These are a few of my favorite things...

Hey everyone!

I was inspired by my sister to make a list of things that are making me happy right now! She has a blog also, which gives great advice and will definitely make you laugh. Click here to be redirected to her blog!

So here they are:

College Knowledge

Hey y'all!

I hope you're all getting pumped for Halloween tomorrow! If you're not a native of North Carolina, google "Franklin Street Halloween" to see what I'm in for tomorrow!

I'm being a baseball player! What are you all being?

I had such an amazing weekend will all my ADPi sisters, my best friends, and most importantly my family--since it was Parents' Weekend! I hope you all did as well!

Here's my college knowledge for this week:

School: 

1. Major decisions: I figured out my major this week! So exciting. Go talk to your advisor as soon as you can. It's not scary and she/he can help you so much planning out classes and taking a lot of stress off.

2. UNC: I honestly go to the most amazing school. Make sure you go to a school that you're 100% happy at. You only live once.

College:

1. Benjy: He is the coolest p2p driver ever. He'll be missed! Genuinely lucky that we got to become friends with him!

2. Professor's are evil: Exams the day after Halloween are just mean. Time manage so you don't miss Halloween.

Boys:

1. Feeling good: I know you don't need a boy to be happy, but when you have that special one, it makes your days so much better.

2. Back off: No one likes a guy that pushes a girl to hang out with them. We don't like to be cornered.

3. Trust issues: Still awful

Family:

1. Family: It was so amazing to meet everyone and their parents! They were all so sweet and nice!

2. Bust a move: It makes me so happy to see my parents dancing and having a good time! especially my momma, I love her more than words

3. My daddy: I wish more than anything my daddy could've been here for Parents' Weekend. I still miss him more than anything. It sucks not having your best friend anymore.

Life:

1. Are we in college or high school?: I love how people still have nothing better to do than try to bring me down. You have no reason to pay any attention to me anymore. If I'm so annoying and embarrassing then don't read my tweets or my blog. It's that simple. Don't ever let people bring you down for things that make you happy. It's not their life, it's yours.

2. Bunny and Kitty: Keep those best friends of yours close. It doesn't matter if it's one or twenty, but I know I definitely wouldn't be able to function without my best friend.

Random: 

1. Animals: They drive guys wild for some reason. If this is your Halloween costume, watch out.

2. Kissing?: Turn away when you see one of your best guy friends eating another girl's face, if you don't I promise it'll haunt you forever. FOREVER.

3. Jackets: Use them. It's getting cold outside. I blocked those 15 minutes out of my mind that I walked in the cold bare-skinned last night.

Btw, last night I dressed up as a cat! 

Here's me getting ready in fast motion!

Enjoy:

-Alexa Dorian

ADPi or Die

Hey y'all!

Sorry I haven't posted much this week. The past 4 days have entailed an essay, cramming for an exam, and most importantly, my initiation into Alpha Delta Pi, which is the topic of today's post!

I came into college knowing that I wanted to join a sorority. I have always wanted to have a big group of girlfriends that I knew I could go to and spill my heart out to, snuggle and watch a good movie with, or go out and have a good time with. Yes, this is achievable without joining a sorority, but you aren't also contributing to a good cause!

I have always heard amazing things about ADPi. My friend Lindsay is in this sorority at Greensboro and I always saw the cute pictures with the diamonds signs. I've also always heard that these girls maintain a high level of class. When I rushed, I remember texting my friend saying I was about to head into ADPi and that my heart was beating so fast and my palms were getting sweaty. I was always excited to return to their house every night of rush. On pref night, when I talked to our president, Christina, she made my choice obvious.

Since then, I have fallen in love with the house, the food, and most importantly, the girls. Pledge retreat was one of the best weekends of my life, and I care about every single one of my pledge sisters. I love this sorority because every girl is genuinely nice, is always there for me, and knows how to have a good time. They are all so beautiful on the inside and outside.

