#the adventures of katie and rach

[firstdegreefangirl]

good news team: @flyawayrachel can still make me cry at the drop of a hat

[flyawayrachel]

KATIE WE ARE SEEING WAITRESS IN LIKE SIX DAYS

@firstdegreefangirl

P.s. I was telling Brandon that we are going and he asked what the show was about and after I told him, he goes "Oh, is that the origin of the baking song?" And I FUCKING CRIED because he actually remembered something that I told him months ago.

[onwardintolight]

RULES: Answer 28 questions and tag at least 20 blogs you would like to know better.  I was tagged by @sl-walker​ - thank you! <3

Name: Rachel

Nicknames: My sisters and hubby occasionally call me Rach or Rachie

Gender: female

Height: 5′3″

Time: 2:06 am (I should go to bed after this)

Sign: Taurus

Birthday: April 25, aka the “perfect day” (though around here it’s time to break out the shorts instead of a light jacket... which ironically is perfect for me)

Favorite Bands: Uhhh.... U2, Coldplay, Jars of Clay, Simon & Garfunkel, Fleetwood Mac, The Naked and Famous, Oceanlab, St. Lucia, MS MR, Chvrches, and I’m sure there are more. Mostly I just listen to songs I like though, regardless of the band? Like there’s a lot of random indie pop, classic rock and EDM that I love (and I’m cool with at least something in pretty much every genre). Also really into Celtic/trad/folk music which is not at all reflected in the above

Favorite Solo Artists: Ugh I hate choosing favorites, also please see the note above, but I listen to these artists a lot: Loreena McKennitt, Enya, Nadia Ali, Grimes, Imogen Heap, Mat Kearney, Tom Petty, and the Trifecta of Pop from my college years: Lady Gaga, Rihanna, and Katy Perry

Song stuck in my head: going back and forth between Cyclone by Bruce Hornsby, Star In the East (a gorgeous Christmas carol my mom and sisters and I performed last year), and Bright Blue Rose by Mary Black

Last movie I watched: Rogue One

Last show I watched: Leverage, I think? That, or Better Off Ted

When did I create my blog: 2011

Last thing I googled: the symbolism of blue roses (see song stuck in my head)

Do I have have any other blogs?: I have a fashion side-blog I occasionally update

Do I get asks?: I love it when I do!

Following: Lots of folk. (gonna copy @sl-walker​‘s answers for this and the next question bc I like)

Followers: Largely the same folk.

Average of Sleep: 7 maybe

Lucky number: I don’t really have one? Maybe 5

Instruments: Hammered dulcimer, voice, piano (though it’s been like ten years for the latter)

What am I wearing: sweats/pjs bc I really ought to be in bed right now

Dream job: Something involving my creative talents, whether writing or dancing or music or something else. I used to want to be a dance teacher, but I can’t bring myself to consider that much anymore since, from my perspective now at least, it’s no longer possible. Right now I’d more than settle for being able to dance again at all. I’d also love to be a mother someday.

Dream trip: EVERYWHERE. Seriously I want to travel to as many places as I can in my lifetime. A few at the very top of the very long list are Scotland, Spain and France. I also want to explore some areas of the US I haven’t yet, mainly California and the Appalachians (I’ve been to the latter before, but just passing through). And of course, I dream always of going back to Mexico, even though we were just there this summer. Also, the best trips for me always involve the ocean. And exploring/adventure.

Favorite Food: Mexican food. Also, pie.

Nationality: US

Favorite Song:  NOPE. NOT CHOOSING ONE. WE’RE DONE HERE

I Tag: @alderaanallday​ @jedifish81​ @incompletesong​ @jainadurron​ @jediofgrace​ @mary-twig​ @knightedrogue​ @roguepromise​ @theempirestrikesbac​ @jennycbs​ @erindarroch​ @corellian-smuggler​ @corellianblue​ @corellianangel​ okay that’s almost fifteen and I really need to go to bed now so literally if you read this you’re tagged

[deadpostergirl]

amberhess + things you said in the dark

PROMPT ME ( accepting! )

This was EXACTLY why Rachel loved spending so much time with Mandy. Most people had questions when Rachel suggested adventures: where were they going, what were they doing, how long would it take, is it safe? But none of those questions came from Mandy. She was just… READY. And Rachel adored her for it. Mandy was the only one in Blackwell who even came close to being Rachel’s equal, in her mind. 

