Sunday, December 26, 2010

Family

Over Christmas break, I've gotten many opportunities to hang out with my friends.

Why is it considered unusual  for me to just want to hang with my family?

Tonight I was invited to a friend's house, but all I want to do is sit here in my living room and watch Toy Story with my little sister and brother. 

I think I'm beginning to see what the important things in life are.

Not that friends aren't important, but that maybe we should slow down some and appreciate the things we have.

Someone it can be nice to get away from the chaos of it all, but there is nothing I love more than spending time at home with my family.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Progressive Dinner

Last night I went to a Progressive Dinner with Calvary church. We all met at the church and were divided into 2 groups. We went to one house for appetizers, then the same house for the main course from Olive Garden, then back to Calvary for dessert. The first house we went to is my dream house. I wanted to take out my camera and take pictures so I can replicate it in 30 years. I was beautiful. So much detail was put into it and it felt so homey. And the food was great too!! Then, we went to another house. It was bigger, but there was so much wasted space that could have been used to their advantage if it was done right. It was sort of an older decorating style too. While we were standing in line, a guy comes to us and says, “Do you know who used to live here?” We were like no. Then he tells us this was Shaun Alexander’s host family while he was in school at Alabama. I was like no way! Then we went upstairs to his bedroom! It has everything he did while at Bama, pictures, books, jerseys, and anything else. We ventured through their house and explored. Then another guy tells us there is an indoor basketball in the master bedroom closet!!! So then we went to find it. In their master bedroom closet, there is a large spiral staircase that leads to a half court basketball court! It is insane! Everyone was down there admiring it. But I did like the first house a lot better. I had never done a Progressive Dinner, but I enjoyed it. It was a lot of fun.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

I love Calvary Baptist Church.

I just got back from the last WELL of my freshman semester. I just want to shout from the rooftops that I love Calvary First Baptist Church so much. Even since the first time I attended, I knew this church just had something about it.
Tonight was the last session of “Pushing Pause.” These past two month we have had different sections like “Pushing Pause for His Power,” “for his Presence,” “for His Peace” and so on. Tonight was “Pushing Pause for His Praise.” God has never left us, and He never will? He knows what id going on in our lives and he does EVERYTHING for a reason. One time during the service we sat in silence for 2-3 minutes praising him for just being Him. I had never done that before. Then we took another 2-3 minutes in total silence to praise him for the people who have influenced our walk with God. Then another 2-3 minutes to praise Him for the suffering we have experienced/ are experiencing in our lives. This was really hard for me with everything that has happened with Molly and Memom. I’ve always wondered why not them? Well, why not them? They have people surrounding them who love them and support and will ALWAYS be there for them. God knew what he was doing when he planned it and it’s not for us to question why. And we ask where God is when these things happen. Where is He? He PLANNED these things! He KNEW they were going to happen! It just really hit me. It made me feel so much more comforted and surrounded by his grace when it sunk into my think head that God KNOWS these things. Through all of our suffering, God is with us the entire time. Then we took another 2-3 to thank him for the people in our lives that have died. They have died here on Earth, but we know they are living in Heaven and we will see them again one day in eternity.
I cannot express how much more I have fallen in love with God with the help of this church.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Til we find our place, on the path unwinding, in the circle, the circle of LIFE!

It took 4 years but we finally did it. We finally won something.
Our senior class won skits this year performing the Lion King.
It was insane. The costumes, practices, bruises and hard work was difficult, but totally worth it.

I can’t explain the feeling I had at the end of our skit when we had a standing ovation. I could not believe it. For so many years we have had no ideas or no participation that it was crazy that we had to take people OFF the stage because it was too crowded. I’ve never seen a class grow so close together in a week than we did this week. I literally can’t explain it. I talked and hugged people I haven’t talked to all year. I think it is sinking in that this is our last year of high school. In 4 months, we may never see a friend again. This is the last time we can do the crazy stuff at GHS. We are now going to be able and look back at our Senior Skit Night and remember the entire audience standing and applauding us for a job well done. I will never forget this.

After, we all went back to the Church of Christ, where practice was held each night, and chilled. It was such a great time for all the guys to kick back and play x-box and the girls to just hang. After, the senior track players had to go to the stadium and meet insane Coach Taylor for a heart to heart meeting. So all of us non-trackstars got crunk in the parking lot while we were waiting on them. Playing music wayyyy to loud from Caleb’s Camero and dancing with everyone. It was such a random group of about 25 but it was so fun. I wish we had been doing this our whole high school. I stayed for about 45 mins but had to go home before the track’sters came out.

I will never ever forget this night.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

2010...the year of no fear

2010… The year of no fear-Nick Jonas
January 4,2009, will forever be one of the best days of my life, but January 4, 2010, might be a contender. I saw Nick Jonas and the Administration at the Ryman. Exactly 365 after last year.
Mom and I arrived in Nashville around 1:30 and headed straight to the Pancake Pantry; the little restaurant in downtown Nashville famous for their pancakes. They were heavenly. I got the chocolate chip ones,

Then after, we rode around and looked at Belmont and Vandy’s campus. After we found Blackbird Studio where Nick recorded his album and many other musicians have recorded. It was also where Nick did the ‘Nick J: Basketball Extraordinaire’ video on the Jonas Brothers’ youtube.

