Summer in the City

I just looked at this blog, the one I have neglected for a whole year of nursing school and a summer in the most wonderful city in the world. I’m sitting in my lovely little apartment in the city on my last night here, feeling inspired to write about this wonderful summer. I can’t believe the summer is coming to a close and I have to do another year of nursing school.

This summer has truly been the greatest summer of my life. Not only did I get to experience nursing at the number one hospital in New York, but I got to spend a whole 10 weeks in the city that constantly calls to me when I am not in it. I learned how at home I feel here. What a feeling it is to feel as though you belong.

My just under a mile walk to work at 6am had to have been my favorite time in this glorious city. It was cool and tranquil, oxymoron for New York I’m sure you are thinking, but it’s before the huge work rush and the city is just waking up. The sun is beginning to rise, but is blocked by the buildings so you only see if when passing across a few streets. I would be accompanied by beautiful voices and music, and I would just smile. How beautiful my city is at this time. I love seeing the beauty in this city and so many people don’t stop to see, they just hustle through living their life. It was hard at times to not do the same, but when I remember that I was in this amazing city and really let it sink in, I loved it more each and every morning.

I had a blast having my friends come see me, showing them this amazing city. I saw 10 shows (one for every week here, though not one a week, and not 10 different shows for I did some repeats). I ran in the park. I experienced the gay pride parade. I saw a midnight premiere and was not impressed with how the city does them. I thoroughly enjoyed Harry’s happy hour more than once with my wonderful roommate. I ordered Chinese takeout. I went to the MET. I got caught in the rain. I made wonderful friends that I hope will come back here when I do. I went to the Tony’s red carpet. I ate hotdogs in the park. I saw people dance and sing on the subway. I got a picture with Aaron Tviet. I saw Harry Potter try to sing and be a Broadway actor. I was a regular at a café down the street. I stood in too many lines for student rush tickets. I experienced Hair on opening night front row center. I saw ABT’s Swan Lake. I walked 5 million miles. I ate in little italy. I got taken into back rooms in China Town. I barely took any pictures, but I will always remember this summer.

Some of the only pictures I have thanks to my amazing roomie court:

Daydreams

So my morning at work has been completely awful, and I thought I need something to cheer me up. So something that always make me smile is daydreaming. I'm so bad about daydreaming in classes when what I really need to do is pay attention, but at work it doesn't matter. I like thinking about my future and all the different possibilities I have. I will think about living in SoHo in an apartment that is the size of my current bathroom and is four times the amount of rent I pay for my current four bedroom apartment, but I'll love it and make it my own. And I'll work in a hospital somewhere in Manhattan (or maybe the bronx I'd get a lot of experience there!) I'd ride the subway to work everyday in my scrubs (don't worry I look good in scrubs) and then go to shows everyweekend and go to the rooftop bars with my friends. Oh and of course I randomly meet John Gallagher Jr. when I'm jogging (in a very cute jogging outfit) through Brooklyn and we fall in love and live happily ever after. My trip to NYC this summer made me even more excited about this dream of mine.

But something that suprised me was that when Em and I went to see our beautiful friend Brenna who lives in Jersey (we stayed with her the last night we were there) was how much I fell in love with that garden state. I guess I had always kinda just assumed Jersey was similar to New York and never expected it to be so beautiful. But I absolutely loved Brenna's precious house with her huge backyard with trees and flowers. And she just was deer that hang out in her yard. Me being from Texas, I have never experienced that! So now I've added to my NYC daydream. Now I imagine that after I work for a few years and save up some money, I will buy a sweet little house in Jersey just like an hour away from the city. It will be a light purple but so light that you question if it's white or not. And I will have this big beautiful garden in the backyard with a spot in the center of the garden where there are blankets and pillows so you can lay on the ground and read a good book. And of course there will be a little storage box you can put the blankets and pillows in so the rain won't ruin them. It won't be a huge house, I mean John and I don't need a lot of room. It will be my little get-away for when I want some quiet time outside of the hustle and bustle of the big city. Just writing this has already made my in a much better mood. I won't let mean, angry people ruin my day! I'll just continue to daydream about my small apartment in SoHo and my sweet little home in Jersey.

My Sweet Little House in Jersey:

My modern little apartment in SoHo:

I'm an Idiot (well an American Idiot)

So I haven't posted since I had my wonderful trip to New York City with the beautiful Emily Chapman. So I figured my post should be somewhat related to that. We saw 4 shows on Broadway while in the city and I am going to talk about the one that was probably my favorite (although it is extremely hard to pick, they were all wonderful) which is American Idiot. In all honesty I don't think I had listened to a Green Day song before in my life, I mean I had heard some on the radio but thats about it. So I didn't go for the music, I went because I wanted to see John Gallagher Jr. He was in the original Broadway cast of Spring Awakening (another one of my favorite musicals) and I have been in love with him ever since I heard him sing in that. He plays the lead in American Idiot. So we ended up going to see it the first night I was in the city. To say the least I loved it! The music is AMAZING! Who knew I loved Green Day? I bought the soundtrack and have been listening to it nonstop. So many of the songs are simple, but have the most powerful lyrics. And they are just beautiful! And some others are great to dance around in your underwear to. Also the set was so cool. There were tons of TVs of all different sizes put into the wall and then the rest of the wall was covered in this huge newspaper collage. They used the TVs a lot to add to the show and then the lighting was awesome. Then I absolutely loved the choreography!!! It was so modern and punk, but was perfect and fun. I will say it didn't have the strongest book in the world, but everything else totally made up for that. Oh and of course my future husband, John Gallagher Jr, was unbelievable!! I'm just so glad I got to see him perform live. All the other actors were awesome too, an extremely strong cast to say the least. I would have gone and seen that show every night I was in the city, but I didn't think Em would go for that :) But I do hope I get to see it again someday and I will keep enjoying the music for a very long time.

