Everything Is Uncharted

The Good Mad- Set The Lights Just How You Want To...

2012-03-07T05:30:00.000-08:00

If you watch "The Lying Game" on ABC Family, you may have heard of The Good Mad, if not you probably haven't. Now, I realize I easily could have alienated serious readers by mentioning an ABC Family show, but don't let that deter you from checking out Allie Gonino, Adam Brooks, and Andy Fischer-Price's music.

Allie plays Laurel Mercer on The Lying Game, and the writers have taken her musical talent to the screen incorporating her actual band mates in to the show. If asked, I'm sure they would say that the appearances on the show have been a huge stepping stone for them in the pursuit of their musical careers.

This trio is an extremely talented group. Allie plays the violin which I find incredibly awesome (mainly because I used to play the viola and I have tons of respect for people that play strings instruments) and mandolin. Between the two boys talents they've got guitar, ukulele, bass, and harmonica covered. And they all sing.

Their music has influences from folk, country, and a bit of indie rock (both boys were in an indie rock band prior to forming The Good Mad). They describe their music here as "part of the new folk generation... It's an earthy, folk-americana sound." I think that is a perfect assessment of their music although they claim it still needs work.

It's almost too easy to compare them to the Civil Wars; both bands have male and female vocals with folk guitar based sounds. But overall I think The Civil Wars have a much softer tone than The Good Mad. The stronger tone and voice of The Good Mad's music can easily be attributed to Allie's violin contributions, in my opinion.

The band currently has only four singles out on iTunes, but I've read that they are hoping to get an EP together soon. I know I am certainly looking forward to more new music from this band.

Check them out on Twitter, or YouTube. And enjoy my favorite of their four singles, Follow Your Heart, below.

I've Got An Interview!

2012-03-06T08:45:00.002-08:00

I received my first request to interview for one of the graduate programs I applied to yesterday! Aside from being completely shocked by their super quick turnaround with my application, I was immediately hit with a wave of nerves.

You would think that as an aspiring HR professional I would be comfortable with interview situations, but interviews always make me nervous. I've had many phone interviews, a skype interview, in person one-on-one interviews, and group interviews; none of them have been particularly comfortable situations. Some have gone well, others I've left wishing I had said or explained something differently.

To turn this post in to more than just a rant about my current grad school progress; here are my top five interview tips.

1. Appearance- Before a word leaves your mouth you will be judged by whether or not your presentation is appropriate. Stand tall, give a firm handshake (weak handshakes are an EXTREME pet peeve of mine), smile, and make eye contact. All of these things, along with appropriate attire, will allow you to exude confidence.

2. Do your homework- Research the company/school/organization you are interviewing with prior to your interview. Be as knowledgable as you possibly can about the position and the company in general.

3. Have an answer for the very simple "Tell us a bit about yourself"- You will inevitably be asked some variation of this vague question towards the beginning of your interview. Don't get stuck on something simple like this. Have an idea of the most important things about yourself that you can easily articulate with out rambling. Make sure you throw in a few details that they would not already know by reading your resume.

4. Use specific examples when answering questions- When asked about your strengths, don't just say "I have strong communication skills." Instead, have a short anecdote in mind to demonstrate your communication skills. In preparation for an interview, I always make lists of different experiences I've had and think through concrete examples which demonstrate skills I could bring to a company.

5. Ask good questions- Every interview will end with time for the interviewee to ask questions; have questions prepared before you enter the interview. Nothing is worse than an interviewee who passes on the opportunity to learn more. It can make you seem uninterested. However, there is also such a thing as a bad question in an interview. Steer clear of questions that you could have easily found the answer to on your own pre-interview. Personally, I like to ask the interviewer about their experiences with a company. I find that it helps to make a more personal connection with the interviewer, plus everyone loves to talk about themselves.

I hope you guys found these tips helpful! If you have any tips of your own leave them below in the comments. Also, if you have been through an interview for grad school (especially if it was for a business school) I would love to talk to you about the experience. Leave a comment, tweet me, or email me at acanfield04@gmail.com.

Quick Lil' Rewind

2012-03-05T05:30:00.000-08:00

The other day I was feeling randomly nostalgic...

I started thinking about junior high and high school and how much things have changed since then. Believe me, I am SO HAPPY that things have changed since then. But, later I wondered what old photos I could find from back then.

Since I would have to search for physical photos (as compared to digital) to find anything from 7th-8th grade, I thought I would share some of the oldest digital photos I have, from junior/senior year of high school.

Luckily, I guessed the old email address/password correctly and gained access to my photobucket account (which I used back in the day when I had a xanga...) and boy are there some GEMS in that account. I'll save the completely awful ones for another time... instead I thought I would share a few I actually like.

Bullard cheer. Not gonna lie, I really miss cheering. I also love this candid picture.

Prior to a random school dance. I think the theme was "B" Something. I was obviously a baseball player.

High School Graduation. Alex and I have known each other since third grade, and despite going to college in entirely different states, we are still best friends.

Happy to say I've grown up quite a bit since those days, but it is definitely fun to rediscover old pictures that you completely forgot existed.

Things To Come

2012-03-02T05:00:00.000-08:00

It's March! And there are so many things I am looking forward to this month!

The Hunger Games- Seriously, I can not wait for this movie. I have read through all three books twice, and there is a good chance I will read them again before the movie comes out. I've never loved a book as much as I have loved these books. If I had to choose only one book series to read over and over again for the rest of my life, I would choose The Hunger Games. Do you guys understand how much I love the books yet?

St Patrick's Day- Ideally I would find a way to spend St Patty's Day in Ohio with my best friend on her birthday, but considering I don't currently have a plane ticket, the chances of that happening are slim to none. Instead I may go to LA, I may just hang out in Fresno...Either way, I want green beer =)

The Lady Antebellum concert- One of my best friends and former roommate, Jo, will be coming up to Fresno to make use of the free tickets I won awhile back.

Candid pic of Jo and I at the TSwift concert in 2010

My trip to SF next weekend- San Francisco is one of my absolute favorite cities, and next weekend I will be heading up for a quick weekend of shopping, eating, and visiting with friends. AND I will get the chance to see Bethany's new apartment!

My favorite pic from when I was last in SF

The beginnings of springtime- I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we will be getting more and more sun, especially on weekends! Gotta start building my base for my summer tan!

Potentially starting to hear back from grad schools- I'm not sure I will hear anything this month, but the more time the goes by the closer I am to hearing a decision. I'm dying to KNOW, so I can decide where I am going and start planning my move!

