Auditioning to be a Disney Princess

When is the last time you tried something for the first time? For me the answer to that question was a looonnnggg time ago. Every once in awhile we come across experiences in our life that challenge us, and give us hope that we can do a bit better and try a little harder. This is the story of one of those experiences for me.

I had the opportunity to audition to be a Disney Princess this past week, and it was quite an adventure! I've had some people ask what it was like and what sort of things I learned going forward, so I thought I would share my experience here. I can't go into a ton of detail of specific things such as specific dance moves, animation exercises, or specific people, but I can give a general overview of what we did and what Disney is generally looking for. This is my experience, every audition is slightly different based off of what the casting directors are looking for.

Once Upon a Time...

.....In a land very close to here.....

One of my best friends mentioned that during spring break she was going to audition for a Disney Princess role for fun and invited me to come along. We got talking about it and decided it would be a fun experience. I was on the fence about auditioning because I had never auditioned for anything in my life, but I figured that I had nothing to lose. So being the Disnerds that we are we spent the weekend googling tips and looking up videos of girls who had auditioned in the past. It seemed like every account I researched was different: don't wear makeup, do wear makeup, try to look like the princess you want, don't try to stereotype yourself into one thing, be very animated, don't overdo it.... everything was all over the board. I was scared out of my mind! I tried to play it off cool... I wasn't going to make it that far anyways, right? It would be a fun experience and maybe I would learn a thing or two about auditioning, but I wouldn't be there for more than an hour or two at most? I was sure of it. 

The morning of the auditions my friend and I drove to the ballet studio an hour early. Check in was from 10:00-10:30, but we arrived around 9:15. When we got there we found that the studio was already starting to fill with girls! We checked in and got our number (I was number 35 of about 180ish girls) and then selected our information. For the check in process you can either select the Disney College Program (which is like an internship program working for Disney for a semester at their lowest totem pole jobs) if you were previously accepted or a full time general recruit. We also entered in our emails and our gender. After check in we were split into two ballet studios. We sat and waited for the check in process to be over and had the opportunity to meet some amazing new girls! Every single girl I talked to was so friendly and fun to be around - i'm convinced that Disney draws the best crowds because everywhere I looked there was a smiling friendly face!:) TIP: Use this time to meet new people and have fun! What made the audition so amazing was meeting the wonderful people there. Plus the casting director walks in and out of the room often, so if you are socializing and meeting new people instead of sitting in the corner staring at the wall you can get some brownie points before the audition even begins! Be yourself and have fun, everyone is just as nervous as you:)

After the check in process was finished a Disney Parade Dance Choreographer came in the studio. He taught us a simple traveling parade routine complete with jazz hands and all. Now a small flash back (drumroll please......)  I danced until I was about 7 years old... and I remember being painfully awful at it. I doubt my parents objected much when I wanted to quit. I've taken a few social dance classes and Zumba classes, but definitely not anything that would pass me off as an actual dancer. So when I read online that the majority of the audition was based off of dancing I panicked inside. Now flash forward: luckily the parade dance was very simple and a ton of fun! TIP: Be prepared to feel like an idiot though, just smile through the entire thing no matter what. They really don't care if you mess up, they care if you can perform. If you smile and jazz square your way to victory as everyone else is pivoting and spinning right on beat they couldn't care less. They want to see if you have a good stage presence and can make things look comfortable in an uncomfortable situation. Your cheesy smile is your best friend, never wipe it off your face:)

 After the choreographer was done teaching us the steps we lined up in rows of five girls. The music started and each row would dance their way to the front of the room where the casting director stood. As we danced the casting director would tap on her iPad the numbers of the girls that she wanted to keep. It seemed like she barely glanced at each girl, maybe five seconds at most. Five seconds and she could make her decision if each individual girl would be able to fill the role she was looking for or not. Sound intimidating? It was. I leaned over to my friend after our row finished dancing and whispered something like "I don't even think she looked it me!" It was a fast process. 

