Round 2

One more big thing...

Plus two more littler details...

Some shopping displays with a sweet black rug...

And the central hub with a seating area, elevator, and escalators (sorry, no Santas this time).

24 Hours

What can be done in 24 hours? A lot of little things: household chores, shopping, watching TV, making and eating multiple meals, working out, sleeping. Even some big things: hosting a party, driving to another state, having a baby.

Or...

One really big thing.

Above: The second level of our floor plan for Dillard's, hypothetically located in North Grand Mall. Yes, that's right, I have been working on this rendering for the past 24 hours. I have printed, sketched, drawn, measured, markered, inked, colored penciled, re-markered, and re-inked every single line and every single stroke on that page. To put this to scale, this drawing is approximately 3 feet wide by 2 feet tall. (Very thankful that we downsized from originally having it be 5 feet wide by 3 feet tall...It would have been as wide as I am tall and I would still be working on it!)

Note that I also said second floor, meaning that right now, after I finish this blog post, I am going to whip out the first floor and do this all over again.

And what's a huge rendering like this without having a little fun? Below: a close-up of the lower left corner (near the customer service desk in our plan) of some Christmas trees and a Santa Claus (and yes this is a plan view, so it looks really awkward but Santa is sitting down and you are looking from above). What's a department store without a Santa Claus to visit and ask for all the goodies around you?

Tis the season (or very nearly)!

Addict

Caribou Coffee just got...better.

I know, I didn't think it was possible, either. It's all I can do to not go there every single day (a poor college student has to cut something out of her budget :( ). Not only does Caribou already have the best coffee ever, but they now infuse all of their chocolate drinks (i.e. a mocha) with your choice of real milk, dark, or white chocolate.

Do you realize what this means?

I can get dark chocolate in nearly every single coffee drink now!

As I sit here, I am sipping on the most delicious Campfire Mocha in the history of the world...excuse me, the most delicious dark chocolate Campfire Mocha.

Sorry, budget, but I think something else is going to have to take a cut. Caribou Coffee now just got that much more appealing and I will be taking my coffee and dark chocolate addicted self there that much more often. I don't really need groceries, right? Or gas?

Not only did I discover this wonderful news about chocolate, but the Christmas/Winter cups are out!

And the Christmas cups being out means...

Reindeer Blend, Ho Ho Mochas, and Fa La Lattes for everybody!

What a great day for coffee.

Just a 4-year Old in My Pink Tutu...

I'm not quite sure how to explain it, but sometimes when I am teaching dance, I happen to glance up at the mirror and see a line of little girls, eyes upon me, copying my every move. It always gives me a moments pause, not seeming right that I am the instructor in the front of the room, instead of the 4-year old in a pink tutu trying to follow directions. It's kind of a scary thing...I mean, what are they doing trusting me with a room full of 4-year olds anyway (or 5-year olds, or 6-year olds, etc.)?!? Isn't someone still supposed to be instructing me? I think I am still 4-years old...for heavens sake, I just saw a commercial for the Crayola crayon maker on TV today and I am planning on asking for it for Christmas! When this happens though, it startles me, and I really have to think about what I am doing and saying. I guess sometimes I just go so much into autopilot mode that this is a good reality check. Though I do still marvel at the fact that I can have a room of up to 15 girls that do everything I tell them to do. And when they come in with big smiles on their faces, or get big, goofy grins when it is their turn to do across-the-floors, it is totally worth it. Love it. <3

Also, an observation: I am currently sitting in studio in my go-to working in studio outfit: red ISU sweatshirt and jeans. I have had this ISU sweatshirt since I made my first visit here as a junior in high school...which I just realized was SIX years ago. Aaaahhhh! I have seriously worn this sweatshirt to late nights in studio since my freshman year here. I don't even think anymore, just grab it before heading out of my apartment. I have even been guilty of snatching it out of the dirty laundry...as long as it is not too far down in the pile. It's just so darn comfy and perfectly worn-in.