Oh hello there!

Happy 20 days since my last blog post! Woah! A ton has happened in these 20 days. Let's see...

• I've danced a ton
• Worked a ton
• Pushed myself in all my classes
• Filed my taxes (that's always fun...)

Hmm... is there anything else...? Oh that's right... I had my first audition for college. 

Woah.

It really wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I was in and out in about an hour and a half. I haven't decided if that was good or bad for my chances yet... But nonetheless, I sit and wait. This whole college process is just waiting. "Oh you've waited your whole life to apply for college? Waited your whole life for the chance to leave your boring town? Sorry. Need to wait just a little bit longer." Cool. 

I don't mind too much. I fill the days with homework, work, dance, and music. It's really wonderful.

So here I am on the eve of my second and final college audition and I can't help but reflect back to last Saturday.

10:30am - Dance. All ballet. The other 5 students = years of ballet. Courtney = none. Awesome. I tried my hardest. I really did, but I just knew all the other kids were nailing this with ease. Oh well. I went, did what I could, and left. 

11am - Rehearsal. My accompanist was really nice. We worked well together and all moved smoothly there.

11:15am - Vocal Audition. That was interesting. I didn't expect the vocal director to work with me a little bit afterwards. But she did. I think my songs were okay. I could have done much much better. Hopefully it was just nerves and they understand that :/

11:30am - Monologues. If there's one thing I know I can do it's acting. I've been acting longer than I've been singing and I have worked so much on characters and voice. But my first monologue was too fast and quiet. Again, hopefully just nerves. My second monologue was sad, but I needed to project. I think I did fairly well at keeping the emotion the same while just increasing the volume. 

Overall, I think my audition was okay. I just need to know whether they want me or not. Because I want them. There are so many conflicting things in my brain, but the one thing that stands out clearly is where I want to go to school. Who knows though? I may re-fall in love with Pace this weekend, but Wilkes feels comfortable. Wilkes feels wonderful. 

So with that, I go to rest up before leaving for New York City in the morning. I just hope there is a letter waiting for me when I return home...

xoxo Courtney 

Dinner time!

Hello all! I am writing to introduce a blog that I found!
All Day I Dream About Food she posts mostly Gluten-Free recipes! I feel in love at first sight and decided to try a recipe for dinner this evening. Unfortunately I began snacking, so dinner is really late tonight :)

I chose her Turkey Taco Pasta Skillet! It was not labeled GF but I just simply adapted it. IT TASTES AMAZING! (Sam it doesn't taste too much like tacos... if you read this) I just took a bite haha. This is a scattered post...
I also made roasted zucchini and summer squash as a side. Such an odd pair, but I thought "Whatever, at least I'm eating healthy and not ordering a pizza" :)
Here are pictures of my deliciousness and a link to the recipe. Enjoy!!

My Summer squash and zucchini :)

The Turkey Taco Pasta Skillet!

That's all for today! Ta-Ta!

<3 Courtney

Rambles of an 18 year old.

I can't seem to find any inspiration these days. So this might ramble...
Right now my life is filled with finals ( well, now they're over), college, and classes. Oh ya and that little thing called work. I hate my job. I'm sick and tired of the favoritism game that is played non-stop. Meh.
I actually have to go there in an hour. But I'm okay with it. But only this once. If I want to have my Friday off, I must work tonight. No problem. I like money.
Money. College costs so much money. That's so scary. Everything costs so much money! Not even just college, but everyday things! People don't realize how much money one shopping trip for me, just one person, costs. Living Gluten Free is not a choice, so I can't just "buy normal food". Because trust me, I wish I could. There are those days that I crave my old favorites. Like Chubby Hubby ice cream... or cookie dough ice cream... I like ice cream.
But a loaf of bread costs 3-5 dollars for me. And that loaf only lasts a week. If I'm lucky. (It depends on how many grilled cheeses I make that week). And it's not even a normal size slice of bread! I get funny looks all the time when people see the size of my sandwiches. It's ridiculous.
This has turned into a ramble about bread. I am so sorry. But since it is the largest thing I can't eat in my life, I suppose it should be the topic of the ramble.
I get nervous for college and how I'll eat. Oops. Back on that whole college topic again... you know, that thing that scares the crap out of me! As my first audition approaches I begin to freak out a little inside each day. Less than a month. February 17th, my mom and I will ship down to Pennsylvania for the weekend... and on the 18th, I allow a college to pick me apart. Will they like me? Will I choke? Will I get in with my talent? I'm getting a little less confident each day. Pace wait listing me has really put a damper on my drive. But I'm trying to push past it so much. I just eat chocolate. A lot of chocolate. So much that I've decided, for each piece of chocolate I eat between now and prom, I will do 20 sit-ups and 20 push-ups. I have the ideal prom dress picked out in my head. I just need Candy, my seamstress, to make it. It's my dream. Now I just have to make it a reality.
How did auditions get to prom? Oh that's right, because my mind is crazy. Kinda like me.

