summer goals.

so, while i'm sitting here on my bed,

eating sour patch kids and m&m's,

i thought i would make a list of my summer goals.

yes, i know, summer has been in full swing since june 10th, but why not?

so, here we go.

bold = done. 

1. meet my dad

2. go to the beach

3. get a tan. (other than from a tanning bed)

4. wash my face 2x a day

5. work out at least 3x a week

6. meet torrey

7. read the Bible and do a devotion every night

8. get my back hand-spring on the floor

9. get a job

10. keep my room clean...er

11. go to the doctor about my headaches (my mom thinks i need glasses...yay)

12. take a lot of pictures

13. sell a lot of yearbook ads

14. blog more

now,

i hope you enjoy these random pictures of my summer so far.

 thank you, holly vogler, for the photos below.



happy summer!

a day to remember.

well today was the day i've been waiting for practically all my life.

today, i met the man that helped bring me into this world.

the man i haven't seen in 14 years.

the man i like to call my dad.

although we only took one picture (which will not upload right now for some reason),

the memories of this day will stick with me forever.

today was a blessing.

and i thank God so much for making it possible.

let's just say..

today was all i had expected it to be,

plus so much more.



for the first time in my life.

father's day.

the day that brought me to tears for many years in the past.

the day that now brings me happiness and so much gratefulness.

for the first time in my life,

i was able to put a card into an envelope with the

name and address of my father on the front.

for the first time in my life,

i'm happy on father's day.

the town that built me.

many people would tell you that the town we live in is too small, too quiet, or is full of drama because everyone knows everyone.

however,

i love that it's so quiet and quaint,

that you can drive all the way across it in less than fifteen minutes,

that the speed limit on main street is 20,

that in middle school, the thing to do after school was walk and hang out with friends at hardee's,

that getting behind tractors on the roads is an every day occurance,

that for many, weekends include riding four wheelers or dirt bikes,

that most houses are yards apart instead of just inches,

that everywhere you go on these country roads you see tobacco fields.

although i wasn't born here, this is where i spent most of my childhood

(or at least the years i can clearly remember).

this town is where all of my memories were made.

unlike most of the kids at school who say they can't wait to be eighteen and get away from this town,

i consider this to be the best place on earth.

photo credit.



for a sigh of relief.

well, in the last week, i've survived the two things i thought i wouldn't be able to.

ben's high school graduation,

and senior week.

this was the week that really scared me.

trust was definitely not the issue,

it's just common for a girl to be worried when her boyfriend's at senior week, right?

that's what i thought.

and today, that week, which felt like forever,
 is finally over.

now, i have no worries.

just summer.

which is finally really here.

<3 

for a re-cap.

well, needless to say, this is the first time in a while that i've had time to blog.

a lot has happened since my last post.

may 13:

ben and i celebrated our 1 year anniversary.

after going to his house,

spending what seemed like forever in golf galaxy,

and going to my aunt's birthday party,

it definitely wasn't the typical anniversary date.

most people thought we should have gone to some fancy restaurant or a movie,

but that night i learned that those aren't the things that make it special.

i was happy just to spend the evening with him,

no matter where it was.

may 18:

i met my aunt, laurie reich.

the one i haven't seen since i was two.

she was absolutely amazing.

she bought my mom and i dinner and after we ate

she showed us some old pictures of my family.

after that, she came with us to my tumbling class.

she is probably one of the nicest women i've met in my life

and i'm so glad God gave me the opportunity to finally meet her.

may 20:

another moving day.

my fourth one since eighth grade.

my mom, step dad, kameira and i moved from mt. airy back to pilot mountain.

it seemed that i was the one that was the most excited about this move. 

instead of driving twenty minutes to school every morning, i now only have to drive two. 

instead of driving anywhere from twenty to thirty minutes to see my friends,

i now only have to drive five to fifteen.

i love being this close to everything again.

i missed it so much.

june 3:

my last official day as a sophomore.

ben's last day of being a high school student.

this made me realize how fast this year has flown by.

i feel like it was just yesterday that it was august 24th and ben

was picking me up for my first day of my sophomore year.

i feel like just yesterday i was in the middle of the ocean a cruise ship, having the best

sweet sixteen ever.

i feel like just yesterday i was driving alone for the first time.

when in all reality, yesterday was the last day i would be walking the halls

as a sophomore,

the last day i would hug ben between first and second period.

in just two short years, it will be me taking pictures with my friends 

on the last day as a high school student.

it made me realize that i can't take this time for granted.

i need to stop wishing my life away.

because before i know it, i'll be the one sitting on the football field of 

east surry in a red cap and gown.   

as my brother, torrey, told me this morning,

"you have the rest of your life. enjoy your youth."