Category Archives: Uncategorized

Opening Night

Posted on by Christina Does It All
16

Last night was opening night of my university’s collection of short plays, All in the Timing. As most of you know, I was cast in the short play The Philadelphia as a very sassy waitress. Rehearsing for hours a day the past two weeks has been exhausting and fantastic. Each day kind of runs into the next and I have time for nothing else, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m having the time of my life. I’ve spent more time with my fellow cast lately than I have with my hubby, and they’ve very quickly found a big place in my heart. We spend our time in the Green Room dancing and giggling and coloring and game-playing and having deep conversations, all whilst trying not to be too loud. (But usually failing and getting scolded by our stage manager.) We have ridiculously hilarious chats and a slew of cast inside jokes. We’re comfortable enough to grab each others boobies. (The girls, that is.) I get giddy and excited seeing faces that I saw only twelve hours previous. I feel like I’ve added members to my family. If you can’t tell, I’m pretty smitten with life and my cast members as of late. I adore them and I love our play and all that’s been put into it. Opening night was exhilarating and heart-palpitating and it went wonderfully. The feeling of being on stage, making others think and laugh and feel is a thrilling and unforgettable experience. The team-work involved with this production is just as amazing. I’ve been tucking many moments this week into my conscious book of memories, and I know I’ll probably be coming back to them for decades to come.

There’s two more nights of performances left. I can’t wait to spend more time with my cast family and get up on that stage again tonight.

Wish us luck?!

One more thing: I’d also like to mention that I have the most patient and lovely director a gal could ask for. She went out and bought all of the cast flowers last night. Each came with a really sweet note and every flower was unique from the next. Neely (director lady) mentioned that she had fun picking each out, and we decided she did so to fit each of our personalities. I’m not sure what my flower was, but it was pink and wild-looking. I love it. I jokingly asked a fellow cast mate what this said about my personality. We laughed and she responded with something like, “I don’t know. It’s like…..RAAWRR! HAPPY!!!!”  Yep. That pretty much sums me up, I think.

Oh, you know. Just Dancing in an Enchanted Forest.

Posted on by Christina Does It All
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I mentioned the other day that my friends and I are pretty much up for anything. I really did mean that. To the extreme of dancing in a forest with headphones and a bunch of awesome strangers. Last night, my best friend and I went to Austin’s Enchanted Forest to attend our first silent disco. What this means is that we went to an eclectic and gorgeous wooded area, lit up by disco balls and other pretty hanging accessories, and danced (and giggled) the night away. We were given headphones which digitally streamed the music the d.j.s were mixing up just feet away from us. If we took our headphones off, we could laugh at how silly everyone looked dancing to what appeared to be silence, and also enjoy the sound of the babbling brook. The whole experience was simply magical. And enchanting. Did you know ‘enchanted’ is one of my favorite words? So the Enchanted Forest was a lovely opportunity to be completely enchanted by the the perfect combination of nature, music and my fellow adventure-seekers.

I actually found out about this whole silent disco idea through an online meetup group, 20-something girlfriends. I applied to join this a while ago, and was pretty excited to get accepted. It’s all about meeting new people and going on new adventures. Two of my favorite things in life! I’d been meaning to go to a meetup for a while, but just hadn’t had the time. When I saw they were planning to go to a silent disco, I immediately fell in love with the idea. But I never thought I’d be able to find them in the crowd! We just happened to stumble upon a group of friendly girlies before it got too crowded, and I went with my inkling. “Are you…a girl’s meetup group?”  They were. And I’m so glad we found them. Tessa and I had a wonderful time dancing, chatting and laughing with our new girly pals. Did I mention yet how magical this night was? I blew bubbles. I danced with new friends. I participated in my city’s “Keep Austin Weird” slogan. I played with wind chimes. I drank Blue Moon beer beneath the moon. I danced beneath a disco ball in a forest with fun music in my ears. I watched people do cool tricks with lighted hula hoops. I saw and heard a giant Balinese Reyong (crazy-cool instrument) play it’s own music. I held hands and ooh-ed and ahh-ed at everything with my best girl friend. I got really muddy and felt at one with nature and people and stuff. I met awesome new folks and now have a really neat, new and odd experience under my belt. I currently have that afterglow that I always feel after a good adventure. It usually lasts just long enough to hold me over until I’m ready for my next new experience. So at least 24 hours or so.

