Day 6: A Few Of My Favorite Things

Day 6: A Few Of My Favorite Things

1. Watching Movies
2. Playing Music and Singing
3. Schwan's Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream
4. Playing with my Friends' Hair ( It all started with Clarissa lol)
5. Musicals
6. The Frizzell Family
7. Having Kirsten as a Roommate/Best Friend
8. Long Talks with Pim on the Phone
9. Papa John's Pizza
10. My Kids (the students that I have had so far...I LOVE teaching)
11. My Black Yoga Pants (the pair that I bought in 7th grade and still have)
12. Going to my Grandma's House
13. Sweet Tea!
14. Playing in the Praise & Worship Band
15. Taking Trips with Friends (NYC/Chicago/Ice Skating)
16. My Puppy
17. Watching Reality Talent Search Shows with my Mom (American Idol, X-Factor, The Voice)
18. Breakfast Foods at Any Time
19. Purple
20. Socks & Earrings

And That Is What...Breelynn Believes

Day 5: My Favorite Quote

Day 5: My Favorite Quote

This one is hard for me to answer in a different way. I don't think I truly have a favorite quote. There are quotes that I often hear and I say, "Hey, I like that" but I don't have a favorite written down somewhere...yet. I say yet because Kirsten and I have decided to start writing our own quote books this summer. She already started on hers and I haven't. I picked the idea up from one of my favorite movies...A Walk To Remember. There is that part where Jamie gives Landon her mother's favorite quotes book. It has anything from movie quotes to scripture. So! When I start that book, questions like this one will not be as much of a challenge. Until then, I can give you a quote that I recently saw and liked.

"When life's storms are upon us we have to remember...to grow and bloom to our fullest beauty, we need both the sunshine and the rain." -Unknown

I can't wait to get started on my quote book this summer!

And That Is What...Breelynn Believes

Day 4: My Favorite Book

Day 4: My Favorite Book

I have loved to read ever since I was a small child. When I got to college, my reading for enjoyment almost vanished. This is because the classes and teachers that I had were assigning readings of their own...some of which I enjoyed and others of which I did not at all. So! A few favorites that come to my mind are listed below. These are also not in any special order...

1. ANY Judy Blume Book:

I know, I know...these books are for the younger crowd. That's part of the reason why I like her so much. I started reading Judy Blume books when I was younger and just getting into reading the really good chapter books. "Are You There God, It's Me Margaret" and "Summer Sisters" are two favorites.

2. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Trilogy

Just like my TV shows, I love books that have a series and involve a group of friends. That's what these books are all about. I would always read these books in the summer time and think about which of the four girls I was most like. I think I'm a mix of Carmen and Lina. At least that's what I wanted to be.

3. "The Piano" by Jane Campion & Kate Pullinger

This was a book that was on a reading list in one of my literature classes at SEMO. It starts off as a slow read, so I dreaded having to finish it, but it turned out to be one of my favorite books by the end. It's a love story, but not one like you would have ever read before. It's not your typical boy meets girl, boy annoys girl, boy gets girl in the end silliness. This is about a mute girl and her nine year old daughter who have to move to a basically deserted island in New Zealand because the girl's father sets her up as a mail order bride. Surprisingly, the love story part is not between the girl and her mail order husband at all. It's between her and the only other person on the island who speaks English...even though this girl doesn't speak at ALL. The piano is the only way that the mute girl can speak, and the kicker is that she will do anything...and I mean ANYTHING to get to keep playing her piano. This is definitely an adult read.

4. "Like Water for Chocolate" by Laura Esquivel

This was yet another book on a reading list in some class. I never would have just picked this on up on my own. It's a weird book...but once again it turned out to be one of my favorites. This one is a Mexican Love Story/ Cookbook / Tall-Tale / all in one. It's about a Mexican girl who falls in love with a boy, but is not allowed to be with him. She is the youngest girl in her family, and that means she has to take care of her mother until death and do nothing else. The book goes on to tell the reader that her sister marries her love and has a baby. Then that family moves in with the girl and her mother. There are scandals, betrayals, and everything else that happens after that. There is even a little bit of mystical stuff that happens every now and then to throw you off while you're reading. Fun!

