Livin', Lovin', Alpha Gammin'

This past week has been so busy with getting settled into my apartment, working at Pier 1, and above all, preparing for my sorority's formal recruitment. From 9:00 in the morning to 4:00 in the afternoon, we've been singing, talking, and decorating to get ready to present our house to hundreds of girls to get some new sisters. I was honestly kind of dreading this week (which we refer to as 'work week'). Ending my summer early to come and practice something I've already gone through did not sound appealing. But it was surprisingly fun! I learned a lot about some of my sisters; there were some girls that I have never even talked to, and when we got the chance we discovered we had a lot in common! The other seniors and I have been preparing a poem to read on the last day of recruitment to show the potential new members (or PNMs) what being an Alpha Gam means to us. It really portrays the importance of sisterhood and how evident and meaningful it is in our sorority. I started thinking about graduating at the end of the year and leaving these girls, and I started getting emotional! I really have found a home away from home with this sorority, and I'm so thankful for that. I'm really excited to get some new sisters and spread the Alpha Gam love!

As much as I've been enjoying it, though, I definitely feel like I could just collapse from the hustle and bustle. Unfortunately, I've been going from there straight to work the past couple days and haven't been getting home until around 10:00, so I haven't gotten much of a break.  By the time I get back to my apartment all I want to do is get in bed! But the other day I had such a scare it was a little hard for me to fall asleep!

I found this ugly bug on my bathroom floor! It was big, too, and pretty fast-moving! I scrambled for a toothpaste box to smack it with. It was so gross! And, you know, the one had to come from somewhere, so I kept thinking there might be more around! But I haven't seen any since then, so I think I'm safe...for now, at least haha.

Other than that, apartment living has been pretty awesome. And now both of my roommates are moved in, so it's great! I can't believe classes are starting on Monday, though. I wish I had a few more days to just enjoy being back before the stress of schoolwork takes over. But at the same time it would be great if I had a fast-forward button for life because I'm so excited for Patrick to get here on Saturday! It feels like I've been waiting forever haha.

Until then, and especially now that work week is over, I am just going to spend time with the roommates, relax, and catch up on some sleep!

Zzzzzzzz
- Jamie

Ding-dong, I'm home!

I'm here! A couple hours of driving, and I'm back in the corn fields I have grown to love so much haha. Oh, sweet home Indiana. I got here Saturday and got all moved into my beautiful new apartment and I'm loving it so far! It is even bigger than I was expecting, and having my own room and a big bed feels awesome. I love being able to decorate and give it that cozy, homey vibe. Take a look at pictures! (and be jealous hahah)

I know the walls are all bare, but it's a work in progress. I've been so busy with preparing for sorority recruitment, working at Pier1, and unpacking, it's been hard to find times for the little things like that. Plus, I'm sure Patrick wants to help me when he gets back. By this weekend, though, it should all be lookin' pretty good!

Another cool thing about living on your own is cooking!

Dinner today was salad, chicken nuggets, and homemade baked fries! Kind of cheated with the chicken nuggets (they're Tyson frozen breaded chicken tenders), but I made those fries myself and they were pretty good and couldn't be easier!

Just slice a potato or two, mix with a little bit of olive oil and salt, and bake at 450 degrees for 20-30 minutes, flipping them halfway through. Super tasty and better than fried fries haha!

Now I'm about to head to bed. It's early, but they kept me at work until 2:30 in the morning (which I'm very unhappy about - 7 and a half hours of moving dinnerware, glassware, and furniture with no break!), and then I had to get up early for a long day of recruitment practice. I am exhausted!

Good night from me and all of my stuffed animals,
- Jamie

Is summer really over??

So here we are, last day at home - unbrushed hair and makeup-free just after waking up. That'll be the last time I get to sleep in on my little old twin-sized bed (can't really say I'm gonna miss it-I'll have an XL full size waiting for me at my apartment!).

This day, so far, has been filled with packing, packing, laundry, and more packing haha! It's weird to think that I won't be coming back to this house ever again. My room is bare, and it feels a little unreal, but we've moved so much over the past few years, it doesn't bother me anymore. Especially now that I'm at school most of the time, this barely feels like home. I emptied out my closet, cleared my drawers, and filled boxes to take to my dad's new place. We tore down the old posters and threw a bunch of other junk away. Then there was just one project left:

Fitting all this into my dad's little two-door convertible. We managed it, though! I'm surprised at how much stuff I'm taking to school this year. My car is stuffed, my dad's is packed, I've got Patrick hauling a load in his truck, and I still have a pile of things from last year waiting for me back at school! I'm starting to feel pretty grateful for getting a first-floor apartment haha, I just hope I can find room for everything!

I'm so ready to move in; I've been looking forward to this apartment since before we even signed our lease! I've never really lived on my own before, so I'm excited for the independence and responsibility. Buying my own food and cooking will be new for me, but I can't wait! Plus, I can't wait to get to know my roommates even better - I love them both, and I really think it's just going to be a lot of fun living together.

I could go on forever about how psyched I am for senior year to start (oh my gosh, senior year!!), but I have to get going on more laundry and some last minute shopping. The next time you hear from me, I should be all moved in!

Bye-bye, Chicago!
Jamie

Bakin' Blondies!

But not just any blondies...SNICKERDOODLE blondies!

Can you say yum?? Got the idea from Sophie's blog {here}. Her happy place has tons of recipes that will make your tummy happy indeed! I've been drooling over them for some time now, but this was the first one I actually made. Of course, they didn't turn out as pretty as Sophie's, but no matter - they tasted great!

