Why I Started a Blog

Ahem... So, it's been a little while but I've just finished another semester. In short, school has delivered a thorough butt kicking and demanded the entirety of my attention. In trying to recover from that, I remembered this here internet space I've created for myself. This is a post I had started awhile ago but never got around to finishing because I had some trouble getting the words right. In my time away I was able to finish my thoughts in a more cohesive way. I thought it would be good comeback from some time away so here we go:

Truth is, if you're reading this, you probably didn't find this page from a linked social media account of mine, Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter, etc.. There are enough reasons for a whole other blog post as to why I don't share this blog with those people but in short it isn't for them (or really for you, no offense), it's for me.

I've always been the type to try anything once and the adrenaline of trying something new for the first time is actually something I really enjoy. There's no pressure for a perfect execution on the first go, simply because you've never done it before, or that you don't know what to expect, maybe you don't know what to do when something unexpected does happen... the list of excuses could go on forever and in a fit of introspection, I only really needed the idea and I was sold. I've not yet regretted starting a blog and I don't plan on stopping anytime soon. For now, you can find me on my silver of the internet space exploring these reasons why I started in the first place:

♥To see what all the hype around blogging was about.

♥My poor grammar and vocabulary need exercise.

♥I'd have a reason to do/try crafty things and tell people about it.

♥Encourage myself back into HTML coding.

♥Being a participant on the internet really fascinates me.

♥I missed creating/editing my MySpace profile.

♥Journal regularly and be held accountable for someone, somewhere might be looking.
♥I could see what other people with the same interests were up to.
♥Continue the introspection in a more controlled manner.

♥I'd be able to go back to old memories and thought trails.

♥Using a camera has always been something I was scared of.

♥Find out what I am and am not interested in.
♥try something new.
♥literacy in the internet space requires practice.

When it comes down to it, starting a blog (or rather, trying to start a blog) had the potential for more positive outcomes than negative ones, and any one positive outcome would easily outweigh all the negative potential outcomes combined. If its something you've thought about for even a second, give it a go, it will never not have been worth it. and now is an especially good time to start, being the new year and all.

I hope you have been doing well.
xoxo

P.S. Can you tell I was going through an allergy fit when this set of photo's was taken? It's obvious to me even after trying to make it less obvious in photoshop. :( If you follow my Instagram, you might recognize these shots pasted to one of my best friend's wall while she was doing a summer study abroad. 

Summer Essentials

 

❤ Degree Dry Protection - Shower Clean

First and most important, D.O. for the B.O.. This has been my go to for a while now. Really gets the job done if you know what I mean. I like my D.O.s to have a little antiperspirant as well because Arizona is sweat inducing 24/7. I know its probably not the best for my health and the armpits on all my shirts really take a beating but to be sweat free is worth it to me. It smells pretty good too but more like clean sheets than shower fresh.

❤ Garnier Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel-Creme

 I remember a girl I followed on Tumblr swearing by it while I had a streak of hating all moisturizers I tried, I found this at the drugstore and haven't looked back. That was in the early years of high school  for me and I just don't think I'll ever find anything that compares. It's a light gel, like so light that when you stick your finger in you can't tell if you're touching product of not, and it absorbs in seconds to leave your skin soft. It's truly a heaven send for me because my skin does the whole dry/flakey kind of thing and this is powerful enough to quench the driest parts of my face though you might not expect a gel to do that. As you can tell I already have purchased a replacement.

❤ Simple Foaming Cleanser

 I wouldn't classify my skin as sensitive but this definitely gets the job done without being aggressive. Brownie points in my book! Its not harsh on your skin which is important after a long day soaking up the sun but cleans up what my makeup remover leaves behind. With no animal derived ingredients how could you go wrong with this?

❤ BioOil 

An absolute must have for me since I do have dry skin and acne scarring. If I have some extra time in the morning, which I usually do because I don't have to rush off to class, I like to slather my face with it and hang out for a couple minutes before washing my face for the day. This works wonders for scars and dry skin patches anywhere on my body.

