About a week and a half ago, I received some of the best news ever. I was in the middle of tech week, and everything had been insanely crazy. The kids had been gathered for a mandatory rest time, and they were all throughout the theatre trying to unwind, some of them even napping. The crew members were scattered throughout the room as well, although we weren't sleeping. Most of us were scrolling on our phones since we weren't allowed to talk, just waiting to start working again. 

On my Instagram, I saw a tweet that peaked my interest. It mentioned The Princess Diaries. Curious, I Googled it. 

And promptly was on the verge of screaming. 

The Princess Diaries Three is Happening!!!!!j

I was trying not to scream because, of course, it was rest time- we weren't supposed to talk. But at that point, let me tell you- it wasn't exactly easy. My best friend was in the back of the room with our stage manager (who is absolutely amazing oh my gosh I love her to death), so I promptly bolted over to them and showed them. Then they ended up on the verge of screaming as well, so we were all completely freaking out, trying to do so, quietly, and pretty much failing. 

Sorry, Julie. I lost it. 

I. Am. So. Excited. 

Y'all know how much I love The Princess Diaries. I never seem to shut up about it. (If you read my blog consistently, I'm sorry. I'm sure you're sick of hearing about this by now.) Especially after the false alarm last June, this news is even more exciting. Even better, I've heard that Gary Marshall is definitely directing, and Anne Hathaway and Chris Pine are both in. I haven't heard word on Julie Andrews yet, but I'm praying that she does it. She's always said that if there was a third one, she would be willing to do it, so I'm hoping that she's true to her word! The Princess Diaries without Julie would just be sad. 

I'm really curious to see where they take the plotline. I've heard that this one will take place in New York City, and I'm hoping that it follows Mia and Nicholas's child. (Hopefully with lots and lots of grandma involvement.) Honestly, I don't care about the plotline. I just want to see lots of the old characters back again. 

- - - - -

Five Things That Need To Be in The Princess Diaries 3

1. JULIE ANDREWS. Lots and lots of Julie Andrews. We need more of her absolute killer sass. 

2. Hopefully we'll get lots of Joe as well. I need to him and Clarice as an actual married couple! Because let's face it they'd be the coolest grandparents ever. I need to see this more than I need oxygen.   Plus, he was always so protective and sweet, and had the absolute funniest lines ever. Joe gives me so many emotions.

3. Plenty of references from the first two movies. "Shut Up" is required. And if we don't get to hear the Genovian national anthem again, I just might cry. I'm pretty sure that I know that anthem better that the US's national anthem. 

4. Scenes with Mia and Nicholas one-on-one. They have the absolute cutest relationship and I don't want that to be glossed over. Can we please have a recreation of the "I loathe you" scene?

5. LILLY! Hopefully she is now a successful talk show host (who reaches more than twelve people), and gets to be the coolest aunt in the world to Mia's daughter. 

- - - - - 

I can't wait. I absolutely cannot wait. 

- - - - - 

Are you excited? What are you hoping to see in Princess Diaries 3?

Easter Recap!

Jesus has overcome

And the grave is overwhelmed

Victory is won

He is risen from the dead

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I know that I'm late to the Easter post party, but Happy belated Easter! He is risen!! 

I hope that you all had an absolutely fabulous Easter! I had a super fun day full of food, family, and fun. We went to church first thing in the morning, and then came home to obsess over all of the sugar in our Easter baskets and get ready to go to lunch at my grandparents'.  Here's a little peek at what I wore-

Dress: Macy's

Necklace: A gift from my grandma

Sandals- Charlotte Russe

Sweater- Stolen from my sister's closet ;) 

We had a fabulous lunch at my grandparents' house- ham, croissants, mac & cheese, pineapple- lots of delicious food! Then we had a giant egg hunt, followed by cheesecake. Cheesecake = Happiness. 

After that we all kind of just hung out. We went outside for a little while and took a ton of photos, trying to take photos while other people were unaware. It was great. My cousin got some super flattering photos of me that shall never be published here. Ever.

Dinner was leftovers, and then we went back home and watched a super cute Hallmark movie. It was called Perfect on Paper and I was dying. WHY DOES IT ALWAYS TAKE THE GIRLS SO LONG TO REALIZE WHICH GUY IS THE JERK AND WHICH ONE IS GREAT BECAUSE IT REALLY SHOULDN'T BE THAT HARD LADIES. 

Anyways. 