Now for the first cuts. Here is the thing about Disney auditions: they know exactly what they are looking for. Each audition is tailored to a particular role. They could visit your city looking for only parade dancers, or only princesses, or even only looking for a specific princess such as Jasmine or Cinderella. They have roles that they need to fill, and they tailor the audition based on what they need. The hard part is that you don't have a clue as to what they are looking for! This particular audition was for parade dancers, face characters (which include both the princesses and the villains), and "fuzzies" (like Minnie Mouse and Pluto). Looking back on the end experience they kept strictly princess candidates and parade dancer candidates. Anyways it's hard to know why a person gets cut. Some girls danced the parade dance more beautifully and energetically than I could ever hope to and still got cut. Others smiled their way through an off beat grape vine and made the cut. Just because someone doesn't make it on their first try doesn't mean that they weren't great - it just means that the casting directors were looking for something different on that particular audition. 

Back to the story: the casting director started the first cuts immediately after the parade dance music ended. She called out numbers in order and I held my breath as 35 came closer. When I heard "35" get called I had to turn around and ask the girl next to me if I heard right. I was sure that there was no way my stumbling feet would have made it past the cut. The casting director cut about 2/3 of the girls based strictly off of a 25 second dance routine, about 5 seconds of which was devoted to watching each girl. We went from 180ish girls to under 60 with first cuts. The girls that made the cut were told to stay in the ballet studio room and fill out an application with our contact information. After the paperwork was filled out the casting director walked back in and lined us up to take our measurements. Here is the make it or break it part - Disney is VERY strict on heights. ZERO leeway. Zip. Nada. To portray a particular character you MUST fall in the height limits for that character, no exceptions. If you're curious, here is a brief list of the height regulations put out by Disney on their website:

Female Height Requirements

To make it clear this is directly off Disney’s audition website and is not specific to a certain park, just a general guideline.

Female Face Characters

 Disney Princesses

  5’4 - 5’7: Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Elsa and Rapunzel

  5'4 - 5'6 Merida and Anna

  5’2 - 5’6: Mulan

  5’5 - 5’8: Tiana and Pocahontas

 Disney Fairies

  4’11 -5’2: Tinkerbell and Periwinkle

  5’2 - 5’5: Fawn, Rosetta, Silvermist and Iridessa

  5’4 - 5’6: Vidia, Fauna, Flora, Merryweather and Fairy Godmother

 Disney Heroines

  5’2 - 5’4: Alice and Wendy

  5’4 - 5’6: Jane

  5’5 - 5’8: Mary Poppins

  5’6 - 5’8: Megara

  5’7 - 5’10: Esmeralda

 Disney Villains

5’6 - 5’10: The Wicked Queen, Lady Tremaine, Drizella and Anastasia, Maleficent 

There is also a measurement cut as well. The Disney princess dresses come in a size 2-10, however Disney doesn't often bring out the dresses above a size 6. There is more leeway with sizes than height, but it's still a small window.

The dancers and parade performers have more leeway of course, as far as I know there is no height restriction or size restriction on the parade dancers. All of the girls that made the cut for parade dancers came in every beautiful shape and size and height. 

Anyways, the casting director brought in her official "Disney Scale" and one by one took our heights and measurements down. The girls that were too tall or too short for the most part were cut. There is a little bit of flexibility in this, but they have specific dresses for the princesses that fit particular heights. They also took a photo of us as well. We sat and talked with each other for awhile while the director evaluated our heights and pictures and then we were sent into a second ballet studio.

Here we were taught another dance routine. This is the part of the audition where things got tricky. The first dance was fun and simple. This second dance was a stationary routine that progressively got harder as the counts of eight continued. Most of it was ballet oriented and involved doing a bunch of dance moves pronounced in french that probably translate to "try to balance on your big toe while spinning in the air and making it look flawless"..... yeah. Or not. Remember how I said I don't have much of a dance background? Well after running through the routine once I turned to the girl behind me and said something along the lines of "whelp it was nice to meet you, i'm pretty sure i'm going home in about ten minutes." 

