Explorin' the New Hood: Old Towne Orange

Like I've said before, I recently moved into my first big girl apartment. I was unsure about the location of where we would be living because we are on a busy street and the friend's apartment we were subletting had a great location, close to everything & also just down the street from one of my jobs. 

However, last week my concerns were lifted when a friend of mine who lives not too far from me decided to show me around such a gem: Old Towne Orange.  It's a cute little place with lots of antique shops, cool restaurants and older-looking buildings. It probably actually looks like the "old town" part of any city, but since I don't usually explore those areas, it was pretty cool to do so here. 

So the point of our little adventure was with two reasons in mind: for her to show me around the area and for me to help her take Instagram photos like mine! Haha. The first time she told me she wanted me to take photos of her the way I have my photos on Instagram I was laughing but I also felt quite honored. It was just not something I would expect someone to say to me haha. 
I was also helping her with taking better iPhone photos by giving suggestions on how you can frame the subject and things like that. It was fun for both of us because we were doing it in such a cool place (but unfortunately I have no photos of her/with her--they were all either on snapchat or on her phone, & her Instagram is private & so I don't want to compromise her privacy). 
Old Towne Orange in one word is: hipster. 
There was lots of brick, lots of antiques, and some other cool random things that we found around the little town. We stumbled across an alley and found a cool black metal wall with an orange painted on it. I also caught some really meaningful graffiti that was also super cool. 

Something that I really hope to do in the next few months is really explore where I live and fall in love with where I live! I've always loved where I lived, but since I don't live on campus at school anymore it'll be easier (& I'll be less lazy) when it comes to getting out and seeing what's around me. 
Where shall I go next? Garden Grove? Anaheim? Downtown Santa Ana? We'll see. 
Where do you live? & what has your experience been in "old towns" like this one?

Having Faith and Trust When You've Been Hurt

We've all been hurt before. 
Whether our boo-boos came from tripping on something or from someone close to us doing something we didn't like or expect, it sucks to be the one that got hurt. 
Sometimes you cry, sometimes you throw a fit, and sometimes you don't feel anything (literally and figuratively). 
But, life goes on. 
Life goes on even if we aren't ready for it. 
We can either learn to forgive and trust, or we can live in fear and/or bitterness/resentment, even hatred. 
Oh trust me, I've had my share of hurts in my life. I've been hurt a lot actually, and so I have a lot of emotional scarring on my heart. 
I am currently at a point in my life to where I need to start facing my fears and hurts head on, and I need to learn to trust and have faith again. 
We always hear about the word "faith" but what does it actually mean? 
I recently wrote about it on my Instagram.

Faith is about taking the leap of faith, it's about allowing that person into your heart, it's about letting everything go. And most of the times, you aren't even completely sure of what you're doing or why you're doing it. Most of the time, you don't know all the details, so you're forced to just hope, believe, and pray that everything will turn out fine. 
And most of the time, things do turn out just fine. 
However, sometimes we mess up, people mess up, circumstances come up, and we are left to pick up the pieces. Most of the time, these things are not our fault, and sometimes yes, those people that have hurt us do need to work to regain our trust. 
However, sometimes those people could be doing everything in their power to change the situation, but maybe we are the ones that need to also do our part and actually do the trusting. 
& no, don't feel obligated to. Many times, especially if you've been hurt by multiple people multiple times, no one can really blame you for the way you feel. It is very valid to feel hurt and saddened and scared. 
But we can either live in fear, or we can live in faith. 
I'm trying to choose faith above everything. Every day is a constant battle between my mind and my spirit, with one telling me to be angry and bitter, but the other one telling me to jump off the platform. But no matter what, we all have to keep fighting on. 
I've been hurt, and I've definitely been dealing with the pain. It's been getting better, but there will always be things that trigger me. It is then that I have to choose my faith, my spirit, and trust that my God will come through for me. I know, that's not always the most comforting advice to hear because it's so vague, but that's where faith comes in, right?
Unfortunately, for something like this, there are no 3 steps or rules to follow to ensure having faith and trust in a person or humanity in general. That journey looks different for each of us. I will say, however, that you are not alone. You are never alone. 
So jump off the platform. You aren't completely sure of what you're doing, but most of the time, the faith and trust come after you jump. That's why it's called the leap of faith. Do it. Chances are, you'll land safely. 
Let me know where you land. Or if you haven't jumped yet, let's talk about it, right where you are right now. I'm always here to listen. 
And if you have anything encouraging that has helped you or any encouraging stories, please share them with me. I'd love to hear about them.

