WHEEL! OF! FORTUNE!!!

So, Wheel of Fortune! 

Some may make fun of me for loving the show so much, but I can't help it! I was raised watching the show, and darn it - I'm good at it! 

(the board I was graciously given to write on today.)

My journey started back on October 5th when I ventured to the lovely (note the sarcasm) Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma for the WheelMobile event. Let me set the scene for you:

Hundreds of weird people who all claim to be the BIGGEST Wheel of Fortune fans who watch every night and claim they can solve every puzzle all huddled in a big ballroom at the back of this lovely casino. The hour is upon us...the magical moment when the audition is to start! Imagine the most obnoxious, antiquated, BLARRING rendition of Wheel Of Fortune music blasting through the casino speakers. Aw heck, just click here and listen along so you can REALLY get the essence of what we experienced!

 Everyone goes crazy. The lights flash all around. And then appear the most ridiculous people EVER! Marty and...some platinum blonde chick in a neon green dress. Can't remember her name (maybe Stephanie?). But Marty is HANDS DOWN the most energetic, overwhelming human being I have ever encountered. I was terrified. See?

Everyone in the room fills out a little slip of paper about themselves with name and contact info. Then, they pull out a big rotating metal bin and pull out five names at a time. If called, you have to jump up like a maniac, run around and scream like a chicken with its head cut off, and let them know that you're making your way up to the stage. Some did this better than others!

Then those five have a one-on-one Q&A with Marty to introduce themselves and brag about weird things. Or sing songs. Or dance. You'd also be amazed at how many wackos LOVE talking about their 6 cats, 4 dogs, 17 fish, 2 turtles, and 3 horses that they have at home!

After all the intros, they play the game rapid fire like the last round of the actual show. Each player has 3 seconds to call out a letter and/or solve the puzzle. Then someone eventually solves it, everyone jumps up and down, you get a dinky prize like a blinky pen and KOMO 4 Magnet, and then you leave the stage! Then they call up 5 more and the process repeats itself over and over until the audition time is up.

The chances of actually being called up were slim-to-none, considering how many people filled the room. I never thought I'd actually be called up, but in the last round, LOW AND BEHOLD...They called my name!! ME! I got super excited, but instantly super nervous!

I went backstage, had my picture taken, found my seat on the side of the stage, and waited. When it was my group's turn, we each stood on our green X taped on the ground. I interviewed with Marty (He may be annoying and obnoxious, but up close, he's HOTT!) I survived being put on the spot during my interview, got back to my mark, and then we played!

I ended up solving the puzzle for my round by shouting out the answer ("BACK AND FORTH") the second time my turn came around. Huzzah! I was quite proud of myself and high-fived Marty. Whoo! I exited stage with my newly acquired XXXL Wheel of Fortune T-shirt, picture of Pat Sajak and Vanna White, and my KOMO 4 Magnet. ALRIGHT! (again, note the sarcasm) I wasn't sure if I'd make it to the next round of auditions, but I could dream...right?

Fastfoward nearly 2 months to Nov. 22nd. RIGHT as I'm boarding my plane to fly home for Thanksgiving I opened up my emailt to see "WHEEL OF FORTUNE FINAL AUDITION INVITATION" (I kid you not...I got this as I was walking down the Jetway.) I couldn't believe it! My audition was set for Dec. 8th at 2:30pm. I couldn't believe my luck! Dec. 8th was the first day of my school's reading period...a day when I wouldn't have class to attend! BRILLIANT! I RSVP'd as quickly as I could...aka, right as I sat down in my seat on the plane! haha. The folks around me probably thought I was insane. Oh well!

Now fastforward to today! Dec. 8th! I made my way up to Seattle to the Sheraton Hotel. I got there early, which was nice because it helped calm my jitters. We filled out sheets about ourselves, and then were eventually seated in the row they directed us to. They created a seating chart by having us call out our names, and they were REALLY big on having us SCREAM our names loudly. If people weren't loud enough, they ostracized them and shook their heads in shame. Needless to say, you won't get on the show if you aren't LOUD! I did my best, and they could understand me loud and clear! Huzzah!

Then we were called one-by-one (at random) to stand up in our spots and play the game. They were looking to see how well you worked under pressure, how loudly you spoke, how decisive you were, how logical your letter choices were, how many vowels you bought, and how much you smiled! They like smiles! I thought I did pretty well, but I only played a little bit. Oh well. I was loud...and I used my manners. That counts for something, right?

We then took a timed written test to see how well we actually solve puzzles under pressure. FUN! Imagine a sheet full of half-finished hangman puzzles - that's what this test was. We filled out as many as we could in 5 minutes and handed them in. Then we waited.

