can we just talk about how stressed I am right now, because maybe that would help.

but really. never did i imagine that i would be so busy that i wouldn't have time for revenge. #priorities. also, never did i think that i would have so many good friends that i would have to balance my time between them all and it would distract me from homework. its a good thing, but i also hate it. its like i'm still that toddler that won't go to sleep in her room because i'm afraid that i'm missing out. yep mom, i guess i'll always be like that. and then there's this thing called work. don't get me wrong, making money is the biggest blessing i've ever had at school, but having to balance a professional work life on top of everything else is an ongoing adjustment that i'm still trying to make. speaking of adjustments, i guess i kind of date now.  i don't know how it happened, and it probably will stop soon (because it seems to be something that comes and goes in spurts), but that also has been added to my plate. and how i'll ever become good at letting down those boys that are so nice but just not my type, is a mystery to me. because sometimes i would rather be let down by the guys that i like than have to tell one more softie that i just want to be friends. actually, i take that back. but i guess that regardless of what i want to have happen, my life is just always going to stay this busy and probably only get busier. i promise that the complaining won't get worse. at least not publicly. oh an let me admit that today i skipped class to do homework.  shouldn't that not be how it goes? SLOW DOWN ON THE HOMEWORK TEACHERS!

another letter to my best friend,

dear best friend,

when i wait for the elevator, i still say "in case of fire, use stars". and i still feel like i'm funnier than i really am when i say it. and sometimes when i leave the library to walk home, i still get worried that the alarm will go off.  do you remember that time that i absolutely nailed an irish accent? it was probably like 3 in the morning and we were living in carriage, and for a whole hour i spoke nothing but perfect irish. i'm still disappointed that i've never been able to ever again. also, i look back and realize that we watched ten tv shows last fall and i honestly don't know how we did it. do you? speaking of, are you watching smallville? i really hope you are. yesterday i wanted hot chocolate so bad i almost drove to IF for a good cup of it. you would have done that with me, wouldn't you? sometimes i want to snapchat you and ask what i should wear tomorrow-especially on sundays. you know that tights throw me off. i also always want to snap you funny lines, but you don't have sound, so you should get a heytell and i will too. sometimes i miss that we would argue about if peeta or gale is better and i wish that we were going to the midnight premiere together. i'm not even going at midnight and i feel like a failure. i also miss when i wanted to go get something out to eat and i could just look at you and you'd know what i was thinking. its called telepathy. have i told you that i'm planning on going to paris before my grandma gets too old?  she wants me to take a picture in front of the eiffel tower just like her mother did, and i decided i want to do it. and that made me want to tell you, because you love paris so much. i'm also working on something for you. its a surprise for a certain thing and that's all i'll say about that. lastly, i miss when we would have "days". like bon days or audrey days or gossip girl days. again, its telepathy at its finest and i miss that and that we were so much the same. please give me an excuse to come visit soon....*cough* *cough*

el

hello monday. and hello fall.

guys, one direction released one of their singles and it is so good. seriously, its on repeat.
i went to the haunted straw maze again over the weekend and i wasn't even scared. turns out using the 'keep your left hand on the wall' trick actually works.
i watched the walking dead for the first time ever last night and i wasn't even scared. who am i??
today is monday and it hit me in the face. but oddly, now that its 9 o'clock at night, it feels like tuesday.
its midterms week and there's a lot to do. so this will be fun.
i met brooks forester last weekend and he told me, "elsa, you have the best hair i've seen all night!" #marryme
halloween is on thursday and i don't have a costume. or a reason to wear one. i need to fix that.
i took a look at how many weeks are left in the semester and panicked a bit. i have no idea why i did.
yesterday we talked about opposition in things, and it made me grateful for all the bad things.
i love that my hair matches the trees in the fall time.
i also love that my hair matches a certain other person's hair.
it might snow this week and i'm ok with that as long as its past october 31st. welcome to small college town. weather expectations=low.
remember what i said about choosing to be happy? well, i am. and i love it.

i love the merrills

Last weekend while i was at home, my good friend carrie asked if I could take their family pictures and I was so excited! I love this family - there are all so great and I'm glad that I could call them each my friends.  The leaves were beautiful and so was the day.  Aren't they just so cute?

