This is too similar to my last post but I'm posting it anyways

Every year around Thanksgiving I make a list of 100 things I'm sincerely, deeply, I-would-die-without-this grateful for.  This can take literally like six days and many iPhone notes (ex. me while driving: "Siri, can you make a note for me? Write 'thankful for green lights when I'm late for work'").  But although I am just as grateful as in years past, I don't have that kind of time.  So here are 50 things off the top of my head, in no particular order, that I am grateful for and you should be too.

1. fireworks
2. wet puppy noses
3. Disneyland snow
4. Febreeze
5. ballet flats that fit in purses
6. candy cane ice cream
7. job security
8. Kristen Wiig
9. cheap gas
10. a supportive family
11. extension cords
12. sunglasses that don't break within 3 months
13. iPhone maps
14. people who cook things
15. Netflix
16. having a couch AND a TV
17. warm beach days
18. fireplaces
19. non-itchy sweaters
20. air conditioning
21. a fast metabolism
22. luck
23. superglue
24. good morning kisses
25. vivid sunsets
26. farmers markets
27. good eyesight
28. Elton John
29. hardcover books
30. airplanes that aren't freezing cold
31. holidays I can spend with family
32. free food
33. forgiveness
34. Christmas lights
35. T.S. Eliot
36. magicians
37. Goodwill
38. carpet stain remover
39. handmade quilts
40. good spellers
41. blueberry bagels
42. double-ply toilet paper
43. Target
44. never having to go through a breakup ever again
45. smile wrinkles
46. dishwashers
47. big, leafy trees
48. candlelight
49. Nutella
50. peace

May your holidays be filled with time-and-a-half paychecks, family card games and extra-thick socks!

Taking Stock

Today I'm taking a page from my blogger idol, Sydney Poulton of thedaybookblog.com.  This one's gonna be a doozy, but I'm trying to catch up.  Sorry for my slacking!

Making: tea currently, because yelling at people at Disneyland all day really wears on your throat
Cooking: those $1 pasta sides.  Every night.  Over and over.
Drinking: pumpkin spice lattes, God's gift to fall and every legging-loving white girl
Reading: mostly schedules, shift trade requests and tweets.  But I did read The Sun Also Rises a month ago, trying to finish up all my Hemingway
Wanting: MORE TIME
Looking: for a new phone case for my iPhone 5c.  I no longer am finding pieces of screen glass in the pockets of my pants and that is such a beautiful thing
Playing: Star Wars: Force Unleashed II with Chris and finishing the whole game in one night.  Like the champions/losers we are.
Wasting: the very little spare time I have doing things like watching and copying Jessica Rabbit makeup tutorials (which require covering your eyebrows with glue.  DO NOT ATTEMPT)
Sewing: haha
Wishing: again, that I had more time.  To read books and create music and call my mom and love my boyfriend and eat real food.  Someday.
Enjoying: the cooler weather... NOT because IT DOESN'T EXIST
Waiting: for the glorious day I don't have to work two jobs to stay alive anymore
Liking: seeing Halloween everywhere :)
Wondering: when I can go home and see my puppy again
Loving: taking naps together with the back door cracked open to feel the breeze and waking up with his arms still around me, the sun just setting golden on the bedroom wall.
Hoping: that the moments like that can last forever.
Marveling: at how often I manage to make it to work on time, despite my procrastination and/or short intervals between jobs.  Jesus can control traffic lights, let me tell you
Needing: just one day off.  Just ONE.
Smelling: cookies, because my new roommate makes a batch a week.  This is gonna work out well.
Wearing: the cool hoodies Chris left at my house once like every time I go to the grocery store at night.  Sorry babe :)
Following: my dreams.  Follow me, Shea Julie on soundcloud.com  :)
Noticing: everyone my age getting married or having babies.  But I'm just a kid still.  And I'm okay with that.
Knowing: that someday, I'll miss all this.
Thinking: that even as busy as I am, I have a beautiful life.
Feeling: so grateful for all of the people that keep me going day to day.  I am so blessed to know so many people that love me much more than I deserve.
Bookmarking: recipes and Pinterest DIY projects, for a day when I have more people to care of than just myself.
Opening: the door to my room and finding the boy I love asleep in my bed, waiting for me.
Giggling: with the people I love, every day, on lunch breaks and phone calls, over pizza and clever texts.  Giggling like I haven't since before I can remember.
Feeling: HAPPY.

