What I'm reading: The Family Romanov by Candace Fleming

I just finished listening to The Family Romanov by Candace Fleming. I enjoyed this book immensely. I learned so much while reading this book. I thought I knew stuff about the Romanov's, more specifically Anastasia, but in reality I knew nothing. I had no idea what actually happened. I was pleasantly surprised. 

www.yainterrobang.com

I had no idea the disparity between the rich and poor. While listening to The Family Romanov, I learned that 1.5% of the population owned 90% of the money. I couldn't believe that; it's still hard for me to wrap my head around. 

I always thought I knew a few things about Russia and the Romanovs from watching the animated movie with Meg Ryan, Anastasia. Everything that I thought I knew was wrong. The movie has nothing that is historically accurate aside that there is a character name Anastasia and Rasputin. 

 While this book was nonfiction, it wasn't boring, full of sentences just stating facts. It read like a story. Candace Fleming would juxtapose the lives of the imperial Romanov family and the peasants. The two lived vastly different lives, and the ruler of all Russia was the oblivious to the fact. 

Would I highly recommend this book? YES. A big YES. I listened to this book and I really enjoyed it. On the audiobook I listened to, Kimberly Farr read the book, and she did a really good job. I also had the book and sometimes read a long and looked at all the photos that were included in the book. This book was written for young adults, but I think everyone high school or older would enjoy this book. I'd recommend this book to those who are interested in the World Wars or learning about royalty. 

                                                                         Andrea 

P.S. This books has also won several literary awards, which can be found here.

Taylor Swift 1989 concert

I have to share my amazing experience at the 1989 concert.It was one of the best nights ever. 

Taylor Swift singing "Wild Dreams" and "Enchanted".

I have been to Taylor Swift concert before. I went to the Speak Now World Tour. The Speak Now World Tour concert was amazing. I still reminisce all the time by watching the concert on the Live dvd. I still get emotional just thinking about it. It had a huge impression on me. I was already a huge fan, but after I completely immersed myself in her music and all things Taylor. 

Speak Now World Tour

My good friend and I bonded over Taylor Swift. She is the person that I went to the Speak Now concert with, and the person that I shared my obsession of all things Taylor with. It was really great. Several, years later we still each share that love of Taylor Swift. 

She had already been to the 1989 concert, but she loved it so much that she wanted to go again. I was game. We had a hard time finding tickets. We thought all was over until she won tickets from Xfinity. It was a dream come true. It was really surreal. Xfinity gave us tickets to the show with backstage tour passes. How did we get so lucky? Thank you Xfinity. You gave us the best night ever. 

Finding out we had backstage tour passes and great seats!

At our backstage tour, we got to see what goes into a Taylor Swift concert. We got see the costumes up close and the technology that brings Taylor close to everyone, even those up in the nosebleed seats. (Side note: At a Taylor Swift concert, there is no such thing as a nose bleed seat.) The best part about the backstage tour was the person giving the tour, Mama Swift (Taylor's mom). 

Meeting Mama Swift. She was so nice!

Mama Swift made a point to speak to everyone in our small group and to give everyone a hug. She gave lots of info about the 1989 tour and it's mouth-dropping statistics, but she also told little stories about Taylor. You could tell that she was one proud mom and was happy to help Taylor make her dreams come true. It was really great to be a little part of that, even if it was a very small part. 

Cardboard cut out of Taylor's cat, Olivia and Meredith. They were really big.

Every part of the 1989 concert was very tailored. Taylor took the time to dot all her I's and cross all her T's. She thought of every aspect, from the moment you walked in until the moment you left. She looked genuinely happy to be there performing. 

Taylor bringing the front row to everyone. 

If you have never been to Taylor Swift concert, you have really missed out. She gives amazing performances. Her shows are theatrical and very personal. You can't help but sing, dance, and cheer at the top of your lungs. You'll tear up at least once and revel in the wonderful night you were able to participate in. 

'selfie' with Taylor

Another 'selfie' with Taylor.

Taylor talks to the crowd like she is talking to you personally. She makes you feel special, and it is so amazing (sorry for the overuse of the word, but it's all that really sums it up). You'll leave the night wonderstruck and feeling like you just went to a party with 15,000 of your closest friends. It's a feeling I can't quite explain. 

