Rollercoast Wednesday

Today has been an up and down kind of day.

On one hand, I found out today that I will not being going to grad school next year, as the last school I was waiting on kindly (very kindly, actually) let me know that they had informed all of their accepted students yesterday. Well, ok then.

On the other hand, a lifelong dream was realized. I met a beauty queen.

In my role at Arkansas Business, I'm often required to attend press conferences and news announcements, and I've met some pseudo-celebrities and important business figures. Today, though, tops it all.

A local news channel sent out a media alert yesterday that they'd be holding a news conference today to announce their new morning show co-host. Because I work with some insiders, we actually found early who it was going to be: Alyse Eady, Miss Arkansas 2010 and 1st runner-up to Miss America 2011. Nice move, Channel 11. 

So, anyway. I went to the news conference, and after the station made the announcement live and Alyse talked about how excited she was to become a part of the team, we got a few moments to chat at the following reception.

It was everything I imagined, but also very strange. To begin with, when I used to watch beauty pageants as a little girl (shout out to the sister), I was exactly that: a little girl. And the beauty queens were adults, and were beautiful and so were sort of not-real people.

Not only is Alyse a real person, but she's my age, graduated in May with a BA in communications, and confessed that she's nervous about having to wake up early for her new gig. Say, what!? Beauty queens are normal people? Who would've thought.

Of course, Alyse and her parents were named Family of the Year in 2007 (p.s. that's an award? Why didn't we know about that, Kauffmann/Harmatz gang?), and she appeared on Letterman to perform her talent. Which is (drum roll please): performing "I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart" with two ventriloquist dummies.

So, no, not exactly normal.

Knowing the Pi can win

R.I.P. Elizabeth Taylor. I'll always remember the scene in National Velvet when you run home from school, more concerned that your horse is sick than you are that your sister is crying in the kitchen. Way to have your priorities straight.

News, Exciting and Not

Not much new here. Chris returned safely from Ithaca, and has officially committed to Cornell. Very exciting news!

In other news that's not quite as exciting, we had a great weekend of lots of shopping and eating, in which I purchased a dress for a September wedding, used a LivingSocial deal at a glorious kitchen store to get some fun goodies, and ate a strawberry cupcake. 

Also — and this I do actually find very exciting — we are almost exactly half way done with our P90X workouts. The end of this week will mark the end of Week 7, and the program is 13 weeks long. And I am actually noticing a difference. Or at least, I continue to be sore all the time, which I've convinced myself means there's a difference. I do think my arms are a little more toned. 

Happy Spring everyone!

Living Without A Boy In Arkansas

Chris is off to Ithaca, NY to visit Cornell, leaving me alone in the house for the first time.

Plans include:
1. Making vegetable spaghetti for dinner, using a recipe from the most recent Food & Wine
2. Watching Sex and the City as often as possible
3. Taking a long bubble bath
4. Eating a cupcake

I will miss him, of course. He was especially helpful and good-spirited this weekend in assisting me with our Peep90X project, which I'll be submitting to the Washington Post's peep contest later today. Some photos of our hard work:

Just getting started

Putting together the Peep90Xers

Why, yes, it was messy.

I mean, come on. That one doing a pull-up by its ears? Could you die? Also, one poor little peep couldn't handle the pain.

The Day After

We celebrated Mardi Gras the best way we know how (second best, actually, but best when you're not living in New Orleans). Food and drink, Nola style.

 

Behold the Holy Trinity: celery, bell pepper and onion
 

A festive shoe for a festive occasion

 

opposing stages of helpfulness

 

finished gumbo. fat tuesday indeed.

                                                        hurricanes to top it all off. cheers, yall!

                                                               happy mardi gras!

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler...

Happy Mardi Gras, everyone! Chris and I are throwing a little Mardi Gras dinner party to celebrate Fat Tuesday in style. Hopefully will have pictures from that to post later this week.

Let the good times roll like a New Orleanian, wherever you are!