What are you thankful for?!?! =] November 25, 2009

On the eve of Thanksgiving, I thought I would give my opinion on what I think Thanksgiving is designed to do. I believe that Thanksgiving is designed to be a day where you recognize what and who is important in your live and let them know how much they mean to you. There are many things that I am thankful for so I thought I would make a list of the top 5 things that I am thankful for this holiday season.

1. My family and friends- They mean to world to me, without them I do not make sense. I have a very big family and tons of friends. I am so thankful to have each and everyone of them in my life.

2. My house- This year I have been volunteering at a homeless shelter and it made me realize how happy I am to have a roof over my head each day!

3. Cumberland Falls and my "Falls" family- Every year my family vacations in Cumberland Falls, KY. We meet up with families from all over and it is one of the most magical weeks ever. We have such a good time and even though I only see my "Falls Family" a couple times a year they really mean so much to me!

4. The Disney College Program- In January I am going to be moving to sunny Orlando, Florida to participate in the Disney College Program. This is going to be an amazing experience and I am so thankful that I have been given this opportunity.

5. My Puppies- Last but certainly not least I am so thankful for my three little Yorkies: Dinky, Lucy and Gracie. Dogs really are great companions and they are always there for you no matter what!

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital =] November 25, 2009

This morning I was watching the Today Show and they had a family on there that had a sever year old daughter that was fighting cancer. She has a brain tumor and is currently a patient at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. This is truly an amazing hospital that is designed to give all children the best treatment possible while fighting these horrible diseases.

According to Wikipedia, St Jude was founded by Danny Thomas in 1962 on the premise that "no child should die in the dawn of life." Families that have children with these horrible illnesses should not have to worry about how they are going to pay for the treatments that their children need to stay alive. This hospital is doing amazing work for children that so desperately need their help to win there battles against disease. I know that once I graduate from college that I want to be able to support this hospital. They are doing so much good and I would love to contribute as much as I could to the research they are doing.

"Give thanks for the healthy children in your life and give to those who are not." -St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

American Idol =] November 25, 2009

I am sure that almost everyone had heard of American Idol?!?! The show is designed to find the next singing sensation in America. The show first aired in June of 2002 and has been finding amazing talent in America ever since. It has crowned 8 contestants with the title of The American Idol but the winners of the show are not the only people gaining from the show. You do not have to be the actual winner of the show to recieve many benefits. Many of the contestants that did not actually win have signed record deals since being a contestant on the very popular reality show. Take Jennifer Hudson for example, she finished 8th in her season and now she has become a very popular singer and actress because of the show. America is full of many talented singers and this show is the only way that some of them can be discovered. I cannot wait to see who auditions for this up and coming season of American Idol. The auditions are the first few weeks of the show and sometimes they are the funniest part of the show. Some of the people who audition are not really ready for American Idol, but it is funny watching them try. I'm not sure when the next season is starting but check your local listings and make sure to check it out!!!

Law and Order SVU =] November 25, 2009

There are many crime shows on TV today. I would have to say some of the most successful law shows would have to be the Law and Order series by Dick Wolf. My personal favorite of the Law and Order series would have to be Law and Order Special Victims Unit (SVU). Law and Order SVU has been on the air since September 1999. They are currently in their 11th season. The show is designed to show what real life detectives go through on a daily basis. Their jobs are not always glamorous and the job most of the time is really dangerous. But it is a job that someone has to do and I think that Dick Wolf has done an excellent job of showing just that. The show is based in New York. The show acts out some high profile crime cases and other fictional cases. The shows leading actors are Christopher Meloni who plays detective Elliot Stabler and Mariska Hargitay who plays detective Olivia Benson. These two detectives have had many interesting cases throughout the years. Some of which have been really dangerous but most of the cases are really rewarding in the end. Crime is not pretty and the show does a great job of showing how the legal system works.

Family Traditions =] November 25, 2009

Around the holidays it seems like most family's have a certain traditions that they celebrate. My family has many holiday traditions. These traditions are designed to bring families together. Family is so important and sometimes our lives get in the way of seeing them very often. My family is full of many crazy and fun traditions that we celebrate throughout the year. Our most recent tradition that we just celebrated was Cookie Day. Every year right before Thanksgiving my family gets together and has Cookie Day at my Grandma's house. For one whole day we make tons of homemade sugar cookies for the Christmas season. My grandma makes the dough. We all take turns cutting the cookies into many holiday shapes. Then all of the cookies become our own little works of art. We decorate around 400 cookies every year. It is a great way for our family to spend time together. We give many of the cookies to our friends and neighbor. It is our little way of sending love to the people we care about during the Christmas holiday season.

