Prom

I wish this wasn't my last prom because I love getting dressed up fancy and going to prom. It's sad that I won't have another prom, but it was a great last prom. It was also very busy, like prom always is. Right after school, I went to get my hair done, which turned out exactly how I wanted it. I loved how my hair looked.  That took longer than we expected, which meant that we were a little late to my makeup appointment. But we got there eventually. It also took longer than we thought for the person to do my makeup, which meant that when I got home, I had to rush to put on my dress and pack my bags, which I had not done yet. When I finally got home, I only had about 15 minutes to get dressed and ready to leave to take pictures at 5. I somehow managed to get ready pretty quickly, and we got to to the Judge Morris Estate a little after 5. My friends were all supposed to get there at 5 as well, but none of them did. So I took pictures with Ryan for about an hour, and then my friends finally showed up a little after 6. I should have expected that they would be an hour late because that is just how my friends are, but I actually thought they would be on time. But it was okay because we took tons of really pretty pictures that I love. Then, on our way out, all my friends were just getting there, so I took a few pictures with them. It was better than nothing, and they turned out good. After we left the park, we went to someone's house and took even more pictures. We also ate some snacks and sat down for a little bit. The heels I wore are really high, so by that point, my feet were already hurting a lot. It was a nice little break.  Then we made our way to Deerfield and we got there almost right at 7. We went in, took some pictures outside by the fountain, voted for King and Queen, and I waited for my friends to get there. Once my friends arrived, I took even more pictures because I still needed pictures with a few of my friends who I never saw at the park. So I was outside for a while, talking and taking pictures. Then, we sat down to eat. Last year, I thought the food was not very good at all, so I was really hoping that the food wouldn't be as bad this year. And I actually really enjoyed it this year! After we ate, we got a little bit for dessert and then started dancing, which is what we did for basically the rest of the night. Then it was time for after prom, which was really fun. I learned how to play blackjack and some other game. Unfortunately, I didn't win a tv or $500, but I still had a good time and it was a great senior prom. 

Summer Break

          I already talked about my summer plans a little bit, but I'll elaborate some more. I already said in my last blog post that I'm going to two concerts and a comedy show. I'm seeing Lewis Watson the day after we graduate, Ed Sheeran in July, and John Mulaney’s comedy show, which is also in July. These three shows are going to be really good, and I'm super excited for them. Especially Ed Sheeran since he's my all time favorite musician.
          As for the rest of the summer, I don't have any big plans yet besides senior week, which I'm also really excited about. We have to wait like 2 weeks after we graduate to go to senior week, but it's going to be worth it. The house I’m staying in is on a lake and it has kayaks, which will be very fun. I don't know what I'm doing for the rest of the summer, but I definitely want to do more fun things. I have been invited to California by my aunt who lives there. I haven't seen in her in a couple years, so it would be fun to go down there, but it would also be very expensive. I will have to see if I can go. I have also been invited to go to Texas to visit my grandpa and my aunts and my new cousin. It's been a couple of years since I've seen them too, and I haven't even met my new cousin yet. Maybe I will be able to go to at least one of those places, but we'll see.
          Besides that, I'll be hanging out with my friends a lot. I have to, considering they will all be leaving at the end of the summer to go off to different schools all over the place. It's gonna be really sad at the end of the summer when they leave, but we'll have a great summer together before that. We will probably go to the beach a couple times and spend the day there. We’ll also go to Main Street a lot because that's one of the few things to do close by. Also, sitting on the Green has been a thing that my group of friends has done for awhile, so we will go there a lot. We will also probably take some day trips, maybe to Philly or other places. My friends and I aren't the best planners, so we don't know what we're doing yet. We kind of just make last minute decisions because, like me, they're bad at making decisions.
          This last summer before college should be really fun. But as it goes on, it'll get sad, which sucks. Some people are gonna be really far away, which still seems very weird to me. I've spent the past 4 years with them, it doesn't seem real that they're not gonna be a few minutes away from me anymore.

