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Laugh With Me

2012.

Pre-PS (can I make that a thing?): Sorry about being MIA this past week! 
Although unintentional, it was much needed and well-appreciated :)

It's kind of hard to believe that yet another year has come and gone.
I feel like I was forced into a time machine that's hurdling forward at x32 speed.
{I go to a tech-centric university... and wouldn't be surprised if this was actually happening.}
Slow down, time!

Still, I'm kind of relieved to see 2012 go.
It wasn't the easiest. Not by any means.
Several terrible things happened.
But, it also had its redeeming moments.
{And hey, we survived the apocalypse, so... a huge pat on the back for that!}

Here's a look back:



In JANUARY, I... started this blog. And rented a limousine with ten of my lovely girlfriends for a night out clubbing in SF. (Oh the joys of spending lots and lots of money on frivolous things.)

In FEBRUARY, I took a long hiatus from the blog.
Does it count as a hiatus if I had only written 2 posts & I was the only reader?


In MARCH, I went to NYC for Spring Break to visit my big sis and gallivanted around the city so nice they named it twice. I also went home to Houston for the second half of Spring Break. I had fun remembering an especially fun date with my four best girlfriends when we went driving in the pouring rain to get some pizookies at BJ's!


In APRIL, my lovely roommate and I made a spontaneous trip into SF for the day (spontaneous = deciding to do this in the middle of a fire alarm). She discovered my fear of pigeons. I discovered that she can save me from pigeons. We also spontaneously went to the midnight showing of Titanic 3D, making the decision about 15 minutes before midnight. It was a difficult month - several panic attacks and emergency flights to China, and I turned nineteen years old amidst all this chaos.



In MAY, my beloved grandfather passed away and my heart was broken. I came back after a rough, but lesson-filled, week in China. Two weeks later, I booked it to NYC once again to see my big sister graduate from Columbia Business School. I figured out where I was to live in sophomore year and had a lot of friendship time.
I have to say, April/May were some grueling months, and I could not have made it without my friends. They were absolute rockstars & I am forever grateful.

(Start of our road trip: 0/3 names correct... Starbucks, that's a new low.)
In JUNE, almost exactly one month after my grandfather passed away, my grandmother left us as well {how's that for an epic love story?!}. We had our end of the year dorm banquet on a boat and sailed around the bay for the evening - such an unforgettable night. My roommate, RA, and I took a trip to Disneyland smack in the middle of finals week, and hung out in Orange County for a bit as well. Freshman year ended. I went home to Houston. This is also when Perpetually Caroline became a "real blog" in the sense that people (other than my sister and roommate) started reading and commenting.


In JULY, I had several fun outings (1, 2, 3, and 4 ... ok fine, a lot of these were in June) (one with my high school teacher, no less!) and recapped some outfits. I walked with my best friend Brina in the rain, all for a Java Chiller. I started a few blog features {that I don't really maintain anymore, whoops!}...


In AUGUST, I told you guys 7 things you might not know about me. I loved going to Cracker Barrel and Kemah with two of my favorite people ever. I spent a whole day writing at Barnes & Noble/Starbucks and had a terrific lunch at La Madeleine {round 2 coming up next week}!


In SEPTEMBER, I planned out what my dorm room would look like. I shared a few quirks. I made egg tartlets! I finally went back to school for sophomore year and showed you what my new bookshelf looked like!


In OCTOBER, I made some coffee ice cubes. I gave you a peek into my daily walk to class. My foodie dreams came true when I finally got to see the Ferry Market Building. And my musical dreams finally came true when we went to Carrie Underwood and Hunter Hayes's Blown Away tour and were yes, blown away. I started Likes of the Week! Academically, I got closer to figuring out my major. And, my gorgeous Tory Burch riding boots showed up! 


In NOVEMBER, I introduced the great city of San Francisco to Mollie. Cassandra guest-posted about getting creative with making guacamole! I reached my 100th post. I had another really fun day in the city with my big sis before I headed home for Thanksgiving. My suitemates and I tried to be grown ups... and somewhat failed.


And finally, in DECEMBER, I partook (partake-d? attended?) in ugly sweater festivities! I did my first real outfit post. We had our Bond-themed special dinner. Our hearts were broken when a Connecticut community suffered a great tragedy. Mollie and I photographed Stanford. And then, it was Christmas!

If you're still here - thanks for reading this! It was certainly a loooong post.
Have a most sparkly & safe New Year's Eve and,
I'll see you next year!

(Ha, love doing that.)

(Come at me, 2013!)
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Likes of the Week // Merry Christmas (Eve)!


This week, I liked...


People, people, I love you so.
Thank you so much for reading.

For those of you who celebrate,
I hope that you have the merriest of Christmases,
and that Santa stops by with lots of goodies!
For those of you who don't,
I hope you get some relaxing time off,
and get to savor in the spirit of the season regardless!

