Image Credit: quotesgram.com

Here’s the list!

1. List 10 things that make you happy
2. Write something that someone told you about yourself that you never forgot
3. What are your top 3 pet peeves
4. Write about someone who inspires you
5. List 5 places you want to visit
6. 5 wins to your heart
7. List 10 songs you’re loving right now
8. Something you struggle with
9. Post some words of wisdom that speak to you
10. Write about something for which you feel strongly
11. Something you always think “what if…” about
12. Write about 5 blessings in your life
13. What are you excited about
14. Post your favorite movies that you never get tired of watching
15. Bullet-point your whole day
16. Something that you miss
17. Post about your zodiac sign, and whether or not it fits you
18. Post 30 facts about yourself
19. Discuss your first love
20. Post about three celebrity crushes
21. What are 3 lessons you want your children to learn from you
22. Put your music on shuffle and post the first 10 songs
23. A letter to someone, anyone
24. What about a lesson you’ve learned the hard way
25. Think of any word. Search it on Google images. Write something inspired by the 11th image
26. Write about an area in your life you’d like to improve
27. Conversely, write about something that’s kicking ass right now
28. Post 5 things that make you laugh-out-loud
29. What are your goals for the next 30 days
30. Your highs and lows for the month

Post your favorite movies that you never get tired of watching

Image Credit: en.wikipedia.org

Ghostbusters (1984)

This one will always be my favorite. I’ve seen Ghostbusters II (1989) and the reboot – Ghostbusters (2016). Both of those are decent, but nothing compares to the original. I’ve been to the firehouse in New York City. It’s a perfect blend of funny and scary!

—

Image Credit: impawards.com

Footloose (1984)

I’m a sucker for musicals. Kevin Bacon is amazing. Plus, the soundtrack is fantastic. I love the story, and the sense of triumph and determination. Al and I went to see the remake in 2011 – It was good, and it was nice that they updated it, but I’ll always be partial to the original.

—

Image Credit: moviepostershop.com

Dirty Dancing (1987)

I can’t believe I didn’t see this movie until college! I love the story, the music, and Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze are basically a perfect pair. I’ve been to Mountain Lake in Virginia, where some of the movie was filmed – Twice! I remember being in awe the first time I saw the resort, the lake, and the ballroom!

—

Image Credit: movieposter.com

Ghost (1990)

This movie originally scared me. But, as an adult, it’s a wonderful romantic movie. I always giggle during the pottery scene. It’s hilarious, especially with Whoopi Goldberg. Plus, I can’t resist a movie set in New York!

—

Image Credit: moviepostershop.com

Jurassic Park (1993)

This was another movie that scared me out of my wits as a kid! I remember my uncle having taped this one and The Lost World (1997) and I discovered them while on vacation at my grandparents’ house. I watched both. Bad idea! I had nightmares about dinosaurs for weeks.

However, it’s now one of my favorite movies / series. Al and I saw this when it was re-released in theaters for the 20 anniversary in 2013! Plus, seeing Jurassic World (2015) multiple times, I love the story and the characters.

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Image Credit: filmaffinity.com

Forrest Gump (1994)

Every time this movie is on TV, I almost always watch it. I love almost every movie that Tom Hanks has ever made, but this is my all-time favorite. I love the history, the actors, the music, and the story. It’s full of drama, but it’s also funny.

—

Image Credit: impawards.com

Twister (1996)

This was another movie that originally scared me – I first watched it at a sleepover in elementary school, during a thunderstorm! But, the ride at Universal Studios was my favorite. Every time this movie is on TV, I usually watch it. I love Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt, and how they try to get inside a tornado, in the name of science!

