Pardon me as I clean up the cobwebs and swipe away the dust over here. I can't believe it's been so long since I've blogged. I could bore you with boring details of all that's been going on around here, but save us both some time, here's a brief list: *I turned 30 and didn't die because of it. *I still haven't lost the full 30 pounds, but I'm about a pound or so away from reaching the halfway point. I bought a treadmill recently and some new athletic shoes that don't make my feet go to sleep when I walk. I was finally able to pack up my "fat pants" and am starting to see a big difference in the way my clothes fit. *We had an amazing trip to the beach for Memorial Day. The weather was gorgeous, the food was ridiculously wonderful and spending time with some of our favorite people was just what we needed! *I spent a few days a few months ago redoing our guest bath. I'll try to post some pictures of the finished product soon. *My niece finally said "Auntie" for the first time. I love that kid so much I can hardly stand it. *Back in January, I started playing and singing with The Andrew Brown Band. I've had such a great time traveling around and leading worship with Andrew and the crew.
We've got quite a few things/projects lined up for the summer, but one thing on my to-do list is to get back in the swing of blogging. (Bet you've never heard that one before, huh?!?!) So, hopefully I'll be back soon!
Well, the day has arrived. The big 3-0 is here. I'm not exactly sure what I thought 30 would feel like...so I guess I feel, well, 30. I get a whole new number at the beginning of my age. I get to start a whole new decade of my life. I think this is the first decade that people are anxious about. When you go from 9 to 10, you're excited because you get to have TWO digits in your age. When you go from 19 to 20, you're excited because you're starting to feel like an adult. When you go from 29 to 30, you're expected to have arrived at adulthood. 30 seems to come with all these pressures and expectations from the world. 30 year olds are grown ups. Definitely not feeling that one :) Surprisingly, I'm not dreading being 30 nor am I upset that I am a new member of this magical 30 club. It's just odd to think of myself as "thirty-something".
Funny that while that number is going up, I'm still trying to get another number down. Oh yes, the 30x30 that is my nemesis!! I didn't make my goal, but I'm getting there! I've lost 10ish pounds so far and I'm working to knock out the remaining 20 pounds. Let me try that again...next week, after all the birthday cake, I'll be working to knock out the remaining 20 pounds :) I'm trying really hard to remain focused and not get discouraged. I feel that as long as I keep my mind on my goal weight, and am working to achieve it, it doesn't matter whether I reach it now or in 6 months...but getting to my goal weight before bathing suit season wouldn't hurt either :)
Here's to my 30s. Everyone says they're better than the 20s. My 20s were pretty good. Bring on the awesome!
It's been 3 months since I've blogged. Mostly because I didn't really have anything to say...or maybe because the things I had to say were things I didn't really want to say or talk about. At any rate, I've got a few free minutes this afternoon, and so here I am.
Sooooo....what's been going on over here? Here's a rundown...
*30x30-yeah, that'd be the main issue keeping me from blogging. I knew I'd have to address it sooner or later and was hoping that "later" mean when I had actually lost the 30 pounds or was at least well on my way. About that...it's not happened...yet. My initial goal was to lose 30 pounds by my 30th birthday at the end of March. For the first 2 months, I didn't really even try. Sure I was working out 10-20 minutes a few times a week and trying to cut back on the junk food and portions. But it wasn't until a month ago when my hubby found myfitnesspal.com that I REALLY began trying to cut back and watch what I was eating. At my last report, I had lost 6 pounds. Now, I've lost 7 pounds. Not 7 MORE pounds. 7 pounds. Total. I could go on and on about how frustrated I am by the up this week and down next week weight loss roller coaster I'm on, but it's not gonna burn any calories or help me lose more weight, so I'll just accept it as it is and move on. So, in case you're wondering, no, I will not be trying to lose 23 more pounds in the next month. If I could lose 5 more pounds, that'd be great. Instead of trying to lose 30 pounds BY the time I turn 30, I'll just be trying to all of the 30 pounds off during the year that I'm 30... and if that happens by our Memorial Day trip to the beach, I'd be ok with that :)
*And speaking of trying to lose weight, the Easter candy is out again. Reese's Eggs you are my nemesis.
