Modern Fall Dates

Fall is one of my favorite seasons.  The weather is a little breezy and it’s the perfect time for light layers, sweatshirts, and you can still pull off flip-flops some days.  Fall is also one of the most beautiful seasons with the leaves changing colors and if you ask me it’s the perfect time of year to be participating in outside activities.  Enjoy this fall with some savvy date ideas.

Pumpkin or Apple Picking: Regardless of where you are there is bound to be a pumpkin patch or appleorchard in a reasonable distance.  Spend the day at one of these places with your boyfriend and enjoy picking out the best ones.  Then go home and carve a pumpkin or make a home made apple pie.

Fall Festivals: The fall brings on numerous festivals of all kinds.  Spend a day outside and enjoy a festival pertaining to food or music, or attend a state fair.

Picnic: Most people associate picnics with the summertime but who said you couldn’t enjoy a picnic in the fall.  Pack up a lunch, grab a few warm blankets, and head to the park where you can watch the leaves fall and the season change.

Haunted Houses or Hay Rides: These can be fun activities especially if you are easily scared of things.  This is a good opportunity to spend some time outside with your boyfriend and cuddle up when you get scared.  Check online for local Haunted Houses or Hay Rides, they are usually going on throughout the entire month of October.

Costume Parties: Enjoy a Halloween party with your friends as your favorite couple.  You can choose anything from the romantic couple to the one that everyone can laugh at.

Play in the Leaves: No one enjoys raking leaves but its different if you plan on playing in them.  Wait until a day after a lot of leaves have fallen in your yard, rake a large pile, and then let your inner kid out and jump in the pile!

Nature Hike: Explore nature along with your boyfriend on a hike.  You can hike a mountain or find a trail to hike along.  Take in all the different elements of fall and have a few laughs along the way.

Photography Expedition: No plans for the day?  That can be solved pretty easily.  Grab your camera and your boyfriend and jump in the car.  Go for a drive wherever you want, maybe somewhere where they are a lot of trees.  Take pictures of nature and you and your boyfriend along the way.

Explore Maryn L’s article 5 Must-Have Updates to Keep Your Fall Fashion Fabulous for tips on what to wear on these modern fall dates.

Stephanie Coppola is an intern at College Lifestyles ™.  She is studying print journalism and sports studies at Quinnipiac University and she is a proud member of Kappa Alpha Theta.  She can’t wait to go apple picking and pumpkin picking this fall!

“5 Penny-Pinching Ps” – A Savvy Co-ed’s Guide to an Adventure Filled, Yet Affordable Summer

Summer is a fabulous chance to spend time with friends.  It is the perfect opportunity to strengthen existing friendships, as well as create new ones.  Be creative with the way you chose to spend your time together; hanging out doesn’t have to empty your wallet.  When looking for fun, affordable ideas, be sure to remember the “5 Penny-Pinching Ps.”

1-Photos. Go find pretty spots on your University or go to a local park, and snap away.  Not only will this serve as a fun way to occupy your time, but it will also supply you with memories that will last forever (who doesn’t love pictures?).

2-Picnic. Let’s face it, hanging out with friends rarely occurs without involving some type of food consumption.  Meeting for lunch or mid-afternoon ice cream serves as an easy solution for finding something to do.  Although this is nice on occasion, it can really make a dent in your wallet.  Try being creative with your meal options; plan a picnic.  Ask each friend to bring something to contribute to your meal and voila!  Not only have you saved money, but you have also found something exciting and out of the ordinary to do.

3-Pool. What better way to spend a hot day than beside the pool with your favorite pals?  Fill your pool bag with magazines, water, sunscreen, and don’t forget your radio!  A pool day will be a great way to spend a chill day with your friends, and you’ll even have a suntan to show for it!

4-Park. So it has already been suggested as a location for a photo shoot, but now make the park itself your main point of interest.  Parks can offer a variety of entertainment.  In my hometown we have parks with hiking trails, walking paths, ponds, gardens and even one with shoals and a small waterfall.  Going to the park is one of my favorite ways to spend a summer day with friends.  It offers exercise, quality bonding, and is always a guaranteed adventure!

