Thanksgiving Quotes

I know this is later than it should be, but don't whine about it. Just be thankful.

"The habit of saying thank you is the mark of an educated man or woman. Express appreciation to everyone who does you a favor or assists you in any way. Thank the Lord for His goodness to you. Thank the Almighty for His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, who has done for you what none other in all this world could do. Thank Him for His great example, for His tremendous teachings, for His outreaching hand to lift and help. Thank Him for His marvelous atonement. Confess His hand in all things."

and . . .

"How magnificently are we blessed! How thankful we ought to be! Cultivate a spirit of thanksgiving in your lives. Make it the very nature of your lives. It will impart an added dimension to your character that will give depth and strength."

-Gordon B. Hinckley 

in Stand A Little Taller

Laughing at myself, as usual

Sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself. Like when it's Sunday night at the end of Thanksgiving break, and you realize a few things:

You had a goal to be in bed by 10, or at latest 11 pm.
It's 12:30.
You haven't even looked at homework since school got out last Tuesday.
You can't remember what, if any, homework you had in the first place.
You spent more time during the break playing Tiny Wings and watching Psych than checking things off your to-do list. (In my defense, those are two of the most addicting things in the world).
You will probably be taking that nap tomorrow after all . . .
You honestly don't feel an ounce of guilt about any of this, because you had a flippin' fun break!

Yep, this is exactly what went through my head last night. Or, I guess, this morning. Weeeeeird . . .

And, for your own personal enjoyment, Christmas song of the moment: "This Christmas Day" by Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Ruined, I say, Ruined!

It's a Sunday evening, and you are listening to some peaceful music. The piano keys express a peaceful melody, the violins sing a mournful accompaniment, and the harp gently caresses the notes of a lovely tune. You sit back in your chair and sigh as the music envelops your strained nerves and tensed emotions.

Then suddenly, coarse white noise and scratchy splashes.
A horrible, cantankerous squawking.
Crashing, harsh, noise that fills your ears.

You change the song, and any last trace of peace you felt has fled from the tainted song.


Bottom line:
Who decided it was a good idea to put "soothing" nature sounds, like ocean waves and birds calls in recordings of instrumental music?
I will always profess that it is a very, very bad idea.

One More Time, If I May

I need another moment to be "just like err'body else." I hope someone, somewhere, is getting something out of this . . . I guess I am if  no one else is. 

"Love that will not betray you,

dismay or enslave you,

It will set you free

Be more like the man

you were made to be."

-Mumford & Sons

Knowing someone loves you - your mom, dad, friend, sibling, or knowing God loves you - 

It's truly liberating.
It helps you see who you can be, and who you are meant to be.

"Nearer my God to thee, nearer to thee"

I recently realized I had all the verses to this song memorized because I have sung it so many times. 

It still gives me something new to think about every time I sing it.

If you don't feel something while you sing this song, I'm convinced you don't have feelings at all.
I don't know what it means to you, but its message is important to me.

When you don't get your own obligations out of the way first thing, you are never left with extra time to meet the needs of others. My procrastination is getting in the way of my serving others. Someone, somewhere, needs my help, always. Wasting my own time leaves me no time to help them. 

I need to get a handle on things, before I lose hope of ever getting back on track.

No one is ordinary.

But we all have something in common. 

Everyone's a person, whether you like them or not.

You are you, I am me.

Making someone smile is making the world better. 

Smiling is universal. 

Spread love, love is kind. 

You are extraordinary, no matter what they say.

You can do something amazing.

So do it. 

Because no one else can do it for you.

How to Be Cool

Don't go by anyone else's definition of cool. 

You have your own definition. As long as you are confident with your own image, you are cool to yourself, and you are cool to people who are like you. 

Different people think different things are cool.

You may define cool as any of the following (and even others):

Being the most fashionable person at school, with the best clothes.

Having a worldwide high score on Doodle Jump.

Being able to beat all of your friends at Halo. (Or in my case, singing on Rock Band...)

Being a soloist or lead in a choir, orchestra, band, musical production, play, etc.

Being an MVP in football, basketball, or another sport.

Winning piano competitions. 

Wearing a vest lined with ice packs at all times.

Never taking a shower in hot water, always cold.

Living in Antarctica.

Being hilarious and clever.

Being hilarious and, well, not clever.

Getting a 4.0 GPA and 36 on the ACT.

Being able to bake delicious foods, such as cakes, or maybe lobster.

Never going to class.

Having perfect attendance. 

Getting into a super prestigious college and getting a master's degree in economics and having several published works by age 25. 

Never having to deal with the stress of any of those things, because you are a drug dealer, or maybe you just work at a snow cone shack.

Being able to play "Chopsticks" and "Heart and Soul" like a boss.

Being one of those people that doesn't care what anyone thinks, so people like you. (Kind of ironic how that works, huh?)