Stay safe, eat lots, and be merry!

xo, caroline.

(ps. and a HUGE happy birthday to my roommate, cassandra.
love you so much, girly two shoes!)
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Life Lately

So did everyone survive the end of the world?
Everyone still here?
My first thought this morning when I woke up to find that no,
the world wasn't hit by a huge asteroid at 5:00am,
was "man, this means pants are still necessary!"

I've never liked pants.

But other than that, I'm happy as a clam that we still get some time on this planet,
especially as I was browsing through my Instagram feed
- how is everyone feeling about the new privacy policy? I kind of just shrugged and thought,
I don't post anything on it that I don't want the whole wide world to know about anyway, so..., but to each their own -
I realized... I love my life! It's been great! Such a fun ride!

So here's a peek at what I've been up to, as told through my iPhone:


01. Rainy days need some bright outfits, fun umbrellas, and a holiday cup of joe!
02. In-N-Out animal style fries & animal style double-double. yes, baby!
03. snap! click! lots and lots of fun photographing with Mollie.
04. my motivation to study: the reminder that I get BFF time with Brina once I get home.
05. lots of Gap style inspiration - colors, textures, patterns.
06. these babies were only $15 at Kohl's - LC Lauren Conrad platforms, so cute!
07. a soothing cup of tiger spice chai + a floral tunic & a brown leather jacket!
08. the shopping (and life?) philosophy I swear by.
09. unintentionally matched with the suitemates - denim tops & colored jeans. and rainboots.


01. 'tis the season! decorating the tree w/ my fambam!
02. cheesecake factory with my suitemate ty - this girl is fabulous.
03. the golden hour & some pretty flowers on my walk home after class.
04. i woke up from a nap & this girl was just casually watching a movie on netflix and doing her nails. my door was closed. no boundaries between us :)
05. day & night at Stanford. 
06. randomly saw Lauren at Starbucks - she watched Glee. I blogged. Our relationship.
07. Sushi & iced black tea apple juice date with the roomie!
08. my text conversations with Brina are never boring. Never.
09. Words of encouragement from my roommate before my day of double finals + a shift at work + needing to meet up with an old friend for coffee + laundry and packing. it was rough, but i conquered!

xo.
caroline
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Give Us A Camera And Some Time...

In high school, Mollie and I were in yearbook.
Essentially, that meant picking up a stack of "quote forms,"
and a camera that was too fancy for our own good,
and walking around our long hallways for forty whole minutes,
interrupting classes to interview people and take photos
aka save our friends who wanted a break from school,
proudly flashing our "press passes,"
when assistant principals questioned us.
Those were the glory days.

welcome to my backyard, friends!


our "lake" after weeks of rainfall







last weekend, it was a gorgeous day at stanford,
so Mollie and I grabbed a still-too-fancy-for-our-own-good camera,
and went on a long walk to starbucks,
snapping pictures along the way.

except there were no assistant principals after us,
no friends to save from timed writes & math solutions,
and only some good old girl talk to catch up on!
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Likes of the Week

Did everyone have a good weekend?
For me, I did my very best imitation of a sloth, let's leave it at that.
It's so good to be home and be free of all schoolwork for a couple of weeks.
My only concerns at the moment: catching up on sleep,
being with family & friends, and making my belly happy.



This week, I liked...


Here's to hoping this is a great week!
xo
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Speaking of Skies....

I should be in the sky right now,
reading magazines and listening to Eli Young Band's entire album.
I love the sky because...
It makes me feel so tiny.
It gives me perspective.
It makes me feel human.
I love flying through it.
I love sunsets & sunrises.
I love, love, love stars & constellations.
And I love that it gives me breathtaking moments like these:





*last three images are unedited

---
This post was meant to be published in the morning before I left for my flight back to Texas,
but my images were malfunctioning & I didn't get the chance to.
I found out about the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting
in between my two flights on my way home.

When I heard, I was still on a plane,
and was surrounded by children around the same age as those who suffered today.
When I saw how little they are, how innocent...
I realized how scared and confused those little elementary school students must have been, 
and how hopeless their families must be feeling now -
and that's when I became devastated, disappointed, and angry.

There are no words.
Those kids, those families, those victims...
I can't even imagine.
It's astounding, it's heartbreaking.
It's unbelievable.
My thoughts and prayers are with them tonight.

❤ 
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let the sky fall

when it crumbles,
we will stand tall,
face it together.




Remember how I said I had a Bond/Skyfall event?
This was it!
In short, we put on sparkly dresses {w/ a Risky Business spin!},
and super tall heels (yep, these came out to play again...),
and had a "special dinner" in our dining hall...
with a room full of appetizers,
lobster & steak,
oh... and chocolate cake with raspberry sauce too.
Plus... other delicious things.

I know I said I only go to parties where
I can essentially attend in sweatpants.
But... when there's good food involved,
all bets are off.

