Europe Update

We're all just a hop skip and a jump across the pond right now and loving it!

We've finished with Italy and are making our way across France this week! Not to mention hitting up Spain next week. We're all having a ball but for the most part the general consensus is homesickness. For the people, food, movies, air conditioning, and beds of the US.

Picture is from Nice, France with my roommate, PreDental!

Vices

I'll admit, there is one thing I love more than almost anything. And that's a good pedicure. 

I adore going to the salon and putting my feet into the warm bubbly water. 

Your feet always feel so refreshed, so unbelievably good.

After a long rugby season all I want is a good nail technician to put my clauses and cuticles in place. Rugby boots hurt! 

As you all know I'm about to leave for three weeks and so my dad's goodbye treat to me was a pedicure. I almost jumped for joy when he told me! I'm taking the same bottle with me to Europe so I can fix chips and cracks, yes my nails are important. Yes, even in Europe.

Letters From Camp

One of my best friends Africa Girl is headed to camp while I'm in Europe and her parents are going to Tahiti while she's away she's not expecting much in the letter department. To make her stay even more enjoyable I'm sending her with 14 letters to open, one for every day that she's away from home.

There just short and conversational, letting her know that I'm thinking about her and to stay classy. 

Writing letters is really a lot of fun. You get to pick out fun stationery and pens, not to mention the idea that you get to practice your handwriting (not one of my strong points). 

I'm currently in a love affair with The Preppy Ladybug's Flat Note Cards. There so cute! Pink and white with a green border and anchor. They have matching address labels that you can order too!

Don't forget your friends while you are away! Send them letters, postcards from foreign countries are ALWAYS cool. 

Keep it classy and correspond well!
~E

The Soundtrack Of My Summer

Music is a huge part of my life. As big as clothes or anything else. It's your life, why not have a most excellent soundtrack? Listen to something great this summer! Something to get you excited about life, feeling good and like the world is good. That's how you're supposed to feel during summer. 

And here is my personal compilation of the songs that will put you into the summer mood.

I and Love and You- The Avett Brothers

Check Yes, Juliet- We The Kings

Love In The First Degree- Bananarama

Kick Drum Heart- The Avett Brothers

Your Hand In Mine- Explosions In The Sky

Say You Like Me- We The Kings

Room 410- Call The Cops

The Call (remix)- Backstreet Boys

Venus- Bananarama

Do Better- Say Anything

Obsession- Sky Ferreira

Thunder- Boys Like Girls

Stolen- Dashboard Confessional

Human- The Killers

Happily Ever After- He Is We

The Beach- All Time Low

Turn it on, and turn it up! Get excited about life and remember, you can dance, but as always, 

Keep it classy

~E

Summer Boredom Solution!

Summer means a few things to me, one of them being movie days! Spending the day being lazy in front of the screen, painting your nails and sipping lemonade.

So here is my list of my top 10 favorite movies of all time!

10. Easy A

Starring Emma Stone, this teen comedy is on point with whit and humor. Not to mention Penn Badgley as Lobster/Woodchuck Todd. What a great movie!

9. Manic

Manic was made in 2001, thus the actors are younger than they are now. It stars the members of She and Him, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel as a couple that meets in the Psych ward of a hospital after Gordon-Levitt viciously beats a classmate and nearly kills him.

8. Beauty and The Beast

 Disney's classic tale of love and beauty being only skin deep. "No one's neck is incredible thick as Gaston..."

7. Breakfast At Tiffanys

Audrey Hepburn just being beautiful. I adore her and this movie. She has a cat named Cat just because. 

6. The Breakfast Club

5. Sixteen Candles

Molly Ringwald's first break out performance as 16 year old Samantha Baker who's entire family forgets about her sixteenth birthday because of her older sister's wedding. 

4. The Princess Bride

My childhood favorite movie. A classic love story that defies all odds and the happy couple ends up together. Not to mention plenty of action for the people who like sword fights, adventure, and miracles.

3. Rent

It's honestly really depressing, but inspiring at the same time. It proves the moto of "No day but today" is true for some people. It really forces you to look at your life and question if you are living for today.

2. Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope

The second greatest movie of my childhood. Star Wars has been/always will be a big part of my cinematic life. Episode 4 is a fabulous movie that really exemplifies just how far the movie industry really has come. George Lucas' Space odyssey is a true masterpiece.

1. Donnie Darko

Made in 2001, Donnie Darko has gathered a strong underground cult following, me included. I just showed it to Big Sister and she absolutely loved it. Granted the first time I saw it I was terrified of seeing Frank behind me every late night for about a fortnight, however it's totally worth it.

Happy movie viewing!
Keep it classy,
~E

Old Times...

I used to want to be an actor. That's the truth.
I don't know what I want to be anymore, but it's not acting. But I thought I might share with you all a little bit of my past.

My first real show in 4th grade, Peter Pan. We got a Tommy Tune nomination for Best Musical!

7th grade was a bad point in my life... The glasses and BAD hair. I was a tapeworm in the show.

8th grade was a lot better. This one was so fun! I was an over-dramatic drama teacher.

Freshman Year, my first high school show. I was a fairy in A Mid Summer Night's Dream.

My first "Starring Role", the female lead in the freshman Twilight Zone show.

Last show of 9th grade, I was the understudy for a student written show called Second Banana written by the rude and crude Vic Shuttee.

 Well, I hope that this little foray into my past was at least slightly entertaining...

Keep it classy, your future self will thank you
~E

Post Script- Don't forget to keep checking back every day to see my BIG announcement that could benefit YOU!

Happy Father's Day!

I would like to wish all of you a happy Father's Day! We're having a bar-be-que here today with my dad, Big Sister, Uncle Smee who is here on business, and some of my dad's friends who I've known forever. It's really great to see everyone (Smee lives in St. Louis with my aunt and cousins) and dad's friends haven't been here in months so I'm happy! 

My dad has been a rock in my life sense before I can remember. He takes me to almost all my Rugby tournaments and we always have fun. 

Happy Father's Day Dad!

Rugby Dad, Big Sister and I in 2008. I still have that shirt.

Rugby Dad and Big Sister taking her prom pictures 2 years ago.

Thank your dad today for doing what he does,
~E

Post Script- Keep checking The Classy Tuesdays for an exciting announcement!

Singin' In The Rain.

It's been raining in Texas. Raining HARD. Lots of rain, and some extreme wind to go with it.

Last time there were 70 mile an hour winds to go with them. Trees were knocked down, streets flooded, it was practically a miniature hurricane.

Teacher Mom and I took a walk in the rain for fun when the force of the storm died down. We had a grand old time, stomping in puddles, singing "Singin' In The Rain" loudly and off key. 

We also made a fun discovery, my rain boots and umbrella match. They were bought almost a year apart from completely different stores. Funny story about my rain boots, I bought them for my sister for Christmas 2 years ago. Keep in mind she picked them out and I paid for them. She tried them on and everything. And she then gave them to me because they were to big for her. Ugh. I actually don't like them that much but you gotta make do. I'm in the market for a pair of Tiffany Blue ones, if you happen to see some, drop me a line! 

Side note, my hair looks SUPER red here. I'm not sure why...

Keep it classy, 

~E

Pack It or Leave It, Part 2!

In an effort to further assist YOU, my lovely readers, here is PART 2 to Pack It or Leave It!

Now we're going to talk about suitcases! 

On of the most important parts of going on a trip is the suitcase! And here are some tips for selecting the best suitcase for your trip! 

Weekend Trip (driving): Be sure to take a suitcase that can hold all your things, but take caution! Better to big than too small, you don't want to have to deal with a suitcase that can't zip at the end of the weekend! My personal favorite duffles being Sloan Ranger's regular duffle and Vera Bradley's Large duffle in my favorite pattern, Rhythm and Blues. And with a distinctive pattern your are sure to be able to find it stuffed under the bed. 

I got my Vera for my sweet sixteen earlier this year from one of my dad's best friends. I love how big it is and how versatile it is! I can take it to dad's for the weekend or on a long weekend trip. 

