Music Mondays Kick Off

Today is the first link up for Music Mondays with Brittany and Teh Megan! 

I'm pretty pumped. 

Today's theme is "Your Favorite Song on the Radio Right Now."

To be completely honest, I haven't been listening to the radio a whole lot lately. I listen to a morning show on the way to work because I love the hosts, but they don't play a ton of music and the music they do play is okay, but not my favorite. However, I have been loving the song "Human" by Christina Perri. I'm not sure if it's really on the radio "right now" but it is a pretty recent song. So I think it counts. 

I first heard it on Dancing With the Stars when Amy Purdy and Derek Hough danced to it, and it was amazing. So, here is that video so you can see/hear it too. There is an introduction for why Amy chose this song particularly and her rehearsal process. If you want to skip that go to 2:35 in the video to see the actual performance and the song. 

Now it's your turn to link up and share your favorite song on the radio right now! We'll be having Music Monday every week and scheduled topics the first Monday of the month. (So, this week we have a topic. Then next week we don't!) Link up below!

Also- Vlog Every Day August (VEDA) has begun! If you want to watch my videos you can check out my youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/SnowWhitegrl and to learn more information you can go to http://weblogwevlog.com/.

AND one more thing. Remember my friend Leslie and her daughter Charley that I wrote about not long ago? (You can read my post by clicking here.) They got the phone call for the transplant last night ON CHARLEY'S BIRTHDAY and are prepping for surgery as I type this at 8am this morning. So keep them in your thoughts and prayers today!

These Authors are Taking Up Space!

When you obsessively buy and read books the way I do, they start to pile up. You also start to see trends in genres and authors which tend to take up the most room on your shelves.

Here are 10 authors which I have the most books of in descending order.

Stephanie Meyer- 5

Well... this is embarrassing. I mean... it's Stephanie Meyer. But yes, I still own all of my Twilight books as well as The Host. Stop judging me.

Anne Rice- 7

Oh good, a respectable vampire author. I have her first three novels in The Vampire Chronicles in one big volume, and then the next three individually, and the first of her first book about the life of Christ.

Kady Cross- 7

Kady Cross is the author of The Steampunk Chronicles which has four novels. However, she also wrote three novellas to go along with the novels which I also own. 

Francine Rivers-9

I was surprised at how many of her books I own when I counted. I have the Mark of the Lion trilogy, Redeeming Love, The Prince, and then all five of Lineage of Grace in one big volume.

Cassandra Clare- 9

Between The Mortal Instruments series and The Infernal Devices... that's a lot of books! All nine of them are on my iPad and I wouldn't be surprised if I ended up buying more of her future novels as they come out.

Elizabeth Chadwick- 9

What's crazy is these books aren't even technically part of a series. Many of them connect to one another and I personally feel there is a "best" order of which you should read them. But all except for one of her novels which I own are stand alone novels. So I feel like that deserves a special note.

JK Rowling/Robert Galbrath- 10

Well... obviously I own at least seven of JK Rowling's novels, the Harry Potter series. I also own The Tales of Beedle the Bard, The Casual Vacancy, and The Cuckoo's Calling. Yeah, yeah, I know... it's under another name. But it's written by the same person so it totally counts!

Jane Austen- 14

Technically, I own her complete works in one big volume on my iPad. So I feel like that counts.

Charlaine Harris- 14

I know... I know... another ridiculous vampire series. But it's better than Twilight, right? There are 13 books in the Sookie Stackhouse series and I also own a novel of short stories about Sookie.

Now... for the author for whom I own the most books...

Robin Jones Gunn- 19 going on 20

That's like a TLC TV show or something...

Crazy, right? Robin Jones Gunn won this by a landslide, and they all have to do with the same world and group of characters. I have all 12 books in the Christy Miller Series, the Christy and Todd the College Years trilogy, and all four of her books in The Katie Weldon Series. On top of that, Gunn just began a series about Christy and Todd the married years and I should be getting the first one in the mail in the next few days!

What authors take up the most room on your book shelves? Link up here for 10 on Tuesday: http://www.brokeandbookish.com/2014/07/top-ten-authors-we-own-most-books-of.html

Also - some announcements!

First, my friend Kirsti and I are coordinating Vlog Every Day August (VEDA)! It starts on Friday if you can believe it. It's a ton of fun and I want this year to be a HUGE success. Check out the website to learn more, sign up, and get the topics calendar. And you can watch all of my videos next month on my YouTube channel! (https://www.youtube.com/user/SnowWhitegrl)

Second, starting Monday I'll be hosting a link up with two other lovely bloggers, Brittany (http://www.storiessongsandpraise.com/) and Teh Megan (http://www.canidecideanotherday.com/) called Music Monday! We'll link up every week with the first Monday of the month having a theme. We're starting off with your favorite song on the radio right now. So be sure to stop by here on Monday and link up! In fact... you can get the button right now. 

