Setting Sail for the Stinky Shreve.

Hey babes. Hope all is well in Youville, USA.

Things are a little stressy here in Koseyland. Why, you ask? Well I'll tell you. Also thanks for asking that was really polite of you. This post could have been pretty awkward if you didn't. Also really short. Too short to even count as an entry, basically. You know what? You did my blog a service and for that I love you. Sorry if that's moving to fast. SORRY I'M NOT SORRY THAT IS.

Okay.

Next week I leave for Shreveport, Louisiana for a whole week. Well, me and half the theatre department. We leave to go compete via acting at the American College Theatre Festival. I could explain all the goings-on that the festival offers students and faculty but I don't feel like it so yeah.

I remember last year when I was gearing up to go to ACTF (this will be my fifth year attending the festival as a nominee. ~~~~****) it was the first time it was in Shreveport. (Two years ago it was in Norman, the previous two years before that were in Amarillo, Texas. I know, right?) and I was SO EXCITED! YOU MEAN I GET TO GO TO A FESTIVAL THAT ISN'T IN A CITY WHERE "BOOTS N JEANS" WAS THE NICEST STORE OR THAT IS LITERALLY TWENTY MINUTES AWAY FROM MY HOUSE AND THEY'RE STILL MAKING ME STAY AT A HOTEL???!!!!!!! YAAAS

Wrong. Shreveport stinks. Like not in an "aw sucks, this isn't what I expected" kind of way. In a "I think the air is made of ass" way. Y'all dig?

Okay, okay. That was a little harsh. We did have some fun. Here are the appropriate amount of pictures to convey the appropriate amount of fun we had.

 

 

K, slideshow over. I feel I've redeemed my trash talk a little. The food really was good, the theatre really was beautiful, we did enjoy some of the scenery....and the Walmart really did sell children's slippers adorned with beer logos.

So now I'm at the worst phase of pre-trip planning.

Now I have to pack.

Last year I packed cutesy clothes thinking we would see all kinds of cool sights and go to all kinds of fun places. And we tried, y'all. There just aren't many sights to see or places to be. So my packing mantra for this trip is less "VACAY" and more "STAYCAY". Last year their little Yankee Candle (located across the giant bridge that separated Outlet-Mall-Shreveport from Possibly-Armed-Homeless-Man Shreveport) made a killing off of me. This year I will be more diligent about my packing. I will make sure and supply myself some creature comforts to aid in my de-stressing and de-Shreveing. I'm gana' go pack now.

This is me packing.

 

Okay, in reality I'm going to have a cup of coffee and take a bath. BUT THEN IT'S TOTAL PACK PARTY~~~*

Any tips y'all have when it comes to packing? Anything you couldn't live without when you go on your journeys? Any tricks to stave off the Stink of the Shreve? Let me know! I'd love to hear!

Bon Voyage, beauties! (That's fancy talk for "See you after my 9 hour drive in a minivan! Beauties!")

xoxo,
Kelsey
 

Letter to my Little (self)

My good friend (and wonderful little blogger butt) Sierra Carter recently posted an entry that really spoke to me. She wrote a letter to her younger self filled with advice and insight for the wee little Sie. It was just so lovely and raw and true and sweet and all kinds of other good words. ( Read it here! )

It got me thinking. I began to wonder what I would say to the young me. Little Ms. Fisher herself. It's doubtful she'd even listen but I think I'll give it a try.

So here goes.

Dear Kosey,

-Don't get frustrated. I know you weren't the best cheerleader (killer facials, though) or soccer player or karate kid or any of the other totally rando things you tried your little hands at. Keep your chin up. Sixth grade is coming and with it comes the thing that will change your life. Acting. I'm here to tell you, Little Kos, something inside of you will spark. You will fall in love and you will fall hard. And you will belong. And you will find your whole heart buried in a thousand lovely scripts. You will find your home. And you will be good. Put the soccer ball down. Chekhov is waiting.

                             We all start somewhere. You started as a wolf. Own it.


