2010: Remembering a Year

2010
I literally can't believe 2010 is coming to a close. It has definitely been a year I will remember for the rest of my life. Looking back to last January, I would have never guessed where I am today. 

In January, I started my final semester at the University of Kansas. Also I began my second internship at the largest public relations agency in Kansas City. I was on the track to not only graduate but also secure a good job somewhere in the Midwest. While I had no intention in staying in Kansas City or moving home to Oklahoma, I did predict I would move to either Chicago or Dallas to start my career. 

By April my job search was in full swing, but I was unfortunately coming up empty handed. Finally I made a decision, which put my on the path to where I ended up. I decided to go out on a limb and do the unexpected- move to Los Angeles. Why Los Angeles you may ask? First I despise cold weather, and Los Angeles lowest temperatures get into the 40s on a rare occasion. Second I needed a drastic move in my life. My family has lived in the Midwest since the middle of the 1800s. So why not move the Davis namesake to the coast. Finally Los Angeles seemed like the land of opportunity, full of new adventures and challenges.

In May, I walked through the Campanile and down the hill to KU's graduation. I had did it. Four years and two degrees later, I was a college graduate. I will never forget that day, and I will always be grateful for the amazing time I spent at KU. Sadly in July, it was time to say goodbye to the town I had called home for the last four years. It was bittersweet to say the least. Leaving not only my home but the familiar as well. I knew I made the right decision to move to Los Angeles, but for a moment I wanted nothing more than to spend eternity in Lawrence. 

Right before my big move to Los Angeles, my mom and I took a spur of the moment trip to New York City because I had never been. Before leaving I worried I would fall in love with NYC and think I made the wrong choice of where to move. I loved the hustle and bustle of NYC, and I love the fashion and the shopping. I loved the culture, the food and the art, but upon take off I knew I belonged in Los Angeles. 

Finally in late August my family packed up a Uhaul, and my mom, dad and I headed west for Los Angeles. The trip took three days, but only because we took some interesting stops along the way. First we stopped at the diner, which was the half-way point from Chicago to Los Angeles on Historic Route 66. Next we took a little detour up to Santa Fe to examine the "Mysterious Staircase" at the Loretta Chapel. On the morning of the third day, we rolled into Los Angeles and unpacked. My parents hung around for a couple of days before they said their goodbyes, and I was alone.

Well alone for one whole day until my roommate got there. I live with a friend from college, Lauren, which has made the transition to Los Angeles much easier than if I lived alone. Also in Los Angeles is another friend from college, Natalie. I had made it. I was finally actually living in Los Angeles now was time for the first big challenge- find a job. I had been looking since about May but had no luck because employers were wary if I was actually going to move or not. 

I ended up taking an internship at a film production company to gain experience in the entertainment industry. To pay my rent, I sought a job as a waitress. After about a month of searching, I appeared to be unqualified to be a waitress. I turned to retail as a last resort, which I got a job fairly quickly at BCBG. Now I spend two days a week as a developmental intern and about four as a "stylist" in a mall. 

I continue to look for a full-time job in the entertainment industry and know in 2011 I will be successful. While 2010 was an amazing year for me, and I know 2011 will bring just as many challenges and excitements as 2010. I am always looking to the future and what is to come, and how cheesy this may be I know it will be bright. 

A Possible Thanksgiving Fiasco

Since this year I will not be returning to my family’s traditional farm Thanksgiving in Kansas, I decided to have a mini pre-Thanksgiving feast with my friends. The females usually prepare the giant feast while the men are out hunting. Unfortunately I am normally left out of the process because there are just too many cooks in the kitchen, which means recreating my favorite dishes was going to be a challenge.

The first step was to secure all my family’s recipes. Thankfully my mom was kind enough to track down and mail me all the recipes, which got my planning off to a good start. Next step was attempting to find all the ingredients. I wanted around a eight pound turkey since the dinner was only going to be for a few friends, unfortunately I had to settle on a twelve pounder! Needless to say we will be having turkey leftovers for a while.

