10 Day Tour: Young Ambassadors

There aren't too many things more fun (and exhausting) than being on a bus for ten days with lots of extroverts. If you didn't catch it from Facebook/Instagram, I've been out of school the past week and on a long road trip touring with the YA's! 

This is how we looked 90% of the time...

And the other 10%...

We had so much fun. It was one of those weeks where I wanted time to stand still and 

just be "in college" for awhile. It went way too fast! So starting off...this is me and MegSack about 3 hours

into our journey. That's why we are so happy...

Our first night, we stayed with the guy who draws the Pickles comics, 

Brian Crane and his lovely wife. I KNOW, RIGHT?!

Another MegSack photo, making any other face but smiling! Our cheek muscles hurt.

Our first stop on the day tour to San Francisco, the City Hall! 

Just me and a big head. That's all.

Chinatown....yeah.

I practically went to China without going to China!

Whitney and I on the Pier looking out over Alcatraz.

...and Tanner bought us a bread alligator at the world-famous Boudin's! 

We try to be as mature as possible when we are taking pictures.

After a great FHE and fireside with the Singles Ward, the next day we woke up

and went to the Redwood Forest! 

With a performance every night except Sunday, it was great to come to our Host family

and be completely welcomed in! Those little kids in Santa Rosa are adorable.

And for more mirror reflection pictures, of course we watch The Bachelor when we

get ready for our shows! This was in San Jose:

And this was the stage in San Jose...SO FUN!

I guess you could call it a success when you make the front page of

a Napa Valley Newspaper.

And for our last show...a great dressing room shot. This was our favorite dressing room 

only because we had enough outlets for our curling irons.

Within these ten days, I hadn't heard of so many miracles since my mission. For real. We helped with some re-activating, with decision making about baptism, and lots (and lots) of introduction to the LDS church. We brought the Spirit in ways that I couldn't do on my own--even when I was a missionary. I heard the exact same things when I was wearing a nametag, which convinced me even more that what I'm doing right now is an extension of my mission. But this time, I get to SING! 

Music brings something to some people that is not explainable. And one of those people is me. It gives me strength to go on, but more importantly, enough confidence to know that I'm a daughter of God. I know for a fact I gave that confidence to one little girl that I met in Oakland, and that was enough for me.

It's amazing the money, the time, sweat (and tears) Heavenly Father will allow one person to go through to help another come back to Him.

Mid-Semester Activities.

I feel like I'm 75. (Not that that's a bad thing.)

I'm reaching for the Advil every five minutes and taking advantage of the time I have on the couch with my laptop in my lap. I didn't think it was possible to be as exhausted as a missionary again...but it is! 

I'll tell you a secret though: IT'S SO WORTH IT.

I have a built-in college family, and did I get to mention we get to sing and dance? I think that's what we'll be doing when we see Him again. We're just practicing for that moment. Let's see...

"Until all shall know me, who remain, even from the least unto the greatest, and shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, and shall see eye to eye, and shall lift up their voice, and with the voice together sing this new song..." -Doctrine and Covenants 84:98

Yep, that sounds about right. Not that the BYU Young Ambassadors get a front row seat or anything...well that would be cool...but...yeah. As long as you're in your ward choir, I think you're set. (Joke.)

In other news, I just bought my plane tickets to Florida to see my man!

The whole "long distance" thing isn't ideal, but I figured that's what I'd get if I met someone on while on my internship in Washington, D.C. But, I do get a lot more done than I would if he was here all the time! It actually works out pretty nicely. Also, I can't get over how handsome he is. (He's even more sweet than he is good-looking!)

When he was here we got to hang out with the culprit who put us together...

...and since it's the middle of the semester--do lots of homework. 

Kasey would probably hate it if I posted the videos of the "Cowboy Christmas" station 

he was blasting while we were working.  

As for the rest of the semester, this is the view I have for about 20 hours a week...

Just singing, dancing, and even more Singin'...in the Rain! We open our show in less than two weeks and I have nightmares that I forgot to do homework/go to class/that I even registered for that class because it's so crazy. But I totally love the crazy. 

I guess I could put in a plug for our show to wrap things up:

November 14th, 7:00 pm at Orem High School

Adults $6, Seniors/Students $5, Elementary $3

November 15th, 7:30 (?) pm at Jackson Hole High School

Not sure about prices yet...I think they're back to the normal ones.

Let me know if you're coming and I'll find out!

Finally, all of this work is about to pay off!

I'll I'm praying for at this point is just not to crash on stage. It's pretty likely.

Dream Big.

You know that song by Ryan Shupe and the Rubber Band? 

Seriously, when that song came out, I was what...in 7th grade or something? I l-i-t-e-r-a-l-l-y would sing my guts out to that song in my studio pretending I was in Young Ambassadors. 

