Virginia is for Lovers

I haven't really blogged in like 7 weeks.
I have good reason for that because life has been BUSY.
and GREAT
and DIFFICULT
and EXPENSIVE
and FUN
and TIRING
and EXCITING

Major Happenings:
1. Working part time as a nanny to two adorable pains in my ass (who I love and who love me somehow even after putting them in time out).
2. Taking Statistics at the community college since it's a requirement for PharmD
3. *drum roll* I got an interview for VCU School of Pharmacy!! This Saturday, the 21st.

Not so major happenings:
1. So we spent all of August doing a primal/paleo diet (no bread, rice, beans, pasta, chips, processed foods, etc) and we really stuck to it like 90%. Wesley lost a few lbs (don't know where they came from since he's pretty skinny already) and so did I. But, that wasn't really the point since we're both aren't overweight at all. I think I felt more of a difference than he did. My allergies were more bearable, as well as my back pain. But, for September we brought all the prohibited stuff back in since it's easier and less expensive. But, I'm still gonna try to limit my intake since I definitely have been more uncomfortable this month. lol.

I had Statistics class today and we don't really have tests besides the midterm and final. So, instead we have "projects," which are kind of like a take-home test. I got my first one today and it didn't seem too bad. I'm not worried about this class in general.
There's this one woman in my class who is in her 40s and has a strong eastern european accent. I applaud her for going to school and taking a mathematics class in a language that she has definitely not mastered. At the same time, she slows the class down occasionally, which is annoying to everyone including the teacher (even though he tries not to show it). But, I'm sure I'd slow down a class if I was taking Statistics in a Spanish-speaking country.

The family I nanny for has been a really good fit so far. It's a lot of work; but, it's definitely rewarding by having a hand in making the kids' childhood great. It's not a bad way to make money.
The dad is an attorney (partner at his firm) who comes from old Virginia money. The mom works in the coal industry, I believe, as a client/investor relations executive or something. Still don't know the details on that.
Hue (short for Huestis Pratt Cook IV...), age 5, just started kindergarten at a private all-boys episcopal K-12 school that kind of reminds me of Lake Highland (where I went to high-school) if it were all-boys. Addie (short for Addison Louise), 3, is in preschool. They are beautiful, creative, curious, sweet little balls of energy that really keep me on my toes.  Hue is at that age where everything warrants five or six questions. What is that? How does it work? Why??? What's the difference between Dragonflies and flies?

Save The Dates are out and the wedding is really coming together. I can't believe we're at the 6 month mark already. Feels like we just got engaged. You never know how much goes into a wedding until you're trying to put one together. It's insane.
Living together has been pretty awesome. People ask how it's going and expects us to be so sick of each other something. I'm sure it'll happen at some point. But, for now, it's a breeze. The biggest issue we've had is the fact that I forget to clean out the tea pot after I use it.
That and trying to stick to a budget, of course.
SAVING MONEY IS HARD!
My grandparents sent me $20 in the mail out of the goodness of their hearts and I felt a little guilty using it to buy a pair of shorts at H&M as opposed to saving it for later. haha.

The other night, Wesley and I were talking about how despite our budget struggles, we're actually doing really well compared to a lot of people our age.
1. We both have jobs. (Yeah, I'd make more money full-time, but then I wouldn't be able to handle class and wedding stuff)
2. We are able to be "in the black" at the end of each month so far, even if it's just by a very small amount.
3. We can afford to have a nice sized apartment in a good area.

We also are just so blessed to have our parents/family. I mean, my parents are paying for like 90% of the wedding. If Wesley and I had to pay for the wedding, we'd be going to city hall (which would suck). My parents still pay for my car insurance, health insurance and phone bill. I really should be kissing their feet and claiming that I'm unworthy (Wayne's World style).

I'm gonna try to make more youtube videos. I got very good feedback from my most recent one. It's funny to me because I wasn't even sure if it was good enough to post. I showed it to Wesley and my Mom before making it public.

Well, I'd write more, but I have to pick up Addie and Hue from school.

The new adventure begins

Okay so, I finally found some chill time to write in this thing. So much stuff has been going on and it has been like 90% awesome. That's a pretty impressive awesomeness quotient, I think. I'm gonna have to change the banner on the top of this blog so it doesn't have the downtown Nashville skyline anymore.

Wesley and I have moved in together and have been roomies for almost a month. I moved in on June 23rd, but then we soon left for a full week of Michigan ridiculousness. So, technically, my belongings have lived in the apartment longer than my personage has. So far, I really love living with Wesley. I love our apartment, I love getting to see him every day, I love being able to explore a new city, I love starting a new chapter with the love of my life even before the wedding. So far the only dislike I have are that there is construction going on around our apartment from 8am-6pm. The changes they're making are going to look really nice, but it sucks for sleeping. It also sucks for windows apparently since a few days ago a piece of plywood flew through our living room window. It's all boarded up now and we're waiting for a new window to be installed. Twas supposed to come yesterday but, alas! It has not arrived.