Charley & Mom Vs. Biliary Atresia

A few years ago, I auditioned for my first play with the community theatre in the little Missouri town where I was living. While there, I met another young actress with blond hair and bright blue eyes, who then became my cast-mate. The rest they say, is history.

Ever since that little play, Faith County, Leslie and I have been close friends. There was even a time when the Starbucks baristas nicknamed us Thelma and Louis because we were always together. Leslie helped me to get out of my little church worker bubble and get to know the town and make new friends. She and her husband welcomed me into their little family.

Even when I went back down to Missouri to visit, Leslie was one of the first people I saw. We spent the whole afternoon running around town with her kids in the backseat singing along to Frozen and catching up on life. It was just like old times.

At this time last year, Leslie was pregnant with her second child, Charley. Three weeks after Charley was born, she was diagnosed with Bilairy Atresia. (You can learn about it here.) Then, as the months went on, she also developed Rickets. (Basically, her bones break. I feel that feel, Charley.) Charley needs a new liver, has a feeding tube to help her gain weight, and has to have her diaper changed... A LOT. She's at the top of the liver transplant list and Leslie is even prepared to donate part of her own liver.

In spite of everything, Charley is one of the happiest little babies I have ever met. She's always smiling and giggling whenever I see her.

But Charley and her family need help. All of the medical bills and special formulas and cremes start to add up. They've started a GoFundMe campaign so people can help.

I know I've shared stories like this before on the blog, but this time it's different. This time, it's for a friend. This family is so special to me and I love them so much. The goal is $5,000 and right now they've raised $1,893. Let's make this happen!

You can donate through this link and learn more details about Charley and Leslie's story: http://www.gofundme.com/bo3b94

You can like Leslie and Charley's Facebook page by clicking here.

10 Characters on a Deserted Island

We've all thought about what we would do if we were on a deserted island. Who we would want there, if we could only pick 3 books to have, 5 music albums to listen to, etc. But what about fictional characters from your favorite novels? If you could pick any 10 to have with you on a deserted island - who would you pick?

Lydia Benett- The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet

Yes, I could pick the original Lydia from Pride and Prejudice, but the Lydia depicted in Lizzie Bennet Diaries and The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet was my favorite. She might not know much about living on an island, but I have a feeling we would never be bored. She would make us all laugh when we're down and have fun all of the time.

Zuzana - Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy

Zuzana was one of my favorites parts of this trilogy! She's another one who would be there to lighten the mood and keep everyone entertained. But she's also a good friend and will do anything to help the people she cares about and is incredibly brave. Definitely needed on an island. Also- puppets.

Cinder - The Lunar Chronicles

Yeah... it might be a bit difficult with her being part cyborg and needing some mechanics. However, she's a leader and helpful in a tight situation.

Edward Zanni- How I Paid for College

I'll be honest, he's mainly on this list for entertainment reasons. He and I would be singing show tunes 24/7 and find ways to convince everyone else on the island to put on musicals. However, he is very creative and could be helpful in finding unique ways to survive.

Katniss & Peeta- The Hunger Games Trilogy

Katniss is my first choice because- HELLO! It's Katniss. She can hunt and forage and scrape for food and kill the bad guys. When Edward and I are too busy singing all of the songs from Pippin she'll get us off our asses and be sure we get work done. But then I'll add Peeta too because he also survived the Hunger Games and knows how to protect us, and Katniss will need him to keep her balanced. Also- bread for everyone!

Harry, Ron, and Hermione- Harry Potter Series

You just can't pick one of these without the other. They work as a team and with them, we could totally survive a deserted island. First, who wouldn't want to hang out with them? Second, magic. Duh. Third, they basically went camping for a majority of Deathly Hallows and could probably teach us a thing or two. Fourth, they defeated Voldemort. So... obviously.

Samwise Gamgee- The Lord of the Rings

Sam is my hero. He is the most loyal friend and can definitely survive out in the wild. Pass the potatoes please.

Peter- The Chronicles of Narnia

When trying to survive, you need some leadership, and Peter is a great leader. He also has the whole older brother thing going on so he'll be there to help protect everyone.

Technically this is eleven people and not ten. But they're all totally needed! Right?

Linking up with 10 on Tuesday. Link up here!

