Leaving My Teenage Years Behind Me

Well world, I've finally finished my teenage years. Here's to a sweet new decade!

   

Celebrated my 20th birthday with some delicious cupcakes from Caramanda's. If you are ever in Lexington, I highly recommend you check them out!

Flavors:

Chocolate Cheesecake | Italian Cream

Coconut Cream | Chocolate Salted Caramel

Chocolate Explosion | Red Velvet

Strawberry Shortcake | Chocolate Swirl

In my opinion, you're never too old for a tiara.

All in all, it was a fairly low-key day, but a lovely one nonetheless! Had some schoolwork and study abroad application business to do in the morning, played around with my camera, had dinner and presents with my family, and I am now watching The Avengers! More of the same is in store for the first few days of being 20, I believe, but I'm heading to Georgia on Thursday for a theatre conference, so I should have some fun stories then! 

xoxo

20 Things to do before you turn 20

Besides being a new year, 2013 brings my twentieth birthday. In just under two weeks I will be two decades old! In honor of the occasion, I compiled a list of 20 Things to do before you turn 20, based on this list.

1. Reach a fitness goal.
2. Take a road trip.
3. Try a food you can’t pronounce.
4. Thank your parents.
5. Do a random act of kindness.
6. Participate in a flash mob.
7. Play a favorite childhood game.
8. Sleep under the stars for a night.
9. Pull an all-nighter.
10. Go electronics free for 24 hours.
11. Vote!
12. Have a meaningful conversation with a stranger.
13. Get a passport and take it somewhere.
14. Learn to play a song on an instrument.
15. Get a job.
16. Write a love letter to yourself to open in 10 years.
17. Learn to have a basic conversation in a foreign language.
18. Dance in the rain.
19. Go to a play by yourself.
20. Learn to cook your favorite meal.

I     I think I've technically completed the list, but I'd like to try to do those numbers not struck out once more. I have until January 14th to finish the list! Wish me luck!

x    xoxo

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

This year I'm spending Christmas in New York City! I generally visit New York in the summer, so this is a treat. Anyone who knows me knows that New York where I intend on living as soon as I graduate, so I'm incredibly grateful for any time I get to spend here!

Besides being Christmas Eve, December 24 was also my sister's sixteenth birthday. We spent our first day back in the city celebrating both holidays with a trip to Rockefeller Plaza to see the tree, Radio City Music Hall for the Rockettes' Christmas Spectacular, the Nederlander Theatre for Disney's Newises, and lastly to our friends' house in Washington Heights for Christmas Eve dinner. It was a spectacular way to start off the trip!

Seeing the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City is absolutely something you should try to do once in your life. It's quite the spectacle! The Rockettes were brilliant, as expected. Their precision is especially astounding to me. As a dancer I know how difficult keeping those perfectly straight lines can be or kicking at exactly the same height, but my god, they were right on it. The rest of the cast was impressive too, particularly the other dancers. 

Oh the woe that is being only 5'4". No future in the Rockettes for me, sadly.

Our second show of the day was Newsies. I've been interested in seeing it since it was playing at Papermill, so I was glad to finally get the chance! The dancing was beyond compare. Actually, overall the talent level was incredible, although the storyline was lacking. Still, I was beaming through the entire show, so two thumbs up from me. 

Chances are you've all gathered from my being a BFA MT major that I hope to someday be on Broadway. Trips like this always refresh that dream for me. Every show I see gives me new drive to improve so that I may be on that stage someday soon. I can't wait for the spring semester to start so that I can be in the studio everyday practicing. And in about two years, this city will be my home!

Taking a step away from Broadway dreams, we'd hoped to meet up with some director friends for coffee but schedules didn't quite work out. However we did get to visit some old friends from Virginia and then watch my sister open her presents. And our Christmas pajama tradition continued despite being in New York, hence the above picture. 

Tomorrow I'll be venturing back into the city to visit the Discovery Museum's Spy and Harry Potter (!!) exhibits and hopefully see Les Mis with college friends. 

Hope you all have a lovely Christmas wherever you might be! xoxo