Melissa and Joey Style: Lennox

As I was watching the Melissa and Joey marathon last week, I started paying more attention to Taylor Spreitler's character (Lennox) wardrobe. We have similar taste, so I found myself saying "I love that" or "I have that" in my head with each episode that passed. She wears a lot of sweaters, dresses, patterns and boots. A lot of great looks for fall coming up as well. 

Weekly Review

Obviously I started school, started working on assignments that will be due pretty soon, watched the Melissa and Joey marathon on ABC Family, came down from the shock of Pretty Little Liars, looked at the full moon-considered to be the "Blue Moon", went bike riding, talked to friends, and all the usual things I do to fill my weeks. It was basically just a time of getting adjusted to my new Fall schedule. It's funny how the first week of school used to be the easiest. Now, it's the trickiest, just finding out what works and what doesn't, and remembering when things are due. 

For some reason I got into a really weird funk of over-thinking and over-analyzing little tiny details, like reading the critiques to the poem of mine that classmates had responded to. I'm not sure why I cared so much, but writing is extremely personal to me. I'm also extremely sensitive in the first place, so the two don't go together. It's like when they attack the writing, they're attacking me. They weren't harsh, a couple just said it didn't have much emotion. That hurt a little, because I'm huge on that. I want to make someone feel something. I don't want just another lousy story that isn't going to make a difference. I guess I just wasn't expecting them to have so many opinions or to be so honest when it came to the very first submission. Besides, poetry is not my forte. My feedback is probably not hard enough with things like "Great story! Make it longer" or "Love the description of the poem, change the format." I guess we'll find out next Tuesday. I had a bit of a breakdown and it got me in a fighting mood, just wanting to defend everything or make a snide remark anytime someone went against me. If I didn't say it out loud, I was sure thinking it in my head. After talking to one of my best friends, I felt a lot better. You're not always going to have the "approval" of everyone, but the ones that matter will stick by you, even if you happen to write something sucky...Which I don't think it was. 

Friday was nice because I was able to spend the day with my mom. We had lunch and ran some errands, then went to the mall for a bit. It was the perfect ending to such a weird week! Plus, I got the new Taylor Swift perfume. Is there really a better way to get a cheering up? I don't think so. 

Yup, that's California alright. I'm over the heat-where's the cooler weather?

Taylor Swift perfume!!!!! 

My first Chai Latte! It's like fall in a cup. I've seriously been missing out. 

Now, I realize this doesn't make sense at all really....but, IT'S SOPHIA BUSH. Who cares?!

That was my week! Here's to a 3 day weekend, and a new week. May I have a better outlook than the last one.

That's all for now,
Shelby :)

Back To School

Last Tuesday was the first day of school, and I've been busy with starting classes up again and other things, so I haven't exactly wanted to talk about the first day. But, now seems like just as good a time as any, so here we go. I woke up around 8:30 or a little before, and just lay in bed for a few minutes. I'm not gonna lie, the first day always freaks me out. There are always a million questions running through my head, the paranoia that I'm going to walk into the wrong class (even though I have the right class number in front of my face looking back at me on the schedule), who is going to be in my class, what's the work load going to be, what's the teacher going to be like, etc. I tried to push them out of the way, and decided to get ready. I had a bit of time to kill, so I read my Joyce Meyer devotion and got on Twitter for a few minutes, while watching Phil Phillips on the Today show (which was a nice surprise). A few minutes later, I glanced down at my phone to see that SOPHIA BUSH had responded back to me! I was freaking out! It was definitely a great start to the day, if nothing else happened.

