5 New Year's Resolutions You Should Definitely Keep This Year

I don't usually make many (if any) New Year's resolutions. 

I think I've come to realize that in many ways, they are a waste of time. Historically, I haven't fully followed through--usually I get halfway and then got distracted. Why make a resolution if I'm not going to keep it? I also have come to the conclusion that I often make resolutions throughout the rest of the year. Whenever there's something I feel the need to work on, I do it then and there instead of waiting for the new year.

But I do recognize the value in setting aside specific time to make changes in your life and change the things about yourself that you don't like. And if the turn into a new year is what gives you the motivation to finally get it done, then that's great! Even if you aren't making any official New Year's resolutions, here are five things we could all do a little more in our lives.

Laugh more. It's scientifically proven to improve your life and make you live longer. They even say that faking your laughter eventually leads to real laughter. If you don't think you have a reason to laugh, force yourself to laugh at lame jokes or dumb cartoons, and you just might find yourself feeling happier and laughing for real.

Help others. It just takes so little effort, and it leaves you feeling better about yourself and the world and life. Of course there will be times when helping someone isn't within your financial or physical or emotional grasp. But often it is, and we should jump on those chances. Helping someone carry their groceries, make someone a casserole, assist in setting up for an event... the possibilities are endless.

Learn something new. This one is so EASY you might have already done it. Here's the secret: learning something new doesn't have to be a huge undertaking or a big consumer of your time! It can literally be ANYTHING. It can be as simple as looking up facts about your favorite historical vacation site or learning how your french press actually works. You might learn something about a coworker or friend that you never knew before. If you're feeling ambitious, you could learn a new skill at work or figure out a new hobby. Learning enriches your life, and it makes you feel good about yourself!

Make something. Again, so easy you probably have already accomplished it. But there's a huge sense of satisfaction in making something for yourself. Making yourself dinner once in a while instead of always going out to eat totally counts! If you're up for it, dive into the DIY world and pick a project that you can use in your house. There are endless ideas out there, and chances are good that if you can imagine it, someone has already tried it and written a tutorial for it. If not, experiment for yourself and then write your own!

Invest. Especially in things that make you happy. Take the time to truly invest in the things that are worth it. Spend a few extra moments with the kids in your life or work a little harder to complete your projects. Don't forget about the little things. Don't let your life pass by without putting in the time and reaping the benefits. Invest.


My one, actual resolution this year is to blog more. So hopefully we will all enjoy the fruits of my labor. :)

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.

Goats

Okay, okay, I know I'm totally jumping on this bandwagon WAY late, but seriously, I laughed out loud for like ten minutes while watching this video over and over and over. 

My serious disgust for this song in general just makes this version even better. And it's funny cuz we used to have goats. For most of my life, actually. See? Baby Liesl (on the left) with a baby goat.

Notice the leash... we always led them around and had big plans for teaching them to pull a cart. Not that we had a cart.

Sometimes Mom even let us have them in the house... how can you say no to those cute little faces?! (Yup, that's LeeBee and Christy in 1998).

We just always had goats. Alllllllllll the way until 2003. Even thirteen-year-old Liesl loved baby goats.

It pays to pay your dues

How many times have you heard grown-ups say, "Just pay your dues, it'll all get better"? I feel like every kid hears that enough times to have a small fortune if they had a nickel for every time. But I never realized how true it really was until this year. Bear with me and my cliches long enough to hear my story. You might get to see some really awesome pictures of baby Liesl. And by might, I mean that you will.

I was almost 14 when I first started working at Cherry Crest Adventure Farm in 2004. Back then, I still liked to go to through the maze for funsies, as you can see in this picture.

I picked up an application while my mom and I were there (to do the maze) on a Wednesday, came in for a conversation with Rudy on the Host bridge an interview the next day, and was working by Saturday. My first job? Cleaning toilets. Emptying trashcans. Refilling paper towel dispensers. Picking up trash. Not the most glamorous job, but man, that $5.15/hr made it all worth it. And Bill was a really great manager--he believed in his young employees, and made sure we learned how to work hard.

In 2007, I started working in food and with a register. That's right, I was a boss at making lemonade.

I spent some shifts in the Lemonade Stand, and worked A LOT of shifts in the Corn Cafe. Seriously, so many Corn Cafe shifts. There were some General Store and Snack Shack shifts thrown in there too. These years made me realize how glad I was that I didn't work in the restaurant industry.

But we all know that I really just like to talk. So one day they gave me a microphone! Just look how happy that made me.

I started doing Stalk Talks and Host Maze Master in 2008. This was by far one of my favorite job. Who wouldn't want to get paid to talk ALL DAY?! I loved making announcements and helping people through the maze. Plus, I'd always wanted to be the Host Maze Master. If there was one goal I had from the time I started working, that was it. I was beyond thrilled to finally have the chance to do it.

2010 was the first year that I worked pre-season. It was mostly planting flowers and being on the infamous Staining Crew, though I did a little bit of painting, which eventually led to being the primary creative painter for the next few years. I painted the maze photo ops, a number of petting zoo signs, and any other miscellaneous things that needed to be painted.

Our theme in 2011 was "Once Upon a Time," which obviously lent itself to my favorite job thus far-- being a princess!

I got to walk around in a poofy pink dress and take pictures with all the little girls, who got so smiley and giggly at the sight of a "real princess." We also had Story Time with the princess, which involved me reading a fairy tale story, and using kid volunteers from the audience to help tell the story. Seriously, the best job ever.

From that point on, my official job title was "Extra".... AKA running around giving people breaks going for extra supplies counting money doing whatever Sara needed me to do.

In the off-season, I did all the creative painting (photo ops, more petting zoo signs, etc) and lots of regular painting (the entire Sweet Shop and new bathrooms and the new General Store). Which brings us to the present.

This winter, five managers decided to leave Cherry Crest, all around the same time, leaving a number of positions and areas open. The last 9 years have finally paid off: Jack and Donna offered me a full-time, year-round Assistant Manager position that would include staff development, handling first aid incidents and lost children, developing more stage shows and entertainment, taking over the social media (like our Facebook page!) and of course, coordinating all the painting that needs to be done. After several days of prayer and some fasting (this opportunity conveniently came during my Daniel Fast), I accepted the position.

I started the same day. Since then, I've officially moved into my new desk (That's right. I get a desk), written the Stalk Talk script and gameboard with Sara, had numerous meetings, stuffed a lot of envelopes, and still managed to get all the fish painted for the Underwater Cave.

It's funny, because it doesn't seem like much changed from year to year. It was a gradual shift that took place as I got older and more experienced. But when I look at where I started, and where I'm at now, there is a big difference. I've worked hard to get where I am. I've put in countless hours, worked so many double shifts, endured a lot of mud and rainstorms, survived a tornado, and filled out enough count-back forms to paper a small forest. And now, it's come back around.

I know you can't always stay at the same job for a long time, even if it's one you really like. I know there are other circumstances. But sometimes it really is worth it to stick around, even when the going gets tough. You never know when it's going to pay off.