SEE YOU THURSDAY

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CUMMING FAIR// 10.27.16

Corn dogs, funnel cakes, and country folk. Oh my! Taking pictures with real life seals and stepping in sheep poop are some of the many things you get to do at county fairs. Also, its one of the few places that hasn’t been invaded with new technology. Think about it. It's literally been exactly the same since I was about five.

Here’s our annual pictures from this year and last:

Even though it’s still like 80 degrees outside and I’m still always sweating, fall is here! Thanks, Georgia! But also, thank you Georgia for hosting some great fairs. To celebrate the change of season, we went to the good ol Cumming Fair for some good memz with the whole crew. Even though it took us about a year and a half to get there and I was nearly attacked by a bug, it all contributed to the moment. I’m sorry-- MEMZ.

I was slightly disappointed that the weather wasn’t “fall appropriate,” but it was nice to scream for the rides rather than the freezing wind from last year. We were so excited to be there that we blew all our money on tickets to ride all the rides that we wanted. From the most terrifying Cyclops, to the most painful Himalayas, to the smelliest of animal farms, we might not have been able to experience it all but we sure had a great time experiencing it together.

See You Thursday!

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10.20.16// TATTOO

Two weeks after my 21st birthday, I got my very first tattoo(s). One of the pieces was something that I’ve been wanting for a very long time and the other was more spontaneous but just as close to my heart. The honeybee and the whisk just represent things that I love. Bees and baking. Wow, what a nice alliteration! I wanted to say a few things about the experience and what better way than with a listicle! Here ya go:

10 Things I learned after getting my first tattoo

If you’re crazy indecisive like me, do lots of research (on instagram) for an artist that has a style you like.

Be willing to wait awhile if you find a really good artist who books up quickly.

Bring snacks! If you’re there for a few hours you need to fuel up and stay hydrated while your skin is getting stabbed with ink.

It doesn’t hurt that bad. It’s just an annoying pinch that doesn’t go away, which is fine because it’s so worth it.

They aren’t addicting…yet. Maybe it’s because I got two at one time, but I’m in no rush for my next one. I’ll keep you updated though.

Don’t do research about how to care for your tattoo during the healing process. The artist knows best.

Don’t take me along with you to get a tattoo. I’m really bad at consoling people when they’re in pain. *Sorry Katie*

Expect the worst when it comes to prices, then you’ll always be happily surprised when it is actually way less. YAY

Try to go into the appointment with an open mind because it could be difficult for the artist to replicate exactly what’s in your head. Also, it's kind of nice to give the artist free reign on your idea if you trust them enough.

If you want a tattoo, get one! We’re in a time where lots of people have tattoos and it does not mean you are a scary hooligan. If someone doesn’t hire you because of tattoos, they don’t deserve you! That’s what I’m telling myself anyway.

Kristen

Disclaimer: I actually know nothing about tattoos and I only got mine three weeks ago. Maybe you shouldn’t trust me. Just think, it's only on you for the rest of your life.

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10.6.16// NATIONAL TACO DAY

My favorite holiday and religious beliefs closely relate to those of Christmas, but as of 2014, I have officially declared National Taco Day my favorite food holiday. There isn’t a week that goes by that I don’t eat or think about eating tacos. Like on my way to class, behind my case of RBF, I’m most likely thinking about some form of food, or even after I’ve eaten my dinner, I think about having tacos instead of dessert. Now that I’m in Athens, I don’t have easy access to the wonders of the taco world that is present in Atlanta, but I do have a car, determination to drive an hour and a half away, and a large quest to fulfill my equally large appetite.

So, on this year’s National Taco Day, I went to celebrate at my favorite taco restaurant in Atlanta. If you guessed La Fonda, you’re right, if you guessed Taqueria del Sol, you’re right, but the REAL right answer is Bartaco. The ambience was really nice to be in that night and maybe it was because of the outdoor setting with the string lights covering us, or because the weather was starting to feel like fall was finally starting to set in, but most likely it was because everyone around us was yelling “National Taco Day” every five minutes to the waiters and it was nice to be in an environment where everyone was just as excited as us.