Long Trip (flight): The key is large and light. You want a suitcase that is not going to eat up all your allowed weight. You also want to have a distinctive bag. Black is a major no-no. Everyone has a black bag these days and you don't want to end up with someone else's luggage, or worse, have someone else with your stuff! Get a distinctive suitcase, mine is bright blue plaid, and be sure to have a luggage tag with your name and contact information on it, that way if anyone does end up with your stuff they can get it back to you.

 I got this at Marshall's a few years ago before my trip to Europe with my Aunt, Uncle, and Cousins. It's tried and true and I love the fact that it's expandable and I can put as much as I can in it!

Remember to always keep it classy!
~E

Pack It or Leave It, 3 Days, 3 Ways

Going away this summer for a trip? Struggling on what to pack? 

STRUGGLE NO MORE! 

This former clinical over-packer is here to help! 

Today we're going to go over the basics... What to pack for a LONG trip. 

The most important thing to remember is MIX AND MATCH. 

Bring pieces that can go with anything else in your suitcase. Shoes, jewels, makeup, everything! Bring plenty of fun tops and great shorts and skirts, but don't forget about the accessories! A plain white t-shirt and denim shorts can be jazzed up so much with a fun scarf or different shoes. Solids don't have to be limited to whites either, try not to put constraints on your wardrobe, keep an open mind. You never have any idea what might look great on your individual body.

Keep it classy,

~E

How ANTM inspires us to dream big

Every girl is familiar with the four letter abbreviation, ANTM, the TV show that has hopped from CW to Style and beyond. I'm sure you know the one, Tyra Banks hosts and tries to make "pretty" girls into "top models". They all live in one big house and there's always a mean one who it feels like producers keep on just for ratings... The entire show is like a train wreck, but you just can't help but watch. 

I'm almost ashamed to admit it, but I enjoy America's Next Top Model. I enjoy the silly girls making idiots of themselves on national television. 

And you know what, sometimes I wish I was one of them. I wish I was the girls with the makeup skills and the magical ability to walk in heals (I'm learning, slowly but surely). But I'm not, lets be realistic here, I'm 100% awkward. I'm tall and gangly and just sort of there.

But I have at least one thing going for me, I know who I am. I know what I can do and what I shouldn't even try to do. And I think that every girl should know her limits. And then try with all her might to break through all of them. I dream big, I want to learn to walk in those 7" blue platforms in the back of my closet. And someday I will. 

Dream big, 

E

10 Minute Trend

One of my favorite trends lately is the hair band with a button trend. I really wanted to try it so, google to the rescue! 10 minutes on the internet and I was able to have a fully comprehensible idea of how to cover a button without buying a kid. And I'm here to tell you, it's easy! All you need are buttons, some fabric, a needle and thread, and scissors!

Now let's make some buttons! 

Step 1: Measure a piece of fabric that is double the diameter of the button and cut it from the fabric strip. 

Step 2: Thread the needle (I'm using black so you can see what I'm doing) and put a knot at the end.

Step 3: Stitch a large circle around the fabric. Do not cut the thread yet!

Step 4: Place the button in the center of the stitched circle.

Step 5: Pull the thread tight, encasing the button.

Step 6: Sew the loose ends together.

Step 7: Attach the button to anything you want! Hair bands, bags, anything!

I hope this gets you inspired to make your own trend!

Remember, Keep it Classy,
~E

One Of My Favorite Things!

It sounds really ridiculous, but quite frankly, I have a huge thing for Duck Tape. Oh how I love it! I have only three colors right now, but the three of them are my favorites that Duck Tape makes. Believe it or not, but Duck Tape is really useful! I've used it to cover jars, to label things and even to give myself a reminder every once in a while.

I covered an old paint can with teal and labeled it with my last bit of neon green and used it for my Europe savings. I also covered an old peanut butter jar and use it to hold my Sharpie collection. I love how you can use Duck Tape for so much and it goes so well with your taste. 

I recently gave my room a good "Summer Scrub" and discovered the inadaquacy of my CD storage. Promptly Teacher Mom and I went to The Container Store and Office Max for a storage tower and some extra jewel cases for mix cds. Luckily I was able to use my Duck Tape and Sharpie collections to organize my CD tower. Putting a label on the back of all my new jewel cases makes it so much easier to see all my cd's and I feel so organized!

