"Waiting, Wait, Waiting
Cause everybody's playing the waiting game
Waiting, Wait, Waiting
It doesn't even matter if
you both feel the same
Waiting, Wait, Waiting
Come on make your move, baby
you're driving me insane
Waiting, Wait, Waiting
Everybody's playing the waiting game"
---The Olsen Twins, "The Waiting Game"
OH YEAH! I went there...I chose a song by the Olsen Twins! Does anyone else remember "School Dance Party"!??! MAN I used to LOVE the Olsen Twins and their movies. When "Passport to Paris" came out, my friend Katherine and I literally knew all of the words. We would call each other after school, turn on the movie, and watch it together while reciting the lines....dorky...I know! But it was so much fun when I was younger.
Anyway...back to the reason that I chose this song...I'm WAITING for Adam to get here!!!!! He plane is delayed out of Denver due to weather. I should be just about getting to the airport right now to hang around and wait for him and yet he is still safely on the ground in Denver. AHEM!!! EARTH TO DENVER...FREE MY BOYFRIEND SO I CAN HANG OUT WITH HIM!!!!!! Looks like it is going to be a long night of waiting. We have a busy weekend so we need as much sleep as possible. Oh well...I guess I should get back to waiting...and cleaning! C'MON ADAM!!!!!!!!!!! :-D
**EDITOR'S NOTE** Totally tried to post this last night but blogspot was NOT having it. I wrote it all out and went to hit publish and the site was down!!!! So I copied and pasted it and sent it to my mom in and e-mail so she wouldn't get mad at me! Here is what I wrote haha
"Every song I heard today
In my head
I could swear I was hearing your voice
It's not easy to let you go
Or forget
From the start it was there in my dreams
We don't need much time to fall in love
If we have tonight then that's enough
Here and now
I'll make a promise
Once I have you
I wont let you go
Baby believe this
Once I have you
I wont let you go"
---Adam Tyler, "I Wont Let You Go"
I am uber excited right now!!!! In just about 24 hours, I will be driving to the San Diego Airport to pick up Adam!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have a lot of work to do cleaning up the apartment tomorrow to prepare for his arrival BUT hopefully that will make the afternoon pass quickly. I am so excited to see him and to show him around my life for the last 5 months. We are going to be super busy but we are going to see a lot of cool things. I may or may not write a blog every night but I promise I will catch you all up on what I have been up to! Until then...
Picture of the day is the NAMM staff dressed in orange to honor Bonnie for her birthday!!! This picture shows what I was talking about yesterday AND shows you all the crazies I have been working with for the last 5 months!!! I am so glad that I have a staff photo. Do you see me in the photo?? Probably not....I am kinda hidden but I still think it is a cool photo. The guy sitting on the drum is our CEO, Joe Lamond. Mary Brown (pretty much my go-to person for anything for the internship) is to the right of him in the white shirt and Cathy (my "boss") is to the right of Mary. I hope this picture explains how awesome everyone at NAMM is.
Today, we were all asked to wear orange to work in honor of our friend and colleague Bonnie. Bonnie, the woman who occasionally invites me over for dinner, has leukemia. She is currently on a leave from work because she is having chemo and it is really taking a toll on her. This is her second or third attempt at chemo and I really hope it works for her. She has been beyond strong through all of this. If I hadn't have been told that Bonnie has cancer, I never would have know. She still has a completely positive outlook on life and is fighting this disease as best she can. Anyway, back to work today, Bonnie's birthday is tomorrow and everyone at work wanted to do something special for her. After the 9:05 this morning, we all congregated in our orange garb and took some pictures to show our support and wish her a happy birthday from the office. A few of us are going to lunch with Bonnie tomorrow and will give her the picture. Oh, by the way, orange is the support color for leukemia in case you didn't know.
Happy Birthday Bonnie! I am so glad I have gotten to know such and incredible and brave woman through my time here. Thanks for taking me in and making me feel like I had a family out here in California. I will always wear orange for you.
"You say yes, I say no.
You say stop and I say go go go, oh no.
You say goodbye and I say hello
Hello hello
I don’t know why you say goodbye, I say hello
Hello hello
I don’t know why you say goodbye, I say hello."
---The Beatles, "Hello, Goodbye"
Hello blog readers!!! I've really got nothing of substance to write about tonight. I am just looking forward for what is coming up in my life. In a few short days my boyfriend Adam will be out here exploring and experiencing California life with me! I am so excited to show him around and spend some quality time together. This weekend is going to be fantastic!!!! I am also getting super excited about my future travel plans. In a few weeks I will be taking a weekend trip to Vegas with one of my good friends from elementary school. I am excited for a strictly girl weekend in Vegas just having a good time. Our family cruise is coming up in 43 days and I feel like I am SOOOOO ready for that vacation. I love cruising. There is so much to do and yet it is so relaxing to make your own schedule and pick and choose whatever you like. I am just starting to look at what excursions I might want to do and I'm excited to choose some fun things. (ps...while on the cruise I am POSITIVE I will not be writing on the blog at all....lucky for me the one person that reads EVERY day will be with me and will know what I am doing) :-D
Oh and another thing...my internship is over FOUR WEEKS from today...what is that about? At this exact time...9:10PM...in four weeks I will be finishing up the last bit of packing to begin my drive back to Indiana in the morning. How crazy is that?!?! I can't even believe my six months are almost over.
