Candy Pumpkins and Costumes... Oh My!

With October in full swing, fall has finally blessed us with it's presence. While the weather isn't cooperating with the season, I still like to pretend we are in full on fall mode. I mean the Pumpkin Spice Latte has arrived so surely fall has too, right? Anyway, with fall comes many wonderful things.  Carving pumpkins, sweaters, scarves, football, bonfires and HALLOWEEN.

Halloween is a holiday that everyone from young children to adults can celebrate. It gives the people that are finally too old to go trick or treating the opportunity to still dress up and act like a young child again. People jump at the opportunity to dress up as something or someone else. I was actually standing in line at Starbucks today and heard two grown women behind me discussing what they were going to dress up as. I don't know who gets more excited now days... children or adults. 

I will admit that I like to dress up for Halloween as much as the next person, but some people take it to levels that I will never understand. Also, when did it become a thing that girls are suppose to dress provocatively for their costumes? I have literally heard peoples say the more revealing a costume is this better. Why? 

You can literally dress up as anything you want these days. So what will you dress up as this year? Will it be someone famous, an animal or even an object of some sort? With so many options to choose from I thought I might give you some of the costumes I have come across. 

Enjoy. 

1.) For my first costume I chose the famous Hillary and Bill Clinton. This is comical and classic and doesn't show any unnecessary body parts. Prepare for lots of laughs and maybe some political debates.

2.) For my second costume I chose fruit because why not? A pineapple and a strawberry. Healthy and delicious. This costume is perfect for a pair of best friends that are looking to be different. Not to mention it would be so cheap and easy to put together. I call being the strawberry, Kalie!

3.) You guessed it... Jake from State Farm. I like to think of Jake as Flo's long lost cousin. This is the easiest costume to accomplish by far and will be a hit at your next Halloween party.

 

                  

 

 

 

I hope everyone has a entertaining and spooktacular Halloween full of lots of fun and lots of candy.

Let's Decorate

There is nothing more exciting than starting college. So many "firsts" happen within your college years and moving into your first apartment is one of them. I was lucky enough to find the coolest friends and now roommates. It took us 6 months to find the perfect place for us to live. I honestly didn't realize how difficult it would be for three girls to decide where to live. I obviously didn't take into account that

 1.) We are girls
 2.) We are broke college students

 After multiple apartment tours and hours of budgeting, we finally found the place for us.

We moved into our apartment in June. We were so lucky to get the best neighbors. I  think everyone fears getting stuck with creepy or loud neighbors, so that was definitely a relief for us. After getting all moved in we kept telling ourselves we would eventually decorate. Well... it's been four months now and we have officially finished decorating our living room. That just leaves the kitchen, dining room, and eventually our bedrooms. Maybe...

We picked a date we were all three going to go shopping and set out with high hopes and slim wallets. We were in luck when we arrived at Hobby Lobby. Everything we needed was 50% off! Here is what we ended up with.




$4.99

$6.99



$12.49

$6.99



 

After spending 2 hours in Hobby Lobby and another hour hanging everything up, we were finally done. Our apartment went from boring and plain to fabulous with just 6 simple pieces. With everything included in the pictures above, the three of us spent around $50 each. In my opinion, the money spent was well worth the outcome. The very next day we hosted a OU/Texas watch party. Although tears were shed at the end of that game, our newly decorated apartment and mimosas were there to lift our spirits.

 

Whenever you are thinking about decorating your first apartment or even redecorating, go ahead and head to Hobby Lobby. I promise you won't be disappointed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dance Your Boots Off

For three years now Alpha Xi Delta at the University of Central Oklahoma has been hosting Dance Your Boots Off.  It's a night where we invite the whole campus and surrounding community to come out and support/raise awareness for Autism Speaks while two-stepping in our driveway. This year we invited a DJ, had one of our sisters bring her sno cone stand and provided food and drinks for everyone. We also hosted a two-stepping competition and it was very entertaining. Everyone had a great time and we raised a ton of money for a great cause. We ended up raising $2,500 and I couldn't be more proud. Here is my favorite pic of the night with my exec team:

I am the VP of Programs for my sorority and this event just so happen to fall under my list of duties and I could not be more thankful that it did. My position and my sorority has changed me for the better. I never in a million years would have thought that I was capable of planning such an important event and actually making it work. I had nightmares for a whole month because I was afraid no one was going to show up and it was going to be a total bust. I like to look back on my high school self and think about all the growth I have done after venturing off to UCO and joining Alpha Xi Delta. My sorority sisters lift me up when I am at my lowest and push me to go even further when I am at my highest. It's like they know when I need encouragement without me having to say anything at all. Thats why Monday nights are my favorite. Mondays are when we have our weekly chapter meetings and I get to see every sister in my chapter. There is nothing more encouraging than starting my week off with some of the most inspirational women I know. On Monday, a sister who chooses to remain anonymous left me this...

At the time I didn't think much of it, but today as I was stressing out going through all the important dates in my planner, that note fell out of it and onto my lap. It couldn't have come at a more important time. I realized in that moment that there is no need to stress about everything I have going on because I really am a part of something bigger than myself. Not just with Alpha Xi Delta, but with everything I do in general. Think about it guys... All of the schooling I am going through right now is not only going to benefit me, but my future family, co workers and place of employment(hopefully). How cool is that? That what I am doing right now is going to affect me in future. Thats what I tell myself whenever I want to give up on school and become a stripper.. kidding.

The past few days I have really been thinking about my life and everything in it.
Here are a few things that I have learned:

1. My sorority and sisters seriously rock. 
2. Event coordinating is hard, but so worth it!
3. Choose sleep over Netflix (only in a perfect world would this happen). 

I think it's important for people to take a step back sometimes, especially when in stressful times, and truly realize everything we have in our lives. It's okay to be stressed out, but sometimes I think we can stress over silly things that really aren't going to matter in the future. God knows I am the worlds worst at this. Whenever I was planning Dance Your Boots Off and was about ready to jump off a cliff, all I needed to do was to take a step back and realize that all of my sisters supported me and would love me no matter the outcome of the event. 

So, some advice for whoever is reading this. Stop stressing and take things one day at a time. Also, realize how many great people you have in your life that would support you through thick or thin.. If none of your friends match this criteria.. Well, you need new friends. Finally, put whats important, and I mean ACTUALLY important first. Kinda like homework before Netflix..You will notice a completely different change of pace in your life and it will be for the better. 

Everything is going to be okay... I promise.