Weekly Links: Fall Has Arrived!

Hey there! It's been a while so let's get back up to speed. Since my last post I've:

- Met Hunter Hayes
-Pierced my ears (19 years and I finally did it!)
- Had a cold
- Watched too much Netflix
- Listend to One Direction's new song more times than I'd like to admit
- Felt the first glimpse of Winter in Vermont

Pretty exciting stuff. I hope you had a great week(s) as well!

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There's a phenomenon at Starbucks. No, I'm not talking about the return of the Pumpkin Spice latte- even though it is one of the greatest things about Fall. What I really mean is the whole How-could-you-possibly-spell-my-name-wrong epidemic. Well guess what everyone, the joke's  on you because Baristas actually do that on purpose! (Well, maybe)

Mac and Cheese is always great, but when it's from Annie's the comfort food is taken to the next level. Annie's is an organic company that creates super tasty pastas and snacks. This week it was announced that General Mills bought Annie's for $820 million. Die hard fans of Annie's products were  not only devastated but also caused quite the uproar on the company's Facebook page. I'm interested to see how General Mills upholds Annie's organic and natural ingredients in tact during this change.

Chis Thompson is a popular vlogger from California. His most recent video is undoubtedly a touching one. Chris asked his viewers 'If you could choose to be gay or straight, what would you choose?' .  Not only do I love the way he worded his question, but I  also respect Chris for pushing people to do this. Chris collected input and then read some of his viewer's comments, many being so powerful and sad they made Chris- and myself- cry.  I strongly recommend watching the video by clicking here. You can even watch the video that prompted Chris to make this one here.

Random Little Links:

1. The alternate ending to How I Met your Mother

2. How to master a messy bun

3.Grumpy Cat is getting his own movie

4.The one thing this season that is most definitely not Pumpkin Spice flavored

5. The song 99 red balloons played on, you guessed it, 99 red balloons

 Fall has finally arrived so go out and enjoy it. Have a lovely weekend everyone!

Best,

Sarah

Weekly Links: Hello Kitty Is Not A Cat?

Happy Friday!

Syllabus week has come to a close.
 Classes and activities are now in full swing and unfortunately so is my love for Netflix. I just started How I Met Your Mother and I can't get enough of it.

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The VMAs were on Sunday  night and  I have to admit, they started off great. Then it hit about 10 and I was  kind of over it. Anyone else feel that way? The VMAs are really about the performances so I wanted to share this link about Taylor Swift's new single 'Shake it off' that she performed. My friends and I thought Taylor barely sang her performance and after further speculation it turns out we were right. I've never been a T swizzle fan, but I am disappointed that she relied so heavily on a background track.

My whole childhood was a lie! Sanrio revealed this week that Hello Kitty is not a cat. Yes, you read that right. Sanrio created Hello Kitty after a real girl, Kitty White. The company said she is a child- a third grade girl to be exact- and is never depicted on all fours as a cat would be. For the record, Hello Kitty actually has a cat named Charmmy Kitty. 5th grade Sarah's mind is blown right now.

We go from Hello Kitty devastatingly not being a cat to some of the best news I've heard. In September, a pop up Central Perk will be in Manhattan. I think it's crossed everyone's mind at least once while watching Friends, that yes- going to Central Perk would be pretty cool. Real props from the show will be in the coffee shop and it gets better- admission is free and there will be live performances of songs that were on the show.

The cafe will be on 199 Lafayette Street and  will be open from September 17 to October 18.

The Boston Marathon bombing has a silver lining for James Costello and Krista D'Agostino. The newly weds met when Krista was James' nurse after the bombing. Although they met because of an unfavorable circumstance, James said he would have most likely would have never met his wife any other way. The couple's wedding photos will make your day.

Random Little Links:

1. A list of books with relatable college characters

2.One minute chocolate cake in a mug- yummy!

3.BDG jeans from Urban Outfitters are on sale for $39 (limited lime only!)

