A Day At The Theater

Today I thought I would give you a sneak peak into the life of a Ballet Magnificat company artist and what a typical performance day looks like for us! You'd be surprised to know that the majority of what we do on a performance day is actually not the performing! Unlike most ballet companies, who's members solely stick to the dancing and rely on stage crew and specialized technicians to prepare the theater prior to the performance; here at Ballet Magnificat, we do all of that work ourselves! It is one of my favorite things about being a member of this company. We learn to wear many different kinds of hats so to speak. We are taught all the necessary skills such as the lighting and audio of the theater for example, that are required for putting on our full-scale productions. Though it makes for a LONG DAY for us, having a hand in the technical preparations prior to the actual show broadens my perspective and appreciation for what we do as performing artists.

Recently we toured to Florence and North Augusta, South Carolina where I very intentionally documented the on-goings of our time there, in order that I may then share them here with you. For the inquiring, go ahead and take a look below at my composition covering all of what our set up days involve!

What  Tour  Life  Looks  Like : 

8:30AM  Waking up in Florence, SC in the most comfortable bed ever; After I get dressed and am made all presentable for my day, I emerge from my bedroom of temporary residence and join my host family (and 4 other dancer companions that they were also able to host) for breakfast. I love breakfast. Because of waking up too late this day, I was unable to have my customary set aside morning quiet time, but at least I was able to get some bible reading time in the night before. 

9:50AM  This is the time we had to leave our host home in order to arrive at the theater on time to begin our setup and performance day. Our venue for this booking was at the Southeastern Institute of Manufacturing and Technology; Nice place! We start off by unpacking all our stuff from the trailer. This includes all the audio and lighting equipment, rolls of marley for the floor, props, costumes, sales merchandise and more. We had trouble getting the trailer door open at first so our efforts were stalled, but once we got it open the 19 of us company members, as well as some volunteers, got on a roll! Many hands make light the load.

The Southeastern Institute of Manufacturing and Technology (SIMT)

How many men does it take to open the trailer?

Though I would take the opportunity to snap this photo while waiting for the trailer to be opened, me and my happy friends!




let the unloading begin! That green thing in the foreground is a rented generator. Sometimes if the venue doesn't have a large enough power source, a generator needs to be rented for an extra supply to meet the needs of our demanding lighting and audio equipment.

Emily's job is to tell people where to put stuff! ^_^

 As Margot from inside of the lighting bin heads up unloading the stage lights, we assembly line it.

11:38AM  By this time we had finished unloading the trailer and it was time for me to start the assigned set up job I am in charge of which is to unpack and organize all the products we sell and to set it all up at the merchandise table in the lobby. I like that my job has me in the lobby with windows instead of in the dark theater which once my set up job is done, is where I will spend the majority of the rest of my day. I used to be John's helper with doing the audio cables in the theater, but that didn't last long. Though I learned very much about the audio, sound, speakers and monitors, and all that stuff during that season, I am not very technologically inclined and I struggled, so I was reassigned to a job where my natural giftings in the areas of organization and marketing could be used. Surprisingly it takes nearly two hours to set up and organize all of the merchandise. I have a helper, Maggie to assist me. We have a lot of stuff we sell that makes for quite the display! I will take this moment to say: if you are interested in purchasing any Ballet Magnificat Memorabilia please check out our online gift shop HERE. ^_^

Abbey's setup job is to lay down and arrange the marley floor on the stage.

Elisa's set up job is to set up costumes and here she is straightening out some wigs.

Rachel, our tour director focuses the lights.

Here is sweet Maggie, my helper and I setting up the product display.

Our setup in North Augusta at Grace United Methodist Church.

1:23PM  Not quite done setting up the merchandise table yet, but we are invited to break for lunch so we happily comply, drop what we are doing, and follow our noses to the dining room.

Yum!

1:55PM  By this time I am back at it with the product table, wrapping up last minute details such as making sure everything is price labeled correctly, ironing out display shirts, or straightening out backstock etc.

2:15PM  By this time it is time to get into performer mode; Primp and preening time! We are scheduled this allotted time to do our hair and makeup. I like to do my hair first and my makeup second. On this day, we were to perform the ballet Stratagem, a ballet in which I wear a wig so not much is needed to be done with my hair. I like to do my makeup a little different each time depending on what ballet we do. For Stratagem, I like to use pinks and purples. 