Making a Comeback... and Looking for Some Help

So I'm pretty freaking excited to get back into blogging. It's something that has remained on my mind every day even though I wasn't posting. This space was not only a place for me to express myself, but it allowed me to get creative, whether with posting, with writing, or just trying out new things in general. Being so drained physically, emotionally, and mentally from the changes in my life just really kept me from being able to commit and be consistent with my writing. 
However, now that my life is finally calming down a bit (with the exception of school starting in less than two weeks), I now feel like I am in a perfect place to be able to get back on board with blogging. 
That's when this post comes in. 
So I've never been afraid to ask for help, and I want to get some help from you now, if at all possible. 
I'm looking for people to collaborate with! With some things that I'm going to be doing on the blog soon, I wanna partner with others to get a great community going here of people who are just livin' and lovin' their lives. 
I'm looking for: 

• Bloggers currently in or have previously been in long distance relationships (LDRs) to share blog posts they've written about it to potentially be used in a future LDR post
• LDR stories from anyone, blogger or not!
• Asian American Bloggers, UNITE
• Brands to collaborate with, whether fashion, faith-related, beauty, or anything regarding relationships
• Local Southern California bloggers to meet up & collaborate with, either with a post or a video or a photoshoot, anything really! I'm down to just hang out haha. 
• Bloggers in general who want to collaborate or just talk! I am so extroverted & love meeting/getting to know new people! I might even just consider having a pen pal!
• Local LA/Orange County photographers looking to expand their portfolio. Let's get shooting!
• Even if you don't fit any of the other categories but wanna just talk, please reach out to me!

Whatever category you fit into or just want to talk, please shoot me an email! kriselle @ livinandlovin . com (take out the spaces). Or comment below if that is easier for you. Either way. I'm looking forward to collaborating with tons of people soon and getting this blog back up & running :)

Oceans Apart: What it's Like to Adjust to a Long Distance Relationship

This is my first official post on long distance relationships, or LDRs for short. I'm debating if I should create this as a series called Oceans Apart or not, especially because not all (probably most) LDRs are not oceans apart. We'll see how it goes. 
But anyway, it has been 4 weeks since Darell left me at the terminal when he left for Australia. So the past few weeks have been spent adjusting to him being gone, obviously. It's been pretty difficult for me in many areas, but it has also been quite refreshing as well. 

We have a large time difference.  In case you don't know, Sydney is 17 hours ahead from LA, at least when we're on Daylight Savings Time. This has been the biggest adjustment for me by far because it affects when I can talk to him. When I wake up in the morning, he's sleeping. When I get home from work & am free to talk to him, he's starting his morning so he's in class & can't talk much. Late at night around bedtime for me is the most convenient time for us to talk, unless he has a late afternoon/evening event. 
Despite the time difference however, it has managed to work for us so far. I'm pretty used to it already so it isn't such a big deal unless he's busy before I'm about to go to bed. 

Even when we're both awake, he can only talk to me through wifi.  Let's face it, international charges are ridiculous. Darell has a phone now with an Australian number that he can call/text with, but if he tries to contact me through it, we will both be charged with international fees (sorry mom for the few texts we exchanged before realizing this, woops). 
As a result, I can only talk to him when he has wifi, which is either when he is at home, school, or church. If he is out anywhere else or commuting, I usually can't talk to him. Again, I'm getting used to this which isn't too bad. As long as I can keep myself busy it's not an issue. 
I have a ton of free time! So this is probably the most positive thing for me since he has left, haha. Before he left in the months from his acceptance leading up to his departure, I spent almost every free second I could with him. Before that, on a normal basis when neither of us are preparing to move across an ocean, I usually would only see him on weekends and go a few days to a couple weeks without seeing him sometimes (this was before I had a car). 

However, since I spent the last 7 months trying to spend as much time with him as possible, now I have the freedom to do basically whatever I want, whether with myself or with friends. Darell probably would rather I go out & do stuff anyway, regardless of if he is in Sydney or here with me, but I just wanted to take advantage of my time with him before he left. 
I'm really enjoying this free time mostly to invest more in my friendships (can't you tell I'm an extrovert?). It's only been a month & it's been so nice. I'll probably write about this in another post in the future. 

