A Very Black Friday

Mayhem. When asked how working black friday was, that was my initial reaction. Absolute chaos. Noisy, uncontrollable chaos. Interestingly enough, I work at The Children's Place. Not your first thought when you think of great deals on the wonderful day of buying things at 4 in the morning.

My shift was 4am-1:30pm. Nine and a half excruciating hours of being on my feet, with the exception of a 30 minutes break. Don't get me wrong, I do like my job, and I am more than thankful to have it. But 4am is slightly ridiculous.

Many people doubted Children's Place when I told them we were open at 4am. They thought, "noone would possibly be anxiously awaiting for you to open." Oh but they were. Atleast 10 people were waiting when we open in the wee hours of the morning.

Now, this is my first Black Friday experience. I've never been a part of it, worked it, or had anything to do with it before and I must say, it is definitely as dangerous and exciting as it is cracked up to be.

From a Marketing perspective, it is genius and had become a worldwide known doorbuster event. It intrigues me, as anything with sales does, how people can become so deal-crazy on this one day of the year.

We had everything in the store 30% off before noon which is kinda a big deal. And we made a large sum of money.

A little business history for you, the reason it's called Black Friday is because it is the one day a year that business work hard to be "in the black" as opposed to a lot of businesses being "in the red" or negative in profit. So a lot of company make huge sales and profits on this day after Thanksgiving tradition.

I was anxious to see the outcome of people that would come, but was not excited to leave my family so soon on Thanksgiving break. I got less than two days to spend with them. A short but very sweet visit.

Here is a photo I snapped as I drove past Best Buy around 3:45am.

Sorry it's a little blurry, I was trying to not look creepy.

All in all, it was an interesting experience and I learned that some people are crazy for deals, not that I blame them.

Glad to be done with it, but looking forward to next year.

The Knightmare Before Christmas

Well this Halloween, much different from years in the past, I actually participated. I just want to preface by saying that I am not a fan of the whole gig. Dressing up just isn't my thing I guess. I don't know why, I can't really explain it. However, this year my roommate and I came up with two fantastic costumes. She had an idea to be Miley Cyrus and so I went with obnoxious hit pop sensation, Justin Bieber. I know, I know, I can hear the groans already. However, I must also say that I didn't dress up like him in order to glorify him, it was anything BUT that. I am not a fan of his music or his fame at all, but I figured his hair style and the way he dresses would be a hilarious costume, so I went for it.

Before we get to costumes though, I'll start on Thursday. Julia and I had crazy schedules and so we finally found time on Thursday morning to get pumpkins at a Catholic church down the road. We went and picked out the perfect pumpkins with ideal shape for carving. Here were our results (mine is on left, julia's is on right):

It was a lot of work, but a lot of fun. We were kinda rushed because we wanted to enter our apartment complex's pumpkin carving contest (that we didn't win) and we only had a few hours. We proudly display them on our front porch for everyone to admire.

Next, we went through a lot of preparation for our Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber costumes. I've posted both the pictures of us and the pictures we used for inspiration of our pop artists. I spent a whopping $11 plus a few borrowed items for my costume and I believe Julia's total came to around $18. Here's the results:

The look for Miley Cyrus:

And here was mine for Justin Bieber:

And finally we finished up Halloween festivities by making dirt cake! I know it sounds disgusting but it is quite delicious, and bad for you too. Ingredients include Oreos, cream cheese, gummy worms, cool whip, butter, vanilla, and chocolate pudding. Here is the ending result:

A Comic for Fun

I came across this cartoon today and I felt like it was a perfect example of the way I'm feeling this week.
Enjoy!

I know it focuses on getting involved in church activities, which I do a lot of too but I think it can be applied to work, school, friends, family, everything cramming my agenda planner. :)

Penciling In

Today I took a good hard look at my very messy planner page for this week. It's a blur of colors, times, arrows, X's, and plans I've made. I took a big long breath in and out to brace myself for this week to come. As my life goes on I find myself getting busier and busier. Not that I should really complain, because as my family knows I'm one that loves to keep myself busy and moving nonstop. I do enjoy the occasional downtime but for the most part, I don't like just laying around doing nothing.

