A Fairy Tale Book Sale

Once upon a time there lived a young lady in a town not unlike the one I live in now.  The town was lovely; there were people of all ages, shapes, and sizes living in it, and everyone was very friendly.  The town had a large school that many of the townspeople attended.  They went there to learn all about the wide world around them.  They studied everything from science, math, and English to religion, dance, and marriage and family.  The townspeople were very peculiar.  Some of them would wear socks with their sandals.  Others would wear leggings and miniskirts together.  Still others would tease their hair to make their heads look twice as big as they were.  Many of the townspeople would walk or drive on the streets without paying attention to anything around them.  And once a week, most of the townspeople would go to church and then stay inside for the rest of the day.

The young lady who lived in this town was not originally from there.  She had been living there for several years so that she could go to the town’s school.  After years of living with these peculiar people, she still did not understand why they were the way they were.  But she enjoyed the town anyway.  It was nice for her not to have to worry about her friends in the town doing bad things like her friends back home would do.  She liked that in spite of their differences, they had the same religious beliefs.  It was refreshing to her to not have to explain herself every time she refused to go out and party on a Sunday, or when she refused to drink alcohol. 

The young lady missed not only her old friends and family but the things she used to all the time, for her new town had a very different idea of what it meant to have fun.  They didn’t have half the things she was used to having around, and it was a struggle for her to adapt.  Eventually, she learned to make the most of the experience, and was even able to have fun!  But none of that has anything to do with this story.  I just wanted to tell you about it.  Now I will share with you the real story about this young lady in this new town.

One day, she arose early in the morning to get to school.  She had to hurry and figure out what she was going to show to her professors for the meeting they had planned, and she was nervous.  Luckily she was able to throw something together, but it turned out she didn’t even need it!  Her relief was short-lived, for she was nervous to meet with another teacher right after.  But three knocks on his door meant that he wasn’t even there!  Heaving a sigh of relief, she walked home, privately thanking her Heavenly Father for His tender mercies.

Then the young lady took a trip to the town’s library.  She was hoping to get some new books to read, for you see, she needed a break from the difficult schoolwork.  When she got to the library, to her utter delight they were having a book sale!  That’s right.  The library was selling a bunch of its books!  The young lady quickly went upstairs to check things out, and to her surprise the library’s ballroom was filled with tables and boxes of books: books for babies, books for children, books for adults, books for everyone!  Filled with delight, she combed the room, looking for anything salvageable.  Before she knew it, two hours had passed and she had at least fifteen books in hand.  What a wonderful way to spend time, she thought.  She paid for the books, ran a few other errands, and then went home to gloat over her find.  Her roommates quickly left to go to the book sale themselves.

Soon after that, her friend called her up so that they could go to the temple.  The temple was a very special place in their town, and the young lady quickly agreed to go.  But of course, every other person in the town seemed to want to go to the temple at the same time, so they ended up being there for a long time.  In spite of that, they had the best time.  The young lady wanted to stay there always, but that was impossible, so she had to leave.

When she got home, the young lady realized that while she lived in this weird little town full of peculiar people, she had had a great day anyway.  The Lord had blessed her for her meetings, she was able to get a lot of books from the library sale, and she even got to spend a few hours in the Lord’s house.  Thanking him again for His goodness and grace, she made herself a delicious dinner of fusilli alfredo with chicken and settled down to finish off the day with a television episode of Boy Meets World…and she lived happily ever after.

Haikus of my life -- I know you want to read them -- I hope you enjoy!

writing a blogpost
ideas are hard to find
I can't think of one

used to be a poet
went to'a university
then I got a life

life is int'resting
sometimes fast-paced, sometimes slow
but always worth it

life can be trying
but to live is happiness
keep your sight on God

school is tiring
research meetings in the morn
nothing to report...

had quite a long day
now I don't make any sense
same as everyday

early wake up call
much work to do tomorrow
I should go to bed

will I or won't I?
tired -- do I have a choice?
goodnight, friends of mine.

