Giveaway!!

Check out this great giveaway from Preppy Little Dress!! I've been following her blog for a while now, and she has a great giveaway for her readers!

It's a Francesca Joy Palm Beach anchor wristlet!! Similar to the one in the photo, the pink and green wristlet will have an anchor on one side and a starfish on the other. How perfect for a winter get-away or a summer clutch. Or even add some color to the dark winter days!!

Have you entered yet? Get yourself over to Preppy Little Dress before it's too late!

Lunch Hour Find: Kate Spade!

I was checking out my local Marshall*s yesterday and came across this super cute navy and white striped platter. I thought it would be adorable to use when I'm entertaining, so I picked it up....much to my surprise it was Kate Spade and on clearance for $29! It's about 13" in diameter, so not too big or too small. I think this means I need to have a get-together sometime soon! (sorry for the poor image quality)

Mignon Faget: The Fleur-de-Lis

As a Kappa, one of our symbols is the Fleur de Lis, a mythical flower shown in our colors of light and dark blue. Often, a real iris will be substituted for in-person needs.

One of my favorite jewelery designers in a New Orleans store called Mignon Faget (French pronunciation of mean-yo fa-zhay). I was introduced to the fabulous line by a dear college friend and have been expanding my collection since. The jewelry isn't a mass marketed as others that come in little blue boxes, which is very appealing to me (although don't get me wrong, I have my fair share from that NY landmark store!).

One of the first pieces I received was this necklace featuring my beloved fleur de lis. Its simple and silver, great for layering and every day wear. The charm is sold separately from the chain, which is great so you can mix and match based upon your likes and needs. And its available in silver and gold...in fact, I may upgrade to the gold now that I find myself wearing that metal more and more! Not only does the necklace represent a big part of my undergraduate life, but it also supports a local NoLa brand. And the Fleur de Lis collection doesn't stop at the necklace! The collection contains more than 60 pieces- from rings to earrings to cuff links and ties. How cute would it be for the man in your life to wear the cuff links to a sorority sisters wedding? Love!

Have you ever heard of Mignon Faget? Did you check out their website?

Grad School Panic

Now that all of the grad school applications have been submitted and I sit and wait for interview invitations, the reality of going back to school is beginning to sink in. When I have a free moment it seems that my mind wanders back to the same questions:
- Why am I leaving a good job?
- What if I don't find one that is as flexible in the future?
- Am I really giving up a steady paycheck, health insurance and a matched 401k plan to have no income, no matched 401k and have to pay for my own insurance?
- Why would I consider leaving a town that is affordable to live in, for one that will more likely be many times more expensive to live in (again, bringing up the no paycheck fear)
- Am I making the right choice?

I know that these are the types of questions that anyone going back to school from a full-time jobs inevitably faces, so I try to tell myself that its best in the long run. And hopefully the nerves and the panic feelings will pass!

Weekend Recap

In-between another snow storm and a cold, my weekend involved a lot of sleep and laying on the couch. I attempted to go skiing on Saturday, which was the worst idea ever considering a) I was sick and b) it was 6 degrees when I was driving to the mountain. Needless to say I literally parked at the mountain, thought about it and then turned around and promptly drive home. Aside from wasting a couple gallons of gas and toll money, I was extremely happy with my decision!

The highlight of my weekend was the AFC Championship Game!!! My beloved Steelers won and are headed to the big game in two weeks!! I can't tell you how crazy Western PA is right now! It's certainly only going to crazier as the countdown to the game continues. I wish that I could go to the game, but sadly I need to be in DC that Monday morning, so I won't be able to. Although my wallet will thank me...traveling and attending a Superbowl game is no cheap excursion!

Boring I know! I'm off to Chicago this coming weekend, so hopefully next week's post will be a bit more interesting :)

Follow Friday?

Because I'm relatively new to the blog world, I want to expand my blogger dashboard and find new and fabulous blogs!!

Become a follower of me and then I'll follow you!! Let your friends know as well!

Can't wait to read all of your blogs!

Wardrobe Wednesday: Online Favorites

I think that this past weekend that I have ever gone to NYC in my life and not done some serious shopping damage. It was just such a busy weekend- I was there for under 48 hours- and having my Saturday day full of college basketball and NFL football, shopping was just not going to happen.

Because there isn't too much shopping where I live, I rely on weekend getaways and online stores to help fill my closet. Below are some of my favorite online retailers- go check them out!!

