Saturday, April 16, 2011

My life be like

Here are pictures of Brittany Ann's wedding. It was so gorgeous. This little lady has been the best friend I could ever ask for and has been there for me through thick and thin. I'm so happy that she found Grayson. The two of them make quite the couple. It was a happy day and one of the most gorgeous weddings I have been to.


Also, this last Monday I went to the Local Natives/Arcade Fire concert. It was SO great. Arcade Fire is one of my favorite bands, and they are amazing live. They were so fun to watch and just dance around the whole time. I tried posting a video of my favorite song, We Used to Wait, but since I recorded the whole thing it was too long. ha. So this is another great one called Wake Up. My second favorite. It reminds me of riding trains through Europe, because I listened to it a lot while riding trains through Europe. Happiness. Love them!


Now I am just trying to get ready for finals. I'm quite nervous for this round because I haven't done so well in some of these classes. I have to pretty much ace these finals to get decent grades. Wah. Wish me luck.

And lastly, I have been asked to choreograph a web series directed by Scott Winn, a former BYU film student who has worked on tons of amazing projects. Ask me who is starring in the series... Oh, just Antoine Dodson and Danny Trejo. THE Antoine Dodson and THE Danny Trejo. I think it's safe to say that my name as a choreographer has the potential to explode out into the world in these next couple of months. Excitement! I can't wait. There will be 6 episodes with a music video in each. We start shooting May 15. I'll be sure to keep you updated on this exciting project.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

I know, I'm behind

I haven't blogged in a long time. There is just so much going on that I haven't taken the time to do it! It has been an epic two weeks since I last posted. So, for an update:
-My best friend Brittany Ann Blood (now Brittany Ann Pollock) got married two weeks ago. I started a post for this but I couldn't get pictures to load. I'll keep trying, because it was one of the most beautiful weddings I've been too and you must see pictures. I love that girl dearly and I am so happy she found Grayson. They make quite the couple.
-My students had their first competition and one of my teams won! They're great.
-I presented my senior thesis! It went really well and my professor and thesis advisor, Martha Peacock, paid me some really nice compliments. There are some new possibilities that have opened up that I need to figure out. I'll keep you posted.
-There may or may not be a significant other in my life now... who brings me chocolate while I'm in the library late at night preparing for my thesis or flowers the next morning before presenting it...
-We had the Club Style showcase on Saturday. It went really well! I'm kind of sad it's over, but it's kind of a relief at the same time. I'll be sad when I'm not in charge of that great group of amazing people anymore. They really are all quite fantastic.

I'm going to try to be better at posting, promise. I've been terrible but now that I'm done with my thesis I just sit around in the days doing nothing. Prepare to have your newsfeeds overrun...

In parting, I share this delightful song with you that I have a renewed obsession with: (he has one of the most beautiful male voices I have ever heard)



