My 19th Birthday and my years of performing (and two fun tags)

So today is my birthday! Can't believe I'm already 19. I certainly don't feel it(around my peers at college, I sometimes feel like an innocent 12 year old, but I'm quite okay with that), but there it is. Not long now before I'm 20. Also, I've made it this far without dating anyone! WAHOO! (and I don't plan on dating til I'm out of college- don't have time for all the drama that comes with it).

Since I like to do fun posts on my birthday, I thought I'd share some photos of me in various acting roles over the years :)(I'll even include some dance related ones! :)).





       Me in my first dance recital outfit(for ballet). :) I started when I was four and turned five before the recital. It was my first time ever on stage and I loved it! Definitely wanted to do it again! :)


                               

Me in my second ballet costume. Those pink gloves would turn your fingers white(because they were cutting off the circulation) if you wore them the way you were supposed to in the dance, so I ended up leaving the edge parts off unless I was going on stage. 

My third year of dance and the first year I started tap(why are we wearing fish net panty hose O_O?) 

The ballet outfit is based around a genie(we did the song "I Dream of Genie") and my mom basically had to sew the entire thing together -_-. It did look cool, though! :) 

Me in my first play! :) It was with the traveling group "Missoula Children's Theater" and this year we did "Little Red Riding Hood". Since I was still a little kid, I got the part of one of the Racoon's. I had wanted to be Little Red, of course, but now I realize I was too young.

Paper doll ballet outfit! :)




My second tap outfit. I am a punk rocker, or something XD

Me in "The Frog Prince" as a Venus Fly Trap. I was the leader of the Venus Fly Traps and I was the only one of the kids to have a line! :D

Me in "The Arabian Nights". I was one of the sisters in the last story we did.

                               This year in ballet, I got to be in the opening number! :) I remember being really excited about it since we were the youngest class to ever get to do it.

Me in my last year of tap. 

Me in "Snow White". This year I was a Skunk in the group of "Friendly Forest Animals". I remember being disappointed that I wasn't one of the Forest creatures(who were cool and creepy), but I had fun anyway.



                           





Me as Mary in Church(for the Christmas play).

Me in my last year of dance. I was very happy to finally get to wear a tutu in ballet. 

Me in my first year(and only year) of jazz. I loved jazz(it was a lot fun)! :) Can't believe I wore that outfit though XD(I wouldn't wear it now).

Me in "The Jungle Book". This was the first time I ever got a script in a Missoula Children's Theater play, which was a lot of fun! :) It was one of my biggest roles up to that fun and I was so happy to have been given such a good role! :) 

Me in "Robin Hood" where I was a Forester. Now that I'm older, I wish I could have been in Robin Hood's Merry Band. 

Me in Prep Choir. 

I found out that a group of homeschoolers were putting together a movie of Cinderella and I definitely wanted to be involved! :) I ended up getting to be one of the girls who played Cinderella(we had several; I was the one who went to the ball) I also played one of the step sisters(her name was Lulu Lolly XD).

Me dancing with the Prince(I found that so awkward at the time XD) 

Me as the Step Sister. 

Me in choir 

I started up Irish Dance in my tween years. I did it for around a year and loved it! :D A lot of fun!

After I stopped taking ballet/tap/jazz, I started up band with a local homeschool group. I played the Clarinet :) 

Since I was in choir, I was lucky enough to get the chance to sing backstage in the opera Sister Angelica/Maria(I forget) at my town's University. They had wanted some children to sing with the adults  in the back(for the end), so our choir teacher said we could. Annoyingly, she didn't teach us how to sing the song(which was in Italian and Latin) but thankfully, someone who knew the language was in town, so she helped us out. 

Me intensely staring at the sword.

Me in "The Little Mermaid". I was one of the Sea Scouts who also got to be the dragon/a soldier in one of the scenes(where we try to attack the town; we had the more fun role, unlike the guards who run away screaming). This was definitely a fun role! :)


                              

                               

Me in Concert Choir

When I was 10/11, I found out about a Children's Theater in the area that put on pretty good plays. I was excited, so I signed up quickly for it. The play we were doing that fall was "Sleepy Hollow". I got the part of the Ghost Pirate(as well as one of the towns people). I wish I could have had a bigger role, but it was still a fun role(except for that stupid mask -_-).



                              

                           


                                         

That winter(I had turned 11 by then) we did the play "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" which is based on a book I really liked. I was so happy to be cast as one of Herdman children! :)(since that was what I was hoping for!). I played the oldest of the children, Ralph Herdman(a  boy).

                          



                          




                           

Me fighting the girl who played my sister, Imogene(I kind of got caught up in the moment and knocked her to the ground...).

