Author: momentswithmisty

Just an ordinary girl with an incredible imagination, and a tendency to exaggerate.
Posted in Everyday Happenings

Reviewing what we’ve learned

Posted on by momentswithmisty

So I did this 30 day blog challenge the month of August, as some of you might have noticed (you know, all 7 of you in my readership). But, August is 31 days long, leaving me with one empty day.

For today, I have compiled a link to all of my blog posts over the last month, just to make things easier. In cased you missed a day (or you missed everyday, shame on you!), and you are DYING to read it. Because I know you all are 🙂 I hope you find them at least slightly entertaining, and I hope you all enjoyed getting to know me al little bit better.

Until next time..

Day 1: A Silhouette of Me (20 random facts about yourself)
Day 2: Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears.
Day 3: Your mama don’t dance and your daddy don’t rock ‘n roll (describe your relationship with your parents)
Day 4: List 10 things you would tell your 16 year-old self.
Day 5: I just can’t stop singing now, because it makes me happy (5 things that make you most happy right now)
Day 6: It’s the hardest thing I’ll ever have to do (what is the hardest thing you have ever experienced)
Day 7: Workin’ for the Weekend (what is your dream job, and why)
Day 8: “If passion drives you, let reason hold the reigns”-Benjamin Franklin (what are 5 passions you have)
Day 9: Because I knew you, I have been changed for good (list 10 people who have influenced you and describe how)
Day 10. Describe your most embarrassing moment.
Day 11: Describe 10 pet peeves you have.
Day 12: Eight days a week (describe a typical day in your current life)
Day 13: Nobody’s perfect (describe 5 weaknesses you have)
Day 14: I’m stronger than yesterday, now it’s nothing but my way (describe 5 strengths you have)
Day 15: If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
Day 16: It’s my birthday! (What are your 5 greatest accomplishments)—>skipped!
Day 17: Dance magic dance (what is the thing you most wish you were great at)
Day 18: What has been the most difficult thing you have had to forgive?
Day 19: Oh the places you’ll go… (if you could live anywhere, where would it be and why)
Day 20: Now I’m stuck inside a memory (describe 3 significant memories from your childhood)
Day 21: Somebody save me (if you could have one superpower, what would it be and what would you do with it first)
Day 22: I look once more, just around the river bend! (where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years)
Day 23: List your top 5 hobbies and why you love them.
Day 24: We are family (describe your family dynamic of your childhood vs. your family dynamic now)
Day 25: If you could have dinner with anyone in history, who would it be and what would you eat?
Day 26: Waiting on the world to change (what popular notion do you think the world has most wrong)
Day 27: Your body is a wonderland (what is your favorite part of your body and why)
Day 28: This modern love is not enough (what is your love language)
Day 29: You think you know, but you have no idea…(what do you think people misunderstand most about you)
Day 30: Legacy (list 10 things you would hope to be remembered for)

Posted in Everyday Happenings

Day 30: Legacy (list 10 things you hope to be remembered for)

Posted on by momentswithmisty

Today’s the last day for the 30 day challenge, guys! I can’t decide if I’m happy or sad about this.

Today’s topic is to list 10 things you hope to be remembered for. This is kind of hard, how can someone be really good at 10 things? I think this should be like 5 things you’d like to be remembered for, or how would you like people to remember you? Coming up with 10 things that don’t all sound ridiculous is hard (so hard that I think some of mine register as ridiculous).

1. I’d like to be remembered for being kind. If I’m remembered for nothing else in life, I hope that people will look back and say that I was kind. Kindness is such a fading attribute these days. (Yes, sarcasm is my first language. And yes, I hate most of the population, but I try to be nice to people, even if it’s forced.)

2. World peace. I’d like to bring on world peace I think that would be great to be remembered for.

3. And also, I’d like to save the polar bears. And by saving the polar bears, I will have ended global warming. And that also seems like a pretty great thing to be remembered for.

4. In a world full of close-minded, judgmental people, I’d like to be remembered for being open-minded. I try to see every side of an argument and then make my decision based on what I think makes the most sense. Based less on feelings and emotions and based more on logic and facts.

5. Can I be remembered for marrying Zac Efron? Can we make that happen, Zac?

6. For taking legendary photos.  This is a no brainer. Every artist wants their art to be remembered, and that’s no different for me. I want people to see magic in my pictures. And I want my pictures to make them feel something. I want people 30 years from now to say, “Oh, remember that one picture Misty Clay took of -insert person, place or thing-, it was so cool. She was great at capturing that perfect moment.” I know that I remember pictures that I’ve seen that I think are cool.

