What's the Difference Between CA Chrome and Miss #2?

Alanna Hill, 19, Eagle Grove, IOWA!

Oh sorry, I was practicing my Miss USA introduction.

Considering I'm writing this watching Miss USA 2014...wouldn't miss it.

This post was originally inspired by another high stakes event but it can also go with this.

It was originally about my precious California Chrome in the Belmont Stakes...

team California Chrome all the way.

But it's all about moving on in life.

We all know that Chrome didn't get his triple crown.

and we all know only one of these 51 women will be Miss USA.

So trivia question...What's the difference between California Chrome and the girl who gets first runner up in this pageant?

A: California Chrome is going to move on with his life, while Miss #2 is going to spend the rest of her life wondering, "what if?" 

California Chrome don't care that he got fifth in the Belmont Stakes when people bet 4/5 that he would win. Yeah, that horse does not give two fashizzles. 

He did not wake up this morning and kick himself.

He moved on with his life, did his horse stuff, and lived life.

And that's what he's going to do for the rest of his life.

CA Chrome doesn't realize the stakes of races, therefore he doesn't care.

It's just something he does.

The man of the hour.

Humans on the other hand...

we always think about the ifs.

And it's hard to move past.

What if... my senior track season hadn't been such a shiz show. 

What if...I hadn't dated such a douche fly.

What if...I hadn't been called 1st runner up but Miss USA.

Miss #2 will wake up tomorrow and wonder:

Was my makeup good enough?

Did I lose enough weight?

Were my boobs perky enough?

Was my dress the most bomb diggity?

Did I have flyaways?

etc..

We dwell so much on what isn't changeable. It's hard to let go of something you really ponder on. 

But what good does it do?

Just poisons our spirit and present. 

We can't go back, so why is our mind back there?

It sucks of course that whatever that didn't go right didn't go right.

But it ain't changing so let's just move on.

Take a breathe. Say goodbye to it.

We just gotta be like CA Chrome and keep doing our horse things. 

Life is moving too fast to be ripped backwards.

Just live each day like it's the best days, frands. 

My girl, Bunny. "Sassy, Sassy Sassy, So Sassy, Sassy Sassy."

Let's see...this blog post seems kind of short.

Maybe slightly random, but I am distracted.

Miss Iowa made it to the Top 20.

Make sure you share please! 

Love reaching people I don't know. 

Email: ahill1325@gmail.com

Instagram: lanlanbaby

Twitter: @alannajean2013

Tumblr: preciouslylan

Pinterest: livelovelanna

Ask: ask.fm/alannahill

Whew, that's all. Love you all. 

The Seven Skinnies on Being Skinny.

Skinny girl probs...

I'm not saying I'm super skinny..i know I'm not like the tiniest person alive.

I think I'm at a healthy weight, maybe go down like 5 pounds. 

But when you are on the skinnier side, it's not all the perks people act like it is.

So, I have decided to make this list (I love da lists.) about the downfalls of being thin.

This post was inspired by:

me and my life and my thoughts.

1. "Oh my gosh, shut up."

-the above face is the look people give skinny people when they say anything about body issues, and then likewise, the face skinny people give them when they say something about them saying something.

when you're skinny (girl), you actually become a different creature. One who is not allowed to think your thighs are too chunky, your tummy looks flabby, etc. Skinny girls are girls too, and will have body image issues just like you. Do not think the comment someone says has anything to do with you, it has to do with their own thoughts about themselves.  "Perfection is a disease of the nation"...duh.

2. "Oh my gosh, you're so skinny!"

the above statement might be better for someone who just lost a lost of weight. 300 to 150. when you say it to a skinny person, it seems like you're suggesting the above image. "So" skinny is more like an insult. If someone is skinny, it really doesn't need to be addressed. Would you go up to a heavy person and so, "You're so big!" Or a person with brunette hair, "Oh my goodness, you're hair is so brown!"

I don't know why our society feels the need to comment on everything about everyone's appearance.