Keep it classy,
~E

What a party!

Yesterday was one of my best friend's birthdays! Argentina turned 16 and to celebrate she had a few close girlfriends over! To celebrate I made her cookies and gave her two quick and easy joke gifts. 

Argentina and I in the 8th Grade. LONG time ago.

When deciding how to decorate cookies one thing came to mind, Argentina's necklace. Her mom gave it to her when she was like six and she never takes it off. Basically it's become a fixture on Argentina's neck, see Argentina, see necklace. Anyhow, the necklace has a ladybug on it and has lots of special meanings. When we were in A Mid Summer Night's Dream together, Argentina named her fairy Ladybug, she was so cute! But the answer seemed obvious, make ladybug cookies! I had lots of fun rolling them out and decorating them! Argentina loved them! And according to her they tasted pretty good too! Not to mention they were SO EASY! 

Argentina's joke gifts were almost as easy as her cookies, all I had to do was make photo copies for one of them! We were in a 24 hour theater showcase together in freshman year, for those of you who don't know, 24 Hour Theater is when a play is written, rehearsed, and performed in 24 hours, it's HARD! We were cast in a a post-apocalyptic themed duet together, my character was cold, mean, domineering, hers was crazy, and lonely. Mine was also a lesbian with a thing for her. We were both really unconformable, so we just did the best we could, and the show became a point of universal hate for both of us. While cleaning I found my copy of the script and so for Argentina's birthday I made her a photo copy and wrapped it up nice and pretty. When She opened it we both laughed for almost a solid 5 minutes. The other present is a specialty of mine, a homemade personalized mix CD. For Argentina, it was a compilation of some of my favorite show tunes! She really liked it! Mix CDs are easy and so personal, I love giving them for any occasion! 

keep it classy

~E

Bring On The Night

Last night was Broadway's biggest night, one of my favorite award shows, THE TONY AWARDS! As a former theater freak I simply adore the pomp and circumstance of the Tony Awards. Watching the best of the best be awarded for their genius is amazing. At some points it literally brought tears to my eyes. (sorry if it's cheesy but I seriously love it that much.)

Any way, I went to one of my best friend Africa Girl's house to watch the show. We ate pizza (extra cheese for the vegetarian) and yelled at the television. Overall it was a great night and we had a blast! I'm not going to see AG for an entire month (while I'm in Europe and she goes to to Kamp) and I'm going to miss her like crazy! I've already started to write her letters to open up while she's away because I wont have the postage to send her letters while I'm in Europe! Her parents are going to Tahiti while she's away so of course I have to make her feel like she's loved!

In other news I have only a week to pack and get ready to go! I leave on Tuesday! EEKK!

Keep it classy
~E

EEEKKK!

Hey guys! Guess what?!?! You're favorite ginger/vegetarian/blogger got tweeted at by THE COLLEGE PREPSTER! You know, the AMAZING blogger/recent college graduate/baker. EEEKKK!!!! (Yes, I realize this whole thing is completely 100% ridiculous/stupid) But I still got tweeted! Huzzah! I think I can die happy! My life is good! (I found out she retweeted me at my friend Africa Girl's house getting ready for the Tony awards, more tomorrow.) I realize that the fact that I blog stalk Carly is totally creepy and weird, sorry about that, but it totally paid off today! Yeah, umm, that's it. I just wanted to share that with all of you. You can go home now. But first, subscribe to the blog. *please*

Just in case

Last year I did one of the stupidest things I've ever done, I played an entire day of rugby without any sunblock at all. Let me tell you, that was one of the worst mistakes of my life. I got a 2nd degree sunburn on my face. My skin blistered everywhere and I couldn't wear makeup for two whole weeks. OW. Just in case you didn't pay attention to my last post on how to AVOID getting to much sun here are some tried and true tips for alleviating pain from overexposure and getting your skin back on color as quickly as possible. So without further ado...

A ginger's tips for maximum relief from a sunburn! 