7. Comedy. I want people to remember that I was funny. That I was good at making them laugh and diffusing tension. That I didn’t take things too seriously.

8. I want people to remember seeing Christ in me. Not just that I talked about Him, or that they knew was I was a Christian, I want them to really remember seeing Him in me. I don’t want them to remember me preaching at them, or me telling them 100 times to go to church, I want them to think, “hey, I think that’s what Jesus would have been like if I met Him.” I know that’s a lofty goal, but isn’t that everyone’s goal as a Christian?

9. That I was 100% me. I don’t want to be remember as someone who followed the trend, or let others influence her life. I wanted to be remembered as being true to myself, no matter what kind of mockery I had to endure.

10. A good influence. I know that I’m a influencer. We all are. We all have influenced, do influence or will influence someone at some point in our lives. Probably lots of someones. Probably lots of someones we don’t even know, and I want to be an influence for good.

Posted in Everyday Happenings, Music, Pop Culture

Day 29: You think you know, but you have no idea (what do you think people misunderstand most about you)

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“This is the diary of Misty Clay…”

(For those of you who don’t get it, that’s from the old MTV show The Diary of… Below you will find The Diary of…Britney Spears, which happens to be one of my favorites.)

Misconception #1: that I’m stuck up or snobbish. Neither of those things are true, but I think I can sometimes come across that way because when I don’t know someone very well, I tend to be really quiet while I try to gage their personality. And usually people assume that means I think I’m better than them. Wrong.

Misconception #2: that I am unintelligent. I think this stems from the same problem, I’m just quiet. I don’t always feel the need to open my mouth during group conversations, and therefore people think I’m not very smart. Wrong. I think here in LA it also comes from the fact that I grew up in Missouri, and most of the people I’ve encountered seem to think that people from the midwest are dumb hillbillies. Wrong.

Misconception #3: that I am shy. This is not true. Any of my friends can confirm this for you. Being shy is different than being quiet. Shy people get nervous in unfamiliar situations, or when they’re with strangers. I’m don’t get nervous, I’m just observing. Or waiting until I’ve crafted the perfect words to say. I’m not shy, I just only speak when I have things to say, unlike most people who talk just for the sake of talking.

Misconception #4: because I’m a girl who likes to bake and wear dresses that I don’t know anything about sports. Wrong. It would also be wrong to assume that I’m not a teeny bit of a geek.M

Posted in Everyday Happenings

Day 28: This modern love is not enough (what is your love language)

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I love love languages. I make it my personal mission to figure out everyone’s love language. Mostly because I’m just curious, but partly so that I know how to love that person. If I’m being honest, I’m probably still going to love them with my love language, but I’ll at least be aware of theirs.

My love language is touch. Which is the most obvious thing in the world once you’ve spent any amount of time with me. It’s the way I show love and the way I receive love.

If I’m not being touched, I don’t feel loved. That makes it really rough to live out in SoCal while my family and best friends live in the midwest. I know that I’m being loved, but it’s hard for me to really feel loved. It’s nothing that is their fault, it’s just the way I’m hardwired. Hugs are my favorite thing. I love hugs. But really most any kind of touch will do. When I’m watching TV or movies with people I want to sit right next to them (I am totally a cuddler) . When I’m walking with someone I want to link arms with them, or walk rightnextothem. When I’m talking to someone I will touch them. I just want to be close to people. Literally.

And I am forever analyzing what each touch means. That part is kind of obnoxious because most people don’t think about their touches, so they just do things offhandedly that I will spend hours trying to analyze.

I feel like touch is a dangerous love language to have. I feel like I sometimes offend people when I hug them or touch them, because some people are just not touchy people.  Which is rough for me because I’m just trying to love them, when in reality I’m making them uncomfortable. Case in point: my best friend in the whole world is not a very touchy person, which is strange for me. Sometimes I forget that about her because now that we are bffffs she has warmed up to the fact that I’m going to sit right next to her, or walk as close as humanly possible to her, or that I’m going to hug her…constantly (or she’s given up trying to fight it). But in the beginning I’m sure it was weird for her.

Perfect example of mine and Tara’s relationship (me, of course, being the black cat).

My second love language is quality time. I just like to be with the people that I love (preferably in close proximity). And I am an introvert, so generally I like to be alone. So you know I love you when I want to just spend time with you.  I can receive love by acts of service. I don’t really show love that way, but I “feel appreciated” when people offer to help me with things, or do things for me.  I will often preform acts of service even if I don’t love you, just out of kindness, so it’s not really a way I show love.

