BRB Screaming

26

Best. Social media day. Ever.

Her Campus Pitt (my life) FINALLY reached 1500 Facebook likes today!

AND....to add to the excitement...

Laverne Cox favorited HC's tweet about the article Lexi wrote about her!

WHICH by the way, made me want to run to class (since I was rushing) while singing some Becky G or Bruno Mars. I was floating on cloud nine after hearing this news. We did it!

All thanks to the amazing HC team we've created. Without everyone pulling together, we wouldn't have made it in time for the end of the semester. So thank you my beautiful team!

After I stopped shaking, I killed it today in my women and music class. I'm really liking how we talk about Lady Gaga and all these amazing icons in music that have done so much to change people's perspective on music. I dig it.

And later, more cycling woo!

Another toughie, but Mavis and I survived. I'm pretty sure my butt will be feeling it tomorrow.

To continue greek week, we had our lip sync competition tonight too, where I sat with my beautiful leopards and died laughing at people's performances of "Style," "Uptown Funk," and "I'll make a man out of you" from Mulan! Soo good. I wish I had a talent other than smiling:)

But really guys, much love to the entire HC team. I love you all and don't know what I'd do without you!

HCXO babes.

Amanda

You're gunna put hot sauce in that?

27, 28, 29, 30, 31, and 32

I messed up...

Hahaha I just realized today that my numbers were a bit off. We really only have 27 days left until graduation as of Monday!!
Yayy..

yay ya yay.

No honestly I'm happy. Honestly. Really. 

Let's talk about something else shall we?

So oh my goodness, this week is already driving me bonkers. I have been an absolute mushy-no-brain since Saturday and I don't think it's getting any better until like Thursday so please just stick with me till then, thanks. 

Although, my productiveness is still supes good. Which is good. I'm getting a lot done it's just all at once, and while trying to fit in the fun stuff the work isn't going away. It's a really confusing cycle but all it takes is some planning and maybe a good cry. But you will get there I promise. 

I'm not making today sound as good as it deserves am I? I actually had like a REALLY good Monday guys!! After you know, schoolwork and libraries and tests and stuff. 

I WENT TO SEE LAVERNE COX SPEAK AT MY SCHOOL!!

Flawless. Beautiful. Down to Earth. Laverne is all these things and more. And she was even funnier and more insightful than I imagined she would be. 

For those of you who don't know me, I am in love with the show Orange is the New Black, and literally Laverne has been my favorite ever since I started watching last year. So when my friend Sarita told me in November that the Rainbow Alliance club was hosting her here, I almost peed myself.

She was so eloquent and honest up there. I really couldn't have pictured it going any better. We were being educated about more than just her life and history, about how just people should be treating other people: "with love, and empathy."

I was completely in awe during her speech "Ain't I A Woman" and was devastated to hear how badly complete strangers had treated her during her transition and even after. If we all just take a moment to realize that we all have differences, we wouldn't be so cruel.

Laverne, you are just an inspiration to people everywhere. You brought the audience to tears with your enthusiasm and belief in that we can change people's minds, no matter how closed off.

I'm so happy to have started off Pride Week with this! I'll never forget it, and thanks so much to Rainbow Alliance for working hard to put this event on. My friend Sarita even got to meet Laverne afterwards, so of course I was living vicariously through her selfies.

On another note, tonight was the night for Lauren's birthday shot! This girl turned 21 at midnight and we were not going to let her celebrate without a crazy drink.

Sooo we gave her one with whiskey and hot sauce in it. Yuck. That's why it was accompanied with this little number here, her fave a gin and tonic.

The bar was actually pretty busy for a Monday! Guess tonight was a popular birthday night. But the playlist was bumpin so we all had a good time.

Happy birthday Lauren!! If you haven't met her yet, go do it RIGHT NOW. This girl is awesome. She won't ever let you forget the lyrics to any Blink 182 song. Which, to me, is just cool.