I'm excited for this summer, especially because I'm going to 2 concerts. The first concert is the day after we graduate, and it's for a singer named Lewis Watson. He's not super famous, so he's performing at this small venue and I might be able to meet him! He's one of my favorite musicians and I sing a bunch of his songs. The second concert is an Ed Sheeran concert in July. Ed Sheeran is my all time favorite musician, and he's a big inspiration to me, so it's exciting. I went to see him when he performed at the University of Delaware years ago, and it was amazing. I know it's going to be another amazing concert. I'm also going to John Mulaney's comedy show. So basically, it's gonna be a great summer. 

Tonight was the last night of an open mic called Gracie's Cafe. The building that it was in was sold, meaning that Gracie's can no longer be there. As of now, the people who run Gracie's don't have any plans for a new location, but they do want to start it up again somewhere else, just like everyone else does. This open mic was where I sang for the first time ever, so it is a pretty special place for me. Tonight, a ton of people came out for the last night. Some of the people, like me, haven't been there in a while and came back just for tonight. Others play there regularly, like I used to. Everyone who wanted to sang a song; the whole thing lasted about 5 hours. It was a great last open mic night for Gracie's, but it was really sad. I've met lots of wonderful people there, and it was a place that I just thought would always be there. It's hard to accept change, but hopefully, they will find a new location and Gracie's will continue on as a place of acceptance for all types of musicians and performers. 

I can't believe that we are graduating in only a few months. It feels like just yesterday I was starting highschool and now I'm at the end of it. It really did fly by. It's crazy how it feels so slow the whole time, but at the end, it feels like it went by in the blink of an eye. I'm ready to graduate, like everyone else, but I know it's gonna be sad. The worst part is that I won't see my friends every day. Some of my friends are going far away and who knows how often I'll get so see them. I know we're all going to do great things, but I just wish we could do them together. 

Next weekend, I'm going to Disney with the school choir. We're going from March 2nd to the 5th, and I am staying until the 8th with my family. It should be really fun; I'll walk around with my friends and we'll perform our songs. The first day is going to be exhausting since we have to be at school at 3 in the morning in order to get to the airport and catch out 7am flight. Then, we go straight to Disney after we arrive and we are walking around until around 8pm. We're going to be really tired at the end of the day. We perform the second day and then have the rest of the time to walk around on our own. It should be a nice, fun break from school!  

I don't have any more singing performances to write about, so I'm gonna talk about my dogs. I have three dogs, and they're the best. Two are Siberian Huskies and the other is a Labrador Pit Bull mix. The Pit Bull just turned 1 and she is the sweetest dog. We got her when she was 6 weeks old; she was so tiny. She loves to cuddle and sit right in your lap. She also loves car rides. Whenever anyone is leaving, she tries to jump in the car. I take her with me to pick up my siblings, and she just sits in the passenger seat. We bring her to any outside performances I do, too. She always wants to meet new people and other dogs. My house is always hectic with 3 dogs and 4 kids, but it's the best kind of hectic.

A few weekends ago, I auditioned for America's Got Talent. It was just the preliminary audition in front of the producers, but it was still a big deal for me. I have auditioned for The Voice in the past, but I never made it past the first audition. The audition for America's Got Talent was really cool and nerve-racking. There were tons of people there, and everyone had to wait for at least a few hours to get their turn to sing in front of a producer. After waiting about 3 hours, I went with a group of about 15 people to audition. Most people in my group were singers, but there was one magician. I was super nervous, but I luckily didn't make any mistakes. Everyone did their performance for 90 seconds, and that was it. They told us that they weren't making decisions until the beginning of February, so I still don't know if I made it to the second round of auditions. Hopefully I'll know soon. 

