2008

Ok so many of you know my feelings about New Years Eve. But in case you dont, let me refresh. I dont really like New Years Eve. I'm typically a really sentimental person and the end of a year usually makes me really sad. During the countdown to midnight I always get this anxious uneasy feeling. Like I dont want that year to end. I feel like I need to be doing something during that last 10 seconds. Something great, something GRAND. Something to make that year memorable. Well this time I feel... different today.

I can't WAIT for this year to end. It had ups and downs but Im ready for 2009! This year I realized I did a lot of great things even a lot of GRAND things. So I feel content leaving 2008 in my memory bank as I procede to 2009, the year I am forced to be an adult.

Some things that were accomplished in 2008

1. Lived in a different country
2. Traveled to another state (I have a goal to go to all 50)
3. Became a Delta Gamma Alum
4. 4.0 all semesters of 08
5. officially started my videography/production business with brother titled "Brother and I Productions" The website will be up soon :)
6. Became a lover of Iced Tea
7. Discovered a new appreciation for my love of hot tea by adding milk and sugar
8. Jumped in to all the fountains on Texas A&M's campus

9. Met some outstanding people

10. GRADUATED! WH08P!

I LOVE to travel and I did quite a bit this year

Florida


South Carolina

Illinois

Oklahoma

Scotland


London

Liverpool

York

Wales

Ireland

Egypt

Amsterdam


Prague

Galveston


Things to look forward to in 2009
1. Getting a real job (WAHOO!)
2. Start paying off my loans. Typically this wouldn't necessarily excite the average person but im anxious to pay these bad boys off
3. FINALLY doing a triathlon
4. Family reunion in June
5. New Orleans and Nashville trips
6. Chicago/New York for spring break
7. Taking piano lessons (hopefully)
8. Writing a book (im eventually going to do this)
9. Turning 23??? (how did that get here so fast?)
10. Moving out of Dallas (thats the plan as of now)


So looking back on this post 2008 was GRAND. 2009 has quite an act to follow. But I have faith in it. I think 09 can prove to be even better (even though I'm not traveling the world).
People came in to my life, became ever more present, and some unfortunately left (Grandma Cathy) in 2008 but the memories of 2008 will forever be filed in my personal memory filing cabinet.
2009, you ready? LETS GO!

Loose Cargo

I dont know who drives 70 on central expressway lugging styrofoam boxes with no tailgate that are not secured WHATSOEVER....oh wait. I do. My tire met the boxes' 6 faces as it slammed against my precious Berididita (03 Saturn Vue) at approximately 2 pm this afternoon. Not only did the driver not stop as my tire blew to shreds but he failed to return to clean up his mess as several cars were unable to avoid the styrofoam explosion that one could even mistake as a sudden and rampant snow storm. He probably had no idea. No idea that he would cost me $150 that I did NOT plan on spending nor do I have to spend.

So Berididita crawled and wobbled to the side street which thankfully landed us in Highland Park. We conveniently rolled to a stop on even ground in front of our new pal Bobby's house.

Bobby and his dog Mayo came to our rescue. Offering just as much knowledge as Elisa and me we all tackled the feat together.

Because of my looks they nominated me supervisor, to which I took offense. "Wouldn't want to mess up your manicure" To which I responded "Hand over that jack"

So indeed I did raise the jack......until Bobby told me I was going too slow and he took it back. 

I let him...he retired from the FC Dallas Soccer team in October...and then I just admired his calves :)

Photographer vs Videographer

Ok I know that the videographer is not the most important person on the wedding day. I dont demand a lot of time and I definitely dont waltz around like I own the place. In fact I try and stay out of peoples way. But guess what! I'm getting paid to be there too!

This is why videographers hate the photographers

Thank goodness brother was there with another camera with a different angle :)

22 and adorable

oh yeah. also this weekend in Austin we were video-ing a wedding. Well as the videographer I like to have a little fun and create fun skits with the wedding party. However I need to have a semi-quiet area to film to eliminate background noise on the tape. This church was beautiful but teeny tiny, and there was NO secluded area that we could film the wedding party interviews. So I am on a mission. I wander around the church looking for our prime location. Well the groomsmen basically were designated to change behind a wall. All were changed and I was wandering around back there (ligering if you will) scoping out that part of the church. There were lots of random doors so I am opening them in exploration. One was a closet full of printers (quiet but cramped and poorly lit) The other was like a janitor closet. Well I get to the third door and I open it no big deal. EXCEPT......

There may or may not have been a GROOMSMAN SITTING ON THE TOILET going number 2!!!!

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. 

uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

ummmm.

heh(awkward laugh)

the other groomsmen have fallen off their chairs laughing. Almost in pain of laughing so hard.

and I LINGER. 

I cant shut the door fast enough. In fact I am frozen! I cant even move my arm. Its like my body was purposefully not functioning so that I could soak up as much embarrassment as possible. 

