'Tis the Season

I know that I normally post about things that I want on Wish-list Wednesday's, however since today is Christmas and the world has just gotten finished with receiving a bunch of presents - I thought it wouldn't really make sense to post about things that I want when I was just given so much. So today I am going to post about some of the big gifts I received this holiday season.

The first and biggest gift this Christmas was the iPhone 5s Gold. This present was very highly anticipated. I wrote about this in my 'What I want for Christmas' post, and low and behold - Santa came through! And in the perfect color too.

The next biggest, and probably most surprising gift, were these riding boots from C Wonder. I have been asking for a new pair of boots for a while. I really wanted a brown pair as the only one's I own are falling apart. But these are too gorgeous and just my style that I really don't mind! Also, if you haven't heard of this store yet I would urge you to check the website out. They have great quality items for a better price than you will find at other retail stores.

The next pair of items pretty much sum up my Christmas into one word - Monograms. I'm in love. Both the hat and the vest come from Marley Lilly. I'm not sure where the necklace came from. Let me tell you I am overjoyed with all of these presents. I really wanted a monogram hat of some variation, I wanted a white monogram vest, and I've been asking for that necklace for the longest time now. Perfect Christmas gifts that I wouldn't change anything about! 

So tell me, what did you get for Christmas this year?

Until next time,

Casey Rose

Christmas Tradition

Tradition (noun): the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation, or the fact of being passed on in this way. 

Holidays are all about tradition. Tradition is what makes everything you do special. It carries on throughout the years to make memories even more memorable and cherished.

Every family has their special holiday traditions, I am here to tell you mine.

Christmas is always a time to look forward to in my household. It is normally comprised of just my immediate family at my house in North Carolina. I know in years past we may have had other company from our extended family, but for the most part it has just been us at our house.

Every Christmas Eve is pretty much the same. Our family is Catholic and so it is tradition that we go to Christmas mass. We normally go to the 5:30 mass at our local high school (our parish is so big that they have overflow masses at this location). After this is over we help clean up the gym where mass is held because everything has to be taken down as it is the last service of the night.

We then like to go home and get dinner started. Because of how formal our Christmas Day dinner is, we like to keep Christmas Eve very casual. We normally order chicken fingers or wings of some kind from a local restaurant and we always have pigs in a blanket. If you are not aware of what these are you are seriously missing out, they're just mini hotdogs wrapped in crescent rolls - delicious. When we are eating our dinner it is not a 'sit down' style that we normally do. It is more of a buffet, where we grab what we want and go eat in the living room where our tree and television is kept.

After dinner we proceed with opening gifts. These are the gifts from family. As we have grown older our extended family hasn't sent us many presents; but normally presents from extended and immediate family members are opened tonight. The way we open gifts is from youngest to oldest, or vice a versa. One member of the family is chosen to be 'Santa', aka wear the Santa hat and distribute gifts to everyone...that person is almost always me.

Once we are finished opening all presents we proceed to watching our yearly movies. It is either all or a couple of the following three. First, SNL Christmas DVD (the one that was released in 1999). Secondly we have It's a Wonderful Life, I know that this is a very popular movie with a lot of families during Christmas time. And lastly we have Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas, that is a hilarious movie that is entirely puppets directed by Jim Henson; it's not really meant to be hilarious but we find it to be pretty funny.

After all or a couple of the movies are watched we go to bed. At this time, and especially when we were younger, this is where Santa comes. The rule is, the first person to wake up wakes up the entire family and we all get our robes on and wait at the top of the stairs, in order from youngest to oldest, and we all walk down stairs together to see what Santa had brought us the night before.

Once Mom and Dad have fixed their cups of tea and everyone is settled in the living room around the tree, my mom becomes 'Santa' and hands out the gifts that Santa had brought us. Once all of the presents are open the day is filled with playing with our new toys. At the end of the day we have a more formal dinner to celebrate Christmas.

