Simply Shelby

At the end of 2012 I decided instead of making resolutions I would make a Bucket list instead. See original post  here.  I was super excited when last week I looked and I actually have accomplished some of the items on my list! Go me. Here's a wrap up of how I accomplished those goals:  1. Train and run a 5k. -This one I didn't do, sadly. I did go running in the spring, but then I injured my ankle and that kinda ruined this item on the list.  2. Climb a mountain.   -For FHE one week in the spring we decided to hike to Squaw Peak in Provo. We didn't make it to the peak, but we made it to the top of some mountain! I also hiked Y mountain a few times. 3. Take a dance class or go dancing. - Fall semester I actually had to take a dance class for my graduation requirements. I loved this class and had no idea it was on my bucket list. 4. Save a decent amount of money to buy something useful. - The most useful thing I bought this year was my college ...

I know this is a little soon, but my life is about to get 10x's crazier and I probably will forget to post this if I don't do it now. It's my goal to make a list of my favorite things from each year at the end of that year. I'm starting this year so this is a new thing for the blog. My favorite portion of this post are my favorite pictures from 2013, I clearly know how to take extremely unattractive pictures. Also, if you have any questions about any of my favorites let me know and I will share my love with you. So without anymore hesitation, here are my favorite things from 2013! Music: Fight- Lee DeWyze Where are you Now- Mumford and Sons Through the Dark- One Direction Kick Drum Heart- The Avett Brothers Food: Buffalo Chicken Pizza from Slab Pizza in Provo Smokin’ Apple BBQ in Lindon Brownies Clothes: Columbia Omni Heat Winter Coat Sorel Snow Boots Any shirt that has stripes Cheetah Print Flats Atoeyac Sandals J Crew Purple Pencil...

I feel somewhat selfish since it's the 24th of November and I haven't publicly been thankful for anything this month. You see all the FaceBook statuses and the Tweets and when you realize that you haven't been doing that you can't decide if that's a blessing or a curse. Sure, it saves everyone from having to constantly know what you're thankful for but it also doesn't help with the fact that 20 years from now I won't remember what I was thankful for in 2013. So without further adieu, here are 13 things of what I am most thankful for in 2013. 1. Family. At the end of the day if you don't have something worth fighting for than there really is nothing worth living for. I am thankful for my parents and their sacrifices, I am thankful for my brothers and their support, I am thankful for my Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents, and cousins who are always there when I need them and who show me loving support daily. 2. Good Health. This year has been a tough one fo...

Sunday is always the day of the week where I can really reflect on my life and where i'm at. It's my favorite day of the week and for that very reason I am extremely lucky. Considering November is halfway over I should probably tell the world about my October. October was an extremely hard month. I woke up one morning with terrible pains on the ride side of my stomach area. I thought that I had just slept on it wrong and that the pain would eventually go away. As the day dragged on the pain got worse and worse and I knew something was up. I woke up the next morning and immediately called the Student Health Center seeing when I could get an appointment. Since their earliest appointment was after lunch I rushed myself to the Urgent Care at the Health Center. I got in, talked with a doctor, and she decided that she thought I had appendicitis and that I should get lab work done immediately. After peeing in the cup (my least favorite thing in the world) and getting my blood drawn (f...

It's 9:30pm. I've never been so exhausted. It's Halloween and I didn't even dress up. Okay, I put on a mask for a couple of pictures but that was about as festive as I have been feeling today. College isn't for the weak. Most days I feel like I'm multitasking my life away and that's not an easy thing to do. On a positive note I ate a ton of treats today. I'm sure I'll/my butt will be feeling it tomorrow. I still haven't felt up to exercising since my kidney infection. It's mostly because of a fear that I'll start feeling crummy again and boy, that kidney infection took a lot out of me. I couldn't bear it happening again. I'll share the kidney infection story when I have more time, or when I decide I'm ready to relive the memories of that awful week again. Well, this is a pointless post, but I felt the need to share just a bit of my life. Love you all.

I can imagine that a lot of people contemplate their lives in places such as a car, the shower, on walks, or anywhere where the sense of being alone overcomes the feeling of belonging. Things happen in our lives that we can't control and that's a heavy burden that makes the world feel like it is hanging on our shoulders. We always hope for the best and we always mentally tell ourselves that when we wake up in the morning that everything will be better. Then you wake up and the reality hits that things are still the same and the things you wished that would change haven't changed at all. Where do you go from here? You may feel lost, you may feel confused, and you may feel angry. You'll hope for someone to confide in and that by telling everything to someone you'll feel better. Then you realize that there really is no one who you can talk to who will understand and the child-like need for a simple hug becomes stronger. I know I'm not the only one who has felt the ...

