Stashbuster Resolution (#1)

I love yarn.

This revelation should come as no shock to those who know me. However, I do love. I love yarn. I love buying yarn. I love making things out of yarn. yarn.yarn.yarn.

However, I have two giant tubs and many little baskets FULL of yarn from projects that I've done. And it's driving me nuts. So New Year's Resolution 2011 #1. I'm not buying any more yarn in the month of January. I need to put this yarn to good use. When January's done, I'll show ya'll the projects I've done with my stash o'yarn. And (hopefully) what little yarn I have left.

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take that Pottery Barn!

Don't get me wrong. I love me some Pottery Barn. I really do. But c'mon. They were selling a NOEL sign for $150.00. Yeah. You heard me right. 150 bones. dollars. whatever. That's ridiculous.

Even more ridiculous.....

They are COMPLETELY sold out online. You know what that means, right? People were actually buying the sign for $150. A lot of people. So many people.

I'm appalled.

But also inspired. So my friend Melissa and I decided to make our own. And viola!!! Look how awesome it turned out!!!

best part--we did it for under $10.

Thank you Hob Lob for having these awesome wooden letters. Thank you Gorilla Glue for be oh-so-sturdy. Thank you Martha Stewart for your glitter. Thank you Pottery Barn for your outrageous prices--that will be extremely profitable for me!

And thank you Father Christmas for your season! :)

sorry for the quality of pictures. I cannot find my camera cord, so I have been forced to resort to my iPhone has my sole picture taking device. :)

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inspired by angels

did anyone else watch the Victoria's Secret fashion show last night?? well I did. and besides it making me feel like a fat lard and me vowing to myself never to eat again...I was incredibly inspired!

in fact, I was watching it with one of my best guy friends and by the end of the show, I had him saying "I bet you could make that." or "I bet you could design something like that". ahhhhh, creativity. You never know when its going to strike.

I completely fell in LOVELOVELOVE with this outfit!!!!! Not even kidding. That sweater is by far one of my favorite things I've ever seen (but not in rainbow colors). guess what I'm making next??????? (one in gray, black and white...and maybe with a hood).

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happy december (and a giveaway)!

happy December everyone!! I woke up to flurries this morning here in the 317--made me feel like I was living in a snowglobe!

In order to kick off December right, Shortcake for 2 (and the Hicks Girls) are hosting their first giveaway! It runs today and tomorrow!!

What is it, you ask??????

This adorable owl hat, of course!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's the perfect gift for any boy or girl in your life. (Bible)

How do you enter?? "Like" Shortcake For 2 on Facebook and comment on our status with you favorite Christmas song! It's that simple. (You can just click here to be taken there directly!).

Happy December peeps!

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happy Thanksgiving Eve!

Long time. No blog. Whew, life is happening so fast right now and neither one of us seem to be able to keep up. We'll catch you up later...but for now, let's do a traditional Thanksgiving post!

I love this time of year! I love the holidays and I love the energy that's in the air once Halloween is over!! So in the spirit of all things thankful, here's what I am most thankful for this year:

1. The Cross. I am nothing without Jesus. And there are not enough words to express my sincerest gratitude to Him for this ultimate sacrifice. Thank you for the blood shed on Calvary. For me. For sinful, undeserving me.

2. The Empty Tomb. More importantly, thank you for the empty tomb. Thank you for the cross, but thank you even more for crushing the head of death and rising again. Thank you for winning the war against Satan. For me. For sinful, undeserving me.

3. My parents. Ahh, why did I get tears in my eyes as I typed that?!?! I can boast that my parents are still happily married after 30+ years and I am so eternally grateful for their devotion to each other, their sacred vows, my sister and I, putting Jesus first in our family, and the list goes on and on. Thank you Mom and Dad for shaping me to be the woman I am today--faults and all. Thank you for giving me all of the confidence and humility that I've needed. I'm a broken girl without you guys and you're steadfast support.

