live THIS day

"The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time." - Abraham Lincoln

I write because it is the only way to organize the insane amount of chaotic thought going through my mind at any given moment, especially lately. The latest whirlwind occurring in my head began this past Wednesday night. One of my very best friends shared the exciting news that she's ENGAGED! After the girly middle school jumpingfest that went on in my kitchen, followed by the hour long play by play and interrogation, I immediately went into stress mode. Engaged?! One of MY best friends? This cannot be happening. There is no way we are old enough to be getting married already. Insanity, pure insanity. I could not be happier for my sweet little bestie, but it got me thinking... the future is such a creeper!

The excitement of this led to this next string of thoughts over the rest of the week... I'll be 21 in a month, I need to turn in my nursing application, turn in already?, what happens if I don't get in?, I need a backup plan, I need to intern this summer, what will I do after I graduate, its March on Tuesday, OMG spring break plans, then it will be my birthday, wow the semester is almost over!, what about finals?, ew...finals, I wonder what nursing finals will be like, I should get my masters, I wonder how long that takes, I could probably graduate with my masters before I'm 27, crazy, 27 is old, I should be married by then, 27? When should I start having kids? Oh no! I'll be almost 30- THIRTYYYYY!....

How the heck do I handle that everyday? I went from thinking "YAY! My very exciting and funfilled 21st birthday is coming up!" to "I'm 30- and old." Wow Gabby, really? What is the focus of your blog? What do you try to remind yourself everyday... LIVE THIS DAY.

THIS one. Not tomorrow, or the next one... THIS one. Yes, the future is coming, with every breath and every stroke of my keyboard I'm entering the future. But as good ole Abe said...it comes ONE day at a time. The future can seem so scary, because it's so easy to condense. It's so easy as a college student to look over a degree plan of a few classes or requirements and say I need X hours until I can graduate. Or if you're like me, living paycheck to paycheck (which could be avoided-because of my forever21 addiction... but that's another story) time flies because you make that grocery list and wait til you get your check then pay bills and tally up your time sheet for the next check and before you know it two pay periods have flown by in the blink of an eye and the bills are due again. It's so easy to watch time fly right past you, especially as you get older and time goes faster. So looking ahead can seem scary, because it seems like it will get here so fast. But what that time sheet and degree plan can't show you, are the growths you make.

Condensing the future basically takes you from where you are now to where you hope to be after a given time. That's great and all when you are setting goals, but if you forget to live day to day, your life will become a meaningless blur before your eyes. Don't wait. Don't let each day slip between your fingers, because you are planning for tomorrow. LIVE TODAY :) Take a walk, paint a picture, keep a journal, run and feel your heart beat! Remind yourself that you are alive. Make memories. Plans are great for keeping you on track, but without the memories there is no life. If you don't live along the way, your life will simply become a string of plans getting you by day by day, basically sucking out the fun. Plans are a good thing in moderation. Too many plans= funsucker! Memories are the marks from the plans you've made that remind you of how you've grown and what you've learned along the way.

Okay, so obviously I'm a little scatterbrained today. But hey, that's Gabby for ya. I'm trying to remind myself that life is what happens when I'm making other plans. It's nice to be organized, but I can't forget to live along the way. I love thinking about what I"m working towards in life, what I want for myself, and where I hope to be one day... but I want to enjoy the life God gave me and let His plan be my plan.

[look]

So future, I know you're close and I'm ready for you, but I think I'll take my time and enjoy the little surprises along the way :) like helping my best friend get ready for one of the most exciting days of her life! Oh the memories to be made between now and then.... I can't wait!

Until next time,

G

catching up.

Catching up is always satisfying. During the past few weeks that's exactly what I've done- caught up. I caught up with workouts and finally found my love for running again. I caught up with school work and spring break is almost in sight! I caught up on some quality time with my boyfriend over the few snow days we had and a sweet little Valentine's day. And last but not least, spent an amazing weekend catching up with best friends. Even though the feat of catching up is never complete- it's life. Always working on a project, fixing something, playing phone tag with friends and family, forgetting something, misplacing things, breaking something, running errands, and so on... But in all that, I discover my passion for creativity, what a thrifty and independent girl I can be, how much I miss and love the important people in my life, when not to sweat the small stuff, and most of all how to uncover God's little miracles and hellos in every area of my life.

