Worst Dates Ever!

It's day two of The Fabulous Valentine's Challenge with Neely, Amber, & Casey!

Today's topic: Worst Date Ever

If you have a horrible date story, I want to hear it!

I've been blessed in my lifetime to only have a few bad dates, thank goodness! What better way to cherish those "sweet" memories, than to share them with you! If we all stick together, I guess it's not so bad after all:)

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Scenario 1:

I had been on one or two dates with a guy in a high school and everything had gone fine, that was until he decided to come visit me at my house, where he proceeded to try and attack my face. I won't say he was trying to kiss me, because it wasn't that at all, whatever he had going on looked like some type of animal after its prey. After he left that night, I couldn't bare to call him back. I was way too embarrassed for him.

Scenario 2:

One of my first boyfriends in high school lasted for a little over 2 months. (serious, right?!) I was excited when he invited me to ride with his mom to a sporting event that he was involved in. My birthday was coming up, and I guess he had mentioned it to her because she asked me how I was planning to celebrate. Her son was 16 going on 17 and I was 14 turning 15. So when she said, "You're going to be 17 this year, right?" I was stunned. When I told her I was only 14 at the time, she looked at me like I was crazy. Maybe he hadn't shared with her just how young I was.

Scenario 3:

I was home visiting my family on Christmas break, when a guy from my hometown asked me out, via text message might I add. We decided to go to dinner and a movie, so he came to pick me up at home. He arrived in this super nice, brand new car, no problem right? Not until he decided not to speak the ENTIRE date, and I was left trying to comment on the car and all its cool features. I know nothing about cars, so I'm sure I sounded like an idiot. He seriously maybe said 5 words the whole time!

Scenario 4:

One of my first years in college, I went out to eat with a guy that I had met randomly. He was very nice, paid for my meal, opened the door, etc. What got me was at dinner, he decided that instead of us getting to know each other and having a normal conversation, he would give me a history lesson. I kid you not, by the end of the date, I know more about wars, important people, etc than I had learned in History class. Really?

I'm sure all of these people were truly nice guys, we obviously just weren't a match. Heck, I wouldn't know what a great date was if I'd never had a few bad ones!

A Fabulous First Date!

After a super busy weekend, I'm excited to be linking up with Neely, Amber, & Casey for the Fabulous Valentines Challenge!

Today's topic: Best Date Ever

Have a fabulous date story? Link-up!

Even though I feel like we've had so many awesome dates, I am absolutely in love with my and Jake's first date story! (I apologize in advance for the length)

Our official first date was February 2nd, 2011. Almost exactly one year ago! As I mentioned in this post, Jake and I had met just a few days earlier at a fraternity function, and I was beyond excited when he asked me out to dinner. 

I was nervous all day long! That excited, anxious feeling, when you have no idea how things are going to go or what to expect! Jake told me he'd be at my apartment around 7 that night to pick me up, so I started getting ready at 5pm. I couldn't decide on an outfit, so I took pictures of my choices and sent them to a few girlfriends for some extra opinions! Once I was ready, I paced from my room to the kitchen 15 times, just to keep myself busy! Oh, first date jitters!

My outfit looked a lot like this:

I thought that it was stylish and fit the movie/dinner date well!

When I heard a knock on my door, I jumped! My roommates weren't home at the time, so we couldn't pull one of those "Melody's getting ready, but she'll be right out!" kinda things. I checked my hair one last time and went to the door to greet Jake. He looked amazing in a red Patagonia pullover and jeans.

I was too nervous to pick where we should eat, so together, we decided on Chili's, which was new to our town at the time. I had a soup and salad and Jake got my all-time favorite, the chicken crispers. He paid for my dinner and then we went to get ice cream from TCBY. Sweets are my weakness, so I was in heaven at this point. Dinner & ice cream? Count me in!

We then made our way over to Blockbuster to pick out a movie to watch. After looking for 20 minutes, we finally decided on Leap Year with Amy Adams. It was a cute, romantic comedy, and a good choice for the night.

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Jake drove me home after the movie and came in to to meet my roommates. After chatting with them, we talked about how much fun the night was, said we'd talk the next day and he left. Jake wasn't gone a minute before I realized that I hadn't said thank-you for everything he had done for me that night! I opened the door and yelled for him to come back, making sure he knew I appreciated everything. He met me where I was standing with the door open and said "Can I kiss you goodnight?" and my response was something to the effect of yes, because it happened, right there. Swoon.

