Head to Toe Remix: Dresses

I'm so sad to say that we've reached the end of the Head to Toe Remix series, my weekly remix post with Priya of Perfectly Priya. So far we've styled accessories, outwear, tops, bottoms, and shoes. We've saved the best for last, though, and we're ending on a high note with dresses. 

You'd think that styling a black dress would be easy or perhaps even a cop out. You'd be wrong. I actually tried hard to tackle one of my more difficult dresses that I haven't worn in ages, but I ended up struggling so much with the ones I was considering that I decided to get rid of them. I guess in that sense, this series has truly completed its purpose of helping us make the most of our closets.

But back to this seemingly basic dress that I'm wearing here. Like most pieces from TJ Maxx, it's just slightly...off. The neckline is a little off center and can sometimes be a little too revealing if I don't watch how I'm moving, and the handkerchief hem has never been my favorite. I've actually worn it as a top more than anything (as you'll see below), but I really don't wear it as a dress often. As obvious as a choice as it seems, I'm actually really glad that I used it for this since I truly was considering get rid of it and this post changed my mind. I honestly threw this together quickly before leaving for a friend's house because I spent too long struggling to style of on my other dresses, and I couldn't be happier with how this turned out. I'm starting to think that headbands are really the key to making anything work.

Green Plaid Button Down + White Dress

I'm finally moving into a new apartment on Thursday, and I can't even begin to describe how happy I am to get to say that. Actually, I can. This will be my fourth time moving in the past year and a half or so, and it will be the first time since then that I'll feel completely comfortable where I'm living. When I graduated college, I moved back home with my parents, as most do. In February of last year, my parents sold that house and moved to the house on the lake an hour away from Orange County that you see in so many of my photos. Still struggling to find a full-time job after my internship had ended, my brother and sister-in-law kindly took me in temporarily, and I moved into my brother's office, which they had converted into a bedroom with a pull-out couch for me. Right as I was moving in, I was lucky enough to get hired for a full-time job, and I started planning to get an apartment. Three months later, none of my friends were looking for roommates (and frankly, I wasn't sure about the prospect of ruining a friendship by living with a close friend), so I searched online when I had saved up a bit. I found two roommates through Reddit, and we moved into a fairly nice three bedroom. Finally, I thought, a place of my own.

If you've followed my blog or my Instagram posts, you know how that turned out. One of the girls turned out to have a husband who had recently gotten out of prison and made a scene whenever he showed up; the other was a slob and a total hoarder with a dog who wasn't house trained (by that I mean, he peed on my bed and she never offered to help clean it). As luck would have it, they both hated each other after not long. The cops were at my apartment more than once, and I did everything I could to mind my own business and be home as little as possible. After I came home one night to find that the cops had been called and one of them had kicked a hole in the other's door, I searched for a way to get out. With what little money I had, I found a room to rent with a very nice family and the intention of staying for a short time. They've been wonderful, but it's not my home and their dogs bark loudly every time I enter the house, making it difficult to be in the kitchen without drawing too much attention to myself. 

Nine months of saving money later, I'm finally finding a real home. No living with scary roommates, being in someone else's way, feeling like a burden, or finding ways to avoid being at home. This time, I get to live with my best friend who I'm in love with and in a place that's just ours. It's impossible to talk about it without getting ridiculously cheesy or sentimental, but as you can tell, things have been a whirlwind for me since the start of 2015. The idea of settling into a place with my favorite person and getting to put my own things in the kitchen and living room is impossibly dreamy to me. We found cute one bedroom in a safe area, that's fairly central to Orange County and the perfect distance from our friends and work. Am I avoiding packing to write this? Yeah, of course I am. Is it worth it to get to gush about my excitement? Absolutely it is.

