Just Because...photo shoot!

So, let me tell you a little bit about my friend, Sarah.

And yes, I realize our posts today might be similar so... deal with it!!

I met Sarah because:

1) Drew is awesome.

2) Drew has an awesome best friend.

3) Awesome best friend (RP3) moved to Austin and started dating Sarah.

4) I get to be friends with Sarah.

Sarah is the one who introduced me to the blogging world. Shes adorable, funny, personable, genuine, extremely intelligent, and caring- and I am very very thankful that in this whole huge world of crazies that I got to meet her!! (Thanks Drew/RP3!!) She calls my boyfriend Drewf and calls me Paigers, and did I mention that she has the gift of gift-giving?? 

Anywho, we immediately felt at home with Sarah and were excited when she told us that she bought a new lens for her camera and wanted to use us as her guinea pigs!

Isn't he handsome?? :) Got to send some of these grad photos to his momma, which was a huge blessing.

Yep- definitely the man I know and love! :)

Yeah thats probably more like it......

and this....

or this! :)

But seriously, we love the photos, Sarah!!!

Drew leaves for bootcamp on Monday....for 9 whole weeks. Then he moves to DC! and I'll still be in TX. And then I'm moving to England for 6 months! It will be a wonderful gift to have these photos while Drew is gone and then while I'm out of the country!! I'm so grateful for our first year and a half together living in the same city, and I'm excited for our adventures in the future. 

Thank you Sarah!!! :)

P.S. DON'T FORGET to enter for your free dress from Effie and Dru! Only one more day!!!

Reflections of a 24 year old...

After a full day of being 24, I do feel older and wiser, I must admit!

I hope you all had a fabulous Monday, my birthday ;) , because I sure did!

(After my flute jury and a music history seminar listening final exam...) 

My day might not seem ridiculously exciting to you, but I hugged several people that I love, spend time outdoors in the sun (and in as little clothing as possible, duh), ate wings and fries, and watched a lot of tv. I mean really, what more can a girl ask for? :)

So I present to you- birthday in photos!

Bomb earrings from my best friend in love, Sarah. I've seriously been living in these since I got them!!

Birthday countdown with my brother :)

The avocado gods being pleased with me on my birthday....

seriously tiniest pit ever AND no pit at all?! 

Crazy!

Sunbathing with my hunk of a man. He's been so sweet humoring my desire to lay in the sun doing nothing :) 

And dinner with my main men- Christian and Drew! 

What do you say? That's not what most ladies would want as their birthday dinner? Pshhh....

(You know you want Buffalo Wild Wings now.)

So I don't know about you (but I'm feeling 22....err, 24) but I plan on extending my birthday as long as possible :) Care to join me? What would you do during your birthday week?

I SEE THE LIGHT!

HEEEEEY!

I feel like its been forever you guys!!! I have just fantastic news for you:

My paper is DONE and GONE from my sight, and my presentation on the paper is over and life is good!!
Well, better at least ;) One more week of school craziness, finals (just two thankfully!!) and then I'm free for the summer!!

But JK.....I'll be in summer school and teaching. But still, theres just something about the word SUMMER that is so liberating!

So lets do a little happies and crappies because I met Sarah and Stephanie and they are pretty rad!


crappies

Poor baby has been sick ALL week! How sad/pathetic is he?! :( Hoping he gets better soon!!

Absolutely heartbroken because Winston isn't here anymore :( And my brother posted this photo....maybe or maybe not to rub it in my face. MEGA puppy withdrawal happening here in Waco right now...
And I have no photo for it, but this week kind of sucked because I had a research paper due and then a presentation on said research paper yesterday.

happies
Paper and presentation are OVER! Happy Friday to me!! :)
I got a super happy email from Samantha this morning saying that I won her Glam Grab giveaway and I'm SO excited!! Thank you, lovely lady!!

What originally was supposed to be (what we fondly named it...) a "Hormones and Happy Hour" sesh, turned into a hangout with Drew and one of his good buddies. BUT I got to see Sarah at our beloved Chuy's which is always the best! Thank you, photobombing waiter....
NOW- a final few things:
1) Have you helped me with my birthday post yet?? Its coming up! 2) What photo filtering/editing apps do you use on your phone?

stella & dot

I've seen a lot of "I suck at blogging" types of posts these days.