Back home, I barely slept but it was all worth it. Today was incredible and I'll never forget it!

Until next time babes!

XO

Amanda

Last Birthday Cake Frappe

33

Another fully packed Sunday! Thank goodness I had a bit of time to spend with some younger sisters at Starbucks and enjoy this delicious hazel-nutty beverage.

The fact that it is only limited time makes it taste that much sweeter in my opinion.

I call this one, "true bae."

I'm the weirdest college student in the world and don't like coffee, so any kind of drink that is basically just vanilla and whipped cream, I'm all for.

The rest of the day pretty much was spent on HC stuff (I'm seeing my co-CC more than my roommates!) and checking more off the ever-long list I keep adding to.

But, thankfully I managed to visit my Little's apartment for a sort of get together, party type, thingy. I dunno. But I did get to see both her and my big for a little bit! Sometimes, we're all way too busy it's hard to even see each other for a really long time besides just at sorority meetings.

Also, my legs hurt from Zumba-ing too hard. Mavis and I hiked up the hill yet again for our weekly class, and this time we really felt it. Good thing I worked off that birthday cake frappe!

Stay sweet babes!

XO
Amanda

Lupe ain't ready

34

Each year my campus puts on a hip hop concert featuring one artist with at least a hit song we've all heard before. This year, our $5 show welcomed Lupe Fiasco to the stage.

So after a crazy day of running her campus interviews, planning for the busy week ahead, and doing everything I could homework-wise, I was more than ready to just have some fun at the concert. Mavis and I headed up and I honestly don't know if we were expecting much. But, Lupe ended up being super cool- he actually raps about things that matter. At one point he did call out a girl for not looking like she was enjoying the show at all, and I don't think she'll ever be able to live it down. He pulled her up on stage until she finally started dancing. I mean really though, who doesn't dance around at a live concert!? Gotta be more free spirited people.

Lupe exceeded my expectations. He put on an unforgettable performance and you could tell he is loving what he is doing up there. He seems like he wants to educate others, which I definitely respect. 

Then Liz and I went out to our friend Melissa's and got to catch up with her for a little while. She's one of those people who can't stay mad at you for anything ever. We all need a few people like that to deal with our ishhh.

Stay chill babes!

XO

Amanda 

We could be heroes

35

Cue the bad dance moves I do in my seat, because it's time for GREEK SING.

My FAVORITE annual event is finally here! This is when all sororities and fraternities pair up to put on a truly amazing show. I am so grateful to be a part of a sorority that has put in countless hours practicing and choreographing a 15 minute routine in front of everyone.

Seriously the place was PACKED!

Everyone is there to support greek life and Children's Miracle Network, which makes the event ten times better. We aren't just putting on a variety show just for kicks and giggles, it's all in good wholeheartedness.

And because my roommates are pretty awesome, they all came along for the show too! Beside them and my gl and little, I was a happy camper.

Every act was incredible in their own way. Some had crazy difficult dance moves, others made up their own story from start to finish and creatively used their music to tell the tale. I think everybody deserved to be really proud of their performance though. 

We really came together when one sorority who just had gone through a tragedy in their house got a standing ovation during their entire performance. Every house showed their support and I was glad to see right then and there just one example of how greek life is more than just rumors on the news. We care about each other and stand together in difficult cases.

Great job everyone who performed, ya'll did absolutely amazing!

Hopefully next year I can make it to Greek Sing 2016!!

Dance to your own beat babes!

XO

Amanda

Rita's is open -> how much time left?

36

Conflict: when you are perfectly fine with spending a day to get organized, to clean up your life mentally and physically, and to set your bar extremely high for your workload, BUT you know there is just not that many weekends left with your best friends in school.

About me. All day.

(What is studying without Italian ice? Thank tou kindly Mavis for delivering this to me in the rain btw.)

