Colorblind

New years resolution

2012-01-02T18:07:00.001-07:00

Well, the last post says it all. Growing up has been an amazing experience- but I feel like I've only just begun. This last semester was crazy busy and my brain has been expanded. Its interesting looking back. But this next semester is going to push me in ways I did not think possible, I'm moving out.

I know, crazy right?

So as a new years resolution, I'm resolving to blog more often. Mainly to share my experiences to my family and friends at home. I'm really nervous, but hey- I was nervous for college and I had a great first semester. So this shouldn't be too bad yet.

So you're probably wondering 'when? where? do you have a job? how long are you staying?' I'll be moving on the 6th to Cedar City, where I've been going to college, at good ol' George Wythe University. I'll be job searching the first week I'm there, and I've got a couple of things in mind. I've been making list after list, but I don't think I'll actually be prepared until after the first week. And finally, I'll be staying until summer. And by then I'll be going on my first cruise to Hawaii! Very excited about that.

One of my favorite shots :)

So before I move out, I had my 'belated senior pictures' taken by my amazing friend Bonnie! She is a phenomenal photographer (try saying that ten times fast... okay, it wasn't that hard.) and the best part was that I got to take pictures doing some ballet. It was amazing! I love her and I'm really gonna miss all my friends while I'm in cedar, but I don't live too far away so it will be really easy for me to come and visit often.

Well, that was not my only new years resolution- My next resolution is to pull off a Fouette en Pointe. So to do that I've gotta keep dancing, and I'm determined to do so! :) Wish me luck!

Growing up...

2011-07-29T15:12:00.000-06:00

A lot has happened this summer, and to make a long story short. I've been growing up!

In the beginning... (of my summer 2011)

I went to Youth for Freedom and participated in the Andau Character Prize Competition. It was such a life-changing experience and I wouldn't have traded anything in the world for it. I had a great time with my friends, and shared some amazing experiences with my family.
I had about a week's break, then...
GIRLS CAMP!!!
Unfortunately it was my last year as a young woman... which was a little depressing but it made the experience all the better! I did a lot of planning as I was a Youth Camp Leader, and I had a lot of fun taking charge of some of the activities.
After about a month, I went four-wheeling with my family. This year was a little more stressful than years past. For me at least. For the first time in my life I rolled a four-wheeler. It was very scary and I am so glad that I am alive and unscathed. To give you an idea of the seriousness of the situation, the four-wheeler that I was riding was the biggest four-wheeler that was at our camp. One of the biggest models that the maker of that brand provides. Pretty big and scary. This was the 3rd rolling that had occurred out of 4 rollings that took place on the camping trip. When I got back from riding that day, I wrote a speech that I gave on...
The fourth of July! That was a fun experience and it was the best speech I have ever given. I am so glad I had that experience. Not to mention my friend did a fantastic job as well, when he gave two impromptu speeches that were absolutely amazing. :)
After that fun experience, I stayed up in salt lake for another two and a half weeks for...
The BYU Ballet Summer Intensive!!
That was SO much fun! I had the best room-mate anyone could ever ask for, an amazing councilor, (I stayed on campus the whole time) and I met a girl who does TJED like I do! Funny thing was, I found this out after the camp and never talked to her in person about it. I danced 9 hours every day except for on the weekends, and even then we didn't really get a 'break'. We also went to Sundance where we hiked for about three hours through waterfalls, snow, mud, rocks, and right next to some pretty scary cliffs that could be compared to the dangers of Angels Landing in Zion. We also went to music and the spoken word in temple square, and attended a college ward that evening. Then it was back to dancing! I improved so much and I absolutely enjoyed that and feel confident enough to be in a company or take classes at college now!
So after about a weeks break from Ballet camp, I received a call that I had been offered a partial scholarship to George Wythe University! I have been registered and am attending full-time on campus this fall! I am so excited and it feels very interesting to know that this September I will be turning 18 and attending college. Bittersweet...
So to settle any questions on if I am going to be staying in Cedar, not yet. If the opportunity presents itself, I will look into staying up there and coming home on the weekends. Because I am not quite "graduated" yet, (or 18) I still have responsibilities within my calling as Young Womens class president. I also would like to participate in my Ballet Studio's Halloween show, so I will not be staying in Cedar permanently yet.

And on the last few days, I rest. My summer has been so full, but has been so worth it and so amazing. I am so glad I was able to meet such wonderful and amazing people who have really changed my life and filled it with amazing experiences such as these. Its amazing to me how much time flies. My advice to those who have yet to experience this change: Enjoy your youth and fill it with as much good fun as you can. Its goes by so fast. Absorb every happy moment with joy. It will all be worth while. Push through the hard times and learn from them. And when you look back, don't look back with regret.

More happiness.... :)

2011-03-22T09:27:00.001-06:00

http://market.android.com/details?id=com.catchnotes.ijournal

So I found this amazing app, which is very similar to the Happiness Baseline. Those of you who are having a hard time taking the challenge and who have an android phone, ipod touch, ipad, iphone etc. Look up this app in you app market. Its free, and you can do the baseline straight from your phone! Its not as powerful as physically writing these things down, but it is the same concept. If you need help getting started, here's the place to do so. :) Do the challenge! Its SO worth it!
Look up in your app store IJournal, its orange and has a smile on it. :) you'll have to download catchnotes as well. They're both free! :D

The Happiness Baseline Challenge

2011-03-15T13:46:00.001-06:00

About two months ago, I met with a wonderful friend and mentor who asked me to do this one simple challenge that has completely changed me in ways that are indescribable.

I took the challenge a year ago, but didn't make it very far. But I never understood the impact it would have on me until I actually completed it.

The challenge she issued me was called the Happiness Baseline. The title is self-explanatory, it is the habit in which my happiness depends on.

This challenge consists of six of things I needed to do each day. And I had no idea how happy and uplifted it would make me feel.

First, Gratitudes. Each day right after I said my prayers, I wrote in my gratitude journal five things I was grateful for that I currently had, each beginning with "I am grateful" or "I am thankful". It wasn't a list, it was an affirmation. I was writing on paper that yes, I was grateful to my Heavenly Father that I had these things at this moment.
The next part of my gratitudes, was to write five more things that I would be grateful to have. It has the same concept of the former, but looking to the future. I was writing on paper that when these things happened, or came to me, that I would be grateful to my Heavenly Father for them, in fact, I was already grateful to Him for them.
To make things clear, the second half was not an unrealistic wish list, it was reasonable and had meaning and personal value. You write it the same way as the former. Not as a list, but as an affirmation or a personal covenant with the Lord.

Second, Journal writing. After I wrote in my gratitude journal, I wrote in my personal journal. When I wrote in my journal, I wrote about the positive and exciting things in my life, even if it was small. I never whined in my journal during this challenge, or wrote about my stress or nervousness. I wrote about the things that made me happy, the moments in which I was uplifted, and the times when I was about to burst with excitement. For this challenge, even if my day seemed to go horribly wrong, I could find at least one thing that I could write about that was positive. The first time it was hard, but after getting in the habit of doing that, I got to the point where I needed to go and write in it when it seemed like everything was going wrong. It made me feel so much better, and it really uplifted my spirits.

Third, Meditation. This part usually happened for me after I was done writing in my journals. I would quiet myself, and become completely present. That meant that I needed to focus on what I was doing at the present moment, not what I needed to do or accomplish later on, and not remembering what I did last week. This is where I would listen for promptings. (Sometimes I would get out a notebook and write down what came to mind.) I would focus for as long as I could, and stay in the moment as long as I possibly could, then I would set off to accomplish the things I needed to that day.

Fourth, Simplify. This happened at many different times for me throughout the day. When you simplify, you set aside one thing and completely focus your whole attention on that one thing. No multitasking here! My simplifying time would usually be at the piano, at ballet, when I wrote, when I read, and when I studied. It really got me out of the habit of doing several things at one time. And it really changed the way I focused in ballet especially. Now, when I walk into the studio, I focus completely on what I need to focus on when I'm dancing, and I leave all the cares of the world behind. This got me into trouble a few times though, because I would automatically forget to talk to my ballet teachers about certain things like payment and questions outside of ballet because I have gotten into the habit of leaving those things behind and focusing on being present. But overall, its really affected my performance within ballet and has really increased how much I get out of it each time I go.
Simplifying doesn't have to be big, it can even be focusing completely on driving, listening to a song, on cooking dinner, or on playing with a little child. Just as long as you give your full attention to something, even if its small, you can simplify.

Fifth, Exercise. This was really important for me, and I didn't realize how much exercising I did each day. It really kept me going. Even if it was playing the piano, or walking up the street, or doing some jumping jacks, it helped me keep my mind going. Exercise kept me uplifted, and became a totally different experience because of the purpose. I was doing it so that I was happy. Not because it was required of me, not because I had to meet a deadline. I was doing it for my joy.

Sixth, Strengths. This was vital and such an amazing experience. I picked one thing each day to focus on that I was good at. I didn't do it in a boastful and arrogant way, I did it to improve myself and that talent that I had. During that time, I didn't criticize myself, I didn't put myself down, I completely focused on what I was good at for that time and I made it fun. It really helped me stay away from unnecessary focus on self-criticism and negative thoughts about myself. It was a huge shield that kept those weights off of my shoulders and allowed me to accomplish my goals and commitments for the day. It helped me write better, it helped me dance, it helped me get out of my comfort zone, and it helped me help others.

As I was writing about the each one, I decided that I cannot afford to stop doing these things. Its absolutely amazing how much I have grown just by doing this, and how much my happiness has grown. There are days where I feel like I am in love, or just bursting with joy because of how much this has affected me.

I challenge the readers to do the Happiness Baseline for a whole month consistently. It will change your life, it will make you happier, and it will change your perspective on things. Its absolutely amazing and I am so happy and grateful that I was able to have this experience. It has really made me feel happier and has helped me heal. I am so thankful for my wonderful friend and mentor who challenged me to do it. It was inspired and has literally changed my life for the better. :) Go out and do it! You will not regret it I promise you!

Yearning for the Living God

2011-03-08T12:41:00.000-07:00

This paper I just recently wrote for a personal mentor, I've been reading Yearning for the Living God by F. Enzio Busche, and this was my follow up paper for reading it. I love that book and recommend it to everyone! :) Its amazing. The beginning quote was from the book, and is one of my favorite quotes.

“This world we live in is not the real thing. The actual world—which is closer to us than we sometimes realize—is full of truth and capable of bringing us to a higher level than we can understand. Indeed, it is more beautiful and majestic than a human can imagine. My spiritual insight has let me see that we as human beings live far below our potential from day to day. One day we will be confronted with our true potential; and we will see what we have missed because we have not embraced the ultimate help offered to us from our Creator. Life is not worth living if we walk around in it without really knowing that every choice we make defines our lives in the eternities.”

As part of our earthly portion of our lives, we face trials. We all at some point in this life experience pain and suffering, and eventually come to a breaking point. This point defines who we are, and the character we have. This is part of the earthly experience, and completely unavoidable. The amount of pain varies by circumstance, experience, maturity, and character.

In some circumstances, trials seem unbearable. Sometimes it feels like punishment rather than a blessing. And many go as far as to ask why God has allowed the suffering or even further, why God has punished them.

What these sufferers don’t see is their true potential. It is part of our Heavenly Fathers plan that the veil clouds our memory of who we were in the pre-earth life, and part of who we were was the knowledge we had of who we could become—Our true potential. The only way we can see our true potential in this life is looking at this earthly life with an eternal perspective, like Enzio Busche did here. The potential was visible because he was looking at life with his spiritual understanding and eternal perspective.

What exactly is an eternal perspective? How does it ease our burdens?

Having an eternal perspective really clarifies and sharpens our lives. It defines what we do and the reasons behind our actions. Without it, we are wandering aimlessly throughout our lives and become lost.