Planning for the 2nd anniversary of my 21st birthday- Karissa and I have talked about doing a joint bday weekend in Vegas since we are both April birthdays, and as this month goes on we will have to start locking down details!

Vegas

Daylight savings time- I HATE when it gets dark before six. I want the time to change and the sun to be up late in to the evening!!

What are you looking forward to this month??

Call Me... Maybe?

2012-03-01T08:17:00.001-08:00

If you like JBiebs, Selena Gomez, or Disney stars in general you will like this song.

Call Me Maybe

P.S. One of my bloggie friends Joey was asking for feel good songs this morning, and one of her friends suggested Carly Rae Jepsen's super peppy hit so I can't take complete credit for this post. But she tweeted this song to her (making me remember it in the process) and then I listened to it at least five times on my way to work. No joke.
P.P.S. Happy birthday to Justin Bieber. He's 18 now, which means I feel slightly less creepy about loving his music and thinking he is adorable.

Music Wednesday- American Idol

2012-02-29T05:30:00.000-08:00

In place of my normal Music Wednesday post, I'm giving you my little American Idol recap. And since I am loving American Idol right now, I am linking up with Jaime for What I'm Loving Wednesday.

The guys performed on Idol last night, and five on the thirteen of them will get automatic spots in the top 13, so here are my predictions slash who I would like to see get those automatic spots.

Phillip Phillips- Oh my goodness, I love this boy. I didn't particularly care for his choice of song-Phil Collins- but I LOVE LOVE LOVE his voice (and him in general). He is my pick to win it all. Yes I'm am saying that this early on.

I'm in love.

Reed Grimm- I liked his jazzed out version of Moves Like Jagger, but I'm not sure America will. I also wonder how he will make himself more top 40 relevant if he continues on- cuz let's be real this is American Idol and you've still got to fit the norm in some ways if you want to make it big after the show. That said, his personality gets me every time; I think he is adorable. However, he was in the death spot so that might make it tougher for him to move on.
Colton Dixon- I have a thing for rocker guys. His David Cook-esque voice, his amazing piano skills, even his skunk mohawk thing. I'm a fan. Plus he sang a song from one of the Twilight soundtracks, if that doesn't get him votes from all the tween, teen, and early twenty-somethings I don't know what will.
Creighton Fraker- This is one I'm not sure if America will agree with me on, but thought his song choice-True Colors- was absolutely perfect for him. He may alienate some voters with his flamboyant antics, but I think it's fabulous that he is so comfortable in his own skin.
Joshua Ledet- He doesn't sing the kind of music that I generally like to listen to, but there is no denying that his performance was (vocally) amazing, so I ~~begrudgingly~~ give the fifth spot to him.

As for the wildcard spots... I would like to see Deandre Brackensick get a wildcard spot and maybe Aaron Marcellus, other than him I'm slightly indifferent. As adorable as I think little Eben is, and as hilarious as Heejun is, their performances were relatively disappointing as were most of the other performances, in my opinion.

So... What do you guys think? Are you watching Idol? Who are your favorites?

Just A Little Life Update

2012-02-28T09:33:00.002-08:00

I told myself I would link up with Megan for Sometimes/Always this week since I haven't in quite awhile, but last night as I was watching Gossip Girl/Hart of Dixie and flipping the The Bachelor/The Voice during comercials I just didn't have the energy to walk ALL the way down the hall to get my computer and write up a post. Now it's ~~late~~ 10:30pm and I just want to go to sleep... I'm a grandma, I know.

Instead, I'll give you ~~the excuses I have for not being such a good blogger as of late~~ a little life update.

{One}
I am finally (almost) finished with my grad school apps. Two of the four are in, number three will go in tonight, and number four is done but I'm waiting to receive my transcript from UCLA so I can scan and upload it to my app. Needless to say I could not be more excited to be done with them. I hope to be hearing decisions sometime in April! I will certainly let you all know when I make a decision, but in case you're intersted all of the schools I'm applying to are outside of my home state of California so wherever I go we certainly be a BIG change!

The four schools I am applying to.

{Two}
This weekend, instead of blogging (and when I wasn't finishing up the apps), I was ignoring my computer in favor of spending time in the sun. The weather in Fresno this weekend was beautiful. Sunny and seventies. Knowing that rain was predicted for this week I figured I should take advantage while I could.

{Three}
I am throwing myself back in to the gym. At the end of 2011 I had been on a roll with my workouts but GRE studying, grad school applying, and general life has gotten in the way for awhile. This week marks my "new leaf" (ha my UCLA friends might remember my last "new leaf" and how long that actually lasted) and I'm forcing myself to leave the excuses behind. I tried a new eliptical interval workout on Sunday that was awesome, and both Saturday and yesterday I hit up my fave class- Spin.

{Four}
I'm lazy.

What's new with you lovely people?!

Remembering UCLA Traditions

2012-02-24T05:00:00.001-08:00

I really enjoyed linking up with Miss Shannon Page last week for Fun Photo Fridays, so guess what- I'm doing it again! But seriously, these are some of my favorite posts to write. I like to share fun little snippets of my life with you guys, and what better way to do that then sharing the stories behind some of my favorite photos?!

This photo was taken just this past June, right after myself and some of my fellow ADPi seniors finished the last finals of our undergraduate career.

UCLA has a tradition in which you are "initiated" as a Bruin by touching the water in this fountain during your Freshman Orientation. Then, you must not touch the water again until you have completed your final classes at UCLA. Those who touch the water prior to completing their degree are said to add more quarters on to their time as a student.

The only other time I've ever touched the water- Freshman Orientation

Obviously, this is just a silly story. But it made this fountain special, and made going in to it as graduating seniors SO MUCH FUN! We went all out too. We got in our swimsuits, busted out the champagne and got all the way in the fountain; all of this happened while other students walked by heading to the finals they still had to take =)

Anyway, that's all from me for today. As for you, I think you should head over to Shannon's page and link up, I would love to see which photo's you all choose to jump back in to!

Have a fabulous weekend loves!

Countdowns, Clean Rooms, and Courtney (ugh!)

2012-02-23T05:00:00.000-08:00

Even though this is a short week (thank you President's day!), it has been a bit of a struggle for me as I work through a cold that I am trying to keep from becoming a full fledged sickness. Luckily, I think I am starting to feel better! *Knock on wood*

This Thursday, I've got the link up bug and I am going to be linking up with Neely and Amber for It's Ok.

