Author's Note: Due to my awesome opportunity to travel, I will be turning my blog into a journal for the next 3 or 4 weeks. There will be lots more photos and probably just as much writing, but less posts, as I will have limited access to internet. Thanks for reading!

27 June 2012

In life, there are many things to look forward to. Winning the race is always in the back of my mind. I believe in the "slow and steady" approach to things Work hard for something and you will be rewarded. We can't just always expect things to come easily, that's too nice and fair. Life isn't about all that, it's not fair and it's not always nice. I've learned, so far in my short life, that you have to work hard for something that you want. While there will be many people that cheat to get ahead, never let it discourage you - hopefully someday they will get what's coming to them. It's important, however, to never let them get the best of you...otherwise you end up falling off track.

In the end, those who have put up with the most hurt, been through more battlefields and have worked the hardest will be the ones that are praised and regarded higher than the others who cheated and found ways around all the obstacles.

25 and 26 June 2012

When time runs low and we forget all our missions,

There are things that come up under certain conditions.

We forget this or that, remembering the little things.

How easy it is to cast away fears and spread our wings.

Soaring high above the rest - we all wish to see,

Each person and landmark, count them - one, two, three.

A view of the world, from the eye of a bird,

No one but the wind can utter a word.

As time stands still, everyone looks,

You can't always believe what you hear about in books.

The real world is so much different where you are,

I've never once looked to the sky to see a shooting star.

The trees stand so tall and cast long, eerie shadows,

The owls hoot, wolves howl, the sun sets to the gallows.

But tomorrow, you see, hold a promise so true,

It is blue like the sky I am promised is blue.

24 June 2012

Even when all hope seems lost, there's something to look forward to. With every closed door comes a bigger frame to step through - more opportunities, chances and changes to be dealt with. The hardest part is always taking the first step - but you have to start somewhere. Learning where the soft spots are, where all the lines are drawn...it's hard to begin again once all is lost. We never truly know what's in store of us, but the act of at least trying counts for something in my mind. Being able to start over is, in a way, a blessing. That major purging that you've been wanting to do for the past few months or maybe you wanted a change of scenery. With each new day comes a new hope and beginning. Instead of sitting inside hoping for things to get better and wishing that it would change is useless, nothing will ever happen if you wait around. Go out there and find it yourself! All the great people in the world made it on their own because they never gave up and never stopped believing.

23 June 2012

It's all fun and games until somebody gets hurt. You never think it could be you - the next person who's left helpless and without a plan. Things can really change in the blink of an eye, being prepared for anything at any time is always smart. Though with the constant, sharp turns in everyday life, it's hard to always see what's coming your way until it's nearly too late. I always believe that things happen for a reason. Even though we don't always see this in the moment, better things are always to come.

We spend so much time worrying about what to do next, how we look, and what new thing is out that we "need." I don't think we give enough credit to what we already have. It gives true meaning to the phrase "we don't know what we have until it's gone." After sitting at the local high school with the Red Cross, hearing about the 21 homes lost in the accidental cabin fire gone wild, it really makes you realize what's most important to you. Running in to save the most important items that you own really tests not only your memory, but your feelings. If you had 5 minutes to get everything important to you out, what would you take and what would you leave behind? It's not an easy question once you're put on the spot, but if you're in the moment, ideas and objects rush to your mind in an instant.

There comes a time in all our lives when we're forced to choose. Not all choices are the best option even if it seems like a good idea at the time. Either way, in this world, we're all here together. Help is something we all need everyday, however there are times when others need it more than us and the tables turn. It's hard to imagine that such things can occur, but they do. An open heart and a helping hand can make all the difference in someone's life at the right time. Free hugs can help more than you would think. Throughout life, we're taught to be strong and stand tall. Sometimes, it's okay to lean on the shoulder of your neighbor. Remember, it can happen to anyone.

22 June 2012

Happiness isn't something you can buy at a store and keep in a jar on your shelf. It's earned, which is why we enjoy it so much. The little things in life that make us smile, laugh and enjoy life a little bit more are the things worth keeping around and repeating again. The rarest things in this world are rare for a reason - to be hidden from the bad side of reality. We all wish to escape this, to hide out at our secret getaway in order to become sane again. How lucky are those that never have to run from it and pretend to be something that they're not. Many people in this world feign their happiness because it's just what they have to do. We spend so much time worrying about the next person that caring for ourselves becomes less of a priority in our lives. Breaks are awesome! and we should take more of them. Being able to breathe and clear your mind of all worries for even a short amount of time can make all the difference. Stopping to realize that ourselves are sometimes more important than what's going on around us. I find that often times, the best thing that we can receive is a smile and a helping hand. It makes life a little bit easier to stumble through knowing that there's going to be someone there to hopefully catch you if you fall. Then the little mistakes along the way become the happy memories that bring smiles, laughter and good times to those who deserve happiness the most.

