oh dear...

I have been a terrible blogger lately! This term was crazy (I managed to get myself a 3.81 though) and this break I have spent a lot of time doing a lot of nothing - and loving every minute of it.

Absolutely Abigail has been good to me, but I had trouble finding a "theme" I liked. I didn't really know how to just write about my life, and I wanted to find a way to do that...enter "Dear Abbie" - my latest project. You can check it out here :)

I'm sure you all know the famous advice column, good ol' Dear Abby...I'm doing my own spin on that - letters to myself, telling me everything that has been going on in my life - the events, how they make me feel, random thoughts, etc. I'm a Pinterest addict (you can find me here) so I'm sure lots of pictures and things of that nature will find their way into my new blog.

I really need a creative outlet and a break from the crazy while at school, so hopefully Dear Abbie will be just that. Hope to see you over there!

xoxo Abigail

fill in the blank friday

Well, we have reached the end of another week. Almost.

Just four hours of work and one hour of class stand between me and my weekend which will be spent enjoying the company of my boyfriend, seeing my parents and brother for the first time since my sister's wedding, and hopefully catching up on all the sleep I've missed out on this week! And studying. But we won't talk about that now.

This was another crazy-busy week, complete with a breakdown (I'm starting to sense a theme for this term). It went relatively well though - I got a midterm back with one of the five As in class, and talked to my boss about reducing my work hours, receiving immediate stress relief just knowing that I have more study-time on my hands.

I'm currently trying to find sleepiness - I know I'm exhausted but for some reason am too wired to sleep - so here are this week's blanks! Link up with the little things we do if you want to join in!

1. My favorite thing about this week was/is my reduced stress level, my A on the midterm, my boyfriend visiting tomorrow, and seeing my family Saturday!

2. Colder weather makes me want to be all snuggly. And wear hats and scarves. All the time.

3. Three things that make me terribly happy as of late are Skype dates, hot showers, and Law and Order: SVU.

4. If I could only wear one kind of shoe for the rest of my life, I'd choose ballet flats. They're cute and functional, and they look great with everything! Plus you can wear them every season.

5. My personality type is Type A! I've taken personality tests and am an ESFJ - it means I like people, am level-headed, and value feelings and predictability. Or something like that...sounds about right!

6. I have a serious problem resisting sweets. Anything lacy. Hats. Thrift stores. Books.

7. My favorite color to wear is anything earth-toned...so boring but I love it!

Happy weekend, everyone!

fill in the blank friday

Oh my goodness gracious, what a week it has been.

College is stressing me out like nobody's business. This weekend, as you'll recall, included a little breakdown...a lot of homework, a lot of studying, and a whole heck of a lot of my good buddy stress.

This weekend won't really provide me with a whole lot of rest, but at least I won't be in class for two days. I'll take what I can get.

I worked this evening and am being an abnormal college student by staying in on the second night of the biggest party weekend of the year. Tomorrow will involve studying, catching up with old friends (my old babysitter and her family, to be exact), work, and then heading to Bend late (like, really late) for a little Halloween fun. (I'm not a total party pooper!)

Right now I am snuggled up comfortable under a blanket with Law and Order: SVU in the background (love me som Christopher Meloni!), waiting for my laundry to dry...sounds like a nice Friday evening to me!

I am also working on this week's blanks from the little things we do. Link up if you want to play along!

1. When I was a kid I wanted to be a teacher when I grew up.

2. As an adult, my dream job would be a wedding planner and mama.

3. When I was younger I wanted to be just like my big sister.

4. The childhood Halloween costume that I remember most was when I was a duck. My mom made me a costume that included wings and a hat that had a beak and eyes on it. It was my last real Halloween costume...until this year :)

5. My favorite childhood toy was Barbies! My sisters and I had bins and bins of them and would dress them up for hours. I was also partial to My Little Pony. We had a lot of those too.

6. The time I got into the biggest amount of trouble when I was a kid was when I...there really isn't anything I can think of. I was quite the goody-two-shoes. Am quite the little goody-two-shoes...I really didn't get in trouble that often!

7. I get daily inspiration from my family and friends, thinking of my future, Pinterest, and page-a-day calendars.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

the one in which class was cancelled and i decide to ramble incessantly

I'm supposed to be in class right now...but I'm not. Don't worry, I'm not skipping - it was wonderfully cancelled last night, causing me to do a happy dance on the spot because now my presentation (in Spanish, mind you) has been postponed until Tuesday. Its cancellation last night was the icing on the cake of the best day ever.