Here we go!

It's Okay...

that by this time next week all my grad school apps should FINALLY be submitted! Let the torture of waiting for a decision begin...

to count down the days to Stagecoach 2012! Only 63 more days! I can't wait!

Stagecoach 2011

that I am not a particularly devout Catholic, but I plan to give some things up for Lent. Goodbye chips, ice cream, and snooze button!

to miss all my friends who live hours away from me, but even an eat and run dinner from one who is passing through town can make it a little better. Thanks for stopping to eat with me last week Jo!!

Jo and I before Diamondball 2011

that I cleaned my room for the first time in over a month (no joke, stuff from my new years eve trip was still on my floor) and I am determined to keep it clean ~~(at least for a week or so)~~!

<----Before

After---->

to wish there were more hours in a day!

that I am still watching The Bachelor even though Ben is an idiot and kicked off the two BEST girls in the last two weeks. Seriously... Courtney over Kacie B and Emily?! Whatever, those girls were too good for him anyway!

to get just a little bit too in to some of the TV shows I watch =)

What's okay with you this week?

FUN.

2012-02-22T05:00:00.000-08:00

This one is for my good friend Bethany.

Fun. is one of her favorite bands, and if it weren't for her I probably wouldn't have known about them (until Glee covered their amazing song "We Are Young" earlier this season). But as luck would have it, Bethany introduced me to them quite some time ago and I am extremely excited about their new album, "Some Nights" that was just released yesterday.

I listened to the album once through in its entirety and immediately fell in love with at least half of the songs on the album. The songs on this album seem bigger to me than their Aim and Ignite album. The opening song Some Nights- Intro reminded me of Feddy Mercury's Queen (and I was sort of proud of myself when this review said the same thing) and I found myself completely intrigued from that moment on.

My favorites are the title track Some Nights, Carry On, and Why Am I The One (and of course We Are Young- which is an absolutely amazing song that I think just about any 20-something can relate to). This review is far better than anything I could write, so if you don't want to take my word for it- go read that. It will definitely convince you to give Fun. a listen.

Tuesday Thoughts

2012-02-21T05:00:00.000-08:00

This photo is currently my background on my laptop.

We are the sum of all the people we ever met.

It is a thought that has been on my mind quite a bit lately.

Whether a person is in our lives for a minute, a month, a year, or longer... It is likely that they left some impression on you, changed you greatly or ever so slightly.

This is just a little reminder of that,

and motivation to make sure the impression I leave on others is a positive one.

Fun Photo Fridays!

2012-02-17T09:03:00.000-08:00

Hey All!

Today I am linking up with Page Twenty-Two for Fun Photo Fridays! Do you have a picture you wish you could jump back in to right now? Well that's exactly what we're gonna do! Go check out Shannon's blog and join in with this adorable link up!

Today I want to jump back in to these photos. This was two years ago when a couple of my best friends and I went to my first T-Swift concert. This night was so epic.

We splurged with four other girls and took a limo to the concert (we also took that limo to In-And-Out before the concert!). We arrived in style and headed up to the deck to take some pictures with LA Live in the background before heading inside to our seats.

Britt, Jo, and I (pictured above) had TERRIBLE seats. There were literally only two rows behind us, we were just about as far away from the stage as you could get. But, Natalie, Karissa and the two other girls had floor seats. They were nice enough to invite us down to watch "Love Story" and "White Horse" from their seats.

Now, comes the epic part of the story... We were in the elevator on our way back to our seats (we might have stopped by the merch table to get t-shirts before heading back up) and we were ranting and raving about how nice the other girls had been. A man and woman in the elevator with us asked "What was so nice?" We all sort of froze because we thought we might get in trouble, but I realized there was nothing they could do now so I said "Oh our friends have really good seats and they let us come see a couple songs from their seats since ours are so bad" the couple responded that that was in fact very nice of them. The elevator doors opened and we started to walk away when the man said "hey where are you guys going?" we responded that we were headed back to our seats. Then he said "Well I was going to give you guys passes to the pit... but if you don't want them..."

We literally screamed as he put the passes on our wrists! It turned out that he was Taylor's merchandise manager (good thing we bought those shirts right?!). We posed for a pic with him. Then literally ran through Staples center to our new seats in the pit and got to watch the rest of the concert from there. Hence that pic of Taylor in the center... no zoom.

It was an amazing night with amazing friends and of course the always amazing Taylor Swift. Certainly something I will never forget.

Have any of you guys had epically amazing concert experiences? I would love to hear about them!

VEGAS

2012-02-16T05:00:00.000-08:00

Do you guys remember that song? You know... "Patron, tequila. I'm drunk on margaritas and Patron, tequila...." Well we brought that song back this weekend in Vegas and although I did not drink any tequila this weekend, that song was certainly heard blasting on multiple occassions from the speakers in our hotel room.

I took a half day from work and began the drive through the middle of nowhere to Barstow, CA (where I was meeting the rest of my group) around 1pm Friday afternoon. Look up the route from Fresno to Vegas, you will literally see long stretches of highway- The 99, the 58, and the 15. Those highways... not very exciting. Farmland, then desert, then more desert.

The center pic was the crazy sunset while driving home. The others were on the way too Barstow. Typical desert.

Anyway, four hours later I was leaving my car in a ~~semi-sketchy~~ Holiday Inn parking lot in Barstow and jumping in the car with one of my closest friends, Karissa, and her two friends Tanya and Caitlyn (who I had never met before). A couple hours later and we were checking in to our awesome hotel room at The Encore.

Our hotel room (my favorite was the couch area) and the view, during both night and day.

Lots of texts to sketchy promoters were sent and it was decided that we would go to Tryst and XS since they are both in The Wynn (which is connected to Encore). I love that if you go to the "less cool" clubs you get free drinks. Apparently Tryst qualifies as a "less cool" club because we got to skip the line, grab some free drink tickets and were in super quick.

I'm not a club person but I actually thought Tryst was super fun. They played great music (it was actual music that I knew, not dubstep/house beats) and the dance floor was right in the middle with a huge, very picturesque waterfall behind it. We had a great night out at the clubs, and once we left we made friends with a couple of bartenders in our hotel for some more drinks. These two guys were hilarious, I wish we had gotten a picture with them.

