New Year, New Me

Hello blogger world!

Boy, I really seem to abandon my little corner, don't I? I will get better and posting regularly, I promise!


I am so excited for 2015! Last year had some good moments, but overall was a truly trying year for me in every aspect of my life. This will be my year to re-become myself again, my year to prosper, my year to become stronger emotionally and physically!

Here are some of the things I am looking forward to :)


*Starting my Jamberry business! (This feels like a very blogger thing to promote!) I will become a consultant for Jamberry and can give ya'll all sorts of deals and such! I'm hosting a facebook party for it right now and will host many more in the future (maybe even some in-person parties!).
For more info check out my current party here!

Aren't these CUTE? Just in time for Valentine's day!

* I will be playing the role of 3rd Lady in Mozart's The Magic Flute at the University of Montevallo in April! 

*I will continue my health journey by utilizing the paleo and whole30 lifestyles (a blend of both, still figuring out what my body needs and works well with) so that I can be fit and happy and healthy! I can't wait to do a post on my favorite whole foods recipes :)

*I will read more! I am part of an online book club and it's great! So far I have read "The Fault in Our Stars" and am reading "The Curious Incident of the Dog at Night Time." :) I'm also reading Divergent, and The Fellowship of the Ring. 

*I'm taking ballroom dancing at school! It's not a big life choice or anything, but it is quite fun :) 

*I will fight for my faith more; I have not found a church in my area that I love or agree with enough to stay put at. I say I can just be with God alone in my house, but I seem to not give Him enough! I'd like to improve in that area. 

*I will be *hopefully* selling some of my paintings! I've been starting to spray paint for fun and I really am proud of my work (plus my friends and boyfriend all want their own!) so maybe it would sell? 

This was my first ever, I do all sorts of color schemes and sizes though! Gotta love space scenes!

What will 2015 hold for you??
Please let me know if I can hook you up with some Jamberry Nail Wraps or a Space Painting!! :) And may 2015 bring you much joy!

xoxo,

Alexandra Anne 

Dare to Dream- Five Minute Friday

Today we link up and write for Five Minutes with no edits/rewrites; raw, pure, unfiltered thoughts.

Scary right?

I love it.

Isn't it neat how open we bloggers are with others on the internet? Some of you I have never met but have become so close to via blogging and that is incredible to me!

I would love to "virtually meet" more of you! Please feel free to comment or email me (you can find my info on my contact page)!


So here we go...
Today's word?

Dare.

5. 4. 3. 2. 1.... GO!


Truth or dare is a game played by (mostly) young children. We've all played it at some point or another with somebody in our lives. Truth can be scary, needing to open up about something potentially personal! But dare? Dare could be downright dangerous!

The past few weeks I have been wondering where my life is headed. I know that every college student dreads the question "so what are you gonna do when you graduate?" It's a nightmare to answer; especially as a music major! Non musicians look at me kind of funny and assume I want to be a big star but will never make it.

My voice teacher said I have a gift, but that I had been seeming to lack drive. So the question again came up, "What do you want to do after you graduate?" That question sat with me for DAYS. I had felt like I was settling on this degree and that I would never actually get to sing and that it was useless.

Isn't that sad?

But after many heartfelt conversations with loved ones, and some serious consideration, I had a bit of an epiphany.
I want to sing! I want the MUSIC!

Ya'll, I have loved music since I was in the womb, no joke, you can ask my Mom. My parents still have a piece of paper I wrote on as a kid saying that I decided I wanted to be on Broadway. I loved musicals all through growing up. :)

When I lived in Italy in 2011 however I fell in love with opera! Classical music is beautiful and so neat and fascinating, and I loved the characters and the music I was studying. (Being a mezzo-soprano has great perks!)

So my dare to myself is to dream, but not just dream a little, dream big! I want to perform, ya'll! Whether it's classical or musical theatre, or hey I could be a rock star, I will SING.

My dare to you is to do the same; I know paying bills isn't easy (especially not when you're an artist). But you can pay the bills and follow your passions and dreams too. If you love it, the work will be hard and scary, but wonderful and ultimately so rewarding.

Dare to dream!

STOP.
Ok so I wrote for six minutes instead of five, big whoop. I wrote what I wanted. My blog, my words, my rules ;)


What are your dreams?
What do you dare to do?

