67. Yearbooks

This summer, I have spent a lot of time looking at my collection of yearbooks, which spans from when I was in the fourth grade up until two years after I graduated high school (because of my lil' bro).

Seriously, give me a stack of yearbooks - any high school's, any year, it doesn't matter, and I can occupy myself for hours. I think yearbooks ar endlessly fascinating. I love looking at the pictures, even if it is of kids that I don't even know - but by the end it certainly feels as if I know them!

When I was younger, I loved to look through my dad's high school yearbook. Hilarious! I love seeing all hairstyles and clothes from way back when (by way back when I mean circa the Civil War (haha, I'm so funny, I know)).

And when my mom got her Facebook account and started reconnecting with people from her own high school, we dragged out the ol' Garden Spot High yearbook to look at everyone. My mom - she looks lovely. Her Amish classmates ... well that's not how I would dress but whatever floats your boat, ya know?

What I did not like about yearbooks? When we actually got them in school. Call me crazy, which I am, but the stress of having to run around and get everyone to sign yours and sign everyone else's. Oy I get stressed out over the smallest things.

I grabbed this baby from Classmates.com ... when I think of old yearbooks I always think of those internet ads with a dorky girl and a football player-type that says They got married??

66. Monograms

Slap my initial(s) on anything and I'm good to go. Initial necklaces, monogrammed koozies ... I never got a shirt a la Laverne but that's OK. Maybe someday!

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Monograms are awesome because you keep your stuff from getting confused with other peoples'. Like how everyone's LLBean backpacks had their initials on them. Won't confused yours with anyone else's!

Also, it's just plain ol' adorable!

I guess there is something possessive about me. Where I have to assert ownership of my possessions? Meh. At least I'm doing it in a cute way.

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Although I think the whole monogramed car thing is going a bit far ...

65. Showtunes

What makes showtunes so irresistable? Well, maybe it's the musical theater nerd living inside of me, but I love to imagine myself an Elphaba. A Mimi. An Eponine.

Or thinking back to sitting in plush theater seats, listening to the overture and eagerly awaiting the opening of the curtains.

Or remembering the thrill of performing, of singing and dancing on stage, the thrill of becoming someone else.

There's just something about them ...

64. Disney Princesses

OK, new summer goal: get to number 100 before the summer is over! I can do it!

If you don't like Disney Princesses, I pretty much hate you. Well, if you don't like Disney in general, but this post is about da princesses. So let's get down to business. Here are a few selected gals:

Princess Jasmine:

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A. I love the movie Aladdin. B. Jasmine is h-o-t hot. Damn I wish those little outfits were in style and socially acceptable.

Ariel:

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Love her. Just love, love Ariel. She's a mermaid, which is well, awesome. She is livin' it, dood. So jeal. I want to be her. Especially because her hair looks good wet, because mine does not.

And my fave: Tinkerbell

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OK, so she's not technically a Disney princess, I know. But when I went to Disneyworld on a chorus trip (woo hoo!) in high school with four of my friends, I somehow always ended up with her when we got Disney Princess paraphanalia together. And that's where my love began. She's cute and sassy and wha-wha-whaaa (equals sexy-curvy). However, she can't talk which kind of blows.

63. Bad Music

Just as a preface, please do not be offended if you like any of this so-called bad music. After all, I like it! Right? Right?

So, I like a lot of different types of music. Oldies. Top 40. Country. So on and so on. And there's plenty of songs that I realize, well, suck. But I still like 'em. They're so bad, they're good!

Some examples:

-Lil Wayne's 'Lollipop': I believe this is the first song I recognized as "bad" but I still really, really enjoyed listening to it. As popular as Lil Wayne is, I still feel like a lot of his songs have gotten a bad rap (rep! rap? get it??) and this one is no exception.

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Call me, so I can make it juicy fo ya?

-A lot of country: I LOVE this genre. But I understand that even within this genre, there are some very tchokey songs, that I will continue to blast. For instance, "Ladies Love Country Boys" by Trace Adkins. He's also the one who sings "Honky Tonk Badonk-adonk." Yeahhh. Brad Paisley also sings some somewhat stupid songs (silly lyrics and such) but he's so adorable! How could I not love his music?!

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-Styx' "Come Sail Away", Journey's "When the Lights Go Down in the City", Reo Speedwagon's "Heard it From a Friend" etc. etc.: Oldies but goodies!! They're just fun! Well, Journey makes me all sentimental, I don't know why. (nb just watched the pilot of 'Freaks and Geeks' and love that it ends with Styx. Also that show is awesome).

-Abba: 'Nuff said. Who wants to make a pilgrimage with me next year to Sweden for the grand opening of the museum?

So, moral of the story: be proud of your favorite bad music! Let it ring from the hilltops! Unless it's Lady Gaga's 'Bad Romance' or Fergie's 'Big Girls Don't Cry'. Because that stuff is garbage. Just sayin'.

62. 3-D Clothing Embellishments

I know that sounds kind of weird, but what I'm really talking about here are just the little things that make a typical shirt or dress cute and out of the ordinary.

Basically, I'm all over a ruffle or rosette.

Exhibit A: My friend Molly and I killing time having a photoshoot waiting for friends outside of Harrah's.

Ignore the fact that my bra is visible. But check out the hint of a ruffle on the neckline! Cute, right? This is from J.Crew, one of my favorite sources for bedecked garments.





Exhibit B: Hannah and I at the July 4th Parade in D.C. this past weekend.

Photo Credit: Shelby Siegel

Ignore the fact that I look like a tool. But check out those ruffles! This is a bit more dramatic than the last look. And Hannah's got some going on as well! My top is Gap, and hers is from J.Crew.

I am incapable of just wearing a plain shirt. Let's hope the rosette trend never dies.

61. Hotel Beds

Soooo big. And soooo fluffy. And what with those standard hotel curtains that can block out pretty much any light whatsoever, I could sleep in these beds alllll day.

I love my bed at home, but hotel beds are pretty much the shit. I wonder if I moved one into my bedroom it would be the same...? Something to ponder.

I'm going away for the weekend! Unfortunately, there will be no hotel bed. But that's OK. I'm perfectly fine trading in the smooth sheets, and humongous, soft pillows, and billowy comforters, for QT with my friends in our nation's capital! And Bluebucks pancakes. And maybe a cupcake?

Wait, but this is about hotel beds. Not food. But another awesome thing about hotel beds:

The next morning, when you've slept in due to those informidable curtains, and your mom is already up and about and she buys you a lovely muffin (or maybe a crossaint) and you get to eat it sitting in the bed. Because the hotel maids will clean up the crumbs. Now that's what I'm talkin' about.