And that is it! The Salchert family's Christmas tradition. So tell me, what special traditions does your family have during holidays?

Merry Christmas!

Until next time,

Casey Rose

Smooth as Silk

About two weeks ago I started a segment called 'Make me over Monday's'. Last Monday I was finishing up exams and I really didn't have time to write a post, so we shall pick up where we left off.

This Monday I wanted to talk about my holy grail product for my straight hair - Moroccan Oil.

This product has been all the rage lately. It makes your hair super silky and smooth and it keeps my hair straight all day. It is a little on the expensive side...try $43 for a 3 oz. bottle. Yeah. But I am telling you, it is worth the money.

What I like to do is take one pump on my dry hair, either air dried or after blow drying, massage it throughout my hair making sure to focus on the ends. Then I proceed with styling. If I decide to curl it then that is it and I will just hair spray my hair afterwards. When I decide to straighten it, I take another pump after I am done styling and work it throughout my hair again. Doing this 'tames my flyaways and conditions my split ends'...or so it says on the bottle :) Either way, I swear by this product and recommend it to everyone who is looking to get silky, smooth, touchable hair.

You can find this at a lot of different salons, however I found this one on the Nordstroms website.

The 0.8 oz bottle goes for $16.50 and 3.4 oz goes for $43

So tell me, what is your favorite hair product?

Until next time,

Casey Rose

Dance the Night Away

A few weeks ago we had my sorority's semi formal. It depends on where you go, but for my chapter girls normally wear short, fancy dresses. That really can be up to your interpretation. It can be a cute $20 dress you found from Forever21 or a couple hundred dollar dress from Nordstroms (my little wore her Jimmy Choo's that night if that tells you anything...). Either way girls love dressing up.

Since I ended up going with my ex-boyfriend I decided to buy a dress instead of borrowing one from one of my sisters closet. You've always got to look your best whenever you see an ex right? ;) So I decided to go out and search for something to wear.

My first stop was Francesca's. This is always where I go to first because of two reasons. One, I used to work there and the staff still knows me and my style and can pick out things that I would like without having to sift through all of the racks. Secondly, the shopping center where the store is located has a bunch of other boutiques in it that sell the exact same items. I'm not kidding. I remember one time I was on shift and we had this dress for sale that a customer came in and said she saw at another boutique in the center for double the price. So it is safe to say that Francesca's is one of the more wallet-friendly boutiques in the area.

I walked through the door and my old boss was working that day. I explained to her the event I was looking to find a dress for and she picked this number:

To say I instantly fell in love would be an understatement. It was just the right amount of sexy. It was a body-con dress, but it had a sheer overlay that hid the tight bottom of the dress. The overlay also had a slit that went all the way up to the waist of the dress to show the tight dress underneath. It also accentuated my favorite part of my body - my shoulders and arms. I was sold!

You can find the Benevento Maxi Dress at Francesca's for only $39.99

I decided to pair the dress with these heels. I got these for Christmas two years ago, my mom thought I was crazy to ask for them and that I would never wear them. I won't deny that they do not leave my closet that often, but they are beautiful and they do see daylight from time to time. For example, this night! It was the perfect pump. I love the thick heel because it makes the shoe easier to walk in and I always love to add something that 'pops' to my outfit. Since the dress was simple black and red, I figured I could spice it up with the heel.

  

The only place I found these Sarina Pumps from Steve Madden was on this site called Rakuten. The only size they have available is a 7. However, they appear from time to time on eBay; so if you are really in love, like I was, I would be patient and keep looking.

This picture is before the night when I got home and decided to try on the entire outfit together. You can't really tell from any of these pictures, but I decided to get some black teardrop earrings from Francesca's. I contemplated doing a necklace but decided I wanted to keep my neck clear and just accent the outfit with statement earrings.

I ended up strutting up and down the hall of my house showing everyone who was there exactly what I was going to be wearing that night. The overwhelming amount of approving declarations I received assured me that I had picked the right dress.

