The Many Faces of Christy Lyn

Many times I return to my phone to find these stunning selfies, taken by my 

one and only baby sister. I don't really care, but my only rule is that 

anything she takes could potentially end up on the internet. 

She's sixteen. She SO doesn't even care.

"Something Interesting on the Ceiling"

"Ugliest Face Contest"

"Selfie for Jeremy"

"Surprised by You"

"My Dad Can Beat Up Your Dad"

"We Try So Hard"

"A Selfie with Extra Cheese, Please"

"Surprised by You, 2"

"It Wasn't Me!"

"That's Actually a Window Behind Me"

"Do You Smell Something Gross?"

"You Know You Love Us"

Top 5 country songs for Monday morning

One of the side effects of working at a corn maze is that you are surrounded by country music all the time. I've worked there every summer since I was 14, so each year I would go through these phases. First, abject horror of having to listen to it ALL DAY LONG (an awful thought for a high school kid who liked musical theatre). Second, reluctant enjoyment as I began to recognize and sing along with the more catchy tunes. Third came a casual acceptance, when I realized I actually kind of liked listening to country music, and that it's much more enjoyable than a lot of the crap you hear on the radio today. Finally came the point where I embraced it and realized I could officially consider myself a country music fan. Then, at the end of the season, I'd go back to school for the year, and stop listening to the country radio stations. So when it came to working again in the spring, the cycle would start all over again.

Since I'm now entering my second year of working beyond the end of the season and straight through the winter, I never had the chance to revert back to any other music. As such, country music is now my music of choice andddd I'm thinking it's probably here to stay. At least for the foreseeable future.

My ride to work is just about enough time for five songs, so we're going with my top five country songs for Monday morning. This week, at least. Who knows what my top favorites will be by next week.

5. "Cruise" by Florida Georgia Line
Thanks to Regan, this is now one of my favorite country songs. Left over from last year, it's pretty much a summer staple. Best to listen to it with the windows down and the radio turned waaaay up.
But not the remix.

4.  "Rewind" by Rascal Flatts
I am an extremely nostalgic person who's always wishing I could relive the best moments of my life. I've had a lot of good times with great friends, and I know, I know, this song is clearly in a romantic setting. But whatever. It's a nice reminder of that. [The music video, though... is the cassette tape supposed to be some sort of Muggle Time Turner?? I've gotta get my hands on one of those...]

3. "Give Me Back My Hometown" by Eric Church
Can't say I've ever felt this way, exactly, but somehow this song still gets me.
[Again with the music video.... what.]

2. "Could It Be" Charlie Worsham
I've loved this song from the minute I heard it. Then I saw him at the Grand Ole Opry and I loved it and him even more. So yup.

1. "Play It Again" by Luke Bryan
Here's the thing. I am now basically living out this song, in real life. I find myself flipping through the stations, trying to find it, and then singing out loud at the top of my lungs as soon as I find it. So the whole song is my life. Minus the boyfriend, most of the dancing, and the truck. But other than that, it's pretty much the same.
The irony is not lost on me. Probably that was Luke Bryan's plan from the very beginning. It's a conspiracy.

5 Reasons why Titanic is an Under-Appreciated Musical

Anytime I bring up the fact that Solanco did Titanic a few years ago, I tend to get some weird looks: "Your high school did Titanic.... as a musical.....?" I am always quick to point out that it was not a musical version of the James Cameron movie. Because face it, that would be a little weird. And not at all high school appropriate. And weird.

Anyway, most people I know haven't heard of the 1997 musical by Maury Yeston and Peter Stone. It tells the well-known story of the RMS Titanic, the "unsinkable ship" that left a port in the UK and never made its destination of New York City. It's definitely an ensemble musical, and follows several different stories throughout the show. The characters span all the classes and even include the staff and crew. The show opened at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on April 23, 1997 and ran for 804 performances before closing in 1999.

But really, everyone should know and appreciate this musical.

1. Real names, real people. Unlike the movie, all of the characters in the musical are based on real characters. A handful of them had names or circumstances changed slightly for dramatic effect, but they all existed to some extent. Some of them were wealthy business men and their wives, like John Jacob Aster and his wife, Benjamin Guggenheim, John B. Thayer and family, and Isidor and Ida Straus. Others were immigrants looking for a new life in America, like Kate McGowan and Jim Farrell. But each one of them had a story, and many were tragically cut short by the sinking of the ship. Somehow, knowing that each of those people existed makes the story that much more tragic.

