Living a Teenage Dream

If the start of my Friday was any indication of what my weekend would entail, it wasn't going to be pretty.

I woke up at 6:18am for a 6:30 practice at the school. By some miracle, I made it on time sans make-up, contacts, and any sort of alertness. Next I realize I forgot my makeup and toiletries to get ready for school. So by the time mom brought them to me (thanks mom!) I had a total of 9 minutes to get ready and get to econ on time. Awesome. And then the music for the hallways wasn't working. And just when it does, some of the music wasn't edited and we get death threats about our privilege to play music in the halls. Again..awesome. So, I go to Environmental Science only to find that I am without the first lab write-up I have to turn in. Just what the pep rally captain needed on her first pep rally day!

Things went up from there. Well, I guess there wasn't much room to go down.

Rather than explaining the fun that followed the what started to be a fail of a Friday.. i'll let the pictures explain themselves.

The squad in our camp attire for our game against our rivalry--Stratford High School. Don't worry...the victory to the war was easily ours with a 34-7 win. Sup Stratford.

My cheer partner--Brent

It's a tradition for the sophomore boys that make varsity football to entertain the student body with a little performance. And embarrass themselves completely. They performed a dance to Justin Beiber's "Baby." It was quite a hit. That is, for the audience and the boys. Wanna see more? Here's a video of the whole performance.

We got nothing but good reviews for our first pep rally. Let's hope we can keep the spirit up all year long. And as it should be, the seniors took home the spirit stick.

For the sophomore dance, I was paired with Lana's brother Ryan. So here we are..besties and brothers!

At the cheer tailgate before the game with Cecilia and Ana.

Here's how we get the job done. Touchdown by our talented quarterback Wayne Taylor.

This little stunt is called the zipper. The girls runs into the boys arms and they launch you over into a back flip while shouting your name. Cute hair, right?

A coach at our school has a daughter named Maddie who loves cheerleading. After the game came to a halt after a power outage (crazy but kinda exciting!), we got to invite her to perform with us and she loved every second of it. I think I would have passed out of happiness if I got to cheer with Memorial Varsity cheerleaders at her age.

Rewind to a week before school started. A bunch of the senior girls went to an open parking lot to paint our cars in honor of our seniority.

And last night, my friends Emily and Hayley had a foam slip-n-slide birthday party. It was a total success. In essence, it's a really huge bubble bath for everyone to dive in.

Here's Hannah, Josephine, me, Liz, and Julianne soaking up in the foam.

No pep rally this week, which is both good and bad. Time to focus on that thing called school. And the best news of the week is that CAROLYN IS COMING HOME IN DECEMBER! Yay für the mich! [photo credits to Makenna Van Liew, Connie Gilbert, Jaclyn Worbets, and Mrs. Lange]

It's Only Tuesday?

It feels as if I've been in school for two months rather than two days. Despite some initial mishaps with my schedule at the start, everything is solved and I am satisfied with the way things turned out on the whole.

1st Period: Economics AP -Mr. Daileda

>>Does he or does he not convey the classic out-of-a-movie high school history teacher?

This guy seems to know his stuff. And don't quote me on this, but this class seems somewhat interesting so far. It's refreshing after a long year of US Presidents, the Civil War, and that awful American Pageant textbook. (Have fun with that, Tay!) Lots of friends in this class like Caroline, Katie, Connie, Demi, Brad and Wayne. Should be a good way to kick start the day.

2nd Period: Theatre Tech

Yes, you read that correctly. I am enrolled in theatre tech. After a conflict with my Electronic Media class (that I was really excited about..) I ended up here. Luckily I'm with my friends Tess, Morgan, and Mackenzie so we'll stick it out together.

3rd Period: Yearbook

Same time as last year. I'm with Lana! Thank goodness. At first I was disappointed to see all of my friends from last year's staff (other than Lana) in the other class, but I'm trying to look at it in a positive light with getting to know the other staff members.