I'm starting to see my insecurities come out, and are more amplified than ever.  Right after Darell left, I left for camp. It was the perfect distraction to start out this long distance thing because if it weren't for camp, I probably would've bawled my eyes out that whole week. 
However, when I came back, the reality of Darell not being around really start to hit me. Insecurities & fears that I have as a result of my past & other things in our relationship before began to fill my mind and it was driving me crazy. He and other people in my life reminded me and pointed me to Jesus. I'll be honest and say that it was hard because even though I knew that was what I needed, I didn't want to fully surrender because my fear was so bad. 
Since then, I have taken baby steps into focusing this time I have away from Darell on myself and my relationship with God. This will definitely be a whole other post in itself, but until then, just know that I am doing fine, and I'm being taken care of. 
-------------------------------- Just in these past few weeks alone, there has been a ton of growth in me personally, and I have really had to have faith. I'll go into detail in another post on all of that, but so far, being in a long distance relationship has been hard, but very good and healthy for me, actually. It sucks that I can't hug or hold hands with Darell when I feel like it, but it'll be worth it when I do see him (which will be soon (; )
We'll see where this takes us, and I'll do my best to document it!
Until then, give me tips for being in an LDR especially if you are as far apart as we are! I wanna hear your stories. 

Hey Guys, Are You Still There? It's Me, Kriselle--LDRs, Moving, & Jesus

Hello, there. 
Whether this is your first time on my blog or you've been waiting for me to post again, hey! I am still livin' and lovin' life, as my blog's name suggests. I am still alive, active, and breathing. 

So what has been happening with me since I've been gone? 
Moving-- I just moved into my new apartment last week! I'm still getting settled in but have been struggling because I've been having to unpack in between working 6 days a week. I don't have any good quality photos of my place yet, but I'm hoping to showcase a few once my apartment looks a little more like a home, especially my room. 

Right before Darell walked through the security line & had to leave me!

Long Distance Relationships-- If you follow me on any social media site at all (especially Instagram), you will see that I am now one half of a long distance relationship. The boyfriend has officially moved to Australia (it'll be one month since he left on Saturday!) and is living it up in one of the most wonderful cities in the world. The past few weeks have been such a rollercoaster, and don't worry, I can't be in a long distance relationship & not write about it. I have tons to say, so be on the lookout for that. 
Lots & lots of Jesus-- Kind of going back to the LDR, it has really shown me my need for my Savior. I've been slowly getting back into spending time with and relying on Jesus to sustain me. I've been taking baby steps to get back on track with my faith, and the little bits I've done have helped me so much. I'm excited to see where things go as I continue to choose Jesus every day. 
So, there's my life right now. You can probably expect that my future blog posts will feature a ton about these topics, and potentially college/job-related posts since I'm starting my final semester of college in just under 3 weeks. It's gonna be crazy but it's gonna be awesome. I can't guarantee a certain number of posts per week that I will be writing just yet, but I'll be making a comeback, just you watch me. 

Christians, Charleston, White People, & Racism: Let's Be Real

Two posts in one week?! I know, it's unbelievable, but I think that it is very necessary for me to speak my mind on this particular issue. 

