Hey everyone!
I can't believe it's already been a week since I last posted. Time is FLYING here. I've had a lot of fun doing Christmas things lately and time has just flown by. I am coming home in 9 days! That's so crazy. Last time I posted I was on my way to see the tree lighting at Rockefeller Center. It was a failure. We got within a block which was quite impressive and took a long time because so many streets and intersections were blocked off so we walked about 50 blocks in circles to find how to get in the line to see the tree. We couldn't actually see the tree but we could hear everything that was going on and I could see about 1/4 of the screen that was beside the stage all the performances were on. There were so many people I couldn't even handle it. I thought something terrible was going to happen. I always end up thinking terrible things are about to happen when I go to these big events. That's not saying I don't feel safe because there were bag checks and cops and barricades everywhere but it was packed in tight on those streets and I just like to freak myself out I guess.
ANYWAYS.... I always get off track from what I was going to say...... my midterms went well and are mostly over now. I have 2 more dance ones right before I leave for Christmas. But I'm really looking forward to coming home. I can't wait to see everyone again. I didn't get a lot of time with my family and friends for thanksgiving so now I have more! Woohoo! Can't wait to see my dog too. I just love her.
I'm gonna head off to bed now!
Night!
Thanks!
Molly
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Week Recap
Hey everyone!
It's been a little bit since I've posted! I would just like to recap my past week and a half. I went home for thanksgiving and it was so nice. I loved being home and seeing my family and my dog and just the south in general. It was great!
Now that I'm back in the city, I've had a couple of midterms and exciting things lately. Monday night I went with some friends to a winter fest in lincoln square and we got some food and we saw performances by the broadway casts of Cinderella and Motown. They were flawless of course. Haha.
Then last night (Tuesday), I went with my friend Ali, kind of on a whim, and entered our names for the Wicked lottery. If you win the lottery, you get front row seats for $30 each. We ended up winning and got to see the show last night! It was amazing as always. Just as magical as I remember it being. Lindsay Mendez, who played Elphaba (the green one), was sooooo good. I can't even explain to you how good she was. Alli Mauzey, who played Glinda, was great as well! I saw her as Glinda last time I saw and she was just as funny this time! But since we were in the front row, we could EVERYTHING that happened. Alli Mauzey made eye contact with me probably 5 times a scene. Haha. That was cool/weird. Mostly cool.
But anyways, that's what I've been up to! Off to see the Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting!
Thanks!
Molly
It's been a little bit since I've posted! I would just like to recap my past week and a half. I went home for thanksgiving and it was so nice. I loved being home and seeing my family and my dog and just the south in general. It was great!
Now that I'm back in the city, I've had a couple of midterms and exciting things lately. Monday night I went with some friends to a winter fest in lincoln square and we got some food and we saw performances by the broadway casts of Cinderella and Motown. They were flawless of course. Haha.
Then last night (Tuesday), I went with my friend Ali, kind of on a whim, and entered our names for the Wicked lottery. If you win the lottery, you get front row seats for $30 each. We ended up winning and got to see the show last night! It was amazing as always. Just as magical as I remember it being. Lindsay Mendez, who played Elphaba (the green one), was sooooo good. I can't even explain to you how good she was. Alli Mauzey, who played Glinda, was great as well! I saw her as Glinda last time I saw and she was just as funny this time! But since we were in the front row, we could EVERYTHING that happened. Alli Mauzey made eye contact with me probably 5 times a scene. Haha. That was cool/weird. Mostly cool.
But anyways, that's what I've been up to! Off to see the Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting!
Thanks!
Molly
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Frozen
Hey everyone!
Today was a GREAT day! I woke up at noon (first great thing that happened). I didn't really do much until I left for church at 3:30. Let me just say..... it is FREEZING here. It has been in the mid 20's all day. That is fine. Not too bad. It's the wind! Oh my gosh! The wind chill all day was 10 - 15 degrees. I thought I was gonna die. Haha. But anyways, I went to church with my friend Hallie again. We went to Hillsong again this week but we got there early so we could get seats instead of having to stand the entire time.
The preacher that usually preaches (the one that was there last week and I cannot remember his name for the life of me. haha.) wasn't there but they had a guest speaker from Houston, Texas. His name is John Gray. He is the pastor at Lakewood Church in Houston. He is amazing. Phenomal. Brilliant. All of those great words. When he first came out, the band was still playing and he just started singing. It was great. He kind of reminds me of Ruben Studdard(?), I think that's his name, who won the 2nd season of American Idol. Anyways, he's a big black guy and he's hilarious and such a powerful speaker! Here are a few of his quotes from the evening:
"Out of the 66 books of the bible, they all come down to 2 subjects: relationships and real estate."
"God speaks in the language of solutions."
"Dominion was not a suggestion for Adam. It was a command."
"We are not humans having a spiritual experience, we are spirits having a human experience."
"When you know who you are, heaven responds and hell bows down."
"You don't go to hell for what you do. You go to hell for what you believe in."
"God wants your worship voluntarily."
"God created choice. Man created evil."
"Wait and do it God's way."
"I'm loved and there's nothing hell can do about it."
That is just a small fraction of the amazing things he said tonight. Google him people! John Gray. He is an amazing pastor. If anyone from Whitesburg is reading this right now, get him as a guest pastor. He is amazing.
Also, just learned that his daughter was admitted to the hospital a couple of hours ago with a 105.5 fever. Pray!
On a different note, I have 3 and 1/2 sleeps until I get to go home! Woohoo! Please pray that the weather is good! I can't wait to see my family!
Thanks!
Molly
Today was a GREAT day! I woke up at noon (first great thing that happened). I didn't really do much until I left for church at 3:30. Let me just say..... it is FREEZING here. It has been in the mid 20's all day. That is fine. Not too bad. It's the wind! Oh my gosh! The wind chill all day was 10 - 15 degrees. I thought I was gonna die. Haha. But anyways, I went to church with my friend Hallie again. We went to Hillsong again this week but we got there early so we could get seats instead of having to stand the entire time.
The preacher that usually preaches (the one that was there last week and I cannot remember his name for the life of me. haha.) wasn't there but they had a guest speaker from Houston, Texas. His name is John Gray. He is the pastor at Lakewood Church in Houston. He is amazing. Phenomal. Brilliant. All of those great words. When he first came out, the band was still playing and he just started singing. It was great. He kind of reminds me of Ruben Studdard(?), I think that's his name, who won the 2nd season of American Idol. Anyways, he's a big black guy and he's hilarious and such a powerful speaker! Here are a few of his quotes from the evening:
"Out of the 66 books of the bible, they all come down to 2 subjects: relationships and real estate."
"God speaks in the language of solutions."
"Dominion was not a suggestion for Adam. It was a command."
"We are not humans having a spiritual experience, we are spirits having a human experience."
"When you know who you are, heaven responds and hell bows down."
"You don't go to hell for what you do. You go to hell for what you believe in."
"God wants your worship voluntarily."
"God created choice. Man created evil."
"Wait and do it God's way."
"I'm loved and there's nothing hell can do about it."
That is just a small fraction of the amazing things he said tonight. Google him people! John Gray. He is an amazing pastor. If anyone from Whitesburg is reading this right now, get him as a guest pastor. He is amazing.
Also, just learned that his daughter was admitted to the hospital a couple of hours ago with a 105.5 fever. Pray!
On a different note, I have 3 and 1/2 sleeps until I get to go home! Woohoo! Please pray that the weather is good! I can't wait to see my family!
Thanks!
Molly
Saturday, November 23, 2013
A Week's Recap
Hey everyone!
Sorry I am just now getting to blogging this week! It has been really busy as always.
I had an exciting week! Tuesday, after I was done with my classes, me and my friend Ali went on a walk by the Hudson and riverside park. Riverside Park is BEAUTIFUL! I am obsessed. We were hanging out by the soldiers and sailors memorial.
Wednesday, my roommate's dad took me and my roommate and 2 of my other friends to dinner in Times Square at a really good Italian restaurant. That was the first real meal I have had in a month and a half. Haha. It was so good though! On the way back to the dorm, we were riding in her dad's car and we saw all of these black escalades and flashing lights outside of the movie theatre. As we got closer to the theatre, we saw that it was the red carpet for "Hunger Games: Catching Fire"! So we jumped out of the car and ran up to the barricade right by the red carpet. We got to see Jennifer Lawrence and Liam Hemsworth! It was so cool!
Thursday wasn't very exciting. Haha.
Friday, after school I went with some friends to see Catching Fire. It was really nice to be able to go to a movie and relax a little! The movie is awesome by the way. You have to see it.
I'm so excited about this week! I get to go home! I am going to cry so much. Haha. I just really hope my flight doesn't get delayed or cancelled. I would rather not spend thanksgiving in an airport. I can't wait to see my puppy! And my family. I just can't even wait....
I'm going to see a show tonight that has a star studded cast with some of my favorites in it! I'm pretty excited for it!
Thanks!
Molly
Sorry I am just now getting to blogging this week! It has been really busy as always.
I had an exciting week! Tuesday, after I was done with my classes, me and my friend Ali went on a walk by the Hudson and riverside park. Riverside Park is BEAUTIFUL! I am obsessed. We were hanging out by the soldiers and sailors memorial.
Wednesday, my roommate's dad took me and my roommate and 2 of my other friends to dinner in Times Square at a really good Italian restaurant. That was the first real meal I have had in a month and a half. Haha. It was so good though! On the way back to the dorm, we were riding in her dad's car and we saw all of these black escalades and flashing lights outside of the movie theatre. As we got closer to the theatre, we saw that it was the red carpet for "Hunger Games: Catching Fire"! So we jumped out of the car and ran up to the barricade right by the red carpet. We got to see Jennifer Lawrence and Liam Hemsworth! It was so cool!
Thursday wasn't very exciting. Haha.
Friday, after school I went with some friends to see Catching Fire. It was really nice to be able to go to a movie and relax a little! The movie is awesome by the way. You have to see it.
I'm so excited about this week! I get to go home! I am going to cry so much. Haha. I just really hope my flight doesn't get delayed or cancelled. I would rather not spend thanksgiving in an airport. I can't wait to see my puppy! And my family. I just can't even wait....
I'm going to see a show tonight that has a star studded cast with some of my favorites in it! I'm pretty excited for it!
Thanks!
Molly
Monday, November 18, 2013
A Problem Called Grace
Hey everyone!
This weekend was great! It was very relaxing and I got a lot of sleep and much needed alone time. But I would have to say the best part about my weekend was last night. Sunday night. I went to Hillsong church with my good friend Hallie. I went to high school with her and she is at an acting school up here in the city. The service started at 5:00 so we got there at 4:40. Little did we know there would be a line all the way around the block to just get in the door! Once we were in, there was only standing room left. It was so crowded! But I would much rather be in a crowded, electric, energetic church than an empty one!
Once the service started, the band came out and it was like a rock concert. But all for Jesus. It was an amazing feeling being in a room with so many people who were on fire for God! After a couple of very moving songs from the new "Hillsong" album "Young and Free", the preacher came out. I don't remember his name. But he was phenomenal. His message was called "A Problem Called Grace". The first story he told was about a funeral he had attended earlier that day. He was at a 36 year old woman's funeral who had passed away from cervical cancer. She had 8 kids. The funeral lasted 5 hours. The reason the funeral lasted so long is because people just kept coming up and telling stories of her kindness. He said that one woman came up and said that she has 4 kids and one night she called the woman who had passed and said "I only have 2 bags of rice and I need to feed my children. Can you help me?" and the woman who had just passed said "I have 2 cans of chicken, but you come over here and we can use your bags of rice and my chicken and we can eat together." Most christians would stop after "I have 2 cans of chicken". But she didn't. She was always giving. Spending is a seasonal act. You spend a lot around the holidays. You receive a lot around the holidays. But giving is a never ending act of kindness.
2 Corinthians 9:11 says "You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God."
The "problem called grace" he spoke of in his sermon is that God has so much grace for us. He LETS us breathe in the air around us. He LETS us live. He satisfies us with his love. He provides for us. He sent his perfect son to die on the cross for OUR sins! He loves us more than we could ever imagine. He does all of this through grace and love! We don't deserve anything he gives us. We have turned against him and sinned against him everyday of our lives! And yet he still loves us and his love is more than enough for us.
