Friday, Friday

Happy Autumnal Equinox!  Did you know that today we will have equal hours of sunlight and darkness?  Well, now you do.  And your life is much better because of it, isn't it?

It is finally Friday! And I, for one, couldn't be happier!  This week has dragged on slower than a snail carrying a pebble.  I don't know why.  Perhaps it was because I had three tests?  Or perhaps it was because I was waiting all week to get the iPhone 5 today?

Yes.  This morning, I woke up at 6 and drove to the store to be one of those people who wakes up really early and goes to wait in line for a phone.  And you know what?  It really wasn't a bad experience at all.  The people in line around me were nice.  The store employees were passing out free water bottles and donuts.  I got to do a little reading for school.  And by 8:30, I was leaving the store with my shiny new iPhone 5!  Hallelujah!  My 3GS took a little rise through the spin cycle of my washing machine a few weeks ago, so I've been using my 1st Generation.  I was so ready to upgrade.

Y'all.  It's awesome.  And that's all I'm going to say about it because this is not a blog post about the iPhone. It is.....

Fill in the blanks on your own blog and link up here!

1) Something I am very proud of is the fact that I've gotten myself running again.  I really have surprised myself with the awesome things I can do if I just get off my butt and do them. 

2) My favorite thing about myself is my hair color.  I inherited it from my grandmother and it reminds me of her daily.

3) My favorite color for fall is deep purple.   Really, I just love purple.

4) Something I've been learning lately is sign language.  I'm taking a course at school in manual communication, and part of that class is learning signs so that we can sign in English word order. This is different from American Sign Language.  ASL is a completely different language.  This class is making me really excited about using sign in my therapy in the future.

5) My favorite Pandora station is the Ben Folds stations for music and the Louis C.K station for long car rides.

6) This weekend, I will rest, rehearse, and study.  Tomorrow, I have a 12 hour tech rehearsal for The Importance of Being Earnest.  I'll hopefully be able to use downtime during that rehearsal to study for the test I have next Thursday. I've got another rehearsal on Sunday evening.  I'm hoping I'll be able to use all my non-rehearsal time to rest.  But before that, I'm having a baking night with my roommate tonight!

Getting Back Into the Swing of Things?

Hey, what's this dusty old thing?  Oh yeah...I have a blog....

....oops.

Hello friends, real and imaginary!  I hope that life has been kind to you!  It has been for me :)  It's also been hectic and unscheduled.  And how can one be expected to keep up a regular blog schedule when one's life has no structure?  One can't, I tell ya!  But now that the school year has begun and my life has structure again, I'm ready to get back to blogging!

But before we begin, let me catch you up on my life :)

• I have been cast as Cecily Cardew in The Importance of Being Ernest at Baton Rouge Little Theater.  It opens on Friday, September 28, and, y'all, this show is going to be awesome!  I've been having a blast with the rehearsals.  Call 225-924-6496 or visit Baton Rouge Little Theater's Website for tickets.
• I have begun my senior year at LSU in the Communication Disorders program.  I have  good feeling about this semester!  I genuinely like and am interested in my classes.  My teachers are fantastic!  There's only one catch...
• Grad School.  I have to apply for it this semester.  I am so freaking terrified.  I have a meeting with my advisor on Monday that will hopefully quell some of my fears.  I've talked to some of my classmates and they seem just as terrified and bewildered as I am, so at least I'm not alone.  Right now, my plan is just to apply to as many schools as possible and pray that at least one of them wants me.  
• I am officially a football fan!  Well, at least an LSU football fan :)  Boyfriend was appalled that I had never been to a single football game as a student (and only 1 game otherwise) and convinced me to buy season tickets this year.  Y'all...football is fun!  I love every part of it—from the tailgaiting to the tiger band to the clothes to the food to the game itself!  It's all awesome.  I feel kind of silly for not going to more games before now.
• Speaking of boyfriend, tomorrow marks 6 months with him.  Just a cute little tidbit :)

And now...to the fun!

Fill in the blanks on your own blog and link up here!

1) Right now, the weather where I live is improving.  During the football game last week, I began to feel breezes blow through Tiger Stadium.  When I walked outside on Sunday morning, the weather was so wonderful I wanted to skip!  It felt like fall!  Fall is my absolute favorite season!  While the weather since then hasn't been as perfect, it has been pretty awesome!  Hotter on some days than others, but the delightful breeze has remained.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's nice for the game tomorrow.

