2011, you were good to me

Hey guys!!!!

I'm gonna do a post I've been waiting to do since I first got my blog!

I'm going to do the Top 11 moments for 2011. This year I waited for my entire life. The year I'd graduate. The year I'd go to college. The year I'd turn 18. It came and went, living up to my expectations in every way!

I wanted to highlight the best parts of this year, that I'll never forget, for y'all!

I also wanted to add in some regrets and hopes for the New Year--because there is always room for improvement and goals.

So let's get started! (BTW: You can click on all the pictures to see them bigger! I had to scale them smaller to fit the blog post)

A Spivey Christmas!

Hey Y'all!

I hope all you guys had an amazing Christmas or whatever holiday you celebrate!

I know my family and I had such an amazing time, and I wanted to share some awesome moments from our holidays.

New York: Day 3

Hey Y'all!!!! :)

I'm so excited because it's only 5 more days til Christmas!!! (Well technically 4, since I'm posting this at 1 am on December 21st)

Today was a really relaxing day again. I woke up at 8 and got ready. After my sister and Scott left for work, I went across the street to a Ukrainian restaurant called Veselka. I got a breakfast sandwich from there, and then got some coffee from Starbucks. I went back home to eat, after repeatedly pushing instead of pulling on my sister's entry door for 10 minutes, and watched some reality tv.

Afterwards, I climbed into bed, and began to read The Hunger Games! Everyone I know that has read this book, most notably my sister, has absolutely loved it and raved about it. I started reading it, and must admit it is pretty amazing. I'm so excited to finish it.

After talking on the phone to my old friend Allie, I took a nap because I wasn't feeling well. Afterwards, my sister got home and we went to dinner with Scott.

I wanted to include this screenshot, just because my sister and I have the immaturity of 5 year olds, and we died laughing at this:

ANYWAYS

 My favorite restaurant in East Village is The Smith. I love it because they always have amazing food, awesome service, white subway tiled walls, old timey pictures of flappers and other women and men lining the wall, dimlamp-post lighting, along with table candles, a front wall that slides open when the weather is nice, and tables ranging from two-people-to-a-table to huge booths. And when they give you the check, they attach a postcard with their restaurant name and a cute picture--which I always keep as souvenirs. Every time I've gone, it's never let me down.

Anyways, tonight wasn't any different and the food and service was amazing.

I had a Blood Orange Cranberry Spiced Cream Soda to drink:

And for my entree, I had Spaghetti & Meatballs:

I always have to include the lame pictures my sister and I take:

After dinner, we went to Momo Fuku's (Milk), which I've always heard my sister and Scott raving about because of their delicious pies, truffles, and cookies.

We always have to get dessert, mainly because Scott has the strongest sweet tooth I've ever encountered. Scott always gets something I think is really interesting:

CEREAL MILK. I tried his one time, and it seriously tastes exactly like the milk that's left in your cereal bowl when you're done with Cheerios or some other sweet cereal. It's actually reallyyyy good.

I just got a plain ol' chocolate cookie though. It was pretty good, not the most amazing cookie in the world.

I wanted to include some pretty pictures of the busy streets on the walk home:

Then we came home and played around on Morphthing.com which is always fun. You should check it out.

We watched some silly Youtube videos and now I'm laying in bed.

Tomorrow (or technically today haha) I'm trying to finish The Hunger Games, and maybe go out and get some supplies to make these Christmas cookies I found on Pinterest. If I do, I'll be sure to include it in my post tomorrow.

Lastly, I wanted to give a few shout outs.

Foremost: to Nicki Hodgins. I love you so much and you'll get through this cause you're so strong. I'm always gonna be here for you, so don't ever hesitate to text or call or come over :) meef

To Dree and Hailey, Happy Birthday pretty girls! I'm so lucky I met both of you through ADPi. You both always add something special to my day :) Have an amazing day.

