On The Verge

I'm on the verge.
I feel like a lot of people can relate to this, especially my peers as we are in this vital part of our lives trying to figure out what the heck we are doing with it.
I started this poem this summer and I have been tinkering with it and revisited it tonight. It still needs work I am sure, but I really like it more and more as I work on it and thought it was the perfect time to post it as we are on the verge of starting a new school year at Emporia State. I'm personally on the verge of my senior year of college. There are a lot of emotions when you are on the verge of something. I like reading through this poem in this fast pace as if I am on the verge of doing some of these things. There is this rush that you get when you are on the verge of something and my goal is to provide a rush with the repetition of words and the speed of the poem. Think about times when you have been on the verge of something great, bittersweet, exciting, risky, etc. The verge is the feeling, the burst of emotion that comes right before something big. It's intense. It's unknowing. It's scary. It's pretty wild, but can still be amazing sometimes.


On The Verge
I'm on the verge of a running sprint.
On the verge of starting my life.
I'm on the verge of ending something sweet.
On the verge of holding on tight.
I'm on the verge;
of trying something new.
On the verge with you.
I'm on the verge.
And on the verge of crying too.
On the verge of looking back.
On the verge of telling you what my heart wants to say.
I'm on the verge of knowing how I feel.
On the verge of something great.
I'm on the verge of writing my best poem.
I'm on the verge of knowing.
On the verge of figuring you out.
I'm on the verge of asking.
On the verge of knowing what to say.
On the verge of a final draft,
of falling asleep,
and on the verge of texting you.
On the verge of yelling and screaming.
I'm on the verge of running.
On the verge of telling you I like you.
I'm on the verge;
hoping you are on the verge too.

Sparkle & Shine.

Rachel

BEST. WEEK. EVER. (So Far)

I anticipated August and what was to come with it. I smiled at midnight when August finally came because I knew things were about to get exciting and I was going to be experiencing so many great things in such a short amount of time and I was going to take it in and savor it all.

My baby nephew turned 14! I went home to celebrate his birthday. Then I went from that to my first Sporting KC game! I worked it as an Ambassador for the ESU Alumni Night. So I was able to go for free. It was definitely a neat experience seeing the beautiful stadium finally from the inside after seeing it countless times from the outside. I was also enthralled with the energy of all the fans and their love for the team. It was nice to see that much energy going towards a Kansas City team. I feel like that is something our city has lacked with the Royals and Chiefs always up and down, it was awesome to see something new and exciting. I, of course, found a new crush on the team who is #20, Oriol Rosell. Come to find out he is younger than me and is from Spain. :) This photo is courtesy of my roommate, Anna, who was also at the same game I was at!

After the game, I hung out with one of my good friends from back home and purchased a new pretty purse and some pajamas for my dinosaur. :) That Sunday, I got a new MacBook Pro that I am already in love with and slightly attached to. Still trying to figure it out amongst being busy! I am so excited to see what all of this can do and be able to get really creative!

I had a chiropractor appointment in Kansas City on that Monday and have been battling some tough back problems. I went straight from there back to work to the President's office in Emporia. I had to prepare and get ready for the week to come. I was running around frazzled for sure!

Tuesday, Kirsten and I took a road trip to Wichita, KS to see Taylor Swift in concert! I really lucked out and happened to see a girl's status about wanting to sell some extra tickets she had and was the first to jump on the chance! It was Kirsten's first time seeing Taylor Swift and my second. I was happy to be there and took lots of video! She did a lot of my favorite songs. And I might have been on the verge of tears when she did All Too Well! I was closer than I was when she was at Arrowhead so that was neat! She has definitely been growing up and getting a little more sexy!?

After the concert, we journeyed back home to get a little sleep before we were packed in the van 8am in the morning to ride along for 16 hours all the way to New Orleans, LA! This was going to be my 3rd CASE ASAP national conference. I drove the big van for the first time in parts of Oklahoma and Texas! I was pretty proud of myself. It was close to 11pm when we finally arrived in New Orleans. I was so excited and ecstatic as we pulled into town and saw the Superdome lit up in pretty purple lights as we got off the highway. We stayed at the Sheraton which is the tallest hotel in New Orleans and we were placed on the 35th floor. Needless to say, the view was amazing and we could see the rooftop pool below us!

