Bye Bye BYU

It's official. Four years of exams, group projects, and harsh winters have finally paid off. I graduated BYU. I got my degree. (Well, almost. I technically won't get it until June.) I did it.

These last couple of days have been hectic, but I won't ever forget the time I walked on that stage in my cap and gown and spoke about how grateful I was for this school and the Communications Department. How I loved every experience I've been given, from my classes, to the Bradley Lab, to my internships, to the wonderful people and friends I met while I was here. It was an honor to be able to reflect on those things, and I hope my fellow graduates were able to look back on their own college experience and realize the potential they have. Especially my fellow PR folk--we're the best.

Tomorrow I fly out to my internship in New York, effectively beginning the next phase of my life. It hasn't hit me quite yet that I will no longer walk across the campus grounds of BYU as a student. Or that I might not see Provo or some of the amazing friends I made here for quite a while. It's a little depressing, but you can't be stuck in the past. I'm ready for whatever the future has in store for me. Bring it on, post-grad life.

P.S. As soon as the recording of my speech is sent to me I will post it here. I know some people wished they could have come, but were either too far away or too tired to come at 8 in the morning. I don't blame you; I've probably slept a total of seven hours the last three days.

P.P.S. There's a lot more I could say about my awesome experiences as an undergrad, but the thing I'll miss the most is the people. And since a blog post can't properly express how much I'll miss everyone, I'm currently working on a goodbye video showcasing everyone that's made an impact on my time here in Utah. I'm also working on one telling all things I won't miss so much about this place. My computer's been pretty sketchy lately though, so I'm not sure when I'll have it done.

P.P.P.S. Did I mention I'll be in New York tomorrow??? Stay tuned for my adventures in the concrete jungle. 

Big Apple Dreamin'

Today marks the two-week wait until I fly into New York City. I still have a million and a half things to do, but since I don't feel like doing any of them, I'm instead going to tell you how pumped I am for the Big Apple.

What I'm looking forward to:

• The food. Of course this makes the top of my list... Regardless, NYC is the mecca of delicious food from all over the world, so it's basically heaven to a foodie like me. Also, cheesecake. 
• Working for an awesome PR firm and learning a lot about media relations. Did I mention the office is in Times Square? And their clients include PBS, HBO, and Scholastic Books? Here's a picture several employees took a few months ago. I don't want to brag, but I definitely nagged the best internship in the program.

  

  LEVAR FREAKING BURTON, people.

• Mastering the subway system and the whole map of Manhattan. Basically, by the end of these seven weeks I'd be happy to not look like a total noob and at least appear to know where I'm going. 
• Broadway shows. I really want to see Newsies and Phantom.
• Seeing something new every day. Whether it's the different cultures, landmarks, or this guy:
  
• Yankees game, the Met, Ground Zero, etc... I unashamedly love touristy things. 
• SHOPPING
• And of course, hanging out with my awesome BYU friends at the IHouse. It will be a party. SO EXCITED.

What I'm not so much looking forward to :

• The tiny IHouse dorm room and communal bathrooms. Enough said.
• Getting lost. Which will happen every day, knowing myself. 
• The fact that I'll have practically no money out there. I might have to take up a part-time job like this guy to earn some extra cash. 

  

  stone. cold. statue.

I'm excited to tell you all about my NYC adventures when I finally get out there! I also love restaurant advice. 

Three more weeks

The race towards graduation is happening so fast I can barely keep up. These last two weeks of school will be super busy (this last week was the worst), finals won't be too bad, then it's just prepping for graduation and my speech(!) and then I am OFF TO NEW YORK. Craziness.

When I have more time I promise I'll have more topic-specific posts, but for now just a quick update of what I've been up to.

I've been attending a lot of concerts lately. Hillary and I went to see our friend Jared's band, Red Orange, for starters.

And then MIKA, whom I absolutely adore. He did all of his songs acoustically, and it was one of the best shows I've been to.

Shiny Toy Guns. I have to say I'll really miss Utah audiences. They get really into it and it's always a blast. 

Cori and I got a pic with the lead singer of Midi Matilda (they were good--check them out!) and he told Cori she should die her hair all the way pink, which was pretty funny.

Last BYU NIT game with Christine. I'm still shocked she didn't caught with that cowbell. 

I attended TEDxBYU, which was amazing and inspiring and basically highlighted everything I wish I could be as a public speaker. 

Yesterday was a Comms awards luncheon, where free food is always appreciated. Here are some of my other awesome PR friends who were honored. I'm gonna miss everyone so much. Gah. Can't think about it yet.

