HerCampus Blogger Network

Why hello there! Long time, no blog! Sorry but I have been fighting a killer little cold all week that is just bad enough that I spend all my free time in bed, but not so bad that I can skip classes. Luckily, I am finally feeling like I am on the mend and I will be back to blogging full-time tomorrow! I actually have several blog posts half-done for next week that I am pretty excited about. In the meantime though, I just wanted to share the amazing news that I got last night!

I was accepted to be a member of the HerCampus Blog Network!!! (the new button is in my sidebar). I have been reading HerCampus for a while and could not be more excited about this. I am so excited to join a network of like-minded college women and have a whole new set of blogs to be exposed to and network with.

As for HerCapmus in general, their nightly Study Break emails have some great articles and are a welcome break from long nights in the library.

Go check out the HerCampus site and sign up for the emails and check out your local chapter!

Well, it's off to the UVA v. Virginia Tech Basketball game for me...Go HOOOOOS

xoxo,

SSP

Happy Bid Day

OH. MY. GOD. BABY HOOTIESSSSSSS.

Do you know where I am pulling this quote from? No? Okay, watch this (...or just watch it anyways because it's hilarious):

Yes, that's right today is BID DAY!!!! I am so excited to get all the new babies today after a long week and a half of recruitment. They're so lucky to join in this amazing sisterhood that myself and so many others have found! Oh, and have I mentioned who my first owl pal was? Because today is my friendiversary with this one....

AND THEN SHE BECAME ONE OF MY BABEHS

So cheers to the new babies and me finally having some free time to dedicate to homework and blogging again! Enjoy these pictures of actual baby hooties...they're almost as adorable as the Chi Omega baby hooties ;)

{via}

{via}

{via}

{via}

xoxo,
SSP

P.S. fun fact: owls totally freaked me out before I joined Chi Omega, but how can you not love pictures of baby owls?

Locks in Limbo: Changing Your Hairstyle

So I got a big haircut.

Nobody knew I was going to do it, including me. I had been thinking about this since about June, but I was too scared to actually go for it. Actually, I was thinking about getting a haircut to be about the length of Hannah from Pretty Little Liars since then, this medium bob (mob?) was 100% unexpected, but not in a bad way.

not that my hair would ever hold that awesome curl... {via}

I have been kind of stressed and just not feeling like myself for the last couple of months, cumulating in me just really feeling off this past week. I decided that I was going to actively try to get my life back on the track I'd envisioned starting now, and sometimes a big physical change can help get the ball rolling. Of course, now I look like the kid version of myself, but I love it, so I don't really care too much.

Seeing as I have only had this haircut for about 24 hours, I am not exactly an expert on short hair yet, but as I learn more about styling it, etc. I will share with y'all. In the meantime here are some tips for deciding to change up your hairstyle, drastic or not.

1) Think On It: Especially if it is a big change like mine. My hairstylist said she usually tells clients that if they've been thinking about it for 3 months, they should do it. Some changes, like mine, are drastic and are going to take a while to return to their previous state, so make sure you want it!

{via}

2) Look up styles for your face shape: I am surprised I like my hair in this bob, but it is a medium bob that will grow out shortly. I have a round face and generally bobs are not the greatest style, but there are plenty of others, like the shoulder length hairstyle I'd originally envisioned. A quick google search comes up with a bunch of results for this, as well as "face shape with bangs," "face shape with layers," etc.

{via}

3) Find a Photo: There are so many celebrity styles out there that a google image search can result in. Picking out an ideal cut with one of those helps give the stylist a vision for what you want. (I had kind of done this, but I was feeling pretty flexible as well).

{via}

4) Talk to your stylist: Why is this the one that is so often skipped? Y'all, they want to know what you want and they are not mind-readers, plus they can offer really helpful insight. Tell them if you have a specific vision that has to be adhered to. Or, like in my case, tell them what you're going for and then that they have some wiggle room within that.

5) Ask for it longer or less severe than you want: There will be many times that your hair will end up being cut shorter or dyed a slight shade different than what you anticipated. Be prepared for this. I explicitly told my stylist "shoulder length, but err on the side of being too short" so she knew that I didn't want it to be longer than that. In a sense, I asked for my mob (this is a new thing) without anticipating it.

{via}

6) Work It: Hair is one of those things that we alone control. We can cut it, grow it out, dye it, curl it, straighten...you name it, we can do it! So any cut or styling that you have is not permanent. Therefore, love your hair, even if you don't. It's kind of like faking a smile, eventually, it will improve your vision of your hair and you'll love it, and of course you can change it again soon! (pic is unrelated, but Bey is always workin' it).

Have y'all done anything drastic with your hair before? Any styling tips for my short hair?

xoxo,

SSP

Fan Friday Linkup: Brackets by Six-Year-Olds

Today is a bit of a feature and a linkup all together and I am just soooo excited to write this post. I recently discovered one of the greatest blogs ever. Sarah over at Venus Trapped in Mars is the bees knees. Seriously, this girl loves fashion and sports, sound familiar? You know she's a keeper because she actually found my email to her entertaining! Did I mention that her sponsorship packages have sports-themed titles? It's great. Go check out her blog if you haven't already (but finish reading this post first...)

