10 things I'm thankful for this week:

1. the start of fall
2. a rainy weekend at work, which gave me a slow break from a super  fast week
3. wearing boots again (with cozy socks!)
4. pumpkin donuts
5. getting back into drinking red wine on chilly nights
6. hearing two different artists speak in two of my classes (it was so refreshing to sit back, relax, and learn in class instead of just getting more deadlines thrown at me)
7. getting back into the gym after taking a week off
8. hearing Lonnie say "Do you want Chick-fil-a?"
9. wearing simple shirts with a statement necklace, jeans, and cute shoes for easy, chic outfits (this time of year is the best for getting dressed!)
10. hint of lime chips with guacamole

10 things.

10 things I'm thankful for this week:

1. spending Monday morning in bed drinking coffee with my love; we had this daily ritual going last year when it was cold out and we were both drinking hot coffee at home, and now that the weather has cooled down a bit, we're starting to pick it back up and it is my FAVORITE thing
2. seeing my group's senior capstone project come together and getting positive feedback from the professor on our prototype; IT'S ALL HAPPENING
3. adventuring out onto location for this said project and running across a beautiful place on campus with views of downtown
4. fashion week snapchat stories and instagram posts
5. giving myself the week off from workouts to rest and relax after catching a cold
6. chicken noodle soup and Club crackers
7. KILLIN IT on my mass communications exam/having one class out of the 4 I'm taking that I don't have to stress too hard about since it's a 101 course
8. my wonderful assistant manager at work let me leave early Tuesday since I was sick, bought me pizza today since she wanted me to split it with her, and helped me get time off so I could film capstone tomorrow! I've had such a tough week, and she's made it way easier in so many ways.
9. hanging out with my roommate Laura and bonding with her by watching Labyrinth together, which is her favorite movie, and I've been meaning to see anyway since I never have before
10. my little sister, for being born on this day 19 years ago. Happy Birthday, Sarah!

10 things.

10 things in thankful for this week:

1. having Labor Day off for the first time since starting college!
2. spending the Sunday before Labor Day outside on a patio eating Jamaican barbecue for brunch
3. turning in one painting and then painting a quick gestural self-portrait in class the same day. It's been so much work, but I'm remembering what it's like to make physical art you can hold in your hands afterward and it is AWESOME.
4. taking the Bulldog Nation meeting to a Japanese hibachi restaurant
5. going into the photo critique thinking my print wasn't good at all, but getting awesome feedback on it
6. having to go to Michael's for art supplies and spending more time looking at the Halloween decorations
7. finding cute, cheap office supplies in Target's dollar section
8. Nicki Minaj
9. forgetting to eat breakfast and picking up an everything bagel topped with avocado at Rosetta's on campus
10. sunflowers

10 things.

10 things I'm thankful for this week:

1. OPI polish in You Don't Know Jacques, the perfect into to fall color
2. seeing the sun set over the mountains on my way home from the gym
3. quality time with Lonnie, who started a new serving job at Altamont Brewery  in West Asheville
4. a super sale at my work, and buying a cute maxi dress for only $10!
5. Hit Record with Joseph Gordon-Levitt on Netflix (it's so freaking inspiring to a creative like me, especially since most of the work is New Media type of stuff. I highly recommend if you haven't seen it yet to check out an episode.)
6. getting back into painting projects, even if I am so rusty it makes me sad
7. DEVELOPING MY FIRST PHOTOS EVER BY MYSELF YAY
8. the dude at Moe's put an extra side of queso in the bag
9. catching up with my little sister over the phone, it feels so good to be friends now instead of just siblings 
10. September weather is seriously THE BEST and I've been wearing dresses pretty much every single day

10 things.

