Tag: life

Pink Princess

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Saved the best for last on this Tokyo Disney Style Blog.

I’ve been going to Disney in pink ever since I was a child. And before rose gold and millennial pink were a thing, blush was the color I’ve always felt prettiest and most confident in. So now that I’m older, I make sure that there is always at least one pink day – especially on my birthday trips.

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And let me tell you, I think this may be the most pink outfit I’ve ever worn. And this includes the outfits my mom and I wore on our last Disney trip, which were already pretty extra.

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Toontown Bound

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Okay, so this next one isn’t necessarily a bound, but more of a Disney style ensemble. It takes me back to those days as a kid where I’d go to the parks in a Mickey shirt and a hat and call it a day. This is what I would call a “ride day” outfit, because it’s practical for a whole day of gallivanting around the parks (not that I go on that many rides lol)

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Arendelle

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Second day, second bound!

Once again I was faced with the challenge of coming up with our winter Disneybounds. Then I realized, when I think winter, I think snow! And just like that, we knew what our second bound was going to be:

Frozen.

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Quite literally too. We really were frozen. It was the coldest day of our trip.

But you know, some people are worth melting freezing for, so we strapped on our warmest winter gear and ran around the best park in the world as Elsa, Anna, and Olaf.

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5 Things My Kids Taught Me

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No, not my biological kids. (I mean, look at them they’re all teenagers, and there are 24 of them lol) But you know, they may as well be my real kids for how much I love them.

I haven’t been a teacher for very long. I’ve taught before, but not like this. Not in this life-changing, soul-changing, heart-changing way.

Some of these kids have been with me for almost two years, some barely one. But in my heart I’ve known them longer. Because I’ve gotten to know them through a very special way: music. I have been given the beautiful opportunity to see them grow into both incredible performers, and wonderful people.

 

 

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My 2017

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Another year has come to a close. Another year to be thankful for. Another crazy, beautiful, wonderful year where so much has happened, I can hardly believe it all fit in 365 days. Like every year, there were many ups and downs – mostly ups. People who left, people who came, and of course, people who stayed. Things that went perfectly, things that didn’t quite turn out as planned, and things that ended up being some of the best surprises I’ve ever received. So here I am again at the last hours of the year, looking back at the gift that was 2017, and looking onward with excitement at what 2018 holds.

Thank you to everyone who was a part of this incredible year. I’ve got some special mentions down below, but I’m sending this message out to everyone. If you gave even just a second of your time to the 525,600 minutes of my 2017, I am thankful for you.

If you’re staying for the ride, buckle your seatbelts because I already know 2018 will be quite the adventure.

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2017

Happy New Year!!!

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Finding my Voice

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Almost a year ago now, I posted this video and this message:

6 years ago, a series of unfortunate events made me turn away from anything that had to do with my voice. If someone had asked me to post a video of my singing a year ago, I would have laughed in their face. In fact, if someone had told me to do this workshop a year ago, I would have run away.

But with the help of extremely patient and supportive friends, generous duet partners, voice teachers who allowed me to find my voice in my own time, and a family whose love for me never wavered, I am slowly beginning to embrace that side of me again. Needless to say, the stress, anxiety, and fear of letting people hear my voice still lingers, and man do I have a long way to go still, but I’ve at least taken the first steps forward. Small steps, but steps forward nonetheless. So that’s something.  

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La Estrella

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Right in the middle of the roller coaster of a first year for Portkey Events, came an opportunity to do a very different kind of show. Having put Flamenco on the back burner for months, I was out of practice, and I was more used to twirling my wand than my skirt. But inspiration struck, and I knew in my gut that this was something I had to explore. And I am so glad I took that leap.

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Arman Ferrer | Katsie Llave | David Ezra

Having been blessed with a roster of amazingly talented friends, I soon found myself working with not just one, but two of the best singers in the country – Arman Ferrer and David Ezra, a handful of theater actors, a wiz of a guitarist, a director who truly believed, and friends who loved me enough to give theater and Flamenco a try for the first time in their lives.

With this spectacular team assembled, then came the sleepless nights of brainstorming, listening and lining up Spanish and Flamenco songs, and coming up with a beautiful story woven through these songs about friendship and love.  Continue reading →

A New Year Message

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My first ever blog post. Wow. Who would have thought I’d ever get into blogging? (more on that later)

Technically though, this “things I’ve learned” thing I have here is a little old, because I wrote it on New Year’s Eve and posted it on Facebook. Meh. It’s still the beginning of the New Year for me, so here it goes! So, from my nerdy heart to yours, Harry Happy New Year!

Photo by Khrister Llave Tattoo by The Skin City Temporary Tattoos

Photo by Khrister Llave
Tattoo by The Skin City Temporary Tattoos

Looking back at the parties and costumes and excitement of the past year, I realize now how truly magical it has been. This year I reconnected with a part of me I thought I had forgotten. This year I opened the part of my heart in which these things were kept and allowed myself to understand why the stories I loved so much as a child never truly left me – It wasn’t the spells and fight scenes and princess dresses. It was because I still had so much more to learn.

“…adventure only truly begins when you learn to embrace it”

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