Daily Adventures: Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

Published on July 26, 2016 by kendallshea221 Comment

WARNING: This post contains way too many pictures. I apologize in advance. Proceed at your own risk…

In case you didn’t know, I am obsessed with art! One of my favorite things to do is spend the day roaming around museums. There’s just something about not knowing what’s around the next corner and always getting to discover something new. When I go with my family, it always amazes me how no one has the same interpretation of each piece. Needless to say, when we went on a day trip to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, I took somewhere around 500 pictures. But don’t worry, I’ve narrowed it down (a little) for you guys 😉

I realized after the trip that I didn’t keep track of the names and artists of the art pieces, but I’m sure if you go to the Crystal Bridges website you can find more information in their online gallery.

Romper: Old Navy (on sale!) Sandals: old Purse: Steve Madden (old) Necklace: Old Navy

I love this romper! Normally, I am not a big fan of rompers, but the mixed prints and the overlay on the top made me fall head over heels. When Philip saw me in it he said, “Wait, that’s all one piece? I thought you were wearing shorts and a shirt.”

More cheesy boyfriend pictures. I would say I’m sorry, but we all know I’m really not 🙂

Dad tried to pose like I do. I think this picture deserves to be on the cover of Vogue. Does anyone else think that, or is it just me?

A picture of dad with his new girlfriend. She has a heart of stone if you ask me. What? I couldn’t help it! I love puns!

I tried to take a picture in front of this sign and a random guy decided he wanted to get his picture taken too. I guess the camera loves him.

“Hey look! Modern Art!” – direct quote from the moment we saw this

This was my favorite piece of art from the whole day. There’s just something about how graceful she is. I swear I stood and stared at it for at least 20 minutes. I found it enchanting and mesmerizing.

This was Dad’s favorite piece of art from the day. Something about it made him laugh, and I have to admit I smiled when I saw it too.

Pictures of the fam being cute. They just can’t stop being adorable.

Finally, here is a picture of us in front of the Frank Lloyd Wright house at Crystal Bridges. If you ever find yourself in Bentonville, Arkansas, I highly recommend this museum. And you have to check out the house! Sadly, they don’t allow people to take pictures inside the house, but there are pictures of it on the website. I love Frank Lloyd Wright and I would love to live in this tiny house.

So, long post short, we had a fantastic time at Crystal Bridges. I know that this post has been really long, but hopefully it was worth the read! I’ll see you guys next week with a shorter and less chaotic post. But no promises, it’s still a working progress.

Love, Kendall

Vacation Series Part 3: Beach Day

Published on July 19, 2016 by kendallshea22Leave a comment

Hey guys! So I know that this post is a bit later than expected, but last week I was having issues with my laptop. Long story short, I ended up having to send it away for repairs and will be without a laptop for the next couple of weeks. Thankfully, my sweet and loving boyfriend is letting me borrow his laptop so that I can keep posting for you all! Isn’t he the best? (The answer to that question is yes, in case you were wondering) 😉

While we were in Florida, my boyfriend Philip had the wonderful idea of going to see the sunrise over the ocean. After some convincing, we eventually got the whole family to join us. We woke up early, grabbed some donuts (per my uncle’s suggestion), and headed to the beach. There were hardly any people, and it was absolutely beautiful. The photographer in me may have snapped a hundred pictures, but it was worth it. If you ever have the opportunity to see the sunrise, especially over a magnificent horizon like this, please take advantage. It was so worth getting up early. Although, the nap we all took afterwards may have helped…

Remember all those pictures I mentioned? Here are the ones I decided were actually worth sharing with you. Because, everyone knows you have to take pictures kissing and holding hands in front of a sunrise <3

I miss the carefree attitude a day at the beach gives you. When they say “beach hair don’t care” they mean it. Maybe it’s something in the salt water?

As you can tell, dad was really happy to be up at 6 a.m. on vacation just to see the sunrise.

Philip had the girls bury him in the sand. They loved it, he loved it, and they all not-so-secretly had a crush on him, but who can blame them? 🙂

Bikini top: Lane Bryant(on sale!) High-waisted bottoms: Lane Bryant(also on sale!)