He told another story about a day that he went to his daughter's 1st grade class and spoke to the kids. He asked them to get in groups of 2 and tell the other person things that they loved about themselves. Most of the kids were very confident and were just spitting off things they loved about themselves. He noticed a little boy in the corner of the room just looking at the floor. He asked him his name and the little boy said "Alex". He asked Alex what he liked about himself. He asked what he was good at. Alex said he wasn't good at anything and that he didn't like anything about himself. He then proceeded to ask the class what they liked about Alex. The hands just shot up and all the kids were saying things like "He's smart" "He's nice" "He's funny" "He's good at soccer" etc. And Alex's head just popped up and he had a huge smile on his face.
It is so funny how this 6 year old boy could be encouraged by other people and the positive things they thought about him. This is very similar to how God thinks of us. Alex would have never thought he was funny or nice or smart or good at soccer. We can never fathom how much God loves us and how much he cares about us. What Alex did is much like what adults do. They get down on themselves. We only care about what is happening to us in the moment. We don't think about how God has a bigger plan. A plan to prosper us and not to harm us (Jer. 29:11). By trusting in God and casting all of our troubles on him, we are experiencing his grace and his love.
"He is the one who has saved us. He is the one who forgave us. He's the one who has come and is coming again. He's the remedy."
I think that sums up this post. Haha.
Thanks!
Molly
This weekend was great! It was very relaxing and I got a lot of sleep and much needed alone time. But I would have to say the best part about my weekend was last night. Sunday night. I went to Hillsong church with my good friend Hallie. I went to high school with her and she is at an acting school up here in the city. The service started at 5:00 so we got there at 4:40. Little did we know there would be a line all the way around the block to just get in the door! Once we were in, there was only standing room left. It was so crowded! But I would much rather be in a crowded, electric, energetic church than an empty one!
Once the service started, the band came out and it was like a rock concert. But all for Jesus. It was an amazing feeling being in a room with so many people who were on fire for God! After a couple of very moving songs from the new "Hillsong" album "Young and Free", the preacher came out. I don't remember his name. But he was phenomenal. His message was called "A Problem Called Grace". The first story he told was about a funeral he had attended earlier that day. He was at a 36 year old woman's funeral who had passed away from cervical cancer. She had 8 kids. The funeral lasted 5 hours. The reason the funeral lasted so long is because people just kept coming up and telling stories of her kindness. He said that one woman came up and said that she has 4 kids and one night she called the woman who had passed and said "I only have 2 bags of rice and I need to feed my children. Can you help me?" and the woman who had just passed said "I have 2 cans of chicken, but you come over here and we can use your bags of rice and my chicken and we can eat together." Most christians would stop after "I have 2 cans of chicken". But she didn't. She was always giving. Spending is a seasonal act. You spend a lot around the holidays. You receive a lot around the holidays. But giving is a never ending act of kindness.
2 Corinthians 9:11 says "You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God."
The "problem called grace" he spoke of in his sermon is that God has so much grace for us. He LETS us breathe in the air around us. He LETS us live. He satisfies us with his love. He provides for us. He sent his perfect son to die on the cross for OUR sins! He loves us more than we could ever imagine. He does all of this through grace and love! We don't deserve anything he gives us. We have turned against him and sinned against him everyday of our lives! And yet he still loves us and his love is more than enough for us.
He told another story about a day that he went to his daughter's 1st grade class and spoke to the kids. He asked them to get in groups of 2 and tell the other person things that they loved about themselves. Most of the kids were very confident and were just spitting off things they loved about themselves. He noticed a little boy in the corner of the room just looking at the floor. He asked him his name and the little boy said "Alex". He asked Alex what he liked about himself. He asked what he was good at. Alex said he wasn't good at anything and that he didn't like anything about himself. He then proceeded to ask the class what they liked about Alex. The hands just shot up and all the kids were saying things like "He's smart" "He's nice" "He's funny" "He's good at soccer" etc. And Alex's head just popped up and he had a huge smile on his face.
It is so funny how this 6 year old boy could be encouraged by other people and the positive things they thought about him. This is very similar to how God thinks of us. Alex would have never thought he was funny or nice or smart or good at soccer. We can never fathom how much God loves us and how much he cares about us. What Alex did is much like what adults do. They get down on themselves. We only care about what is happening to us in the moment. We don't think about how God has a bigger plan. A plan to prosper us and not to harm us (Jer. 29:11). By trusting in God and casting all of our troubles on him, we are experiencing his grace and his love.
"He is the one who has saved us. He is the one who forgave us. He's the one who has come and is coming again. He's the remedy."
I think that sums up this post. Haha.
Thanks!
Molly
Saturday, November 16, 2013
On a scale of Minkus to Urkel...
Hey everyone!
Today I slept in as I always do on Saturday. I went to the school later on in the afternoon and practiced dance stuff with one of my friends. 2 hours! I actually practiced for 2 hours straight without getting distracted which rarely happens. Haha. I then got pizza to reward myself of course. Then came back to my dorm and watched movies, observing the speech technique of the actors and actresses in them. It's really interesting now that I actually know what is right and wrong when I am watching movies to see who is actually speaking correctly. It has made me have so much more respect for them than I ever have before. It's so hard to speak properly and healthily! I'm working on it but it is not something that comes easily when I've been speaking wrong my whole life! I'm not even talking about a regionalism, which is hard enough to get rid of, but I'm talking about the actual speaking itself. The tone, pitch, etc. I am supposed to speak like half an octave above where I have been my whole life. The thing that gets me the most is glottal when I speak. (Using a glottal stroke means you hit your vocal chords together when speaking. It usually happens on words that begin with a vowel and it's really unhealthy). This is something I just learned about this past week. I knew what it was in terms of singing and I knew it was bad but I didn't know I did it when I speak too! It's so hard to not do! But anyways, I watched "The Help" last night and "People Like Us" and "Zero Dark Thirty" today and listened the whole time for people using glottal when they spoke. Bryce Dallas Howard who plays Hilly in "The Help" (the mean one) has perfect technique. I did not hear her glottal once! I'm sure I could've missed it if she had done it but still! She has great vocal technique! Jessica Chastain only did it a few times in "The Help" and "Zero Dark Thirty". She trained at Juilliard and Bryce studied at NYU I think. Emma Stone has terrible vocal technique. I never would have noticed because I didn't even know what it was. Haha. Elizabeth Banks (she was in "People Like Us" she also plays Effie Trinket in "The Hunger Games") was another one who had practically perfect technique! I'm so jealous! Haha. But it gives me something to work towards!
I'm really sorry I just wrote an entire paragraph on that. I'm such a nerd. See Mom! I am learning things!
Now that I just openly admitted to watching movies all weekend while analyzing vocal technique like a total loser, I'm gonna go to bed so I can actually sleep tomorrow night and wake up for school the next day. Haha.
Thanks!
Molly
Today I slept in as I always do on Saturday. I went to the school later on in the afternoon and practiced dance stuff with one of my friends. 2 hours! I actually practiced for 2 hours straight without getting distracted which rarely happens. Haha. I then got pizza to reward myself of course. Then came back to my dorm and watched movies, observing the speech technique of the actors and actresses in them. It's really interesting now that I actually know what is right and wrong when I am watching movies to see who is actually speaking correctly. It has made me have so much more respect for them than I ever have before. It's so hard to speak properly and healthily! I'm working on it but it is not something that comes easily when I've been speaking wrong my whole life! I'm not even talking about a regionalism, which is hard enough to get rid of, but I'm talking about the actual speaking itself. The tone, pitch, etc. I am supposed to speak like half an octave above where I have been my whole life. The thing that gets me the most is glottal when I speak. (Using a glottal stroke means you hit your vocal chords together when speaking. It usually happens on words that begin with a vowel and it's really unhealthy). This is something I just learned about this past week. I knew what it was in terms of singing and I knew it was bad but I didn't know I did it when I speak too! It's so hard to not do! But anyways, I watched "The Help" last night and "People Like Us" and "Zero Dark Thirty" today and listened the whole time for people using glottal when they spoke. Bryce Dallas Howard who plays Hilly in "The Help" (the mean one) has perfect technique. I did not hear her glottal once! I'm sure I could've missed it if she had done it but still! She has great vocal technique! Jessica Chastain only did it a few times in "The Help" and "Zero Dark Thirty". She trained at Juilliard and Bryce studied at NYU I think. Emma Stone has terrible vocal technique. I never would have noticed because I didn't even know what it was. Haha. Elizabeth Banks (she was in "People Like Us" she also plays Effie Trinket in "The Hunger Games") was another one who had practically perfect technique! I'm so jealous! Haha. But it gives me something to work towards!
I'm really sorry I just wrote an entire paragraph on that. I'm such a nerd. See Mom! I am learning things!
Now that I just openly admitted to watching movies all weekend while analyzing vocal technique like a total loser, I'm gonna go to bed so I can actually sleep tomorrow night and wake up for school the next day. Haha.
Thanks!
Molly
Friday, November 15, 2013
12 Days!
Hey everyone!
12 days from today, I will be home! I'm so excited to see my family (and yes that includes all the pets in the family as well. I miss them equally!). I had a great week this week. It was very productive and I really feel like I am improving more and more every day. I am loving my voice lessons each week because I am getting to do some classical stuff which is actually really fun because I get to sing really high the whole time and it's so new and cool and I feel good about it. The fact that my voice teacher compared me to Audra McDonald this week also made me quite happy. (If you don't know who she is youtube her! She's amazing!) I also am learning so much in dance classes as well. I am getting a little more used to having 2 hour dance classes everyday. Add yoga onto that 3 of the 5 days of the week. Plus some dance reviews (nightly sessions where things learned in my theatre dance class is basically retaught and broken down slower). So yeah.... a lot of dancing and physical activity.
I'm glad it's the weekend though. I have a lot to memorize and practice so I now have the time to do that. I will probably go to the park or to a museum or something this weekend. Maybe even a show. My roommate is going home this weekend for her birthday so I will have some alone time which I am very excited about. Also, back on the excited to go home note, I have been having recurring dreams for the past 2 weeks where I dream I am going to wake up in my bed at home. Yeah.... can't wait for that to happen! Also, I already have it planned out that when my flight into Huntsville is descending, I am going to listen to "Sweet Home Alabama" and I'm sure I will probably cry. Haha. But a happy cry!
Since it is Friday night, this would normally be my moment to vent about how annoying it is when all of the people I go to school with (and I really do mean ALL) go out and get sloppy drunk and high. But I think I have pretty much covered that subject in previous posts. Haha. You may think that living in New York City is glamorous and all fun. Nope! It is very fun and I absolutely love it here! But, I do kind of have a boring social life sometimes because all anyone wants to do is get drunk and do drugs. Not my thing.
Anyways,
I got a package today with a ton of movies and a season of Criminal Minds so that's what I'm going to be doing tonight while I memorize everything I need to memorize for this week!
Thanks!
Molly
12 days from today, I will be home! I'm so excited to see my family (and yes that includes all the pets in the family as well. I miss them equally!). I had a great week this week. It was very productive and I really feel like I am improving more and more every day. I am loving my voice lessons each week because I am getting to do some classical stuff which is actually really fun because I get to sing really high the whole time and it's so new and cool and I feel good about it. The fact that my voice teacher compared me to Audra McDonald this week also made me quite happy. (If you don't know who she is youtube her! She's amazing!) I also am learning so much in dance classes as well. I am getting a little more used to having 2 hour dance classes everyday. Add yoga onto that 3 of the 5 days of the week. Plus some dance reviews (nightly sessions where things learned in my theatre dance class is basically retaught and broken down slower). So yeah.... a lot of dancing and physical activity.
