Celia's Gibberish

The Small Screen

2012-01-18T13:28:00.000-08:00

I have never been much of a TV watcher. Besides the occasional episode of Law and Order, Bill O'Reilly's daily analysis of current events, and a smattering of HGTV shows, I didn't really spend too many hours in front of the small screen. I never wanted to be one of those people who is practically a slave to the TV shows they are addicted to, having to rearrange their lives just so they can be in their living room at 8:00 PM every Sunday night to watch the next episode of their favorite sitcom.

However, this year my heart has softened considerably toward that form of entertainment called "The TV Show." The first contributor to my change of heart was Netflix. I watched Psych episodes, then I watched all of Arrested Development, and quickly moved on to Robin Hood. After I finished Robin Hood, I realized that I was hooked to "The TV Show." I needed entertainment that stretched over multiple episodes, the kind of drama that makes you wish for more but also makes you flustered with anticipation to know the ending.

The void was soon filled with two new TV shows: Once Upon a Time and Downton Abbey.

For the first time, I am watching TV shows as they unfold. I'm happy to report that I'm not completely addicted. I still don't want to have to rearrange my life just to watch the episodes exactly when they air and, luckily, I can watch the episodes on the ABC and PBS websites according to my own time table. But my heart has most definitely been reconciled to the small screen and I'm not ashamed to say it :)

Over the River and Through the Woods

2012-01-10T12:56:00.000-08:00

The Christmas season was something of an adventure this year for the following reasons:

1. My Trip on AmTrak
I decided to ride the train from Salt Lake City, UT to Martinez, CA this year so I could get home to the Bay Area with a cheaper ticket than the airplane fare would have been. The train was supposed to depart from Salt Lake at 11:30 PM. It would be a 17-hour train ride. Despite this, I tried to go into the ordeal with a positive attitude. That attitude soon changed, however, as I began preparing for my trip. Several annoying truths were reinforced as I began what I thought would be a simple trip to San Francisco.

Truth #1: Government-run programs rarely run in an efficient or timely manner. The night before I was to leave, I got a call at midnight saying that my train was delayed by about two hours. I was encouraged to call AmTrak customer service throughout the day to see if the train would come earlier or if there would be even more of a delay. So I went to a wedding reception, got dropped off at my sister's house, and called AmTrak again to see when the train would be coming in. This time they said it would be three hours late. I called them again around 10:45 PM and the customer service representative said the train had made up some time and would be there two and a half hours late. I called them again around 11:20 and this time they said the train was only going to be an hour and half late; in other words, I had to be at the train station very soon or I would miss the train. My poor sister Brigitte dragged herself out the door to take me to the train station. Needless to say, I made it on time but just barely.
Truth #2: I can't sleep very well on moving vehicles or while sitting up. The train left the station around 1:30 in the morning. As soon as people got on the train they started taking out their pillows and falling asleep. I didn't get a window seat since I got there a little bit late so I had nothing to lean my pillow against. I tried and tried to sleep but it just wasn't happening. The person next to me smelled funny, I was worried about my luggage getting lost, and I couldn't find my chapstick to relieve the uncomfortable dryness of my lips. I think I got a total of 45 minutes of sleep before the sun began to rise over Nevada. That's when I gave up trying.
Truth #3: Nevada is not the prettiest state in the world. Sorry to any Nevadans who may be reading this but it is my opinion that Nevada is the armpit of America. It even says so on a billboard in Battle Mountain so I'm obviously not the only one who thinks this. Nevada is only pretty around sunrise, sunset, and in the spring. I was so happy when we reached the California border and turned our backs (our caboose, if you will :) on that desolate place. (The picture below is of California. It was nice to see trees again.)
Truth #4: People are not as interested in history as I am. When we reached the California border, a tour guide from a museum in Sacramento came over the intercom periodically and pointed out historical sights. I thought this was kind of cool but apparently I was the only one. As the tour guide was explaining that we had just passed the place where gold was first discovered in California, the girl behind me started groaning and the guy across from me rolled his eyes. Come on guys! This is great stuff!
Truth #5: I am a complete idiot sometimes...well, most of the time. My Mom told me to bring water on the train. Did I remember to bring some? Nope. And I was scared to leave my seat in search of the dining car for fear that I wouldn't be able to find my way back. I didn't have a single drop of liquid on that trip. Yes, I know that was dumb.
Truth #6: When you have a cyst on your tailbone, a 17-hour train ride isn't too comfortable. That's the main reason Dad found me a cheaper flight back to Utah. It hurt to sit there for so long...Yeah, that's all I'll say about that.

2. My Nieces and Nephews
I have the most adorable nieces and nephews. I had the opportunity to spend a great deal of time with a few of them over the break and it was very enlightening to say the least.

Truth #1: Kids are hilarious. Sydney was more excited to see the cows at the park than to go on the swings. Mariah can pull out lines from the movie Tangled and use them in everyday conversation. Bruce likes to pull up other kids' shirts and look at their belly-buttons. Sophie's leg twitches if you rub her shoulder the right way. Logan waves "Hi!" and "Bye!" to everyone he sees. Jace makes funny faces when he's filling up his diaper. When Rhyan looks into your eyes, it feels like she's peering into your soul. Jack loves being thrown roughly onto the couch. When you smile or make a funny noise, Erica's face lights up into the longest-lasting smiles I've ever seen.
Truth #2: Parenting is hard work but it's worth it. My nieces and nephews are so cute but they have their moments of anger, frustration, and resistance just like the rest of us. But it has been great for me to see how much they have learned and grown over the years so I can only imagine how rewarding it is for their parents to see that. (Here are some pictures of all my nieces and nephews. I have nine of them now!)

3. Fun Christmas Activities
We did several of the same things we usually do at Christmas time, like Dad's annual emotional reading of The Gift of the Magi on Christmas Eve, but we also did some new things.

On Christmas Eve, we went over to my Grandmother's house for dinner. My Mom wanted to have beef fondue because her family would do that when she was younger. We each had our own plate of raw chunks of beef. We'd put the beef on the end of a skewer and let it cook in the oil that filled the fondue pots. It was sooooo good!

Instead of going to my home ward on Christmas day for church, we went to Oakland to meet with the Cambodian Branch. My parents have been called as service missionaries there. My Mom was in charge of finding the musical numbers for their Christmas program so, of course, Lisa and I sang some Christmas songs in Sacrament Meeting. It was a neat experience to celebrate the Savior's birth there at the Interstake Center and on the temple grounds.

Christmas was different but still really fabulous this year. It was a great way to end the year and to begin another.

New Year's Resolutions

run consistently
learn how to cook a wider variety of meals
study for the GRE/find opportunities for further education
read the classics (the good ones)
write a book
take more pictures
learn how to sew

Happy New Year!

You Are More Than What You Have Become

2012-01-08T22:40:00.000-08:00

In a BYU Devotional a few months ago, President Monson quoted the movie The Lion King. In his talk he told us what Mufasa told Simba: "You are more than what you have become...Remember who you are." Like Simba, I think we sometimes forget that we are children of a King. When we forget who we are and where we come from, we also forget where we are going and what we came here to do. We allow the world to cloud our vision, obstructing our view of our divine qualities and potential.

I recently had the privilege of attending the baby blessing of my newest nephew, Jace. I've come to love baby blessings because they remind me of the potential we all have to conquer the world and achieve greatness. But the purpose of life is not merely to overcome the world so that we can live with God again. The purpose is that we BECOME like God. When Simba first looked in the water, he just saw his own reflection. But when he looked deeper, he saw the image of his father replace his reflection. So it is with us. When we look in the mirror at our own reflections at the end of each day, do we just want to see the same person that stared at us that morning or do we want to see more of the Father in our countenances?

Watch this clip from the movie and you'll see just how many parallels there are to the gospel.

Thanks, Disney :)

The Giggle Monster

2011-12-14T09:50:00.001-08:00

I have been super giggly lately and I can't really figure out why. My hometeacher actually called me "Laughy-Pants" last month. People have told me that they love being around me because I laugh at all their jokes. I can't tell if I am just insane or if circumstances are just funnier now than previously. Here's a list of a few things that have set me off laughing recently. You can be the judge of whether I'm crazy or not.

My friend Cora walked into the room for FHE last Monday. My friend Matt started singing Rebecca Black's "Friday" except he substituted Cora's name in for the word Friday. The song went something like this: "Cora, Cora, gotta get down on...Oh! Nevermind!" I was dying.
My roommate Heidi was eating a chocolate chip cookie. I don't really know what happened next other than she somehow lost control of the cookie and half of it went hurtling to her left. She put her arm out to catch it, missed, and I watched as the cookie hit the dishwasher, broke, and fell to the floor. I just sat at the kitchen table and laughed.
I came across this video randomly on youtube again. It's a parody of Inception that some of my friends in my ward made for a Home Evening activity. Watch it, especially 3:04 to 3:06, and tell me that that doesn't make you laugh.
At ward choir practice, the pianist wanted the piano turned around so she could see the choir director. Almost immediately, all of the boys in the room had scrambled over and around tables to get to the piano. Imitating the boys, my friend Leslie ran frantically to the nearest table, pushed it around a few times and knocked everything off of it before running to the piano.

Maybe I am just insane but I thought things were a little bit giggle-worthy.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2011-12-05T22:10:00.000-08:00

"I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round--apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that--as a good time: a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!"

- Charles Dickens in A Christmas Carol

My Life in Pictures

2011-12-03T09:45:00.000-08:00

Lately, I've been posting a lot about what I've been thinking but not much about what I've been doing. The reason for this is that there's really not that much going on as I am unemployed and all of my friends are in school. But here are a few of the things I have participated in this fall in visual form.

At Tucanos in September with some friends for my roommate Heidi's birthday.

The beautiful fall colors in Provo Canyon.

Hanging out with Brigitte and her kids. This is Erica at Olive Garden last month.

Bridal Showers for all my engaged friends. This was my old roommate Rhiannon's.

Christmas decorations in our living room. I made the red and cream paper mache lanterns you see in the window.

Working on crafts. I can't wait to get home and finish this!

If this covered everything that I've been doing for the last few months, there would be pictures of job listings on ksl.com, all the movies I've watched on Netflix, a picture of my GRE study book, and a few scattered social events I didn't get my camera out for. But that's basically what has been going on.

The Pollyanna Project

2011-11-14T12:44:00.000-08:00

I have been getting down on myself lately. Things have not been working out the way I want them to (economically, socially, personally) and I start to question my abilities and wonder if I am good enough. We had a Stake Relief Society fireside last night entitled, "Hope in Challenging Times." Sister Peterson talked about how women today are bombarded with messages that make them have negative thoughts about themselves. She quoted a sister in the church who said if she were Satan trying to stir up trouble for God's kingdom, she would launch a full-scale assault on women. The Lord needs strong women who know their worth, and Satan is trying very hard to make women feel like they are nothing. All of us have fallen victim to this attack at some point or another. We feel like we aren't pretty enough or smart enough or funny enough. We sometimes feel like we aren't worthy of God's love and divine help. But all of these thoughts and feelings are false.

My Relief Society President texted me this morning with a message from a talk she had recently read. It said, "As we remember Him and trust in His power, we receive strength through His atonement. It is the means whereby we can be forgiven and healed from the pain of our sins. It is the means whereby we can receive the faith and strength to endure all things." I have found this to be true. Even when I am going through rough times, I can still be happy if I let the healing power of the atonement come into my life. Sister Peterson also talked about how we should recognize the tender mercies in our everyday life. They are there even in times of trial. We just have to look for them.

So I have decided to start what I call "The Pollyanna Project." As you recall, Pollyanna, in the movie Pollyanna, says that no matter what is going on in your life "there is always something to be glad about." For the next few weeks, I will be picking out the little accomplishments and miracles that happen each and every day of my life.

