81 Fun Questions to Ask Your Significant Other

I saw this "81 Fun Questions to Ask Your Significant Other" on Pinterest, but I wanted to Dylan-ify it so I have changed things around.   This would be perfect for road trips!  Keep in mind, this isn't meant to drill someone or attack them with questions, but instead for light, fun conversation.  

1. What was your first impression of me?

2. What is your idea of a perfect house?

3. How many times have you been in love?

4. How pretty do you think XXX is?

5. What are the qualities you like in me most?

6. How do I push your buttons?

7. What do you think about marriage?

8. What do you think about living together before you're married?

9.  If you won $1,000,000 what would you buy?

10. Where would you go for your dream holiday?

11. What’s the craziest thing you have done in your life?

12. What do you think about adopting children? Would you?

13. What is the most embarrassing thing you have done in your life?

14. What was your first date like? Where did you go?

15. What do you regret most about your past?

16. If your house caught fire and you could only take one thing and run out, what would it be?

17. What is your relationship with your mom like?

18. If you came across a magic lamp and had three wishes to make, what would they be?

19. What would you be most likely to get addicted to? 

20. What is the one thing about yourself that you hate the most?

21. Has God or spirituality been part of your past relationships?

22. If you could look like anyone else, who would you look like and why?

23. Who is your role model?

24. What is your favorite age when it comes to kids?

25. Describe the worst date you’ve been on.

26. What are your views on other religions?

27. What would you change about yourself if given a chance?

28. What is your dream job?

29. What is the most adventurous thing you have done?

30. What is the most expensive thing you have bought for yourself?

31. When we met, what did you think?  Did you think we would end up dating?

32. What would you choose for your name if you could change it?

33. What would you do if your best friend told you I was bad for you?

34. What is the worst thing you ever did to a friend?

35. What is the nicest thing you ever did for a friend?

36. How much money would it take to make you satisfied/content?

37. What is your dream car?

38. What would you do if you found out your parents were your foster parents and your real parents came to find you?

39. Who is your favorite celebrity?

40. Who is your most hated celebrity?

41. Tell me something about yourself that no one knows.

42. What was your most memorable event growing up?

43. Do you like hunting?

44.  Do you want a dog?  If so, what would you name it?

45. If a great looking girl came up to you while I was there, what would your reaction be?

46. Do you have a savings plan for your future or do you plan to go with the flow?

47. Who was your first crush?

48. Have you ever liked a teacher?

49. Do you think both spouses should work? 

50. What would you do if you were stranded on an island and there was nothing to eat?

51. What do you think about "saving yourself until marriage"?

52.  Do you know if you going to heaven or hell?

53. How do you feel today about your first love?

54.  What are the top 5 traits you look for in a significant other?

55. How old were you when you first started drinking?

56. What do you think about "saving yourself" until marriage?

57. What was the craziest dare you were ever given?

58. How old were you when you started dating?

59. If you were a professional athlete what sport would you play?

60. What word first comes to your mind when asked to describe me?

61. What word first comes to your mind when asked to describe yourself?

62. If you were an animal what would you be?

63. Where would you live if you could live in any country?

64. What is your next trip going to be?

65. Do you believe there is one person meant for each of us, or more than one?

66. Were you popular in High School?

67. What type of old person/grandparent do you want to be?

68. Have you ever committed a crime?

69. Have you ever said, “I love you” and not meant it?

70. Would I have liked you if I met you 5 years ago?

71. What was the craziest party you’ve ever been to?

72. If we broke up would we still be friends?

73. Are you Liberal or Conservative?  Explain.

74. How many bad words go through your mind each day?  How many do you actually say?

75. Have you ever been jealous of your best friend?

76. Where would you have your honeymoon?

77. Which super power would you most like to have?

78. Do you believe in soul mates?

79. Do you believe in love at first sight?

80. What do your friends think of me?

81. Have you ever liked your one of your best friend’s girlfriends?

Pick a few of these questions to ask your significant other, and enjoy!  I hope you like their answers.

