LIST GIRL IS MY SUPERHERO NAME

I love lists. No, really, I LOVE lists. When my boss gives me a list of things to do, I get excited to do them and cross them off the list. It's a sickness, and I love it. 

Hello, my name is Alexandra Anne and I am addicted to lists. So addicted, I registered for 30 Days of Lists XD XD XD Yay!!! 

I've wanted to be a part of this for a while, and I'm finally on time and on board! 

Do you love lists? You too can register for this fun journey :) 

It's gonna be great. My first list is the test run example they gave us: What are you looking forward to this March? 

I'm looking forward to:

*Spring break!!! I get to go HOME and REST. Isn't that all we want? I just want sleep. And to sing a lot.

*Getting healthier- I am on Weight Watchers, I am going to exercise more, and I am going to get FIT and SEXY (for myself haha) ;) 

*Seeing the finale to How I Met Your Mother (so sad for it to end, though!)

*Singing the National Anthem at U of Houston baseball games!!! 

*Petsitting for someone and getting a temporary playmate for my Zoe kitty girl 

*Trying new flavors for my new Keurig

*Painting my army for Warmachine 

*Rocking my make-up jury 

*Seeing the next class of SAI get initiated :) 

*Going to my second blog meet up 

*Being a part of 30 Days of Lists!!!!

What will the month of March hold for you? What are you looking forward to most?

xoxo,

Alexandra Anne

C-c-c-cc COFFEE!!!!

So, I recently bought a Keurig. It's red. And fits on my desk in my tiny apartment bedroom. (I got the mini)


I love my boyfriend immensely, but I might be in love with this machine...just a wee bit. ;)


Also, I'm in love with Amazon Prime. I ordered a variety pack of K-cups for the Keurig on Saturday night and got them today!!! I'm so so so excited to try the new flavors.

My new baby :) :) :)

Keurigs are great for living alone because they are an easy to use single serve coffee maker.


Also, my cat can't knock this down haha she knocks WAY too many things off my desk at 4am... But I still love her.

ALL the flavors. Like, good grief. I'm set for a long time! 

Do you have a Keurig? What kind? What do you love? What flavor cups do you like?

Keurig at work! This one isn't mine but we all get to use it.

I HIGHLY recommend purchasing this if you love coffee and don't want to make a whole pot or a half a pot that will probably go to waste. Also, it is quite adorable and cute and stylish!

I'd also like to give a shoutout to my new friends at Blogging It Forward! Love you all already! :) Let's get to know each other better, okay?

If you would like to do a guest post on my blog please email me (see contact page) and I would be happy to write for you one day too!

Have a great week coffee lovers!
xoxo
Alexandra Anne

Weekend Update, Alexandra Anne Style

WEEKEND!!

I'm super grateful for free weekends where I don't have to go to work, especially because on Fridays I don't have classes. In the words of Barney Stinson, what up!!

I definitely spent my Friday night nerding out. I painted models for my tabletop game Warmachine, and played on my gaming computer (I'm almost done with Portal!).

I also painted on a small canvas I got last semester; I had been meaning to paint for a while. It's really therapeutic, (so is writing!) and even if I have no artistic skill I still like it. 

Have I played too much of this game?? Possibly....I can't wait to finish it and start on Portal 2!
I've also been playing Lord of the Rings Online; boyfriend and I both recently got VIP memberships for the next three months :)

I wonder if I can find other gamer girl bloggers, that would be an awesome friendship.

ALSO, you HAVE to look at this cute article of animal pictures! You're welcome.

I am SUPER excited to go to my first blogger social tonight!! I'll definitely write a post about it. I need to go use a friend's shower today, though, because my apartment turned off the water today to fix some maintenance issues...bleh! Oh well. I'm still pretty excited.


What's your weekend looking like?
xoxo,
Alexandra Anne

hero

It's been a while since I've linked up here, but I am looking to grow my blog community (I love making new friends via writing on this little page and seeing their pages!) so here I am! Also, I'm awake watching Jimmy Fallon interview Melissa McCarthy and am trying to tire out my kitten so I can get a little deeper sleep tonight.