Anyways, she hosts a Fan Friday Blog Linkup and I am so excited to start participating in it. I am totally using this as my reasoning and motivation to start writing more sports-related posts! Has anyone seen the AT&T "Brackets by Six-Year-Olds" commercial? It's great. Fun Fact: I once got all but one matchup correct in the first round of the tournament and came in second despite only having one team make it to the final four. #BossStatus (also, still mad at Louisville for sucking so much in the tourney that year...)

These are my absolute favorite commercials. I laugh every time I watch them, and recently watched the behind the scenes clip on YouTube where they talk about how what the kids say isn't scripted, which just makes them that much better. Also, I get to pretend to be one of these kids in my sorority's skit for recruitment, it's so much fun. On that note, I highly recommend never combining the taste of a blow pop and Kool Aid Jammer unless you want to feel sick...I learned the hard way. 

Anyways, I have to get ready for class, decorate 6 dozen mason jars, make gallons of sweet tea, shop for the next round of rush, and participate in tonight's round of recruitment, so I am gonna get on out of here and attempt to style my short hair! 

xoxo,

SSP

Day to Night: Bootcut Jeans

Yesterday I pulled out the bootcut jeans and let me tell you, it felt great. I love these jeans because they're flattering and sometimes it is just nice to have a different cut on, but I struggle to add variety to them in the winter. I basically wear a simple shirt, my Ariats, and the jeans. For whatever reason, it seems to be easier to just keep the look as casual as possible. However, last night I decided to try to play around with some outfit ideas involving them and I think I might be breaking out these pants more often. Seriously, why didn't I, of all people, think about just adding a statement necklace to the equation? On that note, if you follow me on Instagram, you would've seen that I got a haircut today!!! It is so drastic, and I am trying to play around with it and how to still wear my statement necklaces without it looking like there's too much going on by my face.

bootcut jeans by sugarsnappearls

How do you rock bootcut jeans? And does anyone have suggestions for short hairstyles?

xoxo,

SSP

Overcoming Embarrassment

To have embarrassing moments is to be human. It shows that you've lived a bit and stumbled (sometimes literally) along the way. The trick is to take those moments in stride and not worry about them, to overcome that situation and move on with your life. 

 I am an expert living through these situations. Without a doubt, I am one of the biggest klutzes I know and I definitely say the wrong thing or end up in an awkward situation more often than I'd like to. This wouldn't be a problem if I could simply move on, but I really struggle with that. Seriously, I am up writing this post at 12:42am because I couldn't sleep thinking about one of these situations. So what did I do? I grabbed my phone and discovered that a quick google search had no good solutions. Come on internet, someone has to have a guide for getting over this! Then I realized, I am totally capable of doing it on my own and so is everyone else. Sure I can get caught up in the emotion and what I perceive to be embarrassment that should result in me moving to the Arctic or at least transferring colleges, but that doesn't have to happen. Just follow a couple of easy steps to getting over your anxiety:

has this happened to you? keep reading...

1. Keep your head high: I tend to kind of burrow in my shell when faced with an uncomfortable situation. If you can keep going as if nothing happens, people will think nothing has happened...the power of perception, people!

2. Laugh it off: You are not the first nor the last to be in a situation like the one you're in, regardless of what it is. Think of it as you would if your friend was in that position, chances are, it is probably comical and/or ironic that this happened.

3. Own it: Guess what? It happened. Whatever it is that you are running over a million times in your head will not change if you keep thinking about it, so don't. Move on with your life and focus on more important things like, who's gonna win Juan Pablo's heart on The Bachelor.

4. You aren't that important: One more thing, this is a big deal to you, but probably not to anyone else. And if they really have the time to dedicate to thinking about the awkward situation- a) they need to pick up a new hobby b) they're just as awkward c) you thinking about it, doesn't change it.

just because this is adorable

Seriously, this happens to all of us. This is the third consecutive semester that I have had a class and discussion (actually, techincally this semester we have a once-a-week intensive seminar) with one guy and I literally just learned his name in class today (yesterday? most of y'all are probably asleep while I'm writing this). The best part? He didn't know mine either. See, it was a quick awkward name exchange and then we moved on with our lives. So move on with your life, awkward as it may be, and live it to the fullest without caring about how others are judging you! Disclaimer: I mean judge you for being awkward, this is not an excuse to give up showering or be a b**ch 24/7.

So, live life, embarrassing moments and all. How do y'all overcome embarrassing situations?

xoxo,

SSP

Sick Day Essentials

And just like that, the semester has started. And just like that, I am coming down with a cold. It's not exactly surprising since I have been on the go for a while now and this weekend was back-to-back days of recruitment. There is nothing worse than getting sick at college. You have to go on with life, go to classes and other meetings, and try to take care of yourself. That's why it is so important to take care of yourself at school. So if you feel a cold coming on, make sure you take care of yourself and try to adjust your schedule accordingly. It might be a bummer to miss out on a day or two, but it is so much better than being sick for a long time and being out of commission for a week. So stock up, and make sure you're keeping yourself healthy as we start classes up in the midst of flu season!

What are your sick day essentials?

xoxo,

SSP