November Update

Do you ever get to the point where you just have so much to do you can't get anything done? The past couple of weeks have been insane, somehow I blinked and it had been ages since my last blog post.  Blame it on a combination of school and life, this semester especially has been a lot of work.  In my school, and because of my major, sophomore year is traditionally the hardest year.  As an acting major this is the last year of "primary training" before you go on to "advanced training" so this is the time they load us up with work to make sure everyone is committed to the program and the major. I have already had several friends decide this major is not for them. There are no hard feelings, especially during sophomore year, some people love the work and some people don't, better to find out now than after you've graduated with a degree you don't want!  I love what I am doing; I just had more hours in a day to do it.  I have to admit, I have been fighting guilt the past few weeks after putting Handbags & Heartbeats on the back burner.  I am a passionate person and when I do something I love I want to put as much into it as possible.  When I could barely finish my papers on time, much less write a blog post, I knew it was important for me to take a little break and focus on my studies at hand.  This is a fun past time for me, I am really excited to finally be caught up on work and have the time to write fun and interesting blog posts for y'all to read! I hope you enjoy this as much as I do; I appreciate every single one of you reading this.  I am proud of myself for continuing to blog as often as I can and I know that H&H will only continue to get better as I put more time and effort into it! Thank you for the support and thank you for being patient! I have some fun things coming your way this week, and in the weeks to come so stay tuned!! 

♥ Caro

Halloweekend

Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. You get to dress up in a fun costume and eat guilt-free candy, how could you hate it?! When I was younger Halloween was all about the Trick-or-Treating and finding the best costume possible.  I can remember thinking about my costume options for weeks and wracking my brain in the local Party City trying to chose between a pretty vampire or a pretty witch *I never wanted to be scary on Halloween* This holiday is great in college because you never have just one night. It becomes Halloweekend, and gives us "old folk" a chance to run around in costume without too much judgment.  Basically, when you grow up, Halloween changes from being all about Trick-or-Treating to all about how many Instagram pictures you can take or how sexy you can make a Disney character.  The toughest part about Halloweekend is that you now need 3 costumes instead of one.  This year on Wednesday I got this red dress at Express that I am obsessed with - it’s so pretty and flattering! I decided to dress up as a devil on Thursday night (soooo creative, right?) and, instead of letting a great dress go to waste on a good weekend, Friday night I scrounged up a crown and was the Queen of Hearts.  All of these outfits were last minute and, while I would like to pretend I am creative and can plan far in advance, sometimes it’s easier to just look cute and throw on a headband! Overall Halloweekend 2k14 has been a successful one! We will see if I can squeeze another costume out of my red dress, but maybe tonight will be a Gilmore Girls night in – with half priced candy corn, of course! 

{Baby Caroline as a bunny - ready for some candy!}

♥ Caro

Kate Spade: Bows

I have always been obsessed with bows.  You can thank my mother for putting them on my head as soon as I had hair to hold them. Kate Spade always uses bows in the best way and this season is no exception – here are some of my favorites!

Fur Earmuff Bow Headband – As we have established, I am not a fan of how cold it gets in New York when winter comes! But with these adorable earmuffs, I might be able to make an exception.  I feel like this is so Blair Waldorf, classy and chic, I love it!

Lanise Boots – OBSESSED with these booties, the bow is perfect and they are just too cute.  The heel is the perfect height and the pebbled leather looks beautiful.  These are booties that would be perfect for any occasion.  Tights, leggings, jeans, or bare legs, these boots will look good anyway you style them.

Funnel Neck Puffer Coat – Oh. My. Goodness. This coat. Kate Spade has taken the puffy parka (an essential in the city) and turned it into something I actually would LOVE to wear!! This is so stylish and I am so impressed she was able to take a shapeless necessity and turn it into something classy and cute.

All The Trimmings Bow Gloves – Another winter accessory done right! I love the black and white, and the perfectly placed bow will look great with a cute pea coat as the weather continues to cool down.

♥ Caro

Sorority Secrets: "Phamily"

This post is a long one but I think it will be helpful! I realize that some of y’all may not be aware of sororities or may be confused as to how they work.  Over the weekend I became a “Big sister” in my sorority but before I write a post about that I wanted to give a little background about how Big/Little relationships work!

