Fearless. Fierce. Forgiven

      To be fearless does not mean that I'm never afraid.  In fact I'm the most fearful person I know.  But to be fearless means to know that my security, my treasure and my hope is beyond this life.  That whatever God calls me to, He will make possible.  To be fearless is to fight fear with the blood of Jesus Christ.  To give God your battles and trust him for the rest.

      To be fierce does not mean I should act tough.  To be fierce is to  stand by one's calling and defend one's faith.  Teddy Roosevelt once said, "Better faithful than famous."  The bible says it better ," I don't want to gain the whole world and lose my soul. " To stand by your faith in all opposition.  To never deny Christ so that He will never deny you.

  

      To be forgiven is to know that all past, present and future sin is not remembered by God because of Jesus blood.  This does not mean that I continue to live in sin, but that I would strive against it.   

                             

   

Summer Recap

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 This summer has felt like an eternity.  It has dragged by so slowly. I am so ready to be busy again.  

 In the beginning of summer  at a cake action fundraiser at my church my cake sold the highest at $125!

 I was on the music team at VBS and got the privilege of teaching young children how to worship God through song and dance. 

  I was also excited by the awesome privilege of joining my church’s praise team as a vocalist. 

  And for me, Summer wouldn’t be Summer without singing on the youth praise band, an incredible group of young people who I have been so blessed by the past four summers.

  

With my youth group, I went on my third mission trip, and got to visit New Orleans for the second time.  I was given three opportunities to have meaningful conversations about God.  My favorite was a little boy named Glendrick.  We were in inner city New Orleans putting on a Back Yard Bible club in a park.  Our youth pastor asked if any of the kids had ever heard of the bible before and Glendrick said, “No, BOOO.”  My first inclination was to smile.  But as I thought about the weight of what that little boy had just said I felt a heavy burden for him.    At the end of the sports camp I was giving out stickers and Glendrick came over and demanded one.  I showed him the options and he was immediately attracted to a sticker which said, “He treasures me.”  Since he had never heard of the bible before I thought I should explain.  I said, “That means, God loves you.”  Glendricks face lit up and he threw his arms around me and said, “Awe thank you.”  A little while later I heard Glendrick tell another youth that, “God loves me.”  He got it.   Praise God for this amazing opportunity!  This was by far the highlight of my Summer. 

I got a real taste for New Orleans as I tried their famous Snow Balls for the second time. One word only can describe them. DELICIOUS. After tasting a Snow Ball, all other snow cones will seem lame.   You have to taste them to believe them. 

             Also on the mission trip I thought I was going to DIE.  I was in a fifteen passenger van with 12 others (chaperones and youth) and were riding along, and then we come upon some traffic. No biggy, right?  Our youth pastor says were getting of the interstate for “traffic” (that was only a small part of the reason.)  In reality, our engine was giving out.  We were driving along a busy street, and we saw smoke surrounding our vehicle.  The motor completely gave out.  We pulled of the side of the road. We were told to remain calm and stay seated in the vehicle.  My youth pastor and his father jumped out of the vehicle and began to battle the broken motor.  Very briefly after we were told to, “remain calm” my youth pastor’s father popped his head in the van and yelled in the most panicked voice I’ve ever      heard, “Get out of the car!!!!”  We didn’t know what was wrong.  Smoke was filling the car I thought we were about to explode.  Terrified. Panicked. The 11 of us in the back were falling all over ourselves trying to open the door.  One problem.  The door was locked and we were all so panicked no one thought to unlock it.  I was yelling a prayer.  My mind was paralyzed by fear.  Praying was the only thing I could do.  Finally, a senior guy pushed past us and unlocked the door.  Everyone piled out.  Well, everyone but me.  My seat belt was still clasped.  I was not used to the van we were riding in and I was panicked.  Trying to wiggle out of the seat belt, I screamed for help.  A chaperone ran over and unbuckled me.  Half weeping half laughing, I stumble out of the car, supported by her.  Then I saw a fire under the car.  We learned later that the fire was nowhere near the gas and we were never in immediate danger.  The fire was small and brief.  Praise God for keeping us safe!  But I was shook up for the rest of the night and I was very weepy.  I went back into my room and half cried half laughed with the girls in my room, as I told the story. 

The mission trip was unforgettable.

After I got home, it took me a few weeks to process the missions trip, when I finally did that I dove into preparation for an audition I had on August 20^th, and trying to finish Algebra 1.  Then my Summer started feeling long. 

