Today is a New Day

Lately I've been in a rut. Mostly homesick and overworked, but I am striving to pull myself out of it! I've started cooking for myself. I'm a pretty decent cook when the base ingredients come out of a box!
Last night was Creamy Parmesan Angel Hair pasta with Shrimp and Broccoli with a side of carrots and spinach dip.

It was DELICIOUS!

On my lunch break I was able to FINALLY stop into a cute book shop next to my house! Of course I can never go into a book store to "just look". I always manage to find something that I can't live without. Like this copy of "Howard's End" By E.M. Forster. I've seen the movie starring Emma Thompson, Anthony Hopkins, Vanessa Redgrave and Helena Bonham Carter. And now I want to actually read the story first hand. I love finding the details in the book that the movies don't have time to explore.

So far today has been pretty wonderful! I just have to keep going and keep my chin up. Things will get better and Christmas break is right around the corner!

I can't wait for dressing backstage tonight!

Today is Dreary

Outside the clouds are thick and gray. But I am happy because I just spent the weekend with my family and friends for my aunt's wedding! She is a wonderful woman and has been an extraordinary influence on my life. She has been single for a very long time and has taken my siblings and I on as her "kids". She is my father's only sibling and having no children of her own has done everything in her power to spoil us. Because she has been alone for so long we were all very happy to learn that she had begun dating her now husband and once we met him we all approved. He has two children of his own from a previous marriage, we love them as well! I was excited for her future and for my new cousins! Everyone was very happy! I was a bridesmaid for my aunt along with my three sisters

My Aunt loves Purple and Silver so that was her entire theme of her wedding

I got to meet my new brother! My parents brought him home last month from Russia after a year long adoption process and I couldn't love him more if he were my biological brother!

He's the sweetest most adorable kid ever! He's made such great progress just by being with a big loving family! 

I can't wait to see them all again at Christmas!

Today is the BEST!

Well, yesterday was the best! I had a date! A friend-date! My friend and I went to see a movie, which we LOVED! And then a friend of ours invited us over for homemade tacos! His mom made them for us! It was delectable! After we hung out with him and his mom and a few friends, we went to the opening of show we are all working on. I'm working backstage and my two friends are actors. The show went great! We had a wonderful crowd, and then a fabulous party afterwards! I drove my friend to pick up another friend and then we went back to his place and hung out with his roommate. We just sat and talked and chilled out! It was so fantastic! I stayed very late and then sleepily made my way home to collapse in bed with a smile on my face! It was a super-fantastically-wonderful-in-every-way-absolutely-unbeatable day! I am so happy I can't wait to see what this day holds for me!

My boyfriend's mom sent me this!! 

Today is the Thanksgiving

It's my first Thanksgiving away from home and my family! Fortunately my friends and I are having our own Thanksgiving together, and I'm going to make this!

This is my favorite holiday dessert called Great Pumpkin Dessert. It is so simple and soooooo scrumptious.
The holiday will be strange without my loved ones, but it will be nice to feel like I'm finally on my own.
I can't wait for dessert!

Traveling Outfit

This is what I wore on the long drive to my new home. I wore the hat the whole time. It's my driving hat!

Little Blue Dress

This 1970's dress is one that I pulled out of a $5 bin at the coffee shop around the corner from my house! I wore it opening night to a show I was working on! I love it, it fits like a glove, as long as I wear my body shaper (girls best friend!!).

The Plaid Skirt

This is a plaid skirt I picked up at a Goodwill. I love it because it has pockets! It can look kind of dowdy, but not when paired with sexy boots or high heels!

Today is the Tempest

I woke up to pouring rain, it was a pretty good mood setter for the rest of my day. Amid a flood of tears over several insignificant things I found my new favorite theme song.

Shake It Out by Florence and the Machine.

And this is what I wanted my face to look like today!

After a nice long much needed hot shower I had a private yoga lesson all focused on relaxation and stress relief. I did something I didn't know I could do!

This pose!

Although I was against the wall most of the time, I did manage to hold myself up for a couple of seconds and once I got up there it was pretty easy to stay on my head comfortably!

My yoga instructor and I were very pleased and impressed!

Yoga is a must have in my week, without my yoga sessions I get uber-stressed and really crunchy in my spine, everything compresses and yoga decompresses it!

So even though my day started out wet and sloppy, it ended up pretty ok!

I can't wait for the drama that most certainly will go down tomorrow!

Today is the Best

Today I woke up to the sun on my face with that lazy satisfactory feeling that there is no rush to get out of bed. But my hair looked like this

Today was a 1940's themed day! I wore my thrift store find of a skirt with heels. Its amazing how people look at you differently if you're wearing heels. Just walking around I got all ranges of looks from admiration to confusion. Like they were wondering "What is she so dressed up for on a Wednesday afternoon?" The answer is "Just because I feel like it!" That's the best way to feel about your clothes.

I found my favorite new hangout spot. Its a little cafe right down the block from my home that I have walked by so often but never stopped to look in. Not only did I get a great caramel latte and pumpkin muffin, I got some writing done and two vintage dresses!

Today has been a great day! I can't wait for the show tonight!

Today is the Project

Every year for the last four years around November I take it upon myself to make a dress from the 1940's era.

2008

2009

2010

So naturally its about time for a new dress. I have a party coming up at the end of the month that I would very much like to have a dress to wear to. I've got the pattern, I've got my paycheck, and I've got all day tomorrow to find the perfect material to make my dream dress a reality. Here's my 1946 dress of 2011

I can't wait to see how it turns out!

Today is the day

Today will be extraordinary.

Why? Because it is the only day I have. Now is all the time I ever will have or have had in the world. All I can do is live right now and enjoy. Does that mean what I do now has no effect one what I do at a later now? Of course not. But the way I see it, now is all I got, so I'd better make it extraordinary!

Coco Chanel is one of my favorite fashion icons. Her simplicity and elegance is something I only dream of achieving. My Christmas present to myself this year is a bottle of Mademoiselle Coco Chanel perfume. I can't wait for Christmas!