THE summer

 it's been a long long time... since i actually loved summer

hi guys - long time no see! as I feel that summer is unfortunately coming to an end, I feel like I have to write about it - I don't think that when asked my favorite season, I've ever said summer. I have always felt like it's a long stretch of too-hot time with nothing to do but dread the start of the new school year, and hope every sweaty day for the coming of fall. This year though, has been completely different. For one, I've gone on so many adventures - I know I've mentioned my backpacking trip already, but surprise, I also went to greece and italy! It was such a life changing trip, and included some of the best places I've ever traveled. To top it all off, I just started college, and being on such a beautiful campus with my new friends and so much to do, while the weather is consistently perfect - has been the best experience ever. I found myself dressing in brighter colors, wearing my hair down and wavy more often, and just enjoying being outside - something I feel like I haven't been able to do since I was little. I have been making so much time for myself (aka making this blog! something I NEVER would have had time for before now), I keep saying college just feels like one big summer camp. I know it's still a lot of academically challenging work, and believe me, I've already had my fair share of that, but compared to my life in high school...

honestly anything would feel like a vacation. Going from school, to work, to dance, and then having to do homework in the dead of night, + never having time to eat or sleep enough, and then waking up and doing it all again, felt like survival - but now, I can happily say that I'm thriving! With my schedule now, which is still above the reccomended amount credits by the way, I feel so relaxed - having anywhere between 1-3 classes in a day, and then NOTHING on the weekends!? honestly the best schedule I could ever ask for. 

Anyway, this summer has been amazing, and I'm going to be holding on for as long as possible - aka wearing tank tops, skirts, and mini dresses until the weather drops below 60 degrees. You're gonna have to rip this summer out of my very cold, frostbitten hands. 

xoxo, ttl 💋

still daydreaming about backpacking

 hello again...

i've been thinking about everything that i've done this summer - which has been remarkably a lot for only like 3 months. i've also done so many new things that were some of my life goals - especially traveling around greece and italy! but even more so: my backpacking adventure :D

i hiked part of the Appalachian trail this summer, with my mom & very experienced outdoors uncle - and even though i only went for a short amount of time, i can honestly say it was one of the best things i've ever done. i've never pushed myself that far physically, and i didn't know that carrying a million pounds on my back while hiking up and down multiple mountains a day was something i could even do, but here we are! 2 months later and it's all ive been thinking about lately - especially the fact that it wasn't as hard as i thought it would be, which was a big confidence boost for me! going into a whole new experience like college directly after this is almost a perfect  transition, again, it's something that going into it, i'm not sure how it's going to go, or if i can even succeed, but i know i'm capable of more than i think, and that in like 5 years i'm going to be thinking about how amazing my college experience was :D

so yeah! don't forget to smile! (and also that you're capable of anything you want to do/have an open mind to!)

bonus: pictures i took on my digi (that added an extra - but very necessary - weight to my already 8 billion pound bag)

the best hiking boots ever (guess what i thrifted these)

one of our very creative tent setups (was not comfy)

my huge pack! i miss her so much :( also why do i look tiny in

 this picture (just goes to show how big the bag was)

the view from the top of some mountain or 

other... they all kind of blended together (in the best way)

love u lots!

    - ttl

ps. yes this is my 3rd post today blah blah blah

am i crazy or just an extrovert

 a love letter to customer service

it might just be because i'm super social but i genuinely love my customer service job. i feel like that sounds crazy due to all the horror stories i've heard from my friends, family, and random people online, but i actually love it with all my heart. i love being cheerful and greeting everybody at the door, and stocking things, organizing displays and making everything look cute and put together, and just everything about it! plus i get to use a scanner which is like my lifelong dream. i've had my job at a small dance store in my town for a little over a year now, although it seems like i've worked there for my whole life. i literally look forward to working there every day. i have so much fun at work! i get to talk to people, learn about their lives a little bit, give them advice based on my own experience, and i'm at the point in my job where i really feel like i know what i'm doing, and feel confident helping everybody with whatever they need! i can't imagine not working there, which unfortunately is something i'll have to face as i'm leaving for college, although i'll come back and hangout with my boss (who is the nicest person ever) when i'm back in town. did i mention i'm one of (literally) 7 people who work there? also i've been able to get a discount and be around dance stuff as often as i want! which has helped a lot as i've been dancing all these years. 