❤ Nip + Fab Skin Glycolic Fix Exfoliating Pads

The most recent thing I've added to my skin care collection and I'm so glad I did. I've only used it a couple of times but I already see a difference. This comes with 60 cotton rounds and smells like citrus. I like to use it on the ends of my shoulders cause I get little ances there but this has cleared that up completely with every-other-day use. These haven't healed any of my acne scars like I had originally hoped when I brought these home but I've only used this a couple times and my pores have shrunk. With the cheap price I think it's well worth giving a try!

❤ Neutrogena Body Clear Body Spray 

I don't use it often but it is a lifesaver for ances that are just out of reach because it sprays even when you hold it upside down. If you're turned off by strongly scented products, you'll want to stay clear of this but clear skin is worth it to me so its handy for swim suit season! I like to use it at night so I don't smell all chemically during the day.

❤ Essie Nail polish in Bikini So Teeny

My current favorite nail polish and periwinkle at it's finest! I always like Essie nail polishes because they are the perfect consistency for getting a smooth polish job. I'm always on the lookout for new shades of polish so tell me your favorites in the comments!

❤ Bare Minerals Flawless Definition Mascara

Perfect for summer and I know it's not a skin care product, but I wanted to include it anyways because its really the only cosmetic I use on a daily basis during this season. I love this stuff because its the first mascara I've found that sets in time to shape my lashes exactly how I want. The lashes of my left eye grow in funny directions because once upon a time I had a sty that didn't heal correctly (gross but it happens, right?). Its nice to be able to get them to stay they way they're supposed to. The formula is also super defining but allows you to build coats for volume without clumping. Also, it's one of the first formulas that doesn't leave marks as my face oils throughout the day. It's a staple for me!

There ya have it folks. Eight of my go-to summer products, tell me about yours?

Always,

kpeterr

Holler

It's not very often that other people can explain your feelings better than you. It does happen though. Mostly with music lyrics that are open for interpretation, but sometimes my best friend will say something about me that explains a whole lot of the parts of my personality that I haven't been able to understand, and sometimes it happens with things you see on the internet. Whenever it does happen for you, I think it's important to relish in those moments of pure clarity and take them as little knowledge mints (like how mints refresh your breath but for your brain). Jenna Marbles made this video earlier this week and it just really hit home for me. Usually she does a lot of funny things and her wacky humor just hits me right in the giggle dick, but lately she's been posting some real good life advice. I'm not sure if this quite sits on the "2real2handle' side of her video spectrum but I do want to remember the way this video gave me the kind of unique feels that only only happen every so often.

♥kpeterr

Why we need to talk about Caitlyn Jenner

Has or hasn't the media beat the story of little miss Caitlyn Jenner to death? I'm sure you and everyone else on the planet will agree with me when I say, media sources far and wide have had something to say about the Vanity Fair cover that I think is drop-dead stunning.

It's the first experience with a transition, most people (myself included) have gotten. I wouldn't be lying to say that Bruce Jenner has a following and a platform that spans many many people. Whether it be through sports recognition, or the Kardashian family, or other means, Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner's voice and words have the potential to be hear far and wide across many demographics that are aware of his, and now her, existence.  Bruce has gone out of her way to acknowledge and answer the many questions thrown at him that most of the population has never had a chance to ask before. No matter how ignorant (looking at you, Diane), or invasive, or personal, much of the worldwide curiosity has a chance satiation all due to little miss Caitlin Jenner.

The story can be appreciated by all generations. The Diane Sawyer interview relates well with the older generations and those who grew up with Bruce. The Kardashian special catered to a younger generation and gave intimate details of what it's like to go through a transition as a family. Sports fans and athletes alike have a lesson to learn about gender stereotypes and what it means to be brave, honest, realistic, and ignorant.

Gender is more relevant than it deserves to be. Once considered the ideal, Bruce now doesn't at all fit the bid for hegemonic masculinity, at all whatsoever. Pop culture icons usually feed stereotypes rather than work to break them down and to see Caitlin stand up for herself as the epitome of a "man's man" is really powerful and exciting. It makes me excited to be alive and to see it happen. After all, who really cares what someone looks like physically anyways?

It's not a realistic representation of transition. In real life it's not as easy or as glamorous as media has made it out to be because of Caitlin Jenner. There is probably a lot that Bruce did not wish the media to share and had right to censor the things that were just to personal. There's also a certain luxury to privacy that Bruce was denied during his transition and I can only image how hurtful people can be, to experience that first hand would not be glamorous in the slightest. 

