Within the 1st week back in class, I managed to sprain my ankle. I didn't let it stop me from dancing, but it did make me question if studying dance was what I should be doing. Thank god, NYCDA Chicago was coming up. I didn't know how much I need to be reminded that dancing is what I love most. Being able to go back to that environment where I grew up, after graduating & choosing to further my education in dance, is something I will be forever grateful for. All weekend I was surrounded by the people who have inspired me most. I got back to class on Monday with a new fire in me, one that I was totally unaware I lost. 

We celebrated Idalia's 20th birthday with friends & cake at our place.

March was a crazy month for me, in the best way possible. I started the interview process at lululemon at the very end of February. My best friend Caleb told me about the online application & immediately applied. The interview process was fun, honestly & it was a dream job. I was interviewing at 2 locations downtown & after about 2 weeks & 3 interviews, I was hired! I couldn't be more excited to be working for a company that I've stood behind for years. Getting this opportunity gave me more confidence in studying dance & fashion design. My dream of designing for lululemon really has a chance of coming true. 

Kristen, Umiko & I took Bailey downtown to join the entire city in the St. Patrick's Day Celebrations 

I went home for the 1st weekend of Spring Break to visit my parents & help them with Pops costumes. Kiernan & I took a hike on Lost Lake Trail & it reminded me how thankful I am that I got to grow up in such a beautiful place. (I have a ton of pictures from the hike & am working on a post to share them.) 

Caleb & I went to brunch at the Atwood to celebrate Easter & catch up before classes resumed after Spring Break. 

April means final shows. Most of April was spent at the Dance Center preparing for Open House & Student Performance Night. I got the chance to represent Columbia's dance department at Open House & perform at the Auditorium theater. For Student Performance Night (SPN) I performed in Umiko & Rebecca's pieces. I enjoyed dancing with my friends & working with 2 completely different choreographers throughout the semester. I am always thankful for the chance to perform. My mom & dad came to see the Friday night show of SPN & we went to Cheesecake Factory for dinner, of course! 

It snowed one day in April... it was awful. 

I went home for Pops weekend to support the choir, see all of the costumes & accessories my parents worked so hard on & see the final product of my first official choreography on stage. It was a wonderful weekend & I am so proud of how much the choir has grown & how amazing they looked on stage. 

May = end of the semester. I successfully completed the Spring semester without any trips to the emergency room & that's all that matters at this point. 

Now I am enjoying my summer by spending time with friends, enjoying the city & working, but I can't really call it work cause I love it so much. 

Here's to another wildly busy, fun & successful year at Columbia! 

Can't wait to see what my final 2 years have in store for me! 

Maria Natalia xx. 

I just finished up my sophomore year at Columbia this month. Let me just say, my 2nd year a Columbia was a rollercoaster. From moving into my 1st non-student style apartment, to having appendicitis, to having that sophomore-year-life-crisis, to getting the best job I could ask for, & every little thing in between. 

I jumped into my 21 credit hour schedule the day after Labor Day. I missed Columbia & all of my artsy friends so much over the summer, I was so happy to be back doing what I love every day. Just as expected I loved every single one of my dance classes & fell in love with my fashion classes as well. (look out for a post about my projects from this year!) I also managed to enjoy some required academic courses, (hint: they're easier to enjoy when your science lab class is just fabric dyeing...). 

Kristen & I started a tradition, as both of us had Friday's off, we started "Date Days." We have a jingle that goes with it and everything. 

As November began, we all knew it was so close to the end of the semester. November & December are always a whirlwind & this year, they threw everything they could at me. 

Although November was stressful, I had my birthday & Thanksgiving break to look forward to. For my birthday, my friends & I went out to dinner & then celebrated back at my place & just enjoyed each other's company. 

Check out this hilarious video Andrea, Umiko & Kristen made for me! "Maria Almighty"

After my last class before Thanksgiving I made my way home to spend time with family & meet my new baby nephew. This year for Thanksgiving we spent the holiday at Angela & Jim's new house! 

