A little inspiration goes a long way.

So I'm not going to write tonight.  Instead I think that everyone could use a little inspiration.  Maybe just to get through the rest of this week, or because they are having a bad week, or maybe just because.  Cause honestly who couldn't use a little inspiration in their lives??

Sorry if this is boring.  Or short.  Or whatever. Everyone could use some inspiration, ergo inspirational blog post.  Hopefully this will inspire you.  Maybe it'll be just for today, or for the rest of the week, but if this inspires just one person, I have done my job.

Trusting others.

Trust.  It is what holds everything together.  Without trust it would be almost impossible to do things.  You trust your friends enough to confide in them and have them tell you when you look ugly in something.  You trust your classmates enough to do their part of the project correctly and on time.  You trust your family enough to not embarrass you in public or in front of your friends.  You trust the one you give your heart to to never hurt you and to always be honest with you.  Trust plays a key role in your life with every person you meet.  Without trust you have nothing.  In order to be close to anyone, trust is key.  I'm not saying that you should trust everyone you meet.  I am also not saying that you shouldn't trust anyone.  All I am saying is trust someone until they give you a reason not to.  Do not be stupid and keep giving your trust to people who hurt you time and time again.  You are only hurting yourself.  Just trust people until they hurt you.  Cause once trust is lost, there is no hope.  Trust is like glue in any relationship, friendship, family affair, or even just with friends from school.  So do not do something that would cause someone to lose trust in you, because at that point all is lost.  If someone causes you to lose trust in them, then cut the strings.  Cause there is no way to repair anything.  Be wise in your decisions.  That is all I ask.

Sorry for like the one billion pictures.  I just want to get my point across. 

Stay true to yourself.

Makeup, hair spray, fake tan, flat stomach, tight clothes.  All this is what makes a woman pretty.  Well according to society it does.  Also some men believe that this is what makes a female pretty.  What do I say?  I say screw society and screw those men.  Be who you are.  Be true to yourself.  Hang around people who accept you for who you are.  If you're curvy, embrace it.  If your hair is frizzy, embrace it.  If you're white, embrace it.  Embrace who you are.  Because only you can be you.  If a man cannot accept you for how you look, well then you deserve better.  Find someone who calls you beautiful instead of hot.  Someone who thinks you're gorgeous when you have no makeup on.  Who is not afraid to take you out in public.  Who thinks you look great in a pair of sweats and his hoodie.  Find a man like that, and you have a keeper.  Hold onto him because those are the guys that are one in a million.  If your guy is not like that, leave him.  If your friends cannot accept you for who you are, leave them.  The world is full of millions of people, and chances are there are people out there willing to accept you for the person you have grown up to be.

Little wonders.

Do you ever wonder why it is so easy to love a baby?  Even if it is not yours, you still find it in your heart to love them.  They don't speak, they don't even do things for you.  They just sit there and stare at you.  Sometimes if you are lucky they will smile for you.  It takes a long time for an adult to love another adult.  It only takes mere minutes to love a baby though.  They bring laughter and pure joy into your life.  If you hang around them, your day is automatically better.  My cousin Maeve is eight weeks old and I love to spend time with her.  She can always put a smile on my face.  She doesn't recognize many voices, but lucky for me she knows mine.  If she cries, I am one of the few people that can calm her down.  I love her to death.  I cannot wait to see the beautiful woman she turns out to be.  So maybe that is why people love babies so much.  Cause they can see a person grow up from the beginning.  They get to see what type of person they turn out to be and hopefully play a part in their growth.  So as much as I love or like other people in my life, Maeve holds a special place in my heart.

Maeve.

Puppy love.

Puppies.  Who does not love a puppy?  It is the one thing I have wanted since childhood.  Every birthday I blew out my candles hoping there was one with a little bow on it's head hiding behind the door waiting to come out.  On Christmas morning I would run down my stairs praying there was a dog sitting under the tree. Every year there was another disappointment waiting for me.  Every year another heartbreak.  It did not matter that I did not get one the previous year because each new year brought new hope for a dog.  I've finally come to the conclusion that my parents are not going to get me a puppy.  That if I want one, I am going to have to buy it myself.  I am okay with that.  The only problem is that every puppy I see, I kinda sorta want.  Once I make eye contact, it is love at first sight.  I plan on getting my first dog within the next few years.  Most likely the year after I move into an apartment, and get myself settled.  All I know is that when I get a puppy, I will be buying it from a shelter.  Those poor animals face so much abuse in their life.  Now I am not going to preach about the poor animals because I am not Sarah McLaughlin, and I am not trying to ruin your day.  All I want to say is get your animal from a shelter.  Doesn't just have to be a dog.  It can be a cat, snake, bunny, basically anything.  Those animals are the animals that need the most love from a human.  If you were a good person you would help them.  So, are you a good person?

