5 Tear Jerking Movies

I tend to get pretty emotional when it comes to books, movies, and TV shows. While I know in my head the characters and stories aren't technically "real", for some reason my emotions don't agree. There's something strange about how I handle these emotions though.

I rarely ever actually cry.

I feel the emotion of crying. Or I'll come super super close to crying. But it's pretty rare when real tears come out of my eyes. I don't know why. I think there's probably something wrong with me because my heart could be breaking and I might feel as though I'll never be happy again. But no tears. It's strange, I know.

Many times I'll post on Facebook or Twitter or something that I'm crying during a TV show, movie, or book simply because it's easier to say that than "If I was capable of crying I would be right now." It's just too hard to explain without people thinking I'm a heartless cow. Because... I'm not. I'm super emotional when it comes to my fictional characters.

It has happened from time to time (like the finale of Boy Meets World or the memorial episode of Glee for Cory and when I read The Hunger Games Trilogy), and I have been more recently for some reason. (A side effect of getting older maybe?) Yet, real tears are still pretty rare.

So, when talking about books, movies, and TV shows which made me cry, I probably didn't actually cry. Just assume I'm feeling the same emotions as other "normal" emotional people when they read/watch these things.

In case you ever feel like sitting down to watch a movie and really want to be super sad and emotional and tear-eyed... here are some suggestions:

First- we all know you'll never be happy again during The Fault in Our Stars. I mean, my friend Laura went to see it and they were freaking handing out tissues at the theatre. We all know you'll bawl your eyes out during TFioS.

Moving on.

Because when you have the opportunity to use Dawson crying... you take it.

About Time

I don't know what it is about this movie, but when my friend Maria and I went to see it we were an emotional mess. She had legit tears running down her cheeks when we watched it. But I love this movie. Everything about it.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

I'm re-reading the Harry Potter series and I'm currently on Goblet of Fire, so it's on my mind. But seriously, I can't handle this ending. When I first read this book when I was in high school I remember sitting on my bed in shock because I couldn't comprehend what had just happened. I was SO SAD. You have to understand, when this series came out, GOF was the game changer. Which is why I chose this one over Deathly Hallows Part 2. Because... obviously that one you cry during that one.

Once you read the ending  of GOF you knew nothing was going to be the same at Hogwarts. No one had actually really died during the book before. Then watching the movie, it is so heart-wrenching to see Cedric's dad and Harry... UGH. It's so awful.

Les Miserables

I remember being in high school and my band director telling us that if you didn't cry at the end of the musical Les Miserables you didn't have a heart. Guys- it's so true. Heck, ever since I fell in love with the music when I was 17, I can barely listen to Do You Hear the People Sing? without wanting to bawl my eyes out. Part of it is because it's sad. (Hello! It's literally called "The Misery.") But also because the messages and themes are so powerful and at times even hopeful. You can totally be crying out of sadness and hope at the same time. It's awesome.

You know... cause apparently crying is awesome.

Saving Mr. Banks

You will never watch Mary Poppins the same way ever again after watching this movie. That's all I'm going to say about that.

Frozen

I know... I know... I'm one of the few people in the world who isn't sick and tired of this movie. But, I really do get emotional during Frozen. I love the dynamics between the sisters and the back story is so sad and with Elsa... I feel those feels. Even just listening to "Let it Go" I sometimes get misty eyed. Also, I watched this movie with my friend Maria again. I think there's something about us watching movies together which makes us both want to cry.

This is essentially Maria and I when we watch movies.

And as a special bonus movie in case you really want the tears to flow....

Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

This was the first movie I actually had real tears while sitting in the movie theater so I felt like it deserved a special shout out. The Lord of the Rings trilogy was a huge part of my high school experience. All of us would wait eagerly for the next movie to come out and we'd go multiple times and we were so attached to the characters and the story. Everything wrapping up in the last movie and all they had to go through... it really got to me.

So, confession time. What movies make you grab the tissue box?

