PARENTS WEEKEND/fashion show!

I had one of the most BRILLIANT weekends I've had this whole semester! Parents weekend. Well, Family Weekend. The brother came too!

It was so refreshing to see all of them, for the first time since I drove to the airport in August. You see, when you think of reuniting with your family after months of stress and school, it puts a positive spin on how quickly the semester flies by! Especially when you live in Texas and weekend trips are out of the question. Only 6 or so more weeks, my dad estimated, until I see them again for Christmas! And my birthday! (The 21st)

A quick recap of ALLL the fun things we did this weekend:
Thur-Sat:
--ate an AWESOME lunch for my dad's birthday at Dinosaur BBQ, a must-go eatery (comparable to Texas barbeque...it is so great!!!)
--tours of downtown and campus led by moi
--Shopping! I took advantage of their car and wallet and picked up some much needed equipment! Rain jacket, some flats, tights, tote bag, chocolate truffles, etc. Great trip!
--Dinner at Clark's Ale House downtown visiting the locals!
--The Opera, La Boheme
--Haunted House at the Fairgrounds
--Watched Hocus Pocus, one of the best Halloween movies ever in preparation for the holiday!

pause...it's a lot, so I'm giving you a breather. okay! we're off!

--multiple nights' stay at a charming B&B in Skaneateles, a town about 20-25 minutes away
--a Mary Kay skincare class/party with other girls on the floor, hosted by my mom! We are both Mary Kay beauty consultants and love what we do! It was fun to pamper the girls.
--THE PARENTS WEEKEND FASHION SHOW!
This took up half the day on Saturday and was worth it just to see how pleased my parents were! I conducted all the hair and make-up and helped with some quick changes. 5 of my pieces were in the show--3 of which were formal gowns. All the models did such a great job!! It was great to see them transform. Then an after party at Bounce, a nearby boutique. Had awesome pizza at a restaurant, also in Armory Square (the heart of downtown social scene).

The Fashion Show totally inspired me to work on building some collections on my own and making my own fashion show happen--where I am the creative director and in charge of the experience! I would love to follow in similar footsteps as a classmate of mine, Timmay did with his show just 2 weekends ago!Me, three of my models, and my brother! Whom I recruited to model! Such a secure guy...

anyways, back to the weekend!
--more shopping! My favorite print of Vera Bradley is retiring, so I stocked up!!! Yay, sales!!
--Skaneateles on a beautiful day
--Recommendation for a restaurant if/when you go: Bluewater Grill. The menu is so interesting, everyone you go with gets a completely different meal! Seafood and New England chowder, to mixed drinks and lagers, burgers and exquisite appetizers.
--Laughter and fun
--Football game (we won! and someone proposed to his now-fiancee!!)
--Took family pictures near the golden fall leaves in the area!
All in all, I had such a magnificent weekend and I am so happy that my whole family could be together at my collegiate home! Thanks to God for all of the blessings over the weekend! I have been praying for it over the past few weeks!