Hello all! I am here for three things today.
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Things I forgot to mention in this video (plus other tips I learned from flying):
Below are some pictures of my suitcases as I was packing. I used the "rolling"method, where I rolled all of my clothes into a bundle, which helped me save a ton of space in my bag. For the most part, this kept my clothes wrinkle free, although as an extra precaution I did have a few wrinkle-prone clothes just laying flat at the bottom of my suitcase. My packing list is as follows:
Guys....my suitcase was so light! This is all thanks to my beloved Pinterest, where I found this totally awesome blog post that helped me understand how easy it is to pack light. Thanks a bunch for stopping by! Look forward to another post about my whole European experience. Stay Classy Valley,
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Stay Classy Valley,
Rachel
A Letter of Thoughts For a Clear Head
I think I’m a blogger but…. Can I major in blogging when I go to college? I should’ve known which of the Naked Palettes to buy at my last trip to Sephora, and definitely should be on this blog more often. Sorry about that.
I think I’m a blogger but I’m also just a kid who loves to write and feels totally guilty for letting junior year catch up with her. Oh shoot. It’s 1:59 on a Monday and we are switiching classes. I pray that this newfound flow of creativeness doesn’t leave me before the day is through.
I think I’m a blogger but I’m also just a kid who loves to write and feels totally guilty for letting junior year catch up with her. Oh shoot. It’s 1:59 on a Monday and we are switiching classes. I pray that this newfound flow of creativeness doesn’t leave me before the day is through.
2:09 – so far, nothing happening in physics class and 90% of my class is on a field trip. Lucky for me! Listening to Sara Bareilles covering Elton John is possibly one of the most soothing things I could be doing right now. I’m also simultaneously trying to add a summer bikini piece to the Fashion section, because neither Serena nor myself post in there often enough, and now that summer is more or less upon us, possibly the most asked question, next to how to get that amazing bikini bod, is how to get that amazing bikini period. Stay tuned for more.
You may have caught on to the fact that so far, this piece has been a ramble of thoughts. Our words are never more pure then when they come directly from our thoughts onto paper, unmodified and filled with purpose (*she says as she corrects that same sentence 45 more times until it’s perfect.) My fingers are click click clicking on this keyboard in the middle of physics class where I give into the occasional lip-picking (my most evil, tempting habit) and stare at the mediocre paint job on my nails.
My friend just offered me a twizzler and despite my urge to say no my grumbling stomach stretches my hand out for me as I grab the twizzler out of her hand in a rather rabid animal-like motion. Oh, close our laptops it's time for some MythBusters? Boo-yah.
You may have caught on to the fact that so far, this piece has been a ramble of thoughts. Our words are never more pure then when they come directly from our thoughts onto paper, unmodified and filled with purpose (*she says as she corrects that same sentence 45 more times until it’s perfect.) My fingers are click click clicking on this keyboard in the middle of physics class where I give into the occasional lip-picking (my most evil, tempting habit) and stare at the mediocre paint job on my nails.
My friend just offered me a twizzler and despite my urge to say no my grumbling stomach stretches my hand out for me as I grab the twizzler out of her hand in a rather rabid animal-like motion. Oh, close our laptops it's time for some MythBusters? Boo-yah.
I’ve been following Alexa Chung for a while and have determined she is my new style icon. Not sure how long this is going to last.
It’s currently 9:42pm and I’ve got some English homework to do. Life is just really confusing right now and I’d like to not think about college for a while and even though my SATs and APs are done I still have finals and all I want to do is crawl up in a ball and sleep for a few years and wake up when I have a successful career and can afford some Chanel anything.
Sincerely yours,
Rachel
It’s currently 9:42pm and I’ve got some English homework to do. Life is just really confusing right now and I’d like to not think about college for a while and even though my SATs and APs are done I still have finals and all I want to do is crawl up in a ball and sleep for a few years and wake up when I have a successful career and can afford some Chanel anything.
Sincerely yours,
Rachel
An Ode to My One True Love: Cheese
Oh cheese, oh cheese, where for art thou cheese for the past five weeks? I've missed you so and now it's finally time for you to reappear in my life. I've been so hangry, I'd almost forgotten how gouda your parmasean tasted on my lips.
But seriously, these past few weeks have been hell...thanks migraines, you rock.
Within these past 5 weeks I got an all exclusive sneak peak into the wonderful world of restricted eating. No, it wasn't to produce the super-hot spring break bod every magazine advertises. I don't have enough self discipline for that, but rather a perscribed diet from my good ole friend the neurologist.