Have a great weekend dreamers!
xoxo, Alexandra Anne  

Stuff...?

Ciao blogworld!

I'm gonna post...I'm gonna post... YES! I am!!


I need to commit to this writing thing, ESPECIALLY since I will be attempting NaNoWriMo this year!!! Have you ever tried to write a novel in a month? I have, and have not succeeded. I always give up like halfway through, I need to not do that!!

But...I have no story in mind! I have 12 days to figure it out!!! I'll be a-brewin' for sure (or something like that).


Also, how would you like me to do vlogs every now and then? I want to get myself on the youtube world, I love watching youtubers and want to be part of that community. I've loved the blogworld, time to expand I say!


As far as generic updates, bullet point time!

*I love Montevallo! Tiny towns fit me; I can walk just about anywhere, except major grocery stores which are outside of main street or campus. If it's on main street or campus I usually walk to it.

*I'm taking TEN CLASSES. But that's normal for music majors here; it's 16 credit hours. I just have to sing a lot a lot and show up to a lot of places.

*On the singing note- would you like music major/profession vlogs or blogs? Give me your thoughts!!

*I've been on the Whole30 diet this month! I would say go Google it or Youtube it because I cannot give the definition justice. The gist of it is: no processed foods or sugars or grains or dairy or legumes. If you can't hunt it or gather it, you can't eat it. Ok, it sounds super strict, but there are a LOT of yummy foods you CAN have! And I feel SO good eating good natural foods. AND on a college student budget! If I can do it, YOU can. Look it up :) I'll post more about it once the month is over (it's only a month long program, but I want to incorporate it into my lifestyle after this month).

*I re-subscribed to Elder Scrolls Online! Find me, Chandelier27! :) I'll be trying out some other games and blogging about games soon!


*I got a part time job! I'm a cook at pizza hut :) Yeah, I love cooking and love pizza, so this will be a fun way to spend my weekends!

*Michael and I hit 3 years this month, my longest relationship ever! (And his too!) I love that man so much, he visits me frequently. It's another perk of living closer to home now. Gosh I love Alabama <3 and I love my Michael!! (Mushy pictures to come!!!)

*My cat is just as adorable as ever; she's a year and a half now and adjusting fine to living with a dog in the house (my roommate has a sweet pitbull). Today Zoe, the cat, kneading my stomach for a good 15 minutes straight! I thought it was cute so I let her. From what I've read, that means she sees me as a maternal figure and the kneading is like babies asking for milk? Anyway, I'm her momma and that's how it should be!
Again, pictures to come ;)


*I'm LOVING the temperature drop and would love for it to be 50-60something all the time! It's so crisp and beautiful, and the trees change colors, and oh yes I am so cliche and mushy gushy about it. I don't care! I love fall :)

*I'm a redhead! I have been since the middle of the summer, I love it :) I'm still getting used to it though! I look at old pictures of blonde Alexandra Anne, and think to myself "who was that? Oh right, me."


*Oh hey, I'm 21 now!!!!!!!!!!! So my roommates joke that I look like an alcoholic because I stocked up on some yummy wines and mixers. But really, I hardly ever drink. It's just good to have it there for when I do :)

Pictures as promised!

What's going on in your lives, dear blog friends? 

Thanks for reading!

xoxo,
Alexandra Anne 

Some Lindsey Love

I study classical music. It's what I want to make a job out of someday. This means that most of my concert/show attendance includes operas, orchestras, jazz ensembles, and the occasional choral group. I basically go watch other classical performers.

Well, on February 27th, my concert attendance took a turn. I haven't been to a "rock" or "pop" or "non-classical" concert in...years! (I remember going to Jump5 and ZoeGirl and BarlowGirl as a kiddo....trying to think if I saw anything else "non-classical")

Who shook me out of my classical niche for a night? 

The one and only Lindsey Stirling.

