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Fall Fashion Must-Haves

Fall is quietly approaching and the urge to run out and spend all of my money on the appropriate attire has taken hold of me and won’t let go.

In the few spare moments I have throughout my day, or when I need to de-stress from the chaotic life I choose to lead, I’ve taken to perusing the fall fashion must-haves in the blogosphere.

I’ve compiled a list of wonderful fall essentials that I believe every leading lady must have to complete her wardrobe in time for the chic evenings out and the comfortable, but stylish days in.

Though I had hoped to create a fabulous graphic displaying all of the trends I’ve found, I’ve decided that my limited free time should be spent elsewhere and thus, I will simply post a picture or two each day of some of my favorite things. Enjoy and let me know what you’re excited about wearing this fall!


Though I first heard of greige just a few weeks ago, upon further study it apparently was the hot color for spring and summer, thanks to Lily Allen. However, I’ve taken the liberty of declaring it the color of fall, since I wasn’t aware of the trend and love it too much to let it pass. As a huge proponent of wearing your attitude on your nails, this blend of grey and beige is the perfect mix of elegance and edginess for fall.

Posted by  |  September 13, 2010 | Categories: Fashion | 2 Comments

“La Dolce Far Niente”

I have been reminded how therapeutic “nothing” days can be.

You know those times in your life when life is just so hectic and you are swimming and swimming, but you never seem to reach the surface? That’s where I’ve been the past few weeks and it seemed as though not only was I not going anywhere, but rather sinking to the bottom.

And possibly I did hit bottom on the fateful day when my car got towed and various other punishments ensued including finding out I have to go to the Student Ethics board. If you know me at all, you know this would make me upset, but if you really know me, you know this would make me absolutely sick. I’ve always been the perfect student who didn’t get in trouble, and the second I did I lost it. Though my skin has grown a LOT tougher since elementary school, getting in trouble still makes me upset. So on Wednesday when everything was already too overwhelming, the tears came pouring in the Parking and Transit office. When it rains, it pours.

That’s when I stepped back and took a look at my life (thanks to the wise words of someone very dear to my heart). What was I doing? Who was I living for? Why was I letting the troubles of this world weigh on me so heavily? I threw my selfish, stubborn self aside and prayed. and prayed. and prayed.

And just as I had expected, almost instantaneously God released me from this state of war inside myself that had taken hold of who I am and who I want to be.

“Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

Let’s get back to today and how wonderful doing nothing can be.

With a peace and inside joy I’ve been longing for, today I’ve: cleaned, prayed, lay on my bed, listened, rejoiced, read- all under the soothing voices of John Mayer, Michael Buble and Jack Johnson.

And though everyone else I know is tailgating and preparing for the first Razorback game of the season, I needed this time to myself to relax and enjoy “La Dolce Far Niente” the sweetness of doing nothing.

Posted by  |  September 4, 2010 | Categories: Faith, Inspiration | 3 Comments

Time for Talk with Tony

P90x, how do I even express my feelings for thee?

P.S. This is Tony, my "motivator"

This is my 4th day in a row of doing it, and though that may not sound impressive, trust me, it is. After not exercising pretty much all summer then heading straight into p90X (again, I would just like to emphasize the X because it’s Xtreme) this is a lot for me.

Surprisingly I’m enjoying it. Ask either of my roommates and they will tell you my energy has skyrocketed. Our house has been a tumble of crazy all week, and I love it.

Of course come into our house during the hour of p90x and you will hear me screaming in pain, fake crying and lots of horrific disgruntles. What can I say? Pain does the body good. I love this adrenaline that I have and how hyped I’m getting, it’s like I’m on a drug. I can’t let myself forget this feeling. Especially tomorrow when I wake up dying from Ab Ripper X.

Poll: Would it be gross if I ended up looking like Tony?

Posted by  |  August 27, 2010 | Categories: Health | 2 Comments

Goodbye Summer, my dear sweet friend

Ah, a breath of fresh air.

Summer is over and school has finally arrived. Thus comes with it routine (which I LOVE) and includes keeping my blog updated to the best of my ability and trying, once again…. drumroll please……

P90X.