This was one of the best dates I've ever had, but not because of anything extravagant. I loved this date because of the person it was with, the conversations, the feelings.

It was perfect.

Even though I know every detail of that story, I love hearing it and I ask Jake to re-tell it to me all the time. Except now, he lets me know what he was thinking the whole time!

I'm telling you, he's amazing.

Getting Organized-In Color!

If you had told me 6 months ago that I'd be writing inside my planner in pen and arranging my everyday activities by color, I would have told you that you were crazy! I have always kept my entire life in my planner, knowing that if I lost it, the person that found it would know about me in every aspect!

Be clean.
Be uniform
Be written in pencil.

These were my planner guidelines until this past December, when I received my first collection of Stabilo pens!

This is the Stabilo 88 Point Roll Up Set

It comes with 25 different pens for $18.99.

That's right, I had never heard of these cuties, until a few months ago & I've fallen in love with them!

I've been using the pens inside my planner for exactly one month now and I like the results enough to recommend them to you! I came up with a color coding system, that way, I can tell what type of event it is and its importance.

Green=School related task

Orange=Jake

Red=Alpha Phi

Blue=General Info.

Pink=Birthdays
Purple=Work-related things

Aqua (maybe the most important)= Blog things!

If you don't have this type of pen or a comparable brand, you should definitely look into them! I feel like I was the last person to find out about Stabilo pens! They even sell them in our campus bookstore and I had no idea!

My planner went from drab to fab!
Before:

After:

Still questioning using them in your planner??
 They're also perfect for writing letters and matching the pen to your stationary! I try to match the pen color with the hues in the card.

Do you use Stabilo pens or another brand like it? Where do you like to use them?

A Facelift & Top 5 Tuesday!

Hi Everyone & Happy Tuesday!
If you're thinking that my page looks a little different than the last time you viewed it, you're right! The past couple of weeks I've been looking at all types of new blog designs and yesterday, I finally took the plunge. When I first started blogging, I new absolutely nothing about it, so I found a blog design that I liked and stuck with it. Now that I'm finally getting the hang of things, I decided that I needed something a little more personal, a little more Melody! I hope you love the new look around here:) I've still got some things in the works!
Grab my new button & tell me what you think!

Today, I'm linking up with Rachel over at Just Peachy for Top 5 Tuesday!

This Tuesday's topic: Recipes!

I'm going to be honest with you all and let you know that I DO NOT cook. There, I said it. It's not that I don't want to, just that I'm putting it off for a while. On another note, I do LOVE to eat. Even though I'm not whipping up these dishes myself, I thought I'd make this post a little unique and tell you my favorite dishes in each of the categories, as well as where to get them!

Favorite Appetizer

Lettuce Wraps from P.F Chang's

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I had this amazing dish for the first time this past summer and fell in love. I honestly crave these things. Have any of you had them? I know they have to be one of their most popular dishes. No sauce added and hold the water chestnuts...total perfection.

Favorite Side Dish

Loaded Baked Potato Soup from Chili's

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I'm not sure if this counts as a side dish, but I love a little cup of soup with my meal. I discovered this particular soup from Chili's in August of last year. I've also tried their Chicken Tortilla Soup and it was great. If you haven't tried this favorite of mine, you definitely need to! A small bowl cost just under $4 and you can mix it with a side salad and a drink for about $10.

Yummy!

Favorite Main Dish

Grilled Atlantic Salmon from Outback Steakhouse

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I love seafood and salmon is one of my favorites. I like the flavor and I think the price is very reasonable for what you get. I've tried salmon at a variety of different restaurants that aren't necessarily "seafood restaurants," and Outback takes the cake. 

Favorite Dessert

Assorted cheesecakes from Our Daily Bread

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If you ever have the pleasure of traveling to Boone, North Carolina, Our Daily Bread is a restaurant that you need to try, especially if you like an variety of homemade desserts, all served in large portions. When President Obama passed through Boone a few months ago, he even made time to stop at this cute little spot. I've been to this restaurant on multiple occasions and they have some of the best cheesecake I've ever had. Think strawberry, chocolate, Oreo. Ah-mazing!

Favorite Drink

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There is nothing that I love more than an ice-cold fountain Coke from McDonalds. This is my and Jake's guilty pleasure!