Literally just 10 minutes ago, with agenda planner and pen in hand, I walked over to my roommate's room and sat down and said, "OK, let's figure out when to carve pumpkins." Which is so sad that I have to pencil a specific time in. Not because I'm an obsessive compulsive planner, but because I fear I will accidentally book myself up and not have time to do it. So while it make seem ridiculous to have "carve pumpkins" in my agenda, I have found that it is the best way to do it. Especially if you have the tendency to over-book yourself.

I don't ALWAYS highlight like I did below, but sometimes it helps to draw my attention to something I might have missed.

Work is really crazy this week and so that will take up a big portion of my time but I know that it's worth it and I am extremely greatful to have a job in this terrible economic times. So I keep my head up and I think positive thoughts because complaining never gets anyone anywhere.

With that being said, I thought you might enjoy an actual picture of my agenda planner for this week of October 25th-30th.

Here's a color key:

Pink = School-related things

Green = Work Schedule

Orange = Any extra fun

As you can see, it's not all required stuff that I jam my life with. And I don't let school take over my life. I get my work done early so that I can get stuff done that is more enjoyable during the rest of the week. I learned this the hard way from last year and being a procrastinator. However, I do still let assignments sneak past me and I end up scrambling.

All in all, this was really just a reflection of my life and me telling myself how much I enjoy it and how much I really love the people who are in it. :)

Obsessed with These Fashions

I have never been a huge follower of fashion trends. I'm never super up-to-date on the ever-changing fads of the runway. However, when I first saw these next two styles, I thought I might give it a go.

Style Number One

Shirt tucked into short combination. You should have seen my face when I first saw girls walking around the their shirts tucked into their shorts. I thought, how old fashion, that trend will never catch on. I was wrong. It's more popular than ever. I'd say there are a certain percentage who can pull this look off and I decided to try. What really drew me to this combination is the fact that I already had the items I needed. Here's what I came up with (I feel the need for a belt, however I didn't bring any with me. Gotta get one soon):

Note: I have found, through trying on many different combinations. Chose shorts that aren't worn

out and ratty with holes and distressed pockets. It doesn't match the style you're going for. Also, when choosing a shirt, here I tried a looser fitting tank and it worked. But I personally think it looks good with a tight tank or long sleeve v-neck too. I'm not one for the boots on the girl above, but i think she pulls it off well.

Style Number Two

This one is similar to the first but it's a skirt. I think this is adorable. I first spotted it at church and at first glance I thought it was a dress. BUT at closer evaluation, I saw that it was a shirt paired with a skirt with a tight band in the middle, giving it the illusion of a dress. What made me especially excited for this look was the fact that I could mix and match my shirts and skirts to make a bunch of cute combinations. I don't own a lot of skirts and I was not thrilled to run out and buy one. However, my roommate's mom bought her an adorable floral printed skirt that was perfect for this look and I asked to borrow it to experiment. Here's what I came up with:

Now, for this look, I have found that it looks best with a loose, printed skirt and a tight fitting tank, v-neck short sleeve short, or any long sleeve shirt. Pairing a flowy skirt with a flowy shirt just doesn't do it for me. And you can use a solid skirt with a striped or patterned shirt if you so choose. So there are lots of combinations. I chose some short camel-colored cowgirl boots to complete my look, but there are many types of shoes you can choose to fit the occasion. Wear heels to dress it up (above) or some flats/sandals to dress it down.

Shopping Woes

Everyone loves shopping... right? Not. Plenty of my friends HATE it. Not only do they not enjoy it, but they avoid having to do it ever. It's so sad to me. Because I truly enjoy it. Recently though, I've found that that might be a result of my working retail. Seeing "behind the scenes kinda" deal has it's advantages. So, in order to pass on my knowledge, I'd like to offer you a few tips!

