A perfect moment. That brief moment of mere seconds or few minutes where you get a taste of perfection.

Maybe it's in the feeling a book gives you, or the luxurious taste of chocolate when you haven't had sugar in weeks.

Maybe it's the feeling of a camera in your hand, the brightness of colors, the sweet sweet colors that a song gives off.

Maybe it's his hand in her's. Maybe it's a cup of coffee first thing in the morning.

It doesn't matter what it is...it's still a perfect moment. And a lot of the time, it passes so quickly, you didn't even realize how perfect it was until it had already passed.

Today, those perfect moments included...

sunshine on my face, as I sat across from a dear friend.

smell of freshly mowed grass.
the smooth taste of coffee.
orange sun light on the ride home in the car.
wind blowing through my fingers.
pretty pictures.

Confessions. Secret pleasures. Embarrassing facts about yourself. What are things that you secretly like, something you're reluctant to share with people? What are some tastes that have now changed? Something you used to loathe and were very vocal about hating it, and now you actually secretly like it, maybe even love it! *gasp* The horror!

Throughout my life, I've come across things that I like that I've been embarrassed to admit that I actually like. Or even things that I used to hate that I'm now finding I actually kinda like. Today I'm going to "unburden" myself and just ADMIT it.

I like the color pink. I don't LOVE it but I don't HATE it like I used to. I actually enjoy certain shades. I own a lot more pink clothing, currently have my toe nails painted pink and pink eye shadow on my eyes.

I enjoy clothes shopping. To an extent. I like the finding new clothes to wear. And I love pretty clothes. It's just the shopping part I don't particularly enjoy. But it must be borne if I'm to get pretty clothes.

I like some of Taylor Swift's songs. Okay, just shoot me now. But here I am, admitting it. "Enchanted" is my favorite of her's. But "Ours" and "Eyes Wide Open" are pretty great too.

I now like peanut butter with chocolate. I'm not crazy about it and it's certainly not my favorite candy, but I can actually enjoy it to an extent now. (Too much and I feel sick)

I like One Direction's "What Makes You Beautiful". Omg. Cheesy much? *sigh*

I *adore* the new "Jane Eyre" movie (and its soundtrack), as well as the Broadway musical. We'll see if my opinion on the book changes after I read it again.

I do not like "Pride & Prejudice" that much. There I said it. I just don't! Bring on the hate. :P In my opinion, "Sense & Sensibility", "Persuasion", and definitely "Emma" are so much better.


It doesn't matter that I am cheesy, lame, dorky, or completely crazy for my weird likes and dislikes. It's what makes me: ME. And there's nothin wrong with that. So no, I'm not gonna apologize for any of it. If it makes me part of the lame fan-girl crowd, or just the oddball out, it still doesn't matter. :)

Okay! So here's yesterday's "original-supposed-to-be" blog post.

A friend recently emailed me to catch up and just chit and chat. She wrote and I quote: "I love your blog, though you take FOREVER to post sometimes. Jeez! What's with that? You know what you should do? You should totally write a blog post about blogging! I could use tips. Yes, that's right, I'm thinking of starting my own blog. I know, I know, 'blogs are lame', but you've convinced me I should give it a try. Me? Goin over to the dark side? *think Luke Skywalker 'noooooooooooooooo!'* Nice going, Darth." 

So, Ash, this blog post is for you. (And yes, I'm very proud that I've got you considering starting a blog! Squee! *in a Darth voice, of course*)

Blogging. I started blogging when I was 17. I wrote about my mundane, day-to-day life, stories from work, music and movie rants/loves...now, about 3-4 blogs later (haha, yes, 3-4. Lame, I know.), I've stuck to my Nightbirds on Nantucket blog for about...I dunno, going on 2 years? *goes to look* GEEZ LOUISE! It's goin on 3 years! I think this is the longest I've stuck to a blog! :P

So, how do I do it? This whole blogging thing? Why do I like it? How'd I start? What goes into this whole process?