Day Two began at 10am with varying degrees of hangover manifesting themselves in each person, but a delicious breakfast at XXX cured that right up. We headed off to walk the strip, take lots of pictures, and do some shopping. It was a BEAUTIFUL day in Vegas. 70 degrees and sunny with no wind, so perfect for walking the strip. We met up with Tanya's brother and hit up the buffet at the Bellagio for an early dinner. Multiple plates of delicious food later we headed back to our hotel to prepare for night number two.

Treasure Island. Typical ADPi Diamond Pic. Elvis Impersonators. Fat Tuesdays!

Night two held big plans to hit up a new club then head to Toby Keith's I Love This Bar (three of the four of us are huge country music fans). Unfortunately, we got slightly sidetracked because we decided to meet up with one of Karissa and Tanya's friends from their study abroad program. This guy was staying in an AMAZING tower suite in The Wynn. OH EMMM GEEEE this room was so cool. My favorite part was the mirror ceilings and personal bar in the living room.

Mirror ceiling pic.

Those guys had a table at Tryst, so we headed back there with them. Then ended up being there super late because Holly Madison was hosting and we had to see her! Sad to say we didn't make it to the Toby Keith bar... There is always next time!

Anyway, I must say this was probably my favorite Vegas trip to date. Although last years memorial day weekend trip is a VERY close second. We are already making plans to go back in April to celebrate the 2nd anniversary of Karissa and my 21st birthdays (aka our 23rd bdays).

This Is Not A Drive By

2012-02-15T05:00:00.000-08:00

For some reason ever since taking my trips these last two weekend I just have not been able to get back in to the swing of blogging everyday (probably because before that I was using the weekends to plan out my posts...). Anyway, because it is currently 10:30pm Tuesday night, this is going to be a quick and dirty music post. Hopefully tomorrow, I won't feel quite so lazy and I'll write up and awesome Vegas recap!

This week, I'm introducing y'all to one of my favorite new songs of the month... "Drive By" by Train.

I think we all liked Train back in the late 90s when "Meet Virginia" and "Drops Of Jupiter", then they tried to make themselves relevant again in the early 2000s with whatever CD had "Calling All Angels" on it. But they really popped back in to all of our lives in 2010 when they released Save Me San Francisco and EVERYBODY and their mother was loving "Hey Soul Sister".

Early last month they released their new single "Drive By". I heard it for the first time late last month on the radio and Shazmed it on my phone as I was driving home from work. I think its a cute song.

My only beef is with the lyric "just a shy guy looking for a two ply hefty bag to hold my love". Really? A two ply hefty bag.... Does two ply make anyone else automatically think of toilet paper?

Anyway, if you haven't heard the song, and you liked anything on the Save Me San Francisco album, you will probably enjoy this song too.

Also, since I've been doing (and tweeting) these music updates I've been followed by some random artists. Most are small, little known types... One is not.

That one... Matchbox Twenty.

As in Matchbox Twenty's official twitter... Must say I was super confused as to how they found me and why they are following me, but it's cool. I mean I REALLY liked the song "3am" back in the day.

If you wanna be cool like Matchbox Twenty and follow me on twitter, you can do that HERE.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T09:16:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day lovelies!

I apologize for my absence yesterday.

I promise I will be back at it tomorrow with my usual music choice of the week, and afterwards with a recap of my fab weekend in Vegas!

Until then, I hope you all enjoy your Valentine's day. Celebrate all the love in your life, whether that be from your man, your parents, your siblings, or your best friends.

In case you are interested THESE were my thoughts last year on Valentine's day.

Sending you all lots of love today and everyday!

XOXO

Friday Friday Gotta Get Down On Friday

2012-02-10T05:00:00.000-08:00

I am beyond excited that today is Friday. Today I am only working a half day and then I am jumping in my car and heading off to LAS VEGAS for the weekend! I can not wait!

In the mean time, I must get to packing (obvi it is Thursday night as I'm writing this...) so I will leave you with some of my recent favorites from Pinterest.

I love this quote and it is certainly something I am always telling myself.

This goes out to my girls. No matter what happens and where our lives take us, I know that I can count on them (and vice versa) forever.

This is just so me. So. So. Me.

So true. I can't wait to see The Vow!

I think I could do this.

Happy Friday loves! Have a WONDERFUL weekend!

LA In The Wintertime... 70+ and Sunny!

2012-02-09T05:00:00.000-08:00

I completely failed at taking pictures this past weekend in LA (hopefully I will do better this weekend in Vegas!) but I'll update y'all with the pics I do have.

After a long Friday of work, I took off for LA and arrived just in time to start getting ready to go out! Friday night, Karissa, Britt, and I went out to a bar called The Hudson in WeHo (West Hollywood). I had only been out in WeHo one other time- Halloween 2010. That experience was exactly what you would expect of West Hollywood- flamboyance EVERYWHERE.

Halloween 2010

This experience was much more normal. The Hudson was super packed with lots of beautiful people, and we had a great time. We even made some friends and went out to eat at Denny's after last call. Late night Denny's is always a good choice =)

The only photos I did take on my camera this weekend

Saturday, Britt, Karissa, Jamee, and I all met for lunch at Porto's in Burbank. Porto's is an awesome Cuban inspired bakery and cafe. I should have taken a picture of all the delicious treats (seriously it was overwhelming...)! Because I told the guy it was my first time there, he let me try their famous cheese roll. Sadly, I'm not a cheese person, but I tried it anyway (he was really excited about me trying it!) and it wasn't bad, not my style, but pretty good. I ordered the Cubano- a sandwhich with pork, ham, cheese, pickles, mustard and mayo, on Cuban bread. It was delicious!

The cubano- YUM!

I then took off for Westwood in order to meet up with my two former roommates at our sorority house (which we all affectionately refer to as the HOP or House of Pi). One of my former roomies- Katie- is the current president, the other-Jo- is getting her master's in Public Health from UCLA. The three of us headed west down Wilshire to Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade, my personal favorite place to shop in LA. It was a GORGEOUS day, warm enough for shorts and a zip up sweatshirt so we walked the street and stopped in on our favorite stores.

This is the HOP- where I lived for three years!

Saturday night we went to 800 Degrees, Westwood's new (SUPER popular) pizza restaurant. We waited about 45 minutes in line, but it was so worth it. This place is a create your own gourmet pizza place. You order, they make it in front of you and its done cooking by the time you pay. The pizza's are so delicious. I love that they decided to build this place in Westwood.

Delicious PIZZA

After a failed attempt at Diddy Reese (100+ USC people were in line, no joke it was like an entire dorm floor bused over), flirting with the cashier at Malibu yogurt to get discounts, and a stop by Redbox, we were back at the HOP and ready for a movie night. Unfortunately, we all passed out less than 20 minutes in to The Ides of March.