And another side note before I go....ABC IS MAKING ME MAD!!!!!!!! I feel like I'm missing all the good parts on the Bachelorette because it keeps skipping and freezing!! GRRRRRRRRRRRR...oh and Bentley showed up again tonight and I still STRONGLY dislike him :-)
I knew I wouldn't get to the blog last night! And I was doing so well...I thought I might actually make it through an entire month without missing a day of blogging. But I guess it is a good thing that I didn't blog last night because that means I was out having a good time. Last night I lived a bit of a life that I am not used to. I went to downtown LA to hang out in a night club. My dear friend, often referred to as my husband, Adam Tyler was performing at the Cabana Club off of Sunset Blvd. It was an interesting experience...I entered through the back door to the club, knew no one in the room, and just chilled while waiting for Adam to come out. Adam's friend Jenna came to hang with me while we waited and during the performance. Although Adam's performance was AWESOME...I found it strange that the room was still pretty much dead by the time the show was over. I mean, c'mon now! It is a Los Angeles nightclub and NO one was there. We then noticed that the entire front of the club was PACKED but since we were in the back, people had not trickled back there yet. I wish people had been back there to see Adam perform but it was still an awesome night. I was able to hang out with Adam and his family for a bit after the show before heading back to my hotel. Speaking of my hotel...I was VERY impressed. It was extremely nice for the money I paid for it. OH...and I had an awesome view of the pool from my balcony!
Today, I had an equally as exciting and fun filled day! I had a relaxing morning and then packed up my stuff, checked out of the hotel, and headed to Hollywood to see my boy, Stevie Brock. If you have read my previous posts, you know that I have known Stevie for 8 years. I started out as simply a fan but since then we have become friends...We met at Toast in West Hollywood for a brunch meal. It was wonderful. We had a great time catching up and talking about life.
And the final amazingness of my day...Adventures with Logan!!!! Here are some screen shots of our Skype conversation from this afternoon...
Highlights of the conversation...Logan can now say my name (Annika instead of Anka!!!) and he has learned elephant instead of elphant AND giraffe instead of raffe! Man he is getting so smart!!! I can't wait to get home and see him :-) It was a GREAT weekend :-D I hope this makes up for not posting last night...tonight you get a zillion pictures AND a long post!
"I am woman, hear me roar
In numbers too big to ignore
And I know too much to go back an' pretend
'cause I've heard it all before
And I've been down there on the floor
No one's ever gonna keep me down again
CHORUS
Oh yes I am wise
But it's wisdom born of pain
Yes, I've paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to, I can do anything
I am strong (strong)
I am invincible (invincible)
I am woman"
---Helen Reddy, "I Am Woman"
Believe it or not, they left me in charge at work today!!!! Ok so maybe I was only in charge of one department...and maybe there is only technically one employee in that department (trade show registration) and he was the one out...so maybe I was in charge of myself...but I was still in charge!!! And I actually had to solve a few issues so I felt very accomplished today. I like knowing that people at NAMM trust me to be in charge and trust me to solve their problems. It makes me feel very special. I held down the fort. There were no crash and burns so all in all I would say it was a successful day at work for me! It was also breakfast Friday...the last Friday of the month where we get breakfast at work. It was my month to be apart of planning the breakfast and being on kitchen duty. We did Einstein bagels, fruit salad, and fruit parfait....simple but de-LISH! Another successful aspect of the day...
I am the proud owner of my first EVER pair of fuzzy dice!!!! I have NO idea what they were for originally (although they do have the summer 11 logo on them...) but there was an entire box of them in the staff room today for the taking. YAY FOR FUZZY DICE!!!