So, I can now say that I am obsessed with the high-waisted bikini trend! Finally, a swimsuit I not only look good in, but FEEL good in. I got this one at Lane Bryant, and let me just say that if you are a little more on the curvy side (like me) then go and check them out! Plus, they are having their big Semi-Annual Sale right now! I just got these bottoms and this top on sale as well. These bikinis have made me one happy girl. Yay for body positivity!

Well I hope you, enjoyed this post. This concludes my Vacation Series. Until next time.

Love, Kendall

Vacation Series Part 2: Wedding Day

Published on July 9, 2016 by kendallshea22Leave a comment

Dress: JcPenney’s Clutch: Ross Shoes: old (similar here and here)

I love weddings for two reasons; 1) it’s a good excuse to dress up and 2) the whole point of a wedding is LOVE…oh and cake…I guess that’s three reasons. Oh well. Weddings are the best!

So my cousin and her long time sweetheart finally tied the knot, and I couldn’t be happier for them. This is something that our family has been waiting for since they first started dating, and when the pastor announced them as man and wife, I swear we all shouted “FINALLY!”

Now I know you are never supposed to wear white to a wedding, but with these watercolor flowers, this dress was just begging me to wear it to a Floridian wedding. I was drawn to this dress not only because of the color and pattern, but also because of the pleated maxi skirt. Pleats are such a fun and unique detail, and they instantly make this dress more interesting. I did my hair in messy curls with a braided crown across the back. For my makeup I did a pink smokey eye, my classic winged eyeliner, and a deep, berry lip (this lipstick is my favorite for this kind of look.)

Congratulations, Kayla and Josh! Hope the married life is treating you well!

There’s just one more post left in my Vacation Series, and I can’t wait to share it with you all! But until then, enjoy this post. And if you like what you’ve been seeing, feel free to comment and share on social media.

Love, Kendall

Vacation Series Part 1: Rehearsal Dinner

Published on July 5, 2016 by kendallshea22Leave a comment

First things first…

Hi everyone! Long time, no see! I apologize for going MIA for so long, but school and work have been keeping me pretty busy. Plus, I knew I had to sit down and really think about the direction I want this blog to go. Although, it started out as a way for people back home to see what was going on in my life while I was at college, I now want to focus more on my fashion and sense of style. So without further ado, I present to you the newly updated fashion and lifestyle blog; Becoming Kendall!

PS- I promise to post more regularly guys! 🙂

Dress: Target Shoes: Liz Claiborne (old) Clutch: XO (old)

So, only a couple weeks ago, I was in the sunny state of Florida for my cousin’s wedding, and boy do I miss it! We had so much fun getting to relax on the beach and soak up the sun, although I did come back with a pretty bad sunburn and some really awkward tan lines. But hey, that’s life.

Anyways, I bought this dress at Target right before we left, and as soon as I saw it I knew it would be perfect for the rehearsal dinner. Lately, I have been obsessed with all things off the shoulder, and when you add those cute little tassels along the sleeves, this dress basically screams “SUMMER!” Plus, who can say no to a Little Black Dress?? The answer is definitely not me. Oops?

Since the dinner was more on the casual side, I paired the dress with some simple wedges. And because of the neckline I opted to not wear a necklace, instead I picked a pair of statement earrings and a stack of bracelets to bring out the colors in the embroidery of this dress. Finally, I grabbed my trusty, black clutch to carry with me through the night.

As you can tell by the last few photos, my family was really enjoying the spotlight. They love the camera, and I love taking pictures of them in their natural habitat. 😉

Expect the next two parts of this post to be up soon, but until then enjoy your summer and keep cool!

Love, Kendall

Letting Go

Published on January 21, 2015 by kendallshea22Leave a comment

“A new year, a new me.”

Well that’s what they all say, but who really changes? The thing is, as the new year progresses, there often come a lot of changes.

I remember about this time last year I was freaking out because it was 2014, and 2014 was the year I was going to graduate high school. That really freaked me out: change. However, 2014 turned out to be filled with more changes than just the fact that I gradated. It really turned out to be a great year.

2014 was the year:

I was trying to rebuild my sense of self after a hard break up.
I gained many new friends.
I also lost a majority of those close friendships after I left for college.
I was in a musical, where I met a group of all new friends.
I created countless memories with that group of people before I left town for college.
I gained a better sense of myself and who I am, while leaving behind the insecurities and mistakes that had plagued me.
I started a relationship with someone that I genuinely cared about.
I grew in my relationship with my church, family, and God.
I started all over at OSU.
I met new people, some that I can say are my best friends.
I ended up losing him not only as a boyfriend but also as a friend.
I cried.
I moved on.
I finished my first semester.
I reconnected with people that I hadn’t talked to in years.
I learned so much.