Sunday I went out to brunch with another former roommate (and fellow former ADPi pres). I had not seen Meredith in over a year! It was so nice to catch up and reminisce. It's funny how hanging out with an old friend can make you remember things you had completely forgotten about!

After brunch and coffee it was back to the HOP for the Super Bowl. Then sadly, it was back to Fresno.

Beautiful LA Weather- Windows down, music up!

I had an AMAZING time with all my friends this weekend! I am already trying to figure out when I will be able to make my next trip back.

Nothing Ever Happens If You Leave The Party Too Soon

2012-02-08T05:00:00.000-08:00

This week I was perusing Spotify and I came across multiple things that were worthy of sharing... And I couldn't choose just one.

First up, Rachel Platten. If you listen to top 40 radio you have probably heard her song "1000 Ships". It's a cute song, very peppy, girlish, and lovey; so I thought I would check out the rest of her album.

Rachel is a pop singer/songwriter with an occasional bit of folk influence. Like Sunday Lane, a couple weeks ago, Rachel's primary instrument is the piano, which I always find lovely. My favorite track is "Nothing Ever Happens".

This clip is kind of long, but it's got a live version of Nothing Ever Happens followed by a cover of Snoop Dogg's Gin and Juice. Believe me, it's worth the six minutes.

Second, First Aid Kit's "Emmylou". I haven't had enough time to really check out First Aid Kit's albums, nor do I know much about them at all... But I know I love this song. Although I must say I'm not a huge fan on the name First Aid Kit....

And last but not least, The Fray came out with a new album yesterday. I've loved The Fray since high school, way back in the "Over My Head" days. We even titled our Senior Class blood drive after one of their songs (How To Save A Life) haha. Only got to listen through the album once, and it was at work so I couldn't focus on it to really listen... But if it's anything like their other albums I'm sure I'll love it.

As always, I would love to hear what you are listening to lately =) Happy Wednesday!

Half The Reason To Watch The Big Game

2012-02-07T05:00:00.000-08:00

I had a fabulous time watching the Super Bowl at my sorority house with some of my favorite girls (and I was so glad that the Giants won)! Our afternoon was filled with lots of food, football, and fun.

Honestly, only in a sorority house could you be having a conversation about the latest issue of Cosmo, while watching football, pigging out on chips and homemade guacamole, and drinking a diet coke. That is exactly how our afternoon went down.

But we all know that we watch the game for more than just those boys in uniform... We also love the commercials! A lot of people are complaining that this was an off year for commercials... But I think there was still some good stuff out there.

This year, I enjoyed analyzing them with my future marketing guru/friend Katie, who looked at each commercial with a critical eye. It was really fun to hear her opinions, follow the tweets to see the publics responses, and of course get the reactions from everybody in the room.

Here are a couple of my favorites!

As far as funny commercials go, I think "Wego" the dog was my favorite. I died laughing when he rolled the entire keg in.

On the serious commercial side, I was a HUGE fan of the Chrysler "Imported From Detroit" ad with Eminem last year (it actually gave me the topic for my final paper in an Urban Planning class I took last year) and I think Chrysler had another great ad with this years "Its Halftime in America". Plus who doesn't love Clint Eastwood?!

Which commercials did you like best??

Minimal Monday

2012-02-06T05:00:00.000-08:00

And so another week begins...

As you know if you read my blog last week, I spent this weekend in LA with some of my best friends. I will show you more on that sometime this week. But since I knew it was going to be a very fast, very busy weekend I did not bring my computer... Meaning I don't have any posts lined up for this week (except for this one... which I'm actually writing Friday 2/3 at 9am... yes, I am at work right now...). Anyway, I'll get back at the blogging today after work.

Since I don't have a ton to tell y'all right now, I wanted to share some of my favorite posts from last week from some of my favorite bloggers!

Katie shared some lessons for leaders.

Kristin checked in and told us how she did with her January goals as well as what she is working on for Feb. This inspired me to make some goals of my own for February.

Ashley reminded us not to forget the golf balls.

Beth had a hilarious post about the pros of being single.

Ashley created a short story challenge that I am considering participating in, even thought I have never really written fiction!

And in case you missed it, I shared the story of my worst date ever!

Go check those out if you haven't seen them already! I'll be back tomorrow, potentially with a weekend recap/photo dump...

I Would Be Lost Without My Friends!

2012-02-03T05:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday lovelies!

Before I jump in to things I just want to thank everyone who has taken the time to stop by my blog, and especially to those who comment/follow etc. It means so much to me that anyone takes the time to read my silly little thoughts =)

And to those who wondered- the GRE went sooooo well! I was so pleased with my results. I actually did better than I expected to do! I am now one step closer to getting my grad apps in. This time next month, everything will be out of my hands and in the hands of the admissions folks!

I had so much fun linking up with Neely, Amber, and Casey's Valentine's Day Challenge on Tuesday and today's topic fit in perfectly with my planned post anyway that I decided to do it again! Today's topic is Love My Girlfriends.

Before you read this post put on the Britney, Spice Girls, Katy Perry, Ashlee Simpson... cheesy girly music that you can rock with your girls while acting like total dorks. That should set the tone. Got it? K. Moving forward.

Here is my disclaimer: I LOVE LOVE LOVE reading about wonderful boyfriends, dedicated husbands, and (especially) rambunctious babies and toddlers, however...

My google reader is bombarded daily with posts from awesome girls out there gushing about the equally awesome men in their lives, and it can get a little depressing for those of us who are unattached.

But when that depression sets in I remember that I have the most AMAZING friends a girl could ask for! My girlfriends are my constant source of support, encouragement, laughter, real-ness, inspiration, CRAZY, and love.

I wanted to show you guys some older pics of us being ridiculous. All of these pics (except the two big ones) are from our freshman year.

In college I joined a sorority and I found a huge group of sisters who have always got my back. I made some of my best friends, and found girls who I know will be in my wedding one day. My life would not be the same without these girls.

Nor would it be complete without my best friend. I've known this girl since third grade! We have been through so much together, and even though we went to college in different states, we are closer now than we've ever been!

Long story short I am incredibly blessed, and I love my friends more than anything (even though we don't get to see each other as much as we would like to now that most of us have graduated.

I also had WAY too much fun looking through all my old photos to find these gems.

Welp, I am off to LA for the weekend to visit some of these wonderful friends of mine! Happy weekend everyone!