And guess what. Ten years later...

I MADE IT!

...and my life is the craziest it's ever been.

Along with balancing my last year at BYU (including my broadcast producing capstone...takes up a heck-a-lot more time than I thought) a boyfriend and work, the BYU Young Ambassadors team has been the main focus of my year. Don't worry, we have about five weeks to learn our stuff for Homecoming Spectacular and our main show. This year, our show is called, "Heartsongs: Melodies of Love." You guessed it, it's all about love! It's a perfect date to bring your significant other to, or if you don't have one, they probably will become yours since you brought them to such a fantastic event. Just sayin'.

I just want to take a second and tell you how incredibly amazed I am at the talent that is in this group. How did I get in here?! Not only can they sing, they can dance...and do it at the SAME TIME. When you think about it, it really blows my mind. It is hard, guys. Ha.

I'm sure you want to see all of our hard work in action, right?

Buy tickets at www.byutickets.com! October 16th and 17th at the Marriott Center.

See you there!

Manhattan.

This is my blog, so I can put whatever I want on here. And I'm just a little bit proud of this right now, okay? I fell in love with this song the first week I got off my mission. I really had no one to sing it to, but what got me were the lyric choice and perfection in chords that matched the mood so gently. The second that I heard it, I knew I had to learn it on the piano. Nothing that a little Ultimate-Guitar.com can't fix. Anyway, I'm a little bit obsessed with Sara Bareilles, so here is her one and only...Manhattan.
 

Chasing the sun.

This song literally has been on repeat in my car. I love everything about the acoustics of the song, but the lyrics are unbelievable. It is incredibly symbolic if you try hard enough...I guess anything can be symbolic of things in an individual's life depending on their stage in life. So go ahead and read these lyrics, and just remember to be...happy.

"It’s a really old city

Stuck between the dead and the living

So I thought to myself, sitting on a graveyard shelf

As the echo of heartbeats, from the ground below my feet

Filled a cemetery in the center of Queens

I started running the maze of

The names and the dates, some older than others

The skyscrapers, little tombstone brothers

With Manhattan behind her, three million stunning reminders

Built a cemetery in the center of Queens

You said, remember that life is

Not meant to be wasted

We can always be chasing the sun!

So fill up your lungs and just run

But always be chasing the sun!

So how do you do it,

With just words and just music, capture the feeling

That my earth is somebody’s ceiling, can I deliver in sound

The weight of the ground

Of a cemetery in the center of Queens

There’s a history through her

Sent to us as a gift from the future, to show us the proof

More than that, it’s to dare us to move

To open our eyes and to learn from the sky

From a cemetery in the center of Queens 

You said, remember that life is

Not meant to be wasted

We can always be chasing the sun!

So fill up your lungs and just run

But always be chasing the sun!

All we can do is try

And live like we’re still alive

It’s a really old city

Stuck between the dead and the living

So I thought to myself, sitting on a graveyard shelf

And the gift of my heartbeat sounds like a symphony

Played by a cemetery in the center of Queens

You said, remember that life is

Not meant to be wasted

We can always be chasing the sun!

So fill up your lungs and just run

But always be chasing the sun!

All we can do is try

And live like we’re still alive

All we can do is try

And live like we’re still alive."

-Sara Bareilles

(a.k.a. THE goddess of songwriting. See also: Bluebird, Between the Lines, Love is Christmas, Let the Rain, etc.)

My iTunes top 5.

Well this is going to be harder than I thought. I want to narrow my top five favorite songs as of February 7, 2012. Like most people, they change weekly, but these songs have been what have been playing constantly on my iPod. We'll start with the bottom and move to the top. Even though they all are basically tied in my book--but you get the idea.


5. Someone Like You-Charlie Puth. Yes, Adele sings this song. But this cover is simply too fantastic to not obsess over. I'm absolutely in love with the fact that there's both a man and a woman singing--because this song I believe ultimately describes not just one person, but both people in a relationship that ends as well as this one did.


4. Science & Faith-The Script. I heard this song on the plane to Boston this summer, and it's been on my most-listened to playlist ever since. It accurately describes everything that no one can explain. That is all.


3. I'm About to Come Alive-Train. I've always been a huge fan of Train. They write these lyrics that just pierce your heart and nearly everyone can relate to them. It reminds everyone that it's okay to be vulnerable.


2. Dancing Shoes-Gavin DeGraw. I love that anyone really relating to this song is so true to themselves. They know what they want, but they're not going to get into any relationship just to be in one. The singer wants to make sure both parties are happy--and he's going to make sure they do it right.


1. Penguin-Christina Perri. I heard this on Pandora yesterday morning...just one of those immediate downloads. I love that there are still songs like this that, again, let vulnerability out. 