Also, I don't know if you all knew, but this little girl is four and she is my best friend. Isn't she so stinkin' adorable?

it might be 1:00 am, but its still monday until i go to bed

do you remember how we had a cake party last winter? and do you remember that it was a big night for us all?  last night, we had another cake party and it was probably one of the best things thats happened in a while. like, i'm ready to have another cake party next weekend, because STUFF HAPPENED!
i went home over the weekend and watched my brothers while my parents were out of town. i love being with my brothers.
i started going to the gym again. wahoo for me!
i am now two episodes behind on revenge and i don't even know when i have time to catch up. ugh.
there are some days that i go to sleep and think that i was probably the most myself i ever could have been, and i smile because it was just so darn good. that was yesterday.
i can't get one way or another (teenage kicks) out of my head lately.
i waited three whole weeks for a letter from someone, and once I got it, I realized I didn't really need it. that's how i know i've moved on.
i saw that movie, the way way back, and it was probably one of the funniest and best things i've seen lately.
so there's this thing with neon lately...
i got a new nail polish and its makes my nails look like pennies. its awesome.
i took family pictures for my family friends and they are so adorable.
i love the crisp fall idaho weather.

for those that deal with creativity

when i am feeling plain, dull, and like nothing good can come form my fingers again, 

i remember this. 

it may be 20 minutes long, but it is so very brilliant. 

today is tuesday

i have so much to tell you.
my life has hit this stage where it is running and i am hastily trying to keep up with it.
i've been practicing my video skills by working on a little project from summer trips and i am in love.
it also makes me want to go back to europe very very badly.
i went on a date last weekend to the haunted straw maze and it was probably the funnest thing of my life, even though i don't think i'd go with him again. did i mention that it was the guy that i put my number on his car? 
sometimes i really want it to be thanksgiving already. i just love good pie.
there's a new trailer for this movie called monuments men and it looks fantastically awesome.
downton abbey is absolutely killing me right now.
i met the greatest person i've probably ever met to only never see them again. #timingsucks
i'm making my roommates watch all of the harry potters with me for the next month and its probably the greatest thing ever.
i've made a habit of falling asleep on my textbook when i study in the library in the afternoons.
some days, i go to sleep and i honestly don't know i did it that day.
i have decided to be happy. because it is good for my health.

oh, um, hey. long time no see.

so, yes, its true. i have neglected this blog, because hey-i'm at school and i'll be darned if i don't do my homework and have a productive social life. and to be honest, both of those things have kept me mighty busy. so my guilt for not having blogged coupled with my complete lack of motivation (i blame the red devil) has made me decide to catch you up on my life via snapchats that have been saved to my phone, and the promise of a real blog post tomorrow. enjoy.

its an intense thing to do in the dark at 1 in the morning

that was a rough day.

i send funny snapchats in the morning

we like friends

yep. i went the whole month without soda. boo ya!

a little shoot

last week we found a field that was green

and seeing as those don't stay that green for that long around these parts, 

we decided to take the opportunity of it. 

and p.s.-

i looooove those first two pictures.

guatemala

i find myself forgetting this trip and these experiences from time to time and it makes me panic.

because when i was 17 and went on this kind of a trip for the first time, i never really turned back.

in more ways than one, i had tasted the world and with it, came the unquenchable need to keep experiencing it. and also, with it, came the desire to always explore those that i could learn from. because that is the truth of these kinds of trips-the benefit always returns to you greater than you gave. of all the things, i remembered this today. when we had first interacted with the people of the cloud forest region in the mountains of guatemala, i was drenched with sweat and then caked in dust. while we had a short hour with a small branch for church, we had to leave and continue our way up the mountains to our mayan like destination. one little girl followed me. and all she could say was my name. the barrier of languages didn't keep the message of her want for friendship. it was the sweetest and simplest thing that opened up my possibilities for the entire trip.

she is my friend that knew my name and thats all i really needed.