Monday Musings during A&E's Hoarders

Monday has come and gone... which means Chase left this morning and I survived my longest day of classes.

It was such a wonderful weekend because we had worked very hard to have no writing or studying to do while we were together. Made a huge difference. Plus, I arranged it so I didn't have to work on Friday (I usually work 1:30-6p). We did a lot of glorious nothing! Chase graciously went shopping with me- which got him major brownie points. Plus he fixed the tires on my car. Lots more brownie points. It was great to watch lots of silly TV and play video games and cook together. I think I'll marry him.

Have you ever noticed that during the holidays decorations get thrown up all over stores? We were in TJMaxx (which I think Chase secretly likes) in Rossford, and it seriously looked like Thanksgiving had thrown up all over the place. But honestly, I like Thanksgiving decor- Christmas thrown up on TJMaxx is not something I look forward to. Okay enough about throw up.

BGSU made me angry this morning. I am supposed to signup for classes today. And this morning at ohhh 4:35 am I received an email telling me that BG didn't have a final copy of my official transcript. So I couldn't register for anything because there was a hold on my account. Not a big deal. I mean I'll get into the classes I need/want... but it just made me aggravated that they waited until today to tell me.

Sisterwives ended last night. My heart breaks for the women and children of polygamous families. And Mad Men was great. I love that none of them have perfect teeth-- how historically appropriate!

Wedding planning is going well... nothing new to speak of... just lots of progress. Invites, food, clothes, decor... wonderfulness. I'm currently taking suggestions for Bridesmaids' gifts.  From people who aren't my bridesmaids. Cause they are the ones I would usually ask! :)

This week is going to be pretty relaxing and lovely. Not a lot of work nor a lot of stress. So hopefully I can get some work done on my Final's papers.  Lots of reading to do-- or can be done-- want to get some books looked through so that I can narrow down what will be useful and what won't.

Um it is cold in my apartment. Its getting cold outside. I actually wore a sweatshirt outside today and didn't get too hot. I like this kind of weather. Worried about when it gets windy and cold. Need gloves. Preferably yellow leather. If you know... you're out shopping.

Ive been having the strangest dreams lately. Lots of people from my past in showing up but as different personalities and in different situations. Crazy random people are showing up. Kids from my 2nd grade class, boys I had middle school crushes on, and people I randomly met at Liberty and UNCG. And constantly my dreams are set at some random camp that is supposed to be Camp Lake Bryn Mawr (that I worked at for two summers). But honestly it has been kind of fun.  Maybe you are in one of them.....

(photos via)

Wait! Its only Friday?

Chase is here! Yay! And this was an awesome day. We were so stinking lazy. We cooked and watched awesome tv and went to the library and had date night! He's a great person to hang around. We both kept commenting though how strangely relaxed we were- beyond usual weekend relaxation. That is because we worked crazy hard to not have homework this weekend. I feel like I can breathe!

Breakfast (thanks to my Uncle David and Sean L.) was omelets with goat cheese and salmon. Sounds weird- very very amazing.

Lunch was... umm... pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.

Dinner was at this great italian place down town- I had pasta covered in cheese -- of  course I liked it!

too tired to type more.
more later

Very Cool Crafty Thing!

So it is no secret that I read LOTS of blogs. Especially DIY (Do it yourself) and craft blogs.... and wedding blogs ;). So I found this amazing one that is doing a very very cool thing.



2010 Design Crush + Greedy Girl Swap

<  quoted from  http://www.designcrushblog.com/2010/10/11/calendar-swap-10/  > 

It’s been twelve long months since the last one, and I’m super stoked to announce the kickoff of the Design Crush/Greedy Girl Calendar Swap ’10! I’ll be posting lots and lots of calendars throughout the next few weeks, as will Caroline, to give you some ideas and send you in the right direction.

Here’s how it will go down:

+ By October 30th, e-mail calendarswap@gmail.com and answer the following:

• What’s your name?
• What’s your e-mail address?
• What’s your blog or website? Or, if you don’t have one of your own, what’s your favorite blog?
• What’s your snail-mail address?
• For U.S. swappers, which do you prefer — an international or a stateside swapmate? Does it matter?

+ We’ll pair you up and send your swapmate’s details your way on or around November 1st.
+ You must have your calendar sent by November 21st.

Some Tips:

+ Keep your calendar under $30 but no less than $20. And since there are some perfectly lovely and super-affordable calendars out there, you might try throwing in a few small goodies if the value doesn’t quite add up.
+ Mall kiosk calendars (sudoku, lettuce babies, Edward Cullen, etc.) are not ok. Just don’t do it.
+ Handmade is most definitely welcome — just keep in mind the $20-$30 suggested value.
+ Check out your swapmate’s web site or blog, or consider getting to know his or her tastes via e-mail, to get an idea of what he or she might like.
+ Please, please, please send your calendar on time and do not drop the ball. It breaks our hearts to hear of someone waiting well into the new year for their calendar or, even worse, not receiving one at all.

