Day 1571: Reading and Writing

While it's been nearly 16 years since I was last in Kindergarten, I can still clearly remember some of my first favorite books. One in particular could probably be better described by my mother, but I remember it because it was one of two books I read constantly on a trip to Walt Disney World. The first book, which was called Up, Up and Away, or something similar, was about a rocketship...and that's absolutely all I remember about the plot of the book. Regardless, I remember reading it at dinner at The Garden Grill that trip, showing it to Chip and Dale as they stopped by the table. I also remember the mac & cheese, which, quite honestly, I could go for right about now. 

The second, and the one I remember the most, was called Chick’s Walk and was about a little chick who roamed around meeting new animals. Chick would say hello to each one, from the pigs to the cows to the alligator…wait. Alligator? Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye. (That’s how the book ends…because of course, a chick probably doesn’t want to meet an alligator.

After that, there was only one book amongst the slew of others I read: The Ghost Family Meets Its Match. It was about a family of ghosts who, at the start of the book, live happily in their ghostly retreat. Then, out of the blue, another family moves into the house, and the ghost family devises a plan to haunt the newcomers out of the building. Only it doesn’t work…because the new family is a bunch of werewolves! They lived happily ever (eternally?) after in the house after that. I must have checked out that book at least every other week for a good few years in Elementary school, and I distinctly remember making my parents read it to me until I had it memorized…and then I read it by myself hidden in their closet. Why the closet? I have no idea, but I do know that it’s the one book I’d give anything to have a copy of now that I’m older.

While I wonder if The Ghost Family Meets Its Match is still hidden somewhere in my elementary school library (even though I wore out the binding before I even left), a few other books also come to mind, like all those series I read anywhere between second grade and the end of middle school: Heartland, Warriors, Little House on the Prairie, Harry Potter, The Princess Diaries (but definitely not in that exact order). Each was completely different, but like Chick's Walk and Up, Up, and Away, they all contributed to one important element of my reading and writing: a personal style. 

We all love different books, and we all write different ways, and the way I look at it, the books we read throughout our life make up a unique recipe for our writing style, as we take little bits and pieces from things we've read and apply them to our own style. I mean, I can't say that I'm about to write a story about a chick and an alligator, but I definitely love short funny moments in my writing, and that's exactly something that was in Chick's Walk all those years ago. So reading is important, my friends, especially if you want to be a writer. 

Have a magical day!

Day 1561: Literary Parents

I was supposed to write this blog post for my Creative Writing seminar a week ago, but then life got in the way and it never happened. I did, on the other hand, think pretty deeply about the answer to the question we used as a prompt - Who are your literary parents? - and as I like to say, better late than never! 

Honestly though, I initially had no clue about how to answer the question at hand. While I've been an avid reader and writer my entire life, there isn't anyone in particular that's inspired me to the point where I'd single them out as a "literary parent." Well, I suppose, with the exception of Walt Disney and the writers behind some of our favorite animated films. And if we're citing Walt as a literary parent in regards to fairy tales, we really should be citing the writers of the original stories, and that's where things get deep. 

One could say that I don't know precisely who my literary parents are because it's unlikely anyone knows who they are. If the root of my literary background stems from fairy tales, my literary parents are sort of like those long-lost relatives someone might try and search out on the TV show Who Do You Think You Are? In the fairy tale tradition, many of the stories we know and love are simply transcriptions from oral fairy tales that were passed down through the centuries. Unfortunately, no one apparently found it important to write the names of the storytellers down, or dig up information as to where the tales came from before that, so much of the knowledge has been lost or destroyed. Aka, a tough break for those of us trying to figure out where our literary parents are. 

Of course, some of them are definitive. There are some fairy tales, many fairy tales actually, created by the author that's listed on the front cover, such as Hans Christian Anderson or modern day fairy tale writer Emma Donoghue. Plus, my writing style has certainly been impacted by the show Once Upon A Time, so you could also say that the creators, Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, along with their army of writers, have earned a spot on my list of literary parents as well, but the point still stands. No on in particular jumps out as the literary parent, and here's an additional thought as to why that may be: 

Somewhere out there, there's a quote that talks about how we're influenced by every person we meet, even if it's only a small influence or, perhaps, no apparent influence at all. I'm not entirely sure it would be fair to say that if you'd never interacted or "randomly stood next to each other and didn't even notice each other that one time" that you entire life would change, but fate does seem to work in mysterious ways. Regardless, if you apply this theory to literature, you could say that every author I've ever read is one of my literary parents, because they've all impacted me in some way. Some may have made a major impact, like the authors of fairy tales, and some may play only a minor role, like the authors of the books I read but don't remember reading in middle school, but the important part is that they all, in one way or another, have influenced my writing. 

So who are my literary parents? I'd say everyone, and while that may seem a bit messed up biologically, this isn't a science class, so who cares? 

Have a magical day! 

Day 1543: No Rest for the Disney

Apparently I'm only stopping by to write blog posts for my creative writing class because I favor sleep over more writing at the end of the day. Ironically enough, this blog post is distinctly about how we don't need sleep...sort of. 