10 Things You Probably Have a Love/Hate Relationship With About Me

1.  I don't post on my blog.  Get over it (but also I'm deeply sorry).
2.  I saw One Direction in concert.  In a $90 seat that sold out over a year ago.  I'm expecting two different reactions to this news so I will address both:
No, I am not a raging 1D fan, I did not buy the tickets, and I was forcibly coerced into going by my best friend, and
Yes, it was pretty awesome.
3.  This whole "free Chipotle because I work there" thing has escalated to the point that I will LITERALLY vomit if I try to eat it.  So yes, I am on my deathbed.  If you wish to send me flowers/chocolate/large sums of money please contact me for further details.
4.  I spent a week in Hawaii with my family which, I won't lie, was amazing BUT
5.  I am currently so tan that instead of the usual polite "Do you speak Spanish" at Disneyland
I am now just immediately accosted with rapid-fire questions.  This happens at least every 20 minutes.  It is kind of funny but also completely out of control.  I took 2.5 years of B-grade high school Spanish.  It's not happening.
6.  Don't have time to work out?  No problem!!!  With two jobs and a relationship and friends visiting and housing issues, (imminent) ulcers will do the job for you! *sponsored ad*
7.  Since my boyfriend brought me a TV and his PS3, I spend my free time binge-watching Pretty Little Liars on Netflix and I hate it so much.  Productivity in my free time is laughably nonexistent.
8.  I turned 21 and now all I have to look forward to is being able to rent a car when I'm 25 :(
9.  I'm already bored of this blog post, are you
10.  See ya in a few weeks!  Or whatever, you know.  Not good with commitment.

xo

Religion for the Nonreligious

So there's this movie called Constantine.  Maybe you've heard of it and maybe you should definitely see it.  It has Keanu Reeves and Shia LaBeouf and a handful of other splendid actors in it, and it's basically about this fallen angel who tries to redeem himself by sending demons back to hell and stopping the devil's son from being born to a mortal woman with the help of the angel Gabriel.

OKAY.  COOL.

One of the concepts Constantine introduces is the existence of half-breeds, which are either angels or demons who live in our world, sort of "influence peddlers".  They walk among us to give us courage or to tear us apart.  I'm pretty sure I don't believe in demons taking human form on earth, but lately I've been recognizing the angels around me.

How can I deny it?  There's the manager at Chipotle who tirelessly makes sure I am always out on time to make it to Disneyland, even coming in over an hour early himself to count my drawer when I'm cashier.  There's the kind old coworker at Autopia who, when he found out I was sick and was concerned I wasn't eating, disappeared for a moment and came back with a cup and plate to share his vitamin water and cashews with me.  There's the friend who sends me random Family Guy clips to tell me she misses me, the friend who checks up on me every time I tweet something negative, the friend who makes sure I've put my college applications in, the friend who sends me a Facebook message just to tell me she's thinking about me and hopes I'm having a better day than the day before.  There's the cousin who makes sure I'm making blog posts and still makes me feel like I'm a part of her life even though she's married and we're three states away.  There's the sister who sends unsolicited playlists of beautiful music, the mother who sends care packages with Easter baskets and Les Mis and chocolate, the father whose prayers I can feel, the brother who lightens my day with text messages like "I don't have to dance in Be Our Guest anymore cuz I was at church instead of rehearsal on Sunday! #perksofbeingamormon".  There's the boyfriend who is always there and always supportive and always loving and always the most incredible thing I have ever found, surprising me with dinner just because he can or bringing me an entire pharmacy when I have a cough or pretending that I'm doing fantastic when I'm standing in the 50 MPH batting cage freaking out and not hitting a single ball.