1. Aloe Vera. The most common cure for a sunburn, and one of the most effective forms of relieving pain from a bad sunburn. Personally, I prefer the type of aloe that has lidocane in it, typically it means that the aloe is blue, instead of the usual green. There is a draw back though, unfortunately the blue kind of aloe can give your skin a blueish tint when used repeatedly over a long period of time. Additionally, an aloe plant is a great thing to grow in a garden if you're pale. Fresh aloe is always a great feeling on burnt skin. The best part to me, the perfect temperature of goo every time.

2. Water. It sounds stupid, in fact it's my dad's cure for everything. (Have a headache? Drink some water. Hungry? Drink some water.) He reminds me of the dad from My Big Fat Greek Wedding, windex any one? Any way, drinking water is a great thing for anyone with a sunburn. The burnt skin must be replaced with new skin later and it takes water to create the new cells. The more water you have, the faster you'll be able to regrow cells and get rid of your nasty sunburn/peeling.

3. Milk. It sounds sort of stupid, but a rag soaked in whole milk (the fattier the better) and placed on your sun burn will alleviate most pain and take down some of the inflammation. Not to mention milk just out of the refrigerator, nice and cold, feels INCREDIBLE on skin that just can't seem to cool down. 

4. A shower. Kids, not going to lie, this hurts like nothing else. I absolutely hate this, but it works wonderfully, takes a sunburn away at least two days sooner. Turn on the shower, HOT. And I mean hot. Get in and put the burnt part of your body under the water and stand there as long as you can, turn the water on hotter if you can. It draws the heat out from your burn and dries it out too. Peeling will begin within a day or two and then VOILA! Your burn is gone. 

5. Anti-Inflammatory. A good anti-inflammatory is the key to a bad sunburn. Taking one (with water) will assist your cells in regenerating and taking the inflammation out of the burnt skin.

I do hope this helps, sunburns stink and no one deserves them. Happy summer! And remember, overexposure can lead to skin cancer. WEAR SUNBLOCK! 

Keep it classy, 

~E

Gingers At The Beach

As a red head I'm blessed/cursed with seriously pale skin. I really don't mind it that much, as long as I have SPF of at least 50 (Preferably 100+ by Neutrogena). I love the pool and the beach, but gingers burn to a crisp, then freckle (no tanning for this girl) but that's ok because gingers look ridiculous tan anyway.

So here's the Ginger Girl's guide for what to bring to a day at the beach with healthy skin afterward. 

1. A big floppy sun hat. This is a must my dears, if your skin is not exposed to the sun then there's no way for it to get burnt! I have one I bought from The Gap a few years ago and I simply adore it! It came with some sort of nasty straw tie which I promptly removed and replaced with a black grosgrain ribbon that is tied in a large bow. I always feel like an old movie star with my floppy brim that droops over my eyes, it's just so mysterious! 

(Side Note: Please excuse the expressions on Pepperdine Princess and my face, me were making fun of our photographer. This was at the male 1/2 of That Couple's Kentucky Derby themed 18th Birthday party)

(Additional side note, don't you just love the dress? Minus the wrinkles of course. It was my first J. Crew purchase!)

2. Sunblock. Self explanatory, however, all to easily forgotten. If you're feeling like gaining a freckle or two then by all means go for something like SPF 50, but be sure it has broad spectrum UV ray protection. Don't forget to re apply at least every hour! A good spray on sunblock is easy and fast, less fuss and much easier to use than the traditional lotion. And remember people, no matter how shady it is outside, UV rays like to sneak through the clouds and you can never be to careful!  

3. Sunnies. Everyone needs a good pair of shades and there is a time and a place for them, but the beach is neither the time nor the place. Salt water and sand will do nothing good a good pair of sunnies. My advice: save your Ray Bans for a day out shopping, go to Target and get the cheep pair, they'll serve you well and keep your good pair safe and intact. 

Now lets be honest, can you really tell the difference between the top and bottom pairs besides the branding? They look almost the same. A day at the beach is totally not worth ruining your best shades. Be kind to the shades and get a cheep pair. Yes I would love to have an expensive pair of shades too, but they could be ruined in an instant.