Their LATEST adventure was somewhat simple, Rachel had texted her at nearly two in the morning, telling her to meet Rachel outside. They’d gotten in Rachel’s little jeep and SPED OFF, cranking the radio to full volume on the 90s grunge station it seemed permanently set to. Pulling up to the beach minutes later, both girls shed their clothes quickly and kicked off their shoes. Rachel nearly SPRINTED into the freezing water, her screams of laughter echoing through the air. 

Mandy was close behind, crashing into the water as Rachel resurfaced. They spent nearly two hours splashing around in the near-icy waters, swimming, diving for rocks, and floating through the water looking at the sky. BOTH GIRLS seemed to wind down at relatively the same time, and there was a moment of perfect stillness in the water and them. Rachel broke it first, giving Mandy a sly grin as she tread water. 

“You wanna go sit over THERE?”

“Huh? Where?” At this, Rachel paddled closer and turned Mandy around, RESTING her head on the girl’s half-submerged shoulder. Pointing to a boat a few yards away, she laughed.

“There, you blind ass! That boat. I BET it’s got a ladder.” 

“… Yeah. Let’s do it.” 

Rachel didn’t respond, just took off swimming and pulled Mandy with her. They reached the boat in a FEW MINUTES and did, indeed, find a ladder. Climbing aboard, Rachel and Mandy explored the fairly good-sized craft. Picking the lock to the captain’s area took several tries with their pruned, slippery fingers, but the LOCK gave and Rachel and Mandy raided it with little thought, grabbing a towel and a beer each. 

They sat on the bow of the boat, legs swinging off the edge into open air as they drank and warmed up, knowing FULL WELL they’d have to go back. Rachel crossed her arms on the railing, chin resting on her arms until she tipped her head to look at Mandy, only to find her looking back. She offered the girl a soft smile, exhilaration and peace filling every NERVE and giving her butterflies. 

Words were on the tip of Rachel’s tongue, words that meant TOO MUCH and seemed to usually mean nothing at all. She was notoriously bad at expressing real feelings, mostly because she didn’t LIKE to feel them. 

Rachel kept eye contact for a few more seconds before she turned her gaze back to the pitch black horizon, eerie in the seamless sky and sea.

“Mandy? This is… This is HELLA dumb, but just bear with me, okay?”

She laughed, one eyebrow raising. “Uh… OKAY?”

“No, dude, I’m serious! I just… I don’t know. I have a rough fuckin’ time really VIBING with people. Everyone’s weird about me, you know that. They all put me on some bogus PEDESTAL and–”

“You’re cute when you’re nervous, Rach.”

“That’s GAY. And I’m not nervous.” 

“Yes, you are. You’re breaking out all your weird CALIFORNIA slang. You literally just said ‘bogus’. What are you, FORTY?”

“Just. Shush! Let me finish.” Rachel was thankful for the DARKNESS, hiding the fierce blush across her cheeks at being called out. “You don’t put me on a weird pedestal, but you don’t JUDGE ME or whatever, either. You’re the same kinda crazy I am, and we just–We click, I ‘unno. FUCK, I’m just saying I dig you or whatever, bitch! Jesus.” 

“… ‘DIG ME’? Are you Katy Perry, because you’re being a Cal–”

“I will push you the fuck overboard, I SWEAR.”

“I love you too, Rach.”

“Gross.” 

[firstdegreefangirl]

See, Rachel? I told you I’d post the highlights at work today

Me: Where are you parked? Our lot is closed @flyawayrachel: I’m in our lot! It is NOT closed!

“I’m going to work straight after this, so you get monochrome Katie!”

“Monochrome Katie has a string on her elbow.”

“Well she didn’t pay $8 per arm for an elbow-softening treatment, so there’s that.”

“Chip-ot-uhl for lunch? Just since we know where it is?” “Do we know where the Chip-oh-uhl is though?” ((We did))

The many, many crosswalks we crossed with blatant disregard for the indicator lights

Rachel: did I ever tell you about the time I almost got hit by a car on my bike? Me: No, but the monkey child hit a kid on a bike last year Rachel: Like … with his fist or …? Me: Nah, with his truck.

Dude we had SUCH GOOD WEATHER for today. Like my winter coat is still in the car because I haven’t worn it ALL DAY

“I already have the magnet, but you KNOW I'm gonna get the socks.”