We decided after being cooped up in the van all day, we would visit Bourbon Street. For a Wednesday night, I thought it was pretty happenin'. I was immediately fascinated with all the lights, people, bars, drinks, etc. I loved walking up and down it and hearing "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke in multiple places. 

Thursday afternoon the conference started, but we visited the French Quarters first! Of course I had to visit the store called Razzle Dazzle. It was filled with all kinds of girly sparkly things! We checked in for the conference and we decorated our float. I was pretty proud of my crafting skills as I decorated the back! We had awesome team work going and ended with a great float!

Thursday night we went to Channing Tatum's restaurant/bar and we tried some gator tail! And it tasted like chicken!

On Thursday night, we got a little taste of Bourbon Street! Tayler, Amanda, and I tried out a Hurricane slushy! There were so many places that you could just walk up to and get a slushy drink! Definitely refreshing on a hot evening out. :)

Friday was the day of the big game! We were able to go to the Saints vs Chiefs game! I was super ecstatic and could barely contain my excitement! I was so excited to have that experience because not only was I getting to watch the Saints in the Super Bowl, they were playing the Chiefs! For it being the first game of the preseason, it was pretty packed. I got goosebumps quite a bit and couldn't believe I was hearing the "WHO DAT" chant and watching Drew Brees live in person! The Superdome is absolutely huge and beautiful.

Saturday was a little rough because I started having back pains again and this time they were worse. I was in so much pain and my energy was low. I laid down a couple times to try to rest up and get motivated because Amanda and I were supposed to do a 45 minute presentation at 2. I laid down in my sea of blankets in the big comfy bed and listened to some music while I got ready. I was able to pull off the presentation and worked through the pain. We really rocked it! I couldn't have been more pleased. I loved our ballroom we presented in and we had a great turn out!

Saturday night was the banquet. We got all dressed up and I'd say our group looked sharp! :)

Afterwards, we went out on Bourbon Street and had a good time! I was anxious to see what it would be like on a Saturday night and man was it interesting! I thought beads were just used for Mardi Gras, but apparently that isn't the case! People were throwing beads from balconies and they littered the streets along with all the other trash that was on the sides of them that night. People told me that Bourbon Street smelled and they weren't lying. It does smell, but luckily it didn't bother me too much. We went to Pat O'Briens and a couple other places and chatted with people from Texas to Michigan.

New Orleans is very different from Kansas. I hadn't been in a city like that before and I am so glad I was able to have that experience. There is a lot of culture and differences. The food, the music, the party. I was floored when I walked out of our hotel Wednesday night to immediately see people sipping on drinks from fish bowls and other tall cups! CVS that was down the street from us had their own liquor section. There were beads galore and I tried beignets for the first time for breakfast. People dance and sing and perform on the streets and it's all normal. And it's hot. There were times I was outside for a short amount of time and then I was ready for a shower!

The conference was great and I was able to snag a couple of the coveted University of Florida shirts and a couple UCLA shirts that I can't wait to wear when I am not in my ESU apparel. I came home with a total of 11 free t-shirts. :) Life of a college student leader I suppose!

We drove the 16 hours ago and I took a shift driving again. It happened to be on Dallas highways that were under construction in the 5 o'clock hour. I was feeling quite frazzled, but courageous and brave at the same time!

I am exhausted still and trying to catch up on sleep again. But it was all worth it and all fabulous. :)

More pictures can be found on my Facebook!

PS. Pretty excited to say I was asked to do an opinion column for the ESU Bulletin newspaper! So what all shall I write about readers?!

Sparkle & Shine.