Sunday, March 20, 2011

21 in Vegas


So, as you may know, last weekend I ventured on down to Las Vegas for the MWC championship basketball game. It was a super fun trip. Friday night we went and saw the Jabbawockeez show at the Monte Carlo, which was fantastic. We then dressed in our "Jimrwockeez" outfits and went out on the strip to film a little music video. We kind of drew a lot of attention. I got a black eye in an unfortunate car incident where the two people next to me were messing around and one came flying my way, knocking her head into my face. Ouch. I woke up the next morning with some new pretty color under my eye. Some of us in the morning went down to the fitness center and ran into Cecil O. Samuelson, President of BYU. Also some of us saw Jackson Emery and Charles Abouo. Cool. After a brunch at iHop, we went back to the hotel, put on our Jimrwockeez outfits again, and walked to the game. It was madness. And again, we drew a lot of attention. Unfortunately, our seats were way to far up for our Jimrwockeez powers to really work, and we lost horribly. But it was still fun. After the game we went to the Excalibur buffet for a huge dinner. Then we went back to our hotel rooms, took a power nap, and got ready to hit the town. Being in Vegas with this crew this time around was different. This time I was 21, and it's kind of a right of passage in Club Style to go dancing in Vegas when one turns 21. We couldn't get into any clubs without having to pay an outrageous charge, so we wandered around for a bit looking for a good lounge to hang at. They were playing some good music everywhere we went but we settled in at the Koi lounge at the Planet Hollywood hotel. Tyrone and Char, good friends from Club Style in times past who now live in Cali, came down for the party as well. It was so great to see and dance with them again. It had been since last April since I had seen them. Too long. That was a fun night. The next morning we packed up and went to church at the UNLV institute and got on the road. We stopped at the visitor's center of the temple in St. George to say hi to Jonathan's grandparents, but they were nowhere to be found. So we continued up north. It was a great and very successful trip. I have great friends. I'm so glad that we can go on a trip to Vegas and not have to worry that anyone will do anything stupid. They are great people and I'm so glad we've all become super close. We are now in the process of planning a trip to Moab in a few weeks before everyone splits ways for the summer. We like to party. :)
Here are some pictures from the great weekend: (they're a little out of order)
outside the Jabbaz theater
Jonathan is super excited to be in Vegas
in front of the Jabbaz stage
We draw attention wherever we go
Road trip!
Char, Danielle, and I before heading out to go dancing
Outside the stadium. Gorgeous sunset, right?
Our seats in the nosebleeds
All the Jimrwockeez together before the game
The eye the morning after.
The fellaz
Cheeeese!
We partied hard...

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I'm Irish! I say it all the time. Just have to make sure you know...

It's days like this that I really wish I could go back to Ireland, the most beautiful country I've been to. I'm having a craving today for the irish stew here:
McDermott's Pub in Doolin, Ireland. The best pub experience we had in Ireland. Dad and I went here after a long day of driving from Kilkenny with a stop at the Rock of Cashel.
Kilkenny Castle:

The Rock of Cashel:

View from atop the Rock of Cashel:
I wish I could experience the breathtaking views of the Sally Gap near Enniskerry again:
Or stroll along the streets of sunny Doolin just after a rainstorm again:

I want to once again feel that thrill of standing on the edge of the 700 foot Cliffs of Moher:
And I want to wake up in a quaint little B&B and eat porridge and eggs and tomatoes for breakfast:

Someday I'll own a cottage in Ireland, and I'll go back often. For now, I leave you with these Irish blessings on this happy Irish day! Enjoy it for me! (because I am far too busy to party like a true Irishwoman).

"May the road rise to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, the rain fall soft upon your fields, and until we meet again may God hold you in the palm of his hand."

"May those that love us love us. And those that don't love us, may God turn their hearts. And if he doesn't turn their hearts, may he turn their ankles, so we may know them by their limping."

Also, you should listen to the Irish pub favorites Pandora station. Or the Celtic station. They're both great.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Uh, yeeeaaahh...

Remember how I got a black eye on Friday? I've decided I can't sport this look with my baggy clothes, high tops, flat brim hat, and beats by Dr. Dre headphones. I get a lot of second glances here on BYU campus. I think they think I'm a real gangster...

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

today is a blah blah-g day

I'm suffering from severe senioritis. And it is painful.

I no longer can decide what I want to do with my life this summer. Something about New York didn't feel right, so I guess we'll have to figure something else out.

I am really excited for springtime/summer. This surprise winter storm last night really made me angry.

Teaching teenagers is a challenging feat to accomplish. They drive me crazy sometimes.

I miss all the outdoor activities I used to rock at: mountain biking, snowboarding, hiking, kayaking, camping... this summer I'm determined to return to my outdoorsy roots. Starting with a trip to Moab in April. Who's in?

Intrusive people bother me. Sometimes, you just need to stick to your own bidness. Leave me to mine.

My senior thesis is not turning out as great as I was hoping it would. I have two more weeks to bring it up to the greatness I think it has the potential of.

I got a new driver's license yesterday. The photo is probably the worst one in the history of driver's license photos. I was smiling, she told me not to smile, and in the instant of me being surprised and not smiling she took the photo. It looks like a mugshot. Seriously, it's bad.