I’m pretty adventure hungry. I get restless, adventure pangs pretty easily. Lucky for me, I have plenty of people and opportunities around that love to feed my appetite.

Starting with Cayenne.

Posted on by Christina Does It All
17

Today my husband randomly asked me, “Baby, if you had to pick one thing that you were jealous of about me, what would it be?”

I only paused to think for a second before replying, “Your ability to not give a shit.”  Seriously. It amazes me how relaxed he is, how he simply brushes things off his shoulder and has a smile on his face even at the most stressful of times. Sometimes I’d like to kill him for it, but most of the time, it has more of a calming effect on me.

Husband continued the conversation, much to my amusement. “Cool. If I had to pick one thing to be jealous of about you, it’d be your drive. But I guess you can’t really have drive and not give a shit…Guess that’s why we work so good together.”

I smiled and remembered the time a few days ago he told somebody that I was “stubborn,” “hard-headed” and that “She gets everything she wants.”  He was trying to play it off as if this was a nuisance, but his signature big-ass smile gave him away.

Husband knows all too well that if I really want and set my mind to something, dammit, it’s going to happen. (Whether this is more of a fault or a positive attribute is questionable.) But even though I am having the time of my life right now, I will admit that being so driven does sometimes get me in over my head. Right now, for instance. I’m currently taking 15 hours of course work, working part-time, mentoring, working out over three hours a week, rehearsing for a play, constantly diving headfirst into new projects+adventures and still attempting to be a decent wife, house-owner and friend. I love being busy and I’m hands down the happiest I’ve ever been, but I am often exhausted. Succeeding in life has never been a huge fear of mine, simply because I’m one of those crazies who would at least kill myself trying. The faith my husband, friends and family has in me doesn’t hurt either. But I am worried about breathing. Remembering to breathe. I kind of suck at that.

These are the moments when I have to act less like me and more like Robby. He’s great at remembering to breathe. So today I went to Home Depot. This is a very Robby thing to do! Yes. So I went to Home Depot and I bought a begonia and I bought a cayenne pepper plant. I’m going to start gardening. Or I’m going to try. I’d be lying if I said this had nothing to do with conquering a goal and getting something I want out of the deal. One of my new years resolutions is to start a new hobby. But this is something different for me. Something more calm and meditative. A hobby that will allow me to think, and enjoy my alone time and to breathe. Something that has the possibility to inspire and create without going a million miles an hour. I could hate it, It is very possibly one of my shorter-lived projects and I’ll more than likely kill every plant I attempt to grow. But I figure it’s worth a try. So here I am. Starting with cayenne. 

California Dreamin’

Posted on by Christina Does It All
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I had a hard time sleeping last night due to my excitement.

And I won’t be sleeping at all tonight.

At 2:00 am this morning, husband and I will make our way to the San Antonio airport on our way to visit San Diego.

I love the process of getting ready for a trip almost as much as I love the actual trip. Well, okay, that’s a lie. But I still like it a lot.

The Googling of cheap eats and fun places to visit.

The buying and packing of clothes purchased solely for the trip.

The giddiness of knowing that very soon, I’ll wake up in a different time zone.

The memories of past vacations, rushing through airports, early mornings, late nights, sunny beaches, good food, cute cities, sight-seeing, exploring, fresh-brewed coffee, and looking out of hotel windows to see the view (or occasionally lack of.)

The breathtaking newness of it all. Waking up with the awareness that the day will be full of new adventures and new memories and new smells and new people and new grounds to tread on. The wonder of discovering said newness. There’s just something magical about going somewhere you’ve never been before, no?

The anticipating of doing all of these things with my partner in crime, aka Robby Boudreaux, aka husband-man. The joy of remembering we turn into wide-eyed, goofy kids again every time we step foot on unexplored grounds. The nice feelings I get knowing we get to do this all again in less than 24 hours.

It’s been an eight year dream of mine to visit California. I was convinced at 14 that I would grow up to be a famous Hollywood actress/American Idol judge/Ryan Seacrest’s beaming bride. (That last bit still perplexes even me.) Even when these adolescent dreams (thankfully) faded, my love for acting and the allure for this west coast state didn’t. Now, in the month of March, I have the opportunity to star in a university play while also visiting California with my favorite dude in the entire world. Best of both worlds! Teenage Christina couldn’t have dreamed up a better plan herself. (Clearly, since wedding Ryan Seacrest was part of the original plan….)

