Sunday, April 28, 2013

Spotted

My crew assignment starts on Tuesday and finals are starting to kick in, so this was my last weekend of (kindof) freedom.

Sam, Paloma, and I went to see the juniors in our studio's production of The Frogs at La Mama and it was the coolest thing ever. If you're in New York, there's a couple shows left! Tix at www.therevelstarts.com.

Afterwards, we went to this weird dessert bar called Spot, and it was the best thing that ever happened to us.

 Sugar high

 My frozen hot chocolate

 {Anthropologie dress, J Crew and vintage necklaces}

Paloma got this mango crepe ridiculousness. She won the best dessert pick by a landslide.

I DON'T WANT TO WRITE PAPERS.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

The Roster

Sorry if this one is a little Nashville heavy.... but it makes me happy!

1) Technicolor scenery:

A totally unfiltered view of my backyard. There's so little color in NYC that when I go home it seems like everything is on steroids.

2) Sibling love:

 My sister made us a delicious dinner in her brand new kitchen... How gorgeous is it?! So jealous.

 3) My dad ruining my diet...:

 ... and I'm not even mad about it.

4) Redundant sheet music:

How insightful!!

5) These news anchors steal the show:

Also, Ryan Lochte is realllllly dumb.

Happy Wednesday!

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

A Little Light of Mine

I rushed home to Tennessee this weekend to meet my new nephew, Henry. He is the most wonderful baby in the world and I'm so happy that I got to spend time with him in his first week here with us.



 Rushed straight from the airport!

My dad with his first GRANDCHILD. How weird is that? I feel old.

 Honeymamma and her great-grandson!

 I mean really?

I can't wait to be back home in a few weeks to hold him again. I'm sure he'll have already changed so much!



Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Soft Spot

As a young woman who's struggled with self esteem and body image issues for most of my life, I've heard just about every cliche and catch phrase for improving your image of yourself. But if you're like me and the millions of other women in the world who struggle, most of it seems pretty silly and doesn't get through. I've been inspired by Dove's Real Beauty campaign since it's commercials started airing a few years ago, but I stumbled across something the other day that really shook things up for me.


Dove launched a social experiment in which women described themselves to a trained forensic portrait artist, the kind that works for police forces, who drew their face without seeing them based solely off their description. Then, the women described the face of another woman and the process was repeated. In every case, the women described a much harsher and cruel version of themselves while those describing them saw them in a much more loving light. These are complete strangers mind you.

According to Dove's statistics, only 4% of surveyed women would describe themselves as beautiful. When I read that I was really surprised but then when I thought "well do I think I'm beautiful?", my answer, like 96% of other women, was no.

The path to improved self esteem and love is a long and endless one, but it's things like this that sometimes make it a little bit easier. Much easier than a Victoria's Secret commercial at least.

To see the extended clip and the portraits of the women, visit Dove's Real Beauty Sketches.


The Roster

So, this week is hell, but nothing can bring me down because.....


1-10) BEHOLD MY ADORABLE NEPHEW:

Thomas Henry Horrell (named after my late grandfather) was born on April 15th, 2013. 7 lb. 9 oz. of half Southern half Romanian glory. I'm so happy for my brother and his wife and can't wait to get home on Friday to meet the little guy. I'm an aunt y'all!

11) Sunny spring skies:

{Union Square}
I want it to be in the 60's forever.

12) The best $5 investment I've ever made:


13) The banana split at Big Daddy's in Gramercy:


It's worth the calories. 


14) Here's what New York City would look like without light pollution:

Can we please please turn everything out for like, an hour?!?!


More updates from babyland after this weekend!

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

The Roster

So, it's momentarily gorgeous in New York. Probably won't last though. Enjoying it while I can along with these treats:

1) Doing spring things:

Grabbing ice cream during rehearsal for our scene. It was super productive.

My absolute favorite sign of spring. Always makes me think about my mom's front yard!

