senior night

Our last men's basketball game in the kennel (the stadium on campus) was last night. Every year, the last game is called Senior Night, where the basketball seniors are honored. There are also mentions to the dance team, cheer team, and band. I can't believe it was my last traditional Gonzaga basketball game!

Since I was an unexpected mess of emotions - bittersweet feelings, lots of crying - I completely forgot that the team gives the seniors gifts on our last game!

I LOVE these flowers! I always see them at the grocery store but never buy them for myself. I know the colors are artificial, but I don't care! I love the color they add to the kitchen.

We all got photo boards with our names on them, too. I also got a sparkly photo frame and decorative A to hang up in my room! I LOVE these gifts. The A says "don't let anyone ever dull your sparkle." These gifts were so thoughtful! And very "me." :)

We had one last "circle up" before we went out to perform. (This is where the seniors cried, haha). A photographer captured this moment so well. It's the moments we share together as a team on and off the court that make dance team so special. I will dearly miss our pre-performance pep talks!

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What a fantastic four years. I still have NCAA (we perform and cheer for the women's tournament) and a few other non-basketball performances. So it's not quite over yet! (Thank goodness, I couldn't handle that.)

xo-ally

dancing

I am currently rehearsing a my first speech in my Advanced Public Speaking class for tomorrow morning. I am talking about dance and how it has significantly contributed to the person I have become throughout my life.

I love dance. I love performing. I love every dance team I've been on, especially the lovely Gonzaga Dance Team.

I'm bringing all four dance uniforms from Gonzaga Dance Team to class tomorrow as some of my visual aids. Seeing all four dresses laid out makes me feel so nostalgic. My four years are almost up. I have had so many great performances in those dresses. I can't believe that my time with dance team is almost over. :(

No matter what, even if it is just by teaching Zumba, I really hope to keep dance part of my life in years to come.

Okay, okay! I'm not letting myself get too sappy yet! There are still two more months left :)

xo-ally

last first day of school

Chose a pink notebook for this semester! Then realized I also have pink nail polish and a pink jacket on....though I have to say I'm not surprised with myself. I'm also right-handed, not left. I guess I was trying to be cool for the photo (ha)

Today just flew by, and now I'm finally getting time to sit down and blog! I had three of my six classes today - advanced public speaking, graphic design, and my public relations capstone class. Based on the first day, all three classes are great. We have 45 students in capstone (a large class for our small Jesuit school). We're all PR majors and everyone is super chatty and awesome. I love it. Graphic design will be fun too because we get to work with InDesign and Illustrator. (Speaking of - my Photoshop is BACK! Finally.)

Tomorrow I just have journalism and marketing, and then next week I'll get into my multimedia class. This is my first semester with no core classes. I am so beyond excited to be done with biology, and if you've been following my blog for a while, will be relieved I won't complain about it anymore! ;)

I just got back from our first dance team practice of the semester, too. It is so nice to be back. All the energy of seeing everyone, the exercise (those endorphins!), and dancing just made me so happy! I also just became the Foursquare mayor of the gym on campus too. I got pretty embarrassingly stoked about that. Tonight, just like any other night after practice, I have a ton of energy. YAY.

I'm just trying not to think about how this is my last first day of school. Ever. I'm not planning on additional school, so....this is it. It is exciting and terrifying and sad and bittersweet. Any other college (or high school) seniors in the same boat as me right now?

xo-ally

pun-kin patch with dance team

Outfit: Jacket H&M Shorts Nasty Gal Boots Ralph Lauren/DSW Tank Nordstrom Bag (kind of hidden behind me!) Tory Burch (old)

xo-ally

nine simple ways to exercise for free

With the costs of gym fees, fitness classes, and club memberships, exercising can get expensive. Purchasing new equipment, shoes, and clothes for the type of exercise can add up too! During the school year, our gym membership is built into our tuition, and I take fitness classes on campus for 1-credit so they are built into my schedule. Now that rock climbing, Zumba, and Dance Team are over for the year, I need to find other ways to exercise! Luckily the campus gym membership is super inexpensive during the summer, but there are plenty of ways to exercise for free (or really cheap!)

1. Run, jog, or walk outside

Try running on sidewalks, on trails, or at a park. Walking your dog counts too!

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2. Lift weights - or "weights" - at home

Sports stores, Target, Wal-Mart, and many other places sell free weights that are usually inexpensive. Invest in one or two different sets of weight and use them to do what you'd normally do at the gym at home. Or, find other "weights" around the house, like soup cans or heavy books! Also, other small equipment like a jump rope or a resistance band don't take up much room and are very portable.

3. Use your own body weight for strength exercises

Basic calisthenics like crunches, push-ups, tricep dips, squats, and planks are just a few different exercises you can use with just your body weight. Make sure to do a variety to get the best results!

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4. Fun, outdoor recreational activities

A few ideas...

-frisbee

-capture the flag

-soccer/football

-running around with kids (great if you're babysitting)

5. Swimming in a nearby lake or pool

Cool off in the water and get some exercise while doing it! Swimming burns the same amount of calories in the same amount of time as running, but works different muscles. This is a great way to cross-train if you're running or jogging often. Just make sure that wherever you swim, it is safe!

6. Walk or bike to work

Especially if it's a nice day, walking or biking instead of driving will be refreshing. It also saves gas, money, and helps the environment.