4. My sister, brother-in-law, and nephew. My sister is my best friend. Life would be so boring, so incomplete without her. Thank you Sister for showing me what a great marriage looks like. Thank you Sister for showing me how to be a strong woman. Thank you Sister for blessing me with the most perfect nephew a girl could ask for. Thank you Sister for showing me that motherhood can be fun. Thank you Sister for protecting and sustaining my sweet niece that I cannot wait to meet! Thank you Sister for choosing your best friend to marry--and thank you Brother for loving me like your own sister.

5. Big W. My nephew gets his own number because my life is amazingly full with him in it. I love his voice. And his laugh. And his memory. And his funny made-up words. And his crazy blonde hair. And everything about him.

6. My friends. Near and far. You know who you are (oh that rhymed!). My life is incredibly blessed because of the girls and guys that have chosen me to be in their lives. Thank you for being my community, my support system, my laughing and drinking buddies. Thank you for choosing me. Thank you for letting me into your lives, your kids' lives, your family's lives.

7. Glorious America. Ahhh, I love that I live in this country! I am so very proud to be an American. I am so very proud to put my hand over my heart and stare at Old Glory waving. I am very proud and incredibly thankful for the men and women I know who have served this country to guarantee that our freedoms remain in tact. Mom and Dad. My sweet late Poppie who served in the Navy. My brave late Granddaddy who was injured and lost two fingers during WWII. Chris who is serving as we speak in a location that I am not privy to know. Garrett, Eric, Danielle, Joshua--countless others who have and are defending our amazing country.

8. The ability to vote. This goes without saying. I may not always like the outcome of the process--and I will voice my opinion loudly when I don't--but I am so very thankful for the ability to have a say in what happens in this country.

9. Starbucks. Peppermint Mochas. Thank you for fulling my life (and stomach) with your tasty goodness.

10. Twilight, Harry Potter, The Hunger Games. I love getting lost in a good book. And these three series are my top favorites.

11. My freshman girls small group. I love seeing life and the world through the eyes of 14 and 15 year-olds.

12. Yankee. My little pup brings me so much joy (and frustration) but I just simply love her. I love cuddling with her at night. I love cuddling with her in the morning. She's so cute and so adorable and just the sweetest dog ever. She is the best decision I've ever made! ha!

13. My job and new job opportunities. I am so grateful to be employed during this time and to get increasing job responsibilities because my employer sees value in what I'm doing.

14. My creativity. It says in Genesis that mankind is made in God's image. I know I serve a creative God (have you ever seen a flamingo??). I am seriously tickled at the fact that God put some of his creativity in me and is allowing me to tap into it!

15. InStyle Magazine. Everytime I open my mailbox and see that delightful magazine of all things fashion in it, I squeal with delight!!!

16. OPI Nail Polish. If you know me but at all, you know that I hate to leave the house with my nails undone. OPI is my saving grace. (Right now, I'm rocking the Overexposed in South Beach color).

This list could go on and on...so I will stop here. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

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forget the hat.

I lovelovelove that fall is here right now!!

I love living in Indiana where we actually get to experience all four season!! Sometimes I think fall is a little too short and winter is a little too long, but I still love it.

I'm a hat girl. I love wearing hats. Any kind of hats. But sometimes, I just want to throw my hair in a messy bun on top of my head and you cant wear a hat with that. (well you can, but you'd look silly. and dumb. silly and dumb.)

At the request of my sweet friend Jovanna (don't you just love it when your friends see something and then hope that you can make it!:) ha!), I decided to try my hand at making some of these headband ear-warmer things (for lack of a better term). This is my own pattern and these are super easy to whip up!!
I love that you can do practically any color combination with these!!
I saw this pink cheetah print felt at Hobby Lobby the other day and just bought some, not knowing what I'd do with it. But look at how cute this freaking flower is!!!! LOVE IT!

I usually always put my flowers on pins so that they can be removed if need be.

Love these vintage buttons on the gray one. It looks so old world.

Yes. I'm selling these. I'll be posting them to my Etsy site today or tomorrow. And of course, everything can be customized to whatever color you'd like.

Being fashionable is perfect in every season! :)

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hooot. hoooot. hats. :)

I cannot deny it any longer.

I have a deep affection for owls.

No no no...not the real things. Quite frankly, those little hooters scare the living crap out of me.

