you don't have forever

//

please don't ever think you have forever.
because you don't.

you think you have time but
do you really know that?

cherish every little thing.
even the stuff you think doesn't matter.

because one day,
possibly even soon,

you'll be wishing with all your heart and soul
you could relive it just one more time.

//


(I know this is random and you all want updates on my life, which I will give,
but this has been on my mind a lot lately so here you go :)

THE BLOOD RACE IS FINALLY HERE!!!!! {BLOG TOUR}


*crickets chirping, probably*

Hehe. Hi, guysssss. It's been a really long time, lol. PLEASE FORGIVE ME. I promise I have really good excuses. 😂  Life has been absolutely insane. Just when you think things are slowing down something else comes up. Not that that's always a bad thing, it's just busy! And I started senior year!!! So excited and ready. But more on that later!! 

Today we are talking about my dear friend, Kate, and her NEWLY-RELEASED BOOK WHATTTT?!?!?! I'm super excited for The Blood Race. I tried to make an aesthetic and everything. HAHA, this was my first aesthetic ever so hopefully, it's okay. 😂
(and technically, the blog tour is over as of yesterday, but I decided to post this anyway because I'm a rebel 😎)

I don't know how many of you have talked to Kate/know her personally, but she is literally amazing. One of my favorite people on planet Earth, probably. She inspires me daily and I am SO PROUD of her and this book!!! Kate has a fire inside her bones that can never be extinguished, and her passion shows so strongly through her writing. I have been enjoying her blog for nearly two years and every single post blows me away. So juST IMAGINE HOW GOOD THIS BOOK MUST BE!!! I just asdfghjkl. >>>yep, that pretty much sums it up.

Here's the synopsis that will get you totally hyped:

-----------------------------------

He’s spent his life running from who he is. She’s been trying to escape her past for 100 years…

Born with unexplainable abilities he struggles to control, college student Ion tries desperately to integrate into his new school and finally put his dark past behind him. But after making a serious enemy, which leads to an accidental rendezvous with the mysterious old man next door— and his hauntingly beautiful but troubled young protégée Hawk, Ion realizes his life will never be normal again.
Late one evening, Hawk drags him by the hand into a closet-turned-rabbit-hole to an extra dimension, and Ion finds himself stumbling involuntarily into a secret society of training for “anomalies,” teenagers with a special set of abilities. Just like him.
As they train to become Protectors of future Earth, battling each other as well as their own demons, both Ion and Hawk begin to realize that they are far more alike than they realized. Unsettlingly so.
When the Dimension is shaken by an unthinkable betrayal, will an ancient prophecy bring Hawk and Ion together—or will a deadly threat hidden in plain sight cost them both their powers… and their lives?
-----------------------------------










WEBSITE: https://kaemmons.com/
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/kaemmonsauthor/
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thebloodrace/
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/emmonswrites




THOUGHTS ON TURNING 16

I'ts been awhile. Shew, life has been crazy!! But we aren't here today to talk about what a terrible blogger I have been.

I am turning 16 in like, two more days.


*throws confetti* *eats cake 'til I'm sick* 
So in honor of this "milestone" I made a little video to recap my 15th year! I literally JUST made this video and I didn't even plan it, so there is no pretty thumbnail, or an aesthetically pleasing blog post to go with it! XD Unexpected vlogs are the best, right?!?! Yes. Thought so. ;)

Here's to celebrating another year of life and the God who gave it to me. He never ceases to amaze me. 💗




HIDE-AND-SEEK (a navy blue memory)



they grabbed the flashlights, I stole my mom's boots
I can't tell you what color the sky was because I've seen too many sunsets since
but I do remember that as we crossed the barb wire fence I was trying my hardest to take all the beauty in
I'm afraid it was too much for my little heart to handle

it was a new game they were showing us
the concept was a lot like hide-and-seek but with a twist
the seekers had a spotlight
and if the light shined on you, you were "captured"

after the rules were explained, we began
and as the seekers counted to sixty, we all scrambled around trying to find the best hiding spot
I probably tried out three different spots before I settled in the corner of a little shed in the middle of the field
I stood tight in my spot and caught my breath

it was completely quiet besides the seekers that were running around
I could see the light bouncing off the trees and my shed
my heart was pounding
but then I began to think

thoughts probably too deep for an eleven-year-old girl
I looked up into the navy blue sky
gosh, it was beautiful up there
and I sighed happily

because here I was living
my boots were muddy ("my mom will kill me") and I was shivering from the cold but I was living
I thought about life and how precious it is and how I am here
I thought things I couldn't even fathom

I smiled at the stars and they were smiling right back
I was smiling at God too (I know He was smiling back)
my heart was screaming "thank you"
for being in this wet field playing hide-and-seek under the stars with new friends

oh, and by the way,
I won


WHAT'S UP IN JANUARY + HELLO FEBRUARY + 5 YEARS OF BLOGGING (??)