The choreographer went over the routine with us five more times, and with each time it got easier. My feet definitely weren't always in the right place, but I thought that maybe if I made my hands look good and my arms dainty that maybe they wouldn't notice the rest of my body falling all over itself. I remember looking around at the dancers in leotards and dance shoes with their legs stretched to their heads and thinking "what on earth am I doing here". But I kept practicing and in all honestly I wasn't as bad as I thought. I mean I wasn't Ginger Rogers, but I didn't look like a dancing Pinocchio either.

The dance choreographer let us practice for a minute, then announced that the dance would be broken up with two thirty second bits of animation routines. Basically he gave us a scenario to act out without speaking and when the music stopped during our dance audition we had to act out our scenario. He would then give us one count of eight to reset and start the music and dance up from where we left off. This would ensure that we could 1. Multitask the dancing with the acting, and 2. Improv quickly and still stay with the program. Immediately the dancers were separated from the characters. It became obvious which girls were being considered for the parade dancer roles and which ones were being considered for face characters. TIP: try to get out of your comfort zone with this. Slow down your animations and make them big and exaggerated. You don't want to flail all over the stage, but you do want to catch the attention of the directors. This was the hardest part of the audition for me. I took theatre in eighth grade as an elective, but I haven't done anything since. I had to get out of my own head and be more outgoing, even just for thirty seconds. Smile through the entire thing and have fun with it!:)

We were called in to perform our dance and animation and all I could think was "smile, ballet hands, smile, make your arms look good, smile" and then it was over. We (the six girls I auditioned with) were asked to stand in a line and just smile at the casting director while she made her decision. She then called out one or two numbers from each group of six to stay past the cut. I couldn't believe my ears when she called my number! I am now a firm believer in ballet hands. 

Of the 60 girls that made it to the second dance, 30 girls were cut. The remaining 30 girls chatted for awhile when the casting director walked back in and said she would call out some numbers. Those girls whose numbers were called were to head to the second ballet studio room. She called about 22 of the 30 numbers, leaving about 8 of us sitting in the first ballet room. She didn't tell us what we were doing, only to sit and stay there. The 22 other girls were taken into the first ballet studio and told that they were being considered for parade dance performers, and that they were going to perform the dance again while being filmed. The casting director would then take the film back to Orlando where the entire casting board would review the footage and select the final dancers. 

When the dancers were done performing the casting director came back to us 8 girls waiting in the first studio. She announced that she wanted to cast us as Disney Princesses, but that she needed to take our pictures. We lined up as she took a head shot and a profile shot of each girl. She explained that she would take the pictures back to Orlando where they would be broadcasted in front of the casting board. They would then photoshop the princess wigs and makeup onto our photos to go through a face evaluation. If a position opened up in Walt Disney World within six months of our audition for the princess(es) we were being considered for, we would be hired for the job. If a position did not open up within six months we had to audition again. We weren't allowed to know what princess(es) we were considered being cast as. After taking our pictures she packed up her stuff and the auditions were over! The girls that were left were in shock. We all exchanged contact information and stories. It was hard to tell what princess each girl was being cast as because there was such a wide variety of girls. For the most part we were taller, although there was one shorter girl that looked exactly like Snow White. One of the girls looked exactly like Jasmine, one like Merida, and one like Aurora, and another like Belle. The other three of us looked more generic and could be considered for Cinderella, Aurora, Elsa, or Rapunzel. We sat and talked about the auditions for awhile and then said our goodbyes and made our way home.

I couldn't believe it. I felt so out of my element during the entire process (which took 6.5 hours) that I was sure I wouldn't make it far. I had no acting background, and not much of a dancing one either. But that audition was an experience in my life that i'll never forget. It gave me the courage I needed to know that I can try new things, and maybe even do better than I thought I would. It gave me the confidence to know that even if I never hear from Disney again, that maybe I have what it takes to be a Disney princess. It meant so much to me to know that I gave it my all and that I tried something new, something I wasn't used to doing. For once I was able to get out of my own head and just perform. I was so glad that I had the opportunity to audition, and it's an experience I will never ever forget! 