21 June 2012

Road trips are always a great time. Being trapped inside of a small space with people that you care about can provide for some funny times. Sharing music, talking, sleeping, snacking, etc. are all fun to do. Looking at the different scenery is even better. It's as if time stands still - you see the landscapes change and evolve right before your eyes. Some areas remain dried out, parched from the lack of rainfall, while others are lush and overflowing with life. The brilliant colors that cascade throughout the hills aren't something that you can see everyday when you're driving through the city or walking around your backyard. Like turning back time, traveling to more remote areas can bring a sense of nostalgia. Wanting to return to "the good ol' days" and be young again. To relive your most precious moments over and over again so that you'll never forget. While this isn't always truly possible, recreating the moment somehow can pose as a good stand in for a certain memory. The best recreated memories are those that are done by surprise and that are recreated well. Every detail noted, nothing ever left out. It brings joy to people who identify with these things, helping to remind them of what things were like "way back when."

The element of surprise just makes things more fun and "on the fly." The only way we're able to relive moments of our lives today is mainly through pictures. We take so many, scrapbook them all, and then try to recreate the memory...just in a book with captions instead of spoken words like a video would have. The best memories in life are the ones that are created while trying to be crazy and make up something to go along with whatever else is happening at the moment - trying to make the most of whatever comes your way. And while the city life provides for good times with lots of people and places to see, maybe the most memorable times are the ones spent with fewer people and fewer places - discovering something closer to you instead of closer to what everyone else wants you to always see.

19 and 20 June 2012

When one door closes, so another opens. Remember the windows are always cracked for optional and emergency escape purposes too. Life is always full of opportunities. I find it funny how things always end up working out the way that they do. Everyday, something happens that makes us want to either run the other direction, crawl under a rock to hide, or even erase moments in time to save embarrassment. At one point or another in our lives, we've all said or done something that we instantly regretted. While it's a serious matter in the present, it's something hysterical after the fact. People in the world today become so defensive with the most trifle things. The world seemingly wants us to be able to "go with the flow" like the seas do. Form to the cracks in everyday faults.

18 June 2012

Being able to experience something is a feeling that cannot be expressed easily. It's better recorded in photographs and videos, even in memories - yet it's not enough to have someone else feel the same way. It's the reason that I love to travel. Being able to see and feel things in a new way is always so exciting and invigorating to me. To be able to see the world through someone else's eyes for a while is wonderful and in my case, life changing. Because things are never the same way twice, being able to see everything as soon as you can is better; you'll never know if it will be gone tomorrow and lost forever.

17 June 2012

I have trouble finding things, as my family knows. It's often right beneath my nose too...so then it's easy to get made fun of. My mindset is that everything has a place and it is in its place - that way I always know where to find something when I need it. If someone else comes in and moves everything around, I'm so lost and confused. People may think that's crazy and ridiculous, but it's true. We all have our own ways of organizing our lives. Order isn't always classified as being neat...there's so many different types for the variety of scenarios. Whatever fits the moment and place is what's right. Then it all comes down to a matter of remembering everything so that when the time comes for action, we're prepared for anything.

16 June 2012

Cleaning is something that we can never escape. It's always there, looming overhead. We all dread it - it wears us out, takes so much time and space and is continual. You can finish one task, move to another, and the first will be back where it started. So what's the point? I think it's just for peace of mind, knowing that something can look nice for a tiny moment when everything else is mass chaos. Trying to put some order to a few things hoping that everything else will fall neatly into place. Then fatigue sets in and we are never able to finish what we started. Unfortunately, nothing will ever look like it did the day we brought it home from the store. At least we put effort into it...acknowledging the fact that we still care enough to try. In the end, our efforts are sometimes rewarded and there will be peace and order for at least 5 minutes before everything ends up breaking loose again.

15 June 2012
Technology these days is such a curious thing. There are so many different forms of it - trying to communicate is so easy, but can be ridiculously complicated at times. Something that's designed to make our lives so much easier can hurt us more than I think we realize. I often wonder what people from pioneer times would think of us today. The way that we dress, talk, eat, transport, communicate...it's all so advanced from that era. It's hard to believe it.

