FAVORITE MOMENTS OF 2014

I thought I would share with you my favorite moments of 2014 because a lot of things have happened and I didn't get the chance to share them all with you!

- In January, FSU won the National Championship!

- In February, my dad's favorite NFL team -The Seattle Seahawks- won the Super Bowl! 

- In May, I went on a cruise with my Big and my parents to celebrate the end of the school year!

 - In June, I traveled across the ocean and spent a month studying abroad in Paris and London!

- In August, I started my 3rd year at the best school in the nation! Ah only 1.5 more years to go!

- In November, I received an Internship with Ross Dress For Less as an Assistant Buyer for the Summer of 2015! Can't believe I am moving to the city of my dreams!

- In November, I also became the Editor in Chief of FSU's premier fashion magazine CLUTCH! You can check out our blog and past issues by clicking HERE!

I hope you all had an amazing year and I can't wait to see what both you and I accomplish in 2015! Let's make this one the best year yet!

THERE'S A NEW BLOGGER IN TOWN: BLUSHROAD

There is nothing I love more than being surrounded by people that love the blogging community! My roommate Mia was the very first person I had ever met that also had her own blog (you can check out her blog HERE) and I thought it was the coolest thing ever that someone else shared that common interest!

Well recently one of my friends Brittany started her own blog as well which you can find by clicking HERE! We actually met when I was a senior in high school and she was a sophomore in an interior design class. I should have known from that alone we were bound to be friends for a very long time! I laugh when I think back to it because we were the only two people that actually enjoyed being in that class and completed all projects like we were working for Better Homes and Gardens!

Her outfits are absolutely flawless and she does a heck of a lot more OOTDs than I ever will, so hop on over to her blog, show her some love, and I promise you won't be disappointed! 

Hopefully I can convince her to help me out with some outfit posts in the near future! 

XO,

Lauren

SINGING IN THE SHOWER

If you are anything like me... you can't shower without some from of music on in the background! Recently I have been jamming to T-Swift's new album 1989... I just can't get enough of it! 

Side Note: Since you all know I am a student at FSU, I have to include my favorite mash up of T-Swift + Florida State! I really don't think it gets any better than this! 

Click HERE to watch FSU Shake It Off Video 

Now let's get back to the real purpose of this blogpost... In the past I have used my phone for music when showering, but recently I have started rethinking that due to the fact that I like hot showers and with hot showers comes a lot of steam (I live with both boys and girls in my apartment at school so I have to keep the bathroom door closed while showering...when I am at home I leave the door open so the steam doesn't accumulate) which means my phone is sitting in a "wet" environment for around 20-25 minutes multiple times during the week and I can only assume over pro-longed periods of time that this can't be too good for my phone. So recently I have been going with out music in the shower in hopes of protecting my iPhone from any potential damage. Let's just say my showers just haven't been as enjoyable without music!

Well my aunt must have heard my unanswered prayers because for Christmas this year she bought me the Bop H20 Wireless Speaker from Brookstone. I used it for the first time last night and I'm sold! It was so easy to connect to my phone and since it uses a bluetooth connection I was able to leave my actual phone in my bedroom, free from the steam of the bathroom! Bam! When you thought it couldn't get better than that... you can answer phone calls from it as well! Double Bam!

I know it's all been your life long dream to talk on the phone while you're in the shower... well now you can!

Yes it really is that bright in person! However, I don't mind I think it adds a pop of color to my otherwise boring shower... I mean how exciting can a shower really be!

I hope you enjoyed this quick post!

And for all my fellow singing in the shower girls out there, you keep singing at the top of your lungs, it's good for the soul!

WHAT I GOT FOR CHRISTMAS 2014

This year my family and I decided to do a more minimalist Christmas and only get each other a few gifts that we each really wanted! In the past it has gotten out of hand and we find ourselves buying things that we don't really need or have any purpose for! I can honestly say I really liked this type of Christmas better because I had less than 10 gifts to wrap and that made Christmas even more enjoyable!