And those are only a few of them.

Maybe none of these people have wings.  Maybe they grew up in dingy apartments in downtown L.A. or made mistakes that kept them from showing their face in church for long, painful months.  Maybe they struggle to pay their bills and their dad's chemotherapy costs and have to take the bus to work every day.  Maybe they have tattoos and addictions and their own half-breed demons to deal with.  Maybe they don't even believe in God.  But they are angels, at least to me.

In the end, we all can be and probably are someone's angel.  So do something nice today, if even just for a stranger.

This concludes this public service announcement.

Clint Eastwood time

THE GOOD:
- both my hamsters are still alive (and safely caged)
- being able to afford to attend two weddings in two weeks, both 6 hours of travel away
- having a new car that gets such incredible gas mileage compared to the truck that I cry every time I'm at the gas station
- DR. PEPPER (it's in my genes, you can't blame me)
- having BOOKS on my bookshelf again, one of my favorite parts of going home and coming back

THE BAD:
- living with someone who I so greatly dread coming in contact with that I won't even leave my room to pee when she's home
- feeling a little bit vindicated when said person tells me she has to move back home because she's broke
- dropping my phone face first and completely shattering the screen the likes of which the iPhone world has never seen  :(

THE UGLY:
- my hair after working 4 hours at Chipotle under an ugly sweaty hat and then driving 6 hours with my Giants snapback on.  The first words my mother said to me when I woke up the next morning: "You NEED to wash your hair."
- when your jeans are SO TIGHT in the calf area that the nice Asian lady who gave you a pedicure uses her entire body weight to try and roll them back down and actually apologizes to you because she can't do it
- my mother and I borderline sobbing together when I opened my car door to drive back to Anaheim and my puppy jumped in the front seat, thinking she was coming along

The good list could have gone on for hours.
But I don't want to bore you.
Nobody likes seeing other people happy.
:)

Unexcused Absence

APOLOGIES ARE IN ORDER

I've been inexplicably inactive for a month and a half now.  I'd like to rationalize this by placing the blame on these things, instead of just sheer laziness:

1.  I am working close to 50 hours a week now, 5 days at Chipotle and 5 at Disneyland.  I have had literal 12 hour work days several times recently.  I had my first day not working either job in 3 months last Friday, and I was so bored/wonderstruck with my new freedom that I drove to Venice Beach, by myself, for 3 hours.  All I did was buy an Oreo milkshake, try on 4238 pairs of sunglasses, and shield my eyes while passing the medicinal marijuana clinics every 50 feet.

2.  One night while watching Rob and Big I was whining about how much I wanted a puppy.  My darling boyfriend surprised me 3 days later with two dwarf hamster brothers, who we named Bennie and Jet.  I was ecstatic.  But much to my horror, Jet escaped from his cage literally within 4 hours of me bringing him home.  He lives under the stove now.  I just set food out on the kitchen floor every night and it's gone in the morning.  So that's fun.

3.  At the risk of being too explicit, let me just say this: be sure you know who you're living with before you actually start living with them.

Too much?

4.  I've been in two accidents in the space of one month.  One wasn't my fault.  But talk about a major ego hit.  I think I drive like James Bond and everyone else thinks I drive like I have a deathwish.

5.  Also, BASEBALL SEASON

6.  I almost always smell like steak and grease.  I'm completely out of socks.  I haven't taken out my garbage or washed any dishes in a month.  But I have commanded a paper airplane brigade of four boys under 10 years old on the back row at church.

PRIORITIES.

And that's the majority of what we've missed.  The rest I'll compensate for in pictures.

 

my apartment assembly crew

 

my lovely new bedroom

 

finishing puzzles at 2 AM, half-asleep

 

THE KIDS ARE BACK

 

just a sample of how that whole trip went

 

reprising midnight Sprinkles trips with Jamie

 

Quickly Now

It is February, and it is 80 degrees outside.  And Don't Panic by Coldplay is floating through my speakers and I am eating my second Klondike bar of the day.  And my Valentines Day was fantastic and I get to see my beautiful mother in 4 days.  And I'm moving into my new apartment on Tuesday.