My friend Victoria's new puppy named Southpaw. 

She is only 10 weeks old.  I am in love with her.

She was so tired from playing she just 

fell to the floor and went to sleep.

Let it out.

At some point or another everyone is going to break down.  It does not matter how strong you are or appear to be.  You will, at some point, cry.  It will happen.  You are going to get angry and want to yell, maybe vent, or even rant.  Just remember that that is okay.  You are human.  Crying shows you care about something.  That you are willing to fight for something.  Just look around when you cry, vent, or rant.  Look and see who is there for you.  Who is wiping your tear, or listening to you, or calming you down.  Those are people that are keepers.  Those people are the ones that care the most.  They are the ones that will stick with you in the bad, when you are beaten down.  Remember that.  Remember to be there for them when they break down, because at some point they will.  Be there for them like they have been there for you.  That is when you know you have something special.  When even at your worst, they are there for you and you are there for them.  That is the meaningful stuff.  Remember, crying does not indicate you're weak.  Since birth, it has always been a sign that you are alive.

Yummy in my tummy.

Food is like an unhealthy addiction that I have.  I love food of all kinds.  Except seafood.  I cannot stand seafood.  If it swam in water I will not put it in my mouth.  Oh and I do not eat a lot of meat.  No steak, turkey, or ham for this girl.  Thanks but no thanks.  My favorite food?  Potatoes.  I love all kinds of potatoes.  Double baked, smashed, sliced, grilled, deep fried, chips, french fried.  But my favorite would have to be mashed.  Favorite meat?  Beef.  Give me a good hamburger and I'm yours.  Vegetable? That is a tough one. I love so many.  Basically cannot go wrong there.  The toughest question would have to be what is my favorite dessert?  Since I am a girl, I am sort of a chocoholic.  Also, I am a big believer in eating frosting out of the container and ice cream out of the carton.  My favorite sweet in the entire world though, would have to be a cookie cake.  Make me mad?  Write I'm sorry on a cookie cake and give it to me.  I will no longer be mad, guaranteed.  So basically the way to my heart is with food.  I love it.  If you can cook, we can be the best of friends.  I love cooking as well, so if you are my friend, you are always bound to get some yummy food in your tummy.  My favorite thing, though, is to bake.  I enjoy baking everything from cakes, to brownies, to cookies, to pies.  I have the biggest sweet tooth in the world.  Stay by me and there will always be good food close by.  That's a promise. Haha.  So go find something you like and cook it.  Does not matter if it's fattening, or greasy, or if you are on a diet. Food is meant to be enjoyed.  So stop complaining and go make something yummy!!

If you could do one thing...

Do you have one thing that you want to do before you die?  I mean you probably have thirty, but if you had to choose just one, is there one that stands out more then the rest?  For me there is one.  It's simple, not to complicated.  Something I know I can achieve, I just have to find the right time for it.  If there is one thing I could do it would be to take a road trip.  My dream would be across the country, but I would would settle for the state over or maybe two over.  I want it to be spur of the moment.  Leave on a Friday afternoon and not stop till night.  Find a place and stay there.  Wake up the next morning and try out the local cafe.  Look around.  Go shopping.  Try the cuisine.  Explore the parks there.  Something.  Anything.  Then drive another few hours, stop, and sleep.  Then again, explore, eat, shop.  Then on Sunday afternoon drive home.  Like I said it doesn't need to be anything big.  I will settle for that.  My dream is to drive down a country road, with country music blaring, in good company, and put my feet out the window, just like they do in movies.  I am rather short, so my feet might not actually reach all the way out the window, but hey it's worth a shot.  So that is what I would do if I could.  I would do it now, or in a few months, or years.  Maybe over and over again.  That is my dream.  That is the one thing I want to happen to me.  I can start slow with a little road trip.  I hope to eventually do a cross-country trip.  One day.  One day it will happen.  So what is it that you want to do?  What is the one thing you dream of doing?  Do you have that in your mind?  Okay, so now what is stopping you from doing it?  Do not say money or time.  You can save little by little and time can always be made.  Those are excuses.  I do not take excuses.  So get up and do what you want.  Life is short.  Grab the bull by the horns and go for it.  Do what you want to do.  Cause one day, before you know it, it will be too late.  Grab some friends, a loved one, or a family member and go for it.  Do what you want and do it now!

Fighting the fight.