Heeeeyyyyyyyyyyyy! What's going on, frens?! I feel like I haven't blogged in forever, lol. Lot's has been going on this month. Everything is in abundance. Emotions, school, busy-ness, stress, excitement, alL THE THINGS. And I also haven't managed to keep from being sick ever since Christmas?? So, that's a thing. But hi I am back. AND WE MADE IT THROUGH THE FIRST MONTH OF 2017 WHOAAA GIVING YOU ALL THE HIGH-FIVES RIGHT NOW. ❤


But first things first, guys. My blog turned FIVE January 27th and I literally forgot. 
NOT EVEN KIDDING. So yeah. This blog is officially five years old and I'm not even sure how to handle that hahahaha :') There's so much to say. It's been such a long journey but it's been one I've enjoyed so much! I'm eternally grateful for this blogging platform I have. It's connected me with people I never would have met otherwise, and given me a place to share my thoughts. Thank you, Jesus.

I am going to put my monthly "what's up in January" and my "hello ____" posts in one! I completely have forgotten about this series but I'm trying to get my life together as you can see and I'm doing it! 😂
So let's go!





Church. I feel like I said this last time too but seriously. I can't even tell you how in love I am with church and being on the worship team. It's awesomeeee. It's the thing I look forward to every week and I am always counting down the days until the next service.




Switchfoot. But when am I not listening to Switchfoot? I don't even have to say this. Y'all just know.
Hamilton. There's only a few songs I actually listen to but.. I'm a history junkie sooOoOoooO YEAH.
This Christian Folk playlist THAT IS STRAIGHTTTT FIREEEEEEE.



I literally don't even hardly watch TV at all. I did start rewatching Downton Abbey like back in November because I was really sick and didn't leave my bed, haha. I'm on season three but I haven't watched it in forrrrreeeevvvveeeerrrrrr. I honestly watch YouTube videos more than anything.



My friend Veronica coming over this weekend, coffee with a friend I haven't seen it forever, church tonight (hollah), winter formal in NINE DAYS WHAT, and Jacy's birthday party :')



Confession time, here's what I got (sorry not sorry for Hamilton lyrics). I haven't been reading near as much as I usually do/would like. I don't know why. I've just been in such a rut with everything lately and haven't felt like it. But I am a couple chapters into "Alice's Adventures In Wonderland" so we'll see how that goes.


Black. Black. Some more black. As always. I have been wearing a lot of flannel's and jeans which is new for me. I have recently discovered how glorious flannels are. And for church, I've been constantly wearing knee-length cotton dresses with tights and my new black booties that I'm low-key in love with.



I ALMOST SAID NOTHING BUT THEN I REMEMBERED ASDFGHJKL!!!!!!!!
ABBIE RELEASED A SINGLE AND I AM SO PROUD OF HER :'''''') It's so beautiful. Listen and flail and cry.
And my up-and-coming "band", The Rooftops Project, started an Instagram page to post covers on! C L I C K H E R E  to maybe follow us and watch some videos?? Hehe.
The feedback I got from my cover was honestly so amazing I could cry, lol. AND THE BASS PLAYER FROM NEEDTOBREATHE LIKED IT??????? MY VIDEO???? WHAT????? I couldn't breathe for a solid twenty minutes.



uhhmmmm lol been livin' on coffee tbh



lol not even answering this.


IDK HONESTLY????? Nothing really.



I've been searching high and low for songs to sing not only for The Rooftop's Project, but also for church. Suggestions for some good worship songs are most welcome 😂



I get completely out of this rut, and I make the most of this fresh and new month!


WOOO OKAY! Now I'm gonna set some goals that I probably will not live up to but hey :')





1. Read more
2. Start drawing again
3. Stay as caught up with school as I can
4. WORK ON GETTING OUT OF THIS STUPID RUT

NEW YEARS VLOG IS LIVE!!!

Heyyyy!!! Okay, so, here's the deal. I know I said I was going to record this with my Canon, but I have been sick for several days now and the last thing I feel like doing is dealing with the process of filming and editing 😂 sssoOoOoOoooooo, I hope the HORRIBLE webcam quality is enough to suffice. DO YOU ALL REALLY EVEN NEED TO SEE MY SICK SELF SO CLEARLY??? No. Probs not. I was looking pretty rough, fam. I still want to try and make some videos for the blog with my camera, though. I've always had a fascination with videography, but it's something I haven't really played with since I was probably 13. So that'll be fun. But without further adeiu, here's the vlog!! I HOPE YOU ENJOY MY AWKWARD SELF <3




FAVORITE INSTAGRAM ACCOUNTS:
(in no order)

@jacyraynunbroken (lol bc bff)
@katerinad17 and her sister @ninette1998
@juliannacreating
@bonniekatez
@soelsister
@imhaleyjane
@haileydevine
@lydcaroline
@okay and basically all my blog friends because I cANNOT choose between any of you all!!!
Seriously, the blogger community has some serious talent.


NEW YEARS Q&A VLOG (aka give me your questions plz lol)



YEP. You're reading that right. I am FINALLY doing a blogger Q&A! *throws confetti*
I did one awhile back, but it was exclusively for the "aesthetic baegels" group chat and the rest of you didn't get to ask me anything :'( So, I figured with the new year it would be the perfect time to do one!

So, ask away! Your questions can totally be New Year's related/questions about 2016, and what not, or you can just ask casual questions! Or, I mean, both. 😂

// DEADLINE IS SUNDAY, JAN. 15TH //

Maybe that's an early deadline. Idk. But I hope to have this up next Tuesday, and I'm also very anxious to use the new camera I got for Christmas, haha!

A S K    A W A Y ! ! !

-aaliyah