...and waited.

And watched lots of funny clips of W.o.F. throughout the years. Man there have been some crazy contestants on the show. And some really hilarious ones!

Finally, 45 min. later, they came back into the room and narrowed the 60+ contestants down to 24 of us. I WAS ONE OF THEM! Yay!  They liked me! They took our pictures and then we played more puzzles that more closely resembled the actual game. We even had to act out how we'd go about spinning the 1,000 lb. wheel in front of us! tee hee. I presented myself well, once again, even though I wasn't allotted the amount of game time I would have liked! Everyone in my round got two turns except for me, but oh well!

At the end of our game, we took time to (loudly) introduce ourselves and make ourselves sound interesting, just as we would if we were on the show talking to Pat. Believe it or not, I knew I'd have to do this, so I rehearsed with myself on my drive up to Seattle. Hey, what else is a girl alone in her car supposed to do? It paid off!

All 24 contestants played, and the folks in charge left the room again. They came back a couple of minutes later and announced that they'd like to see a couple of us play once more. Five names were called. Yet again...I WAS ONE OF THEM! I'm really hoping this means good things for my future as a contestant on the actual show!

We'll know in the next 2 weeks whether or not we'll head to L.A. or Portland for taping. They send an actual letter, so that makes me nervous because I won't be at my local address to receive it if it comes once I'm back home for winter break! I might make my dear boyfriend make a trip or two by my house to stalk my mailbox! I won't possibly be able to wait to know if I have a letter waiting for me or not!

It's been a fun and exciting experience, even if it doesn't result in me actually being on the show. But here's to hoping I get that glorious letter of invitation to join Pat and Vanna on the greatest show of all! If nothing else, I have a mini-pencil that says, "I auditioned for Wheel Of Fortune" to help commemorate this whole ordeal! What else could a girl want? =)

I'm Leavin' On a Jet Plane...But Not Just Yet...

I thought this awesome Flash Mob video would be appropriate since it takes place in the setting of my story!

Once upon a time there was a college student named Amy. She was usually quite organized, but then came the fateful day of Nov. 27th...the day she was to fly back to Tacoma, WA after Thanksgiving break.

She managed to wake up at the butt-crack-of-dawn, rising at 5:15am. She got ready, packed the last of her belongings, said goodbye to the family pets, and waltzed merrily out the door with breakfast in hand. Little did she know she had absent-mindedly left her most important possession behind!

The 35 min. car ride to the airport came and went. She hopped out at the departures gate to unload her luggage and say her goodbyes, but then the moment of TERROR struck! "WHERE IS MY PURSE!?!" the frantic maiden exclaimed! It wasn't in the front, middle, or back seats! WHERE COULD IT BE!?! The purse contained her boarding pass, keys, money, and most importantly, her photo I.D. Without the last piece, she would not be able to fly! OH NO!

In a desperate attempt, Amy called her still-sleeping Uncle Rick at home to ask him if the purse was still at the house! It was. He found it exactly where she had left it...at the bottom of the stairs. Her family promptly departed from the airport, traveler and luggage still in tow, and they raced back home!

On the ride back home, Amy called Southwest (the best airline EVER) and explained her dilemma. The nice woman calmed her telling her not to fear! If Amy were to arrive at the airport within 2 hours of her missed flight, she'd be automatically bumped onto the next one, free of charge! HUZZAH! The young maiden's worries were over...or so she thought!

Upon pulling into her driveway, Amy ZIPPED into the house, snatched her purse, and jumped back in the car. They were off...again! Back to the airport they raced. It was currently 7:30am. The next plane left at 9:10am...WOULD THEY MAKE IT?

She finally jumped out at the departure gate (yet again) at 8am. Phew! She thought she'd make it! But it would still be a tight squeeze! Goodbyes were quickly said, and the young maiden hurried her little behind into the Southwest queue-line. But oh no! Right when she thought she was in the clear, she realized she only had 1 of her 2 bags! Why ever was she so forgetful this morning?

Amy hurriedly called her father to let him know the situation, but it went straight to his voicemail! But right then, the hero of the hour called back! Her father said, "You forgot the pink bag! I'm circling back around! Meet me outside!"

She leapt out of line, raced outside, and met her father. The bag was snatched, the father drove off, and the young maiden sprinted back inside...only to wait in line...AGAIN!

