About Kinsey
ABOUT KINSEY
Originally hailing from a tiny town named Coal City, Illinois, I recently had moved to Dekalb and then finally to the north-west suburbs of Chicago, which is where I currently reside. My dream has always been to live as close to downtown Chicago as possible, but hey, baby steps! Strength is something I pride myself on. Not necessarily physical, although I am improving in that department. Mental strength is very important and a huge part of mental health. I am currently recovering from an eating disorder and I have been diagnosed with PTSD and an anxiety disorder. Overcoming these obstacles, including depression, is not easy. Some days I don't have the motivation to eat or even get to out of bed, but I do it anyway because I am stronger than that. I will preach mental and physical health along with body acceptance (and just generally accepting people) until I am blue in the face. I believe that every person can overcome their obstacles and be happy, for some people it just takes a little more work. On a lighter note, I love all things creative and animal/nature related. Currently, I am a personal stylist at Akira Chicago. I am also going to school for graphic design and web design. My biggest pet-peeve is being confined to a stereotype. I love fashion, but I love multiple different styles! I love the outdoors, but I'm also a PC gamer who loves the city. Art is beautiful and wonderful, but sometimes I just want to solve logical problems. You can always be more than one thing and you can like as many things as you want, but sometimes I think people forget that. I started this blog to encompass all of the things I love and the style and flair I put on and into them.
I live with my loving, goofy, intelligent, funny, and wonderful fiance, Charlie. He supports me in everything I do and helps me to remember who I am. He also reminds me to challenge myself in what I do and how I think, which is extremely important for me. We have had rough spots, including some time apart, but through all of that we learned that we are better together. He makes me a happier, better person. Sometimes, he also makes me so frustrated I want to scream; and I do the same to him, but five minutes later we're laughing, hugging, and saying I love you. Charlie is the most important person in my life. As cheesy as it sounds, he is my sunshine on a cloudy day. He has taught me so much and has shown me that just because something isn't 100% perfect (and nothing is) that doesn't mean that it's broken or wrong. That just means that you're human. I love him more than I ever thought I could love another person. I am so proud of everything he has accomplished and the person that he is. I am also extremely excited to spend my life with him and so thankful that I have him by my side.
Charlie and I have a fur-baby who is somewhere between a kitten and a cat. She was a feral kitten when one of my friends found her freezing by a dumpster and infested with mites in November of 2014, but now she is the most spoiled feline I've ever met. We love her to the end of the earth and back. Her name is Nyx and she's a fluffy, energetic, bundle of love. In addition to Nyx, I also have a dog, she just doesn't live with me. Five years ago, my parents came home with Carolina. Historically, all of our dogs were humane society mutts and we loved that. But I often would visit the pet shop that opened in our town to check on their animals and let them know that their guinea pigs needed hay, food, and water (they were really bad about that). That's when they got two of the cutest, but most sickly looking weimaraner puppies in. I begged my parents, but when we went back there was only one left (we later found out that her litter-mates had been kept and starved by some monstrous people--luckily those people were caught and the dogs were rehabilitated) so we brought her home. I consider Carolina a rescue. Not because where we got her from, but because I think that a lot of people who may have gotten her would have dropped her off at a shelter or even put her down. You see, my parents have racked up a lot of medical bills for Carolina. She has bad allergies which she needs benadryl for, horrible anxiety (which I didn't even know dogs could have!) to the point that for the entire month of July she essentially has to have doggie-downers due to her fear of fireworks (without the medicine she won't eat, won't move, and even throws up), has a reoccurring bacterial infection (we thought she just had white fur spots on her head when we got her, turns out that wasn't the case), chronic ear infections, and to top it off her bladder is not in the right place within her body (so she can't "hold it" very long). Despite all of this, Carolina is loving, fun, and for some reason thinks she's a lap dog.
As I type this I am being reminded how lucky I am. I also have a beautiful, loving, giant family. I have two parents who would do anything for me, an older brother and his girlfriend (who I hope to one day call my sister-in-law), two biological grandmothers and two that are not (my fiance's grandmother and my cousins' grandmother), one grandfather (may the other rest in peace), seven uncles, five aunts, a ridiculous number of cousins and second cousins, even more great aunts/uncles, a soon-to-be father in law, and a-soon-to-be husband. Plus, I'm probably forgetting people because I'm so lucky and have so many people who are a part of my life!
Last, but certainly not least, I have my extended family. These are my friends who have been there for me through it all. Sadly, there are people who I thought would be on this list and are not. People that I wrongly trusted or even hurt through my own actions. The people who are on this list are those who have stood by me just as I have stood by them. Starting in the top left and going clockwise, we have Mimi. Mimi and I met online in 2009. She lives in Ohio and I live in Illinois, but that has never stopped us from being there for each other. We bond over art, our love of Ryan Adams, and a million other wonderful things. Next, there's Amy. Amy and I were friends in high school, then we fell off of each other's radars for a bit, only to be reunited a little over a year ago. Amy and I have seen each other go through some of our roughest times, but we are always there to pick each other up. In the bottom left photo is Taylor. Taylor and I have been friends since the first grade and even though we've had periods of time where we don't communicate as much, we always pick up right back where we left off. I have seen Taylor grow through and overcome her troubles and give birth to a beautiful son. Every time I talk to her, I become more proud. In the last photo we have JJ. JJ has been there for me since I was five years old. He has seen me through dark times and I have been there for him through his struggles. JJ is my other brother, or "bwudder" as I have been known to call him. He is one of the strongest individuals I have ever met and also one of the best artists I have seen. If you're walking in downtown Chicago, you might catch his art in a window or pass by a gallery that holds his work. Each of these people has impacted my life in a different but equally wonderful way. I love them all and am so thankful to have them in my life.
