Brown Hair...Need Opinions!

All my readers are getting lucky today because I'm posting twice in one day! The purpose of this post is to gain your opinions on my new hair color for the fall. Please comment on what I should do! The options are staying blonde, going full-on brown, or going to more of a caramel-brown hair color. Here are some pictures of my past hair, and colors I am thinking about. Comment which you think I should go with!

Me when I went brown (above).

A little bit after the brown had faded some. 

Fully blonde again.

Hillary Duff light brown. 

Darker brown. 

Fall Adventures

I am not as good with getting the blog up on the weekends. It is a good thing because that means I'm too busy doing fun things! This weekend has been really great! Although I worked Friday afternoon, and all day today, I made some money and had fun.

After having a very crappy week of fashion, I decided to shower and put some effort into my outfit. Dressing nice to me makes me feel good, which gives me more self-confidence, and puts me in a better mood. Some may call me a diva (my Taylor friends, you know who you are), but it makes me feel better to be clean and look my best. The other part that I enjoy is following fashion trends, shopping for what I want, and putting together unique outfits that not everyone would think of. I try not to completely follow the crowd. Making a subtle statement is fun for me :).

Blue button-up shirt, dark jeans, black boots, cream leather jacket. 

Statement necklace from Forever 21.

New studded bracelets (one of my favorite purchases of my shopping day). 

Friday after work I got to spend some time shopping with Courtney. We went to Kenwood Mall and enjoyed a successful and relaxing shopping trip. We took our time in many stores and came out with a fashionable fall wardrobe! Can't wait to wear the items that I got! I loved every one :). We went on a hunt to 5 or 6 stores to find Courtney some short black boots that were decently priced, and we were not successful. In order to make us feel better, we took a dinner break where I enjoyed this yummy Chick-Fil-A!

Saturday, I got to spend some quality date time with Brent. We went to Bob Evans for lunch (a typical Saturday or Sunday brunch for us). Then we ventured off to Hueston Woods, a state park near Miami, where we rented a two-person kayak and spent an hour and a half paddling out in the lake. It was the PERFECT day for it! I wish I had pictures, but I did not want to risk bringing my phone into the boat. The weather was about 73 degrees and sunny, and the trees surrounding the lake were all starting to turn colors. It was the most perfect day we could ask for to kayak! The other great part about it was that it only cost us $10! Such a unique and cheap date idea that I would recommend! 

For dinner, I met up with Courtney and Megan and we had delicious mozzarella and pesto grilled cheese on sourdough, (recipe thanks to pinterest), and tomato soup. For my last event of the night, I met up with Brent and our friends Matt and Megan at McDonalds to have some ice cream. It was a great weekend! So much fun time spent with Brent and my friends. I am so glad that I was able to enjoy the weekend, but now I've got to crack down and study for my exam tomorrow. Wish me luck! We'll see how this goes!

So here is what the days of my week feel like...

Wednesday = basically the weekend

Thursday = feels like Friday because I have no classes Friday

Friday = feels like Saturday

Saturday = bonus day!!

So today was basically Friday for me! I enjoyed a fun night with some of my ballet members at our pasta party! Yummy pasta, garlic bread, salad, and cookies with some great times getting to know each other. So happy to have gotten to spend some time with these ladies! Then my night continued with some quality time with my friends Courtney, Joanna, and Hillary. Great night! Can't say that my day was productive, but sometimes that is okay :). 

Outfit post of the day...

Skirt- TJ Maxx

Shirt- Old Navy

Jacket- Tobi

Necklace- JCrew (lookalike, not real)

Blehhhh...

To be honest, today's post was difficult to write. It was a normal, cold, dreary day, and I'm having a hard time thinking of what to talk about. I woke up and decided to skip the shower in order to sleep an extra 30 minutes, which I regretted all day because I felt yucky. You cannot listen to your half sleeping brain because its logic is flawed in this state! So there will be no outfit post today due to me taking an ugly day :).

After forcing myself out of bed finally and arriving at class 10 minutes late due to procrastination waking up, I actually enjoyed what we learned about. It is one of my gerontology classes, and we watched a sad video about Alzheimer's Disease, but I found the class very interesting. After class I rushed back to my warm bed to take a nap. Lately I have been going to bed very late, which causes me to be tired the next day, and I end up taking naps and feeling unproductive all day. I'm hoping to break the cycle and start going to bed at midnight by this Thursday night!