As you may or may not know, I tried to work my way through the grueling 90-day workout plan last year and lasted about.. 30ish days. It was Christmas break then and my birthday and all was lost. But I’m back on the bandwagon and this time I WILL MAKE IT! (because I have the support of my readers, right?! Anytime you want to send me inspirational quotes or pictures, go for it 🙂 )

At the end of June I created a summer bucket list. I am now here to evaluate my summer and see what I did and did not accomplish…

1. Start a blog *obviously, CHECK.

2. Read all the books on my summer reading list   *CHECK. best book of the summer/my life: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

3.Go to the drive-in movie theatre *sadly no, but I still have a few more months until it closes!

4. Do the Branson Canopy Zipline *this will be moved to my life bucket list

5. Make at least 10 recipes I’ve been saving for the last year  *okay, I’m giving myself a little credit here. I didn’t make 10, but I probably made around 5 and for a girl who eats out constantly, it was a success.

6. Chase down the ice cream truck with the neighborhood kids and buy something *So I didn’t exactly chase it down, but I did run outside when I heard the song and waited for it for about 10 minutes before I realized my dreams were lost on another neighborhood

7. Go canoeing {despite my dislike of the river} *Well, I didn’t do this either, but I do have plans for this for next weekend!!!!! So I can cross it off prematurely right?

8. Go to a water park *CHECK and I earn double points for this one, since it was a water park I’d never been to and I didn’t get sunburned

9. Sleep in and not feel guilty about it *CHECK and proud of myself.

10. Go to a rooftop party *this too will be transferred to my life bucket list. I think I need to live in a bigger city..

11. Take walks after dinner to the school playground and just swing *CHECK, one of the most memorable things about my summer

12. Take fashion risks  *I think I can cross this one off from just last week when I put pink in my hair, wore a leopard print shirt and had fake tattoos all over my body……..

13. Catch fireflies *Does it count if I have the firefly jar sitting outside ready for them?

14. Write a letter to an old friend  *CHECK, and how refreshing it was.

15. Find several DIY projects and DO THEM *This was attempted one day with the roomies and what we ended up with was three exhausted bodies, a galore of unending puzzles and a growing pile of toilet paper rolls for my yet-to-be-started project.

COMING UP NEXT TIME: School time reverie and a Senior Year Bucket List

Posted by  |  August 23, 2010 | Categories: College, Health, Recipes, Summer | 2 Comments

Shark Week, enough said

Exposition: I was first really introduced to Shark Week freshman year. Of course, I’d heard of it (who hasn’t), but no one in my household at home really thought it was a big deal, so I didn’t really think it was a big deal (a. sharks are terrifying b. it might give me nightmares c. who wants to see what’s inside of a shark belly? d. I had better things to do with my time) My roommate freshman year, however, thought it was a big deal. Now she isn’t the typical shark-hunter, action-loving person, quite the opposite in fact, so I was rather confused as to why she loved it. This is when I realized that Shark Week doesn’t have a demographic. Everyone loves Shark Week. Every age, every race, male or female, prep or punk. It transcends the typical. And I just couldn’t figure out why. So for three years I would get the hint from everyone’s Facebook status, SHARK WEEK! and just roll my eyes and keep clicking past the Discovery Channel.

Rising Action: I’m sitting in my living room last night with my roomies J and K, the bf and K’s bf. We’re all happily talking and watching K and her bf play Super Mario Bros. when they decide to switch to t.v. It was bound to happen. Click. Click. Click. “SHARK WEEK!” The boys scream in unison. And of course, I roll my eyes and start going off about how much I hate Shark Week and don’t understand the big deal. As I’m saying this, a woman is cutting open a shark’s belly and pulling out everything inside with her bare hands. Case. in. point. 

“Next on Shark Week, Shark Attack Survival Guide.”

Okay, that caught my attention. Remember a. b. c. and d.? Well this particular show on Shark Week defied my reasons for banning it. (Yes, it might make me even more terrified, but at least now if I’m ever in a situation I will know what to do, and no I didn’t have anything better to do.) Thus, I became wholeheartedly engrossed in what to do if I’m attacked by a shark.