An eternal perspective is like a pair of glasses. When we choose to put them on, we can see clearer in all directions. Details are vivid, distances are greater, and everything we see is viewed with charity, the pure love of Christ. Enzio Busche describes what an eternal perspective looks like:

“The long hours and weeks in the hospital were, at first, unbelievably tedious, and the physical and emotional pain alone seemed to be unbearable. But as time went by, I learned to turn my thoughts away from myself. One day, as I was looking at my bed, I saw more than the white linen bedspread in front of me. I saw the individual thread, and I saw the field where it originated. I saw the sun, the rain, the wind it was exposed to. I saw the soil from which it took its nurture. I saw the people that came for the harvest. I felt their sweat and diligence. I felt their goodness. I felt their love. I saw that if every act of labor were done with love and care, this world would heal. There would be light, even divine light, in the heart and soul of every man and woman enabling us to grab one another’s hand and dance like innocent children, filled with the exuberance of never-ending joy.”

This eternal perspective gives to us a higher perspective on life. We see the simple things and they become so detailed that they become eternally great in our eyes. We can see so far as to see the end of our trials and see how small they are compared to the glorious scheme of things. The simple things matter more, and the things that used to matter most lose their luster. An eternal perspective is merely this: to look at everything with our spiritual eyes, even through the very eyes of our Father in Heaven.

Viewing our lives in this way extends our understanding in all directions. When we choose to view everything in an eternal perspective, like Enzio Busche said, we “…see what we have missed because we have not embraced the ultimate help offered to us from our Creator.”

We see that the Savior offers us the atonement, and if we embrace His help, we surrender our load to Him, what used to be the burden of sin becomes something much lighter, the burden of responsibility. The load is no longer verging on the brink of destruction, but gives us strength as we learn to carry what is ours to carry, and to give what is ours to give to the Savior. We learn through the relief and soreness that we can only carry so much, and later learn that we don’t have to carry all that we had previously done. And when we take on that light load of responsibility, we can carry it farther than we ever could imagine.

Once we learn to view our lives through an eternal perspective, we learn what Joseph Smith learned in the depths of Liberty Jail:

“And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.” (D&C 122:7)

“My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;

And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.” (D&C 121:7-8)

During this earthly portion of our lives, we must view the trials we face and the afflictions we endure with an eternal perspective if we are to triumph and learn from them. It will bring us greater happiness and we will see our true potential through the spiritual eyes of our Father in Heaven. And we will live life, and know that “every choice we make defines our lives in the eternities.”

Letter to the Commonwealth

2011-03-08T12:14:00.000-07:00

I wrote a letter a while back to the Washington County Commonwealth about a meeting I attended, and I thought I would post this because I got a lot of good feedback. So here it is. :)

Parents, Students, and Members of the Washington County Commonwealth Board,

I witnessed some of the proceedings of the board this last week and a presentation given by some of the student body that really caught my attention and it really made me rethink the character of the student body as a whole and what the goal of this commonwealth is. I would like to make the readers aware that I have different views concerning the matter.

Some of the student body feel that the recent changes made by the board concerning certain policies were unjust, and presented the board with some requests. Towards the end of the meeting, the purpose of the presentation was lost and serious issues arose that could be considered to most, very dangerous.

Recently, in my personal studies, I have learned a very important principle that cannot be lightly overlooked. This pertains to some frequently asked questions by teenagers across the world:

“If I simply can’t do that, how come you can?”

“If you can’t trust me, how can I trust you?”

“If I’m not old enough, how come you are entitled?”

What is really going on in the mind of the teenager asking anything to the effect of the above is this:

“It is unfair and unjust that because of my age I cannot hold the same power and authority an adult can. I desire that power and that authority even if I am just a child. Its my right.”

This common thought stems from core phase, the very first phase in which a person is educated. It is a very serious principle that if not taught and understood, can completely alter and change a person for his or her lifetime.

This principle is called the principle of authority. Authority comes directly from God, who is the primary source of authority. God directly designates authority over certain things to man, called a stewardship. Parents have the direct stewardship to raise a child under the authority of God until that child becomes independent enough to learn this principle and go off on their own. Even then, some children never learn this and become dangerous to their fellow men. Because a child is under the stewardship of their parents who have authority over them, children must learn to obey and submit to the will of their parents. Parents also have the stewardship to seek out mentors to educate their children out of the child’s best interest, and by choosing a mentor with the guidance of the Father, that mentor holds that stewardship to educate that child as well. Therefore, children must learn to submit to that mentor to really take in what the mentor has to offer.

Submission is key, and there is a time and place for it. By teaching a child to submit to their parents and mentors, when the child is an adult and cannot constantly rely on the parents as a crutch, that child must learn through their parents, to submit to his/her Heavenly Father when he/she needs help later on. It is only by submission under righteous principles to the child’s earthly parents that he/she can learn this principle and apply it to adulthood by submitting to the Father.

Submission must be done in the right way in order for that submission to become righteous submission. Only through the Spirit is this made known unto man. There are times when evil tyrants influence our lives greatly. And only through the manifestation of the Spirit will we learn to discern the times for each. This discernment is key to submission, so that you personally know whether or not you should or shouldn’t submit to someone.

The Commonwealth is comprised of parents who are seeking an education for their children. The children then must submit to the wills of their parents and their mentors because that parent and mentor have the stewardship delegated to them under the authority of God, and equal responsibility to seek out the best interest of the child, even if the child does not see the big picture in where their best interest lies. The Board members have this authority to teach their children righteous and correct principles, even if the children disagree.

In 2^nd Samuel Chapter 6:1-7 it reads:

“Again, David gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand.

And David arose, and went with all the people that were with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whose name is called by the name of the Lord of hosts that dwelleth between the cherubims.

And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart.

And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab which was at Gibeah, accompanying the ark of God: and Ahio went before the ark.

And David and all the house of Israel played before the Lord on all manner of instruments made of fir wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals.

And when they came to Nachon’s threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it.

And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.”

In seminary, we read this and at first I thought, “How unfair! How unjust!” But it was not until a seminary teacher had explained it to me until I realized how serious this situation was.

The Ark of the Covenant was a precious artifact to the Israelites, and was pretty much a mobile temple altar in which the prophet –which was at the time David- communicated with God. It was so sacred that God commanded that nobody were to touch it unless commanded to do so by Him. It was strictly observed. The Israelites carried it using poles that could be inserted through the bottom on the ends of the ark, so that when they carried it, that they did not come in direct contact with the ark. The situation here, is that two of the sons of Abinidab were instructed to move the ark from one place to another, which was a huge honor. So, to help transport the ark, Ahio and Uzzah placed the ark upon a cart driven by oxen. The oxen shook the cart, and Uzzah placed his hand upon the ark for the purpose of steadying it. God did not make any exception for Uzzah and smote him because he had disobeyed the commandment to not touch the ark.

My seminary teacher likened this story unto questioning the authority of God, which could cause us spiritual death. Whenever we question the authority of our Heavenly Father by not submitting to His will for us, we are touching the Ark of the Covenant by questioning His authority. So by not learning to submit to our parents and our mentors under righteous principles, we are questioning the authority of God and touching the Ark of the Covenant.

When I witnessed the presentation, it really made me think about whether or not the student body of our commonwealth school is learning about the principle of submission, and why its so important. The student body needs to focus on this, and that this is the root of the small issues springing up everywhere, including the ones discussed in the presentation given by some of the student body this last week. I think that if a majority of the students learn the principle of submission, then a lot of key issues that need to be dealt with will right themselves. I do not think lightening up on the policies or bylaws of our commonwealth is going to solve the problem, or bring about a statesmen like atmosphere. I think that strict observance of the policies and bylaws must be enforced in a way so that the students know what is expected of them, and that if they want the education that their parents have helped govern out of the students best interest, that the student body must submit to the will of the parents in the knowledge that by submitting to their parents that they are directly submitting to the Father.

It is only by strict obedience and submission to the will of the Father that constitutes the blessings and privileges we receive. I believe that the board and the student council should embody this principle, which means that the board is constantly aware of their stewardship over the students, by seeking their best interest through the guidance of our Father, and that the student council is consistently aware that they must submit to the will of the Father, even if it is delivered to them by the board. I don’t believe the student body completely embodies or understands this principle, and that until they do, the parents and mentors must strictly observe the policies and bylaws that are made by the prayerful guidance of our Heavenly Father even if the student body at the present time disagrees with the said policies and bylaws.

My suggestion to both the student body and the board of our commonwealth school is this: when seeking out a candidate for the student council, search for a true statesman who will embody the principle of submission and become an exemplar to the student body of how a statesman should be. This candidate, in order to represent my views, must stick to righteous principles and be aware of the authority they have and what the purpose of the student council is. I hope you will see the principles behind this and seek out candidates that stay strong in the principles that the Commonwealth school should embody.

Sincerely,

Brittani Mott

A student and student mentor in the W.C.C.

I'm going there someday...

2011-03-08T09:20:00.002-07:00

The temple is such a wonderful place, it makes me feel at home and uplifted. Its where I want to be all the time, so I'm trying to create that kind of atmosphere in my room.
Finally, after six months, we got around to painting my room. The colors are amazing, and I am looking forward to completely decluttering it and starting anew. Its amazing how different it feels already!
Its also been a pretty awesome bonding experience with my brother, who has done a whole lot of work and has helped me accomplish so much. Brayden has been so positive about getting it done and helping me. I didn't think he wanted to do it at first, but as soon as we decided to paint, he jumped up at the chance and really got into it. Thanks Brayden! :)
I've been really focused on my mission and the temple latetly, and my young womens leaders have especially been in tune to that. They've taken full advantage and have focused the laurel class activities around the temple. The latest activity was creating a temple time capsule. In it we chose our wedding colors, dress, numbered and named future kids, listed qualities that we wanted in our future husbands and the ones we wanted to develop in ourselves, and to top it all off, they placed a few articles and a letter from our bishop to open and read. The time capsule is to be opened the day of my engagement, which will be super fun! I'm really excited and I'm looking forward to the day I can open it. :) I love the temple, and I can't wait for the day when I can become sealed for time and all eternity to an amazing companion.

Ramblings

2011-02-25T09:06:00.001-07:00

So lately, because of being involved with a the cedar city junior ballet company's a midsummer nights dream, I've been wanting to create my own ballet.
When I think of the implications, its pretty insane. I would need to compose several peices for it, (or find a composer who I can pay for that has my vision), then coreograph all the numbers to the said pieces, come up with a story to adapt or create one myself, then find a company willing to put it on. I would also have to be careful and make sure its purely original, otherwise I would have copyright issues, and then do almost all of the production work. I think it would be fun and it would make me feel accomplished. :) haha I might just start from the beginning and start composing a song to start out with, and see how it goes from there. The big guys had to start from somewhere right? :)

The wave is coming

2011-02-23T21:23:00.000-07:00

Lately with the riots, one question and probability has been plaguing my mind.
If the wave of revolution were to hit America, what would be my part in it?

Would I be ready?
Will I take a stand?

With all of the countries rioting and creating anarchy through their protests, I cannot help but wonder what they will do next. I also wonder if they were asking for the right thing.
It made me sad that in Egypt, the government was just handed over to the military. Why?
Do the Egyptians really know what they are seeking?
Will America be at the ready when we are asked what we really want?
The military, from what I understand, is almost exactly what the Egyptians possessed before they overthrew their previous government. In the military, you are supposed to obey those who are above you, who hold the higher command. Who holds the power in the military? A General of course. Who then holds power in the government? The General. A reinstated dictatorship. This is why they overthrew the government in the first place, to get rid of a dictator. It completely defeated the purpose in which they began to protest.