Life will throw you a curve ball when you least expect it.  It will see you are happy and want to destroy you.  There will be times when you get knocked down on your knees but there is only one thing you can really do. You need to just get right back up.  You might be a little beaten and bruised, but time will heal all wounds.  Just brush yourself off and hold your head high.  The only way life can defeat you is if you let it.  So DON'T let it.  Fight.  Fight long and fight hard.  Sometimes you are lucky enough to have people there to help you get through the tough times.  Remember those people.  Those people are your true friends.  They are the ones that you can turn to in your times of trouble.  But remember that everyone fights a fight at some time.  Make sure you are there for them too when they need someone to lean on.  Everyone goes through tough times.  The only question is are you going to let life knock you down or are you going to fight?


Some inspirational songs to get you through the rough times :)

The truth.

Truth.  That one word holds so much meaning.  So much power.  Everyone banks on the truth setting them free or giving them what they want to hear.  One thing is for sure though, you should always tell the truth.  Telling the truth is way easier than trying to keep track of all your lies.  I mean you have to keep them in order and remember what lie you told what person.  That is just a lot of work.  Sometimes telling the truth will hurt another persons feelings, but wouldn't you rather have someone hurt you instead of lie to your face?  Sometimes I do not want to tell the truth because I know that I will embarrass myself, but in the end I know the truth is the best thing to say.  So yeah the truth might embarrass you, or hurt you, or hurt someone else, but it is one million times better than lying.  So tell the truth because it is the greatest thing you can do for you and everyone around you.  I am a strong believer in telling the truth.  I have been hurt a lot by lies, so I just do not stand for them anymore.  Just to prove it, I give permission to anyone who reads this to ask me anything they want.  I will promise to give you 100% truthful, honest answers.  So take advantage of this.  I will not dodge one question asked.  Call me, text me, message me, email me.  Write me a letter and send it in the mail (but don't cause that is kind of weird...).  So do it, I dare you.  I just hope you are prepared for the truth.

Slightly obsessed.

So I have started watching the show Smash and there is one song that they sing mid-season called 'Who You Are'.  I may possibly be slightly obsessed with this song.  I have no shame what-so-ever admitting this. The song is basically about a person who feels like they are not good enough for anything.  They beat them self up and wonder if what they are doing is right.  They care if people will approve of them.  


Brushing my hair, do I look perfect?I forgot what to do to fit the mold, yeahThe more I try the less it's working,'Cause everything inside me screamsNo, no, no, no, no 

Then they realize that it is okay not to be perfect.  

It's okay not to be okaySometimes it's hard to follow your heartBut tears don't mean you're losingEverybody's bruisingThere's nothing wrong with who you are

That in the end they will be alright.  Everything will work itself out.  It talks about how you should not lose yourself trying to please others.  As long as you are okay with yourself then nothing else matters.  So I guess what I'm saying is if you are having an off or rough day, listen to this song.  It will make you feel a million times better.  It will tell you that what you are doing is perfect.  Sometimes things are harder than expected, but if you just be yourself, everything will work itself out.  So do not worry.  It might be difficult now, but things will get easier for you.  I promise.  

So many feelings.

I have spent the last hour writing and rewriting this post.  I have changed topics over and over again.  Yet nothing seems to work.  I write, delete, and repeat.  I do not want to get too personal nor do I want to lecture.  I just want to talk.  To express myself.  I know people read this.  They tell me they do.  Plus I have something that tells me how many people read this.  It is a little intimidating at times seeing how may have viewed my posts, knowing that they read and judge what I say.  So being too personal just feels weird since there are people I do not know viewing this.  Then again, this is my blog.  So can't I get as personal as I want?  On one hand I want to, on the other I feel it would turn out bad and I shouldn't.  I want to say things but I do not even know how to express them.  How do I talk about my personal life without people knowing I am talking about them?  Granted sometimes I feel it would be easier to communicate with people through here but then again I would just be torturing myself knowing that what I am saying is about them.  Eventually I will get personal.  I know I will.  But to gradually ease into that style of writing will be hard.  So yeah, this post is of me rambling.  I'm sorry you wasted time reading this, but then again thanks.  It means a lot knowing you did.  If you have any ideas of what I can talk about, text me.  Or call me.  Or comment.  Something. Please.  

Teardrops fall.

