F to the H to the E

Christine, Matt, and I had F(amily)H(ome)E(vening) on Monday.
Complete with Lesson, Game and Treat.
It was fun.
I'm glad I can call them my family here in Utah.
I should have taken a picture.
But I didn't.
So this is my whole post.

Mission, Mission, not a Magician

So, I'm going on a mission.

For my church.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
It's going to be.
Awesome.

And the winner is...
Argentina Buenos Aires North Mission!!

I am so unbelievably happy about this.
This is somewhere I didn't even think of.
But when I read it, I knew it was where I was supposed to go.
I was so happy I was able to open it with my family.
Perfect timing.
(thanks church!)
I leave September 28.
Provo Missionary Training Center.
I have to learn Spanish.
(hopefully taking french for 8 years will help me?)
I am so excited to serve the Lord and the people of Argentina.
I know it will be tough, but I'm pretty much guessing it will be the best experience of my life.
It's hard to put how I'm truly feeling into words.
I just know this is the next thing I need to do with my life.
So I'm going to do it.
See you in a couple months, Argentina.
(if you're wondering about the title,
can't be sure, just trying to rhyme with mission...
but I will be going to Argentina,
not Hogwarts,
so it kinda works.)

Wave. Wave. Thumbs Up.

So, today is my best friend and her husband's ONE YEAR anniversary.

(aren't they just the cutest?)

For as long as I can remember, Christine and I have been best friends.

(that's actually a lie, I have only known her since the ripe age of 16.)
But it feels like forever!
(pre-mortal life best friend?)
Anyway, it always seems like it might be a happy and sad occasion when one of your best friends gets married.
Not in this case.

Was I SO HAPPY for her?
YES!
Was I SAD to lose her?
NO!

I wasn't losing her, I was gaining another best friend!
I felt like once I met Matt, we had known each other for years.
Thank goodness.
If I hated him...things would not have turned out so well.
I'm thankful to them for letting me be their long lost child and
a l w a y s b e i n g t h e r e f o r m e.
I thank Matt for letting me steal Christine when I needed a little consoling.
even in the first year of marriage.
When I find mine, I want my marriage to be
just like C & M.
I've not seen a more perfect pair...ever.
So, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to you guys!!
Thanks for your marvelous example and eternal love for each other.
I'm looking forward to stealing even more advice from your wonderful vault of marriage knowledge throughout the years.
Oh,and from your vault of weirdness.
(example: wave. wave. thumps up.)

Love.

I found this...

So on Saturday I moved into a different house. I love moving because it gives me a chance to go through all of the things I've collected in all my years.
I found this little gem from my lovely friend, Meredith.

(this is her, isn't she pretty?)

I will put this note on the outside of my new bedroom door. I miss her oh so much. We will be
f r i e n d s f o r e v e r.
(Just like the cast of Saved by the Bell. There is no video of the actual song being sung, but you get the idea.)



Thank you for this wonderful note I will keep forever and ever.
I miss our w e i r d and c r a z y friendship.
(i also miss bang bang even though we've never met)

So You Think You Can Dance...Dance...Dance

So You Think You Can Dance

revealed their top T W E N T Y for 2011.

Just like my friend, Sidney B, does for some other series, I will make some predictions for this as well.

This is the first season where I actually really like all of the top 20...

S O T H I S W I L L B E T O U G H

This is who I want/feel will be in the top 6.

Ready?

1. Melanie Moore

She is from Georgia and just so adorable. I haven't seen her do one bad routine. She is really likable because she seems so
happy and outgoing.

2. Caitlynn Lawson
Washington. She is only a senior in high school, but she is gorgeous. She seems really upbeat and always has a smile even when she is getting critiqued. I think America will love her. Her previous contestant inspiration was Travis Wall which doesn't hurt her case at all.

3. Clarice Ordaz
California. She is one of the best jazz dancers I have seen on the show. She looks forward to working with Sonya Tayeh which is my favorite choreographer. It will be rad to see her do Sonya's routines. She is also trained in everything from hip hop to ballet. I think she will go far on pure talent.

4. Marko Germar
Guam. Helloooo Marko. He is just so great. His style reminds me of Mark from season 4.
Plus he has a bullet lodged in his shoulder still. Anyone who can move like that with a bullet in their arm is top 6 in my book.

5. Wadi Jones
New York. Concrete jungle where dreams are made. Wadi's hip hop skills are out of control. It has proved in seasons past with dancers such as Russell and Twitch that hip hopper's can go far.(Twitch just happens to be one of the dancer's who inspired him. Maybe he will follow in his footsteps and be in Step Up 4?) They are normally better at picking up other styles of dance as well. I think Wadi will be this years hip hop sensation.