I also tried to be all Pinterest-y and decorate eggs, but that didn't go too well. Any time that I try to be artsy, I regret it soon afterwards. Yay me.

I was going for the "outline of a bunny surrounded by polka dots" look, but it looks more like "little alien creature surrounded by polka dots". I think I'll stick with blogging.

We didn't actually eat breakfast on Easter, but on Monday morning my mom made cinnamon rolls shaped like bunnies, based off of the pin I talked about in this post.  Aren't they cute?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I hope that you all had a lovely Easter full of chocolate and happiness!

What did you do for Easter?

Weekly Wrap-Up

Hello, lovelies!! How are you all doing? Isn't it crazy that tomorrow's Easter? I really can't wrap my head around it. It's so early this year, it just feels so weird. Like, last week was St. Patrick's Day! And now we're already at Easter? It's bizarre. I'm really excited for Easter though, I love it so much. ♥

The last two weeks have been a blur of craziness, both the good and not so good variety. For the most part things have been really great though. Last week y'all might have noticed that I went a bit MIA, sorry about that. I was in the midst of tech week for a show I was helping with, so I didn't have much time to blog. It was such an amazing week though, and I really miss it. I'm still having a bit of post-show-sadness, although I can't help but love not having to get up as early for rehearsals constantly!!

I am SO happy that it's Spring Break. I cannot even explain. I'm so excited for this week. I'm not even doing anything huge, it's just going to be really nice to have a chance to chill out a bit, catch up on some stuff that needs to be done, and just breathe. I can't even explain how excited I am right now.

Anyways, here's a little peek into my life lately : )

Made Me Smile:

PRINCESS DIARIES THREE IS HAPPENING, GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My life is literally made. I was screaming. But that's a post for another time.

I introduced two of my best friends to High School Musical this week. Ice cream was involved and it made for a pretty awesome night. (Although I'm not sure how I feel about ANOTHER one being made? Like, isn't this one of those instances where you should leave something while it's still good?)

The most insanely sweet friend who randomly brought me Starbucks:) <3

The official Pulitzer Prize Instagram liked my photo of All The Light We Cannot See! I thought that was pretty cool. I might have freaked out a little.

Sleeping in. There honestly is no better feeling.

Friends who don't mind when you call them three times in the same day, or at ten-thirty at night. They're fabulous.

I finished a chapter and a half of my novel in a day, which is really good for me- usually I can't write that quickly. Yay for productive days!! (If this is like, nothing to you, I'm sorry xD I'm new at this if you can't tell.)

Getting to do hair and makeup for some incredibly sweet girls. I want to adopt them.

Ugh:

Pollen. It hates me and the feeling is mutual.

So, apparently when I get really tired, I also get really clumsy. I may have possibly run into two different people and then tripped over a prop all within a span of about a minute and a half during tech week. The fact that I'm a dancer is so obvious, you guys. I just exude grace. Not

Conversations that you'd really rather not have to have.

Walking into Anatomy class to find out that *yay*, it's sheep heart dissection day. No warning. I'm still scarred. I could smell it for twelve hours. Help.

Loving:

All The Light We Cannot See. I've talked about it a ton but it's worth mentioning again. 

Finding awesome piano tutorials online. My goal is to play all of the songs I love from Hamilton. 

^Jamming out to said Hamilton music on the piano with a friend who's 1000000x better at piano than I will probably ever be haha.

An insanely sweet Hallmark movie that I'm currently watching. It kills.

SPRING BREAKKKK!!!!!

Pinning:

<3

I absolutely adore this maxi dress- it's so gorgeous!!

I think these are super cute for Easter morning! I feel like if I tried, they wouldn't turn out looking like bunnies, but if I could get them to look like this, they'd be adorable! The site these are from, agirlandagluegun.com, has lots of really cute ideas!

I seriously want this baby.

This. Is. So. Hard.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

How was your week?

10 Qualities of a Good Friend

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about friendship. I've been blessed with some superbly amazing friends in my life, but I've also had some people in my life who haven't been quite as stellar. All of those amazing friends share the same basic characteristics, so I thought that I'd point them out to show what the basis of a good friend looks like.

1. They're honest

Honestly (heh..see what I did there..), if you can't trust your friend, then why are you friends to begin with? A friend is someone who's always honest with you, even if it's not necessarily what you want to hear. If they feel like they have to lie to you, then they might not really be someone that you need in your life. They also need to be trustworthy, because you don't want a friend who's going to go and blab all of your secrets.