Spencer Hastings (PLL) inspired outfit

Finally, seeing as I still don't have my license, my mom drove me out to Taft, and I had to run a few errands. The drive never changes; same scenery, same long stretches of road, yet I enjoy the familiarity. I picked up my books at the bookstore, which ended up taking a lot longer than I'd imagined, but I still made it to class on time. I even ran into one of my friends from geography last semester and we caught up on each other's lives and agreed that we need to get together soon. Then, I made my way over to the classroom. I ended up talking to a couple really nice girls, and we sat together in the back. We went over the syllabus, and were introduced to some upcoming assignments. The one thing I'm really dreading is sitting in front of the class as they critique one of our pieces we submit, and we have to do it three times. Oh, and we can't say anything when they do. Like, I get the whole "critiquing" thing, but isn't it basically just public humiliation?! It's a lot different than I thought it would be. And it seems that we do a lot together as a class. I don't mind that, it just feels more like high school, especially when one of your old friends from high school that you don't talk to anymore is in the class, and it might as well be a stranger. No need to re-visit the past, gotta just keep moving forward. But, I'm not gonna say it didn't weird me out, because it really did throw me off quite a bit. It's especially weird when you both seem to just continue to ignore one another.
After class, I'd had an appointment to see the student service director, but ended up having to re-schedule. After an eventful morning, I was already ready to get out of there. I got home, watched a little One Tree Hill and started in on my homework, since I have a lot coming up pretty soon. Of course, there was a lot of tweeting, and even another tweet from SOPHIA BUSH. We're practically besties now ;). It was much harder to concentrate after something like that. Then, I had to emotionally prepare myself for the summer finale of Pretty Little Liars, which as most of you probably know, was incredibly intense.

All in all, it was quite a day and I'm in for quite a semester! You'll be hearing about it every step of the way.

That's all for now,

Shelby

New York City

New York City by nashchick09 featuring metallic handbags

Forever New one sleeve cocktail dress
$125 - forevernew.com.au

Promise Shoes gold pumps
heels.com

Giuseppe Zanotti metallic handbag
$1,610 - farfetch.com

Stella Dot cuff jewelry
stelladot.com

Chanel hardware jewelry
bagborroworsteal.com

Eddera flower hair accessory
boticca.com

New York City Photograph, Chrysler Building at Night, Father's Day,...
etsy.com

Day Three (OTH Challenge)-Favorite Couple

Well, if you couldn't tell by now...I reallllllly like Nathan, Haley, Julian and Brooke...So, naturally those are my two favorite couples.

NALEY: They were my very favorite from the beginning of watching. I thought that was just a given that everyone 'Shipped' them, because obviously they're pretty much perfect together and had their lives practically figured out before they even graduated. They have so many adorable moments together, such as, "Don't say I never gave you anything," rain, Nathan making it into the NBA, the pep talk Nathan gives Haley before Lydia's born, the night of their Senior prom, the time they crash HoneyGrove and their talk under the gazebo. So many sweet moments that any love story would envy. They're seriously one of those rare couples that just got it right the first time. The fact that they both came from completely different worlds just goes to show you the power of love. They went through some pretty tragic and crazy times, like Lucas' approving of Nathan at the beginning, psycho nannies, Renee, Chris Keller, deaths, the birth of their son, Nathan's accident, Haley getting hit by Dante's car and countless other things...But, they didn't give up, they stuck it out...Because that's what love does.

BRULIAN:

For not really being too sure of how I'd like Julian with Brooke, he grew on me pretty quickly. As I started re-watching episodes after I'd gone through the entire series...Part of me started wondering whether I might even like them a little more than Naley. *GASP* But, I love them both equally now for totally different reasons. Oh, the life of a "fan-girl". Anyway, I loved that Brulian was a little more realistic...They always seemed to be a page off from one another at the start of their relationship (most of the time, thanks to Alex), and that's how some relationships start. They'd bicker with one another, but understood each other in a way that no one else did. Julian cared for Brooke more than anyone ever had. He fought for her the way she wanted Lucas to after they broke up, he treated her with respect like her relationship with Felix defeated, and Julian wanted to start a family with her, unlike Owen. Although, I do give props to Chase...I liked them together for the time being. Julian was the entire package, and Brooke gave him the attention that the girls in high school sure didn't. I just wish it wouldn't have happened to be another one of Peyton's old boyfriends...I mean, Brooke deserved more than that.