(Keep in mind these tips may be a little misconstrued due to the fact that K was distracting everyone by making them watch ridiculous, but hilarious Dora/Maraka videos)

1. Don’t panic. (Pretty basic, but still can’t make any promises that it’s going to happen)

2. If your fishing boat in the middle of the ocean blows up for no reason, jump out into the shark-infested waters. (Honestly, I don’t know if I would choose blowing up or being eaten by sharks)

3. Grab a weapon (I swear that’s what they said and I was very confused as to where I was supposed to get this weapon seeing as my boat just blew up and I’m doggy-paddling in the middle of the ocean)

4. Use your water bottle to look deeper into the ocean to see how many sharks surround you (Again, I think I should have paid more attention on this one because I was confused, but honestly, do I really want to know how many sharks are down there?)

5. Don’t make any odd sounds. It attracts the sharks. (Does my boat blowing up and me screaming count as an odd sound?)

6. Do not attempt to grab a shark. (PHEW, good thing you told me that DC, because that’s definitely my first reaction)

7. Punch or claw its gills or eyes out. (Alright. If he doesn’t eat my hand , I’ll definitely try that one)

8. If all else fails, get on the Discovery Channel rescue vessel waiting for you on the side. (I don’t think this needs any commentary)

How to save someone who has been bitten by a shark

Stop the bleeding, apply direct pressure, take off your shirt (even if you’re a girl, that’s what he said and you want to save your friend right?!) and use it to make a tourniquet (you can click, I didn’t know what it was either).

Random fact on the bottom of the screen: The average adult male can die with only 20% loss of blood. 

And then, when he appears to be semi-okay, even though he’s pale and shaking on the beach and blood is gushing everywhere, and your tourniquet sucks, tell him, “Hey dude, you’re not gonna die today. I got it.” And whisk him away in the Discovery Channel helicopter to a hospital.

Conclusion: Shark Week may be OK and I should probably start watching the survival tips more often. Now I’m really starting to rethink the decision to go to bed before seeing “what to do if you’re locked in a cage underwater with a shark.”

Posted by  |  August 3, 2010 | Categories: Television | 3 Comments

Homeless has a name

I know with this post, I’m running the risk of losing some readers who might think I’m on a soapbox about the homeless. I’m also not one who wants my blog to be completely serious with only serious topics. However, this is my blog and I can write as I please about what I please. And today I want to write about my thoughts after going to hear Mark Horvath speak last night about ending homelessness. I’ve already burned the ears of those around me with this topic and I might be all talked out about it for now, but this post is more for myself, because it is such an important topic that I don’t want to forget about. So bear with me on this rant and please, if you have any comments at all feel free to post them.

I’ve always been one who “wasn’t called to the homeless”. In reality that meant I was afraid of what I might find and afraid of my safety. I’d volunteered at Seven Hills Homeless Shelter and felt so uncomfortable. This isn’t for me. I’ll work with other people, children, sex trafficking victims. I’ll pass out food every once in a while, but that’s about it. I’ll let someone else deal with them because I feel uncomfortable.

I can’t even express how ridiculous that sounds to me now. First of all, I didn’t realize that sex trafficking victims and children ARE homeless. Did you know the average age of the homeless in America is 9? 9 years old. That blows my mind. You can show me pictures of people on the streets with signs all day and it won’t affect me, but children? Half of the homeless in Arkansas are under the age of 18. Please, read that again. Half of the homeless in Arkansas are under the age of 18.

Now as I was sitting in the talk last night listening to Horvath speak and leaders from homeless shelters in nwa and homeless themselves, I was thinking.. what can I do? What talents has God given me to help?  There was an amazing story about a homeless man who went to the awareness rally on campus last year and met someone who ended up taking him to breakfast every Saturday and eventually who got him a job and a place to live.

So often we get scared and use that as an excuse. This business man, family man, took this man home for Thanksgiving. When his friends asked him how he could invite a stranger into his home with his family for Thanksgiving, he looked at them and said.. I’m not inviting a stranger in. I’m inviting a friend.

It all comes down to relationships. Focus on the person, not the problem.

Anyway, so I’m thinking about what I can do to help. I’ve always been drawn to children and mentoring those younger than me. If HALF of the homeless in Arkansas are under 18, I think I can do something to help. God is practically throwing himself in front of me with flashing lights and a megaphone. I can’t stand by. I firmly believe, Once you know about a problem, you have the responsibility to change it.

