"A Night on the Towns" ~ Paper Towns Movie Premiere

July 26, 2015

   John Green has done it again. After the success of TFIOS and last June's fantastic "Night Before Our Stars" event (which you can read about here,) I was beyond excited to not-only hear that Paper Towns was receiving a movie but also that it would also get its own special event, hence, "A Night on the Towns" was born!

   Being the huge Nerdfighter I am, I jumped on the chance to see the movie a few hours earlier than everyone else! Paper Towns is the story of Quentin and Margo Roth Speigelman, two Orlando teens, and the love, scandal, and mystery of their lives. As it's set in Orlando and something my best friend and I share, the book is incredibly special to me. I first read it my junior year of high school, but while rereading to refresh for the movie, the themes of leaving high school and the friends you have while you're there really hit home. It's a great read for anyone about to graduate; basically, it's wonderful.


   Thursday afternoon, my mom and I went out for a bit of shopping before the movie started. Unfortunately, we overshot a bit on our time and ended up at the theater around 4:30. Seems fine, right? It would be, but the movie didn't actually start until 8:30. Oops. We killed time playing cards, chatting about college and what I have left to prepare, and just spending the afternoon laughing and hanging out while I'm still at home. A few other people began to show up around 6, and soon the queue was filling up and it was almost time for the movie to begin!

   Also around 6, I tweeted a question into the Q&A. Hold that thought.


   The doors opened around 8, and my mom and I snagged seats in the very back of the theater smack dab in the middle of the row. My mom went out and grabbed some snacks, and we tucked in for some popcorn, sweets, and the film. The film absolutely blew my expectations; I had my reservations about some of the casting and some doubts about whether or not the film would actually be Orlando-esque, but I am in love with the way it turned out. It gave the same feelings I got when reading the book, and the chemistry and relationships between all the characters was spot-on to how I'd imagined them. It had you giggling, questioning, and reflecting on what high school and friendship really mean.

   After the film was over, we had about five minutes in between the film and the livestream, so everyone booked it to the restroom and back so as to not miss anything!

   Hosted by Tyler Oakley and Jessi Cruickshank, the livestream featured most of the cast and some of the crew of the film, as well as musical performances from Saint Motel and Nat and Alex Wolff. Some adorable dancing by Cara and Nat, John's belly button cameo, and wonderful banter provided great insight into the behind-the-scenes of the movie.


   Now, remember how I mentioned that I tweeted a question in? Well, about three questions or so in to the Q&A, I hear Tyler Oakley say "Our next question comes from @Secondbeckfast" and lets just say my heart absolutely stopped. That's right, Tyler Oakley read my twitter handle to a global audience. I told my mom, I told the girl next to me, I texted my friend who was also in the theater, and I was so excited I didn't even hear the answer to my question. All I know is I basically had a conversation with John Green, and that's probably one of the most amazing things in my life so far. Hopefully I can find the livestream online, because as of now I'm still not sure what the answer to my question was!

   Overall, the night was just a wonderful experience. From spending time with my mom, to watching the film, to having my question selected for the Q&A, the whole evening was absolutely splendid. I can't wait to see what else comes from John and these producers, because if they make an Abundance of Katherines or Looking for Alaska as good as TFIOS or Paper Towns, I will be one happy Nerdfighter. As I go off to college, having these movies and books will remind me of where I've come from, giving me a sense of home, while inspiring me to push myself to explore and learn all I can while I'm still young and to carry that with me as I grow up.


   To John and the whole crew, a million thank-you's for creating something so absolutely special to so many people and for making the Nerdfighter community proud.

Bestie Disney Date! ~ July 2015

July 17, 2015 Lake Buena Vista Stolport (DWS), Orlando, FL 32836, USA

   Long post alert! As an Orlando baby, I've grown up with frequent visits to Walt Disney World with family and friends, so visiting the parks has a very special place in my heart. WDW might be my favorite place on Earth (so far) and spending the day with my equally Disney-crazed bestie makes for unforgettable memories!

