"The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear."

HOLIDAY FILMS

I have decided to watch and BLOG about as many Christmas films as possible this year!
Starting off with my all time favorite!


HOLIDAY FILM #1: ELF

As I said, this is definitely my favorite movie of the holiday season, so it is only fair that it is the first.
I never really feel in the spirit until I watch ELF all the way through and tonight I finished the 2/3rds that were left from starting it yesterday.

What is not to love about this winner? I know it isn't quite a "classic" yet but something about ELF just feel Christmas to me. In my opinion they have yet to come out with a better Christmas film since Elf came out in 2003.

I think ELF will always hold a special place in my heart because I was in my prime Christmas enjoying years when it came out. I was definitely old enough to appreciate the brilliance but still had the childlike joy of Christmastime to hold on to.
The character of Buddy is so wonderful, a guy who never stopped enjoying the most wonderful time of the year and I mean... he saved Christmas!

The humor is hilarious and appealing to both younger and older audiences.
The content is minimal which makes it perfect for a family Christmas film.
The sensational score by John Debney is just as crucial to the films success as the beautiful visuals of the North Pole and Christmas in NYC and the hilarious dialogue.

I really just think ELF is a fun holiday film. To me, it's an in-your-face "I LOVE CHRISTMAS" movie... so obviously it has to be at the top of my list.

Now... what should I watch next? Thoughts?

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I remember when STEVE went to college...

Summer is officially over...
Why is that sentence so difficult for me to believe this time?
I feel like a few nights ago with Jenn, DJ, and Mary I finally had a summer night like I was looking forward to.

My last summer of "childhood" as it was and I am not going to lie... it was pretty anti climactic. My summer was drowning in night after night of a rehearsal followed by driving to somebody's house and just sitting around. Don't get me wrong...sitting around is loads of fun but why did none of us take the time to sit outside this year? No bonfires...or stargazing...or anything that is supposed to be part of a stereotypical "summer".

Don't get me wrong... parts of my summer were incredible and a HUGE blessing...like NEW YORK CITY.

Everything about NEW YORK was exactly what I could want it to be. I had an incredible time with friends, I got to see some amazing shows, and I got to get away from Illinois for a little bit. I wouldn't trade those 5(ish) days for the WORLD.

I am ridiculously proud of the cast of "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee."

I am so happy that my group of friends set out to have a bible study this summer and we did! 6 weeks of a bible study is definitely an achievement and where ever we go with the group, I feel great knowing that we took some time out of this summer to just give time to our INCREDIBLE God.

But now, summer is over...and in a few short hours, I will be at Judson University starting a weekend of orientation because come tuesday, I will be a student there. I've seen a bunch of my friends leave for school, esp this year...I feel like my entire generation (give or take a year) is leaving OR is a Senior this year. How weird is that.
I keep thinking back to all my school years here in Illinois. Each year at Westfield was distinct and very different in my mind. My 3 years of high school are the complete opposite. They all blur together in my mind.
What I think is actually funnier is how I can remember most the years of my life in musicals... (NERD ALERT) I not only remember what shows I was in...but don't we all do that? No no, I also remember what musical was my "IT" show...hahaha (NERDDD)

HONK!
Wicked
Tarzan
Hairspray
Legally Blonde
tick, tick...BOOM!
Rent
Les Mis

And the whole world knows how obsessed I am with Next to Normal currently... The point is, all those shows resonate a different time in my life with me. Anytime I hear those different thoughts and memories and comforts come to my mind. Through those times I had different friends, different likes and dislikes, and so many other different outlooks on things.
In a few hours I will be starting another part of life...another major chapter in my book. Another scene in my show, another track on my soundtrack.
Through it I will make more friends, get new opinions, have new prayers, and probably fall for new shows too.

One day, I'm going to look back at the shows I listen to throughout college. And the memories of those friends and those memories and those comforts will come to mind. So, if I know one day these fears of the unknown will one day be comforts...what is there to be afraid of?

God's got it. He always had, and always will.
In the words of Peter Pan...Here we goooooo!

I kind of understand!

So I HATE when people I care about make bad decisions...
Anybody who has talked deeper with me on this subject knows that it seriously HURTS me to watch people I love and care about make bad decisions.

I can honestly...with 100% of my heart say that if I had the option, I WOULD undergo physical pain for them to be able to take back some of their actions and all the repercussions of said actions.

