WAHOOOOOOOOOOOO!

ZIPLINE ZIPLINE ZIPLINE I LOVE THE ZIPLINE!

This morning I got up at 8, made waffles for everyone, and then we went on our way. We got to Wahoo a little early, filled out our forms, and then got all suited up. Our guides were Alejandro and Greg, aka the NICEST zipline guides in the history of forever. We got our gear on, hopped in a bus, and we were off.

They drove us up to the first one. Ohhh boy my hands were shaking. Actually, my everything was shaking. But I was SO excited. We went with two other families, so there were 11 of us. A few people went ahead of me, then I decided, IT WAS TIME. So I jumped up, Alejandro said, "You ready?" and I said ".....Sure." He laughed at me, then shoved me off the platform. Hahahaha. It was AMAZING!! I was completely terrified, and I couldn't brake myself worth a darn, but I loved every second of it. I hit the landing, kicked the stool, Greg grabbed me and got me down. Hahaha. Marika and my mom actually did it too!!!! I was so impressed. After that, we moved on to the next one. They kept letting us do different things, like letting go of the ropes, going upside down, going tandem, and racing. I've been making lots of progress in my daredevil abilities, but I wasn't quite at that. The most I mustered was a lean back and grabbing at the line. But! I did it! And it was amazing! There were 6 lines, and the last one, I actually ran and jumped off. Yeaah!!! Next time, I'll totally try letting go of the line. =P

After the zip line, I bought a t-shirt (I HAD to!) and then we went to lunch at Happy Jack's BBQ. It was yummy, cheap, and a really cute local place. From there, we went to the Apple Barn, which was commercially, touristy, and not really my cup of tea. Then we grabbed some groceries, and headed back to the cabin.

I spent two or so hours doing homework (how exciting), uploaded all of the Wahoo pictures, and now we're baking mini apple pies/making dinner!

Tomorrow we leave. =[ I'm so sad. I wish we could stay longer. But I will DEFINITELY be bringing friends back here, and we will DEFINITELY be ziplining. It is SO AWESOME.

PICTURES, OF COURSE! (There are 117 on facebook, if you want to see every picture we took there, including the 36 professional shots we bought from them. hahahaha)

The Postal Service and You: A story of love, loss, and the thought of arson.

Oh, life. You are always testing me, aren't you?

Wednesday night I eventually got to sleep around 2. Thursday, I got up at 7, packed my car, and was almost late to class. Oy. My whole visual merchandising group showed up, thank goodness, but half the class wasn't there. Not good. Went to work, then CBH, where Annie did a fabulous job on her presentation, then to Econ where I wanted to run awaaaay. After that class, I FINALLY got a hold of the half off depot people, who said my tickets were out for delivery. Even though they were supposed to arrive Wednesday. Ugh. Annie and I went to the farmer's market, I spent WAY too much money (Please check out Homegrown Alabama and Druid City Garden Project) on zucchini, sweet potatoes, hot sauce, honey, and creamed honey (which I had never heard of, but was delicious!), and we talked to the egg lady about getting some eggs next week. She is adorable.

After that, Annie took me to my car, and I ran home to see if the tickets were there. They were not. But I had a LOVELY notice that they had tried to get them to me, but they required a signature. Oh. no. I was MAD. I told the lady to waive the signature requirement, AND they were supposed to be delivered Wednesday! So I took my notice to the Post Office, and when it was finally my turn, the lady said that driver wasn't back, and there was no guarantee I could get it today. No no no, that is unacceptable. I explained to her that I needed it that day, and she would not help me out. She wouldn't call the driver, she just took down my name and said good luck. Ugh. So I told her well, I'm going to wait for the driver. In my car. In the parking lot. This was at 4 pm. They close at 5. At 4:45 I went back in to check if the driver was back. No dice. So I told her look, I need these tonight, I need to be able to get them after you close. So she gave my number to the lady who stays late to sort packages, who said she would call me once it arrived.

So I went back to my car. And I waited.