Ok now for some quick tips for anyone thinking of auditioning:

1. Above all, be yourself! I know that sounds so extremely tacky, but you have no idea what Disney is looking for. You don't want to pretend to be something you're not and have them cast you only to find that you were putting up a front during your audition. Who you truly are might just be exactly what they are looking for. There is a difference between channeling the bravest most outgoing part of yourself and being fake. You are wonderfully you no matter what, so give them all you've got!

2. If you don't make it the first time, try again! Like I said, the casting directors are looking for something difference with each audition. You can only audition once every six months, but give it another go!

3. What to wear. This was the thing that stressed me out the most. I don't own any dance shoes or leotards, but I knew jeans weren't the best option. I wore black leggings, a lose white tank top, and a pink ballerina style cardigan that I borrowed from a friend. A lot of girls went barefoot and a lot of girls wore jazz shoes or ballet shoes. I went barefoot. Street shoes aren't allowed in the studio. Don't wear a dress, and don't wear jeans. Wear something flattering but that you can move in!:) You will be fine in whatever you choose to wear, there were outfits all across the board at the auditions. You will be noticed for how you act and portray yourself, not for what you wear. Also don't dress like the princess you want to be, you don't have a say in what princess they cast you as and often the princesses at Disney portray more than one character. 

4. I would recommend wearing your normal amount of makeup. You want to look like you and get slightly dolled up, but don't do show makeup or go overboard. And don't do your makeup like the princess you want to be, because if you make it to final cuts they will be photoshopping that makeup on you. 

5. I read somewhere to bring a resume and a headshot photo, so I did. It sat in my cubby the entire time and I ended up just throwing it away at the end. This could be different for a different audition however. If you are going to bring something though bring a snack and a water bottle!:) There is a lot of waiting while other girls are in auditioning. 

6. Meet new people and have fun with it!:) As far as i'm concerned you're already a princess, you don't need an audition to tell you otherwise!:) 

GOOD LUCK

and

THE END:) 

This picture wasn't for the day of the auditions, but for a party awhile back:) 

Haters gonna hate. Daters gonna date.

Ah Valentines day. The one day a year that simultaneously causes love, stress, hate, joy, and loneliness. Out of all of the holidays I believe that Valentines day receives the most hate. I mean you don't see people harping on Halloween, now do you?

Valentines day has ultimately become known as S.A.D. (Single Awareness Day). You here it everywhere you go: walking through the library, sitting on the bus, the loud talker in your art class, and even plastered all over your Facebook feed. Who knew a day intended for love could turn into so much hate.

Personally I love Valentines day! And yes, I still love Valentines day regardless of whether I am in a relationship or not. The fact that there is an entire day devoted to showing affection and selfless love to those you care about in your life is something that I believe should be celebrated, not complained about. So what if you don't have a boyfriend. So what if your Valentines date consists of take out, a movie, and cuddling with your dog. So what if you don't have a girlfriend - you have way more money than your best friend in a steady relationship, guaranteed. If you do have a special someone, good for you too! That's amazing, and you should be able to enjoy your day and post pictures and have the best valentines day ever. If not, that's okay too.

You see, that will come. And it comes to different people at different times in their lives, often when it is least expected. Whether you meet your sweetheart and sixteen like my parents, or you don't find them until you're sixty-five, you will be able to have Valentines days filled with more love than you can possibly imagine.

Either way you still DESERVE TO ENJOY VALENTINES DAY:)

My American Sign Language professor sent out an announcement to all of her students that tied in exactly with what I wanted to share in this post. She said,

"I have overheard some of you in class getting all depressed about V-Day, calling it S.A.D. (Single Awareness Day).     So, you don’t have a steady sweetheart, or even an unsteady sweetheart, YET.    You know that in all likelihood, you are going to be married one day and probably it will happen before you are 35 years old.   If all works out, you’ll be married for at least 50 years.   If you are married earlier, you’ll have even more than 50 years of Valentines Days with the man/woman you love.   Given that perspective, these single times you are experiencing are RARE and fleeting moments of freedom.   You may have very few Valentines Days left as a free man or woman.

