Great news! Last week, I found out that I am on the Launch Team for Jen Hatmaker's to-be-released book, For the Love. What's a launch team? Basically, I get to read the book early and review it. My review may be printed inside the cover, and I get to promote it on social media and in the ministries in which I am involved. It's basically an all-around-win. To make it better, we have a Facebook group with the #FortheLove people, and I love hanging out with my 500 newest besties all of the time.
Why does this matter today? I just got home from state Beta Club convention which is the craziest 36 hours of the year for my favorite job. Since Monday at 6:30 am, I have been hanging out with the coolest 71 kids in the world. I am admittedly biased, but they're the best of our state, and we showed that by winning the most awards and having the highest attendance at convention.
Basically, I am feeling the feels. In For the Love, Jen writes to her kids, and I hope to do the same. I do not have any biological children, and although I am only 4-7 years older than my high school students, I feel almost as responsible for them as their parents do. So, here goes...
Dear Kids:
I hope you know that I am always proud of you. Making the grades to be in this honors organization and committing your time to community service in order to maintain membership is astounding. You are dedicating a part of your life to improve your school, your community, and yourself. That does not ever go unnoticed.
I hope you know that I will always support you. Maybe you want to complete a one-year certification and then go into a skills-based job. Maybe you want to go to one of the country's most prestigious universities and excel at a highly professional level. Maybe you wish to travel the world and live life entirely in the moment. As long as you are making wise decisions, I support you. I want you to be happy and to do your best in life.
I hope you know that I am always here for you. I don't want a student - whether one in Beta Club or Drama Club or simply in a class that I have subbed for - to feel as if he/she has no one to turn to in the difficult times, the amazing times, and the times of anything in between. I am cheering for you. I want you to feel secure and fulfilled.
I hope you know that opportunities are always waiting for you. You don't have to wait for someone to approach you and hand something to you. That is rarely how life works. Instead, I want you to seize the day. [See what I did there, #talentoverload kids? ;)] I feel like my life has been pretty cool, and I would like to attribute that to grabbing opportunities and committing myself to working toward each goal. I want the same for you, but even larger. I want you to succeed. But, not each risk and attempt toward success is met with a positive outcome. Find out what went wrong, and, if possible, make it better next time. If not, know that you did your very best to work toward your ideal.
I hope you know that I will always surround you with a positive atmosphere. I may make jokes that seem silly or dumb or slightly unkind, but I want you to know that I do not actually intend for anything negative to be directed from me to you. That is not the style of education that I believe in. I want you to, again, feel happy and safe. I want you to be surrounded in positivity in order to know how to fight off the negativity when it comes at you. If this means not allowing you to see negative comments on a score sheet from a competition judge, so be it. You can conquer negativity on your own time, but let's keep it positive when it's us.
I hope you will always know this and so much more. I hope to not pass on life lessons directly but indirectly. I hope you realize that life does not always work out perfectly even when you do the steps perfectly, but you can continue to work your hardest to make your own kind of perfect life.
And, in the words of Jen Hatmaker, "Be kind. Be you. Love Jesus."
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Friday, March 6, 2015
Book Review: Will Grayson, Will Grayson
I admit that I am a huge John Green fangirl. Nerdfighter and all that stuff (except that I can never remember to watch his YouTube videos but, like, I love his books).
After reading John's four solo novels, I decided it was time to buy his books that he co-wrote. I recently read Will Grayson, Will Grayson in two days, so I obviously loved it. John's co-writing with David Levithan threw me off my game a little, but I started to love it.
The chapters alternate with the first written from normal-ish Will Grayson's perspective, and the second is written from emo Will Grayson's perspective. A few chapters in, they meet, and life changes. It's not a drastic life change that forever makes them different, but it definitely alters their short-term plans.
I say read it because 1) John Green, 2) quote-able, and 3) wouldn't it be awesome to meet someone who has the same name as you? It's basically impossible for me to do that because my name is weird, but one can hope.
PS - I tried to upload a picture of me with the book to be ~artsy~ but my internet or something is being dumb.
After reading John's four solo novels, I decided it was time to buy his books that he co-wrote. I recently read Will Grayson, Will Grayson in two days, so I obviously loved it. John's co-writing with David Levithan threw me off my game a little, but I started to love it.
The chapters alternate with the first written from normal-ish Will Grayson's perspective, and the second is written from emo Will Grayson's perspective. A few chapters in, they meet, and life changes. It's not a drastic life change that forever makes them different, but it definitely alters their short-term plans.