Turning 23: Thoughts and Celebrations

Over the weekend, I did not write any posts, not because I have already given up on my goal of writing at least every weekday but because it was my birthday!  I think that’s a valid excuse, and if you don’t, you probably shouldn’t be reading this anyway.  So today’s post will not be about any particular issue or topic in which I am interested; I’ll just tell you how my birthday weekend (#23) was.  And if you don’t want to read it, maybe my posterity will.  Doesn’t matter to me.  =)

On Friday, I went with T and M out to dinner at La Dolce Vita, a little family-owned Italian food restaurant in town.  I got a spinach calzone with mozzarella, parmesan, and ricotta cheeses, covered in Ragú sauce.  It was divine.  Then we went and Redbox’d “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World” (my choice; I had already seen it but was in the mood, and I knew T and M hadn’t seen it).  I figured that even though Molly isn’t into gaming so much (neither am I, but I at least know how it works), she’d enjoy the plotline and at least appreciate a well-done film.  Of course, she absolutely hated it, which made me feel bad for making her watch it—I really thought that she’d at least enjoy it somewhat, but apparently she loathes gaming that much.  At least T liked it and wants to buy it now!  

Saturday was also fantastic.  P and I got French toast at Kneader’s for breakfast.  If you’ve never had French toast from Kneader’s for breakfast, you are missing out.  I LOVE French toast and it is the best French toast I have ever had.  Yes, it’s that good.  We then went and got manicures, which were sorely needed – I hate how dry Utah is, because my hands get so cracked and dry.  Hooray for aesthetics schools in the area that will service you for cheap.  She dropped me off at my sister K’s, where I hung out with her, her husband R, my sister C, her husband C, and their son J.  It was a good day: we played Bohnanza, Mario Kart wii (for J; he threw a fit every time we turned it off), and Imaginiff. Highlight of that game: “If K (my sister) and Santa Claus had a baby…” Fitting, because K is almost 7 months pregnant; sad that R had to find out this way who the real father is. =P  We also had celebratory cake and ice cream (chocolate chip cookie dough).  For the cake, we attempted something new: we made spice cake for a two-layered cake, then for the “glue” we used apple pie filling instead of a layer of frosting.  The frosting ended up being Funfetti vanilla frosting (leftover’s from J’s third birthday last month).  It turned out quite delectable.

The next day, Sunday, was my actual birthday.  Unfortunately I didn’t get enough sleep on Saturday night, which meant I was falling asleep in 8:30 Church.  I didn’t want to do that, because one, I hate falling asleep in church, and two, the lessons and talks were fantastic.  Our high councilman and one future sister missionary in our ward (she had her call to Canada) spoke on reverence: what it means and how to develop it in our lives.  Sunday school was about the reactions to Christ’s birth (Mary, the angels, Simeon, etc.).  Relief Society was about the Sabbath day and fasting, and I was somehow able to stay awake for that third hour of church.  After church I had to get set apart in my new calling.  I am now a member of the temple committee!  I will miss my calling as Relief Society teacher very much, but of course the moment you get really good at or really attached to a calling is the moment you are pulled away from it.  But I’m excited to be on the temple committee.  I have a strong testimony of the importance of the temple and regular temple attendance.  In fact, I’ll admit that multiple times in the past I have been jealous of friends getting married almost more for the fact that they were able to make their temple covenants than that they were now married.  Of course I want to get married, but I want to make those covenants, too.  Anyway, I hope this calling will be good for me and that I will be able to contribute to the good of our ward in encouraging people to attend the temple regularly.  The blessings in one’s life from regular temple attendance are immeasurable.  Anyhow, I was set apart in my calling by the first counselor in our bishopric.  It always amazes me how strong the power of the Spirit becomes when a Priesthood holder exercises his Priesthood authority and gives a blessing.  The whole room filled with the Spirit of the Lord.  It was wonderful.  When I got home from that, I took a glorious hour and a half long nap, and then went to my sister K’s sister-in-law’s house for dinner.  They do dinner regularly with her in-law siblings, but this is the first time I took her up on her invitation for me to join.  I got to see B’s new baby—always fun.  After dinner we played Catan Histories: The Struggle for Rome, which I got for K and R for Christmas.  It was an adventure as we all tried to learn this new game, then play it.  Luckily we are all game people and caught on quickly, and I think we all liked the game very much.  

As it was late when I got home Sunday night, I slept in Monday.  Always good.  For lunch, a bunch of friends and I went to Tucanos!  It was a party of 30 and it was fabulous.  Several had never been to Tucanos, so I was pleased to introduce them to the amazingness that it is.  Most of my friends from sociology came – my cohort, some of the 2^nd year cohort, as well as my professor M – plus some people from my ward, old roommates, and other friends.  It was great.  I felt very loved =) The rest of the day was really relaxed…my roommate A and our friend M watched She’s The Man, which I kind of watched…I’m not a huge Amanda Bynes fan, nor am I really into movies like that, but it was all right.  A and I decided not to do anything else the rest of the day and just watched another movie, How To Train Your Dragon.  She hadn’t seen it because she was in Jerusalem last semester, and she loved it.  That movie really is fantastic, and it’s so quotable.  You know I love quotable movies!  I also spent some time perusing the Netflix list, because my mom and dad got me a 3 month subscription to Netflix for my birthday!  What is first on my DVD list, coming to me tomorrow?  X-men the Animated Series: Volume 1.  Of course.  I haven’t seen those since I was a kid, and I am totally stoked to watch them again.  If you are still reading this ridiculously long post and have any suggestions of movies or T.V. shows I should check out, let me know! 

Thoughts about turning 23: One, I feel old.  I feel like 23 is the first year of the mid-20s (early 20s = ages 20-22, mid 20s = ages 23-26, late 20s = 27-29), and that makes me feel a little old.  It doesn’t help that I can count on one hand the number of girls in my ward that are older than me; most are a good two years younger.  I’m even older than a lot of the guys, almost of all of which seem to have gotten back from their missions in the last six months or so.  So, I feel old.  My friend MW in Missouri told me I should get a bunch of cats, or feed birds in the park.  =P  My second thought is, I only feel old because I’m single, not dating anyone, and living in a city where a large percentage of women my age are married and already have a child or two.  One of my sisters and one of my brothers were both married by the time they were 23.  By the time my Mom was 23, she had a son.  If I were to get out of this area—which I intend to do as soon as I get my Master’s Degree—then it will be perfectly normal if I am still single by that time.  Thought number three, unrelated to the first two but the most important of the three: I have now officially been a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for fifteen years!  I’m looking forward to another fifteen, then another fifteen, then another, so on for forever, and I’m excited for every minute of it.

A Violent Affair for a Dream Girl to Remember

I recently viewed the film "Dream Girls".  I had never seen it before, and I enjoyed it very much (thanks for bringing it over, M!).  Jennifer Hudson has a killer voice!  The main characters in the film struggle through difficult life trials, but redemption comes in the end to alleviate their suffering.  If any of you have not seen this film, I recommend it as an inspirational movie with meaning and heart, not to mention that it has fabulous music/singing/clothes.

But recommending this movie is not my intent in writing today.  Rather, I noticed something about myself while I was watching it.  I realized that the whole movie I kept expecting someone (particularly the individual who had control/anger issues) to lose it and start shooting up the place.  And I mean that in respect to guns, not drugs.  There were multiple times when I would tense up during an emotional or dramatic scene because I was afraid he was going to kill her or something.  Spoiler: This never happened.

Similarly, I recently saw for the first time the film "An Affair to Remember".  I didn't know much about this one before I saw it.  During the movie, something goes wrong that prevents one of the lovers from meeting the other at their arranged destination.  The one who went there and waited fruitlessly was so broken-hearted that it seemed this individual would commit suicide by jumping off a building.  Several times during the movie, I expected this to happen.  Second Spoiler: It never did.

Now, "Dream Girls" is not an action movie.  It was not intended as one, and I knew that before I saw it.  "An Affair to Remember" is not an action movie either.  It was intended as a romance, not action or tragedy.  So why did I expect these things to happen?  Why did I expect so much violence?  I have realized that these expectations come up when I watch other movies as well, and far more often than not there IS the expected violent act or scene that results in serious injury or usually death.  Why does it have to be there?  Why do so many more movies have violence, blood and gore in them nowadays than fifty years ago?  Yes, times have changed.  Media in general has become more violent, more crude, more sex-obsessed, etc.  But why does that need to be the case?!  I know I am beating a dead horse here, but really.  It makes me sad that "good movies"--the ones that people go see multiple times--have to have someone die or someone almost die and someone battle multiple someone else's.  It makes me even more sad to realize that along with the rest of society, I have gotten to the point where I expect that out of movies, too.  Hopefully I can change that.  Does anyone have a ton of old movies I could watch?  Maybe that would help.  =)

Where much [opportunity for healthy living] is given, much is required

D&C 82:3 "For of him unto whom much is given much is required, and he who sins against the greater light shall receive the greater condemnation."