Of course, I was not pleased. I think those of you who know me know what I mean when I say I'm not pleased. I mean I was calling my mom and Annie yelling about how incompetent these people were, and threatening arson on the building. Obviously, I wasn't serious. But in that moment, ooooooh boy, I wanted to be.

So I continued to wait. And wait. And wait. Around 6 pm (after 2 hours of waiting in the parking lot) I got fed up and drove into the loading dock. I'm not really sure I was allowed to, but I didn't really care. I talked to two of the drivers, who told me to talk to the supervisor, who told me my package was there (!!!!!!) and that she would get it for me. THANK YOU FOR NOT CALLING ME, CRANKY WOMAN IN YOUR ILLFITTING SWEATER. Thank goodness I'm so dang persistent. They brought it out, I signed for it, and I was on my way. Not before they told me the Half Off Depot lady had not actually brought it to a post office, so rather than being next day express, it ended up being two day express, which is NOT what I paid $20 for. Thank you for not doing your job correctly.

I started on my way to Louisville, KY. I'm really sad that it wasn't light out, because it was a really pretty drive. I got really excited going through downtown Nashville, and about jumped out of my chair when I hit Louisville. It's REALLY pretty. Or at least, the area my mom was staying. Of course, it was 2 am when I arrived, and I hadn't stood up in 4 hours, so when I got out I about fell down. Oy. The hotel was SUPER nice. Around 9:30 this morning, housekeeping started banging on my door. I was like WHAT IS THAT?! and I walked towards the door and she knocked lightly and said "Housekeeping." I was like, oh I'm onto your games, housekeeper.. I told her to come back later. I meant to get up at 10:30, but I didn't hear my alarm, so around 11:30 here comes crazy housekeeper again with her banging, so I poked my head out and said "Come back later please!" which seemed to make her calm down. I packed up, checked out, and went to explore Louisville. I didn't make it very far, before I found the sweet mall I saw the night before. I went to Macy's, which was faaabulous because they actually had their higher end brands in it. Let me tell you, Louisville has some money. I bought two sweaters at Old Navy, then met my mom.

The drive to Sevierville was about 3 1/2 hours, which wasn't too bad. The cabin is BEAUTIFUL. I spent an hour in the hot tub, and tomorrow we are going zip lining and apple picking. SO EXCITING.

So there you have it.

To sum it all up:

Half Off Depot is not the most reliable company in the world. (Which, I mean, really, who expects it to be with that kind of name?)

The Postal Service is a terrible awful place full of terrible awful people.

When Theresa gets REALLY upset, arson begins to cross her mind.

Theresa loves driving.

Apparently Theresa likes to speak in third person when summing everything up.

Louisville is pretty.

Sevierville is pretty.

Theresa is going on a zip line and apple picking tomorrow!!!! (Not at the same time.)

"Y'all, we are so blessed."

I woke up today feeling like a mix between having run a marathon (yeah, like I know what that feels like. HUSH.) and having fallen off a horse (yes, I do know what that feels like!). I managed to drag my happy butt out of bed around 10. Thank goodness history of costume got cancelled. I dragged in to work around 11:30, stayed for an hour, then went to flat pattern. I finally started working on the pattern for my coat! I'm so excited. I spent WAY too long there, but I got so much done. After that, I got back home, got my laundry together, and went over to Annie's. I lugged everything upstairs, and we decided to weight it all, for funsies. HA. 75 pounds of laundry (IKIDYOUNOT) and 40 pounds of books/laptop/homework/etc in my backpack. I was carrying 115 pounds. Up the stairs. Down the stairs. Up the stairs. I was carrying an average sized teenage girl.

Anyway.

I started laudry/studying, then at 7 went to the HCA pumpkin carving EXTRAVAGANZA! Despite the weather, we had an amazing turnout. I was really pleased. So we carved our pumpkins, which was a ton of fun, then they gave out prizes for really random things. Haha whatever. After that, I went back to laundry/studying. Oh, what a glamorous life I lead.

