I sat on top of a mountain tonight with my best friends and laughed and reflected on freshman year as it comes to a draw, and I can't find enough words to explain everything I'm feeling.
Grateful doesn't do justice to the the frustration of hard moments that were had with it.
Tired makes it sound like I'm worn out (which I am, but not enough to not do it again right now in a heart beat).
Ready sounds like I'm wishing away the now, when I just want to savor the next 7 days here.
Awed makes it sound like I didn't expect God to work how He did, which is truthful of my doubting heart. And that is the best word I landed on sitting a top Max Patch tonight as golden hour came and passed before my eyes.
Awed.
Much like that time on the mountain, this year has come and gone in a flash.
I sit in my half decorated dorm room and can still vividly remember the speedy drive up here on August 18. I remember the butterflies and the excited text messages and the heavy totes to be lugged up 9 flights of stairs (I still owe the BCM team x 1000).
I remember the big moments all so clearly and the same memories I shared in this post and many more:
- MWF meeting Mal in Pres Court at 7:40 for that cold, 8 am walk
- the long PCB dinners and laughs and hard conversations
- the bad jokes and jam sessions(@montana)
- the hours in a study room
- a oozy afternoon of work at K-Brew
- late nights after a volleyball/basketball/softball match
- dancing in the mountains **as pictured
Freshman year held a lot of big moments and break through to growing up, but it was comprised of the small ones that I can't believe are about to pass.
I met my best friends this year. The friends I only prayed for and dreamed of.
I became bold this year. I decided to say yes to what I cared about and no to the things I didn't.
I learned how to serve this year. What it looks like to serve and love those around me furiously and selflessly despite how hard or inconvenient it may be.
I chose joy this year. To do what I enjoy and let nothing and no one steal that from me.
I explored this year. I established my own two feet in what I believe.
I grew this year, and I grew a lot.
This year held a lot of surprises that I would not change for the world. It seems like a dream looking back on how divinely everything was orchestrated.
Going home and having visitors here to catch up with was always a blast to me because I got to declare and share the ways God was working, and every time, I would say: "He took every fear I had and replaced it with life more abundant." And I'm beginning to understand what that abundant life in true freedom, walking step in step with Jesus really looks like. And I think on top of the mountain today was a good glimpse.
Not a care in the world, just some smiles, and an awed heart for the way the Lord is faithful in every way.
May my soul never forget this feeling.
Freshman year, you were the best. Everything I could have dreamed of, asked for, or imagined, and all praise to God for giving me each second of it and showing your faithfulness every day.
More to come--I think I'll be reflecting on these months for a long while.
When I would come home from Chicago every summer from the mission trip with my church, our girls minister would help our group begin to assess what it would be like to return home. Her advice was always to pick one story to have ready to tell when people ask "how was the trip?" and as I sit in my bed in good ole South Carrick for the last time this semester, I find these words coming to my heart.
Pick a story and have it ready to tell.
But my issue is what story do I choose to tell? This semester has been full of the Lord's presence, and I have so many stories to choose from. He has been faithful in every single moment, and I'm finding it difficult to pick just one.
So when you see me, please ask how my semester has been. I'll probably grin ear to ear and start talking your ear off at a hundred miles per hour, and I'll tell you the story that I've chosen for those quick encounters at restaurants or in the halls of BBC (it's about my internship! It's exciting I promise! Sports!)
But until then, here are three of my other favorite stories/key moments:
1. Meet #collegechicks.
#Collegechicks is what Mallory, Montana, and I call ourselves. It's cheesy, and in fact, none of us really even remember how we arrived at this name. But it's the title of our group message and a silly yet memorable title to use to refer to ourselves.
I actually met Mallory in middle school at a church camp, where we hung out for a week and then only remained in loose touch via social media until this past summer when she came to that aforementioned mission trip. We ended up rooming together, and just clicking in every single way.