 

Deep breath,

And go.

 

We live in a beautiful world, you guys.

 

 

(I've clearly been on this a few more times than him)

 

came home to this lovely treat. just fyi, lizard bones crunch pretty loudly when eaten

 

poppin tags in the Goodwill in the land of old rich white people

 

and a throwback to the end of college program

 

Happy Sunday, everyone!

Striking Gold

NEWS

1.  I HAVE A SECOND JOB! AT CHIPOTLE! THE SECOND HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH
2.  I HAVE AN APARTMENT NOW
3.  BEING AN ADULT IS TIRING
4.  MOUNTAIN DEW IS HERE TO HELP

But in all seriousness, I've done so much in the last week that we're all pretty lucky I'm still awake at 8:57 pm on a Friday night.  Having two jobs hasn't affected me quite yet, but once I get a set schedule at Chipotle I'll get one at Disneyland too so I can maximize my hours and avoid pawning shifts off on newer cast members desperate for hours like I had to this week.  Elena and I don't move into our new apartment until February 19th, so I don't have to worry about that quite yet, but we toured at least 7 miniature hell-holes this last week before we stumbled upon this beautiful little gift from God.  Recently remodeled, two bedrooms, fireplace, walk-in closet, gated complex, free breakfast on Saturdays, $1165 a month?  Yes please.
My best friend Audrey taught me last year that lifting your feet off the floor of your car when you drive over railroad tracks is good luck.  Or maybe it's that not lifting your feet is bad luck.  Either way, there are 4 sets of railroad tracks on the way to my boyfriend's house, and I've been lifting my feet every single time.
I think it's paid off.

Happy Things

AND NOW

for some actual photographs

(and less sappiness, geez Shea)

 

my new apartment

(just kidding)

 

some roommates don't know that glass bottles in the freezer EXPLODE

 

my family, who may or may not be suffering from mental illness

(pray for them)

 

before and after Color Me Mine therapy

 

SOMEONE CLEANED THEIR CAR BATTERY ALL BY THEMSELVES

 

oh yeah, I work at Autopia now?

 

:)

 

have the best weekend ever, you guys

Emergency Preparedness

I'm starting to think of my life as a series of photographs.  Each moment is unique, finite, a beautiful little construct captured by a beat-up Diana and gone again.  I keep the snapshots in a darkroom in the back of my brain, saving them for rainy days when I need to remember what I'm doing here.

There's a photograph of me driving down the 5 at 80 miles per hour on the sun-soaked morning after Christmas, windows down, Fossil sunglasses on, listening to Ride by Lana Del Rey and singing at the top of my lungs.  There's one of me in a blazer, red lipstick and high heeled boots, ordering a Nutella cupcake and walking along the farmers' market under palm trees on swanky Birch St. in Brea.  There's one where I'm curled up in a recliner with a cat on my lap, eating carrot cake and hot chocolate for breakfast in a quiet house flooded with morning sunshine, writing nearly perfect poetry for two hours.  There's one of me drinking a cold Dr. Pepper and watching a Quentin Tarantino movie, bedroom walls strung with Christmas lights, falling asleep in the arms of the boy I love.

Sometimes there's not much you can hold on to.  Sometimes everything falls apart and nothing seems tangible.  Stock up now.  When you feel those moments of absolute joy, brought on by a gorgeous orange sunset or an ocean wind or a full gas tank or a kiss on the cheek, take a picture.  Write it down.  Soak up every detail, breathe it in.  It won't last forever.  But when rougher seas come, you can always retreat and return to your photographs.

How happy is the blameless vestal's lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd.
      - Alexander Pope

Almost-Weekend Update

For those of you who are unaware, after much thought, I finally decided to stay at Disneyland.  The college program ended on January 5th, on which day I was also kicked out of college program housing.  I am now living in the spare bedroom of my friend and coworker Elena's parents' house in Yorba Linda while we look for our own apartment in the Anaheim/Fullerton area.  I am also on the hunt for a second job, seeing as my seniority dropped from three years to four days overnight and I am working a grand total of twelve hours next week.