4th Period: AP Environmental Science

Could be a toughy. In fact, I'll say this will be a toughy. Science just never fails to be challenging. But the teacher seems to be passionate about her subject, which is a nice change from my situation last year...

5th Period: AP English Literature & Composition

I'll be honest. When it comes to English, I am without a doubt a writer and not a reader. But instead of having a total panic attack (okay, I already did that the first day..) I'm going to see it as a challenge and hopefully by the end of the year be able to say that I am more of a writer but somewhat of a reader as well. Hopefully.

B Lunch! That'll be my 3rd year to be in the late lunch. I have lots of friends in there and the majority of the senior class is in there. Another perk is only having one class period after lunch before I head to cheerleading practice.

That last class is..

6th Period: Calculus AB AP

I can already tell that my teacher, Mr. Harter, will measure up to my other math teachers so far. Every year, I have had outstanding teachers including my all-time favorite teacher--Mrs. Smith from last year's pre-cal course.

Yes, it's a lot. And with war week underway, cheer has been a big priority as well. More on that later...I've got Econ in 9 hours. Off to bed.

BOSS: Beware of Sassy Seniors

This year will be a lot of lasts. And tomorrow (or today rather) kicks it off with my last first day of school with all of the exciting (or not so exciting) things that it entails like a new schedule, new teachers, new supplies, and some new clothes.

So here I come, high school, for one last year. Let's make it a good one.

Light For La Ces Almost College

If you're music library has been anything like mine lately, it's been dry. And in my book, listening to a song for the 154th time is just about the cruelest form of punishment. Tonight, I fixed that problem and am here to assist any of you in the same rut.

Light At the End of the Tunnel ::: The Bloodsugars

Dirty Talk / Club Can't Handle Me Remix ::: Metamorphosis

Bring Night ::: Sia

Feeling a Moment ::: Feeder

For Blue Skies ::: Strays Don't Sleep (a Lana favorite)

Street Map ::: Athlete

The Good Kind ::: The Wreckers

Old Man Chicago ::: Alberta Cross

Roadway Hymn ::: La Rocca

La La La ::: Auburn Fr. Iyaz

She Said ::: Stephen Jerzak feat. Leighton Meester

You Lost Me ::: Christina Aguilera

Feel This ::: Bethany Joy Galeotti feat. Enation

Jar of Hearts ::: Christina Perri

Letting Go ::: Sean Kingston feat. Nicki Minaj (Nicki is poppin' up like ALL over the place)

Massive Attack ::: Nicki Minaj (see!) feat. Sean Garrett

Ces bottes sont faites pour marcher ::: Eileen

Right Above It ::: Lil Wayne feat. Drake

Valentino ::: Diane Birch

Oh, Death! ::: Pearl and the Beard

Twenty-Two & Amost Everything ::: Wakey!Wakey!

I Hate College (Remix) ::: Samuel Adams

No One's Gonna Love You ::: Band of Horses

No Intention ::: Dirty Projectors

The Ghost Inside ::: Broken Bells

Little Lion Man ::: Mumford & Sons

And for your listening convenience, here is every single track for you to decide whether it belongs in your music library or not.

The other day Lana told me that all her good music comes from me and I took that as a very big compliment. All it takes is a little time and some searching. Kinda like shopping! I did some of that today also. More on that later...

Round II of Random Ramblings

I spent my day collecting various school necessities. My mom and I hit up Costco stocking up for the oh-so-wonderful sacked lunches. Mmm how I love having the same lunch 5 days of the week.

Next stop was Office Max to beat the crowds on the first day of school. (Though I'm sure we will have to return because some stubborn teacher will insist upon a three-ring-binder that is 1.5" with only a right-sided pocket preferrably in a shade of orange with an intricate cover designed for the front blah blah blah..)

In any event, summer is over. As of 3 o'clock tomorrow all that's left is a regular 2 day weekend before I enter another 9 months of notes, exams, and 6:30 am wake up calls.

