Land of the Free, Home of the President

This President's/Valentines Day weekend I was fortunate enough to be able to spend it in none other then our nation's capital - Washington, D.C. I may or may not have mentioned this on this blog before, but I am a volleyball coach, and my team competed in the Capitol Hill Classic this weekend. I love away tournaments because they're like mini vacations that I am getting paid for - the best kinds. I also always invite a few friends to join me on these long weekends, because hey, it's basically a free trip. My friends Alex and Wilber decided to join me and I couldn't have asked for a better pair to spend the weekend with!

Friday: Travel Day

We left a little before 3 pm and hit the road to D.C. With bags packed, we jammed out to some T. Swift and other throw back tunes all the way there. It's about a 5 hour car ride, and with stops (including a detour to get some cupcakes at Georgetown Cupcakes for my teams) we got to the hotel at about 8:45. I had a meeting with both of the teams that I coach, with my Head Coach, at 9 pm to distribute wristbands that all you to enter the facility as well as just going over what to expect for the upcoming weekend. All of the girls were very excited to start playing and even more excited to meet both of my friends who I brought along on this trip. 

After introductions and all of the excitement died Alex, Wil and I realized we were starving so we ventured out into the city to find somewhere to eat. Given that it was February 13th, the day before Valentines Day, many couples were out that night and it was a bit hard to find a restaurant that was able to seat us without a reservation. We eventually found one though called Zaytinya. To say it was delicious would be an understatement, this meal was possibly the best meal that I have ever had. It features traditional Greek, Turkish, and Lebanese dishes that are served family style, you pick a few dishes and share it with the table, altogether everything was to die for. If you are in the DC area, I would highly recommend checking this restaurant out!

A few of our selections for the night - a Greek salad, shrimp, and brussel sprouts

Awaiting our delicious meal

Alex and I enjoying dinner

After dinner we decided to walk around DC and see the monuments since there wasn't going to be much time for the rest of the weekend to sightsee. After going about 8 blocks, the cold and wind caught up with us and we decided it would just be best to head back to the hotel and go to sleep. However we did catch some cute pictures of the Capitol building prior to heading back.

Alex and I

Wil and I

Saturday: First Day of Play

Saturday was the first day of the tournament but we didn't play until the afternoon wave. How this works, since there are many teams that participate in these larger travel tournaments, is there is an afternoon wave and a morning wave. Morning wave starts at 9 am and the afternoon wave starts at 3:30. My 13's team had the afternoon wave and my 14's had the morning wave. Given that I wanted to watch both teams play, my entire day consisted of volleyball. I went and watched them play at 9 am and then at 11, which my friends both decided to come watch, and at 11:30 we left to go get lunch with my 13's team at Panera.

Wil and I watching an 18's team during the morning wave

After Panera 13's were on. We went 2-1 in our pool that ended up lasting until 11 pm! Our court was behind from the morning wave and ended up getting even more behind because a couple of our games went to 3 sets. But given that we had a winning record, that meant we played in the morning. So it was immediately off to bed because we had to leave for the convention center at 7:45 to play at 9 am.

Sunday: Second Day of Play

This was the second day of pool play and the day that my friends had to head home because we didn't have school off on Monday. After we played in the morning we ended up 1-2 for the day, which was a bit disappointing because that meant we ended up in the Silver division, instead of Gold (which is the highest). After we played, I caught some lunch with my friends before they headed back to Raleigh at this restaurant about 2 blocks from our hotel called Cuba Libre. After bidding them farewell, I spent sometime with my team and then caught a game for one of my high schoolers that started at 8:30. After that it was time to pack up and head to bed for the last day of the tournament.

Monday: Last Day

Like the rest of the weekend, Monday we had a start time of 9 am. However unlike the rest of the weekend, this day was single elimination so if we were going to lose we were done for the day and had to go home. If we won, we kept playing. The first game was definitely our hardest by far, they took us to 3 games but we ended up winning the second and third games easily. After that we were on a roll, and won our next two games which meant we wont the silver division and 13th place overall for the weekend!

Overall I am very happy with how the girls played, and had so much fun with my trip to DC this weekend. I'm so glad my friends were able to come up and keep me company. Can't wait till the next trip! Next stop - Atlanta!

Till next time,

Casey Rose

Resolving My Resolutions

At the beginning of this year I wrote out my resolutions for 2014. Now that this year is coming to a close and 2015 is approaching faster than any of us would like, it's time to look back on this year and see if we ended up accomplishing any of the goals we set for ourselves.

Completed:

To workout more.