Similarly, Montana was also a social media friend, who I exchanged a handful of Instagram DMs and liked tweets with before the semester started. It was a coincidence that we ended up at the same cookout at the Baptist Collegiate Ministry and have spent almost every day together since.
The 3 of us have a friendship that I haven't really experienced before. We're not at all the same, but we balance each other well. Montana's loud with Mal's quiet and my somewhere in the middle makes for great conversations in our corner of PCB at dinner and for the silliest of car rides.
I feared coming into school at UT that I wouldn't meet like minded people. It's no secret that this SEC school of mine can be kind of wild, and I was anxious that I would never connect with people who weren't that kind of wild...but out of no where, sweet Mal popped up in Chicago and Montana slid into those DMs and the rest is history.
They're the kind of friends you pray about and pray for God to give you, and they're the kind of friends who pray for you, too. One of my favorite memories is before Fall Break, we stood in the middle of Pres Court and bowed our heads to reflect on the first quarter and pray over the coming one. We prayed for protection as we travelled, which I'm certain was a key factor for Miss Montana, but that' a whole nother story.
We bond over a love for Jesus, K-Brew, and worship music that makes you want to scream it at the top of your lungs. They give me the accountability as my sisters to stay focused on the Lord and pursue Him, not on the little things that I so easily tend to do. Our stories and personalities are all different but they all work together in an incredibly cool way. There's just something special about the way that we relate to each other 1 on 1 with different dynamics but also mesh so well when we're all together (aka 99% of the time).
As annoying as we know we can be on social media, #collegechicks has been a constant reminder of never being left alone and of how abundant life in community is.
2. Choices, Choices, Choices
Something super attractive to me about coming to a big school were all the organizations that I could choose to be apart of. Be it Campus Events, BCM, some golf club, or Students Organization for Deaf Awareness-- the options were endless.
But with endless options come time constraints and decisions. I came into school convinced that I would find a home at the Baptist Collegiate Ministry, but I soon was presented the opportunity to try other organizations like RUF (Reformed University Fellowship), VFC (Vols for Christ), Younglife, CS@UTK (Christian Students @ UTK), churches, etc.
I began to run out of time to do it all and to do it all well, and I had to make a decision about where to plug in. As welcomed as I felt at the BCM and as comfortable as I was, it wasn't what I thought it would be, and I really can't find a way to articulate it anymore than that. I continued to hang around the B for several weeks because of the relationships I had formed there, but I was still prayerfully considering and exploring where to really get plugged in. There was a Friday morning that I was listening to a podcast as I walked to class that spoke straight to my heart as Ben Stuart, the pastor at Breakaway Ministries, said "unmet expectations keep you from greater things."
And as I walked in to my English class that morning, I was overwhelmed by the clear answer. Most obviously keeping me from said "greater" things was that my lifegroup at the B met at the same time as Quest, which is part of YoungLife's training program to be a leader. Though I did not come into college planning to get involved with YoungLife, I did come into school wanting to find a place to serve my peers day in and day out. And I began to realize that Younglife could be that place for me to really serve both when Quest meets and around campus. But as I realized this, I realized that my lifegroup at the BCM met at the same time as Quest and my commitment there would be what could be keeping me back. To explain the quote a little more, saying "greater" isn't entirely the full picture. Ben explained "greater" as things that are in response to you walking to His purpose and seeking to be obedient, and my "greater" in this season has been made clear to be with YoungLife.
There was not a thing wrong with the B. In fact, I loved my time there, and I still talk to a handful of the sweet people I met there, but it jsust wasn't where I was needed to be. The BCM was my "safe" option to stay on a campus dauntingly full of "unsafe," and out of my like for comfort, I kept going back when there was an obvious calling that I was supposed to be His hands and feet somewhere else.
He is so active and He is so at work in our hearts, even in the smallest of ways. Looking back on this situation, I think it is so cool to be able to see the clarity He revealed and then the opportunities He later arranged for me to really be fully obedient.
