December 28, 2012

I Guess I'm Not Socially Awkward, I'm Just An Introvert...

I woke up around 11 or so, and still felt a little tired, but knew I needed to get up and start my day. Whatever that was going to consist of. So, I pretty much did what I did yesterday, only this time I sat on the couch, instead of the recliner. I watched TV, had coffee, read all of Lauren Conrad's Beauty book, and brainstormed a few things that I want to start working on.


Eventually, after a couple episodes of The Office, I decided to start getting ready. I listened to some music and took my time putting on makeup, especially after some of the tips I'd read from Lauren Conrad's book. It has me wanting to get some things in order and get organized! I felt inspired when I finished, which is what you want after reading a book.


A little while later, I got a text from my friend, Michele, saying she was going to stop by to drop off my Christmas present. I haven't been out much or had much contact with people other than family this past week, so I was just a little nervous. Honestly, sometimes I'm just weird; I feel weird when the most contact I've had all week is conversing on Twitter and Facebook. Anyway, Michele and her mom ended up stopping by. I felt bad because I probably acted really strange when they walked to my door; she's trying to introduce her mom, and my brain stops working and just says something like, "oh ok." I invited them and we talked for a few minutes, swapping gifts, when my parents came out to introduce themselves. Michele and I told our parents about how we wanted to go ice skating in LA, and of course, our Pinterest party idea. They didn't stay long and Michele and I said we'd have to get together soon for coffee or something.
My parents and I went out to dinner! We were going to eat at Jake's Tex Mex, which I love, but they were closed because of the holidays, I think. We ended up at another bbq restaurant in town, which was about to close, and we were the only ones there, which was cool.

We ran to Target afterwards to get a few things, and since I had a gift card from my aunt and uncle, I did a little shopping of my own. They had a lot of great DVD's on sale, so it was hard not wanting to go crazy and buy everything. I ended up with Nylon Magazine, which had Lucy Hale on the cover and  the Lady Antebellum Own The Night concert DVD, which I'm really excited about watching.
We came home, and I sat back on the couch, watching a little TV, reading my magazine and tweeting with my new "Introvert Club" peeps; long story, you might not understand, and that's okay. It was a nice night.


Hot cocoa mix from Michele :)
I'm watching The Office right now, and I'm thinking of calling it a night pretty soon. Last night, I tried to turn in around 3, kept falling asleep off and on, but waking myself up (probably worrying) every time. Finally, I decided to pull out my Bible and have some quiet time with God. It was really nice not having any other distractions coming from the living room or me being wrapped in wanting to do other things. It was just a time of being still and meditating on some things I'm struggling with. I think it gave me a clearer direction of what I need to do.

That's all for now,
Shelby

December 27, 2012

Just Another Day

Well, it was back to the same old routine today. There were no festivities to attend to or anything to get ready for, so once again, I slept in until almost noon. And honestly, I feel no shame about that. I figure I should take advantage of this now before I actually get a job and have REAL responsibilities to tend to. Right now, I'm just a student and this life is working out for me, I guess. Actually, it's not, but I'm not really sure of where else to begin and that opens up a completely different can of worms.

I watched TV all day, stayed in my pj's, drank coffee, ate lunch, watched more TV, had peppermint hot cocoa, and randomly kept checking Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr for interesting posts. I found some here and there. My cat also sat with me a lot, which was nice, because he doesn't always want to do that.



Needed some encouraging words today and found these on Tumblr. God really can use anything to speak to us: 





















After watching The Office, I decided to get ready. My dad came home a little while later and we had dinner at Chipotle, where I ran into a friend that I've known forever, which was cool. We talked for a few minutes, and the line was taking FOREVER. I was just not in the mood to deal with that. I haven't really been out of the house much lately, so I think my social skills are just a little off right now. We got our food, met my dad at the booth and ate. It was gooood! We came home after that, where I resided to my room to watch more of The Office and wondering what I'm going to do the rest of my life when this is all that I do with most of my time. Hmmm...That's a lot to think about. 
I also found out about this special American Idol event that will be taking place in LA, so I signed up for it. Not exactly sure how it will work or if I'll even be able to go, but I thought it was worth checking into. So, fingers crossed for that. 
Anyway, back to watching The Office and figuring out what I'm going to do tomorrow. This might possibly be a long Christmas break and long semester, if I don't have anything exciting lined up (along the lines of a job or internship or really anything that involves getting me out of the house). Lord, please send something my way....

