Actual Things 3rd Graders Said.

Over Thanksgiving, I was visiting family in Alabama which is why I have been absent from the blog. But more on that later.

Right now, I interrupt my usual posting to share with you some totally real, not at all exaggerated quotes from students in the third grade class I subbed for on Tuesday.

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Student 1: "Miss Holiday, how old are you?"
Me: "20."
Student 2: "It's rude to ask people how old they are."
Student 1: "That's only for old people!"

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Boy Student: "Miss Holiday, Girl Student wrote down on a piece of paper which boys like which girls and is showing it to everybody!"

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Girl Student: "Miss Holiday, Boy Student wrote "I will date Girl Student" on a piece of paper and I did NOT like that."

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Student 1: "I can date when I'm 16."
Student 2: "No you have to be 18 to date!"
Student 1: "My mom said I can date when I'm 16!"
Student 3: "Yeah, when you're in high school you can date as much as you want!"

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Boy Student 1: "Miss Holiday, Boy Student 2 wrote down on a piece of paper that he and I* were married and then he wrote that we were divorced."

*Please note, these are both BOY students....

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Everyone: "WHAT DOES THE FOX SAY?! DE DEE DO DO DAH DO DE DAH!  WA PA PA WA PA PAPA POW! RING DING RING A DING A RING DING!"

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Third grade is the new junior high, y'all.

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving.

A Few of My Favorite Things.

Forgive me for my absence from the blog the last few weeks. I've had a lot going on and have a CRAZY week ahead of me. I'm writing an article for a magazine my church is doing (due Monday), cooking a meal for my group Tuesday night, and Wednesday morning I am taking a very important test for my teacher's certification that I'm kind of freaking out about. In the mean time, here is a list of things that are currently making me happy/keeping me sane. 

Enjoy.

My One Line a Day journal.

You write a couple lines everyday about what happened that day, and it goes on for 5 years. Great for the sentimental people, like me. I'm really bad at journaling but I've been doing this now for just over 4 months. I love that it's so quick to catch up on if you get behind.

My pretty new planner.

Even though I can't use this until January, organization makes me happy. This beauty is made by Sugar Paper Los Angeles and can be snagged up at Target for 8 weeks only. Get yours now! (Also, this mint green scarf in the picture is new and I LOVE it.)

My Wilton cake decorating classes.

I actually completed course 1 on Monday, but it was so much fun learning how to decorate cakes! I'll be taking a break for the holidays, but I hope to start back up with course 2 in January. This cake was my final project. What do you think?

Halloween.

I haven't dressed up for Halloween in about 8 years. This year I got invited to a costume party and I was so excited! It was a lot of fun. I went as a flapper/20's girl. I found the perfect dress at Goodwill (for $2.75, thank you) and just added a few accessories, did my hair in a faux bob, and put on some red lipstick and I was good to go.

Sara Bareilles.

Sara Bareilles is a fairly new discovery for me. I've always known her hit singles that were played on the radio, but that was it. Man, I have been missing out! Each song is catchy and I can relate to every lyric. Her voice is so strong and rich and perfect. And I love the borderline jazz/blues genre of her songs. I can't get enough.

The #joyfilledhomechallenge.

Remember my 30 Days of Thankfulness post from last year? This year I'm expressing my thankfulness by participating in this photo challenge, hosted by two awesome bloggers. Check out my posts on Instagram (@kholiday25) and be sure to let me know if you decide to participate!

I will hopefully be back with some brand new posts after I take my test on Wednesday! I have a lot in the works, just haven't gotten to making them postable yet. :-)

Happy November!

I Think I Need an Intervention.

So last night/this morning at approximately 1:48am, I deliriously posted this status on facebook:

 

Now I know that sometimes when I talk, I throw in the occasional hyperbole. This is not one of those times.

Tears actually happened. Freaking out actually happened. And the only reason I'm not ashamed to tell the world this is because it was 2am. Nobody should be expected to control their emotions between the hours of 1 and 5 am. 

But seriously. It was bad, y'all.

The show is SO GOOD. Like, SO GOOD. I got home at 9ish last night and had 5 episodes left in the season to watch. I knew it would be a late night if I wanted to finish, and honestly wasn't planning on it. "Just two or three..." I told myself. HA.

