Long Time, No Blog

So my goal is to blog at least once a week. If you look at the number of blog posts I have written lately, you will see that I have not been meeting that goal. I love to blog, but sometimes this thing called school gets in the way. And sometimes I just don't have anything that I am dying to write about.

However, I want to tell you about an exciting opportunity that I have this week. Last month, my boss asked me if I would be interested in going to a luncheon with a fashion designer that was coming down to Greenville. She offered to by my ticket for me if I could get out of classes for that day. After checking my schedule to make sure I didn't have any tests that day, I told her I was definitely interested (no brainer).

After researching the designer, Carmen Marc Valvo, the hunt for my outfit began. My boss told me I definitely wanted to dress fashionable for this event, but not to worry about going out and buying designer clothes. This was good to hear since there is no way my budget could possibly handle designer clothes. She said to research trends for this season and find the look for less. So that is exactly what I have been doing the past few weeks. I wanted to wear something black. Black is just classy and always feels fashionable to me. However, I wanted to add some of the seasons trends into this outfit. Bright colors are one this seasons hottest trends. I am working on finding some bright accessories to add to my outfit. Bold prints are another hot trend this season. Take this dress for example. Now I don't plan on going around wearing a house on my dress, but I did find a black and white tunic with a bold print this past Saturday. The search for the accessories continues...be looking for an update next week about the event!

"If the Shoe Fits..."

"...buy it in every color."
-Author Unknown

I seriously want to act on that quote with the shoes I bought last week. Here they are:

Photo credit: http://www.twosistersshop.com

They aren't four inch stilettos, this seasons latest fad, or something you would see on the red carpet. However, they are quite possibly the most comfortable pair of shoes I own. Simple, black ballet flats. I discovered these at a cute little store in downtown Greenville called Pink Azalea. They are made by Lindsay Phillips, the mind behind the popular SwitchFlops. SwitchFlops are flip-flops that have interchangeable straps, allowing you to change the look of your shoes without changing the sole of the shoe. She also came up with the Snap Shoe concept, which is what I bought. The little black flower on my shoe snaps off, and I can buy other snaps to put on. There are so many to choose from-so many possibilities! I can't wait to start collecting some snaps. If any of you have been in a gift-giving mood lately and have been racking your brains on what to get me, think no more :) I think it's safe to say I am obsessed with these simple ballet flats.

I didn't even tell you the best part. The shoes were $64 in the store. However, when you think about it, you are really paying $64 for many pairs of shoes (as long as you have the different snaps to go on them). Although, I loved the shoes and the snap concept, $64 is a little out of my price range. 

When I got home that night, I decided to browse Ebay and see if they had the shoes. Not only did they have them, but they had one brand new pair in my size for $40. It was meant to be. I signed up for an Ebay account and bid on the shoes. I won the bid and had my shoes on my feet five days later. They fit perfectly, and I have worn them three out of the last four days. If I had the money, I would buy them in every color. In the mean time, I will start collecting snaps :)

Bargain tip: Look around online if something is out of your price range in-store. You never know what you will find. Note: this does not apply to the dress you have been eyeing all season that is 70% in-store. Just buy it, you won't find a better deal anywhere else :)

Make a WISH!

How beautiful was the weather this weekend? I have major spring fever, and have to keep reminding myself that it's only February. This past Saturday my boyfriend and I spent some time in downtown Greenville. It was the perfect day to have a picnic in the park. After we ate we strolled around downtown and "window shopped."By window shop I mean walk up Main Street and go into any store I thought that I would like. Needless to say, Andrew was a very good sport. While I was window shopping, I stumbled across a cute little store called Wish. It was one of the last places we went to, and I am so glad that I did! They don't have a website, but you can check out their Facebook page. If you are familiar with Francesca's, you will love Wish. However, Wish is a little bit more expensive than Francesca's, but the sales are great. I got this little dress for $25

It was originally $75 and then was marked down to $50. I really debated whether or not to spend $50 on it, especially after Andrew told me he didn't like it. No love for boyfriend. Then I overheard one of the employees say that their sale items were an additional 50% off. That's all I needed to to hear, I was sold. I have also learned that if Andrew thinks my outfit is weird, it normally is one of my better outfits.

If you are ever in downtown Greenville, I highly recommend you go to this store. I thought they had just recently opened, but they said they had been open since June. The girl working said not many people know about them, so spread the word!!!

An Apple a Day...

An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Well, that saying may not exactly be true if you make this recipe, but at least apples are involved, even if they simply act as a way to transport this yummy dip into your mouth.

If you are going to a get-together where the majority of the food will be appetizers or finger foods, I have the perfect thing for you to take. Please allow me to introduce you to this yummy caramel apple dip.