Rachel

Blue Key Retreat - Golden, CO

I was greeted with hugs.
I was going to spend the weekend with the Blue Key national board. 3 students including myself and the 5 adults that have positions on the board. This was my first retreat with them since I was elected in January.
I arrived in Golden, CO and was immediately enchanted with the absolutely adorable town. The woman that coordinated the Blue Key retreat trip lives there and works at the Colorado School of Mines. She drove us around campus and told us some stories. There is a mountain that is seen from a distance with a big M on it. She told us of the tradition that every year, the incoming freshman brings a 10lb rock from their hometowns and carry it up the mountain to the M and they go back when they graduate to get their rock back. At night it lights up. I looked up the tradition on their website and come to find out, the tradition was started by the Blue Key group there and still to this day is taken care of by them. You can look at more info here. http://www.mines.edu/Traditions

The M on the mountain lit up at night.

We passed by a newer looking building and Michelle told us that the building was funded by an alum in his 30's that donated $10 million dollars for it to be built. I am pretty sure my jaw dropped. It is pretty amazing for an alum to donate $10 million dollars, but for them to be in their 30's is just extraordinary. The school is a pretty STEM heavy school. That means a lot of the programs have to do with science, technology, engineering and math. And that also means, that the boy population is a lot higher than the girl population which is quite the opposite to ESU.

City lights in Golden

I roomed with the other girl that serves on the board as a student. She just graduated from the University of Toledo. We quickly learned that we are similar and have stories that are quite a lot alike. It goes to show that yes, everyone's story is unique, but there are people that go through the same things. You aren't alone. So we bonded over the same things, but also, shared our stories that made us different too.

I learned a lot about Blue Key at a national level. And even learned some Emporia ties to it. I learned that Florida disaffiliated themselves with the national organization because they didn't want to deal with the GPA side of it and such. So all the Florida Blue Keys operate on their own. And apparently Tim Tebow was a Blue Key at the University of Florida and you can see it on his list of achievements here. http://www.gatorzone.com/football/misc.php?p=tebow/bio
Then irony came about when we decided to move the national documents to the University of Georgia archives. They will be sitting quite close to Florida. College fans probably know of the Georgia/Florida rivalry!

The board is made up of interesting people. 4 men and 1 woman. As I had said before, Michelle is from Colorado, then we have the director from Ohio, President from Portland, and the other two are from Alabama and Georgia. It was cool hearing their stories from all across the country. The board had joked about the President of the board and how they had written on his name tag, FOP (Friend of the Pope) at a conference. I went along and chuckled as they told me the story. I didn't know if it was a joke or maybe he did meet the Pope before? As the weekend progressed and I was enchanted with this man's stories, I finally asked if he was a friend of the Pope because it really seemed like a possibility now. I found out he really did meet the Pope and past ones. He's on the invite list to dinners and pretty sure he has been in the White House and met Presidents. Then I think about how he asked about my nail polish and if I sprinkled on the glitter or what. Makes me chuckle inside a little. Now I can't wait for conference in January so I can hear even more stories! And to think I get to sit on a board with these cool people? So lucky and blessed!

The Board

We had dinner at Michelle's house on Saturday and she literally lives on a mountain! It was about a half hour drive to her place from the hotel and most of it was winding up the mountain! I was in awe when I got out of the car and felt the cool crisp chill after the rainstorm that was happening on the way there. I was surrounded by mountains and trees. Later on when I was taking in the beauty, I could see the sun hitting the tip of a mountain across the way and then there was a little rainbow on top of another. It didn't take long for me to fall in love.

View from Michelle's porch.

You can see the sun hitting the top of the mountain in the distance.

The trip overall was great and I learned a lot from the people, organization, and town. I even had probably the most expensive wine I have had in my life to date! Colorado really touched my heart and I can't wait to go back sometime to see those mountains again! Sunday morning, I was left with hugs. And it meant a little more that time.

Sparkle & Shine.

Rachel

.....

There was about a four hour delay at the airport going back to Kansas City. I tweeted asking for 3-6 word suggestions and I would write a poem. I was given dinosaurs, Jurrasic Park and paleontologist. I thought about it for awhile and started sketching stuff and then finally came up with this and it actually is becoming a favorite of mine. I like when I can get in a zone and crank out something. Here it is!

