This morning, a handful of my adorable little cousins started school (one in kindergarten, the others in pre-school). I visited the oldest of the littles, to give him a "welcome to kindergarten" gift. Twenty-five years ago, when I was preparing for my first day of kindergarten, his grandma was there for my big day. Since they live relatively close, I wanted to stop by + wish him well. Last night, Erich was saying that he remembers meeting the little peanut when he was two, when I used to babysit him. Erich would stop by on his break to bring us lunch.
I also started school as well. This is my last semester of graduate school, which I am thrilled about. I'm excited to be able to secure my Special Education certification. I ran into a bunch of friends that I knew in undergrad in the computer lab - it was like a revival of the History club! I have to student teach [again], so hopefully finding a placement won't be like pulling teeth. Tomorrow during my break at work, I plan on calling schools in the area, to see if they can help me out. So far, the workload for one of my courses doesn't seem too difficult, but the assignments will definitely be time-consuming. One of the awesome perks of the class I had tonight? I get to analyze Girl, Interrupted, which is a favorite book and film of mine. I'm hoping to complete most of my assignments in the next week or so, that way I don't need to worry about them throughout the semester. I'm going to have another class, plus work and student teaching, not to mention the blog, crafting + a social life. Plus, I want to be able to take the weekend of my birthday off, without having to worry about academia.
Even though I was feeling under the weather earlier today [a combination of allergies, stress + four hours of sleep the last few nights kicked my butt], tonight improved immensely, even after I walked out of class with a thirty page syllabus. The shorts for my next DIY project arrived, my fun school supplies are getting some use + I enjoyed a nice cup of coffee as I read a hundred or so pages of Life After Death. I had to reluctantly put the book down, seeing as I needed to hop on the computer + reply to some important emails. I can't wait to pick it up again tomorrow.
I'm also stoked about an upcoming craft night - I can't wait to make something fun! I'm not sure if I want to start on the shorts that just arrived, or try something different. I'll see what my crafting partner-in-crime wants to do. I also got a few supplies in last week that I am excited to experiment, so we shall see!
I haven't posted a music video in awhile, but recently, musician [and sgli blog reader] Dominique Pruitt reached out to me, telling me about the new single she had recorded, "To Win Your Love." Production on the video was still in progress, so I was waiting patiently to see the finished product. Yesterday, I got an email from D, with the link to the video. I absolutely love the video. Her sound reminds me of gals from the 50's, with a bit of Gwen Stefani tossed in, and a dash of Elyse Rogers [from 90s ska punk band Dance Hall Crashers]. I'm also in love with her sense of style as well.
I spoke with Dominique a few hours ago, and I asked her when we should expect an album. She is in the studio, but doesn't want to rush it [smart girl]. There will be an EP out, and as soon as there is a release date, she will be giving me the info to pass along to all of you! Make sure you crank this up and get ready to dance around the room!
I figured since yesterday was a holiday, and most of us are adjusting to reality after a three (or four) day weekend, I would give you all something to smile about today. One of the blog's newest sponsors is Outfit Additions. Outfit
Additions is a California based store, selling a variety of fashion jewelry, belts and
wallets. Founder Ash Moosa started the company a few years ago, after building the
Outfit Additions silk accessories collection. At the time, Ash ran the business
part-time while working for Gap's ecommerce division in San Francisco. He recently
left Gap to focus more of his time and energy on his growing business. Jewelry
is the focus going forward for the company. Ash tries to source product that is
relatively simple in design that has either an interesting pattern and/or a pop
of color. That doesn't mean they don't sell chunky statement pieces - just means
that even their chunky pieces are relatively simple in design. All items on the
site are priced under $60, so it won’t break the bank.