*I'm taking some time off in March. Cutting back on all the different kinds of work I'm doing (both in and out of the home) so that I can really tackle some pending projects. There are a few projects on my to-do list that I've been trying to get done for YEARS. But they seem to all be just big enough that I can't knock it out in an afternoon and when I do have a few days that I could work on it, something better comes along. I'm finally going to get all of our pictures organized and in albums. I'm about 75% of the way there, but it just takes so much time so sort and put them in albums and it's not a successful work session unless there are piles of pictures spread all across the living room floor. I see several days of chick flicks and picture piles in my near future. I'm also going to work on (and hopefully finish) our wedding album. Very few of our pictures are in digital form, so I'll be scanning and cropping and editing them all before creating a photobook online. So much easier and faster than the scrapbook I'd always planned on creating. Several other things on the list as well...maybe that'll give me motivation to start posting again on a regular basis.
*Last week, I got ticked off at the clothes in my closet. I decided I was going to try things on, try to make outfits from the things I have and everything else was going in the yard sale box. There are 3 things to note about this process: 1-I had just gone through and purged my closet less than a month ago and gotten rid of a HUGE box. 2-I got rid of THIRTY additional items of clothing. 3-My closet is still full of clothes...I still haven't decided if it's great to have a closet full of clothes or sad that I had so many clothes to begin with. One thing is for sure, come Spring, my mom's yard is going to look more like a consignment store than a yard sale!
*Random...I currently have 2 car seats in my car. Do I have 2 kids? No. Do I have any kids? No.
*Shane & Shane IN ASHEVILLE on Sunday. My week is made!
Maybe this will be the jump start I needed to get back to blogging. And if not, well, I'll see you again in the summer :)
In the case of my 30x30 plan and my lack of updates regarding that, it's safe to say that the old saying "No news is good news" doesn't really apply. Let's just say that my plan isn't working out so well. Call it lack of willpower, call it lack of motivation, call it "I just had the busiest month of the year". Call it whatever you want. I just call it ridiculous. In nearly 2 months, I've only lost about 6 pounds. SIX pounds. And before you think that I sound like those contestants on "The Biggest Loser" who just aren't satisfied when they "only" lost 12 pounds last week, hear me when I say that I'm grateful for those 6 pounds...I just wanted more.
My biggest frustration comes with the fact that I'm working out at least 3 times as much as I was before (yes, that means I'm working out 3 times a week...before, I was doing nothing) I started this venture and eating better portions and healthier foods and the yielded results are not to my liking. If I'm going to gain on any given week, I want it to be because I've been lazy or because I've had a big fat piece of cake...not because I was sweatin' it out to some insane dance video in my living room 3 days in a row and depriving myself of foods that I really love. And then, I throw in the fact that I cut out sodas for 10 days while increasing my water intake and still didn't lose any weight. I mean, seriously?
At the end of the day, however, I'm not giving up. I'm gonna keep on dancing it out in the living room with my Kristen Jacobs workout video. I'm gonna keep on hoppin' on the treadmill when I get the chance. I'm gonna keep on buying foods that are good for me. I'm gonna keep on limiting my portions. I'm gonna keep on keepin' on.
I guess I'd rather be frustrated for trying rather than being frustrated because I gave up. Here's to a few more pounds by the end of 2010!
Please, don't fall out of your seat...yes, I'm actually posting again. I've actually been posting a lot over at Three Simple Girls recently while giving the scoop on my recent office update...and this blog has been severely neglected. Sorry, to the 2 of you that read this on a regular basis :)
Before I get to the real purpose of this post, I'll give you a little snapshot of what's been going on around here for the past couple of months.
I was keeping my niece, Reagan. Life started piling up. I was exhausted. I missed being home all the time. I loved spending so much time with Reagan. I stopped keeping Reagan when she started day care. I now get to be Auntie Sarai instead of Babysitter Sarai. Even though I'm home more, I don't have "free" time. I'm getting caught up on lots of things like... Whatta Cute Baby orders Finishing my home office update Friends & Family Traveling Paperwork Life
And now, in my quest to get caught up with life, I have a new goal. Well, not really a new one, but more like a reoccurring one.
You might remember this post from a few months ago. Well, then and there, I vowed to drop some a few pounds. And that might have been the biggest joke of the year. Each week, I would bravely confront the scales only to have the tiny little numbers increase. After about a month of increase upon increase, I finally started seeing a speck of light at the end of the tunnel. Half a pound here. Half a pound there. And I was encouraged.