I say read it because 1) John Green, 2) quote-able, and 3) wouldn't it be awesome to meet someone who has the same name as you? It's basically impossible for me to do that because my name is weird, but one can hope.
PS - I tried to upload a picture of me with the book to be ~artsy~ but my internet or something is being dumb.
Monday, February 9, 2015
2014 in Review
Heyyyy, so I had this great idea to film a year in review recap video. I never got around to it, so I decided to make it into a blog. But, I can't find my paper where I listed everything that I want to cover. Oops. Here goes an attempt to remember all that I had. (Oh, and if you're wishing I had done a more visual form of this, you can imagine me in my mismatched, post-work outfit of a musical tshirt over a long-sleeve tee, gray leggings (I do NOT wear leggings in public, fyi), oversized white socks, and a gray beanie which my mom insisted on calling a sock cap all day lol.
Song of the Year - Bang Bang by Jessie J, Ariana Grande, and Nicki Minaj
I cannot say that I am the biggest fan of Ariana Granda, but, dude, I love this song. It's totally my jam when I'm rocking out in the radio station.
Movie Soundtrack of the Year - The Fault in Our Stars. Ed Sheeran, Charli XCX, and a bunch of random people I don't know of made music that fits together and fits the movie perfectly.
Musical Theatre Album of the Year - If / Then. Whoa. While it is quite vulgar at some parts, this is amazing. The cast sounds phenomenal, and Idina Menzel is perfect. I was #blessed to see the show on Broadway in June of 2014, and I have been in love since then. It's closing next month, so go see it asap.
Musical Movie Song of the Year - Let it Go. You can hate on the Frozen fame, but as a dedicated Fanzel and obsessive Disney freak, I'm going to keep loving it, belting it in my car, and lip syncing to it on Instagram. Seriously, check out my Instagram video from Christmas Eve. Good times at the radio station lol.
Fiction Books of the Year - Looking for Alaska by John Green and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Books are bae, so this was not an easy decision. Plus, I read more in 2014 than I did in all of college (other than assigned reading, of course). I totally jumped on the John Green fanbus this year. How did I not know about him previously?! So in lit-love. I read his four solo books this year, and I have Will Grayson, Will Grayson sitting on my bookshelf and begging to be read. I need to buy Let It Snow asap (or wait until next winter because I feel as if that would be more seasonally appropriate).
Autobiographical Book of the Year - Bossypants by Tina Fey. Guys, I want to be like Tina Fey and Amy Poehler when I grow up...which is now. Gosh, they're so funny. I haven't read Amy Poehler's book, Yes Please, but it's on my mental to-read list. In Tina's book, she writes about doing community theatre and being funny and hanging with the gays, and I'm like, Omg, my life. Basically, Tina and Amy are part of my friendship circle, and they just forget to show up when I'm hanging out with friends. I forgive them because they're freaking awesome.
Honorable Mention in the Autobiographical Book category: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling. Funny, but short.
Christian Book of the Year - Jesus Feminist by Sarah Bessey. Not gonna lie, this was also a difficult decision. Despite living the #PKlife, I haven't been much into Christian literature, and that changed in 2014. I fell in love with the words of Sarah, Rachel Held Evans, and Jen Hatmaker, and they are similar to a blogger who I have read for a few years, Jamie Wright (aka the Very Worst Missionary). Sarah's book further explained, from my own views, that Jesus should be considered a feminist. Feminism is no longer the "crazy", bra-less, men-hating thing that it was years ago. Modern feminism is about gender equality - at home, at work, child-raising, decision-making, etc. I am proudly a Jesus Feminist, and Sarah writes as if she and the reader have been friends for years.
Honorable Mentions: A Year of Biblical Womanhood and Faith Unraveled by Rachel Held Evans and 7 by Jen Hatmaker.
Most Disappointing Books of the Year: Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell and An Abundance of Katherines by John Green. No. Just no.
Movie of the Year: Gone Girl. Omg, I loved the book. I love everything about this movie. Well, almost everything. I could have dealt without everything that happened in that-one-scene-with-NPH near the end, and I think you know what I mean by that. The movie was filmed in my college town during my last semester there, and it was perfect getting to be near the set and hear all about it all of the time. Some of my friends and professors in college were extras in the film, and I got to hear the director, David Fincher, speak at school. So freaking cool.