Not sure if I will write tomorrow or not....so I guess you will just have to check in and see...if I don't then Sunday is sure to be a very informative blog about my exciting weekend in LA :-D
Broken glass!!! Remember the other day when I mentioned that I kicked over a glass and it shattered? I'm starting to think something fishy is going on around here! This evening, I opened one of my cabinets to grab a cookie tray to cook my dinner and there was TONS of broken glass on the bottom shelf! I couldn't understand where it came from at first. I knew it didn't come from the cup I broke because they happened on opposite sides of my apartment. But this is SOOO odd because I rarely touch anything on that bottom shelf. I soon noticed that it was glass from a glass cutting board. Number one...who owns a glass cutting board?!?! lol number two...HOW DID IT BREAK?? Weird thing about it...it was still standing up with the other cutting boards...it just had chunks taken out of it where the glass had shattered. Mom suggested that maybe there was an earthquake...but this theory makes no sense because it wouldn't have fallen. It was as low as it could get. Plus I didn't feel an earthquake or hear anyone talking about one. I also never heard crash or the sound of shattered glass at any time. So the mystery remains...how did this piece of glass break?? The world may never know...Mom's other suggestion is Spindle. Perhaps my darling pet spider was crawling around in the cabinets and some how knocked the cutting board then managed to put it back up before it shattered completely. What am I talking about?!?!?! This cutting board is like the size of 50 Spindle's put together...he could never move it. Where to go from here...I guess I just keep wondering. I find it odd that two things have broken in the same week when I haven't broken anything since I moved here. Let's hope that I wont break anything else **runs to the kitchen table to knock on wood**
The way we are...best friends forever!!! I thought this picture was appropriate...Liz and I had a heart to heart this evening on the phone and it made me miss her...TONS! I hope our friendship of amazingness NEVER changes! <3
"Little deuce Coupe
You don't know what I got
Little deuce Coupe
You don't know what I got
Well I'm not braggin' babe so don't put me down
But I've got the fastest set of wheels in town
When something comes up to me he don't even try
Cause if I had a set of wings man I know she could fly
She's my little deuce coupe
You don't know what I got
(My little deuce coupe)
(You don't know what I got)"
---Beach Boys, "Little Deuce Coupe"
The joys of car ownership. Today I dealt with my first REAL car owner expense. That means my first expensive expense! When I took my car to Audi two weeks ago for my servicing, they told me that several things needed to be done. The rear brakes and rotors needed to be changed; the timing belt needed to be replaced; and some little things were leaking that needed to be fixed. They quoted me for about $2,500 (if not more) for the repairs. Now...I know this is California but really?!?! That just seems a bit absurd! After speaking with some people at work, I found an auto shop in Carlsbad that they said I could trust. I called and got estimates for the two things I wanted done ASAP before I drive back to Indiana and it was a good $400 cheaper than it would have been to get these things done at Audi! I made an appointment and brought my car in this morning. Everyone at the shop was super nice. They even offered a shuttle service to anywhere in Carlsbad. If that wasn't good enough, when they called to tell me my car was done they offered to drive back to my work and pick me up!!! I got my brakes and rotors, timing belt, and water pump (they called and said it would be a good idea to have this done since they had to take it off anyway to do the timing belt) done for at least $100 less than what Audi would have charged just to do the first two things. It was a good experience and all but I hope that Heidi (yes..my audi's name is Heidi) is not sick for a long, long time!! I am willing to fix her, of course, but I would like it much better if she stays healthy so I don't have to! :-)
Yo no soy marinero.
Yo no soy marinero, soy capitan.
Soy capitan.
Soy capitan.
Bamba-bamba,
Bamba-bamba,
Bamba-bamba,"
---Ritchie Valens, "La Bamba"
Today was a very busy day at work!! This morning, I got a lot of little tasks done for the registration department. Dr. Piechocinski, my adviser, showed up at 11 for my evaluation (yes...he flew to California just to do an evaluation and visit me). He met with Cathy to discuss how the internship was going and then the three of us went out to lunch. It was really nice to sit and talk with Cathy and Dr. P about how everything has been going. They were both interested in anything to do differently or anything that I wish I had learned in school that I never did. As soon as I got back from lunch, I went straight into a meeting about registration at the summer show. What should have been about a half hour meeting turned into almost two hours...although it was very interesting and helped me to understand some of what I will be helping with during the show. Before I knew it, the day was over!!!
This evening, Dr. P and I went out to an authentic Mexican meal to catch up. We ended up in a hole in the wall little restaurant but it had GREAT Mexican food and great conversation. It was nice to hear about what I lot of former students are up to.
D-Pizzle and I at my graduation dinner
AND NOW...a word to the wise...NOT a good idea to do a workout after eating a very large Mexican meal! That's my advice for the day :-)
"Words can't express my boundless gratitude for you
I appreciate what you do
You've given me such security
No matter what mistakes I make you're there for me
You kill my disappointments and you heal my pain
You understand my fears and you protected me
Treasure every extraordinary memory and that's why...
I want my unborn son to be like my daddy
I want my husband to be like my daddy
There is no one else like my daddy
And I thank you for loving me"
---Beyonce, "Daddy"
Now I bet most of you expected me to have a post yesterday about Father's Day...but here is the thing...today is really the day to celebrate my dad. Today is my dad's birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!!!! My dad and I have a very special relationship. From the day I was born and he called me cherubic...I knew that we were going to be amazing friends. I know, I know...how does a new born baby know something like that? Well I don't have an answer but I know that was the start of something special. I am definitely a Daddy's girl! (I'm a mamma's girl too but this post is about dad) Dad and I have shared some amazing memories...we have our own jokes; we share a love for music. He humors me and makes me dreams come true. When I wanted to drive 6 hours to Wisconsin (pretty much on a whim) to see Stevie...he got in the car and drove me six hours there and six hours back...no questions asked. My dad is my hero.
Happy Birthday Daddy!!!!
Thank you for helping me see the future (even when I didn't know you were doing it)
"Hooray for Hollywood, Where you're terrific if you're even good Where anyone at all from Shirley Temple to Aimee Semple Is equally understood Go out and try your luck, you might be Donald Duck Hooray for Hollywood"
---Johnny Mercer / Richard Whiting, "Hooray for Hollywood"
I traveled all the way to Los Angeles today and still made it back in time to write my blog! I was almost 100% positive that this would not get written and tomorrow's blog would be an apology! DANG! Now I need a new idea for tomorrow! But until then...like I said, today I journeyed to Hollywood-land for a LONG overdue hang out sesh (session) with my good friend Alex Mauricio!! Alex and I met through....HOLY CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry! Complete loss of thought!!! I just broke one of my glasses....I will get back to this story once I clean it up! Luckily it wasn't on the ground!