Yeah, she's amazing. Seriously, this show was AMAZING. She reminded me why I want to be on a stage; I want to invoke "the feels" in an audience too! She's super talented, and if you don't already know who she is, well, thank goodness you're reading my blog today because you need to know!! ;) 

^^This was my first Lindsey video, thanks to my boyfriend who sent me the link about a week after it was posted :) :) :)

We followed her vids for about a year when we heard that she was coming on tour! Unfortunately, she wasn't coming to Texas at that point, but she would be where boyfriend is: Huntsville, Alabama. I was super jealous. Well, turned out that she couldn't make that show, which saddened both my boyfriend and myself.
She won him back over though.
Second tour, Spring 2013.
February 25th he went to Birmingham, AL, to see her, and had a fantastic time. I had to tell him to not tell me too much about the concert because I didn't want spoilers for when I saw it!That's right, she came to Houston two days later!

Oh oh oh my goodness the concert was fantastic...I couldn't process it for at least a week. SO wonderful.

If you didn't watch the above video yet, shame on you. That's pretty much what she does LIVE at a show. Yeah, she plays violin and dances and it's just amazing! Oh and she's also a decent singer too, which we didn't know because her music tends to not be lyric based.

She was #8 on YouTube's top 10 videos in the year 2012 for this one:





A lot of my favorite songs of hers don't have videos yet, but that doesn't stop me from rocking out to them ALL the time...yeah, she's awesome.

I had so so much fun at the concert!

My swag ;) Poster, keychain(not pictured), sticker, shirt. Can you say fangirl?

Drew, the drummer! (We got a pic with Gavi, keyboardist, too, but the camera didn't take apparently :( sad day! Gavi had even replied to my tweet on twitter! )

Oh yeah, I met Lindsey and got my poster signed. <3 <3 <3 this was the only pic I got though, as she was tired (we stayed out til midnight waiting for her to come out to the bus) and wasn't sticking around long. 

So yeah, I MET my favorite violinist. And had a great time at the show!

Fun fact: I've loved violinists for almost a decade now, AND I used to play the violin myself. :) (Formerly loved violinists: Hilary Hahn, and Lucia Micarelli, both are still favs!)

I want to be like Lindsey. I want to share what I love with an audience. And hey, she did say to follow our dreams :) :) :)

Here are some more music videos, because you obviously haven't seen enough yet :)

http://lindseystirlingviolin.com/

What I'm Loving Wednesday~Opera Style

Linking up today! Here's what I am loving at this moment; any references to Cheryomushki, that's my opera I'm in! (See the post before this one to get my synopsis and why you should totally come see it!)

What Alexandra Anne loves: 

Skinny Vanilla Hazelnut Coffee, which my friend paid for :) :) :)

Dressing like a construction worker for Cheryomushki

Music!! It's been what gets me through the  days <3 

The men in our opera. These guys are so silly, and they were all sweet to compliment my 50s hair the other night! 

Curls! I'm having fun with this hairstyle 

Green tea; super calming after driving in Houston traffic every day. (Please note the loads of books..oh college...)

Cute 50s dress, no?

Come see Cheryomushki!

CHERYOMUSHKI!!!

See that? That title right thar? Yeah, that's Russian, hehe. ;)
Cheryomushki. Translation? Cherry Trees.

I'm in a show! Originally in Russian, now sung in English by Moores Opera House. This will be my first opera in Houston, so I am excited. As a chorus gal I get to wear a cute 50s dress, and a "construction worker" outfit. Yeah, you kinda need to see the show to get the ridiculousness of it :)

We started doing hair and makeup for the show, gotta love them curls!

I must've done really well with my hair last rehearsal when all the gay guys complimented it. That's big kudos for the opera world <3

I look like a box...but you get the idea. We're so manly =P

The famed hair with curls; wahoo! 

Lovin that har. Forreals. 

Come see Cheryomushki! (click the pic below for show details)

What era hairstyle should I try for funsies sometime? :)

xoxo,
alexandra anne

This Blog Thing

I've been meaning to write..seriously, I have....

When I drove back to Houston after Christmas break, I had 14hours in a car all to myself. This means I had wonderful (and several) blog topic ideas. Of course, I don't remember half of them now. You can't really blog while driving.... (if we had a robot that could dictate our blog ideas as soon as we get them, that would be amazing! It would just write down our thoughts while we do other things; drive, workout, dance, read, anything! Engineers...come on....ya'll can do this....)

Ok, I am WAY too A.D.D. to do this right now...