CLOTHES:
revolveclothing.com- probably my #1 go to. You can sort search results by a ton of different criteria, shipping is super fast (always 2-3), shipping/returns are free, returns are no-hassle because they provide you with a USPS bag and shipping label when you get your item, and I can usually find a discount code somewhere online. I LOVE revolveclothing.com!

shopbop.com- another go-to website. With free shipping and returns, they guarantee worldwide delivery within 3 days! Perfect for any one studying or living abroad! With tons of great designers, the site allows to search criteria by style, designer, colors, sizes, etc. It was perfect when I was searching for a pink dress this past summer

saks.com- Free shipping if you have a Saks card (yay!) and can return online purchases in-store. Just make sure you don't miss their 30 day return policy!

SHOES:

Zappos.com- shoes, clothes and more! Fast shipping and 365 day return policy. Perfect if you are trying several different shoes for a dress. And request to be a Zappo's VIP! It's the best :)

Jildor.com- my go-to for designer shoes. Free shipping over $150 (which is easy to reach when buying nice shoes!) and free exchanges.

Endless.com- 100% price guarantee, and usually free shipping and returns. I have small feel (think size 5) and this site has a ton.

What's your favorite online shopping site? I would love to know!

Sorority Chic- Kappa Shirt at Bloomingdales!

image from bloomingdales.com

I was browsing Bloomingdales.com and came across this fantastic t-shirt! Called the Quotation: Sanctuary "Kappa" Tee, its a fabulous light grey short-sleeved shirt. It has a heathered look and is completed with images of the owl, the key and the fleur-de-lis along with a book and a little brown bag.

My favorite part of the t-shirt is that its only $39 and for every purchase $10 will be given to KKG local and national charities, include the Kappa Foundation and Reading is Fundamental! I always love to purchase items that give back to the community!

I got mine! Make sure to snap yours up before they are all gone!

Weekend Recap: New York City Style

I'm back from a fabulous weekend in New York City!! Sadly, I have to work today, and I'm still recovering from my 48-hour excursion, but I'm battling through :) I was visiting 2 friends who live there and another friend also flew in for the weekend.

Friday night I arrived in the city around 8 and after a quick outfit change the 4 of us headed to Beauty & Essex. The place was AMAZING. When we first got there I wasn't really sure we were at the right place- it looks like a pawn shop from the street. But you go inside and through a backdoor and voila- a fabulous dinner/drinks place. Love, love, love. And they serve free champagne in the ladies room. Sold! After B&E we went to meet up with some other friends at a restaurant that I can't recall the name, where we drank delicious champagne and the oldest bottle of wine I've ever had- it was older than me! I.e. circa pre-1983.

Saturday involved a lot of laying around during the day, watched some college basketball then I went to meet some friends from Pennsylvania to watch the Steeler game at a fun restaurant/bar called Brother Jimmy's. We had a table- which was sooo necessary- and watched the Black & Gold bring home a win. I ate Frickles- aka friend pickles. They were to die for.

After a quick change from my game-day gear to my dinner wear in the restaurant bathroom, I met back up with my girlfriends and we went to Stanton Social for dinner. Delicious! It's a small plates place, so we ordered a bunch of dishes to share: 18 oysters, Red Snapper Tacos (my favorite), French Onion Soup Dumplings, Tuna Sashimi, Tuna Tartar, Mini Kobe Beef Burgers, Zucchini Tempura (my least favorite) and Spring Rolls. For dessert, fresh donuts. And wine of course :) It was very loud and they only had 3 unisex bathrooms for the whole restaurant (so expect to wait), but we had such a great time! Then we went to 3 different bars that I don't remember the names of and called it a night.

Sunday consisted of brunch at Sarabeth's, one of my favorites in NYC. Then relaxing on the couch for a bit and then off to the airport. For once my flight wasn't delayed (yay!).

Overall, a great trip! What did you do this weekend?

Lilly Sorority Line Expanded!!

Just had to share this with my Lilly-loving sorority sister friends!! I may be behind the ball a bit (because I usually am), but I just realized that Lilly expanded its sorority print line! In addition to the tote bag, Murfee scarf, make-up bag and wallet the collection has expanded to include a carry-on and pencil case.

Yes please!! Is it too late to ask for another Christmas/Birthday present??

The Big Apple

In a few short hours I'll be hopping a flight to New York City for a weekend with some of my Kappa sisters! I'm really excited. I always have such a good time in NYC and I haven't been there since late Spring. Tonight we plan on just going out, tomorrow I have a big day of shopping (Bloomingdales = my mecca) followed by college basketball and a VERY big NFL game, then dinner tomorrow night at Stanton Social! I was excited that we were able to get a reservation there at a great time- 8:45 pm! Sunday will be a delicious brunch, maybe at Sarabeth's, followed by some serious couch time then off to the airport! NYC-time always throws me off...dinner at 9 pm, bars open until 4...let's just say that a weekend in NYC requires a week of recovery!

