Mom’s Night Out
Just recently, my daughter and I were invited to attend a pre-screening of the movie Mom’s Night Out. We looked forward to the time together, and while I could have chosen to take any one with me … I wanted to take my oldest daughter for some mother/daughter bonding time! I treasure this time with my teenage daughter!
Leading up to that evening, she mentioned how excited she was for OUR night. This is huge for a teenager to want to spend time with her mother! To actually look forward to it? Priceless!
We got an early start that afternoon since the pre-screening was in another town, but we wouldn’t have missed this for anything! If it’s within driving distance, we’re going!
On the drive to the theater, we blasted music and enjoyed singing along. We would turn down the volume at other times to just talk and chit chat. Then, some very serious conversation resulted from our time in the vehicle as we traveled to our destination. I am thankful for moments like this with my daughter! Connecting … bonding … sharing … making memories together!
We went to one of our favorite restaurants where the sharing continued. I have felt through the years like we have gone way beyond mother and daughter and have progressed to being friends. The very best of friends. I love this feeling!
After dinner, we headed over to the theater. We only had to wait in line briefly, with what felt like fifty million other mothers who were waiting for the pre-screening as well. Even still, it was a pleasant experience with “people watching” as we waited. As my daughter went to the concession stand, I watched mothers and daughters, different generations, standing together. There were groups of friends out for the night as well, and the laughter and giggles made my heart smile. My daughter returned moments later, and our laughter and giggles resumed as well.
We made our way into the theater to take our seats, and my daughter had a moment of anxiety as she saw the ones that had already been seated. She isn’t one for large crowds and was worried of how this movie pre-screening was going to go with THAT many people present. Her fears quickly went away as the movie began playing.
It starts out with a mom blogger who was excited to have four followers one day, and then … the next day … her numbers went down to three followers. We had to laugh at that because who doesn’t want to know that they have people actually reading the words they type out on the computer screen. Some times it’s funny things that we share, other times it is heart wrenching, painful times in our lives that we’re writing about in hopes that we can reach some one out there that might be struggling so that they know they’re not alone. We write to help others … that’s at the heart of every single post that goes up on my page as well as the many other blogger friends that I know and love!
The movie goes on to depict the life of a mother with very active, younger children while her husband is away on a business trip. Upon his return, though, this stressed out mother gets a chance to have a little fun on a Mom’s Night Out with friends!
It seemed to move slowly along at first, and I looked over at my daughter at one point silently hoping that she wasn’t suddenly dreading being there with me! My fears were relieved when the movie’s story line picked up and once it was in full swing, there was almost uncontrollable laughter throughout the entire theater! At one point, a few ladies, myself included, got so tickled that even when the funny part had passed, we were still trying to suppress our laughter … which resulted in snorting loudly in parts where it simply wasn’t appropriate to snort … and yet there we were … yes, I was one of “those” people that night! I got even more tickled upon hearing a lady behind me, and I laughed simply for the fact that SHE was so tickled and could not stop laughing. My daughter was laughing right alongside us, when she wasn’t totally humiliated by my outbursts!
I glanced at my daughter a few times just to make sure all was well, and my quick glances were rewarded with pearly whites that greeted me, reassuring me that she, too, was having a great time! Oh thank you, Lord! She really and truly was enjoying herself!!!
Success!!!
I won’t give any more of the movie away just in case you plan to see it, and please know that I highly recommend this movie! I cannot stress that enough. This movie brought out laughter all the way from the tips of my toes, it seemed. My daughter and I have already said that we are buying this movie when it comes out on DVD!
We left the movie still laughing and talking about parts that we especially loved. We called a friend before heading home, and we were still giggling as we tried to tell them of the fun we had that night. There’s nothing better than being that giddy while you’re trying to tell someone else of the fun and laughter, only to have them laugh right along with you just because of how much you’ve apparently enjoyed yourself!
The movie hit theaters on Mother’s Day weekend! What a truly fitting movie for this special occasion! We hope you’ll plan to see Mom’s Night Out!
If you’re a mom or know someone that is, plan a much needed Mom’s Night Out soon! And let the good times roll!
To Love and To Be Loved
It is truly a beautiful thing to love and to be loved. So many times we fight it. There are people that just want to love us, and yet, we’re so busy pushing them away. We build these incredible cement walls around our hearts like a fort to protect us from what we perceive as a threat. However, hiding behind those walls also prevents us from feeling the warmth of the sunshine and keeps the sun rays from reaching our soul.
