catching up

i haven't posted since march. i'm not going to even try and explain everything that's gone on recently, but i can say that i have finished my freshman year of college (yay!!) and it's summertime now. i've stopped doing yoga and i really need to pick it up again. i miss it. but with summer i think things will calm down a lot and i can have some fun. i have a (rather crazy) living plan set up for the summer, but more importantly i have many recipes, crafts, and fun activities planned that i intend to blog about.

(my "roomies" and myself)

the past couple weeks were nuts. finals were happening and my stress and problems were getting the best of me. i can't believe i'm finally done with my freshman year though!! there were moments i didn't think i'd survive. but overall it was amazing and i wouldn't change it for anything. it was so weird seeing the rooms i called "home" for almost a year emptied, but i'm crazy excited for next year!!

with all the extra time i have now that it's summer, i am jumping full force into my etsy shop. i added a few new items the other day, and more are coming this week. think some cute tote bags, hair accessories (like the customizable college barrette above), key chains, and play felt food for kids. this past week i also gave the shop a makeover when i redid my policies, about me, sections, welcome, even descriptions. let's hope it helps get me some sales!!
the next few days i'll be trying to jump back into blogging. it may take me a bit at first, especially because my computer isn't working at all and it's currently being sent back to toshiba to be fixed so i'm using my moms, but i'll make it work. summer 2011 is going to be amazing. i can feel it!! :)

xoxo, lauren

hockey and dancing

hope you all had a great weekend and a sweet valentine's day. my valentine's day was very chill and the weather made it nice enough for me to actually enjoy the day a little. a very relaxing yogalaties class and watching the movie bride wars with my girlfriends helped too.

my weekend, however, was even more awesome. friday my friend taylor and i went back home for a night. our hockey team was playing at an away game so we took her little sister and went to cheer on our boys. there were only about 15 fans from the other team, and we were the only 3 from our school (minus the parents). to make up for the lack of fans, we decided to go crazy every time they scored a goal. this was supposed to be a super hard team that crushed us last time, but we ended up winning 7 to 4!! and everytime they scored a goal, taylor, her little sister madison, and i went totally crazy. screaming, waving our arms, everything. it got to the point where even the other team was complimenting our cheering skills. i personally would like to think they won because of all our cheering, but maybe i'm a little biased. either way, i totally loved cheering them on and being noticed, especially by one of the guys i'm crushing on. ;)

taylor and myself

our hockey team

saturday we came home and decided to go to a local club. it's gay-friendly, but tons of students (guys and girls alike) go and dance. i wasn't sure what it would be like but i got ready with a few girlfriends and we headed down to the club. we were a little nervous at first (well, except for my wild child friend erica), but once this weirdo kept trying to dance with us and we had to keep avoiding him, it made us loosen up. once we were chilled out we started having way more fun. it was just what i needed too. we danced, sang along, and laughed for over 2 hours. and when we left, i realized that i hadn't thought about stressing, school, guys, anything. i had so much fun just letting go and letting the music take over,and kinda feeling beautiful. i was so glad i got to share the experience with my girlfriends. by the time we got home at around 3am, i was exhausted and couldn't wait to fall into bed.

 my gorgeous girls

they marked up our hands to make sure we didn't drink

my weekend was so much fun. probably one of the best yet, although that's a hard call. what did your weekend bring?? xoxo, lauren

captian's ball!!

this past saturday was captian's ball. it's basically. prom for college kids. the dances i went to in high school weren't that great. i went to two homecomings and one prom, and although they were fun to dress up for, they weren't much else. this however, was totally different. my girlfriends and i had all planned to go together so i was really looking forward to it. being girls, we started getting ready really early. everyone was helping each other do hair and fix make-up. my friends gretchen helped with my hair (it looked amazing) and erica did my make-up. i wish they could do it everyday!! :)

of course, once we were all ready we had to take a million photos of everyone. i got photos with all my gorgeous girlfriends (from left to right they're taylor, erica, and kim), as well as the whole group together.