That's basically it. These last few weeks should be more eventful, including my raging graduation party on the 19th!! If anyone knows where to find an empty keg, let me know. It's for root beer, of course :)

I should also mention my April Fool's joke, which I thought was kinda lame since I didn't have much time to think of something better, but everyone still seemed to be fooled. I simply changed my birthday on Facebook to April 1, and everyone kept wishing me happy birthday throughout the day. It was pretty hilarious. Hillary even bought me fudge! Hahaha.

Bye for now.

I'm going to New York!

Ya can't get rid of me so easily!

After months of agonizing over my future, I can finally say what I'll be doing this spring (thus delaying the future-agonizing a couple of months). I've accepted an internship with Goodman Media International in NYC and I am so excited!! I've felt for a while that I needed to go to New York for some reason. Now it is finally happening. In a future post I'll list all the things I'm looking forward to. But mostly I'm just excited to work for an awesome agency in one of the best cities in the world.

Other things that have happened lately...Oh. I was asked to speak at graduation?!? Still not sure what that's all about. I'm flattered obviously, but also very confused as to why I (not the best public speaker in the world) was chosen. People are telling me its because I've basically done everything in the program that one could do, which I guess is true. But it's super stressful because I have to speak for the entire Comms graduating class on how awesome our time here was. No pressure or anything.

That's about it for now. Still just plugging along in school. Although it's really hard to concentrate on anything now that I know I'll be going here in just over a month:

I'll be here soon enough.

PS: Who else is stoked about the Veronica Mars movie!?! I'm sooo excited. I literally couldn't talk about anything else the day it was announced. VMars is probably one of my all-time favorite TV shows and definitely didn't have time to wrap up in a satisfying way, and now it will. Logan and Veronica better end up together though. You have been warned, Rob Thomas. You have been warned.

Everyone go and donate if you haven't yet! Extra money means extra tiny-blonde sass!

On being obsessed with YouTube

So today I had like three people tell me (in person) that they actually read this blog. Which is nice and validating, but it also reminded me that I haven't posted in forever. I did get a Tumblr account though! Probably a bad decision, but if you ever want further insight into my weird mind, go ahead and check it out. You've been warned.

I wish I had more to report, but mostly this semester's just been the usual--busy, busy, busy. There were a few notable things though:

My last BYU basketball home game. I managed to get second row seats by being sneaky (which I felt a little bad about but not really) and even though we lost, I still teared up. BYU basketball's been a huge part of my life the past four years and I'm so glad I got to go to most of the games. There's nothing like the Marriott Center during a high-stakes conference game. Especially during Jimmermania.

Last week I attended the Matt and Kim/Passion Pit concert with Hillary and Cori. It was so much fun (especially watching Hillary completely fangirl). Also, it's so nice to be 21 and go into the 21 and older sections now. So much more chill and enjoyable.

I GOT MY CAP AND GOWN!! This means I'm officially graduating or something. Still feels unreal. 

That's about it for now. I hope to have some more exciting news soon! (Ooh cryptic...)

But for now let's talk about my latest obsession: YouTube! And I'm not just talking about awesome goat remixes and Harlem Shake videos here.  I'm talking about full-on web series and vlog channels that are professionally produced. I know I'm way late on the bandwagon here, but they are just so addicting! They're short, so you feel more justified in watching them. (Of course until you've gone through like 50 episodes and your day is shot.) They're usually pretty high quality, clever, and just really enjoyable. Technology has really changed how we view things, and I wouldn't be surprised if web series soon become a part of the mainstream, being nominated for Emmys and whatnot. (The new Arrested Development, possibly?)

Here are some of my favorites. Say goodbye to your next few days. You're welcome :)

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries

A modern adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries follows Lizzie, a 24-year-old grad student, as she vlogs about her family, friends, and the incorrigible Mr. Darcy. In addition to being hilarious and filled with great actors, this series is one of the most clever adaptations I've seen. They really have time to delve deep into each character and as such, characters such as Lydia and Georgiana, who don't have much of a role in the book, become some of my favorites. Mary Kate Wiles, who plays Lydia, is one of the breakout stars of the series and is someone who will be going places. And the hipster William Darcy is very attractive. Even though you don't see him until episode 60 (but it's very worth the wait).

Another thing I love about this series is that in addition to the basic videos, there are also spinoffs and transmedia elements that give more layers to the story. Each of the characters have Twitter accounts, for example, and The Lydia Bennet series really has an amazing and heartbreaking arc that delves deep into the character and her relationship with Wickham.

Here's one of my favorite episodes that gives a good taste of the humor and modern feel. (Also, this one's probably the worst in terms of suggestive content and language. It's pretty clean throughout the series. Although I'm not sure what that says about me since this is one of my favorites...hmm)

DailyGrace

I just discovered Grace Helbig's videos, and they have kept me up for far longer than I care to admit. This girl is hilarious, and she's been vlogging for four years strong. She's got a good system in place now at this point, and pretty much every video is guaranteed to be hilarious. If you REALLY want to waste time, check these out.

