The Morning Report: February (Accidental Theatre Edition)

Sometimes I think that I’ll post something during the hours that I should actually be awake.  And then I laugh at myself, go do something else, and come back to post at 12:30am.  But here we are anyways, so let’s get rolling.

Currently…

Drinking: WATER!  Or, at least trying to drink water.  I have learned fairly recently that water is kind of magical.  It clears up my skin, helps me lose weight, and can be drunk out of really cute vessels.  If there’s one thing I know about myself, it’s that I will not drink water if I don’t have something cute to drink it out of.  Lately, I’ve been drinking out of either a mason jar with a straw or this really cute water bottle that a friend gave me for Christmas (the sticker was a gift from a separate friend):

And, as my water bottle says, I am also Rehearsing: Poland! We just started dress rehearsals tonight for our stateside performances and we will be having shows this weekend.  I am also starting rehearsals for Seussical in exactly a week (next Monday), and I need to pick a song for my audition.  Speaking of which, I have been…

Singing: Sondheim.  My voice teacher made the decision to have a Sondheim focus for our spring recital, meaning that I will either be singing (most likely) On the Steps of the Palace or Moments in the Woods.  While you’re on that playlist, just listen to all of those songs if you haven’t already.  It’s well worth your time.  And for all who don’t know, Stephen Sondheim is a brilliant composer, known for such musicals as Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd, and Sunday in the Park with George.

Wearing: Stage makeup, good gosh.  I realized as I was putting it all on, once again, for dress rehearsal, that I between Aladdin and Poland, I have spent more time this month with stage makeup applied than without.  Which, if I’m honest, is fine by me.  Anything involving the theatre is my happy place.

Swishing: Coconut oil.  I am a new convert to oil pulling.  I try to do it every night, along with a honey face mask.  Here are the benefits of each:

Oil Pulling:  Benefits: Draws out toxins in the mouth, freshens breath, whitens teeth, strengthens jaw.  Instructions: Deposit a fair amount of coconut oil into your mouth and swish for 20 minutes.  I use about a teaspoon, but I’ve heard of people using as much as a tablespoon.  Fair warning, it is a strange sensation to have oil in your mouth, and it took me a good couple of weeks to keep from gagging when I first started.  I’ve definitely seen a difference in the whiteness of my teeth, and I’ve noticed that mild mouth sores have healed much faster.

Honey Face Mask: Benefits: Cleans face, helps with acne, gives healthy glow.  Instructions: Cover face with organic honey, leave on for 15 minutes and then wash off.  At the very least, this gives me a very healthy glow and just makes my skin happy in general. I highly recommend.

Watching: Hairspray.  My sister’s college is putting on a big-scale production of Hairspray, so I thought I might as well watch the movie FINALLY.  I really did enjoy it.  My favorite part was (of course) the music and seeing Zac Efron just exist in the ’60’s was a real pleasure.  I’m also still watching Gilmore Girls and Downton Abbey with my mommy, of course.

Listening: To showtunes!  My #1 playlist right now consists of Into the Woods, Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, The Last Five Years, and Les Miserables and it is gorgeous.

Anticipating: Seeing Wicked (second time) in August and possibly seeing Phantom in May.  Also, we have officially bought tickets for another round of OSF in July!  This year’s plays: Much Ado About Nothing, Guys and Dolls, and The Count of Monte Cristo.  I KNOW.

I think that’s all for now.  Sleep is calling my name.  I hope (but no promises) that my next post won’t involve quite so much theatre geeking 🙂

TTFN,

-Gracie

The Morning Report: Happy Not-So-New Year!!

Once upon a time, I thought that I would sit down on January 1st, 2015, and write some kind of super inspirational post about the new year and purpose and all that jazz.  To that, I say “HA!”  So here I am, on January 10th, writing a semi-informative post about how life is going right now.  Here… we… go…

LOVING

-Rehearsal! As I’ve said before in my Morning Report posts, I am going to freaking Poland, and I am SO excited!  I am proud to announce that I am, in fact, fully funded, FINALLY, which means that, well, I can actually go on this trip.  I am especially enjoying getting to know the team that’s going with me, and I’m so excited to get to perform the skits that we’re doing to God’s glory.  I’m also rehearsing for Aladdin, so I’m really loving going home every weekend with Disney songs ringing through my head.  And both of my casts are the BEST.  In fact, Aladdin is opening in a couple weeks, and I think it’s going to be a great show.

