ever grateful. ever true.

there are many words I use to describe myself. many indeed.

blonde.

loud.

organized.

loud.

blonde (repetition is key, huh?)

boilermaker.

and the last one is important. because I am. I always knew I would go to Purdue. 

It was the only college I applied too. 

My sister went there. And some of my best memories of the two of us center around Jake's, Discount Den, Triple XXX, football games, study trips to Starbucks and too many other Purdue places.

I met some of my best friends there. And I had some of the best roommates a girl could ever want. Girls that I am still friends with today--even 13 years later. Girls that have shaped my life and I couldn't imagine doing life without.

The Princesses we get from Purdue are some of the most generous and kind-spirited young women on the planet. 

I spent four fabulous years in West LaLa. Four wonderful, challenging, amazing, difficult years. Going to football games. Cheering on Drew Brees as he took us to the Rose Bowl. Wearing black and gold. Singing (at the top of my lungs) "hail, hail to old Purdue...". Fountain runs. Drives to Discount Den. Studying in the Hicks library (no relation). Breakfast Club at Where Else? Thursday nights at Jakes. Parties at AGR. Sledding down Slater Hill. Vawter Hall. The Co-Rec. Visiting Linz and T$ at Hillenbrand (because they had the best food). Flag football games. Studying on the lawn by Beering Hall. 

And yesterday...when the news was focused on one young man and his decision to cause chaos and fear on my beloved campus by destroying another man's life...all I could think about was how much I loved Purdue. 

Yes, I thought about this evil world we live in. 

And I hate it.

I thought about all the Purdue students that I know and I tried to imagine what they were feeling when they heard the news.

And I was heartbroken. Because stuff like this shouldn't happen.

And I hated evil even more.

I hated Satan even more.

But then I realized that he doesn't win. He may win this battle. But he loses the war. 

And at the end of the day, love wins. Love always conquers fear. So today...starting today....I am vowing to show love more. Because love wins. And just because there is evil in this world, doesn't mean it should out-shine love.

Want to know why I love Purdue so much? 

This picture says it all.

 

ever grateful. ever true. as we raise our song anew.

all the days we've spent with you.

all hail our own Purdue.

happy birthday mama Co.

there are just some people who come into your life...and they never leave.

and that's exactly how you want it.

one such person in my life is the darling Co Bartel. ya'll know her. she's a legend in our Princess world. and we all love her. why? because she's fabulous. and wonderful. and gorgeous. and amazing. and giving. and loving. 

and pretty much one of my most favorite people.

ever.

in the world.

I literally wouldn't be where I am today without Co's influence in my life. I always say that the Princess Program changed my life...but in reality, it was Co who changed it.

she saw something in this blonde hair girl from Purdue and got her claws in me and just never let go.

and I will forever be grateful for that. 

she has brought fabulous people in my life...like my sweet Misty. and when the trio is together, there is no shortage of laughter, talks, wine and more laughter.

my favorite Co story...and she'll kill me for telling this, but I have to.

2011. the IPL 500 Festival parade (shortly after this picture was taken).

Misty, Co and I were walking behind the float in the parade (typical). after we cleared the TV zone, the float sped up and just took off, leaving the three of us to scramble and try to catch up to it. the float behind us was like 100 yards behind us, so it was literally just the three of us cruising down Pennsylvania. We're still in the middle of Penn, and the Princess float has already turned onto Washington street. So the three of us are just walking...and all of sudden, Misty and I look over to see Co face first on the ground. There was LITERALLY a collective gasp from the audience as Co face-planted on the concrete. All Misty and I could do was laugh (good friends, huh?). Co got up, brushed off her pants and looked at us and said "wait, did that just happen?" We seriously could not stop laughing for the rest of the parade.

wait...this story is not over...

we hurried to get off of Pennsylvania, but by the time we turned onto Washington Street, the Princess float had already turned up Meridian. the float/group that was behind us is still like 100 yards away. So we are absolutely the only three people walking in the parade for the block between Penn and Meridian. all of the sudden, the crowd starts cheering for us and laughing with us--so the three of us just start waving! It was hilarious. By the time we caught back up with the Princess float, the girls were asking why everyone was cheering. No big deal girls...it was just for the three of us!

 

her family has become my family.
she is a part of my family.

(we joked a few weeks ago that whoever I marry has to meet my parents and get the approval....and then they have to meet Scott and Co and get their approval. that's just the way it is.)

