the social network of absolute distraction.

It is late. It is way too late to be writing a blog post about this. I have something on my mind though that I can't help but spill it out here. Brandon decided to delete his facebook this evening and for some reason I have been compelled to do the same. The only reason why I keep a facebook is so I can obviously connect with friends, and when business is booming I advertise my photography business; however, with my current situation in college, I'm wondering if having a facebook is even really worth it anymore. I see the same, boring statuses every day. I post the same, boring statuses, and really... I only like to keep it to post my photographs. I always wanted to be the bigger person of myself though and delete my special online profile as I did several years ago with my myspace, but facebook has kept me locked in for too long and I think I actually want to wrestle that demon.

I'm taking a tour of the art department at Clemson next week, and needless to say I am both nervous and excited to learn how I can prepare for the rest of my freshman year in order to transfer. Not only to there, but some other schools as well. Granted Clemson is top on my list, I'm still considering others. The thing is though is that I can't go anywhere if I don't do good this year.

The point is. Do I want a social life, or do I want good grades? I want to challenge myself into doing something sporadic... something I've never done before or had the courage to do. I want to get rid of my facebook for at least a week and see how I can handle it before I crack. I want to detox myself of my social life and start working on the things that matter: My relationship with God, my friends, and my boyfriend.

A day of purple and orange.

Brandon and his family took me to my first college football game this past saturday in Clemson. I got the entire college football game experience too! We tailgated, walked around and checked out the homecoming floats, watched the mini parade, and got some really good seats in the stadium. I had such a blast and I can't wait to go again soon! Plus Clemson totally killed Boston College! 36-14 ;)

I'm currently relaxing on my fall break, but that doesn't mean I don't have any work to get done. I plan on cleaning my room today and finishing up the remainder of my homework from last week so that I can spend more of tomorrow studying for my Music Appreciation test. On Friday I'm going to tour Clemson with my parents and Brandon gets to come home finally. Our 8th month anniversary is also on Thursday, of which we are very excited about :) I am hoping we get to do something special for it because we haven't really gotten to celebrate any of our past monthaversaries (as he likes to call them). 

School is still kicking my butt and I'm getting extremely nervous. I want to do really good this year so that I won't have to stay at Greenville Tech. Going to that Clemson game certainly boosted my confidence though. I really needed to be reminded that if I want to go there someday, I really need to get my act together at where I go now. Watching Vampire Diaries all week certainly didn't help my attention span either... but hey, I'm already caught up in the third season and now I can start watching it with everyone else on Thursday nights at 8 D:

ELENA + DAMON PLEASE GET TOGETHER!!!!!

Oh, btw, I got my nose pierced last week. ;D

I hope everyone has a wonderful week! xoxo

Embracing Autumn and TMJ.

Hello sweet friends, I guess by the pictures you can't already guess what I'm doing this lovely, Friday evening... not. Unfortunately I'm hanging out at home playing on photobooth as I await my sweet boyfriend to call me. It's just another one of those weekends we have to spend apart due to homework and gas (even though gas prices are going down... yes!) so I'm making the best of it by preoccupying myself with a new obsession. Some of you might think I'm crazy, or even late into the obsession with The Vampire Diaries... but holy crap. I AM SO ADDICTED! I am renting the dvds from Netflix, but I've been sneakily buying some of the episodes on Amazon just because I seriously can't wait for them to come in the mail. (NETFLIX, Y U NO STREAM GOOD SHOWS?)

Yes, Damon is my favorite. I'm literally SQUEALING thinking about him xD <3 


So yes, this is how I generally spend my time when I want to avoid doing homework and such. Oh man, and after I linked to the website I watched that little clip of the new season and AHHHHHHHH MUST WATCH FASTER! Thank god I managed to find a filler until Pretty Little Liars comes back in January... and I already finished all of The Tudors ages ago. I still think they need to make a sequel to it with Mary, Elizabeth, and Edward... who knows what will happen. Showtime has some pretty amazing shows though.

Anyways, I'm so thankful Fall has started to roll in just in time for October 1st. I got a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks tonight and man it totally hit the spot. It was such a wonderful Fall treat that I now have a hankering to go on a hay ride through a corn maze!