See I'm trying my best to combine the two. Why not study with those people you'll miss? But it turns out not everyone can work this way. Not everyone grew up in a school with no walls where distractions aren't distractions (yes it was a fully functional building, and yes it was the best school ever), and not everyone likes to be like me and cling on before parting ways.

I actually feel better knowing that my friends and I are all going to be super successful in whatever we do. I know that for a fact. But the last few weeks before graduation, aka beginning now, I literally never feel like doing anything alone. I am a person who will walk down the street in silence with someone from a random class who hates talking, as long as they are next to me. I don't know why. It's just how I am.

So basically take that into account and multiply it by a zillion kabillion when talking about my best friends.

Some people would say if you spend too much time with friends before separating, that the pain is that much worse afterwards. But to me it's the opposite. Fading away a friendship slowly before a big change happens is so, so much worse. 

And to all my close buddies reading this right now, now hopefully you understand. I don't wanna be too much at one time, and I get that you have a lot to do too. Just know that it means I care a lot if I cling. 

How does this all tie in to today? Well I saw/ talked to a lot of the important people in my life today. My big, little and GL, my three amazing roommates, Christie, and then tonight when watching movies Lauren Danielle and Emily stopped by. That's what got me realizing that I seriously, scarily, have no time left.

But, that's okay. Isn't that what this blog is about? Noticing, embracing and somehow figuring out change. It's gunna happen, but we don't have to go through it alone.

Cathy will always hold a special place in my heart, and so will everyone I've met at my perfect school.

Sorry for all the feels. It's been a bumpy week.

Get yourself some Italian ice babes, you totally earned it.

XO

Amanda

Pretty sure this fandom just broke Twitter

37

Oh no.

Nooooo.

THIS IS NOTTT HAPPENING.

Sitting on my laptop, just minding my own business getting some work done, when out of nowhere my roommate freddie gasped and told me a bit of the saddest news I've heard about my favorite boy band ever. 

Zaynnnnn is gone :'(

Yep. Zayn left One Direction. 

Ugh so sad. 

I think Fredrika and I sat and teared up for a good 20 minutes straight.

But okay wait before you judge me. I was sad because a) I didn't want fans to be mean to zayn now and b) I might NEVER EVER see zayn live ever now. So yes I cried, yes I didn't wanna accept it, but I'm happy for zayn for staying true to himself. I don't think the band's friendship will ever change, and if zayn is doing this to kinda take a second to breathe, then I don't see why we can't support him.

Okay end rant, just had to throw that all out there.

The rest of my day went really well!

Look how beautiful Pittsburgh is.

So after a few classes and HC work, it was time for some good ol' volunteer work.

Bring on the Italian in me.

I headed over to Ronald McDonald house with a group of sisters in my sorority and we got our cooking on! I was in charge of the homemade DELICIOUS garlic cheddar biscuits. They were definitely a hit with the residents!

When everything was ready, we had two heaping piles of spaghetti and sauce, a very colorful bowl of salad, the biscuits, and of course, chocolate chip cookies.

Honestly, the residents were probably sick of being served spaghetti. But, one family said ours was the best all week! I'm super proud of us for putting in the time and effort to give someone a distraction, even a small one, from whatever their family is going through. I can't imagine what it's like to be in that situation, and I know that if I was sick, someone would care for me. I'm glad to have been one of those people for the residents.

While I was sad about 1D earlier, I realized that life goes on, and appreciate the things we do have. Because you never know when things could change in an instant.

Stay thoughtful babes!

XO

Amanda

Holy Instagram.

38

Let me just start Tuesday's blog post with saying a huge thank you to everyone who's ever supported me in my life. 

I received some of the nicest notes today on my Instagram picture that literally make me so incredibly happy it's hard to put into words.

Recently I've gone through a bit of a mental kick-my-ass-into-shape kinda thing, and I've managed to somehow stick with it. When I posted this picture on Insty (follow me! @manderz343) the response blew my mind.