I'm glad it's the weekend though. I have a lot to memorize and practice so I now have the time to do that. I will probably go to the park or to a museum or something this weekend. Maybe even a show. My roommate is going home this weekend for her birthday so I will have some alone time which I am very excited about. Also, back on the excited to go home note, I have been having recurring dreams for the past 2 weeks where I dream I am going to wake up in my bed at home. Yeah.... can't wait for that to happen! Also, I already have it planned out that when my flight into Huntsville is descending, I am going to listen to "Sweet Home Alabama" and I'm sure I will probably cry. Haha. But a happy cry!
Since it is Friday night, this would normally be my moment to vent about how annoying it is when all of the people I go to school with (and I really do mean ALL) go out and get sloppy drunk and high. But I think I have pretty much covered that subject in previous posts. Haha. You may think that living in New York City is glamorous and all fun. Nope! It is very fun and I absolutely love it here! But, I do kind of have a boring social life sometimes because all anyone wants to do is get drunk and do drugs. Not my thing.
Anyways,
I got a package today with a ton of movies and a season of Criminal Minds so that's what I'm going to be doing tonight while I memorize everything I need to memorize for this week!
Thanks!
Molly
Monday, November 11, 2013
5 Weeks Away From Home
Hey everyone!
Today marks the 5th week I have been away from home. That is so crazy to me! 5 weeks without going home or seeing my family or my DOG! But only 16 more days until I get to come home! I cannot wait!
So yesterday I was walking home from church and I passed "Crunch Gym" which is right beside my church on 83rd Street. My friend pointed out a sign on the door that said "currently hiring personal trainers". So I went inside not really thinking I would apply but just to find out a little bit more information. I got the email of the personal trainer manager and how to apply online. So today in between classes I made my job resume and applied online and emailed the guy. He emailed back within a few hours asking my availability and how many hours I was looking for. I don't really think I will get the job but it sure would be nice to have a nice part time job! So we'll see how this works out!
I am starting to get a little more used to the city. I was able to walk up the Hudson the other night with some friends and it was so fun and relaxing. There are great walkways and parks going the entire way up the river. I am really getting to know my way around the city. My friends call me when they need help with directions. Haha.
Also, yesterday I was fortunate enough to hear Tim Keller preach at my church. He is amazing. If you haven't heard of him, google him. He's a brilliant man. Such a blessing to hear his message. I love going to church every week.... I have to remind myself everyday that I wouldn't be here without God. He gives me strength in everything I do. It is also so comforting to know that I am never alone! I ask God to take me by the hand with his arm around my shoulder and his hand over my mouth every morning as I start my day. Because in this business, I could do and say whatever I wanted and no one would think twice about it. It would be so easy for me to turn against my religion and my beliefs and my faith in God. But I am WAY too stubborn to do that. Even though I am living my dream in NYC performing and trying to make it big, my priorities don't start there. My faith and family come first. If I ever thought either of those were in jeopardy, I would give this life up so fast. I'm trying to keep a good head on my shoulders and keep my feet on the ground in all the insanity of school and the craziness of the city. It is hard to find stillness here to focus on God. And like always, God is brilliant and while I was typing this, the song "None But Jesus" started playing. The lyrics say:
"In the quiet, in the stillness I know that you are God. In the secret of your presence I know there I am restored. When you call, I won't refuse. Each new day again I'll choose. There is no one for me. None but Jesus. Crucified to set me free. Now I live to bring him praise. In the chaos, in confusion I know you're sovereign still. In the moment of my weakness you give me grace to do your will. All my delight is in you Lord. All of my hope, all of my strength. Forevermore."
My favorite line is the part about the chaos and moments of weakness. He is our strength in every moment. I often think about the people around me at school and when I'm walking around the city, what would it be like to live in this big city all alone and not have Christ with me all the time? I would feel so empty. I know that no matter what ever happens to me, God has a plan. A plan that is far greater than anything I could ever imagine. And yet again, a fitting song is playing. "Your Grace is Enough". What a great lyric. His grace is enough. It is enough to fulfill any need, hurt, emptiness in me. In all of us. I just can't imagine being here and not having my faith to carry me through it all.
Alrighty.... I'm tired and I'm going to bed for the night!
Thanks!
Molly
Today marks the 5th week I have been away from home. That is so crazy to me! 5 weeks without going home or seeing my family or my DOG! But only 16 more days until I get to come home! I cannot wait!
So yesterday I was walking home from church and I passed "Crunch Gym" which is right beside my church on 83rd Street. My friend pointed out a sign on the door that said "currently hiring personal trainers". So I went inside not really thinking I would apply but just to find out a little bit more information. I got the email of the personal trainer manager and how to apply online. So today in between classes I made my job resume and applied online and emailed the guy. He emailed back within a few hours asking my availability and how many hours I was looking for. I don't really think I will get the job but it sure would be nice to have a nice part time job! So we'll see how this works out!
I am starting to get a little more used to the city. I was able to walk up the Hudson the other night with some friends and it was so fun and relaxing. There are great walkways and parks going the entire way up the river. I am really getting to know my way around the city. My friends call me when they need help with directions. Haha.
Also, yesterday I was fortunate enough to hear Tim Keller preach at my church. He is amazing. If you haven't heard of him, google him. He's a brilliant man. Such a blessing to hear his message. I love going to church every week.... I have to remind myself everyday that I wouldn't be here without God. He gives me strength in everything I do. It is also so comforting to know that I am never alone! I ask God to take me by the hand with his arm around my shoulder and his hand over my mouth every morning as I start my day. Because in this business, I could do and say whatever I wanted and no one would think twice about it. It would be so easy for me to turn against my religion and my beliefs and my faith in God. But I am WAY too stubborn to do that. Even though I am living my dream in NYC performing and trying to make it big, my priorities don't start there. My faith and family come first. If I ever thought either of those were in jeopardy, I would give this life up so fast. I'm trying to keep a good head on my shoulders and keep my feet on the ground in all the insanity of school and the craziness of the city. It is hard to find stillness here to focus on God. And like always, God is brilliant and while I was typing this, the song "None But Jesus" started playing. The lyrics say:
"In the quiet, in the stillness I know that you are God. In the secret of your presence I know there I am restored. When you call, I won't refuse. Each new day again I'll choose. There is no one for me. None but Jesus. Crucified to set me free. Now I live to bring him praise. In the chaos, in confusion I know you're sovereign still. In the moment of my weakness you give me grace to do your will. All my delight is in you Lord. All of my hope, all of my strength. Forevermore."
My favorite line is the part about the chaos and moments of weakness. He is our strength in every moment. I often think about the people around me at school and when I'm walking around the city, what would it be like to live in this big city all alone and not have Christ with me all the time? I would feel so empty. I know that no matter what ever happens to me, God has a plan. A plan that is far greater than anything I could ever imagine. And yet again, a fitting song is playing. "Your Grace is Enough". What a great lyric. His grace is enough. It is enough to fulfill any need, hurt, emptiness in me. In all of us. I just can't imagine being here and not having my faith to carry me through it all.
Alrighty.... I'm tired and I'm going to bed for the night!
Thanks!
Molly
Friday, November 8, 2013
Whirlwind of a Week
Hey everyone!
It has been a crazy week! I totally forgot to blog the whole time. It has been busy but fun. I'm very glad the weekend is here though. Tonight I went to a friends apartment who I met at church last week and we roasted marshmallows on her roof and it was awesome. She also has the cutest apartment I have ever seen. I'm literally obsessed with it. Now I'm back in my room relaxing after a long week.
It is finally starting to get cold out which is so exciting! I love the winter! Also, I just remembered that my birthday is a week from Monday. I'm probably going to forget my own birthday.
Anyways, there are two things I want to talk about.
#1 Being an educated citizen of the United States of America
This is a subject that is very important in my book. Being from a city that is crawling with people in the military and people that work for the government, I hear a lot about politics. I would be the first to tell you that I am not the most educated person about this subject. However, I do know enough to hold up an intelligent conversation on the matter. I went to public school, I studied History or "Social Studies" as we call it these days, for 13 years. I would love to say that I am very smart when it comes to knowing my facts. I'm not. I do, however, try and keep up with my current events. I would just like to say, many people who are not citizens of the U.S. consider it a major privilege to be a U.S. citizen. It is a privilege. I think we all take it for granted. This being said, I have been noticing lately that there are many people around me who do not know things about this country that I'm pretty sure my dog knows. Things that we lived through. Things that affected our lives as individuals, as a country under God, as a tax paying citizen. In these past few months, many major events have happened with our government. Things that I am obviously not a professional on. There are so many details and specific events that I am unaware of. But I am not completely ignorant of the things that are happening in our country. I find it absolutely offensive, embarrassing, and sometimes nauseating when the ADULTS around me are ignorant to things such as the fiscal cliff, who our president is and what he stands for, the government shutdown, Obamacare (despite the website's inability to function which I personally find hysterical), the series of events involving Syria, etc. No of course I am not a pro on all of these subjects and there is so much more I could learn. But I'm not completely oblivious to what is going on in the world. People need to know what is going on in the world or at least the country to be able to form political opinions. I usually don't talk about politics. I really don't. I kind of hate the subject. I just thought this was necessary to bring up. If someone forms a political opinion about someone that they are going to vote for by looking at the party they are in and not even taking a second to educate themselves about current events and what the candidate stands for, I have no respect for them. It makes me sick to hear ignorant people talk so passionately about their favorite candidate because they call themselves a republican or a democrat when in all reality, they actually have no idea what either one of those words mean. The last thing I'm going to say on this subject is something that happened to me about a week or so ago, someone who shall remain nameless, did not know what the World Trade Center was or what 9/11 was. My initial reaction was probably a bit harsh but I can't say I regret saying it. The person was probably upset by it but there was no way I was about to apologize. I told said person that they should be ashamed to call themselves a citizen of the US and that they need to leave the country. To make the matters worse, this person was living 30 minutes away from the city on September 11, 2001. It really made me nauseous and irate to say the absolute least. I still remember that morning in first grade when the principal came over the intercom and said that there was something that happened that morning that would make us very upset. Then I remember going home and my mom explaining what had happened and why. It is not something I will ever forget. It is something no one should ever forget. That was a terrible day in history and we were there. In this person's case, they were 30 minutes away! It's such a shame.
#2 Why do people consume alcohol to have fun?
This is also a subject I have been pondering on for quite some time. Why do people, especially underaged, broke college students, need alcohol to have a good time? It really confuses me. I don't know about you but, I really enjoy remembering the choices I make and the things I say. If I want to have fun, I would love to remember it the next day. Also, I would love to be productive the next day and not be hungover. The thing that makes me the angriest when it comes to excessive alcohol consumption, especially underage, is how stupid people are when thinking that if they post all of these blurry pictures on social media with solo cups, shot glasses, flasks, beer cans, bottles, etc, in them that people aren't going to know that they are drunk. The amount of drunk pictures I see every night on Instagram is unreal. Also, I think the dumbest mistake that everyone makes when they put up these pictures, is they don't realize that they will never go away. If someone takes a picture of you being really sloppy and drunk at a bar somewhere and it gets on the internet, it's going to haunt you forever. So this means, when you apply for schools and jobs or rush for a sorority or whatever interests you, these pictures are going to pop up when someone googles your name. How unprofessional is that. Also, where do you think the term "Freshman 15" comes from? Yeah it does have to do with all of the fast food and microwavable, convenient food we eat on the go. But a lot of that weight is from alcohol. It's one of the worst things you can do to your body. I hear people, girls especially, complain about their weight all the time. Sorry but it's hard to have sympathy for you when you #TurnUp (Mom and Dad, this means party and get wasted) all weekend. I know it's so not cool to not drink on the weekends and get drunk and party. But I am here for a reason and it's not to get drunk. Musical theatre is not a career with high moral value. Or at least not the moral value that I was raised on. Whenever I tell people I have never had alcohol they are literally dumbfounded. I guess that's a good thing. But it also makes me really sad.
Anyways,
If anyone is even still reading this at this point.... haha. I will step down from my soap box now and go to bed so I can actually get some things done tomorrow.
Thanks!
Molly
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Small World
Hey everyone!
