Hello, hello. 

Sorry I've just about dropped off the face of the Earth- let's catch up. 

In the event that you're wondering where I've been recently, the answer to that is: completely immersed in university housing staff training. Ahh, yes... that time of year again where RAs, APMs, Night Watch, Desk, and all the other staffs that keep a campus running come together, get trained, and prepare to welcome back resident life. 

At my university, this means a two week long, intense training process. We go to camp. We go through safety drills. We even come up with mock rocks. While it's a blast to be back together with some of my closest friends, lemme tell you- this stuff's draining. Going for over 12 hours on minimal sleep and my irregular nutrition (not to mention lack of exercise) has completely thrown me off balance.

While this summer I had little to no routine other than going to work at different times each day, having such a super structured routine has been like a culture shock once again. I love being busy, which I know is totally wrong because we shouldn't be glorifying "busy" in all reality, but having productive stuff to do calms me oddly. I live and breath by my planner, but after these two weeks, I feel lost. 

My mind is racing so fast I can't even make a to-do list. So while I've been absolutely dying to make some blog posts and feed you all some new content, it's unfortunately been pushed to the back burner. I do have to say though, exciting things are coming to this blog very very soon. 

Between my back to school outfits (there's many), and my crazy tips and stories, I've got some great ideas coming your way. All that's left on my end is some piece of mind to actually organize them. 

So be patient with me please. I promise I've got something great in store for you all. 

Hopefully that answers the question of "Where's LJ?" 

Let's Talk Greek.

I'm upset. Actually, I'm peeved. 

What's got me so upset? An article about Greek life. This article, to be exact. While I love the Odyssey and totally appreciate the outlet it gives people who may otherwise have no voice, sometimes it really gets me heated. This is one of those times. 

Frankly, I was disappointed when I saw it pop up in my facebook feed for the first time. By the third & fourth, I was over it completely. Everything from the picture to the final sentence got me feeling fiery. I was also a smidge disappointed with the multiple individuals who shared it, as it very wrongly portrays Greek life at our "small" midwestern school. While I can see how some of these points may be valid at SEC schools, I find them generally untrue for my campus in particular. 

Let's take a gander, shall we? 

1. Belonging. I do not have waist long blonde hair. I am not rail skinny. I also don't own a white lace dress OR a pair of wedges. Truth be told, I only own two pairs of actual heels, and only one pair is considered meeting attire. Do my sisters still love me? Yes. Do I feel as if I belong regardless? Yes. 

2. Sorority Moms. I cannot think of a single sister who has what this author considers a "sorority mom." My mom was never in a sorority. I wasn't a legacy, and I got into my chapter on my own. My mom has lunches with her friends, because normal people enjoy seeing their friends, but my mom also kicks ass at the gym while working a full time job and taking care of her family. The same has rung true for my sister's moms. I don't think I've ever encountered a sorority mom in my life, and honestly, as an active in a chapter, when would I ever? This seems like a stretch to me... 

3. The money. This I see as a valid reason. And yes, at bigger universities / colleges I can see how this would hinder one's decision. I whole-heartedly believe I couldn't afford Greek life if I did not go to the exceptional university that I am fortunate to attend. BUT (and there's always a but), every chapter on my campus, plus the ones that my friends attend across the state, have payment plans and ways to ease the burden of dues. So I wouldn't let the money completely keep it out of your realm of possibilities just yet. 

4. New beginnings. I totally get wanting college to be a new beginning for you- really, I do. I was the captain of the color-guard in high school. Do you know who people hate more than the band geeks in high school? the color-guard, that's who. I was shy and awkward and I hated having to talk to people I didn't know. So I went through recruitment. It pushed me out of my comfort zone and forced me to break out of my shell. Now I'm loud and obnoxious. I'm not sure which is worse, but I'll tell ya- this one is more fun. 

5. Socials. If meeting new people and seeing different points of views and just having fun isn't your thing... I'm not sure what to say. Socials are fun. Themes are even more fun. It's like halloween happening more than once a year. Thought of a rad costume two months after halloween? Not a problem, there's a mixer theme you can fit that costume to work with. It's fun. College is supposed to be about having some fun.  (Would also like to note that I am taking a full college course load + working for housing + still keeping a pretty stellar GPA.)

6. Recruitment. What is one long weekend out of your life if it means meeting your best friends. Nay, your forever friends. Yeah, it's stressful and an emotional roller coaster ride for everyone (and I'm crazy enough to be a Rho Gamma and run the dang thing every year), but really. It's one weekend. Four nights. And at the end of the process you come out with some stellar new friends and a place to call home. At the very least, you have people to eat lunch with, pass on campus, sit in class with, or study with... as opposed to going to your car between classes. Not sure it's much of a toss up. 

7. Stigma. People are always going to be curious about Greek life. It comes with the letters. Most of the time, people don't even know what you do. When I go into job interviews though and have a handful of positions I've held within my chapter, no matter how small, it has always (and I mean always) sparked a good conversation. Besides my ex, nobody's looked down on me for being involved in Greek life. Spoiler alert: the movies are never like the real deal. 

8.Time. You get out what you put in. I have sisters who don't show their faces around exam time and who study their butts off to kick ass in school. They still are relatively active in the chapter, and they're hella focused on their school work. This is just a cheap way to turn me down when I'm trying to recruit you to go through recruitment. You don't have to come to everything (guilty of not going to plenty) to still have an awesome experience.