No, I love owls in fashion. And I LOVE that they are still all the rage right now. So here's my take on some precious little owl hats. I need to find some cute babies to model these for me. But this is what I've spent the majority of my week on. I love coming up with cute color combinations.
Boys. Girls. Owl hats are perfect for everyone!

I love this one above...because it reminds of my Harry Potter and the colors of Griffendor! :)

Teal sparkly yarn from Hobby Lobby makes my day. Literally. I get excited when I see it. I think I want to do an entire blanket out of this yarn.

Oh enough about the teal sparkly yarn...the raspberry sparkly yarn also makes me happy! :)

So cute. I love these hats so very much!

Happy crocheting!

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care packages

Meet Chris.

He's in the Air Force.And is overseas right now to an undisclosed location.

Hopefully I'll get to see him in a few months (keep your fingers crossed for January).

So while he is gone, I have taken it upon myself to be the "Care Package Queen". I try to send him something every other week--or every two weeks at the latest. Honestly, I'm actually loving this part of his deployment. I mean, I don't like that he's gone...but I love sending him (and his unit) fun packages.

If you know but at all, you know that I LOVE themes. Any kind of theme. Theme. Theme. Theme. So obviously, I am theming all of Chris's (or CBB as I will refer to him as) packages.

Package #1:

Happy Birthday to Me package

Yes, it may seem weird that I sent him a care package on my birthday--but it was only because he wasn't here to celebrate with me so I wanted him to feel included in all the festivities.

Inside was:

My favorite candy--Dots, Gobstoppers, Runts, Starburst

My favorite Snack Packs--Butterscotch flavors

Birthday candles--a number 2 and a number 9

Birthday party hats

Mini Red Bull bottles

My favorite dipping sauce (I figured he needed some help with the MREs)

Cake in jar--in pink, which (according to CBB) didn't really make the trip halfway across the world, but its the thought that counts

Mad Libs--one of my favorite games

I wrapped up everything like they were birthday presents and sent them on their merry way. I think he liked it!

Package #2

Toilet Paper Theme

Hello!! Can you imagine being deployed overseas and not having the comforts of home--including Charmin extra soft double rolls?????????????

ME NEITHER!!!!!
So that's what he got. An entire box filled with toilet paper.
And inside was the following list:

If you can't read it--it's basically a list of the top 10 things to do with toilet paper! I KNOW he enjoyed this package!

Package #3 and #4
These haven't arrived yet (even though I'm checking http://www.usps.com/ every day!) so if CBB happens to read this, act surprised! :)
Since it's almost Halloween, I went with a Halloween theme on these packages. I sent two at the same time. One was TRICKS and one was TREATS. I'm really excited for him to get these. I think he'll think I'm a teeny tiny bit clever! :)

Tricks Package:
Trix Cereal
Twix candy bars (In case he has a lisp!) :)
Whoopee Cushion
Word Searches and Crossword Puzzles (hope they aren't too "tricky" for him)
Fake teeth
A stupid Halloween mask to wear around the base
Candy Vampire fangs
Fake spiders
Then I covered the whole package with that spider web stuff. That should be fun to open!

Treats Package:
Candy, candy and more candy
Halloween suckers. I covered a whole bunch of lollipops with white tissue paper to make ghosts and then orange tissue paper to make pumpkins. Literally, I covered most of the box with these.
Carmel flavored Starbucks VIA coffee
Pumpkin soap
Did I mention candy?
A skull goblet (kind of dumb, but I couldn't resist)
Some stupid little travel games that I got at Party City. I figured they must get bored over there.
Some Halloween decorations
Oh and I wrapped the entire box on the inside with more of the spider web stuff. He'll hate me but he'll laugh!

I already have my next package in mind. I'll keep you posted--and I'll start taking pictures too!

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Hooooo Are You!??!?!?!?