-Wear the shit out of that silver eye shadow, baby. You are young and you are brave and Deb is the best mom ever for allowing you to express yourself at the ripe ol' age of 10. She knew what you didn't know but what I know now, you follow me? She knew that it looked a little silly but that you needed to learn what you liked, what made you feel good. She let you over-tweeze and under blend out of love. Out of freedom. She knew you'd find your way. And she was right, girl, you literally nail the hell out of even the trickiest of liquid lines. And you know what, sometimes you even wear silver. I mean...it's Chanel instead of CVS...but still.

                                                                         Gettin' it.

-Cherish the years that your brother lives at home. I know he throws your favorite bear over the staircase (poor Sasha) and sometimes doesn't let you play in his room...but he will be your best friend someday. You will stay up sooo late (way past your current bed time) and sip on cocktails (what!?) and share stories and ridiculous voices and crazy faces. You guys will pretty much be sibling perfection. You owe your quick wit, funny characters and ridiculous facial expressions to him. He knows it, don't worry. He'll remind you. Often. But...he's right. You have no idea how much you'll miss him when he moves to Texas. You'll still see him all the time and it'll be awesome...but I mean it Kosey, cherish the years that his door is only two steps and an offering of a plate of nachos away.

 -Cut Mom and Dad a break. They're trying so hard to parent you right, you little weirdo. I know sometimes you feel a little sheltered or overprotected or whatever...and sometimes you are...but they are doing the best they can. And what you don't realize now is that their "best" is actually pretty close to perfect in hindsight. (It's 20/20, y'know.) I know they don't "get you"...but let's be fair here...you don't get you either. And that's totally okay. All I'm sayin' is...just try and roll your eyes a little less. Drop the tone from your voice (you totally have one and you know it). Try and see that when they are doing whatever it is that they're doing...it's entirely out of unselfish and never ending love for you. I promise. They promise. We all promise. Now go write angsty poems in your room.

-Stop dying your hair a crazy color every other month. I know right now it seems like the most rebellious and badass expression of freedom you have and that's awesome! but! Your ends are still fried. And you used to not care because WHO CARES ABOUT SPLIT ENDS WHEN YOUR HAIR IS FREAKING FIREBALL RED. But now that you keep things pretty all-natural...you regret these choices. Because despite red hair or purple hair or long hair or short hair...you have and always will be pretty badass. (At least if you ask me. And I'm you. So listen.) But I must admit, the purple was pretty cool.

                                                                 Hair by Hershey?


-You're going to get to college and be SO SCARED that you'll just blend into the crowd. Get no roles in plays. Find no new friendships. Meet no great guys. You are going to literally be petrified that high school was too much fun, that you peaked or whatever. Honey, honey, honey. You are wrong. College is going to be amazing and I'll tell you why--------

You are going to meet a guy your first week of school. His name is Tyler. He seems a little shy, a little goofy. You are going to waste a year flip flopping around on how you feel about him. Notice the word waste? Let me tell you a little secret. I'm pretty sure you loved him all along. But yes, you will waste a year being 19 years old and living. And that's okay. But eventually you will come to your senses and you will look into the eyes of the man that you will spend the rest of your days with and it will all begin. Remember the first month you knew each other and you sat outside and he told you that he had (and I quote) "forest eyes" because they were a lovely shade of green with little gold specks and you were like "TYLER YOU CAN'T SAY THAT ABOUT OUR OWN EYES WEIRDO". Well, he's right. They are. There, I said it. You get to look into the forest eyes of the man that you will spend the rest of your days with. And it will all begin. Your forever.

 

 

You are going to get cast. In many wonderful productions. You are such a lucky girl. You get to play such a full range of characters and work with an amazing array of directors and fellow actors. You are going to play some dream roles. You are going to have such a full heart. And a pretty decent resume, too.

 

Too many pics to choose from. This is the most recent. Aren't you pretty?

 

 

You will meet some of the best people you will ever meet. Some will come and go, some will stay forever,  and some feel like they were always there. They are all beautiful and wonderful and holy shit you will learn so much from all of them. They will make you a better person and you will pray that you do them half the amount of good they do you. They are a gift.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See what I mean? Lucky girl. All around.

 

 

 

 

 

Basically, Kels, I want you to always embrace who you are, what you do, who you love. Be the strange, strange lady you were always meant to be. Be a leader. Be loyal. Be smart. Be sassy. Be the diva you were born to be.

 

 

 

 

xoxo,

Kelsey