Updated usually on Mondays and/or Thursdays!


Monday, October 19, 2015

HC 2015: Last Time Coming Home?

Last week was a high-intensive week of school, so homecoming was a huge relief. I'm stuck between two thoughts when it comes to school dances. Let's be honest...I don't particularly love being in a gym full of teenagers high on hormones and adrenaline, but I really do enjoy these opportunities to dress up, go out, and dance, since it isn't something I do often. I thought it would be nice to share what my friends and I wore to Homecoming for today's post. I say it again later in the post, but this was actually NOT the dress I was planning on wearing.

I researched a little bit about the history of Homecoming, and I was surprised that it's historically more about the football game and the parade than the dance itself. It's totally the other way around now (Dance>HC Game). The Homecoming tradition officially began in 1910, so this is its 105th anniversary!

I bought this dress THREE hours before the dance!! I had ordered 2 dresses a week before and they were expected to come Saturday morning, but of course...they didn't. Thanks to my mom, we ran out the door and were able to find this in less than an hour.

Although I am upset that the dresses I had planned to choose from did not arrive, I'm still very happy with this dress that I found. It looks purple in the pictures, but it's actually navy blue fabric with purple flowers. It was a basically tea length dress on me (because I'm short), which made it look even more elegant.
DRESS: Eliza J Floral Metallic Jacquard Fit & Flare (Nordstrom)
SHOES: Bally
I chose to wear these black pointed heels that I normally wear for Mock Trial competitions (They're actually my mom's). They matched perfectly with the chic/classy look that I was going for. 
Tabitha wore gold accents to go with her purple metallic bodycon. I really liked how she wore dainty, delicate jewelry rather than putting on something chunky. I know I can't pull off a bodycon, but she can!!

How cute is Diana?! Props to Tabitha for doing the cool knot hairstyle on the back (all those YouTube vids are paying off for her). Diana wore a pink strapless floral dress and wore a bejeweled strawberry necklace to complement the dress.

(Note: The following pictures were taken with an iPhone   -Diana)






If you went to Homecoming, I hope you had lots of fun!! I will say that the music was significantly better than the music from the dances I'd gone to (shoutout to Rachel, most fab ASB Secretary and pictured above)! Thanks to DChao and Tabitha for making this post possible! Have a wonderful week, everyone.



Monday, October 12, 2015

Celebrating 17 Years



Last Sunday, I turned 17 and I spent the day with my friends, which was very exciting because I still can't remember the last time I had celebrated my birthday with friends. Maybe my 10th birthday? I knew I wanted to do something this year since I'll be in college when I turn 18 (wow...). Also, I'm sorry that we haven't been posting every week! Diana and I have been especially busy since it is first semester of senior year. I thought it would be nice to do a little reflecting about friendship for today's post, along with posting some pictures from last Sunday. Having my closest friends all in one place together was so warming and I can't imagine how boring and lonely life would be without them. I know around now is an especially stressful time, but remember that your friends are the ones who will support you.

It's probably not common, but I don't fight with my friends. I honestly don't remember the last time I had drama with a friend. I think it really is that I have really understanding, patient friends who are slow to anger and frustration. Below are 17 things that I've learned about friendship from the past 17 years of my life.




17 THINGS I'VE LEARNED FROM FRIENDSHIP:

1. Not only a friend, but a role-model
Often times, my friends are the ones pushing me to a better person--more than my parents or teachers. I think it's extremely important to have friends who aren't just your best friends, but also your role-model. My friends and I have similar goals in the characteristics we want to become better at--diligence, kindness, and passion.



2. Talk it out 
This is an obvious, but friends are truly the best listeners. Whether you're emotionally hurt or mentally weary, your friends are the ones who will listen and give you advice. We all need words of comfort every now and then.


3. Starts from within
Friendship starts with you. Ask yourself what characteristic you want in your friends. Ask yourself how you want to grow from friendship. Friendship is a deep relationship that grows and cultivates overtime. It is neither shallow nor superficial.

4. Time and Effort
I know this is one that I am especially continuing to learn. It's important to make time for your friends. It's also important to make an effort to talk to the friends you don't see often. The people you make an effort to talk to regardless of distance are probably the closest. I know that when I go to college, I'll probably keep in contact with several of my closest friends, but not all of them. This leads me to my next one.

5. Not all friendships are meant to last a lifetime
I like to believe that the people in my life are there for a reason. Coincidence? Fate? I don't know. But I do know that the people in my life are absolutely amazing and are one of the largest reasons why I am who I am. Like I said in #4, I probably won't stay in contact with all my friends. It's okay to become distanced from friends. Most relationships don't last a lifetime.

6. Quality over Quantity
It doesn't matter how many friends you have if none of the relationships you have make you a better person. Not all friends will bring the best out of you.

7. Who you are should be enough
While friends should inspire you to become a better person, they shouldn't change who you are. There definitely is a difference. Regardless, your friends will love you for you.


8. Go with your Intuition
When you're deciding whether to trust someone as a friend, go with your intuition. What's your gut feeling of this person?

9. Listen More
Speak, but listen more.

10. Friends > First Loves
The typical teenager will abruptly leave their friends for their significant other. I think it's a great challenge to be mature in those situations and learn to balance both.

11. Learn about Yourself
If I've learned anything from my friendships, I've learned about myself. My friends tell me the type of person I am. My friends tell me about my best characteristics. My friends tell me how I've grown. There's so much to learn about yourself through others.

12. Be Selfless, Be Patient, Be Generous
3 very, very difficult virtues that we should keep challenging ourselves to become better at.

13. Not Limited to Humans
One of the closest friendships I have are with my dogs. I know this is a bit odd, but there is nothing quite like having a companion who is never angry with you. Animal-lovers would understand where I am coming from.

14. Consciousness
"If you realize how vital to your whole spirit--and being and character and mind and health--friendship actually is, you will take time for it. But for so many of us, we have to be in trouble before we remember what's essential. It's one of the lonelinesses of humans that you hold on desperately to things that make you miserable and you only realize what you have when you're almost about to lose it." -John O'Donohue

15. Friendship=Opportunity
A lot of things that I love are because of my friends. This blog is the simplest example. This blog really blossomed out of my friendship with Diana. And because of this blog, we've had opportunities to learn and be recognized.

16. Happiness
Friendships are healthy for the soul.



17. Friendship Expands 
I think it's really, really awesome that as we continue to live, we'll keep cultivating friendships. We may also lose some on the way, but we'll keep meeting amazing people throughout our lives who will continue to mold and shape us to become better people. There are no boundaries to friendship.


Outfit details:
Dorothy:
Alice+Olivia floral chiffon dress
Cole Haan red heels

(Diana: Mine was not as fabulous of an outfit--the spotlight should always be on the birthday gal/guy/person--but shirt from Bear House and skirt from Francesca's)

Celebrate, laugh, and eat cake. That's important.