arkansassy

i spent my spring break visiting the third largest statue of jesus in the world.

it's okay to be jealous.


celebrated my last spring break of college
by going home to the motherland.
aka the natural state.

spent the week stuffing my face with homemade meals,
drinking too many beers with good friends,
playing dozens of card games,
and showing the boyfriend the beauty of the south.

now there is only seven weeks left of this semester.
ready for summer.
but unfortunately that just means more school for me.
at least the end is in sight.

kiss me

....i'm irish

happy st. patrick's day!

i put my green on this weekend and celebrated with the rest of chicago.
this city really loves its holidays.
as do i.
never one to turn down a reason to go all out,
i made my headband myself. it was quite the showpiece.

hoping for some irish luck for the rest of march.
i'm trying to figure out my summer plans.
they've changed about five times alone in the past two weeks.
but right now its all hinging on a job that i'd really love.
cross your fingers.

doggy dearest

i don't want a dog, unless its this one.

expect the unexpected

i'm not really one to follow fashion. i like clothes. i like to look good. but i tend to not give much thought to designers and the like. however, today is a new day. and this fashion week is apparently a new week as well. because i can not stop looking at style.com's coverage. its become my crack. every day for the past five or so days, i've meticulously looked at each designer's collection gallery. and let me tell you. i've seen some pretty things. and i've seen some hideous things. some designers should have been slapped before allowing half of their garments down that runway.

ok, so maybe i'm not a professional. but i can certainly tell when something is just downright awful. however. being one to try to find the positive in all situations {err...} here are my favs from new york fashion week. take it for what its worth kiddos.

marchesa. if i could own any of these three pieces, i would wear them to tea parties and to dance around my house while cleaning. i'd probably even be buried in them. i mean. omg. i just died and went to heaven. every girl's dream, i do think.


jill stewart. i usually go for light and dainty things... but js had a few black pieces i wouldn't mind strutting my stuff in. but would you just do me a favor and take a look at the perfectly placed bow on the white dress. i have dreams about that bow. that bow and i could be best friends. forever.


ports 1961. overall i thought this collection was nice. meaning it was all okay, but not much actually stuck out. accept for this little assemble. i don't know how fall-y it is, but i could definitely see myself ditching the jacket and running through fields of wild flowers {bc you know i do that quite often} this summer.
herve leger. don't ask me how to pronounce the name. please. and yet again, wasn't super impressed with the whole line, but i could definitely do a number on the town in this dress. bow chicka wow wow. ifyouknowwhatimean.

things i believe in

I believe in the power of a good mental health day. Use sparingly. You certainly don't want to be THAT kid, who only shows up to class on the exam days. But there is something to be said for a day to just lay around on your couch and feel like a rebel.

I believe in the power of caffeine. It does wonders for our productivity levels. Again, use sparingly. You don't want to be someone who has to be hooked up to a caffeine drip just to get out of bed in the morning.

I believe in the power of trashy television. Forget what you have to live for? Turn on a little 'I love New York' and find out how the other half lives. Be grateful for everything you have.

I believe in the power of face wash. There really is nothing like washing your face at the end of a really bad day. Just please, remember to moisturize.

secrets are sometimes fun

do you read postsecret?
no?
well you totally should.

i subscribe to it, along with roughly 50+ other blogs, in my google reader. i don't always get around to reading it right away. because i like to make sure i can really concentrate on the whole post and read/inspect each postcard sent in. nerdy maybe. but necessary. some of the secrets are so powerful. some are just downright awkward. others are hilarious. and some are sad. you never know what you are gonna get on any given sunday (movie title? FTW).

this week my favorite, hands down...


seriously.

outfit post #5

so i wear this outfit probably once a week. i'll change the shoes as i see fit, but it has become one of my go-to's. its comfortable and i quite like the shape it gives me. i'm not complaining. the top is really a dress that i shrunk, so its too short for me to feel comfortable even wearing it with leggings, so i just pair it with some skinny jeans. its easy, uncomplicated, and probably not that impressive. but hey, when you wake up 30 minutes later than you should have, its not quite the time to be picky.

dress: forever 21, belt: gap, jeans: charlotte rouse, boots: emu
i really should take the time to pick up my room next time...

channeling

so today has just been one of those days. in order to get me out of this funk that has taken control of my mood, i think i should focus on the good things. and really, today i'm surrounded by a few good things.

1. my toe nails are painted. (see below) i have neglected them for a few weeks. so the change is good.
2. my new headphones with which i get to listen to kings of leon. on my way to class.
3. white chocolate mocha from caribou this morning. it tasted marvelous.
4. "the adventure" by angels & airwaves. who knew?
5. the weather. which may be adding to this funk. but i crave a good grey day every once in awhile.

xox

six songs for the month

love love love mix:


lullaby, the dixie chicks
i want you back, jackson 5
you are the best thing, ray lamontagne
forever, ben harper
to be alone with you, sufjan stevens
oh darling, the beatles

best sissers forever

laddie and i, five years ago

My little sister is one of the most beautiful people I know.

Ever since she was little, she's had a knack for entertaining others. She used to get dressed up and dance around the living room in the house we would visit every summer. All of our aunts and uncles, great aunts and uncles, and cousins would gather around and watch. At the end of her performance she would waltz around the room with a hat outstretched, hoping people would tip her for her fine performance.