In fact, we were so excited that we ate our feelings in guac and may or may not have been able to finish our tacos, but they were still delicious, regardless. If you don’t remember one of our first posts when we started this blog, we wrote about our very first time experiencing Bartaco. So despite the awesome food and great vibe of a place, I think one of the reasons that we love Bartaco so much is because it reminds us of one of the MEMZ that we’ve created that has brought us to where we are now.

SEE YOU THURSDAY

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NEW BEGINNINGS// 9.29.16

Living in Atlanta for the past two years have been some of the most eye opening and best years of my life, and moving from a busy city to a small town like Athens has me questioning everyday why I ever left (lol). But as much as I miss living in Atlanta with all my friends, going back every now and then makes every moment together even better than before. New beginnings are difficult and scary, but I’m glad that I have a great support system to help me justify all my decisions, no matter how stupid they may be. WIth this new beginning in Athens, See You Thursday will have a new beginning coming from two different worlds. We’ve been away for a while, but bare with us, we are sad and stressed and separated college students, and I’m only partly joking. But who knows, maybe we’ll come together again very soon...

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THE 1975// 5.19.16

ST. AUGUSTINE, FL

As soon as we started living on our own, we always talked about the new adventures we would take on together, so to start off the summer, we did exactly that. We kicked off our vacation with a road trip to the beach to see our favorite band and decided to make a short trip out of it. We figured out our itinerary, found a place to stay, and next thing we knew, we were headed to St. Augustine to see The 1975!!

We hit the road with our two friends Katie and Brandon, and the five and a half hour drive consisted of all genres of music, both Disney and non-Disney (the best categories of music), catching up with friends, and lots of sleeping. When we arrived at our “lovely little cottage” in St. Augustine, we got some real creepy vibes from the neighborhood; maybe it was because it was late at night, or maybe it was because there was an abandoned house next door and an old trailer home in the backyard, but sketchy either way.

We woke up early the next day feeling a little less sketched out and got excited to go to the beach for the first time in forever!! The good news was that we had good weather and fun in the water, the bad news was that I almost died three separate times being swallowed by huge waves, and we all received really bad sun burns because Brandon brought expired sunscreen for men and failed to tell us until we came back from the beach…

As we painfully made our way back from the beach, it was time to get ready for The 1975 concert!! As much as we would have enjoyed being in the pit, we were still pretty close for an amphitheater venue. There’s not much I could really say about the performance other than being super vague and saying that they were amazing. We’ve both seen them three times so we were expecting an entertaining show no matter what. Matty Healy is TRULY STILL a LEGEND and makes the show so exciting every time. The setlist was a perfect mix of my favorite songs from the old and new album, and the stage set/lighting was an important element of the show. Matty once said in an interview that “the synergy between visuals and music has always been very important to any artist” and contributes to how he creates his records, and is clear with their stage presence.

SAVANNAH, GA

What’s better than a six hour car ride? Literally everything...especially if you’re the one driving. What’s better than a long car ride that has amazing destinations along the way?! Nothing! Yay! Savannah! After checking out different route options for the drive back to Georgia, I realized that going through Savannah would only set us 30 minutes back on the drive and the benefits were endless. I knew there would be cute shops, my favorite macarons, free samples of pralines, savannah bee company honey, and draping trees with endless parks. The walk around the city was picture perfect, even as the sun was beating down on my newly charred skin. I’m not sure if it was the dehydration or the sugar rush from all the candy before, but I think our lunch at Tequila’s Town was my favorite meal ever. The price was cheap and everything tasted super fresh and just wonderful. It was truly the cherry on top for the end of our short road trip.