the rest of the night was spent dancing with my friends, cheering on my hallmates as they attempted karoke, munched on chocolate covered strawberries, pretzles, and marshmallows, and dancing more. one of the best parts was that for once in my life i didn't waste time worrying about guys. i simply flirted, laughed, and let myself enjoy feeling pretty and being silly. we sang and danced our hearts out in a big circle and it was hilarious. afterwards we all went to ihop (yes, at 12 something in the morning). apparently we weren't the only ones with that idea because everyone was eating there in their fancy dresses and suits. i loaded up on chocolate chip pancakes and didn't worry about the calories because i had probably burned them off from dancing. in case you can't tell, all of my friends had such an amazing time, and so did i. i can't wait till next year. and check back on friday because for "silly photo friday" i'll be posting a few more pictures from the ball. how was your weekend??

xoxo, Lauren

is there an ark i can borrow??

i adore my college. the classes are great, the people are great, the food is (usually) great. i sound silly but i can't even begin to describe just how much i love it here. there's really only one or two little things i don't like about the school and it's something that's totally and completly out of the school's control. what is it?? the weather. i live in newport news, va. for those that don't know, it's on the east coast of the united states. that means that it's really windy. i don't totally hate cold, but wind sucks beyond belief. it makes everything colder and messes up perfectly fixed hair. i love snow, but because we're on the coast, we get almost no snow. ever. instead, we get rain. a lot of rain. tons of rain.

don't get me wrong, i adore rainy days. i love any excuse to pull out my super cute rain boots and umbrella, and love being able to curl up in bed with a blanket and fuzzy socks to study (or nap or watch movies on hulu). however, when it rains here, it pours and that means we basically get flooded. another thing about being near the coast means that we're very low so everytime it rains the campus floods. i'm short (only 5'2!!) so sometimes i feel like i'm about to drown while walking to class!!

although they predicted a wintry mix the past couple of days, we ended up just getting a ton of rain today. (and of course i forgot my umbrella, which meant a mad dash back to my dorm for me). already the campus is flooding. i think i may need a boat when i head to dinner tonight. here are some pictures of the rain i stole from a friend. how's the weaather where you are??

xoxo, Lauren

a double feature movie review

this weekend has been jammed packed. friday night my friends and i went to see the social network. CAB (campus activities board, the group who sets up fun things to do all over campus) was hosting a free showing. the movie started at 9, but we got there at 8:30 and it was already packed. although the group i was with had to split up, we still all manged to get seats.

 

i was interested to see how the movie was because i've heard so many different opinions. it was way better than i was expecting. i think they made mark come off as way more ruthless and cold hearted than he appears in real life (at least, when i've seen him). and justin timberlake really isn't that great of an actor, i'm sorry. (please honey, go back to singing.) but overall, i really liked the movie. it moved at a god pace and had its really funny moments. i'm not sure how much of it is 100% true but i'm assuming most of it is. i think one of the reasons it was so interesting was because it really showed just how much facebook has influenced our lives. some of the stuff they did (like repeatedly checking to see if the girl he had friend requested had added him), made my friends and i laugh because we all knew that we secretly did it too. i'd totally recommend it to people looking to see it.

saturday morning i was hanging out with a friend when she mentioned wanting to go home for a night to spend time with her mom. she's about a 2-hour drive away from the campus while i'm about an hour away and she passes by my house in order get home. we had originally planned to go home on friday this weekend to see our families but plans got changed so we weren't going to go. somehow, the trip ended up being on for saturday night so we packed tote bags, grabbed our dirty laundry, and headed home. my parents were super excited to see me (i miss them a lot when i'm gone, plus i miss my puppies too). my mom cooked dinner, then she mentioned they had rented a movie. on an earlier trip back home we had wanted to see "eat, pray, love" but didn't have the time so this time she had ran out and got it.

 

the movie was really interesting. it's not my favorite by a long shot, but it def makes you think. julia roberts is wonderful (her laugh is so beautiful, and so iconic. i love it) and i liked some of the other supporting cast members. this movie is also based on a true story about a woman going to go find herself. my favorite part of her journies through italy (the food looked divine), india, and bali were the people she met. it was like everyone she met had their own little story that helped her figure herself out and i loved the idea of being so globally connected to all these amazing people all over the world and how you can help others while helping yourself at the same time. however, i did feel sad for liz, the character julia robets plays. it's no secret i'm trying to figure out my life, my place in the world, who i am, and all that stuff. some people may say i'm too young because i'm only 18, but i think it's a great time to start exploring the world. liz, who i'm assuming is in her mid-30's or 40's, never did that and she seemed so sad, almost pathtic at times. some of the stuff she was just figuring out then, i've already learned. we're both still trying to use it now though. once again, i'd recommend this movie although i feel like it would be more catered to people trying to find themselves or searching for that extra little bit of motivation.