Oh and if you're interested in my friends who also blog...

Bethany

Katie

Its Okay Thursday

2012-02-02T05:00:00.000-08:00

I planned to FINALLY hop on this band wagon and link up with Neely and Amber for "It's Ok" Thursdays. Here we go!

It's Okay...
...that I read lots of "It's Ok" posts first to get inspiration for mine.
... to be sooooo ready for this GRE to be over with! *I'm taking it TODAY*
... to pretend its spring/summer when its 65 and sunny out.

This past weekend- tanning in the 65 degree weather

... to just "like" things on Pinterest when they are not quite "repin" worthy.
... to be well aware that I am going to be spending too much money in the upcoming weekends.
... to be both nervous and excited about my plans to dye my hair! I've NEVER dyed/highlighted my hair before.

My ombre hair inspiration

... to be really sad that football season is officially coming to an end this weekend.

... to want baseball season to start up asap because I really don't care about the NBA.
... to be SUPER PUMPED about the next two weekends! This weekend LA, next weekend Vegas!!!

Fun fact- I used to work in that TCW building on the far left (in the back) in the LA photo

So how'd I do?? What's OK with you this week?

It's Fine By Me If You Never Leave But You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go

2012-02-01T05:00:00.000-08:00

It's Wednesday! Wednesday is quickly becoming my favorite day of the week because I get to share music with you guys! I really enjoy writing these posts and deciding which songs/artists I'm going to share so I hope you guys enjoy reading them =) I need to come up with a catchy title for these music-filled Wednesday posts... suggestions are certainly welcome!

Now I'm sure most of you have heard Andy Grammer's single "Keep Your Head Up". It's been all over radio. Its catchy, fun, upbeat, and sort of inspirational if you are not having the best day. I like the song but it did really pull me in initially.

Admittedly a friend told me months ago that I would like Andy Grammer but since I wasn't in love with "Keep Your Head Up" I didn't ever take the time to go check him out. Well I recently heard Andy's second single "Fine By Me" and I loooooovvvee it. So I finally took that friends advice and downloaded the rest of his album.

As a side note, what do you guys think of this little dude who lip sync's popular songs? I'm not gonna lie I think he is obnoxious, and I don't like that he has gotten so much fame from just being a funky looking dude, who poorly lip syncs other people's music. Okay, rant over.

Andy does pop music without being super generic. He even gets a little bit funky sometimes. I like watching him perform because you can see the way he feels the music.

Fine By Me is probably my favorite song on the album. However, I also like "Ladies" a song in which Andy sings about his mother's advice relating to how he should treat women, "Biggest Man In Los Angeles" in which he takes us back to his days as a street performer in Santa Monica Promenade (my favorite place to shop when I went to UCLA), and "Miss Me" a song about love lost and reminding that person that they are going to miss him when he is gone.

Andy gets me with his witty, heartfelt lyrics (if you haven't gathered, I'm a sucker for lyrics I can take and twist and relate to my own life). If you haven't heard any more than just "Keep Your Head Up" I strongly recommend that you go check out the rest of his album.

I planned to end this post here but just the other day I saw a video that made me so happy. My girl Miley is back! She participated in the special album made to celebrate 50 years of Amnesty International which features a ton of amazing artists covering just about every Bob Dylan song you can think of. The album is Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan and it is pretty dang awesome. It features artists like Adele, Kris Kristopherson, Darren Criss, Maroon 5, Elvis Costello, Jack's Mannequin, and the list goes on. Miley covers "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go" and I love it. Call this blasphemy but I like it better than Bob Dylan's original version.

I know Miley Cyrus is not most peoples favorite- but I've always loved her. Considering this girl used to sing "Best Of Both Worlds" as Hannah Montana just a few short year ago, I think she has grown up a lot. Her voice sounds so much more mature on this track.

I literally clapped at the end of this video when I first saw it on Monday night (and my mom thought I was a total freak...). I then proceeded to listen to it about 10 billion times at work yesterday. Hope y'all like it. Let me know!

TLC's Sorority Girls

2012-01-31T23:31:00.000-08:00

I prefer not to post about negative things on my blog, but I am extremely offended by TLC's new show "Sorority Girls" and I want to do my part to refute the negative stereotypes that the show is perpetuating. As such I've written a statement to the executives at Discovery Communications and TLC. This is not something I am actually sending, as I know my one letter will not make a difference, but I hope that you will read it and will not buy in to the trash that TLC is calling reality on the show.

I accidentally stumbled upon TLC's "Sorority Girls" last night as I was flipping channels. I honestly could not believe my eyes. If any of you are sorority women, which I know many of you are- watch this clip. I guarantee you will be just as appalled as I was.

Dear Discovery Communications and TLC Executives,

"In keeping with its mission, Discovery is dedicated to satisfying curiosity and making a difference in people's lives through our content, our talent, our viewers, our employees and our practices. On a global scale and at the local level, Discovery Communications' impact is felt through our collective efforts to make a difference for the planet where we live and work."

I've taken this quote from http://corporate.discovery.com/our-company/our-impact/, your corporate website for Discovery Communications- specifically located in your"Our Impact: Making A Difference" section. I would like you to keep the words quoted above in mind as I raise one, important question about your new show, "Sorority Girls."

"Sorority Girls" chronicles the story of five young American women who seek to bring the "unique traditions" or sorority life to the UK. Your preview titled "Sorority Girls -S-O-R-O-R-I-T-Y Girls" includes images of young women in somewhat revealing attire, makes a mockery of ritual, and displays blatant hazing. How do any of these things "make a difference in people's lives"?

I am a recent college graduate, and a proud sorority woman. As an undergraduate I served as President of my sorority. I am well aware of what is means to be a sorority woman.

The National Panhellenic Conference, the governing body of all 26 panhellenic sororities, has the Panhellenic Creed on the website. The very first sentence reads as follows; "We, as Undergraduate Members of women’s fraternities, stand for good scholarship, for guarding of good health, for maintenance of fine standards, and for serving, to the best of our ability, our college community." I did not see one minute of programming during "Sorority Girls" that indicated that Sigma Gamma was attempting to do any of those things.

Sororities are constantly attacked with stereotypical ignorance. We fight to promote all the good work we are doing, but a single bad story will get all the press. According to http://impact.discovery.com/our-business/our-networks/ TLC's unique mission is "Encouraging Tolerance". The images I saw tonight did little to promote tolerance of any sort. In fact, I believe that "Sorority Girls" did the exact opposite of encourage tolerance, it promoted prejudice.