You will one day soon be sharing a romantic evening with your loved one and a two-year-old who is setting the napkins on fire with the romantic candle you put in the middle of the table for a little ambiance.  Before you know it, you will celebrate Valentines Days with your sweetheart, a six-year-old, a four-year-old AND the two-year-old, watching them have food fights over the romantic candle and yelling the first words of all children born after the first one, “MINE! and I’M TELLING!”. "

Valentines day is more than just a day for sweethearts. It's a day to show your love to the people you care for most in your life. It's a day to tell your mom you love her. It's a day to leave a note on your little brother's pillow telling him you admire how great he is. It's a day to leave your roommate a treat. Valentines day is still going to happen, and people are going to choose to either make it the worst day of their existence or choose to create happiness. This holiday is one of joy and love, and it is what you make it to be. So choose today to make this day a good one, and choose to be happy.

After all, daters gonna date. Haters gonna hate.

 My cute roommate with her valentine I got for her last year:)

And of course I had to include a picture of my sweet valentine, even if it is cheesy:) This was taken at the top of a peak that we decided to hike to. (In February! It's so warm!)

Favorite Beauty Products

1. Dry Shampoo
This stuff is awesome for those rush around days where you just don't have time to wash your hair. I have a Pilates class in the middle of my day, and dry shampoo is perfect to touch up hair after a workout. No one wants to show up to biology class looking like greasy pete after a workout. Dry shampoo is most commonly used in an aerosol spray can and sprayed on the hair like hairspray. It works by soaking up any excess grease and freshening up your hair in between washes. My favorite brand is Batiste - available in plenty of scents at Ulta, but Walmart also carries a couple of the flavors for the same price. My personal favorite flavor is Blush. :) The only con is that sometimes if you spray the product too close to your scalp it can leave white powered residue. If you are blonde this isn't a problem, but if you have dark hair I would suggest getting the colored dry shampoo (also available through Batiste at Ulta) with an Ulta coupon you can get a full size can for around $6.

2. Turbie Twist
I had seen these before and thought they looked pretty cool, but it wasn't until I got one for Christmas did I realize how seriously great these are. A Turbie Twist is like a mini head towel shaped to wrap your hair in while you wait for it to dry after a shower, or to pull your hair back to do makeup in. The little elastic on the back makes it easy to tie your hair up in the towel and pin it back. It's super lightweight and doesn't give you headaches like a bulky towel does. The microfibers dry your hair faster than a regular towel does as well! Click the link to see some fun Turbie Twist colors and variations. They are available at Walgreens, Walmart, Amazon, Bed Bath and Beyond, Sally's Beauty, and most drug stores. The only complaint I have is that if you have really thick hair that tangles easily you might not want to leave your hair thrown up in the Turbie for very long, or your hair could become very tangled. And not the pretty Rapunzel kind of tangled! The price varies depending on if you get a package, but they are usually around $5-$10.

3. Aromatherapy Lotion/Pillow Spray/Shower Gel
I got the Aromatherapy Stress Relief hand lotion and shower gel for Christmas from Bath and Body Works. At first I just thought it was a good smelling lotion, but it works so well! I'm not completely sure if it's just a mind game, but either way it seems to relieve stress. Bath and Body works sells a bunch of different scents each infused with essential oils tailored to a specific purpose. For example there is Stress Relief, Sleep, and even an Energy scent. I have the Eucalyptus Spearmint Stress Relief lotion and pillow spray. I love being able to spray the pillow spray on my pillow and blanket before going to sleep! My friend went out of state to college and she says the Lavender Sleep pillow spray helps her fall asleep each night and reminds her of home. Definitely a must for a good bedtime routine, and the lotion is also great for yoga practice.

