A Sunday Message, Just in Time For General Conference

"You show your trust in [God] when you listen with the intent to learn and repent and then you go and do whatever He asks. If you trust God enough to listen for His message in every sermon, song, and prayer in this conference, you will find it. And if you then go and do what He would have you do, your power to trust Him will grow, and in time you will be overwhelmed with gratitude to find that He has come to trust you."

—Henry B. Eyring, "Trust in God, Then Go and Do"

We're Doing Ok

I may or may not have mentioned this, but a few weeks ago on my way to pick up my sister from the airport I got in a minor accident with her whale of a car (ok, it was in a grocery store parking lot, so it was a bit of a detour). I don't think it was a big deal, it was the first driving problem of any kind I've had so I've been lucky, and my dad just told me to give him the info, and he took care of it (I don't even know what happened with the whole thing). I felt dumb and embarrassed, but he was very understanding and said something to me that keeps coming back to my memory when something negative but minor happens. New life-helping motto:

"If this is the worst thing that has happened to you all day/week/year, then you are doing ok."

I have an incredibly blessed life, and when something small happens, like ending up paying more for groceries at the more expensive store because I thought the bagels were buy one get one free but you really needed a coupon, or having to wake up early to go to work when all I want is to sleep forever, I remember this idea. I don't know why, but it helps me keep my mind right, keep my perspective where it needs to be.

Unrelated picture that I found and loved:

Henry David Sometimes Describes My Life Goals Better Than I Can

"I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours... If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them." -Henry David Thoreau

Oh, Bright Eyes.

I need to find me a coyote.

 

Things i've found on the web that you should check out if you are bored

http://kristinandkayla.blogspot.com
The Mormon phenomenon when you type "why are" in the Google search bar
http://www.lunchbeat.org/

But most importantly, check out the customer reviews of the product found at this address: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MSA9AQ?ie=UTF8&ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Girl Chat

For my Health and Human Relations class we were asked to find a quote on romantic love, and I instantly thought of this one, so I thought I'd throw it up here since I've been so post-y lately. Actually always. Anyways:

"What really matters is that he will love you, that he will respect you, that he will honor you, that he will be absolutely true to you, that he will give you the freedom of expression and let you fly in the development of your own talents. He is not going to be perfect, but if he is kind and thoughtful, if he knows how to work and earn a living, if he is honest and full of faith, the chances are you will not go wrong, that you will be immensely happy.” Gordon B. Hinckley

Ok, let me hear it: "Aaawwwww."

If only every boy and every man would read this and really take it to heart. Because this is gold, right here. This is all we want, guys.

Sure, being really attractive and the ideal height and sporting some muscles and having physical strength to literally sweep me off my feet would be really nice. And I am such a sucker for chocolate brown puppy-dog eyes, although I wouldn't say no to a nice pair of baby blues either. Having similar tastes in music and hobbies and movies and food would all be bonuses (although not all the same of course—I don't want to marry myself.)  A great and compatible-with-mine sense of humor is pretty important to me.

I guess there are a multitude of little qualities I can think of that if it were possible to request, I probably would. Although I will never forget the line of 500 Days of Summer: "She's better than the girl of my dreams...She's real." So maybe I wouldn't. But it would still be amazing to have a guy that would sing Beach Baby by Bon Iver to me at night while cuddling me to sleep, and that is probably not something that will just spontaneously come true.

Ok, yeah, I said the word marry, no avoiding that any longer.

Is now the right time for that, for me? I say unto you, nay.

But someday, I just hope to find someone who is on the same page as El Profeta, who, in my opinion, has got it right.

Good Things Come To Those Who Talk About Them

This thing about surprising things coming true that you have unintentionally put out into the universe that I talked about once on here has once again struck. Maybe it's just that you talk and think about the things you are working to get anyway. Or maybe it is just a kind of good karma blessing to bring a little "well, whaddya know?" wonder to the world. (Ok, now I'm making it sound like a bigger deal than it actually is). I just suddenly remembered one of my first posts, written exactly a year ago, in which I thanked my lucky musical stars for being great. And if you had told me then that by one month from now (assuming all goes according to plan) I will have seen in concert—even if sneakily from up on a hill—each of the bands I had thanked, except for those who are no longer with us, I would have probably laughed and cried, in disbelief and overwhelming joy, respectively. I had already seen Coldplay my junior year of high school, my first real concert and quite an amazing production, but I had basically no hope for the others. As I mentioned in the post, Bon Iver's new album was out but his tour at the time did not include this great state. The Shins hadn't released an album since 2007 and I was under the impression that they were kind of a fond memory to the musical world, until they surprised me with a new release, Port of Morrow in March of 2012. The xx, as well, had released XX in 2009, and although I had found some remixes floating around, there were no signs in my life of a new album at that point. And now that Coexist is out, I'm pretty addicted to it.