My Makeup station

Our messy makeup and hair station. I spy, one angel and one demon...
Can you find them?
(you might not know what to look for unless you've seen Stratagem)

My finished face! Maybe in the coming days,
I will write a blog entry on the different
kinds of makeup I prefer to use. 

3:00PM This is the time that we began "blocking and marking" which simply refers to the time that we take to physically and mentally walk through the ballet in a compressed amount of time. We review and talk through the placement of where the dancers should be and where they should go, discussing traffic patterns and the pathways we should take to work around sets and other hindrances that their maybe be, due to the platform shape or size. The stage at each venue we perform at tends to vary.  

4:30PM  Next after blocking, we usually  circle up and have a time of devotions unto the Lord. What we do during this time is never the same. Sometimes we'll sing, sometimes we'll share stories, but we always make sure to offer up to the Lord through prayer, our evening and to ask him for fruitful ministry, his blessings and favor, and that all may run smoothly with our show. 

A photo I snapped during our time of devotions in North Augusta.

5:00PM  This is the time that we started our warm-up class which we take to prepare our body and muscles for the performance.

These are the portable, collapsible, tour friendly ballet barres that one of the guy dancers built for us to use for when we take class on the road.

Here we are taking warm-up class on stage; getting our daily dose of tendus in for the day.

6:00PM  This was our thirty minute call time until the show starts at 6:30. We must clear the stage, put on our costumes and do any last minute hair or makeup retouches at this time.

Usually, we don't eat dinner until after the show, so we request that there be a snack table provided which helps us to get through the evening.

It is soon to be showtime!

...

9:00PM  The show ran on time and went well! After performing we have a time where we get to go out into the audience and meet people and sometimes pray for them too if the Spirit leads. Then, when that is over and the house is cleared out, it is time to STRIKE, undo what we did during setup, tear down, pack everything back up!

Down come the lighting poles!

And time to pack back up the costumes...

 saying goodbye to an again vacant theater.

Back into the trailer everything goes!

10:10PM  Thankfully striking everything went fairly fast. After everything is packed back up, at 10 at night, NOW we can think about having dinner. Usually, we request a light dinner that will sit well in our stomachs so late at night.

My random assortment of food! ^_^

11:00PM  A successful performance day behind us, we head back home to our host homes in hopes of having a good night's rest after having had such a full day of so much physical activity. Then at 7:30am the next day, we must wake up and head out by 8:15am to travel 145 miles to North Augusta, SC where we will do it ALL OVER AGAIN!

Amo Mi Vida!  

Thanks for reading!

Do you have a topic idea or suggestion of something I should write about? 
Do you have a question you’d like to ask me?
Leave a comment below!

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Through Heavens Eyes

Sometimes on tour I get an itch to create something, especially on drive days, but it can be hard with little space and limited art supplies on hand. When crafting, I like to spread out, splaying out all the materials, making everything visible before me. This habit contributes to cultivating my creativity but does not really work well on a bus with space that has to be shared by 18 people. I tend to take over.

On tour, I resort to a special mini-sized craft box. It is a book box I purchased at Micheal's where I store a  minimal collection of travel-sized craft supplies. Sadly I can't travel with my whole collection of fun papers, stamps, markers, and paints, but that is okay because I am challenged to be creative with the limited amount of things I can bring. Plato said "Necessity is the mother of invention," well I say:

 Necessity is the invention of creativity 

Contents:

• Washi tape
• Scotch tape
• Mini stapler
• staples
• paper clips
• lead refills for my Papermate clicky pencil
• G2 Pens
• Le Pens
• glue stick
• scissors
• scrap papers
• Double-sided sharpie (Best sharpie investment ever!)
• Highlighter

This little box full of all my exciting materials provides a practical way in which I can create in a travel-friendly way, appeasing my itch.

