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! :)

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

summer song.

My parents and I had originally planned a trip to a flea market in Asheville, North Carolina, this past Saturday, but unfortunately we got to the flea market way to late and therefore did not stay long. However, I had the grand idea to visit the Biltmore Estate seeing as we were very close to it. I hadn't been in about a year and I brought my camera with me for some awesome photo opportunities. When I was little I always adored going there. I loved pretending to be a high aristocratic woman with my best friend in our british accents, prancing around as if we owned the place. It certainly is a magical house. This time I found the gardens to be my favorite part. So many pretty flowers and amazing photo opportunities. I wish Brandon and I could go and take pictures there... but the prices are outrageous. Thank god I still pass for 16 :P

Sooo nothing new has been going on really. Although I will admit I've been a little emotionally hurt lately (the joys of being a girl) I'm not sure why either. I'm usually always happy, always friendly, always in a really good mood... but I've been dreading my back to school date, the future, my classes, and pretty much everything revolving around school. Also, my faith has been having it's ups and downs. I haven't been to a church service in a while and it's partly because I sleep in very late. I also haven't been discipled in a while, but life has been getting in the way for me and my mentor. I feel like God is trying to tell me something as well... I'm just not sure how to answer Him/speak to Him about it. I do request prayer from those of you who read this though.

Hopefully I'll see brighter days. I hope you all have a wonderful rest of the week. xoxo

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!