One Butterfly's Journey

Hello???

noreply@blogger.com (saraiwithani) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 22:38:00 +0000

Anybody out there? If so, please don't fall out of your chair when you see that I actually have a post. Seriously. My last post was in JUNE of last year. How is it even possible that I haven't posted in 7 months AND that 2011 is LAST YEAR?!?! Time's flying over here, people!

In case you haven't guessed, we've had some stuff going on around here that has kept us crazy busy...it's called "life". In the last few months of 2011, "life" was comprised of that same ol', same ol' stuff that's always kept us busy...work, blueprint, college ministry, praise team, church, traveling with the Andrew Brown Band, visiting family and friends and just the normal stuff, so I won't bore you with countless details of how we ended 2011.

We're only 11 days into 2012 and it's already proved that it's a force to be reckoned with. Sheesh. We had a busy Christmas season last year and I was hoping that after the new year, things would go back to normal and be calm-ish again...Uh, no. In December, I quit one of my cleaning jobs in Asheville and took a job as an accounts manager (of sorts) for our friend's construction company. I'll be working from home now (which means I get to wear my pajamas and do my laundry AND get paid for it!!) Right now, I'm still training which, for the most part, includes learning how to use QuickBooks. I know hands on application is going to be key for really learning to use this software. But for now, I feel that the more instructional DVDs I watch, the more I realize how little I know!! However, once I really start doing the work, this is (hopefully!) going to be a great opportunity for me and for us.

Between starting the new job, recovering from the holidays, getting my house back to normal and trying to keep up with little things like laundry and groceries and cleaning...well, let's just say that 2012 is winning so far. Kickin' my tail, as a matter of fact. But, I'm ready to throw down. Bring on the next 353 days!!

Cleaning up the cobwebs...

noreply@blogger.com (saraiwithani) — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 01:57:00 +0000

Pardon me as I clean up the cobwebs and swipe away the dust over here. I can't believe it's been so long since I've blogged. I could bore you with boring details of all that's been going on around here, but save us both some time, here's a brief list:
*I turned 30 and didn't die because of it.
*I still haven't lost the full 30 pounds, but I'm about a pound or so away from reaching the halfway point. I bought a treadmill recently and some new athletic shoes that don't make my feet go to sleep when I walk. I was finally able to pack up my "fat pants" and am starting to see a big difference in the way my clothes fit.
*We had an amazing trip to the beach for Memorial Day. The weather was gorgeous, the food was ridiculously wonderful and spending time with some of our favorite people was just what we needed!
*I spent a few days a few months ago redoing our guest bath. I'll try to post some pictures of the finished product soon.
*My niece finally said "Auntie" for the first time. I love that kid so much I can hardly stand it.
*Back in January, I started playing and singing with The Andrew Brown Band. I've had such a great time traveling around and leading worship with Andrew and the crew.

We've got quite a few things/projects lined up for the summer, but one thing on my to-do list is to get back in the swing of blogging. (Bet you've never heard that one before, huh?!?!) So, hopefully I'll be back soon!

Thirty-something

noreply@blogger.com (saraiwithani) — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 14:42:00 +0000

Well, the day has arrived. The big 3-0 is here. I'm not exactly sure what I thought 30 would feel like...so I guess I feel, well, 30. I get a whole new number at the beginning of my age. I get to start a whole new decade of my life. I think this is the first decade that people are anxious about. When you go from 9 to 10, you're excited because you get to have TWO digits in your age. When you go from 19 to 20, you're excited because you're starting to feel like an adult. When you go from 29 to 30, you're expected to have arrived at adulthood. 30 seems to come with all these pressures and expectations from the world. 30 year olds are grown ups. Definitely not feeling that one :) Surprisingly, I'm not dreading being 30 nor am I upset that I am a new member of this magical 30 club. It's just odd to think of myself as "thirty-something".

Funny that while that number is going up, I'm still trying to get another number down. Oh yes, the 30x30 that is my nemesis!! I didn't make my goal, but I'm getting there! I've lost 10ish pounds so far and I'm working to knock out the remaining 20 pounds. Let me try that again...next week, after all the birthday cake, I'll be working to knock out the remaining 20 pounds :) I'm trying really hard to remain focused and not get discouraged. I feel that as long as I keep my mind on my goal weight, and am working to achieve it, it doesn't matter whether I reach it now or in 6 months...but getting to my goal weight before bathing suit season wouldn't hurt either :)

Here's to my 30s. Everyone says they're better than the 20s. My 20s were pretty good. Bring on the awesome!

Sooo.....

noreply@blogger.com (saraiwithani) — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 19:04:00 +0000

It's been 3 months since I've blogged. Mostly because I didn't really have anything to say...or maybe because the things I had to say were things I didn't really want to say or talk about. At any rate, I've got a few free minutes this afternoon, and so here I am.

Sooooo....what's been going on over here? Here's a rundown...

*30x30-yeah, that'd be the main issue keeping me from blogging. I knew I'd have to address it sooner or later and was hoping that "later" mean when I had actually lost the 30 pounds or was at least well on my way. About that...it's not happened...yet. My initial goal was to lose 30 pounds by my 30th birthday at the end of March. For the first 2 months, I didn't really even try. Sure I was working out 10-20 minutes a few times a week and trying to cut back on the junk food and portions. But it wasn't until a month ago when my hubby found myfitnesspal.com that I REALLY began trying to cut back and watch what I was eating. At my last report, I had lost 6 pounds. Now, I've lost 7 pounds. Not 7 MORE pounds. 7 pounds. Total. I could go on and on about how frustrated I am by the up this week and down next week weight loss roller coaster I'm on, but it's not gonna burn any calories or help me lose more weight, so I'll just accept it as it is and move on.
So, in case you're wondering, no, I will not be trying to lose 23 more pounds in the next month. If I could lose 5 more pounds, that'd be great. Instead of trying to lose 30 pounds BY the time I turn 30, I'll just be trying to all of the 30 pounds off during the year that I'm 30... and if that happens by our Memorial Day trip to the beach, I'd be ok with that :)

*And speaking of trying to lose weight, the Easter candy is out again. Reese's Eggs you are my nemesis.