1. Time. You need time to go shopping. Unless you know EXACTLY what you are looking for and you're looking to make it an in-and-out trip, time is a necessity. Especially if you are looking for bargains. You have to be willing to look through every item of the sales rack because that's how people get deals. Check items outside of your size sections, things don't always get put back where they should. So, make sure to leave some extra time for searching in those clearance sections. Most of the time, it's worth it. Plus, then you get to brag to all your friends who compliment you, on how little you paid for it.

2. Ask. Associates are there for a reason. We aren't just there to run the registers. We are there for customer service. And, 9 out of 10 clothing stores, have a stockroom. They have to, you can't run a clothing store without one. Therefore, stockroom means they might have sizes in the back. And sometimes associates are too busy to make sure all the sizes are out so asking one of them to check never hurt anyone. If they don't have it, no big. But if they do, score.

3. Triple check. When you think you're ready to make a purchase, check the items you have in your hand, the sizes, the styles, the prices. Be 100% sure about your purchase. Add up the approximate total cost. That way, when you hear the total you aren't shell shocked and frantically trying to lower it at the register.

4. Price check. Not all associates hate their job. With the exception of the occasional hateful, depressed, moping, sulky, workers, most of us are happy to help you with anything you need. If the item looks like it's in the wrong place, if the sale price isn't clear, or if it might have additional markdowns, ask for a price check. It takes two seconds at most stores and the associates don't mind at all.

5. Sign up for e-mail coupons. Yeah yeah, I can hear the grumbling already. I know how obnoxious this can be. Getting millions of e-mails from a bunch of stores of updates and sales and coupons that you don't have time to read. I understand that. I hate it to. However, these can be very worth it. My suggestion? Create a free email account just for coupons. Make it short and quick to write down, enter, or tell the associate. You don't have to check it every day and it won't clog up your work or personal e-mail. Then if you plan a shopping day, take a gander at that e-mail. See what coupons or sales the stores are having. Print them real quick and stick them in your purse just in case you decide to look around that store and see something you like. There's nothing I hate more than knowing you had a coupon but couldn't use it.

6. Check price tags. Here's a secret that I've found in working at Children's Place. Corporate is smart. And so is the Marketing department (maybe that's why it's my major!). However, they know the ways to say things to make you buy it without comparing. For example, we sell denim all year round at the store. Regularly the big kids sizes are 2 for $22 (12.50 ea). When they go on "promo" they usually go to around $11 a piece. This might sound like a deal because of the nice even low number. BUT, it's only a dollar cheaper than they normally are when you buy 2 of them. So just be sure to check how much an item is regularly in comparison to the promo price. Sometimes it's worth it, sometimes it's not.

Hope these tips help some shopping ventures in the future! Now go out and "shop till you drop".

Disclaimer: It has come to my attention that these tips probably don't have a huge affect on men. I apologize, however, I can't help you much. You shop differently and more straight-forward. And most likely, you will hate shopping no matter what.

The Warmth of Love

In recent days I have truly felt the love of God in ways I can't even imagine. It's like nothing I can explain in words; He has quite literally enveloped me with his warmth and compassion. I have always known and I've been told over and over again that Jesus Loves Me and I am a blessed Child of God. But I took these words for granted and until now, never realized the power they held.

I have always seen God's love through answers to prayer, the simple things in life, and through the people around me. But I have not felt it to this extent until now. And it is something that should be thoroughly shared to the ends of the earth.

I can't say that I've ever felt that there was a message or characteristic of Himself that God was trying to reveal through me as obviously as He is trying to show me this. His Never-Failing,

Overflowing Love. Perhaps that's because he tries to show me things all the time and I am totally oblivious so finally he is knocking his hand on my thick head to get through to me. Either way, I am so thankful.

Sometimes I find myself getting so down on myself, and frustrated, and angry, and at the point of tears, and then I flip on Z88.3 and hear a song that perfectly reflects how I should never feel that way because the God the Universe sees me as his Child and loves me no matter what I do wrong or how bad I mess up.

