I Joined a Gym!

For those of you that follow me on Twitter, you may have seen that last Sunday afternoon, I decided to join a nearby gym. My first gym membership ever! 

Don't get me a wrong, I was a member of the YMCA in high school, where my friends and I went to hang out and get on the elliptical, but it was only for a short time and my parents paid for it.

 Then there's my membership to the gyms on campus. As a staff member, one of our perks is to have access to the on-campus gyms for super cheap, I'm talking $4/month! Sounds fab right? The only downfall is that the gyms function on a student schedule, so when students aren't here, and work is slow (i.e. Melody is going out of her mind with boredom,) these facilities are closed... thus completely defeating the purpose of paying $50/year to go! 

This past Saturday, I felt like the only person in town. I couldn't find the motivation to do anything, and even when I did have the desire to get to the gym and run, I couldn't because they're closed until January 13th! With a half-marathon less than 7 weeks away, and the Boone temps not getting any warmer, this was so frustrating! I decided right then and there that I was going to do something about it.

I started researching, something I always do before making a big decision, and the Wellness Center in town was the first place that came to mind! My friend Danielle had recently joined, and I had only heard great things. The Wellness Center works alongside the Boone hospital, with all types of physical therapy accommodations, but also functions as a gym for those that want to join. I like it because it's super nice, clean and I don't have to fight the masses of Appalachian to take a class, or get on a treadmill. Plus, deciding to join here, along with so many other permanent Boone residents gives me more stability. I feel like I'm actually putting down roots in a place that I'll be living at least for the next year and a half.

On Sunday afternoon, I marched in (having never been inside before,) and asked for a tour. They obliged, and guided myself and another lady around the building. She didn't have much to say, but I asked enough questions for the both of us. I wanted to know exactly why paying $52/month (the membership to join as one) was worth it! I love that they open at 5:30AM, are a quick two-minute drive from my apartment and offer a ton of classes! By the end, I was feeling super confident, and after finding out that setting up a direct draft from my bank account each month wiped the $60 joining fee, they were talking my language!

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I officially belong to a gym! Yeee!

I even got up yesterday, on the first day of my new job at ASU, and made it to the gym by 6:10AM. I couldn't believe that there was already a whole parking lot full of people there! It felt so good to leave at 7, knowing that my workout for the day was already done. 

Though I didn't get out this morning, with temperatures well into the negative, Danielle and I are going this evening to workout and maybe even take a class! No one else is going to get me ready for my impending half-marathon, or bikini season but me!…and just in case you're interested, here are my workouts from yesterday morning, along with a 1.5 mile run!

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Have you been upping your fitness in the new year? 

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The End of an Era!

It's unreal how quickly today came and went!
Today was my last day in my first real job.

I remember my first day in the Registrar's Office. I got up super early knowing that my outfit choice that morning was especially important. It was a fairly chilly November day, and I arrived in the parking lot of my new office around 7:40AM. Little did I know, most people don't come in until right at 8:00, so instead of being greeted with the smiling faces of new co-workers, it was a locked door and office suites with the lights still off from the night before that met me…definitely a snap back to reality! I can also remember attending my first staff meeting, getting my first glowing customer service review and receiving my first set of business cards. Though at the time these things seemed so trivial, these are the moments and the memories, that made this job what it was, amazing.

It's also these experiences that make leaving this office so hard, but as of this coming Monday, I'll be taking on a whole new adventure! I'm packing up my things and moving across the street to the Chancellor's Office to work as an Executive Assistant. As many of you know, my passion lies in events, and doing anything from weddings to commencement ceremonies is right up my alley. In this new position, I'll be working hands on with the events that the Chancellor's Office hosts and is involved in on a daily basis, as well as an assortment of other things! I am so so excited! With a new job comes new people, places, and all types of things to learn, so I absolutely can't wait!

I've even been working on my new desk!

In honor of my move, my sweet co-workers put together a little party this afternoon. I am so thankful for these amazing friendships!

 Beautiful flowers from the office!

 

 

With all this in mind, though I'm only going across the street, it seems as though it's the end of an era! The end of my very first "big girl" job, and the start of something completely new! Cheers to 2014 and this amazing adventure!