Getting back from Thanksgiving, knowing I only had 3 week left till the end of the semester excited me & stressed me out. There were so many projects & papers to finish & lots of praying that my body didn't give out before break. The weekend before finals, I was cursed with Appendicitis. It's a very long story, & if you want the details, feel free & ask me, but I won't bore you with them right now. It was a very stressful & unfortunate situation. After having my appendix removed that weekend, my parents brought me home, leaving the last week of the semester open ended. I finished my projects & papers throughout the 6 week break I had throughout the holiday. The only evidence of this event is 4 tiny 1 inch scars scattered across my stomach. Thankfully, since Columbia's holiday break is so long, I had plenty of time to recover, but not dancing for weeks straight almost killed me. 

Can't wait to share how the Spring semester treated me! Trust me, it ends a lot better than Fall did. 

Maria Natalia xx.

I've always wanted to get a tattoo, but honestly, I was too scared to do so. I finished up my sophomore year at Columbia on Thursday & wanted to celebrate in some way. For quite a few weeks leading up to the end of the semester, I kept thinking about what I wanted to get & not quite sure if I would go through with it or not. Let me just say, I am so happy I did. 

I want to explain the meaning behind my tattoo, but before I do so, I want to remind you that tattoos are for those who will wear them forever not for those that view them from the outside. Think what you want, but this is my body & I get to choose what I put on it. This is for me. 

My tattoo reads "All the love" with a small heart at the end. Just to get it out of the way, the writing is actually Harry Styles's... Please roll your eyes & judge me silently... I didn't just get this because it's Harry's signature phrase or that it's in his handwriting, it does add more meaning to it though & if you truly know me, you'll understand. 

The big meaning is behind the words. The phrase "All the love" is to remind me of all the amazing people I have in my life & that I am surrounded by so much love. I have never been so genuinely happy & content with my life & this tattoo is a reminder of that. Any time I am having a rough day I can look at my wrist & be reminded of this feeling I am filled with, love. Love from the people in my life, how much I love where I am & what I'm doing & how it feels to be surrounded by love constantly. 

xx Maria Natalia

The VIP passes were so worth it & a bonus that VIP got to wait inside instead of out in the cold Chicago air. 

One of my favourite bands LANY opened for Troye. They put on a great show & are amazing live. I hope they have their own headlining tour soon! I will definitely be buying tickets to it. 

Around 8pm, Troye's set finally started. Kiernan & I were rather close to the stage, about 2 people in front of us & couldn't wait to see Troye live once again. Troye opened with his song BITE which starts with him singing a capella then the beat drops. I couldn't have thought of a better way to open the show. 

The show continued with little downtime in between each song, only for Troye to get some water, chat with us about the next song or even asking a fan to tie his shoe for him, he actually sat on the edge of the stage & a girl in the front row tied his Platform Hightop Converse for him. He flat out told us that his hands were shaking because he was so nervous & but also so excited. I really appreciate how humble he is regardless of how popular & successful he is. 

On top of the amazing vocal performance by Troye & instrumental by his band, the lighting design was incredible. With the simple neighbourhood light outline in the back, the line of lights at the front of the stage & behind the neighbourhood, & the spotlights, the lights imitated the music & created an amazing atmosphere. 

I could try to list my favourite songs from "Blue Neighbourhood" but I would honestly just list the entire set. But, my favourite song to hear live is TALK ME DOWN. That song is so beautifully written & never fails to break me down when I hear it. 

The show closed with Troye's latest single YOUTH, which has an amazing chorus & hella break down. I remember hearing it for the first time at the "Wild" concert in October. It had not yet been released & he played it as a teaser. I fell in love with the song right away. YOUTH is honestly the best song to bop to & ended the night on a high. 

The second the show ended, Post-Concert Depression set in right away. A show as amazing as the one Troye put on will always leave you wanting more. 

