Big Lights Will Inspire You

Before I sat down to write this blog post I thought to myself, "Only pick your absolute favorite pictures. No one wants a long list of them." Well, seeing as I have no self control and picked over 50 photos to share with you, that didn't happen like planned. If you compare it though to the 600 I have in my iPhoto library, I'd say I did pretty well.

Ginny, Frances, Kendal, Ann Marie, Susanna, me

Upon arriving to LaGuardia, we were picked up in a limo. Not a bad day when you're riding through the streets of New York with your best friends in a limo that's blaring "The Way You Look Tonight." If that wasn't a sign that I am where I belong, then I'm not sure what is.
**future husband take notes**

Ginny, Susanna, me, Frances

Making a quick stop at Serena Vander Woodsen's house 

The New York Palace

Seeing the ice skating rink at Rockefeller Center was unreal. We've all seen so many photos of this so to actually lay my eyes on it was awesome. We saw the NBC news rooms in the back and of course spotted the Free People store on the opposite side.

Ann Marie, Susanna, Frances, Ginny, me, Kendal

The obsession with Gossip Girl was brought to a whole new level in New York. We found all the hot spots where scenes were filmed, where the characters lived, and even ate what the characters ate (pistachio macarons, call me Blair). Thursday night we went to The Empire Hotel where Chuck Bass lived. "Remain cool" is what everyone kept saying but when our waitress told us that she had met him before we lost it.

"One Chuck Bass, please."

Ann Marie, me + Ginny

We went to dinner after The Empire Hotel at Quality Meats. There we split so many great meals and even saw Mariah Carey. She was eating in a private room upstairs but conveniently she walked up the stairs right by our table. We all thought she looked famous, but were unsure if it truly was Mariah Carey until she became a diva walking up the stairs and looking around for people to recognize her.

Ann Marie leaned over to me and said, "I know it's her because of that video you showed me!"

You're going to want to watch this.

Outside of The Empire Hotel was Lincoln Center which hosts New York Fashion Week

Friday morning stroll through Central Park

Our childhood dream came true - we dined at The Plaza with Eloise

I had the Central Park Pancakes which were delicious and they had magical syrup. The waiter saw us gawking over the Eloise menus so he gave each one of us our own copy.

Two divas being divas

Susanna + I

The Eloise store at the bottom of The Plaza was a dream come true.

"Charge it, please"

Ann Marie, Susanna, Kendal, Frances, 

me, Ginny

Susanna + Chan take Central Park

"We looked at our kingdom, we were finally here" -- Fresh Prince of Bel Air

Fresh Princess of New York, it has a good ring to it, right?

Ann Marie + I

Another dream come true, shopping at Bergdorf Goodman's.. Yes, I look like a total tourist but I had to take this photo and reminisce on "Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf's"

Dylan's Candy Bar

me + Frances

My love for macarons will never end. 

A permanent smile was placed on my face for four days 

Celine Dion, right? ;)

On the steps of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Top of The Empire State Building

"Big lights will inspire you"

Saturday was full of Teen Vogue Fashion University, the day was finally here!
During this seminar I learned to never give up. If I want an internship at some largely famous company, work until I get it. Everyone on the panel was so encouraging and they offered great advice. The whole weekend was so inspiring and really uplifting. 

The panel that began the weekend on Saturday morning was incredible. It was Amy Astley, the Editor in Chief at Teen Vogue, 

I ended up here on my lunch break. Next time I'm in New York I will make it a priority to see a musical and I wouldn't mind it if it was Matilda because we had the same wallpaper in our rooms.

One of my favorite speakers of the weekend was Jessie Randall of Loeffler Randall shoes and handbags. She was so sweet and you could tell that she really cared about her customers. A handwritten note is sent to each person that buys a pair of shoes or a handbag and she is always hosting meet and greets in stores like Saks on Fifth Avenue.

After her presentation was over I went to the back of the room where her PR person was and got to talk to her and get her email address. I would love to intern with them!

My last seminar of the day was with Neil Blumenthal of Warby Parker. I had heard of his glasses before from a friend. Sitting front row right in front of him and the accessory director Sheena of Teen Vogue was really interesting & I loved being able to be close. 

Warby Parker sells their glasses + frames for $95 total. You can go online and have them send you 5 pairs of glasses that you think you would like, wear them around your house for a few days, and then if you decide that you do like a pair, you can send all 5 back plus your prescription and they will then send you the glasses of your choice + your prescription in them.

