Kia Ora!

     If you ever get the chance to study abroad and you don't take it, you're an idiot (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQL6PD94yFA). This summer I took advantage of our study abroad program and traveled down under to New Zealand! I say "took advantage" because I traveled there to take two upper-level English courses in three weeks and paid a reasonable amount of money to do so, and ended up having the best time! Who knew school could be fun?

We stayed in Wellington for two weeks and Queenstown for one week. 

     Ok, I'm going to go ahead and answer the questions I normally get when I tell people that I went to NZ. No, it is not Australia, nor is it connected to Australia. I didn't see any castles. Kiwis speak English, so I was completely able to function. It's a first world country, so I was staying in a hotel not a grass hut. I flew there, because you kinda have to. There was a major time difference and it was winter. I know I went in June, but I promise it was winter. 

     WARNING: You are now entering the nerd zone. Enter at your own risk.

     I took a travel writing class which was really cool. I learned a lot about writing a travel piece and about non-fiction writing in general. I feel like non-fiction isn't covered as well as it should be in most writing classes, so I really enjoyed everything I learned. I also learned some random trivia about faraway places through all the reading. 

     Here's where things get weird. The other class I took was a LORD OF THE RINGS class!!! I'm going to shoot you straight. I had never picked up a book or seen a movie before I signed up for this class. I read all the books (including The Hobbit) the week before we went and finished the third book of LOTR once we got there. I really enjoyed the books. Then, we watched all three LOTR movies back to back to back (9 hrs of the precious!) and I couldn't help but become obsessed. We spent our class days discussing how the books and movies went together and the difficulties in creating Middle Earth. We also went on an awesome LOTR filming location tour! We stood in Rivendell (sort of) and in the forest from the Fellowship (where the hobbits hide under the tree roots and such). We also went to the WETA Cave! WETA is the company that did all the special effects. They did Avatar and a lot of other movies as well (Google it geez). We also went horseback riding at the base of the Misty Mountains, NBD. It was a nerd's paradise. The only thing that made it better was knowing the stars of The Hobbit were lurking about filming (Sir Ian McKellan, Orlando Bloom, Martin Freeman**, etc.). Unfortunately we never saw them. Three of us were lucky enough to paint models of Aragorn and Frodo while we were there! It took three hours and they are perfect. Real Talk. 

     We went to a Crusaders rugby game! We also saw a play about a weird family with technological difficulties, one about the All Blacks, and one about Churchill and his dysfunctional family. I rode a freaking horse. It was a great experience and I'm glad I did it, but this girl was not meant for large animals. It's just a fact. We ate a million apples and mentos and drank wayyy too much coffee (if that's possible). I could go on and on and on forever about the rad things we saw and did, but I won't. I'm sure they'll just be referenced throughout future posts, so be prepared. I'll save all the dirt about my classmates for another blog post. Cliffhanger!!

 Crazy Coffee from Fidel's 

WETA Cave 

 Scenery from The Fellowship of the Ring

 Me and Cecile (which they pronounced Sessile-- which must have been a joke)

 Who's this hottie?? 

 Frodo chilling in the forest 

 Sauron

 Wellington 

 Wellington 

 Wellington's Cable Car 

 Queenstown

Queenstown 

Wellington

Note to my future boyfriend: You don't have to love Tolkien, but you need to pretend you do. Otherwise I'll spend hours making you watch the movies and convincing you to like them. Also, you'll need to love New Zealand, even if you've never been there.

**My six degrees to John K. took a turn for greatness in NZ. As many of you may know, Martin Freeman played Tim Canterbury on The Office (UK). Tim is the character that Jim (US version) is based on. This was my in! I was in the same city as someone who more than likely knows or has definite connections to John K! I kept my eyes peeled for the entire trip, but no luck. One day John and I will sit in our living room and laugh about this. Then we'll watch LOTR. 

     

MTV-- Home of the Crazies.

     Who wants to watch an awards pre-show? Stars dressed in sometimes strange clothing refusing to answer questions about their personal life leads the way to the ceremony itself filled with award upsets and unplanned controversies. The ceremony lasts for hours when the awards could be given out in ten minutes. There are so many speeches, surprise appearances, musical numbers, and jokes that people have to stay up until midnight to see all the big awards given out. Sometimes there's even an aftershow discussing the drama and dresses for another hour after the show has ended. Who does this appeal to? Who really cares unless you're getting the awards?

