Hello World! I hope you are all enjoying this lovely month of February and had amazing holiday season! We are so terribly sorry to have been MIA for so long for those of you who actually know that we exist and enjoy our little musings.
I have been doing a plethora of exciting things that I never in a million years would have believed that I could do. For those of you who read the Big Decisions post, you know I have made some big changes in my life to begin pursuing a career that will make me truly happy. The last few months have been spent performing and auditioning all over the country. I am currently in the middle of preliminary auditions for Drama Schools in England. Over this past summer I realized that I am really drawn to classical acting and want to have the training needed to make that my career. So, thus far I have auditioned for five schools and I have four more initial auditions to do. This experience has been an amazing test of my willingness to believe and stay positive even in the face of rejection. And if nothing at all comes of this semester, I will certainly have changed for the better from all of the life lessons I am picking up along the way.
Two of the schools I know that I no longer am a candidate and the others I am still waiting to hear if I have made it to the next round. If you are at all interested in what these auditions are like, I have been blogging about my experience at each one on my other blog called Kodi Blue. So that is what I have been up to in this small hiatus we have had, and if anyone is interested I will keep small updates in my post to let y'all know how everything is going.
Now that I am not in classes full time and the initial craziness of this big life change is starting to settle down, I will be back on Her Own Sunday Best far more. Keep your eye out for product reviews, general musings, and anecdotes to life. Feel free to comment if you have a preference to what you would like to hear from us!
Stay awesome guys,
Kodi
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Thankful
Hello World,
Life has recently been pretty amazing. I mean nothing spectacular has happened, but I finally feel like I'm on the right path. I getting paid for what I love to do (yoga), 50% of the way to moving out, and I'm two steps from to living the holistic life I have always dreamed of. But the part of my life that I feel especially blessed in is the relationships I have with others.
I honestly feel so lucky to have the friends and family I have right now. Each individual is so different and special to me I could write an essay on each. I have a friend to blog with, friends to work out and be classy with, friends I can be lazy with, and friends to go on adventures with. I also have an amazing support group that I am lucky to call my family.
How about you? Do any of you lovely readers have anything to be thankful about?
Sincerely,
HKx
Life has recently been pretty amazing. I mean nothing spectacular has happened, but I finally feel like I'm on the right path. I getting paid for what I love to do (yoga), 50% of the way to moving out, and I'm two steps from to living the holistic life I have always dreamed of. But the part of my life that I feel especially blessed in is the relationships I have with others.
I honestly feel so lucky to have the friends and family I have right now. Each individual is so different and special to me I could write an essay on each. I have a friend to blog with, friends to work out and be classy with, friends I can be lazy with, and friends to go on adventures with. I also have an amazing support group that I am lucky to call my family.
How about you? Do any of you lovely readers have anything to be thankful about?
Sincerely,
HKx
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Being Grateful
Hello World!! I hope everything is lovely and beautiful out in your lives today. So, due to the sheer amount of stress that comes with being in tech for a show while trying to ace midterm exams, I have been working hard at trying to stay as positive and happy as I can every single day. And over this past month, there has been one thing that I have been doing that has really made a difference in my day to day happiness: actively being grateful.
Every night before I fall asleep, I thank the universe for all of the things I am grateful for from that day. I know people who write their list down in a grateful journal, if you are religious, you can thank God for all of the wonderful things in life or, as you fall asleep you can count your blessings, there are many different ways of going about it, but in the end it makes an immense difference. The best way to start is by giving yourself a goal of 5 things to be grateful for and once you get into the habit of doing it every night, your lists just get longer and longer.
Originally, I began doing this to just keep my spirits up in a stressful period of my life, but there are so many more benefits than just general daily happiness. At the beginning, when I was just trying to meet my 5 things, I began making note in my head of things that made me smile throughout the day, and because of that I got into the habit of being far more aware of the beauty around me. For example, last night walking home from rehearsal when it was cold and quite late at night, normally I would just be on my phone trying to get home as quickly as I could. But, last night I was observing the world around me and noticed how absolutely stunning the moon was and ended up standing on the middle of one of our fields just taking in the moon.
Over the past few weeks, I have definitely become a glass half full person. Whenever I am having a hard day, it has become incredibly easy for me to just think about all of the wonderful things that have happened that day and completely change my outlook. I have become far more appreciative of how incredible my life is. Even if I am having a horrible day, I sit and think of how grateful I am for my health, my education, the fact that I have food to eat and clothes to wear. Just from doing this once a day, I am far more aware of how incredible it is to be alive in this beautiful world.
