HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Wishing you and your families a blessed and happy Thanksgiving!

You Have to be Willing to Get Happy About Nothing

Andy Warhol is truly one of the most interesting people you could every know about.  I might be a little biased because he is related to my maternal grandmother (more about that later), but there is definitely no denying that he led an extraordinary, glamorous, yet tragic life.  

He was born Andrew Warhola on August 6, 1928 in a small apartment on Orr Street in Pittsburgh.  His parents are Carpatho-Rusyn immigrants and devout Byzantine Catholics (both traits which my grandma still possesses).  My grandma's father and Andy are first cousins, which makes my grandma second, and me distantly related (but I still use the ties as my claim to fame).  Just like many immigrants of that time, Andy's name was changed from Warhola to Warhol.  His talent was recognized at a young age and continued through his young adulthood when he attended Carnegie Mellon University.  

Soon after graduating he moved to New York City and he soon became one of the most successful magazine illustrators of the 1950s.  Thanks to the movie "Serendipity" the trendy restaurant is a hot spot for many people traveling to New York, but little do they know that Andy was making it a popular spot long before the movie debuted.  In the late '50s he had many art shows and parties there.  

The paintings Warhol is most know for are his miraculous "Pop" paintings, including Marilyn Monroe, Elvis, Elizabeth Taylor, and the infamous Campbell Soup Can.  His studio "The Factory" became a huge part of the culture in the 60s and early 70s.  Andy shot many movies there and it's where he did all his work.  Little did he know it would soon be the "it" place to be in New York City and became much more of a party spot than an art studio.   

A few years ago "Factory Girl" starring Sienna Miller as the beautiful Edie Sedgwick gave the unfortunate people who never experienced "The Factory" a glimpse at what the glamorous and carefree life was like.  Warhol is said to be responsible for the rise and fall of the young Edie.  A different story in her own, and famous for her striped shirts and black tights, Edie in many ways was actually responsible for the rise of Andy's career; starring in his movies for barely nothing, showing up on his arm at premiers and galas, and bringing in starts who otherwise wouldn't have given Warhol the time of day.  Edie is perhaps the most famous muse in the industry despite her short life.  Having ties to Jim Morrison, Mick Jagger, Bob Neuwirth and Bob Dylan, Edie is said to be the inspiration for many songs throughout the time.  Although she was surrounded by some of the best, Edie led a lonely life filled with hate, drugs and alcohol.  Her short life ended the night of November 15, 1971.

Warhol continued on through the 70s and 80s without Edie.  He was one to never show emotions, and although they had a falling out, I cannot believe that Andy wasn't affected by the death of his muse.  During the 70s Andy was a regular at Studio 54 and interacted with the likes of Jackie O, Liza Minnelli, Biance Jagger, and many others on the socialite NY scene.  Warhol's career thrived until his mysterious death after a gall bladder surgery the morning of February 22, 1987, he was just 58 years old.  

If you're ever in Pittsburgh, The Warhol, a museum filled with Andy's work and mementoes from his life is one of the best places in the city.  This museum has the largest collection of his artwork.  His movies are constantly playing, there are featured exhibits, a cafe, store, and currently an entire floor dedicated to Marilyn Monroe, now through January 2nd.  I go to the museum every few months, most recently in July for the Shepard Fairey exhibit and plan to go see the Marilyn exhibit the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  

It's All About the Sparkle

I am LOVING all this sparkle I've been seeing lately.  New Years isn't too far away and as of now i definitely want to rock one of these sequin dresses.  One of my favorite artists, Grace Potter (& the Nocturnals) wore a black sequin dress at her concert I went to in October and I knew I needed to have one.  Haven't found the perfect one yet, but when I do expect pictures : )

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It's All About the Sparkle by harbisonk featuring a sheer dress

My Friday Five

Here is a list of the 5 upcoming events I am MOST looking forward to:

1.  Going HOME tomorrow : )

2.  Visiting my roommates on Sunday and attempting to re-live my college years.

3.  Thanksgiving!

4.  The Back Yard Brawl (Pitt vs. WVU football gam).

5.  Packing all new clothes in my suitcase (since I get to change up my "closet" every 2 months).

A fun fact:  On this day in history, Nov. 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address as he dedicated a national cemetery at the site of the Civil War battlefield in Pennsylvania.

