In the Blink of an Eye: Instagram Round-up

Ducks on a particularly temperate day.

My favorite record and one of the first vinyl albums I bought.

 I live in a truly magnificent place.

From a wonderful day trip to Nashville.

Making my bedroom feel like home again over winter break. 

Jammin' with my honey.

We've had some yucky days recently.

And some pretty great ones.

     Perhaps the speed that time seems to have flown by is due to being at home for three weeks because of winter break, but I'm a bit shocked at how long it has been since my last Instagram post. I love commemorating the little moments of my daily life through Instagram and cultivating them into posts allows me to relive all the good memories. 

     Even if my life is painted as picture- or novel- esque in the majority of my photographs, I just want to take this opportunity to share what's not pictured: hours on end of watching Parks and Rec in my pajamas (but hey, at least they were a matching set from J. Crew), three hour naps in the middle of the day, getting soaking wet from the rain and/or snow, how badly my fingers started peeling after picking up the banjo again, and eating spaghetti noodles with alfredo sauce for dinner the majority of the time since I've been back in school.

     But hey, it's the little things, good or bad, that make life so interesting and rich. I don't want to take any of it for granted. 

Instant Gratification

Patrick and I wearing matching shirts and nice shoes.

I bought a sequined dress because I'm nineteen and my years of being able to get away with that are numbered.

This is basically my backyard. I am constantly blown away by the place that I live.

The sky on the night before my conference championship cross country race.

This is where I ran for that meet, completely breathtaking. 

There's not much better than warming up next to old radiators in the classrooms of my favorite building on campus.

Record shopping was just one of the fun things I did this weekend!

     It's when I look back on my photographs from recent weeks that I realize how good that I have it. As an ambitious person, I often think that I could always be improving my current state. I'm not saying I'm complacent, but I would rather have the attitude of gratefulness that I've adopted this year than always trying to search for something better. I know I work hard, but the idyllic representation of my life through photographs reminds me that I'm so, so blessed. In every regard.

Insta-Vacation: Last Week on Instagram

The complete downpour on our way to Jekyll. 

The first thing I did was run to the ocean!

Just one of the gorgeous buildings in the Jekyll Island Club Hotel.

Driftwood for days.

Some accessories I wore while bike riding. 

A black and white of this outfit. 

View from the bridge to Brunswick. 

It's very faint, but as we were attempting to climb the light house the first day there was a water spout (a tornado over the ocean). 

New favorite beauty combo: copper eyes, bright pink lips,and bobby pins to match.

Last day by the pool and the ocean.

My hotel from the back. 

Some of my outfit from the first day in Savannah.

Cemetery gate.

We checked out Horton House as we were leaving the island.

First night in Savannah. We were greeted by a rainbow that evening!

Bottles in a local antique store in Savannah. 

     Until I upgraded from an iPhone 3G to my new 4, I wasn't a very frequent Instagram user. My old phone never took the best pictures and add to that the fact that it was over two years old and well...I didn't see much of a point. My parents were indulgent enough to allow me to upgrade my phone right before vacation and I am SO glad that they did. I think some of the best pictures that I took were on my phone and I'm now addicted to getting the best quality shots that I can without having to lug around my dSLR. 

     I'm back home after a good but tiring vacation, but I still have TONS of photographs and content to share with you guys. Stay tuned, I'm so excited to share the rest of my experiences!

I'm Thankful For...iPhone Edition

     One of the things I probably take most for granted is my iPhone. To show my little 3G some love, I thought I would post some of the pictures of things that I appreciate that I've taken since college. After all, these are the things that I feel the need to capture forever, no matter the quality of the photograph (which, according to Annie Lebovitz, ain't too bad).

     Donuts. Seriously. They might be one of the absolute worst foods that you can consume. But I love them and I'm standing by it. A dozen original glazed is always on my list of things to do when I'm around Krispy Kreme (sorry Dunkin fans).

     The amazing full length mirror on the back of my door. I have lost track of how many impromptu outfit shots that I've done in that thing. With my wide angle lens, I can't even get the whole outfit in one shot. But the mirror is ENDLESSLY flattering. Everyone who comes in the dorm room says so. As a side note, pictured above is the outfit I wore to my first day of classes.

     My hands. I put my hands through a pretty rough life. This was what both left and right looked like after working on a piece for my introduction to drawing class. Hands are my favorite part of the body because of their endless capacity and beauty.

     Being able to go to college to do something that I love. I seriously love my school and all of my classes. I may feel a little bit of wanderlust every now and then, but then something reminds me about all the amazing things about my college and college in general. It is truly a privilege to go to a private school, or go to college at all.

     My clothes. (Pictured above is my Halloween costume- fifties housewife. I didn't have to buy a single thing new!)Despite being able to spend hours looking for more things to add to my wardrobe, whenever I look at my carefully curated (and color coordinated) collection of clothes I am overwhelmed with appreciation. Many people who come from even more financially well off families than I don't have as many items of clothing that I do. I usually have to take a step back and see things in perspective, but I am wonderfully grateful for how many hours of work and generous hearts that my wardrobe represents.

     Energel pens. I don't think I could make it through college without them. And yes, I might have a slight addiction. No regrets.

     Going to a college with animals (and cats in general). One of my favorite parts about my college campus is the fact that there are campus pets everywhere! No, we aren't lucky enough to have them in the dorms (although our resident directors have that privilege, and an adorable dog as well). But there are plenty of opportunities for some kitty therapy! Petzel, pictured above, is definitely a wonderful solution to a bad day. Also, I just love cats.

     A boyfriend who has good taste (and obligatory statement about friends and family). Despite my isolationist tendencies at times, I have an abundance of people in my life who care about me. I have such a huge family and friends who really are always there for me. And, most importantly, my boyfriend picked out these red pants all by himself. And he was so pleased with them/himself.