If you haven't been here before, I am Alexandra Anne, a  20-something blogger who is currently a music student in Houston, Texas. I love Jesus, music, my family, my friends, my kitty Zoe, and my blog friends. I write to share my life stories and to connect with others who may relate or offer new perspectives. Everyone has something to share :)

Five Minute Friday is where we link up with Lisa Jo (who I am also joining by watching and being part of a group on (in)Courage this winter) to write for five minutes straight without editing, correcting, or over thinking. It's a very raw and vulnerable way to write, but it also brings us closer to each other AND lets the Lord speak through us in His wonderful way. Words are magical to me; they are my friend. So this writing prompt has always been one of my personal favorites.

Here we go.

Are you ready?

Today's word:

Hero.

GO.


Hero. We often picture a hero as someone strong, someone who has it together. The hero of the story saves the damsel in distress. The hero has a conflict that somehow always gets resolved.

But that's fiction. We don't live in a fairy tale. 

To be a hero doesn't mean to be squeaky clean.


Sometimes the hero falls down

I am not perfect. I have moments of weakness; sometimes the moments last longer than I'd like. I fall down. I'm not in control.

She doesn't have a job, but she tends to the family

He wakes up every day and feeds the animals

She finishes her degree even when she really cannot agree with the school system

They stay together and fight for their marriage, to keep the vows they made to stay true forever

These are real examples of heroes.

Life isn't pretty. Life is full of messy gross and dirty mistakes. Sometimes we even have the best of intentions, but it doesn't work out.

But we keep going.

One day at a time.

We're still here aren't we?

And those we've lost? Those are the heroes we honor. We will always remember her confidence in us, we will remember his funny stories, we will remember how she took care of her family.

Life is full of journeys of heroes.

I'm one of those heroes. And so are you.

STOP.

What does the word "hero" make you write? 

Have a blessed weekend,
xoxo, Alexandra Anne 

ps. After writing this post, the nerd in me must declare that I have "Everyone's A Hero" from Dr. Horrible stuck in my head!! :)

Cats and Cats and...Well, Cats!

I do not have deep words today but I do want to share some adorable kitties and such. So here are some fluff pictures to hopefully brighten your day! :)

Enjoy!

And now for some pictures of my baby Zoe ;)

Love curling up with my furball

Boyfriend and kitty; my two loves

The very first day I met my Zoe girl! Love at first cuddle <3 

Have a great weekend lovelies!

xoxo,

Alexandra Anne

good, bad, and ugly- rose version

Have I mentioned my awesome sisterhood? Last semester I was initiated into the music fraternity for women (yes, you read that correctly!) Sigma Alpha Iota (or SAI). I love love LOVE my sisters. Love. LOVE.

Sometimes my sisters and I do something we call "Rose, Bud, Thorn." It's a good way to update each other on where we are lately and to end on a positive note.
The thorn, as you might guess, is something negative or not so pretty going on in our lives.
Bud simply is something in progress; something we are looking forward to, perhaps, or something that is in the process of coming to be.
And then we end on Rose, something positive or happy.

:)

Here is my not so good, my hope, and my positive:

Thorn: Healing is hard. Whether physically, emotionally, or all of the above. It stinks.Words do not seem adequate enough for this. But I am choosing to not dwell.

Bud: I am exploring alternate options for my future and I am really excited about all the steps that will involve! I get to travel, I get to sing, I get to be daring! I have no idea where the path will lead me, but I am trusting God and am super excited.

Rose: I love the people (and furry critters ;) ) in my life! I am beyond blessed by my family, boyfriend, sisters, friends, and my kitty. Every day God shows me that I am loved and will be taken care of. He puts the right people in our life at JUST the right time. It's wonderful.

To end this positive post, I'm going to share some pictures for my sisterhood :) They just make me so happy.
Our motto is from the Latin: Vita brevis, ars longa. This translates to, "Life is short, art is long."

Please comment with your thorns, buds, roses, or whatever! I would love to get to know you more and am happy to pray for you as well <3

xoxo,
Alexandra Anne 

Love my sisters!

My first shirt with letters!! And it's BLUE! :)

Recruitment shirt; I approve.

My Big sister, Sharon! 

Sisters off to the Renaissance Festival  :) 

Snow Day in Houston?

I'm grateful to have time during the middle of the day to write in my comfort space :) Houston has a "snow day" currently (which really just means there is too much ice on the roads to drive on).