First off: Blog Title. This was extremely important to me. I actually remember how this blog got started. I had another blog at the time...I was sitting on my bedroom floor, journaling. I looked up at the long stack of books on the chest in my room, and the title of one of my most favorite children's books stuck out to me: "Nightbirds on Nantucket". (Check it out! It's awesome! Nightbirds On Nantucket) And suddenly the idea came to my mind: "That would make a great blog title!"
So I pulled my laptop over, pulled up blogger, and created this blog. I remember thinking, "This blog has a magical name. It's going to be a blog full of magic." Now, my idea of magical is anything from vibrant colors, to detailed snowflakes, ordinary but colorful kitchen dishes to fog on a sunny morning. Simple things in life that make me catch my breath...it's all magical.
I'm not too sure I captured magic on this blog, but that was the original idea.
I chose the title because "Nightbirds on Nantucket" has a ring of poetry to it. It is so simple, yet so unique. It is full of WONDER...the kind of, "What's the story behind that? Nightbirds on Nantucket? It sounds mysterious. The very words just ooze with potential. They are magical. (And for the record: Yes, I tend to be a Nightbird...I hate mornings, love my nights! But, no, I do *not* live on Nantucket. Never been. Hopefully one day. Visit, I mean, not live. As far as I know right now, I don't want to live there!)

Second: Design. Here's the fun part! Designing your blog! Giving it the look you want to give it! I've done many many different designs to this blog. I can't quite remember what was the original look to this blog. If I remember correctly (which I can't exactly...it may have been a different blog I did this to...like I said, I've had several blogs! It's hard to keep track of what I did to each one :P), it may have been a old-fashioned map as the background. Who knows. All the same, it was magical to me. It was vintagey-looking and I thought it captured the essence of the title: Nightbirds on Nantucket.
Today, Nightbirds is about simplicity. I like fresh, clean, bright, simple! Hence the design choice for this blog. Plain white background with an elegant script for the blog semi-title. Classic. Font easy to read. An uncluttered look overall. I used the words by Lemony Snicket, "The World is Quiet Here" because it seemed to suit the purpose behind the blog. This is where my world is quiet for me. And of course, I added the whole Facebook & Twitter as a way to get to know me better (if you don't already, go on and friend me, just tellin me who you are. ;) I just might follow/friend you back!), and my Pinterest because I am so so so so so so SO addicted to Pinterest. So addicted. And of course, I have to share my addictions.)
And I included the whole follower box because I think it's cool to see who follows my blog! It gives me a chance to click on their profiles and visit their own blogs! I also have a site meter, which I highly recommend. It keeps me on top of who is viewing my blog, how many hits my blog gets, and even shows me referral links, so I can actually stalk back to where a reader got my blog address!

Third: Profile. I choose to do just the basics. As I've said SEVERAL times now, I love simplicity. So when I saw the simple way another blogger did her profile, I just had to copy! Basically, it's just 22 words about myself. 22 because I am 22 years old at the moment. 22 words that describe me as me! When I turn 23, I'll merely add another word.
I think profile pictures are important, because it connects a reader to you in a way that simple words cannot. Plus, I *heart* pictures. Especially ones that capture personality. Instead of just one of myself smiling, like I could have done (and have done in the past...there's nothin wrong with a smiley picture! I just think a more interesting one holds more character. It's all about taste!), I chose a self-portrait that showed off my dorky side. I'm not always serious and overly passionate. Sometimes I'm just plain randomly weird.

Fourth: Pages. I chose to set up my blog with 3 separate pages: "Home", "About Me", and "Photography".
"Home" is merely the homepage, THE heart of the blog. "About Me" is a little more in-depth post about myself, slightly different from my profile. Just in case people were curiouser about me. Plus it's easier to find than my profile. "Photography" merely is the factual stuff behind the photos I post on my blog...what kind of camera I have, how I'm a photography student, etc. It's more just info stuff in case people were wondering. Instead of cluttering up the general look about my blog, it was simpler to just divide some of the "extras" onto separate pages. It cleans up nicely, and isn't too distracting for readers. If you stuff everything onto just a "Home" page, I find that it gets too over-whelming for readers...at least it does for me! I don't like being faced with all these boxes, sub-boxes, and sidebars that I have to read! A mere click of the button, and I can figure out what I want to look at. :)

