I love journalism! My life and Happy Birthday, Dad!

This is me hanging with my OPhiA sisters. Typical, crazy us!

So I haven't posted since I started this blog during winter break. That's a big social media no no, but it was the busiest semester of my college career so far! I took my first real journalism class, J 301, and even though it was beyond time consuming, I learned an amazing amount about journalism this semester. I also have fallen in love with news and info all over again, and I have decided that this is definitely where my future career will be.

I learned a lot about using multi-media components to enhance my stories, which of course I had heard of before (my Kansan editors have been encouraging me to do so for a year now!) but now that I was actually forced to use them, I'm obsessed! If asked back to the UDK's opinion section next semester, I am going to revamp The Hemline to include lots of technological and interactive components.

Today the new opinion section editor, Jonathan Shorman, introduced me to NY Times' fashion photographer Bill Cunningham's online video segment, On The Streets. Cunningham rides around NYC on his bicycle and snaps photos of fiercely dressed New Yorkers, then narrates fashion commentary over a slide show of his findings. He's an oldie, but you'd never know! His personality is bubbly, lively and fabulous, and he definitely knows fashion. Doing something like this on campus next year would be SO much fun! I just need a sweet camera. I've been saving up for one for a while now, but my savings always seem to dwindle away. Sad times.


Bill on his bike, being ADORABLE! I seriously love him.

Some journalists are worried that the end of journalism, especially print, is near. I say it's a new beginning! We must embrace what new technology allows us to do use it and give readers the opportunity to get as much out of our stories as possible. Yes, anyone can have a blog, Twitter or YouTube channel, but as journalists we have the advantage of know how to use these forms of multimedia in ways that will bring people back to newspapers.

If someday newspapers and magazines are only published online, I will certainly miss the feeling of the glossy cover of a Vogue, the perfume sample ads and newspaper ink smudges on my fingers, but think of all the trees will would be saving! Journalists, don't fear multimedia convergence, use it to your advantage.

One more final on Friday, and it's Pop Culture of the 1930s, so easy! We watched It Happened One Night with Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert this semester, LOVE IT. Everyone should see it, it's the most adorable film of all time! :)

Update on my life? My service sorority was inducted as an national chapter of Omega Phi Alpha, we had our first formal (I was formals chair) and it was a blast! I was elected VP of out chapter and I'll be an RA next year!


Me and my awesome little, Sydney, at the Alpha Kappa Chapter's Induction, being precious, of course!


Induction with a few of my lovely sisters :)


Look at the sweet stuff my big sent me!


O Phi-Ye-Ye A! Fiesta Formal! Me with Drew and Crystal with Nate.



Me and my roomie Crystal, being cute at formal! Look! I got bangs! (did them myself, haha)



Alpha pledge class activation! And the bangs need to be trimmed!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDIO! Shout out to my dad's new blog Road to Cidermill! He's gotten really into cycling lately and is training to ride in the Cider Mill Century 50 mile ride in August. Today is his birthday, and my family and his co-workers surprised him with this new bike he's been dying for! He was so suprised, heard he cried! Dad, you're too cute! He's going to train me this summer and hopefully I'll ride with KU's cycling team next semester.

Summer is going to be a blast! Possibly going to NYC with my sister and grandma in June! Fingers crossed!

Give Me S'more Snowdays!

The good news is... we had a White Christmas!

It was absolutely magical and beautiful! And Santa brought me a new car! Yay!

The bad news? It hasn't stopped snowing! It's been snowing in Kansas City since Christmas Eve! Whoa! I feel like we moved to Minnesota. No thank you!

The weather's been crazy, and although I usually love a Winter Wonderland, I am getting sick of all this snow. But, the good that's come out of it is that my sister, Chessie, got an extra week of winter break because she's had so many snowdays!

So to pass the time we've been keeping busy in the warm indoors by baking, of course!

First, we made a funfetti Christmas tree cake!

Yummm!