Me as Joseph! :) In "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever", Ralph Herdman plays Joseph in the pageant, so I also got to play Joseph. Now I can say I've been BOTH Mary and Joseph XD

I really make a good boy...:)









                                

I was lucky enough at 12 to be cast in "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe"(which was a homeschool production). I was cast as the oldest Pevensie, Peter(High King!), which was just so awesome! :D I've been a fan of Narnia since I was seven, so getting to be in Narnia, and play one of the children, was just such a dream come true! :D



                                   


Preparing to rush into battle.

                                     


                              

My favorite pic of the fight! :D So cool! :)  I had a lot of fun during practice of the battle scene- me and the girl playing Edmond got bored, so when we were supposed to yell "Peter!" "Edmond!" we did it all in slow motion, being all dramatic, which was quite funny XD.

                              



"Once a King or Queen of Narnia, always a King or Queen of Narnia" (in order- Lucy(my sister), Susan, Edmond, and Peter(ME!) ).


                                 


I am both king-

                                   

and a Knight! :) 

While I was doing the homschool Narnia play, I was also involved in my town's children's theater's production of "Through the Looking Glass". I received the part of "The Red Queen" which is probably the biggest part I've ever had(I had around  94 lines!) and I had a blast doing this show! :)

                         


                                            

                         

When I was around 11, I started playing piano(sorry that this is slightly out of order).

My next Missoula production was "Jack in the Beanstalk" where I played the circus Ringmaster. I had fun with the show, but I was made fun of for wearing a fake mustache :( 

I returned with the homeschool group for the last time(with that group, at least), to do the play "A Christmas Carol". I was cast as one of the narrators(called Peppermint). I had fun with the show, but the show didn't go so well when we performed :/ 

In the Children's theater, our next performance was the Broadway show "Into the Woods". I was cast in the role of Jack's Mother. While I wish I could have had a bigger role, I really had fun with this show and, looking back at a video, my acting was actually pretty good :) 

I made a lot of people laugh during this scene XD.

                                                

"get up you worthless son!"


                                                            

The spring I was thirteen, we did the play "Godspell", which is based on the book of Matthew in the Bible. I had SO MUCH FUN with this show! It's amazing, is beautiful, and has so many good, religious songs in it! :) Yet, it really can be enjoyed by anyone, which is nice :).

And, as I said before, the music is SO STUNNING! :D Love it! :D

The fun thing about the play is that everyone is pretty much equal in roles. I had a solo (which was "Learn Your Lessons Well") as well as several parts in the various parables we showed. I was even Peter in a sense(since I tried to attack Judas).

Me preparing to attack Judas.

                                     

In my last year doing Missoula Children's Theater, we did the play "Beauty Lou and the Country Beast" and I was cast as the older version of the youngest of Beauty's sister(Little Zo). I had a really fun tantrum throwing scene that had people recognizing me a year or so later. Lots of fun! :)

Throwing tantrums

At fourteen(thirteen at first), my town's Children's theater did the awesome musical "Suessical", where I played one of the Wickersham Brothers. This was probably one of my favorite shows ever, since I had such a fun time playing the role, as well as the cast.

Plus, I looked badass XD

The next play I did at children's theater, was "Beauty and the Beast" where I played Madame D'Argue, as well as several other extras. 

Me drinking alcohol XD(not really, it's empty. I was pretending to be drunk, though).

Me in "Thirteen". This is probably one of THE worst shows I've ever been involved in. The play was just too inappropriate and I couldn't relate to it at all(plus, it insulted geeks :P)

Me in college when everyone else is talking about inappropriate stuff XD (I was pretty much playing myself here- when the kids in the song were talking about these characters doing 'the kiss', I yelled "ewww!" XD )


                          

When I was fifteen, I heard that the local community theater was doing the musical "Annie". Since it was a show I'd always wanted to do, I immediately auditioned. I was cast in the role of Pepper, who I had such a great time playing. In fact, this is probably my favorite production I've ever been involved in. We had adults playing adults and kids playing kids, which made the whole story more realistic. I really enjoyed getting to flesh out Pepper as a character and I think people really saw that. Also, people who had been to Broadway(and worked there) said we were as good as Broadway!(OH YEAH! :D).

Pepper with her baby doll.

When I was seventeen, I heard about another homeschool group doing the play "The Man Who Came to Dinner" and since I hadn't done a play in a year, I auditioned and got the role of Mrs. Stanely. It was a very different role than what I normally played, so it was a bit difficult, but I ended up pulling it off very well! :)

I look like a fangirl(or, well, me when I'm excited about something) here XD 

I auditioned for the third time at the local community theater(didn't get in the second play I tried out for) and got the role of Lane in Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest". Even though it was a pretty small role, I enjoyed my experience. Plus, it gave me some more visibility. 

For some reason, people kept commenting on my thin figure. O_O(people thought I should eat more). 

The actor playing Algernon was really talented. Had fun working with him. 