Basically all day after this, I went to more classes, got locked out of my room, felt dirty due to no shower and wearing sweats, wasn't in the mood for dancing during ballet, had chocolate milk spilled in my room, and forgot to press start on the washing machine, so I will be up until 1:30 AM waiting for my laundry.

Basically I am allowing myself to post this in my blog because some days are just kinda blehhh, and I'm accepting it. What I am going to take from this day is that tomorrow is a whole new story, a clean slate, and a new opportunity to succeed! I'm going to look forward to showering and putting on a decent outfit, having my artsy RA program, and underwater photo shoot with Mercedes! I'm done with class at 12:30 PM on Wednesdays, so I get excited for the afternoon even if I have lots of errands to run. It's nice to know that you will not be sitting in class.

Sort of a dull post, but I promise tomorrow will be better! Since I did not take any photos today, here's some throwbacks. Brent's roommate's puppy!

Recap of the Weekend!

So lots has happened since I last posted! It's been Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. So I think today I'll post multiple pictures of some of the highlights of my weekend and then you can read about them. I also included a random music video that Mercedes, Gaby, and I decided to make about 2 weeks ago. It was 10 PM and we were bored, so this video is what you get! Believe it or not, there was no rehearsal or planning involved in this video ;).



This photo below was the start of my Saturday. After all afternoon cooking a red velvet birthday cake and turkey burgers, I went to an apartment complex to celebrate Mercedes' 22nd birthday. We had a cookout, hung out in the hot tub for a little while, and then went inside because it got down to about 40 degrees! It was ridiculously cold!

After the party, Courtney, Megan, Alicia, and I headed to the library to attempt to be productive. As you can see, we were not successful. We chose to study in the kid's library, and got a little distracted by the lovely puppet display. Crazy how awesome these puppets were!

I then went back to my dorm where Brent joined me for some end of the night studying. Not a whole lot got done here either, but I did manage to eat lots of food while Brent wrote emails :). 

Sunday I spent the day studying uptown at a coffee place called Kofenya with Brent. I had an exam Monday, so I spent the day here. Such a lovely view since you sit against the window. You can feel like you are outside experiencing life even though you are stuck inside studying.

Sunday night, I agreed to help Brent with some much needed laundry, so we ventured to the laundromat to do lots of loads of laundry.

Monday, I had my second exam of the year, which went pretty well. After the exam, I spent the day uptown again enjoying some Starbucks in order to get closer to gold card status :). 

Lastly, I attended my staff meeting, where I was awarded "Stella the Stellar Stegosaurus", who goes to the stellar RA of the week! Woohoo for me! Great end to the night. And that is the update on my life! 

Red Velvet

Hello all! I have not written in a few days. Been a busy week obviously! Many things have occurred since I last posted. It is officially Fall weather. I'm still deciding whether I like this or not. Here is the pro-con list.

Pros:

Pumpkin flavored everything

Sweaters

Scarves

Pretty leaves 

No sweating

Hot drinks

Tights

My birthday soon!!

Boots

Cons:

Freezing in class

No more swimming

No more shorts and neon colors

Iced coffee no more :(

No barbeques

Naked trees

So I guess in conclusion, there are more pros than cons as I think about it quickly. Most of the pros are clothes :). So excited for boots, infinity scarves, tights with dresses, and brown hair!!! Little secret, the hair is going brown this Fall! Most likely middle or end of October. Once bright spring colors are out of style.

Since Fall clothes are coming soon, I decided to enjoy some of my fav summer outfits. I made this bright maxi a little more fit for Fall by adding flats and a sweater. Don't know how long the white shoes are allowed, but I felt like breaking them out.

Tonight Megan and I decided once again to go over to Brent's house even though he was not there and take his roommate's dog for a walk. (Don't worry, we asked the owner for permission.) We enjoyed a late night walk and played in the backyard for a while. We tired her out until she fell asleep on the couch and we put her to bed. Some adorable moments with little Maggie :). 

Today was a very productive day in general. I did lots of work for my ballet club, including organizing this lovely binder that used to be a mess. I also got my oil changed, went to the dry cleaners, decorated Mercedes' door for her birthday, and shopped for ingredients to make her a homemade red velvet cake. Just wait until you see the final product! I'll be sure to post the recipe and some pictures once it is made. Here are some pictures of my past few days. 

Ballet binder organized.

Megan and I with a weird painting at Steinkellers uptown. 

