the "no-texting" rule

Texting and I have a love-hate relationship. On a family vacation to a cabin up in Heber, I earned the nickname "Texta" because I was texting this boy I liked non-stop and my cousins were mad that I wasn't hanging out with them. I have been in a lot of relationships that have revolved around texting, and they haven't gone well. After my most recent "relationship" (if you can call it that), I decided that I was sick of texting. However, I didn't know how to get rid of it.

One of my favorite things to do is to read other people's blogs. I stumbled upon this blog post and it made my day :) You really can have a relationship without texting! So, New Year's Resolution (even though it's the second of March): no more texting for this girl! Unless it's to give addresses, a quick "5 min late" or "downstairs" like Natalie said, I am done with texting boys! If you really like me, you will call me. End of story. Except for missionaries, of course, because missionary letters are the best things ever :)

Home on a Friday Night

Soooo today was another crazy day. Since my car was in the shop, my mom took me to school this morning. It brought back memories of when I was a little sophomore without a car :) Unfortunately, I may be without a car again this fall, unless I can find one this summer... Anyways, we were supposed to have a stats final today (which I never really studied for) but lots of people were gone so she switched it to next time and had us work on our class projects. However, the person in our group with all our project papers was one of the missing persons :/ So my group pretty much did nothing for an hour and fifteen minutes. It was great. AP psych and seminary weren't much better. In psych, we watched the rest of the social norm videos and a documentary called The Human Zoo. Not too boring, but pretty useless. And my group's video wasn't nearly as cool as it was when we actually broke a social norm and creeped random people out. In seminary, we didn't really do anything for a while. But it did get better. We watched Pres. Monsoon give a talk on Pres. Hinckley (<3 him) and ate some pie & ice cream (so good!).

During lunch, I hung out with a good friend that I hadn't seen in forever. It was fun :) Then, I watched my mom's class for a bit. Her phone rang during class. It was the car place! They said they didn't find anything wrong with the car (good) but they still don't know why it acted so weird (kinda bad), and told us we could pick it up that day.

Towards the end of class, I went to check out my sister and her friend from school. We went home so my sister could grab some overnight stuff. Then we went to pick up my mom from school and headed to my mom's hometown for my dr appointment and to drop off my sister and her friend, who were spending the night at my grandma's. We went to my aunt's house to drop off the girls and then rushed to my appointment. My mom got lost, so we arrived a bit late.

At the appointment, we got to fill out paperwork and talk to the girl assistant (who ended up being a CNA) and talked to each other for a while until the doctor showed up. He was really nice and seemed to really know what he was talking about. He took a bunch of measurements of my face and then thoroughly explained to us what the surgery would be like using a model. It was actually really interesting (I'm going to be a nurse, remember? :) and helped me feel more comfortable about the surgery. He said I would be under general anesthesia (which I never have been before) and then after the surgery I would stay overnight at the hospital. He said I would be uncomfortable and swollen after the surgery, but not in too much pain because I would be numb from them messing with my nerves. He said I would be numb for a few months, and there was a small chance that I would be numb forever (kinda scary). Then, I got a bunch of pictures taken, which I was pretty used to by now after having braces twice. The other assistant was a dental assistant, and they were both really nice even though pictures stink. We then left without arranging our next appointment because our insurance has to authorize the surgery first. Hopefully that happens soon!

We went back to my aunt's house and I talked with my aunt while my mom took the girls to my grandma's house. We then drove home to hurry and get ready for my CNA graduation. Once we were ready, we drove my mom's car to the car place, switched it with my car, drove to my brother's work to leave my car with him, and then my dad picked us up and we drove to my graduation.

We got to talk to my teacher before graduation, whom I love dearly. Then my parents went to go sit down and I went to go line up. Luckily, I found my friend and stood by her. The beginning part was full of people speaking and pretty boring, although not too long. Finally, I got to walk across the stage! It felt cool and I shock hands with the college's president (who turned out to be the husband of my teacher who saved my brother's life!). Afterwards, we got water and a cookie and then left. We went to the car place to pick up my mom's car and my mom and I drove home. She got everything she needed and then drove back to my grandma's house, where she was also spending the night.

It's now 11:00 on a Friday night and I'm sitting at home writing on my blog, although I haven't been at home all night so I guess I'm not as geeky as it would appear :)

Crazy Ride

Life is unpredictable.

Some days are good, some are bad, and some are a mixture of both good and bad things.