This wasn't in the play, just me being funny for an official shot. 

And now for my most recent show, Les Miserables! :D This is definitely another favorite! :D As you probably know from my post on it, I was a Barricade woman, a lovely lady, crash cart victim, factory girl, and a beggar. Basically, I was so, so honored to actually get to take part in pretty much my favorite musical. I am so blessed and lucky to get that chance.

Excited for what is to come in the future! :D Hopefully there will be many more fun roles to enjoy (in TV, movies, theater, animated, etc) :D

Also, I did also do a film acting class where we made a movie(which I didn't include since I don't currently have a picture for it). 

Now for some fun tags.

Dark Chocolate (a book that covers a dark topic): 

"Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson- a very good book that discusses a very terrible topic. Definitely recommended for older readers

White Chocolate (a light and humorous read): 

The Fruits Basket Manga are like that(it gets darker later on, but it's still pretty light)

Milk Chocolate (a book with a lot of hype that you're dying to read):

Well, I am reading "The Blood of Olympus", but I'm really excited about it! :D

Caramel-filled Chocolate (a book that makes you feel all gooey inside):

All of Jude Watson's Star Wars books! :) They make me so happy! :D Same with the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Young Jedi Knights/Junior Jedi Knights, and Wild Space. Also, Yoda: Dark Rendezvous and Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus.Wafer-less Kit-Kat (a book that surprised you):

The Harry Potter books, Secrets of the Jedi, Revenge of the Sith novelization, The Knife of Never Letting Go, and Speaker for the Dead. 

Snickers (a book you're going nuts about):

Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit/The Silmarillion, all the good Star Wars books, Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus, currently! :D

Hot Chocolate with Mini Marshmallows (a book you turn to for comfort):

Any of Jude Watson's Star Wars books. 

A Box of Chocolates (a series you feel has something for everyone): 

Jedi Apprentice series! :D

Which Books Remind You Of….

1. Apples–

Ah. Healthy food. It is deep, meaningful, and probably won a lot of awards but, um, it really isn’t your thing.

I love apples...but...um, I didn't care for "The Great Gatsby" or "The Catcher in the Rye"- found them to be really dumb. Also, couldn't stand "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" and I found "The Fault in Our Stars" to be really lacking. 

2. Milk Chocolate-

This is the book that you’d recommend to absolutely EVERYONE.

the Lord of the Rings trilogy or any of Jude Watson's Star Wars books. Also, Matthew Stover's Revenge of the Sith novel.

3.Black Jellybeans–

WHY DO THESE EXIST?

Fifty Shades of Gray, Erotica in general, Twilight series, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Elsie Dinsmore, etc

4. Chocolate Kisses--

Aww…this novel had the best romance.

I have to admit, I LOVED Obi-Wan and Siri in Secrets of the Jedi. I don't normally like romance, but when it's done well, I can absolutely love it. And that's what happened here! :) 

5. Gummy Spiders–

Eek! You made sure to check under your bed every night for a week after reading this scary one.

The Taking by Dean Koontz. I remember thinking about the alien(well, not aliens..) in the book while walking back to my room in the dark and thought "why did you have to think of that?" :P Wasn't extremely scared or anything, but that did annoy me a bit. Really good read, though! 

6. Jumbo Lollypop–

This took you forever to get through, but hey! You did it!

Les Miserables! :D Loved that book! But took me forever to read. I think I'll have to say this about Paradise Lost. I'm not that far into it and I've had it since college started. 

7. Cotton Candy--

Admit it, you loved this when you were younger (you probably still do). Think: children’s or MG fiction.

Running Out of Time! :D Read that over 20 times when I was a kid. And of course, The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, and Percy Jackson. 

Top 10 Animated TV shows (and a bonus tag)

Avatar: The Last Airbender/Legend of Korra

First choice definitely has to be the Avatar universe series. Legend of Korra isn't the top show(I'd place it lower on the list by itself) but as a whole, Avatar: The Last Airbender/Legend of Korra is one of the best shows I've watched! It has an amazing world and characters and I just loved watching both of them; they also had a plethora of dynamic, diverse women so that was nice. ATLA is definitely my favorite of the two, but both are great series!


Attack on Titan

I LOVE THIS SHOW!! Attack on Titan is just plan amazing. Great storyline, characters that don't follow the normal stereotypes, and a really cool/unique setting. I just love pretty much everything about it! Also, I'd recommend watching the Sub and reading the manga eventually.


Death Note

Death Note, such a tightly-written, dark series. And one I absolutely loved. The story is an epic roller coaster ride that shows how you can make an intense, exciting story about two people just trying to one up the other. It is dark, has great humor, and all of the characters are fully realized(and Matsuda has such a great arc!). It's also really interesting in that we are following the POV of the villain(Light Yagami) instead of the hero(L).