But I was so excited for this show you have no idea

Sure I’d seen it in May with @crazygoblinfreakoutnoise, but it’s JUST SO GOOD

These were probably the best balcony seats I’d ever had

Except the few jerks who stood up and moved in and out of the theatre during the show

Which is a personal pet peeve of mine

But the actual show part? PERFECTION

I could do a whole presentation just on the logistics of Come From Away ((in fact I did that once in college)) and another presentation on all the ways the show hits me in my feels, but I’ll save y’all the trouble

Long and short of it, I had goosebumps over half the show. Laughed, cried, knew all the words ((please note that I didn’t say “all the lyrics.” I know all the words.  

Seriously have no idea how shows come along at just the right moments in my life, but I NEEDED this show today

“Pushing the flight attendant button will NOT turn your flight attendant on.”

I got such dramatic Brooklyn 99 vibes on that clapback though. “You are freaking out, and it is freaking me out, and we are ALL! FREAKING! THE! FUCK! OUT!

I think this was the best Kevin T I’ve heard for the role yet. Just something about his voice and personality worked so well with it

Rachel’s face at “we somehow ended up in the gayest town in Newfoundland!”

“Reset your watches, everything here happens half an hour later”

Me: *whispers* she’s right, it does, and it SUCKS

The pit playing out at the end is always SO GOOD

Oh! I meant to tell you Utility Child’s vet joke. And also about his little sister watching me put on my makeup. Because she is the SWEETEST and most SINCERE little child

But we got caught up on each other’s work drama, FINALLY. Until next week or something when I’m sure there will be more

Also! I found the right highway on the first try, made it to work on time and as soon as I walked in, GSM goes “look at you, here just when I need you! How was the show?” and she was so excited to hear about it

All in all, a nice reprieve from the crazyhecticbusy of my last three days

Even if I have been singing Costume Party to myself all night in the lobby

[firstdegreefangirl]

It’s been far too long since @flyawayrachel​ and I saw each other, and even longer since we did one of these, but HIGHLIGHTS POST FROM CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY

Me on the phone with my mom: “I don’t have to tell Rachel hi for you. She’s right here and you’re on speaker. Say hi, Rach.”

“These playbills are crisp” – Rach

“I KNOW! You can smell the ink on them!” – me

What’s your wedding theme? “Leaves on metal.”

“I’m gonna get a magnet, like always. And OOH SOCKS. I’m getting socks too, but who’s even surprised?”

Charlie was SO CUTE

The first line and thE LAST LINE MIRRORED EACH OTHER AND I COULDN’T EVEN

“How do you clap with a question mark? Like … *claps questioningly*?”

CHARLIE IN THE TINY SUIT AT THE END

Me: Kennan Thompson should play Mr. Beauregard if this ever gets a TV adaptation

Rach: YES.

The STREAMERS at the end and how amused the ushers were that we came down from the mezz to pick some up

I knew the closing number would hit me, but DAMN it was more than I’d expected live

Held it together OK until “he should know that odd is a gift from God”

Which is like MY LINE you don’t even understand

I waited two freaking years to see this show and it was everything I wanted it to be and then some

But did I MENTION when he handed Charlie the tiny top hat and he spun it around before putting it on???

Or how irritated he was every time the candy man told him to watch a winner on TV?

The line about keeping the ideas he hasn’t had yet “in the blank pages at the back” of his notebook changed my life

The Oompa Loompas clearly just being full-sized ensemble members on their knees

Honestly just everything Charlie did was so precious

Charlie: *plays Willy Wonka with Grandpa Joe*

Me: *leans over to Rachel* orrrrrr … *sings a la Sack Lunch Bunch* they could play restaurant

And seriously we gotta get together sometime again soon and actually catch up

[firstdegreefangirl]

@flyawayrachel INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT NON-DANGEROUS, NONE-EMERGENT KITCHEN/BAKING EMERGENCY WHEN YOU HAVE A SEC

[firstdegreefangirl]

When your best friend finally follows you back

@flyawayrachel

[firstdegreefangirl]

How to know who your real friends are: “hey look at ... no wait, don’t look. You’re driving. I’ll tag you and you can look later.”

Thanks, babe. 

#ThankYouMikeFaist

[firstdegreefangirl]

I just wanna point out that I only cried one time at graduation today, and it was when @flyawayrachel sent me this pic.

