day two.

DAY TWO

the meaning behind your blog name

well, for starters, it's my actual name. i've always thought my name was short and sweet. plain and simple. and this blog is about me, right? and also, i just couldn't really think of anything creative enough to call my blog. and the "this is the story of girl" part is, as most of you might know, a song by Nine Days called "Story of a Girl". The girl in the song doesn't really describe me, but I am a girl. And this is my story, in a sense of the word. So, hence...my blog was born.

enjoy. :]

list.

so, recently i came across a list. it's a checklist of sorts that spans about a month.

each day...well, i'll let you read for yourself.

day 1- recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself
day 2- the meaning behind your blog name
day 3- a picture of you and your friends
day 4- a habit that you wish you didn't have
day 5- a picture of somewhere you've been to
day 6- favorite super hero and why
day 7- a picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you
day 8- short term goals for this month and why
day 9- something you're proud of in the past few days
day 10- songs you listen to when you're happy, sad, bored, hyped, mad
day 11- another picture of you and your friends
day 12- how you found out about blogger and why you have one
day 13- a letter to someone
day 14- a picture of you and your family
day 15- put your ipod on shuffle: first 10 songs that play
day 16- another picture of yourself
day 17- someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why
day 18- plans/dreams/goals you have
day 19- nicknames you have and why you have them
day 20- someone you love
day 21- a picture of something that makes you happy
day 22- what makes you different from everyone else
day 23- something you crave for a lot
day 24- your last five facebook status'
day 25- what i would find in your bag
day 26- what do you think about your friends
day 27- why are you doing this 30 day challenge
day 28- a picture of you from last year and now, how have you changed since then?
day 29- in this past mont, what have you learned
day 30- your favorite song

so, i'm gonna try this! we'll see what you learn about me, and what i learn, too. here goes nothin'...

DAY ONE.

15 interesting facts about Kara Ann Forsey

1. I just got a pretty drastic haircut. Today, actually.

2. I'm addicted. To peanut butter.

3. I'm a college student at BYU. ...yeah, it still feels weird to say that.

4. I'm actually excited for the snow. That'll probably change when I have to start walking up that huge hill in it, though.

5. I love college.

6. I can't believe I'm almost half-way through my freshman year. Crazy.

7. I'm actually pretty shy.

8. My favorite color is yellow.

9. I kinda wish I had a southern accent. Everyone here asks me why I don't have one.

10. I like to smell good, and my large accumulation of perfume and lotion reflects that.

11. I don't feel as old as I am.

12. I love to sleep and appreciate naps now more than ever.

13. I miss my boom doggle.

14. I miss summer more than anything.

15. I'm way excited to go home for Christmas. I miss home.

touched.

I'd like to share a story my friend told me...I hope he doesn't mind. :]

"I handed my dad the rolls of film to take for development. They had been sitting on my dest for a month now and it was high time to hand them off. A great sense of anticipation had built in me, just to see what I had shot. Robbed of the simplicity of reviewing shots on the camera's LCD, I had reverted to the impatient child within me.

A few hours later, I went and visited my grandparents and went to pick up the film. As I approached the counter, I could sense the wide eyed reaction of the man working the counter didn't mean good news.

His first words were "I had some questions about your film. I've never seen anything like it." I had hoped that he had complemented my skills, but no such luck. As I reviewed the prints, I was horrified by the green tint and ruined photos. I used expensive Fuji Velvia film, custom ordered, so I knew that it couldn't be the issue.

Turns out the airheaded college kid running the counter had neglected to realize that he had used the wrong chemicals on my film...A simple mistake- but one that was hard to confuse considering the recipe for the film was on the outside of the cannisters I had turned in. I took the ruined photos...and left, biting my tongue and resisting tearing into him.

The photos I had shot on that roll were simultaneously meaningless and essential. I would stand to lose no money from this, but I was far more upset that these shots had been blown than any other photos I've taken.

As I flipped through, I noticed that one photo had turned out perfectly fine.

There's no reason that this photo should look the way it does. The rest are green and ruined, not even usable-seriously. But this one is as close to a perfect photo as I've made, and I truly and fully believe that.