4. Aquaphor Lip Repair
I have very sensitive skin complete with endless dermatology allergies. Aquaphor Lip Repair balm is the only chapstick or lip gloss that I can use without getting an allergic reaction. I love it! It's scentless and colorless so it leaves a clean sheer when used while hydrating as well. Living in Logan means cold dry weather and cracked lips, but I have never had that problem with Aquaphor. You can get it at Walmart or most drug stores for

5. Pureology Shampoo/Conditioner
This stuff comes at a pretty penny, but it literally saved my hair. Before using these products my hair was a disaster! It was dry, had product damage, color damage, and was only barley shoulder length without any growth. My hairstylist recommended using Pureology and it has made so much differences! My hair is thicker, and seven inches longer in one year with all damaged erased! Pureology has different strains like hydrating, color, etc. but I personally use the hydrating kind. You can buy it at any beauty store, but I personally like getting it at Ulta with a coupon.

6. Shimmer Lights
This shampoo works wonders for blonde hair. It is a purple shampoo that sits on your hair for 5-10 minutes and reduces the amount of yellow brassiness that builds up from heat and discoloration. It can be used to strip the hair of color, however, so keep track of how long you keep it on your hair. I have white blonde hair and use Shimmer Lights every two weeks for 15 minutes. It is especially effective after getting your hair colored if you don't like the bright yellow tone and want to go more pale blonde. I get it for under ten dollars at Sally's Beauty Supply.

7. Real Technique Makeup Brushes
If I were ordering these by favorite products, this would be number one. Real Technique Makeup Brushes are amazing!! I could go on and on about how much I love them, but i'll try to control my raving about them. You can buy a set of four brushes for as much as one Mac or Clinique makeup brush costs. They come in a whole bunch of different varieties depending on the coverage and style of brush and makeup you are looking for. I love the Core Collection and the Starter Kit. I then added on the Blush Brush and the Expert Face Brush. These brushes have lasted me longer than a year and they are still in perfect condition, not one bristle has fallen out. Again.... I love getting these at Ulta with a coupon, they often have buy one get one 50% off, combined with a coupon can often get you nine makeup brushes for $30!

8. Gel Nail Kit 
I got this as a Santa gift for Christmas one year and I love it! I use the Red Carpet Manicure Pro 45 Started Kit available at Ulta. For the amount of nail care you get it is actually a pretty fair price. The color gets cured onto your fingernails under an LED light. The color lasts for three weeks without chipping and peeling. Which means you can go forever in between painting your nails and still having them look great!!:) When you are majoring in ASL having your nails looking decent is recommended.

9. Cuticle Oil
This comes in the Gel Nail Kit, but you can also buy it separately for a couple of bucks. It goes right on your nail beds and around your fingernail to keep dry skin to a minimum and reduce hang nails. Daily use is great, and is available at any beauty store.

10. Clinique Three Step Skin Care
For sensitive skin this stuff is great. It comes in a three step of soap, clarifier, and moisturizer lotion. It keeps the skin clean and free of dirt and grime that tends to build up. It does build up in price, but there are deals you can use at Clinique and it is definitely worth the price.

I Have A Confession....

I hope everyone had a great Christmas!! I love spending the holidays with my family. It's so nice to be down from college, have time off work, and just sit by the Christmas tree and relax!

But I have a confession.

This will be my last Christmas with my family for the next two years!

I've decided to serve an LDS mission!!:) 

If you would have asked me three or four months ago if I wanted to serve a mission I would have said no way, that's not for me. I thought I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life; I had a plan and I was determined to follow it. It seemed simple at first - go to USU on a scholarship, maybe transfer somewhere else when my scholarship was up, major in speech sciences and Deaf education, work hard, get a job, and meet new people. It was the perfect plan! Or so I thought.

If i've learned anything over my eighteen years of living it's that the second you think you have life figured out... it changes. Life has a habit of doing that. Sometimes that change can be hard, but - more often than not - that change brings aspects into your life that you didn't even know you needed. After moving to Utah State my life was great! I had a scholarship, I was doing well in my classes, I loved my apartment and my roommates, and I had a pretty great job for a college student. So why was I feeling like something was missing?

