More of New Orleans

It has been a while since I last posted but nothing too exciting has happened between then and the weekend. Again, I will say that I love my weekends with Bryan! It is a nice break from dishes, laundry, cleaning, watching TV, reading, cooking...basically all things I do by myself in our apartment. So as thoughtful as my husband is, he is always eager to get me out of the apartment. We always enjoy going to New Orleans. I have been told so many times that Louisiana has so much culture and I definitely believe that especially there. So Saturday we headed south. Bryan heard from a co-worker that there is a two-story target so I had to stop in. It was like two small targets stacked on top of each other. I had to take a picture of the escalator.

It takes your cart up! I thought this was so neat!

Well there was a two-story Bed Bath and Beyond next door but I knew Bryan would not want to go in so we continued to Tulane and went to the Audubon Zoo. I learned that Bryan loves the zoo just as much as me. I think we were the only couple there without kids but we enjoyed it just as much as them. I always heard that the Tulsa Zoo was good but this one you could get so close to the animals. Here are some pictures that we took...

They were so entertaining!

Can you tell what this bear is doing?  He is laying on his back, leg kicked over the log, and arm over his forehead! He looked exhausted! So funny.

Alphie!

This gorilla was just hanin' out on his rocks.

Cute right?!

Yes we got to feed the giraffes!! No he wasn't biting Bryan's hand off.

Not an attractive picture of me but I thought it was funny.

I think I fed them more than all those kids! 

After the zoo we hopped on the trolley to the French Quarter. We had walked all over the French Quarter a few times times before so I looked up what else there was to do there. We ended up taking the short Algiers Ferry that took us across the river from Canal street and back. We got on at the perfect time which we got to see the skyline at sunset.

Our fun, easy, and cheap mode of transportation to the French Quarter.

We were thinking that cruise ship looked like a much more fun boat than the ferry we were on!

By this point we were exhausted from walking around all day so we headed home. We got home around 8 and started a movie which I quickly fell asleep to on the couch. Just a side note, we signed up for Blockbusters version of Netflicks and we absolutely love it. We get two movies in the mail at a time which we can exchange in store unlimited times. We found that Red Box is not as popular here which is fine with me because it is rare they have a movie I want to see. So anyway we have enjoyed seeing all kinds of movies.
On Sunday we bout a tripod and went to LSU's campus and took Christmas card pictures. I am still not used to this 85 degree weather in mid November. I drove up to our apartment today and there was a group of kids leaving the pool in their swimsuits. Well, I never thought I would say this but I wish is was colder because it just doesn't feel like Thanksgiving/Chirstmas weather! Tomorrow afternoon we will be headed to Dallas and I can't wait!!! It will be so wonderful to spend time with Bryan's family. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for.

I love to craft

I just love to do crafts and ever since we first lived in Houston and Megan Howard introduced me to Pinterest, my craft days have never been the same. So on Sunday I begged Bryan to go with me to Hancocks to buy fabric. Of course he said only if we go right after church because he was not going to want to get back out once we get home. So a got my fabric to make that fun, ruffled, Christmas tree skirt from Pinterest. That night I was in a sad mood after talking to my mom (who is in Hawaii, super jealous of them) I started crying and telling Bryan how much more fun this would be if I could craft with my mom and sister or even with a friend. It would be just so much easier if my mom was here when I had a sewing question or something. So, my sweet husband gets on the floor with me and helps cut my felt into a tree skirt. Don't tell him I said that because he may get embarrassed. So I spent alllll day Monday hot gluing muslin onto felt...

It is complete after many many hours! Thank you Pinterest!

Now we have to go buy a tree so I can dress it up in its new skirt! While we were at Hancocks I also picked up a couple yards of fabric to make placemats. My mom gave me the idea to sew different fabrics together to make double sided ones which I thought was a brilliant idea considering you only see one side at a time! So, inspired by the fun placemats at one of my new favorite stores, World Market, I made my own for much cheaper. I just used the pattern from another placemat I had.

Less than a yard of each fabric makes 4 placemats.

Here is a completed one! I fell in love with the floral print and thought it would be pretty for spring and the bottom I picked for Christmas!

I love pears! Looks like I am ready for sping already! Haha.

So, that is what I have been doing with my time the past two days! Oh, and thanks to Meghan Leibold I found a hair salon on Yelp and will finally be getting my hair cut on Friday! YAY! 