I decided to get a head start the night before by making the desserts. A classic pumpkin pie was an obvious choice, but to spice things up I made an apple pie with a caramel pecan topping. This was my first time making either of these pies, and I decided to be extra ambitious and make my dough from scratch as well. Here I encountered my first problem, I only have one pie pan so I had to use one of those cheap foil ones for my pumpkin pie. Well they are definitely cheap for a reason. As I started to pour the batter into the tin, I noticed there was probably going to be more filling than room. Instead of doing the intelligent thing and simply not pouring the extra filling I decided to test the limits of my little tin pan. The pan won… The filling started to overflow over the edges of the pan as I frantically attempted to create a “dam” of dough around the edge of the pie. It wasn’t very pretty when it came out of the oven, but thankfully tasted amazing! 

 (This does not giving the apple pie justice)

Finally the day was upon us, and the rest of the cooking commenced. The first task of the day was preparing the turkey for roasting. This step was definitely easier said then done. I planned to rub the turkey with a sage, thyme and rosemary butter under the skin then stuff it with the same herbs and some lemons. Watching hours of Food Network convinced me it would be easy to slip my butter creation under the skin of the turkey, I was in for a rude awakening. First I had to take out all the gross innards of the turkey before I could even consider adding my butter rub. I attempted to wedge my hand under the skin of the turkey with little avail, but finally I was able to stuff enough butter under the skin to make it nice and crispy. With my mom’s instruction I placed my turkey in a special bag, which would guarantee it to be “moist and delicious” upon removal from the oven. Don’t worry this ends up backfiring.

Next came the sides, which were surprisingly simple. Side dishes have always stolen my heart from the main dish, so I was very excited to make my favorites. First I started some creamed corn in the crock-pot because it takes four hours to stew. Next I sautéed chopped onions and celery in a little butter for the base of my dressing. Then I mixed in some (stuffing cubes)- yes I cheated- with chicken broth. Once the bread soaked up all the liquid, I popped it into the oven in a casserole dish. Finally my absolute favorite, I mixed up a sweet potato casserole. This was relatively simple since I cheated a little and used canned sweet potatoes. I combined a little cinnamon with the sweet potatoes and stirred in chopped pecans. Then I topped the whole casserole with mini marshmallows and popped it in the oven.

The dinner was a success, and I was very thankful I did not poison any of my friends or catch my apartment on fire! I am now definitely more confident in the kitchen and feel I can conquer bigger challenges such as soufflés and risotto.

Something on the Side

While I am currently interning at a production company and absolutely loving it, unfortunately the gig is not paid. In order to continue living in California, I needed to get a side job. After a month of searching for a waitress job, I found out I am unqualified because I do not have two years previously experience. With this I tried my luck at finding a job in retail, since of course I love fashion and shopping. Thankfully I am much more qualified for retail and was hired at BCBG Max Azria two weeks into my new search.

I start on Wednesday and can’t wait! Not only will I finally have a small income, but I also get to be surrounded by fabulous fashion. Now I know retail isn’t a dream come true, but it will get me through and keep me on the track for a successful career in the entertainment field.

Gold Stars are Kinda My Thing

West Hollywood knows how to do Halloween right. The iconic Santa Monica Boulevard shuts down for more than a mile as approximately 500,000 people strut down the street. It is definitely something you won’t see in the Midwest. From typical costumes such as firefighters and angels to more extravagant outfits such as peacocks and Lady Gaga, every costume you can think of was represented.

While I struggled to decide on costume, I finally selected to portray the Glee character everyone hates to love, Rachel Berry. The largest factor in my costume decision came down to the fact I had the perfect “Rachel” outfit combining a maroon, pleaded skirt with a yellow, argyle sweater. If anyone watches Glee, Kurt famously describes Rachel’s wardrobe as looking “like a grandmother and a toddle at the same time.” To ensure people didn’t mistake me as a tacky schoolgirl, I crafted a heart badge with bold, black letters spelling out GLEE. 

On Halloween night, Lauren and I headed over to West Hollywood to partake in the festivities. At first the street was sparsely crowded, but as the sun set throngs of people flooded the street from Doheny to La Cienega. Some of my favorite costumes included the boy from UP!, three Lady Gagas and the two witches from Wicked. My costume was a hit on the street! People, mainly guys oddly enough, yelled, “Hey Rachel” or “I love your show!” Even a few asked to take their picture with me. Overall the night was a huge success. If you are ever in Los Angeles for Halloween, I recommend checking out Santa Monica Boulevard for a one-of-a-kind experience. 

