My Review Of Moana

Moana: My Review

I am a lover of all things Disney does. Well for the most part. My friends will tell you that I don’t love Mulan ( which is less about the movie and more about the fact that she is not a princess like everyone claims, and that annoys me. That however is another topic.) and though I have not seen it all, I don’t like The Incredibles much. I know that one always upsets people, but I tried to watch it and I was so bored I shut it off. Anyway, besides those things I do love all things Disney. I am a huge fan of the classics, and because of that I struggled loving the new animation because it just looked so different. So when Tangled was realeased  I struggled to love it, because it was not the princess type I knew. However it grew on me and just in time for them to release Frozen which stole my heart quickly. And that brings us to Moana! I will say this, like Mulan, she is not a princess, and honestly she even states she isn’t. However this movie is great. Let me break the scale down for you:

 

Characters:

Moana: °o° °o° °o° °o° °o°  – I give her character five mouse heads. She is a powerful female lead. It’s not about her falling in love. It’s not even about her being rebellious because she wants to be with a man. It’s about her following her heart to save her people. I don’t want to give to much away but she is by far one of the best female leads Disney has ever created. Auli’i who voices her is outstanding!

Maui: °o° °o° °o° °o° °o° – Maui is a character I didn’t expect to like. I am not a huge fan of “The Rock” and so hearing that he voiced him, well let’s just say it turned me off the movie a bit. However he did a phenomenal job and I was pleasantly surprised. I can admit I was wrong. Maui’s character is not just a mystical creature but a deep character that’s story ties the movie together and has you falling in love with this  Demi God and it’s not about his “hair” or “the bod”. HAHA

Grandma Tala: °o° °o° °o° °o° °o° – I would give her infinity mouse heads but I just don’t think that would be fair. This character is the movie. She is witty, charismatic, and loveable. Not to give anything away but, though she is not in the movie a lot, it would not have been the same without her. Rachel House did a fantastic job voicing her and giving Grandma Tala so much spirit and making her so feisty. Probably my favorite character in the whole movie.

Chief Tui: °o° °o° °o° °o° – The chief gets only four heads, not because he wasn’t great, but because he was a typical Disney dad. He had a way he wanted things done and he squelched his child’s dreams a lot. Sure he had his reasons, but it is the typical way Disney makes dads look so it wasn’t anything refreshing. He also wasn’t in the movie enough to really earn more than that. He reminded me a lot of King Triton.

Sina: °o° °o° °o° °o°- Sina also doesn’t receive a perfect five. She is such a minor character that I can’t find a way to give her more. It’s refreshing for once that the main Disney child has both parents I will say that. Sina is pretty silent, her husband is the leader and she is very much the quiet dutiful wife. Which is not bad, just not strong enough for five mouse heads.

Tamatoa: °o° °o° °o° – I am not going to give anyone below a three on this review, but to say he left something to be desired is an understatement. This character for me was not much of a villain, and kind of annoying honestly. I don’t have a lot of good to say about him other than at the very end of the movie, past the credits there is a part where you see him left in the same predicament as he was in the movie still waiting for help. He makes a Little Mermaid reference which is his saving grace as far as I am concerned.

There were other very minor characters in the movie, like a pig named Pua who didn’t have much role wise, some coconut pirates, Te Fiti the god, and a crazy, not right chicken named Hey Hey. They didn’t have enough role really to be given mouse heads but they were nice additions.

Storyline: °o° °o° °o° °o° °o° – I thought the storyline was great. It empowers young girls to know they can be leaders. It also has nothing to do with a girl finding love. It’s about family, honor, and love of life. It’s a refreshing change to most Disney films with a female lead! It gives a great role model for young girls to look up to. Brave, Strong, Independent, and faces fears head on. Great storyline!

Music: °o° °o° °o° °o° °o° – The music is phenomenal! I mean it’s been a long time since Disney knocked one out of the park. It’s upbeat, empowering, and fun! The only song I feel didn’t fit and I wasn’t a huge fan of is Tamatoa’s song Shiny. To me that song did not go with the rest of the soundtrack, but one strike on a grand slam can be overlooked.

Overall: °o° °o° °o° °o° °o° – The character, music, and story line were amazing and so the overall theme of the movie received five mouse heads and my recommendation to go see it! I have already seen it twice and I am betting I will see it more.