So if you are going through a hard time or know that you are going to have a stressful few weeks ahead, just give this one thing a try and you might find that it inspires happiness in you on days you never thought it possible. Let me know if any of you have the same experience that I did.
Stay Awesome Guys,
Kodi
Every night before I fall asleep, I thank the universe for all of the things I am grateful for from that day. I know people who write their list down in a grateful journal, if you are religious, you can thank God for all of the wonderful things in life or, as you fall asleep you can count your blessings, there are many different ways of going about it, but in the end it makes an immense difference. The best way to start is by giving yourself a goal of 5 things to be grateful for and once you get into the habit of doing it every night, your lists just get longer and longer.
Originally, I began doing this to just keep my spirits up in a stressful period of my life, but there are so many more benefits than just general daily happiness. At the beginning, when I was just trying to meet my 5 things, I began making note in my head of things that made me smile throughout the day, and because of that I got into the habit of being far more aware of the beauty around me. For example, last night walking home from rehearsal when it was cold and quite late at night, normally I would just be on my phone trying to get home as quickly as I could. But, last night I was observing the world around me and noticed how absolutely stunning the moon was and ended up standing on the middle of one of our fields just taking in the moon.
Over the past few weeks, I have definitely become a glass half full person. Whenever I am having a hard day, it has become incredibly easy for me to just think about all of the wonderful things that have happened that day and completely change my outlook. I have become far more appreciative of how incredible my life is. Even if I am having a horrible day, I sit and think of how grateful I am for my health, my education, the fact that I have food to eat and clothes to wear. Just from doing this once a day, I am far more aware of how incredible it is to be alive in this beautiful world.
So if you are going through a hard time or know that you are going to have a stressful few weeks ahead, just give this one thing a try and you might find that it inspires happiness in you on days you never thought it possible. Let me know if any of you have the same experience that I did.
Stay Awesome Guys,
Kodi
Sunday, November 2, 2014
I'm Not a Writer, I'm a Storyteller
Over this past month I came across two posts on the blog Writability: Why I have yet to write a sequel and 15 steps. They are both great post describing the writing process and they both made me realize something: I may never be published. Not because I am bad or don't have what it takes but because I find it hard to just write a novel. For me, my stories stemmed from the worlds I created in my adolescent days when things got bad. They were all coping mechanisms I created just to make it through each day and then, when I was 13 I decided to start writing them into stories. Through this I discovered I was actually really good at creating worlds and characters and plots and pretty rubbish with wording, grammar, and spelling (some of which I still am) but somehow I got accepted into one of the top writing high school programs in America and began being labeled as "the writer" by my family.
I remember after my first month feeling useless, all of my stories and essay's were covered with more red marks than typed words and their was nothing magical about my syntax, in fact I still didn't fully understand what syntax was. So, one day, I built up the courage to ask the director of my conservatory how I even got into the program. How did I, an 18 year old who was still getting her "you(')r(e)s" confused, get accepted over all of the 1200 applicants they got a year?
He simply replied, "You're stories. True, you are a terrible writer but you can fix that, being a terrible storyteller on the other hand is something you can't. Most of your peers are so stuck on their vocabulary and writing formats that they will only make their readers feel stupid or bored, while you can create worlds and characters out of thin air and make them magical."
Though he confirmed my suspicions of being a terrible writer, he also gave me the confidence to fix it through a pretty awesome backhanded compliment.
The next day he brought me some books on grammar and syntax and told the other teachers to be harsher on their writing edits. Because of this we discovered I got my grammar from Jane Austin and my awful spelling and inconstant syntax from growing up with parents from two different countries (For those of you who don't know, England and America spell a lot of words differently and have different spelling rules as well as having different words for different things). By the time the year was over I had improved ten fold and even got a job there as an assistant to the conservatory for the the next few years.
And though I have now improved greatly and should consider myself as a writer, I don't. Through all of this I have learned I care more about the world and characters as a whole than the story they are portrayed in. Because of this I have spent the last six years writing one book because there is so much that I have yet to understand. I'm merely a storyteller. Someone who might one day publish her world in book form but who will never make a living off of publishing different books through out her life.
And to be honest, I'm completely fine with that (even though I still admire and fangirl over every writer I come across).
Sincerely,
HKx
P.S. That being said, there are some other minor worlds I've created but who knows if they will ever actually see the light of day because I still feel like everything I write is a bit dyslexic and doesn't show the story that I want it too.
I remember after my first month feeling useless, all of my stories and essay's were covered with more red marks than typed words and their was nothing magical about my syntax, in fact I still didn't fully understand what syntax was. So, one day, I built up the courage to ask the director of my conservatory how I even got into the program. How did I, an 18 year old who was still getting her "you(')r(e)s" confused, get accepted over all of the 1200 applicants they got a year?
