This Time Last Year

In honor of my alma mater kicking off college football in just three short days, I decided to compile some of my favorite pics from last season! 

Started the season off right with my closest friends!  We stormed the doors and were proudly the first ones in the student section after a long anticipated stadium reno.

Had a blast and a half tailgating, a rare occasion for Abbey, Nicole, and I as we would get to the stadium at least an hour and a half in advance to ensure we had front row spots.

Snagging those front row seats pays off when you get cool football hats.  Bringing the definition of football head to a whole new level.

One of the many great reasons I was happy we joined the big 12 was being able to travel to more games!  Had a blast with these girls traveling to the KU game.

Lastly, the last four years of football wouldn't have been the same without these two goofs.  Thanks to having a red head best friend, we were guaranteed to get on the jumbo screen every time!

Hillsong Lovin'

One important thing that I had to do once I got settled in the Big Apple was to start getting plugged into my new city.  It has been tough to learn to be intentional about making friends, finding fellowship, and establishing my place in this  hustle and bustle town.  Who ever thought you could get so lost in a city of millions?

The biggest blessing since my move has been getting involved with Hillsong NYC.  Let me tell you, my church is awesome.  I had heard of Hillsong first through their music when I was younger, and now I get to jam to them a couple times a week.

Check out some of my favorite tunes, and if you ever find yourself in New York, you should definitiely make it a point to stop by!  Get ready though, to get a seat you have to come an hour early and yes-- wait in line for church!

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Hats Off

One of my favorite pieces this summer is this hat that I bought back in March to sport on my spring break cruise.  Not only has it been a go to item when I want to feel a little hip, but I can't help but think about some of my favorite celeb crushes who have brought back this classic item with a hip twist.

But it hasn't been just the guys rocking these cute accessories, leading ladies have also been spotted wearing this boyfriend look with ease.

I am so excited to transition this piece to fall as the weather starts to get a bit cooler here in NYC!

This hat is still available at J Crew, so do yourself a favor and pick it up for fall!

Sweet Home Kappa Gamma

Theme for the weekend was definitely... Kappa's It!

Before I get started recapping this great family filled weekend, let me give you a little glimpse of how I got there..

Heres a pic that I not so sneakily snapped of the best travel partner ever! Not. I have never seen a perosn consume so much alcohol on such a short plane ride.  Long story short, this guy was a champ until he passed out in my lap. Shaking, poking, and mildly yelling wouldn't wake this man up.  Hope he didn't miss his connecting flight!

It was like love at first sight seeing this red sign again! NY why don't you have Chik-Fil-A? So unamerican.  I thought this would be a perfect meal to grab on my way back to the city on Sunday. Yes, I have been counting down the days to get my chicken fix and I plan my visit for Sunday, the one day I-know-in-the-back-of-my-mind-but-never-remember-until-I-want-it that Chik-Fil-A is closed.  I might be forced to sneak into the NYU cafeteria soon..

Was excited to sport my new city walkin' shoes on my travels!

This weekend was one for the books.  I have been planning for some time now to surprise my sister at her bid day at the University of Alabama.  Check out some fun pics from my weekend!

Just a little glimpse at the 1,500+ PNMs going to get their bid cards!

And here they come...

Running..

All the way home to KKG!

Fun fact-- only family was allowed to sneak in the house for lunch and a tour.  When questioned by the security guard, who do we say Joel is? Our brother naturally.  Did it work?  Barely!

If any of you TCU people are checking out this post, please just swoon over these snap shots of the KKG house.  Sorry y'all, the Zouse has been downgraded to the Zorm.  Not in my heart though!

So much fun spending a quick 48 hours with the ones I love most!

Check out Maddie and her 118 pledge sisters!

Don' worry, my mom throws what she knows!

I was a converted Kappa for the day!

 But I couldn't help but sneak by the true Zouse to check out the Bid Day after math!  ZLAM!

Quick trips like this totally magnify how I took my sweet fam for granted when I only lived a short 30 minutes away.  Now to get to them I have to take a train, plane and automobile! Good thing a weekend cures my homesick blues!

Until next time Bama! Next stop, Family Weekend 2013...

Happy Heart

Check out a few things that are filling my heart up lately:

Couldn't be any happier that one of my closest friends is now my city livin' partner!

Taking this advice to make sure I'm loving in the moment, good for a future thinker like myself. 

Getting back at it by putting ink to paper! 

Found a new fave on the High Line, People's Pops!

