Why I'm blogging (It's juicier than it sounds)

I vow to make this the only negative post on this blog.

In fact, the point of this whole project is to share happy things, but the story behind its inception isn't the sunshiniest thing you'll read all day (hopefully).

In college, I thrived. I was happy all the time -- my roommate freshman year told me I even laughed in my sleep (Is that creepy?). I had a life anyone would want, filled with friends and love and support and purpose. 

And then I graduated.

I moved 900 miles away from everything I knew and everyone I cared about. I took a job I didn't love with people I didn't know in a city I all but hated. I tried to make the best of it, but it was a rough year to put it politely. 

It wasn't all bad, necessarily. I became more independent and self-confident. But I also became more cynical and negative. 

Now, my circumstances have changed for the better, but the shadow of that difficult year has been cast over my fresh start in this new place. So, Stephanista is my attempt to shake that.  

Everything to follow will be good things -- no exceptions. I'll probably do a lot of fashion posts because that's what I'm passionate about, but this blog will be about more than that. Instead, it will be a learning experience, a scavenger hunt to find and recognize all the beautiful things in life.

I'm hoping this project will hold me accountable to find positive things around me and make the best of not-so-ideal situations. 

I'm on a journey to return to being a glass-half-full kind of person -- starting now.