Shop ‘Til Ya Drop

One thing that I love to do is shop. Whereas I feel like most people only see me in Nike shorts and an oversized t-shirt, there are those (rare) times that I like to wear nice clothes, and actually put effort into my hair and makeup. A cute outfit can make not only make you look great, but feel great. For the longest time, I found it so hard to find a shop that I pretty much loved every product they sold. So, every time I’ve come across one that I love absolutely love, I put it on my list so whenever I have trouble thinking of places, it’s right there!!! (I know it’s silly, but I tend to be pretty forgetful)

Hopefully you all will try some of these boutiques/stores out and give them some love!

1. Val’s Boutique

2. Eula Fern’s Boutique

3. Make Me Chic

4. Studio 6

5. Raspy Peach Boutique

If you all have any stores that you love, feel free to share in the comments!

 

Always,

Lauren

Spring Has Sprung

Now that it’s a few weeks into spring, it’s time to talk about pastels. That’s right. Now, I’m normally a nude/black kind of girl, but I love pastel colors. Baby blue, pink, yellow green, you name it. If it’s a pastel color, I’ll probably like it. One big pastel trend that has occurred over the years is pastel nail polish in the spring time. Nothing to make your day a little better than having manicured, pastel nails! These are some of my favorite colors:

OPI Soft Shades Pastel Collection Spring 2016

 

Essie Mrs. Always Right Collection Spring 2016

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Summer Pastels Collection

You seriously can’t go wrong with pastels.

 

Always,

Lauren

Formal 2k17

You know it’s that time of year when there’s an abundance of girls waiting to get spray tans in the tanning salon, a two wait to get your manicure/pedicure, and what seems like a shortage of dresses in every store you seem to go into because you’ve of course waited until the last minute to find a formal dress. I decided to be a little risky this year and order my dress online. Yep, you heard that right. Online and a week before the day of formal, so I literally received this dress in the mail the day before. I had ordered a size smaller than normal, but I had to make this work. LUCKILY, it did!!!! I couldn’t tell y’all how happy it made me.

So a few weeks ago, on April 1st, my sorority had our annual spring formal. This year was the Violet Ball; Sigma Kappa rotates between the Violet Ball and Pearl Ball each year. I was super hype because I am actually 21 for this formal, which means ALL THE DRINKS. But just kidding, because I was chosen to be a sober monitor, but that’s perfectly okay! I still had a great time.

Another formal in the books!

Always,

Lauren

What’s Up, Beaches?

Last spring break I went to one of the most beautiful beaches that I’ve ever been to, which would be well you guessed it, Fort Walton Beach. Me, my mom, and a couple of my friends decided to try it out. Something sounds funny there. My mom, spring break, what? Yeah, the trip was just as awkward as it sounds. A few college students and their mom. I don’t recommend it for obvious reasons. But anyways, it was still a fun trip!!!

(Sorry these aren’t super high quality, I had to snag them off my Facebook page because I no longer have them on my phone, sad day)

If you’ve never been to the Destin/Fort Walton Beach area, 10/10 would recommend. You simply cannot beat the white sand and crystal clear, blue waters. My mom rented out a condo right on the beach, but I believe you can stay anywhere and still enjoy it just as much. I don’t like being anywhere other than on the beach while I’m on vacation with an ocean, and if I could sleep on the beach at night I would. Destin/Fort Walton did not disappoint in any way, and if you don’t feel like spending all your time on the beach, there’s other things to do such as shop in Destin at Destin Commons or go try new restaurants!!!

 

Always,

Lauren

If You Don’t Have A Pair of Birks, You Should

Everyone has a pair of favorite shoes. Well, if you couldn’t tell by my title, my favorite pair of shoes that I own are my Birkenstocks. In this post, I’m mainly just going to tell you why you should invest in a pair of these sandals.

Birkenstocks are by far the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever worn. I purchased mine about two years ago, and I’ve come to realize that it was probably one of my better investments. I own the pair pictured above, the Mayari sandal. I have it in this color and absolutely LOVE it! Before Birkenstocks, I would wear my Chacos. Don’t get me wrong, I still love my Chacos, but I don’t wear them as near as much as I do my Birks. Birkenstocks can be worn with anything. If you’re feeling lazy or cute, these sandals will do the trick. When you first try them on they may seem a little uncomfortable, but like every other shoe, you just have to break them in. I bought these at at a local store back home, and luckily they offered a local discount (blessed!!!) so I ended up paying around $86 for these. Yes, it is a little pricey, but they are so worth it. I’m currently thinking about buying my second pair, but maybe a different style and color. Definitely worth the money and the perfect summer shoe.

