Update a bit

I finally have some time to do a bit of an update. I have three weeks off from school, and not a whole lot to do so I figured it was finally time to do an actual update.
Well I am one semester closer to graduating. It seems so far away and yet so close. I am down to a handful of classes that I have to take, and then I am done. I have changed my major- sort of. I am still doing Behavioral Science with a family studies emphasis, but now for my masters I have decided to do School Counseling instead of Marriage Family Therapy. I was thinking this summer that I don't like sitting in an office all summer long. I would rather be outside in the sunshine. So I started thinking of jobs that I could do outdoors or that would let me have the summers off. Most outdoors jobs I was not interested in, but having summers off, now that I could do. I have never really wanted to be a teacher. But I thought that a school counselor would be great! Same hours of the teacher, already in line with what I have wanted to do, and I get the sumers off. So I am now doing school counseling.
Last semester, I took a class where we worked with the high schools doing parent/teen mediation. I really enjoyed this class, and enjoyed working with the teens trying to help them reach their goals for school and life. It is nice knowing that I can help people.
Let's see what else. I started going to a new ward. In May with the changes that the church did to the YSA program it affected the YSA ward that I was going to. Previous to the changes, the ward that I was in was known as being an older YSA ward. It was a single ward in a family stake. When they changed it to be in a YSA stake, it changed the ward dynamics completely. Previously there was an age group from usually 21 to 35ish. After it was droppped to 18 and the limit was 30. I had just turned 30, so I had one year left in the ward. Also what happened was that the people who were over 31 were given 3 months to find a new ward. Since I did not quite fit this group it was weird feeling. Most of my friends in the ward fit this group, and suddenly we had a ton of new really young people in the ward, that I really had nothing to relate to with them. I was frustrated, and honestly kind of hurt. It hurt to feel like suddenly just becuase you are 31 and not married you are just out of luck, and you have no options.
Anyways- we found a midsingles was in Provo/Orem area. It is interesting. But it is nice having a group of people that I already know, and it makes it easier to go. I am eager to get the chance to get to know more people in the ward.
Those are the major changes in life right now. I am sure I will post again soon, as I have a new nephew that I need to brag about!

I am a nerd

So if it was not already know to everyone who reads this (Hi all!) I am a bit of a nerd. But I honestly thing that everyone is a "nerd" about something.
My nerdy-ness really came out last month when I went to Harry Potter world in Florida.
If any of you like Harry Potter, then this is a must see. I was amazed at how it really felt like you were at Hogsmeade shopping, and going through Hogwarts Castle. It was so much fun. Here are a couple of pictures.



I had so much fun taking pictures, looking at the shops and eating at the Three Broomsticks.

I ate all the Candy.

My friends posted this on facebook, and I loved it and had to share. I might try this when I have kids. I love the last two boys. So funny how protective kids are of their candy. When I went trick-or-treating with Bronson, I teased him that I was going to take his candy, and he did not come near me for a few minutes and after that he was very caution around me with his candy.

Story of my life

First it was Lance Bass, now it Is Zachary Quinto. All my celebrity crush apparently are gay. So now- I have no celebrity crush.
I am looking for suggestions- how are yours? Maybe I will get a few names and everyone can vote.

Please spread the word

This is my sister Kelli with our nephew. Kelli is one of the greatest sister's in the world. Kelli is very loving and supporting of her family. I know that Kelli will do anything to help me.
This is Kelli's husband Nate.

Nate in many ways has been like an older brother I never had. When my parents were living in Tahiti, I was extremely comforting to know that Nate was there as a priesthood leader for me in my life.
I love both Kelli and Nate. They have been trying for many years to have children, and it simply has not happened for them yet. They have been in the process of trying to adopt a child for the last year. Any child that would live with them would be extremely blessed and VERY loved.
So the reason for this post- I am asking that you spread the word. I know there are many people who are also looking. Here is their blog link and here is the link to their profile for LDS family services.
If they need to search LDS family services they can search "Kelli and Nate" to find the profile.
Thank you!

Awe that green eyed Monster

I hate Jealousy. I hate when I feel jealous of someone else. I hate feeling envious of others. Because it means that I am not grateful for what I have. But sometimes it is difficult not to wish for more, and want what other people have.
I have been feeling this alot lately because things in my life are changing- just not for me. Friends are getting married, buying houses, moving away and they are having change in their. This is what I am jealous of- Change. I crave change in my life right now, but it is not happening. I am so close to so many things in my life- finishing school, ward changes- but it is not quite time yet for those changes. I want it so bad but I can't have it quite yet. So to see that others are getting the changes that I so desperately want, it makes me a little jealous.