My Favorite Local Restaurant

To be completely honest, I don't know of that many local restaurants. Isn't that awful? Most of the time when I go out to eat it's either Chipotle or Portillos. (Which... some Chicago people might want to argue Portillos is local because most of their chains are here and it's a Chicago staple. But it's a chain.) Even living in Missouri, one of my favorite places was McCallisters... another chain. I do go to local restaurants, I do. But it takes me a little while to think of one I really would want to share with the world. I clearly need to get out more.

The one place I did think of though is this Pizza/Itallian place in the suburb where I grew up. I guess technically it's a chain now because there are a couple of other locations which have popped up in the last several years around the south side of Chicago. However, it started where I grew up and it was just a local family place for a long time.

Barraco's Pizza.

This place is a staple for anyone who grew up in my neighborhood. I first know it for it's pizza. I can't tell you how many times we would order pizza from here on a Friday night. Pizza Hut? Poppa Johns? Pssshhh. Barraco's is where it's at yo.

They also have a dinning room where you can of course order pizza, but it's actually a nice Itallian restaurant along with a banquet hall and a bar. I've had countless dinners, graduations, and other celebrations here. In fact, I'm pretty sure this is the location for my sister's rehearsal dinner.

I actually really hate this picture of me, but in college I brought the cast of a play I was in here for our cast party. I would have chosen a different picture which actually showed the restaurant, but this was the only one with me in it and I felt like it would be creepy to put up pictures of my college friends without me. So... there we go. There's this awesome one of my friend next to a Frank Sinatra picture because that's the kind of Italian place it is. 

What makes Baracco's even better is you can order and carry out anything on the menu. So many times we don't feel like eating pizza, so we'll just order a bunch of appetizers, a roast beef sandwich, and pasta. It's amazeballs. 

Then... it gets better. Carry out and delivery is open 24 hours. Yup. The dinning room is open until 2am, but you can order Baracco's 24/7. My brother-in-law loves it for when he has late night shifts and needs something to eat as he gets home. 

So... now I'm craving it. Ordering Italian is okay for 7:30am right?

Blog Every Day in July Topic: My Favorite Local Restaurant

IGNORE THIS POST ITS A TEST FOR SOMETHING

10 Instagrams

I've done recomendations for blogs and websites before, but never Instagram. I think it's because I mainly follow people I know and other blog friends on Instagram simply because I know them or like their blog. Not necessarily because I just love their photography. So, it took me a little bit to dig through my Instagram account to see people who are genuinely good photographers to tell people about. However, I found some!

Andrew Kennan Blogger

Being a huge musical theatre nerd, and after seeing Newsies on Broadway a couple of years ago, I ended up following about 1/2 of the cast on Instagram. It turns out, the actor Andrew Kennan Blogger (he played Crutchie), is an amazing photographer. I always love looking at his photos and all of his NYC adventures.

http://instagram.com/keenanblogger

Beauty Edit Max

I have no idea who this guy is. All I know is that one day, forever ago, he followed my account for some reason and I followed back. Holy cow- he does amazing photos.

http://instagram.com/beauty_edit_max

Neil Patrick Harris

Um... who wouldn't want to see the world through his eyes?

http://instagram.com/instagranph

The Blog Baton

This is the coolest Instagram/Blogger idea ever. Basically, everyday a different blogger takes over the account. (I did it back in January.) It's fun to see everyone's lives and to get some more exposure for your own blog.

http://instagram.com/theblogbaton

Writers Atelier

This account is awesome for writers. They post different quotes, inspiration, words, writing prompts, etc. everyday. 

http://instagram.com/writersatelier

The Ugly Mug Cafe Chicago

You know that cafe sign you see on Pinterest all of the time with the best quotes ever? That's a cafe in Chicago called The Ugly Mug Cafe. They really do have the best signs ever.

http://instagram.com/uglymugcafechi

Humans of New York

This guy is all over social media. Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, etc. But I really love his stuff. I love how he takes pictures of random people in the city and shares their stories. 

http://instagram.com/humansofny

Pemberley Digital

Hello! Pictures from behind the scenes of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, Emma Approved, and now Frankenstein MD! 

http://instagram.com/pemberleydigital

Starbucks Olive and 6th

One of my closest friends who works for Starbucks runs this account. So everyone should follow it.

http://instagram.com/sbuxoliveand6th

Colin Wright

I kinda of want to be this guy. Colin Wright travels the world, writes books, and basically lives on the Internet. And gets paid to do it. Coolest life ever, right? Right now he's living in Prauge.

http://instagram.com/colinismyname

Who are some of your favorite Instagram accounts? You know... other than mine. ;-) Yes... this is a shameless plug. http://instagram.com/lovewokemeup

On my Mind Right Now

It's been a crazy couple of weeks and it doesn't seem like things are going to be slowing down anytime soon.