-Christmas break.  I got an extra long break this year, because my sister’s home from college, and I adore having her here.  Mainly because she’ll stay up until 5 am watching Disney-Pixar movies with me.  What can I say? She’s my best friend.

WATCHING

-Gilmore Girls.

This my bonding show with my dearest mother.  We’re addicted.

-Agent Carter.

Since only one episode has aired, this is all I have watched, but I love how it’s looking so far.

-Downton Abbey.

Yay, new season!!!

-Into the Woods.

I am, in fact, a massive fan of this show onstage, and let it never be thought of me that I didn’t know of it until the movie came out.  I grew up reading it’s name in playbills and never knowing what it was. I did, however, have the privilege of seeing it in Ashland, and I do think the movie did it justice.  So I’ve watched it twice.  When I’m not watching the movie, I’m either listening to the original Broadway cast recording or watching the Chris Pine/Billy Magnussen “Agony” number over and over… and over… and over…….

READING

   -Harry Potter!!  I’m on the second book now, and I’ve seen the first movie and everything is gorgeous about it.  I’ll admit that I am very late in reading them, but I’m willing to overlook that, if you are, and enjoy them anyway.

-The Hunger Games.  I have yet to begin Catching Fire, but I really did enjoy The Hunger Games.  I specifically enjoyed getting inside Katniss’s head, the way you couldn’t in the movies.

I do think that’s all… and I can’t thank you enough for limping through this post with me.  New posts soon!

-Gracie

The Morning Report: 10:22 p.m. Edition

It’s 10:22.  Logically, the first thing on my mind right now is, “Hey, um… I should blog.”  So here I am.  I’m just gonna update you real quick on, well, EVERYTHING.

School: Senior year, guys!  It’s something I’m really excited about, but I’m realizing that there are reasons that senior year is always so laid back, school-wise.  It’s because there is so much besides school that needs to be done!

1) College.  What I didn’t realize is that a massive part of senior year is figuring out what to do next.  I, personally, would like to go to college and get a degree in drama. Easy enough, right?  NO!  There are so many colleges in this world, you guys!  This has been a HUGE point of surrender for me.  Like, it’s hard to give something away that’s so huge, but I know that God knows what school I need to end up at, if I need to go to college at all, and I really don’t at this point.  So college hunting… that’s a thing.

2) Extra-curricular activities.  I tried to leave room in my schedule this year for a lot of extra stuff.  However, that “extra stuff” has proceeded to pile up and up and up.  Super fun.  But, honestly, I love it.  Right now, I am in rehearsals for a) Aladdin, which a children’s theatre company in my area is putting on. b) a singing/dancing/drama program through the 1700’s. Performing next week! c) A drama mission trip to POLAND.  Yeah, dude.  d) Choir. Yeppers.  And my swamped schedule really hasn’t stopped me from trying to sign up for voice lessons, and hunt for a job. Speaking of which…

3) JOBS.  Remember when I mentioned college?  Yeah… it’s freaking expensive, guys.  So money is good.  And no matter how busy you are, money is necessary.  I’ve applied to three places so far, and I’ll let you know if anything comes of that.

 

Music: One of my sister’s college friends has recently turned her onto an artist, and she, in turn, turned me onto them.  This artist is Twenty One Pilots.  I’ll tell you right now, they’re not for everyone, but please, give them a try.  My favorites by them are “Screen“, and, um, ALL OF THEM.  SERIOUSLY.  So listen.  They not only are super talented, but their music has a great message against suicide and self-harm and all of that.  A subject very close to my heart.

 

Telly: As of right now, my mother and I are watching Once Upon a Time (new post coming in regards to my opinion on this season) and Dancing with the Stars.  I have also successfully completed Seasons 1-9 of How I Met Your Mother *bows*, and when I have a spare second, I am plowing through Season 2 of Arrow.  And GRAVITY FALLS you guys!!!

 

Traveling: AAAAAASHLAAAAND!!! Ashland.  Read this.  More on that later.

 

That’s all for now!!!  I promise I’ll be back within the next couple of days.

Hugs and all that jazz……………. Gracie(:

 

Wisdom Teeth //Day 2//

We have officially plowed our way through day two of Wisdom Teeth Removal Recovery!!!

 

OUCH.

