the plan...

about four years ago, i graduated from high school. life was planned. go to this university. get this degree. live this life. i had everything mapped out perfectly. everything was in order and made sense.

had i stuck with the plan, i would have graduated from college today.

but sometimes, life throws you curveballs, and the plan...well...it goes to hell. but you know what? the me that sits here tonight writing this, thinks that's okay.

2500 miles and a few years separate the girl that had everything planned, and me. that girl stuck with what she knew. she was smart and funny, and beautiful...but she needed to escape...to explore something different. she was scared, but sometimes, you just have to close your eyes and jump in with both feet.

the journey has been strange. funny. hard. and a million other adjectives. and even the "plan" for the journey has taken detour upon detour.

today, i could have been standing with the class of 2010, receiving my degree. crying bittersweet tears, my mom snapping too many pictures, my family cheering me on. instead, i spent it sweating at a music festival. lyrics and guitars filling my ears. that concert smell wafting all around me. people pressing in from all sides, drinking and dancing, dying to be that much closer to the stage, to hear just that one song. and it hit me. today, i wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else.

sometimes you have to forge new ground. experience life...good. bad. easy. hard. you have to make choices, and live with them.

tonight, i stood in one of the biggest crowds i'd ever been in, eddie vedder singing better man. half a million people listening to what i listened to. and i knew i was right where i was supposed to be. it may not be the typical path, but it's leading to the perfect destination.

four years ago, i had a plan to stick to. going through the motions to get to the end. today, i've learned to let go a little. i've found what makes me tick. it's not glamorous or easy or typical. but it's my life. and i wouldn't change a thing.

mom and dad, i promise i'll get there. <3>

one weekend. one thousand miles.

there's absolutely nothing like a long roadtrip to clear your head and just...take a breather.
one weekend. 1000 miles. 30,000 songs. 1 girl. one dog.
i feel like some adventures are about to be had...

theres nothing i'd rather spend a birthday weekend doing.
KC, here we come.

laughter.

just so you know...

laughter really is the best medicine.
:)

introducing...

the last few months have been...well...a little crazy. crazy roommate situations, crazy schedule. just plain crazy. my fall semester finished off really well. i did great in all of my classes and made some awesome new friends. for the spring semester, i loaded up on classes (22 credits! yikes!) so that summer and fall (fall 2010...my very last semester of undergrad...so exciting!) will be a little lighter. i'm working downtown whenever i'm not in class, and of course, love that too.

and on top of all of that, i added a new little guy to the mix. for the last few months i've been tossing around the idea of getting a dog...more security, and company. so i visited the animal shelter after telling myself time and time again that i was JUST looking. needless to say, i came home with the cutest little scruffy ex-street rat of a dog. not that an 8 pound mutt provides much more security, but he was just too adorable to leave there.

so...i proudly introduce to you, bear.

100 days. 100 new beginnings.

a mixtape for the season...

can i stay ... ray lamontagne
strangers in the night ... cake
coney island ... good old war
summersong ... the decemberists
something great ... haley bonar
another travelin' song ... bright eyes
orange sky ... alexi murdoch
blowin' in the wind ... bob dylan
here comes your man ... meaghan smith
all is love ... karen o and the kids
lover ... devendra banhart
such great hights ... iron & wine
new slang ... the shins

who dat!

new orleans is a city like no other...diverse in every possible way. working downtown, it's easy to see the many faces, cultures, values, and attitudes of the city i love. but it's not hard to pick up on one of the biggest uniting factors. especially on a day like today. sunday. game day. the city buzzes with team spirit, black and gold more prevalent than any other color. names like brees, sharper, bush and shockey stretch across thousands of shoulders. as usual, our boys keep things interesting, taking the outcome of the game down to the very last wire. the city holds its breath. people surround tvs wherever they can find them...bars, shopping malls, nail salons, because at that moment, nothing else matters. they talk to strangers about bad calls, missed chances. they groan together and cheer together. and for that last play, those last few seconds, it's silent. eyes are glued to the screen. silent prayers are whispered. and just then, like the trumpet riff after the dirge, the city erupts with joy, with cheers, with smiles. because this is our year. our boys have done it again. 12-0.

a city so diverse. with a common love. black. white. young. old. men. women. rich. poor. grown ups. kids. you just can't help but feel the excitement flowing through the who dat nation.

kansas is cold... :)

i got to spend fall break with my sister in kansas. brrrr! this is me...freezing my buns off...

thanks for a fun break, sis!

awesome!

in a world where there's so much negativity, i find this sort of thing refreshing. someone finding the good in life? i love it! and i kind of thing you should check it out...