As sort of an end of the Summer activity, my youth group had Vacation Bible College.  Based off the idea of VBS, but bigger and better.  Real dinners instead of just snacks.  Worship led by the youth group.  And serious sermons by our pastors. And insane games which include green slime, raw eggs, eating a donut filled with hot-sauce and unforgettable moments.  This year was very bittersweet as most of the youth in the youth praise team were graduating out of youth and going to college.  But we had a blast and I got to sing a solo along with two other girls, who both have beautiful voices, last minute.

                At the end of summer, my family took a weekend vacation to a small Island.

                                                                 That was my summer.

Purposeful Pages

no. 1 What book of the Bible has taught you the most this month?

That's tough. Probably James, maybe Romans.

no. 2 How would you react if you were in the positions of either Esther, if you’re a girl, or Daniel, if you’re a guy?

The first thing I would probably do is hide under my covers and cry. Then maybe I'd try to run away from Persia with all the other Jews. Thank goodness I wasn't Esther.

no. 3 If you could have a book character for a sibling, who would it be, and what makes you two alike?

Probably Anne of Green Gables. I think we're alike because we both have strong imaginations. Anne could imagine herself into any situation, and my best friend once said that I have an overly active imagination. We both love finding kindred spirits, and we're both very dramatic.

no. 4 If you’re a novelist, answer: How would your main character most likely spend his or her Friday night? If you’re not a novelist, answer: How would you most likely spend your Friday night?

If I could spend my Friday night in any way I chose, I'd go dancing, to fancy restaurant somewhere downtown, to a play, to a movie, or maybe just to a friends party. But usually I just spend my Friday night trying to find something to do, or watching a movie.

no. 5 What are the top three books you’re just dying to read?

Ummm... that's hard. Probably some of Jane Austin's work.

no. 6 Can you briefly share the story behind your blog’s name?

My passion is performing and I wanted something that encompassed that part of me. I'm also just a normal girl and I didn't want it to seem like all I could blog about was acting. So when I thought of , "This Stage of Life, " I knew it was perfect. This title has two meanings to me, 1) I'm an actress and am happiest on stage 2) I'm walking through my teenage years.

no. 7 What do you consider to be your blog’s “branding,” or signature? What sets your blog or social media platform apart from others?

I really don't have a signature or branding. I think my blog is different from others because I'm all over the place. I will post about anything from getting ready for an audition, to why homeschoolers shouldn't be stereo typed.

no. 8 Who are a few of your favorite bloggers?

Hannah Rodriguez and Grace Anne

no. 9 If you could go on a road trip of your dreams, where would you go and who would you spend time with?

I'd go to New York City with Julie Andrews, Anne of Green Gables and Gilbert, Jo of Little Women, Hannah Rodriguez,Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, Lucille Ball, Elsa, Anna, Christoph and Olaf, Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Rapunzel and Eugene, Franchesca Battisteli and Teddy Roosevelt.

no. 10 Using five words or less, tell a story.

I bought amazing high heels.

A homechooler's back-to-school

I'm so over homeschoolers being stereo typed.  WE'RE NORMAL KIDS, WITH NORMAL LIVES.    I even had to do back-to-school shopping.  I found some great buys at three of my favorite stores ever (New York and Company <3 , Bass clothes supply and W shoes)  I got the khaki pants on the left for 12$ at Bass, the jeans in the middle at NYC for 30$, the khakis on the right for 25$, and the shoes for 20$ at W shoes.

I have classes WITH CLASSMATES, and  other activities to look forward to.  One day a week I will go to a co-op which is a group of homeschoolers taking classes together.  This co'up will be conducted like school.  I will have four classes each time I go , each and hour and a half long, with a five minute break in-between.  then I will do the homework all week after that.  It will be due the next week when I come back.  And I had to go shopping because of the dress code. The rest of the week however, my dress code can be whatever I want it to be (cough pajamas cough)

With school, comes the activities, Dance, Drama, Speech club, and if we can find a voice teacher, voice.  In Dance I will be pursuing tap and jazz. 

 In Drama I'm going to be in a new production called "The Scarlet Thread."  I'm going to be in the premier.  

  In Speech club I will compete in a tournament with cash prizes.

   And in voice, right now I just need to find a teacher.

So take that stereo type.  I have a life.

The Sophisticated Eye and Lip

Eye makeup is a huge part of your look, and eye shadow will either be your best friend or your nemesis.  I struggle with how to do my eyes for every day events, but night time is no problem.   At night I always do grey eye shadow, eyeliner and of course red lipstick <3 <3 <3. 