Beeritas and Bacon. Need I say more?

Posted on by Christina Does It All
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I never plan on making so many posts about my weekends. It kind of just ends up this way. Lately, I’ve felt inspired by so many different things and have a whole slew of post ideas accumulating in my brain. But these ideas kind of stay on the back burner due to my busy schedule and wonderful weekends. It’s extremely necessary that you know about my wonderful weekends! Right?! Right. I also think that reviewing the good times on a Monday helps to keep me satisfied and energized until the next Friday. So, here’s the current weekend highlights and joys:

Friday:

I have one class on Fridays– Mass Media History and Theory. Before leaving said class on Friday, my professor asked me if I would consider taking a managerial position within the radio department of our university next year. I was honored he asked, and it would look great on a resume and count for free credits. Yes, sir, I’ll definitely consider.

Saturday:

Margaritas and lots of laughs with some favorites.

The above picture screams, “Hi, I’m 12 years old and excitedly enjoying my first beerita!” This isn’t too far off. I’m 22 and excitedly enjoying my first beerita!

My sexy date for the night.

My main squeeze.

Sunday:

Sushi Date with Jenn and Emily= Two dates in two days with two of my favorite girls.

And later that evening……(Drumroll, please….)

I had the amazing experience of attending my first ever Bacon Party.Yes! A party full of bacon! A black tie event in honor of BACON! So I got to dress up all fancy (I choose red, in honor of bacon.) and fill my tummy with with bacon-y (That should be a word. Why is it not?! Does the dictionary not realize the importance of bacon?!) goodness. We’re talking bacon deviled eggs,candied bacon,bacon-loaded potato salad, bacon cupcakes, bacon brownies, bacon and bleu cheese cheesecake, honey-nutella-peanut-butter-banana-bacon sandwiches (‘Elvis sandwiches,’ for short.) and every other bacon indulgence your heart or tummy could ask for. Instead of chips and dip, there was bacon strips and dip. For a few short hours,I lived in a perfect world. A world full of friends, laughter and bacon.

Here’s to the good stuff.

Posted on by Christina Does It All
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Favorite moments this week:

(Collage by my lovely friend Becca)

  • Becca buying me food/happy hour and Tessa, later that night, buying me drinks downtown. I have super sweet friends who thankfully don’t let me use, “I’m broke” as an excuse to not hang out with them.
  • Speaking of Becca. In our shared religious course, she mistook the word “incense” for “incest” during lecture. Thus, instead of hearing  “All kinds of incense” in the church, she heard “All kinds of incest” in the church. Add the fact that my professor seemed really excited about this fact and Becca’s initial look of confusion and disgust, we ended up giggling uncontrollably for approximately five minutes in the back of the classroom.
  • New neighbors close to hubby and my age. They were outside today when I started my run and invited us over for “Beer and video games” sometime. Hubby may have found his neighborhood soul mates.
  • Receiving a really sweet secondhand compliment. Best friend Tessa informed me that our mutual buddy Brooks told her that there was just something about me that others are drawn to. Made me smile. It’s always good to know that people are talking good about you behind your back.
  • Going out with my best girly friend, a dude friend I haven’t seen in years and a new dude friend last night.
  • Funny/awkward moment of the night:I mentioned to new friend Scott that I was taller than him. He didn’t like this comment and set out to prove me wrong. We came across a group of women who I believe were celebrating a bachelorette party. Scott promptly asked who was taller. The consensus was that he was taller but that I was way hotter. Before walking off, one lady (or maybe it was two?) told new friend Scott, “She’s fine. You better treat her right.”  Err. They thought new friend Scott was my lover Scott. After said amusingly awkward conversation, new friend Scott went around to other groups asking not who was taller, but who was hotter. I definitely won. Hee.
  • Dancing on stage at a dueling piano bar. Though I have no dancing abilities whatsoever and I was still much too sober to be dancing on a stage, I had a blast.
  • Best dude friend Bryant messaging me pictures of our mutual girl crush, Selena Gomez. (No, We’re not quite pedophiles. She’s 19! And he started it.)
  • Upcoming fun weekend plans with my amazing hubby and wonderful friends.
  • I’m going to San Diego in two weeks!
  • So. Here’s to free happy hours, girl crushes, dancing on stages, upcoming vacations, being the hotter partner of a fake couple, new friends, old friends, the bestest of girl friends and all of the other good stuff, lovely moments and exciting adventures in between. Cheers,y’all!