*Caution: Very vague spoilers ahead*

Every episode ended on a cliffhanger. Even worse, they ended on a cliffhanger involving my favorite character...so like, I had to watch the next one to make sure that everything was going to work out okay for him.

Well guess what? In the season 1 finale...EVERYTHING DOESN'T WORK OKAY FOR HIM. We don't even see him for the last 15 minutes of the show and the last time we did see him, he looked like he was in mortal danger. So the season ends with the main character hearing a knock on the door and opening it and I'm like...

"WHAT ABOUT LOGAN? IS LOGAN OKAY? WHAT'S GOING ON? IS LOGAN AT THE DOOR? PLEASE BE LOGAN AT THE DOOR! LOGAN I LOVE YOU! LOGAN!! LOOOOGGGAANNN!!!"

And I was SO CONCERNED ABOUT LOGAN that I started crying. Because I wanted to start the next season. But it was almost 2am. And I was really tired. And the fact that I was crying over a character in a TV show made me realize that I desperately needed sleep. Which made me cry harder, because I wanted to start the next season.

But ultimately, I decided to be strong and just go to bed. Once I fell asleep it would practically be morning anyway, so it's not like it would be very long before I could start the next episode.

Actually, it wasn't long at all, since at 7:30 this morning my brain was all like "Hey! It's morning!! Time to watch Veronica Mars!" and woke me up with NO regard to the fact that it's Saturday and I JUST went to bed 5 hours earlier. Thanks, Brain. You're a real pal.

But for real...I may or may not have a serious problem.

Oh, and I'm watching season 2 as we speak (well, waiting for it to load), and I am pleased to report that Logan is still alive. Which I knew anyway, because like, IMDB has him listed in all 64 episodes...and the movie that's coming out next year...but still. He could have been like, a ghost or something.

Why Summer is Actually the Best.

 Summer provides once in a lifetime opportunities, like shark riding.
(Btw, this was me and my dad, circa 1997ish).

Usually when people refer to "the most wonderful time of the year," they are talking about Christmastime. While I am in complete agreement that Christmas is pretty wonderful, I would argue that it is not, in fact, the most wonderful. The following is a list of reasons which I would use to defend my position. (And it wouldn't be a list if it wasn't alphabetical).

Beaches.
Berry season.
Bright colors.
Butterflies.
Flip-flops.
Flowers.
Green grass.
Ice cream cones.
Lemonade.
Longer days.
Movies.
No school.
Painted toe nails.
Picnics.
Popsicles.
Running through sprinklers.
Sandals.
Sand volleyball.
Shorts.
Snow cones.
Sonic's Summer of Shakes!
Sundresses.
Sunshine.
Swimming.
Tank tops.
Vacations.
Water parks.
Weather that isn't cold.

Basically, happiness. Summer is just the happiest time of the year. And the most wonderful. And the best.

And if you're wondering why I think summer is the best, but back in September I called autumn my favorite season, it's because I go back and forth between the two. Usually by the end of summer/beginning of fall, fall is my favorite, but near the end of fall and all the way through spring I'm SO ready for summer. I'm not a liar, I promise.

Check out my lists for why I love fall and winter (mainly Christmas). There isn't one for spring, because spring is clearly the worst season and doesn't deserve a list (I have bad allergies, if you're wondering why I have a vendetta against spring).

Inside the Devotional of a 7 Year Old.

So, today I found this old devotional from when I was probably about 7 years old. And the things that were written inside were too golden not to share. Please enjoy the following devotional questions, 7-year-old me's answers, and 19-year-old me's sarcastic commentary.

Why do you think God wants you to know His name? 
I think God wants us to know his name we can tell other people about Him instead of just saying "that guy that lives in Heaven."

{Good point, 7-year-old me.} 

Make an acrostic of your name using words across that tell about you.
K: Kind
A: Angelic
Y: Youthful
L: Ladylike
A: Awesome
R: Radiant
O: Obedient
S: Scentful
E: Enchanting

{Can you tell I was super girly?}

Draw a picture or take a snapshot of a family member's nose, ears, mouth, etc.
My mom's nose, lips, and chin:
 

{The resemblance is really quite shocking.}

Why did God create light?
To do stuff.

{Another great point.}

Why do you think God made the stars so far away?
So they don't set the world on fire.