5-Party. Throw a party!  You don’t need an excuse.  Turn something out of the ordinary into an excuse for a party.  No, this doesn’t have to be anything extravagant.  Have a themed movie night or reminisce from your younger days and throw a cliché slumber party.  For all of you FIFA World Cup™ fans, ask all of your friends to come watch the game dressed in their team of choice’s colors.  Just as suggested with the picnic, ask everyone to bring something!  For my friend Sarah’s 21st birthday, we celebrated with a “21″ themed party.  We asked everyone who came to bring their favorite party food in a quantity of 21 (i.e.: 21 cupcakes, 21 mini-sandwiches, etc).  Who doesn’t like “get-togethers,” especially when they are with a big group of friends?

As college co-eds, we are all looking for ways to have fun while saving our money.  Next time you and your friends are ready for a fun adventure, remember “The 5 Penny-Pinching Ps” for a guaranteed good time.

Abby Bryant is an intern with College Lifestyles™.  She is a senior marketing major at Georgia College & State University and the president of her sorority Sigma Alpha Omega®.  She loves finding new ways to have fun with her friends, especially during the summer.

Valentine’s Day: Places to See & Things to Do (with him OR the girls)

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner!  Have you and your date decided on where and what you’re going to do? And by date, I mean: the guy OR the girls!  J  If you’re tired of doing the same-ole-thing, here are some places to see and things to do to get you started to organizing your ideal V-Day…

WITH HIM…

The majority of the feedback I received was the simple, yet romantic “staying at home” date and making a yummy dinner followed by cuddling up to a movie. So if you are the type of couple that is usually on-the-go or doesn’t stay at home often, relax and enjoy your time alone!

Are you the kind of couple that usually stays in for dinner, or you aren’t comfortable enough with your date yet for a dinner & movie at home?  Try staying in between the lines by doing the same thing- just outside of the house!  Instead of going to the chain-restaurants, like Olive Garden or Outback Steakhouse, be a little different and go to one of your local favorites! Also, make sure when choosing the movie that you do not have a pre-determined choice and decide on a pick together! While most girls love the general “click-flick”, be generous to his interests as well!  He is also most likely the one paying for your entire evening! J

Time to spice it up…

Be active! Go bowling, ice-skating, or play putt-putt! Every guy strives on some form of competition and this way you will become his most memorable, #1 Valentine!  If you don’t want to go alone, invite some friends! 

Before or after your activity, try an inexpensive dinner alone (if you do invite friends) at somewhere like Panera Bread, or even go out for a drink at Starbucks or your local favorite coffee joint!

Go on a walk! Take in the scenery – by daylight or stars.  Explore around your neighborhood, campus, local park, downtown, beach, or wherever you and him fancy! Add a special touch and bring along essentials for a picnic!

Be a little more generous: If there is a local athletic game being played (pro or even your own university’s sports), take him to his favorite kind of sporting event! Tickets to local college sporting events are generally cheap and you can get them at the door! …Thank goodness V-Day is not during football season – those prices would be outrageous!

Get out on that dance floor! You don’t have to know how to perfect the Tango, The Waltz, or the Salsa, but if you have an open mind and go to local dancing hot spot (I don’t mean the usual college “hip hop” dance clubs), you’re sure to have a great time!  If you’re really into this idea, go a step further and take a couple of dance lessons before the big V-Day arrives. You and your “hunny” decide what area of dance you prefer to better learn.  Intern Liz posted an awesome blog: Salsa: The New Exercise.

WITH THE GIRLS…

One of my sorority sisters came up with a fab idea! It is for singles only (even the guys can come out for this one). Have a Valentine’s party and like Secret Santa for Christmas time, have a secret Valentine! Get a list of those who RSVP’ed and meet with them beforehand so they can secretly choose a name and have a present at hand for when the party arrives!

