In this life we all have moments that define us that take are breath away that makes us laugh that makes us cry and that makes us grow. We can’t always capture these moments on film or in pictures. Life is just that way sometime. When I first found out about this contest I was over the moon with excitement that I started to think about a moment in my life that meant something to me. And when I did I found out that I had so many memories and moments that some are caught on film and some are not. On moment that I did come up with was this…. One day my mom and I were driving to San Francisco for a fun day. Now being me I brought some “car tunes” to make the drive more fun. And it was a good thing I did because we were stuck in BUMPPER to BUMPPER traffic. The next song to play was “MOVE ALONG” by YEP you guessed it the All American Rejects! I started to laugh. Why is this so funny? Because we were not MOVING at all! We were so stopped you could get out of your car meet your neighbors and even have a tailgate party put everything back in your car and move up just a space. That’s how stopped we were. But what make this even better is while I’m singing the end part of the song Move Along, “RIGHT BACK WHAT IS WRONG” my mom is singing at the same time “STAY IN YOUR LANE WHERE YOU BELONG” we put the song on repeat until we finally moved . But what is so cool is that before this day I just got her hooked on them with the song “Give You Hell” she loves that song. I guess that this is more of a funny memory instead of a moment. But one moment in my life that I do love is one that made me realized what I want for my life. One day my friend and I rehearsed a song that we were going to sing for our moms, when we performed the song for them I seen the look on my mom’s face. It was of happiness and joy, when we were done they clapped for us. Oh what a rush! It was on that day and at that moment that I not only found my passion, my love. I found what made me truly happy…SINGING! Ever since I was a little girl I’ve been in love with all things music and maybe that’s because in the 22 years that I’ve been here on earth I have been around music of all kind. This being because my mom raised us on “classic rock” such as LED ZEPPLIN, PINK FLOAD, AC-DC, BON JOVI, TOM PETTY, THE WHO, OZZIE OSBORN, and so on. We were allowed to listen to what we wanted as well but usually the classics. So for me music is something that always lifts my spirits and makes me real happy, and when I’m singing I always hope that music has the same effect on everyone who is listening to it. My dream is that one day I can meet and share the stage with all who influenced me musically and pay it forward. So yes I would have to say that spending the day with my mom, singing out loud to your favorite songs, being so completely silly, letting go, having fun and forgetting where you are and being with the ones you love is one of my favorite moments because that is a day that I’m always going to remember as long as I hear that song and this band! Good Luck With The New Album **Keli**

Playing with chalk with a childhood friend pretending that life was as easy as it was when we were 10

I’ve been playing soccer since I was really young. This year marked the eleventh year I would’ve been playing. Unfortunately, I had an accident. I screwed up my knee. Had surgery. Now I have to wait a year until I’m able to do what I love to do. I used to play every day for two hours and just the game was my best friend. I’m not even allowed to run yet because of my knee. I can’t train and I can’t think of even playing soccer because of that traumatic experience. I’m not even sure if I’ll be the same when I step on that field again. If touching the ball again will be my last? I’ve had a lot of dounts about no being able to play but I’m starting to overcome my fear and learn there are bigger things out there.

Below is a painting I created two years ago, which explains the title above. The subject of the painting is my long time muse and Cousin Cherie. She means the world to me, even though we live so far apart and lead entirely different lives; whenever we’re together I feel just like I did when we were scabby kneed eight year olds. 

i remember a few weeks back when my dad and i went to CVS, or some other drug store, to pick up a prescription. it wasn’t ready yet so we had to wait. we both looked over and a little chinese boy, the age of 3 or 4, was crying and screaming in chinese toward his mother and pulling away and pointing at the candy. All kids want candy, thats all i can say about that, and its the truth. we could definitely tell that the little boy, no matter what nationality he was or what language he was speaking, he obviously wanted candy. i remember doing that, playing the pity card on my parents, crying and seeming pathetic to get what i wanted, and it almost never worked. and most parents are the same no matter what language they speak or nationality they are, the parent redundantly says “No,” with the most annoyed face, and exhausted expression. so sum up: the parent says no when the kid wants candy. im pretty sure that there are incidents like that one happening every day in some other countries all over the world, and all i can say is good luck to the parents because dealing with kicking screaming kids even over a small deal like candy, im sure is NOT a blast

Every year, the burlington sound of music festival happens to fall within the week after my final exams end. It is always the most anticipated day of my year, even more than christmas! This is me crowd surfing my problems away, and loving life

I was a guy who thought I could get away with anything I had gotten away with things at my school before and not getting suspended. One day I got mad at my friend and we got in a fight. I got suspended and I had to strive to save my friendship. It taught me to think before I act. My friend and I still don’t talk to each other like we used to and we might never.

