AOPi my AOPi

Rush is over! All of the countless name tags, bid night invitations, sleepless nights, early mornings, freely flowing tears, time spent locked away in the chapter room, never seeing sunlight, and now the aftermath of being sick and exhausted is still somehow worth it when I look at the precious 65 baby pandas who we fought for all week long. I can't wait to see the big things they'll do not only at Auburn, but beyond college. Even my own baby sister got to join me this year! This has gotta be the good life.

What would I ever do without the '09 pledge class?

Wit Beyond Measure

I just want to stay in bed and have my own Harry Potter marathon. And that's pretty much how I feel all the time.

My definitely-not-obligatory-yet-still-important "what I learned summer in between sophomore and junior year" list

otherwise known as, "The Longest Title Ever" and "It's My Blog And I Can Do What I Want."

Summer was a weird time. It's strange that I've literally been in school for the past year with few breaks and I'm just going to keep on going. I guess what this is what it will be like to have a big girl job in the real world? Good thing I'm going to be a teacher. Here's what summer taught me:

1. Outback Curbside To-Go with online ordering is the best and worst thing in existence.

2. Never leave Hillary alone in the kitchen. (See this for proof.)

3. It's okay that we never went to the Helen Keller festival. It's not like she got to see it anyway.

4. The dynamics of our friend group may seem strange. But we are similar to most television casts and that is why we're so darn funny.

5. Coupons are nothing to be ashamed of. Use them with pride.

6. Always feed Dad before taking him antiquing.

7. Don't kid yourself and order a small soft-serve cone at Chick-fil-A. Go big or go home.

8. Cracker Barrel has sub-par service.

9. Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.

10. Reading in accents makes any boring subject way more interesting.

11. Costco sells Nutella practically by the gallon.

12. TV Land has some seriously entertaining shows.

13. Step Aerobics can make you want to punch people in the face.

14. There's nothing wrong with staying home to fix up your thrift store finds on a Friday night.

15. I can do a master job at parallel parking if the entire football is watching me from the sidewalk.

16. Hillary can't back her car up with someone screaming at her.

17. You need to have a game plan for Chewlacla.

18. Homemade granola might be the best snack food ever.

Braves Country

Yesterday we took a little roadtrip to Braves Country! It was a weird day, to say the least. When we got to The Varsity for lunch, we observed a man sauntering up and down the street in a white veil. Then an absurd number of police storm the restaurant while everyone continues eating. We're pretty sure we saw a cop get left by his buddies, too. Then Hillary had some parking attendant man yelling at her how to back her car into a parking space that was not a legal spot. Terrifying, but she braved it like a champ.

Then at the game the joker below jumps onto the field during the seventh inning. We're pretty sure that's a man in a wedding dress. We're still questioning whether or not he wore it in or brought it in a backpack.

As if the day wasn't weird enough, the B-52s performed a little Saturday night post-game concert. Who are the B-52s, you ask? 2 words: Love Shack. We didn't end up staying long enough to hear that one because we old ladies (and Kevin) were up way past our bedtime.

So glad for a fun weekend with some precious friends who like to jam to Destiny's Child, the Macarena, and Smashmouth in the car, too.

apron strings

I'm on a sewing kick now that my machine is dusted off and on my desk. I used my first pattern and it was definitely not as easy as I thought. I had to get Hillary to help me understand a lot of the directions. Toward the end I just kind of made up my own directions. But it turned out okay! Just don't look too closely at my crooked and pulled out stitches or the super weird and uneven placement of the straps. Maybe next time...

Um, how cute are these? Oh Pintrest...

Sun's Out, Guns Out

I learned how to applique from this cute little tutorial at Little Birdie Secrets. Naturally, I sewed an AOII tank first (I'm going to cry when I'm not t-shirt chair anymore). I jumped the gun a little bit on this one and didn't think all the way through all of the steps first or really try to master the zig-zag stitch on my sewing machine first. The lengths and curves of my letters proved to be the most difficult part, but I think doing bigger letters or shapes (or numbers, like she did) would be much easier. I also did a fairly wide stitch, which was probably a little too wide. However, I'm still pleased at how easy this project was, and especially that I can keep my freezer paper stencils to reuse if I want! I even found a website that sells plain Comfort Colors items not in bulk, so I'm about to get crazy with this freezer paper applique business!

A Quixotic Quest

I don't think it's any secret that I miss my restaurants we have in Birmingham when I'm in Auburn, even if they are chains. But the one random thing I crave the most... Jim N' Nicks cheese biscuits. After googling the recipe and reading about a million people fighting over what the real recipe is, I jumped in and tried one. It was okay, but definitely not like Jim N' Nicks. The search continues...

It's Deb Season

Deb Season officially began on Sunday. Here's to the next 6 months of parties, posing for photos, wearing lip color, and countless thank you notes on my brand spanking new set of engraved stationery. Look out, polite society.

My Life in Lists #14

Eleven Things I’ve learned from Mary Poppins:

1. Well begun is half-done.

2. Promises are like pie crusts: easily made, easily broken.

3. In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun, and snap! The job’s a game.

4. Supercallifragilisticexpialidocious: when the cat has got your tongue, there’s no need to dismay! Just summon up this word, and then you’ve got a lot to say.

5. When you’re with a sweep, you’re in glad company.

6. Practically perfect people never permit sentiment to muddle their thinking.

7. Never explain anything.

8. A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down in the most delightful way.

9. Close your mouth. We are not a codfish.

10. Never judge things by their appearance… even carpetbags.

11. Don’t fall and smudge the drawing.

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to the coolest/sassiest/best dad ever.

To the man who taught me...

... it's okay to make mistakes.

... growing up is hard.

... being young should be fun.

... life's too short be be taken too seriously.

... ironing pleats is a useful skill.

... it's all right to stay young at heart.

... staking your claim on the beach early in the morning and rolling back to bed is the way to go.

... you can eat a grilled cheese anytime of day.

... everything doesn't have to be planned out.

... it's good to keep your options open.

... eating well is a key to happiness.

... laughter should come deep from your belly.

... keeping up relationships with friends and family is the best thing you can do.

... it's not about the grades you make, but the hands you shake.

... being silly is never overrated.

... I'm always welcome home.