*I'm taking some time off in March. Cutting back on all the different kinds of work I'm doing (both in and out of the home) so that I can really tackle some pending projects. There are a few projects on my to-do list that I've been trying to get done for YEARS. But they seem to all be just big enough that I can't knock it out in an afternoon and when I do have a few days that I could work on it, something better comes along. I'm finally going to get all of our pictures organized and in albums. I'm about 75% of the way there, but it just takes so much time so sort and put them in albums and it's not a successful work session unless there are piles of pictures spread all across the living room floor. I see several days of chick flicks and picture piles in my near future. I'm also going to work on (and hopefully finish) our wedding album. Very few of our pictures are in digital form, so I'll be scanning and cropping and editing them all before creating a photobook online. So much easier and faster than the scrapbook I'd always planned on creating. Several other things on the list as well...maybe that'll give me motivation to start posting again on a regular basis.

*Last week, I got ticked off at the clothes in my closet. I decided I was going to try things on, try to make outfits from the things I have and everything else was going in the yard sale box. There are 3 things to note about this process:
1-I had just gone through and purged my closet less than a month ago and gotten rid of a HUGE box.
2-I got rid of THIRTY additional items of clothing.
3-My closet is still full of clothes...I still haven't decided if it's great to have a closet full of clothes or sad that I had so many clothes to begin with.
One thing is for sure, come Spring, my mom's yard is going to look more like a consignment store than a yard sale!

*Random...I currently have 2 car seats in my car. Do I have 2 kids? No. Do I have any kids? No.

*Shane & Shane IN ASHEVILLE on Sunday. My week is made!

Maybe this will be the jump start I needed to get back to blogging. And if not, well, I'll see you again in the summer :)

A 30x30 Update

noreply@blogger.com (saraiwithani) — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 22:55:00 +0000

In the case of my 30x30 plan and my lack of updates regarding that, it's safe to say that the old saying "No news is good news" doesn't really apply. Let's just say that my plan isn't working out so well. Call it lack of willpower, call it lack of motivation, call it "I just had the busiest month of the year". Call it whatever you want. I just call it ridiculous. In nearly 2 months, I've only lost about 6 pounds. SIX pounds. And before you think that I sound like those contestants on "The Biggest Loser" who just aren't satisfied when they "only" lost 12 pounds last week, hear me when I say that I'm grateful for those 6 pounds...I just wanted more.

My biggest frustration comes with the fact that I'm working out at least 3 times as much as I was before (yes, that means I'm working out 3 times a week...before, I was doing nothing) I started this venture and eating better portions and healthier foods and the yielded results are not to my liking. If I'm going to gain on any given week, I want it to be because I've been lazy or because I've had a big fat piece of cake...not because I was sweatin' it out to some insane dance video in my living room 3 days in a row and depriving myself of foods that I really love. And then, I throw in the fact that I cut out sodas for 10 days while increasing my water intake and still didn't lose any weight. I mean, seriously?

At the end of the day, however, I'm not giving up. I'm gonna keep on dancing it out in the living room with my Kristen Jacobs workout video. I'm gonna keep on hoppin' on the treadmill when I get the chance. I'm gonna keep on buying foods that are good for me. I'm gonna keep on limiting my portions. I'm gonna keep on keepin' on.

I guess I'd rather be frustrated for trying rather than being frustrated because I gave up. Here's to a few more pounds by the end of 2010!

30 by 30

noreply@blogger.com (saraiwithani) — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 17:03:00 +0000

Please, don't fall out of your seat...yes, I'm actually posting again. I've actually been posting a lot over at Three Simple Girls recently while giving the scoop on my recent office update...and this blog has been severely neglected. Sorry, to the 2 of you that read this on a regular basis :)

Before I get to the real purpose of this post, I'll give you a little snapshot of what's been going on around here for the past couple of months.

I was keeping my niece, Reagan.
Life started piling up.
I was exhausted.
I missed being home all the time.
I loved spending so much time with Reagan.
I stopped keeping Reagan when she started day care.
I now get to be Auntie Sarai instead of Babysitter Sarai.
Even though I'm home more, I don't have "free" time.
I'm getting caught up on lots of things like...
Whatta Cute Baby orders
Finishing my home office update
Friends & Family
Traveling
Paperwork
Life

And now, in my quest to get caught up with life, I have a new goal. Well, not really a new one, but more like a reoccurring one.

You might remember this post from a few months ago. Well, then and there, I vowed to drop some a few pounds. And that might have been the biggest joke of the year. Each week, I would bravely confront the scales only to have the tiny little numbers increase. After about a month of increase upon increase, I finally started seeing a speck of light at the end of the tunnel. Half a pound here. Half a pound there. And I was encouraged.

I was back up to my highest weight ever (actually a pound heavier..ugh) and I was determined to do something about it...again. I was reading some magazine for skinny people, I mean health magazine and a short article caught my attention. One of the readers had a goal of losing 31 pounds before her 31st birthday over the course of several months. Well, I've lost 30 pounds before. I even lost 30 pounds over Thanksgiving AND Christmas. I can do it again.

My 30th birthday is a few days less than 6 months away. My goal is to lose 30 pounds by the time I turn 30.

30 by 30.

I went back and forth about whether or not I should post this. It's not easy to tell the world that you're 30 pounds overweight. And even then, it's not easy going through every day life knowing that anyone who knows you're trying to lose weight is watching your every bite..your every step, your every clothing choice...your every fat roll. But, in the end, I knew that if I said it "out loud", I'd have a little accountability. I'd have a little more motivation. And I might even have some friends join in on the "party".

I can't promise that I'll only eat fruits and vegetables for the next 6 months. But you should know that if you're eating cake and ice cream with me, you're walking with me too :)

My Home Office Reveal

noreply@blogger.com (saraiwithani) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:58:00 +0000

***This blog is also posted over at Three Simple Girls.***

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know I've been promising a big office reveal for MONTHS now, but I promise this is the real deal! It's finally done!

I probably spend more time in my home office than any other room in the house. It's the space where I create for my business, take care of home business, blog and keep track of my daily schedule. I figured that a room that acted as the command center for our home and family needed to reflect our personalities and foster a sense of calmness and order. Until this redo started, the office had NONE of those traits.

Before I welcome you to my new home office, let's take a look at the chaotic mess it used to be...

Yep, there she is in all her glory. We painted those stripes on the wall when we moved in 5 years ago in an effort to cover up the hideous Carolina Blue that covered the walls. Sure it was fun and neat, but ENOUGH ALREADY. Like I said, I'm in this room all the time. The stripes were about to cause me to go crazy.

