Red Capes and Big Bad Wolves

1 year of planning

2 months of teaching

2-4 hour nightly practices

6 performances

2000 people in the crowd

7 minutes on stage

The satisfaction of making Pigskin….PRICELESS



So I came to the realization that I have made several references to Sing, but never have fully explained it and figured it was about time I did.  Baylor’s All University Sing is the largest off Broadway production in the world.  The tradition began back in 1953 and has grown to encompass eighteen, seven minute acts performed by the various Greek organizations and other clubs on campus.  The Sing chairs begin to create their acts in the spring, coming up with a unique theme, plot development, music, costume, and choreography.  It is absolutely incredible because they receive very little outside help.  The approval process is quite intense because theme and songs that have been used in the past cannot be reused for a number of years.  


KKG SING Chairs

 Come January, the sing chairs begin to teach the choreography to their organizations for their two weekends of performing in February where they are judged on creativity, vocals, entertainment value, and theme development.  The top eight acts make Pigskin, a performance at homecoming in the fall.  The difference between first and eighth place comes down to tenths of a point. 

Multiple roommate getting ready in one bathroom sure makes a mess.

My roommate was a lion in her act and had to tease a mane every night.





This year my sorority Kappa Kappa Gamma’s theme was Little Red Riding Hood and our act was called “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?”  We had such fun music with songs like “Be OK” by Ingrid Michaelson, “Mercy” by Duffy, and “Trouble” by Pink.  We had roughly 100 girls in our act…some little red riding hoods in blue and yellow dresses and others were wolves.  At times practices became exhausting as the clocked ticked closer and closer to midnight, the room grew warmer and warmer as sweat poured down our foreheads and the thought of 2 midterms I still had not studied for was on my mind.  However, even the toughest of practices were worth it and we all bonded while cutting red bows from sparkly fabric or carving and painting Styrofoam rocks to make a our cliff prop.  The adrenaline rush we got the moment the curtain went up and even from the dance parties we had before we went on stage were definite highlights.  I wouldn’t change a single minute of it and nothing was better than the sense of relief when they announced our name as the first act to go to Pigskin in fall 2011. 

Here is the link to our act from this year for you to watch:

1. Kappa Kappa Gamma - "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xO2TweIWVo

Coffee and Smiles

It is that time of year where life at Baylor whizzes by at an unstoppable pace.  It seems like I can barely catch my breath between midterms, Sing practice (the largest off Broadway musical production, which Baylor Greek life and other organizations participate in), sorority meetings, and the host of other responsibilities that come along with a disease called “over commitment”.  However, there are two things that keep me from drowning which I always seem to take for granted: 

1.    COFFEE. The instant that the aroma wafts from the kitchen in the morning, the five hours of sleep the night before suddenly seem like at least nine, and the cool taste of iced coffee in the afternoon instantly puts more bounce in my step.

“Behind every successful woman is a substantial amount of coffee.”

2.    SMILES.  Smiles are my other saving grace.  While walking home from school today I had at least fifteen people smile and wave at me from their car windows or front porches.  That simple act is contagious and I could not help but smile back.  The reminder that I am surrounded by so many wonderful people is like a shot of adrenaline which fills my body with positive energy and makes all of the stress and worries of the day melt away.

Smiling is infectious,
You can catch it like the flu.
Someone smiled at me today,
And I started smiling too.
~Author Unknown

Kids, Candles, & Valentine's Day

The other night I decided to make a Valentine's Day table setting from some flowers left over from our Kappa Kappa Gamma initiation and candles lying around the house.  It turned out pretty cute, minus the couple of charred flowers that were a little too close to the candle.

 

In honor of Valentine's Day, I also decided to find some quotes on love and came across a couple said by children; some are funny, others are sweet.  Needless to say, I am always amazed by just how much children can grasp the concept of love.

"I think you're supposed to get shot with an arrow or something, but the rest of it isn't supposed to be so painful."
... Manuel, age 8

Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.

"Love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good too."
...Greg, age 8

Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.

"No one is sure why it happens, but I heard it has something to do with how you smell...that's why perfume and deodorant are so popular."
...Mae, age 9

Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it every day.

"Don't do things like have smelly, green sneakers. You might get attention, but attention ain't the same thing as love."
... Alonzo, age 9

When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.

When a person gets kissed for the first time, they fall down and they don't get up for at least an hour."
... Wendy, age 8

"If you want to be loved by somebody who isn't already in your family, it doesn't hurt to be beautiful."
...Anita, age 8

I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.

"I look at kissing like this: Kissing is fine if you like it, but it's a free country and nobody should be forced to do it."
...Michael, age 8

Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My mommy and daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss.

"Don't say you love somebody and then change your mind ...  Love isn't like picking what movie you want to watch."
... Natalie, age 9

You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget, and it's good for them to get reminded.

"I'm not rushing into being in love.  I'm finding fourth grade hard enough."
...Regina, age 10

Being Blond

I saw this picture and quote in a magazine and love it for several reasons:

a. I have blond hair.

b. The girl is riding a bike and at school this is my only form of transportation.

c. It looks like she is in Paris, my favorite city in the world.

d. It is all about the perspective from which you look at things.  I make it my goal to try to have a positive perspective and as a result, I can have a fun in any situation.

Meet Me

They say that seven is a lucky number and since I am going to be sharing bits and pieces of my life with you, I thought that maybe a quick, seven point summary of who I am would get this blog off to a good start so here we go:

1. Lisa Marie (and no I was not named after Lisa Marie Presley)
2. I traded my California flip flops for Texas cowboy boots in order to attend Baylor University
3. I love to travel and spent a semester abroad in Madrid experiencing the European culture
4. Taking pictures is a must for me, and I love capturing memories with my Nikon D5000
5. Running, skiing, and tennis are some of my favorite sports, but I enjoy anything outdoors
6. Yes, I love to cook and am a bakeaholic
7. I am studying marketing, finance, Spanish and communication and one day hope to incorporate all of these subjects into my dream job (which I am still in the process of determining)