Avery Island and the Jungle Gardens

Yesterday Bryan and I went to Avery Island to go on the Tabasco factory tour which is just south of Lafayette. I definitely recommend it if you are ever driving through to definitely stop. Besides being the home of Tabasco sauce, it has some pretty interesting history. This tiny island in the bayous is really a little hill that was created by an upwelling of ancient salt deposits and at its highest point I think they said its only about 150 feet above sea level. Tabasco sauce has been made on this island since the 1860s by the McIlhenny family. Here are some pictures we took with Bryan's phone...

They mash the peppers with a little Avery Island salt and they put it in these barrels. Then they pour more of the salt on top of the barrels to act as a natural barrier to protect the contents for three years which gives time for the salt to turn into like concrete.

   

This was the beginning of our drive through Jungle Gardens which is also on Avery Island. We were like a few feet from the gators!

These pretty little egrets were everywhere!

Pretty bridge over the marsh.

We put a penny in for good luck!

This temple housed the Buddha statue that was given to the McIlhennys  in the 1836.

Senior pic! I just loved this bridge.

This was the end of our tour. I am still anticipating going on tours of some of the plantation homes. I think we will wait to go in the spring when all the flowers are in bloom. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Surprise date

Did I mention that I love Fridays? Well I do. Yesterday was a another great Friday. I did laundry and cleaned the apartment because I always know I won't want to during the weekend. I also went to Hobby Lobby which is only about a 15 minute drive except this trip. I was planning on just a quick trip to buy fabric to make a Christmas tree skirt and a vest. There are not many, or any, craft places in Baton Rouge or surrounding towns so the one I go to is always PACKED. It takes me forever to find a parking spot and when I go It is usually during the week between 10 and 2 so it blows my mind that it is so busy. I have realized Baton Rouge has a lot of construction going on right now along with Louisiana being ranked number 1 with the country's worst drivers. It is so true it's scary. The traffic gets so bad that people will just run red lights. I was in the left turning lane at a stop light and there was a green light not a green arrow and cars in front of me just kept turning and the cars across from us looked confused as if the lights were messed up so of course I stopped to let the people with the green light go straight and the car behind me honked at me! How rude! Anyway, enough about that. I saw some pretty funny things at Hobby Lobby that you wouldn't see anywhere else except in LA. 

Walls and walls of purple, green, and gold decorations...

And a whole wall of just Mardi Gras beads!

Well, I felt like I was missing out on something. Am I supposed to decorate for Mardi Gras or something?? Anyway, after I made it safely home Bryan told me he was taking me out somewhere fun. He wouldn't tell me where until we got there. We went downtown to a restaurant called Tsunami Sushi in the Shaw Center on the 6th floor. The restaurant was long and narrow with a balcony you can eat on as well that overlooked the Mississippi with the pretty bridge all lit up! Here are a couple pictures I tried to take...

  

These pictures don't do it justice so I guess you will just have to come and see for yourself! :) Despite the cold front and extremely windy conditions it was a great night!! Today was a wonderful day as well. We went to Avery Island (just south of Lafayette) and toured the Tabasco factory as well as the Jungle Gardens. It was beautiful in that Louisiana swampy kind of way! I will be posting about that tomorrow! Love and miss you all.

1980's Barden Bella

So, yesterday may have been the longest day on set. I was starting to feel sorry for the actors. For me though it was pretty fun. From 8am we sat inside the River Center auditorium watching each a capella group perform. Of course we were supposed to clap when told but honestly it came natural because it was so entertaining. We got to see the opening performance of the movie and the final competition. The two main singing groups are the Treble Makers and Barden Bellas (the college is Barden University). I learned so much about the movie in just one day because the Jason Moore, the director, would explain to us about each group and what happens. We were prohibited to take any pictures because it would ruin the whole movie. It was fun watching Brittany Snow, Anna Kendrick, and Rebel Wilson perform and I did get to sit on the front row! haha. I think I could just put Anna in my pocket she is just so little! Well they had to perform over and over and over just so they could use different cameras and angles. It wasn't what I expected though. I thought they would shoot a little segment at a time but they actually did a whole performance before they would cut. They did lip sing, however, the music is them singing. Anyway, for the ending competition I was told to move somewhere else so as I was walking around the wardrobe director pulled me aside and asked if I could be an 80s Bella! I was so excited. I asked if it was okay that I was a 90s Bella the day before but of course it didn't matter, they can do anything with hair and makeup. So I got my hair and makeup done again along with a can of hairspray. They told us that these group pictures they take of us are going to be placed in the Bella's dressing room like a Hall of Fame of Bella's in each decade. So, here is a picture of the final look, I looked like a tall skinny man.