Taylor inspiring the crowd.

If you haven't been to one of her concerts and have the means and opportunity to, I highly recommend that you do.


Love,
                                                      Andrea 

6 things I realized my first semester of college.

I survived my first semester of college-- just barely. It had its up and downs. I made through with only a few scrapes and bruises. I'm just joking. I survived my first semester with out any major hiccups. You may even say that I learned something. Those long hours of typing up papers at the last minute and memorizing equations the last few seconds before a Calc 1 test were all well spent. All that is left to show for my first semester of college are the grades that I earned and the knowledge & experiences gained from the past four months. I did manage to earn all A's my first semester.
The thing about your fist semester of college is that everything is new-- new school, new home, new friends. I, however, did not leave my home; I in the end decided to go the university in my hometown instead of going to a university away from home. There were so many factors that in the end helped me decide to stay home to go to college instead of going out of town. 
I learned so much my first semester of college. Even though I went home to my own bed each night instead of a dorm room, I made friends on campus and felt as though I could make a home their. I have outlined six things that I learned my first semester of college. They maybe viewed as tips, or ,perhaps, they maybe me heading warning. 

1. Don't be afraid to ask questions. 
• Why did I make this my number one? First off, to succeed in college, I feel you have to be able to ask questions even when no one else does. If you have a question about an assignment or a particular point that the professor addressed, ask it. You won't look stupid; if you have a question about, someone else probably does, too. 
• I don't know how many times, I had a question about something but was afraid to ask it during class. I thought people were going to judge me or think I was dumb for asking a question that they may have felt was self explanatory. In the end, I learned, I and my parents are paying good money for me to be in this class, if I have questions I need to ask.
2. Be on time to class. 
• I know this may sound like a no brainer, but let's face it, during high school it was easy to be on time for class. You went to one class right after the other. Teachers and other students urged you toward your next class. There were people always on top of you to make sure you were there on time. You don't have that anymore. Your classes aren't always right after the other. Your parents aren't on you to move it to your next class on time. There are a ton of outside distractions that will tempt you to skip or just make you late. It's up to you to make it there and be on time.
•  Don't take this as gospel, but I think all teachers say the most important information at the beginning of class. They may outline what will be discussed during class, talk about the test coming up, or state material that will only be mentioned once (at the beginning of class).
• Don't just be on time for class, show up a few minutes early. That way if you have a question, you can ask the instructor before class. I found that most teachers were at class several minutes early to set up, and were usually happy to answer my questions or help me with my homework. 
3. Don't wait till that last minute to type up that paper. 
• Let's be honest, your probably going to wait till the last minute to type up that paper or speech. I'd highly recommend that you don't. I always tell myself that I'm going to type it up early, but then something fun turns up and so, I put it off. So, then it's a night or two before the paper is due, and something major actually does come up. Now your going to have to do that thing, and type up that paper till the wee hours of the night. 
• It'll probably happen, but that's the college experience, right? I don't know about you, but I'd like to skip that part of the college experience. I find that it always takes me longer than I thought it would to write and type up that paper. When I thought it'd only take an hour, it actually took several more than that.
• Make time to type up that paper. Make yourself reminders and stick to them. It's easier said than done. Maybe type it up in chunks. Type up one part one day and the next day do another part. That way it doesn't seem like such a big paper. Also you could make revisions while your typing it up. If your going to procrastinate at least wait to do that until the second paper.
4. Keep track of all your assignments.
• There were several times that I forgot about an assignment on accident. I had plenty of time to do it, but I forgot about it.
• Write it down. Write all of your assignments in a planner or on a sheet of paper dedicated to all the things that you have to do. I have a planner that I write down everything that I have to do and when it's due. 
5. Don't wait for someone to talk to you.
• So, your the only person you know in the class, and you have to sit by someone you don't know. This happened to me in every class I was in. I was pretty shy, and most of the time, I didn't even say anything to the person I was sitting next to. It was really awkward. Outside of class, I would see them, and we would make eye contact knowing who each other was but not acknowledging it. 
• Talk to the person your sitting next. This person your sitting next to you is just a nervous or shy as you. The person may be your coworker  or your boss in the future. You may even become friends. You already have something in common. All you have to do is introduce yourself. 
6. College = Work.
• Going to college is kind of like going to work. You are going to school with potential coworkers or teachers that could be giving you recommendations for future jobs or scholarships. I'd recommend that you present yourself as so. That doesn't mean you need to dress up, but act like you want to learn something, and that you care that you are paying to be their. College isn't cheap, it's an investment.
• I had a professor that often spoke about the secondary school system, and the future job market. He advised which classes to take with which teacher because some teachers had great internships or jobs that they offered. 
• I'd also recommend that you have an advisor or professor that you can speak to about your classes and stuff.
7. BONUS: Have fun.
• Don't let your classes always overwhelm you. Take the time to have fun. Spend time with friends, read a book, or watch an entire series on Netflix (hopefully not all in one day.)

