Day 1160: Sentimentality

I'm not an overly sentimental person, or at least, I try not to be. I definitely collect things, but that's usually based on a specific theme or something, not the simple fact that I want to keep something because there's a memory associated with it. However, like all people, I do have a few times I do get a bit sentimental, like when I return to the exact location where I talked to Colin O'Donoghue on the phone.

I forget sometimes just how lucky I was to have that experience. I've literally talked to one of my favorite actors on the phone because I drove four and a half hours to see his new movie. It's one of the most obnoxious and fangirly things I've done in my life, and I don't regret one bit of it. Unfortunately, due to the loss of friends that I would have, at one point, considered family, it's a bit of a bittersweet memory. I try to block out certain parts of that weekend, which I'm still sure was one of the greatest weekends of my entire life.

You all remember the weekend I'm talking about, when I drove to the Twin Cities for the Twin Cities Film Festival, where Colin O'Donoghue's new film The Dust Storm had its world premiere. When I found out about the showing, I made a joke that turned into a full blown road trip, and between talking to Colin on the phone, meeting the cast and crew of the film, and basically becoming the talk of the festival that night, it's not a weekend I'll soon forget, at least not completely. 

That's why, when I found out I'd be returning to the Twin Cities for the National Sigma Tau Delta English Convention, I knew I had to find a way to return to the theater and the exact spot where all of this took place. Of course, I ended up finding a way to see a film while I was there too! It just happened to be opening weekend for Zootopia, so after a Gala Dinner at the Convention, a friend and I hurried over to the theater for a late showing of the movie, and again, the Shops at West End made my day. 

Have a magical day! 

Day 1052: Keep on Spinning

Boy, it's been a while.

I just figured I should throw in a post and let you all know that I am indeed still in the land of the living, despite the fact that I'm downridden with homework and preparations for a recital this Friday. However, I'm also happy about the fact that I have three main priorities for over Thanksgiving Break next week, and one of those goals is to catch up around here.

So what's happened in the past month that I've let Everyday Disney sit in the dark? If you haven't been following me on Instagram or Twitter, here's a few updates:

1. I talked to Colin O'Donoghue on the phone a while back, which will have it's own blog posts (yes posts) on days 1027 and 1028 (October 24 and 25, respectively). It's a VERY long story, but if you want more information RIGHT NOW, you can check out my video on the topic:

2. School has been INSANE. Literally, so much has gone on with my recital that it's put me pretty far behind in many areas beyond Everyday Disney. So don't feel too bad that there's been a lack of blog posts, because my English Blog for class feels the exact same way.

3. I've had a lot of coffee. No idea why this was worth noting, but it's true. 

4. There's a bunch of videos on my YouTube channel. Yes, even if I've been slacking here, I've somehow managed to keep up with my weekly videos on YouTube. In addition to the video above there's one on pumpkin carving, another on being youself, and several vlogs that are all just waiting to be watched! 

Other than that, there isn't really much else to say. I spend most of my days working, whether that be in class, for one of my two jobs, practicing for my recital, volunteering for something, or simply trying to get some small amount of sleep (ok, I've been binge-watching Psych too), and as much as it frustrates me, when life gets really busy, Everyday Disney gets the short stick. 

That'll hopefully be over soon though, as from here on out I'm hoping to continue forward so I don't get any further behind than I already am. So as I make up the missing posts from the last month, I'll also continue forward day by day as usual. Is that a good idea with how long I'm currently spending on work at the moment? Probably not, but let me tell you...it's good to be back.

Have a magical day everyone! 

Day 1028: Still Not Over It

I don't think one blog post is quite enough to describe just how amazing it was to attend the Twin Cities Film Fest. As I said in my video, a lot of what happened is something I want to kind of keep to myself, just to savor that memory forever. There are, however, a few things that I'd love to share! Like extra pictures! 

You know, the life of this college student is pretty weird. I may not be super famous...but going from volunteer work in the morning to a movie premiere and a red carpet at night was pretty awesome. And you know what, I've done a lot of thinking since TCFF, and the more I've thought about it, the more I realize that I really fit in there. I felt kind of like I was with my people, and I'd be more than happy to spend the rest of my days at events like that. Maybe someday. 

