feeling the love

To say that God is good would be the understatement of the year.

Today, I graduated. I love saying that. Today, I GRADUATED. It's been a long time coming, but I did it, but not without help. This past year God has showered me with unfailing love, faithfulness, wonderful friends, incredible leaders, unexpected blessings and plans for a bright future. Without Him, I would be nowhere, and certainly wouldn't have the support I have today.

I am overwhelmed by the amount of love received today, and I wanted to say THANK YOU. Never have I ever felt so blessed. I would not be where I am if it weren't for all of you. SO excited to see what God has in store for next year and absolutely ecstatic for all of the adventures I have yet to have! Just don't know how it could get any better than this!! :D

Who You Are Without Me- Day 2

Day 02 - A picture of the person you've been closest with the

longest.

I actually spent a lot of time thinking about this one. I have known lots of people for a long time but haven never been as close to them as this kid right here--my brother! We definitely have a relationship that I would not change or trade for anything in the world. We are best friends.

I love you Jeremy!!

till the glaciers melt,

lindsey

one thing i have realized...

...is that I would be nowhere without my friends. I have learned that friends are not only there when you need them most, but they also make you want to be a better person. Or they should anyway.

Over the years I have realized that friends are the most important way that God speaks to me. Through my friends, I have come to see who I really am as a person. They truly draw out the best in me, and I really don't think I could possibly be blessed anymore than I am.

I feel like a couple of these people need a shout-out... so here we go. :)

Allie Betancourt-- Oh boy. We're going on two years now, Allie and I am truly blessed by our friendship. We've had our share of ups and downs, but I know that I can tell you anything and you will still love me-- no judging. You stand by me even when I act incredibly stupid and I hope you know that I would do the same. You are definitely my "sistah from anotha mistah" and I am so proud to call you my best friend. DON'T HATE, LOVE.

Lily Scott-- Where in the heck would I be without your encouragement?? You are seriously the most cheerful and caring person I know. I definitely know I couldn't have gotten through these hard times without your prayers and your encouraging spirit. You are wonderful.

Lucy Hamilton-- You are a new bestie. I love the fact that we can chill or talk for hours and never run out of things to discuss!! I'm so glad that we got to hangout this past year and I got to know you. Definitely one of the coolest people I know. ;) "Can we just have 5 minutes on..."

Abbey and Maggie-- You guys get to share one. ;) Umm...our friendship literally came out of nowhere. Hahaha. I don't think I've ever connected with somebody inside a show as much as I have with you girls. I really hope we will stay in touch in college...cuz you guys are awesome. Thanks for giving me the courage to reach for my dreams in this crazy art we call theater. I love you girls. BLOOD SISTERS FOR LIFE!!

Kathy-- You are in a category of your own. I can't tell you how much of an encouraging, loving, caring, understanding person you have been over this last year in my life. I seriously don't think I would have made it without you. You have challenged me to be the best that I can be in everything that I do, and I know that God sent you to me so that I would make it through this awful time we call Senior year. I am truly blessed to call you my mentor, friend, and second mom. I love you.

And to everyone else who has been there for me this year, I thank you from the bottom of my heart! You know who you are, and I am so SO blessed to call you all friends.

till the ink dries,

lindsey

And I thought 2012 was the end of the world...

This is the first time EVER that I have never wanted a new year to start. Normally, I'm all for "starting over", but this time it's a literal term.

Once it turns January 1st, my life basically won't stop being a giant mess until I get into college. So basically... August. WHY do I dig myself so deep? I really want to know. My parents do it, and I guess I thought I was always really good at juggling things. I have never in my life though, had so much on my plate. I literally want to shoot myself in the foot for doing this to myself. I absolutely hate how I have pushed a lot of people away with my hectic schedule. In reality, I don't make time for friends at all. Sure, I'll meet up with someone for coffee every now and then, but truth is, It's all about me right now. All the decisions I have been making recently will directly effect what the future holds for me...

...Which I really need to stop thinking about. I start to go into extreme bouts of anxiety when I think about the future. It literally makes me sick to my stomach. Uncertainty is something I have never been able to deal with and it honestly scares the crap out of me.

Now that I have completely scared all of my lower classmen friends...

till the view is clear,

lindsey

THIS....is extraordinary.

Shamless shout out comin' your way...

Here's the link to my friend Charli's blog "Extraordinary Dealings". It' mainly about her search for the 'extraordinary' in life.

"this blog is dedicated to that search. the desire, the lust, for the extraordinary. it’s a challenge. i think the extraordinary likes to hide so that only those that truly wanted to find it can."

CHECK IT OUT!!

till the extraordinary is found,

lindsey.

school, piercings, and the end of Bye Bye Birdie.

I am very sad.

Bye Bye Birdie ended yesterday and I can already feel the hole in my heart getting bigger. This cast has been the most talented, hilarious, heart felt, stylish, adorable, dedicated and FRIENDLY casts I have ever been involved with!! I have made so many good friendships, and now I hate to actually put them to the test; can you say long distance relationship? I know they don't work out most of the time, but these kids are my family now, my brothers and sisters, and I have to make it work somehow.

Maggie, Michelle, Abbey, Hayley and Ali (a.k.a. my "blood sisters") I will definitely miss the most. These girls are so beautiful in every way, and I'm so sad that I won't be able to see them constantly anymore. To think that we spent every hour of everyday together and we never got sick of it! You guys truly are my sisters and I will never forget you. I mean, I got my cartilage pierced with you!! Love you girls!!

