Tweeting to 1,000

I haven't written in so long that at this point it feels foreign. I mean, can you get to a place where you haven't touched your blog in such a long time that you can't even call it 'YOUR' blog anymore?
Regardless, I think I almost hit that point. So close.

Updates on my life (for anyone who cares to know):
-Currently, I am breaking it down in my kitchen to 'Helena Beat' by Foster the People while drinking an ice cold root beer and eating Gluten-Free Cheese Puffs (I am completely normal). Which leads me to my next point...
- I am now gluten-free. Yay for not being able to eat anything! The past six months have been me struggling against some weird....sickness? I wouldn't call it an 'illness' persay...but it's been crazy. But after 4 doctors and 18 some tubes of my blood, they still couldn't figure out what was wrong. Naturally, my mother and I discovered what we think it is (stupid doctors): A gluten AND lactose allergy. So goodbye all wheat, milk, eggs, cheese...moving on to greater things...like vegetables and fruits. Rough. I would hashtag at this point, but I feel weird enough doing it on Facebook that if I were to hashtag in my blog, it would be like social media suicide. Nerd status. That kind of thing. So I'll restrain.
- My greatest accomplishment lately is that I'm about to hit my 1,000th Tweet mark on Twitter. This is incredibly sad, I realize, but fortunately, I'm not ashamed.
- I also got promoted to the title of 'Team Manager' in my part-time job at Graeter's. They're paying me a whole extra dollar which, heck, in this economy I'm taking and not looking back. So what if I work an extra 100 hours a week while I'm finishing up school? It's money in MY bank. Get at me.
- Bridal Shower for my sister? Check freaking mark. It went fantastically and it didn't get awkward. Which surprised me to no end. I mean, it did for like 30 seconds, but then we were able to pull it together. Look at us in our maid-of-honor/bridesmaid roles. Rockin' it, I tell you.
- I've decided that I can't function when people type the word 'ya' in a sentence.
Example 1: "Let me know where ya got that grill! Ya need to bring it over so I can use it!"
Okay first of all...no. Second of all...it's 'YOU'. COME ON PEOPLE. Third of all...no.
Example 2: "Ya I think I'm going on that African safari."
'Ya' CANNOT be synonymous for two different words like that. 'Yes/Yeah' and 'You' are two completely different words. When you type 'ya', I'm just going to automatically assume that you are from Sweden or you're practicing how to speak Swedish.
-Only 29 days left until I am out of high school for good. I am SO ready and have been since freshman year. Come on...I can do it...only 29 days. Oh boy.

Other than that, my life is just normal. Other than the casual stuggles that I normally have which is also known as my own awkwardness...but I think casual struggles sounds better.

Song of the Day: Save Your Scissors - City and Colour
I know I post him a lot but it's only because he is FANTASTIC and he's so indie and the guitar is great. He deserves it. Props to you, Dallas.

Keep it real like Jesus, kids. Be the example. Jesus is still trying to help me on that one, too.
Arms Open Wide...

Speak Now Before Time Comes...

Wow. Wowowow.
I literally forgot how much I despise driving in the snow. Like I get all angry/frightened/partially happy that it IS actually snowing until I realize that, wait a minute....it's snowing and I'm DRIVING. And then the cycle starts all over again all while having to figure out where the stupid lines are on the road, which, just for the record, are white. And what else is white?
Freaking snow.
How do you expect me to know where the lines are if you want to just blend them in with one of the most dangerous weather tools ever?
Fools.
Fools run the world, I tell ya.
But I guess what I'm really here to talk about is...time. That sounds so simple when I type it out, but in my head it's so complex. It's one of those things that you don't realize you have it until it's gone.
As a kid, I just remember thinking how the days went on and on and ON. Other than that, I literally had no concept of time. I never once looked at a clock. Never had somewhere to be. Something to do. People to meet.
Nothing. It was just that simple.
We could do 17 different activities AND walk the dog and still have the rest of the day left to do whatever we wanted.
Now? Now I can't start my day without thinking about time. Without thinking about where I have to be. What I have to do. People I have to see. And when it all needs to get done. I feel like I'm on a deadline everyday. There's never a rest. There's never a break. There's never a chance to sit back and just LIVE. My brain is always jumping to the next task.
I've had all the time in the world to process this over my Christmas break. And I've come to the conclusion that we're moving too fast. We're missing the small things in life.
I'm getting ready to graduate this spring. How did that happen?! I feel like I was just complaining about how long it was going to take to get OUT of high school. And now I feel like I've missed out on a lot of small things.
Like for example, today I've noticed small things like how pretty the sky gets on a daily basis, how scary it is to drive in the snow at 6:30 in the morning, how little words and phrases can mean so much, how family really is a necessity, or even how a stupid glass of real apple juice can make all the difference in a day.
I've noticed that I love when I have some of my regulars come into my job. Like the lady that calls me the "Toms girl" because I wear Toms shoes all the time. And how we bond over shoes and the stupid stuff that happens to us on a regular basis.
I've noticed that I take for granted my friends. The ones who can be my 2 am when I really need to call and wake them up because something is wrong.
Or how an oatmeal creme pie can cure any "sickness". Seriously, those things are to die for [Ohmygosh I made a pun. Hahahaha. How funny am I? Oh boy...]
Or even how once you give up something that you've been holding on to for so long and start to move on, you feel FREE. A freedom that comes from Jesus. The One and Only. My God.
It's these little things that have been tugging at my heart strings lately and I can't bear to let another day go by without noticing them or "stopping to smell the roses", per-say.
I could go on and on about all the little things that I've noticed lately and how they bring joy to my face. It's incredible the way that I've learned to find the joy in the life that God has given me. I'm learning not to be cynical or pessimistic or downtrodden. But I'm also learning to be happy and joyful and thankful and grateful and optimistic and to just jam in the car to that song that makes me feel invincible.
And one person who's really inspired me lately (I hate to play the celebrity card, but I have to) is Taylor Swift. Getting back into her music has been one of the greatest things that has happened to me this break. She's taught me not to look at life with a sour face. To indulge in the joys. And to not wait... to just speak now.
And I find it funny that I just went up to reread my opening paragraph and found it to be partially pessimistic. Still working on that. And Jesus is still working on me.
Hardcore.

Song of the Day: Speak Now -- Taylor Swift
I'm all about some Tay lately like I just told you. And I'm all about speaking now. Which I'm gonna have to work on. Oh geez. Dang I can forreal jam to this song when I want to....except I like the Live version better. Which they don't have on Youtube. Goshdangit. Thinking positively, thinking positively...

Arms Open Wide...