My friend Mollie was my date,
and all of my suitemates plus a couple other close friends
were all there.
Seriously, such a blast!

Also, I've never seen a Bond movie.
Fun fact.
(But I've heard & am in love with Adele's Skyfall... so that counts, right?)
19

Outfit Post: Or Something...


I put on a cute outfit and half-dragged my friends to go take pictures with me,
with the thought of writing an outfit post in mind.
But... we kind of got sidetracked. As you can see.
A camera + friends = just too much fun.

I'm not a fashion blogger.
So why am I impersonating one?

Because I had a good hair day.
And a cute outfit day.
And a finals-is-shooting-me-in-the-face,
I-need-a-study-break day.
(Oh wait I'm just kidding, that'll be this whole week.)

But I ended up having a lot of fun,
so maybe there will be more "outfit posts" to come?

LOFT "Modern Skinny" jeans {perfection} //
Abercrombie & Fitch coral sleeveless button-up top //
LOFT cardigan //
F21 glitter skinny belt //
F21 flower pin //
Target wedges.

Also, immediately after taking these pictures, we went to the airport to pick up Cassandra's friend Caitie but the baggage claim was malfunctioning & we were looping around the airport. We made about seven loops total, but you guys... if you're ever bored at the airport waiting to pick someone up - just loop around and around, making up stories about the people waiting outside. It's just about the funniest thing you'll ever do.
22

Tacky Christmas Sweaters

I don't really go into detail about the social scene of my college on this blog.
Mostly because I spend my weekend nights in pajamas and drinking hot cocoa,
"studying"  watching any number of TV shows.

But then, there was a tacky Christmas sweater party.
And even I can't say no to that.
(Especially me. Getting to go out in a comfy sweater? Count me in.)


best date in the world.


Happy Holidays
from us to you!

PS. Does it say a lot about me that my friends know to invite me to parties when the theme is anything along the lines of "pajamas," "sweaters," "active wear," or just "comfortable clothing?"

PPS. Tonight's event is Bond/Skyfall themed. We'll see how this one goes.
15

Cupola Pizzeria - Union Square, SF


Hi, Mollie!


It's kind of common sense, really,
that you can't really find a good restaurant in a mall.
They're either too gimmicky, too bad, too all-you-can-eat, too Food Court.
It's a fact of life,
just like you can't really find cheap souvenirs at Disney, our Stanford Bookstore,
or anywhere with... real souvenirs.

But when it's pouring outside, 
you just want to get some shopping done with your best friend,
who also needs to catch her train in about one hour,
and you haven't eaten in eight hours,
you go to the first place that looks (warm) and decent.

That's how Mollie and I came upon Cupola,
in the Dome of the Westfield Mall in SF.
And that's how Mollie and I spent more than $50 total
for two pastas and a drink.

Moral of the story:
(I don't actually have one.)
But... Cupola has great food - really delicious & unique.
What you're seeing in the last picture is tortellini in chicken broth,
with crispy pig ears.
And my belly found it greatly satisfying,
as did Mollie with her pasta and especially her drink...
(and the focaccia here is AMAZING.)
But it was also over $50.
And I'm a college student.
You do the math.

In all fairness, Cupola has such a funky vibe & great service,
so if you're not trying to survive on a college budget,
it would be a great place to check out if you're at the mall & don't want to
go out of your way for good food.

Thanks for visiting! Have a great Thursday!
11

Likes of the Week

This past week, I liked...




Tonight, my dining hall hosted "Kindergarten" and supplied us with Play-Doh, fingerpainting materials, coloring books, reindeer sandwiches, popcorn, and juice boxes to de-stress during Dead Week.

Finding out that Kate Middleton is pregnant. It was the biggest debacle. Imagine: in a college dining hall, me hyperventilating, crying, not being able to breathe or speak, going outside to scream... and my roommate spilling her water everywhere and nearly dropping her plates. All in front of the entirety of our (very attractive) men's swim team...

Hanging out in Starbucks while it's pouring outside... just listening to country music (Eli Young Band's album...  yes, yes, yes!) and journaling. 

Eating Ramen on my mom's birthday. It's Chinese tradition to eat "long noodles" on a birthday for a "long life," so when I'm in college (& don't know how to cook), I have to get creative.

Having (good) (free) sushi at a club's official event. I'll take two whole platefuls, pleaseandthankyou.

Late night drives in the rain to In-N-Out. And late night drives to Jack in the Box for curly fries & a milkshake. It doesn't happen as often as I make it seem.

Stanford beating UCLA for the second time in two weeks and making it to the Rose Bowl! So proud of our football team :)


Here's to a great week, everyone! :)
17

Happy Birthday, Mommy!


Today, I wish this very special person the very happiest of birthdays.
She is the kindest, most giving, loving, beautiful, amazing, hilarious person and mother...
and what an honor it is to be her daughter.

I love you, momma!
Happy Birthday - 
sending you millions of virtual kisses today :)
13