And now, without further ado, welcome to my new home office!!
When I walk in this room now, I can seriously breathe a sigh of relief. Everything has a home. There is a reasonable amount of furniture occupying the space. Each wall and surface is filled with things that are inspiring and encouraging and things I love. This room is no longer a dumping ground for junk or extra crap. And I LOVE IT!!

Here are some other before and after shots to help you get the full picture of my office awesomeness.

Before...

After...

Before...

After...

Sometimes I still can't believe the transformation! Our budget was pretty small, so nearly everything used had to be something we already had. Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be posting a breakdown of projects, organizational tips and how we spent our measly little budget. So check back often for tips on how to transform a space with little to no money!

-Sarai

Six

noreply@blogger.com (saraiwithani) — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 19:20:00 +0000

It's a little surreal to think that this weekend, we'll be celebrating six years of being married. On one hand, the things we've faced in our married life have caused us to feel the effects of every single one of those 2,190 days. On the other hand, time flies when you're having fun, right? It's hard to believe that it was only six short years ago that that couple was about to embark upon one of the greatest adventures life has to offer. So young, so naive, so skinny (ahem). Yet even in our young naive minds we knew what mattered. Love. Not conditional love. Not fading love. But tried and true, godly, forever love. The kind of love that comes with a cost. With a sacrifice. With a choice to keep it going and going. We don't claim to have it all just right yet, but that's ok. We've got the rest of our lives to figure it out together.

Happy Anniversary, babe! So thankful to share this life with you :)

A Few Pounds

noreply@blogger.com (saraiwithani) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 21:06:00 +0000

Today, I went for my monthly visit to the chiropractor.

Today, I was desperately in need of an adjustment.

Today, I was confronted, head on, with the fact that I might need to drop a few pounds.

Let's back up a bit. Weight was never an issue for me until college (can we say Chick-fil-A 3 times a day??). But even by graduation, I had only gained between 10 and 15 pounds and held right there for a while. About 3 years ago, I had reached my highest weight, to date, and was ready for a change. I wasn't happy with the way I looked. I wasn't happy with the way I felt. I knew that something needed to happen.

I tried several things (exercise, calorie counting, starvation) and nothing seemed to work. I eventually had great success after my mom introduced me to Weight Watchers. It was an easy process, a results inducing program and fun to go through that journey with my mom. I lost around 30 pounds and I was thrilled! I could wear my old clothes. Heck, clothing was even comfortable again! I felt great! About a year went by and I realized that I had gained about 8-10 pounds back...and then came 10 more pounds...and then 10 more. Yep, I gained every single little pound back.

Let me be very clear here: I take no pride in sharing such information with the world wide web, but feel it is necessary for the completion of this story.

I've been back at my "heaviest" for a few months now. Let me remind you that I visit my chiropractor every month, and have for the past 3 years (through weight loss and weight gain) and never once has my current weight come up in conversation.

Today, after a brief greeting and a question of interest regarding our time at camp, my chiropractor says "You put on a few pounds?"

Time out...WHAT?

(Now, I'm not sure that those are the exact words that came out of his mouth, but let's face it...he's a 6 foot tall skinny man, I'm a not so tall, somewhat chunky girl and he just, out loud, said something about my weight. What he said and what I heard were probably 2 totally different things...but COME ON!!!)

After I picked my jaw up off the floor and did my best to hold back any tears that were begging to flow, I was able to squeak out "Yeah, a little" while hiding my face in sheer embarassment.

He proceeded to tell me that he's been doing all kinds of research on fat cells and their role in joint pain. This leads me to believe that he wasn't just singling me out (at least I hope not!), but looking at all of his patients in the light of this new found knowledge. Once I was able to get past the fact that he just called me fat (or whatever it was he said), all the things he was saying started to make sense. It's a common misconception that joint pain is associated with obesity simply because the weight adds more pressure to the joints. The research he's been studying proposes the idea that fat cells are like little houses for inflammation. More fat cells=more inflammation. More inflammation=more pain. Therefore more fat cells=more pain. Makes sense to me. It's probably safe to say that most of us feel better when we weigh less.

I have fibromyalgia. I have arthritis. I have back pain. Most days are good, but some days are just straight up painful. I know that the pain is imminent and amplified by things (higher weight and less exercise) that I can do something about. I'm a smart girl. You'd think I'd be able to put 2 and 2 together and make a positive change. But I love me some ice cream...and cake...and sleeping...and cereal...and french fries...

And so, lifestyle change #5,372 begins. More fruits and vegetables...less carbs. More chicken and pork... less red meat. More smoothies... less cereal for breakfast. More exercise, less reality tv.

More energy, less pain. Seems like a good enough reason to me.

Giveaway at Three Simple Girls!!!

noreply@blogger.com (saraiwithani) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 14:13:00 +0000

I'm doing a giveaway over at Three Simple Girls. Wanna enter? Check out all the details here!

Coming Up for Air

noreply@blogger.com (saraiwithani) — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 13:43:00 +0000

You know that feeling...the one where you're under the water, holding your breath, and then it becomes too much to handle. You frantically kick your legs and move your arms in hope that relief will come. You don't know how much more your lungs can take. If you wait too long, you might even wonder if you'll ever reach the surface in time. But you're able to pull yourself together and continue with the kicking. So, you swim toward the surface, longing for the moment when you can breathe in again. The air hits your face. Sweet relief. But even when you've reached the surface and your lungs continue with their breathing in and out, it's difficult. Your breathing is heavy. Your chest feels tight. Your lungs are tired. You climb out of the water and take a seat while the breathing continues to be heavy, but starts to become more regular. It takes a few minutes, but in the end, you take one big, deep breath in, let it out and you then you know that you're ok. Life goes on.

That's exactly how I feel right now. These past few months have felt like holding my breath under water. I've been anxiously the moment when I could come to the surface for air. And now, it's so close I can feel it. I keep kicking my feet and moving my arms, knowing that the surface is right there.

I'll admit...the things that consume my time and my energy and my thoughts are all things that allow into my life. I'm the one who said "yes" to all these things. I'm the one who signed up and stood up and owned up to all these responsibilities. I'm the one who thought well, if I don't do it then who will? I'm certainly not saying that all the things taking up my time are things I despise doing. I love getting to spend evenings with my husband. What precious time I get by keeping my niece, Reagan, is something I'll always cherish. Getting to spend afternoons or days with family and friends is wonderful. I enjoy creating cute little things for babies. I love being creative in planning for summer camp. I enjoy blogging.