To All That Have Had Their Heart Broken

December 14, 2011

I felt like punching a wall…or something.

That was the first line in the journal entry I made that day. That was in the middle of the deep pains I would feel as I laid in bed trying to sleep and fight memories, replay things said, and make up conversations in my head with the person that hurt me the most in my entire life.

When I first started delving back into my faith and exploring my study bible in that time, there was an excerpt about comforting. I don’t remember the page it was on, but I will not forget what it taught me. It talked about a verse and it brought up the point that God puts us through some hard times and then later on since we have been through it, we will be prepared and know how to help and comfort others that will go through the same thing. I told myself that I will someday be able to help others that will go through what I did.

Just recently I have finally felt it happening with a couple friends of mine. One of them is so similar to me, it’s a little weird at times, but reminds me that God is working in some way and I will figure out what it is eventually.

So now I want to blog about heartache and break ups. Since I have dealt with it and experienced it, I want to share how I coped and healed in hopes that it can help others. Maybe it can comfort others and make it a little easier.

First step: unfollow, unfriend. Don’t follow them on Twitter, unfriend them on Facebook, remove them from Instagram, Vine, and any other social network, media, app thing you can think of. It really is unhealthy for you to allow yourself to see what they are up to, talking about, and see who is liking their things. It will be very tempting and you will want to look, but really, just don’t. It will be what is best for you. More than likely, you will not like what they post or you will read way too into it and it will suck you back into negative thoughts, memories, etc. Boys may think that it is “childish” or “immature” to do this step, but for girls, it really can take a toll on their health since we think and read into so much. Don’t think about what they think, just think about yourself and well being first this time.

Don’t let yourself think about the “good times” so much. When you catch yourself thinking about that one time you got butterflies or the person did something really sweet for you, it will make you miss them and it will conjure strong emotions, so you want to redirect your thoughts right then! Remind yourself of the positives and why it is best you are not with the person anymore.

Lay off the sappy lovey dovey songs and movies. I took a long break from “The Notebook” since it is such a romantic and emotional movie. Songs and movies that can move someone so easily might not be the best idea to listen to and watch.

Talk. Talk to family and friends. If you can talk to a counselor, even better. I went to a counselor at the school for about a year every week. It is nice to have an unbiased opinion and someone that wasn’t involved in the situation. He could also suggest things for me to do to help myself. Holding things in may lead to an explosion later.

Write. I wrote a poem about the time when it was suggested by my Mom and counselor to write and how I felt about it.

When they told me to write

At first they told me to write

as a way to cope and to heal,

but I was scared,

didn’t want to feel

those feelings again.

The pen that scribbles

ink on to the page

would be scraping

at the scabs on my heart.

I didn’t want them to bleed

again. I visited the pain

enough when I replayed

the conversations in my mind,

let memories make me cry.

Why would I let it come to life

in words onto paper.

Why would I want to save it for later?

Writing has always been an outlet for me and at that time I did not want to write about it. I thought it would be too painful, but I eventually started to and now I am not stopping. It really can be therapeutic and it is neat to look back on it later and see the progress you made. It’s a reminder of how far you have come and makes you glad you aren’t in that place anymore.

Workout. I do have to admit one thing I did like about that time was that I lost weight. It can happen and it can be motivation to workout and keep it off. Also, working out is an amazing way to blow off steam and get anger out. You can own your run or your workout. It’s all yours and it’s rare you leave a workout, not feeling good about it afterwards.

Surround yourself by support and inspiration.

Here are some of my suggestions!

Books: The Confident Woman – Joyce Meyer

            Eat, Pray, Love – Elizabeth Gilbert

            Traveling Mercies – Anne Lamott

Songs: Part of Me – Katy Perry

            Stronger – Kelly Clarkson

            Firework – Katy Perry

            Wide Awake – Katy Perry

            Thank You – Alanis Morissette

            That I Would Be Good – Alanis Morissette

(Any Taylor Swift song pretty much!)