   Last week, we got ready to go and headed out for a day of Princesses, yummy food, and fantastic rides. We arrived around 11, and headed to our favorite lunch spot, Columbia Harbour House near the Haunted Mansion. I opted for the fish and chips, while Bri picked a sandwich (for the fancy chips!) Nestled in our favorite spot in the walk over, we settled in for our meal and caught up on our stories from work that week!


   After lunch, we headed to Haunted Mansion and Thunder Mountain. After these two rides, we were beginning to feel the heat just a tad, so we undertook a very important mission: locate some kind of cold drink! We wandered Fantasyland, stopping in Gaston's Tavern and the shop in Belle's village, as well as stopping by the outpost near Ariel's castle, before heading on over towards Tomorrowland. We finally found smoothies in Auntie Gravity's (haha get it, like anti-gravity) and found some air conditioning to hide out in for a break.

   While we were waiting, we realized our fastpasses for Space Mountain weren't for another hour, and we were at quite a loss for what to do to avoid the heat while killing time. Naturally, we decided to shop! We went from shop to shop, exploring all the best things Main Street USA has to offer! After a few shops, the Festival of Fantasy parade began and we managed to watch a bit of it from inside the AC, and since it was my first time watching the parade, I was quite amazed!


   We finished our shop run and headed back to Space Mountain for some excitement and thrill! After, we had a full on selfie shoot in front of Cinderella's Castle and browsed everything the shops behind it had to offer.



   To finish off our time at MK, we headed to Princess Fairy Tale Hall for a royal visit with Cinderella and Rapunzel! We chatted about our favorite colors, princes, and if we'd seen Tinker Bell or the Fairy Godmother around anywhere. Cinderella had stunning elegance, and Punzie's enthusiasm and spirit is always a treat:)


   We said our goodbyes to the Castle and headed off (by the oh-so wonderful Highway in the Sky) to EPCOT for the rest of the day! A quick and refreshing stop by the Fountainview Starbucks left us prepared for the heat of the afternoon as we began our trip around the World Showcase. We stopped off in Mexico, traveling the river on the Gran Fiesta Tour with Los Tres Caballeros before continuing on in the showcase. 

   Passing the Norway construction sparked our issues with the development of the new Frozen aspects of Epcot, as even though we do love the movie, EPCOT just isn't the place for Arendelle for us (which also sparked our concern for the future of Avatar in AK, but that's another story!) We lasted in the heat until Japan, where we flocked inside for a break from the evening heat and explored the cute items inside the store. 


  We took a moment in Italy for some pictures on the bridge and then headed on to drool over the gorgeous makeup and fragrances in the shops of the France pavilion and drag ourselves over to the UK pavilion and debated finding a soccer team to support! 

   Now came the most important debate of the evening: where to eat for dinner! It came down to a coin toss between the Rose and Crown and the Chefs de France, and France it was! I had never eaten there, but oh my lord have I found my new favorite place to dine at WDW! The inside was gorgeous, and I felt like I was in a real Parisian restaurant. Our waiter was an adorable man named Harold, and he kindly gave us all the water in the world (he could probably tell we were parched from the heat!) We both decided on the Macaroni, which was THE BEST in the world. I think gruyere is my new favorite thing in the world.


   To finish the day, we decided to splurge and treat ourselves to dessert! We picked Macaron Ice Cream sandwiches and ate along the canal, laughing and planning our dream trip to Paris, before heading into Impressions de France for our final activity of the day. On our way out, we picked up matching Paris keychains to celebrate how much fun the day had been and to promise ourselves we'll end up in Paris together eventually!


   Overall, I think this was one of my most favorite times at WDW. I spent the day laughing, chatting, and having adventures with my bestie, and there's nothing better in life than friendship, food, and Walt Disney World! 


x Jessie x


Latest Instagrams

© jessie belle. Design by FCD.