Rain, Rain, Come Again!!

We survived Monday, everyone!! Now we just have to stay motivated for the rest of the week! Tonight I realized how much extra time I have if I just don't turn on the TV. Common sense, but apparently Keeping Up With the Kardashians and Married to Jonas were higher on the priority list last night. Today, for some reason, I had more free time than I normally have on Mondays. Maybe it is because I did not work out...speaking of, I'm committing to P90X tomorrow!! I completed about 2 months of it in January and February of this year, but then spring break came and went, and there was no more motivation for me. I would like to be held accountable for committing! I've been attempting to start ever since school started, but it hasn't worked out. Tomorrow will be day 1! I'm going to make a chart for my wall so that I can have visual motivation every day.

Today was a cool day, and it ended up raining later in the afternoon. Those of you who know me well know that I love the rain! It puts me in a good mood. I LOVE doing homework in my room with the window open so I can hear it. I also enjoy taking naps while it is raining, but I enjoy taking naps anytime :). Unfortunately tonight I was trapped in the basement of one of the academic buildings in a torturous 2 1/2 hour-long class, and completely missed the rain. It didn't stop me from breaking out my rain boots!

Today I wore my green pants, comfy black button-up, long heart necklace, and rainboots. I also tried rocking the sock bun. I think it looks alright on me, but mostly I save it for lazy days and ballet class. 

These Dove chocolates are my new fav! I absolutely love Dove dark chocolates, and I found them with almonds! These are an absolute dream! I also like to think that they're healthy since they are dark chocolate and have almonds ;). 

Made my own guacamole this weekend! Turned out a little too garlicy and oniony, but that's my fault because I deviated from the recipe and added too much :). Next time I'll be more careful! 

Recipe: (thanks to Elizabeth Elliot)

2-3 Avacados

Some chopped onions (about 2 Tbs)

1 Tbs Cilantro

2 Tbs Cumin

Salt and Pepper (to taste)

Cayenne Pepper (to taste)

1 clove garlic chopped finely

Some chopped tomatoes (about 2 Tbs)

1/2 of a Lime's juice

Busy Sundays

So sadly, I just finished writing a very clever, funny, and well-thought out blog post only to accidently delete it. So disappointing! Needless to say, I am not going to write it all over again, and you will just get the highlights.

I had wanted to talk about Sundays and how I would like to change my habit of ruining the way God wanted them to be. My typical Sundays consist of me stressing about my unfinished homework and scrambling to get organized for the week. During my freshman year at Taylor, my friend Elizabeth set a great example for the wing by getting all of her homework finished on Friday and Saturday so that Sunday was a day of rest, and for her, a day of baking cookies and bread for the wing ;). I admire her so much, and hope to be able to be more disciplined this semester so that I can have Sundays to spend time with my family and friends. My parents have learned not to call me on Sundays because I'm usually busy and stressed, and this is not the way it should be! So this is something that I will be working on this year.

Instead of being productive this Saturday night and doing homework, Mercedes and I decided to watch Tristan and Isolde, plan outfits for the future, and do facials. Here's a fun picture of our night!

Here is another flashback to last weekend seeing Parachute perform at Miami! 

Due to my limited time now that my original post got deleted, I will just conclude with a verse for the week. Hoping to start it off well and have a productive and positive week! 

"For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." - Jeremiah 29:11

Fall on the Horizon

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekends! Fall is on the horizon! It has suddenly turned colder in Oxford. It's been in the 80s forever, and just recently it has dropped to a new norm of about 72. Fridays in my schedule consist of waking up at 10:40 with just enough time to throw some clothes and a little makeup on before going to work. I work as a waitress on campus. It has been nice because I work on Fridays from 11-2 and every other Sunday. It's just enough cash to be able to go out to dinner and on shopping trips. Another bonus is that we get free soup every time we work :). I enjoyed a delicious tomato bisque and grilled cheese with Brent for lunch.

This Friday my friend Courtney and I decided to take advantage of the puppy that lives at Brent's house. Her name is Maggie, and we are in love with her! We borrow her from time to time because we aren't allowed to have pets in our residences. It happens to be Maggie's first birthday today, so we bought a leash for her and went over to take her on a walk. Courtney and I walked to visit our other friend Megan, and it ended up being a nice study break for people who happened to walk by. We were so lucky that her owner let us borrow her for an hour!

