I Believe In Alpha Delta Pi...

I believe that my sorority is more than just a ritual or a symbol; that it is a way of life. I believe that the principles established by our founders in 1851 are enduring attributes, exemplifying the highest ideals of Christian womanhood. I believe that our motto, "We Live for Each Other", expresses the true spirit of fraternity; and that by living this motto my life will be enriched by true friendships and by unselfish service to mankind. I believe that the privilege of membership in Alpha Delta Pi brings the responsibility to do my best in whatever I undertake, always remembering that leadership requires confidence tempered with humility and courage blended with tolerance. I believe that I must strive to become a well-balanced person by following the dictates of the four points symbolized by our diamond-shaped badge: first, strengthening my own character and personality; second, watching my attitudes to ward my fellow-beings; third, recognizing the value of high educational standards; and fourth, developing faith and loyalty. I believe that these four guide-posts, guarded by the stars and friendly hands clasped in the Adelphean bonds of fellowship will lead me to achieve a rich and useful life.

I spent this weekend at the Alpha Delta Pi District Leadership Conference for District IV in Indianapolis, Indiana. I'd never been to Indiana before, and I can hardly say I have been now considering I literally didn't go outside the entire time, but I can say I had an absolutely amazing time.

I got to spend two days with sisters from across the midwest growing in our sisterhood and in my own leadership abilities as Guard. Most importantly, I got to grow deeply in my sisterhood with my sister officers. From rapping ADPi songs that are meant to be sung sweetly, to rewriting some of our favorite television show theme songs to be about ADPi, down to creating some of the most obnoxious inside jokes to drive the rest of our sisters insane, I have grown so much closer to my fellow ADPi Huskers and I can't wait to share what I've learned in our chapter meeting today.

So much happened, some of which I can't tell you because not all of you reading this are initiated members of Alpha Delta Pi sorority, and some of which I can't tell you because it's chapter secrets, but I can tell you that I am so thankful I am able to be a member of this wonderful sorority and I hope that everyone can become a part of an organization that so deeply shares their values, whether that be another Sorority (Panhellenic or not), a Fraternity, or any other collegiate organization that really takes you in as a member of family.

For me, Alpha Delta Pi was that place, and the creed, which I opened this post with, speaks to me on such a deep level. At the conference, we each received a little card, about credit card sized, with the creed and our crest printed on it. I now carry it in my wallet as a constant reminder to live by the principles set forth by our founders back in 1851.

As hard as it is to go back to my classes and my complicated collegiate life, if I keep these principles close to my heart and strive to be a well-balanced person, I will be able to take on anything, both in my college life, and for the rest of my life.

I believe in Alpha Delta Pi.

On my 19th year of life...

This past Thursday I celebrated my 19th birthday.  Things got pretty cray, and I had a really great time, but it's also the beginning of a new chapter in my life, my 20th year.  So, rather than write about why I hate Valentine's Day, or about the Olympics, I figured a retrospective on this past year of my life would be more appropriate.

February 13th, 2013 I returned home from school to run over to 7/11 and buy myself some lottery tickets, and to my dismay, I was not asked for an ID.  That Friday I went to a Cutthroats hockey game with two of my best friends and received a message on the jumbo-tron from my family (a "trout out") before heading off to Sonic for tater tots, malts, french fries, and Disney tunes.  It was a great way to welcome myself into adulthood.  But a lot has changed since then, even in just one year.

I no longer live in Colorado, I now call Nebraska my home.  I no longer attend Denver School of the Arts as a high school student, I am a college student at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln.  I am still a Theatre major, but I now officially have an emphasis on Performance and am pursuing minors in French and Film Studies.

I spent my last few months at DSA fairly miserable, nothing seemed to be working out for me.  I caught noravirus (the absolute worst day of my life), I wasn't cast in anything, and I felt like my senior year of high school was culminating in exactly the way I would expect my terrible 5 years at DSA to end, with me being on the outskirts of not only my major but of everything.

