Meanwhile

1 // How was everyone's Christmas Eve/Day/Day-After Sales?! Tell me all about it - I want to know all that you ate, presents that you received, and deals that you scored... because I'm nosy like that.
2 // Two years after starting this little sucker, I finally started a Facebook page for the blog! I don't necessarily need another social media account to maintain, but there are features of Facebook that I think will be helpful in creating more original content. Speaking of, my New Year's resolution in the blog department is more consistency - in a MWF posting schedule, content, and social media presence. Similarly, I want to make it a goal to have original content on each social media outlet. For example, on Facebook, I have plans of featuring (non-sponsored) blog crushes and new discoveries on the regular. To follow along, likey likey! (Thank you!)

A little birdy told me that there may or may not be a giveaway sooner rather than later over there...
3 // My family went easy on the presents this year, but I still got way more than enough - my favorites include fuzzy wuzzy Uggs earmuffs from the sister (so everyone can rest easy knowing my ears won't be falling off), and a Canon 50mm f/1.4 camera lens from the parentals. My heart has been going pitter-pat all week long. Look at the magic it captured this week:

 { smooshed Georgetown Cupcakes that barely survived a long day of travel w/ my sister. still delicious! the frosting is on point.}

 { child champagne. aka apple cider. }

 { a very Merry Christmas dinner }

 { my mom's (edible) artwork }

 { did you know my BFF/roomsy and I are celebrities? }

 { she knows me so, so well ... an explanation of her presents to me:

a Hogwarts shirt because you like Harry Potter and we like Target.

printed thermal leggings because you are a blogger and need to be ahead of trends.

a book because we go to Stanford and like to read. jk, it's Mindy's book.

a BFF infinity necklace... it came in a package of three. you have one, I have one, and the car has one.

Essie. I hope you lyke. }

{ hotpot! }
4 // I am OFF TO EUROPE. Up first: London, Paris, and Rome and then Oxford for three months! I'll catch you across the pond! I am not too sure what the Internet situation will be like for the next week, but I'm hoping to keep the FB page as the main Europe source. So find me there! Instagram or Twitter are also safe bets.

5 // HAPPY NEW YEAR! Resolutions, anyone? 

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Merry Christmas (Eve)!

To those of you who celebrate it, I hope you have the Merriest of Christmases! And to those of you who don't, I hope you enjoy the peace, love, laughter, and joy regardless! Thank you so much for checking in, lovedoves. I'll see you next week.
{Pictures from my suite's gift unwrapping before we left for home. Pure joy. Pure. Joy.}

Oh - and there's also a tiny little big matter of importance:

Cassandra // Roommate // Best Friend // Boo(zy),
Happy 21st Birthday!
Words cannot describe how insanely grateful I am that the roommate-pairing algorithms somehow matched us up and placed us in Serra 217 freshman year. Having a best friend like you - one who eats my frosting and who walks home in the downpour with me and who drives to BiRite or Target or CREAM in the middle of the night, who goes on fries-runs at multiple fast food restaurants in one night, who naps with me, and has reverse ADD than me, who takes care of the menial tasks (I'm a pro at the tape, don't forget), who co-parents Katic  currently with me and who will also co-parent the ugliest, cutest little Corgi puppy Peeves someday -  it's indescribable.
 - you are the best to my friend. Always.
Now go make yourself legal. (#CCTakesLegality)
-

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The Most UnAthletic Person There Ever Was

--aka the wordiest post there ever was, but this one's more for my own archives than for anything else!--
That'd be me.
Hello!
Whoever said that a packed schedule breeds inspiration and productivity was one smart pickle. Because for the past week, I've remained more or less completely sedentary (except to reach over and play the next The Mindy Project episode); as a result, my brain has nothing of quality to share whatsoever. But I couldn't let 2013 sneak away without telling this one last story.
Care to play a game with me? It's an easy one. Simply pick the girl who doesn't belong:

Weirdo with the elf ears? Nope! {And I'm the only one allowed to say that because that weirdo is my best friend.}
Here's a hint. Bottom row. Fourth from the left. Fifth from the right. Red sweater, black blazer. Asian with a smirk. Ya can't miss her. Yep, it's me. And why is that?
All the other girls in this photo are NCAA, Division I athletes. They are some of the best softball players in our nation. Meaning... they dedicate about 95% of their days and lives to the field, they have about maybe 5% body fat, can lift really heavy weights like it ain't no thang, and can hit a ball into the next century. Me? I'm not that far off. Check out this swing:

Homerun, indeed. Even though I was named after a basketball team, I grew up with no sports gene in my body. I was the girl in middle and high school who got cut in the first round of tryouts for every sport you can think of. Oh, except I was on the track team for a hot second - but only because track teams are of a "come one, come all" kind of nature, and also I used practice to socialize with my friends and not really to, you know... run. The point is, I have zero hand-eye coordination. I can't catch or throw a ball to save my life. I don't know what speed is. (Is that a drug?)