Head to Toe Remix: Bottoms

For this week's Head to Toe Remix, my weekly remix challenge with Priya of Perfectly Priya, we're on to bottoms. I have to be honest; I'm bending the rules slightly. I'm not actually considering getting rid of this skirt, which is the whole point of these posts. However, it's a skirt that I've worn to death, and I'm starting to get bored of it. I'm sure you can all relate. Sometimes you find a piece that you love so much that you can't help but wear all of the time. After a while, though, you get tired of pairing it with everything in your closet and you consider moving on. That's where I am with this skirt. I picked it up from a thrift store a few years back, but it's originally from Forever 21, and every time I wear it, I fear that it looks cheap. Perhaps it does, but this remix was a good way to pair it with basics and remember why it's a necessity in my closet. 

I did make the mistake of taking these photos when it was far too bright outside and in a hurry, so I'm not proud of them. Rather than dwell too long on my offerings, let's focus on Priya and how incredible she looks week after week. These pants are seriously made for her, and I'm incredibly envious of how she pulls them off. Be sure to check out her blog for the rest of her post!

Striped Tank + Pleated Skirt

This is going to be a quick post today as I didn't give myself enough time to write this as usual. Don't get me wrong, I'm not crazy busy or anything. I've just gotten addicted to Chopped and haven't made time for anything else. It's all very healthy, I swear.

This is skirt has become my go-to Sunday skirt. I wear it fairly often, but for some reason, I tend to gravitate toward it on Sundays especially. Something about it feels perfect for going to get breakfast and then relaxing the rest of the day. It's a good brunch skirt, and we all know the value of good brunch skirts. This top is actually a dress that I had intended on wearing as is, but as I was heading out to my dad's restaurant, I realized that I needed to come to terms with how short it is. So in a hurry, rather than find a completely new outfit, I grabbed this skirt and put it over the dress. I'm really the best problem solver.

White Dress + Thrifted Cardigan

I don't mean to toot my own horn here, but this outfit is positively dreamy. Although I made myself a promise to end my habit of stopping into TJ Maxx and picking up items that only last a month, I'm constantly reminded of how wonderful this dress is. I bought it almost a year and a half ago (when I needed a last minute outfit for a FAB Counsel event during my internship), and it has ended up being one of my most reliable pieces. It's really not helping with my goal of shopping more consciously. 

I wore it with this cardigan that I got while thrifting with Erica of Sweets and Hearts in Burbank a few months ago, and it's the best. The store I found it in has items donated from film and TV studios, and while no one famous wore this one, I still like to think that it brushed the arm of someone important. Paired with these heels and a heart ring, I decided that this would be my best attempt at a Valentine's Day outfit. I've never put much thought into the holiday, but since I'm in happy relationship, I figure I might as well embrace it for once. And by that, I mean, that I'm embracing the excuse to eat a lot of chocolate. Not that I need an excuse. If you think about it, every month gives you as least one excuse to eat junk food. November and December? Come on. March? You have to eat heavy food to absorb all of that alcohol on St. Patrick's Day. Flag Day? There's no other way to celebrate. President's Day? You can't honor them with salads. August? Please. We must mourn the end of summer by consoling ourselves with fatty foods. Trust me, you can find an excuse to eat candy at time if you try hard enough.

Lavender Turtleneck Dress

This weekend could not have been more perfect if it tried. I got to spend time with most of my closest friends, including my friend Kyle who is in town visiting a few month stint in Texas for the Air Force. I also tried a new coffee shop, ate a lot of junk food, spent time with Jon, played board games, and saw my family. The best weekends are the ones that feel like they lasted forever, but still feel gone too soon once Monday comes around.

One of the my favorite things that I did was do a photo shoot with my best friend, Whitney, at a nearby park. Whit is finally starting her own blog on nerd culture, so we took some adorable photos of her in her best geek attire. I'm still a novice at photography, but I love getting to practice and be behind the camera occasionally. I do think the pictures turned out great, but that could just be my ego talking. We also carved out a little bit of time for my own outfit pictures, and I made sure that we ventured into the deepest part of the park to do so. It's a giant park with a lovely lake, but I loved how this lavender turtleneck dress looked against the mess of tall trees and overgrown plants. 