Because of my nasty migraine headaches, I've resorted to cutting out a few key ingredients within my life to see if they're the reason for my constant cranium pain and well as much as I hate to admit it...the diet has worked.
Now that I'm starting to add foods back in, my one true love has returned, cheese.
Oh if you only knew how much I LOVE cheese.
But seriously, these past few weeks have been hell...thanks migraines, you rock.
Within these past 5 weeks I got an all exclusive sneak peak into the wonderful world of restricted eating. No, it wasn't to produce the super-hot spring break bod every magazine advertises. I don't have enough self discipline for that, but rather a perscribed diet from my good ole friend the neurologist.
Because of my nasty migraine headaches, I've resorted to cutting out a few key ingredients within my life to see if they're the reason for my constant cranium pain and well as much as I hate to admit it...the diet has worked.
Now that I'm starting to add foods back in, my one true love has returned, cheese.
Oh if you only knew how much I LOVE cheese.
It was by far the hardest aspect of my part-time diet and while I love chocolate (another one on my forbidden list), cheese was beckoning me around every corner.
I recently was on a trip to Dublin, Ireland with my lovely chamber choir and it couldn't have been better. Walking around the streets of one of the greatest cities in the world with my all time favorite people, exploring the restaurants, signing and oh wait, NO NO NO cheese. was. everywhere. Now I don't remember anyone ever specifically telling me about the luxurious cheese the irishmen are known for, but unfortunately there it was, seemingly taunting me from every angle.
I was careful (don't worry mom) and now that cheese has since returned, proving to NOT be a cause of my terrible migraines (thank goodness), cheese is back and more appreciated within my life than ever before. Funny how you never know how much you love something until it's gone...that'll be another post for the future.
In the meantime tell us what your favorite food is in the comments below and enoy this llama and cheese gif I found on the web!
I recently was on a trip to Dublin, Ireland with my lovely chamber choir and it couldn't have been better. Walking around the streets of one of the greatest cities in the world with my all time favorite people, exploring the restaurants, signing and oh wait, NO NO NO cheese. was. everywhere. Now I don't remember anyone ever specifically telling me about the luxurious cheese the irishmen are known for, but unfortunately there it was, seemingly taunting me from every angle.
I was careful (don't worry mom) and now that cheese has since returned, proving to NOT be a cause of my terrible migraines (thank goodness), cheese is back and more appreciated within my life than ever before. Funny how you never know how much you love something until it's gone...that'll be another post for the future.
In the meantime tell us what your favorite food is in the comments below and enoy this llama and cheese gif I found on the web!
Stay classy Valley,
Serena
On Writing
Often, it is
graffiti in the girls’ locker room,
or a note
carefully folded and passed under desks,
a dirty secret
hidden under the tongue
that you’re only brave enough
to say with a pen.
Sometimes, it is
the rolling of thunder and
the crack of breaking branches
heard from a fireside
with sheet-rock and wood
vibrating with rain that is both
too close to ignore and
too far away to be worried by.
Regularly, it is
a gift that does not fit
and comes with no receipt
or the itch
of palms in need of something
to do, a jacket with an
inconvenient tag, a dollar bill facing
the wrong way in a neat stack.
Usually, it is
trapped under the tongue,
or balancing on the tip of it,
the sort of thing that takes
shape in your mind
but there are no words
to translate
that shape into.
But, once, it was
Sunday morning sun on clean, bare skin,
and your favorite pair of jeans
and waking up
to the smell of coffee and toast
already filling your room.
Sometimes, there are moments
when it still might be.
Sometimes, it is
slow as the faucet
dripping in the cellar, or the
slow swing of the hour hand on the clock.
Sometimes, it is
so fast my fingers struggle
to keep up, but never does it ever
truly stop.
graffiti in the girls’ locker room,
or a note
carefully folded and passed under desks,
a dirty secret
hidden under the tongue
that you’re only brave enough
to say with a pen.
Sometimes, it is
the rolling of thunder and
the crack of breaking branches
heard from a fireside
with sheet-rock and wood
vibrating with rain that is both
too close to ignore and
too far away to be worried by.
Regularly, it is
a gift that does not fit
and comes with no receipt
or the itch
of palms in need of something
to do, a jacket with an
inconvenient tag, a dollar bill facing
the wrong way in a neat stack.
Usually, it is
trapped under the tongue,
or balancing on the tip of it,
the sort of thing that takes
shape in your mind
but there are no words
to translate
that shape into.
But, once, it was
Sunday morning sun on clean, bare skin,
and your favorite pair of jeans
and waking up
to the smell of coffee and toast
already filling your room.
Sometimes, there are moments
when it still might be.
Sometimes, it is
slow as the faucet
dripping in the cellar, or the
slow swing of the hour hand on the clock.