Twilight Mania =] November 19, 2009

On the eve of the release of The Twilight Saga: New Moon, I thought it only fitting to do a blog on the design on The Twilight Saga. The Twilight Saga books and movie have hit the world and this movie is considered by some as the most anticipated movie of the year :) It has had the highest number of pre-sale tickets we have seen in a really long time. The sequel is supposed to gross even more than the first Twilight movie did... It is just crazy seeing how many people are in love with these books and movies.

According to www.movies.yahoo.com, "Online ticket seller Movietickets.com announced today that the second "Twilight" movie has taken the top spot on their list of the "Top 10 Advance Ticket Sellers of All-Time." It passed the record set four years ago by" Star Wars - Episode III: Revenge of the Sith." Even established franchises like "The Lord of the Rings," "Harry Potter" and "The Dark Knight" couldn't match the early sales of this highly anticipated sequel."

Twilight directors have tried really hard to stick to the original story lines of the books because they know that that is what the fans really want to see. The movies are designed to bring the books alive and they do a really good job of that. They have worked really hard to stick to the books which is the main reason I believe that they are so successful.

Twilight fans cannot wait for the arrival of this movie to hit theaters. I have had my tickets for weeks and cannot wait until tomorrow night :)

Soap Opera's =] November 19, 2009

I am sure when most people hear the words "Soap Opera" they think of a romantic show that there grandma or mom watched. I have to say that I am guilty of watching one "Soap." My favorite is Days of Our Lives. Days has been on the aired on NBC almost everyday since 1965! My grandma has watched this show since it started and got me hooked too. In the beginning when I was younger I really did not like the show. But I think I was 14 when I became hooked. Shortly after I started watching my little sisters started watching. My youngest sister Lyndsey was 9 when she started watching. Looking back on it I am not sure what my parents were thinking letting a 9 year old watching a Soap Opera but now all three of us are hooked.

Soap Operas are romantic dramas that were started as radio shows in the 50's. They have story lines that you would not believe. Baby drama, murders, major family issues and of course love stories. Most soaps are on daily, I know that Days of Our Lives is at least. I am not really sure why soaps are so addicting but they are. I think that they are designed to make people forget their actual real life problems and they enter all of these story lines that can be so tragic. They are peoples daily escape from real life. At least this is what I tell myself that they were designed to do, everyday I get to leave my world and enter the town of Salem with all my friends from the Days of Our Lives cast. If you want to see what I'm talking about try watching Days one day, its on NBC weekdays at one :) You might surprise yourself and fall in love with all of the drama too!

Taylor Swift host Saturday Night Live =] November 19, 2009

I think that most people have heard of Saturday Night Live... The show is on late every Saturday night! It is designed to be a comedic variety show. Every week they have a different celebrity host and that is how the show changes from week to week. The host brings their talents and shares them with the audience.

According to Wikipedia, SNL made its debut on debut on October 11, 1975, under the title NBC Saturday Night. It was changed to Saturday Night Live on in 1980. There have been many different people host the show which adds a lot because everyweek the host is going to bring something new to the original cast. If you have never watched the show I would really suggest staying up a little later this Saturday, you will definitly get a good laugh from the show!!!

Taylor Swift hosted SNL two weeks ago and it was so funny :) The clip above was a part of one of the skits she was in. Taylor Swift obviously is a musician so some of her skits involved her singing. But most of her skits were just her acting which she did a really good job at. She was extremely funny! Go to nbc.com to check out more of Taylor's funny skits from her night of hosting Saturday Night Live.

Digital Scrapbooking!!! November 18, 2009

I don't know if there are any scrapbook makers out there but if you are you might want to consider starting a digital scrapbook. I have never had the time to start a scrapbook but some people in my family make lots of scrapbooks. They are amazing to look at once they are complete but they are very time consuming. Digital scrapbooking is pretty new but of course everything in the future is going digital. I think that it is sort of like a blog only you make it more personal and you add way more pictures than you do to a blog. There are many websites out there that support digital scrapbooking. It is fast and it doesn't cost as much as purchasing the supplies to make a normal scrapbook. Everything is done online. You pick out your layout, descriptions and you add all of your own digital pictures. Most of the websites out there have a feature that allows you to print these scrapbooks once you are finished. It is pretty cool and I could see how this will really catch on and probably normal scrapbooking will disapear and everything will be done digital.

Touch Screen Vending Machines =] November 18, 2009

We are becoming the masters of touch screen devices! We have touch screen phones, MP3 players, computers, cameras, and now VENDING MACHINES!!! According to psfk.com these vending machines will be in the hitting the Simon Malls sometime in 2010. Most of these vending machines will have WiFi inside them so that they can notify the owner when they are running low on supplies. Also these machines have built in cameras so that you can not try to shake out any items. We are going to be a world of everything touch screen... What will they think of next??

