·        Hats and visors with adequate coverage; check ·        Bathing suit with adequate coverage (ugh – this category is just not fair.  Diana and Savanna are in their 20s…I’m in my 50s for crying out loud.  I will properly hate them during the bathing suit hours.)  NOT CHECKED YET ·        Evening dresses; check ·        Shorts; check ·        Sunscreen; double check I hesitated slightly while planning this trip.  I booked the hotel, bu air travel details slowed me down:  Do I really want to travel to a party destination with 20-somethings?  Do I really want to get in a bathing suit with my husband 1,000 miles away?  Not really!  But, before I knew it, Savanna had the tickets wrapped up.  She’d even got me on board to swim with the pigs! Bahamas here we come!  We’re high as the sky with excitement. Off Point: Do you, or someone you know, want to lose weight?  I sell Anovite Colostrum6 — It’s AMAZING.  I inadvertently ordered inventory of LepiTrim6 Vanilla Shake (860 grams) and LepiTrim Daytime Capsules (180 count).  If you google it, it is not the Immune Tree product, it’s from Anovite (photo below). Wholesale price: Capsules:               $ 42.00 Vanilla Shake:          40.00 I have never taken LepiTrim, but know someone who does take it with great results.  If you would like to know more about it, please email me:  shelleysweeney@rocketmail.com or visit my website:  https://10618.anovite.com/ Check out my reviews on Ebay.   https://www.ebay.com/usr/shellsween And also on Fiverr:  https://www.fiverr.com/shellsween Thank you to everyone who visits and reads blogs at Triangle Park.  Happy Mother’s Day to all MOMMIES!

Aruba, Jamaica, ooo I wanna take ya. No need to take me to either of those places because I’ve already been to both. And quite enjoyed them. I am working my way down the list of locations in that famous song and will be going to the BAHAMAS in two short weeks. I’ll be travelling with my mom and sister, staying at the SLS in the new Baha Mar development. I’ve been stalking their Instagram and the resort looks dreamy. While I look forward to the fruity drinks, clear water and great weather, I am especially looking forward to all the outfits I am going to wear. Isn’t that the point of travelling? Having an excuse to buy new clothes and look fabulous in a foreign town? The moment we booked the trip, I began to furiously online shop, imagining myself in a plethora of scenarios. What will my airport outfit be? What will I change into when we get lunch upon arrival? How many trendy one-pieces is too many to take? I wonder if 3 hats can fit in my tiny suitcase? Once I am hit with the travel shopping bug, I don’t stop obsessing until we are wheels-up off the tarmac. All of this doesn’t necessarily involve buying new clothes. It can be just as fun to “shop your closet” and come up with fun outfit combos that you wouldn’t usually wear at home. While most people my generation travel for the Instagram post, I pretty much travel for the fashion. In addition to all the outfits I am looking forward to, I also really want to try to swim with the pigs in Exuma. Imagine the outfit possibilities! I think this is quite hard to do, but I hope to report back soon with some awesome picture of myself in a chic red bikini kissing free-roaming pigs in crystal clear water. Savanna

