Give me something that'll haunt me when you're not around.

Sparks Fly -- Taylor Swift

I'm just going to be honest with you up front. 

I'm totes writing this to brag on myself. [I can't believe I say totes now. Damn you Matty!]

Normal people stress about what to get others for Christmas; I don't. I just don't. Gift giving has always been my forte to some extent. Most of what I give is handmade too, so I typically put a lot of time into them. 

But this year, when it came time to figure out what I was getting the boytoy? No ideas. Nothing. Zip.

Shit.

What was wrong with me?

Last week, I kind of gave up and decided to fall back on my standard gift: a portrait of him. I really didn't know how it would turn out though because I typically only draw close ups of faces, but most of his pictures are of him playing guitar or something (and homeboy needs a haircut), so there weren't too many face pictures to choose from. 

I chose this one.:

Definitely a challenge for me. And plus, after I cropped it, it was pretty small, so I'd have to enlarge it when I drew it. 

However, I've been working on it for the past week or so, this is what I have so far.:

I am so fucking proud of it so far. I'm not even half way done though. So fingers crossed it doesn't go majorly south after this point...But I'm soooooo excited about it.

Wish me luck!

May the force be with y'all.

"Can't no preacher man save my soul."

Barton Hollow - The Civil Wars

I had all of these glorious intentions of getting back into my blog as a way to record all of my adventures. Aaaand I haven't done that. Probably because there aren't any adventures...

Seriously though. I'm boring. Other people get out and party, but I just don't have the energy. Not that I'd even enjoy them if I went. 

Major(?) changes since I started college in August:

• I'm pledging the community service sorority. Don't get me wrong; I'm the opposite of your standard Greek girl. This sorority is different though. It's dry, so even though we have socials, I don't have to worry about the fact that I don't drink. But they aren't like the Christian sorority who tells you that you can't drink ever. [For some reason, I think people telling me that I shouldn't drink all the time would drive me to drink faster than peer pressure would. I'm just a douche like that.] Plus, our date night was at the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Perfect? I think yes. And I just dig community service.
• I'm studious! For those of you who know me in person, I know! Shocker! I've yet to miss a homework assignment. What is wrong with me?!
• I have a new boytoy. Yet he doesn't go to school with me. No. He goes to the university in my hometown. Messed up? Yes. Who else starts dating someone who lives in their hometown as soon as they move away? No one. That's who. That's because it's dumb. But hey, it works for me. I hate being around the person I date all the time because I have issues.
• And most importantly, I'm obsessed with Gossip Girls. Like seriously obsessed. I'm on season 2 episode 10, and I just started watching it last week. That's about 35 episodes. What? I have a serious problem. (Btw, I'm so Team Blair and Chuck. Serena and Dan bore me at this point.)

Oh, also, I'm having to get used to living with three girls, which shouldn't be too hard considering that I have always lived in small places with my mother and sister. But no. People are gross. 

Problem numero uno? My suitemate's hair all over the fucking bathroom. Are you kidding me? I'm blonde and live with a curly headed brunette, a black girl, and a Korean chick. When there is hair in the tub you know who it belongs to. There really is no question about it. And I swear to god, if I have to continue to clean up shiny Asian hair from the bathtub, bathroom floor, shower curtain, wall across from the shower (seriously? How did that even happen?), I'm going to pop a blood vessel or something. I've asked her to clean it, I've asked my roommate and other suitemate to clean it, and I've posted notes on the bathroom door pointing out that there was hair all over the place. 

Is it cleaned up? No. Everyone nods to shut me up and then sits back and waits for me to clean it.

Kills me.

Excuse me. I have to go cry over the failure that was class registration now.

How have you guys been?

"I've been high, I've been low. I've been yes, and I've been oh hell no."

Save Me San Francisco - Train

Catholic guilt. It's a bitch.

As people all the world can attest to, there can no bigger force that knocks you on your ass.