The next morning, knowing that Troye has another night at the House Of Blues, I had to check to see if anyone was selling extra tickets. I had to go & experience the show again, both Troye & LANY we're worth it. I genuinely wasn't planning on going to the show again that night. Jokingly, I turned to my roommate Kristen & said "Give me a legit reason not to buy this ticket to see Troye again tonight!" After making up reasons for me not to go, she couldn't convince me not to & she eventually offered to go with me. That second she said she'd go, I bought tickets. Luckily, I found 2 tickets that were still the original price, from an outside seller, as both shows were technically sold out the day the tickets went on sale. 

That night, after both of us were done with class, we headed to the House of Blues just after the doors had opened. We were already planning to chill in the balcony & weren't very concerned with having a good view, we manly just wanted to have a good time, dance & sing along at the top of our lungs. We made our way up to the 1st balcony until LANY's set started & then we decided to head up to the 2nd balcony. Honestly, I think I might start watching from the highest balcony at every concert I go to from now on. There weren't many people up there, we actually had an amazing view & a ton of room to dance. 

Although we were way high up, the view was directly looking down at the stage & we could see everything happening down there, including the pit. It was so cool to watch those in the pit dance, hold up signs & just to see the pure amount of people there solely to support Troye. The lights again, really made the show & looked totally different from above but were still beyond amazing. 

Kristen & I danced the entire time & sang so loud that neither of us really had a voice afterwards. 

Troye's dad Shaun, who travels with him, was watching the show from a private balcony on the same level as us & was so entertaining to watch him watch his son perform on stage. He was singing along & taking lots of pictures & videos of Troye as well as the huge audience enjoying the show. After the show finished, I was lucky enough to meet Shaun & give him an inspire bracelet to give to Troye. He was so sweet & genuine & made up for the fact that I had no way to meet Troye that night. 

Troye Sivan put on an amazing show & I can't wait to get the chance to see him perform live again. I'm so happy that I came across Troye's youtube channel years ago & was able to follow him on his journey to the success of his debut album & first proper headlining tour. I can't wait to see what the future holds for him & how he can inspire me next. 

 Please check out his music & support this amazingly talented boy! 

xx. Maria Natalia

Define Jacket: This jacket is so simple & so perfect. Its the perfect jacket to throw on when heading out the door to go to class, dance or run errands. It has extra long sleeves with my favourite LuluLemon feature: thumb holes! It moves with you, keeps you warm but is made of sweat-wick fabric to keep you cool when you're active! 

http://shop.lululemon.com/products/clothes-accessories/jackets-and-hoodies-jackets/Define-Jacket?cc=22921&skuId=3646276&catId=jackets-and-hoodies-jackets

Vinyasa Scarf: This scarf is a gift sent from heaven. After purchasing the one above, I refused to go anywhere without it. I recently purchased a second one that is lined with fleece & keeps me hella warm here in the cold. The best part of the Vinyasa scarf is that it has snaps up & down the short edges allowing you to wear it many different ways. I'm finding different ways to wear it all of the time. It also works as a great blanket when taking a quick cat nap in-between classes. 

http://shop.lululemon.com/products/clothes-accessories/women-headbands-and-hats/Vinyasa-Scarf-II?cc=23270&skuId=3658850&catId=women-headbands-and-hats 

&Go Destination Jacket: This simple, light weight windbreaker was an amazing find this past September. It's 100% waterproof, has an adjustable elastic waist to make it fit just as you please, zipper pockets to keep all of your belongings safe & zipper vents at the chest to keep you cool. The back has reflective trim to keep you visible in the dark, which is perfect when I'm coming home from one of my night classes. Although it is pretty light weight, I can easily layer underneath to keep me warm & dry at the same time. 

http://shop.lululemon.com/products/clothes-accessories/jackets-and-hoodies-jackets/Destination-Jacket?cc=8817&skuId=3626264&catId=jackets-and-hoodies-jackets

xx. Maria Natalia