{Keep chugging along, Keep singing your song}

"Put the plow in the ground till the daylights gone
When you look back over your shoulder
At everything you've done
Put the good times in your pocket
Let the bad ones make you strong
Keep chuggin' along"
 

***

I have been counting down the weeks and days of the quarter since the very first day of classes! And never have I ever been more excited to be done than I am right now. This week was CRAZY! I have had quite a lot of homework, and (like a bad girl) I waited until the last minute. So, here it is Thursday night as I'm trying to finish it all. Technically, it wouldn't be that bad, and I would actually be ahead of the game if it wasn't for an incredibly busy weekend coming up:

• Vince Gill concert
• Hillary's engagement shower
• Church
• Heading to Anaheim Sunday night
• Monday...DISNEYLAND!

I honestly haven't even had much time to think about it, because I've been so stressed out. Now, that the load is lessening, I can start getting pumped and being happy again. You do not want to be around me during the school week. (Just ask my mom).

This week was such a blur! I did homework, watched TV, caught up with friends, tweeted, wished for some exciting news on Friday (one step closer with my journalism dreams), freaked out several times-wondering if I'm where I'm supposed to be or whether I could be doing more and whether I'm going to fall flat on my face, started planning for next quarter, wrote for fun a little more (something I've missed A LOT), listened to Katy Perry's new CD (GET IT, if you haven't already...It's so fantastic. I also had a mini dance party), daydreamed, found out the results on my midterms (GULP) and watched a foreign film. 

Also, for my interpersonal communications class, we had to talk to someone we didn't know from our class; get to know them and study their body language, then talk about those things with them. That was, uh, interesting and a little weird...But, a good weird. It made me realize how I need to be when it comes to interviewing and made me more aware of how I act in new situations. Then again, it's always weird when you know you're being watched..I tend to freak out more. Definitely an experience! 

I also keep realizing how grateful I am for right now. I just keep taking deep breaths and remember to be thankful for the people that are in my life at this moment, not the ones that aren't. Right now, I'm learning. I don't know everything, and I'm not going to even try to pretend anymore that I do. I think that takes some of the pressure off. And I'm trying to remember to not procrastinate. It seriously does nothing but freak me out, and that's just good for NO ONE. Also, I need to get rid of distractions... :0

Oh, you know...Just talking to my Twitter besties! ;)

This was such a nice surprise! 

See why I need to move to Nashville SOON?!

Just four more weeks, and I am trying to keep the faith alive to keep pushing on. I'm so excited about this 4 day weekend I have this week for a mini vacation to get finish this quarter off with a bang. I'm so glad I get to spend the next few days with some pretty awesome people that mean a lot to me, too. Should be a freakin' blast! 

Well, I am so tired and I hope this isn't too frazzled or a bunch of rambles....

Song of the Day:

Chuggin' Along--Luke Bryan

That's all for now,

Shelby :)

{There's always gonna be another mountain, I'm always gonna wanna make it move...}

I guess there are always going to be people and roadblocks standing in the way between you and your dreams. It's not your job to fix them or to even make them see things the way you or to even remove them from your life completely. Those things are going to help you, whether it's gaining perspective, learning to speak up or figuring out what YOU can do to make the situation better. It's your job to figure out how you can still get to the finish line despite those who might not see your vision and the plans that you might have. It's in your heart for a reason. So, trust your instinct and pray with everything in you that it works out. If not, just keep trying to find a way until you find something that works out.

With the classes I've been taking involving communications (which is all of them), I've been learning a lot about people and the way they work. But, more importantly, I've been learning about how I need to take action and how I can respond to those things. I have been given a voice to speak up about the things that are important to me, whether it's in class or whether it's working on stories for the newspaper. I want to tell the truth and I want to focus on things that are important to me, where I know other people can relate, whether it's with music, TV, or the bigger things in life, like, not giving up when you feel like you have every reason to just throw in the towel or when you're lonely, because friends always seem to forget about you.

I just want to say you are NOT alone and that's one thing that I want to help people with. I've had moments of loneliness, but you can't let those things hold you down for long. Give yourself a few minutes to acknowledge it, listen to Katy Perry's "Roar", and get back on your feet as soon as possible, because there is too much to be done! A lot of little moments from feeling overwhelmed with what classes to take, changes at the paper, and so much homework has made me that more focused on what I want to say and what I want my place to be. Challenges can only make you stronger, right?

Alright, I'll get off my pedestal now and let you all carry on with your day.

That is all,
Shelby :)

Song of the day lyrics: 
The Climb-Miley Cyrus 

{You wanna give up cause it's dark, we're really not that far apart}

I think it's healthy to freak out and to have a slight mental breakdown from time. It's okay to not know exactly where you're going to end up, even if you have your dreams and plans It's okay to not know what step to take next. I think days of feeling lost can actually be that push you need to ultimately snap you back into the game and getting back to your passion.

Yesterday, I had a meeting with my adviser, after a bit of a frustrating afternoon. I was already feeling..Not overwhelmed, but already feeling a ton of things piling up that I wanted to say something about. I was feeling like I had no idea what classes I even needed to take or if I'm on the right track, but really I think it was just me starting to second guess myself for the sake of it. I came out of my appointment, walking on campus in a fog, not really seeing much of anything. It was like an out of body experience.

But, then a recent Taylor Swift quote popped into my head,

 "I've questioned everything about myself, every step of the way. 

You have to have the same amount of fear and self-doubt as you do hope and blind optimism."

 //

it reminded me that you have to have those moments of doubt, because without it, I don't think you can appreciate the success when it comes, because it just naturally happened. If you get everything you wished for, do you cherish it as much or do you take it for granted? I think we all end up doing the latter.

Well, life doesn't work that way. You have to start at the bottom, if you want to get to the top. That's something that our culture or maybe just our generation has a hard time wrapping their minds around, but it's the truth. Life isn't fair. Sometimes, you're going to work your butt off and some people are only going to do the bare minimum and know the right person who will open the door to everything for them. But, hang in there.

I just have to believe that God always gets us to where we need to be as long as we're doing our part, working hard and trusting His bigger plan. Everything happens for a reason and you will ALWAYS end up where you're supposed to be.

That's all for now,
Shelby :)


Song of the day (also quoted title):
Compass-Lady Antebellum