Personally, I think transgendered is so misunderstood because it's unrelatable for most. Its hard to imagine what it must be like of feel like to question your own gender so to think that other people might is hard to grasp. I'm really happy for Caitlin to be living life the ways she's been imagining it and I'm proud to say that I live amongst many people who care more about a person's happiness than what they look like or dress like. Now for the important questions... 

Why C and Not K?

♥kpeterr

The Past Few Weeks

Probably just like every other college student around the world, my last few weeks have consisted of lots of tests/papers, and not a whole lot of much else even though the my summer officially began. Predictable. (If you were sitting next to me and I were telling you this, I'd be sticking my tongue out to make that little farting noise and giving two thumbs down.)

In celebration of my last day of classes I brought home the most gorgeous dozen of donuts to share with friends and family from a locally owned shop by my university. (Not vegan this time but boy I cannot wait to go back there! I need to scribble it onto my summer bucket list)

Mother's day has come and gone, which you can read how I feel about the women in my life in my last post. Momsy had just gotten her haircut the Saturday before so I made sure to compliment that in her handmade card. Go ahead and laugh at my crappy drawing but she likes handmade cards better than the ones you could buy at the store, even if it's just 'I Love You' scribbled over a printed internet meme or a crappy drawing of her new hair cut. I get that. It's more personal and does require a little more thought, but isn't there a saying about that? It's the thought that counts or something. Anyways, the funnier the drawing, the better the card is, in my opinion (and hers). I also made the ugliest cake ever! Not because she likes ugly cakes too, it just came out looking atrocious. We had a bunch of family and neighbors come over for dinner, and when asked what she wanted for dessert, 'some kind of butter cake' was the answer. She got just that! I'll try my best to write you a visual because I was too embarrassed to have photographic evidence. Four, six inch, hefty (and crooked) butter cake layers with homemade vanilla bean frosting and a homemade caramel drizzle topping. Now, what was lacking in appeal must have been made up for in the taste because the entire thing was gone. Even the last piece that crumbled from  not being able to stand as slices were cut away was eaten by the last guest to arrive. Totally heart attack inducing but everyone laughed off their sugar rushes by laughing at how ugly the cake was. Fine by me, at least the mom's of the crowd had a good time over it.

One especially slow night at work I started to watch the The Jinx series by HBO on suspected murderer Robert Durst. Yes, the one from the prestigious New York real estate family. I got three episodes in before I had to stop myself from watching anymore because I was getting too panicked about being alone on shift and having to close by myself. I've never really felt that way before, even from horror films. When I told my supervisor, she just laughed but honestly, after just three episodes and a spoiled ending, I don't think I'll ever trust the charming old man next door archetype ever again. Robert Durst has the perfect 'amiable/weirdo' combination to make you believe his story, and without giving the story away, you're right to be weary of this. The man's story is totally fascinating but you should check out the series to get the full effect. I'll definitely take the last the episodes in stride though because three at once was too much mind blowing to handle.If you're interested in the story and not the thought provoking series, watch this interview with the director, Andrew Jarecki, here. (Spoiler Alert)

My family took a trip to a family owned farm a couple towns over to pick peaches as part of the annual peach festival the farm hosts. I'd never really done anything like this before, pick your own fruit kind of thing. It was fun and I felt like a real farmer. Basically you could picture my walking the orchard saying "I'm a real farmer!" in a pinocchio voice over and over. It was fun but the peaches ripened faster than we were able to eat them all. If you're planning something like this, you should pick peaches that are more on the firm side if you'll want them to last a few days. I posted a version of this picture (taken from my snapchat, kpeterr if you want to find me on there) that I vscoed to a pulp. I wish I had posted the unedited version because I like it better but oh well.

I also got myself aligned with a friend who needs a little bit of graphic design help recently and am excited to help her out. (Eeepp!) Even though I'm a little weary my ability may not get the entire job done, I'm excited to give it a go and hopefully learn a few things, plus I'll have something a little off the wall to add to my resume.

So that's what the start of my summer has looked like so far! I do have a couple of big plans that are currently working themselves out and I'm excited to see what the rest of this summer break has to offer me. Or rather, what kind things I can't get myself into. I hope you're embracing the season changes with grace and hopefully those spring allergies get left behind!

