Final Countdown

London

I never really had a desire to go abroad, the only place I ever wanted to go to was London.  Just like New York, there was something in London that just pulled me in.  Plus after I made it to Broadway I decided I needed a new goal, and that goal became going to the West End.  (Which is basically London’s Broadway, are you seeing a pattern here?)  I never thought I would be able to accomplish this goal so when going to London presented itself I knew I had to go.  It was a once in a lifetime opportunity that was perfect for me.  Plus I have wanted to see Jersey Boys since I saw the original Broadway cast perform at the 2006 Tony Awards.  So after six years of waiting I was finally able to see it and it did not disappoint. 

London is also home to Paddington Station, which for those of you who aren’t familiar, is where Paddington Bear found his family. Due to my nickname in the sorority I have developed a love for Paddington.  I have Paddington books, jewelry, trinkets, and bears.  I think he is the cutest and even though I have had some really tough times with the sorority I love them for giving me this nickname.  So actually being at Paddington Station was completely overwhelming for me.  I kept freaking out, when I went to the Paddington Store and saw the life size Paddington statue. I kissed him.  It was perfect.

London was just a really goo place for me and it made me so happy after a really rough semester at school.

Final Countdown

New York 

For years I had wanted to go to New York.  The city has always had this pull over me and there is just something about the city that entices me.  Plus New York has Broadway, and being able to go to Broadway was a dream come true.  Being able to go to NY for two weeks was the greatest trip I could ever ask for.  I was able to do all of the things that I had only dreamed of doing before.  I was able to ride the subway, see the Statue of Liberty, and go to a Broadway show.  Did I mention I got to sing and dance on a Broadway stage...during a Broadway show?  It was literally the greatest trip ever.

New York was also the first time I ever went somewhere and proved I could do things on my own. (Kellan was there, but she is always there).  Going to college was exciting but I never really felt like I was proving I could make it on my own. (Don’t ask me why, it just didn’t feel like this).   New York though was a completely different ballgame.  I was going somewhere I had never been before, some place that is completely different from Texas, and I was doing it all on my own.  I was so proud of myself for letting nothing about New York scare me and jumping in feet first.  I miss New York and Broadway everyday.

Final Countdown

Professors

This was the hardest one for me to write.  The others ones just came to me and the words kind of flowed.  I was completely stumped for what I should write about for this post though.  Plus I am meeting a friend soon, so I don’t have a lot of time to formulate the perfect words.  I am going to give it my best shot though.

The professors at AC are amazing.  When you go on a college tour they try to convince you to come to their school and they always talk about how amazing their classes and professors are, at AC this is the truth.  You can tell that the professors really do love what they are teaching and want you to succeed.  Which in the past 16 years of schooling I have realized is the best thing a teacher can do, because it makes me want to learn.  There have been classes that I have taken in the past where the material wasn’t that interesting but I loved the class because of the professor. 

I think only at AC can you have professors that buy you a present when they leave, let you break down in their office, or move a due date because you stayed up all night with your sister.  They have also taught me lessons that will go past the classroom and will help me in the real world.  The best lesson I was taught in my four years here was that I am a smart girl and I am capable of so much more than I can even imagine.

Final Countdown

I am graduating college in ten days and I could not be more excited.  I know there will be parts of college that I miss, but I am so ready to start the next chapter of my life.  I want to learn what surprises the rest of my life has in store for me.  Growing up is going to be good for to me, I just know it.

Of course as I prepare for the real world I am also remembering the past four years.  There have been some good and some bad memories that formed my college experience.  So this is my final countdown of ten things that I could have never done without Austin College.

Honeygrove and Concerts and Musicals. Oh my!

All of these things didn’t happen because of the education I received at Austin College, instead it is more from the location.  However if it wasn’t for Austin College I would of never moved near Dallas.  When I was looking at colleges I had an imaginary line that I didn’t want to move past.  So I only looked at schools that didn’t pass the line, AC was about 3 ½ hours past this line.  However when I came to Kangapalooza my senior year I fell in love with the school, it didn’t matter where it was located.  Not only did it turn out to be the best school for me but it was the perfect location.  I got to do so many amazing things.