We were pretty packed into my car for the drive to the Twin Cities, which, according to pretty much everyone, was impressive for us to do. But then again, I have a bunch of friends in the OUAT fandom, and I sort of felt like it was my turn. I had an obligation to go and support Colin in this film. The fact that he said thank you to ME when we talked on the phone pretty much made everything worth it. Correction, him watching my periscope made it worth it (because yes, that happened too). 

Pictures that showcase we did indeed make it to our hotel. The entirety of the time before the movie I was basically alternating between pacing, shaking, and freaking out completely. At that point we had no idea if Colin might be there, so here I was, completely oblivious to the fact that in just a few short hours, I would talk to Colin on the phone. 

A trip wouldn't be complete without a stop at an Irish pub...which may or may not have given us some extra luck on the trip. Regardless, the food was great, and since it was right at our hotel, we didn't even have to travel too far! 

You'll hear more about my outfit for the night in a blog post later, but now that I stop and look at it...wow, you guys were all right. I really like my shoes. Haha, regardless, look at how great my roommates and I all look on that red carpet! 

A lead actor like Colin has to have a lead actress to make the film complete, right? Meet Kristin, the lead actress of The Dust Storm. She was AMAZING in the film, and such a wonderful person to be around. Gosh...a few months ago I was fawning over the trailer for the film and here I am, standing right next to one of the lead characters! BRILLIANT I TELL YOU, BRILLIANT! 

Oh yes, I may have forgotten to mention that for one night, we became the college students who went to a club...for a film festival after party. Oh, and while at that party, we could basically have been considered famous. Talk of the night? That's the only way I roll. 

And there you have it, a bit more of an inside look at my trip to the Twin Cities to see The Dust Storm. I honestly have to say that I owe a lot of it to my roommates, who, for some reason I'll never quite understand, were totally on board with driving four and a half hours to see my favorite actor in a film they'd pretty much never heard of. So huge props to them. 

Oh...and just in case you didn't believe me about periscope...

Have a magical day! 

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

Day 1027: Talking to a Hero

It seems like it's been forever since the events I am about to describe took place...and in complete honesty, it has been a while...over a month in fact. That doesn't diminish the fact that a significant portion of me still doesn't believe that any of this actually happened...and in fact just today I made a comment that was ridiculous because of the story I am about to tell you.

And so...here I am, telling you about what happened at the Twin Cities Film Festival. 

First off, if you haven't watched my video on the topic, maybe you should do that first: 

Kind of a long story short, Colin O'Donoghue, the actor who plays Captain Hook on Once Upon A Time, has quickly worked his way into the list of my favorite actors, and in fact, he's now up at the top right with Harrison Ford. At first, I think it was the accent, but over time, I've really come to just appreciate Colin as a real person. That sounds weird, but honestly there's no "not-weird" way to say any of this. He's just a person I genuinely admire and look up to, whether it be for his humor, for his focus on family and keeping what's private, well, private, his excellent acting, or his love of music. 

So you can imagine what happened when I talked to him on the phone. 

The Twin Cities Film Festival was beyond anything I could have ever hoped for. I remember sitting in our campus library with my best friend, presenting the idea of attending as a joke (after all, my parents would never let me go, and it was crazy, right?)...only she took it a little more seriously than I thought...and then one by one my roommates found out that Colin's new film was premiereing four and a half hours away. 

Of course, that means we had to get tickets...and we did. And that was just the beginning. 

I can't quite praise the work that is The Dust Storm enough, because the cast and crew did spectacular things with the time and budget they had. The acting is supurb, both from Colin and Kristin, and I would honestly give just about anything to see it again...or at least hear a couple of the songs.

But to get to talk to Colin on the phone...honestly I'm still not sure how it all happened, and I can't thank everyone enough for making it possible. I still have to kind of pinch myself as a reminder that it actually happened. Every time I watch a new episode of OUAT, the thought kind of occurs to me...even now, I can't help but smile thinking about it. Because honestly, how many times in your life do you get to talk to one of your heroes on the phone? 

Have a magical day!

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