All in all, they each found who they were supposed to be with.

Day Two (OTH Challenge)-Your Favorite Female Character

Yet another tie.

Haley James Scott:

Haley James was always someone I resonated with the most, even before I really watched the show. From the few episodes I'd seen, I just really liked her. She was the good girl who got good grades, had good friends, and was into the music scene. No, I didn't get married or have a baby in high school, but I just felt like a lot of our characteristics were the same. She's soft spoken, until it comes to fighting for what is right or putting someone in their place, and I'm coming into that the older I get. She's graceful, classy, and managed to find a way to balance her home life and her career at the same time. She's also extremely witty and sarcastic, which is another thing we have in common. A lot of people call her boring, but I think there was so much depth to her character; even a little mystery. She wasn't afraid to be vulnerable in those moments that called for it. I love that she was always honest and as I'd like to say, "beautifully outspoken." She was strong, but wasn't afraid to let her guard down. And oh, how I love those feisty little incidents like when she slapped Renee, when she dragged Nanny Carrie out of the shower with Nathan by her hair, always let Rachel know how much she didn't like her, or just told Nathan how she felt when he wasn't being the best he could be. Haley James Scott is just what every woman should be!

Brooke Davis:

Oh, Brooke Davis. What a transformation we see with her from the second episode to the very last. It's hard to imagine what this show would be like without the spitfire that is Brooke. At first, you just see her as this party girl who sleeps around, drinks, and isn't necessarily the model student. And that is true at the beginning. But, as the show progressed, you see that Brooke is extremely fragile inside. That's the part of Brooke I can relate to. Sometimes I try to act like I don't care, but it's because I care so much that I tend to get my heart broken. She puts all of her friends and family first, but she tends to be the footnote in their stories at times. I get that. I think Brooke has some of the best "one-liners" when it came to things like loneliness and heart ache, because she knew all about that. She knew what it was like to love and not have someone love you back. She wore her heart on her sleeve, loved like there was no tomorrow, and all she hoped was that she could find someone out there who felt the same way. Brooke Davis is a fighter; she's passionate, she's driven, and she's extremely outspoken. Those are qualities I admire so much about this character, and Sophia herself. Neither one of them let others stop them from going after what they want. Despite all the challenges and heartache she went through, she kept fighting and she made it through. "The girl behind the red door" finally got her fairytale ending in the end, and you couldn't help but feel as though you were experiencing all of these beautiful moments with her as they happened.

Sure, these are just characters...But, I see a lot of Joy and Sophia in Haley and Brooke as well, and I think that's why I love them so much. They truly made you feel, week after week, that somewhere in Tree Hill, North Carolina, these women were out there making a difference. It reminds me that I can to!

Day One (OTH Challenge)-Your Favorite Male Character

Nathan Scott:

I didn't like Nathan at the beginning of watching. I knew his story already though, since I didn't start watching when it first premiered, so I kept waiting for his attitude to shift around, and eventually it did. He became a great guy, great father, and a great husband. He had great character and integrity-the complete opposite of his own father, which was cool to see. It was nice to see the transformation of him being an immature little jerk to this really loving guy in the end.

Julian Baker:

Oh, Julian. He is the kind of guy I would want to marry! Again, he came into town acting cocky and I wasn't crazy about that. Obviously, as the episodes went on and he grew closer to Brooke, I started to love him just as much as she did. I love the fact that he's so loving, caring and sensitive, which a lot of people tend to look at as a downfall. I can see what they mean, because he came on as this tough "Hollywood type" to the guy that chased butterflies in right field instead of playing baseball. But, I loved that. Brooke Davis is tough enough and strong enough for the both of them (and we all know who wears the pants in that relationship LOL), so to some degree, I think they needed him to be a bit of a softie. His character showed so much depth to me, and even though he didn't have a great relationship with his father, he didn't let it affect him so much. Kind of a different side to the likes of Nathan and Dan's story in the beginning.