I Left My Heart in Chicago (and Wisconsin!)

While I am definitely feeling the post-vacation blues, I am so excited to share some photos from my trip with you all! Ben and I had a blast during my FIRST Midwest Adventure (many more to come).

After we checked in at our hotel, we ventured down to Navy Pier and took the architecture tour down the river.While it was a rainy ride, it made for a fabulous way to see the city. 

That night, we also met up with Ben's fraternity brother for drinks downtown.

While we only spent two days in the city, I made sure to stop at Giordano's (Shutout to eHa for the reminder) for deep dish deliciousness. 

(Please excuse the windblown pony.) 

Then came Ben's favorite part...riding the train back to Wisconsin to see his family!

We stopped at Lambeau (home of the Packers) once we arrived in Green Bay.

But the most exciting part of the trip?

I SAW SNOW FOR THE FIRST TIME! 

Ben's House

My first snowball and more windblown hair! 

Unfortauntely, I didn't take too many pictures at the Packer's game, as my fingers basically froze off. Also, photos of me in bibs might be used for future blackmail.

While we are both missing our vacation, it is nice to be back in sunny Florida! 

Did you all ravel for Thanksgiving? I'd love to hear about it!

Today's Pickins:

1. Cheese steak stuffed peppers

2. Delicious Low Carb Stuffing

Blog Every Day in May: 16-18

Day 16, Thursday: Something difficult about your "lot in life" and how you're working to overcome it

I think my weight it something I have always struggled with in life. I've never been skinny. The best way to explain is to simply say I was always the Khloe Kardashian in my group of friends. My best friends have always been cute petite girls and I have always been the tall, thick girl. 

Loving yourself the way you are is something we all come to know in different ways. I think I have come to be so familiar with it as it is all I've ever know, at this point. 

Day 17, Friday: A favorite photo of yourself and why

I love this photo for vain and sentimental reasons. First, I like how tan I am...something that only happened during recruitment. Second, the three other women represented in the photo (pictured, and the new members we were wait on!) are all so dear to me. it was my senior bid day so I was dealing with a multitude of emotions. This truly was the beginning of an amazing year. 

Day 18, Saturday: Tell a story from your childhood. Dig deep and try to be descriptive about what you remember and how you felt.

I remember the day we got Savannah, my first dog. I was getting ready to start Kindergarten and my dad said we couldn't get a puppy until Mel and i were 10 and 11--which seemed like a lifetime away! Finally, we talked daddy into getting a puppy. His one condition--it had to be a big dog. His friend, who lived in Memphis, bred Golden Retrievers and just had a litter. In a few weeks, the puppies would be ready to go home. When the time came, my dad flew up to spend a few days in Tennessee before bringing home my angel. 

I remember my dad's navy Explorer turning the corner at our old house and seeing the sweetest little blonde puppy smiling as  her head hung out the window. Mama was instantly in tears and Mel and I ran to the truck to meet her. Being the big sister, I just had to be the first to hold her! That was, until Daddy said "Careful, she might need to pee." At which point, she was passed off to Melanie. 

We played and played and all our neighbors and family came to meet the new angel. I remember being so excited with this new toy. At the time, I didn't realize the amount of unconditional love that had entered my life on that day. 

Catching up! {Instagram Style}

Thanks to my big move, I've been pretty M.I.A. the last few weeks!

Let's catch up on all the fun happenings with Instagram!

Sunrise Hot Air Balloon at work!

Packing allllll of my accessories!

My sweet angel turned FIVE!!

Finally got my keys! It's mine all mine! 

After moving, Sunday breakfast with Little Cotton was much needed!

I look forward to taking you all on a tour of my new place soon!

Today's Pickins:

1. The PERFECT Pink Clutch

2. DIY Sprinkle Art

Saw It. Pinned It. Did It. {Filtered It!}

There is one pin out there that has been taking the pinterest world by storm recently...

How to take better pictures with your iphone!

Last night, I decided to play with two of the apps she suggested--Camera+ and Snapseed.

I already have camera+ on my phone and use it when I remember. I'll point out the different that makes in a moment.

Here are my before and after photos:

This image was taken with camera+ only.  It was much easier to snap a squirmy target with this app and adjust the lighting. Normally, I'd be decently happy with this photo.

However, I wanted Brantley to look a little more angelic. She is a sweet little baby that loves sitting in the foyer where there is a lot of sun. This edit using snapseed highlights that.