Bourbon and Boweties Bracelets

Kate Spade Wallet

L.L Bean Slippers

I hope you all had an amazing holiday season with friends and family! Tell me what you got for Christmas in a comment below!

ALL THAT'S LEFT IS A MEMORY

I just found this way way way down in the drafts section of my blog...and the girl I was months ago when I wrote this would have never had the guts to post this but I know I'm not the only girl to have ever gotten her heart broken and I think there is something to be learned so that the next girl knows it's not like this forever! I want to post this to show you all that life gets better and no matter how far deep into the hole you think you are that you will find a way out and that you will be stronger than you ever thought you possibly could be! If it was not for getting my heart broken I wouldn't be where I am today... I'm a 20 year old girl, that is going to get to move to the city of her dreams this summer, working at a dream internship, with the best friends a girl could ask for! 

So without further adieu...here is a personal look into the brain of a 20 year old girl that at the time never saw an end to her own "Personal Hell". I hope this also serves as an explanation as to why I did not post on this blog for such a long time! 

Okay so I think we all know that Taylor Swift song "Red" and if you haven't heard this song please stop reading and go listen to it on YouTube or read the lyrics before continuing to read the rest of this...

There is one lyric in this song that I literally for the life of me cannot seem to get out of my mind... "Forgetting him was like trying to know somebody you never met"... 

Now before I get all sentimental on this blog I know this blog is supposed to be all glitter and rainbows and about me chasing my dreams but when I originally created it, it was seriously just my place where I could put my thoughts and share my ideas and just escape from what seemed to be a world that at the time was collapsing on me.

I started this blog a day after the boy I have been truly head over heels for since the day I met him on my senior homecoming told me there was someone else in the picture. Not just like "hey there is this girl I met" no I am talking like "this girl has been in the picture the past 4 years and I can't keep splitting my time between the two of you". This blog was created to literally give myself a distraction from my thoughts and my reality! I wanted to create this perfect place where I could log on with a few simple clicks and be happy... where everything for once seemed right.

However, the more I come on here and try to put on this happy face and forget about someone who at one time or another meant so much to me it puts me down even more... I know I am literally sounding like a druggy right now acting like this blog gives me a temporary high before I crash again but that is seriously how I feel.

Rewind back to the Taylor Swift lyric... I truly don't think I could have said how I have been thinking better myself. I'm truly having to get my brain to forget someone that I never thought I would have to. It's even funnier because me and him once said to one another that the reason we kept coming back to each other even when things didn't work out or we would fight is because trying to forget about one another was way harder than not having each other in our lives.

This feeling that I go through everyday seriously is one of the shittiest feelings I have ever felt in my life and I have had days where I seriously think back and wish I had never introduced myself to him on that rainy November night. I know my life at this moment would be so different if I hadn't said those simple words "Hi my name's Lauren" yet I can't tell if it would be a good different or a bad different and I think that is what haunts me.

The only reason why I felt the need to type this was because I hate seeming like one of those girls that has all her shit together... because in reality if I tried to draw out what my life seems like to me right now it would be me laying in an empty room on the floor trying to figure out where to go from here...

Who knows if I will ever have the guts to post this too the world but for now it was the best form of therapy a girl could have ever asked for...

So if anything I hope this post shows you all that I truly am a real person with real feelings! If anything I am forever thankful for my first heart break because it finally gave me the motivation I needed to start focusing on myself and my dreams and stop focusing on someone that didn't give a damn about me! I would by lying though if I still don't have a fantasy of running into him one day at the Grocery Store in my Louboutins looking like a straight up Bad Bitch...because that girl is going to blow him a little kiss and then tell him he can kiss my perfectly toned ass!

LN93 - DAY 3

Let's just start off by saying today was the longest day of my life... a word of advice to all my fellow friends and family "DON'T GO OUT UNTIL 4 AM WHEN YOU HAVE TO BE UP AT 6AM THE NEXT DAY"... now that we got that out of the way, we can get into the serious stuff.

