Beneath The Skin,

Now Playing; I'm Alive from Next to Normal (MARRY ME, AARON TVEIT.)

So, tonight, I was talking to my mom and told her that I got asked on a date this weekend. When she asked who and I said a name she didn't recognize, her first question was this;

"Is he cute?"

And that got me thinking.

When did we begin putting so much emphasis on people's appearance? What ever happened to looking into someone's heart and liking them for WHO they are?

I'll be honest, I haven't seen the guy that asked me out in six years, so my opinion of his looks is based solely on pictures on Facebook. But what I like about this start is this; I know I like his personality. I'm not being blinded by looks, I'm getting to know him as a person. We just happened to start talking Sunday night and have been talking non-stop since. It's one of those rare things where I feel incredibly comfortable talking to him and we keep discovering all these things we have in common (like the way we eat oreos, haha). I think America has completely lost sight of what's important in their relationships. You could be with the most attractive person, but if they don't have a kind heart or a personality that clicks with yours, it just doesn't seem worth it. The point of a relationship, whether it's romantic or platonic, is that you have someone that you enjoy being with, that you can talk to and depend on. All I can say is, I would much rather be with someone whose personality makes them attractive rather than their body.

Oh, and he is cute. Just thought I'd clarify that.

"It's beauty which captures your attention; personality which captures your heart."

The Man In The Mirror,

Now Playing; Superboy and the Invisible Girl from Next to Normal

As I've been talking to my friends tonight, I can't help but notice how intensely critical we are of ourselves. I've been trying to lift up and encourage people lately and it seems as if all they can focus on is why they're anything but what I say they are.

When did we get this way?

When did perfection become the goal?

When did loving yourself become so hard?

Recently, I've come to a realization; perfection isn't possible. I can't be good at everything. I can't get every part. I can't ace every test. Not everyone is going to want to be my friend. And, for the first time in my life, I've accepted that. Perfection isn't realistic, it's not how we were designed to be. And that's okay. I'd rather be the best person I can be and be happy than strive to be perfect and be miserable.

I just wish I could make my friends see that they truly are wonderful people. They get so upset at themselves for the smallest things, the flaws everyone has. I just want to open their eyes to everything good about themselves. Sure, everything has things to work on, but everyone has something beautiful about them. Maybe they're a singer, an athlete, an intellectual, compassionate, loving, open; whatever it is, they have so much good in them. I just wish there was a way to make them realize it.

So I hope that anyone reading this blog, whether you know me or just happened to stumble upon this, knows that they have something about them that is beautiful. Learn to love yourself and you'll learn to love others. Learn to be content and happy in your own skin. Learn to look at the man in the mirror and say, "I am a beautiful person. I am loved. I'm not perfect, but that's just fine."

If you wanna make the world a better place,

Take a look at yourself, then make a change

On My Own,

Now Playing; Someone Like You by Adele

I swear, my iPod is psychic sometimes. It's like it knew relationships have constantly been on my mind and I was therefore going to blog about it. So now you know what this one's about; love.

I was taking a shower today (face it, a shower is 30% singing, 10% showering, and 60% thinking about life!) and I found myself stuck on the idea of relationships. I found myself reminiscing on my past boyfriends and wondering, "What if I was still with them? Would my life be different? What would things be like if I had never met them?" Obviously, they've all played important roles in my life. Most of them have started off being my best friend and I'm so thankful all of them have been in my life. But I can't help but wonder if having them hurt me as much as it helped.

From the second semester of my freshman year to first quarter of senior year, I was single for maybe a month. In that time, I dated 3 really wonderful guys and made some really amazing memories and fell in love. But then, in September, I got my heart broken. And ever since then, I've been scared. Scared to open my heart to another relationship, scared to fall again. But at the same time, I didn't really know what to do with myself. I was good at being a couple. Brokenhearted, I was forced to face the hardest question in life; "Who am I?" I had to learn to find myself outside of a relationship. I was on my own. It was the hardest lesson I've ever had to learn. I'm still not exactly sure who I am. But I'm slowly learning. I'm less scared. I'm opening up. I've learned to take things slow. I've learned that I can be alone and be happy. I have amazing friends, a wonderful family, and so much to be thankful for.

So, I've come to the conclusion that I wouldn't change a thing about my love life. I've broken hearts, I've had my own broken, I've fallen in and out of love and it's all made up part of who I am. And now I know that relationships don't define me, they're just one small piece of the puzzle that is my life. And someday, I'll get my fairy tale.

Never mind, I'll find someone like you.

I wish nothing but the best for you too.

Don't forget me, I begged, I remember you said,

Sometimes in lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead.

When The Curtain Rises,

Song Currently Playing; On A Lonely Night by A Rocket To The Moon.

I had the best weekend ever.

This past weekend was spent with my school's Thespian Troupe (#1917) in Springfield on the Missouri State campus for the 2012 Missouri State Thespian Conference (a.k.a ThesCon).