To start my travel off right today, I got an email from USAirways saying that they had upped me to the next Preferred level!! I was literally about 21 miles away from the next level and I thought I was going to miss out...but thanks to the wonderful airline they bumped me up! Yay! Makes traveling just that much easier.

To continue with the Kappa-themed week, I went to a happy hour last night with a bunch of Kappa alumnae in my area. It was great because no one from my college (at least non that I knew during my 4 year there) live in my area, so it was great to meet other local sisters. Good wine and tapas = a fun night!

Do you have any fun plans for this weekend? I'd love to hear! Havea great weekend!

Things I love Thursday: Clarisonic

I've decided that some Thursday I'm going to talk about health and beauty products: tried and true ones I love, new product reviews, etc. If there is a special product you are wondering about, let me know!

I've had a Clarisonic skin cleaning system for years now. I got it right after Oprah listed it as one of her favorite things. And it's one of my favorites as well! I have the original one, like the one shown below, but in pink (obviously).

With the Classic, there are two speeds and its available in three colors. Had I purchased a Clarisonic now, I would have gone with the Plus version- which has a body cleansing mode. I feel that this would be great on my decolletage area, an area often left untreated on many women.

The system was a pricey investment when I first got it (around $200), but I would purchase it again in a heartbeat. My skin feels so much more refreshed and clean after using the system. It gets rid of more of the daytime grit and grime from your skin than any hand washing could ever due. And its waterproof (or resistant) so I like to use it in the shower! It has a timer on it, so I know exactly how much attention to spend on each area of my face (i.e. forehead, each cheek, chin, etc.). SO helpful!

After trying a variety of different cleansers, I found that the Clarisonic cleanser works the best. The only bummer is that you cannot use an exfoliate cleanser with this system, or you risk harm to the handset. And the brushes need to be replaced every 3 months or so and cost about $20 per head. However, I buy my replacements on Ebay from a trusted seller (someone with lots of positive feedback) and usually get them for under $10 a head. Perfect!

Do you have a Clarisonic system? Or ever tried one? I believe I saw a commercial that a makeup company (one that you would find in Target or a drug store) came out with a much cheaper version- but I couldn't locate it. Anyone know the name or tried the new, more economical version?

Wardrobe Wednesday: The Skinny

I'll be the first to admit that I jumped on the skinny pant bandwagon a little late. Although I'm petite, I also have some curves so I just didn't think that I had the body type to wear them. In fact, I didn't even try them on!

Thankfully I finally tried on a pair last year. And I feel in love!! Not only with dark skinny jeans, but black skinny jeans (love my stretchy pair from Citizens of Humanity- they feel like leggings!), skinny cords, skinny white pants and skinny camel pants.

These camel ones from 7 for All Mankind are fabulous. With knee high boots or Tory Burch flats they are super cute! In person they are more of a khaki color that what appears in the photo (at least the pair that I got). I'm a person who tends to mostly wear solid colors, so I have paired them with white, black, brown and rich jewel tones like deep purple.

Although I am open to a good skinny pant, I don't think I'll be able to pull off the skinny cargo or the red/black style above. A little to edgy for me!

Are you all skinny pant fans? What's your favorite way to wear them: with flats, booties, knee boots or something I haven't thought of?

New Year x 2

Beginning of January is always an interesting time for me- not only is it a new year, but it's also my birthday (get it- new year x2).

This year I got a bonus- the Northeast is being slammed again with snow, so I got a half day yesterday and the day off today! Well, not really the day off as I will be working from home, but sitting in bed/on the couch in comfy clothes sounds pretty great to me!

So, I may be 12 days late, but here are my hopes for 2011 (staying away from the word resolution!):
* Work-out more. As I head more towards 30 than 20, I want to maintain!
* Cook more. I seriously don't cook anything that can't be made in about 5 minutes or less. So sad. So, I'd like to cook one real meal a week (starting out small!)
* Get into business school. Applications are done and now I just wait in hopes of making the next step (interviews)
* Travel. My goal for the past few years has been to try a new country every year. So, far I've been successful! But with a (hopefully) upcoming grad school budget, I may have to settle with a new state!

So, far I've been pretty good. I worked out the past few days and have a trip planned to New York City this weekend with college girlfriends.

Here's to a great year!

Weekend Recap

I had quite the busy weekend!

