Hello all! I know it has been a rough couple of weeks, but over this past weekend, I got the amazing opportunity to travel all the way from Chicago to "the happiest place on earth"--Walt Disney World. It was a very well deserved trip that my entire highschool marching band had earned. If you're new here, I am was on color guard for three years and I have been truly blessed to have been with a great family of amazing friends. It has been one heck of a year and a high school career for that matter, and I couldn't have asked for anything better.
My marching band was invited to march in Epcot's day parade and we were to travel a 20+ hour bus ride (ugh) all the way to Florida. While I have to say, it really wasn't that bad being on a bus with all of my friends, it did start to weaken as we came back home (it smelled like pee lemme just tell yuh). Besides the little things I remembered, like our insane bus driver that we loved (shoutout to ma boi Terry), our dope bus ("Bus #1, yaw yaw yaw!), or just giggling at the most randomest whale jokes, the journey was not as amazing as the destination. We were there from Saturday until Monday (March 24-26) at Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and then Universal Studios.
Day 1: Magic Kingdom
I was there with all of my band and color guard friends and on the first day, we went straight from a 20 hour bus ride to a 20 hour marathon of walking and riding. I was the most excited for Magic Kingdom because it has been about 6 years since my last visit and I was feeling the nostalgia a lot once we got there. So many things I remembered and so many new things I had never seen before like Belle's castle or the new Dwarves ride that I ended up loving.
We got fastpasses to three things; space mountain, splash mountain, and to meet Rapunzel and Tiana. I had never done any of those things because when I was little I was in the "weenie club", my mom would taunt at me...then I'd just get ice cream and everything would be fine. Ah those were the good ol' days.
Day 2: Epcot and the Parade
Epcot was one of my favorite parks when I visited a very long time ago because I loved all of the world showcases and different countries to go and explore. Plus, it was mostly shopping and I never really liked rides. In the morning, the band and I had time to kill and do some stuff before the 3 pm parade, so my group and I did Test Track twice with out fast pass which was one of the smartest ideas. I love that ride so much because it takes you through a test drive and you go almost 600 miles an hour. Whenever my dad would drive really fast or recklessly (I do not condone), he would say that we're in Test Track.
After that ride, we headed to all of the showcases and explored the countries. We also had a fastpass to go meet Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy! It was really funny because Mickey left me to go grab Minni from Goofy and it I was Mickey's new Minnie.
Probably the most epic part of the trip was marching. It was one of the most fulfilling moments I had ever felt throughout my entire marching season. When they announced our band twice in the park, I nearly teared up because it was such a great feeling to be there in Disney doing what I love with the people I love.
We performed Thnks Fr Th Mmrs by Fall Out Boy and, while I didn't really approve of the song as a marching song, it was still a really fun song to perform to in Disney. I just can't believe that it's finally over. The last hoorah that many former band members never got.
After being in our hot and sweaty uniforms in the beautiful, 80 degrees and sunny weather (as opposed to Chicago's 40 and rainy) we changed and received a golden Mickey award for marching! We also got Disney performing arts hats that I ended up embroidering and getting signed by Mickey himself.
Day 3: Universal Studios
I had never been to Universal before, but at this point in the trip, we were all pretty exhausted and ready to head back home if you could believe it. However, I was most excited for Harry Potter World and had to keep my energy up to enjoy it--because I really did.
Of course, here's me with the $7.50 butterbeer that everyone needs to get when they're there. It was just like a coffee or butterscotch frappuccino with a marshmallowy foam on top. So sweet, but super delicious. I wasn't feeling too great that morning, but I did go on the Hippogriff ride which was really fast and awesome. We also went around to Dr. Seuss Land and Jurassic Park Land to explore the other rides. We ended up getting completely soaked on a Popeye raft ride and I was so ready to get on the bus and change into my warm sweats.
I know this post might not be as detailed as you might have hoped, but I want to just remember the things I want to remember and save the memories. I am probably running on only 6 hours of good sleep, but this morning I slept in until 11 and could have slept until 3 or 4. It was all so worth it and I wanted to thank my parents for helping me go on this trip and supporting me with flags for the past three years, my coach, Mrs. Riley for sticking with me and helping me become a better flagger and performer, my band directors, Mr. Riddle and Mr. Pavlik, for dealing with everyone and making this the first Disney trip our band has gone on, and to just all of my friends and supporters who have also helped me along this one hell of a journey through my high school career. I hope to remember this for the rest of my life and I am sincerely grateful and glad I got to be a part of this experience and marching band.
