A whole lot of BAM(A)!

Consistent with the various diaries I kept as a child, I have not updated in quite a while! If I updated you on all the nitty gritty over the last two and a half years, we'd be here forever. So, I'll keep you on the skinny. Since my last post, I moved to Nashville, finished my masters degree at Belmont, met amazing and wonderful friends along the way, got engaged, and now I'm living about 90 miles south of Nashville with my fiancé. (His work brought us to the wonderful city of Huntsville, Alabama!) Oh, and something that should definitely be noted - I've grown up a lot since 2011! I mean, one would hope so since I was 24 then and I'm 27 now. I also never thought I'd be back in my Space Camp stompin' grounds.

But I digress...

Living in Huntsville for a little over a month now, my life has taken a very peaceful and calm turn from the fast-paced, hectic life of a graduate student. Although there are moments of boredom, it's nice to rest every once in a while. And when I'm perfectly honest with myself, I don't necessarily have nothing to do - moving in with your fiancé for the first time and planning a wedding together is a huge feat! It's definitely been the greatest/hardest thing we've done as a couple - but nonetheless, rewarding :)

My days currently are spent learning new music and gearing up for the audition season, arguing with every wedding vendor associated with our wedding, working part time from home, and loving on our adorable fur babies - Coco and Jackson. Coco's been my partner in crime for 7 years now, but Jackson is only 13 weeks old. Puppy. The always sassy Coco. Need I say more?

I am also teaching myself to cook and have found that I actually enjoy it. Who knew? And when people say a way to man's heart is through his stomach, it couldn't be more right! I know that's incredibly cliché and although I love cheese, I'm not a huge fan of being cheesy (haha). But I can definitely say Andrew isn't hating the home-cooked meals after a long day at work.

I do really miss my friends. Like, a LOT. It was definitely a nice surprise when my former roommate (and one of my all time best friends), Katie, came down to Alabama to play a show last night. Luckily, I stole her away after the show for some much needed girl time. To say that we miss each other is possibly an understatement and definitely made me realize I should make trips to Nashville more often for some friend time - with Katie and with other wonderful friends!

Also, if she hadn't come down for a visit, I wouldn't have met this fabulous wedding planner last night who specializes in helping brides plan destination weddings and who I am seriously considering hiring. Being less than 90 days out, things have started to get a little more hectic. I need some one who can deal with vendors on a non-emotional level!



Anyway - that's all for now. I forgot how much I really enjoyed blogging, so there will definitely be more in the near future. But until then, I leave you with this:

woof, woof.

xo

Amanda

Closer than I've thought....

This weekend in Nashville was a very productive one! I finalized some things at Belmont, am now officially enrolled for the spring semester and can't wait to move in! Well, anytime between the next few weeks to the next month and a half....not sure yet.

My roommate (Carrie) and I only had to look at 4 places before we decided on a really cute, remodeled duplex in Green Hills. It's only a few miles away from Belmont, so I'm glad that I'll be close! Green Hills is so cute! It reminds me of Southlake Town Square. AND, even cooler than that, I'm only 2 blocks from the famous Bluebird Cafe! I think that's just super cool. 

So, my lease starts on December 1. I had not planned to move until the last week of December, but I might move sooner only so I can become acclimated with the area before school starts. I know I'd only be there for 3 weeks before Christmas...but I don't know. I have some thinking to do. 

I also met my some what distant cousin, Brandon Giles, this weekend! (His dad and my grandmother are 1st cousins.) He's an insane performer! Plays the piano upside down, right side up, with his feet, etc etc. You should check out his website (www.brandongiles.com) or just look him up on youtube. You can definitely see some crazy piano playin' on youtube. 

Anyway, after going to the Predator's game, Andrew and I barhopped down Broadway. We, literally, randomly came across Brandon playing at Layla's Bluegrass. I'm really glad I got a chance to meet him and his girlfriend. I also can't wait to get to, hopefully, know them better when I move! 