"The itch" came upon me partway through our tour. What sparked it was the several hosts I had in Florida who had creative young children!  I love that children are never afraid to be creative. Their originality and freedom of expression inspires me! I was surrounded by crayons and sticky messes. At one homestay I was at, there was a crafty little girl who proudly shared with me her very first scrapbook she got for Christmas. Usually, on tour to satisfy my itch to create, I decorate my junk journal/scrapbook so we had some sweet time bonding over scrapbooking together. But I also worked on another project. With the numerous scraps of paper that I had packed for this tour, I made a decorative note to leave for my host family.

I ripped the patterned papers into little squares for a "rough-edged" look and then arranged them into a border around a sheet of my homemade paper. I chose to write on it some of my favorite lyrics from one of the songs that we dance to from our ballet "Deliver Us". I was quite pleased with the result of this project aside from the fact that my handwriting was a bit elementary. I am studying calligraphy and usually jump on every opportunity to use my skills, but this time it did not successfully work out. In my defense, I had to write small and the texture of the paper did not lend itself to writing fanciful font.

The Lyrics are so good!

Thanks for reading friends,

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PS: Affiliate Link Alert! Clicking links may lead me to receive a small commission. Thanks for your Support!  Though featured products in this post are sponsored, they are presented in an honest light based on my genuine choice, preference, and opinions.

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   More Optimistic Reads  

No Pain No Game

On the road again! Today during our eleven and a half hour drive day, with the 25% left of mobile data that I have, I am going to give you an update on how tour is going. We are 5 days into the tour. Our first booking on this tour took us to Troy Michigan. We left Jackson, MS at 8 am on Sunday and drove for two days (stopping overnight in Cincinnati, OH halfway) to get to Detroit, MI on Monday by about 5:30 pm. It so happened that The Valparaiso University basketball team was having their Horizon League Semifinal game that evening in the Joe Louis Arena downtown and since our boss' daughter is married to Bryce Drew the head coach of the team, he and our tour director made arrangements to get us in to see the game. I had never actually attended a live professional basketball game before, and I have never really known much about sports in general, besides the little that I've learned in high school gym class. Basketball has always had a small place in my heart. I cherish the childhood memories I have of playing the game with my Dad, brother, and other family members while growing up. I thoroughly enjoyed attending the game this past Tuesday, more than I expected. Valpo did a great job but I will tell you more about the game later!

We performed the next day at Zion Christian Church and the performance went very well! The church did an excellent job bringing us in and sponsoring us! They had brought our company into Troy, MI two other times in years past, but this was my first time working with them since joining the company. I thought everyone there was SO kind, helpful, and welcoming; great people! One of the highlights of the night was after the performance when I got to connect with a fellow blogger in person. She decided to travel several hours with her family just to check out all of what Ballet Magnificat is about, and to see the show! It was so sweet! We talked briefly about dance, and family, and crafting, and blogging and then before parting ways they blessed me with sweet gifts; an awesome little duct tape purse (not pictured) made by the grandchild, and a book by Elisabeth Elliot that I can't wait to read. Also, my new friend made me a beautiful bookmark like the ones that she talks about on her blog. All these things meant so much to me! It is so great to make new friends all around the country and world! ^_^

Next Ballet Magnificat Alpha stopped in Kentucky for one day to teach some workshops and now we are traveling to Florida! I have some more friends AND family that I look forward to meeting there too! We will first stop in Tallahassee for a performance tomorrow, then Jacksonville, and then visit St. Augustine for two performances. We will finish our tour with a stop in South Carolina for a performance and then head back home. 

Things I Learned From Watching Basketball : 

On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to attend my very first live professional basketball game. Call me sheltered, I know. It was the Valparaiso Crusaders against the Green Bay Pheonix. It was a PHENOMENAL GAME even though the team I was rooting for, Valpo lost. I had a great time! Check out the game stats at this following link.  The moment I stepped into the arena I was captivated by all the different sights and sounds; the athletic men warming up, the young ladies with pompoms, band members tooting their horns, lots of yummy junk food everywhere, and one scary mascot. It was an exciting, thrilling, and in a funny kind of way it was a refreshing experience to watch somebody else be in the limelight of their profession for a change instead of it being myself, with dancing, if that makes sense. The profession of basketball is like a whole new concept to me. As I observed the game, I tried finding similarities between the profession of basketball vs. ballet. The Lord often gives me pictures and analogies based off of random things in life, that He uses to teach and encourage me with. This time, He used the basketball game to draw different parallels and lessons that can be applied to my life and maybe yours too! I thought to share them with you; some of the little personal revelations that the Lord gave me while I was watching the game.

