Of Christmas Carol Encounters

I have had some pretty interesting experiences with Christmas music in the past couple of years. So interesting, in fact, that I decided to blog about them! How lucky, right?

Last year, despite the fact that I was extremely excited for Christmas as a whole, I had this weird anti-Christmas music-complex thing going on. It was so strange! Music is one of the most wonderful gifts that has been given to mankind, and Christmas music, specifically, helps invite the Spirit in the same way that gospel and classical music can. I really just don't know why I was doing that last year. I wasn't completely against ALL Christmas music - I just didn't want to hear any of the generic/classic Christmas songs. Last year I was all about the ones that you don't hear very often or, at least, not as much. But I did NOT want to hear Joy to the World, It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas, Let it Snow, Jingle Bells, Deck the Halls, etc. What a Grinch!

This year has been special in that it is exactly the opposite of last year! You see, certain members of my household were rigidly against the playing, singing, humming, or whistling of Christmas music anytime before December 1st. I don't have a specific day that I start listening to Christmas music, but I can tell you it's somewhere around November 1st! Even so, I abided by the wishes of those around me, and I have not played a single Christmas song in my house until today. I have sung one occasionally, when it just couldn't be suppressed any longer! And I have definitely been listening to the Christmas radio station in my car for the last few weeks. Anyway, the point is that I have again learned to love and relish in the classic, jaded Christmas songs that have been around for decades, simply because I was not allowed to listen to them for so long! Since Christmas music was forbidden in my household, my desire to listen to all those wonderfully classic yuletide tunes has increased a hundred-fold, and Christmas cheer has once again been instilled in my heart and soul!

You know what they say - all's well that ends well! :)

Happy Harry Potter Week To All, and To All a Good Night!

It feels as though I have reached the end of an era, despite the fact that this era was only 6 days. Yes, today is the last day of my Harry Potter Week blogging. I'm sure that this is sad to no one but me. I'm also sure that I will blog about Harry Potter many more times throughout my life, but this is the last day of Harry Potter Week, and it's kinda sad to me. Nevertheless, on with the show.

For my last Harry Potter Week blog, I just want to reflect on my gratitude. I know that this might be crossing a line and way past ridiculous, but I am TRULY grateful that I was born in the Harry Potter generation. I mean that seriously! Not because I'm just so obsessed that my life revolves around Harry Potter, because it doesn't. I am not a very creative person. I am convinced that I lack any kind of imagination completely. Whenever I "doodle", I draw stars and hearts, and even they look terrible. I'm a perfectionist, therefore, I perfect what already exists - I do not create new things. I'm also a realist. I don't really enjoy science fiction movies or books unless they mostly involve humans, because then they're more realistic. With those character flaws in mind, that is why I truly am grateful for Harry Potter. It was introduced to me in the 4th grade, and my imagination soared! I was young enough to really get into the books, I loved the movies, and it was just so easy to pretend that they were true stories! Why couldn't there be a hidden world on the other side of England? I've never been there to have it proven otherwise! Why couldn't there be select children that are born with magical tendencies? How would I know the difference?

Did I truly believe that the Harry Potter world was real? No. But I could pretend. I was lucky enough to be born in the Harry Potter generation, and that gave me a profound opportunity to use my imagination and dare to dream that there was more to this world than the reality with which I was presented! (Side note: I already know there's SO much more than this "reality"...I'm a mormon....duh......But you know what I mean). Oh I'm just going around in circles now aren't I? Ok -

I'm grateful for Harry Potter. I'm grateful for the wonderful messages and lessons that can be learned from those books, for the constant reiteration, found within the texts, that good WILL triumph over evil, and for the imaginations it inspires. In a world where literary demand is plummeting, and the desire to read is dissolving, the Harry Potter series answers the call. It is perfect for any age. Simple, yet intriguing - applicable and adventurous. It is tasteful, it is gripping, it is great.

For Harry Potter, I am truly grateful.

Happy Harry Potter Day!

I'm sorry to report that I actually had a terrible midnight showing experience and I didn't love the movie at all, but I hope everyone had a happy Harry Potter Day anyway.