I have two deadlines for graduate schools this week...the last two!! I can't tell you how relieved I am that there is a light at the end of the application tunnel. The last two months have kept me quite busy with applications and I'm ready to move onto the next portion of the process. That being said, I spent Friday night hunkered down in my office working on essays. Super exciting right??

Saturday I got to have some fun! I headed up to a ski resort about an hour from me for a full day of skiing. I met up with some friends and enjoyed the snow! The conditions were pretty great for East Coast skiing. Saturday night I spent at a friends ski house- drinking wine, playing Apples to Apples and lounging in front of the fire. It was freezing - 9 degrees- and when we decided to go in the hot tub, the steam from the water made our hair wet, which then immediately froze! It was crazy to feel my hair literally iced over haha.

I skied some more Sunday morning and then headed home for an afternoon nap and an evening of essays. The skiing left me a little sore (guess that shows I'm out of skiing shape/getting old) and there was a lot of writing this weekend, but I am glad to say that I completed another application and now only have one left! Yay!!

Wardrobe Wednesday: Leopard!

Now, I'll admit that I may be a little late to the party when it comes to animal prints. Animal print can be a scary thing...its easy to go from classy to tacky.


Lately I've been obsessed with all things leopard- but in small touches. I've been eyeing a grey-scale leopard scarf which I can see pairing with black skinny jeans and a fitted top. And I've been on a search for a beige or pink leopard cardigan. But when I was Christmas shopping in my local Nordstrom, I came across these beauties.

Meet the Tory Burch Sophie Leopard Print Wedge.

I think I literally picked up the shoe and was admiring it like it was the Hope Diamond. You see, I'm a fanatic for a Tory Burch wedge. They have two sizes- the smaller Sally wedge that's 2.5" and the larger Sophie wedge that is 4". I have the 4" wedges in a tan peep-toe and a black patent leather. I can seriously wear them all night and walk 12 blocks in these babies with no issue (aka, I have).

A sales associate came to see if I needed help and I told her no, that I was just admiring. See, I'm a size 5 in Tory shoes and the display size was a 7.5- which in my shopping mind meant that it was the smallest size available. Plus I had already looked on online for this wedge and didn't see it listed below a 6 last month- so I believed that my pint-sized feet were going to have to go without.

BUT, Nordstorm said they didn't always keep the smallest sizes on the floor, because sometimes people with larger feet would try to fit into them and stretch them out. Brilliant idea! 10 minutes later I had my news shoes in a bag and I was on the way out the door. Oh, and the best part? They were on sale for $199...down form $325. Score!

The Waiting Game

I think that business school applications are beginning to take a toll on me. Aside from the standard writers block, mild carpel tunnel syndrome and sore shoulders from being hunched over a computer for an additional 4-5 hours a day, I'm starting to have a bit of business school panic.

I've never been a great sleeper, but lately I've been waking up in the middle of the night and worrying. What if I don't get into any business schools? What if I leave my good job, with a steady paycheck, and realize I made the wrong choice? What if I can't find another good job after graduation- either I end up somewhere I hate or the economy is still in the pits and I can't find anything?

It's hard to think about leaving my friends, my family, my job and my apartment to go be a poor grad student for a couple years. But I keep trying to take deep breaths and know that I haven't made any final decisions yet and that life has a way of working itself out. Hopefully I end up where I am supposed to be.

So now that almost all of the applications are filled, essayed are written and everything submitted, I start the waiting game for the next 3(!?) months.

Where have I been?

Whew...I remember writing my last blog post as though it were yesterday. And here I sit, nearly 3 months later, wondering just where the heck the time has gone over the past 12 weeks.

Well, let me tell you. I studied and took the GMAT. I've been debating going back to get my MBA for a while now and something just struck me that this was the year to do it. I have the work experience. I have my career path in mind. Now I just need the education to get there.

So for the months of October and November, my life was pretty much work all day and then study all night. But it all paid off! Of course everyone always wants a perfect score, but I was very happy at where I landed and feel that it was a good example of my scholastic ability. Of course I still wonder what would have happened if I had studied just a littttttttle bit harder. Oh well, test takers remorse!

So obviously, the next step in the application. I narrowed my list to five schools and have been "apping" as I say like crazy. Each school has a detailed online application and about 3-4 essays each. I've found that I'm spending about 8-10 hours per essay. It's hard to represent yourself as best as possible within 500-750 words! With second round deadlines looming within the next 2 weeks, my life is pretty much work all day and essay all night.

So that's pretty much been my life for the last 3 months. And somewhere in there I celebrated a couple holidays and the turning of the new year.

I hope to be back in action and commit to blogging in the new year. And just because I've been lacking from blogging doesn't mean that haven't been reading all of your posts!