1. Receiving correction. What struck me was the amount of correction and instruction the basketball players received. Grown men were being disciplined by the sound of a whistle by the referees whenever they committed a foul. Wow, it is not just ballerinas who are called out whenever we make mistakes, but basketball players too! It is to my relief that at least our dance instructors do not use whistles to do it. I was also in awe thinking about the amount of humility these players must have to always be constantly and carefully following the instructions of the coach and submitting to their game plan for the sake of the team and winning the game. I know for me, in my life, sometimes submitting to the plan of another is a hard thing to do. I don't ever really like being told what to do, and naturally my pride wants to override the advice of others. Instead, I find myself thinking "I know what is best, my way is better" not being able to trust the guidance of others, unfortunately sometimes even if it's coming from someone more experienced or wiser. But I figure if grown men can pull themselves together and be submissive, I can too! Proverbs talks a lot about the value of good discipline.

• Proverbs 10:17 "Whoever heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray."


• Proverbs 12:1 "Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid."
• Proverbs 13:18 "Whoever disregards discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored."


• Proverbs 13:24 "Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them."

2. Teamwork and respect for one another and the coach. The basketball players exhibited outstanding teamwork and exemplary team ethic. It was obvious that they had to work together if they had any hopes of winning the game. It was estimable to observe how they unitedly cooperated with one another. That is when I came to the realization that they actually needed  each other, as they all had different talents and giftings that supplemented and complimented one another. I realized that that is how my company is too and it caused me to be more grateful for my role in what we do as well as valuing the roles of my fellow cohorts. Not to mention, recognizing the important position of the coach and the role that they play, in my case our artistic and executive directors. From the outside looking in, I realized that it is as though it is the coach who bears the brunt of the weight of the game. They seemed to call all the shots and be responsible for all their players. I was reminded that "Wow, I have amazing, winning coaches" that I must be careful not to take for granted.

• 1 Corinthians 12:14-25 "Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be?If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact, God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other."

3. Seeking professionalism, excellency, and taking the game seriously. I was simply impressed with the appearance of integrity that the players had for their profession. Granted they had a game to win and a reputation at stake. They were also young eager-beaver college students, but that doesn't mean we can not (I can not) also strive for excellency with enthusiasm remembering my first love, why I got into my profession in the first place.

• Colossians 3:17 "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."


• 1Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."


• 1 Corinthians 10:31 "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

4. An enduring hope that lasts till the end. I never imagined I would enjoy the game as much as I did! I was on the edge of my seat nearly the whole time! Though at some points the game would seem to drag on, at other points an unexpected wrench would be thrown into the play that would just demand all of my attention and prayers and spirit fingers. At times, the suspense seemed enough to kill me. No pain, No game. It was amazing to me how the scoreboard would just flip flop in a matter of seconds. Just when my heart would sink to the floor because I had convinced myself that my team was too many points far behind the other team to catch up or win, we would miraculously catch up by getting points by the other team striking several fowls! And towards the end of the game, just when I thought my team was going to lose, 5 seconds before the clock would run out they score a 3 pointer bringing them back up to a tie. Unbelievable! Into overtime they went. What God used this to show me about life was: Never give up or lose heart, no matter what the clock/reason says. there is ALWAYS hope.

• Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."


• Romans 12:11-12 "Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."


• Romans 8:24-25 "But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently." 


• Romans 5:3-4 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Please be praying for the health of the dancers in my company. We have a number of people sick and injured which is never fun, especially on tour. Prayers are appreciated! 

Thanks for reading!

Please comment if you enjoyed it! ^_~

Testimony of Jeff Allen

TESTIMONY TUESDAY!

“Return home and tell how much God has done for you.”