this weekend was so great. i got to have fun with my friends, yet i still got to come home and see my parents and puppies. (oh, and i got a super cute new cardigan i may try to post a picture of soon!!) ;) what did you do this weekend??
xoxo, Lauren

Silly Photo Friday!!

sorry for not posting all week. it's only the second week of school and already things are crazy busy. so i apologize times a million and i promise i will start posting aside from my new features. i'm actually 98% up to peed in all my classes so that's a good start at least. and it's friday (woah, already?? where did my week go?) but i'm super happy because i have another fun night planned with friends. and this time i'm going to try to take more photos. last night i was at my friend's dorm (i practically live there, i swear) and we all had a blast talking, hanging out, and being silly!!

it actually creates the perfect opportunity for me to introduce my newest feature. "silly photo friday" (or thursday, im still deciding) is going to be some fun pictures that i either a. had taken or b. am in. (maybe both??) i'm trying to take more photos this year (as if i didn't take a lot before) and this will be a fun way to show a few off. and finally...onto the photos. (warning: sorry for the quality this week. between the setting my camera was on and the awful lights in the hallway the pictures aren't 100% perfect, but they are 100% fun!!) :)

the always fun "let's jump up in the air and get a picture of us mid-jump". not easy but always makes for tons of laughs. (note my friend damian in the back...he almost knocked a tile out of the ceiling!!)

damian is one of my closest guy friends. one of the reasons we got so close was because we spent so much time practicing together for that huge dance competition this past november. and whenever ballroom kids and  performers get together, you get the constant need to dance and ham it up in front of the camera.

taylor is def one of my closest friends here. we actually went to opposing high schools but never knew each other. we have so much fun together, but that also leads to so much trouble. ;)

That's it for this "silly photo friday". feel free to tell me what you think about the newest feature. i'm off to go get ready for tonight!! can't wait. xoxo, Lauren

back to college-land!!

i got back to college on saturday and classes started on monday. as hard as it was to leave my family and my animals, i was so excited to get back. even after just one semester it already feels like home and i have a little "college family" that i love. one of my goals for my blog this year is to blog more about my life and my college adventures. this semester is going to be a little busier than last semester.

(my super awesome planner!!)

the first semester is one of the harder semesters because people are adjusting, finding themselves, meeting people, and learning to live on their own. my stats grade wasn't the greatest but i passed which is what matters most. i have one more math class this semester and once i'm done with that i'm freeeee of math. i'm also fundraising chair for the ballroom dance society, meaning i get to plan all the fun little events to build up funds. i'm already working on the first little event that should be held later this month. i'm also on the sketch comedy team, hanging out with friends, working on my etsy and blog, and getting ready for our huge formal event, the captian's ball, coming up later this month. more on that laaater... ;)

so far my classes seem okay. i had to switch one that doesn't start till next monday, but hopefully that one will be good as well. i'm in one of the easiest math classes and 2 of my ballroom friends are in there so i should be able to get by. my history class actually seems pretty cool. the professor was well-recommended by a friend who had him and he seems pretty rad so far. i'm in 2 psych classes, 201 and 202, and i have them back-to-back so tuseday and thursday evenings from 4 to 7 will be all psychology. the first professor seems amazing, but the second...not so much. during the first class he lectured for almost an hour without stopping. i'll try not to complain too much but i don't think i'll be praising the class much either. i do need to get my study habits in order, however. i have my binders (but i still need cover pages!!) for each day, my super colorful pens, planner (50% off at Barnes & Noble!!) and most of my books are in. Now all that's left is actually starting to study.

(supplies)

we had a "ballroom free dance" last night and it was sooo amazing to see everyone again and start dancing. i had so much fun dancing with all my friends that i've missed. damian, my cha cha partner, and i had an especially great time dancing together again. we were cha cha partners at the dance competition we went to in november, and missed advancing to the next level by one judge. our plan is to practice like crazy and take no prisoners at the competition next november.

tonight we have our first official ballroom lesson of the semester and rumor has it this guy i've been talking to a lot recently will be there. more on that later. ;)

xoxo, Lauren

Finals!!