Top, Target $11vs. Ray Ban for $150

Top, Target glasses $15 vs. Ray Ban for $200

4. One word for you, Tugs. Billed as "The Original Sunglasses Complement" Tugs most certainly are! I'm DYING for a pair! The seersucker tugs are RIDICULOUSLY cute! Personally, I'd go for the pink with baby blue embroidery! I can just see myself at the pool or beach in my Ralph Lauren bikini and Vera Bradley towel. Oh lordy, please let me babysit soon so I can buy them ! Then I can die happy. 

5. Speaking of, Vera Bradley makes quite an excellent towel line. My personal favorite being the Summer Cottage towel. Yes please. So colorful and happy! And in my 2 favorite colors of blue and pink!

6. Rubber flip flops. This one is important people, don't wear your best shoes to the beach or pool, the beach is sandy and will end up EVERYWHERE, especially in shoes. You need shoes that will be easy to wash off and not be ruined easily by water or sand. 

7. A good book. Pale people unite! Under the shade, wrapped in an umbrella, wearing a hat, and plenty of sunblock. A great book is the key to a great beach trip. Chances are you'll not spend all your time in the water, a great book will keep you entertained and happy while not getting burnt by the sun. My personal pick for a beach read, The Princess Bride by S. Morgenstern, rewritten by William Goldman. When I was a kid The Princess Bride was my favorite movie (except for the Star Wars series of course). It never lost it's magic. Recently I've actually read the book (confession, I didn't know it was a real book until Januaryish) and enjoyed it thoroughly. It is written in an extremely witty fashion that seems modern even though it was written 1973. Go get it! I mean it, run, don't walk, RUN to the local book store or library and GET IT!

Opt To Adopt!

Today I'd like to take on a more serious topic, the adoption of pets. 

It might not seem that serious, but did you know that of the 6-8 million pets that enter shelters each year, 3-4 million of them are killed? 

My local animal shelter is a kill friendly animal shelter. That DOES NOT mean that they like putting animals down, however often they do not have the resources necessary to take care of the animal, or the animal is deemed "unadoptable" due to behavior problems or age. 

Here at the Princess Palace (mom's house) we are incredibly animal friendly, just ask our neighbor's cat Pumpkin who wanders in to the house sometimes. After Hurricane Ike we learned via twitter that thousands of animals had been abandoned when their owners fled the storm and were now flooding the shelter and in need of homes. While Teacher Mom is firmly against adding another pet to the family, direct quote "I want you to go to college, the cat to die, and end alone with my books", she would consent to fostering animals. Fostering is a program where you take an animal, or animals, home with you, but it's temporary, you actively attempt to find it a good home. 

So we've had our fair share of animals at the Princess Palace, our newest resident is Phoebe, a 5 month old calico cat. And despite my best efforts to convince Teacher Mom to keep her, Phoebe needs a forever home and someone to love her. If you live in the Houston area adopt her at the Portifino center Pet's Mart on Saturday between 11 and 4!

Another important point is that instead of buying a fancy pure bread puppy consider adopting an animal from your local shelter, they need homes and unless you act they could be killed just because no one wanted them. 

Just something to think about. 

Stay Class, 

~E

The Smell Of Success!

Personally, I'm a smell girl. Boys or girls. If you don't smell good then please distance yourself from me. Boys, I morally can not date you if you don't smell good/if you smell bad. I'm a perfume girl, I adore getting new perfume. When someone tells me I smell good, that's on of the highest complements.

I wear Marc Jacobs "Daisy" like it's going out of style (but not too much, that's just tacky). But for school or a regular day, it's Victoria's Secret Pink Fresh and Clean or Pretty and Pure. I always feel fresh and confidant with a good squirt of perfume.

Another exciting perk of my impending trip to Europe is an outing to a perfume factory in Grasse. I'm so excited to get to know further how my perfume is made! AND our group is going to get to have a "Perfume Making Workshop" where we will get to create our own signature scent. Huzzah!

Summer To Do

Another random fact about me, I'm sort of forgetful. But it's random things that seem to slip my mind, things like calling my mother when I'm supposed to. 

(When I first got my licence earlier this year I had to call and check in after I got EVERYWHERE, needless to say, I got in trouble a lot for not checking in...)

