"I Love You, LORD and I Lift My Voice..."

"...to worship You. Oh my soul rejoice. Take joy my King in what You hear. Let it be a sweet, sweet sound in your ear."

You know what it is. The District Fine Arts Festival. Always epic. April 27-28th, 2012. If you get 36 points or higher, you move on to Nationals.

So, as you'd imagine, the Celebration Service was pretty friggin' epic. A Fun Arts kid named Kara that I remember watching in the nursery got to perform in front of hundreds (maybe about a thousand?) there doing her lovely gospel illusion, our childrens' pastor's relative Hannah got to do her unconventional percussion group in front of everybody since they received merit... theirs was so amazing-- it was called "Beat of the Nations," so for America our beat was the norm, Africa had this really African Lion King-ish sound, Latin America made everyone want to be Latino/Latina, and Europe is... well, Europe. And then Drew "Pooley" Poole merited in TWO EVENTS!!!! Gah, it was great. If you're wondering why I called him Pooley, it's because when he got called up for his drama solo, they were like:

"And now we have Drew Pool-ey from Dayton Bethel!" Apparently they didn't get that it's pronounced like the pool in "swimming pool." And then when my friend Baileigh did her dance, they got her first and last name mixed up, so apparently her first name is Howard. And then the usual happened to me--- yes, I got called Hope Ezz-el, AGAIN. Get it right, people--- Ezell like Maybelle. And Nathan and Josh called me Faith who knows how many times on purpose...

But yeah. So I performed in Large Human Video Ensemble. Well you see, I always have to pee right before it's time to perform, so I had to rush out of the bathroom barefooted to get into the ballroom on time. We did great, I think. However, I did mess up a bit... a big bit, actually. I went to the wrong spot by like, two inches, and me and "Goliath" had to switch positions. Pretty sure the judges noticed... haven't seen the score sheet yet.

Then we were still at the convention center until like, ten at night yesterday. I fell asleep in the hall on one of those seats that are long and soft enough to be your bed. Well, I ALMOST fell asleep at least. Up until I felt someone lay down on my head. I was thinking it was Josh, so I was about to say, "GET OFF OF ME, JOSH!! YOU'RE ANNOYING THE CRAP OUT OF ME!!" Then I realized, as I awoke, all these KIDS (who were probably older than me...) are laying on top, to the side--- all around me and my friends. "What the... WHAT???" I wondered. Then the kids moved on to their next victim. That's Fine Arts for ya, plus some "We love Jesus better than ice cream"s, a chorus of "Ayyyyyy! Ohhhhh!"s, and "O-H-I-O"s. I know what you're thinking... sounds more like a summer camp, less like a competition. And that's why I LOVE Fine Arts.

As of now, I performed my vocal solo nearly twelve hours ago. Yes, at 8:24 a.m., I had to get up the nerve and sing after just eating a banana. Hard to do, hard to sound good. But it was fine... after, the hotel was still serving breakfast so I got to eat some more. THAT'S how early it was. I woke up at 6:45 a.m. for it, and as soon as I was woke up, I ran to the bathroom to get ready. And guys... I am supposed to get up at 6:15 on school days because my BUS comes at around that time and I still don't get up much earlier than that.

Surely you can think of a better way to spend your Saturday, right? Um, wrong. I wouldn't wanna spend it anywhere else (because I got to miss one day of the OAAs), I wouldn't wanna spend it with anybody else, I wouldn't wanna spend it doing any other thing, I wouldn't wanna feel any other way. This weekend was great.

And sorry to those that don't agree but, this is probably the best Fine/Fun Arts Festival I've been to in awhile. Even if you didn't make Nationals, those that were there, there's gotta be something that can cheer you up--- hopefully, you did your best. Hopefully, it was all for God. And if both of those statements are true, what are you so sad about? SMILE!

I didn't make it into the Christian Band this year. They didn't make it to Nationals, but I didn't even make the cut to join. At first I was fine with it, since I only didn't make it for "Confidence" reasons. Then my mom asked our pastor why I REALLY didn't make it. Apparently I didn't sound very good either... but you can't just have everyone audition with the same song--- you can do that with the instrumentalists, but "I Am Free" doesn't work with my range. I don't care how easy you think that song is because for me it's not. I can't take it down an octave, I can't take it up an octave (which was what I had to do), and I am just now beginning to master half-keys. So I didn't make it in. At the showcase on Wednesday you could tell I was really sad about it--- I don't even think I looked at the stage until they were done performing. But yesterday, I was super excited for them--- toward the end of the song I was moshing for them and got rather dizzy. But I had to support them for many reasons.