Link your blog in a comment and I'll check you out. maybe I'll even leave some love on your summer-related posts!

from kpeterr with love

A Mother's Smother

This beautiful being is my mother's mother. My grandmother. The woman whom I was named after, and whom has (since this picture was taken) aged with an elegant grace that others can merely envy.

It's hard for me to believe her genes contributed to the very pool from which mine were selected. Sadly, I didn't get the ideal amount of her photogenic genes.

My other grandmother, (Father's mom) who is equally as beautiful just slightly less photogenic, shares more of her alleles with me. It's just the kind of beauty you need to see in person. This photograph would never exist if either of us were the models because we'd both likely blink at the flash or not be able to choke back laughter.

At one point in every girls' life, the mother-daughter relationship is a little broken, and young girls want to become the a very different person their mother is. Maybe even wishing that there genes were from a completely different pool all together.

I am not an exception.

Both my mother and her mom have some traits I wish to steer clear of: for example, both are very good at connecting emotions to physical objects which leads to acute hoarding tendencies. On the other hand, I'd wish to steer clear of the arthritis my dad's side brings to the table.

Though there is one trait in particular I hope to have received and can convey as well as all three of these women have, and maybe you could have guessed in light of the recent holiday. They both have an undeniable compassion for helping other's, and especially those who are children. My own mother is considered second mother to most my friends and some have even been quoted saying, "She could comfort me better than my own mom could."

I would agree with that statement except I can't because it's my own mother they're talking about.

I also can't help but think about how blessed I am to come from this lineage full of people whom I admire so much.

I've got big shoes to fill, don't I?

Wishing you a happy mother's day and reminding you to thank your favorite female figure, even if you only have mother nature,

k

P.S. This image is not mine but isn't it funny how the older we get the more true this phrase becomes?

Advice

Yes, eat that.

Never too late for an apology.

Don't text the fuckboy back.

Why would you even think to use the pool steps?

No one likes a good guesser, ever.

Can you buy it one size bigger?

Keep your cool.

That's not your business.

If you're going first, be the best.

Stop.

When all of the above do not suffice:

Duct tape

Water

Coconut Oil

Run

"It's Okay"



♥k
What the best advice you've ever been given and who gave it to you?

Spring Things

Spring is one of my favorite seasons (mostly because it's just like summer but not as hot outside). It's okay to shed a few of those extra layers, the air smells different, and fruit is coming in season! Everyone is getting their swimming pools ready and popsicles are being inventoried for coming summer sun. Here are a few things to do as we all shake off those winter blues.

Practice your bouquet arranging

Whether you buy the allergen free versions from the grocery/flower shop or steal a few buds from your neighbor's front garden, nows the time to try your hand. Use those extra bits of ribbon you have laying a round to steal your arrangement and you've got a great gift for a loved one! 

Take a personal dance break from your spring cleaning

Dance, Party of One from dearkpeterr on 8tracks Radio.

How could you not? I've even put together a little 8tracks action of my current 'get up and dance' favorites so you won't have to do the grunt work, just press play! If free time freestyle isn't your thing, grab a friend and learn some basics on youtube before pressing play.

dig out the bike and ride to the nearest ice cream shop
This one is self explanatory but is my favorite 'typical spring activity.' I remember when I was really young my family would sometimes ride bikes to Baskin Robbins after dinner. Even though I was pretty young I remember having a lot of fun and it's a great way to get out of the house.

Pack your best finger food for a picnic with your besties

I know your spring cleaning lead you to your stache of old bedding you have hidden for painting drop cloths or scrap fabric. Pick the most pretty one, pack up your favorite finger food, and drag your friends or significant other for an internet-less hangout session. Don't forget you camera so you can catch up with your internet friends later!

Scout your local honey harvesters
Eating honey from your local bees will help build up your immune system to the pollen strains found in your area without emphasizing the sniffly symptoms.Where I live, every gas station or truck stop just outside any city will have a display of various flavors and levels of processing but try a local farm or ranch or even the weekend farmers market.

