Home sweet Nashville.

Ever since I found out that Nashville existed, I wanted to go there. This wasn't like a 'Hey, I want to go to Nashville' it was more of a 'Get me to Nashville or someones gonna get hurt'. Well lately that burning desire to work and eventually live there has been multiplying! Of course I don't know anyone there and I have no idea how I would get there, but there was a will! As a student and an intern, I had no money to go visit so all I had was stories, videos, and pictures that I could find online.
I read a blog posting from Claire Diaz-Ortiz about how she traveled the world in 2009 and made money by blogging about her travels. That post hit it right on the money for me! That's EXACTLY what I was wanting to do. I was incredibly inspired by her story and I realized that if I really want it, I can do it. I decided to go online and research different ways I can travel on the cheap. I looked into staying at hostels, host families, a roommate or just renting a place of my own. Even with the cheap options, it still gets pretty pricey especially if you don't have any job leads yet.

There was however one more option: Sweepstakes Contests! I decided that I had nothing to lose by entering in some sweepstakes. After all, I REALLY wanted to go to Nashville. There was a contest called 'One Of A Kind Nashville' through visitmusiccity.com where you go on Pinterest and pin pictures and describe what you would want to do in Nashville. Well that day, I spent approximately 4 hours posting, pinning, researching, and dreaming about Nashville. I checked back over 10 times to make sure that I did everything right and that my board met all the criteria! If that's not passion and persistence, I don't know what is. However, the more I looked at pictures, the more I wanted to be there, and I knew that I would be incredible devastated because I got so emotionally invested!

Moving on, On Wednesday (two days after they were scheduled to chose a winner) I was convinced that I didn't win and that someone else got the prize. I decided to check my e-mail one last time and sure enough, there was an e-mail stating that I had won the promotion sweepstakes package! Me and a guest will be going to Nashville for July 4th weekend, hanging out with The Band Perry, and getting VIP passes to some of Nashville's most prominent places! I flipped!! A dream was becoming reality for me! I AM GOING to the place that captivated my attention and my interest. I cannot wait to spend 4 amazing days with my best friend in Nashville. All my favorite things in one! To add the cherry on top, My birthday was this weekend and this is just THE best birthday present one can receive! My 20th year of life will begin with a boom(literally!). I hear there will be 2 fireworks displays while we are there. We are heading out on Wednesday morning so there are still many stories to come!

 Now if there is anything that would make this trip even more unreal is if we get to hang out with Ed Sheeran. Side note: That's who I want to work with on his next US tour in January!

Moral of the story: If you want something bad enough and you are willing to work your butt off for it, you will get there and you will achieve it. Safe Travels friends!

Stay tuned for more unreal Nashville Stories, pictures, video logs, and more!

Newsboys Concert Review- Tacoma, WA

God's Not Dead Tour- March 2013

Current Band Mates: 
-Duncan Phillips-Drums, Percussion
-Jody Davis- Lead guitar, backing vocals
-Jeff Frankenstein- Keyboards, backing vacals
-Michael Tait- Lead Vocals

I grew up listening to DC-Talk, a band that later disbanded and evolved into a band called Newsboys. Some of the DC-Talk members began producing their own records and others moved on to do other things. As for the Newsboys, I knew almost all of their songs because of all the airtime they got at one of the local radio stations. In the beginning, they experimented with a few different sounds for their band and without a doubt, they have some amazing songs with great lyrics! My favorites are the ones that are solely dedicated to worshiping God. Songs like 'Your love never fails', 'He reigns', and 'Entertaining Angels' topped the charts for many weeks! These songs were played and sung at radio stations and churches throughout the country. The Newsboys were nominated for (and won!) multiple awards like song of the year and album of the year.

However, in 2009, Peter Furler (the lead singer) decided it was time to pass the baton and focus on his family more. After many years of serving and producing amazing music, He chose Michael Tait to take his place as the lead vocalist. With that said, I can go on to review the concert!