Today feels like a mixture day. I got up at 6:45 (I'm supposed to leave for MATC at 7) so I was late to CNA and feeling very tired. We spent all of class getting ready for state tests next week (ugh) and then I went to school for English, where I had to give a presentation ( ugh again). Although I hate the rain, I had a mighty good time speeding through the HUGE puddles on the way to pick up the little boy I nanny. While I waited for the big yellow bus to come, I read a very inspiring blog post and decided that I needed to start blogging. Unfortunately for me, today would not be a good nanny day because I would accidentally accuse a five year old of stealing someone else's toy. While I was dealing with a crying five year old, I realized that my car was dying. Again. I swear I'm gonna die if I buy myself a car that has as many problems as our family's "teenage car" has. So I sat in the car calling our car place, trying to distract the little boy, and trying to get someone to come pick us up for about 30 minutes. Not a fun experience. After my brother picked us up, I got to play playstation with the five year old until his mother came to get him. My grandma walked in while I was still nannying, which was a welcome surprise. But then everyone left to go to my brother's band concert, while I stayed home to "study" for my AP Stats final. Do you think I actually studied? No. I watched charlieissocoollike videos on YouTube. Fun, but not productive at all. I lost track of time and was 15 minutes late picking up my brother from work. On my way out the door, I saw my phone on the couch (where I was playing playstation earlier) and realized that I missed a call from my neighbor. In the car, I listened to the message she left and was saddened to hear that I had missed an opportunity to both serve and have fun by losing my phone and doing nothing all day long.

When you're having a bad day, sometimes the only way to fix it is by listening to a talk. Or so I found out. I went to turn on the radio in my grandma's car (because of course my car had to be towed to the shop) and some lady started talking. I was about to switch it to radio when I stopped myself and started listening. The lady was talking about how no one can replace us. We were sent here for a specific mission that only we can fulfill. She told a bunch of cool stories and kept talking about how important each and every one of us is. Obviously, this talk was for me. At the end of the talk, I found out that the speaker was Sheri Dew. I am so grateful for that little spiritual boost right when I needed it most. And even though today was a rough day, I know that tomorrow will be better :)

(the title of this blog is a song. Here's the link for the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCZqnFiwjQo&feature=youtube_gdata_player )

How It All Began...

I started this blog for my creative writing class last year. I haven't touched it since, but I thought that maybe I would be better at writing in my journal if my journal is on the computer! So here it goes...

Film Analysis

Sherlock Holmes

Ordinary World: Sherlock Holmes solves murder cases with Dr. Watson, Dr. Watson is getting married, they get in arguments "you have to leave this room!"

Call to Adventure: Lord Blackwood requests to see Sherlock Holmes before he is hanged. "There's only one person I'd like to see." Holmes goes to talk to Lord Blackwood and Blackwood says that something bigger is going on "Your error of judgment is to assume that I'm holding the brush at all. I'm merely the channel." He also says that Holmes and himself are together in something. Before he is hanged, he says, "Death is only the beginning." Also, Irene Adler comes to visit Holmes She needs his help. "I need you to find someone."

Refusal of the Call: Holmes doesn't listen to Blackwood.

Meeting with the Mentor: "Why is the only woman you've ever cared about a criminal? Are you a masochist?" Watson tells him not to take the case for various reasons.

Crossing the Threshold: Clark comes in and says, "It appears he's come back from the grave, sir." The gravekeeper says he saw Blackwood rise from the grave. He also says, "And when the dead walk, the living will fill these coffins."

Tests, Allies, Enemies: Some men try to beat them up. A big metal thing almost hits Holmes, but Watson saves him. Watson and Holmes get thrown in jail. Mary bails Watson out. Holmes gets bailed out and then "kidnapped" and taken to a mysterious man, who he discovers is Blackwood's father. Holmes goes to talk to Irene and she knocks him out. Blackwood kills his father in the bathtub. Irene ties Holmes to the bed. Holmes finds a secret entryway in Blackwood's father's house. Holmes gets Watson to rejoin the investigation. Holmes has to save Adler from being killed. Holmes accidentally sets off an explosion. coward issues a warrant for Holmes' arrest and Clark helps him escape.

Approach: Watson has been badly hurt and Holmes has a strange dream of all the things different people have said to him. When he wakes up, he gives a speech to Watson and Adler telling them how they will solve the case.

Ordeal: Men sent by Coward come to get them. Holmes stays while Adler and Watson escape. Holmes is arrested again by the inspector and sent to coward. Holmes is in handcuffs and Coward is about to shoot him when he smokes up the room, unlocks the handcuffs, runs away from Coward and jumps out the window into the water.