A few weeks ago we read an article on sleep for class, and while I'll admit that I completely forgot to read it for the class period we were supposed to read it for, I did go back and read through it afterwards, and I'm glad I did. The article, How to Sleep debunks some of the myths about sleep in an informative and somewhat comical way. As a college student, I can definitely say that the amount of sleep I'm getting probably isn't what I should be getting, but to read an article about sleep itself made me think about more than just my current schedule. 

In the article, James Hamblin discusses how much sleep we actually need, if caffeine really works, and my personal favorite part - if we can train ourselves to need less sleep. Hamblin tells the tale of a high school student in San Diego who stayed awake for 264 hours. He did it for a science project, and while I know for a fact that I wouldn't be able to stay awake for 11 days, I'm almost sold on the idea of training ourselves to need less sleep. Why? Disney World. 

If you've ever spent a day or two at a Disney Park, you might be familiar with the early mornings, exhausting afternoons, and long nights. Honestly, my motto generally is that there's no sleep at Disney World, because typically there's always something going on that you'll want to experience. So, instead of resting on our "vacation," we head to park opening in the morning and stay until we're the last ones out of the park at night. Then we go back to the room, catch a couple of hours of sleep, and get up to do it all over again. 

Of course, at the end of the article, he wonders how one might break the cycle of sleep deprivation, and in our everyday lives, that might be possible. We might be able to turn off our phones long before we go to bed, sleep at regular times each night, and drink less caffeine in the real world, and there's our solution. But in all honesty, I just don't see that happening at Disney. We need to be on our phones to post all the exciting pictures from our day, there are no "regular hours," because when Animal Kingdom opens at 7 and closes at 11, but Epcot's hours the next day are 9 to 9, you go with the flow, and with all the Starbucks locations now open in the parks, caffeine is all too easy to find. 

So sleep at home. Save the sleep deprivation for Disney World. 

Day 1529: Reading For Fun

Our prompt this week for Creative Writing Seminar is to write about something we've been reading lately, or have read, outside of class that has either inspired us or put us off. If I was lying, I'd probably go on some rant about how much I enjoyed reading The Martian this past summer and how it really impacted me emotionally and reminded me just how much I love reading (although, is suppose, that wouldn't be all that distant from the truth). However, as Pinocchio taught me, I must not tell a lie, and that means that I have to be honest about the fact that I haven't had a lot of time for reading lately. Aside from my regular schoolwork, all my spare time has gone to rehearsing for Knights on Broadway, which leaves in just a couple of days to perform in Florida, or practicing my pieces for my recital, which is quickly approaching in just over a month. So yeah, not a lot of time to spare. Unless I learn how to dance while reading. That could be fun. 

I suppose I do  have that giant and ever-growing stack of books that resides on the bottom shelf of my bedside table, which features novels and memoirs I've been intending to read and may finally dig into sometime this upcoming summer (that's probably wishful thinking though). Still, even as I think back to what I've read over the past few years (which, as I said, isn't much), nothing really stands out to me as important in some way. Actually, it's almost as though I can't remember any book I've ever read (except, apparently, The Martian and Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?). So no, I suppose I don't have an answer to the question about which book I particularly enjoyed or didn't enjoy, and maybe that says something interesting in itself. 

A significant portion of my life has been spent reading, and there are days when I want nothing more than to curl up on my balcony or in a comfy chair with some tea, a blanket, and some excellent music just so I can spend an evening reading the latest hardcover or paperback I've picked up. However, with being a full time college student, recently those books have been more in the realm of Shakespeare plays I'm reading for my independent study rather than something for fun (not that Shakespeare isn't fun). It's still reading, yes, and I can definitely still curl up with a blanket and some tea, but there's still a difference between reading for enjoyment and reading about the typical range of your average Bb Trumpet. 

It is important to note, however, that I typically bring books with me when I'm traveling. I almost always buy a new one before I leave, because there's always ample time for me to do nothing but read while sitting at an airport or on a plane. It's like time automatically set aside for reading. Unless, of course, I manage to finish my book before I even get on the plane. Then we have a problem. Coincidentally, I've also been known to do some of my best writing on planes, so perhaps I should be reconsidering my life choices and spending more time at airports and less time on the couch in my living room. The goods news here is that I'll be traveling within the next 48 hours (I'll actually be in Florida 48 hours from now), so perhaps I might actually get some reading and writing done then. 

None of this has been a description of a book that's influenced me though, mostly because I still can't recall most of what I've read in the past couple of years. It's amazing how your memory will fail you like that. So I'll just go with a blanket answer - it's not as much about what I've read recently or in my life as much as it's about why I've read. Reading (and writing) have been important parts of my life for almost as long as I can remember, reaching all the way back to reading a children's book called The Ghost Family Meets Its Match in my parents' closet every other week (the library wouldn't let me check it out more frequently than that), and all the reading that has shaped me into the book-loving English major I am today. Plus, there's definitely something to be said about all the wonderful books that inspired Disney movies over the years, because yes, this is still a Disney blog and I have to relate it somehow. Just think, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Sleeping Beauty, Tangled, or Cinderella wouldn't exist if not for the fairy tales they're based on. Even films such as 101 Dalmatians and Mary Poppins are derived from the pages of a book, and those films have definitely inspired me throughout my life, so there you go. 

Which means that the answer to the initial question, about what I've read that has impacted me in some way, lies somewhere in between The Ghost Family Meets Its Match and Mary Poppins, although to be fair, I've never actually read Mary Poppins. 