The service counter attendants were very nice and accommodating, but there was one minor problem. One of them was STILL IN TRAINING! By now, it was 8:15 and the young maiden was TERRIFIED that she would miss the 9:10 flight, forcing her to wait in the airport until 2pm! After what seemed like hours of waiting while the one clerk instructed the other of the proper protocol and which keys to press, the Southwest attendants got her the info she needed, checked her bags, and sent her on her way.

Like a bat out of hell, she sprinted through the airport, dodging any slow-poke in her way! People must have thought her a mad woman! She was pleasantly surprised when she arrived at security and was greeted with the shortest line she had ever encountered at that particular airport! TSA for the win!

She hurried through security, like a boss, ran into the ever-helpful Melanie and arranged a ride home from SeaTac, then promptly got to her gate to check in with the desk clerk. Three customers had missed their connecting flights on the 9:10am flight, so...She snagged a seat! HUZZAH!

In the end, the terrified young traveler got to her destination, and only 2 hours after originally planned! No extra money, no excessive time wasted in airports, but unfortunately an exorbitant amount of stress! All in all, things could have gone terribly wrong for Amy, yet she was lucky and blessed enough to fall into the right fortunes of that particular travel day.

And she lived happily ever after...well, maybe that will be true once finals are over! =)

Santa Baby!

'Tis the Season! It's hard to believe we're almost at the end of 2011, but December is nearly upon us!

After an interesting traveling adventure today (more on that in a later post!), I decided to take some time to unwind and relax and do a little online perusing! On the (1st) trip to the airport today, my Mom was inquiring about what I might want for Christmas. She requested a list, so I figured I'd go all out and include pictures and *gasp* helpful links!

This year, I'd appreciate if Santa left these things under the tree!

1. Saucy gray boots, preferably tall, preferably flat, and preferably leather, like these!

(I originally found these at Kohls, but found them cheaper here!)

 

2. A fun, glitzy "big girl" watch. I searched and searched, and my heart fell in love with this Fossil Imogene Stainless Steel Watch in Gold Tone. It's got the right balance of gold and silver, with accents of diamond, and also pearl! It's bound to go with ANY outfit!

(Although I first found it on Macy's website, I found it even cheaper online at Amazon.com!)

 

3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. I was going to ask for both parts, but in my search online, I found Part 1 for SUPER cheap, with free shipping, and I could use my Cash Back reward points from Discover, so I indulged a little! So now I'm asking Santa for just Part 2, please! Then my collection will be complete! =)

 

4. A sparkly sweater! I searched and searched and couldn't find many in the style I was looking for, but eventually found this in black. While I'd prefer a silver sweater over any other color, I still think the black is classy! 

5. When all else fails, $$$ contributions to my UWP Journey! =)

 

Oh! And it'd be SUPER neat if Santa could bring me this boy for Christmas, but I'm guessing that can't happen =(

Now if only my loving parents and brother and sister-in-law would make me explicit Christmas lists! Then my life would be oh-so-merry! 

Here's to having a very, merry holiday season and surviving the last chunk of school!!!

Entering Another Giveaway

Entering to win a giveaway on a blog I follow.

Check it out! PinkPeonies Pureology Giveaway

That's all for now!

Halloween Fun!

 

(I adore this movie and its soundtrack! And how cool is this light design?)

We had a Halloween party at the house this year! It was fun! Naturally, everyone had to wear a costume! Here are all the housemates!

C

Beth, the witch, Kristin, some rocker guy's girlfriend- I can't remember haha! 

Me, Hobbes, Hope, a lady pirate, and Cailin, Daphne from Scooby-Doo.

Dustin and I had planned our Calvin and Hobbes costume for last Halloween, but then realized we didn't have an occasion to wear them! So, it was great that we could use them this year!

 

For those not familiar with the comic, here's a comparison!

Lindsay and Ariel showed up at the Mozarts, so we felt compelled to take a "couples" picture! haha

 

I found a recipe on The Sweet Adventures of Sugar Belle weeks back that I'd been wanting to try! They were the cutest little candy corn cookies, so I figured I'd make them for our party! They were a multi-step process, but pretty easy to do! The recipe and directions can be found here.

I thought the dough looked a lot like bacon! haha. But this was after layering the dough in the bread pan and letting it chill. I think if I make these again I'd almost double the recipe. I didn't have enough dough to make each layer prominent enough for my liking!

 

Cut them and bake them

 And to finish them off and make them truly look like candy corns, you dip them in yellow chocolate melts! Yummy!

Adelphian Tradition on 10/31: Wear your costume to choir! Yay folks who dressed up!

 

It was fun being in a house this year and having some cute little trick-or-treaters! Ah, the childhood memories! Love it!

Happy Halloween, everyone! Now onto November and Turkey Time! =)

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

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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.