A Beginning in Red

So I'm still waiting for my call, right?
It's supposed to come tomorrow, but I can't help checking the mailbox every day, just in case.
This morning I decide to try writing to keep my mind off things that may or may not arrive this afternoon (which it did not, by the way)...but it's not working out so well. So far all I've got is the start of a very dreary work that begins with the gruesome death of a child...

I clearly need some ice cream.

Or perhaps a therapist.

But the one positive thing that can be said about all this is that it has helped me make some real headway on my book. I'm the type of person who lets her mood control the work that gets done, which is probably not a smart way to live - but it produces the best results in my writing. I can't quite describe the feeling I get when I know that I need to sit down and "bleed" (as Hemingway describes it) but when I'm anxious about something, or anticipating some kind of adventure, or fearful of some change in life, I get this odd numb feeling in my head that just seems to scream "GET TO SOME PAPER QUICK, AND WRITE!"
Sometimes I get a similar feeling that leads to me spending the entire day reading sad literature and sobbing like a baby on my bed.
Or to a day of watching chick flicks.
Or to a day of practicing piano in the dark. (Don't ask me why...I just like the dark).
But the weird thing is I'm not really feeling depressed when I do these things, just numb. I have a hard time focusing on anything else - and when people try to talk to me I respond in a sort of empty, unfeeling way, that most take the wrong way.

I like to call it my 'thinking' mode, because it usually means I'm lost in thought about something or other. It happens a lot in school or in church - where someone will say something that gets me thinking about something both similar and completely unrelated at the same time...but then the teacher will always call on me and I'll look at him/her like a complete idiot and respond with a quite "I don't know."

Seriously though.
Every time.
And then people look at me funny because I don't have anything to say - and usually they can't get me to shut up...


I don't even know if you're still following me here. I probably lost you a while back.

Here - just look at this funny picture of a turtle, and I'll get back to my novel writing.

Not in Nottingham

One of the greatest things about life is that it is continually offering up new things at which to smile. There is never a shortage of wonderfulness in this world, though at times it may seem more difficult to find...

Today I had the privileged of spending the entire day at home, with no real duties to uphold. Of course, there was plenty I ought to have done, and while I did not - the few that actually did happened happened because I wanted them to be done, and not because they had to be. There is something beautiful about a day so relaxed. It's one of those days you just want to blog about...
But I'm not going to.
Since most of it involves sitting on a couch.
Instead I shall tell you of the smiles life gave me during this couch-sitting day! Or rather I shall post about them, and let you do the telling and smiling for yourself.

 

A Little Princess and The Secret Garden - both by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Read them, and then you'll understand.

This video... ^

And this video... ^

I also watched the latest Bones episode this morning while working on a Christmas project...and sometimes the best smiles come after a good cry, which is definitely what this episode had me doing. With Veteran's Day behind us, a 9/11 theme was only fitting, and also very emotional. But I think the best and most truthful emotions come out in fiction, don't you? It offers up questions reality cannot ask - and helps us discover things we sometimes wish we had never found.
Today fiction led me to a whole slew of discoveries that I'm very glad I found, however, and as cheesy as it sounds - I scooped up those smiles and saved them for a rainy day!
Ha.
You can tell I was reading children's literature today.

In other news... No white envelope in the mail yet :(
But that's okay - I suppose my owl just missed the morning post. It was probably that left turn at Albuquerque...

I suppose I'll join in the posting...

My family and I sat around the tv last night and watched the results come in together. Before the outcome of Ohio was definite, we turned it off, kneeled around the couch, and said a prayer for our next President - that he and his councilors would be blessed to know how best to lead this country. Then we turned the tv back on and waited.

As soon as it was a sure win for President Obama, we turned off the TV, said goodnight, and went to bed. Well...most people went to bed - I went back to my Harry Potter book.

But I digress...


If there is one person in whom I have absolute trust, it is my Heavenly Father. I knew even before I filled out my ballot that no matter who was at the head of this country, so long as I was here, and so long as I put my faith in Him, everything would be alright.

Who I voted for, whether it was Obama or it was Mitt Romney, does not matter. Who my family voted for does not matter. I purposefully did not post online who I, or anyone else in my family supported in this election.

All that matters it that I believe in this country and what it stands for. I believe in the Constitution, in the 3 branches that do their best to uphold it, and in the people of America who will never let this country fall.

For those who are upset in the outcome of last night - please take faith in the knowledge that you still have your freedom. You still have your liberty. You even have the right to express your distaste, should you wish, and the right to either move on, or do something about it in 4 years by voting again. You could even run yourself, should you wish.