I should probably get on that. 

Have a magical day! 

Day 1512: A Significant Moment

It's time for another blog post focused on my Creative Writing Seminar, although since I haven't had a chance to write another blog post since the last piece focusing on the class, it's almost as though no time has passed at all. Regardless, this week we've been challenged to discuss an important moment in our writing history, and, for me at least, there are few moments that could top the stirrings of Everyday Disney back in late 2012.

Prior to January 2013, and really prior to later that year, blogging had never been my strong suit. The most I'd written in the blog post category could be found in the expectations section of any number of high school syllabi, and that meant that even the first few months of constant blogging were pretty rough, although that's not why starting Everyday Disney takes the cake on my list of significant writing moments.

Like many of my peers, I can definitely recall moments as a kid where I'd make little books out of blank paper and a few staples or where I'd seek out a spare notebook from the depths of my basement to scribble in. I'd typically write stories about dogs, probably from the dog's point of view, but what can I say? I watched a lot of Air Bud as a kid...and I really wanted a dog. I suppose one could suggest that these early days were important because it gave me an opportunity to explore my imagination, but in the overall scheme of things, that just wasn't the most significant part of my writing journey, and that's okay.

Fast forward to my high school years, where, amongst all that horrible blogging, I discovered not particularly that I liked writing as much as it just came naturally to me. I can still recall sitting in an Intro to Business class, of all places, happily typing away at a paper or letter we had to write for an assignment, and my friends, who sat on either side of me, commenting on just how quickly I was moving along. I figured they just meant my typing, because I've always been notoriously fast and loud at typing, but in reality they were talking about the actual writing I was doing. In a trend that would continue throughout the remainder of my high school years, where my peers would struggle with what to say on an in-class essay or any essay in general, I'd quite contently work my way down each page, writing, writing, and writing some more.

By the start of my senior year, I was locked in an internal debate about what I'd major in when I headed to college the following fall. I knew I was good at writing, and I knew I liked writing, but I also knew that music would be a good fit for me, and history was constantly knocking at the door as well. But trying to achieve a triple major sounded like a horrible idea, so I did the best I could and dropped the official major for History in favor of focusing on English and Music. That decision wouldn't have come, however, without Everyday Disney.

To this day, I'm not entirely sure what I was thinking in the last few weeks of 2012 that made me so eager to write a blog post a day for an entire year. It was a lot of work, I'd be going through a lot of changes, the internet at my house was slower than a turtle on a bad day, and I had no prior experience with blogging. Little did I know that there was one day to fix at least a few of those problems. Blogging every day was, at first, really difficult and taxing. It still is on some days, especially now as I head into the fifth year and frequently struggle with coming up with brand new topics that I have yet to cover, but the more I blogged, the easier it became. Because of the consistency of writing a daily blog, I was able to keep writing even when it seemed like my muse was floating away, and that's a lesson you can only learn through continuous writing. You have to push through it, and I wouldn't know that without my daily blog. In addition, I've gained writing experience, found a voice of my own, expanded my vocabulary, learned what it means to write professionally on a regular basis, meet deadlines, and continue to pump enthusiasm into posts even when you're writing them at 11 pm on a Monday night and all you want to do is go to bed.

Was Everyday Disney the only important moment in my writing journey? Goodness no, and to be honest it doesn't have all that much to do with creative writing specifically, because there are plenty of other elements at play there, but when it comes to my writing as a whole, I'm incredibly thankful that 17-year-old me decided to start a daily blog about Disney...even if I'm behind for what seems to be the hundredth time.

Until tomorrow...or the next Creative Writing Seminar blog post,

Have a magical day!

Day 1493: A New Challenge

I write...a lot. 

For my wonderful regular readers here at Everyday Disney, this probably isn't much of a surprise anymore. You know quite well how I am capable of rambling on for what feels like days about some Disney-oriented topic that probably didn't require a five-page explanation. Alright, so perhaps my blog posts aren't that long, but in the four years I've been writing here, I have discussed my writing more than a few times, and really, things haven't changed much. I'm still writing for Everyday Disney, as well as The Odyssey Online, multiple classes, video scripts, in a personal journal and, for the most part, anywhere else I can find a spot to jot down a few ideas or a quick story. 

But as we start a new month and as I write the first in a new series of blog posts (which I'll explain in a moment), I've decided on a new challenge for the month of February that will encourage me to actually keep up with daily blog posts, tie in my coursework with Disney in a whole new way, and will be, I believe, rather interesting.

I'm going to count every word I write in the month of February, and here's the how and why: 

As I round out my final year at St. Norbert College, I've returned to working toward a degree in English with a Creative Writing Emphasis and am enrolled in a creative writing seminar. It's more or less an extension of a fiction workshop course I took last semester, which reminded me why I love writing in the first place. This semester, we're required to write a few blog posts in addition to our regular writing exercises, which I took as a brand new challenge, figuring it would be fun to really intertwine my coursework with what I'm already doing here. 

And as for the first blog post topic? You guessed it - writing. 

When I really sat down and thought about my writing though, I realized that much of my writing style has been, at least in some way, shape or form, influenced directly by Disney or through some connection to the company. In particular, through reading Anne Lamott's bird by bird, I've noticed a few direct examples of this. 