Also, can we just take a moment to appreciate all of the fantastic crying GIFs Glee has given to the Internet?

Today's Blog Everyday in July Topic: 5 Tear-Jerking Movies. Link up here.

I'm also linking up with Mingle Monday!

What I Learned the Year I was 27

Birthdays.

Remember when you were a kid and your birthday was always so exciting because you were finally a year older and you got to have a party and lots of presents?

Yeah... those days are over.

It's not that I don't enjoy my birthday. It's just that whole getting older thing. I know 28 isn't old by any means. My head knows this. My logic knows this. But then there's the part of me who is freaking out and all "OMG I ONLY HAVE TWO YEARS UNTIL I'M 30! I HAVEN'T EVEN BACKPACKED THROUGH EUROPE OR GONE ON AN EPIC ROAD TRIP OR RANDOMLY MET A CELEBRITY OR ANYTHING PEOPLE IN THEIR 20s ARE SUPPOSED TO DO!"

No wonder my sister found my first "silver" hair last week.

Ugh.

Then I calm down (or my family and friends tranquilize me) and am reminded again that 30 isn't a scary age and 28 isn't old and I have my whole life to do things and learn and find myself. Also, last year on my birthday I was on a bus with 50 teenagers on the way back from Texas. This year my friends have helped me make plans to go to Dave and Busters tonight and I was able to meet up with some people for dinner and coffee through the week. So... not too shabby.

Looking back though, being 27 was interesting. I resigned from my job, traveled, moved to Chicago, got a brand new idea for a novel and have been working on that... so it's been a good year.

- While traveling in the deep south, picking up the accent is far easier than you'd think. Even if you are a native Chicagoan.

- Going to the courthouse which inspired LM Montgomery to write To Kill A Mockingbird and seeing a teenager walk into the world of her all time favorite book, and a jr. high boy see with his own eyes historic places of the civil rights movement and come to life for the first time, is an incredible experience.

- Love God. Love People. Do Stuff. -Bob Goff

- Choose your companions before you choose your roads. -Mark Burnett

- Nutella and banana crepes. You'll never be the same.

- Freshman girls can teach you more about beauty and self-esteem than you'd think.

- Why yes... I do still remember all of the colors of Joseph's coat and will never ever forget them. Ever.

- I used to not be a believer in theatre tabboos like saying the name of the Scottish play... until now. If you say the name I WILL HURT YOU.

- Having friends who are younger than you can actually be pretty amazing.

- It is entirely possible to survive being in an outdoor play when it's 20 outside. Not fun. But you'll survive.

- When celebrities are in town (like Neil Patrick Harris) to film a movie, go to Starbucks EVERY SINGLE DAY because the one day you don't go will be the day they are there.

- Having an awesome writing partner during NaNoWriMo makes all of the difference in the world.

- Buying a Tardis dress is always a good idea.

- Babies won't always cry when I hold them.

- When you are snowed in for a few days, get the idea to have a Harry Potter marathon on day one... not day three.

- Disney songs can totally define your life.

- It's okay to lock yourself up in your apartment and ugly cry all afternoon while watching the Glee episode to honor Cory.

- Even when leaving is the right choice, goodbyes really suck.

- Get the tattoo. In fact, get two.

- Get new tires on your car BEFORE the worst winter in the history of ever hits.

- A perk of working part-time is SO MUCH TIME TO READ.

- Preschool kids really do say the funniest things.

- When you say yes to one thing, that means you say goodbye to another. It's really hard.

- I'd probably die without my phone and social media to keep in touch with my Missouri friends.

- I need to learn how to live with other people again after being on my own for so long. Sharing the Netflix is hard yo!

- Being the sister of a bride means everything is about the wedding and nothing else. Ever. Also, weddings are hard.

- After some practice, driving around downtown Chicago isn't all that scary.

- When moving back after being gone for 5 1/2 years, your good friends are still there, but you still have to adjust to being in one anothers lives again.