Hello, I had a nice weekend. In other news, I giggle in the snow and still look 14.

Posted on by Christina Does It All
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This weekend I….:

  • Had a mini dance party
  • Hung out with a few favorite peeps.
  • Laughed so hard I couldn’t breathe.

(Lookit! All white shirts! I’m easily entertained, obviously.)

  • Was hankering for an adventure. Went indoor rock-climbing with the dudes pictured above. (Pat and Deesh.) Sucked at it but had a blast.

(Look! No clippy! No, I’m not that dumb. This particular wall was a free-fall wall with squishy things to fall down on. Falling was as fun as climbing. Confession: Deesh laid down to take this picture as to make me look more bad-ass than I really am. I was actually only a couple of steps up at this point.)

  • Had the pleasure of acting as a beginning wing-man for Deesh and Pat. They’re single and I talk to everyone (including single females), so it all came pretty naturally.
  • Mini-golfed.
  • Went on a long run in the cold. I love running in the cold. I noticed a pitter-patter sound as I was running, but didn’t see any rain. I also love running in the rain, so I waited for it. About 1/3 of the way into said run, I realized what the pitter-patter sound was when it started coming down harder. Sleet. I was getting sleeted on! It kind of hurt but was kind of fun too. Eventually sleet turned into little bitty Texas-style snow particles. It was absolutely breath-taking, and I couldn’t help but smile and maybe even laugh with giddiness as I ran. So if you were in the greater Austin area yesterday and noticed a strange girl running and giggling as ice was pelting her and snow was falling, that was I. Do not be alarmed.

Ps: Review all of the above pictures. How old do I look? 14? Maybe 16? I’m about to turn 23! I should at least look legal by now. Oh well. I figure I will be thankful for this one day.

“It’s a heart.” and other happy things.

Posted on by Christina Does It All
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I may be kind of delirious right now. Yesterday I left for work at 8:30 am and didn’t get home from school and then rehearsals until almost 10 (pm.) Yawn.

Things keeping me happy to be awake:

  • I came home after a long day on Tuesday to find wine,my favorite candy bar and mini Kit-Kats in the shape of a heart. Just to clear up any confusion, husband even wrote a note pointing to the Kit-Kats that read, “It’s a heart.”

As excited as I am for Valentine’s Day and the treats that come with it, these little impromptu surprises not attached to any holiday are even more special to me.

  • Speaking of my dude. We were celebrating his birthday at a friend’s house last week when Lauren, a girl I know from high-school, and I started chatting. She made me smile and blush a bunch when she said that Robby and I give her hope for this matrimony stuff and that we were what marriage should be like. Friends who really love each other. She then admitted to ‘stalking’  and loving every single one of my blogs. I was pleasantly surprised. I love being stalked by cool people!  This conversation also enunciated two opinions I already have:

1. My marriage really is the bee’s knees.

2. Girls? We’re all stalkers. Establishing this mutual understanding really makes for lovely conversations.

-Hubby and I are going to San Diego in three weeks! Confession: I found such a great deal on tickets but was so broke at the time that I only bought one ticket to San Diego. I just got finished buying the second one, and I managed to get Robby and I on the same flights and everything. There was a small chance that I was booking it solo to California. Glad to for sure be bringing my dude along now.

  • What I do at work:

For those of you who may be just tuning in, I’m not a killer motorcyclist. I’m a nanny.

  • Friend Deesh flattering me:
  • Friend Katie flattering me whilst making a funny:
  • 3,000 dollars in tax returns. Being a broke college student does have its upsides.
  • Receiving my script and also finding out that I get to work with a professional actor. Our short play (“The Philadelphia”) is meant to consist of two males and one female. However, so many more girls tried out that our professor was going to make do with an all female cast. I think she knew a lot of the humor would be lost without the two males, so she worked it out and found the professional for one male role. I’ll be the only girl in this particular skit, working with two amazing dude actors. I don’t know whether to be more nervous or excited. Let’s go with excited. Yes. Excited is a good summary to explain how life has me feeling lately. And sleepy. And nervous. And busy. But mostly excited.

Trying out.

