I Haven't Forgotten You, I Promise

Oh VEDA - how you take over my life. Filming, editing, watching, commenting, the cycle never seems to end. Even when I do have time to blog, my blog ideas end up going into ideas for videos. Sorry about that blog, I don't mean to neglect you. Soon, April will be over and I'll get back to writing for real.

Although, I have noticed a couple of you have hopped over to my YouTube channel to watch my daily videos. Thanks so much! If you want to catch up on what I've been doing all month, click here.

See? Even my Instagram knows VEDA has taken over my life. Even at Starbucks!
https://instagram.com/lovewokemeup/

In the meantime, here's a quick "currently" post to let you know what I'm up to and that I haven't died.

Watching: Other than all of the YouTube videos, I just finished the 7th season of Mad Men on Netflix and have moved onto The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (hilarious!) and going back to the first season of Reign which I still haven't finished. Oh the drama!

Listening:  I'm still ridiculously addicted to Tyler Oakley's podcast, Psychobabble. It's just so funny! When I'm not listening to that though, I'm jamming out to my typical showtunes, Glee covers, Ed Sheeran, and Hozier.

Wondering:  What's going to happen in the next few months. The preschool where I'm working officially announced they weren't going to be doing a summer program like we were last year. While, I'm always on the job hunt, it's a little more desperate now. If you're in the Chicago area and have any job leads, hook me up!

Eating:  Chocolate covered raisins. My family gets them from this local candy store and I'm totally addicted. On the flip side, I also have been eating a ton of salads and fruit for lunch at work. Something about spring time which makes me crave healthier foods. I'll get over soon I'm sure.

Battling:  A cough/cold/allergies. I'm in the phase where I can't go five minutes without hacking up a lung. It'll be gone after 3 or so months.

Reading: Too many books. JUST KIDDING! There's no such thing as reading too many books. Right now I'm in the middle of Reading Lolita in Tehran,  just started The Diamond Conspiracy, and just about to being Unbroken. Speaking of Unbroken, it's Bonnie's book club pick for April, and a week from tomorrow I'll be co-hosting the discussion with her! It's not too late to start reading and join us!

Drinking:  Lately my Starbucks drink of choice has been the Youthberry tea. It's sooooo good. Although, now that it's getting warmer I'm going to have to switch over to an iced drink. One of my favorites iced is a vanilla chai latte with a shot of espresso. AMAZING.

Looking Forward to:  NERDCON! What? You haven't heard of NerdCon? It's a new convention focused on the art of storytelling starting up this year and it'll be taking place in October in Minneapolis. I was somehow able to convince my friend to join me and I can't wait! I know it's 6 months away, but it'll be so awesome! You can learn more by clicking here.  They're already 1/2 sold out so you should get your tickets soon. If you're going too let me know so we can hang out!

What's going on in your lives? I'd love to hear!

It's a Battle

Lately, I've been watching Dancing With the Stars every Monday night. It's one of those where I'll be a die-hard fan for a long time, then randomly stop for a few seasons. Then I'll watch it again and wonder why I ever stopped. This is one of those seasons. I love seeing how the stars grow through the season, becoming a fan of people I hadn't really known about before, and some of the professional dancers I've come to completely adore.

This season, my favorite pro dancer, Derek Hough, has a very unique partner. Amy Purdy.

Amy is an athlete, but lost her legs when she was 19 from Menengitis. She competed at the 2014 Sochi Paralympics as a snowboarder. Which... has some unique challenges. However, I was really glad she was paired with Derek. He's incredible talented and creative, and if anyone can work with her situation, he can.

I didn't want to be a huge fan of Amy and Derek. Not because they aren't awesome, but because I felt that it would be too cliche. The disabled girl loves the disabled girl on DWTS. Lame.

But I can't help it. Especially when it's Disney night and she does a beautiful waltz to "This is Love" from Cinderella. Her being paired with Derek doesn't hurt either since he's fantastic. (Obviously, since I've been fangirling about him this entire post.) The thing is, I can relate to her. I have both of my legs, so I don't know exactly what she's going through. However, I can relate to an extent.

Last night she cried about how discouraged she was about not having the right kind of legs. How what could be so simple for other people are incredibly difficult and she couldn't get it right.