(I've gotten into a sweet little routine of campus ministries, but I'm still open to other churches. I've attended Fellowship Middlebrook for the past semester and loved the openness of the church and the teachings from Pastor Rick and Greg. I really adore the way they focus on raising up generations to come, but I have just found that it is extremely difficult to get involved as a college student, so I'm still praying about where I should be attending as this next semester approaches.)
3. Grace undeserving
If you don't know me well, I can be a bit of a perfectionist and a bit hard on myself simply because I have really high expectations. I don't exercise grace very well and tend to take a while to forgive myself. While this can be good, it can lead to a lot of unnecessary frustrations, and I'm especially hard on myself when I really care about things.
You also may not know that I have an internship this semester with the UT Athletics Media Relations Department as a social media intern. So yes, that is exactly what it sounds like: I Tweet, I Insta, and I Facebook about Tennessee's sports teams. I know what you're thinking: "That's perfect for you! You love the Vols!" and it has been. I have genuinely loved every single day of it and look forward to my time in the office and working events because of the community there (This is part of the story I chose when people ask!).
But that love for the Vols was part of my issue..
Early into the year, I dove head first and got assigned to work with the volleyball team, including producing the graphics and live tweeting their matches. But the missing information you need to know here is that I had 0 experience with photo shop and had watched approximately half of one of my cousin's volleyball games when I was in 9th grade.
I. Knew. Nothing. But fake it till you make it, right? I had my boss, Kellen, and my cousin teach me about the basics of the sport and the graphic designers teach me what I needed to know to produce the score graphics, and I figured I'd be fine.
And I was. Except for the fact that I sent out a starting lineup on all 3 major platforms with the wrong opposing team information and had typos in a handful of my live tweets. In the moment, I didn't realize my mistakes because of the adrenaline and nerves I was feeling. It was after the game when Kellen was checking in on me that he so kindly pointed out my errors. There were no harsh words and no firing that happened for my mistakes. There was no anger and no frustration towards my finger slip ups, but simply understanding, forgiveness, and a desire for me to improve next time.
As Kellen realized I was upset with myself and walked me through figuring how to move forward, I was caught in the midst of grace that I did not deserve. I had messed up and I deserved to pay the consequences for it. When I was too hard on myself and too unforgiving of the easily avoidable mistakes and the way I had misrepresented something I love so much, Kellen came in and spurred me to exercise grace on myself and to see a very applicable and very tangible picture of what Jesus' grace looks like. Not to justify my mistakes or to abuse it and continue making mistakes, but in his kindness and understanding, Kellen demonstrated one of the best pictures of grace I've seen in a long time.
To my standard, I should have been "let go" and I still think he really should have YELLED at me. I mean, I put out a graphic with the wrong team!! But I was met only with forgiveness and a very real and much needed reminder of what Christ like grace can look like on a day to day basis.
(Shameless plug: @Vol_Sports is the interns pride and joy. We launched it this fall and are working to make a name for it. If you want to see our work, check it out. )
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I seriously have so many more stories I could tell like blind makeovers, a trip to Tellico Plains, the UT-UT Lady Vols game, BYX formal, my first speech, and many more stories that leave me in awe about how Jesus has put this year together just right, but I don't have enough time to write them all out and explain the significance of how each and every day has gone. Not to mention. I have a statistics final that needs to be studied for, and I have to save some stories to share when I get to see you next.
But I think it's really fitting that my journal coming in to the semester had "He is before all things" titled on the front because now more than ever, I realize that He is before all things and in Him all things hold together.
He divinely orchestrated my first semester (and every semester before it, too honestly), but this semester has been different because I was looking for Him in every walk to class and in every conversation and every car ride in between.
He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
And we wouldn't want it any other way.
I'm awe struck by you, Jesus, and full of thanks.
For more pictures of my first semester as a Vol, check out my album on Facebook to get a glimpse into the *glamorous* life I live. xoxo
Lauren
I wake up, brush my teeth, make my coffee, get dressed, spend some time in the Word, and then I'm out the door by 7:40 most every morning and off to class or work until late in the afternoon before going to dinner, whatever event is for today, and then homework until early the next morning. And then repeat it all again.