Squaresville

I saw that Mary Kate Wiles was in another series, so I had to check it out. It's called Squaresville, a show about two girls trying to navigate life in their boring town. It's quirky and a little strange, but I really enjoyed the first season. Season 2 was just released, and I think I like it even better. Check it:

There are many more awesome web series out there (the VlogBrothers can do no wrong, for instance), but these are the ones I've been obsessing over lately. Do you guys know of any cool web series that I should check out?

Thanks, bye!

Finally February

Words cannot express how happy I am that it is finally the second month of the year. It's only been three days, but the weather's already been better than all of January (or as my friend Kelly calls it - "the Monday of the year") combined.

I just wanted to give a quick update on what's been going on (which is admittedly not much, because again, January) but I did get to have some fun:

I finally got to attend a game in the Marriott Center again. I loved watching the games with my dad over break, but nothing beats hanging out in the ROC with these lovely ladies. 

Sundance 2013! I didn't make it up to Park City this year (sorry, Joseph Gordon-Levitt. We'll meet someday, I promise), but I got to ride the train up to Ogden to see Austenland! It was my first time on the Frontrunner, and I have to say I'm a big fan. It's pretty cheap and gets you there just as fast as driving. I'll definitely be utilizing it in the future - City Creek trip, anyone?

Up in Ogden, we only had three tickets and went through the most stressful/complicated process to get an extra ticket for the fourth member of our party. (It involved me getting cozy with the sound director and making deals with middle-aged ladies and Weber State students. A story for another time, but let me just say that I am getting very good at learning to not take no for an answer!) BUT it was all worth it, because Austenland was a great movie - super funny and charming - and we got a picture with author/producer Shannon Hale at the after party! She's just adorable and I absolutely love her books, so I was pretty excited to meet her!

I also went up to SLC with Whitney to see The Spectacular Now, an incredible movie about teenage love and addiction that depicts adolescence in a real and honest way. I'll definitely be seeing it again when it comes out in theater. But let me just say that after this and The Descendants, I take back every negative thing I ever said about Shailene Woodley. Girl's amazing - she just needs to get off that horrible TV show.

Yesterday I embraced my domestic side and hosted a Groundhog Day party. Mostly I just wanted an excuse to watch one of my favorite movies with friends, but I found these recipes on Pinterest and thought I'd try them out. They were really simple and I thought they turned out super cute!

No-bake cookies and Almond Joys. Easy peasy. 

Of course, there was also the series finale of 30 Rock. I could write a whole eulogy about this show, but I think the show itself puts it best:

Thank you, 30 Rock, for making me laugh for seven wonderful years. Especially you, Liz Lemon. Someday I hope to have a great relationship like the one between you and Jack. You taught me that I should never settle for less than the best, that I should never give up on my dreams, and that all humanity is united by the sandwich. You made me want to go to there, wherever "there" happens to be. I will never forget you, Rural Juror. Goodbye.

Things I'm looking forward to in February:

• Ed Sheeran concert!
• The Oscars
• Celebrating Valentine's Day with Netflix and sushi
• Vegas for President's Day weekend

Also, I just wanted to include a quick plug about the BYU Fashion Show coming up this Saturday. My good friends Kailee, Monika, and Melanie are all designing for it, and their stuff is AMAZING. These girls are so talented; it honestly makes me a little jealous! You'll definitely want to check out their designs; they're pretty incredible. And there'll be a real runway and everything!

Late Night Ramblings

So I have to be up in like five hours but my brain just will.not.shut.off. I hate when this happens, because I know I'm going to be exhausted all day tomorrow but there's nothing I can do about it. So I figured I'd write...something. I realize I haven't been super consistent lately with this whole personal blogging thing. I'm just so dang busy all the time. Like literally every second of my day is filled with something - either work or school or church or PR related. I love it, but it can be tiring. And stressful. And did I mention that January is basically the Monday of the year? Because it is. The weather's horrible EVERY SINGLE DAY, the joy of Christmas is gone, and you're thrust into the swing of things in middle of the darkest parts of winter. It's the worst. I'm ready for it to be February already (Groundhog Day party at my place, holla!)

Sorry. I'm sure that was a mess to read. (You didn't actually read it all the way through, did you?) So to apologize, I will leave you with this video. One fun thing I did get to do lately was attend a bad poetry reading my friend Hillary hosted, where many a horrible poem was read (I also got a picture with Shannon Hale, but that's a story for another day). Here is my hilarious friend Preston reciting "Wannabe" by The Spice Girls. Funniest thing of the month. You're welcome.