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A Fabulous New Year's Eve!

As I sit here writing my first post of 2014, I can hardly believe that 2013 has come and gone! It feels like just yesterday I was moving back to Boone, starting my career at Appalachian and training for my first 5K race.

Now, one year later, so much has changed! I just accepted a new job at ASU, I'm settled in (and getting ready to re-decorate) my not-so-new apartment and I'm training for my SECOND half-marathon! To be completely honest, I think 2013 may have been my best year yet! I can't wait to see what 2014 has in store!

In order to properly say goodbye to 2013 and ring in the new year in style, my friend Danielle and I had quite the time celebrating last night! Of course, it wouldn't be worth writing about without a fabulous dress, and you better believe I had one of those! The dress that I chose to wear is probably my favorite dress of ALL TIME, coming in just ahead of my birthday dress from this year. It was amazing!!!

I picked up this little piece of Heaven at H&M in Times Square during my trip to New York City. Believe me, if I could jet off to New York before every big event, I absolutely would! H&M in NYC is a completely different caliber than the stores we have here, and I could totally get used to that kind of shopping.

After an array of possibilities of where I wanted to celebrate this year, I ended up in Boone for yet another New Year's Eve. I was here last year as well, and had the most wonderful time! Danielle and I made reservations at a restaurant nearby, and had a fabulous time enjoying good food and yummy dessert! She chose key lime pie, while I had to try the cookies and cream cheesecake.

After dinner, we made our way back to my apartment to finish up getting ready and snap a few photos. We had way too much fun posing around my apartment and toasting with pink champagne! I paired my over the top pink dress with gold Lilly Pulitzer Resort Chic heels, a NYE feather headband and Kate Spade pearl bow earrings.

I'm a tad obsessed with this candid photo that Danielle got of me getting ready last night!

Danielle wore a strapless dress with a black sequin top and red bodice, paired with black beaded sandals and black statement earrings. So sassy!

Around 10:45, we made our way to a bar in Boone called Char, to start the countdown to midnight. We even ran into a few familiar faces! It was so much fun! Cheers to another successful New Year's Eve in Boone!

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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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My Registrar's Office Birthday!

In the Registrar's Office, we love to celebrate birthdays.

We buy balloons, decorate desks, and make all kinds of fun dishes for the person we're celebrating. Since I came to our office last November, this was my first birthday in our office, and I was over the top excited for it to come. Little did I know, the fabulous people I work with would go above and beyond, to help me celebrate. I seriously cannot thank them enough!

On Thursday morning, I walked in the door (running a little bit late to work that day,) and was greeted by colored puff balls and pipe cleaner arrows guiding the way to my desk! If that wasn't enough, streamers and tinsel in pink and gold (my two favorite colors) were hanging from the ceiling, wall, and lining the front of my desk!

This had Melody written all over it!

I wish my desk could be this festive all year long.!

My supervisor was out of the office on the day we celebrated, but had flowers delivered to me for the occasion. I love flowers, so these were the perfect surprise!

While my co-workers were busy getting the birthday refreshments ready to go, I sat in awe of my desk. They made me feel so special. When it was time to eat, I walked next door and was immediately greeted by a beautiful banner hanging on the wall, also in my two favorite colors. It was so pretty, I couldn't believe that one of my co-workers made it herself! Thanks, Frances!

We always have refreshments, but my goodness what a spread! We enjoyed homemade biscuits, chocolate chip pound cake, (Yum!) breakfast casserole, pink rice crispies treats, marshmallow brownies and chips and dip. I was about to pop by the time we were finished!


This group left no detail undone! The cups we used were cute little mason jars with pink bows and yellow straws.

Seeing everything my co-workers had done for me on my special day made me appreciate them even more. I am so lucky to work in such a caring office.The celebrating didn't stop at breakfast! At 11:30, we headed off to our reservation at Vidalia, one of my favorite restaurants in Boone.

I am obsessed with their chicken and waffles, so I had to have it for my birthday!

Needless to say, that afternoon, I could hardly move from being so full. Thank you to everyone in my office that helped me celebrate my birthday. I am so appreciative for each and every one of you.

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