Our Engagement Party! Sierra & Stephen

Getting married is something that only happens to you once. So while we've had countless get togethers in my parent's backyard, this one was different-- we were celebrating our engagement! Even though we got engaged back in April, Stephen and I hadn't had much of a chance to celebrate and just let the excitement sink in yet. He was still in full "school mode," but with the semester coming to a close, we were so ready to spend a day with our friends and family finally celebrating our engagement. 

The Details

My maid of honor, Skylar, helped me choose all the decor, and my bridesmaid Kenzie helped me plan and organize the layout of everything, and I've gotta say, I think it all came together beautifully! We decorated the sign in table, made some simple centerpieces, and Skylar had the super unique idea to use an art easel and a chalkboard as a welcome sign. I'll have a full video on all the DIY details and ideas up on my youtube channel in the next few days!

Lawn Games

One of my favorite parts was playing the lawn games my dad set up. We had corn hole, ladder golf, bocce ball, and horse shoes, and it was the perfect way for our different groups of friends and family to mingle and get to know each other.

Photo Booth

Our makeshift Photo Booth was definitely a hit with our guests! We took an old photo frame from Goodwill and used it as a Photo Booth with some little props from Michael's. All the pictures we got out of it were so funny!

The Drinks
The wine, beer, and soda were served inside the wine cave so that we didn't have to worry about all lugging ice onto the back lawn to keep it cold, but we had 2 pitchers of water and a bucket of mason jar Mojitos out near the hor'dourves. Premaking and preparing each mason jar was alot of work, but it came together really well and they were definitely a hit!

The Food
We had a local taco place cater (who doesn't love tacos??) and set out some simple hor'dourves beforehand.

Toasts

Right before dinner, my dad gave an amazing toast, and my mom said a prayer for our meal. Looking out at our two different sets of friends and family all mixed together made me so happy. Stephen and I are so blessed with such amazing friends and family, and I'm so glad the all got a chance to meet each other!

End of the Night Jam Sesh
The party ended, as every good party should, with a jam session. When everything had started to wrap up and it was too dark to play lawn games anymore, we headed to the game room, grabbed the miscellaneous instruments that my parents have, and played some music!

The engagement party was an absolute success! We were so glad to be surrounded by our family and friends, celebrating the joining of two families. Stephen and I kept saying all day that we couldn't believe how fast the party flew by. It felt like it was over in an instant! I know the wedding day will fly by just the same, so I want to savor every amazing moment until then. Thank you so much to all our family and friends who came to celebrate us and have continued to support our relationship, it means the world to Stephen and I and we're so blessed to have you in our lives.

And a HUGE THANK YOU to these amazing ladies for helping us pull it all together. Lexi, Elayna, Skylar, Emily, and Rachel, your help was invaluable. Love you all so much and I'm so glad to have you in the bridal party! Thank you to my Aunt Rene for helping us prepare the food and the tables, to Austin for lugging all the decor in and out of the house, and to my parents, thank you for hosting such a wonderful party. We love you guys so much, and appreciate all you do for Stephen and I. You're the best!

WE GOT ENGAGED!

Yesterday, I got the best surprise of my life up at our favorite hiking trail in Torrey Pines. The love of my life got down on one knee and asked me to be his forever, and I'm so thankful to God for bringing him into my life! Stephen somehow coordinated everything without giving me the slightest inclination of what was about to happen- He had 4 friends videotaping and taking pictures, and our families hiding in the bushes waiting for the perfect moment to jump out and congratulate us!

We'll be posting a full video tomorrow showing the whole proposal, but until then I just couldn't wait to share our exciting news and some of our favorite photos capturing the moment!

Stephen had planned to propose at this gorgeous spot overlooking Torrey Pines State Beach, while our families hid in the bushes waiting to surprise us after he popped the question!

His friends had been kicking people out of this popular overlook to make sure we were alone for the proposal! 

As we sat on the bench overlooking the ocean, Stephen had my younger brother Austin sneak behind the bench and drop off the ring. As I turned to see who had run behind us, Stephen got down on one knee. When I turned back around I saw my future husband looking up at me with the biggest smile on his face.