{Yes, I'm very glad God thought that one through!}

What would you want God to show you if you could see anything?
Samantha (a girl I was playing against on the computer).

{Samantha must have been a pretty special opponent to have beat out Europe or "the future."}

Share a memory with God of a time you've sinned. Ask God to forgive you. If you were mean to a person, ask him or her to forgive you.
I've already done this.

{Well, then.}

Write down the things God saw you do today.
Today, God saw me play on the computer, eat 6 poptarts, play with the puppies, play hula girl, go to the church, Hobby Lobby, Hancock's, my cousin's house, request a song, watch TV, listen to the radio, get ready for bed and write in this book.

{SIX PopTarts?! In one day?! No one wonder Dad won't buy them anymore!}

Do you have quiet places at your home? Where? No!
Plan a time, with your parents' permission, when you can meet with God in one of these places. OK?
Sit in a quiet place and tell God you like to be alone with Him. Sure.

{Is it just me, or is this devotional getting a little bossy?}

How can you know God is real? Look in the Bible.
How do you look for God? In the Bible.
How can you show others God is real? Give them a Bible.

{Well, the Bible DOES have all the answers.}

And then the next 180 pages are blank, because though my answers to these questions have changed over time, my short attention span has remained the same (evident by all the books and devotionals and the like that have been sitting on a shelf or in a box waiting to be finished for years now). Maybe someday I'll get to finishing things...but today is not that day.

You Call It Venison. I Call It Bambi.

I am not a vegetarian.

I believe that animals were created for a purpose. For nourishment and food.

I love animals, but I don't judge people who hunt. (I might give them a hard time about it, however...).

I love chicken, I love pork, and I love beef.

But I will NOT, under any circumstances whatsoever, EVER eat a deer.

I'll be the first to admit that I'm a picky eater and don't like trying new food. However, from what I've heard about venison, I honestly think I would like it. That is not why I will not try it.

I won't try it because, while most people just see really good meat, I see a poor, helpless doe who couldn't outrun the daunting speed of the piercing metal bullet. I see a little fawn watching with horror its mother stumble to the ground and breathe her last breath.

I see Bambi.

And I mean, come on. How can you eat everybody's favorite Disney character?

How can people eat this with a clear conscience?

Okay, fine. So Belle was my favorite. But still. Bambi was a big part of my childhood. And it has forever made me love forest animals. I am even slightly saddened when I see a dead skunk in the middle of the road.

Of course, I usually quickly forget about that, because the sight of a dead skunk tends to be quickly followed by the lovely skunk aroma in the air for the next mile and a half. And then if a whole family of skunks happens to have been killed at the same time but each one is separated by about 20 feet, you get to enjoy the scent all the way from your house to your school. That happened once.

And then, of course, it's always fun when a skunk sneaks in your school and then dies and you are basically bathing in the scent all day so that by the time school finally lets out no one even wants to be around you anymore. That happened once, too.

Anyway...back to cute animals...

I will also not eat rabbits. Partly because of Thumper, and partly because I have a rabbit and I think he's really cute, and I'm pretty sure it would freak him out if I ate one of his kind right in front of him. I know I would be freaked out if I caught little Nemo nibbling on a human... *shivers*

Other animals I will not eat include cats, dogs, horses, dolphins, and fish. Mostly because I think those are illegal to eat in the United States. Except for fish. I just don't like fish. They taste too ocean-y.

And then of course, I would never eat a rat, possum, or, well, a skunk. Because that's just gross.

I recently found out that in Canada, they eat moose...which I was a little surprised at, because I thought it would be illegal in Canada to eat moose. You know, because it's the national animal.

Then I found out that countries don't have national animals....

But I think that we should and I am hereby establishing deer, bunnies, dogs, cats, horses, and dolphins the national animals of the United States. So don't eat one. Because it's illegal now.

But please eat spiders. We need less of those in the world.

Once In Four Years.

This is a completely random post. But I was just thinking. Four is a magic number.

I mean seriously, think of all the things that only happen once every four years.

• Leap years
• Presidential elections
• Olympics

That's all I can think of right now. But then I also think it's interesting that you go through four years of high school followed by four years of college.

AND I think it's funny that ALL of these things are happening in the same year. It's a leap year, the Olympics are coming up in July, and we elect a new president this year. Oh, AND this year marks the end of my 4 year prison sentence...ahem, I mean...high school experience....

