Nice to meet you, Lula Mae!

Welcome to the first blogpost on Lula Mae Blogspot! Today I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce and tell you a little bit about myself.

I am a 26 year-old woman living in Orange County, California. I'm not from the Southern California that you see on The OC or any such "Real Housewives" show on TV. My life takes a far simpler approach to the area I live in. I was raised in a middle class family as the youngest of 5 kids. Brought up in relatively modest fashion in a relatively wealthy area I have had to teach myself how to balance my pocketbook and my consumer appetite. A life-long admirer of magazines and publications such as Cosmopolitan, Allure, and Shape- I have picked up a trick or two during my life.

I don't claim to be a doctor or a cosmetologist. I am simply a woman who has learned what works and what doesn't. I don't go with what everyone else claims is good (but is usually just clever marketing), I go with what makes me feel good. I look for that balance between simplifying your life and looking the best I possibly can while doing it.

I'm not going to lie, it isn't inconceivable to find me curled up in some big comfy sweatpants and a boyfriend-tee. I cheat and sneak in a fast-food hamburger once in a while. Life is all about the joy of the ride, if you ask me. I think it's a bit silly to expect women to be "on" all of the time. And in future posts I will discuss those "off" days and events with you. But it's a swaggering balance between on and off days, and remembering not to take either side TOO seriously.

We decided to call our Blogspot "Lula Mae" after Audrey Hepburn's character in Breakfast at Tiffany's. What's that, you say? Her name was Holly Golightly?? Well anyone who has really paid attention to that movie knows that Holly was her alter-ego. The real name of the lead character of Truman Capote's book was Lula Mae Barnes. Lula Mae was Holly stripped of the fanciful person she had created in New York (She had changed her name when she arrived in the big city). Lula Mae is the person we all are when we take off the makeup and the designer dress. She's who we are at our core, and the person we should strive to make feel good. Not the big-wig department store and not Mr. Atkins. Do what makes YOU feel complete. Exercise because it makes you happy, not because you want to fit in your skinny jeans. And hopefully, somewhere along the way, we can all be the healthy, beautiful person we aimed for all along- but this time for the right reasons.

Love,

Meg