I feel awkward when I receive gifts. I’d much rather you spend the day with me, or give me a hug than buy me a gift. I do, however, like to give gifts. So I guess gifts are a way that I can show love, but not really a way I receive it. Which is sort of a double standard, but that’s just how I roll.

Words of affirmation is the one way that I don’t really receive or show love. I just feel so awkward. If someone give me words of affirmation, I automatically feel obligated to say something kind to them or complement them, or I shoot it down. Either way, I feel awkward and don’t really receive the love in the way I’m sure they are trying to show it. Words of affirmation are just not my thing..

Most of the time people are aware of their love language. You know yourself well enough to know if you’re a touchy person, or if you like to give and receive gifts, but incase you are curious about what your “official love language” is, take the test here.

Posted in Everyday Happenings

Day 27: Your body is a wonderland (what is your favorite part of your body and why)

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You know, not to sound like I’m full of myself, but I’m not exactly unhappy with my body. Generally speaking. I mean, yes, I’d like my stomach to be flatter, and I’d like my abs to be more firm (read: I’d like my abs to exist). And maybe I’d like my thighs to be a bit thinner, but I could be in a lot worse shape.  Especially considering the way I treat my body. As I’ve discussed before I don’t exactly eat healthy things. Sugar and carbs are my favorite foods. I also don’t really work out, and by “don’t really work out,” I mean I’m lazy as all get out. So all things considered, I’m not too displeased.

The cliche thing to say is that my favorite part of my body is my eyes, you know they are the windows to the soul (just to finish out the cliche). And that would be partly true. I used to hate them when I was younger. I wanted blue eyes. All the pretty girls in movies and in school had blue eyes. And my sister had beautiful dark brown eyes..and mine were plain and brownish. Who wants brownish eyes? That being said, I’m still not a huge fan of the color of my eyes, but I don’t hate it. Though there is nothing spectacular about the color, I have learned that my eyes are generally the most expressive part of me. And that is sometimes a good and a bad thing. It’s good because I can often times get my point across without too much difficulty, they also sometimes help me get what I want. But, it’s a bad thing because sometimes they are too expressive when I want my thoughts to remain relatively secret.

I’m also a fan of my collar bone. I just like that I have one and it’s in once piece. And that I can feel it. Oddly enough, it’s where my hand automatically goes whenever I’m: thinking, embarrassed, “flirting” (let’s be real here, I’m a terrible “flirter” so I’m not even sure it can be categorized as such), scared, sad, or really just anytime I don’t know what to do with my hands. It’s like how most guys use the back of their neck, their hand just automatically go there for some reason (yeah, I’ve caught on, boys).

Posted in Everyday Happenings

Day 26: Waiting on the world to change (what popular notion do you think your country has most wrong)

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I think America gets a lot of things wrong. In fact, I sometimes think we gets more things wrong than we get right.

We get the concept of beauty wrong. We get the concept of love and marriage wrong. We often get the concept of freedom wrong.

I’m not sure if this counts as a popular notion, but it’s something that most people in America do that I think is wrong. Fighting hate with hate. I feel like using the term hate is a bit extreme, but that’s the term I’m going use. People only seem to believe in freedom when it benefits them.

Listen, you are not going to change people by telling them that their beliefs are stupid and wrong and yours are right. “Hey, so-and-so hates us, let’s hate them back. That will fix the problem!” Dumbest concept ever.

The most recent example I can think of that deals with something like this is it that stupid Chic-Fil-A disaster. I get so mad when I think about it. I get angry to the point where I stop making sense and my thoughts are just a jumble of incoherent ramblings. So, sorry in advance.

And, before I even start the ramblings, for the record, I’m not siding with either camp.

You say it’s not right for the owner of Chic-Fil-A to speak out against the LGBT community. But you know what, that is his right as a free American to believe and do whatever he wants. So, you don’t agree with him? Fine, that is your right. If he wants to give money to groups who are against LGBTs, that’s his right. Just as it’s your right to support the LGBT community in whatever way you desire. You think he’s committing a hate crime based on his religious beliefs, so you’re going to boycott him, and bash him..because that’ll teach him to not hate. He’s definitely going to see things your way after that. I feel like the owner of Chic-Fil-A was also the victim of a hate crime. People discriminated against him because of his religious beliefs, which to me is the same as discriminating based on sexual preference. As far as I’m concerned supporters of both parties handled things the wrong way. I’m not taking sides in this whole debacle because I think everyone is wrong for the way they acted.