I am definitely ready for this next chapter in my life. I am so glad that I made this decision all on my own. I'm in a much better place regarding this move. 

Tomorrow, I'm heading to Austin for an audition...I don't want to say too much about it until I know some sort of result. But, should I move on in this competition, the reward could be AMAZING! But not to worry, folks--I'll keep you posted ;)

xo,

Amanda

"Life is like a box of..." Hey! Where are the chocolates?

I begin with this video, because I have kind of felt like Coco over the last few weeks, especially this past week. Enough said.

I sure am ready for some much cooler weather in Texas. It always seems like as soon as we get a cool day, heat follows over the next few days. It is tiresome, because I am constantly having to bring a jacket with me, just in case it gets a little chilly. It's not hot enough for shorts and tanks, but it's not cool enough for jackets and scarves, or my favorite--boots. The Texas weather is being a total half-ass.

For the past few days, I've spent time in Texarkana, visiting Nana and Daddy Jack. Last time I posted, Daddy Jack was in ICU. Now, he's home, which I'm sure makes him feel so much better. Although is is slightly limited in mobility, he is trying very hard to recovery, and I am very proud of him!

Last weekend was the Fort Worth Music Festival, and it was a blast! I absolutely loved having the opportunity to open the festival on the main stage, as well as meet a bunch of cool people like Josh Weathers and Kermit Ruffins. After the weekend I was completely worn out! I decided to come to Texarkana for a few days to relax and catch up on some much-needed sleep.  Yesterday, as my grandmother and I were looking for some old home-videos from my childhood, I got to go through a bunch of old pictures and old birthday cards from when I was a toddler. It was really cool to see such old photos. I also found some pretty great photos of my mother, uncle and the whole family. Here are a few that I found:

This would be me and my first dog, Hooch. I was only 3 when we got him--he was such a sweet dog! However, this is one of the only memories I have of him. I don't really remember much because I was so young. Regardless, cute dog and very sweet! 

Along with this photo, I found a really, REALLY sweet birthday card from my dad on my 4th birthday. As far as I can remember, that's about the time my parents got divorced, so reading this particular card did cause some tears. But I don't really think they were sad tears. It was just shocking to come across this birthday card that I had never read before.

Needless to say, yesterday was very fun. And I got lots of good laughs and a few happy tears. If you have never searched through old family photos, it is something truly wonderful for the soul.

For those of you who know me very well, you would know that I practically have two left feet when it comes to dancing. However, I did take dance lessons for many, many years--starting at the age of 3 (which, I have now learned from my personal trainer, that explains why my kneecaps turn inward, and I walk with my feet out to the side.) AND, those of you that knew me well in high school, you would remember how I struggled so terribly with tap dancing in the school musicals. HOWEVER--I now provide you with proof that, once upon a time, I DID tap dance! And, boy oh boy, I was a cutie!

Taaa-daaaaa! (Declamatory trumpets sound here)

Take a minute to take it all in........

Okay, so, there you have it. I tapped. I danced ballet for much longer, but I can't seem to find any pictures that declare my fabulous-ness as much as this one. Just thought I'd share ;)

Amanda

Spendin' time with Daddy Jack

Over the last few days, I've been in Texarkana, spending time with Daddy Jack since he's been in ICU. However, please don't be alarmed. He's definitely not as bad off as most people that are in ICU, but each time the doctor moves him to a normal room, he becomes unstable.

For those of you who aren't completely in the know about what happened, Daddy Jack fell almost two weeks ago from a heart arrhythmia. A couple of Sundays ago, Nana came home with groceries and tapped on the glass door for Daddy Jack's help, a common routine they have. I'm not sure if he was startled or if stood up to quickly, but when he got to the door, he fell. Thank God Nana came home when she did, because if he had not gotten up when he did and not fallen when he did, I don't think he'd still be here. According to the doctors, the fall is what saved Daddy Jack's life, even though it broke 8 of his ribs and collapsed one of his lungs.