Okay, so I don't really have a brown sack for my lunch.

When I visited NYC in April, I bought this convenient

bag from Bloomingdales that prevents those embarrassing

bag rips in the hallway where your apple, goldfish, and

pbj end up all over the aqua hall. Yeah, not okay.

Now to veer away from that somber note, I'm going to blab about what's been on my mind for the last week of summer other than the ticking time bomb reminding me of the approaching school days.

I have yet to come up with a first day outfit. TRAGIC, I know. And do not snicker at the thought of a senior in high school still stressing over this frivolous matter. If you've really been reading BOD, you'd know that having a cute outfit at school is the only thing that gets me through those seven long periods.

I've watched 125 episodes of One Tree Hill this summer. I can't decide whether this is something to brag about or not. But let's talk about Austin Nichols...I approve, Sophia. Chad's kinda a cheddar cheese ball anyway. Such an upgrade.

-Here are Sophia and Austin in all their Brooke and Julian glory.

Only OTH viewers will understand.

Aren't onscreen offscreen romances the best?

I met a new girl coming to MHS tonight. Her name's Shannon and this will be her fourth high school to attend. Yes, that means she has gone to a different school every year. But here's the real jaw dropper: she enjoys it. Props, Shan. We're happy you get to finish as a Memorial Mustang. I think you will be too.

Memorial moms and dads are starting to scramble over senior ads. Makenna and I spent a good 45 minutes struggling with the text for our ad together.

This is how far we got: [insert really cheesy friendship quote]

Hungry? Go get the Southwest Salad at Central Market. You won't regret it.

New favorite phrase: "I'm so Dunzo Washington with this." Genius, Macy Livingston.

Ceci and Ana made a visit to The American Girl place in Dallas. They inherited my Molly and Samantha (who was originally Erin's) dolls. They even have their own hair salon.

They must have gotten that idea from me when I made a failed attempt to highlight Molly's hair by shampooing it and wrapping it aluminum fail. EPIC FAIL.

Yearbook camp was many things all at once. Stressful, hilarious, thought-provoking, interesting, and just a lot. I guess that's a preview of the year ahead for the Reata staff. Which by the way, I love every new member for this year so let's hear it for fun-filled late nights.

Lately the buzz has been all about "Pretty Little Liars". I had my hesitations when I heard it airs on ABC Family. Watched the pilot and was unimpressed, but Makenna begs to differ. I'm still on the fence.

Fish Camp is Saturday. Already met a bunch of the girls and they couldn't be cuter. Some of them I felt like I had known for years. Cannot wait for Freshmen Young Life.

This website made my eyes light up. I even set the home page design as my phone background.

Should I set up a group to go to the Dave Matthews Band concert in September? I have trouble with decision making...ask my mother.

Now if this isn't the best cheer squad Memorial has ever seen...

Parlez vous gossip?

Sacre Blair!

Boys du jour!

Girls à la carte!

Dan au pair!

Vive le Chuck!

Oh Mon Dieu! September 13th shall be a wonderful day.

I wish you all pleasant weekends. And fair warning to all of you shoppers...it's tax free weekend. But don't hop out of your chair too soon. Only purchases under $100. Total cop-out if you ask me.

Look At Me Now

I'm surprised at myself that I have yet to mention LOOKBOOK.nu anywhere on my blog. If you click on the link, you'll get the gist: guest posters plastering their outfits all over the place for those that care.

Now that that problem's solved, allow me to introduce their newest member:

Many a fashion blogger have zero hesitations when it comes to uploading photo after photo of themselves in their daily apparel. I, however, don't have nearly the time, energy, or ability to do so without feeling a bit on the "look at my outfits, don't I rock really hard?" side.

So, I think I'll leave that side of me for lookbook. That's what it's there for, right? It's an invitation only site--and lucky for me Anna Wintour was able to grant me access into what's basically considered the VIP scene for undiscovered fashion icons. Okay, I lie. Bottom line is I was able to squeeze my seventeen-year-old cheerleader self on there somehow crammed in between model after model after really artistic European crazy-good photographers.