I can't fail to mention my amazing Big, Julie! She is one of the classiest, sweetest, most put together people I have ever met in my life. Without fail, she can always brighten your day! She has the cutest freaking clothes/jewelry I've ever seen and one day I'm gonna steal her closet. I feel so lucky to have her as my Big and when people tell me that we're exactly alike, I couldn't think of a sweeter compliment. I can't wait to become even closer with her these next few years. I hope she'll forgive me for never being free lately for coffee breaks or Big/Little dates :(

These girls are becoming my best friends! When I officially became a member on Wednesday night, it made the entire process of rush entirely worth it. It makes me so happy that I convinced my mom to let me rush.

If any of you reading this are in high school, or even already in college, and you think sorority life would be fun, RUSH! Don't listen to stereotypes such as "all you do is party" or "it's too expensive" or "everyone is fake" or "greek people are stereotyped." First of all, I can tell you that the first 3 were worries of mine, and they are not realities at all.

 I spend my life in the undergraduate library! In fact, last night I spent 6 hours doing homework with one of my sorority sisters. It's you that decides how much you party, not your sorority. Expenses were my family's biggest worry. Fortunately, the girls really help you space out payments and send you reminders about EVERYTHING! There is no need to worry about money. Lastly, there will always be a few people in sororities that have split personalities or rub you the wrong way, but there are 100 other girls to talk to! They chose you to join their sorority because you get along with them and represent what they want in an ADPi pledge!!! And finally, the last myth may or may not be true, but who cares?!?! People should judge you on your character not whether you are in greek life or not. Do whatever makes you happy!

I just want to give a shout out to all my ADPi sisters for being such sweet, genuine, and SMART girls! I really do love you all and I'm so happy I am a part of your family :)

Alpha Delta Pi all day,

-Alexa Dorian

Some of my favorite pictures :)

The beautiful Christina! Forever grateful that she prefed me

My sweet girls Sabrina, Haley, Dree, and Anna!

First mixer!

Pledge retreat!

Love these girls so much!

I love Hailey and Kailey so much!!!!

Me and some of the girls at Mallard Ball :)

My babies!!!

College Knowledge

Here's another week :)

School: 

1. Early bird gets the worm: I had finally accepted the fact that schoolwork is more important than sleep. You can sleep when your dead.

2. Expect an A, get a C: The world is working against me: no matter hard how I try, UNC gives me C's instead of A's. Even with assigned cheat sheets, I still get a C. What's up with that?

3. Study groups: These are extremely helpful. Working with other people helps you remember ideas better and can keep you on track (if you guys stay focused).

College:

1. Are you on the list?: If you have connections, you'll be able to get people into frat parties. If not, you're screwed.

2. Parallel parking: Learn how to do it.

3. The most wonderful time of the year: College is amazing, but when you have breaks, and you can go home and see your family ... nothing compares to that.

Boys:

1. Exes: They will always be someone you care about, but truth is, most times you're better off just not talking to them. 

2. Diamond in the rough: Just when you think all the guys in the world are jerks and you're not good enough for anyone special, that amazing guy comes along and proves you wrong. Don't give up hope, you'll find that diamond in the rough.

3. Go with the flow: I've always been a relationship kind of girl and I always used to rush into them. With Max, it's different. I just want to go slow and see where it takes us. I'm happy just being with him, no titles involved.

Family:

1. Gotta love em: Being home with my family makes me realize how much they mean to me. Don't ever take your family for granted.

2. Just want the best for you: It sucks when your parents (or in my case, sister) try to prioritize your life and change up your routine, but I promise it's for the better. You'll realize they actually helped you out when your grades start improving.

3. Nothing better: There is nothing better than a home-cooked meal.

Life:

1. Everything happens for a reason: Words I live by

2. Fears: It is really scary to overcome your fears, but I promise, as long as you're around people you love and you get up enough courage, you'll make it through and feel amazing in the end.