I hustle and bustle from class to class and from work to meeting friends, and I forget to take the time to pause.
I say yes to it all, and I send myself running from one side of campus to the other, exhausting myself in the physical sense, but also in the emotional sense.
I have been at school for 2 months exactly today. 2 months of sweet memories, new experiences, mediocre food, and the best of friends (more on all of this later). 2 months of constant movement, chatter, noise, and presence, and I find myself craving alone time.
I'm an introvert at heart, for I get my energy from my alone time, but I am also a people person in every sense, and I love building relationships, which has led me to struggling more than I realized.
I wouldn't trade a single second of this crazy life I live, but it's been made abundantly clear to me that I need a break. Or as David has shown me time and time again, I just need a pause. A selah you could say.
All growing up, I was taught that "selah" meant to pause. It was a musical direction most commonly used by King David in the book of Psalms (all the heart eyes). But, it's also used in the book of Habakkuk very frequently, as is it's sister word "calah" from the original Hebrew text, which means "to measure or weigh in the balances."
And in that fashion that only the Lord could orchestrate, I was reading through Psalms and the book of Mark in the days leading up to fall break a few weeks ago. Each time David used the word "selah" and each time Mark talked about the Sabbath, I took note and it resonated with me a little differently than usual.
And I had figured that fall break would be the perfect time to take a break and reflect on all the ways the Lord has moved in this first chunk of time. (In my head, it was perfect--my bed + fuzzy socks + time with my people, literally what is better?).
But as I came home, I realized the break would be anything but a break. More than anything, it was a shuffle here to see so-and-so and then here to catch up with so-and-so and write a speech somewhere in the midst of it all, and before I knew it, Wednesday had turned into Sunday, and I was back in Knoxville wondering when I was going to pause?
This culture we live in glorifies busy seasons and makes us wonder what we did wrong when we come back from vacation rested instead of more exhausted. The last time I had a good ole fashioned, slow moving Saturday was before graduation......in May. We make to do lists after to do lists and live our lives at 1000 miles per hour that unless we plan in time to stop and pause, we just forget.
The more I research the origin of the word "selah," the more I adore it.
One author said "Selah was not a time for the music to completely stop, but a time for the performer to pause and catch their breath before singing the praises of God again."
Another said that "calah" and "selah" work together, for you need moments of pause so you may then regroup and rebalance your priorities and your next steps with the heart of the Lord.
And that is exactly where I find myself right now. I don't need to stop. While I do need to get better about taking a day of rest, I don't need to completely stop and come to a halt.
I need a pause and a time to rest and reflect on the goodness of the Lord and the many ways He has been faithful and the many ways he has shown me His face each and every single day.
And it's not selfish to set apart this time. It's what we a believers have to do out of a desire for intimacy with God. In that funny way only God can do, the sermon the Sunday I was at home for was about taking a Sabbath from Mark 6:31 and Matthew 12. And while it is not a law or a life or death situation, for Jesus says himself that "it is more lawful to do good on the Sabbath" in Matthew 12:12, the Sabbath and that time of pause to catch our breath and rest in the awe and wonder of the ways He is at work is completely necessary,
We cannot make Him known without knowing Him, and we cannot proclaim His name and His works if we don't spend anytime realizing and recognizing the ways He has moved in our lives.
So this is my selah. This my pause and my reflection of the biggest ways He has moved in my life, and I can't wait to tell you all about them.
It's always funny to me how the Lord puts things on your heart and changes it. I got to the point in high school where I just didn't enjoy "blogging" anymore, so I quit. And I told myself I wouldn't do it again.
But here I am. After almost 2 weeks of sitting on this idea of sharing, I figured this would be the best way to keep record and to share the ways that God is moving in my life. Not on a regular schedule or because my journal pages aren't adequate -- but because enjoy writing and sharing stories and just want everyone to know that God is on the move, and of all the ways He is working in and around me without blowing up your Facebook or Twitter feed more than I already do.
