A great summer is coming to an end...

Hey! This is my first blog post in months... So much has changed between now and then. This whole summer has been absolutely amazing and I am so thankful for my family, the new friends I have made and the old friends I have grown closer to. I have been so incredibly busy all summer but it is nice to finally relax for a few days and return to my roots in my hometown.

Going home after college is probably one of the most incredible experiences. To be cliche, you don't know what you have till it's gone. Every time I come home the mountains seem a little bit larger, the sand and palm trees all the more beautiful. Mixed feelings of nostalgia and relief run through my head; on one hand, I miss the naiveté of childhood, but on the other hand I am proud of my accomplishments and am excited to move on to bigger and better things. It is so comforting to know that home is always there waiting for me...

Living in Los Angeles this summer was everything I could hope for and more. There is so much diversity and opportunity in LA- I don't think I will ever tire of its energy. I have grown a new love for Santa Monica; its hippie vibe, fresh air and quaint shops have stolen my heart. Brandy and I took a long bike ride one day and I literally could not smiling; everything was absolutely perfect. This summer has changed me for the better. I feel like I have grown so much over the few short months and I am eager to bring this new attitude with me to Chicago.

Inevitably, summer is winding down and the ladies of the kitten shack are getting excited for next year's festivities (Manda even bought a kitten calendar)! Lauren is probably editing my post for grammatical errors but honestly I don't care enough to be that meticulous so I apologize in advance :P. Today was a fabulous day and the next few weeks will be extremely busy but also fabulous!

I hope everyone is having a great summer! Feel free to message me if we need to catch up!

Sending my love,

CB

Do you ever just fall in love with life?!

Hello readers!

It is 1:02 in the morning and I currently have so much energy I need some way to release it!

Today was such a fabulous day! I finally had a chance to relax after such a hectic week. Manda and I cuddled while watching That 70's Show and drinking hot chocolate... Classy, right?! We seriously had the best time, and I have such a huge crush on Ashton Kutcher. I have a thing for tall, silly guys. And he is just beautiful. Our night also included having a discussion about Manda's beautiful pony hair and how it reflects rainbows as it sways in the wind.

After staring at Ashton for a solid 40 minutes, Lauren, Manda, and I proceeded to show off our friends from home on facebook. Looking through old pictures was such a touching experience-- I am so blessed to have so many good people in my life! It is crazy to think how the times have changed, and how we are all such different people in such different places. I cannot think about time too much or else I will become depressed... "Time of your life" will make me cry, and it deeply saddens me that we will never be able to relive any of the cherished moments in the past. But I suppose we learn to then make every moment special. :)

On another note, thank God it's Friday! This weekend will be a blast, filled with tailgates, food with my awesome temp big, a ZTA sleepover, a day at the beach, and all of the other wonderful happenings that have yet to be discovered. I am so excited to wear shorts tomorrow and wake up to "Here comes the sun" as Manda and I dance around our room! I may even buy some Jamba Juice- who knows what the day will bring!

Considering I have gotten very little sleep this week, I should probably wrap things up and head to bed. I am currently in love with the world and am in a state of peace. Tonight I give thanks to some of the small things that make me smile: royal wedding parties, hot tubs, late night taco runs, and Lauren and Spencer's harmonious "meow."

Here is one final picture of one of my best friends, Sam, a girl I am proud to call my sister. This was taken almost four years ago, yet I can still remember our happiness as we would bounce around the quad during lunch and visit all of our friends.

Smile. The world is ours. :)

Carla Bess

We live in a truly wonderful world...

This weekend was honestly one of the best weekends of my life. I had about a million epiphanies where I realized how truly blessed I am and how amazing life can be. It is so true that we often become so distracted by negative aspects of our lives, by insignificant facts, by daily tasks and routine that we forget about the small moments of beauty that flash before us.

