"I need to marry a Jackie, not a Marilyn."

I spent about 12 years of my life as a blonde (for real, maybe I'll post pictures sometime), so I always identified with Elle Woods in Legally Blonde. I envisioned my blonde self kicking ass and taking names at Harvard Law, all while looking fabulous. (the chihuahua was always left out of my visions, though)

If you've never seen the movie (seriously, do you live under a rock?!), it raises a lot of questions about being sexy versus classy. The movie seems to promote the idea that you can't be both. Elle is sexy, fabulous, and maybe a little frivolous, so no one takes her seriously. Her ex-boyfriend tells her that if he is ever going to be a senator, he needs to marry a Jackie, not a Marilyn. These two women, on the surface, don't seem to have much in common (aside from sleeping with JFK, of course).

Jackie, beautiful, dignified, prim Jackie, is the lasting symbol of feminine grace. Marilyn, sexy, curvy, controversial Marilyn, is the epitome of sex appeal. Jackie was the country's First Lady, giving her a revered position of national power. Her impeccable style and poise ensured her the respect of all Americans, and even in her later years she remained the picture of imagined American royalty. Marilyn was a movie star and sex symbol. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind, argued for the liberation of women's bodies and minds. Her untimely death revealed the problems that plagued her in life. Each woman is remembered for very different things, but both serve as the ideal, Jackie as the prim and proper woman, and Marilyn as the sexy woman.

But why do I have to be one or the other? Can't I be a Jackie and a Marilyn? I love a good pantsuit, and the Kennedys are my idols, no question, but sometimes I like to show a little skin and throw on some red lipstick. As a modern woman, I don't think I need to choose Jackie or Marilyn. I want to be both, and I have every right to do so. I want to hold my own among politicians and international businessmen, but I also want to have a flair for the dramatic and be extravagant and fabulous.

I want to be classy.

I want to be sexy.

I want to be Jackie.

I want to be Marilyn.

I am a modern woman, and I think it's just fine if I am both at the very same time.

Five Things Friday

Welcome to the second edition of Five Things Friday!

1.) This week I discovered that my family owns a Jack Lalanne Power Juicer. My life is forever changed. Yesterday I made a juice with carrots, honeydew, celery, a whole lemon, and a pinch of ginger (per Lauren's raw food diet suggestion). It was incredible! My mom and I have decided that juicing is our new thing.

2.) Whenever I trip in public (which is a lot), I make sure to laugh at myself so that other people know it's okay to laugh too.

3.) My hair is longer now than it has ever been. I do like my hair longer, but it's really this long out of laziness. I know I know, I'm impressive. My plan is to let it grow for the rest of college (1 freakin year! ahhhh!) and then donate it to Pantene Beautiful Lengths.

4.) My best friend Morgan and I have been friends since kindergarten. That's right, kindergarten. That means that we survived the typical dating drama of middle school, the pettiness of high school, and the distance of college...all things that individually could break up a pair of best friends. But we've gotten through it all, and are better friends now than we've ever been. She'll be my maid of honor (on the off chance that some poor fella actually thinks he wants to marry me...)!

5.) I've never been outside the United States before, but in just over a month I'm headed to Paris! Cannot wait, and cannot wait to share my adventures on the blog! :)

Fresh avocados at a farmer's market in Bakersfield, CA.

Don't they look to die for?

if i were engaged...

...i would choose this little number to wear on my special day.

I'm random. This is random.

I have to get a root canal on Wednesday. blah.

During finals I was eating a piece of bread and a seed from it got stuck in my tooth and eventually pulled a chunk of my tooth out with it. Not cool, seed. Not cool at all.

In other news, I'm starting a raw food diet tomorrow! We'll see how it goes, but hopefully I see some success!

In further other news, I bought some fab Steve Madden wedges for France. Figured I wouldn't wanna be traipsing around the streets of Paris in my big ol' heels, and wedges are slightly more sensible, right? I'm working on a shopping list for my trip, so I'll be sure to share once it's complete!