Thinking of this subject makes me think of Rob Bell and his Nooma (a short demonstrative, informative, awesome video) called Flame. It was the first one I saw of his Nooma series and I fell in love with his message, his voice, and the Lord all over again. I feel that in order to understand the overpowering love that Christ has for me, I want to really comprehend the way He wants me to love. Because we are supposed to be Christ-like and love people like He did.

The following is a brief description of the 3 different Hebrew translations that Rob Bell talks about for the word love.

Raya - translated simply as brotherly love or the way you can trust a friend. A soulmate. This has the commitment, the friendship and the trust part of love.

Ahava - the deep passionate love you have for a person. The way you feel when you don't want to be with anyone else. Rob Bell talks about his first date with his now wife and how he remembers thinking "I would rather be here. With her. Than anywhere else in the Universe". How absolutely breathtaking. It is much more passionate than a temporary feeling, Ahava is what makes things last.

Dod - To carouse, to rock, to fondle. This is the physical, sexual aspect of love.

See, one flame burning by itself will never burn as bright as all 3 burning together. Using just one flame without the others is not how it was meant to be. You need to bring all three together to live out the way God wired you to be.

Here is the link to Bell's Nooma video. I encourage you to watch it, it is incredible.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5i_X54REmY&feature=related

"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." - John 15:12-13

Fallen But Not Forgotten

Just thought I would share this great video that a friend of mine posted on Facebook. Besides the fact that Budweiser has some of the greatest commercials ever made, (in my opinion), but this makes a simple statement to the mindset we should be in on this day, and actually everyday. Proud to stand together and unite as Americans. Enjoy!

September 11th, 2001.

I was sitting in my 5th grade class, other students were getting signed out, more often than normally. We went to lunch for the day and when we got back to the classroom, our teacher had the news on the TV and we watched the footage of the plane crashing into the twin towers. At the time, I honestly didn't understand it as more than a regular plane crash. Even when I got home and my mom was waiting for me at the bus stop, she tried to explain it to me, and I don't think I even comprehended it at that time. Only until years later did I realize the horrific tragedy that had occurred.

Without getting too involved in the constant debate, I can't thank our soldiers enough for fighting for me. I am so glad there are people out there willing to go and stand up for what our country believes in. Thank you.

God Bless America.

Fun Facts

Just so happens, that a good friend of mine, Christina mentioned me as a versatile blogger. Much to my embarrassment I wasn't sure what this even was. In searching through Google I discovered it was basically an "award" given to bloggers by other bloggers, sort of passed around. I was so excited that I got mentioned, as I'm still a "newbie" blogger. Christina and Matt are newly weds and I love both of them to death. I met them through church and I was so sad to watch them move to Atlanta, GA after the honeymoon. But they are doing so great and I love reading their married life updates.

So, here are 7 things that I define the little parts of me. I discover new interests everyday and I love being me:

1. I adore math. Always have. Algebra, trigonometry, even calculus.

2. This is weird, but I love infomercials. I could sit and watch one all day. I never buy anything, which is good, but I love watching them. I'm hoping that this will help in my Advertising/Marketing career. :)

3. I laugh ridiculously loud. It's an outburst and more often than not, I can't help it. It just happens.

4. I am terrified of bridges. It's not fun. Once I went over a 7 mile bridge on the way to the keys. I swear I held my breath the whole way. I'm also scared of windows at night and the dark in general. Whole different stories.

5. I'm kind of addicted to the sun. Which probably isn't healthy. But I love being in the sun, reading, listening to music, hanging out, and swimming. Probably come from my Florida upbringing.

6. I am even more addicted to chapstick. It's horrible. I use it everyday, all year. Multiple times a day. I do it subconsciously. Sometimes I can go awhile without using it but once I realize I don't have it. My lips get horribly dry and it's all I can think about.

