With "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again" recently being released (and being the BEST movie sequel to have ever grace the planet) I really wanted to write about how these movies have affected me personally. You're probably thinking, "how on earth can you be affected by a movie where a woman has no idea who the father of her daughter is besides constantly having ABBA songs stuck in her head?" While I do have ABBA songs stuck in my head a good majority of the time these movies mean more to me than just that.

For starters, they are just the most feel-good type movies I've ever seen. I know so many people who have watched these movies saying that they just felt so good while watching them. How can you not just have a big cheesy grin on your face watching Meryl Streep sing and dance her heart out with a bunch of Greek islanders to Dancing Queen? You just physically can't!

I saw the first "Mamma Mia!" with my family when I was 10-years-old. I remember we rented it from Family Video because my mom loves Meryl Streep. I'm not even sure if my parents knew what 'Mamma Mia!' was about, but all I know is that watching that movie introduced me to the real world of musicals. The only other musicals I had seen before that were "Grease," "Annie," and obviously the entire High School Musical franchise. I had never seen anything like this. I have always loved to sing and dance and this movie inspired me to want to do absolutely nothing but that. It really furthered my love for not only singing but for musical theater itself.

Being 10 at the time I had no idea it had been a Broadway musical before it was a movie or really what that even meant. As I got older I really looked into musical theater and I can honestly say it is absolutely one of the things that makes me the happiest in the world, and I'd be lying if I said it wouldn't be a dream of mine to be in a Broadway show... and I have "Mamma Mia!" to thank for that.

I seriously have multiple friends that we literally bond over these movies together because we love the music, the stories and of course just how they make us feel. These movies are honestly a source of pure happiness for me. It might sound a little cheesy or a little excessive, but it's true. I will respect your opinion if you don't like "Mamma Mia!" but just know that I think you're wrong. I strive to be as adventurous as Donna and live by something she said in the second movie, "Life is short, the world is wide and I want to make some memories."