I had a great time today. This guy that I've been going on dates with when I'm at home came to visit me. He's one of the only people that I've met that can come over and just sit on the couch watching tv or making out listening to music all day long. So I'm lazy. Shut the fuck up; you sound like my roommate. But still. It's still a pretty PG-13 deal.

As soon as he sets foot in his car to head home though? Crippling guilt courses through my veins.

Before I know it, I'm in my room calling myself a slut and where the mess is my rosary.

Does this happen to anyone else?

Oh, just me? Oh..Okay...

In other news, I joined a sorority.
[Great. Now, not only am I a slut, but I'm a sorostitute. I'm giving a great impression.]

But it's no ordinary sorority. It's a national community service sorority.
[Halo regained once more! *Ding*]

Like, seriously. Our bid party? It consisted of icing cupcakes and playing ice breakers. Our pledge day the next morning was spent organizing stuff for the NAMES Project here in da ATL.

I adore it. I love the girls. I love being part of something bigger than just me. I love helping people out. Everything is right up my alley. It's so exciting!

How have you guys been in my absense? Sad, I know. It's okay. I'm back, baby.

"Hi, I've gotta little place nearby; wanna go?"

The Call - Backstreet Boys

So, I'm officially moved into my first dorm room. And honestly? Not bad at all. It's a suite style, so it's bigger than the other freshman rooms. I also only have to share my bathroom with three other girls. Um, yes.

The thing that's going to take the most getting used to is the fact that just about everyone else on my hall is male. I've only seen one other female suite. So, thus far it's like 8 girls to about 40 guys. This is coming from someone who has never really lived around males except for a few years of every other weekend trips to my father's. So it's odd. My house is all estrogen all the time. 

Plus side? With our beds bunked, we have a futon that fits in here nicely. It really is a big room. It's pretty ballin. Not even going to lie. Oh, and my roommate and three guys that live in the buildings next to ours all are my buddies from high school. It's kind of easing me into the transition.

After two hours of intensely focused work [hah], Matty and I got the futon together!

Matt and I got the futon together, and we christened it by watching Bring It On together. And by that, I mean, we had it playing on my computer and sat there quoting all of the lines over the movie. We've seen it far too many times.

More pictures to come when Manda unpacks her boxes!

May the force be with y'all.

"Cause he wants to rendezvous with the new girl."

New Girl in Town - Hairspray

I've been having troubles lately. What troubles, you might ask?

I have a problem that I like to call NKS....New Kid Syndrome.

Everyone loves a new girl. Being the new girl at work? Yeah. I'm kind of on my own two feet now knowledge-wise. I can work pretty damn well even when there isn't anyone else there to help me out. But in terms of the guys, I'm still the new girl.

Out of four single guys that work there? I've been asked out by three. And the other often tells me that he doesn't know how he's going to survive when I leave because the other new girl is kind of a bitch to him. Flirty ho that he is.

      1. The Nice Guy asked me out to dinner. He really is sweet. He's as sweet as he is....well, dumb. He's fun to be around because he's soooo nice, but honestly, I have never had any conversation with him that has anything of substance. But he's kind of going through a transformation in his own life in which he is cutting out all of the pot and psychedelics that he's been doing, and that's just not my deal. [Did I mention that I work with all of the hippies in town?]

      2. The Chill Guy asked me out to lunch. Of the three, he is the only one in whom I could ever see myself being interested. But the timing is all wrong. I just got out of a pretty serious relationship, and I'm leaving for school in...9 days. [Scary as fuck.] Plus, he's definitely the kind of guy that if I ever did like him, I would end up liking him so much more than he liked me. He's just that...chill.

      3. The Player told me that if he wasn't so sure that I'd shoot him down, he'd ask me out. Once again, really cool guy. I like him a lot. But he is SUCH A PLAYER. He's got game, and he knows it. He's very attractive in kind of a dark way, but he definitely plays up his "I'm a sensitive artist." image like a boss. He even brought in his sketch books for me to look over because he found out that I draw as well. He's been openly flirting with me since my first day on the job, but in reality? He's just fun to joke around with at work because he's having too much fun with too many girls behind closed doors at home.