What are your Top 5 Tuesday Recipes/Dishes? What do you think of mine?

I have to admit, I'm hungry just thinking about them!

I Can't Believe It's Been A Year!

One year ago today, I met my best friend. I met someone that I've fallen in love with, someone that makes me want to be a better person & teaches me something new about myself every day.

One year ago today, I met my boyfriend, Jake.

I love hearing about how people found their significant other, how they seemed to just fall right into their lap, when the timing was perfect and they least expected it. That's exactly what happened to me a year ago.

Our Story:

Jake and I met through a mutual friend, Jake's best friend, Connor. Connor & I had known each other for a while and last January, he invited me to a date function that their fraternity was having on Saturday, January 22nd. I thought it sounded like a great time, so Connor and I were dates and went as friends.

I had the absolute best time hanging out with everyone before the function and getting to know Connor's friends and their dates. A few girls in my sorority were invited as well, so we all got to go to the function together!

Upon walking in the door at the function, Connor scattered off somewhere and I was left with the girls. I didn't mind at all because so many of my friends were there! I remember seeing Jake from across the room, off by himself, just kind of watching everyone. This was one of his first functions after being elected President and he was in charge of keeping everyone in line. I'm not sure what got into me that night, but I bravely walked right over to him and introduced myself, I mean shook his hand and everything! I like to be official I guess. Apparently, that's all it took;)

Later in the night, one of my close friends was ready to go home and instead of having to wait in line for beeper, Jake offered to take a few of us home. He went out of his way to help someone and that really stood out to me. Before we got out of the car, I gave Jake a dollar for getting us home safely, just to say thank you. He tried to give it back, but I insisted. He later told me he kept that dollar in his car for a week, in case he saw me and could return it. That was until he spent it on a Coke or something. We are seriously the same person. Jake and I hungout for the first time 5 days later at a Famous Couples Grab-a-Date.

I've never seen a better looking Barbie & Ken!

A Hair Change!

That's why her hair is so big. It's full of secrets.

-Mean Girls

I couldn't resist throwing in one of my all-time favorite quotes in this post about hair! 

I wanted to share with you all some new hair products that I decided to try! When I find a type of shampoo and conditioner that I like, I stick with it for a while. Some I have even used for years, or until I get tired of it and think my hair either needs a break or a change. With that said, a few weeks ago, I was running out of my current Shampoo/Conditioner. I had been using a brand called Wella, that's sold in the salon I go to. I was using the yellow set and liked it, but it just wasn't doing anything amazing for my hair.

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I decided that it was finally time to try something different and consulted a few blog friends that always seem to have beautiful hair. Genn at Life In The Hass House and Emily of Life of Emily, along with a few friends gave me some great advice. After checking out their different suggestions, I decided on a product that was relatively in the same price range as the Wella I was using before.

Meet: Redken Body Full! 

I purchased these two in this size for just under $30.

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I like how shiny and soft they make my hair and they both smell great. Though the name has "body" in it, personally I don't see that big of a difference. My hair seems to have the same amount of fullness before and after using Body Full.

In hopes of having a complete hair styling makeover, I purchased a new hair dryer as well. I've had the same one for years now and it just wasn't cutting it. 

Say Hello to the CONAIR Ionic Turbo Styler! 

I'm not one to invest a lot of money in a hair dryer, so I picked out this one at Walmart for about $16. I've only used it twice so far, but it's head & shoulders above the little thing I was relying on before.

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Do you use any of these products? Like/dislike them?

P.S- Make sure to check out the amazing Marley Lilly giveaway that Katie's doing over at His Diamond and Mine!

11 Things From Me to You!

A few days ago, I was tagged by Hillary at Happily Ever Healthy & Kelly at Classy In Carolina to do an "11 Things About Me" post.

Since so many bloggers have done this, I’m going to make these 11 quick things that I love! I know these posts tend to get a little lengthy.

1-    I love fishing.

2- I love Lilly.

3- I love the movie Mean Girls.

4- I love traveling.

5- I love coke.

6- I love my school.

7- I love chapstick.

8- I love chocolate.

9- I love this boy.

10- I love The Bachelor.

11- I love my families.

And the 11 questions they asked me to answer!

From Hillary:

1-What is one thing you cannot start your morning without? Chapstick

2- What was the most memorable moment of 2011? Meeting my wonderful boyfriend

3- What is one goal you have for 2012? To graduate

4- If you could live anywhere in the World where would you live? Charleston, SC

5- What is your favorite childhood book? I always loved The Rainbow Fish.

