it's tuesday? here's a hodge podge post.

How did that happen? It seems like I got home last night after 9:00 p.m., closed my eyes and suddenly I was driving back into work this morning at 7:30 a.m.

I have to say, I need to toot my horn a little bit at how well I am dealing with this...well, busy-ness! It can usually send me into a tailspin. (like you don't already know that about me).

I somehow got myself wrapped into being the Musical Director for a Mary Baldwin MFA Shakespeare Production. I made a name tag that says "Musical Director" and I wear it around all day long. It might be my greatest title to date. It's a pretty cool project--I am covering 6 tunes from a musician named Robyn Hitchcock. I also play a small role as a whore in the second act. So, most nights if I am not working with the cheerleaders I am either busy working on music or being a whore. Just a day in the life.

This is a hodge podge post.

I don't have any real story running through it. I always envy bloggers who seamlessly add pictures, quotes, and music to a blog post and it all connects.

This just isn't one of those posts.

Oh but guess what? I got my phone to work (still working on project: get a fancy phone). Here is a picture we snapped from the hike. We look a lil' scraggly. This was before I fell into the river/creek.

Andrew bought me that sweatshirt at a gas station before the hike as a V-Day present. Ain't he sweet? I love Virginia & that boy beside me.

Here is my last bit of news for this hodge podge.

We are breaking down. After I blogged about not having cable, it just all became too much. I NEED TO HAVE SOME CHANNELS. This is a big deal. Like, life is going to change in the trailer forever.

we are gonna get a dish.

Happy Tuesday loves!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

get your hair did....

One day I was walking down W. Beverly street in Staunton with a co-worker and I stopped into a local boutique, Design at Nine. I walked in to browse the sale rack and walked out signed up as a model in a fashion show to benefit breast cancer awareness.

I don't know how I exactly get myself into some things.....but....I did get to pretend to be a model for a day for a good cause. ( AND I had really big hair...which was a dream come true)

All of the models and owners of Design at Nine & Tease.

my serious model face. fierce.

I think I'll hang up my size 10 modeling shoes (unless Tyra calls and wants me to audition for AMTM). I'm glad I was able to live a day in the life but I am waaaaaay too goofy to ever take myself that serious.

happy wednesday from oHIo!

Woman Cave

image found here


I am going to make Andrew build this for me.

I don't think it looks that hard.

And I need it for secret meetings.

Like this. (although it's not secret & we want you to join)

How perfectly dreamy.

What do I do?

You know that question that makes every unemployed persons skin raise while instantly making you want to slink away?

"What do you do?"

I wish we could just ban that phrase. It leads to all sorts of feelings of inadequacies. I used to love answering it, when I loved my old job at CFF. I was really really proud of my job and I welcomed the question.

I've been asked that question lately, you know....since I currently don't have a job. And I have all kinds of answers in reserve . But, I think what's been bothering me is that I'm not being truthful.

What am I doing?

I'm playing music. It's what I want to do & something that I have wanted to do "full time" my entire life. No, I don't have a reserve of money backing me up. But I do have a reserve of people that love me backing me up.

This may just be one of the scariest things I have ever done. But I know it's the only thing I want to do.

My friend Amy told me once, "Just jump. The net will catch you." And, ya know what? It will. And I will just keep figuring out things as I go & throw security out of the window.

So my new goal this week is to be honest with myself. What do I do? I play music & sing. I might have a job here and there to make some extra cash but I DO music. It's what I love and I'm going after it with all my heart.

Happy Monday. :)
(I promise I'm coming off of my "eat, pray, love" mission soon. So much on my mind. I will get back to microsoft paint & fun stories asap)

Mid 20's--what's this all about?

I'm back my people.

I quit my part time job on Saturday, left town for Norton & just got back from my hiatus today. I feel like I am in the poor, go find yourself in SW Virginia version of "Eat, Pray, Love".

I think I have a plan....I do. That is think. I think?

Oh let's just all hop on my crazy train and go for a ride? Shall we?

Yes. Let's.

Now I'm going to go and recite the serenity prayer a few more times.

Love.

lucky boots

I'm singing tonight at Kirk Ave Music Hall.

My friend Mickey & I are opening for Darrell Scott. Let's just say that he's pretty damn accomplished and let's just say that my throat is in my ankles right now.

That's why I've decided to wear my lucky boots tonight. I "acquired" these boots when I was in a band called Tears & Whiskey.

~Tears & Whiskey circa 2007~

How badass is that band name? It just oozes country. I have the best memories of singing with those guys ;)

Happy Friday. Wish me and my boots luck.

I need to go do some lamaze right now (it's only 8:30 am....I have about 10 hours to prepare)

loveeeeee.

happy morning!

Oh I'm back from the depths of despair.

"Can't you even IMAGINE you're in the depths of despair?"

"No I cannot. To despair is to turn your back on God."

{QUICK: Prize for the first person to figure out what movie those lines came from. Leave a comment. Johannah- you aren't allowed to play. ;) }

Andrew is quite upset that I am showing you all this picture. He is so ashamed of the weeds. But....I think they are pretty weeds. And I like this picture of the mountains so he will just have to swallow his pride.

This week is going to be fabulous. I can tell. I think.

;) happy monday.

happy as a clam

Last night was amazing.

I feel like I just found a secret music society in Staunton.

EVERYONE was so talented. I have never enjoyed myself so much at an open mic.

So excited about what's next. (what is next? i don't know.)

thank you

laura

mickey

andrew

cody

liz

angie

emmy

you being there meant the world to me.

mic check, one two one two

I'm going to sing at the Open Mic Night here tomorrow night.

