Adulthood is Hard

Adulthood is hard. I think the second we graduate from college or decide to go out into the real world, it is expected that we know exactly what we want to do and we have to immediately be successful at it.

To me, this is an unrealistic expectation.

When I graduated college everyone was immediately getting jobs and loving life and I thought I would soon follow.

I didn't.

It took me a few months to get a job and once I found one that I thought I would be an amazing fit with, I didn't like it at all. It wasn't the company whatsoever. The people were great and I was learning things, its just not where I needed to be.

So here we are back to square one with a lot of stress.

I put a lot of pressure on myself. I want to be successful, but I also want to be able to enjoy myself and be happy with my life. My work life was hurting my personal life. I was constantly unhappy and a lot of small things would make me very upset.

Taking care of yourself first became a big part of what I needed to do and I did it. I am actively looking and can't wait to find something that will make me happy in every aspect.

IN 4 DAYS...

In 4 days I walk across the stage for graduation...
In 4 days I begin my journey into the adult world
In 4 days school will no longer be my next step
In 4 days Arkansas won't be my second home
In 4 days (plus a few) I will be living back in Texas
In 4 days I get to add to this world in amazing ways
In 4 days I will be scared
In 4 days I will be unsure of myself
In 4 days there may be some doubt
In 4 days there will be a few tears
In 4 days I will no longer live with some of my best friends
In 4 days I am going to take charge
In 4 days I am going to make a difference
In 4 days my education career is over
In 4 days I get my diploma
and In 4 days I will be so excited

Woo Pig.

WE'RE ENGAGED

Oh my gosh I can't believe I am typing these words, but Bryce and I are engaged! On April 6th, Bryce asked me to marry him and I am over the moon.

For so long, Bryce and I have talked about the possibility of marriage, and now that it is a reality, I can't stop smiling. I am looking forward to all the wedding planning and especially being a Hunt.

I love you Bryce!

DODGER DOG

On Thursday March 8th, I came home from Fayetteville for a weekend visit and was given the news that my beloved dog Dodger had passed away just a few hours before I got home. My heart was, still is, and I think forever will be broken. Dodger was very much my dog. From the moment we got him when I was going into the 8th grade, he was always by my side, slept in my room, and answered to me.

Dodger wasn't sick or really all that old. According to my parents, he was perfectly fine the day before. My parents, brother and me are still in shock and the environment of the house is completely different from what it once was. I keep finding myself looking down to the floor to pet him and its hard when his fur is literally everywhere in this house.

While some people may think this post is depressing, I want to highlight how amazing this dog was. He was so chill and literally all he wanted was to please me and my family. So many of my friends loved him and even came and spent a week or two with me in Fayetteville.

Dodger loved cheese, belly rubs, snarling with his snaggle tooth, giving me kisses and barking whenever he heard the garage door. I'll miss you forever my little bub. I love you so much my little Dodger dog.

2018 RESOLUTIONS

Since we are now 22 days into the new year, I thought I would finally go ahead and post my New Years Resolutions. This year, I'm trying to do things that will not only better me as a person in the eyes of others, but in the eyes of myself. Resolutions each year have always been hard for me to keep for some reason. I'll be really good about it at the start of every new year, but end up forgetting or stopping them. This year I want to try and be the best about it and when 2019 (that sounds weird) comes, I want to reflect on if I was successful in doing so.

1. Replace "I'm sorry" with "Thank you" I'm sure many of you have seen this all over the internet. I am so bad about ALWAYS apologizing for running late or not texting back soon enough etc. Instead of saying "I'm sorry for being late to lunch" I want to start saying, "Thank you for waiting for me".

2. Stop apologizing for being who I am. I'm loud and outgoing and I know it. Sometimes it can be super over whelming for people who aren't like this or just meeting me and I tend to apologize if I'm too much. I then over think if they liked me or not. I am who I am and I like being loud, outgoing, and fun. People will either love it or hate it.

3. Don't be pressured into doing anything. Whenever my friends invite me to go out or something, I sometimes don't want to go, but then fear that they'll be mad at me so I end up caving and going even when I really can't afford to, have the time to, or want to. This year, for my mental health, I'm going to get better at taking care of myself and say no a little more often.