Honestly, I loved 2014.

But the thing about a new year and a new slate is having to let all of those memories go. And that scares me. You would think that letting go of all the bad memories would be a relief, but some how I don’t want to let those go either. It may be because I learned specifics lessons from each of them and grew because of hardships I went through. Or it also may be that some part of me enjoys wallowing in the self pity that these memories bring. It may most likely be the latter. I also don’t want to let go of all the amazing memories I shared in 2014. Memories that I shared with people that I also struggle with leaving in 2014.

Regardless, New Years is always a bit of a depressing time for me. But something I am learning to embrace is change. And change comes with letting go and moving on. This year I have made it one of my resolutions to make this year memorable. I have also made it a resolution to let go of things when it’s their time to go.

And speaking of resolutions, here is a list of all of mine.

Let go of anything that is no longer healthy, happy, or helpful.
Find a bit of happiness in every day.
Take more pictures.
Become more regular with my blog posts.
Last, but not least, watch all of Friends (which to be honest won’t take very long since I’m already on Season 7…no shame)

Hope everyone makes 2015 a year to remember!

Lessons

Published on December 18, 2014 by kendallshea22Leave a comment

I’m not going to lie to you. Right now, as I am typing this, I am also watching Gossip Girl on Netflix. There, I said it. The truth is out.

Hey. After the month that I’ve had, I deserve a time to detox and relax. I am finished with my first semester of college. Finals have come and gone and I have survived (though barely). Now I get to have a month free of any stress or worry. Related to school, that is.

So, here I am going to share my many lessons that I have learned during my first semester of college.

Leave your dorm. I can not stress this enough. During your first week at college you are going to feel like staying in your room and watching movies while eating microwave macaroni. This is called hiding and it is one of the worst things you can do.

At the same time, it’s perfectly acceptable to stay in on the weekends instead of going out. The first week I was at OSU my roommate and I binge watched 3 seasons of How I Met Your Mother. Eventually we did venture out and make friends but from time to time we still stay in and have movie night or Netflix marathons.

Talk to everyone. You will never have the opportunity in your life to talk to and meet so many different people from so man different backgrounds. Within my first week, I probably met over 200 different people. Now did I develop close friendships with all of them? Of course not. I didn’t even talk to a majority of those people after the first week but some of them did become very good friends. You never know who you are going to run into so go ahead and start a conversation! Anything can happen!

Which brings me to my next lesson. Anything can happen if you take every opportunity that is presented to you. Your friends what to go play a pick up game of Ultimate Frisbee? Go. Even if you don’t play (which you should) at least go and cheer them on or watch. There’s a midnight showing of Rocky Horror Picture Show on Halloween night? Go. No matter how crazy or boring or just plain out weird it sounds, at least consider going. One time there was a Coke machine in the Union that gave you a free Coke if you hugged it, and I missed out on it. Still regret it.

Here’s a big one. Don’t get stuck in high school. Did I say don’t have friends that are still in high school? No. Did I say don’t go to some of your old high school events (ex. Homecoming)? No. But there is a big difference between occasionally showing up at your old high school and saying hi to some teachers or friends, and remaining glued to the high school drama and gossip and overall lifestyle. Let it go and move on.

Homework is important. But so is your health. Sleep often and don’t push yourself beyond what you can handle. I say this from personal experience, it is not okay to cross the line between healthy stress and unhealthy stress. It is not okay to not sleep. It is not okay to not eat. Your mental and physical health is so much more important than that homework assignment.

Make memories. But don’t forget to keep those memories. One of my favorite things to do is to take lots of pictures of moments that make me happy. I print them off and hang the up all around my dorm room. It makes life feel less lonely and homesick. And those moments that cant be caught by a camera, I write them down put them in a jar. This is my Happy Little Thought Jar and on New Year’s I will open it up and read about all the memories I had forgotten about. No matter what your method is, just make memories and hold onto them.

