It seems to me that searching for an actual job is much harder than working every day at an actual job.

Two months ago I graduated with my bachelor’s degree in journalism. I never dreamed it would be so difficult to find full-time employment.

I have a communications degree! That means that I am extremely marketable right? Wrong. I have sent out almost a hundred different resumes and have heard back from about 3 employers.

I’ve heard that it takes people 7 months or more to fine full-time employment! That sounds like an eternity to me!

I’m only two months and feeling extremely worn out and frustrated.

A naturally positive person I decided last night that I would wake up and make today my HAPPY DAY. All that basically means is that I would find five or six things in my daily life that make me extremely happy and choose to focus on those.

The first thing I chose was Starbucks. I love the strong smell of coffee that I am greeted with upon walking into the shop.

I ordered my usual grande caramel coffee. As I was waiting for my coffee something delicious caught my eye. I saw a piece of chocolate chip banana bread. Four hundred and fifty calories of pure goodness.

Normally, I am a health nut and avoid food like this but, today was my happy day after all. And I decided that this piece of bread was going to make me happy.

I bought the bread, took my coffee and headed to a table. I was feeling quite good at the moment. I was proud of myself for coming up with the idea of a HAPPY DAY!

My HAPPY DAY bliss didn’t last to long though. Seconds after I set my coffee down it spilled all over me, the floor, my computer and the table. In a split second I had the choice to become extremely frustrated and angry or just laugh.

I chose to LAUGH! And laugh I did right in Starbucks.

I discovered that one of the things that makes me the happiest in life is the amount of ridiculously silly things I do on a regular basis.

My friend Lwam Tecle fits this description perfectly. We met almost 8 years ago at  church. Those were the days we would skip out on the service to run to Chipotle or chat in the church bathroom.

Ever since I have known Lwam she has wanted to become a singer. I’ll never forget the day she first sang for me. We were sitting in our church bathroom. She went into a stall and I sat on the couch.

Lwam wasn’t comfortable with singing in front of me. I remember her smooth, sweet voice filling the bathroom.

Her dream to become a singer is slowly becoming a reality. She recently moved to L.A. to pursue her dream.

She gave me the opportunity to interview her about her quest to become a singer.

Q:How old were you when you knew you wanted to be a singer?

A:I remember being in Kindergarten. I think that means age 5? I just remember singing for my first communion, and if people asked I told them I wanted to be a singer when i grew up.

Q:What is the best part about performing?

A:I think the best part about performing is giving people a chance to get to know your personality.

Q:Who are your musical inspirations?

A:They are always changing! Lol, right now, I’d have to say Janelle Monae, Black Keys and Florence and the Machine.

Q:What inspires you the most in life?

A:Wanting to help other people, I haven’t figured out just how I am going to do that yet. I just feel like it is my purpose to help people and I don’t want to fail… i guess thats what inspires me and keeps me going.

Q:If you had to describe yourself in a phrase that only contains three words what would it be?

A:Goofy, lover, dreamer

Q:What message would you like to portray through your music?

A: Everyone can relate to everyone else in some way, you aren’t alone in the way you feel.

Q:What is the best part about living in L.A.?

A:Hands down the weather! It’s January and I still don’t need a coat!

Q:What is one hidden talent/interesting thing you can that no one else knows about?

A:My friends say I can do a pretty good Shakira impersonation.

If you would like to learn more about Lwam you can follow her on Twitter @Lwam or check her out on Facebook! Check out her music! You won’t be disappointed!

There are the romantics who happen to love the day and then there are those who believe that the holiday was created by Hallmark just so people will spend more money.

Currently, I fall into the first category. In past years however, I most certainly did not enjoy Valentine’s Day. I dreaded it just like every other single girl my age.

Being of a cynical nature, I would roll my eyes at couples holding hands and kissing in public. I swore to myself that I would NEVER do that. I tried to console myself by saying that I really didn’t want flowers or chocolate.

I spent most of my Valentine’s Day’s alone and crabby-until things changed and I fell in love.

My perspective has completely done a 180. I now find couples engaging in PDA adorable instead of repulsive. I enjoy cheesy sentimental things like candy, cards, and mushy text messages.

I NEVER thought I would turn into this kind of person. Things in life never seem to stay the same.

So, if you are currently single, or just not a fan of Valentine’s Day I suggest you check your attitude. You just never know when one of Cupid’s arrows will strike your heart.

Summer is the season that reminds the most of my youth. Friends, bonfires, tanning driving with the windows down-these are just a few of my favorite parts of summer.

As I grew up I realized just how much I had taken my summers for granted. For years I was a lifeguard at my neighborhood pool. It was the perfect job. I could get a tan while also checking out the cute boys.

Once I started working full time I was no longer able to enjoy long day in the sun, followed by even longer summer nights.

I worked all day and could no longer bask in the warmth of the sun. By the time I got home I was to tired to go outside and enjoy the rest of the warm day.

There are so many things that we stop enjoying on our way to growing up. This summer will be different for me.

Being a twenty-something I am still considered to be very young. I plan on keeping my youthful side as long as possible.

