Actress. Writer. Foodie. Book Nerd.
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We must prepare.
Being that it is the day after Thanksgiving aka Black Friday, I thought it would be appropriate to post my holiday gift guide in case you’re looking for some gift ideas! A lot of these are on sale this weekend so grab them before they go! [Read more…]
Did you know I had cousins from England? Neither did I until I went to study in London. I was very fortunate to get to know my cousin Dan and his wonderful family while I was studying there.
Here I am with Dan’s boys, Harry and Charlie, in front of the big fireplace at Hampstead Heath.
College is a fantastic time in a young person’s life. You get to “find” yourself, most likely live away from home for the first time, and meet some awesome friends along the way.
Not to mention graduate with some great stories… 😉
It’s hard after you graduate to stay in touch. People move, start families, work takes over; I’m extremely lucky that I still see and speak with a lot of my friends from college. We all live relatively near one another and if not, are at least up to date with what’s going on in each others lives (lets face it, we’re nosy like that).
I graduated a semester early and that last semester I student taught from home so really, I only had 3 years on campus. My last year on campus, I lived in the newly built “Pods”. It was a suite of four rooms with two bathrooms.
8 girls living together in close quarters. It was awesome and crazy at the same time.
Some of the best memories from college are from the year I lived in the Pod.
This was us the second night of our junior year. 🙂
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I love the fall. It’s probably my second favorite season next to spring. There are pumpkins, apples, scarves, boots, cozying up with a nice book and a cup of coffee, cocooned in a nice warm sweater–see? Hands down, my second favorite season.
Another awesome thing about Fall are Street Fairs. Granted they have these in the Spring as well, but there’s something about going to them in the fall that I love, especially if it’s a nice, crisp day which is exactly the type of weather I had when I went to the Nyack Street Fair.
Every year the bro and I try and hit up the NY Renaissance Faire. It’s an excuse to drink Mead, get Henna, and have cheesecake–on a stick.
We entered the faire with the other conglomerates of dressed up folk (although this year, the bro and I did not partake in the dressing up) shouting at you to “Be merry!” and “Good day fair lady!”. Honestly, it makes you feel very important.
I’m not sure when authors reached the level where girls were fangirling over meeting them, but I think it’s an amazing and wonderful thing. Maybe it started with JK Rowling? Who knows. All I know is I was totally fangirling at the Heir of Fire launch party at Books of Wonder in NYC.
Sarah J. Maas was joined by her two besties, the amazing Susan Dennard and Alexandra Bracken.
The room was packed; Jess and I squeezed our way toward the back. We were surrounded by a bunch of teenage girls, but some older ones as well, waiting to hear the panel. It was a fun, informal, girls get-together (ok, a few boys were thrown into the mix as well), where Sarah, Susan, and Alexandra discussed Star Wars, Sailor Moon, Tamora Pierce, Outlander, and some embarrassing early writing samples from High School.
I think everybody in that room wanted to be friends with them by the end of the night–that’s how down to earth and fun the three of them are.
I love weddings, don’t you? There’s always great food, dancing, and an excuse to act a little crazy. When it’s an actors wedding…well, we know how to go all out.
The bro and I were lucky to be invited to our friend Nicole’s wedding. Nicole and the bro did a little show called Les Miserables back in HS and then the three of us were in Godspell a few years later. Nicole is also one of those awesome friends who helped record the demo for On the Air. She is an absolute sweetheart who keeps me sane during audition season. Her husband, Rob, is a doll. I couldn’t be happier for the two of them!
Nicole and Rob were married at the Glen Island Harbour Club. OMG the gorgeousness. The ceremony took place in a room with panoramic views of the harbor. Simply gorgeous.
The last leg of our Magic Trip has finally arrived. I know you’re all as sad as I am that it is ending. All you’ll get from now on are posts about food, books, and my daily life. Oh, you might want to stick around for some upcoming BIG events for On the Air (we’re talking HUGE people). I’ll leave you with that! MWAHAHA!
Robby and I stopped in Savannah, GA to grab dinner on our way home from Florida.
Of course we had to stop at Huey’s on River St. for the best shrimp and grits in town!
Continuing the awesomeness from Part 1.
We were very fortunate to have come across a young gentleman in Disney World who had gone to Universal’s Harry Potter the first two days it opened. He gave us some sound advice as to what to look out for and how to deal with the Escape from Gringotts line. In case you were unaware, the first day it opened, there was a 7 hour wait!
Being the devout Harry Potter fans we are, Robby and I were prepared to wait the seven hours if need be. Luckily, we didn’t have to. He said the morning was the worst time and to wait until the afternoon. It lessens up considerably. Good thing because when we first arrived, this was the wait time:
It’s happening. The post you’ve all been waiting for.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Part 1 (because the awesomeness couldn’t all fit in one post)
Robby and I first went to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter when it first opened a few years ago. When we heard Diagon Alley would be opening this summer, we obviously had to go.
The first time we went to Hogsmeade we didn’t think it could get any better.
Oh, how wrong we were.
It was everything I was hoping for and more. Hogsmeade doesn’t even compare to Diagon Alley. Don’t ask me what the rest of the park was like because we literally spent two whole days just in Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley.
I’m just going to let the photos speak for themselves. Because. Yea.
