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Over the holidays, I thought about what I wanted t

Over the holidays, I thought about what I wanted to make more time for this year and at the top of the list was more one-on-one time with my sisters. @sujungchronicles and I are doing a monthly coffee date and today we went to @boulevard_west in Clayton!

Clayton is where my family lived when we first moved to North Carolina and holds some of the not-so-happy memories. To be honest, I think I’ve been subconsciously avoiding it since I moved away for college. It felt weird driving on business 70 and seeing so many familiar spots.

Anyway, we had a lovely time at Boulevard West drinking our black coffee and eating our croissant sandwiches! Counting today as my first step in reclaiming Clayton(?)! 🥰♥️☕️

Everything(except for my thrifted sweater) is linked in my @shop.ltk https://liketk.it/3vzOb

Happy new year, friends! For the first post of 202

Happy new year, friends! For the first post of 2022, I wanted to share my recent thoughts and feelings about social media. I know I am not the only one whose mental health is affected by social media so I how this resonates with some of you.

Authenticity is a value I’ve held close to my heart my entire life. Being genuinely “me” is incredibly important to me and I take pride in being “me.” In the last year or so, I have had this sense of unease because sometimes I am not sure if I am being authentically me on on social media. There’s a line between getting a cute photo to document life versus “doing it for the Gram” and there are times when I can’t tell anymore what I’m really doing.

On the other hand, I feel stuck in what I allow myself to share on Instagram. Because Three Shinsters began as a local interest/foodie blog, I am afraid to deviate from that content since that’s not what most people following initially signed up for? This anxiety-inducing rigidity is certainly self-imposed since no one is telling me what to post and I’ve been posting whatever I want to on the blog, TikTok, and YouTube because I feel like there are no expectations of me (by me) on those platforms versus Instagram.

What I’m trying to say admist all the rambles is that I want Better with Ju to always be a space where I share authentically and a platform that grows and matures with me. I’m not sure what that will exactly look like in the coming months but I want to allow myself grace and freedom. Thank you for reading and being here. ♥️

Per usual, more words on the blog if you want to read more!

♥️ 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐏𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐮𝐦𝐩 ♥️

The last week has been slow and low-key, and I’m so incredibly thankful to have spent it with my loved ones. Here are some moments I took photos of:
〰 Alex and I’s second holiday card
〰 my first time “four-wheeling” at Alex’s parents’ new house (it was more like a golf cart really lol)
〰 some gift opening actions from Christmas Eve
〰 me sporting one of my new favorite/bookish sweatshirts
〰 I tried the chili hot dog from @eatpals for the first time! Also got two large fries
〰 had @bowlofphonc for the first time with @jiyoungenjoys and @thedmunns last night
〰 met up with @nicole.dawn24 in downtown Cary today and was excited to see all the Christmas decor!

How have you been/are spending the last few days of 2021? Anything in particular you’re looking forward to in 2022?

Merry Christmas, friends! Hope you’re spending t

Merry Christmas, friends! Hope you’re spending time with your loved ones. If not, I hope the holiday season is a time of rest and peace for you. 🎄♥️

My family went to @angusbarn this past Friday to c

My family went to @angusbarn this past Friday to cross it off our North Carolina bucket list! This year more than ever, I am grateful for and in awe of how far my family has come. Growing up, we were never financially comfortable but life in America was so much tougher than our mom had anticipated. We rarely had money to buy each other gifts or eat out. We got free lunches from school, sometimes went to local food banks groceries, would eat instant ramen for days.

A few weeks ago, a Facebook memory popped up of the time when my sister Jiyoung and I celebrated our birthdays together (which are exactly one month and one day apart) with a small cake and a bottle of Sunny D while I was back home for Thanksgiving one year in college. Kinda funny but it was very emotional for us to look back. My mom always says we’re all each other have in this big land that is America, and I am so thankful to call these weirdos my family. ♥️