Ok...gotta remember to write that off so i know the apartment is one glass short! Anyway...back to my story...Alex and I met online when someone posted something about him and I decided to check it out. That was about three years ago. We started talking on Myspace...then through SayNow messages...and now, FINALLY, we met in person. We decided to check out the Hollywood Blvd scene since I hadn't visited since I moved to California. We walked around, enjoyed people watching, sat down to catch up on EVERYTHING and ate an early dinner at the famous Mel's Diner! It was a lot of fun and I am so glad we were finally able to meet in person.
Well it's official....I miss marching band!!!!! I spent the evening watching the marching band DVD from the 2004 season (Third Wind). It is coming up on the time of the summer where marching bands are beginning to rehearse. Not being in Indiana during this time is weird. I should be showing up to Snider rehearsals to help the band prepare for the Three Rivers Parade and instead I am in California and not seeing ANY marching bands at all.
Marching band encompasses some of my most memorable moments in my life so far. I spent 5 years marching with the Mighty Panther Marching Band. I remember marching in rain or shine; in mud or snow; in blazing sun or freezing cold. Even the worst parts of marching band somehow have fond memories. The sucky 8 hour practice days in August have memories of everything paying off in October. My first year when I fell at Regionals and was POSITIVE if we didn't go to State it was my fault led to us going to state and incredible memories of the first time I was in the air lock and saw the blue doors open to the Dome. My junior year, when Billy broke his arm the day before our first competition and I sat out a performance and Mr. Klee announced to the entire band that some of their stupidity may have led the loss of a tuba player....well OK...that season didn't end so swell but there are still some fond memories of that year. I am so blessed to have had an incredible band around me for those five years. I grew up with them and they are the reason I turned out the way I did. I would NEVER have wanted to be apart of another high school marching band. My favorite show is probably a tie between Il Sogno my senior year and First Circle my freshman year (sophomore year in the band)...
College marching band was a fun experience also! It wasn't the same as being a part of a competitive high school band but I have many memories. College marching band is how I met my best friend for the next four year, Chels. In fact, it is how I met most of my friends at Indiana State. Cheering on a losing football team for two years kind of sucked but the traditions and music kept our spirits high.
Marching band is a family. It is a group of people that will be down when you are down and be flying high when you are flying high. It is a way of life...and for 7 years, it was MY way of life. I will never forget the incredible people I met and friends that I made along the way.
It's official!!!!! June 9, 2012 I will be rocking out on the National Mall with 200,000+ other Girl Scouts. Today, GSNC (Girl Scouts of the Nation's Capital) announced the official date of the 100th anniversary sing-a-long in Washington DC. I have attended each sing-a-long since they began. 1997 (85th birthday), 2002 (90th birthday), 2007 (95th birthday) and I am not about to miss the big one-zero-zero!!!!
I attended my first sing-a-long as a brownie girl scout. My mom and the rest of the parents took a group of 15 brownie girl scouts, on the metro, down to the National Mall to sing songs and celebrate Girl Scouting. All I really remember from this sing-a-long (other than what pictures show me) is just the mass of people that were covering the mall. I had never seen so many people before in my life. I remember that we all had bright pink hats on because the adults figured it would be easy to spot us if we got away. Soon, these hats were covered with SWAPS.
The next sing-a-long was in 2002. The summer before, I had moved to Indiana. The sing-a-long was the perfect reason to go back to Virginia and visit all my friends. Our group was MUCH smaller but we attended with a girl from my troop in Indiana (Katie) and her family and a few girls from our troop in Virginia (Rachel and Jacy). It was a lot of fun. This is also where I ended up coming up with my camp name, Pom-Pom. They were giving away red, white, and blue pom-poms and some of the girls had put them in their hair. I decided that I could put one in my hair when I went to camp as a program aid and that could be my camp name.
The 95th celebration is by far the most memorable. I had just graduated from high school in Indiana and right after we finished dinner after graduation, my family piled in the car and we drove 11 hours to Washington DC. The most exciting part about this sing-a-long was that I was PERFORMING on stage during the event. A group of girls from my destination trip to San Fransisco in 2005 gathered for the 95th birthday and performed on stage with Melinda Caroll at the event. It was so much fun to see everyone and spend another awesome Saturday celebrating Girl Scouting.
I am looking forward to the 100th celebration and I hope to see as many of my friends from my two troops and four destinations trips at the mall to celebrate this awesome experience. It is truly a once in a life time experience (GS will only turn 100 ONCE!) So mark your calendars and join us on the national mall for Girl Scouts 100th birthday celebration on June 9, 2012!
"Baby, why'd you leave me, why'd you have to go
I was counting on forever, now I'll never know
I cant even breathe
It's like I'm, looking from a distance, standing in the background
Everybody's saying, he's not coming home now,
This can't be happening to me
This is just a dream"
---Carrie Underwood, "Just A Dream"
I am supposed to write something of substance today...hmmm...where to go with this...I woke up this morning thinking it was Saturday! Boy was I mistaken!!! I think I have completely acclimated to the California weather. I have starting thinking that a cloudy day is pretty much the end of the world! I have realized that it is FAR easier to wake up on a sunny morning than when it is complete cloud cover. This morning...it was complete cloud cover which made it so easy to stay in bed. This, in turn, made me think it was the weekend and that I didn't have to get up. I also had a dream about working in the museum right before I woke up and I think that may have scrambled my brain just a little bit when I woke up. But have no fear...I figured it out rather quickly and went about my morning like normal. The rest of the day was completely normal and I am just super excited that tomorrow actually IS Friday! Looking forward to the weekend :-)
AND NOW...for the picture of the day...