Follow on Twitter: @TheSingleWoman

And then have fun exploring her blog posts on her website!

Shows: Watch all the episodes of Sex & The City. (I’m getting close to it!)

For those who are religious: Pray.

Read Proverbs 31 and read about the ideal woman.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” Philippians 4:6

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” Proverbs 3: 5-6

That night I had written about punching a wall, I ended that journal entry like this…

I feel like I forgot God is here with me. I don’t need to wait to talk to him. He doesn’t have finals tomorrow. He isn’t sleeping just yet. I can talk to Him now. He is here.

So remember, God is always willing listen and always has time for you!

When it comes down to it, TIME is really important. People will say time heals all things. I always heard, “it will get better” and it does. You have to get it time.

Here is another poem I wrote…

The Dust Has Settled

Time really did help to heal me

just like they had said.

It really did get better

just like they had told me.

Now it’s all memories

and pictures in places

and stories to tell.

The dust has finally settled.

&&&

So this is to all that have had their heart broken.

To the ones that have been cheated on.

To the ones that thought he was the one.

To the ones that never got him to commit.

To the ones that never got a text the next day.

To the ones that still think about that one night.

To the ones that have been used.

To the ones that have been led on.

To the ones that lost all confidence.

Things will get better. It’s uncomfortable, but that’s just growing pains. You are growing, learning and evolving. Don’t take it as a regret, but a lesson learned. Take notes so you can comfort others in the future.

Don’t let anyone ever dull your sparkle.

You're beautiful.

Sparkle & Shine.

Rachel

When Rain Falls In Love

Last night a small storm came rolling into Emporia. I sat on the balcony porch of my apartment and watched the lightening get closer and heard the first rain drops all the way until the rain came falling down. It was beautiful seeing it get closer, hearing the first rain drops until the steady rain came down. Lines started coming to me. Rain kissing the pavement, hearing the rain drops on the railings, railings I use to hold on to, to keep my balance. I had to start writing. I started writing and sketched out something I am falling in love with (irony). It turned into something and the last couple lines are some of my favorite.

It's cool taking things and comparing it to other things. (Metaphors) The lightning can be flirting, the strikes can be a touch of hand, the first rain drops are those first gentle kisses and the rain fall is letting go completely into the moment.

Sometimes people get scared or they over think things. They always have to think of the logistics, what to do, if it is right or wrong, or if the time is right. Sometimes people just don't let themselves fall, fall in love. Or maybe even fall to their feelings or simply fall into the moment.

When Rain Falls In Love

The first drop of rain kisses the pavement,

more starts to trickle down to earth.

drip, drop.

The water drops all boundaries,

lets the walls down

so it can fall

in love

with the pavement,

in love

with the blades of grass too.

It wants to be soaked up

by the summer soil that needs it

because the rain needs the soil too.

pitter, patter.

The rain drops collide

on life’s railing that I hold on to.

But the rain knows not to clutch

on to the clouds. They let themselves

fall freely in love with the ground.

Sparkle & Shine.

Rachel

A Super #WomanCrushWednesday

Twitter and Instagram have a hashtag for pretty much every day of the week now and Wednesday is #WomanCrushWednesday. I participated for the first time last week by posting an amazing picture of Jennifer Aniston. Now I want to do a super #WomanCrushWednesday of the beautiful women that I like for multiple reasons and who I draw inspiration from!

Sandra Bullock

She knows how to make good movies and she is funny. This lady endured heartbreak at the height of her career and did it with grace.

Taylor Swift

I draw a lot of inspiration from this woman with my writing. I love how she crafts words, lyrics, and songs. She is constantly displaying her diary for anyone to read which takes guts. She isn’t even afraid to take some risks while staying true to who she is. She also knows how to stay humble.

Lady Gaga

This is a bad lady. She goes through a lot of ridicule for her style and music, but she keeps on going! She has dealt with bullying and continues to fight against it with her Born This Way Foundation. A person that knows what kindness and acceptance is especially with her support for the gay community.

