Boy Meets World

I'm definitely not the only one that's said that TV shows for children and teenagers were better in the 90's than they are today. Sometimes I cringe when I'm flipping the channels and I come across the shows that are on for children my cousin's age. Being a child of the 90's, I was definitely spoiled with my entertainment, specifically with Boy Meets World.

I'm sure that you all know the premise. The show follows young Cory Matthews on his journey through his teenage years and the beginning of his adulthood, along with the relationships with his best friend Shawn and his girlfriend/wife Topanga. This show talked about real problems that normal, everyday teenagers/young adults go through, which is why the show was so successful. It was so relatable that it had a little something for everybody.

In fact, it still does. ABC Family still shows reruns of it on an almost daily basis because even after all of these years, people can still relate to the lessons that the show taught, with the help of the infamous Mr. Feeny. I hadn't sat down to watch the show for a while, so I recorded some episodes a few days ago. I watched them and loved reliving Cory's adventures with him. (I also always loved that his last name was my maiden name.)

The lessons still pertain to me today and it was nice to be reminded of the show's many teachings. Boy Meets World was so successful and left such an impact on so many teenagers because it never talked down to us. The show was written well and catered well to the audience, which I always appreciated. I was talking to a few friends of mine not long ago and the show came up in the conversation. Every single one of my friends spoke highly and fondly of the show, which I found heartwarming.

I cherish the fact that I can go back to a show that was part of my childhood and still feel like I learned something. I'm finding things now that I missed when the show originally aired and I cannot tell you how excited I am to watch Girl Meets World (the spin-off) when it premieres!

-Chelsea

3 Lessons I Learned From My First Breakup

I remember my first heartbreak like it was yesterday. Truthfully, I was 16 years old at the time, so it wasn't that long ago. But still, the memory is as vivid as if it just happened. But that kind of thing is hard to forget.

We had been drifting apart for a while and we both didn't want to admit it. I dated my first real childhood crush. We crushed on each other for 7 years before we officially started dating. We knew everything about each other, did everything together, were the best of friends. We literally grew up together. I spent every spare second that I had at his house. That's why it hurt so bad when we realized that it wasn't going to work out anymore. I mean, sure, every single heartbreak is going to hurt. But when your best friend/person you're in love with breaks your heart, the pain is definitely magnified.

I really did try to make the relationship work. But there is only so long that you can pretend that everything is okay. We both didn't want to hurt each other, so we didn't pull the plug as soon as we should've. In all honesty, the breakup was completely mutual when we finally admitted our true feelings to each other. And we probably could've spared each other a lot of pain and wasted time if we had just come clean earlier.

This is a picture of Carey (my best friend) and I when we were 16. Just thought I'd give you a sneak-peek into what I looked like during this time of my life. I didn't want to show a picture of the boy I'm talking about, out of respect for his privacy. 

The thing was, even though we both wanted the break up, it still hurt like hell. It was exactly what we wanted but to actually say the words and admit that there wasn't any more hope for us was absolutely devastating. So even though my heart was completely shattered for a good few months and then we lost contact, I did learn a lot of valuable life lessons from it.

1. If you're unhappy, say so. Quite simply, everyone deserves to be happy and if you're staying in a relationship because you're afraid to hurt the other person, you're not really doing them (or yourself) any favors. Honesty is the best policy and even though it'll probably suck in the beginning, it will get better.

2. Don't feel guilty for your feelings. One of my most important life mantras is to not apologize for what I'm feeling. I can't control how I feel and nobody can tell you how to feel or how you're supposed to feel. So just focus on yourself and how you need to deal with your experiences. I really wish that I had learned this before the breakup. I definitely think that I would've handled it better.

3. Confide in your friends. I'm generally a pretty private person, so even though I had heart-to-hearts with my friends, I typically kept a lot of my personal life private. As a result, a lot of my feelings got bottled up. That works for a little while but sooner or later, those feelings have to get released. Unfortunately for me, those feelings got released on the night of my breakup. I literally cried for hours. I woke up the next morning for school and my face was swollen, red and puffy. So I finally let my friends in on my problems once I got to school and that weight was finally lifted off of my shoulders. Quite frankly, your friends are there for you. They're in your corner. So talk to them because they are there to help you in times of need. And breakups are definitely a time of need.

That being said, I do not regret my relationship with this person for one second. The time that we were together was filled with a lot of happy memories and lots of laughs. Plus, I did learn a lot, especially about myself. But of course, it isn't my fondest relationship; that would have to be my relationship with Kristopher. :)

-Chelsea

True Friends

I think that things like love and friendship are hard to define because everyone has their own definitions of what it personally means to them. So I thought that I'd share what a true friend is to me.

If you're my true friend:

• We can call each other any time, day or night, if we need help or just need a friend to talk to.
• We have tons of silly inside jokes that only we can understand.
• We know all of each other's dirty secrets and flaws, yet still love each other.

• We can act like absolute idiots around each other and not care.
• We can sit around eating junk food and watching movies and still have a good time.
• We can go months without talking but when we do talk it's like nothing has changed.

• We can always be honest with each other without fear of judgment. 
• We support each other's decisions no matter what.
• We love each other unconditionally. 

I'd just like to point out that this is my 100th blog post! I can't believe that I made it to this milestone already! Thanks for reading! 

-Chelsea 

Goodreads Tag!

Hello, everyone! It's Friday, so I wanted to do a fun post. And what is more fun to me than books?

Nothing.

As a frequent Goodreads user, I thought this would be lots of fun! So enjoy! And if you decide to do the tag as well, leave a link down below so I can check it out!

1. What was the last book that you marked as "read"?

The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd.



2. What are you "currently reading"?

Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier, the sequel to Ruby Red.



3. What was the last book that you marked as "to read"?

Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon



4.  What book do you plan on reading next?

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge.



5. Do you use the star rating system? 

Yes, I do. If a book has a low star rating on Goodreads, then I generally won't read it.

6. Are you doing a reading challenge? 

Yes I am. I hadn't planned on reading so many books so early in the year though. As a result, I'm close to finishing my challenge and it's only February!

7. Do you have a wish list?

Yes. I'm a frequent library visitor, so I want to buy all of the books that I've borrowed and enjoyed.

8. What book do you want to buy next? 

Hmm, there are so many! But if I had to pick one, I'd say Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi. I need to finish that series!



9.  Do you have any favorite quotes?
If so, will you share them? This quote was actually my senior quote. It's from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, my favorite Harry Potter book. "It is not our abilities that show who we truly are. It is our choices."- Albus Dumbledore

10. Who are your favorite authors?

Oh, this is so hard! I am really getting into Cassandra Clare, so she is a current favorite. I'll always have a special place in my heart for J.K. Rowling, even though I haven't read any of her adult books. My favorite author used to be Nicholas Sparks but I haven't read any of his books in a while.

11. Have you joined any Goodreads groups?

Just one but I forgot about it, so I haven't used it. Oops.

That's it for this tag! Remember to link up below if you do the tag yourself!

-Chelsea