Sometimes, it is
so fast my fingers struggle
to keep up, but never does it ever
truly stop.
- Charlie Leppert
It's 5'oclock In the Morning....Literally
Mornin' early birds. This is Rachel reporting to you live at 5:58am because I fell asleep at 5 last night and woke up at 4 this morning with nothing better to do but watch a cheesy early 2000s movie and study for the AP exam I’m dreading next coming may. With a cup of espresso in my hand, I feel ready to take on the day. I ironically keep checking my phone to see if any of my group chat companions have responded to the multiple “I’m so confused” and “I’m so sorry” texts I sent few hours ago, referring to the fact that while I was supposed to be having people over last night, I was sound asleep like a snuggly bug in a rug.
It’s down pouring which hopefully means that my 9am softball game is getting cancelled, so I’ll try to make it up to my friends by driving them around all day. Also a shout out to my little brother whom I couldn’t pick up from lacrosse practice because I was TOO BUSY SLEEPING. Damn it.
For the rest of you all, I hope you're having a much more exciting spring break than I am. I know the constant rain is a total bummer....
but don't worry because even though we can't predict the weather, we can always predict the next thing we'll watch on Netflix. Actually, you can't do that either, which is why we have awesome charts to figure that out for us.
Oh, Prince Eddie. Sadly, your sappy love drama and painfully cliche college experiences is boring me so I’m moving on to the Mindy Project so I can watch a kick ass female lead and get all the love, jokes, and drama I want in a shorter amount of time. I urge you all to do the same.
Stay Classy Valley,
Rachel
One of the newest places located in the East Village is Snowdays Shavery, and it is definitely worth the trip! They serve delicious shaved cream, which is a popular Korean and Taiwanese dessert that is quickly taking over America.
I am sure that many of you have tried shaved ice before, however shaved cream has a little twist. It has an icy texture like shaved ice, but it is also creamy like ice cream. It just melts away in your mouth.
For weeks I had been seeing pictures from Snowdays, so one day as I was walking around downtown, I knew that I just had to stop and try some of this delicious snow cream.
They have amazing options. First, you pick the base, which is the snow cream. They have Yeti Tracks, which is a combination of cookies and cream and blueberries, sweet cream, which is a condensed milk flavor, matcha green tea, and coconut. Then, you pick your
toppings. There are so many to choose from, but a few are pocky sticks, mochi, nilla wafers, waffle cones, fruity pebbles and even crazy things like grass jelly. Lastly, you choose your drizzle. You can pick from a variety such as condensed milk, salted caramel, peanut butter, and whipped cream.
I went with my family, and because it is impossible to decide what you want, we decided to share two flavors. We ordered a sweet milk shaved cream, with peanut butter drizzle, and Cap’n Crunch. Next, we ordered one of their recommended combos called Yeti Food. It consisted of yeti tracks snow cream, with bananas, waffle cones, and a blueberry puree. They pay close attention to detail, and even give you spoons that react to the cold, so as you are eating, the spoon changes color. It was one of the most delicious desserts that I have ever had, and I would definitely choose this over normal and boring ice cream any day.
I am sure that many of you have tried shaved ice before, however shaved cream has a little twist. It has an icy texture like shaved ice, but it is also creamy like ice cream. It just melts away in your mouth.
For weeks I had been seeing pictures from Snowdays, so one day as I was walking around downtown, I knew that I just had to stop and try some of this delicious snow cream.
They have amazing options. First, you pick the base, which is the snow cream. They have Yeti Tracks, which is a combination of cookies and cream and blueberries, sweet cream, which is a condensed milk flavor, matcha green tea, and coconut. Then, you pick your
toppings. There are so many to choose from, but a few are pocky sticks, mochi, nilla wafers, waffle cones, fruity pebbles and even crazy things like grass jelly. Lastly, you choose your drizzle. You can pick from a variety such as condensed milk, salted caramel, peanut butter, and whipped cream.
I went with my family, and because it is impossible to decide what you want, we decided to share two flavors. We ordered a sweet milk shaved cream, with peanut butter drizzle, and Cap’n Crunch. Next, we ordered one of their recommended combos called Yeti Food. It consisted of yeti tracks snow cream, with bananas, waffle cones, and a blueberry puree. They pay close attention to detail, and even give you spoons that react to the cold, so as you are eating, the spoon changes color. It was one of the most delicious desserts that I have ever had, and I would definitely choose this over normal and boring ice cream any day.
Be sure to get there early because the line gets long. My family arrived around noon on a weekend, and there were only a few people in line, but once we started to eat, the line was out the door. They spend time making each cup of snow cream, so the line does not move very fast, but it is definitely worth the wait!
