Sayonara, Cougs...

Well, it's official, this will be TCU's last year playing Utah and BYU... BYU has made the ever so wise decision to go independent in football and joining the WCC, formerly WAC(?). So, yes, once again, TCU has been screwed over by conference realignment. However, BYU plays on our turf for their last game against us as members of the MWC and I can guarantee Andy Dalton and our boys will be handing them their asses at the end of the game as a lovely parting gift.

Hey, College GameDay, please come back to TCU for this game.
CGD at TCU at BYU 2009

Day Fifteen

Day 15 - A photo of something you never leave the house without

Ray Bans

I'm halfway through the 30 day blog challenge!

PS - On an unrelated note: We get to see TCU's uniforms for Saturday tomorrow! Go Frogs!

Day Fourteen

Day 14 - A TV show I'm currently obsessed with

If this had been two, almost three, weeks ago, this would easily be answered with So You Think You Can Dance. However, season 7 has ended and I'm in TV show limbo waiting for the fall season to start. When fall starts though, I'll be obsessed with a number of shows: Glee, Greek, The Big Bang Theory, The Office, and then of course Keeping Up with the Kardashians started last Sunday, and I can't pass up E! Reality shows... unless it's the Spin Crowd - I can't stand Jonathan Cheban.

New shows I'm looking forward to are: My Generation, Outsourced, and $#!* My Dad Says.

Now to wait for September to get here... Late September that is.

Nike Pro-Combat 2010

So, because TCU is amazing and Nike loves us, we're one of four teams and the only Texas team to get Nike Pro-Combat uniforms this football season. Last year's theme was Don't Back Down. According to this poster preview this season's theme is Til Hell Freezes.

TCU Pro-Combat 2010 Preview

"Fight 'em til hell freezes over. Then fight 'em on the ice!" - Dutch Meyer

A sign from Utah '09

Day Thirteen

Day 13 - Who's your favorite musician and why?

I don't have a single favorite. I like WAY too many, but off the top of my head:

Lady Gaga - As if I didn't like her enough, her concert solidified her as one of the best musicians and performers ever. She puts on the best shows, never stops going, and does whatever she can for her fans! She's amazing.
The Killers - I absolutely love Brandon Flowers and co. They're great. They also put on a really good show. Flowers' voice doesn't sound like it'd be the best live, but they sound just like the recordings, but obviously they were live.
Coldplay - Does this one really need an explanation? they're awesome. They're music is great for almost any situation and emotion.
Muse - A newer love of mine. Their music seems to change every album and the lead singer is an amazing piano player as noted in "Butterflies and Hurricanes."
Britney Spears - I've pretty much loved her since "Baby Hit Me One More Time." She has evolved so much and despite the crazy period, she's still amazingly successful! I'd love to have seen her in concert last year when she came through, but she was more than Gaga was.

Day 12 - A Day Late

Day 12 - A photo of the town you live in

Tyler Traffic

Hilarity

There's a new website in our lives thee days: Total Frat Move.

In light of TCU football (and college football in general) kicking off in 7 days, here's a TFM for you.

When picking up TCU-Oregon state tickets, gdi started bitching about how I was picking up 100 tickets. Turned to him and said "sorry I have more friends than you." TFM.
- gary fratterson

Day Eleven

Day 11 - What's in your make up bag?

Mascara

Eye Shadow

Foundation

Hair Ties

Band Aids

Compact Mirror

Go Purple Friday

Our last purple Friday before football season - 8 days till kick off.

To get you pumped up for the awesomeness that is TCU Football, here's a little video.



GO FROGS!

Day 10 - A Day Late...

Day 10 - A photo of your favorite restaurant...

This is a tough-y. I don't know what my favorite restaurant is! I like so many! So I'll give you pictures of a few of my faves and their location, since I consider myself to have two homes (T-town and Fort Worth).

Uncle Julio's - Fort Worth

Posados - Tyler

McKinley's - Fort Worth

McAlister's - Tyler

Kincaid's - Fort Worth

ShoGun - Tyler

Awww, poor baby...

I'm sure somewhere there's one about Tebow, too, but I think Tebow probably isn't about to be cut 6 months after the Draft...

May Not Be True... YET.

But I'm still laughing at BYU.

Oh and if they do have to stay in the MWC, that'll bump us up to 11 teams... Just one more and we'll have to split into divisions and have a championship game a la SEC, Big XII, and other AQ conferences.

9 days until kick off!

Day Nine

Day 9 - A photo of what I last purchased...