Lastly: to Ches Edwards. You've become my best friend and one of the best parts of my day. I love our 3 hour phone calls, and one-eye covered FaceTimes, and how I can get choked up on the phone or how we can tell each other how we feel without judgment. I'm very grateful to have met you, and I can't wait to cheer for you January 3rd. When I get home, my creepy self will probably go straight to your house, since I know where it is and everything. You're too cool---I promise I'm not being sarcastic :)

Well I'm exhausted and about to head to sleep. I hope you all are filling your days with holiday music and getting even more pumped for Christmas. My parents are coming on Friday and I couldn't be more excited!

Love you all :)

-Alexa Dorian

New York: Day 2

Hey guys!

So my sister put me on a sleeping schedule since it's been so out of whack because of exams, but the thing is, I slept in until 3 today. I know, so lazyyyyyy.

As a result, I didn't do TONS today. I woke up and showered and painted my toe nails with that new nail polish I got yesterday.

When my sister got home, we wrapped a few presents, then I got dressed to go out to dinner.

Scott, sissy, and I went to Bodhi Tree, this little Thai restaurant down the street from her that I loved a few trips back when I came to visit her. THE FOOD WAS DELICIOUS, as always

My sister got Garlic Chicken, Crispy Calamari, and Chicken Wings

Scott got Chicken Pad Thai, Crispy Calamari, and Chicken Wings

And I got Thai Iced Tea (MY FAVORITE), Thai Fried Rice w/ Chicken, Vegetable Dumplings, and Chicken Satay on skewers. 

Thai Iced Tea

Vegetable Dumplings

Chicken Satay

Fried Rice

Here's some pictures of sissy and me being lame as always:

Then afterwards, we went to Sundaes and Cones, our favorite ice cream parlor.

I got Red Orange Sorbet

and my sister got Pistachio Almond, which is her favorite. I always thought it sounded disgusting, but I tried it tonight and it was sooo good. Sorry for not giving you enough cred, pistachio almond.

Now we are just sitting around about to watch a movie. Hopefully my day tomorrow will be wayyyy more productive!

Hope you all are enjoying your vacation and getting ready for Christmas or Hanukkah :)

- Alexa Dorian

New York: Day 1

Hey guys!!!

I hope you're all trying to keep warm like I am. I'm a bundled up in my sister's apartment! 

 I flew to New York this morning and I'll be here for another week, so I thought I'd do a little blog about what I do while I'm up here!

Btw, I'll keep you guys updated about how my exams went (let's hope well!!!)

So here's what happened today:

My sister, her boyfriend, Scott, and I, went to a restaurant called Standard Grill. My FAVORITE part about coming to New York is always the food. When I came up last Spring Break, we went to the top pizza and burger places.

Anyways, they told me that I had to try the donuts and roasted potatoes. I ordered the omelet with cheddar and onions, potatoes, and sourdough bread.

yum yum yum

then we finished off with their cinnamon sugar donuts! soooooo delicious

Then we stopped by a store called All Saints, which was toooooo cool for words. The layout of the store had an old-timey, industrial feel, and the store's displays were based around old machines.

Then we stopped by Sephora and I got the COOLEST glitter nail polish

This picture doesn't do it justice. It's the prettiest blue with bright purple glitter! I'm already wearing it.

Lastly, we came home because we were supposed to go to an event with my sister's best friend Ashley. Unfortunately, I was too tired from being up all night waiting for my flight, that I passed out on the couch after getting ready and we didn't go. 

My sister, however, found fun in taking random pictures of me while I was sleeping. Here's just a few:

She's such a weirdo.

Afterwards, we all sat on the couch, ordered delicious pizza, and watched SNL and New Girl! 

I'll keep you guys updated each day on what I do!

Hope you'll enjoy this

-Alexa Dorian

Sorry I've Been So MIA....

Hey guys!

Sorry I've been gone for so long. It's finals week and I'm laying in bed recovering from an all nighter. I just wanted to make this post to let y'all know some things going on in my life!!!

What I Think About Boys

This is for all my girls out there

This post will be dedicated to how I feel about relationships, and my knowledge about them, because this has been consuming my life lately--whether its my personal life, or me giving advice to all my friends.

Hello Again

Hey guys

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile! I've been busy spending time with family and being in food comas.

I hope you all had an amazing Thanksgiving/Thanksgiving break.