I write like I'm directing a film. Lamott notes that, when writing, she'll frequently imagine a scene as though it were on film. What would the background look like? How would the characters be situated in the scene? What would they be wearing? What would the lighting be like? In all reality - what would it look like if it were a movie instead of words on a page? When I read this, I couldn't help but smile because thank goodness someone else does this too. Working as a videographer and photographer on the side, I'm always picturing exactly how everything would look as though I were in the Disney studios creating a storyboard to make my work into a movie. 

I also rely on the details, similar to the way Disney-Pixar so carefully creates the shadows and reflections that make films such as Finding Nemo or Cars so realistic. I do my research and ground my works in reality, even if the characters and events of my writing are completely fictional. If I'm writing a piece I want to set in Ireland, I'll search the internet until I find the exact location I'm looking for. If I'm writing a piece on a car salesman in the 1950s, I'll search out that perfect name for his wife, what suit he probably would be wearing and what car he'd be likely to drive. I'll do research to the point where, if you read my piece, you'd probably believe that I'd been to Ireland or actually lived as a 1950s car salesman in a former life (spoiler alerts: I haven't been to Europe and I'm fairly certain I wasn't a car salesman...I think). Anne Lamott discusses this too, only for her the topic is gardening, and she works to insure that her writing is as accurate as the apples that are growing on a tree in the fictional backyard, despite the fact that she has fake flowers outside her own home. 

I write with the knowledge that it won't be the final product. Mickey Mouse, as you may or may not know, wasn't Walt Disney's first hit character, meaning Mickey Mouse wasn't the first draft. Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was, and he was stolen from Walt along with his workers just before the creation of the mouse we know and love today. But Oswald taught Walt important lessons, and served a purpose of his own. Our first drafts don't have to work out, because they're just paving the way for the spectacular drafts yet to come. Reminding myself that even the creators of Tangled and The Lion King probably had, as Lamott notes, "shitty first drafts," keeps me going through the day. Maybe I won't get it right in the first draft, or the second, or the third, but if I keep working at it, eventually I'll find my own Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, although, perhaps I should aim for Mickey in this metaphor.

The point here is this, because this blog post is getting much longer than anticipated - my writing is constantly evolving, but no matter how far off track I get, I'm always grounded by the habits and strategies I've picked up along the way, the most important one of which is writing a lot. As I tally up the words that make up blog posts, articles, assignments, and journal entries throughout the month of February, I'm excited to see just how much I'm writing, and to reexamine what I'm writing as time goes on, because I'm sure that, as always, it will be quite the adventure.

Expect to see more blog posts from my Creative Writing Seminar in the future. Each will be tagged with #sncEngl425 if you want to hone in on just those posts - or if you're one of my classmates and don't feel the need to listen to my sometimes lengthy spiels about Spaceship Earth.

Have a magical day!

Day 1450: KOB

Yep, that's me you see in the above picture, and yes, I'm singing. Honestly I don't think I believe it yet either, even though I just completed my first ever six show run with the St. Norbert College Knights on Broadway. 

A year ago, almost to the day (December 2015 was a big month for me in the change and important life event department), I became the newest KOGroupie. Before last year's show, I was sort of in a bad place. With emotions running high from roommate difficulties, I'd spent the week studying for finals and commuting to school, and by Friday I really needed a break. Earlier that day, one of the members of KOB happened to instruct me on exactly where to sit for the show that night. I did as he told me, and part way through the show it led to a (not-so) spontaneous dance that literally made my entire week so much better. For those couple of minutes, I forgot all about my roommates and the problems we'd been having, and I was happier than I'd been in quite some time. I left that show wanting to see more, and went from the average fan of Knights on Broadway to their biggest fan. 

My love of the student group only grew in the following months, all leading up to August when I was watching The Sound of Music in my living room and decided that maybe I wanted to audition for the group. After all, audition information had just been posted, and I had a few weeks to really figure things out. After talking it over with a few of my friends, I ended up going in and talking to the director and soon found myself the newest member of Knights on Broadway (after an audition and callbacks, of course). 

The rest is a story from another blog post, but now that we've ended our Christmas show, I'm so thankful I decided to audition. It was a huge step for me, especially considering the fact that I haven't really been in a vocal group since middle school. My singing has extended little beyond my car and my church for the past 8 years, so this was all entirely new for me. 

But I loved every last second of it. Over the past year, I've struggled with finding where I belong. My friends have changed more than a few times, I've moved several times, traveled all over the country, and gotten drastically behind in blog posts and YouTube videos, but as I was singing a mash up of "Silent Night," "O Holy Night," and "Hallelujah" with KOB this past weekend, I finally felt like I belong. These people don't force me to be anything I'm not, and quite honestly, I've never been more confident in who I am. I've found a new familiarity with the stage that I've never had before, was reminded why I love music so much, was encouraged to look past obstacles and pursue what I really want, and found myself a part of a new family that I wouldn't trade for anything. 

Auditioning for Knights on Broadway is absolutely, without a doubt in my mind, the best thing I've ever done in college. I've never felt more at home, and I honestly don't think I've ever been happier. This group, which I once thought I'd never be a part of in my wildest dreams, has given me more than I could ever ask for, and I can't wait for the new adventures we'll have in the spring. 