To avoid any confusion, it really wasn't the best day ever. Certain events fooled me enough to say that, but I've seen better days! Not that yesterday was bad by any means. Wow, I'm confusing. Just go with me, okay? It was a fantastic day, but I use "best day ever" a little bit too liberally. That's all.

Sometimes I ramble. It's best to just go with it.

Anyway, yesterday was a typical Wednesday - also known as "not my favorite day of the week". (As far as weekdays go, I usually like Tuesdays and Fridays. On the weekend my one true love is always Sunday.) I have class and work and class and work up until 5:00, then usually have something I have to work on for Thursday, which makes it pretty stressful.

Yesterday I walked into my afternoon class to learn we had a quiz. It was a terrible surprise. Not that it was a pop quiz - it was definitely on the syllabus. So that was my bad...I blame the fact that the quizzes have been consistently pushed back and I just assumed that it would be on Friday rather than yesterday...clearly I need to pay more attention in class and check Blackboard with more frequency.

Needless to say, I completely bombed that quiz. Couldn't even BS my way out of it, I was so thrown off.

That's a bad day for an overachiever like myself.

As we were leaving class, I was talking to one of my friends (and by talking I mean freaking out, just so we're clear) about this term and how much it's stressing me out.

I was explaining to him how ridiculous this term is. I'm taking five classes (six if you include my workout class, which isn't challenging in the sense that I have to work hard to get an A, but does still take up my time, which is really valuable this term). All of my classes are upper-division and they are challenging me like nobody's business.

Every single one of them requires a lot of reading, studying, and hard work in general. I am busting my butt to try to get good grades in all of them, but that is completely overwhelming me and causing all sorts of breakdowns.

The past few weeks I have been swamped with midterms, quizzes, and presentations, and have all sorts of reading to keep up with on top of that. Add my 20 hours of week a work (another place where I bust my butt to get things done because that's the kind of employee I am), and I have to use every second of my time wisely in order to stay on top of anything, which results in an extremely routine day that leaves me exhausted and worn out in all sorts of ways.

This leaves a stressed-out shell of a girl who is prone to breaking down at any sign of something going completely against my plan.

Take for instance my advising appointments on Monday that left me in tears - long story short, my regular advisor wasn't there so I met with someone else who proceeded to freak me out about my future and even my hopes of graduating this term (that deserves its own post, so stay tuned), and I left the office in a state of tears.

After that crying outburst I went and met with another advisor for my minor and was told that my credits from Spain couldn't be applied how I wanted them to be unless I showed proof of the work I did over there...which would be extremely difficult because the only proof I have left from taking the classes are my grades in them, as the notes and tests were recycled in Santander.

This, obviously, resulted in more tears. Because I rarely cry, and never cry over "stupid stuff" such as what I was crying about, this made me more upset and cry even more...it was rough.

I told all of this to my friend and my head started to spin again, like it always does when I'm getting too worked up about something that I can't immediately or easily fix.

After all of this he told me he was going to Central Oregon this weekend and would be willing to give me a ride to Bend to see my boyfriend after work on Saturday.

And so, the best day ever began.

I went to work, happily informing my boyfriend that he'd be graced by my presence (ha!) this weekend. The rest of the evening followed my usual routine of going to the gym and finishing homework, this time a little more stressed out than normal because I got home later than usual...I was just entering panic mode when I received a phone call from my friend from Spanish class telling me that she had just received an e-mail about class being cancelled tomorrow.

And the best day ever continued.

And now here I am, avoiding any studying (justified because normally I'd be in class right now, so this time isn't time I would spend studying anyway) and enjoying some therapeutic writing. I have work in a few hours, followed by two classes, then hopefully a somewhat relaxing evening because nothing is due tomorrow...this week is definitely on the upswing.

And who knows? Maybe today will be another "best day ever"! It's already moving in that direction :)

Happy Thursday!

Fill In the Blank Friday

Poor (or very strategic) planning on my part has left me with wet nails and absolutely no way to do anything for the next hour or so, in danger of smudging one of my lovely Under My Trench Coat by OPI nails.

Darn.

I guess that leaves me to spend my evening catching up on blogs and playing around on Pinterest (you can find me here).

Shoot.

Can you tell I'm not too upset about this? I have pretty music coming through my speakers (Brett Hite's acoustic version of Wishing Well - listen here. You won't regret it), I have a pumpkin spice candle flickering on my dresser, I smell like Philosophy's Cinnamon Buns, I don't have anything to do homework-wise for tomorrow...it's a nice way to wrap up my week! Except there's that whole work and class thing tomorrow.