But lately it seems like my days have become so full of all of these things plus a million other mundane, I don't want to do them but I have to, things that those enjoyable things seem to be "just one more thing" on my to-do list. I don't want my time with my husband and niece and family and friends to be something I get through so that I can move on to the next thing on my list. They mean too much to me to get that kind of treatment.

So, here I am...on the brink of 2 weeks away at summer camp. Yes, it will be 2 weeks full of intense music rehearsals, having to be the bad guy occasionally, the possibility of not getting enough sleep and food that isn't always the most appetizing. BUT, it's also a week full of moments of laughter and joy, the occasional nap, relaxing by the pool and spending time in one of my most favorite places in all the world with some of my favorite people in all the world.

I am looking forward to this time. I NEED this time. Time to relax (a little), laugh, learn, sing and just be still. In that stillness, I'll know, that not only have I come up for air, but the heavy breathing has stopped. Regular breathing has resumed. Life goes on. Not the life I have been living-the one so full that no one benefits-but a life full of purpose and joy and living in every single moment. Life, true life, goes on.

What's Going On?

noreply@blogger.com (saraiwithani) — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 00:58:00 +0000

I'll give you a few seconds to get that song by the 4Non Blondes out of your head. Go ahead, sing loudly. I'll wait. Finished? Ok, let's continue.

May was the month that just wouldn't end. My calendar looked like one big black ink mess. At one point, I was ready to unplug my alarm clock, turn off my phone and just stay in bed...for days. Each day, it seemed like the things to do were so many, that I didn't even know where to start. I didn't feel like I was able to really enjoy many things because my mind was so wrapped up in what was coming next. I didn't feel like myself, but more like I was on auto-pilot...no emotions about anything (I didn't have time for that), do this, go there, buy this, check this off this list, wear this, yada yada yada. And I didn't like it.

So, what's been going on around here? Let me tell ya...

We spent some good quality time with these dear people...

Eli and me

Bella, she's 6

Eden, she's 4

Caleb, he's 2

They live far enough away that we don't get to see them as often as we'd like. But, we were thrilled to have them visit us for a weekend!

I've also been working on some new things for my Whatta Cute Baby collection. I'm trying out a few new designs (thankfully, I have a cute little model!) that I hope to launch on the website in the next few months. Here's a little ruffle butt onesie. TOO cute!

Thanks to one amazing sister-in-law, I got a last minute ticket to my fav-o-rite Broadway show...WICKED!! We were able to see it in Charlotte with Brooke and some friends who were seeing it for the first time! It doesn't matter if you've seen it once (like them) or 4 or 5 times (like us), it's so exciting and amazing every single time!! This was the best cast I'd ever seen and it was so great to share that with such great friends!

At the end of the month, we spent about a week here...

Seaside Beach, FL. We traveled to the gulf coast for our annual Memorial Day trip. The weather was GREAT and the time with friends was GREATER! We had some good times, amazing food and got lots of rest.

And last but definitely not least, I've been spending all kinds of time with this sweet little thing :)
My brother got a job (other than the job of stay-at-home-dad) so I've been keeping Reagan 1-2 days a week. She's almost 8 months old now and SO MUCH FUN! She's rolling around, starting to crawl, learning to clap and pull up. And she laughs...at herself, at other people, at the tv, at the dog...and it's so darn cute!! She loves music and watching shows on Nick Jr. She likes bath time and meal time, but not so much bedtime. Being an aunt is one of the best things in the world!! Every time I see her, I just can't even believe how blessed I am just to have that little girl in my life. She's growing so fast and it's exciting to think about her getting older and coming over for slumber parties with Auntie Sarai and playing dress up. But then she falls asleep in my arms and I get to looks at her and pray over her and love on her and I'm reminded that she's still so small and I should cherish every single moment with her at every single stage because it won't be like this for long!

And so, here's to June. We have less than a month until we head off to summer camp, so it's gonna be a busy one. But with some free weekends here and there and some days at home to curl up with a book or a movie, I'll hopefully be restored to my normal (is there such a thing?) self before long.

Reagan's New Dress

noreply@blogger.com (saraiwithani) — Tue, 25 May 2010 20:52:00 +0000

I've been making Reagan some cute new summer dresses and here she is modeling one of them. Maybe I'm a little biased, but I think I have one of the cutest little models around :)

Check out my dress tutorial over at Three Simple Girls.

The Sink Hole

noreply@blogger.com (saraiwithani) — Thu, 20 May 2010 23:26:00 +0000

For just about as long as we've lived in this house (5+ years), we've had a sink hole in our driveway. It started as a big crack and over the course of a few years grew to be a hole big enough for a family of 4 to fall through. We knew the time was coming to fix it, so in true Marty fashion, lots of research was done on how to turn this into a DIY project. Bringing in hired help to the tune of $1,000+ was simply out of the question. A few trips to Lowe's, some sawing and planning later, the project took off.

Here's what the hole looked like before we started.

The black abyss to the upper left side of the culvert is totally empty. And yes, that's a safety cone at the top of the picture.

After all the broken pavement was removed, Marty put in some re-bar for support. He also installed a pipe for water to drain off the driveway (water sitting at the lowest point in the driveway played a huge part in the hole forming).

Marty built a form to fit around the rocks and drain pipe. He and our good friend, Joel stabilized the form. Joel was there for manual labor. I was there for a photo opportunity and project management...or something like that :) They would eventually pour the concrete through the hole in the road to fill it in.

After 2 extra trips to Lowe's and THIRTY FIVE bags of concrete later, the hole was filled!! So, we let it dry...

It was quite a challenge to get the form pulled out around the rocks and the pipe, but Marty made it happen! Here's what it looked like after the form was removed. That's a LOT of concrete!!

The hole in the driveway is gone! (My super smart husband created 2 little 'ditches' in the concrete so that even small traces of water would drain into the pipe.

We stacked rocks around the culvert again and here's the finished product!
I'm extremely proud of the work Marty did. A couple of days' work and some hard manual labor saved us nearly $800. That's what I call sweat equity, people.

Signs of Spring

noreply@blogger.com (saraiwithani) — Sun, 02 May 2010 18:26:00 +0000

After the crazy winter we had, I didn't know if we would ever start to see signs of Spring. Don't get me wrong...I LOVE winter and I LOVE snow. But, there's just something about seeing everything come alive again. Colors and new life everywhere.