Yearbook and orchestra were my extracurriculars of choice, and I loved both. But you can very well imagine my surprise when I walked into my freshman dorm room for the very first time and my new roommate offered "oh, and I'm on the softball team! So, in the spring, I might not be around a lot."

I watch a decent amount of football and basketball, but softball? The closest I ever got to this sport was when I Googled "how to play baseball" while writing an article for the school newspaper junior year of high school.

Long story short, after two years of attending a good amount of softball games, befriending the entire team, living with half the junior class, liking or re-tweeting every big play and homerun on every social media channel, and hearing softball stories day in and day out...

This past September, the coaches officially asked me to be the student manager for the team. I'm the first one they've had in 20 years/our entire softball program. I only went to the field 2-3 times a week, and only had one main job (filming). Yes, a groundball rolled at me and hit me when I was 200 feet away. Yes, our trainer gave me a 10 minute lesson on how to roll an extension cord. But for anyone who's ever seen me attempt anything athletically... I've come pretty far.

It's been such fun being a part of a sports team. The dedication and commitment, the hard work - holy wow, guys. It's impressive. I've gotten an inside peek at the camaraderie and the bond. I've seen firsthand the sweat and the tears, and the laughter too (dem coaches are hilar). So to you biddies on the team who pop in and check this gig out every now and then - thank you so much for being so welcoming and warm. Good luck on the start of the season and see ya in the Spring, lovebugs. I'll be re-tweeting every homerun from across the pond!

One of my favorite memories of all from somehow finagling my way onto a NCAA roster? Other than wearing team-issued Nike garb to the airport and getting "recognized"? I went to go watch the girls condition one day; it's this impossible circuit. I almost died just from watching. But as I watched their spirit dwindle a little and as their bodies weighed down from the intensity and as they looked so dejected and worn and exhausted and out of energy, they cheered and cheered and cheered for each other, gasping out words of encouragement. "Do it for the person next to you!"

And that's teamwork in a nutshell, isn't it?

the parka. the parka means you're in.

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Gift Guide: For College Girls (Or Any Girl, Really)

This gift guide is coming in awkwardly at the VERY last minute, but... what else is new around here? Think about it this way: a lot of these goodies can be printed onto a piece of paper and handed to the special girl on Christmas morning; but for the ones that can't be- save them for a birthday or a Finals Week care package! 
I know that college girls can seem like martians to some people... really just an entirely different species of our own. But hand us any of the following, and we'll love you forever. Trust me on this one. I also want to interrupt myself before I've even begun (shut up, Caroline), by saying that a lot of these would also make sweet gifts for any woman at all - not just of the collegiate variety!
FOR SOME SCHOOL SPIRIT

For the most part, students I meet are pretty prideful of their schools and want to flaunt their mascot/logo at any available opportunity (GO CARD GO CARD). Why not gift this sweet and unobtrusive Alex and Ani bracelet for your favorite collegiate lady? This would also make a lovely gift for a recent graduate, so that they can keep their college days forever close to their heart (as the bracelet will be on wrist, where you can feel your pulse, and ahh now you get it).

These jeans by OCJ Apparel are the perfect mix of stylish and football season-ready... and they attract gazes to the gluteus maximus area - a nice icebreaker for some nice fellows alums, eh?
FOR THOSE LATE NIGHTS

I'm not saying that this Keurig could potentially save your favorite college pal's life and GPA and bank account, but yes that's exactly what I'm saying.

But if you're on a tighter budget, a Starbucks card plus a couple of 5 Hour Energy drinks are a good alternative. You know how people sometimes hate gifting gift cards because they're impersonal? Well, that's crap when it comes to Starbucks. They are always always always always welcome. Catch my drift?