But we're not talking about that right now.

My week has been busy with work and class - midterms are in full swing, so I've been studying like even more of a madwoman than usual.

This weekend brings work at the volleyball games plus lots of studying, and hopefully a shopping date with my sister and some much needed rest!

We'll see though. My life has been anything but restful these days...thank goodness I like it that way! But really, what does a girl have to do around here to get a nap?! Probably not work so much. Or study so much. Or work out a lot.

Huh.

Anyway, to celebrate Friday and my re-entrance into blog-world, here are this week's blanks for Fill In the Blank Friday over at the little things we do...

1. Nothing says fall like anything pumpkin or spice related. And pretty trees dressed in their best colors, pushing up to a crisp blue sky. And boots with scarves. And knitwear. And Thanksgiving. And crunching through leaves. And the smell. Oh dear, don't even get me started on fall. It's my favorite time of year.

2. My favorite autumnal tradition is Thanksgiving! It's the same every year - my sisters and I cram on the couch in PJs to watch the parade while I try to convince my dad football was cancelled for the day (he never falls for it, obviously, but he caves to his middle daughter and retreats to another room to watch the games with my brother). Then my mom and I run around making dinner while everyone else relaxes. When everyone starts smelling food and hearing it come out of the oven, my sisters decide to "help" by doing the difficult chore of setting the table (ha). I force everyone to change out of their sweats and into something nice, then we stuff ourselves silly. My mom and I clean up, then we all relax before taking our Thanksgiving afternoon walk before returning home for leftovers.

It goes like that every. Single. Year. I love it.

3. My favorite fall treat is...I actually don't think I have one. I love the smell of everything and anything pumpkin, but I don't have some specific treat that means fall for me.

4. Fall makes me think of being happy because that's what happens without fail every fall. I always loved back to school, the weather, and even football season (although I'm not a fan of the game). I get so excited every year for fall, and I'm always sad to see it go.

5. Autumn free form word association, go! Crisp, lovely, delicious, perfect, October (best month of the year!).

6. My go-to outfit in the fall is skinny jeans, boots, cardigan, scarf, and some sort of knit hair wrap. I wish I could dress for fall all year long! Layers are my one true love. Okay that might not be true. But it feels true.

7. My favorite fall holiday is (Halloween or Thanksgiving) Thanksgiving! I think we just went over this :) It's the perfect holiday - simply enjoying food and family and life, without too much hubbub. It's understated and lovely, just like fall is.

Go ahead and link up if you'd like! Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

♥

What are you doing with your life?

It's a fair question.

I've basically fallen off the face of the earth - the blog earth, at least. I am involved in the real world full-force, kicking ass (or getting my ass kicked, depending on the day) and taking names. I miss my little blog though - and I still read all of yours religiously!

I never wanted my blog to be a day-by-day chronicle of my life - I love reading blogs like that, but I just didn't want to write one myself. I always wanted it to be a blog filled with my deep thoughts and musings, a blog that made people think or question or wonder themselves.

But I've discovered that life isn't always like that - you can't always have the big, deep things. But the day-to-day stuff? That happens every. Single. Day.

So now, welcome to my blog - a blog that might have the big stuff, but will be filled with the little stuff too. Because, as cheesy as it sounds, the little stuff makes up the big stuff, and it's just as - if not more - important.

So what have I been up to these days? A lot.

I returned from Spain and went straight to work as a front-desk receptionist at and office on campus. I worked full-time all summer, absolutely loving it. It was my first summer on my own (I stayed in my house up at school alone), and while sometimes I got lonely, I absolutely loved it.

My summer was also spent helping my sister get ready for her wedding - I was the maid of honor, which means I got to do fun things like plan her bachelorette party. We went to Portland and had dinner and caught the drag show (it was amazing, and we loved every minute of it). The bride-t0-be wore white and all the girls in attendance wore black, so we were an easy group to spot wherever we went:

My lovely sister and I before heading out for the night.

I also planned and hosted a bridal shower for my sister...it was boring, as I find most bridal showers to be, but I was pleased with my decor and the goodies I made!

A homemade crepe paper flower ball alongside my homemade treats - coconut cupcakes, lemon meltaways, and shortbread cookies with blueberries.

Finally, on September 17 my sister got married. It was a lovely wedding with a fantastic reception. Everything went off without a hitch and we all had such a fantastic time.

My sister and I on our way to the reception - better pictures to come soon!