I really didn't think I looked that different, just wanted to say that I'm proud of myself for working hard this year on staying healthy. I was almost in tears when reading all the incredibly nice comments I was getting. Once again, I am so lucky to know all these amazing people in my life to make me feel so special.

Of course, cycling was also part of the routine after a very long day of schoolwork. And with five people in the class, our teacher pushed us to the MAX!!! I was not going to let the difficulty get in my way though. Mavis and I stuck through it and came out strong. I'm definitely seeing a big difference in our stamina by the end of each class.

And then the fun part of the day came in. Face timing our friends currently abroad, Abby and Lexi!! I've missed them tons, and even though we couldn't talk much aside from running their HC Interivew (it was like 2am their time) just seeing them was refreshing. Can't wait for you guys to come home!!

Stay in touch babes!

(Always a great night ending with Dan and Phil, and crying laughing at them with roomies!)

XO

Amanda

A bit of Monday inspo

39

Monday actually had a theme to it- and a very important one at that.

Hail to Diversity!

(Get it, cuz like, Hail to Pitt and all)

Hug your fellow minions!! (but, more like, peers, classmates, person that you pass on Forbes on the daily, etc.)

But yeah I weirdly talked a lot about the same topic in all my classes and somehow after them too. In my morning class we watched Freedom Writers which is a great movie (I've seen it like a thousand and times now) about a school that is just implementing an "integration program" and only ONE teacher cares about educating the students from outside the district's typical suburban area. She puts her heart into making sure the kids prioritize education, and it's truly (really doe, it's a true story yo) a remarkable movie. All about acceptance and equality and education. My type of film!

THEN after all my classes and meetings I went to a Hail to Diversity event! This was very interesting in that all types of clubs on campus had a representative speak about what their involvement does and by the end of it I was inspired. It's so so important to attend things like this, even if it's one time a semester, to just remind yourself all that you can do to make a difference in the way people think about other people. We are all human beings, and we need to share our love with more than just those who look the same as you do.

Embrace diversity babes!

XO

Amanda

Relax, breathe, and just get it done.

40

Today was plain and simple: back to business.

I woke up thoroughly confused as to how I ended up in a soft, cuddly cotton pile of warmth. Oh wait. That's just my amazing bed from home. I really didn't know where I was for a second though. I just knew leaving sounded like the worst idea of them all.

Abby did not like the idea either.

But Liz and I managed to be up and attem by 8am, ready to hit the road back to our Pitt apartment. 

Somehow it felt like the trip lasted the short length of a full house episode, when really the trip is more like a Star Wars movie. Or two.

But you know, when dad drives it's a quick trip. He's efficient all right.

I love his city!!

I'm really gunna miss it next year. But it'll always be here to come back and visit. Positive thoughts!

My parents drove us the entire way to our place, where they treated us to brunch at the Porch (always a yes for me)  before heading back out on the road. They are seriously the best parents ever! Many hugs were deserved after what they did for us.

After a bit of planning and organizing, it was time to get ready for the HC meetings of the night and a quick zumba workout. Boy did I miss working out after spring break. It's still catching up with me.

This week should be fun, with not a ton of stress. I'm looking forward to the weekend for an on campus concert too! Stay tuned...

Until next time babes!

XO

Amanda

Mixing the old and the new

41

Second day in Syracuse! I'm already feeling the cold air hitting me harder.

So Liz and I decided it would be the perfect day to head over to the big mall nearby. I'm pretty sure it's the 6th biggest mall in America or something like that. This place was enormous! Once you thought you covered the whole floor, nope, something else popped up and you just kept walking. And then there were three other stories just waiting to be discovered.

Literally every store you can imagine was there. Including... 

A DISNEY STORE!! The only one within like 5 billion miles!!!

Excuse me while I wait outside my castle for my private jet to fly me out to Arendelle.

Take me back to Disney World!!