Today was a lot like yesterday. Lazy. Haha. Which is fine with me! Slept until 10. Apartment hunted online (just for fun but kind of serious) and memorized poems and monologues. I went to church with my friend Meg at 5 today. I was meeting her at her dorm which is 15 blocks away because it's close to the church we went to which is on 83rd. If you didn't know, today was the NYC marathon. Lots and lots of people in orange poncho looking things or orange and blue outdoor blanket things. So basically, Auburn colors over took the city today. Yuck. Haha.
The church we went to is "Redeemer Presbyterian Church". The found of this church is someone a lot of you are probably familiar with. Tim Keller. He is an amazing pastor. He actually wasn't preaching today, I'm not sure if he does usually or if he just comes in sometimes but either way, it was a great service. I felt very welcomed there. Afterwards, Meg and I went to the college small group kind of thing. There were probably 20-30 college kids there. It was really fun and there was free food. I met a girl who works there I think she's an intern or something and I asked her where she was from and she said Alabama. Then she said Huntsville. What?! What a small world! We reminisced for probably like 15 minutes just talking about "oh do you know this person or this person?" "Where did you go to school?" "What neighborhood do you live in?" just stuff like that. We pretty much have the most mutual friends I've ever had with anyone without actually knowing them. Haha. Turns out there is a college girls get together at her apartment this Friday and Meg and I are going to go and roast marshmallows on her roof and just have a good time. I'm really excited about it!
So that's how my day went! It was very cool and I met some new people too!
Thanks!
Molly
Today was a lot like yesterday. Lazy. Haha. Which is fine with me! Slept until 10. Apartment hunted online (just for fun but kind of serious) and memorized poems and monologues. I went to church with my friend Meg at 5 today. I was meeting her at her dorm which is 15 blocks away because it's close to the church we went to which is on 83rd. If you didn't know, today was the NYC marathon. Lots and lots of people in orange poncho looking things or orange and blue outdoor blanket things. So basically, Auburn colors over took the city today. Yuck. Haha.
The church we went to is "Redeemer Presbyterian Church". The found of this church is someone a lot of you are probably familiar with. Tim Keller. He is an amazing pastor. He actually wasn't preaching today, I'm not sure if he does usually or if he just comes in sometimes but either way, it was a great service. I felt very welcomed there. Afterwards, Meg and I went to the college small group kind of thing. There were probably 20-30 college kids there. It was really fun and there was free food. I met a girl who works there I think she's an intern or something and I asked her where she was from and she said Alabama. Then she said Huntsville. What?! What a small world! We reminisced for probably like 15 minutes just talking about "oh do you know this person or this person?" "Where did you go to school?" "What neighborhood do you live in?" just stuff like that. We pretty much have the most mutual friends I've ever had with anyone without actually knowing them. Haha. Turns out there is a college girls get together at her apartment this Friday and Meg and I are going to go and roast marshmallows on her roof and just have a good time. I'm really excited about it!
So that's how my day went! It was very cool and I met some new people too!
Thanks!
Molly
Saturday, November 2, 2013
"Not so happy, yet much happier"
Hey everyone!
Saturday is coming to an end. It has been a great, relaxing, day. I woke up at 11. Win #1. I did nothing but sit in my bed, memorizing poems and monologues and songs and watching criminal minds for 4 hours. Win #2. I had a great, fun night seeing "Macbeth" on Broadway at the Vivian-Beaumont Theatre at Lincoln Center. Win #3.
Wow. All I can say about that production is that it is one of the most brilliant pieces of art I have ever laid my eyes upon. The cast, is stunning, talented, honest, devoted, inspiring, and every other word in the book. The set is amazing and so complex and it went with the story line perfectly. The costumes were perfect and complimented every aspect of the entire production. Lady Macbeth's costumes were my favorite. So elegant. And the lighting...... oh my goodness. Amazing. Blew my mind. Definitely a Tony for Set Design and Lighting Design of a play.
After the show we went to the stage door to meet the cast. Brian D'arcy James, whom you may recognize as Shrek in "Shrek the Musical", Debra Messing's husband in "SMASH", and many other Broadway and TV roles, was the first to come out the door. He played Banquo. He was so genuine and nice. My friend Gracie who I saw the show with had a mutual friend with him so that struck up the conversation and we told him that we were theatre students. He was very very nice. Got a picture with him too. Then, Anne Marie Duff came out the door next. She is a british actress who played Lady Macbeth. She is truly stunning. Her honesty in her role was breathtaking. She was also very genuine and nice and we got a picture with her too. Then, Ethan Hawke who played Macbeth came out. He is a big time movie star, Academy Award nominee, Tony nominee, and many others. He was so great. Got a picture with him as well.
Another aspect of the show I didn't really talk about is the ensemble. They were amazing. Really. They were all so dedicated to what they were doing and I could tell that they were so inside the story. (I don't really know if that makes sense but oh well haha). I would often be watching them instead of whoever the focus was on just because they were so good!
Anyways,
I'm gonna go to bed now because I think I'm going to 2 different churches tomorrow! Gotta be rested for that!
Thanks!
Molly
Saturday is coming to an end. It has been a great, relaxing, day. I woke up at 11. Win #1. I did nothing but sit in my bed, memorizing poems and monologues and songs and watching criminal minds for 4 hours. Win #2. I had a great, fun night seeing "Macbeth" on Broadway at the Vivian-Beaumont Theatre at Lincoln Center. Win #3.
Wow. All I can say about that production is that it is one of the most brilliant pieces of art I have ever laid my eyes upon. The cast, is stunning, talented, honest, devoted, inspiring, and every other word in the book. The set is amazing and so complex and it went with the story line perfectly. The costumes were perfect and complimented every aspect of the entire production. Lady Macbeth's costumes were my favorite. So elegant. And the lighting...... oh my goodness. Amazing. Blew my mind. Definitely a Tony for Set Design and Lighting Design of a play.
After the show we went to the stage door to meet the cast. Brian D'arcy James, whom you may recognize as Shrek in "Shrek the Musical", Debra Messing's husband in "SMASH", and many other Broadway and TV roles, was the first to come out the door. He played Banquo. He was so genuine and nice. My friend Gracie who I saw the show with had a mutual friend with him so that struck up the conversation and we told him that we were theatre students. He was very very nice. Got a picture with him too. Then, Anne Marie Duff came out the door next. She is a british actress who played Lady Macbeth. She is truly stunning. Her honesty in her role was breathtaking. She was also very genuine and nice and we got a picture with her too. Then, Ethan Hawke who played Macbeth came out. He is a big time movie star, Academy Award nominee, Tony nominee, and many others. He was so great. Got a picture with him as well.
Another aspect of the show I didn't really talk about is the ensemble. They were amazing. Really. They were all so dedicated to what they were doing and I could tell that they were so inside the story. (I don't really know if that makes sense but oh well haha). I would often be watching them instead of whoever the focus was on just because they were so good!
Anyways,
I'm gonna go to bed now because I think I'm going to 2 different churches tomorrow! Gotta be rested for that!
Thanks!
Molly
Friday, November 1, 2013
Weekend #3
Hey everyone!
Happy Friday! It has been a great week. So much fun and I've learned so much. I feel like I am really improving quickly. I think I say that pretty much every class is my favorite but I really think ballet may be my favorite. It is the last class I have on Friday. I absolutely love my ballet teacher. She is so nice and such an amazing teacher. Some of the dance teachers are terrifying, good, but terrifying. But in ballet, I know that it's okay to make a mistake because she is so good at explaining how to not make it again and is so proud when we get it right. Everyone in my class is awesome too. We all walk home together and we just talk about how much we love that class. It's so great. Also, another great thing about today besides ballet and not having a class until 11:00 this morning, is that on the way home after ballet, there was a coffee company giving away free coffee! It sounds sketch but it wasn't. Haha. It was a legitimate company just giving away free coffee on the street! So great. Free caffeine!
My roommate is going home for the weekend. So I'm here alone. Which is kind of nice because I can have alone time and get things done without distraction. I'm ready for a nice peaceful, relaxing, sleep-filled weekend.
I might go see a show at the metropolitan opera tomorrow. It is free! It's donation based so they have the recommended amount to pay but you can actually just give them a dollar if you wanted to. I either will do that or go to a museum. I really want to go to the biblical history museum. I feel like that would be so cool. All the museums have free hours on the weekends too! I may just go by myself and soak it all in. I think it would be cool.
So something else exciting that happened today is on my way home from picking up some things at the store, I heard these really loud explosions. They sounded like fireworks but I wasn't sure. They were SO LOUD though. I kind of thought I was gonna die. Haha. Turns out, they were doing fireworks for the marathon tonight which I didn't even know was happening. But yeah, I kind of thought they were bombs at first. Slightly terrifying. Haha.
Anyways, I like to end my blog with a verse or lyrics. So today it is lyrics to "God of this City". Which is such an amazing song. Especially since I live in New York City. It is always comforting to know that he IS the God of this city. No matter how much it may seem like he isn't, he is always in control. His plans for me IN this city are far greater than I could ever imagine and he is constantly lighting my path. The path that he has planned for me. Not the one I have dreamed and planned myself. Not the one my school has planned for me. He knows all. He is always in control and he knows what is best for me.
"You're the God of this city. You're the king of these people. You're the lord of this nation. You are. You're the light in this darkness. You're the hope to hopeless. You're the peace to the restless. You are. There is no one like our God. Greater things have yet to come and greater things are still to be done in this city!"
These words really bring me back to the reality that I'm not in my own little world. There are millions of people all around me. Whether I am aware of them or they are aware of me, Jesus is walking with me at all times and I need to act like it! There truly is no one greater than our God.
"Be determined and confident. Do not be afraid of them. Your God, the Lord himself, will be with you. He will not fail you or abandon you." Deuteronomy 31:6
"I've commanded you to be strong and brave. Don't ever be afraid or discouraged. I am the Lord your God, and I will be there to help you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9 (This is one of my favorites)
I have a devotional that is specifically for High School graduates of 2013. Today's excerpt says:
"The oft-quoted Nike slogan is simple and to the point. It's worth meditating on whether you're talking about running a race or getting to the next level of achievement or a job promotion.
If you've been considering a new direction for your life and you've also found an obstacle to where you want to go, then maybe it's time to convince yourself to climb over, around, or through whatever the barriers are and just get yourself out there and get the job done. Just do it!
Brother Lawrence said, "All things are possible to him who believes, yet more to him who hopes, more still to hime who loves, and most of all to hime who practices and perseveres in these three virtues." Today is a good day to make things happen and to reach those goals of your heart and mind. Whatever obstacles you face, know that God is on your side and that alone gives you the majority vote. Keep going -- you can do it!"
Wow. I'm speechless after reading that. It is so appropriate to my life this very moment. It reminds me of the verse, "All things are possible for the one who believes." Mark 9:23. God is so amazing. He knew I would read that today and put my eyes on the prize. Not my prize. His prize. "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:14. That is the verse that is hanging beside my bed. God is just brilliant. I love him.
And on that note,
That's all for tonight!
Thanks!
Molly
Happy Friday! It has been a great week. So much fun and I've learned so much. I feel like I am really improving quickly. I think I say that pretty much every class is my favorite but I really think ballet may be my favorite. It is the last class I have on Friday. I absolutely love my ballet teacher. She is so nice and such an amazing teacher. Some of the dance teachers are terrifying, good, but terrifying. But in ballet, I know that it's okay to make a mistake because she is so good at explaining how to not make it again and is so proud when we get it right. Everyone in my class is awesome too. We all walk home together and we just talk about how much we love that class. It's so great. Also, another great thing about today besides ballet and not having a class until 11:00 this morning, is that on the way home after ballet, there was a coffee company giving away free coffee! It sounds sketch but it wasn't. Haha. It was a legitimate company just giving away free coffee on the street! So great. Free caffeine!
My roommate is going home for the weekend. So I'm here alone. Which is kind of nice because I can have alone time and get things done without distraction. I'm ready for a nice peaceful, relaxing, sleep-filled weekend.
I might go see a show at the metropolitan opera tomorrow. It is free! It's donation based so they have the recommended amount to pay but you can actually just give them a dollar if you wanted to. I either will do that or go to a museum. I really want to go to the biblical history museum. I feel like that would be so cool. All the museums have free hours on the weekends too! I may just go by myself and soak it all in. I think it would be cool.