So from the concert review and Sunday School craft resource it once was, Growing Up Nashville is going to turn into more of my airspace to process and keep all you loved ones informed on what's going on here in the 865 every once in a while.
What you wear, what you eat, where you work, etc. It's all about choices.
And as I'm going into this next phase of life and getting ready to live on my own, I'm making a lot of choices: what color bed spread, what professors to take, where to store my socks, what kind of parking pass I need, etc.
And there are a lot of choices that I don't feel like I'm ready to make. Not because I don't want to go to college or I don't know where I'm going to store my socks--I don't feel ready because I don't know what I'm walking into.
I don't know how deep the drawers are, I don't know how to secure my bedpost to the cinderblock, I don't know how I'm going to set up my laundry "system"
I just don't know what life is going to look like in 2 months, and that's my problem.
Because when I just don't know, I shut down, and I make the choice to shut down and let my fears take over. When I think about being away from my family on my birthday, I cry. When I think about not knowing where I'm going to store my toiletries, I cry. When I think about game days not in section C with Pop on one side of me and Nicholas on the other, I cry.
Every time I realize that I don't know how life will look, I make a decision to stop fighting to just be consumed, and right now, I'm making a decision to put an end to that.
Very fittingly (after walking out of Bed Bath & Beyond yesterday empty handed after browsing for an hour), my quiet time in James 1 this morning contained this encouragement:
"2Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds,3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
College is proving to be one of the biggest trials of my life. Not for academic reasons (yet) but for the unknown factor that it holds, and I'm so discouraged by that. But I'm so encouraged by these verses that I am making a choice. I am making a choice from here on out to not be consumed. Not only to rest in knowing that He works it all out just as it should be, but making a choice to just relax a bit.
It's okay that I don't know everything. I don't have to. That's what makes me human, and that's what makes me in such great need of Jesus, who knows everything.
Between watching Hannah Montana every day and being in every school show, I thought I totally had the skills and the vocal range to be a musical prodigy.
Then, I turned about 10 and realized that was not the case, and I abandoned that dream all together.
I still absolutely love music though. I taught myself how to read sheet music. I learned to play guitar, so I could sing a long to my favorite songs without the real singer's voice overpowering mine. I taught myself the basics of playing piano because "A Thousand Miles" was all the rage in 5th grade, and I've maintained those skills through the years.
So when there was no one else to do worship on Friday mornings at FCA (and I was volunteered by my cousin), it lead to this:
And from that, I learned it's in the moments where our imperfect lives are on display that we realize how unworthy we are of the love we get from God. You can practice all you want and you can tell yourself things to make yourself feel better, but we don't deserve His love. At all.
So often, we hide our imperfections because we live in a society that tells us we can't be broken. We have to know everything about our lives and have them all together, but what if embrace our imperfections and glorify him with them?
I can't count how many times I messed up. Either a chord was late or I strummed too many times, but it was still worship, and He loves that.
He was receiving praise from my misplayed guitar.
So despite the ways you fail Him (and that's a lot of ways because we all fall short), use it for His name and story to be shared, and for He doesn't care how we aren't enough.
He loves us anyway.
And that is a reason to sing about Him, all day long.
Not because I don't trust His plan (though sometimes it is hard).
Not because I don't want to follow Him where He calls (though sometimes I feel like Jonah).
I hate it because not being "safe" is one of my fears, and this saying is so common that it makes my fear seem pitiful.
I love security. I love familiarity, and I hate risk, I hate danger. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. That's just one characteristic God gave me that makes me me.
But when people are constantly saying "we're only as safe as God wants us to be," it makes me feel invalid. It makes me feel like I'm not as faithful to the Lord as others are because the unknown and the dangerous unnerves me.
And that brings a whole new struggle in itself.
I am exactly who God made me to be.
I am exactly who God made me to be.
I am exactly who God made me to be.