2) The best piece of advice I've ever been given is "Things fall apart so that they can come back together."  A Rockefeller Center security guard after she mistook my crying with my head on the table for me being a homeless person in the days following my break-up last October. 

She was right.  She was so right.

3) My most favorite person in all the world is boyfriend.  I even tell him "You're my favorite," on a regular basis. (I didn't include my blood family in my pool of possible answers.  It's understood they they're held on a pretty high pedestal in my life.)

4) If I were to have a mission statement for my life, it would be Live. Love.  Laugh. Repeat. 

I just came up with that.  I've never actually thought about a mission statement for my life before...haha.

5) My favorite thing in my closet is....don't make me choose!  I love everything!  The shoes! The dresses! The cardigans! I can't pick a favorite!

6) The best cure for a bad day is a hot shower, a cozy bed, swedish fish, and a really fattening meal.

7) Today is ....

I couldn't resist.

May the 4th Be With You!

Happy Star Wars Day!   I know I'm such a dork!

It's Friday, which means it's time to fill in some blanks!  But before we get to that, let me fill you in on what I've been up to lately.

First of all, it's dead week here at LSU, but I personally believe it should be called "Death Week."  School life is super busy with classes wrapping up.  I've been using every free second I have to study.  Well except for the seconds I'm using to write this blog post.  But this is for my own personal health!   There's so much in my brain right now that I'm having trouble thinking through the simplest things (What's my name again?).  I need a brain dump!

One of the big parts of dead week for me this year is preparing for Singo De Mayo. What is that, you ask?  Well, this semester, I am taking LSU's only (undergrad) Musical Theatre class (C'mon, LSU, get with the times!).  For our final exam, we are performing a showcase of songs from musical theatre this Sunday, May 6, at 7:30 PM in the Shaver Theatre in LSU's MDA Building.  This showcase is called "Singo de Mayo."  It really is a ton of fun and we always have a huge crowd, but it's a lot of hard work! It really is amazing all that we can do and get accomplished in one semester.  If you're in the Baton Rouge Area, you should definitely check it out!  Go to http://www.music.lsu.edu/ for tickets!  OR, if you're not in the Baton Rouge area, you can watch the whole thing streamed live at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/lsu-school-of-music.

As if that didn't keep me busy enough, I am also also assistant stage managing The 39 Steps at Baton Rouge Little Theater.  We've been in tech rehearsal all week and the show opens tonight.  And you definitely don't want to miss it! This show is absolutely hilarious!  It's pretty tech heavy too.  Luckily, the crew is absolutely fantastic.  They are so on top of everything and make my job so much easier.  I am having such a blast working with them and the cast!  It opens tonight and runs through May 20th.  For ticket info, go to www.brlt.org.

And, to top it all off, the boyfriend has started making me run (something that my body just wasn't meant to do).  Guys, I totally suck at running.  After about a quarter of a mile, I'm ready to crawl into a hole and die.  Right now, we're running the "small" lake at LSU and every time we pass ducks, I always beg them to let me stay with them.  Did y'all know that ducks have a stink eye?  I've been using the Nike +GPS iPhone app, which, in theory, is pretty cool because it tracks your route and pace and how many calories you've burned.  But then when you check your pace and it looks like this, it doesn't seem as cool anymore...

Look at all that red....just sitting there being so.....red.  Stop taunting me, red!

So, yes, life is crazy busy at the moment.  But it's a good kind of busy.  I'm busy with things that I truly love doing (well, except the running.....but supposedly I will eventually get good enough at it that I'll actually be able to tolerate it.  And then (hopefully) I'll eventually enjoy it.  Supposedly...).  Still, I'll be very relieved once I make it to Wednesday and I'll be able to take school out of the equation for a while.

Oh, and on a slightly unrelated note, my allergies have been a beast this week!  Has anyone else been having major allergy problems like I have? 

Fill in the blanks on your own blog and link up here.

1.  My bedtime routine includes taking a shower, brushing my teeth, and washing my face.  I hate going to bed feeling gross and dirty.  Once I'm in bed, I usually spend about 30 minutes or so on my laptop or watching tv.  I know sleep experts say you're not supposed to do that, but I do it anyway.  It works for me!  Of course, that's on a normal day.  Lately, my night time routine has consisted of just falling and hoping I hit the bed. Because once I'm down, I'm not getting back up.