He simply replied, "You're stories. True, you are a terrible writer but you can fix that, being a terrible storyteller on the other hand is something you can't. Most of your peers are so stuck on their vocabulary and writing formats that they will only make their readers feel stupid or bored, while you can create worlds and characters out of thin air and make them magical."
Though he confirmed my suspicions of being a terrible writer, he also gave me the confidence to fix it through a pretty awesome backhanded compliment.
The next day he brought me some books on grammar and syntax and told the other teachers to be harsher on their writing edits. Because of this we discovered I got my grammar from Jane Austin and my awful spelling and inconstant syntax from growing up with parents from two different countries (For those of you who don't know, England and America spell a lot of words differently and have different spelling rules as well as having different words for different things). By the time the year was over I had improved ten fold and even got a job there as an assistant to the conservatory for the the next few years.
And though I have now improved greatly and should consider myself as a writer, I don't. Through all of this I have learned I care more about the world and characters as a whole than the story they are portrayed in. Because of this I have spent the last six years writing one book because there is so much that I have yet to understand. I'm merely a storyteller. Someone who might one day publish her world in book form but who will never make a living off of publishing different books through out her life.
And to be honest, I'm completely fine with that (even though I still admire and fangirl over every writer I come across).
Sincerely,
HKx
P.S. That being said, there are some other minor worlds I've created but who knows if they will ever actually see the light of day because I still feel like everything I write is a bit dyslexic and doesn't show the story that I want it too.
Sunday, October 26, 2014
October Favorites
Hello world!! I hope all of your Octobers have been Fall-filled and fantastic. Here are a few things that I have enjoyed this month. Hudson's schedule has still been incredibly busy so this month just has my favorites.
Stay Awesome Guys!
Kodi
1. Avril Lavigne "Rock N' Roll"
Stay Awesome Guys!
Kodi
1. Avril Lavigne "Rock N' Roll"
- So, as a kid who grew up in the early 2000s, I definitely went through a huge Avril Lavigne phase. I haven't listened to much of her stuff in recent years and then I came across this song. I've been using it all month as my go-to pump up song. Its a fantastic song and is super fun to dance to or just listening to when you feel down.
- I have not been able to stop watching this video since it came out. I absolutely love NappyTabs choreography and think that they did an incredible job with this video. I also think that it is fantastic that Ed Sheeran was dancing in the video, I was very impressed with his ability to do such a long and complex number with apparent ease. Basically, if you haven't seen this video yet, go watch it because it is beautiful.
- I absolutely love that BBC put all four of these plays into one series. It truly is amazing to get to see the progression of these characters over the course of the four shows. It includes Shakespeare's Richard II, Henry IV Part 1, Henry IV Part 2, and Henry V. Now, I am personally biased towards this series because Henry V happens to be my favorite of Shakespeare's histories. The acting is absolutely incredible, from Ben Whishaw to Jeremy Irons to Tom Hiddleston, everyone is completely on point. My personal favorite moment is the way that they did the St. Crispin's Day speech (which is one of my favorites of all of Shakespeare) and if you don't have time or money to see all of the shows at least watch this speech (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHia1zu_YNI) to get your daily dose of Shakespeare.
- In the spirit of Shakespeare, this book was recommended to me over the summer after having a discussion about our beliefs of the identity of the author of the collected works of Shakespeare. I have yet to finish it, but thus far the arguments are absolutely fascinating and it is an incredibly easy read. The author is definitley beginning to sway my thoughts on who actually wrote all of those plays. If you happen to be a Shakespeare lover like myself, definitely check this one out.
- So in the past few months I moved into a new building and began breaking out in huge rashes every time that I showered. Naturally, this really freaked me out and became a huge nuisance so I began to do some research into why this could be happening. For as long as I can remember I have had an allergy to nickel and lead, and never thought that this could be the reason for the rashes, because it was usually only an issue wearing jewelry or shaving. But when I researched shower head filters, this one claimed to filter out lead and copper. I have been using it for about a week and a half now and my skin feels a million times better, and my hair feels much healthier as well. Definitely worth the investment.
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Just Say Yes
Hello world! I hope all of your lives are lovely and wonderful today. I am terribly sorry that there was no post last Sunday, I am currently in the middle of intensive rehearsals for a production, trying to finish all my drama school applications, prepare for auditions and taking my Midterms and Hudson has quite a busy schedule right now as well. But something happened to me at the end of September that really changed my outlook on the universe and I wanted to share that experience with you.
Now, as you all know I am a One Direction fan, and they were bringing their Where We Are Tour to my city at the end of September. I had known about this for a very long time and had debated getting a ticket, but decided against it because I had no one to go with. Then, a week before the concert was about to happen, I was talking to a good friend of mine in class who told me she was a massive fan of theirs and had a ticket to the concert and was planning to go alone. So, once I heard this I began looking for tickets again, but because it was so close to the concert barely any were available. But, somehow, the universe was on my side. Four days before the concert was going to happen, Ticketmaster released the row of seats directly in front of where my friend was going to be sitting. I took the hint from the universe and bought the seat directly in front of her, and for four days we could not contain our excitement and became the most annoying duo in that class.
Finally, the day of the concert came and as I was walking over to my friend's house to get the cab, she texted me to let me know that she had another friend (Laura) who was going and would be sharing the cab with us. So, I got to her house and met Laura, who was also a huge fan of One Direction as well as a theater person, so of course we hit it off right away. As we talked the whole cab ride there, we discovered more and more things in common. Once we got there, Laura decided to come and sit with us in our seats until the show started. Laura and I then realized that we have the same ridiculously classic and quirky dance moves (which is always a must in a friendship). As the stadium began to slowly fill up, the seat next to me remained unclaimed so Laura continued to sit with us. And get this-she had a seat on the floor which she was giving up so she could spend time with us. Granted, she had seen the show before in London because it was close to where she lived, but still. Eventually, the show started and she decided to spend the concert sitting up with us since the universe had miraculously left the seat next to me vacant the entire show.
We had the most wonderful of times and became closer and closer throughout the show. On our way back to campus I figured out that she lives in the dorm right next to mine. So, as one does nowadays, we exchanged numbers. She invited me to go to a party that weekend with her, and it completely solidified our roles as the best of friends. We now spend almost every night together either adventuring, studying, or watching movies and it's just the greatest. On top of gaining an incredible new friend, she also happens to be incredibly familiar with the drama school application process as she has tons of friends who have done it and succeeded. So I really couldn't have asked for a greater blessing right now, she is incredibly excited for me and is helping me work my audition pieces and proof read my applications, as well as suggest new programs she thinks would be good for me that I hadn't known about before. All in all, thanks to the universe telling me to go to the One Direction concert I now have a new best friend who is the most helpful person in the world to me right now.
So the lesson here, is just say yes. Be open to the signs the universe is throwing at you, if an insane coincidence happens, maybe it was supposed to happen. Be open to trying new things and taking risks. You never know what may come of it. My mom always says that if you are invited to a party but don't want to go because you don't have a date, go anyways because you may meet the love of your life that night. And in a way that's what happened to me. Say yes to the universe and great things will happen.
Stay Awesome Guys,
Kodi
Now, as you all know I am a One Direction fan, and they were bringing their Where We Are Tour to my city at the end of September. I had known about this for a very long time and had debated getting a ticket, but decided against it because I had no one to go with. Then, a week before the concert was about to happen, I was talking to a good friend of mine in class who told me she was a massive fan of theirs and had a ticket to the concert and was planning to go alone. So, once I heard this I began looking for tickets again, but because it was so close to the concert barely any were available. But, somehow, the universe was on my side. Four days before the concert was going to happen, Ticketmaster released the row of seats directly in front of where my friend was going to be sitting. I took the hint from the universe and bought the seat directly in front of her, and for four days we could not contain our excitement and became the most annoying duo in that class.
Finally, the day of the concert came and as I was walking over to my friend's house to get the cab, she texted me to let me know that she had another friend (Laura) who was going and would be sharing the cab with us. So, I got to her house and met Laura, who was also a huge fan of One Direction as well as a theater person, so of course we hit it off right away. As we talked the whole cab ride there, we discovered more and more things in common. Once we got there, Laura decided to come and sit with us in our seats until the show started. Laura and I then realized that we have the same ridiculously classic and quirky dance moves (which is always a must in a friendship). As the stadium began to slowly fill up, the seat next to me remained unclaimed so Laura continued to sit with us. And get this-she had a seat on the floor which she was giving up so she could spend time with us. Granted, she had seen the show before in London because it was close to where she lived, but still. Eventually, the show started and she decided to spend the concert sitting up with us since the universe had miraculously left the seat next to me vacant the entire show.
We had the most wonderful of times and became closer and closer throughout the show. On our way back to campus I figured out that she lives in the dorm right next to mine. So, as one does nowadays, we exchanged numbers. She invited me to go to a party that weekend with her, and it completely solidified our roles as the best of friends. We now spend almost every night together either adventuring, studying, or watching movies and it's just the greatest. On top of gaining an incredible new friend, she also happens to be incredibly familiar with the drama school application process as she has tons of friends who have done it and succeeded. So I really couldn't have asked for a greater blessing right now, she is incredibly excited for me and is helping me work my audition pieces and proof read my applications, as well as suggest new programs she thinks would be good for me that I hadn't known about before. All in all, thanks to the universe telling me to go to the One Direction concert I now have a new best friend who is the most helpful person in the world to me right now.