Since then, he has developed pneumonia in his collapsed lung, but he's on the mend. I've been spending every waking moment with him at the hospital since Wednesday. Some moments are tough for him, yet, others are not so bad. I have been praying a whole lot and I know a lot of others have been praying, too. I really do think it's helping, because every day he seems to get better and better with a few minor set backs occasionally.

In times like this, I love to look at funny pictures of him and watch funny home videos from my childhood. Not to be sappy...it doesn't make me sad. It makes me laugh and thank God that Daddy Jack is still here!

This is, by far, my most favorite picture:

This picture was taken at my reception after my senior recital in May 2010. As soon as we arrived to the reception, Daddy Jack staked out his place and didn't move for the rest of the party. I guess he figured if anyone wanted to hang out with him, they'd come to him....and that's exactly what happened. 

This weekend, Scott and Richard (Daddy Jack's sons) are coming from Oklahoma to visit him. My mom and Richard (Owens), I know-there is some confusion, are here, helping out Nana as much as they can. Uncle Tyler will be here on Tuesday and then I'll come back mid-late next week to help out some more. 

Last night, Mom and I drove around Texarkana looking at old houses that either she grew up in, or houses that we lived in when I was a little girl before we moved to Dallas. We drove by mom's elementary school and the house on Glendale--a house that Nana and Daddy Jack lived in for a long time. It was really nice to reminisce about life years ago. 

I am about to leave for the hospital to check on Daddy Jack this morning and to see what the doctors have to say about his progress throughout the night. The past few days have been a little weird--although he sounds coherent, he makes odd comments about seeing peacocks, polar bears, mice, and little men that occasionally stick their heads outside of the vent on the ceiling to say hello to him.... 

So needless to say, it's been a very interesting few days. Every time he seems to have one of his hallucinations, I just agree with him, look at the nurse and say, "I'll have what he's having."

peace, love & polar bears,

amanda

One step closer

I am glad to say that I arrived back to Dallas safely today! It was a very long two and half days, but I am glad I got the trip behind me! It is definitely hard to believe that I left Boston on Wednesday morning.

Packing went well...and quickly. I couldn't ask for anything better. It was a bittersweet goodbye, but I am not looking back--only forward.

The first day, I made it all the way to Knoxville, TN. I was trying to aim for Nashville the first day, but it was just too ambitious! The second day, I stopped in Nashville and met with admissions at Belmont, toured the campus and enjoyed a nice breakfast spot called The Pancake Pantry.

Needless to say, it was a great breakfast, and I definitely will be visiting that place again! I had some very yummy pigs in a blanket wrapped in pancakes.

My meeting at Belmont went splendidly! I absolutely fell in love with the campus and the people I met. This move is definitely the right decision and I am so eager to get to Nashville that I hope the next few months go quickly!

After I left Nashville, I made my way to Memphis, where I HAD to stop at Gus' World Famous Fried Chicken. Andrew introduced me to this wonderful place when we were traveling to Boston last summer. It was so wonderful the first time that there was no way I wasn't going to stop and indulge in some wonderful fried dishes.

I'm sure I'll be stopping there again when I head back to Nashville.

After Memphis, I headed to Texarkana where I ended up staying the night at my grandmother's house. Besides the joy of seeing her, I always love visiting because I get the opportunity to eat so well! (Not always healthy, but definitely, always yummy!) She prepared my favorite--chicken spaghetti. Yesterday, I probably ate more carbs than I usually have in one week. Oh well.....moving on!

This morning I went to the hospital to see Daddy Jack. Although he was in ICU this morning, they moved him out because he has been steadily improving. After falling last weekend, he's had a tough week, enduring the pain of 7 broken ribs and a punctured lung. However, after some rehabilitation, he'll get to go home. I am just so thankful that he is going to be alright and that I got the opportunity to spend some time with him this morning.

All in all, the trip was a good one. Besides getting to see beautiful scenery, I also enjoyed noticing the stark difference in people from state to state. It amazed me that after I crossed the Mason-Dixon line, the people were COMPLETELY different. Let me just say, I enjoy the south. A LOT. The south is the place for me, and there's no way anyone will ever be able to convince me otherwise!

