12 Unique things that I'm thankful for

1. My bunny slippers. You haven't lived if you've never hopped around the house in bunny slippers. Also, put them in front of the heater and then they're warm and toasty and twenty times better than they usually are.

2. Dark chocolate peanut butter cups. Whoever made them first was a genius and they have my eternal gratitude. They're even better than regular peanut butter cups.

3. My little 'dumb' phone. Yes, I still have not joined the ranks of the iPhone army, much to the chagrin of almost everyone around me. There are definitely times when it's a pain in the butt and I wish it was a little bit smarter. But my Brave Little Phone has endured so much and comes up swinging every time I drop it, I don't think I could bear to part with it. 

4. That this happened:

5. And this:

6. And this:

7. PRiMA theatre. Not only am I doing work that I love, but they're flexible with my schedule and wonderful people to work with! It's been such a blessing to be able to get my "theatre fix" every week, while still being at home.

8. My experience at NTI. Not just incredible people, but an incredible opportunity to hone my craft and learn so much. Plus I met John Krasinski. And Hal Prince. And Paula Vogel. And Hunter and Jeff. And our class got a personal email from Sarah Ruhl while we were working on Eurydice. Just saying. #braggingrights

9. My weekly tv nights with Sara. I didn't grow up watching tv. And I definitely never got to have "tv dinners." But something that started with "Jason's going out tonight, want to come over and hang out?" turned into a weekly time of fellowship and food. That makes it sound so official and pretentious... Basically we eat pizza and watch Project Runway. And Bones.

10. Speaking of Sara.... this little bundle of joy. She's the only baby in my life and I'm loving it.

11. Books. I've always loved to read, but didn't have as much time as I would have liked in high school and college. Now that I'm done with school, I'm discovering that love again, and it's been wonderful.

12. Puzzles. Mom and I do puzzles together over the winter, when we both have more down time. My dad thinks we're crazy. But we love them. And we're crazy about finishing them. 

4 Reasons Why ALL Birthdays are Worth Celebrating

I love birthdays. I love my birthday, I love my family's birthdays, I love my friends' birthdays.... I love them all. I seriously don't believe there's any reason to hate birthdays. Here are four great reasons why:

1. Ice Cream and Cake. Or even better.... ICE CREAM CAKE!! If you don't like cake, you could have birthday pie, or birthday cupcakes, or birthday cheesecake, or birthday apple crisp, SO many possibilities.

2. Presents. I don't really know anyone who doesn't like presents. Even if the present is something boring like a household item, or something you're going to end up using to help someone else, it still counts as a present. It's still awesome. 

3. Wishes. Don't tell me you've never secretly wished for something! I know it may seem silly to still expect birthday wishes to actually come true, but there's still something magical about them. I don't often see shooting stars or remember to look at the clock at 11:11, but I always make a birthday wish when I blow out the candles on my cake. And whether or not it comes true, I'll make one again next year. 

4. Celebrating YOU. Even if you hate birthdays because it reminds you of how old or young you are, and you don't want to think about that, your birthday is a great time to just celebrate YOU. Celebrate your life! Celebrate that you are awesome human being who is worth it! Celebrate your quirks and your unique traits! I try to think of other people first on the other 364 days of the year, but on my birthday, I'm going to dish myself a big piece of cake first, because it's my day.

10 Books to Read This Fall

I feel like lots of people make summer reading lists to inspire them to read more (or maybe just to make themselves feel more cultured, who knows). I've always loved reading, so this is the kind of thing that I would do, purely for the fun of it. But summer is my busy season, since Cherry Crest is open all the time, and I generally don't feel like I have time to breathe, let alone read.

So I decided to make a fall reading list! I'm not really sure why I think I'll have more time to read this fall than I did this summer, but for some reason I do. I seem to have a never-ending list of "books I'm going to read" and just decided it was time to actually read them. This list is by no means exhaustive... when I say my list is never-ending, I truly mean that. Some of the books are rereads for me, some are new. Some come on recommendation, some are ones that I picked up at Goodwill, so now I need to read them. Also, some come from this great Buzzfeed article that Amber posted on Facebook (and thus, I was inspired to make my own list).