 

That was my first thought when I woke up at 7:30 am after my pain medication had worn off. Therefore, I took more medication, then went back to bed. Once it kicked in, I was able to sleep until about 10-ish and then I dragged myself out of bed. I took the opportunity (being awake) to brush my teeth for the first time in over 24 hours and also take a shower. Then I obliged myself to more Netlfix and Pinterest until my lovely friend (the one who was poking my chin yesterday) came over to keep me company. The first really bright spot in my day was when her brother (the one who let my balloon go) came in with her “just to see if I’m doing okay.”

Then my friend and I spent the remainder of the morning/early afternoon watching such shows as Dragon Tales, New Girl, and ANT Farm (good quality television right there).

After she left, I looked in the mirror and realized (to my chagrin) that there was a fair amount of swelling occurring in my right cheek. I made the decision very early in this process to not have chipmunk cheeks, so I immediately upped my diligence in constantly having an ice pack headdress (or, as my friend’s dad called it, my “jaw bra”) wrapped around my face. I can’t say that the swelling has gone down, but the pain definitely has.

Good News: Today, I was allowed to brush my teeth, swish saltwater in my mouth, and eat hot, soft foods (in addition to cold, soft foods). I was still not, however, allowed to drink out of a straw or spit.

So my diet today consisted of yogurt, pudding, pureed soup, a smoothie, and a milkshake. Very substantial.

And tonight’s romantic comedy: The Proposal… genius.

 

My goals for tomorrow are to make sure my face stops swelling and make sure is starts hurting less. Achievable enough? I suppose we shall see…

WISDOM TEETH OUT!!! //Day 1//

Holo friends!!!

Fun fact: I got my wisdom teeth out! So, I thought, since firstly: I haven’t really blogged anything super interesting in a while, and secondly: I have nothing better to do except watch telly and read, I would tell you guys about it.

SO. UPDATES.

My first day:  My surgery was at 8:30, and I live about 5 minutes away from the surgery place, so I woke up at 8:00 to “Waiting for Superman” by Daughtry and, like any decent person, listened to the whole song before getting out of bed, my only consolation when I did get out of bed being the fact that I was going to right back to sleep in about half an hour. I brushed my teeth, washed my face, put on a sufficiently baggy MNU t-shirt with leggings, and I arrived at the oral surgery place right on time. A very nice man came to call me in. I went back into the operation room all alone (a big step for me), and the nice man sat me down in the big chair, and asked me some questions. Here’s the thing guys: I was super nervous about this surgery, but everyone there was SO nice, and it made me SO un-nervous. I firmly believe that God put these people in that room for me. So the nice man was just going on and on about when he got his wisdom teeth out and how easy it was. Then he put these sticky things on me to “monitor my heartbeat” (which sounded a little bit to me like “make sure you don’t die”) and gave me oxygen to “calm me down.” Then a nice lady came in and gave me my sleep IV and put one of those fancy finger clip things that people get in the hospitals in the movies (I can’t describe to you how legit I felt). As I lay there, calming down, the oral surgeon came in and said to me, and I quote, “In a second, you’re going to go to sleep; just go on your own personal vacation…” (way less creepy than it sounds to me typing it right now) I have to say, falling asleep was probably my favorite part of this whole process.

Now comes the recovery. Before you ask, I made a very strict no-filming policy for this whole process, so I have no “loopy” footage of the drive home. All I really remember is that the nice man, when I woke up, escorted me into a recovery room, and the oral surgeon talked at me and my mom for a while about recovery stuff (I remember nothing) and then we left. All I remember (and all Mommy’s told me) is that I was really happy and super excited about the fact that I couldn’t feel my face. I remember smiling a lot, even though it hurt like heck. At the time, couldn’t feel my cheeks, my chin, my lower lip, or my tongue AT ALL.

So then I got home and sat on my nice green comfy chair and watched, like, 10 episodes of Hannah Montana, my mommy (my WONDERFUL mommy) buying me smoothies and changing my gauze, and cleaning smoothie off my face while I tried to find my mouth with my smoothie spoon (trying to feed smoothie to my chin… really funny…), then drooled because… I was numb. After a while, my tongue started tingling, but my lip and chin were still dead.

My two lovely best friends came to visit for a short time. One bringing flowers and a card, and dressing like a monk (which really actually just means wearing a brown hoodie) because I had told her that with my ice pack head wrap, I looked like a swollen nun. My other friend arrived with talk of a balloon that her family had bought, but that her four-year-old brother had inadvertently let float away. They proceeded to then describe the balloon to me, and I really think it was fantastic. Thanks guys, it’s the thought that counts. This friend also made it her mission to persistently exploit my numb chin, touching it (I thought she was fake-touching it at first… I could feel NOTHING), then telling her little sister and aforementioned four-year-old brother to touch it too (for the record, I was legitimately okay with this). Then her sister says, “Hey, so someone could totally just come in and draw on your face and you would have no idea!” I can’t say I am legitimately okay with the evil gleam that proceeded into my best friend’s eye at this point. I will be sleeping with one eye open tonight. GOOD NEWS though, my chin is now tingly, as my tongue was before, so I am expecting full feeling my morning.

