« summer of 19 // photo dump »

hey all :) it’s been too long. the summer of 2019 is officially over for me as i start school this coming tuesday, and boy was it a wild one. it had it’s high, definitely had its lows, and everything in between.

looking back on the pictures i’ll be putting in this post, overall it was the best summer of my life so far. i definitely did not get through it easily, but now that it’s over, i couldn’t miss it more.

i made some friends this summer, and lost some too. i smiled more than i have before, but also cried harder than ever. it was a rollercoaster for sure, but i wouldn’t trade my experience for anything.

this post is going to be dropping tons of pictures from this summer and telling you all about the things i did. i’m only going to focus on the good parts because this blog is a happy and cheerful place to come, not a dump for my complaints and personal struggles :)

so that being said, this was my summer of 2019

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hammocking was a huge part of my summer. i went on countless hikes with my friends to hang up hammocks and nap a listen to music in the shade looking at the overlooks

at the beginning of the summer i said goodbye to my older sister who left to serve in africa for over a year. this was my first summer in 16 years without her, but i know she’s enjoying herself where she is so it was a sweet goodbye

as i mentioned in my last post, i went to reddish knob for the first time and spent 12 hours out of the house doing things outdoors. this continued every sunday for the entire summer. i got to go hiking, fishing, hammocking, and lots of other things every week

i took my friend who introduced me to twenty one pilots to his first concert for them :) it was an amazing night

the morning right after, i headed to renew camp and served in the community for the entire week. this was at one of our sites while we were handing out flyers and a stray puppy ran up to us. renew was an amazing week, our group had an amazing time

my first fish i caught the first day i went to our spot. (kayak fishing is better than regular fishing)

for work this summer, i was a lifeguard again. i worked with several of my best friends and i have so many good memories with them. i’m also on the swim team, and they never failed to make meets interesting.

i won a few events at different meets, which is hard being in the 15-18 age group when you race against college swimmers, and at championships one of my relays broke a VSL record. our team ended up winning championships this year as well for the first time in four years :)

swimming and my pool is always a big part of my summer. i spent most of my time working but it was worth it in the end. especially because of what the work led to..

my first BIG GIRL PURCHASE. i finally bought my own car this summer. i got it with entirely my own money that i saved up and it feels amazing. work can be so tiring and depressing sometimes, but now i get to physically see and use every day what my hard work got me.

i went to kings dominion for the first time this summer. this trip was amazing but also horrible at the same time. it was 106 degrees while we were there with no shade or wind. but i did all the roller coasters and a ton of the other rides, so i can’t complain.

i’m hopefully going back in october for the scare fest when it’s a little cooler and the whole place is decorated for halloween.

my friend’s birthday party :) i laughed harder this night than i had in a long time. we had an amazing time

the fair this year did not disappoint. i only got to go monday-wednesday cause i went camping the rest of that week, but every night was so much fun

four of the most amazing people alive :) i spent almost every sunday of the summer with this group of people. they make life worth living

and just yesterday, a walk in the park. simple, but an amazing time. also this was the second time the boys unintentionally twinned with their shirts but both refused to change.

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so there it is, my summer of 2019.

night swimming, lifeguarding, kayaking, fishing, hiking, amusement parks, bonfires, sunsets, birthday parties, cookouts, concerts, and the fair.

i experienced all of these with my best friends who i could never express my love for. they mean more to me than i could ever put into words and bring so much joy into my life. thanks to them, this summer was the best so far and i can’t wait until the summer of 2020 :)

i hope you all enjoyed this post and that you’re summer was amazing as well. school sucks, but it only lasts for so long. keep pushing through and don’t forget the good parts of life.

my summer was by no means perfect, but even just writing this post picked out the all the good moments and made me so happy :)

love you all <3

☾☼

mckenna

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« summer is HERE / life updates »

hello everyone. what are the odds, it’s been a while…again.  life has been as hectic as ever for me and my family and we’re just getting starting with summer here now.

i thought i would update you all on my plans for this summer and also just life in general for me at the moment.

as of my last post…i’m not exactly friends anymore with the person i made that bucket list with. no hate and no shade at all, they just kinda ghosted me out of no where. yeah, it sucked, but i’ve gotten over it and i’m not letting it ruin my summer or my plans.

summer JUST started for me and i’ve already done some of the things on that list that i’ve never done before. reddish knob being on of those.

last sunday, i spent 12 hours out of the house, 11 of those with my best friends. we did tons of things like lunch, fishing, and hung out at reddish knob for the sunset, even though storms rolled in right before we could see it.

i was outdoors pretty much the entire day and it was amazing. this sunday, we’re planning on going hiking and sitting in hammocks for most of the day at an overlook :) i told my mom i want to start spending sundays out of the house and doing active things.

renew camp 2019 is also coming up, starting NEXT weekend which is wild. and the first night of renew i’m going to the twenty one pilots concert in charlottesville with my friend nick :D

.

besides all this, lifeguarding started again and so did swim team. i’m not coaching this year but i’m helping out when i need to and also teaching swim lessons.

my parents are very involved both with the pool and the swim team so i’ve been there for one thing or another every day so far and that continues through the whole summer.

i don’t think i had my license when i wrote my last post, but i do now, and i LOVE it. i’m still looking around for a car. i’ll get there eventually.