I've been dabbling a little photography (read: beginner). We got a new camera for Christmas (not a fancy hundreds of dollars camera, but about as nice a camera as you can get without having to deal with removable lenses) and I've FINALLY begun to see all the cool things it will do. For the most part, it takes pictures nearly as good as other really nice cameras I've seen.

Then, I found Picnik. I've been a Picasa girl for a long time now and it's great for storing and organizing pictures. However, Picnik beats the pants off of it when it comes to photo editing.

So, combine my love for Spring things, photography and Picnik with some of the lyrics to one of my favorite Nichole Nordeman songs ("Every Season") and you get the rest of this post. Happy Spring!

And everything that’s new has bravely surfaced

Teaching us to breathe

What was frozen through is newly purposed

Turning all things green

So it is with You

And how You make me new

With every season’s change

And so it will be

As You are re-creating me

Summer, autumn, winter...

Spring.

it's a Good Day

noreply@blogger.com (saraiwithani) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 14:36:00 +0000

Last night, our Duke Blue Devils battled the Butler Bulldogs for the NCAA Championship. While Butler gets some mad props for a great game, Duke will return to Durham with the Championship title!

It's a good day, friends. A good day indeed.

Not Helping

noreply@blogger.com (saraiwithani) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:53:00 +0000

The number one reason I can't lose weight in the Spring...

Seriously, candy. You're not helping...but you're SOOOOOOOO good :)

Proud Auntie Moment

noreply@blogger.com (saraiwithani) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:33:00 +0000

If you're not up for hearing me gush over my sweet little Reagan, then I suggest you go ahead and close this window. Gushing WILL take place in this post!

Earlier in the week, I stopped by my brother's house for a quick visit. When I walked in, I could hear Reagan in the bedroom crying. Staci was trying to console her during a meltdown. A few minutes later, Staci came into the living room and I, of course, ran to shower Reagan with kisses. As soon as I walked up to her, something amazing happened.

She. Reached. For. Me.

My heart nearly melted into a pile of goo. My brother said that was the first time she had ever done that, which sent me into an Auntie high! It was a moment that made me realize just how much I love that little girl. She could have asked for a pony at that very moment and I would have given her one. She might have me wrapped around her little finger. Just maybe.

And because her cuteness cannot be contained, I thought it only appropriate to have her as a model for my Whatta Cute Baby website. If this doesn't make people want to buy onesies, I don't know what will!

My heart=melted.

A Neighborhood Divided

noreply@blogger.com (saraiwithani) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:03:00 +0000

A view from our front porch...

A Guest Room Fit For Guests

noreply@blogger.com (saraiwithani) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 20:05:00 +0000

Recently, I participated in a 28 day organizing challenge and posted the results over at Three Simple Girls. Most of you are probably readers over there as well, but in case you're not or you missed it, here's a peek at the transformation that took place in our guest room last month. (If you want to read about the whole transformation, check it out here.)

before...

after...

before...

after...

before...

after...

before...

after...

Now, it's just waiting for some guests :)

Snapshot of My Life

noreply@blogger.com (saraiwithani) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 22:05:00 +0000

I'm all the time getting little survey things to "fill out and pass on to 10 of your closest friends or bad things will happen to you and someone in your family will get hurt. Quite frankly, I don't feel like sharing, and I KNOW you don't feel like hearing, what color my underwear is or what I ate for breakfast. I mean, come on...it's not like I have some random free time to sit down and think about, type up and pass along information that you all couldn't care less about!

My dear friend, Brooke, did a really neat post the other day and I decided I'd steal, I mean borrow, it for a post over here. Even though she didn't tag me or threaten the well-being of my family for not posting with an allotted amount of time, I thought it would be a great way to give you a snapshot of what my life looks like at this very moment. And not just any snapshot, but things that actually matter. I feel like this post is just as much for you as it is for me. Sometimes I get so caught up in getting things done that I forget what exactly it is that I'm doing and I'm sure that most of you can relate. It's probably even safe to say that this is not the last time you'll see this kind of format for a post. I'd love to use this format every so often just to check in with you, my few readers, and also to keep a record of what's really going on in my life.

So, here's what I'm doing these days...

[seeing] pictures of my sweet little niece, Reagan...you might have heard me talk about her ;), another winter storm roll in

[reading] Dear John (Nicholas Sparks), Crazy Love (Francis Chan) and the book of Proverbs

[listening] to new albums by Shane & Shane, Colbie Caillat, Daughtry, Reba, Mariah, Michael Buble', Bethany Dillon and Maroon 5...random, I know

[traveling] a lot this month. Heading to see Shane & Shane next week, then on to TN to see one of my very favorite families!

[praying] for my brother's job situation, for a never-ending list of things that need to change in me and the circumstances I'm in

[planning] a master bathroom re-do, to paint the hallway, guest bedroom and bathroom and office sometime soon, for lots of things that seem to never happen

[wearing] all kinds of winter accessories these days. With all this snow and ice we've been having, I'm all about the gloves and scarves (especially the new one I just made!).

[anticipating] see God move in ways that I've been praying about for a while and getting to spend the day with my brother and my niece!

[loving] the peace in my heart that can only be attributed to God, all things black and white

[watching] the Bachelor...so lame.

Excuse Me...

noreply@blogger.com (saraiwithani) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:09:00 +0000

...while I brag a bit :)

I try really hard to keep from forcing photos and stories of my new niece, Reagan on unsuspecting folks. But seriously, people, she's so darn cute, that I just can't resist! So, bear with me while I morph into proud Auntie mode! She's 3 months old now. She's laughing and smiling and really interactive. She's almost rolling over and tries really hard to sit up on her own. And did I mention that she's really cute? Anyway, I'll spare you the rest of the obsessed Auntie details and just show you how cute she is!

My mom ADORES this little girl. It's so sweet to watch them interact.

Reagan will laugh and smile all day, but when you bring the camera out, this happens. It's hilarious!

This one's a little blurry, but it totally captures her personality, so I didn't have the heart to delete it!

She loves playing on the quilt that her Nanny ( my mom) made for her.

This picture always makes me say "Hooray!!"

See, told you she was cute :)

Cleaning Up a Bit

noreply@blogger.com (saraiwithani) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 02:41:00 +0000

I realized the other day that I haven't updated the information on the right side of my page in a while. So, in the spirit of the Great Purge of 2010, I thought I'd give it a little update.