The other night I was so frustrated after a long day and I went on a run to relieve some stress, on the last stretch of my run I stumbled upon a breathtaking sunset. It was so crazy that the sunset could be so beautiful, when I was seeing it from a little dirt road that runs through a farm in south arkansas. It was like God was reminding me that there was still beauty in the world. After all the stress from the little notes I scratch down in my planner to the worries of the day, its easy to only see the disappointing things and the things you didn't get around to finishing that day. But on that sweet little Friday afternoon, God reminded me of the beauty. He showed me how the sun sinking beneath the winter pines can warm your heart and ease your mind, even on the chilliest of February days.

I remembered at that moment, that no matter what I do or don't get caught up on throughout the week, I have one constant. God. I always make it out to be some huge deal to catch up with God. I really should remember He already knows the ups and downs we experience daily, He's just waiting for us to turn to Him for the advice and comfort we're looking for, instead of looking for it in all the wrong places. Venting is always a sure way to ease your mind, so why not vent to God in order to straighten out all your thoughts. He's the one who created our minds in the first place, so who better to understand?

Running is most definitely going to be scheduled into my daily routine. It make's me feel great and gives me that little alone time to catch up with my God. I took a picture of that beautiful sunset on my phone- but have yet to upload it to the computer... so I found this instead. This picture is absolutely stunning and makes me want to get outside! If it weren't so late I'd go run right now. But this picture does the job- it shows the simplicity and beauty of a dirt road and God's handywork.

So....catching up- regardless of how many things get crossed off, it still seems like the to do list in my planner is growing. Here goes nothing, tomorrow is Monday and begins another week, which will inevitably end with my trying to catch up with school, work, friends, or another something... it's always something. Always running.. story of my life. But I'm learning to love it more everyday. :)

Until next time,

G

bliss.

Pandora radio set to Corey Smith. Amping up for Corey Smith live in less than two weeks!

 Nothing better to aid in easing my mind while working on a paper for Philosophy.

Unplugged, unamused, yet still alive :)

I started this blog because I like to write. I'll admit I'm not the most talented or vivacious writer, like a certain friend of mine, however I enjoy journaling and seeing my thoughts out in front of me. A blog just seemed like a great thing for a girl in her 20s to do. So I've gone from avid blog reader to beginner blog writer. For the 3 or 4 people who actually do read this, I'll go ahead and apologize for my lack of dedication. As I already know I won't be blogging frequently. This will just be a new outlet for my thoughts :)

So... after days of contemplation I did it. I deactivated my Facebook. I'm not one of those people who are super against technology taking over our lives or anything. I just realized how much I was living through my computer. It was like I couldn't remember what my life was like before my Facebook page. I constantly was worried about what was or wasn't on my Facebook, whether it be my current relationship status, unflattering pictures tagged of me, or silly comments on my wall. I had forgotten that I am actually a person aside from that page. I can still enjoy getting ready and dressing up even if there won't be a picture taken of me. I can still have deep thoughts, questions, or opinions without sharing them with everyone I know on Facebook.

I really realized how much Facebook had taken over when I got a new phone with a handy little Facebook app on it. making it so much easier and convenient to keep tabs on. Also, I started ignoring the people I was around, sorry B, because I was too busy checking status updates or checking out people's pictures. I realized that I wasn't living my life. I was simply checking in on other people's when I got the chance.

I mean don't get me wrong, Facebook is great. I mean I'm a junior in college and I'm at my 3rd university, so obviously I have a few friends I try to keep in touch with and fb helps SO much! Also it's nice when we get caught up in our own busy lives to check in on friends without having to play phone tag for a week before we get the chance to catch up. This little Facebook free journey should be interesting. I've gone to the links of having my boyfriend change my password so I can't reactivate it. Can you say ridiculous? Yep, that's me! Meanwhile I'm unamused with this whole process, but I'm hoping it will help me be more productive with my freetime.

Other than schoolwork, email, and this blog. I'm going to try to stay off my laptop and try to spend more time soaking up my life. More time in my Bible, other books, and spending time with the precious people in my life and not just a photo and newsfeed of them :) I know most of you think that I'm beyond ridiculous for this, but don't lie... in some way, shape, or form you are/ have been addicted to technology too! So here I go... off to enjoy my Facebook free life.

Until next time..  :)
G