I really wanted to end this post by saying that if you add up all the numbers in the year 2012, it equals 4...but then you would question my math skills, which although are severely lacking, are not quite that bad. Sooooo instead, I will end by pointing out that the year 2012 has 4 digits...just like the last 1012 years...but that's not important.

Happy Leap Day!

And if you happen to be celebrating a birthday today...then congratulations! You finally turned 5! ;)

I'm Skipping School Today.

This is something I rarely do. Mainly because, I'm terrible at being sick. Meaning: I hate doctors, so I don't go to one. I hate medicine, so I don't take it. I hate skipping school, so I don't. I even went to one of my classes when I was almost literally on my death bed at home with the flu. True story. That was pointless, though. I was so out of it I might as well have been at home sleeping. Oh yeah! And I went to voice lessons every week when I had bronchitis (bronchitis typically lasts 4 weeks...but I got it again a week after it went away for a grand total of 8 weeks). And I did a recital. I sounded terrible, but I just don't do the whole staying-in-bed-resting-taking-medicine-doctors-orders thing.

Anyway, so I'm not at school right now because for the past two days my stomach has felt weird. We think I have some sort of virus. I'm feeling a little better today than I did yesterday or Saturday, but you never know with stomach viruses what could happen. And it might be contagious or whatever. Sooo here I am, missing school, kind of enjoying it but at the same time feeling guilty because I honestly don't feel that horrible right now, and bored out of my mind.

So, I thought I'd share something extremely funny that happened yesterday in my elementary school girls' class at church (no, I'm not in the class...I help teach it).

We were playing a review game where the girls were asked a question, and then 3 of the assistant teachers each gave a multiple choice question. The girls then conferred with their teams and chose the correct answer. (Some of the multiple choice answers were pretty obviously not correct).

Anyway, here's the funny part. I'm person B.

Teacher: Okay, the next question is...who was the Bible inspired by?
Person A: I think the Bible was inspired by Jesus, because the whole Bible is about him!
Person B: Well, I think the Bible is inspired by Pastor Harold*, because he just has so much wisdom!
Person C: I think it was inspired by President Obama, you know, because he's the president and everything!

...wait for it...

Little girl: But he's not wise at all!!

*The pastor of my church
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Disclaimer: I share this story simply because it was funny to hear coming from a 2nd grader's mouth. I am in no way looking for a political discussion on this topic and any comments reflecting political views will be deleted. So please, enjoy the story and keep any political opinions to yourself. (I probably won't have a problem with this, but better safe than sorry. :-) ) Thank you!

Eleven is Such a Random Number.

But, I love random, so bring it on. :-)

I don't do these things often, but this one looked fun. Marli over at Flip Flops, Camera Shots, and Happy Thots tagged me in this (she's awesome...go read). So...here we go, and enjoy!

The Rules:
one. You must post these rules.
two. Each person must post eleven things about themselves on their blog.
three. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.

Facts About Me

one. I love being random. So be prepared for some really random facts.

two. One of my toenails grows crooked. (More than you needed to know, right?)

three. Thinking of 11 facts is harder than I thought it would be.

four. I cannot get comfortable on the couch unless there is at least one pillow on either corner.

five. I cannot stand the sound of balloons popping. I'd almost rather hear nails on a chalkboard.

six. I know all the words to I Love The Way You Lie by Eminem/Rihanna. And yes, I can rap it, too.

seven. Sometimes, I just want to get in the car and drive and not stop for a long time. I actually enjoy driving long distances (but not too long...).

eight. That being said, I promise I do NOT get lost on purpose. (I get lost...all the time...). That is actually the result of a conspiracy that google maps has formed against me.

nine. I love climbing trees. I do not love jumping out of them. In fact, I won't jump out of them. If it's too high up that I can't gently climb down, someone usually has to help me.

ten. In 7th grade I won my class spelling bee, then went on to the next level and placed second. In 8th grade, my class lined up against the wall for the spelling bee, and I missed my first word.

eleven. I think stupid jokes are funny. I don't get the ones that actually are.

Questions For Me

one. What is your favorite jewelry accessory? Why?

