Wizards of Winter

This is my favorite time of year.  Halloween is over, Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and then it's Christmas!  Now is the time when Christmas music starts playing, holiday decorations begin to go up, and even Christmas movies start playing on TV.  One thing that always helps me get in the holiday spirit is listening to the Lost Christmas Eve album by the Trans Siberian Orchestra.  Not only do they play the Christmas classics, but they also throw in some originals while totally rocking out.

It was probably about 8 or 9 years ago that I went to a Trans Siberian Orchestra concert with my parents and sister, Morgan.  All I remember is it being crazy loud, bright, and incredibly awesome!  Well on a whim last week, my mom and I decided to look up their tour this year to see if they would be anywhere nearby.  The Trans Siberian Orchestra would be in Erie, Pennsylvania the following Thursday.  My youngest sister, Sydney, hadn't seen them live before so we thought it would be a nice surprise to take her.  We bought the cheapest tickets in the 300 section since we were so close to the concert date and that's all that they had left.  Fast forward to last night...we drove to Erie, arrived at the concert, and got to our seats-which ended up being AMAZING!  They weren't the closest to the stage, but we had leg room, counter space, and food!  The concert was amazing too!  It wasn't the same as it was 8 or 9 years ago, but still just as loud, just as bright, and even more spectacular!  It definitely helped me get into the Christmas spirit and I am ready for it all: the snow, music, movies, and most of all that holiday spirit that makes this time of year so special.

If you haven't listened to Trans Siberian Orchestra I recommend their Lost Christmas Eve album.  And if you do listen to them already, but haven't seen them live check out their website to see if they are coming to a city near you!  Check out some pictures I took from the concert below :)

I'm Back!

If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter you may have noticed my gradual return to social media. After going a little more than a week without social media in my life, I decided since I do want a career in news and am obsessed with pop culture I should have somewhat of a social media presence. But I did want to give some insight on my period of sobriety.

 1. I can live without social media. I know it seems impossible, but it’s true. Think about it…social media hasn’t been around forever-at least not as long as I have been alive-so I just went back to the “good ole days.”

 2. I had a great deal of time on my hands to do things more worthwhile. Rather than sitting on social media for hours, I had more time to read, play instruments that I haven’t touched in years, go to the gym, hang out with friends, write, and even cook!

3. I fell in love with the classics. I decided to watch some classic movies: Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Little Women. If you haven’t seen them I highly recommend that you do. Both have some very empowering female characters and both just have amazing scores, story lines, and happy endings.

4. Liberation. It is kind of liberating knowing that no one knows what I am doing, who I am hanging out with, where I am going, or just any of my business in general. I really enjoyed the fact that everything I was doing was only my personal information. I wasn’t broadcasting it to my followers, and if there were people I did want to know…I told them. I had freedom to choose who I thought deserved to know what I’m up to rather than putting it up for the whole world to see.

 After my experience, I don’t live on social media as much as I used to. I will check it maybe once a day or every other day. I’ve posted a few things, but not as much as I used to. I have learned to value my time and that social media doesn’t deserve all of it. Since when did it become cool to tell the whole world your vacation plans or what your outfit looked like or where you’re going. Don’t get me wrong I do value social media’s presence in today’s society…it’s unavoidable. But I think you can be a part of it without completely giving up all of your time and privacy. If you have social media accounts I highly encourage you to try going social media silent. It really shows you how to be in the moment…no distractions. The one thing I really got out of this whole experience is I really learned what is important to me and was reminded of what makes me really happy.