Any way, I like to do lists a lot, they help me not forget to do anything! Sometimes I keep them for just a day, others, for long term things. As you can probably guess, I made one for summer. It gives me a helpful hint to say, "Hey There Eleanor, get off Netflix and do something!" (Netflix being my addiction... Yes, I love my documentaries that much)

Here is my Summer To-Do:

1. Learn the basics of the guitar. I have an acoustic guitar, given to me by my auction-obsessed uncle. Steve impulse buys at my cousin's prep school silent auctions because he's competitive like that, and my cousins both play on at least two hockey teams so they don't have time to play guitar. It was given to me because "you look natural with it". I've always wanted to learn, no time like summer!

2. Blog once a day (with the exception of my trip to Europe)

3. Work really hard. I got my first job a few weeks ago, and I'm incredibly excited to get started! I'll be working at the local Red Mango Frozen Yogurt! Unfortunately, my Europe trip is smack dab in the middle of summer so The Boss decided she wants me to start AFTER I get back. Ugh, oh well. I really want to like the job, I have no other way to make money at this point besides the odd babysitting job, and I have to pay to fill the gas tank.

4. Shave off a minute on my mile run. This is a Rugby thing. The average Rugby player runs over 3 miles in one game. Better mile time means that I could have better chances at scoring better positions on higher level teams. AKA eventual goal of being a Longhorn, then eventually an Eagle.

5. Do 75 crunches in 2 minutes. Another Rugby thing. I want to be able to be the best player I can be. That involves some serious working out and of course, my dream of having abs would be achieavable if I crunched like crazy.

Rugby Girls!

 The other day was our annual end of the year rugby banquet. I wore my Urban Outfitters dress that I wore on my sweet 16 with my hair cured and down. As the club is primarily composed of boys, they boys speeches and awards dominated the girls. So, naturally, we all went a little crazy. I mean, what's a girl to do facing severe boredom for hours? Luckily I sat next to Double D and Moose and we goofed around like no tomorrow. Silly pictures were taken, glow sticks were cracked, and some were even put in glasses. We had so much fun! I kept putting glow sticks into Double D's glass which ticked her off, but I managed to put a glow stick in Double D's lemon aid glass for 30 minutes plus without her noticing! When I told her how long it had been in there we all just cracked up for awhile. I love my team! I'm so sad that the seniors are leaving, Double D included. But I know that next November we'll get a new batch ready to learn and win even more than we did this year! Thank goodness Moose is my age, we have two more years together! Huzzah for random trips up to her house to let of steam! (she lives over an hour away)

Moose, Double D, and I totally bored

Just for Funzies...

Hey there! I thought for fun I could tell you all 10 random, obscure facts about myself. Remember, this is a no judgement zone...

1. I love tooth paste but hate tooth gel. I have no idea why, it's just a texture thing. The gel is all slimy and gross, but the paste is smooth and it just feels better in my mouth.

2. My iTunes library has over 2000 songs on it, and if played I can name over 90% of them. Just one of the many benefits of being an audio learner. Basically I love music with a passion. My current favorite band is The Script, but that will change in the next week or so. Big Sister is a constant stream of music, unfortunately she doesn't let me touch her laptop so I have to wait for the music to come to me, not discover freely as I would like.

4. I love monograms. I wish everything of mine had one on it. I also have a huge thing for monogram jewelry. Lockets, rings with things inscribed in them, bangles with the initials big. My current love is DKM's cut out monogram bangle but for me at least I would probably want it in my signature silver.


5. I'm a vegetarian. Well, if you want to get technical, I'm a pescatarian, meaning I eat fish. Basically if it walks with legs, I won't eat it. It's just cruel. If animals ruled the world I wouldn't want them to eat me. I just don't agree with it. After almost 5 months the idea of a steak sort of makes me queasy. My dad thinks I'm crazy and keeps trying to get me to stop, making steak jokes, but I'm firm in my resolve. I'm coming up on 6 months (July 26) and I really don't see any end to it.

6. I'm learning to play guitar. Learning being a flexible word, aka, I'm teaching myself from YouTube videos and fingering charts I find online. But I really want to learn! Figuring out the basics is on my "Summer To Do List".