4. Working out. Okay cue the eye rolls. I feel like this is on everyones resolution list, but surprisingly, this is the first time its ever been on mine. When I graduated from high school, I was so over working out. I did it 5-6 times a week for almost 16 years because of dance and soccer. While I don't think I need to lose any weight, I would like to be more in shape. I actually have already pretty good at keeping up with this one. I got an Echo for Christmas and do the '7 Minute Workouts' she offers. It helps me keep up with this resolution despite a busy schedule.

5. Take more videos and pictures. I want to create a video at the end of 2018 with many memories from the year and to do so, I have take more video footage and I plan on doing this. I've been pretty good about it so far. I just gotta make it a habit.


Happy 2018!

12 THINGS

I'm sure if you're well versed in the blog world, you've seen Amber Fillerup doing these twelve things posts. I actually totally forgot she did these until I saw another blogger, Aspyn Ovard, post her own. I think they're super innovative and just a way to get things off your mind and out into the open. You basically just list 12 Things going on in your life or mind... so here are mine. 

1. Thanksgiving break is next week and I can't wait to be home with my family and dog! I'm looking forward to watching movies and eating mashed potatoes until I'm sick. 

2. As much as I love the cold, I wish it was still warm enough for the lake, I'm reminiscing about the last time I was at the lake in the above picture. 

3. On Thanksgiving this year, it would've been my grandmas 92nd birthday and I'm really missing her. I did a post all about remembering her after she passed last year. Read that here. 

4. I pulled out all my winter sweaters and warmer jackets since the weather has gotten cooler here in Fayetteville, and I forgot how obsessed I was with my Patagonia sweatshirt. The kind that I have can be found here.

5. I made my own fries for the first time ever a couple of weeks ago and I was so proud of myself. They were delicious. I'll find it on Pinterest and link it. I like crispy fries so these were amazing. If you're into garlic parmesan fries, these sounded good to me as well. 

6. One of my best friends from home and I have been friends on Facebook for 8 years today. Its weird to think that when we met we both had braces, and now we're about to graduate college. 

7. I made my Christmas list super early this year and I'm way proud of myself. I really want this sweater from Urban Outfitters because I've had my eye on it for awhile. 

8. This week I have so many assignments due in the beginning of the week, but the end of my week will be very relaxing so I'm looking forward to that. 

9. I'm sad that my first yearly playlist on Spotify is coming to an end. I made a playlist for each month, then put them into one large 2017 file and it makes me so happy, yet sad that this year is almost over. 

10. I've been day dreaming about places to travel lately, and as much as I want to go out of the country, I've been super interested in states that I've never been to. I'm wanting to explore Utah and Oregon the most right now. 

11. I'm trying to get back into journaling. I used to do it everyday and got out of the habit of it, but I think it really helps with clearing my mind each day. My journal hosts my to-do lists, birthday lists, Christmas lists, and so much more. 

12. I'm trying to take more pictures. I bought my nice camera this summer and used it like crazy in Italy and at the beginning of the semester, but my picture taking has slowed down and I want to get back into it. I have a Nikon D3400

Happy Monday everyone!! Hang in there, its almost Turkey Day! 

xx Shan

WHY THANK YOU NOTES

When my mom sees this post, she'll probably cry and say something along the lines of "I told you thank you notes are important!" But thats okay, she's right.

Thank you notes have been something I've grown up writing. Whether it was for a gift, money, or just because someone offered a random act of kindness, I was told to write one. Not that I minded, I actually got really into them and my bed side stand drawer is currently bursting with different blank thank you notes waiting to be written on.

I always wanted my notes to be genuine. More often than not, the thank you notes I did and still write were to my extended family members I didn't see as much and I wanted them to get a personal feel as to what all was going on in my life.

While I do/did always thank them for what they gave to me, I was sure to inform them on what was going on in my life as well as ask them questions about what was new with them.

I believe that thank you notes are a great way to stay connected to people you don't see all the time. They are a way to spread love, laughter, and warmth.

Growing up, my mom was always the one to provide me with the blank thank you notes, but as I've gotten older, I've found in the Target Spot Section, (honestly who is surprised that I find them at Target) they have them for 1-3 dollars. I adore them and like I said I have so many blank ones.

So, write a thank you note. It doesn't have to be just because you got a gift. Thank someone for being a good friend or making you laugh or for their hard work. They'll appreciate the thanks.