New York City Vacay: Day One!

Let me begin by saying,

I am obsessed with New York City!

Last weekend, two of my close friends and I had the amazing opportunity to go to New York City! During the four days and three nights that we spent in the city, we were able to fit in all sorts of fun and fabulous things! This is something that Danielle, Alex and I had been talking about for months, so we made sure to pull out all the stops!

I've split this post into three parts, one for each of the days were were in the city! If you have any questions, or would like advice as to how we got tickets/what we packed/how to prepare for a trip to NYC, feel free to email me at sweetlikeasong@gmail.com!

On the Tuesday night before we left on Thursday, Danielle came over to my apartment to help me pack. We literally spent hours deciding on the perfect outfits, shoes and accessories to wear in New York! We were also trying to pack light since we'd be carrying these bags from place to place, and we wanted to stay under Delta's 50lb weight limit.

Danielle and I got up bright and early on Thursday morning, to head to the Greensboro airport. I was so relieved when my bag only weighed 29lbs at the ticket counter! We checked our bags, quickly made our way through security and arrived at our gate right on time. Everything went swimmingly!

Of course we had to snap a few pictures when we finally got to where we were supposed to be! Here I am before boarding our hour-long flight to New York City!

It still absolutely amazes me that you can travel from North Carolina to New York in just over an hour! So cool! Danielle and I flew Delta both ways, and they were just fabulous to work with! With just one phone call, we were able to confirm our flight details, and make sure that we were able to sit together on the way there!

Preparing for a smooth landing at LaGuardia!

We arrived at LaGuardia just after lunch, met up with Alex (who was flying in from Charleston) and took a taxi straight to the Appalachian Loft, where we would spend the next three nights. 

The Loft is a wonderful resource for ASU's students, faculty, staff and alumni that are interested in visiting New York City for a much cheaper rate. It functions somewhat like a dorm, with two large rooms of bunk beds and community restrooms. This set-up worked perfectly for us and our budget! We were able to stay at the Loft for four days and three nights for just over $100/person. Sign me up!

Thanks to our sweet friend Tyler from Appalachian, we had tickets to see The Late Show with David Letterman. Since the show is actually taped during the day (who knew?!) we had to be at the theater to claim our tickets at 2:30PM. We left the Loft, walked just a few blocks to catch the subway and headed to 53rd Street to the famous Ed Sullivan Theater.

Thanks to Tyler, not only were we guests for the show that day, we had special VIP seats in the balcony of the theater! We also got to go up on stage after the show. It was amazing!

So legit!

Jonah Hill from Superbad was the special guest that day, and he was hilarious! I still can't believe we got to get up on stage and sit at Letterman's desk. If you ever have the chance to do this, it's totally worth it. Thanks, Tyler!

Later that evening, we made our way back to the Loft to get dressed up for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire movie premier. Normally, I wouldn't dress up to go to the movie theater, but we were in New York City, so why not?! 

Thanks to a little research prior to the trip, we had our tickets bought and printed, all before arriving in New York. This saved so much time once we arrived at the theater. The movie was amazing and it was packed! I'm so glad we made time to do this!

Since we weren't too far from the Loft, we walked back, admiring the beautiful buildings and lights. Our first day in the city was nothing short of amazing, and I knew right then this trip was going to be one for the books!

Make sure to check back for my posts on day two and three of our trip!

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Life as of Late: Fiji Pig Dinner

Though there's no way to catch you up on everything I've done during the past month, I wanted to let you all know that I'm alive. I may be absent from the blogging world, but I'm still here, shopping, eating dessert, working and going to graduate school. I miss blogging more than anything, but at this time in my life, that's the one thing I don't have much of…time. 

So while I sit here on this Sunday afternoon, reflecting on the weekend that has come and gone so quickly, I wanted to share some of those memories with you!

This weekend, I was invited to attend a fraternity alumni function with my friend, Andrew. With dinner, drinks and pretty dresses all in the description (plus my good-looking date,) I knew this event was right up my alley. We dressed up, sipped cocktails, had great food, played Catch Phrase, and simply enjoyed each other's company. I had the pleasure of meeting so many of his close friends, who were all just as sweet as he is. Even though I'm normally going non-stop, and this weekend was no exception, I had the absolute best time! Plus, the pictures were too good to keep to myself!