 3) The Prada boutique on Madison:

I don't understand how they even let my combat boots in here.

 4) An exceptionally Southern outfit:
{Target dress, Frye boots, SEE sunnies}
This also involved a very wide belt. It was super Nashville.

5) The drama department's sense of humor:

If you don't get this reference, go buy the first season of Homeland. Right now.

Have a great rest of the week!

Monday, April 8, 2013

Full Circle

I just realized the other day that my shoot with Martin O'Connor was a year ago. It's crazy to me how fast this year has gone and it was fun to look back at those pictures and realize how much I've grown as a performer and an artist in the last 12 months. This shoot was pretty monumental for me: dance defined much of my high school experience and it was special to capture it in such beautiful images. I'm a very self critical person but Martin's shots gave me a small window that I could peer through and see myself in a new and much more loving light. Martin and his lovely wife were professional and caring and the entire experience was one of the most fulfilling of my artistic career.

I've included some of my favorites from last year's shoot.











All photo credits to Martin O'Connor.

If any dancers or performers in the middle Tennessee area are looking for a photographer, he's your guy. Check out his website www.martinoconnorphoto.com

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Spring Dreamin'

Monday brought a fleeting bit of warmer weather...I'm optimistically thinking towards spring!
Here's what's on my wishlist for warmer temps.

Dresses from the new Kate Spade Saturday line:

                         
Loving the flirty skirt and back of this flirty blue number.

Hot with heels or mod with flats.
A sleek skirt in a fun color.

This emerald green number from Zara would look great dressed up or down.


A killer biker vest.

Dying to layer this with dresses and a great jacket (like the one below). All the edge of my leather jacket, but not as hot.

A great piece of lightweight spring outerwear.

The cinchable waist on this J. Crew fatigue jacket would be so flattering.


A great black boot/bootie. Despite my monstrous shoe collection, I still don't have the perfect pair. Either of these will suit me fine.
Loving the prominent but walkable heel of this bootie. Studs and tassels are always a plus. Want to pair this with a great skirt and bare legs!



I'm a sucker for a good Frye boot. The motocycle styling on these has got me drooling.


Little bits of hometown pride.


I love layering thing necklaces and this copper and sterling Tennesee pendant is the perfect shape to drape across the collarbone.


A small, easy crossbody for running between theaters during my internship.



Something mint is obviously the best choice. And a departure from my army of black bags!


Feel free to send me a care package whenever you want.
What's on your list for spring?










Wednesday, April 3, 2013

The Roster... and Tennyc's 100th post!

This is crazy to me. I made a commitment to post on this blog at least twice a week way back in August, even if it was only to make a list of things keeping me positive. And I'm proud of myself for doing it! Thanks so much to those (like, dozen) of you who read regularly. If you enjoy Tennyc, tell your friends! I would love to break 20,000 hits with this post too!

Back to business. Here's what's been inspiring me this (hellish) week:

1) Wafels and Dinges x NYU:


I've already professed my undying love for the Belgian wafel confection. But now NYU has made them spontaneously available for a few days at a time.... AND YOU CAN GET ONE WITH A MEAL SWIPE. This is excellent for my spirit and horrible for my abs.

2) Wishful dressing:

{American Apparel crop top, BCBG skirt, BCBG flats}
On Monday, it was like 56 degrees and sunny, so I promptly acted like it was summer and wore this. The second I walked out the door the wind and rain kicked in. 

3) A reality check:

I went to the open dance call for the West Side Story on Monday! I was #107 of about 200 girls. The second group they'd seen that day. I didn't get very far but there were a lot of girls a lot worse than me, which at this stage in my training is encouraging. I gotta invest in more fake eyelashes though... and a six pack.

4) Red building against blue skies:


I've found that New Yorkers don't look up very often. But look what happens when you do! 

5) The Cut's roundup of hats at the Easter parade is pretty epic.


hugs.