6. I couldn't pick just one last guy so it is a tie between...

Nick Young
and

Mitchell Kelly.

Nick has almost the same likable personality as Kent from season 7. (see video below) His tap tells more of story than past tappers I've seen on the show. He seems like he will shine through in other styles as well. I vote Nick.

Others might not...so this is why I put contemporary dancer Mitchell on here as well. His first dance last night with Travis Wall's choreography was amazing. He was so lucky to be a part of that. I think a lot of people will be drawn to him.

Nick is from Wisconsin and Mitchell Chicago, I have to support my mid-western roots!



Time will tell if my predictions are right...so excited for
season 8!

'arry Pottah is 'ere to Stay

Oh how I love Harry Potter.

I am reading these books again for the 3rd time. I honestly feel like I could start them over again right after I finish the last one and just read them forever and ever.

Is that weird? (I just read them in October...)

Since the last movie is coming out on July 15, I figured I should give it another go.

Why is it so addicting?
Here are three...count 'em...THREE reasons. (there are obvi way more than this...)

**If you haven't read all of the books, I'd suggest not reading this...unless you want it to be spoiled**

1. The Weasley Twins.

George & Fred are probably my favorites.
They are always cracking jokes.
(seen above laughing above at some witty remark Fred just made.)
Harry and others in the books can be very serious, but leave it to Fred & George to be the comic relief.
Favorite Event:
5th year, Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix.
Dolores Umbridge has taken over Hogwarts and Fred & George have had enough. They pull one last prank, do some fireworks, and take off on their brooms. Suck on that, Dolores. (this part is not in the movie, which is quite upsetting.)
If you ever see me reading Harry Potter and laughing, you'll know it is because of one of Fred & George's many quips.

2. Ron & Hermione Love Affair
These two. This is during the fourth book when Ron really realizes he likes Hermione.
Looks like things are really heating up.
This whole series is kinda a "will they, won't they?" situation.
I just think it's so cute how they really like each other.
I also like that J.K. Rowling does not have them kiss until the almost very end of Book Seven.
They are teenagers and always dealing with Voldemort...so I feel waiting until the 7th book was appropriate.

I t a l s o k e e p s m e o n m y t o e s .

From book one you can tell they have a little crush on each other. She is always more upset when Ron is mad at her than Harry.
Also, let me point out that I'm glad it's not Harry & Hermione.
Too obvious.
Ron & Hermione go way better togetha.

3. Good vs. Evil

I like any book series that has a good vs. evil plot. Harry Potter, Chronicles of Narnia, The Mortal Instruments, Lord of the Rings. (just to name a few.) The Harry vs. Voldemort (eek! i mean you-know-who) saga is phenomenal. It is so intricate and every detail is important. From Harry being an actual horcrux and Voldemort transferring powers, it is all awesome.
I love Rowling's writing style and the way she describes Harry's constant struggle within. That is just something you can't get from the movies.
Thank you, HP books.

Here is the trailer for the eighth and final movie in case you haven't seen it yet.
I am not a fanatic that goes at midnight...but I am oh so excited for this.
(I'm still missing Dobby)

Spiritual Sunday

Today I was reading in the conference addition of the Ensign. This is from Elder Quentin L. Cook's talk on LDS women:

"God placed within women divine qualities of strength, virtue, love, and the willingness to sacrifice to raise future generations of His spirit children."

I love that women were given these qualities for a reason. To raise children. I am by no means a mother...but I feel like it gives me purpose for when I do have children. There are so many other things that I could do with my life...but I have always wanted to be a stay at home mom. I can't wait to put these qualities to use!

Fortunate Friday

Today this is how I am feeling...

"More Than The World"

by Mindy Gledhill

P u r p l e skies, H a z e l Eyes, Fireflies, New Horizons.

In the Spring, g r e y turns g r e e n.

Hope once dead is brought to l i f e.

Shady trees, shoes in hand...

With my barefeet in the sand.

Spanish poems, skipping stones, the dusty road it takes me h o m e.

People have told me how to be happy...

But I find their r e m e d y is e m p t y.

These are my pearls, God's treasures unfurled.

Mean more to this girl, More than the World...to me.

Photographs, from the past.

Summer nap time in the grass.

Constellations, in the sky...

The Northern Lights will make you cry.

Grant me 20,000 wishes, cover me with lavish things.

But I believe in loaves and fishes,

M i r a c l e s

and

M u s t a r d S e e d s.

This song is exactly how I have been feeling lately. The only person who truly understands how we can be happy is our Heavenly Father. I'll be the first to say that if someone tells me to be happy, it just makes me want to be more unhappy. (stubborn).

There are so many things happening in the world today, I feel so blessed to have "God's treasures". I can rely on them more than anything monetary in this world.

What a great blessing that is.