... a program, mint condition, with a star beside my name ...

[firstdegreefangirl]

@crazygoblinfreakoutnoise and I have figured out why the two of us and @flyawayrachel don’t live closer to each other:

The world simply wouldn’t be able to handle the level of adorable our antics would CONSTANTLY produce

[firstdegreefangirl]

Y’all need to see this cookie @flyawayrachel made at my Christmas party tonight.

Also you’ll never understand how confused my sales manager was when a) Rach said “his pants aren’t khaki enough” and b) we started talking about the “stars in his eyes”

[firstdegreefangirl]

I know we missed a couple, but ...

@flyawayrachel and I saw Anastasia tonight. ‘Twas also the first time we’d seen each other this year. There was MUCH catching up to do. Highlights include:

“Get off my ass! Or at least buy me dinner first!” <-- me at the car tailgating me on the highway ramp.

Talking about boys and their kindamostlycompliments ((for the uninitiated, that’s when a boy says something, probably about clothes or makeup, that is sorta kinda maybe on its way to being a compliment but doesn’t quite get there so it’s mostly just an awkward comment that lingers until someone elaborates on it)).

Me: Did I tell you about my womb nugget? Rach: Your wound nugget? Me: No, womB nugget. My eldest.

And then the look on your face when I told you how that came to be.

I didn’t get us lost again! Truly an achievement every time.

Me explaining how I’m not bragging about being great at my job, but I’m statistically great at it.

((side note: checked someone out today and gave her the little review card with my name AND SHE NAMEDROPPED ME IN A REVIEW. Which makes me look really good to my bosses and corporate. Mostly corporate, because my bosses already love me)).

I love my emotional support dinosaur. I’m thinking his name is Roman, as in Romanov, because we saw Anastasia tonight. 

“How far is the Chipotle?” “Siri says 400 feet.” “In which direction? I don't see it!” “Wait ... it just updated. 800 feet.” “Well that’s just not reasonable.”

Rachel’s struggles with the Chipotle bathroom.

My struggles to decide if I wanted chips and guac or to make a responsible financial decision

((guac. The answer is always guac.))

We had such good weather to walk around in and it was super important because Rach’s dress was pretty short and I’m generally a wimp in the cold.

Rach being the absolute champ about making sure I’m on the inside of the bridge so I can’t accidentally see off it to how far from the ground we are.

The entire show was so good and I think this may take the cake for my favorite backdrops in any show ever, but frankly I’m too tired to elaborate on that beyond that i hope I never stop crying at curtain calls.

Except when I leaned over and said “his hair flopping around while he dances is my spirit animal.”

We got home in one try too. Just saying.

“On behalf of housekeeping departments everywhere, FUCK YOU!”

And then you teaching me about restaurant towel services.

[me, about when my amazing goddess managers let me stay at the hotel so I can work more hours] “but like I’m really nice about the room. I dirty one glass and I put the toilet paper back in the little point when I’m done so Kelly and Jason don’t have to.”

[me, explaining how my job has made me judgy of other hotels and how guests behave] “so there’s this song, Hotel Key, and it’s about a one-night stand at a hotel and then ‘she kept the hotel key, she slipped it in her purse, I guess it made her think of me.’ Which is cute and all, but those keys are like two dollars each! BITCH, TAKE THE TINY SHAMPOO AND GIVE BACK THE KEY CARD! ‘checkout time is noon but we slept in til three.’ Good for you, enjoy being charged an extra half night’s room rate for late checkout.”

But Rachel does that with restaurants too. It’s an occupational hazard at this point.

Showing you how smoothly my fidget bearing spins ((SO SMOOTHLY AND I LOVE IT))

How excited I got when I realized you get to see my space outfit when you visit me and the kiddos on Friday!!

I’m just very excited for Friday because I’ll get to see Rachel again!

[firstdegreefangirl]

It took me way too long to actually get all of this finished, but I used my road trip with @flyawayrachel for a video assignment for my TV class. Here’s that video, which I LOVE ((and that hardly EVER happens when I make things)), and the world’s longest highlights post -- including all three days of the trip, and also show notes -- is under the cut

Monday

Me walking from Rachel’s apartment to her campus because I needed a bathroom. Then the first building I found ((which did have a bathroom, thank GOD, because //someone// forgot to go while I was stopped in LFK)) being the one she’s traumatized about and can’t go into, forcing me to wait for her in a building where she weren’t, just because I needed to pee.