Sheena Smith, Accessories Director at Teen Vogue

The Blogger panel for all students was right up my alley. Amy Astley hosted the panel with the Into the Gloss founders and The Coveteurs founders. 

Into the Gloss and The Coveteur are both very popular fashion & beauty blogs. Emily Weiss, of Into the Gloss, was a Teen Vogue intern and it was inspiring to hear her stories and how she made it into the blogging world.

me, Ann Marie + Susanna

After my seminars and the rest of my friends returning from a day of shopping in Soho, we hopped in a cab to go to dinner at The Hurricane Club. The one hour wait was totally worth it because I had the best sushi I had ever eaten and the atmosphere was so fabulous. 

Kendal's 21st birthday is October 29th but why not celebrate a little early in NYC?!

Ginny + me

After dinner we headed to The Standard Beer Garden which almost every person we talked to recommended. 

Obviously I hide my emotions very well....

Saturday diva night. It's pretty strange and awesome to think that three years ago we were complete strangers and now we are traveling together + living together. Always thankful for my partner in crime!

Nothing but the best

New York, you've won me

If I could wear this outfit every day, I would.

Sunday morning well spent with Phyllis Posnick, the Fashion Editor at Vogue.

It was surreal to hear her speak and to know that she works with the incredible line up at Vogue, like Anna Wintour and Grace Coddington. 

We did it!

My favorite thing about New York was walking everywhere. We started in the Upper East Side at Laudree, found our way through Central Park, then ended up a little bit into the Upper West Side. We stumbled upon Magnolia Bakery, Intermix, Wink, Kate Spade, Pookie & Sebastian, and more.

It really can't be much better, fall in New York with your best friends. I am so thankful for this opportunity and so grateful. It was surreal walking the streets of New York when I have been dreaming of this forever. Getting accepted to Teen Vogue's Fashion University was humbling and I couldn't even have dreamt of that. 

New York, you were good to me. This is not goodbye, it is an I'll see you soon!

Now to start planning and praying about my future, my summer plans + where I'll end up.

Here is the link to my post on HelloPerfect.com
Teen Vogue Fashion University -- Hello Perfect

Published on HottyToddy.com

For my Journalism 102 class our goal is to write to be published. Thankfully on my first story I was published on hottytoddy.com.

Click the link to read my story on the new fad E-cigarettes.

http://hottytoddy.com/e-cigarette-fad-blowing-smoke/

Delta Tribe

Ten reasons why Bid Day was one of the happiest day of the year:

1. We celebrated life and St. Jude

 

2. We spent so many hours together + bond. It's also the week Ali got to shine as rush chair!

3. Yummy treats like these got delivered to the house

 4. Craft time & making new D's

 5. I mean, does this crew get any better? ^^

 6. 3/5 of the Lollapalooza gang was reunited at the DDD House

 7. It's finally our time as pledge trainers to spend time with the new baby dolphins and love on them.

8. Ann Marie & I were reunited after a week of living apart 

 9. One of the happiest moments is when the bid list is read out loud to the chapter at the top of the stairs

 10. All of our babies came swimming home! 

Now, let the six weeks as one of the pledge trainers begin! 

Inside the walls...

Rush can be a weird thing, right? If you're from the North, you probably don't even know what it is like to be in the South during recruitment week. It's full of decorations, big colorful signs, lots of rush workshops and songs, skits, and even more when getting to know the potential new members. It may seem caddy. You want your house to have the best girls, you want your #1 best friend from high school to come running into your arms on bid day, and you certainly don't want another house to get your favorite girls. What we need to focus on, is that the Lord will put the girls in their right houses, not us.

Here at Ole Miss, we have recruitment week about six weeks into school, unlike most other colleges. At other schools, you go a week early before school starts, rush, and then begin the school year. Ole Miss is lucky to have those six weeks.

During those six weeks we become friends with the girls going through recruitment. The girls see how the sororities act on campus and the members of the sororities can truly create a friendship with the rushees (I know that's not "correct" to call them that, but I didn't know what else to say). Within these six weeks I just experienced, I have met so many new girls that are all incredible and any house would be lucky to have them.

And while all of this is going on six weeks into school, you're balancing your social life, your sorority life, your school work and your family, you become a little overwhelmed. That test might not have gone the way you wanted it to go or your paper might not have reached the full word limit. But I can guarantee you this.. Whatever you were doing that night instead of studying your flashcards for that Anatomy & Physiology test, you will remember. You won't remember that test. If you're painting canvases to give away on Bid Day or if you are having a heart-to-heart with your neighbor in the dorm or DDD House, these are the moments you will remember.