So something else exciting that happened today is on my way home from picking up some things at the store, I heard these really loud explosions. They sounded like fireworks but I wasn't sure. They were SO LOUD though. I kind of thought I was gonna die. Haha. Turns out, they were doing fireworks for the marathon tonight which I didn't even know was happening. But yeah, I kind of thought they were bombs at first. Slightly terrifying. Haha.
Anyways, I like to end my blog with a verse or lyrics. So today it is lyrics to "God of this City". Which is such an amazing song. Especially since I live in New York City. It is always comforting to know that he IS the God of this city. No matter how much it may seem like he isn't, he is always in control. His plans for me IN this city are far greater than I could ever imagine and he is constantly lighting my path. The path that he has planned for me. Not the one I have dreamed and planned myself. Not the one my school has planned for me. He knows all. He is always in control and he knows what is best for me.
"You're the God of this city. You're the king of these people. You're the lord of this nation. You are. You're the light in this darkness. You're the hope to hopeless. You're the peace to the restless. You are. There is no one like our God. Greater things have yet to come and greater things are still to be done in this city!"
These words really bring me back to the reality that I'm not in my own little world. There are millions of people all around me. Whether I am aware of them or they are aware of me, Jesus is walking with me at all times and I need to act like it! There truly is no one greater than our God.
"Be determined and confident. Do not be afraid of them. Your God, the Lord himself, will be with you. He will not fail you or abandon you." Deuteronomy 31:6
"I've commanded you to be strong and brave. Don't ever be afraid or discouraged. I am the Lord your God, and I will be there to help you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9 (This is one of my favorites)
I have a devotional that is specifically for High School graduates of 2013. Today's excerpt says:
"The oft-quoted Nike slogan is simple and to the point. It's worth meditating on whether you're talking about running a race or getting to the next level of achievement or a job promotion.
If you've been considering a new direction for your life and you've also found an obstacle to where you want to go, then maybe it's time to convince yourself to climb over, around, or through whatever the barriers are and just get yourself out there and get the job done. Just do it!
Brother Lawrence said, "All things are possible to him who believes, yet more to him who hopes, more still to hime who loves, and most of all to hime who practices and perseveres in these three virtues." Today is a good day to make things happen and to reach those goals of your heart and mind. Whatever obstacles you face, know that God is on your side and that alone gives you the majority vote. Keep going -- you can do it!"
Wow. I'm speechless after reading that. It is so appropriate to my life this very moment. It reminds me of the verse, "All things are possible for the one who believes." Mark 9:23. God is so amazing. He knew I would read that today and put my eyes on the prize. Not my prize. His prize. "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:14. That is the verse that is hanging beside my bed. God is just brilliant. I love him.
And on that note,
That's all for tonight!
Thanks!
Molly
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Happy Halloween!
Hey everyone!
Today was a great day. I had great classes today and it didn't seem like nearly as long of a day as last Thursday. I am really loving yoga! I have to do it in one of my classes and I go to morning warm up some days and we do yoga there too. It is so relaxing.
So obviously, today was halloween. Man.... you never forget how crazy New York City is. But Halloween is a whole different level of crazy. I went to the parade with some of my friends. It was downtown like right near ground zero. Oh my gosh.... it was so crazy and chaotic. Fun, but crazy. The amount of times we got chased by hobos tonight was ridiculous. Haha. And terrifying. But it was all good cause we were in a good sized group. Then, it started raining and we had to walk like 10 blocks to find the red line subway. Of course I navigated. Haha. It was just a crazy night. But all in all, I definitely had fun! Quite an experience.
Classes are going great and I am really doing well I think and learning so much. I love it here. I do miss my family, my home, my bed, my dog, basically anything to do with home, I miss. But I know this is where I am meant to be. Speaking of, I am listening to a couple of songs right now and the lyrics are:
"My God's not dead, he's surely alive and he's living on the inside roaring like a lion!"
"I know my God saved the day and I know his word never fails and I know my God made a way for me. It's gonna be alright!"
Perfect words to live by.
Thanks!
Molly
Today was a great day. I had great classes today and it didn't seem like nearly as long of a day as last Thursday. I am really loving yoga! I have to do it in one of my classes and I go to morning warm up some days and we do yoga there too. It is so relaxing.
So obviously, today was halloween. Man.... you never forget how crazy New York City is. But Halloween is a whole different level of crazy. I went to the parade with some of my friends. It was downtown like right near ground zero. Oh my gosh.... it was so crazy and chaotic. Fun, but crazy. The amount of times we got chased by hobos tonight was ridiculous. Haha. And terrifying. But it was all good cause we were in a good sized group. Then, it started raining and we had to walk like 10 blocks to find the red line subway. Of course I navigated. Haha. It was just a crazy night. But all in all, I definitely had fun! Quite an experience.
Classes are going great and I am really doing well I think and learning so much. I love it here. I do miss my family, my home, my bed, my dog, basically anything to do with home, I miss. But I know this is where I am meant to be. Speaking of, I am listening to a couple of songs right now and the lyrics are:
"My God's not dead, he's surely alive and he's living on the inside roaring like a lion!"
"I know my God saved the day and I know his word never fails and I know my God made a way for me. It's gonna be alright!"
Perfect words to live by.
Thanks!
Molly
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Is This Life Real?
Hey everyone!
Today was a good day. I didn't get as much sleep the past few nights because my roommate likes to turn the lights on when I'm asleep when she comes in late. But thankfully Monday and Tuesday are my easy days.
Yesterday we got a song that we had to memorize by today and perform today. So that was fun. I actually didn't screw it up which is great and very surprising to me. Haha. Tonight we had to go to a nutrition seminar and I literally knew every single thing she said. It was great. Every time she would ask a question not expecting anyone to know the answer and I did! I'm an over achiever! Woohoo! Go personal training!
But other than that, I didn't do much today except go to class and take a nap. And watch YouTube videos.
I would like to talk about something though. Fire trucks and sirens in this city. It seems like every day when I walk down the street there is some huge deal going on with ambulances and fire trucks and angry cab drivers all in one scene of action. And the fire trucks are so LOUD! It makes me jump every time I hear one. I walk right past a station every day and it seems like everyday right when I'm walking past it, a truck leaves the station with it's sirens on. Terrifying.
Also, side note, I saw an australian shepherd puppy this morning on my way to class and started crying.
That is all.
Thanks!
Molly
Today was a good day. I didn't get as much sleep the past few nights because my roommate likes to turn the lights on when I'm asleep when she comes in late. But thankfully Monday and Tuesday are my easy days.
Yesterday we got a song that we had to memorize by today and perform today. So that was fun. I actually didn't screw it up which is great and very surprising to me. Haha. Tonight we had to go to a nutrition seminar and I literally knew every single thing she said. It was great. Every time she would ask a question not expecting anyone to know the answer and I did! I'm an over achiever! Woohoo! Go personal training!
But other than that, I didn't do much today except go to class and take a nap. And watch YouTube videos.
I would like to talk about something though. Fire trucks and sirens in this city. It seems like every day when I walk down the street there is some huge deal going on with ambulances and fire trucks and angry cab drivers all in one scene of action. And the fire trucks are so LOUD! It makes me jump every time I hear one. I walk right past a station every day and it seems like everyday right when I'm walking past it, a truck leaves the station with it's sirens on. Terrifying.
Also, side note, I saw an australian shepherd puppy this morning on my way to class and started crying.
That is all.
Thanks!
Molly
Monday, October 28, 2013
Week 2 of Classes
Hey everyone!
I can't believe that my second Monday of classes is already over. I am getting busier and busier everyday now. I am becoming very good at managing my time. Which I really never thought would happen. Nothing here is overwhelming in the slightest as long as you do it in a timely manner. It is a lot of memorizing but it is so much fun. Tomorrow is my only 8am class of the week. Tap! Hopefully I don't make a fool of myself. We also got our first songs in Musical Theatre today. Mine is called Bells are Ringing from "Bells are Ringing". Haven't listened to it yet because I had a lot of other things to do tonight.
I think one of the biggest things for me is just getting enough sleep. I go to bed super early every night. Like before 10:00. I'm basically a grandma. Haha. But I wake up every morning fully rested and ready for the day!
Tomorrow I am done by 1:30. So that is pretty awesome. I'll probably take a nap.
Besides that, I really haven't done much today except memorize stuff and go to class. No crazy New York stories for today. Except I saw a really cute St. Bernard on the street and I wanted to cuddle with it. I miss my dog so much! I wish she was here with me!
Sorry this post is so short. I really have no exciting news today.
Thanks!
Molly
I can't believe that my second Monday of classes is already over. I am getting busier and busier everyday now. I am becoming very good at managing my time. Which I really never thought would happen. Nothing here is overwhelming in the slightest as long as you do it in a timely manner. It is a lot of memorizing but it is so much fun. Tomorrow is my only 8am class of the week. Tap! Hopefully I don't make a fool of myself. We also got our first songs in Musical Theatre today. Mine is called Bells are Ringing from "Bells are Ringing". Haven't listened to it yet because I had a lot of other things to do tonight.
I think one of the biggest things for me is just getting enough sleep. I go to bed super early every night. Like before 10:00. I'm basically a grandma. Haha. But I wake up every morning fully rested and ready for the day!
Tomorrow I am done by 1:30. So that is pretty awesome. I'll probably take a nap.
Besides that, I really haven't done much today except memorize stuff and go to class. No crazy New York stories for today. Except I saw a really cute St. Bernard on the street and I wanted to cuddle with it. I miss my dog so much! I wish she was here with me!
Sorry this post is so short. I really have no exciting news today.
Thanks!
Molly
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Sleepy Saturday
Hey everyone!
So today I slept until 11. And it was fantastic. Haha. I kept waking up at various times in the morning feeling like I was late for something. I got a great, full nights' rest and laid around all day. Me and some of my friends made pancakes this morning and after I ate those, I practiced memorizing some stuff and then watched the Alabama - Tennessee game. What a great afternoon. Around 5:00, I went to Times Square with a group of my friends to get tickets to see a show called "First Date" that is currently playing on Broadway. After we got tickets, we got some pizza of course!
The show was great. It was very modern and not a typical Broadway musical but it was very entertaining and very real. It has one of my favorite actresses in it, one who I actually passed on the street last week, Krysta Rodriguez. She was in the Addams Family and Smash and a lot of other shows as well. She is brilliantly talented! Her co-star is Zachary Levi. He is probably most known for being the voice of Flynn Rider in "Tangled". He was great too. And so cute I can't even deal...... We were going to wait around at the stage door to meet the cast but it's that time of the year again when all the Broadway shows take donations and stuff for BC/EFA (Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights Aids) and they were selling opportunities for people to pay to take pictures with Krysta and Zachary on the stage after the show so we would have had to wait a while. But I think we may go back later this week and try to catch them after one of their shows.
It was a really fun night and I still can't believe that I live here........ It blows my mind everyday.
Tomorrow I'm going to sleep in again of course, but later in the afternoon I'm going to Times Square Church with my friend Meg. I'm so excited to meet new people in a new church! I've been looking forward to it all week.
"In all things we know that we are more than conquerors. You keep us by your love! How high? How wide? No matter where I am healing is in your hands. How deep? How strong? Now by your grace I stand, healing is in your hands."
These are the lyrics of the song I am listening to while I am reading Jesus Calling for today. It says:
"Come to Me when you are hurting, and I will soothe your pain. Come to Me when you are joyful, and I will share your joy, multiplying it many times over. I am All you need, just when you need it. Your deepest desires find fulfillment in Me alone.
This is the age of self-help. Bookstores abound with books about "taking care of number one," making oneself the center of all things. The main goal of these methodologies is to become self-sufficient and confident. You, however, have been called to take a "road less traveled": continual dependence on Me. True confidence comes from knowing you are complete in My presence. Everything you need has its counterpart in Me."