I was praying more about this tonight and I realized that the first thing is how I make God feel so often. He loves me so much that it HURTS him when I don't follow his way (the best way) and when I do things that ultimately are harmful to myself and/or my spirit.
God loves us all so much...and hurts so badly for all of that...and wants to badly for our repercussion of said actions (HELL) to be taken away. That's why he sent his son to serve as himself in human form to undergo that pain and suffering so we could be free from our terrible, terrible ways. He saw all the awful things I was going to do and felt pain. He saw all the awful things people I love were going to do and how much it would hurt me...and he again felt pain. He saw what this world would end up and decided that he still loved us SO MUCH that he would undergo whatever pain necessary for us to be free from it and to not have to suffer because of our awful decisions.

This made me realize that my pain for my friends when they make/have made bad decisions is right! That love for them that makes me want to be able to make it go away is a tiny example of Christ's love for each of us!

Now I know I am nowhere NEAR able to offer the LOVE he has for us... but this tiny little glimpse of God's love and how it feels...it's just really nice.

HE LOVES US SO MUCH!

I spelled "write" like "right" in my last blog...

Let's try this again shall we?

You know what I've realized recently? How much time I spend THINKING.

and this thought...makes me think (redundant) about what it is I THINK about.

I've recently realized that a lot of the things that take up my time thinking are NOT the things I want to.

Now, hold your horses. I promise I don't spend my time thinking about sinful things. I mean sure everybody struggles with a bad thought now and again but it is not what I am referring to here at all.
What I am referring to is how much time I spend thinking about things that don't matter.

I worry a lot.
I spend way to much time thinking about the future when I have a perfectly great NOW right in front of me.
I wonder what other people are doing all the time.
AND there are a few things that have been on my mind lately that I won't publish here but they basically just include friend drama which is never worth the time to dwell on.

I'm going to try to get back into the habit I was getting into in the Fall and beginning of Winter. I read somewhere that the best way to keep bad thoughts out is to fill up our thoughts with pleasant thoughts fixated on God.

Philippians 4:8 says
Finally my brothers, whatever is true, whatever is pure, whatever is noble, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent and praiseworthy think about such things.

Worrying isn't nobly, or lovely, and I certainly don't admire those who spend their time worrying. In fact the Bible says worrying is a sin in Romans. everything that does not come from faith is sin. God also promises us he has it under control in Matthew. In one of my favorite passages in the Bible.
Matthew 6: 25-27
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
Love it. Simply love it.

God goes on to address thinking about the future in the same passage. Do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough troubles of it's own.

Now, wondering about what other people are doing is different. I wouldn't say it is untrue or non admirable or any of that but it is unnecessary. Just saying it shouldn't take as much time as it does.

And finally conflicts with friends-that is not true, that is not pure. That is not noble and it is certainly not lovely or admirable. Yet I let it take up all this mind time. Time I could spend thanking God for things and talking to my creator.
It may sound ridiculous but when you think about it, why are we not engulfed in thoughts of out amazing God all the time? How come we don't get in our car and say a quick "thanks God for this car that I can use to get around in." How come seeing a sad person in the store doesn't automatically bring up a prayer of "Lord just be with them for whatever it is they are hurting over." Little things in life deserve so much more time and thought than we give them. I don't know about you, but I personally spend far to much time thinking about big things that I have no control over when I COULD be thinking about the little things I am blessed with everyday. I could be talking to God throughout my every day if I just made a little bit more room for him in my head by throwing out some of the junk that I let take upspace in there.

So that's my current challenge for myself. Philippians 4:8

Welcome Back.

I tried to right a great blog tonight....





I didn't succeed.




Another time I suppose.

Little Shop of Awesome/I need an attitude adjustment

Little Shop closed tonight after what felt like one of the best performances of my life. I'm so thankful and blessed.
The show was everything I wanted it to be. I gained everything I had hoped I would. Tonight I felt like I was living out my dream role.
I think back to the rehearsal where I was worried about if I would have a voice for shows and I seriously HEARD God say in my head "Do you really think I'd give you all this and just take it away?"
Amazing. just amazing. So thankful.
Here's hoping it's not over. (REMOUNT! REMOUNT! REMOUNT!)

SLASH

You know when I feel most happy? When I'm worshiping (like music) God and when I am performing. Otherwise I realized I am a very stubborn person. I get bored so easily and always want something new the second something starts to feel even a little old. I don't like things to stay the same too long cuz then I get bored and feel trapped (gross teenage angst symptoms) but if things start changing to much I want the world to slow down.
The only thing I don't get sick of is God and performing. I feel like I even get tired of the same people for too long. I realize that's terrible cuz I love my friends and family to death but I'm a person who just likes breaks from people sometimes. I have a few people in my life I love so much but rarely get to see so everytime I do I love it. I just hate the feeling of "expecting" to see somebody cuz you see them all the time.
I don't think I'm making sense.
I think I need an attitude adjustment.