Catching up a bit..

Hello friends,

Well I am officially graduated!  This summer was a blast.  I turned 18 years old, got my drivers license and also got way closer to the Lord then I ever have been before.  He is so great and good to me.  I seriously can not keep talking about the amazing things God has been doing for me, and I know is going to do.
This year, God called me to leave the Agape Mime Team.  Man, it was so hard.  This would have been my 4th year on the team, and it's been such a blessing to be apart of an awesome ministry.  But, God hasn't stopped there.  He's called me into leadership with my youth group, Beastmode Youth, and I've come into the position of head of worship.  I lead a team of amazing worshippers and musicians, and it is so fun.  Doing what I love, while worshipping my God.  At first, I was scared when I was asked to be a leader.  I mean, I thought it meant talking in front of people (imagine that!) and other horridness things.  But, no.  It's so much simpler when you ask God to help.  I feel more equipped to do His work in this youth group because He is the ultimate giver of strength, and that's all I need.
Lets see...oh!  Want to know another awesome thing God has done for me? Provided me that job I was asking for.  I'm babysitting for an awesome mom, and it's really going great.
I'm not currently enrolled in any school classes this semester, but I'm still continuing in my busy schedule!  Piano lessons are great, I'm trying hard to improve even more and learn new things.  I'm trying to write music to eventually produce an album, but we'll see what God wants to do with that.

OK, so that's a bit of an update on me.

xo,
Cari

Being Me.

Hello fancy followers! {and if you're not following me, follow me!  It's fun:)}

I wanted to ramble about something that's been on my mind recently.  I've been looking at what makes some of the famous people on YouTube.. famous.  YouTube is such an opener of doors these days; anyone can see you, anyone can notice and like or dislike what you do.  It's kind of scary when I sit down and really think about it.  A homeless man looking for a pretty girl to stare at could watch me on his local library computer or vice verses; some of my favorite YouTubers like Alex Goot or Christina Grimmie could watch me and email me wanting to do a duet with me.  Anyways, it's a double whammy; the good and the bad.  I've been researching what makes these YouTubers so famous.  What makes their videos get over 1,000,000 views each time?  Then I figured it out:

They are themselves.

It's so simple, and yet so complicated!  They don't try and copy what other YouTubers do, they don't act like someone else; they're simply themselves.  They do what THEY as an individual likes to do in videos.  And that makes them stand out.

Back to the title of this blog post.  Throughout my life I've always been uncomfortable with me.  With myself, my personality, my looks; I didn't like me.  When I was 13 I tried to become someone else by taking someone who I considered a role model to me and copied them.  I copied everything they did.  I covered up who I was/am made to be with the desire to become someone else.

God's really been showing me that I'm more than what I told myself I was.  That I am not that person I wanted to be like.  That I'm not just some girl who has nothing to show for herself.  That I am worth something.

So for this past year (2012), I've been searching myself out.  Trying to find the personality that I had hidden from the world so long ago.  Trying to uncover the thoughts  desires, and character that God originated for me and me only.  And the hardest thing through this process is that I constantly have to tell myself that God has a reason for giving me the personality I have.  I get so bugged when I act a certain way and think "well that was dumb.  Everyone must think that was stupid."

But the thing is?  My closest friends love me.  And so does the God who created me.  So why do I need to be different on YouTube just to fit into that world?  If it's God's will I'll be able to show my talent to the world soon enough...but I think He's waiting for me to develop the relationship with Him.  That way He has room to work His crazy ways. :)

Anyway, just thought I'd throw that out there.  Love you guys!

Cari

My Tops

Top 5 Movies:
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
The Lorax
Shrek 4: Shrek Forever After
The Avengers
Thor

Top 5 Musicals:
Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
The Little Mermaid
Peter Pan the Show
Beauty and the Beast

Top 5 TV Shows:
Doctor Who
Downton Abbey
Once Upon a Time
Psych
Monk

Top 5 Books:
The Bible
The Hunger Games
Catching Fire
The Alcott Legacy {it's a 3 part series, it counts :)}
Peter and the Starcatchers

Top 5 Music bands:
Hot Chelle Rae
Smash Mouth
Any form of movie soundtrack
Alex Goot
Maroon5

Top 10 Composers {yes, I need to have 10.  There are just too many great ones out there}:
Thomas Newman {A Series of Unfortunate Events}
James Newton Howard {The Water Horse Suite}
Danny Elfman {Alice in Wonderland}
Klaus Badelt {The Time Machine}
Harry Gregson-Williams {The Chronicles of Narnia, Shrek}
John Williams {War Horse}
Bill Whelan {Riverdance}
Benjamin Wallfisch {Peter Pan the Show}
Mark Mothersbaugh {Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs}
John Powell {How to Train Your Dragon}

Top 5 Actors:
Tom Hiddleston
Rob James-Collier
Johnny Depp
Sebastian Stan
Robert Downey Jr.

Top 5 Songs:
Somebody That I Used to Know by Gotye
In Her Eyes by Josh Groban
Daylight by Maroon5
Spiderman by Michael Buble
Feelin Good by Michael Buble

Top 5 Foods:
Cheese Bagel
Mediterranean Food {Falafels, Hummus...}
Peanut Buttery Things
Caesar Salad
Italian Food