Recruitment brings out the best in everyone, which is hard to believe. Take a look around though. All the houses are about to embark on the one week they have been preparing for since the spring. The recruitment teams specifically chosen by each sorority will get their week to shine and their hard work will pay off.

Amidst the chaos and confusion of rush week, you find happiness, smiles, hugs and tears. Whether it's because your friend didn't go the sorority you thought, or maybe she went your same sorority and you finally get to be sisters, or you're just touched by one of the speeches given during the recruitment rounds, this week is full of so many emotions.

What I love so much about rush is how much it makes me realize how much I love my sorority. Yes, I love the date parties, I love the cute t-shirts we get after each event, and I love walking into the big doors of Tri Delta every day and calling this place home. I love the kitchen staff in the mornings wishing me a happy day and I love how Mr. Kenny bakes you cookies if he knows you are going home to visit your family. I love dance parties in the hallways and I love hearing "Roar" by Katy Perry blast through the house at any given moment.

What I love even more though is the girls inside these walls. The girls I've met here at Tri Delta encourage me to be better every day. To not take "no" for an answer, to encourage me in my walk with the Lord, and to be a shoulder for me to cry on when I come back after a long day.

What I love the most is how much this house has changed me. Looking back at who I was in high school in comparison to now, I am better. The girls in this house taught me how to love one another and be loved on by friends who care. Nothing against my high school friends, but these girls have helped me grow into the person I will become for the rest of my life.

Rush is hectic. I'm not here to tell you it isn't. Some girls get the house of their dreams, while others will be let free from recruitment because the Lord has a bigger & better plan for them. I can't promise you that everyone ends up exactly where they think they are supposed to be.

I can promise you this though. My sorority has impacted me in ways I will always remember and also in ways I probably haven't even seen or realized yet. Behind these walls my life has been rocked and because I know these girls and can call them family, I've been changed for the better.

Tri Delta at Ole Miss has strengthened my relationship with the Lord and led me to pour into other girls. It has taught me to be held accountable, to be there for my friends whenever they need me to be, and to love my friends every day. Walking through these halls I am uplifted by every girl I pass. Whether I am their best friend or just an acquaintance, if I needed anyone in this house, they would be there for me whenever I needed it.

I've always had a hard time explaining what it is like to be inside the walls of Tri Delta, and I still don't feel like I fully expressed what it is like to be a member in this chapter. My mom wasn't in a sorority and sometimes it may seem like my parents just pay the bills. What no one understands is the love inside these walls and you don't really get the full experience unless you're on the inside. It is the strangest, yet most incredible bond.

Tri Delta has changed my life for the better and I hope with these girls going through recruitment this week, they can find a place to call home, just as I did. Whether they come running down Sorority Row, swimming home to Tri Delta, or if they make any other turn to the other eight sorority houses on this campus, everyone ends up where they are supposed to be. The Lord knows where he can use you and make you grow.

Homesickness

Check out my post this week on Hello Perfect about how being homesick is okay. Don't worry, you're not alone! 

http://www.helloperfect.com/being-homesick-is-okay/

Fall Favorites

These are a few of my favorite things about fall:

Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Lattes

soup, apple cider + pumpkin bread

big sweaters + leggings

boots, booties + suede

scarves, jackets, fur + layering

the leaves changing colors

the crisp air in the morning while walking to class

sleeping in oversized sweaters + coffee

little cuties in halloween costumes

leaf pile jumping

pumpkin carving

Fall also brings me New York City this year which is enough of a reason 

in itself to be excited 

Weekend Escape: New Orleans

My Photo Diary of New Orleans

The pictures say it all: 

Juan's Flying Burrito for dinner followed by Brocato's gelato 

Breakfast at La Boulangerie -- mocha + almond and chocolate scone

Perfect details scattered all over New Orleans

The French Quarter

Bourbon Street, Royal Street and the Cathedral 

Lunch at Mahoney's Po-Boy shop

shrimp po-boy + onion rings + barq's root bear

Lili's Vintage Boutique 

Obviously we found Free People

Sucre for an afternoon snack of macarons 

Dinner at Dat Dog

Kendall: crawfish hotdog

Frances: original hot dog

Ann Marie: italian sausage

Me: sea dog (fish)

Breakfast before hitting the road at Morning Call

coffee + beignets + gumbo

Pit stop in Jackson, MS to eat at Brent's (where a part of The Help was filmed)

grilled pimento cheese sandwich + fries + vanilla milkshake