-Courtney <3

Just a small Update

Well not really an update at all. Just me writing to say I am conflicted about the next show at my school.

That is all.
 :/

My Family

The cast of the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee <3

Waiting.

That's essentially what you spend most of your Senior year doing... Constant waiting. Waiting for this school to accept you... waiting for this school to give you money...waiting for the right prom date... waiting for the school to finally give you food you can eat! ( Okay, maybe this one is just me, but still) ...or just waiting for the year to end and your life to begin. I've just been waiting.
I finished sending in my college applications at the end of November, the Sunday before Thanksgiving to be exact. And ever since then, it has been the waiting game. Wilkes answered me... Rhode Island answered me... but where was Pace's decision? HELLO TOP SCHOOL OF MY DREAMS I'M WAITING HERE! It sucked. I spent all of my winter vacation just waiting and crying. I also had some medical issues... but still, I was just stuck waiting. Until I realized that I had received an e-mail saying their offices would be closed until January 2nd... Whoops... I should have done something all of vacation... instead of... waiting.
Another thing I've waited for this year is the school musical. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee finally opens tomorrow. The show is wonderful, the cast is magical, and the friendships are indescribable. But last Monday I went to the Emergency Room and they told me I had... pneumonia. "No I don't." Those were the exact words from my mouth. I had worked so hard for the show, and now, to lose my voice my breath capacity, and let alone control of how I felt, I felt miserable. I cried. Right then and there. The doctor didn't know what was happening... I quickly got on antibiotics, spent my first overnight in a hospital and went home on Tuesday, late Tuesday. I was back in school on Thursday and my voice remained hidden. Finally this past weekend, it came back. Everything. My belt, my legit, and my vibrato... all of them were back. I hope they enjoyed their vacation because that is last one they will take for a very long time...
So today, I came home before heading off to dance and found a letter on the table. An envelope. Not a packet. Just an envelope. My heart dropped. I almost asked my grandmother to leave the room and let me read it, but thank goodness she was there. Pace University: Wait-listed. More waiting? Are you kidding me? I've had my audition scheduled since before Christmas and I just want to go to this school. The location, the program, the people, and the vibe are everything I want in a school! I just want to go. I have a poster on my wall that Pace sent me... "Now Starring: Courtney L... at Pace University" in the middle of Times Square. I look at it every night and I wait. I wait for the future, I dream of the future. My future is there. But this whole waiting thing is getting old...

Let's Talk About Labels

I am sick and tired of going grocery shopping and getting glared at when I have to stop and read a label. I MAY NOT BE ABLE TO EAT IT! IT IS A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH! And no, I am not being overdramatic. Sure, my local grocery store, and workplace, label most things that are already labeled Gluten Free. But that doesn't mean they have labeled everything. Maybe I want to try a new soup and you haven't gotten around to labeling it, therefore I must read! What a concept!
But I'm polite. I pull my cart to the side, pick up what I need to read, look around me for anyone trying to look where I am standing, and move on with my business. It does not help that aisles in grocery stores suck. And my work stocks during the day, so there may be someone stocking and then there's me trying to read a label.
Everything would be a hell of a lot easier if all companies went through the process of labeling the allergens that are in their product. I know it may be a struggle, but so many people nowadays are not eating gluten, dairy, eggs, or nuts. Therefore, in order to raise sales, one should label their products. It's only common sense.
I honestly can't stand the fact that in this day and age, I need to read the labels. With so many people getting sick from certain foods, you think the FDA would come up with some guidelines for allergens.
Meh.
This has been a rant about my Celiac Life.
~Courtney