Nature's first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf's a flower; But only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day, Nothing gold can stay.
-Robert Frost, 1874-1963
I always think about this poem around this time of year. It has always been one of my favorites. It's short, simple, and completely true (and somewhat depressing, lol). Although it can be broken down into several different meanings and associations, right now I'm just seeing it in terms of nature's seasons. Does anyone else feel like winter stays forever, but all the other seasons are gone in a flash? I really love fall, but can never completely enjoy it because I know that snow, ice, and being cold 100% of the time is just around the corner. I figured I better take my camera outside quickly before a storm inevitably takes away all the beautiful colors of autumn. I was scouting out some possible new places to shoot and found Spring Hill Cemetery in Huntington. Absolutely beautiful!
I mean, seriously? So beautiful!
I'm definitely not a fashion guru, but if you're interested: My sweater and skirt in total cost about $20 shopping at Gabe's. Ugh, I love that place. This black suede skirt was originally from Express and the sweater was from Olive + Oak. I found these brown booties from American Eagle Outfitters last year. I know, I'm so on top of fashion, it's crazy.😆
I successfully did a fishtail braid on myself. Huzzah!
Posing for photos is the ultimate "what do I do with my hands".
Currently my desktop background. Shoutout to my wide-angle lens for making everything look awesome.
Traded my booties in for a more comfortable Rosebud Oxford shoe from Not Rated (I have also had these for about 3 years. Keeping up with the times, lol).
I just had to blog about a super cool thing I got to do this past weekend. On October 8, 2016, the heavy metal/rock band, Disturbed, came to perform at the Big Sandy Arena here in Huntington, WV. Why does this concern me, a classically trained violinist, you ask? Because I got to play with them. On the stage. Literally just a couple feet away. In front of a sold out crowd of thousands of screaming fans. What?! I know. The security guys didn't believe me either. "What are a couple of stringed instruments doing at a heavy metal concert?"
I wasn't specifically told who I was performing alongside with. I was given the sheet music and noticed it said "Arranged by Disturbed" on the top right corner. I began putting it all together and immediately started freaking out in excitement.
I hadn't listened to Disturbed in a few years. I definitely had some of their songs on my iPod when I was in high school. I went through a phase where all I would listen to was dark and/or sad songs. My alarm ringtone every morning around junior year, after all, was "I Hate Everything About You" by Three Days Grace (lol). I was intrigued by the "Scene" culture and I frequented places like Hot Topic. Although my music and clothing choices have changed since then, I can definitely still appreciate it all! I learned we were going to perform:
Darkness from album Believe (2002)
Sound of Silence from album Immortalized (2015)
I was pumped to see we were playing their cover of Sound of Silence as I have always loved the Simon and Garfunkel version. I actually really enjoy the way Disturbed's version is put together. David Draiman's voice is so deep and haunting and I love that they incorporated strings and timpani into their cover.
Not sure why, but I haven't been that nervous for a performance in years. I suppose the thought of being on stage with real rock stars at a real rock concert just gave me ALL the butterflies. I could hardly eat or sleep the night and day of.
I researched live and recorded versions of the songs we would be playing - they performed Sound of Silence on Conan just a few months ago! :o
Our call time was about 3 hours before we actually performed. We had no rehearsal and no sound check (which also added to the butterflies). These guys are pros though, so deep down I knew it would be fine! Thankfully I was playing with one of my friends from the Marshall Music School, so I had a familiar face to share this crazy experience with!
They had a catered dinner (as if this gig couldn't get any better) that was delicious. I could hardly eat because of my excitement, though! We hung out with the band crew in one of the pre-show rooms until it was time to head out around 9:45.
We were given about a million wires and clip on things before we went out on stage. The earbuds for the click track and monitor would not stay on my tiny ears! I made it work, though. We were taken to stage right to wait for our cue to go up. The crowd was going wild and it was all a loud, pyrotechnic, awesome blur waiting for our time. I looked over at my cellist friend and we gave each other a "Woah, we're actually doing this." look.
At the end of their song "Stupefy", we waited for the "okay" to head (almost fall) up the stairs to the stage. We had about .2 seconds to sit down when the click track said "Darkness...1, 2, 3, 4" and before I knew it, we had started!
I could hardly hear any of the notes I was playing. Thankfully the music wasn't too difficult and I wasn't trying to find pitches in like, 9th position. I briefly looked up from my music, careful to not lose my place, and saw hundreds of cell phone lights illuminating the arena. My heart, which was already basically tachycardic, went up a few more notches and I couldn't help but grin ear to ear. The bassist, John Moyer, nodded and smiled at us.