Still Lazy

Good news, friends! My laptop is finally working again, which means that editing photos is much easier. The bad news is that I'm still short on time to actually take pictures and I'm still lazy. My laziness is also evident in this outfit, which features the third trapeze/T-shirt dress I've bought in the past couple of months. I'm still mostly in fit and flare cuts, but since I only have time to take pictures on the weekend, you've been getting to see my Sunday uniforms of just throwing something on before getting breakfast. Looking cute is great, but getting to breakfast in time is much more important. You understand.

This past weekend in particular was nice and relaxing. I pick up articles for a local paper that runs every other month, and I just finished this issue's last Friday and was finally able to relax. My friends and I went to a nearby Oktoberfest on Friday night, and we had a Back to the Future marathon on Saturday. Since we all have to work on Wednesday (October 21, 2015, better known as the day Marty and Doc go into the future), we did our marathon early. We only ended up getting through the first two since it got late, but it was still great. Watching Part II in 2015 is fun, but it's not like I really need an excuse to watch it. I also don't need an excuse to force my friends to watch it, but it helped.

New-ish

I am so excited about sharing this outfit. It's slightly different from what I would normally wear, yet it combines three of my favorite pieces currently in my closet. For starters, there's this gorgeous statement necklace that Happiness Boutique sent me. Happiness Boutique is a jewelry company based out of Germany, and I couldn't help but drool over the selection when they contacted me about reviewing a piece. I had about 20 tabs open of different statement necklaces I couldn't choose between, but I ultimately decided on this turquoise and pink one. I love that it's a unique, attention-grabbing piece, but it's still slightly more subtle than most statement necklaces. I can already tell that I'll be wearing this one on heavy rotation. The company has been so nice to work with, and I definitely recommend the site. Plus, they have a pretty sweet rewards program, which is always a selling point.

I picked up this dress over the weekend after considering trying a tank or T-shirt trapeze dress recently. I tried on a couple at Target, but didn't love any, and I hit the jackpot with this clearance $10 dress at TJ Maxx later. It's a completely different shape for me, and I feel a little naked without my standard fit and flare silhouette, but it's insanely comfortable and a good piece to dress up or down. I already know that it will come in handy as plan attire for when I fly to Portland in two weeks. 

That brings us to these shoes. Ah, these shoes. These were the other Hello Holiday item I purchased, and in all honesty, I went back and forth on them a lot before proceeding with checkout. The're so unlike anything else I usually gravitate forward, but they are just so...cool. I couldn't resist trying them, and I've already worn them multiple times since I got them a week or two ago. As I'm sure you know from reading my blog, I stick to flats almost exclusively, but these shoes are making me think I need more chunky heels. Between the dress and these shoes, it's what I like to call me "new-ish" look: going with slightly different shapes, but the same general aesthetic. 

Tread Lightly

I couldn't tell you the last time I wore earrings if I tried. I got my ears pierced as a baby, and I was obsessed with collecting earrings as a pre-teen. Now? Not so much. I always find myself with rings or necklaces galore, so the idea of earrings always seems like too much. Then I discovered Nerdy But Still Girly, a little shop with the best earrings I've ever seen. I was lucky enough to receive a credit to the shop, but choosing a pair was quite possibly one of the most difficult things I've had to do. After debating between a pair of Jon Snow earrings and a pair of baby Groot ones for far too long, I finally decided that there was no contest. When Heisenberg is an option, you always choose Breaking Bad. Like there was ever another choice. 

I wore the earrings with an outfit I wore over the weekend for strolling around my local downtown area and babysitting. This J. Crew Factory collared top is by far one of my most worn items, and it's easy to see why. It goes with practically everything. I hadn't thought to layer it under a dress until now, and I'm loving how it looks. Then again, I love how it looks with everything.