Here are the things that I have picked out so far:

November 13: I received a priesthood blessing that reminded me that my Heavenly Father is aware of my struggles and that He wants me to succeed.
November 14: I took out my scriptures for my daily scripture study and found a package of Smarties that I had forgotten about. I ate them with great satisfaction :)

If you look for the good, you will surely find it.

Elinor Dashwood

2011-10-20T12:03:00.000-07:00

In my opinion, Jane Austen is one of the best authors of all time. I know every girl who has read Pride and Prejudice has expressed that same belief at some point in their lives but it's really true. Any male reading this blog post is probably groaning right now and perhaps thinking about moving on to something more interesting to peruse but before you do, let me explain myself. Jane Austen not only developed beautifully written love stories; she aptly expressed the female human experience. The reason her novels seem timeless is because she created characters that women of all generations can relate to. Like Emma Woodhouse, we think of ourselves as excellent matchmakers for everyone else around us but are somewhat inept and clueless when trying to find a match for ourselves. Who has not been annoyed by all the Lydia Bennetts in the world? Like Anne Elliot, many of us have felt like we've lost all chances at happiness because of a mistake we made long ago. Who has not felt the same sting that Fanny Price felt when the man she loved fell for someone else? Like Catherine Morland, many of us get lost in the plots of thrilling novels and wish that our lives were just as exciting as the lives of those who inhabit the page.

Like many other girls out there who have found kindred spirits among Jane Austen's heroines, I feel particularly drawn to a certain one. If I were a character in a Jane Austen novel, I would be Elinor Dashwood of Sense and Sensibility.

Elinor Dashwood

Jane Austen describes Elinor as one who "had an excellent heart; her disposition was affectionate." Though I do not pretend to have an excellent heart, I do feel that I am a quietly affectionate person. I have a habit of sacrificing my own comfort and wishes so as not to inconvenience others. I do genuinely care about people and am concerned about their well-being. I hate being inconsiderate.

Jane Austen also said of Elinor that "her feelings were strong: but she knew how to govern them." I have always been rather reserved to the point that some think I do not feel the average range of emotions. For example, after arriving home from a date with a guy whose company I thoroughly enjoyed, my roommates peppered me with questions about how the date went. I calmly told them what happened and then proceeded to prepare for bed. Exasperated with my lack of emotion, one of my roommates exclaimed, "Celia! What the heck! Can you show a little bit of excitement, please?" Behind the facade of sense and practicality, however, there is a fountain of sensibility that often overflows. I may not express my feelings outwardly all the time but, believe me, I feel it inwardly :)

Like Elinor, I have a strong sense of propriety. If there are rules set, I generally try to follow them. I become uncomfortable around those who disobey laws of custom. For example, when someone I hardly know starts telling me their dirty little secrets or tries to delve into my personal life, I quickly try to change the subject to a lighter topic that is more suitable to a first encounter. I am also uncomfortable around those who are overly dramatic. Life gets boring without some degree of drama but those people who, like Elinor's sister Marianne, can not contain themselves, whose sorrows and joys "could have no moderation," are people I sometimes have difficulty being around for too long. I'll admit that I am disapproving of those who, in my eyes, "set propriety at naught."

Marianne Dashwood

As in every Jane Austen novel, there is a man. Not only do Elinor and I have the same kind of personal attributes, we also have the same taste in men. Edward Ferrars is her type of guy and...you guessed it! He's mine too.

Edward Ferrars

I have always had a weakness for guys who are similar to myself. They are generally fairly reserved, kind, and quietly opinionated. They seem kind of shy until you get to know them and find that they have a great sense of humor and perhaps don't take things as seriously as you thought they had. As you can imagine, though, this personality combination does not make for productive and fast-paced courtship. I am the type of person who, in Marianne's words, "hides my regard" so as not to seem too forward. The guessing-game that develops usually results in a conviction that he "felt only friendship for me." Wonderful, right? It's in cases like these where I wish I could be like Marianne who wears her heart out on her sleeve and is able to express exactly how she feels.

There you have it. Seriously men. If you want to understand girls, read some Jane Austen. If you're incredibly annoyed by the time you've finished one of her novels, at least you will have gotten some new-found knowledge and enlightenment out of the ordeal. :)

Time to Read

2011-10-10T14:05:00.000-07:00

With my parents' recent move, I have been entrusted with much of my family's book collection. At least 100 books made the trip from Concord, California to reside with me here in Provo, Utah. At first, I didn't know what to do with all of them. But with my current state of unemployment, I have found that I do have something to do with them: I HAVE TIME TO READ THEM!

So far this fall, I have read:
- The Help by Katheryn Stockett
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I am currently reading:
- Our First Revolution: The Remarkable British Upheaval That Inspired America's Founding Fathers by Michael Barone
- The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
- Dragonsinger by Anne McCaffrey
- Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (Brigitte is delivering it to me tonight and I am delving into it as soon as it comes.)
- God Wants a Powerful People by Sheri Dew
- Out of the Shadows by Sarah Singleton

I still need to read:
- Friends of Liberty: Thomas Jefferson, Tadeusz Kosciuszko, and Agrippa Hull by Nash and Hodges
- General George Washington: A Military Life by Edward G. Lengel
- John Paul Jones: Sailor, Hero, Father of the American Navy by Evan Thomas
- Freedom's Prophet: Bishop Richard Allen, the AME Church, and the Black Founding Fathers by Richard S. Newman
- America's Constitution: A Biography by Akhil Reed Amar
- Hard Times by Charles Dickens
- A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
- Just So Stories & The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
- The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
- The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke

I also want to re-read some other books. I want to read the whole Harry Potter series again, The Count of Monte Cristo, Ella Enchanted, A Series of Unfortunate Events, all of the Jane Austen books...Obviously, this list is going to take me a while but if you have any more suggestions of good books to read, let me know. I'm always up for a good book :)

A Tribute to My Family

2011-09-22T11:04:00.000-07:00

I know everybody says this about their own family but I really do have the best family in the world.

Dad: One of the greatest memories I have with my Dad was when I was five or six. Since Dad had to work a lot during my childhood years, each of us kids had our own night of the week where we got to hang out with Dad one on one. When it was my day, Dad and I usually chose to take walks around the neighborhood or walk down to Party Time to get some cute stickers. But I remember one nightly stroll particularly well. We were walking down the street next to ours when we spotted a large insect among the leaves of our neighbor's rose bush. I had a slight fascination with bugs at the time (a fascination that did not continue for long, I might add) so Dad proceeded to tell me all he knew about this cool-looking insect (which turned out to be a praying mantis). I think we spent a good ten minutes peering at that bug until my curiosity was satisfied. It was a small thing but for some reason that's a memory I've always kept with me. No matter how busy or tired he was, he always took the time to be My Dad. If I ever had a question about anything, Dad would pull a file out of his brain, which held a seemingly unlimited amount of knowledge, and tell me how things worked (except for when he didn't know the answer, in which case he would have me go research the topic and get back to him when I found out). He always helped me with my homework, forcing himself to stay awake into the wee hours of the night to help me finish a project or to edit one of my many papers. If I ever had a health problem or just needed comfort, he would give me a priesthood blessing. I'm grateful for his example, for his commitment to the gospel, and for the love and support he continues to give to each of us. I love you, Dad!

Mom: I do not think there is a more hard-working mother out there than my mom, a trait she tried on numerous occasions to pass on to her children. For as long as I can remember, my mom had us kids out in the yard every Saturday pulling weeds and picking up the apples that had fallen from our apple tree. We each had a part of the house to vacuum and dust. Mom also passed on her love of music to each of us, signing us up for musical numbers in church and attending all of our band/orchestra concerts growing up. Mom showed us she loved us in various ways. She was stubborn and unyielding when she had to be but she was also very kind and compassionate. I remember one particular occasion when I was in sixth grade. I went to Foothill Middle School rather than El Dorado Middle School where all my elementary school friends had gone. I had a hard time with it for a while and my mom would sit on my bed and stroke my hair while I cried and tell me things were going to get better. That's one of the many lessons I've learned from my Mom, to stay optimistic even through hard times. My patriarchal blessing tells me to pattern my home after that of my parents' and I think that counsel is due in large part to my Mom's commitment to the gospel, her willingness to serve, and her knowledge of the eternal importance of family. I love you, Mom!

Lisa: I can't even count the number of people who have said "I LOVE LISA!" to me in my lifetime. And really...what's not to love? She's the biggest BYU sports fan of all time. Like me, her antics during games are often more interesting to watch than the actual sports programs. She's the maker of many tasty goodies and delectable dishes and finds enjoyment in making them for others. She runs in races, plays sports like volleyball, basketball, and powder-puff football, and is not afraid to get in the thick of things while playing them. She can basically quote all of the dialogue from the movie The Emperor's New Groove. She's a fellow History major and can tell you just about anything about the Civil War as well as many other topics. She's very hardworking and has stretched herself and expanded her abilities through education and career choices. As my oldest sibling, I often call her for advice on different things and she's always more than willing to help me out. She is incredibly generous with her time, means, and talents. Most importantly, Lisa is what I would call a spiritual giant. She's devoted to serving those around her and accepts and fulfills difficult, draining, and time-consuming church callings. She's a great example to me. I love you, Lisa!

Shelley: I don't think many people can say that they have an older sibling who pretty much documented their childhood for them but I can. I got a journal for my sixth birthday and, for whatever reason, Shelley took it upon herself to make sure that the events of my six-year-old day-to-day life were recorded. I would talk about all the seemingly important events that occurred throughout the day and she would write them down in the journal. How many fourteen-year-old girls do that for their little sisters? Shelley is also the reason why I have so many pictures from my childhood to put in my scrapbook. Besides my parents, Shelley is probably my most attentive family member. If she doesn't know how I'm doing or she feels like we haven't talked in a while, she will call me up and we'll chat on a variety of topics for thirty minutes to an hour. Having earned a degree in Geography from BYU, she is a fantastic resource for directions if you are lost on the road somewhere. She is married to my hard-working, service-oriented brother-in-law, Steve, and is a great mother to her two (soon to be three) adorable children. Caring, strong, and faithful, she is a great example of one who lives what she believes. I love you, Shelley!

Kiel: I grew up thinking my brother was just about the coolest person in the world. Maybe it's because he saved me from drowning in our neighbor's pool when I was little. Perhaps it's because he is hilariously sarcastic. Maybe it's because he always seemed to have a lot of friends both inside and outside the Church. Maybe it's just because he is my one and only brother but, whatever the reason, being with Kiel is always a fun experience. He's always up for a good laugh and his sarcasm and movie-quoting abilities bring smiles to our faces. Even though he's a tough California Highway Patrolman, he has a big heart. He's always been a good example to his friends who, perhaps, weren't as strong. He's always the first one to say "I love you" at the end of a phone call. He cries during tender moments in movies and always sheds a few tears while bearing his testimony in Sacrament Meeting :) He's a great father to his two incredibly cute kids, Bruce and Rhyan, and he loves his beautiful and witty wife, Melissa. I have always looked up to him for his strength and courage in living life and the gospel. I love you, Kiel!

Brittany: I have probably laughed my head off more with Brittany than with anybody else in the family, which is saying something since we all laugh ALL THE TIME! From the time she called me a "snarfblat" to the time we had a back-and-forth Facebook conversation using only Mr. Palmer's lines from the movie Sense and Sensibility, we have shared countless moments of fun and laughter. Brittany is an amazing artist, creating great works of art ranging from beautiful landscapes on canvas to intricately painted wood figurines. She would often share her expertise with me while I was working on my own craft projects until I (somewhat) got the hang of doing things myself. Brittany is also very gifted in the kitchen, tweaking recipes to make them both healthy and delicious. She has a beautiful soprano voice and I have enjoyed adding my alto voice to hers for the innumerable amount of musical numbers we have participated in throughout the years. She is married to my well-read, articulate, peacemaking brother-in-law Gabe, and is a great mother to her darling daughter Sydney (and I am sure she will be just as capable with Sophie who is due in December!). She is very strong in her convictions and never shirks away from defending her beliefs and the gospel. I am very grateful for the friendship she has given me throughout my life despite my annoying little-sister antics. I love you, Brittany!