When I was in college, one of my theology professors would teach ballroom dancing lessons on Wednesday nights. It was a huge hit with my circle of friends. More often than not I would go down to the Cougar Den with them and watch everyone dance. It was so much fun, but I always kind of wished I could dance with them. I have decent rhythm and such, but with my own physical challenges, dancing really isn't in the cards for my list of great skills. One of my friends promised he'd waltz with me someday. We never were able to, but I appreciated the thought.

Watching Amy and Derek dance makes me so happy. How, while I will most likely never be in the arms of Derek Hough in a ballgown waltzing to a Disney song, it's nice to know anything is possible. You can watch last night's video here. I really hope she goes far in the show. But I also hope she goes far because she deserves it, not because she's the "disabled girl."

When I was planning on writing this post, I wanted to talk about overcoming obstacles and how anything can happen. Which is true. But then... I had a rough day today, and it had to do with my disability. (Which, if you don't know about it, here's my post explaining everything.) My own insecurities came out, and I had to deal with some things which I hate talking about and feel like shouldn't even be an issue. 

It reminded me how while anything is possible, it's still a battle.

It's a battle to do what other people think is easy. It's a battle having to prove yourself every single day. It's a battle to not be bothered by ignorance. It's a battle to let it go. 

Most days, it's not a battle. Most days it's fine and it's not a thing. 

Other days... it is. And it's exhausting because it'll never really stop. 

There are times when you're dancing with Derek Hough and everyone calls you an inspiration. Then there are other days where... not so much. And that's okay. 

Word Vomit

Here's the thing about finally writing something you're proud of.

Suddenly, you no longer want to write a single thing because in your head you're all "But now everything else will be awful in comparison! I have no more ideas! I'm a terrible writer!I'm an even worse blogger!"

Therefore, no blog posts happened after last week Tuesday.

Womp womp.

I figure, the only solution to get me out of this writing slump is to simply write. Whatever is on my mind. Just type my stream of thought. Who cares if it's good or not? This blog post will get lost with the other awful ones I've written and be forgotten about before I know it. Then I'll get my groove back and something good will come along soon. Heck - I might not even edit this post before hitting "publish."

I'm such a rebel!

Cause you know, we bloggers tend to be rebels you know. That's just how we roll. Watch out Internets! Grammar nazi's beware because you never know what I'll type next!

I told you I was in a writing slump.

It also doesn't help that I have two dogs crowding my space. While this is super adorable, but it makes it difficult to type. They think my laptop is a pillow.

It also doesn't help that for the last two days I have been watching Don't Trust the B in Apartment 23. Why did it take me so long to watch this show? It's completely hilarious! I also now really want to watch Dawson's Creek but this time it'll be SO MUCH FUNNIER.

I never thought the primary reason I'd love a show would be James Van Der Beek. But there it is. You've gotta love an actor who can make fun of himself.

Also, I feel like I should be offended by the way they talk about people in wheelchairs... but I just find it completely hilarious.

Beyond TV and puppy distractions though, I think part of my problem has also been myself wondering why I blog. I love writing and I love the friends I've made through it and how I can keep in touch with people, yet at the same time I wonder why I do it. Am I just adding to all of the noise that is already on the Internet? Why does this little corner of web matter? I don't plan on stopping or anything, but I just can't help but wonder the why of all of this.

Yesterday, I was chatting with some of my friends at lunch about blogging. They have to write for their company blog and wanted some advice. They asked me what the purpose of blogging was, and I couldn't give them an answer. I said what I always do. "I've been writing my whole life and I figured, 'why not?' and if people wanted to read it, great! If not, that's okay too." Usually, I feel as though this is a sufficient answer. Then when I said it out loud and not just part of a blogging questionnaire, it felt so silly.

Because what do I have to add? Another story about someone in their 20's not knowing what their doing? Another site about someone fangirling over Supernatural?

But who could blame me on that one? Am I right?

Speaking of the Winchester brothers, I feel as though I haven't watched in forever. I'm in season 7. I'm sorry boys, I haven't abandoned you. I promise.

I keep looking at my phone. I interviewed for a job a few days ago and I haven't heard back from them yet. They said they'd call either way. It's driving me insane!

I also pitched a short story series to a website a few days ago and I haven't heard from them either. It's very frustrating.

Oh! This morning, I finished Days of Blood and Starlight by Lani Taylor and it's the second in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy. Guys, if you haven't read these books you need to. They're fantastic and the third one comes out this week. (I think.)

OK... enough of my rambling. I'm sure you all have had enough of it. But here's hoping I'll get back to "normal" tomorrow!