I am exactly who God made me to be. Psalm 139
There is not a thing wrong with me because danger scares me. I don't need to try to change myself because I'm not attracted to the unpredictable.
But I don't need to let my fears consume me, and I don't need to let my dislike for risk control where I follow His calling.
And I lived that out this past week, and honestly, I'm pretty proud of myself.
I'm not proud in the sense of "look at me, I went on a mission trip."
I'm proud of myself in the sense that I went into my uncomfortable zone and I did what I was supposed to do.
I had hard moments. I had break downs, but I never stopped or got frozen by my fear. And all glory to God for that.
In moments on the L when the smell of alcohol was prevalent or in the parks when large groups walked by, I cried out to God for strength and reassurance, and He granted it to me.
"I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies."
-Psalm 18:3
So yes, "we are as safe as God wants us to be," but we are also exactly who He wants us to be, and when we realize what that means, He gets the glory.
Submerged...it's an interesting theme to say the least, but do what you gotta do to reach thousands of families with the good news of Christ.
VBS is a must do at many churches. It's a week full of fun, music, and memories.
As a lfie long church goer, I can still sing the theme songs of Rickshaw Rally (2004) and Artic Edge (2006) thanks to many summers spent in Brentwood Baptist and Triune Baptist.
It's effective. I don't care how you look at it, VBS works. There's just something about motions, themed crafts, and extreme decorations that prepare hearts for the Lord's work to be done.
I don't know what it is, but it works, so I join in every year as a teacher. This year, I taught 3 year olds...It was an adventure but worth every second, when sweet Jake sang "Jesus Loves Me" and recited the week's theme bible verse without being prompted. Every frustration, dicut cut, paper folded, all worth it for a new heart to begin to understand the amazing love of Jesus.
I failed being an artsy and efficient blogger, meaning I did not take pictures of our crafts and how they turned out, but I did keep track of every craft we did. And we did a lot.
Pipecleaner Fish- just a pipe cleaner with beads, twisted into the shape of an isthmus fish.
Fishnet Painting- similar to the link, except we glued dicut fish to black paper and used white paint to create the "net". Our kids were too little do do in big groups, so we had to do it two at a time
Bean Bag Fish- this required some prep from a volunteer in our room, as it involves sewing, but it is basic sewing that practically anyone could do. See the curriculum book for more instructions!
Necklace- an elastic string with straw pieces and beads. Make sure to use elastic though, as not all kiddos heads will fit one size (we learned the hard way)
Ocean Bottle- most use full sized 16.9 oz water bottles, but for younger kids, the snack size 8 oz ones work great! We gave each child 2 rubber fish, some sparkles, and shells.
Fish Measuring- Lifway supplied the kit with a strand of one inch fish to place upon a yardstick, but considering most kids are taller than 36 inches, we had some difficulty. If I were to do this again, I would simply cover the wall in butcher paper, mark their heads with a marker, and let them fill up the space between their mark and the ground with dicut fish.
Jelly Fish Sun Catcher- the contact paper was sort of tricky to peel off, but easy peasy, and the kids loved feeling how sticky it was.
Celery Fish- This was another hit, though many used the celery as a brush, rather than a dotter.
Blindman Puppet- we used this in our story time. As they followed along listening, they flipped their man from blind to seeing.
Blindfold Coloring- so simple, but so entertaining. Blindfold each child and give them each a roasting pan with paper inside, to create boundaries. Help them predetermine an object to draw: dog, house, self portrait, etc. So cute to see how things turn out!
Handprint Fish- I loved this one. It was so precious. We used cricut cut out hearts for the lips and dot paints to create scales.
Paper Doll Chains- Glue the cut out dolls onto black paper, so they stick out sight wise. The kids loved creating outfits and personalities for the dolls.
Snack Mix- We made assortments of goldfish, juju fish, gummy worms, pretzels, oyster crackers, and M&Ms as a special snack on Friday. You could tie to to "these are children's favorite snacks to eat." ;)
Sticker Octopus- use circle colored stickers or fruit loops to create suction cups for the octopus. We used stickers.