This resolution may have taken me a little while to get started, but I believe I am currently on track. Earlier this year I began following Kayla Itsines, creator of the 12-week Bikini Body Guide, on Instagram. She posts many before and after photos of her clients who have followed her guide and I was inspired. At the beginning of this month I decided to purchase her guide and I have been doing my best to follow it thus far. Well into week 5 right now I am so excited with how far I have come and to see where the rest of this guide will take me.

Stop being so judgemental/Be happy for others successes/Be the person you'd want to meet.

At the beginning of this year I was pretty insecure with myself, I would judge others because I was not happy with where I was in my life. I believe I have done a better job at focusing on bettering myself, which in turn has removed the focus from judging others and allowed me to be happy for their successes and made me someone who I would 'want to meet'.

Say yes to things/Don't be so afraid of the new.

This summer I held two internships, accepted a coaching job at a local high school, have been on a couple dates throughout the year, needless to say I definitely said 'yes'. Many of the things I said yes to scared the crap out of me, but they definitely opened my eyes and allowed me to grow this year.

Be on time.

I have definitely made major strides with this one this year. I was constantly late and ran on 'my time' which was extremely inconsiderate. Am I always on time? No. But I definitely feel as though I am on time much more than I was in 2013.

Get on a normal sleep schedule.

I have come so far with this one. Yes there are times where I stay up all night for no good reason, but for the most part on school nights and nights that I have work in the morning I was in bed before 2 am, which is a major stride.

Get the grades you're capable of.

I am so happy with this resolution because it is the one resolution that has physical evidence that I have accomplished it. The spring semester wasn't the best when looking at my final grades, but this fall semester I didn't make below a B in any class and made the Deans List, an accomplishment that I honestly didn't think was going to happy in my time in college. It just goes to show what a little motivation and hard work do.

Look presentable for class.

This definitely could have been better but I am grading this resolution on the fact that for the most part I put on some kind of face makeup every single day, which to me means 'presentable'.

Spend more time with loved ones/Give time to those who love you/Stop repeating mistakes/Make someone else happy/Give yourself to someone who wants all of you, everyday, because you are perfect being you.

All of these kind of snowballed into one specific category when I was writing them a year ago. They had to do with dating an relationships. No, I didn't have a relationship this year but I think that's what made me accomplish these goals this year. I was perfectly happy being single and there wasn't someone who came along that I felt was up to my standards for dating. This has nothing to do with the people I may have gone on dates with this year, they were all fine people, but not right for me. Which allowed me more time to better myself for my perfect man who is out there somewhere.

No regrets/Do something outside of your comfort zone.

I've always been the type of person to never regret any of my decisions. I am a firm believer in everything happens for a reason. That being said I was terrified to do some of the things I did this year. Coaching high school kids was extremely out of my comfort zone, I have only coached middle school age so that was a big step for me. However it allowed me to grow and learn more about myself than I ever thought possible. I'm so happy I decided to take a leap and change for the better.

Needs some work:

Drink more water.

I could have definitely done a better job at this throughout the year. Instead of having a soda or milk I could have just reached for a glass of water, definitely something I need to work on more in 2015.

Read more and turn off Netflix.

Of course this hasn't changed, who's really surprised. I could absolutely watch less Netflix, but as a whole I feel like I did a good job of getting out in the world and not watching as much TV which is what I am most concerned about.

Stop procrastinating.

I feel like I wouldn't be me if I didn't procrastinate. Yes, procrastinating isn't the greatest way to get your work done, but I think I've manipulated my bad habit into working for me instead of against me.

Give more compliments.

I believe I could have done a better job a this. Everyone wants to be complimented and I think if that could come from me, that would make me feel even better.

Put down your phone.

We live in an age where we are so reliant on our hand held devices. This year was no different. This is one aspect of my life I feel as if I could drastically improve, and one of the details in my life that needs serious attention in 2015.

So there we have it, my 2014 resolutions. I feel as though for the most part they were completed to the best of my ability. Could all aspects of my life be improved? Absolutely. However, each day is a stepping stone leading us to the people we are destined to be. And how we spend those days shapes the person we are going to become. Choose wisely.

Until next time,

Casey Rose

Take The Challenge

Today I came across this video and it really struck me...please take a moment to watch it and continue reading this post if you so please.

Think about how often we use our phones and computers every day. I mean, for me, I am currently writing this blog post on my laptop with my phone right next to me and Grey's Anatomy currently  playing on Netflix on my TV. We as a society are so consumed with our technological devices that we rarely take a moment to appreciate the world around us. We feel as though we won't be connected to our friends if we don't have our phone on us every second of every day. The other day my friend's phone broke and she had a panic attack because she felt so lost without that technology.