You will need:

• 8 oz. cream cheese
• A little under a 1/2 c. powdered sugar
• Caramel ice cream topping (get the kind you can squeeze of a bottle, not the thick kind you have to spoon out)
• Chopped peanuts or toffee pieces (as little or much as you like)
• 6-8 apples

Mix the cream cheese and powdered sugar. 

It will be thick. Spread the mixture on a large serving plate or tray. Make sure you spread it thin and even. After that, pour the caramel on top of it. I usually use about half a bottle of caramel when I make it, but put as much or little as you like.

Sprinkle crushed peanuts or toffee bits on top. If you use peanuts, spread them right before you leave the house to go to the party. You don't want them being on there too long because they tend to get soggy after a few hours. I tried using toffee bits for the first time this past weekend and loved them! I think I will be using those from now on. 

Cut your apples and arrange them around the plate. I prefer red apples, but green apples balance out the sweetness of the dip with a little bit of sour.

This recipe is easy, looks pretty, and tastes even better.  Enjoy!

Just Dance

Andrew and I have decided to take a leisure skills swing dancing class this semester. Well, technically I decided and begged him to take it with me, my main argument being that it's useless if I am the only one who knows how to do it since the guy is supposed to lead. I also pointed out that we can actually learn how to do the aerial moves, maybe even throw in a flip or two as well. You see, Andrew always wants to try to do flips whenever we go to a dance. I am sure it would be cool if we did it, but we have never actually learned how to do one, we have only seen them done. I am sure you understand why I refuse to participate in such acts of foolishness with him.

Last semester Andrew and I took a basic shag class with my roommate and her boyfriend. It was nice to learn, but I am not going to lie, the class itself is very awkward at times, and I will explain more in a minute. However, if you take basic shag, you can go straight into intermediate swing, which brings us to the present. Let's get back to the awkwardness. You see, the classes are not set up to where you dance with one person the whole time. Instead, the girls stand in a line facing the boys and switch partners every song. Now this is an ideal set up for the person who wants to take the class but doesn't have anyone to take it with, which is the majority of the people enrolled. However, it is not so ideal for the few couples who are taking the class so that they can learn with each other.  We had some very awkward people in our shag class.  I'm not saying the people were awkward outside of shag, but dancing with them was awkward. Like the guy who completely made up his own footwork whenever he began a conversation with you. No multitasking for him. How are you supposed to follow that? There was also the guy that was at least five inches shorter than me. No offense to him, but it's not always easy being tall in this kind of situation. I will point out that it was much worse when my 6'2" roommate danced with him.

When Andrew and I walked into our first swing class last week, we quickly discovered the dynamic of the class was much different than our shag class. It seemed liked everyone knew everyone, and everyone dances at EVERY possible moment that they can including before, during, and after class. Except me and Andrew. Don't get me wrong, we enjoy dancing, but like I said the learning process can be very awkward at times. There are many times when I am dancing with someone and I have to bite my lip to keep from laughing. Then I get us off beat and have to apologize. There is one guy in the class who is probably 30 pounds lighter than me, and I know it's not easy for him to lead me. I just don't realize when he is trying to get me to do something because his tug, push, or pull doesn't have much effect on someone that is at least 3 inches taller than him. It doesn't make it any easier that each guy has their own way of leading. But hey, it's good to learn how to dance with a variety of people right?

 I wish you could just watch a class because I feel like you would be pretty entertained. I find myself glancing across the room to Andrew giving him faces that communicate things like "when is this class ever going to be over?" or "this song could not end any sooner." After I do that I normally get us off beat again.

Don't get me wrong, we do enjoy dancing. I just think we will enjoy it more once we get through with this class and can do it on our own. Maybe one day we will be able to dance like this. But probably not, because there are only so many awkward classes one can take.

Where has the Time Gone?

Two years ago today I went on my first date with Andrew. It was our freshman year of college, and somehow this boy had grabbed my attention, despite the fact that I was determined not to have a boyfriend my freshman year of college. I wanted to get to know people and not be tied down by anyone. My cousin Scott was a junior at Clemson at this point and had helped me transition to Clemson. When I say transition I mean Scott would pick up things for the grocery for me, come jump my car off when the battery went dead, answer my annoying phone calls the first few weeks when I would get lost on campus.

"Hey Scott, so I am standing by Tillman looking towards the library and need to get to Brooks. Can you please explain to me how to get there?"


