point and shoot

Since January, I've been taking a college course on digital photography. Although the first couple of weeks got cancelled because of snowstorms that only occurred on Mondays, my class has been a grand experience nonetheless. I have a Canon T3i, but I didn't know much about using it. Things like aperture and ISO always scared me from using my camera's manual settings. This class had been a huge help in this area. Having an amazing teacher and friendly classmates helps, too.

These are a few outtakes from my final assignment. I was supposed to take twelve images of a discrete item, place or idea using the techniques we learned through our previous assignments, and a friend of mine suggested that I do my record player. I'm proud of my photoset, and even some of the pictures I didn't use are some of the most beautiful pictures I've taken.

I've always been the family's go-to person for family portraits and postcard-worthy views, but during this period in which I'm taking my class, photography has fascinated me. It amazed me that I could turn a couch corner into a mountainous terrain, my knuckles into hills, stacks of paper into valleys. It convinced me that God took parts of nature and intertwined them into a human being, that we're made of microscopic landscapes and galaxies. I understand how crazy that sounds, but it makes me so happy.

oh hey guys

I haven't posted her in a while. I keep intending to post, making up post ideas, but I never get around to it. I love this blog and my readers, I promise.

A few things have kept me from posting:

+College classes. All that homework. Fortunately, I only have a few more classes left before the semester comes to a close. I'm already in the mood for summer.

+My health. One day, I will feel just fine, even pretty fantastic. The next day? My body freaks out on me and I spend most of the day in bed or on the couch. The unpredictability of my issues is becoming really hard and frustrating to keep up with.

+My mood. As a result of the second reason, my mood has been a little low lately. Crappy mood = lack of motivation = lack of posting.

In general, I've been busy and life's been crazy. I have spring break right now, so I'll have a lot of down time to be able to plan/post things.

I'll be looking forward to making new posts!

17 things I love

A photo posted by Rachel (@ineedadelorean) on Feb 14, 2015 at 6:38am PST

1. Having wonderful friends who give the best gifts and write the sweetest notes in my cards.
2. The stuff I got today, including freakishly long socks, a pink Polaroid camera, a ukulele, and lots of winter gear.
3. Pasta. I really love pasta.
4. Also, pancakes.
5. Vinyl records. It sounds so pretentious of me, but seriously, they sound beautiful,
6. Parents who pulled off a great birthday for me today.
7. Real Polaroid pictures. So much better than Instagram.
8. Ballet flats. I wear them 24/7.
9. Sweet potatoes. Mmmm.
10. Comfy flannels. Even if I only own one flannel shirt.
11. Siblings who share my enthusiasm in today's celebration.
12. Books. I love books.
13. Spotify. Stream every song ever created? Yes.
14. Thick, colorful scarves.
15. Notebooks. I own wayyyy too many notebooks.
16. Lara bars. Especially the peanut butter chocolate chip kind.
17. God. And all of the things and people he's put into my life.

I turned seventeen today. I spent it with great people and great food. Also, I can play a She & Him song on the ukulele now. Hallelujah.

the almost-college life

A photo posted by Rachel (@ineedadelorean) on Jan 23, 2015 at 4:53am PST

I took my first college class last Friday. In spite of my first-day jitters, it went well; the people there are friendly, the cafe area is cozy, and the library, albeit on the smaller side, has an amazing selection of books. I'm not sure what I should have expected of community college, but it's hard to not feel nervous about something you've never done before.

I will admit, I have this weird thing where I love taking classes. When I was fifteen and taking Driver's Ed, everyone else thought it was boring, but I enjoyed it thoroughly. I had an amazing driving instructor and I found driving to be fun and not as terrifying as I thought it'd be. The three hours I spent in a second-story classroom twice a week were some of the most peaceful and enjoyable hours I had to look forward to. That calm, easy yet productive environment seems to apply to the classes I'm taking.

I should probably mention that I'm not actually in college yet. I'm still just a high school junior. I'm doing dual enrollment at a local community college for the spring semester. I'm taking college compositions and digital photography. I've only had one of each class so far, but I enjoyed both of them. Yesterday's blizzard and today's cancellations have helped with getting all the homework done.

Honestly, I'm excited about this. It's a new thing, a fresh start for me. Goodness knows I've needed one of those for a long time.

to adapt {and to flourish}

Adapt was my word for 2014. Prior to then, my life had become sort of stagnant; mentally and physically, I was in a dark place as I processed the effects that living in a foreign country for half a year had on me while also sorting things out at home. On New Year’s Eve, I realized that I wanted things to change. I wanted to put the past behind me and move on with life. To Adapt became my goal as I approached the next year.

Looking back, my life changed so much. I attended more parties and events; I ate more fruits and vegetables and became less of a picky eater; I decided to see a counselor and some doctors about my physical issues and my depression and anxiety about life; and I did plenty of reading on social and political issues and made conclusions about my own personal beliefs. I decided to stop caring about what everyone else thought I should do or say and did things I enjoyed. My life isn't perfectly resolved, but I’m glad to say that I feel much more content than I did at this time last year.

My New Year’s Eve plans aren't very exciting - I plan to stay at home, eat food I like and miss the Ball Drop in Times Square for the third year in a row. I am totally okay with that.

I’m excited for what next year will be like. I’m turning seventeen this year, taking dual enrollment classes at a community college, and aiming to finally get my license (fingers crossed). What I hope to do next year includes:

+Making healthy eating and exercising a normal, routinely part of life

+Reading a lot more often - the Bible, fiction, nonfiction, memoirs and the like.

+Dabbling in many different types of art, such as photography and painting

+Developing my skills as a writer (hence this blog)

+Spending more time with the people I love

+Spending less time online

I want this year to be about more than just dealing with things. I want to make something of my life. I want to flourish. So that’s my word, my goal, for 2015. Flourish.    

baby we're the new romantics

Hey there, blogging world.

I dropped off the radar for a little while (mostly because blogger templates are the worst), but I actually started to miss blogging, so after finding a nice-looking template and some motivation, I've returned. Prepare yourselves.