A teardrop. A simple ball of water that falls from the corner of your eye.  How can something so simple show so much emotion?  This teardrop can be caused by any number of things.  Laughter, sadness, sleepiness; they all can cause a tear.  It does not matter if you have everything together, one slip and a tear falls.  Trust me when I say that once one falls, it is like a waterfall.  Sadness can bring them on.  These tears though are painful ones.  You gasp for air, your throat gets tight, and your lip quivers.  It is one of the worst feelings in the world.  Then you get the tears from being tired.  You yawn and suddenly your eyes water.  The next thing you know a tear is released from your tear duct.  You try to catch it but you miss it.  Then someone asks you if you're upset.  You awkwardly respond you're just tired.  They do not believe you and the rest of the time with them has a feeling of awkwardness surrounding it.  And finally my favorite reason to cry: through laughter.  You laugh so hard that you cannot help but cry.  These tears though are tears of happiness.  You embrace them.  You let them flow.  Cause deep down you love the way that you can laugh and cry at the same time.  Whether it is a friend or family member, when they make you laugh that hard a newer connection is formed.  It is a great feeling to know that for once these tears are good tears.  So yeah, while some tears come from pain, and others from sleepiness, the best come from laughter.  So cry often, but make sure it is from pure joy and nothing else. 

Let them speak.

Everyone talks.  Everyone speaks.  Sometimes they talk about important things.  Other times they talk about you.  Maybe what they say is good and maybe what they say is bad.  But one thing is for sure; you will be more consumed by the bad then the good.  You know what though?  You shouldn't be.  People will talk about you and say bad things.  But what they say cannot hurt you if you do not let it.  So stop listening to the bad and only listen to the good.  People will talk low of you for one reason only:  they are jealous of you.  You live the life that they want.  You do what they can only dream of.  They talk because they want your life, not because they hate it.  Hold your head up high and keep that smile on your face.  Never let anything anyone says get the best of you.  If at the end of the day you are happy with your life, then that is all that matters.  Not what other's say or what they do.  All that matters is what you do and how you feel.  So yeah, let them speak...

Slightly delusional and not a care in the world.

It's 2:30 in the morning and I am the only one awake.  That means one thing and one thing only:  I am left alone with my thoughts.  If there is one thing I hate, it is that and solely that.  I am not sure about other people, but when I get left alone with them, it almost never ends well.  I tend to manipulate things people have said or done into something horrible that is a complete 180 of what they meant.  It is what I do.  A flaw you could say.  Well a big flaw.  I cannot help it.  I try to fight the feeling but it is still there pulling at me.  Insisting that I give in.  Minute by minute I try to fight it because I know what will happen if I cave into it.  Pain, sadness, guilt, regret.  All from manipulating one little thing.  One word.  One sentence.  Change it and everything else someone says changes.  It's a horrible flaw.  One I am trying to fix.  Every time I am alone and have to fight the urge and win, it is a little accomplishment.  A little pat on the back.  Every battle I win is just the encouragement I need to fight the next one.  Fight harder than I did the time before.  Cause you cannot give up on the fight.  Once you give up it is hard to get back up.  So I guess what I'm saying is, if you have a battle to fight, whether is be a flaw, psychological issue, or just a personal demon, do not give up.  It will take time, but eventually you will find your way.  I promise.  If at first you don't succeed, try again.

So long, farewell.

Well today I spent my last day of the best vacation of my life out and about having fun.  These two weeks have gone by way to fast.  I am not sure how it happened but it did.  It slipped by and I am not happy.  I do not want to leave.  Give me another week, please!  Although, I can say that I have never had as much fun in my life as I did.  I cannot thank enough everyone who made it memorable and perfect.  Basically it was two people, but between the two of them they did a pretty damn good job.  There was never a dull day between shopping, Summerfest, mini road trips, weddings, and food.  Cause lets be honest, a vacation is not good unless you have good food.  The best part is that most of the food I ate was homemade and that somehow makes it taste 100x better.  Boy do I love food.  Anyways, without these two wonderful people to entertain me I would have gone crazy.  So thank you to the both of you for everything.  It's upsetting knowing that I am going to leave here in less than fourteen hours and not be back for a while.  Hopefully I can come up for a weekend before school starts because I am going to miss this place so much.  It's a bittersweet goodbye since I'm leaving friends to go home to some.  But why make life easy when it can be difficult?  So for now I'll cry my sorrows away into a pillow, wake up, put on a happy face, and try to make it another day until I am back in the place I love with people who enjoy my company.  So adios Milwaukee.  Be back soon.

If you read this entire post I will be impressed.