Now I understand not everyone wants to mentor people. But there’s SO MUCH you can do. It really got to me when a leader from the Samaritan Community Center said, “We need people to answer the phones.” How simple is that? Who doesn’t have time for that a few hours a week? And it may not seem like anything, but it is. That’s a need that they are having.

All of the leaders discussed the proper ways to help end homelessness, and guess what, it’s not handing out sandwiches every Sunday. Hate to break it to you, but that’s not exactly getting them off the streets is it? If you really want to help, partner with a homeless shelter, because what they REALLY need is jobs, housing and healthcare.

Well, there’s my two cents. Thank you Mark Horvath and all of those who spoke last night for opening my eyes.

Posted by  |  August 1, 2010 | Categories: Inspiration | 1 Comment

“Make the invisible visible”

On the street I saw a small girl cold and shivering in a thin dress, with little hope of a decent meal. I became angry and said to God; “Why did you permit this? Why don’t you do something about it?’ For a while God said nothing. That night he replied, quite suddenly:

“I certainly did something about it. I made you.”

I found this on Mark Horvath’s vlog, invisiblepeople.tv/blog/ and it completely took me off guard. How many times have we asked this question? And how simple of an answer is that? Mark Horvath, a homeless advocate, is coming to the UA campus Saturday at 6 p.m. The videos on his vlog are very powerful and I encourage every one of you to watch at least one and challenge you to do one thing about the issue of homelessness, whether it be donating money or time, prayer, writing about it, sharing about it on twitter, facebook or your blog. This is a major issue in the world, in the US, and in every one of our communities and we can make a difference.

Homeless advocate returns to Fayetteville capturing the faces of the invisible

By: Mille Appleton

With more than one million people sleeping on the streets each night, according to the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, one advocate is traveling the country and using a video blog to capture the faces of the homeless and raise awareness.

Mark Horvath, founder of InvisiblePeople.tv, will be making his second appearance in Fayetteville Saturday to discuss with the homeless and shelters of northwest Arkansas ways to end homelessness.

Horvath will make the sixth stop on his “Road Trip, USA” at the UA Global Campus on the Fayetteville Square at 6 p.m. Saturday, sponsored by the Cobblestone Project and the Community and Family Institute at the UA.

“It’s a topic for every city in the country, particularly given the economic downturn over the last year and a half,” said Kevin Fitzpatrick, director of the Community and Family Institute. “This region isn’t really any different. Some might have argued that we enjoy a fair amount of prosperity and that is true, but we absolutely have not escaped the downturn.”

Following his talk, Horvath will lead a discussion among homeless people in northwest Arkansas and leaders from Seven Hills Homeless Shelter, Northwest Arkansas Women’s Shelter and the Samaritan Community Center.

“There are people who are new to homeless, absolutely, and then of course there continue to still be people who were homeless in 2009 and still in 2010,” Fitzpatrick said. “We continue to ask the same question, how is that possible in a nation as wealthy as the United States?”

Finish reading the article on The Arkansas Traveler website here.

Posted by  |  July 29, 2010 | Categories: Inspiration, Journalism | 1 Comment

Life Lessons from the Twin Cities

1. Urban cities may elicit culture shock to young, Arkansas-bred girls.

2. Sometimes it’s nice not to be a camera whore and instead take no pictures at all and just live in the moment.

3. Never try breaking in your new heels in a big city. It will end badly.

4. Staying up until 2 a.m. more than 4 nights in a row will cause exhaustion and dehydration.

5. It’s always better to be overdressed than underdressed.

6. Play ‘never have I ever’ to really get to know people.

7. Always act confident, even if you know nothing.

8. Take comprehensive notes, and go back and read them.

9. First impressions can be very misleading.

10. The best form of entertainment is public transportation.

11. Step up and be a decisive person. It will be appreciated.

12. Always carry a water bottle.

13. Don’t always rely on technology to get you somewhere. Use common sense.

14. When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

Posted by  |  July 27, 2010 | Categories: College | 1 Comment

The evolution of movie-going

St. Louis, Missouri, May 1910

As I was sitting in the movie theatre Friday (for about the 3rd time that week) I started thinking about how much has changed since I first started going to the movies. It brought back lots of memories and I wanted to revisit some key points in, most likely, all of our movie-going careers…

Family Outing: It was always exciting to go to the movies on a Sunday afternoon when there was nothing else to do. It was either with my parents, my grandpa or family friends. Either way, it didn’t matter, as long as we got to get out of the house, go see the newest G or PG rated movie and try and finagle some popcorn or candy out of the parental supervision.