Don't worry they didn't cut my hair. They just flipped it over my head so really that's just  the end of my hair made into ugly bangs. And I thought my 90s look was bad!!

Here is a picture of some of the girls together...

So, can you tell the same lady did my hair and the girl on the far left? We got the ugly do.

Anyway, the makeup lady took a close up of my hair and makeup with my phone so I could send it to Bryan and he put it as my profile picture on facebook. Let's just say I wasn't thrilled about that considering I told him how gross it was! Haha. I just hope I removed it quick enough. Well we finally were wrapped at 9:45. So, yes I cancelled today because they call time was 9 and wouldn't wrap until midnight or later. No thank you!

So today I plan on doing some laundry and tonight I am cooking one of my favorite childhood dinners: Salmon croquettes, with macaroni and cheese, and green beans.

"Photo double"

Yesterday evening I applied to be a photo double when I saw on facebook that the casting agency, Caballero Casting, said they needed someone with similar size and height as me so I sent an e-mail and I got heard back 5 minutes later! I was so excited wondering who I would be "doubling". They lady called me and said I needed to be there at 8am and didn't need to worry about anything. So, when I got there I took the shuttle to the holding room. It felt nice to not be in the middle of all the other extras who were being herded around like cattle. There was one other girl that was signed up to be a photo double as well. By the way, The casting company is like the middle man between the film company and the extras so we don't know anything until the second we are thrown on set. Anyway, after I had been sitting for a couple of hours, they took me to hair and makeup....

The oh so glamorous trailer!

So as I sat there getting my makeup done I had to ask the lady what famous people she has done hair for! Well she said a few people I didn't know however, she did do Sandra Bullocks hair for the movie Premonition! My heart kinda skipped a few beats! Well, while listening to all the crew talking I overheard them saying I was talking a girls place in one of the singing groups. I though well that's cool. I then returned to the holding room to wait another hour or so. They later said my hair was all wrong and sent me back for another look. Later they said the same thing and I went back for more makeup and another hairdo. By that time it was 2:00 and time for lunch.  We had a wonderful lunch, as usual, in the holding room. I think it is quite comical the way they set up the room for everyone so I took a picture...

Not the greatest picture but to the right is nice angled tables with a beautiful food display down the middle. To the left of the yellow tape is for the extras. We had to go all the way around the caution tape to get to the food! Seriously, they needed to separate us from the cast like that?!  Haha.

So after lunch the other girl and I sat for a few more hours by ourselves in that room until they called us to wardrobe at around 4:30 which we then were told we were doing a photo shoot so they can have pictures of each a capella singing group for the "Hall of Fame" which will then be scanned for about 3 second by the camera. Well, I didn't care at that point considering I was basically getting paid to sit around and play dress up. Here is a picture of the wardrobe trailer...

It felt like a very large yet very tight closet. 

Anyway, me and 6 other girls were dressed up like Pan Am stewardess'. We were the Bella's a capella group from the 90s. It may be a small picture that they show for a split second but I will be in the same picture twice! Haha. Kind of hard to explain but the picture will then in turn be a group of 12 girls. Anyway here is the trailer that we changed in....

Each room was about as big as a bathroom stall. 

And here is a picture of me before the shoot...

I seriously had the tightest bun with about a can of hairspray after changing my hair 3 times!

Once the mini photo shoot began it was about 5:45 and ended at 6. Yes, I was there from 8-6 and only "worked" for 45 minutes. I will definitely not forget my book tomorrow! Have a lovely night!

Mondays

Monday’s for me are always the worst even if I am not at work or have school. It is the day Bryan has to go back to work. It is kind of sad when the highlight of my day is going to the grocery store. It wasn’t totally necessary for me to go but I enjoy experimenting in the kitchen so I made a list and headed to Wal-Mart. Before I left I put a few chicken breasts in the crock pot with a cup of chicken broth and a can of cream of mushroom soup and turned it on low. I cut some carrots to later add to the chicken and noodles. I have found myself constantly making soups and warm things since it is fall, however, it is 82 degrees today and a couple of weeks ago there was a group of people hanging out in the pool. So, yes, we are still wearing shorts and I have found it much more fun to wear orange and anything OSU now because I live in Baton Rouge (the home of LSU, also the #1 ranked football team) and I like to spread a little orange power through all the purple here. Anyway, when I got back from the grocery store my little friend was waiting for me peeking out his window. Every time I pull up he just pops up like he knows I just got home. I just love it. Bryan thinks I am crazy but I know he thinks it’s pretty cute too.