Having read every Harry Potter 18 times, and you have never gotten into a fight because whenever someone bothers you, you just have to think "AVADA KEDAVRA!" and you are never annoyed by them again.

Being able to ride a unicycle. 

Being whatever your friends think is cool. 

Being able to do a gainer off of a cliff. 

Always having good Halloween costumes. 

Being really good with a yo-yo.

Having super awesome perfectly swooping hair that flows like golden silk in the sunlight. 

Having a luscious mustache. 

Pretending you are a dinosaur. 

Having met Jimmer Fredette, or Barack Obama, or the lead singer of your favorite small-town local band.

Being a professional rapper/gangsta/always wearing oversize t-shirts and hats.

Driving really fast in your Maserati that your parents gave you for passing a Biology test.

Etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. (what the heck is the rule about using multiple "etc."?)

I may not agree with all of these, but somebody somewhere probably thinks "Whoah, they're cool" when they encounter someone with one of these qualities. So all I'm saying is, uh...um...well...

is there a point to this? 

I guess the point is, you can be cool if you want. You probably already are cool. You just need to say, "even though some people don't think so, being able to recite the lyrics to every Phil Collins song ever written in under 20 minutes while making marshmallow sculptures of U.S. presidents is pretty cool!"

Ultimate Disclaimer

Hello, anyone I interact with. I must not be held accountable for anything I say, do, or wear for the next 7 days. Please ignore me and refrain from reporting to school administration of I exhibit any of the following behaviors:

• Not responding to simple questions, such as "what class do you have?" or "what is your name?"
• Wearing a sweatshirt, jeans, and unkempt hair every day
• Drooling excessively
• Falling asleep during a conversation
• Forgetting about one or more major tests
• Acting illegally without realizing it, such as running stop signs
• Asking for piggy back rides to class
• Asking for help putting on seatbelt
• Having a meltdown due to excess amounts of emails (I had THREE whole emails to answer at once today. It was so stressful). 
• Bringing a pillow and blanket to school so as to take naps in the back corner of the classroom
• Telling irrelevant stories about garbanzo beans and "this one time when I was tying my shoes, I kinda got distracted, and forgot to tie my shoe all the way. Then I remembered."

Also, for your own and society's safety, please refrain from using the following words or expressions in my presence:
College, application, transcript, payment, deadline, homework, standardized, Hamlet, Psychology, college, college, college, future, occupation, major, money, scholarship, contest, essay, grade, piano, Sadie Hawkins, food, exercise, sleep, sleep, sleep, test, AP, planning, form, freshmen, college.

Your cooperation is much appreciated - thanks from that one girl who you might recognize as being really out of it all the time and having zero coherence who has gotten at most 6 hours of sleep any given weeknight of this school year.

P.S. Is it Friday yet?

Just Like Err'body Else

Seems like everyone uses their blog as an outlet for their deep thoughts that are difficult to just interject into casual conversation. For example:

"Hey what's up?"

"When they say you go to school to learn, I thought they meant historical facts and mathematical concepts.

What they really mean is, you learn who you are. You learn what you like and don't like. You learn who your real friends are, and why you love them. You learn how to love, and how to care, or you learn how to hate, or you learn apathy. You learn how little you know. You learn how different people are from one another. You learn who you want to stand out as, or you learn if you like standing out at all. You become someone new - you become your own person, or you become a combination of everyone else's input.

You change.

Am I proud of how I've changed? Of who I am now?"

"Uuh . . . I gotta go."

Yet, that would be perfectly normal to post on a blog, right? So, I'm going to take a moment to be "just like err'body else" in the blogging world. Here are some more thoughts I've had lately. Because even though I pretend to be comical, I actually think seriously sometimes. Try not to get too bored.

"As the winter winds litter London with lonely hearts

Oh the warmth in your eyes swept me into your arms

Was it love or fear of the cold that led us through the night?"

-Mumford & Sons

This song makes me think about people in general, and I ask myself:

Are they really in love? Or are they just afraid of being left alone? 

Do they just feel like they need a place to belong in this sometimes cold world?

Having no regrets doesn't mean you never mess up. It means you appreciate what you have learned from your mistakes, and move on.

I like being a woman (or teenage girl for now I guess). Despite my feelings about all the jokes, and the "Woman, make me a sandwich!" etc, this is what I'm good at. I actually enjoy making sandwiches (don't get any ideas though, boys) and cooking in general. And I would much rather do some scrapbooking in my kitchen with scented candles all around while listening to Michael Bublé than go hunting or hang out in a sporting goods store. (Although, I must admit, much of my childhood was spent playing tackle football, wrestling, building forts, hiking, and exploring with my brothers. And I loved every second of it). 

It's hard to admit this to myself, because I never want to fall under any sort of "conventional" category, never ever never ever never. But I can't deny my love of chick flicks any longer, dang it!

Dear anyone who has ever interacted with me in any way shape or form,

I'm different in some way because of you. Thanks, probably.