In case you don't already know, I have an obsession with Google Reader (if you don't have it already, you should totally check it out!). With that obsession comes the reading of TONS of blogs every day. Some of them are mindless reads, but many of them are filled with craft projects, home decor ideas and ways to take just about anything from drab to fab! And what kind of friend would I be if I didn't share this goodness with you?!?! So, I've added quite a few more links on the right of blogs that I frequently visit. Grab a cup of coffee and check them out. Tell 'em I sent ya!

AI After Thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (saraiwithani) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:12:00 +0000

After watching Wednesday night's episode of the AI auditions in Atlanta, I have a few more thoughts on the process.

*First of all, it was really neat to see people on the show that were near us in line. The girl who auditioned in my group of 4 (actually, the girl who didn't know what song she was singing until the moment of her audition) was shown dancing with a friend on the episode. Good ol' C Marie from "411-the show" was right in front of us in line on audition day.

*If you were looking for us on tv...you should stop for fear of straining your eyes beyond use. Even knowing exactly where we were in the crowd, I've paused and slowed and play those shots on Tivo repeatedly to no avail. It's almost as if sections 1-4 didn't really exist when it came to filming.

*After seeing, in person, how things happened and then seeing, on tv how things were portrayed, it's not wonder we all like the show. If they showed America exactly the way it all goes down, no one would ever audition and no one would watch the show.

*They made us sing "Oops, I Did It Again" what seemed like a million times and then didn't use any of the footage. Apparently they thought it would be a better use of the viewers' time to show General Larry's audition. If I'm honest here, I'd say it was probably a better use of all our time. :) Did you miss the audition? Well, if you missed it, or just need to get the song stuck in your head for the rest of the day, here it is:

And that my friends, concludes my journey into the world of American Idol. I've been asked if I would audition again if the age limiit was raised. Honestly, I don't know if I would or not. It was an amazing experience and one that I'll remember for a really long time! Thanks for all your support and encouragement along the way!! And remember...it's not a talent competition...it's a REALITY SHOW!!

Gilbert...out.

Adventures in AI & ATL (Part 4)

noreply@blogger.com (saraiwithani) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 13:45:00 +0000

**FYI: This post is REALLY long. The most stuff happened on the last day, and I didn't want to leave out any of it! So grab a cup of coffee and enjoy :) **

Thursday, June 18^th, 2009

Audition day!! You would think that the American Idol producers would want us to get our sleep as to be prepared for the big audition…yeah right. We were on the road at 4am heading to the GA Dome. Ugh. We were looking forward to parking at the lot in front of the GA Dome, but when we got there it was closed! WHAT?!?! There’s a huge event happening here and they’ve CLOSED the parking lot?!?! So, we drove around the same block about 42 times (partly because we didn’t know what we were doing and partly because it was 4:30am and making sense of anything was a little difficult!) and finally parked in a nearby lot. We loaded up our backpacks and all our stuff and prepared for the trek to the end of the line. You might know that as we passed by the GA Dome lot on foot, they opened for business (they didn’t open until 5am). And it was also at that moment that I realized I have forgotten my camera in the car. L Too bad, so sad, we had to keep walking. We reached the contestant entrance to find a really long line again, so we began walking toward the end of the line. And we walked. And we walked. And every time we turned a corner, we let out a sigh as the line just kept going and going and going. Of course, this would be the day that I chose to wear my very cute, but so not comfortable, espadrille wedge heels.

We ended up in a contraption that very closely resembled a cattle stall. Herding cattle…yep, that’s pretty much what happened for the next 2 hours. We moved a little, stood for a while. Listened to the crazy stuff people would say around us like “Only the people in our section will get to go inside” which is totally not even close to the truth. We moved a little more, stood for a little longer, and watched the girl in front of us take pictures of herself and her portfolio with her cell phone, then proceeded to “warm up” while flipping through her portfolio and head shots and take more pictures of herself (This would be C Marie…better known as the “411, The Show” girl who sang “Love Is A Battlefield”.). We moved a little more and heard more people sing and listened to people’s take on the show. Maybe I’m just crazy, but I don’t think I’d spend all that time and energy auditioning for a show that I had never seen and knew only false information about. Anyway, I digress. They opened the doors and 30 minutes later, we were inside the Dome looking for our seats…seriously…I gotta get outta those shoes! We were seated by some really nice guys who were in line right near us on Tuesday and were ready to go! There were about 15 or so of the lower sections filled with people. Tickets were given out in the order in which the contestants would be allowed to audition. We were in the 4^th section and hoped this would mean we weren’t there all day long. We were given instruction when we registered regarding the crowd shots: Everyone must participate. Know the crowd song, which was none other than “Oops, I Did It Again” by Britney Spears. Awesome. (In 9 seasons, American Idol has held auditions in ATL 5 times. If the song that best relates to that fact has the word “oops” in it, maybe they should rethink that possibility before season 10!)

Before we could settle into our seats, “Oops, I Did It Again” was on blaring through the Dome speakers. It played approximately 10 times before we started “rehearsing” for the shoot. Finally, a producer came out onto the field to lead us in the rehearsal of “Oops, I Did It Again”. He reminded us that we had to keep a consistent speed, that everyone needed to sing and that it was best if the people at home could actually understand what we were singing. And then we began singing the chorus as a group of 8,000 people…and we sang it again…and again…and again…and, well, you get the picture. We began to wonder if it really was American Idol or if it was just an experiment to see who would have a mental breakdown first. Just when we thought we had rehearsed enough, Mr. Producer decided he’d like the guys to add in a little harmony. So, we practiced that about 10 times.

And then came the “Woo”s. Oh, the “Woo”s. You see, at American Idol auditions, everything ends in a “Woo”. A “Woo” requires hands in the air and screams at the top of your lungs (even if you are about to participate in the biggest audition of your life and all).

Then, we practiced singing The Song and ending it with a “Woo”. Oh, that wasn’t good enough? Let’s try it one more time…and then one more time to make sure it wasn’t a mistake. By this point, we’re all exhausted, on the verge of being hoarse and ready punch Britney Spears right in the face. Thankfully, though, the longer we sang, the more we were able to determine the talent of those around us. Surprisingly, there were several talented folks around us, the most talented being the guy sitting beside us.