Linking up with Meg for Mingle Monday!

5 on Friday

Happy Friday everyone!!!!

To be honest, not a whole lot is going on at the moment. So, I'm just going to do a quick "5 on Friday" post to catch you all up before you all run off to do your weekend shannanigans.

1) This is my last Friday of my little "Christmas Break!" Do you know what that means? I have a job! It's only part-time, but it's at least something to get me going while I'm figuring things out. There are also two other job possiblities I'm waiting to hear back from as well - so send prayers and good thoughts my way! But I start the new job on Monday. I'm really excited to have something going so quickly. I would go crazy if I were unemployed for too long and my bank account would probably cry. So, I'm going to enjoy the downtime this weekend while I can.

2) I am ready to get back to writing. I barely worked on my novel all December due to all of the crazy of moving, wrapping up things in Missouri, and the holidays. But the last couple of days my fingers have been itching to get back to the keyboard and my mind has wandered over to my characters. We've been sepearated for too long and I want to get this draft done so I can move onto the (painful) revising process. The only thing is that I haven't found a place to write yet. Ever since I've moved back to my parents house I've kind of taken claim of the kitchen table as my "office" every morning. I drink a cup of coffee, blog, and catch up on other blogs and social media. It's been a nice little routine and I know I can get some writing done here. However, it would be nice to have a little spot I can get away to for a change of scenery to let the creative juices flow. Naturally, I would go to a Starbucks. But as I was thinking about it, amost all of the Starbucks around here are super tiny - and not really condusive to sitting down with a laptop for a couple of hours. We'll see though. I'm going to do some Starbucks/Panera/Cafe shopping this week.

3) In case you haven't heard, Chicago is snowed in. As well as a majority of the rest of the country. This morning is basically the first time since Tuesday night I haven't seen snow faling from the sky. But honestly, I've been really enjoying it. This time, I'm not by myself in my apartment, I at least have my family here to be snowed in with. There's even MORE snow than there was in Missouri, and it's been so fun and peaceful to watch. I mean, look at the view we have from my parents house:

I stole this photo from my mom's Facebook

Isn't it so pretty? And it's perfect. On New Years Eve, we had intended on going to Indiana to visit family, but because of the snow we didn't go. It was a bummer because I always love seeing my extended family over the holidays, but it also has been nice to have more time to relax after all of the crazy before Christmas. We also went to go see Frozen... again. But what better time to see a movie about snow than when it's snowing?

It's also really amusing to watch Bandit and my mom's dog, Indy, sniffing around the snow.

4) As many of you probably know, if you've been following along with my escapades this week, I was posting photos on The Blog Baton Instagram Account. It was so much fun you guys!

First, I felt really cool because I was getting a ton of likes and comments on all of the photos. Is that what it's like to be a "popular" blogger? Because if it is, I need to become one. It was awesome.

Also, I was able to get some great exposure for my blog. I wasn't sure how many people would actually check out my little corner of the internet through The Blog Baton, but I now have several new Instagram and Twitter followers, and a few for the blog too. (Hi new friends if you're reading this! So glad we connected!)

So, not to sound like an ad, but if you want some extra exposure for your blog I highly reccomened checking out The Blog Baton. It was really fun!

5) The nice thing about being snowed in and having down time, is that I've been able to read and catch up on TV shows/movies. (This really shouldn't surprise any of you.) I nearly read all of An Abundance of Katherines yesterday, and I finished the Matched triology over New Years Eve. I'm now going to start Pheonix Rising which is part of The Ministry of Peculiar Occurances series.

On the TV/Movie front, I began rewatching Everwood and live-tweeted about the first four episodes, began Sherlock, and been watching Jane Austen movies. Which is always a good choice in my book. Especially since I have to return to the "real world" on Monday.

How have you all been spending the first few days of 2014?

Favorite Halloween Movies - That Don't Make Me Want a Nightlight

I am a huge fan of anything of the magical/supernatural-y type of thing.

Obviously.



It should also not surprise you that I love Halloween. I love having an excuse to talk about vampires, witches, ghosts, magic, etc. Also, you get to dress up, eat candy, drink apple cider, have bonfires, and watch movies.

While I know it has a really dark history (which is kinda fascinating to me... so we'll just add it to the list of reasons I'm a bad youth minister...) it's still awesome.

The problem is...

I hate horror movies.

