OUAT S1E4

It's been far too long since I have 1) blogged and 2) watched Once Upon A Time. So at the challenge of Justin, I sat down just an hour ago and started the next episode.

I love that we meet Cinderella. She's beautiful and I love her. My first reaction was happiness that the fairy godmother was black because it made me think of that one film version of Cinderella that I absolutely love. But then she exploded????

Like??? What???

And of course it's Rumple. I really dislike him. He's grimy and dirty and downright nasty.

She shouldn't be listening to him, let alone signing this contract. Especially without reading it. But I guess when you're desperate to leave a terrible life, you'll do anything to make a better life for herself.

I think it's cute how Henry wants code names. It's a bit ridiculous, but I have a feeling Emma will give in before the end of the episode.

Lord, the sheriff is so attractive. But why is he offering her a job? I don't get it.

Ughhhhh. So okay, the mayor just gets on my nerves. Like why doesn't Emma worry you anymore?? Just because she's lived in a lot of places doesn't mean anything. I feel like Emma getting "roots" will become important at some point. It usually does.

Is it just me or did she totally just spill hot chocolate all over herself?

I don't quite understand why Emma is just taking clothing that doesn't belong to her from the laundromat. But whatever.

Oh!!!! The laundry lady!!! It's Cinderella!!! And she's super pregnant.

But Emma is giving her advice. Well, kinda. Oooh. They're talking about making a better life for herself.

So Rumple/Mr. Gold owns a pawn shop. I suppose this is fitting. But why is this girl sneaking around? She's breaking in? She's knocked Rumple out?? (Not that I mind but you know...)

Why does the mayor tell her son when she'll be back after she tell him not to leave the house? It's like "hey, don't leave, but I'll be back by this time so yeah, but don't leave!" Ridiculous.

Why is Mr. Gold just showing up at their place? Oh. He wants Emma's help. I don't see what this other girl could have stollen from him, especially since he won't say what it is. I just don't like him.

Oh my Gosh. Henry! Why is he everywhere??

I do really like this girl as Cinderella. I was a bit confused by her outfit change, but then it dawned on me that this was a wedding. And Show and Charming are there!!! That's so sweet. I do like that they call her Ella. It's cute.

Wait! Snow bringing up the whole "changing your life" thing! I knew it was important.

Blah. Rumple is back. He's so gross. Wait. Does he seriously want her firstborn child???

Oh, my. This conversation can't end well... Although, I don't think she was tricked... She didn't read the fine print when she signed the contract. But I mean, I understand her wanting to keep her child. It makes sense.

So I'm trying to figure out who this chick is from the diner. I feel like she's Little Red Riding Hood, but I can't be certain.

Ella's prince, whatever his name is, is pretty attractive. I don't understand his father though. He's being a twat.

I do enjoy how they're drawing parallels between the two worlds.

Ahh!! A dwarf! Grumpy, was it? I didn't know what I was expecting, but I don't think that was it. But I like it.

Do they really think putting a curse on Rumple will work, though?

Sigh. Of course the car is crashed. And of course she's having the baby.

Ewwww. He's so gross.

Okay. Ella is trying to get him to sign with the special quill, but he's acting like he knows something. I'm sure he does, but it's so creepy and I don't like it. I mean, at least he signed it, but what does he mean that all magic comes with a price? I'm sure I'll find out soon.

What has he done to the husband??? Sigh.

I don't understand this person's obsession with making deals and contracts and such. Maybe I just don't know much about Rumple in general.

WAIT!

Who is the mayor sleeping with??? I thought she had a meeting??? What is happening??????

What is Henry's code name for Emma? I want to know...

I like how he dropped a shoe running up the stairs. Seems fitting for the episode.

Aww. The boyfriend came to the hospital and brought little baby shoes! That's adorable.

Okay, so Emma is going to become a sheriff. Interesting. She's setting down roots apparently.

Oh. My. God. No. Way.

The sheriff is sleeping with the mayor?!?!?!?!

What is life. I don't even know. I can't process what even happened in that episode. I just. I need a moment. it just makes me want to keep watching but also not because the mayor and the sheriff?? No. Just no.

Until next time. xx

OUAT S1E3

Yesterday afternoon I treated myself to the next episode of Once Upon A Time after I finished one of my classes. It was a nice little treat, if I do say so myself. I'm really starting to find myself falling in love with the characters.

Let's begin!

Normally I get tried of when shows do the whole recap thing, but I really like the one they have at the beginning of episodes. That might be because there's such a stretch between times that I watch it, but who knows?

The scenery in the fairy tale realm is beautiful. I would like to live there, I think.

Now these people in the carriage. Honestly, I didn't recognise Charming right off. But this blonde woman is just weird to me. I don't think I like her.

When he was looking at the tree, I just wanted to scream at him that there was someone behind him, but naturally he didn't hear me.

It got a bit intense when the person stole the horse and everything. But, oh! When I realised it was Snow White who was stealing the things, that's when I made the connection in my head that this man was Prince Charming. About time, too...

Awkward first date scenes make me feel so much secondhand embarrassment for people...even though they're fictional. And the guy she is with is total trash. Like does he have to check out the waitress' butt? And then be so obvious about it? Sigh...

It's still very weird to me how Emma is talking with her mother but doesn't quite believe it's her mother. And also that her mother doesn't realise it either. Also the fact that in this world, she kinda isn't really her mother. Weird.

Ah!! Back at the hospital! I knew this was significant. Little Henry in there with the man who is the prince but is in a coma. Lovely. It's so sad how he's just a John Doe. He doesn't have anyone.

And there's Henry trying to start something. Bless. "I found your father. He's in a coma." Like I understand that everything is steaming from the curse, but like can't there be another reason for things? I suppose not. Anyway.

The whole idea of playing along with Henry to prove to him that his assumptions are wrong is actually a great idea, and it would totally work IF HE WERE ACTUALLY WRONG.

I really think it's so cute how she's sitting in the hospital just reading to him. Like it's super adorable and really sweet.

HOLY CANNOLI HE JUST GRABBED HER HAND!?!? WHAT.

Ugh. This doctor doesn't know anything. I don't like him...... WAIT. Why is he talking to the mayor?? What does the mayor have to do with this??? Ughhhhhh.... I hate her.

Awww. Okay so this whole fairy tale flashback thing is the story of how they met!! So cute!!! I love how sassy they are with one another. It literally makes me so happy. I want a relationship like that.

Alright. Why is the "John Doe" missing? Who did this? I bet it was the mayor... I never liked her. Oh, the security tapes were switched? Who did that?? Anyway, apparently he did get up and just waltz out of the hospital. Wait!! He went into the woods!!! What is wrong with him??

So apparently Snow White did something to the queen to ruin her life... What did she do? I need details... It must have been huge for her to do all of this nonsense to get revenge.

Snow is such a feisty one! She can really take care of herself...until henchmen come out. Then she's in a heap of mess and Charming is in the river so he's of no help.

Welp. I take that back. He just came out of nowhere. He's so lovely...and a great shot. But okay can we talk about how he saved her because it was honourable? Because that is the cutest. Aaaaannddddd now we're right back to the sass. Love it.

I don't like the trolls. They're creepy, and I don't like it. Oooh. Fight scene. Things get out of hand quickly in this series. Wait!! Is she just going to leave him there?! Oh. Oh! Ooooh. She turned the trolls into cockroaches. That's gross but also great? Wait. She saved him because it was the honourable thing to do!!! Be still my heart. I also like that his name is James.

So they're all searching in the woods for this guy... Because that seems so smart. But I might do the same thing actually. Is it significant that there was an "r" added to the sign? OOOOOhhhhh!!! Probably because of the trolls in the fairy tale part of the story. It all adds up. Look at that. Wait! He's there! He's unconscious! Lovely!

But wait again!! She brings him back!! She saves him again!!! I'm so overwhelmed!!

Okay, seriously though. Who is the blonde woman, and why is the mayor here?

His name is "David". What is wrong with you. You're not his wife. You're a poop head.

But Snow and Charming!!! "You'll find me." "Always." I CAN'T EVEN.

Well apparently the blonde and "David" had been fighting and were separated. Sigh. This is not a second chance. You're just ugh. I don't like you.

Why is the mayor so full of crap?? You didn't hear him calling out for "Catherine" on any security tapes. Liar.

But wait!! He is looking fondly at Mary!! Yes!! She is your true love!!! WAIT SHE IS WEARING THE RING OH MY GOSH SHE IS WEARING THE RING SEND HELP

Aww. Emma decided to stay with her!! Yay!!!

Wow. That was an emotional episode. Thankfully they were a lot of happy emotions. For some reason I got really into this episode. But that's totally okay. I loved it. Now that the semester is over, I'll hopefully get to watch the next episode soon.

Until then.

xx

All things come to an end

I always find myself getting incredibly nostalgic when things start to come to an end.

For example, when I found myself nearing the end of my time at Berean, I got all sappy because I was leaving the place I had known for thirteen years. When the Where We Are Tour ended a few months ago, I got very sad and spent a good four hours going though all my photos and videos from my shows.

I know, those are two very different circumstances, but they still provoked the same feelings of nostalgia and those "warm fuzzies".

But I'm approaching a different kind of end. A chapter that I didn't think would end very soon is suddenly getting an abrupt stop.

My time at Bryan College is coming to an end.

Yep. When this semester finishes, so will my tenure at Bryan. And I'm scared as hell.

I wish I could say that I'm leaving because they're giving me a degree. But that isn't the case. I'm essentially dropping out.

As I'm typing this, I'm procrastinating on packing my things to move back home. Oops.

But sometimes you just need to spend a few moments to reflect and allow the thoughts swirling around in your head to find a resting place on the white space of a page or screen.