So as many of you have heard, there was a shooting at a black church in Charleston, South Carolina a couple nights ago. A white man walked into this historically black church and killed 9 people. 
I am speaking about this not just because it brings up a very important thing about race issues in America, but since it happened in a church, I will comment on this from a Christian standpoint as well. 
First of all, this attack should be a clear indicator that we are not in a post-racial society.  I have heard many people, both white & non-white, say this, but if we were in a "post-racial" society, this definitely would not have happened. 
Second of all, this man was not mentally ill. 
There tends to be a pattern that when a white man kills people in terrorist acts like this, he is automatically considered "mentally ill," yet when any other person commits the same act they are considered terrorists & thugs. Saying someone is mentally ill suggests that they didn't have the capacity to do something so horrible on their own, so there has to be something else making them do what they did. 
That is a false way of thinking because then it allows specifically white men in this case to get away with actions they fully intended on doing by just calling them "sick." They'll get a little back rub & they'll be off on their way, while other people will get the death penalty, no question about it.  Third, I want to know where you stand on this. And if anything, will you stand? 
I go to a Christian university, and I have heard white people make microaggressive comments to people of color and get so offended when people tell their stories of how white people were racist to them and say that they're good people and aren't like those people. They don't even take the time to think about how that person may be more hurt and how they may need to help them. That's like a child crying cause they were kicked and telling them to shut up, that you're not the person who kicked them and just walked away. 
And it's not just white people. There have definitely been people of color who may not relate to the same racist experiences & tell people like this to "get over it." 
But the thing is, when you tell someone to just "get over it," you're not helping anyone. You are invalidating their experiences and telling that person that what they have been through doesn't matter enough to be listened to or understood. 
So what if you're not like those other white people? Good. But getting angry and not listening to that person's story isn't going to make you any better either. Just let that person know that you are there for them and that you want to help change that experience, or basically do anything to comfort them in the best way you can. 
And so what if you are a minority who has never experienced (or noticed) racism of any kind? Telling that person of color to "get over it" isn't going to make anything better either. If someone got stabbed, you wouldn't tell that person to just get over it. As a person of color, it is important to then acknowledge that while you may not share those experiences that person, what they went through is unfortunate but important that they share so that others can either recognize offensive comments/actions or make sure not to commit the same ones themselves. 
So what about the Christians? 
As you know, I go to a Christian university. However, I grew up going to secular, public schools.  I will be honest with you & say that some of the most racist things I have ever heard have come from Christians, or people who say they are Christians. 
Now I talk about this because the crime happened in a church, but also because I'm waiting for white Christians to talk about it. 
Any white people on my Facebook timeline that have said anything about this issue either are not Christian or they left the race aspect out of it. 
It's funny because Christians are supposed to be the most compassionate and loving people out there, yet I have seen & heard Christians make some pretty rude & insensitive remarks in regards to race. I've heard white Christians say things about how proud they were that justice was served at Ferguson last summer in front of everyone, including their black friends on Facebook. I've heard white Christians say that black people were taking over my school because they were loud. I've heard white Christians say that black people go to bad schools & live "bad" lives because that's their fault, right after the professor said that many people born into those poorer lifestyles can't get out of them. 
I am neither black nor white, but I have been on the receiving end of some microaggressive comments & have witnessed things in regards to race not just between whites & non-whites, but between different races of color as well. 
I know that I have probably babbled a lot, but I'm looking for people of all races to stand by our black brothers & sisters in this time of mourning as they once again experience loss just because of their skin color. 
I'm also looking for the Christians to stand up and love the people who have been affected and hurt by this massacre. I would even say to just sympathize with those who have experienced racist comments/actions against them. God created us all differently for a reason. Jesus also loved the oppressed and rejected by society the most, and we should all be doing the same. 
But even more so than all of this, I'm looking for the white Christians to speak up. You have privilege just because your skin is lighter than mine. You also represent Jesus Christ. If anything, I think you have the greatest responsibility in this whole conversation to show love and stand in solidarity with your brothers & sisters of color. Even if you have never tried to offend anyone in regards to race, it doesn't mean that you have no part in it. You saying nothing is like being witness to a crime but hiding so you don't have to testify. 
Our country is so hurt and we need some more love. As people of color, we need to stand in solidarity with the black community as they mourn the losses of their own. As Christians we need to be the first to show love, and not be the first to shut it out. And as white people, there has to be more compassion and empathy. We were not made to stay in our comfort zones, so get out of it and speak out.
 What are you going to do about it? 

My Life // Transitions // Sorry Not Sorry

Wow, hello there! 

To all of you reading this, I salute you! My life has been pretty crazy & while I am sorry for not posting about all the great things I have to share with you, at the same time I'm not sorry because I'm also just trying to live my life.  Much of the reason that I haven't been on here too often is because of work. For those of you living on your own, then you know that the hustle is real because bills and rent. I've been working two jobs about 30 hours a week total on top of doing other gigs to help compensate for missing pieces in my expenses. 
Another reason I've been MIA, which I've been talking about for a while now, is Darell leaving for Australia in less than 3 weeks. I've been trying to enjoy every moment I can with him before he leaves, but he's also bugging me to get back to blogging so he's going to be helping me get back on track with that haha. 

Now I write all of this to apologize for not being consistent over the past few months because I have/had so many great posts planned but life has been getting in the way. 
However, having said all that, I'm not sorry at the same time for not posting because life has been getting in the way. 
I mean, not that I haven't been living my life before, but I've been enjoying the things I've been getting the chance to do, even work. I still post bloggy-related things on Instagram, Twitter, and occasionally Facebook when I get the chance, so I'm not completely off the grid in the blog/social media world. 
If anything, I'm more connected to it because of the current job I have. I won't talk too much about it for right now because the last time I did I got screwed over & I'll leave things at that. But once things settle a bit in this job/internship I'll talk a little bit more about it because I'm using the skills I've learned as a blogger & applying it to this job. Once I'm a little more settled in this job I'll talk about what I've learned from being on both ends--as a blogger & as the brand reaching out to bloggers. 
But enough of that for now. I'll be back, eventually. I'll be back to my usual 3 post a week schedule, but until then, I'm gonna live my life, whether that's enjoying the good things or having the private time to deal with the bad. If you are a blogger & in the same boat as me or feeling the same pressures as me to write, you are not alone. & if you do it, like a good blogger friend told me, screw what everyone else thinks. Your true fans will stay committed to you & support you every step of the way.