I was back up to my highest weight ever (actually a pound heavier..ugh) and I was determined to do something about it...again. I was reading some magazine for skinny people, I mean health magazine and a short article caught my attention. One of the readers had a goal of losing 31 pounds before her 31st birthday over the course of several months. Well, I've lost 30 pounds before. I even lost 30 pounds over Thanksgiving AND Christmas. I can do it again.
My 30th birthday is a few days less than 6 months away. My goal is to lose 30 pounds by the time I turn 30.
30 by 30.
I went back and forth about whether or not I should post this. It's not easy to tell the world that you're 30 pounds overweight. And even then, it's not easy going through every day life knowing that anyone who knows you're trying to lose weight is watching your every bite..your every step, your every clothing choice...your every fat roll. But, in the end, I knew that if I said it "out loud", I'd have a little accountability. I'd have a little more motivation. And I might even have some friends join in on the "party".
I can't promise that I'll only eat fruits and vegetables for the next 6 months. But you should know that if you're eating cake and ice cream with me, you're walking with me too :)
Today, I went for my monthly visit to the chiropractor.
Today, I was desperately in need of an adjustment.
Today, I was confronted, head on, with the fact that I might need to drop a few pounds.
Let's back up a bit. Weight was never an issue for me until college (can we say Chick-fil-A 3 times a day??). But even by graduation, I had only gained between 10 and 15 pounds and held right there for a while. About 3 years ago, I had reached my highest weight, to date, and was ready for a change. I wasn't happy with the way I looked. I wasn't happy with the way I felt. I knew that something needed to happen.
I tried several things (exercise, calorie counting, starvation) and nothing seemed to work. I eventually had great success after my mom introduced me to Weight Watchers. It was an easy process, a results inducing program and fun to go through that journey with my mom. I lost around 30 pounds and I was thrilled! I could wear my old clothes. Heck, clothing was even comfortable again! I felt great! About a year went by and I realized that I had gained about 8-10 pounds back...and then came 10 more pounds...and then 10 more. Yep, I gained every single little pound back.
Let me be very clear here: I take no pride in sharing such information with the world wide web, but feel it is necessary for the completion of this story.
I've been back at my "heaviest" for a few months now. Let me remind you that I visit my chiropractor every month, and have for the past 3 years (through weight loss and weight gain) and never once has my current weight come up in conversation.
Today, after a brief greeting and a question of interest regarding our time at camp, my chiropractor says "You put on a few pounds?"
Time out...WHAT?
(Now, I'm not sure that those are the exact words that came out of his mouth, but let's face it...he's a 6 foot tall skinny man, I'm a not so tall, somewhat chunky girl and he just, out loud, said something about my weight. What he said and what I heard were probably 2 totally different things...but COME ON!!!)
After I picked my jaw up off the floor and did my best to hold back any tears that were begging to flow, I was able to squeak out "Yeah, a little" while hiding my face in sheer embarassment.
He proceeded to tell me that he's been doing all kinds of research on fat cells and their role in joint pain. This leads me to believe that he wasn't just singling me out (at least I hope not!), but looking at all of his patients in the light of this new found knowledge. Once I was able to get past the fact that he just called me fat (or whatever it was he said), all the things he was saying started to make sense. It's a common misconception that joint pain is associated with obesity simply because the weight adds more pressure to the joints. The research he's been studying proposes the idea that fat cells are like little houses for inflammation. More fat cells=more inflammation. More inflammation=more pain. Therefore more fat cells=more pain. Makes sense to me. It's probably safe to say that most of us feel better when we weigh less.
I have fibromyalgia. I have arthritis. I have back pain. Most days are good, but some days are just straight up painful. I know that the pain is imminent and amplified by things (higher weight and less exercise) that I can do something about. I'm a smart girl. You'd think I'd be able to put 2 and 2 together and make a positive change. But I love me some ice cream...and cake...and sleeping...and cereal...and french fries...
And so, lifestyle change #5,372 begins. More fruits and vegetables...less carbs. More chicken and pork... less red meat. More smoothies... less cereal for breakfast. More exercise, less reality tv.
More energy, less pain. Seems like a good enough reason to me.