1. For not making the cut, I wanted to show them that I still was gonna support them all the way and cheer them on. Moshing was a way to show that they were doing a great job and I was proud of them-- super proud.
2. And then also for not making the cut, I wanted to prove to them that I should have.

Well, I succeeded at both *smiles*.

Come the celebration service, I had picked up habits in the shortest amount of time possible--- bring out the Guiness book of world records. I was bitning my nails, shaking my knee, pulling on my hair--- I KNEW I wasn't gonna go to Nationals. And when I saw that my human video didn't make it, I was positive I wasn't going. Goodbye, Louisville, the city I may never see.

When they announce who's going to Nationals, they slowly show the names like ending credits of a movie--- it's quite annoying.

Female vocal solo, Jr.

I was freaking out. I knew I didn't make it--- I just knew it. After about three names the list stopped. "Hope, it's alright---" Faith started, and then... and then...

HOPE EZELL
BETHEL CHRISTIAN
DAYTON, OHIO

My entire church's section jumped screaming. Me? I made Nationals? Who am I kidding, I am only in the eighth grade. I am only thirteen. But no, I really made it. Two years in a row I've made it to Nationals. Which really it had to be this year because it's gonna be really hard on me next year when I compete against high school seniors and beautiful sopranos and booming altos. Yeah. Scary thought. Next year I'm in high school. But now, I think I'm ready to go against them.

And now, I think I know my calling. I have been putitng this off FOREVER--- I was supposed to join the youth worship team last May, you see, but that didn't work. But I need to. They need another guitarist because even though Chris and Sarah can play, they both have other instruments they wanna stick to. They don't really need another vocalist, but if they want one, alright. They would probably find it cool if they had a violinist--- my inspiration to get better at it. They need another drummer, but sorry, I can't--- you don't want me on the drums. You don't.

And then I want to join a folk band. But most of all, I wanna be that college girl sitting on the curb downtown, playing her guitar, rocking the violin, and singing requested songs. It's a win-win, get some money to pay for eating and fun stuff while using the money from a real job to pay for tuition and housing and books. But I'd love to live like that. Just me and my music... until one day some agent comes from Capitol Records or Mono Vs Stereo and is like,

"Oh look at you, you lucky girl! We want you to be signed to us!"

Yes, I love Capitol Records--- Relient K used to be signed to them, Coldplay currently is signed to them. But Mono Vs Stereo--- my, Deas Vail is signed to them! You really kinda can't say no.

So what is Fine Arts? A mission to discover, develop, and deploy your talents. Nationals should not be the only time you "Deploy" your talents. Go out to all the Nations, show them what you're made of. Sing in church, give sermons when allowed, do a dance to a worship song (Baileigh used "Beautiful Things" by Gungor) at a recital, write a poem about being relentless after the one. Write a worship song. Write a drama for the youth group. You can do anything. ANYTHING.

"I'll go, I'll show the power of Your love! The world will know the power of Your love!..."
-"Power of Your Love" by WORTH DYING FOR, our church's small human video ensemble used the song following "Faithful" and "Such Beauty" by Ian McIntosh.

I'll show the power of Your love... 

Prayers MUCH Appreciated

My title sounds desperate, I know, but... desperate times call for desperate measures! hehe!

So, tomorrow I leave for the Ohio District Fine Arts Festival. I will be singing (solo this time... that's why I haven't been talking about it much lately) and doing a large human video. PLEASE pray for us to do as well as we can. Though one of my goals are nationals, there are much bigger reasons for this annual competition. It's ministry, and I still wanna do to the best of my abilities. And so does everyone else. We have practiced SO HARD for tomorrow. The competition road could all end on Saturday. It could continue 'til August. Please pray that no matter what happens, we give it our all.

I also will be finishing my Ohio Achievement Test on Monday, due to not attending school tomorrow. If you can, pray that I can do that to the best i can as well. It's alright if you don't want to... it's not a pass-or-fail grade, so I'm not treating it like it. BUT! If a whole bunch of us do well on the science test tomorrow (or in my case, Monday, and in my friend Cheyenne's case, next Wednesday), our teacher could get a raise! I'm not the only one benefiting from this.

So, please, in your thoughts, please keep the Ohio Assemblies of God Fine Arts/Fun Arts/Kappa tau participants and Ohio's eighth grade and below students in mind.