So I invite you! Join in on the fun! Leave a comment if you decide to do so! I am already imagining what I can find and what I'll receive! Etsy has some amazing ones that I'm looking into and I might throw in some other fun stuff.  Like I said - let me know if you decide to join in on the fun!


NOTE: This swap is not gender specific - so if you're a crafty guy you would be MORE than welcomed to join in with everyone else! 

Not in (X) anymore.

Tonight I was walking to Panera to read, drink coffee, and eat a pumpkin muffin topper. I thought I saw a car that I always saw at Liberty. It lives in the same parking lot as Chase's car. I knew that it wasn't the same car but my brain for a split second was back in Lynchburg. Sometimes, when I wake up in the middle of the night, I think that I am back in my dorm at UNCG. I don't know why my brain does that.

It is funny how UNCG and Liberty are different from BGSU. I mean, all three are colleges, all three are large schools, and yet all three are different. What is particularly interesting are the things I see at BG and UNCG as opposed to LU. I still find myself thrown off when we don't pray before class or before a show. I'm alarmed when a teacher drops some foul language or when people are smoking outside of the building. But it is interesting and kind of exciting when people speak critically of what I believe and give me the opportunity to let me share my thoughts on the topic. I am thankful for my education at Liberty, it gave me a good foundation for going to other schools. I really had the best of all worlds.

And then, I saw a bunch of kids who were [i think] headed to homecoming or something. Wow those were some ugly dresses. I guess ugly dresses are ugly everywhere.

I had something [very geeky but] cool happen today. I just randomly decided to email this scholar who writes about Mormon Representation. And SHE EMAILED BACK! It was so exciting. She was kind and helpful and said she was interested in my work. This is scholar number two who has answered my emails-- one more is still out there in cyberspace. We'll see. If I ever become a scholar of note I will always answer emails and try to be helpful [to the little people ;) ] Speaking of cool scholars - Chris, my UNCG prof, who I only now call by her first name, spent the last couple days in the NY Public Library Archives. There are so many amazing women that I get the opportunity of knowing. Chris was really wonderful the other day when I had a "bad grad school day" and its very cool to say I know her.

Wedding Update: We have put the deposit down on the venue and the inn. I am thisclose to having the Photographer all set up. Mrs. Beth is going to take our engagement photos. We'll go apartment hunting over Christmas. I'm still looking for a caterer, videographer, and band. I know what dresses I want for the girls, just gotta find them and then match the boys. All is good. All is happy. I just want to marry him. Even if I have to wear sweatpants.

Mom and Michelle and Lila and Jillian (my mom, aunt, and cousins) are having a girls weekend. When I heard I almost started crying- so jealous... I'm a big baby.

I want to live in Washington, DC. Like IN DC not in the burbs.

I decided my [our] children's names. Chase approved them. Now we just have to wait 10 years to have them! Hahah.

I cannot get enough of dumb reality tv. Hoarders, Real Housewives, Pawn Stars, Bridezilla, What Not to Wear, ANTM...
Oh and the Office was as good this week as it used to be...
but,
Community > Office

Okay thats all.

This is not a profound post, I have spent all day working. Grad School does that to you.

Whew.

and Fall Break Has Started.

I'm on the floor of my living room with the care package of wedding magazines and my Anthropologie catalogues that my Mom sent me. She even included sweet potato pancake mix and a fabulous wedding dress ornament from my Aunt Peggy. Real Housewives is on and I'm eating grapes and homemade iced black chai.

I'm focusing on the good.

Cause Grad School is kicking my tush.

You know that part of the semester where you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel? Yeah. That is here, that is now. Chase is coming to visit next weekend and of course I want to not be doing homework  while he is here... so that means two weekends worth of work during this weekend.

In my theatre history class I need to get started on a paper for the final. It is on the play Le Cid and it feels like all of the sources are in FRENCH. Guess who took 6 semesters of Spanish. This girl!  But I found an amazing source by an AMERICAN and natural born English speaker. Whew... we'll see how far I get.

My textuality/poetry class is going to make me memorize a poem. A poem to be performed. Oh my. I really love hearing everyone else perform there problems, and I love analyzing the text -- but performing? Makes me so nervous. I would like to be a better performer, but its just not my thing. Kinda like I would like to be better at...um...photography. So I am going to work on it this weekend and just do my best.

Research Methods is going to help me write some of my thesis. This is the on the resurgence of Mormonism in popular culture.  Some of the fru fru lingo I have learned in grad school helps me explain this better: This paper will be a historiographical survey of Mormon Representation/Religious Representation as well as representations of Mormons in popular culture. I think... Yikers. Too many ideas.

