Birthday Bliss and Blech!

 

I turned 22 last weekend! Huzzah! I've always loved the fact that my birthday is exactly one week before Halloween! It allows me extra time to celebrate during my favorite time of year! =)

My birthday weekend was a success! 

First, Dustin and I saw one of our favorite artists, Allen Stone, perform in Seattle. We even got to meet him! (Look him up...seriously! He's amazing! allenstone.net)

 

The next day we carved the pumpkins we picked in Yakima! 

Naturally, I designed an Up With People pumpkin! I'm just too excited!

 

Then it was time to go to see the Death Cab for Cutie concert. Dustin bought me tickets for my birthday present! =) He also treated me to a delicious dinner and dessert at The Cheesecake Factory (one of my favorite restaurants!) This is the pose he struck when I tried taking his picture!
Gotta love him!

 

 Death Cab was awesome. And they played my most favorite song, Transatlanticism, very last! What a great way to end the show!

 

The next night I celebrated with some friends in Tacoma! We went out to Red Robin, per usual tradition since being at UPS!

I was super sick on my actual birthday, both with corneal abrasions in my right eye and the black plague (ha- right!)...but what else is new? I'm always sick on my birthday! Dustin made it better by bringing me flowers from my parents, our favorite chocolate pie, and a fun surprise book! I only get to look at a page a week until Christmas! Eventually the book will tell me what my Christmas present is! What a sneaky little devil!

A week later, I was treated to a home-cooked birthday dinner by Dustin and Dylan's wonderful grandma, Mary. It's so great having her in town!

 

Even though I was super sick on the actual day, it was still a great extended birthday celebration stretching from before my birthday to a week after! Fun! Here's to the exciting year of being 22!

Much Needed Fall Break!

Words cannot describe how badly I needed Fall Break to get here this year. The stress of the week leading up to our 4-day weekend was too much to handle. I had two papers due the same day, a BAD bout of sickness, tests, regular class assignments, club meetings, opera rehearsal, and the medical struggles of my 91-year-old Grandma to grapple with. I was too exhausted, too stressed out, and stretched too thin to enjoy the week. Needless to say, I *sighed* a HUGE breath of relief when Friday at 5pm rolled around and I was able to escape all the stresses of the week and skip town with my favorite man!

Part 1: Yakima Get-Away!

Dustin and I stayed at my "in-laws-removed" in Yakima, WA (Central/Eastern side of WA). For those who don't follow that relation, we stayed with Cody and Audre and Gabe. Cody is my Sister-in-Law's brother...so my brother's brother and sister in-law and nephew. Make sense? Good.

Anyway, here's a rundown of our awesome activities!

We played with the cutest baby ever!

Picked pumpkins from a pumpkin patch!

Tasted quite a few yummy wines from local vineyards

Picked our own  apples from an orchard down the road

 Now that's what I call *teamwork*! Before I realized what was happening, my strong boy had me scooped up onto his shoulders to help me reach the highest apples! =)

 

Some of us even got baby snuggles!

And to end the great trip, we saw beautiful fall colors and the gorgeous  Mt. Rainier on our drive home

Part 2: Tacoma Fun!

Upon arriving back home in Tacoma, the Fall Break fun continued! 

I was able to relax and simply watch T.V. WHAT? That never happens!

 

I was able to finally go bowling with Dustin and Dylan! It's their Monday night ritual, but I'm usually too bogged down with homework to join them!

 

My speech therapist informed me I could start singing again! Big smiles all around! Now I just need to gradually work up to singing full-time again!

I treated myself to a much needed  massage. It was heavenly!

(clearly not me...but you get the idea!) 

And I even had the time to squeeze in a last minute haircut! I feel like a new woman!

I'm not thrilled to jump back into the stresses of school and the crazy routine I lead, but luckily for me, I still have many more things to look forward to, including:

1. Celebrating my 22nd Birthday!
2. Halloween!
3. Singing again!
4. Thanksgiving!
5. Random little moments of spending time with those I love!

Here's to hoping everyone else had a relaxing, rejuvenating, and re-energizing fall break!
Everyone deserves it!

Entering to Win a Giveaway

PinkPeonies is giving away cards from JenniferHallsmark

Click here to see more!

 

Blogging About Happiness

Today was just one of those days where the world was on my side! Don't you just LOVE days like that? For that reason, I've decided to blog about anything and everything that makes me happy! Starting with this particular arrangement of 'American Boy' that I just discovered last night (Afro-Blue from 'The Sing Off')

 

These inspirations of 'happiness' appear in no particular order, just as they come to mind!

1. My family. There are some rough times going on with my family right now as my 91-year-old Grandma battles medical issues. I know my mom is having a tough time, but I still love my family and wish them only happiness!

2. Fro-yo with Friends! Yay Two Punch Tuesdays at Gibsons!

 

3. Wheel Of Fortune. Yup. I just went to live auditions tonight and was randomly selected to be on stage, AND I solved the puzzle! I couldn't be happier! Here's to hoping I can actually get on the show! And a special thanks to Melanie for coming with to keep me company!!!

4. Getting a 95% on the first paper I wrote this year for Music History. I pulled an all-nighter, I felt confident in my argument, and it turns out that I nailed it!

 

5. This boy. We've had our ups and downs, but after time apart, we're back together and very happy. He just puts really big smiles on my face...all the freaking time.