That's all for now,
Shelby

Things I Took Away From Watching The Holiday


Alright, so I view movies as much more than just entertainment. To me, if there are lessons or morals in the movie that I can apply to my own life, then the movie is a real keeper and they are doing something right. Or sometimes, even if it just inspires me to write something of my own or think a little more, I love that about it too, because obviously there was something in there that sparked my interest. That is just what I got from The Holiday. I've seen it before, yes, but this time, I noticed a few more things that I haven't before. Let's review:

  • We shouldn't be afraid to take risks: Iris and Amanda do that when they decide to swap houses are taking a very big risk by going to not only different states, but different countries to escape their problems. They don't know anyone or their way aroundSometimes the best joys in life and greatest rewards come from those moments. Yes, it's cliche, but it's also very true. 
  • Not all strangers are bad: This point seems to be pretty self explanatory because the more they got to know the people around them, they realized that they could play some pretty big roles in their life. You just have to learn who is good and who is bad. Sometimes that's harder to figure out than you initially plan for, but, oh well.
  • I want to have a "meet-cute" in real life: A meet-cute is (according to Urban Dictionary) a "Scenario in which two individuals are brought together in some unlikely, zany, destined-to-fall-in-love-and-be-together-forever sort of way (the more unusual, the better)." I think about this a lot, actually, I just never realized there was a technical term for it. Although, it usually has to do with me meeting one of my favorite celebrities at an award show and instantly having a connection, we fall in love, and we lived happily ever after. I'm not sure how crazy that is, but it's the way I would want it to happen really. 
  • I need to stop acting like the "best friend" and more like the "leading lady" in my life: Sometimes, I just feel like I'm here to be there for other people; to encourage them and make them look good. I mainly felt like this in high school, because I didn't always know how to speak up or to use my voice without feeling rude about having an opinion. I am now learning what it means to be a leading lady; to be there for others when they need you, but to also do the things that you want and let people know how you feel when the time is right.
  • English people just have a certain charm about them: They have a way of using brilliant words and being enchanting when you come in contact with them. Though I have never met anyone from England, this movie was very clear on what they would be like. They're fascinating! And I just really love their accents.
  • I don't consider Jack Black to be the leading man type: Jack Black is a comedian. I mean, he's Nacho Libre. And Nacho Libre does not scream romance, does it?? Well, this movie changed that. No, I don't think he's cute. But, I think he has this way of being charming because of his personality. He still showed his funny and witty side in the character, and having other people that are normally in these kinds of movies helped balance him out.
  • Love will find you when you least expect it: That's what everyone says. Oh, when you stop looking for love, it will find you. It sounds really lame to me. But, when you watch movies like this, it totally changes your opinion that maybe, just maybe something out of the ordinary can happen and you will find the love of your life that way.
  • When the Santa Ana winds blow, anything can happen: I've lived in California my entire life, but I never knew this. So, see, now I will be paying much closer attention to the changes in the wind.
  • The tent scene: It's just one of those really big "AWWWWWW" moments! You have to see it. You'll be clutching your little heart right and left.
  • "I love corny. I'm looking for corny in my life." This. I think we all need a little corny in our lives to keep things fun. Am I right?
  • I think in terms of movie trailers or climax moments: I am very much like Amanda in this sense. When something has happened in my life, whether it was a conversation or a big event in my life, I play it back in my mind as if it were a movie. I think of everything I would have said or how it would've been a lot better if there was a lighting crew or makeup team standing right by me the entire time to make things a little more interesting for the sake of the moment. I have certain scenes that also just play in my head to make my life more dramatic sometimes. I refer to those when things are a little slow around here.
  • This movie reminds me of why I love Hollywood and the movie industry. It's pretty simple, really. It's the kind of feel good movies like this that make me love the whole process of movie making or creating something really magical where it just makes people happy after they see it. If I ever get into TV or movies, these are the kinds of films that I'd want to make. 
That's basically all I wanted to say. If you've never seen this movie, I would definitely check it out.

~Shelby

December 26, 2012

It's The Magic Of Christmas Day

I awoke to my lovely alarm blaring Aly&AJ's "Greatest Time Of Year", because I knew if I didn't set an alarm, I probably wouldn't wake up until noon, and that's just unheard of on Christmas day. My parents were always usually the ones waking me up if I recall over the years, I don't remember ever really dragging them out of bed. Who knows?! But, I sure do like my sleep. 

