People often ask me, “What were you thinking when you got ready this morning?”  I always laugh and say something like, “I wanna look the way I feel.” , or “I did my makeup and decided my clothing had to match it.” I have always struggled with not being able to dress the way I want to because of my limited choices weather it be because of my size or my resources.  I don’t just mean because im  plus size plus size over an 18, or because im 6 foot 3 inches tall or because I’m a broke 24 year old living in NYC, relocated from Southern Indiana.  Its a combination of all of these things that always made it difficult for me to dress the way I wanted.  If it was a large enough top it was too short in the torso, or the arms for too big, or because I am not large breasted the Plus size top was too spacious in the Breast for me.  If its not one thing then its the next and I know weather your short, tall, fat, skinny, young, or old, you can relate to this.  I decided I was not going to live with just wearing what fit me any more i was going to be innovative, and try new things.  When I moved from the mid west to this lovely play palace better known as NYC I found a better world for Plus size women it wasn’t just Lane Bryant anymore (No Offense to Lane Bryant)  But i found Vintage Plus size, I found a whole world of NY plus size local designers, as well as ones from the west coast, and Some great Nation Wide Plus size clothing designers that little IN had not exposed me too.  I was now able to go to stores and try on all sorts or things.  I tend yo use dresses as tops, and skirts as dresses, and that is how I have come to dress For ME and to have my own unique Personal style.  Its hard to explain what my style is, and many people will ask me,and I think to my self,  how do i put it into words?  In Feb of 2011 I had the honor to be named one of TONY(Time Out New Yorks) Most stylish New Yorkers.  I was so honored and then I froze like what to do i wear to the shoot, what do i say, and i kid of over thought the whole thing but it was a great experience and I think it made my style grow even  more.  http://newyork.timeout.com/shopping-style/889669/most-stylish-new-yorkers-audrey-lea-curry

I would say that my style fluctuates very much with that day, what im doing, how i wear my makeup, and how i feel.  My looks very from, Classy, Gothic, Vampy, Glamorous, Pinup, Geisha, Vintage, and so on.  I do make some of my clothing, as well as alter some things, but be innovative, creative, and do not let the fact that a store doesn’t make your size stop you from shopping there.  You never know the little treasure you may find at a store you never go in because they do not “have your size. ”  Be fun And different and think outside the box.  We all get comfortable with one look and forget to try new things.  I am constantly tryin

g to think of what is next, what is the next crazy different look im going to try to pull off, and when i do it feels so good and inspires me for the next look.  So Find the clothing that shows how you really feel and see the difference it makes in your life and how people see you.

xxoo

ALC

We all find ourselves going about life day to day and maybe sometimes not realizing that we need to stop and really LIVE.  My sister Natalie is an ultimate inspiration to me in my life.  From a young age she has always taught me to never take my abilities for granted.  What I mean by this is that Natalie is my older sister by 2 years.  She was born with a very rare form of Leukemia, Fanconi’s Anemia is what it was called.  From when she was born she started the battle to fight to live.  Myself as well as my younger sister Emily were born to save her life.  Natalie needed a Bone Marrow transplant to survive.  Many of you may have seen the movie “My sisters Keeper”  this movie is based off my sister as well as families story except my sister has never stopped fighting.  My sister has over come and fought her whole life and it has taught me to always fight and use my abilities to my advantage.  Natalie had the first successful cord blood transplant in Paris France in 1989 and ever sense then has over come so many obstacles.  Natalie Broke her hip one time when myself and my sisters were at a fair because she walked to much.  When this happened I  was devastated Natalie this beautiful teenage girl was suffering from osteoporosis like an 80 year old person. Would.  She was a dancer as well as a dance instructor and that all came to an end with her hip injury.  I was like why God, why would you do another thing to Natalie?  I always just wanted her to have half of the strength and abilities I had.  I then promised myself that I would play sports till I couldn’t any more or until I lost my passion.  I thought why would I let this very able body of mine that was born to be an athlete sit around when my sister was dying to just walk.  I then went on to play college Volleyball finishing in 2007 as an All American. And I can truly say Natalie inspired me to never quit.  Natalie has had many other life altering events happen to her all that have inspired me to better myself and to not take my abilities for granted.  Most recently in Jan of 2011 Natalie was diagnosed with Throat Cancer.  She is a 26 year old girl I was again so confused.  She has fought and fought and now this.  My family immediately did research on alternative means to Chemo and radiation seeing as Natalie had already gone through both and had two transplants it was out of the question as an option for treatment.  We came upon the Gerson therapy.  This is an Alternative way of eating and not allowed to be practiced in a a facility in the US.  Natalie immediately wanted to go to a center for treatment to live and start this processes but again she couldn’t go because she had already undergone multiple transplants they would not allow her in the program.  Natalie decided to do the therapy on her own with her boyfriend and families support.  I was like, wait an all raw food diet, never.  That sounds impossible, how can you just drink juice and eat antioxidant rich food.  But when you are faced with cancer, and death that is what you do.  Natalie is not a normal person and there for nothing about there case is normal with her cancer but She went in for her tumor to be removed March 21st and the tumor was successfully removed, however she has still not been able to recover and is still in the hospital .  She is currently on and off a respirator fighting, pneumonia, malnutrition, viruses, and many other things.  Now she is at the point where her body is going to just give up because  it is too tired and weak to fight any more or by pure fight (which will be the case because she is such a fighter )she will pull through this.  I have recently reassessed myself and my life.  What do I do daily that I need to change and what am I taking for granite.   The answer…My Health.   My sister may die because of a cancer that she did nothing to get, or of malnutrition that she cant control.  I cant sit back and take my life for granite any more I need to make a change now!  As of Aug 1st I went on a Juice Cleanse.  When my Cleanse is over I will then start reintroducing micro nutrient foods back into my body and eating a very healthy mainly raw food diet to better my health and life.  I will do this until I get to a good healthy weight and lifestyle.  As a plus size woman I cant wake up in 5 years with diabetes and say oops look what I did to myself when my sister has not done anything wrong and all this bad is happening to her.  So I say Don’t take your abilities for granite do everything you can because you can.  Live life because you have a life and the ability to live it.  People everywhere, not just my sister, can inspire you to run, because you do have two legs capable to walk on.  To eat healthy because you can eat and are not getting nutrients via and IV and a peg tube, and so much more.  I make daily life choices based off of my sisters struggle and how not to take my self and my abilities for granted so do something different today make a change and go for all your Goals now while you can!

xoxo

Audrey Lea Curry

I was in my room the other day and I was looking at how my pile of inspirational tears (magazine pages and photos that motivate and inspire me) was growing infinitely. I then was inspired to put them up into a collage like a goal board or inspiration/ idea/ concept board. I took all the different tears and put them up fulling covering the door in my bedroom. Now i can see them every day i look at them and get inspired and motivated a little more then the day before. This is a great thing to do to put a little motivation in your every day life, to get you thinking and get your energy flowing. surround yourself also with sents that make you motivated, for example the smell of apples makes me happy, the sents of autumn like pumpkin and Cinnamon make me think of home, the Smell of Gardenias reminds me of my grandma, The sent of rain makes me think of vacation etc. So make a change in your surroundings, and get a fresh pep in your step for summer! You will be surprised in how such a small change and really help your energy in your day to day life!

xxoo
ALC