May 3, 2014

Ain't Nothing Sweeter Than You...

On Such a Spring Day

On Such a Spring Day

Ruffle dress
anthropologie.com

Maeve blue jacket
anthropologie.com

Jeffrey Campbell sandals
anthropologie.com

Eugenia Kim red brim hat
anthropologie.com

Summertime Sadness

April 24, 2014

My Life as of Lately

A lot has been happening since I last checked in. The quarter is really starting to take off, and I'm actually not wishing that it would slow down, for once. The last couple weeks have been C R A Z Y, and I'm loving it.
Last week was our first official week of the paper, meaning we were actually assigning stories and the paper came out that Wednesday, though it was editor-heavy content. Sunday night I was really sick all of a sudden; threw up, and didn't get to sleep until really late. Skipped my first class Monday morning, was starting to freak out about whether the story I had planned on doing was going to go through, and then like a snap of the finger, things just changed. I was also able to have lunch with my good friend, Sarah. The newspaper also went really well.  I gave everyone their stories, and then it was time for production...Well, not quite. A lot of the editors have class at right after the newspaper, and our adviser has another class to teach. Since it was my first week of really sitting down to learn the page layout system, I had a lot of questions, but no one was around to ask. So, after awhile of freaking myself out about what to do for my page, the photography editor and I went out to grab some food and came back later when everything was hustling and bustling, because I hadn't eaten since earlier in the morning.

Let's just say, I had no idea all of the time that is spent trying to make a college paper. We were there until close to 10:30, working on the page layout, making sure everything was in great shape to run. We had some good laughs in between, though. And I was SO excited about my Q and A with Gavin DeGraw going in the paper. It felt like it was the BIG moment I've been waiting for. You know, where everything is starting to fall into place and it all feels worth it? Yeah, that's how I felt. This is just the beginning, and I see that now. Patience and timing are both key factors. I've also had a lot of good feedback about the article, especially from my One Tree Hill friends...WOOO! :D


Then, there was Easter. I was part of the choir at church, and it was a blast! God really showed up. Not just in the services or our church as a whole, but in speaking to my life as well. I started seeing that I need to cut myself some slack. I've been trying too hard to be perfect, I think, and that has been causing some problems. God's love and my performance are two very different things. He loves me regardless of the grades I get, the mistakes I make, the times I'm too quiet, and the list goes on and on. He loves me. Period. We worshiped, I was able to hang out with Viviyan more during practices and services, and see all of my other friends that I don't get to see on a normal basis. We had 5 services, and everything went really well. We worked together as a team and were very aware of the fact that we were part of something much larger than ourselves.

Easter Sunday was also wonderful for spending time with my family. They all came over to our house; we ate, we visited, and celebrated the resurrection of Christ, of course. Easter gives me hope. Hope that Christ always comes through with His promises and just how blessed I am with the people in my life. It was the first time in awhile that I've felt content with my life. I'm not trying to rush ahead to get here or there, I'm not wondering what it would be like if certain friends were still in my life…I'm perfectly happy with where I am right now and the new people who have entered my life, and I didn't realize I wanted or needed until now.





This week has been extremely crazy with setting up a lot of interviews and meeting up with people to talk story ideas for the paper. I'm starting to think I need an assistant. HA! The paper is speeding up, and with that, comes great responsibility. If anything, it is teaching me to be more flexible-to be ready to call or meet someone when the story calls for it. You just never know what you're getting yourself into, but it has helped me to lighten up tremendously. I see how, now more than ever, I sweat the smallest details. I will cause myself so much stress that was never even there in the first place, and nothing comes of it either. I need to just let it go and see what happens. Not because I don't care, but I need my sanity. But, I'm getting better about it. If I'd had to do a lot of the things that I'm doing now back in the fall, I would have freaked myself out and probably just shut down. I also found out that I got two tickets to cover the Gavin DeGraw concert for the paper. AHHH! Now, I see why things happen the way they do and why there's a certain timing and reason for everything. God has a plan and that's what I have to trust right now.

Here's what my week looks like as of now: 

Thursday: Working on a story about a guy who has done colorguard for awhile/met with him, also met with the spirit coordinator on campus to talk story ideas.
Friday: 2 classes/meeting with the journalism club to pick out things for our booth at Celebrate CSUB on Saturday
Saturday: Celebrate CSUB/possibly working on a short story about Bakersfield's Got Talent/possibly making posters for Gavin DeGraw's concert on Sunday with Athena
Sunday: Church/editing stories at the paper/ GAVIN DEGRAW CONCERT WITH ATHENA!

Let's just say…"It's a helluva life" right now :)

That's all for now,
Shelby!!