     Hi, my name is Lauren and I'm an awards show junkie. I love all of it. I love the strange presenter pairings and the awkward teleprompter speeches and the offensive jokes. I also love every type of award show. VMA's, Grammy's, Oscars, Emmy's, Golden Globes, etc. Even the Daytime Emmy's (we'll get to soap operas later I'm sure). I will gladly sit on my couch for hours to watch celebrities rub elbows and collect trophies. Admittedly, this obsession doesn't just start on the day of awards. I'm the person who takes those quizzes you see on entertainment news websites to predict who will win which award. Every time I sit down on the couch for my six hour veg-out, I am fully prepared to scream at the television if my first choice doesn't win. I know who's nominated, who they're bringing, and what they're wearing usually by the time the pre-show starts. I should really be ashamed by this, but I'm not. I love love love the fashion! I ooh and ahh over every fashion choice and wish I could be so lucky to wear something that beautiful.
 
     I say all this to warn you of my stance before I give my opinions. Did yall see the VMA's last night?? MTV never disappoints. I have been tuning in to the VMA's since before the Britney-Madonna-Christina edition, and I don't plan to stop anytime soon.

Hits:
1. BEYONCE & BABY!! (and Jay-Z as a precious husband and father-to-be)
2. Everything about Britney, her award, and the tribute to her videos.
3. Russell and Katy-- sooo cute.
4. Weezy baby! (The suspense was not needed, MTV, we fans have been sitting on ready for weeks)
5. Adele's performance!
6. Chris Brown's circus.
7. Taylor Lautner all grown up.
8. Kevin Hart
9. Gaga's Born This Way speech
10. Bruno Mars's salute to Amy Winehouse

Misses:
1. Whatever Gaga was doing the whole show. Ridiculous.
2. Deena's dress.
3. Katy's cube
4. Adele's dress (I love her but she needs to wear something different for once!)
5. Those weird people that Zoe Saldana and Jared Leto introduced.
6. Jessie J's outfit and haircut were awful.
7. Bieber's snake (not a euphemism)
8. Nicki Minaj's outfit
9. No host
10. Bleeping Weezy

     The show itself was pretty good. I've seen better and worse. I wish there would've been a host. A host would've made everything flow better and not seem so up in the air. I'm not sure if all the drinking was a hit or a miss, honestly. Most of the stars were holding drinks and some carried them onstage to accept their awards. It probably helped everyone be more relaxed but it was far from classy. Mr. Gaga was downing liquor drinks all night which I'm sure aided her alter ego. Her acceptance speech for Best Female Video carried a meaningful message that she covered up with her cross-dressing nonsense. You don't have to be over the top all the time. Your words can do something alone. I couldn't even enjoy Brain May for watching her. I'm sure Freddie would have approved, though.
     Adele's performance was amazing. She's so classy and down to earth compared to other stars her age. I just wish she would have dressed differently for her performance at least. All I ever see her wearing are long, black, matronly dresses. Save that for the Grammy's! Weezy, on the other hand, let it all fly. I love him and The Carter IV, but MTV shouldn't have booked him if they weren't going to let him do his thing unedited. I did learn something about him-- he can apparently play a guitar as well as I can.

     I hope you all enjoyed the broadcast!

   
     

Kelsey's first game!

     My day today was interesting to say the least!! It started out rough. I worked in the morning, went home for a super fast lunch, then drove back to campus for class. ROOKIE MISTAKE!! Because there was so much traffic, I had to park a good 30 minutes from my class and I only had 15 minutes to get there. God was with me for sure, because I happened to catch a bus that sped the process along, but I was still late to my first day of creative writing class. I was so embarrassed because there were only like 10 people in a really small room and I disrupted everyone trying to get to a seat.
     When I got to my next class, there was a dead bat in the floor. We went and told one of the administrators and he came to our rescue-- or so we thought. Instead he brought his camera and took multiple pictures of the creature from all different angles. Now I've seen a scary movie or two, so I was completely positive the thing was going to wake up and attack us, or mainly attack me because that's my luck. I was imagining the episode of The Office when Dwight traps one in a garbage bag on top of Meredith's head. I was fully ready to run out the door. Then, the man decides he has enough pictures and solves our problem by turning a trash can upside down on top of the bat. I was very distracted during the rest of class wondering if the bat was truly dead or a carrier of some weird airborne disease. Rent the movie Outbreak, anything can happen.
     Surprisingly, I made it back to my car without having a heat stroke or leg cramp or some other health issue caused by extreme heat on a person who is very out of shape. I had to work again from 7pm-10pm tonight, and I was fully dreading it. That's when my day turned around!! Two amazing things happened! The first one is thanks to Candice Rucker! She is an RA/DA at Bryant that helps me stay sane when things get crazy around here. She brought nail polish and we rounded up some newspaper. We were able to transfer the newspaper print onto our fingernails! How awesome! (Check it out here: Newspaper Fingernails) They didn't turn out bad for our first try. Along with Mary Beth, we turned my shift into a party and got to know some of our new residents better, which was really fun.
     The next awesome thing that happened was hearing my beautiful sister's voice on the radio online!! Kelsey is a sideline reporter for Thunder 92.7 and tonight she made her debut covering our alma mater's football game against Glencoe. I'm so proud of her for earning that position and doing so well her first night! I told y'all she is a princess! Let me remind you:

