audacious by aud

Hello everyone! I know we are already nearly halfway done with March, but don't think I forgot about you all! I got very positive feedback from the last post on ON2S, which makes me a happy camper, since I love writing about someone other than myself, for a change. As the days go on I find myself missing my other Audrey more and more each day. . . But, being able to catch up with her and hear about what's going on in her life makes me all the happier! So alas, here is an update on what was going on in our lives for the month of February! And Audrey - stop doing exciting things please, you're really making me look dull.

Audrey Kruse:

February really wasn't an "exciting" month for me, but I would say it was a very productive month for myself. I find myself getting more and more comfortable and into a set schedule here at the U. My weeks are filled with classes and homework and my weekends filled with cleaning and grocery shopping, but I am really enjoying myself here. I love the school and I love my roommates and I love the people I am meeting. However, I am really getting "homesick" from going without my two dearest friends from ASU, Drew and Jasmyne. It's a weird thing to get used to because the three of us went to spending every second of everyday together to suddenly eliminating one of us from the setting. I miss them. A lot.

But anyway - back to my productivity, I would say I accomplished a lot this past month. I had figured out what I want to be studying for the next four years (as of right now, at least). I plan on studying journalism with an emphasis in strategic communication and a minor in fashion studies (why do I have a feeling this doesn't shock anyone....?) And in addition to that, I now have not one, but TWO new jobs! My first job is that I am now the assistant coach for Columbia Height's Synchronized Swim team, and I love every second of it, it fills the hole in my heart that misses synchro. My other job is that I am an on-call employee at the American Swedish Institute for their Youth & Family programs! Once again, just a dream. It's funny because these two jobs are things that I have loved doing regardless, and now I get paid for it? Amazing.

I didn't really do anything too exciting over the month, except I did spend Valentines Day with my lovely friend, Danielle and we took a lil trip to the Como Zoo Conservatory and tried to remember what summer felt like. I highly suggest everyone in the Twin Cities check it out, it's refreshing to be around all the plant life (and a sloth!). I also have been in a handful of situations where someone will come up to me and say "Hey! I read your blog!" Which leads me to wonder, how many of you are there....? I love all the support I'm getting though, so please, keep reading! That's all for me, I guess, sorry to bore you.

Como Zoo Conservatory

Just observing some plants

Made some new friends at MOA

Audrey Hayes:

I don't find myself FaceTiming with Audrey as much as I would like to, but her life is just absolute madness (the good kind!) and so I understand how it can be hard to have time to talk. We do, however, text nearly everyday and share little details about our lives and fill each other in as much as we can. It seems that she is really getting settle in over in London! She knows what coffee shops she prefers in her area, she knows the best places to sit and study, she goes on walks frequently and she's comfortable exploring on her own. I envy her for her braveness to take on a foreign city on her own and turn it into "her city". When I asked Audrey what happened in her life in the past month the first thing she said was "I was birthed" as in, she celebrated her birthday. Yes, Audrey Hayes is now 19! In celebration she got a pretty 'lil tattoo on her foot which she said hurt so badly she limped for about two weeks afterwards. We don't think she was exaggerating, do we? Talking about new looks, watch out everyone, Audrey cut her hair and now has what the Brits call "fringe" and don't worry, she looks even more adorable than you could imagine with it.

Throughout February, she did lots of exploring into new neighborhoods and areas of London including Borough Market and Shoreditch, both which she adored. Her favorite part of February, however, was when she attended her first concert at the legendary 02 arena, which just so happened to be a show with some of her favorite bands performing. She saw All Time Low with Walk the Moon and You Me At Six, which I honestly can't put into words how happy and excited Audrey was about that. She plans on seeing All Time Low again soon, in London. I asked her "How is All Time Low (an American band) so big in the UK?" and her response was "I am honestly wondering that myself."

Long story short, Audrey is really enjoying her time in London, experiencing so many new things and making so many new friends. If you want to read more about her experience, read her blog here

Aud's new tattoo

Borough Market

ATL concert at the O2 Arena

Brick Lane

Audrey featuring fringe

Chinese New Year in London!

St. Paul's Cathedral

Kensington Palace

Kensington

That's all for now, everyone... Happy Spring!

XOXO

Audrey (Kruse...)