1. hauling ASS this past week. I'm on such a huge back-to-school kick that I've been knocking out my to-do list like it's nothing. Granted, they are full of things like "sketch a canvas to prepare for painting, go to Target for pretty folders and mascara, and shoot an entire roll of film," but still, I'm pretty impressed with how hard I've been working. And even though it's really hard work, I've truly missed creating daily and being busy.
2. on that note, in my Photography class this week, we processed our film into negatives. This week, we'll actually be developing it into prints, but processing the film itself was so much fun. It was super tricky but so rewarding to see a full sheet of negatives I've taken and processed all by myself.
3. girls night out to say goodbye to our lovely friend Emma, who left for Spain today
4. on that note, my first moscow mule was consumed outside at The Southern in downtown Asheville underneath twinkle lights on a cool summer night (did I do that one right?? I feel like I did)
5. I only had to buy 4 colors for my painting class, and the professor provided us with 6! YAY free paint!
6. my friend Brandon turned 21 and all of our friends went out to celebrate and fun times were had. Yay college!
7. my only real homework to do this week is to color in half of a painting which consists of geometric shapes that I've already sketched out, so basically it's like adult coloring. I'm pumped.
8. despite my super hectic schedule, I accomplished my goal of working out 3 times this week
9. our new roommate Laura loved our other roommate's snakes so much, she bought a baby one. YAY BABY SNAKES!
10. after seeing the Halloween decorations at Michael's, the pumpkin donuts at Dunkin, and all of our gorgeous sweaters and wine-colored handbags at work, I am getting really excited for the fall, which is making the end of summer much sweeter than bittersweet.

10 things.

10 things I'm thankful for this week:

1. pool parties
2. mimosas outside on a Sunday afternoon
3. pickle popcorn from Trader Joe's (OMG SO GOOD)
4. this tassel necklace from my work, the perfect summer accessory
5. toasted coconut macaroon ice cream from The Hop
6. toes in the water at Ledges Park
7. thin crust veggie pizza, homemade by Lonnie
8. cashmere vanilla shaving cream
9. dat refund check from school
10. enjoying the last little bit of summer vacation

10 things.

10 things I'm thankful for this week:

1. journaling my way out of a terrible mood I woke up in (it's so true that writing things down really helps put them in perspective!)
2. getting along with our new roommate! He's moved in and has two pet snakes, which have found a nice home in the living room. I'm obsessed with them, and I love having little friends to keep an eye on in the house since we're not allowed to have cats or dogs.
3. feeling some summertime sadness after realizing that there's only one week left before school starts, and then immediately going outside to workout instead of going to the gym in order to shake the sinking feeling. I went to a nearby park that has access to the French Broad River (and also a killer view) and just ran around and did squats and lunges until I absolutely wore myself out. I ended up WAY overdoing it and was so sore for three days straight (I literally had trouble walking up and down stairs), so I guess it was a success.
4. wearing this silver bracelet with my gold boyfriend watch and feeling so #fresh
5. buying Lonnie a cookie cake for his birthday (we both prefer it over regular cake) and therefore having a cookie cake in the fridge practically all week
6. working mostly day shifts this week and feeling good about not wasting the day waiting on dreading work
7. Lonnie and I have been working our asses off on making the apartment feel more like a home. He hung some pictures in the living room (also a super chic #surfboard) and a mirror in the bedroom, and I've been keeping things tidy and refusing to let the dishes pile up.
8. dealing with a stressful situation by going for a run (always so thankful for workouts)
9. margaritas with salt
10. finding out that the photography class I'm taking this semester is actually a black and white film class and the old 35mm SLR camera I already own is exactly what the professor put on the supplies list. I'm so excited for the excuse to break it out and start shooting film again, since I've actually been meaning to do this all summer.

10 things.

10 things I'm thankful for this week:

1. rewatching Silence of the Lambs on a rainy day
2. phone calls from home, and catching up with both my mom and best friend Whitney
3. finding the perfect pink polish at T.J. Maxx
4. also finding ready-to-brew iced coffee bags
5. convincing Lonnie to take down one set of blinds in the bedroom, and now having a nice view of a tree outside from bed
6. another spontaneous parkway trip (this one led us to a small southern town which was full of color and inspiration)
7. going so hard at the gym I've been sore for 2 days straight
8. starting to clean the apartment from top to bottom
9. staying in and ordering our favorite pizza; pepperoni and pepperoncini
10. looking at my school schedule for next year and realizing that most of my time will be spent creating (I have one new media class, one painting, and one photography class!)