Why has this happened? What is missing?
With all that emotion stirred up in the protests, every single one of those people -including some of the tea partiers here in the U.S.- are living in the now. They are so passionate about everything that is happening right now, that they emotionally have no room to think about the future, the consequences of their actions, and what they really needed to accomplish their desires. They had a desire, but they didn't know what they needed to achieve it. They wanted freedom, they needed the principles that the founding fathers discovered from endless study, they needed the wisdom from education that they had received.

So when the time comes around for the wave, we must be prepared. We must learn now what we want, what freedom really is, and what comes next. We must become balanced in focusing on the now while thinking about the future. The passionate emotions that come from protesting must be channeled in a such a way that it effects change, and promotes principle.
Let the wave come, and let us be prepared.

Horse Dreams

2009-08-31T16:47:00.001-06:00

I am really, (and I mean REALLY) excited about getting a job. I have been offered one, and will be officially working on my birthday! ( yay! :D )

I am very excited about the benefits of having a constant-flowing income, so I can buy my own things. (I'm kinda sick and tired of waiting for my parents pay-day.) On my list of things that I am going to be saving for is a horse. I tried doing this once, but now I know what went wrong. I needed my own income to pay for it, and a place ready for it. I didn't have any of those, so obviously I wasn't ready.

Now, I'm working on getting ready. So that when the time comes, I will be prepared.

My preparation includes:

Building a fence

Buying supplies

Getting income

Getting income is almost ready to be checked off, and I'm preparing to build a fence. I know where, I've got some of the supplies, but not all of them. This week I am going to try to build the fence, and see if I can get it done.

I will post more later. Wish me luck!

Youth for America

2009-07-15T13:34:00.003-06:00

This week I just got back from my favorite camp of the summer, YFA!

YFA is a camp to help youth discover their missions or purposes in life and to teach us more about the world around us and how important it is to preserve our freedoms that we currently posses. I would recommend going, its a life-changing experience.

The original theme for camp was Principles of Good Government. We read these books beforehand The Hiding Place By Corrie Ten Boom, The Giver by Lois Lowry, Alas Babylon by Pat Frank, and a couple documents, For Whom The Bell Tolls by John Donne, and The Allegory of the Cave by Socrates.

Throughout camp we had guest speakers, book discussions, simulations, and fun activities. We were divided into groups at the beginning with some amazing counselors. Each of the counselors chose somebody that inspired them and made up a nickname out of the name of their hero. My counselor chose Abigail Adams, and her nickname was Abby. I loved my counselor and girls that were in my group. They were so much fun!

We had Jim Rhodes come and do an awesome simulation called Lifeboat. It was an amazing experience. I was completely fine until I got up to take my turn, then I was a nervous wreck. I did have a great time though, and I will never forget that experience.

I loved YFA and recommend that if you do have the money to go, that you should go. Its awesome!

Girls Camp :D

2009-07-15T13:33:00.001-06:00

Ahh... I'm home again!

I had so much fun at Girls camp, even though we didn't camp. If I could call it something else I would, but right now nothing comes to mind...

Thursday at 6:30 in the morning I left for the Okurr Mountain Temple! On the way we watched the little mermaid and aladdin! I love those movies. The most intense scenes are always short... as always.

The Okurr Mountain Temple was beautiful. My Favorite rooms were the sealing rooms and the Celestial room. The chandeliers were gorgeous, and the biggest ones were in the main room where you walk in, and the Celestial room. Very very beautiful.

So our tour was shorter than expected, (but hey! At least it wasn't the opposite.) and it started to rain. When we were in the courtesy tent (which was very awesome. it wasn't like a tent at all!), I had to go to the bathroom. Leave it to me to pick the worst time to have to go! It was Literally pouring buckets of rain! And the rain was not helping my situation at all. So, My friend who had already gone was soaked from the trip to and from the bathrooms. And I didn't know where they were. So, we ran out getting all wet and soaked from the rain. (There were little shade thingys but they didn't really help at all.) So I went to the bathroom, and ran back to the courtesy tent. I was all wet and getting rashes on my knees. Thankfully the courtesy tent had little heaters to sit by. My friend and I sat down and dryed off. We had two hours before our next appointment, so we had plenty of time to dry off.

So after the rain let up, we got to the cars and headed to the Draper Temple to do Baptisms for the dead! It was lots of fun, and I am grateful that I was able to perfom them. I was also glad to fix my hair afterwards. It was all poofy and frizzy.

Then, we went to eat dinner at the Myan! That was lots of fun. The Divers were awesome except for the fact that they were wearing loincloths.... After the shows they came out and talked to us (gibberish? or was it Myan?)

After that we my young womens leader mary spoke to us along with our bishop. He is awesome! I had a great time and loved their talks.

Sorry this is so late. :P I havent posted anything in a long time. Right after this I'll post something more recent. I'm thinking about starting a different blog about the current stuff going, cool books I've read, etc., etc..

Incubation: week 1

2009-02-16T17:04:00.001-07:00

Before I start blogging about eggs, I have an announcement to make! Yesterday I found out that I won a scholarship from the Southern Utah Performing Arts Festival! I am so excited! I don't know how much, or what I'm going to do with it, but I am really excited! I went to play a piano peice at the festival, and I thought it was just to do it. Well, when I got there, they told us that they were giving out scholarships. I played nicely, and they loved it! I was graded Superior! Yay!

So, today my mom found three possible fertile eggs. I am going to blog their progress, and who knows? we might have a new addition to the chicken coop!
The camera isnt working in the dark, but we can see some movement, we can't quite tell, so it will be another couple of weeks before we can really tell what is going on in those little egg shells. As the saying goes, Dont count your chickens before they hatch. Last time we did this, we had nine possible fertile eggs, and only three of them survived. Hopefully this time they all survive!
Cya next week! :D

A midsummer night's dream...

2009-01-22T19:47:00.001-07:00

Well, Commanwealth has been going really good! I have a paper and book to finish, and Book of Mormon reading to catch up on, and reading two new books!
This last week we read The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clayson. I tottaly reccomend that book to those who want to learn how to save money, it has some really good principles in it, and it is told in story form. I really loved it! One of my favorites so far.
I am really excited for this next semester of Shakespeare! We are going to perform a Midsummer night's dream, and I have been asked to be the assistant director! I am really looking forward to auditions, and to talking with the director about my ideas. Maybe later on I could direct my own play, who knows? This will help me to improve my acting skills, and by walking in the director's shoes once in a while, I will have a better perspective, and see things from other points of view.
For the play, our class has decided that we will place the time period in the Jane Austen era. I am really excited, because I had performed earlier in Pride and Predjudice, I will be familiar with the customs and manner of that time period. I can't wait to start!
I'll post updates about the play, (when I have free time of course) and will post lots more later!

When Pigs fly...

2009-01-05T19:04:00.003-07:00

Wow, Its SNOWING again in southern utah! This is totally abnormal (hence the title). There are a few pictures I took of the snow. Its a great oppurtunity to let my inner photographer come out! I love taking pictures of the snow. Its so pretty! The only down side to it is that its freezing! I thought the reason we live down here is so that we dont have to shovel snow! It was snowing so bad that the roads were to icy to go to St George! And in St George there was no snow, it was cloudy, but no snow. How wierd is that?!

So this last weekend, I had the chance to baby-sit a pig! (hence part of the title) She was so much fun! Her name is Hazel. Hazel smelled like maple syrup, was potty trained, and slept on my lap for most of the time. She made the cutest noises and I wanted to keep her! She was so cute. A picture of her is below.
I'll post more later.

Crazy weather and Chicken pox

2008-12-17T17:27:00.001-07:00

Today I have the chicken pox. Thats right, chicken pox. Its not too bad, I only have three, (maybe four) spots. I feel bad about not going to the fest and the white elephant party at the Bowlers. Dang it! I wish they would go away though, I might be stuck at home this whole christmas break. sigh...
We also have been having really awesome crazy weather! Its been snowing for three strait days! I am so excited! I'm dreaming of a white Christmas!
I'll post more later.

Nutcracker mishap

2008-12-10T10:44:00.003-07:00

Its been a while since I've written, wow!

This Sunday, -as some of you already know- I sprained my right ankle. I was SO sad because this last Monday and Tuesday I had my Nutcracker Recital. Since Sunday I have been on crutches, -against my will- and have been trying to heal it. So for the recital, I was going to wear my Pointe Shoes, but there was no way I was going to be able to get up of pointe with a sprained ankle. I didn't want to break anything.

The Nutcracker went well, despite my injury. I danced in three numbers, The Chinese Dance, The Spanish Dance, and The Snowflake Dance. Luckily the first two were short, but I learned Chinese at the last minute, and was blessed to borrow a CD with the music from a friend. I felt pretty good about my performance, and the classes were few and small, so our recital lasted for about an hour. -which is pretty good considering the last few recitals with way too many little girls and dances.- The only thing that went wrong was in the Spanish dance, we had prop fans that we used throughout the dance, and in the middle, I dropped mine. I managed to pick it up and stay "snooty" as Ms Taz calls it. Other than that everything went smooth.

So, I cant wait for our pyramid hike tomorrow! I am still going even though my ankle is still sore. I will be okay, its not as bad as you may think, its a very small sprain. There is no bruising and the swellings almost gone. :) Can't wait to see everyone at the award ceremony, and I am planning on coming to the dance on Saturday!

Care and Share

2008-11-22T16:57:00.003-07:00

This Friday the commanwealth went to Dixie Care and Share to donate food and help sort cans. It was a lot of fun and it went really fast because of how big our group was. We asked if we could do another box, but they didn't have enough food to sort. So those of you who can, please donate to the care and share. They go through a lot of food, especially during this time of year when it gets really cold. Plus the economy situation is hard for them as well, they are gaining more families that come to stay and/or get food.

After we went to sort cans, we went to Karlee's house to watch Kung fu Panda. It was great! I love that movie. I also found out what kind of an animal Shifu is, He is a Red Panda. I thought it was funny that they chose that animal to be Shifu, because Shifu at first is very critical of Po. Yet, Red Panda's and Giant Panda's are related.

Last night, I went to Tori's Church to watch The Pirates who don't do anything. It was an awesome veggie tale movie, and it had a great message at the end. I was kinda sad, Bob was only in one part at the end. I think he needs to be included more often, I hardly see him in other veggie tale movies. I love seeing him in the series, he is so awesome! They had a raffle at the end of the movie, and my mom got a box with the pirates on it. Ha ha!

I better go, I'll be going to a board meeting later for the community theatre. I might post more about that later.

Last night update

2008-11-12T14:12:00.004-07:00

The last night went great! I am very sad though, Jen is going to move up north next week, and Colter may be too bust to do any more plays with the theatre :( I am glad that the perfromances are over, because I get weekends back, and that I can start memorizing the setpeice for shakespeare. I have made some new friends, and have been re-aquainted with some I have known in the past. Thanks to everyone who came! The theatre may be able to prosper with what we earned through the dinner, concessions, and donations. I will miss all of the cast members dearly, and I hope to see most of them at auditions for the next play!

Pride and Prejudice

2008-11-10T12:38:00.003-07:00

Okay, for the past couple of days we have been performing pride and prejudice! It has been so much fun, and this will be our very last night. It is a bitter-sweet night, and I'll give you a recap on the last performance tomorrow.
The first night was awesome! Everyone did a fantastic job and put on a great show, we have gained many compliments from our audience, and they were completely absorbed in the show. It was an awesome first night!
The second night was crazy. Jen (Elizabeth), and Abby (Lydia) had the flu that night. All was well, and they are now fully recovered. Jen did an awesome job, but everyones energy was really low because we were so worried about her. Jen had to exit early for one of her scenes, but it was really good timing. We continued, and had a great night. We had just enough energy to give a great show.
The third night was my first time performing Lydia, I was a little nervous, but I had fun. I could not stay focused on being nervous because I was feeding off of everyones energy, and that made it so that I could not break character. I had a great time, and I can't wait until tonight to perform for the last time.
I'll post more tomorrow, and if any of you are interested, please come and see the play! Its at the "Old White Church" starting at seven. The play is free, and its first come first serve. Come early if you want good seats! I would suggest coming at 6 or 6 30.

