Honey I'm Home....Coming: FAMU Alumni Edition
I put my F in front of my A
My A in front of my M
My M in front of my U
I LOVE MY HBCU!
Florida Agricultural And Mechanical University. October 3rd 1887 WHAAAAT?!
I had the pleasure of attending my alma maters' homecoming this past October and I have to say it was such a joy to be back on the highest of seven hills. This was my first homecoming attendance as an Alum and I can definitely say my appreciation and school spirit has greatly intensified since entering the real world/workforce. FAMU effectively prepared me for post grad life in so many aspects. But, special shoutout to SBI (The School of Business and Industry) for creating in me a prepared corporate woman ready to take on the world!
Now let's get into the details of this weekend, Let's go Rattlers!
Philippians 4:9- Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Preparation
I was taught that if you stay ready you never have to get ready, so that's what I put into practice. Here's a couple beauty treatments I did to prep for the weekend so I could serve my best looks and be ready for The Hill.
Face Card: No Limit
I've been blessed to be rid of acne that I've dealt with for yearsss so the upkeep up my skin is super important to me. I decided to book a facial with my go-to esthetician here in Atlanta: Face Value Aesthetics for a quick upkeep facial and she got my skin super smooth, glowy, and ready for the weekend. I'm so glad I decided to get a facial as the weekend got a little hectic and I barely had time to do my makeup. But, a fresh face is always in!
In The Lab
So if you know you know, Tallahassee heat (Florida heat in general) is nothing to play with. With that in mind I decided to opt for some curly bundles that wouldn't require too much upkeep and that my leave out could keep up with. I was blessed with a very unique hair color (Sandy brown) so all my bundles must be dyed before going in my hair if I don't want to look crazy lol. I've gotten so used to this process now though so it's become a fun experience to get "In the Lab" and create my desired hair color. I decided to go for a reverse ombre look with the top of the bundles a light brown to blend with my hair and left the bottom of the hair a darker brown.
Nailfie
I decided to incorporate the school colors into my fresh set in honor of the festivities. It seems to have translated to more of an ode to the holidays but October, November, December same thing right lol.
Friday
Follow The Orange Brick Road
It's a Rattler household in my crib (and a future possible baby Rattler). My mom attended FAMU and my lil sis is a senior scoping out potential schools for the Fall so we decided to follow the orange brick road to Tallahassee and make it a family affair. But best believe I had my plans in motion to link up with my girlies for the festivities once I touched down.
It's A Celebration Every Time We Link Up
I met up with my girlies at the tail end of Set Friday but would it be me if I didn't show up fashionably late for the festivities? For those of you that don't know Set Friday is an event at FAMU that occurs on our "Quad" in the middle of campus every Friday with music, vendors, and overall comradery amongst students and the surrounding community. Special shoutout to my girlypop Ashley (in the middle) who was my neighbor freshman year in our all girls dorm, Truth Hall. The dorm was demolished recently :( but she's forever my Truth Hall Sis <3
On Set
Had an impromptu photoshoot after Set at this beautiful mural near Gilmore Lanes, our bowling alley on campus. Also, special shoutout to Chillax Apparel (Owner's Instagram: Ya_da_taurus). They had some gorgeous FAMU rugs that I will be purchasing in the near future.
Pick Me Up
Not only was I excited to be back in town for the festivities but also to indulge in some of my old food spots I frequented over the years. First on the list is this Pad Kee Mao which is basically drunken stir fried noodles with lots of veggies in a spicy/savory sauce. This was a great quick meal that not only provided some nostalgia but sustained my energy for the rest of the night. I will say the first difference I noticed between my first alumni homecoming vs all my others as a student.....I now yawn in the club. The veggies could only sustain me for only so long.
Saturday
Met Gala Theme: Tailgate Fashion
What time is it? Game Time! While I only intended to enter the stadium to enjoy halftime I still wanted to put my best boot forward as I gallivanted on Perry Street. For those that don't know Perry Street is the street right behind Bragg Stadium, where we play, that's lined up with food and merchandise vendors and it's a Homecoming staple every year. It usually looks like the picture below but it was a bit more sparse this year. However, I still managed to run into a few familiar faces. Back to my gallivanting boots that were slightly made for walking...They definitely withheld through the festivities as I wore them with two outfits during the weekend. But, I wouldn't recommend them for back to back walking days which is kind of a no brainer. I got these for a great deal though and they're even cheaper at Macy's right now so snag them if your size is still available!
On to this outfit though! Shoutout to @cfashions_ for the fit. After my unsuccessful attempt at creating a Game day t-shirt dress following a TikTok tutorial, I decided to leave it to the professionals. The designer was also the creator of my 23 Jordan set for my birthday so I knew he would come through with my Homecoming look. This two piece jacket and skirt set was actually made out of an old FAMU jacket my cousin let me have and was turned into this magic. Check out more detailed fit pics on my Instagram: @RealDolluxe
The 1(00) Not the 2
I made it to the stadium just in time to watch the often imitated, never duplicated Marching 100. I've always been a fan of Halftime and watching/hearing our amazing band play. The energy in the stadium was so fulfilling and nostalgic, definitely the highlight of my weekend. The band did such as amazing job I was able to use the audio as the sound base for my Homecoming Recap TikTok! Watch my recent upload to enjoy the surreal experience here: https://www.tiktok.com/@taridolluxe
Sunday
Homecoming festivities have ended and it's time to hit the road Jack but I can say I came, saw, and I conquered. Being back on The Hill really brought out a realization of not only my growth but my appreciation of the journey I experienced throughout my 4 years at FAMU. I can't wait to experience many more Alumni homecoming events and possibly continue the FAMU legacy with my own family.
Playa from the Himalayas or Tallahassee?
I've always loved smoothie bowls but my latest obsession has been Playa bowls specifically. I noticed one was now on Gaines Street so I had to make that visit before getting on the road. It unfortunately wasn't as fire as the Atlanta location I've gone to but can't expect too much from overworked college students.
Comments