7. I love alternative rock. Some of my favorite artists are Matt Hires, Mat Kearney, Matt Nathanson, Jake Coco, Five Times August, John Mayer, and so many more. I also love anything that is redone as an acoustic version. :)

Not only are these people the ones who got me into blogging, but also have inspired me personally:

So scared of getting older, I'm only good at being young

Binding the Broken

Where It's done My Way

Number One Fan

Last year, my friend Megan had me listen to a few songs that her friend Matt had recently recorded. She had grown up being close family friends with his family. He's a good old home-grown Tampa native. They had been friends since being little, in fact, she still has pictures of them as youngn's. :) When she had me listen to his hit song, Honey, Let Me Sing You A Song, I instantly fell in love with his lyrics, his words, and him.

Last December, Megan and I decided to spend the $8 a person to go to his concert at The Orpheum, a small bar in the middle of Downtown Tampa. I got to meet him, talk to him, get a picture, and stand front row to an amazing concert. He was just as good live as he was on his CDs. It was an altogether amazing night.

For the past 9 months, I've been spreading the word about Matt Hires and shared my love for his music to my best friend and a few of my roommates. I found out yesterday that Matt was coming to Orlando tonight! I knew I had to go again and brought Julia along with me. I was so excited.

It was in downtown Orlando at a small place called The Social where a lot of smaller bands go to play and make a name for themselves. Matt was starting out his State Lines tour there and going all over the United States on part 2 of his tour. The tickets were pretty cheap again so I couldn't wait. This time, I even bought a shirt. I don't normally but it was generally cheap for a concert shirt and I wanted to support Matt. Everyone there loved him, of course. And I got the chance to chat with him after and get another picture. I love it!

I suggest that you take a second to check out his music. It's a cross between John Mayer and Matt Nathanson. More of a soft, alternative rock with some clean and powerful lyrics. His songs have all kinds of messages and his voice is really captivating. Buy some of his songs on itunes. :)

"In a strange, strange place, I'm lying on the edge of a star

In these violent days, I only wanna be where you are

Even fools they say, can find a way out of the dark.

Help me out of the dark."

-Matt Hires

The First Meal.

So this past thursday night was the first night that I didn't have to work and I had a chance to actually cook a homemade dinner. I decided on Chicken breast pieces and spaghetti with some broccoli. Well, in preparing for dinner, one of my roommate's friends was over and I offered some to him, he agreed to try it. I assured him that I would try not to give him salmonella.

While gathering the ingredients and pots and pans and utensils, I could not, for the life of me, find the spaghetti! After searching thoroughly, I gave up and settled on instant mashed potatoes. Not as fitting but it would have to do. I breaded the chicken pieces first with Vigo breading. The boneless skinless chicken pieces were quite fat so I was nervous they weren't cooking so I frantically cut them up and made them thinner. Eventually they cooked, and before they finished I started the potatoes which took a minute and the broccoli had been on a low simmer for a few minutes. Everything finished and we sat down and ate. The following occured:

So, as you can see, it didn't quite turn out the way I wanted it but at least it was 1. edible and 2. not disgusting. Needed more seasoning/flavor and broccoli cooked too long. I will continue to learn from my mistakes I hope and eventually be a master chef. duh. Next on my list is a shrimp dish with butter spaghetti and then maybe lasagna. :) Unfortunately working part time at a retail store makes it a little hard to get home in time to make a detailed dinner so Healthy Choice microwave meals will have to suffice some nights. But I will continue to update on my other cooking endeavors.

P.S. I found the spaghetti after I cleaned up the kitchen.

The Mysterious Blue Men

Last night was quite possibly one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

Blue Man Group.

Last year, my roommate Julia won 2 tickets to see Universal's Blue Man Group and as an even trade, since I took her to Taylor Swift, she took me to the show. I will start out by saying I had

no idea what to expect. Honestly, I hadn't heard a lot about the show. We were ecstatic to find

out that we had Row A seats. It's not the front row, that's AA. But it's the 4th. The first row right behind the "splash zone".

