A Gold Dress and Golden Opportunities

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It’s been a while since I’ve last spoken to you all and kept you updated on what’s been going on in my life so I’m going to take this post to cover just that. I can’t say that too much has changed but there are a couple things worth mentioning.

In late July I started my first job working as a cashier working at a local pizza place. I loved it when I first started working and I’m still loving it now. I’ve always been the kind of girl who preferred to be doing work over sitting at home doing nothing productive (although I’ve admittedly slept in till noon all this thanksgiving break; been a while since I’ve been able to do so). Through the time I’ve been working I’ve become really close friends with all of the other teenagers that work there and it can be a lot of fun since my job has a pretty laid back attitude about it.Another positive side is that most nights I do pretty well in tips on top of my usual pay. The only true downside to my job would be cleaning the bathrooms, you won’t believe some of the horror stories I’ve experienced trying to get those stalls looking nice. Don’t worry though, I’ll spare you some of those stories so I won’t strip you of your goodnight’s sleep. All in all though, it has been an amazing experience and I wouldn’t give that or the people I’ve met up for anything.

School wise not much has changed. I’m still taking honors and AP classes as well as my usual show choir class. I will say that some of my AP classes have been obstacles at times but none have been a greater obstacle than taking on a leadership position in show choir. I’ll just leave it at it’s hard being at the top no matter what method of leadership you use because it’ll never agree with everyone. I’ve had a hard time accepting that because I like to make sure that everyone is happy but I’ve come to find that that won’t always be the case. I still love the class, don’t get me wrong. I can never give up singing and dancing no matter how hard it gets, it’s just something that truly appeals to me and makes me happy. It’s hard to tell me that you would pass up the ability to perform to an 80’s hits medley if you were given the chance.

I’m going to stop rambling about my personal life now and tell you a bit about my homecoming outfit because it’s too good to not tell. I found everything I needed (really just the shoes and the dress) in one shopping day. My mom pulled out this gold dress out of the clearance section at Charlotte Russe and we both pretty much died instantly at the sight of the dress. We had multiple options in our head already but we decided to get the dress anyways because it said it was only $15, I wasn’t about to leave it for that price. When we went to check out the lady had told us it was marked down further to $5.90! I’m sorry but this was basically a steal! Our next priority then became searching for shoes in which we found a nice pair of gold heals at the JCPenny clearance section for $15. What I’m basically saying is yes, I did get a dress and shoes for homecoming for less than $25. I’m not gonna lie, I was a happy girl that day. Not only did I save a lot of money, but I felt like I was walking down the red carpet everywhere I went while at homecoming (it was far from the red carpet, it was more like a sweaty gym but you get where I’m coming from). In all I had an amazing night of just dancing and singing “Wrecking Ball” at the top of my lungs with my friends and ending the night with a sleepover that consisted of watching Legally Blonde and Clueless. Definitely a night to remember, now I just gotta wait for Prom to come around!

 

Teen Fashion: Quinceañera Fit for a Queen

quinceanera teen fashion blog damas

quinceanera teen fashion blog damas

quinceanera teen fashion blog damas

Last year in the beginning of my 9th grade school year, one of my friends came to me with the idea about how she was going to have a quinceañera. I thought it was an awesome idea and that it would be great for her to have one. Moments later she then asked me to be one of her damas. Damas are pretty much the bridesmaids of the quinceañera. I was super stoked to be one. She talked about it all year and threw out some ideas. She started having some gatherings at her house so that her and all the damas could plan on the dance and the dresses we had to wear. We originally were supposed to find dates but none of us could find a date or keep a date in time for the party, so she cancelled having dates. The only person who found a date in time was the birthday girl herself which was great and needed anyways.

Two weeks before the party we started meeting up every day to learn the dance. It is tradition that at a quinceañera the damas and the birthday girl do a dance with their dates, in this case we had to do it without dates. Coming up with a good dance was sort of difficult because we all had our own opinions and some of us could and couldn’t pick up certain moves. Also it was hard to teach everybody the dance because not everybody would be at each rehearsal so we would have to go back and teach the people who weren’t there the day before. I will admit that it was pretty fun learning the dance. During our breaks we would play games like hide and go seek, we even made a Harlem Shake video just for fun.

Since I was a dama, that meant I had a very specific dress code to go under. All the damas have to look the same, so that meant wearing the same dress. We all wore a white dress that was one sleeved and had a gold piece that served as the one sleeve and had gold and silver embellishments on it. It was a fairly simple dress so it wasn’t very hard to style. We also had to wear gold, white, or silver shoes with the dresses. We were only supposed to wear minimal jewelry, which was simple silver or gold earrings. We had to have our hair up in some sort of bun, I decided to go with a messy bun to style it a bit differently. Makeup was very simple, but we had to wear a bold red lip stick color. All the damas looked great because we all made sure to stay within the dress code and we ended up looking amazing together and matched the birthday girl’s dress very well.