Katy Perry

This lady shows that she can pull off any color hair even if it is pink or blue! She broke records with the most #1 hits from one album and it was only her second album! I encourage people to watch her movie, Part of Me. You will have a new respect for this girl who didn’t give up on her dreams and who also dealt with heartbreak at the height of her career. A fun role model for sure!

Kate Middleton

She has big shoes to fill as she is consistently being compared to Princess Diana. She walks with grace and confidence. She owns it! She has an amazing fashion sense and is not afraid to wear the same thing twice even if she is a royal!

Jennifer Aniston

She was Rachel on Friends. I could simply just say that! But this lady also dealt with heartbreak (isn’t there a pattern here?) and also had poise and grace regardless. The woman is in her 40’s and still looking just as amazing as she did when Friends was popular in the 90’s. And the woman can wear her hair straight when wearing a gown and still make it look elegant and fabulous!

Eva Longoria

She isn’t just a pretty face. The lady has beauty and brains. She was working on her masters even when she was still filming for Desperate Housewives and just recently graduated last month. She shows that education is important and you can accomplish it even if you are a celebrity and have other things going on!

Tina Fey

Hilarious and a feminist. She also knows how to be a boss and run things. The woman created her own show and wrote for it too. Oh and acted on it as well. Multi-talented and still a mom and wife!

Kristen Wiig

She shows you can be funny and even funny like the guys. She hung with the boys of SNL and was one of the best cast members in her time there. She is a role model for the funny, goofy, and weird!

Emma Stone
First of all, the woman can pull of red hair like it ain't nothing. She has gotten to act along side Ryan Gosling in two awesome movies. She also shows that goofy is cute and gave girls the movie, Easy A. 

Thank you to these ladies who are great examples of confidence, poise, grace, and ones that know what humor can be and do!

Who will be your #WomanCrushWednesday this week?

Follow me: @rachelnmsparkle or @theglitterylife

Sparkle & Shine.

Rachel

Boys: The Semi-Annual Post

It was about a year ago when I first bravely made a post about boys. Then around six months later, I posted more things I learned. Now with the Victoria’s Secret Semi-Annual sale starting, I’m taking that as my cue to do my semi-annual post about boys yet again. You can never stop learning, right?

I went to lunch with my Ambassador bro towards the beginning of the semester and we had a good chat. He filled me in on some things such as how boys operate, think, and do things. I told him I was at a point where I wanted to play their game. You know the whole play the field and make sure to put my feelings on a tight leash kind of thing. He told me I wouldn’t be able to, that I’d get burned. Eh, maybe he is partly right.

“I wear my heart up on my sleeve like a big deal.” – Calvin Harris, I Feel So Close

As if I hadn’t ran myself thin enough with everything I’m involved in and do, I was running my emotions, feelings, and heart ragged too. There was a point I felt like I was dragging them on dirt and gravel. I even made a whole meditative poem about my heart for class. I somehow keep finding ways to incorporate my heart in my writing lately. People tell you that when you are single, it is the best time to “play the field” and see what you like and don’t like. I have been, but is there a point in which you can play too much or too hard? Remember last year, when dates seemed really obsolete in my life? Well somehow, I managed to score 3 pretty legit dates in a very short amount of time. While part of me was feeling lucky to get the chance another part of me was not all the way there and I was just…exhausted and worn out. I was tired of having the same conversations over and over. Hearing the same lines and sentences, taunted me or they lost their meaning and power. By this time I was getting good at keeping those feelings on that tight leash and tried not to get attached. With everything else going on in my life, I just wasn’t all there. So I recommend trying the multiple date thing only when you are pretty well balanced and feeling good about every other part of your life and you are just looking to have fun. If you need to focus on other areas in your life or you kind of want to just focus on one person, eh, don’t do it. It can be overwhelming.