4. Abercrombie is updating their brand image in a big way

5.Brad and Angelina are finally married

I am loving the beautiful weather that has ever so kindly reached all the lovely people in Vermont. 

This weekend I hope to go downtown to the farmer's market. I love seeing the creativity, craftsmanship and love from different people in my community.

 Wherever you are, I hope warm weather reaches you and that your days are filled with good company!

Best,

Sarah

Weekly Links: Concert Appreciation

Hello there and happy Friday!

This week was filled with lovely things. The main thing was that on Tuesday, I met up with my lovely friend Deborah and watched One Direction at MetLife stadium. It blows my mind that One Direction played in front of 85,000 people not one, but two nights in a row!
  It.was.ah-mazing. (am-zayn for you directioners out there) 

  5 Seconds of Summer was the opening act and it was nice to finally see them perform! (Read about my first attempt here) I actually shed a few tears. I screamed and danced with all my fellow concert goers and had a great time.

I tackled the post concert depression stage and have moved on to the nostalgic let me share my pictures with EVERYONE stage. That being said, here are some photos:

Liam

Louis

Luke

Luke talking to Michael

Niall

Zayn

I debated uploading videos too, but I  quickly realized no one wants to hear the screaming and borderline whale noises that came from my mouth- truly embarrassing!

I didn't want to flood this post with too many pictures, so today's Weekly Links is a bit shorter:

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Taking "Draw me like one of your French girls" to a whole new level- I just recently heard about the App called French Girls that allows users to upload a selfie. Unlike Instagram, other users can attempt to draw your selfie regardless of their artistic ability. This could definitely spark some laughs, a stroke of creative genius or even a picture you'll covet forever. I think it's a pretty cool idea!

There's an awesome discussion going around Reddit right now, where people are submitting photos of themselves along with their celebrity look alikes. Some people are undoubtedly switched at birth, while others not so much. However, I am willing to bet money that Ed Sheeran's twin is in fact just another picture of Ed Sheeran- they look that similar.

Random Little Links

1.Obama 'singing' Fancy

2.25 healthy dorm snack ideas

3. A list of the top vices of America's 20- something crowd

4.Trim your thighs in 10 minutes ( It's easy but effective!)

5.How a 13 became a CEO; yes you read that correctly!

Today marks my last day at my Summer internship. I am so grateful to have worked with the wonderful people in my department. I learned so many things in such a short  period of time! I'm sad to leave, but it means school is right around the corner.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Best,

Sarah

Weekly Links: The Big Apple

Happy Friday guys!

As briefly mentioned on Monday, I ventured off into New York City to watch 5 Seconds of Summer. My friend Shannon and I arrived at 2 in the morning. While you may think that is crazy, there were hundreds, if not thousands, of girls that waited in the streets of New York for up to 6 days just for this concert- that's dedication!  5 Seconds of Summer was the Today show's biggest concert as of yet and because of this, Shannon and I's efforts did not prevail. 

So, we got some bagels, listened to the boy's soundcheck and performance and ultimately just watched their performance once I got home. Calum, Luke, Michael and Ashton display more talent at 7 am than I ever will in any endeavor. Oh, Shannon and I even saw the legendary editor of Vogue, Anna Wintour, on the street. No kidding- she walked  right by us without a body guard. She was pretty safe since I am positive the sea of pre teens didn't know who she was. But I did. And it was awesome.

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Companies are starting to look into giving back to communities and charities. Riding this beneficial trend, the menswear brand Twillory is doing something a bit out of the ordinary. With each clothing purchase, your package will include a prepaid mailer bag to send back any gently worn clothing you no longer wear. Your donation goes to the charity Career Gear and helps  low income individuals better dress for their jobs which can ultimately lead to better chances and income opportunities they would not have otherwise. I think this is a really neat idea because you don't have to leave your house, don't have to worry about the shipping expense and give people a step up in the business world! You can read more about Twillory's mission and  how to donate here.