This year alone was full of moments that I thought would never happen.  Moments that will stick with me for the rest of my life.  I have been in love with Maroon 5 since I was a freshman in high school and I got to see them live this past year.  I was able to meet the Starkids at the S.P.A.C.E. Tour where I touched Joe Walker’s hand, it was a magical moment. I got to see my favorite show HAIR for the second time, and I got to take my sister and let her see why this show has changed my life.  I also got to go see In The Heights and American Idiot, shows that I fell in love with on the internet and never expected to see live on stage.  I was able to see one of my Broadway babes, Matt Doyle, in a show and hear him sing live.  Little things that might not mean anything to anyone else, but are things that mean the world to me. (I mean, I cried during at least 3 of these things).

I also got to go to Honeygrove, the sweetest town in Texas.  This isn’t the reason I wanted to visit here; instead it was because it was featured in an episode of One Tree Hill.  For a year Kellan, Stephanie and I always talked about going to Honeygrove and recreating the scenes from the show.  However we never went.  There was always something else to do and we would say we would go another time, but before we knew it she had graduated and moved to Ecuador.  I had resolved myself to never visiting Honeygrove, because it wouldn’t be the same without Stephanie.  Her Ecuador trip was cut short though and when she came to visit we decided it was now or never.  We just got in the car and went, and it was magical.  It was a perfect adventure that I was able to share with my best friends.  I will forever hold that day in my heart.

Good Morning Starshine

On this day in 1968 HAIR: The American Tribal Love Rock Musical opened on Broadway at the Biltmore Theatre and would forever change the course of my life.  Of course I wouldn’t be born for 22 so it would be awhile before I realized the importance of this date.

The 2009 Tony Awards is the event that really put this transformation of my life into motion.  For as long as I can remember my mom, my sisters and I have watched The Tony Awards together and this year was no exception.  When the revival cast of HAIR took the stage I was enthralled.  Something about this performance just grabbed a hold of my heart and I was hooked.  I looked at Kellan and told her that when we went to New York in January we had to see this show.  Seven months later that statement became a reality and my life would never be the same again. 

It wasn’t until much later that I would realize how much this show had changed my life.  From the small fact that I now have a much greater appreciation for peace signs and hippies.  Or that I try, usually unsuccessfully, to be more peaceful in my own life.  To be more understanding towards people, hold less grudges, all of the good things a hippie should do.  However, old habits are hard to break and it is still a struggle to do these things. 

The biggest change though is my love of Broadway.  As seen through my yearly views of the Tony Awards with my mom and sisters, I have always loved theatre.  Anytime I get to go and see a show, especially a musical, I am one happy girl.  However, after seeing HAIR this love was increased infinitely.  It opened the door for me to have a passion, something that I care about and can focus my attention on.  Besides schoolwork and a job which can be boring and mundane.  It allowed for me to have a creative outlet and the ability to fall in love with something.

I can’t pinpoint exactly what it is that made HAIR the show that changed my life.  Maybe it was the fact that it was the first show I ever saw on Broadway, a lifelong dream of mine. That I already knew some of the songs since they had become popular on their own. Or that the storyline is so powerful causing it to be the first show that truly touched my heart.  All I know is that each time I listen to the soundtrack I am transported back to the Al Hirchsfeld theatre, watching the storyline unfold for the first time, and I am overcome by pure joy.  To this day 'Let The Sunshine' is one of the only songs that can bring tears to my eyes every time I listen to it.  It is the only show that I have ever seen that caused me to cry more the second time I saw it then the first.  Partially because I was so full of joy by being able to see it again, and partially because I knew what was going to happen at the end. (I bawled like a baby for at least the last fifteen minutes of the show. Big fat, ugly tears).  Something about it simply changed my life and it means so much to me.

It is hard for me to put into words how much HAIR means to me.  I can never find the right words to say, words that accurately portray its importance to me and to my life.  This post doesn’t even come close to doing it justice, it barely scratches the surface.  I simply wanted to do something special to recognize its importance to me on its 44th anniversary.