HOW STINKIN' CUTE IS NEPHEW NUMBER TWO?!?!? this wasn't taken today but I just think he is so cute so I posted it anyway (and I had no other ideas for pictures lol)
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...I seriously cannot think of anything to say. I must have used all of my talking points during my 2+ hour phone conversation with mom this evening. Talking about everything coming up in the next year or so. Lots of excitement! But really...I can't think of anything to blog about! Can I get a pass? I mean SOMETHING will be posted...it just wont have any substance....and I think I will leave it at that.....sorry for those of you who follow this closely (which I'm pretty sure is only one person lol) no picture and no lyrics tonight...I hope I am more motivated (and have more to say) tomorrow
"Girl Scout camp, Girl Scout camp,
The buses that they give you, they say are mighty fine,
But when they turn the corner, they leave the wheels behind!
Oh, I don't wanna go to Girl Scout Camp
Gee Ma, I wanna go, but they won't let me go,
Oh Ma, I wanna home.
Girl Scout Camp, Girl Scout Camp
The toilets that they give you, they say are mighty fine,
But when you sit upon them, a bug flies up your hind!"
---Campers, "Girl Scout Camp"
Today I was reminded about camp and all of the fun I had over the years attending Girl Scout Camp. Almost every summer I would attend a sleep away camp and a day camp. I met so many amazing people and friends that have lasted a LONG time. When I was old enough, I became a PA (program aid...like a counselor in training) and did that for several summers in a row. When I was finally old enough, I spent a summer as a counselor and had a blast. It was like a whole different world. When I was at camp, everything was different. We had special names for things (greenies, camp names, etc.) and special songs and games. It produced such great memories that I will never forget.
This picture is from my last year at a day camp called Ashgrove Adventure before I moved from Virginia to Indiana. Each year there was a different theme for the two week day camp. My last year was an Egyptian theme and our unit was called the Jazzy Jammin' Jewelers. Oh how I miss you Girl Scout camp...
"Six o'clock already
I was just in the middle of a dream
I was kissin' Valentino
By a crystal blue Italian stream
But I can't be late
'Cause then I guess I just won't get paid
These are the days
When you wish your bed was already made
It's just another manic Monday
I wish it was Sunday
'Cause that's my funday
My I don't have to runday
It's just another manic Monday"
---The Bangles, "Manic Monday"
One more Monday down. I can't remember if I have written about this yet but every two weeks I have to turn in a report to Dr. Piechocinski about what has been going on during my internship. Today I turned in report 9...week 19 of my internship (the first report was turned in after 3 weeks)! The scariest thing about this...only SIX weeks to go. Six weeks from today is my last day at NAMM. This entire experience has been going so quickly. I am ready to go home and see my family but I can't believe I am almost done living in California. I have to make the best of my last six weeks! I can't wait to see more of California but I better get going or I could miss my chance!
As soon as I see what I want to in California, I can get home to this beautiful lady that will be at home waiting for me (the pup that is lol). Mom sent me this picture today and it made me miss my Rina girl so much! In seven weeks (by the time we drive home....six weeks and six days I guess) I will be home to cuddle with my pup and make up for lost time! :-)
"Lazy Sunday afternoon-a
I've got no mind to worry
Close my eyes and drift away-a
Root-de-doo-de-doo, a-root-de-doot-de doy di
A-root-de doot de dum, a-ree-de-dee-de-doo dee
Doo, doo, doo
There's no one to hear me
There's nothing to say
And no one can stop me
From feeling this way, yeah"
---Small Faces, "Lazy Sunday"
Where did the weekend go?!?!?!?!?! I was so excited about having two day weekends but they seem to go just as fast as the one day weekends! Will I never be satisfied??? OK...I'll answer that as a "probably not." Anyway, I had a pretty relaxing Sunday. I went to the beach for a few hours this afternoon. It was rather windy and I ended up leaving earlier than I planned. Sand was blowing EVERYWHERE and as much as I tried to keep it from getting all over me...it was no use! It was still a nice and relaxing time at the beach.
I spent the rest of the afternoon cooking some of my favorite foods that I don't eat all that often! First off was my favorite pasta salad that mom makes in the summer time! We normally only make it once or twice a year and I really don't know why because it is sooooo easy...but I made it tonight and I am super excited to eat it! I also made this chicken and broccoli dish that was made for mom and I by Dr. A (one of my best friend's moms AND my vice principal from elementary school) when we went to stay with them after we moved to Indiana. I ate some of it for dinner and left the rest for left overs that I can bring for lunch at work! SOOOOO EXCITED!!!
NOM NOM NOM!!!!!!! Back to the grindstone of work tomorrow!!!
