Born For Broadway!

THIS PAST WEEKEND WAS AMAZING!!

Our school had it's very first musical production ever, and I got to be in it!!

We performed "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown"

I played the part of Lucy :)

It's days like these that make me wonder why I never pursued dance or theatre.  I LOVE the stage!  It just gives me that extra boost, that extra glow, sparkle, ENERGY!

There's definitely nothing like performing on a stage, but there's nothing like being a trail-blazer for others in the future.

Our brand-new drama club "Stage Warriors" hopes to have set the bar for new Fine Arts to be introduced to our school and hopefully one day a Drama Department!

Our cast of 7 students worked for months to pull together this amazing musical, and everything that could possibly go wrong, DID.  Our pianist quit two days before the performance, our Charlie Brown (who's severely allergic to poison oak) got it on his face the week of, and a few glitches with the sound booth left us singing "Happiness" accapella on our closing night.

Nonetheless, our cast blew the audience away! 

I don't think I could ever be more proud of a cast.  Every person was picked out perfectly for each role.  This experience brought everyone out of their bubbles and pulled out the best in each of us.  Through all the difficulties and long rehearsals, we all grew super close.  I can say by far that these guys are my best friends.

Happiness is getting to perform with such an amazing group!
  Thanks God for bringing us all together!

40 Days of Lent

So what exactly is lent?  

"Lent is a special time of prayer, penance, sacrifice and good works in preparation of the celebration of Easter." 

During this time, people are challenged to fast from something important to them 

so they can spend more time in the word and focusing on their Christian walk.

I've actually never given anything up for lent before.   

But this year, I've decided along with my roommates 

and several other friends to give up Facebook. 

Yep.  No Facebook for 40 days.  

 That's over a month!!  Kill me now! Jk. but seriously, it's going to be difficult. Whenever I touch a keyboard my fingers automatically start typing... F...A...C........  I'm a Facebook addict!  Thus, I'm deactivating it, so I don't accidentally end up online. lol

Lately, I've realized that it's impossible to be close friends with everyone.  There's just not enough time to be close with everyone.  You really have to choose who are important to keep close to and dedicate time to cultivate a deep relationship. Honestly, Facebook has been a huge distraction for me, proclaiming I have all these "friends" that I can never keep up with.  And that's part of the reason why I've decided to give up Facebook for lent.  Not only do I want to focus on my real friends but actually dedicate time to my relationship with Christ.  I've spent so much energy on a Facebook doing nothing and completely neglecting the one always there for me.

I shouldn't need a tragedy to occur to notice that God's still around, and I have a feeling, God's going to do so much more in mine and everyone's lives these next few weeks.

So Goodbye Facebook, Hello Friends!

Best wishes to all of you who are fasting for lent.  Remember if it's not easy, that's okay, that's why it's called "giving up."  We're sacrificing something important to us, for something even more important.  I'll try to keep you updated! 

God Bless You!

Love,

 

Metamorphosis

My dorm wall my first semester at college.

A fat caterpillar

Carefree and young

Trapped in a chrysalis of time

And change.

If I grow wings

I’ll have to fly.

But I do not wish to bloom like a flower

For petals wilt and I am afraid to die.

Nicole Adams - age 17. 

__________________________________________________________________________

I must say, I've had one of the most amazing college experiences.  

It hasn't always been an easy journey, but I don't think I'd trade any of my memories for someone else's. Through the tough times and the good ones I've changed, grown, and become a new person--myself. 

During these past four semesters I've probably gone through some of the hardest trials in my life, and unfortunately mommy couldn't always be there to hug and hold me.  I had to learn how to survive on my own.  But because of this I've become an even stronger person than before, learned what true friendships really are, and have matured in my relationship with Christ.

Fall 2010 - 16 yrs old

Spring 2011 - 17 yrs old

Fall 2011 - 18 yrs old

During this time I couldn't help but undergo a lot of changes, one of the most obvious being my hair. lol  But I also have lived in three completely different housing situations: dorms, on-campus apartments, and two hotel suites.   

Within 2 years, I've had six roommates and have lived with at least twenty-four girls!  CRAZY!!! 