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7. Dance in your room

Even before I got my Zumba instructor license, I would do Zumba at home! There are Zumba Fitness video games, but I just like to do it without a game. I either memorize the dances to the songs I am teaching or the ones I have taken and do them, or learn one from YouTube. Last week, I did Zumba in my living room with a friend! So much fun.

8. Watch exercise videos online

Speaking of watching videos online, YouTube is a great place to find exercise tutorials. There are SO many videos and channels that it would take its own post to list them all. (Maybe this will be another post soon? Haha stay tuned!)

9. Search online for "free ____ class in _____"

Fill in the blanks with your desired class and then city and see if there are any free classes in your area! Try a new class from a different place every time to save a bunch of money while trying new things.

There you go! Nine simple ways to exercise for free (or almost free!) These are especially great for summer because of the nice weather. If you have any more ways to exercise that you'd like to add, feel free to add yours below!

xo

dance inspiration

Being a dancer, I enjoy watching other people dance. It is so inspiring to see people enjoy something they love, no matter what level they're at. When I want to improve my dance technique, style, jumps, etc., I always turn to YouTube to watch some amazing dancers! From studio to high school to college, solo to teams, here are a select few videos I've seen that blow my mind.

Sarah Pippin is 13 - yes, THIRTEEN - and won the NYCDA National Junior Female Oustanding Dancer Award for this piece in 2011. She has great control, extension...everything! Start watching and it gets a little crazy in the middle ;) Another exciting plus is that it is choreographed by Travis Wall!

No dance inspiration list would be complete without University of Minnesota! Always a front runner in the UDA Nationals competition, the dance team does wonderfully in the pom and jazz categories. This pom routine does not disappoint! The quad turn at the beginning made me rewind and recount the rotations...yeah, it's good!

Another University of Minnesota dance team video! This is this year's jazz piece. The only word I can describe this with is an all-capital "WOW."

The PULSE 2009 protege piece! Tucker Barkley, the choreographer, is just awesome. His work is so unique and crazy and I love it. This dance is funky-jazzy-hip hop. So cool!

In case you're curious, here is a choreography combo by Tucker Barkley and Ian Eastwood. Makes me wanna specialize in hip hop and not just jazz/pom! If only I could pull it off...

Go to about 1:00 for the dance to start. This is Mountain Vista High School's 1st-place pom routine at their 2009 state competition! Very clean and has high energy! I love how they use matching white poms instead of different colored ones; I think it makes this dance look clean.

That's all for now! This list could get so long I'd be here watching dance videos all night! I hope you enjoyed this dance inspiration. If you have any other favorites or want to share your own, feel free to link up a dance video in the comments!

xo

Reflection

I cannot believe it is already 2012. So many new and great things happened to me in 2011, and since it is the new year, naturally, I have been reflecting on the year.

I kicked off the year with my first internship for College Fashion, and had so much fun doing it. I photographed girls on campus with unique outfits and interviewed them about their style.

Lauren, one of the girls I interviewed for CF

I took intermediate rock climbing. I became a better climber, became lead-certified, and took a lead fall. I even climbed outside. Since I didn't take the rock climbing class in the fall, I haven't climbed a lot lately. I'm taking it again this spring so I can get back into it.

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Starting Sunny Sweetheart! I began blogging in March, after thinking about wanting to write for a while. It's a great place to casually improve my writing skills, and a fun way to keep a record some of the things happening in my life. I began this blog with the hope that it would turn into a fashion blog, and am happy to have the outfit posts be a portion of what I blog about.

My very first outfit post in July  2011

Here are the two blog designs I had before my current one! I don't have a photo of my very first design; it was yellow and orange.

I visited a whole new continent for the first time. Studying abroad in Italy last summer was one of the best things I've ever done. It is an experience that I will remember for the rest of my life. From Rome and Florence to Elba Island, Ireland, England, and the Amalfi Coast, I had the time of my life. I met so many great people and tried so many new things. Experiencing new culture was incredible. I cannot wait to travel again.

I made dance team for the third year in a row! Dancing is something I've been doing almost my whole life, and  it is great to bond with a group of girls about something we all love. We traveled to Canada and Seattle to perform already, and we'll see what the rest of the season has in store!

I started using new social media sites like Blogspot (obviously), Flickr, about.me, Foursquare (kind of), and Pinterest. I finally started regularly tweeting and am thinking I might start up my old Tumblr account again. Stay tuned!

I made great new friends, wrote an article for Sweet Lemon Magazine, read a lot of new books, moved into my first apartment, made Dean's List for the first time, learned so much in school, attempted to speak Italian, traveled to multiple countries, and spent time with those I love and love to laugh with.

Overall, 2011 was a pretty great year. Let's see what 2012 has to offer!

cheers & xo

Fall Family Weekend

Every year, our campus has a Fall Family Weekend. This year, my parents came over to school to visit, shop, and watch me perform at the basketball scrimmage. Overall, it was a great weekend and nice to see my parents.

And here are some photos in color (that bread was amazing):

Click the photos below to enlarge them - they're panoramas!

xo

EDIT: On my computer, it won't let me enlarge the photos as of now but it usually does. Let me know if it isn't working or check out my Flickr page to see them.