- When even the guys at the Apple store think your iPad is possessed... it's time to get a new one.

- Visiting people after moving away six months ago is actually really fun.

- Not everyone is as judgy as you'd think when you're trying to figure life out.

- Neil Patrick Harris looks way better in a mini skirt and boots than I ever will.

- You don't always see what's coming next and everything might be cloudy... but it's okay.

What are some things you've learned this past year? How do you feel about getting older?

Fearlessness

Quotes are beautiful things.  I often find when I’m in a place of mental or emotional state that is difficult to explain to my best friend, or even myself that somewhere out there is a quote from someone that seems to accurately describe what I am unable to put into words myself.

One of the best quotes I’ve come across recently has been one that has opened my eyes to see things differently.  This quote talks about fear and the different kind we’re faced with constantly mentions something that I’m particularly fantastic at doing, procrastination.

“A couple of hundred years ago, Benjamin Franklin shared with the world the secret of his success. “Never leave that till tomorrow”, he said, “Which you could do today.” This is the man who discovered electricity. You’d think more of us would listen to what he had to say. I don’t know why we put things off, but if I had to guess, I’d say it has a lot to do with fear. Fear of failure. Fear of pain. Fear of rejection. Sometimes the fear is just of making a decision, because what if you’re wrong? What if you make a mistake you can’t undo? Whatever it is we’re afraid of, one thing holds true: that by the time the pain of not doing the thing gets worse than the fear of doing it, it can feel like we’re carrying around a giant tumor.”

Meredith Grey - 'If Tomorrow Never Comes'

(Grey’s Anatomy: Season 1, Episode 6)

As much as I’d like to say that I’ve been living fearlessly the last couple of months this quote has told me otherwise.  Just last week I was struck with a terrible funk.  One of those things where there’s nothing I want to do except sleep, wander aimlessly around the internets and watch TV.  Absolutely nothing productive comes out of me when I’m in this funk.  It’s like my entire body shuts down and I can’t function.

Fear of failure.

Fear of pain.

Fear of rejection.

I’ve been in this funk many times before and I realized what was happening by day three.  It might have been all of the recorded TV shows I managed to work my way through or the amount of dust that I see start forming on top of my textbooks as they lay untouched; I knew.  In one of my long sessions of wandering the internets I found myself on Tumblr looking at gifs and quotes from Grey’s Anatomy and when I found this particular quote, it started to all make sense.

These funks I’ve been in before have been a reaction of fear.  There’s the fear of failing that’s constantly lingering in my head whether it be failing that civics exam in senior year or failing at being sociable at the homecoming football game where we defeated the college we had been waiting weeks to play.  The fear of rejection has always went hand in hand with the fear of failing though I would like to think I’ve some what overcome the rejection thoughts in my head.  By far the one that will always shut me down in a heartbeat is the fear of pain.
The most powerful part of this quote is the ending bit. "Whatever it is we're afraid of, one thing holds true: that by the time the pain of not doing the thing gets worse than the fear of doing it, it can feel like we're carrying around a giant tumor."
In the past when I’ve entered these funks it would take me weeks and occasionally months to get out of it. The time that passed while I was in this funk made everything pile up and when I did get out of the funk I was faced with a huge mountain to take care of because I had shut down for so long. There was a point in high school where I was so behind on school work I was being told that I wasn’t going to graduate.  Being told that made things even worse and had it not been for one teacher to sit me down and break down the barrier and tell me I could do it I probably would have let that mountain win.

I’m thinking that my idea of “fearless” needs to be changed.  Instead of thinking of fearlessness as not letting any fear affect my actions and mentality, fearlessness should be recognizing my fears and working at overcoming them to make myself a better person.  I can be brave, courageous, ballsy, spunky or whatever adjectives that describe fearlessness; I can be all those things while facing my fears. Deep down inside I don’t think any of us are completely fearless.

What do you think it means to be fearless?