Also I'm putting up some videos I found that MTV did about American Idiot. I love how involved the band was in the making of the show. And how happy they are that people wanted to make a show out of their music. These videos made me love this show even more!

Green Day - MTV Shows

Green Day - MTV Shows

Green Day - MTV Shows

No Pants Subway Ride

If you haven't heard of Improv everywhere youtube it! It's pretty awesome! I could watch it for hours upon hours no joke. It's a improv group that does "missions" and get huge groups of people together to do crazy things. They put on a musical in a mall food court, they froze and stood completely still for 5 minutes in Grand Central Station, they did a synchronized swimming routine in a fountain, and they even made a cell phone symphony. And it is all in New York City! They probably couldn't get away with the stuff they pull in any other city. But by far by favorite thing they do is the annual "No Pants Subway Ride" I think the best part about the videos is everyone else's reactions to the people with no pants on. It just makes me laugh so hard every time I watch it. They have done it for several years, but I'm just putting the last two up on here. Please go watch the other stuff they have done. It is all very entertaining!

Bright Lights, Big City

Since in exactly one week I will be on my way to NEW YORK CITY (can you tell i'm way excited?) So I decided to do another blog about something in New York that makes me happy: Broadway! I grew up going to tons of musicals, that's what happens when your parents are actors, but I'm definately not complaining. That's what made me fall in love with musicals! I mean what's better than breaking out in song to express your every emotion? So of course I would love Broadway. There's just something about the feeling of sitting in a Broadway theatre, you know it's the best of the best actors in the show, you can feel the energy. I just love walking by all the Broadway theatres, especially after the shows, watching the actors come out. You see the excitement of all the fans wanting pictures and autographs. The atmosphere is just so happy and fun and exciting.

Though every time I leave a Broadway musical I wish it was me on that stage. If I had a better singing voice, let me tell you, I would be on broadway! I love to daydream about being in the shows I see. Now I never want to be the lead, way to much pressure, no I would be the supporting character that steals the show of course. :) Being on Broadway has always been a dream of mine, I know it won't happen and I'm okay with that, but it's fun to daydream about it and even more fun running up and down broadway on a warm summer night soaking it all in. I will for sure be doing that with my precious friend Emily in ONE WEEK!!

Annual Ice Storms

YAY SNOW!!

Every year I've been here at OU (aka the last two years) we have had a huge ice storm at the beginning of spring semester. Both years it has been absolutely awesome. Not only do you always get a few days off classes, but you get to spend these days with amazing friends! My freshman year we were living in the dorms so we were all so close to each other. We played in the snow, watched a few movies, and played several intense games of Catchphrase! I think that ice storm really brought our hall together even more than before. It was a blast to spend our days off together. And it was good we liked each other cause we were pretty much stuck with each other. Then this past year for the ice storm my roommates cara and courtney and I went and spent the days off at our friends kelsey and emily's apartment. It was an eventful two days! We had a Harry Potter movie marathon, pulled emily's mattress into the living room so we could have a "mattress party," emily pierced mine and kesley's ears (parent trap style), I gave court an amazing sharpie tattoo, we made cookies and so much more. The annual ice storms just make for amazing days with amazing people. I love thinking back to all the memories I have from just those few days. I am for sure looking forward to this years ice storm, and I am sure we will have one, I mean it's tradition now so it has to happen :)


ICE STORM 2009 :)

ICE STORM 2010!!

My (way in the future) Hippie Wedding Headband :)

I think weddings make just about everyone happy. What's better than committing to someone you love with all your heart for the rest of your life. Well happy and scary. But Whenever I've thought about my wedding I've never really seen myself wearing a veil, I'm just not crazy about them. I've thought about wearing fresh flowers in my hair, but then you always have the issue with them dying by the end of the night. And of course if I marry Prince Harry I would have to wear a tiara, I mean what else? But lately I've fallen in love with the new headband trend. Especially the headbands with a hippie style to them. I like how relaxed they are but also add that fun, bride feeling. I'm putting up two different one I've recently found on Style Me Pretty (the best wedding blog ever!) The first is fun for a casual beachy wedding. And the second is my favorite that I've found. I absolutely LOVE it!! My sister says it's too trendy and that I will laugh at myself in 20 years for wearing it, but I don't care. If I love it, I'll wear it!! But who knows I'll probably change my mind since I'm not getting married for another 10 years or so.

Now this one is AMAZING!!! get excited :)