Let me just say that I love to buy things. After hearing this song on Monday...it mostly made me realize that none of that should mean more to me than the simple truths I learn from the Gospel.

(this doesn't mean I don't love clothes anymore...but it does mean my perspective has changed a lot)

I hope everyone has a safe and fun weekend!

Monday, one day, Tuesday, two day, Wednesday, when? huh? what day?

Wednesday. The middle of the week. My aforementioned title is a quote from Friends. It goes on to say that Thursday is the third day. Joey really knows what he is talking about.
Wednesday is just the middle day and usually gets passed by without even so much as a glance. Poor Wednesday.
Anyway, my blog post isn't about a day of the week.
This particular Wednesday has a little something special.

Tonight is the American Idol finally. So cliche, I know.
The final choice is between Lauren and Scotty. Both country, both under 18. Epitome of Americans? I think so.

W e l o v e c o u n t r y a n d y o u t h.

I won't be one of those people who say they hate country just to say it. There are songs I like. But, I'm just not that into it. I do however favor folk music over most. ANYWAY. My point in saying this is that I am not happy with the top two. Maybe it's the fact that I like husky voices...but let's be honest. Casey should be in the top two. His voice was just way more unique than most. Maybe America was just not ready for it. The way he s l a p s t h e b a s s just makes me want to quote "I Love you, man" over and over again.

Needless to say, I'm not as invested in the finale as I was last season with Lee and Crystal. I like Lauren and Scotty equally which makes tonight bland compared to seasons past. If Casey & Pia were the final two, this post would be a different story.

W e n e e d s i m o n b a c k.

Here's to you and your bass, Casey.

Fears on a Friday

I've decided there are three things I have irrational fears of.
1. Sharks/the Ocean
2. Choking on Pills
3. Carnival Rides

Sharks. One thing I do not understand is Shark Week. Everyone in the world loves it. Is there something I am missing? I don't know about you, but watching these shows only confirms that maybe my fear isn't so irrational after all. Although I lived only a couple blocks from the ocean for a little over 2 years...I think I only went in the ocean maybe 2-3 times up to my knee. I'm content laying on the sand where my extremities are safe. I don't know where this fear came from, I've never been attacked. (I've never even seen Jaws.) But imagining dark water with fish that are gargantuan swimming beneath me is not appealing. I suppose this is why I never learned how to surf. I will say there are two things that are funny about them. 1) Bruce from Finding Nemo. 2)The episode of Friends when Monica thinks Chandler likes shark action. These are both fictional things. Therefore, I'm still scared of sharks.

Pills. Let's talk about them. Most pills are probably smaller than the bites of food I swallow on a daily basis. But, I can't seem to swallow anything bigger than a claritin without cutting or crushing it. Maybe I had some horrific choking experience when I was younger. I can't recall, maybe I have some sort of block in my memory. Kind of like the cruciatus curse in Harry Potter. What it really comes down to is that I just don't want to choke. I do not want to be going through my day, take a pill, choke, and no one be around to help me. Applesauce seems a safe option for now.

Carnival rides. I'm not sure how many people have fear of these? I wouldn't say I won't go on them...but it does give me a small level of anxiety. I mean, who puts these together? How strong are these rickety metal pieces that are holding me in the air? No one can really be sure. I do not love feeling like I could drop at any moment just because a screw or bolt comes loose. I realize the chances of this are slim...but I'm sticking to my guns.

Maybe I should relax and learn to trust sharks, pills and carnies. For now I can't, so I will live with pools, applesauce, and the safeness that is the ground for a little while yet. I still think my fear of sharks is completely rational. I mean who wants THIS attacking their leg?

Happy Birthday to Joshua

Today is my nephew, Josh-ua's 5th Birthday! (for those of you who watch Friends, you'll know why I wrote Joshua like that...) Anyway, I can't believe he is 5. Time flies. Even though I have a double chin in the first picture, I decided this was very cute of him. He also loves basketball...and is obviously cheering for the right team! (especially at this time of the year.) Even though he likes to run after me and kick me as hard as he can in my ankles, I still love him. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOSHUA!

The Chroni (what?) cles of Narnia

I have just finished reading all seven books in The Chronicles of Narnia series. I can't believe I hadn't read them before. To express how I feel about them, I will let you watch this video:

Saturday Night Live - Chronicles of Narnia (Lazy Sunday) - Video - NBC.com

**nothing is better than Harry Potter.

Also, I had a dream last night that I was hanging out with the cast of That 70's Show like it was completely normal. I wish. I want to date Eric.

Save the Drama for your Mama

If you know me well, you will know that I watch t.v. a lot. More than anyone should ever watch it. I don't know if it is the fact that it has way more drama than my every day life, or if I simply am that lazy. I'm going to go ahead and say it is in fact both of these reasons.