Here is my little and I at the venue!

And here we have my friends and I at the house before we left for the venue!

I ended up having a great night and got so many compliments on my dress! It really was worth going out and buying a new dress just for this occasion. And the great thing about this dress is that since it is State colors, I can wear it to just about anything formal I have to go to for my school.

So tell me, what is your perfect outfit for a 'night to remember'?

Until next time,

Casey Rose

One Secret I'll Never Tell, XOXO

If you know me at all you know that I am not the kind of person to be found glued to the television, always watching a new show or movie. A lot of my friends actually make fun of me for how many movies I haven't seen. However, since the invention of Netflix this has took a turn for the worst. Now Netflix has a lot of different, and I might even go as far as to say weird, things on their site. But the one thing they are great about is having quality TV shows. 

It all started when I got hooked on Desperate Housewives last year. My suite-mate and I would spend most of our nights glued to her television, watching hours upon hours of episodes. I recently finished all of the seasons last spring and then came to discover Revenge. After I finished Revenge over the summer I was stuck. I wasn't sure what to watch and so I would try a bunch of different shows, never really getting into them as much as I had with the other two series.

That was until this semester. Living in a sorority house, although at first sounds a little overwhelming when you learn that it is 40 girls living under one roof, has its perks. Aside from having 40 closets to choose from and always having someone there willing to pick you up or drive you somewhere at 2 in the morning, girls seem have great suggestions for what should be next in your Netflix cue.

I walked into the house one day after class to find a couple of my sisters on the couch watching an episode of Gossip Girl. I had nothing else to do that day so I sat down to see what this was about. After engaging with everyone and trying to figure out what exactly was happening in this episode, the girls appeared to be confused by all of my questions. It wasn't until one girl asked "Wait, have you never seen this before?" The amount of gasps I received when I gave my answer was a sign that clearly I have been missing out on something. And so my expedition began.

The last episode of Gossip Girl aired almost a year ago to this date and I just moments ago finished the last episode. To say that I am in love with the series would be a serious understatement. The way they portrayed the characters and were able to make you fall in love with them, begin to hate them, and fall in love with them all over again is an experience I really never had before. They were able to take me into their world, be completely jealous of them, yet at the same time completely relate with them. 

I have learned so many life lessons from Gossip Girl that I have decided today I would share with you exactly what each of the main characters has taught me throughout my time watching this series. So sit back, relax, and reflect with me the end of an era (even if it might be a year late).

Nate - I learned from Nate that in order to be happy with yourself, you need to make things happen on your own accord. Taking advantage of the things you are entitled to may be the easy way to live life but it is also the most unsatisfying. In order to be happy with yourself, you need to make your own way in this world.

Blair - I learned from Blair to stick up for myself and work hard for what I want. Blair always got everything she wanted but it wasn't always because of where she came from. She worked hard for everything; whether it was in her work, her friendships, or even her relationship with Chuck, she was constantly working for them to succeed.

Serena - I learned from Serena to not worry about what other people think of you. The only persons opinion that matters is your own. If you live your life living up to the expectations that other people have of you, you will constantly be disappointed. Be who you want to be without any fear or objections and never look back.

Chuck - I learned from Chuck how to treat the person you love. Chuck was constantly giving everything he had to help Blair, even when she wasn't his. I also learned from him that it is okay to give yourself to that person. Love is a scary thing but once you fall you learn that it is the most amazing thing in the entire world.

Dan - What I learned from Dan is that it is okay to be yourself. The only way you can truly love yourself while having the people around you love you as well, is to be completely honest with who you are. If you are trying to be someone else at the end of the day you will fail. The people who love you will love you no matter what, so open up and show everyone the real you.