Location:
10th street b/w 1st and 2nd Ave
Check back in to hear about another new fave of mine, The Stanton Social!
Location:
10th street b/w 1st and 2nd Ave
Check back in to hear about another new fave of mine, The Stanton Social!
Stay Classy Valley,
Jillie
Sorry I Don't Sleep Enough
It may be incredibly ironic that I’m sitting in my bed writing this piece at 12:16 am, but it may be even more ironic that Rachel has written against this very topic. You see, I don’t seem to get much sleep, if any at all. While Rach sits at her desk proudly writing about how bad lack of sleep is for all us mortals, I sit on my bed wondering why I can't do the same.
On top of the fact that I probably shouldn’t be writing this piece, but rather sleeping until the late 5:45 am alarm awakens me in my sound slumber, the number one reason why I can't sleep is because I just can’t find the time.
When is there really any time?
I mean among the bountiful list of extra curriculars I pour my heart into, not to mention the studying I need to do for the ACTs that are creeping up on me, or the errands I have to run for my parents, it becomes difficult to find any time for myself let alone 8-10 hours for my brain to restart. You see I’ve always been a busy person. I’m the busy person who loves the thought of being a busy person and the adrenaline of having a packed schedule.
When is there really any time?
I mean among the bountiful list of extra curriculars I pour my heart into, not to mention the studying I need to do for the ACTs that are creeping up on me, or the errands I have to run for my parents, it becomes difficult to find any time for myself let alone 8-10 hours for my brain to restart. You see I’ve always been a busy person. I’m the busy person who loves the thought of being a busy person and the adrenaline of having a packed schedule.
While I of course enjoy the occasional down time, filling my schedule with countless activities is the reason I can hop out of bed at that blaring 5:45 am alarm. Whether it’s preparing for my weekly PVBBG meeting, getting up extra early for my Executive council meetings, staying after school to plan, plan, plan with my choir board counterparts, volunteer, make a video, take photos for the latest photo shoot or many many more it’s these things that make me want to be busy. For the sake of the people I’m helping and affecting, I love to see their smiles.
On a day I have work at Old Navy sometimes it can be extra stressful. I have a big responsibility to act as an adult at my job and become the best retail seller I can. This of course can come as an expense to my social life and schoolwork on occasion. While I can work my schedule around certain things, sometimes I have to wrestle myself out of bed to get up for that 8-hour shift on Saturday or that 5-hour shift after school. Thank goodness that because I'm a minor they can only keep me til 10:30 pm the latest. This means that only after 10:30 pm is when I can start studying for that huge physics test. I drive myself home, race upstairs to plop down on my bed, exhausted from 8 hours at school, 5 ½ hours of work and now another 3 hours of homework, yeah it can be take a toll on my sleeping schedule. It does get tiring but I would never take it for granted. I work with friendly people, make good money during a time when some people can’t even get a job, all while still being able to get a good education.
So while I’m sitting here ranting about my busy life, showing you a very small fraction of the craziness, yes I could’ve been sleeping. And yeah maybe my 5 hours a night sleep schedule could be one cause of my headache disorder or the fact that I get tired in school, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. Will I strive to get more sleep than I am currently? Of course. But it wouldn’t be a very good success story if I didn’t tell you what life was like before I made the change.
Check back in a few months and maybe I’ll have a new regime ready for all of you. Maybe I'll be the teacher instead of the student and let you know how you can be a busy bee and have your sleep too.
On a day I have work at Old Navy sometimes it can be extra stressful. I have a big responsibility to act as an adult at my job and become the best retail seller I can. This of course can come as an expense to my social life and schoolwork on occasion. While I can work my schedule around certain things, sometimes I have to wrestle myself out of bed to get up for that 8-hour shift on Saturday or that 5-hour shift after school. Thank goodness that because I'm a minor they can only keep me til 10:30 pm the latest. This means that only after 10:30 pm is when I can start studying for that huge physics test. I drive myself home, race upstairs to plop down on my bed, exhausted from 8 hours at school, 5 ½ hours of work and now another 3 hours of homework, yeah it can be take a toll on my sleeping schedule. It does get tiring but I would never take it for granted. I work with friendly people, make good money during a time when some people can’t even get a job, all while still being able to get a good education.
So while I’m sitting here ranting about my busy life, showing you a very small fraction of the craziness, yes I could’ve been sleeping. And yeah maybe my 5 hours a night sleep schedule could be one cause of my headache disorder or the fact that I get tired in school, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. Will I strive to get more sleep than I am currently? Of course. But it wouldn’t be a very good success story if I didn’t tell you what life was like before I made the change.