Well, yesterday was a frustrating day, but I won't get into that! But it ended with a nice, relaxing pedi with my bestie, Kendall. So just imagine this super cute purple (OPI's Funky Dunky from the Shrek Collection) on my toes! Just in time for FOOTBALL SEASON (which is 10 days away)!

Day Eight

Day 8 - Song lyrics to match my mood.

My mood = trying not to fall asleep at 8:45 pm on a Tuesday night. So I chose "Sleep" by the Dandy Warhols...

Well I could sleep forever
but it's of her I dream
if I could sleep forever
I could forget about everything
if I could sleep forever
if I could sleep forever
if I could sleep forever

Speaking of sleeping... I'm getting a new mattress on Thursday! I'm hoping this will help my back not be so painful as it has been the past week or so. And since I'm getting a new bed, it's only fitting I get new bedding! I like it very much! Except maybe the Peace Love Shoes pillow... It's made by Steve Madden, and I do love his shoes though, haha.

Day Seven

Day 7 - My Dream Wedding

I've watched a LOT of wedding shows this summer. I'm going to two weddings in the next month. It's safe to say, although I'm lacking a few key components, I have wedding fever. I want so badly to go try on dresses after watching Say Yes to the Dress (NYC and Atlanta - LOVE Atlanta)! I love love loved my Rose Festival Queen's Ball gown, but I'm not sure if I'd want to wear it to get married in. I'd love something similar for sure though! I've definitely spent some time looking though and the silhouette of my ball gown is definitely one of my faves - fitted up top and full skirt.



The venue is a whole different story. I have no clue where I'd like to get married. The Episcopal Church in Tyler is gorgeous and it's where I was baptized. I've been to weddings there before but it's kind of small. So I just don't know...

Honeymoon is a done deal for me. I want to go back to Grand Cayman SOOOO bad! It's absolutely beautiful there!

Welcome to the Blog World, Manda!

Readers, please welcome my former roomie, Manda, to the blog world!

Day Six

Day Six - a Photo of an Animal I'd Love to Keep as a Pet

Well, as I face the future, I've decided I'll need a pet in my big girl apartment. However, I change my mind DAILY on whether I want a kitten or a puppy. So, here are my two wants for pets...

Russian Blue Kitten
I'd love to get a baby Russian Blue female. We have a Russian Blue mix over at my dad's and she's SO sweet and I've recently become somewhat obsessed with her, so I'd love to have one of my own. Of course I'd have to name her something awesomely Russian like Svetlana or Nastia!
OR!!!!!!
Welsh Corgi Puppy
I've recently fallen in love with these little dogs! They're hilarious and adorable all at the same time. After loving that Lorelai names her dog Paul Lanka on Gilmore Girls, I'd have to name my Corgi after a famous short person, like Napoleon Bonaparte. I'm pretty attached to this idea.

Day Five

Day 5 - A photo of yourself two years ago

Me at WBCC Summer 2008

Day Four

Day Four - A Photo of your Best Friend

After Graduation with Muck and Kendall at Frog Fountain

Day Three

Day Three - Describe the perfect first date

"April 25th, because it's not too hot, and it's not too cold." - Miss Congeniality

All joking aside, my idea of the perfect first date is very typical. Dinner and a movie. Nothing mushy, but nothing stupid. Maybe a simple rom-com or just straight up comedy. Dinner could be anywhere but a seafood place. I detest seafood. It sicks me out to the extreme. It smells funny, it tastes funny, it's just no good in my opinion. But I'm pretty easy to please in the date area. If I like the guy, as long as we're having fun, it'll be a great date.



In other news, I have an interview on Monday. I'm really excited but really scared! Wish me luck, readers!

Day 2 - A Day Late

Day 2 - A Photo of Something You Ate Today (or Yesterday in my case)

Funfetti Cupcake!

30 Day Challenge - Day 1

30 day blog challenges seem to be the thing these days so I'm going to start, too!

Day One: A Photo of myself and a summary of my day

Me and my brick at TCU

Today was pretty uneventful, but fun nonetheless! I gave Sarah a wake up call and we went out to lunch to The Diner. After lunch, we went back to the house and played lots of Mario Kart Wii, our usual summer fun. Sarah unlocked two new characters yesterday, Dry Bones and Birdo. She took a nap before heading to dance and I left to snuggle up in my own bed for a few hours before going back over to Daddy's for some yummy dinner with Courtney! After dinner, Court and I went to pick up Sarah from dance at ADC and we all played a ton more Mario Kart. Now I'm back at home starting my 30 day blogging challenge, obviously! Maybe your day was a bit more eventful?