I arrived back in Dallas around 2:00 today and as soon as I hit the door, I hit the hay. I was SO exhausted, so I spent the afternoon spending time with Andrew and napping in front of the TV. For the rest of the weekend, I am going to spend some time resting, unpacking and organizing. I'll be back in the office on Monday, and I am ready! I'm ready to get back to some normal routine for a little bit and work on the upcoming festival in September!

I know it's crazy after all the traveling, but on Friday, I'll be flying to Omaha for Labor Day weekend to see Andrew and enjoy some cooler weather.

That's all for now!!!

love, peace & chicken grease
Amanda

It's been real, Boston

Well, today is my last day in Boston. My room is packed for the most part and I start loading my car this afternoon.

Sunday night, I got to spend an evening with Cassie, Meri and Mandy. For the last year, I've been begging them to go to the Greenbriar Pub with me in Brighton Center. So, finally, the obliged me and we went! And....now I know why we NEVER went before. It was the most annoying place we've ever been, filled with a ton of drunk, belligerent Irish guys. After 1 drink, we went to one of our favorite places, Devlin's for a much more laid back atmosphere.

Last night, I spent my time with my Life is Good friends, Meredith (and Melissa) and Channing! These are the girls that I'm going to miss a ton!! I had a few tears roll down after driving away from Channing's house at the end of the night. But, thank goodness for Skype!

We went to Sunset Bar and Grill (the worst mexican food and margaritas in town) but I didn't care--just to be with my friends was worth it. I am so glad that I worked at Life is Good--and the only reason is that it brought me to these girls. I have never met more genuine, loving people in my life. I am truly going to miss them and I can't wait to visit them or for them to come visit me!

 I forgot about the giant water straw......and while I know the picture below is not the most flattering, this pretty much sums up how much Meredith and I can be completely silly around each other and not care!

And I'll miss Russell, too....I guess. :)

When I look back on the past year, despite the (many) difficult times, it was still a wonderful year and a year that I'll never forget. Moving this far away from home by myself really gave me a chance to know myself better--and now, I'm not quite so afraid of life like I was a year ago. I'm young, fearless and ready to tackle anything and everything that lies ahead of me. Being an adult and independent isn't so scary; Meredith and Channing showed me that, and I couldn't ever thank them enough or repay them for that. As I enter this new chapter in my life, I am in a much better and more mature place than I was before.

Things I won't miss about Boston:

• Snow, snow and more snow. 
• Digging my car out of the snow
• Falling on my face in the snow....in public.
• Coco refusing to pee outside in the snow, and instead peeing in the house.
• The 57 bus
• The B line
• Rude people and bad driving
• The night I lost my ID and WENT BALLISTIC, blaming the doorman at Whisky's
• The T at 5:00 on a weekday
• Traffic during a Redsox game
• The opera program at BU
• Being homesick
• Walking everywhere to the point where I could never wear cute shoes
• Mascara running down my face because it was SO COLD

Although most of these have to do with the cold and snow, that wasn't the biggest issue I had with Boston. Moving up here made me learn a lot about what I don't want to do with my life and what I don't like. I learned that I wasn't being true to myself and to who I am. Too bad it took me moving 1,875 miles away from home to figure that out, but if I had never gone, I would have never realized it.

Now, since I like to end on a good note--a compilation of things that I will miss:

• Chit chats sitting on the stairs during closing time at LIG
• The friends I've made
• Bostone Pizza
• Regina Pizza with John Stanton
• Pizza Etc, my late night weakness
• Boloco
• The North End and cannolis
• Boston Commons
• Vomiting on a restaurant table (it wasn't me!.....but you know who you are.)
• The night I lost my ID and WENT BALLISTIC, blaming the doorman at Whisky's
• Parties at Clay Hilley's house that ALWAYS got busted, haha. 
• Duck Tours and Andrew coming to visit (he'll visit Nashville, though)
• The Prudential Center
• A really fun night with Amy Oraftik and a few firefighters from Southie
• Devlin's
• Redsox game with Cassie and Charlie
• THE LAST DROP (I know, I know....I'm the ONLY one that ever liked it)
• Laughing hysterically at "I'll be Home With Bells On" with good friends
• The "ease" of getting around town (public transit just doesn't exist in the south)
• Dr. Pope's extremely bitchy, but completely lovable attitude/personality
• Bitching about opera with all of my BU opera friends
• The fall weather