3. "The No Tittay Commitay"

most skinny girls are "lacking" something deemed perfection by society. it's rare for you to be naturally skinny and have big bazoongas or a big ol' booty. Some people do...and those people are just not fair. 

4. "You aren't a 'real woman'."

I'm pretty sure anatomically a "real woman" has female genitalia. I think that should basically sum up that term...and even there..the lines are blurred. I want the folks who are skinny shaming girls to explain to me what it constitutes to be a "real woman." People say that being skinny means you can't bear children...huh. I don't think bearing children is a part of being a real woman: lots of women can't get pregnant. And it's just false besides that.

It is not wrong to be skinny. 

5. "Skinny people don't have cellulite..."

Bethany girl..i'm with you. People just think heavy people get cellulite. Cellulite is not due to weight...it has to do with fat cells and the skin layers. Doing the calculations, most every human is a candidate. Unless you are the Ghost of John (Have you seen the ghost of John...never mind.) So when someone says they're trying to get rid of their cellulite and they skinny, you be quiet, yo. 

6. "You really need to eat a cheeseburger or something. Can we get this girl a burger?"

Society has also made skinny girls to just take this...even though it's extremely offensive. When you say something like that, you are insinuating the person has anorexia. So the analogy just went skinny= anorexic. But skinny people are just supposed to smile and giggle and take it. K Let's not anymore. I would never tell someone that should lay off the burgers. So why would I tell someone they should lay on the burgers? Let's think, ya'll. If you rude, you rude.

7. "You wouldn't understand."

(I don't know...all I could come up with.)

Apparently being skinny means you can't be apart of some club. the club that other people make that to them is "everyone else." Skinny people just don't understand other people's body issues, because they don't have brains right? Body issues have less to do with your body, and more with your mind. So everyone with a brain (except boys...sorry, I don't know if you guys do get girls' issues) can understand appearance problems. 

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So, my brain has kind of hit a road block I suppose...late at night. 

8 is late for some of us old folks.

I guess if you have any questions, contact me. 

Need moral support, a joke, I dunno. I'll find something.

Contact info:

Twitter: @alannajean2013

Instagram: lanlanbaby

Ask: ask.fm/alannahill

Email: ahill1325@gmail.com

if you haven't been able to tell...i love cats. 

Advice for Fresh-mincemeat.

Happy weekend! Last weekend of high school basically for my lovelies at EGHS.
So with that...comes college. (Or perhaps you are going into the military, and thank you for your service.)

This post was inspired by:
My lovely little cousin, Alex McPhail.
She goes to school in Cedar Rapids, and will be a fellow Cyclone next year!

So with this post, comes advice for college.
It can be a rough terrain to navigate, especially when it's such a monstrous place like Iowa State.
So I have decided to make this list in a do/don't fashion.
Because some things you should do and some you shouldn't.

So here we goo...
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do. Work hard in your classes.
-sure the parties may be fun for a while, but the reason you are at school is to get an education. Remember that.

don't. use a map...ever.
-some campuses are big, but that does not mean you should whip out your map. Take a day before classes and go exploring with your schedule. Or use Google Maps on your phone, it'll look like you're just texting or something.

do. find friends outside of your dorm.
-having friends on your floor is convenient, but you will not be around those people for that portion of time ever again. branch out and meet different people in different places.

don't. always dress like a slob.
-yeah, it's college, but that does not give you an excuse to always look homeless. Not only will you feel better about yourself if you have actual clothes and makeup on, but the first impression you give people will be better. College is your step before the real world, and you should look appropriately sometimes.

do. cry if you need to.
-college is a transition, and transitions can be hard. it's okay to feel overwhelmed by all that is new, and sometimes ya just gotta cry

don't. trust boys (or girls) too freely.
-not everyone you meet is going to be a good person. you don't know the people you're meeting and sometimes you can't gauge their true colors right away. proceed with caution, and don't throw your heart around too recklessly.

do. keep in touch with people from back home.
-even though you're at a brand new place with brand new people, chances are you will probably go back home. with college, you get the choice to keep in touch with people you want to and say a big ol' FU to those who made life icky.