If you really have concern for the President, do your best to help him in the years to come, instead of abandoning a man who has undoubtedly done only what he thinks is best for this country.

I am so thankful for the opportunity I had to join in the election process this year, and look forward to the chance I have of helping this nation grow, by supporting President Obama and all the American people in the years to come.



For those who might be interested, this is an official statement made by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, of which I am a member and will shortly be serving a mission for:
http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/statement-on-election-result

Yup...that just happened.

I was eating some lunch, and I thought - "Hmm...I should write a blog post!"

So I opened this window,

Stared at the blank page for a few minutes,

...And wrote this.

Yup.

That just happened.

So...

I'm going to read Harry Potter.

Later.

National Harry Potter Day: R.I.P Lilly and James :(

If you were to ask me to describe the perfect Halloween, I would do so with the following bullet points:

• E.T.
• Pumpkin flavored snacks
• The Village Soundtrack
• It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!
• Little children in ridiculously cute costumes, forced on them by their parents.
• Especially Peter Pan and Hobbit costumes...
• Candy
• Hocus Pocus
• Harry Potter, books 2 and 4
• And....an Alfred Hitchcock film marathon

In the past Halloween has actually been one of my least favorite holidays - but only because I've been at school the past two years and missed all the family fun at home. This year I celebrated by going to the ward trunk-or-treat with my folks on Saturday; helping pass out the candy to the cute kiddos, and the not-so-cute older kids who really just need to give up and buy their own candy.
Monday night I went to a YSA Halloween Party with Ashley Jarman It was super fun and I'm glad I went :)

Tuesday night I celebrated the holiday with my Dad! We watched Wait Until Dark for what I thought was the first time, but part way through I realized I had actually seen it before, but it was so long ago that I couldn't remember all the particulars. So basically it was like watching it again for the first time...which really is the best way to enjoy movies, I'd say. I love being surprised, in a 'non-gory', 'non-life-threatening' way.

Side Note - My mom is watching Once Upon a Time right now (great show; beautiful people) - and I would just like to express gratitude that she did not name me Rumple, or Snow, or something of that ridiculous nature.
That much said - I cannot promise the same for my future kids.
One of you will probably be named Ice Cream - depending on how much sleep I've had before we fill out the papers.

Okay - back to Halloween. The actual day now - Wednesday I spent dancing around the house to the Village soundtrack (which you can dance to, believe it or not) while doing some chores. Then that evening I went to see Luke perform in Sweeney Todd with Greasepaint Theater, in downtown Scottsdale. They all did a spectacular job, which I don't often say about youth productions of Sondheim. Luke in particular was amazing, as was the girl who played Mrs. Lovett. I still have mixed feelings about that musical - because as cool as the music is, the story is just gross. A good gross, but still gross. Anyway, it was fun seeing it Halloween night, and I got to help collect tickets at the door and hand out programs, which I've never done for anything before - so that was kind of fun.

You know what I love most about Holidays though? It's not the candy or the presents - and it's certainly not the stupid outfits teenagers try to pull off.
It's the given excuse to celebrate.
I love finding reasons to do fun things every day, like makes pies, or dance to scary music, or slide down the hallway in my socks...

So today, while I was thinking about all the fun I'm going to have with future offspring - forcing them into Yoda hats, Hogwarts robes or fake Hobbit feet - I decided to look up some more fun holidays I could celebrate with them - and here are some of the fun ones I found!

Book Lover's Day - November 3rd
King Tut Day - November 4th
World Kindness Day - November 13th
Button Day - November 16th
Have a Party with your Bear Day - November 16th

And those are all for this month alone! November is also National Novel Writing month, National Adoption Awareness month...and National Model Railroad month, Peanut Butter lovers month, Aviation History month, International Drum month...the list goes on and on!

So many excuses to celebrate...and buy model trains.
I love it.

Pointless little update. But hey, it's a blog.

It is very common for a person to wonder from time to time what they are doing with their life - but commonality does not necessarily lead to peaceful mentality. In fact, it usually just leads to annoyance, especially when it remains a commonality and refuses to change into something extraordinary or exceptionally awesome.
I hate wondering what I'm doing with my life. It's bothersome, tiresome and sometimes ridiculously obnoxious.
So one day I just stopped wondering, smacked my life in the face a little, and turned in my mission papers.
Then Satan decided he'd be a butt about it and make the paperwork process take ten years to finish...But try as he might he can't stop this girl - and as soon as my blood work comes back Wednesday morning I'm done.