Here are some random brain spurts, since I AM actually sitting down to write today.


*School started this past week. 2nd semester at the University of Houston.

*I moved into my house, where I am renting a room and living with a wonderful Christian lady. Since I get asked about this ALMOST EVERY DAY, I shall explain (for the billionth time) on here as well: My former church music director is Susan, my family is close with Susan. Her sister is Sylvia. Sylvia lives in Houston and has hosted exchange students and foster students, etc, over the years. I am now living in Sylvia's house. Make sense ya'll? It's not even that complicated. But for some reason, getting asked to explain it seems ridiculously silly to me.

*I came back to Houston a week before school started so I could go to rehearsals for our opera/musical-comedy Cheryomushki (a cute and funny show by Shostakovich, originally in Russian, but we are English-i-fying it up).

*Weather in the south is just berserk

*God puts the right people in our lives at just the right time

*Les Miserables and The Hobbit were both enjoyable, but not as amazing as I'd hoped. (please don't shoot me for saying that...)

*Speaking of shooting, I'm a huge 2nd Amendment gal. So, if you try to take away my rights, I'm gonna be more than a little vexed.

*20 days until the boyfriend visits me! I believe our plans include: NASA stuff (because...I live in Houston! Duhhhh), baking/cooking, swing dancing (Houston is a big swing town, I love that), and lots of gaming. Yep, I'm excited.

*February 27th, Lindsey Stirling comes to Houston! I GOT MY TICKET YA'LL!!!!! Slightly excited......

*Mozart is sticking to me a lot. But, he'll probably be the one responsible for my future employment, so I'm okay with that.

*Oh yeah. Employment. I got two part time jobs. I started one, and am dealing with the stupid silly government about the other one (let's just say, don't lose your social security card, it's a BIG pain in the butt to get stuff taken care of after that). My jobs will be: Music teacher (beginner voice, beginner piano), and Box Office for the music department at school. I'm looking forward to income again, once I actually start working.

*Music keeps me going. Jesus does too. But He gave me music. Therefore, music keeps me going.

I think this is enough random for one post.
I'll try to post more regularly. <3

xoxo,
alexandra anne

Terrific Tuesday

Hello ladies!
While still a bit sick, I am hoping for a wonderful Tuesday.

What do I have planned?

Well. First off, I get to meet Taylor, another Houston blogger who happens to go to U of Houston too!

After our little lunch, I might go volunteer to be in a choir video thingy. We'll see how I feel.


Tonight? This chick has a comp ticket to see her voice teacher's dress rehearsal with HGO. Yeah, that's Houston Grand Opera. My teacher, Hector Vasquez, is wonderful and has given some students free tickets! I'm super excited to see him on the stage, and just to see an opera in general.

:)

How's your week going?

Oh, I'm still obsessing over Zelda music.




Please watch this video. And listen. Ohhhh my word just listen. Yes, that is my current obsession.  :)

xoxo, alexandra anne <3

Serene Singer

I apologize for the lack of posts; midterms like to dominate a student's life for sure!

Last weekend, my anniversary with Michael, was wonderful and perfect.

This week, where my exams started, was tough. I cried every day four days in a row...

But you know what? I am still filled with joy.

There is pain, emotional and physical (I have a sore throat now), but God is wonderful and full of blessings. He has given me music, so that everyday I have a physical constant I can depend on. I think He gives everyone something tangible to enjoy and glorify Him with. For me, I find joy in music. Whether it is experimenting in a practice room, or mastering a new technique in a lesson, music makes everything better!

Just a quick glimpse of my past week:

Our first hug when I picked up M from the airport

Actually...he picked ME up ;) (I tackled him in front of the escalators, so we had to make a quick relocation haha!)

                                   

That hug was wonderful...being apart for a month and a half is no fun

So so happy!

Hehe, we look so cheesy

After my first college choir concert; he's so handsome, especially all dolled up :) 

Oh, and I wore pigtails one day this week. Because, I'm definitely a grown woman and stuff....

I promise to write more and soon, but now I must rest up so that I don't get more sick =P

Hope you all have a blessed weekend!
Go Coogs!
-Alexandra Anne <3

The Shire

Tonight is a freeing night for me; any homework/studying I do is "ahead" because all of my work due tomorrow is already completed and turned in. So, I am relaxing in some studying.

