9 Things I Learned from Staying in a Cabin for 48 Hours for No Reason

In case you were wondering what it's like to go on what is an essential "stay-cation" in your hometown, literally 5 minutes away from the Chipotle you used to always go to before one was built closer to your house.

1. You will have neighbors, even if you're staying at the cabin in May before Memorial Day and it's a rainy weekend during which no one in their right mind thinks to go "camping."

Somewhere, not really in the middle of nowhere, but still

2. Usually the aforementioned neighbors will not make themselves known until you want to go to sleep.

Us, not amused

3. You'd be surprised how bold these deer can be.

I didn't get a picture of the deer, but one walked on THAT VERY PATCH OF DIRT right before our eyes

4. Wood paneling is still (very much) a thing.

It was EVERYWHERE

5. S'mores taste better when your brother makes sure you come outside and make them with everyone else instead of staying inside for fear of mosquitoes (and other creepy crawlies).

6. The only pictures you should be taking are with a Polaroid or Polaroid-ish camera, for #aesthetic reasons. I made that rule up, but I also broke it a few times. It's cool.

7. Don't go in rivers barefoot, there's sewage in rivers, it's a thing, trust me. But I mean, if you're fearless, you do you, boo.

8. Your sister will ask you to watch "Fight Club" with her, reminding you throughout the day that you have plans to do so, and then promptly fall asleep 20 minutes into the movie, but that is no reason not to do it anyway.

9. You could probably do it again because it wasn't actually *that* bad, and the excuse to play board games with your family even if you think you're too old for them is a good enough reason to come back.

Gotta love my fave weirdos

I Forgot How to Tie My Loose Ends

I don't know who reads this blog. Honestly, I think my family forgot I still had it, and I don't think my friends even know. I don't expect people to care who I am or what I write or what happens in my life, I just write about it because it helps me to think about it all in a way that helps me understand. Sometimes, I write about specific people, knowing they'll never read what I'm saying about (or to) them. Like now.

I want this to be an open letter to all the people I'm leaving behind in less than two weeks as I move to college. All the people I sort of knew, but didn't know as well as I would've liked, you are all very special people and you've impacted me in countless ways. To the girl I wanted to hate but couldn't because she was just so sweet, I hope you go far in life and I can't wait to root for you. To the boy in my 9th grade gym class that got bullied by the self-righteous douche-bags, you are ten times the man they will ever be and never stop being absurdly yourself, because you're awesome. To my guitar teacher, and my homeroom teacher, and my 11th grade English teacher, and my physics teacher, you all believed in my abilities even when I sometimes couldn't live up to your expectations, and I will always be grateful for that. To the boys I thought I was in love with, I wasn't. I know that now. But all 3 of you are still very important to me, and even though I know you never really thought of me that way, you will hold a place in my heart forever (even if that part is very small in order to make room for someone more important).

To all of my friends going to different colleges in different cities and different states, if I don't see you for a while, I hope you are doing well, and I hope you're getting everything out of life that you deserve, because you are all exceptional people, and I love you with my whole heart. Expect a HUGE hug the next time I see you.

And finally, to my family. I will miss you indefinitely, but the great thing about family is that they're always there. I can see you whenever I want, and I am so grateful for that. I hope you all continue to grow while I'm gone, and I hope I make you proud.

Courtesy of girlpansy on Tumblr

Galentine's Forever (AKA Bows before Bros)

As I write this, I am sitting in my room with a full face of (might I say pretty fabulous) makeup, listening to a girl power mix-tape, happily recalling the best chocolate cake I've ever had in my life and how much I love my friends. Why am I doing such strange things? Because today is Galentine's Day, of course. For those of you who may  not be familiar with it, it originates from Parks and Rec, and is quite possibly the best idea to come out of television (that was a hyperbole for you literary geeks, but you get it). Today also being Friday the 13th kind of added to the grandeur of it all - like, let's go out and celebrate friend-love and gal pals but also HERE'S A MIDDLE FINGER, superstition, I'm gonna have fun anyway. 