Brigitte: One of the things I love about the times I spend with Brigitte is the ridiculous amount of giggling that tends to occur. It doesn't take much more than a weird noise or a well-placed movie line in the middle of a conversation to set us off on a laughing rampage. The greatest thing about mine and Brigitte's relationship is that it hasn't changed much since we were kids. From the times Brittany, Brigitte, and I would play with dolls in our room to more recent times when Brigitte comes out to Provo to visit me, there has always been something to laugh at. But besides her amazing ability to look like Madame Mim from The Sword and the Stone when she flares her nose and her excellent imitation of an old lady's singing voice, I also consider her to be a very deep thinker. I've had some of the most thought-provoking conversations of my life with Brigitte. Cranking out Halloween costumes and home decor without any specific pattern to follow, her creativity with a sewing machine and a paintbrush never ceases to amaze me. She is raising her two very sweet and beautiful children, Logan and Erica, with her astute and accommodating husband, Tyler. Brigitte always seeks to make those around her as happy and as comfortable as possible. She focuses on the fundamentals of life, finding comfort and peace in doing what is right, and never forgets the things that are truly important. I love you, Brigitte!

Each individual member of my family is awesome but, as the lyrics of a Jack Johnson song say, "it's always better when we're together." We laugh together, we sing together, we play instruments together, we cry together, we quote movies together. But, most of all, we help and support each other. I am grateful for parents who made our home a safe-haven in the middle of a troubled world and for my siblings who are my best friends. No, not everything is perfect and I would be lying if I said we did not have our share of disagreements. But I can say that Heavenly Father knew what he was doing when He sent us down here to be members of families. I love mine and I could not have asked for a better one!

When Life Hands You Lemons

2011-09-18T21:58:00.000-07:00

Sometimes life hands you lemons and when that happens you're supposed to make lemonade, so they say. In other words, you're supposed to take a bad situation and turn it into a good one by either learning to overcome it or changing your attitude about it. Well, I'm here to say that making lemonade can be hard. Sometimes you get a lemon that is so sour that no matter how much sugar you add to the mix, the lemonade still leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

This past month has been a difficult one. I've become painfully acquainted with my inadequacies and shortcomings more than ever before. I've realized that I am afraid of growing up and entering the real world. I feel like I am just wandering around aimlessly, unsure of myself and those around me.

But times of trial can often be great times of learning and growth and this particular time of trial has been no exception.

For one thing, I have learned that no matter how much I am going through, there is someone out there who is going through something worse. Rather than wallowing in self-pity, I've learned that the advice Gordon B. Hinckley received from his father while he was discouraged on his mission, "Forget yourself and go to work," is a much better and more rewarding option. I've been called as the Humanitarian Service Chair in my ward and I'm beginning to realize what a blessing that has been recently. As I've tried to help those around me who are struggling much more than I am, my own problems seem to dissipate and I am much happier. The problems haven't gone away but I see them in a different light and with new perspective.
I've also learned that even when you don't see immediate results stem from a choice you have made that that doesn't mean that the decision was wrong. For example, I bought a contract at an apartment complex across campus a few months back. I never really felt good about the decision; in fact, I had a hard time falling asleep each night because I was so worried about it. It wasn't until I decided to buy a contract within the ward I was already in and sell the contract across campus that the worrying finally stopped. It felt like a huge burden had been lifted from my shoulders and I knew I had made the right decision. But over the past few weeks, the reasons why that decision to stay in the ward (and in Provo, for that matter) was the right one, have not been made apparent. I haven't found a job yet to help pay the bills. The man of my dreams hasn't come along to get down on one knee and pop the question. Despite that, I still feel like I made the right choice to stay here, no matter how illogical or imprudent it may seem to others.
I've also learned the value of friendship. I've come to know who my true friends are in the last few weeks and I've also learned who is not. I'm grateful for all those who have tried to help me overcome my fears and my feelings of inadequacy, who have pointed out my good qualities when I could only see the bad. Because of them, I have learned that I can do great things despite my flaws, that I do have great potential even though I make mistakes sometimes.
The most important thing I have learned in the last few weeks is that I don't have to bear this alone. Even when it feels like the whole world is ignoring me and nobody cares, I know that there are always people out there I can go to for help and support. My family is always there for me but, most importantly, my Savior is there for me. He knows exactly how I feel because He's gone through it all before and has experienced and overcome trials that are far greater than my own. He comprehends and can offer comfort and encouragement and can lift me from my pains and sorrows if I let Him. I'm grateful that even when I can't turn my sour lemons into delicious and refreshing lemonade, He can. Just remember that life is good and there is always hope.

The Start of Something New

2011-08-27T15:14:00.000-07:00

Events that have happened in the last couple of months:

I defied death while hiking Bridal Veil Falls. (Seriously though. Bridal Veil Falls is considered a nice leisurely hike...if you go the right way. We ended up rock climbing our way up and down the mountain. My roommate Alex slipped and nearly fell off a cliff. We had to make our way down a steep area of loose rock. I'm happy to say, however, that we all survived.)

I finished my Capstone class! I wrote a 23 page paper and got an A- on it. Happiness!
I graduated from BYU! When I walked across the stage they announced that I graduated in Political Science but oh well! My diploma will say that I earned a Bachelor's Degree in History.
I took a trip to California after graduation! Lisa was an excellent hostess down in San Diego and also took me to California Adventure and Disneyland. It was a blast!
I went back home and spent some time with my family. I also got new contacts! After wearing glasses for three months, I'm so happy to be wearing contacts again.
I got back to Provo and moved into my new apartment. I have my own room and I love it!
I went kayaking down the Provo River this past Saturday. I wish I could have gotten some pictures but I didn't want to risk having a phone or a camera with me on the kayak. It was a lot of fun, so much so that the fact that my legs got fried doesn't really seem to matter.
Now that I'm graduated, the job search begins. I don't know exactly what I want to do with my life yet so I'll hopefully be getting a job that will hold me over until I do figure that out.

That's my life right now.

1 Nephi 13

2011-07-03T21:24:00.000-07:00

16 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles who had gone forth out of captivity did humble themselves before the Lord; and the power of the Lord was with them.
17 And I beheld that their mother Gentiles were gathered together upon the waters, and upon the land also, to battle against them.
18 And I beheld that the power of God was with them, and also that the wrath of God was upon all those that were gathered together against them to battle.
19 And I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles that had gone out of captivity were delivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other nations.
35 For, behold saith the Lamb: I will manifest myself unto they seed, that they shall write many things which I shall minister unto them, which shall be plain and precious; and after thy seed shall be destroyed, and dwindle in unbelief, and also the seed of thy brethren, behold, these things shall be hid up, to come forth unto the Gentiles, by the gift and power of the Lamb.
40 And the angel spake unto me, saying: These last records, which thou hast seen among the Gentiles, shall establish the truth of the first, which are of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, and shall make known the plain and precious things which have been taken away from them; and shall make known to all kindreds, tongues, and people, that the Lamb of God is the Son of the Eternal Father, and the Savior of the world; and that all men must come unto him, or they cannot be saved.

I'm sitting here in my room listening to the people camped out all along University Avenue for the Fourth of July parade tomorrow. I've been reflecting on the American Revolution a great deal lately, not just because it's my favorite thing to study and not even because of all the celebrating that I hear going on outside. In my major, I have the privilege of studying our nation's history in great depth and it has been moving and inspiring to me to read the words of many of the great men and women who have sacrificed so much so that we can have what we have today. The Founding Fathers were inspired men. Just as the scriptures say, "the power of the Lord was with them" and they were able to accomplish the seemingly impossible task of bringing colonists from thirteen very different colonies together to defeat the most powerful nation in the world at that time. Because of the determination and diligence of those men and women during the Revolutionary War, we truly live in a "land of promise," a land full of great abundance and beauty.
But even more important than the acquisition of beautiful and productive land was the establishment of an American ideology. I think a speech given in the movie Gettysburg by Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain expresses it best: "No man should bow, no man born to royalty. Here we judge you by what you do, not by who your father was. Here you can be something. Here is the place to build a home. But it's not the land. There's always more land. It's the idea that we all have value, you and me." America was established to honor the value of the individual, to give its citizens the freedoms they believed God would want them to have. Because of this, we have freedom of religion, freedom of speech, etc. It was this freedom established in the United States that allowed for one of the most important events in the world to occur: the restoration of the gospel. Without freedom of religion, the religious revivals that prompted Joseph Smith to ask what church to join would never have existed and we would not have the Church and the doctrines taught there in our lives today. The American Revolution was an absolutely vital step in bringing about God's plan for His children.

I liked a quote I heard today that stated that Satan knows how destructive a weak America would be to God's plan and to the building up of God's kingdom. As Americans, we have a responsibility to build this nation up to its greatest potential, to never lose sight of what is truly important, and to honor the sacrifices of those that have come before us by staying true to our core principles and values. In the midst of all the fireworks, barbecues, and celebrations this Fourth of July, remember the real significance of the holiday and give thanks for all the freedoms we enjoy that so many others do not.

Sorry!

2011-06-06T15:02:00.000-07:00

Hello again! When I called home today, Dad mentioned that I hadn't updated my blog recently and, sure enough, it has been over two months since I posted last. So...I guess I'll update you on what has been going on in the last two months.

I moved into a new apartment within the same apartment complex. They are renovating the W building so I switched to the next building over. This is the first time since Freshmen year that I've had completely random roommates (although, I knew four of them before because they were in my ward last semester) and it has worked out just fine. It's a fun apartment of girls.
I got my first B in a History class. (Dagnabbit!) Winter Semester 2011 = hardest semester of all time.
I turned 22. For some reason, being 22 feels like it's so much older than being 21. The guys my age are back from their missions and the guys that are a year younger than me are coming back now. I'm one of the oldest girls in my Relief Society. I'm feeling old again (I know my older siblings are groaning as they read this but I feel that way anyway).

Other than that, nothing really momentous has happened. I'm taking a Utah History class right now and trying to finish up my U.S. History since 1877 independent study class. I'm really enjoying Spring Term! I haven't had this many friends since my freshmen year of college. But there are a lot of uncertainties in my life at the moment, too. I don't really know what I want to do after college. I know I'll be working but I don't know where yet (somewhere in Provo as I've already bought a contract for the fall here.) It's exciting to be almost done (I graduate in August!) but a little scary at the same time. Life is tough but good.

That's my update! Hopefully, it won't be two months before I write again.

Thank you, Armed Forces!

2011-04-06T17:31:00.000-07:00

From the very beginnings of this country, there have been men and women willing to put their lives on the line so the rest of us could have free and safe lives. I just wanted to pay a small tribute to those fighting overseas, those who protect our borders, and those who fight crime within the United States so that we don't have to confront it everyday of our lives. Patriotism lives on! Thank you!

I'm a Californian

2011-02-26T14:34:00.000-08:00

BYU is an interesting place in that there are people from all over the country (all over the world for that matter) that attend here. However, with all this "diversity" some tensions tend to arise as people criticize where others are from or impose stereotypes on people based on where they are from. As a Californian at BYU, I experience this all the time. Over the past four years, I have heard so many jabs about California and Californians that are somewhat true but mostly they are just plain ridiculous and mean-spirited. I'll admit that I used to have some preconceived notions of people based on where they are from, but I have been around long enough to know that most people don't fit into stereotypes and, therefore, should not be judged based on the state in which they grew up.