Finals week is over, which means that sophomore year is over, which means that I have moved home for the summer to intern and take a couple classes. That means the stress of the previous semester is finally over, right? Wrong. The several days after your final exams, before your letter grades are released, can be full of some of the most anxiety-ridden hours. If you’re on the line between letter grades, or simply don’t know where you stand in a class, you have experienced the stress, pit in your stomach, and frantic attempts to distract yourself. Having worked hard all semester to receive a simple letter that you may not be satisfied with can make you question everything from your major to your college to your entire future. I am a strong believer in that someone’s intelligence, let alone their self-worth, is not entirely determined by their grades. But you cannot deny that your academic performance can play a huge part in your quality of job (or lack thereof), graduate school, and overall opportunities that may or may not present themselves. So getting a “bad grade” can be difficult, but it’s far from the end of the world. If you find yourself having taken your final and stressing like crazy, here are a couple things you can do: 1.     Email your professor. They aren’t as heartless and apathetic as they sometimes pretend to be. If you took a final and are genuinely concerned, email them and ask if there is anything you can do. Best case, they may give you a small assignment to bump you up a letter grade. Worst case, they say there’s nothing you can do. 2.     If you talk to your professor, and they say the latter, talk to your academic advisor. It is their literal job to talk to you and give you advice. They can help you talk to your professor, give advice for how to move forward, and help you in the future when it isn’t too late. 3.     If none of the above work, just expect the worst and trust yourself. You may surprise yourself, and end up in a better position than you thought. 4.     If you have received your grades and it isn’t what you wanted, accept it. At this point, there is nothing you can do except better prepare yourself in the future. Now would be the time to make a plan for the next semester and motivate yourself to try harder, plan better, and be more proactive. Now may not have been your time, but you can only go up from here. This week, some people may be sharing their grades with you or posting their transcripts on social media (which I find utterly absurd, and something I could delve into for a whole other blog). The best thing you can do is not compare yourself to other people. It is unproductive and will not give an accurate representation of your character and skills. Starting this week, Triangle Park is going to become more collaborative and cohesive. Each week, we’re going to pick a theme, phrase, or idea to prompt our blogs, and see how each generation approaches it. Tune in next week to see what we’ll be delving into! xoxo

I wish I had been born a princess. But I was not. How sad. Ever since the age of three I have been obsessed with dressing up. Princesses get to dress up every day so seems like I would be a perfect fit for the job. Again, how sad. I remember as a child putting on leotards, tutus, gloves, scarves, fake pearls and plastic heels. Then I would clunk across the hardwoods of my childhood home until I got to the TV and stare at Disney princess VHS tapes for hours. My obsession with dressing up has not wavered in the last 23 years. The only thing that has changed is my taste. I am no longer satisfied by $10 costume pieces from Toys R’ Us. Now I like the finer things in life. Unfortunately, my salary doesn’t warrant purchasing the finer things in life quite yet. Enter Rent the Runway. Rent the Runway has truly fulfilled all of my dress-up fantasies. I was first introduced to RTR when I was working for a small PR firm in Atlanta. My boss asked me to attend an event on his behalf so I could write a column the following week. I mingled among hundreds of gorgeous dresses and sipped on Diet Coke. When it was time to go, I was given a swag bag with fashion tape, a sticky bra and a $100 gift card. At this stage of my life, I was not yet attending black tie events. The soonest I would need a dress was for a trip to Puerto Rico with one of my girlfriends a couple weeks later. In between classes and work the next couple weeks, I browsed the “vacation” section of RTR – which is full of casual dresses perfect for a day in the sun. After lots of casual browsing I was dead set on a red Halston Heritage number. Perfect for a night out in Puerto Rico. It was only $30 to rent so I decided to tack on a casual Missoni dress for good measure. I cannot even describe how fun it was to wear these designer dresses while on vacation. And for FREE. The rest is history and I have been using RTR for nearly every event I attend. I do have to warn you the experience is not always perfect. I’ve had some mishaps including dresses that didn’t deliver due to a snow storm and even a last-minute email telling me my dress wouldn’t be available the night before a NYC gala. But somehow RTR redeemed themselves after every incident. I highly recommend having your dresses deliver at least 2 days before your event. You need enough time to decide if it’s right for your body and also to accessorize. There’s nothing worse than throwing on a new dress right before an event and not having a single pair of earrings or shoes to match. I understand that some people are scared of using RTR. To them, the risk and expense is just not worth it. But for a dress-up addict like myself, the drama and risk is SO worth it. What could possibly be better than wearing a flowy Badgley Mishcka gown that I could otherwise only afford if I skipped rent for a month? Some of my fave RTR looks: Cynthia Rowley for a holiday party. Badgley Mischka at a charity gala Haute Hippie for a wedding (one of my faves) Badgley Mischka for a wedding