Jess is Kansas born and raised who has no shame calling “glitter” a color.  As a hospitality student Jess believes a smile can change a person’s day and can be found rambling on her blog, Procrastination Ramblings while also pinning her life away on Pinterest.  Feel free to contact Jess by e-mailing her at thegreenrecipebox@gmail.com.

Want to sponsor and/or do a guest post? Check out my Work With Me page and/or email me at lovewokemeupthismorning@gmail.com

The 5 Stages of Winter

There hasn't been a more appropriate winter than this one for the movie Frozen to have come out in theatres. (And DVD next week AND it's already on iTunes!!!!) In all honesty, it has made this long, cold, and snowy winter bearable. I just keep reminding myself that it's Elsa letting go and having fun with her powers. I can be on board with that. I also read the book Winters Tale which was basically 700+ pages of talking about how magical and romantic winter can be. So... it's been find with me for the most part.

However... we all have to admit this Polar Vortex we've been in since Christmas is a bit ridiculous. I mean... there has only been one state in all of the USA that hasn't had some form of snow. (I'm giving Florida the evil eye right now.) I've found everyone has had a mixture of reactions and gone through a few somewhat familiar phases with their feelings about winter.

Denial
"We're Chicago people! This is nothing! It's just a cold spell and we'll be fine. Just put on a hat. Whatever. Toughen up son!"

Anger
I HATE THIS SNOW AND THE COLD AND EVERYTHING! I CAN'T DRIVE MY CAR, TRAFFIC IS AWFUL, AND THE SNOW ISN'T EVEN PRETTY ANYMORE I WANT SUMMER BACK RIGHT NOW!

Bargaining
Well... at least it's pretty to look at. The first day. Maybe this will mean we'll have a good spring and summer. Besides, it's January. We can deal with January. By the time March comes we'll have spring again if we behave and deal with it now.

Depression
Spring will never come. It's the middle of March and we just got several inches of more snow and ice. It's eternal winter and I give up. Just let me hide in my house under the blankets in the darkness for the rest of eternity and drown in my tears and hot chocolate.

Acceptance
Yup. It's winter. A lot of snow. But... that's how it is. Heck, it even snows in April sometimes here in Chicago. This is just the reality of living here. Spring and summer will come eventually in their own time, and when it gets outrageously hot and humid in July we'll be begging for the cold again. Besides - we can build snow men!

How have you all been dealing with eternal winter? What stage are you in?

Today's Love Sighting: 
We had a new student today who is the younger sibling of another student - and he was so excited to introduce his litter sister to everyone!

IT'S HERE

The Fault in our Stars movie trailor. It has arrived!

I don't know about the rest of you, but I love John Green, his brother Hank, and basically all things about Nerdfigteria. I was introducted to them last year and ever since I can't get enough of John and Hank Green. (AKA - The Vlog Brothers.) I read The Fault in our Stars in November of 2012 and then again in early 2013. It's beautiful and sad and wonderful all at the same time. So, naturally, as they've been working on the movie I followed John Green's social media accounts for information about the movie like the pro-internet stalker that I am.

Yesterday, was the premier of the movie trailor. Here it is!

I thought it was fantastic and perfect! From what I can tell - so did the rest of the internet. 

What did you all think? Is anyone willing to go to the theatre with me when it comes out and not judge when I start to weep?

2013 In Review

And here we are. It's New Year's Eve and everyone is getting ready to celebrate. We're looking back at the last 12 months and looking forward to the next. Some are ready to party with friends, while others, like myself, will be with family when midnight rolls in. In case you need a refresher- here are the highlights of 2013 for me. It was a year of changes, theatre, and a lot of endings, goodbyes, and lasts.

Warning- there are A LOT of photos. If you just want a quick Instagram video, you can watch this:

January

This is the month I mainly remember for meeting Kirstie, Lor, and Alice in Orlando! We went to Hogwarts and Disney and it was fabulous.

Back in Cape, was also the Abbott Awards for the local community theatre. The play I was in (Smell of the Kill) won for best show!