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and as for my family, my sister is in africa. she left not too long ago and as of now is spending 10 months serving in various parts of the country. although she may end up staying a year or longer in the end depending on the demand for help at the time.

this summer, the rest of 2019, and the beginning of 2020 will all be very different without her and it also puts me in a very different position being the oldest sibling in the house.

BUT..i do get to redecorate my room soon :) i’m getting a queen bed and i’m rearranging and repainting.

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that’s about all i can think of right now :)

what are your plans for this summer? would you like to see me do a room tour once i redecorate my room? let me know down below :) 

☾☼

mckenna

« the summer of 2k19 | my bucket list »

hello there :)

i’m trying to think of something to say and i can’t, SO. welcome. today i’m going to be sharing my big plans for the summer of 2k19 with you guys. (they’re not that big, but it’s gonna make this summer the best i’ve had so far).

this summer, i’m going to have my license and HOPEFULLY my own car. of course that won’t give me as much freedom as i’m probably expecting, but considering my mom requires at least two business days to plan anything, not needing rides places sure will be a blessing.

me and one of my best friends put together a bucket list not too long ago of things we want to do once i get my license and also when it gets a little warmer. i’m not gonna ramble anymore. (i’m also going to be including pictures from last summer).

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our bucket list:

1) reddish knob
reddish knob is a huge overlook close to area i live. it’s a very sketchy area, i won’t lie. but if you catch a sunset up there, it’s absolutely stunning. we wanna go up there some time and just hang out.

2) hiking w/ picnic
pretty self-explanatory. i’m not sure where we’ll go hiking, we have lots of choices, but the picnic is a given.

3) puppy palace
there’s a small shop in town where you can go in, sit in a small room, and play with puppies. literally the best thing ever. i’ve been once, but my friend hasn’t and i promised i’d take them :)

4) sushi
they’re the only person in their family that likes sushi, so on the day we go to the puppy place, we’re most likely going to go to the sushi place next door.

5) sunset/stargazing
i would say we would do this at reddish knob, but i don’t think staying there past dark would be a good idea. we’ll probably do these a couple times.

6) movie marathon
my friend in convinced i’ve missed out on some of the best movies in existence during my lifetime, so we’re going to have a marathon at some point to watch some of them.

7) movie
there’s some super great movies coming to theaters soon :D

8) bowling/mini golfing

9) the fair
every summer, the fair is one of my favorite places to go the week it’s open. i’ll probably be going most nights.

10) hide and seek
my friend is convinced they are the best hide and seek player to ever live. we tried playing at work once and i found them right away but apparently that “doesn’t count” so we have to play an actual game some time to decide who’s superior.

11) tie dye shirts
i’ve always wanted to do this with someone. i’m going to try and do a hoodie :)

12) facemasks
i l o v e doing facemasks, but i’ve never done them with someone else before, so this one is 100% happening

13) kayaking
my family owns two really nice kayaks that we only really get to use when we go camping. i’m hoping to go to the lake close to our house several times this summer possible.

14) bonfire

15) fear forest
around halloween, a giant scare trail near my house opens for a week. i’ve only been once, and i didn’t get to go in 2018 which bummed me out.

16) jess’ milkshakes
downtown, there’s a really cute restaurant that i love. when my sibling and i were young, our dad would take us there on “dates” to get burgers and chocolate milkshakes. i went just the other week and the milkshake brought back so many happy memories :)

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well, that’s our bucket list. if we don’t finish doing all these things this summer, we’re gonna keep going until the whole thing is checked off. i can’t even describe how excited i am for this summer :)))

do you have any plans for the summer of 2k19? what are some things on your bucket list? let me know in the comments :)

☾☼

mckenna

« screw laziness and procrastination »

hello everyone :) EVERY one of my most recent posts has had some sort of short apology for not being active which has honestly been annoying me.

this time, i’m just gonna say, yes, it’s been a month or more since my last post. yes, i had plenty of opportunities and free time that i could have posted. did i? obviously not.

