why i haven't posted in a really freakin' long time

AYEE YOUR GIRL ALISON IS BACK AT IT AGAIN. And y'all, I kind of hate myself for being away this long.

Lemme tell ya something you probably already know. Life is hard. And sometimes it's overwhelming to balance school, extracurriculars, a photography business, a blog, and that little thing called sleep. In fact, if I'm being honest, during my little hiatus, it crossed my mind a few times to just quit the blog. To let it go and have more time for my ever-growing to do list.

But here's the thing.

I like blogging. And I like the friends I've made along the way, and I like seeing my blog grow and become better. So on that note, here's a touchy feel-y Instagram post explaining all the things that I'm stressed about, and what I'm gonna do about it.

this is my life. my house is a mess, my hair is greasy and gross, and there is no magical vsco filter that makes everything perfect. friends, i am struggling this year. i need to make all a's, i need to learn how to drive, i need to read my bible, i need to keep up with the blog, and a photography business, and fundraising for a trip to spain i probably won't even get to go on. life is hard. i guess the point of this is that we all are just gonna have to keep truckin'. even if we take 6 hour naps and hate ourselves, even if we eat a whole pot of mac & cheese for lunch. the joy i find in times like this is that jesus will always, always be on our side. even if we forgot to pray yesterday, even if we yell at our mom, even if satan gets us for a few seconds. he will ALWAYS be there and he will ALWAYS have a plan for us. before he even created the universe he loved us and he is rooting for us though our struggles and joys. friend, you can do it, i can do it, and if all else fails, jesus can do it.

A photo posted by Alison Helms (@beautynblazers) on Oct 16, 2016 at 7:21pm PDT

Let's move on. In the time I was gone, a lot happened - nothing very exciting, but a lot nonetheless. So here's a succinct version of the last 17 days including visuals, because we all know I take a lot of pictures.

I shattered my phone, it was upsetting, and insurance paid for a new one. I took more pictures of dogs (but what's new?), and ate dinosaur chicken nuggets with my best friend.

My friend and I started an Etsy shop to help us fundraise for a trip to Spain we really, really want to go on. There's no listings yet, but we're already working on stuff to sell. (Like these adorable pots)

I went to Target and got a tiny pumpkin. His name is Robert (I made that up 2 seconds ago).

My photography business had a busy week with two shoots - a senior session and a family session. They both turned out adorable and great and I'm highkey obsessed. You can check out my website to see some more of the photos. ;)

My sister went to homecoming. I didn't. Instead I took pictures of her and her friends and then slept over at my best bud Grace's house and it was way more lit than going to a dance. Also, she gave me pretty flowers.

And that's about it! Of course, there was a lot of school and yearbook and jam sessions in between all that, but I think you're about caught up!!

Fam, I'm gonna try really hard to keep up with my post schedule. If not twice a week, then at least once. Thanks for being really, really cool cats.

Have a great day!