My outfit before dinner at Our Daily Bread on Friday night!

Sweater/Boots: Target

Tank: Old Navy

Mint skinnies: Delia's

Scarf: Charming Charlie's

Bracelets: Boutique/Lily & Laura

Friday night at Tapp Room with friends!

 

Looking sharp for the function!

Attempting to model the back our our outfits!

Post-dinner selfie!

Hope you all had a fab weekend as well!

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Appalachian Homecoming 2013!

Now that I've shared my guide to the perfect homecoming, I can't wait to tell you what made mine so fabulous!

On Friday, I had to work all day long, and was jumping up and down when five o'clock finally arrived! Katy was picking me up at 8:30 that evening, so everything needed to go smoothly until then. After a nap to recharge, I got ready except for changing my clothes and curling my hair. Katy was nice enough to do my hair at her house, then I put on my outfit.

That night, I wore a black, 3/4 sleeve romper from Forever 21, a cheetah print belt (old), black wedges from Target, and carried my Philip Lim for Target mini satchel.

I loved this outfit because it was the perfect combination of sassy and cute!

Our sweet friend, Ivey came out with us that night, and happened to be turning 21 at midnight! Celebrating her 21st birthday AND Homecoming was double the fun! Here we are getting ready to go out!

We knew that the nearby bars would be super busy since it was Homecoming weekend, so we got there about 10:30. Of course I had to take a picture of the bouncer checking Ivey's ID before getting her first wristband a Tapp Room!

After having a drink and seeing tons of old friends, we made our way to Klondike for even more fun. There, we were able to meet up with Kaitlyn and Grace, who had been at a sorority function earlier that night. We hung out until about one, then headed home to save our energy for tailgate the next day. It was such a fun night!

On Saturday, I got up at 7:30 to start getting ready. On Homecoming weekend, I don't think there's such a thing as getting up "too early!" This allowed more than enough time for Katy to come scoop me up so I could do any finishing touches at their house. By 11AM, we were gameday ready!

For the Homecoming tailgate/game, I wore a black shift dress with a gold overlay from Francesca's, black suede booties, a few Lily & Laura bracelets and carried my Philip Lim for Target bag.

This outfit was super comfortable, and just dressy enough for a girl that loves to overdress like me!

Around 11:30, Katy's family picked us up for tailgate. Here are me, Katy and Kaitlyn in our Homecoming black and gold!

Talk about some good food! Katy's family thought of everything from burgers, to nugget trays, dessert and everything in between. This was my kind of tailgate, and I'm so thankful to them for having us!

After lunch, it was time to visit the sorority and fraternity tents at Duckpond. We made sure to take a picture of the Princess Family at tailgate! Though we're missing a few girls, it was still good to have all of us together again.

Katy's side of the Princess Fam!

After hanging out at Duckpond, we were ready to go into the game, even if if was for just a little while!

After the game, I headed to the nearby bars, to see even more familiar faces. I finished my Saturday night with a fun dinner with a friend from college. It was the perfect ending to a perfect weekend!

Now that I've finally mastered the art of Homecoming, I already can't wait until next year! There's always fun to be had and black and gold to be worn!

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A Guide to the Perfect Homecoming!

Now that I've experience my second Homecoming as an Appalachian alumna in all its glory, I wanted to put together my personal guide to the perfect homecoming weekend! I've experienced six different Homecoming weekends (four as a student + two as an alumna,) and I think I've finally got the routine down pat!

The Princess Family at tailgate this year!

1. Plan your outfits ahead of time!

If you're anything like me, there's nothing worse than being stuck in an outfit you don't feel comfortable wearing. I felt this even more as an alumna, knowing that most of the people that I'd be seeing, I only see once a year. To make sure the weekend was a success, I picked out my outfits for Friday (pre-homecoming festivities), gameday on Saturday, and Saturday evening way ahead of time. Sunday of that weekend should be left for recovery, so I knew that a sweatshirt and leggings would do the job.

This is the black romper I wore for going out with friends on Friday night. I bought this weeks ago, had it altered and made sure it was ironed and ready way before Homecoming.

This is my the black/gold dress that I wore on gameday. I bought three Homecoming dresses, yes three, but finally decided on this one! I wanted to make sure that I was wearing a dress that I loved, and had Melody written all over it!

