17 Things You Need To Know In High School

For my sweet cousin (and everyone else) just starting out in high school:

1. Be friends with everyone. Don't stick to your one group of friends, float around. You'll have much more fun if you do!

2. Learn how to initiate friendships. In college making friends isn't that easy, most people aren't going to run to you on the quad wanting to be your best friend.

3. Be nice to everyone. Really, just do it. It's not going to kill you.

4. Listen to your friends about boys. They usually know what they're talking about, and they're looking out for your best interests.

5. It's ok if he's not "The One". You'll always remember your first love, but don't let it get you down. Your Prince Charming is out there somewhere.

6. Don't be boy crazy. It's fun to have a boyfriend, but you don't HAVE to have one. Seriously, don't be THAT girl with a different boy toy every month.

7. Hang out with your girl friends. You won't forget nights watching movies and eating ice cream with your girls.

8. BE INVOLVED. I seriously cannot stress this enough. Play a sport, join a club, be involved in student government… More is better, but don't overwork yourself. These activities will look great when you apply for a job, scholarships, and college.

9. Spend time with your family. They're the ones that will always be there for you, no matter what.

10. Your parents aren't your enemies. They actually know what they're talking about, and they're looking out for you. You'll be thankful for it, probably not right now, but eventually.

11. Be a good example. Someone is looking up to you, whether you know it or not. Set a good example for them.

12. MAKE GOOD GRADES. This is another thing that cannot stress enough! When you graduate high school with a scholarship to the college of your choice, you'll be thankful for all the time you spent studying. 

13. You're going to have the time of your life in college. People say that high school is "the best four years of your life." They're lying. High school is fun, but college is so much better.

14. Your high school friends might come and go, but don't be discouraged. The friends you meet in college will be the best friends you ever have.

15. Be yourself, don't let others get you down.

16. Don't compromise your beliefs, values, or ideals for someone else. If they require you to do so, you don't need them in your life anyways.

17. IT GETS BETTER, trust me! You may think your life sucks, but tomorrow is always a new day. Life goes on.

Love,

Someone who's been there, done that, and has the t-shirt to prove it.

So you want to be a cowboy...

I LOVE swaps! Like, I just love them! They're so much fun! But I love any excuse to get to dress up in costumes! My favorites are DIY costumes because they have so much more personality! (And you're not going to to run into 7 other people with the same exact costume!) For our first swap, the theme was Disney. I had such a hard time trying to figure out which Disney character to go as! I only had 3 days notice and a limited budget so I knew I would have to DIY my costume. I ended up going as Woody from Toy Story, which was good because out of my sorority I was the only Woody (but I had 4 Jessies).

For my costume I wore blue jean shorts (with a big brown belt), a plain yellow tshirt, a homemade cow print vest, cowgirl boots, red bandana, and a hat! I already had the shorts, boots, and belt. I got the yellow tshirt from Hobby Lobby for like $4 and a foam cowboy hat & red bandana for 99 cents each. 

To make the vest I bought a plain white tshirt (I went with a size smaller than I usually wear so it wouldn't be huge on me and fit more like a vest). If you want to paint on the vest, do that first! I painted a cow print (as best as I could, I'm no artist) on it to match Woody's vest. Let the paint dry completely and then you can start making the vest! First, cut the sleeves, hem and collar off of the vest. Trim down the sleeve holes to your preferred width. Second, I cut a line straight down the middle of the front of the shirt. If you want fringe, it's super simple! Cut strips about a half inch wide up to about 1/3 from the bottom. Once you get the strips cut, pull on each individual strip and it kind of "rolls up". This gets rid of the awkward cut lines, and this means that you don't have to cut them perfectly even! Be sure to pull on all of the places that you cut to get rid of jagged edges! And TADA, the vest is done! To complete the outfit I cut out a Sheriff's badge and wrote "Sheriff Woody" on it. To go the extra mile, I put duct tape on the bottom of my shoe and wrote "Andy" on it! 

Be sure to follow me on instagram: @haydenlee13 for more pictures and ideas!