As I read and study, some beautiful Howard Shore is joining me with his orchestrations for the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I had forgotten how wonderful this music is, and it takes me back. (As a nerdy girl, I am very very very excited to see The Hobbit!!) I remember seeing "The Fellowship of the Ring" in theaters TWICE when it came out. And every time a new movie came out, I got the soundtrack. The orchestrations are just marvelous and wonderful!!

It is music like this that reminds me how much I love music. I had a conversation yesterday with a friend about my future and my career path; she said it would be so sad if I lost my voice and couldn't sing, my career would be over. Well, this is true and untrue. Yes, I couldn't do opera if that were the case. But guess what? Opera is merely my focus right now! I'm passionate about MUSIC. If I am involved with music in any way, I am a happy duckling. Truly, I could be so happy in so many different vocations.

So, tonight? I'm going to let an orchestra surround me and overwhelm my senses. I have a date with music tonight, that is. And I couldn't be happier.

I thank God for the blessings of music and joy and happiness! Music is His gift, I believe, to me, my only true physical constant. Life is full of changes, especially for a college student. But God and music are always there. Always.

I'm in love. With music.

xoxo, alexandra anne

ps. have a lovely week!

Ciao & Howdy!

Hey readers :) How's your week going? I bought jeans yesterday, which is pretty exciting for this girl who mainly sticks to skirts and dresses and the like. (Can I say, I love Plato's Closet prices?!? YEAH! I'm oh so thrifty you see...) and I also attended a movie night with boyfriend and his guys. We had some good laughs, and some good pizza, and I was thoroughly entertained by Captain America and Mystery Science Theater, both of which I had never seen.

Tomorrow I am SUPER excited to meet up with a girly who went to U of Houston as a music major, and we have mutual friends HERE in Alabama! Small world right? We'll be grabbing coffee and such, I can't wait to hear her stories :)

Today I'm linking up with Mrs. Monologues for the monthly blog star link-up! (Where, I have to write about myself....k.........I always feel so vain....)

First off, Hi! I'm Alexandra Anne, but I go by...well, that IS what I go by. I have a plethora of nicknames, you see, and each one has a story and special meaning. You can read about that here.

I'm an 18 (5 weeks shy of 19) year old, about to head off to college full time (I say full time because I HAVE taken college classes, and I HAVE lived on my own, but now I'm doing it all together) in Houston, Texas! I'll be at the University of Houston Moores School of Music as a vocal performance major. This leads me to my next point:

I sing opera. That music where the fat lady sings really really loudly and dresses like a viking? Yeah that stuff. Although in my case it would be more like, that music where the boy is played by a woman, or the woman is a gypsy who dies terribly, or the woman is a sister with very very loose morals, and such. (The joke about my voice type, mezzo-soprano, is our roles are: witches, britches, and ...well there's another word that rhymes but I won't say that on here, for the sake of being polite). 

My Momma blogs too! She also has an Etsy shop (see button on sidebar) and I love to play with her stuff. I mean, I don't periodically stare at her vintage collections...........of course not......... ;) 

I'm dating this guy; I write about him a lot. His name is Michael, but I mainly refer to him as boyfriend. 

I love vintage jewelry, and am obsessed with chandeliers. 

I love to cook for my family.

I love to dance in the kitchen ;) 

I love Jesus, and thank Him for the many many blessings in my life!

I am a nerd. For example, I spend my time as a halfling rogue in D&D, I shoot bad guys with Lara Croft, and I curl up with Neil Gaiman to see what adventures are ahead. I'm a bit of every kind of nerd, really. ;)

I lived in Italy in 2011, for 6 months, and fell in love with the country and with opera. 

My favorite colors are blue, red, and lime green. Aqua blue is my favorite though, if I had to pick one. 

I love to make new friends, and would love it if you would comment/follow, or message me! If you'd like to write for This Journey of Journeys, lemme know; or hey, I love just making new friends and chatting away the day :) 

I blog here (obviously...)

I check email here: chandelier27aaa@gmail.com

I am on twitter here

I wander aimlessly and post here

You can see my pics here

Nice to meet ya! Stick around a while, ok? :)