“I placed ‘toilet’ very high on my priority list”

We hadn’t seen each other since like July, so there was SO MUCH to catch up on

Side note: no more of this three-months-separated thing. We missed too many stories and it’s not OK.

Me texting Madison like “this is crazy but come to Denver with us right now today”

When my dad found out we went to KFC for lunch, the first thing he said was “I’ve eaten at that KFC with your mom before!”

That gas station I made Rach stop at so I could take another bathroom break. Y’know, the one with two stalls in one room and NO DOOR, just a little half-wall between them? Yeah, that one.

“Do we like Frank? Cool, I’m on Team Frank then.” In the words of one of my kids, “VILE FRIENDSHIP!”

“There we go, that’s an appropriate Hitler joke.”

“Do … something cute with the maps.” “Out here? Where people can see?”

Me: “This is gonna sound crazy, but let me text my dad. I think we stopped at this rest stop when we went to the Grand Canyon. I remember the museum.” ((closure time: I was right, we did. That trip was four years ago.))

Checking into the hotel on my corporate rate and then dissecting the agent’s check-in skills in the elevator.

Wandering into the hotel next door because it’s the chain I work at and I wanted to scope out the competition.

Then the look on Rachel’s face when I straight up told their agent “I work at another *brand name* and wanted to see what y’all have going on.”

Snapchatting my GM about the hotel we stayed at and her saying “I bet their FD girl isn’t as amazing as ours.”

Especially when she found out that we had to do the lobby wander of shame because no one told us where the elevator was.

Our hotel room had a little curtain separating the bed and the fold out and Rachel was SO EXCITED ABOUT IT ((see the video)).

Watching all of Indoor Boys in one sitting because it only takes like an hour and a half and Rachel needed to see it

How excited I was about the bedspreads being cuter than the ones in my hotel ((theirs are polka dot AND match the towels in the bathroom; my property’s are houndstooth and the towels are just plain white))

Me briefly thinking the bathroom had no door before Rachel saved the day

Rachel wanting a Frosty at 11 p.m.

Which was easily solved, because there was a Wendy’s in the parking lot.

A much harder one was my sudden and intense craving for curly fries.

Arby’s closed at 10, but Jack in the Box is 24 hour and has curly fries.

So off we went.

ONLY THE ONE WE WENT TO HAD A HANDWRITTEN SIGN ON THE DRIVE THRU THAT THEY CLOSED AT 10.

I called another store and the dude was high key judgmental that I didn’t just //know// they’re 24-hours, as if I hadn’t just been betrayed by a store that should have been and wasn’t.

But they did have curly fries, so I got my curly fries.

Also we went to 7/11 so I could try the Captain Crunch Crunch Berry Slurpee. Which tastes EXACTLY like the cereal. You decide if that’s good or not. I thought it was, Rach decidedly did not.

Tuesday

I literally ate just a bowl of oatmeal toppings for breakfast. No oatmeal, just the toppings bar.

Rach stayed up in the room and slept in, so I brought her some yogurt. Only I wasn’t sure what flavor she’d want, so she got both peach and blueberry fruit on the bottom.

OUTLET SHOPPING. Do you have any idea how long it’s been since I’ve been able to just leisurely wander around a mall and shop? Like without having a place to be at a time and/or a list of exactly what I did and didn’t need to buy?

Sam’s Lunch! ((which was then a total bust when they only had like two samples out))

“So hindsight, the Ulta looks further from here than it did from the highway.” “Yeah, you think so?”

The decision to ramen for lunch, which was then overridden when Tokyo Bowl was only one dollar sign on google and the ramen place was two.

Which was totally OK because the food was both fantastic and inexpensive

The part of the car ride where I caught up with my best friend since I was literally a year old.

High Street being just a little bit too fitting in Denver

The candy factory tour!! I’m a sucker for both free tourism and demonstrations. Especially when there’s free samples involved.

Fun fact: the flavored part of the fancy candy canes is NOT the striped part. It’s the inside layer.

Also that little kid in the group with us. “Do they send candy to Idaho? I am from Idaho.” “Do they help the elves make the candy?”

“Should I buy a whole pound of marshmallow scraps?” “It’s only five dollars.” “Right, but then I’ll eat the whole pound of marshmallows and we both know that.”

