USA! ALL THE WAY!

it's been quite some time since i have posted an awkward and awesome post on a thursday, and this week will be no exception, i'm just simply not in to it.
so in lue of the olympics - which by the way, is anyone else sort of annoyed that they seem to announce everywhere who won what metal for what event before they even air it on television? this is slightly unbelievably annoying to me. and thus i have to avoid all sorts of social media and even instagram so i can watch the events...
anyway as if that wasn't a rant and a half.
here are my top 5 most awesome moments this past week at the olympics:

5. "michael, i admire you"

yes, the south african swimmer out-swam phelps by a mere five one-hundredths of a second to clench gold. but what was of highest of importance was the honor of being able to swim next to phelps and let him know, just moments after the race, that he admires michael.
to me, this is the true spirit of the olympics.

4. first time gold

nathan adrian. in the pool. winning by one-one hundredths of a second.

3. the come-back kid

this kid right here managed to come back, with only two events left, from a daunting17th place and snag the bronze medal in the all-around men's final last night. unbelievable right?

2. the #fabfive

seeing as i am old enough to remember watching in awe of the '96 women's gymnastics team - aka the magnificent seven - these ladies had huge shoes to fill in my eyes. and ladies did you ever do it. making history one near perfect (come on, mckayla totally got jipped) score after another.

1. michael phelps



i have been and always will be a fan of you. you did the unthinkable in beijing beating mark spitz's record and now are thee greatest athlete of all time with those 19 lucky medals draping around your neck. i'll still be jumping up and down and covering my eyes during each one of your remaining races, no matter what the outcome.

U-S-A!

lengthy inhibitions

maxi dress ny&co(old); cardigan LOFT; necklace oldnavy; clutch j.crew factory; sandals target

seeing as i rank in at a whopping five foot, zero inches, i never in a million years would have thought a maxi dress would be an article of clothing in my closet.  but two years ago i found this little number at new york and company and figured i'd give it a whirl. with a few alterations in the length department done, i packed it up and took it to the beach. i'm not sure if it was the sunkissed skin or the encouragement from my brutally honest sister - but the dress was a hit and i've been in love ever since. i figured, if i'm confident, who cares if i'm a little guy in a long dress, i love it and that is all that matters.

this number has been proven versatile: worn alone, with a light cardigan, and even a long sleeve shirt underneath. and it hasn't hurt that i've gotten a smile or two from that waiter at the restaurant either.

now, go and enjoy yourself on this very first day of august (say wha?!) and keep on screaming your lungs out for team usa. i'll be rambling more about the history making, voice losing, and tear shedding that occured last night, tomorrow...U S A!

iSpy some american pride

 
 
 

the beginning of my olympic obsession - downloading apps

a little red and white stripe action to support team usa during the opening ceremonies

texting about the olympics
best commentators

#USA
once a fan, always a fan

my instagram account looks a little like that lately - ultimately meaning there is lack of pictures being taken due to the fact that i've succumbed to a full-blown case of olympic-itis. so this post is just a little glimpse of my dedication to my country during the next two weeks.

if you want to find me until august 12th i'll be:

peering through my fingers as the women's gymnastics team goes for gold this evening (big shoes to fill - anyone else remember the magnificent 7?)

screaming like a maniac for michael phelps and the rest of the american swimmers.

holding my breath as misty may-treanor and kerri walsh-jennings go for an unblemished record.

oh yeah, and probably getting my classroom ready for the beginning of school, which should be an olympic event in and of itself. but we are talking about priorities here people. U-S-A.

p.s. hop on over to melissa's blog and join in

on the blog-hopping fun! i sure did!

olympic fever and a blog take over

today i will be over at the blank pages talking about my summer go-to item and completely taking over amy's blog.
this is the best thing that has happened to a monday in a long time!
if you have found me via my blog takeover then welcome! i hope you decide to stay awhile and follow along on my journey, and in return, i can get to know you all as well!

also, does anyone else have olympic fever? i swear i've got #teamUSA on my mind all.the.time. i think it is a little unhealthy how involved and how anxious i get while watching these events. i'm talking full out-peeking through my fingers-holding my breath-nervous for the outcome of these events. i even have two olympic apps downloaded (which, by the way, aren't working as well as i had hoped - hello, i want reminders!).
and bela karolyi. how precious are you on my tv screen right now?
what events will you be watching through these olympics?

twenty three in twenty three

one of my favorite blogs to follow (okay, okay, i also follower her on twitter and instagram, gotta be consistent people) is erin's blog. so when i saw her tweet the idea of doing a "26 in 26" post, i anticipated the post like a kid on christmas morning.

this girl is hilarious. how could i not?

and since she made it a link-up, i decided i'd try it out. and since i am only twenty-two for a few more short months, i figured i'd claim this my "23 in 23".