Nothing wrong with standing out, right?

Allow me to give you a little tutorial on how this works so that 1) my blog has a somewhat educational purpose and 2) you know how to make me look super popular in the LB world.

------------------------------------------------------------------LBtutorial

My page is lookbook.nu/mollybridget

Visit it every hour on the hour.

LOOKBOOK's button = Facebook's button...a way to share your inspiration or admiration for a look for you lazy folks too lazy to comment (and yes, I'm talking to all of you bimbos who read my blog and have never once left a comment! Don't think I don't know who you are. And for the record, you totally don't need a blog or anything to leave a comment.)

Once you've clicked on the look, a whole new world of possibilities comes to life...

Scroll over the look if you're the copycat type and want to buy something yourself.

Scroll to the very very bottom to post a comment. You must connect through one of the following mediums:

And if you have a blog of your own or a facebook (if you have a facebook, ha!) you can spread the inspiration to others in the bottom right hand corner hotlink box.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That'll be all for tonight as I must get my beauty rest for an eventful day tomorrow.

On the agenda: community service hours with Lana, cheerleading practice in the blistering sun, and Alexandra's roller rink 70s birthday party. Happy Birthday, Biggs! Love you.

mb (i left out the "xo." on purpose. it's annoying and overused and i probably wouldn't hug and/or kiss all of you. so that's that.)

Cooking & College

I just woke up. It's 2:15 pm here, and considering the fact that I would normally be in 7th period at this point during the school year, I may need to start getting back into the swing of things. But knowing myself, I'll continue turning the lights out at 4am and sleeping as late as possible.

I actually have a legitimate explanation for my abnormal sleeping schedule last night. Makenna and I spent six hours working on our college applications. I bounced back and forth between ApplyTexas and the Common App. I swear if I have to type up my mom's graduation year, my senior year courseload, or a description of my duties on Student Council, I may throw this computer out of my window.

And just when I thought I'd nailed all my essays, all the "Supplement Applications" surprise you with cute [insert sarcastic tone] little questions like "Explain your values, goals and interests in less than 180 words." Well, gee, thank you for being so SPECIFIC!

I will say that Makenna and I got plenty of laughs from a combination of all those redundant questions that the admissions board is highly unlikely to read in the first place, our silly nature in general, and our deliriousness from being up until 3 the night before from our cooking extravaganza.

I guess you could say we've been ambitious lately. After searching through the McConn family favorite cook book America's Test Kitchen, we landed upon some recipes we wanted to cook for ourselves that evening. Little did we know what we were getting ourselves into.

We prepared breaded chicken breasts, caprese salad, oven-baked mac'n'cheese, and s'mores. Simple, right? Um, NOT so much. Over 3 hours and 45 dirty dishes later, we were finally able to sit down to our meal. We all concurred, however, that the hard work was rewarded in the end. Tess, Makenna, and I were quite satisfied with our homemade meal, and felt rather accomplished I might add.

[image courtesy of Life in Graz]

I will stop to say thank you to my mom (and all other moms that put dinner on the table nightly) because it's freakin' hard, stressful, and my back kinda hurt after (not even kidding).

We made a pact to do this on a monthly basis with several hopes in mind. One of which is to prepare ourselves for the college life-on-your-own lifestyle. We're thinking that some homestyle cookin' instead of a run to the local drive-in will prevent us from encountering the dreaded freshmen fifteen. I'll have none of that thank you very much.

So, that's how I spent my weekend. Hope yours was just as exciting minus all the dirty dishes and plus a few hours of sleep.

xo.

mb

Back to School, Back in Style

[images courtesy of theSkinny blog, ASOS, yesstyle, Topshop, Sketchers, Mango KeeptheBeat Blog & Amy Rizo-Patron]

As August approaches, there are two kinds of stores that began to get fresh inventories ready for floods of school-ready (or not ready like me) students. This is the clothing stores (my favorite) and the school supply stores, which is a close second. I have found that I am not the only kid that gets that mini high from the feeling of a fresh spiral paired with the perfect pack of pens to do your first assignment with. I assure you that this high fades quickly. If you have a tip to make it last until May, please let me know.