This sad realization is why I am the overly enthusiastic, optimistic person that I am. I become extremely excited over Jamba Juice, decorative pillows, small animals, sunshine, and about a million other little things that make me happy because I try my hardest to appreciate the small details that make up my days, months, and years... Every detail is significant and should be acknowledged and appreciated. This is a mindset that I live by.

In short, my weekend was filled with amazing friends, great music, dancing, and of course lots of laughing. On Friday my friends and I explored the Northwestern frat scene until the wee hours of the morning. On Saturday we went downtown for an awesome show featuring electronic/funk/jazz music at a neat little venue. Sunday was GORGEOUS. We laid out at the lake fill for hours while doing homework and relaxing, and made friends with a beautiful Australian Shepherd along the way.

As the clouds finally drifted across the sun around 4:00, I laid on Manda's quilt alone, staring off into Lake Michigan. Cyclists rode along the paved path, mother and son walked hand in hand, friends gathered for pictures along the shore. Grass twisted between my toes while a breeze gently tossed my hair to the side, Jack Johnson singing sweetly in the background. I was at complete peace. No one and nothing could take away this moment.

I could not ask to be in a better place.

Carla Bess

Happy Hump Day!

Hello there!

Today was a fabulous day! Spring is in the air, the sun is out longer, and everything about this quarter is just positive and fun! Being the first week of classes, my work load is really light, so I have been taking advantage of the 45 degree weather and am being as productive as possible!

Classes were short today (no lab), so I had chemistry and math as usual, and was free by 1:00! I had lunch with my wonderful friend Violet, and then did some studying before watching an episode of Desperate Housewives (a new addiction, but not as good as Friends). I then went with my friend Ari to play tennis! What an adventure that was!


The ladies of Desperate Housewives.

We walked 20 minutes to the courts to find that they were locked. We were persistent though and refused to give up. Ari and I squeezed through the fence and played alongside three boys for about an hour. It was an off day for me, but I was so excited just to get back on the courts!

After we finished playing, we remembered that the 20 foot gates were locked, and we couldn't squeeze through as we did before. Ari hopped the fence in no time, but of course I was terrified and thought I was going to die. All four boys helped me up, and we used a trash can as a stepping stone on the way down. It took about 20 minutes and about 100 "FUCKs" in order to hop it, but I am alive! I only have minor bruising and scratches!


Yes, Nadal, I will marry you. We can eat watermelon on Las Ramblas and love Salvador Dali together.

Next, Manda, Lauren and I all went to dinner and had Mediterranean chicken: my favorite! I literally sat on the floor in front of the fireplace to embrace the heat while drinking my refreshing sprite. Lauren was adorable as ever with Spencer- I swear they are the same person. Actually they are both at Taco Bell as I speak!

After dinner, the real adventure began. Manda, Lauren, and I all went to bikram yoga for the first time. It was amazing! We have never sweat so much in our lives! The instructor was seriously albino and reminded Manda of Silas from The Da Vinci Code. He takes his job really seriously and let us know that this was "no Mickey Mouse yoga." We saw a lot of naked women in the changing rooms which was a surprise, but a lot of them have tattoos so they are automatically cool. Manda and I are going to make this a weekly event!


Our bikram yoga instructor, for real.

Now it is time to wind down and prepare for a night of sleep in my super comfy bed. Tomorrow will be hectic but I have time for a coffee break so I will survive!

Stay classy,

Carla Bess

Reflections on a cloudy day...

Today is the second day of the quarter and I have a bit of time to relax until my next class. It was sunny and beautiful this morning, but now the clouds are hiding the sun and a feeling of calm and relaxation has swept over campus.

My day started with chemistry, where we began learning about strong and weak acids and bases. Part of the discussion included the chemistry of blood... Very slight changes in pH can seriously harm the body, and changes in pH of .4 can actually kill... The body is so delicate. I could not help but marvel at the fact that every small detail on this earth is so perfectly fashioned.


In honor of chemistry, here is some polymer porn found on reddit.