OH! Courtney explained why my iPhone was being ridiculously slow these days, so if you want to fix your's, I know how. Feel free to message me on Facebook and I'll try to explain it without having your phone in front of me (since I'm a visual person).

Bigger and Better

TCU Amon Carter football stadium renovations are official! SO excited for this to start and be completed!

I'm currently listening to Coach Gary Patterson talking about it. Just listening to him gets me pumped for football season! 19 days!

Watch This

It's definitely not the original, but Ellen sure can break it down with some practice! LOVES IT!!!

Really, Pop Music?

No wonder I hate both songs, they're practically the same!

Entertainment Weekly - How To Make SYTYCD Better

One of my favorite magazines, Entertainment Weekly wrote this article online and pushed it through Twitter today. Great article, though I don't agree with it 100%. But here are a few of the ones I do agree with...

If you haven't noticed, SYTYCD is one of my all time favorite shows. This season I have missed Mary Murphy a great deal - especially the Hot Tamale Train. While I love Mia Michaels, I love her more as a choreographer. As a judge, she can come across way too harsh - a problem she had almost once a week for a while this year. We're in our second season without Mia choreography regularly and I really miss it - although Travis Wall is quickly outdoing her, in my opinion.

The judges have been talking a lot this season. They critique longer than some of the dances many times - one of the reasons I think I have a hard time remembering the dances at the end of the show. I understand 2 hours is a long time to fill, like EW says, but they haven't had this issue in the past I don't think.

With the bad dancing, maybe find the worst of the stop and make a montage out of the rest? Don't go Idol on us and make an entire show (I don't know if they ever did this, I stopped watching after Fantasia, but I remember thinking there was way too much bad one audition episode). Honestly, they could do the individual cities quicker and spend more time in Vegas if you ask me. I'd love to see more of what they do in Vegas, and probably meet who will be in the Top 10/11 while they're showing off their work ethic and personality and interacting with other Vegas-goers.

Keep the All-Stars. I'll admit, I was not a fan when this was announced. Not a fan at all, but I have LOVED seeing some of my favorites (Neil, Mark, Twitch, Courtney, Comfort, etc...) week after week. I've also met Alison from season 2 because I started watching season 3. At first it was hard NOT to watch the All-Star, especially when it was one of my favorites, but I also think that's because I wasn't used to it. I wasn't used to having to differentiate between contestant and all-star. Now that I know, I think it'd be ok if they kept them.

The stage issues... I think they've fixed my issues with it. I do miss the old stage, but I love that SYTYCD is grand-scale enough to be in Kodak. Last year, season 6, that is, the camera angles sucked, they hadn't quite figured out how to pan around and use the space, but this year there are a ton more camera angles, bring me the feel of the old stage on a grander scale. I also am very glad they got rid of that awful screen. Although well used in dances like Mollee and Jakob's Viennese Waltz to "Ordinary Day," the lights this season are SO much better.

Less dances? Not so much... The reason for the less than memorable dances this season is also the reason season 6 in the fall flopped - not enough down time. The SYTYCD choreographers are used to a year off, working on other projects, before having to deal with the dance-heavy format of SYTYCD. The choreo this season hasn't been as amazing as past summer seasons but it definitely MUCH better than season 6 choreo.

Recreating dances is a fabulous idea, although I'd save it for the finale or the week before the finale and let everyone dancing do it instead of their suggested one dancer per week. They could spend the season hyping up their favorite old dances from movies or broadway shows and finally announce - surprise (at least for the first season they do it), you're learning a Fred Astaire/Gene Kelley/Ginger Rogers dance! Come to think of it Robert, Kent, and Lauren are totally Fred, Gene, and Ginger! Maybe they'll surprise us tonight?

Kent and Neil Contemporary by Travis Wall

Seriously, one of the most amazing dances ever on the SYTYCD stage. Neil's been one of my favorites since he was on the show in season 3. Kent is like a younger version and I love him. This dance is perfection.