Wow, I just realized these all these are cute songs. I'm a girl, okay? But seriously, download these on iTunes. The best >$5 you'll ever spend, I promise. 


Who came up with all of the good songs being worth $1.29 now? I remember when we could get a gallon of gas for that price...I must be getting old. 

Yeah, it's THAT good.

Kaitlin and I listen to this on repeat. We were discussing last night when the time will come when we actually get sick of it, I think we decided on...never. It makes it even better when I can't decide which one I like better; this cover, or the actual song. (Wow, I can't believe I just admitted that...over Adele?!) That being said, please drop everything you're doing and watch this. Get ready to bookmark this on your toolbar.

Right? Right???!!??!!!!! Now try not to watch it again. Just try. YOU CAN'T DO IT HUH?!

Oh and if you don't have one already, get a Spotify account. Don't know what that is? Google it. Then download it.

Seven things.

Rules are as follows: Seven things about yourself. Then nominate 7 others to do the same thing. (a.k.a. it will help you think of interesting things to say when you have to introduce yourself in a new class.)

1. If you haven't guessed, I am obsessed with Fall. I love everything about wearing sweaters, having my nose cold, having an excuse to walk into Starbucks...anything. And don't forget the orange/yellow/red tint to everything. It's so...warming. I even bought a mustard yellow shirt on sale today to celebrate.
2. I keep every letter ever written to me, and I have recently put them in a huge binder. I keep it right next to my bed and quite often skim through them to remind me of the fantastic people God put in my life.
3. Speaking of writing, I write in my journal every night, and I have since the 8th grade. I've mentioned everyone who has ever made a difference in my life. If you're reading this, you're probably in there. More than once.
4. I routinely put on my "thinking goggles" when I am trying to think of something while talking to a person. I honestly don't realize I do it. It consists of making a circle with my thumb and index finger and putting it over my eyes. Apparently I also go into a forward lunge every time I get excited about something. My cousins/roommates make fun of me for this--they call it endearing. 
5. I have an obsession with jazz music. Diana Krall, Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby, Harry Connick Jr. to name a few. I think I got it from my mom. Whenever we drive together we always have it on, and I feel like two old women living in their teenage years.
6. I am so happy with my major. (Broadcast journalism. Welcome, Anna!) I feel like the program we have here at BYU was created specifically for me and I seriously love going to every class. One of my favorite things is walking into the newsroom at the Brimhall and feeling like I belong there.
7. I LOVE CHICK FLICKS. I've fallen in love multiple times with Ryan Reynolds, Josh Duhamel, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Ryan Gosling. Yes, I cried in the Notebook.

K. You guys have to do it:

-Laura

-Hannah

-Rylee
-Mary
-Felicia
-Allison
-Erin

Three and a half things.

First thing: It's kinda fun to keep changing this blog header...I promise I'll stop soon. It took me a little longer to figure out than I thought it would, but thankfully I don't really have any homework this weekend. That's the beauty of being a broadcast journalism major: lots of labs. We do homework in class. AWESOME.


Second thing: so proud of my team last night. We looked great, and there was so much energy! It was entertainment at it's best. Clean, fun entertainment. That's how BYU is supposed to play, ESPN. I promised we'd give you a great show. (Kyle Van Noy's 93 yd. touchdown...ahem.) 


Third thing: John Legend? Guilty pleasure? Actually, that's not guilty. If any man sang this to me...wow.
(I'm not a huge fan of the violence in the video, I would just suggest putting the song on in the background--the lyrics are beautiful.)

Third and a half thing: I'm off to the BYU Athletic Hall of Fame tonight. Congrats to Carl McGown along with others who are being inducted tonight. Coach McGown led the Cougs to 2 national championships in volleyball, along with coaching the USA team. He's a legend himself.

Utah Symphony+Thanksgiving Point=Spectacular.

My mom, Sarah and I got to go to this AMAZING concert at Thanksgiving point. The Utah Symphony performed with Riders in the Sky...seems like an interesting combination, but it was incredible. I think the best part of the whole night was having the conductor, David Cho, come up to us and introduce himself at the VIP party. I'll be honest, I was star-struck. He is standing next to me and my grandparents, with his friend who was in the last graduating class at Juilliard, along with the Governor and his wife. 

I'll have to say I do take advantage of being my mother's daughter, especially when we get seats like this at the Utah Symphony. I couldn't find a date like my sister Nicole even managed to--maybe someone will help me take advantage with me next time?

She's a genius.

This woman...oh wow. Katie and I rocked out to her yesterday in the car on the way to Zupas. (If you haven't been there, you should go there right now. No seriously, right now.) Anyway, I think this has to be my absolute favorite song she sings. I know it's a cover from Bob Dylan, but...wow. That's really all I can say about this.