It then lists 2 verses:
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5"
"Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:4"
God is amazing isn't he? That passage is so appropriate to exactly where I am in my life right now. So much of the business I am in is about me. No one else. I would be lying if I said it wasn't easy to make it about myself all the time. It is hard to remember that without God, nothing is possible. It is even harder because it's not like I am surrounded by people that are passionate about god. It's a tough world up here in NYC. In every single way. I mean I got attacked by a hobo yesterday for crying out loud! Haha. It's not only a tough world up here but it is a lost world. I wake up every morning and I pray "God, let your will be done in me". I have no idea what each day brings. I don't know who is watching me or listening to me. And that comes from every aspect. Not only from a professional, business-related aspect because we never know what kind of agent or casting director is walking around the building. But I also mean it in a personal way. I have talked to quite a few people about being a christian and that I have a personal relationship with God. And boy do I get some great looks back sometimes haha. A lot of the people around me don't believe in God. They want nothing to do with Christianity. That is painful to see but I know all I can do is plant that seed and from that point on it is all in God's hands. I just have to set a good example. That's hard! I really have to watch what I say and do around anyone because I don't want people to be turned away and relate my wrong actions with being a christian.
Well, on that note, I'm going to get some sleep!
Goodnight!
Thanks,
Molly
So today I slept until 11. And it was fantastic. Haha. I kept waking up at various times in the morning feeling like I was late for something. I got a great, full nights' rest and laid around all day. Me and some of my friends made pancakes this morning and after I ate those, I practiced memorizing some stuff and then watched the Alabama - Tennessee game. What a great afternoon. Around 5:00, I went to Times Square with a group of my friends to get tickets to see a show called "First Date" that is currently playing on Broadway. After we got tickets, we got some pizza of course!
The show was great. It was very modern and not a typical Broadway musical but it was very entertaining and very real. It has one of my favorite actresses in it, one who I actually passed on the street last week, Krysta Rodriguez. She was in the Addams Family and Smash and a lot of other shows as well. She is brilliantly talented! Her co-star is Zachary Levi. He is probably most known for being the voice of Flynn Rider in "Tangled". He was great too. And so cute I can't even deal...... We were going to wait around at the stage door to meet the cast but it's that time of the year again when all the Broadway shows take donations and stuff for BC/EFA (Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights Aids) and they were selling opportunities for people to pay to take pictures with Krysta and Zachary on the stage after the show so we would have had to wait a while. But I think we may go back later this week and try to catch them after one of their shows.
It was a really fun night and I still can't believe that I live here........ It blows my mind everyday.
Tomorrow I'm going to sleep in again of course, but later in the afternoon I'm going to Times Square Church with my friend Meg. I'm so excited to meet new people in a new church! I've been looking forward to it all week.
"In all things we know that we are more than conquerors. You keep us by your love! How high? How wide? No matter where I am healing is in your hands. How deep? How strong? Now by your grace I stand, healing is in your hands."
These are the lyrics of the song I am listening to while I am reading Jesus Calling for today. It says:
"Come to Me when you are hurting, and I will soothe your pain. Come to Me when you are joyful, and I will share your joy, multiplying it many times over. I am All you need, just when you need it. Your deepest desires find fulfillment in Me alone.
This is the age of self-help. Bookstores abound with books about "taking care of number one," making oneself the center of all things. The main goal of these methodologies is to become self-sufficient and confident. You, however, have been called to take a "road less traveled": continual dependence on Me. True confidence comes from knowing you are complete in My presence. Everything you need has its counterpart in Me."
It then lists 2 verses:
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5"
"Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:4"
God is amazing isn't he? That passage is so appropriate to exactly where I am in my life right now. So much of the business I am in is about me. No one else. I would be lying if I said it wasn't easy to make it about myself all the time. It is hard to remember that without God, nothing is possible. It is even harder because it's not like I am surrounded by people that are passionate about god. It's a tough world up here in NYC. In every single way. I mean I got attacked by a hobo yesterday for crying out loud! Haha. It's not only a tough world up here but it is a lost world. I wake up every morning and I pray "God, let your will be done in me". I have no idea what each day brings. I don't know who is watching me or listening to me. And that comes from every aspect. Not only from a professional, business-related aspect because we never know what kind of agent or casting director is walking around the building. But I also mean it in a personal way. I have talked to quite a few people about being a christian and that I have a personal relationship with God. And boy do I get some great looks back sometimes haha. A lot of the people around me don't believe in God. They want nothing to do with Christianity. That is painful to see but I know all I can do is plant that seed and from that point on it is all in God's hands. I just have to set a good example. That's hard! I really have to watch what I say and do around anyone because I don't want people to be turned away and relate my wrong actions with being a christian.
Well, on that note, I'm going to get some sleep!
Goodnight!
Thanks,
Molly
Friday, October 25, 2013
The Weekend Has Arrived!
Hey everyone!
It's Friday and I could not be happier! I absolutely loved this past week of classes but it wore me out! I get to sleep in tomorrow and it's going to be awesome. Today I had classes starting at 11. I had my Voice Produciton and Speech class (VPS) first. We did yoga and it was so hard. Haha. I've never done it before in my life. Apparently neither had a lot of people in my class because most of them almost threw up. Thankfully, I'm a little more in shape than that and didn't come close to dying. But it was still so hard! The funny thing is that my teacher is this huge bald guy that looks like he should ride a motorcycle and here he is doing yoga. It's great. Although it was difficult I felt so warmed up afterwards. My voice was warm and I felt great! After VPS, I had acting. It was fun we just practiced our scenes. Then last, I had ballet. I was really scared that it was going to be super hard because my jazz class was so hard and scary. But my teacher is super nice and personable and I can tell that she absolutely loves what she does. I enjoyed that ballet class more than any ballet class I have ever been to. I am really excited about next week! Also, the classroom is on the 4th floor and it looks out over the Hudson River and Jersey. It's a great view.
After ballet, I went to get chinese with some friends because we wanted to reward ourselves and relax! It was really fun just being able to kick back and have fun for a couple of hours. After dinner, we walked Meg back to her dorm which is on 85th. Then we decided to go to Times Square just because. It was really fun. Really crowded as always. But fun. So basically I walked from 61st to 78th, then from 78th to 85th, while having to take some crazy detours because apparently the president is in town and staying on 81st. So the entire block was blocked off and you couldn't even walk anywhere near it. Straight up inconvenient. Then we went from 85th back to 70th to get a coat and drop off some of our stuff. Then from 70th to 42nd. Then back to 70th. Yeah. A lot of walking today! But it was very fun to get to enjoy the city a little bit!
After I got back I came up to my room and watched my dance recital DVD that I got in the mail this morning. It came in a package of mostly cereal. Thanks mom! Now I'm off to bed for the night and I don't plan on setting an alarm.
Goodnight!
Molly
It's Friday and I could not be happier! I absolutely loved this past week of classes but it wore me out! I get to sleep in tomorrow and it's going to be awesome. Today I had classes starting at 11. I had my Voice Produciton and Speech class (VPS) first. We did yoga and it was so hard. Haha. I've never done it before in my life. Apparently neither had a lot of people in my class because most of them almost threw up. Thankfully, I'm a little more in shape than that and didn't come close to dying. But it was still so hard! The funny thing is that my teacher is this huge bald guy that looks like he should ride a motorcycle and here he is doing yoga. It's great. Although it was difficult I felt so warmed up afterwards. My voice was warm and I felt great! After VPS, I had acting. It was fun we just practiced our scenes. Then last, I had ballet. I was really scared that it was going to be super hard because my jazz class was so hard and scary. But my teacher is super nice and personable and I can tell that she absolutely loves what she does. I enjoyed that ballet class more than any ballet class I have ever been to. I am really excited about next week! Also, the classroom is on the 4th floor and it looks out over the Hudson River and Jersey. It's a great view.
After ballet, I went to get chinese with some friends because we wanted to reward ourselves and relax! It was really fun just being able to kick back and have fun for a couple of hours. After dinner, we walked Meg back to her dorm which is on 85th. Then we decided to go to Times Square just because. It was really fun. Really crowded as always. But fun. So basically I walked from 61st to 78th, then from 78th to 85th, while having to take some crazy detours because apparently the president is in town and staying on 81st. So the entire block was blocked off and you couldn't even walk anywhere near it. Straight up inconvenient. Then we went from 85th back to 70th to get a coat and drop off some of our stuff. Then from 70th to 42nd. Then back to 70th. Yeah. A lot of walking today! But it was very fun to get to enjoy the city a little bit!
After I got back I came up to my room and watched my dance recital DVD that I got in the mail this morning. It came in a package of mostly cereal. Thanks mom! Now I'm off to bed for the night and I don't plan on setting an alarm.
Goodnight!
Molly
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Time Flies When You're Having Fun
Hey everyone!
It's Thursday night and I am exhausted! I didn't have a class until 11:00 this morning but I didn't finish until 6:30. Wednesday and Thursday are my longest days. One thing that I have noticed today is that even in the past 4 days of classes, I have gotten 100 times more confident. Confidence is something that is basically preached here at AMDA. In every dance class we step forward and say our name like we would in an audition. I never knew that someone could tell so much about you in 5 seconds. I must say, I've never been the over confident person. I consider myself very chill and chill doesn't fly when it comes to stating your name to a casting director. Everything is so specific! I'm so happy they are making us do this everyday though because it is becoming second nature and it will make us stand out at an audition.
Yesterday (Wednesday) in my musical theatre class we had all been assigned the same song to perform. "Feeling Good". It was originally a showtune but recently Michael Buble and Jennifer Hudson covered it so it's very popular. We were told to not worry about the vocals. Just know it well enough to sing it while acting out a story. We had to make up a circumstance that fit the song. A real event that has happened in our life or something we hope will happen or maybe hope will not happen. I will be the first to tell you that when it comes to performing scenes and songs in a classroom setting, it can get extremely boring. But yesterday everyone did such an amazing job that I couldn't keep my eyes off of whoever was performing! My teacher, Kathy, cried almost every time someone performed. Her only instruction was "be honest". To see everyone have this break through in acting was amazing. I felt like it was some of the best acting I have ever done in my life and I felt so accomplished at the end of it. Yesterday was definitely a break through for me acting-wise.
Today, I had 4 classes just as I did yesterday. The first one was film lab which is literally watching clips of Broadway shows and Tony performances. It's literally a class of what I do every day on YouTube. I am obsessed with it already! Then I had Voice Production and Speech. My teacher is super intimidating and I don't really know what to think of him or that class yet. It's all very new to me so I don't know what to expect. Then I had Jazz. My teachers name is Casey Colgan. He is an amazing performer and has been doing so professionally for years. He was actually the one who was in my audition behind the table. So that was cool. He is very up front and honest about everything. Which is a great thing but it's also a scary thing. Performers are sensitive but we have to pretend like we have thick skin. I do have pretty thick skin. Thankfully, he didn't say anything negative to me. Haha. He actually said I was good. I have figured out that even if I mess up if I just keep smiling and keep trying, everyone likes it. Haha. That class kicked my butt though. It was so tiring. I thought I was gonna die by the end of it. I'm in the highest level of all of my dance classes so all of the teachers expect us to be awesome. It wasn't too much for me to handle, I'm just not used to having a 2 hour, high intensity dance class with no break. Haha. I'll definitely be sore tomorrow. My last class of the day was sight singing. It's very easy so far and my teacher is so nice.
Also, I'm only typing this because I know my mom will want to know, I am making AWESOME friends here. Everyone is so nice. My group is amazing and so talented and I love being around them all the time. No one is competitive. Everyone is supportive and encouraging to one another and that just makes me so happy. It is a very warm and friendly environment.
Now I'm back in my dorm, I did some homework and I'm ready for bed! Not as long of a day tomorrow. And then it's the weekend!! I'm hoping I can see a show Saturday night instead of going to a halloween party. I don't feel like buying a costume. I would much rather buy a ticket to a show.
Everyday I wake up to a painting of a verse on the wall beside my bed. It states:
"I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:14
What a great daily reminder that nothing I am doing is for myself. It is all for God. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Him. He has called on me to minister to the people I am around. I just happen to be in the most populated city in the country. I would greatly appreciate it if you could all pray for me. Pray that I can set a good example to the people I am around and that I carry His name to the city of New York.