Next, we decided we wanted to try some more advanced baking. Chessie gave me this FABULOUS cookbook called Stud Muffins by Judi Guizado, Gilda Jimenez, Shari Hartz and Tammy Aldag. Stud Muffins has 53 creative and delectable muffin recipes like Sweet as Pumpkin Pie muffins and Ooh-La La Quiche muffins. Each recipe has a matching Stud and his steamy story. So hilarious!

The Stud we choose was Blade, the hunky outdoorsman (although a little old for us!) The recipe, Give Me S'more Muffins.

Not only was the recipe extremely easy to follow, but the muffins were HEAVENLY!

This recipe is super creative. Instead of using flour for the muffins, you just crumble graham crackers!

Add milk, an egg, honey, then fold in some chocolate chips and marshmallows. (This is one of the most delicious batters I have ever tasted!)

The best part? You top each full spot in the muffin pan with some marshmallows, which toast in the oven while the rest of the muffin bakes! SO ADORABLE! Don't they look delish?

The muffins are a little messy, but completely worth sticky fingers!

I cannot wait to try out S'more recipes from the Stud Muffin Cookbook! (haha) It's a fantastic and hilarious gift! Thanks Chess!

Also, this was my sister's very first time baking from scratch! She did a fantastic job and I'm glad I got to share this with her!

Next week, back to KU. I'm totally making muffins for the roomies! I cannot wait to go back, but I am NOT AT ALL excited to walk to class in this Arctic weather. But I'm happy to see my friends again and watch some Jayhawk Basketball! Rock Chalk!

Stay warm!

A Perfect Little Party!

I am in college, therefore I am poor!

This is my, and many of my friends, mantra, which is why we find that although we LOVE the holidays, the amount of spending can be a little scary. But we also live by another mantra:

I am in college, therefore, I LOVE to party!

So we had to get creative and to something fab on the cheap.

The evening started with an amazing thrifting experience with MB and AJ at Savers, which is like a Goodwill, but 100 times trendier and cheaper, with 100 times more stuff. We all had great successes and highly suggest it. My highlight pieces? An crazy printed electric blue blouse with gold buttons, a cream beaded, super soft granny sweater, a fab golden feathers pin and some
adorable vintage knick-nacks! Everything is SO affordable! Not a thing I bought was over $10!




MB and AJ bought blazers, and I was wearing one already (vintage JCrew, to be exact!) so we made it a blazer party! LOVE.

Next we went home to decorate the yule log AJ had prepared, recipie from The Joy of Cooking!



We used this DELISH cream cheese and coco frosting, cranberries and some pine tree clippings.
There are tons of traditions attached to the Yule log. My favorite is that the hosts of the holliday parties put together a bundle of sticks and twing bound with greens. They place it on the fire and when it burst, the unburnt twigs from the center are given to next year's hosts to put in their Yule log.

Instead of spending money on gifts for each other, we did a traditonal white elephant gift exchange, where we all found things around our houses to give. I scored a Disney Princess I Spy book. Be jealous!

We ended the evening ejoying the delicious Yule log with AJ's homemade Chex Mix and this amazing cranberry punch from the Junior League cookbook, Beyond Parsley.


Our friends had a fabulous time. Not only did we provide decadent holiday treats, but we also we were surrounded by our best friends, who we hadn't seen since Thanksgiving Break. What a night!


Enjoy the low quality IPhone pic of the hosts! (R to L: Me, AJ and MB)

Weather in Kansas is gray and rainy, but WORTH IT, because, we're supposed to have a white Christmas! Fingers crossed!

Love, AE

P.S. I PROMISE I will post the details, recipies and photos of Drew and I's gift making experience. Finals CONSUMED my life that week! I just need to get the pics from my roomie!

Fa La La La La

In the spirit of Christmas, and being poor college students, Drew and I are making our friends and families holiday treats instead of buying gifts.

On the Menu? White and milk chocolate covered twizzlers, chocolate covered pretzel rods, peanut butter balls and oreo balls. We'll also be making salt dough cookie ornaments! Recipes and pictures to follow!