My Ideal Vacation

My ideal vacation would be something like road tripping to Connecticut to stay at a little bed and breakfast. I'd want it to be spontaneous and not know exactly where I'm going. Just grab a few friends, turn up the radio, and just hit the road and see where it takes us. You find out a lot about yourself on road trips, because you're forced to think and deal with the things you usually put off. I'd want to stop in small towns along the way and see what the locals do, see how many cups of coffee they drink, or maybe just wander around town and read or write somewhere. You can get a lot of inspiration from that kind of stuff.

I'm a HUGE Gilmore Girls fan...it's my favorite show on the entire planet, and they did this exact trip. There's something so wonderful in the experience and it has always been one of my favorite episodes because of that. I love the feel and the way that everyone is so involved in each others' lives, and the fact that they have town meetings, and how adorable small towns are. Everyone is like a character out of a storybook, and there's something really charming about that, even when they seem a little...different ;).

Here are some B&B's in the Connecticut area:

That's all for now,

Collages

Yup...so this is what I do in my spare time! Enjoy :)

Just A Little Inspiration

Hope    

By: Emily Dickenson 

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

Dreams

By: Langston Hughes

Hold fast to dreams

For if dreams die

Life is a broken-winged bird 

That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams

For when dreams go

Life is a barren field

Frozen with snow.

Do you have a dream? Sure, we all do. Are you going after that dream? Ah, that's when things get tricky. We can all come up with some crazy plan in our mind, but as it gets closer to making it happen...we make excuses and we back out. We sabotage our own happiness because we're afraid of doing something great. I truly believe that there is greatness in each of us, and that we can all make a difference in this world, whether it's just smiling at a stranger on the street, paying for the coffee of the person behind us at Starbucks, or if it's traveling all around the world making some grand gesture everywhere you go. When we don't go after our dreams, we become bitter and wonder what could've been or what might've happened.

Now, being in my 20s, I realize this can be a pretty intense time. It's time to start getting serious about the rest of my life and what I want to do. Instead of thinking about the future, now you're living in it. If you want to do something, there's really no waiting around...you just have to jump. Who I am right now will affect me the rest of my life, and that can be pretty intimidating. Or I can think of right now as a time to just be and be excited; explore, take risks, ask questions, learn as much as I can, and live my own life...because there's nothing holding me back right now. 

Don't wait. Go after whatever it is you've always wanted to try! Even if you fail or fall flat on your face, at least you'll be able to say you did it. Whatever you do; Do something that matters and means something to YOU. 

That's all,

Shelby

xoxox

Saturday!

Today was amazing! It was a pretty relaxed morning...I made collages on this app from my phone, because I was bored (I'll post some later). I spent the day with my parents; we had lunch and ran to a couple different places. Later on in the afternoon we saw the new movie with Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock, "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close," with some family friends and had dinner with them. It was such a fun night, forgetting about everything else and just remembering what's important in life.

Here are a few things I took away from 'Extremely Loud':

• It's important to face our fears, in spite of being afraid
• To carry on even when you've lost something so important to you
• Everyone has a story, and it's cool what you can find out about them when you take the time to really listen
• To love a little more
• Like this film, I want to create something that will mean something to someone...I want my "art" to matter. That's the whole point of art, right? Self expression and to help others feel like they're not alone. 

"I saw God today!" ~George Strait

Forever 21

Chic-Fil-A anyone?

Ending the night with yogurt

I'm tired...so I'm out for the night! Church in the morning! :) 

Peace out,

Shelby

xoxox

I'll Never Leave You Alone....

Tonight at Bible study we focused on our families and more specifically the relationship we have with our parents. I'm not going to go into detail or share what went on, but basically we've all been broken. We've all been hurt by people we trusted, we've all been let down, and I'm not just talking about our families. That is where most of it starts or comes from, but we get it out in the world as well. I used to base my happiness on people; when they were mad at me, I fell apart. I was too nice, and let people somewhat walk all over me...and I let it turn me bitter in the end. And finally it hit me one day...there are always going to be people that let you down or break your trust and you have to find out how to be okay with or WITHOUT them.

No matter what will come and go in our lives, God will always be a constant. He is patient with us when our relationship with Him isn't where it should be, He loves us unconditionally, and He sees our beauty when others don't. I've learned to rely on Him for my happiness. Am I where I should be? No. But, I've come a lot further with it than I used to be. I still end up relying a little too much on people at times, and I'm working on that, because I want to become more independent. I guess it just feels safe for the time being...because when you get to be on your own, it can get a little lonely, and I've felt enough of that. Whether you're close with your parents or not, just know that you're God's child and He will NEVER leave you alone. He has promised us that, and He keeps all of His promises.

Whatever the season is I'm going through, I know I'll be able to handle it. It's not always easy, when you're not seeing the results you want to happen taking place exactly when you want them to, but it teaches you patience. There's something in particular that I've been praying about for awhile, and nothing has happened with it just yet, but I'm holding onto my faith because I know God knows what He's doing. There are times I get restless and wonder why, believe me...but it all goes back to that little word, faith. It's easy to feel like God has forgotten about us when things aren't happening the way we think they should, but just give it time.