When I was younger, the big back to school purchase was a new pair of tennis shoes. Mostly because you would've grown out of the old ones by this time. My nieces Ceci and Ana already got their fresh new tennies. And trust me, they don't lack in sparkles or lights. Check these bad boys out. (And don't worry, they have lights when you walk.. naturally.)

Now at age seventeen I don't need a new pair of sneakers. But I do need to make the transition from spaghetti straps and sandals to blouses and boots. While the weather isn't quite warm-wardrobe ready, the school dress code summons longer sleeves, blue jeans, and skirts in lieu of the summer denim cutoffs I've been sporting all season. I've been doing some online research before actually heading out to the stores myself. Here's what catches my eye.

Denim is a school staple. This year this all-American fabric can be seen in shoes (aren't those studded ones adorable?), shirts, dresses (like that acid wash one) and playsuits. If you're feeling bold, mixing different washes like above can be absolutely adorable and make you feel like a bit of a denim daredevil.
I think we're all sick of seeing birds, feathers, and peace signs on our accessories. Am I right ladies? I thought this binocular ring from Topshop was a neat piece to have. I have always been lazy with wearing rings and I'm trying to fix this bad habit. Another graphic I'm loving is bicycles. (As mentioned in my "Newly Hung In My Closet" sidebar which I plan to update regularly). I purchased a bike print skirt in Austria and I'm in love. I can pull off biker chick right?

These flats appeal to me for a few reasons. They look extra comfy which helps when trying to get through a seven hour school day. They can go with just about anything. Anything being any outfit and any season. Plus, the text graphic adds a different flair than the typical bow, studs, or beading.

I've always been a fan of lace and ruffles. So that makes me a big fan of this dress. Now if only I had her legs, tan, boyfriend, and European lifestyle. I think that comes with the dress if you pay an extra fee. :)

If you ask me, you can never own too many white shirts. Just ask my mom. She could open her own blouse shop, but I shouldn't complain since I never cease to steal them (I mean politely borrow and return without any makeup stains..). So make sure you stock your closet with at least one or two properly fitting white blouses. This is one of those "I can totally splurge on this cause I'll wear it over and over again" items. And if you're feeling festive, invest in a fun blouse like those above that you won't find in any of your friend's closets.

Here's my philosophy on shades: don't waste your money buying the expensive ones. You will lose them and you will hate yourself and you will be forever afraid to purchase those Raybans again. So before you go through that dreaded process, let me save you the trouble. Go to a vintage or resale shop and find a pair of unique shades like this fabulous red pair (one of my favorites is my black wayfarers I got as a gift with a newspaper print on them). Also purchase a simple black or tortoise shell print. Now you have 2 pair and you can set yourself apart from all those who fell for those $150 pair.

Carolyn and I pretty much fall in love with any item of clothing if it contains the color coral. Pair it with whites in the summer and browns in the fall and it is sure to make anyone's mood brighten. Especially when you're as cute as my darling little nieces on their summer vacation to Seaside...

So here is evidence of my blood, sweat, and tears of labor in prep of uncovering a potential first-day-outfit. I've been peeling back the pages of my newly arrived issues of Vogue and Lucky and am feeling quite confident about the success my future shopping trips will hold. Wish me luck and be sure to stay tuned for the post unveiling the actual purchases as we near closer to August 23rd, 2010--my last first day of high school.

Happy Monday and cross your fingers that my creative juices are flowing during my yearbook camp this week!

xo.

mb

Quite the "Phenomenon"

'Member this? Well, it's been a year now and times have changed. For one, we've upgraded to the V-Squad. And my blog posts are so much more beautimous.