She was born with blond eyebrows and my aunt would always get a kick out of drawing them on with eyeliner. Before her performances, she was very particular about the fact that she needed her eyebrows before she could go on.

Whenever my sister, brother, or I, who are all older than her, would tell her to do something, she would undoubtedly say, "You are not the boss of me! I am a freeeeee woman!" Emphasis on the free, of course.

She has always been giving. When she was going into the first grade, we moved states and bought a new house. My parents were planning on giving her the bedroom with the walk in closet, and I was so upset about this! I somehow talked/tricked her into switching with me. She never seemed put out by any of our requests.

To this day, every time I get scared during then night, I go crawl in bed with her. She probably hates having to share her tiny twin bed with me, but I never want to stop cuddling with her. Shes gotten me through some of the roughest nightmares and thunder storms.

She is one of my favorite people in the world.

Simple Thoughts

It's 5:30 am on January 20, 2009. It's snowing in Chicago. My apartment is dark, except for the light that is illuminating off of my laptop. Nothing is happening on facebook, nor anywhere else on the internet for that matter. My stomach is growling but I refuse to go make some toast. My air conditioner keeps making a weird kicking sound. I'm still jet lagged, which I find somewhat impossible.

And today, I'm getting a new president. I have a hope and belief in the future.

I voted absentee in late October. I was there in Grant Park when he was elected. I ran the streets of Chicago celebrating. I hugged strangers on street corners, simply because there were no words.


All of that, was leading up to this day. And the next four years.
Our country is in pivotal moments of our history right now. I can't wait to see what happens next.

p.s.

Be sure to check out the blog entry I submitted for my class' blog.

Here

The City of Lights

Paris was, for lack of a better word, great. The trip seemed to last for weeks, but in the end I was sad to be leaving. Yet ready to be home in my own bed, eating American food. The city really is as beautiful as everyone says. Surprise. Surprise.

And the good news? The French really aren't as mean as everyone says. The bad news? There really aren't as many berets and skinny mustaches in France as I would have liked. Oh, and the food was not great.

I will go back. I must. Home just seems so "regular" now. It's time to get out and explore. Right after I win the lottery.


Unfortunately, now I have to write a few articles for the class I was taking while over there. The timing could not be worse. As I am in one of those funks where all I want to do is sit around, and watch old episodes of Jon and Kate Plus Eight . . . which really does not compliment my productivity. I realized today, I really have no self-control after my third hour of watching back to back episodes, many of which I had already seen.

Must get better at tearing myself off the couch and turning off the television.

the calm before the very exciting storm

i hate to pack. not so much hate, as dread. dread to pack. i am the most anxious person about leaving something, anything behind. and when you are going to PARIS for 10 days, that is a lot of stuff to be anxious about.

anyways, tonight i was packing. and decided to try a new outfit. the jury is still out on this one, but i like trying new stuff. i'm taking it, so we'll see if it gets any face time on the streets of the city of love.

cardigan: forever 21, dress: old navy, scarf/belt: h&m, jeans: old navy, boots: charlotte rousse
please ignore the hair and the messy room. both are result of said packing.

p.s. in my efforts to get myself ready for france, i decided i needed something to protect my ears from the cold weather. i saw a really cute headband on urban's website. however, they didn't have it in the store i visited. so i settled on what could possibly be an equally cute hate. i've never, ever been a hat person so lets just say i'm stepping out of my comfort zone a little on this one. i hear that's a good thing every now and then

new years in polaroid

Too late for a New Years Eve recap? Nahhh....

I had a [somewhat] fantastic new years. Can't remember a lot of it, but who says that's a bad thing? I had a boss, who told me once that you should always make sure to have an awful hangover on New Years Day, so that the year can only get better from there. Well, from the looks of my hangover (sick till 9pm on January 1st) I will have one hell of a year! I'm ready for it!

Friends since High School

Kendle's gettin saucey!

Posing with the champ

Getting ready for midnight

Kisses for our Corbino

one of my favorite pics.. even if my face is cut off

Happy New Years!

Perfect ending

There is nothing better than good times, with good friends. Cliche? Maybe. True? Totally. All pictured above have been there for me when I've needed them most, and I hope they can say the same about me. I've come to appreciate my good friends.... Something I once regretted. I realized this the hard way... went to college 10 hours from all my good friends! I'm grateful they still make time for me when I'm in town. Can't wait till summer now...

Like a kid at Christmas

I love new toys. Especially when the new toys are Christmas presents from boyfriends who don't know what to get you, so they make you pick out your own present. Isn't that nice-getting exactly what you want... instead of something that you will most likely only use once or twice and only because you feel obligated because said boyfriend will feel bad if you don't? Yeah, it is nice.

Anyways. New toy= flip video (the Ultra series, to be exact) My main reason for getting this was because I am going to PARIS on THURSDAY and I thought it would be sort of nice to be able to take some videos while I am there. I am sure I'll get a lot more use out of it too, of course. But videos from PARIS was a big perk.

I do have a digital camera that allows me to take video footage, but it eats up my memory card which is pretty annoying. My flip can store up to 60 minutes of video which is awesome.

I just pulled it out of the box today, so I haven't gotten to play around with it too much. But my first reactions are that it is so easy to use! And the videos are a better quality that I would have expected! So far so good, flip vid.

My first video is just of the view from my apartment.... Pretty basic. I was just mostly playing around.... I need to work on my shaky videography, I know...