I could go on and on and on about how wonderful Co is...

how much she means to me...

how grateful I am for her friendship.... 

how much I love her support and love for the me and the Princess Program...

 but we would be here for days. 

and I ain't got time for that. :)

bottom line...my life is super full and so much better for knowing this wonderful lady. 

happy birthday my sweet Co. enjoy your day.

pure barre {is the new pink}

so I did it. I took the plunge. I went to my first pure barre class last week.

can I tell you that I'm totally obsessed now? 

holy balls, it was one of the best workouts I've ever had. and that's saying a lot. I feel like I've done every kind of workout known to man (except for CrossFit...and I straight up refuse to do CrossFit. my reasons are my own...that's for another blog post).

so in addition to my two Zumba classes a week and my running, I wanted to do something to really target my muscles and start toning those bad boys. now that I'm officially in my thirties, it's time to kick up the workout routine a notch...or 7.

so my cousins convinced to me to hop on the barre and give it a whirl. both Katie and Ali are pure barre fanatics (Ali even teaches it). they couldn't have been more right about how your body feels after a pure barre class.

pure barre focuses on teeny tiny little muscle groups (arms, thighs, seat and abs) and forces you to concentrate as you work one muscle at a time. I totally got lost in concentration (a new phenomenon for me) and before I knew it, the hour was up. my muscles have never shook as much as they did during that hour, and I felt so great after.

so I'm hooked. officially. if you're looking for me in the mornings, check out pure barre carmel, because that's where I'll be.

friday fun day.

now ain't that just the truth.

infinity scarves (are the new pink).

so I've totes been on a crocheting binge lately. like for real. to a level that is unhealthy.

and I don't even want to apologize for it. 

so I won't.

it's fall here in the glorious state of Indiana and all of us Indy gals are totes stoked to get out the scarves and the boots.

(because that is what we live for here in the midwest. no shame. no shame)

so I've been working my little tail off on some new infinity scarves.

also I'm trying to bust through my yarn stash.

eeek. aren't they pretty? oh so pretty?

this pink color is toodiefor. but really. it's gorge.

duh. black and white for this girl. all the time. 

all of these items (and MORE) are available on our etsy site. getcha some.

we love the indiana state fair!

we in the Hicks family have a yearly tradition (one that I absolutely love)...we try to go to the Indiana State Fair every year together! I love family bonding moments with my awesome fam....and they seem to get better and better as the rugrats get older!

 

we typically start out at the DNR building, so Wyatt can get some fishin' in. the fish weren't biting today, and I think Wy got bored rather quickly.

 

 

 

Charlotte had fun in the meantime though. she liked to pick leaves and steal Grandaddy's walking stick. such a big girl!

 

 

 

we always stop at the Little Hands on the Farm where the kids get to be little "scharmers" (as Wyatt used to say). Charlotte didn't want to give her food back, but she looked super cute in her little apron.

 

 

Charlotte loves her Geeg.

 

 

we love having Grandaddy around. he's always willing to take the stroller and wait for us as we dilly-dallied behind. he's literally the best.

 

Grandaddy may never see his walking stick again. little Charlotte thinks it's hers (even though its way bigger than she is!)

 



 

 of course the beignets were a big hit with Wyatt and Char.

(side note--being allergic to gluten absolutely sucks when you're somewhere like the State Fair. the only thing I could find that I could eat was curly fries. hello! I can get those anywhere. I wanted fair food! I told Sister that I want to open up a salad bar food truck for the Fair. duh, how great would that be?!? true, there would be no deep-fried Oreos or whatever....but I could eat there. and let's be real, that's all that matters.)

 

 

the only thing Wyatt really cared about was playing games. so once the Midway opened, Sister and I took him over there to play some games. Wyatt loved throwing the darts at balloons. Sister and him even tried their hand at shooting water guns. (Sister won).

 

Wyatt won an inflatable snake sword...and kept posing with it and yelling "Thunder Snakes"! that boy is absolutely my favorite. the things he comes up with makes my whole day and my heart feel full.

 



 

another super fun day with the Hicks fam! I am completely grateful for my family and I love that we love spending time together! until next year....

 

wildfox couture (is the new pink).

oh my gosh. I have a new obsession.

obsessed.

to a level that is unhealthy.

enter Wildfox Couture. (www.wildfoxcouture.com) 

ahh. Wildfox. oh how I love thee. seriously, if you've never tried on some Wildfox, you need to get your hands on some stat. it is literally the softest, most comfortable clothing you've ever put on your body. trust me.

and then one day, Nordstrom decided to have its anniversary sale. and they decided to have some exclusive Wildfox clothing. so of course, I had to get my hands on it. 

and I did. and it's glorious. 

love me. love me. say that you love me. (PS this is NOT a Justin Beiber song. it is sung originally by The Cardigans. let's be real.)

doesn't The Hicks Girls chunky infinity scarf go perfectly with this sweatshirt?? (thehicksgirls.etsy.com)

thank you Nordstrom. you always know how to suck me in.