What is your favorite 'Spring Things' to do? Do you have a post about them, cause I want to read it?

kpeterr

Me By Somebody Else

 Lately, I've been noticing I relate more to the words other people than my own. It's not that I'm losing sight of my own personal identity but that I'm finding I am not a unique as I thought. Maybe that should depress me but somehow it leaves me feeling happily less lonely (if that makes any sense). Like I am connected with other human beings, even without a physical or emotional connection. Like I am not as misunderstood as I once thought I wanted to be.

This was originally a school project that I reworked because I think about it so often. It feels good to remember that I am not alone in my opinions or life choices (Betty and I are team Sugar Daddies 4eva! haha) but it also feels good that I can relate to people from all different walks of life. People say that "you are a combination of the five people you hang around most" or something like that... If it's true I'm honored have a little something in common with all the people pictured above.

Have you ever related more to a quote than your own words? Let me know I'm not the only one!

You'll hear from me soon,

kpeterr

Style Inspiration: LoveLaurenElizabeth

It would be safe for you to guess that I spent my weekend obsessing over an internet girl by the handle LoveLaurenElizabeth. I've been envious of her fashion style for a while now but her Instagram (which is where all the pictures referenced above call home) really seals the deal for me. What an aesthetic! I love that she is very aware of her personal taste and is not afraid of her monochrome comfort zone. She knows what she likes but she's also not afraid of outfits that aren't entirely black and white either. 

If you've read my post about Alexa Chung (find it here) you'll know that I love when people make use of very basic pieces in their everyday wardrobe because it feels genuine, like something I'm able to do. I think Lauren takes this to the extreme but also keeps a realistic variety of shapes and textures in her wardrobe, so much so that her use of basics aren't something you'll notice right away.

The fact that she is seemingly confident in all of her clothes inspires me to work my wardrobe in favor of my confidence and how I feel wearing my clothes!

I hope your case of the mondays is only a mild one this week!

from kpeterr with love

SB2K15

If you like your blog reading to contain picture after picture then your eyes are in for a treat!
Here we go, queue James Franco as Alien: "Sprang Breeaak Fooooreva!"

So, here's the low down. Spring break was last week! My older brother accepted this real life, adult, job offer and has to move across the country this summer. My mom planned a little spring break family vacation to celebrate. We went to Disneyland/California Adventure and it was the first time I've been that I'll actually be able to acknowledge (i.e. the only other time I've ever been, I was a wee little baby).

That's chubby little me in the front with my older brother.

My mom had purchased a 2 day park hopper deal from Costco (big shocker because she buys everything from Costco) that included random things like a starter pin trading kit, a Character Dining experience, and early park access with our Disney hotel stay. We stayed at the Paradise Pier Hotel and got a room with one heck of a view.

(from snapchat)

We started first thing Monday morning in line for early access to California Adventure and hit all the big rides first thing. The rest of the afternoon was spent hanging out at the park stuffing our faces with churros and meals from Flo's V8 Cafe, spotting a few characters, that sort of such.

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Towards Monday evening we found our way into Disneyland in search of Indiana Jones. Thank goodness we found it. Indiana Jones is my mom's favorite attraction and is the one she remembers best from way back when. I can easily say that it falls in my top three favorites.

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We had spent that evening in early, eating pizza from a restaurant across the street from Disney called The Pizza Press and OMG I'm drooling just remembering it. We got a white pizza and a pepperoni/vegetable one. Thin crust with the perfect sauce to cheese ratio, just like in your dreams.  If white pizza is bomb.com this white pizza would be bomb.com/yourmom. Typical me not bringing a camera with me because if I did, this would be the only picture necessary to explain my break.

Tuesday morning was cloudy and more foggy than us Arizonians (?) are used to. The whole day was filled with all things Disney or Mickey Mouse shaped.

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As it turns out, Big Thunder Mountain was my absolute favorite ride at the park, something about the old coaster feel but it was smooth and fast and just that kind of enjoyable that's exactly the same for the first and twenty third ride. We finished our time in the park at the Blue Bayou restaurant inside the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Food was real good but would be a tid-bit pricey for the average family, we had a meal voucher given my moms frugal Costco purchase!

Wednesday morning before heading back down the west coast, we stopped to take advantage of our Character Dining voucher. Mission beach was our final stop before heading back home.