So the lesson here, is just say yes. Be open to the signs the universe is throwing at you, if an insane coincidence happens, maybe it was supposed to happen. Be open to trying new things and taking risks. You never know what may come of it. My mom always says that if you are invited to a party but don't want to go because you don't have a date, go anyways because you may meet the love of your life that night. And in a way that's what happened to me. Say yes to the universe and great things will happen.
Stay Awesome Guys,
Kodi
Sunday, October 5, 2014
September Favorites
Hello World!
Happy Fall everyone! We hope all of you enjoyed the month of September as much as we did. Here is a list of the five things we each LOVED this month. You should really check them out!
Sincerely,
Kodi and Hudson x
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Kodi:
1. Outside Mullingar By John Patrick Shanley
- So as I am preparing for drama school applications and auditions, I am trying to read as many plays as I possibly can. This is one that I picked up one morning in early September and had finished it by that evening. Firstly, I really like the writing style of John Patrick Shanley and always find his characters intensely compelling. And I find the relationships of the characters in this play absolutely fascinating. If you are looking for a quick read this coming month definitely give this one a try.
2. The Body Shop Blue Corn Mask
- I had originally gone to The Body Shop to pick up a different mask, and when I was standing in line, the blue corn mask caught my eye and I decided to get it on a total whim. At the beginning of the month, my skin was really not doing so well, this mask brought so much glow and radiance to my skin even after one use. This one was also designed for normal-oily skin which was perfect for me, I believe they also have a version for normal-dry skin. Either way This is definitely one of my new favorite skin care products and I just can't live without it anymore.
3. Origins Spot Remover
- Also in the world of skincare is this little gem that I recently purchased after seeing Zoella put it into one of her monthly favorites videos. I was quite skeptical at first because I have yet to use a product like this that actually works, but this one is a miracle worker. It helps mainly when you have specific spots on your face that you want to fix, and it brings whatever is sitting under the skin to the surface and makes them disappear far faster than just waiting it out. It is an absolute life saver.
4. Little Mix
- So I was definitely aware and a fan of Little Mix before this month, but I have been listening to them on repeat for the whole latter half of September. I absolutely love their music and think that because all four of them are so musically talented, the harmonies that they come up with are insane. In particular I have been loving their song Salute. I am currently in rehearsals for a play which is a cast of primarily men, and is centered in the life of the German military, so as of right now there are many masculine presences in my life and Salute has been my source of female power.
5. Hannah Hart
- So basically Hannah is my new favorite human and if you don't know who she is or have never seen any of her videos, you are missing out on some golden life moments. Her videos have brought side-splitting laughter to my life countless times and I am so grateful for that. From her videos to her book, I absolutely love everything that she does. If you are looking for a new YouTube channel to check out or are in need of a laugh, go check her out--she is an incredible human being.
Hudson:
- Though I started this book in September, I finished it last night and I'm still not over how amazing it was. I LOVE IT! But I'm not going to go into full detail with you right now because I plan on doing a blog post dedicated to this book this month. I will say this though, if you are into adventure, fantasy, or weird things...This book is definitely for you!
- Over this past summer I have been slowly transitioning myself to using only natural oils and plants to take care of/soothe my body. But since it's been a bit weird for me to do a complete 180 I decide to buy an in-between product that is completely natural and full of vitamins. And NUDE was definitely that product. No matter what your skin type, their elixirs will work for you.
3. Coconut Oil
- So, as you know, a couple of weeks ago I had lice and the lice comb completely ruined my hair, forcing me to get it cut while I'm growing it out. So to heal and strengthen my hair I've been smothering it in coconut oil, sleeping in it, and washing it out the next morning. It's been amazing! Oh my gosh, I feel like I now have a horse's mane, my hair is so thick and strong. This is definitely something I'm adding to my ordinary hair routine.
4. Bike Riding
- So my hobby for the past month has been bike riding. My friends and I have been cycling off to neighboring towns or just racing down bike strands. It's been absolutely great.
5. 19 Kids and Counting
- I have a new favorite show and it's all about the Duggar family. I know this family gets a lot of flack for being weird and cultish but I just love that they are on their 10th season (or something) and never has there been any cattiness or backstabbing. They all just love each other and want whats best for them. It's so refreshingly beautiful.
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