3. Give up: Face it -- people change, and you may care about them so much that you continually try to make them into a good person, but sometimes you just have to give up and let people go. Good memories you shared with them will always stay with you.

Random: 

1. Fatty: It's okay to overindulge for a week, sometimes, right? Shoot ... I need to go the gym. #fattyprobz #friedsnickers

2. Halloween costumes: Why is it so difficult to figure out a Halloween costume in college??!?! 

3. Sleep talking: It's awkward when I wake up to tell Max not to make a thug face in his next license picture.

-Alexa Dorian

So Long Sweet Fall Break

This is so sad :( I can't believe Fall Break is over!!!

Let me tell you all about the amazing weekend I've had!

Friday:

I woke up early and headed back to the city I went to high school in, Cary, to have lunch with my old high school friends. I ate at Bojangles, of course, and then went back to good ol' Green Hope. It was so weird to think that the last time I walked through those doors I was still in high school. I have so many good AND bad memories associated with that school.

I stopped by to see old teachers who I hope to never lose touch with. Lastly, I went into my chorus class, the place that I saw my family everyday for 3 years of high school, to visit my old teacher and say hello to some of my soprano babies that I love sooooo much.

After that I went back to Raleigh to get a quick manicure before I headed off to UNCG! 

When I left for Greensboro I listened to all my old CDs from the past 3 years -- such good throwbacks. When I got to Greensboro, I struggled for 30 minutes to find parking. Those are the times when I hate my drivers ed teacher for not teaching me how to parallel park. But I quickly felt better when I saw Max, there will definitely be a post dedicated to him soon :)

Max and I watched lame youtube videos and talked until we ate dinner at Olive Garden (yum) and saw Paranormal Activity 3 (eek). Finally, we ended the night by going to one of his friend's house for a party. Everyone there was so hilarious and easy-going. I had such a good time!

Saturday:

Max and I woke up in enough time to watch the UNC vs Clemson game (still upset that my boys lost) and then I put off leaving for about an hour before I eventually had to head back to Raleigh. I already missed Max thirty seconds after I left. 

That night, me and 4 of my friends were going to the NC State Fair -- I've gone every year for the past 5 years. When I got home, my best friend Ann came over to the apartment and hung out with my mom and me while we waited for my other friends to get there. 

Finally, one of my new best friends, Dree, got to the apartment and shortly after, my friend Kevin and his roommate TJ arrived from Campbell University. Shout out to them for winning their big football game!

We all hopped in the car, got lost, and eventually made it to the State Fair. I LOVE THIS PLACE. Something about the eccentric people, dirty air, obnoxious carneys, and greasy food gets me pumped haha. 

I went with 4 ride-lovers, and let's just say I am scared to death of rides. ***Flashback: One year my friends forced me to get on the pirate ship. We sat in the middle, not even the ends, and I was so scared that when I got off the ride, I couldn't move my fingers from the position they were in around the handlebar for about 10 minutes.*** Like I said, scared to death of rides.

I AM SO PROUD OF MYSELF. I got up enough courage to go on The Zipper and Freak Out. The Zipper is seriously one of the scariest rides ever. The Freak Out was a ride I had always been scared to go on for the past 5 years and I eventually got up the courage last night. You always get such a high after you conquer one of your fears.

We proceeded to eat Fried Snickers, Milky Ways, Reeses, and Oreos. We didn't want to try the newest fried food item this year: Fried Kool-Aid.

I had so much fun with them, they made me laugh the whole time! I'm so happy I got to see Kev too, since he lives far away now.

Sunday: 

Well, there isn't much to Sunday, since I slept until 4 (don't judge, I never get any sleep in college), but my mom made me the most amazing meal ever.

She knows my favorite meal of hers is the pot roast she makes. She also knows this spring break when I went to New York to visit my sister, we had this amazing mac & cheese at a famous restaurant.