In other news, I've given up netflix, sugar, and all electronic entertainment during the week. I figure if I absolutely have to cave and watch a show, I'll do it on the weekends when I actually have the time. But for now I'm going to read books, practice piano and cello, earn money for my mission and work on my homework. Now that I've posted it online for all to see, you can call me on it if you ever see me caving. I plan on being in tip top shape in the mission field, wherever I serve, and I'm not going to let anything remotely addictive get in my way.

Take that Satan, you numskull.

Ireland - Days 3 and 4

I'm going to skip over a few of the things we did and just talk about the highlights, because I don't have time to tell you everything. If you really care - come visit me and I'll talk about my trip for hours. If you don't care - come visit me and I'll talk about other things for hours. If you are indifferent - come visit me and I'll make you lunch. And probably still talk for hours. Because that's just what I do.

One of the first things we did while in Ireland was visit the beautiful Cliffs of Moher, also known as 'The Cliffs of Insanity!'
Yes, Princess Bride references were made, and Yes, some people grew tired of them...
But not me.
I was still shouting 'Inconceivable' as we boarded the coach to leave.
Because if there was ever a correct way to use this word, it is to describe this natural wonder.

I honestly have over a hundred photos of just this morning - and most of them are pretty much the exact same shot - but even after countless times going through my folders, I just can't seem to delete any of them!

If there's one thing I learned ten fold on this trip, it's that true beauty cannot be captured on film in any way shape or form. If you really want to appreciate the magnificence of these cliffs, just board the next flight to Dublin and see them yourself. And take a friend with you - because this day would not have been nearly as fun without Kay Shaeffer by my side.

What a spectacular girl.


Okay, onto favorite moment number 2 - Inishmore.
I think you could ask every single person who went on this trip what their favorite day was, and most would answer this.

Inishmore is a small island (part of the Aran Islands) just off the coast of Galway in Ireland. We took a very uncomfortable ferry out to the site early morning and landed with somewhat dampened spirits (quite literally - as it had been raining all morning), but still some excited anticipation for what was to come. As a group we all checked out bikes at a local bike shop and then broke into two groups - one to take the high road, and the other the low road.

I decided to join the low road group, as I was very excited to see the ocean. It proved to be the best choice, for it was downhill most of the way, and as much as I love biking, it gets tiring after about 20 minutes. Our destination (Dun Aengus) was about a 45 minute ride away, and that was only if you were constantly pedaling. As almost all of us felt the need to stop every few minutes to take another picture, or to pet a nearby horse, it ended up taking most about an hour to finish - and this was despite the rain that was still falling off and on.

Biking across this beautiful island and up to the base of the Dun Aengus ruins was by far one of the most amazing and unreal experience I have ever had in my life.

After parking our bikes at the bottom of the hill, we ate lunch and then hiked up the rocks until we reached a site eerily familiar to what we had seen just the day before at Moher...
And yet somehow it was a different view entirely.


Not only was the air a little different here (being completely surrounded in a much more intimate way by the ocean), but it was windier too. It was almost impossible to stand straight without fear of being knocked down by the wind.





Naturally I loved every second of it.
Any of you who know me remotely well at all will know that I am obsessed with the wind. Having long hair made it twice as fun.
I love being able to feel it whip around in the air on a particularly windy day. And when that air is fresh and clean it becomes infinitely more fun.


The most exciting thing to do at Dun Aengus is probably also the most dangerous and thrilling thing I've ever done in my life - hanging off the edge.

I was too much of a scaredy cat to hang over as far as some of the others (there was a safe way to do it, and so that's the way I did it) - but even with my head only poking out a little, it was exhilarating!








The view was spectacular and completely indescribable. Kay attempted to capture some photos of the beautiful blue below (as I was too scared to hold the camera out myself) but I'm not going to post them because they do it no justice at all.

Really - the only way to experience this remarkable place is to go there yourself. And make sure you bike it. I totally crashed on the way back to the ferry - had a crazy bruise for the next few weeks and everything - but I still think it was the best day of the trip.




Even the ferry ride back was fun. It was much better than the ride out anyway, as the rain had stopped, and we were up top instead of down below. It was beautiful seeing Ireland from this perspective.

I think one of the main reasons why Moher and Inishmore were two of my favorite days was because they were our first two real days on the trip. The only things we went to before happened after getting off the plane - so we were all very tired and physically drained.

I went to bed on day 4 of our trip seriously wondering how it had been only 4 days, and how they could possibly top what I had just experienced.

And somehow they did.

But more on that later. This is enough update for now - and my mom just called me for ice cream. WOO!