My ego? On an all time high. But at the same time, I am trying not to take any of it to heart because I know that I'm freshmeat. As soon as the new[er] waitress loosens up a bit? They'll be on her too. [She's kind of a badass chick. I'm kind of scared of her, myself.]

Anywho, Saturday night is my last day at work, and I'm actually really sad about it. I never thought I'd enjoy myself as much as I do, but it really is a blast sometimes.

Now, however, it's time to get pumped up to move to the big city. And honestly? I'm terrified.

"How stupid could I be? A simpleton could see that you're no good for me."

I've been listening to this song on a loop for the past hour. It has no relation to my life right now, so it's weird that I'm kind of hooked on it. It's also weird because it makes me pretty sad, but I cannot stop listening to it.

Thank you, Travis Walls, because most of my favorite songs come from your routines.

That is all.

"Everyday I'm shufflin'."

Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO

First things first, today was a momentous [sp?] occasion. Today was the day that my friend Tori handed me a paint brush and an shit ton of black paint and a couple more options and let me loose in her bathroom.

[Does anyone else realize how dangerous this was?]

[It was awesome.]

You can't tell in these pictures, but the floor is black and white checked tile. Tori has a major thing for Alice in Wonderland, so I tried to add a tinge of that in there too. I really like how it came out. It's kind of punky because of the color combination, but it's still neat.

Also, a few tips for when you go to restaurants.

Pet Peeves of a Waitress [and what to avoid if you want timely service.]

1. Listing off everything you want and then remembering that you want to add avocados, onions, bacon, and cheese to the first thing that you ordered. I have to write it down in order so that the cooks can get it right. When you do that, it just fucks me over and most of the time I have to rewrite it.
2. When you have 8 plates of food and you tell me that I've forgotten some of it after my first trip. Obviously I'm not done if half of the table doesn't have any food. I realized this. I'm carrying your stuff out, and you don't want me to drop it all, so be patient. [Especially if you ordered an omelet. For some reason, those motherfuckers are always really hot.]
3. Never needing anything the 500 times that I've checked on you, but when the owner comes and checks on you? You've needed coffee for an hour and I've left off some of your food. Bitches.
4. Hiding your trash behind stuff on the table. I don't know if it's just human instinct to squirrel stuff, but it's a pain in the butt to find. 
5. Multiple people ordering coffee and water. Okay, so this isn't really inconsiderate, but good lord. Haha. I can carry a bunch of water glasses, but when you add coffee into the equation? Two at a time, baby. Two at a time. Unless I get out a tray. But who wants to carry a tray with like three drinks on it?
6. Refusing to look at me. I realize that I'm the help, but goodness. When I'm over there to ask if you need anything, and you make it seem like it's physically painful to look at me and then you dismiss me, it's a wee tad irritating. Just sayin.

That's all for my bitching. Oh yeah, and my knees hurt. And opening at 6:30 sucks.

How have you guys been?

"Summer days are gone too soon. You shoot the moon and miss completely."

Shoot the Moon - Norah Jones

So my friends and I have been talking about tattoos a lot lately. The latest discussion was brought on by my friend's rather new [and rather large] tattoo of a flower on her side. While it isn't my taste at all, it's very her, and she is very happy with it. 

Obviously, this conversation always leads to "What would you get if you got a tattoo?" This is something that I've actually been thinking about a lot lately.

I really want a tattoo of a moon. Like a realistic picture of the moon. And it wouldn't be very big: only an inch and a half or two. I even know where I would put it. [On my back, near my right arm at the bottom of my rib cage.] And most likely, it would say "Shoot the moon." around it in white ink.

But I don't know if I ever will. I really want to, but I feel like I would always be too scared to do it. I've always been a commitment-phobe of sorts with everything I do.