I don't know exactly what's coming next for me. I have ideas that I want to pursue and ways to be creative and further break out of my introvert shell. But mostly I'll be working, saving money, paying off debt, you know...being an adult. It's going to be an odd transition moving back home. But it's where I feel I need to be as I start this next chapter.

Don't get me wrong. I still think education is important and highly valued. Right now, though, it just isn't for me. It took me awhile to be comfortable with this notion and accept it for myself. But I'm so incredibly happy with my decision now.

I want to share a video that I came across just a little bit ago as I was wasting more time on YouTube. Well, I say wasting time, but it's actually turned out to be a really good thing. It's an inspiring video that I hope speaks to you in some way.

But anyway, back to the feelings of nostalgia...

I know that when I do leave this place, I'll look back on it with fond memories. Yes, some not so fabulous things happened while I was here, but that's life. The good does outweigh the bad. Whenever I think back on Bryan and my time spent here, it will be full of those warm fuzzies.

xx

OUAT S1E2

So because I found myself with some leisure time, I decided to treat myself to the next episode of Once Upon a Time.  It's been quite a long time since I've watched a show like this that builds on a storyline as the season progress. So I've forgotten how much detail and backstory needs to be packed into the first season to set the scene for all those who are watching. I've also forgotten how much I love it.

Alright. The episode opens with a concise recap of the last episode. Always helpful to see when you aren't binge watching a show.

They've brought up the clock moving again. And apparently not everyone notices, but Henry and Snow White's character (I forget her name...oops) do notice and it looks as though something clicks in their minds.  (I later learn that this is because it's the beginning stages of the curse being broken. Exciting!)

So the mayor/evil queen has her hands on this book, right? And she is taking some time to look through the pages, maybe to see if she remembers something, I don't know. But she comes to the end and some pages are missing!! Naturally she goes to Henry to find out where they are, and Henry is just his sassy little self. She also sees that the clock is moving and appears to be distraught over it.

Also! Apples!! Don't take the apples!!! Sigh. She is trying way to hard to get Emma to leave. All these threats are just getting out of hand.

Flashbacks are my favourite. Okay. So what I'm gathering from this is that the old guy and the mirror know that this is a bad idea. And apparently villains all know each other and are "friends" kinda.  I love this look for Maleficent.  And I'm also jealous of her miniature unicorn. I am a bit disappointed in the graphics during this scene, but I'm a bit spoiled by what we have today.

So the scene with all of them parked around the campfire is a bit strange. I'm not sure who all of these folks are, but I'm pretty sure they aren't pleasant folks. I don't like the fact that she had to kill something for that heart. Apparently she killed a horse? Sad for the horse, but at least it wasn't a human. Wait. Did the curse not work? Okay. That's cool, I guess.

Ugh!! They make it seem like the hot guy is buying her a drink and it turns out it's just the kid. Sigh. But I guess that makes more sense. Even though I do love the hot sheriff. Anyway.

So everyone in the town lives in a haze.  They don't know anything about their past life.  It's such a strange concept you know? Like they all just showed up in this place. Wait. She's talking to her mother. It looks like she understands who she is talking to!!! Too much. Okay.

I'm not a huge fan of this therapist. He seems like he's up to something. No normal therapist would be acting this way about a patient... OH MY GOSH LOOK AT THAT HE IS WORKING WITH THE MAYOR DUMB DUMB DUMB DUMB DUMB. Whyyyyyyyyy?????

Ooooh. But hello hot sheriff. Coming to arrest Emma on FALSE CHARGES. But I mean what else did I expect coming from the mayor. This is her second time in prison in two episodes. Fabulous.

Ughhhhh. The stupid mayor interrupting the lesson to tell her son what she's done but make it look like Emma is a "con woman". You're dumb. You're the con woman. Get a life. Way to be sassy, little Henry. Way. To. Be. Sassy.

Aww. Here comes Henry with the teacher to bail her out. And it looks like Emma is going to take matters into her own hands.

Oooooh!!! Taking a chainsaw to the tree. I love it. "You're move." This will only end well.

This old guy keeps popping up and talking sense. I really like him. But the evil queen just seems so hopeless. I feel bad for her, but at the same time... I don't.

But okay, this old guy in prison. Rumplestiltskin? He's crazy. But he also seems really important. Oh!! He's the one who "owns the town" in the non-flashback world. Okay. Anyway. So apparently the heart of the horse didn't cut it because there's something or someone she loves more. Well I should hope so.

Hahaha. "No felons" city ordinance. Woman is kicking Emma out of the hotel because the mayor just called to inform her of the law. Lovely.

Oh I just love looking at the sheriff. He's so pretty. And he is also talking sense to the mayor. Which is a major plus. But, Lord, I really hate the mayor. Trying to make nice but secretly turning Henry against Emma. I only have not nice words for her.

Oooh. Another flashback. My fave. I think it's funny how his face just appears in whatever mirror is closest. Oh, the old guy is back. And praise the Lord he is talking sense. Wait. She's talking like she's going to kill him. WAIT. THAT IS HER FATHER. OH MY GOD NO. THIS IS THE PERSON SHE LOVES AND SHE IS GOING TO MURDER HIM FOR HIS HEART SO SHE CAN CAST A CURSE?!?!?! No. Way. I can't. WHY IS SHE APOLOGISING AND SAYING SORRY???? YOU CAN'T BE THAT SORRY.

Okay. So, yes burn the pages. Get on Henry's good side. Try and figure this nonsense out. Because Lord knows it needs to happen. Ugh.

Oh no. Here it comes. She's just throwing her father's heart in the fire like it's almost nothing. WAIT. Her father's name is HENRY. HENRY. THE NAME OF HER SON.

Lord help. Okay. So what I'm gathering from the conversation between the mayor and this guy is that they probably remember more about their past lives than they lead on... Oh, snap. Did this Rumple guy find Henry and bring him to the mayor??? What does he know?!!???!

Ugh. I hate the ending of episodes when there are still so many questions to be answered. But I think it's safe to say that I'm basically obsessed now. I look forward to getting caught up with current episodes before they start happening again.

Until next time.

xx

OUAT S1E1

I've done something today.

Instead of going to sleep early since I've been so exhausted from life, I allowed myself to be talked into doing something that I've considered doing for awhile.

I started watching Once Upon A Time.

All of my friends who watch it have told me time and time again that I need to watch it. I kept putting it off, telling them I would watch it when I found the time for it. Well, after a lot of peer pressure from Justin...tonight was the night I started it.

Not only did he talk me into starting the series, Justin also suggested I blog about me watching the episodes. So that's what I'm going to do. I'm not sure on what type of format this will take, whether it be recap and reaction or just mainly reaction. I just don't know. All I know is that my mind was just blown.

If you know me very well, you'll know that Snow White isn't one of my favourite Disney films. So when the show opened with Snow White and the dwarfs and Prince Charming, I was a bit disappointed. But I need to keep reminding myself that this isn't Disney and she doesn't have the annoying voice. Anyway.

I immediately dislike the Evil Queen lady. Which makes sense... You're not typically supposed to like villains.

The whole going back and forth between timelines (I guess that's what you'd call them? Maybe storyline is a better term...) is interesting. Especially with what they're trying to get the audience to realise in sequence. I like it.

The actress playing Emma is one that I enjoy watching. Ever since she was on House, MD, I've enjoyed watching her in things. This kid being her son is a bit weird. As is the fact that she's just getting in a car to take him back to his home. Bit strange.

The guy in the dungeon type place is crazy. I forget who he is. But he cray.

Oh! The kid's shrink's dog. I like him. Justin told me he was Pongo. That excites me greatly. Also Prince Charming cursing (if saying "hell" is considered cursing?) is pretty cool. It's weird to see fairytale characters in that light.

But okay. This sheriff guy (who I was later told is the Huntsman) is SO attractive. I could really get into this show.

So I noticed that the teacher was Snow White before it dawned on me that the mayor is the Evil Queen. Oops.

Pretty sure I got emotional after Snow gave birth. Like her husband is taking their child away when the curse is coming and she won't see her baby for like 28 years. It's crazy.

Side note. The clock doesn't move? I'm sure there's significance to this....

I got really anxious when he put the child in the wardrobe. Infants shouldn't be placed somewhere like that. It's common sense. BUT THEN THAT EVIL CURSE GUY KILLED HIM. Ugh. Not okay.

Now this is when I decided that this kid Henry was kinda okay. I like him. He's snarky while being heartfelt. Justin hates him and says I'll grow tired of him soon. We shall see.

When Emma goes back to the house and chats with the mayor, I come to the realisation that the mayor is a huge bitch. Like crossing over into uncharted territory for a fairytale character. I don't like it but I kinda love it? Also, she knows about the book apparently. Or at least that it's a real thing. Lying *insert expletive here*.

Moving on...

The teacher!!! Snow White!!! In the hospital!!! Prince Charming is there!!! Wahhhhh!!!!!!

I remember texting Justin at this point saying that this was really trippy. I don't recall why, though. But I'm sure it was valid.

Oh, wait. The kid watched the clock move. It like moved when Emma decided to stay for the week. I knew that was important!!!!!

So that was fun. I'm actually really excited to watch the whole show now. It's taking so much willpower to not watch the next episode. Hopefully blogging about each of them will help curb my addiction to binge watching shows. We shall see!

Until next time.

xx

because a thankful heart is a happy heart

The fourth Thursday in November is the day that we folks here in America celebrate Thanksgiving. It's a time where we gather together with family and friends and eat a large meal whilst focusing on the things we're most thankful for. It's a wonderful thing, if you think about it.

Now, I'm currently sat in bed preparing to head to bed because I have to be at work at 5 o'clock in the morning. But before I drift off into dreamland, I wanted to push pause on my overly hectic life and spend some time going over the things that I'm truly thankful for.

