Back from hiatus!

Whew! That was a much longer hiatus than I thought! I haven't even been doing all that much; it's just...well, life gets crazy, and my internet access at home is not very reliable. But I really feel bad about not roll-calling on SITS and getting back to all the wonderful people who commented. I feel like a mooch.

But in any case...what have I been up to?

-Christmas was lovely! I got the marvelous pink Schwinn I've been lusting after since August, plus a MASSIVE external hard drive and a nicer USB mic than the one I've been using.

-Lots of cooking. And when I say lots, I mean five or six batches of cookies, mini pumpkin cheesecakes, Christmas dinner, peppermint pie, and so many appetizers I can't count them. Anyone up for some delicious holiday recipes?

-Riding aforementioned bicycle. Now, the last time I rode a bike, I was eleven, and I flipped off and cracked my skull and swore I would never ride a bike again. Naturally, I have some reservations about riding again, but I've been doing it anyway. Besides, it's a great workout- that bike is so heavy that my legs can barely pedal it up!

-Scoping out apartments in Smyrna. P and I are looking for a place there, since it's halfway between his school and where I will most likely find work. He took me out on a date there. It was great. We were so honeymooney over each other it was ridiculous.

-Some sewing. Mostly just fun little things, but I hope to tackle my GINORMOUS pile o' projects soon.

-Lots of Sims 2 gaming. P gave me Bon Voyage for Christmas, and it's so addicting. I play it in waves. I've started a new challenge neighborhood. Ooh, fun!

-I started writing Beatrice and the Greenfinch Carnival, the sequel to my first book, Beatrice and the Cat. Hopefully I can tell you about some of that soon. ;)

So yeah. That's what I've been up to. Hopefully I'll get back in the swing of regular blogging soon. I miss it. :(

Christmas? Really?

It seriously does not feel like Christmas. Is it really in four days?! I have almost no presents for people!

On the upside, I've made plans with Kat for a Rock Band/Pancake Pantry day, and with Rose for one of our patented Movie Bonanzas. And I'm probably going to host some kind of party at some point.

I just spent way, way too much money at JoAnn's. They're projects I've been planning on, but still...a lot more money than I wanted. But I'm going to make:

-Butterick 4567 in red, possibly with a black underlay

-Butterick 5272 in cream with gold buttons and an old-timey sailing ship lining (It's based on the coat that Miley Cyrus and Miranda Cosgrove wore in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Did anyone else notice they wore the same coat? I sure did! It was hilarious.)

-A circle skirt with a blue-and-brown damask print.

-Some kind of green jumper. Or dress. Or something. I don't know. I'll make it up.

-A pink and white coat to match this bike that I hope I get for Christmas.

Unfortunately, I left my camera card reader at the dorm. So unless my sister decides to use my camera during the trip to Paris and I use hers, or her card reader works with mine, we'll just have to wait on pictures until the second week of January. Sad day.

No place like home...

I am HOME!!! Hurrah!!

I moved back home for Christmas break on Wednesday night...Thursday P came over for a while...Friday was the big church youth group party (I am one of the middle school lifeguards, which basically means I'm a super-hands-on Sunday School teacher). So today is the first time I went online.

But yeah. It's fabulous to be at home. My own shower...my cozy bedroom...a real kitchen...it's fantastic.

Thank you so much for all the comments this week!! I feel so special being a Saucy blogger. ^_^ Hopefully I'll have time soon to check out all of your blogs and return the kind comments.

I got my grades back!
Lifetime Fitness: D
First Aid and Emergency Care: D
Advanced Acting: C
Gospel of Mark for Women: B
Shakespeare's Tragedies: B (that was a hard class!!)
Beginning Directing: A
Costuming Practicum: A
Private Voice: A

So yeah. I could have done better, but the beginning of the semester was really difficult. But I picked up the pace at the end and everything turned out all right. And now I don't have to think about anything school related until January. YAY!

One of my BFFs, Kat (who is also my maid of honor) is hangin' out today, and we're going to meet Emma (who's also a bridesmaid) for sushi and watching Friends DVDs. And probably Rent. If you haven't seen that, you should. It's a terrific show, and it also singlehandedly revived the American musical in the early 90s. If you're into musical theater, it's a big part of the genre's history.

Aaaaand the theater lesson is over. *ahem*

I need to get P's Christmas present. Seriously. It's five days for Christmas, and I've got nothing. Yikes...five days?! Doesn't seem like it. Not at all.

But yeah. I think this will be a lovely Christmas break.

Titling something "hell week" is always a great conversation starter

That's right, kids, it's hell week. That wonderful time of year when every exhausted theater student is scrambling to remember lines, gathering costume pieces, and spending four hours a night in the theater when they would really rather be sleeping.

Our last dress rehearsal was last night, and we open TODAY! It's really going to be fabulous. And just to prove how fabulous it's going to be, here is a sneak preview of my monkeys:


Aren't they amazing? I might be getting a DVD of the performance, and if I do, the link is going up here! Also, please note the tire swing in the background. It is a real, actual tire swing that the three actors play around on. It's so awesome.

I had my director's evaluation with Mike yesterday. And even though I was terrified, it could not have gone better. The only negative thing he had to say about me is that I'm a people pleaser, which leads me to taking on too many projects. Which I know quite well. On the upside, he has seen a lot of progress in me as a director and that I have a lot of talent for it- which I wasn't expecting at all. He also thanked me and complimented me profusely on my work for Lighting of the Green, and that was quite gratifying.

I don't think I ever explained what Lighting of the Green was. Every year Lipscomb University hosts a big concert led by Amy Grant and a bunch of other people in front of the bell tower on campus, and people from all over Nashville come to see it. This year, the theater department was asked to supply characters, either Dickens or Disney, to walk around during the event and talk to people. So it was like working at Disney World again. But within a week and a half, I cast and costumed 20+ people. It was a ton of work, especially since I had to make so many pieces from scratch. But yeah. Mike was very enthusiastic and pleased about the job I did. On to what I was talking about...

It looks like I'll get an A in Beginning Directing. That's really making me happy. My grades have gotten a lot better this semester, which I really needed. All in all, it's been a better semester than usual.

Life is going to settle down a bit after this weekend. The show will be over. Classes will be almost over. Soon I'll be home for Christmas, stitching away at my sewing machine and poring over wedding magazines with P. Hopefully my blog will have less of a one-track mind then. Maybe it'll be more interesting, and people will actually read it. :(

I really want to write a blog about how my fiance and I met and all that. It's a pretty cute story, and I need to remind myself that, beyond all of this theater stuff, I've got a real life.