Over three years I suffered a great deal of trauma, each year someone I loved died, at the end of this my family finally gave in and agreed for me to have a dog. Now almost six years old, Jack, select family members and other things such as photography, art and music have distracted me from the bereavements I suffered and given me a more positive outlook on life. One of my favorite songs from when the world comes down is definitely the song ‘Believe’, the message truly resonates with me it has pulled me through many anniversaries and rainy days. The photos below display some photography I’ve done here and there of Jack. When ever I look at them I wonder where I’d be without him and select members of my family.  

Jeez… the little tiger beast is whining for a walk in the park, I best post this quickly and be on my way or he will be a grumpy wolf for the rest of the evening.  

sometimes in our life something happens that changes us. My dad is in the military and we move around alot. im always that awkward new kid everybody says hi to and then gets bored with. Recently i tried cheerleading at my school and even became captain. but it felt so…. not me. i love cheerleading but im NOT a peppy person. i have friends now but there not like me. im not the girl i am at school. im lexi. im diffrent. i dont listen to katy perry or taylor swift. i choose AAR. i dont think i have the perfect life. i feel the weight of my family when my dads deployed. im 10 pounds over the weight i was the beginning of this school year but i wear sweatshirts so no one can tell. i SUCK at math but im great at reading. i hate this girl. i want my old self back. im not who i wanna be. thats why when my family moves this summer, im not going to be this girl. ill be myself. so to anyone else reading this post, dont be afraid t be diffrent. be who u wanna be.

In my backyard back home, we have a steel swing set. Since we have all grown up now, chains hang down where rings, a gymnast bar, and two swings used to be. One of the swings we had was a blue, plastic plane with yellow wings. I remember swinging as high as I could on that plane, envisioning myself speeding through puffs of white clouds, looking down at a tiny city below me. During those days, I promised myself that I would see the world. I knew it would probably be a life pursuit, a goal that wouldn’t be accomplished over a short period of time. It would regrettably take money, and lots of it, to get to where I wanted to be. But I knew that nothing could stop me. Because if you want something bad enough, nothing can get in your way unless you let it. Looking back on the twenty years I have been alive so far, I think I’ve made a pretty good start. I have snorkled the waters of the Caribbean, walked the rim of the Grand Canyon, and four-wheeled all over the Arizona desert. I have sung in the cathedrals in Austria, surfed the west coast beaches, and explored a waterfall in Hawaii. None of these adventures have come easy, nor have they been handed to me. I have worked for the opportunity to see things with my eyes, touch foreign lands with my hands, and feel the beauty of it all with my own heart. That is what inspires me more than anything: the possibility of discovery. Even though there is so much more world out there for me to see than I can ever realistically experience, I know that I will never stop trying. As a kid, all I wanted to do was explore. I transformed my backyard into a microcosm of the world I wanted to know, digging holes, building forts, and flying everywhere in my plastic plane swing. That’s usually how dreams start, as a kid on your own street, using your imagination that’s bigger and more important than any reality you know. But sooner or later, we grow up, move on, and leave the streets we knew in order to make a life for ourselves. The trick to actually realizing our dreams is to take that imagination with us, to never forget the sweet taste of discovery, and to make the world our playground.

Looking at pictures of concerts I’ve been to is my favorite activity. Those are my favorite times because it’s like you’re on a whole different planet. It takes me back to when my ears were ringing, my feet were sore, and I had no voice from screaming so loud but I didn’t even notice any of those things, because I was in such a state of happiness and excitement. Concerts are a place of complete nostalgia. Every song takes you back to a certain place and time, and it’s as if the artist is singing your life’s story. Looking at the pictures just reminds me of the near-heartattack feeling you get when they’re about to come on stage, the excitement, and the laughs. It’s amazing how a 3 minute song can some up a very important time in your life :)