Posted in Everyday Happenings

Day 11: Describe 10 pet peeves you have

This is pretty rough. My friend, Phoebe, shared this word with me today: misanthrope. It’s a noun that means: one who hates all other humans. There should be a picture of me next to this definition in the dictionary. I pretty much hate everyone in the world and everything that they do, how can I pick just 10 pet peeves? I’ll do my best though, just be aware that this list could possibly go on forever.

1. Children. Children are my biggest pet peeve. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore the children in my life, but that’s it. I hate all other kids. They are whiney, slobbery, obnoxious, sticky, loud, selfish and often times smelly. And parents these days don’t seem to want to teach their children how to behave in public. When did we stop teaching manners? C’mon, your child should not feel like it’s okay to scream and cry and throw a fit while in public. Well-behaved kids are rarer than diamonds.

2. Pirating music. Sooo, let me get this straight, you loooooove Drake and Justin Bieber, but instead of buying their albums, you’re going to download them illegally? That makes a WHOLE lot of sense. If you really loved that artist you would support their livelihood by actually purchasing their albums. How do you expect the industry to survive if people keep stealing from it?? Studio time is not free. I know that they are billionaires, but that doesn’t make it okay to steal from them. You don’t walk into Target and stick the cd in your bag do you? Stealing is stealing. If I hear about anyone pirating music, I will go off on them (whether I know them or not).

3. Rudeness. I hate it when people are rude. I know that this is not something that anyone likes, but it really just gets to me. That is the first thing I notice about people, no matter what your “dominant trait” is, I will instantly notice whether you are rude or polite. And there is no redeeming trait for being rude. I don’t care how funny you are, that won’t make up for it. How hard is it to be polite people?? I bet the entire world would run smoother if people weren’t so rude.

4. One-uppers. You know those people in the world that always have to out-do you? I hate them. You broke your foot? Oh, I broke all the bones in my leg. You’re going on vacation to Hawaii? Oh, I’m going to stay on a private island in the Bahamas. I just can’t stand those people who either have to have it worse than you, or they have things better than you. Once I discover that you are this kind of person, I will likely start making things up for you to compete with.

5. Couples who sit on the same side of the booth in restaurants. I just feel like it’s so awkward. Like, why do you need to sit next to each other? Isn’t the point of going to dinner together to talk to each other? Wouldn’t that be easier if you were across from each other? Wouldn’t that make it easier to look at each other? This should just extend to all those obnoxiously affection couples. I do not want to see you kissing all the time. Get a room. Clearly you’re together because you’re holding hands, you don’t need to be all over each other.

6. Bad drivers. People who don’t turn right on red. People who don’t use their blinkers. People who drive 10 below the speed limit. People who don’t know how to use a four-way stop. People who can’t stay in their lane. People who speed through parking lots. People who don’t turn their lights on in the rain, or at night. People who honk at you to go BEFORE the light turns green, or while you’re waiting to turn because their are people in the road. People who don’t let pedestrians cross the road without fear for their lives. People who drive down a lane that is closing and expect you to let them in at the last minute. People who exit across five lanes of traffic. People who zig zag across lanes in traffic.

7. People who think they are a bigger deal than they are. Self-explanatory. Listen, nobody cares what you do, eat or say. Get over yourself.

8. Texting type. “U r prolly goin 2 h8 me b4 my list is ovr.” Seriously people. Learn how to spell. Those extra two letter in ‘you’ are not going to kill you to type. Drives me insane. I hate having to try and decipher this crap. It’s like one giant game of MadGab. This upcoming generation isn’t even going to know that there is a ‘y’ and an ‘o’ in the word ‘you.’ Numbers do not belong in words and vowels are your friend. Also, PeOpLe WhO tYpE LiKe ThIs, are annoying.

9. Fast food places who ask “how are you?” It makes things weird. I never know when you order. It’s awkward small talk. We both know you don’t care about how I’m doing. I just want some food, and I want it fast. No chit-chatting.

10. People who think their opinion is the only one that matters. People who are self-righteous. People who think that it’s a good idea to fight hate with hate.