Disclaimers About The Movie: The only thing I would say is there are a few parts that could frighten small children. When they go into the Realm Of Monsters it’s a little creepy before you meet Tamatoa. I will also say if you are of the Christian faith and you have children who question things, be prepared for questions about why Moana’s people believe in so many gods. That’s it though. It is very family friendly.

If you are curious about what I thought of the short before it, here is that as well:

Disney Short Before Moana: °o° °o° °o° °o° °o° – The short had no words, but you didn’t need them. It was comical and cute. Kids will love it, but hardworking adults will connect to it easily.

 

Well that is all I have for you on my first Disney review! Hope you enjoy! And remember:

MAY ALL YOUR HAPPILY EVER AFTERS BE UNEDITED! °o°

You hurt me, and I Loved you

 

I remember the day we met, 8 1/2 years ago. I was in another relationship that was making me miserable. I wanted to break up with him but I didn’t know how, and I didn’t want to hurt him. You and I ended up at the same place, watching a band that my friends played in. I remember seeing you across the room and thinking you were cute. Finally after hours and about 6 slow songs you stumbled over to me, and asked me to dance. My heart did flip flops as I said yes and followed you to the floor…….That was the beginning!

I never gave you my number that night, and I never expected to talk to you again. You however had different plans. I remember the night that everything changed. My friend was dating your friend. I was still with the other guy. My friend, invited me to her boyfriend’s house with her, she promised to not make me a third wheel. I went unwillingly. I had no idea this was all planned. When I walked in, I saw you and my heart stopped. I had thought about you, but I never imagined I would ever see you again. They left us to talk. So we did. We talked for hours. We laughed and shared so much about our lives, and it wasn’t long before I realized I liked you. You must have felt the same way, because you kissed me. That kiss changed my life. It was the first time I knew for sure I had to end it with the other guy, and the first time I understood the “feeling fireworks” comment people make.  I did give you my number that night and so it began….

When our relationship began it was perfect, it was another time in my life, where faith didn’t mean anything and church was something I only did on occasion. I was in love with you and I remember the time I let it slip and how scared I was. I also remember after everyone left you wrapping me in your arms and telling me how much you loved me too. It was after that, that I was at your house so much, I had practically moved in. You were my first real love. Things were great until…….

You became distant. You were never home anymore. You would make excuses as to why you couldn’t see me. More and more I was staying at my own house and seeing you less and less. I was losing you and I didn’t know why. It was then I agreed to go away and see my best friend for a week. We were apart. I flirted with guys while I was there but it never felt right. I always thought of you. When I came home you had bought me a stuffed animal and told me how much you had missed me. It was all I had hoped for. Then you found out about my flirting and you ripped my heart out…..you left me! I loved you and you hurt me! I thought I would die. (I didn’t, but I thought i would).

The worst part is I let you back into my life so many times after that, again and again I tried this with you. Each time I walked away disappointed and hurt. This last time was the worst. The one that made me realize you could never and would never change. After some bad decisions that left you with consequences you began talking to me and acting as though you turned over a new leaf. Saying that you had only ever really loved me and how you wanted to marry me. I was trying to be guarded but the more time I spent with you and your family the more my heart was giving in. I was in love again. However you had not changed, not one single bit! You were talking to another girl. Saying the same things to her that you had been saying to me. I could not believe it. I made the mistake of digging in your phone and I was wrong, but to find what I found in that phone devastated me. I had fought on your side. Been there through so much, more than any other girl would have. I had fought with friends and family about you who warned me not to go this route again, but I believed you, I LOVED you! But you, you just HURT me again! My point in all this is to tell you, you have no control over my emotions anymore. I have no feelings for you anymore, I am mostly numb where you are concerned. I don’t love you (At least not in a romantic way, only in the way that Christ has called us to love others), because you don’t deserve that, I am worth more than what you gave me. I also don’t hate you, because honestly that requires too much thought about you. I mostly just don’t think of you. AT ALL! I wish your family well and even you but I don’t feel anything, and that is a first in 8 1/2 years. I just wanted you to know that YOU HURT ME, AND I LOVED YOU!

Where Did It Go?

You probably read that title and thought, “Where did what go?” Well the answer is chivalry and class. I am going to give my opinion of what I think happened to them, and you are absolutely free to disagree with me.