If I were to write a list of factors that encompass exactly how bad I am at blogging, it would look a little something like this:

1) Sometimes I post everyday- sometimes I post twice a week. Sorry about that guys... Life is busy!!

2) Hardly ever do I wake up at the buttcrack of dawn to get my post up so that its the first thing people see in the morning....and when it comes to link-ups (with the exception of this past Monday!!!), consider me #175 on the list!

3) I can't keep up with the blogs that I follow. I really do try, but it doesn't help that my blog reading time is mainly constricted to when I'm TA-ing (yeah thats not really a verb, but it is now!) for the conducting class on Tue/Th from 8-9:15am...

4) My photog skills/equipment are  severely lacking. Oh hi iPhone 4, you are my one true camera love! Said no one ever. Hope y'all like instagram.

Now, this is totally relevant to how bad my photography skills are-

I won a giveaway! A while ago actually...but I kind of forgot until I got this lovely package in the mail!!
Thanks Alexa for my beautiful new Stella & Dot bracelet! I've honestly worn it every day since!

Now- I've gotten several wonderful responses to my birthday idea (which  by the way is influenced by all of Sarah's great birthday posts...and who's birthday is actually today HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOVE YOU) but I would love for more people to contribute!!!

What do you wish you could tell you 24 year old self/ what do you hope to accomplish by 24 if you aren't there yet?

Leave me a comment and I'll feature you on my birthday! :)

Lots of Happies + extra EXCITING NEWS!

Today I'm linkin-up for another Friday wrap-up of Happies and Crappies!



Let me tell you guys, what a whirl wind of a week this has been! You've probably notice a few more "bummed out" than normal posts lately, but NOT ANYMORE! But that will come later ;)

First...

crappies

Drew did NOT get to swear in to the Army AGAIN. So many different ordeals (none of them his fault) and so much waiting! I'm blessed to have such a patient man, but poor sweetheart needs to catch a break!!

Because of said Army difficulites, Drew has been back and forth to Dallas every other day for the past two weeks. Mega bummer!

happies

Fun flute choir concert with the Baylor Honor Flutes this week! Every Sunday, the Baylor flute studio meets with a group of high school and middle school flutists from the area, and we finally put on a concert of all the music we have been practicing!

These are three of the adorable young ladies I teach private lessons to every week. I swear I'm taller than them....they all plotted against me and wore heels. 

Got to have another Sarah date this week. Yep, go ahead and be jealous...or just come to Waco and visit!

Drew loved his belated Valentine's gift! And I love that I have such a goofy fun man that I can buy Happy Socks for :) 

He is wearing the green stripy ones today, if you were wondering...

Now, for my blogging friends who have been with me for a while now, you know I had an audition for an Artist Diploma program that did NOT go so well. (This isn't a "crappie," promise!)

Well, my SUPER HAPPY/EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT is not that I got in to the program in Illinois,
but that I randomly decided to apply the the most prestigious private studio ever in England (stalk here, but ignore the mega 90's geocities-style website)

and DRUMROLL............

I GOT ACCEPTED!!! 

So, I am incredibly honored and excited and terrified to announce that I will be moving to England in the fall  to study with get my butt kicked by the world famous flutist Trevor Wye for 6 whole months!!! Its going to be such an incredibly and life-changing experience, and I am so excited to share all of my journey with you all!!

Thanks for all of your encouraging comments and notes these past few weeks, I appreciate you all more than you know!

I hope you are excited to join with me on my journey to England! EEEEEEE :)

More details on England as time goes on, and I hope you all have a blessed and relaxing weekend! <3

This and That- PINK

Happy Valentine's Day! Whether you have a significant other or not, I hope you take some time love on yourself. You are so special and you deserve to be happy! Today I'm linking up with Jena and Katie for This 'n That Thursday! 
This is Sarah holding our Chuy's margs. Isn't she adorable? Not only is she adorable, but she's the best.
Seriously.

This date was titled Hormones and Happy Hour. I think Sarah came up with name.
*The "hormones" part was me and the "happy" part was Sarah, but she successfully made me happy as well.