I've been all sorts of emotional this morning. It's homecoming week in my hometown and that was always my favorite time of the school year. I can remember the memories I made with friends that I hardly speak to now. I remember the laughter and the feeling of being young and lucky. Last night as some kids were going home from float building there was a tragic car accident and one sweet senior passed away. I didn't know that beautiful girl but I know people who did. She was a senior and in one instant everything changed. Others were injured and I can feel the somber mood of my hometown from over 2,000 miles away through the FaceBook posts, the tweets on twitter, and the articles news reporters have shared. The thing about being raised in a small town in the south is that no matter if you know someone or not, when tragedy happens you come together as a community. Teenagers at my old high school gathered this morning in our schools commons area and had a moment of silence follo...

It's 8pm. I've been up since 6:30am. I haven't eaten dinner yet and I have never felt more exhausted in my whole life. My roommates are gone and for 10 minutes or so I will have peace and quiet. Alone time- something I never thought I would crave as much as I do lately. Work has been stressful in more ways than one. 18 credit hours are proving to be a difficult task. My cousin is getting married next week and I'll be doing things "Wedding related" all weekend. I wish I could be excited but with 3 papers due at the beginning of next week I'm not quite sure how I'm going to manage everything on my to-do list. People are lucky if I decide to even do my hair when I wake up in the morning. Sleep is precious because it's the only time my mind doesn't have a million things on it so things like having a good hair day have become less important. Priorities. I should probably mention all my roommates are out doing fun things like institute or the BYU W...

I feel a constant need to be needed in a world where I have the hardest time asking for help. That might not make sense to anyone but me, but that's okay. The hardest part about life for me is accepting things I can't change. There is a line in my favorite hymn that says, "Silently we pray for courage to accept thy will, to listen and obey." I pray on a daily basis for courage to accept Gods will for my life. I pray to know the path I should be on and let myself go and let Him take control. This past Sunday in church one of the lessons was on letting Heavenly Father have control over our lives and that we should be okay when things don't work out the way we want them to. Heavenly Father has a plan for my life and he has a plan for your life. He knows the greatest path for our lives and He loves us enough to guide us in all that we do. He sent his son, Jesus Christ, to die for us so we would never be alone. Christ walked his path completely and utterly alone. He wa...

I despise moving. Today is moving day and I'm exhausted. It's only 9:42am. Gross. My life lately has been great. I am a lucky girl. I have had the chance to live with my aunt and uncle for 11 days. Bless their souls for letting me stay during "homeless week" in Provo. It has been the best 11 days. I love being around family and it's so nice to be in a home that's not an apartment or I'm paying rent. Things are just a calm normal. We eat dinner every day, we pray together every night, and we have Family Home Evening every Monday. It's been such a blessing. I have been a little bit domestic and made my own pillows even! I also cut my hair. It was time for a chance and I LOVE it! It's crazy to have short hair again.  I love technology. My family is so far away it's hard to get interaction that's not over the phone. Monday Cal was in Gainesville, My parents were at home, and I was in Utah. We did Google "Hangout"and were a...

I've been putting this blog off. Maybe it's because when I think about it I tend to get all emotional and stuff..but here we go despite my emotions. Last Sunday I reached my yeariversary (aka my one year anniversary) of living in Utah. Holy Smokes, people. A year ago when I left that small town in Florida I never knew what Utah had in store for me. All I knew was I had a dream to go to BYU and I was doing whatever it took to make it happen. Dreams are funny because when I got into BYU I realized that BYU was great and it was everything I wanted it to be, but it wasn't my only dream. I have learned that the world can be whatever I want it to be. People said when I left that I'd be married in a year, well that one sure didn't happen and I know without any shadow of a doubt that's okay! This year has been one of the most challenging years of my life. It was more challenging than High School romances and break ups, it was more challenging than anything I had ever fa...