I have two rings that I always wear. One is my birth stone (sapphire) with diamonds. It is my purity ring, so I think it's pretty self-explanatory why I like it. :-) The other is a sterling silver dolphin that wraps around my finger. One of my best friends' parents gave it to me because my favorite animal is a dolphin.

two. What is the best roller coaster you have ever ridden?
I LOVE the Titan at Six Flags. My friend and I always ride at the front. I haven't been to many other theme parks, but that one is definitely pretty awesome.

three. How many years have you been a part of blogger?
That depends...I started a secret blog my freshman year that no one knew about...it was open to the public, but I didn't advertise it or let anyone I knew read it. Reason being it was kinda personal. Last spring, I decided to start one that I would let people read.  So I opened a new account and thus began the Uncharted journey. 

four. If you have a college degree, what is it in? If not, what grade are you in?
I am a senior in high school, but I have 15 college credit hours. I hope to major in English, but I haven't quite figured out my degree plan yet.

five. How many times have you watched the movie, Finding Nemo?
I LOVE THAT MOVIE. Hmm...I have no idea!! But I did just watch it a couple weeks ago, and I named my rabbit after the fish.

six. What is your favorite Bible character? Why?
I would probably say Esther. It's really inspiring to see how much faith she had in God and how she chose to do the right thing when she could have been killed for it.

seven. What is your favorite season?
SUMMER. Or fall. I enjoy both.  

eight. What is the most disgusting thing you have ever eaten?
I don't eat disgusting things...? If I had to choose...a cheese sandwich. And by that I mean a slice of Velveeta cheese in between two pieces of dry bread. (It's worse than it sounds...at least under the circumstances it seemed that way. haha) But it's okay, because eating that meant more people got to eat a grilled cheese sandwich, and they needed it more than I did. 

nine. What is one of your new years resolutions?
To not have any resolutions. 

ten. How fast can you say, "Peter Piper Picked a Pepper" without messing it up? ;D
.8 seconds. BEAT THAT! :-)

eleven. Will you pass this award on to other fellow bloggers? ;) Because if you don't.....
Kinda...haha. See explanation below...

My Questions

one. What is the scariest thing that's ever happened to you?

two. If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be and what would you buy me as a souvenir?

three. What is your favorite type of tree?

four. If you could switch places with me for a day, what do you think it would be like?

five. What's the funniest joke you know?

six. If someone were to hand you $987,654,321 (one million is too cliche...), how would you spend it?

seven. If your life was a movie, what would the title be?

eight. Why was six afraid of seven?

nine. Do you know how hard it is to come up with 11 random questions?

ten. If you were to audition for any reality show, what would it be?

eleven. Are you smarter than a 5th grader?

I Tag...

No one! And here's why:

I'm not super popular here in the blogosphere, and most people who read my blog don't have one themselves. Sooo if I passed it on, it would be to like, 3 people, two of whom have already done it. So instead, I'm going to say...if you're reading this, and want to do it, go for it! But be sure to let me know so I can read your answers. :-)

Also, if you don't have a blog (or have already posted this one) but you just really want to answer my questions because you love me that much, put it in a comment for everyone to see. :-) 

And now you all know more about me than you ever wanted to! How lucky you are.

Ever Wonder What It's Like To Be Me?

Probably not, but I'll tell you anyway.

I kid you not, all of these things have happened to me within the past week.

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At my church Christmas party last Wednesday night, we had a gift exchange. There were about 50 of us there and we all drew numbers to see what order we would go in. I was number 29. After the gift exchange, there was a pinata. The person in charge of the party (Stephen) told us to hold onto our numbers, as he would be calling them out randomly to determine who would get to hit the pinata. At this point, the following dialogue took place:

Me: (to Christopher) "I am totally okay with not getting to hit the pinata. I'm terrible at pinatas. I always miss or hit someone...or myself."

Stephen: "TWENTY-NINE!"

Me: "You have got to be kidding me."

Of all the numbers between 1 and 50. I totally missed the pinata, too.

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Thursday, I had gotten home from work and was working on some school work (yes I'm out of school...I still have school work), when I decided that I was hungry. So I made myself a nice bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios with milk. When I had finished, I set the bowl (that still had some milk in it) on the table behind me as I didn't feel like getting up at the moment and rinsing the bowl.

About ten minutes later, I start playing with my hair. It's wet.

"Why is my hair wet...?" I say. Then I turn around. "Oh, because there's a bowl of milk behind me." Everyone started laughing at me as I ran to the kitchen to rinse my hair.