Everyone and their Mother is obsessed with Fifty Shades of Grey. My stupid humor aside, the best selling series is going to be a movie early next year. Last year there was so much speculation as to who would play Ana and the notorious Christian Grey and now the focus has shifted to the movie's trailer. Released yesterday morning, the trailer is surprisingly tame and features Beyonce.  Yes, you read that right.Beyonce recorded a new and surprisingly eerie version of her hit 'Crazy in Love'. Hopefully, the trailer can tie Fifty Shades fans until February, but if not, Beyonce's vocals surely will.

Jimmy Kimmel is the king of trolling people. In the past he's challenged people eating gluten free to define their lifestyle- which many couldn't!- to having parents prank their children and making them believe all their Halloween candy was devoured. This week, Kimmel surpassed his own bar by asking people to test out Apple's Itime. Plot twist: the watch hasn't even been designed yet and is actually a $20 watch from Cassio. Watch the woman at the 3:08 mark; made my day.

                                                            Random Little Links:

1. This male model gets youtube comments tattooed on his face

2.Prince George celebrated his 1st birthday with new official photos

3.A big change may be happening on 'The Simpsons'

4.A newfound discovery- Davids Tea

5.Creepy!! Dolls resembling young girls are being placed outside homes in CA

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

Best,

Sarah

Weekly Links: A life in Pictures

Happy Friday friends!
It's finally a beautiful day, it stormed most of the week near me- and the weekend is here! The world is our oyster. I know it's quite cliché, but seriously, make this weekend yours.

 

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For some reason stories about average, everyday people getting plastic surgery in order to look like their favorite celebrities are becoming more and more popular. (Remember when I talked about the real life Barbie and Ken? - scary stuff!) I mean, sure we idolize celebrities, but do we really need to look like them? This week, I heard about Claire and Sheldon, 2 individuals that paid big money to look like Kim Kardashian and Justin Bieber. I didn't put their pictures above-  so please click the hyperlink to see just how identical, or rather not so identical, they look to the celebrities they are trying to emulate. You can watch and learn more about these plastic surgeries on E!s Botched on Sunday at 10... I will definitely be watching because I need to know who in their right mind thought Sheldon looked like Justin Bieber. Oh my.

 

 New father Nathen Steffel posted a rather interesting request on Reddit.  His daughter, Sophia, was diagnosed with  hepatic hemangioma in her liver before she was born and unfortunately only lived a short 6 weeks before passing away last week.  Steffel took to Reddit, hoping that its users could help photoshop a picture of Sophia (pictured above) without her breathing tubes. He said that he and his wife did not have any normal photos of Sophia as she was hooked up to breathing tubes her whole life. His request sparked numerous responses and the photos he received are absolutely beautiful.  

 

What you're looking at is a picture of the future, at least from photographer CYJO's viewpoint. Stated in this article, the Census Bureau predicts that by the year 2043 no single racial group will make up a majority of the United States. CYJO's photo series called 'Mixed Blood' captures beautiful portraits of present day mixed families. The series includes portraits of families from New York and Beijing. You can learn more 'Mixed Blood', CYJO and view her portrait's on her website by clicking here.

 

In 2008, Florida deemed same sex marriage unconstitutional.  On July 22, that ban will be lifted.  When this change is put in place, 20 states will have legal same sex marriage. While this is a slow and steady process, it's one step closer for all to have basic human rights.

 

Random Little Links:

1.The most creative selfies you will ever see

2.1st woman to finish the American Warrior course

3.Books to read on vacation

4.The ah-mazing new app from A Beautiful Mess

5.Belgian teen lands big gig after being spotted at The World Cup

  My weekend will most likely consist of a Saved By The Bell marathon and the purchase of a new laptop and planning for my trip into New York City next week. My laptop laced in Lisa Frank stickers is at the end of its life and I am so ready to kick it to the curb. Out with the old and in to the 21st century. A new outfit post will be coming your way on Monday. Have a great weekend! 
 