I also wanted to mention due to the title of this blog post, that I have this really annoying joint pain in my mouth called TMJ. I can't open my mouth very wide and when I do I get a very painful feeling in my left side of my jaw. No it is not fun and yes it sucks very much. I have no idea how I accumulated it either, it just started hurting sometime in August and now it refuses to go away. I went to the oral surgeon today and the doc basically told me that there wasn't anything I could do about it but just to let it run its course. If the pain gets worse, however, then I have to go to a orthopedic doctor and get a custom splint made to sleep with at night. Seriously, how is it that every year its something new with me? Last year this very week/weekend is the anniversary from when I had my appendix out. Talk about the scariest experience of my life too. Although this isn't as severe, can't my body just cut myself a break?

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, I think I'm going to watch some more Vampire Diaries and chill for the rest of the night!

xoxox

I think I'm in love.

I love Clemson, and I love Brandon, so if you can imagine putting the two together they are the best, most comfortable, most alive, most sweet feelings in the world. We ate at a really awesome restaurant and watched kind of a scary movie, but the best part was being able to spend time with one another and just... well, relax. These sort of days with him are the ones I cherish most. I hope you all had a lovely weekend xoxox.

No, I'm not really sure why he's making that face in the first picture. He refused to be serious! :o

As of late...

For the past few days my room has looked like a library vomited in it. I have 4 tests to study for, a paper to write, certain activities to do for all my classes, and reading. They sure didn't prepare us for this in Highschool >_<

On the plus side, Clemson beat Auburn today so that has made my mood considerably more cheery. I can't wait until I get to go to my first game on Oct. 8th with baby and his family. So excited! :)

What I wore...

Hey everyone! So in order to spice up the blog a bit I decided to start doing a "What I wore" post each week on Friday! I have this day off from school so hopefully I won't be lazy about it and accept the challenge ;) This entire outfit (minus my belt and purse) was from Urban Outfitters. Yes I know, they are extremely pricy. However, if you have ever been to the actual store you can find some really good prices in their sale section. I got the shirt and pants last year at the mall in Charlotte and to be honest with you I barely wore the pants until last week I wanted to wear something 'comfy' to school and thought, "Hey! I can wear those pants with my plaid shirt!" The shoes I got recently over the summer and let me tell you... they are probably my favorite accessory to any outfit. I will admit that they can get a little uncomfortable if you wear them for long periods of time, but just for a small outing or even to school and such they are perfect with any outfit. They have various colors but I always try to stick with a color (especially with shoes) that will go with anything. Brown happened to be the case with me. :)

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! xoxo


*Ps this post is inspired by Miss. James at Bleu Bird Vintage!

Mutemath at the Handlebar.

If you have never heard of MUTEMATH, I strongly suggest you give these guys a chance for that you won't be disappointed. I discovered them a few years ago on Myspace around 2007, a year after their first album came out. This video was being advertised and it would come to be one of my favorite songs of all time. I soon downloaded a few more of their songs off the album, but sadly forgot about them as time passed. It wasn't until I met Brandon that I rekindled my love for them after he introduced me to their latest album titled 'Armistice.' From there on out I have never been so overwhelmed with such beautiful music. They have certainly kept me company over the months and honestly, I have yet to get sick of hearing them.

Me, Brandon, and his parents got the privilege to see them live this past Thursday at the Handlebar in Greenville and it was the most incredible show I've ever been to. We were lucky enough to be the first ones there (him getting there at five, me at five thirty, and his parents sometime after six) and be able to see the band in the cafe. We were so shy though we didn't know what to say or how to approach them because well... they were trying to eat ha. Still though! Having them literally TWO feet away from us was so intense! When the doors finally opened, there was this beautiful little spot at the very front of the stage (and right where Paul Meany was to stand) that ended up being Brandon and I's space. We had a perfect view of the singer (Paul), the guitarist (Todd) and the drummer (Darren), however where I was standing Paul's organ was right in front of my face so I couldn't see the bassist (Roy) in the back very well. The concert had so much energy though for just a little show. There were tons of people behind us, and at that moment I was extremely grateful for the spot Brandon and I were able to snag. And yes I got to touch all of them except for Roy who was mainly on the other side of the stage (it was kinda cramped...) and I even got Todd to smile at me twice! Bahah!

At the end of the concert we were kind of sad because we thought we weren't going to get to actually meet them and talk to them, but then a glory moment happened when Todd walked out to the tour bus and a bunch of people started shouting his name. Brandon and I both shot over there as fast as we could and yes we got to meet him/grab a picture with him! Brandon even got him to sign this little cd he bought at the merch stand. To make things even BETTER though, Paul walked out too! The picture above is with me, Paul, and Brandon and if you couldn't tell, we were ECSTATIC! He even gave us hugs like he's known us all his life! He was the nicest guy, and so was Todd! I wish we got to meet the other members, but I think they were inside. Still though, the show was amazing, they were amazing, and I want to relive that night for the rest of my life. I have never been so happy before!