Sometimes I sing at ShopRite. It sounds a little weird because it's obviously not a place you expect there to be a live musician. But I've sang at a good amount of ShopRites, and it's nice. Everyone is always surprised by the live music. Most people think it's actually the radio, and everyone is always appreciative and kind when they find out that it's actually me singing. There are also always little kids who love the music, and it's really cute. They stop and make their parents watch with them. It's an unexpected place to be a good performance spot, but it always is.

Over the weekend, I sang at the Old State House in Dover. It was with the Happiness Project, a group focused on benefiting mental health awareness. It is run by two amazing people, and I've done lots of shows with them. There were two other performers at the Old State House; the first band was called Here for the Night and the other was a duet called The Jayplayers. It was a low-key night with a small crowd, but it went well and the other bands sounded great. Next weekend, I'm doing another show with the Happiness Project at the Christmas Village in Baltimore.

Fake News Story

A fight broke out on Friday at the Target in the Christiana Mall. Since it was Black Friday, the mall was packed with people looking for the best deals. The fight reportedly broke out around 5 pm between two middle-aged men over a 70 inch television. There were many bystanders who stood and watched the fight as it occurred. One woman, who was shopping with her husband, stated that “there were so many people running around and trying to grab as much as they could. It was very hectic, and then I heard two men shouting from across the store. It was crazy”

No one was harmed in the fight, but the two men did damage the television. The owner of Target commented on the subject and said “I tried to keep the store as peaceful as possible. I know that many people rush around to try to get the best deals, but I have seen people get very crazy over items that they really want and it can be very hard to control”

Witnesses have shared details of the incident, saying that the two men were both inspecting the television at the same time, and once they realized that it was the last one left, they began to argue. An elderly man who was shopping right near them at the time the fight broke out explained that “they were talking quite nicely to each other, and they laughed about the Black Friday madness. Then, they saw it was the last television and started grabbing onto it.” The men were trying to pull the television away from each other, but were unable to do so because of its size and weight. They wound up knocking the television off of its display, which wound up shattering the screen.

Police arrived on the scene after the television was broken. They arrested the two men for damage of store property; the men are being asked to pay for the damage and disturbance they caused on that night. Most people were shopping peacefully before the fight broke out, so many were frightened by the commotion. A woman shopping with her son and daughter said “my kids and I were having a good time looking for Christmas presents for their father, and we got very scared when we heard shouting from across the store. My four year old daughter began crying; it was a shame to see such violent actions while people were trying to enjoy their day.”

Black Friday has proved to be frantic day for most shoppers, and many fights have occurred in the past. It does not come as a surprise that many people avoid going out to shop on Black Friday; they merely do not want to be a part of the madness and potentially violent shopping experience. Police have stated that they will be more forceful in years to come in order to stop violence from occurring as much as they possibly can. The police captain stated that “the police department will try its best to prevent fighting. It is sad time when people are willing to hurt each other over objects, especially during the holidays.”

I have realized that it's pretty difficult to play guitar and sing when it's really cold out. I mentioned in my last post that I get cold very easily, so when I'm outside in cold weather, it doesn't go over very well. I've sang outside a few times this fall, including this past weekend. My hands got numb and, as you imagine, it can be kinda hard to play guitar when you can't feel your fingers. I was also sick last week, so that also made it pretty hard. Stuffed up with a sore throat and frozen hands? It doesn't sound like a very good time to be singing. I got a warm drink, though, and I made it through 2 hours. I also mentioned earlier that my grandpa was coming from Texas, so he got to hear me sing, which was an upside. No matter what happens, one good thing usually comes out of it. 

Over the weekend, I sang in Swarthmore for a show called First Friday in this little outdoor seating area. I've done that show once before, and it went pretty well. Lots of people walking by stopped to listen and I gained a little crowd. When I got there, the lady that runs it told me and my dad that a good amount of people come to the shows, so it's usually pretty crowded. However, that was not the case that night. It was getting dark and it was cold, so I wasn't surprised that not many people wanted to come sit outside for 2 hours; I didn't want to play there for 2 hours because I get cold really easily. So most of the time, it was just my dad sitting there listening to me. A few people walking by would sit and watch for a little while, but there was never a big crowd or anything. But the people that did stop to listen were really nice and supportive, and I at least had my dad there. It was rather uneventful, but it wasn't bad. I actually got an opportunity to sing at another restaurant right near there, so it worked out pretty well. 

