The Reason I Sing

Tonight was a very special and surprising night.  I went to perform with Noteworthy expecting it to be like any other performance, but it was much more. 

A man who has been helping us with publicity and such on the internet asked us to come perform a 45 minute set for his son's memorial/birthday.  He had a child who died 5 hours after birth because of heart complications, and today was his birthday.  Unlike a lot of our performances, this audience was a small group of his family and close friends.  We began with a hymn, singing "Abide With Me, 'Tis Eventide," and continued by singing many of our songs, including "Roar," "Keep Your Head Up," "This Girl Is On Fire/Firework." Most of the songs we sang aren't necessarily considered "churchy" songs, but I could seriously feel the spirit the entire time.  It was amazing!  The whole time I was reminded of the real love that God has for us, and that someday these people will all see that little boy again.  How amazing is it that we know that?! It is so comforting.  The audience tonight was SO much fun, they were dancing in their seats and smiling the entire time, not to mention a few of them cried during our performances.  The last song we sang was "How Great Thou Art."  Ever since we started singing this song in Noteworthy it has been very special to me, and I love singing it.  The spirit while we sang this song tonight, however, was so tangible that I got choked up.  I had a difficult time getting through my solo because of the tears I could feel forming.  These were happy tears though.  These were tears of joy because of the spirit that I felt and the fact that I know we will see our loved ones again someday. :)

Nights like these remind me why I sing.  

I want to uplift others through music. That's what performing's all about, isn't it??

For the past year or so I have been really frustrated with my voice and struggles with it that I've been working on.  I often leave voice lessons feeling discouraged and annoyed, wondering if music is really what I want to do with my life.  But then I have nights like tonight when I remember why I love to sing and perform so much and how I really do want to do music forever.

I am not particularly good with words or writing, as you have probably noticed just from reading my blog;) Singing is how I really express myself.  I really struggled writing this blog post just because I have so many thoughts/emotions and it's hard for me to get them out on paper...or screen, if you will. ;) 

MUSIC IS DA BOMB. I love it. :) hehe.

We also sang "How Great Thou Art" at a fireside on Sunday.  If you want to listen to that song, click here. 
I am so grateful for opportunities like these, people like that family, and the happiness that the gospel of Jesus Christ brings. <3 <3

Happiness Is...

 There are so many happy things in life, I just can barely fathom it.  When you take a second to look around, life is full of so many simple joys. 

Here are a few of the happy things this past week has brought me:

Happiness is...

 My 9 "sisters"

I am so grateful for these ladies: my 8 Noteworthy sisters and our director.  Being a part of Noteworthy has seriously taught me so much and helped me to grow in many ways.  These ladies mean the world to me, and I love them to pieces. :) As always, this week was filled with much Noteworthy, including 3 days of recording in the studio and rehearsals.

Happiness is...

 Being in a dance class

A very simple thing, and yet it really brings me joy. I love the opportunity I have to take classes like this here at school and learn fun things like how to ballroom dance. Here is a picture of the triple swing!

Happiness is...

 

Temple walks with my roommate

Both of these things make me so happy: the temple, and going on walks! So why not combine them and spend a Sunday afternoon laying on the grass at the temple reading scriptures, writing in journals, and writing missionaries? The beautiful weather is so refreshing!

 

 

Happiness is...

Going on a run, and having it randomly turn into exploring/hiking on a mountain.  

The beautiful view, rocks, mountains, fresh air, and basically everything about that adventure was so refreshing, calming, and almost therapeutic.  I've been having definite adventurelust (if that's even a thing...it is now!) lately, so that exploration was really nice.

 

Happiness is...

 

 Getting a letter from your best friend

This handy work is from the one and only Emily Jarman, and came along with a letter, which made me so happy! She is serving a mission right now for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Happiness is...

 

 Going skiing for the first time, and LOVING it

Did I mention that I LOVED it??? Wow. Why have I not tried skiing before??? I'm hooked. Of course, I've only been once so am still definitely a beginner, but I didn't realize how much I would love skiing. Everything about it was fantastic: the rush you get while gliding down the slopes with the wind in your face, the mountains, the clouds, the snow, everything.  Not to mention I went with my sister and her husband, who took me as a birthday present. Can't get better company than that!

 And, of course, going to Olive Garden looking like a hobo afterwards;) I also had knee high purple socks on and my siblings looked just as hobo as I did. Good times. :)

Happiness is...