1. What was your favorite meal growing up?This is going to sound weird, but my favorite meal when I was a kid was broccoli with cheese and potatoes. The Mom of The Hicks Girls had an usual philosophy (one that sticks with me today...and will probably pass on to my children at some point): why eat sugary food for breakfast when it's the most important meal of the day? So instead of gathering around the dinner table, the Hicks Fam would gather around the breakfast table...and eat dinner food for breakfast. Tacos. Potatoes. Salads. You name it--it's what we had for breakfast. Steamed broccoli with melted cheese was my favorite! :) nom.nom. 2. What's your favorite month?September because it's my birthday month. And here in Indiana, September is the perfect start of fall. I love living in a state where we get to experience all four seasons. September is when the cooler weather sets in, the leaves start changing, the college football action is in full swing....perfection! 3. What store is most represented in your wardrobe?Nordstrom. Hands down. My closet is probably worth a small fortune but I don't care. Nordstrom is my happy place. My sanctuary. My love. :) 4. How many times do you go to the movie theater each month/year?Probably only a handful times a year. The next time I anticipate being at the movie theater is in November....for the 7th Harry Potter movie!! LOVE ME some 'Arry Potter! :) 5. Fill in the blank--I've never been able to _________?Get over my irrational fear of spiders. I realize I'm 100 times the size of them and they are probably more scared of me than I am of them (if that's possible) but I don't care. The sight of those eight legs sends me into a complete panic. Hyperventilating. You name it. And to quote Joey from Friends..."Is it on me? I feel like it's on me!" That's how I feel whenever I even think about those stupid little bugs.

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halloween!!

I'm finally getting around to getting all of my Halloween decorations up. I really wanted to make some Halloween subway art for this year. I am LOVING the way it turned out! The orange is actually much brighter than what it looks like on the picture. I added some black Martha Stewart glitter to black paint and painted that along the edges. I wanted it to look a little messed up, and I think I got it!

I got this idea from Eighteen 25's blog (one of my favorites!) and knew I had to recreate it. I just love easy and cheap ways to decorate, and these suckers look so cute scattered throughout my apartment (up high so Yankee can't eat them). In fact, I may or may not have sent a Halloween care package to a certain Air Force solider....and filled it with a bunch of these pumpkins and ghosts! So fun and so cute!

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banner by burgess

I totally have to brag on my sister--the other, more mysterious half of Hicks Girls. She is so talented, it makes me sick sometimes. :) Don't believe me? Check out the Halloween banner she made this week:

She saw the idea on Etsy earlier this month and just decided to recreate it for herself. I absolutely LOVE the way it turned out! It looks so great next to her brick wall and will be perfect for Halloween!

(I'm posting this for her because I highly doubt she'll get around to posting it for herself. We'll link it up to some Linky Parties this week!)

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meet baby Brin

Remember when my best friend had her baby?? Well Ambra (aka Best Friend) finally got around to posting pictures of sweet baby Brin. She's absolutely perfect. And gorgeous. And stunning. And amazing. Ahhh, LOVE her!!!

Am's had a rough past month or so. Actually rough doesn't even begin to describe it. But she's come out of it a stronger women, mother and friend. I just love having her in my life and thank my sweet Lord every day for her.

Have you hugged your best friend today?

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feast of the hunters' moon.

Don't you just love family traditions? Don't you just love fall? What about fall family traditions?!?! Me too!! Us Hicks' have a crap-ton of traditions...and they are all super fun and super special.

One started while Burgess and I were students at Purdue. Every year in West Lafayette, there is the Feast of the Hunters' Moon festival. Basically, it's a festival at Fort Ouiatenon to celebrate the annual fall gathering of early French settlers and Indians. Fort Ouiatenon was more of a trading post (fur mainly) than an actual fort. Back in the 18th Century, French fur traders from Quebec would travel down the Wabash River and stop at Fort Ouiatenon to trade with the Indians. (whew...didn't think you'd get such a stellar history lesson so early in the morning, huh?) Anyway, it's a great festival. Everyone dresses up in 18th Century clothing and sells items that were around during that time.

This year, Mom and Dad couldn't go (Dad just had knee replacement surgery) so Burg and I decided to carry on the tradition ourselves. We took Big Dub with us...and Adam, who strangely had never been before. (Homeboy grew up in L-town and has lived there practically his entire life. We need to get him out of his hunting bubble in the fall more often...)

We had a GREAT fall day. A little chilly at first, but it turned out to be perfect fall day!

Aunt Kelbs and Big Dub! I just love this little booger!