-H

Multiple Sclerosis: A Creative Disease Calls For Creative Treatment

Ah, multiple sclerosis. Chances are, you know someone who has it. Chances are, you've never heard of it. So on both sides, I'll explain.

M.S. is a pretty common disease. Those of you who know me or have read my "It Sounds Like We Would've Had a Great Deal to Say to Each Other" (in other words, "About Me") paragraph, you know my dad has this super creative disease. I'll get to that after I explain what it is.

This "creative" disease affects the spinal cord and nerves. It affects your organs... a lot of things are affected, from your legs to your brain.

What's so creative? You can have it and be completely fine, in many cases. In my dad's case, you can have it and have intense pain and muscle weakness. In severe cases, you can even lose the use of your legs, like my grandfather.

Another creative aspect: it is, evidently, recessive. You can only end up with it if it runs in BOTH sides of your family. Pretty cool, eh? Not if you're like me, and this actually IS the case for you. Let me include a not-pedigree-pedigree:

P.GRANDMOTHER / GRANDFATHER          M. GRANDMOTHER / GRANDFATHER

STEVE (P. UNCLE) / DWAYNE (FATHER)   
                                                                          DENICE, KAREN, BILL (M. AUNTS/UNCLE), JEANETTE (MOTHER)

TAMEISHA / SHAWN / TIFFANY/ TIERRA / TAMARA / DOUG / CHARITY / FAITH / HOPE

                                                     BRIAN / BRAYLON

What I noticed was, on both sides of the family, somehow both of my parents carry the recessive allele of MS. The purple highlighted names are the MS patients. And on my dad's side, I don't know about you, but I see a pattern--- both of my grandparents had/have the disease, but only one child ended up with it. Same on my mom's side, but... none of my maternal grandparents had the disease, yet STILL one child in her generation ended up with it.

So what does this all mean? If this keeps going on, one child in my generation (and no, I do not have that many siblings... up until Charity, they are all cousins and after me, those are second cousins) will have been diagnosed with the disease by the time they've reached their 30s.

So what do we do? We pray, we hope, we fight. This is a creative disease that needs a creative cure NOW. Seizures and strokes are happening among the MS community, and health is slowly falling... join me and blog until the whole world knows what this disease can do!

I'd love to hear from you... if you have any experiences with the disease, PLEASE blog about it... we may not know how to create a cure, but we DO know how this affects US, and we DO know how to make our voices be heard.

BE SILENT NO LONGER!!!!

Dance Must-Haves!

As I mentioned previously, I attended my first school dance a few hours ago, as it is in the wee hours right now.
So, here are the things you will NEED for your spring dance or prom. Or, start planning for homecoming--- spring turns to summer and summer turns into another school year, which means another football season, which means another dance.
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1. Buy a dress.

 It's a formal dance, so you need something pretty. It can be a church dress, it can be a bridesmaids' dress... anything'll do. The dress above was purchased from Kohl's. You too can get it for $78.00. No, I'm not that wealthy... it was on clearance. So there's a chance it's not in the store anymore, but if it is, you're paying big bucks, honey. I absolutely loved the dress (I'm still wearing it) because firstly, there was no bra necessary--- it was padded. Plus, you'd think it'd be super short, but it was fine. The only problem with it was... it was quite difficult to dance in because my bust is smaller than the norm, so it was sliding down as I danced. And when I got outside.... my, oh my, it was FLYING. Do you even know how long it took for me to get inside my car?
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2. Carry a clutch.

 No one likes hauling around a huge bag with such a cute outfit. I mean, seriously--- do you need your sunglasses? Your iPod? Your headphones? A pillow (believe it or not, I do haul around a huge pillow, and don't ask why)? No. Limit yourself to what you need--- your dance ticket/money, just-in-case items, gum/mints, some makeup, bobby pins, a small fragrance, and leave extra room to put away those earrings that are just annoying the crap out of you.
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3. Fancy hair is a must.

 Always go for a look you haven't worn or don't normally wear, but make sure you're positive it will look good. That's why you try out the style two hours before leaving and then make sure you've planned an alternative. Like, my style was a vintage curl (it's difficult to describe), and I was afraid it may not work. With CONAIR HotSticks, it's really hard to tell what your hair will look like up until you're taking out the curlers and... well, then it's too late. So I told myself that if the curl didn't work I'd just use a ponytail. I never put my hair up anyway and personally I look better with a ponytail. But the style was successful, and so was the dance.
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4. Keep it fresh.