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That same night, I am getting ready to leave for my senior class Christmas party when I had this conversation with my mom:

Mom: "What are they feeding you for dinner?"

Me: "I have no idea."

Mom: "I hope it's something you like. What if it's lasagna?"

Me: "Eww...I hope not!" (For anyone who doesn't know...I hate lasagna. With a passion.)

I arrive at the party. 

Meagan: "Where's Ben? Isn't he supposed to bring the lasagna?"

I didn't eat dinner that night.

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Last one, I promise.

We all know that technology hates me.

This past Friday and Saturday I was in Kansas (I'll post about that later). I brought my laptop with me so that I wouldn't be bored if I had any random down time in the hotel. It's a good thing I didn't.

They gave me a code to access the wifi. Well, I start up my computer, try to connect to the internet, and it never asks for a code. So of course, it won't connect. After a few tries my mom calls the front desk to find out why.

After a loooooong time on hold and  lot of complicated questions from tech support, we figured out that the room we were in (of course, just our room) had an invalid IP address and we couldn't get the wifi. They were never able to fix it.

On top of all that, we should have still been able to use the wifi on our phones. My mom could. She connected, entered the code, and everything worked just peachy on her phone. But for me, did it ask for the code? No. Did it work anyway? No. I used sooo much data at that hotel...

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The good thing about all this stuff happening to me, is that it entertains everyone else. Which is the point of this post. So I hope you enjoyed it. haha

[Update:] So, apparently, there is a part two to this post from Christopher's point of view. Don't believe anything it says--it's all lies.

The Texting Mannequin.

Soooo....I don't know if anyone's noticed, but I've been kind of MIA recently. The last couple weeks have been CRAZY. Reason being, the week before Thanksgiving is the week that all the teachers decide to make big projects/tests due. And due to my play being the week before, I was already behind. And then I've actually been surprisingly busy this week preparing for Thanksgiving. But now Thanksgiving is over and I actually have some time to accomplish some of the things on my "To Do Over Thanksgiving Break" list that has been slowly gathering dust...

Anyway, Thanksgiving yesterday was AWESOME. But I'll post about that tomorrow or Sunday, because I have another story I want to tell right now, and I like my blog to be in chronological order.


This is a totally random story from Tuesday but I want to share it because it's kind of hilarious. It was really awkward/frightening/embarrassing at the time, but now it's just funny. :-) haha, I will try to do it justice.

So, Tuesday my friend and I were shopping at Forever 21. We were trying on some clothes in the dressing room, but I got done first. So I was looking at the clothes right outside the dressing room while waiting for her.

I knew there was a mannequin nearby and as I was looking at a dress on one of the racks, I saw it out of the corner of my eye. I sort of did a double-take, because I noticed something I didn't notice before. The mannequin was looking at something in its hands.

Was the mannequin texting? It sure looked like it. Wow, I thought. They really have our generation nailed. I wasn't quite sure how a texting mannequin would help sell clothes, but hey, I'm not their marketer. What do I know?

Then I looked again. Was that a real cell phone the mannequin had? It sure looked like it. That's weird that they would actually buy a real cell phone for a fake person...

So I got a little closer. And closer, and closer, and closer...until I was right up next to it, just staring at the cell phone.

And then it turned and looked at me.

OH MY GOSH. Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh. It was a real person! Holy crap, it was a real person. A real person that I was standing about 2 inches away from. Staring at their cell phone. I wanted to die.

As soon as she looked at me, my reflexes kicked in. I have never turned around and pretended to be interested in an ugly piece of clothing so fast in my life. Seriously. It was almost ninja-like.

I was so mortified, and the girl gave me weird looks the rest of the time I was in the store. But I don't really blame her. I would have done the same thing.

Like that one time, when I was in the girls' bathroom at a restaurant washing my hands and a man walked in. (Yes, you read right, a MAN.) I gave him weird looks every time I saw him, too. Well, actually, I just cracked up laughing. But same difference.

Anyway, that story was probably A LOT funnier in person. And to me. But I thought I'd share it anyway. :-) And look out in a few days for stories from Thanksgiving!

I Fell For A Prince...Literally.

