TILT - Growing up, making changes, and dreaming of Paris!

Paris

This week has been a very good week.  Its been very busy, but I feel like a lot of good things are in store.

The first thing I am most excited about is Apartment Hunting!  I have been saying this a lot, but its super fun and exhilirating!  I like being able to chose where I want to live and going through the process of touring the different complexes.  

Second, I am excited about everything that follows afterwards: job opportunities (and taking them), internships, finishing up classes, finally getting serious about applying and getting into graduate school!  Its all happening quickly, and I can't wait  for all of these changes!



Super dark!



Third exciting thing: Personal changes.  Over the past two weeks, I have felt extremely optimistic and utterly happy.  I have a lot of motivation for the future, and I have the thirst for change!  So, I changed my hair color.  I am no longer a red head!  Over the weekend, I watched Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs a few times and gawked at Zooey Deschanel during my free time, so that inspired me to go dark.  Well, dark is definitely what I got.  It came out a LOT darker than I anticipated.  At first, I was really upset with how it came out, but it has really grown on me.  I have gotten a lot of compliments and a lot of other people really liked the change.  Also, in the mail today I got one of my birthday presents I ordered for myself: Philosophy's Field of Flowers.  It smells just like it sounds! I absolutely love it!  The best part is that the perfume came with a lotion, all for the low price of $35!!!  I love getting deals!

Lastly, I have had the most ridiculous dreams!  The other night I dreamt that a friend's family offered me to go on an all expenses paid trip to Paris for spring break because my friend could not go anymore.  So, the dream was me wandering around Paris, eating delicious food, and looking at beautiful things.  I was so disappointed when I woke up.  I also dreamt that I was on Glee, and I was annoyed that everyone on cast had an opportunity to sing a solo except for me.  Weird, huh?  I rarely remember my dreams these days, so I am excited that I could remember these!

I may have listened to this a lot this week:

I hope everyone else had a wonderful week full of love!

Goal Check In!

Can you believe it? February is almost over!  I am definitely dumbfounded at how quickly this month has flown by!  So, I think its time to discuss my goals and how I've been doing with accomplishing the goals.

Rus Anson

Lets start with the goals that fell short:

• I have fallen off the p90x wagon.  This is about the time last semester that I fell off, too.  Its getting to that time where mid-semester projects are due and mid-terms follow shortly after that.  
• My eating habits haven't been the best this month.  Valentine's day quickly followed my birthday, so Matt and I did a lot of celebrating (candy, delicious cooked meals, cupcakes, etc).  Also, I am a stress eater, so when the working out went out the window because of school work, my intake of food increased.  Uh oh.

Here are some successes:

• Although I have stopped p90x, I have already lost 1 1/2 inches along my waist, an inch on each thigh, two inches around my bust, and an inch around my hips.  I think that is something to celebrate :)
• Yes, February has been filled with candy eating, but I have also tried to eat healthy. I try to stock my fridge with salad, fruit, and other veggies for lunch and dinner.  I eat granola when I am between classes and drink Instant Breakfast every morning for breakfast (duh).  I am still fiddling with my caloric intake.  One of the residents that live in my building is a nutritionist and a trainer, so we talk a lot about food and exercise.  Through him, I am readjusting my diet.
• My morning routine goal is actually pretty successful.  I wake up every morning between 7:00 and 9:00.  I only sleep in on the weekends (this weekend was a doozy, let me tell you), but I've been trying to wakeup at a consistent time.  I have not increased my time wasting activities, unfortunately.  That is another thing I need to take care of.
• Finding a place to live: This is about to be taken care of.  My future roommate Kyla and I have been apartment hunting, and that was our big task over the weekend.  We looked at a TON of apartments.  We still have a couple more that we want to look at, but we found two that we REALLY like for a decent price.  
• Funding a place to live: This semester, I have been trying to be more responsible with my money and trying to stop senseless spending.  I have put aside a bit of money for the apartment, and I am beginning to feel more comfortable about getting a place.
• Finding a job: Oh, its going :)  My mom and I had a great conversation about it tonight, and I feel very optimistic about what I am going after.
• Graduate School: I am actually looking at more details of the Graduate Schools that I want to go to.  This weekend I plan on narrowing down my choices to four so I can do things to apply for them (like take the GRE and write those admission essays!).

I feel fairly optimistic and rejuvenated to complete these goals.  Nothing but the best is in my future!  All aboard the success train!

Things I Love Saturday!

This week has been crazy busy for me.  I cannot even put into words the type of week that I had.  BUT, there is always time to reflect on things that I love, even if it comes late.

Hey, guess what?

In case you didn't know, I am beyond obsessed with Valentine's Day.  Its one of my favorite holidays for sure!  It has all of my favorite things: pink and red hearts, glitter, candy, pink pastries.  What isn't there to love?  I love it whether I am single or taken!

I sent this card to Matt.  FOR REAL.

