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