:) woo hoo! I'll let you know how it goes.

Raise your hand if you live with your boyfriends parents

I do! I do!

Oh, it's not that bad. Not bad at all actually. It's funny. I clamored my way out of living with at home--the thought was unthinkable post college. But now, after living in the real world, coming home to someone else making dinner and not stroking that rent check each month is pretty darn nice......

for now.

We have big plans that will hopefully become clearer in the coming weeks.

So for now, I will continue to indulge in watching shows like Cops, CSI, and any other murder mystery known to man on t.v. each night with the family.

jumpin jehosaphat

We are less than two weeks away from holding a 300+ black tie event that I have been working on for over a year.

I am 28 days away from moving. 28. Slight panic has taken over. (lies. major panic has taken over)

Thankfully, I am armed with the best friends and family one could ask for, especially in these trying times.

AND there are a lot of things making and keeping me happy. Let's make a happy list.

MY HAPPY LIST:

Someone let me cut in front of them at the grocery store today because I only had three items. That was really sweet and it made me happy.

Tomorrow is First Wednesdays. The theme is soup. Everyone brings some soup and then instead of a craft this month we are exchanging bowls. Like soup bowls. I love this months theme.

I voted today. That made me feel all American.

I am making potato soup for First Wednesdays in my crockpot.

Last night, Johannah let me have a whole conversation about how pretty I think my cat is. "but...like, no, really Johannah. She could be in the movies. Have you ever seen a cat that looks so pretty?" She also fed me. I really loved her last night.

RAMBLES. SHAMBLES. I need to go to bed.

love.

so, about that whole moving thing...

yeah. um. so I told you that this was happening.

and i'm just la-dee-da-dee-da-ing around like I'm not about to make the BIGGEST MOVE IN MY LIFE.

(dramatic pause....annnnnnnnnnnnd......thank you.)

I should be freaking out.

I don't have a job lined up.

We don't have anything confirmed on where we will live.

but. here's my secret.

I am so freaking excited I don't even care. I just know everything will work out. I have never felt this way in my entire life.

--and you know what, the OLD me would have hated typing that sentence for all to see in fear that I might regret getting my hopes up and crashing down, but nope. nuh-uh. I'm not even going to go back and edit.--

I mean it. I believe it.

That's where I'm at on the whole moving thing. I'm not going to become Anxious Annie.

found here

So there, life. Give me some lemons. See if I don't dominate you.

xoxo.

cha cha cha changes....

but i'm so tiny.

LATELY, I have been thinking about this big world we live in.

and reading books that make you scratch your head

and googling things like de-evolution of humanbeings

and then finding quotes like this:

"It is estimated that a week’s worth of the New York Times contains more information than a person was likely to come across in a lifetime in the 18th century." -found here.

and my brain is hurting.

and.....I had a lot more to say but.......I must go to sleep.

growin' heart

As promised, here are some pics from my weekend.

(okay, so maybe there is no proof that my heart grew 3 times bigger...but it did)

A wonderful musical friend, Mickey (singer/songwriter) graciously let me record on a track for his upcoming CD at Blackwater Recording.

I was like a kid in a candy shop.

After having the best time recording I left to catch up with my friend Peter to sing a few tunes at his gig in Roanoke, VA.

It was an all day music fest.

and...I had FUN. I just felt like something was lifted from me and I just had, well...FUN.

(if you only knew my performers anxiety you would understand why this was such a big deal for me)

So. I'm still working all this....putting myself out there mumbo jumbo. But, I think it's starting to work.

and I found this quote that I wrote down in an old journal from the movie "Into the Wild" (one of my favorites)

"I believe that the good gets better"

Don't ya just have to believe that? I do. I do, I do.

inch by inch

Sometimes you feel yourself reaching out

maybe just inch by inch

but you can feel it.

This was our little friend that we found while hiking on the A.T. on Friday.

Saturday was filled with so much music my heart grew 3 times bigger.

Swear.

I have some pictures to prove it.

But for now, my 5:30am drive back home this morning is keeping me from staying up and posting. Oh I64. It was a quite a sunrise, wasn't it?

sweet dreams.

no more N.N.

I just browsed through some of my recent posts...WOAH am I negative nance or what?

No more. This blog was meant for happiness...not to vent everytime I have a bad day.



Soooo...I will make a huge effort to post not just the bad but the good.



Deal? Deal.

Wednesday Deadline

photo taken at Cool Breeze Stables

Way back when (so about two years ago) I was still stumbling and fumbling post college. Bills were paid late, cleaning and shopping was not being done, prorities were NOT in order.

So I made a rule. I had until each Wednesday of the week to "get my life together". Splitting it up in the middle of the work week didn't make me absolutley dread a Monday deadline or have to wait for a Friday deadline. Wednesday worked perfect.

I even let friends in on my project. Amy would pop her head into my office each Wednesday and declare: "It's Wednesday. Is your life together?" and I would either smile and nod or moan about what I had still not accomplished.

I evenutally became so good at "getting my life together" by Wednesday of each week that I stopped conciously thinking about my deadline --it all seemed to be coming together on it's own.

Guess what? I need-no, MUST- go back to my Wednesday deadline of G.M.L.T.

I took the day off. I need this day. I have a deadline.

yes.

foxy photo taken at the Grand Caverns

red nails

I'm gonna stop this two week slump i've had.

(does anyone else get moody in the summer? I swear it's the heat)

I'm turning over a new leaf.

AND I painted my nails bright red. I never wear polish.

This is a fresh start.

ps. Andrew snuck behind me and took it this pic while we were watching the sun set over the front field. It's my favorite spot.