This year, I celebrated with my boyfriend Matt, who is my first ever repeat Valentine!  We got celebrate on Tuesday (the day after Valentine's), and I had a master plan up my sleeve.  All month, Matt was trying to get out what I was going to get him for Valentine's, and I felt pretty proud of myself for keeping it a secret.  I decided that I was going to make Red Velvet Cupcakes and surprise him at his apartment with them.  In order to do this, I had to get help from Matt's roommate, Alex.  Alex happily obliged.  On that Tuesday, I knew when Matt would be in class, so I headed over there during that time period.  I decorated the cupcakes there and let Alex taste-test them for me (thumbs up, by the way!) and then I got the rest of Matt's present (Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Heart and a pack of Boddington's Beer).  The hardest part was to get Matt back to him apartment because he thought he was going to pick me up at my place.  He was grumpy from class and did not want to drive back there, but eventually he did after finally convincing him to do so.  BUT when he saw all of the cupcakes and me all dressed up for our date, he quickly forgave me for driving out of the way to pick me up ^_^  Matt got me a box of Godiva truffles, and they were amazing.  I just ate my last one for breakfast today.  After exchanging gifts, we went to eat.  Dinner was fantastic; we ate at Gallery Bistro, a ten table Modern American joint, and it was delicious.

What I wore:

 I couldn't get a good full body picture, so only webcam pics of my hair and makeup!

Other things that I Love:

Candy on sale everywhere * Girl Scout cookie season! * feeling financially stable and responsible * Apartment hunting and finding a place that we like! * Buying Birthday presents for myself with a gift card * Getting the poison out of my life * "How you doing Miss Venom?" * Sushi lunches * Impromptu BBQs * the lovely Spring-like weather * Constantly being excited about the future * Loving the present moment * Perfecting the fishtail braid * Ch-ch-ch-changes!!!





What's good in your life???

I Love Braids!

Since my hair has been getting rather long, I have been trying to find new things to do with it.  My latest obsession are braids.  And not just the typical "three part down the back of your neck" braid.  Braids are definitely a hot trend right now, and there are so many different ways to wear braids.

"Braids are SO HOT right now"

Over the summer, I experimented with the French braid along my crown (a la Lauren Conrad).  This worked very well with my hair even though I did not have a lot of length.  I also never knew how to french braid until then!  Thanks to the magic of YouTube, there are many tutorials on how to do anything to your hair!

My favorite braid at the moment is the "Fish Tail Braid."  I kept seeing pictures in magazines of this peculiar braid, and I did not understand at ALL how to make my hair like that.  Thanks to YouTube, I found yet another tutorial on braiding!

Me with a FishTail Braid

The fishtail braid looks complicated, but its actually really easy to do!  Its a little bit more time consuming than a normal braid since the strands are a lot smaller.  After I finish the braid, I like to pull at it to make it look less neat and more thick.  

My hair inspiration

Another braid I found that I like a lot is called the "irregular braid."  It looks thicker, and you can even weave in fabric into your hair!  I tried it without the fabric, and it still looks great!  Again, after I finished the braid I pulled at the hair to make it look less neat and more full.

I am totally loving this trend.  How about you???

  

Things I Love Thursday

This week has been a very challenging week for me, but I think things are looking up and my worries will soon be far away. 

Via Etsy

The thing I love most this week are my Bestest Friends!  I do not know what to do without them.  I had a wonderful time with them this past weekend, and I can't wait to see them again!  I also love the friends I have here.  They keep me sane.  And, I have made some new friends over the past few days.  

Last week, I submitted a proposal for the Art Symposium that my school does.  Its highly competitive, and only three people get selected.  I did not get selected.  I was rather upset about it, but I think things do happen for a reason.  I really did not know how much time I would actually have to devote to it, especially with everything else that I have in my life.  Knowing that I have some free time makes me very happy.

Other small things:

*Trying new things * library nerdiness (playing with databases!) * upcoming fashion project *Valentine's Day decorations everywhere! * Feeling relieved and free * The Glee Valentine's Day episode * Brittany S. Pierce's new style on Glee.  I totally love it! * Silly texts from my boyfriend * My boyfriend for always being wonderful * My Mommy * Winning Twinkies for dressing up as twins with someone * THIS post by my friend Celia (you should follow her too!) *

Now, what do you love this week???

What I Wore to CELEBRATE my 23rd!

I swear to goodness that I am almost done with talking about my birthday!  Anyhow, over the weekend my bestest friends from St. Louis came down to visit me to help me celebrate being 23!  I think this might have been the best birthday celebration I've had yet (and I've had some fairly memorable, amazing birthdays in the past).

This is what I wore:

Front View
Turtle Neck: Kohl's
Mini Skirt: Macy's
Tights: DSW
Shoes: Kohl's
Purse: Betsey Johnson

My awesome tights!  The backseam is supposed to look like a ribbon like this! 

My theme for the night was "bows"; I had the ribbon-y tights, the Betsey Johnson bag with ribbon pattern, and wore a bow in my hair.