Speaking of cartilage piercings...(i know, seamless right??) I GOT MINE DONE!!! :D And of course, because I am a responsibly 18-year-old, I didn't even need my parents permission!! I know, I'm so BA. ;)

It's still a little sore, but only when I touch it. Most people say that when you get it with a gun (which I did) that it stays sore for a longer period of time, but it seems to be getting better each day! And although my parents weren't absolutely thrilled, they still liked it. :) Up next: NOSE PIERCING!! :D

and NOW comes the part of the show when Lindsey talks about SCHOOL.

can I just start by saying EW?? Seriously, I hate school with a burning passion. I really don't know how I'm going to get through high school, let alone four more years of college. I mean, we spend half our lives in school!! (or something like that, anyway...) I'd rather be out in the world actually learning things from real people then sitting in a classroom (or in my case, on my couch) and just reading about them! And now that I'm a senior, it's really crunch time. Since I'm going to college for theater (i think) I have to get my lead role before the year is through, and it's SO much harder than it sounds. I have some hope though, The Center For The Arts is doing "Hairspray" in January and I actually think I have a shot to be Tracy! Being in Bye Bye Birdie really helped me in getting to know everybody at the Center, including the Director for Hairspray. And since I'm a little bigger than the other girls, I think I have a leg up with the physical appearance. Now, I KNOW from past experiences that I can't get my hopes up but a girl can dream, right??

till the song ends,

lindsey.

great friends and the big 18.

Yep, you read it right. As of yesterday, I am now officially a legal adult! What did I do in celebration you ask?

Not much.

Really, 18 isn't all it's cracked up to be. Because I still live with my parents, I still have a curfew, school, and I have to make my bed. :P ( Well, not ALL the time...) Not that I thought there would be some magical change or anything, but I wanted to feel some sort of accomplishment, instead I woke up and lived a rather normal day for me. No clubbing, smoking, or buying lottery tickets for me.

As horrible as I'm making this sound, my birthday wasn't a complete failure. Turns out I have some of the greatest friends ever. I was surprised TWICE by my friends! Once was a surprise party dinner, and the other was at rehearsal for Bye Bye Birdie! They even made me cake!

It's really funny to think that just a few hours earlier I was thinking how lame my birthday was going to be. I had always wanted a surprise party, but didn't think my friends/family would care enough to do it. Turns out they did, and walking in the door and hearing "SURPRISE!!!" was probably one of the best moments of my life. I have never felt so much love at a single moment!! To see that all my friends had cared enough to plan, organize, and follow through with such a difficult task amazes me, and I am SO blessed and thankful to have such awesome friends!

There is a verse in the Bible that fits perfectly here, so I guess I'll share it.

"Every time I think of you, I give thanks to God."

-Phil 1:3

till the clubbing begins,

lindsey.

ChiLILY!

Last night my good friend Lily celebrated her 16th Birthday!! We had a BLAST at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens in Nashville, TN. It was soooo much fun wandering around and taking pictures of the crazy sculptures created by Dale Chihuly! Here are some goofy pics we took. ;)

till the fun ends,

lindsey.

wrapping up junior year

Wow. What a year.

I have to start by saying that my junior year in high school has been one of the most busy/fun/productive/hectic/exciting/tiring and INCREDIBLE years of my life. I've had sooo many great memories from this school year and LOTS of awesome new friends.

Here are just a few highlights of my year:

~Demi Lovato concert with Alyssa. "Nashville is the GHET-TOE at night." Lys, that was sooo much fun!! I lost my voice for three weeks after that...

~Tie Dye at Pinkerton Park! "You guys fail at this." :P

~West Side Story at Pull-Tight. Wow, what a cast. Even though Cranky Cathy almost killed me in my sleep, it was worth it. Logan, you will forever be the butt of many jokes, I love you. :)

~IHS homecoming. My first 'real school' function. I don't think i have EVER seen so many...umm...well...PDA's? :P Lindsey, thanks for being my date. ;) (oh yeah, and borrowing your dress.)

~MAKOS!!! wow, SO many memories with you guys!! The bonfire at Ben's house ("I can talk like a black woman!"), THE TEA PARTY ("Crime of Passion!!"), Girl's night a my place (this is when Charli and I realized we were soul mates), and Allie's-not-so-surprise party (so. SAD!), The Cheesecake Factory, Our photoshoot (Maddie, your amazing) Jason' Deli after the Riverdale Meet ("It's a BOAT!!"), and of course Prom. (BEST. NIGHT. EVER.)

~My never ending day with Charli. Wow, I don't know how. in. the. WORLD we have so much fun all the time?! We had a photoshoot, tried on hats, ate sweet cece's...I'm going to miss you sooo much. :*(

~WOZ at IHS. Wow, my SECOND school function!! Haha, even though it was totally and completely stressful, it was fun to hang out with all my awesome public schoolers. You guys will go on to do great things. Let me know when you get to Broadway!!

~Junior Miss. haha, even know this was a completely RANDOM blip in my life, it actually paid off! I was awarded "Most Talented" and received a scholarship of $200!

~GETTING MY LICENSE!!! Haha. FINALLY. After waiting for TWO YEARS I am now street legal. Turns out being able to drive wherever, WHENever is totally not overrated...haha.



~My first College visit: Lee University. It's really scary to think that by this time next year I will have already been accepted to a college!! As sad as it will be, I'm SO excited to see what God has in store for me in the upcoming chapters of my life!!

~PROM! WHOAA. I never knew that dancing in a ridiculous dress could be so much fun! My favorite moment of the night? The Single Ladies Dance. Maddie, Kay and I kept bugging the DJ and he finally played it!! Just goes to show that nagging pays off...not that I have experience or anything...;) and girls, you are the most beautiful, funny and talented girls I have ever met. Thank you for inviting me as your "third wheel." You guys are fantastic. :)

As much as I will miss these fantastic memories, the time has come for newer and betting things!

Senior year, here I come!

till the gown is donned,

lindsey.