If you want an eclectic mix of random books to take on this fall, this is it. I know, it's a random collection of canonical literature, children's fantasy books, NYT's best sellers, and some others thrown in for kicks and giggles. If you're wondering whether there's a rhyme or reason.... there isn't. No theme. Just books to read this fall.

BartimaeusTrilogy by Jonathan Stroud
This comes on recommendation from Ashley (who always has good suggestions), a trilogy about a teenage magician named Nathaniel and a five-thousand-year-old djinni named Bartimaeus. I currently only have the second two books that I found at a Goodwill, so I'm on the hunt for the first.

How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell
I thought this movie was wonderful, so I was quite delighted to find that it was a book first. I know, I know, it's totally for like 4th graders, but the cover just looks so fun! And there are pictures inside, in the margins. So, perfect.

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
I remember Carissa telling me and Sarah that we absolutely had to read this book, and I kept thinking that based on the title, it had to be something we would love. Finally saw a copy at Goodwill that I snagged for like 50 cents, so I guess now it's high time to read it.

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
I know this seems like an unusual choice for me, but there's pretty good rationale behind it. In my last semester of college, I took a Women in Science class, which had the dullest professor, and ended up being a total drag. But some of the material we covered and some of the topics we talked about were so fascinating to me, especially all the talk about biology and gender perceptions. It could have been a fantastic class, but was ruined by the way the professor ran the class. At any rate, I saw this book on the Buzzfeed list, and then like a week later saw it at Goodwill, so (you guessed it), I bought it.

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
With this year's maze theme being "Set Sail, A High Seas Adventure," I've been getting all excited about pirates and buried treasure lately. Sara and Regan and I watched Muppet Treasure Island last month, and then I watched Treasure Planet, and then decided it was finally time for me to read this classic. It's always been "on my list," but I never seemed to get around to it.

Play it as it Lays by Joan Didion
Also on the Buzzfeed list. And it's about an actor, so it caught my attention.

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
This one is a reread for me. It's a ghoulish tale of London Below, a nightmare-ish underground city of monsters and creatures. Chilling, but a fabulous read. Because let's be real.... anything by Neil Gaiman is totally worth reading.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
I loved Looking for Alaska, so when I saw this on the Buzzfeed list, I decided I should try it. It's a coming-of-age story about a cancer patient named Hazel who makes friends with a boy in her support group. 

Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon
Also a reread for me. I love the way the story is told through the eyes of the 15-year-old mathematical genius Christopher, who also happens to be autistic. Haddon perfectly captures his quirks and oddities in an endearing tale of his search for a murderer.

Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman is so awesome, I'm reading TWO of his books this fall. This is his "short" story that just came out this year. I haven't done too much research on the story because I don't want to spoil it for myself, but I know it's a fairy tale of mystery and horror. And that's awesome.


So there you have it! We'll see how it goes.

12 Reasons Why I Love Topanga Lawrence

I have to admit, I came onto the Boy Meets World scene a little late. Like 15 years late, give or take. My best friend Star introduced me to the show... I think it all started with a conversation that went something like this:

Star: Liesl, you're like the Cory to my Shawn.
Me: .......Who's Cory?
Star *picks herself up off the floor after dropping over in shock and horror*

Needless to say, she decided to fix that problem real quickly, so we spent the rest of the semester watching all the episodes of seasons 1-4, in order. She was right by the way.... I'm totally the Cory to her Shawn.

Anyway, I never made it to the 5th and 6th seasons, since she didn't have them on DVD, and I hadn't yet discovered the beauty of streaming tv shows on the internet (I swear, I didn't ACTUALLY live under a rock for most of my life. Only part of it). Recently, my younger sister borrowed the first season from one of her friends, and we got hooked on the show again.

And I've discovered something. Topanga Lawrence is seriously one of my favorite tv characters of all time. She's just awesome. And here's why.