Really Excited!

2008-11-03T17:42:00.004-07:00

Okay, I am really excited because the play is this next weekend! I feel ready to perform, but I'm still not totally sure. I can't wait! It will be alot of fun!

I am also really excited for Kennedi's Murder Mystery! Its her birthday next weekend, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I can't wait to see how it turns out, there is a really confusing plot. I want to tell the world who my character is, but I will have to wait until after the party.

OH! I forgot the most exciting thing happened this past week! I have completely finished my personal progress! Yay! I am going to have an interview with the bishop on sunday and can't wait to get my medallion! :D

Well, I guess thats it. My month is completely jam packed with fun stuff! I can't wait for it all!

Summit, Gala, and huge shock

2008-10-20T16:36:00.004-06:00

WOW! My weekend was so busy!
Okay so first weekend, I went to a knights of freedom summit. Well, let me rephrase that, I was technically in charge of half of the whole thing. You'll see why in a sec.
The knights of freedom summit was a mini battle and knight training, where boys and girls came and learned of virtues and famous people of the Renaissance period. I was technically in charge of the girls area. We had a Queen, Squires, Master Knights, Fair Maidens, Matrons, and Dark Knights. It was a lot of fun. While the boys went off and trained for battle, the girls were taught how to weave, to play a song on the recorder, and were taught about famous women such as Joan of Arc, Anna Commena, Queen Isabella, Status of Women and other famous people as well. We had each of the older girls portray one of these women. I was Joan of Arc, and went into battle at the end. This all happened in a two day period.
The first day went great, I had loads of help from Kristen, who was in charge of everything the girls did. It was a lot of fun and we couldn't wait for the next day.
The second half of the first day, one of the girls were running by the bathroom and tripped in high heels. She was really embarrassed, and didn't want to cry in front of all the girls. On her way back, she had tears streaming down her face and was limping. I asked her what was wrong and she was in shock. She told me that she fell and sprained her ankle. I asked one of our Matrons, knowing that this needed to be fixed, to go and find my mom, and told her that she had ice with her and to go and get it. My intention was to stay and comfort the girl until she returned. Well, the lady that I had asked was pregnant, and the other matron said "You know, she is nine months pregnant and I dont think you want to ask her." I was embarrassed, and thought I had offended them, so I told them that I would be right back and I carried her because she could not walk to the other side of the park where other matrons were and closest to the ice my mom had. It took so much of my time and strength, they were all concerned for her and were very willing to help. I thought nothing of it until the next day of summit.
A couple days before, My friend Bonnie, who was participating in this event with me invited me to a Gala at George Withe College. I brought my prom dress with me and went to Bonnie's house to get ready. Well, I had one pair of clothes with me, which were the ones I wore under my costume at the summit. I thought I would be able to go home and change and I wouldn't have to worry about it the next day. Becky, Bonnie's mom, did my hair and it looked very pretty. So, we went all the way to cedar city and got to the Gala a little late. It was Awkward at first, because everyone our age were girls, and the only boys who were close to my age were the ones I came with, which are Chris, Jordan (Bonnie's older bro.), Tanner, and Brance. I danced with Chris, Brance, another guy who I didn't know, Bonnie, and Karlee. It was fun, until Bonnie started pairing up people. She had tried to set me up with three people, two of which I stopped. All of which were alot older than me, and were not the cutest guys around. YET, she would get really cute girls for Chris, Jordan, Tanner and Brance. I think she did that just to bug me. Anyway, we had a great time. On the way back, My Mom called and said that I could sleep over at Bonnie's house then go over to Knights of Freedom and get a ride with Bonnie. I wasn't thinking, and thought it would be just fine. When I got back I realised I had no pajamas, and I couldn't really borrow any of Bonnies clothes because she is four times smaller than I am, and her mom is a lot skinnier than I. I felt so gross when I got to Knights of Freedom the next day. At least I had a costume on over everything.
So the next day of Summit went a lot worse than the first day, for me anyway. Kristen did not show up, and for the first half of the day I was completely lost. I had two matrons with me, (the ones who were not willing to help me with the girl who sprained her ankle) and I felt like they were not getting anything done. There was one point after lunch, where the girls were doing nothing. I talked to the matrons and asked them when we were doing candles, which was on the schedule to do next. They told me that they werent doing candles because it wasn't the right place to do it. We had weeks and weeks of planning, and the girls were very excited to do this, and they decided that day, without letting anyone know, that they were doing other things. So I asked them what we were doing, and they told me they were weaving bookmarks. Well the girls had already begun weaving, and I am sure they were bored of that, because we had three just run off without telling me. I was very disappointed and the girls were just sitting around. I sent for one of the other Matrons, who was going to teach them the maypole, and my Mom, who was going to teach them a song on the recorder. After about twenty minutes, they both had shown up at the same time. And I needed a break, and I didn't get one. After that, I was so glad that I was not in charge of the next activities. I had a huge break then, and I got to go and change into knights clothing and wait for the final battle.
All of the Maidens got to heal all of the knights who were injured or had died, I went into battle and healed the knights who were not able to go to the side lines to get help. I also took on the dark knights who kept killing some of the good knights when I came to heal them. I also took on a few people just for fun. It was a lot of fun, and the Dark Knights surrendered. And good was restored.
At the end, we had a feast and a knighting ceremony. The Knighing ceremony was awesome, and the food was great! I had a lot of fun, even though some things went wrong. I felt a little jipped though, because the older Maidens and Master Knights had a lot of work, yet, they didn't get a certificate. So me and my mom are working on awards for the older kids. Its a secret and I'm not going to tell what it is yet.

So now we're at the huge shock. My Grandma called me and told me that she was inviting a director to pride and prejudice who is interested in meeting me! The Director won Director of the year 2008, and I am really excited to meet him. I was shocked, and now I am nervous, and I want to meet him before the play, but I don't know how that is possible with it being so close and everything. So I am working really hard on my lines, and trying to put as much realism in them as possible, no matter what happens, I still want to participate in the Community theatre.

Anyway, I better go, Sorry I haven't updated in forever, If you want to know more about the knights of freedom, go to this website: http://web.mac.com/bradmott/iWeb/knights/Home.html
There are loads of pictures.

Birthday and Pride and Prejudice Dinner

2008-09-29T16:01:00.005-06:00

As all of you have guessed, Sunday was my birthday. They changed our fast Sunday to this last week, so it fell on the day of my birthday. And I didn't notice that it was until I had asked what was for breakfast... then I remembered last weeks' announcement. The tradition of Birthdays in Young Women's is for one of the leaders to make a cake and stop by with the young women and sing to them. They didn't come before church, so they just brought the cake TO church during Young Women's. I held the cake most of the time and everyone wanted to hold it, (hmm, I wonder why...) I left it in the hands of a leader that sat next to me, so I could write stuff down on a paper handout. (the lesson was temple marriage, and we wrote down qualities we wanted our future husbands to have.) It was hard to hold the cake and not lick the frosting off or eat the m&ms that were on it. It looked so cute too!
For dinner, after we had broken our fast, my mom transported me into my brothers room. I knew something was up, because my mom was standing in the hallway watching me... Anyway, after I went to sit down, my dad held the plate over my head. We had Lasagna the night before and they told me we were having leftovers. As my dad held the plate over my head I thought either he was going to dump it on me, or that wasn't lasagna. He fortunately didn't dump it on me and it turned out to be Panda Express they had bought the night before. (Yummy!) After that, my grandparents and my uncle's came over from next door, and brought me gifts. I got new clothes, and porcelain doll. From my family I got a beanbag, toe pads for ballet, and The Chronicles of Narnia (1st) movie songbook (there are two versions, the songs that inspired the movie, and the songs that were in the movie along with the songs sung in the credits). For dessert, I had my cake form YW's and Cheescake with cherry and rasberry topping. It was really good!

At seminary today, they sang to me and gave me a little card with a caramel apple sucker (My Fav! How did they know?). Well, thats all the exciting events this week.

Call me if you would like to see Pride and Prejudice! The dates are Nov. 6th, 7th, 8th and10th at 7:00. The tickets for the first three nights are $25.00 each, which provides a dinner. You can choose from the Longbourn Manor main course (Maple Seared flank steak), or Netherfield Park main course (Sage Grilled breast of chicken with sun-dried cranberry). You eat the dinner while you watch the play, and It will be a five course meal. For fun, it is suggested that you dress up for the time period, although its not required.
There is a maximum 50 per night. Monday is free, and there will not be a dinner on that day. Call me for more info and to purchase tickets. I will be sending out an e-mail with more info on where its at, and my phone number for those who have questions.

Play and School Update

2008-09-12T14:42:00.003-06:00

Well, This week has gone by... and as usual, nothing really exciting has happened. So I'll tell you about the most boring subjects, School and Pride and Prejudice play.

School has been good for the most part, and I am having so much fun with Pyramid, I am seriously looking at life in a totally different way. This Thursday was the anniversary of 9.11 and it went well, we talked about the patterns we have seen in that event compared to other tragic events. It was interesting. That day I found out that 9.11 was declared a holiday, which I agree and disagree with at the same time. The reason why I agree, is that we should remember those who died in helping with the evacuation of the Trade Center, and remembering the people in the flight that had fought to keep a plane from hitting the white house. I disagree with this because we are making a fun holiday out of a major disaster that happened, and glorifying the terrorists in a way. I really don't think we should celebrate it as a fun joyous holiday because it was such a tragic event. I think we should treat this holiday as memorial day, as a solemn day of remembrance.

So, enough of doom and gloom, Play practice went well. I am currently working on memorising my lines, and working on staying in character. Only two scenes left to block until my least favorite scene. :( Well, I really hope that its not as bad as it looks on paper. I will quit thinking about it, and just work on the other stuff so it doesn't get to me.

My Birthday is coming up and I'm really excited! I will be turning 15 in 16 days! I am so excited!
I will put a countdown clock on the top eventually.

Longest Post Ever

2008-08-29T15:49:00.004-06:00

Hey sorry I haven't posted in a while... So many things have happened in the past few weeks, I have not had any time whatsoever to play on the computer. So be prepared this post is going to be extra long.