Some, however, have yet to figure this out. Just today, I heard a guy in my ward say that he hates Californians and that we are all a bunch of liberal, materialistic, Communist beach bums who don't have a clue. Of course, my California pride came out and I had to say something. The conversation went something like this:

(Let me preface this by saying that I have known many Idahoans and they are all great people. My grandparents are from there. My dad was born there. I've had four amazing roommates who are from there. Idaho just happened to be where this boy was from.)

Me: Now, where are you from again?
Him: Idaho.
Me: Ah, so do you want me to judge you by the Idaho stereotype just like you are judging me by the California stereotype?
Him: What's the Idaho stereotype?
Me: Self-righteous, potato-farming bigots. I guess you're lucky I don't buy into stereotypes.

Maybe that was a little harsh but I felt he needed to come to grips with something. You can't judge an entire group of people based on a very vocal minority within that group. You can't judge an entire state by the actions of one or two cities within that state. You can't impose stereotypes on any group because most people don't fit within those parameters. And how would you feel if someone criticized the place you grew up all the time?

Why does this bug me so much? Well, I pretty much defy every stereotype about California known to man. I've never bleached my hair (I haven't even dyed my hair for that matter). I don't hang out at the beach all day. I am very conservative politically. I do not worship or really seek after material items. I really don't like shopping all that much (although I enjoy a new shirt, new jeans, a comfortable bed, and hard-back books as much as the next person). I think Communism is a REALLY BAD idea. I am the biggest fan of America's Founding Fathers and the Constitution you will ever meet.

Yes, there are crazy people in California but there are crazy people everywhere. Earthquakes occur often in California but natural disasters and man-made disasters happen everywhere. There are advantages and disadvantages no matter where you live.

I was born and raised in California in a suburb of San Francisco. No, it's not perfect by any means and I can't say that I enjoyed being with everyone I came in contact with. But I am a Californian and I am proud of it.

Recent Happenings

2011-02-05T08:45:00.000-08:00

A lot of fun things have happened in the last week. My roommate Jennifer decided that we all needed a break from Provo for a night so she suggested that a group of us go up to Park City during the Sundance Film Festival. Six of us girls squeezed into a car and drove up to Park City to spot some celebrities. We didn't end up seeing anyone but it was still a lot of fun.

Jen and I before we left.

There was a really interesting cowboy shop that had tons of cowboy boots for sale. Each pair cost $2500. No one made any purchases there :)

We stopped into Mary Janes and Hannah found a pair of baby shoes that brought back memories of a nickname people used to call me. I don't think I'll ever live that one down.

We ate dinner at a pizza place and then headed back up the street to head home. However, we spotted a store that we all had to go into. It had some really cute clothes. If it hadn't been so expensive I probably would have three new shirts and a couple of cute new coats.

The next day, my brother Kiel was in town so he and his friend picked me up and we headed to Saratoga Springs to see my newest niece! Erica Allison Brown is absolutely adorable! She was four days old when this picture was taken.

Yesterday, February 4th, was my roommate Jennifer's birthday (and my sister, Shelley's!). We all went to Olive Garden and had a wonderful time chatting and eating delicious morsels of pasta and breadsticks. We then came back to our appointment and lots of people came over for cake and ice cream. Jen felt very loved :)

These are some of the girls that came to Olive Garden with us. A few more showed up a little later.

My roommate, Rhiannon, and I.

These three amazing girls, Rachel, Jennifer (the birthday girl), and Kristin, are also my roommates.

Our waiters were very kind to us so we decided to take a picture with them after we ate our meal.

Despite the tremendous work load that school inevitably brings, it has been a really fun week and hopefully I can continue to do well in school and have fun at the same time. It's a difficult but possible balance.

Realizations

2011-01-25T15:46:00.000-08:00

Things don't always turn out the way you plan.

Some things take much longer to occur than you want them to.

If you want something to happen, effort is required.

If you find yourself getting prideful, something will happen that will make you humble again.

You can't control your circumstances but you can control your reactions to your circumstances.

No matter how much you want things to stay the same, things will change. No matter how much you want things to change, things will stay the same.

The month of January has been a month of realization for me. Deep down I always knew these things were true but I guess I've never had them verified as much as I have this month. Life has its positives and negatives but the one thing that positives and negatives have in common is that they are designed to make you stronger. You learn to overcome the bad and you learn to appreciate the good. I don't know what the future holds but I do know that I can choose to follow Elder Wirthlin's counsel: "Come what may and love it."

Christmas in Cali

2011-01-02T12:58:00.000-08:00

After finals were over, I flew home to California for Christmas. I was able to spend about two and a half weeks at home. It was great to spend time with my family before plunging into another hard semester. Mom, Dad, Lisa, Kiel, Melissa, Bruce, Grandma, and I enjoyed a great Christmas morning together. I received many awesome gifts, including a new camera (my old one was nine years old and didn't even have a zoom feature on it) and a Payless gift card which I promptly utilized.

Bruce was super cute and gracefully let us poke, squeeze, kiss, and go nuts over how adorable he is.

After everyone left, I used my free time to do some arts and crafts. I started making vintage-looking advertisements as wall decorations this past summer and I decided to do a few more while I was home. This is one of the four I completed.

All in all, I had a great Christmas break. I truly saw the spirit of Christmas at work this year and I am grateful to all those who sacrificed for others and for me. Happy New Year!

Petty Pet Peeve

2010-12-06T13:41:00.000-08:00

Confession: I have a pet peeve that a lot of other people probably wouldn't understand.

I hate the sound of people chewing. And when I say I hate it, I MEAN IT! I come from a family where I was taught to chew with my mouth closed. No one wants to be "distracted by the half-masticated cow rolling around in your wide-open trap." (I stole that quote from Miss Congeniality, if you didn't know.) No one wants to hear the sound of your food sloshing around in your mouth. No one wants to hear the sound of your gum and spit as you pop your gum during the middle of class or in the library (which is supposed to be a quiet place, people!). Seriously, I HATE IT!

You might ask why I'm venting about this. I don't know what it is, but people who feel the need to keep their mouths open while they chew seem to be attracted to my presence. I'm sitting next to someone in the JKB computer lab right now who is seriously adding to my displeasure over this issue.

If there is anything that I wish we would go back to the olden days of the 1800s for, it would be manners at the dinner table. Please people, is it so hard to keep your lips together when you chew?

Ok, I'm done now.

California Dreamin'

2010-12-04T22:58:00.000-08:00

It's December. Sorry guys, I completely missed the month of November. But if I had written, it would have been about the same thing as the previous post. Sleep is still successfully evading me. I've said enough about that, though, because in two weeks I will be leaving BYU, Utah, and schoolwork behind for Christmas break and heading to the Golden State! In two weeks I will be in Concord, California!

Maybe we'll go into the city and see the sights. Or maybe we'll go to the Oakland Temple and see the Christmas lights.Or maybe we'll just stay home and spend hours and hours together as a family. Either way, I'll be happy :)

Good Grades, Social Life, Sleep. Pick Two. Welcome to College!

2010-10-18T17:13:00.000-07:00

Anyone who has been through any amount of college knows what I am talking about.

The alarm goes off at 6. You pry yourself out of bed. You get ready. At 7:30 you step outside your apartment and stumble up the hill to campus, trying to keep your eyes open. You go to work (if you happen to have a morning job like me). You wash windows, take out trash bags, clean up people's messes, clean the fingerprints off stainless steal elevator doors, and open doors for teachers who forgot their keys (if you happen to have a custodial job like me). As soon as you clock out at noon, you head to another building on campus where your first class of the day begins. You take out your notebook and take notes on the history of United States and Latin American relations. After about an hour, you head upstairs to the next class of the day. Yawning, you take notes about the villages of Medieval England. You then head across campus to your next class where you discuss the book, Martin Dressler: The Tale of an American Dreamer. You then drag your feet over to the HFAC where you sing in choir for an hour, hoping you don't faint into a dead heap while trying to keep your breaths supported and notes in tune. You then walk over to the Testing Center where you take a test you've been studying all night for. After about forty-five minutes you leave the Testing Center and walk home. You unlock the door of your apartment and collapse on the couch, relieved, but knowing that you are going to have to get up and start your homework. You start your homework. You cook yourself some dinner. You force yourself to go to FHE and try and be social. You come back to your apartment. If you have time, you go out running because you know exercise is important. If not, you keep doing homework and you do it until it's time for bed. You finally lay your head down on the pillow, knowing that you will be getting up in just 4 or 5 hours and starting the whole process over again.

Sound familiar? Like I said, this is the life of a typical college student and you've all been through it before. There are three things that occupy a college student's mind: good grades, a social life, and sleep. Unfortunately, there never seems to be enough hours in the day to do all three so you generally have to pick two and let one slide. Well, we all know I'm not the type that will abandon my school work. I've been told too many times in father's blessings and from other sources that I don't take enough time to have fun, so my social life this semester has picked up a little bit. So which one do I let slide? SLEEP. I don't think I truly know what the word means anymore.

Oh SLEEP! How wonderful that sounds! But it's Monday. I've got two papers due on Wednesday, two tests starting on Friday, two-hundred pages to read...

SLEEP: one day you and I will meet up again and it will be a glorious reunion.

2010-10-15T19:38:00.001-07:00

I have the cutest nieces and nephews. Don't believe me? Take a gander.

Mariah Jordan

Logan Brown

Jack Jordan

Sydney Keogan

Bruce Christensen

Do not you agree?

Someday...

2010-09-10T23:31:00.000-07:00

One of these days, I am going to go on a traveling adventure.

Someday I will walk the streets of Boston. I will stand in Independence Hall where the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence. I will go to the Smithsonian and see the original Star-Spangled Banner "whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight o'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming."
I will go to Gettysburg and other sites and learn more about the price that was paid to keep the United States united.

I will cross oceans and experience other cultures.

I will walk the halls of castles where earthly kings walked and lived in ages past.

I will explore ancient ruins and imagine what they would have looked like in their heyday.

Someday...

From Summer to Fall

2010-08-27T19:11:00.001-07:00

Summer break is over. It was great going home for the summer and doing all the things that summer entails: seeing movies in theaters (Karate Kid, Toy Story 3, Eclipse, Inception, etc.), reading books, relaxing, being with family, going to the beach. But time flies as it always does, and school is about to start.

I'm back in Provo to start up my final year as an undergraduate at BYU.

Thoughts running through my head:

I'M GETTING OLD. I saw a bunch of Freshmen walking around campus yesterday and they look way too young to be in college.
WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH MY LIFE? I'm graduating in History and minoring in English and Music...yeah, there isn't a whole ton you can do with those degrees. So I am planning on Grad School. I'm thinking about Public Administration but I don't feel that I've explored my options enough to make a decision. And I have to take that test. What is it? The GRE? ;)
HOW AM I GOING TO PAY BACK STUDENT LOANS/PRIVATE LOANS? In this economy, I don't know if I'll be able to get a good enough job to get rid of those looming numbers and payments. I know I have 10 years or so to pay them off but it still scares me a little.

I'm a Senior! Where has the time gone? I never thought I'd get to that point where I actually have to grow up.

Funny Moments Are Worth Remembering

2010-08-06T23:17:00.000-07:00

We had our 8th grade trip at some water park with long windy water slides that require you to sit on mats when you slide down them. I picked an older mat and Bailey picked a newer one. I went down first and waited at the end for Bailey to come down. As Bailey came to the end of the slide, the mat suddenly skidded to a halt. I guess that newer mat hadn't been quite broken in yet. The next few moments contained Bailey's frantic attempts to remove herself from the slide before our friend Kyla could slide down and shoot poor Bailey off the end. I'll never forget the look on Bailey's face.

I was opening a bottle of BBQ sauce once at our kitchen counter, standing across from my sister Shelley. The bottle was difficult to open as a lot of the sauce had congealed around the lid. With the help of a butter knife I was able to pry the lid loose but my efforts had also projected some of the sauce into the air. I looked up and saw that Shelley's face had been splattered with BBQ sauce.