The show had a psychedelic feel to it. Strobe lights, drums, paint, interesting skits. It was basically a series of One Acts done by 3 men

painted all blue and dressed in black. They were

creepy, let me tell you. They had some of the greatest facial expressions and held perfect composure at all times. The art they created with both paint and drums and random objects was incredible. Julia and I were dying to take it and hang it on our wall. The talent and mystery was tied together. I never knew what was coming next. We were on the edge of our seats and constantly in awe.

Unfortunately we were unable to take pictures during the show, but I do see how it would ruin the whole effect. However, I made sure to take photos afterwards. The part that I truly

enjoyed the most was how much audience participation they did. In almost every skit they either brought people up from the audience, or they went out and walked on the rows of chairs and just interacted. At one moment, all three of them were in within arm's reach distance, pouring Capt'n Crunch cereal in Julia's mouth and handing me flashlights. ;)

I would definitely recommend it to families with children as it was a good clean show. It was comedic, fun, enjoyable, and easy for kids to follow.

It was a breath-taking show and I would recommend anyone to see it, young and old. I would even pay money to go back and see it again. Hoping to take my dad someday soon. :)

My New Home

Today was the big day. The long awaited for move back to Orlando. It only took 5 people and 3 cars worth of stuff to get me there. Although I am so grateful to have a mother that makes sure I have everything (even toilet paper and tissues) before I get up there. Like Orlando has no Walmarts... haha. Oh mom. I felt very well suited when they left and only needed to stock my sizeable pantry with food. Recently I've been on a health kick. Don't go crazy telling me I don't need to be on a diet, I know. It's not a diet, it's more of a "pay attention to what you're eating" thing. I hope to actually make real home-cooked dinners often.

Anyway, the decorating and assembling of the apartment was funand came together quite perfectly I must say. We got everything unpacked and settled in about 4 hours. Including hanging pictures, curtains, and organizing drawers.

We are living in a 4 bedroom/4 bathroom so I have 3 other roommates. 2 of which I know, I lived with last year and considered to be some of my closest friends. Our 4th, was a random. However, upon her arrival decided that her room was too small and she was not a fan, thus she moved out. So now we have a guest room and bathroom until they fill it (hopefully never!). I was a little disappointed, I was excited to get to know someone else. Yet I was relieved, because it is easier getting settled in when you know your other roomies well.

Mom of course insisted on taking pictures of me with roomies and awkward poses on my bed and at my desk. However, I took my own pictures to show you the lovely art I painted and the vintage-y green and brown theme I have.

The green & brown room

A better shot of the sunflower painting I did

Curtain and desk area

Bathroom

The shower curtain and outhouse towel hanger I got from a white elephant gift exchange

The furnished living room with our red lamp addition. We need some big big art to go above the sofa

The dining room table & my sunset painting!

The kitchen with our adorable aprons

Flooded with Memories

Today was a very special day to me. I took a few hours out of my day to make a trip to the elementary school that I went to for Kindergarten - 5th grade, and visit with a past teacher. This wasn't just any ordinary kindergarten teacher, she was blessed to have both my sister and I for our first year of school. In addition, my grandmother was asked to come into the class now and then to read to us! I loved being able to share my grandma with the class.

Anyway, I drove up to the school today and saw the place where I used to wai

t for the bus and play "Bo-Bo-see-otten-totten" with friends. I walked into the main office to check in and to my left I saw the nurse's office where I went on many occasions (I'm slightly accident-prone).

Being able to chat with Mrs. Ruhle after not seeing her for many years was fantastic. We talked and talked and talked, about what had changed on our lives and in the history of the school. She told me I was more than welcome to walk around the school too. So I did.

Honestly, it looked like the school had been stopped in tim

e from when I left in 2001. Everything was exactly the same except they did away with the portables and added another classroom building. Don't worry, I took pictures, not that they will mean a whole lot to you. :) But as I walked around, memories literally flooded my brain...