Love,

Dylan

College: 8 Things You Will Actually Take With You

College students hear this all of the time-- "We are preparing you for the real world."  What does this even mean?  What "real world" were our professors talking about?  Lacking complete certainty of my career path, I spent a lot of time wondering what I would actually use after college..... what I would actually take with me.  If you find yourself wondering the same things, I think I have some helpful insight.

1.  Be aware of your habitual working style.  Some of us procrastinated all through college, waiting until the night before a due date to begin an assignment.   Some of us would finish a week's worth of assignments ahead of time.  Some of us felt that a D equals diploma.  Some of us petitioned until that A- became an A.  The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior..... and your working style is something you will likely carry with you into your career.

My favorite professor at the business school, Professor Metcalfe.

2.  Build strong communication with your professors.  Consider professors like your boss.  They have more power, more authority, and are responsible for giving you feedback that you can use to improve your performance.  Your boss is the same thing.  Set up meetings with your professors, bring ideas to the table, and don't be afraid to speak up.  You will use the same principles with your future boss or manager.

3.  Lean into your weaknesses.  It's easy to lean on your strengths, but in the long run, eliminating as many weaknesses as you can makes you a well-rounded, valuable employee.  Personally, I always felt insecure about math.  I try to lean heavily on math at work every day so that it doesn't become a limitation.  In college I would recommend focusing on subjects that you lack confidence in and foresee as potential limitations.

4. Force yourself to go to the awkward [and totally contrived] networking events.  While they seem really silly and like a total pain, they will help you become more eloquent when you encounter awkward situations in business... which you will!  The more times you face uncomfortable situations, the more comfortable you will become with them.

5. Get help job-searching before you graduate. Job-searching is a much easier when you have a career center 20 feet away.  Furthermore, your professors are great resources, as many of them have worked 10-20+ years before going into education.  My alma mater had business school professors from many Fortune 500 companies or who were on the Board of Directors at such companies.  This could at least get you a conversation. 

6. Practice a work-life balance.  In college, you essentially determine your schedule.  In your career, usually you don't.  Figure out your balance now, as it will only be harder to figure out in the future.  What are priorities?  Do you know that you work smarter when you exercise for 30 minutes a day?  Do you know you need to give yourself and your significant other 1 night a week to have dinner and reconnect?  Do you know that the Bachelorette is a necessary part of Monday nights in order to help you sleep well?

7. Excel, Excel, and Excel.  If you don't know Excel and you are in college, then PLEASE do yourself and your future employer a favor and take some excel-centric classes.... computer science, computer skills for business, etc.  While it may seem very dry, it offers a SERIOUS return on your investment of time.  I wish I would have taken more excel courses.  Excel is like a magic wand.  It's capabilities are endless.  And the more "spells" you know how to do, the more power you have.

8.  Fine tune your "people-reading" skills in relationships.   In college it's easy to casually "date" people and "hang out" as you please, but after college, your free time is valuable, and you don't want to waste this precious time with losers who detract from your quality of life.  Harsh?  Nah. I'm serious!  Know what kind of person you're dealing with before you invest your personal life with them.  Are they trustworthy?  Do they attract drama?  Are they simply attention-seekers?  Do you know you'll gel well with them, or do you know you'll butt heads?

Hope this is inspiring or helpful if you are heading back to college this fall!

XOXO,

Dylan

Bridesmaid Hair How-To: Shameless Selfie

Step 1: Tease the hell out of your hair, only at the roots.  

Step 2: Curl your entire head of hair without smoothing out any of your teasing.

Step 3: Divide your hair into 3 sections, 1 on each side and 1 that is the entire back of your head.  

Step 4:  Secure the back section into a low side ponytail at the nape of your neck, pushing up on the hair to prevent the ponytail from pulling down the volume.

Step 5: Take each side section and loosely pull it back, wrapping it multiple times around the ponytail and bobby-pinning it into the base of the ponytail.

Finally: Pull out a few pieces around your face and ear and curl those to frame your face. 

Boom, thereyago!  Bridesmaid hair. 

Love,

Dylan

Kate Middleton's Polka-Dot Tribute to Princess Diana... Simply Adorable

I'm even more obsessed with Kate Middleton now.  What a cute mom!