There you have it, my reflection of the lessons taught by the greatest show ever to be aired on television. Is that a stretch? Maybe, but I love it. After all...'you know you love me'

xoxo,

Casey Rose

Tory in the City

Today's OOTD might be a bit springy but I don't care.  I was inspired. Recently I have been looking at internships for over the summer. My mom works at IBM and has been pushing me to apply their for a while now. Finally, I did it. No, I haven't heard anything yet but some of the internships I applied to are in none other than New York City. Just thinking about getting the chance to spend a summer in the Big Apple has made me giddy. This outfit was inspired by possibly getting that chance of a lifetime. Plus, I've been fawning over that handbag and I just had to add it to a collection.

Tory in the City by caseyrosexo featuring fossil watches

I'll be sure to fill you in as more information unfolds!

Until next time,

Casey Rose

All I want for Christmas is...

Oh what to wish for this Holiday Season...who am I kidding, I've already sent my list in to the Big Guy weeks ago. Oh, you want to see what things made the list? Well if you insist...

Yes, the iPhone 5s Gold. I was hesitant at first to ask ole' Saint Nick for this particular color of the iPhone just because a lot of people said it was 'tacky' and 'ghetto'. With much deliberation I finally decided I didn't care and that I loved the gold iPhone. So hopefully, since my 2 year contract is up, that will be the big Christmas item this year :)

Next is this lovely watch. If you all don't know by now, I love watches. I already have two Michael Kors watches, one white one I got for my high school graduation, and the other a gold one that I bought with my own money from work. So of course the next obvious color choice would have to be silver! Duh! It's beautiful and I need it...no question.

Lastly, is this beauty. I have had my eye on this bag ever since it came out. To say that everyone in Pi Phi drools over this tote would be an understatement. With the price tag being around $100, it never  really seemed to be worth the price (especially for this poor college student). But Santa doesn't care about cost right?! Thought so :) Thanks Santa!

What are the items on your Christmas list this year?

Until next time,

Casey Rose

Be Straight With Me

I know you all are super surprised to hear this, but there's about to be another alliteration. But before I announce what that is going to be, let me tell you a little about my history and why I decided to start this blog.

When I was younger I got really into watching Youtube videos. The one's I really enjoyed watching the most were the Beauty Guru videos. This is what inspired me to make my own videos, yes I have made youtube videos before for any of my friends that may be reading this. It was never something I really told anyone about and I actually go back and watch them from time to time to give myself a good laugh. I'm so awkward. Anyways, that is part of the reason I decided to transition into Blogging. I tried the Vlogging thing and while it was fun, it was a TON of work to edit the videos and my camera quality isn't the greatest. So I thought Blogging would essentially be the same thing but with a little 'less' work than filming. Plus I don't have to get dressed up and put make up on to write a Blog, I can do it from the comfort of my PJ's and comfy bed.

Now that you know a little more about my background you can understand why I have such a love for Beauty and Fashion. Watching those women really made me fall in love with the Beauty community and made me want to pursue it for myself. So here goes, my Monday alliteration...

Make Me Over Mondays!

I'm such a cheese-ball, I can't even handle myself. The idea behind Monday's is that I will share with you some of my favorite beauty products. This can range anywhere from makeup to hair products to just cool tips or tricks that I may have learned throughout my years.

The first post for Make Me Over Mondays will be about my hair straightener.

I have a love-hate relationship with my hair. I love length, the color, how easily it styles, pretty much everything about it. But like any other girl, I hate my hair sometimes. It doesn't always do what I want it to, it turns into dreads after day 2 of not washing it...I wish I was kidding, and I haven't seem to have perfected the 'let your hair go naturally' look. I'm not sure if it is because I am not confident enough in the way it looks naturally or what but I haven't figured out how to wear it naturally.

A little bit more about my hair type before I go on. I have naturally curly hair. It is not tight ringlets but it also is not waves, I am probably somewhere in-between. I am not like a normal 'beauty guru' who has perfectly straight hair all the time and just 'wishes' it would hold a curl. No, my hair will hold a curl. The problem I have is keeping it straight. I had been struggling with this for the longest time, finding the right straightener and products so that my hair will stay straight throughout the day. Now granted there are some days where the humidity is just insane in North Carolina and those are the days, if I do end up straightening my hair, I will regret it forever (but I've gotten smart enough not to do so). However, for the most part I think I have perfect my straight hair!

