some of my favorite things.

I'm sorry for the lack of updates, but I've been pretty busy the past few days. I finally decided to stop being lazy about it though and share with you all a few of my favorite things as of late. I've really been getting into the lomography scene of photography. I have what is called a Holga which is a plastic film camera that first made an apparence in the early 1980's. The sad and awesome thing about film cameras (especially these type of lomography cameras) is that your outcome totally varies each time. But I guess that's the thrill of shooting with film; you never know what you're going to get. Sometimes you'll shoot an entire roll of film and only get one decent shot out of it. Or maybe you'll shoot an entire roll of film and get awesome results. Either way, I fell in love with my plastic prince last summer and now I'm trying my best to learn how he works and possibly even buy him some little lenses in the future. If you go on my facebook page you'll see some of my personal shots I've taken the first time I've used it.

I've been quite the shopaholic lately. I couldn't resist snagging that cute dress from Pac Sun though. They were having a sale, don't judge! I also bought a dress from UO which might possibly be my favorite piece of clothing of all time. It's the most adorable thing I've ever seen in my life and I can't wait until it arrives. I keep seeing all of these pretty things and I keep pouting at myself because I KNOW I don't need them. Sometimes I'll lurk on Etsy just to see if I can find any good deals and I'll end up spotting something silly like this puppy ball. I mean, really Lorelei? What are you thinking? Yet the more I look at it my heart melts a little. I'm such a little girl haha. I've also been addicted to these little suckers called 'Carousels'. They're so insanely delicious and they totally last forever. I've only seen them at Cracker Barrel, but I remember when I was little I used to get them at the grocery store. I've honestly haven't touched the few that I have, but it's because I'm saving them for the right moment :3

I've been doing some cleaning around my room and I'm finally getting to the point where I like how it looks. I've finally gotten rid of my junky PC and now my little desk can breathe again. I've adorned my favorite books in a tiny spot and they magically have been standing up on their own. I love it though. You can barely see the one on the end on the right, but it's my favorite. I'm not even totally sure what it's about (some sort of religious debate or something) but it was so pretty I had to get it from this antique store. I'm such a fool for pretty things. Lastly I meant to say that I got my precious phone back. We've been inseparable ever since too. I will never be so careless again, and you can hold me accountable for it. Not to mention I love looking at the cute picture of me and boyfriend :)

Speaking of boyfriend! After two long weeks we were finally reunited this past Saturday! Yay! Spent the evening watching The Departed and talking/cuddling. Monday we went to Haywood so I could grab this awesome mascara one of my bff's Emily suggested I get and to get some Tutti Frutti. We also discovered this amazing mexican place called Poppa's and Beer (thanks to his lovely sister) and dude. Don't even go to El Mex anymore. That stuff LAUGHS at El Mex. It was so awesome I might have to make him take me again next week lol. Tuesday we had to journey over to Clemson so he could get his transcript from Tri-county. We didn't really do much considering there isn't much to do there :P (no offense I adore Clemson lol) and spent the evening at my house where I FINALLY GOT HIM TO WATCH PLL... sort of. He was still there to witness the awesomeness of the episode ;D 

(just saying I REALLY want Aria's feather hair extensions and i'm totally considering getting some)

But anyways, I hope everyone has an awesome 4th of July weekend! xoxo

it's been one of those days

where prayer and food are the only things you can rely on. i'm sleep deprived and i really miss brandon. a lot.

picture source.

the weight of stress.

I'm pretty good at stressing myself to death for some reason. It could be something really little too, but yet if it affects me in any kind of way, it hits me hard emotionally. I start thinking about it before I go to sleep at night and then it moves on to some tears and frustration and then I take it out on those who I love. If you're wondering why I'm stressed or how I could even possibly be stressed to begin with since it's summer, I'll tell you straight up that I'm terrified about school. I don't want to go to Greenville Tech really, and now I'm starting to doubt myself on what I want to do with my life. As you all know, photography is a huge passion of mine. For about a year or so I decided on fashion photography as my career choice. When my Senior year at Byrnes rolled around I still kept the same thought. However, I then started to think about the other options I could go for as a photographer. I never had it in me to do weddings or anything in that category because I've heard a lot more cons than I have pros on the matter. But a few months ago I was browsing along the internet until I came across this beautiful couple who did weddings in the exact same style of photography that I love. Their names are Andrew and Carissa Gallo and they're based in Washington, D.C. I was instantly floored by their work and that's when I realized that I didn't have to do the standard 'Wedding' photography you normally see. There are people who do actually have the same taste as I do, however, I'm not sure how big the clientele is. Once I saw this beautiful work though, I seriously started to doubt fashion photography. A few weeks ago I was asked by one of my good friend's mom if I would be willing to take some photos for a local consignment shop in Spartanburg called, "OOPS!" I definitely took up the offer, but I then began to learn a lot about fashion and how a clothing store works. Honestly, I wasn't expecting half of what I got out of it, and now I'm more prepared for the next shoot. It was still a fun experience though and I got to work with two of my best friends, of whom who were excellent models. :)

I'm not sure what I'll be doing later on in life and what school I'll end up transferring to. In the end I just want to wrap my head around something else and not worry about my back to school date.