Keep organized. I swear if I had a dollar for every assignment that I forgot about until after it was already due…well I would have two dollars. But if I had a dollar for every assignment I lost track of until something or someone reminded me of its due date, I would have a lot more money. The point is, write everything down. Get a planner. plan every day down by the hour if you have to. Get a calendar for your wall. Put it someone you will see it every day. Keep track of everything, due dates, meetings, class schedules. Everything. Whatever works for you, find it and do it. You will thank yourself later.

I think that covers the big, general, and basic ones. Off course I have a couple of my own that I have set up specifically for myself. Like don’t piss off the roommate. Text my parents everyday and call at least once a week. Don’t overdue it on the Netflix. Save money whenever possible. If something has to be cut from my schedule it will always be leisure time aka Netflix. Do my best not to procrastinate, we all know that one is difficult. Take lots of naps, but not so long that I can’t sleep at night. Don’t wear workout clothes in public unless I am actually going to work out. Dress up as often as possible and always try to put effort into my outfit. Make good impressions on my professors. Don’t go home so often that I miss out on my college experience. And finally, be happy. Easy to say but less simple to do.

And finally. I would like to that the opportunity right now to say thank you. Thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout this stressful transition. Thank you to my parents for always being there for me. Thank you to my friends for listening to my problems big and small. Thank you to my roommate for putting up with me and making m feel less homesick. Thank you to my Chi Alpha family for taking me in and making OSU feel more like home. Thank you to my home church for reminding me that no matter where I go I can always find a home with you guys. Thank you to everyone who is reading this blog, everyone who has thought of me and prayed for me, everyone who has sent me well wishes, and everyone who has taken the time to read the ramblings of a college freshman. Whether you know me personally or not, thank you.

This is HOME(coming)

Published on November 5, 2014 by kendallshea22Leave a comment

I remember when I first started packing for college. My mom kept trying to get me to pack all of my clothes up. At this point, I (very dramatically) flopped onto my bed and refused to move. Now to this day, I don’t know if I meant I was never going to get up from my bed or if I was never going to move out of my house and into my college dorm. It was most likely the latter. I say all of this because of the reason I was so scared to move. I thought that moving to a place that I didn’t know full of people I didn’t know wouldn’t feel like home. And because I wasn’t living at home, and everything was moving on without me back home, I was afraid that home wouldn’t feel like home anymore. I was afraid that I would have two “homes” that didn’t feel like home.

Now I have realized that I have the privilege to have two homes that both feel like home. I walk around campus and feel like this is where I belong. I plan on going home on the weekends, and find myself saying how much I can’t wait to go home. When I’m talking with my friends from back home, I tell them all about what college is like and I find myself calling it home. That’s the thing about college, I guess. If you’re in the right place and make the right friends, you begin to feel less homesick and a little more at home.

Now that I’ve said all that mushy gushy stuff, let’s talk about AMERICA’S GREATEST HOMECOMING!

Homecoming is quite the event here at OSU, and it did not disappoint. The Friday night before Homecoming, they had what’s called the Walk Around. For months the Greek houses had been pomping and working on decorations to put in front of their houses. They were up the whole night before finishing them. I do not over exaggerate when I say that they put their lives into these decorations. And all that time was not wasted. As we walked around Greek Row, I gawked at the giant structures made out of tissue paper and chicken wire. (Just in case you were lost, this process is called pomping.)

I know. Amazing. Tissue paper and chicken wire. Crazy.

Anyways. Walk Around was incredibly crowded. On one to many occasions, I had to grab the back of my friend’s shirt while my friend behind me had to grab my purse strap so we wouldn’t lose each other in the crowd. There were plenty of things to do besides look at the decorations. There were tons of little shops selling OSU merchandise, booths trying to raise money by getting people to play a game, a dunk tank, and food trucks galore. I actually ended up eating at this great food truck that sold fried pies.

That, my friends, is a peanut butter, chocolate, banana pie. It was delicious.

After the Walk Around we headed to the basketball arena to watch Hoops for Homecoming, a basketball exhibition/pep rally. I don’t know how they did it, but those sorority girls and frats guys had enough energy after all night pomp to be fired up at the pep rally. I suspect Red Bull might have helped there. It was fantastic.

The next day I went to the game and although it was over 90 degrees outside and I almost passed out (I kid you not), I had so much fun. I had this overwhelming feeling that this is where I belong. This is my family. This is my home. And even though we lost, I will never forget experiencing my first OSU homecoming with my Cowboy Family.