This post isn't going to be long, dear reader. I've already taken Tylenol and can feel it beginning to kick in. But I do hope it's as beneficial to you as it will be for me. Taking time to be thankful is important in helping us to realise just how blessed we really are.

1. My mum and dad.
2. My job.
3. My relationship with God.
4. The internet.
5. Social media. Specifically tumblr and twitter.
6. Music.
7. One Direction.
8. YouTube.
9. Bubble baths.
10. Rain showers and thunderstorms.
11. My best friend Michelle.
12. Being able to cook and bake in my kitchen.
13. My dear friend Justin.
14. All of my wonderful friends I've met through tumblr: Callie, Sam, Krissy, Abby, Lauren, Meg, Amanda, Julia, and many more.
15. My roommate Lexi and suitemate Megan.
16. My RAs Stacie and Kaite.
17. Other friends from Bryan like Rachel, Katie and Josiah.
18. My pillow pet.
19. Good books.
20. Steaming cups of tea.
21. Warm mugs of coffee.
22. Conversations with Mr. Palmer.
23. The kinda weather that reminds me of London.
24. Twinkle lights.
25. Starbucks.
26. Fireplaces.
27. Memories.
28. Meaningful conversations.
29. Puppies and kittens. (Also the adult versions of these animals.)
30. Dark chocolate.

While that is by no means a complete list of what I am thankful for, it is definitely enough to put a smile on my face and remind me of what is most important in my life. But now it is time for me to sleep. There's a lot that is happening in the life of Brittany coming up here soon. All will spill out in blog form soon enough.

xx

there's a reason we're all gathered here together

Humans are relational beings.

This is a statement that I've heard countless times growing up.  In church, in school, in conversation, in chapel, and countless other places.

In my younger years, I attended a private school that was kindergarten through 12th grade. In the thirteen years I spent at that establishment, I grew up with the same core group of people for the majority of those years. I really took those friendships for granted. Making friends at Berean was so easy because it was small. I was forced to be with these people five days a week, eight hours (sometimes more) a day.

College was completely different.

I came to Bryan during a time when I was really struggling with my self worth. Several of my friendships I had garnered during my high school years had fizzled out, and the common denominator was me. I blamed myself for the "failed" friendships. And to an extent, yes it was partially my fault. But not to the lengths that I took it.

Anyway. For the most part, my first two years on this campus consisted of me not speaking unless spoken to, not branching out and making friends, and certainly not being relational. Part of that came from my own insecurities. But a greater part came from fear. I didn't want to be rejected. Rejection always takes me to a dark place, reminds me of a dark time in my life. Sometimes even the fear of it sends me sprinting down that path.

The point of this post is for me to reflect on reasons why I personally am a relational being. I began to accept this fact after I allowed myself to open up to people and develop friendships. There have been several times where I've questioned myself as to why I allowed certain people into my life, but it's been during those times that I've been reminded that God is sovereign and uses all kinds of situations in ways that I can't even imagine.

So, now that all of that has been said, I want to take some time and brag on some of the people who make me thankful that I'm a relational being. This by no means is going to be an exhaustive list. These are just a small handful of the people who mean the most to me.

My best friend since preschool is Michelle. She and I have been friends since we were old enough to carry on conversations. We met one day at her church's preschool program. From there, we attended Berean together until sophomore year when she transferred to another school. We kinda drifted a bit during the rest of our high school careers. It was difficult to find time for each other with our varying schedules. But our families always got together for the holidays and birthdays and other special occasions. And Michelle and I always picked up right where we left off, no matter how much time had passed. We're at separate universities, but our friendship has never been stronger. She's my go-to girl whenever I need to talk about anything and everything, especially when I'm driving back to campus after being at work. Haha. She's so special to me; she's the sister I never had. I can't imagine my life without her.

There are two girls that I met through tumblr that have seriously become two of my best friends. The first is Callie. I stumbled upon her blog one day during the summer and just struck up conversation with her. We had the common interest of One Direction. Now, almost two and a half years later, she and I are like sisters. We've had our ups and downs, but she and I are absolutely inseparable. We've traveled the world together, gone on mini road trips, and enjoyed many a concert with each other. The second is Sam. I met Sam through a group of women who love One Direction on tumblr who all posted under the same tag. I decided to join in on the tag because one of the people I loved was a part of the group. After I joined, I found myself on Sam's blog asking her a question about potatoes of all things. And that's when our friendship formed. I've only known her for a few months, but she has quickly become like a sister to me. Both of these women are incredible. They both mean the world to me. I don't want to even think about what it would be like to not have them in my life.

At Bryan, there are seven women who immediately come to mind when I think about the friendships that I've made over the years. They've all been there for me during difficult times, joyous times, stressful times, and exciting times. My former roommates Erin and Rachel and current roommate Lexi have all taught me lessons in grace and love. In the months that I lived with these three ladies, I have grown and continue to grow and learn about myself in ways that I didn't know were possible. The same can be said for my current suitemate Megan. You don't realise how much of a blessing a person can be until you live with them. Heather is one of those rare finds. She was in my life group my sophomore year, and I can't tell you how amazing it was to watch her grow during her freshman year at Bryan. Now, she is one of my dearest friends. We understand each other unlike most. It's truly special. The final two women are Stacie and Katie. I can't say enough good things about these two. They have been there for me during times when I've needed them the most, as well as times when I didn't even know that I needed them. They're always there to offer prayer or encouragement or even just a listening ear. I love all seven of these girls so much. My time at Bryan would not be what it is and has been without them.

The final person I want to talk about is actually the one who inspired me to write this post. Justin and I met freshman year. But for some reason, we remained acquaintances until about halfway through junior year. We rekindled our friendship while we were in London, and we've essentially been inseparable ever since. Justin is one of those people who has a lot of friends that he talks to and hangs out with, but he always makes you feel like you're the most important person when he's with you. At least that's how it is with me. He's one of the few people I know I can always go to who will help to bring me back down to reality and reassure me of things that I already know to be true. Just the other night, I was really struggling with a few things. I was chatting with him like normal, and he simply reminded me of things that I had known to be true but just needed to hear again. Sometimes, that's the best quality to have in a friend. I honestly can't even fathom life without him in it. It just doesn't seem possible.

There are times when I still struggle with maintaining friendships because I've seen how quickly they can crumble. But all I need to do is think about just one of these folks and those thoughts just disappear.

I'm so glad that I am a relational being. And you know why? Because life would be pretty meaningless without relationships.

there's the unthinkable and the thinkable unthinkable

Sometimes the unthinkable happens.

And, you know, sometimes the unthinkable isn't quite so unthinkable.

I'm currently sat on the couch at my friends' apartment. I decided to take my fall break and spend it up in Knoxville, Tennessee with Lex and Em. It's been really great to get away from life and school and work and responsibilities for a few days.

But tomorrow I head back to reality.

And I'm not looking forward to it.

You see, "reality" has now turned into this thing that is more than I want to deal with right now. I don't want to sound like I'm complaining, but I just can't deal with everything right now.

Mum has cancer...again. About a month ago, she felt a knot in her right forearm. The weeks that followed were a whirlwind of doctor's appointments and tests. It ended when she had surgery two weeks ago. Last Tuesday I went with mum to her followup appointment. That's when we learned that the tumour that was in her arm was a sarcoma, the same type as her second cancer in 1999.

This is an example of when the unthinkable isn't quite so unthinkable.

I did actually have a point to this post. It was all mapped out (in my head) and it was going to be surface level exposure of my thoughts and super positive and uplifting.

But that isn't reality. That isn't how life always is.

It's one thing for you to be a young child and have one of your parents develop cancer. It's a completely different thing to be an adult and have one of your parents develop cancer.

Before this past weekend, I was a wreck. On the outside, I was okay. I was just a normal college student struggling through the week before fall break, stressing over the few remaining things that needed to be done before leaving town for a few days. I didn't want people to know how I was really feeling about my mum. I kinda opened up to a friend on tumblr, but it was a struggle to just be completely open and honest with her.

Now that I'm facing the end of break and the start of going back to reality, I'm realising that I haven't overcome any of this. And that sucks. A lot.

I wanted to be over this. Well, at least as "over this" as I could possibly be. But I'm not.

The thing is, I know what I have to do. But I'm being stubborn and not wanting to reach out to the one that I know can and will help me. And I have no excuse for that.

Honestly... I think that's the most unthinkable thing about this ordeal.

venues that look like tents, coming full circle, and the best night of my life

The events that occurred Wednesday have been a very long time coming.

On 26 November 2013 I purchased two VIP tickets to see One Direction on 1 October 2014. They were the first tickets I had ever bought to see One Direction. I remember bursting into tears as soon as the order confirmation popped up.

There were three hundred and ten days (that's 310 for folks who like numerals) that transpired between the day those tickets were purchased and the best night of my life. They flew by faster than I could have ever anticipated.

On the final day of September, I made my way from Dayton down to my home in Chattanooga. One of my best friends, Jasmine, was going to be attending the show with me. During the summer, she and I see each other at least once a week, but since school started back up, we hadn't really seen each other in well over a month. And the fact that the reason we were finally seeing each other was because of One Direction was just too much to deal handle. After I got into town, I picked Jas up from her house, and the two of us made a Walmart run to get a few things, including poster making supplies. Once back at my house we spent our evening watching the iHeart Radio Festival on the television, making posters and Skyping with Sam for awhile. Bedtime came kinda early for the two of us; we had to be up at 6:30.