1. She calls her parents Jedediah and Chloe. At their suggestion.

2. In season 1, she does this interpretive dance to a poem she wrote, called "Donut in the Sky." It's about the sun and the environment, and she makes Cory read it while she does a dance. Observe:

3. When Cory is sick, she brings him tea to "help him cleanse his aura." It's like the Topanga version of chicken noodle soup.

4. Her hair. Just look at all these photos of her hair.

5. She calls Cory, "my little butthead."

6. "I do my thing and you do your thing. You are you and I am I. And if in the end we end up together, it's beautiful."

7. When Cory asks how she's doing, she replies, "Well, Mercury is in retrograde, making projects difficult to complete and causing general chaos in the universe."

8. She goes just a liiiiittle bit crazy that one time that she eats ONE meatball. One.

9. She lets Cory call her "Topey." Like Dopey, but with a T.

10. "How do you 'accidentally' kiss someone?! Did she slip and your lips broke her fall??"

11. In the back in time episode, she's a 50s rebel chick, and when Cory mentions how tall her hair is, she says, "Look buddy, if I see an air-o-plane, I'll duck, alright?" [you've gotta say it in the accent so it sounds right]

12. And her name is Topanga. Coming from someone with a more unusual name, this one really just spoke to me. I would totally name my kid after her. But also this happens in a later episode:

I'm quite sure there are so many other reasons why Topanga is awesome, so feel free to tell me in the comments!

Why my children will be allowed to read about the Baudelaires

I was very fortunate when I was younger to have parents who encouraged me to read. And I took full advantage of that... I read just about anything I could get my hands on. They had some rules about what I could read when I was younger, and it didn't take me too long to get to the point where I pretty much knew whether or not I'd be allowed to read something.
*I should make the disclaimer that I completely respect my parents for the beliefs they hold and the rules that they had in place*

Now, I don't remember my mom ever saying to me, "You may not read A Series of Unfortunate Events." I think I just always assumed, from reading the titles and synopses of the first few books, that she probably wouldn't let me read them. So I didn't. Although, to be fair, I never asked. Guess that should teach me a lesson about assuming.

But anyway, after filing them on the "Probably not allowed to read" shelf of my brain for a good 10+ years, I finally decided to read them this past winter. And I was hooked from the very beginning. I'm sure it was an amusing sight... I'm twenty-two years old and was obsessively checking them out at the library, 3 or 4 at a time. The series by Lemony Snicket focuses on three siblings, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny who are shipped from one guardian to the next after they are orphaned in the first chapter of the first book. The sinister Count Olaf is after them (and their fortune) throughout the entire series, and he keeps sneaking into their lives, despite their efforts to hide from him. There are thirteen books in the series, each with thirteen chapters, and the siblings experience misfortune after misfortune, as nothing seems to go right for them. Ever.

But in thinking back to why I had never read them, and after a discussion with my mom where she didn't really remember ever telling me that I couldn't read them, I made a decision: My kids will be allowed to read about the Baudelaires. And here's why.

Vocabulary
These books have an astounding use of vocabulary, including some words that I didn't even know. Like who uses the word ersatz?! I don't think I've ever heard that word used in casual conversation before, but there it was, on the cover of book 6: The Ersatz Elevator (it's a word that refers to an imitation or substitution, usually something inferior). Any phrase or word that might be unfamiliar to a child is followed by a definition, often quite humorous (spring in her step defined as "in a surprisingly cheerful manner considering she was in the clutches of a ruthless villain on top of a mountain so cold that even the nearby waterfall was frozen solid") or only relevant to the situation at hand (perfect unison defined as "reciting a list of very odd words at the very same time"). But it gets the point across, and it expands the reader's vocabulary.

Engaging 
Maybe it's just me, but I was hooked from the very beginning. From the moment the kids found out that their parent's had died and they were going to live with their closest living relative, I had to know what was going to happen next. There were moments when I was literally sitting on the edge of my seat, frantically reading as fast as I could so that I could finally find out what the heck VFD stood for.