Now a bit of wise words: going into things with high expectations is always such a fail. And for this reason I am glad that I came into cheer camp with a bitter cynical mindset. To my sweet surprise, I am looking back at this week with fond memories. I guess the third time really is a charm.

So, let me break it down. And on that note, we "broke it down" quite a bit at UCA cheer camp. I swear they could cut a day out of this camp if they'd forego the 5 minute dance breaks every 15 minutes. But every cheerleader has that part inside of them that can't help but get down. The only downfall is the constant radio in your head blasting Bieber's "Baby" and Far East Movement's "Like a G6."

To say the least, the 20 of us (plus two all star mascots) have been working our little butts off to be prepped for camp. With the help of our coach we had two-a-days (that's right football boys, you're not the only ones slavin' away) the week before to work on stunting.

So here I was embarking on round three of camp. I knew exactly what I was getting myself into--for better or for worse--and all I thought about as I packed was the dripping sweat, subpar meals, and constant go-go-go routine. The laughter, late night chats, and mocking all the other teams seemed to slip my mind. I forgot how horribly wonderful cheer camp can be.

Things to Cheer About:

• Stealing JV's puppy chow
• Shannon's Tendencies (ahem, if you know what I mean)
• Hanging out with my sistas Rachel & Laurie LaLa
• Being called Molly Yaya constantly by Laurie LaLa
• Getting the royal honor of an All-American cheerleader with Rach, Liz, and Shans. LONDON 2010 LADIES!
• The shrinking chip "phenomenon"
• Tay bustin' a rhyme
• Shannon and I reminiscing the the dark ages of our Discover Gymnastics days
• The boys' dance after the jump off. I have even higher hopes for our pep rallies now.
• The many late night talks
• Caro's booty shaking that only Lexi & I were fortunate enough to witness
• Remembering how much I adore Meg Carrigan
• Laughing to the point of tears daily
• Meeting a girl named Cookie
• 1st place in extreme routine and cheer for co-ed plus the leadership award--we're still searching for the "just kidding" written on the back of that last one

Things to Sneer About:

• The Senior Social...Seniority is still alive and well where I come from
• The constant bickering about our squad from other teams. I'm sorry our outfits were cuter than yours.
• My co-cap Aubs getting injured
• How depressing it was that the measly ab workout was actually a bit of a struggle
• The most superficial gift giving at the crack of dawn every morning. Nobody I know chows down on Ring Pops at 8AM.
• The garters, diamond rings, and really bad highlights
• The fact that I was unaware College Station has climate similar to the Sahara Desert
• Softest water ever

Dog pilin' it together on the first night

Piggy Backs (Me & Caroline, Liz & Josephine)

Walking to the A&M Rec.. making sure we document EVERY second

Heaven forbid we take naps by ourselves

Note the baby hot pink mustang on back

Love you, Lex!

JV Co Captains from this year and last. Describes us to a tee.

"That was ... good" -Rachel Moody

Aubs pulling her lib

Rock with the red

& Roll with the White

This one's for you Grandpa Jo!

Club UCA

All American Cheerleaders.. DANA IS SO PROUD

Cheer partners in crime for 3 years strong.

Varsity Cheer 2011. SO excited for this year!

Captains (from left to right): Game Day Captains Shannon Hoyt & Barrett Von Blon, Head Captains Aubrey Kirkpatrick & Travis Clayton, Pep Rally Captains Me & Del Mixon

Kelly Taylor and Taylor Maloney are two of my best friends who I would never have gotten as close to if it weren't for cheerleading and I owe it especially to cheer camp. I'm convinced that the primary purpose of our presence there is for team bonding. Yes, cheesy, but so important nonetheless. Believe me, MHS couldn't care less (unintentional rhyming although all the cheers are rubbing off..!) about the extreme routine. So I hope that this year has the same in store. Something tells me I will be seeing a whole lot of these people the next 9 months so shoot it's a good thing I love every one of them. Go mustangs!

xo.

mb