Fifth: Posting. The most important part about a blog. Posting. What to write about? I am a writer. It is something that just comes naturally to me. I've always enjoyed writing and it's spilled out of me since I wrote my first just-for-fun story at 8yearsold. My blog isn't about me writing for people. That was the one and only rule I created for myself when I created this blog. "This blog is for me. It is for no one but me." It doesn't matter that only a couple people comment now and then, because I am not writing to impress anyone on here. In fact, I know I'm not impressing anyone. This blog was simply a place for me to write whatever I felt like, where I could be free to just write random and weird and fun stuff. It's a place where I could be me. It's not about being inspiring or writing the best I could ever write. I just sit down and type the first things that pop into my head. (Occasionally I'll plan a blogpost ahead of time, but that rarely happens.) My grammar isn't perfect, my punctuation sucks at time...if you notice I use an overload of commas, and in just my last post I wrote: "I just got back from a run just 10 minutes ago..." Two "just"s in one sentence. Awkward. But I don't care. And I left it in there even though I saw it as soon as I posted it. My blog is not about being proper, even though I *usually* try to be careful in how I word things and spelling, etc. I don't want to be confusing to my writers, plus it teaches me to carefully think about how to word things. However, sometimes mistakes slip through and that's okay. I'm not going to be paranoid about it. This is the one place where I don't have to be. 

What to write about? I never write about anything that doesn't interest me. I write about my daily, things that are heavy on my mind, weird & random things, LISTS (have you noticed I *adore* lists??), memes (I'm not that into myself, I promise! I just find them fun and they're a quick post to do on a blog! :P My blog, my rules!) like those 30-day blog challenges, and sometimes just photos. Photos: I prefer bright, colorful, magical photos. They just give a bright and cheery look to my blog! Easy on the eyes, non-distracting...just kinda like a sigh of relaxation. Photos that make you *feeeeeel* good! 
I write like I talk. Quickly, jokingly, seriously, passionately, quirky...and I think that should be how every writer writes. Each person has a voice completely their own and that's how writing should be. Magical in it's own way. It's so much easier for me to do non-serious posts because it's not as uncomfortable as it is to bare my soul and be open with a serious post. But this is my blog and I try to focus on that. I have nothing to fear here. Cuz it's mine. 


Blogs may not be *cool*, a place for nerds, but blogs are love, they are a place to create, pure and simple. 

I had another post I was going to write up yesterday but forgot (*sheepish*), and I felt like writing this particular post right now, so that yesterday post will have to wait until later.

Running. I just got back from a run just 10 minutes ago...I'm still a sweaty, sticky (and yes, stinky) mess, ear buds still plugged in (I've turned the music off though...running music, now there's a whole other blog post...)...

I just started running...erm...*checks running schedule* 6 weeks ago. Technically it was 7 weeks ago, but I took a week off when I was sick.
I'm still at that stage where it's painful enough for me to dislike doing it, but it's become part of my normal life now that I just roll out of bed at 6:50 without wasting the energy to grumble. (Besides, there's no one to listen to me grumble except myself...) I'm out the door at 7:00, set my timer, turn up my music, walk 5 minutes, then start my run.
There's more to running than I ever knew before I started. Controlling breathing, keeping pace, don't land on toes or heels, posture (don't slouch), letyourshouldersfreakinrelaxsam!, but above all: positive thinking. I've noticed, on the days where I'm running in a grouchy mood I run slower, shorter distances/stop before my time for the day is up. To stop myself from doing that, I have to force myself to sing along to my music inside my head. (And I'm tellin ya, that's NOT easy when trying to concentrate on breathing right!)

The bummers to running:
- Okay, Mr. Gray Truck, if you pass me a third time I WILL get out defensive-mode-Sam. She has a mean glare and an emergency dial on her phone, which also acts as her stopwatch.
- The pain. Side cramp if my breathing gets off, ankles that ache, and shoulders that KILL. Gah, too much tension.
- Being woken by an alarm. Worst thing on the planet. >__<

But the perks:
- It's healthy.
- It's improved my appetite MASSIVELY. (I've actually gained some weight!)
- My legs feel stronger.
- Each week I run longer and the tiniest-taddest bit faster.
- Teaching me self-esteem/confidence.