Written for Kids
The series is clearly meant for kids. Everything happens on child's level. The heroes are kids, and everything is happening to them. Violet is an inventor, Klaus is a researcher, and Sunny turns out to be a great cook. Using their specialized skills, they do all of the problem-solving, and get themselves out of every tight spot they are in. They learn pretty quickly which adults they can trust and which ones they can't.

Imagination
My imagination was going crazy trying to figure out what was going to happen next. I had so many different scenarios in my head. At some point I was convinced that the Quagmires were actually related to the Baudelaires somehow, long-lost siblings or something. I found that the books stimulated my imagination because it was pretty obvious that many of the events couldn't actually happen (there's no way that a baby could climb to the top of an elevator shaft using only her teeth--no matter how sharp and pointy they were). Since I had already accepted that the limits of our world didn't exist in the Baudelaire's world, the sky was the limit! Anything could happen. And anything did.

Good Life Lessons
There were some pretty solid lessons along the way... Practical lessons like "If you're lost, stay put" and "In a fire, stay low to the ground." But also classic ones like "Family is the most important." Normally I'm not a big fan of moral-heavy books... they usually feel too cumbersome to me. But I found these to be subtle and thought-provoking, in no way hindering the story itself.

Genius
There are little strokes of genius just hidden throughout the series. The plot is wonderfully twisted and complex and everybody is connected somehow. I imagine all the characters pinned on a story board, with different colored yarn connecting them all, a wonderful web of relationships. Sunny's words (only understood and translated by her siblings for most of the series) start out as mostly nonsense, but end up being quite understandable, whether it's through cultural references, words from another language, or phonetic clues (like defining Unfeasi as "To make a hot meal without any electricity, I'd need a fire, and expecting a baby to start a fire all by herself on top of a snowy mountain is cruelly impossible and impossibly cruel"). Seemingly random sentences are actually code phrases for a top-secret organization. Events from the beginning of the series seem unimportant until the final book, when suddenly they seem like a very big deal.

Needless to say, I was a big fan. This series is a masterfully woven story of grand misfortune, repeated disaster, and the never-ending love of a family. And my kids will be encouraged to read it.

Top 5 songs to beat the "Monday Blues"

Nobody likes Mondays.

Okay, maybe a small percentage of people like Mondays. Or don't care about Mondays. Like when we were at NTI and worked all through the weekend, Mondays didn't matter because it was just another day.

But lots of people don't like Mondays, myself included. Once I've woken up and gotten my day started, it's not too bad. But still, that Monday morning drive to work can really be a drag, especially if I stayed up late the night before, or if I don't have something exciting in my lunch to look forward to. So I came up with a list of my top 5 favorite songs to listen to on the way to work. Now, my drive to work takes about 12 minutes, so I can't quite get them all in, and sometimes they're just so fun that I listen to them more than once, but it also doubles as a list to listen to on the way home from work.

1. "Be a Man" from Mulan. I mean, come on, this is like the greatest Mulan song ever!

2. "I Just Can't Wait to be King" from Lion King. Because who doesn't want to be king??

3. "Sadie Hawkins Dance" by RelientK. Ahh, the 90s. Also, this is back before bands regularly made music videos of their songs.

4. "Good Morning George" from VeggieTales. Umm, duh, best wake-up song ever. When I went to summer camp in 4th grade, our counselor used to blast this song every morning at like 7am to wake us up.

5. "Love Today" by MIKA. Ohhhh, yes. Shout-out to Lyss, Rach and Maddie for introducing me to MIKA in like 9th grade.

Bonus song (in case you have extra time in your morning commute). "Step Up to the Microphone" by Newsboys. Oldie (no music video) but goodie :)

Obviously this list is subject to change at any moment. We all know how these things go.

Learning

So my Daniel Fast has come to an end this week. It's really amazing to look back and see all that God has done for me in the last 40 days. This post is not to brag about how "Christian" I am or to claim that "everything gets better when you fast." If anything, this fast has shown me how much I still have to work on. Rather, I want to share my experience, and encourage anyone who has not fasted before to take it into consideration. Parts of this fast were definitely less than fun. But the lasting benefits outweigh the temporary sucky stuff.