Just a little note, I will most likely start posting these 10 Things on Saturdays instead of Fridays (but yes, I'm aware today is Sunday. my schedule has been a little off lately.) I'm hoping that this minor shift will give me enough time to gather pictures and really recap on the week in its entirety. 

10 things.

10 things I'm thankful for this week:

1. living so close to beautiful mountain views (that first pic was taken on the way to Walmart, lol)
2. spending a late morning in bed relaxing in the new robe I bought to wear during summer
3. taking my workout outside to Beaver Lake (such a beautiful place so close to me! I will definitely be returning sometime soon with my camera for a little photo excursion)
4. Starbucks' new cold brew
5. Grace and Frankie on Netflix (shout-out to my Aunt for the recommendation, I am OBSESSED with this show)
6. summer berries
7. summer sunsets
8. waking up to a thunderstorm one morning when I had an early shift (to me, nothing is more calming in the mornings than pouring down rain)
9. after exploring all of our options, Lonnie and I have decided to stay put in our current apartment and have several plans to fix the place up before we find new roommates, since it's the perfect time and excuse to move some things around and make the place feel more like home
10. one night after work this week, on a whim, Lonnie grilled me up a peanut butter and banana sandwich in the form of a quesadilla with two tortillas instead of bread, and it was the BEST EVER

10 things.

10 things I'm thankful for this week:

1. going to Grandfather Mountain with my family for our annual trip to celebrate my dad's birthday yesterday (which is also the reason this post is a day late. Sorry, y'all!)
2. taking Blue Ridge home and stopping by Linville Falls
3. it's actually been rainy all week, but we were blessed with the most beautiful sunny weather yesterday
4. shrimp tacos
5. on a whim, decided to go to yoga on Wednesday evening (I needed those deep stretches so bad!)
6. having a quiet breakfast in bed just as it started to pour down rain
7. combating laziness/being a homebody with cleaning the apartment
8. getting a text from my college bestie saying that she will be visiting tomorrow!
9. colorful emojis
10. feeling strong and starting to really love my body

10 things.

10 things I'm thankful for this week:

1. Lonnie surprising me with pizza and the best bottle of rum he could find (two of my very favorite things) to celebrate our 5 year anniversary
2. having a guy I can count on to always be loyal and loving
3. extra lime
4. hiking up to Crabtree Falls
5. My best friend Samm texted me to let me know she was in town for the day so I met her and her family for lunch at Early Girl and ice cream at The Hop
6. waking up slow with the late summer sun and re-watching Fried Green Tomatoes in bed
7. making brownies with Brandon on the rainiest day of the week
8. pressing flowers into sketchbooks
9. finally buckling down to achieve my goal of exercising 4 days this week instead of my usual 3
10. getting all dolled up for a date night out

10 things.

10 things I'm thankful for this week:

1. having a tan
2. buying new jersey sheets for summer
3. including plenty of fresh fruit in this week's groceries
4. getting back into art journaling(trying to do this at least once a week this summer)
5. really good ice cream
6. looking through vacation photos post-vacation
7. seeing Jaws for the first time ever in theaters with my dad for Father's Day
8. listening to old tunes that I haven't heard in a while
9. things are starting to really feel like summer around here
10. #lovewins

10 things.

10 things I'm thankful for this week:

