i'mmmmm gonna soak up the sunnnnn

in 22 days, i will be here.

for my 21st birthday, my mama is taking me on a cruise! 

we'll be going to belize, grand cayman, and cozumel (!!!!!!!!)

i have never been on a cruise! i don't usually take big vacations, so this is a prETTY big deal for me. (and 7 days after that, my dad is taking me to las vegas!) 

i know that we will be doing a lot of cruise-y things (probably, i don't even know how a cruise goes down) but i also know that i will probably be reading...a bunch.

i know i ask y'all this often, BUT what is a book i simply have to read??
i'd love to load up my kindle before we leave.
i'll read just about anything (i just finished dark places by gillian flynn and oh my GOSH)
thanks, loves!

(SO MANY EXCLAMATION POINTS IN THIS POST!!!)

better late than never?

welp, these are a little late.

but here's some shots from when marci came to visit!!

we:

-ate. and ate and ate and ate.

-saw celeste and jesse forever down at the esquire.

-went to the melting pot for kate's birthday!

-did some vintage shopping down on broadway.

-talked until our throats hurts.

i love kate and i love marci.

proof that friends you meet online will not always kill you.

:)

my love.

*a little backstory: as most of you may know, the hunger games is more important to me than basically anything, and has been since 2008. it has been a huge part of my life and brought me closer to people that i otherwise never would have met. despite this, it has never reached some of those closest to me, like nick, my mom and many other family members. but i never beg, i never plead, because if someone i love is going to read it, i want them to read it because they want to.*

on wednesday, nick said, "i have a surprise for you but i can't tell you until it's complete!" and i do not handle surprises well. i whine and i beg and i cry and i pull on your shirt and i lock the door so you can't leave until you tell me what the surprise is, and i did all of those things to him, but he wouldn't tell me. "when the time is right, i'll tell you," he said.

today in the car, he asked, "can i borrow the hunger games so i can loan it to my family? i want to rewatch it for a few reasons. because it's been so long since i saw it in theaters and....because i just finished reading all three books."

and i burst into tears.

he spent a month reading them all and keeping it a secret, so that when he finished them all he could surprise me.

so our friday night was spent doing what i love most: eating and laughing and talking about katniss and peeta.

baby girl's 3rd birthday.

on saturday, my precious niece turned 3. 

AND marci came to town! (she gets her own post later.)

emmi loves mickey and minnie mouse, if you can't tell.

there was pin the bow on the minnie, a mickey pinata, bracelets made out of fruit loops, and black frosting galore.

i love this life.

bye, summer.

i've got those scary, first day of school butterflies in my stomach that i haven't felt in 3 years. 

starting a new school is terrifying.

i know it shouldn't be, i'm a senior and i've already done this song and dance.

but i feel like a freshman all over again, not knowing the campus or the buildings or anyone.

it feels like the ultimate sunday night, today does.

but it has been a wonderful summer.

today when we went to lunch, nick and i were talking about what our favorite moments of the summer were, and i started to feel the kind of sad mixed with happy that only john green can put words to.

 we went to arizona and saw some favorite friends. i went zip lining for the first time. we miraculously (!) got tickets to see the book of mormon. i read and read and read. nick and i spent an obscene amount of time watching the game show network. i moved to a new house. i fell more and more in love. 

like all things, this is a season (literally and figuratively, see what i did there?) and i know it must end.

i can't wait to see what the next season of my life has in store. 

but for now, for tonight, i am nostalgic and sad and a little bit nervous. 

bye bye, summer. 

who's that giiirlll? who's that girl? it's abbi.

hey look!

last week i was in urban outfitters when i was stopped by a girl who asked if she could take a picture of my outfit, and i'm a ham so i said yes.

poor nick was so confused when he saw me just walking out of the store with some girl i didn't know, without even saying a word to him. 

it goes against all stranger danger, i know.

also, i am the most unphotogenic person i know, and i was like "how should i stand?? should i smile?? I THINK I ACCIDENTALLY CLOSED MY EYES, TAKE ANOTHER ONE."

you can check it out here!

back to school.

welp. it's almost that time again. 

while the thought of going back to school (and starting a new one! eep!) is nerve-wracking, shopping for school supplies is my FAVORITE.

(it makes me want to send bouquets of newly sharpened pencils.)

here's a few things i want so badly it hurts. 

1. this backpack. i broke down last week and ordered it. the first time i've carried a backpack since 5th grade, y'all.

2. this great gatsby kindle case. I NEED IT. i've had the same case for 2 years and recently spilled nail polish on the backside of it, so this feels like the perfect time to buy it.

3. this dress. p l e a s e.

4. this super cool pencil sharpener.

5. these pencils. YOU GUYS. these are pencils with the names of tv's ultimate power couples from the 90's on them. I WANT THEM SO MUCH. 

happy back to school!