Back when we were still in Young Women, we had a sleepover party at Sister Webster's house for all the Laurels in CV1. We were all crammed into the living room and just as were all about to fall asleep, Bailey shouts that memorable line from Mulan, "You men owe me a new pair of slippers!"

We were sitting at the lunch table in the Northgate High School cafeteria. My friend Liz was talking animatedly about her weekend. She held a grape between her thumb and her index finger. At a particularly dramatic part of her story, she accidentally squeezed the grape and the juice squirted right into my left eye. What are the odds?

We were performing a service activity around Christmas time for Young Men/Young Women. The goal was to drop off the little bag of goodies at the house, ring the doorbell, make it back to the car, and drive away before the door had even been opened. Well, Bailey and I went up to the door, left the goodies, rang the doorbell, and then ran. But running as fast as you can in the dark has its perils. As I ran, I hit a dip in the road, flew through the air, and landed in a pile of rocks. Well, needless to say, we didn't achieve our goal of driving away before the homeowners answered the door, but it did result in a car full of laughing girls and even in the composition of a song about my misfortunes. (Ask Hannah and Bailey for further details.)

My roommate Melissa and I walked out of the Tanner Building after we got out of our English 150 class. As we stood there waiting for the light to change so we could cross the street, we heard a poor, kind of desperate-sounding fellow say to his friend, "There are like 15,000 girls on this campus and all I want is one. Is that too much to ask?"

We decided one night to go roll down that grassy hill area next to the Harold B. Lee Library windows facing into the Periodicals Section. I'm pretty sure that hill has a sign next to it that specifically says, "Don't roll down this hill." My roommates, a few of our guy friends, and I rolled down this hill anyway and, for some reason, I stopped mid-roll. My roommate Melissa's boyfriend Paul was right behind me and rolled right over my poor helpless body. Well, I guess that's what you get for disobeying the rules.

My roommate Melissa, domestic goddess that she is, was making cookies one day. Shauntelle looked over the recipe and said (something to the effect), "It says here that you are supposed to refrigerate the dough for a few hours but I never do." Sandee blurts out, "That's why you're cookies taste like garbage." Jokingly, of course.

Hannah and I were sitting in a Biology 100 class in which the teacher was going off about how our planet is being destroyed, how the icebergs are melting, and how the forests are being razed to the ground. Hannah turned to me and, lovingly caressing her notepad, said, "I appreciate a nice forest but I love a fresh notebook."

The doorbell rang. My roommate Jennifer Jones went to answer it and found Scott Swindler, my roommate Alyssa's boyfriend, standing in our doorway. After a quick emotionless "Hi Scott," she slammed the door in his face. After a good amount of laughter had erupted from those of us sitting around the kitchen table, Jennifer opened the door again and let poor Scott in.

Independent Study

2010-07-25T21:58:00.000-07:00

I spent four hours yesterday working on ten multiple choice questions for an assignment for my independent study class. Now before you judge me, let me share with you one of the questions:

Which of the following generalizations is not consistent with a description of some facet of the condition of American workers in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries?
a. Some workers improved their condition in the society.
b. Some workers exhibited class consciousness.
c. Many workers had a difficult time organizing and maintaining unions.
d. Some workers favored socialism.
e. All of the above are consistent with the condition of the workers.

Could a question be any more ambiguous? Let us examine the wording. The use of terms like SOME or MANY can be a tad confusing. Does SOME mean two, eight, fifty, two-hundred, one-thousand? And then they throw an "all of the above" option at you. EVERY SINGLE QUESTION IS LIKE THAT! AND THEY'RE ALL WORTH FIVE POINTS! I know it's college and it's supposed to be challenging, but MY GOODNESS! Is clarity too much to ask for? ;)

Spider Season

2010-07-17T22:52:00.000-07:00

Dear Spiders,

I hate you. That's right, I said it. Is the outside world not big enough for you that you think you need to come inside our house and then congregate in my bedroom or, even better, the shower? Listen. I know it's hot outside. I know the sun probably beats down on your little exoskeletons and you just want to escape for a few hours into a nice, shady, air-conditioned space. But PLEASE, be considerate! I have feelings too. The way you kind of jerk as you walk across my ceiling frightens me. And I can't stand the way you jump right before I attempt to crush you. Seriously, my poor father is tired of hearing my screams. The next time I find one of you on my ceiling, or hiding in one of the folds of the shower curtain, or climbing up my bedroom wall...well, let's just say you've been warned.

With all the loathing I possess,

Celia

2010-07-04T23:39:00.000-07:00

Since it's the Fourth of July, I was thinking today about a research paper I was able to write this past year in one of my history classes. The topic I chose was the impact of the God-is-on-our-side mentality on the outcome of the Revolutionary War. As I poured over numerous accounts from our founding fathers, Continental Army generals, and from the foot soldiers themselves, I was amazed to discover just how many references to God there were in all these documents. Members of the military and those who wrote our founding documents were convinced that God was there, playing an active role in their successes and failures. When a cloud hid the Continental Army's movements from the British, the event was attributed to God. When the war-beaten and exhausted American soldiers somehow made their way across the icy Delaware River, they believed that it was God who gave them the strength and the courage to accomplish such a feat. They had confidence that the Lord would deliver them just as He had delivered the Israelites from Egypt.Writing this paper opened my eyes to see more clearly the workings of the Lord in my own life. I always knew that God was there, that he loved and cared about me but I guess I never really thought of Him as playing an active role in my life. I think sometimes I forget that God isn't just this far-away being who simply watches the doings of man on earth. I think I forget that he has power, not just to know everything that I do but also to act on my behalf. As I have examined my own life more closely, I have seen and come to know, just as our founding fathers did, that we are not left alone. He is present in everything that we do. He helps fight our daily battles. He shelters us from our storms. He gives us the strength to carry on. We can see evidence of His hand throughout earth's history and He continues to show forth His hand today. The same god that delivered the Continental Army and the American colonies from destruction is fighting for you and me today. What have we to fear?

Happy 4th of July!

Stuck in the Middle

2010-06-24T16:24:00.000-07:00

Ever have that feeling where you don't quite know what to do with yourself? Well, I've got it now. I've been home in California for about six days, and what have I accomplished? Not much. I've signed up for an independent study class that I can't start until the book comes. I tried my hand at watercolor paints yesterday, failed miserably, and am a little hesitant to try again. I've got several books sitting on my shelf that remain untouched. I knew this would happen. I have time to do all the things I wanted to do but didn't have time to do during the school year. Do I do them? No. Why is that when I have all the time in the world to do something I just don't feel like doing anything?

Another Great Movie Scene!

2010-06-05T09:42:00.000-07:00

This is a scene from the movie My Best Friend's Wedding. Julia Robert's character, Julianne, realizes that she is in love with her best friend just when he says he is marrying another girl. She then tries to split the two of them up. This is one of the many times when her evil plan backfires.

Recent Events

2010-05-18T16:14:00.000-07:00

So it was my birthday last week. I wasn't sure how my birthday was going to go this year because it was my first birthday away from home, but it turned out to be great! Not much happened on the day of my birthday. I had work and class from 8 AM to 6:30 PM, but when I got home, my old roommates Melissa and Sandee were there to greet me with popsicles and smiling faces. Members of the Relief Society had "candy-attacked" my door. Then a group of us went to the Cocoa Bean, a cupcake place in Provo, to get some desert. Yummy!

The next couple of days, I came home to birthday cards from Mom, Dad, and Grandma, flowers from Lisa, and a package from Brittany containing home made bread, a cute bag, and an excellent selection of candies.

Brigitte picked me up on Thursday night and took me out to dinner to Olive Garden. It was lots of fun and nice to hang out with family. We also headed over to Target to use the gift card Mom sent me. I bought this cute purse

and the movie Leap Year which I have added to my growing collection of movies!

And now for the ultimate birthday present: my nephew Bruce was born on May 16th and he's adorable!

Thanks everyone for making my first birthday away from home so wonderful! I'm 21 now!

My First Trip to Vegas

2010-05-18T15:45:00.000-07:00

Over Christmas break, my old roommate Julie and her husband were sealed in the Las Vegas Temple. My roommate Caitlin, her sister Natalie, and I drove to Las Vegas to be a part of the wedding festivities. I had only ever driven through Las Vegas on the freeway before so it was a new and...interesting...experience for me.

Here's the hotel that we stayed at. I have to say that I found this hotel on my own and I got a great deal on it. Since I booked my own hotel, I think I'm officially an adult now ;)

Our hotel (Tuscany Suites and Casino) was just a couple blocks away from The Strip so we walked down there and saw the sites. Here's the ceiling in...some casino, I can't remember which.

They had some awesome Christmas decorations there.

We waited in front of the Belagio for the water show to start!

And it was pretty awesome!

Just before the sealing, we went to the M&M store.

Then we drove away from Sin City (we didn't participate in the sin, by the way :) and went to the Temple. I took some pictures of the bride and groom but they were just glowing so much after they were married, none of the pictures turned out ;)

Going to Las Vegas was definitely a new experience for me. I don't think there is anywhere else quite like it.

A Favorite Movie Scene

2010-05-08T20:06:00.000-07:00

I've seen the movie 10 Things I Hate About You a few times but I still can't get over this scene. So great!

Spring is in the Air!

2010-04-21T14:30:00.004-07:00

I finished my last final of winter semester today! It's one of the most wonderful feelings in the world when you can come home and say, "Maybe I'll watch a movie, or read a book I actually want to read, or take a nap, or scrapbook!" I have NO HOMEWORK until next week when spring semester starts! Going to work tomorrow morning doesn't even seem like a chore! (Of course, it probably will at 6:00 AM when my alarm goes off.) I'm free, I free!

Sorry, I just needed to express my excitement!

Wouldn't it be nice...

2010-04-09T22:31:00.001-07:00

Found Poem

2010-03-24T18:26:00.000-07:00

For Women's Chorus, Sister Applonie gave us a writing assignment. One of the options was to write a found poem drawing from the songs we sang in our last concert. (In case you don't know what a found poem is, a found poem is a compilation of lines from different literature. In this case, I took lines from several of our concert songs and put them together into a poem.) This isn't a fantastic example but it'll do.

Beside the dying fire,
darkness settles on the roofs and walls.
Hide me, Oh my Savior, hide.
'Till the storm of life is past.
Rock my soul in the bosom of Abraham,
a shelter in the time of storm.
Let me to thy bosom fly
and slip the surly bonds of earth.
I'll take my heavenly flight,
on my way to those mansions fair.
Look, how the floor of heaven
is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold.
I'll join the happy angel band,
there to sing God's praise and his glory share.
Shout, "Jubilate Deo!"
I'll put out my hand

and touch the face of God.

Oh, receive my soul at last.

All Things Bright and Beautiful

2010-03-18T21:13:00.000-07:00

"You know what I like about the stars? You look at them, all of them up there, and you just know that there's gotta be something more than...life." - The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

I remember the first time my Dad showed me the Astronomy Picture of the Day website. I was fascinated as we looked at picture after picture of far-away galaxies and star clusters. I never cease to be amazed at how majestic the universe is. Looking at the night sky makes me think about that one scripture in the Book of Mormon that says, "All things denote there is a God." It's really true.

We sang a song at our last Women's Chorus concert that I didn't really appreciate until today. Here are the lyrics:

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.
Each little flow'r that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colors,
He made their tiny wings.
The purple-headed mountain,
The river running by,
The sunset and the morning,
That brightens up the sky.
He made all things well.
He made all things well.
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.