That being said, I have chosen one small topic to speak about today that won't give anything away, in case you haven't seen the movie. All I have to say is: Bill Weasley - welcome to the show! I have never been so happy with the introduction of a new character to a movie. The person they chose to play Bill is just perfect. It's like the brother that you never knew you missed until all the sudden he was there. Furthermore, I feel like the chemistry between he and Fleur was perfect, and those two were spot on. They weren't in the movie for very long, but they did their job and they did it right. I was very impressed. Oooooh FANK YOU Bill Weasley!

Once again, I hope everyone had a wonderful Harry Potter Day, and I hope you like the movie better than I did. I'm sure I will thoroughly enjoy it the next time I watch it. Peace out!

On This Night! On This Night! On This Harry Potter Night!

Tonight, I will travel to Payson, UT and view Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1 at 12:05 a.m.!!!! I could not be more excited! Not only is Harry Potter soooooooo great (which I think I have established at this point in my blogging), but any movie is better at midnight! It's true! Midnight showings are the best! And that is where this blog begins.

In 2005, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire made it's motion picture debut. My Mother stood in a HUGE line for a long time to get tickets for the midnight showing, the day they went on sale. What a good mom! I don't remember exactly how the events transpired, but it ended up just being me, my Mom, and my best friend Kira that went to the midnight showing. In fact, I think that was my first midnight showing ever. It was so great! Kira and I both cried like babies when Cedric died! Hahaha Good times. Anyway, since then I have attended EVERY Harry Potter midnight showing. I regret nothing. I had a little bit of a scare with this seventh movie, because I kept hearing that all the theaters in Provo had sold out of their tickets, and I hadn't gotten mine! In retrospect....wouldn't the theaters just open another cinema? Hmm oh well. I got tickets in Payson. 'Tis the land of my Fathers. Actually it's the land of my Mother, but whatev. I love it and any excuse to go there is legit.

And so, I will be enjoying Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1 this evening, and I can only hope that you are just as lucky! Everything's better at midnight!

On The Third Day of Harry Potter Week...

My true love gave to me: The Tales of Beedle the Bard! Actually I've had it for awhile.

I just want to take a moment to reiterate how genius J.K. Rowling is. I may not agree with all of her doings, but her talent has floored me time and time again. Not only did she successfully create one of the most renown book series of all time (which she began on a NAPKIN!), but then she goes and creates the The Tales of Beedle the Bard after the fact! And it is so great! Did she need to write an additional book to compliment the Harry Potter series? No. But she did, and it is great. In case you don't know, The Tales of Beedle the Bard is a compilation of children's stories created for those that grew up in the wizarding world. It is, as Hermione Granger points out, like unto Cinderella and Snow White for us muggles. And it is great. Very different stories that still result in well produced themes, highly entertaining, and it even includes Dumbledore's notes that he wrote for the book before he died. It is such a good read, especially if you want to enjoy the magic of Harry Potter but don't have the time to read a whole book just yet (it's only about 100 pages). And best of all, the money spent on this book (and any other Harry Potter book, I'm assuming) will go towards the charity that J.K. Rowling and Baroness Nicholson created, called Children's High Level Group. It's all to do with deinstitutionalizing children with vastly special needs and such.

Long story short, The Tales of Beedle the Bard is great. It is highly enjoyable, and it's just a simple children's book! Or is it?....

Harry Potter Week: Day 2

After much contemplation, I decided that today's post would be about one of the greatest underlying messages of the Harry Potter series. But I will explain in a round-about-way so as to make it more interesting.

How many people can honestly say that Harry is their favorite character in Harry Potter? I'm guessing not that many. My personal favorite is Ron (most of the time), though sometimes it is FredandGeorge (because heaven knows they are really one person). I also love Hermione - she is just beautiful - Luna, who is so great, and Neville....doesn't he just make your heart melt?? Seamus - gotta love him. Even Draco has his moments! Hate Ginny. But how many people love Harry above all the others? Like I said: not many. And yet he is the main character. Harry is always going on about how he's not as great as everyone thinks he is, he just gets lucky and has loads of help in almost every situation. This is very true, and that is what is so great about the Harry Potter series AND real life! The importance of having good friends is undefinable! So maybe you're not the single most talented person on the Earth - so what!? There are people all around you who love you and want to help, and without them nothing would really be worth anything. As Harry himself so repetitiously recites, the difference between Harry and Voldemort is that Harry's got something worth fighting for! Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Seamus, George, Fred, Lupin, Tonks, Dumbledore.... We've got similar characters in our own lives, and aren't they the ones that make it worth the fight? I submit that they are.