The Hollywood Life

Since moving to Los Angeles two months ago, I haven’t really participated in the bar scene. In the last week though my eyes have been open to the Hollywood experience. Starting last Saturday Natalie, Lauren and I attended a friend of a friend’s “black and white” birthday party at Crown Bar in Hollywood. Crown Bar set right off of Santa Monica Boulevard is the perfect mix of loungy, cozy booths and a nightclub. Top 40s music fills the air while people sway to the beat on the small dance floor.

Tuesday night, we celebrated Natalie’s 23^rd birthday with a surprise visit to Big Wangs. From the name you can probably tell this is not a swanky club. To paint a better mental picture, Big Wangs is the west coast version of Buffalo Wild Wings. Another surprise came when Natalie announce it was karaoke night. I’ve karaoked before, but it was years ago in at a dive back at Grand Lake. While Big Wangs wasn’t exactly a crowd of my peers, but it was definitely still nerve wracking to sing in front of any type of crowd. We narrowed down our song choice to Taylor Swift or classic Brittney Spears, but at the last moment we picked the always crowd pleaser Madonna “Like a Virgin.” Our names were called before we had mentally prepared for this possible social humiliation. Thankfully we sang our hearts out as the crowd sang along with us!

Last night a club promoter convinced us that Ecco Lounge was the place to be in Hollywood on a Wednesday night. When we arrived, there was an interesting mix of people in costumes and people in normal going out clothes. Evidently Halloween starts early in Los Angeles just like in Lawrence. An interesting part of the night was when people from a reality show arrived. It is definitely a different experience to see mics attached to the back of a cocktail dress. The best part of the night had to be when someone started throwing money into the air for people to catch. You think I’m kidding, but I made $5 just for going out. Natalie fared a little better catching $15, just enough for one drink!

I love the Hollywood scene, but I don’t see myself getting too wrapped up in it. I enjoy getting dressed up and going out with my friends, and I don’t think that will ever change.  

Halloween Help!

As Halloween quickly approaches, I am faced with the decision I normally look forward to each year. What to be for Halloween? Usually I have two outfits and have known what I am going to be for at least a month. Now Halloween snuck up on me, and I can’t seem to decide what to be. I realize I might be getting a little “old” to dress up, but I figure I better get my fill before I actually do get too old! Also West Hollywood pulls out all the stops for Halloween, which means dressing up is a must.

I originally planned on being Lady Gaga, but I feel there might be an over saturation of her this Halloween. Every year I try to be something creative, or simply make a costume out of things I already own. Last year my roommate and I were Disney Princesses, which I believe was my best costume throughout college. Although it is a close tie with junior year when I dressed as Audrey Hepburn, my favorite actress and style icon.

Sadly I am not in college anymore, and I don’t know if I can pull off ridiculous outfits such as a Victoria’s Secret Angel or a lace Gaga bodysuit. Basically I need help! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Also there is a group of three attending the West Hollywood festivities, and I think it would be fun to do a group costume. 

Mood Changing Weather

I have let my blogging slide in the last week, and I don’t have the best excuse. While I have had five interviews in the past week, I still have plenty of down time to blog, but I guess I haven’t done anything terribly interesting lately.

The weather has been absolutely gloomy for the last week and a half, and I think it has taken a toll on my mood. I feel as if I have moved to Seattle. Since I moved to Los Angeles almost two months ago, it has rained or misted for almost a whole week or more! Seriously. I thought I moved to Southern California not the frigid Northwest. One of the things I looked forward to most was the beautiful Los Angeles weather; however, it appears my streak of weird weather continues. The other night I had a nightmare it snowed! In a couple of months I will look back at this moment and be very thankful the snow was only in my dreams.

Breaking a Sweat

After high school my weekly workout regime dropped off to a monthly or bi-monthly attempt to workout. After going to cheerleading practice six days a week for almost six years straight, I felt relieved to not have to workout. The best part of cheerleading was the lack of monotonous exercise you feel when you run on a treadmill. Something about running in place and not going anywhere makes me feel as if I haven’t accomplished anything. Throughout college I would binge on different types of exercise until I had worn the fun out of it. For example, freshmen year I played almost every intramural sport offered and by the time junior year rolled around I just wasn’t into them anymore. 