Which, may I add, includes a little trip to Florida, and perhaps, a dash of Disney. 

Have a magical day!

Day 1380: How Time Flies

It feels like just the other day I was starting the semester, or even better, just the other day that I was in Florida for National Youth Event at the end of July, and here I am now having completed another trip last week. 

But the world (and work) must go on, and I've found myself once again falling victim to the lapse in blog posts, which is a constant strain since I'm always aware of the fact that even when my homework is done and the latest vlog is edited, my music is practiced and plants watered, there's still something I need to be doing. Problem is, I'm usually too tired to sit down and write one blog post, much less the 50+ that are now missing from Everyday Disney. 

It probably doesn't help that I've been writing other places too, and most of my free time these days, what little there is, is spent sleeping, actually eating a meal, or with my friends. It's a constant balance, but at the same time, being at Disney last week reminded me that I sort of miss writing for this blog. It was easy, exciting, and while occasionally a lot of work, still just as, if not more fulfilling than some of the other work I do during the week. 

This does put me in sort of a pickle though. I hate not having my blog up to date, but the thought of postponing work on Everyday Disney until next January or later seems appalling, especially with the prospect of applying for the Disney College Program in a few short months. And truth be told, Everyday Disney got me through my last major transition in life - high school into college - and moving ahead without it feels absolutely wrong. 

So I'm exploring new ideas about what to blog about, sort of like the scientists in Living With the Land are exploring new ways to grow crops, or Walt Disney Imagineering is exploring new attraction ideas for the parks. There are a lot of days to fill, but luckily there's one thing we aren't running short on, and that's Disney. 

Dual blog posts begin tomorrow, with a current post and a make-up post every day of the week! 

Have a magical day!  

Day 1340: Take a Chance

I originally wrote this for The Odyssey Online, but I thought it would be important to share here as well, largely because Everyday Disney has been a crucial part of my journey through college, and it's been here that I've learned that taking risks can sometimes lead to the best parts of your life. 

It's barely a week into my senior year at SNC and something in the air feels different. 

Yes, many of my professors have changed, my on-campus job has left me more than a bit frazzled as we adjust to endless changes in the department I work for and the friends I had a year ago are now absolute strangers, but that's not what I'm talking about, at least not entirely. As I look back on memories from a year ago, when I thought for sure that I had my life together, I realize that I'm not the same person I was back then. Not by a long shot. 

Backstory time. Way back in middle school, I quit choir because of a grading situation that left kids in band and choir with lower grades than those just in choir. I loved singing, and I still love singing, but I couldn't let my GPA suffer, and since the day I walked out of the choir room, the amount I've sung for others consists of anyone who has spent more than a few hours with me in a car and the extremely forgiving ears of my church congregation. 

Fast forward to college, where I have almost religiously attended performances by a vocal group called Knights on Broadway. It's a select group of college singers from all over campus that come together to perform Broadway songs old and new, and since the first time I saw them sing, I've been in awe. By the end of my junior year, I was occasionally referred to as the KOB Groupie, a title I wore with pride. 

Which brings us to two weeks ago, when I watched The Sound of Music for what seems like the 400th time and realized that maybe, just maybe, I could audition for Knights on Broadway. A couple of days later, I found myself in the office of the group's director, gathering all my courage to mention that I was considering auditioning for the group. 

I ended up making it to callbacks. 

Now, I'm sitting in my small apartment overwhelmed as what I just did starts to set in. I auditioned for Knights on Broadway. This is absolutely something I would have never thought of doing a year ago, and while, yes, I was more terrified walking up on that stage than the time I watched Psycho alone in an empty house, it was so incredibly worth it. 

I'm still not sure exactly what it was that inspired me to even think of auditioning, and I won't know for a few days if I got in, but taking chances like this has made me realize that I should be making the most of the doors that are still open to me. I may be a senior, and taking risks is always frightening, but what kinds of wonderful experiences am I letting pass me by? 

So I'm taking a vow this school year to make the most of every opportunity that comes my way. No matter how terrifying or impossible it seems, these are experiences I'll never have again, and I want to make the most of every moment I have left in college. Even if some things don't work out, even if I don't get into Knights on Broadway, the important thing is that I tried. 

And so, the air may feel different this year as I take chances I never dreamed of and make the most of every second I have left with my college family, but I'm OK with that. It's a good thing, because above all else, I'm so much happier than I was before, and that's all that really matters. 

Have a magical day!

Update: I got in! 

Day 1232: And So It Ends

They say that college is going to be the best four years of your life, and while in some regards they're entirely right, they're also sort of wrong. My first two years of college went by mostly without a hitch, but this third year tested me in ways I never expected. Still, this past semester especially brought me not only a new apartment and new classes, but new friends and a new life altogether.

I'm logical enough to not go in depth about anything that did happen in the past 9 months, but in the last 4 there were so many great moments that definitely outshone the bad ones, and I couldn't have done any of it without my pals in the picture up above. You already know Megan, and then there's me, followed by my friends Brian, Lauren, Erin, and Allie, and I owe each of them so much for basically saving my junior year, taking it from the hell I experienced in December and January and turning it into the joy and happiness of these last few months.