—

Image Credit: en.wikipedia.org

Image Credit: en.wikipedia.org

Image Credit: en.wikipedia.org

Image Credit: en.wikipedia.org

Image Credit: en.wikipedia.org

Image Credit: en.wikipedia.org

Image Credit: en.wikipedia.org

Almost Anything Disney / Pixar

I’m so excited for the next few years – Lots of exciting movies / sequels in the works!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: buzzfeed.com

1. List 10 things that make you happy
2. Write something that someone told you about yourself that you never forgot
3. What are your top 3 pet peeves
4. Write about someone who inspires you
5. List 5 places you want to visit
6. 5 wins to your heart
7. List 10 songs you’re loving right now
8. Something you struggle with
9. Post some words of wisdom that speak to you
10. Write about something for which you feel strongly
11. Something you always think “what if…” about
12. Write about 5 blessings in your life
13. What are you excited about
14. Post your favorite movies that you never get tired of watching
15. Bullet-point your whole day
16. Something that you miss
17. Post about your zodiac sign, and whether or not it fits you
18. Post 30 facts about yourself
19. Discuss your first love
20. Post about three celebrity crushes
21. What are 3 lessons you want your children to learn from you
22. Put your music on shuffle and post the first 10 songs
23. A letter to someone, anyone
24. What about a lesson you’ve learned the hard way
25. Think of any word. Search it on Google images. Write something inspired by the 11th image
26. Write about an area in your life you’d like to improve
27. Conversely, write about something that’s kicking ass right now
28. Post 5 things that make you laugh-out-loud
29. What are your goals for the next 30 days
30. Your highs and lows for the month

What are you excited about

Ha! Trick question. I’m usually excited for almost everything!

• Baskin-Robbins ice cream in pint-size – I just bought some the other day! Yum!
• Traveling this weekend – I’m excited to see my in-laws, and have a new Adventure Time post on here next week!
• The return of fall TV – New seasons are premiering soon! I’m looking forward to The Flash, The Big Bang Theory, Last Man Standing, and a few others!
• Planning to see Sully at the historic Commodore Theatre – I love Tom Hanks. I’ve been looking forward to this movie all year! Plus, my mom really wants to go see it. She loves movies, but rarely wants to spend the movie to go see it in theaters, so whenever she wants to go see something, I almost always go with her.
• My shorter hair! I feel so much lighter now!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: quotesgram.com

Here’s the list!

1. List 10 things that make you happy
2. Write something that someone told you about yourself that you never forgot
3. What are your top 3 pet peeves
4. Write about someone who inspires you
5. List 5 places you want to visit
6. 5 wins to your heart
7. List 10 songs you’re loving right now
8. Something you struggle with
9. Post some words of wisdom that speak to you
10. Write about something for which you feel strongly
11. Something you always think “what if…” about
12. Write about 5 blessings in your life
13. What are you excited about
14. Post your favorite movies that you never get tired of watching
15. Bullet-point your whole day
16. Something that you miss
17. Post about your zodiac sign, and whether or not it fits you
18. Post 30 facts about yourself
19. Discuss your first love
20. Post about three celebrity crushes
21. What are 3 lessons you want your children to learn from you
22. Put your music on shuffle and post the first 10 songs
23. A letter to someone, anyone
24. What about a lesson you’ve learned the hard way
25. Think of any word. Search it on Google images. Write something inspired by the 11th image
26. Write about an area in your life you’d like to improve
27. Conversely, write about something that’s kicking ass right now
28. Post 5 things that make you laugh-out-loud
29. What are your goals for the next 30 days
30. Your highs and lows for the month

Write about 5 blessings in your life

1. My husband and my family – I have an amazing husband who loves me for who I am, and we’ve built a great life together. I can’t wait to see what happens next! My family has always been there for me, and always been incredibly supportive. If anything is wrong, they’ll drop whatever they’re doing to come help. I’m thrilled to have gained a large family by way of marriage, as well!
2. My job – I love my job as an analyst. I wasn’t expecting to work for a health care system, working with insurance contracts, but I really enjoy it. I love the people I work with, and that makes all the difference. I’ve been with Riverside for nearly four years now, and I don’t want to ever leave!
3. Food – I’m incredibly grateful that I’m able to go to the grocery store and pick out almost anything to eat. I’ve known people who have been on food stamps and welfare, and others who visit food pantries for assistance. I worked with FACES – Farmville’s food assistance program – while at Longwood, and seeing the gratitude on their faces hit hard with me.
4. Running water – I have clean water to drink. I’m able to have bottled and filtered water as work. We have indoor plumbing. I’ve been on mission trips where people in North Carolina have gone without all of these things. We redid the single bathroom in one house over the course of two days – New floor, new toilet, everything – and it made a huge difference.
5. Freedom of worship – I’m able to pray at any time, in any place! I’m able to go to my church at any time, or call my pastors at any time. Men, women, and children in other countries aren’t able to do that, and that makes me incredibly sad.

