The Gap Year

A book that has been labeled 'challenged' is one that has been commonly restricted from Schools and Libraries. In recent years, the topic has been controversial for both students and parents, with some arguing that certain books being banned from districts and public libraries shouldn't have been denounced in the first place.  Here is a list of 10 books that many students and young readers grew up with, that are no longer being offered as educational material.  *Please note: The books are not in any specific order, and while all on this list, some are suitable for young children, and some for young adults.  1. And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson This book was put on the American Library Association's list of top 100 challenged books for their 2000-2009 rankings, an was placed at #4. It received such a high rank because of it's content regarding homosexuality. The book is a children's story about two male penguins who are

Ahh, it's arrived. October 1st is here and so is the smell of Pumpkin spice and everything nice. For quite a few, it's one of the most wonderful times of the year. Costumes and decorations, great food and (somewhat) nice weather. However, this time of year can still produce of slew of different emotions. These are the 14 you'll be feeling all Fall.  1. When you wake up on October 1 and realize it's now acceptable to listen to Halloween music. 2. After shopping at 4 different stores and finally finding the perfect pumpkin. 3. When you open your first box of decorations (which happened like 3 weeks ago, we know. It's okay to be early.) 4. Your celebration dance when you get your first Halloween party invite. 5. When you realize you have to put together a costume for said Halloween party. 6. When you and your squad show up to the party in the perfect costumes.  7. Showing up to work for the first time in October like: 8. Y

When I promise, I deliver. So here are the restaurants you MUST eat at in Downtown San Antonio, and the best places for the best Dia de los Muertos decor.  First things first, If you make a trip down to San Antonio, you ABSOLUTELY have to visit Mi Tierra Cafe & Bakery right in the heart of the Mexican Market. Every trip of mine to SA has had a dinner or lunch date at this go-to spot. With authentic Mexican cuisine, and a lively atmosphere with bright colors and Mariachi bands, there's literally no downside to the place. Once you're done eating, you can stand in line for some of their delicious pastries, or walk down the streets and window shop all of the different vendors.  Speaking of window shopping, the best place to find Dia de los Muertos decor is located very close to this restaurant! For dresses and different outfits, flower crowns and masks, you can check out Produce Row (conveniently where Mi Tierra is located!). For home decor and more, be sure to stop at

Record scratch. Freeze Frame. Let's start the trip from the beginning. I'll explain how we got here in a minute. If you follow my Instagram (thegapyearstory) you know I've made my way down to San Antonio this week for some much needed adventure.  Luckily for me, the hotel I'm staying at is pretty close to some of the nicest shopping centers I've ever seen. I made sure to stop into some stores I've never been in before. The first one I went in was Charming Charlie's, which my sister-in-law described to me as "Claire's on crack" and boy was she right. The entire store is organized into color coded sections, with items ranging from tiaras, to dresses, to matching ghost necklaces and earrings. It was super adorable , and the first thing I did when leaving was look up one closest to where I live. There was another store I had never been in called Macy's Backstage. It is Macy's version of an outlet store, and boy can I say I w

When you're always traveling, packing can be more of a beating than it is anticipation for your trip. Coming home and unpacking a suitcase just to fill it up again the next week starts to feel pointless, you realize your makeup bag is going right back in it's designated side anyways, and as long as socks and underwear get taken out and washed, they can just be put right back in, right? WRONG! Don't live out of a bag just because you're lazy! Trust me, if there's anyone who's guilty of this, it's me.  I always found myself overpacking things I wanted and under-packing things I needed. How will I know if I want to use Modern Renaissance or Full Exposure until the day of?! Maybe I'll want my grey socks instead of my pink ones?  I did this to myself every time it was time to go on a trip. The worst part was, I waited until midnight the night before my departure to do it. So not only was I overthinking what I needed, I was rushing myself in

This weekend I did my first ever fall mini sessions. I had the pleasure of working with some gorgeous children and families!  It was always a struggle to accommodate for different size groups, older kids and younger kids, and the lighting for the time of day. Being on yearbook for 3 years and a photographer for 4 years during high school definitely equipped me with the skills to accomplish this task.  I loved setting up the props to use, and thought they turned out really well during the sessions.  The individual shots I got of everyone turned out great too, since I was able to shoot in my backyard where the lighting wouldn't get in the subjects' eyes.  It was almost intimidating to see young children dressed way better than me. But the cuties totally stole the show.  My favorite thing about one of the individual shots posted above (I will post below this again) is that the girl in the photo had such a big smile because she was telling m

On Saturday, September 16 I had the pleasure of accompanying my sister and her coworkers as they worked a tent at Dallas Pride for their chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. I have attended Pride in Dallas before, but never like this.  It was so amazing to meet the different people that are walking around and see the different vendors that were set up in the area.  Experiencing the event behind the table, instead of being a spectator, gave the event an entirely new feeling. Sarah and her very nice and friendly coworkers set out all kinds of treats and some freebies for people who wanted to stop by.  A lot of people stopped by the table to volunteer and check out different things that the foundation had to offer.  It might have been a hot day, but I wouldn't have changed it for anything else. It was a great day of learning and experiencing. I highly recommend making it out to a Pride event at least once in your life. It is