Fall semester seemed to be all about boys that had girlfriends that would try to talk to me. Now it’s the season of meeting the girlfriends of boys that once had interest in me and vice versa. Times such as coming across one at the bar and we start to chat it up and then I get the “Oh, Rachel, this is my girlfriend, ________.” Or how about this one. A boy that I’ve known started talking to me just about every day and there was some flirting exchanged and even a compliment or two. It was on a Friday night when the guy was texting me and then I see him Saturday night out and about with friends. We exchange a hug, have a little small talk and then the guy proceeds to walk away as the girl he was with grabs his hand and they walk down the sidewalk  together. I wish I had seen my face. I’m sure it was classic with my over animated facial expressions people tell me about. I paused and looked at my friend who immediately made a comment about the situation being weird. Then coincidently I start to walk on with my friends and see one of those guys in the first scenario once again out with his girlfriend hand in hand. “Oh hey.” These moments aren’t lost on me.

For BUILD Beauty, I was finally able to do something I had wanted to do for a long time now. We hosted a “Guy Panel.” I personally asked boys that I trusted to be pretty honest and brave enough to participate in this event. There would be a panel of them and they would allow girls to pretty much ask them anything they wanted to and pick their brains. I believe I had about 11 brave boys that ended up being troopers for the event. Girls asked them an assortment of questions such as, does make up really matter, how do you like girls to dress, who should text first and how often, who should say I love you first, how do they feel about shaving, etc. Discussion went on for over an hour and then they were allowed to ask the girls questions. They asked a lot of the same questions, turning the tables on us. I appreciated their answers and it was interesting to hear them open up about the opposite sex. One of the things I probably liked the most was this underlying motif of confidence. It kind of always seemed to come down to confidence being the key. Yes, they like seeing us girls get dressed up every once in awhile (don’t need to pack on the makeup) but they also like when we can pull off some cute gym shorts and a t-shirt and they like if we can do that even makeup-less while owning it. We can rock the sweats and look good if we wear them confidently. Now, make sure you don’t mix confidence with cockiness! Oh, and another thing. They are just about as clueless and confused as we are about pretty much everything too!

You can watch footage from the panel at the ESU Bulletin website! They have 4 different videos that you can access on their YouTube channel through their site link I am sharing with you all. :)

http://www.esubulletin.com/2013/03/28/14711

Inevitably, I burned bridges. I lost someone that I not only really liked, but someone that was kind of like a best friend to me. But things happen for a reason!

“It was rare, I was there, I remember it all too well.” – Taylor Swift, All Too Well

Like I said before, I ran my emotions and heart ragged and I got good at not having feelings. I hadn’t had butterflies in a really long time. One of my last posts included a poem about butterflies and stemmed from that period of time where I hadn’t experienced butterflies in quite awhile and I contemplated that feeling and what it takes to feel that. It was actually shortly after posting that poem on the blog, that I had a night where I experienced them once again. It felt good. Boys: Girls like to slow dance. We don’t get many occasions to slow dance, but you can always create an occasion yourself.

I’ve come to find out that guys talk just about as much as girls talk to each other about things. There were times I encountered guys that had friends that I was friends with too and I would say something to one of them and then sometimes not even hours later, I would get, “Yeah, he told me about that!” We may think they only talk about stuff like sports, food, cars, hot girls and the like, but they actually do talk! So watch out!

As of right now, I am keeping on the down low and more to myself about this area of my life. Heck, you will probably find out pieces in about six months in my next boys post, right? I kept this post pretty general and left out lots of details. Didn't want to get too personal with this one. Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions for further posts! Or if you just want to chat! :)

Take time for yourself and be confident. 

"Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life." Proverbs 4:23

Sparkle & Shine

Rachel

My Looks Lately

First of all, let me tell you, this glitter loving girly girl is loving that glitter nail polish is IN. Thank you, OPI! At first, I thought "Teenage Dream" from the Katy Perry collection for OPI was all that and a bag of potato chips when it came out because it was glitter, but it had some bigger pieces of glitter in it. I was in love and wore it for about 3 weeks in a row which is a big deal for me when I usually change just about every week. Two years later and OPI is coming out with bigger and better (literally) glitter! It is almost a given that their newest collection will include a glitter.