These are a few that I pulled off of the top of my head. I'm sure that there are more favorites that I have, but I just can't remember them at the moment.

And That Is What...Breelynn Believes

Day 3: My Favorite TV Show

Day 3: My Favorite TV Show

 

What is my favorite TV show? This question is just as bad as asking me about my favorite song. I have so many! So, just like with the songs, I am going to make a list of my favorite TV shows. These are not going to be in any particular order.

 

1. Three's Company

 

When I was younger, my mom used to watch this show on Nick-at-Night before she went to bed. It was then that I became addicted. When I was about 13, my younger cousin and I started taping the episodes of Three's Company over movies we already had taped on VHS tapes. This is how we would watch our favorite episodes before bed when she would stay the night. About a year ago I found the series on DVDs! I bought them all off of Amazon and I watch them often. There probably isn't anyone else my age who watches cheesey 70's and 80's shows like this one...but I love them.

 

2. Glee

 

Ever since Glee first started, I have been a faithful viewer. If I ever have to miss an episode on the night that it airs, I always DVD-R it or watch it on Hulu. I own the complete first two seasons on DVD as well. I guess I just loved the fact that it was a show that was based around music. It's like watching a high school musical / drama. I feel like I really am friends with the characters.

 

3. Buffy The Vampire Slayer

 

I have NO idea how this one started, but I never watched it before my freshman year at SCC. So, back when Buffy was popular and actually on TV, I never watched it. Then they started playing reruns on the SiFi channel or something weird and I became intrigued. My group of friends at SCC also liked Buffy and started watching the series from the beginning while sitting in the basement of a mutual friend's house. After that, I had to buy all 7 seasons on DVD as well.

 

4. Once Upon A Time

 

This is a newbie. This was a show that I watched the very first episode on the first night and I didn't like it. It was confusing and I didn't understand what they were doing with it. Then I had other friends who told me that I really just needed to stick with it. They explained "the curse" and things started to make sense. So! I started watching it again and I haven't missed an episode since. I love the fact that they are making fairy tale characters come to life in the real world!

 

5. Friends

 

Who doesn't love Friends? I recently realized that all of the television shows that I really enjoy are ones that have made it for 9 or 10 seasons on the air. I'm pretty sure Friends had about 10 full seasons. Watching Friends makes me want to pack up, move to NYC, and live with my friends like they do! I would want to be a care-free character like Pheobe, but I'm really a Monica. Maybe not as much of a "neat freak", but I'm pretty close. I would date a Ross though. Which is weird when I think about it because Monica and Ross on the show are brother and sister. But! I just meant that I would probably end up with a paleontologist instead of a promising actor.

 

6. Angel

 

Now this one was built off of me watching Buffy. The only reason that I started watching Angel is because it is intertwined with the Buffy season. Angel was a vampire character in Buffy who got his own series based around him moving to L.A. There were two other characters from the Buffy series that came along with Angel to his series...the characters of Wesley and Cordilia. I don't like the vampire tv series because I'm a girl who wants to marry a vampire like the Twilight groupies...I just like the groups of friends in the shows.

 

I was thinking one day...there has to be some common factor between all of the shows that I just love to watch so much. I found that factor. They all have close knit groups of friends who work together or love each other! I love that :) I put myself as a character in each show that I watch. I always fit. It's pretty awesome. This is the list until something new comes along.

 

And That Is What...Breelynn Believes

 



Day 2: The Meaning Behind My Blog Name

Day 2: The Meaning Behind My Blog Name

 

The meaning behind my blog name is a mix between my name, a nickname my best friend gave me, and what I wanted to write about in my blog.

 

My blog name is Breelynn Believes. Let's break it down :)

 

My name is Briana (pronounced Bree-Anna) Lynn.

 

One of my best friends Kirsten started calling me Breelynn right before I made my blogspot in 2009.