Honorable mentions: Skinny jeans/Leggings as pants. Selfish people. Vulgar people who thank God during award ceremonies (I’m looking at you Chris Brown). People who go into business’ minutes before they close. People who don’t know the difference between you’re/your, their/there/they’re, two/to/too. Needy people. Busy work. People who don’t clean up after themselves. Music being too loud in stores. People who talk too much. When banks charge you multiple over-draft fees. Bosses who assume your work is your life. Unsolicited advice. Pop-up ads. Ads on Youtube. Songs with police sirens in them. Attention-seekers. Couples who are instantly in love with each other. Teenagers. Know-it-alls. Mornings.

Posted in Everyday Happenings

Day 10: Because I knew you, I have been changed for good (list 10 people who have influenced you and how.

So, I switched days 9 and 10, but no harm done.

This list in not in any order at all. In fact I switched it up intentionally so that it wouldn’t be in any kind of order. All of these people have had an influence on my life. They’ve all somehow managed to leave a lasting impression on my life, and changed me for good.

1. My Mom. I feel like this is an obvious answer. My mom taught me how to be me. Pieces of her are identifiable in every part of me. My humor, my disposition and strength all comes from her (among other things).

2. My Dad. Again, an obvious answer. My dad gave me the other half of my personality. Most of my likes come from him. He’s the reason I love music and history. My stubborn and introverted spirit also come from my dad.

3. Chad Mayne. Outside of my family, he has been the biggest influence on my life up to this point. I can guarantee you that I would not be the person I am today if it wasn’t for Chad.

4. My Friends. (I don’t dare try to name them all in fear of accidentally leaving someone off the list). Birds of a feather flock together. The old saying is true, you have you surround yourself with good people. Luckily for me, I’ve been blessed with some wonderful people. Peer pressure is real, so it’s nice to have good peers.

5. Harry Potter. Seriously. Stop looking at me like that. HP (how I affectionately refer to him) was growing up as I was growing up. The story of Harry Potter (totally ignoring the magic part aspect) is about a boy who has to grow up and be brave, he has to be bigger than himself. The story is about courage and friendship, and love and right and wrong. And Harry Potter always makes the right choice. There is a strong possibility that I’ll never be more influenced by a fictional character in my life.

6. and 7. Jason and Kendra Mauck. Two of my favorite people in the world. They were also there during my high school years, teaching me about my worth and identity in Christ. They are still some of my dearest friends. One day (assuming I find someone brave enough to marry me) Jason will preside over my wedding.

8. Taylor Swift. Don’t look at me like that. We are all influenced by celebrities, whether we choose to acknowledge it or not. She’s true to herself, she’s kind, and she’s classy. She started out as nobody and followed her dreams to make a name for herself. She’s who I want to be.

9. Julia Bartgis. My other mother! The best person to go to for advice, and one of the best people to model your life after. She’s always there for me when I need her and she’s always full of wisdom. She’s lovely and so giving. I’d be lucky to tun out like her.

10. My family. I know I already singled out my parents, but my whole family has had a huge influence on me. My siblings (all 4 of them!), my grandparents, my aunts and uncles and cousins, they’ve all helped build me. Whether it was them giving me advice, my learning from their mistakes, or just watching them deal with life in general, they’ve all been my examples and guiding influence.

*Honorable mentions: My community. The Bolivar class of 2008.

Posted in Everyday Happenings

Day 9: Describe your most embarrassing moment

My life is just a series of embarrassing moments. Every. single. day. I could not even begin to pick any one that is on top of the list. Seriously. If you know me at all, you are well aware that I awkward in human form. I trip all the time. I run into things. I make dumb assumptions. I don’t always think before I speak, so I sometimes say stupid things. One time I asked Joe Jonas if I could hug him…and that was pretty embarrassing (at least he said yes, otherwise I would have been mortified).

The good thing though is that now I am basically immune to getting embarrassed. Things happen to me so often that I’m desensitized to it.

I’m sorry to disappoint, but I honestly can not think of one that would be entertaining enough to write about. But if you can think of any embarrassing moments for me that you happened to witness, please feel free to share them.

Posted in Everyday Happenings

Day 8: “If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins.” – Benjamin Franklin (what are 5 passions that you have)

I feel like this is a little bit confusing. I have a lot of passions. I’m passionate about a lot of things, but the question makes me want to list hobbies type things that I’m passionate about, so I’m not real sure how to handle this. I guess I’ll randomly pick some stuff.

