#adulthood

*WARNING: TERRIBLE IPHONE PICTURES AHEAD. READER DISCRETION ADVISED.*

I turned eighteen a little over a month ago, which apparently means that I am an adult. Scary, no? 

Anyway, June and July have kind of been a huge adjusting time for me. My parents sort of ceased parenting me after my birthday. It's really weird. I have all the freedom in the world now, but I also have to do my own dishes/laundry/cooking, pay my own way {yikes, life is expensive,} and fill my own gas tank. I know that those things don't even compare to the responsibilities that I'll have when I'm living on my own, but it's definitely been an eye opener. It's also made me appreciate how much my parents have done for me over the past eighteen years. 

All seriousness aside, my summer has been filled with many a major milestone. Feast your eyes: 

Milestone 1: I am no longer the lightest shade of foundation in the world. Or at least in Target. 

That's right folks. I've moved up from shade 001 to shade 003. Will Abby ever make it to shade 004? Only time will tell. Also, bronzer. Bronzer may tell too. 

Milestone 2: I bought a lottery ticket. 

Photographic proof.  My good friend Erica and I were feeling particularly bad one day, so we went and gambled with cute little cows.  I won a whole dollar, but I will not be turning it in to receive my money.  I'm planning on framing my only token of teenage wildness, and preserving it for posterity. 

Milestone 3: I discovered the essence of Ernest Hemingway. In Hobby Lobby. 

So apparently you can buy candles that smell like classic authors. {If you're curious, Ernest supposedly smelled like clementines and dove soap -- I was disappointed. I was expecting gunpowder or something awesome like that for the man that wrote A Farewell to Arms.}But seeing this made me wonder what other word ninja's candles would be... What would C.S. Lewis smell like? Zoo exhibits and turkish delight? What about F. Scott Fitzgerald? Sea breeze and daisies? And who knows what scents some modern day authors would possess... I mean c'mon, can you imagine Stephanie Meyers'? I can, and it's not a candle I'd want to have in my house. 

Milestone 4: I've finally learned about time management, and some other stuff. 

It's all good and fine to be busy and responsible, but I've discovered that I'm a lot more pleasant to be around when I've had some quiet time. I'm learning that even though there might be errands to run, homework to do, and meetings to attend, it's okay to set aside thirty minutes a day to relax. Working hard and doing your best is satisfying and rewarding, but sometimes it's necessary for sanity's sake to slow down some. 

I'm also kind of learning that I'm not some horribly inadequate mess up. I'm beginning to find my voice, and other cheesy things like that. I'm kind of learning to really like myself. And it's kind of really awesome feeling. 

Milestone 5: I saw a Pixar movie back to back. 

via

It was Despicable Me 2, in 3D. I regret nothing. #yayformaturity

Now where can I get myself one of those dandy chip hats? 

~ Abby

P.S. I actually wrote this at 1 in the morning, while extremely sleep deprived. I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors, hard to follow thinking, and misspelled words. Actually, I basically apologize for this entire post. 

summer rambliness + picture things

“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.” 
― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

This summer, thus far, has been spectacular. 

I actually managed to secure a job, and test into a college level math class.  It's weird, getting up and working eight hours a day/attending night classes twice a week has been exhausting, but it's taught me to value free time.  Also, coupons for free gas/food.  Also, anything free in general.

But in between all of that has been great.  Vacation happened, as well as my studio's summer showcase.  Movie premieres, coffee dates, and sleepovers have occurred.  And I've basically lived in cutoffs/sundresses when I'm not working. 

And on a side note, my family managed to order almost $40 worth of food at Taco Bell last Sunday.  I didn't even know that was humanly possible.  #ipromisewerenotobese #bigfamilyprobs #WHATDIDWEORDER

photographic proof. it really happened people. srsly. 

On a completely unrelated note, I finally edited all of the pictures I took during vacation.  It took me about three weeks, but hey; it's the journey, not the destination.  {Or something philosophical like that.} 

Note: I am not a photographer, nor do I think I am. I just like shooting things with my cannon. *ba dum tshh*

Anywho, if things get quiet around here this summer, it's because I'm out doing things. Like reading. And sleeping. And hopefully getting a tan. {Hey, a girl can always dream.} 

~ Abby

    

little things

Sometimes, you just have to drop what you're doing, cancel plans, and just play video games with your three-year-old brother.

At times, it's refreshing to have a heart to heart with a girlfriend into the wee hours of the morning, while painting until your fingers are stiff from the acrylic.

Occasionally, it's okay to just stop and appreciate the way some of your favorite books just seem to belong to one another.

Frequently, you just need to write with a pen + paper, just to connect emotionally with your piece. (For me, physically writing down something is much more engaging than typing on the computer.)

Once in a while, you need to go shopping for the perfect Easter dress with friends -- and then come back for it later when you have money. ;)

Every now and then, you just have to stop and enjoy the ordinary. Because such moments -- the little things, if you will -- not only make up life, but make it worth living.

~ Abby

of happy things

Some of my Instagrams. Please take note that all of these have been taken in less than two weeks. In fact, I'm averaging at about 1.2 Instagrams a day. I think I may have a problem. 