The morning of the concert my body woke me up at 5 o'clock in the morning to pee. Naturally once I was awake the excitement of what was going to happen that evening kept me up and alert. Mum made breakfast for us: pancakes and sausage. It was quite delicious. My goal was to be on the road by 8:30. We pulled out of my driveway at 8:15. I had to pat myself on the back at that. Jas and I ran by her house to get her camera, filled up the tank in Georgia Rose, and stopped at Starbucks for our morning caffeine supply. Before we knew it, we were on the interstate heading to Atlanta. Because of my stellar driving abilities, we arrived in Atlanta in under two hours. We couldn't check into our hotel until 1:30, so we decided to kill some time by going to IKEA. Best. Decision. Ever. IKEA is probably one of my favourite places in the entire world. Jas had never been, so it was fun watching her experience the magicalness for the first time. To kill time we tried to go to The Cheesecake Factory, but this plan failed when we couldn't find a place to park. They wanted $7 to park my car for me... That was not happening. So we decided to head on to the hotel, even though we were going to be early. But on our way into downtown, we drove past a sign that looked familiar. Turns out we were in Buckhead. There's a Bed Bath and Beyond there, so naturally I wanted to stop in and pay them a visit. After that mini excursion, we actually went to the hotel. I think we drove past it three times trying to figure out the best way to pull up to the curb. Oops. But we finally got there and this nice young man with an adorable accent came over and helped me unload my car. Check in went smoothly, except for the fact that they only had a room with two double beds available at the time. Because we're easy to please, we went ahead and took it. Honestly we were just ready to put our stuff down and relax for a bit before getting ready for the show. Side note: the valet guy was adorable and had a super cute accent. He remembered me the next day as the girl who told him to "take care of my baby". What a thing to be remembered by. Anyway, we spent about an hour and a half getting ready. Once we were satisfied with how we both looked, we took a couple of selfies, and set off for the Dome. It probably took about fifteen minutes for us to walk there. I was a bit surprised by how few people were already at the venue when we arrived a little bit after three o'clock. I led the two of us over to the VIP Nation check-in table. And thus began our first queuing adventure of the evening. The line actually moved really fast. They have several people helping with check-in; they were all super friendly and helpful. It started to hit me while in the queue and I could hear soundcheck going on inside the Dome. But it quickly fled as I tried not to think about it. The pre-party started at 4:30. There were nachos, ice cream sundaes, music, drinks (only water and soda...lame), crowd free merchandise shopping... It was all very lovely. The doors opened for the general public at 5. So around 5:10 I decided to use the restroom and then head to our seats. The Georgia Dome is MASSIVE. LP Field in Nashville was big, but the Dome was no comparison. Because it was an enclosed space, everything seemed to be magnified. It was so amazing and electric. To my right were two very nice girls. I cannot remember their names, but they were so lovely. Now, for those of you who read my Nashville blog, you'll know that I had really good seats for that show. But for Atlanta...I just can't even describe it to you.

Anyway. Let's talk about the concert, shall we?

As per usual, 5 Seconds of Summer took stage about ten minutes late. But of course we forgave them because they're precious and adorable and wonderful and talented and Australian.  For some reason, their set seemed shorter than it did in Nashville. Honestly, I don't remember them playing for more than an hour, probably even less. But they were still fantastic. After seeing them again, I'm even more excited for the Rock Your Socks Off tour next year. Michael had just recently redone his red hair, so as he started to sweat, it dripped down his face. It wasn't as bad as the iTunes Festival, but still humorous. I remember them exiting the stage and sitting down and looking at Jas and the girl next to me and smiling and saying something along the lines of "that was amazing". Because it was. Those boys know how to play to and entertain a crowd. Let's be real though... 5SOS seemed so short because I was totally focused on One Direction. Honestly.

The lights came up, people started breaking down the 5SOS set, and folks started milling around.  Jas and I stayed in our seats. I don't think we could have really walked about to be honest. I was feeling overwhelmed; she was feeling overwhelmed. Those 310 days of waiting was finally coming down to this. As 8:45 loomed closer, they stopped playing videos on the screens and started playing music that pretty much everyone should know. It was fun to see so many people dancing and singing along to different songs. But then it got to be nine o'clock...and there was still no One Direction on stage in front of me. The crowd was growing restless. I remember sitting there as each song came to an end hoping and praying that would be the moment that the lights would go out and the mashup of songs would start playing. That moment didn't come until about twenty after nine. The lights went out, the screams became deafening, the band came on stage, the video started playing. The entire arena was absolutely buzzing. As the video ended and the boys entered the stage, I completely lost all mental capabilities.

This show was very different from Nashville. And I'm honestly not entirely sure why that is. I'm sure that part of it has to do with all of the buildup that occurred during the months leading up to the show. Whatever the reason, it was just grander and bigger and completely amplified. The setlist was the same, but it was different. They boys had so much energy. They were all dancing around the stage, interacting with fans, singing their hearts out, and having a great time. If you want to read a song-by-song analysis, please check out my previous post here. This concert wasn't so much about the music and the songs, as it was about the experience of being there and seeing my favourite boys so close. Standout moments include Niall saying "same old shit, but a different day", which is always a crowd favourite. There was a moment, I cannot remember when, where Harry decided to direct the audience like they were a choir. He reminded me of DW here at Bryan. (Snaps for you if you understand that reference.) During Moments and Little Things, Niall and Louis were smack dab in front of me. I swear to you I lost my mind. Moments is the reason I fell in love with Louis Tomlinson; seeing and hearing it live with them being that close me just made me realise how much I do love him. Oh, and we can't forget to talk about the proposal that happened. I swear, Harry Styles is trying to kill me. First in Nashville he picks up a child who's having a birthday. And then here in Atlanta he helps a guy propose to his girlfriend who also happened to be having a birthday that day. So of course since there was an actual proposal, Harry had to propose to Liam. Losers. I just love all of them so much. Okay. I'm getting off topic a bit. So I had a sign that said "Harry tell us a joke" on it. And there was a time during the show when Liam and Harry both went offstage to go to the bathroom or something. During this time Niall decided that they should kill time by telling jokes. I am choosing to believe that the reason they decided to tell jokes is because they saw my sign. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Also there was a moment when I made direct eye contact with Harry and he smiled at me and gave me a thumbs up. I almost passed out right then and there. But I think the biggest thing that happened during the show was when they did their big thank you to the band. In Nashville, they introduced the members separately, and they all played their own little song. But in Atlanta they did something different. Maybe it's because they were running behind; maybe they planned it from the start of the night. I don't really know. The first time One Direction toured, they sang a cover song of Use Somebody. I have always loved that song. Now, after the Up All Night tour and they stopped singing it, I was very upset. But. On Wednesday. When they did their massive thank you to the band. And the band started playing a song. They started playing Use Somebody. I started to lose my mind. When it dawned on me what they were playing, I lost it. And then they started singing it. Oh. My. God. I got the whole thing on video, and it's so funny watching it back because you can hear when I figure out what's going on because I freak out. I sobbed the entire song. It essentially made up for me not being able to hear them sing Teenage Dirtbag. It was completely perfect.

The show didn't end until after eleven o'clock. And the crew at the arena was on top of getting things cleaned up. It took forever to get out of the Dome, though. I remember texting my friend Josiah around midnight telling him that we were walking back to the hotel. That was a lie. First we met up with our friend Layla! It was so nice to finally meet her. We chatted for a bit before actually walking back to the hotel. When we got back to the hotel, we stopped at this corner store and got sandwiches. The man who ran it was so nice. It was close to 12:40 when we finally made it to our room. Jas and I spent the next two hours learning how to breathe again, texting everyone we knew assuring them we were alive, and reliving the concert through all of our pictures and videos. It was well after three o'clock when I finally fell asleep.

I can honestly say that this was the best night of my life. Going to London was a dream come true; seeing the boys in Nashville was spectacular. But this night in the Georgia Dome was more than I could have ever dreamed or hoped it would be. Now I can't wait until the next tour when I can do it all over again with my favourite people in the entire world.

an evening spent with a couple of guitars and my favourite ginger

There are few people in the world that leave me speechless.

There are even fewer people who can leave me speechless for an extended period of time.

Ed Sheeran is one of those people.

Last friday I traveled down to Atlanta. It ended up taking me a bit over five hours to get from Dayton to just outside the city. I met up with my best friend Michelle and one of her roommates from college, Cristina. We collected ourselves at Cristina's house before grabbing a quick bite of dinner and making our way to the Gwinnett Centre.

It was a bit strange stepping into the arena when the last concert venue I had been to was a stadium. The size was underwhelming at first. But as it started filling up, it had a very cozy feel to it.

Ed's opening act was a group hailing from London called Rudimental. Wikipedia describes them as "liquid funk", "jungle", "soul" and even "electronica". I suppose that's a good way to describe them. They're an eclectic bunch, that's for sure. There was only one song of theirs that I recognised. I couldn't tell you the name of it, but I hear it on BBC Radio 1 every so often. It's a tune for sure.

There was a small break between sets. A stage crew came out and tore down all of Rudimental's paraphernalia. They replaced the multiple instruments, risers, and microphones with four speakers, two microphones, and one loop pedal. Needless to say, it was a simple setup.

When Ed stepped on stage, the entire arena erupted in cheers and applause. He's such a simple guy; you can tell by the way he walks. Dressed in jeans, a t-shirt, and open flannel, he looked comfortable. With a guitar in hand, he was completely in his element. I had zero knowledge of the setlist going into the show. And I actually really enjoyed it that way. I had no way of knowing if he was going to be singing my favourite songs (which he did, just btw). I had no idea of the order in which things were going to happen. Although, I had a suspicion that Sing would be his final song. But that's just because I happen to pay attention to things.