After my friends left, I spent the remainder of my evening finishing the last episodes of “New Girl,” catching up on YouTube subscriptions, changing my gauze (done with that, thank goodness), and trying to put chap stick on my lips. My chin is very well moisturized, ladies and gentlemen.

I am now getting ready to eat dinner, my choices consisting of applesauce, pudding, jell-o, or a smoothie, and my mother and I are going to watch “Miss Congeniality,” that being the movie chosen out of an assortment of rom-coms, retrieved from Blockbuster for my viewing enjoyment.

To finish, our current status is: No longer numb in the tongue, and growing less numb in the chin and lower lip, done bleeding, not really in pain, fed up with sitting alone at the computer with only Netflix and Pinterest to keep me company, and hoping for some longer-term visitors tomorrow!

Should be a fun next couple of days! UPDATES TOMORROW!

–Gracie

 

The Morning Report (January)

This is Gracie, checking in with the morning report! I plan to make this the first installment of a series of “report card” posts towards the end of each month. Just to let y’all know what’s happenin’.

Resolutions:

Spending time in The Word– I am by no means reading my Bible or having my quiet time daily, but I am doing it on a far more regular basis than I ever have, and, believe it or not, I am seeing actual results! So this one is going great so far.

Exercising- I started out so well… I did it every other day, it was GREAT. And… now not so much. I’ll work on it.

Eating right– I’m eating better than I have in a while and really keeping track of what I’m eating. I think if I get back on top of my exercise I’ll start seeing results here too.

Keeping bedroom tidy- HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAhahahahahaha…heh…heh…hrm.

Reading- YES! I finished both The Marquis Secret and The Bad Beginning (the latter in a day and a half) and I am now reading Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. I am really loving this resolution! For the first time, I am enjoying delving into some really good literature and have plenty of good books on my list. I am very motivated to keep doing well on this one. On a side note, I LOVED both of the books that I finished this month! I would read both of them again for sure. You should read them.

Netflix– This is, by far, my most successful resolution. The only TV I’ve been watching is Downton Abbey with my mother and sister (we’re all addicted and are currently getting caught up to the current season [more on this later]) and Sherlock… which obviously didn’t go on for very long…

……..

Controlling time on the internet/phone– Internet: better. Phone: Just fine and dandy.

Giving God first place in my life/loving like Jesus– I have definitely grown to understand more what it means to give God everything, and how much trust that takes. I’ve gotten better at it, and simultaneously worse. It’s getting easier, and it is definitely changing me. Overall, going pretty well.

 

Currently…

Drinking- LEMON WATER!!! I’ve heard it’s good for you. I’ve yet to actually look up why. I like the way it tastes. I feel like I’m doing something good for myself when I drink it. I drink it out of a mason jar with a bendy straw because it makes me feel good about myself.

Watching–

Downton Abbey.

This was the first show that my mother got successfully addicted to, on Season 3. I caught on at Episode 2 of Season 3 and we’ve been watching ever since. Now we are getting all the past seasons from Netflix so we can get caught up, and simultaneously watching current episodes to stay caught up… it’s a process. I have to say this is officially my current favorite show. And (SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT) it is very refreshing to see Matthew and Sybil again.

Once Upon a Time.

Show #2 that my mother has gotten hooked on, and show #1 that she has legitimately whined over when my sister and I threatened to watch a movie instead of this lovely piece of fairytale magic. We finished all the episodes on Netflix, and are trying to find season three on the internet so we can get caught up on this one as well.

Doctor Who: Season 7.

I’ve finally moved on from my emotionally scarring experience with The Angels Take Manhattan and when we have a free evening (which is rare) my sister and I will watch a Clara episode. We only have a few more and then I’ll be completely caught up and ready (slash not ready at all) for Peter Capaldi to make his smashing entrance.

 

Traveling:

To Hawaii!!! We just got back from a lovely excursion to the lovely island of Maui, and I have to say I am pretty darn proud of my tan (: It was my first time to Hawaii and it was so nice staying right on the beach and getting a week of escape from the cold (SO COLD) here in my lovely hometown.

