Denise Joyce

Open Letter to the Single Population

While I do date and I’ve tried dating apps, I’ve been single for over a decade. I’ve always found it odd how much people dread being single. I pity the lengths some will go to ensure they are only single for as little time possible; sometimes, even overlapping their old and new romantic interests. I know that there are good potential partners that I haven’t met just yet. But until I do meet them,…

I’ve been told many times that my smile is one of my best assets. I was even nominated for the best smile in high school. Your smile can say a lot about you, which is why my dental hygiene is so important to me. It’s also why I’m sharing my dental journey, smile essentials, and dental hygiene routine today. My Dental Journey My smile wasn’t always my best asset. When I was young, I loved…

I believe that love and loyalty go hand in hand. Even in my worst relationships, I always remain loyal to my partner. I fully commit to every choice I make in life, and I accept the rewards and consequences accordingly, because to me… love is loyalty. Your Love Will Be Tested When I was in college, a guy approached me during class in the middle of a lecture. It was a large auditorium, and I was…

Valentine’s Day Gift Guide

With Valentine’s Day around the corner and not being able to write any new blogs last month, I decided to be kind to myself and do a simple Valentine’s Day Gift Guide for today. Whether you’re single or in a relationship, I support spending Valentine’s Day giving love to every important person in your life. Every year, during the week of Valentine’s Day, I spend time with and give gifts to all of…

With my birthday coming up this Sunday, January 2nd, I’m going to share a secret. Every year on my birthday for the past 5 years, I’ve posted the same Facebook status update: “Today, I reached LEVEL ##! Leveling up & defeating new bosses definitely doesn’t get easier as time progresses, but I’m so grateful to have all of your love & support as I continue to learn, grow, & challenge myself on this…

Open Letter to 2021

Open Letter to 2021 Dear 2021, You have been amazing to me, which inspires today’s open letter, blog post! Thank you for all the amazing growth and learning opportunities. I now wake up every morning and go to bed every night with a grateful heart. From wrapping up my contract with Adobe to finding the perfect Community Manager role at Figma, I truly value my experiences and career…

Give From The Heart

The holiday season is upon us! I’m still proactively Christmas shopping, which inspires today’s blog post. I personally love giving my family, friends, and loved ones gifts. When it comes to compiling my shopping list and choosing the perfect gift, it’s easiest when I give from the heart. How do you “Give From The Heart”? To give from the heart, choose what you know the other person will love…

Sit Still Look Pretty

From my blog archives with a few edits, “I’m Not One To Sit Still and Look Pretty” was originally posted on September 26, 2016. While riding in a car listening to the song “Sit Still, Look Pretty” by Daya, my sister turns to me and says “This song always reminds me of you.” I then proceed to really listen to the lyrics. After which, I realize how much of a compliment it is. I am truly not one to…

Confessions of a Former Mean Girl - spire to know better, do better, and be better. I may never be perfect, but I like who I am becoming. 

From my blog archives, “Mean Girl | Why I Got Into Self-Improvement” originally posted on September 20, 2016. My name is Denise, and I am a former MEAN GIRL.  At my very core, I am self-aware enough to say that I can be a mean girl. (This is also probably why I relate to villains and seem to attract people with similarly shameful pasts.) I can come up with sassy quips and sarcastic comments at…

Every year for the Holiday Season, I bake my famous garlic and fresh thyme scalloped potatoes!

Every year for the Holiday Season, I bake my famous Garlic and Fresh Thyme Scalloped Potatoes! These potatoes are always a huge hit at Holiday potlucks from Thanksgiving through New Years. I usually bake around 5 to 7 batches of these potatoes every Holiday season. So since so much effort, time, & love go into perfecting every single batch, I proactively retire the recipe for the rest of the…

3 Day Chicago Itinerary - Last week, I was in Chicago, Illinois, & I'm already looking forward to going back!

I spent 5 days in Chicago, Illinois last week, & I’m already looking forward to going back! Since it’s a 4+ hour flight from San Francisco, California to Chicago, Illinois, I did my best to pack as much as possible into 3 days, & I definitely succeeded! I managed to do everything that I wanted to do & more. That said, here’s my 3 Day Chicago itinerary! Day 1: Millenium Park, Brunch at Cindy’s…

How To Be FEARLESS -  Refuse to let fear stand in the way of my happiness. You won't become fearless overnight, but you can start by trying to fear LESS. 

From my blog archives with a few new edits, Fearless was originally posted on September 21, 2016. Is it weird to say that I admire my childhood self? When I was younger, I did whatever I wanted without fear or hesitation. There was no letting my emotions cloud my judgement. I wasn’t afraid of the dark. No anxiety about getting lost when exploring new places. I wasn’t overly conscious of how I…

Why I Blog - Self-expression is a powerful tool, & I think it's the most effective when you're truly expressing who you are.

From my blog archives with a few edits, THIS IS WHY I BLOG originally posted on August 26, 2016. I will be the first to admit that I grew up extremely nerdy & absolutely LOVED school! Every morning, I woke up eager to learn, & I couldn’t get enough. I still remember days I’d cry because I was forced to stay home because I was too sick. I was so proud of having perfect attendance, & I didn’t…

What To Do Instead of Ghosting

Dating is hard. Most people will kiss a lot of frogs along their journey to find true love. But nothing hurts quite like being ghosted by someone you’ve invested a lot of your time & attention in. Ghosting is a sign of emotional immaturity, emotional unavailability as well as low emotional intelligence. Today, I’m going to share what to do instead of ghosting. What is Ghosting? Ghosting is the…

How To Survive Your Quarter Life Crisis - When I was 25, I chose to keep working towards my dreams, even when I had nothing to show for it.

From my blog archives with a few updates, DEAD END DREAMS was originally posted on September 23rd, 2016. Originally dedicated to my brother, but now dedicated to anyone currently going through their quarter life crisis. you got this!  “I’ve got nothing to show for these dead-end dreams. My heart will ache again, it seems. Cause you’re not in my arms & all I want to do is keep my promises to…

Daily Positive Affirmations - The more I recognize the greatness within myself, the more I'm able to love myself & openly share love & kindness to those around me.

From my blog archives with a few updates, FOR EVERY NEGATIVE THERE IS A POSITIVE was originally posted on September 13th, 2016. While I try to portray myself as positively as I can, I’m human & prone to pessimistic thoughts. From psychology, I learned that it’s a common symptom of emotionally intelligent people. I overthink things & list out every possible pro & con before making any final…

Healing Childhood Wounds - So unless we proactively choose to avoid toxic traits & heal our childhood wounds, generational trauma is destined to repeat itself.

A common conversations among my siblings & I is: “How do you think our lives would be different if we didn’t have loving & supportive parents?” I am incredibly blessed & grateful to have two amazing parents who gave me the best childhood. It’s common knowledge that your upbringing affects your behavior & habits as an adult. That’s why healing childhood wounds is so important. Our brains are…