Isn't he cute? They keep the blinds open like that all the time, except one night when I was staring at the dog through our window from our third floor apartment (they live across from us) a man walked up and shut the blinds! I was insulted but also felt like a HUGE creeper.

Anyway, after being a creep and taking another picture of our neighbor’s dog, I tried baking apples and bananas. I cut up the apples and bananas into slices placed them on a baking sheet, sprinkled lemon juice on top and added a little brown sugar to the apples. I baked them for 15 minutes and they were delicious and made the apartment smell like fall! I also have a candle lit which makes it smell like Silver Dollar City up in here! :)

Today I have also tried calling EyeMasters to order my contacts in hope to not need a doctor’s appointment. I have gone in 3 times total and had my prescription faxed from Tulsa. The lady said she would call me once she contacts our insurance company but never did. So I called and they said my prescription has expired! So I will have to go through this process again.  Bryan and I have found that people in Louisiana are super nice, like the employees at McDonalds really know how to make you smile but not at EyeMasters!!  I may just give up and wear my glasses every day. That is one of the pains about moving. That and finding a hair salon!

Today, I also got my confirmation call for working Pitch Perfect Wednesday-Friday. I can’t wait!!! Well I have now found myself sitting on the couch again watching Ellen, the funniest show ever. 

Another wonderful weekend

Another great weekend with my husband! Friday, for me was a day to organize. We have a very little pantry that is stuffed with food and each time I go to the grocery store it gets more and more unorganized. Also each shelf is like a rack so things either fall through or don’t stand straight. So, I bought an over the door shoe holder at Wal-Mart for like $5. It was too wide so I cut the last column off leaving 18 pockets. Anybody with a small apartment size pantry, I highly recommend doing this. I was able to throw away about 8 unnecessary boxes which opened up so much more room and gives easy access to little snacks and things.

I just love Fridays. I get so excited for when Bryan gets home because it starts the beginning to our weekend to explore our new home. It is fun living in a new place knowing you won’t be there forever. It feels like a long vacation. However, last night we drove around looking for a place to eat and ended up at Olive Garden. We hadn’t gone there in so long and it kind of felt like being  back in Tulsa. There are many things I do miss about Tulsa, a few being, Bueno, Mazzios, Braums and Bryan misses his Rib Crib. We often find ourselves trying to find a milkshake that is equivalent to Braums. I mean Baskin Robbins is good but it’s just not the same. The things I miss about Houston are HomeGoods, Ikea, and being walking distance to HEB and Hobby Lobby. I wonder what things we will miss about Baton Rouge? Probably Perkins Rowe, the French Quarter in New Orleans, and Bryan would say the gators. When we moved here I said I didn’t want a first floor apartment because I had heard some crazy stories about alligators coming in your house! Well luckily we got a third floor. (Don’t worry there are no gators just hanging around, well there is one by Bryan’s office. They named him Gary the gator.)

So Saturday, one of the girls I met while being an extra last week invited Bryan and I to her house for an LSU watch party. She lives right off campus in a house with 5 other girls which 3 of the 6 are engaged! Talk about wedding plans, Whoa. There were about 25 people there total and they were all so nice. They had all recently graduated and had met through church, bible study, or Campus Crusades. We had a blast. They cooked jambalaya(a Cajun favorite), all kinds of snacks, and s’mores at the end of the game. One of the girls I was talking to said “you said you’re from Oklahoma, right? It is just so funny because I don’t hear an accent in your voice at all!” I was laughing thinking, wow everyone does think people from Oklahoma are supposed to sound like hicks! Well, it was a fun night and we are so blessed that God has led us to these friends, I could not be more thankful.

I was excited about my little football tray and for some social interaction with friends!
Side note: The dip is a recipe from my mom called Chip Beef dip and is one of my favorites. Here is the recipe if you want a quick and easy appetizer:
2 8oz cream cheese
1 jar dried beef (chop)
5 green onions (chop)
2 tbsp mayo
2 tbsp lemon juice
Mix together and refrigerate 2-3 hours before serving.


They knew how to have a watch party!