First let me tell you how this blog entry even came about. I have been seeing post after post of guys doing things like: Opening doors for a girl, holding up the train of a prom gown so it doesn’t drag through a puddle, opening car doors, taking a girl on real dates (not Netflix & Chill), and many other things. And above all these things was the same general idea: “I wish guys still acted this way!” It discouraged me and broke my heart. It is like girls (and even some women), are screaming, “Where did chivalry go?”

Well let me tell you where I think it went. I am betting some of you won’t like it, and that is ok. Like I said you are entitled to your opinion as well. I think we as a society and women in general chased it away. How? You might ask. Well it’s simple really. As women in this society we have fought so hard to be equal to men in every area that we have made it impossible for them to be chivalrous. Society says, “Be independent. Don’t need a man. Do it yourself.” Well those are great things, but in achieving those things we have scared men away from treating us like women. I mean if a guy opens a door for a woman, some would say they are more than capable of opening that door themselves, that they are not helpless. Suppose a guy tries to help a woman carry groceries to her car, well some women would find that offensive as well. We have wanted so much to be treated as equals that we are now seeing chivalry disappear. The men are giving us exactly what we asked and in some cases fought for. INDEPENDENCE! Why would a guy want to risk doing one of those old fashioned things for you and take a risk that you would be one of those women who becomes offended? And why would they pass it down to younger men when it seems less and less likely that it would be appreciated? We as women have destroyed chivalry. It does exist but it is almost extinct.

My next point is class! Ladies this is for you. Guys you say you want a woman who is classy. One who respects themselves and doesn’t give too much away. Well quite simply you and society have destroyed this. In a society where you can look at pictures of women who are airbrushed to perfection, you have destroyed the chance of a classy woman. With those images to compete with how could we ever hope to win you over with just class? You want a woman you can introduce to your family and not have to worry about cheating on you? Then respect the real women you see. Appreciate the girl who isn’t walking around allowing you to basically see all she has to offer. When a woman is dressed well and not showing it all, tell her she looks gorgeous. Brag on her. I promise it will get around and you may see a change in the way the women around you dress and act. They dress and behave in a way they hope will make you take notice and want them. It’s a constant competition of which of us can get your attention and keep it. So if you want a classy woman show us that!

Basically it’s simple, quit letting society slowly kill chivalry and class! Stand up and help make them the norm. Let’s change those pic circulating on Facebook of guys doing nice things from shock to more of a norm!  And let’s make classiness a norm as well!

 

As I always say…..May All Your Happily Ever Afters Be Unedited! ❤

Run Or Learn

In the Lion King Simba is running from a past mistake that he later finds out he didn’t even make! The truth is if he had stuck around and faced it, he probably wouldn’t have had all the trouble he did, but he also wouldn’t have met Timon and Pumba so there is a reason for everything. The thing Rafiki the babboon says is so accurate, “The past can hurt but the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it.” Wiser words were never spoken in a Disney movie. The hard part is the learning from it and not making the same mistakes over and over again.

I am so guilty of this when it comes to relationships. I want something so bad that sometimes (within reason) I will do WHATEVER it takes to make that relationship work! Sometimes that means I make big mistakes that I really want to run away from. Mistakes that I really don’t want to go back and face because the conisquences are scary and well those mistakes are something I would rather keep in the dark and tell no one about. It’s so hard as a girl or as a woman to not want to make something happen. Most of us by nature are people pleasers and that means we will do whatever it takes to make someone we care about happy! And the thing is sometimes those thing don’t even feel bad to us they feel ok or even good, even if they aren’t. Then after it’s all said and done and after the smoke clears normally we are still left with nothing but regrets and not even close to the thing or relationship we had hoped for.  I cannot tell you how many times I have done that and still left with nothing to show for it, I am still doing it in some relationships hoping for a different result (BTW when I say relationships I mean anything from family, friends, to even a crush).

So what do we do? Run or Learn? I want to learn and I am working towards that, and if I figure out how exactly to do that and stop making those mistakes I will let you know. Really I just wanted you to know you are not alone and I really hope I am not either!

As always may all your endings be Happily Ever After

Just Because You wish for something doesn’t make it true…..