Mommy and Big Dub. Little stinker doesn't like looking at the camera most of the time, but this is actually one of my favorite pictures.

A few months ago, Mom (or GG) got Big Dub this skunk hat from one of her many adventures. The Feast was the absolute PERFECT place for him to wear it. This is me and him enjoying some delish Fry Bread! By the way, I'm loving the new I LOVE THIS YARN colors from Hobby Lobby!! This sparkly raspberry color looks so good as a newsboy hat!)

The best $3 purchase of the day....a wooden gun for Big Dub. hahaha, doesn't he look like Davey Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier here?? He was so stinking funny with that thing!
We had such a fun day walking around at all the booths and of course, Burgess and I got some craft project ideas. Hopefully we can get those in the works soon. We also had our share of fabulous 18th Century food as we ate our way through the festival (they don't call it The Feast for nothing!)

We had:
Handmade root beer (nom nom)

Apple Dumplings

Buffalo Burgers (Burg and I each had 2...oops)

Ribeye Sandwich (Adam)

Fry Bread

hmmm...is that it???

The food is so good because it HAS to be prepared the way it was prepared wayyyy back in the day. Everything is so authentic.

Can't wait for The Feast next year!! Can't wait to introduce LBB (little Baby Brown) to another one of our traditions!!

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hooooooo are you??!?!?!?

1. If you could add one room to your house, what would it be?Well, I live in a one bedroom apartment....soooooo, I'd just add another room in general. I would use it as a closet (because mine is overcrowding. What? I have a lot of clothes!), craft room, crap-holder, etc :)

2. How many pillows do you sleep with at night?Two. No more. No less.

3. What is the best costume you've ever worn for Halloween?This year's costume will be epic. I'm deciding between two: The Morton Salt Girl (if the other half of Hicks Girls would find my yellow trench coat) or Ke$ha!

4. If you could erase one item off of the face of the earth, what would it be?Price tags on gifts. My numero uno pet peeve!! Seriously. HATE THEM.

5. Where do you do your best thinking?I actually get my best inspiration while I'm sitting at work. Unfortunately, it's never for anything work-related. Either there or Starbucks...or my other happy place...Nordstorm. Walking thru Nordy's (as I affectionately call it) makes me happy. All the colors, smells, textures, etc.--I always leave there feeling more creative (and poorer). :)

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lucky linky Tuesday.

have you linked today???? link up and check out all the super cute projects!

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hoot.hoot.

I had a crazy fun weekend this weekend. Seriously, it was great. I know it was great for a couple of reasons...the main one being that I am completely dragging today. :) In the midst of all that crazy and fun-ness, I did manage to get a new project done (well I started and finished it in about a 24 hour period. On little to no sleep. Sweett!!) I saw this idea on Ravelry and decide that I could try and re-create it for myself. So I did. And I LOVE this so very much!!!!!

(It's supposed to be an owl hat, however I did not put ears on it. And my sweet Dad said it looked like a character on Sesame Street. Whatever Dad--it's cute. So there).So of course, I needed to find the cutest baby in all the land to be my baby model. That part was easy. Meet Grayden...my new little love. (Actually this was the first time I got to meet this sweet little ginger baby too.) Grady's parents are two of my very dear friends, Jason and Laura. Grady's got two older brothers who also hold a special place in my heart...Graham and Gibson. Grady was born a few months ago, but because J and Laura live a few hours away, this was the first time I got to meet him!! I'm head over heels for this little guy...and who wouldn't be?? Look at that sweet face!!

Or this sour.....eeerrr, I mean sweet face!! :)

Check it out here...I'm linking this bad boy up to the following:

Night Owl Crafting

Lucky Star Lane

a border="0" href="http://firefliesandjellybeans.blogspot.com/search/label/Show%20Off%20Your%20Stuff%20Party" target="_blank">

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my first attempt at reupholstering!!

(please excuse the picture qualities on this....I took them with my phone and they aren't the best)

Soooo, this is my first attempt at reupholstering a chair....and I have to say that I LOVED it!! My old boss sold me this chair (before picture) as he was cleaning out his house for a move to D.C. I paid $25 for it and probably spent that much in fabric and piping for the new chair.