This is the first time in my life that I feel like I was able to really trust implicitly and put my life in God's hands, instead of trying to do my own thing. I started this fast as a way to find clarity in my life and get myself on the right track before I start a career. I had no intention of staying in Lancaster this summer. I really just wanted to get out. And I still do, sometimes. But I was blessed with an incredible internship opportunity at PRiMA theatre in Lancaster (check out their website here) and a full time job offer at Cherry Crest (I blogged about that here). Definitely not what I was expecting to be doing on the other side of my fast. But I was able to take extra time to pray and really consider my options and possibilities, and in the end, made one of my first real life decisions. We all know how I feel about decisions... I hate making them. It felt good to make one, and know that it was a good thing.

Conflict resolution. Many of you know that Kayleigh (she blogs here) and I have had some issues with each other in the past. Major issues. Like, she's-dating-my-ex-boyfriend issues. We've tried to resolve things in the past, mostly because we felt like we had to, but it never worked. Ever. I very rarely dislike someone to the point of almost hating them, but I admit: there were times when I hated her. Fortunately for both of us (and all of our mutual friends), something changed in the last month or so. We took the time to listen to each other, for real this time, and put ourselves in the other person's shoes. We realized that we aren't necessarily going to be BFFs... and that it's okay. Instead, putting God first in our lives (individually) will help us both to work through our issues (together). It won't be easy. It will require an effort. But the first step has been made.

The biggest thing I felt God saying to me was wait for Me. I am notorious for doing things on my own, and doing them now. I grew up in a world of instant gratification, I like to see my results. But there have been lots of areas in my life recently where I'm not seeing instant results... and it's frustrating. But there is a time and place for everything. There are probably things that are already set in motion that I have NO IDEA about, things that will eventually impact my life in a big way. It could become apparent tomorrow, or not til I'm 30. Retraining myself to wait has been the hardest thing, and I've barely begun. It involves the right attitude and intentionality. And a LOT of patience.

If you haven't ever done any sort of fasting, I'd encourage you to give it a try. You don't have to do a Daniel fast, you can give up coffee or sugar or tv or Facebook (it's possible, I promise) or anything else that takes priority in your life. But take the time to listen to God, pray about the big things in your life, and open your heart to new possibilities. You might be surprised.
x

Favorite smells that make the world a better place

Our sense of smell is really an amazing thing. It's pretty much the strongest sense, and it's amazing how even the faintest smell can bring a wave of memories washing back over you. We all have those smells that remind us of home or of a better time, or the ones that just smell SO GOOD that it makes you want to eat ALL THE FOOD.

1. Freshly cut grass. Not only is this the best indicator that it is now officially spring, but there is just something fresh and new about the smell of cut grass. It makes me want to go outside and lay on the grass in the sun and read a book.

2. Bread baking. If you've ever walked into a bakery in the morning, you know what I'm talking about. But luckily, this can also be achieved at home, especially if you have a mom who loves to bake bread. Thank goodness I do. There is nothing better than bread that is still warm because it just came out of the oven, and the butter almost melts before you even put it on the bread. That's how awesome it is.

3. Chocolate chip cookies. Especially when they've just been baked, so they are warm and gooey and chocolatey. It's amazing how it makes the whole house smells like chocolate.

4. Bacon. You could be frying a single piece of bacon at the next closest farm, down the hill and across the way... and I would still smell it. That is how potent the smell is. It's strong enough to get my butt out of bed on Saturday morning (in fact, it's probably the only thing capable of getting me up earlier than lunch time). I've had to ask my family to refrain from making bacon during my Daniel fast, because I think it would drive me crazy.

5. The ocean. There's nothing like rolling your window down and KNOWING you're within a few miles of the beach because you can smell the salt in the air. It's refreshing and tangy and so summer-y. Seriously, summer needs to get here asap.

6. Coffee. It is just a wonderful thing in so many ways. But the smell of a coffee shop makes me feel inspired and studious and like I want to curl up in a corner with a blanket and read a book. Or write a book.