Alas!  A clear picture!  I'm the girl on the right (obviously)

All of my blurry images remind me of this Futurist work:

By Giacomo Balla

Vision Boards, Inspiration Boards, Mood Boards

I am beyond obsessed with creating boards (vision, inspiration, mood, or what have you).  I have been creating some form of a mood board for years.  I think its from my years of being an aspiring fashion designer before that fell to the way side.  But, I still think its a healthy, fun activity to do.  Why should you make a board?

• Visualize Goals
• Seek out style direction
• Create a positive space
• Plan a space (bedroom, office, etc.)
• Find inspiration

I created a mood/style/goal board at the beginning of the year that is hanging on my wall right now.  It has tear-outs of trends that I really like, quotes by inspiring people, fortune cookie fortunes, and a peacock (my animal totem, if you will).  

My Board

After creating this mood board, I came across a website that creates multiple boards online!  AND, you can share your boards with other friends!  This website is called Pinterest.  

Some of my Pins on Pinterest

Basically, whenever you find something online that you find inspiring/goal related/etc., you can "pin" it to a premade board or your own customized board.  You can also look at images that are trending in the Pinterest community, see recently added pins by other members, or recently pinned items your friends have added.  You can also look at other people's collections they've created.  If you really like something, you can "repin" it, or "like" it (a la Facebook).

This website is absolutely addicting.  I really had to restrain myself the first few days because I can easily spend hours making boards.  I have already wrangled some of my friends onto it, too.  The website is currently Invite Only, but I have some invites if anyone wants to start one!  Just let me know :) And we can be friends!

Things I Love Thursday

This week, I loved:

From here

Staying in bed while drinking Hot Chocolate * Cookies and Cake for all three meals of the day * Plans for the weekend * talking to my Art History teacher about exciting art things * Looking at beautiful jewelery and getting something beautiful * My addiction to Pinterest(more on that later) * Coming up with silly blog ideas * Having three snow days in a row(!!!) * Eating Purple Burrito * wearing my red Toms and a red cardigan * Birthday mail!  I love getting things in the mail! * This essay I read that I thought was interesting. * Having hours on Pandora again

I am deeply, profoundly obsessed with Google Art Project.  If you haven't heard of it, I encourage you to look at it NOW.  You get to explore a number of museums around the world, and take a close look at selected works of art.  I basically had a joy-gasm exploring this website.  I guess this means that I chose the correct major, right?  Art gets me all kinds of excited.  And, you can create your own virtual gallery on it!  How cool is that?  I really enjoy looking at the Van Gogh's on here, especially zoomed in.  It amazes me that I can see the texture of the thick layers of paint on Starry Night or Wheat Field with Cypresses.  Or, I could see the details of a woven tapestry.  THIS might be my favorite.

From HERE

Blizzards and Birthdays!

Snowmageddon 2011

Well, I survived my first ever Blizzard, and it happened to be on my 23rd Birthday.

For those who know me, it comes to no surprise that I was extremely upset over the snow, even if it did give me a day off of school.  I dislike extremely cold weather and snow.  I do not enjoy being cold and wet.  Also, let me preface this by stating that each year I've spent in Springfield, Mo., its snowed on my birthday.  I've spent the last four years trekking out in the snow wearing a dress and heels because it was my birthday and I wanted to look pretty.  This year, unfortunately, the snow was so bad that I did not have the luxury of walking outside in a dress because the conditions outside were so bad.  Yes, I might have had a hissy fit.  After feeling sorry for myself, I decided that I needed to do things that were fun and made me happy.

My first order of business upon waking up was dressing nice.  The night before, my wonderful boyfriend took me shopping and bought me a beautiful necklace.  I wanted to wear it, and I knew that wearing a t-shirt and jeans would not do it justice.  And, it was my birthday!  I have the right to dress up for my birthday!  

The present from Matt

The necklace inside the box!

So, I got dressed and went to work at the front desk (our receptionist couldn't make it; I wouldn't have gone to work either!).  When I arrived, Les the Desk Assistant that worked before me, told me to look to my right...There was a cookie cake waiting for me with my name on it!  What a great surprise!

Yummmmm cookie cake!

After work, I hung out with other people in my building.  We watched movies and chatted and watched the snow pile up rather quickly.  I also received phone calls from my favorite people (Mom, Dad, Sister, Friends, Grandparents, etc.)  

At 4:00pm, one of my bosses requested that the staff needed to meet at the front desk for an impromptu meeting.  While waiting, I was talking on the phone looking out a window when I noticed out of the corner of my eye that my co-workers had surrounded me!  I hung up the phone quickly and turned around and noticed Whitney (the boss that arranged for us to meet) holding a cake with a candle in it!  Everyone started singing happy birthday!  I was super surprised and moved by the action.  

Chocolate chocolate cake! With rainbow sprinkles!

Later, Matt told me that he was on his way to the building and he was making dinner for me.  All day, we did not know if he was going to visit me at all.  Matt made me a five cheese pasta with toasted garlic bread.  

Overall, I had a great birthday.  Although none of the plans and expectations I made went through, I found that being with people that I love spending time with was just as great (maybe even better) as my plans.  Sometimes, plans are meant to be broken.