The audience members took a survey about our concert after it was over. When being asked what their favorite song was, the majority of them said that this was their favorite song and that their favorite part of it was when the music slowed down a little bit and we sang the words, "He made all things well." One survey said, "It was good to be reminded that I am also one of God's creations and that He made me well." I think sometimes we forget that we are God's creations. We get so hung up on all the pretty trees and snow-capped mountains that we forget that we are God's greatest creation. The most miraculous thing in the universe isn't the small pink flower outside our window. It isn't Mount Timpanogas. It isn't even the bright and shining star that you see every night in the sky. While they are all miracles in their own right, the real miracle in this universe is you.

Things That Make Me Happy

2010-03-14T13:03:00.000-07:00

One of my old roommates blogged about some of the small things she has come across lately that have given her little moments of happiness. Sometimes it's hard for me to pick out those little moments of goodness (or tender mercies, you might say) when my life is so busy and jam-packed, so I decided it was time to put the stress aside and acknowledge them.

1. Partly cloudy days. In the middle of winter in Utah, it's so wonderful every once in a while to look out the window and see white puffy clouds with the sun shining through them.

2. Those rare moments when I can sit down, relax, and read a book of my choice.

3. The smell of freshly laundered clothes.

4. A (small) bag of Cadbury Eggs5. Letters in the mail.

6. Lyrics of the songs we sing in Women's Chorus.
"If I could I surely would stand on the rock where Moses stood." - Elijah Rock
"Look how the floor of heaven is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold." - How Sweet the Moonlight Sleeps
"Hide me, O my Savior, hide till the storm of life is passed." - Jesus, Lover of My Soul
"My God is a rock in a weary land, a shelter in the time of storm." - My God is a Rock
"What a joyful thought that my Lord I'll see, just over in the Gloryland. And with kindred saved there forever be just over in the Gloryland." - Just Over in the Gloryland
"I've trod the high untrespassed sanctity of space, put out my hand, and touched the face of God." - High Flight

7. The stupid debates we have in English Class about the short stories we're reading. They're dumb (in my opinion) but quite enjoyable.

8. Roommate Raisins/Get-togethers.
9. Pictures of my nieces and nephews (Here's my newest niece. Little Sydney is here!)
There are so many good things in life. Never get so busy that you forget to notice them.

Even Better!

2010-02-28T21:34:00.000-08:00

Alright, so this one's even cooler!

Vintage Posters

Sorry, I'm sort of in a "collage-making" phase right now.

Collages!

2010-02-27T22:58:00.001-08:00

I was doing homework today and needed a break. So I decided to do something artistic like...make collages!

My Favorite Things

American History

It was actually really fun to put these together. If you ever feel the urge to make a collage, type Picasa into Google and download the program. It's fun, it's free, and you get can even make them into desktop backgrounds. Cool, huh? Well, I think so.

I haven't written in a while...

2010-02-17T16:38:00.000-08:00

So I haven't written very much lately. Sorry about that but there really isn't that much to tell anyway. People ask me how I'm doing or what I'm up to these days and what do I say? "I'm just, you know...going to school...working...doing some homework...uh...I go to FHE and church on Sundays...I read an interesting book about coal mines and labor unions for a history class the other day..." Does it sound like an interesting life?

I'm definitely keeping busy, though. I have LOTS of reading, a few papers (I'm in the process of writing a short story for my Short Story class), a couple of days a week where I go running, and I occasionally do fun things with my new roommates (who are great, by the way). But you know you're studying too much when you're having dreams about reading history textbooks. Does it sound like I need to get out more? I think so.

Change

2009-12-13T14:30:00.000-08:00

Change is becoming a more and more constant thing in my life. It's crazy how you feel like you're just getting settled into a normal routine and then, out of of nowhere, another curve ball gets thrown at you. As a person who looks at change as a necessary evil, this year has not been the most fantastic year of my life, but when I think about it some more, it has probably been the most rewarding.

Let me explain. I started out my college life at BYU with five absolutely amazing roommates. Melissa, Shauntelle, Sandee, Kory, Caitlin, and I got along so well. Sure, we had our differences but those differences allowed us to try and rid ourselves of our annoying sides and try to develop our good ones.
I remember praying before I went to college that I would get roommates who would help me come out of my shell. I had always been rather shy and I tend to rely on other people to make friends. My first room-roommate was Sandee. She, like me, is from California (all the other girls are from Idaho) and she was outgoing and fun. Within the first few days of the school year, she, along with my other roommates, helped me make friends within our ward. Little by little, I began to open up and I've found that ever since then, I've been able to make friends more easily. Our sophomore year, Sandee went off to the Jerusalem Center and we got a new roommate, Julie. She fit in with our little group perfectly and we had a lot of fun together. Shauntelle, however, decided it was time to trade us in for a better roommate. She got married in December of our sophomore year (a year ago next Sunday).

Us at Shauntelle's bridal shower
Us at Shauntelle's wedding in Salt Lake.

After that, they started dropping like flies. Sandee started dating a guy that she met at the Jerusalem Center during Winter semester of sophomore year and got married in August of 2009.

Melissa went off to study abroad in London and by September, Julie, Caitlin, and Kory were all engaged.

Here we are at Julie's, Caitlin's, and Kory's bridal shower.

So now, Melissa and I are the only ones left single. Melissa will be living at a different apartment complex next semester, however, so I will be getting all new roommates. I'm going to miss these girls so much! They have become some of my best friends. We know what annoys each other; we know what we can do to make each other happy.

But change, is necessary and though I can't see it now, it's probably good too.

The South Has Risen Again!

2009-12-13T14:01:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving break was awesome this year! My sister Lisa and I flew to Tennessee to visit our grandparents and my aunt and uncle.

We had a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner! We had some good 'southern food.' I definitely never had corn pudding before this trip. It all tasted so good!

Being history majors, Lisa and I couldn't visit the south without seeing a few Civil War sites. On one of our outings, we went to the battlefield where the Battle of Murfreesboro took place. It was so cool!

The soldiers had a hard time moving their cannon through the rocky terrain. Oftentimes, the cannons would break and they would have to leave them behind.

As the Confederate soldiers came running after them, the Union soldiers fled into this group of trees and hid between the rocks. They were discovered, however, and this little patch of ground has come to be known as The Slaughter Pen.

This is a cemetery for the Union soldiers who died during the Battle of Murfreesboro.

The next day, we went out and visited some plantations. The first one we went to was the Rippavilla Plantation. General Hood met with his fellow Confederate military officers here during the Battle of Franklin.

This is the view from the porch of the Rippavilla Plantation. It's beautiful there!

This is the Carter house that served as the Union headquarters during the Battle of Franklin. Thousands of soldiers died in and around this house.

This is the plantation that served as the Confederate headquarters during the Battle of Franklin. There was a reenactment of the battle the day we were there.

It was an awesome trip! I'd recommend it to anyone!

2009-11-21T13:49:00.000-08:00

I realized today that I haven't taken a single picture this semester. And since we just recently had cleaning checks, I thought I'd start taking pictures of our spotless apartment. So here's a little tour of the place I come home to everyday. (The kitchen and bathrooms will be excluded for good reason.)

This is my side of the room. I got that shelf that frames my bed at Bed, Bath, and Beyond and it's awesome! As you can tell, I've got about a million books this year and since our apartment doesn't really have any storage space, it's been a great addition to my room.

This is what I like to call my "fun" book collection. These are the books I read for fun during those rare moments of spare time. Unfortunately, I haven't had too many of those this semester. (I haven't been able to read Harry Potter in so long...) But even if they don't get read very often, they make great decorations ;)

My roommates haven't had much time for decorating the apartment this year. I guess being engaged takes up a lot of time. And since three of my roommates are engaged, I'm the only person in our apartment who really made the time to make our apartment look cute, which is fine. I've come to realize that I like to decorate.

Who would have thought that storage boxes covered in table cloths make great tables?

My roommates and I made these "corkboard scrapbook things" last year. They work great for our Roommate pictures and remind us of the good ol' days when all of us were...uh...single, haha!

I also made this collage this year. I found a website that had a bunch of famous pictures from American history. I think it's cute. (And you can totally see my reflection in the glass.)

And this is the view from my apartment complex. Not bad, eh? I wish I had my camera out so that I could have taken a picture of the sunset yesterday. It was amazing!

I hope you enjoyed your tour!

Why I'm An English Minor and Not An English Major

2009-10-09T15:37:00.000-07:00

There are two reasons why I could never be an English major:

Reason #1: The other day, as I sat listening to other people's comments in my Native American Literature class, I realized something about English majors themselves that bugs me like nothing else: they LOVE to hear themselves talk. They sit there bloviating for minutes on end about a simple question that probably only required a one sentence answer. In order to speak for as long as possible, they say the same thing over and over again just in different ways. Someone in class will start to speak and and then come up with a list of adjectives that are all synonymous just so they can hear themselves talk for two more minutes. For example, (a poor one but you'll get the gist of what I mean): "This quote from the book shows that these people were sad and unhappy and gloomy and sorrowful and dejected and depressed and miserable and disconsolate..." I could go on forever.

Reason #2: I think we sometimes dig too deep into books in English classes. It always happens at some point during the semester where I lay down a book after a deep class discussion and think, Did the author really want to comment on the status of women in 19th century society? Did she really write this big elaborate romance novel just to provide a social commentary? With certain books I can understand why we need to read between the lines a little bit to understand what the author is getting at, but other books I just want to walk up to a teacher and ask, "Has it ever occurred to you that the author was just trying to tell a simple story?"
Did I completely miss the mark or do these things bug anybody else?

My Home Away From Home

2009-09-26T22:14:00.000-07:00

I have discovered something this year that has brought tremendous happiness to my career as a college student: the Harold B. Lee Library is not a torture chamber.
My experiences in the BYU library before I had this revelation were somewhat less than enjoyable. The first time I entered the building my freshman year, I was so overwhelmed with it's size that I took a few steps into the Periodicals section and then quickly turned and left. There was no way I was going to find anything in there! The next time I got the nerve to cross the threshold into the library was when I was given an assignment that forced me to spend a few hours pouring over microfilms of early church history. By the time I left the library, I felt dizzy and had an earsplitting headache. Looking at pages and pages of words moving a mile a minute over a very bright screen never made anyone feel healthy. Needless to say, my attitude toward that building was never a very pleasant one.
But all that changed for me a couple of weeks ago. I am currently enrolled in the beginning course for the History major, Historian's Craft (History 200). Now if you don't know what a historian's craft is supposed to be, let me clue you in: research papers. As I sat there in class, listening to my teacher go over the syllabus, I suddenly realized that I would have to get over my fear of the library very soon. I picked my topic for my research paper (the influence of the "God-is-on-our-side" mentality on the Revolutionary War) and I decided to face my fear and head to the library. Trembling, I managed to find my way over to the Social Sciences section. I sat down at the nearest computer and found the location of a book that might have something to do with my topic. I searched the rows and rows of books and finally matched the hard copy to it's call number. Then it hit me. I was in an aisle containing hundreds and hundreds of books about the Revolutionary War. They weren't just any books either; many of them were primary sources (exactly what I need for my paper)! The Papers of George Washington, the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, collections of letters and journals of Continental and British soldiers, the Journals of Congress, etc. I was in a gold mine! Suddenly, the library had become an amazing source of knowledge in my eyes. I couldn't believe how much information about my favorite subject was stacked on those shelves that, only a few minutes before, had seemed so daunting.
My ignorant beliefs and fears now pushed aside, the library has now become the ideal place for me to study. The intimidating shelves are now some of my closest associates and the frightening books and I are now thick as thieves. So, watch out Disneyland! You've got some competition for the title of "Happiest Place on Earth!"

Books That Have Had an Impact On Me

2009-08-29T09:26:00.000-07:00

My roommate recently wrote a note on Facebook about the books that have impacted her life so I decided to do the same thing.