It's attached."

i remember the night this picture was taken. my friend was using his film camera and wanted to get one shot. i had to "act natural". i am not a model. i honestly wasn't sure the picture would even look good. i'm touched that i could be part of this small little "miracle". my friend later went on to say...."One of my favorite photographers, Ansel Adams, once said "If you make one or two good photographs in a year, then you've been successful." so while blowing the rest of the rolls isn't great, i guess this is a lesson in being happy with what you do have."

that couldn't get more relevant to my life. i'm at a point where i need to be happy with what i do have, content with the effort i put in things, accepting of the things i can't change, and pleased with the outcome of knowing i've done my best. easier said than done, right? i honestly believe you can be happy if you live by that. i worry too much. but what i've come to realize is i have so much to be grateful for and so much that i am blessed with. and sometimes things turn out the way they're supposed to, even when you expect them not to. and regardless of what happens in the course of my life, i'll be fine by knowing that.

tender little mercies.

where'd the time go?

ever heard that song from greece? you know...

"summer lovin', had me a blast...summer lovin', happened so fast..."

that song was written about me...well, minus the actual "love" part.

recently, i've thought about summer a lot. and how amazing it was.

the decision i made to come out here early was one of the best things i've done.

i met so many amazing people who i'm sure will stay in my life for years to come.
and i rekindled friendships that i know will last till time ends. :]

<---this girl. andrea sarah hoffman. we met over four years ago at the magical place, EFY. i find it amazing, yet i'm not surprised, that we've stayed such good friends over the years. i knew when we met that we'd stay friends for sure. and just by chance she happened to be going to school at BYU this summer. it wasn't hard for us to become such good friends again. i owe her SO much. she introduced me to so many great people, and i have her to thank for some of the great friends i have now. i will forever treasure and never forget the manyyyy late night conversations about school, future, family, boys and life in general. she is such a good example to me and we are so alike in so many ways and i really consider her one of my best friends, for sure. she's so smart and wise and i think making some of the decisions i had to make this summer would've been a lot harder if she wasn't there. and sadly, she isn't here now. she's living it up at BYU hawaii. i know she loves it there, but i realllllllly hope she'll come back to Utah soon. our planned out "future" is gonna be so much fun, and i can't do it without you! [this is now my public plea to get you to come back. ;) ] but seriously, i LOVE ;] this girl. and miss her dearly. if you don't know her, you would definitely wish you did.



my favorite beautiful asian! alycia kayli ikegami. i love, love, love this girl. we met for the first time at PF Changs this summer. she is hometown friends with andrea, and so through her our friendship blossomed! she is a wonderful cook, has fantastic style, is so fun and easy to talk to and is an amazing friend. i missssss her. she is definitely included in mine and andrea's "future" plan. one day, we are going to live together and she is gonna cook me delicious asain food and it's going to be amazing. she's living in virginia attending southern virginia university. but hopefully, after enough convincing [along with andi] i can get her to move back. :] i love our skype dates and really am so glad that i got to know her so well this summer. she's definitely one of my best friends. loveeee you. :]

mallory, ryan, bryan, donnovan, john, julius, brittany, meghan, yuki, andrew, stephen, and sooo many more. all of these people have had an impact in some way on my life and i truly am grateful for each one of them in one way or another. coming to utah this summer and meeting all of these people has been one of the smartest things i've ever done.

i'll never, never forget this summer.

:D

take time to realize.

"when there's something you really want, fight for it. don't give up no matter how hopeless it seems. and when you've lost hope, ask yourself if you're gonna wish you gave it just one more shot. the best things in life don't come free."

this week has been hard. this week has been stressful. this week has been long. this week has been tiring.

HOWEVER

this week has been enlightening. this week has been full of realization. this week has been fun. this week has taught me a lot.

it's amazing what you can learn about yourself and others if you actually pay attention. becoming more acquainted with myself and the people around me is definitely one of my present goals. letting your guard down around people you don't know is hard, it's necessary, i think, if you want to grow and nourish friendships. what's harder, i've come to realize, is figuring out how wrong you can be about yourself. but in reality you know the truth all along. trying to convince yourself of something that just won't work is counter-productive. accepting reality is something i've been struggling with lately. but just recently, i figured it out. i figured out what i was missing. i figured out how right everyone else was. i figured out that there's a time and place for everything and everyone. i figured out me...sorta. :]

ladies and gentlemen, college is hard. and scary, to boot. but what's more pertinent than that is that i love it at the same time. yeah, there are 800 people in my american heritage class. and sure, i don't really understand the special theory of relativity right now. but guess what? i'm okay with that. i'm figuring it out. i'm figuring me out. i'm developing habits, or attempting at this point, that i know are going to benefit me in the best way possible. i've started listening to instrumental music when i read for my Living Prophets class. it's magical. :] Jenny Oaks Baker is an amazing violinist and does covers of a bunch of the hymns. so really, when i read the Conference talks for my class, i'm feel like i'm getting a doubly spiritual experience. it's great and i love it.