My now (but not then)-boyfriend and I on the way to the reception. He was the best man in the wedding.

Soon after the wedding, classes started up and we're now in week four at school. This means it's midterms season and that I am crazy busy with 20 hours of work as a receptionist, 10 hours a week at the athletic department, and 16 credit hours of school. Add all my studying on top of that and it's no wonder that I only somewhat manage to maintain a social life, and it's also no wonder that that semblance of a social life only occurs on the weekends.

One of these weekends included a visit to Bend to see my boyfriend, who ended up being in the Emergency Room when we (my sister and brother-in-law, his brother, and I) arrived. He ended up being okay, but that wasn't how we envisioned our Friday night going! But a third date at the ER worked out quite nicely for us.

After he was finally told he could leave after six hours of tests.

The next weekend he made the trip to Corvallis for a visit complete with a football game. I had to work the game, but was able to hang out with my sisters, brother-in-law, and my boyfriend for a bit at the tailgate beforehand:

Favorite picture of us so far.

Love my sisters!

And that is my life, ladies and gentleman. On any given weekday I am at class or work by 8:30 (8:00 on Fridays), have class or work until 5:00, hit the gym for an hour or two afterwards, run home and scarf down a quick dinner, then spend the rest of the evening sequestered in my room or the library studying my life away. This term is filled with challenging classes that require a lot of reading and studying.

I do my best to work ahead in my classes to leave the weekends free, which has worked out well so far. On Saturday night I took a spontaneous trip to Bend to see my boyfriend for a day, which I was able to do because I had already worked through all of my homework for Monday's classes. Sometimes being an overachiever pays off, I guess!

I hope to get back into the swing of blogging, even if it's just about my usually mundane, very scheduled life.

La vida es así...

growing up

At some point in our lives, what we do begins to affect others in bigger ways than it used to.

We used to flit from friend group to friend group, not caring to stay too long or get too attached because making friends was easy, and besides, leaving didn't mean not coming back.

We used to flirt and fight and get excited and upset, all in one breath, then go home to our families and not care because whatever, we were babies.

We used to show up when we were told to, do what was asked of us, go home to kill time before doing it all over again, all the while not worrying about what that meant for anyone else, because hey - we were doing what we were supposed to.

We made spontaneous decisions; we changed our minds; we made mistakes and messes. Not a problem.

But then we started to grow up...and somewhere along the way, things changed.

We started to stick with our friend groups, no longer united as "friends forever" just because we were in the same grade. Leaving started to be the end of something - sometimes because we grew separately and took different paths, sometimes because we burned bridges with purpose and intent.

Flirting started to lead to more than fighting - it led to dates and dinners and walks and songs and sweet nothings whispered when no one else was around. And when we went home, we didn't leave the other behind - they stuck around for dinner and homework and cuddles that somehow began to gain more and more significance...this time we could get married, if we really wanted to.

Things we were supposed to do suddenly became our responsibilities, but we were on our own this time. We went to classes and to jobs and to meetings, knowing that us being wherever we were actually meant something.

We couldn't make such spontaneous decisions anymore, because people were counting on us, relying on us, expecting us to step up to the plate.

Any decision made now affects so many others. It's no longer only about me. Given that I'm not a particularly selfish human being, I don't mind. I'm good at responsibility; it suits me...yet still, sometimes it's too much. There's too much riding on me. Responsibilities I didn't know would be mine so soon have become mine, labeled clearly with my name, screaming at me that they depend on me, that whatever I do, whatever I will decide will affect them.

But you know what? I'm 21-years-young. And I didn't sign up for this.

No decision that I have ever made has been made with forever in mind. Not a single one.

And here I sit, with decisions to make. Decisions that I wish only effected me. But it's too late for that. Because I grew up, and that means things aren't as simple.

And that means it's time to grow up some more.

July 23

It's been a while!

Between traveling to Spain last quarter and settling into my hectic summer schedule, my free time is pretty much a distant dream. I'm beginning to think I'm going to be busy for the rest of my life!

For the first time in my life I actually feel like a true, bona fide, grown up.

As in a work full-time (40 hours a week as a front-desk receptionist), live-on-your-own (only because my roommates are gone for the summer), pay-your-own-bills, cook-your-own-meals, keep-up-your-own-house kind of grown up.

I'm enjoying it, but every now and again I get sad that my childhood is gone - a feeling that is really sad to someone like me, who thrives on being home, being able to have lazy days without a care in the world, being a little bit dependent.