If you got a tattoo, what would you get?

"I was at the top and I was like I’m at the basement."

Just a Dream - Nelly

[This song is stuck in my head like crazy.]

I feel like crap. Blargh. I'm exhausted, and it feels like I have been beaten up. 

But anyway. I don't have to work until Thursday, so at least if I'm getting sick, I can kind of sleep it off.

Exciting thing: The clothes that I ordered from Delias came in! 

Blue suedes. Don't step on 'em.

That's right. Blue pants.

Bonus? They are both on clearance right now. I got both for under $50, and they are pretty decent quality.

But the best part is the fit. I've always thought that ordering clothes online is kind of sketch. You never really know what is going to happen when you get stuff. It could come and be the size of doll clothes. On Delias, however, they have size guides. Just measure where they tell you to measure, and they tell you what size you'll wear. Also, they have one size for around and another for length. My best friend is a shorty [shawteeeee], and she always orders from here because then her pants won't be too long.

And that is all. I'll leave you with a quote about waitressing from a book I'm reading.

"In this job," Morgan told me after a dinner rush, "You get a lifetime of experience every day. A crisis will crop up, worsen, come to a head and resolve itself all in fifteen to thirty minutes. You don't even have time to panic. You just push through."

Story of my life Saturday breakfast and lunch shifts. You always feel like you're drowning, but as long as you keep moving, you'll get through it. If you freak out, you're dead.

May the force be with you.

"Alright, don't worry; even if things end up a bit too heavy, we'll all float on alright."

Float On - Modest Mouse

Things about life you learn from waitressing - Part one:

1. Even when things are getting physically painful, if you're surrounded by people you like, time goes by really quickly. Man, I'm getting old! After all my years of dancing, my knees have gone to shit. Four hours into a six hour shift, they start waging warfare on the rest of my body.
2. People can be complete bitches, but if you throw their water in their faces, you won't get a tip. It also helps when your coworker goes over and try to get them something and they snap at him too. Sucks for him, but at least I know it's not me! "I'm dying of thirst over here, yet I cannot drink my water because I don't have a straw." "We both want more tea with lots of ice, but I don't want you to take the glass with you. I want you to fill up a pitcher and bring it here." Probably because he didn't want us to spit in it! Smart man. Smart, bitch of a man.
3. Busy times are easier when you slow down and do them in order. Best tip that I got from the head waitress. Her other one was that you won't spill liquids if you don't look at them when you walk. [FYI, totes doesn't work for me. My center of gravity is fucked up.]

That's it for now. I've only been there for a week; cut me some slack!

May the force be with y'all!

"Who can say if I've been changed for the better? But because I knew you, I have been changed for good."

For Good - Wicked

Sorry for the prolonged absence. It's been insane lately. 

Last Friday, May 20th, I graduated from high school. [!!!] Our senior song was "For Good". Who called that one? [Me, that's who.] It still hasn't hit me though. Everyone else is being all sentimental, but I have been too busy to slow down and process things.

"Looks like trouble!" - Mom

Me with my graduating cousins.

Oh, and Caleb and I are engaged to be domestic partners. We're totes cute.

Last Saturday, I started my first job. [I know. I know. I move quickly.] I'm waiting tables at a popular local restaurant. Plus side is that all of my coworkers are the hippie sort. I love being in a mellow work environment. Everything in there is so hectic without people freaking out. It could also have to do with the fact that I'm pretty sure I'm one of three servers who don't smoke pot. It's fun though. I'm really enjoying it. I'm making good money for a waitress! Just on my training shifts, I've made an average of $25 in tips on top of getting $7.50 an hour. Not CEO pay or anything, but pretty damn good for the restaurant business.

Stay tuned for my summer news provided it isn't too boring.

May the force be with y'all.

"Lord almighty, I feel my temperature rising."