don't. be afraid to do things alone.
-i don't know how to tell you this, but at the end of the day, you're all alone. being comfortable with being alone is a huge accomplishment. you don't have to rely on anyone to go to breakfast...go alone. because what's more embarrassing...eating alone or being afraid to do so?

do. realize that the "freshmen 15" is a very real thing.
-in high school, you were probably involved in at least one thing. and that one thing was better than nothing. you had pe. but in college, you have an all you can eat buffet at every meal, the option to go to the gym if you do or don't want, lots of high caloric alcoholic drinks around...you're going to put on something. my jeans are a little snug/don't fit. make sure you watch what you eat, and go to the gym more often than I did. Also, don't fill your dorm room with loads of junk food.

don't. worry about being "popular."
-college is not a popularity contest...it might be to some people, but they have their priorities wrong. especially at a large university, maybe 300 people will know your name and about 30000 won't. so you're playing a losing game.

do. learn the bus routes.
-if you go to a large school, taking the bus is such a blessing. now, sometimes if it's nice, you should walk. but there will be 100 degree days and -30 degree days, and every single one of those days constitute taking the bus.

do. give everyone a fair chance.
-I know, there wasn't a don't between, but make sure you give everyone the benefit of the doubt. college is full of all different sorts of people, so don't judge a book by it's cover. but as said before, don't trust them until they have proven they deserve such.

don't. compare your college experience to anyone else's.
- everyone is going to have a different college experience, different goals, and if you are comparing your life to someone else's, how will yours be the best it can be?

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So, I guess that's my advice! I probably have more, but I don't want to bombard ya'll.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me in any form!
Twitter: @alannajean2013
Instagram: lanlanbaby
Ask: ask.fm/alannahill
Email: ahill1325@gmail.com

Also, please please please, share with your friends, etc. Also give me ideas for future posts and I'll be sure to mention you.

First Year Fun Facts

Well, I just came back from lunch at the dining hall, and only two minutes before we left, I noticed...

my underwear was hanging out..

IN THE FRONT.

Like seriously, I've had a stressful week, I have food poisoning still not feeling so hot...but why not?

Underwear show. And that kid in my last post? Saw his roommate, so maybe they'll have a story now.

"Yeah, I talked to the girl who lets her underroos hang out like a sloot."

But anyways, I decided to compile a list of a few facts about my first year here.

1. I have never stepped foot in the library to study. The only time I went in there was to eat a sandwich. Because I was being attacked by a bitter colony of bees.

2. I went home waayyy too much. But college teaches you your mom is essentially the bomb.

3. One time, my mom took away my Netflix privileges because she thought I was watching it too much. But after I told her how I lonely I was without it...I got it back.

4. I have been battling back and forth and back and forth about trying out for the dance team this year, but...betttaaa nott.

5. I think I went to one football game? Go Cyclones...

6. I probably tried too hard to find like my biffle for the riffle but...I still don't think I've found like one of my people.

7. One time I got so lost inside of a building, I went to the bathroom and cried. And then I called my mom...

8. People I thought I would escape in high school...they're still everywhere.

9. I was called a "GID" so many times like it was an insult...like, could we come up with something more original?

10. I went to the gym enough times to count on my two hands. And most of my "gym time" consisted of staring at people.

11. And on that note, one time I was so immeasurably dead at the gym, this girl came up to me and was all like "Are you okay? Do you need anything? Water? Are you okay?"

12. The first weeks when it was 100 plus degrees... I refused to take the bus. I was scared. I was scared to take the bus because I didn't want to mess it up. I have to get on one bus right in front of my dorm to get to whatever class I need. 

13. The college desk has really helped me expand my makeup collection.

14. I went home on the weekend of non existent VEISHEA. I got way too scared...not my scene.

15. I proudly did not have an eat $#!% moment on the ice. Although the cold was pretty brutal...

16. I got a GPA of 3.73 first semester?

17. I switched my mind about my major every other day. I still have no idea what I want to do with my life besides pet cats and pin on Pinterest.

