Stories from Somewhere Else

Towards the beginning of August, the Mack Pack (minus my college bound sister) took a trip up to Buffalo, New York - my father's hometown. The twelve hour excursion made for many laughs and fun times, and we even got to reconnect with a pastor and his awesome family along the way! Once we arrived, we were able to visit my grandmother and the rest of my father's side of the family, and  man was it fun! There's just something about being surrounded by family that makes you feel present and loved. It was great, to experience that while being excluded from my hometown for a while. However, quite honestly, the peak of this trip was the time I spent with my brother. Considering it was our very first road-trip together, I was determined to make it a great one. Plus, in a home with no internet and only basic cable, we knew going in that we'd have to entertain ourselves in order to keep away from pure boredom during the down times. And entertain, ...

About a month ago, I had the amazing privilege of joining my town's show choir on a trip down south to Georgia and Tennessee. The Spring Break trip involved a lot of firsts for me, like performing for little kids, visiting the Coca-Cola Museum, and jumping into an ocean. Well, more like running away from an ocean, considering that I was not going to get my hair wet. The whole week was a blast, even if the term "Bus Ride 2016" started trending due to the awful traffic we experienced. However, there was one moment that resonated me. It's still so perfectly etched into my memory that I'm nearly 100% positive no detail of it will be forgotten. It was around 7:00AM. A group of us decided to sacrifice our slumber in order to watch the sun rise up over the ocean's horizon. We waited patiently under the pale blue sky and looked out over the gentle rolling waves, wrapped up in hoodies and blankets to shield us from the morning chill. I even waded in the water tha...

"There are far, far better things ahead than we ever leave behind." - C.S. Lewis While I usually start out my posts with a story of some kind, tonight--er, this morning, I can't seem to pick out just  one from the stressful blur that was this past week. And so, it is at 3:34 AM that I write, with no specific scenario in particular to reference to, only a simple message that I, and unexpected others, have had to make known to myself: You MUST appreciate and love yourself before you'll have any chances at loving and appreciating others as you should. I know this sounds rehearsed and cliché, but hear me out on this one. If you try to place your worth and validity in your accomplishments, you'll find none. If you try to place your worth and validity into others, you'll, again, be disappointed. And if you try to squeeze your worth and validity into the three fragile sheets of an application, you'll soon find yourself wondering, why did I even try. Wh...

As a final hoo-rah before going back to school, and in celebration of a dear friend's birthday, I was able to spend a fun weekend in a family cabin upon the outskirts of a very small town (It didn't even have a Walmart. It was crazy!). The food was great, the laughs were ringing, and the smiles were plentiful. Honestly, before this, my break had been one in which I spent much time working on a few things for speech, doing some writing of my own, and spending memorable moments with my family. This tiny escape into a quiet - well, quiet before we arrived - cabin was a great way to let loose before the routine of school kicked back in again. But it also ushered in a hurdle of insecurity that I'm still staring down, determined to completely clear  for good; outward beauty. The birthday girl's mother ordered a classy backdrop, one that we could use to create our own silly photoshoot. Messing around with the cut-outs of tiaras and mustaches, we took picture after pictu...