Ed opened with I'm A Mess. Immediately I was blown away by his talent. His voice is just so pure and beautiful. Next was Lego House. It was so cute during this song because the screens behind him played this little animated bit with little Lego people and there was a Lego Ed and then also a Lego Ron Weasley. Pretty sure I smiled like an idiot when I saw that. Following Lego House was Don't. Michelle started hitting me repeatedly (and quite rapidly) when the intro started. Honestly I'm so glad he didn't censor the song while singing it. I think it allowed more emotion to come through, which I loved seeing...and hearing if I'm being honest. Drunk came next. I've pretty much always loved this song, but now I can appreciate it since I've actually been under the influence of quite a bit of alcohol before. Needless to say I was jamming to that one. The next song basically blew me away. I've know Ed has the ability to rap, and I've heard him rap before on album tracks, especially on the new album. But that didn't prepare me to actually hear him rap live. Take It Back is just so catchy and wonderful and even more amazing live. I think I got part of it on video. After that Ed played One. His vocals were stellar. Absolutely phenomenal. The next song was one he wrote with the guys of Rudimental: Bloodstream. I don't remember much of this one, which is unfortunate because it's a lovely record. Tenerife Sea was next. This song is just so beautiful. There's honestly nothing better than a man and his guitar singing songs from the heart. Oh, man. The next song was Runaway, which is great. But then at the end he tacked on a bit of Everybody by Backstreet Boys. My inner 90s fangirl had a mini-meltdown. After this he said that there's a space in the setlist where it's "his choice" and he chose to sing Little Bird. He gave us the backstory behind it, which I already knew, but it was so cool to watch him kinda light up and remember the circumstances that inspired him to write the song. Now I'm sure that there are few people who can make an arena full of people quiet down and just listen to him sing.  As I said before, Ed is one of those people. I'm pretty sure everyone who had a seat was sitting down. I know I was. Ed started singing Afire Love, and I swear to you not a soul was even breathing loudly. I just remember sitting in my seat, recording the song on my phone, and being in awe of the man performing in front of me. Thinking Out Loud was next. I absolutely love this song; I will dance to this song at my wedding...along with Give Me Love, but we'll talk about that later. Ed's voice is just so pure and beautiful. It really shines in this record. My favourite song came next. Give Me Love has been my absolute favourite song ever since I heard it on +. I tried to record it, but my phone ran out of memory halfway through. I cannot put into words how amazing the song is live. He just starts it off and runs with it. He spends roughly ten minutes performing this song, and I loved every second of it. It's full of passion and heart and soul. The "last" song Ed did was I See Fire. Every time I hear this song I just get goose bumps. It's beautifully written and paints an indescribable picture. Naturally after the song he walked off stage. The cheers were so loud. The small venue really amplified the sounds. It was buzzing. A few minutes later, Ed emerged from the side of the stage, smile on his face and guitar in hand. The next song he did is my second favourite. You Need Me, I Don't Need You. I honestly can't tell you how much I absolutely love this song. It has probably the best line ever written in it: "They say I'm up and coming like I'm fucking in an elevator." Gosh, I love it. The live version of this song is absolutely delightful. Ed adds in extra verses, and it's just so good. So, so good. Of course he played The A Team. I can't help but smile when I hear this song. I'm so glad he released it as his first single here in the US. It was a great introduction to the wonder that he is. The night ended with Sing. It was a huge party during that song. Ed had everyone on their feet singing and clapping along with him. When he exited the stage for the final time, I finally felt myself breathing.

It took awhile to come down from my concert high. It was nothing compared to One Direction. Ed's shows are just completely different. You can't compare it to anything. He's in a league of his own.

I will never see another performer like him. I cannot wait until his next tour. I can only hope it's still just him, his guitar, and his loop pedal. There's really nothing better.

The blog about the time I met a tumblr friend, rode in a car with complete strangers, and saw One Direction for the first time

Well, it finally happened.

After days, months, years of waiting...I finally did it.

On Tuesday the 19th of August, I saw One Direction.

It was the greatest experience of my entire life. I cannot even put into words--- Wait. I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me back up a little bit.

The Saturday before the concert, Sam and her friend Miranda came down to Chattanooga for the day. It was the first time I actually saw Sam in person. I knew they had left Nashville, so I was patiently waiting for them to arrive. When I saw them pull into the driveway, I rushed outside. Honestly I'm sure Sam and I did one of those movie hugs where the people look at each other in disbelief that the other person exits and then just accepts the fact that the person is real and standing in front of them and hugs them like there's no tomorrow. Yeah. That happened. After we got over the shock of seeing each other in person (yay for internet friendships!!), we headed out for a fun day in Chattanooga. I took them downtown first. We stopped by the English Rose for lunch. They loved it, I loved it, it was a great time. Then we strolled around the Chattanooga Choo Choo for a bit. Neither Sam nor Miranda had ever heard the Chattanooga Choo Choo song. I was sorely disappointed. But I moved on from my heartbreak and drove them down to Coolidge Park. We walked through the park, over the bridge, around the art district, ate dessert at Rembrants, browsed through some of the shops, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  We finished off our adventure day in Chattanooga by paying a visit to Hamilton Place Mall and a quick trip to the Target.  The drive back to my house was slightly somber, but not as bad as it could have been seeing as how I was heading up to Nashville to spend the next few days with them the following day.

Oh! I feel as though it's important to note that Sam brought me some Peri Peri sauce from Nando's. *heart eyes emoji* It makes me very happy to see that in my refrigerator. Anyway...

I'm such a procrastinator when it come to packing...for anything.  Nashville was no exception. I spent the days leading up to the trip talking about packing and even doing some laundry and thinking about what I wanted to pack. But Sunday arrived and I had done zero packing. Oops. To make a long story short, I ended up getting on the road later than expected (no surprise there).  The drive to Nashville was lovely. I usually stick on a playlist of some sort or listen to specific albums, but this trip I decided to listen to Hits 96 for as long as I could get the station on my radio. I just really wanted the "variety" they played. (This is funny because I normally hate the radio...You may laugh now.)  I was able to enjoy the station for the majority of the drive. The station finally went out of signal about 40 minutes outside of Nashville. Heh. Funny story...they were giving away One Direction tickets every hour or so...I called them each time...despite the fact that I already had a ticket for the show. I'm crazy, I know. You don't have to tell me. But I arrived safely in Nashville at Sam and Miranda's hotel around 5 o'clock.  We spent some time chilling and watching Food Network before getting some dinner. Which, oh my gosh, you guys. Did you know that KFC still sells those famous bowls?!? I didn't know that, neither did Sam. And when we discovered this fact, we went nuts and got us some famous bowls without the cheese.  But then, around 10:30 that evening, Sam gets a text from our friend Krissy. She found out that three of the five boys were on a plane to Nashville. And her guess was that they were flying into the airport two minutes from our hotel. It took Sam and I about ten minutes to decide that we were going to the airport. Miranda was in her little chair in the corner of the room reading her book and giving us these looks. You know, those kinda looks. I get them a lot when One Direction is involved. Anyway. Sam and I arrive at the airport and get the bright idea to have Miranda drop us off so we don't have to pay for parking. We're brilliant, I know. A few minutes later, Miranda is dropping us off and Sam and I are inside the airport looking around. We spotted a couple of girls who were obviously there for the same reason we were, but because we're in our twenties we decided to go upstairs where the gate is and stand creepily but "inconspicuously". Not sure how well we did that. A little while later we received word that their plane had landed. Around this time, two other girls came up the stairs where we were. The older of the two approached a security guard and started asking him questions about where private planes landed. Sam and I attempted to listen to their conversation without seeming like we were. Toward the end of the conversation, the younger of the girls walked over to us and asked if we were there for One Direction. When we concluded that we were all there for the same reason, the older girl came over and gave us a run down on everything. Apparently there was another building on the property where private planes landed. In a rushing of words and scuffling of feet, the four of us were on our way to this building. Now because Sam and I had been dropped off, naturally the only option was to ride with these two girls. So that's exactly what we did. The four of us sauntered out of the airport with purpose, making sure not to give away any information to the other girls waiting in the baggage claim. While walking to the girls' car, we made swift introductions. They were sisters, Ainslee (the older one) and Lizzy (the younger one). The four of us then proceeded to spend the next several hours driving around the airport, hotel hopping, and general One Direction scouting shenanigans. In the span of about four hours, I gained valuable information on hotel security and policy, learned the secret underground society of valets, met some wonderful (and a couple not so wonderful) One Direction fans, and broke my mother's rule of not getting in cars with strangers... Sorry, mum. Around three o'clock in the morning, the sisters dropped Sam and me off at our hotel. Miranda was clearly not amused but slightly amused at our adventuring. Despite the fact that we didn't get to meet the boys, we collapsed into bed with smiles on our faces and a determination to not give up the next day.