I feel the blogging itch coming back, and hope to be able to pull together a whirlwind of posts to update all of you readers who might still be out there on the goings-on in my life...right now I'm enjoying a rare moment of peace in this crazy-busy summer that I can only describe simply as bittersweet.

But more on that later...

¿Hola?

Any readers still out there?

I know I've been absent from this blog for a long while...living in Spain and not having internet in your house will do that to you! I can't wait to get back into the blogging world again...is that sad? I miss everything that's going on in the lives of those I follow - while here I realized how much I truly valued those "relationships". Even though a comment here or there might not instantly make people best friends, it's the feeling of camaraderie that gets me...like there are other people out there who are interested in who I am, how I'm doing, what's going on. And I'm interested in you all too, I promise!

I'll be back in the states on June 3 and am very excited! I should be back to blogging as soon as the jet lag wears off :)

In the meantime, go ahead and check out my blog from my trip here...Spain is a beautiful place, and I have lots of pictures and stories to share!

Hasta luego,

Abigail

Frustrated

So this post has nothing to do with Spain. Spain is fun. I'm enjoying it.

I'm just so frustrated right now. I don't want to go into too much detail - yes this is my blog, but I don't want to reveal every single bit of personal information on it.

Have people ever gotten the completely wrong idea about you? Or not even completely wrong, just wrong in general? And instead of deciding to find out what you're really all about, they make assumptions and live by them, as if they were real, as if they were the truth?

That's what's been happening to me lately. People think I'm better than I actually am. Yes, I try to be a good, nice, caring person. I try to live by the Bible and its teachings, I try to treat people the way I want to be treated.

I don't always succeed. I'm not perfect.

There are people out there who don't get that. They see that I'm nice. And sweet. And loving and caring and patient and kind and respectful. Then they immediately assume I'm too good for them. I'm better than they are morally. I'm a little angel.

None of that is true.

Obviously there are grey areas and fine lines and all that, but I tend to believe that if people are trying their best to be a good person...it may not work quite like that. But that's what I like to think.

According to that thought, I am no better than anyone else (obviously there are some exceptions, like murderers, but I'm trying to make a point here). In this situation that I'm in, I don't feel like I'm any better or worse than the other person involved.

But they feel like I am. And they're beating themself up about it. And I'm working my hardest to try to make them see that I don't feel that way at all - that in my eyes, we're on equal footing.

It's not working. And I don't know what to do.

Day Three

Hi everyone...as I'm studying abroad in Santander, Spain, you can read about everything I'm doing here.

When I find a little extra time (such as today, a rainy Saunday afternoon in Santander), I'm going to try to at least keep up with the Thirty Day photo challenge. So, I give you day three: a picture of the cast from my favorite show.

photo via google

This is, obviously (I think), the cast from Friends.

This show is hands-down my favorite show ever. Despite seeing every episode multiple times, it never gets old. I make references to it every single day, without fail...I can't get over how much I love this show.

I was too young to really watch it when it was on, but I watched the reruns when they're on TV, on DVD, online...this show is fantastic. I really can't praise it enough!

♥ abigail

Spain

Hello, readers!

I am currently studying abroad in Santander, Spain and might not be posting as much as usual...check out my blog about my trip if you're interested :)

Abigail Abroad

♥ abigail

Day Two

Day two of the thirty-day photo challenge told me to post a picture of me with the person I've been closest to the longest.

I decided I can't do that. So I posted a picture of me with the two people I've been closest to the longest.

I decided that since it's my blog, I can take some liberties with this challenge :)

This photo is of me (left); my older sister, Samantha (center); and my younger sister, Kendall (right). It was taken last summer at our uncle's wedding in California (that should explain our sun-kissed skin pretty well).

Technically I've been closest to Samantha the longest - she's a year-and-a-half older than I am, and only one grade ahead in school. We've been inseparable since my birth (almost 21 years ago).

Kendall is two years younger than me, and two grades below me in school. That doesn't make much of a difference now, but when you're an eighth grader and your sister is in sixth? Yeah - huge difference.

I was definitely closer to Samantha growing up - we were so close in age and when we hit middle school we starting playing on the same sports teams, which made us have the same friends.

As we grew up, we took Kendall under our wings a little better, and now the three of us are best friends.

Samantha is the loud, older sister. She doesn't know the meaning of an indoor voice, is the teensy-tiniest thing in existence, enjoys pleasing people, has a huge sweet tooth, and a huge, generous heart.

Kendall is the even louder younger sister. She also lacks an indoor voice, demands the presence of a room, is incredibly indecisive, is obsessed with fruit, and has a sarcastic streak three miles wide.