 

So… that’s all I suppose. Sorry for the very scattered and probably very boring update here… I promise I will some more exciting posts in the near future.

Au Revoir……………. Gracie

 

 

Love Me Some Resolutions!

Well, would you look at that? It’s 2014 now! Long since time for resolutions and updates and all that jazz. So here I am, late with my New Year’s update post. Here goes:

Firstly: Resolutions. I’ve never done “official” New Year’s Resolutions before, but this year, I really felt like I wanted a good start on the new year, so I made a lovely little list of my goals for the new year.

1- Spend time in God’s word every day.

At first, for this resolution, I wanted to just say “spend time in God’s word regularly,” but, knowing myself, I knew that if I set my goals higher, I would have better ultimate results. So far, I have done my “quiet time” on the 1st, the 3rd, and today, the 9th. This may seem like a shabby amount, but for me, who’s starting point was nothing this has been a step in the right direction. I have been doing Jim Stephen’s Gracenotes Devotionals and I love them to death.

2- Exercise regularly (3x/week or every other day).

This has gone better than I ever expected it to! Now, I know that everyone makes this resolution every year, and really, I have been trying to do this for months, but putting it into a resolution really did give me that extra push I needed. I’ve been exercising reliably every other day, either at our local Athletic Club or on our back patio, jump roping (10 minutes of jump roping is equivalent of 30 minutes of running!). I am really with how this resolution is shaping up.

3- Stop snacking/control eating habits.

I chose this one mainly for the same reasons I chose my previous one: to shed the few pounds that I put on in 2013, and to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I’ve been thinking lately about how soon I will be leaving home for college, etc, and how hard it is to stay fit when you’re on your own. This has been going pretty well, and I have set up a limit of what I’m “allowed” to eat every day.

4- Give God total control of my life.

This is something that God has really put on my heart recently, because if there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that if I let God handle everything, everything just turns out better all-around. This has been going really well so far.

5- Keep my room tidy.

Notice, I didn’t say “spotless,” I said “tidy.” Meaning I would like it to stay livable. What is pictured above is an extraordinary improvement from what was erupting in that area previously.

6- READ!

I have a confession to make: I have never been a very big reader… but the thing is, I want to be a reader, so this year my goal is to read ten books. A small goal, but achievable. The book on the right pictured above, “The Marquis’ Secret” by George MacDonald is the book I’m reading currently. It’s the sequel to “The Fisherman’s Lady.” The other book is “The Bad Beginning,” book the first in A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. I’ve been wanting to read this series for a considerable amount of time, and I just picked up this one at Barnes and Noble yesterday… I’m SUPER excited about it.

7- Watch Netflix in moderation.

Now, the part of this resolution that you and I should be focusing on is not the “watch Netflix” part, but the “in moderation” part. You see, as a fangirl, I am a part of fandoms, many of which involve the teli. So I have decided that this year, I am going to, not completely stop watching Netflix (and other television), but rather watch it, as I said, “in moderation.” I’ve only watched a couple of shows just to pass the time this year, so this one is going splendiferously!

8- Get over my internet addiction.

I am very much addicted to the internet. As I have come to terms with this fact, I have decided to change it. This resolution has not gone as well as I hoped, but I have a whole year to get on track, so we will not give up!

9- Control my time on my phone.

I got a phone for Christmas (YAY!) so I just want to make sure it does not become an extension of me. I’ll let you know at the end of the month how this shapes up.

10- Be a better daughter, sister, friend, ie: Love like Jesus.

I mentioned in this post about the 1st Corinthians 13 Challinge. If there’s one thing that made as much of a difference in my life as giving God control of it, it was taking this challenge to heart and really trying to learn how to love like Jesus. I am trying my very best to put this in the forefront of everything.

 

There you have it: 10 resolutions to be kept throughout 2014! I will be starting to do a monthly “Report Card/Update” post to keep y’all up to date on how this thang is going (:

Best of luck on all of your resolutions!

 

–Belle ❤

I’M BAAACK!!! :D

So… guys. Some apologies are in order, aren’t they? I just wanted to apologize for I neglecting you for so long… and I’m especially sorry I didn’t warn you before I took this respite from all of you.

I just wanted to let you know that I am alive, that I have not abandoned you, and that I will do my best this coming week to make up for lost time (:

Getting ready to buckle down and blog!

–Gracie