Go Pokes!

Adventures of a College Student

Published on October 22, 2014 by kendallshea22Leave a comment

Well, I’m finally getting back to the keyboard. It’s been a crazy couple of weeks. What with midterms and wanting to pull my hair out. It’s a daily struggle: making myself wake up early in the morning to go to class and finding the motivation to do my homework or study for that test. I find myself thinking of the many clichés I have heard as an upcoming freshman.

“College is an adventure.”

“These are some of the best years of your life.”

“You will meet your lifelong friends here.”

And the most frightening one…

“Don’t spend all of your time hiding in your room and watching Netflix. Go out and have fun.”

Well let me clear some things up. Here is the definition of adventure according to dictionary.com.

Adventure: noun

1. an exciting or very unusual experience.

2. participation in exciting undertakings or enterprises: the spirit of adventure.

3. a bold, usually risky undertaking; hazardous action of uncertain outcome.

Does this sound like college? Let’s see.

I went to my first college football game in the pouring rain. We had to buy cheap rain jackets at Walmart the night before. It was interesting. It was also weird at first because I didn’t know what was going on, but my friend Emma (the one taking the selfie above) quickly explained everything to us. I now know all the chants, hand motions, and alma mater. I still know nothing about football.

Also, after another late night Walmart run, we came back to our dorm and made pancakes. At 11 o’clock at night. And yes they had to have orange chocolate chips. That was fun…and delicious.

I wish I could type out all of my adventures word by word, but sadly no one would want to read all of that. So I will summarize.

I have walked to Chili’s with my friends late one night after a football game. We were all delirious off of the energy of the game and our lack of sleep.

I have run for my life, quite literally, as my new found friend Justin chased me down and stuck me with a sticker, killing me in our dorm wide game of “Assassins.”

My friends have slept on the floor of my dorm room in our attempt at a sleepover.

We have had many a movie night and I am sure we will have many more. My friend Rachel had never seen Star Wars! We quickly fixed that.

We have been politely reminded to be quiet in the room because people were trying to sleep more times than I can count. Mostly because we had gotten to that point in the night where everything is funny and we could not stop laughing.

I have met so many people and made so many friends. I have ventured out of my comfort zone and discovered it is way more fun there. Sure it’s scary at first; doing anything new and different is scary. You feel awkward. You feel like everyone is staring at you and judging your every move. But they’re not. And if they are, who cares? College is risky. Living on your own, away from your parents, is risky. Life is risky. But if you don’t take those risks you aren’t really living. You won’t really learn anything about yourself. And you definitely won’t have fun.

Now I will admit, I’ve had my fair share of Netflix marathons in my pajamas all holed up in my room. And there’s nothing wrong with that. But I’ve also had my fair share of adventures. And I can’t wait to have more!

Beginnings and Endings

Published on September 3, 2014 by kendallshea22Leave a comment

Well I’m not going to lie, I have been wracking my brain trying to figure out what to write about on this blog. It’s been a while since I created it, and I have yet to actually write a blog post. Until now, that is. In my defense, I have been busy preparing for, moving in, and settling in to college. I have completed my first couple of weeks of classes, and the dust is starting to settle. So I guess now I have the time to put my thoughts to keyboard. Here it goes.

“The future is scary, but you can’t just run back to the past because it’s familiar.”

-How I Met Your Mother

This past weekend I went home for Labor Day. It was my first time back home since I moved into my dorm room and said goodbye to my family. It felt so good to be back in the town that I grew up in and to be surrounded by people I knew. Everything was so familiar. It almost felt like I had never left. But at the same time, I felt out of place. Everyone: my family, my friends, my boyfriend, had moved on in life without me. I don’t know why that shocked me as much as it did. It’s not like I expected them to click the pause button on their lives until I got back. I certainly wasn’t spending my time at OSU counting down the days until I could go home and see everyone I missed.

Actually, that’s exactly what I was doing. And it’s not that there is anything wrong with that. I have every right to miss all the people I left behind. But, as I will soon realize and accept, I also have every right to enjoy this new and exciting part of my life. And that’s what I’ve decided to dedicate to this blog. Throughout this transition into college and, later on, into the real world this is where I will map out my journey of becoming independent, confident, unique, and me.

Wish me luck,

Kendall