 During the day, it's not so easy...  You want the sophisticated look, but you don't want to look silly with dark eye shadow. Not long ago, I finally figured it out.  If I do my eye shadow like I would for an evening event, but then lightly cover it with a light brown or gold, I get the depth of evening makeup, for daytime.  As far as lipstick goes, a dark pink is a nice pop of colour.  

                                                   

 These are great go-tos, when you have no idea what to do with your face.  But ,my most important rule of makeup is, DON'T MAKE RULES ABOUT MAKE UP.  What I mean is don't have certain ways you always have to do your makeup.   Do whatever you feel like doing.  Use it to express yourself.

Pretty/Sporty

Pop of color

Evil

Wild

Trendy/wild/Angry


There are so very many ways to express yourself with makeup.  My mood literally affects how my face is going to look.

                                       

Audition

Over the past several months I have prepared for what may be my biggest audition ever.  I have memorized Shakespeare, agonized over a song I wasn't prepared to sing, gone back and forth from this dress to that dress, changed songs, cut back on the monologue because it was to long, drove my family crazy by counting down the days, annoyed my brother by attempting to show the piece to him every five minutes and I've done it all by myself. This audition means everything to me.  Here I'd like to give you a first-hand look into how I prepared myself for my audition.

1.   The monologue

The first thing I did was to select a monologue.  I wanted a challenge, and since my artistic director had once said she wanted to see me in Shakespeare, I selected Juliet.   I memorized her whole farewell speech, but had to cut out the first and last parts to make sure it was only a minute.

2. The Song

I currently do not have a voice teacher so this was a huge challenge.  Auditions are a form of competition.  You have to prove to the auditors that your the best actress for the role.  You have to be the best.  I selected," Reflections" from Mulan.  After months and months of trying I had to face the fact that because I didn't have a voice teacher it was safest to choose another option.  I chose "When Somebody Loved Me" from Toy Story 2.  This song had enough high notes to be impressive, but it was safe enough for me to learn on my own.  

  3. Know as much about auditioning as you can.

Knowing that I had this audition coming up, I rented two books from the library.  One was about stage acting in general, the other was about auditioning.  I read what applied to my situation and learned allot.  Since I don't have a coach, this was extremely helpful.

4. The Head-Shot and Resume

Having a head-shot and resume are vital for most auditions.  Because I have done work with the group I'm auditioning for, they already have my head-shot.  I won't bring another one in.   They also have my resume, but since I last auditioned I have added dance, a performance, and a workshop.  I want to impress them with the biggest resume possible.  I'm bringing my new and improved.

5. Practice, Practice,Practice

As my director has said, "Go through your words."  You have to develop what you are saying.  You have to try different ways of expression.  I have spent hours with just me, my monologue book, and my mirror, preparing, working and developing the character.  

5. The props  

Props should not overwhelm the audition.  If you have to many props they will get in your way and/or be a distraction.  The audition  is about you as an actor.  Showcase yourself.  Since my monologue revolves around taking a sleeping potion, I needed a potion-like bottle.  I used a glass from  my kitchen, a cork I use for vocal exercises, and water died green.  This and my phone for music are the only things I'm carrying into the audition.  

6. The Outfit

One of the library books talked about wearing something that hinted at the time period, so I looked up 16th century clothing.  A common theme I saw was big, full sleeves, so I selected a long, pink, full sleeved dress from my closet. This dress is ideal because I'm auditioning for a biblical piece with a 16th century monologue.  The dress is long enough to hint at a tunic, but it also has full-sleeves to hint at the 16th century.

7. The Shoes

Because I have danced with this group before, and dance is on my resume, I won't be surprised if I am asked to dance, so I am wearing my t-strapped dance shoes.  These shoes are timeless.  They can be worn for any time period and still be accurate.  I have worn them as a Victorian school-child, a biblical cloth merchant, the best friend of the mother of Christ, and I wore them for a dance recital.  They are wonderful character shoes.

8. The Face

 DO NOT WEAR HEAVY OR STAGE MAKEUP.  

I am doing very very light makeup.  I want the auditors to be able to see me as anything they want to see me as, I can't show them that covered by, Winged Eyeliner or full stage makeup.   If I were performing with full stage lights heavy makeup would be absolutely necessary, but as I am only auditioning, I have to refrain from over-doing it.

Winged eyeliner

Full Stage Makeup





9. Confidence

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

 I have prepared, I have agonized, I have everything in order. I am ready.