I LOVED being home with my mom and sister. This is an example of what we chose to do with our time together:

weirdos ... I know

But, now I'm back at school and have to buckle down for exams and final papers.

Not only am I stressed out about school, but I've been really upset/sad the past few days. I know I'm not alone in saying that there are some days/week where your self esteem is just shot and you always feel awful. Sometimes you just don't feel pretty or good enough. I know I'm always chipper and optimistic, but we all have our imperfections and sad days.

Well, this is mainly me just complaining and moaning, and setting goals to make myself feel better. But, hopefully, if you're ever down, whether at this moment in time or in the future, you can relate to this post and find this helpful.

Goals to Make Myself Feel Better

1. Work out: Working out always helps me because I'm able to take out my stress physically, it gives me a kind of endorphin high, and being in shape makes me feel better about myself. DON'T WORK OUT BY YOURSELF. Bring a friend, I promise you'll stick to working for a longer time if you have a friend there to push you. Take classes! My favorite thing to do is take a kickboxing class at UNC's student rec center.
2. Water: This kind of goes along with number 1, and I know it sounds like it wouldn't help that much, but drinking more water ALWAYS makes me feel better. Not only does cutting out the sweet tea and soda make you feel less sluggish, and give you more energy, but it improves your health. Also, if you tend to break out more when you're stressed, or that's why your self esteem is down, it'll for sure help clear up your skin more. Use this website to help you figure out how much water you SHOULD be drinking in a day.
3. Boys: A lot of times we put all our confidence in the guys we're dating and we are only happy if they're giving us attention. NO! Girl, you better remember that you are beautiful and fun and funny. Sometimes I lose sight of this, and I have to remind myself what my mom has always told me: only you can make yourself happy. You have to have confidence about how you look and carry yourself. Confidence is what guys find most attractive anyways. If a guy forgets how amazing you are, forget him.
4. School work: This is my biggest stressor. If you figure out time management and get school work done instead of putting it off, you'll have more time to relax instead of stress. THIS IS THE BIGGEST FACTOR I NEED TO CHANGE.
5. Focus on the goal: You have to keep in mind all the good things that are about to come. Use working out as motivation to have a good body in a couple months. Having a body that you're content with will raise your self esteem. When stress is too much, think about all the trips or vacations you'll have soon (in my case, Christmas Break with my family in New York)

Well, I hoped those helped. I'm really gonna try to keep all those in mind, because, as evidenced if you follow me on Twitter, I've not been very happy the past 3 days.

On a happier note, the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show is tonight! WOOOOOO so excited :)

Start studying hard for exams, and remember those are the LAST things you ever have to do for that class. I believe in you.

Also, shout out to Ann for the amazing advice she gave me last night, Skyler for an awesome/hilarious lunch, and John for inviting me to go with him to the UNC vs Wisconsin game on Wednesday!

Love you guys,

-Alexa Dorian

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

Hey guys :)

So, I've obviously done a little rearranging with my blog--I get in the Christmas mood really early. But, at least I waited to change it until the week of Thanksgiving!

I'm home for Thanksgiving Break and I couldn't be happier.

I wanted to create a little post for all y'all out there that are looking for perfect gifts this holiday season--whether you're planning in advance, or rushing to find one at the last minute.

Many of the titles or name of the website are hyperlinked so you can just click on the word and it'll take you directly to the website. Hopefully these ideas will be helpful :) snuggle up with your peppermint latte or hot chocolate and enjoy!

Clothes

I don't know about y'all, but the biggest things on my wish list this year are clothes and shoes. I used to be all about cliche brands that everyone wore (ex: American Eagle, Hollister, etc.---I know we all went through this phase, don't even lie), but now, I love finding unique boutiques and less popular stores when searching for new outfits.

Some of my favorite sites include:

Vestique

This site has the CUTEST clothes for extremely reasonable prices. I found this website through Julie because she noted its great game day section--which I agree is fantastic (even for those UNC girls that can never find clothes in Carolina blue). The jewelry section has adorable statement pieces that will make any outfit amazing.