I think this pin was spot on and there is a big difference between these photos and some of the others I have taken of Brantley. I definitely plan to use these tips and tricks more and more and would highly reccomend checking out the pin. 

Paddles on Paddles

One of my favorite Greek traditions is that of the paddle. As a big, I counted down the seconds until I finally got my paddle from little!  My paddles from Little M was a long time coming and is very proudly displayed in my room. Little C, on the other hand, is a bit slow and even though we have both graduated by now, I haven’t received my paddle from her yet. I have seen it in progress and let me just say, it is TOTALLY worth the wait! (Little C has been my little since the Spring after I joined! She was my first little!)

Here is a pic from paddle exchange with Little M:

One of my Glittles and I also decided to do a “mini paddle” exchange! She and I are very close and even though we only had one year together, we thought it would be a great symbol of our bond! 

Here we are with our mini paddles:

And, for kicks, here is a picture of the paddle I made my big:

It’s finally time for my sister to start making her paddle for her big and I think I might be even more excited than she is! Like me, my sister is in a different chapter form all of the rest of the women in our family. She also attends a different university than the rest of us. Because of this, their paddle traditions are a bit different than the ones I am accustomed to! Not to mention, the lack of resources near her school would have been AWFUL when I was making my paddle! She is definitely going to be using some of my Gainesville connections when it comes to making her paddle!

I am a bit jealous of her big, seeing as Sissy is an artist! The paddle is going to be BEAUTIFUL, I just know it! I will definitely post pictures when it is done!

I know a lot of you out there are Greek! I would LOVE to see your paddles or even hear about some of the coolest paddle ideas you have seen!

Today’s Pickins:

1.       Need inspiration for a fall wrest? Here are 101ideas! 

2.       Anyone tried these FREE Redbox Codes? I might be giving them a try tonight. 

3.       Cowboy Caviar sounds like a perfect recipe to this TexMex lover. 

4.       The Saline Soultion in Mascara idea worked wonders for me this morning. Have you ever tried any of these tips? 

Unconditional Love

A few weeks back, I went to lunch with my GBig, Erin, when she was up in my end of the county. We talked for quite a while and one of the topics we began discussing was affirmation. It wasn’t far into the conversation that she brought up a book that she had read called The Five Love Languages. She had received the book as a gift from one of our other sorority sisters before a summer she spent as a camp counselor.

We talked about the book a little and I knew I wanted to read it! So, Erin was kind enough to bring it to our Alumni Chapter’s business meeting earlier this week. I’ve been trying to hold off on reading too much before all of my airport/ flight time this weekend, but after reading just a few pages, I just can’t seem to put it down!

Already this book has made me more aware of how others show their love towards me. We are surrounded by so much love in our lives and often we can’t see it!

This got me thinking about the idea of unconditional love. The thought that you could always love somebody, with your whole heart, no matter what is a pretty big deal.

I distinctly remember the first time I heard this term. I was a little kid and my family had just got our first golden retriever and we are obsessed with anything and everything that related to her. My dad had taken us shopping for mother’s day gifts and we saw a mug that had a sweet golden puppy face on it with the worlds “Unconditional Love”. My sister and I instantly thought this would be a sweet gift for my mom, though we did not know what the term meant.

My dad explained it to us in the most simple of terms but we were still confused why there was a dog on the mug. He laughed and said wait until the dogs are old and you are grown up and ask me that question then.

We never had to ask the question again.

As silly as it sounds, I think we can all learn lessons from our unconditionally loving pets. Our pets choose to give us all of their love, no matter what. Have you ever seen the look in a dog’s eyes when you say “Good Girl”? One of my golden retrievers actually smiles when you say that to her! Dogs whole-heartedly feel our love in return, something we should strive for in our own lives.

I think we should all strive to be the person our dogs think we are.

Today’s Pickins:

1.       As a proud Sigma Kappa, I support Alzheimer’s Awareness and research. These “Be Brave” bracelets are a fashionable way to donate to such an important cause.

2.       A quote I heard last night from either Jennifer Kessy or April Ross (the silver medal Beach volleyball team) about how they were so proud to be in the final match because “either way, our national anthem will be played at the end of the night and that is something to be proud of!”

3.       Not sure how I ever did without my Taco Holders!

4.       The Gameday Girls have the cutest faux pearl spirit studs!