Honorable Mention: The Fault in Our Stars. Presh. So presh.
Honorable Mention part two: Mockingjay part 1 because who doesn't love the Hunger Games series?!
Professional musical theatre performances that I saw this year: Bring It On at the Carson Center, Wicked at the Tennessee PAC, Newsies on Broadway, If / Then on Broadway, and Mamma Mia! at the Carson Center.
Bring It On was really cool. I doubted that it could have both talented singers and talented cheerleaders, but the cast pulled it off so well. I was extremely impressed. Plus, I got to meet Tyler and Emily Eddington Dihle of Beauty Broadcast after the show, and that was freaking awesome.
Wicked. Fourth time. Need I say more? I have seen it every year since 2010 except for 2013. So, there's that.
Newsies was omg, so cute! Those hot guys dancing...baes. The show had a good connection to journalism, so it was like a mash-up of what I studied in college and what I truly love. Sadly, the show closed later in 2014, but that just means that the people with whom I saw the show (I was chaperoning a trip to NYC) and I had a unique experience.
If / Then - See above for my fangirling. I mean, I WAS IN THE SAME ROOM AS IDINA MENZEL. What?! Cray. Afterward, a student and I met a few of the cast members at the stage door including LaChanze, Tamika Lawrence, Jason Tams, and Jenn Colella. Oh, Anthony Rapp and I tweeted a few times in 2014, and If / Then retweeted my tweet about seeing the show.
Mamma Mia! was kind of a sad way to end the year in regards to professional musical theatre. The show was a let-down because either the script or the acting was not impressive, but the music was great. In the history of the numerous musicals that I have seen, I have never seen one that included a post-show concert. So rad. Plus, one of the guys in the show tweeted to me.
Aaaand, finally, trips of the year. I had a crazy summer packed with chaperoning the trip to NYC (#VHSinNYC), Beta Club national convention (#natbeta14 #vhsbeta14), going to Florida with my family, and moving...twice (#movingsucks)...but the greatest excursion was #LAvacay.
On December 23, 2013, I awoke with an email saying that I had won a contest to be the Biggest Gleek, and I would fly to LA, stay in a nice hotel paid for by Fox and Glee, and be on the set of Glee. It was a super amazing experience, and I should have blogged about it right after it happened. Being on the set of my favorite show on February 6, 2014 was the greatest day of my life, and meeting Darren Criss along with other cast members such as Jane Lynch, Matt Morrison, Melissa Benoist, Alex Newell, Lauren Potter, Becca Tobin, and Blake Jenner and crew members such as Hannah and Ben was amazing.
Thanks to everyone who was in my life in 2014. You made it one of the best - if not the definite best - year of my life. <3
Song of the Year - Bang Bang by Jessie J, Ariana Grande, and Nicki Minaj
I cannot say that I am the biggest fan of Ariana Granda, but, dude, I love this song. It's totally my jam when I'm rocking out in the radio station.
Movie Soundtrack of the Year - The Fault in Our Stars. Ed Sheeran, Charli XCX, and a bunch of random people I don't know of made music that fits together and fits the movie perfectly.
Musical Theatre Album of the Year - If / Then. Whoa. While it is quite vulgar at some parts, this is amazing. The cast sounds phenomenal, and Idina Menzel is perfect. I was #blessed to see the show on Broadway in June of 2014, and I have been in love since then. It's closing next month, so go see it asap.
Musical Movie Song of the Year - Let it Go. You can hate on the Frozen fame, but as a dedicated Fanzel and obsessive Disney freak, I'm going to keep loving it, belting it in my car, and lip syncing to it on Instagram. Seriously, check out my Instagram video from Christmas Eve. Good times at the radio station lol.
Fiction Books of the Year - Looking for Alaska by John Green and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Books are bae, so this was not an easy decision. Plus, I read more in 2014 than I did in all of college (other than assigned reading, of course). I totally jumped on the John Green fanbus this year. How did I not know about him previously?! So in lit-love. I read his four solo books this year, and I have Will Grayson, Will Grayson sitting on my bookshelf and begging to be read. I need to buy Let It Snow asap (or wait until next winter because I feel as if that would be more seasonally appropriate).