~ Luke 8:39

Presenting with excitement, I introduce to you Testimony Tuesdays!!! A testimony by definition is: a formal written or spoken statement, a public recounting of a religious conversion or experience. The Bible commands us in numerous places to bring praise, glory, and honor to our God by proclaiming, declaring, and telling about His marvelous works to others. That is the purpose and heart behind this installment for my Tuesday posts. Each Tuesday (more or less), a testimony will be shared here involving the recounting of salvation, redemption, overcoming, and/or healing just to name a few; A story that brings glory to our God and in which we might be encouraged, spurred on, and challenged with at the same time.The stories that will be shared will either be of my own personal experiences, excerpts from books, testimonies I find via youtube or other media sources, as well as YOURS! I would love to know and give you the opportunity to share here with us a testimony of your own, of whatever fashion that involves the Lord doing a transforming work in your life. Just email me your testimony and I will see what I can do about posting it on a future Tuesday! You may choose to have your name be known or anonymous. I look forward to hearing from you!


This week's testimony features Jeff Allen, a comedian I was introduced to by a fellow company member. Wikipedia sites: His full name being Jeffrey Allen Mishler, was born on June 5, 1956, and is an American comedian best known for his film Happy Wife. Since becoming a Christian, Jeff Allen has been involved with many humanitarian causes, and ministries. His own website states how for four decades, Jeff Allen has been performing in theaters, on television and radio, and as a keynote for corporate functions and fundraisers around the world. My company has watched his performances on DVD on our tour bus to pass time.  I did a bit of research on this man and found some more video clips of this acts on Youtube. That is when I came across his testimony that I have chosen to share with you here today. Enjoy! 

Be Blessed.

Happy Tuesday!

comment, follow, subscribe, and don't be shy! 

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10 Ways to Prepare for the Work Week

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I have a longing to craft something! The sewing machine sits on its shelf collecting dust, the paints remain dry and untouched; Returning home from our previous tour only two days ago with only four more days left before the next tour begins, I am feeling pressed for time. And it is killing me that I can't reach the end of my to-do list which is my favorite part:

We were given two full days off to recover before returning to the studio, but where does the time go?

One of the things I miss the most while I am on tour is Boswell, my car (I named it!) On tour we travel all together in a big tour bus, or we are shuttled around by our hosts or volunteers, SO returning home to my own car is a sweet reunion, a refreshing reacquirement of independence!

And with that, one of my favorite things to do upon returning home from tour is grocery shopping! Don't get me wrong, on tour we are well fed! Our sponsors and hosts are responsible for providing our food, and usually "our cup overfloweth". We never have to worry about going hungry, and the food they provide is always nutritious and delicious, but often towards the end of long tours I end up missing my own kitchen. There is something special about having the option and freedom to do my own grocery shopping, and the choosing, creating, and planning of my own meals. This is only one thing out of many things on my to-do list, that I have to tackle upon arriving back home from our trips. I have a whole procedure of tasks I like to accomplish each time I return home from a tour. Below I have provided the lowdown of what these things are. They are also just practical activities that can be attended to on weekends to prepare us for any given upcoming week!



#1 Unpack and Reorganize. Obviously, you can conceive that once returning home from a trip one would have some luggage to unpack. Being a part of this touring ballet company, I feel like I am constantly living out of a suitcase. When I do get to unpack and resettle in the place I pay rent for, it is a wonderful feeling and I like to do it right away in order that no time is being wasted in getting back into the swing of things. Perhaps you are not traveling? To prepare for you work week I would say organizing your purse, briefcase, or book bag etc. would fall under this category. I don't know if you are anything like me, but know matter how much time I spend organizing my purse and dance bag, by the end of the week they are both a catastrophic mess! Take time to reorganize yourself. Make sure all the essential items you need in your bag for that week are stowed away and accounted for. And remember to remove anything that was put in your bag, that does not belong there! We want to steer clear from collecting too many long forgotten mysterious items lost at the bottoms of our bags.


#2 Laundry. This is another task I just like to get over with right away. Separating the lights from the darks, walking to and fro from the machine with mounds of clothing hoping not to drop an unmentionable on the way, working in shifts and around the housemates in getting a chance to use the dryer, and then there is all the endless amounts of folding and sock matching that awaits me. Laundry is a time consuming arduous task that keeps me tied down to the house, but if I plan my day just right I can find some good multitasking activities to accompany the duration of each wash cycle.