Goodnight all!
Thanks!
Molly
It's Thursday night and I am exhausted! I didn't have a class until 11:00 this morning but I didn't finish until 6:30. Wednesday and Thursday are my longest days. One thing that I have noticed today is that even in the past 4 days of classes, I have gotten 100 times more confident. Confidence is something that is basically preached here at AMDA. In every dance class we step forward and say our name like we would in an audition. I never knew that someone could tell so much about you in 5 seconds. I must say, I've never been the over confident person. I consider myself very chill and chill doesn't fly when it comes to stating your name to a casting director. Everything is so specific! I'm so happy they are making us do this everyday though because it is becoming second nature and it will make us stand out at an audition.
Yesterday (Wednesday) in my musical theatre class we had all been assigned the same song to perform. "Feeling Good". It was originally a showtune but recently Michael Buble and Jennifer Hudson covered it so it's very popular. We were told to not worry about the vocals. Just know it well enough to sing it while acting out a story. We had to make up a circumstance that fit the song. A real event that has happened in our life or something we hope will happen or maybe hope will not happen. I will be the first to tell you that when it comes to performing scenes and songs in a classroom setting, it can get extremely boring. But yesterday everyone did such an amazing job that I couldn't keep my eyes off of whoever was performing! My teacher, Kathy, cried almost every time someone performed. Her only instruction was "be honest". To see everyone have this break through in acting was amazing. I felt like it was some of the best acting I have ever done in my life and I felt so accomplished at the end of it. Yesterday was definitely a break through for me acting-wise.
Today, I had 4 classes just as I did yesterday. The first one was film lab which is literally watching clips of Broadway shows and Tony performances. It's literally a class of what I do every day on YouTube. I am obsessed with it already! Then I had Voice Production and Speech. My teacher is super intimidating and I don't really know what to think of him or that class yet. It's all very new to me so I don't know what to expect. Then I had Jazz. My teachers name is Casey Colgan. He is an amazing performer and has been doing so professionally for years. He was actually the one who was in my audition behind the table. So that was cool. He is very up front and honest about everything. Which is a great thing but it's also a scary thing. Performers are sensitive but we have to pretend like we have thick skin. I do have pretty thick skin. Thankfully, he didn't say anything negative to me. Haha. He actually said I was good. I have figured out that even if I mess up if I just keep smiling and keep trying, everyone likes it. Haha. That class kicked my butt though. It was so tiring. I thought I was gonna die by the end of it. I'm in the highest level of all of my dance classes so all of the teachers expect us to be awesome. It wasn't too much for me to handle, I'm just not used to having a 2 hour, high intensity dance class with no break. Haha. I'll definitely be sore tomorrow. My last class of the day was sight singing. It's very easy so far and my teacher is so nice.
Also, I'm only typing this because I know my mom will want to know, I am making AWESOME friends here. Everyone is so nice. My group is amazing and so talented and I love being around them all the time. No one is competitive. Everyone is supportive and encouraging to one another and that just makes me so happy. It is a very warm and friendly environment.
Now I'm back in my dorm, I did some homework and I'm ready for bed! Not as long of a day tomorrow. And then it's the weekend!! I'm hoping I can see a show Saturday night instead of going to a halloween party. I don't feel like buying a costume. I would much rather buy a ticket to a show.
Everyday I wake up to a painting of a verse on the wall beside my bed. It states:
"I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:14
What a great daily reminder that nothing I am doing is for myself. It is all for God. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Him. He has called on me to minister to the people I am around. I just happen to be in the most populated city in the country. I would greatly appreciate it if you could all pray for me. Pray that I can set a good example to the people I am around and that I carry His name to the city of New York.
Goodnight all!
Thanks!
Molly
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
First Days of Classes
Hey everyone!
The past two days have been a whirlwind of fun! I started classes yesterday. I had acting and Musical Theatre. They were so much fun and my teachers are awesome! My acting teacher is a working actor and director his name is Robert Manning Jr. He has been on a ton of different TV shows and in a lot of movies. He's pretty awesome I must say. My musical theatre teacher is really cool too. She has been in numerous Broadway musicals as well as other things. The cool thing about my muscial theatre class is that we have an accompanist that is always in our class. So we have access to a great pianist/voice teacher every single class. I went to sleep super early last night too which was awesome. I got 10 hours of sleep!
Today I had my only 8am of the entire week (how did I get so lucky?!). It was my first tap class. 2 hours of tap in heels is very painful. Haha. I'm not used to tapping in character taps, I'm used to flat taps so I will definitely have to get used to this. I love my tap class. I'm in the highest level of tap offered for first semesters which is so cool. There are only 9 people in my class! My teacher is awesome. She was a rockette and has been in national tours and other regional theatre productions as well.
After tap I had my second musical theatre class of the week (I have 3 total). It was a lot of fun. We did mostly improv stuff just so they could get to know us and what we are passionate about.
After musical theatre which was 2 1/2 hours long today, (only 2 hours yesterday) I went to the lobby and coincidentally checked my email as I got there and was talking to some friends and saw an email from my voice teacher that said my lesson was at 12:30 on Tuesdays. Well, it was 12:28. And it's Tuesday. So I RAN up 4 flights of stairs and found the room and walked in at 12:30 exactly. Haha. My voice teacher's name is Elizabeth Moulton. She is amazing and so nice. I really think I will improve a lot under her instruction. She is all about singing healthy which is exactly what I want.
My voice lesson was an hour long. So I left around 1:30, went back to the dorm and practiced a scene from my acting class with my scene partner. Then practiced a song from my MT class. Then ate some poptarts and watched YouTube videos. Haha. I have to keep track of how much time I spend rehearsing and researching things because we have to do practicum which basically means we have to have a certain amount of hours of rehearsal and growth every week.
Now I'm writing this blog and chilling out listening to country music as always. I've gotta go practice some tap stuff later with some of the people in my class. But other than that, I'm probably not gonna do much and go to bed early again today!
I found a great verse today that I would like to share with you:
"Lord, even wen I have trouble all around me, you will keep me alive." Psalm 138:7
That verse is amazing because as I live each day in this city, new struggles appear, big or small, I know that God is always in control and that I can trust him and cast all of my worries and struggles upon him because he knows what is best for me.
I think I'm gonna end it there for today!
Thanks!
Molly
The past two days have been a whirlwind of fun! I started classes yesterday. I had acting and Musical Theatre. They were so much fun and my teachers are awesome! My acting teacher is a working actor and director his name is Robert Manning Jr. He has been on a ton of different TV shows and in a lot of movies. He's pretty awesome I must say. My musical theatre teacher is really cool too. She has been in numerous Broadway musicals as well as other things. The cool thing about my muscial theatre class is that we have an accompanist that is always in our class. So we have access to a great pianist/voice teacher every single class. I went to sleep super early last night too which was awesome. I got 10 hours of sleep!
Today I had my only 8am of the entire week (how did I get so lucky?!). It was my first tap class. 2 hours of tap in heels is very painful. Haha. I'm not used to tapping in character taps, I'm used to flat taps so I will definitely have to get used to this. I love my tap class. I'm in the highest level of tap offered for first semesters which is so cool. There are only 9 people in my class! My teacher is awesome. She was a rockette and has been in national tours and other regional theatre productions as well.
After tap I had my second musical theatre class of the week (I have 3 total). It was a lot of fun. We did mostly improv stuff just so they could get to know us and what we are passionate about.
After musical theatre which was 2 1/2 hours long today, (only 2 hours yesterday) I went to the lobby and coincidentally checked my email as I got there and was talking to some friends and saw an email from my voice teacher that said my lesson was at 12:30 on Tuesdays. Well, it was 12:28. And it's Tuesday. So I RAN up 4 flights of stairs and found the room and walked in at 12:30 exactly. Haha. My voice teacher's name is Elizabeth Moulton. She is amazing and so nice. I really think I will improve a lot under her instruction. She is all about singing healthy which is exactly what I want.
My voice lesson was an hour long. So I left around 1:30, went back to the dorm and practiced a scene from my acting class with my scene partner. Then practiced a song from my MT class. Then ate some poptarts and watched YouTube videos. Haha. I have to keep track of how much time I spend rehearsing and researching things because we have to do practicum which basically means we have to have a certain amount of hours of rehearsal and growth every week.
Now I'm writing this blog and chilling out listening to country music as always. I've gotta go practice some tap stuff later with some of the people in my class. But other than that, I'm probably not gonna do much and go to bed early again today!
I found a great verse today that I would like to share with you:
"Lord, even wen I have trouble all around me, you will keep me alive." Psalm 138:7
That verse is amazing because as I live each day in this city, new struggles appear, big or small, I know that God is always in control and that I can trust him and cast all of my worries and struggles upon him because he knows what is best for me.
I think I'm gonna end it there for today!
Thanks!
Molly
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Days Three and Four
Hey everyone!
So I had a pretty busy day yesterday and didn't get to post. Sorry!
Yesterday I had my singing and acting placement pretty early in the morning. They went well I think! I think they really liked me and I actually didn't screw up my song which is surprising since it was so early. Haha. The monologue went well too! I was very glad to get that over with cause I was pretty nervous.
After placement, I ate frosted flakes, listened to country music, and took a nap as a reward. Haha. Then I went with my group to Columbus Circle which was so much fun! I love my group. Every other group doesn't seem very close but ours is. We're all becoming really good friends which is awesome!
Then later last night all the first semesters and transfers got to go to Peter and the Starcatcher at New World Stages which is an off-broadway theatre. I had seen it on Broadway a year or so ago and it's one of my favorite shows. It's still so funny and well done! We had a talk back with the cast after but it didn't last very long because apparently we laughed and clapped so much the show ran about 10 minutes longer than it usually does! I guess that's a good thing.
After the talk back, we headed home. It's about 30 blocks from the dorm so it was a long walk back. Me and my friend Brianna were walking together and for some reason I wasn't thinking and we walked one block too far (went to Central Park West instead of turning on Broadway). But I'm very glad we did because as we were about to cross Broadway, I saw someone who looked really familiar and realized it was Annasophia Robb! From Bridge to Teribithia, Soul Surfer, Carrie (the TV show). Apparently they were filming at Lincoln Center yesterday and she was just out getting dinner I guess. She was still in her Carrie costume and makeup and hair. I tapped her on the arm as she walked by the throw something away and told her I was a big fan and she was so casual and nice. It was really cool. Way too casual for me to even understand. Haha. Also, earlier in the day I was crossing 70th and Broadway and walked right past Krysta Rodgriguez who is a big Broadway actress. She is currently in "First Date" but she was also in "Addams Family" and other stuff. She was also on "Smash" the second season. She play Katharine Mcphee's character's best friend. So that was also cool.
This morning I had to wake up pretty early to get ready for dance placements. It took a long time because we had 3 separate ones for Jazz, Ballet, and Tap. It was really tedious but I think I did pretty well! I got placed in the highest level of every style! (There are 4 different levels for first sememsters). We got out of placement around 1:30 so me and my friends went to this awesome pizza place really close to our dorm. I forget what it's called but it's on 71st and Broadway. Next time you're here, check it out. It's really cheap and really good!
Anyways, now I'm settled down in my dorm! I'm pretty tired but we have one more meeting or something tonight around 5:00 I think so that's what I'll be doing!
Thanks!
Molly
So I had a pretty busy day yesterday and didn't get to post. Sorry!
Yesterday I had my singing and acting placement pretty early in the morning. They went well I think! I think they really liked me and I actually didn't screw up my song which is surprising since it was so early. Haha. The monologue went well too! I was very glad to get that over with cause I was pretty nervous.
After placement, I ate frosted flakes, listened to country music, and took a nap as a reward. Haha. Then I went with my group to Columbus Circle which was so much fun! I love my group. Every other group doesn't seem very close but ours is. We're all becoming really good friends which is awesome!
Then later last night all the first semesters and transfers got to go to Peter and the Starcatcher at New World Stages which is an off-broadway theatre. I had seen it on Broadway a year or so ago and it's one of my favorite shows. It's still so funny and well done! We had a talk back with the cast after but it didn't last very long because apparently we laughed and clapped so much the show ran about 10 minutes longer than it usually does! I guess that's a good thing.