But I want to thank my wonderful, sweet boyfriend for being there for me last night. I definitely used his shoulder to cry on via skype and he patiently listened and knew what to say. Even if he was half dead from spending all day at the beach with his family hehe... I love you very much honey!

Family Vacation Part Two

I'm sorry for delaying part two of my family vacation, but since yesterday was Father's Day I've been pretty busy hanging out with family and just resting up from the beach. To continue, however, on Wednesday we went to a wonderful local restaurant called, "Gullah Grub," which is authentic gullah/southern type food that literally melts in your mouth. To start you off they give you a little dish of corn bread to munch on and it's so sweet it definitely tastes more like pound cake than corn bread! I ordered the crab soup with an all organic salad and a sweet tea in a cute little jelly jar. This is probably my favorite restaurant to go to while I'm on vacation with my family. It's placed in a quirky old house that has so much charm. It smells exactly like my great grandma's house :) We then wandered around for a bit until we came to this wonderful fort that was covered in huge oak trees with spanish moss hanging from them. It was right on the beach too. I think the fort was built sometime between the 1700's and the 1800's, but needless to say, some parts of it were kinda creepy. Especially with a brewing storm near by.

Next on the list of our journey was this not so wonderful 'Plantation' called the "Frampton House," in Yemassee, SC. You know... on the outside it looked beautiful, but once you went in you'll never guess what it was. Just a crappy gift store. They restored the entire house, but only made it where the bottom two floors were a gift shop and the upstairs was some sort of office. Even the grounds weren't all that exciting. But, if you like that kind of stuff or just want to get a handful of brochures and chocolate candy... then by all means. I, however, don't think I'll be stopping there again anytime soon.

The last on my list of pictures is that wonderful house at the bottom. On Thursday my family and I went out to eat at this cute restaurant called, "Plums," and then we decided to tour around the old city to look at the houses. I've been to Beaufort, SC, a million times and never once had my family and I peaked around the old houses or took a walk under the hanging branches of the large Oak trees. Granted a few years ago we took a little carriage tour once, but I barely remember what it was like other than our horse was afraid of trash bags in the road. However, during our discovery I found this... gorgeous... house. For those of you who have read Pride and Prejudice, or seen the absolutely adoring movie with Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen, I instantly thought of Pemberly. Or what Jane Austen imagined it to be like. The Chatsworth House is probably the closest example of what she had in mind, and so therefore I came to the same conclusion when I saw that wonderful house up above. It is nicknamed "The Castle," and it's going for about 3 million dollars. I told Brandon that he needed to rack in the cash at Hollywood 20, haha. 

Friday was sadly our last day at the beach, and we went and ate at this wonderful breakfast joint called, "Blackstone's Cafe." Then we headed out over to Charleston so I could get my fill in Urban Outfitters. I swear that place never gets old to me. I never know what I want either. Every time I walk in I get SO dizzy from trying to look at everything. I usually walk in the dressing room about 2 or 3 times as well trying to find all that I want at a reasonable deal. Which... usually comes to about impossible considering they're so expensive >_< ahh... it's my treat once a year most definitely.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week and please wish me luck! Today is my orientation for Greenville Tech, ahh!

Family Vacation Part One:

I definitely didn't have the heart to upload all of the pictures in one post, so I've decided to make this blog entry into two parts :) I just came home from Charleston about two hours ago, and boy let me tell you... I am the worst traveler. I absolutely loathe riding in the car. Especially if I'm not the one driving. However, our three hour journey went by fast so now I'm not feeling quite as bad as I usually do after I come home from a long trip. But anyways. In the first few pictures my parents and I went to this little italian restaurant called Panini's Cafe, and I ordered this amazing dish that was lobster and crab stuffed pasta. The cafe itself is extremely precious and to make it even more special it was originally a bank. The whole restaurant is architecturally beautiful and I definitely recommend stopping by if you're in the area and craving italian! We then set out on the town and inspected the local shops (that were closed, but still fun to peak in the windows) and took a walk on the quaint boardwalk. After that we headed over to this very eclectic ice cream parlor called 'Southern Sweets' and I got that wonderful milk shake at the bottom...