SHAKY KNEES

As if the St. Augustine show wasn’t enough, three days later The 1975 was headlining Atlanta’s annual Shaky Knees Music Festival and I couldn’t resist not going. I couldn’t really justify spending more money to see them twice in one week, but I did it anyways and although it was the most irrational thing I’ve done, it was definitely the best decision I’ve ever made. I’ve never been to Shaky Knees, but from what I experienced, it was definitely one of the smaller festivals I’ve been to and it was super nice not be lost in a crowd at all times. The 1975 was expected to play at 9:30 on Friday night, so naturally I went five hours early and tried to get as close as possible to experience their set festival style. My friend Julia and I ended up being about fourth row from the barricade, surrounded by the worst people ever but we pushed through the terror (both literally-- Ghost performed quite a dark show, and figuratively). The setlist was a little shorter than the show in Florida, but the overall show was much better at the festival. The crowd, although not the greatest to be around, was fun to be in and my super fan girl self was extremely excited to be able to see Matty Healy’s face the entire time. Every time I see them perform, he seems to have a new set of moves that are surprisingly really good? Nevertheless, whether there are dance moves or not, every show I’ve been to has high energy, large entertainment value, unique creative direction, and a lot of screaming.

See You Thursday!

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5.7.16// 

Kristen's Playlist

Hailey's Playlist

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5.7.16// LAVENDER SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Isn’t lavender the best? I mean it’s a flower we get to eat and it taste great like perfume and makes me feel fancy. I know the dried flower isn’t for everyone, but maybe my obsession with bees has carried over to my love for lavender. Bees are the best too. I think they would like these lavender shortbread cookies I recently made, and if you think you would too..keep reading for the recipe!

I first had lavender shortbread at a bakery near my hometown and they were my favorite cookies all throughout high school. It was basically a cookie sandwich with what I believe was a cream cheese frosting in the middle. A few months ago I had my first go at lavender cookies. They turned out good and everyone seemed to like them, even lavender haters. I thought it was missing something. I searched the internet for a copycat recipe of my favorite cookies from Theos Bakery with no luck. No one had a lavender / cream cheese combination, so I used two separate recipes to make the perfect combination! My shortbread recipe was found on Port and Fin and the cream cheese frosting was from Food Network. They were a hit among the few people I gave them out to (I think I ate most of the 30 batch of cookies myself...)

Lavender Shortbread

Ingredients

¾ lb unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar, extra for sprinkling

1 Tbsp dried culinary lavender

1 tsp vanilla extract

3½ cups flour

¼ tsp salt

Instructions

Using an electric mixer, mix together butter and sugar until combined. Add vanillA and chopped lavender and mix.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the salt and flour. Add to the other mixture and mix until dough forms.

Shape into a round disk. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or as long as overnight.

Roll disk into ½ inch thick and use cookie cutters to create shape of your choice.

Preheat oven to 350.

Place cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. (Mine were pretty small so 7 minutes worked!)

Let cookies cool until room temperature.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

4 ounces unsalted butter, softened

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

In a large bowl, beat together the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer.

With the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar a cup at a time until smooth and creamy. Beat in the vanilla extract

Using a silicone spatula, place all of the frosting in a piping bag or ziploc bag.

Cut one end of the bag and begin icing the bottom of half of the cookies.

Using the other half of the cookies, place on top of the icing creating macaron like cookies!

Store in the fridge to keep icing fresh and enjoy!

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3.31.16//PORTLAND

I never really got into Portlandia, but as soon as I arrived, I knew everything I had seen and heard about the city was absolutely accurate, not to mention, also extremely Twilight AF. Thanks to my cousin who lives in the city, my roommates and I were blessed to spend the week full of Portland vibez. 

OUR JOURNEY BEGINS:

At Cannon Beach, about an hour and a half away outside of Portland is where our air b&b thing told us that “the rainforest meets the sea.” The drive there was super scenic and Twilight-y we couldn’t contain ourselves from quoting Edward and Bella the entire way (and throughout the entire trip). When we arrived to the cabin in the woods, we were welcomed in with creepy paintings on every wall of every room, a piano, and a wood burning stove to keep us warm, but was nonetheless a great place to stay. Apparently, a wind storm was going on while we were there, but us being the tourist-y outsiders we were, we thought the insane winds were just a part of the “typical” Portland weather. Hug Point seemed to be the most popular tourist attraction where a few caves lined the shore, but there were also plenty of crazy landforms worthy of a stop on the sides of the roads.