1. My beliefs. I’m pretty passionate about everything I believe in. Whether that be God, freedom, dreams, or what I believe to be right and wrong (and my opinions). If I believe in something, I am passionate about it. I don’t do any of this halfway crap. Unless you’re very close to me, I might not share with you all the things that I’m passionate about, but rest assured, those passionate beliefs are there.

2. Photos. I just love pictures. I can’t even do everyday things without at some point imagining how to frame the picture. It’s pretty crazy. That’s apparently how I’ve trained my brain to work. I would spend every day taking pictures if I could.

3. Relationships. My family is the most important thing to me. It makes me sad everyday that I’m not with them. I hate missing things in the lives of my nieces and nephews, nothing makes me more sad in the world than the thought that they might forget me. My friends are usually as close to me that they might as well be family. I am fiercely loyal, so once you’re in, you’re in forever (assuming you don’t do anything really, really REALLY stupid). I am a firm believer in quality over quantity, and I have some of the highest quality friends.

4. Sleep. I’m pretty passionate about napping.

5. Sports and music. These two tie. They are both things that I love and am passionate about, but am not good at. I guess that’s not totally true, I am sort of athletic. But I’m not sure I’m motivated or competitive enough to be really good at sports. I like to play, and I tend to do okay, but I’m by no means anywhere close to being fantastic at them. But, I do absolutely love to watch sports. Football, soccer, hockey, basketball, you name it, and I probably watch it (and needless to say I love the Olympics). And music; I love music. I love the radio (okay, not really, I like itunes, radio stations kill songs and play too many commercials), I love live music, and I love musicians. But, if there was ever a job or hobby in the world that I should avoid, it would (sadly) be music. I have zero rhythm, and nobody would ever pay to hear me sing.

Posted in Everyday Happenings

Day 7: Workin’ for the Weekend (what is your dream job, and why)

My dream job is working on a concert tour as the photographer. That is why I am in LA, to hopefully figure out how to make this dream a reality (possibly making some headway on that, so keep me in your thoughts!). I obviously have certain bands that I’d rather work with/for (NSYNC reunion!), but I’d be open to pretty much anyone. Ideally my job would consist of me taking pictures of the band while they are on tour, not only during shows, but also just in everyday things, and then blogging about it.

Why is this my dream job? Because it combines basically all of my favorite things. Taking pictures, live music and traveling. And, I think I’d be perfect for it.

My heart was meant to be on the road. I’m just a wanderer. I love road trips, and that is basically what a tour is. It is a summer (or fall) road trip. And sometimes, if the band is popular enough, the road trip extends to planes and you get to go across the world. And that would be perfect.

For anyone that knows me I’m sure it is no surprise at all that my dream job has something to do with taking pictures. That’s all I really want to do with my life. I can not see any other career in which I will be happy. All I want to do it take pictures. It’s what I’m good at and it’s what I love.

And concerts are my favorite thing. I’ve expressed multiple times that I am a concert junkie. I just love them so much. So getting to see one every night (even if it was the same band) would be a dream come true.

*Honorable mention: photographer for Sport Illustrated. For obvious reasons, getting to take pictures and getting to go to sporting events everyday.

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Day 6: It’s the hardest thing I’ll ever have to do. (what is the hardest thing you’ve ever experienced)

I feel like I have had my fair share of trauma and tragedy in my life. Not saying my life is bad by any means, I have been blessed beyond reason with so many wonderful things, but it hasn’t always been sunshine and rainbows for me. This one is a three-way toss up for me.

1. On June 2, 2010 my Grandma was in a horrific accident, and we heard the “news” probably before the authorities were ready to tell us the news. My dad and I were sitting at home and got a call that someone had just heard about a car wreck on the police scanner, and that it was pertaining to our family. They gave us the location (which was literally just down the road from our house), and we were out the door. We arrived on the scene minutes after the collision. And were told that she was killed on impact. They had not even freed her from the wreckage before we got there. It was the most surreal thing, it was just like walking through a haze. For some reason, I just find it hard to deal with the fact that things like that actually happen. It was one of those things that happens to other people, but not to me. I didn’t even know how to handle it.

And to make things worse, the driver of the vehicle that hit her had committed many offenses. His truck was over the weight limit, he was not of age to drive that particular truck, he had alcohol in a cooler in the front seat, and among other things, he was speeding. It’s something that is going to haunt me the rest of my life. We are still to this day trying to bring some form of justice to the situation. He was so senseless, and look what he caused.