"I've picked you. I haven't dropped you. Don't panic. I'm with you. There's no need to fear for I'm your God. I'll give you strength. I'll help you. I'll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you." ~Isaiah 41:9-10

That's all for now,
Shelby
xoxox <3

Friday, Friday...

Yesterday evening, I decided I wanted to interview the girls from Team True Beauty somehow. So, I decided to do an e-interview type thing that would help get the word out about their organization! They are some of the sweetest girls I've ever met, so I'm really excited about sharing their stories. It's gonna be exciting!!!!!

AMEN.  

This was my Friday!!!!

My mom and I got an early start this morning; went to Best Buy, Target, the bank, and Panera for lunch. It was a lot of fun being with her! I spent the rest of my birthday money, so now I'm broke again...but it's all good! I got some great stuff :)

LOVE THIS! <3 Saw it on a friend's Twitter account

So true...girls never be anything but yourself. If a guy can't see how wonderful you are, then he's not worth your time.

I ended the day with an amazing Bible study at my friend Hillary's house, but I'm gonna do a completely separate blog for that one, because there's a lot to share. 

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

xoxox

Shelby

I Miss Summer....

I'm ready for more good times like this and hot weather. I used to love Winter and cold weather, but I've completely switched things around. Plus, you get a longer break from school...who doesn't love that??

The Words I Couldn't Say

"What do I do now that you're gone, no backup plan, no second chance and no one else to blame. All I can hear in the silence that remains...are the words I couldn't say." <3 Rascal Flatts

There's nothing worse than the echoes and hauntings of words you wish you had said or the words you had planned to say, but just ran out of time. You end up making up your own scenarios of what could've been or what could've happened had you just said what you were feeling. I'd rather regret what I said, than what I didn't say...at least then they'd know. We don't always get second chances to make things right with people, so when we do it's important that we make the most of them or to realize what we have in the first place when it's staring us back in the face.

It takes a lot of courage and guts to say how we feel...believe me, I know. That's why I usually write letters to people. For me, I can always get the right words out in pen and paper that I might not always be able to say in person. Plus, it's more personal; when I write, it comes from the heart, when I just speak, it's coming from out of the blue and I'm trying to find the words as I go along. I guess that's what we're all trying to do...some are just better at it than others.

Pictures From This Week

Faith is my word motto at the moment!

Yogurt=YUM!

Assignment for sociology class...something that says "us"

New books from Barnes and Noble

Made cupcakes during American Idol last night

THIS!

Well...DUH! ;)

"Please don't be in love with someone else...please don't have somebody waiting on you..."

Love, you are a complex thing. I'm not quite familiar with the games you play. Why can't we all just be straightforward with our feelings and wear our hearts on our sleeves, without fear of rejection? We get our heart broken once, and for the rest of the time being we're terrified to put ourselves out there again...because the same thing is just going to happen time after time. We let the past haunt us and follow us into the future; that the way one person treated us is going to be the way everyone else treats us as well.

I just want to find someone who loves God more than he loves me, someone who will be my best friend, someone who will challenge me, be honest with me, someone who will frustrate me, and won't just tell me what I need to hear. I don't know why I keep going over this list, because it doesn't make a difference right now. I'm in the same position I've been in. I just keep reminding myself that whoever it is God has planned for me must be pretty special, because I've been waiting quite some time. And that should be my focus right now...my relationship with God; everything else will fall into place at the right time. It doesn't matter how I feel about it. I've never had a first kiss or even been on an official date...but you know what? I'm more than okay with that. I've never been boy crazy...when I meet the right one, I'll know, and until then I've had my own dreams and plans. And I still do. I've never rushed into a relationship just for the heck of it to see what happens. When I do, it means something. Because a relationship should be more than just killing time.

I wish I could be more bold and let people know right up front how I feel. But, in the times that I have, it has just backfired on me. I felt great for getting it off my chest, but let's be honest rejection sucks. There's no way around that one. I know it's leading me to something better...but it's hard just waiting around, when you don't know WHEN it's going to happen. I'm not one of those girls who can work the charm or is showy to get attention. Actually, I end up getting very shy and can't always hold a full conversation around someone I like, which can make things rather difficult at times. Especially, when you really want to, but for some reason you just hold back. Mainly, when I start to think...If I don't do anything about it, I could really miss out on something incredible. The other part of me thinks that if something is meant to be...nothing and no one can stand between that, it'll happen one way or another. I just don't want to miss my shot, ya know?

So, hopefully someday soon I will have the courage to "Speak Now" as Taylor has advised. I'll leave you with this:

‎"Real life is a funny thing you know. 
In real life saying the right thing, at the right moment is beyond crucial. 
So crucial in fact, that most of us start to hesitate, for fear of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. 
But lately what I’ve began to fear more than that, is letting the moment pass with saying anything. 
I think you deserve to look back on your life without this chorus of resounding voices saying, I could have but it’s too late now.
So there’s a time for silence, and there a time for waiting your turn. But if you know how you feel, and you so clearly know what you need to say.
You’ll know it.
I don’t think you should wait.
I think you should speak now.” <------- The advice I should probably be taking right about now....




That's all for now,
Shelby
xoxox