Today I've sipped coffee and read the words of other bloggers; I've met my new suitemate (who shares a name with my kitty!); I have bundled up under all my fuzzy blankets.

I want to praise God for life, even when life is hard. I've suffered a loss recently, and I will hopefully open up about that here eventually, but I will still be grateful.

Life is beautiful. Life is hard. Life is not easily explained. Life requires a big cup of coffee some days, and a calming cup of tea others. We don't walk through life alone. God puts people in our lives just when we need them. Sometimes, they've been there all along!

Today I registered to be part of the blog community with (in)courage; I'm going to be part of a 30 member group and we will possibly never meet. But that's the beauty. God's women will come together and heal together and I am so excited for this step in my journey.

I'm grateful for my friends and sisters here. I'm also grateful for the sisters I'm going to meet with this group.


God is good. Always.

xoxo,
Alexandra Anne

Thankful Thoughts

I would like to spend a moment to be thankful :)


Also, I love lists, so here is a listy list!

I'm thankful for:

*A roof over my head even if the lights go out and I can't mess with University property

*Maintenance crew that come within 24 hours of my work order to fix said lights and who also fix the living room light!

* Parents who call to send encouragement and make me giggle

*My sweet sweet kitten who curls up with me all through the night and lets me be her Momma

*A wonderful boyfriend who brings out the best in me, even when we are 800 miles apart

*Skype calls to catch up with old dear friends

*My Bible app on my phone that reminds me to read my devotionals and scriptures

*Video games; simple as that

*Younger siblings who try to take the phone from my parents and who laugh maniacally at my dislike of speakerphone

*The blog community who has stuck with me over the years of my posts

*The best boss EVER who treats me like an equal

*Decaf coffee that tricks my brain ;)

*True friends that love me unconditionally and don't shun me in my times of need

:) :) :)

What are you thankful for?

Have a great three day weekend!
xoxo,
Alexandra Anne 

New Year, New Post

Hello blog friends,
It's been a while, hasn't it?

I'm learning many new things. And I'm not just talking about school, I mean about life and living it. No, I really mean LIVING it. I'm 20, a young college student chasing a dream that could hold a career someday. And I love my life.

But it isn't always easy. In fact, I know I have it easier than some people, but it still has its struggles every day. Last semester, I dealt with a myriad of health issues that made it extremely difficult for me to get out of my bed each morning. I couldn't drive. I couldn't sing.

I'm a vocal performance major. And I couldn't. Sing.

That was my identity; I was brokenhearted. I wasn't me anymore.

Or so I thought.

A few months have passed, and I am still figuring out my medical mysteries. I still cannot sing an aria or for more than a minute or so.

But I'm happy.

I am so grateful for life. That's all I need. I know I'll get better. I have faith and hope in my future healing.

So I'm getting back to the writing world. I've missed it. Don't need a voice to type something on a laptop ;)

Also, where else am I going to share my thoughts on knitting, books, music, and share my cute cat photos? (Oh wait, my facebook is already flooded with those....whoops!)

I pray that each of you find the healing you need and that 2014 is a year of growth for all of us!

xoxo,
Alexandra Anne

First arm knitted scarf I've done :)

Blessings and More

Hello friends!
 Has it really been months since I've written? Not days, weeks, but months? Goodness! Crazy crazy life.

Well, I am here to tell you
A) I am alive (ha!)

and

B) I am stepping into the entrepreneur world! I have started listing items on Amazon, and have opened up an Etsy shop! I currently have knitting items up, and might get back into sewing. I want to start making my own costumes and such :) :) :)

https://www.etsy.com/shop/AlexandraAnne27

Please like my shop page and/or buy some knitted fun!


C) I will be at Houston's Space City Con! SO excited to meet actors from Babylon5 :) :) :) Super nerdy girl here

D) I ADOPTED A KITTY! Her name is Zoe, full name Zoe Derp Austin (derp because she falls down a lot and it amuses me). I will now proceed to post wayyyyy too many pictures of my baby girl. She's a 9month old tabby, and I adopted her at a rescue shelter in Houston.

E) 2014 is upon us!! I might need to do a "14 in '14" post, or "21 by 21" post.

Until then, I shall leave you with some adorable pictures of kitty goodness.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!
xoxo,
Alexandra Anne