Southern Summer: Hello Tennessee!

Texas. Michigan. Tennessee. I'm all over the map!  Though I usually call Michigan home, my home for the next two months will be in Tennessee while I am an intern at Alpha Omicron Pi International Headquarters in Brentwood, TN.  I've been in TN since Saturday, so here's a recap of the past couple of days!

Isn't Mother Manning such a wonderful photographer? 

Sunday morning we woke up and went for pancakes!  If you are ever near Vanderbilt, I highly recommend the Pancake Pantry!  There is always a wait (we waited for about an hour) but it is worth it!

Photo Credit

I had the Georgia Peach pancakes.  Three rolled pancakes (please note, these were NOT crepes!) filled with peaches. They were delish! There are 23 varieties of pancakes at this place, you're bound to find something you'll love! After breakfast, we drove around, exploring Nashville & Brentwood.  We ended the day in The District neighborhood of Nashville.

Photo Credit

We saw Ryman auditorium (side note: they were setting up for a wedding... how awesome!) and the Country Music Hall of Fame.  My conclusion from the day: I need to expand my collection of country music.  We ended the day at Jack's Bar-B-Que, because you're not really in the south until you have sweet tea & BBQ!

Photo Credit

Monday we took a trip over to the Grand Ole Opry and Opry Mills, the outlet mall. A vacation just isn't complete without some shopping!  We had dinner at Maggiano's Little Italy & I now have pasta to eat for a week!

Photo Credit

Today was my first day as an intern at HQ for AOII.  It amazes me how much history is in this building.  I spent twenty minutes reading letters from members of the Alpha chapter with their first hand accounts of our founders.  It can be so easy to feel like you live in a completely different world from your founders since it was so long ago, but reading these letters brought lots of personality to those pictures and names I see so much!  

I spent most of the day working on registration confirmation packets for Leadership Institute at the end of June.  I'm looking forward to meeting sisters from all over the country & seeing some of the Beta Gamma's!  

These next two months are going to be quite a whirlwind, but I'm looking forward to my next adventure!

Project [21]: #31

Item number 31: Visit Disney World & Harry Potter World with your best friend.


I completed this trip over Spring Break this year.  Since Bumble & I love to tweet, I will share with you our vacation through tweets and pictures!  (Black are my tweets & Bumble's are in blue)

Listening to a bunch of fratstars debate how they are getting to Mexico for spring break if they miss the flight #SB2012

 Time for #ORLANDO and #SPRINGBREAK!!!! #I’mOnAPlane

Welcome to ORLANDO! #SB2012 

Magic Kingdom with our sequins & bows! #disney #SB2012

Woke up at 6:30 to go to Disney #SameBoat

Being educational on spring break. Learning about presidents at Disney #nerds

Fireworks show! #Disney #TheMagicOfDisney #SB2012

“he was bent, he looked bent… I thought he was an animal” #quotes #SB2012

SEVENTEEN HOURS AT MAGIC KINGDOM! Yeaaah, buddy! #SB2012 #BestFriendsForAReason

Going on 17 hours in Magic Kingdom! #NoSleep #DisneyMagic #SB2012

Day four officially beginning! #LateStart #SB2012

Theme parks = parenting 101. Hopefully Bumble & I will have passed by the end of the week… #CrazyParents #YouShouldn’tDoThatInPublic

First Taxi ride!! (That I remember…) #SB2012 

On to Universal, yo! #SB2012 #Orlando 

We rode the merry go round!

Rapping #Irreplacable with Liv …. We so fly. #SB2012

Irreplaceable in gangsters speak with Bumble  #That’sWhat’sUp

Bumble and her wand

“Hey dad! Hey dad! EXPELLIARMUS!” #BestKidEVER #FavoriteChildAward #SB2012 

Rocky Horror LIVE! #SB2012 #WIN

“I can’t dance and walk… I can gangster walk!”  #SB2012 #QuoteWorthy

“Wait… We’re in Florida??” #SB2012

Henna! #SB2012

Just saw a duck crossing the road. On a crosswalk. Took like eight pictures… #NotAshamed #SB2012 

Headed to the airport after a rough night… #Don’tWannaGoHome #SB2012

248 bound! Bye Florida! #I’llMissYou

Some Alpha Love from the Magic Kingdom!

Hard Rock Cafe, yes we bought tshirts!

Harry Potter World!! We were both too excited to tweet!

Inviting Interiors: Pops of Pink

Introducing my newest segment... Inviting Interiors!

Fun, inspiring interior design.  I've always had a passion for interior design.  Get ready for some jaw dropping, wish-inducing interiors! Today's theme: Pops of Pink!

Photo Credit

I love these pink curtains! They are the perfect way to bring in some color, without going overboard.

Photo Credit

An entirely pink wall is probably a little bit more than a pop, but I love this look!  The patterned wall makes the bright pink not as harsh, and paired with white accents it really stands out.  I also love the giant monogram on the wall, baby's first monogram!