The upcoming Mondays I will take you through my hair products and why they help me achieve my perfect head of hair (almost) every time.

My first product and my holy grail, seriously I swear by this, is my hair straightener.

If you click the picture above it will take you to the Folica Website where you can read more about this straightener and why people love it so much.

So this is the Sedu. I know many of you probably are thinking "What is this device, I've never heard of it." That doesn't surprise me. Not a lot of people have. When I was a freshman in High school I was using a Conair hair straightener from target that was probably $20. It would take me over an hour to straighten my hair and it didn't even work that well. Not trying to talk badly about Conair and their beauty products but it just did not work for my hair type. As soon as I stepped outside my hair would turn into one big frizzy mess. All of that time spent trying to get my hair stick straight went right out the window. 

This was around the time that I started getting into watching Beauty videos on Youtube. All of these women had really nice hair straighteners that they swore by. I also asked around to all of my friends, who mostly had Chi's. I wasn't completely impressed with the Chi hair straighteners, yes I do have one for travel because I don't care about it as much as my Sedu, but I don't believe it does as great of a job on my hair. So began my search for the perfect hair straightener. At the time, for what I can remember, my hair was a lot more curly than it is now. Now, this may have been exaggerated throughout the years in my memory, but I had in my mind that my hair was as thick and coarse as a black woman's. I'm not kidding. So when I was searching for straighteners and reading all of the reviews I came across the Sedu. Most of the reviews for this were black women who had very thick and coarse hair that got their hair pin straight because of this product! I was instantly sold.

I purchased my Sedu and haven't gone back since. In fact, I actually added a 'before' and 'after' picture to the website I purchased it off of. It's pretty hilarious. But it worked! It got my hair so straight. It has ceramic plates so it didn't pull on my hair at all, it was so smooth and it works so well for my hair. I'm telling you guys I swear by this straightener and if you have been searching for a straightener like I had and you have similar hair to mine, even way curlier, I would absolutely recommend you check out this product. It is my life saver, my baby, and I love it to death.

So tell me, what is your holy grail beauty item? I'd love to know!

Until next time,

Casey Rose

A Change, A Challenge

Now that we're back with our regular postings, I'm so glad to welcome back 'Sorority Sunday's' to the blog. This week will be more of an informational post more than a fun one, sorry guys.

As you may have seen from my Thanksgiving post, I talked about my heartbreak with not getting slated as Chapter President for this upcoming exec. While it was a shock and it took me a very long time to get over, I was still offered a position on exec. I was offered the position of Vice President of Member Development (VPMD for short). VPMD isn't exactly what VPM was, but in terms of the ability to be creative with the position they are very similar.

VPMD is essentially the first 'Vice President' to the chapter. If the Chapter President is ever absent for any reason, the VPMD steps in to fill her place. She deals mostly with the chapters grades, making sure they chapter is doing their weekly study hours, and is concerned with the overall wellness of the chapter. This includes mental, physical, and emotional health. VPMD is the person that makes sure everyone is doing alright, keeping up with their school work but not getting too stressed out during the process.

While this will be a big change from VPM I am excited to take on the challenge. We officially get sworn in tomorrow at chapter and I am anxious but excited to see how this year is about to unfold. Our executive team is very different than it was last year and I am interested to see how we all work together. While I will miss everyone, I am excited to work with the new girls and excited to see, first hand, our chapter flourish and grow.

PPL&M

Until next time,

Casey Rose

Tiptoe Higher

One thing that really has a big impact on my life is music. I listen to music anytime I can and I am always looking for new stuff to tune into. If you take a look through my iPod you will see a different array of artists ranging from Miley Cyrus to Eminem to AC/DC. I don't normally like to limit myself to one genre because great music comes from anywhere. Yes, I do have my car stations set to Top 40 music, but it doesn't stop me from sifting through the other stations once in a while.