Ash isn’t a designer, but he loves design – you can tell from the variety
of items showcased at Outfit Additions. He sources product from various
designers and wholesalers he meets at trade shows, and does pretty much
everything else that is needed to run the store (he even takes those gorgeous
pictures you'll see throughout the store). Now, Ash needs our help. He wants to know what we want, regarding jewelry. He has set up a survey in order to make sure he's stocking the store with items his customers like, which is really awesome. In return for your input, you will be put in a drawing to win a $100 gift certificate to one of my favorite places to shop, Amazon. I did the survey last night, and its pretty straightforward, and it only took three or four minutes to complete. The survey is on the Outfit Additions blog - just make sure you enter before midnight EST on September 13. While you're there, take a good look around the Outfit Additions store. Here are a few of my favorite items:
What are some of your favorite items over at Outfit Additions?
Saturday night, Erich and I attended Jason Mraz's concert at Jones Beach. Erich hadn't been to a Mraz show before, so when I attempted to describe how the experience would be, I said that he would feel more connected to the world, and have a sense of gratitude. That might sound a bit strange to say about seeing some dude sing and dance on stage. Obviously, you haven't been to a Jason Mraz show before.
We arrived at the venue while Christina Perri was on stage, so we grabbed a bite to eat, while listening to her at we sat at a picnic table. It was pretty windy, so I snuggled up to Erich as we ate our hot dog and fries. By the time we finished, we were ready to head into the theater to enjoy the music. We waited until the last minute to snag tickets, so the seats weren't the best, but they weren't the worst, either. When the show began, I looked at Erich, who didn't know what to expect. I just smiled, because I knew he was in for a treat.
Mraz's shows are not just about the music. He makes a genuine connection with everyone around him. He came in a few bars too soon when performing "The Remedy," and after he finished the song, he made up a little ditty about how he came in too early, and how his band forgave him. He asked the audience to forgive his mistake from five minutes ago, and five years ago. Then asked us to forgive his mistakes five minutes from now, and five years from now. He also mentioned that in order to enjoy life, we need to leave the past in the past, and live in the moment, which was the perfect segue to the song "Living In The Moment."
I was super stoked to hear him play "Plane," which is one of my favorite songs, which is on his 2005 album Mr. A-Z. I've seen him perform a handful of times and have never heard this song live. He also played a song I have never heard before, called "When We Die." It automatically reminded me of Dominic, and I started to cry. My cousins Lori and Joe were at the show as well (it was Lori's birthday and Joe, being the awesome guy that he is, snagged tickets to give her on Mother's Day). I knew that they were thinking of Dom while he played the song. The best I could do was find a video of the song. Take a moment to listen to it. I hope this song will pop up on a future album. Its so beautiful and moving.
The rest of the show was phenomenal. The sky looked gorgeous and the moon shone brightly over us. We had sing-alongs, high-fives with strangers and a guy even proposed to his girlfriend during "I'm Yours." Its one of the pictures in the collage, so if any of you reading this know who those newly engaged folks are, let them know that we are super happy for them and thought it was the cutest thing in the world. We left right before the encore, because we wanted to beat traffic and Erich wanted to catch the final games of a three-day StarCraft II tournament that Red Bull had been hosting (yes, we are are down with eSports).
On the ride home, we spoke about the evening. I told Erich that whenever I leave a Mraz show, I feel centered. Grateful for the things in my life. He agreed that the show was more than just music, and said that he would see him next time he was in New York. Every day, I have made sure to acknowledge the good and the bad. I have expressed daily gratitude to the universe. I am thankful for everything and everyone in my life. Including you, reading my blog. It means so much that you have taken precious time out of your day to read the words I have written. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I mean that from the bottom of my heart. I even took a step back from the blog and the 'net yesterday, to live in the now. Appreciate my surroundings. Enjoy life.
Once you're done reading this, I encourage you to unplug from technology for a bit today. Enjoy something with everything you've got, even if its just for a few minutes. Dance around to your favorite song. Make a cup of coffee. Take a walk around the neighborhood. Hug everyone in your house and tell them you are grateful for them. Whatever floats your boat. Just make the most of your time here on earth.
