One Way

perfectioN: It can heal. It can crush. It can make us more imperfect by our pursuit of it. When we think we reach it, it often pulls away, showing us the cracks and wrinkles that still need to be smoothed over. The last ounce of it we must reach to finally be happy. And even though I firmly believe there’s only One who has ever truly possessed it in its fullness, listen to the tricks the mind can play. So. Perfection looks like immaculately edited Instagram photos - the perfect pose, the perfect latte art, thriving succulent, the beauty that the photographer captures with perfect symmetry and patterns that our eyes love when we see them. SNAP. Perfection looks like that once in a blue moon day when your hair, skin, and bloating stomach all agree to be on the same page and look FOINE. When the sun is out, the light is right - not too bright, find that shadowy spot in the yard, coffee shop, library, mall where it diffuses and makes you look like a goddess - SNAP goes the sel...

Friends, fam, countrymen - lend me your ears! ;) It's been a while since I've blogged, much less updated the folks back home on what I've been up to here in the Sight & Sound Conservatory. I can hardly believe I'm in my eighth month of being here! There's been so many good days, some really bad days, a lot of challenging days, and several plain old "meh" days. It really took till about May to get into the routine of classes, shows, and working in the extraordinary! And though I know I've grown a lot since I've gotten here, part of what this year has shown me is how much more I have to learn!  One of my biggest growth points thus far is probably my voice - I used to struggle just doing two weeks of rehearsals and shows at my old theatre (and honestly thought I'd have a lot more vocal strain here). But now, with voice lessons, and my voice growing stronger with the sheer fact of doing 7-9 shows a week, months on end, I hardly ever str...

This is only the second Father’s Day I’ve been away from my dad. The last time was three years ago when I was in Africa. I left for church that morning with an itch in my throat. My teammate was down with some nasty virus—we thought it might be malaria. I would’ve stayed with her, but we were supposed to work on a play with the children after the service, so I went anyway.             The sun was well up in the sky by the time I climbed into the bright orange van with the pastor and his family. Church couldn’t start without us, or so I thought. When we got there, they were already worshiping. Loudly. And in Africa, that means blaring every instrument and microphone as loud as they will go.             I don’t remember what the sermon was about, but I do remember that every minute that passed in that wobbly, red plastic chair, my throat was closing up and my head was p...

My heart is SO incredibly full right now, I just had to sit down and write about it!!! Me and my roomies!! (L-R) Kinsey, Emma This week has been AMAZING! On January 5th, I got in the car with family and friends and had the easiest drive up to PA I'd ever had, and started getting settled in my new apartment! In the following days I've met Kinsey and Emma - my wonderful, fabulous, beautiful, kindred-spirit roommates - along with the rest of the Sight & Sound Conservatory class of 2017! They are fantastic young people and we have all connected so much in just one week already! And I've probably laughed more in the last week than I have for the previous four weeks combined!  Thank you, Lord, for your joy! Note: for a photo journey of my year at Sight & Sound, search the hashtag #elventures17 on Facebook and Instagram! It took me a while to get my sleep and appetite back (I'm just SO stinkin' excited for this year), but I'm finally startin...

There are a lot of hypocrites in this world of ours. Some are in the Church, some are in the World. And the latter has become abundantly obvious with the 2016 elections coming up! But several people I know have recently been struggling with the hypocrisy they see among Christians. They see someone who claims Christ, yet harbors great anger. They experience the sting of gossip and slander from those who claim to be their brothers and sisters in Christ. They ask the questions, "How can these people truly be Christians?" and "How can God be who He says He is if His followers act like this?" The older you get, the more you will see this hypocrisy in the world around you. But is that it? Is nothing real or genuine because of the people who claim to follow the Truth and yet...don't? The short answer is no, of course not. And the longer answer... 1. We have to start by looking at our own lives  How many times have I disappointed others? How many times have ...

This place is amazing!! Dear Friends and Family, Though many of you have already heard, it is my great pleasure to announce that I have been accepted to attend the Sight & Sound Conservatory’s 2017 class ! I’m writing this letter for two reasons – firstly, I’ve talked with many of you about what this venture entails, but not all of you! Secondly, I would appreciate any donations toward my schooling that you might feel led to give! For many reasons (read below) I will be unable to work while I’m in Pennsylvania for the year, and thus have to save all my funds beforehand. I’ve been working diligently since September 2015 to earn the majority of the finances I’ll need, but if anyone would like to give, I could use a push to get me to where I need to be come January! What is the Sight & Sound Conservatory ? The gorgeous theatre in PA! The Sight & Sound Conservatory is a very unique musical theatre school within the larger company of Sight & Sound T...