That is really bright pink. I ordered it because it was really bright pink. And the nice waiter brought us samples. And the nice waiter maybe brought us samples because they were having a contest of who could sell the most of the really bright pink thing.

This is the necklace I purchased at the Forever 21 (for $6.98) after said Hormones and Happy Hour. 

Definition: retail therapy. Am I right?

Next day went to Target/Tarjay and wanted to buy everything  and bought these super cutie fringe boots that were on clearance ($25)! I've had my eye on boots like this for awhile. Woooooo! 

Ok, I maybe had a rough first half of the week and went shopping two days in a row. BUT, here's to knowing that God has a plan and trusting that life will go according to higher plans. Because my plans just stink.

Houston Christmas

Top: Ann Taylor LOFT

Skirt: H&M (from a trip to Belgium in 2010)

Shoes: Target (now on sale!)

Today's Christmas break activities included following Winston, shopping, and tanning. 

Ok, maybe not tanning, but it was seriously 80 degrees today!!! Not alright with me. Let a girl wear her tights, boot socks, and scarves, am I right? Suppose I can't complain about getting to bust out the super bright red H&M skirt that I don't feel comfortable wearing in any other season.

Christmas shopping with my family is always exciting. We have this little thing we like to call "amnesia shopping."

I'm guessing that you are thinking "What in the world is amnesia shopping?"

Let me enlighten you:

Ever had trouble picking out stuff to buy for a family member? Ever heard a family member say "Ooooo, I like this!" and then not buy it? 

That is exactly how "amnesia shopping" was born. Basically...

1. Go shopping as a familial unit

2. Pick out stuff you like

3. Show mom/dad/brother

4. Take note of what they picked out

5. Leave the store

6. Go back and choose what you liked out of what they liked, and by the time presents get opened you   

    usually hear a lot of "Oh, I forgot about that sweater/book/necklace!" 

7. Everyone is happy!

Pretty fun, huh?

How do you shop for family and friends?

Thanks again to the amazing Sarah for her photo talents!!

-PB

Back to school...

Out of all the things I have to be thankful for, I still find it in me to wish that Thanksgiving break was just a little bit longer! I also with that Waco and my allergies didn't keep colliding head on. Any one out there have any wonderful home remedies? (This is coming from the allergie shot, netti pot, steroid nose spray girl...yuck!)

A fun sidenote to the end of this way too short break, is that Drew (boyfriend) and I now have a Nintendo DS (with classic games like Mario Kart) and sling-shots to add to our anything but studying collection! Before the video games and sling-shots our favorite past time was shooting each other with NERF guns. I highly recommend this form of aggression release for both parties ;) Last year I was the super cool new girl friend that bought him NERF guns for Christmas, which I'm pretty sure helped me to secure the title of "Best Girlfriend Ever"! Get your man a set of NERF guns- you won't regret it!!

Today's fashion section features one of my current favorite dresses! Dresses or skirts have become a staple of my wardrobe for Texas "fall/winter" since they are so versatile. This particular dress could be styled many different ways!

1) Add either a high waisted belt or a wide ribbon to accentuate the waist.
2) Add tights (which I should have done- check out those ghost legs!!!) with boots.
3) Add a cardi, vest, or blazer.
4) Wear flats for a more casual look or pumps for a more dressed-up evening look!

Boots: Steve Madden (here)

Thanks again to Sarah for the fantastic photos! If you enjoyed today's post feel free to leave an encouraging comment and subscribe! :)

-PB

First Look!

PB says...

Today Julie and I went on our first photo shoot together! We are super pumped.

BUT, before we really get started here is a little background on PB&J:


I am an intensely preoccupied MM music performance student, while Julie is not only a musician but a Spanish lecturer at Baylor! We love fashion but have to work within the confines our individual budgets AND daily time crunches to create fashion forward looks that compliment not only our personalities but our busy lifestyles. Julie is 5'11 and I am 5'3, so you will find that we have completely different looks but also very complimentary styles.

Julie and I look forward to sharing with you!
Happy Sunday- hope you all had a lovely weekend.

<3 PB&J

Julie is looking deceivingly short (and LOVELY) on the left, and I am on the right! Thanks again goes out to Sar for the amazing photos!!!