Quarter-Life Crisis.

Recently I have been going through that quarter life crisis that none of my friends have quite come to yet and my older peers have already gone through, awesome right?! No- but I have learned a few things, and I'm sure I won't stop for awhile. But I think that I should share what I have learned so the majority of my friends can understand where I am coming from when I talk crazy talk and do crazy things.

1.) Act your Age.
I am nineteen years old. Thats it. Just nineteen. I have all these big dreams for just 5 years from now and think I need to do all these things and have my life in order for all of that to happen, but it will. 5 years ago I was 14, and my dreams were SO different from what mine are today. I have learned that life will take care of itself if you take care of yourself. While I have always been mature and dealing with things above my age I am still nineteen- when I am 30 I dont wanna wish I had done 19 when I was, so Im gonna do it now.

2.) People are gonna judge you anyway, so whatever.
Seriously. They will. Haters gonna hate is one of my favorite sayings, so let them hate. The president of the United States is a pretty distinguished honor to have right? Like you would feel proud of yourself if you go to that position? Yeah well, haters hate the President. Get over it. It is SO hard to not think of what other people will think of you and what they will say- but they will ALWAYS have something to say, so move on. My Mom always said to be proud of yourself and take pride in yourself. If you have pride for what you do it will not matter what they say about you. Do it for you, not anyone else.

3.) Follow your heart, always.
This one burns. Trust me I know. But if I would have never done or said some of the things I wanted to I would still be thinking about how I never did or lost my chance. Just do it, like Nike. If your heart is telling you to do something, not your stupid subconscious (girls who want to make stupid choices about boys this does NOT apply to you texting him first etc.) then DO IT. If you want to quit school and go to Rome for a year, and you think it will benefit you...do it. I think this is for those my age especially...I like to think that if I really want to have kids in ten years I better follow my heart even more now, because guess what its ALOT harder to up and move to Rome for a year with three kids. Do what you want, especially if your heart says so- because it can tear you up at first but you will never regret following your heart.

4.) Keep those who matter the most close, and screw the losers who only bring you down.
For me this one is probably the most difficult. I have a hard time just deleting people from my life, its scary right? I think so. But I finally did it and I've never felt better. If someone only brings you down to your bad self let them go- and be their bad self. You are gonna be okay, I promise. This is something I am really working on, and its really helping me out. You don't need to buddy up with people for any reason, if you have true friends they will buddy up with you ALWAYS. Oh and your true friends isnt 25 people. Sorry honey this is NOT a middle school slumber party. I am not gonna put a number on it but I have about 4 TRUE TRUE friends. I have room for more because I believe that others will appear, but I also believe that a few might disappear. Hold your true friends close, dont let them slide by if they are being unfaithful to your friendship, and always always always have their back. Friendship truly is the spice of life. Without your friends who are you?
That being said I think that one of your best friends or really close confidants should be a family member. I mean not everyone has the same situation but blood will always be thicker than water. My brother and his girlfriend are two of my closest confidants, I trust them with everything and they would do anything for me and vice versa. I also have this relationship with my Grandmas and a few aunts. Its so important to keep your family close, because at the end of the day, they will always be there for you.

So there you have it, Im not THAT crazy, just trying to find my way. So when I change my mind about where I want to go to school 5 times, judge me all you want...but its just me following my heart. I am nineteen, if I really knew all the answers to my future I would know alot but no one does. I might be a lawyer I might be a doctor I might be a teacher....but whatever I am, Im going to be a good one, and a happy one.

The beauty of being a human being is that everyday we can wake up and decide who we want to be, take advantage of that.

Amor,
Ashley

Classically Simple.

As I watched Breakfast at Tiffany's last night I pondered many thoughts. Why is this one of my favorite movies? Why do I idolize Audrey Hepburn enough to plaster her on my walls and spend countless hours reading about her life?

I may seem like a not so simple girl, and I am not claiming to be simple- but I enjoy simple things. Classics. I have always been drawn to the olden times, and history. I believe those people lived in simpler times and enjoyed the beauty of life in every essence of the word.

The reason I idolize Audrey Hepburn, Jacqueline Kennedy Onasis, Mary Tyler Moore, Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant is because they are what I have left to relive the simplicity of the past. Classic films and pictures that take me back to those times.

If I can be as simply classy as any of those women portray themselves to be in their lives I will have achieved wish, to always be simply classy.

Amor,
Ashley