Romeo X Juliet

This series is a fantasy-esque take on the famous Shakespearean play and it delivers magnificently. The original play was never a favorite of fine(I prefer Shakespeare's plays such as Hamlet, Macbeth, King  Lear, Twelfth Night, etc) but the way this show does it was perfect! It does start out a bit slow, but the show turns out to be amazing and the ending, while sad, was very satisfying and I ended up smiling at how well the show ended.


Clannad/Clannad After Story

Very few stories can be effectively sad and funny, but Clannad/After Story(mostly the second season) manages to do just that. With very well developed main characters, actual tension and sadness, and some great humor, this show is pretty much for everyone(a couple of scenes not appropriate for younger viewers, but my little brother watched most of it perfectly fine and really enjoyed it).



Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Very unique in it's story telling, FMA: B is a magnificent piece of television. It has great, relatable characters that you grow to care for and the world is so awesome and different than most stories, which made the original story line even more enjoyable. Plus, Edward Elric and Alphonse are just awesome! XD



Fruits Basket

The first anime I ever watched(I had seen a bit of Pokemon before this, but this was the first one I finished), Fruits Basket will always be special to me. While we sadly don't get to see the entire story play out in the anime(the story gets so amazing in the manga), it is still very enjoyable and something I would definitely recommend.



Star Wars: The Clone Wars/Star Wars: Clone Wars

While I haven't finished the mini series yet, I do love both shows taking place in the Clone Wars. While I have issues with the newer show(too many things  that messed with canon- yes, I consider the EU canon still) I do love both shows and they both have some great episodes.



Princess Tutu

Princess Tutu may sound like a little kid show(and it's actually pretty okay for younger audiences), but it actually a really nice, pretty mature(later on), story that uses ballet in a unique way. As someone who did ballet as a child, I really connected with this story and it, in fact, made me want to do ballet again(I'll be taking it in college at some point, so YAY!).



Fate/Zero

Fate/Zero is probably one of the darkest shows I've ever watched. It shows the good and bad of humanity in all it's messiness, as well as giving us an intriguing, exciting plot line(one of the best uses of the searching for the Holy Grail story-line). Plus, it has SABER who makes the show worth watching all on her own.

20 Things You Might Not Know About Me Tag

Question 1: How tall are you?

5'5'' (average height for a girl my age)



Question 2: Do you have a hidden talent? If so, what?

I do know a lot about architecture even though I'm not going to be an architect 


Question 3: What’s your biggest blog-related pet peeve?

When people say things I disagree with. 


Question 4: What’s your biggest non-blog related pet peeve?

Eating noises and chewing gum! ARGH!


Question 5: What’s your favorite song?

I have several. "Duel of the Fates", "Give Me A Sign", "Until the End". "Into the West", "The Force Theme", "Carry Me", "Angels on the Moon", "Flowers for a Ghost", "Warriors", "Guren no Yumiya", "Jiyuu no Tsubasa", "Counting Stars", "Song of the Lonely Mountain", "Star Wars main theme", "I See Fire", "What I've Done", "again", etc.

Question 6: What’s your favorite Etsy shop that isn’t yours?

I don't really use Etsy

Question 7: What’s your favorite way to spend your free time when you’re alone?

Writing, watching shows/movies, reading, and looking at stuff on the internet

Question 8: What’s your favorite junk food?

Ice Cream, candy, chocolate bars, crackers, cheese-its, and chips.


Question 9: Do you have a pet or pets? If so, what kind and what are their names?

My brother has a dog


Question 10: What are your number one favorite nonfiction and fiction books?

Favorite non-fiction...okay, this might seem weird but I really enjoyed the biographies I read of Hitler and Stalin- I learned a lot of history in those books.

Favorite Fiction- Lord of the Rings trilogy or one of the Star Wars books that I love

Question 11: What’s your favorite beauty product?

I don't really use those


Question 12: When were you last embarrassed? What happened?

I said something that really made me look naive. Nothing, they just laughed.

Question 13: If you could only drink one beverage (besides water) for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Juice? I drink water almost all the time anyway


Question 14: What’s your favorite movie?

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith! :D

Question 15: What were you in high school: prom queen, nerd, cheerleader, jock, valedictorian, band geek, loner, artist, prep?

I was a homeschooler so HAHAH! But if I wasn't, I would have been the geek/nerd/loner/artist person who knew martial arts (artist as in actor and writer and singer).

Question 16: If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

England

Question 17: PC or Mac?

PC

Question 18: Last romantic gesture from a crush, date, boy/girlfriend, spouse?

I've never dated, so...yeah.

Question 19: Favorite celebrity?

Hmmm, Ewan McGregor, Tom Hiddleston, Emma Watson, Billie Piper, etc.

Question 20: What blogger do you secretly want be best friends with?

I'm already best friends with the cool bloggers I like :D