LuLu's

This has been my holy grail site for a couple years now and it never lets me down. It seems to always find the cutest dresses to add to its collection. Besides the amazing quality of the clothes, its reasonable prices continuously keep me coming back for more. This site has provided many cocktail/birthday outfits for me.

ModCloth

If your person really loves eccentric and unique pieces, this site is definitely for them. This site has dated and out-there clothing, but that's what I love most about it.

For the Sorostitute in All of Us

Everyone knows there are 3 main things sorority girls love:

1) Sorority Brands

We are devoted to Lilly Pulitzer, Ralph Lauren, Vineyard Vines, J. Crew, and plenty more. If the person you're getting this gift for is all about her sorority, it's most likely that she'd absolutely flip over a gift from any one of these companies. Visit any of their websites or ebay (since they are sorta pricy) to find cute gifts.

2) Monograms, monograms, and more monograms

For some reason we are absolutely obsessed over our 3 initials on every freaking thing we own: shirts, hats, towels, rings, bags, necklaces, etc. I promise, this choice in gift would never turn out to be a failure. Some sites for monogramming paradise include Mrs. Monogram and The Pink Monogram

This year, Ann and I are actually getting each other monogrammed rings (pictured below) to replace our nasty, worn out friendship bracelets :) toooooo cute

3) Reppin' that sisterhood

Lastly, we love anything and everything that says our sorority on it. Seriously, we can't get enough of it--we like to wear our sorority proudly. Go into a sorority sister's room and it's filled with boards, wall decorations, shot glasses, tumblers, and picture frames, all decorated with their greek letters. A website that I find a lot of good ADPi accessories at is All That Jas. As picture above to the right, Lilly Pulitzer also has a lot of unique prints for different sororities.

My Treat

Groupon

Using this website, you can get HUGE discounts on haircuts, shopping, hotels, etc. Many, if not all, items have an option for making it a gift. Maybe give your girlfriend or mom a day at the spa for half the regular price.

If All Else Fails...

One thing I love doing is listening to stores or restaurants people love, and them getting them gift cards there. Now don't be a cheapo and put like $5.00 on there. Provide them with a reasonable amount of money to spend, and this way, they can get themselves a nice purchase and you don't have to worry about picking out something they don't like.

Yummy

A present that seems to never get old is the gift of baked goods. Cookies are delicious and comforting and show that you put time and love into making the person's present. I have spent time figuring out what cookies I want to make this year, and this one is top on my list:

Pudding Cookies

They look delicious!!!!

BE UNIQUE!!!

There are so many good ideas I just want to share with y'all! Give this person the least cliche gift you can--the more personal and meaningful it is, the better. Create a book on Shutterfly for them with tons of pictures of you two and include all the reasons you love them! Order them a custom made palette or a pre-made 88 palette from Coastal Scents. As a make up lover, I don't know what I would do without my Coastal Scents 88 Warm Palette!!! Make them a CD of your favorite songs, make your own card, decorate a wine glass, etc. A unique idea that I've always loved is decorating a small box, and then neatly taking decorated sheets of papers, writing fun activities on them (ice skating in Rockefeller Center, sit down all day and watch full episodes of SNL on Hulu, etc.), and give it to the person, telling them all the activities are redeemable at any time. 

Where mah boyzzz at?!?

I decided to throw in a few little ideas for the annoying, I mean amazing boys in our lives ;)

Fratdaddies

Similar to the sorority section above, frat boys will always be happy with a new shirt from Vineyard Vines, a koozie, new croakies, or an awesome shot glass to add to their collection. Additionally, you can never go wrong with a tie/bow tie.

Sports/War

Get them tickets to see a sports team they like (most likely UNC Basketball) or buy them that new video game they've been wanting (most likely COD:MW3). They'll be kissing your feet for weeks.

Belts

Lastly, one of my sorority sisters sells these awesome needlepoint belts! They are extremely unique and well made for the price. Her website is: here and this is the Facebook page for it: here. Please support her and check out her selection.

I hope this post helped all of you find ideas for special gifts this holiday season.

Everyone get excited for Thanksgiving and make sure to be grateful for all the food you're about to inhale. 

More blog posts coming very soon!!!

Love,

-Alexa Dorian