We had a lot of fun just exploring and getting lost in the jumble of amazingness. We ended up buying absolutely NOTHING (like who are we?) and walked out of that place with happy wallets.

We did however, get the chance to meet up with Christie and her boyfriend for dinner and dessert. 

This girl and I go way back. 20 years! I don't think many people can say that they've had a friend for that long. Especially at my age. I'm so lucky to have met Christie and all the friends I have in my life now, because without them I would not be the happy person I am today.

Speaking of happy, I met Amanda today at the mall!

Now if you wanna meet the sweetest person ever, go find this lady! She will make your heart smile, pinky promise!!

After meeting up with Amanda for a little while, I went back into the restaurant just in time for our food to come. Let's just say our bellies have never felt more pregnant, omg!

Then it was time to say see ya later to my buddy, sadly, but Liz and I had to hit the road.

I love when you have a friend you know will be there for you your entire life. Christie is one of those people.

Obviously here we were already besties for life. Thank goodness we aged well.

Go text your old friends, let them know you love em!

Stay loyal to your buds babes!

XO

Amanda

'Orange' ... It ain't just a color.

42

Whew I am pooped out after today!

My Friday basically started at 5:45am and is ending right around right now... At 3am. Technically Saturday morning but you get the picture. Bussyyyy busy day!

Liz and I headed out to syracuse from my house early in the morning for our admitted students open house. We were SO excited!! This school is basically up at the top of both our lists, so our expectations were high.

We were not disappointed :) is that Hogwarts I'm looking at?

And lemmie tell ya, these people BLEED orange. The pride here is amazing.

Also the fact that SU has their own Snap story is SO COOL! The students can all connect or meet up or whatever with their own live school snap story. Pitt, we gotta get on that.

But back to the tour of the school. Liz and I were lucky enough to know three other students at the open house in our major from Pitt. Which was so unexpected! I was happy to see some more familiar faces, but I knew sticking only to them wasn't what the open house was for. So we branched out a bit and talked to some other admitted students. I loved hearing about other people's programs and how they felt about SU too. Everyone was so friendly and open! 

Being an SLP is getting more and more real for me. I've known I've been wanting to do it for some time now, but at this point it's so in reach that it's a mixture of feeling excited and feeling kinda lost. I know I won't ever be perfect at my job, but I have to realize it's okay to make mistakes and have a little trial and error. I just know I'm going to help a lot of people someday.

But after the tour I couldn't help but feel rejuvenated and at ease. The current grad students made me feel so confident that, yes, I can do this. I know Liz felt the same way, that we are both going to do it!! 

And then the fun part of the day! (Even though I've been having my nerdy fun the whole time) Waffles and Christie!

Birthday girl Christie picked out this super trippy waffle place, where you can build your own unique waffle creation. Mine had bananas and Nutella on it. Yes please.

I hadn't seen my buddy in like forever, and you wouldn't even be able to tell with us. Christie is one of those friends you can reconnect with after years, and when you get together it's like nothing had changed. She's been one of my absolute best friends since I was in preschool, and we literally just get each other. Christie is someone I could never imagine living without. So spending time with her on her birthday was so important, and we got so lucky that this happened to be the same weekend as the open house! 

Happy birthday best buddy <3

After visiting back at Christie's place for a little while, and a completely necessary Wegmans trip. Liz and Matt and I headed out to get ready for the Syracuse night life. Bring on the cold air!

Armory Square is so cute! The bars are fun for hopping around and experiencing something different from home. We stayed out until like 2:30 and it was definitely a good time. Keeping this place in mind for the future!

I love my school, but seeing a new perspective at this university was totally worth my while. If you are even so much as leaning towards making a decision with something, go ahead and learn all that you can about. You won't be sorry!

Until next time babes!

XO

Amanda

PITT->CUSE BOUND

43

ROAD TRIPPP!!!

My Thursday consisted of Liz and I somehow making it from Pittsburgh to Rochester without dying.