As soon as we came back from the beach about three days later, we spent the day in Portland, but then packed right back up to head to Seattle for a few days. It was a three hour drive filled with views of snow-capped mountains and all the nature you could imagine. We started exploring the U District located on the University of Washington’s campus (v scary bc drugs but v cool bc v cute and local). We hit the Pike Place Market, home of the original Starbucks, but it’s too bad we didn’t get to go because we later found out we actually didn’t go to the first Starbs...BUT the memz were worth the visit either way. We traveled on a ferry to a nearby island and we were truly so excited and amazed about the experience, taking pictures on the deck while local commuters scolded us for being so touristy. We arrived in Bainbridge, saw Mount Rainier, and was disappointed AF when we got to the island to find out that all the restaurants were closed, leaving us to eat dinner at a Town and Country grocery store (which turned out to be really good).  Our visit was limited, and we had our taste of the city, so the next day we decided to go on a hike and truly embrace some O2 for our souls. We headed to Snoqualmie Falls where we saw the most beautiful mountain ranges and filmed our first short film-- none other than the remake of Twilight. 

When we finally returned to Portland, we did what the Portlandians do:

Multnomah Falls

The Alphabet District

Salt and Straw Ice Cream

Voodoo Donuts

The Pearl District

Powell’s Books

See You Thursday!

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3.24.16//NEWYORKCITY

Spontaneous spring break trips are pretty great and a trip to NYC costing only $200 is even better. I’ve only recently been able to benefit from friends/family living in other states and luckily the first trip of the year was to the greatest city in the world thanks to the fact that my boyfriend has family in Manhattan. It was our first trip to New York City without our parents and they were some of the best five days of my life.

We walked and walked and walked until our feet stopped, which surprisingly wasn't often. I’m not sure if it was adrenaline or excitement, but I never wanted the nights to end and I felt like I could walk forever. We walked from Chinatown to the East Village, then to Soho to Washington Square. We took the subway by ourselves *with the help of Apple Maps* and ventured to Brooklyn to see Williamsburg and a pretty cool skate park. We walked the highline to Chelsea Market and had meat pies from an Australian shop and really good tacos from Los Tacos No.1. We ate dim sum for the first time and had sum good soup dumplings and pork buns. We frequented a certain bakery near 78th st. several times to get knock-off cronuts and we ate lots and lots of pizza. My boyfriend filmed a short video on a VHS camera that we spent $16 on film for and it ended up being pretty cute. Watch here to see mostly extreme close ups of my face and some good scenery. 

Some of my favorite things in New York City

Big Gay Ice Cream Shop

Flowers outside of street corner shops

Pizza on every block, my favorite was Patzeria Perfect Pizza

Central Park and its gargantuan size

Taking the subway

Walking the Brooklyn Bridge

Macarons from Ladurée

Dim Sum at Nom Wah Tea Parlor

See you thursday!

Kristen

*keep scrolling for pics*

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3.10.16// SCAD FASH x DANIEL LISMORE x JONATHAN BECKER

On January 22, 2016, SCAD FASH opened it's doors to showcase photographer Jonathan Becker and fashion designer Daniel Lismore. The two exhibits are juxtaposed within the same room, but with extremely opposing themes, audience, and an overall feel of each artist.

As you enter the museum, Jonathan Becker's work is divided on two walls, one with all color photos and one with all black and white photos on clean, white walls. Every portrait captured the beauty and essence of the ones within the frame. From post-Oscar celebrity parties, to portraits of royalty in their home, and even a few obscure works, but each are nonetheless very unique with some very notable faces including Valentino, Madonna, Nicole Kidman, and more. Curated by former Vogue magazine editor André Leon Talley, "The Fashionable Mind" exhibit consists of 60 photographs to portray "diverse human experiences." His subjects are shot from around the world, ranging from the "upper echelons of entertainment, style, fashion and art" to "unique subcultures such as the Yanomami tribe of the Amazon jungle." Becker also worked with Vanity Fair and was under the mentorship of Brassaï, a famous Hungarian photographer who encouraged the meaning behind his portraitures.