I'm serious though you NEED to give them a listen! They are incredible musicians! :)

Pictures above:

1. Me, Paul, and Brandon after the show.
2. Some of the band in the cafe like 2 feet away from us!
3. Me and my love before the concert.
4. Front and center!
5. Paul's set list!
6. Todd!
7. Darren!
8. Paul!! :)

Good Night

I apologize for being so absent the past few weeks, but a lot has been going on in the month of August that has distracted me from writing. I promise to keep updating more frequently and not to abandon this precious online blog again.

Recently I've found myself reminiscing over the previous years of my life. I have overcome so much, yet fallen behind in some cases. I do know that I am approaching that stage where I'm trying to find myself as an individual and to try and forget the person I once used to be. The first picture that is posted up there was taken when I was 15 years old at the beginning of my Sophomore year of Highschool. That entire year taught me things that I am still to this day learning how to forgive. If anything, I experienced two life changing events that would carry me to this moment right now. I recently just experienced my third one last month. I remember when we were all in 9th grade and we were the first class to be in the Freshman Academy and one of the history teachers gave a speech to us in the gym. He told us to look to our right, and then to our left at the people beside us. I remember we all gave each other goofy smiles, not even expecting to hear the next few words he would say to us. He told us that there was a possibility that we would grow apart from these people, a few would drop out or move far away, and God forbid it, but some of us could face death in our highschool years. We were only 14 and 15 at the time though, so of course we took his wisdom lightly. As I grew through highschool, however, I did loose a few friends and gained a few more. I will say that I never personally lost a friend, but I know people who have and have faced death themselves. These real life situations were still so surreal to me at the time that I never really wanted to admit myself to them. I wanted to bury my head under my covers and hide from the monsters of the real world when some of the monsters were people I trusted and tried to find comfort in. It's amazing how people change over a certain amount of time and how you truly discover who your friends are as you progress into college.

So much has gone on in so little time, but I'm starting to feel normal again. I'm also starting to realize just how much certain people mean to me in my life. If anything, Brandon has been more to me than just my boyfriend. I never once thought it was capable to be best friends with someone you were intimate with; like it was a whole separate concept of relationships. He has taught me more about friendship than anyone in my entire life, and has compassionately stood by my side and loved me far more than I could ever imagine. It's the little things that he does that reminds me of how much he loves me and cares for me and those thoughts indeed bring the most comfort in times when I'm feeling sorrowful.

As I've previously stated before, August was a hard month for me. I had to overcome some emotional issues that involved watching all of my friends leave for college, plus a number of personal events that took place with the whole 'moving forward' process in my life. I am choosing to lean on God for most of these matters now and to not worry so much about the things I cannot control.

~

In other news to this, Brandon and I get to see MUTEMATH this Thursday and I AM BEYOND EXCITED! It will be my first real concert seeing a band that I absolutely adore, so as you can imagine I'm flipping out! We got V.I.P packages too that came with a shirt, a ticket to the show, their new cd (that comes out October 4th, AND you can totally pre-order it now on i-tunes) plus a bonus song! We are beyond pumped for this and yes there will be lots of pictures and hopefully some videos to share! I will totally be updating on this more though!

I wanted to end this blog on a happy note though because despite how last month turned out, September is starting to look pretty snazzy. I am really excited for all that God has planned for me and I cannot wait to start looking at the next school I plan to attend! I hope everyone has a fabulous Labor Day weekend and week!

xoxo

it's september first.

and this is what inspires me as of late.

one. two. three. four. five. six. seven.

love, lorelei photography.

Okay, so I promise I won't do this much, but I wanted to advertise myself a little just because I have never really done it before and plus I found it appropriate to do only once in a while. A week ago tomorrow I took a lovely couple's photos in downtown Greenville, SC, and I just finished editing the pictures tonight. What I love about shooting couples the most is that I feel like I can really get a peak inside their relationship. The way she looks at him, the way he kisses her forehead, their laughter, their constant chatter, etc, they are all special moments to capture. I believe every couple should be photographed at least once just to always have that little something to glance back on. I am still carefully planning Brandon and I's own personal photoshoot that will happen in the near future (and when it cools down.)