In further further other news, I promise never to waste your reading time like this again. I promise to be a real blogger again soon!

Five Things Friday

This whole summer business has rendered me useless in the brain department, so I'm definitely lacking inspiration for the ol' bloggy blog.

I was drawing a total blank on what to talk about, and realized that I love nothing more than a good list, so why not make a regular feature out of my random lists?

So, friends, I introduce to you Five Things Friday!

This will be a weekly post, consisting of five random things about me/my week/my life. I promise to include a random photo or two each week. :) I'm excited to get creative every Friday! Here goes week 1.

1.) I am physically addicted to Burt's Bees lip balm. I don't ever go more than an hour without reapplying (except when I sleep of course, but even then sometimes I reapply it if I wake up during the night). Time to reapply now, as a matter of fact!

2.) Poor grammar is my biggest pet peeve, and I apologize profusely if I ever let any typos slip through on my blog! There is a difference between your and you're!

3.) I'm a sociology major, because it was the closest thing I could get to a degree in people-watching.

4.) One of my most significant accomplishments in my 20 years was getting an actual boomshine in the game Boomshine on bored.com. That sounds totally lame, I know, but if you've ever played the game, I bet you don't even know what a boomshine is, that's how rare they are! A boomshine is when you clear every single dot on a level. The game goes crazy. I wish I had photographic proof!

5.) I filled in for my dad's secretary for three days this week, meaning I am now made of money. Let's go shopping!

I promised you a random photo!

That's an iPhone picture of the mantle at my parents' house.

Family portrait taken circa 1997.

The Semester in Review

I literally cannot believe the spring semester is over. Time sure flies.

So here's my breakdown:

This semester was by far my worst

and conclusively my best

semester I've had as a student at Cal.

Why the worst, you ask?

I battled minor depression (but I admit it, so I feel like that's a positive thing)

My beloved grandpa passed away

My three best friends were 21 and could go fun places without me

Becoming president of my sorority was in a lot of ways a huge mistake and it was really really hard on me at first (and continues to be, but I have learned to handle it better)

Why the best, then?

I rocked all my midterms/papers (earned an A on every single one!)

I finally FINALLY made exercise a part of my life. It's not something I have to do; it's something I want to do. It's helped me lose some weight, but most importantly it has helped me love my body

My sister Kendall got into almost all the schools she applied to, and I'm so excited to say she'll be joining me in the Pac 10 next year! Bears > Huskies ;)

I've begun to navigate my way around this blogging world, and I've found such an amazing support system and endless source of entertainment

But most of all, I've figured out how to be me in this world.

Despite the tears and stress of this semester, I am grateful for it all. I hope I never go through so many tough things at one time every again, but I will also be forever glad I learned so much about myself.

I am so excited about all the prospects of senior year! Lighter course load, getting a job, being 21, and making the most of the last year of the best time of my life. I am enjoying summer so far, but cannot wait for senior year to be here already.

Recipe: Tea Biscuit Cake

My latest foray into the kitchen came at the bequest of my sister for her senior english project. She did a presentation on William and Kate's royal wedding, so to add a little spice to the project, she asked me to help her bake make (literally no baking necessary!) William's groom's cake. Oprah posted the recipe here, but check out my changes below.

Prince William's Chocolate Biscuit Cake

What you need:

12 ounces dark chocolate chips

4 ounces of butter

4 ounces granulated sugar

1 egg

splash of milk

What you do:

1. Grease a round cake pan (probably the smallest one you have)

2. Break tea biscuits into almond sized pieces

3. Mix butter and sugar by hand until creation is fully blended and a light lemon color

4. Melt 4 ounces of chocolate (melt for 30 seconds, then stir, then melt again until liquidy)

5. Add the egg into the melted chocolate (I was nervous about this part at first, but the chocolate should be hot enough that the egg gets cooked. If you're concerned, pop it back into the microwave for 10 more seconds after you've mixed in the egg).