Like - REALLY REALLY REALLY hate horror movies. Half of the time while I'm watching Supernatural, I have my Netflix on mute and I'm reading the captions while cuddling with a blanket, a pillow, and my dog. I've gotten better... but I hate being scared.

Once, some friends and I went to someone's house to watch a scary movie on Halloween. We had to leave about 15 minutes into it because I was terrified of what might happen as we watched.

I was about 23.

So, what do you do when you're a movie and supernatural lover like myself at Halloween? Here is a list of my favorite (tamer) movies to get me into the spirit:

The Nightmare Before Christmas

This movie can go either Christmas or Halloween. I go for Halloween because all of the characters try to pull off Christmas, but learn they are created for Halloween. I feel like it's more about embracing Halloween vs. Christmas. (Also being true to yourself. Yay for Halloween movies with morals!) It's also weird and creepy at times, but not enough to get me running for my blanket. Cause you know... it's a cartoon.

The Corpse Bride

Technically, this isn't a Halloween movie. However, it's all about death and it's a Tim Burton movie. Therefore- Halloween. It's also adorable.

Disney's Halloween Treat

Do you all remember this? I remember getting so excited for this Halloween special hosted by the Magic Mirror from Snow White. I found it on YouTube - so I fully intend to watch it this year. It's a bunch of little snippets of classic Disney villans and other short cartoons to get into the spirit.

Interview with the Vampire

I don't just watch kid movies - I promise! When I first saw this movie when I was in jr. high it terrified me. But now that I'm older, and I've seen it a million times, it doesn't scare me anymore. Also, there aren't really any "bumps in the night" which make me jump a foot off of the couch, so I was able to deal with this one better. A little bit of gore I can get over easily. Besides, I love Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles and this movie is wonderful. Also - this is a perfect cast. Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Antonio Banderas, and child Kirsten Dunst. Brilliant! 

My dream Halloween costume is to be Claudia. It's one of the few times being short and blonde has its perks. I could totally pull off child vampire.

I just ignore the movie Queen of the Damned.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

I love musical theatre. What did you expect?

Dracula

The awesome things about old horror movies? Sometimes they aren't all that scary. Besides... this is a classic. And almost anything with vampires - I'm game!

The Mummy

How any could not love The Mummy is beyond me. It's another one that scared me in jr. high, but as I got older I realized it wasn't very scary at all. It's funny, ridiculous, but also has action and corpses rising from the dead.

Also- she's a librarian.  Can it get any better than that? I didn't think so.

Rebecca

This is one of Hitchcock's earlier movies and I adore it. It's creepy in a non-creepy way at all... and done as only Hitchcock can. You feel like there's a ghost when there isn't one, and there's a mystery and a love story... and Mrs. Danvers is one of the best villains ever. Also - Joan Fontaine and Lawrence Oliver are in it. Completely brilliant.

Pirates of the Caribbean

Captain Jack Sparrow, ghost/zombie pirates, Will Turner... yup. I feel like this is a Halloween winner. 

Warm Bodies

After seeing this movie (twice) when it came out earlier in 2013, and falling in love with the book, and writing blog posts about it, my long-time readers had to know this movie was going to be on the list. There's zombies and great eating of brains and fighting, but also a ridiculously cute love story. R is also hilarious. 

Harry Potter

Any of the Harry Potter movies will do. Or all of them. Whatever. They're wizards and witches at school and crazy things happen. Can it get any more Halloween than that? 

And any excuse to watch Harry Potter is good in my book.

While you're at it... just go read all seven books. I'm not here to judge. 

Hocus Pocus

Seriously, this is one of the best Halloween movies of all time. If not the best. Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker are fantastic in this movie, they're hilarious and scary at the same time. (I'm sorry, eating the souls of children is terrifying.) Thackery Binks is the cat I never knew I wanted (and he was kinda cute as a human... at least in my elementary school/Jr. high girl eyes). I also wished I had a big brother like Max. From this movie, I also know who Ice is... and we all need to know that information. From this movie, you also learn that zombies can be good guys. 

I know there are a ton of other great non-terrfying Halloween movies out there - but I can't name them all! What are some of your favorites?

Also - if you don't want to just watch movies, Supernatural, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Vampire Diaries are the best TV shows to watch this time of year (if not all year round). 

I also intend to try watching Snow White A Tale of Terror this month. While it is a horror movie and I'll be scared out of my mind,  as a fan of the Snow White fairy tale I feel like I need to watch it.