He would patiently stay on the phone with me and explain to me step-by-step until I got to my destination. I am very directionally challenged and Scott was always my go-to guy whenever I needed something. It was so nice to have a family member around, and I am pretty sure it helped my mom sleep 100 times better at night. Anyways, I said all that because Scott studied abroad second semester that year. My mom teased (but was for real) saying,

"Well Laura, looks like you're going to have to find yourself a little boyfriend to help you out now that Scott is gone."


"Oh please Mom, I do not need a boyfriend or have any plans of getting one."


That was until I hung out with Andrew at the start of second semester. Andrew and I had been in two of the same classes my first semester at Clemson, which is actually very odd considering not only the size of Clemson, but also the fact that our majors are not similar at all. One of the classes we had together was microeconomics; we used to study together with a few other people in the class. Andrew never really caught my eye first semester. If you know Andrew at all, you know that he is very sarcastic and enjoys playfully teasing people. I actually remember being a little offended by him one time when he was joking around with me. I don't remember what he said, and I know it wasn't anything bad, but I remember thinking,


"I can't believe he just said that to me, he hardly knows me."


I am used to my brother joking around with me a lot, and I am sure it was something that Mitchell would have said to me, but I just remember being surprised that he was teasing me right after meeting me. Between that and the fact that he had a couple other girls chasing him at that point (not the other way around), I never really looked at Andrew as more than a friend. I do remember thinking he was cute when I realized he reminded me of Jim on "The Office." He not only acts like Jim, but also resembles him physically (and people tell him that all the time). Here is our very first picture together. This was taken my first semester at Clemson when we were just friends at FCA's Rollerboogie. It was an 80's theme if you couldn't tell. I might also add that this was the first picture that my mom ever saw of Andrew when I began talking about him. Great first impression-the jorts are the perfect touch.

Anyways, when I came back to Clemson after Christmas, one of the girls in my small group (one of my current roommates) had a little get-together at Mellow Mushroom for her birthday. Andrew was there and we ended up watching a movie after dinner with another friend. That was the night we kind of hit it off. Here is a picture from dinner that night.

Andrew and I started talking regularly after that. He began to come over and hang out on my hall some. At this point, he was still known as "Bio Boy" to the girls on my hall. Andrew and I had biology together so he became "Bio Boy." I have this thing where I regularly give people nicknames to distinguish them from others. I don't know why I do this, but I have done it for a long time, I even had "Bio Boy" in my phone instead of Andrew. He wasn't fond of the nickname, and after people learned his real name, the nickname fizzled out. Anyways, after a few weeks of hanging out, he asked me on a date, but wouldn't tell me where we were going. I love surprises so was excited to see where we were going. He did ask me if I liked Italian, so I knew that much. I remember telling my best friend Emily about it and she ruined the surprise by saying,

"Well, I bet you're going to Olive Garden in Anderson."

Dang it. Emily ended up being right. I am the type of person that loves surprises and wants to try to figure them out, but then I end up being really disappointed when I actually do figure them out. I didn't know that many places in Anderson, but she did. Olive Garden is one of the few Italian places around here, and I later found out it was Andrew's favorite restaurant.  We went to Olive Garden, then got some ice cream at Marble Slab, and then came back and watched a movie. I didn't take any pictures on the date, but here is a picture from a date we went on a year ago, one year after our first date. I wore the same outfit and everything, but of course, Andrew didn't remember that.

After our first date, we made it "official" a few weeks later. He caught my attention that January, and has kept it ever since. It turns out it is really convenient to have a boyfriend when there is a cockroach in your apartment, or when you need help unloading your car, or anything else along those lines :) I am just kidding, well sort of, but those aren't the real reasons I like Andrew. He loves Jesus, makes me laugh, and balances out my Type A personality with a much more relaxed one. We are pretty much opposites when it comes to hobbies, he loves sports and is athletic, while I love picking out my outfits, getting dressed up, decorating, cooking, etc. You get the picture. Somehow we make it work though, and I am so glad God put this boy in my life.

          

DIY Burlap Frames

After searching around for Christmas presents for my roommates(who are all completely opposite btw), I decided I would make them something instead. My first idea was to personalize some picture frames to match not only their bedrooms, but also their personalities. I went to Hobby Lobby to pick up some supplies and ended up getting a couple wood frames, burlap, and some random accessories.

Then I used hot glue to cover them with burlap. They looked ok from the front...

But looked AWFUL from the back...o well, at least that's not the part that shows :)

This is what the frames ended up looking like...

 So I wouldn't say they necessarily match the personalities of my roommates, but they will match their rooms :) I put a picture of the four of us in it and glued the back on...hope they never wanna change the picture because it's impossible. It was my only option once I put the burlap on, however, next time I will know to have a better strategy when putting any kind of fabric on frames. Merry Christmas roomies!