It is rare to find someone that truly loves and cares for us in this day and age. Everyone is out for themselves it seems. When you do find that rare gem, why push them away? They just want to love you. LET THEM!
Love is never a bad thing. It is beautiful, radiant, brilliant … it is like a rainbow appearing after the raging storm has passed. Bask in the glow and enjoy the vibrant colors.
To love and to be loved is the greatest gift we can give another.
At the same time, though, be careful that when you do have a rare beauty of a gem that you do nothing to tarnish that love. Don’t taint it. Instead, protect it, shelter it, honor it. Value and appreciate it. Respect it. Treasure and cherish it.
We are allowed to feel so intensely, to feel it coursing through our veins.
To love and to be loved … is truly a gift from God.
Tear down those walls that you’ve built and let love in!
Love … deeply …
Care … genuinely …
Treasure every single moment …
And let love flow freely …
In your heart and in your life …
To those around you.
From our family to yours …
The Love of Music
This week has been quite musical for me! On Tuesday, April 29th, my school held a talent show which was in support of Free The Children and Winnipeg Harvest ,which is a non-profit organization with the goal of distributing food to the hungry. They offer training opportunities to help people step out of poverty.
The event was a success! We had a full house and we raised about $15,000, which I think is still pretty good for a high school show. There were quite a few good acts ranging from comedy to music. I chose to take the stage to sing All Too Well by one of my favorite artists Taylor Swift. Based on the reaction I got, I’d say the crowd liked it!
Performing is one of my favorite things to do. Whether it’s playing a guitar recital or a school talent show or at church with the band, whatever the case may be I always feel at home onstage. Even though I get insanely nervous before going on, when I’m actually doing it, I’ve never felt more relaxed.
The music program at the school I go to offers an extra-curricular activity called Chamber Choir. It is an auditioned group made up of about 14 girls, myself included, meeting twice a week. We’ve been working on a song called This Is Me for the last few months, and we had absolutely no idea what it could be about until my choir director, Mrs. Ens, told us that Poet Shamin Brown was coming in to talk to us the next class. That same day Mrs. Ens had told us a little bit of a background of the song, which I will tell you now.
Shamin is a survivor of human trafficking. When she was a sophomore in high school, she kept a straight A average with a passion for sports. By the next year, all that changed. Shamin became a crack addict, and the drugs took over her life. She began selling herself on the streets just to feed her addictions. Shamin has written a book called I’m An Addict which tells her story in shocking detail. When I went up to buy her book, I told her about this website, and what it’s all about and she took the liberty of writing this in my copy:
Jackie, I pray that God uses your blog to set the captives free. Remember, don’t judge – LOVE. Love heals all.
If you meet and talk to her on the street, you never would’ve guessed that she was once a sex worker. She’s so full of life and charisma, that when you hear her story for yourself, you’d never be able to tell. When she told us the meaning behind This Is Me, it completely changed our perspective on what it was that we were singing.
On Wednesday, April 30th, our chamber choir was invited to sing at what was not only her book launch, but also the song premier (which I didn’t realize)! Before we sung, the composer Timothy Corlis stopped to talk to all of the choir girls thanking us for singing his song. During, he was visibly impressed. I caught him tearing up a little, so I took that as a good sign! After he came around to each of us saying how impressed he was. That same night we sung another song called You Are More, which I played guitar for, as well as sung a solo! Both songs we were asked to sing had Shamin tearing up, which is incredibly flattering because that shows that the music had touched that person’s heart.
To bring my musical week to an incredible end, I was given the chance to get into a professional recording studio to talk to a music producer named Jason about writing and potentially recording my first album!! During that chat, Jason had me play one of my songs for him, and he told me to come back to the studio in like a week or two to begin writing and recording. This is a huge deal for me because for as long as I can remember, I’ve dreamt about being a singer and this could be my chance! I’ve taken his advice to heart and I’ve been writing and writing all weekend, and I can see that my songs are improving. I just hope he thinks so, too. As of right now, the song I’m most proud of is called Fresh Start. I wrote that song about my mother and how I only want to make her proud, but it’s time for me to follow my heart regardless of what she has to say. It’s about how I’m growing up and how it’s time for me to spread my wings and fly.
~Jackie