1776 by David McCullough

Yes, I love American history but the main reason I love this book is because it's a true story of a man and his army who try again and again to overcome such overwhelming odds. After suffering defeat after defeat against the British, the Continental Army was able to pick up the pieces and move on and, in the end, succeed.

Harry Potter by JK Rowling

This is going to sound cheesy but these books illustrate a great story of good vs. evil. It's the story of a young boy who wasn't really extraordinary in any way except one: he was the only one who could defeat the evil wizard, Lord Voldemort. He wasn't blessed with any amazing abilities. He wasn't even spectacularly clever. He just had the courage to do what was necessary and what had to be done in order to overcome evil and save those he loved. (Judging by the number of times I've read these books, they are probably my favorite books of all time.)

Persuasion by Jane Austen

This is the story of a woman who experienced serious disappointment in her life. While much of the disappointment was brought on by her own decisions, she had been dealt a rather difficult hand. But the heroine of the story learns that while things may not happen to us according to our own timetable, the things we want to happen will come in time if we simply follow what we believe to be right and hope for the best.

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas

This is a fascinating story about revenge. The main character in the novel was falsely accused and spent many years in prison for a crime he did not commit. After he escaped from prison, he made up his mind to take revenge on all those responsible for making his life miserable. Through study and careful plotting, he achieved his goal. But when all was said and done, the satisfaction he expected to feel after ruining all these lives was nonexistent and he found that bringing others low did not bring him any higher.

We Were Not Alone by Patricia Reece Roper and Karola Hilbert Reece

This is the amazing true story about an LDS family living in Berlin during WWII. There were many struggles and trials that the family had to face, but there were also many miracles that occurred because of the individual members' faith and their diligence in keeping the commandments of God.

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

This is the best version of the Cinderella story ever written, but it is also a wonderful story about sacrifice and courage. By sacrificing the thing she wanted most to save the lives of others, Ella later gained everything and more. (That's not much of a review, but it's a great and complex storyline that I could never do justice to here.)

The Kaleidoscope Season by Sharon Downing Jarvis

This is a coming-of-age story about a young girl named Emily Jean who was brought up by her grandmother because of the untimely deaths of her parents and her twin sister when she was just a baby. Her grandmother was a devout Protestant Christian and sent the LDS missionaries away whenever they came to call. Emily Jean yearned to know her mother and father, but her grandmother rarely spoke of them because Emily's father had been a Catholic. But after several events that turned Emily's rather controlled life upside down, Emily realized that the message she needed to hear was taught by the LDS missionaries and from them, she learned the wonderful truth that she would be able to see her family again someday.

There are many more books out there that have affected me, but this blog post would have to be about a hundred feet long for me to do every one of them justice. All I can say is, keep reading! There is some great stuff out there!

Bags Unpacked, I'm Ready To Go

2009-08-27T14:22:00.000-07:00

I'm back at BYU for my Junior year of college. I'm not going to lie; I wasn't too excited about coming back this year, but now that I'm here and all settled into my apartment, I'm starting to get used to the idea. But there will always be things that I will miss about home.
I'm going to miss:

reading books for pleasure
seeing the green hills of the Bay Area during the wintertime
good internet service
snow-less winters
having my own room
close proximity to family
our amazing shower and good water pressure
my parents' huge movie selection
going to my home ward
friends from home
having a large gum supply
storage space
no homework

I'm back in good ol' Provo and dealing with everything else that comes with it.
I'm not looking forward to:

ice-covered sidewalks
a jam-packed fridge
homework
my custodial job
a tiny kitchen
horrible internet service (which is miraculously working right now)
only seeing family on holidays
having almost no TIME!

As more of my roommates start coming in, I'm getting more and more happy to be back. I just want the year to start so that I can get into a routine that works for me. And while a lot of the things that come packaged with returning to school seem a little daunting, I am excited to be back at BYU and to see what this next year has in store for me. Wish me luck!

Trying to Be Artsy

2009-08-01T11:55:00.000-07:00

Since I don't have a job this summer to take away any of my free time, I've had a lot of opportunities to try my hand at some more painting projects. I've made quilt squares using fabric paint before, but I've been focusing more on making wall-hangings this summer. Here are a few samples of my work:

These first paintings are based off of Mary Engelbreit drawings. These next ones are paintings I did of flowers that I took pictures of at the Berkeley Rose Garden:

I've still got some painting techniques I have to work on but, for the most part, I like the way these ones turned out. I think I probably have way too much time on my hands, though.

The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave

2009-07-01T10:26:00.000-07:00

I think many of us look back at the year 1776 as a glorious time of change and patriotism for the United States of America. In reality, the year the Declaration of Independence was written and signed was far from the triumphant and victorious period of American history that we learn about in our high school history classes. It was a time of uncertainty and betrayal, a time when the fate of the 13 colonies was not at all clear.
The spirit of the troops started out high at the beginning of 1776 after the successful defense of Boston and the Continental Army's taking of the high ground on Dorchester Heights. But after a few months of making preparations to defend the city of New York, the British Army planned a very successful surprise night attack on the spread-out troops of the Continental Army. The battle, which became known as the Battle of Brooklyn or the Battle of Long Island, was a crushing defeat for the colonists and for General Washington. After the Continental Army left New York, they were defeated in several more battles, including the capture of Fort Washington by the British in which over 2000 Americans were taken prisoner.
People, including many of Washington's generals and closest friends, began to question his capability. The morale of the army was very low. Hundreds of soldiers deserted the army in the winter of 1776 because of lack of warmth, shoes, adequate clothing, and hope. Many of the British believed the conflict to be over and that the colonists had finally come to their senses. In the midst of one of the darkest hours in our nation's history, the character of America's leaders such as Nathaneal Green, Henry Knox, and especially that of the commander-in-chief, became apparent. After being chased across New Jersey and into Pennsylvania, Washington knew that it was time to deliver a blow to the Redcoats. On Christmas Day, the exhausted and severely weakened Continental Army crossed the Delaware and outsmarted the 1500 Hessians stationed at Trenton. It was a major turning point in the war.
David McCullough, the author of the book 1776, said this of Washington:

"He was not a brilliant strategist or tactician, not a gifted orator, not an intellectual. At several crucial moments he had shown marked indecisiveness. He had made serious mistakes in judgment. But experience had been his great teacher from boyhood, and in this his greatest test, he learned steadily from experience. Above all, Washington never forgot what was at stake and he never gave up."

I have gained a new appreciation for just how miraculous the surrender of the British Army six years later was. It is amazing to me that men and boys of all ages that had absolutely no military training were able to defeat the disciplined and supposedly invincible army of the British Empire. I'm thankful to all those who put their lives on the line to protect this country and help to spread freedom across the world. May we all be like Washington and never lose sight of what is truly important to us and never give up when challenges come our way.

Happy 4th of July!

Completely Pointless but Kind of Fun

2009-05-02T20:00:00.000-07:00

So I got this idea from another friend's blog. Here's what you do. You pair your name with one of the bolded words below and type it into Google. For example, George needs or Bob loves. Then see what kind of sentences are highlighted in the results that start with your name and the word or phrase you typed in. These are the sentences that I found for my name:

1) Celia needs to find a way to fit between these two generations.

2) Celia looks like your average 3rd grader.

3) Celia says, "Make a hat your crowning glory."

4) Celia wants nothing more than to be with her beloved, Colin. (Hahahahahaha!)

5) Celia does not like her aunt and her aunt appears not to like Celia.

6) Celia hates winter and has been dreading its arrival, but tonight she barely feels the cold.

7) Celia asks for a new traffic light to be installed.

8) Celia likes Brian. (That's really the best one I could find for that one.)

9) Celia eats high school kids. (That's really what it said.)

10) Celia wears heavy robes that disguise her scales and posture and employs magic if further disguise is necessary. (I got a laugh out of that one!)

11) Celia was arrested for murder and by the winter of that year she had been convicted and hung.

12) Celia loves to travel and is always dreaming of new destinations and adventures.

So try it out. It doesn't take long and it might hand you a few laughs!

Movie Lines!

2009-04-28T21:04:00.001-07:00

So I decided that I would write down some of my favorite movie lines and you guys can try to guess what movies (I guess TV shows too) they are from. I picked these lines because they have all come up somehow in everyday conversation.

1) "You can talk...Oh, I'm so glad!"

2) "What the...how long has that been there?"

3) "I can't remember a time...before you started telling that story."

4) "These are my best shoes!"

5) "Is it secret? Is it safe?"

6) "What's the matter with these scissors?"

7) "I want some chicken giblets!"

8) "You pervert!"
"Klinger's not a pervert."
"How do you know?"
"'Cause I'm one and he's never at the meetings."

9) "One tisp?"
"One teaspoon!"
"Oh, one teaspoon, of course!"

10) "Who's he?"
"I don't know...must be a king."
"How do you know."
"He 'asn't got [crap] all over 'im."

11) "She doesn't really know me."
"That is one instance in which fate has blessed her."

12) "She fell in love Generalisimo Franco!"
"You don't know that!"
"Well, who else could it have been? It was probably the late 1960s."
"People do stupid things in foreign countries."
"Yes, they buy leather jackets for much more than they're worth but they don't fall in love with fascist dictators."

13) "The fun has arrived!"

Alright, if I think of more I'll post them.

25 Things About ME!

2009-03-14T23:00:00.000-07:00

So I have been tagged a lot on Facebook to make a list of 25 interesting things about me. So I guess I'll do that on here, except let's make it 20 things for now:

1. My least favorite noises are chewing sounds. I can't stand it when people chew gum or food with their mouths open. I cringe every time I hear it. (The sound of people swallowing also fits into this category.)

2. I love movie lines! My family can have an entire conversation in movie lines if we want to. "What the...how long has that been there?" or "What's the matter with these scissors" often comes up in everyday conversation.

3. I whistle and hum a lot. Sorry, I don't mean to be annoying. It's just what I do.

4. I am absolutely terrified of bugs. Small, big, hairy...you name it, I'm afraid of it.

5. I love cooked broccoli with cheese sauce! If someone told me I could never eat anything but broccoli for the rest of my life, I would be OK with that.

6. I love all kinds of music. I love Oldies, Country, Classical, Pop...I just love music! (However, I hate rap, heavy metal, and music with whiny voices.)

7. My dream vacation is to go back east and see American historical sites. (Of course, I would never pass up a trip to Europe.)

8. My favorite weather is partly cloudy. I love the lighting when a small cloud covers the sun for a little while!

9. I can read a certain book, listen to a certain song, or watch a certain movie several times before I get tired of it. But once I do get tired of it, I can't read, listen, or watch whatever it is for a few months.

10. I love to make crafty things. My favorite projects in school were ones that involved posters.

11. I'm not very good about sharing my feelings with other people. If I'm angry or sad about something, I usually just hold it in. I don't really consider this to be a good thing.

12. My favorite Disney movie is Sleeping Beauty...Prince Philip, lines such as "One tsp?", and great music...It couldn't get any better than that.

13. I like to think right before I go to sleep. It's one of the reasons why it usually takes me forever to fall asleep. I just have so much information swimming around in my brain. (Do they have a medication for Restless Brain Syndrome?)

14. I love songs that are in minor keys.

15. Before I die, I want to write at least one children's book, one teenage book, and one adult book. I don't care what critics say about how good literature should never be overly didactic; my books will all have excellent morals.

16. I don't like milk. If I have a a really rich piece of chocolate pie, water quenches my thirst just fine.

17. I no longer have my tonsils. I got them out when I was one and a half or something because they were way too big and they made me snore like an old man.

18. For some reason, dark blue is the color I'm most comfortable in. I wear dark blue a lot.

19. I love learning about the American Revolutionary and Civil Wars.

20. I have a knack for remembering people's faces. I have a hard time with names.

Well, I hope you all feel more enlightened now than you were before.

