Welcome to Week 26, everyone! Just so you know, I will continue to keep you guys posted on my running. Please keep up the prayers and encouragement : )Week 26 is a week that I have been very excited about ever since I first thought of it. This week is dedicated to some of the people who I look up to creatively. There are 8 friends who will guest appear in my blog: Mike Dodaro, Tim Franklin, Ryan and Kaitlyn Perisin, Steph Ferrini, Dave Sandell, Kyle Cowser, and Ryan Hulett. These friends are witty, wise, super creative, and just genuinely amazing people. They will all be giving their own interpretation of Seize the Week-what it means to them. Also, if they have their own blog, I will include that so that you readers can follow them, too! So here's to my creative heroes!!
Before I started my own blog, I kept up with Mike Dodaro's blog (one of my best friends) and loved every single entry. The blog was, well, so "him." Reading it brought me into the wise, loving, creative, and youthful mind of his. He's not only the guy who started my love for comic books, but he's a man that I look up to for many more reasons than his creativity. Hands down, Mike is one of the strongest people I know, and he has a heart about the size of this entire world! He's a huge support and source of love and encouragement. I'm proud to call him one of my best friends. Here's Mike's post:
Amanda told me about Seize the Week back in August and I thought it was an amazing idea. So much so that I am eagerly awaiting the day that someone turns her blog into a movie.
I am honored that she asked me to contribute a post to her blog because she thinks of me as a creative inspiration. I have not yet decided whether or not I consider myself a creative person. I think if I was a more creative person I would have provided her with a response told through interpretive dance or something. But I love creativity; I am drawn to it. To me there is nothing more exciting than ideas. I cannot get enough of them. It is why I surround myself with people like Tim and Mary Franklin, Joe Flores, Stephanie Ferrini, and Kyle Cowser. It is one of the many reasons why I love Amanda Keene. It is why I like stories so much and it is why I am an improvisational comedian. It is why I will excel as a teacher. I blog because it helps put me explore ideas into a bit more tangible format.
Seize the Weeks is one of the best ideas I have ever heard. In an attempt to not allow work and stress consume her life, Amanda is devoting fifty-two weeks to over fifty-two ideas. She is actively stopping to smell fifty-two plus roses and giving each of them the attention they deserve.
My parents are more accustomed to traditional church and do not understand why the first half hour at the church my sister attends is spent singing songs. It is how they choose to worship. Amanda chooses to worship the Lord by living every second of her life and Seize the Week exemplifies that. She worships through reading a new comic book, discovering new musical artists, exercising, turning off the television, making presents, taking pictures, or spending time with friends. She even worships the Lord through resting. I think Amanda has perfected worship.
She has taught me that even though life can throw you the worst it has to offer and that there are some truly awful things in this world, that there are also things like murder mystery dinner parties, Twitter, coconut cake, swimming, musical theater, Earl Grey Rooibos, Pokemon, Neil Gaiman stories, parks, cute baristas, grape soda, board games, vacations, flash mobs, intramural quidditch, knock-knock jokes, Lemony Snicket quotes, notebook doodles, Sudoku, silly hats, British accents, and the enjoyment of time spent with friends.
What I suppose I am trying to say through all of these seemingly random points is that sometimes life sucks, but there are so many fantastic aspects of it. Many people are afraid to leave their couches or are otherwise too lazy to do it. Amanda doesn't let life get her down. She takes the best it has to offer and embraces it. I cannot wait to see what she does next.
Mike, you are awesome! Check out Mike's current blog "And Now You Have Super Powers" at http://grownupmike.blogspot.com/ and/or I loved, loved, loved his first blog which is called "The Middle School Adventures of College Mike." You can check that out at http://mikedodaro.blogspot.com/
I am honored that she asked me to contribute a post to her blog because she thinks of me as a creative inspiration. I have not yet decided whether or not I consider myself a creative person. I think if I was a more creative person I would have provided her with a response told through interpretive dance or something. But I love creativity; I am drawn to it. To me there is nothing more exciting than ideas. I cannot get enough of them. It is why I surround myself with people like Tim and Mary Franklin, Joe Flores, Stephanie Ferrini, and Kyle Cowser. It is one of the many reasons why I love Amanda Keene. It is why I like stories so much and it is why I am an improvisational comedian. It is why I will excel as a teacher. I blog because it helps put me explore ideas into a bit more tangible format.
Seize the Weeks is one of the best ideas I have ever heard. In an attempt to not allow work and stress consume her life, Amanda is devoting fifty-two weeks to over fifty-two ideas. She is actively stopping to smell fifty-two plus roses and giving each of them the attention they deserve.
My parents are more accustomed to traditional church and do not understand why the first half hour at the church my sister attends is spent singing songs. It is how they choose to worship. Amanda chooses to worship the Lord by living every second of her life and Seize the Week exemplifies that. She worships through reading a new comic book, discovering new musical artists, exercising, turning off the television, making presents, taking pictures, or spending time with friends. She even worships the Lord through resting. I think Amanda has perfected worship.
She has taught me that even though life can throw you the worst it has to offer and that there are some truly awful things in this world, that there are also things like murder mystery dinner parties, Twitter, coconut cake, swimming, musical theater, Earl Grey Rooibos, Pokemon, Neil Gaiman stories, parks, cute baristas, grape soda, board games, vacations, flash mobs, intramural quidditch, knock-knock jokes, Lemony Snicket quotes, notebook doodles, Sudoku, silly hats, British accents, and the enjoyment of time spent with friends.
What I suppose I am trying to say through all of these seemingly random points is that sometimes life sucks, but there are so many fantastic aspects of it. Many people are afraid to leave their couches or are otherwise too lazy to do it. Amanda doesn't let life get her down. She takes the best it has to offer and embraces it. I cannot wait to see what she does next.
Mike, you are awesome! Check out Mike's current blog "And Now You Have Super Powers" at http://grownupmike.blogspot.com/ and/or I loved, loved, loved his first blog which is called "The Middle School Adventures of College Mike." You can check that out at http://mikedodaro.blogspot.com/
What a fantastic entry! I've been reading your blog for a while, Amanda; Mike's right, keep it up!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Amy! I've also been following yours : ) There are some recipes and books that I'd like to check out!
ReplyDelete