of life lately//a short ramble

Don't they all look elegant? And guess who that is to my left? Jana from The Dandelion Wish! :)

Life has been crazy lately. Why you ask? Well, there was this little dance called prom.

It was amazing; the music was awesome, and everyone looked great. I actually didn't get home from after prom activities until almost 7 a.m., and it's been a little hard to get back on a normal schedule. But it was so, so worth it.

Oh, and I still can't believe that I got talked into a pink dress. I mean, it was pink. It was a much, ummm, louder color than the black dress I wore to winter formal. :)

So yeah, that's why things have been so quiet around here. Now I shall try to get back into the flow of everyday life, which is surprisingly hard to do after such a full weekend.

How was your weekend? Did you have/are you having a prom?

~ Abby

i am officially in love...

 ...with these guys. :)

They are some of the cutest, fuzziest, loudest things ever. Seriously, I almost died from their utter adorable-ness the first time I saw them. I actually ordered them back in February, and my entire family waited in anticipation until they got here last week. Each day I had a conversation with my siblings that went something like this:

Littles: "Are the duckies coming here today?"

Me: "No, not today. I promise that they'll be here soon though."

Littles: "When will they be here?"

Me: "When the shipment comes in."

Littles: "When will that be?"

Me: "Soon, I promise."

Needless to say, we were all ecstatic when they finally came. The moment I opened the box they were mailed in, a little black one popped out and ran across the barn floor, cheeping in indignation. My youngest brother giggled, then pointed at it and said: "That one's name is Laugh."

The name has stuck.

Here is a short little clip of their cute little selves. I apologize for my freakishly high voice... I hope I don't sound like that in person. If I do, I don't even know how I have any friends. :P

~ Abby



shades of gray

image courtesy of weheartit

I really, really love the color gray. It's such a comforting, natural hue. Nothing about it particularly stands out, but it looks so pretty.

 When I see gray, I think of old black and white photos, fuzzy new kittens,and comfy old sweaters. I think of the sky's color that moment when it's not quite morning, yet not quite night. I remember singing in the rain with friends, and goofily waving at passing cars. I think about driving for the first time, and the feel of the vehicle's gray leather seats. I think of pencil sketches, melting snow, and new CDs. I think of gray.

Do you like this wonderful shade?

~ Abby

p.s. For some reason blogger published this last Thursday when it was still a draft. Awkward. ;)

at grandma's house

I've always loved my grandparent's house. I've practically grown up in this quaint little country home; I'm familiar with every sunny corner, and each of it's little nooks and crannies. I used to gently touch and softly ooh over ever delicate and pretty thing of my grandma's. I can remember being about six years old, and running my hands down the piano's shiny ivory keys, and listening to the slightly off key tinkling. I remember making cookies with my grandma, and then eating them on my grandpa's lap. This place holds so many memories for me -- I can practically smell them when I walk in the door.

Please take note of the Dr. Pepper on the counter. I have trained them well.

Each room is warm and inviting;everything from the well-trodden stairs, to the homey kitchen, to living room with the squashy couches. Simply walking through this place brings back memories of birthday parties, movie nights, and the whispers of past Christmases.

Oh, and apparently it's strange to put marshmallows in your Dr. Pepper? Who knew! :P

Now I'm too big to hide with my cousins under the bed; I've outgrown my grandparent's laps, and I no longer host tea parties in my grandpa's fishing boat. But that's okay. This place is still like home to me, even though I'm not a little girl anymore.

Besides, I'm watching this one learn to love this place as much as I do. And that's more than enough.

~ Abby

rough days

image courtesy of weheartit

Ugh. I seriously told myself that I would never do this, that I would never really talk about my private feelings on this blog. This has been my happy place, my little spot on the internet where I can focus on the brighter side of life. I'm not saying that I'm not optimistic in real life, I really am. But writing on here sometimes refocuses things for me, and cheers me up if I'm having a rough day.

Honestly though, I don't feel like writing like I normally do. I've had an extremely hard week, like one I've never had before. I'm not going to go into any detail, but let's just say that it's been a rather long series of unfortunate events. {And on a side note, did anyone ever read those books as a kid? Lemony Snicket reference for the win!}

I feel empty, defeated. Fake too. Fake because I put on a smile, and tell everyone - even my family - that I'm just fine. I've never been one to cry or truly break down; I can count on one hand the total amount of times I have seriously cried in front of people. And I hate that. I hate that it's difficult for me to share my feelings.

But I'm going to change that, or at least try to. I want to be more open and honest. And quite frankly, I'm tired of being the strong one, the example. It's wearing me out.

So here's to new beginnings. But please, can I just sleep for a week first?

~ Abby

p.s. This post is rather depressing, I know. But never fear, I have a few posts scheduled to go up throughout this week. I think I need to take a break from writing for a bit.

just some awkward rambliness

image courtesy of weheart it

I had an amazing, amazing Easter. It began with a great church service, continued with some quality food and fellowship time with some friends at Wendy's, and then concluded with some rather unexpected family time at the end of the day. It was good.