Now in Los Angeles, I feel as if I am the only person who does not workout. About a week ago, I decided to be lazy no more. Thankfully my apartment complex has a gym, which is slowly becoming my new best friend. My new goal is to go at least three times a week to begin with and work up from there. I don’t want to burn myself out like I normally do so I switch up my routine every day. One day its 20 minutes on the thing that looks like an elliptical but actually isn’t and then 15 minutes on the bike then back to the non-elliptical. The next day I swap the routine to bike, non-elliptical, bike.

Another way I am trying to keep up the variety is with free yoga classes at a local fitness/yoga store. What’s there not to love about an hour of free yoga to start your day? It is invigorating and challenging at the same time. I will keep you posted if I keep the routine up. I am really hoping this is the time where I finally decide to make working out a permanent fixture in my week.

Driving in Los Angeles

My friends might describe my driving as interesting, aggressive or simply scary, but in Los Angeles I fit in with the masses of drivers. You always have to be on the look out for a variety of tactics not used in the Midwest. One of my favorites is the “nudge.” In bumper-to-bumper traffic, you will eventually need to switch lanes. You can try putting on your blinker, but the only sure fire way is to nudge your way over. To execute the nudge correctly, you basically steer your car into the goal lane until another car is forced to stop and let you in unless they want you to hit them.

Red light? Who cares? Even with red light cameras at intersections to give out tickets, three to four cars will roll through bright reds. This happens the most when someone is trying to turn left since very few intersections have turn signals. So when the light turns green, be sure to look both ways before you gun the engine! The most surprising driving technique of Los Angelenos is their compliance with speed limit laws. Guess I won’t be getting a speeding ticket anytime soon, thank goodness.

While the traffic can be annoying at times, I love the fact there are so many people out. At anytime there is guaranteed to be cars on the road, even if it’s four in the morning.

Pleasure Reading

When I was a little girl I loved storybooks that transported me to magical lands nowhere near the countryside of Kansas. As I entered middle school unfortunately my love of books disappeared. For years I detested reading and absolutely did not understand the concept of reading for fun. In between textbooks and other required readings, my dislike for reading only grew. Well into college the only pleasure reading I did was the Gossip Girl series as I lay out during the summer holiday.

Everything changed the summer before my senior year. Suddenly laying outside became boring, and I needed a distraction from the scorching Oklahoma sun. My college roommate introduced me to Twilight, the movie, during spring semester so I figured I would start there. Yes, I know Twilight is not exactly quality reading, but everyone has to start somewhere. After I finished the complete Twilight series, twice, I decided to take on Harry Potter. Most people I know read these books in middle school, but since I did not read back then I missed out. The creative writing and descriptive visual hooked me in. Since last summer, I have read more books than I can remember. Sometimes I become so engrossed with a book, I placed the book on a higher priority than my homework.

To get to the point I love reading and would love some suggestions of books to read. While I still enjoy my teeny bobber books, I have advance to a more in depth reading level. For example, my most current reads include: Art of Racing in the Rain, Eat Pray Love and Water for Elephants. If you notice a theme, I have a thing for books being made into movies. While I know the movie will take its own creative liberties, I like to know where the story originated.

I would appreciate any suggestions!

She's Just Not That Into You

While I may not be a dating expert, I have been the target for a variety of pickup techniques. Not all have been bad, but a select few have been terribly awkward, which is the last thing you want to feel when you are out. My most recent pickup incident convinced me that it does not matter where I am, guys will continue to use bad pickup techniques. I have decided to share a few of my very favorite would you say incidents. Here we go, counting down from bad to worst.

7. When you see her working out, do a few casual run bys.

6. Hold something of hers hostage until she agrees to hang out with you.

5. Mysteriously end up in a least one of her classes for two straight years.

4. Serenade her drunkly at her window with a car full of your friends.

3. Drive by her house until you see her outside, then text her that she looks good.

2. Come over to talk and when she says she needs space beg her not to break up, especially if you aren’t officially dating.

1. Text her too much and when she doesn’t response leave her some voicemails and when those don’t work send her an original poem.

Only because I do not know this guy at all, I am sharing my newest pickup road kill. The text poem:

My heart chokes up inside

‘Cause I still haven’t head a reply

From you, Vanessa, such a pretty girl-

Possibly the prettiest in the world.

You’re creative and fashionable

Yet still very rational,

And though spoiled you have every reason to be,

You don’t seem so at all to me.