It doesn't matter that I wasn't able to run the last stretch today. The fact that I get out of bed 3 days a week, motivate myself to go running, actually stick to the schedule, push myself...that's worth it. This whole running thing...it's not something I have to be good at. I know I have a tendency to try to be A+ at everything I do. And if I don't ace it, I feel like I've failed. This whole running thing is not about that. For once, this is about me just trying to be healthy and trying to get to a point where I enjoy it. It's about feeling good about myself. Thinking positive thoughts about myself. It doesn't matter that I can't run 2 miles yet. I'm out there, I'm doing this by myself with no pressure or encouragement or motivating speeches from anyone but ME. It's not about feeling pretty or strong, necessarily. It's just about being myself...20 minutes of running just me and my mind. Running teaches me discipline, commitment, and self-esteem.
And ya know what? I will get to a point where I can run 2 miles without stopping. :P Someday. Soon, actually. ;) This gal who's always hated exercising and mornings and alarm clocks is makin progress.

I have about three weeks left of my summer, before the fall semester starts up. And as much as I feel like I'm ready for fall to be here...what's not to like? fall clothes? crisp fall mornings? hot tea, fuzzy sweaters, boots, school supplies...(but that's all for another post)...I also am trying to enjoy these last few weeks of freedom. Because I know that once school's here, I'm going to be swamped with classes, homework, work, and have no time for the things I could do right now.

This includes:

reading. I still have a stack of about a dozen books that are waiting to be read before the school semester. Can I finish them all? I highly doubt it, but I'm working on trying. :D There's nothing so lovely as a stack of interesting books and digging your way through them. There's something ultimately satisfying about finishing a book, even along with the bittersweet sense of disappointment that it's over.

writing. Letters mostly, but also some journaling. No fiction writing this summer, I'm sorry to say. The urge hasn't been that strong. There's still something nice about taking my pen and black journal and just writing whatever the heck I feel like. Even though it's all jumbled and random, it's mine. It's all my words and it's enough for me to understand...to actually take my old journals, flip through them and experience all those old emotions again, experience those memories again. Journals are powerful things...they're a piece of your history, a piece of you. Just my journal from two years ago amazes me...a lot has changed since then. It times it feels like only yesterday, but a lot of the time it feels like ages ago. Flipping through my teen journals, I seemed only to write when I was upset or mad. ;) We're workin on that not being the case today, because I don't want the only memories in these books to be unhappy ones. Life is not all bad. There's plenty of happiness to remember too.

music. A combination of discovering new music that I can fall in love with and playing piano. Music has always been important in my life. There's this saying out there about wishing life had a soundtrack. My life does have a soundtrack. There has not been a time in my life when I haven't listened to music. I go through stages of music...I'll find a couple artists I love and listen to them over and over for a long period of time. And somehow their music becomes my life soundtrack. I cannot remember my first semester of school without thinking of Downhere or Switchfoot, because they were there the entire semester. They're a part of that memory now. Just as Until June will forever be my graduation/senior year of highschool soundtrack. :)

movies. I'm a movie nut. And once school starts, I'll have less time to keep up with my favorite tv shows or to watch the movies I want to watch. So now, as I work on projects, I watch a movie/tv show. I'm currently working through BBC's "Robin Hood". It brings back PLENTY of memories with it, and while now I'm finding it cheesier than ever and even roll my eyes at the patheticness of some of the acting and storylines, I also can't help still loving it. Partially because I LOVED it so much a few years ago, but also because it's dang cute. ;) Marian is still my hero as much as ever. In a world where heroines are never far from the hero's side, relying on guys to help them out, it's nice to view heroines who really can work on their own and kick butt. Marian, Katniss, Hermione, Black Widow...these are the type of movie heroines I admire. Women who don't find their self-worth through a guy. (Unlike a certain Bella Swan...)

knitting. I have been on a knitting kick lately. And it feels amazing to get back into it. No matter how long I go without knitting, it remains a skill I can pick up so naturally. And I'm not gonna lie...it's good to be good at something. ;) Plus there's something therapeutic about needles clicking against each other, yarn running through your fingers, and observing a project coming together. I'm currently working on a sweater for myself. A week of work and I'm already halfway done. Yay me! We'll see if it actually fits me this time...