 

The reason that I wanted to blog in the first place was so I could have a place where I could write about what I believe. This was my inital thought. I wanted to be able to vent.

 

When you put all of that together, that is how I came up with the name Breelynn Believes for my blog. Then I had the bright idea that I would always end the blog that I was writing with the phrase "And that is what...Breelynn Believes." because what I'm writing is what I believe :) I know, too cool. So that's it!

 

And That Is What...Breelynn Believes

 

 



June's 30 Day Challenge! Day 1: My Favorite Song

Day 1: My Favorite Song

 

Well! Hello once again. I haven't been able to blog since New Year's Eve of 2012. That just make me...awesome! Not. It's really actually just sad, because I love to be able to write random things like this. That is exactly why I have decided to try and be a part of this 30 day blog challenge. With that said...Day 1! What is my favorite song? Well, if that's not an impossible question I don't know what is. I LOVE music. I have about a million favorite songs, and they change with the year or the time present. I'm just going to name a few that come to mind right off the bat and my favorite line from each. I know I'm going to miss some. These are not in any specific order.

1. "So Small" by Carrie Underwood

"While you sit around thinking about what you can't change and worrying about all the wrong things, time's flying by moving so fast, you better make it count cause you can't get it back."

2. "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Fergie

*I have to explain this one. This is the song that I happened to listen to right after I left my best friend and sister Pim at the airport in St Louis. So, this song automatically reminds me of her and how I felt in that moment. I miss that kid!

"And I'm gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket, but I've got to get a move on with my life. It's time to be a big girl now, and big girls don't cry."

3. "For Good" from Wicked

"People come into our lives for a reason bringing something we must learn. We are led to those who help us most to grow if we let them and we help them in return."

4. "He Lives In You" from The Lion King

*I always thought this song should have been a christian song.

"He lives in you. He lives in me. He watches over everything we see. Into the water, into the truth, in your reflection, he lives in you."

5. "Only Hope" by Mandy Moore

"When it feels like my dreams are so far, sing to me of the plans that You have for me over again."

6. "You're Not Alone" by Meredith Andrews

"You've had to face the music on your own, but there is a sweeter song that calls you home."

7. "Jump Around" by Cypress Hill

* This is one song that literally makes me jump around :)

"Word to your moms I came to drop bombs, and I got more rhymes than the bible has psalms."

8. "Believe" by Brooks & Dunn

*This song was played at my paw paw's funeral. It makes that connection with him.

"So I raise my hands and bow my head. I'm finding more and more truth in the words written in red. They tell me that there's more to life than just what I can see...I believe."

These are just a few songs off the top of my head. I realized after naming them that most of the songs are slow or sad. Oops. I guess my connection with these particular songs has left them fresh in my memory. One thing about music...it has the power to take you back to that moment in time when you first heard the song. It can bring the feelings back that you had in the moment the song was played. Man! Gotta love it.

And That Is What Breelynn Believes...


New Years Eve 2012!

Another year has come and gone. I think for sure that this has been the fastest year in my whole life. I can't believe it. Anyway, at the end of last year I made a blog. I wanted to be able to post at least once a week. That was my goal. Well, I have failed. I started off strong, and then I just dropped it completely. I started getting really busy with school, a new job, and a new house. BUT! I did post my first post on here as a recap of what happened to me throughout that year. I want to do that again this year. I like to keep tabs on the things that have happened in my life from year to year. So...here it goes. My life. 2012. Major points.

1. Multiple friends had new babies! Baby Cameron, Baby Brynleigh, Baby Rylin, etc

2. I turned 21!

3. I went to Vegas over Spring Break!

4. I lost 3 of my senses for months at a time. I could not smell, taste, or hear for a while. SO not fun, but memorable.

5. I fell away from a few friends. Not on purpose, we just all have different lives and sometimes even though you TRY to keep things on a good path, they stray. It takes two to keep the relationship, not just one.