#3 Decide what to wear. Some people love planning out ahead of time all of what they want to wear for the coming week. While I do not customarily do this weekly, I do occasionally plan outfits ahead of time considering if there are any particular special events coming up. As assembling a cute outfit can be VERY time-consuming, planning them ahead of time can be very time saving! I also look into what the weather will be like for the approaching week which I also take into consideration when planning outfits ahead.


#4 Tidy up the house. I do a little bit of cleaning each weekend. I love the feeling of accomplishment at the end of the day after everything is cleaned. It helps to start off the week neat and organized creating a distraction free environment promoting productivity.


#5 Grocery shop/ meal. As I have already touched on, this is one of my favorite tasks on the to-do list. Because I usually find my cabinets and refrigerator quite bare getting back home from tour, I prefer to tackle this task pretty promptly upon returning. I am trying to get better at planning and preparing meals on the weekends, so I spend less time during in the kitchen during the week. I love searching on Pinterest for creative yummy recipes, and after I decide which one to make for the week I very methodically compose a grocery list including all the ingredients necessary for the recipe and then some other snacks and things that will get me through the week. As I shared in a previous blog entry about my New Years Resolutions, I'm trying to be more responsible with following a good budget, which will intern produce better grocery shopping, which will produce better cooking, which will produce the ultimate goal of eating consistently better. Setting aside some time on the weekends to meal plan is helping me to fulfill that resolution.


#6 Review budget and finances. I am not the best at keeping up with my checkbook or with budgeting and all that stuff so periodically I have to set aside some time to play catch up, reevaluate my finances, and update budgeting records. It is a great feeling to start off the week aware of what all is in the bank accounts and knowing that my bills will be covered.


#7 Update my calendar. Tour life and home are like to different worlds that move at very different paces. When I am are on tour, all I do is refer to the very well constructed schedule that our tour director prints out for us and I go where it says to go and do what it says to do; a consistent busyness involving performing, teaching and meeting people. Being at home the busyness is inconsistently comprised of so many different things; ballet rehearsals, working at Fresh Ink, my housekeeping job, prayer partner get-togethers and date nights with friends. When I get back home from tour and before I begin a new week, I like to make sure that my calendar is straight. On my calendar, I also like to include my friends' birthdays because they are important to me.  And even though there is Facebook, and many other apps that help us to keep track of things I still make sure to write EVERYTHING down for extra reinforcement and so that everything can be found in one spot. I suggest getting a cute agenda that you can enjoy writing in.


#8 Check email and clear electronics. Decluttering the electronics in your life is essential to promoting productive days, considering how much time we spend working on them. Out of convenience, I usually download all sorts of files, photos, and documents to my computer desktop so that they can be easily found, but by the end of a busy week my desktop can look quite overwhelming. I have to go back and put things into their respective folders. It feels better to start the week with a clean slate and clear desktop. To ensure that my devices are freed up and working fast, I often eliminate the uneccessary items in my storage, delete browser history and the cookies that collect. Be sure to take time to delete frivolous emails so that you begin your week with a clean inbox.


#9 Stretch out and exercise. After several travel days of just sitting on the bus, I try to make it a priority to get some good stretching and some simple exercise in. It helps me to physically feel better as well as boost up my moral with all the happy endorphins that exercise creates.


#10 Update social media and review blog functionality. This is another favorite task of mine to accomplish, but it is most imperative that I save this task for LAST and NEVER first, because we all know how much time we can spend surfing social media. I try to restaint all internet surfing to just the weekends, more or less. With intentions of solely updating statuses and a quick facebook feed check, I can easily get distracted and lost in the world wide web clicking link after link after link after link...you know what I mean? After I am sure I have completed all other tasks, I allow myself time to have fun gleaning info from the world wide web as well as sharing some; updating photos, pinteresting, youtubing and blogging! I love visiting other peoples blogs and other online material that inspires me to be a better blogger. A good blog is high maintanence and requires much attention so I tend to my blog throughout the week and on tour as well. Besides just writing blog entries; editing pictures, responding to comments, and networking also demands much of my time. On the weekends is when I like to take time to review my blog to make sure images are being displayed correctly, links are working properly and so on.

...And after all that is said and done,

I am ready to take on the world!

* fun fact: I mentioned the word "time" 24 times in the blog entry!  O.o

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