It's so sad to think that we have become that dependent on a device. Many young adults today probably can't even remember back to a time when we played outside instead of sat in front of our televisions or computers and played video games for recreation. It's no wonder obesity has become the problem that it is today. We don't set aside time to just focus on ourselves, without technology.

One of my most memorable times this year was during spring break when a friend and I decided we were going to go 'phone-less' for the entire duration of spring break. I spent the week with bunch of my close friends in a beach house together, and really anyone I wanted to talk to was there with me. Now, it wasn't everyone on the trip that decided to take the challenge, just myself and one other. Everyone else on the trip was 'impressed' and asked us 'how we got through the week', to be honest - it wasn't that bad. Now we did give ourselves one 'cheat' a day, where we could turn on our phones for 10(ish) minutes just to check and make sure our parents didn't need to talk to us or to make sure nothing major happened, but after that it was phones off.

Was it difficult? Maybe a little at first. But I was really able to enjoy my spring break trip with the people that I care about. At the end of the week, I almost didn't want to turn my phone back on.

Now I encourage all of you to take the challenge. It doesn't have to be a weeks worth of time, but maybe just for a day - or even just during your work day or classes, turn off your phone. Sure it will be hard at first, but I bet you will be amazed with how much more you are able to get done and the amount of information you are able to retain by just staying fully focused during a professor's lecture.

Because the best memories you have will not be from what you read on a computer screen, but from the experiences you have with the ones you love.

Until next time,

Casey Rose

It Takes Two

Over Easter this past weekend I was home for a couple of days enjoying the break with my family. My Grandpa, who lives 3 hours away, had recently been released from the hospital after having a stroke. No worries, he's doing just fine, but with this hospital visit also came concerned family wanting to see their recovering family member.

Since most of my family lives up north it's quite a trek for them to make it down to North Carolina just to see someone for a day or two, so most of my family makes a trip out of it. With my immediate family living the closest out of all my relatives to my grandparents we often get to see the rest of the family when they are in town visiting them.

This past weekend my Uncle came down to visit along with his new fiancee. They visited my Grandpa for a day and then spent the night at our house and celebrated Easter with us in the morning. This was the first time I had ever met his fiancee and it felt a little weird at first. Don't get me wrong, she was a very nice lady (and she could keep up with our jokes, which is always a huge plus), but there was something about her that just didn't sit right with me.

I tend to think of myself as a very naive and optimistic person. I like to see the good in others and often am disappointed or shocked when they prove me otherwise; I guess I just want to believe, deep down, that people are innately good. This also affects my views on marriage. With the divorce rate now being over 50% in this country, the realist would just assume that marriage is doomed to fail. Well, Casey being the optimist, is shocked whenever I hear that a marriage is failing. I could write and entire post about how I reacted when I heard my ex-boyfriend's parents were splitting up, but that is a story for another day.

My whole life growing up I always referred to my Aunt's and Uncle's together. This was also a memory tactic since my mom and dad were both 1 of 7 children. We had Aunt Peggy and Uncle Sean, Uncle Paul and Aunt Rhonda, and Uncle Matt and Aunt Faith. Now, Matt being the uncle who stayed with us this past weekend, I had always associated him with Aunt Faith. It was my memory tactic and also probably my way of validating their relationship. But what happens when that couple gets divorced? Then what?

I am so fortunate to have two loving parents who have now been married for 27 years. They have shown me in so many ways how to make a marriage work and what it truly means to love another person. I think that is why my idea if marriage is so skewed. I thought process is, 'If my parents can do it, why can't everyone else?'. But I guess life doesn't work that way. Not all couples are meant to be like my parents are.

And I think that relates directly back to my earlier post about soul mates. I like to assume, again being naive, that you only marry a person you are meant to be with. But I think that's why most marriages fail. They don't marry the person they are 'meant' to be with. They settle for something that feels good in the moment, but don't think about the future. They go for a feeling, not an instinct. When did people stop using their heads and only follow their hearts? 

To make things work in this world there needs to be an even mix of both. You obviously have to love one another to start, but it takes more than that. You both have to be completely sure this is the person you want to clean up after when one of you can't hold your bladder any longer. You may laugh, but does this really cross your mind when you say "I do"?

I obviously have no experience on the matter, but my theory has always been this: You can marry just about anyone, as long as you are determined to make it work. And I mean, really determined. You obviously have to love the person, but when the times get tough those are the times you must stick by your spouse. They don't just pull 'for better or for worse' out of their asses, they mean it.

