According to Alyssa

"What do you want to do this weekend?" Eric asked me, during a commercial of some sporting event or another.  And since I was feeling sad and dramatic, I responded with: "Probably just listen to a lot of Taylor Swift and pretend I'm at the concert."  (T.S. was scheduled to perform here in Pittsburgh on Saturday [yesterday] and I was pretty upset about not being able to afford tickets this year.)  But then he looked at me funny and asked why we would have to pretend to be at the show.  I was pretty confused UNTIL HE PULLED TICKETS OUT OF HIS POCKET.  And that's when I cried.  A lot.  I called my mom sobbing and she screamed at me because she thought that something was wrong.

(Note: Eric listens to pretty much only metal and gangsta rap, so the fact that he bought tickets for us to go to see Taylor Swift together kind of made my heart swell.)

So, after having an excitement bomb dropped in my lap, I was pretty excited this past week leading up to it.  I spent the whole week planning out what to wear and listening to 1989 on repeat.  I went shopping on Friday to pick out the perfect outfit and after struggling for over an hour at Forever 21, I found everything I wanted down the street at H&M.  I combined a pair of slim-fit, black, high-waisted trousers with a white, sporty, crop-top and a pair of cute and cozy slip on sneakers!  (I threw on my old, black leather jacket later when it got dark and chilly!)

We started out the night at the casino and had a few pre-concert drinks and then made our way down to Heinz Field!  The show was AMAZING.  (Mama Swift walked by me!)  After beautiful performances from Shawn Mendes and Vance Joy (who kind of looks like Kit Harrington/Jon Snow if you squint), Taylor Swift finally came on!  She kicked her setlist off with "Welcome to New York" and played through most of the album, hitting some of my personal favorites ("Clean", "Wonderland" and "New Romantics"), tossed in some oldies ("Love Story", "I Knew You Were Trouble", "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together", and even a bit of "Enchanted"), and brought out Little Big Town as her special guest!  Their collab on "Pontoon" was insane and just so, so fun!

While her stage show was as incredible as ever (the costumes literally made my jaw drop), what brought it all together for me was the integration of light-up bracelets.  Even though Eric's didn't work (super sad face), the effect they had on the rest of the crowd was breathtaking!  Each person in attendance was given one of the clear bands upon entry.  They lit up and even changed colors and speeds with the songs!  I've never seen anything like it!

With loads of confetti and fireworks, Taylor closed out the show dancing and singing to "Shake It Off" which of course caused all of us in the crowd to go wild!  (I may have gone a little overboard with the dancing...)  After the show, exhausted and happy, E and I swooped into the grocery store for some late night snacks and headed home.

As cliched as this may sound, it was the absolute perfect night.

Let me know if you've been or are going to any of Taylor Swift's shows!

xx

          Friday night was spent at a haunted maze with Eric's mom, stepdad, and sister. Though I am normally against all things scary, I bit the bullet and made the trip. (It seemed like a good chance to squeeze his hand haha) IT WAS FREEZING! And not at all scary if I'm being honest. But, the five of us had some laughs and an overall good time!

          Saturday marked our eight month anniversary, and while that may not seem like a big deal to most people, being with Eric for eight months means being in the longest relationship of my life. And so, we celebrated by going to a pumpkin patch! Choosing the right pumpkin is one of my favorite parts of the Halloween season, so after a bumpy hayride and an attempt to get through a corn maze in one straight shot (we failed and got lost), we made it to the pumpkin patch!  Eric decided to put some of the less fortunate looking pumpkins out of their misery by putting the toe of his boot through them! (Naughty!) But we found a pumpkin that fit both of our tastes and headed toward the register...once we got there though, the line was so long that we decided against paying...yes, we stole our pumpkin. (Naughtier!) Ah well! Now we just have to decide what to carve! More of that to come.

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Everyone knows that New Zealand girl with the wildly curly hair and the purple lipstick, but did you know that she’s only 17?  Or that she is curating an entire motion picture soundtrack?!  

In September of 2013, Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor, better known as Lorde, released her first studio album, Pure Heroine, which quickly rose on the Billboard 200 and ultimately peaked at number three.  The album produced five singles, four of which landed on the Billboard Hot 100, with “Royals” easily securing the number one spot and becoming instantly recognizable to anyone with a radio.  