6. Add the chocolate to the butter/sugar combo until it is all blended

7. Mix in the biscuit pieces. Stir until every piece is entirely coated in chocolate

8. Place mixture into cakepan

9. Cool in the refrigerator for 3 hours

10. When cool, flip cake upside down onto wax paper and get ready to coat!

For chocolate coating:

1. Melt remaining 8 ounces of chocolate + a splash of milk to make it easier to spread

2. Using a knife, spread melted chocolate onto cake

3. Let set and cool for 30 minutes, then slice

Enjoy!

I'm a senior in college!

Ahhhh! I am currently freaking out. Last night I finished my last final and closed the book on junior year. I can't believe I just have one year left! I don't ever want this to end.

I'll be recapping junior year in the next few days, and can't wait to share how much I've learned with you all! And I just started compiling my college bucket list, so get excited for that as well :)

In the meantime, packing like crazy and enjoying my last day in Berkeley for three months!

Happy summer!

almost there!

taken at the Hyatt Regency Maui last summer--take me back!

"And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer."

-F. Scott Fitzgerald

I got it from my mama

Happy Mother's Day to all the mamas out there!

and especially to my mommy. People say they have the best mom in the world, but for me it's really true.

I love my mom because...

• she puts up with all my crazy (and there's a lot of it)
• she's hilarious
• she's the most resilient person I know. I wouldn't be half as strong as I am without her
• she is my biggest fan, always
• I can call her at anytime of day, crying or laughing, and she'll listen to what I have to say
• she's sacrificed so much for my sisters and me to have a great life
• she's really really cute.

Happy Mother's Day Mommy! So glad I got to spend part of the day with you. I can't wait to move home on Saturday and spend a month with you! I love you!

some inspiration

Never let your head hang down. Never give up and sit down and grieve. Find another way. And don’t pray when it rains if you don’t pray when the sun shines.

-Leroy Satchel Paige

Finals will end. I will get home. I will be tan, rested, and happy.

I will not give up.

And I will be thankful for the good and the bad,

because it all teaches me something.

**low quality iPhone picture of the actual happy list.

Coming full circle, you know.

The When Harry Met Sally Conundrum

“I love that you get cold when it’s 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you’re looking at me like I’m nuts. I love that after I spend the day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes. And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it’s not because I’m lonely, and it’s not because it’s New Year’s Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”

Lately I've been thinking a lot about the idea that men and women can't be friends. I saw When Harry Met Sally for the first time recently, and it sparked this line of thinking in my head. Harry argues that you never have friends of the opposite sex that you aren't sexually attracted to. Men and women just can't be friends. Harry and Sally start off as friends, but then end up being in love with each other. Which is great, but what conclusion does that provide about the question of men and women being friends? Sure, I've had male friends that I'm not romantically interested in, but then again, I've had a lot of male friends that I am interested in. What does that say about me? I'm incapable of having male friends? I don't know.

(Having this kind of existential crisis in the middle of finals week is so typical. Procrastination at its finest)

What are your thoughts on the subject?

Can men and women be friends?

Quite the historical weekend

I cried a lot this weekend, let me tell you.

Never have I been prouder to say that I cast my first vote for President of the United States for Barack Hussein Obama. God bless America, and let this serve as a testament to the courage and dedication of our armed forces. May you all return home safely and quickly.

I am also so inspired to have witnessed true love made official at the royal wedding. Perhaps I'm just a naive little twenty-year-old, but it made me so happy to witness the love and grace of William and Kate. They both deserve all the happiness in the world, and I cannot wait to see the beautiful children they produce!

Of course these events have nothing in common, and are of very different historical significance depending on which country you hail from, but the history made this weekend is still inspiring.

I remember the day Princess Diana died. My mom came into my room crying and said that she had been killed. I didn't understand. And I remember 9/11 vividly. I could tell you everything I did for every minute of that day. But again, I didn't really understand.

Now that I'm a grown up, I know that early Friday morning and Sunday evening were filled with moments I will vividly remember forever. I understand the significance of each event, and I am so excited to tell my children about them someday.

God bless America, and God bless true love!