Gossip Girl has become one of my obsessions. Most every character on it annoys me...but I can't peel my eyes away. I think the intrigue of Blair & Chuck's love affair is what keeps me coming back for more. The lives of these Upper-Eastsiders could not be further from how I grew up. Lavish parties every night, clothes that cost thousands of dollars, and Chuck Bass. Let's discuss Chuck for a second. He takes the cake when it comes to winning the most serious 19-year old award. I feel that he could have been a good Edward in the Twilight series. So serious, and an extremely refined jaw-line. Step-aside Robert Pattinson.

The season finale tonight is going to be intense. I don't know if I can wait 4 months to find out how it all ends up.

Maybe I should fill my time with better quality shows? Nah.

Spiritual Sunday

Spiritual Quote of the Day:

"The devil has no power over us, only as we permit him. The moment we revolt at anything which comes from God, the devil takes power." -Joseph Smith

I feel like if our desire is to stay on the right path, we can't let our guards down for even a minute. We always need to be doing things that keep the Spirit with us. When we have the Spirit, it is that much harder for the devil to persuade and tempt us.

If You Wanna Be My Lover... You Gotta Get With My Friends...

Today I was thinking about friends. How many people come in and out of our lives every day? Some become acquaintances, some enemies, and there are those rare few who somehow touch your heart and become your best friends.

Throughout my life I have depended on my friends for advice, love, support, and to tell me everything is going to be okay even when we both know it will take awhile for that to happen.

I remember my first best friend, Danielle. We lived down the street from each other all throughout elementary school. I remember playing dress-up in her basement and taking extremely weird faced pictures. I know I still have them in my Minnie Mouse photo album at home. I remember thinking I didn't care if I had tons of friends because I had my one best friend who I could always depend on. (especially to walk to school with me so the barking dogs didn't freak me out!)

I'm not sure the point when we lost touch. I think she started being home schooled and moved maybe a mile down the road. That seems so far when you are only 10 years old. My next best friend was Jeremy. (this is now fourth grade). I still remember we just always cracked each other up. He moved to Texas after 5th grade. This best friend relationship was short-lived. But I do remember missing him a lot. I was also best friends with Jessica. Same. We just loved laughing.

Middle School. Sixth Grade. I'm pretty sure I became a brat and only wanted to hang out with cool kids. I can't recall just one best friend. In Eight Grade, I remember five of us girls formed the group S Club 5. (I don't know if anybody remembers S Club 7? They were a band and obvi one of my faves.) Anyway. I'm pretty sure we all told people to vote for us for "best smile, best eyes..etc." and we all won something. Yeah, we were for sure in charge of the middle school kingdom. (maybe not, maybe I just thought I was cool...I think every 13 year old thinks they are).

Freshman Year. My new best friend was Jessie. We couldn't discuss religion because we both believed different things. But we became really close. We started writing notes. (Isn't this how every good friendship really starts?) And we also started telling each other about the guys we liked. I knew I could rely on her whenever I needed her. I'd say we were best friends for two years.

Between sophomore year and junior year of high school I moved to a different state. St. Louis here I come! I met Alisa at church. We became instant friends. She is one of those friends that I know I will always be friends with even if we haven't talked in over six months. I remember helping her get ready for prom. And I love gossiping with her.

I also met my best friend junior year of high school. Christine. (you will see us pictured at the top for our typical walking picture.) I think she is my friend soul-mate. We have never not been friends. Except when we first met and she thought I was flirting with the boy she liked. (we were 16...very naive.) After realizing that are boy interests were not one in the same, we just clicked. She is my best friend and always will be. We are friends not only because we are both so weird and crazy...but also because we both love our church. Religion is that one component that really brought us close together. We always took road trips to Nauvoo, Illinois along the Mississippi. We watched the Sunset and sang awesome Mormon songs. We haven't stopped loving each other since.

In college I found Ashley & Katie. KAM. We were the three musketeers. That might sounds extremely cheesy. But that is what we were. Inseparable. I think I found true and best friends in both of these girls. They have taught me more about the real world and real choices than anyone else. I admire and will always keep them close in my heart.

Huntington Beach, CA. 210, Mere, Mel & Jaime. I don't know if it's possible to click with this many people all from the same city...but I did. I can honestly call all of these girls some of my closet friends. Post-college friends really are the real world. We all share a special bond.

Real friendships are rare. I know I could count on any of these people mentioned. Sometimes we lose touch, but I know I could pick it right back up because we got to know each other so well. Friendships are like finding relationships. Find one, hook one (hope they take the bait), and make that special bond work.

**Disclaimer: I have had many friends in my life and I love everyone. These are just a few that came to mind.