People who I know to be good, kind, Christians became haters, and not the goofy kind of haters we hear rappers sing about. Proudly plastering things like “GOING TO CHIC-FIL-A TODAY!” on your facebook during such a sensitive time was like blatantly telling the LGBT community “HEY, WE HATE YOU!” While I’m fairly certain that’s not what many people were trying to do, given the circumstances, that’s how it came across. And if it came across that way to me, someone who, as a Christian, is predisposition to side with you, think of how it came off to the actual LGBT community. And the people who were proudly plastering “BOYCOTT CHIC-FIL-A!” were basically saying “HEY, WE HATE YOU!” to the Christian and conservative community.

Because we live in America, everyone is entitled to believe whatever they want. Everyone can have their own opinions, it’s part of the joy of being free. People need to remember that while they’re hating each other because they don’t see eye to eye on every issue. The reason we can have conflicting opinions is because we are free. Would you rather we all be forced to believe the same thing? If you start to take away our freedoms…we start to become communists. And I don’t think anybody wants that. So maybe we should try to get along?

This fighting hate with hate thing also sometimes pops up in other countries, too. In things such as wars. “Hey, they don’t believe what we do. Let’s drop some bombs on them, and then they will see things our way.”  Yes, I will agree that sometimes war is necessary (um, hello Holocaust), but usually it’s probably not.

Fighting hate with hate is never the way to solve problems. It’s never going to work. It’s only going to create more problems and more bad blood.

[P.s. sorry if none of that makes sense. Like my disclaimer from before, I tend to get worked up about some stuff. And then it tends to become a jumbled mess. I’m not even sure if this blog fits with the topic of the day, but it’s going to have to stay because I’m too worked up about this to come up with anything else.]

Posted in Everyday Happenings

Day 25: If you could have dinner with anyone in history, who would it be and what would you eat?

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Anyone in the history of ever. This is an interesting question. Can it be people who are alive now? Because there are people alive now who are “in history.” People like Michael Phelps, who I would have dinner with (at Subway) so he could give me Ryan Lochte’s number. Or there is Prince Harry, who is part of the British Royal line, so he’s technically already “in history.” I’d totally have dinner with him.

Or, the person I’d probably for sure choose, Taylor Swift. She is definitely “in history.” For a lot of reasons. I’d definitely have dinner with T-Swift. Because I’m pretty sure that after just one meal together we’d be best friends. No joke. We are the same person. So one dinner I’m sure would lead to many more, and also some lunches, and sleepovers. And then she would write songs about my life. And I would be a part of her entourage. And it would be fantastic for many, many reasons. We would probably eat a lot of good homemade comfort food, because I bet she loves comfort food as much as me (just a hunch). And then we’d definitely eat some baked goods.

 

If it has to be someone from history who is no longer alive, I’m not sure who I’d pick. It changes all the time. It all depends on my mood at the time, and what I happened to be interested in on any given day.

Posted in Everyday Happenings

Day 24: We are family. (describe your family dynamic of your childhood vs. now)

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Are we talking immediate family, or does this include extended family? Because those are four, possibly six different dynamics.

This question maker lady needs to start getting more specific on things.

I think this question is a little hard because there is no clear change of dynamic. It’s not like there’s a dramatic change between my family dynamic from when I was a child to what it is now. It’s not like I have my own family or anything. Things are different now because I’m older, but I think the general dynamic is the same.

When I was a younger, my family dynamic was good I guess. When I was little my dad and I got along (for the most part, we’re a lot alike, so we sometimes butted heads on things). So did my mom and I. My parents disciplined me (well, sort of, I never really needed my disciplining), and they loved me. My brother and I got along. And so did my sister and I. My siblings always lived with my Granny and Papa, so I grew up in the house as an only child. It wasn’t like I thought I was an only child though, I knew my brother and sister. I spent lots time with them. I just never lived with them, and because I didn’t know any different, that wasn’t weird to me (I honestly think because we didn’t live together is probably the reason that we get a long so well now). My dad was always pretty reserved, and because my siblings are technically only half siblings, he wasn’t really a part of the whole big family things. It’s just hard to explain. We weren’t the typical atomic family, but I was happy.