Although I did not mention Typhoon in that original post, I think they deserve a post-edit. Come join the club, friends!

Maybe you're thinking "Well these are all bands, and bands tend to release new music and go on tour, it's kind of their thing." And that is true. It just hit me all of the sudden that all of my dreams came true. It's whatever.

(It's much more than whatever. It makes me really happy inside.)

Unrelated note: I found this clip from Arrested Development, one of my all-time favorite Buster lines. It may not be as funny when you don't really know Buster, but it cracks me up every time. I'm glad someone else thought so and decided to post it.

I Like These

http://dailyoddcompliment.tumblr.com/

Well, I haven't related my life to a song for a while, so here goes:

The always fabulous Shins have this song that I was listening to, and the opening line, which has always been a favorite of mine, just hit me as putting perfectly to words something that had been rolling in the deep of my brain for a little while.

"One wound-up punch of intuition lays flat my whole take on us."

So simple, yet...it happens. Sometimes the punch has been a while in winding, and the intuition comes mainly from surprising outside sources because you are intentionally ignoring your own intuition.

And then, sometimes once the punching is over and you are laying on your back looking at the world, you realize that it was exactly what you needed.

Sorry if that was annoyingly cryptic. I just have to have a dramatic outlet somewhere.

On another note: this idea keeps popping up, most recently in my health and human relations book:

"Ultimately, it is daily existence rather than dramatic events that defines life for most of us."

Better make that daily life count then, eh?

Okay with being Shae

     I am a quiet person, I think we can agree on that. It takes a long time for me to really show my sense of humor in front of people (mostly because I've had too many instances where my sarcasm has not been understood and there's just too much misunderstanding for me to handle). I've never been the life of the party, and I'm not very good at making a friends with everyone I meet (I think that part stems from the fact that I just want people to like me if they like me, and not because I make them. It's whatever). When I hang out with new people and want to be friends with them, far too often I end up thinking, "You should have said that witty comment when you were talking to them! Now it's too late and they're not interested at all." I'm just a natural wallflower. And you know what? I've decided that I'm okay with being that. No, I will not get texts from numerous people to hang out every weekend, and no, I will not hit 1,000+ friends on my Facebook. But, I will have people in my life who I want to be around and who want to be around me. I will be known as the shy girl, but maybe the people who take the time to figure out who I am will want to get to know me more. I'm not saying either way is better, and I'm sure there's a good medium level somewhere in between, but I guess the point of this post is that I'm beginning to be okay with me. Before, I've always prayed that I could be one of those people who everyone gravitates towards and goes to when they want to partay, but now, I just pray that I can be the best version of me, and that I'll find people that appreciate that. 

I think I deserve that. 

I think we ALL deserve that. 

It's Not Easy Being George...

...Michael.

Nope, not this one:

This one:

If you have never seen Arrested Development, then this probably means nothing to you. (However, if you've seen almost anything with Michael Cera in it, you can pretty much infer what George Michael is like.)

He's a good kid. Everyone loves George Michael. I even wrote about this very topic in a communications paper, and the instructor wrote to the side "But I love George Michael!" It's just, my sisters tell me all the time how much I'm like him, and I have to say that it is pretty true. I don't really feel like him when going about my daily life at the moment, but when I get back with all of my family, I feel like I revert back to a George Michael-esque state. Maybe that's why I like living on my own. 

And it's weird, I just feel like everyone in my family has like their set roles, and no matter how we change, we will always have that role, because we won't let each other change. I don't know. 

I do know that there are definitely some similarities.

You may or may not think this is funny. My sister just showed it to me saying "this is how you would act in this situation" so I thought it was appropriate for the post.

"You're A Stranger Here."

This might be my favorite hymn. The lyrics have a way of making me feel at home no matter where I am. That is something I have needed so badly at times in my life, and I know I will need it again in my future. This life is so wonderful and has so much potential, and the best part is that it doesn't have to stop here! I just know it, and that knowledge is such a great thing to have. 

Good Advice

You know how there are truths that can be said in a variety of ways to reach different people, or maybe just you in different mindsets? Sometimes I get two of them at once, and then I finally get the memo. I have been mildly freaking out about getting behind in my studies, and when that happens I kind of mentally throw up my hands and run in circles. But then, my two greatest non-human sources of inspiration, the scriptures and music, come along to help me out.

Last night I read 2 Nephi 10, and verse 23 has a section that stood out to me:
"Therefore cheer up your hearts, and remember that you are free to act for yourselves."
Oh yeah, that is a cheerful thought.

And then a song, one that I always listen to when I need to be inspired in this way, "Nothin To Worry About" by Peter Bjorn and John, contains these words:
"Why always so negative? If you've got problems, why don't you go solve them?"

What can I do about the past? Not a thing. What can I do about the future? I've got the freedom to do whatever I want, so how about I just work on solving those problems, eh?