My Season 7 Top 3

The top 4 have performed and now it's time I tell you why I think these three dancers deserve to be in the season 7 finale of the great SYTYCD. Let's review the top 11:

Alexie was voted off first. She was a super cute jazz(?) dancer. Adorable, very cute personality, just didn't fully connect that first week.
Christina - beautiful ballroom dancer. I was sad to see her go because she was our only ballroom dancer this season, but that's how the show works, someone leaves every week.
Melinda - the show's fourth ever tap dancer and this season's only. I loved her personality. She was easily my favorite personality on the show and I was very sad to see her go. Not to mention she was the third girl in a row to be voted off.
Alex faced an untimely end to his run on the show when his achilles tendon tore away from the bones in his foot. I honestly thought he could have won, but as sad as I was that it was him, I'm glad he left when he did for many reasons: 1. I can follow him on Twitter, 2. He's hilarious, 3. He went out on an awesome note because he had just done the amazing hip hop with Twitch I posted a few weeks ago, 4. If all is well, he'll be on season 8. I don't mean he'll try out, I mean he'll try out and make season 8. He's just that good.
Ashley - Again, I was angered when the injury fairy returned and it was announced Ashley would leave due to rib bruising. Not so serious that she won't be on tour though!
The Top 6 danced twice, technically. The judges allowed a week where no one left which was nice however, two left the next week.
Jose - one of the best B-boys on the show in history. No one can touch Hok and Dom from season 3, but Jose comes close. It was his time to go though. He has that star quality needed to go far in the show, but his technique wasn't there because he was a b-boy.
Billy - Should not have left last week. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not his biggest fan. BUT, he has grown SO much since he tried out for season 6 last year. He was so flaily and just seemed out of control, but getting mono last fall was the best thing that could have happened to him. He developed his style and was able to un-flail it. Not only did his style evolve, his personality grew on me. I can't say whether r not I would have wanted him in the finale next week, but he should have stayed for this week over Adechike.

On to MY top 3. Winner first.
Lauren Froderman. This girl is FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC. She adapts to any style like it's her own. To me, if you can excel at jazz, you're pretty good when it comes to anything else. Maybe, not perfect, like Lauren, but if you understand jazz, I feel like you can pick up other forms of dance. She picks up ev-er-y-thing-uh. Tonight we learned that she was involved in EVERYTHING in high school: cheerleading, dance line, and VP of student government. Can we say personality out the ears? Here are two of her dances that I think showcase her talent very well.
Hip Hop with All-Star Twitch Boss
Jazz with Billy Bell
Also of note: her samba(?) with All Star Pasha this evening.

Kent Boyd. He could win, but I'm afraid it'd be because of the mass amount of teenage girls that are in love with him. He's definitely got the talent, but he gets more screams than everyone on this show season 1 -7 combined and it's really started to irk me. I loved him from his audition, and he's just precious, but the fan girls are driving me crazy - that's the only reason I don't want him to win. Whoever does come out on top between him and Lauren - the vote is going to be ridiculously close.
Broadway with All-Star Neil Haskell
Contemporary with Lauren Froderman
Also of note: Contemporary with Neil this evening - perfection.

Robert Roldan. Mia Michaels had it right when she called him a prince tonight. He is one good looking 20-year-old I'd love to coug on (although, my mom says it's not coug-ing since I'm only 2 years older). I cannot wait to get my picture with him at the tour in September. Not only is he absolutely gorgeous, he is one of the strongest dancers this show has seen. He has SUCH a presence and is so masculine in everything he does. He makes me want to try out for the show in hopes he's an all star I can dance with if for some strange reason I made the show. He is fantastic. He, like Lauren, can pick up any style of dance. He's done just about every ballroom style the show features and he's done them perfectly. Tonight he did hip hop for the first time on the show with Dom and killed it. I can't say enough about him. I love him to death and I hope he beats out wet blanket Adechike to be in the finale.
Jazz with All-Star Courtney Galiano
Contemporary with All-Star Alison Holker
Also of note: Hip Hop with Dom tonight

Why I don't think Adechike should be there next week - he shouldn't have been there since Alex got hurt, let's face it. He doesn't have the personality, and if he does he has issues showing it. I have not connected with him at all. I understand why he's Top 11, for sure - he's brilliant in his style (contemporary), but anything else he freaks out too much about getting the steps and can't convey the character/his personality. He should have left instead of Billy last week, but for some strange reason the judges gave him a fourth chance? The judges have given him his fair share of chances and just when I think he's changed, he reverts back to the start. I gave him a chance, but I just can't handle his lack of personality anymore.

I'm done ranting and raving. If these dances have intrigued you at all, watch the finale next Wednesday and Thursday on Fox. We're sure to see a few of these again for sure when the judges pick their favorites. Also, if you love Robert, please vote for him - "East Coasters" (aka actual east coast and central time zones) have 37 more minutes to vote!