   Ok that last one was kind of a joke, but the idea of her reporting football was completely hilarious when she first got the job. She has been studying up for weeks, and I for one am not sure how you go about studying for football. I worried about her all day long today! I have complete confidence in her, but I can't imagine knowing that loads of people are going to be listening intently to what you say without being able to see you. I would be scared to death to try to get a point across to complete strangers. Plus you never know what can happen with technology! Not to mention, all this was happening on the field in front of our hometown cheering section. She's brave. There were a lot of factors that could have gone wrong but they didn't. She did wonderfully! Everyone at the desk thought so, not just me! Demitrius said she sounded professional. 

     When that twang came through my computer my emotions just went crazy! I haven't seen her in a few weeks so I miss her and I am just so proud of everything she is doing! The country accent just topped it off. (Candice said, "Her White Plains is showing.") Lord knows WP football wouldn't be complete without an awful outcome and a country accent announcing it! Just hearing her all grown up with a real job on the radio was quite the experience. It really did make my day! She has another game to report tomorrow night, so if you are near a radio in Calhoun County or a computer anywhere, tune in to Thunder 92.7 to hear the Princess of Pigskin! <-- wow. On that note, it's time for bed. I'm clearly delusional. Good night!

My 9th First Day

     The inevitable happened and UA started back up today. I've never felt so old in my life. Watching all the freshmen walk around lost is normally entertaining, but it was just plain annoying. Not to mention it was as hot as Mark Sloane out there today!! I thought I was going to pass out walking to class. It was awful. My actual classes weren't bad, but the getting there sucked. 

     The best part of my day by far was the five hour lunch break I got between work and my classes. Looking back, I should have taken a nap. Instead, I made a salad and continued with my newest obsession: Mad Men. I'm purposefully late to the world of 1960s advertising. Being passionately involved with so many shows already, I have to stay away from some that I would normally watch. It has never worked. I have such weak defenses! I held off 30 Rock, Gossip Girl and How I Met Your Mother for a little while but they all broke through eventually. I stopped trying, made a detailed TV calendar in excel (I warned you in my first post), and started paying extra for a DVR.

     The same happened with Mad Men. I found out they were instant on Netflix and the rest is history. For those Mad Men fans, I'm only in Season 2 so I'm still way behind, but I'm already in love. I love Don Draper and Roger Sterling. Love them. But I hate them? As a modern woman and one who is well versed in gender studies I should hate them. I can't lie, though. Their smoking, drinking, and infidelity makes me melt. I'm sorry feminists, I had to say it. The women on the show are so well written! I was worried at first about that. Others may disagree, but Betty Draper's semi-crazy nature is endearing, and I can't help but feel sorry for her (until I remember she wakes up next to Don). Joan Holloway is awesome and I can't help but want her confidence. Peggy Olsen is the answer for feminists! I was SHOCKED watching the season 1 finale. SHOCKED. I should have guessed it! I usually do! I love to hate Pete Campbell and it makes me smile every time I see him knowing Peggy could put him in his place at any moment. (If she does don't spoil it for me yet!)

 Hotties in suits? Why did I put this off??  

I want to be them! (Except Peggy, Pete's not for me)

     Bottom line: You guys gotta watch this show. It's completely worth all the time I'm spending catching up on it. Anyone interested in history, drama, or television in general: Stop what you're doing and start season 1. Soon. 

     I'm pissed I have to wait until midseason. Thanks AMC for that one. 

     Time for a glass of Sauvignon Blanc (Isaiah voice) from New Zealand (Thanks Publix!!), another episode of Mad Men, and bedtime. This grandma's exhausted. More class and work tomorrow! I hope you all had a great day! 

School starts tomorrow!

     It's the sentence that makes people of all ages cringe in unison. So instead of dwelling on the impending doom that comes with every new year of learning, I would like to concentrate on one of my favorite things.

     Cupcakes!

     Let's be real. Cupcakes are the best. They're miniature snacks full of calories and sugar, covered in icing. Beat that, I dare you. Any bad day can take a turn for the better if you just add a cupcake. Baking is also a good stress reliever, if you ask me. All the steps and the methodology of working out a recipe can take your mind off anything that's bothering you and onto something delicious. We all love that feeling of making it to the finish line, and a task that leads to a cupcake is my kind of task. 