Collection of White Dreses

If you're wondering how many white dresses I own, I want you to know that you don't want the answer. It's too many. It's more than most people feel the need to own, which is probably one at most. I have no idea why I'm always drawn to them, and I certainly tell myself that I don't need another one whenever I get a new one, but there's no going back now. It's a collection, or at least that's what I tell myself to justify the amount of money I've spent altogether. This one, though, is probably my favorite. I picked it up at TJ Maxx in the fall, and it's everything I want out of a dress. It's extremely versatile, has an A-line skirt, it's comfortable, and it has pockets. It's perfect in every way, especially with a red statement necklace and thrifted wedges. 

So far this week has been exhausting since I picked up an extra shift at the restaurant, am working on some side projects/freelance gigs, and finally starting to pack before the move. And by that, I mean that I'm staring at the boxes in my room and pretending like I'm filling them. It'll get done one of these days. Of course, everything gets put on hold on Tuesday nights, since my weekly Parks and Rec night with my friends always takes priority. Yesterday's theme dinner was "all the bacon and eggs we had." We technically already a night honoring Ron Swanson (steak and potatoes) and were planning on doing salads for Chris and Ann, but when we had the idea to do a breakfast night, we couldn't resist. It was delicious and the episodes were near perfect, as this entire season has been. It makes me want to cry every time. 

The Thanks I Get

In all honesty, I'm in denial that today is December 1st. With finishing school, working a part-time job while I look for something more stable, and being back in California during the fall for the first time since 2009, I've kind of just felt like I've been on eternal summer break subconsciously. It's definitely strange not being in school for the first time, well, ever, and I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the concept that I didn't have a Thanksgiving break this year. Despite the adjustment, I'm so excited for the holiday season. I had a great (and busy) Thanksgiving week, which was filled with the usual family and friends as you might expect. I was especially happy that my brother, Lucas, ended up coming into town at the last minute. He goes to grad school in Arizona, and he didn't figure out that he'd be able to come home until a few days before Thanksgiving. He came home on Wednesday afternoon, and I dragged him to LA to see a stand-up show with my friends on Wednesday night. We saw The Meltdown, which is a weekly show at the Nerdmelt Showroom hosted by Kumail Nanjiani and Jonah Ray, two of my favorite comedians. The pair have a handful of comedians perform short sets for an intimate crowd every week, and it's said to be a favorite among comedians and was actually turned into a Comedy Central show over the summer. I've been wanting to go for a while, so when they gave away all tickets for free last week to celebrate Thanksgiving, I immediately snatched some up. We saw Maria Bamford, Anthony Jeselnick, Rhea Butcher, and a few others, and it was a ton of fun. We were a little disappointed since Paul Scheer was supposed to perform but ended up not being being able to make it, but it was a great show nonetheless.

Did I accidentally digress from talking about a holiday to ramble on about a comedy show? Typical. Really, though, my family had a really nice Thanksgiving. We ended up decorating the tree the next morning before Lucas had to drive back to Arizona, and we did a little bit of Black Friday shopping at Target. In case you're wondering, I definitely did not walk out of Target with only a couple of movies for myself and no Christmas shopping done. I repeat, I did not justify buying something for myself with the argument that it would be crazy to pass up $4 movies. I would never do that.

Working Girl

Last week, I had the pleasure of working a blogging event for my internship with FAB Counsel. As I've mentioned before, I've been interning with FAB Counsel — a digital marketing firm — since the beginning of summer, and we've been gearing up for this event pretty much the entire time. The event, or the FABDILab, was a day-long blogging conference aimed toward helping new and aspiring bloggers find their niche, monetize their blogs, and network with each other and brands in attendance. There were 10 different bloggers and blogging experts who led workshops/seminars, and the day ended with a networking reception. Since my internship mostly consists of doing social media, I've spent the past month or so heavily working on promoting the event, and I was excited for the day to finally arrive after working toward it for so long. Unsurprisingly, the event went extremely well, and I absolutely loved having the responsibility of being in charge of the volunteers, live Tweeting and Instagramming the event, taking photos, and being on hand for anything else needed. The best part was that since I was in charge of the social media, I actually got to sit in on all of the workshops, and hearing some big name bloggers like Sazan and Jackie (both of whom were much funnier than I could have ever imagined) speak. I came away from it with some great advice and some new connections in the blogging world. The event also marked the end of my internship hours, which means that I'm pretty much done being an intern and working for free (hopefully). We'll see what I'll be doing next, but I'm looking forward to speaking with my boss about continuing my work with FAB Counsel this week because I really love what I've been doing. If I could create a job for myself, it would involve writing, social media, and working with bloggers, so it's basically perfect.

As you might have guessed, this is what I wore to the event. I found this dress a little while ago, and I had been saving it for the occasion. We all know that I have a weakness for white dresses, and I think I might have found the perfect LWD in this one. I also felt like an event like this called for a J. Crew statement necklace and some Hasbeens. You understand.

Flock Together: Cat Call

I recently sent out my beloved cat dress to be borrowed by a few of the Flock Together girls, but I made sure to snap pictures in it one more time before it was out of my possession. I figured I would share the most recent way I styled it right before the other girls share their takes on it, and you can see more of how over on the Flock Together blog today. See you there!

Dress: H&M

Cardigan: TJ Maxx

Necklace: J. Crew Factory

Sandals: Vintage

Crop Crop

And with this outfit post, I am officially on board the crop top train. I have a couple that I've mostly layered over dresses so far, but I am just really digging the whole crop top + high-waisted bottoms trend at the moment. I love that such a risque item has been into something classy. Kudos, fashion world. This is a TJ Maxx one I got a while ago, but just hadn't busted out until now. It's difficult finding ones that are actually cropped since I'm so short, so I was happy to find one that didn't look like a normal length top on me. The struggle is real. I figured that if I was going to wear a crop top with relatively low sweetheart neckline out to a bar on Saturday night, I needed to at least make it more "me." It's not like I was going to actually going to be cool about it. What better way to say "come at me, boys" than with a cardigan and oxfords? Really though, I did wear this for a night of drinking (read: designating driving in my case) with a bunch of my friends for my pal Greg's 24th birthday on Saturday, and it ended up being a great time. It's always kind of weird seeing some people from high school who you haven't seen much in the past four years, but fortunately it was all really pleasant. I suspect most of this summer and my transition into back home will involve a lot of reconnecting with old acquaintances and friends for a short while.

Other than pretending like getting invited to parties is a normal thing that happens to me on a regular basis, my life has been all about work lately. I'm seriously loving my internship, and I'm also loving my bi-monthly meet-ups with my boss at this great coffee shop in Venice. I'm starting to do more social media for the company, so I highly suggest following FAB Counsel on Twitter and Instagram. If you're an L.A. blogger, keep a look out for a kickass event that will be going on in October. 

Let's Chat With: Salvage & Stone

There are a bunch of things that I love about this post, including, but not limited to: these gorgeous photos that Mary took, this lacy cardigan that she let me borrow (which I might also steal), the fact that this outfit cost me virtually no money (thanks to swaps, giveaways, and gift cards), and most importantly, this headband. When Nic from Salvage & Stone contacted me about styling one of her headbands, I'll admit that it was a little out of my comfort zone. I've always loved headbands like the ones she makes, but I've never thought I could pull them off. However, one of the reasons I love blogging so much is because it challenges me to try new things, so I was delighted at the opportunity to finally try one out. In case you couldn't tell yet, I'm in love with it now, and I'm thinking of adding more headbands to my wardrobe. 

I also spoke with Nic a little bit about Salvage & Stone, her Etsy shop filled with fantastic accessories made mostly out of recycled materials. I jump at the chance to support any Etsy shop, but I'm especially excited to share a shop that's committed to reducing waste. Plus, Nic is also a blogger based out of Los Angeles for the time being, and I love showcasing artisans from Southern California. Read on to learn more about Nic and Salvage & Stone, and make sure to check out her shop to get a headband or piece of jewelry of your own. Nic is offering my readers 15% off until May 12 using the code 15ROOM334 so you really have no excuse not to.

So, What's New?

I have so many exciting things to talk about today that I almost don't know where to start. I suppose it makes sense to begin with the most obvious. As I'm sure you've noticed by now, I have a brand new blog design, and I'm smitten with it to say the least. I loved the banner that my sister-in-law, Elyse, made for me and the layout that Joyce designed, but I had used them both for a while and they felt like they very much represented "college Elana" through blogging. They were both perfect for that part of my life, but as I gear up for the real world, I really wanted something that felt like "post-grad Elana." I couldn't afford most custom-made ones, so I brought it up to Jessica of Midwest Muse to see if she was interested in helping me. Jessica is one of my very best blogging friends (though let's be real, we're definitely friends beyond blogging at this point), and we email each other all the time. I've always loved her blog designs, and the clean, minimalist look her blog has is exactly what I had in mind. Because she's the best, she agreed and created this gorgeous layout in what felt like no time. It's perfect, and Jessica is seriously the nicest person for making it and installing it for me. I'm trying to convince her that she should turn this into a side business because she's so talented, so if you like what you see, head over to her blog and contact her. She's incredible. 

Speaking of incredible, I am still in awe over how great my friends are. Yesterday was a bittersweet day for me as it was my last official day as editor-in-chief of my university's newspaper before the new staff takes over for the next issue. I'll still check in on them next week, but it was still hard to leave yesterday. It's kind of difficult to put into words how much of an impact the Courier and the people in it have made on my life. Words escape me when trying to describe how fortunate I am to have gotten this experience and to have gotten to work with all of my best friends. I started working as a writer my freshman year, became entertainment editor a year later, and became editor-in-chief a year after that. I couldn't begin to count the amount of hours I've spent there, and it truly shaped my college experience. 

Knowing that, you can imagine how touched I was when my friends/co-workers planned just the simplest of surprises for me yesterday. Every work day, Mary and I have a routine of stepping out of the office for a little bit to take outfit pictures and then grab food to bring back. This time, she made up something about how we should take pictures after getting food, and when we came back to the office, everyone was standing outside waiting for us. I had mentioned recently that I wanted to make sure I got pictures with everyone before I left, so Mary had gotten all of them to dress up and had planned a photo shoot. We took a bunch of group shots, and then they all took individual pictures with me. So if you're friends with me on Facebook, I apologize for possibly blowing up your news feed with pictures of me yesterday. It was just ridiculously sweet and perfect way to spend my last day.

As Vest as I Can

Let's just talk about this vest, shall we? This is what I bought while in Quincy over the weekend, and it's one of those pieces that just looks like I should have already owned it. I've been wanting a utility vest like this for a while now, so when Old Navy was having 30 percent off, I couldn't resist. I kind of just want to pair it with everything. There's always something so appealing about a tougher piece paired with feminine clothing. Of course, this is nothing new for me, but I'll continue to talk about how much I love it for as long as I please. I also love the simplicity of this black dress with it. Weirdly enough, I've had multiple people look at my outfits and say, "Aren't you happy that it's finally dress weather?" To which I've replied, "It's always dress weather."

Other than the usual lack of sleep and preparing for graduation, nothing much is new. I'm starting to address grad announcements to send out, so there's that. I'm also starting to go through my room (and closet) and figure out what things to get rid of so there's less to ship. Basically, my life is incredibly exciting. One of these days, I promise I won't write a post late at night after work when I'm delirious, and I'll actually write something interesting and thought-provoking. One of these days.