Logan trip
First I will start with this trip. I went to visit Laekin in Logan, (ha that rhymes!) that was really fun! We stayed up almost all night with LaCretia, Rachel, Mavanee, and a lot later, Laekin, talking about school, commanwealth, church, and family. It was really cool. Then the next afternoon, Laekin, Mavanee, Mayree, their Dad, and I went to go and see the Traveling Dunlap Broadside. (Aka copy of the declaration of independance) In the second floor of the Capital Building, there was a huge circle blocked off, and people were standing around the declaration of independance. So we decided to go into the opening to look at it really close. When we got there this guy started talking to us, and asked us how long we had been in line... Laekin and I were like, there's a line? We looked around, and all the way behind the pillars, there was a line, and it circled all the way around the spot where it was. So we moved out of the circle, and out of the way of all the people. We later decided (after much deliberation) that we would watch the movie about it downstairs. After we learned more about it, we walked back upstairs and decided that we would zoom in on my camera and take some pictures on the outside of the circle. (I thought they turned out really good.) Then we had to leave. After that we went to Deer Valley to watch the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Concert! It was so amazing!!! I have two of the songs they sang on my ipod and I love listening to them! The only downside was that it was really cold... and a guy behind us was carried out of the concert on a stretcher... I don't know what happened, but I think it was the elevation. :( It was my very first concert of any kind ever!
The next day Laekin and I hung out at the house and talked, then our moms invited us over to their training to be a jury in a simulation! That was really fun! It was my first time being in a simulation jury, but I was not new to the whole thing. I was on a jury for Youth court one time, and that was fun. Youth court gives you so many hours of community service rather than time in juvenile jail (if I spelled and worded it right). I was volunteering from the SERT team and the CERT team. (School emergency response team and Community emergency response team) I had fun with that. Anyway back on subject. After that, Laekin and I took her dogs on a walk up to the little canal by her house to swim. That was fun too. Owen (one of her dogs) Swam the entire time, while Bellanie (her other dog) just got in, and out. She is such a cute dog! She was so insecure the whole time, she would sit right by Laekin, and just watch Owen swim. Laekin coaxed her to swim for about five minutes, and that was the longest she had been in the water since we got there. After we were done and walking home, Owen found a little ditch that he wanted to swim in, and started pulling me to the ditch. It was funny, we knew it was way too shallow for him to swim in, it would have just come up to his knees, but he thought it was deep enough, and he was preparing to jump. Laekin and I traded dogs, and she pulled him away. Right when we got done walking the dogs, my grandma came to pick us up. So we decided to take a few quick pictures. We did the spy pose and a few other poses, it was fun! Their house is beautiful and so is their garden! it took them a long time to fix it the way they wanted it. But Im sure it was worth it in the end. I cried as we were pulling out of their driveway, and I laughed too, on the radio the song A Candle in the Wind was playing. I had an awesome time there and cant wait to visit them again!

Bryce Canyon
So secondly, we visited bryce canyon. To see pictures and stuff, go to the Mott Family Blog, a link is on the right hand corner.

First Day of School
The first week of Commanwealth was fun! We were introduced to our classes and I don't have as much as I thought I would to do. The Meyers Visited, and I've seen a whole lot of people that I haven't seen in a long time. Shakespeare is a huge class and there are more boys than girls so the girls wont have to play boy parts! Wo hoo! There are lots of new kids, and I can't wait to get to know them better.

Anyway I better go and I'll try to post more often.
Cya!

Play and Seminary

2008-08-10T18:24:00.007-06:00

So first of all, I am in yet another play. Pride and Prejudice. At first that sounds exciting until you hear what part I got.

(dun dun dun...) Lydia.

So if you haven't read the book or watched the movie, my character decides to run off with a soldier and get married. So my part is really pathetic... But I shouldn't complain, beggers (or auditioners) can't be choosers.

Her character is so girly it bugs me. This is what Lydia would act like if she was a modern girl: "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Boys! Dances! Boys! Especially the boys in uniform! BOYS! AHH! Oh, and did I mention boys?" or...
"Wickam is SOOOOOOO CUTE! *scream* Oh my gosh!"
See my point? So not me...

Also, one of the guys in my ward got the main part of Mr Darcy! I am really excited for him, and can't wait to see him play that character! (I know he can pull it off, but I can't picture him doing it in my mind yet.)

So that will be fun to go and see, I'll e-mail when its at and where it will be. (for those of you in Much Ado, it was at that theatre where we performed the benefit night.) I don't know exactly when, but I think maybe in october or november. Most likely october.

So I started Seminary when school started, and I like it. I was assigned as the music person, so every time I go to seminary I have to pick a hymn, make sure someone is playing the piano and conducting the song, and see if the person who has devotional that day has a song, if not, then pick one that suits the topic. The first day I was a little nervous and uncomfortable, but I think I am getting used to it cause today I felt more comfortable. I think thats a good thing,

Still have a trip to logan to go! I also am going to bryce the week after that. Then I will be home for the rest of the month in september. Which is the month of my birthday! I'll be fifteen! Which means.... drivers ed! A pretty scary thought if you really think about it...

One more to go!

2008-07-29T12:14:00.004-06:00

Since I have nothing better to post, this one will be about my third trip to salt lake in a row... *sigh*

Well, to start off, we stayed at my aunts house, and hung out at the gateway. We didn't buy anything, but it was fun to look. I'd like to go shop for school clothes there, or at the mall down south at least.

Then the next morning we went to the days of 47 parade! We saw president Thomas S Monson in the parade! But since he was in a car that was moving, I couldn't go shake his hand... Oh well, at least we saw him! I think that was the coolest part of the parade! Anyway, there were alot of cool floats, and we stayed for a while, but it was really hot and we wanted to leave before the traffic got bad so we left really early.

Later that day we went to our family reunion or 24th of july party. At the reunion we sew quilts, hang out, have dinner, and at the end of the party do our own fireworks. Its really fun, I got to visit and talk with my relatives that I havent seen in a while.

After that, we went to my aunt and uncles house to go pack up for a small camping trip. We went over to the "Pet Cemetary" (dont ask me why its called that, because I really dont know.) which is across utah lake. I dont really remember how to get there, but I got a few pictures. Its really rocky over there and its a little difficult to drive ATV's on because of the bumpy rocks. We went on a trail ride over where they do rock crawling, (With jeeps and trucks) All of the rock was ruined and black with tire marks and oil, it was sad because it would have been a nice place to take pictures... but we had fun putting puzzles together, and riding atv's around the campsite.

I also finished 'Eclipse'! I didn't like the ending very much, and the only reason I am going to read the next book is to find out how the wedding goes. I wont say anything else because it might ruin the books for some who havent read it. While I'm waiting for 'Breaking Dawn' to come out, I am occupying myself with 'Pride and Prejudice', Its really good, but sometimes you have to go back and see who's saying what, because of how its written, but its still awesome!

Well I guess I'll quit rambling on about reading... I'll post more cool stuff later.

Youth Confrence

2008-07-21T12:12:00.003-06:00

Sigh... yet another trip to salt lake... I dunno about you, but I am pretty much tired of traveling back and forth!

This past weekend I went to Youth Confrence, usually we would do it somewhere closer, but since the rise of gas prices, the bishop decided to let us go all out for one last time. So henceforth, our ward will never travel that far for youth confrence again. Unless by some miracle, that gas prices will lower to a resonable price.

The first day, we went to fillmore, where the first capital of Utah was built. They decided to name the city after the President at the time, which was President Millard Fillmore. They drew out the plans, and it looked great! After they built one section of the capital building, they didn't have enough funding to complete the project, and moved the capital to Salt Lake City. The building was then used for the city of fillmore.

We also went to the humanitarian center. We took a quick tour, and saw how they sort clothes to send to places in need. At the humanitarian Center they also send blankets, baby kits, stuff for orphanages, medical supplies, hygeine kits, clean water and food. That was a cool experience.

After that, we went to "This is the Place" Monument, where there is a pioneer village with people dressed as Pioneers. You can go and explore the houses, ride ponies, ride in a horsecart, make stuff, have relay races, ride a train car around the village, and if you get hungry, at the hotel there is a resturaunt. There is also a huge monument to mark where Brigham Young stopped and said "this is the right place." It was fun, but I highly recommend going in the fall or early spring when its cooler.

We traveled some more, and went to Temple square, and explored the temple grounds. We also saw the man who plays the organ during General Confrence playing in a building next to the temple! It was awesome! We also went to the fountain of reflections where the temple is reflected in the fountain, but it was windy and you could barely see the reflection because of the ripples. It was fun though!

After we were all done, we stayed the night at a leader's sister in law's house. We stayed up late and watched Penelope, (with the girl who had a pig nose) and it was really cute! I never saw any advertisements for it, but I liked it.

The next day we went to Lagoon! It was SO much fun! We rode on the White Rollercoaster, the Collossus (three times, I got a huge headache from it...), The Spider, Cliff Hanger The Rocket, The Bat, Rattlesnake rapids, and Wicked!! Wicked was so much fun! But it was waaaaaaaaayyyyyyy too short, when the line was too long. On the bright side, I have bragging rights! lol! We also rode on the Terror Ride. One of my friends, (Alyssa) was with me. There were a few people hiding on the ride, there was this one guy who was just flickering his flashlight on and off, and at the very end, Alyssa shouted "I dont like this ride!" and this kid swung around on a pole and shouted "I dont like it either!" I started laughing and Alyssa screamed, I think it was the only ride that I was laughing the entire time. It was mostly because Alyssa was all freaked out. It was funny because when I rode the white roller coaster, I was freaked out and Alyssa was laughing. I'm not going to lie, or be embarrassed about it, but here is a direct quote from Alyssa about me riding the White rollercoaster: "It was funny, Brittani sounded like she was screaming bloody murder!" The very first ride is always the scariest... and I am known for overreacting on rides. Just standing in line for Wicked almost made me sick! I am such a wimp. :(

That reminded me, our Bishop was so funny! I feel bad for him. He rode the tram that took you from one side of the park, to the other, and got sick, so he just sat on a bench the entire time... What a sacrifice for us kids!

We left Lagoon at four, so we could make it home at least by ten. I had a great time!

P.S. two more trips to salt lake to go! *sigh* feel free to post comments!

Trip up north

2008-07-15T20:02:00.005-06:00

Well, at the last minute due to a private matter(which does not need to be disscussed), from the 9th through the 12th I was in Salt Lake.

My Mom had a training course to teach a class in the Commonwealth called Pyramid Project, and she decided to take me with her. It was at the Library in Salt Lake, and it is the coolest library ever!

The Library is four stories high, and it includes a basement. On the left of the picture there are bars. Those are the Glass elevators. (yes I am tottaly serious, willy wonka's glass elevator is not the only one.) There are about three of them, and on each one, there is part of a quote. It reads "A man who lives in a glass house must throw no stones." Each one has a part of that on it. They are scary to ride in, but fun all at the same time.
On the right of the picture there are little sections, which contain stores or display areas. There is a little cafe at the very end, and it sells the most yummy veggie wrap ever! There is also an area that has a payphone and ATM, and a gift shop. On the second floor of the left side there are tables and chairs to sit and study or eat at. Outside, there are fountains of water. This has to be the most awesome library, in fact, that library was voted Library of the Year in 2006.

We also went to IKEA, a huge furniture store. On the Second floor, there are display areas and designs of rooms, and everything in the room is for sale, or you can buy the whole room if you want to. At certain parts of the store, there are little pencils and papers to write the number of an item you would like, on each price tag there is a section that has a few numbers. You write those numbers on that paper, and when you are done looking, you give it to an employee to go and get those items for you. On the first floor there is a warehouse space, that carries all of the items that they sell. The isles are numbered according to the number of the item, It looks more like a home depot or lowes on the first floor, while it looks like a RC Willey on the second floor. Everything in the store is resonably priced, you can go inside with twenty bucks and buy a whole lot of stuff! They have dollar items, and lots of awesome storage ideas.

I had loads of fun! I will be going back up to salt lake again this week for youth confrence... the only reason I am exited to go is because we are going to lagoon! (YAY!) I think I will have had enough traveling by then.

Trying to Bath Tigger

2008-07-14T15:18:00.004-06:00

So today while I was trying to organize my room, my Mom and I gave tigger a bath.

