Welcome to my Freckled Noggin

Hello, Internet! 

My name is Emma Woods, but you can call me Em for short. Welcome to my newest endeavor, where I'll share the thoughts, ideas, experiences and memories from my freckled noggin. Whether you're my dear existing friends and family, or new friends deciding to stop by, I  hope you all enjoy following along with me on this journey. So, friends and family, hold tight while I  introduce myself to my new friends! And hey, maybe you'll catch up on some things you didn't know about me... 

Hey, I'm an almost 20 year old who grew up in the little town of Panama City in the panhandle of Florida. I've lived here for the majority of my life and have a soft spot in my heart for my local community. You will always find me with a camera in my hand, capturing anything from a little wildflower to my favorite people.

I  am a part of a large, messy, loud and beautiful family made up of 19 people. We live together on Heritage Farm, 150 acres of some of the prettiest land you'll ever see and one of my favorite places. I'm the oldest of the pack of 10 grandkids and love spending time with my little cousin buddies. I am also the oldest sibling in my immediate Woods family of 5. Let me just say, my parents and siblings are my very best friends. My two younger siblings are teenagers now and having built in friends is
kinda the best thing ever.

Last year, I  met and fell in love with a sweet boy named Shad and this April we celebrated one year of being together. He's my best friend and adventure partner, so expect him to pop up a lot... I  promise to take it easy on the gushing.

Music has always a huge part of my life. I grew up surrounded by music. The indie, folk, alt rock and classic Dolly-era country my parents had playing in the living room and in the car influence my taste in music to this day and instilled in me a connection to song that has only grown deeper. I took this love of it to school, where I've been a music major at Gulf Coast State College for the past 2 years. I play flute, piano, botch guitar occasionally, and sing constantly. Speaking of one year anniversaries, in March of last year my dad, sister and I  took our harmonies and original songs out of the living room and into the local music scene. Hence, Woods the Band was born. Playing songs we wrote and songs from our favorite bands, meeting other local musicians, making an impact on the community and having fun together has been such an awesome experience. (If you want to follow along, hit up @woodstheband on IG or FB). So, needless to say, music is a huge part of who I  am.

Now, I'm going to be a Seminole! Next week, I'll spill the whole story of what it took to get in, my journey of discovering what I want to do, and my thoughts to all of my fellow college students about this whole figuring out life thing. But for now, I  am so excited to start this new chapter in the fall!

So if you met me and asked me what I 'm into, how I  like to spend my time and what my dreams are, you would get an answer like this:

Wellll, I'm a big nerd. At this point, I  own my cringe-worthiness. My room is full of books and I am still at a loss for something to read. I would visit an old bookstore every day if I could. Despite being that person who will rant for hours about the inaccuracy of a movie adaptation of a favorite book, I  love movies too! I  love to sit and admire the cinematography, the scores (duh) and enjoy seeing stories come to life (ya know, as long as they're not the stories I'm too invested in).

On any given day, you can find me getting outside and exploring. Whether it's a walk here on the farm or a trail at our state park, swimming in the Gulf of Mexico or finding new places, I love spending time outdoors. Adventuring, in a big or small capacity, is one of my favorite things to do. This could be in the antique shops, parks, coffee shops and local restaurants of my own little town, or it could be a road trip to Tallahassee, St Augustine or somewhere new to catch a concert, try new food, and learn about the history. I can't wait to share my discoveries with you!

Next to music, photography is my passion and I  have my camera in my hand basically anywhere I go. I  think the little wildflowers and the endless landscapes, the business of life, the little things people close to me do, the adventures I  have, they're all worth capturing and I  love the opportunity it provides to be creative. (Remember that post I  mentioned about FSU happening next week? Photography will have a role to play in that...).

So everyone, this is me. I  love a cup of morning coffee and one of afternoon tea. The more local coffee shops I  can find, the better and I'm a regular at ours in PC. My hair's been 4 different colors and I'm itching to change it again. I 'm the poster child for a Taurus: my room is my nest, good food is essential, I  want to be as comfy as possible but somehow still be stylish, the list goes on. The people close to me are so important and I love spending time with them and doing what I  can to help them. I  think everyone should be kind. I 'm bad at video games but i'm getting better. I always want to try new things. I  have a lot of thoughts running through this freckled noggin of mine, and I'm glad you guys are along for the ride. Thank you for reading and please reach out to me with feedback, ideas, or just to talk! I'd love to hear from you at my IG, @thefrecklednogginblog. See you next week, and hey, nice to meet you.

- Em