If only I could cozy up to body

And kiss your scarlet lips softly,

Then when the mood slightly shifts,

I’d move my kisses to you hips

And an ocean of glee

Would well up within me

In which peace would swim-

And new life would begin.

I only wish I was making this up, but these are all real examples. So guys, the next time you try to pickup a woman avoid these mistakes. The root of all examples can be boiled down to one cardinal mistake: don’t come on too strongly too soon.

Conspiracy Theory

When I told people I was moving to Los Angeles, they all talked about how I would see so many celebrities. Now more than a month in, I have yet to see a celebrity. Yes, I realize I saw the infamous Justin Bieber, but that was a staged encounter. Perhaps I am simply not good at spotting celebrities, but I think it's more about being in the right place at the wrong time. Lauren and I were beginning to wonder where all the celebrities actually were. So as any self-respecting journalist, I did some quality TMZ research. Turns out we seem to be everywhere the celebrities are, only a day or even hours apart.

We missed a run in from recently sprung from jail Lindsey Lohan by a mere day shopping on Melrose Ave. Lauren was very upset about our very close miss of Colbie Caillat on the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica. Evidently we were there on the exact same night, but did not happen to cross paths.

I am beginning to wonder if there are actually celebrities in Los Angeles! I am sure someday when I least expect it, I will see Reese Witherspoon strolling the streets of Brentwood. In the time being though, I am not entirely convinced I live in the land of the rich and famous.

True Meaning of the Pink Ribbon

As September fades into October, pink ribbons are popping up everywhere. This simple pink ribbon symbolizes Breast Cancer Awareness, and October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In the past few years, I have become involved with Lee National Denim Day and also Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Reading the stories of survivors and their struggles made this cause especially dear because these are someone’s mother, daughter, sister, grandmother or aunt. Until recently though, no one in my family had been diagnosed with breast cancer. This all changed about a month ago, when my only aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer. Even though I know all the statistics and the prevalence of breast cancer, I somehow thought my family was safe; however, breast cancer does not discriminate against race, age, or family lineage. It can happen to anyone, even men, which can be very scary.

Instead of focusing on the scary, I choose to believe there is a cure. I have to believe because I have a grandmother, a mother, an aunt, a female cousin, two sisters and four nieces. My aunt underwent a lumpectomy and received partial breast radiation. This is a new technology, which would most likely not be possible without the funding for breast cancer research. I am thankful for every dollar raised and every person who participates in the cause.

Next Friday, October 8 is Lee National Denim Day. I would love if you would donate to my aunt’s team. Her name is Susan, and I know it would mean a lot to her as well to me. In the span of a lifetime, it is almost impossible not to know someone effected by this disease. A small $5 donation can truly help bring a cure! You can follow the link Denim Day Team: Knutzen or go directly to denimday.com and search Knutzen.

Heat Wave

Since it is officially fall, it is only appropriate that Los Angeles now experiences record breaking heat! Being from Oklahoma, I am used to above 100-degree weather, but Los Angelenos don’t know how to handle it. At first I didn’t understand why people freak out about hot weather, until I went to go to sleep last night. My room was a toasty 88 degrees. Many apartment complexes, including my own, do not have central air conditioning because it normally cools off at night. This was not the case last night. It seems in the time I have lived in Los Angeles, I have experienced not only their coolest summer in years but also its hottest day to date. Evidentially I bring the heat extremes with me from the Midwest! Since my room never did cool off, I made a makeshift bed out of couch cushions right in front of the wall AC unit in my living room. While I may have not got the best night’s sleep, I give myself some props for making do with what I had. Tomorrow I will be buying myself a fan for my room, so I hopefully will not be sleeping on the floor again. 

Note: It hit 112 in downtown Los Angeles!

One Month

August 26, 2010, I moved into Brentwood apartment, marking one of the best days of my life. In the last month, I have experienced more “firsts” than I could have ever imagined. For the first time in my life, I have lived a mere four miles from the beach. It's motivating me to get into shape so I can just run there!

For the first time in my life, I experienced a fashion show for Fashion Night Out marking the kick off to fashion week in New York City. Here my roommate and I got a taste of something unexpected at a night dedicated to fashion- the Grilled Cheese Truck. This food truck serves up the most amazing, cheesy combinations. I only wish I would have thought to put macaroni and cheese on a cheddar grilled cheese sandwich first. 