Best,

Sarah

Weekly Links: Happy Fourth!

Hello friend!

Happy Friday and happy Fourth of July to those reading this in America. 

Summer is in full swing.  Days now tend to feel like you're swimming in humidity and I'm grateful that I get to work in air conditioning all day. I guess that kind of takes away the whole purpose of Summer though, doesn't it?

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Alright, so I used to be obsessed with Hello Kitty, but then again who wasn't? My friends and I would draw all of the Sanrio characters and  even gave each other nicknames. Mine was Keroppi because I love frogs. However, as time passed, interests changed and Hello Kitty was just a small phase in my life.  Unlike me, 29 year old Natasha Goldsworth has not grown out of her Hello Kitty fascination and owns more than 10,000 Hello Kitty items. Natasha's house is decked out in Hello Kitty memorabilia and it's no surprise that she is running out of space. 

Always just started a campaign called #likeagirl. What exactly does someone mean when they say 'you ___ like a girl?' Why does someone's gender determine how well something is done? It doesn't. That's why Always #likeagirl campaign in going viral. It's a powerful step in the right direction. No boy or girl needs to be ridiculed based on their gender and their gender definitely shouldn't put a  perceive what they can or can't do.   

One last thing! If you're like me and love to paint your nails then you know the fourth of July is the perfect day to experiment. Here's some last minute nail art to try today!

Random Little Links:

1.  Summer beauty essentials

2. Katy Perry may be getting sued

3. If you've kept these toys, you could be making serious cash

4.A yummy update on homemade rice krispies

5. Chris Colfer is not leaving Glee

I'm going to Warped Tour this weekend and I am pumped. Big concerts like this are a staple for me during the Summer. Here's crossing my fingers hoping I don't get a sunburn!

Have a great weekend!

Best,

Sarah

Weekly Links: Test Driving Clothes?

Hello friends!

Thank god it's Friday. This is me as I currently type this post:

What are your plans for the weekend? I may or may not be doing something different to my hair. Guess you'll have to come back Monday to find out for sure. 

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 Sometimes all you need is a sign. In this case,  a litteral sign located in Pittsburgh. Every month a different person gets the chance to put a message on this billboard dubbed 'The Last Billboard'.  If you're in Pittsburgh you can find the billboard on the corner of Highland and Baum. If you just want to admire from afar you can  look at past messages from the link above or even submit an inspirational message yourself.

18 year old Courtney Barich set a new trend for prom this season: showing up wearing a potato sack.  You might be laughing at this, but her unique fashion choice raised $10,000 for charity. The money went to Saint Martin de Porres Orphanage in Manila where Courtney and some of her classmates actually went on to visit and helped build houses in the community. Courtney teamed up with designer Suman Faulkner of Lata Design to create a burlap prom dress (above) - which actually turned out to be so darn cute! You can read more about Courtney's story here.

It's no secret I love Pinterest. I, like many others, pin different things all day long in hopes that we will sometime get around to actually attempting a recipe or making a cool DIY project our own. We pin things so we don't forget them and I can promise you almost every girl has a secret wedding board. I know you do. This week Mashable actually acted on popular DIY pins to see if they work. After reading this, maybe just maybe I'll actually start doing some of the tremendous things I pin. ( PS- you can follow me here!)

Shopping is so fun, but more often than not I tend to come home and realize that I just didn't like something as much as I thought I would. Blame it on the mirrors and store lighting or even my rash judgment, but things end up being returned constantly. GU, which is located in Tokyo is solving all our shopping woes by allowing customers to 'test drive' clothing before they buy it.  This is only happening until the end of this month, but if all goes well this could become a regular thing. Here's the catch: items must be returned/ bought the same day you take them out. However, this is a really cool concept that could become routine in the future!

 

Random Little Links:

1. Hot weather may be gross but your hair doesn't have to be

2. This app uses cutting edge technology to tailor perfect makeup products for you

3. Brian Williams lip dub- Baby Got Back. It's as great as you would imagine.

4.This woman was caught stealing lobster, and put them where?!