"Remember when thirty seemed so old
Now lookn' back it's just a steppin' stone
To where we are,
Where we've been
Said we'd do it all again
Remember when
Remember when we said when we turned gray
When the children grow up and move away
We won't be sad, we'll be glad
For all the life we've had
And we'll remember when"
---Alan Jackson, "Remember When"
As I was sitting here trying to write a generic letter to send to potential employers, I began thinking back on the last 22 years. I was trying to remember when my love for planning and putting things together came about. This brought up some interesting memories. I think some of it comes from my mom. She always seemed to love the details and planning of putting together my birthday parties. She would plan EVERYTHING to make sure that my friends and I had a good time. She would create decorations that were within the theme and whatever theme we chose was completely followed through the entire party. I doubt I recognized it then (or appreciated it as much as I should) but looking back now, it was awesome what my mom did for me. THANKS MOM!
Then I starting thinking about myself. I used to LOVE putting together little shows and performances with my cousins and friends. I remember when my brother got an acting kit for his birthday. It has scripts and everything. I specifically remember one was a commercial for a box of cereal. We rehearsed it, under my direction, and then performed it for the family. I remember creating a band with the neighborhood kids even though none of us played REAL instruments (and we wore green and white pom poms on our heads). I especially loved putting together holiday skits and songs. I would plan out the entire thing, do rehearsals with my cousins, and then perform for the family. One year, we did a song about everyone who was over for thanksgiving and we sang the song as we seated them. I think that was the same year that we made seating cards for every one with cornucopias on them made out of bugles and runts. Perhaps our most "famous" and longest running production was the Butterfly Cafe. We had a theme song, a dance, and even menus.
As I got older, my planning skills moved from planning little performances and shows to planning to attend performances. I would plan out of town trips with my mom to go see Stevie Brock (amongst other performers) all over the midwest. I enjoyed planning every little detail and many times I planned it before asking my mom...that way she couldn't say no. She had all the details she needed from the second I asked if we could go. These planning activities, as well as others, led me to where I am today...and where I want to be in the future.
I remember when....don't you?
One of the many parties mom planned for me...the teddy bear party.
"The final countdown, oh ho
It's the final countdown
The final countdown
The final countdown
(The final countdown)
Ohh
It's the final countdown
We're leaving together
The final countdown
We'll all miss her so
It's the final countdown
(The final countdown)
Ohh, it's the final countdown
Yea"
---Europe, "The Final Countdown"
Sitting at work this morning, I realized a very strange thing...I have less than 50 days left in California! Where did these last six months go?!?!? (ok I still have one and a half to go but STILL!!!) In some ways I feel like I just got here...how can I be 51 days away from being in Indiana again? So here are my countdowns:
9 days until I hang with Alex Mauricio 15 days until Adam Tyler performs in LA 20 days until Adam Clawson comes to visit 28 days until Elaine and I take on Las Vegas 40 days until Chels picks me up in Nashville 41 days until Summer NAMM 2011 44 days until Mom picks me up in San Diego 46 days until we begin the drive to Indiana 51 days until we roll into Fort Wayne 64 days until we leave for Puerto Rico
AND 65 days until the cruise leaves!!!!!!!!
Lots of exciting things are coming up in the next few months! I can't wait.
And now for a quick trip down memory lane...8 years ago today, I had my brother rush me to K-Mart after swim practice so I could pick up Stevie's debut album! I can't believe it has been 8 years and I still remember that day as if it was yesterday. This was the ad for Stevie's album that was in many teen magazines leading up to his album release.
I had every intention of writing a decent blog post tonight....but I ended up talking to Adam on the phone for a LOT longer than I expected...not that I'm complaining :-) But now I am sleepy and I don't really feel like typing a novel and I think I'm just going to go to bed. <3 Real blog tomorrow...with lyrics and pictures like I am supposed to do haha
"It's a beautiful night,
We're looking for something dumb to do.
Hey baby,
I think I wanna marry you.
Is it the look in your eyes,
Or is it this dancing juice?
Who cares baby,
I think I wanna marry you.
Well I know this little chapel on the boulevard we can go,
No one will know,
Come on girl.
Who cares if we're trashed got a pocket full of cash we can blow,
Shots of patron,
And it's on girl.
Don't say no, no, no, no-no;
Just say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah-yeah;
And we'll go, go, go, go-go.
If you're ready, like I'm ready."
---Bruno Mars, "Marry You"
This song is stuck in my head...I was watching something on youtube and through their "suggestion" videos on the side bar, I eventually ended up on the Glee-Marry You video and now the song is stuck in my head. But now on to the blogging...
I have this odd feeling that I should be doing something right now but I can't think of what it could be. Instead, I decided to write my blog and call it an early night. Today was a very relaxing day at work. I was pretty much all on my own all day. I am working in Trade Show Registration this week and Ken, the person who is in charge of me, was out sick all day. I was able to get some registrations entered into the system but then I had to find something else to do. I went back to my scanning project I have been working on since the beginning of my internship. Slowly but surely it is getting done! In the afternoon, I was supposed to be helping the museum staff but they really did not have much to do. I found my own things to do and kept myself busy. I felt like a real employee that does what needs to be done and not what someone tells you to two every two seconds. WEIRD!