My roommate had been talking about serving a mission, and it became something we talked about often. I think those conversations are what planted the seed in my mind. My life was on a good course, but maybe there was more in store than I thought. Maybe there was more planned for me than I had planned for myself. Maybe I was just too stubborn and set in my ways to see it. 

So after a lot of prayer and council from family members, my bishop, and friends I will be putting my papers in in April of 2015!:) Here is to a new year!:)

Happy New Year!

Thankful for Traffic, Taxes, and Tough People

It's been awhile since my last post, but with finals right around the corner i'm playing the "busy college student" card. I know, I play that card a lot, but it should be a privilege..... right?:)

Happy Turkey day!!!! In honor of Thanksgiving I wanted to write a short blog post on gratitude. Instead of taking the traditional route and listing things I am most grateful for, I decided to try a new perspective. I wrote a list of my top six pet peeves, then sat for a long time until I could come up for at least one reason why I was thankful for each particular item. Here is my final list:

I'm thankful for:

1. Stubborn people - because they show me what it's like to fight fiercely for something I believe in.

2. Taxes - because it's proof that I still have a paycheck. And look at all that Ramen I can buy!:)

3. Traffic - because maybe we're all moving a little too fast in life anyways. We could use some slowing down, even if it's staring at miles of red brake lights.

4. Dead cell phone batteries - it's moments like these when I realize who I can't go very long without talking to, and who I miss most when I can't connect with them.

5. Icy roads - they bring back memories of my dad first teaching me to drive in a snowy church parking lot, purposefully locking the breaks for practice in driving through bad weather. They also remind me that I have a loving family who put new tires on my little car, and people who care enough to call me just to see if I got home safely.

6. College finals week - Just kidding. I'm not thankful for that particular week.

We all have so much to be thankful for apart from the obvious. We're all thankful for our family and friends, our jobs, our houses, and food on the table. But what about showing gratitude for the little things that we take for granted every day? Things such as the sun shining in the morning, the fact that your car windows didn't ice over on a day you're running late, or that the newspaper boy takes his time to deliver the paper all the way to the front porch (which is a rare occurrence, we definitely need to award medals to paper boys such as these). After eating yourself silly, taking a nap, and watching some football, take a minute to enjoy the small things in life. There is so much more beauty offered in this world if you keep your eyes open!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!

All In Favor Of A Modest Halloween?

I went to my first college party last night, and it was a ton of fun. As soon as I walked in I noticed a popular trend. Most of the girls were wearing (or should I say NOT wearing) half clothed bunny outfits or other revealing costumes. Most of them seemed store bought, but some went to the effort of cutting old clothes simply to be more revealing. The entire night the trend for costumes seemed to be to show as much skin as possible. Why is that? When did Halloween become a competition for who looks the best in bikini tops and tutus? And when did we decide that this is ok?

Throughout the night I noticed that the girls wearing the revealing costumes were getting a lot of attention. They were always in the center of the dance floor surrounded by other people, they were on the front row for the concerts and they seemed to be having the most fun. For a moment I thought that maybe that dressing immodestly was required to make more friends and be more popular. But as the night wore on I realized that the type of attention these girls were getting was from the wrong crowd. The crowd of boys surrounding these girls looked like they couldn't walk in a straight line if they wanted to. The language they were using was less than respectful, and the general way they were treating these girls was uncomfortable to watch.

We've heard it plenty of times, that to be respected we need to respect ourselves first. It's hard to be a girl and still maintain high standards in this day and age.  It's hard to go shopping and have to buy two shirts just to make the first shirt modest. It's tough to search to find fabric to add sleeves to that gorgeous prom dress you've been dreaming of. It's impossible to find knee length shorts without just cutting an old pair of jeans yourself. But it's worth it! Dressing modestly for YOU is worth it. Dressing modestly because you respect yourself more than that is worth it. The girls that choose to cover up are still as beautiful as those that choose to show more skin. In my opinion modesty is even more beautiful because you will stand out in ways that others can't. Instead of screaming for attention you will silently and boldly demand respect and attention from the type of guy who will see that the way you present yourself is important to you and it should be important to him for the right reasons. 

