Flower Garden

{Monet's Flower Garden by Zhen-Huan Lu}

When I grow up, I want a flower garden. I want to spend summer afternoons digging in rich soil around my baby's breath and hyacinths, watering the toes of little loved ones while I splash the roots of my rose bushes, and watch red droplets of sweet strawberry juice caress my fingertips as I fill small pales with the fruit. It will be lovely. Imagine a hammock amid the honeysuckles...

Moving On, Moving Up

Many of you have heard my "Travis story"--some of you in more detail than others; but I think that story has finally come to an end. I did a really hard thing and may have just closed the door between the two of us permanently. I think that's a good thing though--sad, but only in some ways, and still very good for me.

"The End" sometimes means, "Once Upon A Time"...

Psst... It's a Secret...

Don't tell:

I prefer eating cereal out of a cup rather than a bowl.
I make my bed EVERY day.
Loneliness is my greatest fear.
The "me" in my head has long hair.
High heels, big earrings and glossy lips make me feel pretty.
I'm intentionally busy.
I talk too much.
Oh, the faces I pull...
Speaking of which,
I've always wanted more defining cheekbones.
Most of the time I'm pretending;
Although I wish I weren't.
I think I'm more mature than I really am.
I call my mom every time I'm walking alone.
Raising my hand in class is difficult.
My heart is fortified by walls of steel.
I talk to my food--out loud.

Blog idea from Mandy.

Conan vs. Jay

Have you been following the most recent scandal at NBC?
Well, most of the nation has.

And here's what Conan O'Brien thinks about it!



*****NBC removed this video from Hulu and all known YouTube posts. A friend of mine luckily downloaded the video before NBC removed it, and you can watch it on my link to his Facebook.

Entertainment 2

If you're really in the mood for a chuckle, check out these videos too!

It's A Wonderful Life

Somehow, somewhere, I got a burst of life. I feel as though I’ve been holding my breath for a very long time, and slowly suffocating. Asphyxiated. Sequestered. Disconsolate. But that’s all gone (most of the time). I’m alive and well—very well. I’m happy.

Lately I’ve learned a lot about how I see myself and the world around me. I decided after only one week of this semester’s classes, after fighting so hard to get my double major approved, I had made a wrong choice about sticking around in Provo for classes I “didn’t need.” I didn’t feel cut out to be an English major—I don’t wear red tights with a yellow cardigan; I haven’t grown up reading Pride and Prejudice; I don’t want to write another paper. But I was wrong about being wrong. It is so right for me to be here. And I AM an English major—and a DARN GOOD ONE too. I am so happy to be me. I’m improving. I’m learning. I’m loving. I’m living.

I Hope You Dance

Today was a dance-in-your-room-when-no-one-is-looking day.
Dancing makes me happy.

What is Change?

As I begin this new year, naturally, I've thought a lot about my past--who I was, who I am now, and who I want to become. I learned a lot, and grew more than I could have anticipated. But today I learned another lesson, and made another step. In Elder Holland's speech Remember Lot's Wife, he teaches of not looking back to the past with a longing for what was or could have been.

"The future holds everything for us."

"Faith builds on the past, but never longs to stay there. Faith trusts that God has great things in store for each of us; and that Christ truly is the High Priest of things to come."

"Keep your eyes on your dreams, however distant and far away. Live to see the miracles of repentance and forgiveness, of trust and divine love that will transform your life today and tomorrow and forever. That is a New Year's resolution I ask you to keep."

Today I learned not to doubt the Lord's ability to give us something better than the past. He forgets the past if we allow him to forgive. We should remember it--but only enough to build upon it, grow, learn, and change.

Changing behavior is good, but changing our driving motives through constant prayer is better.
Change must be conscious. Change is faith. Allowing others to change is charity.