Long Overdue, but Better Late than Never

So when I last left off I was leaving for a weekend cruise to Mexico with the girls. All I have to say is if last year was crazy, this year was insane.

 I did bring my camera to document the trip, however all of my pictures seem to have magically disappeared. Luckily, there are a few snapshots from my phone as well as a video, but we'll get to that later...

We decided to stay within the "wolf pack" theme that we started last year and made custom tank tops, only this time we had our nicknames printed in bold letters on the back. TJ's loving mom and sister picked mine for me and let me just say, he was pretty thrilled about it.

We arrived at the dock where the cruise ship was scheduled to depart from and were immediately recognized by some of the staff...

I couldn't decide if I was thrilled or embarrassed, but either way we definitely left our mark. Little did I know, things were about to reach a whole new level of obnoxious. (We really should have apologized to everyone on board, but we didn't. We have no shame when we have alcohol on board apparently.)


Although I should probably explain exactly how our group of 14 girls managed to wreak such havoc.

First, there was a party bus hired to take us to and from the Long Beach harbor where the Carnival Inspiration was docked and waiting for us. As you can imagine, there were drinks involved... a lot of them. We were pretty much swaying before we even got on the boat.

Second of all, people knew my name before the ship had even set sail! Which is saying something because normally my own friends took anywhere from 1 to 3 meetings before they were finally able to remember my name. In fact, when I finally turned my phone back on when the weekend was over, I had a picture waiting for me from a random number. Apparently I made a few friends on deck...

 

 The next morning the girls in my room and I opted to go on deck for breakfast rather than have something sent to our room... however it was quickly apparent that our idea to emerge whilst sober was not one of our better ones. It was the first time I have ever felt like I was doing the walk of shame. All eyes were on us and we could practically hear the whispering when we walked by.
Needless to say, we quickly went back to the room and pounded a few drinks before we felt comfortable enough to return to the Jacuzzi tub that was beckoning to us on deck.

There's not much else to say about the trip other than we definitely left a name for ourselves. We made friends whose names I cannot remember (most likely due to the ridiculous nicknames they were given by us ladies) and we made a lot of memories that are unfortunately a bit hazy due to the excessive boozing.

It was an amazing trip and the girls are already putting the down payments on the next one. If you happen to be going on the Carnival cruise to Ensenada during the first weekend in June, then I'll see you there. If not, then you're definitely missing out!

Oh! I almost forgot... Here's the video of all the pictures that documented our crazy trip. I don't remember what is on it, so I can't really give you a fair warning. But I'd advise you to beware nonetheless.

 

2 Posts in 1 Day: Because I Can

I just got back from a night out at Dave & Busters with my friends and decided that I wanted to do a Throwback Thursday post since I've been MIA for the last few Thursdays.

Obviously, given that I'm leaving on the annual Girl's Cruise to Mexico tomorrow morning, I want to throwback to last year's cruise. (Which happened on this same exact weekend.)

We all had shirts made with the completely unoriginal "Wolf Pack" declaration on the front. And yes, we howled. A LOT!

In fact, we didn't even leave the port before people started to learn our names. When I headed toward my room after the safety instructions, someone said hello to me by name! It was crazy. 

People video taped us on deck and one group even asked to take their picture with us at dinner. I kind of got an idea of what it was like to be a celebrity on that trip.

Here we are a year later heading back to the same ship that hopefully has the same crew. I'm sure they would be happy to see us.

For dinner we attempted to do a theme night, but some girls were poor sports and didn't want to partake in our craziness. (AKA. Nina on the far right.) This year we're planning an 80's night and honestly? I don't think the ship is ready for my outfit's debut. I'm not sure that I'm even ready.

All in all, 14 women had the time of their lives drinking like fish, losing their voices, and making bad choices. Not really, but it rhymed so we'll go with it.
This year, 16 women are about to repeat the process.

Carnival Cruise line, I sure hope you're ready for us.

I'm Back, B@#$%S!

Well, sort of.

The last month or so really took its toll on me. It was the hardest semester I've had in college (I'm in all upper-division courses right now) and I had a huge family crisis come up.

About a month ago, my grandma tested positive for melanoma. I've seen my grandparents every week since I was a baby and the news hit me really hard. I tried to be a rock for both her and my mother, but I was having a hard time keeping it together myself. To make matters worse, I took my stress out on TJ and we were fighting on a daily basis. He and I both knew why I was acting like a crazy-woman, but I still couldn't help myself. Luckily, my prince charming is very patient and understanding.

Anyway, my grandma had her outpatient surgery during finals week and I couldn't concentrate on anything from the moment I found out. Therefore, I finally got my first "C" this semester so I'm trying to cope with that as well. It's obviously not failing, but 4 years of A's and B's feels like such a waste now.
At any rate, I got the good news earlier this week that my grandma is now cancer free! Sheesh. Who knew it was possible to hold your breath for so long? I literally feel like I can breath again.