If you are looking at this title you are probably thinking I am being negative. However that is not at all the case if you will just hear me out. So let me explain my title. So in case you have missed my other posts where I have let you know my status…..I AM SINGLE! So this is about my journey and hopefully it helps others along the way. Now that all that mumbo jumbo is out of the way let’s get to the point.

So the last few months I have been quiet on this page because I have been busy and because honestly I didn’t have anything good to share. For a lot of it I was feeling a bit sorry for myself. Not anymore. This past weekend has opened my eyes to something very obvious. Just because you wish for something doesn’t make it true. (Princess and the Frog quote) What do I mean by that? Well if you know me at all you know my heart’s desire is to be married someday. Well I have wished and wished and prayed and prayed for that. For me to find a love that I see so many I know enjoying. But just because I wish for what they have doesn’t make what they have true! What I saw on the outside was not always what was going on in their closed life. What I thought I wanted, what I was jealous of, really isn’t true or what I want at all. In fact a lot of it is the opposite of what I want. It made me realize that God is so much better at this love thing than I am. Every time I asked and I felt him say  no, I was hurt and even angry at God. I couldn’t understand why I had to be deprived of what so many around me had. Now I get it. It’s because what I thought I wanted really wasn’t that at all (now some of the people I know in relationships are very happy and maybe I do want that so don’t think all the people around me are in doomed relationships. HAHAHA). I do believe that somewhere God has a really special man for me and I can’t wait to meet him. But for now I know, I am right where he wants me, doing just what he wants me to do, and I should not hold any jealousy for what I think I want, because I don’t know the whole story. I need to trust my author because he is writing a beautiful love story and I can’t wait to see it unfold.

So as always my dear friends, May All Your Happily Ever Afters Be Unedited!

S

Alone….until…………

The princess felt alone and scared in the woods wondering how she would ever escape the darkness, then as if from no where the prince appeared and led her to safety and they lived happily ever after!

Sounds nice, well maybe not the alone and scared in the woods, but the being rescued and loved by a prince does. Have you ever been alone and scared in the woods? You know like Snow White when the evil queen wants her dead? Or maybe you were lost and alone in a town that you didn’t frequent? You know like Jasmine. Whatever it is, I know we have all felt lost, alone, and scared at some point in our lives. As girls we dream in those moments that a prince will appear and pull us out of it, and for some of us that does happen. A prince does appear and rescue us and rides us off into the sunset, but for others of us we wonder the woods for a long time wondering if we will ever find our way out.

Those are the girls I want to address right now, because those are the girls I relate to. I have often said that this blog is as much therapy for me as it is for anyone who reads it. So to all my sisters who are wondering in the woods with me lost, scared, and alone, I have something that might…no WILL help us get out! And the best part is……..IT’S A PRINCE! One I can guarantee for every single girl on this planet! A prince more wonderful than our wildest dreams, and even more wonderful than those other princes that rescued our fellow princesses. We do have to share him though, but the best part is the more we share him the more wonderful he seems. And trust me once he rides you on a white horse into the sunset you will WANT to share him!!!

In case you haven’t guessed that prince is Jesus. The one and only! The son of the one true King!

I know what you are thinking, come on Melissa I know all about this prince. Some of you may even say you have been walking with him for a while but are still lost and alone in the woods. I know because that is me sometimes, actually that is me right now! We have lost sight of that prince. Maybe it was a fog created by an evil being that is blocking our view, maybe we have been kidnapped, or even lied to but whatever it is we can’t see him and that feeling of lonliness is taking over! Those other princesses we know are off with their princes, they have found other princesses along the way, or they are in a kingdom in a woods far away and we can’t get to them. Whatever it is we are alone and scared and sad. Imeasurably sad. We want out but we aren’t sure where to go or how. The prince, where is the prince……..?

Ok I know you are sick of me relating this to a fairy tale but then if you are reading this blog you know that’s how I do things, i mean look at the title!  Anyway I know what lonliness is like. I get it. I have felt it for years. I have had friends move away, start families, find their match, and so many other things, all while I still sit alone and waiting. It seems like that is the time the enemy wants to start lying to me and pointing out things that are not going as I expected. Because it’s at those points where I want so bad to share with someone and let it out, but it feels as if no one is around and then I feel ALONE! Gosh I hate being alone. It’s the worst feeling in the world. I have been an emotional mess for weeks because I have felt alone. But you know what? I am not alone. I do have Jesus and the reason I feel alone is because I forget that. I push Him aside and forget that he is always there. So I am offering advice to my fellow Princesses to seek the Prince and quit feeling alone. We can do this girls! There is a reason for every step of our lives and there IS a PRINCE for every girl!

