Speaks To Me Sunday #42

 

I was eleven years old when Harry Potter entered my life. I always thought it was kind of special that we were the same age when we started our journey together. Not only that, we grew up together. As I got older, so did Harry. I was eighteen when the final book came out, and I cried reading the last part of J.K. Rowling’s dedication page: “And to you, if you have stuck with Harry until the very end.” That’s me. Always.

This story… The books, the movies, the characters, the adventures will always be my favorite. If I drew like a kindergarten version of my heart with all my favorite things getting their own weirdly shaped section, Harry Potter would get a pretty big oblongish piece right near the middle. Totally unashamed to say it. And neither are most “Potterphiles.” I love that this has become such a phenomenon and that so many have found magic in more than just the spells in these stories. This is a series with staying power and a fandom with passion. 

I have seen and experienced this first hand as Universal Studios Hollywood prepares to officially open the gates at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The soundtrack to the films underscores each marvelous moment – the tears running down the cheeks of diehards like me as they stare up at Hogwarts, the creamy white Butterbeer mustaches on faces around every corner, the joyful laughter of a young witch or wizard as they complete spells with their new wands… Not to be cliche, but what a magical time it is to work for Universal. I feel so lucky to see so many lifelong dreams come true, and even luckier that one of those dreams is mine. 

Any other Harry Potter fans out there?! Maybe you have another series you’re obsessed with… I want in! Tell me all about it. 

Comment below or share with my me on Twitter or Instagram: @JoannaHackman.

#SpeaksToMeSunday 

 

Favorite Five Friday (129th Edition)

It’s Friday! And November is more than halfway through… what?! Am I the only one blown away by that? More to do before 2015 comes to an end! Here’s what I did this week…

FAVORITE FIVE FRIDAY

1.  This quote has been making me laugh all week… I wrote about it in my last Speaks To Me Sunday post. I’m pretty sure it’s one of those things that’s really funny because it’s true. Mom always knows. She’s the best.

2.  Disney with some of our favorite folks! It’s always a good day at Disney. It’s an even better day when they give you free stuff because you have an annual pass!

3.  NBCUniversal’s 30th Annual Actors Showcase finally arrived! We all worked so hard for the last eight or so weeks, and it was about time we got to show our stuff. We had such a fabulous time! The cast was unbelievably talented. On top of that, the scenes were all written by a few members of the cast. All original works written for the performers. That’s pretty special. We had a fantastic turn out, and we all did our best. Fingers crossed the work starts coming our way – congratulations to all of my cast mates! So thrilled to have been a part of this experience.

4.  Movie date night with the besties – really enjoyed The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2. It’s hard to believe that series has finally come to a close. I feel like they created some really strong film versions of a fascinating book trilogy. It just made me want to go back and read the series again. Whenever I finish all the Outlander books, of course. (I’m on book 6 for anyone keeping track 😉 Still a little obsessed.) Also, Jennifer Lawrence is awesome.

5.  My cats are vicious predators…

You best watch yourself, Mr. Fly.

Hey! Happy Friday to you! And Have a great Thanksgiving week!

Speaks To Me Sunday #21

 
Yup. 

What would she do? Help her friends, use her brain, fight for what is right, stand up for the underdog, admit her weaknesses, believe in herself, have the right answer. 

Hermione Granger will always be one of my most favorite literary characters. J.K. Rowling created a girl that I could relate to – bossy, smart, book worm, loves school, a bit of a know-it-all, brave, loyal friend. You can’t help but love her. It made me feel so good to see pieces of myself in a character who was a vital part of this story. Sometimes I think that’s all girls (and probably boys) really want… To be a special and important part of a story. To know that they matter. To know that they are seen. 

Those are the kind of characters worth emulating. And never forget, you might be an important part of someone else’s story, but you are the hero of your own story. (I would totally read a series with Hermione as the hero, wouldn’t you?!)

 Harry and Ron never would have survived without Hermione. So do what they did. When you need the right answer, ask yourself “What Would Hermione Do?” 

Talk back to me. Hermione is my character of choice. Who is yours?! #SpeaksToMeSunday 

Speaks To Me Sunday #17

  
I recently started seeing this quote everywhere. I had no clue where it came from so I looked it up. Apparently it’s from a book by Kathryn Forsyth. I feel like I should probably read something she has written because we either have something in common or she knows me. 

I read those words and they make my heart pound. That is exactly who I want to be. Kind, fierce, and brave. Those are words I want to live my life by. I pray daily that God gives me a heart that is compassionate and generous toward others. I am constantly curious and have a voracious need to learn all I can. My deepest desire is to be bold and leap fearlessly into every experience and opportunity that comes my way. Kind, fierce, and brave. That is my heartbeat. 