FINALLY, it’s time to break out the cameras for a little filming action!! Wait, but that means we have to sing The Song again…and again…and again…and don’t forget to end it with a “Woo”. I’m really not exaggerating when I say that we sang The Song AT LEAST 40 times. And that number’s probably too low. The camera zoomed in and out, we smiled and tried to look cute for the camera while still singing at the top of our lungs and participating fully in the “Woo”s. Then, at last, we sang The Song one last time. *sigh*

No rest for the weary, though, or the vocal chords either for that matter. It’s time to get some shots of the crowd saying things as one collective group. Again…speak slowly and clearly, don’t speed up, and, in case you forgot, end it with a “Woo”. We started with this phrase: “Welcome to Atlanta! We’re hotter than ever! Woo!”. And in case you missed it first time, we repeated it about 10 times, and that was all before we started actually filming. Then we repeated it about 10 more times for the camera, and sometimes we repeat it, and end with a really long “Woo” so they could make sure to pick the moments where people are looking like the biggest idiots to put on national television. Then, I think they made us just say “Welcome to Atlanta (Woo)” a few times just for fun.

Now, on to the next phrase: “I’m the next American Idol! No, I’m the next American Idol (Woo)”. We can only assume they needed us saying both phrases for some neat-o editing purposes or something. Otherwise, we just looked like a bunch of idiots who couldn’t make up their minds. Well, actually, that’s probably true whether that clip was used for editing or not. We said this phrase about 5 times before the shooting began. They filmed it about 10 times before they decided it would be better if we just said “I’m the next American Idol (Woo)”, so we did that a few times.

Then, because it seemed like a good idea, I guess, they filmed us screaming and jumping up and down and waving and acting crazy. And amidst the craziness, a guy dressed in some sort of bikini wearing Sumo looking costume came down our aisle, stood near the railing and jumped up and down over and over while the camera zoomed in and out on him. We’re pretty sure he was planted on the scene by the AI crew, but really, it’s Atlanta so who knows.

When we were all to point of losing our voices from all the screaming and absolutely exhausted from being up so early and being forced to jump about and act a fool for an hour it was FINALLY time to get the scoop on what was about to go down. Mr. Producer explained it all to us: Only contestants are allowed on the field. Guests will wait in their seats. A section of contestants will be called at a time to enter the field. Have your release form signed and ready (more on that in a minute), have your wrist band on (pink bands only allowed on the field), no food or drinks allowed on the field and bring all your things with you as you will not return to your seat. Once you get onto the field, you walk to the 50 yard line, begin to cross the field, then about half way up, you will be divided into groups of 4 contestants. You can choose your group or just leave it to chance. There are about 12 “booths” (really just some tables and chairs divided by some hanging pieces of fabric) spread across the far side of the field. When your group is called, you will proceed to the next available table. There will be a producer or two at each table. When it’s your group’s turn, one contestant at a time will approach the table, sing for the producer(s), then return to your group line. After all contestants have auditioned, the judge(s) will deliberate, call you to the table (either in groups or one by one) and reveal your fate. If you make it to the next round, you will be given a yellow piece of paper, and will enter the back of the dome to finalize all the details for the next round of auditions. If you don’t make it, as you exit the field, a security guard will cut off your wrist band (gasp!) and you’ll exit at the opposite end of the field. Your guests can meet you at so-and-so entrance. If you make it, you’ll return to Atlanta in August to audition for the second round. (Auditions usually don’t happen until August anyway, but this year they switched it up a little. Because of this, there was the drama happening with Paula’s possible exit from the show and therefore the main judges were not present for the first round. )

So, to recap: No, you don’t get to sing for Simon, Paula, Randy and Kara for the first round. No, you don’t get to keep your prized wrist band. No, we didn’t get to see Ryan Seacrest. No, the first round they show on TV isn’t actually the “first round”

Before I move on, let me just explain this release form. The form basically says, in a little more eloquently phrased legal jargon of course, that you give American Idol full rights to any and all footage of you that they film over the course of your American Idol experience. I can deal with that. I came to audition for a TELEVISION show, after all. And then came my favorite part of the form…the part when they let you know that by signing your name at the bottom, you give them permission to portray you in any light they feel like portraying you in. At first, I thought Geez, American Idol, I can’t believe you would be so heartless that you would WANT to portray those poor people in the light that you do season after season. And then it hit me: All those poor people GAVE THEM PERMISSION TO DO IT!!!. I’m sure that none of them WANTED to be portrayed like that, but once they were, there was nothing they could do about it. Chalk it up to 15 minutes of fame and move on, I guess!

Now, back to the auditions…the first section was called to enter the field. The auditions began and it was then that we realized just how few and far between those yellow pieces of paper were. It was at least 15 minutes before the first one was given. We watched as the shunned were escorted to the “Loser’s Tunnel” and as the accepted were escorted backstage through the “Winner’s Exit”. Our seats were only 6 rows from the field, so we were able to scope out the competition as they went to line up. There were some, um, interesting outfits and ensembles and some fascinating hair dos. There was a girl in a wedding gown and even one dressed up like a guitar. People told me going into this that I should concoct some crazy outfit or scheme to get me noticed. Does that kind of thing work? Sometimes, yes. But most of the time, it just comes off as desperate. I decided that if my natural talent alone wasn’t enough to attract them, then I wasn’t interested.

While we waited in the stands, we could faintly hear the contestants belting out their selections and then the crowd would explode when another yellow piece of paper was thrust into the air. While we waited, the lovely folks at AT&T mingled in the crowd with some giveaways. They called out American Idol trivia questions and the person with the correct answer won a free ring tone. This wasn’t really wasn’t all that attractive to me since I’m a Verizon user. However, finally getting a chance to show off my extensive American Idol trivia knowledge was a game I could get on board for. No need to let all that knowledge go to waste!!

When watching previous seasons, I’d always wondered how they knew exactly who to get individual shots of in the crowd. With that many people auditioning, there was no way, they could take the time to get shots of every single person “waiting for their turn”. Turns out, they don’t shoot that footage until you’ve already made it to the next round…sneaky American idol.

Then, THREE HOURS later, our section was called! Brooke wished me luck and I was off for the field. It would have been really nice to have a familiar face right by my side, but mostly, I was glad to have the next 45 minutes waiting in line to myself. I was able to calm myself and really prepare myself for what was about to happen. I was able to soak it all in.