2. Almost exactly one year later, on July 1, 2011 ,my Granny was taken from us so unfairly, and so unexpectedly. My family and I are still reeling from this tragedy, and we will never be the same as we were. She was our glue.

I get worked up just thinking about it. I had spent the whole day with Granny in the ER, it was Fourth of July weekend and the nurses and doctors had clearly already checked out for vacation. They were less than helpful to us the whole 6 hours we were there. I will always hold them accountable for her death. After running exactly ONE test they sent us home, and they didn’t even run tests for any vital organs. The first thing they should have done when she told them she was having chest pains was to run a test on her heart. They also managed to ignore the fact that she was diabetic and needed to take insulin and needed something to take it with, even though I reminded them roughly every 15 minutes. After she as given a false clean bill of health, I told her I loved her and we parted ways, only to be back at the hospital less that 30 minutes later. We were told many things by different people, all things that were comforting; she’s awake, she’s going to be fine…then unexpectedly we were asked if we wanted to put her on life-support, and almost instantly after that they told us they had lost her. We will never know what happened, people tend to cover their tracks pretty well after messing things up. But, I don’t know that knowing would make it any easier.

3. Now, before I start, I don’t want anyone to judge me for comparing losing my cat to losing my grandmothers. It was hard on me, especially at that time in my life. Right before my junior year of high school my beloved cat passed away. One day he was totally fine and the next he wasn’t eating or drinking. Then we took him to the vet, and they “fixed” him, so we brought him home. False hope. Not fixed. So we took him back. Turns out that he was unfixable. His body was shutting down due to toxins in his bloodstream, and there was nothing they could do. Up until that point I couldn’t even remember a time in my life where he wasn’t around. He had been apart of our family for 13 years. The love of a pet is something that we often take for granted. Magic adored me. Not saying I didn’t love him too, because obviously I did, but unfortunately, I didn’t realize just how much until he was gone. I’ll never have another pet like him. He grew up with me. Magic was my best friend, and it’s hard to watch your best friend die right in front of you. I spent a solid two weeks crying.

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Day 5: I just can’t stop singing now, because it makes me happy. (five things that make you most happy right now)

1. Having Taylor here in SoCal for week makes me really happy. I’m loving getting to spend time with her and getting to show her around. I love the fact that even though we don’t see each other very often anymore, and even though she got married, that hasn’t really changed the dynamic of our friendship. It also makes me happy to finally get to be myself out in California. I’m not actually me unless I’m with someone who really knows me and who I’m comfortable with, and Taylor fits that bill.

At Redondo Beach.

2. Two words: Ryan. Lochte. I think I may be in love with that boy. Now that swimming is over I can’t even bring myself to watch the Olympics.

3. Things from home. Letters. Packages. Texts. Phone calls. I just got four letters in the mail. Three from my family and one from one of my closest friends. And just last week I got a package from home. Wednesday I got a phone call from another one of my closest friends, and I get texts pretty often from my bff, I just love hearing from people. It makes me feel loved and missed, and that makes me happy.

4. Music always has a way of brightening my mood.

5. Turning wheels. Good news. Polite people. Nice guys. Cheap anything. All these things make me happy here in Los Angeles. These things are not common, at least not for me. So anytime I run across any of them, my day (or night) gets instantly brighter.

Posted in Everyday Happenings

Day 4: 10 things you would tell your 16-year-old self

1. STOP STRAIGHTENING YOUR HAIR! It’s a losing battle.

2. Cherish your family and friends (and pets). People can and will be taken from you unexpectedly and you’ll have a hard time recovering. You’ll wish you spent more time with you Grandma and Granny, so don’t take them for granted. Take more pictures and talk with them more. And when Magic dies you will fall apart. Don’t take him for granted.

3. Don’t just dream about California, plan for it.

4. Keep stalking that boy. One day all those skills and tricks you figured out will come in handy when stalking celebrities. Also, you’re going to be realllllly good at this, so maybe consider majoring in something like criminal investigation. (P.s. you’re going to get to meet Joe Jonas.)

5. You know what you want right now, your standards are not too high. Don’t settle for someone just because he’s there. You’re going to regret it. Don’t get in a hurry, “ring by spring” does not apply to you. You’re going to have to be patient. Just be prepared to be patient while being a bridesmaid about 27 time.