If you're intent with "Sorority Girls" was to follow your mission and "make a difference in people's lives", I think that you have failed. Although, I suppose you have succeeded in making a (negative) difference in my life. You have shown me an example of how disappointing today's society can be. On the other hand, you have also succeeded in renewing my desire to fight ignorance like that displayed in you show.

I encourage you to take a second look at your programming, and question whether or not it is truly of a standard that you are proud of.

Best,

Ashley Canfield

acanfield04@gmail.com

To my followers, I apologize for the heaviness of this post. My normal Wednesday music post is up too =)

Guess What?!

2012-01-31T05:31:00.000-08:00

Forgive me for my double post today but... I wrote my first ever guest post for my friend Simply Alyssa, and it is posted TODAY! Go check it out! It's all about why I blog =)

And HELLO to any of you who may have found your way over here from Alyssa's blog! I hope you take the time to look around my little bloggy and comment/follow if you like what I've got goin on here!

Worst Date EVVEERRR!

2012-01-31T05:30:00.000-08:00

I am not participating in every day of Neely, Amber, and Casey's Valentine's Day Challenge, but I have been wanting to tell this story for awhile so I might as well do it today with them since the topic is "Love Telling This Bad Date Story- Worst Date Ever." I know this is a long post but make sure you read to the end, because you will not believe how this date ends!

So lets go back to summer of 2010- I was 21 and living with a bunch of my best friends in a fraternity house (yes you read that right). One night we went out to a random apartment party. At this party I met a guy who I ended up talking with for the majority of the night. He was super nice and easy to talk to, so when he asked for my number and suggested we go out sometime in the next week I agreed.

He seemed interesting enough, and I figured that we would have plenty to talk about but I was still a bit nervous so I wanted to make sure our date included an activity just in case conversation lagged. I found a bowling alley in the area and we planned to go there.

He picked me up, we drove to the bowling alley, and quickly discovered we could not bowl because there was a bowling league that night and lanes didn't open up until much later than night... Bad Sign # 1.

I suggested we drive down the street to Santa Monica's Third Street and get some dessert and walk around. We drive there and begin the awful search for parking. During this drive he tells me about a web show he does which chronicles bad date stories. "But don't worry" he says, "I'm sure our date won't end up on the show." Bad Sign # 2.

My date had no cash, and would not let me pay for the parking so we drove around for at least 40 minutes and failed to find somewhere we could park for free. Conversation LAGGED this whole time despite my best efforts. Bad Sign # 3.

Finally I suggested we just head back to Westwood and get some Diddy Reese or Starbucks (anything to get out of the car!). We get back to Westwood, park and begin to walk to Diddy Reese (an awesome place where you can get choose two cookies and your choice of ice cream to make into a giant cookie sandwhich for only $1.50!) when he informs me that he is not a big dessert fan... Really?! After two hours of fail you are going to complain about cookies and ice cream?! Bad Sign # 4. Fine. We get Starbucks instead and decide to walk around Westwood with our coffee.

We begin walking the same streets that I walk all the time. As we walk I see a potentially homeless man walking directly towards us. Bad Sign # 5? I begin to move over as it seems apparent that this man does not plan to change his direction. My date moves to the other side, but not before the homeless man THREW HIS CUP OF SOUP ON MY DATE. No joke.

We turn the corner as my date picks noodles off of his jacket, and I inform him that we should probably just head back to the car as that must be the cake topper on an evening already full of FAIL. He agrees, and as we walk back to the car he informs me that our date probably will be on that web show (but assures me its not my fault).

Needless to say I did not go out with him again, despite his multiple attempts to convince me otherwise.

In retrospect I should have looked around for that supposed web show though... Oh well.

The Fault In Our Stars

2012-01-30T05:00:00.001-08:00

And so another week begins! Happy Monday!

Since getting my Kindle for graduation back in June, I have been able to read more books for pleasure than I ever was able to during college. No doubt my favorite has been The Hunger Games series (honestly, if I had to pick one series to read over and over for the rest of my life it would probably be The Hunger Games... no joke), but I recently read a new book by John Green (one half of The Vlog Brothers on YouTube) called The Fault In Our Stars.

I really enjoyed this book, and I think many of you would too. The Amazon product detail describes it as:

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.

Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning author John Green’s most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.
I bought this book after seeing multiple YouTuber's mention it, and I am so glad I did. I obviously expected it to be sad (the main character has terminal cancer... How could it not be sad?) but I was surprised and impressed by how often I found myself laughing out loud at the characters interactions.

It is a page turner and therefore a very quick read; I read it in a day because I just couldn't put it down. If you are looking for something to read this weekend I highly recommend that you check this book out! If you do, come back and let me know what you thought!

Also, I'm always looking for new suggestions of books to read- so if you have read anything you really liked recently let me know!

My First Blog "Award"!

2012-01-27T04:30:00.000-08:00

My friend Alyssa, over at Simply Alyssa (I'm sure you all know her by now, becuase I have linked to her blog on many different occasions) gave me the Liebster Blog Award the other day! I'm so excited! My first blog award! 'I would like to thank...' just kidding

I tried really hard to figure out where this award actually originated, but no such luck. In any case, Liebster in German means dearest, beloved, or favorite, and it is for bloggers with under 200 followers.

Anyway, here is how this award works:

{1} Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them!

{2} Award the award to 5 of your favorite bloggers with less than 200 followers & link them!

{3}Post the award on your blog!

{4}Bask in the love from the most supportive people on the Internet--other bloggers of course!

{5} And best of all--have fun & spread the karma!

I know that I will never blog for money, so I am all about introducing my little group of readers to anyone who's blog I enjoy (no need to save promotion for sponsors only on my blog!). This award is ANOTHER chance for me to do just that; so I will be awarding the Liebster Blog Award too...

Bethany @ Life So Sweet

Jo @ Hodge[s]podges

Ashley @ sunshine.life.love

Ashley @ Sweet Tea In Siciliy

Chelsae @ as chelsea sees it...

Hopefully none of these girls have been given the award already... but if you have, oh well, it's just a little more love, right?!

Happy Friday!

Every Summer Has A Story

2012-01-26T04:30:00.000-08:00

It's true.

There was the epic, dodgeball-filled, summer before college.
And the summer of the apartment.
And the summer at Theta Xi.
And the summer after college, full of trips, concerts, and fairs.