You know that feeling...the one where you're under the water, holding your breath, and then it becomes too much to handle. You frantically kick your legs and move your arms in hope that relief will come. You don't know how much more your lungs can take. If you wait too long, you might even wonder if you'll ever reach the surface in time. But you're able to pull yourself together and continue with the kicking. So, you swim toward the surface, longing for the moment when you can breathe in again. The air hits your face. Sweet relief. But even when you've reached the surface and your lungs continue with their breathing in and out, it's difficult. Your breathing is heavy. Your chest feels tight. Your lungs are tired. You climb out of the water and take a seat while the breathing continues to be heavy, but starts to become more regular. It takes a few minutes, but in the end, you take one big, deep breath in, let it out and you then you know that you're ok. Life goes on.
That's exactly how I feel right now. These past few months have felt like holding my breath under water. I've been anxiously the moment when I could come to the surface for air. And now, it's so close I can feel it. I keep kicking my feet and moving my arms, knowing that the surface is right there.
I'll admit...the things that consume my time and my energy and my thoughts are all things that allow into my life. I'mthe one who said "yes" to all these things. I'm the one who signed up and stood up and owned up to all these responsibilities. I'm the one who thought well, if I don't do it then who will? I'm certainly not saying that all the things taking up my time are things I despise doing. I love getting to spend evenings with my husband. What precious time I get by keeping my niece, Reagan, is something I'll always cherish. Getting to spend afternoons or days with family and friends is wonderful. I enjoy creating cute little things for babies. I love being creative in planning for summer camp. I enjoy blogging.
But lately it seems like my days have become so full of all of these things plus a million other mundane, I don't want to do them but I have to, things that those enjoyable things seem to be "just one more thing" on my to-do list. I don't want my time with my husband and niece and family and friends to be something I get through so that I can move on to the next thing on my list. They mean too much to me to get that kind of treatment.
So, here I am...on the brink of 2 weeks away at summer camp. Yes, it will be 2 weeks full of intense music rehearsals, having to be the bad guy occasionally, the possibility of not getting enough sleep and food that isn't always the most appetizing. BUT, it's also a week full of moments of laughter and joy, the occasional nap, relaxing by the pool and spending time in one of my most favorite places in all the world with some of my favorite people in all the world.
I am looking forward to this time. I NEED this time. Time to relax (a little), laugh, learn, sing and just be still. In that stillness, I'll know, that not only have I come up for air, but the heavy breathing has stopped. Regular breathing has resumed. Life goes on. Not the life I have been living-the one so full that no one benefits-but a life full of purpose and joy and living in every single moment. Life, true life, goes on.
I'll give you a few seconds to get that song by the 4Non Blondes out of your head. Go ahead, sing loudly. I'll wait. Finished? Ok, let's continue.
May was the month that just wouldn't end. My calendar looked like one big black ink mess. At one point, I was ready to unplug my alarm clock, turn off my phone and just stay in bed...for days. Each day, it seemed like the things to do were so many, that I didn't even know where to start. I didn't feel like I was able to really enjoy many things because my mind was so wrapped up in what was coming next. I didn't feel like myself, but more like I was on auto-pilot...no emotions about anything (I didn't have time for that), do this, go there, buy this, check this off this list, wear this, yada yada yada. And I didn't like it.
So, what's been going on around here? Let me tell ya...
We spent some good quality time with these dear people...
Eli and me
Bella, she's 6
Eden, she's 4
Caleb, he's 2
They live far enough away that we don't get to see them as often as we'd like. But, we were thrilled to have them visit us for a weekend!
I've also been working on some new things for my Whatta Cute Baby collection. I'm trying out a few new designs (thankfully, I have a cute little model!) that I hope to launch on the website in the next few months. Here's a little ruffle butt onesie. TOO cute!
Thanks to one amazing sister-in-law, I got a last minute ticket to my fav-o-rite Broadway show...WICKED!! We were able to see it in Charlotte with Brooke and some friends who were seeing it for the first time! It doesn't matter if you've seen it once (like them) or 4 or 5 times (like us), it's so exciting and amazing every single time!! This was the best cast I'd ever seen and it was so great to share that with such great friends! At the end of the month, we spent about a week here...
Seaside Beach, FL. We traveled to the gulf coast for our annual Memorial Day trip. The weather was GREAT and the time with friends was GREATER! We had some good times, amazing food and got lots of rest.