I'm spending my summer, trying to fill it with good memories...girls' nights with my two best friends, coffee galore, flip-flops, shorts, running, movies, giggles with Juji, movies with friends, knitting...

So as much as I am looking forward to fall in some ways, I am also not quite ready to give up summer. Cuz summer = love.

I've been seeing a lot of girls lately who are marriage-centered. It's their whole life. They spend their entire singlness in "preparing" only for marriage. Girls who believe that they should exclude themselves from anything and everything except in learning how to run a household. I'm not saying this is wrong! It's a great way for some women to live! However, the girls I've talked to recently have been very discouraged with this kind of life and have expressed to me how they wish they were more than that. How they wished they could BE more worthwhile. Girls, you are worthwhile. And if that's not the life you feel led towards, that's OKAY. Being a wife/mother is not the ONLY worthwhile pursuit. 

My plan at 14 was to: graduate highschool, meet some guy by the time I was 20 and get married, be a stay-at-home mom who did nothing but homeschool her kids, keep house for her husband, and be the perfect wife. 

Heh. That has since changed. The older I got and the more I realized how the world works, my 14yearold dream disappeared. Not only did I realize that is not what I want to do with my entire life but that it just wasn't realistic. It may work for some girls, but I wanted to be more. I tried to get a full-time position and didn't get the job because I didn't have any college degrees. I realized to actually support myself I needed to go to school. I started school and soon realized something: I am worth MORE than I ever thought. 

A girl's worth is not defined by a guy. God did not put us women here simply to cater to guys' every wish. God has created me to serve Him. To apply the talents and dreams HE gave me in such a way that I bring HIM glory. 

I am worth much in God's eyes. He has given me the ability to work and work hard and well. I am not a wuss when it comes to work. I have overcome many many fears through my job and it has made me stronger as a woman. 

God has given me the smarts to accomplish school. I never thought I was much of a student when I was in highschool. I now realize it was a lack of interest, motivation...I never applied myself. Now that I motivate myself I find that I *am* smart. I am practically a straight A's student and have so far been on the President's List and Dean's List. 

I motivate myself to work out and eat more healthy. 

I can take care of children. I can cook. I can make my own decisions. I can save money as well as earn it on my own. 

I did not need any guy to do any of that. No guy is what makes me worth it in God's eyes or in this world. My worth comes from the way I live my life, the decisions I make, the way I apply myself. 

My point is: my life is worth something great even without a boyfriend/husband. And even if I never get married, it'll still be worth something. In God's eyes, I am worth it. And that is an amazing feeling. To realize that I am worth something. That I can be so much more. That I'm not here just for man's pleasure. I am here for God's pleasure...to serve Him and glorify Him. 

Girls, we are worth it. And if you feel led to something besides being a wife/mother...don't ignore it! Some of us aren't led to that life! Some of us are led to it. Some of us are led to it and MORE besides! I dream of one day having my own family, but I also dream of having a job in the photography field. I truly believe God is leading me towards both.  He has given me gifts and talents and desires and passions, all of which I want to use to the best of my ability. I am worth it, in His eyes. 

I am worthwhile.

More covers, people! This is what I do when I'm bored...listen to covers. ;)

Corey Gray: LOVE his cover of 3 Doors Down's "Here Without You". Good stuff.

Jake Coco...got some good stuff, but my fav. would prolly be his "We Are Young" with Corey and Caitlin, as well as his "Ships In the Night" feat. Eclipse.

Alex Goot: fun stuff as well, but my favorite is his cover of One Republic's "Good Life" with Megan Nicole. One of my favorite songs. ever.

Savannah Outen: Not a huge fan, but her cover of "Hallelujah" is good!


And one to share with you: Caitlin Hart, a new fav. :) Enjoy!