Now days not only is my family my family, but they are also my friends. Yes, my parents are still my parents, but they understand that I’m an adult, and they treat me that way. They talk to me like I’m a person and not like I’m a kid. My mom is my best friend (as I’m sure I stated in an earlier post), and my dad and I get along really well. My brother and sister are also two of my best friends (along with my sister-in-law and brother-in-law). I know that I can always count on them for anything. There isn’t one person I would hesitate to go to for anything. But it’s always been like that. Now I have my nieces and nephew (who I adore) so I got to add the title of aunt to my resume, and my mom gets to be a grandma, so I guess in that aspect the dynamics have changed. And now my dad is a bit more opened up, so he’s more a part of everything these days (which is a little ironic because now I’m not because I’m all the way out here in SoCal). The children add playful and fun and exciting dynamic to the family. They are all so different and it’s cool to have different types of relationships with each kid based on that child’s personality. But I have no favorite, they are all my favorites. I just enjoy being Aunt Mimi to them all.

I truly have a great family. I always see people quarreling with their families, or people who aren’t close with them, and that’s just weird to me. My family has always been tight knit, so I have a hard time understanding families that aren’t. I wouldn’t trade a member of my family for anything.

Posted in Everyday Happenings

Day 23: List your top 5 hobbies and why you love them

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Hobbies. Hmm, what do I like to do with my time. Does sleeping count? What about stalking people, can that count as a hobby?

#1. Writing. I’m going to go ahead and call this a hobby. I mean, I don’t exactly do it very often, but when I do write, I usually enjoy it. It’s not like I write books, or short stories or anything, not even poems like my sister, but I like to write blogs and things. I like to share my opinions on things, and I like to give commentary on things (me giving commentary on things should probably have it’s own number). I’m definitely not the best writer out there. I’m not even the best writer I know. I don’t even crack the top 10 of the best writers I know, but I’ve been told that I have a “voice” that is my own, so I’ll take that as a good thing. I enjoy writing because I can say whatever I want, and there’s an edit option. I can rewrite things that sound bad or come out wrong, or delete things that I don’t like, whereas in talking, there is no edit. I don’t always have time to craft the perfect response when I’m talking to someone, where I can when I write. And once you say something, it’s out there forever, there is not backspace.

#2. Reading. I love reading. It’s seriously my favorite pastime. I would read all the time if I could. One time I told someone this, and they acted like they were surprised I could even read. Um, do I come across as being that uneducated or uncultured? If I do, someone please tell me! What’s not to love about reading? For those few pages you get to escape your world. You get to be someone else, live somewhere else, and experience the life of someone else. It’s the coolest thing ever. I don’t even have a a favorite genre because I can read anything and be perfectly content. Book stores are the worst place for me to go, because I want to buy everything. I would own a bazillion books if I a.) had the money and b.) had the space to store them. One day I’m going to have a library.

#3. Baking. Brownies. Cookies. Cobblers. Cakes. Breads. Pies. You name it, and I will bake it. Mixing things together, measuring things out, smelling the lovely aroma from the oven, it’s my favorite (plus I get to wear a cute apron)! I didn’t even know I was good at baking until like 6 months ago, but as it turns out I am actually a decent baker (just call me Mrs. Peeta Mellark). Mostly I bake because I like to eat baked goods, but also because it’s always a challenge to see if it will come out good. I haven’t really tried my hand at cooking too much real food, but that’s next on the list, and I figure it can’t be that hard to follow directions.

#4. Movies. Is this a hobby? I suppose it is. Watching movies (and TV shows) is also another thing I enjoy doing. I don’t discriminate based on genre, actor, or critic appeal. I’ll watch anything. I just like to watch movies. Basically it’s for the same reason that I like to read, it’s an escape from reality. Mostly I like funny movies or tv shows, but I do like scary things, and I suppose some drama, action/adventure and romance are welcomed too, I do try to avoid weepy things though. Who wants to escape to a reality where people are sad?

#5. Watching people get married. I know you think I’m kidding, but I’m not. I have been a bridesmaid 8 times, and I am only 23-years-old. I am going to be Katherine Heigl from 27 Dresses (which is perfectly fine with me if there is a James Marsden waiting for me). I’ve been to like 100 weddings. It’s beginning to get ridiculous. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for my friends that are getting married, but did all of you have to get married at the same time? My facebook newsfeed is basically just a list of weddings and engagements (with all the accompanying pictures). Not kidding. I may be the only person at my 5 year high school reunion who is not married. Sometimes I honestly don’t recognize people on my page because I’ve forgotten that their last names have changed. Soon I won’t know who anybody is.