I'm sure this seemed naggy and plenty will think I'm overly aggressive about the topic, but it's because I know how Greek life has molded me into the person I want to become. For those with the excuses- take 2 minutes and see what Greek life could do for you...

New Romantics

I recently found an iTunes gift card while packing for school, and the first (and only) thing I purchased with it was Tay Swift's 'New Romantics.' Needless to say this post made me feel the title was appropriate. Between the colors and awkward mischievous look on my face, it seemed fitting. 

*also was too lazy to format the pictures to all look uniform + felt it took away from the overall look*

Tuesday Thoughts: Canada Edition(?)

Hello friends! 

I'm not really sure where I'm going with this, but I feel like most of this is about my time in Canada and other bits are just random. We'll just roll with it though, I suppose. 

1 // I had my first casino experience this weekend in Windsor. While I'm not really sure how I vibe with casinos, it was some good people watching. There was quite the range from people right off the streets to people super dressed up just kind of milling around, but that kind of seems to be the Windsor vibe. Casinos make me a smidge nervous though, because I totally have the personality that could get me in trouble with gambling. I'm very much a "I have to play until I win" type of person, so for now I'm going to stick to Dave & Busters games... 

2 // Speaking on Canada, also had my first poutine experience. While the name totally grosses me out and makes me feel v uncomfortable, they were actually delicious. Who would've thought french fries topped with gravy and about 500 other things could taste so good? 10/10 recommend trying them out (especially with mushrooms + bacon if that's your thing). 

3 // Totally in love with the super cute romper that is kind of but not really featured in the pic above (sorry in advance if me and Matt want to make you puke, I'm just pretty fond of him... so actually not sorry?). I got it from Express, and besides being super breezy and looking like a dress, it also has a pretty rad back action happening. Check it out here! 

4 // Keeping with the theme of my foreign adventures, currently sitting on about $90+ in Canadian currency. Because I forgot to exchange it before crossing back over. Possible way to keep myself from spending all my money or just another thing only I would do? You be the judge of that one. 

5 // On something unrelated to all of the above, I am 4 (?) days out from move-in and only have two boxes packed. Partially ticked off with myself but also fully aware that I only work well under pressure and I'm not feeling the pressure just yet. At least it's all small stuff left... though the small stuff is usually the most annoying for me. 

6 // Totally slacked off on my gym game last week & am posting this as a reminder to myself that it's okay to have off weeks. I mostly just want to keep myself accountable for heading to the gym this week so that I can hit it hard before moving back to campus. 

Mood Board {August}

{all images via}

succulent plants to add from breath
simplistic outfits 
well-loved books
coffee
morrocan vibes

crisp.cool.asthetic.

Monday Musings

1 // I am officially so sick of driving after a weekend of running back and forth places. Thinking about driving more today actually makes my eye start to twitch a little bit. I am more than ready to be back on campus at the pulse of things.

2 // This past week I invested in a new planner. I'm a totally paper junkie, and my life isn't truly organized (though when is it ever), if I don't physically write things down. I purchased this Happy Planner, and I am so excited to start filling it up with memories and dates to come. What I like most about this is the similarity to the EC layout, but at a serious fraction of the price (with a coupon, I scored this beaut for under $10- major steal in my books). I'm impressed so far, and am looking at stickers to jazz up the weekly spreads. Once I get the hang of it, I'll work on a planner peek post! 

3 // While stalking someone on twitter (#guilty), I came across two lists I found very intriguing. One was a list of cruelty free beauty products, the other a list of brands/products that still conduct animal testing. While I wasn't necessarily shocked by how many brands I frequently put on my face do animal testing, it left a sour taste in my mouth. I was shocked, however to find how many brands DON'T test on animals. Did you know that E.L.F. is cruelty free? At their price point, it may be worth it to switch to some of their products. Seeing the list made me more conscientious of the harm my makeup inflicts, and I'm planning to move to more cruelty free products one my existing supply dwindles down. Be on a look out for a post about that as well! 

4 // I feel like each week I have a new song that I scream "this is such a bop!!!" to my friends when mentioning it in conversation. This week it's Closer by the Chainsmokers + Halsey. The beat honestly gets me the most about this song and when it comes on when I'm driving to work, I'm guilty of paying more attention to the song than the road at times. 

5 // This week is proving to be a jam packed one already. Between bae time, work, packing back up for school (lol, less than two weeks & I never even unpacked), I've also got  a trip to Canada thrown into the mix. I'm excited for the quick trip because I'm going with my homegirl Abby and our boys + some of my other favorites. Surprisingly, I've got my outfit already picked out, so maybe I'll snag some pics of it amidst the night of fun I'm surely going to have. GBless enhanced licenses and the mitten being so close to the border. 

6 // As I'm sure everyone is aware, thanks to Snapchat, Harry Potter's birthday was basically an international holiday. With the release of a new book (!!!) and the grand opening of the Cursed Child in London, there was much to celebrate. I, myself, was able to get my hands on a copy of the Cursed Child (thx daddio), and I am excited to dive back into the magical world of Harry Potter. I'm being super weird, though, and holding off on actually cracking the spine of my copy because I know once I start reading I won't stop until it's finished and I'm not sure I'm ready for the magic to be over just yet. No spoilers, please!