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: hubpages.com

Here’s the list!

1. List 10 things that make you happy
2. Write something that someone told you about yourself that you never forgot
3. What are your top 3 pet peeves
4. Write about someone who inspires you
5. List 5 places you want to visit
6. 5 wins to your heart
7. List 10 songs you’re loving right now
8. Something you struggle with
9. Post some words of wisdom that speak to you
10. Write about something for which you feel strongly
11. Something you always think “what if…” about
12. Write about 5 blessings in your life
13. What are you excited about
14. Post your favorite movies that you never get tired of watching
15. Bullet-point your whole day
16. Something that you miss
17. Post about your zodiac sign, and whether or not it fits you
18. Post 30 facts about yourself
19. Discuss your first love
20. Post about three celebrity crushes
21. What are 3 lessons you want your children to learn from you
22. Put your music on shuffle and post the first 10 songs
23. A letter to someone, anyone
24. What about a lesson you’ve learned the hard way
25. Think of any word. Search it on Google images. Write something inspired by the 11th image
26. Write about an area in your life you’d like to improve
27. Conversely, write about something that’s kicking ass right now
28. Post 5 things that make you laugh-out-loud
29. What are your goals for the next 30 days
30. Your highs and lows for the month

Something you always think “what if…” about

Once I was old enough to understand, I learned that my dad was up for promotion in the Coast Guard and didn’t receive it (This was in the early 1990s). I always thought about what if he had received it, and I still think about it.

I know we would have gotten transferred more often, probably once every few years. He absolutely deserved that promotion, but since he didn’t get it, we settled in southeastern Virginia. He transitioned into the Coast Guard Reserve and took a government job full-time. We made Chesapeake our home, and it’s been wonderful for almost 25 years. The house my parents have holds so many special memories. It’s hard to believe next year will be 25 years.

I’m grateful that we didn’t move around very much – My parents only moved twice after I was born – From New York to Alexandria, and then Alexandria to Chesapeake. It’s funny, I’ve moved more times as an adult now – To Farmville for college, to Newport News to live on my own, to my in-laws house in Chesapeake after we got married, and now to Portsmouth where Al and I have our first house together.

I often daydream of where we may have ended up as my dad finished out his Coast Guard career – We could have lived on the West Coast for a while, or other places on the East Coast, maybe even Florida. Who knows! If anything, learning this information, I think, sparked my desire to travel.

Image Credit: quoteaddicts.com

Here’s the list!

1. List 10 things that make you happy
2. Write something that someone told you about yourself that you never forgot
3. What are your top 3 pet peeves
4. Write about someone who inspires you
5. List 5 places you want to visit
6. 5 wins to your heart
7. List 10 songs you’re loving right now
8. Something you struggle with
9. Post some words of wisdom that speak to you
10. Write about something for which you feel strongly
11. Something you always think “what if…” about
12. Write about 5 blessings in your life
13. What are you excited about
14. Post your favorite movies that you never get tired of watching
15. Bullet-point your whole day
16. Something that you miss
17. Post about your zodiac sign, and whether or not it fits you
18. Post 30 facts about yourself
19. Discuss your first love
20. Post about three celebrity crushes
21. What are 3 lessons you want your children to learn from you
22. Put your music on shuffle and post the first 10 songs
23. A letter to someone, anyone
24. What about a lesson you’ve learned the hard way
25. Think of any word. Search it on Google images. Write something inspired by the 11th image
26. Write about an area in your life you’d like to improve
27. Conversely, write about something that’s kicking ass right now
28. Post 5 things that make you laugh-out-loud
29. What are your goals for the next 30 days
30. Your highs and lows for the month

Write about something for which you feel strongly

I read a fascination opinion earlier this morning about print journalism. It was titled “Why Print News Still Rules.”