So sorry new lady for initially not liking you. I just have a hard time accepting that people actually get divorced. I also have a hard time coming to accept that this time will be different. Because if it were really 'different' this time, why couldn't you have made it work the first time?

Alright, I'm off my soap box. This was a darker post that really ended up going right into the deep end and practically drowned in it. Ha, sorry for the depressing post. I'm just a little jaded right now. No worries though, happy posts with be sure to come in the future!

Until next time,

Casey Rose

Keeping It Casual

There are many things that influence and shape our every day lives. It could be talking to friends, watching your favorite TV show, or even something your professor lectured on in class. Many of the social media sites do more than just update you on what your friend is up to that day. It also is a method to provoking thought.

Today I was scrolling through my twitter feed waiting on the bus to arrive when I came across a tweet that kind of took me back. Now, before I go on, you have to know a few things about me first. I am one of those people who follow those stupid/funny twitter accounts. You know the ones, that have no original tweets but their context normally includes things like 'Reasons why I am Single', etc. I find my twitter feed to be mostly a form of entertainment more than a social media platform. With all of that being said, I do follow accounts such as TSM and College Town Life. 

One of the more recent accounts I decided to follow is one called "College Confessions". The premise of this account is basically an anonymous confession hub of college students from across the entire country. I found some of these confessions to be humorous and down right appalling, so for entertainment purposes I decided to follow them.

Everything was fine and funny until I ran across a tweet today that said "The best night of my freshman year was when I snorted a line of cocaine off of a girls ass - University of Wisconsin". I have heard some pretty crude things in my day but for whatever reason this one jumped out at me. I thought to myself, that is really sad if that was honestly the 'highlight' if your freshman year. Doing drugs and using a woman's body as a dehumanized sexual object.

Now this post isn't to talk about the drug part of it, which yes I do have a problem with recreational drug usage. It's dangerous and yadda, yadda, yadda, but we have all heard that preached to us many times before. What really made enough of an impact on me to write this post is the emphasis of this girls body. The phrase said 'a girls ass'. No description of who this young woman was, nothing about her intelligence (granted yes this was a tweet and you only have 140 characters) but I think you all are getting at my point.

It really made me realize how sexual our culture has become in this day and age. The fact that at least 30% of the entire internet is used for porn almost speaks for itself. As a sorority woman I like to take pride in my organization and think that we are a group of high class women who hold ourselves to a higher standard, but to be honest, when girls come back every night 'bragging' about the guy they hooked up with it is really hard for me to stand by that.

The fact that the media portrays college in general as this place where it is okay to have sex with multiple people doesn't sit well with me. Sure, as an incoming freshman that seemed great! So many people willing to hook up with you, that just sounds like a confidence booster waiting to happen. That is, until it actually does.

Now I'm not going to sit on my high horse and pretend like I am 'holier than thou'. I've had my fair share of hookups, maybe one or two guys I can't fully remember their names, and I definitely haven't been in a committed relationship every single time I have been with a guy. But I can say these things and talk about this, because I don't want to be that person anymore.

The media brainwashes us into thinking that is alright. That 'everyone is doing it' so it makes it ok. In fact, they make it seem fun! How great does it sound to have sex with someone without the emotion that a relationship brings! Right? Wrong. So wrong.

Now I'm not trying to make anyone feel badly about themselves. If you think that is fun and good and you can have sex with a stranger and tell me straight to my face that it doesn't affect your emotions in a negative way whatsoever, then good for you. You have mastered college and the art of the casual hook up. But I believe that for many of us, that is not the case.

Young women go into the realm of college thinking that if they hook-up with this random person then they will be happy, because that is what every college person does. When in fact, not every college person does do that. It is a false idea that has been pushed into our brains by the media. Everyone thinks that it is cool and normal to have tons of sex all of the time, but really it's not.

Not to get all biblical on you, but the troubles and tribulations throughout college has really allowed me to realize that, as the bible says, sex is only meant to be between one man and one woman. It's purpose is procreation. If we are using it for other reasons, such as pleasure, it is just messing with our minds. Because having sex with someone tells our subconscious that yes - I would like to make babies with this person. You may laugh at that statement, and I have to admit I chuckled a little, but it's true! That's why the saying 'sex bonds people' is a real thing! Your brain is saying that you want that person to be a parent of your future child, therefore you start to think of that person in a different way. You start getting attached. That is why sex cannot be a 'casual' thing. In the end someone always ends up getting hurt.