 Nothing's worse than feeling exhausted. When I wash my face, I feel a renewal, like I have woken up again. But because I wake up so early in the mornings an dgo to bed so late at night, I never have the time to wash my face. Thank heavens "good skin" runs in my mom's side of the family. However, "bad skin" runs in my dad's side. So I've got occassional acne. So, what I do to keep breakouts under control, is wash my face with Neutrogena's Acne Wash that smells great (mm... grapefruit!) and works amazing. Then, I use a weaker toner/astringent and rub all over with a cotton ball. Then, I use BeautiControl's Warming Trend mask... oh my gosh, it is AMAZING. As long as my face is wet prior, it warms up on my face. Like, literally. But don't keep it on for too long... I have a scar from a chemical burn. So at max, leave it on for two minutes.
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5. Beautiful feet strut confidence

 Don't forget to give yourself a pedicure! Use a scrub and a base coat, then use the same color as your dress in a darker shade. I chose a burgundy/purple.
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6. Time to blossom

 Anyone who knows me knows I LOOOOOOVVVVVEEEE my flowers! I wear them on the side of my head all the tme. And the ones in the picture are only a small fraction of how many I own. People are also starting to copy my style--- I know it's a common trend, but people I know are beginning to wear them after me, when Lord knows I started that trend in my school. The one I chose for the dance was the black-and-white one. It was either that one or the purple one on the right--- which one would you have chosen?
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7. Like nails on a chalkboard

 Artificial nails are a gift from heaven. They're so fun, and a lot faster to use than nail polish, though with me loving creating cosmetological art, I prefer painting myself anyway. But these took about ten minutes to put on just before I had to leave. And I still managed to eat before leaving. Talent right there.
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8. The key to my heart

 Make sure to have a necklace to distract from any cleavage.
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9. Smelling fresh is feeling fresh

 

 Those that know me well know that I. LOVE. DARK KISS. I also like PARIS AMOUR, both from Bath and Body Works. The other fragrance is an expensive Chanel one from like, the 80s. Literally. It was purchased in the 80s and my mom has barely used it.
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10. Walking on the stars

 Be smart--- go for lower heels NOT high ones! Remember, this is a dance also, not just some formal event. No one likes dancing in pain. I understand you short people (not really... just being nice), but I say this for your own good--- don't get super high stillettos.
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11. The simple spandex cheer short

 Volleyball players. Track runners. Soccer kids. Dancers. Gymnasts. Cheerleaders. You know what I'm talking about, and yes, I am asking you to wear sports apparel under your dress. Why? When and if dancing, to spring formals you're wearing short dresses most likely. Don't you want some protection? Some freedom to move? Well then you need shorts. Prom kids, you should be alright. But if this applies to you, do follow.
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12. GET CLEAN!

I don't know how this is step 12... it's more of a 1 to me! I had Fitness in sixth period before the dance, so as soon as I entered my house after the 45 minute bus ride, I rushed to get in the shower. I had a lot to get done, as you see. So I used my shaving cream to shave (obviously), then rubbed herbal oil all over my body for moisture. The razor is a Quattro. Within three minutes of being out of the shower, I rubbed Dark Kiss lotion all over. You may have guessed I love that stuff.... hence the Dark Kiss shower gel in the above picture.
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Well, I hope these tips help you! Bye!

-H

It's Prom Season:)

It's prom season in Ohio this spring:)

So excited! My sister got a date for her senior prom, my other sister is a sophomore but since our school is so tiny she's allowed to go to prom (doesn't matter... she still doesn't wanna go... our school only goes up to grade eleven, while Charity attends a separate school), and then as for me...

The middle school formal spring dance is tomorrow! I'm soooo excited! Saturday, if not tomorrow, I will be posting original images (with my signature: crappy photography!) on what to wear to formal dances and proms and homecomings. You just don't even know...

My dress is REALLY cute!!! I feel rich when I say this: It cost me $78.00. Well... alright, it was on Clearance at Kohl's for $25.00 (I think that includes sales tax). But still, it originally was $78. Golee, can't a girl be happy she got a pretty dress for a pretty price anymore?

It's purple and black. I got a black ring, a black-and-white flower, a silver bracelet, a black shrug, and black heels. I will be painting my toenails black, with artificial fingernails. I'm kinda nervous... I've never used nail glue before.

But I am SOOOOOO excited! Like, seriously! I already have my dance tips figured out!I can't wait to post them! A few weeks ago I wrote out a prom/homecoming/dance checklist. So I'll leak one tip.