So, this summer I am going to make an effort to enjoy the sun, ride with the top down and never stop wearing my short, flirty summer dresses.

This dress screams summer! Polka dots!

1.Check your status to see if anyone has “liked” it five minutes after you posted it

2.Check your wall while sitting on the toilet

3.Check your status while sitting on the toilet in a public restroom

4.Creep on pictures while stopped at a traffic light.

5.Check Facebook on your i-phone during conversations with friends and family

6.Post a status about what you are eating for breakfast, lunch and dinner

7.Check Facebook the minute you wake up

This is just a small example of the many ways a person can be addicted to Facebook. I have to admit to doing at least 2 or 3 of these (although I will not disclose which ones).

It is almost impossible to not be addicted. Facebook is the place where you can see what everyone else is doing at all times. As humans we are naturally curious people.

I understand the addiction. I throughly enjoy going through people’s pictures and profiles. Just make sure the next time you go to like someone’s status you aren’t on the toilet in a public restroom.

That very same person helped me realize that being in your 20’s is quite the gift. The woman I was speaking with happened to be a few generations older than me and said,”I wish I was in my 20’s again. You have everything in life to look forward to.”

I started to realize just how much I loved being in my 20’s. I literally had my entire future in front of me: my first job, getting married, my first home, my first child etc.

The list below is just a small sampling of why I love being a 20 something.

1.My ability to eat like a horse and still wake up with a flat stomach the next morning.

2.The feeling of being madly in love

3.My love for stupid stupid youtube videos

4.My belief that it really is possible to “have it all”

5.My ability to accept everyone no matter what they believe or look like

6.My crazy desire for random, fun adventures

7.The ability to wear 5 inch heels all day without my feet or back hurting

8.My ability to get excited about almost anything

9.My desire to see the entire world

10.My desire to meet everyone and hear their personal story

11.My belief that I really can change the world in a significant way

12.My obsession with being in shape

13.My ridiculous obsession with reality television (Yes, I sometimes watch The Bachelor, Jersey Shore, and Teen Mom.)

14.My belief that the world is really filled with more good people than bad

15.My energy

16.My ability to always look five years younger than I actually am

17.My body

18.Being able to fit into my high school jeans

19.My love of really really loud music

20.My ability to sleep in past 11:00, stay in my pj’s all day, and not feel a bit guilty

Try making your own list. It’s actually quite fun.

And I don’t mean that from an oppressed “women need to behave in this way” type of way. I mean that in a “shouldn’t girls empower one another” kind of way.

First of all, when did “stupid hoe” become a good insult? I mean, puh-lease. If you feel the need to be insulting (please don’t, it’s so tacky), at least come up with something wittier. Derek Blasberg, author of Classy says, “Insults are like parties: Only the really creative ones are memorable. If you need to insult someone, come up with something original. It will hurt more if it’s specific.”

Comparisons are forced on us everywhere: magazines, television, judgements from family and friends, everywhere. Judgement is everywhere. This judgement is what we use to hold ourselves over one another, therefore forcing comparisons to persist. Everywhere we see girls comparing themselves to other girls. Think to a party or other social gathering where you may have heard something like this:

“Yeah, I’m not really like most girls, I mostly hang out with guys.”

“I’m not like most girls, I’m not into shopping.”

“I’m different from most girls (insert something that makes them different from most girls but isn’t legit like “I USED TO BE A GUY”- Then, you might get props.)

Why don’t we want to be like one another? Why don’t we want to be like most girls? We are girls, shouldn’t we embrace it? Shouldn’t we love ourselves for being unique, but also feminine (even if only in the sense that we have a, uhm, girly bit). I personally feel that by putting one another down we are only showing how much we dislike our own gender. By insulting one another, or by pointing out that we are “not like other girls” we are not progressing. We are regressing. We are making one another look bad. Furthermore, from someone who hopes to “empower women” this, and other Minaj songs do the exact opposite. Her songs emphasize that she is the best and only, she is not empowering, she is making no room for competition. As girls, I think that we should empower one another, we should celebrate our femininity, and we should encourage one another to be the best we can be…. instead of calling one another “stupid hoes” and pushing our way to success by beating others down.

Putting others down doesn’t make us higher, it lowers our standards for excellence.

<!– START OF ADDME LINK –>
<a href=”http://www.addme.com/submission/free-submission-start.php”>Search Engine Submission – AddMe</a>
<!– END OF ADDME LINK –>

One of the main reasons would be simply because of the diverse amount of people that live there.

The clip posted below is a perfect example of that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2P-i_5skhsU

The artists name in the youtube clip is Jessica Latshaw. After seeing her video clip and hearing her interviewed on the radio I felt the need to interview her myself.

Jessica was simply riding the subway when a man with the bongos challenged her to sing and play the ukulele she had with her. She is clearly talented.

The video went viral in the same day and made Jessica’s music popular overnight! I had the chance to interview Jessica and ask her a few questions about her love for music and performing:

Christina Graw: How do you feel about all the exposure you are receiving from the youtube video?

