A Milestone

Well gang, its official. I have been around the sun 21 times. Yep, that's right folks. Today I turn the big two-one. Its crazy to think about it. I feel like just yesterday I was entering high school or even attending my 8th grade dance. I can't believe I am 21 years old and a senior in college. It seriously blows my mind. To be honest, I actually kinda feel old. I look at the now young adults that I've known since they were little tots or terror or even babies and I just think to myself, 'where did the time go? how are you a senior in high school?!'. It's crazy. So today I want to share with you some things I've learned along my journey so far. They are coming at you in no particular order and are all based on personal experience. So without further ado I present to you...

--- Life is hard. As if you didn't already know this, I'm going to make sure you do. Life is hard y'all. There are days when I don't even want to get out of bed. But on those days, when I make myself crawl out of bed, I end up having a great day or learn something amazing. Every day is precious and is another opportunity to grow. Use it. I read a quote once that said "Not every day is good, but there is good in everyday." How true is that? Yes, life is hard. Just face it anyway.

--- God is on your side. No matter what, He will always have your back. He loves you (and me) more than we can ever understand and more than anyone here on earth can. Lean on Him and He will give you strength and wisdom.

--- Taco Bell and Cookout are the best places to go when its late at night and you are so hungry you could eat a cow. No seriously. I've done this plenty of times. I'll just be chilling on the couch and then starvation hits me and I hop in my car, usually dragging Kenz with me, and I go hit up one of these places and the world is in balance again. Hell hath no fury than a hungry woman. Well that's a lie, but seriously these places have awesome late night food.

--- Girl friends are better than guy friends. I don't want to go into too much detail on this one because I'm working on a post that is just about my opinion on this. Now don't get me wrong, guy friends rock and I have my fair share of them but when it comes to getting deep and seeking advice, it is rare that you would or should turn to the opposite sex. Who else can relate to you better than someone who actually KNOWS what you're talking about?! Me and Kenz have amazing conversations about things guys would never understand because they don't experience it. Seek to build lasting and meaningful friendships with girls. You'll be glad you did.

--- Laugh at yourself. I used to be terrible at this. I can remember falling in the hallway in like fifth grade and I wanted to cry because I was so embarrassed. Fast forward to high school when it happened again and I laughed for like 5 minutes. It was hilarious. Being able to laugh at yourself will save you from a lot of unnecessary worrying and embarrassment. I laugh at myself at least 20 times a day. Laughter is great medicine. Good for the mind, body, and soul.

--- Honesty is the best policy. I cannot stress this enough. I equate honesty to respect. You should respect another person enough to be completely honest with them. Don't be mean when you're being honest. I used to be that way. I was notorious for being brutally honest, like I made people cry. But over the years I've realized that you can be honest with people without being a jerk. But ALWAYS BE HONEST. Trust me, it's the one of the best things you can do for another person.

--- Do what you love. This is another one that I want to stress to you. I came into college knowing what I SHOULD be majoring in, but instead I did the opposite because I thought I didn't have a chance at doing what I loved. Now that I made the decision to do what I love, I couldn't be happier. Seriously. Do what you love because it will make you happy.

--- Stay positive. I know that this is hard to do, but when you become negative it is so hard to turn that mindset around. Think positive thoughts and you will be lots happier. I pinky promise.

--- Have a hobby. I know this sounds like super grandma-y but I'm serious. Find something you like to do, and do it as often as you can. It's a great way to relieve stress. Who knows? It could even turn into a career.

--- Read often. I love to read. It takes you to another place and is a great way to escape. It is also a great way to learn new things. I highly encourage you to try and read at least one book a month. Its good for you.

--- Ask questions. And ask lots of them. How will you know if you don't ask? I used to not ask questions a lot but now I find myself asking them more and more. Its a great way to learn and get different perspectives.

--- God's love story is perfect. This one. Wow. I could write like a thousand posts on this one. God is perfect, so of course His love story for us will be perfect too. Wait on Him. When you are ready, He will bring your love to you. You don't have to seek that person. In the meantime, be in prayer and grow in the Lord. Seriously. It's so rewarding.