6. Continue to hone that sarcasm skill. It will become your greatest defense against punching people in the face. You’ll become proficient in it and people will love you for it.

7. Tara Bartgis isn’t as scary as she looks, trust me.

8. You’re not fat, no matter what you think. Don’t look at sizes, just wear what’s fits.  Stop comparing yourself to other girls, it’s just going to frustrate you. You are not going to ever be able to wear a size 2. You. Have. Hips. Deal with it.

9. Go online and search for a kid from Canada named Justin Bieber. Discover him. Make him sign a contract that says you are his manager and are entitled to at least 35% of his profits. Just do it and thank me later.

10. Don’t bother with the people who don’t like you for you. The people that don’t appreciate your awkward, sarcastic, obsessive self, are not worth your time, so stop trying to impress them and start appreciating the people who love you for you. You don’t need to be popular, you’re going to have some of the greatest friends. Quality, not quantity.

I had some pretty unfortunate fashion choices when I was 16. And I had hair issues. And thank goodness my shoes can’t be seen in this.
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Day 3: Your mama don’t dance and your daddy don’t rock ‘n roll (Describe your relationship with your parents)

Oh the parentals.

You know, I feel like I never went through that phase in my life where I didn’t get along with my parents. Maybe it’s just because I was such a well-behaved child. Or maybe it’s just not my personality type to be rebellious. Or maybe it’s because I’m an “old soul.” But I’ve alway had a pretty good relationship with my parents.

My mom is my best friend. I talk to her literally every day. Usually roughly 6 times a day. I call her about everything. Should I buy these shoes? Call Mom. Funny joke, story or experience? Call Mom. Get a sunburn? Call Mom. Ready to pack up and leave? Call Mom. Can I eat fill-in-the-blank and insert-random-number-of-weeks? Call Mom. Stuck in traffic on the freeway? Call Mom. Need a pep talk? Call Mom. Need a reality check? Call Mom. Can I wash jeans with my regular clothes? Call Mom. Run into Joe Jonas/Josh Hutcherson/Andy Grammer/Stephen Colletti/Chelsea Kane/insert-celebrity-name? Call Mom. We don’t really fight. I mean, obviously we get into arguments, but I can’t remember any “I-hate-you” moments. We used to do everything together. Ev-er-ry-thing. When I was in high school we spent a whole lot of time together, like more than what is normal for teenagers. She took  me to every football, basketball and soccer game of my high school career. And I know you’re thinking, “hey, lots of parents go to sporting events for/with their children.” But this is different. None of these games were mine. She just took me to them all so I could take pictures. So, we spent a whole lot of time together in the car driving from location to location. Just talking. Or listening to music. It was always fun. She is the reason I had not only a great high school experience, but a great all-around life experience. She’s sacrificed so much for me, and there is no way that I could ever repay that. I just hope to become wealthy enough that one day I can buy her her own private nursing home 😉

My dad and I have not alway had the most friendly relationship. I think it’s because we are so similar. He’s introverted. I’m introverted. He’s stubborn. I’m stubborn. He’s passive-aggressive. I’m passive-aggressive. It’s not really that we ever fight, it’s just that we go weeks without talking. Which is kind of weird. Even when I was still living at home we didn’t talk everyday. I mean, it’s not like we intentionally ignored each other (sometimes that was the case), but we just didn’t talk. We used to watch the History Channel together or sitcoms, but didn’t do a whole lot of talking. Recently though that has gotten better. It think it happened when I started college. Then we only had summers where we were really together, so we started talking more. And now that I’m in LA and don’t see him at all, we still don’t talk, because neither of us is real big on talking on the phone, but we text and talk occasionally. I have a lot to thank my dad for. He’s the reason that music is such a big part of me, and I feel like that without that, I wouldn’t even be me. It used to be that I would just listen to oldies when we were together, because he likes them (obviously) and so do I, but now we are to the point where it’s a two-way street with music sharing. He shares music with me, and I get to share stuff with him.

I have really great parents.

College graduation day. (Yeah, ignore the less than ecstatic looks, they may have just spent upwards of 20,000 on a piece of paper.)

Seeing Maroon 5, Train and Matt Nathanson last September. Just one of the many concerts we’ve attended together.