Why not enjoy a dinner at home with your best friends? Give everyone a task for dinner and top it off with decorating homemade cookies (also one of my sorority sister’s Christmas Traditions)!

As for the movies, pop in or go see something that is not a chick flick! Even though it IS the month of “love” and it’s what most girls enjoy, just have a laugh at a comedy or even a scary movie! If you have the blues, one of these will be perfect for you to get your mind off of a certain someone and spend a great time out with the girls!

Dinner? Check.   Movie? *Sigh*  Spa? YES!

Have the ultimate relaxing girl’s night!  Whether you invest to let a professional massage those kinks out or experiment on your own at home with the lovely ladies, this is the perfect way to make the clock tick!  Don’t forget to do it all: face mask, pedicure – even back and hand massage!  Set up little stations for each activity and take turns giving a massage!  As for a hand massage, just douse and smooth a little lotion into her hand!
Also, check out CL Intern Emily R’s blog: The Perfect Pedicure: Do It Yourself and CL Intern Deirdre’s blog: How to Create the Perfect Manicure, along with Fabulous Nail Polish for Valentine’s Day.

Go out to your local mall and try on crazy and fun outfits!  Of course as a classy co-ed, you would never poke fun of a designer’s clothing, but now is the time to venture out to those styles you’ve been eyeing… or never thought you could pull it off! You won’t know until you test something out and what better way to know you’ll have honest feedback from your best girls!

Get dirty … BY FINGER PAINTING!  
You will have created a messy masterpiece and enjoyed a spectacular time with this unique project in good company!

Dancing isn’t just for couples! Go out – or even stay in and crank your speakers up to your favorite line-dances!  You should definitely be able to find some formal and/or line dance tutorials on YouTube. I would even go as far as learning some old N*SYNC, Christina Aguilera, or new Lady GaGa dances to make it an amusing girl’s night! J

**Not satisfied with anything local? Take a road trip for the day! Whether you know exactly where you want to go or not, hop in the car with your sweetie or girlfriends and drive!**

  Kayla Norris is an intern of College Lifestyles (TM).  She is a junior and Exercise Science major at Georgia Southern University. She is an alumna of Alpha Sigma Tau and appreciates all of the feedback she received from her fellow Epsilon Gamma Chapter sisters!

Dull Summer Days? Try These Ways to Have Fun this Summer!

Lost on what to do this summer?  Try these fun activities that are sure to add some fun into your routine!

1.     Grab a group of friends and head to the drive in movie theater!

WHERE: www.driveinmovie.com for a list of theaters near you!

PRICE: Generally $5-10 for 2 movies.

TIP: Bring your own snacks (you can even order a pizza, pick it up and take   it to the movie)!

2.     Spend the afternoon having a picnic in the park.

WHERE: Your local park!

PRICE: Cost of food.

TIP: Bring a volleyball to play in the sand courts (a great workout!!!). Also, bring your stale bread to feed the ducks!

3.     Go to a minor (or major) league baseball game.

WHERE: web.minorleaguebaseball.com/ to find minor league teams OR go to your hometown baseball stadium.

PRICE: $5-15.

TIP: Check for “College Nights” where they usually offer discounts and food vouchers. (GO  PIRATES!!!)

4.     Spend the day at your local pool.

WHERE: The local pool obviously!

PRICE: Generally around $5.

TIP: Bring board games to play while not in the water. (Don’t forget your sunscreen!)

*If only all swimming pools looked like the one in this picture… sigh… this is from my trip to Cancun.

5.     Have a Nintendo Wii Party!

WHERE: Any house that has one! (Your Student Center may even have a game system)

PRICE: Free (or cost of game rental)!

TIP: Try “Mario Party 8″-a lot of people can play and compete against each other.

What are some of your favorite things to do during the summer?  Let us know in the comments!

Kaitlyn Kline is an intern with College Lifestyles.  She is an Edinboro University of PA and Alpha Sigma Tau alum.  She loves going to Pirate games with her friends (even if they rarely win)!