I've been cooking a lot lately. Wesley says I'm spoiling him. lol. I really enjoy cooking. I won't have a much time for it when I start my new job and take my two classes I still need for PharmD. So, I'm trying to get the most out of my free time right now.

Played my first Virginia show on Tuesday night, and I have two more this weekend (one in VA Beach and one in Newport News). The one on Tuesday was in Ashland, which is like 20 miles north of Richmond. It was a songwriter's contest thing and the winner got to compete in their finals (in like 5 months or so) for a big cash prize. I was really surprised I didn't even get in the final four. But, whatever. I met some cool new people including a 15 year old girl who won the 6th finals (we're on the 8th now, she wasn't allowed to compete in the 7th, naturally).  She had a deep, warm, folky voice not unlike Natalie Merchant. When she played I felt like I was in a Dublin pub or something. She doesn't have an accent when she speaks, but when she sings she articulates her words in a somewhat Irish fashion. A couple audience members and fellow contestants came up to me and were very sweet and supportive. Some even said I was "robbed." I feel like if my "competition" and the audience members who pretty much came to see other artists are telling me that I should have won, I'm doing something right. That's what matters to me.

I was supposed to have 12 shows over the next couple months, from Richmond to Virginia Beach to Newport News, performing for this furniture chain. It was all set up and booked, and then a few days later, they said there was a problem with the venue and all august/september gigs had to be canceled/rescheduled. LAME.
But, at least my two shows this weekend are still on.
I mean, 2 paying gigs are better than no paying gigs, or no gigs at all.

I'm gonna start a job on August 12th, as a nanny for a 3 year old girl and a 5 year old boy. They live walking distance from my apartment so it's very convenient. I'm excited: #1 to be making an income, #2 to be a babysitter again. I love kids. It's gonna be a challenge since I'm more experienced with the late-elementary/early adolescent set. But, I'm up for it.

Wesley and I are thinking of doing a mostly "primal/paleo" diet for the month of August. Like breakfast and dinners, since it's hard to eat like that at work or when you're around tiny children. Since we both have inflammatory issues and autoimmune stuff, we want to see if a diet change like that will help. I hope it does. Again, more challenges.

As for wedding planning, we are gonna start sending out batches of Save The Dates starting next week! I've been stamping return addresses on tons of envelopes for the past couple days. Gathering addresses is a pain in the ass, and I've got like 95% of them. Oddly enough, the majority of the ones I'm missing are from immediate family on my dad's side. We're also gonna get a registry soon, figure out our getaway car, and pick out bridesmaids dresses. Bridesmaids dresses have become the bane of my existence. I didn't think it would be so difficult to figure out what my bridesmaids should wear. I guess I'm picky, and I have 6 wonderful bridesmaids in all shapes and sizes. I have to make sure they are comfortable and that the dress is flattering.

I'm having trouble registering for classes at the community college for this fall semester. Apparently my transcript never arrived, so it looks like I don't have the necessary pre-reqs to take the classes I want. Things just have to be difficult, don't they? So now I'm gonna have to get a new transcript. Let's just hope the classes I need aren't completely filled by the time I get my shit together.

I'm still here, I promise.

With all the music videos, EP release, moving to Richmond, and vacation in Michigan, I've been obscenely busy. Thus, I haven't updated in a long time. But, I promise I will soon. My life has just been one thing after another after another lately.

Another music video!

Click the picture above to see the music video for "Melody."

MUSIC VIDEO!!!

My first music video for my song "Not What I Need," off my new EP.
I have another music video coming probably sometime late next week or early the following week, depending.

Enjoy

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<3

Cry. Hurt. Laugh. Sing.

My new EP is officially coming out on June 4th!
And it will be called the "Cry. Hurt. Laugh. Sing." EP.
The name is taken from some lyrics in the song "Dangerous Things."
I like how it encompasses a lot of different feelings and kinda expresses the diversity of the songs on the EP.

Tracklisting:
1. Firefly (A pop/rock-ish tune about wanting someone you can't have)
2. Mysterious (a jazzy song about being intrigued by someone)
3. Not What I Need (an epic, atmospheric, folky ballad about settling in your relationship)
4. Dangerous Things (a bluesy pop song about the rollercoaster of emotions you experience while falling for someone)
5. Slow Poison (a straightforward, chill pop ditty about a somewhat toxic relationship)

When you listen to my last EP (self-titled and released in August 2011), you can tell it's very glossy and smooth. The production is very radio-ready. This new EP is less glossy and more on the raw side. I'm highly impressed by the quality of recordings I got, considering this EP was free for me. I feel very blessed to have met the people who worked on this project. They put a lot of hard work into it and I wasn't even compensating them.
I'm happy that it's coming out on my mom's birthday too. It's kinda a way to recognize her support of my music, I guess.