Daniel Lismore's "Be Yourself; Everyone Else Is Already Taken" exhibit is a completely different vibe than the next door exhibit of Becker's. The lights are dimmed, and there are crazy mannequins with the most outrageous designs. Lismore, originally from London, worked on his first U.S exhibition with the SCAD FASH students to recreate some of his designs just for the school's museum. Each mannequin is a hard plastered mask of Lismore's face, decorated with long lashes, thick mascara, and bright red lipstick. His flamboyant style named him "London's Most Outrageous Dresser"  in Vogue magazine. They are decorated in a plethora of fabrics, layered from "haute couture garments with charity-shop finds, yards of vintage fabrics and tartans, plastic trinkets, found objects, ribbons, feathers, chainmail, shells, ethnic jewelry, retro accessories, millinery and more in an expression of eccentric, creative energy and his unique sartorial point of view." Out of 30 garments, more than half of them were dressed in Alexander McQueen skirts, and decorated in H&M accessories that have been worn by popular celebrities. Lismore partnered with H&M to be the face of their "Close the Loop" campaign which promotes "recycling in the fashion industry." This exhibit was curated by the SCAD FASH director of exhibits, highlighting Lismore's personality through every ensemble by lending some of his personal items to the exhibit.

After the debut of SCAD FASH with Oscar De La Renta's exhibit in October, they have continued to bring eclectic artists to light, making me reconsider my entire life and switch to become an artist. These two exhibits are open to the public until April 1st, and they're certainly not ones to be missed so make sure you check them out!

See You Thursday!

http://theodysseyonline.com/gsu/scad-fash-lismore-becker/346122 

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3.3.16// GIRLFRIEND JEANS 

Working at Urban hasn’t really helped my bank account, but it has helped me get some nice #looks. It’s no sisterhood of the traveling pants deal, but when I saw Kristen wearing them so cutely and nicely, I had to get them for myself. I understand now why these were so popular back then and why they’ve made a comeback– they’re so comfortable!! Skinny jeans are becoming overrated, it’s all about the flare or the straight cut these days. I decided to pair my GF jeans with a red and blue striped blouse, a western metal tipped belt, some Adidas superstars and a choker to mix both feminine and masculine looks into one. You can find all of these at UO.

-HAILEY

Slimmer than the baggy boyfriend but roomier than the classic twig skinny, girlfriend jeans offer a compromise for us denim loving girls out there. Rather than being the backdrop for a great shirt or pair of shoes, jeans are making a name for themselves as the statement piece with cool cuts, dyes, and stitching. The girlfriend jean at UO are the perfect pair to get in on the trends with a more laid back approach. Four years ago, I began a hunt for the perfect pair of Levi’s “mom” jeans at any thrift store I could venture to, only for my quest to fall short time after time due to the lack of jeans in my size. Thankfully, the trend makers have answered my prayers for a great pair of GF jeans that fit like a dream. I wanted a feminine and classic look so I knew neutral floral lace and pointed boots would help elevate these comfy jeans. I wore this outfit to brunch on Sunday at Ria’s Bluebird across from Oakland Cemetery. Nice weather is upon us and I know these jeans will be with me for many more adventures in the city.

-KRISTEN

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2.25.16//PONCE CITY MARKET

Atlanta’s hottest marketplace is Ponce City Market. This place has everything: gelato milkshakes, Anthro candles galore, a store full of hats (and not the trucker kind), crispy fried chicken, lots of quality denim, enough stationery to make my heart hurt, and a restaurant that actually makes pasta daily.

The market came together from the minds of the development company Jamestown, which developed the Chelsea Market in NYC and has ties to Westside Provisions here in Atlanta. The design of every store and building is so detailed, and even though I’m there half of the week, I still find new things to look at. The market opened its doors last summer, but new stores and restaurants are still opening up each month. My personal favorite places are Archer Paper Goods, Hops Chicken, Honeysuckle Gelato, Madewell, and the beautiful Anthro.

The building that now holds Ponce City Market has been gentrified many times. It once held a Sears, Roebuck and Co. retail store, warehouse and regional office from 1926 to 1979. Many years later, it was the home of Atlanta City Hall only to close its doors again in 2010. With the help of Jamestown, the building is flourishing and is one of Atlanta’s go to spots for shopping, dining and most importantly (maybe) cool instagram photo backgrounds. Google describes PCM as, “a mixed-use development located in a historic building in Atlanta, with national and local retail anchors, restaurants, a food hall, boutiques and offices, and residential units.”