2. Don't over-plan your activities!

My best friend Katy (a fellow Appalachian alum) and I had a general idea of what we wanted to do during the weekend, but we also knew that things would pop up that we hadn't originally planned. Keeping this in mind helped us to be a little more relaxed when things changed. If we wanted to arrive super early, or stay some where a little longer than expected, that was just fine with us.

Me, Ivey, and Katy getting ready for Friday's festivities!

3. Touch base and take photos!

Homecoming gives you the opportunity to see friends that you never thought you would. This is one of the main reasons that I love it so much!  Don't hesitate to touch base with people you haven't seen in a while, and snap a photo! I love looking back on how people have changed over the years.

Three generations of the Princess Family out on Friday night!

4. Go to the game!

I've been known to attend tailgate on gameday, and not even go to the game. It's not that I don't enjoy football, I just like the social aspect of it a little more! This year, I made a point to attend the game, even if it was for just a few quarters (we weren't doing so well), and I'm so glad I did. I got to see our awesome stadium looking Homecoming-ready and experience the excitement that is "Appalachian Football!"

5. Make plans for Saturday night!

Before this year, it never occurred to me to make plans on Saturday evening after the game. I had always assumed that homecoming-goers tailgated all day, went to the game that afternoon, and then stayed home to rest that evening. This was absolutely not the case. When I left the game this year, I headed to the nearby bars to see even more familiar faces, and later had dinner with a good friend from college. I would have gone out that night as well, but with no energy left, my bed was calling my name!

Everything went off without a hitch last weekend, and I couldn't have asked for a better Homecoming!

What are your to-do's for the perfect Homecoming?!

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Melody's Charleston Birthday: Part 2

The second day of our Charleston birthday adventure was spent shopping and enjoying the fabulous, King Street! I've been to Charleston two other times, but never had a chance to soak up King Street in all its glory! This was it!

Our first stop, and the only one that really mattered to me was Kate Spade! I was in heaven!

The store was gorgeous and just as fabulous as I had imagined! I'm fairly sure I could have stayed in there all day long!

At the Impeccable Pig, one of my other favorite stops, I picked up another Lily and Laura bracelet to go with the pair that Katy and Kaitlyn gave me for my birthday! These things are so addicting and I just love them!

Posing in front of this Princess sign was a must for these three Princess Family members!

As a gift for my birthday, Marcia & Don gave me tokens for 6 free cupcakes from Cupcake Down South on King Street. Talk about the perfect gift for a sweets lover like me! After shopping most of the morning and having lunch, we headed straight to Cupcake Down South to pick out our delicious cupcakes!

There were so many fun flavors to choose from!

We ended up with three "tuxedo" cupcakes (chocolate with white icing), one vanilla and one pumpkin! They all looked so good.

These beauties weren't something you could eat/enjoy standing up, so we walked to a nearby park just a few blocks away to sit down.

 

That night after getting back to the condo, it was time to get ready for my big birthday dinner! We brainstormed a few ideas, but decided to try a place called Bocci's Italian Restaurant. I've never been much for Italian food, but that night I was craving pasta and it didn't disappoint!

Here I am in my official 23rd birthday dress! My Mom and I fell in love with this dress in April, and knew it would be perfect!

I'm wearing the Lilly Pulitzer Lowe Dress in the Pop! print, a J.Crew inspired necklace, my Pop! bangle, two Lily and Laura bracelets and a Lilly Pulitzer clutch. This is my favorite birthday outfit by far!

Again, we made sure to take lots of pictures!

Alex and Me in our lovely Lilly!

 Right before going to dinner, the girls put a candle in one of my birthday cupcakes and sang Happy Birthday to me. I felt so so special!

 We arrived at the restaurant just in time for our reservation. The food (and my $9 glass of champagne) hit the spot!

 That night, we made our way to three different bars in downtown Charleston. My favorite was a rooftop bar called Stars!

I have always wanted to go on a destination birthday trip, and this year everything fell into place to make my dream a reality. I am so thankful for Katy, Kaitlyn, Danielle and Alex for making this trip so fabulous, and to Marcia, for giving us a beautiful/safe place to stay! I already can't wait for my next trip to beautiful Charleston. You can read Danielle's review of the birthday weekend here.

Being 23 never felt so good!

Just in case you missed it, here's Melody's Charleston Birthday: Part 1 

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