So please, do yourself a favor and wait until he 'puts a ring on it' or at least makes some kind of commitment. Girls, guys think that they can get away with this casual sex thing because we let them! If we buckle down and get them to realize that they can't get their way until they commit to you, I guarantee there would be a whole lot less assholes in the universe and a bunch more 'good guys'. So if not for you, do it for the betterment of the other sex. Because ladies, if we're being completely honest here, they tend to think with their penises - let their brains get a little action once in a while.

Until next time,

Casey Rose

Embrace and Engage

We're back in the saddle again. School is back in session. While my Christmas break seemed like it lasted a total of 2 days, it was a very relaxing time away.

The first days of school are always my favorite. You are normally the most organized and you get to learn from each of your different professors what exactly to expect for the semester to come.

This morning I had a class called History of the Modern Middle East. From the title it sounds like a very random and weird class, however I thoroughly enjoyed the first day and am looking forward to the semester to come.

One of the things we went over in class today really struck a chord with me. Prior to really getting into the subject material my professor lectured on why it is important for us to study history. There were many reasons as to why he said it was important but the thing that stuck with me is,

"We study history because if we do not know where we were we do not know where we are going"

He used the example of what if one day you were to wake up and not remember anything about your life. Your mind was completely blank. This gives you the opportunity to do whatever you wanted with your life! You could go back to school and become a surgeon, business man, historian, anything your heart desired! He also pointed out the fact that studies show most people who do lose their memory do not have this 'gung-ho' attitude about the life ahead of them. Most of them end up crawling in a fetal position, scared of the world around them.

 We need our history to determine who we are as a person. Our lessons and experience shape us into who we are. We are constantly changing and always learning about ourselves and the world around us. To be scared of change is to be afraid of life. It is inevitable and the only thing it will do is better you as a person.

Change may be a scary thing because we are comfortable being the person that we currently are, however you have to believe that there is an even better person waiting to come out of you. You just have to embrace the change that will come and face it head on. I believe the people that do this appear to be the most successful in life. They are the people in this world that are the best role models, the people we should model our lives after.

If I we could all be like that I'm sure that the world would be a much more peaceful place.

(just a little something I needed...)

Until next time,

Casey Rose

In with the New

Every new year people all across the world vow to themselves that they are going to be different. They make a pact with themselves to stay true to different things that could lead them to be a better person in the coming year. This is called a Resolution.

Resolution (noun): a resolving to do something, a course of action determined or decided upon

Everyone makes them but not everyone keeps them. We think that 'a new year means a new me', well not necessarily. We have to as humans work to be the people that we so desperately want to be. Nothing comes easy, everything takes a little work.

That is why this year I am determined to keep my resolutions. 2013 has proven to be a growing year. There were many ups and a whole lot of downs. Many of which will leave a lasting impression on my heart. But as a wise pin once said...

So here goes nothing...my 2014 resolutions.

To workout more. I want to love cardio and get a sweet ass

Drink more water

Stop being so judgmental

Be happy for others successes

Say yes to things

Be on time

Get on a normal sleep schedule (its 2 am btw...my night has just begun) *Failed

Don't be so afraid of the new

Get the grades you're capable of

Read more and turn off Netflix (with 90210 playing in the background...)

Stop procrastinating

Look presentable for class

Spend more time with loved ones

Give time to those who love you

No regrets

Do something outside of your comfort zone

Be the person you'd want to meet

Stop repeating mistakes

Give more compliments

Make someone else happy

Put down your phone

Give yourself to someone who wants all of you, everyday, because you are perfect being you.

So that does it, my 2014 resolutions. Think I can do it? I'm not sure either. But i'm sure as hell going to try. The first step is realizing what you want to change, the second is acting on it.

So here is to a kick-ass 2014. It's sure to be a great one.

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

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

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

God is Great, Beer is Good, and People are Crazy

Most days are good days. I am naturally a positive person, I like to see the good in people and I rarely have a bad day. But when I do have a bad day, it's really bad. I think it comes from the fact that I am so naive about certain things that when the real world comes crashing into me, it hits me like a ton of bricks. This is the cause of my bad day today.

There are moments in life where I absolutely hate being a girl. Yes it has its perks, men pay for you on dates (if he's a gentleman), you can get get out of a ticket just by lowering the neckline of your shirt just at tad, and "I'm on my period" works as an excuse for pretty much anything. However, there are other moments that absolutely suck. But the funny part is, most of these problems occur when dealing with other women.

On the outside we may seem like sweet, innocent creatures but on the inside we are manipulative, cruel little bitches. When we know what we want and we will do almost anything to make it happen. For men, you are helpless. Because, for the most part, when it comes to dealing with a woman - she will almost always get her way. But this is where conflict resides. When women stand in the way of what another woman wants. That's when the claws come out, again, ever so slyly.