1// Short coffee breaks. I went on one with a friend of mine after several long hours of classes. We weren't out very long, but I thoroughly enjoyed a much needed coffee, and an even much more needed time with her. 

2// Dance. Like, why is it so freaking amazing?! I can be having the most terrible day ever, and then go to the studio and instantly feel completely better. When I dance, any tension drains away, and I feel weightless. It's therapeutic. {It also helps to have a lot of great friends to goof off with in between classes.} Also, they just moved a piano into one of the classrooms -- I'm thinking that I will be getting more use out of it than the actual pianist! 

3// Books. And writing. And typography. And music. Basically just words in general. 

4// Lemon tea, sugar cookies, and amazing Bible studies. The girls I play soccer with decided to start our own small group, and we had our first meeting last Friday. It was so encouraging and uplifting -- I absolutely love them. I've never been in a Bible study that was so open and honest; I felt like we all grew a lot closer in just 2 1/2 hours. In a nutshell, it was incredible. 

5// Lazy Saturdays. I like them. Also, sweatpants. I like those too. 

6// Breaking down and letting go. This happened to me this week, and I'm very glad that it did. Because that is a happy thing indeed. 

How's 2013 going for you so far?

~ Abby

of Christmas break

So over the past two weeks I have written a total of four half completed blog posts. They were about Christmas, the New Year, and such -- all oozing various amounts of cheesiness. But, I didn't really feel like writing, so I never finished one. But here's the highlights of my Christmas break:

1) I was in a car wreck, and survived. {Obviously.}

2) I ate chocolate with watched tv with pulled pranks with spent quality time with my awesome cousins. This included large amounts of Apples to Apples, a Christmas Story, and silly string. I'm really okay with that. 

3) I hung out with the rest of my fam, and my awesome friends. 

4) I discovered The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. If you like Jane Austen, or you're just a nerd in general, you should go watch these. You will love them. 

In other {non}news, I am sore and walking like a grandma due to this: 

This is my local studio. It's also pretty much my second home, and my happy place. I pretty much live there, especially during the summer... But I really don't mind.

This is the beginning of one of the routines that my friend Erica {neon shirt} and I are currently working on. It's really simple, slow, and easy, but it'll allow for a lot of facial expression and acting, and I'm super excited about that. {And on a side note, she isn't doing it full out, she's mostly just marking... We literally learned it five minutes before I took this video.}

We're also doing a pretty snazzy jazz number to a remix of "Lights". It's really fast and technical, and I'm really enjoying it. Plus, the three most advanced tappers and I are going to do a dance together. Tap is our studio's strong point, and I've performed a lot with the three of them in the past. It should be pretty epic, if I do say so myself. 

And guess what else?! There's an Orange Leaf literally two minutes away from the studio. Can you say frozen yogurt for dinner? I can. 

Working for three hours on pointe justifies the calories... Right?

How was your Christmas break?

~ Abby

reasons why november is a happy month v 1.2

We're scarf triplets! Also, you should probably just not look at my face here. 

Normal post halloween pumpkins? Please. Cyclopes cannibals are totally the way to go. ;)

Church, orange leaf, and Scooby Doo with your oldest and best friend > anything. 

November, I am quite fond of you indeed. Care to stay for a while?

~ Abby

reasons why november is a happy month

via

A lot of people treat November like it's a filler month; the period of time between gorgeous the October, and the silvery beauty of December. But I actually happen to really like November as much, if not more than the other fall months. 

You see, November is when you can begin to listen to Christmas music unabashedly. It's also finally feeling 'wintery', so you can justify wearing tights and scarves and beanies. November mornings are also very misty, and it tends to rain a lot where I live. I don't mind though; November rain > sunshine. 

Also, November is the one month anniversary of Taylor Swift's Red album. (No shame.) It's also perfect for picture taking, and it brings me that much closer to December 23rd. (My half birthday. Yes, I celebrate it. I'll be six months away from being an adult. Woo.) 

Basically, November is a month of book reading, doodling, and reminiscing. It's also a month of anticipation -- after all, November means that Christmas is just around the corner. And let us not forget about The Hobbit premiere. 

Never laugh at live dragons,

~ Abby 

spring mill

On Sunday, my family went on a short road trip. Our first stop: Spring Mill State Park. It was gorgeous. The lighting, the old buildings... Everything. It also helped that there were butterflies everywhere; something that was unexpected, but definitely not unwelcome.

And is it weird that I fell in love with the windows there? Yes, the windows. They were so old and beautiful; they softened the bright sunlight perfectly, making it ideal for taking pictures.

After visiting the park, we stopped at a very high end historical hotel. It was huge, and gorgeous, and spectacular. The first words out of my mouth when we walked in were "Wow! So much fancy!" Needless to say, the hotel staff were not particularly appreciative of my eloquent comments, nor my clicking SLR, or scuffed up chucks for that matter. 

The day ended on a sweet note, with shrimp and awkward, young waiters.

Sometimes it's good to get away. :)

~ 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



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