After the talk back, we headed home. It's about 30 blocks from the dorm so it was a long walk back. Me and my friend Brianna were walking together and for some reason I wasn't thinking and we walked one block too far (went to Central Park West instead of turning on Broadway). But I'm very glad we did because as we were about to cross Broadway, I saw someone who looked really familiar and realized it was Annasophia Robb! From Bridge to Teribithia, Soul Surfer, Carrie (the TV show). Apparently they were filming at Lincoln Center yesterday and she was just out getting dinner I guess. She was still in her Carrie costume and makeup and hair. I tapped her on the arm as she walked by the throw something away and told her I was a big fan and she was so casual and nice. It was really cool. Way too casual for me to even understand. Haha. Also, earlier in the day I was crossing 70th and Broadway and walked right past Krysta Rodgriguez who is a big Broadway actress. She is currently in "First Date" but she was also in "Addams Family" and other stuff. She was also on "Smash" the second season. She play Katharine Mcphee's character's best friend. So that was also cool.
This morning I had to wake up pretty early to get ready for dance placements. It took a long time because we had 3 separate ones for Jazz, Ballet, and Tap. It was really tedious but I think I did pretty well! I got placed in the highest level of every style! (There are 4 different levels for first sememsters). We got out of placement around 1:30 so me and my friends went to this awesome pizza place really close to our dorm. I forget what it's called but it's on 71st and Broadway. Next time you're here, check it out. It's really cheap and really good!
Anyways, now I'm settled down in my dorm! I'm pretty tired but we have one more meeting or something tonight around 5:00 I think so that's what I'll be doing!
Thanks!
Molly
Friday, October 18, 2013
Day Two
Hey guys!
So today was a long day but really fun! Much better today than yesterday. We had a lot of seminars and stuff so a lot of sitting and talking and boring stuff. But we also did fun things too like go to Boston Market and Central Park. So that was really great. I then went to dinner with a mutual friend who is in the business. She was so sweet and I'm SO happy to have met her! (Shoutout to Grace for being awesome!)
Tomorrow we have placements for singing and acting. I go at 8:30 and should be done no later than 10:30. So I will be coming right back to the dorm and take a nice long nap! I am so excited about it already. Haha. And then later tomorrow night, we are going to see Peter and the Starcatcher! I love that show and I'm very excited to see it again!
Anyways,
I'm going to bed now! Gotta get a good night sleep. Big day tomorrow!
Thanks!
Molly
So today was a long day but really fun! Much better today than yesterday. We had a lot of seminars and stuff so a lot of sitting and talking and boring stuff. But we also did fun things too like go to Boston Market and Central Park. So that was really great. I then went to dinner with a mutual friend who is in the business. She was so sweet and I'm SO happy to have met her! (Shoutout to Grace for being awesome!)
Tomorrow we have placements for singing and acting. I go at 8:30 and should be done no later than 10:30. So I will be coming right back to the dorm and take a nice long nap! I am so excited about it already. Haha. And then later tomorrow night, we are going to see Peter and the Starcatcher! I love that show and I'm very excited to see it again!
Anyways,
I'm going to bed now! Gotta get a good night sleep. Big day tomorrow!
Thanks!
Molly
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Day One
Hello!
So it is the end of day one! It has been a very long day. VERY LONG! I'm so exhausted. But now, we are all settled in and ready for bed. The room is not as cramped as I thought it would be. My roommate is super nice and so is her family. They live 30 minutes out of the city so that is really nice to know. But let me just say, it REALLY hit me today. That I am here. And my family is not. Saying bye to my parents was so hard. I have literally been crying all day. Even before they left. This is not going to be easy at all I'm sure! I could really use a lot of prayer right now.
But on the bright side, this school is AWESOME and everyone is so nice! Also, another highlight of my day, I was walking back to the dorm tonight right before saying goodbye to my family and I looked in a froyo place and saw someone I thought I recognized. I looked again and realized it was Sierra Boggess, otherwise known as Ariel from Little Mermaid on Broadway, Christine in Phantom, and many others. So I went in and talked to her for a minute just saying that I was a big fan and that she's super talented. She probably thought I was super creepy but she was really nice and I'm glad she took the time to say a few words. It was a really great pick-me-up from the homesickness.
If there is anything I miss as much as my family right now, it's the south. Huntsville. Never in my life would I ever have though I would say those words. But it's true. I really truly miss it. So much. Especially sweet tea because New Yorkers don't believe in it.
Anyways, I'm about to go to bed because I've got an early morning tomorrow. If anyone who reads this wouldn't mind praying for me for these next few weeks. I'm really really homesick already and my parents have been gone for an hour.
Thanks!
Molly
So it is the end of day one! It has been a very long day. VERY LONG! I'm so exhausted. But now, we are all settled in and ready for bed. The room is not as cramped as I thought it would be. My roommate is super nice and so is her family. They live 30 minutes out of the city so that is really nice to know. But let me just say, it REALLY hit me today. That I am here. And my family is not. Saying bye to my parents was so hard. I have literally been crying all day. Even before they left. This is not going to be easy at all I'm sure! I could really use a lot of prayer right now.
But on the bright side, this school is AWESOME and everyone is so nice! Also, another highlight of my day, I was walking back to the dorm tonight right before saying goodbye to my family and I looked in a froyo place and saw someone I thought I recognized. I looked again and realized it was Sierra Boggess, otherwise known as Ariel from Little Mermaid on Broadway, Christine in Phantom, and many others. So I went in and talked to her for a minute just saying that I was a big fan and that she's super talented. She probably thought I was super creepy but she was really nice and I'm glad she took the time to say a few words. It was a really great pick-me-up from the homesickness.
If there is anything I miss as much as my family right now, it's the south. Huntsville. Never in my life would I ever have though I would say those words. But it's true. I really truly miss it. So much. Especially sweet tea because New Yorkers don't believe in it.
Anyways, I'm about to go to bed because I've got an early morning tomorrow. If anyone who reads this wouldn't mind praying for me for these next few weeks. I'm really really homesick already and my parents have been gone for an hour.
Thanks!
Molly
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Where Has The Time Gone?
I guess I must have blinked or something because it seems like last week I was starting my freshman year of high school. Time really does fly. The past few months have been so strange. I have watched all of my friends go off to college and begin this new chapter of their lives. I knew all along that I am going to do the same thing, it's just a little delayed. I would always tell people that I wasn't leaving until October, never thinking October would ever actually get here. But, here it is. October 14th is the big day! It is not only the day I leave for New York City, but it is also my best friend's birthday. Happy birthday Ashley! I'm leaving for a far away land for a really long time. What a great present. Haha.
2 months ago, I was no where close to being ready to leave. Now I feel like I have had time to collect myself and prepare for this crazy new life I'm about to embark on! (I hate that I just ended a sentence in a preposition...... oh well.) I've had a lot of time with my family which has been so great.
Although I can say, I was productive during my 5 month long summer break. I got certified as a personal trainer on my own time. I thought it would be a good way to pay the bills rather than waiting tables while I'm trying get a break! So there's that.
Oh, and our house flooded. Minuscule turn of events that happened about 3 weeks ago. And we still have no floors in our house. Some hose under our sink exploded in the middle of the night. Thankfully, I never go to sleep at a decent hour and discovered it after only an hour's worth of damage (1/2 inch of water). It could have been much worse! The reason the hose disconnected or exploded or whatever happened to it, is because the last plumber that worked on it forgot to tighten a valve. Honest mistake. But I keep telling my parents they could sue and pay for my college! (Completely kidding. Kind of). The timing of it all worked out though because they are scheduled to install all of the flooring next week! When we're not home. Which will be great to not have to deal with.
Anyways, since I am finally about to leave, I thought I would take this time to thank everyone in my life. My family, my friends, my teachers, you have NO IDEA how much of an impact you have had on my life. I would not be who I am without all of your support and love and everything in between positive and negative. I hope I make you all proud!
Last thing, the song I am currently listening to is "Carry Your Name" by Christy Nockels. So appropriate.
"I will carry your name! Carry your name, Jesus your name forever! For all of my days in all of my ways, Jesus your name forever!"
Someone who is such an inspiration in my life who I have known for a very long time reminded me this past week that I am going into a business that does not value Christ and that I need to stay grounded and stay strong in my faith. It was so good to hear someone besides my mom say that to me. I will definitely live to carry the name of Jesus into this amazing city. Yes, I am going to school. But I am also a disciple for Christ Jesus!
I'm just gonna end on that note. :)
Love,
Molly
2 months ago, I was no where close to being ready to leave. Now I feel like I have had time to collect myself and prepare for this crazy new life I'm about to embark on! (I hate that I just ended a sentence in a preposition...... oh well.) I've had a lot of time with my family which has been so great.
Although I can say, I was productive during my 5 month long summer break. I got certified as a personal trainer on my own time. I thought it would be a good way to pay the bills rather than waiting tables while I'm trying get a break! So there's that.
Oh, and our house flooded. Minuscule turn of events that happened about 3 weeks ago. And we still have no floors in our house. Some hose under our sink exploded in the middle of the night. Thankfully, I never go to sleep at a decent hour and discovered it after only an hour's worth of damage (1/2 inch of water). It could have been much worse! The reason the hose disconnected or exploded or whatever happened to it, is because the last plumber that worked on it forgot to tighten a valve. Honest mistake. But I keep telling my parents they could sue and pay for my college! (Completely kidding. Kind of). The timing of it all worked out though because they are scheduled to install all of the flooring next week! When we're not home. Which will be great to not have to deal with.
Anyways, since I am finally about to leave, I thought I would take this time to thank everyone in my life. My family, my friends, my teachers, you have NO IDEA how much of an impact you have had on my life. I would not be who I am without all of your support and love and everything in between positive and negative. I hope I make you all proud!
Last thing, the song I am currently listening to is "Carry Your Name" by Christy Nockels. So appropriate.
"I will carry your name! Carry your name, Jesus your name forever! For all of my days in all of my ways, Jesus your name forever!"
Someone who is such an inspiration in my life who I have known for a very long time reminded me this past week that I am going into a business that does not value Christ and that I need to stay grounded and stay strong in my faith. It was so good to hear someone besides my mom say that to me. I will definitely live to carry the name of Jesus into this amazing city. Yes, I am going to school. But I am also a disciple for Christ Jesus!
I'm just gonna end on that note. :)
Love,
Molly
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
2 Months
Hebrews 13:8 says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."
I can't think of it more simply put. Even though my life is going to change completely in the next few months, God will be with me through it all. A quote I often remember is "the God of Angel armies is always by my side". I pray that God always walk beside me with his arm around my shoulder and his hand over my mouth.
This is something that calms me so much when I get anxious about leaving. I know that I won't be alone. There will be someone that is leading me with every step I take and every breath I breathe.
On that note, in March of this year, I went on a mission trip with my church to New York City. The last night we were there, we went to a Good Friday service at "Times Square Church". We were all complaining about it and just wanted to be headed home because we were so tired. But let me just tell you, I am so happy we stayed! It was truly one of the most powerful services I have ever been to. Everyone there was so happy to be there and was worshiping with their whole heart. It was so humbling to see so many people on fire for God in a city that is definitely not considered Christian. It was something I have never experienced because in the south, everyone goes to church. It's just something that you grow up doing because your parents make you. In New York, most people don't attend church. You just don't feel obligated to go to church because most people don't. So when you do attend a church in New York (and New England in general), it is because you WANT to be there. It is because you want to worship God and build a stronger relationship with him. It blew my mind how present the holy spirit was in the room that night.
So obviously, I will be attending starting in October. It is an awesome venue too! It is in an old Broadway theatre called the Mark Hellinger Theatre. It's located in Times Square (hint the name) in the heart of midtown at 51st and Broadway. Some of the few shows that have played there are "My Fair Lady", "Jesus Christ Superstar", and "The Sound of Music". Such a historic building. Beautiful too!
Anyways, I think that's all for tonight. I need to get some sleep!
Love,
Molly
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