TWELVE.

Exhausted would be a complete abortion of an understatement of how I am feeling.  Even though next week is dead, I picked up two extra shifts this week for a total of five days working.  Three of those were cross-training at Autopia (where I signed off and can now work in addition to Star Tours!), which were both mentally and physically draining, not to mention stressful.  I'm not used to having to worry about getting my feet run over.  And besides Disneyland, I get to worry about how I'll pay rent when Elena and I move, where and how I can find another job, how to keep my relationship alive and healthy, when to buy a new car and what to buy, and when to go back to school and what to study and where.

So basically,

EVERYTHING.

I've found that the only way I can stay afloat is to focus on all the things that have been going well for me.  I've been incredibly blessed.  I'm living with a good, financially secure, morally upstanding, unbelievably hospitable family who lets me eat all of their food and invites me out of my room when I'm a hermit for more than two hours.  I have another loving family back in Modesto who also checks in on me regularly and helps me search for apartments, schools and jobs.  I have one of the best jobs IN THE WORLD at the literal happiest place ON EARTH, where I am always safe and always welcome and don't have to work too hard.  I can go to Disneyland 365 days a year.  WHENEVER I WANT.  FOR FREE.  I have amazing friends, some of whom are spread across the state and the country but who still send me videos on Twitter and call just to say hi, and others who I can go to Dennys with at 1 AM or paint in nonawkward silence with at Color Me Mine.  Right now I don't have to worry about making rent plus a car payment or getting robbed or being lonely or not giving my eyelashes the love they deserve from Sephora.

I'm really lucky.

So I'm going to stay here, for at least a little while longer.  I tried fighting it, but when you're driving home on the 5 from Newport Beach on a summer night with the window down and you're listening to Coldplay's Fix You and the Disneyland fireworks begin to light up the entire sky, you know you're home.

A Not-So-White Christmas

Snow has always been my mortal archnemesis.  I lived in the freezing, desolate recesses of Idaho for two years and to say I loathed it would be a massive understatement.  Snow was my natural enemy, the bane of my existence (and my makeup's).  I could find no redeeming qualities in it, until now, ironically.

You might try to tell me that I don't live in the snow anymore, but you'd be wrong.  It snows every night here in Anaheim.  Sure, it may be room temperature and gingerbread scented and last only two minutes at a time but it counts.  Quite frankly, my snow kicks your snow's butt.

My close friends and family who have seen me at Disneyland know that I love nothing more than the castle lighting we have twice each night, during which it begins to snow.  When I am working outside, I will literally drop my position, plant myself in the dead center of a walkway, and wait.  Everyone thinks I am crazy.  I probably am.

But Disneyland snow, even though it may be (spoiler alert) just soap, is pure, unadulterated magic.  Here's how it works.  Let's face the truth, even though it's obviously the happiest place on earth, Disneyland can be a straight-up nightmare.  Rides break down, kids throw up, strollers wheels fall off, you get stopped at the front of the line every single time.  It's definitely not the luckiest place on earth.  When you're surrounded by 50,000 other people with the same mustard-stained cargo shorts and strained expression as you, it's easy to get frustrated and unhappy.  When you're a cast member dealing with such frazzled guests, it's even easier. 

But then there's the snow.  And for that one beautiful, infinitesimal moment, everything stops.  People slow down in the streets, tilt their heads back with their tongues out, hoist their children onto their shoulders, hold someone's hand.  All of the misfortunate events of the day dissipate as quickly as the snow on the pavement.  And just when you start to feel at peace, it's over.

The world never stops turning and never will.  The anxieties of life never fully disappear, not even at Disneyland.  But when they're suspended in the air, light as a snowflake, even just for two minutes, all the trouble is more than worth it. 

There's just something about the snow.