As some of you may know, yesterday I was in a play, The Princess and the Pea. I played the part of the princess, and it went really well! And there were like, over 200 people there, which was frightening slash awesome! haha

When I say it went well, I really mean it. Because even the mistakes we made turned out to be pretty hilarious.

Example 1: One of the characters accidentally knocked over part of the set, a gate, during one of the scenes. To cover, he said "That sure is a flimsy gate you've got there!" It totally worked with his character and the audience roared with laughter.

Example 2: If you know the story of the Princess and the Pea, then you know there is a bed with like 26 mattresses involved. We didn't have that...but we had a giant box made to look like 26 mattresses and one real mattress on top. There was a little ladder to get up on the bed. I was wearing a big poofy dress and am kind of clumsy (I trip a lot). Rehearsals went totally fine--no problems with getting on and off the bed. Last night, however, I totally tripped and fell. On stage with the lights on.

But don't worry guys. I totally handled it.

In the next scene, I was supposed to come back on and talk about how I didn't get any sleep because I couldn't ever get comfortable. So, in the 45 seconds I had to recover, run to the other side of backstage, assure everyone that I was totally fine, put my shoes on, and get back on stage for the last scene, I came up with a line to add.

"And this morning, I fell off the bed." To my great relief, it totally worked and everyone laughed. (I was really nervous about saying it, because it would've been suuuuuper embarrassing if no one laughed. haha)

If you know me, you know that I typically panic under pressure. Whenever things like this go wrong in plays, I'm the one to freak out and not know what to do. Like in last year's Christmas play:

We were toys in a toy shop. I was a doll, and another character was a singing soldier (one of those toys with a string on the back, and when you pull it, he sings). In the play I see his string, I pull it, but before I let go there's like 2 minutes of dialogue. Weeelll....yeah. The string broke in the middle of the dialogue. So what did I do? I pretended like nothing had happened and hoped that no one noticed.

Yeah. EVERYONE noticed. Thankfully, the other characters were able to recover nicely from that one, no thanks to me.

I'm still super impressed with myself for coming up with, according to one of my friends, the second funniest line of the night (second only to "That sure is a flimsy gate you've got there!"--the other ad lib).

I'm fine, by the way. It hurt and I have an awesome bruise on my leg, but hey, I didn't die. I was embarrassed for like, 3 seconds, but then I realized how funny it was and was trying SO HARD not to laugh the rest of the play. And it helped that I came up with that extra line to add. It puts everyone at ease when you show that you can joke about stuff like that.

I can't wait to watch the video...I want to see my face when I fell. haha

P.S. Apparently "mattress" has two "t"s...I kept spelling it with one and Firefox was FREAKING out at me with the squiggly red lines and I was like "What is your problem?" and then I right clicked and it was like "two t's!" and I felt really dumb.

Happy International Red Panda Day!

This adorable little creature is a red panda, also known as a firefox. But don't be fooled; hes not a panda or a fox. He's a member of the raccoon family.

I am a tad bit (VERY) obsessed with red pandas. I think they are the cutest creatures to walk the planet.

Tomorrow is International Red Panda Day. Aka my new favorite holiday.

Just wanted to share that so that no one forgets to celebrate. :-)

P.S. Sad story: red pandas are endangered. Click here to read more about that.

P.P.S. There are adorable videos of red pandas on YouTube. Find one. You'll love them.

To Do Before Death.

The title says it all, folks. Behold: a list of all the things I want to do before I die. Also commonly called a bucket list. Therefore, I present to you: my bucket list. And now you're bored and want to read the list so without further ado, here it is.

(Side note: This list is ALWAYS in progress, so be sure to check back every once in awhile for new additions!)

(Another side note: I am fully aware that some (most) of these things will probably never happen. I'm really not crazy. I promise.)

(Last side note, I promise: Some of the ones that have been completed have a link you can click on to read about the experience. In case you're curious.) 