I think that's what fueled my love for photography in the first place; capturing those little moments. Tomorrow I am taking brother and sister portraits for a friend of my mom's and I am so very excited to do so because this will be the first time that I will be using morning light. They also live close to a location that I have been drooling over for the past two years. I hope to share some of those on my facebook fan page, so please take a gander at my other work! My personal facebook also showcases my other photography.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Adventure in the mountains.

Yesterday Brandon and I went to Table Rock with his mother for a little afternoon adventure. When we first started the trail it felt pretty good. It was cool and shaded and pretty much no problem at all. Well, as we kept moving the trail eventually became a lot harder than we expected and eventually quit after about 45 minutes. Other than the heat, crowd, and lack of water down my throat, it was a wonderful experience. I wore my rainbows so I think I brought the wrong shoes as well, and of course Brandon didn't get enough sleep the night before but suddenly got a random burst of energy when we were hiking *tries not to grumble*. When we got back home we went swimming in his pool and played for about two hours, then we came back inside and enjoyed some wonderful pizza (thanks to his lovely mommy) and watched It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Needless to say it was a wonderful day :)

My back to school date is approaching rapidly, but I think I'm finally getting to the point where I'm content with that. I've felt so idle since January and even though I'm ready to start fresh, I'm terrified to start fresh. This year determines so much for me in so many areas in my life. I had two break downs last week from all the stress I've been bottling up and it was rough. Very rough. I have so much to do in so little time it seems, but from now on I'm trying to give this a positive outlook and not worry so much about those things now. It's still summer and I still have time to spend with my friends, family, and boyfriend. It's amazing what prayer and faith can really do.

xoxo

Productivity + yummy pizza :)

This week has been both lazy and productive! Here are a few pictures of what I did. My grandma gave me this old quilt she bought off of QVC the other day and now it is happily hugging my bedsheets. I was getting really sick of my old one, so I definitely needed a change. This one actually matches my stuff too. I usually go for the brightly colored quilts you see sometimes, and I actually found a perfect one when I went to the mountains a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately it was like... $100 and my mom talked me out of getting it :/ it was still very nice though. I've also been getting into old children's books (thanks to Ashley, Brandon's sister hehe). I've been absolutely DYING to find an old copy of Winnie the Pooh and I finally found one laying on a dusty shelf in this antique store in Greer. Talk about SNATCH! :) I think it was dated to about the early 1940's? It's in really nice shape!

I also splurged the other day on Etsy and bought this lovely dress from the 1950's, but sadly... it barely fits me. I was really gutted about it too. I'm thinking about taking it to this place that does alters but I don't know if they can really do anything about it since it is vintage fabric. Plus the cost might be a little pricy. Who knows... I might use it, but I am definitely not ready to give it away just yet. The way the girl packaged my dress though was really cute! She put a little doily on top of it with a little message saying thanks! I'll definitely have to remember all of these cute little details for when I open up my shop soon!

The other night boyfriend and I (well, mainly Brandon, I just did the woman's work) made these grilled pizzas and oh my gosh they were amazing. I couldn't finish mine, but it was totally devine. We just got this dough from Publix, added some of this fancy mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, and fresh basil and man it was a perfect meal. My love can surely cook :) I also spent some much needed time with my best friend Leah, and then last night Brandon and I napped for a while and watched It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (which is really growing on me btw)

Ahhh well tonight I'm going out with a few friends to celebrate our friend Shelby's 17th birthday! Yay! :) I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! xoxo

just some inspiration.

I recently discovered these two precious websites the other day that I think you should take a look at if you're in the mood to create! 1 & 2 :)

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Monday afternoon!

book crazy.

Hello! So as you all know, I'm pretty much obsessed with old books. On Saturday I went with my parents to this lovely book store called Mr. K's that my boyfriend's sweet sister introduced me to. It's a bargain book store located off of Lauren's Road in Greenville. If I had more time I would have stayed there longer seeing as they had tons of books ranging from old to new. I found three that I really liked and I honestly cannot wait to read them soon. :)

I've been pretty hooked to Etsy again lately. I promised myself I wouldn't go crazy and spend all my money on something I *know* I really don't need, but this caught my eye and I couldn't resist. I can't wait for it to come in the mail sometime this week! I'm slightly worried though if it will fit me. I usually can wear an XS-S-M, but it totally depends on the clothing, but not only that these are complete vintage threads and I don't own many vintage type dresses like this one. I'm crossing my fingers! I hope everyone has a lovely week!

xoxo