BUT. i am VERY happy to say that i’ve really started to get my life together recently. i’m honestly tired of how lazy i’ve been for months on end. i’ve been working most days at the jump park, getting home and quickly rushing through my school without picking up any information, and then laying around the rest of the night on youtube and snap chat, etc…

it drove and drives me insane, but i was never able to motivate myself to do anything productive. my room was always CRAZY messy and homework that i didn’t bother with kept piling up. i was slacking off at work and getting in trouble. i could have had my license on the 12th, but i was too lazy to catch up on quizzes that my mom wanted me to do before getting it.

everything was just aggravating me. but just a few days ago, i decided to change that. so no apology for not posting, because i’m not going to regret how lazy i’ve been for so long. but i am making changes.

i’ve been working much harder at work and keeping in good spirits instead of being pessimistic about it. i’ve started working harder on school, and i’m going to start catching up on everything i’m behind on. after school every day, i’ve started working out and exercising at home. i’m also starting to eat healthier, i’m drinking more water, AND being more wise with my money. i just got done cleaning my whole room and organizing my closet which i never touch and just shove stuff into. and i’m also here posting again, which i’m very happy to be doing. along with all that, i’m starting behind the wheel tomorrow which means i’ll have my license in a matter of days.

i’m also looking harder and harder for a car, which means i’ll be driving alone before i know it and i couldn’t be more excited.

this summer is on it’s way fast, and i’ve got big plans :) i’m going to be working three jobs at the pool again, doing swim team (which also helps drastically with getting in shape, and i can’t wait), and i have a huge bucket list that i’m going to be tackling with one of my friends, (to be seen in my next post. *wink*).

i’ve only been working harder on stuff for about five days, yes. and usually things like this fail after about a week for me. but for once, i’m actually enjoying what i’m doing and i feel amazing about it.

so, this is not an apology for not posting, just a quick little life update about how i’m feeling and the things i’m doing. screw laziness and procrastination.

i’m done with them :)

☾☼

mckenna

 

« my favorite youtubers !! »

hello everyone :) today i thought i would write a post about my current favorite youtubers and explain why i never want to miss one of their videos.

there’s thousands of creators on youtube, and i think the idea of it in itself is pretty cool. individuals creating their own space and building their own platform using their ideas and creativity.

it still does amaze me how successful some of these even young adults can accomplish on their own.

i’m just gonna go ahead and get right into it.

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1) emma chamberlain
emma never fails to make me laugh. she’s very much herself, even in front of millions of people and that by itself is very inspiring to me. her editing and personality make her videos so fun, (and her style and instagram are also super trendy).

it’s strange sometime to think of where emma is in her career compared to her age. she’s only a year older than me currently and so successful, and it amazes me how independent she’s been in all of that. emma’s videos are all original, and she spends countless hours editing them by herself.

seeing her self-built success at such a young age is a really cool thing for millions of people to be watching, especially with how firm she stands in who she is.

(just a quick note though, emma doesn’t block language out in her videos very often and she does run her mouth a lot. just so you all know).

2) david dobrik
i’m sure most of you guys will know who this dude is. and if you don’t, you should check him out ;) david posts short vlogs every other day on his channel, and i look forward to every single one.

they’re four minute and twenty second videos full of craziness including flame throwers, paint ball guns, hospital visits, dumb stunts, drunk friends, and many more things.

the overall idea, his vlogs are him filming his friends doing crazy and dumb things and it’s really entertaining for me.

i like david himself for the person he is. not only is he funny, but he’s also one of the nicest guys i could ever hope to meet. he’s extremely generous and loving. sure he and his friends act immature in his vlogs and they do stupid stuff, but i can tell he’s a really composed person that cares for both the people he knows and every one of his fans.

(david also doesn’t block out language in his videos).

3) james charles
first of all, can i just say how proud i am that james’s channel recently became the top beauty channel on all of youtube.

james is the most talented mua and person in general i’ve ever seen. his makeup skills are beyond anything else, along with his singing and art abilities. every single one of his videos are incredible, and he deserves everything he’s worked so hard for.

there’s definitely a lot of controversy that comes along with supporting him, i’m sure. there is plenty within my family alone. i’ve heard my siblings refer to him as “the gay guy,” and i’ve had one specific family member tell me i shouldn’t support him because of how he identifies.

 this honestly makes me extremely frustrated. everyone has their own views and opinions on the LGBTQ+ community, and i know my views are different from my family’s, but no matter what you believe, i don’t think it’s acceptable in any way, shape, or form to belittle someone and their accomplishments in life because of how they identify. and that also shouldn’t be an obstacle when it comes to supporting them or having them as a role model.

the way james appears online and how confident he is in himself makes me want to support him more than anything else, regardless of who he’s attracted to, how he wants to dress and act, or anything else. he truly inspires me more than almost anybody.

(james may have some language in his videos as well).

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and that’s that :) those are my top three favorite youtubers at the moment.

if you watch any of these youtubers, what are your opinions on them? who are some of your favorite youtubers?

that’s all i have for today, lovelies. have an amazing day.

☾☼

mckenna