Blog Snobs.

It's no secret that Blissdom sparked a lot of blog drama over the past few days. Twitter has been a battle ground, and posts referencing the conference have either been praised or torn to shreds.

I didn't attend Blissdom.
And honestly? I don't give a flying crap about it.
I used to think it was something that I would love to attend. To be able to meet so many of the wonderful bloggers I've come across in real life sounded like a dream.

I know for some Blissdom really was amazing, and being that I've never been... I don't want to cast judgment. I just don't see it being worth spending the money since I'm a broke college kid at this point.

But in response to the Blissdom drama, I have lost a lot of respect for multiple bloggers.
In fact, I've grown more and more irritated at the direction that blogging has been moving in lately.

When I first began blogging, I felt like everyone was so encouraging and sincere. Posts were written from the heart, and I literally fell in love with the world of blogging. I met so many incredible ladies, and literally did not skip a day when it came to posting and reading blogs.

But now, I feel like every other post in my feed on both bloglovin and twitter is begging for sponsorships. I get it, why not make money off of your blog if you can? However, when it gets to the point that none of your posts have substance anymore... I refuse to put up with all of your sponsorship begging. I'm over it. Blogging is now nothing but how many numbers you have, and the egos that go along with it.

Don't get me wrong, there are tons of bloggers out there who don't act like this. I've just grown frustrated with the behavior of some over the past few days, and I honestly feel like this is worse than any middle school or high school drama I've ever seen. The amount of hypocrisy floating around blog land and twitter makes me sick.

I want blogging to just be the way it used to be.
Is that too much to ask??

Vent session over.
:)

College Lessons

College... "the best 4 or 5 years of your life."
That's what most people say, right?

College has been amazing. (And it will continue to be hopefully.. now that I've got 4 more years ahead of me.)

The past four years have flown by... I've learned mounds of things that I would have never dreamed I would learn about. Organic chemistry? Who knew I would be able to trace where all an electron will move to in a reaction. It'll make your eyes cross.

But most of all, outside of the academics, I've learned a lot of life lessons. College puts you through hell.. at least in the classes I've taken. It makes you question yourself, and question your brains. You think you're smart... and then you get to college and all of a sudden there are these genius kids who come out of no where. (No really... where do they come from?!)

There are days when you find yourself with your face in the mud... and then others where you're on top of the world. And it can all change at the drop of a hat.

I've learned that hard work sometimes doesn't pay off the way you expect it to.
A's are cherished.
C's suddenly don't seem so bad.
And making a 43 on a test? Well... it happens.

I've learned that things always work out even if they aren't the way you planned for them to.
I've learned that a thank you note goes a long way.
Feeling appreciated and showing people they're appreciated, is one of the greatest gifts we can offer.
I've learned procrastination will screw you over... and it's a horrible habit to break.

I've learned that sometimes having no plans, is the best plan.
And ultimately, your plan may not be God's plan... so you have to learn to be okay with that.

I've learned that being passionate about something makes all the difference in the world.
And most importantly, I've learned that sometimes things just aren't meant to be.. but they will ALWAYS work out.



I've grown a lot over the past few years. And as quickly as they've seemed to pass, looking back now, my 18 year old self seems so young and immature. It seems like decades ago that I was stressing over General Chemistry that long summer.. and thinking back over all of the classes I've taken makes me feel so accomplished. Things have really fallen into place here lately. Four years ago I would have never imagined all of the things I've done, or where I've ended up... but it has all been 100% worth it.


Jeremiah 29:11 has never rang truer.

Bloglovin

I'm trying to get with the times and update my google reader to Bloglovin.. my word. 
Why do they have to change things so often? I am not good at embracing change

Anyways... follow me through bloglovin if you're up to it! ;)

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Antique Treasures

Antiquing is one of those things mama and I love to go do together. 

We share a love for old furniture, china, glass bottles, and all of the old treasures you can find in random antique shops.

Yesterday afternoon we hit the mother-load of antiquing. In Monroe there is a huge antique mall that is in an old factory building, and the building itself is cool enough for me. We wandered through that place forever.. it really makes me wish I had a big house and an unlimited supply of money to decorate with. ;)

In one of the last booth areas we got to, we came across a box full of old photographs. I can't tell you how much we enjoyed looking through all of these pictures.

 

Some of them had notes scribbled on the back to family members, or descriptions of who is in the picture and where they were. Maybe it's because my parents are photographers, but I could spend hours looking at old photographs.

A picture captures so many things. The clothing, the facial expressions, the surroundings.. it's neat to see how different things used to be.

We came across an old black and white photograph of a girl in her nursing uniform with a note scribbled on the back, "to grandma, with love." It makes you really think about the person in the photograph, where is she now? How did this picture end up at an antique store? It makes me sad that someone can purchase these sweet photographs of someone's loved ones for only $2.

I feel like you can't put a price on pictures.. I cherish all of the photographs my family has taken over the years. For the memories they hold, and the joy that is captured in our faces. It's wonderful to travel back to those moments in time as you look through old pictures.

A box of photographs in the midst of a giant antique store could so easily be overlooked.. but I'm thankful that it caught mine and mama's eyes. We appreciated those photos and the scenes documented in each one of them, and it gives me a new appreciation for the history that the photographs we take each day preserve for us and our family.

“What i like about photographs is that they capture a moment that’s gone forever, impossible to reproduce.” 
― Karl Lagerfeld