All Things Past, Present, and Future: A Long Overdue Post

So, I think my last post was in August or something?

Yeah,
that long ago.
ANYHOW.

Since I've started school, I've changed my major from Piano Performance to a Bachelor of Arts in Piano.

Now, I've given up trying to figure it out for now. Major status: unknown.

College next year?
Unknown.

This year has veered so far off of "The Jill Plan," I'm not even sure where to go from here.
Ever since freshman year of high school, I've toyed with the idea of culinary school. I always pushed the thought away though--why would I abandon a college education when some people would kill to get a secondary education?

Well, I'm a week or so away from completing a semester, and I already feel fairly sure that the "college" life isn't for me. I've thought about interior design (how fabulous!), English (how intellectual!), and even French (how chic!).
But I just can't picture myself loving any of these subjects as a career--especially not a life-long affair.

You always have to eat. Right up until the day you die.

I've always loved cooking and baking for friends, and the more I think about it I realize I could incorporate all of my other interests into a culinary career somehow. Music (they play music in restaurants!), gardening (fresh! food!) literature (art inspires other art!), interior design (my restaurant/cafe/coffee shop/whatever would look fantastic!).

Somehow, it just makes sense to me. If I do decide to go to culinary school, my life's going to take a sharp turn. But I think I'm okay with more change. Change seems to be a recurring theme in my life lately.

After all, I swiftly went from blonde to redhead.


Besides--whenever I get overwhelmed I just keep telling myself two more weeks until break, two more weeks until I can start exploring options for next fall, two more weeks until I can fully enjoy all things Christmas-y.

And suddenly everything seems okay.

Where to start...?

So much has happened over the last couple of weeks. It's been a complete whirlwind.

I apologize for the huge size of today's post in advance. I'll go in chronological order:

As I mentioned, I went to Inniswood Gardens at a metropark in Columbus. It was absolutely gorgeous and utterly different than Kingwood Gardens. Inniswood had more of a free-form, fairy-tale like quality. Here are some of the highlights:

I also mentioned the Dublin Irish Festival in passing in my last post(it was fantastic--I'd recommend it to anyone). Admission was only ten dollars which was so worth it. We saw a ton of live entertainment including two bands, several dance groups, and a fiddling group. The first band we saw was The Tartan Terrors. They were quite the raucous crew; the Terrors are a Scottish band who incorporate bagpipes into their rock music. They were also quite the comedy act.

The drummer and one of the guitarists for the Tartan Terrors. Decked out in kilts and all.

The whole clan. Harhar.

A sand sculpture. Amazing.
And now for a few of the more mundane details. I moved into college this past week, and it's been rougher than I expected. Obviously, the course load for any music major isn't exactly light, but it's definitely heftier than I imagined. I'm adjusting though--slowly, but surely. The REAL point for bringing this up is to discuss my desk. Not the boring items on it, like my pens or empty water bottles, but a couple of the more interesting trinkets. For example:

A hunk of amethyst, which I recently acquired at the Bucyrus Bratwurst Festival in the one of the craft tents. Bratwurst related? No. Pretty? Absolutely. Amethyst is also thought to ease stress, provide spiritual insight, assist in visualization, and bring peace. I'll take all the help I can get. :) And then there's this little guy:

Not only is he adorable, he also acts as a handy little compartment for varied treasures (provided they're about the size of a thumb-nail).
And finally,

This is my pom, Lilo. I'd just finished practicing, and she hopped right up on the bench like she was going to launch into my Mozart sonata. What a ham. I think that's all for now...my birthday is this Friday, so hopefully I'll have even more exciting things to talk about in the future. :)Cheers, Jill

Coming to a theater near you...

I promise I haven't dropped off the side of the Earth, and I WILL have pictures of all the fun things I've been doing lately.

This last week, I went to Inniswood Gardens(yes, MORE gardens) at one of the Metro Parks in Columbus. It was fantastic.