Hardee's and Sonic just don't do milkshakes like this place. I've never had such a wonderful treat before in all my life and not only that, but the little antique glass it came in really made it even more wonderful! As for the dinosaurs... don't ask. I just thought they were cute and I wanted to play and take a picture of them :3

The beach itself was amazing, but I wish we got to stay longer :/ I certainly don't believe I had my fill on it. Oh well, I guess I'll have to wait until next year I suppose. Another awesome thing that happened was that I found, literally, A MILLION sand dollars! You can hardly find any good shells on that beach, but, my parents and I got lucky and we just kept finding them. And even if they weren't conk shells or anything, I still found that to be pretty awesome. 

To be continued :)

four months today :)

Thank you for being so loving, kind, patient, supportive, and overall just wonderful these past few months. You have made me feel like the luckiest girl in the world, and the happiest at that. I really hope you know that you mean so much to me and that I'm so very thankful that you're not only my boyfriend, but my best friend. You hold a very special place in my heart and I thank God constantly for bringing such a loving person in my life. (: You're the funniest person I know, and you always know how to cheer me up. I can't even stay mad at you very long and even when I 'try' to it never works. You always manage to bring a smile to my lips no matter what you do. You're incredible, and I love you so much :)

For those of you who couldn't guess, it's Brandon and I's four months today. (: I know, I know, silly to celebrate, but come on... nothing wrong with expressing how much a person means to you, right? Hehe. I put up a few pictures as a 'timeline' of our friendship/relationship and goodness... even if the first picture was taken just back in December, it literally feels like such a long time ago. He's definitely my favorite, that boy.

I am currently soaking up some summer sun with my parents down at Harbor Island, SC, and it's wonderful. I love it down here so much; it's practically a second home to me. The atmosphere is very inspiring and I plan to snap a lot of photos to share with you all. That's my biggest struggle when I go on vacation; taking pictures. I find that to be super ironic too, but I get so lost within the beauty, relaxation, and history of the lowcountry that I just... forget. It's something I'm determined to break this year though. Oh and by the way, guess who drove on the highway for the first time since getting her license? THIS GIRL RIGHT HERE! Yeah! It was really awesome! Horrifying in some spots, but nonetheless really easy and mellow. I hope to get the hang of it some day... as for now I think I'll practice a bit before heading out on my own. :P I hope everyone is having a lovely week! :)

Wednesday afternoon.

Just a small update. Boyfriend is playing L.A Noire and I'm just sitting here watching. We had a pretty productive afternoon. Went swimming for a bit and played cards with his family :) Ah summer, how I've missed you so.

Broken phone.

The past few days have been pretty hectic, but I'm starting to see the light. On Wednesday, mid-afternoon, I broke my precious phone. I've been heartbroken and literally kicking myself about it. Boyfriend went with me not long after it happened to Verizon where I thought I could seek out some answers on how to fix/replace it, and they told me if I had insurance that I could replace it easily with only a $90 fee. Okay, cool, I thought. No big deal, I'm pretty sure I have insurance on this bad boy. I mean, my parents spent a lot of money on it, it has to be insured. With this thought in mind, I tried not to let the situation get to me (even if I'll admit I was still extremely miffed at myself... not to mention I was tired from crying my eyes out about it >_<) so we spent the afternoon playing on our laptops, talking, cuddling, etc, and eventually went to Venus Pie for supper. To say the least it was still a fun day.

However, yesterday morning my mom decided to get in contact with Verizon only to find out that my phone was not insured. Obviously you can insert *complete panic mode here* for me as I scrambled for some ideas on what I could do. I mean, I HAVE to have a phone. I HAVE to be in touch with people somehow. Luckily I saved my old voyager from last summer. Well, after going to the eye doctor to get some more contacts and spending some more time with Brandon, I started to feel crappy about it again. Have I ever told you that my boy is a genius? He suggested that I get in contact with Samsung to find out if they could repair it. I didn't even think about it until he suggested it! :) 

So today my dad and I started looking up some repair options and eventually ended up choosing Samsung as our best pick. The cost to repair is going to be $163 but with free shipping... and honestly, I don't mind spending the money to get it fixed. I've definitely learned my lesson with taking care of my things :/

Today did get a lot better by the way, and I decided that I needed a change with my hair. I dyed it a darker color and got it cut a little. Same length and all, but definitely a lot more choppy and whatnot. I had this exact same hair cut (except a lot shorter) when I was 15 so I thought I would change things up a bit and get it again with my longer hair :) I hope everyone has a lovely weekend!