 Walking all the way to Macey's just to get sidewalk chalk

And obviously stopping for Little Caesars and eating it in Chik-fil-A.. Then continuing the evening by drawing with said sidewalk chalk and going hot tubbing.

 Happiness is...

 The little things.

This picture just encompasses my passion about the little things in life.  Taking this picture brought me more joy than you'd think :) Just seeing drops of rain hanging on the trees around campus brings a smile to my face.  Also, I really like photography, so that probably added to my joy as well;)

Life is so good! Happiness is everywhere, you just gotta pay attention.

:)

One year older...and wiser too?

Well, it's been another year and I'm 19, baby! Yesterday was a BLAST! Being my first birthday away from home, I was curious as to how it would turn out, but it was definitely a fun day. At exactly midnight, me and my roommate ate a bite of ice cream to celebrate the beginning of my birthday, and it just went up from there!  I made a birthday bucket list that my roommate helped me accomplish! Here are just a few of the items on my list:

• Rent a puppy
• Hold a strangers hand
• Climb a tree 

 Rent a Puppy

Yes, we did get to rent a puppy. His name is Bruno and he's ADORABLE. He was delivered right to our door and we got him for an hour. :)

 

As you can see, he was kind of a stinker.  Haha:) He was a playful biter, and kept crying..but he was still fun and adorable! Boarder Collie puppies are so cute. 

Hold a Stranger's Hand

This one made me pretty scared! But I thought it was hilarious and really wanted to do it! So first I'll tell you the story, and then you can watch the video :) So me and Aubrey (my roommate) walked around campus looking for cute guys without rings on their left hand..haha;) When I found one that wasn't walking too fast, I casually started walking next to him. Then I started talking to him.  Here's how our conversation went:

Me: "Hey, how's it going?"

Boy: "Good."

Me: "Cool! So, it's my birthday, so I was just wondering if you would hold my hand."

Boy: "Oh, are you playing assassin or something?"

Me: "Nope, it's just my birthday."

Boy: "Wait, really? This isn't for anything?"
Me: "Yeah, it's my birthday today and it's on my bucket list, so.."

(Then the boy held out his hand, and just as I started reaching for it, he kept lifting it away from mine, and said):

Boy: "Wait really?"

Me: "Yeah!"
Boy: "Non e vero?" (or at least that's what I think he said..) "Uh, I mean, seriously?"

(I think the fact that he started speaking a different language means he's probably fresh off his mission hahaha)

Me: "Seriously."

(Then he let me hold his hand! *Success* He swung our cute little hands around and said):
Boy: "Should we skip or something?"
Me: "Yeah, sure!"

(Then he had to go into the building his class was in so I said goodbye.)

Thanks for being a good sport, random guy! Haha! Even thought it took a little convincing, he let me check something off my bucket list!;) :) Here's the video!

So we decided to try this one more time, just for the heck of it.  The second guy was much faster to just hold my hand. I asked him, and he said sure right away! He then guessed my motives, however, and asked if this was for Candid Camera or something, turned around, and spotted Aubrey recording! Haha, whoops! Here's the video of that one! And a shout out to Aubrey for getting all the footage and partying with me!:)

 

 Climb a Tree

This was a very simple thing, but I love climbing trees, and there is a fantastic one not too far from my apartment! So Aubrey and I climbed the tree and took a couple pictures!

 After our bucket list excursion, I then got ready to perform with my Social Dance class at a party/dance lab/thing for all the Social Dance students! We did the cha cha to "Daftpunk" by Pentatonix, and we had a little hip-hop section at the end! It was a ton of fun! It was also exciting because we got to put random colors in our hair and try to look like robots.. :)

  The girls of our class! Plus 2 of the boys...shhhhh

 Wardies!

 Here's a video of my class doing our routine! :)

 

I then finished off the night by going to Noteworthy rehearsal and getting treats from all my Noteworthy girls! The day was very busy but super fun! Thanks to everyone for making my 19th birthday a great one! :)

A Slice of the Sun

In January I had to opportunity to have a little time away from the snowy cold and travel to California with my Noteworthy girls!  We competed in the ICCAs, or in other words, the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella, or in other words, the competition on Pitch Perfect. Yes, that is a real competition. Needless to say, we quoted Pitch Perfect quite frequently on our trip. :)

 First we hit up the beach and recorded part of our music video! So get excited for that! ;)

 Then Diana fixed my hair and gave me something somewhat similar to dred locks ;) It was fun:)

 The finished product. #selfie

 The show was completely sold out, including many people who stood against the walls without a seat!