Even though Disney was not as magical as it would have been had I been younger, seeing the small children get swept away with their imagination and the shock of meeting their favorite character was magic in and of itself. I think my favorite part of the whole trip was watching Chip of Chip and Dale catch a small boy running after him with a hug then grabbing his hand and showing him around the park as his parents followed behind. The boy was absolutely over the moon for the 10 or so minutes of attention that Chip devoted to him.

Safe to say I'd like my next vacation in the Disney World/Universal Studios direction cause I think having the same fun but with Harry Potter would just be one giant out of body experience!

Have you ever made the trip to Disneyland/Disney World? Tell me what your favorite attraction was and we can geek out together about the adrenaline filled goodness!

♥k

P.S. Because I didn't have my dslr with me for this vacation my brother kindly allowed me to use a few of his photos. You'll know which are his as an asterisk  "*" will directly follow the image. The editing and resizing was done by me (even his photographs) but you can check out more of my brother's work on his Instagram page @petes_pix

Vegan Donuts

Last week was particularly rough and come the end, I wanted to treat myself. Now I'd like to share that I do not define myself or my dietary intake as vegan or 'plant-based' in any way/shape. I do not carefully select clothing for animal based threads or opt for 'vegan leather' shoes. In full disclosure, I had no idea any of the sweets at this shop were vegan as that's not it's targeted consumer. Looking through their online menu I noticed all their donuts are nicely labeled vegan and gluten free. Seems like a good thing and I was extremely excited to give it a go. After all, it is a donut, how could it go wrong?)

To my-sixth-grade-self,

Pretty soon, all your friends will have MySpace pages and you will not have the permission from your mother to make a page of your own. No worries, your best friend will make a page for you and she’ll keep it secret until your mom’s answer changes from ‘no’ to ‘I really wish you wouldn’t.’ As a person who cares more about your well being than anyone else in the world, including you, I feel it would best come from me. You’re on the brink of discovering something huge. You won’t know when it happens or why you fell in the first place, but the television will soon step aside and be replaced by the Internet, and you’ll fall in love with it.

I know what you’re thinking (I am you after all). “How is that possible? What about the news?” you ask yourself. One day, you’ll have access to all the news you could ever want to know on the internet. The news broadcasts you watch on TV will have websites of their own to share the world’s happenings in this new way. Think about the news slide presentation on AOL. You look at it all the time just before logging into instant message. Just like that but on an exponentially larger scale. In the future, you will not frequent instant message or MySpace but the online world is yours for the taking.

I’d like to offer you a head of caution before you get in over your head. Don’t get me wrong, digital media is, for the part, most as great as it sounds but it does have it’s drawbacks. There is a such thing as information overload. Any information truthful or not can be found with just a little searching. Be careful of what you search for because you won’t be able to un-see the darkest depths on the online world and trust me you’ll want to. You’ll be in the know about the things happening thousands of miles away the same seconds they happen. I know it sounds cool but put your eyeballs back in your head and read these words carefully. Many things go wrong with lightning fast reporting. Think about the game ‘telephone’ where everyone stands in a circle and whispers a phrase into the next person’s ear. The message that comes out is never exactly the same as what it started as. It’s not until the excitement is over that you learn where the phrase went wrong and it’s not the player’s fault for mishearing the phrase but it does take time to accurately sort out the information flow. (At the end of the year you’ll play a huge game of telephone with the entire 6^th grade and you won’t care that the teachers are trying to convey this very message.)

Unlike the news you watch on TV, you will have to sort out for yourself when the media is being truthful and honest. You’ll need to learn how to tell when the media is trying to get you to agree with their opinion. It will take time, but once you know how to pick up on these reporting tactics, you’ll feel like nothing will get past you. It is important to carefully inspect sources but be skeptical of all of them. Even when you do realize the inaccuracies, but do not throw those sources aside. You may find things you don’t agree with will strengthen your opinion and sometimes things that you do agree with will end up weakening your support.

I do not want to scare you away from the internet, though I know that would be very hard for anyone to do. You should grab the online universe by the balls. With your security setting locked tight you should make a YouTube account before all your friends do, share pictures of yourself and your friends on Instagram, and tweet to all the celebrities you wish to because you never just how many people might see.

For the next 10 years you'll be okay,

Katie from the future

P.S. When that one girl gets bratty with you, find a better best friend. You’ll be doing everyone involved a favor.