Another funny problem that I'm sure we all have with modern technology would be autocorrect and the ever present sarcasm. Those two put together can be quite disastrous. Granted, we can turn off autocorrect and use little emoticons or "haha"'s to suggest that we're joking and to remove all typing faux-pas, it doesn't remove the problems completely. Alas, human nature is to err and we end up embarrassing ourselves or offending our closest friends and family members by joking too much or misspelling something. While in the moment, the sender isn't laughing about it, it sure is quite hysterical if you're on the receiving end of it. Either way, everyone can have a good giggle in a little while.

14 June 2012

It is completely beyond me that people don't pay attention to anything they do. A good example would be walking out in front of a car, with a horse, to slow you down while you're driving. I'm not sure what goes through your head to think that that's the way to go. I'm pretty sure that there's a general rule that vehicles pretty much own the road...crosswalks are for people and fields are for animals such as horses and cattle, not streets; although there's a handful of people that somehow seem to get this messed up. Maybe following the rules is difficult, but when it comes down to safety and common sense, I choose both in favor of life.

13 June 2012

I find that it's better, at certain times in life, to let someone else take control and guide you. Everyone that you meet in life is there for some reason - to teach you something or for you to teach them something. We all need this in life...it's an essential. The gift of being able to let someone else steer for a moment, being able to listen and respond. It really does make a difference in your life. There are plenty of people in this world that don't care much for letting people in and allowing them to make decisions, instruct, and criticize - but it's not a bad thing. We are so wrapped up in everything that we're used to, that change to something better for us isn't what we're going to think about on a daily basis, even if we need it most. It's something that everyone in life should experience and have the patience to deal with. It really will always be for the better.

11 and 12 June 2012

Things don't always go the way that you plan them to. I think that's one of life's greatest pleasures - making us frustrated and stuck. Who knew that the simplest things could be so difficult at times? It's in these moments that we notice our flaws and see what we could do to become better. Then it's our choice of whether or not we want to act on those realizations. Many people in this world think that things will change on their own with wishful thinking, but little do they realize that nothing can change if you just wait around. A watched pot never boils and you can't sit and wait for the grass to grow a little taller...so it's better to get out in the world and make something of it.

10 June 2012

I find that in life, it's the people that tend to be quieter, more reserved, or unseen that can make the most difference. You don't always have to be loud and prominent to be noticed and make a difference in this big world. Maybe what it needs most is a small step towards something better. A small act of kindness can go a long way and change a lot of hearts...it can make people smile when they're feeling down. A tiny streak of light can brighten up a room, just like the littlest amount of hope can turn into a sea of support from all those that agree with you. The only trouble in getting somewhere is finding a place to start...but what if it's always been right in front of you? It's finding that courage to take the leap and trust that wherever you land, that you won't be alone.

9 June 2012

Life is like an onion. So many different things about it make life what it is. The different layers are like stages in life that we each go through. Every one varies though - in thickness, color, taste, etc. I guess that correlates with life, too. Nothing in the real world is ever the same. You have to work to peel away the things you don't like to get to the good stuff. By the time you get down to the more important things, it's what matters the most to you. When it really comes down to it, that's all that's really important in life - what's important to you. If you aren't happy with your life, there must be something wrong. It's not worth the work if you're fighting for something that's not going to make you happy. Change course and peel away at a new dream...a new idea. Be able to soar high above the others instead of walking amongst the nay-sayers. Odds are that you'll be better off.

Soaring high above all the rest for a while can be a good thing. Clearing your head of all thoughts is really a good idea and is something we should all consider doing more than once in a blue moon. There has to be more to life that what we're always seeing anyways. When we're down in the thick of everything, it becomes harder and more difficult to find our way, see clearly, and know exactly where we're headed and what we want in the end. If we're able to peel away what masks us all from seeing clearly and look at things from a new perspective, odds are that we'll find something more exciting and wonderful than anything we've ever found before.

8 June 2012

When things fall apart and are very much broken,

Take my hand, my heart, as a small token.

Pick yourself up and put on a smile,

I promise in the end, it'll be worth all the while.

As the dust all falls and the pieces break away,

The more you can see, showing day by day.

Remove all doubt that things will crash and burn,

Watch yourself, those around you will start to turn.

When things start to change and become quite different,

Others are strange and suddenly lose interest.

To become something new, apart from who you are,

We look to the heavens and reach for the highest star.

But where do we land when our plans go astray,

Somewhere far off, lying in the Milky Way.

6 and 7 June 2012

You can go through life smiling and pretending that things don't always matter to you, but what's the use? It's more worthwhile to let things shape you and change you into someone different than you are today. Often times some of us need that change, even if we don't always see and recognize it. It's during those times however that we look to other people for guidance and support. We hope that someone will be able to help us through whatever life brings our way and if we fall down, someone will be there to pick us right back up again. I'm sure that there'll be many times in our lives where we will strive for change. We constantly want to be better than what we are today, to excel in something that we're good at. So then why are most of us afraid to do so? Maybe it's because of the change of failure...it scares many and keeps them away from even trying. In a perfect world, everyone would have their shot at what they love, at what their passion is for; though in the real world, this is often not the case. Hard work really pays off.