Happy Anniversary HAIR, you changed my life.

Concert Hangover*

*Thanks for Coral for discovering the diagnosis.

Never heard of a concert hangover?  Don’t think they exist?  You would be wrong.

The Burrow had the pleasure of seeing Sleeperstar three times in April and each time we saw them I fell a little bit more in love.  Each concert reminded me why they are one of my favorite bands.  They put on an amazing concert, that is full of energy from start to finish, and they are literally some of the sweetest people you will ever meet.  The 25^th was the last show for the month, and my tenth time seeing them in 2 years, and we endured A LOT to get there.  From Carmen, my car, breaking down and not being able to find a ride.  To finally resorting to renting a car 2 hours before the concert, that was an hour away without traffic, and skipping dinner because of the time crunch.  Of course once we got to the concert all of the trouble and stress was worth it, because it was amazing and we had so much fun, but the next morning was another story.

Luckily I have never had a hangover, but I imagine this is what they feel like.  The Burrow woke up and we just felt icky (yes that is the technical term).  We felt nauseous and our bodies hurt all over.  To say the least it was a rough morning and I never want to experience a concert hangover* again.  However it I ever do experience a concert hangover again we have found the cure, and hopefully these tips can help you as well.

*I am aware that feeling bad was not a result of the concert.  Instead it was from the lack of nutrition the day before, the elevated stress of getting to the concert, and only a few hours of sleep.  It is just more fun my way.

1. A shower or bath, whichever you prefer.

2. Lunch.

3. And last but most definitely the most important…drum roll please…MORE SLEEPERSTAR*

        -This may be in the form of listening to their music, reading their tweets or blog, watching their videos,  or creating a tumblr for them.  Continue the dosage of more Sleeperstar* throughout the day for the most effective results.

*You can substitute you own favorite band.

We are the cutest.

#10 is only 4 show away.

#10 was a great success.  Can't until #100.

Ugly Cry

I went into a professors office to turn in a test, which I didn’t feel confident in, and as I was about to leave he said “being mad at me isn’t going to help your cause.”  As I turned around to tell him I wasn’t mad at him I proceeded to have a meltdown.  I mean full on ugly cry, it was not attractive.  It was a combination of being tired and the stress of the day.  I calmed myself down enough to leave and go get myself a treat and I now that I have had time to think, I realize that I may not have been mad at him but I am mad at a bunch of things.  I think that if I write them down and actually think about them it will help in the process of forgiving, or at least forgetting.

• I am mad at the stupid girls who ruined my senior year.  The girls who think they are all that and everyone falls down at their feet to make them happy.  The girls who create drama out of nothing and go on with their lives like nothing happened while you pick up the pieces of yours.
• I am mad at the people who start to talk to after four years and then all of a sudden start ignoring you.
• I am mad at the so called “experts” at businesses who treat you like a child who knows nothing.  Then in the end they never fix your problem.
• I am mad at my doctor for not giving me medicine for my headaches, which I experience on an almost daily basis.  Which I am experiencing now and I am in excruciating pain.
• I am mad at the fact that I have a best friend who is a year older than me.  This means she isn’t here to help me through my shitty senior year. (Of course she does everything she can from where she is).  Did I mention she also lives at the bottom of Texas, while I live on the top?
• I am mad at the fact that one of my other best friends is moving back to New York in two short months, and I don’t know when I will see her again.
• I am mad at professors who don’t teach you anything, but expect you to become an expert of the topic and pass the test.
• I am mad that I don’t have a passion in life.  This means I have no idea what I will be doing once I graduate.
• I am mad at myself for becoming so frustrated when I know I didn’t do as well on something as I could have. 
• I am mad at myself for not having enough faith in myself. (I did great on my test!!!)
• I am mad at my body for not letting me sleep.  For taking so long to fall asleep and once I do fall asleep waking up every couple of hours.

Of course for the most part I don’t think about these things or let them get me down.  However, I think sometimes you need to just have a big ugly cry about everything before you can continue on.  Of course, it is better if you have this ugly cry in the privacy of your own home…not your professors office.