Later that evening, Mercedes, her sister Gaby, and I decided to film an impromptu music video to a popular song. I won't tell you what it is now, so you'll just have to keep reading the next few days to see it :).

After our music video filming, we went over to Courtney's apartment complex to enjoy three hours of relaxation in the hot tub! It ended up being only 45 degrees outside by the time we got out, so we left pruny, wet, and cold. On the way home, we decided to grab some smoothies and go Uptown to watch the drunks make fools of themselves. It was a very entertaining night activity!

On a side note, check out this song! Mercedes and Gaby introduced me to it, and it has become one of our favs to bust out. It's called, "Call Your Girlfriend", by Robyn. It's a little out there, so just have an open mind :).

Cheetah craze!

Good news, it's the weekend for me!! No classes on Fridays is a great bonus of senior year! Thank you to all of my professors who knew that college students are physically not able to concentrate or be productive on Fridays, so they schedule their classes during other times.

One fun moment for me was seeing the White House | Black Market commercials back on TV! Weird as I am, I really enjoyed these commercials! The whole commercial was just a really unique idea, I loved the song, and as a dancer, I really loved the tapping :). This is the behind the scenes making of the commercial and shows it. Check it out right now and let me know what you think!

Yesterday I had some time in my day to go shopping with my friend Mercedes to our favorite place, Bridgewater Falls! It has fountains everywhere, the best stores, and most important, Chick-Fil-A! Sad to say that I have made the 30 minute trip to Bridgewater multiple times solely for some Chick-Fil-A chicken strips :). Yesterday, I went with the intention of making a few returns, and of course ended up spending just as much as I got back. TJMaxx is a bad idea for Mercedes and I! We joke about how when we walk in, our eyes are constantly scanning every item we walk past, even on our way to the register after spending half an hour in the dressing room! We just can't miss anything! At the register in two different stores, I stepped in with my motherly instincts when Mercedes was about to apply for TJMaxx and Sally Beauty Supply credit cards. I took care of that :).

Here are some of my favorite fall purchases that I made! You'll have to wait to see more once I wear them ;). I can't wait for the weather to cool down so I can wear them, but I'm still trying to appreciate summer while it lasts! Let's not get hasty, people!

New cheetah shoes from TJ!

Uptown Oxford in the park

My productive afternoon finishing an online gerontology exam with one of my favorite coffees that I can get on campus.

Développé

Développé (dayv-law-pay). This term is probably unfamiliar to most of you. It is generally used to explain a certain movement in ballet. According to American Ballet Theatre, the definition is "a developing movement, or a movement of the leg which is drawn up to the knee of the supporting leg and slowly extended to an open position with perfect control". 

I felt that this term was a good way to introduce you to myself, to ballet, and to my life. I am a dancer, and the President of a ballet club at my school. I've been dancing for most of my life, and although I am not the most talented, it is something that I enjoy, and that I will keep pursuing in my free time for as long as I can. The reason that I titled my blog développé is because I feel that the definition and the idea is a good way to explain my life. This action in ballet is a developing movement. In order to execute it successfully, one must have complete control and support. In my own life, I feel that my journey is a process of development, especially at this stage. I am developing in my knowledge, my education, my identity, my fashion sense, my relationships, and my future family and career. I do not think that this process will ever end. In order to have a successful life, I need the support of my friends, my family, and my coworkers. Most of all, I need the support of Jesus, my savior and my guide. I can try to have perfect control on my own, but I've learned that it does not go well. 

The purpose of my blog is to document my daily life for those close to me, and to reflect and realize God's work in my life. At times I wake up only looking forward to my afternoon nap, or bedtime. I have so many blessings and awesome moments in my life, and I want to focus on appreciating them! This is an amazing time in my life, and I want to enjoy every moment of it! Whatever is on my mind will be my topic, and I hope to share the most interesting or impacting moments of my day through photos. It's senior year, and I hope to have many adventures to share with you this year! 

This picture shows you a typical afternoon in the life of Kristyn :). Snuggled up in my covers doing reading homework. I try to stay awake long enough to finish the assignment, and often reward myself with a little nap after :). 

This next picture shows the amazing blessing that I have to attend the beautiful red-brick Miami University! This is Upham Hall, where I have my Gerontology class. Tradition says that if you kiss your true love under the Upham arch, you will marry, and the bond will never be broken. Hopefully this legend will remain true after kissing Brent under the arch! Someday we may be Miami-mergers (two students from Miami marrying)!