Unfortunately, I spent so long neglecting my blog in favor of much more important matters that I felt as though I couldn't just pop up again out of nowhere. Especially since I'm leaving for a weekend girl's cruise tomorrow morning.
Then I thought: who cares? I'll blog when I can about what I want because, realistically, I made this blog for me.

Me, myself and I.

Not him, her or their sister. In fact, my friends don't even know this blog exists and I refuse to share it with my boyfriend. (Mostly because a blog is not an essay, and I don't want them to criticize my writing/ grammar)

So... I'm back, just not yet.

Cheers!

Pretty in Yellow

I'm going to a wedding in France this summer and I can't decide what to wear. 

My dad isn't clear on the dress code and my only contact is a boy cousin who doesn't understand. (And not just because my french is a bit rusty)

I think I've decided on what to wear though.

A cute yellow, lace sundress that I wore to a wedding last summer.

I think it's adorable, but I've heard that some European weddings are extremely formal... As in, dig through my closet and break out the floor-length gowns type of formal.

Who knows...

Certainly not my dad.

At any rate, here are the rest of the pictures of my friend's and I causing shenanigan's at the wedding.

P.S. They had a photo booth!! I think we definitely went a little overboard with the accessories...

Sadly, it wasn't exactly a "happily ever after" ending for the two of them, but at least they had a lovely wedding...

I wish them all the best.

Feeling a Little Blue

But definitely not down in the dumps.
It's finally here! I've waited for 90 degree weather and, although the weatherman predicts April showers by the end of the weekend, I don't care!
I got to wear a sundress today and I couldn't be more tickled pink.

I accessorized my pretty, blue sundress with my gold-leaf, snap-on bracelet from Forever 21.
It was one of the best purchases I've ever made.

I've been on an earring kick ever since Easter and found these little gems hidden in back of my jewelry box. So I dusted off the cobwebs and put 'em to good use.

This is one of my favorite purses that I own. I have fallen in love with the feminine look of cross-body bags, but they never seem to fit half of what I need in them.
This cross-body bag fits everything! Okay, maybe not everything... but a good deal more than the other cross-body bags I own.

Maybe if I close my eyes and wish hard enough, I wont have to break out the rain coat and umbrella on Sunday.
If only everything was that easy...

Throwback Thursday, Part 7

Last year was great. All of my friends were finally 21 and we partied like it was everyone's birthday, all the time. 

We never really needed a reason to throw a party, but every party always had a theme. 

Why? Because it's better that way.

The craziest party that we threw last year had to be the Jersey Shore Party. I've never really liked the show, but I definitely enjoyed dressing the part.

Okay, that's a lie. I changed into reindeer jammies the second we arrived.

This was also the night that my first-ever "duck face" was documented. Truth be told, I'm not sure I've taken another one since.

I'm pretty sure that my sister picked up my slack in the dress up department. Her "poof" was ridiculous!

As with most crazy parties, the night didn't end exactly the way we had planned.
There was a lot of crying, some screaming, and I'm pretty sure an ambulance was called at some point. Thankfully, the camera wasn't around to document our night going downhill.
My advice? You don't have to drink to have fun and if you do drink, moderation is key.

Aveeno

My skin has been my enemy since puberty hit. We could have been enemies long before then, but I never worried about my appearance until I started noticing boys (and wanted them to notice me). 

I've spent a fortune trying to find good products that work with my skin type. The problem was that I didn't know my skin type at all. 

Thank goodness that my esthetician did. It turns out that I was wasting my money on "blemish reducing" products when my skin isn't even acne-prone! It's merely dehydrated.

When she told me the type of products I should be looking for, I raced to my local CVS and finally found a product line that works really well.

My skin ritual is as follows:

Skin Brightening Daily Scrub
"This unique formula combines moisture-rich natural soy extract with smooth, round microbeads to gently exfoliate while you cleanse, leaving skin soft, smooth, and even-looking. Gentle enough for everyday use and sensitive skin."

Although the bottle says that the scrub is gentle enough for daily use, I only use it 2 or 3 times a week max. My esthetician told me that the microbeads actually irritate the outer layer of my skin and hardly cleans the skin at all. In fact, she said that I really don't need to use it at all... But I love how radiant my skin looks when I get out of the shower.

Brightening Cleanser
"This cleanser lifts away dirt, oil and makeup without over-drying for naturally radiant skin."

I use this product every night before bed and every morning before I apply my makeup. It's become somewhat of a ritual ever since I purchased my first bottle.

Daily Moisturizer
""Works to naturally even skin tone and texture. It immediately reflects light to visibly smooth imperfections and leave your skin looking fresh, awake, and luminous."

As I mentioned before, my skin is incredibly dehydrated. Thankfully, I found the best moisturizer to bring it back to life. I wish I could say I've tried a number of other brands that all paled in comparison, but I can't. This is the first  moisturizer I tried and I never felt the need to look any further. I am seriously in love...


But don't tell TJ.