Tomorrow, I leave for Louisville, then Friday I'm off to Sevierville, then Saturday I am going ziplining and apple picking, and I CAN'T WAIT!

Hey, here are some pictures from pumpkin carving!

PICTURES AS PROMISED!!

Runway, consider yourself rocked.

What an amazing night.

Alright. So, yesterday I had class and dress rehearsal and yada yada. It was busy. Then there was a ton of drama with some Rock the Runway stuff, but whatever. My mom flew in on her way to Louisville, so we hung out and she helped me pick pictures for the RTR boards. Went to sleep at like 2.

Today, I woke up at 6:45 to register for classes. Ended up with World Lit II instead of MKT300 because it said I didn't have the right prereqs (which isn't true) but I didn't have time to deal with it. Went to class, mom and I had lunch, she left for the airport, then I went to econ. Then began PURE MADNESS. Annie picked me up from class, we went to her place to get the steamer, got our brows done, then went to my place to get my car and my dresses and everything else I needed. Then we hauled it all over to Bryant Conference Center. Got set up in the dressing room, started steaming. Thank goodness we had Annie's because mine did NOT work. Oy. My models got there (who, for the record, are THE most amazing models in the history of forever) and Hannah came and did hair and makeup. Thank you! We were almost done steaming, when the tornado siren went off. We were scrambling for time, so after about 2 minutes of staying on the bottom floor, I ran back upstairs and got all my dresses. hahaha I did NOT have time for a tornado!!! We got them all in, and we were good to go. But wait, it can't be that easy..(I'm making it sound easier than it was. It was NOT easy. Hair and makeup took forever, and thank the LORD for Annie, because she spent over an hour steaming all of my dresses. I love her very much) So anyway. We are putting Erin's dress on, which happens to be the last one, when SNAP! thread goes iugengnsjvas and part of the dress falls. I FREAK OUT. They all calm me down, and we fix it. Oy. Somehow, by the grace of God, we got everything done, and it looked AWESOME. I was so proud. Did I mention how much I love my models? They knew I was freaking out, so they sat me down and did my hair and makeup. I love them. Also, Annie, my lifesaver, ran back to my house at 6:45 (the show started at 7:30) because I forgot something. My hero.

So after all of that, I was put in charge of lining all of the designers up, which was good, because it required me to yell, and I needed to yell. Haha. So I ran around the second floor yelling at designers to line up down the stairs. Somehow, we got it done. Once it was my turn, it was go time. The music was perfect, my models were perfect, and it went down perfectly. Once they all walked, I had to walk with them. Luckily, I had planned ahead of time to walk WITH Erin, rather than behind everyone. Thank goodness I did. My legs were shaking SO badly, I almost fell down. Hahaha oh boy. But seriously, I am SO proud, and so pleased, and I loved my stuff.

After we walked, we went to the seats to watch the rest of the show. After it finished, we ran upstairs to get all of our stuff. Once I got back downstairs, it was mayhem. But it was amazing. SO many people came up to me to tell me how much they loved my collection. It was so flattering. I got hugs and pats on the shoulder, and so many random, "I LOVED IT!"'s. It felt amazing.

After the show, Annie took me to Mugshots. I love her. She kept me sane this entire night. Once we finished, I just came straight home and I am ready to pass out.

So, good night, world. THANK YOU to everyone who came out to support me. I love you all very dearly. You keep me sane, and you keep my life full.

OH! PICTURES! You can find more on my facebook, and I will be adding more as time allows. I love you all!!!!

Just kidding, Blogger hates me. PICTURES TOMORROW! I PROMISE!!!

Thread, friends, henna, lovely night

No one really tells you just how expensive being a fashion design major is. I mean, even if you want to do the bare minimum, it's still a good bit. But if you want to actually make something of yourself, holy moly look out. You need those prismacolor markers and colored pencils, the sewing machine, the sketch pads, the trash paper, the fabric, some more fabric, some more fabric, some trim, more trim, lots of thread, needles, thimble, bobbins, and the list goes on and on. Each time you have an assigment, you can't just go print it at the library. You need to buy the fabric and all of the notions, then spend the time actually making it. It has to be good, it has to be creative, and it has to be unique.