life lately.

it's been quite a while since i've done a post. partly because of my new and crazy schedule.

[thank you, college.]

seven things that have come to my attention or that are worth mention...

1. i'm a college student now. [yeah, i know...weird.]

2. there are 30, 000 students at BYU. sometimes i feel like i'm swimming in an ocean with a bazillion other fish. especially in my biggest class which has a whopping 800 people.

3. provo is just as beautiful as ever. and it's starting to get cooler. ahhh, fall. :]

4. i got to see John Mayer in concert last week. he is a musical genius. and amazing live.

5. i went home to tennessee for the labor day weekend, along with my other brothers and sisters, to surprise my wonderful and amazing mother for her 50th birthday. and trust me, she was surprised.

6. i have the coolest, most beautiful, amazing little neice ever. yeah, you can be jealous. :]

7. i'm back at school now and i feel like i've been gone a century, and that i missed a lot this weekend, and that no one knows me anymore...yeah, i gotta work on that.

but, hey! college is fun. college is cool. college is a party.

but i also am really enjoying learning. even though i sometimes dread getting up for class, college classes are so different from anything i've experienced. we'll see how all that pans out after my first visit to the testing center. ;]

BIG day.

the grand essentials of happiness are:

something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.

-allan k. chalmers-

that is totally me right now.
i'm definitely about to be doing a lot.
i'm for sure loving everything and everyone i've been coming in contact with lately...or at least trying. ;]
and i have so much to hope for.


tomorrow is a big, big day. it's one of those days i've looked forward to for so long. tomorrow i'm moving into my college dorm. i'm officially going to be a college girl. when i was a little girl, i would imagine this day over and over. i would think about how cute my dorm would look and how nice my roommate would be. [and both of the previously mentioned are for sure true.] it's such a fun feeling getting to have your own space and make it you. and being somewhat independent is nice, too. i've been kind of living out of living out of boxes for the past two months. so to be officially moved into a space will be soooo nice.

wish me luck!

things.

i miss my best friend.

i miss home.

i miss the piano, like actually sitting down and playing the piano.

i miss Boomer.

i miss the park and movies with my friends.

i miss my momma's home cooked meals.

i miss my old bed.

i love Utah.
i love the weather.
i love the shooting stars.
i love the beautiful sunsets.
i love the people i've met and the friends i've made.
i love being [somewhat] independent.
i love BYU.
i love the Utah random but amazing thunderstorms.

i can't wait for college. i can't wait to meet new people. i can't wait to learn new things. i can't wait to have some of the best times of my life. i can't wait to be enlightened. i can't wait to experience. i can't wait to actually be occupied by a regular schedule. i can't wait to be happier than i am now. i can't wait to live.

change.

So if there's moral to it, I would say that you can't be afraid to give your best, even when everyone tells you that you can't and all the odds are against you. When things seem to be rolling in your favor, that is when you must decide carefully, and go steadily and straight in the direction of your truest potential. There will always be the few that stand out against many. And in that case, especially you.
-Kuan

these next two weeks are going to be different.

things are changing, and i haven't decided how i feel about it yet.

...but for now, i'm looking forward to this weekend...

:D

quote of the day.

Even if we don’t have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them.

-THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER BY STEPHEN CHBOSKY

it's been a weird/long day.

i have the sniffles.

it's been raining off and on for the past three days.

[the lightning is beautiful.]

i start school officially in 25 days.

i got to see my parents for the first time in a month last week. :]

summer term is about to end, and i'm going to miss my friends a lot. :[

i had some really amazing french toast this morning from kneaders bakery. yumm.

i haven't watched a movie lately without falling sleep.

i think i'm getting my hair cut tomorrow? bangs?