I began a job at a movie theatre near my house and found it to be the perfect summer job for me.  I got to see free movies, surround myself with other film fanatics, and spend all day helping people do my favorite thing: experience the art of film.

I went to Prom with my best friend in a gorgeous Calvin Klein dress I was able to purchase for myself (thanks to all my hard work).  It was a wonderful fancy night, and one of my best friends was voted Prom Queen!  I then went to StarFest with aforementioned best friend and also relaxed in the hot tub after killing our feet dancing in heels the night before.

I had my senior theatre banquet and finally got to give a tearful speech, thanking my wonderful family, my beautiful best friends, and those teachers that really did help me along my path as an actress.  I also had my graduation, which was an amazing day in my life.  I got to proudly wear cords for Thespian Society, Student Council (for which I served as Vice-President), Arts Endorsed Diploma, and the Harry Potter Alliance (which I co-founded), along with a cool National Honors Society collar.  I even received my diploma from one of my favorite teachers of all time, Mr. Hughes.  My graduation party was Hawaii themed, in honor of my birthplace, and I wore my mom's old hawaiian print dress and had some delicious POG.

I frequented The Church nightclub all summer with two friends, dancing all night long and becoming friends with the DJ.  I went to Denver Comic Con as my first full convention and spent hundreds of dollars of graduation money on all things wonderfully nerdy before going Sci-Fi Speed Dating and getting a couple of dates out of it.  I went and saw The Rocky Horror Picture Show at Red Rocks with two of my besties as a final goodbye before I headed off to Nebraska.

I went through Panhellenic Formal Recruitment and received a bid from Alpha Delta Pi and have joined an international sisterhood that I am so proud to be a part of.  I began my life as a college student, making friends, living in a dorm, meeting frat boys, hanging out in the lounge, and of course going to classes to study my love, acting, and also the dreaded ACE (gen ed) classes.  I went to every home game for the Huskers thanks to the season pass my mom's friends got me for a graduation gift and tailgated with my cousins and sorority sisters.

I went back home to see my little sister in Beauty and the Beast, the all-school musical at DSA and also got to go a Broncos game.

I went to my first ever sorority formal, we were grouped with Theta Phi Alpha, Beta Sigma Psi, and Acacia.  While it was a bit of a cluster, it was a great bonding time with my wonderful sisters.  I was initiated into the Alpha Delta Pi sisterhood and met my wonderful big Diamond Sister.  Oh how I love the pin they let me wear.  <3  I got to welcome in the next Alpha Class to ADPi as a Delta (the Alphas from open rush) and it was delightful to greet so many wonderful new sisters.

I went back home for Thanksgiving and Christmas to my lovely family and even worked for a week during my Christmas break.

I then returned to college as a full-fledged college student, used to walking across campus despite the wind whipping my face and waking up early despite being up until 3am the night before.  I joined the staff for Seeds entertainment and am now an officer for my sorority.

And this all led to here.  My first birthday without my family.  But at least I had a great time staying up until midnight with friends to open presents, and then going out with friends to celebrate my birth.  While 19 doesn't mean much in most places, here in Nebraska it's the legal adult age, so it's my second birthday celebrating legal adulthood.  I can now buy lottery tickets here in Nebraska and sign legal documents for myself.  C'est la vie.

Anyway, a lot can change in a year, and this year was full of exceptional changes.  I only hope the rest of this year proves to be as amazing as I hope it will be.

Lincoln Exposed Thoughts and Musings...

A couple of weeks ago I read an ad in The Dailyer Nebraskan (UNL's satirical newspaper) to write for Seeds, the entertainment section (kind of a like an AV Club to Nebraska's The Onion) and took it upon myself to check it out.  One of my friends already went to Dailyer meetings, so I asked if I could join and I've been attending meetings ever since.  Granted, that's only a whopping two weeks so far, but nevertheless it's been a great experience.