Monday morning came much earlier than anticipated. That may have been in part due to the fact that we went to bed already in the morning hours. Ah, well. We took our time getting ready. Part of our Nashville adventure entailed meeting up with Krissy, one of our mutual tumblr friends. We decided to meet at Martin's. A barbecue place that had been featured on the Food Network. If it's been on the Food Network, it's gotta be delicious, right? Oh, it was. So good...and cheap, too, which is always great for poor college kids. We all had another one of those movie moment hugs. It was so lovely to finally meet Krissy and also her roommate Heather. As a side note, while we were enjoying our lunch, Niall decided to post his ice bucket challenge video. Sigh. That was terrible but also exciting and awful and simultaneously wonderful. After we finished eating, we devised a plan that gave us what we thought to be our best chance at meeting at least one of the boys. Our first stop was a recording studio that was literally in the middle of what appeared to be suburbs. When we drove past and saw very little action going on there, we headed off to the "rich people" mall. Honestly, I felt so out of place just standing in that place. High end retailers all around. After a lap around the upstairs and downstairs (and witnessing the guy and the Auntie Anne's pretzel place dropping a ball of dough on the ground and putting it back on the tray...yeah, that didn't go unnoticed, bud...), we decided that we had had enough for the time being. School was out and children were bound to be out looking for the boys. Calling a day (for the time being), Sam, Miranda and I headed back to the hotel for awhile before hitting up this really tasty Greek place for dinner. The three of us decided it would be a good idea to call it an early night since we needed to be awake early in the morning to listen to these clues that a radio station was giving out on how to meet 5 Seconds of Summer. Which was all fine and dandy. Until we found out that the boys were indeed out and about in the city. So at about ten o'clock that night, the three of us found ourselves walking around downtown Nashville in search of our boys. Our search lead us to the walking bridge that separated Broadway from LP Field. As we neared the end of the bridge, we could see into the stadium, which actually meant me seeing the stage set up for the first time. Everything that happened after that is a bit of a blur, but I do know that one minute I was standing and the next I was lying on the concrete with my face in my hands doing this odd mixture of laughing and crying. I was just so overwhelmed.  The next hour consisted of the three of us strolling around the field, hoping to catch a glimpse of anyone, and then deciding that since we needed to be awake at six o'clock in the morning we should head back to the hotel and get some sleep.

It's Tuesday. The day has finally come. Holy cannoli. Sam, Miranda and I were awake at six o'clock that morning. We had gotten word that a radio station was giving away clues every hour beginning at like 6:30 or something like that on how to meet 5 Seconds of Summer. We all took turns showering and getting ready for the day while listening to their clues. Right before the last clue, we made our way to the location of the station. There were a good number of young girls, a few guys, and several parents all hanging out and waiting for whatever was going to happen. Once we scoped out where it was, we decided that we needed to get food. (This becomes important later in the story.) We stopped at Panera and had a bite to eat. We arrive at the station just as they announce the final clue: be at the station by 10:30. Great. We were here. And now we wait. For those of us wearing blue (which was everyone who wanted to actually meet them), we put our names into a drawing to win passes to get into the private show they were having with the boys. The drawing took place at noon, and, sadly, none of our names were called. So we headed back over to the hotel to actually get ready for the concert.  We decided to carpool with Krissy and Heather, so we waited on them to pick us up from the hotel. They had VIP (which is what I have for Atlanta) and needed to be at the venue earlier than most. I feel like it's humorous to mention that Sam and Miranda's "friend" Steph was also attending the show with one of her friends. She wanted to ride with all of us...but, and now this is a secret, Sam and Miranda don't actually like Steph. And after meeting her, I can see why. ANYWAY. We're all driving to the field and downtown Nashville is a zoo. Cars everywhere looking for parking. Being the smart people that we are, we pull into the parking lot right outside the stadium and end up a hundred feet from one of the entrances. Sam, Miranda and I say our temporary goodbyes to Krissy and Heather and check out the merch tables before going to stand in line to get in. When they opened the doors around 5:30, we were right in front of the line. They scanned my ticket and I was in the concourse. My heart started to beat a little bit faster at this point. We found our way to the seated area and asked a nice man where we needed to go for field access. He directed us, and off we went down the stairs. I told myself that I wasn't going to look to my right (toward the stage) until we were down there and I could get a proper look at the whole setup. A nice woman at the bottom of the steps gave us wristbands and informed us that we would need our tickets in order to get back on the floor if we ever left for bathroom, refreshments, etc. And then we started walking to our section. And then I looked over to the right. And that's when my life ended for the first time. My breath caught in my throat. My heart started to really race. There it was. The massive stage. The stage where in a couple of hours, my favourite people on the planet will be performing. I started freaking out. A lot. We were the first people actually down on the field. It was so surreal. We made our way to our seats. I was in section E row 19; Sam and Miranda were in section D row something or another that was a couple rows ahead of me... 15, maybe? I don't remember. Not important. We had some time to kill before the show, so we all chatted, and then Steph and her friend showed up so we chatted some more and made awkward introductions. About half an hour before showtime, I went back to my seat and sat watching the different things they were showing on the big screens: music videos, One Direction adverts, and then finally the cute safety video. A little after seven, 5 Seconds of Summer took the stage. They were so good and so high energy. I loved their performance. I was able to sing along to almost every song they did, which made me feel really good about myself. Michael was a little prankster and took Calum's mic out of it's stand and set it on the ground when he wasn't looking right before his solo in one of the songs. It was precious. I'm still highly impressed at how talented Ashton, Michael, Calum, and Luke are. And I'm so glad they opened for they boys again on this tour. After their set, the stage people went about their business of resetting the stage for One Direction. They had music videos and the like playing again on the big screens to keep people occupied. Sam is one of those people who pees a lot when she's nervous, so she and I went off on a mini adventure to the bathrooms. There were so many people. It was nearly impossible to walk in a straight line anywhere. Sam and I were standing in line for me to get a drink (which was ridiculously expensive) when Miranda texted her saying that she needed to use the bathroom. Now, Sam and Miranda didn't trust Steph and her friend, so they wanted to make sure at least one of them was in their seats the entire time. So Sam abandoned me, and I was left to get my drink and head back to my seat alone. Heh. The look on the dad's face who was sitting next to me when I came back with my drink...I'm pretty sure it was a mixture of shock that I was over 21 and jealousy because he could use a couple himself. I feel ya, bud. It was finally getting dark now. My nerves were shot. That might be because I hadn't eaten since about 9:30 that morning. Or the fact that I was about to freaking see One Direction for the first time ever!!! Yeah, still not over that. But then it happened. The lights went out. The intro video started playing. People all around me were screaming. I was screaming. I remember vividly seeing Harry Styles on the screen and starting to tear up because he wasn't just an image on a screen anymore; I was about to see him in person. The band is on stage now. They've all taken their places. The video is ending. The cheering has escalated. And there they are. Harry, Louis, Niall, Liam, and Zayn walk on stage. Microphones in hand, looking so real and so fabulous. And then Harry opens him mouth. And that's where I lose every bit of my sanity that was left. I down the rest of my drink and proceed to spend the next almost two hours screaming, singing, crying, dancing, and having the absolute best time of my life. If I had ever doubted how much I loved One Direction, those doubts were erased tenfold. Between the friendly banter between bandmates, the interactions with the crowd, and their unending energy, I can honestly say I've never been to a more entertaining show.

I'm gonna break it down a bit for you now. They opened with Midnight Memories. It was so electric. Everyone was going crazy. The boys were loving it. I was loving it. Oh, side note, Niall actually said "same old shit, but a different day". People went nuts. Next was Little Black Dress. Ever since I heard this song, I loved it. It has a much different vibe than their other stuff, so I was a bit worried how it would sound live. They smashed it. So good. Then they played the song that has been my ringtone for months: Kiss You. It's such a playful song, and you can tell they enjoy singing it. So much energy. So many shenanigans. One song I was a bit iffy about was Why Don't We Go There. I love it, don't get me wrong, but I wasn't sure how much I would love it live. Naturally it was great. It's now one of my favourites. Oh, gosh. Next was Rock Me. Ever since the Take Me Home Tour, I have been wanting to experience this song live and in person. And holy cannoli. It was so much better than I could have expected. The only thing I really remember leading up to the next song was Niall talking about how he wrote it with McFly. Now let me tell you something...one of my absolute favourite people EVER is Tom Fletcher. The fact that Niall got together with him and his bandmates again for this song just makes me want to cry a little on the inside. Don't Forget Where You Belong is just one of those songs that you hear and you know that it means something to the boys. It was so special to watch Niall singing it while playing his guitar. It give me chills to think about it. Live While We're Young doesn't stick out in my mind that much. I remember it happening, and I remember loving it, but I don't really remember much else. Harry was dancing like a dork. But that's pretty normal. Okay, the next song was definitely a favourite: C'mon, C'mon. If you listen to this track on the album, you know it's got a big sound to it. Hearing it live does not disappoint. I'm pretty sure I was dancing around like an absolute moron. But it was totally worth it. Things got a bit laid back with Right Now. It was vocally stunning. Again, if I had ever doubted my love for One Direction...you get the idea. The thing that blew me away the most was Louis Tomlinson. I knew I always loved him, but his vocals on that song were so spot on. It's ridiculous. Next up was Through The Dark. Ever since they sang this on SNL, I've needed to hear it live. And let me just tell you, it was beautiful. The harmonies were spot on. Everything was spot on. Now, the next song they did was definitely one of the best songs of the night. Happily was written in part by Harry Styles. And let me tell you something, that boy is damn proud of that song. When he sings it, he owns it. He prances around that stage like he owns the joint, and let's be real...he does. If I could relive any song of the night, it would be that one. They really slowed things down with the next two songs. Little Things remains a crowd favourite and for good reason. There isn't much better than the five boys sitting on the stage, Niall with his guitar, singing a tune written by Ed Sheeran. My favourite part was Niall's solo. Everyone in the stadium went bonkers. It was such a lovely moment. Speaking of moments......I swear they put this song on the setlist just to make my life miserable. Moments (also penned by Mr. Edward Sheeran) has been my favourite One Direction song from the moment (heh) that I heard it on the deluxe edition of Up All Night. I swear to you I died when Louis started singing for his solo. That was the moment that I fell in love with him. And hearing it at that concert was the moment that love was rekindled. I'm not ashamed to admit that I cried my eyes out during Moments. It was all just too much for my emotions. Strong was up next. All I remember of this song was how into the chorus Harry got. I got it on video...twice. I loved it. Another of my favourites was up next: Better Than Words. There's just something about a song made up of other song titles with an original chorus that makes me so happy. Not to mention the way that Harry and Niall dance during the song. Wow. I'm having flashbacks. I need a minute. Holy cannoli. Okay. I'm back. I'm better. I'm good. Okay. So I normally don't remember much about what specifically happened in between songs. Like I know at one point Louis and Zayn I think were playing with a soccer ball and of course they said thank you and such, but I don't have a clue when that was. BUT. After Better Than Words, they normally sing happy birthday to someone in the crowd. Harry was off looking at this girl's sign that said it was her 16th birthday and wanted to sing to her. But then Liam Payne was all like "Harry! We have a third birthday over here!" And so he ran off to see and then ended up PICKING UP A SMALL CHILD AND BRINGING HIM ON STAGE. I got the whole exchange on video. It's ridiculous. It was too much. I can't talk about it. After the happy birthday bit they sang Alive. Now this has never been a favourite song of mine, but hearing it live changed my mind. They just have so much energy and love what they do. It's hard not to love what they love. At this point they were at the B Stage and it had lifted up several feet into the air. Up here they sang One Thing. I have some video of this song, and during the chorus you can tell everyone (myself included) was jumping up and down. The flooring they had put down to protect the field was shaking beneath my feet. It was crazy. And I loved every moment of it. The next song they did was another one of those songs that I wasn't ever a huge fan of, but now I love listening to it. Diana was just never one of those standout tracks on the album. But there really is something about hearing it performed live. I can't even explain it. And then finally the moment I had been waiting for ever since that fateful day in January when I saw the music video for the first time finally came. I finally heard What Makes You Beautiful in person. It was everything I could have expected it to be and more. They sang and danced and Harry's solo was great and then at the end they disappeared beneath the stage. The crowd was going absolutely insane. After a few minutes of torture, the band started playing the into part to You & I. And then after a few more minutes of torture, Niall came out and started to sing. The rest of the boys followed out and I just can't even tell you how great it was. Zayn's high note was just phenomenal.  Story Of My Life was up next. I'm so glad Harry has learned how to properly sing the chorus of that song. It's so wonderful. I love it. Now. The second to last song is the one song I had absolutely refused to see any concert videos of before my show. Granted I never watched many videos the entire concert, but I didn't see a single video or hear a single audio of this next song. Little White Lies is my absolute favourite song off of Midnight Memories and I wanted to be surprised and hear it live for the first time when I was actually there to experience it live. Holy cannoli. It was the best thing I have ever experienced. I just can't even put into words how great it was. I'm so excited I get to experience it again the first of October. Wow. Okay. Moving on. The last song of the night was Best Song Ever. It was truly a giant party during this song. Everyone was on their feet dancing and singing. The boys were having a great time, the audience was having a great time. It was fantastic. As they said their final goodbyes, I felt only the slightest pang of sadness because I was still on my concert high.