7. This next one might come as a bit of a surprise, but I play girls rugby for the local rugby club. If any of you know the rules of rugby, I currently play loose head lock, number 4. But I'm dying to move back in the scrum to 8 man (or woman). If you don't know anything about rugby, lock is in the middle line of the scrum, 8 man is at the back. It's super aggressive out there! I've been playing for 2 years now and can't wait for November for the season to start. My team is a huge family, and we've won a lot, even capturing the state title 2 years in a row!

Yep, that's me with my pink shoes!

8.  My favorite makeup brand is Urban Decay. That might be sort of obvious looking at some past entries, but I adore everything they make. The majority of the products are cruelty free and vegan, which as a vegetarian I adore. And all their products are great, I love everything I own from them!

9. Call me a geek, but my favorite movie series is Star Wars. I've loved it since I was a kid, my dad and I would watch them all the time. My personal order of favorites is 6, 4, 3, 2, 5, 1. As a child 6 was always my favorite, I referred to it as "The Ewok One" and everyone in my family knew exactly what I meant. 

10. I have plans for 3 tattoos already and I love the tattoo culture. (pintrest tattoo board) My current 3 are the outline of the death star on my right front hip bone area, a Japanese style peony on my right side, extending up onto my rib cage, and the words "If You Jump I Would Jump Too, We Would Fall Together" on my left foot arch. The death star is to remind me of my childhood and that it's ok to be a geek. The peony is to remind me of the inner beauty of everyone and everything. And the words are lyrics to one of my very favorite songs by We The Kings called Skyway Avenue.

Stay Classy,
~E

Happy Summer!

Good Morning all,

And may I wish a happy summer to both you and yours?

GAH! I just love summer so much! No school, a chance to see friends every day, go new places, try new things. It's all so exciting! My summer is incredibly busy, but I'm way excited about it!

My first new thing I tried was going to an outdoor music festival. Let me tell you, what an experience! My older sister/best friend and I headed downtown to Houston Texas' own Free Press Summer Fest, hosting names like Erykah Badu, Willie Nellson, Snoop Dogg, The Flaming Lips, The Avett Brothers, and Primus. Big names tight? As amazing as those names sound, 47 acts were there from huge names to a few just starting out. Big Sis and I saw our fair share of Big and small acts... Allow me to give you our itinerary...

Saturday:
We began with Best Coast, then moved stages to see Morris Day and the Time (cutest old men I've ever seen), and then went back to the other stage to mosh our hearts out for Two Door Cinema Club. A grand time was had by all. Big Sis decided not to put on any sunblock so she could "tan" and ended up with a wicked burn. In between all that there were all sorts of shenanigans, including a virgin mojito Popsicle, and a ride on a moustache. Saturday could not have been better!

Sunday:
Having learned the proper way to do things we started a little later so as to have energy for moshing later. We arrived at the park about 45 minutes later, sunblocked and ready to go. We immediately headed for stage 1 where Robert Ellis would be playing, and upon hearing the opening notes, turned right back around, the verdict being, way to country. We headed for a smaller stage by the entrance to the park and listened to a group from Austin called Schmillion which we enjoyed much more. I even caught a free CD! After Schmillion we headed to see Young The Giant, 45 minutes early. The sun was beating down and the kids in front of us were lighting up joint after joint so that made for a nasty scent. Can I just take a second to say how gross I think pot is? I mean YUCK! Unfortunately The combination of standing for an hour in 102 degree heat, pot and cigarette smoke, and moshing caused me a near black out. So big sis and I retreated to a shady tree and ate a quick snack. And then I felt much better. So all was well. After that we had a Popsicle each, I had one with fresh berries and cheesecake. CHEESECAKE in a Popsicle! LIKE WOAH! It was the best thing ever! After that we found the Newsies and proceeded to chill with them for the rest of the day... I was super fun, The Couple, Boxer Girl, Booker, A-Bro, and Harry. Big Sister and I had a ball with them! We saw Willie Nelson and The Avett Brothers together.

This is Schmillion, The guy playing bass is actually the drummer, they switched places.

The Avett Brothers, so much energy! 

Yes that is me with Booker and Boxer Girl on our shoulders and the female 1/2 of the couple in front. I'm strong.

What a great 2 days! I can't wait for summer to get even better!

Stay Classy!
~E