2. I am super busy this weekend, but also super excited about this weekend.  I'll spend tomorrow afternoon studying, but other than that, I'll be doing theater stuff all weekend!  I'm super excited for Singo on Sunday night!

3. I can't stand fruit because of the smell and texture. Yuck!!

4.  My idea of relaxation would be a week at the beach with a book, Pinterest, and people I love.  Luckily, I get that every year. :)

5.  If I had an extra $50, I would use it for gas or put it toward my credit card bill.  I know, that's not a very interesting answer, but that's life, you know?

6.  A recipe I've been dying to try is anything on any of my food Pinterest boards!  For example...

Source: kalynskitchen.com via Emily on Pinterest

Pesto and Mozzerella Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Source: closetcooking.com via Emily on Pinterest

Artichoke Bread

Source: crockpotladies.com via Emily on Pinterest

Crock Pot Cheesecake

Have a wonderful weekend!

Fill-In-The-Blank Friday

One word to describe this week: Hectic.  And it's going to stay that way for the next 12 days.  Not only do I have finals, but I also have rehearsals for Singo de Mayo (which is a performance that is part of my musical theater class) and 39 Steps at Baton Rouge Little Theater (which I am assistant stage managing).  I think tonight is my last night to really enjoy the calm before the storm.   Don't get me wrong, it's a good storm—like an afternoon storm on the beach—but it's a storm, nonetheless.

Time for Fill-In-The-Blank Friday!

Fill in the blanks on your own blog and link up here!

1.  When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do is roll over and hit the snooze button.  I am not a morning person AT ALL.  But once I'm up, the first thing I have to do is brush my teeth and wash my face or else I just feel gross.

2. I can hardly wait for summer.  I DESPERATELY need a break.  It's been a roller coaster of a semester and I am ready to get off, get some cotton candy and, ride the carousel.

3.  The quickest way to my heart is through the meet-and-greet line because theatre is so important to me.  If you come see me in a show, it means so much to me and I'll never forget it.

4.  A little known fact about me is that I'm left handed.

5.  The best part about my (future) job is the impact I'll have on the kids I'll be working with.  I got to get a tiny taste of being and SLP this semester and I absolutely loved it.  I am so excited about my future.

6.  Something I just couldn't live without is chapstick.  And chocolate.

7.  Something useful that I wish I knew how to do was use a dslr in manual mode.   I really want to learn to take better pictures.  If only I could afford a DSLR.... *dreams*

Fill-In-The Blank Friday

Woohoo! It's Friday!  Not that I'll get to relax much this weekend...It's getting to be that time of the semester when everything happens at once so the next 2 and 1/2 and half weeks are going to be super busy.

But right now, I'm just lying in bed enjoying the fact that I don't have to get up and go to school tomorrow (even though I still have to go to work, but at least I don't have to study for work!)

Let's celebrate with...

Fill in the blanks on your own blog then link up here!

1) Today is a great day because it's Friday!  I also had a really awesome morning at a school related thing.

2) Tomorrow, I will go to work, then rush home to get ready for a performance with my musical theater class.  Unfortunately, that performance means that I have to miss my boyfriend's Senior recital tomorrow night.  That makes me super sad.

3) My favorite time of the day is the evening because I can just relax.  I alway try to take a little time in the evening to just shut down.  My brain is off and nothing else matters for just a little bit. I finally get a chance to reflect on (or in some cases, block out) all of the things that happened that day.  If it was a good day, I can go to bed happy and relaxed.  If it was a bad day, I can go to bed knowing that tomorrow is a new chance.

4) Sometimes you just have to sit alone in your car, listen to calm music, and remember what life's all about.

5) A song that I can't get enough of lately is "Rumor Has It" by Adele.  I'm not even a huge Adele fan (as a trained singer, it hurts my vocal chords to listen to some of her songs) but I just really love that song!  It's fun and upbeat and very "I'm Awesome!"-ish.

6) My favorite accessory is my rings and a pair of earrings and/or a necklace.  I feel naked without my rings!  I used to go long periods of time without wearing earrings and have even had to "repeirce" them myself a few times.  But since I started working at a jewelry store last summer,  I try to wear them a few days a week.