Jack Shafer has been an online journalist for 20 years, but “you’ll have to pry my newspaper from my cold dying hands.”

I couldn’t agree more.

He makes some excellent points about the differences between newspapers and online content. Reading his opinion made me reflect on my experiences with both types of journalism.

—

As a fresh Communication Studies Mass Media major in the fall of 2007, my boyfriend at the time suggested that I check out the meeting for those interested in the student newspaper, The Rotunda. After just a few minutes of that first meeting, I knew I wanted to get involved immediately.

And so began the first articles, learning the art of interviews, phone calls, staff meetings, pulling all-nighters on Mondays and Tuesdays to make sure everything was ready for print and distribution on Wednesday, the thrill of seeing my byline. Covering the historic election of 2008, natural disasters, fires, campus traditions, new construction, countless speakers and guests.

I was just a staff writer in the beginning, and then I became the News Editor – One of the most challenging endeavors I had.

Then, I was lucky enough to find my niche – Copy editing. I loved being in control of trying to keep our print and online editions as grammatically correct and error-free as possible. When the staff played Oozeball in the spring of 2011, my black shirt proudly read, “Destroying errors since 1920.”

I worked on the paper for all eight semesters of my college career. It’s one of the things I truly enjoyed at Longwood, and poured my heart and soul into it every week.

Throughout my college career, I could tell things were changing. We improved our online content, and started to become more involved with social media. It’s amazing to see the online version now, to see how dramatically it’s changed since I graduated.

I was so sad to wrap things up at the end of April in 2011, but I remember looking back at the Lankford Student Union, tears in my eyes, as I left the office for the last time.

I have most of the print editions at my parents’ house. I can’t get rid of them.

After graduation, with the archives online, I decided to pull up every article that I had written from 2007 to 2011. I copied everything into a single Word document. When I was done, I counted over 120 articles – News stories, columns when I was the News Editor, Arts and Entertainment, Features, a few Sports pieces, and so on. It was astounding.

I felt humbled, having been given the privilege to write all of those and for them to be published.

—

For my college internship, I worked at The New York Times Shared Services Center, in Norfolk, Virginia. It doesn’t have anyone in news, but it was thrilling to see how the business worked. The SSC took up a whole floor of the building, and it housed two critical departments for any business: IT and finance.

I was lucky enough to take a day trip to New York and tour the Times’s offices and newsroom. It was amazing! I was starstruck the whole day. I was able to listen in on an editorial meeting, and it was striking how they were trying to balance both the print and online content.

The atmosphere was similar in the SSC in Norfolk. I remember seeing charts and graphs that showed how newspaper subscriptions were falling at a dramatic rate, and everyone was grasping at straws to see if there was anything anyone could do to reverse that trend. It was fascinating to see how the business was changing so quickly, and how the landmark newspapers – The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The Miami Herald, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Los Angeles Times – were all becoming more interconnected as the papers and their businesses were literally bought and sold, and combined and reduced. It was fascinating, but also frightening and troubling.

Everyone knew that online content was already taking over, and a lot of people didn’t like it. But, there was almost nothing that anyone could do to stop it.

—

As I write this, I think about the movies that have showcased print journalism – Citizen Kane, All The President’s Men, Shattered Glass, Page One: Inside The New York Times, and more recently, Spotlight.

Apparently, there’s a few other movies that I need to see, according to these articles: Eight Great Movies About Journalists  and 54 must-see movies for journalists (and 3 series).

Watching movies like these, particularly Spotlight, made me have a deeper appreciation for journalists and what they do every day. It makes me want to do more news-based content on the blog!

—

One thing that Jack wrote toward the end of his opinion struck me, as he pleads to online content designers:

“… Do what newspaper design has long done—direct the reader to that which is vital, tease him with that which is entertaining and frivolous, and give him a sense of a journey completed by the time he hits the last pages …”

I’ll admit, Al and I don’t currently subscribe to our local daily newspaper, mainly because of money. As Jack pointed out, print is expensive, and putting it on the Internet is almost free.