1. get to twenty-three followers! okay, kidding, just trying to stick with the theme. but i would love my goal to be 100 followers by the time i turn 23 (which is in october). then who knows, maybe up to 230 by the end of my 23 year? a girl can dream.

2. get in to shape, tone, and cleanse. i want to find a routine and stick to it.

3. on that note, get back in to a ballet class. probably one of the best workouts one could ever get and one of the things i miss most in my life.

4. purchase that plane ticket, get on that plane, and fly down to alabama to visit my best friend. she has been there for over a year and i just haven't gotten there yet. even better, drive back to pennsylvania with her after the visit.

5.  finally finish that college scrapbook that i have attempted to start three times now.

6. drive via motorcycle to our alma mater with my dad.

7. three words: black. friday. shopping. and do it with my sister, full out game-plan, all night, attack it head on. its like training for the hunger games, kinda, sorta.

8.  move back out of my parents house and move in to my very own apartment.

9. and once i am in that apartment, finally get the little dog that i've always dreamed of:

hi world, meet weasley. sweater and all. (and he will be named after ron weasley from harry potter. don't judge).

10. read at least one book a month.

11.  go to a lady antebellum or rascal flatts concert. country concert in general please!

12. see white christmas on broadway with my entire family in tow. family tradition taken to the next level? i think so.

13. get a contracted position at the school that i am long term subbing at this year. after this year of full year subbing i hope to be a permanent member of the district.

14. make it a point to talk to my girlfriends at least once a week. whether it be on the phone, via text, skype, or a girls night out, keep in constant touch.

15. fall in love. completely, hopelessly, in love. and be loved back the way i know i should be (and not settling for anything less).

16. rely more on my faith and in turn, rely on God and his timeing.

17. start cooking! and when i mean cooking i mean really cooking like recipes and directions and all the things i pin on pinterest that i want to do. so long pasta sides.

18. really learn how to utilize everything in my closet. maybe give kendi's thirty for thirty challenge a whirl.

19. bake christmas cookies with all the women of my family, just like we used to do, baby S included this year.

20. and on that note, try and wait until after thanksgiving to start listening to christmas music. if i can do that i think that i will forgive myself for not doing anything else on this list (sometimes you need some easy things to accomplish..baby steps..)

21. all of those crafts i pinned on pinterest? do some of them. my main goal is to send out hand-made, home-made christmas cards this year to my friends. think i can do it?

a christmas card i made last year

22. hello my name is positive polly. remind myself daily of the things i have to be thankful for.

23. finally get to a flyer's hockey game. i've been trying for the last three years of my life and maybe this year might just be my year.

what will you do in this next year of your life?

happiest of birthdays

"my friends remind me, by their very steadfastness,

that truth, beauty and goodness exist in the world,

and that, no matter what,

there are and always will be people loving people

through thick and thin."

happiest of birthdays janillybean. may twenty-one be one of your best years yet.

olive you.

perspectives and chocolate milk

tank h&m; skirt aerie by american eagle; sandals kohl's (all from earlier this season)

it is amazing what a good nights sleep can do to one's perspective. i went to bed in a terrible mood. and that mood was amplified by the fact that i didn't fall asleep until probably well after 12:30 a.m. but when i woke up (besides contemplating why i had a dream about chocolate milk) i felt a wave of unbelievable gratitude. a shift in perspective by about a million degrees. a sense of calm.  the sunshine that was streaming in my window certainly helped as well.

this little number in all of its poor photographic glory was worn one night on vacation. it was hard to narrow down which maxi skirt i wanted to take along with me but i definitely made the right decision. light-weight, breezy, i could just eat it up!

speaking of eating, err drinking. time for that glass of chocolate milk.
to catch a glimpse of a few more vacation pictures, head on over to my sissy's blog, one more time.