Whether it be trips to see Donald Trump on our college campus or Game of Thrones marathons, late night chats, awkward experiences, cherpumples, movie nights, or most importantly, our sunshine lunches, this bunch let me be myself and helped me rise up rather than attempted to bring me down, and I'm definitely a stronger person now, more dedicated to my future than ever.

But we're still at the end of my sixth semester of college, a point in time I never really expected to actually come. I've lived in four different campus buildings, and taken a whole slew of classes, but luckily I have another year to spend with these folks before I head somewhere far off, and before that last year even comes I've got a whole summer to dedicate to the things and people I love, and considering where I was a few months ago, nothing makes me happier than that prospect.

Have a magical day!

Day 1225: The Ins and Outs

Finals week is upon us and I don't think I've ever known so much about music history. 

Unfortunately, four of my five finals are falling on the same day, which isn't really a situation I'd like to find myself in. Plus, they're all early in the week, which gives me less time to study. What this leaves me with is a ton of studying to do with not a lot of time, so I've been listening to my fair share of Disney music to keep me sane. 

It seems that as the years go on, things get both harder and busier...which probably isn't surprising considering the fact that, theoretically, junior year should be harder than freshman year. The great part about it though is that it almost motivates me more...to a point. Because I have so much more going on, my will to prove that I can handle it all increases, meaning that I study a little harder to achieve that 4.0 and spend a bit of extra time making sure everything is in order for the end of the year meetings across campus.

Although it doesn't give me much more time to blog...

Have a magical day!

Day 1223: Responsibilities

The semester is rounding out, and that means that my usually busy schedule is almost worse than normal. Of course, everything decided to fall on the weekend before finals, much to the dismay of myself and many of my fellow SNC students, since our jazz band played for the Dean's Reception, which was held in the library. Not the best idea, really. We did have fun with it though, playing some of our favorite tunes and checking Yik Yak every few minutes to see who was complaining about us being there. It was a nice break from all the studying though!

It also happened to be State Solo and Ensemble, which put me going back and forth between SNC and another nearby college campus to hear my brother and other members of the Seymour High School Band perform for state competition. I think I drove more than I really needed to for one weekend, especially right before finals, but it did give me a chance to listen to Finding Nemo the Musical, which I just found the soundtrack for on Spotify!

All in all, life at the end of a semester of college is pretty boring apparently. There's not really time to work on the blog, trips are usually still pretty far away, and most of the day is spent reading textbooks that maybe should have been read earlier in the semester.

And that's about it. Responsibilities have kept me pretty busy lately, so there isn't much Disney to report. It's too bad really, because everyone can always use more Disney in their life!

Have a magical day!

Day 1217: Overwhelmed

Things are pretty crazy around here. My laptop has been acting up again, which means I can hardly take it anywhere these days, and with finals and the end of the year approaching I seem to have less time than ever. On all accounts, I'm incredibly overwhelmed, and that means that I'm living the motto I shared last semester in this video: to find little ways to incorporate Disney into your day even when you're actually too busy to do anything remotely awesomely Disney! 

I'm off to do more homework, but have a magical day! 

Day 1215: Earful Goodbyes

I think I'm having trouble accepting that I'm going to be a senior again...and I'm having an even harder time accepting that some of my favorite people aren't going to be next to me when I get to the first day of Wind Ensemble in the fall. It's never easy to say goodbye to the people you love, but the closer and closer we get to my own final concert, the more terrified I am of the future, which, I suppose, is typical for most college seniors. 

The truth is though, that these people aren't really leaving my life at all. Yeah, maybe they'll be a little further away and I won't be able to ask them daily questions about how to fix my saxophone or which bow I should wear in my hair, but they'll still be supporting me from afar, even when I move much further away than my apartment at college is from my home. 

And above all else, I heard some great advice this last fall, about how when you feel like you should take a step back, you should take a step forward instead, and I have the feeling that it's that motto that's going to get me through the next year and into my new life after college, wherever that may be. 

But for now, I think I'm going to rejoice a little in the fact that I do have another year with my pals before I move halfway across the country. 

Have a magical day! 

Day 1208: Jazz Trippin'

One of the best parts of being a music student is the opportunity you have to travel. In High School, many go on band trips, but jazz trips are pretty popular too. In fact, in my years traveling with the high school band, I went on six trips that allowed me to travel through at least 18 states and to some of the greatest places in the world, Disney included. In college, that changes a bit. Usually, at St. Norbert, we'll go on a large trip every few years with the wind ensemble, but if you really want to travel more often, Jazz band is the way to go.

Once a year the St. Norbert College Jazz Band packs up their instruments and heads to a jazz festival. Typically it's been to the Eau Claire Jazz Festival, just like this year, but from the sound of it we might be exploring some new locations starting next year. Regardless, we headed out early in the morning for Eau Claire, and had quite the day!

It has to be noted that we listened to Disney music for the whole three hour drive out to Eau Clarie, and then, once we got there and finished our performances, we made our way around the campus, exploring their union and library. We also had a chance to catch some professional performances as a part of the festival, and looked at new instruments that we definitely can't afford. Finally, after we left, we stopped in Eau Clarie for a group dinner at a local pizza joint, and let me tell you, there's nothing quite like eating unlimited pizzas with a bunch of jazz musicians. 

