SHE'S ALIVE!

SO I vlogged for you.
because ... well, just watch the 6 minute video.




and yeah. Here are some pictures to wet your whistle.

Me & my cake.

Karaoke. Drunk. It was BAD.

First shot at 21. Chilled Grey Goose.

Ronnie from the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and I. This was, by far one of the most incredible moments of my life.

I'll post a few pictures, along with some other vlogs I created last night the more I drank.. (oops).

Thank you all for the birthday wishes!

Happy Birthday to ME!

Tonight at Midnight, I hope you all join me

(on your own time of course)

For my 1st legal drink of alcohol.

Tomorrow, I will finally be 21.

Tomorrow, a whole new adventure and journey begins.

I can't wait to share the adventure with you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

6 Days

My 21st Birthday is 6 days away.

My party is on Sunday.

I am BEYOND excited.

There will be family, friends and many laughs.

You see, we opted to do a Toast/Roast.

So everyone is bringing their best Ella stories to share with the crowd.
I have friends that have worked up actual bits to share.
To say that I'm excited and Terrified would be an understatement.
I mean, my Grandma is going to be there.
i think this will be the time for the FLIP to be whipped out. :]


BUT GUYS.
I'll be 21 in 6 DAYS!

doodleeee doo.

I wish I was better about taking pictures.

I'm trying to document with my phone some of my crazy happenings, but I usually forget.
or I am 100% unsatisfied with what I've captured.

I'm working on moving on from that.

Trying to get myself to enjoy the pictures I take of me.

Because that's really what it's about... right? Loving myself enough to want to share pictures or have pictures taken of me? Did that make sense? Whatever, hopefully you get the idea.

Sometimes I feel the need to be all businessy.

Face shots are always difficult for me.
I am just not comfortable.
I think it's a vulnerability thing.

This I took about 187481569456178 billionty times before I got this.
And seriously, just look at my face.

I don't even know what to say for this one.

So yeah, once I get back to being a good blogger, I'm going to share more pictures with you. Or at least try doing so. Cause I mean.. I like you guys and I want to share myself with you....? I'm tired.. can you tell?

Alrighty, next item.

I was asked about the folk lore behind the Irish Claddagh ring and so I'm going to share with you what I know.

The Irish Claddagh is a symbol for friendship and for love.

The hands holding the heart represent friendship.
The heart represents love.
The Crown represents loyalty.

Now, another part of this is how and where the ring is worn.

If worn on your left hand, the Crown must be pointing towards your finger tip or away from your heart, to denote marriage, engagement, betrothal, whatever.

If worn on your right hand, there are a couple of different meanings.
If the crown is pointing towards your fingertip (like above with the left hand) then you are in a relationship or your heart is taken. If worn with the Heart pointed toward your fingertip and the Crown toward your heart, It could either mean you are Open to finding a new love/relationship or that you simply aren't ready for that new love.

Here is an easy way to remember:

If the heart of the Claddagh is pointing towards your heart, your heart is closed (there is only a path between the two hearts) and if the heart of the Claddagh is pointing away your heart is open and inviting someone in. (The heart isn't covered by the crown at the end, signaling a pathway into your heart)

A VERY important thing to remember about the Claddagh is that you should NEVER buy one for yourself. It should always be given as a gift. It is said that you will have bad luck if you buy your own Claddagh.

So there you have it, if you have questions, feel free to ask!

Since I have been completely AWOL lately, let's play the get to know you game.

I've been seeing about 8 million of these get to know you ABC's things around the blogosphere, so I figure it was high time I joined in on the fun.

Right now, I'm busy with work, enjoying the sunshine (FINALLY. It's about damn time), learning ASL (which is the best thing ever) and waiting to hear on my grant.

Once I hear about our grant you best believe I will be sharing with you our project.

Oh.. and did I mention I'm starting to date again?

Why yes... yes I am and it is wonderful.

Annd now, without further ado, my ABC's

A. Age: 20, 15 days till I'm 21
B. Bed Size: Double. Which completely blows when you grew up with a Queen.
C. Chore that you hate: Honestly, I am not a big fan of cleaning in general. If I had to pick it would be laundry because it isn't instantly satisfying, you have to wait FOREVER to make any progress. It's obnoxious.
D. Dogs: I had my baby George from the time I was 2 till I was 17. I miss my mutt more than anyone will ever know. I cried (and still cry) for about 2 weeks straight after we put him down. He was hands down the best dog in the entire world AND everyone loved him. You know you miss your dog when you still call for him after living in a completely different house that he would never see...
E. Essential start to your day: COFFEE. I can't stress that enough. You probably don't want to talk to me before I've had my coffee, I'm kind of an a*hole
F. Favorite Color: Green. Any shade.
G. Gold or Silver: Silver or White Gold. SO pretty.
H. Height: 5'2 and 3/4. According to my license I'm 5'3 and being this short, I will take it.
I. Instruments you play: French Horn, Piano, and I sing.. Your vocal cords are an instrument..right?
J. Job Title: Finance Assistant for the Boy Scouts of America (a council, not nationally)
K. Kids: I'd love to have a big family. But I should probably find a guy first.
L. Live: I live in good old Flint, MI, ya know, currently the most dangerous city in the US (and the world?) so you know I'm a badass.
M. Mother's Name: Virginia or Ginny.
N. Nicknames: Ellie, Elle, Belle, Bella, Gazella, Cinderella
O. Overnight hospital stays: None, thankfully!
P. Pet peeve: As of right now, its my nail polish being super chipped, like it currently is. This just started for me since I recently stopped biting my nails about 3 months ago.
Q. Quote from a movie: "Party on Wayne.. Party on Garth" - It's perfect for any situation.
R. Right or left handed: Righty
S. Siblings: My sister, Libby, is 28 and my Brother - In - Law, TJ, is 29.
T. Time you wake up: Weekdays - 7:25 Days off/Weekends - whenever, but usually around 8:30 or 9.
U. Underwear: Victoria's Secret usually boy cut booty shorts or lacey... (TMI?)
V. Vegetable you hate: I've grown to love all veggies. You just have to find the right way to cook/dip them.
W. What makes you run late: My hair, over sleeping, getting lost, forgetting things, pretty much my entire life.
X. X-Rays you've had: Teeth, shoulder, hand, chest, ummm.... finger... I think that's it.
Y. Yummy food that you make: I'm not much of a cook, but I'll go with my tuna noodle casserole.
Z. Zoo Animal: ZEBRA.