Before I knew it, it was time to run off stage (literally) so they could continue with their set. Although it only lasted about 8.5 minutes, that was undoubtedly one of my most favorite experiences to date. I couldn't stop smiling for a few days. After I left the building, I immediately drove over to my best friend's house and told her all about it. I've always gotten highs from performing, but that was just on another level.
Here is a fan's video of the performance. You can see me slightly better in the second song :P. Super grateful somebody captured it!
I hope I get a chance to be a part of something like that again.
-A
On the day of the September 2016 Equinox, I took a short trip to Nashville! The day before, I drove over to Owensboro, KY to stay with my good friend, Rachel!
Before heading to Nashville that morning, we got breakfast at a cute coffee shop in Owensboro called The Creme Coffee House. It has an adorable, unique atmosphere. Plus, they have delicious baked goods and fantastic iced lattes.
Iced raspberry and chocolate latte. Oh, yes!
It took us roughly a couple hours to arrive in Nashville! It was about lunch time, so we decided to check out this restaurant called The Pharmacy Burger Parlor and Beer Garden.
Can't go wrong with burgers and fries! 731 Mcferrin Ave.
We drove around to see different murals throughout the city!
Mural by Color Theory Studios: 600 Main Street (East Nashville)
Mural by Adrian Saporiti: 625 Main Street (East Nashville)
Mural by Adrien Saporiti/DCXV Industries: Across from Draper James store, 2706 12th Ave. South
Spotted a flower truck! So cute!
This one was my favorite! So colorful!
2900 12th Ave. South, Green Pea Salon
Directly across from the previous mural!
I had heard a lot about the Frothy Monkey, so I had to visit! I tried a coconut cream iced latte and it was perfect!
2509 12th Ave. South
We spent the last couple of hours at the Opry Mills Mall. H&M and Forever 21 were the main attractions for us. Ate dinner at The Macaroni Grill and then headed back to Owensboro! Upon returning, we baked some pumpkin chocolate chip bread to celebrate the autumn commencement!
I got back a couple nights ago from a 2 week trip. First, I went to Blakeslee, PA to help out as a counselor at St. Seraphim's Russian Orthodox Camp! I had basically no cell service the entire week and it was awesome. I was so happy to get away from everything in the world for a little while! It gave me time to focus and find myself without any unnecessary distractions. It's amazing how being out in nature can clear your mind and help you gain a new perspective. I'm thankful I got to help out with the camp and meet tons of great and interesting people!
After the camp, I was able to spend some time with my best friend, Olivia, her boyfriend, John, and his family! Let me just say, best family ever! On August 9, we took a day trip to NYC.
When we arrived, we grabbed some sandwiches, Jamba Juice, and decided to eat at beautiful Bryant Park! Couldn't have asked for a more gorgeous day.
D'aww. 😊
So many pretty flowers at Bryant!
😍
We visited the NY Public Library for a bit!
Um, the details everywhere were spectacular!
Here I am with Seraphima! I know, prettiest name ever, right? She is an amazing singer and always hilarious.
This is Tanya, Timmy, and John! Timmy is an amazing pianist and musician. We spent an entire day playing sonatas together. He's so cool! Tanya and John are the sweetest! John worked in the city for many years, so he was our tour guide! He definitely knew how to handle the hustle and bustle.
The lovely Seraphima!
Inside Steinway & Sons
The John Lennon "Imagine" Piano was so pretty!
3 wonderful women!
Afternoon caffeine stop at Culture Espresso coffee shop!
Passing my favorite theater! Been a "phan" since first seeing it in 2004!
An American in Paris was 'S Marvelous! ;) Perfect music, perfect dancing, perfect everything!
Times Square selfie was needed, of course.
Finally got to go to NYC with my best friend! 😀
Olivia and I met up with her family at Assateague Island off the Eastern shore in MD! The cool thing about this place is that it has wild horses!
This particular group came and stood where we had set up on the beach. They hung out like this for about an hour and a half! One of them grabbed a Chex bag we had. Lol!
It's like they were posing for the tourists!
Audrey and her awesome puppy, Cas (short for Castiel, my favorite character on Supernatural)!
Harrison's Harbor Watch restaurant on the Boardwalk!
Fresh salmon and corn on the cob. *drools*
Hunter, Audrey, and David!
😊😊😊
Found a cute breakfast spot in Berlin, MD called A Bagel And...
Dinner on the bay at Blue Crabhouse & Raw Bar!
So thankful for the places I got to visit and the people I became friends with! Until next time!