 Before I even registered what had just happen, both our families ran out from the bushes and surprised us. Any chance I had left of not crying flew out the window.

This was the most amazing moment of my life so far. Thank you to our families for making it so special, to our friends for all the support, and to Joe, Mikey, Saveen and Brandon for capturing these moments in picture and video.

And last, thank you to my fiancé. Thank you, not only for proposing to me in the most romantic and thought out way, but for just being you. Thank you for letting me experience your cute quirks every day for eternity. 

Audition, Audition, and Audition Again

"But I'm not going to get the part anyway."

"I can't decide on an audition song."

"My resume will look like a joke next to the others, I'm way under qualified."

"I'm too fat/skinny/tall/short/young/old."

"I'm going to emberass myself"

Making excuses for why not to audition seems to be the speciality of actors and actresses everywhere. By scheduling an audition appointment, you're admitting to yourself that you could potentially be right for this role, that you could have a chance. And, in turn, opening yourself up for rejection and criticism. It's a scary thought, and as much as we all channel our inner Queen Idina once we are cast, walking into that audition room is a whole nother story.
I used to be the same way. I undoubtedly missed out on countless opportunities and roles because I chickened out of auditions. I was scared.

Then, I heard something that would change my approach to auditioning forever.

My first semester of college, I went to an informational meeting for general auditions at SDSU. I sat nervously in the back, my legs shaking anxiously. "Why did I even come," I told myself, "I'm a freshman. There's no way in hell they'll cast me."
I listened to the artistic team of professors give their speeches. You're all so talented... blah blah blah... We wish we could cast everyone.... blah blah... You all will surely make it a very difficult decision... yada yada yada.... the typical director spheel that we have all heard a million times. The last professor stood up to speak.
"When I was young, I was never right for the role." she spoke calmly, "I definitely didn't look like an actress, and probably 90% of directors cast me off before I even opened my mouth. But I'll tell you what. I loved to audition. I walked out onto the stage and no matter if they hated me, thought I was terrible, wouldn't cast me in a million years, they HAD to sit there and listen to me for my 90 seconds. They were forced to be my audience. And I owned it. It was my performance, my time to shine. I auditioned for roles were I was the wrong ethnicity, wrong age, way underqualified. And you know what? I got better. I got so much better because I was performing my heart out at every open call."

Suddenly all my nerves went away, and my shaking legs stood still. Is that really all an audition is? I thought. Just a performance? I had never looked at it that way. If I don't get the role, there's still people listened to me, watched me, and I'm performing for an audience-- even if it is just an audience of casting directors.
The next day during general auditions, I walked in confidently knowing that I was about to give the performance of a lifetime. I totally killed it, and I had so much fun; I wasn't nervous at all! Yeah, I didn't get the role, but that stage experience made me just a little bit better. After that, I auditioned for every single thing I could- community theatre, professional theatre, choirs, dance ensembles, commercials, films- you name it. And with each audition, I gave myself more exposure and gained valuable experience. I got called back for roles that I thought I didn't have a prayer for; I got cast in roles that I wouldn't even have auditioned for last year.
For young actors, I give you one piece of advice: keep auditioning! That 90 seconds that you get in front of the directors is time no one can take away from you, and you will get better from it. You have nothing to lose by auditioning- and who knows?! You might even get it. You can't get cast in a role you don't audition for- so audition, audition, and audition again.

Turn Off the Radio

I turn on the radio as I'm blazing down the I-5, looking for an upbeat song to jam out to as I fly by the gorgeous California Coast, but all I find is disappointment. This isn't because I'm some trendy hipster who only listens to "underground tracks that I'm sure you've never even heard of." It's not because I only listen to showtunes (I swear, there's variety on my iPhone). And it's certainly not because I have a problem with swearing (I watched Book of Mormon, after all). It disappoints me because a majority of these songs perpetuate negative attitudes towards women. This misogyny is a direct reflection of the disrespect towards women in American Society. The worst part is that many artists are subliminalizing these messages through catchy tunes- half the time you don't even know what you're listening to.