With access to the beltline and in close relation to downtown, PCM might be the best market place in Atlanta. Sorry Krog St. and Westside! If you’re reading this and haven’t made the venture to the coolest place in Atlanta, go as soon as possible and take lots of insta worthy pics. Get a milkshake and burger and buy lots of stationery and candles.

See You Thursday!

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Valentine’s Day may have been invented for the consumer to spend money, but it’s still a holiday to celebrate none the less. Whether you’re gathering your best girlfriends together for Galentine’s Day or you need a few jams to get ready for a cute and nice date, our playlists have you covered. Our playlist cover this month is featuring art from a friend of ours, Katie (@kat.her.i.n.e on instagram) Kristen's Playlist

Hailey's Playlist

Happy Valentines Day. PLZ ENJOY

[seeyouthursday]

2.7.16// ARABIA MOUNTAIN

We decided to take a small break away from the city and channel our inner nature spirits. On Martin Luther King Day, we took on the day (very) bright and early to explore Arabia Mountain only twenty minutes out of Atlanta. We might’ve taken a really big risk of getting sick by going when it was 30 degrees outside, but it was all worth it. The six of us picked up some Publix subs on our way there and although it may have been freezing cold, eating lunch and adventuring with our favorite friends made the entire experience one to remember.

We had our doubts whether or not Arabia Mountain was actually a mountain or more of a trail, so when we arrived, I was a little disappointed when it was a paved pathway to an apparent mall. Luckily, Virginia had already been and knew a little of how to navigate the area, and we finally found an off trail “narnia” that got us excited and met our expectations.

We found a huge area of open rock-ish land (excuse my lack of outdoor-sy vernacular) and it stretched farther than we thought. We tried our best to make it to the end, but the cold and the wind was too much to handle that we only made it about half way. It was so isolated, we felt like we were the last people on the earth, who knows what could’ve happened in just that short amount of time, ja feeeeel. We enjoyed our subs, blasted music, found some strange rock compilations, and even found a rock slab souvenir for each of us to take home. Arabia Mountain was certainly majestic, and I highly recommend going when it’s not freezing cold outside.

See You Thursday!

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1.30.16//JANUARY

The year of 2015 has been a crazy one. The world has seen heartache and incredible triumphs.  It was the year Taylor Swift took her music off Spotify, and then The Beatles released all of theirs to the world. We’ve seen and heard Donald Trump offend mass amounts of people and still flourish in the polls. It was the year Americans won the battle for same-sex marriage as a right and the world has seen horrible attacks of terrorism and an inhumane battle of civil war. There are things we’d all like to leave behind in 2015, but the year should still be celebrated nonetheless. This also means celebrating the new beginnings we welcome in 2016.

A New Year’s Eve celebration was always inevitable for us. Everyone we know will use any excuse to have a themed gathering of our closest friends and this was the most important one of the year. There are certain traditions that have to be executed perfectly and I had to make them happen. There were sparklers, champagne, party hats, finger food, festive cookies, a thoughtful playlist, and of course the NYC Ball Drop on the TV. The preparation for the celebration began the night before. I made 50 sugar cookies in different shapes and sizes and spent 20 minutes beating egg whites to make royal icing (I think it was worth it). With the help of my talented artistic roommate Katie, we iced horribly offensive sayings on delicious cookies (the worst words have been edited out on photoshop so we will still be hirable some day). The result was perfection! Shout out to the great Alton Brown for the cookie recipe, which you can find here. Another shoutout to DMines for bringing out the disposable camera and capturing the memories. Here’s to what 2016 will bring!