1. buying a new, cheery, yellow sketchbook to replace my typical composition notebooks for art journaling! I felt limited by the lines on the page, and especially the thinness of the paper, so having a real sketchbook with so much white space encourages me to doodle and paint, which I love.
2. reading this article written by my bestie after having a conversation about the topic with her. Whitney and I make an effort every week to share our goals with one another, and I for one have experienced such an improvement to my daily life since we started. The rules are that the goals have to be written down, so for me, this weekly practice also forces me to crack open that art journal I just mentioned and reflect on the week ahead. I know I'm biased, but Whitney really does have such a way with words, so if goal setting is something you're interested in and passionate about like we are, I highly recommend checking out the article.
3. spotting beautiful dahlias on my way back from the gym
4. Lonnie bringing home wings and beer after I had a bit of a rough day
5. the fact that that beer was Green Man's ESB (this is the tastiest beer I've ever had, it's definitely my fave)
6. finally buying headbands and new socks for the gym (you know when you put off buying socks and for a while and how it's a headache every time you get ready trying to find a matching pair? yeah. that.)
7. currently marathoning Futurama on Netflix (I used to not be a huge fan, but after giving it a chance, the artwork and compositions are actually really phenomenal and it always gets a laugh out of Lonnie, which I love hearing)
8. treating myself to an at-home spa day complete with a mani/pedi and facial
9. Chick-Fil-A nuggets with Polynesian sauce
10. switching my editing process on Instagram by not using the filters and only relying on the tools and adjustments (I still use filters from time to time, but I'm currently loving the crisp, clean look that the images give without any)

Next week, I will be going on vacation with my family, so I'm taking a little break from the blog, but I will return back the following week with (more than likely) a bonus post on Wednesday. :)

10 things.

10 things I'm thankful for this week:

1. being an adult and therefore being able to buy whatever snacks I want (like honey mustard pretzels)
2. catching up with Lonnie one night until 3am after we both worked completely opposite schedules that day (it feels so good to still do this after so many years of being together, and especially after living together and seeing each other every single day)
3. having a beautiful view outside of a rainbow while on a dinner date at The Moose Cafe
4. The Moose Cafe's fried chicken (and BISCUITS.)
5. feeling sunshine on my skin
6. customers who are actually nice to retail workers
7. taking my workout outside in order to soak up the beautiful weather
8. breaking the pendant of one (cheap) necklace and replacing it with another pendant of mine that needed a chain and consequently loving the necklace SO much more than I originally did
9. national donut day(in case you don't have an instagram feed full of sprinkles today and didn't know.)
10. living (literally) across the street from a Dunkin' Donuts (heyyyooooo ;))

10 things.

10 things I'm thankful for this week:

1. good grocery store finds, like finding fancy juice for less than 2 bucks
2. having 3 days in a row off this week and catching up on sleep and relaxation
3. the first thunderstorm of the season
4. spending time outside on campus relaxing in my eno that I won for free at a basketball game
5. venti iced green teas
6. the sun stays up until almost 9:00 now(!!!)
7. the best adventure partner & roommate ever
8. open windows
9. getting really used to basic adult routines like grocery shopping and laundry
10. summer reading

10 things.

10 things I'm thankful for this week:

1. spending my day off with Lonnie exploring and hiking up on Blue Ridge
2. Trader Joe's wine(so cheap and always so good. also, if you haven't noticed, I live practically right down the street from a Trader Joe's now and I like it.)
3. taking a moment to admire the light in Lonnie's(our? my?) bedroom.
4. these earrings I bought from work(I also picked up a tiny pretzel necklace the same day. If it's fun and different, I have to have it.)
5. having time to actually keep my nails painted instead of letting them chip away until I give up and go bare
6. Both Steel Magnolias and Fried Green Tomatoes are on Netflix right now
7. basically, summer break is the best thing ever, and I'm feeling it this week
8. I also bought this dress from work and I've grown completely obsessed with it. It's the perfect thing to wear on these springy, breezy days.
9. my favorite blog
10. forcing myself to make this post a day late(sorry, guys!) and after an 8 hour (SATURDAY!) shift at work. To be honest, this took me a while to write cause I was just not feeling it(why do I keep using this phrase???), but as always, I feel better now that I've done it and grateful once again for these weekly practices.

10 things.