A few months ago, I was on a party bus en route to a date dance for my sorority. Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" was blasting through the speakers, and we were all dancing and singing along. Then I stopped. Wait... am I singing about Rape? His lyrics profess "I know you want it. I know you want it. You're a good girl. Can't let you get past me." Although this isn't even close to some of the notoriously crude rap songs out there, I was shocked. This song plays on the radio, I hear young kids sing this at the theatre. Not only do the lyrics sing about pressuring a women into sex, but they insinuate that "good girls" are incable of having sexual urges. So, although the woman keeps brushing him off, he knows she wants it. This encourages a culture in which men are taught not to take "no" for an answer. This contributes to a society in which victimes are blamed- she asked for it. She wanted it. Robin Thicke, let me assure you that she does not, in fact, want it.
Pop songs like "Blurred Lines" are only the tip of the iceberg. There are countless pop, rap, and even country songs that make Robin Thicke look like Mr. Rogers.

“I'm tryna find the words to descrive this girl without being disrepectful. Damn girl, who's a sexy b*tch.” – David Guetta 

I appreciate the effort to not be disrespectful, David Guetta, but calling her a 'sexy bitch' probably isn't the best route.

“When I first saw that bikini top on her she was poppin' right out of that South Georgia water. Thought 'Oh, good lord, she had them long tanned legs.' Couldn't help myself.” – Florida Georgia Line

When you remove the charming country twang, this song gets a lot more creepy, objectifying, and mysognistic.

 “Slut, you think I won’t choke no whore / Til the vocal cords don’t work in her throat no more?!” – Eminem

Yay domestic violence. Eminem, you are such a good role model. 

Some people might ask what kind of influence is Popular music having on our culture? But I think it's far more important to ask what kind of influence has our culture had on popular music? How has our societies values and beliefs been represented in pop music, and more importantly, what can we do to change those?
I don't want to live in a society where "b*tches ain't sh*t but hoes and tricks" is representative of our belief system.

Life Update: My New Apartment!

Yupp, I moved into my first place! The title of this post is a bit deceiving, though, as I wouldn't really say it's 'new,' since I have been living here for nearly three months now (sorry blog).

My lovely living room

After winter break,  I knew I needed a change- living in the dorms just wasn't working for me. I felt homeless. Not homeless like I did't have a place to live, but homeless like I didn't have a home. I didn't feel at home in the dorms, and when I visited my parent's house, that didn't feel like home anymore either. I needed a place of my own. So, I packed up my things, grabbed my Chihuahua, and within three days of making the decision to get my own apartment, I put the deposit down on a gorgeous unit in La Jolla. It's the perfect size for me- cozy, but not cramped. The location is wonderful- central, but not too busy. The complex is just right- peaceful, but not too quiet. And, most importantly, I feel totally safe and comfortable here. I couldn't have picked a better place!
Having my own place has been such an adventure! It has really helped me grow up and become more independent. Some of it has been really fun, like decorating the walls and crafting for my entry way; and some of it has been not so fun, like trying to cook dinner and accidentally making potatoes explode all over the stove (who knew you had to cut holes in them before you cook them?) But, coming home every evening to a gorgeous place that is all my own is the best thing I could ever ask for. I feel like a real adult, and that's kind of scary.
When I was young, I always looked at adulthood and childhood as black and white- One day you just wake up, put on a suit, and don't like to color or play pokemon anymore. But, as it turns out, the transition from adulthood to childhood is quite gray. Yeah, now I pay bills, and taxes, and go to college, but I also still giggle when someone says "duty" and still shove all my clothes in my closet when I don't feel like cleaning them. I still feel like a twelve year old, and part of me hopes that never changes.

I guess you could call this my 'dining room table'

I seriously love all the natural light this place gets in the mornings!

TV & bookshelf in the living room!

The entry way

My Kitchen (It's a bit messy oops)

I feel like the walls are so plain in here (but I'm too poor to get more artwork *sigh*)

My headquarters for schoolwork (aka netflix)

My bedroom

Actually obsessed with my showercurtain

Bathroom!

My porch is so cute I love it.