7)  My favorite thing about this week was filming and editing a project for school. That sounds so dorky, doesn't it? But it's true!  I had a group project for one of my classes that involved creating a video presentation.  Normally, I dread group projects, but I won the group project lottery this time!  My group was organized and enthusiastic and actually wanted to do a good project! (Imagine that!)  We used my university's CxC studio which was fantastic!  We got to use a presentation room with Macs, a Smartboard, a flip camera, Apple tv, plus great help from the staff.  I was originally dreading this project, but the combination of my group and the CxC studio made the project so easy and enjoyable! And I think we have an awesome project (a week before it is due, I might add.)

Have a great weekend, guys! Watch out for clowns!

Fill-In-The-Blank Friday

Sup, peepsters?  Once again, it is Friday, and once again,  I am so glad it is.  This week has been super busy.  I had a test and 2 assignments due this week, plus A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum rehearsals really started picking up.  The only time I got this week to just sit down and not do anything was the 15 minutes I had to stay at the doctor after getting a shot!  But "busy" doesn't mean "bad."  In fact, this was a good week!  And I haven't been able to say that in a very long time.  

So, without further ado, let's get to the fun! Time for....

Fill in the blanks on your own blog, then link up here!

1.  The highlight of my week was taking an impromptu trip to my alma mater, Baton Rouge High School, to visit the choir. Choir was a big part of my high school experience and I didn't realize until I got to college how much I took that for granted.  They have a very good program at Baton Rouge High, once that I think rivals most university choirs.  I didn't think I would miss it as much as I do, so it was really nice to go back for a quick visit and hear some of the stuff they're working on now.

2.  If I had to classify my interior design aesthetic, it would be broke college chic? Haha.  My apartment is pretty small right now and I'll only be there another year and a half, so I haven't really gotten much of a chance to spread my interior decorating wings.  But I think I've done well with what I've got.  It's homey and welcoming.

3.  My first vehicle was (and still is) a 2010 Pearl White Hyundai Sonata.  I love my car.  It's perfect for me and my style.  And it's got satellite radio :D.  I plan on driving this car until I can't get it out of the driveway anymore!

4.  An item I need to have in my day in order to function is chapstick!  I freak out if I don't have any chapstick with me.  I especially love the Eos Lip Sphere, but any brand will do.  Right now, I'm using one that was a promotional item from the COMD department at LSU. I got it for answering a question right in class :)

5.  My favorite way to waste time is in bed. Pajamas, laptop, and tv on.  Brain turned off.

6.  Right now I could really go for some Thin Mints.  Lucky for me, I have some :) 

Oh, and someone to carry me to bed.  Because right now I am so full from a huge dinner at Chimes East that I can't move.  *Reaches for another Thin Mint*

7.  This weekend, I will be in tech rehearsals for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at Baton Rouge Little Theater!  We really do have a great show and you definitely don't want to miss it! We open next Friday (March 9), but we also have a Pay-What-You-Can Performance the Thursday before.

Have a good weekend!  Get some rest for me!

Fill-In-the-Blank Friday

THANK. GOD. IT'S FRIDAY.

This week hasn't been "rough," per se.  It's just been long.  This morning was kind of rough, though.  So I'm definitely ready for a break! So, to kick off this break, let's have a little fill-in-the-blank fun!

If you have a blog and want to play, fill in the blanks on your blog and link up here!

1.  If money wasn't an issue, the first thing I'd cross off my life list is taking my mom, dad and brother to England.  I know my mom and dad have always wanted to take a family vacation there, but we haven't gotten to yet.  If I could afford it, I would take my family there in a heartbeat.

2.  Pickled okra is something I like that other people think is weird.

3.  If my life were a movie right now, the title would be "Diary of a crazy, obsessive, broke white college student"

4.  Three things I'm looking forward to this month are A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum rehearsals, school, and getting in better shape.

I'm lame.

5. My favorite song to sing in the shower is whatever I'm working on in my voice lessons.

6.  If I found out that the production of Swedish Fish was ending tomorrow, I'd go out and buy as much as I could tomorrow.

7.  One thing I'll never grow tired of is theater.  I love me some theater.

Source: someecards.com via Emily on Pinterest

An Appetizer

Hello, all! I know I've been rather MIA for the past few days. There's been family and holidays and a persistent little cold keeping me away. But I'm back! There's a new recipe post as well as a 5-in-1 photo challenge post headed your way! But to hold you over until then, here's another fun fill-in-the-blank quiz that I found on Little Mrs. Married! Think of it as a little appetizer for the posts to come :)

1. Waking up at the break of dawn to go shopping is my idea of HELL. I am absolutely not a morning person, I get claustrophobic and I get anxious. I'll go Black Friday shopping, but I wait until the last two hours that the mall is open to go. It's a lot calmer and, since I'm almost never shopping for some super in-demand item, I can still get everything I need.