Welcome Back

I know this doesn't happen very often, but I honestly don't have much to say today. There's really not anything exciting going on in my life to talk about (not like that's ever stopped me from rambling) at the moment. It's just been class, work, hanging out with friends, repeat. I'm still gearing up for graduation and the real world, but what else is new? I got my cap and gown the other day, and I'm still applying for jobs and not hearing back from anywhere. Same old. I'm convinced that one of these days, I'm just going to hear back from a bunch of employers at once who all want to hire me on the spot. It's going to happen.

I wore this last week for class and coffee with friends, and while I wasn't crazy about this outfit at the time, it's growing on me. I haven't worn this scalloped dress in forever, mostly because it was traveling to and from Flock Together girls for most of last year. I loved all of the ways that styled it, but I saw it pop up in the blogosphere so much there for a while, that I wanted to wait until I showed it off again. Last week was apparently the time to re-introduce it to the world. Welcome back, dress. It's about time.

Almost a Rainy Day

Don't you love those outfits that end up working much better than you planned? I wore this last week for what I thought was going to be a rainy day. I was just going to two classes and work, and I didn't think I'd be able to take pictures, so I didn't really put that much thought into the outfit. However, when it ended up clearing up by the time I got into work and Mary asked if I wanted to take photos, I realized that I liked it much more than I realized. Then again, with lace, pleats, and a gray cardigan (which I've been wearing to death lately), I shouldn't really be that surprised.

I got a little spoiled with a three-day weekend, and now it's a bit harder to think about waking up for class. My school gave us Friday off for "fall break" (I still don't understand why, but I'm not complaining), and I had a great weekend. It felt even longer since we don't put out the newspaper on days that there's no class, so I didn't even have work Thursday night. I actually ended up going to a bar Thursday night with some friends (most of my good friends work at the paper with me), which usually isn't my scene. I'm really not a bar person at all — I even had a lengthy discussion with one of my friends about being a coffee shop person as opposed to a bar person – but I ended up having a really good time. It helped that we went to the most laid-back one in town, as opposed to the other club-like college bars.

The Yellow Door

I hate that I keep talking about busy I am and how I barely have time to blog, as I'm sure that must be getting incredibly boring. Unfortunately, it's still true, but I think things are going to calm down this week. For now, though, here's what's been going on:

• I really like most of classes this semester, especially my fashion ones. I have a new professor who is actually focused on teaching us things that we haven't learned in our other classes and is building her classes around what we actually want to learn. I can't wait to see what we end up doing.
• The paper is going great, and I think my new editors are starting to get the hang of their positions. I'm just waiting for some juicy stuff to happen on campus since the news cycle has been pretty boring. Compared to last semester, however, when there was a fake hostage situation and a guy running for student government with an outstanding warrant for his arrest, it's really not hard to be bored.
• My parents are in town, which is part of the reason I'm still busy this three-day weekend. I'm not sure if I've mentioned before, but my brother also lives in town (and works at my school) with his wife and three kids. His third one (my new niece) was born just days before I got back into town, so my parents flew in to finally meet her. Really, though, that means this weekend is just full of an unhealthy amount of food as we try to take to them to our favorite places in town in a short amount of time. 
• I helped move T.J. to his new apartment last weekend and he just started grad school. He's an hour and half away now, but he's already back visiting this weekend. I might have told him he had to since my parents are here, but that's neither here nor there.
• Now that my friend Jenn has graduated and left me forever, I've been worried about not having anyone to take my blog photos for me. Fortunately, I worried for nothing. I have a couple friends in my fashion classes who have helped me, and my friend Mary has been a total lifesaver. She's our assistant photo editor at the paper, and she's already taken my pictures for me twice, including this set (which was taken in front of our office). She's amazing and I'm making her help me all the time from now on.