I guess your wondering how this all started. Well, my Mom has two handicapped brothers, (my uncles) and their names are Shawn and Tracy. They both participate in special olympics, and have a lot of fun doing it. Tracy is a little more cordinated with his hands than Shawn, but Tracy cannot dance while Shawn can. Shawn has always been known for dropping or spilling things, he can be VERY clumsy at times. My mom does independant living with Shawn and Tracy to help them learn how to cook, clean, shop by themselves, and many other independant skills. Today Shawn came over for independent living, and my mom made mixed fruit shakes for all of us (which included blueberries). As I was sitting down playing on the computer, Link (our new foster kitten,) and Tigger were out playing with each other. Shawn was sitting in our recliner with a shake in his hand, and spotted a string on the floor and started playing with them. Tigger jumped at Shawns hand and caught his claw in Shawns pinky. Shawn used the hand that he had his shake in to try and pry Tigger off of him and spilled the shake all over the floor and Tigger. I went "oh crap!" and ran to get some towels while I told my mom what happened. While my mom and I were trying to get the shake off of the carpet before it stained, my mom noticed Link licking Tiggers tail, which had the shake all over it. So my Mom went and got the carpet cleaner and scrubbed the floor, and I tried to wipe Tiggers tail off with a wet washrag. Tiggers fur, which was very matted, just soaked up the shake, and I couldn't get it out. So I went and got some tape, and taped tigger's paws with my Mom's help. Tigger was freaking out by this point and his claws went strait through the tape and he attached himself to me. My mom filled the sink with soapy water and we unsuccessfully dunked tigger in the water. Tigger bit me as hard as he could, so we moved him from the sink, to the counter right next to it. So we started scrubbing him on the counter with dirty water dripping on the floor. We held him over the sink to rinse him, and I ran to get towels. I dried tigger off, removed the tape from his paws, and stuck him in his bathroom. Bathing cats is one of the most difficult things I have ever tried to do. Make sure you have supervision, or at least three people helping you, if you ever plan on bathing a cat who hates water. Cats claws are dangerous weapons... trust me, I know...

P.S. I figured out my color pallet for my room! YAY! So now I am figuring out what things I would like to keep in my room... so much fun... *sigh*

Summer Cleaning

2008-07-07T16:38:00.002-06:00

Today I am cleaning out my room, I am planning on re-doing it but I need to get rid of all the junk first. So as of now I have half of my room sprawled out on my living room floor, and the other half is in the closet. AHH! My room will look so clean and organized when its done. Then, I am going to figure out what I want to do with my room, such as:
What colors I am going to have, which will go into:
The colors of the curtains,
The bedspread,
The pillows and pillowcases,
The kinds of things I want on my shelves,
The pictures I want to hang up, etc., etc..
So, if any of you have idea's, suggestions, I need all the ones I can get!
Here are some of the cool bedrooms I like from pbteen:
http://www.pbteen.com/gift/thm/thmgrl/thmgrlsbs/index.cfm
http://www.pbteen.com/gift/thm/thmgrl/thmgrlvft/index.cfm
http://www.pbteen.com/gift/thm/thmgrl/thmgrlcts/index.cfm
http://www.pbteen.com/gift/thm/thmgrl/thmgrllat/index.cfm
http://www.pbteen.com/gift/thm/thmgrl/thmgrltrl/index.cfm
http://www.pbteen.com/gift/thm/thmgrl/thmgrltwl/index.cfm
http://www.pbteen.com/gift/thm/thmgrl/thmgrlccs/index.cfm
http://www.pbteen.com/gift/thm/thmgrl/thmgrldrv/index.cfm
http://www.pbteen.com/gift/thm/thmgrl/thmgrlfit/index.cfm
http://www.pbteen.com/gift/thm/thmgrl/thmgrlmik/index.cfm
They are all different, and are all very very cute!!

Wall-e

2008-06-30T10:58:00.009-06:00

So Monday I went to go and see Wall-e, it was one of the cutest movies I have ever seen!

Here is my synopsis on Wall-e:

Wall-e (Waste Allocation Earth-Class), a little robot who was left on earth to help clean all of the garbage we left behind, while we left earth on a ship. Wall-e was left on, while others of his kind were turned off. Wall-e spends his time collecting things, taking care of his cockaroach, and doing what he was meant for. After many years of being lonely, a ship lands on earth, sending a robot named Eve (Extra-Terrestrial Vegitation Evaluator) to look for any sign of vegitation left on Earth. After Wall-e meets Eve, things start to change.

Wall-e was such a cute movie, and I tottaly recommend it to everyone! I also think it will turn heads and help us with our struggle to keep earth clean.

Linx

2008-06-20T13:21:00.005-06:00

*yawns* holy cow! Who knew fostering a kitten would be SO much work!

Last night I was up for half of the night trying to take care of a kitten named linx. He is very cute, and needs a home. I volunteered to foster this little guy and I am trying to find him a good home in about two weeks. I am currently litter-box training him and its going well, he has finally figured out what the litter-box is for. If you know anyone who would like a cat, or if you are interested in getting one, please e-mail me or call me and I will e-mail you pictures and more info about him.

Not only did I have to worry about linx, I had to worry about six little chicks, (who by the way, sleep in my room,) and a robin that we found in our front yard, who didn't make it through the day. :( AND I had to go to play practice from two to four! I was SO tired, that I didn't get dressed until 11 this morning... I am going to have a rough couple of weeks...

Anywho, please help me find a home for linx, he needs a permanent home. I better go and eat lunch.

Squidoo!

2008-06-17T17:20:00.004-06:00

Well, a few months ago my dad showed me a website called Squidoo.com, its an awesome site kind of like wikipedia, but just a little different. The site consits of "Lenses" that focus on one subject each (like a camera lens), from Ardvarks to Zippers, and many more random subjects. I have one on Acting, you can look at it here, or on the sidebar of my blog. I'll post more on that section as I make them. Its really complex and I worked very hard on it.
After you look at my lens, and leave a comment and rate it, and go look at the other lenses! Type something, or someone you want to know about, or learn more about! You can even find a "Lens" about the website itself! Or you can create one just for fun!
You can also make money using Squidoo too! If you are old enough to have a paypal account, you can have money sent to you into that account if people buy stuff that you are advertising on the site or "Lens" that you made. If you arent, you can donate all of that money to a charity of your choice. Instead of the charity money going into your paypal account, it will go strait to the charity's account. If you want to do both, you can set prefrences on your account, and by using percentages, you can divvy out the money so you gain some, and give some! Its really awesome!
I hope you visit my lens! The more people that visit, the easier my lens will be to find! If you can't comment about it on Squidoo, comment about it here.

Girls Camp

2008-06-16T10:13:00.004-06:00

Wow! I havent posted in a while!
This last week was girls camp, I had a great time! We went to Kolob, and froze our butts off! We made those really cute flip flops that you tie different kinds of fabric on them and they look SO cute! I also broke my middle finger on my right hand, (on accident) trying to teach one of my friends how to swing a golf club. I thought she was going to do a practice swing, but after she had brought the club up, she swung with all of her might and hit my hand as she was bringing the club down. We blamed it on the bishop because he brought the golf clubs and gave them to the girls without teaching them any safety rules...
Anyway back to the positive side! The camp theme was "We need to be 'Steadfast and immovable' so we can reach our 'Happily forever after'" Our ward theme was "the Jungle Book" and we did this really cute skit. We also did a service project for the "Mothers without borders" and our Missionaries who go to africa. We made them picture books with pictures from the new era, friend, and ensign, so they can use them as teaching aids.
I was also offered a free horse at girls camp and I am SO exited! I have to get a job and believe that I will get one soon, or it wont happen.
So, I guess that is all. Feel free to post comments!

Zion Hike

2008-06-05T13:33:00.004-06:00

Yesterday I went on a hike with my family and friends Cher-ami and Makenna. I took loads of pictures and put the really good ones in the slideshow. There is no music, because I couldn't find any. Anyway It was so much fun! We took our time and enjoyed the scenery and view. We saw lots of wildlife and flowers, (including a deer!) and it was cool and nice. We got chased by a squirell after it had tried to get into my mom's backpack... I think it wanted the dried cranberries and apple chips. We didn't feed them, and tried to keep our distance when we took the pictures. And, I havent found out if I got the Job, so I'll post as soon as I find out.

Job Interview

2008-05-31T20:12:00.003-06:00

Yesterday I went to my very first job interview!
How it all started was when I was looking for a summer job in my area via internet. I stumbled upon an ad wanting a dance instructor, and answered it. After a few e-mails back and forth, they scheduled me an appointment to go for an interview! I was a little shocked, and nervous. When I got to the dance studio, the owner and director greeted me, and we went and sat down. We talked and exchanged questions, and kind of got to know each other. They asked me to teach a little girl some ballet one on one, I was very confident and kinda knew was I was doing, because I had planned some routines the night before. Although, I didn't really plan any routine for myself just to show them my knowlege. They asked me to do a little improve on pointe, (and I almost fell doing a piroette... a little embarrasing!) but they were very nice. I showed them my portfolio and resume (which took me all of the night before to figure out), and they looked impressed. I have not yet found out if I got the job or not, but I am really excited and anxious! I'll post as soon as I find out if I got the job!

Spoons!

2008-05-28T16:09:00.004-06:00

For YW's last night, we did some stuff for camp and then had a personal progress party! It was so much fun! We had Sis. Wiser's yummy breadsticks, brownies, veggies and dip, fruit, and caramel popcorn! It was really good!

After we ate a few snacks, we played two rounds of Mofia, and then Spoons! During all of this, the church bell was ringing, we all thought that was really annoying, and come to find that there were some boys ringing the bell from outside. (Half of us didn't even know that there was a button to ring the bell outside!) Anyway, we all tried to go and tell them to quit but as soon as we got out there, they ran off. After many attempts with no avail to stop the boys from ringing the bell, we gave up and went back to our party, and ignored the bell. My Mom was getting tired of it, so she went outside where the bell was, and found a grocery cart left there with a rip stick, skateboard, and monkey bike left inside of it. So she said "You guys better come and claim your stuff, I am not putting up with your crap anymore." Nobody came, so she said "I am not waiting here all night, so if you don't come in five minutes, I am going to lock all of your stuff in the church, and you will not be able to get it back unless someone lets you in." After that, someone hopped over the brick wall, and told my mom that the guys who had been ringing the bell ran off, and that he wasn't doing it, and that he needed the monkey bike that was in the cart. My mom then told him to tell his friends to quit goofing off, and that she will hold him responsible for the next time they do it. So, after that fiasco, my mom went back inside and started cleaning stuff up.
My Mom left early to get my brothers to bed, after my brothers were half asleep, there was some banging on the front door. (At 10:00! How annoying!) My Dad was on his computer, and got up right when he heard the noise. My Dad immeadiately opened the front door and saw some kids running up the street. He waited a little while, (until I got home,) then left in his truck to go and talk to the kids. My mom told my dad what happened at the church and my mom knew it had to be that group of kids that were ringing the bell at the church.

So my dad went to the church, and nobody was there. So he went around our block, and saw nobody, so he went back to the church and sure enough, the group of boys were there. He parked right in front of them, and pointed out to one of them to come and talk to him. The boy recognised my dad, and went up and started talking to him. My dad told them that they shouldn't have been doing what they were doing. The boy asked what was it that they needed to quit doing, my dad said that they should know and if they don't then its none of their buisness. Then another boy walked up, that works with my mom next door, and asked if there was a problem. My dad repeated the same thing, and the boy said "what, we can't just walk down to sunrise?" My dad got furious and just said, "You guys better quit your crap, and next time I wont be so nice." Then drove off. What a fiasco! I hope that the boys don't end up doing that any time soon. I was suprised that they would do that.

Well enough of doom and gloom... This post is turning out to be very negative! Thats not good...
Today, I went into town and bought the Phantom of the Opera music for the piano!! AHH! I figured out some of "Masquerade" but when the key changes it drives me crazy! I love how it sounds, but it is difficult to play. I wanted to get the Chronicles of Narnia, but when I looked at the book, all it had were songs that could relate to the movie, not the ones that were IN the movie. It made me a little mad, but it was between Narnia and Phantom, so I got the Phantom instead. I was watching E.T. the other day, and I now I want to get the music for E.T. because at the end credits there is this really awesome piano arrangement that I really want to play! I may have to wait, because I am not that good yet, but yeah, I need to make a list of music that I want.
I better go!