2. If I were to go shopping today I would be on the hunt for either clothes or a new camera. I can never have enough clothes. But I'd like to get a nicer camera. The point and shoot that I have right now is fine, but it's kind of beat up and is starting to lose its focus abilities. I'd like a sturdier, more SLR-like camera. But a camera is such a big purchase for me that I'll spend forever researching options and never actually buy one.

3. The best thing I ate yesterday was Honey Baked Ham. That stuff is freaking delicious.

4. Something I've been learning lately is that I have to be honest with myself. And that it's ok to still be just as sad 5 weeks and 5 days later.

5. I cannot start my day without my allergy medicine. If I don't have my medicine in the morning, I will be miserable for at least 5 days after.

6. My nighttime attire consists of pj pants and an oversized comfy t-shirt or (depending on the weather and my mood) a nightgown.

7. I am looking forward to some baking I have planned for the near future and the auditions that I have in a couple of weeks. And the end of fall semester. And taking ballet and musical theater classes next semester. And owning a Shiba Inu and a Greyhound in the not so near future :)

How can you not love that face? :)

Moxy Monday

I stole this from my friend Melissa at Little Mrs. Married.  Just a few little fill-in-the-blanks to distract me from that fact that it's Monday.

1. My favorite thing about this week was unexpectedly getting to babysit my friends' two month old.  Any one who knows me knows that I absolutely love babies (so much that I'm even making them my career) and it served as a wonderful distraction.  Plus, I don't know of anything that can make you feel better about yourself than being able to make a baby go from crying to smiling at you :)

2. Colder weather makes me want to put on warm pajamas, drink a cup of hot tea, and crawl into bed to watch a movie with someone I love.  I don't get to do that this year....

3. Three things that make me terribly happy as of late are 

1) The Big Bang Theory:  I got the fourth season for my birthday and have been watching it with my parents.  We're almost done with the season, though, which makes me terribly sad.  (Well, that was counterproductive) 

2) Blogging: I've had a lot of emotions lately and, while I have some incredibly wonderful friends, I'm sure they get sick of me texting them "I'm sad" everyday.  This blog has been a really good place for me to just lay (almost) everything out on the table for everyone to see.  I'm not hiding emotions or pretending they don't exist.  And when I do have a bad day and feel like I couldn't possibly feel any worse or fall any lower, I start to write it all out in a blog post and, even if I don't post the blog, I usually feel so much better just writing everything out.  If even that doesn't make me feel better, I know it's time to go home and cry on my mommy and daddy's shoulder. 

3) The Ben Folds Pandora Station: I've been listening to it a ton at work and home lately.  It doesn't necessarily play music that makes me feel happier.  It's mainly music I'm unfamiliar with. Not incredibly upbeat or loud or percussion heavy.  No expectations.  No catchy choruses.  It just makes me feel better. I keep a sticky on my desktop of all of my favorite songs to download later.

4. If i could only wear one shoe for the rest of my life, I would choose Toms.  So comfy.  But if I could only wear one shoe, wouldn't my other foot get cold?  Can I wear socks?  And what about glass on the ground?  Oh my goodness, this "one shoe" thing is starting to sound like a very bad situation.

5. My personality type is ISFJ–Introverted Sensing Feeling Judging (Want to understand me? Click on that link and read up–me to a tee).  Also known as "The Nurturer," which is so totally me.  In relationships, ISFJs are generally giving and loving people, who place the needs of others above their own (I don't know why so many people view that as a negative personality trait). This is based off of the Meyers-Briggs Test.  I took it through my university, but if you Google it, you can find several cost free versions of it.

6. I have a serious problem resisting candy.  Especially Swedish Fish. And chocolate.  And every other kind of candy.  I have such a sweet tooth that it's a miracle I've never had any cavities.  I always keep a box of Mike and Ikes in my car for when my blood sugar is low, but I have trouble avoiding them when my blood sugar's fine.  

7. My favorite color to wear is white. It's just so clean and simple and versatile.  The tops in my closet are hung by color and the white section is definitely the biggest.  I especially love a simple white top or tee with a cute cardigan, skinny jeans and sandals(or flats or Toms).  Such an easy outfit that's always super cute. 

And now, a little Keyboard Cat to lessen the Monday blues: