Changing the World

I consider myself very lucky and blessed that I did not endure a traumatic childhood, but I know people who did. And I am aware that there are millions of men and women in the world who still struggle with the messages and abuse they received in their past, as well as innumerable children living painful lives at this very moment. I may not have experienced circumstances like the ones described in this poem and video, but I do recognize the importance of spreading awareness throughout society and providing support and encouragement to those battling this horrible challenge. This message is far too powerful and important not to share.

“My experiences with violence in schools still echo throughout my life, but standing to face the problem has helped me in immeasurable ways.

 

I wrote 'To This Day', a spoken word poem, to further explore the profound and lasting impact that bullying can have on an individual.

 

Schools and families are in desperate need of proper tools to confront this problem. We can give them a starting point… A message that will have a far reaching and long lasting effect in confronting bullying."

- Shane Koyczan

You've just been pep talked

 

It's time y'all met Kid President, the self-appointed Tiny President of the United States. He's a 9-year-old third-grader who is encouraging the world to be more awesome and then getting up and dancing about it. He's made it his personal mission to help make grown-ups less boring.

 

His YouTube channel has tons of adorable, quirky, funny, inspiring videos that share pieces of innocent wisdom like "treat everyone like it's their birthday," "don't be in a party, be a party," and "if it doesn't make the world better, don't do it." He interviews people using tin cans and strings, and he gives out "The Medal of Awesome" to other kids who are being, well, awesome by changing the world. And not only does he make a point to dance, but he encourages you to do the same and even join the party by sending in videos of you cuttin' a rug.

 

Most recently, he decided that the world needed a pep talk.

So, what is going to be your Space Jam? How are you going to stop being boring and start making the world more awesome? Let's take this tyke's advice, and get out there and give the world a reason to dance!

Doggy competition is Ruff

Naturally, I have always thought Chester to be the greatest dog in the world. I mean, just look at him...

However, my feelings may have recently changed. Even though he's talented enough to ring a bell to tell me when he needs to go outside, he still rudely leaves the door wide open after he charges back into the house. Furthermore, he expects me to open and close the blinds all by myself every day; and he never ever helps load the dishwasher. Honestly, he calls himself a dog...

But Jesse sure has upped the ante for all pups everywhere. Behold:

Seriously, Jesse may as well be Wishbone, himself. That dog can do everything!! Looks like Chester's got some 'splainin to do!

Sparks Fly

Taylor just released the video for her most recent single, Sparks Fly. Get ready for a prime seat to her show!

Sparks Fly from Taylor Swift on Vimeo.

Am I lame to admit that I legitimately got goosebumps as the fireworks went off as well as when she was playing in the rain. (That really happened, people. Love her!)

Oh, this makes me even more excited for the concert next month! EEEE!!!! ♥

HP "Friday" parody

This about sums up my excitement today!

(Seriously, parodies of "Friday" never get old!)

Pottermore, The Big HP Announcement

J.K. Rowling is a genius. I mean, obviously; she created the entire universe that encompasses the magical world of Harry Potter. But in addition to creatively inventing stories, characters, words, sports, and the like, she's also a marketing genius. For the last week, during the height of the HP frenzy surrounding the final film, she has been tempting her fans with a promise of a "big announcement" regarding the website Pottermore.com.

The site said one thing: "Coming soon..." followed by her signature with two owls on either side of the page. When you clicked on one of the owls, it would direct you to her official YouTube page where a countdown clock was ticking away until the announcement, and "owls were gathering" by the flocks each day, not unlike her fans, in anticipation for the big news. This morning the countdown finally reached zero, and Pottermore transformed into this:

Turns out her announcement was just that, an announcement. The website is not officially open, yet, but she did reveal what it will be, come October. (Like I said, she's a marketing genius.)

I don't quite understand all of it, but I did gather that she loves her crazy devoted fanbase, she'll be providing digital audio books and e-books, and she'll also reveal some before-unknown-to-the-public information regarding the Harry Potter Universe that she has kept secret for well over a decade. (It's probably all of the random facts that didn't directly relate to Harry's personal story.) I have to admit, I'm pretty darn excited about all of that. I'm not sure what the "online reading experience unlike any other" will be actually like, but it sure sounds fun!

♥ Long live Harry Potter! ♥

What I Already Know

I love when songs can speak for us, when a songwriter is able to put our thoughts to a melody. Today, I came across this particular song by a relatively unknown artist, and I couldn't help but share it with you. It is an incredible prayer with a great lesson. Enjoy!

Cheap Fandango Tickets

I'm cheap, and I love good deals, which is why I've joined LivingSocial for their daily specials. But my favorite deals, and the ones that save me the most money, are those of which I'd be purchasing anyway. Combine that with anything Harry Potter related, and I'm a very happy girl!

Cue Today's Deal, which is a pair of movie tickets for $9 through Fandango, and I'm squealing with excitement! Since I'm totally planning on going to the midnight release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two next month(!!), I'd definitely be buying the tickets anyway. If I can get both Brad's and mine for less than the normal price of a single one, you better believe I'm snatching that right up, baby!

{pic via}

Thanks, LivingSocial and Fandango, for making HP7.2 seem even closer!! I can't wait! The count down has officially begun! (I mean, seriously it is. Did you notice the very literal countdown on the left? I'm for real, here.)

If you would also like to take advantage of today's sweet movie ticket deal, click here. You can use them for any movie of your choice, and they're good for months. Consider it a cheap future date night, courtesy of Mindy. You're welcome. :)

Sidenote: They just released some more HP7.2 posters. I can't control msyelf. I must post them all!

Oh man! Can't you tell how gritty and intense it's going to be!? This is war! They're all dueling. I especially love the ones with Neville and the sword of Gryffindor, Professor McGonagall and the enchanted-to-fight Hogwarts statues, and the Weasley twins. Get ready, people!!

The Story of Us

It may not really seem like it, but I promise I am consciously trying to make sure that Beyond Blessed doesn't become a Taylor Swift fan page. However, seeing as how I am a Taylor Swift fan, there are a few indulgences that I simply can't neglect. One of those is posting her new videos. So, here's the video of her latest single, "The Story of Us."

Tags: Taylor Swift, Music, More Music Videos

I know what you may be thinking. "Man, she's so beautiful?" Yes. Yes, she is. Furthermore, you may also be thinking, "Didn't she just release a different single, like, only a couple of weeks ago?" And you'd be right again. She's releasing two, simultaneously: "Mean" primarily for Country radio and this one for her Pop music fans. She's just trying to keep us all happy. That's sure is awfully kind of her, huh? ♥

Sidenote: She wrote this song about John Mayer and their post-breakup encounter at the CMT Music Awards, last year. There's a fun little tid bit for ya.

Gotta Share!

Have you ever heard of Improv Everywhere? They are hilarious. They "cause scenes" by going to regular places and (seemingly) randomly breaking out into song. If you've never watched any of their flash mobs or musicals, you'll seriously want to watch every video.

Here's their most recent release, where they focus on social media. It cracked me up and I just Gotta Share!

Could you go a while without staying connected? I have to admit, I'm kind of addicted to today's technology. I mean, I do keep a blog, obviously... Could you get up and sing a random song in front of total strangers? No way, Jose. Not this girl. But I hope you enjoy spending the rest of your day watching this group do it over and over again in all of their other videos!

T-Swizzle concert gear

For today only, all of Taylor Swift's t-shirts in her online store are on sale for only $10! Okay, so it's obviously not a matter of whether or not I should purchase one in prep for the upcoming concert; but rather a decision of which one I should get!!

I think this one if my fave, but they only have it in XL. Boo.

I could totally proclaim my ♥ for TSwift on my chest!

And I've always really liked these ringer shirts...

But I can't ever have enough long-sleeved tees. (Especially for $10!)

However, I think I might actually be leaning toward this one that's inspired by her performance as the rapper T-Swizzle in her music video "Thug Story" with T-Pain (whom I also love, because no matter how lame, I love that auto-tuned voice!). Just because that ball of yarn and signature is simply awesome.

(Seriously, you're going to love this video. She's so funny!) 

Of course, I'm also going to get Bradley the most boring manly one while they're on sale. He can't show up at the concert unsupportive! What would my girl think??

Oh, I want them all! What's your vote? The sale only lasts today, so I've gotta act quickly!

Easter Weekend

It's always fun to sing about a special day of the week. So here's a little something to get you excited about the Easter Weekend!

For real, though, I hope you have a great Easter Weekend and get a chance to focus on and give praise for the incredible sacrifice that the Lord and His Son made just because they love us so much.

God is so good! 

Dangerous Wands

You can't have an April Fool's Day without some shenanigans, so check out this Mashup of Harry Potter and Dangerous Minds. It.is.epic.

Seriously, I would totally watch this movie!

RIP PLGs

Sad news, everybody. Please prepare yourself for some serious heartbreak...

Apparently, I have been duped by a stupid marketing ploy for that sneaky DirecTV. (BTW, it worked.) I regret to inform you that the petite lap giraffes which I featured in yesterday's Tiny Pets post are, in fact, not real after all.

I know, I know. I'm devastated as well. Upon further investigation, it turns out that I am the only person in the world gullible enough to actually believe in such a wonderful, miraculous creature. It seems as though everybody else immediately understood that it was all sarcastic and tongue-in-cheek. Well, well, well. Mybad for instantly falling in love with such a cute, little, adorable, tiny, cuddly animal!

So, first and foremost, I would like to apologize to you for carelessly spreading false information without doing more research of its validity. But more importantly, I want to super-apologize for causing any undo devastation that you are currently undergoing, as you sadly realize it was all a trick.

I, like you, do not think this is very funny, at all! Cruel, cruel joke, "sarcastic" marketing guys! (Or should I call them "Dream Killers"? ) It's not very nice to dangle something this spectacular in front of people just to snatch it right away from them! I honestly don't know if I'll ever recuperate from the heartbreak caused by this "joke." I may have to initiate a recovery group just to cope with the loss of the hope of one day seeing a petite lap giraffe in person.

Or...  OR... I'm very seriously considering simply choosing to continue believing that the sweet tiny giraffes do indeed exist and hapilly resume my dream of one day owning one. I mean, "real" is all in the eye of the beholder, right? Or something like that. Yeah. I think I like that idea better. I'm definitely gunna stick with that one.

Friday

This.Is.Awesome. (In an awesomely terrible kinda way.)

What better way to celebrate the end of the week than by singing about it? Fun, fun, fun, fun.

Happy Friday! Hope you have a great weekend, partyin, partyin, yeah! (And I hope you are able to make your mind up about which seat to take!)

Friday Fun

It's no secret that I absolutely love videos of laughing babies, and here's another one that I can't get enough of right now. This 5 1/2 month old first gets scared when his mom blows her nose, but then he cracks up. And then he does it all over again!

Man! I just cannot help but laugh when I watch babies laugh! What better way to spend your Friday? Hope you have a great weekend!

Vintage Technology

An ad agency imagined what it would look like if current online services were originally released back in 1959 by creating some fake vintage advertisements for a few of them. Aren't they funny? Some people are so creative.

{via}

It's like a completely different world now compared to half a century ago, isn't it? Implanting our technology into their life just looks so weird. Who would have ever thought that we'd be so accustomed to these sorts of things? I love it.

Laughter

Sometimes it's the simple things in life that bring the most joy. Exhibit A: If you're in need of a good laugh, maybe you should just spend a few minutes ripping up some regular ol'  paper!

Okay, I admit that this video is kinda old in internet terms (a couple of months), and I may be way behind the times for just now finding it, but seriously you cannot watch it without laughing! I simply had to pass it on!

We're Elves

Haven't you always wanted to be an elf? Us too! And this year we finally got our wish! Of course, we had to do the Country dance, since we live in Nashville and all. Go ahead and admit it. You're totally jealous of our mad elf dance skillz.

I couldn't resist subjecting the rest of the Hill Ridge Crew to some supa sweet 80's moves. (If you could do more than five at a time, we would have all been together...) Enjoy the epic elfic throwback!

And only because I absolutely cannot get enough of this, here are all the Hill Ridge girls loving Christmas like we do!

Nothing says "Christmas" quite like Elfing yourself!

(Now, go ahead and be completely unproductive, accomplishing nothing other than elfing every person you know for the rest of the day. I know you want to. And trust me; you'll love it.)