Hello, People of the Internet!

Wow, it's been a LONG time since I've updated this blog. I think that I didn't really know where to go with it back when I started, and it's a shame that it's been wasting away so long.

But no more!

Since I've been uploading videos to my YouTube channel regularly, I've found myself wanting to express the thoughts that didn't quite make it into my videos, so that's what I plan to do here....as well as ramble aimlessly from time to time...post some pretty pictures...talk about nonsense. I guess we'll just have to see where this thing goes!

So, if you've watched any of my YouTube videos, you'll notice a few things. The first, is that my videos are almost always OUT OF FOCUS. I've tried to make sure I focus the camera correctly before I film, but I must not be very good at it, because every single video comes out slightly out of focus. As a full-time Mommy and dedicated girlfriend, I don't find myself with a lot of extra time to sit down and re-film an entire video. I typically film my videos at the crack of dawn, when the sun is first coming up (the sun is currently my main light source for my videos) and my daughter is still asleep. I edit them at night when I put her to bed. As you can see, there isn't a lot of time set aside for the process, but I still think that a little bit of out of focus footage isn't that big of a deal. Of course, I'm not saying I'd like for this pattern to continue, because I'd love to have gorgeous, crispy clear video like everyone else. I just have to work on it.

Lately, I've been putting up a lot of chatty videos, because that's what I enjoy doing. I use YouTube as an outlet the same way a person might use a journal. Believe me, I've tried to write in a journal, but I always find myself feeling uninspired once I start writing, and I'm awful at keeping up with it. However, I've posted a few "rant" videos already, with another one scheduled for this Wednesday, so I'm hoping to film something a little more lighthearted and fun soon. Nate has agreed to participate in some of my videos, so we may attempt a challenge or tag of some type. Really, I'm still quite new to this all, so patience is greatly appreciated.

Thank you SO much for coming to check in on my blog, I'll do my best to begin updating this regularly. If you get bored, check out some of my videos and leave some comments to chat with me!

What a wonderful Wednesday :)

Hello, Friends!

How has your Wednesday morning been so far?

Sorry for being MIA yesterday and missing a post. It was kind of a busy day. I got up in the morning and went to see my parents. The plan was that I would come help my dad stain some picture frames he made for me, but that didn't happen. I ended up spending the entire time there online looking for a hotel to book for when we go to Sea World for my birthday in October. They have vacation packages where you can book your hotel and pay for your tickets in one lump payment, but since Nate is military and gets in for free, I couldn't do it that way. I found that you can't book a hotel for four people and only get three tickets, so I'd have to do the booking and the tickets separately. Alright, no big deal.

My parents are smokers, and since Asryella will be with us, my mom insisted that we get separate rooms. Also not a big deal. In my search I put in that we would like two rooms. TWO rooms. Not very complicated, right? Apparently it is. No matter which hotel it was, whenever I put TWO rooms, it would always give me ONE room with TWO double beds. That's not what I said I wanted! Eventually I got frustrated and had to stop. I might just have to give in and call the hotel personally. I don't understand why things have to be so difficult.

Also yesterday, we got a new entertainment center. I love it. It matches the rest of our furniture and looks fantastic. Plus, it has lots of space to put things, and I LOVE options to organize. Not long after Nate and his friend brought it in, a storm rolled in on us. If you've ever lived in Georgia, visited Georgia, or had to pass through Georgia for any reason at all, you know how unbelievably humid it is here. Sometimes you go outside in the morning and have difficulty breathing because it's so humid. So a good rain storm every now and then is the perfect way to cool things off. Plus, I love the rain. I think it's very calming and cozy. It makes me want to sit inside wrapped up in a blanket. I love it.

I wasn't able to upload the new vlog yesterday, partly because it took so long to edit it, and also because it was very late and would have taken a long time. I didn't really want to stay awake for it to finish, so I just went to bed, and it's uploading now. Let me tell you, I can't understand why it takes an hour or more to upload a video to youtube. You would think that with the number of people who use it, they would have found a way to streamline the process. But, at least it's still a reasonable amount of time.

Asryella has a playdate today! We will be off to see a friend of mine who has a son only a month older than Azzy, and they are too cute together. They never actually play together, but Jamie and I get excited anyway. Hopefully the naps will be over soon and we can hit the road!

Trip to Darien.

Hello, Friends!

Today we had some errands to do in Darien; about thirty or fourty minutes away. I was going to vlog the trip, but I left my memory card in the computer at home! I couldn't believe it. Instead, I took a handful of pictures.


Nate and myself



A sea monster in Georgia??!



....Seriously? They think the sea monster is a beaver?



Hello, middle of nowhere.



Oh hey there guys!



My sweet Asryella drinking with her hands and her feet!