And that's just it. As much as traveling places is fun, it's even more fun with your friends, and when you're always doing something you love. I wasn't feel well the entire day, but I definitely still had a great time and am really looking forward to next year's jazz trip too! And here's one more picture, because when you find a beautiful scene like this, you just have to capture it! 

Have a magical day! 

Day 1199: Looking Up

Before coming to college, I'm sure I heard time and time again that junior year would be the hardest, and the comments from the upperclassmen that have surrounded me since day one only perpetuated that thought...but I'm pretty sure I didn't believe theme. Now here I am, about to say exactly what they told me: junior year is the most difficult year of college.

On a fundamental level, you usually have some of your toughest classes, and you have more of them during your junior year than you probably do any other year (I took an average of 18-19 credits/semester my first two years, and an average of 22 my junior year). Suddenly you're not only involved in student orgs, but you're helping run them, and thanks to all the college debt you've racked up, you now have two jobs instead of just one. Meanwhile, you're looking to the future, and instead of doing your homework for those 22 credits of class, you sit in your bed pondering if you actually picked the right major or if all your hard work is about to amount to nothing pretty quickly. It's a constant struggle, wondering where all this time to get things done is supposed to come from, even if you know very well that a lot of it was taken up by watching Netflix.

My junior year has been a bit different, and it's definitely been more stressful than anticipated. At the moment, it's mostly about taking things day by day: making sure I get up on time, finishing the dishes before I go to bed, double checking to make sure that the meeting I thought I had doesn't actually exist, and so on and so forth. It's almost as though for months I've simply been floating through the semester like a ghost, and it's an odd feeling that certainly doesn't help keep the blog updated.

But things are looking up. After our housing fiasco at the beginning of 2016, we're excited to have secured the apartment we want not only for the next school year, but for the summer as well, and in addition, after days of extra emails, requests, and confusion, my class schedule for next fall is also finalized, meaning that I have very little to worry about in the upcoming days. Alright, so that's a lie.

The end of the semester is nearing, and with it, I'm growing extra close to my next Disney vacation and having to move...again...from one apartment to another. With that Disney vacation comes new videos that have to be ready to filmed while in Florida, and each of those requires writing and research. Then there's the fact that Everyday Disney is still seriously far behind, and trust me, it's on my mind more than you might think. My attempt to find balance in my life is a slow process, and while it's going somewhat well, my blogging definitely gets the short straw, per usual.

But today I had Mickey Waffles, and that makes up for everything.

Have a magical day!

Day 1185: Trump, Trump, Trump

I never in a million years thought that I'd be getting up at 7 in the morning so I could go stand in line for two hours to see Donald Trump, but that's exactly what happened this morning, and honestly, it was kind of fun!

I should probably tell you that less than 48 hours ago, my college campus was informed that Trump would be making a campaign stop at our school, specifically in the form of a town hall the would take place smack dab in the middle of the music building, where I have all of my Wednesday classes. As you can imagine, the stop messed up my music classes, but my friend Brian and I were lucky enough to just make it in the door before they closed it off. I took the below picture as we got closer to the door (which was teemed with secret service, metal detectors, and TSA), but even where we were standing (about a 1/4 of the way through the line), we were some of the last to get inside. The other thousand or so people behind us weren't so fortunate.

This isn't the first time a presidential candidate has visited our campus, as Hilary Clinton was here a few years ago, and Michelle Obama has visited as well, but Trump made for an extremely interesting experience for all. While there were only about 800 people in the auditorium and the event itself, there were also the people who didn't get in, those watching from home or on TV, and then a whole line of protesters, including some of my fellow SNC students who participated in an extremely well done silent protest. We're all pretty proud of the way the campus has dealt with the situation despite the fact that the large majority of us don't align with his views.

As I'm sure you can imagine, I'm not about to endorse Trump (I prefer to stay out of politics as much as possible online, the same way I do with religion. Life is easier that way), but we couldn't really pass up the opportunity to attend an event like this. Not only did we get a chance to lay our own eyes on Trump himself, but we got to hear him speak about success (which actually made some small resemblance of sense) and experience a real political press conference. A good chunk of the theater was absolutely filled with media, and the constant click of cameras reminded us more than a few times that the man in front of us is one of the most talked about people in the world right now.

We did end up standing rather than sitting, meaning that we stood in line outside for about an hour and half and then for almost two hours inside before Trump finally appeared. He proceeded to talk for roughly an hour, so by the end of the entire thing we were more than ready to sit down for jazz band afterwards. 

The thought didn't occur to me until I was pulling up blogger to write this post though - this visit sort of reminded me of Disney, but not in the way you might think. Despite the fact that some of the music leading up to Trump's speech reminded me of Epcot (I even commented on it to Brian) and I realized that if Trump wins he'll be in the Hall of Presidents (and wouldn't that be interesting), it was actually the media coverage that got me thinking. My college has been the top trend on Facebook for a good part of the afternoon, and it hasn't entirely set in that I just attended a historic event that could actually make an impact on both the country we live in and the world as a whole. That's actually pretty awesome, but it also reminded me of the fact that I've actually had the chance to do some really spectacular things in my life. The cameras hardly phased me, seemingly natural for someone who has, in the past year, attended the D23 Expo, started making regular YouTube videos, and attended a film festival to see the world premiere of a movie. I wouldn't have had those opportunities without Disney, and I'm so excited to see what the next few years have to offer as well. 