Jessica Latshaw: I feel grateful. It’s a little funny to have people recognizing me as “the girl with the ukulele from the subway,” but it’s good. I have been making music for years and people have been telling me that I have something different or that I really should be on the radio, etc., but, for whatever reason, it hadn’t happened. But I just kept doing what I do–writing and playing and performing wherever I can–and now something has changed. All because I was just doing what I love to do on a subway train, of all places. And somebody decided to film it and put it on youtube. It’s funny how little of the whole thing was/is out of my control. Except for the part that matters for all of us: being authentic. Doing what I love to do. Which is play music. And now things are starting to change. It’s dumbfounding and awesome.

CG:Where did you grow up?

JL:I grew up in Landenberg, PA. There is one tiny post office there and a few gas stations. Not to mention some wonderful people, streams, woods, and animals.

CG: How old were you when you first wanted to be a singer?

JL:I think that, for me, it was more like: how old was I when I realized I AM a singer? Which is a good question. I was little when I first started making up songs to sing to our animals. That is one of my earliest memories. And then around eleven or twelve, I started singing along to the Les Miz and Jesus Christ Superstar soundtracks. I remember realizing that I could sound just like the girls–Fantine, Eponine, Mary Magdalene; that I could match where their voices went perfectly. I didn’t realize that was a good thing; I just knew it was so.

CG:What is your ultimate goal as a singer/performer?

JL:Man oh, man. My ultimate goal? Is to tell my story and encourage and move people along the way, I guess. Every artist has a story to tell. Wait, scratch that. Every PERSON has a story to tell. And everything we do should be a little bit more of a revelation of that story. So, that’s the overall goal, I guess. Practically, though, I’d like to make really good, timeless albums. I’d like to perform on as many stages as possible. And I’d like to be kind no matter where I am and no matter what I am doing.

CG:Who are your musical inspirations?

JL:Like, I said already: Les Miz and Jesus Christ Superstar sort of helped me fall in love with the dramatic ballad. And also helped me to learn how to belt without even realizing what it is I was doing. Other musical influences: James Taylor, U2, Sarah Mclachlan, Eminem, Adele (who ISN’T influenced by her?), Alicia Keys, Billy Joel, Kanye, Ingrid Michaelson…and I am sure there are others, too. We’re influenced all the time, whether we’re aware of it or not, I think.

CG:What is your favorite part about performing?

JL:Is it too simple to say just that– Performing? I mean, I love singing and talking to the audience while I am playing. I love sharing with audiences who listen. I never feel quite so alive as when I am performing for someone, I think.

CG:If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?

JL:A thing. That makes me laugh–what thing would I want to be? What thing would anyone want to be?! Oh, but maybe an animal–like of the flying variety or the swimming variety. But, honestly, I am really glad to be me. I don’t really want to be anyone else. Even when my life broke in half and my heart was all smashed to bits, I still liked the way if felt to think my thoughts and write my music and make my jokes and have my friends and family. I can’t imagine being on this earth and not being me; what a strange concept. I wonder what I’d think of me…? Okay, now I am freaking myself out…! She is clearly a talented and kind person! To find more about Jessica visit her blog at thislifeinwriting.com

The voices around me were uttering words and sounds I couldn’t understand. Before I knew it a woman had placed her hand on my shoulder and was prompting me to speak.

In a loud voice she said,”Say what the Holy Spirit is telling you to say.”

I instantly felt my face grow red as my body grew tense. My mind was racing.

What was I supposed to say? I felt nothing!

The scene I just described occurred at a church I attended as a child. The church was Pentecostal and the women huddled around me were “speaking in tongues.”

Speaking in tongues is a special prayer language some Christians use to communicate with God. (If you would like a further explanation on this prayer language check out Acts 2.)

Immediately after I was told to start speaking I started crying. The women in the church thought I was crying because the Holy Spirit was coming upon me. I was really crying because I was so overwhelmed.

Quietly, I uttered something about loving Jesus. Inside I couldn’t wait for the women to leave so I could just be alone.

That evening as I laid in bed I thought back to what had happened. I felt like a fraud, a fake. I hadn’t felt anything but intimidation and fear.

What was wrong with me? Why wasn’t I able to feel or experience Jesus the way everyone around me was?

FAKING IT:

This pattern continued throughout the rest of my life.

I would go to church, participate in worship and raise my hands all while praising Jesus.

Eventually, I grew up and went away to college. I stopped attending church and going to Bible study.

My life did not seem to change all that much. I did not miss the church or “God’s presence” in my life. I began to wonder if I even ever felt his presence in the first place.

That brings me to the present. I am currently graduated from college looking for a job. I do not miss the church or God. Yet, I have this burning desire to figure out how and why the church and Christianity is relevant to my life.

I do not experience God, nor am I sure I ever will.

I have been told for years that it is important to have a relationship with God. I am not quite sure what that means. It’s hard to have a relationship with someone who I cannot hear or see.

Has God forgotten about me? Why do so many other people in my life seem to “experience God” or see his greatness at work in their lives?

What am I missing?

Each post will vary from the next. I named the blog twenty-something because I am just that. I am a twenty-something that is extremely curious about life and what it is all about.

I will explore and write about issues and topics that currently affect twenty-somethings!

Hope you enjoy!