What are you most looking forward to this week/weekend ?!  Whatever you do, I hope you enjoy it : )

You Can Always Find A Distraction If You're Looking For One...

Isn't that the truth!


I'm to that point where it's getting hard to focus and I constantly find my mind wandering from officer training, CROWN, reports, etc. to mashed potatoes, cuddling with Chloe (my cat), the Back Yard Brawl (Pitt vs. WVU game), and SHOPPING!  Yes, you might have guessed I am only 3 short days away from my week long Thanksgiving break in the beautiful city of Pittsburgh.  So instead of having all my TLC duties fill up my day, I have been planning my break, looking up new recipes for Thanksgiving dinner and most importantly, putting together my Christmas List : )  So far it consists of:


1. This beautiful Lucky Brand ring
2. Fun things for my iPad (stand, case, etc.)
3. New brown boots
4. $$$


...and anything else that you would like to give me : ) 

Every year my mom makes DELICIOUS food for Thanksgiving, usually the basics such as turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, stuffing, sweet potatoes, corn, cranberries, and bread.  This year I decided I want to do my part for Thanksgiving dinner and have been researching some recipes for one of my favorite vegetables:  butternut squash! Yummm.  

I've decided on Roasted Butternut Squash and Apples:

2 Medium butternut squash

2-3 apples

8 tbsp melted butter

1/4-1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 cup roughly chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Cut squash and apples into cubes

3. Add melted butter, brown sugar, salt, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, and pecans

4. Toss together with clean hands and spread on a baking sheet

5. Bake for 45-55 minutes, lightly tossing throughout

6. Put in a serving dish and ENJOY : )

I'll be updating you after Thanksgiving and letting you know how it turns out!  If you decide to try the recipe, I'd love to hear what you thought!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

I am currently at Mississippi State University and in FOUR days I will be back in Pittsburgh for Thanksgiving : ) I am obviously anxious and excited to get home, but I am trying to not let that affect me and prevent me from doing my job to the best of my ability during my time here. I arrived here Monday morning and was in complete awe of this house. I felt like a walking zombie all day because I had to get up at 3am to make my 6am flight out of Roanoke. I had a 3 hour layover in Atlanta, and because of the great rainy weather it got delayed another hour. It took all I had not to fall asleep sitting up in the airport! When I finally got close to Columbus, MS the weather was so bad we had to circle the airport until the weather lifted. Needless to say it was a very long and tiring morning. But when I arrived at the house my spirits were immediately lifted.

The house is decorated for Christmas : ) How beautiful?!

I've had a great few weeks. I was at Radford for a week then went to James Madison University. It was such a beautiful campus. I fell in love with the school and the entire chapter. It's amazing how much better you're days are when you're around nice people! I hung out with so many of the girls and the Executive Council took me to dinner at this Mexican restaurant and to ice cream at the famous Klines! It was delish. They gave me so many cute t-shirts and this great crew neck sweatshirt with Zeta Tau Alpha and our crest on the front! I wear it almost every day. Then the night I was leaving the girls gave me this pocket with tons of thank you notes : ) Made my night! AND when I woke up in the morning there was a CD on my door with some of EC's favorite songs for me to listen to on my road trip to Radford! So sweet--reminds me why I wanted this job. Here's me at JMU on their mascot:

Lots of great things coming up--This Saturday is Light Up Night in Pittsburgh! Literally leaving the airport and going right to the city for the night. Sunday I'm going to lunch at the vineyard with Kelley, Erin, Chelsea, and Brit and after going to Clarion to see all my BFFs there for the night! Definitely in need of the Loomis right now. Monday and Tuesday are filled up with lots of relaxing with my family and Chloe and Wednesday I get to party like it's 1999. Thursday is Thanksgiving, one of my favorite holidays. Friday is a special day. It's my paps birthday...the first one without him here. Definitely going to be one of the hardest days of my life. I remember how hard my 22nd birthday was without him here, and this one is going to be just as difficult. One thing I know is that just because he is in a better place does not mean I won't be thinking of him every minute of the day and celebrating the best man I ever knew. Not a day goes by that I don't think about my pap and thank God that I was so blessed to have him in my life for almost 22 years. At times I'm selfish and want him to still be here with me, but I know even though he isn't here physically he is always watching over me and will always be in my heart. On that same Friday I am going to the Backyard Brawl to watch Pitt play their rival WVU (Boo). This will definitely fun--tailgating starts bright and early and the game starts at noon. Saturday and Sunday are still up in the air, and I fly out to East Carolina State on Monday! Im literally gone for 10 days and I'm HOME again for CHRISTMAS : ) : )

"A New Sorority Takes the Throne"

Aunt Tracy this is for you!

http://media.www.thebrownandwhite.com/media/storage/paper1233/news/2010/10/29/Lifestyle/A.New.Sorority.Takes.The.Throne-3951084.shtml

Also--ZTA will be colonizing at UPenn this spring as well, making PA the runner up for the state with the most Zeta chapters! (Texas has 17)

Just a blond haired, blue eyed girl ...

And incase you forgot or don't know (shame on YOU!):

Favorite color is CERULEAN; although i really love a pretty purple as well.

Heavy or light sleeper? Definitely a DEEP SLEEPER... sometimes a little too deep.

Name your least favorite feature? I mean I like to think I'm pretty beautiful, but I'd have to say my neck (weird, I know)

Do you have any phobias? Where should I begin... spiders is probably the most normal. I also have a huge phobia of being sick.

What is your biggest fear? Having something bad happen to someone I care about; losing someone I love; being alone.

Name your most favorite time of the year? Whenever it's winter, I love spring time. Spring time I just can't wait to lay out and get a tan. During the summer all I want is to see the leaves turn colors. And during the fall I love snow on the trees.

Ever had an imaginary friend as a child? HAH Did I have an imaginary friend?! Try BEST FRIEND. Konna! and Linda sometimes too. I like to think of it as my creativity (and weirdness) started early on.

Ever been in a physical fight? If yes how many and who were they with? Haha-- well.... I think I remember something along those lines happening at Kenny Chesney a few summers ago. And Cassie and I have come PRETTY close.

Turn Ons: Makes me laugh, attractive, makes me feel safe, outgoing, spontaneous.

Turn Offs: Bad breath, quiet, afraid to be himself, doesn't stand up for himself

Are you a morning person? Sometimes I like to think that I am. I also pretend that I like coffee a lot too (which I really don't). There are times when I really enjoyed waking up early and being productive, other times I like to sleep til noon and not leave my house all day. All depends on the mood.

Most favorite and least favorite foods? FRUIT! Mashed potatoes, beets, anything CHEESE! and since I've recently become a vegetarian meat is really a least fav for me right now. Also red sauce makes me sick.

Name the one piece of clothing you can't live without: Really, you're gonna make me pick! I'll just say I'm most comfortable in my Lucky jeans, a v-neck t-shirt, and my mocs.

Do you have tattoos or piercings? When it comes to piercings I'm kind of a baby; just my ears. And tattoos--I have a pink and black star near the heel of my right foot (I got it when I was 17 and I can't stand the color pink) and a cross on my lower left back.

Least favorite subject in school? I LOVE school! If we're talking high school I would have to say any type of math class--just not my thing. College--basically my entire freshmen year.

Do you take showers in the morning or at night: Definitely at night. If you had as much hair as me you would too.

What are the most important 3 things in your life? My Faith, Family and Friends (including Chloe), and being truly happy.

Are you a dog or a cat person, or rather prefer a Komodo dragon? CAT, DUH. I love Chloe : )