2. You can laugh with them

This seems kind of basic, but what's a friendship if you can't laugh together? Your friend needs to be someone who won't take themself too seriously and isn't afraid to have a good time.

3. They're kind

Again, this is another basic one, but you don't want to be friends with someone who is constantly tearing people down or is mean. Don't let someone get away with treating you like trash- they should be kind to you!

4. They're not afraid to give you a slap in the face

Not literally, of course. But if you're having some problems or there's an area of your life in which you're not handling things correctly, a real friend is going to sit you down and bring you back to reality.

5.  They're loyal

Someone who's nice to you one day, but won't talk to you the next? Someone who's super chatty over text, but won't give you two words in person? Someone who's nice until their other friends come along? Yeah, that's not someone you need in your life.

6. They know you

They're the person that knows you inside and out. They can read you like a book; they know when you're upset, excited or somewhere in between. They know your likes and dislikes, your favorite things, your routine- they just know you.

7. You can both completely be yourselves

In a friendship, you shouldn't have to worry about what your friend things. You shouldn't have to hide your weird obsessions, or your awkward quirks. You should just be able to be yourself.

8. They're supportive and thoughtful

They text you the day after that big event to ask how it went. They cheer you on for that presentation or audition. They're your biggest cheerleaders, and you know that they genuinely care.

9. They're a good listener

Even when you've told them that same story eight times, they're still going to listen to you. When you're talking, you know that they aren't tuning you out; what you say is actually important to them- they care.

10. They love you, no matter what

All friends get into fights. All friends disagree on certain things. But at the end of the day, you need a friend who's going to love you, no matter how messy your room is, how crazy-hyper you are when you're tired, and how gross you look first thing in the morning. They love you, and that's the most important thing.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I hope and pray that you all have some people like this in your life- everyone deserves a good friend. ♥ So, did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments!

Book Review- All The Light We Cannot See

-this post may contain affiliate links-

All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

"Marie-Laure lives with her father in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where he works as the master of its thousands of locks. When she is six, Marie-Laure goes blind and her father builds a perfect miniature of their neighborhood so she can memorize it by touch and navigate her way home. When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great-uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel.

In a mining town in Germany, the orphan Werner grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments, a talent that wins him a place at a brutal academy for Hitler Youth, then a special assignment to track the resistance. More and more aware of the human cost of his intelligence, Werner travels through the heart of the war and, finally, into Saint-Malo, where his story and Marie-Laure’s converge."

- - - - - 

"Don't you want to be alive before you die?"

A few weeks ago, Olivia kept mentioning on her blog and Instagram that she was completely in love with this book, All The Light We Cannot See. I'd been looking for some good book recommendations, so I requested it from my library and was soon devouring it. 

Let me just say- it did not disappoint. 

All The Light We Cannot See is an absolutely brilliant novel written by Anthony Doerr. It's definitely a long read- it's 500+ pages, and took me over a week to finish- and I'm a pretty fast reader. But it's such a beautiful work of literature that I didn't want it to end. 

That was probably my favorite part of the book- it was just so incredibly beautiful. It's difficult to explain, but Doerr's writing is some of the most beautiful that I've ever read. Everything that he writes evokes such a vivid image in the reader's mind; you're so drawn in to this world that he's created. 

The intricacy of the story, the many different layers, the lyrical sense you get as you read Doerr's words- I couldn't get enough. I wanted to keep reading it forever.

I was absolutely obsessed with these characters- I connected with them almost instantly. Marie-Laure, her father, Jutta, Etienne, Madame Manec, Frederick, Frau Elena, Dr. Geffard, Werner...I fell in love. The connection that I felt with them was so strong, it was honestly painful to read certain parts. I will say that for some reason I connected with the characters in Marie-Laure's life a lot more than I did Werner's, not exactly sure why. I just really enjoyed her storyline a lot more in general. 

One thing that I will say about the book is that it's extremely realistic- almost painfully so. It really shows what life during World War II was like; the story was told in a way that made the war feel so personal, like I understood what it was like back then on a real level. The ending was also done in a very realistic fashion- not something that I was super thrilled about. It. Hurt. At first I was kind of upset about how it was done, but the more I've thought it over, the more I've realized that it was a good way to end it. Like I said, it was super painful, but I understand that that's how it probably would have gone in real life. 