7. Cucumber melon. This is my favorite scent of body wash. It smells like cool and sleek and fruity all rolled into one. I tried it as perfume, though, and didn't like it. It's strictly a body wash scent.

8. Cologne. I'm a pretty big fan of most guys wearing cologne. Unless they are drowning in Axe, then I just feel like I'm suffocating. But generally speaking, I like the smell of cologne. There are some that I like more than others, but I don't actually know what any of them are called, only the boys who wear them.

10 foods I just really want to eat right now

1. Chocolate. Specifically dark chocolate. And with peanut butter.

2. Coffee, with french vanilla creamer. I didn't get a caffeine headache when I stopped drinking it for the fast, but I just really miss drinking it. Especially in the morning. Mom and I have breakfast together before I leave for work, and it's just not the same without coffee.

3. Fudge. There have been three pans of fudge (Cookies and Cream, Cappuccino, and Vanilla Nut) sitting on the lunch table at work for the past few weeks. And it's driving me crazy.

4. Also, this food board has been staring me in the face all week. This picture is bad quality, but the food just looks SO GOOD. Our public relations woman really outdid herself, the pictures make me want to buy ALL THE FOOD.

5. Ice cream. Cookie Dough or Double Dunker. Or both. At the same time. With chocolate syrup and caramel.

6. Really buttery popcorn. I've been eating popcorn since we make it ourselves, and it fits with the fast because it's natural. But it's not the same when you just sprinkle a little bit of salt on it. It needs some butter. Lots of it.

7. Cheetos. Aside from not knowing exactly what a cheeto is, I have been craving them like crazy recently. And I'm not really sure why, because I don't eat them very often.

8. Cheese. Specifically port wine cheese, but really I miss all kinds. I just love cheese.

9. Milk. At least I'm not trying to eat sweets without it. That would be terrible.

10. Bacon. I mean, I miss Thursday Night Breakfast-for-Dinner in general, so also eggs and toast. But specifically bacon.


This fast has definitely been a struggle this week.

This post is actually a test disguised as a post... to see if this actually works

I've always wanted to write a blog, so I finally decided to do it. I figure it's about time that I start writing again, and letting my creative juices flow. Plus I have so many thoughts about anything and everything.

Fun facts:

1. Favorite movie in the history of ever: Princess Bride. Everyone needs to see this movie.

2. Yes, I'm named after Liesl from Sound of Music. I sang "16 Going on 17" practically every day of my 16th year of life. If you have no idea what I'm talking about then shame on you. Go educate yourself.

3. Hopefully this blog will eventually be a place to chronicle my adventures into a stage management career. Until then it will be chronicling my adventures as a painter of glow-in-the-dark fish at Cherry Crest Adventure Farm.

4. Mom and I have been on a puzzle kick lately. There's something oddly satisfying about completing a puzzle, and seeing it go from 1000 individual pieces to the big picture. We are currently in the middle of a 'Teddy Bears' Picnic' puzzle that we can't seem to find time to work on, even though we thought we'd have it done in two days flat.

5. I am recently a huge Joss Whedon fan (thank you, Ashley). I've worked my way through Doctor Horrible, Firefly, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, and Dollhouse is at the top of my "TV Series to Watch" list. Also, we saw Cabin in the Woods. Still not entirely sure how I felt about that one. But seriously, the man is brilliant.

6. I make friendship bracelets for my friends like it's nobody's business. Maybe I should start a business. But for real, if you want one, just ask me. I can make cool patterns and stuff. I even made one with penguins.

7. I am currently in the middle of reading Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events, for the first time in my life. And I'm quite enjoying them. They are rather strange, but I think I like it.

8.  This past year, I dressed up as Cogsworth for Halloween, specifically for a Disney themed teavning. But also because Beauty and the Beast is probably my favorite Disney movie.

9. I love chocolate. Specifically dark chocolate. Even more specifically, dark chocolate with peanut butter. Or caramel. Or with caramel and sea salt.

10. I'm from Lancaster, PA... Amish country. It's the place to be. No, for real, people really like to come here. It's like a vacation hot spot. Probably second only to any place warm and tropical.