My jaw drops with my left hand on the door knob and my right hand covers my mouth. 

I burst into uncomfortable laughter and shake my head while saying "I am so sorry" over and over and over. 

It doesnt help that the groomsmen were asking me "Is he sitting?" "HAHA I bet he is sitting!"

"PLEASE TELL ME he was sitting" coming at me from different directions.

EVENTUALLY the signal is passed from my brain to my arm and I shut the door. Slowly I turn my body 90 degrees to the left and stare at the groomsmen in shock of what just happened.  Their faces are all scrunched up and red from laughter- water even secreting from their eyes. 

And that was the day I walked in on a groomsman (22 yrs old and adorable) going number 2.

Brother and I

Brother and I had some bonding time this weekend 

We went to Austin to video a wedding. I decided to stay at motel 6 in order to get the most profit from the wedding. NEVER again will I be staying at a motel 6. 

Thank goodness brother was there. 

It looks fine and dandy during the day. No big deal. So its not the nicest place I've ever stayed. I expected that. But past 10 pm it turns into Mexico's whore house. People partying, going in and out doors, slamming things, shouting mexican phrases right outside our room. 

SO we are terrified, eyes open, wide awake in our two separate double beds. Its 2 am and the phone rings! This next conversation takes place in a matter of 15 seconds.

"Alex! Should we answer the phone?"

"AHHH I dont know!!!"

"Alex! Answer the phone!"

"Ahhhhhh!"

"AHHHHHH!" I pull the covers over my head

"hello?" 

I peek around the sheet and all I can see is brother's facial expressions. and he looks confused.

"no im good"

"no i think you have the wrong number"

"No ma'am. Like I said. You have the wrong number"

brother hangs up and immediately starts laughing.

"What did they want?" I immediately question

"She was trying to .......talk dirty" 

"AHHHHH WHAT?" I sit straight up throwing the covers halfway across the room in the process

"She wanted to....have phone sex"

OMG. we are staying at a motel 6 in little mexico and the phone rings AT 2AM from a dirty hotline!

SO I made brother come sleep in my bed. He is my protector. :)

Dating Advice

just in case you wanted to know.....

Today, Gap makes my heart happy

Today I went to the mall and left with MORE money than I came in with. How does that happen?

First off, I managed to not buy anything. Something very rare for me. Especially because I needed some shopping therapy after this morning.

But last week I bought this super cute coat from Gap for $88. Today it was on sale for $20- something. I got a $59 price adjustment. SAWEEEEEEEET!!!

ALSO Shannon and I were walking around Nordstroms. In the midst of browsing the expensive section we see a mannequin in the aisle posed like this.

I don't know who stands like this. But we found it amusing.

The Graduate

I graduated on Saturday!
WH08P! (its an aggie thing)

WAHOOO!
.............right? isn't thats how Im supposed to feel?
Shouldn't I want to throw my cap and take off running?
Running until I can't run anymore? I have the world to make mine.
Shouldn't I feel exhilarated wanting to conquer anything and everything?


Why then do I feel....over-emotioned?
Its not that I don't feel anything. I think I am just feeling too many things to decipher any of them. So that is why I am going to go with the term "over-emotioned".
I feel excited, sad, sentimental, proud, not sentimental, scared, broke, uneasy, adventurous, complete, in complete, empty, satisfied, unsatisfied, hopeful.

GEEZ! After looking at those, most are negative. Thats expected right?

I sat in my cap and gown on the floor of Reed Arena Saturday waiting patiently for my name to be called and for that moment that I would officially graduate. I felt nervous/anxious. Kind of like how I feel on New Years Eve. Like I only have x amount of time left in 2008 I need to do something to make it grand. The same thing happened on Saturday. I thought to myself "I only have x amount of time as a college student! Hurry up and make the most of your remaining minutes!"
Guess what I did in my final minutes. I sat there. I sat there and did nothing. Because that is what you are supposed to do on graduation. I had 4 1/2 years to make college grand. I had 4 1/2 years to live laugh and love. I had 4 1/2 years to make memories and mistakes. I had 4 1/2 years to live life in transition mode. I had 4 1/2 years to learn everything I was supposed to, to prepare me for this moment.....and in my final minutes as a college student I did what I was supposed to do. Sit there.

I sat there looking at Texas A&M's seal (or crest or whatever it is) hanging front and center above the podium. I have looked at it a thousand times, but I saw it in a different light. Not only did I notice little things, like the vines on either side of the star are completely different, but that I felt pride. I felt proud to be graduating from Texas A&M University. No longer was I proud to be a fightin' Texas Aggie class of 2008....I was proud to now be a member of The Association of Former Students, the greatest network of alumni in the world! :)

So I sat there in my last few minutes as a college student anxiously sitting patiently with only my thoughts to entertain me. Memories starting freshman year played like a movie trailer on speed. I covered the most memorable events from years 18-22 in about 5 minutes flat.