Here are some of our decorations from the week, too!
My VBS board on Pinterest has tons of resources, too. Granted, we didn't use them all, and everything we did do isn't on there, but it is a good place to look through.
Happy VBSing!
Lauren
Side note: being with 3 year olds, rather than elementary schoolers, we used different music. Rather than using crafty writing styles and sly theme related puns, Lifeway presents the simple truths encompassed in our week in our music, and singing a long to the basic versions of these fundamental beliefs reminded me of the goodness of God.
"God, you know everything about me. Help me do what is right."
"Do you know that Jesus loves you? Do you know that?"
"He made me special, just the way he planned."
They are so elementary, but so important. I was moved to tears singing "Do You Know That." VBS moves in many ways, y'all."
You can't live in Nashville and not know about CMA fest. But at the same time, you can't live in Nashville and want to go downtown filled with tourists.
But I do love country music enough to brave it, and let me tell you, it was SO worth it. 100%.
Side note: Kelsea had her own Snapchat filter for the show,
I started off with seeing Kels at the Cannery Ballroom, and that was a blast. Being that the Cannery Ballroom is a 21+ venue, I had to be "X"ed and those sharpie Xs did not come off for 3 days...I got some weird looks at church for those.
Seeing her live her dream, and be surrounded with a room full of her supporters was amazing. Not to mention, she had Hunter Hayes and Hillary Scott come out as guests, which was insane. My middle school me DIED inside when Hunt came out. I straight d i e d. I tell people that I don't like him anymore, but when he came out, my heart blew up into 1000 pieces. I would post my videos I took, but my singing is so bad that I'm actually saving you if I don't share them. You can see it here though!
Before Kelsea came out, newbie Levi Hummon and veteran Jon Pardi took the stage.
Levi was so cute. He wasn't always there vocally, but where he lacked vocals, he made up for in adorableness. I'm interested in what he'll bring in the next few years!
Jon Pardi on the other hand brought straight party. He got the crowd alive with his hits like Up All Night and Head Over Boots, but also with new songs from his latest album, California Sunrise. I saw him once before at the 2015 N.R.A. Convention and was not impressed in the least, but Jon rocked this baby venue. His guitarist looked like a poorly kept version of Billy Ray Cyrus and was so entertaining. While not strong in large venues, Jon is great in small ones, and most importantly, he stays true to country's roots. No pop remixes but steel guitars and fiddles. I loved it.
I also loved meeting Sadie Robertson on our way to Ascend Amphitheater. Like nbd. I just almost idolize you. It's casual.
At Ascend, we saw Chris Young and Old Dominion. Chris Young "kicked off CMA Fest" and conducted the ceremonial duties before singing. As always, Chris was phenomenal. Absolutely phenomenal. He could sing the phone book for his entire set and I'd be so content.
Old Dominion though....(I'm getting excited even just thinking about Old Dominion) Old Dominion was the real show stopper. I've been a fan of OD since my middle school days, and I have been digging Meat & Candy ever since it came out. I just had never had a chance to see them live, and they met and exceeded all expectations. They sounded good, they looked good, they were just so good. They also got their award for Meat & Candy going platinum, which was really cool to see their reactions to their records. I just love Old Dominion. Love. Love. Love.
Also during CMA Fest, I got a chance to be an extra for the CMT Awards.
It was an absolute BLAST. I saw all the big names in country up front and personal. Keith Urban, Chris Stapleton, Luke Bryan, Maren Morris, Cam, Thomas Rhett, Carrie Underwood, the list goes on. It was absolutely incredible. I really hope I get to do it again next year. Not only for the "be on TV" thing but more for the "free concert!" thing.
I've put some of the pictures I took below for you to see just how close I was. (Update: I published some others on my VSCO from the homepage.) It was an absolutely awesome experience.
Sometimes, it's worth braving the tourists...at least I think so.