See also Luke 12:48 "For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required."

I was reading the scriptures the other day and started to ponder over these two verses.  The idea presented here is generally understood by Latter-day Saints and other Christians to mean, as Uncle Ben told Peter Parker, "With great power comes great responsibility."  I find it fascinating that those with privilege are often those who do not use their resources well.  Of course, they enjoy them, they throw parties with them, and they take full advantage to serve their own desires.  Yet they fail to realize that their position and their possessions are given to them so that they may fulfill greater responsibilities.  It is those who have little who realize the value of their few possessions and the magnitude of their positions.

I began thinking about this as I was reading a scriptural account of a family traveling in the wilderness.  The simple matter of sustenance was an issue of great importance to this family.  The same issue was a concern for the pioneers crossing the plains, for those who lived during the Great Depression, for anyone who is from a poorer class or who lived before 1950.  For those of us who live in developed countries now, we are blessed to have grocery stores, bakeries, delis, restaurants, and more places where we can buy virtually any kind of food.  It used to be, and still is for some, a matter of "Will I have enough flour and maybe some meat for a small breakfast and dinner to get me through the day?"  Now, we have food enough for a balanced meal three times a day, not to mention snacks.  We don't even have to be farmers ourselves to have such choices in sustenance.  We also have the resources for exercise -- many more sports have been invented, there are gyms everywhere, and good athletic shoes/gear are available for anyone to use.  True, most of us don't have to work in the fields or the factories all day, but we have access to these resources that can keep us healthy and energized instead of suffering from disease and malnutrition for not being able to treat our bodies well.  We are truly blessed.

How are these two thoughts related?  I don't remember how they came together in my mind, but when I was thinking about food and resources that we have at our disposal today, I suddenly began thinking about the above two scriptures.  Where much is given, much is required.  We have so many options for eating food, and so many options for exercise.  But do we use them properly, or at all?  How many of us ignore the fruits and vegetable section of the grocery story and instead go for the mac and cheese or the chips and dip?  How many of us grab a burger and fries at the nearest fast food place instead of spending a few extra minutes to make a real lunch?  How many of us would rather sit on the couch and veg after work instead of going to the gym?  How many of us would rather just let our kids watch T.V. or play video and computer games instead of encouraging them to go outside and play?  We have all these resources at our hands, yet we neglect to use them.  We have much.  Much is required of us.  But we are failing to uphold our responsibilities.

I will be the first to admit that I could eat healthier, and I ought to have spent more of my life exercising and taking care of my body.  Recognizing this helps me encourage myself to take advantage of these wonderful opportunities.  Instead of being lazy, I have discovered that forcing myself to exercise actually invigorates my body and my mind, even when I'm tired beforehand -- if I can get myself to do it, I never regret it, and I always feel better afterward.  Eating fresh fruits and vegetables instead of chips or candy actually makes me feel better and more energized.  Who would have known such a thing?  I'm pretty sure the Lord does!  As do those who already have these habits of healthy eating and healthy living.  I am not very healthy now, but I will be one day.  I am working toward that.  No, I did not write this to chastise any specific person--it's not my place to do so, anyway--nor do I want to praise myself for doing what I'm doing.  Far from it.  But I hope this made us all think a little bit about how we have been neglecting the gifts that the Lord has given us, perhaps unconsciously, perhaps on purpose, perhaps a little bit of both.  I think that those who have gone before us would be overwhelmed and overjoyed at the availability of food for a balanced diet that we have before us.  They were not so fortunate, and had to rely mostly on food like flour and meal for energy to get through the day.  Logically, we should be the healthier people, but we are not.  We are a lot healthier when it comes to cleanliness and disease, and our average life span is longer, but when it comes to day-to-day living and keeping our bodies in shape?  We fail miserably.  I know that there are other factors to consider besides eating healthy and exercising, but I feel strongly that if we were to fulfill these responsibilities and remember that where much is given, much is required, we would be a much healthier people.