Homecoming time was honestly my favorite season of high school by far. I am {not} a huge dance kind of gal (just forget the $$$ spent on dance lessons for 15 years of my life along with 3 years on my high school dance team…) but the whole aspect of getting dressed up and dress shopping is such a fun and exciting process. Honestly it is something to do towards the beginning of the school year that isn’t homework. Plus seeing all your friends dressed up and when you went to an all-girls high school, it meant barely recognizing anyone without the messy hair and slept in uniforms. I know that finding a dress was always a semi stressful process between getting to stores once dresses are picked over and not wanting to have the same dress as anyone else! So I whipped out a few of my top favorites I found online for some inspiration! I know I always found myself picking out much more casual dresses that I was comfortable in (did someone say pockets? in a dress? sold every time) compared to ones that looked over the top. 

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Maybe this is my high school nostalgia settling in after about a month of college now, but I can’t wait to see what my high school buddies decide to wear this year! Let me know what dress you end up wearing if you’re in high school or if you end up loving one of my picks!

xoxo, Ally

FRIENDS! Hi!!! How are ya??? I hope your Monday (or whatever day you happen to be reading this on, I don’t discriminate) is filled already to the brim with lots of love and smiles. If you do happen to be following along as I write and ARE in fact reading this on a Monday, get PUMPED, because it is MONDAY! Monday haters used to be my biggest pet peeve, because who doesn’t like a new beginning? I swear those people are basically just saying, “nah, no fun for me because I am too focused on keeping my weekend mentality forever that Mondays simply can never ever be fun.” Losers. Anyways, onto the point of this post.

Yesterday my pals and i packed up our shiz and headed off to the local Starbucks after a late noon brunch downtown.

take note they literally requested I take a picture of them to put on my blog..

We had already had our coffee for the morning so I settled on tea (and maybe later ended up getting a mini frappucino because sometimes ya girl just needs that kind of excitement and sugar in her life aight?) and got down to business. They lie to you when they say syllabus week in college is a breeze, just FYI incase you aren’t quite here yet. Sure the first five minutes of your classes are introductions by the teacher but after that you’re diving into the whole learning deal, which I guess, does make sense considering it is, school, whatever. Two hours of homework and papers and online quizzes and since when do I have to do math online later…we were are BRAIN DEAD.

cute shot of my pals *PRE* brain dead

After a quick nap back at my dorm I was able to restart my brain and journal a little bit. This is my absolute favorite type of alone time. Picture this: Jack Johnson’s Banana Pancakes on in the background, jcrew camp socks, old big sweatshirt on covered in blanks type of deal. Yeah, the good stuff. While journaling, I usually have one or two main points that come to my mind. Yesterdays was power. The fact that WE have power. Sometimes I forget this, especially being on such a huge college campus where I seem like such a small percentage of the mass of students, faculty, staff, and other members of the University. I forget that even though there are so many authoritative figures available to help me, that I too, have power. Maybe not decide how much homework or when I can leave class kinda power, but the power over myself and what I control. It is a pretty darn crazy coolio kinda thing when you break it down for yourself.

Think of it like this: you wanted to be something when you grew up when you were a little kid. They asked you in maybe even as young as preschool and we all had a preselected answer (or three or in my case like seventeen ranging from full time ballerina to dolphin trainer.) We, the older versions of those cute and big dreaming kiddos, have the power to actually make those said dreams a reality. Now, I don’t ever see myself becoming any of the options of my 5 year old career choices and I am sure most of yours have changed as well, but it goes for more than careers as well. You want to be on a certain sports team? Do it. You want to write a book? Do it. You want to run an instagram solely dedicated to your pups? Do it. You want to be a good friend, daughter, and sister? Do it. You want to get the best grades possible? Do it. You want to run a fashion and lifestyle blog that empowers girls and guys everywhere to live the best lives they can? Doing it. 

It isn’t all about how you get there, how other people view your final result, or how accomplished others may see it. Are YOU happy? And did YOU do everything possible to work hard to get to where you are? Awesome.

Set your minds to things guys. Find things you’re truly passionate about, whether that is Pinterest, or Halloween, or cooking, or reading, or dancing, or just being the best person you can. Have some YOUpower, believe that it is real. I know it seems cheesy, but change your mindset to understand that you’re here for a reason. I saw a quote that said this whole life deal isn’t just a rehearsal, it is the REAL DEAL. Make the best of it, keep yourself going, find the POWER in the things you wanna do and make those things happen.

What are YOU going to have the power to make happen today?
xoxo, Ally

Being at college so far for a little less than 2 weeks has taught me a few things, including the following: salads are only healthy if you make them to be, geography twice a day isn’t good for anyone, and finding out who you are and what makes you happy is a whole new ballgame when you are in new surroundings.Through all the new shocking surroundings that I have been presented with in my short time here, I have learned that it is all one big summer camp these first few weeks. You get on busses, you meet new people, and then it hits you that you’re going to be here in these new surroundings all on your own for a very long time.

I’ve for sure already gotten homesick a few times within these weeks and have struggled with filling those thoughts in my mind with other activities to keep me busy and happy. One thing that has constantly kept me on my feet, is how in this new setting, I can be anything I want to be, yet I want to remain the same.

I am a firm believer that we are the way we are for a reason. We are good at certain things for a reason, we all have specialized talents for a reason, and we are passionate about various things for a reason. However, the things that we don’t exactly love about ourselves, or the things about us that make other people tick…those were placed in us with just as much of a purpose as those super fun and great things. This being said, I have spent a lot of my life trying to fix some of the things about myself that I don’t love or that I feel like should be changed in order to help others. For example, I get jealous of the silliest things so quickly that two minutes after I blow up on someone for it…I instantly regret it. I’ve wanted to change this about myself for so long because it is something that I feel that people may view badly about me.

I’ve realized one big thing this past year, the whole phrase “people change” is a bunch of shiz. They shouldn’t change. We are who we are for a reason, and after my multiple failed attempts of changing who I am, I have come to realize that it is a pretty silly thing to do. The more you deny something about yourself, the more and more frustrating it can be when this quality continues to appear in your daily life. You feel like you’re doing something wrong and that nothing you do to change is working. This is because instead of changing, we need to focus on improving. I will always be a jealous person, but instead of changing that, I’ve learned to just improve it. Instead of getting angry at myself every time the situation occurs that I get upset over, I’m training myself to see the good in it too. A friend once told me that jealousy is just one big ball of protection and care. Don’t get me wrong, I know that being jealous isn’t a good thing, but instead of denying that it or any other bad quality you feel you have happens, find ways to fix it. TALK ABOUT IT with your friends, journal about it to yourself. I have had some of the most meaningful conversations with people when we are completely open and honest about the good AND bad sides of ourselves!

Moral of the story: college, or any new situation, may bring on feelings of uneasiness that question if your qualities are true to yourself. Here’s a little tip: you are you because you are supposed to be you!!! Don’t fight any single bit about yourself! Embrace all of the things that make you feel that good type of super duper happy.

I love college, and I LOVE the school part of college. I love the finding of the quiet places to study and the long walks to and from classes. I think the topics are interesting and fun and being given this much responsibility is extremely satisfying to me. Learning to find peace with myself and creating this improved version of myself is such an exciting journey and i am SO pumped that you all can do it too!

until next time, love love love love ya!

xoxo, Ally