I've had two Diet Coke's today. I guess I should probably tell you I had my first one at 10:30 this morning. It's been quite the long Monday. I normally don't mind Monday's. I feel pretty great after Sunday and Monday is a good start to the week. Today was different. At my job we moved desks. This shouldn't be a big deal, except for the fact that now I sit in the middle of the call floor and there are people surrounding me. This took me about an hour to get used to because I like my space and I can have a bit of anxiety when I feel claustrophobic. Then I acclimated and was fine with the situation. I carried on and did my usual job duties. I'm a bit of a talker. It runs in the family and honestly if I didn't talk to people at work, laugh with people at work, and joke with people at work I would NOT survive my 8 hour shift. This has never been an issue...until today. I was talking and then all the sudden I get "shh-ed" by the lady that sits behi...

99.9% I try to be positive on this blog. I try to be inspirational and real and even slightly humorous (which I'm sure only I find funny). Today was the pits. The armpits, the sandpits, the peach-pits, the stinky pits where everything in the world went wrong. I was supposed to start my "diet" today. I basically have gained some pounds since moving to the state-full-of-good-food aka UTAH and I was fed up ( was being the appropriate word for the day, take note) with how I looked so I was determined to change it. I arrive at work and I can already tell it's going to be a long day. I do my job, survive the 8 hours with a Reece's Peanut Butter Cup during the last hour (some diet, right?...hahahah) and end my day with the inclination that tomorrow would be better. As I was walking out this sweet girl asked for a ride up to a bus stop on State Street. I said sure and we were on our merry way. After I dropped her off, I was on the side of the street where I needed to mer...

When I was a kid my dad would let me sit on the top of the couch and brush his hair. My dad has always had a great head of hair and I remember loving to brush my very manly fathers hair. I used to love to watch my dad build things. When you're three watching your dad build anything was neat. It happens to everyone- you grow up. You forget things like brushing your dads hair and watching him build things. One day you wake up and realize that your father has built many things over the years. He has built a family, he has built a home, he has built a career, he has built a company, he has built a marriage, and he has built children. My father's day card this year (which I haven't mailed off yet, awful, I know) starts off by saying, "Dad, I know we don't always share our feelings." This could not be a more perfect statement for my dad and I. I am a lot like my dad. I'm like my dad in stubbornness as well as in determination. If there is a will, there is a way ...

Honestly. Can you please look at the pictures above and admit that I live in the most beautiful place ever? Life has taught me a lot lately about perspective. Everyone views things in their own way. Everyone has different beliefs and desires but we all strive to be happy. Tonight for FHE (Family Home Evening) I had the opportunity to hike in the beautiful mountains with nine other people. I was overcome with the love my Heavenly Father has for me and everyone around me. When you get to see the world in a new perspective, let's say from the top of a mountain, it's hard to question the reality of God's infinite love. Jesus Christ lives. He created this beautiful earth so we could live, grow, and experience things. Saturday my car window decided it didn't want to roll back up. I tried and tried to push it up but it wasn't budging. Today I took it to get it fixed. They told me it was going to cost over $200. $200 is a lot of money for a col...

I've been waiting for this day to arrive for a long time. I have reached the 300 day mark since I began my journey west. 300 Days. Holy Cow. I wish I could sum up these three hundred days into a nice little sentence, but these last 300 days have had more emotion and thought than one sentence could say. At some point in their lives, everyone leaves home. Kids go off to college, people get married, people move, people grow up, sometimes people just need a change. When I made the decision to pack up and leave home I didn't realize that I would be leaving such a big piece of my heart behind. It's the place where my friends are, where my family is, where my love of an open road lies, where life was easier and way less busy. I had no idea what to expect. I was ready for wide open spaces and a whole lot of new faces. I still get homesick. I don't think that will ever change. As much as Utah is great, Florida has so many great things about it too. I miss the small-town feel, th...

It was a shocking revelation when I realized that my high school is having another graduation today. Its been two years since I walked across that stage. How on earth does time go by that fast?! Since I'm older and have been out of the "high school" life for two years I finally realized a lot of things I wish I had known then. I wish I would have known that it goes by SO incredibly fast. The memories I made are now just memories. You learn so much about life in high school, but I realized you learn so much more from moving away from home and going off to college. I had so many struggles then and I look back now and realize how I was the creator of those challenges and It could have easily been avoided. I should have listened. Off the serious note, here are a few funny things I learned in high school: 1. You dress up for homecoming, even if you aren't a legit Ninja Turtle. I took one for the team. 2. It's never a bad thing to have shoes that sparkle.  ...