February

The first memorable part of February was when I taught my last session of Peer Ministry Training and brought along these three amazing teenagers. (I'm going to miss these guys so much!)

Then, later that month I went up to St. Louis and visited the Fabulous Fox Theatre for the first time to see The Book of Mormon!

March

I was in another play! River City Players put together a vintage style radio show and I was one of the singers!

Then, with Easter being so early, I saw the 7th graders get confirmed on Palm Sunday.

April

I don't have photos- but the first thing I did in April was go wedding dress shopping with my sister! While, it ended up being a long day of white fluffy dresses, it was still an important day to remember. You only help your sister pick out her wedding dress once! (Hopefully.)

I also went on some outdoor adventures once spring came into full bloom with my friend Ginny.

April was also the month of the Boston bombing - and while we were reminded of how awful people can be, we also were reminded how great they can be as well. This video was one of my favorite reactions:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91a19xnXNvo

Then.... I got cast as the Nanny in Romeo and Juliet, the first play for the new theatre company Acting Out!

But, I also stuck in there my last confirmation retreat. (So many lasts!)

May

This means the month of May was basically consumed with rehearsals for Romeo and Juliet. 

However, one of my friends also got married in May! My sister, and her sister were both bridesmaids in the wedding. They all looked beautiful!

However, what I'll always remember the most from May is that at the beginning of the month is when I told my senior pastor I would no longer be a youth minister. It was probably the biggest moment of the year for me because it meant all of the thoughts and feelings I was having about ministry became real and I was finally doing something about it. It was terrifying and exciting, and it paved the way for the rest of 2013.

June

Finally- Romeo and Juliet! Even though we got rained out our last day. It was outrageously depressing. Which also happened to be the same week as Vacation Bible School. Basically, both dress rehearsal week for a play is insanity, and VBS week at a church is insanity. Put both together? Basically I must have had a death wish.

It's a good thing both were fantastic.

I also began watching Supernatural and began a love affair with the Winchester brothers. Hello there boys.

July

Generally, July is the month when I'm never in town. It was the month of my last big trips with St. Andrew. National Youth Gathering in San Antonio, Camp SonRise, and a mission trip to Alabama. All three were wonderful- but also bitter sweet because these were always highlights of my year for youth ministry and they were my last ones. Yet, I couldn't share what I was thinking because no one knew my plans yet. As enjoyable as they were, it was rough.

 August

Compared to July - August was downright boring! But, I did attend a leadership simulcast via Willow Creek was is always awesome, I participated in VEDA for the second year in a row, and my friend Kelli got married!

September

This month, I wrapped up my second show with Acting Out!, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, began working on a River City Players show which I was the assistant director, Nuts, Bolts, and Carnations,  and was cast in Acting Out!'s final show, Night of the Living Dead. When I look back - it's amazing how 2013 was focused on theatre. Which I LOVE! I worked with such wonderful casts and directors, and I made some amazing friendships through these shows. It made my last year in Cape Girardeau totally worth it.

October

I was the Tardis for Halloween, Night of the Living Dead opened and closed, my friends Michael and Katrina welcomed their second child into the world, and I led my final Jr. High Retreat. But personally, the biggest moment was finally announcing to the congregation I was leaving ministry. Between that and the saddest episode of Glee that week, I was an emotional wreck. But at least everything was out in the open. You can read all about it here.

November

Or as I know it... NATIONAL NOVEL WRITING MONTH! AKA- one of my favorite times of year. I won for the 6th year in a row and I am so excited about this novel still. If I can get the drafts done, I'm going to be seriously considering sending out query letters for this project.

Beyond that though, there was also Thanksgiving with my family and the closing night of my last play in Cape Girardeau.

December

And now here we are. December. A month of goodbyes, getting snowed in, job searching, packing, and preparing for Christmas.

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Oh yeah... and I got two tattoos which my friend Michael has named my "quarter life crisis."

My right forearm

My left calf/ankle

Surprise!