Life has been a little crazy since around Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving itself was chill, but all the shopping, planning, and events I did with my parents were a little much. Then I came back to school where we had one week of learning followed by...

FINALS!!!!!!!!!!

I can already tell you that finals and I do not get along. This past weekend was spent having a little too much fun (nothing illegal, think ice-skating with friends (cute boy included), then staying up till almost 6am in the lobby of our residence hall talking and playing "Apples to Apples") but needless to say that doesn't result in much studying.

I wasn't too worried about my theater, english, or history classes but stats and art history had me working up a sweat. I just finished art history at 12 and I'm not feeling too badly about it. Of course, that usually means you bombed it so I'm trying to stay positive. Stats is tomorrow and I'm hoping that with the help of a graphing calculator, my trusty cheat-sheet, and thoughts of going home dancing in my head I'll be able to get through it. The only bummer is that means tomorrow I officially finish my first semester of college and go home for a month. I don't want to leave my friends here!!

On top of all this, I got a call Wednesday morning from my mom that my grandpa fell the other night and broke his femur. He's in the hospital with surgury and weeks, possibly months, of rehab in front of him. My mom's leaving Saturday to stay with my grandparents in NY and my dad has a business trip so I guess I'll be in the house by myself my first week of break. If anything, it leaves me with plenty of time for crafting.

I'm really looking forward to break. A time for more posts, crafts, baking, and hopefully babysitting for some extra $.

xoxo, Lauren

My Secret Fantasy

I'm a romantic. Not just a little bit, mind you. I'm a totally crazy wild totally hopelessy hopeless romantic. I love chick flicks like it's my job and I get more excited to hear cute couple stories than teenage girls get when they see Justin Bieber. And yes, I am currently single but I know it'll happen one day. No worries here. :) (not many, anyway.) ;) Being a crazy over-the-top romantic and a girl, I daydream sometimes. I love to hear those romantic moments of declarations of love and of course it makes me want that for myself. My mind usually ends up wandering and I think of a few more scenarios I'd love as well.

Secret fantasy confession time: One thing I would love to have happen to me one day is to be serenaded. Music is really important to me and certian songs really affect me, all in different ways. I'm in a big believer in the idea that music can say things words can't always say and I think that when people have music then they have a special connection. Hence why I think being serenaded would be amazing.

If it were to happen I'd be super happy to begin with, but there are ways it could be even more amazing. If the guy himself were to serenade me, I really hope he can sing. I know it's supposed to be "the thought that counts" but if the guy singing can't really sing I'm not sure how great it'll be. In the case he can't sing, asking one of the many vocal groups (preferrably Expansion, as I love them and they are amazing) to serenade me for him would suffice. I've heard of guys asking vocal groups at other colleges to serenade their girls and it sounds so sweet.

The other big thing is the song choice. The song would, of course, have meaning. And a great, sweet, perfect, romantic, (blah, blah, blah), one at that. Personally, I love the idea of being serenaded with the male version of Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream", Lifehouse's "You and Me", or basically anything by Michael Buble.

It may be silly but the idea of a guy who's totally crazy over me singing a song I'm totally crazy for just for me makes me want to swoon. I warned you in the beginning I'm a silly, crazy romantic, and a teenage girl to boot. I'm not saying that's the only thing I'll stand for, I mean, a mix CD will do just fine, but if a girl can dare to dream then this is what I'd love. Until then I'll just keep an eye out for a guy to steal my heart, a boy with a voice, and the sound of Darren Criss singing "Teenage Dream" through my speakers.

Why Girls Flock To Ballroom

Before comeing to college, I made myself some goals to make sure my freshman year was good. Stuff along the lines of get good grades, meet people, join clubs, push myself out of my comfort zone, meet guys, ect. One of the clubs I joined was the Ballroom Dancing Society, which is now my absolute favorite thing to do, and every week I look forward to it. The awesome people are a major plus as well. Before joining this club, I was nervous. I am awful at dancing, and considering how accident prone I am to begin with, this didn't seem like a great idea. However, in my mind it seemed like a perfect way knock out two of my goals in one hit: to meet guys and push myself out of my comfort zone.