And last but definitely not least, I've been spending all kinds of time with this sweet little thing :) My brother got a job (other than the job of stay-at-home-dad) so I've been keeping Reagan 1-2 days a week. She's almost 8 months old now and SO MUCH FUN! She's rolling around, starting to crawl, learning to clap and pull up. And she laughs...at herself, at other people, at the tv, at the dog...and it's so darn cute!! She loves music and watching shows on Nick Jr. She likes bath time and meal time, but not so much bedtime. Being an aunt is one of the best things in the world!! Every time I see her, I just can't even believe how blessed I am just to have that little girl in my life. She's growing so fast and it's exciting to think about her getting older and coming over for slumber parties with Auntie Sarai and playing dress up. But then she falls asleep in my arms and I get to looks at her and pray over her and love on her and I'm reminded that she's still so small and I should cherish every single moment with her at every single stage because it won't be like this for long!
And so, here's to June. We have less than a month until we head off to summer camp, so it's gonna be a busy one. But with some free weekends here and there and some days at home to curl up with a book or a movie, I'll hopefully be restored to my normal (is there such a thing?) self before long.
After the crazy winter we had, I didn't know if we would ever start to see signs of Spring. Don't get me wrong...I LOVE winter and I LOVE snow. But, there's just something about seeing everything come alive again. Colors and new life everywhere.
I've been dabbling a little photography (read: beginner). We got a new camera for Christmas (not a fancy hundreds of dollars camera, but about as nice a camera as you can get without having to deal with removable lenses) and I've FINALLY begun to see all the cool things it will do. For the most part, it takes pictures nearly as good as other really nice cameras I've seen.
Then, I found Picnik. I've been a Picasa girl for a long time now and it's great for storing and organizing pictures. However, Picnik beats the pants off of it when it comes to photo editing.
So, combine my love for Spring things, photography and Picnik with some of the lyrics to one of my favorite Nichole Nordeman songs ("Every Season") and you get the rest of this post. Happy Spring!
I'm all the time getting little survey things to "fill out and pass on to 10 of your closest friends or bad things will happen to you and someone in your family will get hurt. Quite frankly, I don't feel like sharing, and I KNOW you don't feel like hearing, what color my underwear is or what I ate for breakfast. I mean, come on...it's not like I have some random free time to sit down and think about, type up and pass along information that you all couldn't care less about!
My dear friend, Brooke, did a really neat post the other day and I decided I'd steal, I mean borrow, it for a post over here. Even though she didn't tag me or threaten the well-being of my family for not posting with an allotted amount of time, I thought it would be a great way to give you a snapshot of what my life looks like at this very moment. And not just any snapshot, but things that actually matter. I feel like this post is just as much for you as it is for me. Sometimes I get so caught up in getting things done that I forget what exactly it is that I'm doing and I'm sure that most of you can relate. It's probably even safe to say that this is not the last time you'll see this kind of format for a post. I'd love to use this format every so often just to check in with you, my few readers, and also to keep a record of what's really going on in my life.
So, here's what I'm doing these days...
[seeing] pictures of my sweet little niece, Reagan...you might have heard me talk about her ;), another winter storm roll in
[reading] Dear John (Nicholas Sparks), Crazy Love (Francis Chan) and the book of Proverbs
[listening] to new albums by Shane & Shane, Colbie Caillat, Daughtry, Reba, Mariah, Michael Buble', Bethany Dillon and Maroon 5...random, I know
[traveling] a lot this month. Heading to see Shane & Shane next week, then on to TN to see one of my very favorite families!
[praying] for my brother's job situation, for a never-ending list of things that need to change in me and the circumstances I'm in
[planning] a master bathroom re-do, to paint the hallway, guest bedroom and bathroom and office sometime soon, for lots of things that seem to never happen
[wearing] all kinds of winter accessories these days. With all this snow and ice we've been having, I'm all about the gloves and scarves (especially the new one I just made!).
[anticipating] see God move in ways that I've been praying about for a while and getting to spend the day with my brother and my niece!
[loving] the peace in my heart that can only be attributed to God, all things black and white
I realized the other day that I haven't updated the information on the right side of my page in a while. So, in the spirit of the Great Purge of 2010, I thought I'd give it a little update.
In case you don't already know, I have an obsession with Google Reader (if you don't have it already, you should totally check it out!). With that obsession comes the reading of TONS of blogs every day. Some of them are mindless reads, but many of them are filled with craft projects, home decor ideas and ways to take just about anything from drab to fab! And what kind of friend would I be if I didn't share this goodness with you?!?! So, I've added quite a few more links on the right of blogs that I frequently visit. Grab a cup of coffee and check them out. Tell 'em I sent ya!