My Dream Place to Live

I'm not sure exactly where my dream place to live is, but I've always wanted to live in a small town where you can walk to most places. Not a super small town with barely any people, but small enough that you know a good amount of the people. Those types of small towns always have the activities that everyone goes to, like festivals and things like that, which I would love. I want to have a really big house (like most people). My house would be white, with 3 floors and lots of rooms. I would definitely have a movie theater in my house, cause I would use it all the time. Also, I would have a really big yard so that there's room for a big pool and hot tub, trampoline, and play house. 

Over the weekend, I sang at the Fall Fest at Argilla. There are always spring and fall festivals there, and I always perform at them. When I started performing  a little more than 3 years ago, the open mic night at Argilla was the second place that I ever sang in public. The manager is super supportive and he has been since the first day we met back in 2013. He has me sing at the restaurant a lot and he does whatever he can to help me. Most of the success I have is all about the people I meet, and I've been lucky to meet some really good people.

Last night, I sang at a small restaurant called Bellefonte Cafe in Wilmington. It's a really cute and homey cafe, and it's a good place to perform. It's small and never crowded, but there are always at least a few people there. Everyone is always supportive, too. I'm playing there again next month when my grandpa comes in from Texas. He's never heard me play in person, so it should be good. They also have really good food there, which makes it even better.

The other day, I opened for another performer. You may not know her by name, but you've probably heard a song she sings. Her name is Leigh Nash, and she's the lead singer of the band Sixpence None the Richer. The song you've probably heard by her is called Kiss Me. It was a last minute opportunity to open for her, and it went really well. She was really nice, and she was an amazing performer. The people that came to see her were also nice and a bunch of people said they really liked my music. It was a great opportunity, and it's crazy that I got to open for such an experienced and well-known musician. 

Here's a short video I took of her singing Kiss Me 

On Tuesday night, I sang at the place I talked about in my first post. I opened for Liz Cooper; the Stampede (aka her band) wasn't there. It was just her on her guitar, just like me. There wasn't the biggest crowd ever; it was only a little antique shop. There were a good amount of people though, and everyone was really supportive. I performed and everyone seemed to enjoy it, and then she performed. She's a lot like me; she started out around the same age and she did the same things that I'm doing now. And now, she lives in Nashville and she's on a tour. That shows me that I can get to that point as well. She worked hard and kept at it, and I now know that if I do the same thing, anything can happen.

I've realized that music can have a big impact. I volunteer with an organization called Musicians On Call; they take musicians to various hospitals so they can sing for the patients. I volunteer once a month; I walk around with a guide who asks each patient if they want to hear a song, and if they do, I play one for them. After doing it for almost a year, I realize how much of an effect music can have on people. I get to see the reactions on the patients' faces when I sing to them, and it always makes them happy. It can be rewarding to sing to people who aren't in the best situation at the moment because I can cheer them up. Not only is it rewarding for me, it's also rewarding for the patients.

Here's a video of my newest original song, Daydreamer. 

I'm a singer-songwriter who plays guitar. The other day, I met a man from a little antique shop in Swarthmore, PA. In the antique shop is a stage. I had been singing at a nearby farmer's market, and four people, including his sister, went and told him about me while I was singing. When I talked to him, he told me that he was definitely going to have me play there at some point. As we continued talking, he had an idea. He told me about a band, called Liz Cooper and the Stampede, that is going to play there in September. They are on a national tour, and he told me that he wanted to get me to open for them. Now, they may not be the most popular band ever, but I thought it was pretty exciting. There'll be a lot of people at the show who want to see them, and who knows what doors it could open for me if I play before them. We'll see what happens.