And I've changed my major twice.... first from English to Music and then back to English lol

Growing up has been a difficult process.  Sometimes I don't even know who I am.  Who I am is definitely not who I thought I'd be... but it is most certainly better than I dreamed of.  And even through all the times I've wanted to give up, or just run away from hardships, when I've felt alone, I've been able to pull through, and the most amazing thing about it all is that I've never really been alone through anything.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

Joshua 1:9

May God's Blessings Be With You As You Venture Life As Well!

Love Always,

Nicole Alejandra

Life is Full of Surprises

So this Valentines Day has been soooo different from my past experiences.  And it wasn't because I had a Valentine..... although I got two of my good guy-friends to take me to the movies.  ;)   After a not too long day at school I got back to the hotel where I'd been living for the past month ready to head on over to the lobby for an appetizer and then to my apartment for possibly some roommate-bonding time with my girls.   Instead my RA asked how'd I feel about switching rooming spots with her. Long story short:  Less than an hour later I was being moved into my new room with two girls I had just recently met.   I always wondered what would happen next school year. It never occurred to me that my perfect housing situation would change barely a month into the new semester. 

Well, being the spontaneous person I am, I've decided to make the best of this and take this opportunity as a way to make new friends!

 This year my friend Theresa and I decided to spice up our Valentines by wearing these cute little headbands we got at DollarTree a few weeks ago.  I'm pretty sure we'll probably do this for every single holiday here on out.  It was just so much fun!  If I don't have a date to go on, might as well make the most of it with my girlfriends.  :) 

Well I hope you all had an amazing Valentines/Single's Awareness Day!  Feliz Dia del Amor y de la Amistad!!!

Reading, Reading, Reading!!

Since school ended last semester, I've had so much more time to dedicate to reading.  Last spring, my wing-mate Kayla and I created a list of books we hoped to read.  In less than one month I was able to read six of these books.

*    *    *    *    *    *    *

The first books I read were:  Hate List by Jennifer Brown, Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, and Willow by Julia Hoban.

Hate List - was a heart-touching book as it follows Valerie Leftman's senior year in high school, after her boyfriend was involved in the school shooting.  Because of a "hate list" they created together, although she's injured while saving another girl she is implicated in the homicides.  This book is a pretty simple read and quite entertaining.  I really enjoyed it and recommend it.

Before I Fall - Samantha has it all, the perfect boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and anything else she wants.   Unfortunately, she doesn't get tomorrow.   What would you do if you had only one day left to live?  In this story, Sam relives her last day seven times, untangling the mystery to her death and discovering the true value of life and death.  I absolutely loved the lesson taught in this book as it made me really evaluate what's important in life, and the importance of time.  However because of some of the moral issues presented in the story such as sex, smoking, and such, I would not recommend this for younger readers. 

Definitely my favorite quote from the book: 

"Maybe you can afford to wait. Maybe for you there's a tomorrow. Maybe for you there's one thousand tomorrows, or three thousand, or ten, so much time you can bathe in it, roll around it, let it slide like coins through you fingers. So much time you can waste it.

But for some of us there's only today. And the truth is, you never really know."

Willow - The pain of losing both parents in a car accident must be horribly tragic but to know that you were the one driving would be unbearable.  Julia Hoban does an amazing job at revealing the mind of a cutter and expressing the pain one feels after such a tragic loss.  Intertwined with romance, this book makes an excellent read.  I enjoyed it, however the book does take a while to pick up pace, about 100 hundred pages lol but it's still pretty good.

And I don't think there was a better way to end break and start the new semester than reading Scott Westerfeld's trilogy: The Uglies, Pretties, and Specials.    This quick-paced series was so good!  Although it is swamped in political agendas and a false perception of beauty, I found it as a good way to re-evaluate what I believe and why.  I felt it also high-lighted that our imperfections are what make us beautiful.  Filled with action, adventure, and romance;  I recommend this series to everyone!   There is also a 4th book called Extras which is placed in the same setting as these three although it is not the sequel to it.  I definitely plan to read this book later on this year.

 Anyways I'm on the last book from the Hunger Games Trilogy right now and DEFINITELY recommend them!   Especially since the first movie comes out this March :)  Hopefully later this week or next week I'll post a review on them as well.