We brought Terry home! #bus1 #yawyawyaw #whalejokes #JuilaMccoy
<3
I have been loving liquid lipsticks lately, however, the problem of dry and cracked lips always ruins the look. I have seen all of the scrubs and oils, but I wanted something handy that I could just easily and conveniently use to scrub my lips before I applied my favorite liquid lipsticks. The E.l.f. Lip Exfoliator in Mint Maniac has been a game changer and really has made my routine a whole lot easier.
For many of you makeup lovers, liquid lipsticks are probably a staple and dry or cracked lips are totally not. It's safe to say that I have probably found one of the best solutions out there. Forget the messy and oddly flavored Lush lip scrubs, Elf knows where it's at! With six other flavors, including pink grapefruit and coconut, elf has created a convenient lip sugar scrub that's totally edible and easy to use before using your Kylie Lip Kit. For only $3 dollars, you can have the most soft and kissable lips out there. Who doesn't want that?
These lip scrubs are infused with vitamin e, Shea butter, avocado, grape and jojoba oils to smooth and help protect your lips. All pretty safe ingredients to me! I like to wet or lick my lips before applying it because it can be harsh on dry lips. Then I either lick it off my lips or wipe it off with a tissue and apply my lip balm or lipstick. I just find it so easy because you don't have to abandon your makeup routine to go into the bathroom to get your fingers all messy while scooping out your bubble gum lip scrub. If you aren't a diy fan and don't feel like making your own sugar scrub, I would really suggest purchasing this amazingly inexpensive one. It's so convenient to just bring along for quick fixes.
I have been so impressed by Elf lately and love all of their products. They really kill at making great quality and affordable makeup. I know sometimes Elf can be overlooked because it's too "cheaply priced" to be good. You just have to try it because there are some really great products.
I know I am posting a little late on here, but you gotta do what you gotta do when a research paper is due in two days! I just wanted to come on here and sort out some goals that I would like to achieve this blooming spring season. A lot has happened to me and my family lately and I thought that I could sort some things out on here and try to make a fresh start into the new season up ahead.
While it is still around 40 to 50 degrees in Chicago, this upcoming weekend is my spring break. I know many people have already been on spring break or have yet to even have it. I have the amazing opportunity to go to Walt Disney World with my high school's marching band. I am uber excited because the last time I was there was about 5 or 6 years ago. What a better way to end my high school year with a Florida trip?! I can't believe how far this year has flown by already and I graduate in the next two months.
With graduation in mind, there are a lot more things I need to do before I graduate. First of all, for anyone who thinks senior year is the "easiest" and "most laid back", it's really not. You're finding out about colleges, worrying about prom, getting graduation invitations sent, finishing your final projects and trying to pass your classes so you can graduate, and being asked about everything you don't even know about yet left and right. It's been insanely stressful and I feel like the ACT tests were not on my main lists of things to worry about junior year at all. Hopefully, with all of these happier things, I can move on and just enjoy the last quarter of senior year. Wow.
I just hope that whichever direction I chose, collegewise, is a good one. And all of the colleges I did apply to are all great choices and options that I have and I know that I will be in good hands no matter where I choose to go. It's just a matter of time and waiting to find out from scholarships that has been holding me back.
I also hope to just clean out everything cuz SPRING CLEANING!! My ocd this season has been pretty on edge and I have been trying to get my room situated and tidied up. I already have a pretty clean room, but my closet needed major help. I took out all of my shoes and cleaned out some bins I had filled with crap. I feel like tidying up your space really helps tidy up your mind and it's made me a bit more calmer knowing that my space is organized.
Also, speaking of clearing minds, I have still been doing yoga if any of you have been wondering. I have been keeping up with it and sculpting almost three to four days a week. I really love it and I feel like I can see my body changing and getting incredibly stronger. If you are wondering about joining a yoga studio, I would definitely recommend it. Many yoga studios have free trials and you never know what you might find to end up loving. It's one of my favorite ways to stay active.
I'm hoping this season will bring more happiness as it starts to get warmer and things pick up around my house a bit. It's been tough, these past couple of weeks, so I'm ready to move on and start a new chapter. Sorry about my later posting!
Photos courtesy of Ellaby Rohde.
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