She found the recipe for the mac & cheese, cooked me my favorite pot roast, made zucchini -- one of my favorites --, and made chocolate molten lava cake. YUM YUM YUM.

She's the best mom in the world!!

(Some pictures from the fair!)

Kevin and me!

My girlfriends Dree and Ann!

Kevin and TJ

In heaven with our fried food!

Pretty fireworks!!

Well, now I've finished all my homework, and it's time to head back to The Hill! I wish these past 6 days wouldn't have gone by so fast, but I have a lot of things to look forward to this week -- Parent's Weekend, Halloween, and my pledge class's initiation into ADPi :)

I hope everyone else that was home this week had a great time and got much needed rest!

Love you all!

-Alexa Dorian

New Season, New Hair

OH LORDY! 

Okay y'all ... I changed my hair color. I'm really gonna have to get used to it!

RIP Blonde Hair

I love the cut, but I'm not used to having my natural colored hair!

I got my hair ombre-dyed, which is a gradient between the color at your roots and the color at your tips.

I have to give a shout out to Ashton at Papillon Salon in Cary. I've stayed with her through a prom, a move, and college! She always knows exactly what I want and is super friendly! If you live in or near Raleigh/Cary then you should definitely look her up!

Tell me what you guys think!

BEFORE/AFTER:

BTW this is my outfit from today!

Repping Carolina Blue back at home

Shirt I was wearing underneath

Why did I wear shorts in this cold weather? WHO KNOWS?

-Alexa Dorian

People in My Life: My Momma

YAY!!!!!!!

It is finally Fall Break for me :) first thing I did when I got home was eat Chick-Fil-A, watch a Sex and the City marathon, and help my mom pick out a dress for my sorority's parent's weekend

Now to the purpose of this post: every once in awhile I want to try to share with y'all really important people in my life and what they mean to me.

If you don't like super mushy/emotional things then stop reading now!!

Today, I want to share with you the person that never judges me, always finds the words to lift me up, and makes me laugh until my stomach hurts. My best friend: my momma

Find out more about her by clicking "Read more >" below

Miserable Mondays

Hello everybody :)

I know how awful Mondays can be ... and all you can think about is how far away the weekend is again.

But I try to muddle through these miserable Mondays (nice alliteration, huh?) by wearing one of my favorite outfits, trying out a new make up look, hanging with friends, or watching a video to brighten my day.

This is one of the cutest videos I've ever seen, and it usually puts me in a better mood! Cheers to Monday everybody!

 Countdown to Fall Break: 2 days

Love,

-Alexa Dorian

College Knowledge

Hey Y'all!

Every week I want to post about things I have learned that helped change my perspective on life/changed me for the better. I'm really big on optimism and believing everything happens for a reason.

Hopefully through these posts, it'll offer advice or help you look at things in a better way!

School: 

1. Procrastination = failure: If you work on time management and spend a few hours studying each day (instead of checking facebook/twitter every 5 minutes) you'll be less stressed and more likely to get better grades. Your friends may be getting wasted at the bar while you're stuck inside the library, and your jealousy will be through the roof, but I promise it'll pay off in the end.
2. Frat guys are a girl's best friend: A lot of fraternities have test banks/study banks that are extremely useful come exam time. It's also way better to have fun studying with your friend than potentially fall asleep or get off track studying by yourself!
3. Office hours: I should probably start going to these things ....

College:

1. I <3 U .. U <3's me: There will always be that one bus that absolutely hates you. If you go to UNC, and you're a South Camper like myself, try to make friends with the U bus. Always get there 5 minutes early and always wear shoes.
2. I love Rock & Roll: There is nothing more fun than a 30-year-old birthday girl making an entire bar unite by singing "Don't Stop Believing." Always enjoy the little things in life.
3. PJ: Don't chug. The End.