     I'm a supporter of boxed cake mix, trust me, but there's something about starting from scratch. Here are a few recipes I've picked up along the way for delicious cupcakes:

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Icing

Princess Sparkle Cupcakes

     I don't always have the time to spend hours in the kitchen. For those days, God sent me Gigi's Cupcakes. They are beyond amazing and completely affordable. The ease and price are two reasons I have this addiction. It's almost too easy to go by and pick out exactly what you want. Their website also has a menu so you can plan out which days you visit based on the selection. How sweet is that?? (No pun intended)

Here are some of my favorites:

Texas Milk Chocolate: 

Strawberry Shortcake:

Champagne:

Yes, they are as delicious as they look. 

     I think cupcakes are a good way to fix the world. People would be much happier if they just stopped and had a cupcake once in a while. Be spontaneous! Break the diet and indulge yourselves in something sugary and delicious! We all need some cheering up. 

Introductions

   Hi there. Chances are if you're reading this you already know me, so I will apologize in advance for the lack of new information. I don't know where to start, but Julie Andrews suggests the beginning, so let's try that. 


   I'm 22 and a fifth-year senior at the University of Alabama majoring in English with a minor in Communication Studies. What am I going to do with that? I guess you'll find out later as this blog unfolds. I grew up in Anniston, AL, home of the country's largest chair and not much else. I've included a map. 

 

   I graduated from White Plains High School with like 50 other people in 2007. So yeah, I fit the small town Alabama stereotype. 
My family life is a little different, so try to keep up as I explain. 


   My parents got divorced when I was 2 yrs old and both were remarried by the time I was 3. I thank God for that both of those actions everyday. My mom is overbearing and loves long, elaborate, and emotional talks paired with lots of hugging. She always means well. My dad is the opposite and is completely content to sit in silence for hours. My stepmom never sleeps and is always ready to help anyone who needs it. I don't know if they know what blogging is, so chances are they will never read this. 


   My siblings would be next. Josh is my stepbrother (stepdad's son) by technicality and is a month older than me. If you look up the word "goofy" in the dictionary his face would be there. He is dedicated to making people laugh and will do whatever it takes. He's also opinionated about EVERYTHING. He's also an MP who served our country overseas and begins college in the fall. 


   My stepsister (stepmom's daughter) is three months younger than me, so the three of us graduated together. Precious, I know. Kelsey is a princess, bottom line. I don't say this negatively! She isn't like a high and mighty princess, but more like Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty. Everyone loves her, she always looks like she came out of a catalog, and she doesn't have a mean bone in her body. We share everything-- secrets, clothes, a bed (seriously). She just graduated from JSU and will someday take Katie Couric's job (and be better at it). 


   Jordan is my little bitty baby brother (we share both parents, you keeping up?) He's two years younger than me and he's like my best friend. We should have just been twins so people can be prepared for our weirdly close relationship and telepathic communication. We share the same opinions about most things and fight to the death about the things we don't agree on. You can catch him on the PGA in a few years. 

   You should probably know that there is no difference to any of us between step and "real". My brothers and sister are just like normal people's brothers and sister and my parents are my parents. I always appreciate when people keep their ignorant comments to themselves. Those of you with blended families probably feel my pain. Also, all these hotties are single so hit me up if you want their digits. 

   I guess I've said all this to somehow explain me, but you may want some more details. I work at Bryant Residence Hall at the front desk with the best staff in the world. They're like my second family. I am now an Alpha Phi alum, which feels weird to say. I love love love my sisters and everything that is Alpha Phi, and I'm excited to remain involved as an alum.  

This picture is from Bid Day. I was a J-Board for the next recruitment and almost cried when we ran back to the house after being separated from everyone for months. I don't show emotion, so choking up was a big deal, people. 

I read a lot and I don't think that's a waste of time. I also like to write and would love to write something that means anything to someone other than me. I love my friends and would literally do anything for them. I'm so thankful to be saved. I may not make all the right decisions, but I'll stand by the ones I make.  

Minor things you should know for reading other entries in this blog:

1. I'm very sarcastic so don't take me seriously.

2. Television is the love of my life, which is probably the only ridiculous thing I will say that sounds sarcastic but isn't. Sorry in advance for all the references. 

3. I tend to ramble, which should be clear by the length of this blog. 

4. I have no idea what this blog will be about.

5. I have no idea where I'm going in life or how I will get there, but I guess all you guys can go along on that journey with me.

Thanks for reading. 

Shoutout to Mary Beth who may be the only person who reads this. Love you!

I'm Lauren, by the way.