This is basically my situation with having to deal with manipulative girls. But for confidentiality purposes, lets just put this into clothing terms. Say there is this girl, lets name her Susie. Susie is getting a gorgeous new dress as a present. She already knows she is getting it and is more than thrilled about it, so she proceeds to tell everyone about how much she is excited about this dress! Well then we have Brittany. Brittany has been eyeing that dress ever since she saw it online the first day the collection came out but she knows that she could never afford that dress. So prior to this day there was no hope for her to ever get her hands on it. However, she catches wind about how Susie is getting this gorgeous dress as a gift. Now there's some back story that you must know about. Susie and Brittany haven't had the best history. Brittany had borrowed Susie's favorite skirt and had carelessly gotten dirt and mud on the skirt that just would not come off. Needless to say, it was ruined. Susie told Brittany she wasn't allowed to borrow anything else of hers because she carelessly mistreated her favorite skirt. Well Brittany was furious. She began telling everyone that Susie was being absolutely ridiculous and the only reason she said that was because she thought Brittany was too fat and would stretch her clothes.

Left field right? Like where did that even come from, no where. Classic example of girls and how they react to innocent situations where they don't get what they want. Anyway's back to the story...

So now that everyone has heard from Brittany how 'mean' Susie is, they jump to Brittany's side and completely stop talking to Susie. After this happens, Susie is confused as to what is happening. All of her supposed 'friend' aren't talking to her for what seems like no reason! That is until Susie hears from a mutual friend of them both that Brittany is saying all of these untrue things about Susie. Needless to say, Susie is furious but is the bigger person. If these people want to believe Brittany's lies then they can do so, they clearly weren't good enough friends to begin with to hear both sides. So Susie lets it slide making sure that Brittany has no idea of the knowledge she just gained

But enough with the back story, continuing onto the original story...

So Brittany catches wind of how Susie is getting this great dress! Well until this point Brittany had been rude and completely ignoring Susie. But now that she hears about this dress, she slowly starts to become friendly to Susie - hanging out with her, having lunch with her, etc. Susie acted normal, but in the back of her mind knew that this was because all Brittany wanted was to borrow that dress. She knew from the start how much Brittany loved it. So what is Susie to do? Call Brittany out on being a fake ass bitch or play along and let her think she has a chance to borrow that dress, but in reality there's no way in hell after she mistreated her skirt and she said all those nasty things about her.

If you're a boy reading this, welcome to Girl World. I bet I just blew your mind. Girls, I bet you read this and thought of at least 100 situations where this happened to you or a friend in your own life. It's so sad to think that you cannot trust your own gender. Guys, I wish we were like you. You have a problem with another guy, you say "Hey man (explain your concerns)", talk it out and boom! You're good to go! I'm not sure if its our desire to have drama in our lives at all times but we just love to fester on stupid, little things that in 5 years will not matter in the slightest. But I guess there is just nothing we can do about it. Boys will be Boys and Girls will be Crazy.

Until next time,

Casey Rose

World Traveler

Oh hey, it's almost been two weeks! Where in the world have I been, I bet you've been wondering?

No? Oh awkward.

Haha but really I have been MIA for almost 2 weeks and I'm here to explain. Also to catch you up on what has been going on.

Well the last post was two Wednesday's ago and that Thursday I ended up driving down to Wilmington for my best friend's wedding! It was such a beautiful wedding, I'll insert pictures below, but needless to say it was very hectic and I really didn't get the opportunity to sit down at my computer to do much of anything, nonetheless blog. So here are some pictures from her lovely wedding :)

Some of the other bridesmaids and I.

The beautiful bride!

Their first dance!

Father daughter dance

Avengers cake for him

The table we sat at, whoops not family of the bride!

Sparklers to send them off!

It really was beautiful and I had such an amazing time celebrating my best friend marrying the man of her dreams. I'm so glad I could be apart of it.

From Wilmington I decided to visit a friend and make the long trek up to Washington D.C.! Yes, the nation's captial.

While I didn't spend much time there, I did end up getting to see some sights and even go to a Nationals game! Overall it as a fun trip and I would love to go back. Maybe not take the metro again, yes I may have gotten lost - clearly I am not meant for the city, but I would definitely go back :)

After DC I came home and honestly didn't do much. I got sick, felt like crap and laid in bed all day. I also worked, so my life has been pretty boring. 