Check back in a few months and maybe I’ll have a new regime ready for all of you. Maybe I'll be the teacher instead of the student and let you know how you can be a busy bee and have your sleep too.
Goodnight PV, sleep tight.
Stay classy Valley,
Serena
What’s Happened To Our Brown Paper
Bags?
For anyone who knows me, they are highly aware of my almost OCD efforts to make sure that any type of food I put into my mouth is either a healthy sized portion or good for me (or both). I would consider myself a major food snob, but I direct the source of my food snobbery towards my equally food-snobbish parents, who cringe at the thought of restaurant bread that had been previously frozen, or god-forbid they are served a Starbucks coffee that isn’t freshly brewed (does that count as food?)
In my struggle to maintain a balanced, healthy diet in a lunch cafeteria filled with soggy pasta and stale french fries, I generally try to give myself a time frame of between 10 and 30 minutes every night to figure out something to make myself for lunch the next day. However, as I ventured farther and farther into my junior year, I realized that the unavoidable laziness that comes with the third year of high school (among many other perils) had finally caught up to me, even after I had sworn it never would. I soon found myself dishing out more 5-dollar bills than I could count in order to pay for my weekly lunches consisting of fried chicken with giant pieces of fat on the end and bags of my ultimate snack food guilty pleasure, Chex Mix. No matter how many bottles of water I downed to try and counteract the fatty foods, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was doing something terribly, terribly wrong.
I find myself asking what truly is the deciding factor between how we dictate the quality of our lives. For myself, quality food and putting good ingredients into my body is a huge factor in the overall quality of my life. As I sat staring down at the piece of chicken fat in my hand (I swear it was giving me the evil eye), I realized that it was not necessarily the type of food I was eating that was creating such a strange void in my heart, but that I suddenly missed the crinkling of my brown lunch bag as I proudly poured my carefully planned meal onto the blue speckled half-moon lunch table. I missed the taste of whatever healthy or “healthy” food I had generated for myself (notice the second healthy in quotations, as I will often try to convince myself of a food’s nutritional value). Moreover, I missed the idea that I had worked (semi) hard for something that meant a lot to me and that in the end, made me feel better than living off blue bags of Chex Mix with the weird tasting pretzels.
In my struggle to maintain a balanced, healthy diet in a lunch cafeteria filled with soggy pasta and stale french fries, I generally try to give myself a time frame of between 10 and 30 minutes every night to figure out something to make myself for lunch the next day. However, as I ventured farther and farther into my junior year, I realized that the unavoidable laziness that comes with the third year of high school (among many other perils) had finally caught up to me, even after I had sworn it never would. I soon found myself dishing out more 5-dollar bills than I could count in order to pay for my weekly lunches consisting of fried chicken with giant pieces of fat on the end and bags of my ultimate snack food guilty pleasure, Chex Mix. No matter how many bottles of water I downed to try and counteract the fatty foods, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was doing something terribly, terribly wrong.
I find myself asking what truly is the deciding factor between how we dictate the quality of our lives. For myself, quality food and putting good ingredients into my body is a huge factor in the overall quality of my life. As I sat staring down at the piece of chicken fat in my hand (I swear it was giving me the evil eye), I realized that it was not necessarily the type of food I was eating that was creating such a strange void in my heart, but that I suddenly missed the crinkling of my brown lunch bag as I proudly poured my carefully planned meal onto the blue speckled half-moon lunch table. I missed the taste of whatever healthy or “healthy” food I had generated for myself (notice the second healthy in quotations, as I will often try to convince myself of a food’s nutritional value). Moreover, I missed the idea that I had worked (semi) hard for something that meant a lot to me and that in the end, made me feel better than living off blue bags of Chex Mix with the weird tasting pretzels.
Perhaps my life would be better if I could just squeeze a few more homemade turkey and brie sandwiches in, or something non-food related, like a few hours’ worth of thrift shopping, where I can feel good for being on my feet and even better for leaving with a cheap pair of Lucky Brands. Either way, my happiness seems to be centered, on, simply, happiness. We must remember to not stray too far from that, as I've found that most of our unhappiness comes from the forgotten notion that there are things in this world that legitimately make us happy.
It seems that my brown paper bag is a little farther away then I was hoping, but not so far that I've completely given up. Hand me a chocolate bar, wait a couple weeks for the weather to warm up, and I'll definitely come around...
It seems that my brown paper bag is a little farther away then I was hoping, but not so far that I've completely given up. Hand me a chocolate bar, wait a couple weeks for the weather to warm up, and I'll definitely come around...