I'm your typical middle sister - a little moodier, a lot quieter...I'm the mediator, the planner, the control-freak.

Somehow, all our personalities click and balance each other's out perfectly. We kind of remind me of the episode of Friends where Phoebe tells Monica she's high-maintenance (me), that Rachel is a push-over (Samantha), and declares herself flaky (Kendall).

The writers of that show knew they had a good character balance of those three women, and that's exactly how my sisters and I are.

We are a wonderful balance of sweet and sassy, organized and carefree, open and guarded, loving and straightforad...thank God for sisters :)

♥ abigail

Day One

Welcome to Day One of my thirty-day photo challenge! The goal of this is to get me writing again...so here goes day one: a picture of yourself with 15 facts.

1. I am the second of four children - I have an older sister and a younger sister and brother.

2. Even though there is no middle of four, I am definitely the middle child (it has been suggested that birth order roles start over with the birth of the next gender, and since there are three girls in a row then my brother, I'm totally a middle child).

3. My favorite color is green.

4. A "must-have" requirement I have for my future home is a wrap-around porch.

5. I love to bake.

6. One of my favorite things to do by myself is make the drive from school in Corvallis to my parents' house in Eugene.

7. I don't have a favorite food, but I could eat rice and beans every day and never get tired of it.

8. I'm a stickler for grammar rules and only send grammatically correct texts.

9. No matter how big of a bed I am sleeping in, I always sleep on the side.

10. I like to eat ice, even though it's terrible for my teeth.

11. I love love love the beach. Even the Oregon Coast. If there's an ocean and sand, I'm there! Rain/snow/sleet/hail can't stop me.

12. I'm addicted to Tootsie Roll Pops.

13. I only go running to get in my daily exercise...I really despise it.

14. Target is my favorite store ever.

15. I wish I had curly hair (so much that I've had two perms...I'm perming it again after my sister's wedding this fall).

♥ abigail

thirty days

I have decided I need to find some routine to my blogging (I feel like the familiarity will help me on my trip to Spain)...so here goes, the thirty day photo challenge! I found it on a friend's facebook, and decided it'd help me get back into the swing of blogging...

So here is the official list:

Day 01 - A picture of yourself with fifteen facts.

Day 02 - A picture of you and the person you have been close with for the longest.

Day 03 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show.

Day 04 - A picture of your night.

Day 05 - A picture of your favorite memory..

Day 06 - A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day.

Day 07 - A picture of your most treasured item.

Day 08 - A picture that makes you laugh.

Day 09 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most.

Day 10 - A picture of the person you do the most messed up things with.

Day 11 - A picture of something you hate.

Day 12 - A picture of something you love.

Day 13 - A picture of your favorite band or artist.

Day 14 - A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without.

Day 15 - A picture of something you want to do before you die.

Day 16 - A picture of someone who inspires you.

Day 17 - A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently.

Day 18 - A picture of your biggest insecurity.

Day 19 - A picture of you when you were little.

Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel.

Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget.

Day 22 - A picture of something you wish you were better at.

Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book.

Day 24 - A picture of something you wish you could change.

Day 25 - A picture of your day.

Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you.

Day 27 - A picture of yourself and a family member.

Day 28 - A picture of something you're afraid of.

Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile.

Day 30 - A picture of someone you miss.

I may not post every single day, but all 30 days will be accounted for on this blog...sometimes this is what it takes to get me writing again, and I hope this is the push I need :)

♥ abigail

fill in the blank friday

It's been a long week...finals are finally over (I did well and wound up with a 3.72 GPA for the term...that's all As and one B-, if anyone is keeping track), my room is all packed up, and I am ready to head home for a few days before leaving for Spain (!!!).

Here is this week's fill in the blank Friday...link up here to play along!

1. The best deal I've ever gotten is a pair of like-new Nike yoga pants for $4.27 (regularly $60)...a sundress by The Limited for $4.27 (regulary $89.50)...a pair of Joe's Jeans for $18.50 (regularly $158)...I could go on! I'm such a bargain hunter, it's insane. Clearance racks and resale stores and I get along so well. I know I shouldn't be preoccupied with brand-name items, but it makes me happy that I can get the label on the cheap!

2. If I were hosting a dinner party and could invite people from my fantasy guest list it would include a lot of people, I'm sure! I'm always bad at these kinds of questions...I know I'd love to meet and spend time with Ree Drummond, Oprah, Michelle Obama, Kate Winslet...apparently I'm all about females with influence?

