{A List of Happy Things}

*Finding the new magazines that you've been looking for (especially when Taylor Swift is

on the cover). 

*Smelling candles that smell like fall and festive occasions

*Not arguing with my mom, even though we were running a lot of errands.

*Really good country music 

*Thinking about staying in a log cabin in the middle of the woods - campfires, s'mores, flannel shirts, a manly man by your side and holding your hand. 

*Giving your best friend a hug in the middle of Wal-Mart just because she couldn't find the Oreos she wanted and it had been a rough day. Also, looking at the Halloween stuff, because it's so fun.

*Making plans to move to Nashville someday

*Finding out that Lady Antebellum's new song, "I Did With You" (from The Best of Me") is on iTunes already!!!! AHHH!

*Having money and being able to treat yo self with some stuff (a new book, Dan + Shay's CD, some new shirts, jewelry, etc).

*Knowing that someday (after all of the lonely nights, praying and waiting) that I'll find my best friend, my soulmate, and someone who will love God and understand me better than I do myself. I'm holding the faith that it will make it all worth it. *heart*

*Watching last year's CMA Awards, because there's nothing else on. Reminds me of how much I miss Nashville and why I'm so passionate about country music and its artists. 

*Mentally making the perfect fall playlist in my mind. It's starting to sound so good. 

*GILMORE GIRLS IS COMING TO NETFLIX! All of my first world problems are solved. 

That's all for now,

Shelby :)

Fall Quarter 2014

Welp, it is officially that time again. I start school Monday...Monday...Ew. I seriously feel like I was just marking the days off of my calendar until classes were out and here we are going right back. The days were just starting to get hot and now we're anxiously awaiting the days when it isn't hitting 90 degrees. The summer sort of dragged on in places, but as a whole, each month zoomed by rather quickly.

I can honestly say that I have never dreaded school more than I am dreading it right now. I don't even feel totally prepared. But, I guess I do have everything I need. I'm just so ready to be out. Don't get me wrong, I love the people that I'm surrounded by, and I'm learning so much about myself; talking to people, being more outgoing, learning about other people and other things that I've never even wondered about. But, everything has a season, right? And this "season" is finally about to come to an end. Although, I guess the real world doesn't exactly come with "less pressure," so I'll probably regret wishing for things to speed up.

This is what my schedule looks like the fall...UGH.

10 a.m. : Mass Media Law 

12:45 : Newspaper

5:15 : Senior Seminar

Online English Class for my minor 

GULP. 

I don't think the schedule will be that bad actually. It's just the length of the classes that kill me. I can't sit there for long periods of time just listening to professors talk without feeling like I'm going crazy. With production on Monday nights for the newspaper, those days are going to be even longer. *sigh* I just want to be able to do it all and well. 

I'm also trying to find a job right now. Something in particular that will look good for my journalism major and my future in Nashville, but also something that will pay. So, that's where I'm at with things. I'm planning and carefully looking at my "timeline" and schedule for the next year. Trying to make it all happen just so. But, I also know that God likes to step in a lot and makes things even better than I possibly could have. I want to be open to those things that aren't necessarily in my plan right now, but to be cautious with all of it. 

I keep thinking that somewhere along the lines, my 20's will start making more sense or will stop being so stressful, but if anything they just get more confusing. It's funny how high school doesn't seem all that bad looking back. Oh well... I just keep thinking that means my 30's will be so much sweeter. 

That's all for now. Time to enjoy the last few minutes of staying in bed, having nowhere to go, no deadlines, and not a million other things on my to-do list. Although, on the agenda for today...Finding Taylor Swift on the cover of Rolling Stone and her section in Country Weekly. I'm pretty excited about that.

That's all for now,

Shelby :)

It's Thursday.

I'm sitting here listening to Taylor Swift's "Red" album and eating soup. Naturally, I'm dreaming of fall - Sweaters, pumpkin everything, and romance seems to be in the air. Not necessarily with relationships, but for art. It's a creative time. But, unfortunately, it's still a million degrees outside and still feels every bit of summer. Except that school starts soon and I'm already starting to feel the stress. It's going to be one heck of a quarter, let me tell you.

I haven't been feeling so great over the past week or two, so I'm just taking it easy and feeling very sluggish. You know how that goes.

Yesterday was long and tiring. I was at the newspaper office from 10-6pm... I threw up a little before I came to school. I started feeling way worse throughout the day and everything was just hitting at once. It was easily one of the weirdest days of my life. It felt like a mini breakdown. I'm starting to think it's healthy, though. It's good to just FREAK OUT, honestly and organically. I've tried to hold it all in for so long, like I can handle everything with no problem, because so many others make it look easy - I can too. Trying to go through life without making mistakes, but that's how we grow. It's also okay not to be okay.

So, my best friend picked me up from school/work and came back to my house. We ate dinner  (I hadn't eaten practically all day. I had eaten bites of a donut and a cookie...On top of drinking iced tea from Starbucks and having to take medicine). I think I was on caffeine overload.

But, sometimes laying on the floor and having a chat about life with your best friend can instantly make everything better. We listened to "Shake It Off," talked about how our 20's are just a very confusing time, my cat kept us company and we laughed when we started getting tired.

Marissa took this picture of me....HAHAHAHA.

It was a good night.

So, I hope that when you're not feeling well that your best friends save the day and put a smile back on your face.

That's all for now,
Shelby