5. Ed Sheeran has been releasing a new single every day this week- and none disappoint

Thanks for hanging out with me. Have a great weekend everyone! Enjoy!
 

Best,

Sarah

Weekly Links: Fun Findings

Hello lovelies!

I am terribly sorry about not posting anything this week up until now. Sometimes things just get crazy and you forget what day it is! But I will never forget when it's Friday. And when it's Friday it's time for Weekly Links.  Join me and let's see what interesting things came out of this week.

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This video went viral just as quickly as the song it's parodying.  The YouTube channel What's up Moms created a parody to Iggy Azalea's popular song 'Fancy'. The parody is called 'I'm so Pregnant.' and is so good. So good in fact, that you may forget the real words to Fancy by the end of the video. 

Summertime is filled with BBQs and nothing completes the outdoor festivities quite like a can of soda, or pop - depending on your preference. Summer is of course the time to 'watch your figure' so you can go out and have a smoking hot beach body. Right? Hmm, sure. Well, Coca Cola has decided to help  out the people that want to be healthier, but just can't quite give up soda.  The brand has just introduced Coca Cola Life.  The newest addition to your next Summer outing boasts to have a third less sugar and calories... just remember that still means 4 tsp of sugar per can aka one quarter of  a child's daily intake of sugar. Yikes!

Sometimes ,ok, almost everyday, we see things that make us lose all faith in humanity. Cruelty, idiotic behavior, lack of patience and so forth.  So it really is a breath of fresh air to see people doing something genuinely nice. There are actually people out there who are innately kind; a rare and, unfortunately, dying breed. This collection of 32 pictures will make you want to go out and make someone's day. It's a wonderful thing to be a person that goes against social norms. Be that person.

A beautiful collection of art was brought to my attention this week. Every creature on this planet is unique and beautiful in its own way. To showcase this, artists Emma Fay, Gesine Marwedel, Johannes Sotter, Craig Tracy, Wiser Oner and Kate Spinks Dean  took contortionists and models and posed them to emulate different types of animals. The photos are so stunning, I had to do quite a few double takes- the frog, seahorse, and giraffe (above) are my personal favorites.

Random Little Links

1. It's not fun and games now for a parody account on Twitter.

2. Time lapse of a stunning sunset

3. Pizza recipe deemed 'impossible to mess up'- I must make this. now.

4.Super cute push pop confetti

5. Awesome tips on how to organize your office/ life!

Happy early Father's day to all the wonderful, lame joke cracking, and supportive dads out there. Have a great weekend!

Best,
Sarah

Weekly Links: Oreos Newest Flavor is...

Good morning friends! Happy Friday.

This week flew by, as every week seems to do now.

I finally, finally, finally read The Fault in Our Stars and was thoroughly impressed. I love reading John Green's work.  My favorite thing about TFIOS was not the love story aspect, but rather the beautiful vocabularly and poetry through out. It was an easy read and opened my mind up to a few different ideas. If you haven't read it yet, I definitely reccomend it.

This week my puppy graduated from 'doggy school'. To celebrate, my whole family went out and got frozen yogurt- without him. This whole concept is quite ridiculous actually, but who turns down fro yo? No one.

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The CMT music awards were Wednesday and while I'm not a huge fan of Country music the show had some really cool performances. My favorite is from Florida Georgia Line, who I don't really think of as a country group usually, but I digress. They sang their new single 'This is How We Roll' with a surprise musical guest, Jason Derulo. The song is so catchy and as of writing this, is already on the Top 10 chart of Itunes. You can watch their performance here.

 If you couldn't tell from reading above already, I love listening to covers of songs. When a cover is creative- even better. Bottle boys on Youtube  recreated Michael Jackson's smash hit 'Billie Jean' by only using empty beer bottles. It sounds crazy, but I promise you've never heard anything like it. It puts all of our childhood days trying to blow into bottles and cups (mostly to annoy our parents) to shame.