And we did so well! I'm really proud of us!  Our navigation skills were put to the test, and we passed with flying colors. Speaking of colors...

BAM!!!!!

Hot red. For us two. Ohhhh my god. I couldn't have been more scared that we'd get pulled over by every single passing po po. Thankfully we made it to my house super safe, and the car itself was a BLAST to drive!! It came with such comfy leather seats, a plug in to our phones to charge/ play some tunes, and a sunroooof!! Breaking out the shades:)

So Liz and I kept each other talking the entire ride, so we don't fall asleep, and to just plain bond a little! Which made the ride easy and laid back. I'd do it again any day over stupid greyhound. Road trips are just so fun to me in general, but sharing it with Liz made it ten times better!

Pulling into my hometown, I was getting all nostalgic about my childhood as I told Liz about where I grew up, the best restaurants around and just stories about experiencing it all. I love my little hometown, even though it may not seem much to visitors. But I liked playing tour guide all day.

Getting to the little blue house was more than exciting to me. My house greeted us with the familiar number 17 on the side and bright lights to welcome us in. And of course, my parents love company, so the first they do is offer us a feast!

I needed his little piece of home, just to spend some time with my parents brother and doggy, and showing Liz around was definitely a bonus!

Winding down as Liz and I were getting more and more sleepy, I decided to flip through some of my mom's photo albums she's kept for like a bajillion years, and found the cutest pics of my brother and I in Disney when I was 7. Ohhh good times :)

Alright we are READY for our Cuse tour tomorrow! Wish us luck!

Keep on searching for new opportunities babes:)

XO

Amanda

Who dat who dat

44

I WAS SOMEONE'S #WCW TODAY!!

Weeee!!

I've never been woman-crushed before! Like a real one, not like my roommates posting a really embarrassing pic of me and calling me their #wcw

Thank you Amanda for being so sweet! If you're reading this, I appreciate all your kindness and positivity you radiate each and every day!

It's amazing how the internet connects you to literally a world of people you have the chance to meet and to talk to. 

Aside from this great news, I had an awesome day!

I had an exam get cancelled, we watched a movie in class, my afternoon class got cancelled, and I got to fit in a workout!

Oh and it was really funny because in my morning class (my really laid back, get to know everyone, chill class) my entire table wore grey and red plaid shirts. Weirddd telepathy goin on today.

At the gym me and Mavis watched Rachael Ray while trudging through what felt like the heaviest air ever, because what else do normal people do at the campus workout area?

Then home for lunch and some studying, which actually lasted till right now, but with a couple breaks in between like Catfish and a quick call home.

Getting ready for an exciting weekend! Not as good as last weekend, being in Florida and Disney and all, but this time it's exciting in a growing up sense. I'll be going to my first graduate school admitted student open house! Me and Liz will be driving up tomorrow and staying the night at my house so we can be ready bright and early on Friday (which is also my best friend from home Christie's birthday!) for our open house. Road trip here we come!

And for the record, you're all my woman crushes babes!

XO

Amanda 

Just Keep Spinning

45 

WOW my legs hurt!!!

Tuesday is cycling and weird run-around-campus day! So naturally my legs were just like WHAAT!?

Haha but I am so glad I pushed myself today in cycling. We went HARD. And I do not mean just for a minute or two. The entire. 60 minute workout.

Man we're getting good.

I am really happy I signed up for this. Looking back I was so terrified to even start something like cycling. Something EVERYONE and their mom tells you is a pain in the butt (totally literally), way too hard if you're out of shape, and just wants to make you puke at the end of the day. I didn't listen though. I went ahead and did it with the help of my good friend. Everyone needs that person in their life to push them just a little bit further than their comfort zone. That person for me is Mavis, and I love her to death. 

See look how swaggy we are in our new occ sweatshirts.

After cycling I sprinted home to get ready for the Pitt basketball game. Me and my fabulous little met up and watched before heading over to our sorority's Founder's Day ceremony. Happy 98th Birthday Delta Phi Epsilon!!!