It came to the time of the party and all the damas were pretty nervous about the dance. I mean it’s not often you stand in front of a bunch of people and bust out your moves for their entertainment, at least not often for me. Before we got to the party we made sure to take some pictures of all the damas and the birthday girl. The first set of pictures were taken by mom because she insisted on it, I think she wanted the practice. The next round of pictures were taken by the birthday girl’s mom, we drove to some water fountains and took some nice pictures there. The next stop was the party and I was sort of freaking out and making sure I remembered the dance because I was the one who had to lead everyone into the dance, it was sort of scary for me. We got there and came in to the building in an orderly fashion. The DJ announced that birthday girl had just walked into the building and everyone started clapping. The birthday girl and the damas were seated in their own table at the front of the room, kind of like the king and queens.

quinceanera teen fashion blog damas

Just moments after sitting down we were rushed onto the floor so that we could do our dance. We had some troubles at first because the DJ started too early and he couldn’t hear us when we were telling him to rewind the song, this caused me to freak out a bit more. The track then started and I walked out and started dancing and the girls came after one by one. The dance went so smoothly and well by what I could see. Everyone seemed to remember each part and there was no trouble! That was a huge load off my shoulders. The rest of the night consisted of me rapping to “Can’t hold us”, dancing the Gangnam Style, the Cupid Shuffle, and the Electric Slide. Also they played some hispanic music to which I dance with my parents (remembering how we used to dance back in Puerto Rico). I also made sure to teach a few moves to my friends while I was at it.

quinceanera teen fashion blog damas

In all I would have to say that I did have a lot of fun. I had fun being able to hang out with my friends and just have fun and let loose. We all were dancing and smiling, I would say we all had fun. I’m mostly happy that I was able to be there for my friend on her birthday because you only turn 15 once. I would have to say that my first quinceañera was a success and I hope to be attending more in the future!

 

 

 

For the Love of Fashion Series: A Valentine’s Day Blueprint for Singles

Valentine's Day for Singles teen fashion blog

My friends and I ready to go on our mall scavenger hunt

Valentine’s Day is all about love, a day where you give that one person all your devoted attention. The thing is some people don’t have that special someone and tend to spend it alone. I usually spend Valentine’s Day at home with my family. I don’t dread Valentine’s Day like some singles do, but then again I have never looked forward to it either. Some of my single friends look at couples at school and think that they want something similar, they want a guy to show them that he truly likes them and that is how they end up feeling bad for themselves.

The reason I decided to do this post is because I want to give those of you who are single an idea of what to do that day. Some girls take that day to feel pity for themselves and just wallow in their sorrow rather than going out and doing something they may love. I love hanging out with my friends and family so I try to spend time with them that day and take my mind off anything that may be a downer. Below some ideas to get your mind off the whole Valentine’s Day sorrow.

Movie and Dinner Date

You don’t need a boy to go out to the movies. Get your friends together and go catch a movie. Don’t go for the cliché romantic movies, instead watch a horror movie or a comedy. I bet that horror movie is going to get your mind off your single status for good. Go to your favorite restaurant afterwards and plan your next hang out. The important thing is to have a plan so the conversation won’t end on the usual I feel bad for myself because I don’t have a boyfriend. Maybe agree to appoint a person that will be in charge of redirecting the topic of conversation if the conversation is turning gloomy.

Do a Hobby

For those of you who have hobbies, go ahead and do them that day! If you like to do a certain activity, go out and do it! Get a group together and go out to your favorite athletic park and play your favorite sport. I know shopping makes me really happy, so instead of sitting at home eating a tub of ice cream and watching the Twilight movies I’m out getting myself some new clothes.

Throw a Party

If you like to party, throw a small party for you and some of your closest friends, or even throw a slumber party.  Make it a theme party to make it even more fun, like a costume, spa, video game, baking party or a mall scavenger hunt. I did a mall scavenger hunt for my 13th birthday and we had a blast! You can even do a clothes swapping party to get “new” pieces for your wardrobe. They are not new clothes but they are new to you. 🙂

Lend a Hand

Help others! Go and volunteer with a non-profit organization like an animal shelter or a soup kitchen. I can tell you that the times I have volunteered I have always felt extremely happy. The joy about giving to others is the best gift you can receive.

Love Thy Self

One of the advantages of being single is that the money that you would have spent on that person you get to save or spend on yourself so why not go for a makeover? It can be as simple as getting a haircut or having your nails done. Go to the makeup counter of your favorite department store and have them do your makeup. All it takes is buying something simple like a lip gloss in most cases. Go get that special nail polish you have kept an eye on or that pair of shoes that you have waited months to get. It’s all about loving yourself! You can’t love others if you don’t love yourself first.

Feed your Brain

Read a book, find a book club or enroll in a class. Learn scrap booking to put together all your fancy high school memories, a jewelry making class, a painting class, or a dance class. The sky is the limit! Last year I took a cake decorating class at Michael’s and it was a lot of fun. When I learn something new I feel accomplished. It is always a self-esteem booster.

Whatever you find joy in, do it! Don’t sit around feeling bad for yourself and ruin your day. Every day is worth living, live it to the fullest. I try to remember these words every Valentine’s Day and it always works out for me. At the end of the day I always end up with a smile on my face.