BRO-dway!

Me forgetting the theatre sharpie in the hotel room and making you circle back to get it, even if it was only two blocks

Our high-quality karaoke sessions in the car. What we lack in training, we more than make up for in enthusiasm.

Just the amount of screaming when we drove by the tour bus

Circling the block twice before we could get into the parking garage

We stopped at a fun little art exhibition thing between the parking garage and the theatre, literally just because the sign said “Under Study.” Then I looked at Rach and said “well, we always say understudies need more appreciation.”

I panicked as we crossed the train tracks NOT in the crosswalk, then again when we crossed the next set in the lines but I could distantly hear a train coming

((side note: Katie is NOT cut out for mass transit))

Tour bus photos are hard, but we made it work and they’re awesome!

I’m now the proud owner of my very own DEH cast hoodie, which I “conveniently forgot” to take home this weekend so mom can commandeer it until Christmas

Backstory: Katie is both afraid of heights and suffering altitude sickness, which results in lightheadedness and shortness of breath in … oh, I dunno, mile-high elevation

We had an extra ticket and decided to RAK it to someone who was sitting in an upper balcony so they could join us closer to the stage.

Which was/is a great idea, except that it required going to the upper balcony. Via the stairs. So by the time we got up there, the altitude sickness meant I couldn’t breathe. Leading me to step out to the little patio thing for some fresh air – usually slightly easier for me to breathe – while Rach scouted around for people.

Lack of forethought: BALCONIES ARE HEIGHTS.

So the first time I meet our new friend, it’s me zipping up behind Rachel and saying something about how I sure really would like to go back down in the elevator and get back to ground level.

Which we did, because Rach knows I’m like this and she’s wonderful and amazing

That made things … a lot better, and I was able to enjoy having a new theatre friend.

Which was wonderful, and she’s wonderful and that was such a neat thing to be able to do.

The Show

So we’ll start this one from taking our seats TEN ROWS FROM THE STAGE.

We’re gushing about how close we are to the stage and how great the view is and everything when I see someone coming up the back aisle who looks kinda familiar.

“Hey … is that Pasek and/or Paul?” “Nah, I don’t think so. Wait … YES IT IS!”

Cue us freaking out and shoving Rachel to the front of the group because I’m incapable of approaching people.

Long story short, we got autographs from Pasek and Paul, pics with Paul and Alex Lacamoire, and at intermission we got signatures from Michael Grief.

People kept asking us like “who those guys were” and we just went “they created the show!!”

Now this is where things are gonna get incoherent, because I spent 15 minutes gushing out thoughts as soon as the show ended and I got home, and I’m just going to type them out here.

Ben Levi Ross’s Evan and I do the same lil hands on face/neck/ears thing when we’re anxious.

Merrick’s Connor did the same little finger gesture thing I do at work when I give people directions to the elevator in my hotel during Sincerely, Me and I basically just DIED.

BLR’s Evan seemed so much less worldly than OBC, but Zoe was grown up AF

Larry was STUNNING and AMAZING

Tbh I got hella Leslie Knope vibes from Cynthia

Larry’s arms around Cynthia and his hand on her shoulder when they talked to Heidi and literally just Larry

Marrick’s rubbing and then sudden/intense nipple twist in Sincerely, Me

Everyone was SO GRATEFUL we were there to see the show

BLR hit the stage door in this amazing vintage pinstriped blazer. I told him I loved his jacket and I don’t know which one of us was more excited about that moment.

Rachel and I crushing each other’s hands the entire show ((it’s been five days as of this writing and the bruises are just now mostly healed))

Marrick missed a cue and the poor bab looked terrified

One word BLR said gave me like alarmingly intense vibes from the cast album, and it’s something I noticed right away, but now I can’t remember what word it was. But it sounded JUST LIKE Platt, in a very shooketh way

BLR tied the tie perfectly onstage and I’m shook. When I wear my tie to work, I have to get up 15 minutes earlier to have time to get it tied the right length

Jared’s Jared was 20/10. Amazing delivery and fantastic comedic relief

There were all these little costume changes from Broadway, since so many things had been thrifted

IT TOOK ME WAY TOO LONG TO NOTICE but Connor is wearing Evan’s hoodie, not the other way around, and I can prove it.