Oh, and St Patrick's Day too!

I had to...

She looks better with a beard don't you think?

Stay lucky babes!

XO

Amanda

Meh Monday

46

Meh.

The ever famous Monday after spring break... Sounds just about as good as it actually turned out to be.. 

Not gunna go into detail, but I did not have my most shining moments. 

Good things about my Monday: working out, healthy meals, and a full night of sleep. Those are the things that were good and I'm sticking to them.

I did find this really nice quote though!  My attempt at keeping a smile on lasted me a little while at least.

As my roommate Liz assured me, tomorrow is a new day!

Shorter post today, because I was falling behind on it! My apologies.

Keep looking ahead babes,

XO

Amanda

Back to the old grind

47

Snap back to reality, op, there goes gravity...

You said it dude. Reality snaps back so fast it almost hits you dead in the face.

Spring Break 2015, I loved ya. Nothing about it was even remotely subpar. Every second was worth cherishing forever, which is part of the reason I'm doing these blogs in the first place. I want to remember all the crazy times I've had when I look back and am able to say, wow, I really made my time here worthwhile.

Hahaha anddd I mostly spent today doing non exciting things. But hey, not everyday can be a Disney roller coaster :)

I was pretty much adulting all day long, getting myself prepared for the tough week ahead. So laundry, food stocking, organizing and HC stuff we're all at the top of my list, and I got every single thing done! *self-five!*

But in between all the busy work of today, I felt a lot better after talking to my big for a while, after she reminded me that when I (most likely) switch schools in the fall, it'll be easy for me to adjust since I am open to new things. I guess I am, but it's hard for me to say just that.

Luckily I have so many supportive people in my life that have helped me reach this conclusion. That things are not permanently going to go away, like the friendships I've made at Pitt and especially the memories, it's not just going to poof into oblivion. I just have to take a step back and breathe and remind myself this every once in a while.

Fredrika and Liz got back today, and it was nice catching up on their breaks too! I really missed all our shenanigans together under our leaky apartment roof.

So the whole gang's back, and we are ready to ride on through the semester. Now it's going to be weird because there's nothing separating us from graduation. Before there was a nice spring break in the middle, but now that that's over, it's going to fly by. I'm hanging on tight.

Whoops, this guy was hit too hard by reality. Sorry dude.

Until next time babes!

XO

Amanda 

Mean, Green, pretending to be Irish Machine

48

First day back from Florida, and I honestly wish I could just turn right back around to the sunnyness, the pools and the whole Disney thing. 

Coming back was hard, because now I feel like I have to catch up on a lot of things and really buckle down before leaving AGAIN next weekend. College visit round two here I come!

But my Saturday was eventful, just stressful that's all. I started out the morning early to catch one of the best spring events in the Burgh- the St. Patties Day parade!

And it POURED the entire time. I'm not kidding when I say me and Mavis were under a poncho to avoid getting soaked, which we still felt like we did with our freezing cold hands and toes. But the cool thing was we got so many beads chucked at our faces, free candy, and watched some very entertaining people across from us that almost stole the show. They were clearly a younger crowd than we were, but everytime someone passed them in the parade, they'd chant their name, even with the dogs walking by! The parade was definitely quieter when they left. But I loved seeing all the Irish dancers and the overall Pittsburgh pride in all this. I can pretend to be Irish for a day, but I'll always be a true Pittsburgh fan at heart.

So cool. #pittsburghdads right here.

Later at night, our friend Pri came over and we headed out for some dinner and drinks to catch up. I've never gone out with so many color coordinated people!!

I promise I'm wearing green under there. 

Our first stop was an Irish pub in southside where the hunt for green beer started. And look how awesome it looks

It looks like some galactic Irish space beer that gives you super powers, or maybe just a fake Irish accent. But finally my first green beer! 