6. I made awesome NEW friends. I LOVE people and I have been content with the group of friends that I have had for a few years, but every now and then someone cool comes along and I bond. I may have met them in 2011, but we became best friends in 2012! I plan on keeping these around for...well...the rest of my life. Not sure if THEY know that, but, surprise! You're now stuck with me :)

7. I got to be in another spring show at SCC (Once Upon A Mattress). I take those memories and moments and hold them dear. I always have. That theatre department is struggling hardcore right now. I always treat shows like they could be my last.

8. I went to a bajillion 31 purse parties! Lol. One of my best friends Taylor started selling 31 products, and when she first started...I went to like a party a week. No lie. But all of those parties were memories. It about more than just the purses. It's bonding time. (I know, I know, LAME)

9. My baby cousin graduated from high school and started college. She's the only cousin that I have that I've continued to be close to my entire life. She's the very first one that started calling my Bri-Bri! It just makes me feel freakin old!

10. My little brother turned 18! What the poo! Talk about me feeling old. There it is again. He also grew what I like to call a Mexican mustache and got a two pack...instead of a six.

11. I taught group piano lessons for a month in the summer. It was really the first time that I had ever been left completely alone in a room full of children. I had to learn day by day, make mistakes, and decisions. It was in the school that I grew up in, but it was all new to me. I would say that it made me a step ahead in school when I started teaching the 3rd graders for my Block II at SEMO.

12. Some "old" married friends celebrated their 1st anniversary. Woah! I was in a wedding and then BAM it was a 1st year anniversary. Time flies!

13. I stuck with my usual tradition of going to Beulah Jr High Alive as a sponsor. I feel like that place has such a special place in my heart because I was saved there. I just haven't stopped helping out there ever since I reached the age limit where I was too old to go.

14. I saw some other AMAZING shows/musicals. Kevin! Dude was rocking it this year in the show world. Legally Blonde was my favorite of his.

15. I moved out of my parents house and to Cape Girardeau. MO. This was different. Not really terrible. I actually made it up till Christmas before I ever had a day of homesickness. This was because I was snowed in at my place with no friends or family and only work for a week.

16. I finally made it to see The Lion King on stage. Best. Show. I loved it SO much. I would see it again and again...just like Wicked.

17. I started working my very first job in retail. This has been a roller coaster of experiences. I worked really hard as a sales associate for 4 months and right before the New Year I was promoted to a Key Holder/ Assistant Manager. It shows that when you have a positive attitude and you work hard, even when it sucks, things can turn in your favor. Yes, I had to work all of my Christmas Break, and I still have to, but on the plus side, I am making a lot more than I was. I'm saving up for when school starts back, and I have to drop back down from Full Time to Part Time.

18. Now for some BADs. I made my very first zero on a research paper at SEMO during this year. It was dreadful. I will never forget the feeling and the looks of disappointment. That day of finals was a terrible one.

19. I also made my first C in college in this year. That zero on the paper mentioned in the latter caused me to have a C in the class instead of an A. It dropped my gpa and made me feel like poo.

20. I also lost a loved one and some other people that I knew this year. My paw paw went to heaven that same week I had terrible finals and a zero. It was the worst week of the year 2012. He always supported what decisions I made and what I wanted to do in life. When a few major people in my family thought "music and teaching" wasn't going to be enough for me, he told me he was proud of those things. He gave me his guitar and said that he knew I would make good use of it.

21. I also had loved ones in and out of the hospital. My great aunt had a heart attack...that same terrible week that my paw paw passed away and my grades sucked.

22. The last thing I can think of right now is I had to learn how to remain calm in times when I was SO irratated with people. These people were usually not at school or work...but...closer than that. I'm glad I had my best friend/ roommate Kirsten so we could rant together.

That's all folks!

Hopefully I will continue to have time to Blog every now and then, buuut, I can almost promise you that I won't once school starts back. I'm coming up on my very last semester on classes. No more sitting in classes after this. I'm closing the gap. But! I have to make it through 10, count um, 10 classes before this is all over. I'm finishing them all at once while working part time as a manager. This will be my life. Am I ready???

And that's what Breelynn Believes...