Cake Boss =] November 17, 2009

If you have been following my blog you know that I am a sucker for reality TV. One of my new favorite reality TV shows would have to be Cake Boss on TLC. Cake Boss first aired last April and has become a very popular show on TLC. Cake Boss is about the Valastro family bakery in Huboken, New Jersey. The cakes they make are truly amazing! I have never seen such amazing designs in cakes before. They are all designed a little different and really are all edible works of art. Their clients come in to their bakery and know that they can tell them exactly what kind of cake they want and the Valastro family will deliver. They design everything from birthday cakes to wedding cakes. The show is a hit, this family is full of many characters. You get to see there works of art and also you get a good laugh! You should check out this really cool show and see his designs unfold on TLC every Monday night.

Wii Fit =] November 17, 2009

I am sure that most of you know what a Wii is... But for those of you that have never heard of one of these gaming systems I will fill you in on a little Wii history...

The Nintendo Wii was released to the general public on November 19, 2006. It was the new way to game. It was an instant hit in the gaming world. It was so popular and Wii was sold out for a long time. They only released 1.8 million Wii's per month. Stores were not able to keep these systems on the shelves.

Personally I am not a gamer but I enjoy playing some games on Wii. I personally do not have a Wii but my cousins do. They also own the Wii Fit. Wii Fit is a great game that is a great way to stay in shape. It is the one time that you can actually say that you are working out while playing a video game. According to Wikipedia, Wii Fit is the second best selling video game in history! That says something about what the American public is looking for in gaming today. Owning a gym membership can get pricey. When you have a Wii Fit your living room can become you gym. You are playing a game and getting a workout all at the same time! It is amazing to see where the Wii has taken gaming and it will be interesting to see where it is headed in the future!

CMA Awards =] November 11, 2009

The CMA's are a night to honor country music's best musicians. The award show was started 43 years ago and is still a night that many country music lovers get very excited about. It is designed to award the country stars for all of their hard work throughout the year. We all vote for who we think is most deserving for the different awards. It is a night of stars, amazing performances and lots & lots of awards. Awards are given for album of the year, best female and male vocalist, entertainer of the year and many many more. We do not always think about how much work and time many country artist spend on writing and recording songs. Also they are always traveling for performances and going on tour. Its not an easy job and it is nice that we take time and stop and thank them for all the music they give us that we listen to each and every day. Congratulations to all of the winners at tonight awards =]

Role Models =] November 11, 2009

What is a role model? What is the typical design of a role model?
According to definition.com:

role model

–noun
a person whose behavior, example, or success is or can be emulated by others, esp. by younger people.

I think that role models were designed to congratulate people who are great examples of people that shine. I have many role models that I look up to everyday. One of my biggest role models is actually someone that is my age. She is a rising star that is a great person for all women to look up too.

Country music star Taylor Swift is my role model. She is an amazing woman that has not let her fame and popularity go to her head. Her success is something that all young women should look to and be proud of. Sometimes Hollywood and fame changes young stars but not Taylor. Taylor Swift has had an amazing year. This year she has been on the road for her first headlining tour! I was so excited to be able to go to her concert when she stopped in Indianapolis on October 8th. Tonight is a special night for Taylor. Tonight is the CMA Awards. Taylor is up for Entertainer of the YEAR =] She is the youngest person ever even nominated for this high award. I really am keeping my fingers crossed that Taylor wins this award. She is a role model for so many young women and it would be great for her to be rewarded for all of her hard work!

Thank you so much Taylor for being true to yourself and not changing for anyone. You make other girls realize that they do not have to change for anyone and that you should always be yourself!

I'm wishing my Role Model Taylor Swift GOOD LUCK tonight at the CMA's <3>

Walt Disney World College Program =] November 11, 2009

I have recently been accepted to the Disney College Program. The program is designed for college students to move to Orlando, work and learn as much as they can about The Walt Disney Company and gain amazing experience to put on a resume. I am really excited about this amazing opportunity. I really do not know what exactly I want to do when I graduate and I am hoping that this program will point me in the direction that I am supposed to go!

For people that are thinking about doing the program you first have a few decisions you have to make. First decision would have to be are you willing to take a semester off of school. If you answer yes to this question then the Disney College Program might be some thing you should do. If you are thinking you could see yourself becoming apart of the Disney Cast the college program is a great way to get your foot in the door with the company. Okay next decision would have to be what season do you want to apply for either fall, spring or summer. I am doing the Spring Program so I will be living in Orlando starting in January and my program will be finished at the end of May. After completion of the program you are offered many opportunities if you can prove yourself to be a hard worker.