I'm afraid I've found myself in a bit of a rump lately - something that we all go through, especially freshman, but does that necessarily make it easier? Through my struggles and concerns (and boy do I have a lot), I've been told that "I'm just a freshman, I don't need to have my life put together yet" which just doesn't work for me. If you have gotten to know me, you'd learn that I have never been someone who likes to just "wing it". I understand the saying, in theory, but when I think about "relaxing" because, after all, I "have four years ahead of me to figure my life out" I think it's quite silly. Silly because I feel that every decision I make, school-related, can affect me. Affect me whether it's towards the major I want to pursue, affect me by being a "wasted" class that I don't end up needing now that I've switched majors, affect me by being a class too hard and challenging where I have to re-take it, due to failing it the first time. You get the point.

*Pause. If you find too much negativity in this post, or it's bringing you down, I apologize and suggest you close this page instantly. I am sharing my thoughts on my online journal and I suppose I'm destined to have bad days every once in a while, right?*

I guess I feel so lost lately because I feel that I am losing the person I once defined myself as. I hide back tears as I admit that I, who once considered myself a strong student, a self-advocate, and intelligent individual, is now having worries that I've never dealt with before. Am I going to be able to pass this class? Should I rewrite these notes for a third time, in hope of being able to remember the material? What if the accommodations I am receiving for my hearing are only slowing me down? Am I dumb? Am I going to have a GPA high enough to study abroad? When did I lose my love for school and learning? I never would have imagined in a million years that I would have to ask myself these questions. I knew that college was going to be hard, but I don't think I fully realized that there was a possibility of having my straight A and B's days gone. I am in love with the school I am attending and my social life is fun. I am generally in a very happy place, but then you just kind of have moments of realization like this.

I've always been a worry wart, that I am aware of. That could possibly explain some of the reasoning behind my meltdown, and once again, I apologize. As they say, you are your own worse enemy.... I guess what I'm concluding to, is I would love some words of advice and personal stories to be shared. When does it get easier? ....Does it get easier? What are the best ways to work through this? How were you able to find the silver lining behind these dark clouds?

So as I was taking my Sunday evening shower, I was thinking about how much I enjoy the Award show season (specifically for the dresses) but also for the live tweets, the praise for the arts, and the small little mishaps that end up being jokes on social media and pop culture for the next 3 months. When I was thinking about this, I figured "this would be a great blog post!" Then I realized I have very limited time until the final award show for the season starts. Fifteen minutes before it starts, to be exact. To that I say, challenge accepted.

So forgive me for the lack of details and the briefness of this post, but I needed to share this all with you guys. You see, I love award shows. All of them (well, nearly all of them..). The fancier the better. I've always dreamed of walking the red carpet but not as a celebrity, as one of the members of their "posse" dressed in black, pushing them where to go to next. Someday Audrey.... Someday. But you see, to me, award shows are evenings where I can dress in my finest pajamas, eat ice cream straight from the pint, and yell at the television - What more could a girl want? So alas, here are some lil bullet points I have to share about the Oscars tonight.

While I am in no place to share predictions for who I think should win tonight (as I've only seen Grand Budapest Hotel, Boyhood, and The Imitation Game), I figure I would at least share who I want to win, even including movies I haven't seen. Here are some of my favorite categories. (please keep in mind I am saying who I want to win, without seeing some of their movies.. Oops.)

Best Picture: Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Actress: Rosamund Pike

Best Actor: Benedict Cumberbatch

Best Supporting Actress: Emma Stone

Best Supporting Actor: Edward Norton

Costume Design: Grand Budapest Hotel

Directing: Grand Budapest Hotel

Makeup and Hairstyling: Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Original Song: "Everything is Awesome" from the Lego Movie (IT WAS STUCK IN MY HEAD FOR 5 DAYS AFTER SEEING THE MOVIE)

My favorite looks for tonight:

Emma Stone in Elie Saab

Lupita Nyong'o in Calvin Klein

Zoe Saldana in Versace

Zendaya in Vivienne Westwood

Dakota Johnson in Saint Laurent

Well that's all I have time to share for now, I'm sorry for the briefness, but I hope you all enjoy.