This weekend I helped cover Lincoln Exposed for Seeds, an annual music festival in Lincoln where 3 bars have 4 nights of musical performances by local bands only.  It was a great time.  Being from Denver, I'd never realized how great of a music scene Lincoln has.  Granted, I didn't see that many bands, but some of those I did see were simply phenomenal.  Personal favorites were Bonehart Flannigan, the craziest and most drunken concert I've ever experienced (to clarify, I wasn't drunk, but Flannigan was), Tie These Hands, and of course, the incomparable A Ferocious Jungle Cat (don't know who they are? Neither did I, but you should really fix that).  In addition, I got to spend a fair amount of time getting to know the staff at Seeds and The Dailyer, and they're pretty much amazing.

I'd been looking to get into some extracurricular I could really sink my teeth into, and I think I've finally found that with Seeds, not to mention I've found a really great group of people to spend the occasional hour or two with, and that's what college is all about, am I right, or am I right?

Superbowl Sunday!

Growing up I was always a Broncos fan.  Granted I didn't really care about football as a child, but my father sure did!  And considering he was in the Coast Guard, rooting for his hometown's team was a way for him to stay in tune to his roots (or at least that's what I think...).

Well, in high school I really started to get into sports, mainly hockey (GO AVS), but I always loved the Broncos.  So naturally, moving away from home I needed to hold on to my roots even tighter, and the Broncos were a great way to do that.  I could watch a game and just imagine my dad screaming at the television despite the fact that the Broncos were winning because someone messed up a play.  But my first football season away from home wasn't just the Broncos making it to the playoffs, they're playing in the SUPERBOWL.

So, I will be heading up to Omaha with my BFF to watch the game with her family (who obviously root for the Broncos) and I will listen to her dad screaming at the television in support of Denver's team and imagine it's my dad.  I will eat copies amounts of chips, watch and enjoy (and tweet about which ones objectify women) the commercials, and overall share in the bliss that is the most highly televised worldwide event in the world.

In conclusion, GO BRONCOS and have a happy Super Sunday!!!!!!!!!!!!

January Movie Blurbs

Well, it's the beginning of February, and it's time for what I hope to make a monthly post of all the films I've watched that month and a mini review of them.  I've been keeping a list of all the films I've watched all year to create an end of the year project (inspired by my friend Conner), so it's pretty easy to remember all the movies I've watched so far.

Anyways, here goes!

Saving Mr. Banks
Sometimes a film reminds me why I chose to go into the film industry, and this is one of those films.  Completely and utterly snubbed in terms of Oscar nominations, a great piece of film.

Friends With Kids
Okay, so it's not the greatest film of all time, but I greatly enjoyed this romcom.  Sure, I knew exactly how it was going to end, but I was so excited to actually get to watch it happen.  And I loved having characters that aren't the typical romcom characters (i.e. a solid strong female character who is genuinely independent completely sans a male romantic figure yet still has emotions) and the feminist filmmaker that I am loved the fact that it's a female director!  If you like romantic comedies, I'd highly suggest this one.

Drinking Buddies
I watched this expecting a completely stereotypical romcom and got much more than I bargained for.  It's an interesting indie film that will take you places you weren't quite expecting, but are glad you went, and will really make you think about the complications that love and relationships present in a much more realistic manner than most films.  I think my favorite part about this is that the acting is just so effortless.  It doesn't feel like you're watching scenes, but just watching snapshots of these peoples' lives.

American Psycho
This film is brilliant in every way shape and form.  Yes, completely graphic and violent and over the top by many standards, but if you truly understand the satirical humor of the film and the 80s environment in which it's set, I think it's a great watch.

Heathers
My current film obsession.  It is 80stastic in every way shape and form and chock full of dark humor, sarcasm, and one liners that give me life.  If you haven't watched this movie and fallen in love, we probably will never be best friends (but we can still hang out, if that's okay).