Always,

Lauren

Reasons Why I Love My Sorority

Going Greek was one of the best decisions I’ve made thus far in my college career. It has brought me my best friends, helped me expand my leadership skills, and made me see myself in a way that I haven’t before. Sisterhood is more than just a word, it’s a way of life (seriously).  It makes me sad to see all these stereotypes that people put on Greek life, because I can honestly say that if I weren’t a part of it, I wouldn’t have enjoyed college as near as much as I have. Here are some reasons as to why I love my sorority:

1. You always have someone to do things with.

Whether it’s to go grab a bite to eat, ride to events together, or simply go to the grocery store, your sisters always have your back. I hate doing things alone, so having a sister there to always be down to go through the Cookout line is the best!

2. It makes it so easy to get involved with the community.

Before joining a sorority, I wasn’t that involved with the community at all. My sorority has five philanthropies, which is amazing, so it makes it very easy to find ways to give back to the community. Aside from our sorority’s particular philanthropies, there’s always a sister who knows exactly what you need to know about community service and how to get involved with the community through your university.

3. You find your people.

My sorority has probably given me the thing I cherish most, my best friends. Some of my best friends I met through recruitment and actually ended up in a different sorority, but if it weren’t for recruitment, I would’ve never had the chance to meet them. My little and grandlittle (I know I sound pretty old) are a couple of my favorite people on this earth. It’s crazy to think that if it weren’t for my sorority, I wouldn’t have them at all.

4. You find your home away from home.

My home isn’t necessarily that far away from school, but I am a huge homebody so I was always finding myself wanting to go home every weekend when I had nothing to do. Being in a sorority changed all that. Of course I still loved going home, but when you have 100+ that make it so easy to be around, you find that your sorority really is your home away from home.

5. You’re never going through anything alone.

We all have our problems. Sometimes it’s hard to talk about them, but more than likely at least one of your sisters is going through the same thing, and that makes it so much more comforting. Even if it’s not the exact same thing, they will always have your back and will be there whenever you need them.

6. You do things that you wouldn’t have done before.

I’m naturally a shy person, so sometimes it’s hard for me to take those chances and do something that I’ve never done before. Being in a sorority has allowed me and pushed me to do those things. It’s such a great opportunity for improving your leadership skills. I know that if it weren’t for my sisters encouraging me to apply for certain positions, I would have never gathered the courage to do it myself.

I love my sorority. Plain and simple!!!

 

Always,

Lauren

 

Have No Fear, Summer Is (Almost) Here

Here we are, nearing the end of the semester. I think I can speak for most of us when I say that this is definitely one of the most stressful times of the year. Everyone is scrambling to finish their last minute projects/assignments and cramming in all that information that you’ve tried so desperately to learn whenever your professor lectured about it. My junior year here at East Tennessee State is coming to a close, and I’m feeling a little bittersweet. How could three years go by so fast? It doesn’t even seem real to me. When I had my advising appointment about a week ago, my advisor informed me that I could graduate on time. This had me over the moon because I just recently changed my major and figured that I would most likely be here for another year. With that being said, this meant that I had A LOT on my plate for the next couple of semesters. Nine credit hours during the summer, eighteen in the fall, and fifteen in the spring semester on top of my internship. I thought quite a bit about all of this, and decided to take the cheaper route (because let’s be real, summer classes aren’t cheap), and stay an extra semester. I find myself filled with relief with my decision to stay and not jam pack all of these classes into two semesters.

Summer is so close that I can taste it. I’m super excited for what it’s going to hold. I’ll be back and forth between Johnson City and Sevierville, which is unusual for me because once I get home for the summer, I stay there. I’ve been lucky enough to be chosen as a Recruitment Counselor for Formal Sorority Recruitment in the fall. This means that at the beginning of May, I am partially disaffiliated with my chapter and remain disaffiliated until recruitment rolls around. During recruitment, I’ll basically serve as an unbiased mentor for a group of girls that are trying to find their home in Greek life. During the summer, though, I have office duties to perform as well as working orientation booths. I really cannot put into words how excited I am to be given this opportunity. But, aside from that, I’ll be working part time at a golf course back home, and hopefully going on a couple vacations; one with family and one with friends. I hope to get into the gym more often (lol, but for real), be more adventurous and spontaneous, and take risks. This summer will be one for the books.

Whether you’re working, taking summer classes, or just doing simply whatever this summer, have fun and enjoy it.

 

Always,

Lauren