You may not be the greatest human being that ever lived, but when you have the love and support of your firends and family, you can accomplish great things! And THAT is one of the great, underlying messages that can be found in the Harry Potter series.

Well Hello Harry Potter Week!

Yay-Yippie-Yay!! Tis officially Day 1 of Harry Potter week! And you know what that means.... One blog post each day that has something to do with Harry Potter. What more could you want??

Today I will write about Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. I have had that name stuck in my head all weekend! Weird? Probably. Anyway, I would just like to quickly express my love for this fictional man. Dumbledore is the I Ching! Do I know who that is? No. But Tom Hank's referenced him on "You've Got Mail", so you know it's legit. But seriously, Dumbledore is like the sum of all wisdom. Well, at least he would be if I didn't have the gospel. Regardless, his wisdom has enlightened my mind on many-an-occasion, and so I would like to share some of my favorite Dumbledore quotes with you.

**"Dark and difficult times lie ahead of us. Soon we must all choose between what is right and what is easy."
**"Every day, every hour, every minute, dark forces attempt to penetrate these walls, but in the end, their greatest weapon is you."
**"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."

And my current favorite: "There is nothing to be feared from a body any more than there is anything to be feared from darkness. ...It is the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more."

How true it is Dumbledore.... how true it is.

It Is What It Is

I am in a blogging mood. Do I have anything in particular to share? No. If you don't want to read the useless ramblings I'm about to produce, I give you full permission to stop reading now. I won't even be offended. Especially since I would have no real way of knowing whether or not anybody reads this.

Tonight I have finished book six of the Harry Potter series. I began the first one on July 23, 2010 and I will be finished with the seventh book sometime next week. I know what you're thinking, and let me stop you there. It's really not that impressive when you have nothing to fill your days with. Nevertheless, I feel really good about this achievement! The only thing that will stop me from finishing the seventh book before the movie comes out (on November 19th!!!!!!!!) is death. Or blindness. No I would just have someone read it to me. Anyway, it feels good to have read the whole series again. This is only the second time I've read each of the books and I must say, my little 4th grade brain simply could not comprehend the utter greatness of this series. Lately my roommate and I have picked up the habit of pointing out things that define our generation, for example: Boy Meets World, Even Stevens, Pixar movies, etc. There are alot of them and they're alot more definitive, but I can't remember them at the moment. Anyway, Harry Potter is the biggest one. But we can hear about that more later. I'm going to blog once a day about all things Harry Potter during "Harry Potter Week" (November 15-20), in preparation for the upcoming movie release.

What else do I want to blog about......? Christmas, I love. Also I heard a really cute song the other day called "I'd Rather Be With You" by Joshua Radin. It's pretty good! I have yet to hear Taylor Swift's new songs, but frankly I'm not anxious at all. I heard "Mine" and, oddly enough, it sounded just like all her other songs! Dear Taylor Swift, for your next album, would you please write a love song that has something to do with fairytales and/or the perfect boy? Also you could throw in some psycho ex-girlfriend songs just to shake things up! I bet no one would see it coming!

I promise I'm not always this cynical, but I am hungry. Anyone that knows me knows that this is not a good thing. I kind of just lose all motivation to do anything necessary when I'm reading or have just finished reading a great book. Necessary things like eating and going to the bathroom. I usually avoid them until I just can't anymore. It's probably not a good thing.....

That's all.

Southern Utah Extravaganza!

 Don't let that blue sky in the corner fool you - it rained for three days straight! And it was WONDERFUL!! I am going to tell you the story of the last week of my life. You see, my last post left off with me attending conference on Saturday morning and....whatever else happened Saturday. That's where this story begins!

