blessed

every night in my journal i write something i'm thankful for, and lately i've noticed a trend.. 

1. people

i'm thankful for people. 

for everyone. 

for my closest friends

for my family

for all the people in my life

every single person because i believe you can learn something from anyone

i'm thankful because i'm surrounded by the most amazing, genuine, inspiring people.

people who motivate me DAILY to become better, to make more out of my life, to follow my dreams.

people who remind me what life's really about, people who make laughter a constant in my life. 

that make coming home the highlight of my day. 

people to look up to.

i'm just thankful that the people god decided to put in my life are so magnificent. 

i wouldn't be who i am without them.

i wouldn't see life the same. 

i wouldn't live or love the way i do if it weren't for each and every person i meet

because everyone touches my life in someway 

and for that i'm thankful. 

2. beauty 

real, true, undeniable beauty:

twinkling lights, timeless pictures, sunsets, stars, flowers.  Falling leaves, colored clouds, moments of perfection in the sky when the mountains become silhouettes that look like paper cut outs, tall trees, shiny things. smiles. 

these things inspire me, in a way nothing else can, and they somehow make me want to be revolutionary. 

and for these things i'm thankful.. i feel blessed to have people and beauty in abundance in my life.  

life is too good to not be happy & forever grateful. 

xoxo

happy thanksgiving 

NOSTALGIA

tonight i'm feeling nostalgic--

my journals at my house and i'm not.. so the only thing i can think to do is blog. 

time goes by all too quickly. 

the things you think will stay forever suddenly are gone without you even realizing. 

it really is amazing how simple life used to be and how complicated it somehow becomes. 

hardships come and it's difficult to remember the simplicity and innocence of the life we had. 

it's a beautiful thing growing up and learning and living life in new ways. 

moving out and finding out what life is really about. 

but for me there's always a bitter aspect to accompany the sweetness.

a slight sadness thinking back and realizing that things will never ever ever be the same. 

that that was then and this is now and we will never get that time back. 

that friends come and go. 

people change. 

things change. 

people move on. 

things happen and you have to move on as well. 

the simplicity that once was is replaced with complications and over analysis and stress. 

the innocence that i so long for is corrupt by trials and hardships that are impossible to escape.

"remember the foot steps, remember the words said, i just realized everything i have is someday gonna be gone...its so much colder than i thought it would be... i wish i'd never grown up"

so what i take from this..

live EVERY moment. 

all of it..

the stress. 

the love. 

the laughter. 

the fights. 

the sadness.

the trials. 

the triumphs. 

the moments you feel infinite. 

the friends.

hold on to them. 

take in every moment.

breathe. 

take a moment to just sit.

to look and actually see

to admire the things around you that one day will be gone. 

don't wish away your life. 

live it. 

because one day you will look back and wish you could go back.

if you're always racing to the next moment, what happens to the one you're in? 

ENJOY THE RIDE.

april 9, 1993 an angel was born

my best friend. 

sophie rose barton. 

happy birthday soph!!

i honestly am so so lucky to have you in my life. 

thank you for always being a part of my life! 

you are the most beautiful person in the world. 

inside and out. 

thank you for being the most amazing example to me and teaching me that life is about being happy and crazy and loud.

about loving each moment and living to the fullest. 

thanks for going after your dreams and teaching me that its okay to dream unrealistically big. 

to fly free.

thanks for being you and for being my best friend.

i hope you had the best birthday ever! 

i cannot wait to see you!! 

stay with me always. 

xoxo 

"will you take a moment promise me this, that you'll stand by me forever but if God forbid fate should step in and force us into a goodbye, if you have children someday when they point to the pictures.. please tell them my name. tell them how the crowds went wild, tell them how i hope they shine. LONG LIVE the walls we crashed through.. i had the time of my life with you" 

-t.swift 

<3 <3 <3 

APRIL 4TH.

DAY OF BIRTH

i didn't used to love birthdays.

all the attention. 

the hype. the letdown. 

...but this year was different. 

i absolutely LOVED my birthday. 

i woke up happy and excited and energetic. 

the entire day continued like that. 

so i decided why not wake up like that everyday! 

granted it's not easy when you have a test later in the day and you've been up all night studying or when you are dreading work later ..

but it's worth it!! 

it's always worth it

for the last 3 days of my 19th year i have woken up with with a smile on my face and thought 

"this is going to be a great day!" 

and guess what? it is.

these last 3 days have been some of the best all year. 

attitude is everything. 

last year one of my best friends wrote me a letter. 

she said

"on birthdays it's not about the actual day. it's about how far you've come." 

This changed my perception.  

this year i decided to look back at the last year of my life and see what i've accomplished and set goals of what i need to improve for my 19th year.

and the last thing that i loved this year was the letters and texts and cards and facebook notifications and emails and tweets.  

it's nice to have a day to remember that you are loved. 

to see that people are thinking about you. 

and that people care. 

it's fun to get those random "happy birthdays" from people you haven't talked to in years. 

to know that people notice the small things you do like smiling. 

birthdays are great. 

a day to reflect.

to rejoice. 

to be thankful. 

to set goals. 

to laugh. 

to share with the ones you love. 

and of course to eat eat eat.

<3 

2/14

...VALENTINES DAY... 

well... i'll be honest again.. not my favorite holiday. 

but there's a lot more to february 14th than simply chocolate & flowers. 

valentines is about LOVE. 

not the romantic/commercial way in which we see it.

no no this day is about something much more. 

this day is about the people who have changed your life.

the people who make you smile over nothing. 

the people who teach you every time you talk to them. 

people who you can talk to for hours and hours and never run out of things to talk about. 

people who you can trust. 

the people who trust you. 

the ones who make you laugh harder than anyone else.

the ones who let you cry on their shoulder. 

the people who you can be completely yourself around.

no guards up. 

the ones who you want to take everywhere because they're so much fun.

the ones who you could spend every second of every day with.

valentines is a day to remember the ones you love that you've lost. 

a day to celebrate the ones you still have. 

a day to hope. 

to hope for a love.

a love that consists of more than flowers and candy. 

the love we come to earth to find. 

the love that will make you feel like you never have before.

so although this day may feel lonely for some. remember that love is real.

LOVE IS LOVELY

no matter who.

everyone is capable of loving. 

so remember to always love.

not just on february 14. 

ALWAYS

xoxo

tbartonphotography

2012!

soo i'm a little late but.. HAPPY NEW YEAR!! 

i always think New Years Eve is a little overrated...it's definitely not my favorite night of the year.

but THE NEW YEAR on the other hand... i love!!

the new year.... 

it's a perfect beginning. a new start. a redo.

it's a time to put last year behind and get on with what YOU want. 

to follow YOUR dreams. 

to stop living someone else's life and start living YOURS. 

a time to live better. 

to start something new.

to perfect something old. 

to learn something about yourself.

to laugh a little harder and feel a little deeper. 

to mend broken relationships and start new ones.

to go somewhere unknown.

to visit the regular. 

to learn a little more. 

to hate a little less.

to give a little more.

to take a little less.

really its a time to try a little harder than last year. 

everyone wants a second chance. 

here ya go.. start today.

finish what you didn't last year.

start what you never did.

get rid of what you don't need.

get rid of greed.

live like you you have nothing to lose.

because..... you don't. 

live your life. 

theres no better day to start than today. 

do something you're scared of... it's called flying free

this is your year.. 2012 

xoxo