It was pretty much amazing.

Basically, the idea of ThesCon is to get Troupes from around Missouri together for a few days to grow in our love of theatre and provide seniors the chance to audition for scholarships and such. It being my last one, I was hoping it would be better than the other 2 I've been to put together (and that's asking for a LOT of awesome). Without a doubt, this year's ThesCon was the best I have ever been to.

To start off, our Troupe started off on the 4 hour drive Wednesday right after school. That evening, we spent our down time in the hotel in a conference room having a meeting about rules and such. But, being theatre kids, we had some fun before our director showed up and concocted a giant plan to overthrow Congress. Yeah, we're cool.

Thursday was a day of workshops (which for me taught me about acting on camera and how to sing smart, not stupid), good food, lots of new people, and an absolutely AMAZING production of The Drowsy Chaperone by Nixa High School. They truly did a beautiful job. One of the great things about being surrounded by a thousand theatre kids is that you feel like you can be yourself. It's one of the few places where you know people will take you as you are. (Unless you're a diva. No one likes that).

Friday was, again, a day of workshops. I got my butt kicked in 2 musical theatre dance classes and learned how to be Freshman Fierce for college next year from some really great people from Lindenwood University. That night, I saw what I consider the BEST High School play I have EVER seen; The Foreigner performed by the students at Raymore-Peculiar High School. Any play involving a Big Bang Theory reference, Harry Potter reference, someone bernie-ing on stage, and the irony of a black student playing a KKK member is the show for me, haha. After the show, there was a dance. Let me just say, no one knows how to party the way theatre kids do! Haha.

Saturday was our last day and my day of rest. I skipped workshops and watched Toy Story 3 with a friend from another school. We ended up eating lunch and playing Monopoly on his iPad until they literally said, "You have to leave now." Lol. The last production we saw was The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee by the Parkway School District, which was also quite a good show. I'd been wanting to see it for like, 2 years, so I'm happy I can finally cross it off my list. All in all, an amazing weekend.

So, why write so much about it?

Well, this weekend made me make a decision.

I plan on majoring in Social Studies Education in college. But this weekend reminded me of why I love theatre; how I love always having a place where I can be myself, the thrill of the stage, the challenges acting (and, of course, crazy musical theatre dances) present, and how theatre has the ability to connect so many people who may never have come together otherwise. So, I made the decision to minor in Theatre when I go off to college this summer and I cannot wait! I can truly say this year's ThesCon had an impact on my life and I can't help but wish I could go back. <3

Oh, and those pictures; 1 is of the members of Troupe 1917 that went to ThesCon. The 2nd is of this year's seniors that went. Words can't express how much I value these people and love having them in my life.

"Act Well Your Part, There All Honor Lies."

Thespian Motto

Troupe 1917 <3

An Introduction, A Beginning.

"--Of course, an introduction.

A beginning.

Where are my manners?"

~The Book Thief; Markus Zusak

To start things off, yes. I am a pretentious quote abuser. Especially when it comes to The Book Thief. It's a beautiful book, one of my favorites. But who am I?

Well, my name's Danielle. I'm 18 years old, a senior at Francis Howell High School, who cannot wait for June 2nd to get here so I can graduate already. But with just 5 months left before I'm thrown out into the real world of college, I find myself thinking. A lot. That's where this nifty little blog comes in.

But for right now, I feel like I should introduce what you can generally expect me to talk about.

Music; Oh goodness. I know it seems like every teenager these days says music is their life. But I'm really not exaggerating. I listen to it, play it, sing it. It's a very large part of who I am. I'm blessed enough to be in my school's Concert Choir and Chamber Choir and it's played an enormous role in shaping the person I've become in high school.

Theatre; Keeping with the artsy theme, I spend an incredibly large amount of my time doing something theatre related. Currently that means working on my school's musical Return to the Forbidden Planet (which I'm sure I'll mention a million and one times before we open). Theatre has opened doors for me I never thought possible. I've learned to express myself and channel my experiences in life to develop characters in a unique way, it's a wonderful thing.

Baking; This might sound stupid, but I really love to bake. I'm sure I'll post pictures of my latest baking adventures and recipes for things I really enjoy. Whenever I'm stressed or upset, baking is what I do. It calms me and gives me something to focus on. And it's delicious! ;)

Those are the major ones I can rattle off right now. I'll quote books and movies and song lyrics often too, I apologize. Oh, and I love musicals. Anyone reading this that does as well probably noticed that the url is, indeed, a RENT reference. If you haven't seen it, log off now and go watch it. This blog will still be here after it changes your life. And the blog name is a Les Miserables reference. Favorite musical ever, I'm sure someday there will be a blog of mine dedicated to it. <3 I can't promise a blog every day or every two days or however often most normal people blog. But I'll do my best. :)