With very little sleep and the excitement of the day ahead building up, we hit the road (by way of McDonald’s for some breakfast on the go) about 5am to head into the city.Heather suggested that we ride the Marta into downtown so we wouldn’t have to pay for parking or walk 100 blocks to get to the Dome.So, once we finally figured out how to work the machine to get our Marta tickets, we were ready to go…or to stand and wait for the train with all the other lunatics who were awake at 5:30am.
We finally arrived at the entrance to the GA Dome about 6am.As we began to see other eager contestants and the lights of film crews, our excitement grew!We found the beginning of the line and also found that many people obviously ignored the “No Camping Out” rule, as we passed many people passed out on blankets and sleeping bags for about the first fourth of the line.So, we were walking toward the end of the line…and we walked…and we walked…and we walked…and FINALLY we reached the complete opposite site of the GA Dome and also the end of the line.We were still a good 90 minutes away from the doors opening, so after a quick photo to begin our journey, we joined the rest of the crowd by sitting down and preparing to wait.It was then that we were really able to start looking around at the other contestants and their guests.There was crazy hair and glasses.There were girls dressed alike in neon pink tank tops and cowboy hats.There were lots of signs.And there were the 2 girls directly in line behind us.Both girls looked rather young and had their moms on board for the journey.One mom, who looked rather natural in appearance (jeans and a t-shirt with no make-up), began to talk with the other mom, who was the opposite of natural in appearance.She had picked out what I am sure was the brightest shirt in her closet, and had bright and shining lipstick to match.Her caked on makeup and overpowering perfume and eagerness to have a very loud conversation with anyone who would or wouldn’t listen was a sure sign that she was there to be seen…or smelled…or heard.At any rate, we had front row seats to what turned out to be a rather interesting conversation.They discussed song choices and their daughters’ accomplishments in music at school and then, Natural Mom says to Make Up Mom, “So, what are you singing for your audition?”Make Up Mom, with a confused look on her face says something like “I’m not auditioning.I’m 50 years old!”It was then, AND ONLY THEN that Natural Mom realized that she was not going to be able to participate in the competition as a contestant.Maybe she neglected to print, read, highlight and place in a cute folder, key information from the nearly 25 pages of Rules, FAQs and Audition Information from the Official American Idol website.
About 30 minutes later, the line began to move, and thankfully at a pretty steady pace.We were extremely lucky because it was still pretty early in the morning and for the majority of the time, we were shaded by the walls of the GA Dome.We very quickly realized that people close to the outer edge of the line were the ones getting close ups when the camera and production crew passed by. So, we inched our way to the edge…which was also, thankfully, away from the Moms we had encountered earlier.There were a couple of crews walking around…one was getting random shots of the crowd in general and the other was actually doing interviews with individuals and getting the crowd riled up for big group shots.It was VERY obvious from early on that they were casting for a TV show and not for a vocal competition.It could have been when a producer shouted “We need someone with a crazy outfit” that gave it away.While my hair was battling some serious Atlanta humidity and growing larger by the minute, I’m afraid my cute green tee and black linen shorts didn’t make the mark.We would see the production crew nearing, and break out our best smiles for the camera…and EVERY SINGLE TIME they would walk past us and interview someone within 5 people of where we were standing.Maybe I should have worn my prom dress.At least we were able to grab a few seconds on camera as they passed by us waving and screaming.Whether or not any of those moments actually make it on air, remains to be determined.
While we continued to wait in line, we heard people singing all around (some pretty good and others not so much), a few people dancing and lots of people who were American Idol know-it-alls, and several people who had never even watched the last season of the show, but proceeded to give their rather harsh opinions on the previous season’s contestants.
And then, a glorious 2 ½ hours after we lined up, we heard the blaring mega phone and instructions to have our ID ready to present.This started an all out frenzy of people digging through purses and bags (though none quite so large as my LL Bean back pack filled with all kinds of essentials that we didn’t end up needing) and yelling and wondering if we needed release forms as well or birth certificates or proof of sanity.And then we picked a line to enter the Dome.We entered the Dome, chose another line for a table to receive a wrist band.We walked up to the table, handed the nice lady our IDs.She looked at them, checked our ages, verified that I was auditioning and Brooke was my guest, placed the wrist bands on our arms, warned us about getting them wet or destructing them in any way, handed us a paper with information about the audition day and wished us well.Note: We waited in line for 150 minutes.The actual time needed to complete the ID/Wristband portion of the audition process was about 90 seconds.And, so we left…but only to see as the person exiting the building AFTER us be pulled aside for an interview with the production crew.Great.