Since it has been cold, rainy, and foggy here for the last week or so (and since it is the middle of the winter season) I am obviously wishing it were summertime.

I miss laying out by the pool, and being tan. I miss the sun staying up until late in to the evening. I miss wearing shorts and tank tops. I miss those summer days driftin away in to those summer nights =)

Wishing For Rain As I Stand In The Desert

2012-01-25T04:30:00.000-08:00

I really enjoyed writing the post last week about Sunday Lane. Music is truly a passion of mine. I wish I could say that I personally am musical- a singer, songwriter, or even just someone who can play an instrument- sadly I can not do any of those things; but I can appreciate good music of all kinds. Therefore, I am going to make a habit of posting once a week about a song/artist that has stood out to me in the past week. I'll try to stick with somewhat lesser known artists in hopes that I will introduce y'all to something new.

The artist I'm going to share with you today is not new to me, nor is he particularly obscure but I have been listening to him quite a bit lately and I think you all will enjoy his music.

This is Ron Pope. The song above was the first song I ever heard from him, called "A Drop In The Ocean". My friends Jamee introduced me to this song quite a few years ago. The song has been featured in multiple TV shows (it was on the most recent season Vampire Diaries), but other than that I've never heard Ron Pope's music anywhere else.

Ron Pope is comparable to guys like Gavin DeGraw and Ernie Halter. You know, singer/songwriter, strong, sensitive man types.

"A Drop In The Ocean" is certainly one of my favorites, but I also love"Stranded In Los Angeles", "You're The Reason I Come Home", and "Headlights On The Highway" all from his Live and Unplugged album.

He did release a new album in 2011 called "Whatever It Takes" and I'll admit I have not listened to enough of it to form an opinion about any of those songs, mainly because I tend to listen to the songs I am already familiar with because I love them so much, but I plan to make an effort to check it out ASAP!

Let me know what you guys think of Ron Pope, and of these music related posts!

Blog Title from Ron Pope's "A Drop In The Ocean"

Update & My Blogging Friends

2012-01-23T09:05:00.000-08:00

I essentially ignored my computer and phone all weekend, which means I didn't prep any blog posts for this week like I normally do. I am getting down to crunch time with my GRE studying, and also realizing I need to put some real time into my applications (plus I still have regular stuff to do... like work...) so the blog posts may be just a little bit sparse for the next couple weeks. I apologize! And I will certainly post when I can (just probably not everyday like I've been trying to do).

In the mean time check out some of my friends blogs (and pictures of us with semi-celebrities):

Bethany- one of my best friends from both home (Fresno) and UCLA.

The time we met Stefano (from last season of American Idol). Bethany is on the far right.

Jo- bestie and 1/3 of the best living situation ever (ROOM 6 LOVE!)

The time we met Vanilla Ice in Vegas. Jo is on the far left.

Katie- favorite and another 1/3 of the best living situation ever =)

The time we met Bo Burnham (look him up- he is a hilarious musical comedian). Katie is on the far right.

Hopefully these girls blogs tide you over while I am not posting quite so frequently. Jo and Katie are both just starting out, so maybe this will put a little pressure on them to post more =) and Bethany is an old pro, so she will have lots to keep you interested.

One other person to check out is Alyssa, of Simply Alyssa. I can't show you a picture of us because we've never met, but she is one of my favorite blog friends and she certainly blogs enough to tide you over if I don't have a post. She also just got a blog button! So click that to go check her out!

(No) Missed Opportunities

2012-01-20T04:30:00.001-08:00

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

- Mark Twain

Since graduating the past June, it has been all to easy for me to point out the things I wish I had done. Don't get me wrong, I did A LOT as an undergrad. I worked a few different jobs/internships, was and extremely involved member of my sorority, made some amazing friends, attended lots a great UCLA sporting events, explored LA, laughed, cried, worked hard, and slacked off. But there is still more I wish I had done.

I actually began to realize it senior year, as graduation loomed near, that there were still things I wanted to do. Lucky for me, life doesn't end after undergrad!

I know, shocking! Right?!

All of that in mind, I have made a promise to myself that I will take advantage of every opportunity that I possibly can. Yes, there will be things I have to say no to, but I plan to say "yes" more often than I say "no".

And many of my friends have embraced a similar philosophy. I am so pleased with the way I've been able to stay in touch with my closest friends even though we no longer see each other daily. And as such, I think we do an even better job of taking advantage of the time we do have together.

I do wonder though... When I am 80, 90, 95+ years old (cuz I'm planning to live a nice looonnnggg time) what years will I look back on and say "Those years- Those years were the BEST years of my life." Right now, I think those year are still yet to come.

P.S. According to Blogger this is my 50th post =)

My Love/Hate Relationship With Target

2012-01-19T04:30:00.001-08:00

If I walk in to Target, I am resigning myself to spend at least fifty bucks.

I have simply come to accept that I can walk in to Target for one thing and come out with a new nail polish, fuzzy socks, a five dollar movie, and a pair of bright coral yoga pants. If I am lucky I remembered to get the thing I actually went in for...

This is why I have a love/hate relationship with Target.

Granted it's like 89% love/11% hate.

I love it a lot more than I hate it.

Still I kick myself everytime I'm swipin' that debit card, thinking "You just needed to pick up a quick bday card to send to one person... Do you really need these adorable new picture frames?"

Yes.

I do.

Does anyone else have a similar relationship with Target?

I'm sure I'm not the only one...

I'll Be The Reckless One

2012-01-18T04:30:00.001-08:00

On last weeks season premiere of One Tree Hill (yeah, you all know I'm obsessed by now) there was a gorgeous song I noticed in the back groud behind one of the scenes. I have a tendency to hear lyrics I like, google them, and then download the song. Well last week I heard

"You can be careful and I'll be the reckless one..."

A quick trip to google and then over to youtube and spotify led me to the discovery of the beautiful Sunday Lane. This girl has only released one EP called "Bring Me Sunshine" but I hope she has plans to release more music soon. Sunday is a young singer/songwriter who reminds me a bit of someone like Ingrid Michaelson, or Regina Spektor. A few of her songs kind of remind me of a smaller band from here in CA called "Lady Danville", especially "Heavy Heart, Heavy Hands." Her voice is sweet and soulful, and her lyrics are relevant and beautiful.

I must say "Reckless One" is probably my favorite song on the EP, but I truly do love each song. I encourage you to go check her out on YouTube or Spotify. I honestly can't stop listening to this girl's EP. It has essentially been on repeat since I discovered it.