What you'll need:

-1 cup butter, softened

-2 eggs

-1/2 tbsp vanilla

-1 1/2 cups white sugar

-1/2 cup brown sugar

-2 cups flour

-2 tsp baking powder

-1 tsp cinnamon

-1/2 tsp salt

And for the topping:

-2 tbsp white sugar

-2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Blend the butter, eggs, sugars, and vanilla until creamy. In a seperate bowl combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients while mixing (batter will be thick). Spread batter into a greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle on combined cinnamon-sugar topping. Bake 30 minutes.

Now, when I made these they didn't really rise like they were supposed to (which could have been my fault for opening the oven one too many times to check on them), but the next time I try this recipe (because I will definitely be making these babies again!) I might use a 9x9 pan and leave them in a little longer. We'll see! Definitely a great recipe, though! I actually ended eating so many last night I gave myself a tummy ache, so be careful, they are dangerous hahah!

Happy baking!
- Jamie

Life without Facebook

I deactivated my Facebook last night for formal recruitment for my sorority (something about preventing dirty rushing or something, I honestly never really understood). Regardless, I am a rule-follower, so away it went. And unlike most, I am not unhappy about having it gone. In fact, quite the opposite; it's a bit of a relief. I hated logging on just because I had "nothing better to do" and creeping on other people's photos or status updates simply because I was bored. I found myself judging people for what was on their wall, which is completely unfair.  And I'm sure others were doing it to me, too, so honestly I'm glad to be done with it. I don't even plan on reactivating my account when we are able. I'm sick of reading about other people's drama, and I'd rather focus on school or read a book in my free time. Even though I've been harassed plenty by my high school friends because this is our main source of communication throughout the school year, I figure if we're really friends we will find other ways to talk. That's the main reason why I started this blog. It's much more informative than a simple status update, and my hope is that friends will read it at their convenience.

That being said, I have found plenty of other (way more productive) things to do with my time today! This morning I started filling out grad school applications. The process is stressful; there are a lot of people to contact and forms to fill out. And every school is different so it's hard keeping them straight and figuring out what I need to do for each one. I'd like to say I'll be happy when it's all over, but then comes the worst part: waiting. It's gonna be a long year, haha.

And the past few days have been deliciously dangerous in terms of diet:

McDonald's Friday night...

Portillo's for lunch Saturday (although I can't say I regret this meal choice. Cake shakes and hot dogs...there is seriously nothing better!)

And a fried sampler platter for dinner yesterday haha. Boy, was everything good! We had tofu chicken nuggets, fried macaroni and cheese, mini feta cheese and onion pizzas, fried tempura vegetable cakes, and sweet potato fries!! I suggested adding the vegetables so all the bad stuff would cancel out (that's a thing right?? hahah)

So needless to say, I had a few calories to burn. I wanted to go for a little run, but my gym shoes are still packed away in my car somewhere, and I didn't feel like digging them out, so I found these kicks from my middle school years:

They were not the most comfortable. Pretty snug, and I could feel some nice blisters developing. So, a run wasn't gonna happen, but I did take a long walk. The weather was wonderful today, and with some tunes it was very enjoyable!

Now I am just watching the Olympics and waiting for the first NFL preseason game to start! The best thing about summer ending is football season starting. Can't wait!

Facebook free's the way to be!
- Jamie

Shopping Sprees and Mac and Cheese!

I ordered some stuff from American Eagle earlier this week because they were having a sale for an additional 40% off clearance all clearance (this is still going on in stores, so check it out! some good finds!) I got 3 pairs of jeans, 3 t-shirts, and some underwear for, get this...$69.33! Everything retailed for well over $200 bucks! I thought it was a pretty good deal! Although a lot of it didn't fit and I had to return it today, here's what I ended up keeping:

Cute striped crop top (with pocket!) and dark blue Artist jeans

This shirt I ordered in another color, too, but I liked this one a lot better! So bright and cheerful!

Then I went to the mall to return all that didn't work out and naturally did some more shopping while I was there...

Got this skirt and lace cami for $10 total from Charlotte Russe! It was too cute to say no haha! Also found another cami that was a v-neck on one side and scoop on the other so you could wear it both ways. Good for layering! And it was $3.99 and bright pink, so that was a no-brainer.

And when you sign up for the Vera Bradley mailing list (you might have to do this at a Vera Bradley store, I'm not sure) they send you a birthday card with a coupon for $20 off a $20 purchase, and since I have been away from a store for so long, I finally got a chance to redeem it!

So, I found this cute little cosmetic bag to use as a pencil case that should also be big enough to fit my calculator, ID, and more! And I love this pattern!! After the coupon it was only $6, what a steal! I am quite pleased with all my purchases today!

And real quick before I go, my sister and I made awesome homemade mac&cheese! Sometimes I mess it up and don't put enough cheese in or too much butter or something, but this time it really turned out good!

All you do is cook a box of pasta, strain it, then in the pot combine about 1/4 cup of milk (really just enough to keep it creamy, I just make sure it covers the bottom of the pot) with a tablespoon of butter and 8-10 slices of American cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. This macaroni is so creamy delicious! Way better than Kraft! And easy peasy! Try it!!

Lots of love,
- Jamie

Have a happy day!

In case you had any doubts today is going to rock: check this out!

And remember, it takes more muscles to frown than to smile!

Celebrate today!

Lots of smiles
- Jamie