The Hardest Thing To Remember.

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This ^^ is, for me, probably one of the hardest lessons to remember. I'm a worrier. I get it from my dad. The moment something starts to veer from the path I think it should take, I begin to envision the worst case scenario and dwell on it obsessively. I can't count how many times this has happened to me. Right now, the reason is that I am scrambling to sign up for my college courses on time because I am waiting for my clearances to be mailed to me. I keep thinking, "How am I going to get everything ready in time? What if I can't sign up for the classes I need and then have to take them at another campus? My boss is never going to be able to figure out my work schedule if I don't even know when my classes are!" And, cue *freaking out*. The thing I always fail to remember, or at least fail to consider, is that every other time I've let my irrational fears take over, everything has worked out okay, or even better than okay. I cannot remember one time when my expectations of such a situation have actually become reality. Things always work themselves out if I just give them time and keep calm. That simple fact should be enough to keep my fears at bay. Every time this happens, I give myself this very same pep talk. Maybe, someday, I'll listen and take my own advice.
♥♥Kristin

Oh, Hey August.

The things I'm looking forward to in the month ahead:
-Going to the Outer Banks with my family
-Writing more
-Reading more
-Starting college (the 20th)
-Making the most of the last of summer
♥♥Kristin

Some Words Just Because.

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I know it's not time for a snippets post yet, but I felt like posting some writing.

As time spun ever on, it seemed the days slipped, like grains of sand, too quickly through her fingers. The brevity of life pressed on her soul, causing her to frantically grasp at each moment in futile attempts to keep them a while longer. Thus she spent the last precious days: reaching for what could never be. Despite her efforts, minute slipped to hour and moment to memory. She realized, too late, the irony of her desperation: in trying to hang onto her life, she'd neglected live it.

This is something that's been on my mind a lot lately: too often I find myself too concerned with making the time stretch rather than making the most of the time that I have. This is a reminder to you - and to myself - to live life.
♥♥Kristin

Summer Is...

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The sunshine-and-happiness scent of clothes dried on a clothesline.
 A sun-dappled forest floor.
Watermelon seed spitting contests.
 Iced coffee, a good book, and a blanket in the yard.
Summer is Simple. Unplanned. Extraordinary.

The Wood Between the Worlds.

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For those who have never read the Chronicles of Narnia, or specifically The Magicians Nephew, this is the wood between the worlds. In the books, it is a wood (obviously) with small pools, each leading to a different world. The wood is an intersection of all the worlds, but at the same time hardly a place in itself. It is transitory. A resting place. That's where I feel like I am right now: The "wood" between the worlds of childhood and adulthood. I'd hardly say that I'm an adult (I'm far too dependent for that), but nor am I a child anymore. I guess that's what the term "teenager" is for, but I don't feel that that's quite adequate either. At times I feel pulled to be part of one world or the other, but neither is quite right. I don't feel the same connection with my younger cousins, and I find adult conversation to be frightfully boring at times. (The economy? Politics? Blech.) In this place, I have so many responsibilities and expectations. Sometimes I'm treated like a child, and others I'm expected to act like an adult. At times it's frustrating.
I also recognize the importance of this time period. Who I am now will greatly influence who I will be as an adult. I know they say that who you are is almost completely developed by the age of 18 or 20. While I don't believe this completely, I know that many of my habits and morals right now will carry over into adulthood. At the age of 18, teenagers are expected to choose the career path that they will follow for the rest of their lives! If that's not daunting, I don't know what is. This "wood between the worlds" is at times exciting, frustrating and intimidating, but it's where I am right now and I aim to make the best of it.
♥♥Kristin

Thank You!

I just wanted to thank everyone who commented on my last post. I honestly don't know why I was feeling so down-in-the-dumps but you were all so encouraging! I'm not going to delete this blog, I don't think that I could really go through with it. As for right now, I'm going to work on post ideas so we can get back to our regularly scheduled programming.

On another note, I'm not going to finish that photography challenge. I feel bad that I committed to something that I didn't finish, but I suddenly have a lot more on my plate than I bargained for, and what with college starting in less than a month, I have more important things to focus on.

A real post soon, I promise♥
♥♥Kristin

Help?

Hey girls, can I ask you for some advice? I'm kind of starting to feel like no one is reading my blog anymore. I don't have many followers or much feedback. What am I doing wrong? What do I need to improve on? What kind of posts do you want to see more of? I'm feeling kind of discouraged right now, because this blog isn't nearly as fun for me anymore. I know that numbers don't matter, and I'm not saying that I think my blog should be immensely popular, I just wish I had more followers. Everyone else who started a blog around the same time as me seems to have a lot more followers. Any advice you can give me would be greatly, greatly appreciated. I have actually been seriously considering deleting this blog, because I don't feel like I'm getting anything out of it anymore. I enjoy blogging, but it's no fun when it's completely one-sided. I feel very selfish and whiny right now, but I just wanted to let you guys know how I'm feeling and that I would appreciate your help!
Kristin