eighteen.

five days ago, i officially celebrated being alive for eighteen years!! i made it!
i was thinking about how we get tons of great presents for our birthday (like for me, the september issues and a fab AXO comfort colors sweatshirt), and we say thank you, but i want to do more.

so, world, here is a list of eighteen things that I am forever thankful to have in my life. (and ps i'm sorry it's so long.)

1. Jesus Christ. thank you for loving me, saving me, and forgiving me every time i mess up. nothing i do now or ever could do would justify all that love and mercy, but that's what makes it so beautiful.

2. two ridiculously great parents, and the two cutest sisters alive. my family is probably the coolest ever. actually, we're pretty uncool sometimes, like when we visit civil war battlefields or sing songs loudly in five different keys, but that's why i love us. we have quirky traditions, too many inside jokes, and some unbelievably great memories.


3. dance. i am a firm believer that everyone has their own form of expression. it's a second language, one that makes sense to you, and moves you, and speaks to you in ways that other things don't. mine is dance. i love it, i soak in as much of it as i can, and occasionally i stalk youtube for hours watching new pieces. i have always had issues with expressing myself in words (blogging=outside my comfort zone), but dance always makes sense for me. it says things that my mouth can't, and for that i am so grateful.


4. pinterest. obviously.. everyone should have one. and hey, hit me up! http://pinterest.com/nataliepaige98/


5. laughter. it's so good. i like baby laughs, awkward laughs (we all do it), and laughing until i cry. it's best when shared with people you love.


6. fridays. everything is better on fridays. just knowing that you made it through the week, that tomorrow is the weekend, which hopefully comes with sleeping late, pancakes, and football. at my house, we order pizza on friday nights and then sit on a quilt in our den while we eat it and watch tv. each week at that moment, i am just positive that there is literally no better feeling in the world.


7. being a girl. that sounds weird, but it's true! i can unashamedly love shoes, and girl movies, and channing tatum. i can also still love boy things like espn and baseball and being drama-free. see, it's weird if boys like girl things.. that's why i like being a girl! best of both worlds, sho nuff.


8. shauna niequist's books.  best things ever written, no doubt. cold tangerines captured me first, and changed my life. then bittersweet taught me all new lessons, very different lessons than those of cold tangerines, but it was still perfect in a whole other way. check it: http://www.shaunaniequist.com


9. living in the south. true story: i used to want nothing more than to live in new york city... and then i visited new york city. don't get me wrong, i LOVE it. borderline obsessed. i would visit every month if i could. but it's just too northern for me. i love crazy passionate college football, having sweet tea readily available, and obviously i am a dedicated southern living reader. i am so obsessed with anything old south, like rich little suburban neighborhoods with perfect yards and giant trees (see: the blind side or this commercial)


10. diet sunkist. if you've never had it, try it. then this will be self-explanatory.


11. music. currently, drew & ellie holcomb, adele, and mumford+sons are at the top of my list. (DMB has a permanent place there as well.)


12. fall. i guess this a little biased, since it's fall now, but everything is just better with fall weather. the colors are brighter, the clothes are cuter, and football, obvs.


13. being only three hours from home. i am somewhat in love with the campus of auburn university. (until i hear someone mention "a bammer" or "that other school"... in those moments i feel quite out of place, as i am a tuscaloosa girl til i die.) but seriously, it's gorgeous here, and i'm far enough away to be independent, but not too far to keep me from going home almost every weekend. (i'm that girl.. the one that makes people at church start wondering if i ever actually left...) i'm in such a good place right now.


14. anthropologie. i don't have to explain this, do i?


15. bright lights, big city. i've never lived in a city with more than 200,000 people in it, yet i am absolutely in love with big cities. i've been to (and loved) nashville, atlanta, new york, and washington DC. currently my dream destinations are baltimore, austin, and boston. i just love any big city. i love the skyline, the buzz, everything.


16. other people's blogs. i love being inspired. it's like a high for me. although i do not actually know what that would be like, but i really really really love blog inspirations. some of my favorites are a diary of little things and curiositieslindsay letters, and una bella vita. i don't know any of these people, they're not paying me to link this, i just really like their stuff.


17. target. for some people, this might seem dumb, but i have also never lived in a city with a target until now. (I really am incredibly sheltered.) i just love it so much! it's like they do everything walmart does, only cuter. brilliant.


18. channing tatum. i just really, really like him, okay? :)