Love,

Dylan

Welcome to Starbucks Sunday

Barista: "Hi, what can I get for you today?"
Me: "Can I get a Venti Caramel Frappecino Light and a cup of water?"
Barista: "Sure thing, that will be $5.12."
Me: "Here you go (hands over card).... and it's Light right?"
Barista: "Yep! It's marked Light."
Me: "Awesome, thank you so much."

And that is how it goes every Starbucks Sunday.

I love routines like this.  They help me feel collected and give me solid expectations.   Today it's cozy and rainy (crazy unusual for Las Vegas) and I'm searching online for a dining table that has a pressed-copper top with a rod iron base.  It's seriously like searching for a needle in a haystack.   I'm also working on my toast for Britnie and Ryan's wedding....  I fly back to Minnesota for it on Thursday.  I will post tons of pictures of it next weekend. In between all of that I'm working on a blog post, "College: 10 Things You'll Actually Take With You" and studying for a planning/forecasting test at Zappos!  Cheers to staying busy and keeping traditions alive.

What do I do at Starbucks?  I bounce back and forth between blogging, WeHeartIt.com, Pinterest, Facebook, Somo on Youtube, fashion/beauty Youtube channels, and sips of my 190 calorie Venti Caramel Frappicino Light.  Oh, and I mustn't forget about shopping on Zappos and 6pm.com.  Duh!  One of my favorite things to do at Starbucks is observe.   Like a fly on the wall, I observe family reunions, struggling relationships, business meetings, interviews, and my favorite.... first dates.

XOXO,

Dylan

11 Cures for Relationship Turbulence

No matter what airline you fly you are just as likely to experience turbulence.  No matter how long your flight, whether 30 minutes or 15 hours, turbulence happens.  And we all cope with turbulence differently-- deep breathing, getting sick, laughing, screaming, freaking out, staying calm.   One person's reaction to turbulence can influence the reactions of those around them. Turbulence happens.  It's expected.  It's unpredictable.  And it's okay.  The same tips for coping with turbulence apply-- whether you're a passenger on an airplane or in a relationship. 

1. Jump out the window. Break up.
2. Didn't like that one?  Remind yourself why you're on the flight. Write down a list all of the reasons you're in the relationship.   This will give you insight, whether good or bad.  Are you afraid of being alone?  Does your partner make you happier than anyone else?  Is it convenient?  Is it love?
3.  Identify and acknowledge your feelings, whether rational or irrational.  Write down a list of everything that is stressing you out.  Stressed about work?  Anxious about your family?  Unhappy with yourself?  Annoyed with your best friend? We tend to project fear, sadness, and anger onto our closest target.  Are you really mad at him/her?  Or are you simply taking it out on him/her because he/she is right there?

4.  Plan how you'll react, whether it's listening to music, reading magazines, talking, and so on.  When a relationship gets bumpy, decide your actions ahead of time. You cannot control the other person, but you can control your reactions.  Will you give them space?  Will space create more turbulence?  How will you communicate?  Don't let any reaction from the other person throw off your plan.
5. Give the airline the benefit of the doubt.   One bump doesn't mean the airline is horrible, just like one bump doesn't mean the relationship is horrible.
6. Don't joke about the situation.  Sarcastically yelling, "We're going down!" will not help anyone.  When we're nervous we tend to joke around, sometimes inappropriately.  Other passengers (i.e. your partner) might not find it funny, and now you have just escalated the situation.
7. Think about landing at your end destination.  Dating has a purpose, from obtaining short-term fun to long-term marriage.  The bumps might not be worth it if you're on a short 45-minute flight to the beach when you could drive in 3 hours.  The bumps might be so worth it if you're on a 12 hour flight to the Greek islands.  Weigh the pros and cons.
8. Remember, the plane is FULL of people.  Everyone else feels the bumps.  Remind yourself of couples who have gone through rocky times and emerged stronger.  No relationship will be 100% smooth, 100% of the time.
9. Don't criticize the Captain. We have a tendency to blame others when things are not going right.   How will blaming the Captain fix the turbulence?  It won't.  It will just adds to the turmoil.
10.  Boycott the airline altogether if they are consistently more turbulent than they are comfortable.  If a relationship is consistently more bad than it is good, then it's a sign that you may need to keep looking and explore your options.  You can never relax if you're always waiting for the next bumps.
11. Don't be afraid to fly again.  If you decide to boycott an airline (i.e. break up), then you need to give other airlines (i.e. relationships) a chance.   You might have had bad luck with inexperienced pilots, but that doesn't mean that you won't have a positive experience with someone else flying the plane.  Right?