Basically, I just took off the old, country bumpkin fabric (one staple at a time, mind you) and used it as a pattern for the new fabric. It took me about a week to do and the finished product is so fun!! It's probably my favorite place to sit and read or sit and crochet in my apartment!!

hmmm...what else can I reupholster now?????

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what to do this weekend

Its the first full weekend of fall everyone!!!! So far this week in Indy, we've had record high temperatures (in the mid-90's) but it looks like it will be cooling off starting this weekend. Need to know what's going on?? I've got the scoop... :)

Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition

09.25-01.16

The unsinkable ship sails into Indianapolis for a nearly four-month run. We all know how the story ends, but come and share in the Titantic experience for yourself. Get a boarding pass with a real passenger's name on it, experience life as a first-class or third-class patron, and find out your fate at the end. The exhibit includes 250 salvaged artifacts, including passengers' personal effects and items from the ship.

Details: through January 16; Indiana State Museum, 650 W. Washington Street; $18/adults or $15/children; www.indianamuseum.org

Cancer Sucks Party

09.24

This is the third year that KJ, co-host of the "Smiley Morning Show" has thrown this party to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Check in at 8pm for the silent auction and stick around for live music from Living Proof from 9pm to midnight.

Details: 7pm, Champps, 8711 River Crossing Blvd, free; (317) 574.0333

Rocky Ripple Festival in the Park

09.25

This year's festival encourages people to rider their bikes--Pedal & Park will provide 40 feet of bike racks, and Free Wheelin' Community bikes will offer light tune-ups. You'll also find artists, food, beer and music.

Details: 11am to 6pm; 840 W. 53rd Street; Free; www.rockyripple.org

Mallow Run RUN-Wine at the Line

09.25

This race starts and ends at a winery. Afterward, grab a spot on the lawn, eat pizza, sample wines, and listen to live blues.

Details: 4pm to 8pm; Mallow Run Winery, 6964 W. Whiteland Road, Bargersville; $25/registration; www.mallowrun.com

have fun this weekend!

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who needs tailgating gloves???

ok I have to admit, I'm rather proud of these fingerless gloves. First of all, it was the very first crochet pattern that I've ever created and drawn up on my own. Basically, I came up with these last winter because I would always have to take my gloves off to use my iPhone. Hence...FINGERLESS gloves!! Brillant, huh???

I did these for a friend because she wanted some in Colts colors for tailgating before Colts games. (fingerless gloves are PERFECT for holding your beverage and eating your hot dog...FYI). I found this perfect Colts blue yarn that has blue sparkles in it. These are so cute and so feminine...the little buttons on the side are just a fun little touch!

Maybe one of these days I'll actually post the instructions on here....I guess that means I have to write them down first, huh??

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homeless tailgaters.

Last Saturday was the Purdue football home opener...against Ball State. Needless to say, Purdue won! But Sarah and Lisa and I wanted to be on campus for all of the suPURDUEper festivities. We didn't have any tickets to the game, and we wanted to tailgate (because that's where all the fun happens anyway).

Trying to find parking on Purdue's campus is hard enough...but on a home football game day, it's darn near impossible. So how stoked were we when we spotted this spot on the street NEAR the stadium?? I will say that this may be the smallest parking spot that I have ever attempted to parallel park in....and I nailed it on the first try. Ah-mazing!

Have I mentioned that I'm a HUGE boilermaker fan....and a Purdue alumni? This is what I like to call a Boilermaker Special! Before the game starts, the Purdue Marching Band marches into Ross Ade and plays the Purdue fight song. This may have been Lisa's favorite part.....oh and the World's Largest Drum (hello....can you say three hot blondes??)


After much discussion, we decided that trying to find a parking pass and a spot to tailgate would be a huge freaking hassle. So we decided to just tailgate hop. Sarah and I both knew people tailgating so we figured we would just find a home base for our stuff (and awesome rolling cooler). Luckily, Sarah's family had an awesome tailgating spread so we left the cooler there and walked around the golf course and then over to Slayter Hill.

I don't like the Saints...but I love Drew Brees!

Love my princesses!! We're like a freaking little sorority.....Princess Brooke, Princess Kelby and Queen Tracey.

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