At the same time, I miss reading The Virginian-Pilot every day, as I watched my parents do for years. They still subscribe to it, and they both save articles for me.

I love that feel of paper in my hands – The same goes with books, and magazines. I’m slowly adapting to e-books on my phone and iPad, but it won’t take hold of me entirely. I love paper too much!

I recognize that the journalism world is changing and evolving, but I’m definitely old-school in this modern world.

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: quotesgram.com

Here’s the list!

1. List 10 things that make you happy
2. Write something that someone told you about yourself that you never forgot
3. What are your top 3 pet peeves
4. Write about someone who inspires you
5. List 5 places you want to visit
6. 5 wins to your heart
7. List 10 songs you’re loving right now
8. Something you struggle with
9. Post some words of wisdom that speak to you
10. Write about something for which you feel strongly
11. Something you always think “what if…” about
12. Write about 5 blessings in your life
13. What are you excited about
14. Post your favorite movies that you never get tired of watching
15. Bullet-point your whole day
16. Something that you miss
17. Post about your zodiac sign, and whether or not it fits you
18. Post 30 facts about yourself
19. Discuss your first love
20. Post about three celebrity crushes
21. What are 3 lessons you want your children to learn from you
22. Put your music on shuffle and post the first 10 songs
23. A letter to someone, anyone
24. What about a lesson you’ve learned the hard way
25. Think of any word. Search it on Google images. Write something inspired by the 11th image
26. Write about an area in your life you’d like to improve
27. Conversely, write about something that’s kicking ass right now
28. Post 5 things that make you laugh-out-loud
29. What are your goals for the next 30 days
30. Your highs and lows for the month

Post some words of wisdom that speak to you

Image Credit: thesecretofmentalhealth.wordpress.com

This is so true! I saw this recently while searching for something else on Google Images, and these words have stuck with me ever since. I wanted to share it with everyone!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: pinterest.com

Here’s the list!

1. List 10 things that make you happy
2. Write something that someone told you about yourself that you never forgot
3. What are your top 3 pet peeves
4. Write about someone who inspires you
5. List 5 places you want to visit
6. 5 wins to your heart
7. List 10 songs you’re loving right now
8. Something you struggle with
9. Post some words of wisdom that speak to you
10. Write about something for which you feel strongly
11. Something you always think “what if…” about
12. Write about 5 blessings in your life
13. What are you excited about
14. Post your favorite movies that you never get tired of watching
15. Bullet-point your whole day
16. Something that you miss
17. Post about your zodiac sign, and whether or not it fits you
18. Post 30 facts about yourself
19. Discuss your first love
20. Post about three celebrity crushes
21. What are 3 lessons you want your children to learn from you
22. Put your music on shuffle and post the first 10 songs
23. A letter to someone, anyone
24. What about a lesson you’ve learned the hard way
25. Think of any word. Search it on Google images. Write something inspired by the 11th image
26. Write about an area in your life you’d like to improve
27. Conversely, write about something that’s kicking ass right now
28. Post 5 things that make you laugh-out-loud
29. What are your goals for the next 30 days
30. Your highs and lows for the month

Something you struggle with

I struggle with taking things personally, and caring too much. I’ve gotten better, as the years have passed. But, I take almost everything that’s said to me to heart, whether good or bad. I care immensely about the people in my life, and I know it’s important to do so. However, I know both of these things are major contributors to my anxiety.

I’ve always put others before myself. That’s the way I was raised. But, at the same time, until a few short years ago, I had no idea that I was essentially neglecting myself and my well-being.

The word “No” is a much bigger part of my vocabulary now. I don’t feel nearly as guilty as I used to, when I say no to things. If I’m pondering a decision that has a yes or no response, I always try to ask myself if my response will increase my anxiety. That usually helps simplify my answer.

I still take things personally, and I care way too much. But, that’s part of who I am. I’m just learning ways to control them, and how to always consider myself as part of the overall equation.

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