3. Something that inspires me is my friends. There are so many amazing people in my life and I feel like everyone is in it for a reason...so cheesy, I know! But I feel like everyone plays a role in helping me make the decisions that make up my life.

4. If I could only choose to eat one flavor of food for the rest of eternity (sweet, salty, spicy, bitter....) I would have to go with sweet. I have a huge sweet tooth. And fruit is sweet so I could be "healthy". Ha!

5. I dream about my future. I can't wait to see where I end up! Literally I have dreams about things going on in my life, but in a weirder way (like I'll dream about something that happened to me but random people will be there and it'll be in some weird location).

6. My weekend will be spent babysitting! I start Friday at noon and end Sunday at noon. I love these kids and am psyched to take care of them for the whole weekend.

7. If I could only watch one movie or TV show for the rest of my life, it would be Friends, hands down. I have every episode memorized and have seen them all countless times, but I never ever ever get tired of it. Ever.

Have a great weekend!

♥ abigail

fill in the blank friday

Well, another week has gone by...another week without a post, save for "Fill In the Blank Friday". Without these posts, most readers would probably forget I exist! I'm trying to get better, but these days haven't really allowed for much blogging-time. I'm hoping that while I'm in Spain I'll have things to say and time to post!

This week was "dead week" which meant I had papers and presentations and final assignments to complete. I have three more classes left in this term, then will promptly come home for a nice nap and to clean my room before starting to study for finals.

And get ready to leave for Spain. That happens in 13 days. Oh. My. Goodness.

That's all I can say about it right now without going into some sort of state of mental breakdown.

So for now, here are this week's blanks! Link up at the little things we do to play along!

1. My biggest accomplishment in life thus far is getting my education. I know so many people who have thrown in the towel on college, simply giving up because it got too challenging and because they'd be "fine" without a degree. While that may be true, and while it works out for some people, I know I want more for myself than to be working a 9-5 that I hate and that receives minimum wage while living at my parents' house, complaining that I want that all to change. I'm changing it before it starts by taking charge now.

2. My favorite place to sit in my house is my bed. It's so cozy, and sitting there almost always leads to a nice little nap. I'm also partial to the front porch when the weather is nice.

3. My fashion philosophy is all about practicality these days. I have so many cute items in my wardrobe, but most of them don't get worn because I'm far too practical about my day. For example, this term I've had a workout class four days a week, so my outfits have consisted of yoga pants and running shoes...not very stylish, but it makes more sense to me than wearing cute clothes for an hour or two, racing to class to change, then having to go shower before putting on cute clothes again...don't worry, I'll wear "real"clothes in Spain! I have so many pieces deemed by my sisters and I as being "so Abbie" that I never give myself a chance to wear. I also have this weird thing about not wearing my favorite clothes so I don't ruin them...I'm kind of an issue.

4. Something every girl should have is self-confidence. I know that's cheesy and not tangible, but it's true. Girls without self-confidence break my heart.

5. If you looked in my purse right now you'd find...my wallet, headphones, Kindle, gloves, granola bar, umbrella, lip gloss, brush-ups, socks, a pencil and eraser, and car keys. It's usually not that bad, I swear! I move from purse to purse, so normally all the things that are in mine now are in their correct places in my room and my purses are empty.

6. My favorite music right now is Adele! And this is kind of embarrassing (or not, I don't really know), but lately I've had Glee's version of "Landslide" on repeat.

7. My favorite part of my body is my arms. I have been working so hard this term, and my arms have definitely gained great definition to them that I am quite proud of. And, if we're being completely honest, I've always loved my butt...but I won't go into detail :)

Happy weekend!

♥ abigail

fill in the blank friday

Well, after a crazy-busy week, I have finally taken a break.

This week consisted of numerous assignments, four Spanish papers, a mid-term, three short essays, test revisions (very extensive ones, mind you), and who knows what else.

Needless to say, I spent pretty much all of my time at school, doing homework, studying, or at work...normally I have nights where I am able to schedule in a bit of roomie time, but I even had to skip that since I was so swamped. As for quality time with my boyfriend, that consisted of us studying in the same room. Sweet, right?

But this week has been an incredible one - due to fantastic blessings and the wonderful people in my life, I was able to get a Kindle (thanks, grandma!) AND the iPhone 3GS...yay! Both these new things make me feel very tech-savvy (or not so tech-savvy, depends on what I'm trying to figure out) and blessed. I am excited because they were both practical purchases (believe me, I'm the most practical person in the world when it comes to my money).