This evening was fun...I went to my first online concert. There is a site called stageit.com where artists can put on shows for their fans through what is pretty much a video chat. It is a neat idea for artists who haven't toured a lot because now all of their fans can see them perform "live". The show I went to was for Mark Russell (who I actually did see perform live a few weeks ago). It was a half hour show and he performed a lot of his new songs...INCLUDING...a song that he promised he would write for me like two years ago!!! He just began writing it and only shared half of the first verse but I already know I am going to LOVE it! I also watched my friend Adam Tyler (the one I went to see Mark Russell with) do an interview for an online radio/video show. It was lots of fun!
There is no picture of the day but I do want to share a beautiful rendition of "I Would Die 4 U" by Prince and the Revolutions done by Stevie Brock:
I just LOVE his voice!!!!!! <3
Hi ho, Hi ho
It's home from work we go
(whistles)
Hi ho, Hi ho, Hi ho
Hi ho, Hi ho
It's home from work we go
(whistles)
Hi ho, Hi ho
(more whistles)"
---The Seven Dwarfs, "Heigh-Ho"
Let the job hunt OFFICIALLY begin!!! I think I have put it off long enough...it is officially time to start browsing the job sites and looking for what I want to do with my life. As weird as it is for me to say, I think I am going to move back to Fort Wayne for a year to get everything together and really figure out where I want to be. This is all well and good but it means that I need to find a job. I do NOT want to be a sandwich artist at Subway with my bachelor's degree...but I also know that it may be difficult to find a job in the Fort Wayne area that is where I want to be in the industry.
So the decision becomes...do I write letters to companies I would like to work for even though there are no openings? Or do I apply to places that have nothing to do with my degree? Or do I do both? I know it doesn't happen this way but sometimes I wish that the perfect opportunity would just fall right into my lap. It would make this whole decision process so much easier.
And now...for something completely different:
I'm watching this on the Disney Channel right now (yes...I am 22 years old and I still watch the Disney Channel). I always loved all of the Disney Channel movies. I remember the first time I was really able to watch Disney (it was a free trial when we lived in Virginia) and I was SOOOOO excited about every show and every movie I was now able to watch. Disney Channel=Comfort Channel <3
"You, with your words like knives and swords and weapons that you use against me
You have knocked me off my feet again got me feeling like I'm nothing
You, with your voice like nails on a chalkboard, calling me out when I'm wounded
You, pickin' on the weaker man
Well, you can take me down with just one single blow
But you don't know what you don't know
Someday I'll be living in a big old city
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
Why you gotta be so mean?"
---Taylor Swift, "Mean"
**WARNING: possible foul language lol**
I cannot stand fake people. I am watching The Bachelorette right now...and if you watched it you know exactly what I am talking about. It is the third week of the show and since the beginning one guy has been saying he didn't want to be there and he felt no connection with Ashley. He, however, is extremely competitive and decided to stay on the show and lead her on. He became probably the closest guy to her and then one day he just decides to leave. WHAT AN ASS!!! Not only that...but he LIES to her about why he is leaving...he uses his daughter as an excuse because he can't stand up and just say that he is an ass! She has got to be watching these episodes back trying to figure out how she could fall for him. The comments that he makes in the voice over are HORRIBLE! "it's annoying to just hold a girl that's crying...and crying...and crying" WHAT THE HELL?!?!?! You are the reason she is crying AND you told her nothing but lies from the beginning!!!!! I feel so sorry for her and it makes me think...there are girls (and guys...its not just girls that can be manipulated) out there who are living this every day. They are totally in love with a guy who just pretends to love them back. It really makes you wonder how you know when a relationship is true. If there are people out there who can lie and manipulate everything and everyone...how do you really know?
I will admit...I was manipulated in a relationship in the past. IT SUCKED! I wish I could have stepped back and seen everything from another point of view. Then maybe I would not have made the same mistakes. I wouldn't have been hurt so badly at the end. I would have been able to move on sooner. But I didn't see it...and so many people don't. You really have to open up and lay all your cards on the table...and even then, the person can be untrue. But it is the only way to know for sure. It took me a long time to get over how hurt I was. I finally did and I am so much better off where I am now. I have a fabulous boyfriend who treats me right and loves me for me. I can be myself around him and feel I can trust him with my heart. The long distance thing SUCKS but I know that once we make it through been 3 time zones and 2000 miles apart for 6 months that it can only get better from here.
There are still some good ones in the world...you just have to find them <3
---Stevie Brock, "I Found You" (with my own interpretation on the lyrics...cuz I can)
So I woke up this morning...then realized I DIDN'T HAVE TO GO TO WORK!!!!!!! It was officially a two day weekend for me and I took full advantage!!! I did a lot of nothing this morning, cleaned my bathroom this afternoon, and spent lots of time outside laying in my yard enjoying the beautiful 70 degrees and not-a-cloud-in-the-sky (yes that's all one word now lol) weather we were having!
I just spent the last several hours working out the itinerary for my adventures back to Indiana at the end of July!!!! And because of that...I'm tired and it's late and so I'm not going to write much more. Plus I'm being distracted by the MTV Movie Awards so this blog would make no sense. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND it's way past milk and cookie time for Annika (or smoke a cookie time Veronica) so I'm going to deal with that instead of writing more in the blog!