2. Haunting melodies. The mood shifts beautifully through the use of the music. What starts out as a grand endeavor ends in minor keys and horror. The transition from "To the Lifeboats" into "We'll Meet Tomorrow" gets me every time. Each and every father and husband, assuring his wife and kids that he will see them in the morning, if they just get on the lifeboat, he won't be far behind. The crew members who selflessly gave their lives to make sure whole families could get on the lifeboats. And Ida Straus who wouldn't abandon her husband and chose to stay behind with him. All the men and women who left loved ones back in Europe and knew they'd never see them again. Just.... the emotion. Every time. (I'm listening to the soundtrack while I'm typing and practically sobbing. As usual.)
The show also boasts "The Blame," a song between the J. Bruce Ismay (owner of the ship), Thomas Andrews (designer of the ship), and Captain E.J. Smith. I can't help but imagine what conversation might have actually taken place between them: all feeling guilty and responsible, but also wanting to put the blame somewhere else, to not take fault on themselves.

3. And we can't overlook the fact that it won 5 Tony awards, including Best Musical in 1997.

4. Plus it's got to be a designer's dream (or maybe a nightmare), because what other show requires you to sink a giant ship, right on stage? It should win everything just for that ambitious stage direction. So many possibilities with that concept. The set of the original Broadway production had three levels to help create the vastness of the ship.

5. Maury Yeston's thoughts about Titanic: "What drew me to the project was the positive aspects of what the ship represented—1) humankind's striving after great artistic works and similar technological feats, despite the possibility of tragic failure, and 2) the dreams of the passengers on board: 3rd Class, to immigrate to America for a better life; 2nd Class, to live a leisured lifestyle in imitation of the upper classes; 1st Class, to maintain their privileged positions forever. The collision with the iceberg dashed all of these dreams simultaneously, and the subsequent transformation of character of the passengers and crew had, it seemed to me, the potential for great emotional and musical expression onstage."


I have very few regrets in life, but I have always regretted not trying out for this musical when we did it my junior year. But I did get to see it, because all my friends were in it. So thanks to them, I found all these lovely pictures to remember it by (ah, the beauty of Facebook... shout-out to Lyss for posting them back in 2008). Also, shout-out to Zach and Eric for always indulging my requests for them to sing "The Proposal/The Night Was Alive" to me, because I just love the song. And them.

Anchored

"We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, 

a hope that enters into the inner peace behind the curtain." 

Hebrews 6:19

P.S. I am taking orders if anyone would like one of these.... $30 for an 11"x14"

Love is a Pretty Great Thing

For most of my life, Valentine's Day has just been another day in my life. And in many ways, it still is. The most exciting thing that happened this year is that my mom bought me chocolate and a mug, and fixed my coffee just the way I like it (and really, who needs more than that?!). I usually try to just ignore the commercialism that surrounds the holiday. But leave it to my baby sister to remind me in the simplest way possible that love is always worth celebrating, whether you're in a romantic relationship or not.

"I know Valentine's Day is generally just 'singles awareness day' for us (at least it has been for years) but this is still a special day. Because I love you. And let's be real... whether romantic or not, love is a pretty great thing. Happy Valentine's Day... You are dearly loved!"

Nothing fancy. No crazy deep moment. But profound nonetheless. So happy Valentine's Day y'all.... Choose love <3

13 Books to Read this Spring

Finally finished my fall reading list (I know, I know, it's February), so I figured it's high time to start a new list! This one is just as random as before... a nice mix of classical literature and fantasy and fairy tales and even a memoir thrown in there just for kicks and giggles.

This list is a bit deceiving, since lots of the "books" are actually series, and therefore have more than one book. I think the total amount of books I'm planning to read here is actually 38. Not to scare you off, or anything.

In no particular order:

Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling
This is a re-read for me, but I found a few at a used book store a few weeks ago, in pretty great condition. So of course I couldn't resist buying them, and then I started reading them again and now I can't stop. If you like the world of wizards and magic... this is where it's at.

Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
Also a re-read. Ever since stumbling upon the Lizzie Bennett diaries and watching the BBC Pride & Prejudice with Sara (speaking of which, Sara, it's time to watch that again....), I've been meaning to re-read the book. There's something about the language of the novel that I love. Almost makes me wish I had been born in another time, another place.

The One I Left Behind by Jennifer McMahon
Found this book on a list that I stumbled across on Pinterest. Don't remember which list or what the theme was or anything, but I remember thinking that it looked interesting. I'm always up for a good murder mystery. Serial killers are a fascinating psychological study.

Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close
This one was on a list of "books for young women to read in their 20s" and since that applies to me, I thought I'd check it out. It certainly seemed one of the more interesting ones. The first thing Amazon says about it: "Isabelle, Mary and Lauren feel like everyone they know is getting married." Sooo, yup.

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
First of all, the author has a really cool name. So obviously it must be worth reading. Secondly, this is one of those series that everyone I know read in like 5th grade, but for some reason I always thought I wouldn't be allowed to read them. Not sure why, because I look at them now, and think, "There's no way they can be that bad." So I'm going to find out.

