I LOVE BALLOONS! Every birthday I want nothing more than to have someone fill my living room with balloons, but usually people will only bring me one or two. My room mate is fully aware that I use her birthday as an excuse to buy lots and lots of balloons – last year I bought her a giant Olaf shaped one and delivered it to her in lab. Kate Spade has these fantastic oversized Mr. & Mrs. balloons that I…
Good afternoon! I know I mention the weather a lot, but when winter drags on for almost six months the advent of spring is worth remarking on. Today, for the first time, New England has hit the 70 degree mark!! I wish I could be enjoying it, but I’m stuck here at my lab bench getting ready to start a five-day protocol (#gradstudentlife). UConn grad students have actually been in the news quite a lot lately, first about our union, and then…
“Everything is awesome!! Everything is awesome when you’re part of a team!!” – Does anybody else have the LEGO movie theme song stuck in their head? If not, you probably will now. Ever since I watched the Oscars on Sunday, I have not been able to get those dratted two lines out of my head. I’ve been humming it to myself in the shower, as I walk through the halls, and even as I tried to get my car to start…
If in case you hadn’t previously read, this August, I’ll be in my friend A’s wedding. A and I have been friends for ~12 years, but even if you only knew her for 12 minutes, you’d know in a heartbeat that her lifelong goal is to basically be Barbie. With her blonde hair, hot pink bedroom, and a Mustang convertible, she’s fairly close to achieving her dream. The only thing that could make it better is if she had a Barbie…
Later today I’m meeting up with an old high school friend at Panera. Of course, we could always go to the bar next door instead, but as we used to race to Panera for cinnamon crunch bagels and hazelnut cream cheese before band practice, it’s without question that we wouldn’t go anywhere else. Chad, the Panera employee that regularly served and flirted us, could count on us being there by 2:15 every Tuesday and Thursday, provided we didn’t get stuck…
Come Christmas, Father’s Day, or birthdays, I find that the hardest people to shop for are the men in my life. It always seems like guys already have everything they want (with the exception of an even bigger and better TV), or are just more comfortable living without it. Honestly, unlike girls who typically want things, the best gifts for guys are burgers and beer. As a six pack of beer is somewhat difficult to wrap, and the clanking of…
With Christmas only a half a month away, if you haven’t already started, now’s the time to start shopping for any last minute gifts or stocking stuffers you might need. I myself can be caught shopping a few days before Christmas, but my brother is notorious for going shopping Christmas Eve night. As you know, my old college room mate became a Mrs. this past October. To celebrate her and her husband’s…
When I was little, the best birthday parties involved ice cream cake, a sleepover and party favors! I had one friend whose Mom would fill them with pillows, trinket boxes from Claire’s, and a sheet of those adhesive earrings where one would stay stuck for hours, but the other would disappear into the tangles of your hair after minutes. Even though party favors seemed to fall out of style during our teenage years, I knew that a bachelorette party had to have…
Caitlyn & Ben’s Wedding Outfit by favorsandfestivities Officially three weeks after Caitlyn’s Last Fling Before the Ring, Ben put a ring on her!! They were married on a rainy fall day in the BEAUTIFUL Princeton University chapel before an unforgettable reception at Prospect House. The day was perfect in every way, starting with rain and ending with a sunny afternoon to allow for pictures under the fall foliage. As I already knew what Caitlyn’s dress looked like, the only other outfit I…
Once Caitlyn’s family left, it was time for some of the more traditional bachelorette games to begin!! I conspired with some of Caitlyn’s friends and her fiancee to come up with really embarrassing and challenging tasks. Her fiancee even required that she answer one of the questions on the Groom Quiz word for word as his answer! Penalty for an incorrect answer required a drink, which is why it’s smart to stock a bottle of the bride’s favorite alcohol in…
Everyone knows that bachelorette parties are a lot of fun, involving booze, primping, and a reason to party like you did as an undergrad. They’ve evolved from a crazy night at a bar, to a celebration of the bride’s friendships that can center around wine tasting’s, paint classes, or local food tours. Decorations help to provide a great backdrop for all of the memories that will be made (or forgotten) on the bride’s celebratory day. If you’re having trouble deciding on…