If you want to keep up with me, I'll be live tweeting the Oscars - Follow me! @hahaudrey

XOXO

Audrey

It's absolutely no secret that I have a love for clothes, shoes and dressing myself. While I wouldn't necessarily call myself a "fashionista", my 4-year-old self would like to disagree. My 4-year-old self had it's off days wearing stretch pants and turtlenecks (which was nearly everyday), other days included bikini tops with fur coats, left unbuttoned, in the middle of winter. (Mom, I would like to apologize for all the dirty looks you received at Target for letting your daughter "leave the house dressed like that" as you know you wouldn't win the fight against me to change). I'd go into more details of my outfits, but as you know, pictures speak louder than words, so enjoy these.

*no pictured: Audrey in homemade "wedding dress" made from white long sleeve shirt with white tulle sewn to the bottom of it paired with frilly socks and black patent leather boots and a signature pout and pose*

Moving on to present day - I have a habit of sharing my outfit of the day (ootd) with all my followers on twitter not only to express my love for outfits and to share my ideas to spark ideas
for others, but also because I like keeping inventory for outfits that I wear. It's fun going back to my sophomore and junior year and see how my style has changed. Below are four of my favorites from the many many ootd's I post. However, I'm still waiting on the professional photographer and hair and makeup artist to join my team.

That being said, I've been asked by lots of people how I manage to "look cute" everyday. So without further ado- I would like to share with you all my Cardinal rules.

Audrey's Cardinal Rules for Dressing Yourself

First things first, the theme these rules fall under is the three C's: "Cute, Comfortable, Convertible" meaning to make sure you look/feel cute (obviously!), know that it's not worth it if you're not comfortable, and lastly make sure your articles of clothing can used in multiple different outfits. Now let's go into detail.

1. THRIFT. THRIFT. THRIFT. - I cannot express how essential thrift stores are to my wardrobe. I am not exaggerating when I say that 75% of my clothing and shoes come from second hand shops. It doesn't happen overnight, but thrift stores have so much to offer. Some items are perfect as is, others are little projects to work on. Shop at them with an open mind and imagine what the pieces will look like after you are finished with them. Also, don't limit yourself to your gender section, after working at a thrift store, I've learned that some of the best finds can be from the mens or children's section. The photos below are outfits I've put together head to toe from the thrift store, including a vintage coach satchel I scored for $15.

2. Make sure your articles of clothing have the "dress-up, dress-down" option. I like to pair up the unpredictables to make more interesting outfits and add more options to my closet. This sometimes means pairing black nikes with a black t-shirt dress and adding a bagging t-shirt with a tight skirt, tights, and heeled boots to dress up casual pieces and sometimes I put a tailored blazer with distressed boyfriend jeans to dress down something typically more formal.

3. Never leave the house unless you're prepared to be "spotted!" by the paparazzi. If you are alright with being seen in bleached stained sweatpants and yesterdays makeup, then you are still set to leave the house.

4. Your mother's wardrobe is your best friend. Especially if you guys are similar in sizes. I have history with making fun of some my mothers clothes and the outfits she once wore. This was a mistake because the outfits I once made fun of are now some of the hottest trends today, and she now has the last laugh when I partake in them. I constantly find myself stealing some of my moms flannels, sweaters, turtlenecks, and booties. But in my defense, she steals plenty of my clothes too?

5. Plan ahead and know how you're going to be spending the day and what the weather is going to be like. If I am in classes all day, I typically avoid dresses and skirts and lean more towards leggings and big sweaters, clothes that don't involve lots of adjusting. It is 160% possible to look cute while still being comfortable.

The list could go on and on for all the rules (more like tips) I have for dressing yourself, but I suppose after a certain point, they stop being "Cardinal rules" if the rules become as vague as "rule 245. Never be afraid of stripes". Do not fret though, I've only touched the surface of more fashion related blog posts. So I hope you enjoyed this one.

XOXO

Audrey

It's been a month since I've last blogged, which automatically is a failure to my unstated New Years Resolutions, but hopefully after reading this, you'll have an idea of just how busy I've been!

Over the past four months, there have been many changes happening in mine and my dear friend Audrey Hayes (read about her and I here!). As you may (or may not know), I have moved back to Minnesota to attend the University of Minnesota and Audrey has moved from Minnesota to the exciting city of London to attend University there. Together, we came up with an idea for this blog that I have been so excited to share with you all!

That being said, let me introduce you to a monthly segment I like to call "One Name, Two Stories" giving you updates on all the happenings in each of our lives every month.