 

Posted in Everyday Happenings

Day 22: I look once more, just around the riverbend! (where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years?)

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Oh man. The future is a scary place. I still remember when it was so abstract. It was always something I was planning for, but what do I do now that it’s actually here? And now that I’m really planning for it? It’s scary, I tell you. It’s still pretty abstract to me. I like to dream about the future, but most of what I dream about is not even in the realm of reality. I like to think about an ideal future, so I’m never actually thinking about where I actually see myself in the future. I know where I want to be ideally, but I have a hard time picturing the reality of where I might be.

Who knows where I’ll be. I have so many scenarios in my head that I find it hard to even begin to predict where I’m going to be just next year, or even next month. Right now my life has so many question marks in it. There are so many variables that could have a major impact. Small things and choices that could take me from one path to a totally different one.

Predicting my future is like predicting an earthquake, you think you’ve got the pattern figured out, but really it’s a total surprise every single time. But here’s how I’m predicting my future today, but it could change tomorrow, or three minutes from now.

5 years from now. It will be 2017. I will be 28-years-old. 

What the heck? I thought 23 was old. 28 is older. That’s almost 30. I never picture myself that old. Somehow in my head I’m eternally like 21, looks like I’m going to have to marry a vampire (that’s a joke, just fyi, I’d never marry a vampire, a werewolf maybe, but never a vampire). By the time I’m 28 I hope to have a real career. In something that I love. Hopefully I’ll be taking pictures professionally. I hope to be on tour with a band by that time (Case two: or working for a football team as their team photographer, traveling with the team, still sort of like being on tour). I see myself traveling the world. Planes, trains and automobiles are definitely going to be a part of my life right now. If not for my career, then for some other reason. I may not be totally financially stable at this time, because I’m probably still going to think I’m a kid. Or maybe I will be? Perhaps I’ll be married, perhaps I’ll be engaged or dating someone seriously (perhaps in some kind of convent), who knows? Definitely no children at this point (unless I’ve managed to snag Zac Efron, or someone of that caliber of attractiveness, and I’m forced to reproduce as many times as possible to make the world a more beautiful place one baby at a time). I still plan on being the coolest aunt possible. Unless one of my siblings reproduces again, my youngest niece will be  6 and my oldest will be 16, with everyone else filling in the space. I definitely see them traveling with me.

10 years from now. It will be 2022. I will be 33-years-old.

I seriously hope to be married by this point in my life. I want to be a young bride, and I don’t want to have all these individual memories of my life. I want to have them with my husband, and 33 years is already a lot of individual memories. Hopefully he and I will be working together. He can do whatever he wants, but maybe he’ll be in a band (or case two scenario, maybe he’ll be a football player). Or I guess he can do something else, but depending on what his job is we might not be spending a lot of time together (and that would be very sad), because I still want to be on tour. So it would obviously be ideal if he was some kind of musician (or athlete), or at least did some kind of behind-the-scenes work (like me) too so that we could be on the road together. Though I still want to be on tour, and I definitely want to still be traveling the world (I’m always going to be traveling) I’d also like to have a home by this time. I for sure don’t want to be in LA anymore (at least not permanently, maybe working here sometimes). I want to own a beach house in North Carolina, even if it’s just a small one. Somewhere that is cozy and personal. And barring some kind of crazy stint of craziness, I’ll 100% financially stable by now.

15 years from now. It will 2027. I will be 38-years-old.

What? 38-years-old? What happened? 38 is almost 40! And 40 is over the hill. That is ridiculous. By this time I will either be married, or I will have checked myself into a nunnery. If I decide to have kids, I will probably already have had them. They’ll probably be toddlers at this point (and hopefully they’ll be boys). Which means that I’m not longer touring the world (unless I’m touring it with my husband as a full-time wife and possibly part-time photographer), and probably living in North Carolina, or at least somewhere in the south/midwest. If I’m going to raise kids, I want to raise them in that type of environment. Not in LA, or in DC, or NYC, I want to raise them somewhere where people are real, polite and safe. Hopefully I’ll have a bigger beach house. I’d like to be wealthy by this point. Not disgustingly wealthy, but comfortably wealthy. Where I can live comfortably and also take care of the other people in my life. I want to still be taking pictures, but maybe not in such a dedicated manner. Like, maybe just for special events. Hopefully I will have made such an impact in the world of photography that my name will be recognizable and people will seek me out to cover things for them. Like maybe just certain concerts (or games), and things like award shows (or the Superbowl). I just want to be settled and comfortable in life by this point.