For Las Vegas

I am tired.

I am so tired of waking up to the kind of news I woke up to this morning. I am tired of watching people do bad things in our world. I am tired of becoming used to this.

This morning on the radio, one of the cast members said something along the lines of, "I hope this is the last straw for you." And I cannot help but agree. I hope you are as fed up with these kinds of tragedies as I am. I hope this is the one to finally break you down and make you take action.

Around me today, people are going about their lives as if nothing has happened. As if 58 people haven't lost their lives and 500+ more aren't wounded in the hospital. How have we become numb to this kind of thing? When did it get to the point that another shooting happens, and all that comes out of it is a couple of days of angry tweeting and Facebook article sharing? It's not right. It's just not right, and I won't accept it.

I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. I want it more than I can tell. And for once it might be grand to have someone understand, I want so much more than they've got planned

I absolutely loved Beauty and the Beast growing up. I still do. Belle is my absolute favorite Disney princess, and I hold this story in such a special place in my heart. When I heard that they were remaking Beauty and the Beast as a live-action movie, I was excited but a little weary. But then they cast Emma Watson as Belle, and I was ecstatic. Add in the rest of the amazingly perfect cast, and I was simply thrilled, though disappointed that I had to wait two years for the movie to be released.

Well, two years have passed, and I finally saw the new Beauty and the Beast last night. I've tried to think of the perfect word or phrase to describe just how amazing the movie was, but nothing really seems to suffice. So I'll say simply what I said when I "checked in" at the movie on Facebook after the credits finished rolling: Wow.

This movie was everything I wanted it to be and more.

People are their most beautiful when they are laughing, crying, dancing, playing, telling the truth, and being chased in a fun way.

This weekend I laughed really, really hard, and it was so great. Not that this is unusual because I really do laugh a lot. I laugh often because I surround myself with joyful, funny people who make me laugh because I think laughter and joy and happiness are so important. Plus, I'm pretty funny myself, and I've been known to crack myself up. Ask anyone.

But this weekend my laughter came from a slightly different place than usual. This weekend my mom and I went to see The Book of Mormon at the newly reopened Hancher Auditorium here in Iowa City. First of all, Hancher is gorgeous. Walking up to it that night, it was all sparkly and lit up, and the moon was huge behind it.

We got inside and sat in our seats and enjoyed some prime people watching. And then, it began. It. was. hysterical. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time.

Just help. Make an impact. Show someone you care. Say yes instead of no. Say something nice. Smile. Make eye contact. Hug. Kiss. Get naked.

Ellen DeGeneres is arguably one of the best human beings on the planet. She's kind, she's funny, and she likes to dance. What else do you need?

Ellen has been a huge influence when it comes to my passion for kindness and generosity. Heck, even her last name says that she's "generes." Whenever I turn on her show, I just get so happy and feel so inspired by all she does for people.

I can't imagine how much money Ellen has given away -- or spent on things to give away -- over the years on her show. It's amazing that she uses her show and her platform to make such tangible change in people's lives. I know other celebrities give to charities and volunteer and even have their own charities, but I love that Ellen also promotes kindness and generosity through her show and just the way she is as a person. It's important to do good things for other people, especially when you have the resources to do so, but it's also important to set an example and encourage others to be kind and generous.