The only thing that I think I would have changed about this book is the length of time that Marie-Laure and Werner's stories converged. I wish that it had lasted a bit longer- I was looking forward to it for the entire book and then it fell a bit flat. At the same time though, it was beautiful. I really can't complain too much. 

This book is one of the best that I've read in quite some time. Elegant. Beautiful. Haunting. All The Light We Cannot See is a book that you'll never forget. 

- - - - -

p.s. : sorry for being MIA this past week. tech week stole my soul, but i'm back and ready for more blogging! ♥

January/February Favorites!

HELLO BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE!!! Aren't favorites posts fun? I love them. The last few months I haven't managed to get one up, though, so I'm making this lovely gigantic one with January AND February favorites.

Creating this post may have partially involved repeatedly asking my mom and my sisters, "What have I been obsessed with lately????" Because I have a terrible memory and literally can't even remember my own life. Go me.

Beauty:

I needed to try a new foundation, and ended up liking the Maybelline Fit Me in Porcelain. I had to switch because the Ivory TruBlend was too dark...I'm so pale, guys. It's terrible. Sometimes I feel like Porcelain doesn't even match. I really need to get a tan this summer. It's bad. 

I got this eyeshadow trio in a Target beauty box, and I really like it! I'd never tried anything by Pacifica, but I love the quality. It has nice pigmentation, and it doesn't crease, either. Plus, THE PACKAGING IS SO PRETTYYYYY. Gah. Love.

I'd been wanting to try EOS in stick form for forever. I got the vanilla one for Christmas, and the mint for Valentine's Day, and I love them both. The consistency is great, and it's so much easier than the big sphere that's the typical EOS shape.

This Bed Head curling wand was a Christmas present, and since then I haven't used my old curling wand once. It gives your hair these absolutely GORGEOUS, natural curls, and they really hold, too. Plus, the glove that comes with it works wonderfully. Can't recommend this wand enough.

Books:

These are basically books & journals all wrapped up into one and I'm obsessed. I'm also quite proud because I've kept up with them quite well. And if you know me, I'm terrible at keeping up with ANYTHING.

I read The Old Man and the Sea for school, and I really enjoyed it. Well, I enjoyed reading it the first time, anyways. Then I had to write this essay on the symbolism within the book and started to lose my mind. But the book itself was good!

Randomness:

The obsession is hardcore, guys. I'm almost finished with season 1- it's so great!

One of my friends managed to get almost the entire high school at our co-op obsessed with Color Switch. Myself included. It's sooo addicting. I've kind of gotten sick of it now, but it was a definite obsession for a while. 

I've absolutely loved watching this continuation to Full House. It's so cute, and since I grew up on Full House, seeing everyone grow up has been super fun. 

It's taking over my life, guys. I'm involved with helping with a production of the show coming up soon, and I could not be more excited. It seems like lately all I ever am thinking about is Aladdin! 

Music:

SURPRISE! The musical that has taken over my life. I literally cannot say enough good things about this show and its brilliance. It is honestly a piece of art.

Songs I've Been Loving:

Seasons of Love- Rent
Happy/Sad- The Addams Family
Kiss Me- Ed Sheeran
21 Guns- American Idiot (Original Broadway Cast)
When We Were Young- Adele
Safer- First Date
The Hanging Tree- Mockingjay
Homeless- Ed Sheeran

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What have you been loving lately?

Weekly Wrap-Up

*gasp* A weekly wrap-up? On a Sunday?

Yes, I'm aware that today is Sunday, and I typically post these on Saturday. Oh well. Today, you get a Weekly Wrap-Up post on a Sunday. 

This last week has been really busy, but it's been really good. Lots of fun and exciting things happening, which has been nice. I wish that it wasn't quite as crazy, that I had a little more time to breathe and do school. But honestly, it's such a fun time, and I'm trying to enjoy it while it lasts. 

The craziness is why I wasn't able to get this up yesterday. I could have posted it, but it wasn't quite good enough yet, and being the perfectionist that I am, we just couldn't let that happen haha! 

In other news, I have several fun posts in the drafts folder, so keep an eye out for them in the days ahead!!

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Made Me Smile:

I GOT MY POINTE SHOES!!!!! On Thursday I found out that I could get them, and on Friday my mom and I went to the dance store and I was fit for a pair. Literally so excited, oh my goodness. 

Had our first full run-through for a show, and our first dress rehearsal for another, and they both went really well! That made me feel a lot more relaxed with both shows coming up so soon!