I am not with the Band

So I attempted to take guitar lessons this summer. I say attempted because I have come to the realization, that I am not a guitar player. I am finally content with that. For years while I was working at a music store, I would look at all the guitars and imagine what it would be like to play the guitar. I have always admired those people who whip out their guitar and can just play all these songs. I have a list of songs that I made up that I was eager to learn to play on the guitar.
After starting the lessons, I realized I really did not actually want to play the guitar. I do not have the time, or really want to find and put the time in, to practice. And the main reason I decided that I am not a guitar player is that I have little coordination as it is, so to play a chord, strum the right strings (because apparently you do not strum all the strings for every chord) and in the right rhythm is just too much for me to do at one time. Seriously, I can barely walk and talk at the same time, trying to do all that at once for me would take way to much mental power. Plus I don't get the whole chord thing. The teacher would tell us to play a C chord and I would have not idea what he was talking about. I know what a C note is on a music staff, and where to find it on a piano or cell, but I have no idea how it translates to a guitar. I am a one note kind of person, not big into the chords. Unless it is on a piano, but that is because the notes are laid out and you don't have to know the chord name.
So to all of you who play the guitar- good on you. I will stick with my piano and cell

I am planning

I feel like I have neglected this blog- and my other one too.
I am not really sure why. I am busy is the lame excuse. I really just have not felt like actually writing anything in a while. I really do not feel like anything relivent has actually happened in my life. Maybe I just need to make things more relevant?
I feel like I am always planning for the future, and things never really common to past. (that sounded very scripture like) I am planning a trip. I am planning an event. I am planning a vacation. I am planning on what to do with my life, and how to get there. But it all seems so far in the future. I am impatient and I want it to happen now. I want to be done with school. I want to have a career and not a job. I want to settle down, buy a house, have a family. I am ready for it, but it is just not happening. It feels like everything gets pushed further and further away into the future.
I really don't know what my point is. Maybe I am just putting it out in the universe in hopes to have the wheels start moving. I am so close, but just barely short of where I want to be and it is that short distance that is making me so impatient.
So there it is.... for now

"The most sophisticated people I know - inside they are all children."- Jim Henson

Last Night I went with some friends to see another friend perform in Seussical the Musical. First off, I LOVED IT. It was just so fun, entertaining and just wonderful. I think that this would be one of the funnest plays to be a part of. I love Dr. Seuss. I love his stories and his sly way of entertaining while teach values such as friendship,trustworthiness, commitment, creativity and intelligence.
As part of this show (I don't know if this is something they came up with to put their twist on the show, or if it is normally part of the show) they had some puppets. These were not any simple puppets, these were high quality Muppet like Puppets. Here is a picture of the puppets


I wish I found a better one of the lady puppet. It was awesome. In the program for the show, it documented a lit bit the process of the puppet making, which got me to thinking. I think it would be awesome to learn how to make these puppets. I am sure that they are a little labor intensive, but how awesome would it be to say that you know how to make puppets like this.
Maybe one day I will learn.... not sure where you would even start. Is there puppet school?

I just found this website that I thought was pretty funny. It does a very basic summary of alot of books and movies.
This is the summary of Pride and Prejudice
Mr. Darcy
Nothing is good enough for me.
Ms. Elizabeth Bennet
I could never marry that proud man.
(They change their minds.)

THE END
Yep- that is the best summary. Wish the movie were that to the point.

Here is Romeo and Juliet

Romeo
Oh, Juliet!
Juliet
Oh, Romeo!
Romeo
Oh, Juliet!
Juliet
Oh, Romeo!
Romeo
Oh, Juliet! (dies)
Juliet
Oh, Romeo!......Romeo?......Dammit.

THE END
They also have a movie summary site. Here is gone with the wind

Scarlett O'Hara
I'm a whiny little brat, but my will is like iron. Watch my eyes flare.
Rhett Butler
I don't give a damn.
Audience
Gasp! We've never heard anything so depraved in our lives!
Just funny

Put Yourself Out There

Can I just say how much I hate that phrase? What does that really mean?
I hate it when people say "You just need to put yourself out there" Out Where? And when I do figure out "where" is, how do I put my self there, and how is that any different then what I am already doing? How will that actually change anything? Maybe I am already "Putting myself out there" and you just don't see it! Or maybe, just maybe, my idea of putting myself out there is different from yours.
If you are single, I am sure you understand. I am sure that some married people understand too. It is not easy dating nowadays. Dating is a complete different activity then what it was when I started dating at sixteen. I blame technology. Don't get me wrong, I like technology but it is killer to social skills and dating.
I think it is gives people an easy out- especially for guys.
I have done online dating. I HATE it. I am a bit of a traditionalist that I think the man needs to do some and contribute to the relationship. It should not be the woman doing all the work. I know that the woman can be encouraging, and that the can help the man along, but it is not her job to be the man.
I am sick of the lack of commitment that exists in unmarried men today. I know that is an over generalization, and that not all men are that way- but those are not the men that I associate with. (at least not the single men that I associate with)
I was very happy to hear that President Monson chastised the men at Priesthood session about dating and it being their priesthood duty to date and get married.
I am just annoyed- and felt like venting. Sometimes I think it would be easier to have an arranged marriage... just saying

I want a Tom Tom

I totally want a Tom Tom GPS just so that I can have Darth Vader as my Navigator.