What is yours? What words speak to you, challenge you, describe you, define you?  Who do you want to be? 

I would love to hear your words!! Reach out by commenting, sharing, or finding me on Twitter or Instagram (@JoannaHackman). #SpeaksToMeSunday 

Favorite Five Friday (69th) Edition

Heya!  This week sure flew by…

FAVORITE FIVE FRIDAY

1.  I have reached my one year mark at Universal (I can’t believe it!). This actually happened a couple of weeks ago. I was so busy enjoying my job that I don’t think I even posted about it. Well, it happened. It has been a wonderful year of growing, challenging myself, and building connections and friendships. I now have about seven different jobs that I do, and it is so much fun! I love having the opportunity to mix things up. I worked five days this week, and I did something different every day. It certainly keeps things exciting. My newest position is as a Premiere Producer. Basically, I get to be one of the first people to welcome new hires into the Universal family and guide them through their orientation day. It’s great getting to meet new people, and getting them excited about the awesome opportunity they have just been given.

2.  We finally got to see X-Men: Days of Future Past this week!!! If you had the chance to read my post about The Summer Blockbuster, you know that this was the movie I was most excited to see this summer. I was not disappointed. It was pretty awesome, and I can’t get over how many actors I love were in it. They did a really wonderful job melding the original trilogy into the world of this new one. Go check it out if you haven’t seen it!

3.  Reading is definitely in my top five things to do. I haven’t been doing as much of it lately because A) I am busy and B) It feels like it took me nine years to finish Wuthering Heights. The story was compelling, but Emily Bronte has such an interesting writing style. Obviously, some of that was just the time period it was written in (also, how cool is it that we can read books that are more than a 160 years old?). Part of it was the accents she wrote some of the characters voices in. More than once I found myself reading it out loud so I could hear what it sounded like. Bronte also used a pretty unique framework to tell her story. The main narrator is an outsider who wants to know the family history of his new landlord, and he learns it from the maid. Most of the story is told from the maids perspective to the narrator. (So, I guess she becomes the narrator?!) Intermittently, the narrator interjects or brings the story back to what is currently happening. There is a lot of hopping back and forth between past and present, lots of different perspectives. It’s a little chaotic! It was interesting to read the story of some darker characters until their end. I know lots of people read this back in high school, but I was not one of them. I’m glad I finally got the chance to read it. Complicated story-telling and all.

4. Parks and Recreation is the latest show I’ve been binge-watching. I am a little bit obsessed. Dan was already a fan, but I was never interested. I love Amy Poehler, but the little bits of the show I had seen made me angry. There are so many dumb characters just doing dumb things. Well, I decided to give it ago… And I fell in love with those dumb characters. And now I just want waffles all the time. So, watch this show. And remember, “There is nothing we can’t do if we work hard, never sleep, and shirk all other responsibilities in our lives.” -Leslie Knope (My hero)

5.  Getting packages in the mail is the best! We just got an early anniversary gift from my cute Grandma (she is always so on top of things). Don’t worry, I’m gonna get him to make me some cookies ASAP.

Awe, even our forehead wrinkles match. HA!

 

Happy weekend, one and all!

(BONUS: Did you know that today is National Donut Day?!  So, hurry up! The day isn’t over yet. Go eat a donut. 🙂 I know I did!)

XOXO

Favorite Five Friday (63rd Edition)

Hello Friday, my old friend.  I’ve come to add a post again…

FAVORITE FIVE FRIDAY

 

1.  I am THRILLED to share that Dan took his test to become a Tour Guide this week, and he PASSED!!!  I am so proud of all the hard work he has put in.  It has been an intense couple of weeks, but he pushed through.  His first day is tomorrow, and he’s gonna rock it.  Can’t wait to see him walk into the break room in that uniform.  Congratulations Babe!

2.  I’m fairly certain that I have the best friends and family in the world.  They have all been so supportive and encouraging during this crazy time for Dan and me.  A constant outpouring of positivity.  I am so thankful for their presence in our lives.

