No one said it was gunna be easy.

But I'm not afraid to try.

You Most Certainly Can't Roast a Marshmallow atop a Stove in Florida.

It's really the little things in life that most people take for granted that make me the most happy. Just stupid little stuff.... tonight it's that fact that I have the ability to roast a marshmallow on top of my gas stove and have the luxury of making a s'more at my convenience.

....That and kettle corn.

What an under appreciated, underrated slightly sweet, slightly salty mixture of pure delight popped to perfection.

Also, good new music on the stereo. It's nice to have something fresh to throw into my constant rotation.

Lastly, I have good friends. But that's nothing I didn't already know. And it's most certainly something that I appreciate every day.

Now that I have finished my bag of popcorn, I am going to sip on some ginger ale and find a movie to watch in the only non-muggy part of my house; my room.

Take me to bed or lose me forever.

Some random good things before bed:

-Top Gun is currently on AMC. This is one of my favorite movies of all time, other than The Princess Bride. It's raining outside and there's a nice cool breeze inside. I love the sound of the rain, it's so relaxing. Last week I was in Florida and had an awesome time. I see some of my friends there more than I see some of my friends who live here. I went swimming in the ocean and in pools. Disney World was also awesome and my brother rules for letting me use his passes for the day. I have three weeks of school left. I graduate May 13th. Then I want to backpack through Europe and explore the world. I want to visit castles and foreign places. I want to learn new things by doing and seeing, not just by reading. I save money every week so I can make this possible. It's my life and I'll do what I want.

Homemade whole wheat chocolate chip banana pancakes with strawberry butter.

As I'm sitting here eating my breakfast and listening to Frank Turner, I am thinking about how extremely happy and appreciative I am with my life: my friends, my family, the things I do, the things I see, and everything in-between. It's not perfect, but nothing ever is, nor do I want it to be. Honestly, what would be the fun in that? Every day I learn something new.... I've learned over the past year more-so than ever that I don't need some guy or anyone else for that matter to fulfill any type of "void" in my heart.... It's up to me to do that, I'm not depending on anyone else. I'm in charge of my own life and my own feelings, not other people. I know that one day someone will come along, or, heck, maybe they already have and we both just don't know it yet... we'll love each other just as much as we each love life and the things that we do.... and we'll be happy, together, not because we feel obliged to or because we're looking for someone to fill some void in our lives... but because we'll both know how to love ourselves before any sort of relationship or commitment. How can you love or be totally committed to someone or expect them to love you or make you feel some certain way if you aren't content with your own life and/or don't really know what makes you happy or what you want? I'm not in any rush; I know what I want, and I am definitely not going to settle for anything less than that. Fuck yeah, bro.

TRUTH.

Coins for Haiti.

Yesterday a 2nd grader donated her entire piggy bank full of dollar bills and coins to the people of Haiti for the earthquake relief fund at school. Thank you to selfless kids like her who give me hope for our younger generations.

I WON'T BUY INTO YOUR SHIT, I'LL JUST BELIEVE IN MY FRIENDS.

Sometimes you don't get what you wanted; you get something better.

Side note: I've been listening to a lot of the same "mellow-ish" stuff repeatedly for the past few months. I don't know why, it just seemed to fit my mood.... but I think it also made me feel relatively lifeless. I've been constantly listening to nothing but hardcore and metal for the past few days (well, despite the Christmas carols here and there to lighten the mood and Chamberlain when it's bedtime) and I am reminded of why I am so proud of who I am, the choices I make, and the people who I call my friends.

I have an awesome life.
I have awesome friends.
I can do anything I want to do.
I can be who I want to be and go and see the things I want to see.
I'm happy to be me.
And no, I didn't mean for that to rhyme.