Or you could go with Yoda...


Either way AWESOME!

Falling Rock

When I was a kid, my Dad told me and my siblings the story of an Indian Brave named Falling Rock. Falling Rock was not a very obedient child. One day, he was off wondering on his own, and got lost. His family searched for him for years, and never found him. They even put up these signs all over the place to make others aware that Falling rock was lost, and to keep an eye out for him.


So everytime I see one of these signs, I look up and see if maybe I can find Falling Rock. This is just one of many versions of this story my Dad would tell about Falling Rock. I took me a little while to realize that they were actually warning about loos rocks that could potentially fall in the road... Gotta love my Dad.

Validation

It is such a simple thing, but such an important thing. Just think about it. Have you ever expressed how you feel to be told that you "don't know what you are talking about"? I hate it when people do this. First and foremost it is rude. No one has the right to tell someone else how they feel. No one has the right to tell someone else that what they feel is not valid or important.
It is such a simple thing to say "I understand where you are coming from." Seven simple words and someone instantly is validated. Please, please, please do not invalidated anyone, ever! I think that is one of the worse things that you can do to a person. I understand that there are heated situations, and people get emotional. I believe that it is at these times particularly that we need to really be open-minded and aware of other people and their feelings. You may not agree, but that does not mean that you can't listen.
What can happen when you don't validated someones feelings? They will shut down, and not want to share with you anymore. They can become closed off, not just to you, but to other people too because they do not see the purpose in expressing how they feel. It is sad to me to see people like that.
Anyways- that is just something that has been on my mind the last couple of days. Here is a cute video about validation

One day...

I will feel this way.

Commercials

Yes, it is super bowl Sunday. This year, I really did not care about the teams, so long as the Steelers did not win. Wahoo they did not. I usually am mainly interested in the commercials- they are great.
This is my favorite one this year. This kids is just so darned cute. You never see his face but you can feel his determination and frustration at not having the force work with him. Adorable.


These other two commercials are a couple of my all time favorites. The first was a Super Bowl commercial, and the second I don't remember if it was but I love it.

Getting a little class(ical)

"I used to listen to only tu pac n ice cube since I was 13 and thought that it's music. Past week I discovered Bach. This is real music. I never Jumped out of my skin and floated to the moon listening to rap..."

This was a direct quote from a comment on a video on You Tube of Yo-yo Ma Playing a cello concerto that I was watching. I did not change the "grammar" of the quote because I thought it gives some validity to the quote. I truly feel like this person has never listened to anything but rap music since they were young.
(This is the video I happened to be watching, if you want to check it out.)

I love the way that he put it. There are some pieces that just make you jump out of your skin- like Night on Bald Mountain, or Grieg's In the Hall of the Mountain King
There are some that make you are floating on the moon. Classical can take you anywhere. At the beginning of Disney's fantasia they describe different types of music, some that tell a very clear, obvious story, and some that are more abstract and allow the listen to create a vision of their own.
I love classical music. It somehow just speaks to my heart and soul. When I started playing the cello in 7th grade I knew a few pieces, but as I played in orchestra I learned more music and love almost everything that I played. Some of my favorites you ask? Bach- Toccata and Fugue in D minor,Liszt- Liebstraum, Saint-Saens- The Swan,Dvorak- New World Symphony, Rimsky-Korsakov- Scheherazade,Handel's Messiah, Vivaldi's Four Seasons,Debussy- Claire De Lune, Aaron Copeland's Rodeo (played this one in High School. It is the Beef song) I could go on forever really! Just two more- first is Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber. This is another one that I played in high school. It was my sophomore year, and it was a tough piece. It really challenged me, and I learned so much from this piece. It is so moving, and haunting. I love haunting music.
The last one is Nessun Dorma from the opera Turandot. I have never been to an opera, I have no idea what this show is about (I think I will go look it up on Wikipedia)But this song is amazing! The way it swells and the power of it is amazing. I want to see the opera just because of this song. Here is a video of Pavoratti singing it. AMAZING!