Snow Days

2008-12-20T20:00:00.000-08:00

Can I just say that I absolutely hate the snow? Walking to campus to go to work and take my finals was miserable. Whether or not I was wearing a hood made no difference; snow still got under there somehow. No matter how hard I tried not to slip, I still nearly killed myself several times.
But, I guess, there is actually one thing snow is good for: sledding! During finals week, one of our friends from our ward invited us to go garbage bag sledding at Rock Canyon Park. It was actually a lot of fun, even though this kind of "sledding" makes you completely soaked.

We also had fun building a snow fort. My roommate Caitlin has made a bucket list and building a snow fort was one of the things she wanted to do before she dies. We didn't really make a good one because we had to get back to our apartments to study for our finals. We're going to wait until the next big snowfall to make an incredible one.

So that's the one good thing about snow. Otherwise, I'm not much a fan.

It's Finals Week

2008-12-12T14:55:00.000-08:00

While this next week is bound to be a stressful one, I'm so happy that the semester is almost over! After this week, I never have to take calculus again! Miraculously, this semester just flew by. I still have to pull off some good scores on my finals in order to get a good grade in the class, but knowing that the end is near just makes me so happy!
Since my roommate Shauntelle is getting married next week, we decided to have a Girl's Night last night. We reserved the University Villa lounge and watched a Christmas movie. It was fun to sit and eat finger food and drink Martinelli's with everyone!

We also put up Christmas decorations a couple weeks ago. We have Christmas lights that go along the ceiling in our living room. I hope we leave those up all year round. I also put out the manger scene that Mom made.

I can't wait for Christmas break!

Halloween!

2008-11-01T08:56:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks haven't been too exciting. I got sick a couple weeks ago with a really bad head cold and it's just starting to wear off. School is still in full-swing. I'm doing homework all the time but so are my roommates so at least I don't feel like I'm missing out on a lot. Next semester I am not taking 16 credits and working four hours a day.
But since yesterday was Halloween, all of us decided we needed a break, no matter how much homework we had. My roommate Caitlin got us tickets to go see a silent movie in the HFAC. I've never been to a silent movie before and I had no idea if it was going to be fun or not. So we went to the HFAC last night and watched the 1925 version of The Phantom of the Opera.
The person who played the phantom is Lon Chaney, who was called the Man of a Thousand Faces. In this particular film, he used wire to make his eyes bulge and to keep them wide open. He used fish hooks to to keep his nostrils big and flared. It was an interesting experience. There was a live organist. He gave the background on the movie and invited us to make the necessary "ooohs" and "aaahhs" while the movie was playing. Silent movies were never silent. The audience is supposed to be a part of the soundtrack.
It was a lot of fun and I recommend the 1925 version of The Phantom of the Opera to anyone who wishes to have a good Halloween next year.

I'm Still Breathing

2008-09-26T10:33:00.000-07:00

So I just thought I'd update my blog while my internet actually works. Most of the time it doesn't which is pretty bothersome, but that's the way it goes. So yes, I'm still alive. Things are going okay for me here at BYU. My job is not fun but it's going well. It's custodial so I don't really have to think for four hours out of the day which is pretty nice since the rest of the day there is just way too much information swimming in my head. I have lots of homework and very little time to do it, but I'm surviving. I actually really like my classes despite the homework load. My favorite is probably my World Civilization from 1500 class. It's just so interesting! Women's Chorus is a lot of fun. We had a concert last night and we have another one tonight. We're singing a bunch of Disney princess songs this year!
I'm also a member of the Enrichment Committee in Relief Society in my new ward. I get to go to the Relief Society Broadcast in Salt Lake tomorrow. It'll be nice to have a break from school for a little bit. So funny story: My roommate Caitlin and I sang How Great Thou Art in Sacrament Meeting on Sunday. While we were singing, this fly started buzzing around our heads. It hit Caitlin several times in the face. I was trying not to laugh for so long. Then the fly flew into her mouth while she was holding a long note. We laughed through the entire chorus of the 3rd verse. Luckily, the congregation laughed with us and the fly also attacked the bishop while he was giving his talk so we didn't feel too bad. It was pretty classic!
Anyway, I'd better get to class. I hope everyone's doing well!

Back at BYU!

2008-08-28T09:54:00.000-07:00

Mom and I drove back to Utah this last Friday. We stayed at Brigitte's and Tyler's on Friday night and got to see cute little Logan! It was nice to hang out with them for a while. On Saturday, Mom and I drove from American Fork to Provo. Two of my roommates had already moved in to our apartment and it was great to see them again. We moved in all my stuff which took a couple hours and I think my room turned out okay. There isn't as much storage space in University Villa as there was in Heritage but we managed to squeeze it all in somehow. What do you think?
So I had a job interview today for a custodial job in the JKB and I got the job! I'll be able to pay my bills! Whoohoo! I'm sure Mom and Dad will be happy! Now I just can't wait until school starts and the rest of my roommates get here!

Go Team USA!

2008-08-09T15:31:00.000-07:00

I've been watching the Olympics all day today. It was fun watching the opening ceremony last night, knowing that I am acquainted with some of the people who came out with the rest of the American athletes. My cousin Lindsey Anderson is participating in the steeplechase competition which is exciting enough, but then I found out that Jillian Penner, who I sat next to in my high school Psychology class and did group projects with, is on the US synchronized swimming team! So, for me, the 2008 Olympic games have been the most exciting ones so far! Go USA!

Southern California Trip!

2008-08-05T22:01:00.000-07:00

Mom, Dad, and I were able to go down to Southern California this weekend to visit Shelley, Steve, Mariah, Lisa, and Kiel. It was great to see everybody again. We went out to dinner in Manhattan Beach where Kiel lives. My cousin Amy and her son Curtis came too and it was a lot of fun to hang out and catch up with everyone. That night, we drove to Yucaipa to stay at Shelley and Steve's house. Little Mariah captured everybody's attention as usual. She is too cute! It's crazy how fast the time has flown. She's almost a year old now!

Here she is just a few short months ago.
And here she is now!

It's Finally Done!

2008-07-27T22:42:00.000-07:00

So I've been working on a quilt for the past three years. I probably could have finished the whole thing in one summer but I was lazy and I have a talent for stretching things out as long as possible. But guess what! It's finally done! I finished the last square just the other day and Mom and I were finally able to piece the whole thing together. So with my mediocre painting skills and Mom's amazing sewing skills, the quilt has been completed. Not too shabby, eh?

Summer of Good Movies

2008-07-19T20:37:00.000-07:00

Has anyone else thought that this summer has been a great one for movies? Here are my reviews of the movies I've seen this summer:

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

While there were some parts in the movie that I think they tried a little too hard to be funny, the good things ended up outweighing the bad. Good movie and, of course, great music!

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Cheesiness is to be expected in any movie that George Lucas has a hand in and this movie is no exception. However, the movie kept me entertained so I didn't go home disappointed. The story line is interesting and I thought it was just as good as the old ones. Dad, of course, disagrees.

Kung Fu Panda

I have to admit that I wasn't a huge fan of this movie. While the little kids surrounding us in the theater were laughing out loud, I found myself laughing maybe once or twice. It's a cute movie and worth seeing once though.

The Incredible Hulk

I wasn't as excited about this movie as I was about the other movies based on comic books that have come out this summer, but I did like the movie. And from the way the movie ended, it looks like we'll be seeing more of him in the future, perhaps with a few more superheroes at his side ; ) .

Iron Man

When this movie came out, I was really only familiar with Superman, Spiderman, and Batman. They're the ones that everyone knows about, so I didn't expect this movie to become one of my favorite movies. I liked this movie so much, I saw it twice! Great movie!

Wall-E

I like Pixar movies. They are pretty much the only animated Disney movies now days that aren't dripping with cheese. But I do have to say that this was probably my least favorite of all the Pixar movies. I like the song from Hello Dolly but I heard it way too many times throughout the movie. But it's cute and worth seeing.

Journey to the Center of the Earth

This movie is definitely not my favorite one of the summer. There was some cheesy acting (after all, it's Brendan Fraser) but it's entertaining, has some cool special effects, and presents some unbelievable but interesting views on what the center of the earth is like.

The Dark Knight

This movie is amazing! Heath Ledger did a fantastic job playing the Joker. Even though it's not a particularly happy movie, I really liked the storyline and the development of the characters. Hands down, this is the best movie of the summer.

The Forefront of Weirdness

2008-07-09T23:54:00.001-07:00

When I was in my Book of Mormon class at BYU, one of my seemingly ignorant classmates made a comment about California. He said, essentially, that Californians are all a bunch of quacks and that their strange ideas will be the downfall of this country. My professor said, "Isn't it interesting that California is always labeled as the forefront of weirdness?" Well, at the time I was a little offended. California is my home after all. But after my recent day trip to San Francisco, I can easily see why some people may come up with such a stereotype. Now, don't get me wrong. San Francisco is an amazing place.

There are amazing engineering feats!

Barrels full of salt-water taffy!

Cute marine wildlife!

But, I have to admit, that some weird stuff happens too. We ran into a man dressed up as Captain Jack Sparrow on the street who lit a basket on fire that contained his daughter, who he later removed from the basket unscathed. Another man was making up rhymes about all the people that walked by him. When I walked by, he said, "Hey you in the polka-dot! Go jump in a pot!" But that wasn't the worst part.

There was evil a-brewin'!

And Hannah found herself changing shape! She's not shaped like that in any other city!

Well, even if it is a little strange, I had a good time in good ol' San Fran! What's life without a few peculiarities?

Work Stress

2008-06-24T15:40:00.000-07:00

So I'm at work right now. Normally, all I have to do is a little bit of filing, some scanning, and A LOT of email sorting, but the last couple days have been different. Since Melodie is gone on vacation, I think Frank thinks that I'm supposed to be taking over all of her responsibilities. He asked me to fiddle around with a couple documents and do whatever I thought was "necessary and proper" to them so that the forms would work with the current situation. How the heck am I supposed to know what is necessary and proper? I only started working here a week ago and I know absolutely nothing about accounting. I thought I was hired for easy jobs so that all I had to do was be blindly obedient to Melodie. You know, be willing to file and scan without having to know any details about what I was filing and scanning. So I was stressed for about ten minutes, staring at this document on the computer screen that I was supposed to be changing, sweat gathering in my palms. Finally, I got up the courage to go tell Frank that I had absolutely no idea what I was doing and he just said, "Oh, that's okay. It was a stretch anyway. I just wanted to give you a shot at it." Relieved, I walked back to my cubicle and looked at the terrifying document, hopefully for the last time. I just hope Frank doesn't feel the need to give me any more opportunities to progress in the accounting world. That's a land in which I have no wish to travel.

A Year of Firsts

2008-06-21T14:59:00.000-07:00

So with all this time to relax this summer, I've been thinking (rare occurrence, I know) about all the things I've done in the past year and I realized that this has been a year of firsts. So here are some things I did for the first time in the past year:

Stole couch cushions (with every intention of giving them back, I assure you)
Looked in the mirror and wished I hadn't worked out the week before
Made a snowman (or a snow-woman in this case). We made the Venus De Milo.
Rode in a convertible with the top down.
Lit a match. I'd only done it the extremely old-fashioned way before.
Participated in a human pyramid.
Ate at Ihop. While the trip was fun, I've had better pancakes.

Well, I've accomplished a lot this year as you can see. (Haha!)

Becoming a Blogger

2008-06-20T23:29:00.000-07:00

So I'm starting to feel guilty about the fact that I don't email too much anymore. I know my siblings probably miss reading those now long-gone paragraphs of pure genius that I used to send them every week, so I thought that maybe I should just start up again here in a blog. So if anyone should wish to explore the fabulous contemplations of Celia Christensen, start by occasionally perusing this blog and, perhaps, some enlightenment will come your way. (In other words, if you fancy reading about the seemingly insignificant happenings of a 19-year-old's life, feel free to read this.) Enjoy!