We made our way out of the stadium and met back up with Krissy and Heather. It took forever and a day to get out of the parking lot, so while we waited we all exchanged concert stories and laughed and remembered certain parts. By the time we made it back to our hotel, it dawned on Sam, Miranda and myself that we hadn't eaten since that morning. We head back out to try and find food. I think we drove to four different places before deciding on Domino's Pizza. So at one o'clock in the morning we strolled into our hotel with a pizza. I know for a fact that I was utterly delirious at this point in time. I remember Sam and Miranda laughing at me just about every time I opened my mouth. Sam and I were also challenged to do the ice bucket challenge. So we decided to do it that night. Which we did. It wasn't very fun. Eventually we ate our pizza and collapsed into bed. The next day we took our time getting ready and packing up everything. Our last outing together was to Opry Mills Mall. We walked around and had lunch at the Chili's. But then it was time to say goodbye. Miranda and Sam headed off to Memphis; I made the drive back to Chattanooga. It was an exhausting weekend/beginning of a week. But it was utterly worth it in every way.

Now I can't wait to see One Direction again.

counting down the days

Two weeks from today I will be sat in LP Field in Nashville, Tennessee.  Home of the Tennessee Titans.  But football is not what will have me standing up in my seat, crying my eyes out, and screaming at the top of my lungs.

Nope. The reason for my extreme fangirling will be One Direction.  After three years of waiting, I will finally be seeing my favourite boys in concert...for the first time...by myself.

Yep. I'm attending a One Direction concert alone. It's the first concert that I've ever gone to without a concert buddy or two. Fingers crossed I don't sit next to a 12 year old or random creeper.

But my concert isn't the point of this post. That blog will come later...post-concert posting. (Heh, I'm clever.) No, the point of this post has to do with countdowns.  It seems like people are always counting down to something. Just this morning, I excitedly told my coworker that I had exactly two weeks until my first concert and under sixty days to my other One Direction concert. She then informed me that she had about sixty-three days until she left for her vacation.  And that's about how we live, isn't it?

We don't just live in the moment and take each day as it comes and goes and seize every moment anymore, do we?  I know I'm especially guilty of just getting through the day because it gets me one day closer to some event or special day that I'm looking forward to happening. On twitter today, I was mentioned in a tweet from a friend who is excited about meeting up with me and a few other people before the concert in "two weeks". I was texting a friend of mine that I'm meeting for the first time in eleven days, and we both expressed how we were counting down the days until we finally met and got to hug each other.

I have this countdown app on my phone. It's pretty much a daily thing for me to check it nowadays.  Sometimes I get tired of living each day counting down to the next. Now, don't get me wrong. I LOVE having things to look forward to. It generates excitement and brings me joy and happiness.  But I'm afraid that I've lost some of the magic behind living in the moment and taking each day as it comes. You know, enjoying each day as it is...a gift. Not just a stepping stone to something greater.

I guess that's something that I should try and work on. But in all honesty, I'll always have something to look forward to. Maybe it's all about finding a balance.

best friends, good books, and tube socks

So much has happened in the past few days. I'm beginning to lose track of all the excitement.

This past weekend was mini-road trip number two for the month. I was able to drive up to Virginia to see on of my dear friends that I hadn't seen since January. Callie and I met gosh it's probably been almost two years ago. We met through tumblr, of all places. She ran a One Direction blog with one of her friends, and one day I just so happened to stumble upon it. The rest is basically history. Anyway. I woke up Friday morning and had a nice brunch with my friend Jasmine. It was really wonderful to catch up with her for a bit before I headed out. The drive up to Meadowview was nice. It usually takes me about three and half hours to get up there, but traffic decided to be stupid. It basically took me a little over four hours to get to her house. (For the record, being at a standstill on the interstate is not fun...in case you were wondering.) But once I got there, I settled right back into life at her house. She and I were planning to attend a baseball game that evening, but as soon as we got inside Chili's for dinner, the sky opened up and poured rain all over everything. So we went with plan B and saw Think Like A Man Too. It was pretty hilarious. I was laughing a lot. It was kinda an early evening, but both of us were exhausted. Saturday morning we were up and out of her house around ten or so and on our way to Bay Mountain State Park. I think that's what it was called, anyway. We saw bobcats, lots of turtles (around twenty or thirty), several deer, different birds, an otter, a few reptiles, three wolves, AND three wolf puppies. I so wanted to take the puppies home with me. They were so adorable. I envied the folks who worked there and were sitting in the enclosure with them. Oh! And they also had a planetarium, so Callie and I saw a showing about the night sky and the stars and planets we can see from where we were located. It was pretty cool. (Shout out to the nice man at the register who didn't make us pay for it. You're awesome.) After we had had our fun at the park, we went to this place called Beef 'O' Brady's. It was so good. I got the fish and chips. It wasn't England, but it was still delicious. Later that night, we went to her dad's house to babysit for her dad and step-mom. We all played outside for a bit until the rain came. Then we went inside where I read, Callie played on the Xbox, and Luci played with her toys. (It was during this time that my best friend texted me saying she was back in America, but I'll get to that later.) Yesterday morning we were up early for church. Callie had nursery with the two year olds, so I sat in the service by myself. It was nice. Not my style, per say, but still good. After church we made our way back to her house for the World Cup match and lunch. Her mom made burgers and potato salad for us. It was pretty tasty. After watching the Netherlands beat Mexico I packed up all my stuff to head back home. There was a pretty bad storm heading towards Chattanooga, and I wanted to beat it home. Which I did. :) It was so great to see Callie and spend time with her. Definitely a fun weekend.

As I said before, my best friend is now home!! She spent the last six weeks in London (so jealous...). So today I got to spend time with her! Yay!!! It was so great. Michelle and I have been friends since we were like three or something like that. It's been a lot of years that we've known each other. She came over this morning bringing me breakfast and a few spoils from the greatest city in the world. (She brought me a tenth Doctor mug, Tube socks, and Tangfastics. Oh, and a plastic Tesco bag.) We left my house and proceeded to just do what we do best: drive around aimlessly and enjoy each other's company. We met her mom and Moe's for lunch and then attempted to drop off one of their cars to get something fixed, but they were busy and couldn't fix it today. Then we spent some time at Target and got ICEEs. Talk about childhood memories. It was so good to actually be able to spend time with her. Six weeks isn't that long, but it can seem like forever at times.

I leave for the beach in 19 days! I'm so incredibly excited. I've still got a bit to do before I leave...but that's okay. It'll all get done eventually.

This weekend I also finished another book. I read The Maze Runner by James Dashner. To be honest, they only reason I read it is because the movie is coming out soon and Dylan O'Brien is in it. I'm kinda in love with him. But the book was really good. It definitely kept me interested. There were a few parts that were predictable. However, most of the time I found myself on the edge of my seat, constantly wanting to turn the page to find out what happened next. I'll probably finish the series out. I've currently got House of Cards sitting on my bed... I told myself that book was specifically for beach reading. Fingers crossed I actually listen to myself and leave it alone until the beach. Also, Michelle told me about this other book that she thinks I would like. I don't recall the name, but I'm pretty sure she said I could borrow it once she finishes is. Oh, oh, oh!!! Justin finished Paper Towns. He said he liked it. It makes me so happy when people enjoy things that I suggest to them. Whether it's books, music, films, food, etc. I love things work out that way.