--- Be adventurous. This is pretty much self-explanatory. Go on adventures. Take smart risks. Get outside your comfort zone a little. Let loose and have fun.

--- Be an encouragement. Nobody likes a Debbie Downer. Don't be one. Always be encouraging to people. You never know what people are going through and your words can either help or hurt someone. Always help.

--- Dance whenever and wherever you can. Self-explanatory basically. Enjoy life and dance. Its liberating.

--- Be kind always. I mean nobody likes a mean person. Kindness begets kindness y'all.

--- God's plan is perfect. I've written a post about this already which you can read here. Wait on the Lord. He is the ultimate planner. His plans are way better than even our wildest dreams.

--- Learn another language. I know this sounds weird but do it anyway. Learn how another culture communicates. It also will make you more marketable in the workplace. Plus its awesome to learn a language other than your own.

--- Never settle. This can be said in all aspects of life. Never settle for less than you deserve. Set your standards high. When you settle for something, you are settling for disappointment and heartbreak as well. Remember that.

--- Be thankful. The people in your life are only here for a certain time, be thankful for them. The opportunities you are given and presented with are only around for a time, be thankful. Always be thankful for what you have.

--- "You are blessed - behave like you know it." My mother said this to me yesterday. How true it is. We are blessed and fortunate. So the next time you want to throw yourself a pity party or complain and be angry, remember that you are blessed and you should behave like you know. Be humble.

Well guys, there is some advice from me that I have learned over the years. If you want to keep up with all the birthday shenanigans over the next few days follow me on Twitter and Instagram. I'm sure it'll be a great next few days.

All my love, Carly ♥

An Honest Moment

So originally I was going to post pictures that summed up what I had been doing the past few days. However when I started reading through the blogs I follow this morning, I stumbled upon this gem from Belinda over at Found Love, Now What? This first point she made got to me. I have been talking so much game about how I want to be more honest on this here blog and I thought I was doing better, but I'm realizing that I haven't been. So today, I'm going to let you in on some secrets and how I have been feeling lately. The best part: it's not going to matter how many of you read this or how many of you comment. This post is going to be about me letting it all out. So here it goes.

If you've been around this blog for a while, then you know that my boyfriend, Tim, and I are currently embarking on a new journey of being in a long distance relationship, which you can read about here. Now what you may not know is that he has actually returned to NC for the summer due to some circumstances that I will not disclose. He has been here for about a month now. I've seen him only twice due to the fact that I am living in Boone for the summer and he is staying at home in Charlotte.

So what is he doing with all his time? Well, if you live in dear old North Carolina then you probably know what Elevation Church is. Tim is currently volunteering with them and I am so happy with that. He is growing in God and as a result, so is our relationship. His days are filled to the brim with volunteering. Sometimes this is a pain for me, because I don't have anything to fill mine with due to the fact that I only have online classes right now, no money, and no job.

My days are filled with staring at a computer screen, food, and Netflix. Boring, right? Yes. Good, glad we agree on that. I don't get to talk to Tim much during the day so usually I only hear from him at night right before bed. I know that it's only going to get worse when we are both back in school, but right now I am being a total baby about it. I am being needy and annoying and I just can't help it. Well I guess I could but to be truthful I don't want to. I know that this isn't something he can really fix. And God bless him, he really tries to. This is my own insecurity due to past relationships.

My Timothy is not a big texter and because neither of us really ever do anything crazy or adventurous, text conversations are stale for us. Skype or phone calls are usually better, but not by much. I want us to talk more, but we really don't have more to talk about.

Also, today was the first day in LoveWeek 2013 which is done through Elevation and it is a week (July 13-20) all about spreading love through the city of Charlotte. You can learn more about it here, here, and here. (Also feel free to click around all those websites to learn more) So due to the fact that LoveWeek is extensive and time consuming, I will not hear from him until each night if I'm lucky. Now don't take this wrong way. I totally support him volunteering and I totally support LoveWeek. I just miss my boyfriend.