And as always may all your Happily Ever After’s be unedited!!!! ❤

When You Wish Upon A Star….

So the Holiday Season brings about many things. Joy, peace, love, and with those things comes change. For some people that change means taking a relationship to the next stage. Getting engaged! That is such an awesome time for those people that you can’t blame them for wanting to share that with the entire world….meaning your Facebook gets flooded by it. This year alone I think I saw about 5 engagements and from now until February that number is bound to grow. So what is this blog about? Obviously you know I am not one of those many engagements I am talking about. Well this is about how you deal with all these happy announcements without getting down.
My first reaction at all these happy posts was to get down and depressed. But that is pointless. It doesn’t change anything, it doesn’t make it any better and it definitely won’t bring someone into my life. In fact it would likely repel them. So I brought my feelings to the Lord and he laid something heavily on my heart to write about. The verse he laid on my heart is this:

“I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy.
I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so
that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.”
-2Corinthians 11:2
What I am getting from this is that God wants me to know that wasting my time being jealous of others is not a godly jealousy. He has promised me to Jesus and wants me to be pure. THat means not allowing jealousy like that to soil my mind. I want that too, because no man will ever be able to love me the way He does. So I’m keeping that verse close to my heart as I trek on through the next few months and all my lovely single friends should do the same.

MAY ALL YOUR HAPPILY EVER AFTERS BE UNEDITED!!!!

Where is my Ever After?

You ever want something so bad you can taste it, but it’s just out of your reach? You know and trust God wants what is best for you, but you don’t understand why it doesn’t include this. You watch others walk around with what you want and it’s like a kick in the gut! Does God love them more? Well if you haven’t felt or asked any of these things then clearly I am alone in my thinking, but I have felt this way a lot. Especially lately.

I just got back from a weekend retreat that I led for students and it was amazing. I was asked to speak at it and my topic was single life. It’s one I have a lot of knowledge about. I didn’t mind giving it, in fact it was helpful for me to give it, but upon coming back I was bombarded. Can you guess what the enemy used as an attack on me? Well here let me tell you. He attacked me by blessing some of my closest friends with relationships! Please understand I am BEYOND happy for them. They all deserve this more than anyone I know, but that does not make it an easy pill to swallow. It’s like I learned one after another had gotten into relationships. They of course are excited so they are sharing it with me, and I am glad they do. I want to know what is going on in their lives. I care.  But that doesn’t make it an easy thing to listen to.  So where is God in all of this? Why does he ignore my request but fulfill theirs?

I don’t think it’s that simple honestly. I don’t think he is ignoring mine, I think he is answering it. I just have to figure out if it’s a no or a not right now, but either way it is not being ignored. I know the God I serve. I know he has watched tears fall and heard the whispers of my heart on this subject. I also know he adores me. That I am so important to Him that he is not willing to let me settle. PLEASE NOTE I AM NOT SAYING MY FRIENDS ARE SETTLING! I know me though and I am very much like Ana in Frozen. I am the girl who has a guy show interest in me and I fall in love because I want it so bad, all the time I am missing that he doesn’t want me, he wants power. I just want so much to be loved like that, that I am sometime naive. I often say the directors of Frozen followed me around and created Ana  based on my personality. So because the Lord knows that I am sometimes easily fooled by men, he is guarding my heart much like Elsa tries in Frozen. However God really isn’t anything like Elsa. I believe that is where my best friend comes in. He uses her to be my Elsa. The one who will look at me and say “You can’t marry a guys you just met!”

So what am I saying?  I am saying that it’s hard but I trust the Lord and what he wants for me and so I will wait for whatever that is, but in the meantime I will bury my heart in His and the only way to find it will be to seek him!

As Always May All Your Happily Ever Afters Be Unedited!

Twitterpaited!