Name: Audrey Kruse
Age: 19
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
School and Major: University of Minnesota, Undeclared but leaning towards a degree combining urban geography and journalism
Blog: I am Audacious (you're on it)

After moving back home to Minnesota, I feel a lot has happened. As I look back at it, it all probably seems incredibly boring to someone reading this (for what it's worth, it's quite boring for me too even, but I probably shouldn't say that. . .) this month has been a big transitioning month for me. I should probably start this off by informing you that I write this blog post in a new setting, not in my parents home, not in the dormitory in downtown Phoenix, but in a new home in Southeast Minneapolis where I am living with my friends. A good friend of mine is studying in Ireland this semester, so it worked out for me to sublease for her while she's away. I absolutely adore it here, I am in such a nice location, very close to school, but in a very cozy and large home. Not to mention, I couldn't ask for better roommates!

In addition to moving into a new place, I have decided to take more geography classes this semester and see if that's something I was interested in. So far, it's going quite well. I am taking four classes this semester: Globalization of our World, Biogeography, ASL, and World Music. I've also became a "big girl" with the help of Franny, and I can take the city bus by myself (this was monumental for me, okay?) and I am slowly but surely getting a better sense of direction and learning all the slang for different locations on campus.

Other things that have happened this month include saying goodbye to my family's precious pup of 13 years, Maggie Mae. That was a hard time for us, and we are still mourning. Tonight, my roommates and I are heading to Menomonie to visit our friend Anna at UW Stout for her birthday, and I've been quite busy with homework.

So here, please enjoy some photographs!

The precious Magatha Mae

What I like to call our "breakfast" room

Living room - view 1

Living room - view 2

Kitchen

Bedroom

Name: Audrey Hayes
Age: 18
Location: London, England, Great Britain, United Kingdom
School and Major: Richmond American International University in London, media production
Blog: My Life in Blog Posts

Audrey has had a lot more of an exciting January than I have, I would say. I was lucky enough to spend some time with her and see her before she moved off to a foreign country. Since I have known Audrey, she has always felt home in England, all the times she's visited, and wanted to be able to attend school there. Finally, this spring semester, Audrey had packed her bags and moved across the pond to start her studies at Richmond American International University in London. *side note - "American" university doesn't limit it's students to kids from the United States, but it just has the same structure and curriculum that colleges and universities do here in the states.* Since moving there, I've facetimed with the international jet-setter and have a few updates on her life to share with you all.

When she first settled in, her school hosted a small little "welcome week" for the new students. Now, over in England I've concluded (based from the stories Audrey has told me) that drinking is a lot more different than drinking in the United States. It's a very social activity and "pub life" is a legitimate lifestyle. In addition to this, the legal drinking age in England is 18, therefore, drinking in the social aspect is a part of the university's student life. In Audrey's words, "Welcome Week was all drinking". She said this because, her school often served wine with events they had in the halls, as well as a school pub crawl through Central London. Sounds fun, right?

More about the area Audrey is living in, it is an area in London called Richmond, right outside of Central London. It's a very rich and expensive part of London that she's heard is home for a handful of celebrities, for example, Ellie Goulding was spotted at the pub across from her school a few weeks ago! Richmond is an old area on the Thames river and right next to a huge park that "the Queen rides her horses through". You really can't beat that.

At her school, Audrey said she has classes with groups of students that are all from a different country. That being said, Audrey has made friends with people from many different countries including the U.S., Portugal, Liechtenstein, Sweden, Dominican Republic, England, etc. With her friends, or alone, Audrey is always exploring new areas, trying out new coffee shops, going to museums, parks, and shopping. She even in planning on taking the bus to Wales in the near future!

Some of the craziest things she's seen/experienced and some of the major differences in London include words painted on the street saying "LOOK RIGHT" and "LOOK LEFT" for people like herself, who has a habit of looking the opposite way first. She also said since moving here, she realized how much Americans drive. We drive everywhere, even to a park and ride to ride public transportation. Everyone rides the bus or walks everywhere. Oh and I should mention, foxes roam the streets there. FOXES. addition to this, she said that tea is always served with milk there, like even when Audrey goes to her campus Starbucks and orders tea and biscuits for breakfast, it'll come with milk. My favorite story, however, is when Audrey told me she saw a man walking a sheep on a leash one day. Classic.