I first met (saw) Nyle on Switched at Birth last season in a supporting role. Somehow, my mom had known of him and pointed him out to me when he made his appearance.
Then, he took America by storm on Tyra Banks' America's Next Top Model, bringing tons of awareness to the Deaf community.
Though Nyle's appearances are great in their own right, they serve a bigger purpose, intentionally or not.
While they boost his career, all of his appearances bring attention to and defy all stereotypes of the Deaf.
They're deaf. They can't be an actor.
They're deaf. They can't model.
They're deaf. They can't dance.
They're deaf. They can't insert verb here.
You are so wrong. SO wrong. Just because they're deaf, it doesn't mean they are incapacitated and incapable. They are able bodied. They are intelligent. They are kind. They are still people.
Go you, Nyle, for defying all stereotypes and proving that the Deaf are just as capable as anyone else.
This is much long overdue, but prom!! Finally being a "big kid" and getting to go to prom was almost surreal. You look forward to this for most of your life, and within the span of a few hours, it's over. Lucky for me though, I have one more night to dress up and feel like a modern day Cinderella.
Though prom is a whole ordeal the day of, there's a lot that goes into play much before hand. Here are few tips I learned from this year..
Book your limo early!! It doesn't matter if it's January and your prom is in April. Go ahead and book that sucker, otherwise you'll be stuck with your parentals driving you to prom. Wouldn't that just be fun?
Make reservations about 6-8 weeks out. This is a must. Odds are, prom is on a Saturday night, and no nice restaurant is going to have open seating for a group of 12. Pick a good restaurant (J. Alexanders, Brick Tops, Cheesecake Factory, Amerigos, the options are endless!) and make a reservation. If you're not exactly sure how many will be in your party, tell them more than you have confirmed. You can always call back and downsize your group, rather than trying to find new accommodations for a large group.
Don't forget about after prom, either. After dancing the night away, you might be hungry and tired, so have an idea of where you're going and when you'll be getting there (for your parents' sake). My group went out for ice cream and then back to one of our houses to watch movies, aka sleep. If you choose the limo route, make sure your limo driver knows where to go. Our driver was quite clueless and we ended up having to find an alternate location to get ice cream at :/
Get your dress and shoes early. By March, most stores are wearing thin on their formal wear options. Go early, and you'll have more dresses to choose from. This also gives you lots of time to get your dress fitted and hemmed, which it probably will need.
Order a corsage! If you have a date, gently remind him the color of your dress and one or two accent colors that would complement it. If you don't have a date, order the corsage yourself. Most girls forget this since it is traditionally the guy's role. As far as presenting it, ask a key male figure in your life (dad, brother, grandfather, etc.) to present it to you. My dad did mine.
Designate a photographer. This is one of the most overlooked ones, since the parents are all naturally going to have their shaky smart phones and digital cameras. While that's great and fine, make sure with each pose that it is clear what camera to look at. We got several pictures with wandering eyes since there was a mob of photographers in front of us.
Book your hair and makeup appointment early on! The same idea as the limo, if you wait, they'll be all booked.
Coordinate with the other girls in your group! It can be pretty tough to organize pictures with two girls wearing the same dress-- been there. done that.
Bring a portable phone charger, if you have one. Between the snaps and the selfies, your poor phone battery is going to be draining all too quickly. I used mine when we got back in the limo after actual prom, and it was a life saver.
Schedule a "practice session" with your hair and makeup stylist(s)! Go in and talk to them about what style you're looking for. Chances are, they'll conduct a "trial run" with you to customize themselves with your hair/skin, and in this time, take notes of what you like and don't like and how you'd like it to be altered for the real go around.
Prom's a night to remember!! Go have fun!! Make good choices and don't do anything stupid.
Through pictures and memories, it'll be hard to forget your prom night.
If you want to see my pictures and get some ideas, feel free to check out ours. There are quite a few candids in here, if you know what I mean ;)
This year held a lot of surprises that I would not change for the world. It seems like a dream looking back on how divinely everything was orchestrated.