For the first time in my life, I got to see a live VMA performance. My roommate and I drove over to downtown to check out the MTV Video Music Awards. We were hoping to get a glimpse of the “white” carpet but sadly couldn’t really see it. Deciding to make a trip worthwhile, we walked around soaking in the scene. Noticing a stage set up right outside the VMA’s, we stuck around to see if anyone we knew was performing. Whispers surrounded us that Justin Bieber would be performing here. While I have not caught the “Bieber Fever,” we stuck around to see if the rumors were true. Forty-five minutes later, we were surround by a hundred teenage girls pushing to get a glimpse of Justin Bieber. Lip-syncing suspicions aside, I’ll give it to the kid for having pretty good dance moves.

Needless to say a lot has happened in the last month. Everyday is an adventure, and everyday is full of new “firsts.”

Changing Seasons

While my birthday, September 22, marked the official first day of autumn in North America, today is the Autumn Equinox. If you didn’t know, the Autumn Equinox happens when the sun is in line with the equator causing equal parts day and night. Just one more fun fact, for the first time since 1991, autumn was welcome in with a full moon. If you missed it last night, the moon should still be almost full tonight.

Normally at the end of September the temperatures are cooling off into the 60s and 50s, but here in sunny Los Angeles the temperatures are rising. For the first time since I moved to Los Angeles, it is actually going to be in the 80s, which means only one thing- beach trip. I have always loved the beach. Something about the sand between my toes and the breeze coming off of the ocean instantly boosts my mood. So while I won’t be enjoying the changing colors of leaves, I will be getting extended use out of my bikinis.

End of my Golden Year

As my golden birthday year comes to a close, I'm left wishing I could stay 22 forever. So many great things happened during the past year. I spent the majority of my 22nd year enjoying my senior year at the University of Kansas. From football games to trips to the Sandbar, I soaked up the last of my college experience in total bliss. Did a little of that thing called studying too.

Now on the eve of my 23rd birthday, I'm thankful for the past year and the memories I'll try not to forget. The best part of my 22nd birthday will happen tonight. For the first time ever, I will get two extra hours of my birthday- since I live in LA now! While turning 23 frightens me, I'm excited for what the next year holds. If it is half as amazing as the last year, it will be one for the books.

Definition: Golden Birthday- When you turn the age of your date of birth. For example: I was born on the 22nd of September, which made my golden birthday 22.

The Art of Reading Scripts

A year ago I was on the fast track to living in downtown Chicago hopefully working at a public relations agency. Today I am living in Los Angeles, working for a movie and television producer. Funny how life doesn't always go as planned. Although I can't say I'm disappointed with change. A few days a week my life gets a glimpse of Hollywood. They don't exactly teach how to read and comment on a script in public relations classes, but my years of movie watching seem to have finally paid off. I read different genres engrossing myself into a horror film one day and a drama the next. Reading takes me out of reality into a different world described from the author. While I am not normally a horror fan, I find myself turning the pages nervous and excited to find out what is going to happen next. Writing summaries and expressing my opinion makes me feel like I somehow have a small influence on the film industry. Reading scripts truly combines two of my passions, leisure reading and creative writing. For right now, this is the perfect job for me, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

California Sandbag

California Sandbag also known as "cornhole" originated as a popular tailgating game in the Midwest. With a few tweaks this tradition has made its way to Santa Monica. This past weekend, I experienced my first California Sandbag tournament. My right arm got a work out as I attempted to throw bean bags onto a propped up board with a hole in the center approximately 20 feet away. Winning our first game, Lauren and I experienced some beginner's luck and advanced to the second round. Unfortunately our luck ran dry, and we lost our next two games by large margins. Even though we did not win, I am officially a fan of California Sandbag. It is a great way to hang out with people of all ages and from all different backgrounds.

New in Town

Three weeks ago from today I made the big move from Oklahoma to Los Angeles. I always talked about living near a beach, and now I actually do. My life has done a 360, and I absolutely love it. To make sure I don't forget a single minute, I decided to journal about my roommate and I's daily adventures. After a week of writing and pages filled in a journal, the twenty-first century won me over to the digital age. While I am a lover of all things technological, there is something special about the scrawl of a pen over clean, lined paper. I have tried blogging before but always burned out, but this time I actually have something to write about. In the last three weeks, I have experienced so many "firsts," making every day even better than the last.