Now some photos from Audrey -

What Audrey called a "deer garden" at the park nearby

Central London livin'

In Audrey's neighborhood

Exploring in Central London

The beautiful Thames River

A sheep on a leash ( I can't not giggle at this).

Audrey and a friend at the Houses of Parliament

Audrey's school (no it's not Hogwarts)

Well that's all for January. I hope you all enjoyed this little segment. I'll be sure to update you all in a month from now about what's going on in both of our lives!

XOXO

Audrey

Every year I go through the same process once the New Year hits. I decide I am going to completely makeover my life, and I mean completely. In the past it has gone something a little similar to this:

"New Years resolutions, okay. Hmm. Well obviously I want to be in shape, yes very fit. I will look like a Victoria's Secret model! Okay so work-out. I will work out ALL the time. Oh! Also eat healthy, yes, of course! I can't work out without eating healthy too! Silly Audrey. You know what? Let's just cut out meat all together and be a vegetarian. You could SO be a vegetarian Audrey. Scratch that, we're going VEGAN. Oh yes, vegan. Easy-Peazy. What else? Oh money! Yes, I am going to save every single penny of mine. No more going out to eat, no more online shopping, no more movies, nothing. I am going to save every bit of my money and put it towards traveling around the world in 80 days, only staying in 5-star hotels. That'll be easy, all I have to do is just not spend money! What else should I do in the new year? Hmm, probably learn to surf, never be caught in an ugly outfit, read 100 books, become a yoga master, and blog like 3 times a day."

I'll let you figure out how this ends up for me on your own.

This year, I'm hoping to be different. I'm trying to avoid the silly, unrealistic expectations. I've been spending time thinking of careful goals I have for 2015. With goals that reach too far and with unrealistic outcomes, it seems to just be setting myself up for failure. I really want to test myself this year though and see how long I can continue with these resolutions. Or perhaps, how long until these "resolutions" just become my lifestyle.

The first draft of my list of resolutions was quite long and it took a few edits for me to narrow it down to a short list of 2 items. So without further ado, here are my New Years resolutions for 2015.

1) Promote a healthier lifestyle.
It's a broad resolution, but my goals within it seem reasonable to me. I don't have a goal to lose a certain amount of pounds, to gain a certain amount of muscle, to be able to bench a certain weight, etc. I just want to take advantage of the fitness center at the U and just not indulge in every single one of my cravings. Any progress is a reward to me, really. And if I had to pick an ultimate goal for this, what I did was pick out a nice swimsuit I have been wanting for the longest time and once I feel confident to wear it, then I'll treat myself to it. How typical of me, my motivation is new material goods.

2) Exercise my brain more.
I've been a bit pathetic when it comes to blogging lately, not posting nearly as much as I hope to. So in the new year, I hope to write more, as well as possibly expanded my horizons when it comes to blogging and incorporate new ideas and segments into it. For example, possibly finally include some fashion and OOTDs, which I've always wanted to. I do also have some ideas in store starting in the New Year that I am very excited to share with you all! In addition to blogging, I want to finally dive into the large pile of books I've been adding to over the past six months. Rather than thinking of it as "reading more," I'd like to think of it as tidying up my books, so I can finally put them away. Lastly, I want to get more crafty. For the past 2 weeks, I've been all over Pinterest and Youtube learning how to croquet, cross stitch, embroider, etc. Since I've confirmed that I am a 70 year old in a 19 year olds body, this one doesn't come to surprise to me at all.

Well, that was the easy part. Now the hard part: sticking with it. I've been tempted to start today even just so it doesn't feel like as drastic of a change once the new year actually comes. I'm excited for what 2015 is going to bring for me, and what I can bring to it. I'm crossing my fingers and I ask you all to cross your fingers with me!

Cheers to the New Year!

When I first thought about 2014, I thought it seemed uneventful to me because nothing really STOOD out. All it took though, was a look at photos taken in the past year to realize how good of a year 2014 was for me. The year was full of endings and new beginnings. Chapters closing and chapters opening. Developing as a person and really becoming an individual. Heck, if I were to guess 365 days ago where I would be in a year, I would have never guessed that I would be going to the University of Minnesota, moving in with some of my best friends, while missing my other best friends on the other side of the country. But enough of that, perhaps I shall some photo memories of what 2014 was like for me.

In 2014, I .....