I miss him. I still struggle with not having him 10 minutes away. I miss just being able to text him and say "yo, I'm on my way over." I know this is not going to be easy. I don't need anyone to tell me that. I know it will be hard work. And we are both willing to put in the work. I think the biggest problem is that so many changes have happened that it's hard to find a routine or even a place to begin. When he returns to New York, I want us to be stronger and even more sure than we already are. The problem? I can't figure out where to start.

I have gone so far as to Google advice on long distance relationships. Yes, I Googled that. And everything I got was some superficial, impersonal list of crap that I already knew. A six year old could probably give me better advice than that.

So what is this post supposed to mean? Honestly? I have no clue. This is just me and how my thinking flows. I miss Tim. I am struggling to adjust to the idea of not seeing him or talking to him. I try not to be sad and he is great at making me feel better but sometimes I just want a hug from him or something. I know he loves me, there is no doubt in my mind about that. I know he wants to talk to me more and be with me more. But we both know that it will take time to find a balance.

So there you have it. If any of you guys can offer advice of any kind, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks for stopping by, and if you want to connect with me further follow me on Twitter and Instagram!

5 Reasons Why I'm Obsessed With Grey's Anatomy

Yes friends, you read that correctly. Yes, I know this is weird. However, I don't care what you think (okay, that's not true, it was really just for effect. Sawy). Moving on, I LOVE GREY'S ANATOMY!!!!!!!! Like seriously, I'm obsessed. I have been for a good while now. I didn't start watching until this past season and I had to watch all the seasons before this one on Netflix (aka I have no life). Before I launch into my reasons why I love the show, let me tell you how I got hooked on it. 

Tim and I are in love with the show Scrubs. Like in love. We sometimes talk to each other in Scrubs quotes. Its ridiculous and cheesy and we don't even care. 

Scrubs is hilarious and emotional and has great music. So one night we are at his apartment (pre-move) watching Scrubs and he pauses it. Then he looks at me and says "If you love this show, I bet I could show you another one that you would love just as much." So me, being me, thinks he's crazy and tells him so. There's no way that I could love a show like I love Scrubs. BOY, was I wrong!! 

Tim put on on the first episode EVER of Grey's Anatomy. I was instantly hooked. I watched EVERY. SINGLE. EPISODE. Well the ones that were on Netflix anyway. I'm trying to keep up with this season on now, but it's not working so well. Since I have school and stuff. But I WILL be caught back up soon! Anywhoz, let's get to why I love this show. 

Reason #1: These two. ^^Meredith and Christina. They are best friends. Through everything. The quote on this picture is from the show. They are each other's person. No matter what. They go to hell and back, multiple times, together. They never leave each other's side. Guys, that is a real friendship. They are so awesome. I love them.

Reason #2: Meredith and Derek^^ Yeah I know, they are like the main couple, but come on! You can't help but love them. They make it through the inevitable and find each other time and time again. That's love. They are like magnets to each other. They attract each other no matter how much they try to fight it. (Side note: Not to spoil anything for you if you decide to watch it but they get married, adopt a baby girl, then have a kid of their own! AWESOME!)

Reason #3: SO. MANY. FEELS. I mean come on. Every episode is intense. I think of all the episodes I've seen, I have probably cried during over half of them. WHOA! And I hate to cry, so that's a big deal folks. But honestly. There is so much emotion packed into every episode. I love it and hate it all at once.

Reason #4:  There is great music. I know this one is weird but I come from a musical family. Music has always been a part of my life. The music in this show is never cheesy, it adds the perfect amount of whatever emotion is present. It's not overpowering. It's not too little. It's...perfect.

Reason #5: And my final reason is that this show is relatable (word? i have no clue). Obviously, not the being a surgeon part but every episode for the most part has life advice. Things you can relate to. Your grow attached to these people. They become a part of your life. (This is getting creepy right? Okay, you're right) I love this show because it does not create this magical world where everything is perfect. Lots of tragedies happen. Real life problems. People make mistakes. I have learned life lessons with this show. I love it.

Okay guys that's the best I can do in trying to explain why I love this show. I just love it, I can't help it. So now I'm going to hit publish and get back to watching it...again. See ya later tater :)

*What's your favorite show? Why?*

With love, Carly ♥!

If you want to participate in tomorrow's "honesty hour" comment below with your email and I'll get back to you :)