Titanic… I’d say this movie was a transitioned me into the next phase. I remember seeing it in theatres 7 times, starting with my parents of course to make sure my little ears and eyes could handle it, but then seeing it with friends…

The Cool Kids: Then there came the time when FINALLY my parents let me go to the movies without an adult. I saw an occasional movie with just a couple close friends, but the most important movie time in this phase was group movie time. There were always the “cool kids” who went to the movies in a huge pack. For starters it mattered if you got invited, and then what you wore, who you sat next to, who you talked to, who you flirted with and so on. This was the biggest deal ever, and began…

The Backseaters: Enter in boys. As I get older and wiser, I realize how scary of a time this probably was for parents to let a child go to the movies alone with a boy. But at the time, it was the most exciting possibility ever. In this phase, it didn’t really matter what movie you went to see because the entire time (sitting in the very back seat of the theatre if you could) you would be worried about how you looked, what he thought of you, if he was thinking about you, if he was going to reach for your hand and help us all, if he was going to kiss you. It was all about the ambiance of the movie and nothing about the movie itself.

The Friday nighters: Then we get to the part where the Friday night social scene was at the movies. You had to be there, every single Friday night, to hang out with new friends, flirt with boys or spend “alone” time with your boyfriend. Of course it was all very particular, you had to arrive at a certain time and leave at a certain time. Your mom couldn’t pick you up too early because then you didn’t get to talk after the movie, but if she waited too long everyone else would be gone and make you look like a loser. This era was still not about the movies and unfortunately, includes sneaking in to movies that were sold out, but the boy you liked got tickets to.

The Car: The invention of the car was never as sweet as when you got your license or your boyfriend got his and could take you to the movies sans parents. You didn’t have to coordinate schedules with your parents, which could definitely be a pain as a bratty teen, and often times had a hot, older guy taking you to the movies. What could get much better than this?

Life: Shortly after everyone got their own car, everyone started getting a life outside of movies. Sure, everyone still got together once in a while to go see a movie they really wanted to see, but the real movie lovers continued going to the movies and began going for very different reasons: you actually wanted to see the movie. It wasn’t about the food and drink (well, okay still sometimes), the gossip, the shameless flirting, the perfect outfit or the backseat.

As I sat in the movies Friday, I realized how much had evolved throughout the years because of a simple building with a large screen. I sat there in my favorite seat (close to the front), no drink or popcorn in hand, next to someone I genuinely cared about and knew I could grab his hand and waiting in anticipation for a movie I really wanted to see.

Posted by  |  July 17, 2010 | Categories: Movies | 2 Comments

Remember

As I have been struggling to find what I want to do in my life, specifically how to use my talents to glorify God, I come across people who truly inspire me in everything they do. One of those people is Freedom Rodriguez. I’ve met him several times before at a Not For Sale Event and another art show and how he’s using his talents for God absolutely blows me away. Check out his newest project that I wrote about for the Arkansas Traveler…

Artist turns abandoned books into portraits of abandoned children

Art is not only about beauty. To some artists it stands to a higher standard that is meant to move people and service a purpose. A northwest Arkansas man is attempting to do just that with his collection 100 Faces of Uganda.

Artist Freedom Rodriguez has taken discarded children’s books and painted them with the faces of neglected children of Uganda to make a statement art piece and raise awareness.

“These children also feel discarded or abandoned or no longer wanted because for whatever reason they feel damaged or something is wrong in their life,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez noticed the books being given away at his hometown library in Siloam Springs and the contrast he could make with “these children who didn’t have a storybook life.”

“Nevertheless, these children need to feel and know that they have a story still worth reading about,” he said.

Using photographs he had taken of orphans while visiting Uganda, Rodriguez painted 100 book covers to show across the United States, starting his tour in Siloam Springs this weekend.

“I’m raising awareness for these orphans, giving them a voice. They feel like they’re voiceless, that they’re not being heard. Through this artistic expression, through my faith and what I’ve experienced in Africa I’m giving them a voice,” he said.

Finish reading the article here.

Posted by  |  July 15, 2010 | Categories: Inspiration, Journalism | 1 Comment