Photo Credit

At Dots corporate headquarters, the entryway features some lovely disco-esque dress forms.  A bright pink dress form would be a fabulous addition to any aspiring fashion designer's room!

Photo Credit

Scared of pink overload? Adding a vase of simple pink flowers is a great touch!  Adding flowers to any room can help liven up the space and bring a small pop of color.  I especially love how green the flowers are to bring in some of the green from the kitchen and the pillow.

Photo Credit

I am swooning over this chair! I'm absolutely in love!  I can just imagine this chair paired with some lovely grey walls and a white sofa.  Add a low, modern coffee table with some blue flowers and of course a coffee table book or two and you have a fabulously chic living room!

Photo Credit

Wallpaper is a simple way to bring pattern and color to any room!  I love this damask pattern, mixed with white it brings just the right amount of bright color to the wooden table.  Wallpaper can be a very sophisticated option for decorating with color.

Photo Credit

An unexpected source of color... a very small kitchen!  I would have never thought of doing such a bright pink in a kitchen, especially for the counter tops, but I love this result.  Maybe in a larger kitchen a pink backsplash could be used?  Would you ever use pink in your kitchen?

Chico's Tacos

Although I may currently reside in the Midwest, it doesn't mean that my heart (& taste buds!) don't long for the southwest, more specifically, El Paso. When asked the most quintessential restaurant of El Paso, most people will probably tell you Chico's.

Photo Source

Chico's tacos. To all of my non-EP readers: this is not what you think of as a taco. You cannot get this at Taco Bell (by the way, I promise there is better Mexican food in the world!). A Chico's taco is a rolled tortilla filled with meat, deep fried and covered with sauce and cheese. This is not finger food people.

Photo by Stephanie Avalos

My first trip to Chico's was completely out of the blue. Senior year after volunteering at Spooktacular, we were hungry & someone suggested Chico's. I informed them I had never had Chico's. The response? "Oh my goodness. We're going. You have to try Chico's!" So we went, and was it an experience. There's not really a good way to describe the atmosphere of Chico's.  It's a place deeply rooted in tradition, I'm quite sure the menu hasn't changed in decades.  Everyone expects you to have been there before and know exactly what you want. It's a tad bit intimidating for a first-timer.  However, it is very truly an El Paso experience.  If you haven't been to Chico's, you aren't a true El Pasoan.

Project [21]: the list

My 21st birthday is my golden birthday. I turn 21 on the 21st day of the 21st month.

Wait. 21st month? Yes, December is 12 right? If you start January at 13, February as 14... September is 21! Talk about a coincidence.

In honor of this momentous occasion, I've complied a list, a bucket list if you will, of 42 things I want to do before I turn 21. So, without any further adieu, may I present, the list!

1. Take the first flight out of an airport.
2. Drive on route 66.
3. Compete in a sport.
4. Go snowboarding.
5. Go on a cruise.
6. Have a job interview.
7. Dance at the Broadway dance center.
8. Go paint balling.
9. Take a spa day.
10. Take a taxi.
11. Go to a Little Italy.
12. Write a short story.
13. Make up your own card game.
14. Learn hello in 21 languages.
15. Learn the alphabet in sign language.
16. Read a classic that isn’t required.
17. Start a blog.
18. Get a pen pal.
19. Take a road trip.
20. Take a scuba diving lesson.
21. Go sky diving.
22. Sit under the stars with someone you love.
23. Stay up the entire night to watch the sunset and the sunrise.
24. See how long you can go without sleeping.
25. Throw a Halloween party.
26. Visit Hawaii.
27. Kiss a guy with a European accent.
28. Go to a cooking class.
29. Perform an iPhone durability test.
30. Dance on a waterfall.
31. Visit Disney World & Harry Potter World with your best friend.
32. Execute a Chinese fire drill.
33. Take photos in a photo booth.
34.   Take a infographic how-to class.
35.   Read (at least) 12 novels in a year.
36.   Attend the ballet.
37.   Visit Mackinaw Island.
38.   Take a risk.
39.   Go ziplining.
40.    
41.    
42. Write a 101 in 1001 list to begin on my 21st.

As you can see, I still have a couple of blanks... Any ideas to fill them with?

~Liv

survival

Charles Darwin is known for the phrase "survival of the fittest." Fun fact: he isn't the one who coined the phrase; we can thank Herbert Spencer for that one.
Survival is such an interesting word that people can take many different definitions for. Me? I survived my freshman year of college. I lived to tell the tale, all of the ups and the downs but I am still standing without any major harm. Yay me!
This past year has brought a lot of change, as I knew it would. Just a year ago I finally decided to attend MSU.  Here's my freshman year, according to my iPhone.

I had a roommate for the first time.

Attended my first college football game! Go Green!

Joined a sorority and met some pretty incredible women along the way.
With me is my big sister, M; I don't know how I would have survived the year without her!

I turned 18!

Consumed a lot of candy. Any stressful night you could find me with my shot glass filled with swedish fish and gummy bears.

I visited Disney World with my bestie, Bumble.

I survived two finals weeks. 

~Liv