So, I took a few moments to wake up, then went out to the living room, greeting my parents with "Merry Christmases" and a hug. We pretty much dove right into the present opening, which I didn't mind. We'd rotate between my mom, dad and I with opening gifts. My dad had the most since my mom and I had already gotten our big presents, and we totally could've gone without getting anything else, but we really appreciate and are grateful for the fact that we did still have presents. 
We turned on our electric heater, the Christmas lights, and it all felt very warm and cozy, especially with our wooden floors we put in this year. Although, it was a bit harder to sit on, so we brought blankets and pillows, so it wouldn't hurt as much. 
It took us about an hour to open everything, which worked out perfectly in time to watch the Disney Christmas parade, which I always get really excited about. I'm a fan of tradition, what can I say?
My mom made pancakes and we watched the parade, then I tried messing around with this new gadget. I got a mic recorder that is supposed to plug into your phone and do some cool things, but for whatever reason it won't work. So, after awhile of trying to record with it, my mom and I gave up. 
My mom started getting ready and doing things in the kitchen, my dad took a little nap, and I was just having a hard time waking up or getting the motivation to do anything. 





Eventually, around noon, I figured I should start getting ready, because everyone would be coming over soon and I hate getting ready once everyone is getting there; I don't know why, I just think it's weird. So, I did just that. And everyone ended up getting to our house, while I was still getting ready, but oh well. What can you do? 




I went out to the kitchen to visit with everyone; my aunts and uncle were there, my cousin came, and a few minutes later, my grandparents walked in. My mom was finishing up the last minute touches on the meal, then my grandpa prayed over the food and we ate. It all smelled so wonderful and I was getting hungry, so I was excited about it. The ladies sat at the table, while the guys stayed in the living room to watch football. After we started eating, I started not feeling good at all, so I didn't even really finish everything. I just felt sick and mopey a good portion of the afternoon. 
We were all a little boring after we ate, because everyone was pretty wiped out. We watched TV and talked and my other cousin came over for a bit after she got off work. Some of the family skyped with my uncles in South Carolina and Utah, we decided to take some family pictures (since we rarely do) then we all opened presents. 







I walked outside with my aunt and mom for a couple minutes to take pictures of the beautiful sunset that was going on. It was a perfect winter day; crisp, clear, and COLD. After a few minutes of taking pictures, it was too much to handle, so we went back inside. It was a nice break to get out of the house, though. 


The rest of the night was pretty low key. My cousin, Carissa, left around 6 or so, and my grandparents left not too long after her. I thought the party was winding down, but really, it was still kicking. My aunt left a little while later, and it looked like my other aunt and uncle were going to, as well. I was thinking it was way too early for everyone to be heading home so soon, but we ended up watching some of Hope Floats on TV. And quote of the night goes to my uncle, "She's so pretty, I like Sandra Bullock!" hahahaha. Somehow, I got my second wind on this, because I started laughing at just about everything and it is definitely not a comedy. My family was looking at me like I was crazy and I loved it. We were all just hanging out; my aunt was telling me all these great ideas of things to use for face wash and my uncle was falling asleep, and the rest of us were just laughing.
We watched Christmas Vacation after Hope Floats ended, and let me just say...It is THE perfect movie to watch with your family. Because, it is then you realize how normal you and your family are and that you don't have a cousin Eddie. That's something to count your lucky stars over. We ate popcorn and laughed our heads off (even though my parents and I have seen it a gazillion times) and just had a great time. Those are the moments I live for. If I could seriously have one wish...It would be to have all of my family together from Utah and South Carolina, just hanging out, watching movies or who knows? Even making crazy music videos, because apparently that's what we do these days. 


When everyone else decided to leave when the movie was over, my parents and I watched a Christmas special on Andy Williams and I looked up random things on Tumblr. I spend way too much time on there, but it's just so fascinating. I find some of the greatest quotes and ideas on there. 






SO EXCITED ABOUT JANUARY! I had to write everything down on my new calendar. 
This is seriously me!

I want this shirt! 
The rest of the night I watched One Tree Hill and The Office, and it was a pretty nice time, I must say. And that was the ending of Christmas. Sometimes, that magic gets lost a little as we get older and some of our loved ones are no longer here, but the thing we have to continue to focus on is that a baby changed everything all those years ago in a stable. He brought us hope and something to believe in, and that's why we celebrate at all. I admit that I lose sight of that a lot, but it's not just about praising Him around this time of year, it's about doing it all of the time. I'm so thankful for my relationship with God and for everything He has blessed me with this year. This season is all about Him, and so should the rest of my life. 

That's all for now,
Shelby