Want to know what lead to today being the longest day of my life...Check out yesterday's blog post by clicking HERE.

We have been doing so much walking in Paris and I think my feet and going to fall off before I even make it to London. I already have a massage, pedicure, and an appointment with a chiropractor lined up for when I get home. No but really I don't even know how I will make it to the end of this trip. I would have inserted a picture of how my feet look (blisters and all) but I will save you the horror out of the kindness of my heart.

We started off our day by looking at Gallerias and Arcades around Rue du Royal & Champs Elysees! I fell in love with Dior's black and white store display! Personally, I would love to have a job developing the interiors of designer stores but I can't fulfill all my passions or I would never be able to sleep! I'll just stick to interior design in my own home one day!

After we walked around all the designer storefronts we went to the original YSL Fashion House. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take any pictures inside... but I can only tell you just how stunning it was! We got to see his original design room and sketches, which is something that are usually locked up and not viewable to the average person stopping by! His designs were so flawless and have definitely inspired me in looking at silhouettes in a new and fresh light.

This was his design room that we were able to get a tour of which was extremely cool! 

At this point I was having a break down because I had been up for like 30 hours straight! Jordana, Grace and I marched our starving butts over to this amazing little cafe and had the most delicious sandwiches! The French fries over here are literally the best things I have ever tasted and they literally serve French fries with every meal! My kinda place! 

We walked back to the Champs Elysees after our lunch and then were free to walk around. Jordana, Grace, and I decided to walk up to the Arc de Triomphe and had a mini photo shoot in the middle of the street! The picture is worth the danger ;)

We decided to stop in the Louis Vuitton store on our way back down the Champs Elysees to the Laduree store! I literally walked around the store for a couple minutes before realizing I wouldn't have even been able to afford a shopping bag from the store... One day Lauren... One day

 Jordana, Grace and I thought it would be super cute to go get macaroons and then walk to the Eiffel tower and eat them in the grass lots in front of the tower! I have had one of Laduree's macaroons in New York City, but they are nothing compared to the fresh ones made directly in Paris.

Look how gorgeous it is in here!!!

I could've eaten them all!! 

We then made our way to the Eiffel Tower which ended up being like a 45 minute walk! But once we got there I was so taken aback by the beauty of it that it didn't even matter!

This had to be one of the best days of my life! Sitting under the Eiffel tower just talking about life with new friends and enjoying each others company is something I will remember for the rest of my life!

LN93 - DAY 2

It's our first official day in Paris! Wooohooo!

Miss Day 1 posts check them out HERE and HERE!

Today we had quite the schedule but I wouldn't have wanted it any other way! I am so glad that our teachers and the International Programs (IP) office have set us up with such amazing excursions throughout our duration here!

For our first excursion we visited Lectra's headquarters. Lectra is a "Multi-national company, involved in integrated technology solutions for the textile, home interior, automotive, marine and aerospace industries." Of course we focused on the textile and fashion side of Lectra's business. The amount of integration Lectra has created for fashion companies is truly remarkable! In general terms now when the pattern maker edits something in one program it is updated on all other platforms as well and sent to the rest of the design team so everyone is in full communication with each other at all times.

 The most interesting piece of software I believe Lectra has created was their 3D textiles software. Basically a designer can import their designs and the software allows them to see how that garment would lay on a 3D model. They have absolutely every type of fabric imaginable in the system and with the click of a switch you can see how that garment would lay on the body with that fabric selection. This 3D software also helps when it come to the fitting and grading of fabrics but I won't go into that because unless you are a fashion major like me I can assure you that you would not find that interesting at all! Lol!

You can click HERE and HERE to see videos produced by Lectra that further show the use of this incredible 3D software! 