We grabbed a few quick pictures with our prized wristbands and headed back to the Marta station.As we were about to enter the station, a couple of guys saw our wristbands and asked if they just needed to keep going the way they were going to line up.And at first glance, I realized that I recognized one of them as a former Mars Hill College student!We had a brief conversation and wished one another good luck.
We decided that since we’d been up for about 5 hours already and it was only 9am that we should find some food and caffeine.My car was parked near Atlantic Station, so we decided to make a trip to IKEA for some food and shopping.By the time we made it there, ate and enjoyed sitting for a few minutes, we realized that we were almost too wiped out to shop.If you know us at all, you know that us being too tired to SHOP AT IKEA is not something easily accomplished.So, we skipped to the 2nd floor and meandered through the aisles.We looked a little like zombies.We quickly realized that our lack of sleep was causing EVERYTHING to be HILARIOUS.
We finally made it to the check out and after paying for our purchases (I had my cheapest IKEA trip ever and only spent $3!!), we shuffled to the car.The GA Dome was on the way to Heather’s, so we decided to swing by and see how long the line was.We left at 9am and 3 hours later, there wasn’t a single person waiting in line!
We forced ourselves to stay awake until we reached Heather’s house.Our friend, Alisha, was also staying with Heather that week.So, we apologized to her for skipping out on some visiting time and headed straight for our beds…and about 4 hours later, we rose from the dead, feeling refreshed and a little more like human beings again.
We went to dinner at this great little seafood joint in Douglasville and even managed to swing by Travis Tritt’s home while we were out an about.We relaxed for the rest of the evening and were sure to watch the evening news for the American Idol coverage…and weren’t the leastbit surprised by the fact that we were able to VAGUELY see us in a quick random crowd shot…good thing I have big hair!
The ever so popular show, American Idol, premieres this week for it's 9th season. You may remember that I auditioned last summer for the show in Atlanta and didn't make it. I knew that I wanted to be sure and document the entire experience for myself and also for all my friends and family to read about my experience there. At first, I was anxious to write about it, eager to make note of every single memory. Then, after writing about day of the experience, I was over it. So, I decided that, in honor of the Season 9 premiere, I'd finish my little memoir on my AI adventures and share them with you all! I'll start today with part 1 of 4. Oh and by the way, they're supposed to air the Atlanta auditions this week, so be sure to look for me and my big hair!
Monday, June 15th 2009
Brooke and I left Asheville around 4:30 for Hotlanta!We encountered one heck of a downpour along the way, but thankfully, it didn’t last too long.We stopped at Five Guys for dinner (a first for both of us) and found it to be a good time!If you ever go, you should share the fries…way too many for one person!
Brooke’s spontaneous nature, plus a little excitement, rubbed off on me during our drive through downtown ATL.I very quickly decided that we should take the exit for the GA Dome to see if people were lined up for auditions yet.We only saw a few people sitting on the side walk (camping out was not permitted…even though people were totally sleeping on the sidewalk the next morning).It was good to be able to scope out the whole place and see what we were really getting ourselves into that next morning.Thankfully, we made it out of downtown without getting lost or having to do too many U-Turns!
We finally arrived at our friend Heather’s house around 9:30 that night.She so graciously opened her home to our crazy schedule for the week.Her cozy home and great hospitality were perfect for the crazy hours we were going to be keeping.
I would like to say that even though we had to get up at 4am, we went to bed early and got some good sleep…but that would be lying.We finally went to bed around midnight, but being the idiot that I am, I drank too much Diet Coke right before bed.I NEVER drink caffeine after about 6 or 7pm, so drinking it at 10:30 at night was not a smart move on my part.I was WIRED all night long.I tossed and turned and tossed and turned and tossed and turned some more.At first I thought that I couldn’t sleep because I was nervous, but then after really thinking about it, I realized that I wasn’t nervous.I mean, really, we were just going to register…why would I be nervous about standing in line and getting a paper bracelet put on my arm?At any rate, I was frustrated most of the night and, of course, was able to go to sleep about 10 minutes before my alarm went off.Awesome.Thankfully, Brooke got about 4 hours of sleep, so at least one of us would be somewhat rested enough to get us into downtown again!