I am taking the Kindle to Spain so I can take books and dictionaries with me - it's really all about saving space! And I am also taking my new phone...the nice man at the AT&T store explained that I can take it, keep it on Airplane Mode and not be charged any roaming fees or receive calls and texts, but will still be able to use WiFi. Meaning, I will be able to call people via Skype. How great is that?! I'm so stoked.

Also, I want to get this app...I hope I won't need it much, but it'd be good for back-up. Or for when I get there and am feeling overwhelmed while trying to get somewhere on my first day in Santander.

Anyway, after the stress of this week ended today at 1:00, I spent a relaxing day napping and reading Harry Potter with my boyfriend, getting my phone, and watching movies with the roomies. Tomorrow will bring a trip home to find "sensible shoes" for Spain and see the family a bit before heading back on Sunday to study study study!

Hope you all had great weeks and have fun weekends planned! Here is a little help to get you started - Fill in the Blank Friday :) Link up here to play along!

1. The phrase or punctuation I overuse most is: As far as the phrase, I say "Shut up!" more than enough...not in the "Be quiet" way, but in the "No way!" way. I'm also a fan of "Shut the front door!" (a nicer version of "Shut the f*** up") and "Let's be real..." As for overused punctuation, I'm a sucker for ellipses...clearly :)

2. Today I am thankful for so many things! To narrow it down: my family, my boyfriend, my roomies, my Kindle, my iPhone, my upcoming trip, my ability to power through this week.

3. My best friends are my sisters, hands down. I was so lucky to receive two automatic best friends, just because of the family I was born into.

4. A quirky thing about me is that I can't feel okay about leaving my house for the day if the bed is unmade, I insist on aisle seats wherever I go, and I brush my teeth at least five times a day.

5. This weekend I am going to get some family time in, study, and enjoy one of my last weekends in the states before I jet off for Spain (less than three weeks away - eek!).

6. Something that worries me is ... too many things. I'm a worrier. Recurring worries as of late involve my trip to Spain...we'll talk about those some other time though.

7. On my night stand you would find a lamp, a box of tissues, my Bible, my journal, whatever book I'm currently reading (it was just Redeeming Love on my Kindle), and a candle.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

♥ abigail

go-go-go!

Ever have one of those days where you feel like you're "go-go-go!" all day long and still haven't accomplished everything on your to-do list?

Today I feel like I've been doing so much, yet haven't been productive at all...a terrible feeling, especially for someone like me who loves to cross things off lists to make me feel like everything I've been doing is worth my time.

Today started with my workout class, followed by work. At work I hoped to get in a little homework (I have a daunting assignment due tomorrow evening)...but today I was asked to offer a little insight on rowing (ha!) to the intern who will take over for me when I'm in Spain (eek!), then I did my normal transcription of the basketball press conference, then interviewed the rowing coach, then scanned some photos that were requested of us...I had a few minutes to get started on my rowing story then was out the door and onto my next task: the gym.

Thanks to my new Kindle (which I will have to tell you about later, I swear I should be paid to advertise the Kindle with how much I've talked it up to everyone I know in the 24 hours that I've owned in), I was able to get an hour of cardio in today (Redeeming Love holds my attention so well...accompanied by the fact that I didn't have to awkwardly turn the page while on the elliptical, and could increase the size to easily read while moving...but I said I'm ramble about that later. And I will. One of these days).

Sorry about the lengthy parentheses in that previous paragraph. The bare bones of it was this: Thanks to my new Kindle, I was able to get an hour of cardio in today.

Phew.

I raced home for lunch then began to work on my assignments due tomorrow.

I finished a Spanish paper, struggled over a story and 15 deep, insightful questions until it was time to go to my sister's (every Tuesday night my boyfriend and I make dinner with her and her fiancé. Such a fun tradition!). After dinner, I came back home and have been working on homework ever since.

I'm currently struggling over an assignment for my copyediting class, but still have a lot of studying and prep for an in-class essay to do before tomorrow.

And here I am, blogging. Why? I suppose I just needed an outlet. I feel like nothing off my list has been checked off today, but I've been working my butt off all day.

All that's getting me through right now is knowing that I'll somehow manage to get it all finished, and that in a week (or even a day or two) I'll realize that all of this wasn't even worth stressing over.

But until then, I'll sit here, frantically working into the night, until I feel accomplished enough to go to bed. I have a feeling 2:00 a.m. and I will meet (for the first time this term) tonight...

♥ abigail