I've been working on Rock the Runway for a while now, and it's amazing the amount of money I've put into it. There was the initial huge purchase of all of the fabric, then we moved on to trims, and lots of them. Once you have all of that, you're done, right? Nope. Then you need accessories. Or in my case, $50 worth of henna ink. Yep. Those unforeseen crazy purchases.

How do you justify spending so much? You have to think of it as an investment. You are investing in your future. I know I didn't have to spend $50 on henna ink, and the line would look just fine without it, but I'm investing in something to make it stand apart, and to show people how creative I can be. It's that something extra that gets you the jobs, and gets you the attention.

Once you realize you are investing in your future (I know how cliche that sounds, but it really is true.) you want to make that investment matter. Then you start the huge investment of your time. You give up Saturday nights to stay in and sew, you give up sleep to get the rest of your school work done. Because oh yeah, did I mention you're still a full time student?

I'm trying to get Rock the Runway done, work on my CBH research, and still stay afloat in the rest of my classes. Don't think I'm complaining; I thrive when I'm busy. I just need people to understand that fashion design is a legitimate program, and it keeps us insanely busy. No, I don't have traditional term papers, I have to draft a pattern for a coat, then make it.

Regardless, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Yes, this post is all over the place. It's 1:20 am, what do you want from me?!

Amaaaaazing

Viktor & Rolf Spring 2010

Happy Birthday Dan!

So It's 2:37 am, and I need to go to sleep, but can I say I had probably the best night in a while? Yes, I should have been sewing, but Lord, I love my friends.

I'm sorry, bloggy dear, I've been neglecting you.

What better time to update than at 1:15 am when I have an 8 am meeting?

Let's see.....my apartment looks like a fashion bomb exploded in it, leaving behind fabric and ribbon and a giant mess. Dad came to visit last weekend on his way up to Missouri, and I convinced him to come back this weekend on his way home and stay for the Ole Miss game. It was so nice to have him around. He cooked for me, did my dishes, and it was nice to get some one on one dad and daughter time. =] I hope he had a good time. I think he did. We went to the bonfire, the tailgate, the reception, the game, we did it all! haha. Thursday was Dr. Sharpe's 50th birthday, so we had a big surprise for him, complete with a hearse. Yep. Haha. Then I had my presentation that afternoon. Somehow, I managed to conquer my nerves, and it was most likely the best presentation I have ever given. Dr. Sharpe told my dad it was "phenomenal". That's pretty exciting. I spent many nights last week not sleeping because I was in the lab studying/preparing/finishing my history of costume project. It was interesting. Today I woke up at 7:30 when my dad left, then noon. haha. Erin came over, we went to Hancock, then I sewed, etc the rest of the day. Then at 9 we went to Annie's for dinner and Sister Wives. Ohhh Sister Wives. Annie and I hang out pretty much everyday now, which is weird, cause we didn't at all last year. But I'm glad we do. =] Tonight I came home and my front door was open. I'm assuming I just didn't close it right when I left, but it freaked me out. So I heard my neighbor's tv still on, so I knocked on their door and the guy came up with me to check it out and make sure no one was in my apartment. They are seriously the nicest people ever. I LOVE them. And let me go on a tangent here and tell you how much I love where I live. Well, no, no tangent. Just...I love it. The people are amazing, it's big, it's quiet, and I love living here. This week will be dedicated to sewing and finishing getting ready for Rock the Runway. I'm excited, but super nervous. I have A LOT to do, and I still need to find 3 more models by Tuesday. Oy vey. Lord, help me. Well, that's it I suppose. School is good, life is good, I'm just busy and I don't really sleep much anymore. But that's what coffee is for, right? =]

((^^holy giant paragraph, batman!))