After class, my good friend Adrienne and I went to lunch for some tasty pasta. We ended up eating with my friend Jeff and a new friend, Jackson, and had an awesome time. We had normal small talk as well as hilariously disturbing stories of people we knew and their significant others. One girl we discussed was 13 when she started dating a 21 year old! How nasty! We all came to the conclusion that despite how normal people seem, you can never really know a person and the dark secrets and histories they have... I wonder how many of my friends have weird fetishes...

I must get going! It was lovely checking in. As you can tell, I am in a calm, mischievous mood and I will need to make some coffee before my next two classes in order to stay awake. But first, a shout out to my wonderful brother and his cheetah print body pillow.

xoxo

Happy Monday! Long time no talk! Time to catch up!

Here is a picture of a pregnant woman holding a watermelon and a gun.

Hello world!

Sorry for the huge delay. Life has changed tremendously since we last spoke. Let me give you the basics on why life is so hectic!

First, I am a student at Northwestern University. I love it here! It is hard being away from my lovely family but the memorizes and experiences are priceless. I am currently sitting with two of my best friends, Manda (current/future roomie) and Lauren (future roomie). We already have our apartment for next year! We found it through our landlord Phil who we constantly tease/ threaten/ we're best friends. Old men like to creep on us. It's a blessing and a curse. On the bright side, we have a sick apartment for next year and we are going to get a puppy! Yeah for small animals!



Here is a picture of my beautiful school!

I am swamped with classes [MENU is the death of me], work, the newspaper, and student government. I love keeping busy! We all just got back from a week of heaven, aka spring break. I had an amazing time tanning, playing tennis, relaxing with family, and eating pounds upon pounds of fro yo. Yes, fro yo. So Cal is my kingdom! I can't wait to move back to LA when I'm done with school!

Lauren is now playing Vienna. We just hang out most nights, but when we feel flirty, we have panty parties in our room. Panty parties consist of us blasting music while dancing around in skimpy Victoria's secret attire. We love VS! Sometimes our friend Andy walks in and it's awkward but we just laugh and kick him out of the room.

Since we last spoke months ago, a lot has changed. Nick and I unfortunately broke up, but I suppose it's time to move on! I am addicted to reddit and I giggle at the posts daily. Also, I am in love with Post Secret. Lauren, Manda, and I are constantly talking about rabbit porn and dead chickens. I still talk to my best friends from home every day and drink coffee like an addict! Life is nothing short of exciting!

Here is an example of the shared secrets!

Now, I will go shower using my lovely Bali Mango soap (Bath and Body Works FTW) and cuddle in my NU sweatpants. A few boys are going to watch the Japanese version of The Ring so perhaps I will join them. Who knows what else could happen on this crazy Monday night!! Just kidding, Monday's are lame!

Until next time,

Carla Bess

My first blog!

Gooood morning! My name is Carla. I have been inspired by several sources to compose a blog (mostly pressured because I analyze absolutely everything in life), so here we go! Forgive me if I embarrass myself!

Here are a few essential things you should know about me! First, I frickin love green tea. Yup it’s delicious. Second, I have a cat named Romeo Philipe. He’s my ginger gatito and a baller for sure. Third, I am currently lovin Billy Joel. “Vienna” just about makes me cry every time I listen to it. Ok so nothing here is completely essential, but I get excited about all the little things in life, and these are my prized little things.

So this blog is just me getting excited over things most people completely overlook: the word “blossom” (my fav word), computer nerds, literary references in modern culture, cherries, incense, and people with mullets. People with mullets never get old.

I am going to Los Angeles with my boyfriend Nick, one of my old best friends, and my brother at 2:00. If my brother doesn’t finish his work, he cannot come with us. I threatened to castrate his dog if he doesn’t get his s*** together. He happens to be very possessive of his dog’s genitalia.

Anyway, this shall be an adventure! We will probably sing and dance the whole way there. And of course, make new friends with the people we drive by. Nick says I have a staring problem. This has gotten me in trouble numerous times lol but that’s another story.

Until next time!

Carla Bess