I recommend:
The Living Daylights from the James Bond collection
Polka.com from the Euro Centrale collection
Lights of Emerald City from the Oz collection
When Monkey Fly from the Oz collection
Minnie Style from the Couture de Minnie collection

The Living Daylights

Polka.com

Lights of Emerald City

When Monkeys Fly!

Minnie Style

Towards the end of the semester, you enter in banquet season. Banquets and celebrations galore! So I had fun figuring out at least 5 different dresses to wear to various events I was to attend. Mom told me I could get a new dress and I absolutely fell in love with the Calvin Klein dress I came across. I was so excited to premiere it and look forward to gracing it again at the dinner and dance in New Orleans for the CASE ASAP conference in August!
I love the bold teal paired with the black. I wore black opened toed heels with it.

I also liked that it came up pretty high on chest and almost to my neck. I endured a dinner with a strapless dress where my cleavage was prominent. It was uncomfortable for me and probably uncomfortable for the others at the table! For dresses for dinners especially the formal ones I attend, I like dresses that cover me up because it is professional and I don't have to worry about how much is showing and the guests don't have to be distracted! We can focus on conversation and any other event that is going on at the time!

I usually keep my hair down. I rarely will pull it up for an occasion. I decided to pull it up for my interview for the President's office. I was going for the Sandra Bullock look in The Proposal when she has her hair pulled back and she looks professional in the office setting. I pulled my hair up and left a chunk out and then wrapped it around the band. This made it more sleek and put together plus hid the fact that I was wearing a hot pink hair tie!

Summer is here finally! Sammie did a buy one get two free pairs of shoes at Charming Charlies in the winter and she let me pick a pair out. I got these super cute pink sandals and I have been anxious to break them out! Now I wear them often! This is from their first day out on campus :)
I wore a lavender v-neck and teal necklace. I had purple toe nails going on. I played with bold colors.

Over Christmas break I got two new pairs of sunglasses from American Eagle. I got a patterned one that is navy blue with white hearts on them and then plain black ones. I love the hearts pair because they are so fun and I love the colors. I usually wear them the most especially on campus. The black ones I will wear when I am more dressy or going into a professional setting or wearing a professional outfit!

Occasionally I have to go with a laid back look like a braid and throw on my Aladdin sweatshirt! I continue to get compliments on it. I will Snapchat people when I am wearing it and a lot of people will make a comment about it!

I recently got my hair done finally! It had been way overdue since I was able to pull on my hair lightly and get a few split ends to come off! Don't let your hair get like that! I got it trimmed and colored the usual dark brown. Then got some highlights this time. They are pretty bold and gave me a little more edge. This picture doesn't really do it justice but snapped it tonight for the post!

Today I went to an awesome boutique here in Emporia called Twisted Sisters and got a couple bracelets I am in love with! Been wearing them ever since I got them and still need to plan my outfit for tomorrow to wear with them. :) Man I gotta take them off to sleep? One is a wrap around bracelet from the "Good Work(s)" brand. Part of the money is supposed to go to a good cause. It has a lot of encouraging words and phrases on it. For example: believe, faith, plant peace, come together, truth, accept diversity. I love the encouragement and reminders especially as I am about to enter my senior year and as I begin to focus on myself this summer. I have seen these bracelets at The Buckle and I am sure they could be found in other places and online. I also got a small bracelet that I paired with it that has a cross. I strayed away from my religion this semester as I got caught up in everything else and this was a great way to kick off the summer as I reconnect with God and and my spiritual being. Here's a pic!

As for my fashion wishlist this summer, I have my eyes on a pair of Sperry's (yes, I think I may break down and get some), a fossil watch possibly, and I really need to invest in some plain flip flops. I don't own any anymore!

Questions, feedback, suggestions, topic ideas, and more can be emailed to:
glitterandthegirlygirl@gmail.com

Thank you for reading! :)
Sparkle & Shine.
Rachel
@rachelnmsparkle