Yesterday, I filmed the music video for "Melody."
It went very well. Joshua Lockhart, the videographer, was very easy to work with and I think he'll make something really awesome. I recommend him.
We filmed in this alleyway with a lot of cool brick walls.
I got my hair and makeup professionally done, too.
For the "Not What I Need" video, I did my hair/makeup myself and I was very proud of the result.
But I felt that Melody needed something extra.
My hair was all teased and softly curled at the ends. It looked a little 1960s.
My hair was pretty big and full of secrets.
I also wore my "crazy pants." (A pair of Roberto Cavalli skinny jeans I got from China on Ebay. They include leopard print, colorful paint splatter, floral print, AND a colorful optical illusion-ish print.)
Josh and I joked that I should create a record label called Crazy Pants Records. Love it.

We started filming around 3pm. Around 5pm, When I was trying to get up to this platform area (while wearing 5 inch heels), I tripped and hit my head really hard on the brick steps. I felt fine, just a little disoriented with a scratched up arm. So, we continued to film.
Later that night, around 11:30ish, I started to have a horrible headache and feel nauseous.
After a few hours of progressively getting worse and being too afraid to fall asleep (you're not supposed to if you have a concussion), I decided to go to the ER (after calling and waking up my parents in the middle of the night to get their opinion).
I arrived at 2:30am and got a CAT Scan. The scan turned out to be clear, thank goodness. The doctor said I got a mild concussion and the symptoms were late onset. But, I should be completely fine. They gave me a prescription for anti-nausea meds and pain meds. I finally got back home and into bed by 4:45am.
So, I probably freaked out my parents for not big reason.
I also texted Wesley all about it as it was happening, but he was asleep so he didn't get them until the morning. I bet he was surprised that he had like 6 texts from me when he woke up.

Definitely gonna be taking it easy for the next couple days.

I filled those prescriptions today.
I woke up and still had a bad headache, but it wasn't as horrible as last night.
I took a pain pill and it definitely helped. I also feel slightly loopy. Like I took a tequila shot or two.

So, my Sunday night has so far consisted of eating dinner and listening to Eisley's new album while high on Tramadol.
Side note: Eisley's new album "Currents" is a gorgeous piece of art. It's streaming for free on Pandora right now and comes out on iTunes this Tuesday. Being the uber-fan that I am, I pre-ordered the deluxe edition weeks ago.

It's so cool how music can trigger memories.
the other day, my iTunes was on shuffle and Regina Spektor's cover of "Real Love" by John Lennon came on. I was immediately transported to freshman year of college. Fall 2008.
I first heard that song when I was feeling crazy home-sick halfway through my first semester of college.
I was also missing Wesley something fierce.
The song came on and I listened to it on repeat while crying, alone in my dorm room.
Magical.

Well, I'm gonna watch a ton of Parks & Recreation and go to sleep early.
Tramadol also makes you hella tired.

Some random stuff that's popped into my mind lately

- I had a dream last night that Eisley played a concert in one of the rehearsal rooms at UM and I was supposed to sing harmonies and play keyboards because Stacy King was sick. But, my microphone was a giant wooden plate that blocked my face from being seen by the audience. I also was annoyed because every time I tried to get a picture with the band, the picture came out all warped.

-Today: For the first time that I can remember, I came up with a melody upon waking up, as opposed to when I'm trying to fall asleep.

-It's interesting how my mom texts me saying she'll "call me in a bit," and 2 hours later she still hasn't called. With her timing, I'll probably in the shower, at the gym, or going to the bathroom when she calls. And of course, she doesn't answer when I call her first. Oh, this is the dance we often do!

-I read an article about funny lies parents tell their children and I started remembering ones my parents said to me:

•       I was obsessed with my pacifiers as a toddler. I could fit like 4 in my mouth at once. But, once I was three, my parents told me that it was illegal in Texas (where we lived) to use pacifiers if you were 3 or older. So, we got rid of them. I think I was 13 or 14 when I finally found out that there was no such law. 
• My mom told us it was illegal to have your car windows open on the highway because rocks would fall into our car. 

Anywhoozle,

The EP is ALMOST done.
I know I've been saying that forever.
But, for reals.
It kind of has to be done before the week is over because that's when Producer-Andrew's project is due.
This EP is his final project for his masters in audio engineering or something at MTSU.
Hence, I've been getting these recordings at virtually no cost to me.
We did some last minute electric guitars last night because there was something seriously missing in a few tunes.
Once we have the final mix of "Not What I Need" (which will be today), the music video can be finally be released to the public.

Also, filming music video for "Melody" (this one I actually have to pay for) this Saturday in Manchester, TN (Home of Bonnaroo). I have no effing clue what to wear. But, I am getting my hair/makeup done professionally for this (unlike the NWIN music video, where I did all that myself).

I'm really excited.
But, I'm also pretty anxious to get all this stuff done so I can focus on selling my furniture and getting ready to move. Does that make me lame?

I will be continuing this blog when I live in Richmond. I still will have a lot to talk about:
-wedding planning
-the adventures of living with my amazing fiance
-getting to know another new city
-applying to PharmD school
-continuing to do music in a town with virtually no music scene (from what I can tell)