An ice cream place in my town does this thing where, one day of the year, if you wear your pajamas, you get free ice cream! Literally the best thing in the world. 

Longgggg talks with a super-fabulous friend.

I went on a shopping trip today with the girls from my Bible Study, which was fabulous.

I HAVE LEARNED A SECRET CODE! Aka how to order at Starbucks.

Ugh:

It seems like EVERYONE is sick lately. I wish that all of this would just go away and everyone would be healthy!

I have this English paper to do on symbolism and it's driving me insane. I can't figure it out to save my life!

Problems with the plot of my novel. How can my own story be so confusing?

Loving:

All The Light We Cannot See. Olivia  recommended it to me and it's so good. It's absolutely beautiful, and I'm quickly falling in love. 

Warmer weather! It makes me so happy oh my goodness.

Hot Tamales! I used to think that they were disgusting but they actually taste just like cinnamon jelly beans and I'm slightly obsessed. 

NCIS. It's my latest obsession.

Pinning:

This looks so warm and cozy and I just want to curl up and sleep in this bed for a year.

I want this sweatshirt desperately.

Also this, because it's flawless.

Cat owners understand this...

I want to try doing this. 

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How was your week?

Happy March!

Happy March, everyone!! Yes, my header photo is of a pineapple. It is quite a beautiful pineapple, don't you think? (If you follow me on Instagram then you've already heard me babble about this beautiful aesthetic pineapple and I apologize for you having to hear it again.)

Y'know how I said in the beginning of my post last month that I was finally getting the hang of writing 2016 instead of 2015. Well, I failed at that. I thought I was getting the hang of it and the bam last night I wrote 2015 and the cycle has begun again. Go me.

February was a good month, although it was totally crazy. We have a show coming up in two and a half weeks, as well as another show in two months so I've had rehearsals for both. It's really stressful, but it's super exciting- I can't wait for the shows! They're going to be so much fun.

Some pretty fun things happened in February- Valentine's Day, swing dancing, I went back to ballet, Fuller House premiered, and I started To Kill a Mockingbird. It was a stressful month, but a good month. Lots of fun things and time spent with friends.

I'm interested to see what March holds- I still can't quite believe that it's March! Time really flies. I have some fun posts planned for this month, as well as the show coming up, of course. It's all very exciting!

~~~~~

I've got to admit, I did terribly on my February resolutions. Let's look at exactly how badly I did...

-Watch more Once Upon A Time - Fail. I've gotten super into NCIS, so that's my excuse. Once Upon A Time is kind of going on the back burner for now. I've gotten obsessed!

-Make a blogging schedule and stick to it - HA. I wish. I really need to do that this month..

-Read more often! - Nope. I did get read The Old Man and the Sea, as well as re-reading The Hunger Games  and starting To Kill a Mockingbird. I wanted to read more than that though, and I just didn't get a chance. 

-Get caught up on school- ......... no comment.

-Finish redoing my walls- I didn't get to completely finish this, although I do have almost everything ready to hang. Hopefully I'll finish up that project this weekend!

-Stretch 3x weekly outside of dance class- I didn't keep track of exactly how often I stretched, but I've finally gotten my right split, and I'm close to my middle, so I'm really happy about that!

-Bake a recipe that I've pinned on Pinterest - I made cupcakes, and although the recipe wasn't from Pinterest, I got the idea to package them in plastic cups on Pinterest, which was super handy!

-Make a habit of journaling more often- Yes! I've been journaling a ton this month, and I've really enjoyed it. 

~~~~~

Now for March's resolutions!

-Get further into NCIS

-Make a stricter blogging plan/schedule

-Get caught up on school

-Start sharing posts from my trip to New York

-Write 4 more chapters of my novel

-Start hand lettering again

-Get into a better exercise regimen

~~~~~

I'm determined to blog more this month; I only got eight posts published in February. Is it weird to blog a trip that I took three months ago? I never really shared much from New York, but I have tons of photos and stories that I'm really excited to share. I'm also hoping to get on a regular schedule, which will be good.

I have a question for you all- do you like the Dancing With The Stars recap posts? It's starting up this month, and I didn't know if I should keep them up. Let me know what you think below!

~~~~~

How was YOUR February? What are YOU looking forward to this March? What's YOUR opinion on the DWTS posts? What have you been up to lately? Do YOU have any resolutions? Share below!