I remembered making origami figures in art class

I remembered my two friends Becca and Jessi singing phenomenally in front of my 5th grade class

I remembered numerous book fairs as I walked past the media center

I remembered running laps around the kickball field

I remembered watching some puppet show in one of the buildings.

I remembered playing "guard the pin" on the basketball courts

I remembered eating those plastic wraped popsicle, long, thin, freeze things in the wooden pavilion (show below).

I remembered sitting in the halls reading to kindergardeners when I was in 5th grade.

I remembered hearing about 9/11 and watching the twin towers fall in 2001 in my 5th grade class.

Like I've mentioned before, I have the worst memory ever, so when these small moments of my life came back to me I was thrilled. Haha. Only one other teacher that I had was still at the school, my 5th grade teacher Ms. Kabat. I went to her classroom but unfortunately she wasn't there. I walked around a little and checked out some of the books she had on her book cart. To my surprise, most of the books I picked up where from when I was there. To name a few, The Beverly Clearly series, Mr. Popper's Penguins, and The Boxcar Kids series.

It was a fabulous down memory lane and really reminded me how time goes by so fast. It makes me look forward, at least a little, to my high school reunion! :]

The basketball courts

The wooden pavilion

The jungle gym

An Even Harder Goodbye

So in t minus 2 days I will be back in my Orlando home. All summer, it seems like I've just been anxiously counting down the days till I'm reunited with "o-town". Now that the time is so near, I'm actually feeling a little nostalgic about leaving this town, my family, and my jobs. It seems that only recently I've grown closer to the people and it's made me feel sad about leaving. Honestly, when I first left my home and embarked on a new chapter of my life in my first year of college last summer, I was itching to speed out of town and start fresh. You would think that with every year of college, it would be easier to say goodbye; boy was I wrong.

See, growing up, my sister and I were 6 years apart so it was hard for us to ever relate until about a year ago. She realized I wasn't the annoying little 6 yr. old always tagging along. And I

finally saw that she had more knowledge than I gave her credit for. We learned that we had more similarities than we thought! It was a great thing, and our relationship is stronger than ever now. We talk more often and we laugh more than fight. I'm going to miss her so much more now. As for my parents, this summer was fantastic. Through the years I've learned, more recently, that they were pretty much always right. S

o now, we have more fun and I love it. I'm going to miss them even more this time leaving.

Also, I have fought my mother SO HARD to resist learning to cook. It never interested me, and I never had a desire to learn. I figured when I needed to cook, I could look up a recipe online and make it (talk about growing up in a technologically advanced era!). But this summer I gave in and told my mom I would love for her to pass on her recipes and tips for me to use in the apartment this year. She was thrilled. :) In learning, I decided that with my memory, (very much unlike an elephant's) I would write it down and make a "college cookbook" out of them! I don't have a huge amount of meals to put in it, but I figured I would add to it as I learned. I've already started making the pages for it and I can't wait to show you guys the finished product. Catch you on the next post!

Fashion, Fashion, Fashion

So, with the start up of my new blog, I decided to make my first post about kinda the reason I started it. A friend of mine lent me her recent Glamour magazine a few weeks ago, and normally, I'm not into the huge fan of fashion magazines (Vogue, Seventeen, etc.). Growing up, I basically bought shirts and pants that simply "fit", not paying huge attention to style or couture. I never paid huge attention to the ever-changing trends or newest fashions. However looking through this magazine I noticed it had a lot of good tips on makeup, style, exercise, healthy eating, and other stuff. I found myself loving looking through it and learning a lot! So I did a little research on Glamour's website and found that they were having a summer subscription special. 2 years (24 magazines) for $15! PLUS a free cute tote. It was a must have.

In addition to the great tips and stories in their magazine, their website has alllll kinds of fabulous stuff too. I must admit, I'm addicted.

Anyway, I was hoping that with this new blog, I could share some of the great style techniques and tips that I find on here and in my new subscription, and hope to help others out there who were lost. Don't worry, it won't be the focus of the blog, but if I come across something great, I'll pass it on.