 

The picture above is real. Oreos have stepped up their flavor game this year. Some flavors better than others ( Here's looking to you Birthday Cake) and now they've decided to combine two of the greatest junkfoods together: Oreos and Reese cups. Togther. Forever. Well, for as long as Nabisco wants to keep this perfect pairing at least. This is coming to a store near you very, very soon, but the real topic at hand is: is this really too good to be true? Thrillist taste tested the product and the results are in. What a great time to be alive.

For the record Princess Leia is a Disney Princess. Disney acquired the Star Wars Franchise in 2012 and has since sold Star Wars merchandise in their stores. However, a whole lot of Leia was missing. Many fans were upset that the Alderaan heroine's action figure pickings were slim to none. So, they voiced their opinion to Disney and demanded that they produced more Leia in addition to stop portraying a ' Star Wars is only for boys' vibe.  New and old fans alike can now rejoice as Disney is making their wish come true.

Random Little Links:

1.Who needs armpits? Apparently not Kate Upton

2. Chipotle just got 17x more awesome

3. THis man is dating someone old enough to be his GREAT grandmother

4. 10 travel hacks you need to know

5. This video of a whimpy goat will make your day

Enjoy your weekend! If you get the chance, go to the movies and watch The Fault in Our Stars.
Okay?
Okay.

Or go enjoy the beautiful weather outside. It's starting to feel like Summer and I couldn't ask for anything more.

Best,

Sarah

Weekly Links: Written in the Stars

TGIF!

This week I started my Summer internship. While it has only been a few days, I have already learned a lot and have worked on a vast array of different tasks. One main thing that I've learned  whilist working this week: Why coffee is so important to adults.

Having a big kid job takes  alot of energy!

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Not too long ago, I was a yearbook editor. I know things change at a rapid pace, but never did I think that schools would start photoshopping their student's yearbook portraits. I'm not talking about the standard air brushing a few pimples or getting rid of a few stray hairs here. Utah’s Wasatch High School is currently under scrutiny after students realized their photos were drastically changed without their knowledge. Necklines, tattoos, even shirt colors: all changed with a click of a button.

 

The highly anticipated film adaptation of The Fault in our Stars comes out next Friday. The book is huge. The movie is going to be huge. If you haven't heard of this novel by John Green then you must be living under a rock. Many Nerdfighters ( Green's fans) know that TFIOS was inspired by Esther Earl, a teen Green met that was battling cancer.  I just recently found out that Esther's parents published an autobiography filled with Ether's poems, drawings and life story which you can buy here. I can't help but see this book being just as inspiring and influential as TFIOS.

Wedding season is in full swing. Like any milestone, couples receive numerous different types of advice from friends and family. Now imagine getting advice from a celebrity. How cool would that be? Comedic legend Bill Murray  crashed a Bachelor party and gave his own wedding advice. His wisdom has a sense of wanderlust to it and is inspiring for new and older couples alike.
 

 

Scout Willis hasn't been happy with Instagram this week. The young starlet posted a photo of her wearing a sweatshirt that depicted two topless women. Per Instagram's guidelines there can not be any inappropriate content such as nudity. Scout's Instagram was made private and then was deleted by the photo sharing app. To protest this, she walked around NYC topless, where it is legal. Scout's protest deals with much more than just her photo that was banned. She is also standing up for breast cancer survivors ( Their pictures of mastectomy get deleted by Instagram as well) and for women body impowerment.

 

Random Little Links

1. What to sip and what to skip this summer at Starbucks

2. Kim and Kanye's wedding album

3. Some of Maya Angelou's most powerful speeches

4. Brad Pitt assulted at the Maleficent premiere

5. To my fellow Community fans: #sixseasonsandamovie could happen!

Have a lovely weekend everyone! I can't believe June is just around the corner.

Best,

Sarah