Sunday morning, I travelled to my grandparents' house in Payson to watch conference with family. It was quite nice. The home-cooked lunch didn't hurt any either :) I didn't get to see my aunt and cousins til about 5:30 p.m. though, and when I went to their house, they were getting ready to visit their other grandma in the nursing home which she now lives. Alright, I'll go too. Unfortunately, just ten minutes after getting there, Malcolm (my best cousin's husband) tells Anelise (my best cousin) that they have to head back to Cedar City now. "Nooooo!", says I. "Why don't you come with us??", says Malcolm. So I did. Bahaha! Ok it took a little more persuasion and thought (on my part) before I decided to go, but I did end up going! They would be returning next weekend anyway....why not?? So I got to spend the week hanging out with my best cousin and her husband. Some might think that would be awkward. Some would be right. Just kidding! It really wasn't that bad. Anelise only worked on Tuesday and Friday, so we just got to play the rest of the time! Great fun! As you can clearly see from the badminton picture below :)

 Now, I just have a few sights to mention and stories to tell. First of all, Anelise and I drove around southern Utah for 3 hours on Thursday trying to get to Alton. We had hiked to the Red Cliffs (which was beautiful!) with Malcolm in St. George, and we were going to go to Malcolm's parents' house and quad around their podunk little hometown called Alton. However, we took a wrong turn and ended up in Arizona! The happiest surprise of all!! I told Anelise to turn around so we could take a pic with the Welcome to Arizona sign, but she ended up flipping a U in front of a cop and we got pulled over. Bahaha! He was nice though and only gave her a warning. My favorite part though was when he said "have you ever been pulled over in Arizona before?" and the welcome to Utah sign was like 500 ft from where we were stopped. Give me a break, popo! Whatev. Anyway, on our scenic route to Alton, I saw a place called Doggy Dude Ranch. I just really thought that was worth mentioning. I also saw a man bicycling. What's so special about that, you may ask? Well, this man had a long beard that was rubber-banded right under his chin and then again a few inches under that. CLASSY.

And now, my favorite story: Anelise works for Lifetouch, so she travels to different schools and takes the kids' pictures for the yearbook and whatnot. The school we went to on Friday was the smallest little place, that just happened to be an hour and a half away from Cedar City, and the gym in which she took the pictures was just quite puzzling to me indeed. All around the walls were these huge bold words that were obviously supposed to be qualities that the elementary kids are to be working towards. However, the tense of the words was constantly varied in the most confusing way! I will list the words for you now: "Sportsmanship, Effort, Considerate, Trustworthy, Happy, Respect, Honesty, Friendly, Integrity, Attitude, Kindness, Perseverance". Am I the only one who doesn't get it?!? Should "respect" not be "respectful"? And where does "sportsmanship" and "effort" come into play?? Don't worry, though, they had classy pictures like the one below to help their students become model citizens. I just couldn't leave that place without noting these things.

We did finally make it to Alton, just Anelise and I, and it was so much fun! That whole week was just perfect. I got to be lazy (what else is new?), spend more time with Anelise than I have in years, enjoy the cool weather, and watch at least two movies per day :) What more could you want??

Thanks for tuning in, folks! See ya next time!

Crazy Utards!

I have now been living in Utah for 2 months exactly. Some might think that my existence in this state is pointless because I still have no job and I'm not going to school, but I will have you know that I have learned some very valuable lessons from the experiences I've been....experiencing...? Anyway, I want to share a couple stories about the crazy state I live in.

First off, Utah drivers are all out to kill you. I thank my lucky stars whenever I finish a journey in my car (no matter how long the journey) and safely park, because the chances of me dying via car crash seem to be much higher in Utah. The other day I was headed home from the UPS store, and as I began to exit the parking lot, this crazy girl just zoomed right in front of me! She did have the right of way, and it wasn't even necessarily a close call, but I could tell she had seen me even though I couldn't see her around some huge truck. Whatever. We ended up at the same stop sign and both turned right and then both waited in the left turn lane, so it looked like I was following her out of anger or something. I noticed that she was driving a Ford F150 (Yeah baby!), and it certainly puzzled me! It just didn't make sense; Ford drivers aren't crazy... However, upon closer inspection, I noticed a miniature state of Texas emblazoned on the license plate. Pf! Go figure!