A few tiny problems. As much as I love ballroom dancing, it didn't exactly match the fantasy I had in my head. You know, the fantasy most girls have entering ballroom. Dancing with that totally hot and brooding guy in the corner. Being swept across the dance floor. Finding that perfect "dance partner" both on and off the floor. And on, and on, and on. Basically a total movie moment, think Take the Lead, with Antonio Banderas. which I wish my whole life could be made up of.

A few startling truths about ballroom. More girls tend to come to ballroom than guys. That means some girls are left dancing together. I have no problem with that, it's just annoying I can't be flirting with a handsome stranger while I dance. There are some guys there, however. Which brings me to the next point...

The Boys of Ballroom. Most of the intermediate dancers are total cuties and, of course, great dancers. I've even found awesome friends in one or two of them. But sadly, there's only so many intermediate guys, so now we go to the beginners. I've basically divided the beginner guys into 2 main groups; creepers, and possibilities. Possibilities are the guys coming here looking for girls because they know girls are looking for guys. They're usually at least a little cute, polite, nice, and don't totally suck as leads. Those are the fun guys to dance with. :) Creepers, on the other hand, are just that. They usually come to ballroom having never talked to a girl, never touched a girl, barely even looked at a girl. They're the ones that hold you too close or try to grab your butt. (Excuse me sir your hand goes on my back or my knee is coming up.) Needless to say, they aren't exactly what you picture when you think of romantic ballroom dancing.

Lastly, one last thing I for some reason keep forgetting as to why ballroom isn't exactly how I pictured it. I. Can't. Dance. I have two left feet and I am crazy accident prone. It takes me 50 times to even learn a few basic moves and I've stepped on people's feet a bunch. At the moment though, I have not been dropped yet, although I've been stepped on quite a few times.


Just to be clear, I love ballroom. Creepers and swollen toes aside, it's one of the best things I have ever done in my entire life. I've already found out I love the dances like the tango, rumba, and chacha, and when I have a cute guy as my partner, my dancing gets that much better. :) There's actually a competition coming up in November that I plan on entering. I may not be the best dancer by any means but I have fun and that's what I love about it. So for now, I'll wear my closed toed shoes, ask for some "extra practice" from some of the cuter dancers, and wait for my dancing movie moment to happen.

We're Not Too Old #1- Fun Band Aids

As promised, I've been thinking up funny ideas for blog topics. This one I have for today is probably one of the things I am most excited about. Do you all remember how much fun it was when you were a little kid?? I mean, sometimes I feel like I still am but that's not exactly what I'm talking about. I'm talking about how when you were little and you could do all that silly or goofy stuff and it was considered cute or funny. Now that we're older, so many people think that we can't do that stuff, or if we do, we're immature.

I'm here to say that I am 18 years old, a college freshman, and I have no plans to stop doing some of the things I loved when I was a little kid. I'm going to be posting every so often about something I or my friends did when we were little and still do now. The first thing?? Fun band aids!!


(These are the band aids I currently have). :)

I'm sure we all remember getting hurt when you were little. Even the tiniest little cut required tons of tears, breaking out the first aid kit, lots of hugs and kisses from mom (or dad), and of course, an awesome band aid. A few of the kids I used to babysit asked for band aids even when they we're bleeding. Frankly, with so many styles and colors nowadays, band aids are kinda fun, like a mini fashion accessory.

Being super accident prone, a trait that is still with me as I navigate the crazyiness of college, and a bit of a drama queen, I have gone through tons of band aids. I am so glad they have so many different styles now. Personally, I have tried neon ones, groovy ones, rainforest ones, animal one, hello kitty ones, and more. My favorite though, are my Littlest Pet Shop. Every time they go on sale ($1.89 at target) I get a few boxes and usually by the next time they're on sale, I need more.

(I even had to use one today after wearing new shoes that are starting to give me a blister.)

And in case you're sitting here laughing at me, I'm going to point out I'm not the only one. A quick convo with some of my fellow college freshman reveal that many of them have Spiderman, Disney Princess, and Finding Nemo band aids in their first aid kits too. So, the next time you or someone around you gets hurt, don't reach for a plain old boring one. Pick up something cute, and wear it with pride.

Hope you guys liked the first topic in my "We're not too old" category. I have a few more up my sleeve, but if there's something you want to suggest, feel free to leave me a comment. :)