Boys:

1. WELLLLL....: Definitely warn your roommate before bringing a boy home #awkward
2. College + Relationships ≠ Good times: After being in relationships for 4 years straight, lemme say first hand that it is so much less stress and so much more fun to stay single in college. Save the relationships until at least the end of sophomore year in order to transition to college, focus on grades, and discover your partying limits and downfalls.
3. I have one rule! Don't fall in love at the Jersey Shore Frat Court: Don't fall for a random guy you met at a party one night or only see when he's drunk. Bad, bad outcomes.

Family:

1.  Home is where the heart is: Call your momma at least 2 times a week. She misses you, I promise. And she'll always know what to say to help you in life.
2. I got yo back: When people mess with my sister, I turn into a different person. You'll learn more about how amazing she is in future posts.
3. Starvation: If you're still in high school, don't ever take your mom's cooking for granted. In college you'll do anything to have it back.

Life:

1. Breathe it in: Always take those moments to catch up with a good friend, enjoy your guilty pleasures (frozen yogurt for me), and take advantage of that nice day to sit in the grass and soak up the sun. You're young and free!
2. $ can't buy you happiness: In college, that girl's cute shoes and FREAKING AMAZING dress will stir up some jealousy, and there will be nights where you sit on your computer staring at the Lulu's website crying your eyes out waiting for the day you can once again order one of their dres..... uhhh not like that's happened to me or anything. Bottom line: if you desire those things, work hard in school so one day you can afford them. At the end of the day, materialistic items aren't the most important things in life.
3. Sober fun: You don't always have to be wasted to have fun. Just talk to homeless guys on the street, mingle with the Qdoba security guard, and watch lame Youtube videos.

Random: 

1. Sticky boobs: Close relative of the chicken cutlet
2. My address?: Oh, it's Study Room 5, Undergraduate Library, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514
3. Lemme Smang It Girl: Youtube it ... it'll change your life.

Hope you all had an amazing weekend and here's to 3 days of school and then Fall Break!

Have a great week

-Alexa Dorian

Fall Make Up Tutorial

                             

In honor of Fall, pumpkin-spiced lattes, sweaters, and vanilla-scented lotion, here's a rusty red eye look for you all:

 Let's begin!

First, fill in your eyebrows to look natural! Mine are pretty full but I fill them in a little to make them polished. Eyebrows are one of the most important aspects to a make up look! I promise (compare my the eyebrow I did on the left to the eyebrow on the right ... SO MUCH BETTER!)

Next add a base so your eyeshadow stays on all day. I'm using Urban Decay Primer Potion

Goofing off

Next, mix a rusty orange and lighter orange together. You may be saying ... orange??! I promise this ties the look together!

Apply to this your crease area, avoiding the brown bone and eyelid. This will help our lid color transition better.

EEEK I love this eyeshadow! (MAC Glamour Check! .. so good for any eye color) Apply any rusty red eyeshadow to your eyelid.

With a tapered blending brush (or ANY clean brush) BLEND BLEND BLEND the rusty red into the orange! We don't want any harsh lines

BLEND BLEND BLEND

AHHHH! Perfect

Now take a little itty-bitty brush like this....

 

...and apply the rusty red to your lower lash line!

Take a warm colored highlight color!

Apply the highlight to your brow bone, tear duct, and a little inwards on your lower lash line. This will help brighten up the whole look!

Now add black eyeliner to the top lash line and wing it out (shown on my right eye). I used a liquid liner, but you can use gel or pencil liner

Apply a black liner to your upper waterline. This is called tightlining

Curl your lashes (THIS IS AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT STEP)

Look how much of a difference curling/not curling your lashes does

Apply mascara!! Top and bottom. My favorite is Make Up For Ever Smoky Lash

And you're finished!!! Apply bronzer to your cheeks, temples, and a little on your nose to warm up the rest of your face.

Love this look

Perfect for falltime!

 

GOOD LUCK Y'ALL!

-Alexa Dorian