18. All the yummy places in Ames I liked closed...Aspen Leaf (they had the best lactose free flavors), Pita Pit (I travelled all the way there to find out it was closed), and Long John Silvers (but it's not like super yummy but it would have been nice on Fridays for Lent).

19. I puked in my dorm room too many times. And it was never pleasant. Being sick at college is probably the worst thing ever.\

20. I never drank here. I didn't give in to binge drinking, and a lot of people give me flack for it. I might not make friends because I don't go out, but I don't think I want to be friends with people who are drunk off their...butts. I don't judge people, but as a child of an alcoholic, I'm very proud of myself that I stuck to my morals!

Yay, I am so excited it's almost summer. I hope next year goes smoother, but I mostly hope I figure out what I want in life. I hope I find people who accept me for the odd ball I am!

Trust Them as Far as You Can Throw Them

This post won't be funny... actually...
It's actually funny how absolutely ridiculous my life can be sometimes.
You know the when life gives you lemons saying...well that damn lemon tree is growing in my backyard.

As a girl, I have come across my fair share of complete a-hole boys. But today, today takes the cake.

So the story goes...
I met this kid on Tinder (probably my first error in this equation)
We had been hanging out, everything was actually hunky darn dory.

But ya know, all good things come to an end. And today was that point.

He invited me over to his frat (I will keep the name disclosed...I have more class than that.)
-this also was where I went wrong. I knew frat boys were a bad idea. bad bad idea.

One of the first things he said to me was to shut up...yup. Picked me up, I said two words, and he told me to shut up. So that should have forecast how the rest of the night should go.

It was going okay..but he was acting so aloof. So I simply asked him what his problem was...and that's when it all blew up.
He proceeded to laugh in my face all the while telling me how much he didn't care about me, never would, never wanted to. How he was being an ass hole just to be an ass hole. Laughing in my face...I just don't know. I didn't ask to be invited over...he did that on his own free will. My mind has actually blocked off the things he said... I can't even remember.

I don't see why it couldn't just be "Hey, this isn't working out."
Not this giant thing it had to be. So, of course, I started crying. It hurt me to my very core. But then at the end, I was just yelling. And I didn't care who in that frat house heard me. And then, he told me to walk home in the pouring rain. Walk home, in the rain.

In the end, he did give me a ride. An awkward ride in rainy silence. I'm surprised he didn't start driving when my first foot was out the door. It may have actually been better to walk in the rain...quite possibly.

Now, I came back, laid on the bathroom floor, and cried. My mom told me I needed to get my emotion out. So I'm writing this.

I just thinks this stands as a warning to every single woman out there...don't talk to boys. Do not talk to a boy unless he kisses your feet, I don't know. I have no advice because clearly I don't know what I'm doing. Just don't do it.

The worst part of it all was...people told me he was gay. But I said no..no way. And I still don't think he is...he's just a really sick person. But I should have listened to those people anyways..

Where do I go from here? I don't know...back to Tinder, Match, maybe the local prison because I doubt the men there could be any worse than the men out here. I do take blame for it partially, I'm a hopeless romantic. And maybe that's my downfall. 

My mom told me to quit talking to athletes...this kid wasn't. Maybe I should join a convent. 

But I know I have to keep going, just like all you ladies out there. We deserve so much more. We can't let one or three or sixteen boys ruin our hearts. Their hearts must already be ruined...someone out there is sitting on the toilet probably, but he might just be the guy you fall in love with forever. You should never give up on Mr. Right, just because there are so many Mr. Wrongs.

And maybe the truth is, we are our own happiness. It's okay to go to dinner, the lake, shopping alone. In the end, you're the only person who will have to be with you every day for every second for the rest of your life. So the first step is accepting and loving ourselves. And that's my first step. Right now. And I want it to be yours too.

Love and Laughter, Alanna. 

The Pressures of Being a 21st Century Young Adult

Hi y'all. I know it's been a while since I wrote on my beloved blog...poor little guy. Just with the wifi issues in my dorm...it's almost impossible to get anything done, let alone a blog post. But here I am, so yeah, let's go.