It’s on Evan’s bed during Anybody Have a Map?

I heard a voice behind me during Act Two, and my first thought was my usual “what kind if imbecile …” But then I realized it was Michael Grief, and like it’s his show, so he can do what he wants.

Same thing when Justin Paul used his phone as a light source so he could take notes on the show.

We mentioned to Arron at the stage door that we skipped two days of school and drove nine hours to see the show and he goes “It’s your life. You gotta live it.”

BLR finished the stage door line before Christiane did, so he passed behind her on his way back into the theatre and 10000 percent patted her ass football-style.

In For Forever I totally thought the original lyric was “life will be alright for forever,” not “LIKE WE’LL be alright for forever” and that hit me harder than it should have tbh

Dude, Larry hit me so hard at the beginning, like he recites part of the letter and it took me until now to realize how many times he must have read it over before that moment

Zoe’s wardrobe was so classy

Evan straight up hugging into Connor’s chest at the end of Sincerely, Me

At the stage door, Phoebe almost fell off her heels and said “that’s what I get for wearing stilts. But I’m out here with all these dudes, like I’ve gotta assert my dominance.

It was a Moment, especially when I replied “I don’t even need stilts to fall down. It just happens sometimes.”

FREE OPENING NIGHT HATS. I’m not a hat-wearer, but this hat might just make me into one.

We made friends with an eighth grader at the stage door, and she was so wonderful honestly.

The three of us referred to ourselves as “trash” and her mother looked so concerned

Post-Show/Wednesday

Rachel and I parted ways as soon as she dropped me off back at the hotel, so you’ll have to hit her up for her Wednesday stories.

But we were at the stagedoor when @crazygoblinfreakoutnoise just texted me like KATHERINE *lastname* so I replied like “can I call you and scream?” because that felt safer than texting her in mass caps while we walked alone in the dark in an unfamiliar city.

Then I woke up Wednesday at 4:30 a.m. ((kinda, I had so much post-show rush that I didn’t actually sleep much at all)) and ate my leftovers from Tokyo Bowl before I called an Uber.

Chattiest Uber driver EVER. It was a 45-minute ride and by the end of it, I knew about his divorce, how long his family has had season sports tickets, why he doesn’t go to the games, all the major highways in Denver, everywhere he’s ever traveled … the list goes on. But he did get me there safe

I’d left hella early because the TSA said Denver was super busy and had lots of delays at security. So I’m to the airport a full 150 minutes before my scheduled flight, full of excitement about being enough of an adult to manage my own road trip travels.

Then security took maybe half an hour. Not even that, but I’ll be generous.

Point is, I had lots and lots of time to explore.

And then they delayed my flight 40 minutes.

So I dropped seven bucks on a cup of coffee, trying to combat the two non-consecutive hours of sleep I was running on.

I did get to see the sun rise over the mountains with airplanes in the background though, and that view was incredible.

By the time I got to board, I really needed to pee, but I didn’t have time, and then both of my row-mates fell asleep before we even took off.

Also we sat on the tarmac for almost an hour. So by the time we landed I REALLY had to pee.

Finally got to a bathroom, and made it out to meet my dad, for a ride back to Rachel’s place to pick up my car.

We went for lunch before we did that, and longtime followers might remember the fries that changed my life back in April. I had more of those, and they’re still amazing.

I had to use two of my last four percent cell battery ((look, it’d been a really long day)) to re-reschedule a test. The plan had been to take it when I got back to campus, but then delays happened.

Happy ending: took the test the next day, set the curve with a 94 percent.

[firstdegreefangirl]

What’s the point in doing this if we can’t have curly fries when we want curly fries, Katie?!?

@flyawayrachel, who’s content with her Wendy’s but being so very patient with my food cravings

[firstdegreefangirl]

Denver Developments

In the last five minutes ...

Me: I’m gonna hang my shirt up before it gets wrinkled. Well, more wrinkled. *crosses room to closet* OH THIS BEDSPREAD IS CUTE!!!

@flyawayrachel: *laughs uncontrollably* oh, it is cute!

Me: *goes into the bathroom* THE TOWELS MATCH THE BEDSPREAD

Rachel: oh my god, Katie.

Me: *holds out towel*

Rach: ooh, that’s adorable!

Me: does this bathroom not have a door?!?

Rach: that’s a ... situation. Oh, wait, just pull this little thing out.