However, right now I am at the beach! My family has rented a beach house here for the last two weeks of summer and I am so excited! My last two days working at Francesca's are this Thursday and Friday and I have a retreat this weekend, but come Monday I will be back at the beach soaking up the sun during my last few days of summer vacation. I will update you guys about my trip sometime next week when I have more pictures.

Other than that, I promise to update this more! I have been sucking lately, but I pinky promise I'll be better :) (not that anyone really cares, haha)

Until next time,

Casey Rose

Letting Go

I apologize in advanced for the string of depressing blog posts. Last post was certainly one of the more down posts I've ever done and this one is likely not to be super uplifting either, however I felt as if it needed to be addressed.

Breakups. My most favorite subject at the moment.

Yes I realize my post a couple of weeks ago is sort of ironic at the moment but I don't want to take it down. I can't seem to bring myself to do it. Maybe eventually I will, but not right now.

Either way, breakups are probably the hardest thing we will go through in our young lives. There is nothing that feels quite like having the person who you were in love with tell you that they don't want to be with you anymore. If you have never felt this pain, I envy you, because it is probably one of the worst pains you can ever go through. It's not like a paper cut that will sting for a while but eventually the pain will dull down. This is a constant ache in your heart that no matter how much you want to just reach inside and rip your heart out for relief, you can't. It's not something that by eating a pint of ben and jerry's ice cream with your girlfriends while watching a sappy chick flick will help either. Only time can heal a broken heart.

I'm not saying I'm an expert by any means, I'm fortunate enough for this to be my first and only heart break of my life. But I do think I am handling it the best that I can and maybe by writing this I can help at least one person out there that my be thinking their life is ending because this person doesn't want to be with them. So here goes - my list of ways to 'get over' a break up.

1) Cry. Go ahead and do it. Because it hurts. It hurts like a bitch (excuse my french). Now this really doesn't do anything else except let you get your emotions out but I think it's an important first step. To be in touch with your emotions is important and the fact that you feel this way clearly means you felt very strongly for that person, so it's okay to cry. Just make sure you are not sulking in your room for days at a time but a good long cry here and there will suffice.

2) Get off social media. This is important especially if your relationship was public on Facebook and suddenly you were victim of the dreaded 'in a relationship' to 'single'. Your true friends will see it and call or text you to see if you are alright, you do not need to deal with everyone and their brother commenting or liking your change in relationship status. This will only make you feel worse and cause you dwell on the break up for longer. It is also very important because we are all guilty of the post-breakup stalk. Yes, I know you have, don't deny it. It may not even be the persons page it could just be a picture you two were tagged in together. This will bring up old emotions and make you feel worse, just get rid of it. I can't tell you how much easier my breakup would have been if I had taken this advice. Note: This also goes for Instagram and Twitter. Twitter especially! Because we all at some point have posted this semi-depressing tweet with lyrics to a song you don't really know that well, but felt related perfectly to the situation you are going through. I'm telling you right now, no one wants to see that. So spare yourself and others from that popping up on their feeds.

3) Get out of your house. I don't care if it is taking a drive to the grocery store with your mom, get out. This was crucial for me. I didn't have to work for a full week after my break up. I didn't plan it that way, it seriously just worked out like that. You are prone to sulk in your bed after a situation like that happening but if you force yourself to get out of your house then you do not have the option anymore to go lurk back into bed for the rest of the day. This also helps to get your mind off of the person. I started my internship that Friday after it happened and I honestly can say I don't think I thought of him once in that whole time I was working. Granted it was only two hours and once I got out of there he once again consumed my mind, but it was a step!

4) Talk to someone. While I know not everyone feels comfortable talking about this kind of thing to others, I promise you it will do a world of wonders. As a general rule, you should have that one person you can go to with anything. For me it is my best friend. I know I can tell her anything and she will not judge me for it. Now this can be just about anyone - a friend, a parent, a sibling, a teacher, a therapist, even a pet! (Although I would recommend getting someone who can actually speak back to you, but a pet works for the time being). You need to be able to confide in someone and explain to them why you are hurting. Hopefully that person knows you well enough to give you advice to how to handle the situation and how to move on from it. Talking it out can also release a lot of the emotions that you may have been bottling inside. You could even tell that person everything you wanted to tell your Ex if you think that will help. Just talk and keep talking. You won't even realize how much of a world of a difference it will make.