After visiting Lectra we visited the Galaries Lafayette (which to the average non fashion student would be considered a really fancy mall) and went on a walking tour. I was truly taken aback at the stunning architecture! I love how everything here is just so much more beautiful and artistically enriched.

These are two of the original twenty glass elevators. Only four of the original twenty are still left, those being, 15, 16, 17 and 18.

The visual merchandising in Paris has been absolutely stunning!

Hands down the best part of the walking tour was when we ended up on the rooftop and far off in the distance you could see the Eiffel Tower! This was the first time we had even spotted the Eiffel tower during our time there and I'm pretty sure it was the biggest group freak out I have ever seen! I have to be honest though when the tour guide was like okay we are now going to walk up 5 flights of stairs to get to the roof I was like "Oh hell no!" Thankfully though the view was so breath taking it made every step worth it!

That night it was Tati's 22nd birthday and we decided to go out to a club approximately 15 minutes from our hotel. Well let's just say that we didn't realize we weren't going to be able to use our iPhone maps app due to lack of internet connection, and in turn ended up getting lost in the middle of Paris. I always say everything happens for a reason though because we eventually ran into other Americans and found a street lined with bars and continued to bar hop until 4 am in the morning. Word of advice when you have to be up at 6 am for school the text day do not stay out until 4 am the night before because you will basically feel like the walking dead. 

This is Jordana and Grace and they have basically become my partners in crime and I love them!

If you want to read all about my day post less than 2 hours of sleep the night before click HERE lol!

LN93 - DAY 1/PART 2

To be honest, I didn't quite know how to separate my complete "Day 1" experience when I had first started typing yesterday because truthfully it has all been "Day 1" to me seeing that I haven't slept in what is going on around 30+ hours. So if I start to sound a little delirious in this post please forgive me! If you want to find out why I wasn't able to get any sleep on the way over you can check out Day 1/Part 1 by clicking HERE. 

In my last post I left off with telling you all that eating breakfast on an international flight is a no go... at least it is for me that is... If there is one thing I hate more than anything it would have to be... drum roll please... being nauseous! Well once the nausea set it I was basically screwed because you know that feeling when you are about to throw up and you start getting hot flashes and your throat starts to get really wet... well that is exactly what happened to me. The girl sitting next to me must have thought I was dying of some disease because she was super friendly the entire trip an then the moment that plane landed around 10 minutes later she jumped up out of her seat faster than a bat out of hell! Oh well, what can you do?!

Exiting the air plane was pretty cool though because we were taken off by stairs directly onto the runway. I don't know why I have had such a fascination with exiting a plane on the runway but for some reason I do. So that was really neat for me!

Finding our way out of the airport was interesting because we couldn't read a single word but when in doubt follow the flow of the crowd!

 Once we got to our hotel and were settled in we went across the street and got some cute cappuccinos at the cafe across the street!

Afterwards we decided to walk around the city a little until orientation began and found some super cute alleys! I am so in love with the architecture here its crazy! Like why can't America look like this!?! Personally I now understand why David Siegel modeled his house after Versailles.

Before orientation we had a "Welcome Reception" which basically turned into lets all drink as much wine as we can before having to go sit in a two hour long orientation!

As much as I wanted to go out and drink with some of the girls in my major after orientation, my body just couldn't handle it. Instead my roommate Jordana and I just came back and basically fell asleep mid sentence with one another!

That's it for Day 1/Part 2!

LN93 - DAY 1/PART 1

Hi,

To everyone that is stopping by to read what is about to turn into the nonsense of what goes on inside my head on a daily basis... I hope you enjoy!

            I’m just going to go ahead and start by saying this is pre arrival in Paris - Day 1/Part 1 and I will fill you in on all the fun post arrival in Paris in - Day 1/Part 2 tomorrow!