Inspiration hits us when we least expect it to. Say... late at night when we're grueling over an impossible problem set or trying to articulate a handful of words into an eloquent sentence. Help a sistah out and have a pretty notebook or a planner of some sort at the ready for when that moment strikes, so that her insightful thoughts are never lost! Also, this Etsy store has tons of cute journals and prints - I've had my eye on a Harry Potter themed notebook, but can't find it anymore. Maybe if you ask nicely?
FOR SOME STRESS RELIEF

Rumor has it that female millennials are huge advocates of expensive exercise classes such as Bar Method or Soul Cycle - some of my friends swear by these and say that they feel a million times better after a session. Get the university-bound muchacha a membership or even an introductory class! HEY FRIENDS AND FAMILY - I DON'T WANT THIS.

Now, if you're a bigwig, a hot stone massage would be very, very pleasant. But if you didn't just win that MegaMillions lottery, a gift card for a mani/pedi will do. Or maybe some Essie's. With a few tabloids and a terrible movie or two for her and her friends to skive off homework and watch.

A membership to Netflix or Hulu Plus will always be a hit (although I don't know why anyone wouldn't have this already). Depending on how much you are willing to spend, you can buy them a month's worth, three month's worth, or even a whole year's worth! 

For the ultimate stress relief, present them with a Drybar gift certificate. Because you haven't felt joy until you've had someone wash your hair and then blowdry it into celebrity hair status. Girlfriend will be well-deservedly PAMPERED.
FOR HER HOME AWAY FROM HOME

This tassel garland will prettify up every dorm room out there, even with ugly fluorescent lights and all. Or for something more sassy and less cutesy, how about one of these? A little does a lot in making a shoebox feel like a castle.

How about a cozy pajama set for those nights when only a box set of FRIENDS, macaroni and cheese, and her best pals will do? Although fair warning - if she's more of a chicken tenders kind of girl, you might want to get the navy version. The rattier the sweats the better, but classy pajamas? Let's keep them (visibly) grease-free.

My suite burns through a huge candle maybe once a week. We need them for ambiance, for a little bit of feel-good after a scary midterm or a long day. Nothing makes a school dormitory feel homier, nothing at all. Pick out a cheeky Kate Spade one, and she can use it as a makeup brush holder or pencil holder for years after all the wax is gone. (And I've taken a whiff at these before - they. are. heavenly.)
IF ALL ELSE FAILS... Stock up her bathroom with quality toilet paper. And I'm only half joking. I'll never take the good kind for granted again, after three years of being handed the thin, stiff, evil version.
And finally...

B O O Z E (and maybe some cute shot glasses too - you can't go wrong with any of the funny ones from Urban. Oooh and maybe a classy flask too).
Happy Gifting!

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Friends In Cool Places

If I do nothing else in this lifetime (knock on wood), I'll still be happy to know that I've made some outrageously cool friends. And because I'm an all-or-nothing kind of girl, the bad news for them is that they're pretty much stuck with me for the rest of our lives. #sorryboutit
I have one interning in the White House right now, although I'm stealing her away from the Obamas next month and making her gallivant around Europe with me for a quarter. I don't think they're too upset with me, because looky what I found in the mail!

Mini Bo & Sunny! Top that, Hallmark. Some pals are aiming for Hollywood, others for Wall Street, Silicon Valley, NFL/NBA/MLB/insertothersportsleagueshere, big name hospitals, graduate schools, law firms, Washington DC, so on and so forth. And I have no doubt a huge handful of them will make it.
But, do you want to know who's one of my favorite friends? (For unselfish reasons, naturally.)
Meet Mollie.

Because other than the fact that she's hilarious, spontaneous, and always a fun time - she's an aspiring photographer. Mollie is in photography school right now - and rocking it, might I add. Sometimes, she has final projects to complete. That's where my suitemates and I come in. We all needed a good release after a brutal week of Finals, and so when we heard that the theme for Mollie's project was "Capitol Couture" (aka Hunger Games), this is what basically ended up happening:

Erin: Caroline, you look like a quail.

I posted behind-the-scenes photos on my Instagram, and two of my other suitemates chimed in with:

Kylie: ...I'm not even gone one day.

Alya: ...I'm not even gone one HOUR.

What can I say? When everyone's away, the Hunger Games will be played.

If anyone wants photography work done in San Francisco/Bay Area, let me know! Mollie is always in need of good models, especially since her favorite one (me, duh), will be gone for three months.

Photography // Mollie Ballard

Props // Mollie Ballard

Makeup // Erin Ashby

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