EVEN MORE fantastic--I went to Dublin's Irish Festival this past Sunday. It was possibly the most fun I've ever had on a sweltering day amidst loads of loons.
But more on that soon.
In the meantime though, just so this post is not totally pointless, I'm going to talk about movies.

Mostly the fact that a) I would kill to see Salt:

and b) I am SO excited to see Stone. The link to the trailer is here.

Have I mentioned how much I love Ed Norton? Cheers, Jill.

A girl can't read that sort of thing without her lipstick...

So for the past few days, one thing has remained constant--I have a burning urge to watch Breakfast at Tiffany's.

I believe no other movie has so many memorable quotes, so many stylish scenes, or so classy a lead actress (unless we're talking about other Hepburn films, of course).


The movie also prompted me to add "Bathtub Sofa" to my list of furniture/home-things I want when I get a place of my own:

I mean, really! Just look! So over-the-top! So fun!

Speaking of things that are over-the-top,
You know those informercials for the "Big-Top Cupcake" kits? Come on, I know you have.
Well, Wilton now makes a similar pan, so I absolutely had to have one. The result:

A cupcake of the mammoth variety. Delicious, albeit enormous.

And while we're on the topic of delicious desserts, I'm particularly excited for this Friday. I have plans to go to Mozart's Bakery and Piano Cafe in Clintonville. It's an Austrian bakery and cafe(hence the namesake) that features live classical music. A brilliant idea, if you ask me. If you'd like to learn more, click here.



Mozart's is well-known for their desserts, and I definitely plan on sampling one :) It should be a fantastic day.

In the meantime, though, I'll settle for a cup of tea.

Moon River, wider than a mile,
I'm crossing you in style some day.
Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker,
wherever you're going I'm going your way.
Two drifters off to see the world.
There's such a lot of world to see.
We're after the same rainbow's end--
waiting 'round the bend,
my huckleberry friend,
Moon River and me.

Cheers, Jill

Ladies who lunch

Today was a fantastic day...
I went with my mom and her friend to lunch at The Blueberry Patch, a cafe-ish style restaurant. They also have a fantastic gift shop where I bought personalized Christmas ornaments(yes, in JULY) for me and my roomate.

After that we took a stroll through the LOVELY Kingwood Center. The estate was home to Mr. Charles Kelly King (who made his fortune at Ohio Brass). The gardens were opened to the public in 1953, so the rest of us can enjoy the Kings' handiwork. If you'd like, you can learn more about the Kingwood Center here.

ANYHOW, the real point of this post is PICTURES! Enjoy :)

--Your run-of-the mill cottage


--A handsome gent I befriended


--An interesting way to grow the forbidden fruit


--A sassy fellow I met during my stroll


--"Who's been painting my roses red?"

Alas, all of the romantic gardens and stonework have made me nostalgic for The Illusionist.

Oh, Ed Norton, you slay me.
Cheers, Jill

Pictures :)

So here are some various pictures of today's activities:

--The desserts from the tea party

--More desserts:)

--After the storm

--A gorgeous sunset to end a wonderful day
Cheers, Jill

Rainy day, please don't ever go away.

So as I'm writing this, it's currently banging around outside like an angry giant rearranging his furniture.

And I absolutely love it.

Besides...rainy days are the perfect excuse for a piping hot cup of tea, right?
Although it wasn't raining earlier today, I had a cup of tea anyhow. Along with my fair share of tea sandwiches and desserts. My little piano student, Sarah(who is going into 4th grade and can't really be called little anymore) had her last summer lesson today, so we decided to celebrate in the most proper of manners: we had a tea party befitting a queen. It was the perfect way to cap off our (formal) lessons.

I also realized today how much I love kids. Not only is it amazing to see what they can accomplish(from plucking one note on the piano--to performing an entire piece!), but they're an absolute joy to be around. Days like today make me feel like becoming a piano teacher is a step in the right direction.

Anyhow, August 20(the day I move-in for college) is approaching soon, and the to-do list keeps piling up. But for now, the aforementioned storm is quickly approaching, and I think I hear another cup of tea calling my name.
Cheers, Jill