(Left to Right: Michael Tait, Duncan Phillips, Jody Davis, Jeff Frankenstein)

So, the day before the concert, they were short on volunteers so there was a posting on Facebook asking for volunteers to help with the stage set up and break down. Fortunately, I had that day off from work so I was able to go help. Throughout he whole day of set-up there was so much excitement and anticipation for what God was about to do that evening. Everyone felt the Spirit of God moving through the place, before the concert even started!

I was very surprised to see so much involvement from the bands in the set-up process! A fairly new band called All Things New was the opening act for the show and these guys were so active and pumped to serve Jesus the way they know how! By the way, all of the band mates were so down to earth and approachable which made it much easier to worship God during the concert and not the band(s).  That was a beautiful testimony in itself! With All Things New, it was so refreshing to see their passion and experience that first creativity that just overflows with the love and grace of Jesus! I was blown away by their care and kindness towards the audience and all the little details that came along with the show. I hope that throughout their career, they continue to grow in the fruits of the Spirit and encourage others to do the same!

(All Things New)

Simply put, The Newsboys' performance was like a well-oiled machine. It was evident that many (many!) hours were put into practicing the songs, making sure there were smooth transitions between songs, and working together as a team to make sure everyone was on the same page (literally!) during the show. At one point, the drummer (Duncan Phillips) teased Michael Tait that he had the voice of an angel and he was spot on! Michael truly has an amazing voice! The testimonies by Michael and Jeff Frankenstein were very genuine. It was great that they were able to open up and share about their struggles and how they get through them. That really resounded with the audience. There was an instant connection and within a few minutes there was a great amount of trust built between the band and the audience. It was a very small, intimate venue that allowed for a more laid back vibe during the concert which was incredible! There were moments of hype and the whole room was screaming and jumping and then there were moments where everyone sang in unity like a sea of voices, it was so beautiful!

I know you are just anticipating for me to mention the drum solo so here goes: The drum solo is so creative but soo scary to watch from the side view! Pretty much Duncan Phillips and the drum set is buckled to a hydraulic rotating disc that goes up and down during the show(which is really cool). They take it a step further and during his drum solo it starts rising and spinning! Then towards the finale, the rotating disc flips the drummer and the drums upside down so they are just hanging there and all this time, he is playing an amazing solo seamlessly. It's a very high energy, high stakes kind of moment. The cherry on the top of this whole stunt is Duncans' facial expressions. They make the entire show!

The Newsboys captivated the audiences' attention from the moment they walked out on stage and held their attention to the moment they walked off stage. They have many die-hard fans that have supported them throughout their whole journey but after that night, they gained another fan: Me. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire night and I can't wait to see them again!

In short, If you ever have the opportunity to see the Newsboys live, Do not hesitate to buy the tickets and buy them soon! I know they are coming to Seattle this summer(2014) for The Creation Festival, That is one show you DO NOT want to miss. Under the summer sky, worshipping God, Candles lighting up the whole field, need I say more? Trust me, You will not regret it.

Thank you!

Sofia Onishenko

Channeling all that energy!

Some days I feel like i'm going crazy. I have so many thoughts going through my mind all the time! Some are funny and witty, some are super creative, and some are just off the scope. I feel like I need to express those thoughts somehow but I don't want to annoy people with my stupid jokes and pointless facts. Can we all agree that they get pretty boring and annoying? Some people just don't have a sense of when they need to stop posting updates about their childish relationships or (my personal favorite) those people who post a selfie everyday and try to justify it by adding a deep life quote like "A smile is a woman's best accessory" or "Mother nature gazes at all of us in delight". Like omg you know how to google stuff!! Woohoo.

See, That may have sounded like a rant to you but that's totally okay because this is my blog son! Ain't nobody forcing you to read this! As you may have already collected, I'm usually pretty sarcastic and that gets me in trouble sometimes... sometimes. Otherwise, it's pretty freakin great!

Anyways, This blog is gonna be a gateway to the cool stuff I get to experience and a place to just purge my thoughts into. DISCLAIMER: I am not expecting anyone to read this! But if I get rich and famous over this blog then thank you. I knew I could do it all along. But i'm pretty sure the NSA will read this as soon as I press publish. Well, NSA people, I hope you are entertained, Stay tuned! (I know you will...)

Much Loves,

Sofia O.