Finally, my history class, Survey of 19th Century America, has another paper -- I think its 20 pages....-- that is also about Early Mormon Theatrical Performances. Whew. It is the only paper that I am actually sure about.

This weekend hopefully will be productive. I am missing my Mom and Dad like crazy and some Emily too. I need someone to talk to theatre about that geeks out over the same things I do!!!  So yes. I'm homesick. But just keep trucking along.

(place appropriate transition here-- transitions are what my profs say I need to work on the most)

I have titled myself the Pumpkin Piggy. Chase and I talk every night on the phone before bed and often we get really silly and by silly I mean down and out ridiculous. And I have lately just been wanting to eat pumpkin muffins, doughnuts, coffee-- anything. But Oh the Calories! I made some amazing apple sauce that you eat warm with just a spoonful of peanut butter ice cream. Com-fort-food. Not toooo bad for you... At least that is what I tell myself.

Oh and these killer amazing stuffed breadsticks from this place called Pollyeyes. Ahh.

Can you tell I'm stressed? All I am talking about is food.

Please. Call, write, text... visit [cough-emily-mom-cough]

Or buy me this amazing scarf...

Massive Update!

Okay so let's work our way through all of the different areas of my life!

ChaseP/Wedding!
Things are going so well. He's really happy at LU because he has all of this free time! Whew. I'm super jealous of all of his free time! We've got a ceremony/reception site and the hotel for the wedding party. And wedding planning has actually switched from VERY STRESSFUL to very exciting and fun! At this place in the process I am starting to look for cool things to incorporate into the ceremony. I don't want to do a unity candle, I dont want to do sand mixing or those kinds of things. I want something unique. I am just trying to figure what. I've been reading the site OffBeat bride and they have some amazing ideas (and also some realllllly strange ones!) Still trying to pick a photographer and a caterer. I'm also looking into doing a Ketubah-- still trying to figure out the details. It seems really beautiful promise we can make to each other.  I'm also having fun brainstorming bridesmaids gifts!

School/Thesis/Work
BGSU is celebrating the centennial homecoming. I like that the school has been around that long! The theatre department is in its something like 86 season... I have been working in the box office like crazy,  I am trying to store up some time so when Chase comes I can take Friday off. I really like this side of theatre. I like the public relations aspect. I am really thinking I might like to work in a theatre's box office or perhaps as a company manager. We'll see once we get to Des Moines. I am going to start working on parts of my thesis today while I am at school.  Blessing of Blessings, I have two classes that their term papers will just be great stepping stones for the actual thesis process. I also need to write a proposal for a paper I will be writing for my history class so that I can submit it  to a conference. Just pray lots. Lots and lots. I need lots of focus and motivation. Neither of which I have.

Life in GeneralIt is starting to get cold here! It love it. I love how its about 55 degrees out so about 65 in my apartment. I know that the east coast is not liking the rain but here its very light and romantic rain. Makes me very sleepy. Now don't get me wrong, I am not looking forward to the cold weather. But I like this for now.

 I am desperately searching for a pair of non-leather-flat-brown-boots.  That won't be super expensive.

I am eating frosted mini wheats like a crazy person. Sometimes I just get on these kicks where I just want to eat the same thing all the time. That and pasta with fresh mozzarella and balsamic vinegar.  Sometimes I add some kind of protein. I eat too many carbs and too much sugar. I've really discovered that I am an emotional-reward eater. When I have worked really hard or have survived a  long day ice cream and kit kat bars.

IT IS PUMPKIN SEASON! For those of you who don't know, pumpkin season is between October and Thanksgiving. Pumpkin spice everything. Coffee, cakes, cookies, muffins, candles, and pancakes! (Please don't eat candles) It is so warm and snugly. I found a really cheap candle that smells amazing I've burned it so much that is almost time to buy a new one. I am looking forward to Thanksgiving so much. I cannot wait to be with not only parents and Chase but also the rest of my family.  Pumpkin season is followed by peppermint season. But that wont be for a while. 

Finally
I am really happy. Very stressed. Very sleepy. But happy. I need to buy some warm socks and a couple more sweaters. I think I might go next weekend. Or maybe tomorrow afternoon. I am really homesick sometimes, not so bad at others. And its not so much that I am HOMEsick its that I am missing my family and Chaser. I have always had such an amazing support system. Its hard being the new kid here. Don't get me wrong, there are some wonderful people in the program, really wonderful, but well I guess you know. There's no place like home. 

Okay thats all for now.
I'd love to receive some mail!

(ps. I found this photo on one of the blogs I read... but I don't remember which one- so whoever they are gets all of the credit.)

Tired

I am very tried... see can't even spell... I am very tired. I will blog tomorrow when i can properly type.