We found ourselves wandering East Carson street to try and bar hop to all the popular places in the area next, but of course being the poor broke college students we are, every place that had a cover (which was literally every bar there) was a no from me. Back to Oakland it is!

There we met up with a couple other friends and just hung out. I had a really fun night even just walking around and catching up, but it definitely wore me out. I'm starting to feel less and less 21 every night out! Don't get old people, it's weird.

Keep calm and Green on babes! (Even if you're negative Irish like me!)

XO

Amanda 

Ciao SB2K15

49

Wow less than 50 already? I can't believe I've been keeping up with these blogs they've been flying by so freakin fast! We've past the halfway point, and I'm not sure how I feel about that quite yet. I'll let ya know when my heart stops beating on super speed.

Spring Break 2K15 came to a final close today, sadly enough. I had a lot of fun, a lot of laughs, and a lot of nice non-Pittsburgh rain/slush/storms of terror.

What better way to spend a morning?

Me and Mavis spent a few hours chilling here before leaving for the airport. Sometimes you just need that to clear your head. I actually didn't burn for like the first time in my life ever, but not all of us could say the same... (Sorry Mavis!!)

Aren't flight pics just the best?

I was so sad to leave behind Disney and all the new things I tried while on this trip, but I am so so glad I went, because I learned a few things:

1. How to be a good travel buddy

2. Adulting is hard, but you just have to try it and see how it goes. Otherwise you'll never ever learn how to not suck at things

3. Be a little daring and say yes more

So this trip was more than meeting characters and eating Mickey Mouse ears ice cream. It was my senior year trip, and I'll never forget it! 

Thank you Mavis for putting up with me, love ya girl for going with me on this amazing adventure!!

Be bold babes!

XO

Amanda

Baemax is my new hero

50

Last day of Disney... Whyyyyy!!!

Again, lots of walking today and finding new things to do. All good stuff when on vacay 😎

I still can't believe today is our last full day in Florida. It seems like me and Mavis just got off our plane to get here!

So as you can see here we took a quick pit stop at Arendelle and channelled our inner Anna and Elsa. You wouldn't believe the amount of Frozen dresses we've seen on this trip, so we wanted a little baby chance at being princesses too!

Okay so maybe Arendelle is a little place called Downtown Disney.

This place is all kinds of random- from food trucks to group dance routines to follow along to, you can find anything in this place.

Me and Woody go way back.

But we did a lot of eating on this visit... I really mean a LOT. Just look at these decadent ghirardelli shakes!!!

Every spoonful was full of melty, gooey, hot fudge and magic. Can we start replacing soda machines for ghirardelli shake machines?

After a whole lot of walking, we grabbed a couple tickets to see the movie Unfinished Business (with the bae baby Franco) inside a dine in theater! It was so cute how the tables and seats were set up, and who doesn't enjoy eating chips and guac while cracking up at three dudes sucking at adult life? The whole order food at a movie theater was definitely a different experience than what I'm used to, but what's the point of going on vacation if you don't try new things?

The rest of our night was full of catching a few live band performances, one Irish, one country, and one that apparently had 8 albums but we'd still never heard of. You lyin to us sir? He did have some interesting dance moves that got old couples up and dancing to covers of Coldplay and Maroon 5. I told you- random!

I think we did good overall! I'm proud of how we never get bored with things and just find stuff to do even with a lot of time on our hands. Not everybody can do that without complaining!

After wearing down our feet one last time, we decided it was time for a chill movie time. And since we haven't seen it yet, Mavis went and bought Big Hero 6! Seriously if you have not gotten the chance to see it, go run right now and grab it. I guarantee you'll be crying laughing in about 5 minutes. It's a total emotional roller coaster, but I loved it. Baymax is the bomb (the big squishy guy) and the whole message is just so so sweet. Glad I got to meet the stars in person the other day! 😉

Go be like Baymax, and hug someone today babes!

XO

Amanda