My love of music made me think, maybe there are other people out there who are like me and like tons of different genres of music. So I've decided to dedicate a day of my blog to music. Let's call it 'Serenade Me Saturday'. Wow, do I love some alliterations. Hey, they're fun. I'll stick with them.

The gist is every Saturday I will write about a specific song or album I am really loving for the week. I hope to get some feedback from this in you all commenting on different songs/artist to try or even just commenting below letting me know that you listened to said song/artist and really enjoyed them. That would really make my day to know if someone's music taste benefitted from my post :)

So without further ado, lets get onto this week's music...

Night Visions by Imagine Dragons

The band Imagine Dragons took home 'Best Alternative Group' last Sunday at the AMA's. To say that they are pretty hot right now could be an understatement. Many of their songs from this album, especially Radioactive, have been on the top 10 lists of iTunes for some time now.

When I first heard Radioactive on the radio, like pretty much everyone else, I really liked it. It soon became one of my favorite songs. One of my favorite ways to listen to music is through Spotify. I often like to listen to the Top Lists on Spotify to see what is hot right now. Through Spotify I found a couple other songs from this album that I also really liked: Demons, It's Time, My Fault.

To say I started liking Imagine Dragons a long time ago would be an understatement. I didn't realize until I heard this whole album that a lot of these tracks were played at Francesca's. For those of you who don't know, I used to work at Francesca's Collections. They had a CD that constantly played and repeated while I was at work and songs like Underdog and On Top of the World were on this disc.

It wasn't until earlier this week that I was hanging out with one of my guy friends and he had a song playing on his phone. I was listening to it and realized I really liked it, I looked on his phone and saw that it was Bleeding Out. I started talking to him about it and how he really enjoyed the entire album, so when I got home that night I listened to the whole thing all the way through. Needless to say, I was very impressed.

Bleeding Out probably is my favorite song off of the album but I also really like Tiptoe, Amsterdam, Every Night, and Cha-Ching, to name a few. If you like alternative music or even just Top 40 music, I would highly recommend checking out this album. It's got a lot of diversity to it and I believe everyone can find a track that they like.

So, go ahead, check it out:

Until next time,

Casey Rose

Bleeding Red and White

In honor of the last home football game of the season tomorrow against Maryland, I figured this Fashion Fridays can be dedicated to tailgating attire! Yes, everyones favorite time of year. Football season. Unfortunately it is coming to a close, and I will not be attending the game tomorrow, but it has been a great season thus far.

...okay 'great' may be a bit of a stretch, we pretty much suck this year. But lets be honest, who goes for the game anyways? Yes, I actually do enjoy watching the games, but I won't lie and say I am a hardcore fan - going to all the games, staying the entire time, getting there at least an hour early to get my extra loyalty point. No I am a typical sorority girl. I tailgate, arrive at the game late, and stay till half time (if I'm feeling really into it). So basically, I am the fan that everyone hates. However, since this was my first year where I was able to attend every single football game because I didn't have to work, I figured I would do it right - the sorority way.

Below is the typical tailgating outfit. I will admit, this is more of a 'GDI' attire, sorority girls dress up more - pretty much sundresses and cowboy boots. However, since it is November and I am not into freezing my butt off just to look cute I figured I could break the sorority norm for this one post.

To sum everything up, this outfit covers all of the bases. 

School colors? Check

Cowboy boots? Check

Red Solo Cup? Check

Yup, looks like you've got everything you need to tailgate at NC State. Honestly, the center of the outfit is the cowboy boots. It is a tailgating staple and if you are seen without them on, you might as well be a martian from Carolina. Like, who are you? (I feel like such a brat right now). But I'm not kidding. I know a bunch of guys who make fun of girls for wearing what we do, sundresses and cowboy boots to a football game? Really? Really boys. I know the dress doesn't make sense, but come to a tailgate at NC State and you'll understand why the cowboy boots honestly are the best shoe choice.