6- What made you start blogging? I'd wanted to for a few years, I just finally worked up the courage.

7- Who are your style icons? Elle Woods, Kate Middleton

8- What is 3 things you never leave the house without? My phone, purse, chapstick.

9- What is your favorite food? Chocolate!

10- What is something you have always wanted to do? Hmm...

11- What is your dream job? I would love to work for an amazing wedding planning company.

From Kelly:

1. What is your favorite accessory to shop for? Purses!

2. What is one city (other than the one you currently live in) where you would love to live? Above

3. What is your all-time favorite book? Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

4. If you could have an unlimited supply of ONE brand of clothes, which brand would you choose? Lilly Pulitzer

5. Most days, do you dress for comfort or style? A little of both

6. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your live, what would you choose? No clue! I love too many things!

7. What is your favorite season, and why? Spring, I love the colors, flowers and clothes.

8. What is your least favorite chore? I hate hanging up clothes.

9. What is your favorite color to wear? Pink

10. Do you like to try new things often, or prefer to stick to what you know and love? I love new things.

11. What is one of your happiest memories? I can remember going to pick out my first pet when I was younger, a Border Collie named Katie and how wonderful she was. She isn't with us anymore, but I miss her so much.

If you're still there thanks for reading! If you haven't been tagged yet, feel free to answer the same questions I did and tell us a little about you!

My Last First Day of School!

I was reading all types of post like this last week because that's when 95% of college students went back to school from Christmas break. The few of us that were left, like me, have our first day of classes today. It's hard to say how I feel going back. I'm excited because I love school and have come so far, but also sad because this is it. My last time having a first day of school, my last time being nervous about classes or having to memorize my schedule. After this semester, so many things will change and I know only great things are to come.

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Yesterday was my last day to really relax, so I had a "Me Day."

I did whatever I wanted to, which meant staying in my jammies all day long, reading, sleeping and watching TLC! It was so wonderful! I also started working on a Valentine's Day craft for Jake! Since he reads this I can't say what it is, but I'll do a whole post on that later on!

This morning, I had my first class at 8AM! How a second semester senior is unlucky enough to have an 8AM class, I will never know. Pray for me! I am such a night owl, I just knew getting up this morning to my alarm at 6:40, was not going to feel pleasant. The truth is, it actually wasn't that bad! I showered last night in an effort to sleep a little longer and had most of my things laid out. This may change throughout the semester though as classes get harder, but I was pretty proud of myself.

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Another strange thing happened this morning and it started when I felt the need to look up the group fitness schedule at school. I even looked at which ones would fit in with my classes on certain days.

Who am I and where has Melody gone?!

At least that's how I felt! After class, I drove home, fixed myself a bagel and put gym clothes on. THIS NEVER HAPPENS. I hate going to the gym and exercising, but something just got into me this morning. I started with 20 minutes of cardio on the elliptical, then did 25 reps on all the machines. I kind of sound like I know what I'm talking about right? 

What else do I have planned for this marvelous day?

Boone just got a Starbucks like a week ago! I'm not sure how I've gone 3.5 years without it! It opened inside of a brand new hotel and I'm dying to try it out. I fell in love with Starbucks during the holidays for their Pumpkin Spice Lattes and Peppermint Mochas, so I have no clue what I'll be having today!

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Hopefully whatever I decide on will get me through my last two classes of the day, Principles of Marketing and Public Relations Principles. I'll finish off my classes at 4:45 this afternoon. I also have something to look forward to tonight!

Dance Moms

My second favorite show:)

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Here's to a great last first day!

Did yall hear what she just said?!

I'm so excited for yall to see my second-ever VLOG! 

I watched an accent vlog that Alana did at Life & Times of the Intelligent Blonde, and I just knew I had to do it! I loved being able to hear how she said different words, so I hope you enjoy mine as well!

The instructions are to say these words:

Aunt, Route, Wash, Oil, Theater, Iron, Salmon, Caramel, Fire, Water, Sure, Data, Ruin, Crayon, Toilet, New Orleans, Pecan, Both, Again, Probably, Spitting image, Alabama, Lawyer, Coupon, Mayonnaise, Syrup, Pajamas, Caught

And answer these questions:

What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house?

What is the bug that when you touch it, it curls into a ball?