Mary Poppins by P. L. Travers
Mary Poppins has always been one of my favorite movies, but I've never read the books. With all the hype about Mary Poppins (the Fulton just did the musical, and 'Saving Mr. Banks' might still be in theaters, I'm not really sure), I figured it was definitely time to sit down and read the books, to see how they differed from the movie and the musical. I still haven't seen 'Saving Mr. Banks.' I need to get on that.

The Lost Child of Philomena Lee by Martin Sixsmith
This is the book that 'Philomena' is based on, and it's a NY Times best-seller, so I'm going to give it a shot. Non-fiction isn't necessarily my thing, but I can enjoy and appreciate a memoir. Maybe because it tells more like a story. This one is about a woman's 50-year search for her son.

Little Women by Louise May Alcott
I think I first read the Great Illustrated Classics version of this book when I was in elementary school, but I'm not sure I ever read the unabridged version. But I love the story of the March sisters. In some ways, they remind me of my sisters and me. They had so many fun adventures, I somehow wish I could have been a part of them.

Maze Runner by James Dashner
I heard this is being made into a movie. I think I found it in a list somewhere before it was supposed to be made into a movie. Which means I'm not really jumping on the bandwagon, right? In all seriousness, though, it seems right up my alley: a dystopian society, the main character dropped in with no memory of his former life, a giant maze with creatures that are trying to kill all the kids.... sounds awesome.

Princess Bride by William Goldman
I muddled through this book once a long time ago, but don't really remember what I thought about it. Since it's my favorite movie, I'm determined to love the book. And really, there is something in this for everyone: pirates, sword fighting, true love, adventure, and comedy.

Once Upon a Curse 
This is a collection of short stories that I found in one of those websites that let's you put in an author/title and find similar books that might interest you. Although, I'm not entirely certain this particular book is what the results were referring to, but when I looked it up, it piqued my interest, so here it is. I'm always up for a good fairy-tale-with-a-darker-twist.

Faraway Tree Stories by Enid Blyton
HERE'S THE THING. I have been looking for this book since I was about eight years old. I have this memory of reading this book at my neighbor's house, and thinking it was the best book ever. Then they moved away, and I guess the book got lost somehow, because they never seemed to know what book I was talking about when I'd ask them. But I always remembered being absolutely in love with the book because it was about an enchanted forest and exciting adventures in a tree house type thing. I can't believe I stumbled across this. I'm so excited.

Humans of New York by Brandon Stanton
I think it was Star who first introduced me to HONY on Facebook, and I quickly fell in love with his photographs. They're so real and he manages to connect so beautifully to the people and their stories. I want to move to NYC just so I can be a part of it.

8 Things I Will Actually do on this Snow Day

This morning my friend Star blogged a list of 10 things to do in the snow that don't include technology, a guest post written by our friend Elizabeth. The list included awesome things like write something, play in the snow, practice an instrument, or play a board game. I really appreciate this list, because I always have the best intentions when it comes to maximizing my snow days, really I do. I'm always like, I'm going to get up at a decent time and GET STUFF DONE.

But somehow there is always a reality that my day is not spent doing any of those things.

Therefore, I present my list of what I will actually do this millionth snow day of 2014.

1. Try to work from home. I'm currently in the middle of creating a show to premiere at Cherry Crest this summer, something farm-related and fun for kids that we can use year after year (as opposed to specifically dealing with the maze theme, which changes every year). I came up with this idea to do a mystery, where something gets stolen from the barn, and the farm animals have to solve the mystery, and figure out the clues.... it sounded SO GOOD in my head.

2. Watch New Girl. Ashley got me hooked. So thanks for that.

3. Stare wistfully out the window while the snow falls steadily, mocking me. The snowflakes are probably singing a joyful chorus... "We can't stop, and we won't stop."

4. Indulge Christy by standing on the porch to take a picture in the snow. Take note of my enthusiasm. The picture does not do my face justice. I was making an awful grimace. At least, it felt that way. On my face.

5. Browse Facebook. A lot. As much as I'm trying to stay off it.

6. Obsessively refresh the Submissions Only website. Their reformatted website launched this morning, apparently, which I discovered when I clicked on it at 7:30 this morning, in hopes that they had announced when season 3 would air. No dice. But since they redid the website, that means a big announcement must be coming soon, right? RIGHT?!

7. Wear sweatpants and my bunny slippers all day. Because why not??

Partway through writing this post, I helped my dad scrape off our cars, and in the process, he informed me that this is perfect snowman-making snow. My whole outlook on the day changed. The result:

8. Build Eva, the Mysterious Alien Snow-woman

Needless to say, I'm tired of the snow, really I am. But it's not a bad day at all. And regardless of whether you do awesome things from Elizabeth's list, or the lazy-person things from my list, enjoy the day that we've been given!