Here are some cute pictures to encourage you in times of turbulence!

Love,

Dylan

Sequin Shorts on a Wednesday, Because Why Not!?

"Go insane, go insane, throw some glitter, make it rain."

Lots of Love,

Dylan

Daily Reminder

Xoxo,

Dylan

10 Tips for Throwing a Successful Bachelorette Party

I recently planned a Bachelorette Party for my best friend, Britnie.  I was pretty stressed out leading up to it, planning a party in Minneapolis from my new home in Las Vegas, so I put in a lot of research.  I just wanted everyone to have a good time. That was my goal.  And I think it worked!  Here are some tips to help you plan a bachelorette party if you're finding yourself a little overwhelmed.

1. Make sure to get a list of people to invite FROM the Bride.  Do not rely on yourself to know every person you should or shouldn't invite.  The Bride will know who she wants there..... and the last thing you want is to surprise her by inviting her future mother in law, buttoned-up relatives, or friends who aren't really her friends. 

2. Send out a "Save the Date" as soon as possible!  I did this over www.evite.com and it was quick and easy.  Even if you don't have any plans for the party, you owe it to everyone to confirm the date.

3. Create a timeline and budget.  The longer the party, the more money you'll spend.  You need to be fair to everyone attending, and unless you pay for the entire party yourself (i.e. food, alcohol, lodging, games, gifts) then you should create a sensible budget.  My rule: Don't plan a party that costs each person more than they would spend at the mall in one shopping trip.  

4. Send a proper invitation via mail or Evite four weeks before the party, filled with all details.  If you want them to wear a certain color, bring a certain gift, or help out in any way, then you need to be considerate.  Four weeks before is early enough for people to plan (i.e. outfit, work schedule, money), but close enough to the date where they are more likely to follow through with their commitment. 

5. Delegate games.  Things can get repetitive and stale if you lead all of the games.  I think it's great to involve the Bride's closest friends in leading different games.  This engages them and makes them feel like they contributed to the fun.  Your Bride will love it, and everyone will feel more involved.  Not to mention, the more creative minds the better the outcome!

6.  Pick lodging within walking distance of the activity.  Don't want to be the sober driver?  Concerned about the cost of a limo?  Stressed about everyone taking taxis?  If you stay at a hotel within walking distance of the bars, then you'll eliminate 50% of the stress involved with going out.

7. Look for activities on Groupon and Living Social.  I think it's great to have 1 main activity, whether that be mani/pedis, wine tasting, massages, a dance class, a painting class, a cooking class, and so forth.  Groupon and Living Social have GREAT deals.  My favorite idea: Get a photographer to come and do a photoshoot with the Bride and all of her close friends.

8. Get alcohol requests from your guests.  If you're worried about what alcohol to buy, then just ask each person what their favorite drink is when they RSVP.  Then you won't end up with 4 unopened bottles of tequila.

9. Propose a theme for the gifts.  Party goers often stress about what to get the Bride.  Lingerie?  Something totally inappropriate?  Spa goodies?  Gift cards?  Eliminate any stress and set the expectations with a theme or a game involved.  For example, have everyone get the bride panties and create a game out of it where the Bride has to guess who gave her which pair. 

10. Create a dress code.   While you might forget what happened that night, you will certainly have pictures.  And pictures last forever.  I think photos look much more "frame-worthy" if there is a theme to them.  I loved the idea of having the party goers wear one color and the bride wear another color. 

Below are some pics from the party I hosted in Minnesota for my best friend.  Love her!

XOXO,

Dylan