 We pretty much live Pitch Perfect...to an extent ;P

And then, of course, the performance!  Adrenaline was high as we performed our 12 minute set and sang our hearts out!  Shortly after everyone was done performing, the awards were announced, including an amazing group called The Beat getting 1st place, and Noteworthy getting 2nd!  This meant that we would be continuing on to the next round of the ICCAs!  We were so excited, as shown by the next pictures:)

Performing was an amazing experience.  Our hearts were pounding, faces were flushing, and we were so excited.  The most meaningful part of our performance was when we sang a hymn, "Abide With Me, 'Tis Eventide."  This song really has a special meaning to our group, including myself.  The message of the song is one of our Father in Heaven's love for us.  The lyrics to the song are a plea to Him to not leave us at hard times.  Something I especially love about our arrangement is a part of "How Firm a Foundation" in the middle of the song. These lyrics are from the point of view of our Heavenly Father and go like this:

"Fear not, I am with thee

Oh be not dismayed

For I am thy God

And will still give thee aid.

That soul, though all Hell should endeavor to shake

I'll never, no never, no never forsake."

The message of this song is incredible, and so true.  God will never leave us, even when it feels like everything is fighting against us.  How incredible is that?!  The most incredible and powerful being in the universe loves us and wants to help us be happy!  I love it :)  That song will always have a special place in my heart.

We also sang "Parachute," by Ingrid Michaelson (I was the beatboxer for this one:)), "Feel Again," by One Republic, and a mashup of "This Girl is on Fire" and "Firework."

If you want to see our performance, here ya go!:)

Noteworthy has been such an amazing part of my life, and I have grown to love those ladies as sisters of my own.  We're so pumped to perform in the Semi-Finals of the ICCAs!:D
ALSO. Save the date for April 12th because we're having a concert!  Booyeah!  Be there or be square!
:)

2014; Ready or Not

 Upon noticing that I haven't given an update on my life as of late, I decided it was time for some pictures. :) 

I was able to go home for Christmas, it was SO nice to be with my family. I sure miss them while I'm at school. First off, being an aunt is possibly THE best thing in the world. But seriously. For instance:

 

 Me and William at the movie theater getting ready to watch "Frozen." I got to hold this guy on my lap the whole time, it was the best! Not to mention that "Frozen" is one of my new favorite movies. :)

 William kept insisting on wrestling with me, which mostly just turns into a tickle fight when I'm around.

 

 

I got to babysit my sister's kids one night, and Henry was so cute (as usual). He is very good at pulling my hair, however... and pulling OUT my eyelashes... He started reaching for my eye and pulled an eyelash right off of his unsuspecting aunt. I even caught him in the act!

 

 

 Apparently Henry's "not ready for the camera" face is a little funky...I cannot look at this picture without laughing:)

 Here's a collage of some of my favorites. Please note the one of Henry giving me a kiss. This was not planned. He is just the sweetest little guy! What a cutie.

In June I will have 21 nieces and nephews! And I love every single one!:)

 The brother-in-laws playing Twister on Christmas Eve...hehe. Poor Mike ;)

 AJ and Lexi were troopers in twister. I think AJ will have his splits pretty soon!;)

 Just an update, I did get the Little Mermaid puzzle I wanted for Christmas, hehe. :) My dad helped me and we got it done!:)

 Anna and I peeled off our faces. I mean..face masks..on New Years Eve. ;)

 We went to the ice castle in Midway on New Years Day, and it was pretty cool! Since we had just seen Frozen, my nieces told me they were all Elsa and I was Anna.

 

 

 This is our family Christmas Card this year. It kind of makes me look like an only child, but it's whatever;) I sure do love my parents.

 I sure do love these girls! I was able to say goodbye to Emily before she left for 18 months  for her mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I'm so proud of her!:)

 One day I was able to witness this beautiful view of one of my very favorite places. It is such a breathtaking temple of the Lord and I love it so much:)

 No judging.

 Well, Noteworthy rehearsals are back! Marissa and I kicked it off with our scarf turbans..

 After our retreat for the weekend we were able to both sing the National Anthem and perform at half-time at the BYU Men's Basketball game! It was a lot of fun and such a rush! We also got to say hi to President Samuelson and see the basketball players from just a few feet away!

My friend came down to BYU and spent her birthday with us, and we made paper boats, among many other things! It was a lot of fun:) Don't worry, we took the boats out of the water so the ducks wouldn't die. ;P

It's the start of a new semester, and I'm excited for all the new adventures to come! Up next, San Diego with my Noteworthy Ladies for our competition!:)