By no means is this all that I learned my first semester. However, these are things that I came to realize during my first semester. I hope you gather something from this post. I hope it wasn't completely pointless that I wrote this. These things may seem obvious to you, and they were to me. But they didn't really sink in until my first semester of college. Good luck!

                                                      Andrea

Life is like a cupcake.

           I love cupcakes, and really that is an understatement. What I really love about cupcakes is the frosting. And really that's what makes a cupcake a cupcake. Without the scrumptious frosting, it'd be like a muffin or what ever a piece of cake is without frosting. But you, of course, can't have a cupcake without the cake. It wouldn't be a cupcake unless it had cake under the layer of yummy frosting. 

          The cake and frosting go hand in hand. The cake and frosting work together. To truly enjoy a cupcake, there must be a balance. There shouldn't be to much cake or to much frosting in each bite. 

          Then there are those people that like more frosting and less cake, or those who like more cake and less frosting. How do you find your balance? You must test the waters. Or in this case, test and eat some cupcakes. It's really a piece of cake. 

          Cupcakes are like life. One must have a balance. You don't what to much of the frosting or to much of the cake. Each person has his or her own balance; each person is different. Some people are more cupcake compatible with each other than they are with others. 

          The cake is the part of life that is stable, rational,  & logical. It is necessary to life, so that a person may survive a day longer. The frosting is the of part of life that is irrational, fun, and it gives life it's spice. It allows you, through reason, to live and have fun. 

         A cupcake isn't as good when there is to much of one part and not enough of the other. This should be kept in mind when living one's life. A person's life could become toxic or become unbalanced with to much of one element. Life wouldn't be as good if there wasn't a balance, and we all what to enjoy life just like we all strive to enjoy the perfect cupcake. 

           Make sense? It at least makes sense in my head. I wish life could always be explained through food, it'd be much easier. Plus everyone on the planet has that one thing in common: food. That's another post all together. 

           Thanks for reading my ramblings on life and cupcakes, and how they are intertwined. Remember: Life is like a cupcake. 

                                                   Peace, love, bake on.

                                                                                

                                                                                 Andrea 

One Year Anniversary

Drum roll please. Guess what day it is? It is the one year anniversary of The Fiery Redhead! The year went be so fast. It was super exciting and amazing. I have learned so much since the first day of The Fiery Redhead. So in honor of the one year of The Fiery Redhead lets take a look back at highlights of the first year of  The Fiery Redhead. 

A Fishtail Side-Do

My Favorite Buttercream Frosting

Fishtale Braided Hairstyle

Homemade Caramel Frappuccino

Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes

Roasted Potatoes and Sausage

Cheesy Taco Pasta

Homemade Egg Rolls

Nutter Butter Ghosts

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Hope you enjoy scrolling through the highlights of the year for The Fiery Redhead. This year has been magical, wonderful, and amazing. I would like to thank you readers for viewing my blog. Again thanks! This next year I hope to become a better blogger. I have so many people to look up to in the world of blogging, and I hope I can learn from them. This is all a learning experience, and it is all so much fun. I enjoy creating new creations to share with the world and my family and friends. It's sometimes a bit crazy, but that's just life. I hope to post more this coming year. Fingers crossed. Anyway Happy One Year Anniversary to The Fiery Redhead. Have a great year.

Peace, Love, Bake on.

                            Andrea