As we neared the middle of the field, the groups of 4 began to form. I ended up with 3 other girls. There were rumors about how ending up with certain people or genders in your group would give you a better shot. I doubt any of that is true. All I know is that I ended up in a group of 3 other girls. That was the hand I was dealt. Nothing I can do about it now except do my best and not worry about anyone else. At this point, no one in line was singing, so I wasn’t able to determine if anyone else in my group was any good or not. The girl to my left turned to me and said “What are you singing?” and I replied (for about the 50^th time that day) with “’Summertime’ from Porgy and Bess. What about you?” I’m not even kidding when I tell you that she looked at me with the most carefree look on her face and said “Oh, I don’t really know yet.” Newsflash, sister…your audition is in less than 5 minutes!! Get it together!

As we waited and got closer to the audition booths, we could hear what was happening at the neighboring tables. As I heard some REALLY amazing singers audition and then watched as they exited through the “Loser’s Tunnel” my confidence took a big fat nose dive. By no means do I think I’m the most amazing singer in the world. I know I’m not. I’ve also matured enough to be able to say when someone is better than me. Those people were better than me. And they were sent packing. I had to do some serious self-encouragement for the next few minutes and not automatically think the worst was ahead.

Everyone in the group ahead of us was rejected…the butterflies intensified. But wait, what’s happening? The 2 male judges at my table are leaving. A woman is taking their place. And then I heard someone behind me say “I’ve heard that the lunchtime judges are there just to get people through the line and aren’t allowed to let people through.” I look at the clock. It’s lunchtime. Great.

She called us forward and nodded to me to step forward. Here we go! I don’t think she could have looked less excited to be there at that moment in time. Ok, let’s cheer this girl up! I told her what I’d be singing and she told me to start when I was ready. Deep breath. You can do this. I focused on what key I needed to start in and sang my heart out. I felt that audition was heartfelt, on pitch and really showed off who I am as a singer. I finished, she smiled and told me to step back in line. Whew, that was easier than I expected. I was so overwhelmed by the fact that I had just used up my one shot at American Idol (the cutoff age is 28…I’m 28) that it was really hard for me to focus on listening to the other girls in my group. Girl Without A Song Picked Out must have chosen something really boring because she didn’t move and I couldn’t hear a single bit of her audition. The next girl was pretty good. She had a really stylish look. The last girl was a little, um, overdramatic with her physical interpretation of the song. She might have wanted to focus a little more on practicing her vocals and a little less on creating a seductive routine to accompany it.

And now, the moment of truth. We all stepped forward to the table. She looked at each of us and then began with what sounded like a statement she was told to memorize. It went something like this “First of all, I really want to thank each of you for coming out to audition. Without you all, this show wouldn’t be possible, so thank you. We appreciate you all spending your time and energy on American Idol. There were a couple of really nice voices in this group. However, none of you quite meet the standards that we’re looking for in Season 9. Again, thank you all for coming out.” By that point, I was off to the wrist band cutter and just like that it was all over.

I had told myself and other that I didn’t want to be the girl who was sobbing when she didn’t make it. I knew going into this that it was pretty much a crap shoot. American Idol does NOT define who I am. American Idol does NOT define my worth as a person or a performer. Those were the things that I wanted to remember when I took the infamous Walk of Shame.

But I have to admit that those thoughts were far from my mind. I didn’t want to cry. I would like to tell you that I didn’t, but that’d be a big fat lie. I was on day 3 of exhaustion. I had just been rejected…told that I wasn’t good enough. The adrenaline that had been building up for the past 3 days needed to be released. So, I cried. I didn’t sob, and I was over it in a matter of minutes. I held it together as I walked past the security guards with sad eyes and even as I walked past the AI staff with cold eyes. And then I called Marty and couldn’t suppress it any longer. As always, he was my voice of reason. He reminded me of those things that I wanted to remember and know about myself and this experience. I took a deep breath and remembered something that was reason enough to smile: I just auditioned for American Idol!! Not many people I know have gotten then chance to say that! Was a still a little sad? Of course! No one LIKES to be told that they aren’t good enough. No one strives for rejection. So it hurt. It was painful. But when I’ve just finished one of the most memorable experiences of my life, so why not focus on that?

After I’d made my way through the maze that was the “Loser’s Tunnel” and climbed the stairs and walked almost all the way around the building (someone remind me why I chose those stupid shoes!!) I finally met up with Brooke so we could make the long trek back to the car. It seemed like a lifetime since we arrived at the GA Dome.

We headed back to Heather’s to crash (we weren’t making the trip home until the next day). We reminisced about all the things we were sure we’d want to remember about the experience and somewhere along the way, we got turned around. Lost in ATL…great. We were sure the signs were leading us to I-20, but we’ll just blame that on the DOT…or the lack of sleep. We drove around for a really long time and we would have stopped for directions except that we were in a part of town where you don’t unlock your doors, much less get out of your car! We finally reached Heather on the phone for some guidance as we passed back by the GA Dome. We’d gone in a full circle!! We finally made it back to I-20 and had a funny experience to laugh about and keep us awake.

It seemed like everyone I had ever met (and some that I haven’t spoken to in years) was anxious to hear of my American Idol fate. They were all sure that I would be reporting with “I’m going to Hollywood” so I really wasn’t looking forward to having to make phone calls and post messages on my blog and facebook with the opposite. Not because I was sad that I didn’t make it (well, maybe that had a little to do with it), but because I didn’t want the sympathy. Sure it was nice to hear the nice things that people had to say like “You’re OUR American Idol” or “They don’t know what they’re missing!” or “We’re proud of you!”. In all honesty, I think the reason I didn’t want to hear those things was because it only reminded me that I didn’t make it.

Maybe that’s why it’s taken me almost 7 months to finish this memoir. Maybe I didn’t want to think about. Oh, who am I kidding? The reason I haven't written it until now is because I haven't had any time to really devote to it. It’s not like I’ve had HOURS just to sit and write about this until now! At any rate, looking back, there were so many things that that whole experience taught me. Those lessons learned will stay with me for the rest of my life. And because I’m a list maker, here are the top 5 lessons I’ve learned during this experience:

5. Use a map when driving in inner city ATL.

4. Song choice is pretty important, but at the end of the day, it really doesn’t matter if you sing something by Mariah Carey or your ABCs. If you’re good, it’ll show.

3. The comfort level of your shoes can really make or break your day!

2. Things are not always as they seem.

1. A reality show will not define my abilities, my character or my worth.

Thanks for walking through this experience with me! It really was an experience to remember!

Tomorrow, I'll be posting some thoughts on the show after watching last night's ATL auditions.