After we got home, we went off on the exciting adventure known as grocery shopping! We ended up not buying much....that's how it usually goes. When we made it back home and started to put everything away, a tub of cocoa powder fell off one of the top shelves and covered everything on the way down. How excellent. I couldn't help it, I laughed. It was just such a ridiculous thing to have happened.

Now my sweet Asryella is playing at my feet, and Nate is sleeping. I'm trying to upload today's vlog, but I'm having a little trouble. Hopefully I get it figured out before tomorrow.

Vlogging, day one.

Hello, Friends!

So today was to be my first day of vlogging. It's not as simple as I thought it would be. It's the video editing that is currently getting the best of me. I'm working on it though! I wil definitely let everyone know when it's up and running. I'm going to do everything I can to get it up by tomorrow.

I went and had lunch with Nate today; we had White Castle burgers (out of the box, there is no White Castle where I live, it's called Krystals.) and sour cream and onion chips. Before I had Asryella (My daughter; I'll do an intro post for her soon) I would go see Nate at work every single day and eat lunch with him. Now it's a special treat. Asryella and I get all dressed up and excited to "go see Daddy!"
Once we got home, she was supposed to go take a nap, but instead she is underfoot while I try to edit these videos. She's always by my side, and I love every second of it.

Well, I have decided.

Hello Friends!

So I wrote yesterday that I was considering starting a vlog. I thought on it all last night, talked to a few of my friends about it, laid in my bed and thought about it until I fell asleep. Then I woke up, and started all over. So I've decided. I'm going to do it.

I mean, why not, right? I don't see any cons, except that a ton of people that I've never met could potentially come out of the woodwork to say how much they hate me. But I think that might be the worst to come out of it. With nothing else holding me back, I'm going to go for it!

I have to say, I'm thrilled. It will be something totally new for me. This blog itself is something new to me. I've never been able to keep a steady one. But the vlog will be able to take it to an entirely new level. I'm not going to abandon this sweet baby blog however. It's still in it's infancy for crying out loud! Also, I tend to write better when I can't figure out what to say with my voice. I'm not sure if that makes sense. I'm able to go into more depth without sounding like I'm rambling when I write. I'm able to pause and think on things without pressure. I have always preferred writing, so there's no way I'm leaving Sharks and Sentiment behind. Which, by the way, will also be the name of my vlog channel once it's up and running. I am in love with the name, and I identify it so well that I simply can't see leaving it behind. So now there will be a double dose of Sharks and Sentiment. Hoorayyy!!!!! I'm so excited. I hope everyone will come along with me on this new journey.

Vlog?

So I filled yesterday and today with the single most exciting task in the world: cleaning. I rearranged the living room, washed nearly every piece of clothing in the house, and lots of other thrilling things. There hasn't exactly been a rush of interesting things to write about, which is why I was MIA yesterday.

The only exciting thing that DID happen to me however, was that today I was told I should start a vlog. Who might suggest this, you add? Oh, nobody in particular. Some kid named Mark Johnson. Now, let me clarify. He didn't exactly go out of his way to find me and say "HEY, Alyssa! You are so exciting that you should make a vlog about your daily life. It would captivate the entire WORLD, including myself."
No, it was more like:
ME: You make me want to vlog too!
MARK JOHNSON: DOOOO ITTTT!
THE END.

Hahahahaha. But regardless, I had like a two hour nerd mode where I spazzed out. I'm still sort of having it. Otherwise I wouldn't be running around acting like TWO WORDS are the most exciting things I've ever heard. Don't rain on my parade please.

But once I started thinking about it seriously, it didn't seem like too bad of an idea. It would push me to go out and do more; experience more. Make my life a little more exciting. I'd get to find out how many people hate me out there. But I would also be able to capture some things that I otherwise would miss. I think that's really the best thing I would bring from it. To be honest, the more I think about it, the better it sounds.

ALSO, if you have no idea who Mark Johnson is, I strongly suggest you aquaint yourself.
Go to The Party Logs and watch some of his videos. Watch all of them. Subscribe, then watch them again. He's a great kid. Well, he's my age, but still.

Introduction

Hello, Friend.
I'm Alyssa, and this is my humble little blog. I'm a twenty-one year old born and raised in Georgia. I love sweet tea, daisies, rain storms, sharks, love letters, and Coca-Cola. I believe in wishes, daydreams, and love at first sight; old souls and soulmates, and learning from experience while never letting go of your dreams. I am a lover, a dreamer, and a romantic. I hold the conviction that every human being has beauty inside of them. I believe in the stars.
I love to laugh, and to make others laugh. I'm very honest about how I feel. I'm working on practicing what I preach, and trying to teach my daughter how to live her life with love. I trust in God above all others, and am learning how to live my life with an open heart and open hands.
I'm so excited to take this journey, and hopeful that I will make new friends along the way. I am very friendly and love to talk to people. Don't be shy! Feel free to talk to me about anything.