Burning Love - Elvis Presley

I love music; I might even say that I adore music. I like all kinds: country, rock, singer-songwriter, alternative, and even broadway.

I don't however like Elvis.

[Before you start pelting me with rotten fruit, hear me out.]

[Eh, nevermind. Go ahead; I don't have any specific redeeming reason why I don't have to like him.]

I'm currently working spotlights for our school's spring musical, and it is Elvis themed. Ugh. Don't get me wrong. Working spotlights is one of my favorite things to do. But I don't know if I can get on board with this one. 

[Public service announcement: This is no slight on any most of the actor/tresses. I love them, and their voices are ballin' outrageous.]

But seriously, Joe DiPetrio? 

"All Shook Up" has the makings of an unfortunately popular teen tv series. [Ignore this if you are dying to see it and don't want me to spoil it.]

It starts when leather jacket, hip-swiveling bad boy, Chad, rumbles into an exaggeratedly conservative town on his motorcycle. The women are all falling out and trailing after him. Especially the town-mechanic and typical tom-boy, Natalie, much to the chagrin of her hopelessly devoted [Grease. Now there's a good 1950's musical.] best friend Dennis.

Chad, of course, has no interest in the local grease monkey, but the local museum curator who has no interest in him? Oh, she's perfect.

Blah blah blah. Standard standard standard. You know, typical high school stuff. Natalie tries to turn girly for him, it doesn't work, she dresses like a guy in order to be his best friend and trick him into liking her....Wait, what?

Twist number two? Chad falls in love with Ed, her drag alter ego. Oh god, he's gay. Oh, and the museum lady does too and just happens to turn into a raging nymphomaniac, who is just quivering in delight whenever Ed/Natalie touches her skanky yet nerdy self.

Confused yet? It's weird. Funny thing is that it's based off of Twelfth Night. Shakespeare, say what? Shakespeare was one whacked out dude.

There are several other romances in there along the way as well.

Lord almighty.

"Open up, everything's waiting for you."

Go Your Own Way - Fleetwood Mac

Really tired. 

I made colorguard though! Yay!

Aaaand, here are prom pictures.

Caleb, me, and Quinn

My sister and myself

That's all, folks!

"If you need me, I will follow."

Gilmore Girls theme song

Countdown to prom: 2 days

So much shit to do! Tonight, I shortened the straps on my dress and made the chocolate bowls for our dessert.

 Here is the tutorial that we followed to make those.

Now I just have to hem my dress, buy the stuff to make some of the food, enjoy senior breakfast and video, ace my colorguard auditions, and then I'll be set to enjoy prom.

[If I survive.]

I'm thinking that I'm going to do something like this with my hair.

Hippie hair much?

We'll see how that works out. I'm kind of twitchy just thinking about everything I've got to get done.

How are y'all's weeks looking?

Also, my boyfriend Quinn started a blog, and I highly recommend checking him it out! It's called God's Middle Child, which comes from a Fight Club quote. He's just starting out, so leave him some love [or you can just make fun of his sideburns because he needs to shave.]!

May the force be with y'all.

"Why should I worry? Why should I care?"

Why Should I Worry - Billy Joel

Oliver and Company, yo!

Quinn finally found my blog, so I have to stop saying mean things about him and spreading rumors now. Damn it. He just ruins all my fun.

In other news, I have discovered tumblr, and despite resisting its charms for as long as I could, I am slowly getting addicted to it. My tumblr is in constant use now. [Btw, Kate from Just Give It a Few are becoming tumblr besties. I think I repost almost everything she puts up. She loves how I totally creep on her all the damn time me!]

Also, this upcoming Saturday is my senior prom. I'm super excited...only not because the AP chem exam is the following Monday. And I'm going to die.

But anywho, prom. 

Here's the plan. My and Quinn's moms are cooking dinner, and we're feasting outside at my grandparents' house. They live in the boonies, and it's like their own little hideaway. It's like 2 acres of gardens in the middle of the woods.