{Part of the Yacht Club Pham - we are actually missing a few, crazy right?!}

In every sorority, at least that I know of, when you join you are given a “Family” or as we like to call them in Pi Beta Phi, “Phamilies” ;) Some organizations assign you a family on Bid Day (the day you receive an invitation to join the sorority) others, like my organization, wait and allow the assignment to be a mutual selection process.  You go on “girl dates” and find a handful of girls you are compatible with, that you would want to hang out with and, in my case, feel comfortable texting in the middle of the night with questions. You get a “Big sister” and become their “Little sister”  - the Pham comes into play when you meet your “Great-Grand Big” and so on.  When I got my Big, Laura, I was welcomed into the greatest (and biggest) Pham! Every Pham in our sorority has a silly name, ours is the Yacht Club Pham (or YCP) the names were selected by the founding members of the phamily and have lasted for generations.

{My Great-Grand Big, Great-Great Grandbig and Big carry me through initiation}

To someone who is not in a sorority I can see how this would be EXTREMELY confusing, it’s a weird concept when you really think about it, but one that has been my favorite aspect of Pi Phi.  When I became a Little, I also became a Twin – which means my Big took two Littles instead of just one.  Callan, my Twin, is my opposite and, also, my other half.  We did not know each other well when we became Twins and the paring has worked out beautifully! Laura, our Big, and Caroline, our Grand-Big both went abroad last semester, only a few months after we had been placed in their Pham.  We stayed in touch through social media and Google Hangout (the best for large groups!) But Callan and I were really able to bond as we went out together, got to know each other and our New Member class, and navigated the rituals and traditions of Pi Phi.  Although we missed Laura and Caroline terribly, having them go abroad gave us an excuse to grow closer and, luckily, become the close friends we are today.  Callan is one of my very best friends and I am so lucky to be a Twin, it is a relationship I did not know I needed and am so happy to have.

{Me and my beautiful Twin Callan}

On the other hand, occasionally Big/Little pairings don’t work out like this. One of my best friends from home had some issues with her Big pairing because the girl was much older than her, not as involved, and she felt torn because she became closer to the other older girls in the sorority, more so than she was to her Big.  Their relationship is great now, and they are definitely closer than they used to be.  But, although some pairings don’t work out as well, this doesn’t mean that the relationship is a hopeless case.  Having someone in the sorority as a mentor is such a blessing, a Big sister is there to help you when you have questions, hang out when you are bored, and check in when you have a stressful week.  Even if you can’t find this in your assigned pairing, it is important to have this in some way in the organization, and I have seen it’s not that difficult to find in the unfortunate case that the pairing does not play out well.

{With my Big, Grand-Big and Twin}

I am so lucky to have such an incredible Pham, and an amazing Big who loves me and cares about me! She is so supportive of everything I do and, because I do not have a big sister in real life, it is so nice to finally have the mentor/sister relationship I always wanted (minus the fighting since we aren’t actually related!) Over the weekend I got my Little sister and became a Big sister myself.  If I can be half the Big sister Laura is to me, I know that my Little will be loved, supported, and well guided through her initiation into Pi Beta Phi and all of her future endeavors. 

{Can't imagine Pi Phi without these two!}

♥  Caro 

Turning Twenty

I have always loved birthdays; they are a fairly big deal in my house. When I was younger it was always so fun to have a fall birthday because that meant I was able to celebrate in class with cupcakes! October is my favorite month, partly because of my birthday and Halloween candy (candy corn – yum!) and partly because the weather is always so perfect. Crisp cool air and the leaves beginning to change, it is my favorite time of the year.

{Delicious cake from Momofuku Milk Bar}

On Sunday, I turned 20… I know, ancient, right?! ;) I have to say, I did approach this year with some hesitation.  When I was little I couldn’t wait to be a teenager, it was all I talked about. Now that my teen years are officially over it is very bittersweet.  I am happy to be moving on to bigger and better things – I hear your twenties are the best years. But I also feel like I am leaving my childhood behind which is terrifying.  It’s easy to get freaked out by a birthday and worry that you’re not doing enough, or doing too much, or growing up too fast, or not growing up fast enough.  Pretty soon all you’re thinking about on a day devoted to you is how much you want the day to end.  After much thought, and a mild freak out over a possible grey hair, I came to the realization that birthdays – no matter the year – are honestly great.  I have never felt so loved and appreciated as I did on Sunday when I received phone calls, text messages, and Facebook posts from friends all over the country. From people I saw that day, to people I haven’t seen in years, with every post and comment I grew more and more excited to turn 20. My friends helped make my weekend incredible – taking me out, enjoying brunch with me, and giving me the most thoughtful gifts that were so perfect and sweet. Looking back, I think I can safely say this has been my best birthday yet. I am excited to see what my 20’s have in store and I am looking forward to continuing this journey with such incredible people by my side!  

{Ringing in my 20's with my favorite girls by my side - and brunch, of course!}

{Looks like 20 isn't so bad after all}

♥ Caro