anyway this is just random thoughts i'm having as i reflect on my life thus far - i'm genuinely going to miss this job so much :,( but i've learned so much, and best of all the fact that i love customer service, which is something i can hopefully use to my advantage!

literally me when a customer says i was nice and helpful 

and that i look like a ballerina 

love u all

   - ttl

LAPTOPPP

 HI SO

super brief update - i know it's late (early for night owls aka me) but I just finished this and I had to share because i'm really obsessed with it...

I REDECORATED MY LAPTOP

so basically I used to have my laptop decorated with all homemade stickers - but then my water bottle spilled in my bag and she got a little waterlogged... but she survived! so its fine... i think? but anyways, my stickers got all water damaged (the least of my problems actually), so after i got my computer to turn back on and everything (phew) i took all my old icky stickers off and my computer kind of just... was naked for a while? it was super boring and not fun looking at all so i've been meaning to redecorate. today i found the sticker section in michael's. enough said. 

anyways LOOK

pls appreciate all the details and ignore the glare... and also the yarn from my current project

i'm really really happy with how it turned out! I also just bought some keyboard stickers that i'm still waiting on (you'll get another review then don't worry) but it's almost done! i'm trying to do things that make me excited (and not nervous/terrified) for school and this def helped :D everything is so perfect and so me!! i'm really happy with how it turned out.

love u guys!!

xx, ttl

hey guess what! i graduated!

 Hey tigers!

It's been a long time coming. I know it's summer rn, but seeing as i've just started this blog, theres a lot i have to catch you guys up on! I know it might sound crazy but high school felt never ending. I love school and learning, but when you're taking 10,000 required courses that you're just not interested in, it gets pretty hard to remember that. I honestly couldn't believe that I had made it (finally) when I got to graduation. Not that I didn't think I'd graduate, I mean my grades were good and everything, but I just couldn't imagine that this day would ever come, it always just felt so far away, yk? Especially since it's such a big milestone, I never felt like I would be ready for it when it came, but, as life does, it happened, whether I was ready for it or not. 

I've heard so many people say that high school was the best time of their lives, and honestly, I can see why. If you're popular, and have a ton of friends, I'm sure you'd want to stay in high school forever. For me, I'm just glad it's over now. I couldn't be more excited to go to college (phew). If you asked me a year ago what I wanted to do, or where I wanted to go to school, I honestly wouldn't be able to tell you either. I always envied the people who had a dream school, or a dream career, that they knew from a young age they wanted to pursue. It took a lot (and I mean A LOT) of time and reflection to figure out what I wanted to do - and my advice for anybody who's still looking is to do a summer program if you can. Pick a program that has something you might be interested in, and just go for it. Actually learning and taking a class in something you might want to do can help you decipher FAST what you actually want to learn. Overnight and college based programs can also help to introduce you to a college environment - living in dorms, walking to classes, eating in dining halls, etc. You can figure out what type of college you want to go to (or def DON'T want to go to), and what you might want to do all in one. 

The school I'm attending I can honestly say now is my dream school. I always say it's like they went into my brain and built a school just for me. I'm chomping at the bit to actually get there, (and especially set up my cute dorm!), all while trying to recon with the fact that leaving means I'll actually have to leave - my hometown (thank goodness), my family, my cat, my room! All good things come with a price, and it's not easy for anybody to uproot themselves and start a new life, but that doesn't mean I'm not excited to try :)

Here's to a new chapter!

xoxo, 

    ttl ₊˚❀༉‧₊˚