Anyway, today at school everything just buzzed by in anticipation for tonight, in which three of my bestest friends in the world and I dolled ourselves up and went out to a fancy (AF) restaurant and pretended we were way more sophisticated than we really are. But it was awesome, even if I may have swore a little too loud and had to pull over because I didn't have money for a toll booth. Despite all of that, tonight was great. We ate delicious food and talked about anything and everything, and if it hadn't been for a curfew, we probably could've stayed there longer than the two hours we did. We talked about boys, and Senior Beach Week, and people we hate, and sketchy gas station attendants, and super-awkward religious people, and cats, and it was such a disgustingly good time, I'm honestly kind of sad it's over already. Every time my friends and I plan outings like this, even if they aren't as fancy as this particular evening, I always come away feeling like "Wow, I love my friends not just because they're my friends, but because they are genuinely amazing people." I love that we can talk to each other about practically anything, and that we're so comfortable with each other. And I think that's the whole point of Galentine's - friend-love is just as important, if not more important, than romantic love, because even when you're single, you still have your friends, who love you even when you feel ugly or sad or crampy or bitchy. And if your friends are anything like mine, they'll love you even when you're ugly, sad, crampy, and bitchy AT THE SAME TIME. I hope you, ubiquitous reader, have a wonderful Valentine's Day, even if you don't have a Valentine, because honestly - who needs one when you've got your Galentine? 

We were both wearing black shoes, black bags, red coats, red dresses, and we both drove red cars. We may or may not be the same person.

This dish had a very Italian name that I can't remember, so just know it was shrimpy and spicy and fantastic and the best pasta I've ever eaten. 

Chocolate cake with strawberry mousse layers, AKA the reason I will never eat Costco cake again

My Galentines <3

At the restaurant, looking super snazzy and red-velvety and floral

GLEE'S 100TH EPISODE

I think I've waited a sufficiently long amount of time to write this given how excited I am about Glee's 100th Episode. Every US time zone should have seen it by now, but just in case I will tag this post with a spoiler alert. :)

Anyway, this episode of Glee was magical, to say the least. The original cast (most of them, anyway,) returned to sing some of their "greatest hits," if you will. Quinn, Puck, Rachel, Mercedes, Kurt, Sam, Tina, Santana, Britney S. Pierce, Mike Chang (the two-name Asian wonder,) and a few of the best guest stars, including Holly Holiday (Gwenyth Paltrow) and April Rhodes (Kirsten Chenoweth). There was a Diva-Off, Coach Sylvester shenanigans, a small but not too heart-wrenching Finn tribute, and beautiful re-renditions of some of the best songs from the show. My favorite by far was the redone version of "Defying Gravity" sung by Lea Michele, Amber Riley, and Chris Colfer, (Rachel, Mercedes, and Kurt, respectively). It was absolutely, positively perfect in every way and if I had any left over iTunes money I would buy it in a heart beat and maybe even the ringtone, as well. Actually, scratch that. I will buy the entire album for the episode (because you know there is one, right?) and I will download it and I will enjoy it for years to come and listen to it as I'm driving home from somewhere I hate (cough cough school) and feel all better. That's what I will do. And when this season of Glee ends, (which it will, and then the show ends forever - hold me while I sob,) I will buy the DVD set of the seasons that I don't have (seasons 4 and 5, to be exact), because Netflix cruelly takes away shows after a while, (thanks for that, by the way, I was just about to watch Teen Wolf).

Well, I guess I'm done with my ramble. For now. I just can't right now. I just can't.

PS - CHACE CRAWFORD IS IN THIS EPISODE AS QUINN'S BOYFRIEND AND I ABOUT DIED WHEN I SAW HIM BECAUSE HELLO GOSSIP GIRL FEELS. I CAN'T.

Valentines Day (And All That Jazz)

So as we all know, yesterday was Valentine's Day (or as the legion of bitter people refer to it, Single's Awareness Day,) and all things considered, it went pretty well, for me anyway. (I hope it went well for you, too, anonymous blog reader.) Anyway, I spent the day with my friends, walking around downtown where we window-shopped, drank fancy coffee (iced lattés,) and discussed all the boys we hate. We didn't have school because, for the second time in my life, the accumulation of snow is waist-level and therefore "inclement." Sucks for the school system, but fantastic for students who would rather not graph functions and analyze rhetoric devices for Valentine's Day. Even though none of my friends have boyfriends, we still managed to make sure Valentine's Day was filled with (amicable) love. Because, let's be real here. At the end of the day, all we have is our friends, and I'm perfectly ok with that. **Insert some cliché friendship quote here.**