I broke my toe on Saturday night. Which consequently, is why I wore black oxford knockoffs with my white sundress to church on Easter. When I came out of my room, my mother may or may not have given me the "I can't believe your teenagery self" look, and she may or may not have told me that I looked like I belonged on the "special bus." I love my mom, she never tries to sugarcoat it. :)

I am currently obsessed with the above photo.

I am also currently obsessed with tumblr.

That may or may not be a good thing.

I ordered a pair of yellow shoes last Thursday. {They were $6.50!!} This has sparked a love for the color yellow, and now I am contemplating painting my room yellow this summer.

This girl is without her iPod right now, and is going through a music/texting withdrawal. This girl also likes talking in the 3rd person.

My dear, sweet, awesome brother knew I was having a rough day today, and bought me a Hunger Games movie poster, and a chocolate bunny. The poster has been hung, and the chocolate bunny eaten. The world has been put to right.

I found out today that I don't have to take a chemistry test tomorrow. I almost died of joy when I found out.

My fingernails are blue, and that makes me happy.

I believe I have rambled enough. Besides, I really want to go finish reading Black by Ted Dekker. Because it is awesome.

~ Abby



a good kind of morning

waking up early and enjoying the peace :: having my morning devotional and finding an extremely convicting verse :: eating butter and honey toast for breakfast :: sipping coffee while listening to the hunger games soundtrack :: watching the sunrise peek from behind the trees :: hearing the rooster crow and the hens cluck while i gather the eggs :: slightly muddy boots after chore time :: listening to anthem lights while getting ready :: ignoring capitalization and grammar rules for the moment :: discovering that an old starbucks frappe bottle makes a nice vase for a few wild flowers:: enjoying the morning breeze through my window, and thanking God for such a lovely day ::

'twas quite a beautiful morning. how was yours?

~ Abby

p.s. i got a tumblr! but you should only check it out if you like silly bits of fluff. :)

p.p.s. do any of you guys have tumblrs? i need more tumblrs to fill up my dashboard...

at the library

I love the library, I really do. I love the glorious smells of paper and ink, the hushed whispers of other book hunters, and the soft rustling of turning pages. I read a lot, probably too much in fact; I just enjoy getting lost in a good story. Reading provides a nice {and sometimes much needed} break from reality.

I smuggled my camera in with me on my most recent visit. I received a lot of strange looks... Apparently seeing a teenage girl tote around a huge camera in the library is unusual. {It probably didn't help that it was during school hours. Oh well.}

So. Many. Books.

Creeper shots ftw. ;)

 I left the library that day with Crossed by Alley Condie, and an SD card filled with pictures. 'Twas a good day indeed. :)

~ Abby

like butterfly wings

image courtesy of weheartit

I was out for a walk earlier this week, listening to my ipod, and enjoying the scent of spring. The butterflies were particularly appreciative of the flowers; they flitted from blossom to blossom, the sunshine illuminating their painted wings. As I watched the butterflies, a thought crossed my mind. Maybe it's silly, but I wanted to share it.

A butterfly's wings and a girl's heart seem to share many similarities; both posses a vibrant beauty, and are full of life. But what happens if a butterfly's wings are handled roughly? Their color will fade, and they may break or tear. If the butterfly is continually mistreated, it's wings may lose pigment completely, and the creature might even lose it's ability to fly.

The same kind of concept applies to girls. A girl who does not guard her heart may {perhaps even unknowingly,} give pieces of her heart away to many boys. The problem with this is that once you give away even a small sliver of your heart away, you never truly get it back. If a girl continues like this, the beauty of her heart will greatly diminish; by the time her wedding day arrives she may not be able to present her husband with a thing of delicate beauty -- only a heart that is a fraction of what it once was.

So is waiting for "the right one" really so old fashioned? Why do teenaged girls feel the need to rush into love? It's because we want to feel wanted. I know I do. But while I watched the butterflies' wings flutter that afternoon, I realized that I'm content to wait for love. Why? The answer is quite simple. I want to present him with an untouched beauty, a heart unmarred by past relationships.

Because really, that's the most precious thing I have to offer.

~ Abby

p.s. Besides, isn't the thought of someone saving himself for a future with you amazing? I think so. :)

late night inspiration

At some point between the hours of eleven p.m. and 3 a.m., my brain begins to buzz with creativity. Maybe it's the quietness, or perhaps it's the spicy scent of my chai tea. But for some unknown reason, late night hours bring with them a whole host of new ideas, whether it's new camera shots to try, or a theme for a piece of writing.

I have just now noticed that my mirror looks very smudgy in this picture, and now I'm feeling the need to go clean it. And yes, that is the Eiffel Tower on my shirt, thank for asking. :)

So as often as I can get away with it, I camp out with my notebooks/books, tea, and my ever present camera. I turn on my happy thinking music, {*whispers* Ingrid Michaelson} grab a pen, and let the ideas overwhelm me. Though this will sometimes result in a rather slow morning the next day, this process has also produced some pretty awesome English papers, if I do say so myself. :)

What time of the day do you feel most creative?

~ Abby

p.s. Happy April Fools! I hope your day was filled with fun pranks. Mine, unfortunately was lacking of the aforementioned element, but I did see a group of guys with green hair, so that was interesting. {I also feel as if there may be an intriguing story behind that... :)}