10 things I'm thankful for this week:

1. finding a dresser and not living completely out of boxes (this was one was pretty much EVERYTHING.)
2. going home for Mother's Day weekend and spending a lot of quality time with family
3. leftover pound cake that I made with my dad and took back to Asheville with me
4. $3 cacti at CVS
5. getting plenty of hours at work and not having to worry too much about making money
6. realizing that the Walmart is Weaverville is WAY better than the one in Asheville and that the distance is pretty much the same(this is just a comfort I can't live without on my college student budget, even if I am currently making money)
7. summer break and having actual free time that's not filled up with homework
8. finding the perfect foundation that's full coverage yet super lightweight and doesn't wear off after a few hours. It pretty much meets all of my oily skin needs, and I'm super impressed.
9. OPI polish in Cajun Shrimp(aka, my power shade)
10. going to my school's gym in the summer cause it's never crowded, like ever.

10 things.

10 things I'm thankful for this week:

1. officially living so close to the parkway and the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains
2. also, Asheville parks, especially the one beside the French Broad river because it is AWESOME and so peaceful
3. Mr. Clean magic erasers
4. waking up next to my favorite person every day
5. Trader Joe's grocery bags(this seems really irrelevant but for a college student moving with limited boxes and luggage, they are a Godsend)
6. getting all A's and only one B this semester and realizing that hard work actually can pay off, even for those really, really hard semesters that seem to never end
7. facing my fears and doing adult things like going to the laundromat all by myself(this so wasn't as scary as I thought it would be)
8. Hopey and Co., a super discounted mainly organic/all natural food store in Asheville where I can get tons of good snacks and groceries for cheap
9. $1.50 Shock Tops on Thursdays at my boyfriend's new job
10. finally some warmer weather complete with tons of sunshine

10 things.

10 things I'm thankful for this week:

1. Making it a new weekly tradition to journal goals for the week and then share them with my bff, Whitney
2. Finishing up classes and exams(I'm almost done and it's best feeling ever!)
3. Mexican food
4. the month of May
5. the lady who works at my school's sandwich shop, who is always so sweet and asking how I'm doing. On Monday, she asked me about exams and what my day was looking like. I explained to her that I had a meeting with my boss to talk about a possible promotion, and between the stress of exams and all of that as well, I was struggling a little bit, to which she replied, "Honey, take your time. Breathe. And be good at it. Kick ass at it!" It was the best and most-needed pep talk ever, and I'm so thankful for seeing her almost every day this past year.
6. closing the chapter on my first New Media internship, and the experience I gained during it
7. the app, Evernote, because as an avid list-maker, without it I would probably lose my damn mind.
8. not putting too much pressure on myself to stick to my workout schedule during this busy week, but choosing to do some cardio anyway as way to relieve stress
9. making summer goals and plans
10. buying a new purse and consequently re-organizing all the things I carry around on a daily basis(this seems so lame, but I swear buying a new purse for me is like hitting life's re-do button)

10 things.

10 things I'm thankful for this week:

1. a spontaneous parkway trip on a rainy Sunday spent with Lonnie. He wanted to show me this house he discovered which was built on the water. It seriously looked like something straight out of a movie, and we had such a good day roadtrippin' together.
2. having three classes cancelled throughout the week, which means I had plenty of time to conquer my giant to-do list
3. a much needed phone call from my bestie, Whitney
4. finishing up all of my classes, which included turning in a paper that I've been working on all semester long; I can finally see the light at the end of the proverbial academic tunnel and it feels amazing.
5. the stop motion project I'm working on(which I'll eventually share, if all goes well), and the way that it challenged me to photograph myself in very different looks outside of my comfort zone. Long story short, I parted my hair down the middle for the first time since elementary school, but the way that I styled it actually convinced me to maybe give it a try a this summer. I've had the same hair for FOREVER, and I'm so ready for something a little different and I think this is an easy, noncommittal way to shake things up. My favorite blogger actually made a whole post about this same thing.
6. getting back into the natural swing of creating, and realizing once again how importance this daily practice is. Maya Angelou knew what was up, y'all: "You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have."
7. having a go-to maxi dress to layer with a comfy sweater on these unseasonable chilly April days
8. dogwood blossoms
9. getting a workout in early in the day, and then spending the rest of the day feel that much more accomplished and prepared to take on anything
10. these weekly practices of gratitude