This morning we tried Istrauma Baptist Church again before trying The Chapel on the campus next week. Most people at the party last night went there. We then spent the afternoon at the Mall of Louisiana. Bryan was so sweet to go with me and he never complained once! He knew I was overdue on buying clothes I think ;)

So how ‘bout those Pokes?! Yes, it may seems weird that I have been keeping up to date with football this season but if OSU makes it to the National Championship, they will be headed to New Orleans and that means family will be coming to stay with us…my brother for sure!!  GEAUX POKES!

Loving fall

I have taken some pictures of our apartment that have changed a little from our last apartment. Mostly just the addition of fall décor. I never realized how important a mantle over a fireplace is until now. It is the perfect location to decorate for holidays and not to mention it makes your house feel like a home. Well, we live in an apartment and there is no fireplace. I don’t mean to gripe because I am lucky to even have an apartment but I just have a hard time finding places to decorate! 

Basically the same as Pearland, but I added a little fall to the table!

Our little desk nook: This was a pinterest craft I did. I plan to paint more  but I hope the last one I make says Tulsa or Dallas. I hope to be close to family. I mean, come on, my little nephew needs to see his auntie Kate more.

Our bedroom. I just couldn't give up on pink and Bryan said he didn't mind as long as it was just a little. Did I mention I have the greatest husband on earth? ;)

I have found it difficult to decorate and buy things for this apartment because I know we won’t be here long.  I do miss our apartment in Pearland too, however the guest bedroom here is much bigger with a second bath. Yes, I am still trying to get people to visit us. Mardi Gras is coming very soon you know!! We will give you a tour of both Baton Rouge and New Orleans and you have a free place to stay! 

You may have forgotten, you would be visiting Bryan and Katie so you  will always have plenty of this! ;)

More Pitch Perfect

Well yesterday was another 13 hour day with a call time at 5:30 and wrapping at 7. I was so exhausted by the time I got home and sat on the couch. It is really fun though! I have met so many people, it kind of feel like camp! The whole movie making process is so fascinating to me. I talked to a guy a little yesterday that worked on the pre-production part of the movie. He told me the movie is like Glee meets American Pie. So I am sorry if I talk you in to seeing it and it is inappropriate but at least it should be funny. While watching the crew in between shots I have learned that about 75% of them smoke. I have never smelled so much smoke in my life. I don't know how they walk around fixing cameras and lighting with a cigarette in there hand. Now that is talent! Well anyway, as soon as I got there at 5:30 I was told to go to the wardrobe trailer to make sure I was wearing exactly what I was wearing on Monday and then to hair and make-up trailer for touch ups. I didn't really see the point. She just brushed my hair, straightened it more and covered me with hair spray making my hair look kind of greasy on top.

Here is an example of what the hair and makeup trailer looked like but with make up and aerosol cans everywhere. I don't know what I was expecting but I didn't expect that. It was pretty claustrophobic in there!

When we finally got shuttled to the set it was still dark outside and about 45 degrees. I was smarter and wore two jackets this time. The crew tells everyone to remove their coats because they are about to start rolling. I stand there freezing as a crew member laughs at me and says my lips are turning blue. It is unreal how Brittany Snow, Anna Kendrick, and Anna Camp get treated like royalty. I am staring at them with my blue lips as they are in position, makeup and hair people surrounding them. They are still wearing huge coats and snow boots. As soon as they yell "rolling" crew removes their coats and boots and put their heels on for them. In between each scene they have "stand-ins" that are extras that stand in their places while they go sit down and warm back up! crazy! Ok, so I know we aren't supposed to be taking pictures but LSU students walk by and are constantly taking pictures so I took some myself. They aren't that great because I was trying to be quick about it like I was texting someone. So here are some that are not that good so they shouldn't care.

This is the shirt I wear with my black and white checked pencil skirt. I am wearing a black top underneath because I have to take off the yellow shirt for different scenes.

Here is a picture of my Teach for America booth

Here is a picture of the assistant director (skinny short guy with glasses) and another director Gene Smith (tall,  hairy man in blue that tells me what to do) talking to actor Adam DeVine (from Workaholics that offered me some of his popcorn!) and the very nice and funny guys of the "Treble Makers" (two are sitting down)

My teacher booth is in the perfect spot. Right behind these guys singing and dancing. I'ts funny because they start the music for them to get on beat and then immediately turn it off while they continue to dance and lip sing. The set is completely silent during this whole time while we pantomime in the background. Anyway, I won't be working until next Wednesday because they are shooting all night scenes. Bryan has even applied to be an extra for when they do weekend shots we can then go together!  I can't wait!