1. Buy a dress.

See ya! LoL!

-H

Frames

At firstAll you see
Is what you believe to be me
The girl with the iPod in her hand
The flower on the side of her head
But do they know me?
I wear a constant smile no one would would dare think fake
My thumbs point up to the sky when they want to fall to the ground
I'm just tired
Tired
Bored with myself
I'm patiently waiting for you to step in.
Don't you notice I'm quiet?
Don't you notice I won't speak?
Don't you notice all I know is apathy?
I've always admired those who aren't afraid
Afraid to fall
Afraid to cry
Those who don't care who sees them breaking down.
Well of course I'm not like that
It's frustrating
My brown eyes are dry
Tears won't fall
Unless they aren't supposed to.
What got me here?
Myself, I guess.
I used to know how to smile
I used to know how to cry
I used to know how to live
The way I used to be.
But whatever
"Stupid"
"Can't do anything right"
"Stay silent because it's not worth hearing your voice"
Don't believe these lies,
Don't make these mistakes,
Because you'll end up this way.
Not happy
Not alive
Not feeling... anything.
Still think you know me?
Ha.
Partially you do because
At first
All you see
Is what you believe to be me
The girl with the iPod in her hand
The flower on her head
But do they know me?
Not really.

"Safe and Sound" Covers

I love Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars' "Safe and Sound" from The Hunger Games: From District 12 and Beyond soundtrack. The entire soundtrakc is amazing... there's "Safe and Sound," "One Engine" by The Decemberists, and "Abraham's Daughter" by Arcade Fire, and more.

Many people have covered this song, so here are all of the covers I've seen, and I don't necessarily like ALL of them, but I like most.
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I love Christina, but... STOP TALKING FOR SO LONG AT THE BEGINNING OF YOUR VIDEOS! On this video she cut back on the talking, thanks. It would have been a great collaboration, though, just a suggestion.

Megan Nicole and Tiffany Alvord... two girls I almost NEVER have blogged about. Their cover was the first one I heard. I like it, I just don't like THEM very much, and I don't know why. Tiffany because she collabs with EVERYBODY on YouTube and it scares me. Megan because she doesn't look very confident when she sings and rarely smiles.

This is one of my absolute favorite covers of this song. For once, someone did the "ooh ooh ooh ooh" parts perfectly! Luke Conard's collab was AMAZING on that, too. I just found out about the girl, Ellie, today. She sent me a message on YouTube telling me to look at her "A Thousand Years" cover. I'm VERY picky about that song, and she nailed it. I am SUPER picky about this song especially, but she and Landon aced it. I love how Landon took his voice down a full key but Ellie sang in the original key. i know a lot of singers who WOULDN'T like that, but I do. I love Ellie, but her stage presence is almost as bad as mine, if that's possible. Ellie, this will sound awkward, but you're beautiful (your voice=amazing!) so SMILE, girl!

Megan and Liz. Gosh, you know I LOOOOOOOVVVVEEEEE these twins, but let me be honest, here--- like I said, I am VERY picky about covers, this song especially. And if the bridge or ending aren't (both "ooh"ing) the way they originally were (I don't care if you improvise, but PLEASE keep that part the same), I probably won't like the cover. So Here it is. I kinda hated their cover. And also, the chord at 2:57 to 3:00... I don't think ANY of the covers did that right. You'd have to check the original for that. But in the original, it has this... it's hard to describe a chord.... I don't know... this feeling that shows that the song is leading up to the bridge. And all the covers just did that chorus like normal. And I REALLY liked that part in the original.

Luke Conard... I love him. Faith introduced me to Joey from WinterSpringPro, and WSP did a Hunger Games parody that I blogged awhile ago. Then that introduced me to Luke. Then Luke posted this video. They did the bridge right. I think they met all my expectations... and better!
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It all comes down to this...

Which was your favorite?

For once, I can tell you what mine are.

FIRST PLACE: Luke Conard!!!!! And no.... it's not just because you're SUPER cute. I also hear you're like, thirty, though. I pray that's not true. But I also looked you up on one of those Yellow Pages sites or something and guess what? I heard you have an average income... which I find hard to believe BUT! That means! I have a chance of meeting you. I just gotta move to Iowa.
SECOND PLACE: Landon Austin (with Ellie!). You guys like, almost MATCHED th eoriginal an dI really apreciate it.
THIRD PLACE: Megan Nicole and Tiffany Alvord. They sound great!

BYE!!!

-H