So here is to my girls who Pinterest endlessly for modest wedding dresses with sleeves. Who spend a week finding a modest Halloween costume or making one themselves. Who spend a little extra money to make that cute top modest. Who search every store on the Wasatch Front for a modest swim suit. THANK YOU! Thank you for being an example of how beautiful modesty can be and for standing up for respect. The world needs a little bit more of your standards.

Me and one of my cute roommates getting ready for the USU Howl!:) 

S.T.R.E.S.S.

We all get a little stressed out sometimes. And by sometimes I mean most of the time. We spend our days rushing around to get things accomplished so that we will have time to rush around again tomorrow to accomplish more things. Some days it feels like we are barely getting by just so we can continue to barely get by.

Being a full time college student, working two part-time jobs, getting involved in campus and church activities and SOMEHOW trying to get at least six hours of sleep a night is enough to stress out even the toughest of the tough. We've all been there, and if you are a college student you can add on the fact that you might be an overworked athlete, president of the chess club, designated apartment dishwasher, or loaded down with tons of physics homework that doesn't make sense (because lets be honest, when does physics ever make sense?). Stress is bound to happen sometime or another, and with mid-terms and the holiday season just around the corner I thought i'd share some of my stress reducing tips. These are things that work for me and some ideas to help take the stress away a little bit at a time!

1. Do something for you once a day!
I know you might be thinking that adding one more thing to your already crazy schedule sounds like the worst possible solution to cure high stress. And hey, some days I'm lucky if I have time to cook a three minute meal in the microwave. Trust me on this one though, taking even just ten minutes out of your day to do something for you gives you a break from your stress levels. Choose something you love to do, whether it's listening to music, going on a quick run (lets be honest and call it a brisk walk), or sketching. I love to light a candle and write in my journal or read my scriptures for a little bit. Also take some time to remember the people in your life who really matter to you. They know you are busy, but giving your attention and time to those who mean the world to you might just ensure that they stay in your world.

2. Talk it out.
Roommates are amazing. Partly because they pay part of the rent and partly because they are a built in family support group. It's hard to keep stress built up inside. I came home the other day after taking an impossible mid-term exam and vented to my roommate about it for at least five minutes straight. I threw a small pity party and complained about the number of questions, the format of the test, even the font that the test was written in just so that I could continue to find something to nit pick over. After all of my complaining my roommate heard me out and let me just talk through it. I felt so much better! Give it a try and talk about the reasons you are stressed. A good friend will always hear you out no matter what - even if all you are venting about is how distracting the single spaced point eight cursive test font is.:)

3. Write it down, plan it out, divide and conquer.
Ok now it's time to put on your Superman cape and save the world one task at a time. You've got a lot to do and procrastinating won't make that To-Do list disappear. Write down a list of five things you need to get done today. The top three are necessary to complete that day. Focus on each individual thing until the top three items get crossed off the list. If you have time, continue on to the last two items of the list. If you're tired of being Superman for the day move the last two items on the list to the first two items to do for tomorrow. Even Clark Kent needs a break now and then.

4. You are enough!
You are smart enough. You are tough enough. You are strong enough. Don't get so overwhelmed with your To-Do list that you lose sight of the amazing things that you are capable of. I know i've been in a stress induced haze before where I can't see the reasons behind the actions or the goals at the end of the processes. You'll ace your midterms, pay day will come, and the dishes will be clean eventually. The important thing is that you are happy with where you are and where you are headed!

So superhero, go ahead and be happy while flying around all day getting things done. You deserve an award for all you do.;)

These four things are strategies that i've found help relieve stress for me. You know what works best for you! If you have any more ideas feel free to leave a comment and let me know!

My roommate and I took a break from studying to check out the campus bookstore and get these great Utah State shirts. Clearance items are also a great way to relieve a little bit of stress too.;)