What is the bubbly carbonated drink called?

What do you call gym shoes?

What do you say to address a group of people?

What do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs?

What do you call your grandparents?

What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket?

What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?

Along with my little vlog, I have so much that I need to update you all on!

1. My date on Thursday was amazing! Jake & I had the absolute best time:) Lunch at P.F Chang's, saw the new Mission Impossible movie, shopped, visited with his family and ate dinner at a nice pizza place close to his house. It was the perfect visit and I hated to leave!

Thanks so much for everyone that gave me outfit advice! The clothes I decided to wear looked a lot like this:

The leggings were super comfy and the scarf was just enough to keep me warm! Keep in mind, my shirt was a little longer than the one in the picture. I loved mixing the blacks and browns!

2. I finally placed my order from Swell Caroline! I decided on the popular monogram earrings! I picked a gold pair with a black background and white writing. I can't wait to wear them!

Thanks, Samantha!

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3. I added the first bit of this year's signature color, tangerine tango to my wardrobe, with the help of a Christmas present from my Mom's sweet friend. Check out this beauty! 

Thanks so much, Kathy!

4. I finally found the first Harry Potter book in hardback, used! The best part...it only cost me $6.00! After looking for weeks I stumbled upon it tonight at Edward McKay. Go me!

I hope you all enjoyed my vlog and have the most amazing Sunday! I'm spending my day at church and then finally heading back to school from break!

The Perfect "Day Date" Apparel

As I was getting ready early this morning, I couldn't help but think about what yall would choose to wear on a "Day Date" like I'm going on today! I call it that because, I'll literally be there all day. No change of outfit, no getting ready & he comes to pick me up. I'm driving a few hours to get there (so I'll be spending a good amount of time in the car), then I'll be visiting with everyone and doing undecided activities (who knows where we'll end up) and later tomorrow night I'll be driving those same hours back home.

So...

What's a girl to wear?!

Who better to ask than my blog friends who seem to know every detail about fashion and beauty?! When you're going on a date similar to mine, what's your go-to outfit?

Do you instantly grab that casual dress and boots?

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Are you more of a cute blouse and jeans kinda girl?

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Maybe you would pick a scarf or sweater?

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What's your perfect date apparel?

Since I'm getting ready to leave now, I'll have to let you know what I decided on tomorrow, but hopefully it will be a perfect fit for WHATEVER we decide to do! 

& what better time to mention...

If you're interested in hearing from me more often than once a day (crazy thought right), check me out on Twitter:)

@melodycaroline

What I Love Wednesday!

Today, I'm linking up with Jamie @ This Kind of Love for What I Love Wednesday!

There's something about January that makes me feel a little down. I don't know if it's the waiting for so many things, i.e. school to start back or spring and summer to come, but things can get a little dreary. The What I Love Wednesday link-up serves as a great tool to remind you of the things that are going well in your life, along things that you should be thankful for this week and every week!

1. I'm loving that I get to visit Jake tomorrow! In the morning, I'll be traveling to Jake's house to spend the day with him:) We're not sure what we're going to do, so it should be fun trying to decide! 14 days without him is way too long!

2. I'm loving that I've been exercising! Woohoo! For me, this is huge because I hate working out! I mean, don't enjoy it AT ALL. I've been doing Insanity, the P90X ab workout and some workouts that I found on Pinterest. The way I see it, anything is better than nothing. GO ME!

3. I'm loving the new Pantone color of the year: Tangerine Tango

Believe me, I am not an orange fan. I don't even think I own an orange piece of clothing, but I've found that when you use this color in small doses with with other less extravagant ones, I actually really like it. (Plus, it makes me feel like summer is a little closer!) I found a necklace while shopping the other day that used the Tangerine Tango, along with some other muted colors. So pretty! I can't wait to go back and buy it! 

Will you be incorporating this color into your wardrobe? 

3. I'm loving that I'm finally going to spend my Swell Caroline $30 credit from Gilt City that my brother's girlfriend, Samantha got for me for Christmas! What will I get? I have no clue yet, but I'll let you know!

4. I'm loving that my family is thinking about visiting the Harry Potter Theme Park while we're in Florida going to Disney World. It's not for sure by any means, but we are doing some research!

Have any of you ever been? It looks so cool!

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I guess I better get a jump start on my goal for this year of owning/reading all the HP books!

What are you loving this Wednesday?