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

summer silence.

Sorry about the radio silence, y'all. I don't have an excuse. It's summertime, and I've been all over the place and that's okay. I'm trying to go with the flow and live each day as it comes. I'm in a really weird place in my life where summers aren't this huge amount of freedom like they used to be growing up, but at the same time, I'm not in any kind of routine. This is really hard for me, but so far I'm learning as I go what I need to fill my days with in order to feel fulfilled, and also what I don't really need.

I need productivity. I need to blog. I need to have school or work or something on my hands to keep me busy. I kinda need a little routine.

I don't need to live my life according to how I'm supposed to be living it. I've said all of this before, but it's something that I struggle with daily. I think anyone in my generation struggles with it at times, so shout out to you guys.
Scrolling through beautiful adventures posted by others in explicit detail on Instagram or various blogs, I'm constantly feeling like I'm not keeping up with everyone. My summer isn't "summery" enough. I haven't caught enough lightning bugs or gotten a deep enough tan line. I didn't wear enough neon shorts or took enough of the same pictures of the ocean. This sounds like a bitter complaint, but really it's a reality check to myself from myself.

I need to remember that life doesn't stop because the season does. Summers are fleeting, yes, but so are all the seasons.

I don't need to waste each one by not taking it all in, but I also don't need to waste them by worrying about whether or not I'm taking it all in, you feel me?

Here's a ton of pics from our annual trip to the mountains for my dad's birthday to make up for the silence. These photos are well over a week old, and I actually just came home from a trip to Asheville to see my boyfriend, and the short trip only made me miss it all more. As much as I'm always sad about summer ending, I look forward to going back to school and enjoying the fall. Another season, another chance to take it all in.

a hushed haze of gray.

A few more pictures from my trip to the mountains. It's been the rainiest summer I've ever seen, and after a fairly clear and beautiful day, the sky ended up predictably pouring on us just as we were leaving.

As much as I'm a total color kinda girl, there is a huge place in my heart for gray tones. I love the color gray. It's quiet, soft, and comforting.

blue ridge homesick.

I miss my mountain home.

I recently took a trip up to Asheville to see Andrew McMahon perform at the Orange Peel(more on that later), and the whole experience made me miss my second home so much. As my sophomore year draws closer, I am becoming more and more pumped about going back, settling into my new dorm room, and seeing my hallmates and friends again. I have never looked forward to a school year as much as I do this one. College is wonderful.

The photos featured are from our annual trip to Grandfather Mountain for my dad's birthday that I blogged about last year here.

mountain air.

For my dad's birthday this year, we drove up to Grandfather Mountain. He hiked the Profile Trail while my sister and I explored the park area. We saw bears and I got rock candy. It rained on and off, but my sister and I avoided the rain by walking through gift shops and the nature museum. It was all in all a nice day to get out, see different sites, and breathe different air. My summer could definitely use more days like this.