In the end, it's so much more satisfying to see all the things you've been able to accomplish. That feeling of happiness knowing that what you've worked for, what you've wanted for so long is finally yours, and that it can't be taken away from you. It's priceless. Many of us in this world hope for a long time to reach these milestone moments. To be able to experience the joy of winning over and being the best. Life should be fun, so why is it that so many people are unhappy? Shouldn't you be able to do what you want in this world? I don't think that the "order" of everyday life is that strict to where we're "controlled." If so, the world would be a very unpleasant place, but it's not. Instead, it really comes down to those people who are willing to work hard and fuel the spark and those that will just skate through to make it to the finish line unscathed. Which side is better? I guess we never truly know...it's up to what you're willing to give, hoping that one day it will be returned doubly in some way.

5 June 2012

Being able to share moments with someone that you care about is so much better than experiencing things on your own. When you're by yourself, it's hard to relay the things that you feel and think to someone after the fact. When you're in the moment with someone else it's like the memory is being "doubly recorded." Though two people may see two things completely different, the basic facts and sights are the same. When you share a time in life with someone else, it helps to make time pass a little more swiftly and a little more cheerfully too. The moments that you may forget can be remembered and spoken of by another. Forgetting becomes more difficult at this point. Bring able to share something with someone else is a learned trait I think...only because when we're small, we hate sharing, though as we grow older, we strive to find someone to share everything with.

4 June 2012

Separation can be a good thing even when it seems to be horrible in the moment. Everything that is important to you in a single second can be lost in the next but regained at another point in time. Life tends to work in mysterious ways. It's so much harder to live without something you're used to living with as opposed to living without something you don't already have. It's hard to imagine our lives the same way when we start to cut parts out of it. Though when we begin to piece it back together and build it up, things start looking bright.

3 June 2012

Sparks are dangerous and can spread so fast,

This love, this life - is it meant to last?

The light grows brighter, the heat more intense,

Consuming everything in it's path, burning down even the fence.

Watch me light up, grow stronger and faster,

I see you look at me, maybe afraid? But yet I hear your laughter.

You may see nothing when you look at me,

Though I see a girl, waiting to be set free.

My hopes and my dreams...they can all come true,

I can aim for the stars, shoot right through the blue.

When it's all said and done and the sparks now a fire,

Maybe you'll see it, my burning desire.

A spark can be dangerous, it spreads pretty fast,

Be careful what it ignites next to, dreams can be as catchy as dry grass.

2 June 2012

The things that you earn in life are never permanent. You have to constantly fight for what is yours and hold onto it tightly so that someone else can't snatch it away when you blink. Life offers us many beautiful opportunities, each one is most likely once in a lifetime. Odds are that you're not the only person in this world reaching for that same goal that you've been hoping for and dreaming of since you were little. It then becomes a competition of who can get there first, hold on the tightest, and be the best at whatever it may be. At this point in life, we are able to learn quite quickly that things are sometimes not meant to be. However we must often remind ourselves that there are many other doors wide open that we're able to pass through.

No matter how scary the path of life may be, it's important that we keep our eyes on the prize...at the light that's shining bright from the end of the tunnel. Being able to keep with something is somewhat rare these days. If we are beaten down too much, we often tend to just give up and try to find something else that we might be good at...the cycle continues. I believe strongly that good things come to those who wait...by cheating yourself out of a chance, you'll never know what could've been...and it could've been great.

1 June 2012
Nothing is ever clear. There are so many different types of communication in this world that things can become muddled. It's the reason that the game "Telephone" - the one we all used to play when we were little - was so popular. It was hilarious to see what phrase came through 10 people when we only started with "I like puppies." It's the reason why people stretch the truth...nothing ever seems to be exciting enough, so we have to embellish.

Another issue in conversation is sarcasm. There should be a font for that kind of stuff when we type to people. The amount of confusion in this world is troubling. That we're unable to understand directions to get to someone's house or even find a box fan astounds even me. I think that we should be able to remain more focused in our everyday routines than we truly are. While jokes and meaningless banter can be funny at times, I think there's meaning that's lost among it all. Sometimes there can be a deeper thought process to what we say than we often immediately think. Saying that someone looks stunning may make their day...after all, every single person has something different on their plate, if you will, each day. How about we clear most of the confusion up now and assume that everyone else is off to a poor start on their day...smile and the world will smile back at you.