Once you have your outfit picked out, grab your favorite alcoholic beverage (if you are of age of course), hit up fraternity row, and you are ready to tailgate. "We're the red and white from State and we know we are the best"...so please, beat Maryland.

Wolfpack by caseyrosexo featuring Illamasqua

Oh, and Go Wolfpack!

Until next time,

Casey Rose

Giving Thanks

In my opinion, Thanksgiving is one of the most important holidays of the year. Not only is it a time to reconnect with family and friends that you may not have seen in a while, eat delicious food, and watch countless hours of dog shows and football games. Thanksgiving is a day centered around giving thanks for the things that you have in your life.

I would definitely classify my family as 'well off'. No, we aren't super rich, but we do live a very comfortable life style. Throughout the year I come across many different classes of people in my every day life. Thanksgiving is the one day of the year that I am forced to collect my memories from the past year and reflect on how good I really have it.

Sure there are times in your life where everything does not go according to your plan, but ultimately, and I believe this with all my heart, everything happens for a reason. All of your experiences shape you into the person you are meant to become.

So here goes, what I am the most thankful for this year...

1. My sorority - While there were ups and downs this year I am extremely thankful for the sorority I have become apart of. First off, I am thankful that my parents are able to afford such an organization. That in itself is not a cheap 'hobby'. I am also thankful that his year I was able to serve on my chapters executive board as the Vice President of Membership. Through the experiences that this position has presented to me has really made me grow as a person and helped guide me in the direction I want to take my life. I have learned that I love people, sure they get on your nerves sometimes, but overall I love the company people give. I never want a job that requires me to work alone, I love interacting with people and getting their ideas on things. I think everyone on this planet is special and has something unique to bring to the table. I have found through VPM that I want to work with people, whether that is being a full time mother or working in a business that allows me to be in contact with people on a daily basis. And also, the most important part of my sorority experience, I am most thankful for the friendships I have gained. If I had not joined this organization my life would be completely different than it is now. I would be friends with completely different people, and not saying that it would be a bad thing, but I am so thankful for the women I do have in my life. It's cliche to say that you join a sorority to find your bridesmaids, but that's exactly what I've found. A bridesmaid, to me, is a person who is one of your closest friends. Someone who has been with you through the ups and downs of life and always supports you no matter what. This is what I have found in this group of women, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
   
2. Volleyball - This sport has always been my biggest passion. I started playing at a young age and I never imagined the opportunities it would present me with. It was something that allowed me to meet my best friend. It gave me a constant, fun, work out routine throughout the past few years. And it now has given me my current job. I was the head coach for a local middle school this past season and I am now assistant coaching for a local club team this season. I am so thankful for this coaching opportunity, it has given me a job that I look forward to going to every day. Because as a wise man once said, "Do something you love and you'll never work a day in your life."
   I also am thankful for all of my players. They may not know this, but they have helped me grow more than they could ever imagine. Coaching is such a different experience than playing, and it has actually made me a better player. It has also allowed me to sharpen my leadership skills and has taught me a whole bunch of patience. Those are things that are irreplaceable.
   