I am very excited about my Disney venture. I am sure that once I have completed the program I will be able to better describe what exactly happens during the college program. I will be happy to share any of my experiences. I hope that this is my start to finding my way. I believe that this program is designed to help many college students to realize whatever you put your mind to you can accomplish and dreams really do come true!!!

BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPING =] November 9, 2009

I'm not sure how many bargain shoppers are out there but I know that I am one of them. One of my weaknesses is shopping, but when I am able to justify it by items being on sale I think that it is okay. For many bargain hunters out there Black Friday is a shopping day many of them live for. It is designed to get many people out in the malls and other stores to get good deals for their holiday shopping. While it is not an official holiday I am sure many shopping lovers consider Black Friday a holiday =]

According to Wikipedia, Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving in the United States, which is the beginning of the traditional Christmas shopping season. The term Black Friday has been used since the 60's. Many stores have tons of sales just for Black Friday to get more shoppers to visit their store. Most stores even have longer hours on Black Friday to allow for more shopping.

Some say it is the busiest shopping day of the year. The times that I have been shopping on Black Friday I would have to say I agree. If you do not mind waiting in line for those bargains that Black Friday is a good day for you to go get your holiday shopping done. The earlier you get out the better because most of the really good deals end around noon.

If you are going out this year on Black Friday I wish you Happy Shopping =] I will probably be out fighting the crowds to get the best deals that day too!!!

Stand UP to Cancer =] November 9, 2009

Do you know someone with cancer? Does someone in your family have cancer? Many Americans can answer yes to both of these questions. Cancer is an awful disease that effects many families every year. The Stand Up To Cancer organization was created last year by the Entertainment Industry Foundation. It was a telethon that aired on September 5, 2008. It was a night where many Hollywood stars came out to show there support of people and families effected by cancer. It was a night to raise money to find a cure and after the special aired over $100 million was donated to the organization to go to research. Stand Up To Cancer was designed to bring awareness to all people that we are connected to cancer in some way and that we need to do our part in finding a CURE.

Here is Stand Up To Cancer's Manifesto:

This is where the end of cancer begins.
When together we become a force unmistakable.
A movement undeniable.
A light that cannot dim.
When we take our wild impossible dreams
And make them possible
Make them true
When together we rise as one
When we stand up
When we Stand Up To Cancer.

According to the American Cancer Society's website, over 562,340 American are expected to lose there battle to this horrible disease in 2009 alone. Cancer is a horrible disease that effects the lives of many American families each year. The goal is to find a cure, but that of course like everything else in life requires money. Stand Up To Cancer is a wonderful organization to find a cure. One day we will find a cure and part of it will be because of all the research that SU2C has been able to provide.

For more information visit their website: http://www.standup2cancer.org/

MUSIC VIDEOS =] November 3, 2009

Some music videos will be remembered forever, it all depends on the design of the video. A music video is supposed to visual show the song that it is for. I would have to say that Thriller is one of the greatest musical videos of all times. It has a very unique design. It is a very long music video. Most average songs are between 3 and 4 minutes so most music video are about that same length. Even though Thriller was made back in the 80's it is still being recognized today. Michael Jackson was one of the most talented musician ever. You don't just get named The King of Pop for no reason =]

Too prove that Thriller is still loved by people today, I wanted to share this website!!!
Its called thrilltheworld.com. According to there website, "Thrill The World is a worldwide attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the Largest Simultaneous Dance with Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” Thousands of people in cities around the world will learn the “Thriller”, dance and perform it together on the day that Thrill the World takes place."

As you can see the design of a music video determines it it will be remembered forever or forgotten by tomorrow. Michael Jackson was a very talented designer of music and dance. You can see and here this in his work that is still alive in many people today =]

WALT DISNEY WORLD =] November 3, 2009

Have you ever visited Walt Disney World before???
If you have never been to a Disney Park before... You definitely need to go!!!
The parks are designed for people of all ages =]
You can feel the magic right when you step onto Disney property.
I believe that the parks are designed to bring families together.
When you enter you leave all the problems of your real life and you enter this magical place where it doesn't matter you age. This place brings out the child in everyone. You can expect that when your family enters Disney World you know that you will have a good time!

In January I am getting an amazing opportunity with The Walt Disney Company! I was recently accepted into the The Disney College Program. The Program is designed to be a great resume builder for college-aged people. Also it is a great way to get you foot-in-the-door with Disney. I am very excited for the opportunity to work and learn how Disney does it. It did not just become The Happiest Place on Earth for no reason. Disney has done many things right, they are a role model for many of today's major companies. I am so honored to have this opportunity. When I come home I know that I will have learned so many life lessons that I cannot experience at IUPUI.