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Copyright Adam Wright Photography

Early this week in my theatrical performance class, my professor gave a little speech that really stuck with me. She encouraged us to try out for the school play and stressed that once we get a bit older and graduate, the opportunities we have whilst in school oftentimes become more scarce (What with full-time jobs, kids, etc.) She enunciated the fact that we should take advantage of all we can right now, while there’s an abundance of choices ripe for the taking. What she was saying were rules I try to live by daily, but inspired me nonetheless. I had actually already signed up to try out, but this gave me that extra push to truly give said try-out my all.

Honestly, I was terrified. It’s been years since I was in high-school theatre, and being enrolled in a tiny private school, trying out was not really a necessity back then. I thought about it for a while before I finally just stopped thinking and signed my name on the audition list. I memorized a one-minute monologue, went over it probably over a million times, and still thought my heart was going to beat out of my chest while waiting for my turn to audition. Once in there and after reading my monologue, my adrenaline was on super speed after being asked to read other lines and to also ad-lib acting like a chimpanzee. It was insane. I was completely out of my element. I felt the need to cry. And laugh. And run away. And jump up and down and dance and high-five people because I did it. I actually did it.

That’s what trying out was about for me. I know that there are things I’m much better at than acting, and I didn’t go into this expecting to get a role. I did it because I wanted to. Because I love the thrill of performing, if only for 10 minutes in the form of an audition. Because facing fears feels fabulous. (Say that five times fast.) I did this for me. I was vulnerable and scared and shaking and it felt amazing. I all too often wait until I feel I’ve “accomplished” something or am “successful”  to announce it to others. But this is me announcing that I don’t know if I got a role. But I accomplished trying out for that role. I was successful in that I went through with something that really,really freaked me out. I am succesful in that I feel more alive and proud of myself because of it. And that’s enough for me.

I have a call-back tomorrow morning. This may not mean anything. But that’s okay. My old-man husband is turning 29 on Monday, and his parents come down tomorrow to spoil us with food and stuff. I have fun nights and adventures planned with friends this weekend. I am doing the best I can at living and fear-facing every day. That’s what this life stuff is all about I suppose. Not always getting everything you want, or accomplishing every goal, or always getting a lead role. But always trying out.

Vacations,Dandelions,Little Jeans and Liking Life.

Posted on by Christina Does It All
20

“Up in the mountains, Down by the ocean,

Where, it don’t matter

As long as we’re going somewhere together;

I’ve got a quarter,

Heads Carolina, Tails California”

It’s official! Husband and I are going on vacation at the very beginning of March! As we’re on an extremely tight budget, I’ve been scoping out the best deals online for about a week now. By this I mean I’ve been obsessively searching for (practically page refreshing, but not quite) airline tickets on the internet. I didn’t really care where we went, as long as we found ticket prices under 200 dollars a pop. I actually loved the spontaneity and excitement of knowing we were going somewhere together soon, but not yet knowing where. Last night I finally made a decision when I found a deal I just couldn’t pass up. So Guess what, Guess what, Guess what? March 1st, I fulfill an eight year long dream of visiting California. I can’t put into words how giddy I am. But I shall try. Right now. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!! <<< There you go. That’s a tiny part of my giddiness put onto a computer. I feel like a kid on Christmas right now (Or really, just me on Christmas.) San Diego, here we come!

Other giddy moments lately:

  •  Finding and blowing/wishing on dandelions with the littles ones I nanny. Being around kids so much really helps keep in tact the magic of life.
  • Date night with my boy.
  • A fellow classmate/new friend did the sweetest thing for me yesterday. She knew I hadn’t bought my book yet and that we have an upcoming test. I planned on just studying notes and googling terms. Last night after class, she walked up to me and handed me her book. I was confused. “Won’t you need this to study?” She responded with a shrug, said she already studied and I could give it back to her on Tuesday. I gave her a hug and left the classroom feeling heart-warmed and relieved. No googling terms for me this weekend!
  • My friend Becca and I share a class together, and have taken to writing one another notes this week. Above you can see the page we filled up with random doodles and words. I love sharing a class with this chick. Not only does she make the time fly faster, but she has taken to bringing me random treats to class. Candy, Girl-Scout cookies and once even a whole meal. I have sweet friends.
  • The above picture is me trying on a pair of size 5′s. That were too big for me. I did a happy dance in the dressing room. I haven’t been in the size 3 arena since I was a teenager. I’m doing another little happy dance right now, just thinking about it.
  • I really like life right now. Life seems to really like me right now too. Hopefully that doesn’t change anytime soon.
  • What have you been liking about life lately?