AWESOME!

this one is my personal favorite...so far
the-moment-at-a-concert-when-the-crowd-figures-out-what-song-theyre-playing

ramblings of a sociology student...

i think i was born in the wrong era. you're probably thinking to yourself, "girl, get a grip!" but i kind of have a point. back in july i started working for a company that prides itself on being a leader in ethics. and just over a month ago, i went back to school full time pursing a degree in sociology, looking a lot at social problems of the day. and let me tell you, this is a really, really interesting time to be doing that. i'm sure you agree...

but all of that has got me thinking. my mind wanders to what goes on in the world everyday. war. capitalism sucking the life out of people, poverty running rampant, the rich getting richer, the poor getting poorer. and that doesn't even begin to scratch the surface. i hate the way our society functions. i hate the individualistic view the majority of people take. and i hate that the people don't stand up, collaboratively, to do something huge.

i long for the days of activism. for the days when students and young adults took a stand for what they believed in, for peaceful protests, for rock music that really stuck it to the man...for the days when people didn't just bitch and moan about what was going on, but took action.

bob dylan once said...
"people seldom do what they believe in. they do what is convenient, and then repent."

i really hope this generation...my generation, is one that will do what they believe in, that we will be a generation of change...change the lasts...that we won't be complacent or selfish, but a generation that loves on people, respects the world, and takes a stand for what is right.

one year ago...yesterday

yesterday was the one year anniversary of wearing the bubblegum-princess-pink dress. aka, my big sister's wedding. a lot has happened in that year. looking back on it, i can't help but smile...and laugh a little. congrats to eric & jen for one year down. here's to a million more. cheers!

sisters...

the four...

and of course...my toast. i'd been trying to come up with something interesting to do for my toast for months! and yet the wedding came, and i had nothing. so...on the way to the reception, eminem's 'lose yourself' came on the radio, and inspiration came. i rapped the toast to the beat of lose yourself. i'm not going to lie. it was pretty amazing. :)

surprise!

over fourth of july weekend, i flew up to seattle to surprise my mama for her birthday. i got a surprise of my own when my old roommate from george fox called and said she would be in town too. hanging with family and friends, staying up late talking and laughing, and having coffees and donuts kept me crazy busy, but i loved every single second. thanks everyone back in the northwest for making a quick trip so meaningful!

the beach...

last month, i also took a little retreat to the beach...a great time for lots of quiet and stillness. i definitely think the beach is one of god's very best ideas. easily.

replanting...

last month we spent three weeks working on a friend's yard...kind of reclaiming it from the aftermath of the storm. we took out crazy amounts of debris, built a deck, painted, tilled the ground, created plant beds, planted grass, and did a lot of sweating. the yard went from this...

to this...

quite the transformation...

freret market

yes, i know...it's been a while. my bad. i guess i'll catch you up chronologically. back in june i had a booth at a local art market, selling some of the screen printed things i'd done. for being my first market ever, i think i did pretty well.

first sale of the day...

wonderful visitors...

for the last week, my mom and dad have been in town visiting. we spent lots of time together doing stuff around the city. swamp tour on an airboat, visited the ww2 museum, went to mardi gras world, and ate at a few delicous restaurants. mom and dad, you are the BEST! thanks for doing what you did to make this trip happen. <3

new screens...and stuff.

i made a few new screens today...and printed some of the bags i ordered. they turned out pretty. good. although, i have to say, the messenger bags are definitely my favorite.

a new hobby...

so, in this bit of transition time i have at the moment, i've been filling the hours by experimenting with screen printing (see last post). i've kind of expanded my idea of printing a few bags for friends to doing a bunch of different kinds of bags, aprons, and onesies to sell at art markets in the area, and to really anyone who is interested. here's a few i did today.

by next week i'll have a bigger selection, including messenger bags, sling purses, tote bags, aprons, and possibly some more kids shirts. if you, or someone you know is interested, let me know and i can give you the details.

screen printing

for the last few months i've been experimenting with screen printing. the youtube video i watched made it look SO easy. but let me tell you, it's harder than it looks. my applause to people like thomas jefferson and ben franklin for doing experiment after experiment and not giving up. seriously, i just about threw in the towel. but today, i figured i'd try one more time. and wouldn't you know...everything finally pulled together and WORKED! so exciting! so i printed a couple bags and they turned out pretty good. but practice makes perfect...so i guess i'll keep working at it.

FINALLY! something to show for hours of work...another bag...

the screen i used...

the workstation...

jazzfest...

"What is it you love about music."

"To begin with, everything."
-Almost Famous

In my life, there are a few constants. One of those, is my absolute love for music. There's just something about it that so captivates my soul. Maybe it's just the way I grew up...listening to all kinds of stuff, from classic rock on vinyl to country music on the radio. Here's a shout out to my mama and pops for educating me so well on the joys of the beatles, elton john, ted nugent, pat benatar, captain and taneal, cheap trick, and so many others.

New Orleans has a great music scene. And I happened upon an opportunity to work at JazzFest, a yearly music festival that brings thousands of musicians to 12 stages to perform for two weekends. Kind of like Woodstock, except that this is JazzFest's 40th year, and Woodstock only happened once. I'm a dressing room manager for the blues tent, and let me just tell you, it's great. It's been awesome being part of the behind the scenes, backstage crew. It's been amazing meeting musicians that have been playing for decades. It's been interesting seeing the lifestyles and personalities of all the musicans that come through my stage. It's definitely busy, draining, exhausting, but totally worth it.

a birthday and a visitor...

last friday was my 21st birthday...and my cousin jacob flew in to celebrate with me. he got to see new orleans and treat me to one of my first legal drinks. here's some pictures from when we went to cafe du monde. (sorry for the silly pic, jake, but you totally asked for it when you made that face...)

before...

after...