Meshach Shadrach and Abednego

2008-05-26T11:45:00.006-06:00

This weekend, Abby and I did a skit and recorded it with my new camera. It was about Meshach Shadrach and Abednego. We spent all of Saturday goofing around and making it very melodramatic... It was really fun. If you want to see it, you gotta come over to my house because the file is too big to e-mail. (we added sound effects, a lot of them to be exact. My dad helped us with it.) Its not very long, and its quite comical. The set takes place in my room, Abby and I played all of the parts, and we even had costumes.
I played the parts of King Nebachunezzar, Interview(ee) # 1 and 3, Meshach, Abednego, Guard # 1, and the voice of Barbie. (Yea, we had to have a crowd... so we used dolls.)
Abby played the parts of the Narrator, Harold (King N.'s servant), The reporter, Interview(ee) # 2 and 4, Shadrach, Guard # 2, and the voice of Ken.
We also had one extra part that was played by Chet Flash, (Who's identity cannot be released at this time) who played the Tattle teller.
We had one person record the lines of the other person then we just switched off and took turns saying lines. It was alot of fun, and we want to do another scripture story doing the same thing. I am saving the Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat thing for when we have more people.
How this whole thing came about? Well, we missed the auditions for the frog prince, so we decided to do the skit because we wanted to do some acting ourselves. I am going to audition for the Music Man Jr, but there are very few girl parts, so there is a slim chance that I will get a part. I am gonna call Nicholas, Joseph, Brad, and Danny and see if they want to come with me and audition... (Hopefully that works out...) I am afraid that Chris and Josh are a little too old, otherwise I would invite them. I can't wait! It will be fun to audition.
I forgot to tell you my thoughts on how American Idol went. I was a little suprised that David cook won, but I am glad at the same time. Considering David Cooks background, when he came from a tottally different background than David Archuletta (who has been successful throughout his life) I was glad that he won. I was kinda sad that David Archuletta didn't win, but he will be just as successful as David Cook, so I am satisfied.
Well, Have a happy Memorial Day!!

Boredness... (as abby would say)

2008-05-21T09:38:00.004-06:00

Yesterday, my mom's co-op group got together and did a fun little last day get together. They did a skit about Meshach Shadrach and Abendigo (or however you spell their names), It was really really cute! Even I got to be an extra in the skit! Then after that, the kindergarteners had a grad. ceremony with the square hats and diploma's, it was SO cute! Then they did a few other things, then we hung out and had lunch. My friend Makenna found a baby jack rabbit, (along with her wide collection of other animals.) She also wants to give me a duckling to take care of because their neighbors have three batches of ducklings on the way. I really want to, but I am not sure if my Mom would let me...

I have been SO bored lately! The WCC is out and I have had nothing to do! So, call me so that we can hang out! I have no schoolwork, nothing that is due for tomorrow, so yea call me!

Better go,

Prom

2008-05-19T15:15:00.005-06:00

After I had just finished doing a carwash fundraiser so that our ward could go to girls camp, I went over to Mary Moore's house to get my nails done. She was watching last season's "So you think you can Dance". After I was done, my nails looked so awesome! I had a homemade french manicure. After that, I went to Jill Cottens house to get my hair done. It took almost two hours to do. It was curled in a pony tail, and pinned to the back of my head into this enormous bun! It was so cute! Then Mary Moore came over to Jill's to do my makeup. My hair, nails, and makeup turned out SO good!
After we were done with all of that, We went to pick up Alma, then we picked up Britnee, then Alma's Date, who was my cousin, Sara. Then back over to Alma's house to get the
flowers for Alma and Sara. When we arrived, My dad took pictures of all of us. The decorations were so pretty! Ahnalise was there, and we decided to hang out with each other. We introduced Britnee to Ahnalise's friend, Bethany. They got along great!
Braden (or Bob) arrived, so we hung out with him while we were waiting for everyone else to arrive. Josh, actually brought a date, and Mark did too! We also met up with Brad Bowler and Nicholas Gierisch.

Nobody was dancing, so Mr and Mrs Doughty started a snowball. Its where two people start dancing and when Mr or Mrs Doughty say "snowball" those two split up and ask two other people to dance. After about six or seven snowballs, everyone started dancing. It was so much fun! Actually, take that back, it was a little embarrassing. Mark asked me to dance during the snowball, so I did, we started doing the swing, and I stepped with the wrong foot and stepped on his toe with my high heels. I was so embarrassed. Then later that night his date stepped on his toe andI felt so bad for him!

I was also very surprised. Josh and Nicholas were being really nice to everyone! I danced with everyone in our commanwealth and had a great time!

When the prom was almost over, Braden found a balloon and started sucking in helium. I recorded it, and about died from laughing so hard! It was so funny!

After I got home and dropped Alma, Sara and Britnee off. I slept in my hair so that I could wear it the next day. I was so tired in church on sunday... but I was glad I went.

I will post the video of Braden with helium later. I better go!
*EDIT: Below is the video!

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

2008-05-17T11:07:00.003-06:00

Last night I went and saw the Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian! It was SO GOOD!!! The casting was great! The movie could have followed the book just a little bit better, but other than that, it was great!!!!
This morning it was the Yw's turn to clean the church. So our Yw leaders came while we were sleeping (with our parents permission without us actually knowing) and kidnapped us! the only thing we could do was put on deoderant, and go to the bathroom. We had to go in our pj's without our hair done. So we went to the church, had a great breakfast, and cleaned the church. It was So much fun! Then at one we get to go back and do our Carwash fundraiser for Girls Camp. And then after that I get to come home, take a shower, and head over to one of my Yw leader's house to get my hair and nails done for prom. Then pick up my friends and head to prom! Wow, I'm tottaly busy. Well better go and eat lunch!

Joseph and the AMAZING Technicolor Dreamcoat

2008-05-15T19:11:00.004-06:00

Whew! What a day!

Okay, so I was watching American Idol last night, and I stayed up waaaaay late. I knew from the beginning that David Cook and David Archuletta would be competing for the title of this year's American Idol, because they were the ones with the least critisism and most popularity. They also were AMAZING singers, and made the most original performances. (David Archuletta sang "Think of Me" written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, from Phantom of the Opera was AMAZING! AHH!!) I'd like David Archuletta to win, but they are both great singers and I really don't mind who wins, because they are both awesome! I can't wait until the finale next week!!!!

So today I went into town and bought some really cute shoes for my prom dress! They are white and very comfortable for high heels. I wanted to buy these really cute flats, but my dress would drag on the ground, so I had to get the high heels. After that, me and my family went to Wall Mart and got some stuff we needed, we saw the Bowlers and Mary there! I got two really cute shirts that were on clearance, and cute bobby pins to match my prom dress.

When I got back, I had to go to my Orchestra Concert. Since the Public School system works in a wierd way, when I enrolled for orchestra I was put in a class with 4th graders. (How Sad!) It was at my level brain wise, but height wise and age wise, I stuck out like a sore thumb. After the second semester though, all of the kids accepted me and started talking to me like I was one of their class mates. So I liked it. Anyway, my whole family couldn't come and see me play because my brothers had track meet and my Mom went to watch my brothers. So my Dad came and recorded me. I learned alot and hopefully I will be able to go in with kids my age someday.

Oh, Wait, I forgot to tell you about my Piano recital yesterday. When I got there, and looked at the program, I saw that I was FIRST! NO!!!! I was in total shock, and I began to feel sick to my stomach... Anyway the first song I played was Furiant, which I tottaly messed up... Oh well, thats life. The next song I played was called Prarie Wind. I played that song 10 times better than the first, even though I messed up a little bit in the middle. (I was shaking SO bad when I played.) For this next year, I would like to get some really cool sheet music such as Chronicles of Narnia, Phantom of the Opera, Pirates of the Carribean, I would like to learn Beethovens Monlight Sonata, but I may need a simplified version.

So I just thought of something that I could do for the summer that would be really fun to do with my friends. I wanted to do a Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat puppet show, just for fun. I have the soundtrack, and all we have to do is make the puppets move around on the little puppet stage. It would be SO much fun to make all of the puppets and to direct the show, so those of you looking for something to do, call me and we will talk about doing this. This may sound really wierd, but I am tottaly serious about this! Call me or e-mail me if you would like to do this, because I need all the help (and hands) I can get! It wont be too fancy, just a pvc pipe stage and little hand puppets and speakers for the music. So if you want something fun to do call me or e-mail me!

New Camera!

2008-05-13T15:37:00.005-06:00

Like my new camera? Its SO awesome! We went on a hike today and I took over 100 pictures! I'm glad that the memory card can hold a ton of pictures, or else I'd be in trouble. I also have a picture of the prom dress if anyone wants to see it. Just e-mail me and I'll show you.

After the hike I was SO dizzy because of the wind blowing so hard. I felt so woozy in the car... (i have motion sickness plus the wind blowing in my ears didn't help either.) I hate it when that happens, because then I can't function after I get home or to the place that I am going. Well, thats life.

I also went and saw Emma Smith: My Story. It was a great movie! This has been the second time I have seen it. When I first saw it I cried, it was such an inspirational movie. I was glad I went, even though I was still dizzy and had a horrible headache. Great movie to see if you haven't seen it yet. It is about the restoration of the church from Emma's point of view, if you have seen the Joseph Smith movie in the visitors center, it uses all of the same characters. I am planning on getting it when it comes out on Dvd!
Well I better go, time to eat lunch. YUMMY!

End of school, Prom Dress, and kitten, oh my!

2008-05-09T19:23:00.004-06:00

I am very sad and exited at the same time. How strange!

So this week was the end of the WCC school year. ;( I am very sad because I will miss all of the students at WCC and look forward to summer! I am really going to miss our shakespeare mentor, because he will not be our shakespeare mentor next year... *sobs*

I am very exited because there is a Prom next week that the ZYA has invited the WCC to! Everyone 14 - 18 can go, but if you are under 16 you have to go stag. My Grandma took me into town today and got me this BEAUTIFUL prom dress! I will post a picture of it on here once I get one. Its light pink, and fits me perfectly! I am SO exited to go! It will be my very first very formal dance!

Right after my Grandma took me into town, my friend called me to ask me if I could take care of her kitten that she is orphaning, she was stuck in nevada and could not get to her kitten at the moment. So me and my family went to pick up her little kitten. It is SO cute!! It squeaks, and has gorgeous eyes, and is fun to bottle feed and sleep with. But the sad thing about the kitten, is that we wont have it for long, its owner is picking her up tomorrow. But thats okay. I'll see the kitten later.

Ballet pics, Dairy Queen, and YW's

2008-05-07T10:47:00.007-06:00

Tuesday was kind of busy, but not really, I've had worse. Anyway, For my Ballet recital, we took indiviual pictures for ballet. While I was waiting for my turn, they were taking pictures of the little 3 and 4 year olds. There was one little girl that was very enthusiastic, when she was getting her picture taken with Ms. Tricia, (My Ballet teacher) her mind would wander and she would look away from the camera and talk about how her day went. After she was done she shouted "I did it! Yay!!".
The next girl that was having her picture taken was having trouble smiling, the lights bothered her eyes so when she smiled, she would shut her eyes. Then if she did open her eyes to smile, she looked like she was in pain. It was so cute and funny! After awhile, she smiled perfectly.
The next girl that was getting her picture taken was VERY shy, she would not smile at all. She would show hints of a smile here and there, but would not smile at all. Ms. Tricia tried letting her hold a Hello kitty toy, but she was so shy that it took almost fifteen minutes to get her to smile. It was so cute!
After I got my individual pictures done, I went from there to Dairy Queen for reading the New Era cover to cover, (last time I was not able to go beacuse I was busy) I got a Mint Oreo blizzard, and as we ate, we talked about roller coasters.
For Young Womens, we all went over to my house in our field to certify for fire safety. Our group made a tee-pee style fire and used some lint from the dryer and sticks to use as kindling. (Works great too!) We also tried striking flint and steel, so we know how to use it when we need it. Carol, one of the Beehives in our group, Lighted the fire with one strike. We all tried to light some dryer lint on fire, but none of us did it successfully, so we all decided that it was Carol's job to light the fire at Girls Camp. And, since we went to Dairy Queen earlier, we didn't roast marshmallows. :( Thats okay though, we will roast plenty of marchmallows at Girls Camp.