Well here goes nothing! By the time you are reading this I will be in Paris! OMG… one more time… OMG!!! Sorry, had to have a mini freak out moment there. It’s so crazy how I have been planning on going on this trip ever since I went to freshman orientation at FSU and found out my major had their own study abroad program. I remember looking at my parents and going “I’m going on that trip even if I have to cut off an arm and a leg to get there”. Well needless to say I didn’t have to cut of an arm or a leg to get here… that would have been extremely unfortunate in the long run if that had been the case lol.

I am going to try my very best to write on here once a day almost as a virtual journal since if I had wanted to keep a real journal… well there was no more room in my backpack for that! I really hope I keep up with this because I think these thirty days of letters would be an amazing thing to be able to look back on when my trip here is all said and done. So consider yourself lucky because you are about to get an inside look into the way my mind thinks because let’s be honest if I am going to treat this as a real journal than I am sure as hell going to type in it how my brain thinks it… if that even makes sense… probably not… oh well there you go...your first glimpse into my crazy brain of mine. I promise the shit show will only get better from here on out!

I am currently typing this while on the plane…cue children and babies crying… no but really i swear one kid cried 75% of the 7 hour flight. Want to guess where that baby was sitting? That's right, that screaming chunker was seated right behind me. All I have to say is thank goodness he wasn't my child because I don't think that kid would have come off the flight alive. The flight has been pretty uneventful other than the screaming child behind me. Oh, I can't forget about the old guy behind me yelling at the flight attendant when they tried to move his bag to another overhead compartment in order to fit some woman’s bag from the back of the plane. Needless to say, the way that story ended was that my bag was the one that ended up getting moved because let’s just say if they had moved this guy’s bag the flight would not have been taking off on time.

I was extremely disappointed to find out that they don’t have WIFI on this flight…UHM HELLO THE USA IS PLAYING SOCCER RIGHT NOW AND I DON’T KNOW THE SCORE…double hello this is 2014 you would think WIFI on planes would be a common thing now days. Dear lord, they just handed out the “Free Flight Food” and I have never tasted anything more bland…yuck… so much for “Gourmet Snack Mix”… more like “Am I eating real food or just cardboard in the shape of pretzels?!”

I must say they saved themselves when it came to dinner... that wasn't horrible! 

Another thing I learned on this flight was that do not eat the breakfast they serve you on planes when in actuality it is only 1 am at home. NO ONE EATS BREAKFAST AT 1 am! Why I thought eating a full breakfast meal was a good idea is beyond me. Let's just say my body didn't know how to process that amount of food at such an early time when I don't normally eat breakfast on a regular basis. So if you want to save yourself from horrible nausea... do yourself a favor ... and skip the breakfast!

There are eight other people on my flight from my major and all seem really nice which is exciting! Side story: For those of you that know me really well, know that I can sometimes be really shy until I get to know you, and then once I do it’s all over for you from there because then you can’t get me to shut up. Moral of the story, I was actually really nervous to go on this trip since I didn’t really know anyone going but for once I am trying to push myself to be open and talkative right away which I think will be good for me!

If you want to leave me a comment so I know you stopped by I would love it! I’ll try to respond to them as I can but I can’t make any promises! I had a long debate with myself whether or not I wanted to be active on social media while in Paris/London and the more I think about it, I really want to use this time as a time to focus on me! I feel like more often than not I get so wrapped up in keeping tabs on everyone else day to day life I don’t keep up with my own so here is to thirty days with no interaction with my life back home. Well no interaction with anyone besides my parents! I can’t forget about a little shout out to my big… heheh I didn’t forget about you big… but I bet knowing you, you probably screamed at the computer “LITTLE FORGOT ABOUT ME!” no I didn’t you can breathe again lol

WHAT I WISH I KNEW BEFORE SORORITY RECRUITMENT - PART 2

Hi Girls!

Continuing on with my little summer series "What I wish I knew before Sorority Recruitment", I am bringing you today part 2! These are just little tips, statements, and advice that I believe you all should know before beginning your journey into Greek Life. I might add to these as I feel fit or have something pop into my mind that I think you all would benefit from knowing. I hope you enjoy these little tips and truly take them to heart!