This has been a fantastic weekend. I have been in St. Louis doing fun things, visiting family, and spending time with my best friends. I couldn’t ask for a better weekend. So why a blog called Twitterpaited? Well first of all you need to know it’s a Disney term from Bambi meaning people are in love. It may even mean they do silly things but the point is LOVE.
So one of the hardest things about being single is watching other people around you fall in love. To watch them get a ring and then later walk down an aisle. It’s hard because you want it too deep down. You want that love, that feeling, that life. It’s one of the hardest things I deal with as a single 30 year old woman. I want so bad for a man to love me like that. However I remind myself when I see these happy couples that though I want that so bad, I want the love of God WAY more than that. He may not take me to the movies, he may not do a lot of things that an earthly husband does, but he is far better. He saved my life. He made it so that I will spend eternity with him. He died for me! No man will ever be able to do all those things. So I guess what I am saying is yes it is incredibly hard to watch people love each other, yes it’s hard to see a man down on one knee asking the woman he loves to marry him, yes it’s hard to watch her put that ring on her finger and cry saying yes, and yes much later it’s hard to watch the man stand there in a suit looking down the aisle with a huge smile on his face as the woman of his dreams walks down the aisle in a white gown. It’s all hard because if I am honest of course that is what I want in my life, but it’s also something I get through and still come out joyful.
So how do I stay joyful in all of that? Well I just rememeber whose I am. I belong to the Lord and there is no greater joy on that no matter what it feels like here. It may hurt to see these things and want them but my joy comes from the Lord not man and not even love. The only LOVE that brings pure joy is that from Christ. I am working hard to make it through these times where it seems like everyone around me is twitterpaited and getting the things I want, but I remind myself that I have what I want too. I have a love that would do anything for me. That love comes from Jesus.

As always May All Your Happily Ever Afters Be Unedited!

JUST FRIENDS

It seems simple enough staying just friends. However it often becomes a sticky situation for one or both parties of an opposite sex friendship. (Not always. I have a friend that is a guy that I am JUST friends with and it has worked well for years now.) I think people go in to these friendships with the best of intentions. However they don’t always stay in them that way.
Girls we have a habit of reading signals wrong and letting our minds get ahead of life. We think a compliment means he is into us and we start planning our wedding in our head. We do this with every little thing a guy does in a friendship. The problem is if he isn’t thinking the same thing we end up hurt and our friendship ends.
Guys I think the biggest problem is that often times some of your signals are very mixed. You can’t text a girl all the time, constantly compliment her, do sweet things all the time, and spend lots of time with her and not expect her to think there is more going on than friendship.
Guys I am going to let you in on a secret about girls. Those things I just listed above are all things we want a man to do for us. We love those things. So when you do them with no intentions of dating us you really mess with our hearts. That may not be your intention but it is what happens. I am not blaming you, I know you are trying to be nice and be a good friend, but I think there has to be limits in opposite sex friendships. So guys here is my suggestions to keeping a happy friendship that has less chance of being miread:

1.) Texting and calling are fine, but to do them daily and numerous times a day at that sets a girl up to read into that. Also know this when you do these things and then stop them cold turkey it really hurts the girl as well. She starts wondering what she did wrong. So be cautious.

2.) The time you spend with them should be limited. Let’s face it spending constant time with someone is going to make things complicated. They start wondering if you spend time with them because you really like them. THey may even develop feelings that you are not feeling back and then she will walk away heart broken.

3.) Doing sweet things is great on birthdays and holidays. You can get away with that and still be just friends. However limit it to that if you are not interested in dating her. Don’t buy her random gifts just because you thought of her or saw something that reminded her of you. These things are nice and she will love it but she will also start to question why you did it for no reason.

4.) Compliments! Girls love them and when they like a guy they will fish for them. You can give a few but do NOT give her them all the time or when she starts fishing. Girls will take that as a sign of interest as well.

Listen guys I know that this stuff is not all your fault and I know we do things that hurt you too, but I am a girl and I don’t know what those things are so I am sharing things to help you. Does this apply to every girl and friendship? NO absolutely not! BUt it is just some advice from things that happened to me and other girls around me! I think all the guys I know are wonderful and this is not a bash guy time at all, it’s just some helpful advice and I welcome advice for girls on how not to hurt or lead guys on!
LOVE YOU ALL AND AS ALWAYS MAY ALL YOUR HAPPILY EVER AFTERS BE UNEDITED