Valuing sister bonding more than ever now that we are spread across the U.S. full post on this sweet weekend coming soon!

What's filling up your heart lately?! 

Happy Heart

Check out a couple things that are filling up my heart lately.

Looking forward to more high line time in a few weeks with my favorite city sight seeing partner!

Popped into yet another pup shop and found these two all cuddled up.

A coworker made these yummy lemon bars earlier this week.

My new obsession to dip all sorts of veggies in.

Told you guys the 'K' wasn't going to last long-- it found a new home and has been replaced by my latest creation.

Hey, Hey Hair

Lately I have been taking advantage of my go to hair style-- the top knot.  Some love the look and some loathe it, but I think it's an easy way to look put together while sporting day two (eh, maybe day three) hair.

Check out some of my favorite takes on this versatile look--

If you haven't attempted or have yet to master your version of the top knot, here are a few helpful tips and tutorials.

Blogging for Dummies

I have wanted to start a blog for quite some time now.  I started following blogs about a year and a half ago and have been obsessed since, racking up nearly 20 blogs that I follow daily!  Now that I have finally taken the first step and actually created this little space, I was feeling really inadequate that my blog didn't look as aesthetically pleasing as some of the more 'established' blogs that I follow.  But, alas, I am not a full time blogger, so I can't put 100% of my time, energy, or money into making this space shine like I would want. Instead, it's a little bit more about the elbow grease.  Instead of hiring a professional site designer, I figured a little googling should do the trick... It did!  Since creation, I have spruced up my portion of the blogosphere and have done a little DIY blog enhancing.  Check out where I found some great tutorials:

*note, some of these may be geared toward Blogger as opposed to Word Press or other blogging platforms*

 I feel so official giving my readers (whoever you may be) a way to connect with me-- especially through bloglovin, who wants to be my first follower? Here's where I found some great tips.  

I used the same concept and coding as I did for my social media buttons, to make the graphic above link back to my home page.  Readers can click it and jump back to my main page with my most recent post.

I made my own custom tabs (aka screen shots of a word document, shh don't tell!) and used this coding to make them work for my blog.

Here's how I added the Instagram slideshow on the side of my blog.

Finally, for an extra little touch, I made my pictures 'pinable' so that readers (again, whoever you are) can Pin easily!

There is so much more that I want to do with my space on the world wide web, but for now I am more than happy with what I have created.  To all you aspiring bloggers, take it from a newbie-- you just have to start!  I hope that this gives you the extra little push to put yourself out there, and to look good while doing it!

Come On In

I am so excited to be able to share with you a very special place created by a very special person!  Nicole Alfonso, one of my nearest and dearest friends, just recently moved into her very first apartment.  Check out her adorable space and learn a little bit more about this great gal.  

"My roommate and I recently just moved to a new apartment that we will be living in while attending grad school in Fort Worth! My room got a little bit of an update when I added the new vanity/desk. The living areas are furnished with a combination of both of our items that came together quite nicely. This is the first time I will be living off campus, cooking my own food, and paying bills. Let's just say I have a lot to learn about all of those things!"

"Lately I have been drawn to all things metallic gold and white, as you can probably tell. I love mixing glass and modern pieces with soft, more feminine items. I usually don't mix a lot of different colors, but will often use the same shade of the main colors as accent pieces. I love for my areas to look clean, sleek, and open!"

 

"I follow a lot of different bloggers, design companies, and stores to get inspiration on about different trends, but I like to mix different elements from each to make my own style! My mom knows a lot about design, and tends to always be redoing our house, which inspires me as well."

"I do not discriminate when shopping, whether it comes to home furnishings or clothing, so my stuff comes from a bunch of different places! Home Goods, IKEA, McKinney's Third Monday Trade Days, Anthropologie, and Target pretty much cover the items currently in my room. A lot of stuff in my room is a result of my crazy DIY problem, so Hobby Lobby and Michael's should be included on that list as well."

 "My headboard is definitely my favorite DIY I've done in my room. I was looking for one about a year ago, but couldn't find one that would go with the rest of the items I already had. I figured the only way I could get something in my price range that would coordinate was to do it myself. It was simple to make, and I still use it today! I also redid all the furniture that I purchased at Trade Days, as well as the desk/vanity that I purchased from IKEA!"

Thanks so much Nicole for letting me share your space!  Lucky that I have such talented friends with an eye for design that I get to share with the blogoshpere.