DIY Canvas Art

I've seen this one circling Pinterest for awhile, but never really found one with super clear instructions. Most of the pins are just pictures of the finished product. And I know, it's really not that difficult and probably summed up in a simple phrase: Put painter's tape on a canvas and paint over it. (The "peel the tape off after it's dry and you have awesome original wall art" part is implied). But I figured I'd write my own blog, give my two cents, add all the little tips that none of these sites seem to have. So after my adventures with paint and stickers, I thought I'd give this one a try. Sara was looking for a fun and easy project for her youth group to do while on a retreat, and so we decided to test it out. I think they turned out well!

Supplies:

~canvas

~paint

~paintbrushes

~masking/painter's tape

~newspaper (if you want to cover the table)

Step 1: Paint the canvas. 

Pretty basic. Apparently neither one of us likes red paint, haha.

Step 1.5: Wait for the paint to dry.

This was Sara's least favorite part. 

But seriously. Pretty important if you want your design to turn out

the way you want it. Otherwise, the tape peels up the paint.

Step 2: Place masking or painter's tape on the canvas.

You can use it to make letters, lines, squares, shapes, just about anything. The tape is the part that you won't be painting over, so anything underneath it will show through in the final product.

Step 3: Paint black over the whole canvas.

Paint carefully. Make sure the tape is firmly pressed down. Try not to let the edges get peeled back while you're painting. Take your time, or the paint might seep under the edge of the tape, which makes more blurry lines. Using spray-paint would probably solve that problem. I haven't tried it yet because I haven't taken the time to go out and buy black spray paint. 

Step 3.5: Wait for the paint to dry. Again.

Sara's other least favorite part.

Step 4: Remove the tape from the canvas.

Peel carefully! It's really important (again) to make sure that the paint has dried completely before you start to peel up the tape, or the paint will get smear-y and might peel up with the tape. But hey, the results are pretty great:

And really, that's all there is to it! Sara is a self-proclaimed non-crafty person, and she had a great time. I believe her words were "Super cool and super easy!" It's really a basic project that anyone can do, even kids. Mom could put the tape down on a canvas and let the kids finger-paint over it, and it would have the same result. 

Have at it, friends! Let the original-art-making commence!

The 12 "Days" of Massanutten

Vacation time at Massanutten! It might have been 10 degrees outside this week, but inside it was full of love and laughter and warm hearts <3

12 wonderful women whom I am so very happy to call my friends (yes, there's a baby in there too!)

11 movies watched throughout the week... Including, but not limited to, Sweet Home Alabama, Walk the Line, Maid in Manhattan, Princess Bride, Italian Job, Safe Haven, Mamma Mia, and The Holiday. Also, we watched a lot of Price is Right. We might have sat on our butts for 50% of this trip. What are vacations for?!

10 hands dipped in paraffin wax. It makes your hands oh-so-soft, but you look like a kid with chicken pox while doing it. Regan, Sara and I have great chicken pox faces.

9am = average wake-up time every morning. This takes into account that Missy regularly stayed in bed til 11am, while Lil got up at 7am.

8 spacious bedrooms with 12 beds... everyone could have their own bed!

7 rounds of Crazy Uno, also known as "Everything Sara Wants, Sara Gets"... because no one else can keep track of whose turn it is so all we can do is listen to her. Crazy Uno is like regular Uno on steroids... you can play out of turn at any time by laying down a card identical to what has just been played. This skips the people in between, and also doubles the penalty of the card. This means that if all 4 Draw-Four cards are played at the same time, the person who gets hit has to draw 16 cards. It's awful.

6 pots of coffee at IHOP. There were only 3 of us who even ordered coffee, so we're not quite sure why they brought us so many pots. But yay, breakfast for dinner!!

5 sequin outfits bought at Plato's Closet... We are quite sure that we will use them in the 2014 stage shows, which will somehow include music and dancing from the 80s. Everyone agreed to model them, but only if their faces weren't showing (the internet, ya know, it's permanent). It was a 20 minute ordeal to get this picture.... couldn't stop laughing. We can have so much fun for only $30!

4 late nights, full of snacks, movies, and lots of pillow talk. But also Sara getting up at 4 in the morning to feed and burp Cassidy. I have a new appreciation for being the mom of an infant.

3 home cooked meals... Donna makes awesome food. Enough said.

2 hours of tubing out on the mountain! Super steep hills and fast lanes and not very many people meant that we got a lot of rides out of the afternoon. Totally worth braving the cold!

1 adorable baby who officially captured our hearts. I think most of the pictures we took of this weekend were of Cassidy Page... just look at this face!!

 How can you not love her??

 Seriously. The cutest. 

PS, huge shout-out to Sara, Donna, Lil, Mel and Missy for helping me with all these numbers!