So what do you do when your mind is blank and you have nothing to blog about?  Well you talk about how you have nothing to talk about.  Maybe I should not wait until 1:35 in the morning to write it, but hey, I was busy.  I have a social life.  *insert shock here*  I was out with friends at Summerfest.  It was amazing.  It was a little too hot and sweaty for my liking but when that was pushed aside, the night could not have been better.  Saw Mat Kearney and was introduced to the band Young the Giant.  They were actually pretty good and I might have to go and listen to some more of their songs.  I realized tonight that it is okay to be introduced to new things.  That trying out new things is not as bad as it sounds.  It could be scary at first.  But eventually you get used to it.  It can become a wonderful thing or experience that you almost begin to wonder how you ever survived without it.  This not only applies to music but to other things in life as well.  What they are is all up to you.  But do not ever be afraid to try something.  Cause even if you do not like it or it turns out bad, at least you can say you gave it a try.  I know this post is a little all over the place, but it's late, I'm tired and my mind is currently running in a million directions replaying the events of tonight.  So I guess this is goodnight world, or if you are reading this in the morning, than good morning.  My name is Stacy O'Neill and I am about to pass the fuck out!

Did I really just do that?

Woke up this morning with the intent to do one thing and one thing only: watch fireworks.  Well that changed real quickly.  Before I knew it I was getting ready and being shuffled out the door.  To where?  The gun range.  Yes you read that correctly, the gun range.  Successfully shot a couple targets and overall had a wonderful time.  After that I came back and napped.  Apparently shooting takes a lot out of you.  At least I now have some experience under my belt.  Although I'm not sure if I was ever in trouble if I would be able to shoot the person attacking me.  But anywho, woke up just in time for a wonderful home cooked meal.  I have never enjoyed a meal so much.  It was delicious.  After that it was time to relax, sit back with a drink, and watch the fireworks.  They were the ones on tv so that was a little disappointing.  I didn't have anyone to go with me so there really was not much I could do.  Oh well, I'll get over it. Eventually...  Well at least today I shot a shotgun.  Next up: a rifle.  

Shell casings from the shotgun.

And then I died...

Two words: Gavin DeGraw.  *insert gasp/moan here*  For girls he is the most delicious eye candy in the world.  For guys, he is what they want to be.  For me, he is the man that always has a song for how I feel.  I was lucky enough to be graced by his presence tonight.  I was feeling a little down and well, his music made me feel all better.  He has a way with his words and his voice that can take you out of reality and put you in this zone.  You have no cares in the world except to listen and focus on him.  My mood was instantly lifted for the concert.  It was amazing.  There were fireworks in the background for most of the concert, and since we all know I love fireworks, it was pretty spectacular.  Between Gavin and the fireworks it was such a wonderful night.  Even the heat was pretty bearable.  Then I came home and ate.  So much food was consumed.  Then I died.  Because it was such an amazing night.

How close I was to Gavin DeGraw.

The fireworks in the background.

Monday Funday.

That awkward moment when you think something is autocorrected but really it's spelled like that.  Let's just say that was basically how this entire day went.  At least it was a girl's day.  That made it better.  Grocery shopping = huge fail.  Our cart was full of cookies, poptarts, organic chocolate milk, donuts, and nail polish.  We were the definition of college students.  Lunch consisted of ice cream.  S'mores ice cream to be exact.  Came back, took a nap, ate food.  Basically living the dream.  The night ended with the Brewers baseball game.  Who doesn't love a bunch a men in tight pants.  If you don't, well then your just crazy.  Go check yourself into a mental institution right now.  I'm not kidding, do it.  Luckily for me the Brewers won and it was celebrated by a round of fireworks.  And I love fireworks a lot, so clearly I celebrated a little more than the other people.  Ended the night on a great note with food, movies, and a little more bonding time with my friend.  The night is still young my friends, so who knows what else I will decide to do...

Our seats.

The celebratory fireworks :)

Weekend Warriors!

I have always watched movies and have said to myself "God do I wish I could have as much fun as them."  After this weekend I feel like it could've been straight out of a movie.  Maybe I didn't do anything extreme, but I did a lot of lounging, games, and straight up had a great time.  For the first time ever I played Risk, the board game.  Let's just say I found my new favorite game.  Who would not love total world domination?  I know I do.  Well honestly I would just be happy if I could own Australia, which I did.  So all and all I was happy.  The next day I baked a chicken.  Like a full chicken.  Okay maybe I didn't bake it and a friend did, but still I watched him do everything.  That counts as something right?  Just kidding, but not really...  Finished the night by sitting on the beach, watching a sand volleyball game, and having the sun set behind me.  It was not too hot and not too cold.  It was a perfect end to a perfect weekend.  It helped that I spent it with people who liked me.  One person in particular made this weekend great and memorable and those memories will stay with me for a long time.  Summer 2012 you have yet to disappoint me.