I Think We All Know This Already

But I still found it interesting. I had to read it for a class, and if you haven't already, you might find it interesting as well:

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/05/is-facebook-making-us-lonely/308930/

And because there is a McSweeney's for everything:

http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/counterintuitive-cover-stories-in-the-atlantic-magazine

I Googled it. Only two of them are real.

Edit: Unrelated note to self: do not listen to Small Bump by Ed Sheeran in public places anymore.

Because The Last Post I Made Was So Depressing

There are a lot of things that do make me happy, and it seems that the Man in Charge sent them all my way this last week to remind me they are still there. Here are just a few:

• Autumn weather
• People asking me if I want to get ice cream with them/ice cream in general
• Hanging out with my family
• Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
• Talking on the phone with my parents (holla!)
• Laughing until I cry
• People to play tennis with
• Selling a car that has caused me many problems 
• Realizing that in one year, I will be on a mission. ONE. YEAR.
• Hearing from someone I thought would forget about me 
• An Idiot Abroad on a random channel, which I've never been able to find while actually looking for it

There are so many more things that I probably don't even realize how grateful I am for, and there are definitely things that I also appreciate that go a little bit deeper than most of these, but I really can't say how thankful I am for the help I receive from so many sources. Thank you to you and to all of the others who help me get back to where I need to be, right when I need it most ☺

For The Beauty Of The Earth

Here is just one example. There is literally an infinite number of beautiful creations in this world and beyond, and it is painfully sad to me that I will never be able to fully appreciate even the smallest part of them. And while I would love to spend my life traveling and attempting to experience as much beauty as I can, I also find comfort in my personal belief that in the afterlife, we will be able to do just that. I feel that this belief is justified—I see no reason that God would put the effort into so many wonderful creations, and allowing for others to take place, only to have them all discarded without being understood and loved by all. I think it'll be a good time.

I have some stuff to say, and no one here to say them to, so here I am, typing away.
I don't know what is wrong with me lately. Nothing makes me happy, and yet I do nothing to make myself happy. I don't make new friends because I never feel like it, and then I feel lonely because I have no friends. I don't like this place I am living in because there's nothing to do, and there's nothing to do because I don't go out and do anything. I don't like the school I'm going to even though I learn so much every day that I want to learn about. I just want to go back a couple weeks in time and be home and have summer time still, and that will never be possible. I thought I would come to school and not have to start over, but it feels like the beginning of my freshman year again, and that might have been the worst couple of weeks of my life to date. I know (or at least I hope) that things will get better, some time in the future. And that's my problem: I spend a lot of time trying to live in the future or in the past, and never really in the present. What is going on with me? Seriously, any suggestions might be helpful. Or even better, how about some advice for me, because I am feeling pretty pathetic right about now.

Gettin' Political

Not really. That is something I need to do though. I was reminded of this video, which I am fully aware is an election behind, and I'm sure you have probably seen it. But when it came out, I believe when I was in ninth grade, I was mildly obsessed with it—I probably watched it every day for a while—and re-watching it now I could sing along completely with it. Anyway, here it is:



Still gives me shivers. And yes, I still get a little teary-eyed at this line:

"In the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope."

Is this a good thing to base my political beliefs on? Not at all. Did it set the tone for them anyway? Probably. I have never found it in my heart to dislike this man at all, no matter what these naysayers who are only growing louder and more dissonant say. And I honestly don't really dislike Romney, even though he sets himself up for ridicule all of the time. People keep talking about having to choose the lesser of two evils, and I just think "Show me someone, aside from Jesus and Dumbledore, who could honestly come into office, think up these ingenious plans that will fix all problems, and by single handedly unite the country in order to get everything done. Cause I don't think there is such a person. But there are two people here that are willing to give it a shot, which is a cuss of a lot more than most people would be capable or willing to do."

So I haven't decided who I will vote for, but I kind of have, but not officially. I still want to do some more research before election time comes around (we'll see if that happens). I doubt that either of them will bring about our destruction as a country. Maybe getting a little more done would be nice. Let's just have a little faith, maybe?

(Side note: one of the few things about Obamacare that I know is that it allows you to stay on your parents insurance until you are 26, even if you are married. That alone has nearly sold me. Also the fact that we are like the only western country without an "evil socialized medicine" program. I'd be ok with getting with the program. But then I haven't looked at old Mittford's plan. So much to learn.)

(Second side note: this website is interesting. Definitely one-sided, of course, but kind of fun to see the perspectives of our good friends like Colin Meloy, Roger Ebert, Ben Gibbard, Lemony Snicket, Jesse Eisenberg, Paul Simon, others. Don't get the impression that I've read all or most of them. Just found it interesting.)

Most of This Is Actually True

Also, I believe it is exactly one month until someone's birthday?
We are just growing up so fast.