American Hustle
Maybe everyone just talked this one up too much, but I was very underwhelmed.  The acting was fantastic on every level but everything else about this movie was just rather...blah.  Deserved a best picture nomination, sure, but I didn't enjoy it and I didn't leave thinking "what a beautiful piece of art," so I guess it just didn't do much for me.  Unless you're as determined as I am to see every best picture nominee before the Oscars, you can wait for this one to go to DVD.

The Bling Ring
No movie in the world makes me want to f' sh*t up quite the way this one does.  Everything about this film is flawless.

12 Years a Slave
Easily the best picture of the year.  By a lot.  At the end my friends were just sitting there staring at the screen.  I mean, we literally sat through the entire credits unsure of what to do.  I love the art of film for its ability to tell a story and communicate a message, and this movie uses this to communicate an important and tough story and message.  If you haven't seen it yet, find it and watch it all costs.  It's a beautiful piece of film.

27 Dresses
Standard romcom, nothing special here.  The dresses are funny, and I always love Malin Akerman, but I'm glad I didn't spend money on this.

Gravity
I guess I'm just not impressed by amazing visuals and mediocre storyline.  Sandra Bullock is phenomenal, and I'd like to see it in 3D to really capture the visuals, but this movie was highly overrated in my mind.

Hoot
Super cute.  Logan Lerman is adorable, and it was cool to watch the movie after having met the director earlier in the school year.  A really great kids movie about the importance of the environment, which naturally I can totally get behind.

Captain Phillps
I knew I'd like this movie, but I was blown away.  Tom Hanks was beyond phenomenal and I can't believe he wasn't nominated for Best Actor.  I was so completely tense the whole movie and the score.  Just gorgeous.  A completely underrated film.

Aquamarine
My friends wanted to watch it, I for one would rather leave it behind in my childhood.

The Great Gatsby
Maybe I'm biased because of my undying love for Leo(nardo DiCaprio) but I love this film. a) Leo is the perfect Gatsby, b) this film is so over the top in the exact way I suspect F. Scott wanted it, and c) I have always loved Baz Lurhmann's style and use of music in film (A Little Party Never Killed Nobody anyone?).

Heathers
Second time, and believe me, this movie will never get old.

Girls Just Want to Have Fun
Gotta love the 80s-ness of it, but overall just kind of a fluff film about dancing and wearing ridiculous 80s outfits.  Great to get you into the mood for an 80s themed party, though!

What's Your Number?
I have loved this movie for quite some time.  a) I love Chris Evans, b) I love romcoms that have something unique to them, and c) Anna Faris is fantastic.  This movie is just cute, quirky, and features many of my favorite actors in cameos (Zachary Quinto, Martin Freeman).  Fun fluff entertainment that holds a soft spot in my heart.

Mean Girls
Obviously as a female of my age I adore this film, and watching it keeping in mind that I took buzzfeed's "which mean girl are you?" quiz and getting Regina George (any my best friend getting Karen) just made it so much better.  Although every time I watch it I am reminded that I literally have the entire film memorized word for word.  I may have a problem.

The Wedding Singer
This movie is a solid romcom with a brilliant cast and an 80s theme, what's not to love???

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
A lot of people hate this movie, and yes it got terrible reviews, but as an avid Steve Buscemi fan I can't not love how adorable this movie is!  It's a solid feel good film and it has some really funny moments (at least in my mind), and whatever anyone says, it'll always be one of my go-to happy feeling comedies.

Pretty in Pink
Duckie.  I mean, what else do you need to have a fantastic film?  John Hughes films are pretty much the best thing that ever happened to teenage films, and as an avid lover of the 80s and classic teen films, I'm pretty much in love with this one.

Dirty Dancing
Always a classic, never gets old.  But we all know the only reason I continue to watch this film over and over again: "Oh lover boy!"

And that concludes my January 2014 movie recap.