"You could travel the world
But nothing comes close
To the golden coast
Once you party with us
You'll be falling in love
Oooooh Oh Oooooh
California girls
We're unforgettable
Daisy Dukes
Bikinis on top
Sun-kissed skin
So hot
Will melt your popsicle
Oooooh Oh Oooooh"
---Katy Perry, "California Gurls"
It was a beautiful day outside today. I left my house this morning to head down to the beach for the Carlsbad Beach Festival!!
This festival is put on by the California State Parks in order to promote clean beaches across the state. The festival spanned about a mile of the beach with lots of tents and beach activities. There were four different stages that had performers all day. There was also sand building...like what is pictured above. It was neat because if you offered to help clean up the beach by using one of their bags and picking up trash as you walked around, they would enter you in for lots of free stuff and free food at the festival. Unfortunately, I did not hear about this part of the festival until I was at the end and getting ready to head back home. They were also giving free surfing lessons which I SO would have done but it was chilly when I left my apartment and I didn't want to put a swim suit on. All in all, it was a great time and I was able to spend much of the day out in the sun enjoying the beautiful 70 degrees and sunny weather :-D
So I spent the evening in my office building....but no worries, I wasn't working! I spent the evening eating pizza and listening to some great music by a guy named Jackson Price and his band! That's right...it was Local Flavor night!! If you remember WAAAAAAAAAAY back to my first week at NAMM, I went to another Local Flavor night with Lee Coulter which was a lot of fun. This was a much smaller crowd but it was still a great time. Here is a picture...sorry the quality is bad but the lighting and my phone were not really getting along...
Anyway...it was a good way to spend my Friday night and I'm still home early enough to blog about it!
On a completely different note...my darling guard spider, Spindle, has been found alive and kickin'! For those of you that don't know (which is probably everyone except my mom because I'm pretty sure I never blogged about it...nor do I think anyone except mom would ask me about Spindle) sometime last week (or maybe the week before) I came home to see that Spindle's GIANT web on the side of the house was gone. I was pretty sure my landlord, Steve, knocked it down because he doesn't know that Spindy and I have become friends. Anyway, I was pretty upset about it because that was Spindle's home and now I wasn't sure he would come back to me. Mom asked me today if I had seen him since the web was knocked down and I said no. BUT it just so happens that when I got back from the concert tonight, I noticed there was a web across my walkway. I thought maybe, just maybe, my Spindle had come back to me. AND THERE HE WAS!!!!! Spindle was back in his spot to guard my apartment against unwanted visitors! One such visitor seemed to be stuck in the web and Spindy was fighting him off like a good little guard spider. It was a rather large (and might I add ugly) tan colored spider that I would NOT want in my apartment so I am glad that Spindle was there to take care of it for me.
So there you have it folks...all is good in the world...Spindle has returned and built himself another lovely web where he can wait and attack any one or any thing that comes near my apartment. Glad to have you back, old friend! PS...if you want to learn more about Spindle...re-read my blog! It was probably close to two months ago that I first met spindle...there are two or three blogs throughout those next two months that talk about my relationship with Spindle and how it has grown into a beautiful friendship. :-)
PS-tomorrow looks like it might just turn into a really fun day...but I don't want to give anything away so if you want to know what I did...tune in tomorrow evening to find out!
"Stars shining bright above you
Night breezes seem to whisper "i love you"
Birds singin’ in the sycamore trees
Dream a little dream of me
Say nighty-night and kiss me
Just hold me tight and tell me you’ll miss me
While I’m alone and blue as can be
Dream a little dream of me"
---The Mamas and the Papas, "Dream A Little Dream Of Me"
Ever have a weird dream you wish you could explain but you can't? I had one of those last night...or I guess it was this morning. I woke up completely confused as I tried to understand what had just happened in my head. From what I can remember (granted vivid memories of my dreams tend to fade fairly quickly after I wake up) I went to a grocery store to see a concert. This sort of makes sense because I did go to an autograph signing in a grocery store back in the day but this concert was with Mark Russell (makes sense since he was the last concert I went to) and it took place in the frozen food section. WEIRD...and pretty confined. There is not really a lot of room to move around in a grocery store aisle. As the show progressed, more people started showing up that I knew from various places. Three of the four former members of the band NLT were also there and performed a song on "stage" with Mark. After the show was over, we ended up hanging out in the store...near the produce if I remember correctly...and we ended up getting kicked out of the store because they were closing. After that, my dream is a blur. I know we hung out in the parking lot and decided to go to my house (in Indiana...so we must have been in Indiana) to hang out. The next thing I remember, after driving out of the parking lot, is being in that lot when it is daylight and looking across the street at a huge Victorian mansion.
It looked quite a bit like this one. The same coloring but I would have been looking at it from a slightly different angel because I was not looking at the front door. I remember seeing lots of people outside and tables and balloons. After watching the house for a few, I saw one of my co-workers from NAMM walking two huge dogs (I don't think she even owns any dogs! Plus...if I was in Indiana the night before, how did she get there?). She asked me to watch them roam the grounds of the house while she went inside to get ready for the party. Shortly after this I woke up!
How am I suppose to understand what this dream means? It makes absolutely NO sense to me! I wonder if I will have any more strange dreams tonight. Well...I probably will but I wonder if I will remember them the way I remember most parts of this dream 15 hours after I woke up! It is odd to me that some dreams stick with a person while other dreams disappear the second I wake up. Something to ponder I suppose....