Perhaps the most exciting thing that happened this weekend was that when I got home on Sunday, I checked the mail (sometimes my parents forget to check it on weekends) and found my One Direction ticket for Nashville. I opened the mailbox, saw the envelop from Ticketmaster and almost screamed. I proceeded to take the mail to the passenger seat of my car since the door was open (I had been cleaning it out after getting back home). I opened the envelope as quickly and carefully as possible. As soon as I held the (golden) ticket in my hands, I squealed, danced and smiled in the middle of my driveway. Thankfully none of the neighbors were outside. Haha. Oh gosh. I'm so incredibly excited for that show. I was just thinking today that not only is it my first One Direction show but it's also the first concert that I'm going to by myself. It's a little bit daunting and scary, but meh. It's One Direction. I'm going to have the time of my life. I still need to figure out my hair and make up and outfit. But first I want to go to the beach and have fun and shop and all those good things. Get one big even out of the way before I stress over another.

Well that was a long (and potentially boring) update. I promise my life isn't normally this exciting. I have no idea what's going on.

xx

What does it mean to matter? What does mattering even mean?

Last night I finished reading An Abundance of Katherines by John Green. I really enjoyed it, but for reasons I didn't expect.

When I first picked it up, I had no idea what to expect. All I knew was that it was the next book on my list of John Green books to read. I found myself regularly reaching for a pen as I was reading. There were several lines that just struck me, so I needed to mark them. One of the first things I underlined was a line said about Colin:

He liked all books, because he liked the mere act of reading, the magic of turning scratches on a page into words inside his head.

 I've said before that I love reading. Books have always been a big part of my life. But it wasn't until I read this line that I got some sense of why I enjoy reading so much. It really is magic. It's like all of these symbols (typically letters and occasionally numbers) translate themselves into stories about anything and everything inside my head. I honestly can't even explain it. But it blows my mind. It's like an author thinks up and creates an entire world and writes it down to preserve it. And then I come along and read it and bring their ideas to life. Without me, it's almost as though the story has no purpose. Now that's not to say that everything that's written has to be read. There are certain things that should never be shared with others. I myself keep a journal that I don't allow other folks to read. It's just not something that's necessary.

Anyway.

One of the themes of Katherines deals with "mattering". Like wanting to matter in the world. Making a difference so you're remembered kinda thing. It takes the entire book for Colin to realize that mattering isn't the most important thing. In fact, it may not even be a thing that you should strive for in life. At least not necessarily in the ways he was trying to go about mattering. But then at the end of the book when Colin and Lindsey are in the cave, Lindsey says something that (again) strikes me:

...how you matter is defined by the things that matter to you. You matter as much as the things that matter to you do.

This really got me thinking about the things that truly matter to me. To be honest, I'm still mulling those over in my head. I'm sure eventually I'll share them, but for right now, I think I need to keep them to myself.

There's another quote from Lindsey just one page later that perfectly defines having a "Eureka" moment. For some reason I really like it, so I'm going to share it with all of you.

[it's] like if a heroin addict suddenly said, 'You know, maybe instead of always doing more heroin, I should, like, not do heroin.'

Not gonna lie, I laughed out loud when I read this. But moments like this are so great! I had one a couple of weeks ago when I realized that I am so much better off without this one guy in my life. It's like while I was still holding on to him or even the idea of him, I was an addict. But then when I decided that it was best for me to let it go (insert cheesy Frozen reference here), I instantly saw the clouds open up and a light from the heavens came down and shone all around me. It was a good moment. I like those moments.

The last portion of the book that really stuck with me comes from Colin's thoughts. He's finally found himself in love with a girl who's name wasn't Katherine. He's come to terms with what it really means for him to matter. And he's also figured out how to tell a good story and why stories matter.

And Colin thought: Because like say I tell someone about my feral hog hunt [heh, that was an interesting chapter to read]. Even if it's a dumb story, telling it changes other people just the slightest little bit, just as living the story changes me. An infinitesimal change. And that infinitesimal change ripples outward--ever smaller but everlasting. I will bet forgotten, but the stories will last. And so we all matter--maybe less than a lot, but always more than none.

For some reason I don't think that I need to add anything after that. I do recommend An Abundance of Katherines. It's a great read.

xx

parties, tickets, sitting on houses, and giraffe mugs

Oh, gosh. I haven't written a blog post in forever. The fact that I've been super busy for the past week and a half probably has something to do with it.

I ended up house sitting for two families last week. It was a lot of fun, and I got to spend time with their dogs. :) I forgot how much I missed having a dog around. They're so great. I really want a dog now. Oh, but it was pretty funny. On the first day I was sitting for one family, I went to walk their dog and ended up locking myself out of their house. Oops. Thankfully the neighbors were home and had a spare key. It was a bit stressful going from house to house and also going to work. I missed my bed.

This past weekend was SO much fun. So on Thursday, I got to sleep in my own bed for the first time in a week (which was fabulous). I worked that night with some of my favourite people, so that made it enjoyable. Then Friday morning I worked until noon. As soon as I got off, I came home and got ready to go see Justin for his birthday party. I was super excited to give him his present because I was so proud of it. Haha. I got him these photostrips made from Instagram photos from the trip we went on to London. And then when I was in Target I found a card that had the Queen on it. It was absolutely perfect. Anyway. I drove up to Justin's house. We hung out there for a bit before leaving to go watch this performance of the students of a drama camp he helped to lead. It was really good! I enjoyed watching the different ages put on their little plays. They were so cute. After that we made the drive up to Murfreesboro. We stopped by Subway to grab dinner and a Publix to get some beverages. At the party we had food and drinks and some of Justin's closest friends. We played games and all got quite tipsy (okay...we were pretty drunk). I eventually crashed on the couch. The next morning I woke up and talked a bit with Justin's friend Nate. I had kinda met him a couple of years ago when he went to Bryan. Once Justin got up, we tidied up the apartment before heading to get some food. After lunch, Nate went back home and Justin and I spent some time in Murfreesboro. We checked out a couple of the malls up there. I got two new books (for those wondering, The Maze Runner and House of Cards), a super cute giraffe mug with a baby giraffe inside (eeep!!), and some Hobnobs.

This morning I went to work for a few hours. It was fun. Not overly busy but busy enough to go by quickly.

Oh!!! I did buy my One Direction ticket for Nashville!! It's official! I'm SO excited. I just cannot wait to see them. And this evening I also bought my ticket to see The 1975 in November. Oh, and my best friend's suitemate bought us tickets to see Ed Sheeran in September. I cannot express to you how much I'm looking forward to these coming months.

I'm currently reading An Abundance of Katherines by John Green. It's the last book of his that I have yet to read. (Except for Let It Snow that her wrote with two other people.) I'm enjoying it. I haven't been able to get into it as easily as I've gotten into his other books, but I think that might be because I haven't been able to sit down and read very much. I also let Justin borrow my copy of Paper Towns. I'm excited to see how he likes it. There's just something about recommending a book to someone and then having them love it that warms my heart. :)

My 100 happy days are still going strong! I think I'm 18 days in and haven't missed a day. Woo!!

Okay, it's almost midnight. And I have to be at work in the morning. Tomorrow is the first long shift I've had in quite awhile. Here's hoping it goes by fast. But now it's sleepy time.

xx

retail, hair cuts, trips, and boybands

It's been a few days since I last posted. Not a lot has happened. But I am currently watching How To Train Your Dragon. It's a favourite.

I've been working a lot lately. Yay, retail! Already this week I've picked up and extra eight hours covering for different people who have called out. I'm glad for the hours. It's just more money for me. Which considering all that I need to pay for this summer...is a very good thing.

Tomorrow I'm getting my hair trimmed. It's been about a year since I last got it cut. Last summer I made the decision to chop off about nine inches. My hair really needed it; it was split-ends galore on my head. I've regretted it ever since. My hair takes forever to grow. It's not even back to the length pre-chop yet. But tomorrow I'm just going for a trim. And maybe get bangs. I still haven't decided on that one yet.

Also in the past couple of days I've decided that I'm going to go to the One Direction concert in Nashville! I'm super excited. :) Yeah, I've got tickets to see them in Atlanta (and they are GREAT seats omg), but there's just something about seeing a band or artist that you love in your home state. There are also several of my friends from tumblr who will be at that show. It will be great to finally get to meet some of them in person. The only downside to this is that I have to wait until I get paid next week. But just knowing that I'm planning to go is awesome.

My beach trip is also quickly approaching. I seriously cannot express how excited I am for that. I haven't had a trip to the beach in probably 12 to 15 years. There was that one day on senior trip in 2011 where we spent the day at Virginia Beach...but it was the beginning of May and absolutely frigid. I'm going to Hilton Head with my best friend and her family. They go pretty much every year.

Speaking of my best friend, it's almost time for her to come home!! She's been in London studying abroad since like the second week of May. I miss her like crazy. I cannot wait for her to be back where she belongs: three minutes away from my house. Haha.

I'm really looking forward to the next two weekends. Next weekend I'm heading up to Murfreesboro to celebrate one of my best friend's birthdays. It's his 21st, so it'll be really fun. I got his present in the mail on Monday! I really hope he likes it. I'm sure he will. The following weekend I'm going up to visit Callie. I haven't seen her since we got back from London in January. I can't wait to see her.

The only other exciting news is that I'm house sitting starting this weekend. I've never legitimately house sat before, so this will be interesting and hopefully fun. :)

So yeah, that's an exciting update on my life. Hopefully next time I'll have something deep and profound to share with you...heh.

xx