So, Taylor Swift lives in Hendersonville which is about 10 minutes out of Nashville so we head there creeping to find her house… After looking up her address in the phonebook, we have 2 possibilities. We knew she lived on the lake so we started with that one. We drive about around and around trying to find this place. Finally when we get to the neighborhood, at the very end there are 3 huge houses that are sorta gated. It had a gate around the property but there wasn’t one on the road so you could drive through. The GPS told us it was the first house on the left which we are sure it is. There was a white car sitting in the driveway and we think it was security because we pulled in the driveway to take a picture and the guy rolled down the window. We took a few more pictures and the guy started to get out of his car. So we start to back out. Well there is a car coming so we pull back in. No. We were in this person’s driveway. So we back out like idiots and wait for them to pull in. The guy was driving a green Range Rover. The guy who was driving was Austin Swift. Taylor’s younger brother. No lie. I about died. I even pulled his picture up on my phone and showed mom and she was like, ‘Oh my gosh. We just saw her brother and know where she lives!!!’ Needless to say, we had a successful day. It was great.
After that, we headed back to the Ryman to wait for the show!!

We got inside the Ryman about an hour before the show. We walked around looking at all the neat things. Many people have played on that stage and you can feel it all around you. This place is where some people got their start. It’s unexplainable. If you are ever in Nashville, you should check it out.
I sat on the floor while mom sat in the balcony. She called me after Diane Birch was done and the stage crew was setting up for Nick. Christa Black was there! She was their violinist on the 09 tour and has toured with Michael W. Smith for 5 or 6 years before. I go upstairs and am waiting to get a picture when a security guard comes to escort her to her seat. I was about 20 feet away from where the action was taking place so when I asked if I could get a picture she said sure and gave me the biggest hug. I was shaking while we waited for mom to take the picture. Before she left I told her I had read all her blogs and loved her song ‘Walk on Water.’ She grabbed me hand, squeezed it and said, ‘Thanks so much. That means a lot.’ She had a very sincere look on her face. It was amazing. I was shaking for 10 minutes after.

Then after I get back to my seat, mom calls again and says, Michael W. Smith is there sitting by Christa only 4 seats from her! I didn’t get to see him since the concert was about to start…. Jack Mooring was there from Leeland and Jordan Pruitt was there too.
The concert lasted about 2 hours and 30 minutes. It was great. For Nick to be so reserved during interviews, he really lets it out on stage. It is where he belongs, and it definitely shows.

Nick seemed very eager to start playing. He said that it’s going to be an annual thing playing at the Ryman on January 4 from now on! Just watching him, you can tell how comfortable is he playing on stage. He has 4 other band members. One is John Fields who has produced most of their songs. The other 3 are guys who have toured with Prince & the New Generation Band. Sometimes during the concert Iwould watch the other members just stand in awe watching Nick. This is a 17 year old boy who has accomplished some things musicians try to do in their entire lifetime. Winning award after award, hosting award shows, being a Grammy nominee, playing with Stevie Wonder twice, Jordin Sparks, Brad Paisley, Martina McBride, Michael W. Smith, Steven Curtis Chapman, Amy Grant, Vince Gill, Phil Vassar and others at the Ryman, having 3 albums at #1, performed at the Kids Inaugural for the President and his family, Nick testified about his Diabetes in from of the Senate, their 3D movie which is now #3 for concert film of all time, their new tv show, played at Dallas Cowboys Stadium, broke records for ticket sales of the 2009 World Tour, going overseas playing venues, filming Camp Rock 2, their 2nd Rolling Stone Cover, were in Nigh at the Museum 2, Kevin getting married to beautiful Danielle at a fairytale wedding, and so much more.
And this is just the beginning.
No telling what these 3 boys are going to accomplish together and on side projects.

Highlights:
- ‘I’m ready to get down, I’m gonna pour it out for you tonight’
- Looks like shows at the Ryman are an annual thing now.
- ‘I know this material may sound new… but I know you’re quick learners’.
- ‘I have a big announcement. It’s a big one… I’m the funny one’.
- He’s being the funny one. Knock knock joke. He was going tell one that he heard from a fan in the meet and greet but he couldn’t remember how it went so he asked Michael, the drummer, to say one. He asked “Why is 6 afraid of 7?” Which everyone knew=FAIL.
- He said he’ll learn the words to ‘Fireflies’ eventually.
- ALBL speech: ‘New year, new beginnings. 2010: the year of no fear. I can assure you we’ve got big things coming up. 2010 is just the start’.
- ‘Sometimes something beautiful can come out of a tough situation…’
- ‘My name is Nick Jonas and we are the Administration’.

Setlist:
Last Time Around
State of Emergency
Olive and an Arrow
Inseparable
While the World is Spinning
Fireflies
Use Somebody
Before the Storm (solo version)
Black Keys / ALBL
Vesper’s Goodbye
Conspiracy Theory
Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours – Stevie Wonder cover
Rose Garden
Stronger
Tonight
Who I Am

This is a night I will cherish forever.