Now, just over a year later, Lorde is preparing to make another huge release, this time in the form of a soundtrack.  After her incredibly successful album and a track on The Hunger Games: Catching Fire soundtrack, (she covered Tears For Fears’ classic song, “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”), the young singer/songwriter was chosen to display her talents in a new way, as curator of the soundtrack for the upcoming blockbuster, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1.  This position has allowed her the opportunity to choose artists’ talents to showcase on the album, as well as to write her own, film specific pieces.

Being a strong female figure that spends a lot of time in the public eye, Lorde can be made comparable to the series’ main character, Katniss Everdeen, and that (combined with her incredible talent) makes her an obvious choice for this role.  Although, I’m sure it doesn’t hurt that she is also a huge fan of the books!

The first of the original tracks was released on September 29th and is titled “Yellow Flicker Beat”.   Lorde took to her Tumblr around the same time of the release to thank her fans for the past year of her life and introduced the track by stating, “It’s my first offering from what I hope will be a soundtrack you love. It’s my attempt at getting inside her head, Katniss’. I hope you like it.”  And with lyrics such as “People talk to me, and all their faces blur, but I got my fingers laced together and I made a little prison.  And I’m locking up everyone that ever laid a finger on me.
I’m going in”, it is easy for fans of the series to see that her “attempt” was successful.

While the soundtrack doesn’t release until November, just a few weeks after her 18th birthday, Lorde is suspected to announce which artists will be featured on the album very soon.  Check out the track for yourself and be sure to let me know your thoughts!

xx

When Autumn first arrives, most people are excited to pull out their sweaters and knee-high boots.  (Admittedly, I enjoy this part of the season too.)  However, what I look forward to most is converting my home from bright and cool to warm and cozy.  I find that this is pretty simple to achieve with just a few, small, changes.  

Candles

In my opinion, if it doesn’t smell like fall, it doesn’t feel like fall.  So, one of the first things I do at the beginning of the season is light some candles.  The most festive ones I can find!  Put away the summer scents and try something new.  My personal favorite is Yankee Candle’s Harvest.  But you can find all kinds of fall scents, (Yes…even pumpkin spice!)

Not fond of candles?  Try some non-flame wallflowers from Bath and Body Works!

Throw Blankets

Fall is all about feel warm and wrapped up.  So, of course, blankets are a necessity.  Draping a soft, neutral colored blanket over a chair can also make a room look more inviting.  I’d recommend trying out Brookstone’s Nap blankets.  They’re incredibly soft and are perfect for those nights when you just want to curl up with a nice chai tea and re-watch your favorite show on Netflix.  Gossip Girl anybody?!

Bookstacks

This is something I came across recently on one of my late Tumblr-scrolling nights.  And I’ve already incorporated into my bedroom!  Books alone can be aesthetically pleasing and when you incorporate your favorites, can make a house feel more like a home.  But books with covers of corresponding colors can make for a beautiful decoration as well!  Just simply stack a few classics (vertically or horizontally works!) and place them on a desk or, if you’ve chosen some that you don’t often read, you can use them as an end table!

If you can’t seem to work out a good combination, HucksterHaven on Etsy sells pre-combined sets!

Flowers

The nice thing about floral arrangements is that they are something that can be used to decorate in any season.  For the fall, I’d suggest sticking to flowers in various tones of orange, red, and yellow.  I prefer to have fresh flowers, but silk ones can look just as beautiful and last forever!  Check out SilksbySally on Etsy for some absolutely gorgeous ones!

Be sure to comment which ideas you’ve tried and what else you do to prepare your home for fall!

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          Oh, and did I mention that I met Regina Geor- erm..Rachel McAdams a few weeks ago?  She is THE SWEETEST human being on the planet and complimented me on the book I was reading. (Too cool!)

          What are your favorite Halloween movies?!  Did I miss any?  Let me know if you've posted anything similar so I can check out your faves as well!

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          I'm actually very proud of it, because it was the first step I've taken towards deciding what I want to do with my life.  Hopefully I can continue to write more blog posts for them and find my writing voice!

If you want to check it out, just click the photo: 

          And please be sure to let me know in the comments what you thought and what albums you're most looking forward to!  I'd really appreciate it!

xx