I know 5 of the top 10 is food--so what! I like to eat...! Other than that--I want to thank everyone that contributed to memories I made while I lived in Boston. There are some memories that I definitely will NEVER NEVER forget--and some that I will continue to laugh about for years. I'll definitely come back to visit!

And, last but not least, I'll miss you, Jonathan WIMPY!

hehehe

xo,
Amanda

The Voice Auditions and Update on Life

So, I know it's been a while since I posted. (I feel like I always start each new post this way.) So get ready, readers--you're in for the long haul.

I just got back to Austin from spending most of the week in Houston in preparation for my audition for NBC's 2nd season of "The Voice." I got to spend some time with family that I haven't seen in a while, as well as some good Baylor friends that I've missed. So, the week was certainly not wasted!

The Voice audition was..............

Well, I don't really know how to put it. It was fun to meet other people from all walks of life, as well as getting the opportunity to people watch. (There were definitely a few times where I found myself having to pick my jaw up off the floor due to seeing some of the most outlandish-looking people. But....I'm not one to judge??....hehe) Needless to say, there was a lot of gawking going on, and not JUST from me.

Thousands of people were there, and that goes without saying. Not many people received call-backs, with myself included. However, it was the most fun thing that I'll never want to do again! (Kind of like going through sorority recruitment. **Cue laughter from a few select individuals.)

The weirdest thing that happened that I did not expect was that you audition with 9 other people at a time. After being shuffled from room to room, you go into the audition room with ONE (possible) producer or assistant from the production team, and he calls you up one by one, you sing a verse and a chorus, and then sit back down. After the group of 10 singers are finished singing, he announces callbacks, if any. And they also give you the spiel of "thanks for coming, this show isn't possible without you, y'all are all wonderful singers, yada yada yada--but you're not what we're looking for this season." From what I gathered, and heard from actual singers that were called back, they took a lot of screamy rock singers. Since the auditions had already been to Nashville, singing a country tune was probably not the smartest. They didn't take many, if any country/southern rock singers.

Nonetheless, it was a GREAT, exhausting time. And I definitely do not have the stamina to stand in a much less organized, longer line for American Idol next week. There's always next year--but I've been saying that for six years now, so....who knows what next year will bring!


So, as far as updates for life--my childhood dog, Lady, passed away a week ago. It was sad, but we were expecting it. She was almost 16 years old and was really weak. Although expected, it still made last week a difficult one. And, on top of that, a few days after Lady passed away, Coco (that scrappy bitch) got into a doggy altercation with a husky 10x bigger than her. Her vicious bark startled the neighbors dog, and so he bit Coco and she had to get two staples in her neck. It was definitely scary and bloody and not something anyone would ever want to deal with. I thought about posting pictures, but I'll spare you.

Now, I'm back in Austin for the next few days to spend some time with my mom for her birthday. On Sunday, I'll be heading to Boston to move the rest of my things back to Texas. I am definitely excited to be taking the next four months off, working and preparing for my move to Nashville. I haven't decided exactly when I'd like to move, but if I find a place, I might move sooner than later so I can secure a job and get acclimated with the area!

I am definitely excited about what lies ahead of me in the next few months. And I'm definitely excited about being the opening act for the Fort Worth Music festival during the last weekend in September! It's going to be a great time, great experience and I can't wait!

As I end every post---I promise I'll update more. (This time I'll really try, I swear!) I'll leave you with some cute snuggly, sleepy dog pictures :) Enjoy.

peace & love,
amanda