So tell me- are you a classical music fan? What are some of your favorites? What made you become a fan or if you are not, why not?

Th Bling

So the other day in one of my classes (Family Financial Management) we were talking about engagement rings. Everyone knows that they say that the guy should plan on saving 3 months of income (or is it two?) for the ring.
I know that engagment rings are sometimes a touchy subject for some people. I once had a conversation/slightly heated discussion with then boyfriend regarding engagment rings. This was the closest we came to talking anything marriage... anywho. There was a girl in his neighborhood who had just gotten engaged and she apparently had a MASSIVE ring. I don't remember what it was, and really did not care. Well we were talking, I had mentioned something that I liked regarding rings- this was in no way stating that a- he had to ask me to marry him b- that we were anywhere close to discussing marriage between us anyways or c- that I was setting my requirements on the subject. "C" was how he took it. He kind of freaked out saying that if I did not get the ring size, or whatever, than I would not marry that guy. Ugh. It annoyed me. So we avoided the conversation the whole time we were dating because he had flown of the handle at then mention of something little that I liked. Which by the way was nothing... it was small and nothing extravegent.
Anyways- back to the class discussion. Our teacher had asked the class what we thought about getting a fake diamond, and then for like the 5th or 10 anniversay replacing it with a real one. I had never really thought about this. But I kind of like this idea. And a boy in our class made the point that he is saving for the "Ring" and when he proposes will offer the girl a choice as to a real or fake diamond. Smart boy.
What do you all think? Married ones- does it really matter if it is real or fake?
Single- Do you have a preference? Why is it that you have this preference?
I am interested just because I have never really had a specific preference, mostly because I am not really a Bling Girl...

The Viewing

First to preface- I do not mean this in any rude, offensive, or insensitive way at all. I am sorry if anything I say, comes across that way, but it is in NO way intended to be hurtful or offensive.
With that said, on to the purpose of the post.
In the last year, I have found myself attending more funerals than I have in many years. My aunt past away this summer after suffering for many years with cancer. Her funeral was the first one that I had been to since I was fourteen. This week, an old Bishop in my home ward also past away, and his funeral is this weekend.
Now there is one aspect that I just do not understand about funerals at all. That would be the Viewing. It seems a little creepy to me to be honest. The idea that you invite everyone to come see a dead body is a little weird. Why do they need to see that? Is it to confirm that the person is dead? I really do not want the last thing that people see of me to be my empty shell of a body in a casket.
I know that the Viewing is suppose to help people with thier greif of loosing this person, and that it also helps bring about the reality of this person actually being gone, but I really do not want this to be the last image of me.
At my aunt's funeral, her brother said something that really stuck with me. (Well there was alot, but this is relevent) He said that death is only a hard thing for those who are getting left behind, that is us. It is hard because we are going to miss the person that is gone, and that there is so much uncertainty that exists after death, and that is why we are sad. But it is not that way on the other side- that is to say Heaven. If we have faith, and believe that there is life after death, and beleive in the Atonement of Christ, than death should be a celebration because we are returning to our Heavenly Father, and our family who has already passed on. And that there is a party that is going on in Heaven whenever anyone returns home.
I love this idea! This is how I want to be remembered. I want a big party to happen both here on earth and in heaven!
So that did not quite go the direction I thought it would, but that is where it went.
What is the point of all this? I think it is to celebrate life at all times, young or older. Everyone has a life to live, and has lived a life and that is what we should celebrate at partings- the time we had to spend together.

My Goal for 2011

This is something that I am going to need some help with. Mostly encouragement and let's be honest sometimes a little nagging from some people. My entire life, I have never been a runner. I see people running on the street and think one of two things- 1- They are insane to be running at this time of the year outside! or 2- Wow, that is really cool. I wish that I could just run like that. So my goal for this year is to become a runner. Now this is starting as a person who has never had any experience running, in fact I hated that part in PE classes.
The reason for this sudden change? Not sure really, maybe a combination of different things, the desire for change, the desire to have something happen for me this year, I don't know. I just know that I need to do this. So the goal is to run in the Provo City Half Marathon on Halloween. That gives me 11 months to get ready for it. I am going to start slow, and by the spring I hope to be able to do a 5k. Then in the summer do a 10k, and then get ready for the half marathon.
So for those of you who are runners, and have ran in races/marathons before, what did you do to train? Has anyone else started from point zero in training like me? anyone have any suggestions that will help me?
Please share! I have learned that the more people that you share your goal with, the more people you have to "answer to" And right now I think this will be the best motivator for me! If you need help with motivation for your goals, let me know what I can do.
HAPPY NEW YEAR