It's going to be a hybrid of each of the following, basically.

I'm completely swamped though. I have so much going on this week, and then I have colorguard auditions 45 minutes away that morning, so I'm going to be running all day long. I'm already about to pull all my hair out. It's bad. But fingers crossed, it'll all work out in the end.

Now I just have to plan hair stuff.

Also, shit that made me smile: go here.

[Quinn totally just stole my sharing thunder by saying that he's already seen it, but I can share it on here. HUMPH.]

May the force be with y'all.

"Ain't got time for messing around, and it's not my style."

Almost There - The Princess and the Frog

Sorry I've been pretty absent! It's prom and senior breakfast week, and I have so much stuff riding on my shoulders right now! But don't fret; I'll be back soon!

May the force be with y'all.

"Ain't that a shame? You're the one to blame."

Ain't That a Shame - Fats Domino

It hurts to type this.

No, like it really hurts. Yesterday, I went to a colorguard clinic and succeeded in jamming my two middle fingers on my right hand and bruising the tips of two more. 

So this is painful. That's how much I love you guys. Yeah.

So instead, I show you my latest finished product: a hat for my friend Caitlyn.

It was my first venture into lace knitting, and I like how it turned out. I used a pattern called "The Antelope Hat", which is cool in itself.

May the force be with y'all.

"You know the rules and so do I."

It's Karaoke Blog Ring of Death time again, and this month I'm hosting Alicia from The Princess and the Parole! The theme this month is One Hit wonders. Without further ado...

Hey everyone, I'm Alicia from The Princess & The Parolee.  You haven't seen me around "The Ring" much because this is my first time participating.  You wouldn't think I'd have a problem with stage fright, per se, considering I was a drama nerd in High School but let me tell you, I was nervous.
The reason I chose the song that I did was one, like I said in my video, I actually had a dream about it and two, it's a fantastic song.  It's not technically on any one hit wonder lists and most people claim he wasn't a one hit wonder but I beg to differ.
Alright, enough of my drivel.  Onto my overly nervous, under danced, rendition of ...
Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley.

[The link is acting funny, so if needed go here]

For a list of the rest of the participants, check out Sara's blog, Sara Swears A Lot! [Even if you aren't interested in the rest of the singers, read her blog! I highly recommend it!]

If you want to watch mine...don't. But if you're desperate to see me screech and awkwardly twitch dance, go to Katie's blog here.

May the force be with y'all.

I had planned on doing a post today detailing my "hard decision" about how to do my hair for prom in a few weeks.

However, earlier today, two boys who go to my school were out enjoying one of the last days of spring break and were walking along the side of the road talking with one another. Out of nowhere, two cars had a collision right next to them. They looked up just in time to see a truck spiraling towards them, out of control.

When the paramedics arrived, they found one of the boys dead and the other pinned under the truck.

Rhyan, the boy who died, was in my grade. Timmy was in band with me this past year and is a sophomore.

I'm not going to sit here and pretend that Rhyan and I were best friends just because he died. We didn't dislike each other, but I don't know that we've ever had an actual conversation. We just knew of each other because he became best friends with one of my exboyfriends. But it's sad. It makes me feel really sad. We graduate in less than two months. Such a waste of life. Such a waste of potential.

And I just found out that the car that caused the accident was driven by a girl in my grade as well as the truck that hit the boys. The truck driver is one of my decent friends.

What are the chances that all of those involved go to my school, and three are in my grade...I've been going to school with them since elementary school...

I was thinking about this earlier, and I noticed that pre-high school, everything was kind of a happy-go-lucky ride. No one died other than the occasional long distance relative or maybe someone's grandparent. Once I got into high school, though, it's been constantly present.

We've lost three of our students: one when a gun accidentally went off, one to a pregnancy complications, and now one to a car accident. This has all been within the past two years.