No one can say what 2016 is going to bring, but we’re hoping that it will be better than the last. But, instead of predicting what could happen in the future, we were reminiscing 16 years in the past. The 2000’s were the real times to be alive with the tackiest fashion, the catchiest songs, and the insane toys. It’s crazy to think 16 years ago we were only 4 years old and we still remember all the lyrics and fashion crazes today!! Every night is 2000’s night for me and my roommates, so why not share the fun with our friends? The only condition to enter the party was to wear the best 2000’s clothes which includes but is not limited to: Limited Too, Justice, Abercrombie, Miss Me jeans, Juicy Couture sweatsuits, popped collars, bermuda shorts, and anything sparkly. It may have been one of the best ideas we’ve ever had, and the night was nothing less of a major throwback with major 2000’s stars playing in the background like Jordan Pruitt, Sheryl Crow, N’sync, Destiny’s Child, 50 Cent, and so much more. I think it’s safe to say that themed parties are the new non-themed parties. ;)

See You Thursday!

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1.25.16// DISNEY

Christmas is my favorite. Any possible way I can ring in the festivities, I try. When I found out my family was traveling to Orlando a week before Christmas, I begged them to let me tag along. I also love Disney, to the point where some people think I’m a little odd. My grandparents spoiled me while I was growing up and took me to Walt Disney World at least once a year, so I think that’s where my love for it originated. I knew Disney would display a Christmas tree around every corner and have amazing fireworks and festive lights at every park. I needed to be there for Christmas.

My favorite park has always been Magic Kingdom. We went there on the first day and ate at my favorite place to get fish and chips, The Harbour House right next to the Haunted Mansion. The weather was so nice, around 70º each day. The castle was completely covered in lights as we watched fireworks and I felt like I was five years old again. The stress of rent and finding a career were nowhere in site. I think that’s what I love about being there, it always brings me back to that same feeling. Check out this picture of me on the left, around the age of 6 and look at how much I have not changed. 

The best meal I had the entire week was at Les Chefs de France at Epcot. I had Plat de côtes de boeuf au Cabernet and it was the best thing I’ve ever eaten. Never underestimate food in Disney. They don’t mess around and it's one of the main reasons I always want to be there (especially for the mickey waffles). The next day we saw the Osborne Family Light Spectacle at Hollywood Studios. It is actually the last year that the lights will be there so I’m so happy I got to see them. It was the most insane display of lights I’ve ever seen and I loved every minute of it. Thanks to the big man, Walt, for making my Christmas one of the best ever.

See you Thursday!!

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1.24.16// DECEMBER

Growing up, the most wonderful time of the year can seem to get less and less wonderful as time passes by. But, that doesn’t mean that it has to be that way! In a group of friends that share a collective spirited outlook on life (for the most part), there’s no way that we could let the holidays pass without a celebration or two to truly make it the best part of the year!

Personally, December is my favorite month. It’s the start of winter, which means winter fashion, colder weather, cozy nights, Christmas, my birthday, and a lot of love for my friends and family. What’s Christmas without a little tacky sweater action? For my 20th birthday (that’s crazy!!), I themed my party as a tacky Christmas sweater party and it was the best thing. We all thrifted sweaters together, made a home made cake, and the outcome was so tacky, it was perfect. I was so glad I could bring in adulthood with my best friends, because God knows I’ll need all the support I could get. It’s been almost two years since I’ve known them, but it’s been the best two years ever.

If you haven’t figured it out by now, Kristen is the queen of all things cute and nice. So, that means everything she touches or does results in perfection!! On the top ten things of Kristen Brown planned events is the first Christmas party. There was a photobooth, lights everywhere, the nicest Christmas tree (which was especially perfect because we hung the ornaments together. And of course, decorating isn’t complete without hot chocolate and handmade whipped cream to top it all off), and a lot of good vibes!! It’s always fun to see people come together to celebrate, meeting new people and reuniting with old is what makes it all worth it.

I say this way too often, but my friends are the coolest people I know. So, they deserve only the best, especially when it comes to gifts. Money is (mentally) no object when it comes down to the people we love, but it also helps that a majority of us get good discounts at each of our favorite stores. A few nights before Christmas day, gift boxes and bags from surrounded the tree in the living room and started our first gift exchange together. It was super fun seeing everyone enjoy their gifts from everyone, and spreading all the looovvveee.

See You Thursday!