Be Beautiful Springtime

Now that it is officially Spring I thought I would do a post on my first 5 do's and don'ts of Spring. Spring should a be a beautiful time. The weather is wonderful, the flowers are blooming, the sky is blue... and fashion should reflect this beauty.

1. Do wear ruffles. Ruffles are pretty and feminine and can really flatter the body if worn properly, however, they should not be worn head to toe.
2. Do wear springy colors (pastels or more vibrant aqua blues, a crisp white, or a coral pink). Don't get too crazy with the colors. You should wear one statement piece and find accessories and shoes to play it up. For example, you could wear a vibrant floral dress, a neutral cardigan, and a pair of shoes that may be the color of one of the colors in the dress. Just don't go too crazy with colors.
3. Do wear flattering tank tops and layer them with a light cardigan. A lot of people like to wear camis as a top on their own. I do not personally like this trend, but if you choose to do so, do not have your bra straps showing. If your bra and/or bra straps are ever showing you are wearing the wrong bra and or shirt.
4. Do check yourself in the mirror before you leave your house. If you bend over forward and you can see your boobs and/or stomach down your shirt then you either need to choose a different shirt or put something on underneath. I recommend a strapless bandeau bra to solve this problem. You can get them at target for between $10 and $15. If you don't know what a bandeau bra is Google it. NOTE: just because it is called a bandeau bra does not mean you should wear it as a bra. Some of us could, but just make sure you look appropriate. Also, if you turn around and touch your toes and you can see any lady parts and/or any part of your butt-cheeks you either need to change or put on something appropriate underneath. BE CLASSY LADIES!
5. Last but not least, do shave your legs. Don't walk around looking like a hairy beast. I know, for most of you this shouldn't need to be said, but looking around campus these days... let's just say I might start handing out shaving cream and razors.

Kudos to Lumberjacks

The alarm clock rings at precisely 4:02AM every morning and then off I go. I love working long hours outside. It sure beats sitting on my fat ass all day in front of the TV. The smell of the fresh cut trees and the grass keeps me motivated, “Ted, Ted it’s time to get up. We have work to do.” Ted doesn’t like to get up until 4:15 because he says that there is no sense in waking up before he has to. 4:15 is when we are supposed to meet outside for breakfast. I like breakfast. “TED!” “Alright, alright. I’m comin’.” We all met outside and ate our breakfast on the trunk of a tree we had chopped down the day before. Today is going to be a long day because our goal is to cut down 60 trees. I ALWAYS meet my goal, the catch is… it has to be done by sundown. “I HATE THIS JOB!” yells Ted at the top of his lungs on his way out of our lodging. I don’t know how anyone could hate this job, but Ted always has a bad attitude… so I ignore him. I love Ted, he’s like a brother, but he can be a real asshole sometimes. He’s got my back, and I’ve got his. We trust each other. That’s the way it’s got to be when you are cutting down trees that are hundreds of feet high. “Mark,” Ted yells to me, “remind me why I do this?” “For the women,” I respond. Now, while that may be his reason, it’s not mine, but I must admit, ladies love a man in plaid, and they don’t mind what’s  underneath either!

Roughness Criterion

So the other day my best friend and I were standing in my dorm room about to head out to dinner. I looked in the mirror and made a comment about how I was looking pretty rough. She replied with, "are you serious? Look at me. I'm in a sweatshirt." While, I got what she was saying, we ended up getting into a talk about "roughness." I would like to share this conversation with all of you. I had to explain to her while yes, she was looking a little rough she didn't look as rough as I did because all of her roughness matched. She was completely in the same category. Someone would still look at her and say, "she's cute" even though she is wearing a sweatshirt and her hair is in a ponytail. While me on the other hand, was dressed nicely, but my hair and my face looked rough, therefore, I was spanning two different categories. It is better to stay completely in the same category. If someone looked at what I was wearing and was impressed, as soon as they looked up, they wouldn't have been as impressed. While, in the clothes I was currently wearing I felt I looked rough, if I had changed into something more casual I would have felt better about myself because I would have felt as though everything matched. This may not make any sense to most of you, but maybe you can think of a situation where you were dressed up and didn't feel as pretty as you did when you threw on something more casual. NOTE: "casual" is not a code word for "ugly," "tacky," or "sloppy."

I call this the "Roughness Criterion"

A "Good" Speech

I know this may sound cliché, but when asked to reflect back on a "good" speech I have heard or read I immediately think of the Valedictorian's of my senior class' speech at graduation. I really enjoyed this speech. This may be because I really like him as a person, but I really think it was fitting for our senior class. Our valedictorian was not boastful, nor did he put himself on a level above others in the school. He very well could have doubled as the class clown. He used the speech to recognize, friends, teachers, and of course his family, but made sure to include memories that everyone in that graduating class could relate to. To me, relatability is everything.