Four Walls.

Here I sit, in my perfectly lived in room. The room I've inhabited for nearly 13 years.  I've pushed furniture around, hung vintage mirrors and dried flowers from its walls, spilled nail polish on its carpets, and have never dusted its fan blades. This is my perfectly imperfect room. It has been white, yellow, pink, and red. It has changed as I have grown, never once complaining of the holes in its walls, the music I play, or the clutter I've collected over the years.
This room has seen me talk on the phone to boys in middle school.
This room has seen me drinking Boones Farm at sleep overs in high school.
This room has seen me bust my ass through nursing school.
It never occurred to me that I'd be leaving this room someday, having to break it down, pack it up, and desperately try to recreate it elsewhere.
When the day comes when I have to share it with a man, will he let me hang my vintage mirror and dried flowers? Will I have to throw out my collection of wine bottles, pin-up portraits, and scented candles? I'm certain I wont be able to sit atop my bed with Otis Redding on the radio while I scriblle my thoughts into my journal.
The second I leave my parents' house, it will become the fitness room, or a room for guests to come and go. It will never again be the room that I remembered it to be.
Growing up is proving to be a very painful adventure. Bittersweet, indeed.
Ode to these four walls. You've been wonderful.

You & Me

No one will ever make me feel the way he does. I'd be a fool to lose him. 

If you love a soul more than fame and gold, and that soul feels the same about you,

It’s a natural fact, there’s no turning back, and here’s some advice to you:
You’ve got to say it’s, You and me, You and me,
Nobody baby but you and me. 

Graceland

Places to see before I die: Graceland - Memphis, Tennessee  

365 Days of Rae

I used to be really into scrap booking. But because I quickly lose interest in many short-lived hobbies, I stopped. I've recently been interested in somehow documenting my life to later look back on or some day show my children.  I've decided to document 365 days following my 21st birthday (which is quickly approaching) because I know that it will be an interesting year. Nothing too detailed, just a quick blurb or photo or ticket stub is the bare minimum. By the end of these 365 days, if I don't give up, I will have a memoir of one of the most memorable years of my life. 

I made my own journal. I'm excited about this project. 

Life's Little Pleasures

I like to be reassured that love still exists. The real, old-fashioned, black and white movie kind of love. When I see a couple that have been together for decades that can still look at each other just like the day they first met, my faith is restored. 

Manarola.

Places to see before I die: Manarola, Italy.

Summertime.

There is nothing that feels better to me than Summertime.
I spend my days working, wearing flip flops to the office, and clocking out by noon. I drive home with the windows down, my shades on, and Tom Petty or The Smiths blasting through my speakers. I spend the rest of my days either strolling around the town square with a Jones Soda in my hand, playing baseball and frisbee, road tripping to other towns, or staying in bed watching Season 4 of Sex and the City. Nothing feels better.
I'll run early each morning to catch the tail-end of a beautiful sunrise. I'll hike, bike, and climb my way to swimming holes and rushing rivers. I'll camp under the stars and run in the rain. I'll wear sundresses and sandals while I watch a sunset or two. I'll have late nights and early mornings. 
Once a week I'll cover myself in dust and eat my weight in hot dogs at the softball field. I'll sip on beer with my teammates in the dugout and celebrate our victory at the nearest bar. 
I'll fall in love once or twice. I'll laugh a lot, and cry a little. 
My skin will be bronze, my hair will be a mess, I will have dirt under my fingernails. I'll have scrapes on my knees and butterflies in my stomach.
I'll soak up the sun in cut off shorts and a tank top. I'll drink too much and sleep too little. I'll be wishing on birthday candles and shooting stars. I'll board an airplane. I'll cross state-lines. I'll go on adventures. I'll have the time of my life. 
Awaiting you, Summertime.