I was watching the Iowa State Men's Basketball game today (Go Cyclones), and I really started thinking about the pressure our generation faces...so much. And it's not just college athletes...it's ALL of us starting extremely young.

Our parents were pressured and pushed...no doubt. But we face...that's pressure.
Starting off with education, college is just expected. Back in our parents day, college wasn't even always thought about. It wasn't just automatically assumed that someone was going to college. Nowadays, your freshman year of high school...it's all about "What college do you want to go to?" "What are you going to major in?" I was pressured so hard all through high school being the top of my class...and now it has caught up with me. I hate college, but that's where I had to go because everyone EXPECTED it from me.
And not to mention...we're expected to go to college more and more as tuition rises higher and higher. I am completely overwhelmed thinking about paying for college next year. So once we do (hopefully) get jobs, we start our lives off with tens of thousands of dollars worth of debt. It's actually very ironic if you think about it...

And then there's athletics...not that most of us are still in them, but we all were there. The world of sports has completely evolved, and I would argue not all for the better. Every season overlaps another season. When our parents were kids, there wasn't six open gyms on Sunday. There weren't 4 $250 camps every summer. 

And everyone is expected to be the best. If you make a mistake, damn you to hell. The bar is set higher and higher every single year. Kids are faster, stronger, jump higher, lift more, more flexible (dance world), then ever before. But they also have to be the best in every thing they're involved in. And if you're not the best...you're the worst. If you're not first, you're last. 

And then there's the issue of teen pregnancy. I'm not promoting people get pregnant when they're 15, 16... but how can adults look down upon it? When my mom talks about high school, half the girls ended up getting pregnant, dropping out, and living in a trailer with their husband.

I think the world is too demanding of young adults. If you don't go to college, you might as well go fill out an application at Mcdonald's and hope you make minimum wage. But kids are never allowed to actually FIND what they want to do. They are pressured into what they are expected to do, or forced to do something that will make ends meat. Our society is so expensive, and I think we have a lot of people in the country doing things they don't really enjoy. And that just sounds like an awful life..

We should all support each other as the kids of the 21st century. Because I don't think adults really understand what growing up now is like...

Exes for The Restes.

Exes are literally probably the worst thing that ever happened to the world.
They make dating seem like the biggest no no of life.
At one point you just loved each other, couldn't get enough of each other, and now...you literally want to kill each other.
I have many charming, kind boys I used to talk to...oh wait...
Most of the guys I talked to turned into complete... you know whats.

Here is a charming photo of a text I received from an ex...

Precious, I know...A real class act.

Now don't get me wrong...girls can be just as demonic. I'm a girl I've said some really nasty things to a guy after we quit talking...I know how it goes. 

After you quit talking, you do the mature thing. Start avoiding everything and everywhere your ex might show up. Because God knows you two can't be in the same vicinity. 

The next step after you break something off is to delete and block your ex off every social media site there is...and that is getting to be really hard because there's so many. 

And if you just can't bring yourself to do it on your own, here's a gift from me to you.

And while you're at it, if your ex happens to have gotten a new girlfriend or six, make sure to block all of them too. You do not want these rando girls having dirt on you.

And if you don't follow these steps, we all know what you'll be doing at least once an hour of day light time...and probably at three in the morning. Creeping. Don't be that person.

You also start to expect that everyone you know hates your ex and your ex's entourage. I mean, if they really love you, they'll hate them, right?

Now even if you guys never speak, it still may be World War III if you two ever do run into each other. A lot of name calling, and then calling to your mom to cry. It's just how it goes.

And eventually, hopefully, there might come a day that when he calls you a blanking blanking blank, you feel nothing. "Have fun with your new girlfriend." I'm sure you'll be just as kind to her when you guys break up...

And exes/ex flings...they really suck. But I promise you, you'll find someone (or something...like a cat) that will love you for eternity. I promise.

Happy Friday. (:

Side note: I want to apologize for anyone who tried to look at this last night. I posted it and then it deleted itself. Technology, I tell ya...