3. Heartbreaks - This one may seem odd at the start but bare with me. I am thankful for the biggest heartbreaks I have ever gone through. The first one this year was when my boyfriend and I broke up over the summer. While it was extremely hard, and it still is to this day, I am thankful for the experience. It has made me grow as a person, reflecting on that relationship and seeing how I can be a better girlfriend in the future. You learn something from every experience you go through and without that experience I would have most likely done the same thing with the next guy I dated. But I reflected, saw what needed work, and vowed to myself that I will be different the next go-around. I am also thankful for heartbreak because it means I found love. Not everyone can say they have experienced that and for me to have found it at such a young age, well I consider myself very lucky. Love opens your eyes in a very different way, something that is very hard to explain, but once you've felt it you know what I mean. 
   The second heart break I experienced this year was the loss of my dog, Rosey. She was the greatest dog in the world and losing her opened my eyes to how precious life is. We got her when I was in second grade and for me to be able to see her life progress from a puppy to an elderly dog and then transitioning to death is something not everyone gets to experience. 
   The last heartbreak I wish to share from this year is when I did not get my dream position of Chapter President. This is something new that I have not shared on this blog before. I have had my heart set on the position of Chapter President for a while now and when slating season came around for the new executive council, I was not slated. While this is extremely hard to get over and come to terms with, in fact I still am not completely over it, it has made me realize that I have a lot more growing to do. If I was ready, I would have gotten slated, but the fact that I wasn't proved to me that I have a lot more to work on. So, again everything is a learning experience, I will reflect on the reasons I did not get it and use that to better myself for future endeavors. The fact that I was even in the running to be considered for the position speaks volumes in itself and for that opportunity I am still very grateful.
   
4. My loved ones - I know everyone uses this one and it may seem super cliche, but I am so thankful for the people I have in my life. It is so hard to find true friends and I am so thankful that I have. They have been with me through the ups and the downs and I wouldn't trade them for the world. I honestly wouldn't be alive today without them. This may seem a little extreme but it's true. The same goes for my family. I have the most loving family I could have ever asked for. I have a mother and father would I could go to for anything and love me unconditionally. I have a great relationship with both of my brothers, something that not a lot of people can say they have. So thank you friends and family, for making my life even more worth while.

I could go on and on at all of the things in my life I am thankful for, but that would just be a nightmare to read. So for now those are my Top 4. I am truly blessed and wouldn't change anything in my life. I know not a lot of people can't say that and actually mean it.

Last, and most certainly not least, I am thankful for you! If you have gotten through this entire post I am so thankful :) It was a long one and I really appreciate you taking time out of your busy day to read what I have to say.

So, enough about me, what are you thankful for?

Until next time,

Casey Rose

What does the fox say?

Confession time. I have this slight obsession with the site Polyvore.com. It is a site where you can search by the type of item you are looking for, i.e. Peplum top, and find tons of different options from all over the internet with what you are searching for. It makes life so much easier rather than sifting through tons of sites and trying to find that exact item. Sometimes the greatest treasures can be found in the most obscure places.

Another great feature of this site is what I have posted below. You basically make a collage of different items throughout the site. I like to make mine look basically like this every time, almost like an outfit of the day that I don't actually own. This is so much fun to mix and match different outfits together, it really is attractive to poor college students like myself just wishing they had endless amounts of money to spend on clothes and fashion.

So I think for any kind of Fashion Fridays/other random days, I will post something from Polyvore if I don't have pictures of my outfit of the day.

Today's outfit was inspired by this fox dress. I'm not sure if you all have heard of that song called The Fox by Ylvis. It started out as this viral video on Youtube and has now hit number 71 on Spotify. Basically moral of this story is I am obsessed with that song. It's actually hilarious and if you have not seen the video I urge you to check it out right now...in fact I will add the video below just so you really have no excuse but to go watch it right away.

HILAR? RIGHT? Just me? Oh, okay, cool guys...

Anyways...back to this outfit. It was essentially inspired by this song. I saw this fox dress on the front page of the polyvore website, thought "What does the fox say?" and then proceeded to think "I need to create an outfit around this dress", and so became this post.

This outfit not only incorporates a fox, but it also is centered around my greatest love: 'hipster' style. I have posted about this before, how I wish I could dress like this but it is simply not going to happen for me. So instead I like to live my life through these collages thinking about what could have been......man that was depressing. Either way, I hope you enjoy my fox dress collage.

What does the fox say? by caseyrosexo featuring cable socks

Until next time,

Casey Rose