Front Page, Baby Shower, and 007!

2008-05-05T10:30:00.001-06:00

This Saturday, I saw that an article about Much Ado About Nothing in the HV journal!! And (here's a plus) ON THE FRONT PAGE!! AHH! I got so many comments about it on Sunday, I'm not even kidding. I am going to bring it to WCC to show off to the shakespeare class. If you would like to read the article, I will e-mail you a link.
My mom and I also went to a baby shower! My friends Mom adopted a Baby girl from Guatamala. She is SO CUTE! Her name is Emma. We went and visited her at My friends house the day they got back from Guatamala, and Emma looked kind of confused. When we saw her at the Baby shower, she was doing a lot better, I think she is finally getting used to her new family.
After the Baby shower, me and my friend spyed on the boys while they were playing airsoft in their house under construction. We hid upstairs and got caught by the boys (Darn!) My friend was heard to have said "Girls spy better than boys because we are more stealth like." *as I tripped over a piece of metal and made a loud noise* then she was heard to have said "well, except for Brittani."
I had a fun time, although I don't think I'll make a good james bond, its still fun to try.

Yay 4 May!

2008-05-02T11:36:00.001-06:00

I am so exited for May! WCC is over in one week and I am ready for summer!
I will miss seeing everyone at Commanwealth and I'll try to keep up so I am not behind on my smarts this summer. (I'm planning on preparing for Pyramid Project next year!)

Here are some of my plans this summer:

~Hanging out w/ my friends and family

~Catching up on math

~Playing w/ my animals

~Doing a Joseph and the amazing techincolor dreamcoat puppet show (it will be so much fun!)

~Finding a summer job

~Finishing Eldest and Reading all of the other books on my list to read

~Saving up for a Horse and building a place to put it in

~Redoing my room

Anyway, here is a random picture to amuse you for a while. You decide, truth or rumour?

Ballet Recital

2008-04-29T11:42:00.001-06:00

I had a ballet Recital on Saturday! It was so much fun and compared to the performances in the past few years that I did, it was the best out of all! YAY!
We used our old nutcracker costumes, and it was a blast.
Backstage, we had to take care of all the little girls, boy was that an adventure! We set up little Tv's with princess movies on, and sat each of the little groups in front of them. We told the girls to scoot back because they would slowly inch their way towards the little tv's. But after we scooted them back, five minutes later the little girls would have their noses against the screen, and there would be complaints of "I can't see!" or "I wanna sit up there!". Then the process would start all over.
There were also many fun stories too. Ranging from the girls being scared of the automatic toilets that would flush as you stood up, to funny things the girls would say.
One girl walked up to one of the girls in my class and asked "Are you the big princess that was dancing on the stage?" She answered yes, and the little girl said "You were VERY pretty!" and ran off.
We did not have any one throwing up thankfully, but we did have some bad accidents. One little girl fell off the stairs as she was going to go sit with her parents after intermission, and hit her head so hard that it cracked open. She is okay now, but I think that was the worst thing that happened that night.
My ballet teacher told us that we did very well and she was very pleased. This was the last time two of my friends would be performing with us. Tasha and Kaylee are both seniors and are off to college this next year, and will be sorely missed.
After the ballet recital, my dad took us to in-and-out burger, and the food there was fast, and good! I usually don't like Hamburgers, and rarely go out to a fast food restraunt, but it was my dad's treat. If you go there, it is constantly busy, and tell me what you think!

Much Ado About Nothing Encore

2008-04-24T19:22:00.001-06:00

I was in a play called Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare, with the lead roles as Hero and Doggberry, (Hailey and I switched off parts) It was so much fun and I am glad its over!
If you are reading this and have never heard of the play, or are just curious, I've provided a plot line along with a list of characters.
Plot:
The Prince Don Pedro, with his men Benedick and Claudio, and Don John and his men Borachio and Conrade, go to the Governor Signor Leonato's home to stay and rest after the wars. Claudio falls in love with Signor Leonato's Daughter, Hero; while Benedick aquires his worst enemy, Signor Leonato's neice, Beatrice. Don Pedro wishes to help Claudio win Hero's love, and Benedick vows never to marry.
That night, Signor Leonato holds a Masqerade. Don Pedro pretends to be Claudio, and dances with Hero. Benedick talks with Beatrice, and tricks her that he is not who he really is. Don John learns of Claudio's love and tries to trick Claudio into thinking Don Pedro is really wooing Hero for himself. Claudio is quick to believe and becomes jealous. Later, While Leonato, Hero and Beatrice are present, Don Pedro reveals his plan to Claudio. Then Leonato, Hero and Claudio plan the marriage. After Beatrice leaves, Don Pedro suggests that they should trick Beatrice and Benedick into falling in love with each other. Leonato, Claudio, and Hero plan to take part in the plan, and do their part the next day. Don John then makes a plan to slander Hero, eventually leading to killing Leonato.
The next day, Don Pedro, Leonato, and Claudio take their plan in action. They purposely make Benedick overhear their conversation on how Beatrice secretly loves Benedick (when she really doesn't). Benedick believes them, and falls in love.
That same day, Hero and her Gentlewomen Margaret and Ursula, do the same thing reversed, and end up with the same results.
That night, the master constable Dogberry and her watch set up and take watch for the night. Don John's men Broachio and Conrade are out and about after completing a task that earned Borachio one thousand ducats. Borachio made Margaret pretend to be Hero, and called upon her that night, while Claudio watched with Don John and Don Pedro. Borachio bragged as Conrade listened, and were caught by the watch and arrested.
Dogberry then talked with Leonato and got permission to examine the prizoners, but out of habit, was not understood very well and took a little longer than planned.
On the day of the wedding during the proceedings, Claudio shamed Hero in front of everyone, making her seem disloyal. Hero fainted because of the trauma it had caused and Claudio left with Don Pedro immeadiatley. Don John had disapeared during the whole affair and was not seen ever again in Messina. Leonato was horrified, and believed Claudio. Hero woke up, very confused and devastaded. The friar suggested that the only way to find out who is to blame, is to pronounce Hero dead. That way, if Hero is innocent, Claudio would be very sorry for what he did, and Leonato could take care of it from there. Leonato agreed to try the friar's plan.
Benedick later came to see if Hero was doing well, and to console Beatrice, they talked and confessed their love. Benedick wanted to kiss Beatrice, but Beatrice was so furious that she told Benedick to kill Claudio in order to kiss her. Benedick was not about to kill his best friend, and tried to reason with Beatrice, but Beatrice was stubborn did not change her mind. Benedick kissed her hand instead and agreed to challenge Claudio.
Dogberry then examined the men, learned the news of Hero's "death", and was called a fool, and Conrade and Borachio were sent to jail.
While Claudio and Don Pedro were out in the garden, Benedick walked up to Claudio, and challenged him. Claudio took it as a joke and thought nothing of it until Benedick stomped out unsecessfully. Then Dogberry and her watch came in with Conrade and Borachio. Dogberry told Don Pedro what had happened, but out of habit, mixed everything up and was not understood. Borachio then explained what he had done. Just as Dogberry was about to leave, Leonato came in fury and went after Borachio. Borachio had confessed and told Leonato that it was wrong of him to do so, and to spare Margret, becacause she did not know that she had been used in the plan. Leonato excused Dogberry, and Claudio apologized and asked what he could do to make it up to Leonato. Leonato then Decided to let Claudio marry his neice who looked exactly like Hero, and to treat his neice like he would have treated Hero then Leonato would forgive Claudio. Claudio agreed and went to go and mourn for Hero.
After Claudio had mourned Hero's "death", He went to Leonato's to marry his neice who looked like Hero. When Claudio arrived, there were four ladies in veils. Leonato then took one and told Claudio to swear to marry her before she would take off her veil. Claudio did so, then the lady took off her veil to reveal that Hero was alive. Claudio was shocked and the truth was revealed. Benedick then called for Beatrice to talk to her, Beatrice then removed her veil. Benedick asked Beatrice if she loved him, and she confessed that she didn't, Beatrice asked Benedick the same question, and he confessed that he did not as well. Beatrice then told Benedick that Hero and her Gentlewomen swore that Benedick loved her, and Benedick told Beatrice that Leonato, Don Pedro, and Claudio swore that Beatrice was dying of love. Claudio then revealed a sonnet written by Benedick to Beatrice, then Hero revealed another sonnet written by Beatrice to Benedick. They both read them, and decided to get married. Benedick told Claudio that he was sorry and he forgave him. Then Benedick told Don Pedro that he might as well go get married too. Just as they were about to hold a celebration, Dogberry's watch found Don John and brought him to Leonato's home, Benedick then told the watch to wait until tomorrow to deal with Don John, and continued with their party.
The end!

It was a very fun play to do, and I loved performing it. If you have any questions or comments feel free to Neomail me. Here are a list of my favorite lines from the play:

Leonato: "I see lady, that this Gentleman is not in your books."
Beatrice: "No, an he were, I would burn my study."

Claudio: "You speak to fetch me in, my lord."
Don Pedro: "By my troth, I speak my thought."
Claudio: "And, in faith, my lord, I spoke mine."
Benedick: "And by my two faiths and troths, my lord I spoke mine."

Margaret: "Heaven match me with a good dancer!"
Balthazar: "Amen!"
Margaret: "And Heaven keep him out of my sight when the dance is done!"

Don Pedro: "You have put him down, lady, you have put down."

Beatrice: "Speak count, 'tis your cue."

Claudio: "Bait the hook well; this fish will bite."

Dogberry: "Is our whole dissembly appeared?"

Dogberry: "Pray, Write down Borachio. Yours sirrah?"
Conrade: "I am a gentleman, sir, and my name is Conrade."
Dogberry: "Write down, master gentleman Conrade."

Don Pedro: "How now? Two of my brother's men bound! Borachio one! Officers, what offence have these men done?"
Dogberry: "Marry, sir, they have committed false report; moreover, they have spoken untruths; secondarily, they are slanders; sixth and lastly, they have belied a lady; thirdly, they have verified unjust things; and, to conclude, they are lying knaves."
Don Pedro: "First, I ask thee what they have done; thirdly, I ask thee whats their offence; sixth and lastly, why they are committed; and, to conclude, what you lay to their charge. Who have you offended, masters, that you are bound ot your answer? this learned constable is too cunning to be understood: what's your offence?"

Beatrice: "Foul words is but foul wind, and foul wind is but foul breath, and foul breath is noisome; therefore I will depart unkissed."

Benedick: "I will live in thy heart, die in thy lap, and be buried in thy eyes; moreover, I will go with thee to thy uncle's."

Benedick: "Come, come, we are friends: let's have a dance ere we are married, that we may lighten our own hearts and our wive's heels. Prince, thou art sad; get thee a wife, get thee a wife:"

Key of Liberty Bowl

2008-04-22T16:38:00.002-06:00

Yes! The WCC won this years Key of Liberty Bowl in Nevada! *Shows shiny trophy*
The Key of Liberty bowl is a gameshow style competition where two teams compete against eachother answering random questions ranging from the times of the Revolutionary war to the United States Constitution. One of our class teams beat the opposing team by just ten points, then the team I particapated in won. We would like to have a re-match in May, and we will hear more about that later. The only thing is that I was slow to stand, and did not answer many questions due to our very fast thinkers Brad and Hailey, its thanks to them that we won the competition. We had a great time playing and look forward to maybe playing again.