6. While we're on the topic, I love the little surprises from Dustin.

7. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Covered Caramel Apples. 'Nuff said.

  

8. The opportunity to be a cast member in Up With People! Words cannot describe how ANXIOUS and EXCITED I am to be a part of this organization!

Up With People Website

My 'Up With People' Blog - check it out!

9. Fall!!! And the fact that it's October...AKA My BIRTHDAY and HALLOWEEN!

10. Passages! And my Passagees! And Camp Parsons! Everything about Passages, really!

 11. 'What She Said' - I miss getting to sing with these girls (and our new mems!) Dumb vocal nodes.

 

12. My puppies.

 

13. These girls. My lifelines!

 

14. Snuggies! Especially since our house is freezing!

15. Cake decorating and all the fun I have with it!

16. Being woken up with a kiss! Aw!

 

I could go on and on. So many things/people/moments make me happy...but unfortunately homework isn't one of them. I've procrastinated enough today, so now it's time to get my reading done! Bleh.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like FALL!!!

Enjoy a little Wynton Marsalis on the awesome jazz standard, "Autumn Leaves," while you read! 

(Man, this piece is genius! It blows my mind every time!)

Fall has arrived! My favorite!!! The weather is cooler, the air is crisper, and my senses are all a buzz for cinnamon spice, pumpkin anything, and warm apple crisp! The latter is what inspired this post, in fact!

I walked in the door from opera rehearsal tonight ITCHING to bake something fall inspired! I knew I had graham crackers to work with, so I Googled "graham cracker recipes." That lead me down the path of wanting to make some kind of apple crisp, but I only had applesauce to work with. NO PROBLEM! Behold, the most delicious, easy fall dessert EVER! It literally took me 5 min. to throw together!

There's no title for it. But my housemates lovingly entitled it "Fall in a Bowl" (it makes your taste buds do a little happy fall dance!)

Here's my take on the recipe...I adjusted a few things to my liking!

Ingredients:

2 cups applesauce (cinnamon, preferred. If plain, add cinnamon to it!)

1/3 cup brown sugar (the original called for 1/2 cup and it was a bit much)

1/3 cup chopped nuts

1/3 cup oats (mixed with a little wheat germ if you have it. If not, no biggie!)

1 cup roughly crushed graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup butter (or margarine) softened
Cinnamon for garnish

Whipped topping/ice cream (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Pour applesauce in a 9X9 pan.

In a bowl, mix brown sugar, nuts, oats, graham crackers, and butter. 

Sprinkle on top of applesauce.

Sprinkle on a bit of cinnamon if so desired!

Bake for 15-20 min. until the top turns golden.

Serve warm in a bowl (it's not thick enough to hold itself together on a plate).

TA DA! So good. So fall!

I'll be sure to post more of our Halloween house decorations once it's daylight and I snap some photos! Go bake!

Vocal Nodes? Say It Ain't So!

 

 I've been having vocal trouble for a while, but it got progressively worse over the summer. As I attempted practicing my song for my brother's wedding, I was noticing problems, but I attributed it to not having practiced in a while! Then I worked at a summer camp where I was constantly using my voice, and often having to use my voice at louder levels than normal. Everyday I'd drive home hating how my throat/voice felt. Everything just ached!

Then school started. I was an orientation leader, and orientation leaders are notorious for yelling- that's just how they get pumped up. But I knew I wouldn't be able to participate in all the yelling and boisterous activities because I didn't want to hurt my voice. We went camping at Passages for a week, and being in the elements and talking to new students 24/7, my voice really began to not like me. I got back and immediately emailed my voice professors.

I set up an appointment with an ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat Doctor) and had a fiber-laryngoscope inserted into my nose so that the doctor could look at my vocal cords. 

 

This is what they put up my nose. Fun, no?

The doctor diagnosed me with small Singer's nodes...or Vocal nodules. NOT what I wanted to hear. Basically, this is what my vocal cords look like 

 (*disclaimer, this isn't a picture of my larynx. But a lot of people are unclear about what nodes actually are and have been asking me...so here you go)

Nodes are basically calluses on my vocal cords that prevent proper oscillation. The folds don't close all the way when they vibrate together for phonation, and therefore a lot of air escapes and pitch is lost. It makes singing a chore and very effortful. It also makes talking quite exhausting, which I'm finding out more and more.

I've not been able to sing at all this semester, which is breaking my heart. I sit in both of my choirs getting to listen to the awesome music taking place around me, but I'm not able to partake. I'm behind on my solo vocal work, which is unfortunate because I wanted to give a recital this April, but we'll have to see how I progress. And I was fortunate to be cast in the opera, but I have to learn my role mentally until I'm better enough to sing.

So, many might be wondering, "How do you get rid of those?"

Well...That's a good question, because right now doctors are making me ANGRY! I am supposed to attend speech therapy to work with a speech pathologist, but there have been problems with my insurance and blah blah blah. So hopefully I'll be working with one soon to correct how I speak (because that's where my speech problems lie...not in my singing voice).

I am taking medication for allergies and acid reflux to help control irritation to my cords. 

Hopefully with time, patience, and the willingness to quit talking as much and really focus on my speech therapy exercises, I'll be able to overcome these nodes. They have certainly been putting a damper on my life and I'm ready to sing again!

If anyone wants to learn more for any reason, you can look at 

http://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/nodulespolyps.htm