1. Travel Europe.
2. Visit every continent except Antarctica.
3. Ride the world's scariest roller coaster.
4. Ride a camel.
5. Drive around with my windows down and the radio turned all the way up on some hardcore rap song, just to see the weird looks I'd get.
6. Go to a Taylor Swift concert.
7. Ride a motorcycle.
8. Call the phone number written on the back of a car for sale and try to sell them their own car.
9. See Les Miserables (the musical, not the movie, and not the student version).
10. Play the role of Eponine in Les Miserables.
11. Become an elementary school teacher.
12. Publish a novel.
13. Swim with dolphins.
14. Own a Golden Retriever named Finnick.
15. Go on Survivor and/or The Amazing Race.
16. Fall in love and get married.
17. Have one of those "most memorable" birthdays.
18. Drive a convertible, preferably a Porsche.
19. Sleep on a water bed.
20. Have kids.
21. Pull a really great prank on someone.
22. Jump off Chimney Rock. The big one.
23. Visit every state.
24. Go scuba diving.
25. Become fluent in German.
26. Stand on the Four Corners Monument (aka be in four places at once).
27. Go skiing.
28. Go water skiing.
29. Wash my hair in the rain.
30. Find a four-leaf clover.
31. Win concert tickets on the radio.
32. Bring home a homeless chihuahua and nickname him Jorge.
33. Visit the current residents of the hospital room I was born in, and tell them the story of my birth.
34. Receive a Hogwarts acceptance letter.
35. Have a mailbox like Carl and Ellie's in UP.
36. Meet Colin O'Donohue. Liam and/or Chris Hemsworth is also acceptable.
37. Go to college. 
38. Learn how to dance.
39. Learn how to juggle.
40. Win a game show.
41. Make homemade cinnamon rolls from scratch. (I have the recipe...they look SO good! But they take forever to make...)
42. Have a surprise birthday party.
43. Watch the Lord of the Rings trilogy...maybe even read the books.
44. Go white water rafting.
45. Pet a squirrel.
46. Become a YouTube sensation.
47. Read all of Jane Austen's novels.
48. Be an extra in a movie.
49. Own an iPhone.
50. Experience an earthquake.
51. Go on a cruise.
52. See the 7 wonders of the world.
53. Hold a penguin.
54. Go bungee jumping.
55. Go skydiving.
56. Learn how to decorate cakes.
57. Make creme brulee.
58. Make up my own dessert recipe.
59. Eat at Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken.
60. Bring someone to Christ.
61. See the Grand Canyon.
62. Ride a donkey down the Grand Canyon.
63. Catch the bouquet at a wedding.
64. Go to the library dressed as Belle from Beauty and the Beast.
65. Go to New York City.
66. See a Broadway show.

Let's Try This Cooking Blog Thing.

So...a lot of people have cooking blogs, right? Right. Well, I love baking. And according to everyone who's ever had one of my cookies, I'm pretty good at it. (Not that it's a special skill I have or anything. I find recipes on the internet and then follow them. Sometimes I change an ingredient here and there. Pretty basic.)

Anyway, I thought it might be fun to post a recipe on here every once in awhile and share my not-so-secrets with the world. For example, tonight I made snickerdoodles. Apparently, they were really good. (I thought they were okay, but my mom like FREAKED OUT over how good they were...she's now convinced I should open a bakery.)

And without further ado, a snickerdoodle recipe. It's super simple.

People with cooking blogs post pictures of their food a lot.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup shortening
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a bowl, mix together the 1 cup shortening, 1 1/2 cups of sugar, and 2 eggs until it is creamy.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the 2 1/2 cups flour, 2 tsp cream of tartar, 1 tsp baking soda, and 1/2 tsp salt.
4. Mix the two together. It is easier to gradually add the flour mix while stirring the creamy mix instead of pouring it all in at once, fyi. :-)
5. Mix 1/4 cup sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon in a small bowl.
6. Form dough into small balls and then roll in the cinnamon mixture.
7. Place in oven and bake for 6-8 minutes.
8. Sprinkle any remaining cinnamon mixture on the baked cookies while still hot. Most likely, the cookies will be cracked, and the cracks will not be covered in cinnamon. This will help to fill in those cracks, as well as add some extra flavor. If you do it while they are still hot, it will help to absorb the cinnamon.
9. Let cool, pour a glass of milk, and enjoy!

A Note: Use the cinnamon to your taste. Adjust the measurement given or simply add more/less cinnamon after the cookies are done. Half the fun of baking is experimenting. These are your creation! Have fun with it.

Another Note: This recipe makes about 2 dozen, give or take a few dozen depending on the size of your cookies.

One Last Note: The picture above is of my cookies. Do not panic if yours do not look like this. No two cookies are exactly alike. And if they taste good, no one really cares what they look like anyway.