The town hall with Trump this morning seemed very small in comparison, but I'm absolutely glad I had an opportunity to attend. As I said once already, I do not endorse Trump in any way, but I do think that it's extremely important to seek out and invest in experiences like this. Even if you don't agree with the views of a particular candidate, it is important to showcase hospitality to everyone you meet, and that's exactly what St. Norbert College did this morning. We may not agree with what was said, but my fellow students and everyone around me was so accommodating and welcoming to the generous and kind members of Trump's campaign crew. I am looking forward to not having to walk through secret service to get to class over the next few days, but all in all, I'm sort of glad that Trump decided to stop here. It woke so many of us up to the world of politics, began meaningful discussions across campus, and was a worthwhile experience. 

Have a magical day! 

Day 1176: Ready, Set, Relay

I'd never been to a Relay For Life event before, so I didn't really know what to expect, but as a part of Omicron Delta Kappa, a leadership honor society at SNC, we had a great time raising money and walking for cancer research!

The main Disney reference of the day for me though? The fact that it was basically like training for Disney, or rather, maybe Disney trained me for this? I walked somewhere around 8 miles during the event, which is about what I walk in an average day at Disney...only this was four hours, not an entire day. Aside from walking, we had a chance to do some jazzercise, watch professors (And our college president) get soaking wet, and eat some delicious food, all before we participated in the release of the balloons, which reminded me a bit of the lanterns from Tangled.

And that's about it, mostly because I'm too tired to really remember everything else that went on. However, if you'd like to donate to Relay for Life, you can do so HERE!

Have a magical day!

Day 1162: A Giraffe's Cousin

If you thought I was going to waste an opportunity in my Environmental Science class to do an Endangered Species project on something other than an animal I learned about at Animal Kingdom, you'd be wrong.

Picking an animal wasn't hard! I just went through pictures from our past trips until I found an animal that really stuck out to me, and that's exactly what the Okapi did. Most people probably have no idea what an Okapi even is, but thanks to my numerous travels on Kilimanjaro Safaris I knew exactly what I was talking about in regards to the cousin of the giraffe. That's right, giraffe, not zebra!

The okapi lives in the Ituri Forest, a dense rainforest in central Africa. It's located on the northeastern edge of the Congo River Basin in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with savanna in the North, highlands in the East, and lowland forest to both the South and West. Because of these drastically different climates, the population of the Okapi is kept relatively low naturally, even without a large number of predators. However, in recent years, mostly since 1995, the Okapi population has reduced by more than half due to ongoing fighting in the regions, which impacts the efforts to save the okapi. In addition, the population is poached, and deforestation and destruction had made an already limited habitat smaller.

There's a few other awesome facts about the Okapi I learned though, such as the fact that it was once referred to as the "African Unicorn" since, until 1901, many believed the creature was a myth due to its intense ability to hide in the surrounding forest. Also, the okapi's tongue is used for grooming, and is so long that it can reach its eyes and ears!

So next time you head on Kilimanjaro Safaris, keep these facts in mind, because now you too know a little bit more about the okapi!

Have a magical day!

Day 1021: Study All Day, Study All Night

Remember when I said, just a few blog posts ago, that I was going to actually keep up with Everyday Disney and start making up posts? Well here I am a few weeks later, still absolutely ridiculously far behind...although the fact that I'm here now is a good sign. After all, once I get a few posts done, I'm more likely to continue blogging until we're caught up.

However, to give you an idea of why I'm so far behind (and why I'm writing this blog post from October in December), let's take a look at some of the stuff I'm up to this semester, and since I made this awesome graphic for a blog for one of my classes, let's bring it back!

What you see above is a basic breakdown of where I spend my time each week, but to be completely honest, this isn't anything close to what I'm actually spending on things. It's actually been a pretty hot topic around here lately...about who spends the most time on work, and aside from chats with my roommate and five minute breaks in the music lobby, I spend a ridiculous amount of my time working on things. 

This semester I'm taking 23 credits, which means I have four, four credit classes (one for each of my majors and two gen-eds), two, two credit classes, and three ensembles, all of which I'm auditing. In addition, there's performances to go to, I had a recital this semester, I have two jobs, I'm playing in a Christmas Cantata this year, and the list just goes on and on and on and on and on...

However, I have been having some fun working on another blog, which is new for me. I'm so comfortable here on Everyday Disney because I've been doing it for so long, so writing for another blog seems kind of weird at this point. For my Literary Theory and Writing Course, which is kind of a big part of your English Degree here at SNC, we have to write six papers, all on different theories, and in addition, we have to maintain and create a website portfolio - one that features a blog. 

Being my usual ambitious self, I decided that I was going to make graphics for every blog post, so just to give you an idea of some of the topics I've been working on that you probably wouldn't find on Everyday Disney, here's some of those graphics: 

I'll be pretty happy when the semester is over and I can move onto other projects, like band trip videos and YouTube videos and Everyday Disney things.

And then, all of a sudden, it'll be next semester. 

Have a magical day! 

(Note: This blog post was written on December 1...because college).