My second experience happened just this morning! After only getting 1 hour of sleep (that's right - 1), I joined my roommate Kelly and our good friends from EAC on a quest to Conference! It was my first time being in the conference center for conference!! Anyway, turns out the driver of the car we were following does not regard the speed limit in the same way as most normal human beings, and we had no choice but to speed as well because we really had no idea where we were going. So after almost dying a handful of times on the freeway, we finally reached Salt Lake City, only to find that our designated parking lot was full. So we parked a galaxy away and walked/ran to the conference center. So worth it! My favorite thing, though, was seeing the numberless concourses of Mormons marching their way to glory! I have never seen such a thing! There were Mormons EVERYWHERE!! All converging in the same place. It makes for a lot of people, I can tell you that. I decided that when I retire, I will buy a tour bus and only take it around Salt Lake on conference days and just let the tourists view what looks like a mass exodus in reverse - but they're all so smartly dressed! Oh wait...I take it back: my favorite part of the conference experience was definitely the people standing outside the conference center yelling at us for being murderers and deceivers. I especially loved one man who was saying "How many of you people are gonna go home and get drunk now? How many of you women are gonna go do drugs as soon as you get home??" Hahaha Is it wrong that I think they're so funny? Like seriously people... We don't tell you how to live your life and accuse you of being scum. Why do they think it's ok to do it to us?

Whatever....I'll add that to the list of questions that may never be answered in my lifetime. All in all, today was GREAT!! I wanted to stay in that Conference Center all the live-long day! I couldn't believe how fast that session went! It was the morning one, by the way. Anyway, I just thought it was important that I alert the masses about their impending doom, should they ever choose to migrate to the land of milk and honey. And Utards. Can't forget them! :)

Scientfic Breakthrough

Some of you out there might be wondering: what makes a great roommate? Luckily, I have been collecting data over the last 2 years on this very subject, and I am now ready to produce my results.

Is it someone who will read to you as you fall asleep? Yes.

Is it someone who will wash your hair for you when you are too lazy to shower? Yes.

Is it someone who doesn't do their own dishes? No.

How about someone that does their own dishes, and everyone else's? YES.

Is it someone that is always willing to share their food and/or clothing with you? Yes.

What about someone that constantly helps you to be a better person? Are they a great roommate? Most definitely yes!

The data above is just a preview of the facts and figures I have gathered thusfar, but like all scientific observations, the data is ever-changing! Hopefully this sample-conclusion can help the rising generations to live up to the unflinching standards that will classify them as a "great roommate".

That's Right!....

I GRADUATED!!!!!! And what a crazy time it was! Graduation seemed more like a rock in everyone's shoe by the time it rolled around, but I'm super glad I got to walk anyway! The two weeks leading up to graduation were MAYHEM, and you can pretty much tell exactly how that night was by the picture above. Yuck. I actually had a fever that day and everyone just kinda wanted to get it over with. It was funny. My favorite part of graduation was when the EAC Orchestra played the special musical number, which was "Selections from West Side Story"!!! CLASSY. Furthermore, I would liken our orchestra to that of my junior high. So it was really nice. It was a night to remember :)

I'M DONE AT EASTERN ARIZONA COLLEGE!!!!! WOOHOO!!!!!

Oh wait...I have to take a summer class.......aw heck....

Have a good one!!

"You're Not Hardcore, Unless You Live Hardcore!"

Yesterday I had an epiphany of sorts as I realized that I had successfully achieved the status of "hardcore". It's an accomplishment that I am beyond proud of. But I would be entirely too selfish if I kept my experience to myself and denied others the opportunity to learn how to become hardcore. Of course, there are multiple ways of obtaining said status, but in case anyone wants to copy my own, this is how it happened for me:



First, I gave blood! Only my second time doing it, but it is one of the most rewarding things I've ever done! It is so great everytime, and you get to wear a vastly conspicuous bandage on your arm for the rest of the day :)




Secondly, get a sweet tat!! It works especially well if the artist took the SURGERY MARKER from the blood drive in which you participated. As you can see, dragons or mickey mouse heads are always good options when choosing which tat you want to have put on your arm. My friends and I decided that this is a traditon that must be carried on, so we will be celebrating Tatuesday every week! Bahaha!

This is just one of the many life lessons I have learned while in attendance at Eastern Arizona College. I will forever praise the day I officially became "hardcore", and hopefully my journey will inspire others to seek this great accomplishment. It is worth it.

That's all I have to say about that.