excessively long post that doesn't require a quote because there's way too much in here.

Oh blog, I'm so sorry! I've been neglecting you!

The start of school was...whatever. It's strange to be here, and strange to be a senior! I have Quality Control, Senior Design, Apparel & Textiles in International Trade, CBH and History. Don't be fooled though, I am far busier than I ever could have imagined. Especially with Fashion, Inc. on my plate.

The Monday before classes started I had a Fashion, Inc. officer meeting. It went really well and we got a lot of planning done. The first week of classes was intense. 450 is going to kill me, because we have a garment due every two weeks, in addition to any other ones we want to add to our collections. International Trade is a writing course, and Dr. Tong's first language is Chinese, so it can be hard to figure out what she's saying. Quality Control is condensed and ends October 5th, so we have lecture four days a week and 2.5 hour lab twice a week. It's intense. I was originally in history online, but it was WAY too much work, so I switched into an in-person class yesterday. It should be much better.

Let's see...I haven't been sleeping much. Saturday I should have stayed home and done homework, but instead I went to Bham with Clay to go to the Sidewalk Film Festival. I should have done work, but I'm SO glad I went. It was a lot of fun.

This week has been hard because I haven't had much sleep trying to prepare for Get On Board Day. From last Friday to the night before last, I averaged less than 4 hours of sleep per night, which really caught up with me. On Tuesday, I was SO dizzy and so nauseous that I had to go to the doctor. My hand-eye coordination was also so off that I can't read the notes I took that day. Apparently, I'm slightly anemic and my blood pressure drops when I move too fast. So that's fun. Last night, I slept 11 hours. That helped A LOT, though I'm still not 100%, so tonight will be another hibernation night.

Let's see..I've been to the farmer's market twice so far this semester. I LOVE it. I've cooked a lot, baked some, and managed to keep my apartment RELATIVELY clean. I'm trying hard to keep some order in my life, and I'm going to try to take this weekend to do that. I'm planning to finish my 450 dress tomorrow, go to the game Saturday, and spend Sunday and Monday on homework. Woo party, I know.

Oh, I also have done a LITTLE bit of shopping and gotten some really cute things, which makes me REALLY happy. I'd like to try to keep up the outfit thing during the year, so we shall see if that happens!

Let me share now a fun story that most of you will just laugh at but makes me REALLY happy.

So, I don't know if I've ever shared some of my childhood horror stories with most of you. But you probably know that up until around 10th grade, I dressed mostly like a boy. Band t-shirts and jeans, that sort of thing. However, middle school included an unfortunate phase of stretchy athletic shorts which has been permanently seared into my brain. It was a terrible time. Those shorts looked AWFUL and I really had no business wearing them. So as I got older, that not-so-repressed memory has haunted me and caused me to never wear shorts.

NEVER?! Well, technically not never. Whenever an athletic event required it (soccer, volleyball), I did. Well, volleyball included some unfortunate spandex days, but let's move on from that.

When I say I never wear shorts (besides during sporting events, and when working out/moving) I mean it. I wear capris a lot, and skirts and jeans and whatnot, but not shorts. Those damn stretchy shorts will forever haunt me.

Except now, I'm changing that.

WHAT?! THERESA IN SHORTS?!

Yes ma'am, Theresa in shorts.

It started this summer when I saw a lot of girls in the really cute pleated shorts. I love them. So I started browsing around for some plus size ones, thinking I could at least SEE what they looked like. Well, as per usual, they didn't exist, at least not in my stores and not in my price range. Once I got back to Alabama, I had moved on from the pleated shorts. They're cute and all, but they're only really cute in the shorter-ish styles, and these thunder thighs were not having that. But I still figured it was time to explore my shorts boundaries.

Like I said, I wear capris. A lot. They hit just below my knee, mid-calf, or somewhere in-between. They're all denim, mostly dark, and really freaking hot when it's a thousand degrees outside.

So I figured I'd attempt a change. I was in the Target in Bessemer (which has an infinitely better plus section than the T-town one) and I found a pair of green shorts on clearance. Granted, they were two-three sizes too big for me, but I figured I'd try them on anyway. They have drawstrings at the bottoms of each leg, so I could cinch them in to look like bloomers! Of course, I was sold then. So I bought them, even though I'm vehemently against elastic waistbands on pants. I KNOW they think fatties need elastic EVERYWHERE but we can fit in a damn pair of pants without ballooning the waist out 20 inches.

Anyway, I digress.

I bought these shorts, and I promised myself I would wear them soon. I had planned to wear them to the film festival, but I found a better outfit and went with that. Also I had an unfortunate event with a shirt I bought at Ross smelling like fish...it was a mess, but needless to say, the outfit was changed at the last second.

Cut to...two days ago? Maybe. Yes. Tuesday. After my near-death experience (just kidding, I'm not a drama queen). I have a $25 off $75 coupon for Lane Bryant that expires that day. I was with Annie, so I said hey, we should run in really fast, she agreed, and we did. Well wasn't it just my lucky day? Everything in the store was buy one get one free!! So I picked out a skirt, a top, some shorts and some camis, after trying some things on. The shorts have an elastic waist again (why I oughta....) but they were cute! AND SHORTS!

Also, fun fact, Tuesday night I stayed up til about 3 baking 200+ cupcakes for Get On Board Day. What a mess. I was near death but hey, let's bake! It worked out fine.

(Side Note** Get On Board Day was AMAZINGLY successful for Fashion, Inc.!!! Thank you SO MUCH to everyone that came out to help! Fashion, Inc. is going to be AMAZING this year!)

Anyway. Wednesday I get up at 7, pick up Lindsay and Stephanie, drop Stephanie and all of our stuff at Get On Board Day, then rush Lindsay and I to quality control lab.

Oh wait. Sorry, we were on our shorts story. I REALLY need sleep...

So ANYWAY. Let's cut to...today! I'm trying to decide what to wear, and I decide to give the fish shirt another try. (I had thrown it in the dryer...it smelled better) Then, remembering a conversation Annie and I had about how the black shorts would look good with it, I give them a try. AND IT'S SO CUTE!

So I get ready, and spend the day grinning about the fact that THERESA MINCE IS WEARING SHORTS.

I just don't think you can understand how exciting this is. AND the shorts are TWO sizes smaller than what I was at the beginning of the summer. I KNOW I'M EXCITED TOO.

So it was a really good day, and I'm just glad my weight loss plans haven't been derailed. It's slow going, but it's going. And I'm still eating healthy, and we're getting there.

Annie and I made AMAZING dinner tonight. Tons of sauteed veggies we got at the farmer's market over wheat pasta. YUM!

NOOOW I'm going to clean up my apartment and go to sleep early again. YAY SLEEP!

OH I PROMISED PICTURES. HERE YOU GO.