5) Pamper yourself. Whether it is a massage, mani/pedis, or even a hair cut. Do something that will make you feel beautiful. With all the negativity going around, having a positive change in your life will really make you feel so much better. Because after a break up, at least for girls, we always feel ugly and unwanted. Doing something that makes you feel beautiful even if it is only for a minute will brighten your day and hopefully help you realize, you are just as beautiful as you were pre-break up. For me this was a big help. It probably doesn't help that I have a shopping problem, but when I got my paycheck last Friday I went crazy. I probably spend over $250 on new clothing. Ridiculous? Maybe. Did it make me feel better? Hell yeah! Now it is not the most healthy way to deal with things because it ultimately makes you pretty broke, but the way I think about it is if you buy something that is pretty, it makes you feel pretty. And this is exactly the point I was making! I bought this one dress and I wore it the other day and someone told me I looked "Hot". Did that help my self-confidence? Hell yeah! That's all it takes is a little pick-me-up. If shopping helps, like me, then go ahead and do it. I wouldn't recommend spending $250+, but just a nail polish color or new bright lipstick can do wonders! Trust me.

6) Lastly, Pray. I realize not everyone is religious, so for this maybe there is some substitution out there? If not and prayer isn't your style, just ignore this, but this really helped me. Prayer has always been a weird thing for me. I cry every single time I do it, I'm not kidding. Even if it is happy things! I still cry, not entirely sure why but I do. Maybe that's why I don't do it as much as I should. Either way when I was feeling at my lowest throughout this whole process I prayed. I asked God to heal my broken heart. I prayed for my husband. And I prayed for my Ex. It was amazing how much better I felt after that, even if I was crying the whole way through it. I'm not saying this is for everyone, because I know it's not. I'm just letting you know that if you are Christian and don't have the best relationship with God, try this. It sounds crazy but it seriously helps. Now I didn't get automatic answers but after I was done I felt a wave of relief come over me. Take this as you wish and handle it in your own way, but I think it's worth a shot.

So there you go, the 6 ways to get over a break up. I'm not saying that if you follow these 6 steps then you will be over that person, but it is a good starting point. I am not over him yet, in fact I will probably never be fully over him. If they really meant that much to you then they will always carry a piece of your heart. You will just need to learn how too forgive them and accept the fact that they were in your life for a reason. It may have been a lesson. If that is the case you need to learn from that and move on because people are constantly coming in and out of our lives. It is our job to figure out what their purpose was, to learn from it, and to apply that to our future endeavors.

Because at the end of the day...

Until next time,

Casey Rose

Farewell Old Friend

I'm back! I'm sorry I missed Sunday's post. I was having kind of a rough night because of what happened today, I will explain later. But I didn't really have anything I knew I wanted to talk about and I also didn't really feel in the spirit to write. Anyways, onto today's post.

Today marks the end of a life for someone in my family. It was my dog, Rosey. We are all going to miss her so much. She seriously was the best dog anyone could ever ask for. Rosey was 13 years old and her health was failing her. There wasn't ever a big incident that let us make the decision easy. It was basically up to my dad. Her health had been failing for a while now. The Vet even told us that there was nothing else we could do for her. So, it came down to my dad making the decision. And since my whole family was going to be out of town this upcoming weekend, he decided that today was the day.

My whole family came to say goodbye to her. Going into the office was so hard because I just look over and I see my father crying. That led me to start to cry. We all went in and they let us have a couple more minutes with her to day goodbye. My dad, mom and I were all crying while my older brother tried to make light of the situation, cracking jokes.

Time was up and they brought her to the back room. They told us they would bring us back when she was sedated right before they euthanized her. Once everything was all set up, the technician led us to the back room. And there she was. Laying on a towel calmly breathing. They told us she would still be conscious at that point, but it wasn't the same. While she was still alive in that moment, I knew she wasn't truly there. If she had been she would be the lively, loving lab that she had always been. She would be scratching up a storm because her allergies were off the chart, she wasn't Rosey.

We got to pet her and kiss her one last time and then the vet came in. They inserted the needle in her leg slowly. At one moment she shook, like something I had never seen. It's like her soul was just torn out of her body. I knew at that point she was gone. But even still, seeing her lay there it didn't seem real. It seemed like she was just asleep and that she would wake up at any moment. But she didn't. She was gone.

Going home I cried the whole way back. I walked through the front door to my house and my first reaction was to call out to Rosey to greet her. I saw her bed, it was empty. I went upstairs to see the spot that she would lay in all day was empty as well. And that's when it really hit, she was never coming home. Sure she will always be there in spirit. But the flesh of the dog I had for more than half of my life was gone forever. 

I will miss her so much. She has taught me so much about love and loyalty that I will never forget. She was my best friend as a little girl. Any time I was upset I would just go and cry to her. I told her everything. She will always hold a special place in my heart that will never be filled.

Love you Rosey. I can't wait to see you again someday.

xoxo,

Casey Rose