April 10, 2014

My dream isn't mine


over the past couple years, it has been no secret that i've struggled with dreaming and making it a reality. i've questioned myself and whether i was on the right path, or whether there was something else out there. maybe this whole struggle was to lead me to something else, and maybe it is, but maybe it's just about putting God first and sticking it out to see it through to the end. i feel like i'm starting to make it through to the light at the end of the tunnel, but i still have a long road to go.

my mom posted this on facebook earlier and tagged me in it. it immediately changed my perspective about the purpose of a dream. God gave me the dream in my heart of writing and telling stories to help others, to bring them closer to Him and to use my life as a witness. it's not about me at all. and the problem has been that i've been trying to work it out myself, forgetting why I'm even here in the first place. 

i'm looking forward to taking a step back and letting God work through me. 

That's all for now,
Shelby :)

{It's Wednesday}

Lovely....
It was another weird start to the day. I woke up at my usual time of 7 a.m. (with a horrible sore throat that didn't get much better as the day progressed), got ready, grabbed my stuff and out I went. Well, I decided to put my thermos with iced tea in my backpack. I thought sure it was sealed and sitting upright, so nothing would happen to it. I was wrong. By the time I got to school, I realized it had started leaking in my bag and had gone all over my notebook and was all over my pants. I didn't have time to go home, so I just had to cover up my pants with my binder, hoping no one noticed the giant tea spots on my pants as I walked in. Unfortunately, my notebook was all soggy and I had nothing else to write on, but later realized I wouldn't need it for any of my classes.

My poor notebook...
I went to my first class: Convergence Journalism, which I'm really enjoying. Today, we talked about interviewing, so it was a big review day for me and other journalists in the class. Then, we had to interview someone around us. After a few minutes, I finally asked someone to do it with me, and having done it last quarter, I felt like a pro with what to expect. We talked for a few minutes about our hobbies, our interests...Something that will get us a 350-word story out of it. We also found out that we went to the same community college and transferred at the same time, but since we have different majors, our paths have never crossed. I was kind of impressed with how outgoing I was about the whole thing. I know that my courage comes from God, because at least 10 years ago, I would have been terrified about new situations like that or the public speaking/leading I've had to do lately.

We even took a selfie- I wanted to document the moment! HA!
My next class was a bit of a surprise. We were supposed to be coming up with a source list for our stories, but instead, we went on a scavenger hunt around campus. We split up into teams, so I joined with a couple other editors from the paper that I'm friends with and a couple other girls who didn't have a group, but I've had classes with in the past. It was actually really fun. We walked all over campus- going to student affairs, financial aid, the campus police, and a couple of other places. We talked with whoever was in the office to find out more about the department, getting ideas for stories. It also gave me a chance to get to know the people in my group better; what their interests and passions are, as well as being able to tell them about the paper. Hopefully they'll join next quarter! It was a fun group, if nothing else. And now I actually know where things are on campus.WOO! Plus, I think we made a couple new connections, in case we ever need sources for stories that happen at school.

I was supposed to have lunch with my friend today, but it didn't work out, so we rescheduled for Monday. It was hot outside, so I decided to go to the newspaper to eat lunch, along with several other editors, which was nice, so I wasn't lonely! LOL. Class went by really fast today because we had a lot to cover. We all took pictures for our press passes, gave the story pitch ideas for our first issue, and I talked with my staff writers about their stories (AH! That's pretty cool to be able to say). I know all of this confidence is coming from my faith in Christ, because I've been trying to do this on my own, and I've been stressing myself out. I'm making a lot of changes this quarter, and I can already tell what a difference it's making. Instead of feeling overwhelmed and doubting myself, I've been excited about the challenge. The challenge of proving to myself that I'm capable of the dreams I've always had. I'm capable of helping others. I'm capable of being different than everyone else, and that's okay. In fact, for what God has planned for me, that's probably for the best. I'm starting to just do my own thing, and whatever comes after that is all a blessing.

After starting the book, I Am That Girl, I started realizing many things. I need to take more time for myself and to not burn out and finding out the reasons behind my procrastination. Now that I've put names to those things, I can beat them, and it has helped tremendously. I still have a lot to work through, but I think confidence is the key, and I'm finding it in pretty unexpected places. I guess when opportunity comes, you just have to rise to the occasion and get through it.

I was supposed to have an editor's meeting and another one for the journalism club, but no one really showed up, so we decided to call it a day. I hung around for a few minutes on campus in one of my favorite spots. I grabbed a seat on the bench under a shady tree in front of the school. I caught up on some snapchats and tweets, then headed out. 

When I got home, my mom and I made some fruit smoothies and watched Rob Lowe on Ellen! I just love that guy! I was mainly a fan just because I loved him on Parks and Rec, but I really like him as a person now. I worked on homework, rewrote notes in a new notebook and the like.

Later on, I watched American Idol, had dinner, and took medicine. I feel like I'm starting to come down with a cold or really bad allergies. My throat and head were bothering me, so I called it a night. I didn't even watch How I Met Your Mother before I went to bed. That's when you know I'm sick...Or becoming more responsible. Who would've thought?!

That's all for now,
Shelby :)