Happy (Late!) Thanksgiving everyone!
As usual, I meant to write this ever so long ago, you know, like on Thanksgiving, but alas, homework and finals took over my life for a good couple of weeks. Regardless, it's never too late or early to be thankful, and just as last year, I've got a list of things I'm thankful for. Previously, I did a list of 5, but this time I'm going to just kind of list them in any given order. I've had such a wonderful year so far that I don't think I could pick and choose what I'm most thankful for. I'm thankful for all of it, and that's the point. I won't comment on every single one, just because I am on a time limit and have plenty of other things to get done today, but either way, here's the list:
Once Upon A Time
Don't tell me you didn't think this one would make it on the list, especially since this has a bunch of subcategories. Once has played a crucial role in my life in the past year and a half (although it's stemmed from long before that). The show filled a void in my life left by friends (or people I thought to be friends) who abandoned me, people who tried to control my life. Now, somewhere along the line, I found that I could closely relate to the characters and themes on the show, and it taught me how to hope again. I'm a million times happier at this point now than I was a year ago, and infinitely happier than six months ago. Now, it's not ALL thanks to Once, but a good portion of it is.
Secondly, I'm extremely thankful for the cast of this show. When I go back on my TimeHop, it's hilarious now to watch as I try to get tweets from cast members, and now here I am with a list of favorites, retweets and tweets too long to even remember who all responded. I may not have had the chance to meet these lovely people in person, but that contact has become a constant source of happiness, and I couldn't be more thankful for each and every one of them. Special shoutout to Colin O'Donoghue for making my birthday one of the best ever as well! Can't really beat out a tweet from one of your favorite actors!
Finally, I'm thankful for the people I've met through OUAT and the Internet. I'm extremely excited to head out to California next year and finally meet some of you, all while Disneybounding, of course!
My Friends & Family
Walt Disney World
Starbucks & Delicious Soy Chai Lattes
My Roommates
I don't talk about them all the time, mostly because it might get redundant to say "Today's Disney reference is that we sang another Disney song!" Regardless, I'm sooooo thankful for the wonderful people I get to live with, whether that means my roommate from last year, Megan, or my newest roommates, Hannah, Ashley and my best friend Megan (but not the same Megan)! You guys bring so much joy into my everyday, from Newsies and crazy late night laughing to tea time, Chuck breaks and Starbucks trips. Plus, every single one of you have put up with my constant talking about OUAT and Disney and I'm not even sure how you do it. You all get awards. Every one of you.
Disney Movies
LillyBelle
Leather Jackets
Everyday Disney
This blog, of course, gets on this list every year. I've been fortunate enough to find an actual following in the past year, and I'm extremely excited to see where Everyday Disney goes in 2015, especially with two Disney trips and lots of surprises in between.
St. Norbert
Music
New Friends
A Million Other Things
And finally, The Seymour High School 2014 Band Trip to Walt Disney World
This trip, as you all know quite well by this point, was hell. It was awful. God awful, painful, frustrating and almost killed me. I wanted, more than anything, to just give up and throw everything I'd worked for away. But somewhere along the line, in between my friends, OUAT, my college community, my Band Director and Disney, I found a way to balance it all out into what I now define as one of the greatest experiences of my entire life.
Going into something like a band trip to Disney World, especially when it's something you've been dreaming of your entire life, has a lot to live up to. It's dangerous. The chances of you being disappointed are a million times higher than you not, but I agreed to disagree, and on every aspect of the Disney side, I was perfectly content. I said at the very beginning that as long as I got to do three things - march down Main Street U.S.A, go on Spaceship Earth and Watch Illuminations - I would be happy. And I was, only I failed to realize the impact and the living hell my life would become thanks to the people that wanted me gone. I get it. I understand. I graduated, and it was difficult to share your spot with someone who already got their own individual spotlight. In every aspect, I shouldn't have been there. But I was, and haters are going to hate, I guess.
Which is why through all of it, I'm more thankful for a couple of things when it comes to this trip than anything else. First off, thank you to Disney Performing Arts for allowing us to perform. Thank you, and I can't say that enough, for allowing my dream to come true. Thank you to Nick, the cast member that got me through the parade without crying, and to my best friends who stuck with me through thick and thin. But I think, more than anything here, I have to thank my High School Band director, Mr. Alban. I've said it a million times before, and I'll probably say it a million times again, but you're the one who helped get us there. You pushed us, myself included, to be the best musicians we possibly could be, and it was from that foundation that you helped make my dream come true. I'd be an extremely different person if not for your influence, and this trip, whether any of us liked it or not, taught me a lot about life, adulthood, responsibility and persistence. Thanks Mr. Alban, for being a mentor through every second of it.
This list could go on for a very long time, but I think I'll stop it here for now. But here's one last thank you, to all the people, whether you know it or not, that have helped me through the past year and a half. It's given me the strength to one important thing: keep moving forward.
Have a magical day!
(Note: This blog post was written on December 15 due to finals!)