Autobiographical Book of the Year - Bossypants by Tina Fey. Guys, I want to be like Tina Fey and Amy Poehler when I grow up...which is now. Gosh, they're so funny. I haven't read Amy Poehler's book, Yes Please, but it's on my mental to-read list. In Tina's book, she writes about doing community theatre and being funny and hanging with the gays, and I'm like, Omg, my life. Basically, Tina and Amy are part of my friendship circle, and they just forget to show up when I'm hanging out with friends. I forgive them because they're freaking awesome.
Honorable Mention in the Autobiographical Book category: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling. Funny, but short.
Christian Book of the Year - Jesus Feminist by Sarah Bessey. Not gonna lie, this was also a difficult decision. Despite living the #PKlife, I haven't been much into Christian literature, and that changed in 2014. I fell in love with the words of Sarah, Rachel Held Evans, and Jen Hatmaker, and they are similar to a blogger who I have read for a few years, Jamie Wright (aka the Very Worst Missionary). Sarah's book further explained, from my own views, that Jesus should be considered a feminist. Feminism is no longer the "crazy", bra-less, men-hating thing that it was years ago. Modern feminism is about gender equality - at home, at work, child-raising, decision-making, etc. I am proudly a Jesus Feminist, and Sarah writes as if she and the reader have been friends for years.
Honorable Mentions: A Year of Biblical Womanhood and Faith Unraveled by Rachel Held Evans and 7 by Jen Hatmaker.
Most Disappointing Books of the Year: Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell and An Abundance of Katherines by John Green. No. Just no.
Movie of the Year: Gone Girl. Omg, I loved the book. I love everything about this movie. Well, almost everything. I could have dealt without everything that happened in that-one-scene-with-NPH near the end, and I think you know what I mean by that. The movie was filmed in my college town during my last semester there, and it was perfect getting to be near the set and hear all about it all of the time. Some of my friends and professors in college were extras in the film, and I got to hear the director, David Fincher, speak at school. So freaking cool.
Honorable Mention: The Fault in Our Stars. Presh. So presh.
Honorable Mention part two: Mockingjay part 1 because who doesn't love the Hunger Games series?!
Professional musical theatre performances that I saw this year: Bring It On at the Carson Center, Wicked at the Tennessee PAC, Newsies on Broadway, If / Then on Broadway, and Mamma Mia! at the Carson Center.
Bring It On was really cool. I doubted that it could have both talented singers and talented cheerleaders, but the cast pulled it off so well. I was extremely impressed. Plus, I got to meet Tyler and Emily Eddington Dihle of Beauty Broadcast after the show, and that was freaking awesome.
Wicked. Fourth time. Need I say more? I have seen it every year since 2010 except for 2013. So, there's that.
Newsies was omg, so cute! Those hot guys dancing...baes. The show had a good connection to journalism, so it was like a mash-up of what I studied in college and what I truly love. Sadly, the show closed later in 2014, but that just means that the people with whom I saw the show (I was chaperoning a trip to NYC) and I had a unique experience.
If / Then - See above for my fangirling. I mean, I WAS IN THE SAME ROOM AS IDINA MENZEL. What?! Cray. Afterward, a student and I met a few of the cast members at the stage door including LaChanze, Tamika Lawrence, Jason Tams, and Jenn Colella. Oh, Anthony Rapp and I tweeted a few times in 2014, and If / Then retweeted my tweet about seeing the show.
Mamma Mia! was kind of a sad way to end the year in regards to professional musical theatre. The show was a let-down because either the script or the acting was not impressive, but the music was great. In the history of the numerous musicals that I have seen, I have never seen one that included a post-show concert. So rad. Plus, one of the guys in the show tweeted to me.
Aaaand, finally, trips of the year. I had a crazy summer packed with chaperoning the trip to NYC (#VHSinNYC), Beta Club national convention (#natbeta14 #vhsbeta14), going to Florida with my family, and moving...twice (#movingsucks)...but the greatest excursion was #LAvacay.
On December 23, 2013, I awoke with an email saying that I had won a contest to be the Biggest Gleek, and I would fly to LA, stay in a nice hotel paid for by Fox and Glee, and be on the set of Glee. It was a super amazing experience, and I should have blogged about it right after it happened. Being on the set of my favorite show on February 6, 2014 was the greatest day of my life, and meeting Darren Criss along with other cast members such as Jane Lynch, Matt Morrison, Melissa Benoist, Alex Newell, Lauren Potter, Becca Tobin, and Blake Jenner and crew members such as Hannah and Ben was amazing.
Thanks to everyone who was in my life in 2014. You made it one of the best - if not the definite best - year of my life. <3
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