So now what? I crossed that stage. The line between irresponsible adult and responsible adult. And now I don't know what to do or feel. Seriously, they should set up some exit counseling or something!
I have been thrown into this world like I've been pushed off a moving train. Stumbling to my feet and trying to catch my breath. What if I wasn't ready for it? Ok? I need a "one, two, three, JUMP!" NOT a shove without warning!
I guess you could say that my whole college career has been baby steps toward the inevitable. But ever since England I feel like my life has been stuck in fast forward! I needed time to catch my breath.
That is why I think I feel so "over-emotioned"

What's next? I'll update you once I figure that out....
One thing is for sure, I'm getting the heck out of Dallas!

Taylor Swift

I always kinda liked Taylor Swift. She was alright... To "radio" for me but if I listened to the radio, I guess you could say her music sounded pleasant. Her curly hair is cute despite the fact I think she looks like a cat. A little too skinny, but she's adorable in her dresses and cowboy boots. Because if I were to be a famous musician, I think that would be my style. I mean..my name is Taylor. There must be something about the name :)

Well I bought her new cd "Fearless" and now I'm obsessed with it. I am feeling every emotion on almost every track on the record. There are songs where the meanings are completely opposite of each other.  So basically.....that makes me a big ball of confusing mess of emotions.  

Sometimes I just want to hug her and say "Girl...I getcha!" Other times I want to rock out with her. But moral of the story I want to be her friend. She is writing the script of my life at the moment. Ps. she DOES write all her songs.  But here is a snipet of her album booklet of why she chose to name her album "Fearless"

This album is called “FEARLESS”, and I guess I’d like to clarify why we chose that as the title. To me, “FEARLESS”is not the absence of fear. It’s not
being completely unafraid. To me, FEARLESSis having fears. FEARLESSis having doubts. Lots of them. To me, FEARLESSis living in spite of
those things that scare you to death. FEARLESSis falling madly in love again, even though you’ve been hurt before. FEARLESSis walking into your
freshmen year of high school at fifteen. FEARLESSis getting back up and fighting for what you want over and over again...even though every time you’ve tried
before, you’ve lost. It’s FEARLESSto have faith that someday things will change. FEARLESSis having the courage to say goodbye to someone who only
hurts you, even if you can’t breathe without them. I think it’s FEARLESSto fall for your best friend, even though he’s in love with someone else. And when someone
apologizes to you enough times for things they’ll never stop doing, I think it’s FEARLESSto stop believing them. It’s FEARLESSto say “you’re NOT sorry”,
and walk away. I think loving someone despite what people think is FEARLESS. I think allowing yourself to cry on the bathroom floor is FEARLESS.
Letting go is FEARLESS. Then, moving on and being alright...That’s FEARLESStoo. But no matter what love throws at you, you have to believe in
it. You have to believe in love stories and prince charmings and happily ever after. That’s why I write these songs. Because I think love is FEARLESS.



deep huh?

A Reason to Love

The weekend in Galveston with my girls is JUST what I needed! I'm glad to be back!

ouchie waa waa

Traveling with a cold hurts!

I got a cold the last week I was in England. I have never traveled on an airplane with a cold before..but I can tell you one thing....DON'T!

It was the most excruciating pain! The pressures on the plane played games with my ears the whole time. I couldn't get my right ear to pop! I did everything in my power to alleviate the pain. 

I just wanted to scream!

Dont worry my right ear still hasn't recovered. I feel like I'm on Charlie Brown and everyone is talking in muffle. Including myself. Ouchie Waa Waa!!!!

Thanks students...

Home!

So my 3 months abroad has come to an end. I am officially home. The trip back took forever. Layovers and plane delays consumed my day on the busiest travel day of the holiday weekend, but I made it out alive. Thank the Lord. Really.

After leaving the gate in New Jersey our plane started having mechanical problems and we returned to the gate for maintenance to take a look. Fumes started to fill the cabin and we had to evacuate immediately. Then by the time that excitement settled down we had to get an entire new crew because the one we had became "illegal" because they had worked too many hours that week.  So we made it to Dallas just shy of 24 hours after we began our travels the morning before. 

Now my blog posts are going to go back boring. The most exciting thing that happened to me today was that I drove a car for the first time in 3 months. That felt......the exact same. There was only one point in the mall parking garage when I had to double check what side to drive on. Other than that....I figured it out quite easily. 

umm lets see. what else happened.

I got my hair done. VERY pleased. I got highlights and a cut. Refreshed

I saw my best friend in the whole wide world and she let me workout at her gym that she manages for free.

I slept in

I went to On the Border for MEXICAN food with my dad, my best friend and her dad. Tastes just as great as I remembered it. 

I know I know. Its no camel riding by the pyramids or Scottish man flashing us under his kilt, but I might be able to come up with an interesting story every now and then. I don't know....we will see.