3.  Speaking of thankful… I wrote a post earlier this week about gratitude.  It was my 100th Post!  It felt like I needed to write something meaningful.  Lately, I have been feeling overwhelmed with gratitude for all the things in my life – large and seemingly small.  There is so much to be thankful for. Gratitude: 100 Posts

4.  I finished a fantastic book this week called Red Rising.  It’s the debut novel of a young author named Pierce Brown… I was blown away when I found out this dude is only 26!  His book is impressive as is, but add to the fact that it’s his first and he’s that young… insane.  Red Rising would probably be classified as Sci-Fi, but I think it’s a lot more than that.  It’s about a 16-year-old, so it could be YA, but it’s a little darker than some of the others to come out recently.  I’ve seen it compared to a lot of other books – Ender’s Game, The Hunger Games, Game of Thrones… apparently anything with “game” in the title.  I’d also throw in Lord of the Flies.  It certainly has similarities to all of these books.  If you are a fan of any of them, then you should absolutely check it out.  Red Rising is set in the future when humanity has been able to settle on other planets.  A Caste System has been put in place, and everyone is born into a Color.  Reds are the lowest in this Color Caste System, and Darrow is a Red.  His world (Mars… because that’s where he lives) is turned upside down when he finds out his whole life is built on a lie.  Eventually, Darrow is forced into being the center of a building revolution… Red is Rising.  I can’t tell you how much I loved this book!  I almost started reading it again as soon as I finished it.  I read it on my Nook so I even went out and bought a hard copy so Dan could read it, too.  I am also excited because it is so new… Red Rising only came out in January.  It’s fun to have found something before it becomes the band wagon everyone jumps on.  However, I am pretty positive this is going to be next band wagon, so you may as well hop on now, folks!  Pierce Brown has two more books coming out in this series about Darrow.  I cannot wait to read what he comes up with next!

5.  National Siblings Day was celebrated this week!  So, of course, I had to bust out all of my favorite photos of me and my big bro.  We may not have always gotten along, but I love the way our relationship has grown over the years.  I am so proud to be your little sister, Jer!

Obviously, our favorite pose.

 

Good night, friends!  Have a happy weekend!

Favorite Five Friday (3rd Edition)

It’s time for another…

FAVORITE FIVE FRIDAY

1. This week was my one month anniversary at my new job!  I am still loving what I do. It’s exciting be active and on my feet, helping kids learn to use their bodies and muscles, and having so much fun while doing it!  I also have to admit… this is my first “real” job.  Yes, I have worked before… I babysat, got paid a little bit to tour, made money acting (which is ultimately what I want), and worked at my college theatre. I’ve had jobs, but I have never worked for a corporation. I had never even interviewed for a company of any kind. A little weird, I guess. But it’s true! So, here I am in my first “big girl job” (Haha), and I am really enjoying it. I’ve learned a lot over the last month, and I am looking forward to many more months to come!

2.  One of my dear friends recently introduced me to a new author.  Sarah Addison Allen (according to her Facebook page)  “brings the full flavor of her southern upbringing to bear on her fiction — a captivating blend of fairy tale magic, heartwarming romance, and small-town sensibility.”  After reading two of her novels, I can say this is certainly true! I have had such a good time reading her books.  Maybe it’s because I am missing the South a little bit. Maybe it’s because I am a sucker for romance, fairy tales, and magic.  Whatever the reason, I think her stories are great fun. This last week I read The Sugar Queen. I was truly enchanted by the quirky characters and the trouble they get into. I needed to add it to my list of favorites so I could recommend it to all of you!  And really, I am just recommending Sarah Addison Allen in general. Go read her books!

The Sugar Queen

3.  I know that talking to long distance friends was on my list last week, but I just have to share my fun Wednesday.  I did not expect to hear from so many of my wonderful friends! First, my husband and I got to Skype with five of our friends in Nashville. They were getting together to play the Game of Thrones board game; which is something we really miss.  It was so fun to see them come up on the computer screen with the game in the middle.  It almost felt like we were there just sitting around the circle with them, waiting to play the game.  Skype is such a great invention!  Then, I got a phone call from my wonderful friend Heather, and we had a great time catching up. After that, a text from the awesome Mary Jo. And finally, a voicemail from my world traveling friend Carrie all the way in Virginia.  I can’t tell you how loved I felt that day, and how much it made me miss my friends! It also reminded me how important it is to stay in touch, and how good it feels when someone takes the time to let you know they care.

4.  I get to spend the entire day today with my wonderful, smart, funny, talented, handsome husband!  We haven’t been able to spend too much time together these last few weeks while we’ve both been in training for our new jobs. Today we both have the day off, and we are going to have an All-Day-Date! I’ll post more post date! 🙂

Post Date: We had an excellent day! We started off with lunch at Chin Chin in Beverly Hills.  We drove around the hills for a little while, and then walked around Will Rogers Memorial Park for a little while.  After that we went to the Westfield Shopping Center to poke around in some stores. That evening we headed to Encino for a delicious dinner at The Stand. We ended our night by seeing Bourne Legacy. It was a great and fun day out of the apartment and roaming our new city!

Date Day!

 

5.  Good Morning Voldemort – This video is hilarious.  As a lover of musical theatre and Harry Potter, this had to make my list. Check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2jTXYxm2_Y

HAPPY FRIDAY, EVERYONE!