I also know of at least six parents who have died, and one of which I was really close to. Another one of the parents was also one of our football coaches. He was in a motorcycle accident and no only left behind six kids but also an entire high school mourning the loss of one of the figures in our lives that we feel is supposed to be constant.

It's like it just doesn't stop.

It's just...sobering.

"If I were a painter, I would paint my reverie."

Painter Song - Norah Jones

So, interesting story. My friend Tori has asked me and some of our other artsy friends to come and paint random shit on her walls. Like, literally. She said, "I'll give you a wall, and I want you to just do whatever you want on it."

Such freedom! Good thing or bad thing?

Her only rule was that I'm not allowed to paint penises on it. Cause I totally was going to bring in a bunch of nude models and paint genitals all over her bedroom wall. Damn it. She's totally ruining my creative process.

She has a crazy obsession with Alice in Wonderland, but this other chick already claimed that one. [Grr. I was really looking forward to that too!] So now, I have free reign. Which, sounds great, but totally isn't.

I have no idea what to do!!

I'm thinking a tree at night with a big moon and touches of Harry Potter stuff. I'll add a broom here or there and maybe a snitch.

Any ideas?

"I'm through with playing by the rules of someone else's game."

Defying Gravity - Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenowich

When I tell you what my choices for Top 2 Tuesday are, you're all going to think I'm a dork, but seriously. They are fantastic. [Also I'm going to cheat. But shhhhh. Don't tell anyone.]

This week's is Top 2 Songs on your iPod.

This one was kind of difficult for me. I listen to so much different stuff that I almost never have a specific favorite. I love singer-songwriters like Holly Brook, Jason Reeves, or John Mayer, but I have been going through a hip-hop phase like no other recently. [I am a dancing fool after all.] And I haven't even mentioned all of the classic rock and country on there. Oh, and classical too. Oooooh, Disney. Can't leave those out.

But oddly enough, the ones that I have chosen are all from broadway musicals. They just make me happy whenever I listen to them.

1. Defying Gravity from Wicked I know. It's such a mainstream choice, but I love it so much. No matter how many times I listen to it, it never gets old. It's the ultimate uplifting, defiant song.
2. For Good also from Wicked I really want this to be our "senior song" for graduation. When I listen to it, it just makes me sad and happy all at the same time. It won't have the same meaning for me later on as it does now, but now, it's perfect. It's about how your friends have been a major part of developing who you are, and even though you're separating, the impact is still there.
3. Take Me or Leave Me from RENT Now for a non-sappy one. This one just makes me feel spunky when I listen to it. I've always had the tendency to conform to whomever I'm dating's idea of the perfect girl, or tried to at least. Most of the time, I don't even realize that I'm doing it. As I get older, though, I'm kind of getting feisty again. This definitely captures that feeling. [Weird story, bro. This song definitely has Idina Menzel in it too. Just realized that.] But yeah, it's sung by a lesbian couple who are fighting because they want the other one to change, but both say, basically, take me the way I am or leave me. 

May the force be with y'all.

"Portraits of your loved ones are more than what you see. The elements they've captured are more to you than me."

Curious - Holly Brook

[Holly Brook is amazing. Hers is one of those albums in which I loved every single song.]

Something you might not know about me is that I draw, and occasionally I do a lot of photography. 

More specifically, I draw portraits...rather often. I love doing them so much.  Last year, I even did a book of portraits of my friends as a project for my class. I based it on the song Curious by Holly Brook. 

Check SS's blog out here.

Caroline and another girl

Those are three of the ten that I did. I did all of them in charcoal and pencil, and I loved doing them. Even though I'm not necessarily friends with all of them anymore, I looovvved doing the project, and my portrait skills improved so much.

This semester, I'm in art again. Right now, I'm having to start our painting unit, and we're doing a gridded self portrait with a focus on a specific color. Obviously I chose green. It's a work in progress.

Wish me luck!

***Update***

Serious progress is being made, you guys. You may not be able to tell, but that's a few hours of hard, painty labor right there! :)