Unexpected originality

I saw a special on TV that showed unique staircases in various homes around the country. It was so interesting to see such an ordinary part of a house look so unique.

Many of the stairs that were shown were actually in relatively normal normal houses from the outside.

I think this can be related to people's personalities. 

Someone that might seem so ordinary from the outside

May actually be extremely unique on the inside.

Kids food that never gets old

1. Macaroni and Cheese

2. Peanut butter and Jelly

3. Ice Cream Sandwiches

4. Pancakes

5. Grilled Cheese

All of these foods are so simple but so good. Anytime I come home from college my mom usually makes me one of these and it reminds me of my childhood and all of the fun memories we have had in our house. I have lived in the same house since I was 6 years old and I can remember coming downstairs for breakfast or an after school snack and I would always request one of my 5 favorite foods. I would eat my Macaroni and Cheese with honey on top, pancakes in the shape of an R, and grilled cheese cooked with truffle oil. Yumm, I love that I can still enjoy these foods 15 years later.

sweet summertime!

The past few weeks as the weather has gotten warmer I have been craving homemade lemonade more and more. Growing up my mom would alway have a fresher pitcher made that we would drink as we swam in the back yard. Her recipe was pretty standard for homemade lemonade except she would put raspberries and strawberries in the pitcher to sweeten the drink up.

My Mom's recipe:

12 lemons

1 1/2 cups of sugar

6 cups of cold water

A handful of raspberries and cut up strawberries

College girls grunge chic?

When I came to college I was very shocked to see girls in adult large t-shirts and leggings as pants. I was very confused why so many girls rocked this look on a daily basis to their classes. Unbrushed hair, nike running shorts, and no makeup is common to see on any college campus. In high school even if I was going to wear a t-shirt to class it (1) fit and (2) was not the shirt I woke up in and (3) was paired with a pair of jeans. I didn't understand why every girl in college felt that it was acceptable to look like she hadn't bathed for a few days.

Now at the end of my second year in college I do understand wearing comfortable clothes to class, but I still make it a point to wear clothes that fit, brush my hair, and put a little bit of make up on to show that I'm alive. I think it is very disrespectful to our Professors when girls walk in wearing clothes you know for sure they wore to bed with huge X's on their hands and either no make up or make up from the night before. I know I have had my fun nights out in college and have not wanted to wake up and fix my make up or was of those infamous X's, but I have anyway out of respect for myself. I wanted my professors to have a positive impression of me and my friends. It embarrasses me when I see girls wearing my sorority letters looking like a total slob. If you are going to look like that at least don't represent an organization, because that does not send the right message to any faculty on campus.

I would love to know who started this grunge trend and if they dressed like this in high school or if it was a new idea when they came to college. I hope that slowly girls realize this is not a good look and try to at least make them selves look presentable. Shirts and running shorts are fine, but make them fit and don't use them as an excuse to not brush your hair in the morning.

Dream come true...

This summer I am traveling through Europe for two months with my best friend Lindsey. This has been a dream of mine for such a long time. Lindsey and I have been mapping out places and sites we want to see and it is only making me more excited. The first stop for us is Paris and from there we will travel to Spain, Italy, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, and the U.K. The deal my parents and I had about this trip is that I have to budget. Because I will be there for so long I need to make the most out of an unlimited Eurorail Pass and well priced hostels. This will be one of the greatest experiences of my life and I cannot wait to see all of the popular sites. Here is the tentative travel plan Lindsey and I have: (Any suggestions are appreciated!)

·      Paris to Barcelona 644 miles ($65 flight)

·      Barcelona to Nice 410 miles (Eurorail Pass)

·      Nice to Milan, Italy 195 miles (Eurorail Pass)

·      Milan to Florence 188 miles (Eurorail Pass)

·      Florence to Rome 176 miles (Eurorail Pass)

·      Rome to Capri (Eurorail Pass)

·      Rome to Venice 342 miles (Eurorail Pass)

·      Venice to Munich 340 miles (Eurorail Pass)

·      Munich to Amsterdam 513 miles (Eurorail Pass)

·      Amsterdam to Brussels, Belgium 126 miles (Eurorail Pass)

·      Brussels to London 228 miles (Eurorail Pass)

TJmaxx sells Valentino?

For my advertising class I had to do a group project that consisted of researching the discount clothing store TJmaxx and creating a creative brief. When my partner and I went to the store to do some on site research we discovered some things that we didn't know about the store. First, I had no idea you could buy Valentino shoes or Seven Jeans there. Did you? I was amazed at all of the high end brands I saw on discount racks. When browsing through the formal wear I actually saw an Alice & Olivia dress that I own. I paied full price (around $400) at Neiman Marcus and it was at TJmaxx for $140. I couldn't believe I had paid so much for the exact same dress. As I was browsing around the store more I realized that had a lot of great items that I know my friends and I would wear.

This got me thinking....do my friends not know that you can get great designer clothes at TJmaxx? I wondered if they really did have no idea or if they just refused to shop at a store like TJmaxx. Let's be honest, SMU girls are not known for being modest bargain shoppers. The reputation of a typical girl at this school is what I want when I want it regardless of the price. Not every girl at this school is fortunate enough to life this lifestyle so I hope they know about this great deal that I found. Not only can you get the high end designers your friends are wearing, but you can get them at a fraction of the price. If you haven't been to TJmaxx recently I suggest you swing by because I did not expect I would find so many great buys.

10 Guilty Pleasures...

1. JD's Chippery (aka the best cookies you have ever had) 
2. Purple sunglasses (only color I will wear)
3. Watching Will & Grace every night before I go to bed (been a habit since I was a freshman in high school and I can't break it)
4. Putting off homework to lay out when the weather is nice
5. Sleeping in as late as possible on the weekends no matter how early I went to bed
6. Always have an obnoxiously bright color painted on my nails and toes
7. Reading Twilight over and over and over again every time I have free time
8. Going on YouTube and watching my teams old cheer routines anytime I miss the high school days
9. Insisting my Mom and Dad tuck me in every time I am home for the weekend
10. Wear ridiculously huge bows in my hair to class (I don't care if you think it looks dumb I love it!)