You can find Part 1 by clicking HERE

1. Your feet are going to hurt horribly. Accept it and keep moving. Don't be the girl that complains all day I promise everyone else is thinking the same thing.
2. The girls who are rushing you don't care if you know everyone of their sisters. They want to know who you are and what makes you special! So don't name drop with hopes that it will help you get into a specific sorority.
3. Even though the girls rushing you look perfect remember that they are normal human beings too! They just have sisters that are really good at doing hair and makeup and probably helped them get ready that morning. Don't feel intimidated.
4. Don't be that girl that cries because she didn't get an invitation back to a certain sorority. The girls in that house know their sisterhood better than you and just think you would be a better asset to another sorority. By no means does this mean that they don't like you or that the girls in the house are mean because they didn't ask you back. Take this as a good thing because now you are one step closer to finding your perfect home away from home.
5. Be respectful to every girl you meet during recruitment. Sorority girls can be found all over campus getting involved in a plethora of clubs and organizations. The last thing you want is a girl you were rude to in recruitment to end up being the president of the club you want to join later on in the year.
6. Remember when picking out your outfits during the week that you will be talking to girls, not boys, that means make sure the "girls" are not out for play. Also make sure that all your shorts and skirts are of appropriate length. 
7. If you are only concerned about being in a "top tier" sorority... why are you really rushing?
8. A sorority should enhance your life not be the only aspect of your life.
9. Recruitment is not something you should take lightly.
10. Don't choose a house because of your friends! I can't stress this one enough and it is probably the one that the majority of girls fall into every year during recruitment. Your decision should be based solely on where you think you can thrive and become a better woman. 
11. Just because you are a 4-time legacy to "said sorority" DOES NOT mean that you have to join that one. Sororities are different at every campus! A perfect story is a girl in my sorority transferred from USF and she tells us all the time that we are a 180 from her chapter there. Luckily she fell in love with our chapter and has turned into a wonderful addition to our chapter!

CURRENT OBSESSION - ALEX AND ANI

Hi lovelies,

Recently I have discovered the world of Alex and Ani. I must say if it weren't for being in a sorority I don't think I would have ever heard about the brand...I know that's bad to say especially since I am a Retail Merchandising major... Actually I take that back but I would have been late on the trend! Regardless, I first heard about them during big/little week when a lot of girls were getting their big
the Gamma Phi Beta Charm Bangle.

During my trip to New York City in March with my Rent The Runway team I purchased my first bangle. I ended up getting the Leo Horoscope Charm Bangle. There has always been something about horoscopes that has intrigued me. Maybe it's the fact that I can literally relate to anything written about a Leo...I feel like they are talking directly to my soul...cue you thinking I am a wacko right about...now... I also love that the Leo's "symbol" is a lion. Lions are strong, independent and dominant in the animal kingdom. All of which are qualities I strive to have in myself.

 The next two bangles I purchased were from my recent trip to Saint Martin and Saint Thomas in the beginning of May. I went on a cruise with my big in my sorority and we decided on getting matching initial charm bangles. Yes we are mildly obsessed with each other and like buying matching things. For example we just bought matching dresses from Express but that is another story for a different day.

I wish I could say that the second bangle I purchased had some form of significance but I just loved how delicate the starfish looked! But for the sake of this blog post I am just going to go with... It reminds me of the cruise I went on with my big this summer... lol but all jokes aside I just thought it was super cute and nautical! 

I am torn when it comes to making my next Alex and Ani purchase. I really like the FSU one but I still feel obligated to purchase the Gamma Phi Beta one. Maybe when I get a little in the fall she will purchase it for me... wink wink future little...  

Do you have any Alex and Ani bracelets?

I also just wanted to say a little thank you to anyone who takes time out of their day to visit this blog and put up with my rambling and not so frequent as I would like posts. You all mean more to me than you'll ever know!