By the Way...

This is my school :)

[Sorority Stuff] Recruitment

Every school runs recruitment a little differently and for different lengths of time. I know my friend at Lehigh had to go back early for rush, and someone else told me UPenn's rush lasts almost a month (Good lord knows I wouldn't have lasted that long!). At my school it's just a week, starting on Sunday and ending the next. On the sorority side of recruitment, it can be intense in terms of planning. Everything from ordering different T-shirts to meticulously planning every party to learning songs and getting all the girls together can be exhausting for Recruitment chair. However, when it does roll around (not to mention Bid Day coming up in less than a week now!), it's SO MUCH fun. Our theme this year is Come Sail Away with ZTA, so our first party theme was Under the Sea. I couldn't stay for the whole thing since I had work (and I requested off for Bid Day!), but I managed to be around in the beginning and for set-up. I think it looked pretty good! Of course, most of these pictures are courtesy of sisters who have the nicer cameras!)

My Big & I

Our THINK PINK table

A look at our different crafts

(Our whole chapter. As you can see, our school is SMALL, and we're the biggest chapter on campus! You can also spy some of the other decorations here!)

Resort Dreaming

I hate the cold, and these freezing temperatures lately have gotten me in the most lethargic funk. In my head I'm sun kissed somewhere with my washboard abs, sleeping lazily on the beach with the above in tow. Resort collections are beginning to sprinkle into every store, and it makes the desire to be somewhere south of the boarder even stronger. Now I just need to use this as motivation to workout and clean up my eating so I can have wash board abs in a neon yellow bikini....

[Tips & Tricks] On Hair...

It's been a while since I did a Tips & Tricks post. Honestly, I haven't had much to share! However, with my recent obsession with hair (especially after the VS Fashion Show; Lindsay is my favorite Angel based on her hair alone), I feel like I've picked up some valuable tips along the way. From swimming for over a decade and trying to combat the chemicals that my poor locks have endured to forever being obsessed with looking up various tutorials, I have collected a number of tips to help with most hair. So, here's a starter on some unique-ish tips on this filamentious biomaterial of ours.

(sea of shoes)

1. For better, longer lasting curls, start in the shower. So, I don't know about you, but doing the whole "day old hair" in order to have a better base for curling hair doesn't work for me. I get greasy roots so fast, not to mention dry shampoo doesn't really help my dandruff problem. I did however read somewhere (probably Marie Claire) that if you want a better base for curling your hair, condition first them shampoo. Since shampoo will get any left over conditioner that might cling to your hair even after you've rinsed. I've done this a few times, and it works! It's better than not conditioning at all (which for my dry ends, is always necessary) and the day old hair trick.

2. Mix your products. I don't just mean switching up your products after each bottle is finished--which is normally recommended--, but I mean when you actually use your shampoo or conditioner. I need Head & Shoulders for my dry scalp, but if I only use H&S, it'll make my hair greasy. So, I get the really cheap clarifying shampoo and put a little of each in at the same time, and it works like a charm. I get clarifying and moisturizing!

3. Yes, kitchen products can work wonders. Olive oil is a great conditioning treatment. Put hair in a ponytail and put olive oil all along it, sleep on a towel, and then wash out in the morning. Baking soda is great at clarifying when mixed with shampoo. Mayonnaise, ketch-up---all are great.

4. Dry hair at the roots first. If you're worried about frizz or you want your hair to dry faster, start at the roots. Before even brushing it, lift up your hair at the roots and aim the blow dryer there. I swear it works like a charm every time.

5. Obviously, don't condition your roots. Not matter what your hair/skin type is, it just frankly doesn't need it.

6. Give your bangs some volume. This took me years to figure out. My hair is pretty straight, so bangs fall flat quite easily. I learned from seeing my friend do it. She'd take a Velcro roller and put it under her bangs while they were drying. It gives volume without turning it into a cheesy curl.

7. Be kind to your hair. Between dying, swimming like me, and all the heat products in between, it's easy to forget that you've gotta be nice to your hair. If you want to the shine and bounce, you've gotta be nice to it. 

The Thinnest Woman

On Why I Kind of Like Being Single...

Trust me, before you roll your eyes and think this is going to be another one of those articles, it's not. I don't necessarily have the anger that chick does towards young, engaged/married couples. No, this is solely about why being single right now works for me, my personality, and my near-future life goals. As the girl who would squeal over kissing scenes in any move, whether it be The Goonies or Bridget Jones's Diary, I am fully the type of person who buys right into the promises of romantic comedies and the romance genre in general. I love a good love story, whether it be tragic, realistic, youthful, older, sweet, etc. I thought The Notebook was fantastic, the first five minutes of Up had me bawling like a baby, and my all time favorite movie is A Walk to Remember. I'm all about finding the right guy and falling head over heels in love.

But not yet...

This is where I think the author and I agree, however I don't think it's true in all young couples. I'm not mature enough to be in a relationship or even be married. I have poor communication skills (but, actually, the world would be better if it could just read my mind); I get highly impatient, and, at the end of the day, I still need copious amounts of alone time. I don't know who I'm going to be tomorrow, let alone a few years down the line. Heck, I couldn't even tell you with total certainty in what country I'll be living. The only reason I do like the idea of marrying young is the crutch. That crutch of a partner in crime to experience growing up together, that person who I know I can rely on... Graduating and growing up has always terrified me, and that "safety blanket" of a husband does bring on  little stings of wishful thinking. 

But at the end of the day, I like this being alone thing. I wrote a post when I was still nineteen, and I don't think too much of that has changed now that I'm nearly half way through being 21. There's a lot I want to do for me, and I don't want to consider someone else in those decisions. I want to travel the world on a whim, sprawl out in my bed as much as I want or even just have my living space the exact way I want it--toilet lid down, lights off, laundry everywhere. Who knows? I'm still growing. I have yet to go on a day (still!), I have yet to meet anyone who makes me want to puff out my chest a little more and try to flirt, and I have yet to figure me out. 

While I can't wait to meet the One, or even the kind of One, or even the Horrible Mistake, I'm pretty okay with being with me, myself, and I. I've been this way since 1992, and it's been working for me so far. Do I think some people, especially people my age, get married for all the wrong reasons? Of course! Do I also think some young people get it right early and seem pretty darn happy? Of course! I don't feel entitled or somehow evolved because I like being single at 21, but I also don't feel utterly pathetic either (which, when you think about it, is good since my 12-year-old self had plans for marriage and pregnancy by 23...). Sure I'm still big spoon-less, and I'm still waiting for that fireworks kiss (or even a mere romantic one at best), but it's not a wait that's putting strain on me. 

No, what's really putting strain on me right now is waiting for the next A Song of Ice and Fire installment...