First - my sisters wedding.

Last week was my sister's wedding shower. It was a lot of fun, but also a lot of work. What's crazier is that I'm realizing my sister's wedding is coming closer and closer. Shower #2 for our family in Indiana is in 16 days. The bachelorette party is in 6 weeks. Then the wedding itself is in just over two months. The bridesmaid dresses came in this week and we picked them up on Tuesday and mine is HUGE on top so I have to have it altered. We also need to get going on the centerpieces. I feel like there's so much to do still. The wedding will be beautiful and fun and awesome - but there's so much between now and then.

Second- work.

The preschool where I work is at a church and this week is their Vacation Bible School. Naturally, our kids join in. It's been a lot of fun and it's a great change of pace. However, with all of the new teachers, volunteers, and kids around, it's really throwing off the kids in the preschool. They're enjoying the week, but I can tell all of the craziness is taking it's toll on them. Also, the teacher has been out of town on a mission trip this week which just throws everyone off even more. It's been fine and a lot of fun, but I know I'll be glad when things go back to "normal" on Monday.

Third- waiting to hear from another job.

Last week, in the middle of all of the crazy for my sister's shower, I had a job interview for a position I really want. Like... I REALLY REALLY want it. It's still only part time and won't pay a whole lot. However, the hours would work with my current job and it's a foot in the door into a field I really think I would love and the extra income will be a big help. I think the interview went well, but he said he'll be deciding by the end of the month who he'll hire. Which means I probably won't heart until next week. I'm hoping for sooner because I just want to know! I can imagine myself at this job and I think it would be perfect for me. Waiting is just awful. I followed up with an email the next day and I mailed a thank you note this week. Hopefully I left an awesome impression.

Fourth- VEDA is coming up.

I'm super excited for Vlog Every Day in August this year. I've done it for the last two years and this year will be awesome as well. But among all of the other crazy in my life, my friend Kirsti and I decided to run it. Honestly, it's pretty simple. We already have the sign up form ready to launch in a few days, someone is working on getting the site up, and the brainstorming session is scheduled. Kirsti and I have been taking turns answering questions via the Twitter account and it seems like people are excited. I still can't help but worry we're missing something or I'll mess it all up somehow. This is such a fun month and I've made a ton of friends through VEDA. Hopefully it'll all go off without a hitch.

Fifth- thinking about my old youth group.

This week the youth I used to lead have been in Panama City for BigStuf. It's one of our all time favorite trips we would take. I was able to write prayer cards for a few of them and the leaders have been tagging me in all of their photos and videos on Facebook. I've loved seeing their adventures and what they've been up to. I'm so proud of them and what a great group it is, and it's a relief to know those teenagers are in good hands. But I also have been thinking back to the last time I went and everything I did for the last 5 1/2 years. I think about all of the times I failed or could have done better or disappointed people. I know I was good at my job - but I also know I wasn't perfect. I wish I could go into the past and fix some of those mistakes. I also kinda wish I was there on the beach with them. But I know it's all for the best.

Sixth- my Barnes and Noble gift card.

My sister and her fiance gave me a gift card to Barnes and Noble for my birthday a few weeks ago and I still have no idea how I'm going to use it. I know in the grand scheme of things it's not a big deal - but I want to be sure it's the PERFECT THING! I know, I know, I need to get over it. #readerproblems.

Seventh- Auditions.

I'm finally in a place where I might be able to go out for a few shows in the community. Granted, if I get the job I want I might not be able to do any shows. Which is fine. However, while I'm waiting to hear back from the job I'm preparing for a few auditions. The first one is on Sunday and I still can't decide if I want to try for it or not. It's a straight play and there are only 3 roles, all for women. It's a very different sort of role I'm going for than I usually would do, but I think it would be a great stretch for me and I could be really good at it. Then there are two musicals I want to audition for coming up if I don't make the play or decide to not go for the play. But I can't help but wonder if going for a show is too much on my plate right now.

So yeah... I guess you could say I have a lot on my mind lately. I know some of you have way bigger things happening in your lives at the moments. Babies being born, family happenings, relationship issues, etc. But right now this is my life. I'm not complaining by any means. I'm crazy blessed and most of these items I'm outrageously excited about! But, this is just a peek into what's going on in my life and my brain lately.

How are all of you? What's going on in your life? I'd love to catch up!

Blog Everyday in July Topic: On My Mind Right Now