I'm going to Vegas this weekend for the b-ball tourney. We're gonna watch Jimmer and the rest of the Cougars kick some butt. And I get to see some great friends I haven't seen for almost a year because they decided to get married and move to California...yeah, you know who you are! I miss you kids. Excitement.

Some days (every day) I wish money wasn't an issue. I have this fantasy that this weekend in Vegas I'll put one coin in the slot machine and win 15 million dollars. Wouldn't that be fantastic?

I want to see the Adjustment Bureau. Real bad.

I'm still obsessed with the new Adele album. Her lyrics are simply brilliant. My favorites today: "I let it fall, my heart, and as it fell you rose to claim it. It was dark, and I was over until you kissed my lips and you saved me. My hands were strong, but my knees were far too weak to stand in your arms without falling to your feet. But there's a side to you that I never knew never knew and the things you'd say they were never true never true and the games you'd play you would always win always win. But I set fire to the rain, watched it pour as I touched your face. Let it burn while I cry because I heard it screaming out your name, your name..." GREAT right? Brilliance. And that's only the first part of the song. I'll say it again, if you haven't got the new album, GET IT!

I'm SUPER excited for the Arcade Fire concert in April. "We Used to Wait" is one of my new favorite songs. I've had that on repeat too.

Life is insane. There is too much to do and not enough time. And yet, here I am blogging. But this is a blah-g so I just say what's on my mind and it takes no more than 10 minutes. Justified.

Thinking about graduating in 9 months kind of freaks me out. And that's all I can say about that now, because I'm kind of freaking out.

St. Patrick's Day is next week. I don't think I'll be able to have my usual party until a week later. That's alright, right? Next week is even more madness.

I have a new favorite dessert. Remember how I love cheesecake? Then remember how I love pistachio gelato? Well, there is such a thing as pistachio cheesecake and it is, I tell you, quite fantastic. I had some on a date a little while ago and we went back a few days later because we loved it so much.

Remember how I love the people I work with? We had another staff meeting last night, and they are just so great. And fun. And hilarious. Being a dance teacher is probably one of the best ideas ever.

I've been having a lot of nostalgia for my childhood lately. I think this was brought on (as strange as it is) by driving by a dairy farm a few days ago. The dance studio I grew up in was right across the street from a dairy farm, and I was taken back to the days of living at said studio. Good times were had. Also the summer days of growing up in Draper. It is a great place. Wouldn't have chosen any where else. I miss those easy days.

Today is one of those days I just want to run away. Do you ever just feel mad at the world? I do every once in a rare while. And today I do.

I really like THIS today.

Fin.

Friday, March 4, 2011

How did I get here?

I'm sitting in my living room. It is 2:19 AM. I have 2 papers due tomorrow. How far into them am I? You ask?
Paper 1: 8.5 pages out of 15. Due at 9:30 AM
Paper 2: .5 pages out of 8. Due at 5 PM
What's running through my head?:
"I guess that's what I get for trying to juggle so many different things:
Club Style which has its showcase in less than a month
Teaching 4 classes plus extra practices because it's competition season
12 school credits
DVA student advisory council
Helping a friend campaign for BYUSA Exec. Direc.
Relationships
Figuring out what to do with life this summer
Planning a bridal shower/bachelorette party for my BFF that gets married in 2 weeks
Etc. Etc.
....well, if I fail, or more likely die, there's always greener grass on the other side. Right?"

Meanwhile I've got my extra large Diet Pepsi, wheat thins, and Adele blasting through the Beats by Dr. Dre. Survival tonight may be possible, but the repercussions tomorrow should be severe. Wish me luck, friends. I shall see you on the other side. If I make it there safely.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

When opposites attract...

magic can happen.
Exhibit A:

Remember when I was saying Adele's new album is my favorite? And remember how Kyle Hanagami and Miki Emura are two of my favorite choreographers?

MAGIC!