Reward: Watson and Adler rescue Holmes in a boat and they are able to continue solving the case.

The Road Back: They go to stop Blackwood from killing Parliament. They find what Reordan was working on and discover that Blackwood is using it to poison Parliament. Adler stops the machine just in time before it kills Parliament and escapes with the poison while Holmes and Watson fight off a bad guy. Holmes runs to catch Adler while Watson makes the bad guy pass out.

Ressurection: Holmes and Adler end up on a high construction site when Blackwood appears. Blackwood pushes Adler off and then Holmes and Blackwood fight. Holmes almost falls off, but gets back up and chases Blackwood. Blackwood gets a rope tied around his leg and is about to fall off when Holmes tells him how he performed his "magic." Holmes cuts him loose and tells him he is going to be hanged. Blackwood tries to kill Holmes with an axe but falls into some chains and is hanged by them. Holmes handcuffs Adler and then she tells him who she works for.

Return With Elixir: Holmes gives Adler the key and then leaves her, even though he loves her. Holmes tells Mary and Dr. Watson that he discovered how Blackwood survived the hanging and how he had no pulse. Clack comes in to tell Holmes that a sergeant was shot and Holmes figures out that it was Adler's boss. He also figures out that he wanted the wireless part of the machine, not the poison, and that Adler was only a distraction. Dr. Watson and Mary leave for their new home and Holmes tells Clark that the case has been reopened, even though Watson is leaving.

The Journey

Olivia Tyler has just finished her 4th semester of college at BYU. She's almost halfway done! At least, she should be. She's taken so many classes, yet she still doesn't know what she wants to be when she "grows up." She thought she wanted to be a fashion designer, but it wasn't as much fun as she imagined. She considered being the owner of a vintage dress shop, but she hated the idea of running her own business. Her friend Sam tells her to relax; she has the whole summer to decide. To cheer her up, Sam invites her to come with her to volunteer at the Crisis Respite Nursery in Orem. Olivia isn't so sure about it, but Sam urges her to "try it out." Time flies by as they play with the cute little kids. Olivia has so much fun that she wants to come back! She starts volunteering on a weekly basis, and her ideas about her major begin to form...

Hero: Olivia Tyler
Ordinary World: College Life
Call to Adventure: going with Sam to volunteer
Special World: Crisis Respite Nursery

Hero

Name: Olivia Tyler
Age: 20
Race/religion/gender: Caucasian/LDS/Female
Parents: Mark and Christine Tyler
Siblings: 3 little brothers
Style of dress: vintage/classy
Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona
Marital status/family: single
Most embarrassing moment: falling into the pool at her best friend's wedding reception
Greatest fear: being rejected
Strongest desire: to make a difference
Job: College Student, works at The Gap
Where he/she wants to be in 5 years: married, graduated from college
Guiltiest pleasure: splurging at boutiques
Identifying marks: slight scar in the middle of her forehead
Mannerisms/gestures: walks with feet slightly outward from years of ballet lessons, tilts her head to one side when really thinking about something
What he/she was like in school: smart, belonged in small group of 4 girls, well-liked
Favorite sayings: The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.-Eleanor Roosevelt
Favorite quotes from songs: I just haven't met you yet
Favorite movie quotes: I don't know how to say goodbye. I can't think of any words.-Roman Holiday
Most valuable possession: pearl earrings her mother gave her for her 18th birthday
How he/she feels about love: She knows it exists, but she hasn't found it yet.
Philosophy on life: It's hard sometimes, but it's absolutely worth it.

Adaptation

Cats in the Cradle
Harry Chapin

I've never been "the perfect father." Work always came first in my life. I was good at work, good at numbers, good at telling other people what to do. I only did what I was good at.

My son Will grew up while I was at the office. I missed his first steps, his baseball games, his high school graduation even. But he didn't seem to mind. All he ever said was, "Dad, I'm gonna be just like you!"

I always thought I could make up for lost time when I retired. I could be the loving father as soon as money stopped being an issue, I said to myself. Now I'm there. My time to be a father is now, or so I thought. It's much harder than I realized. Will's got his own family now. He doesn't have time for his "old man."

As I sit in bed, I think about what I could've done differently as a father. It wouldn't have taken much effort, just a game of catch here and an ice cream cone there. But if I had done those things, my son would be with me right now. I wouldn't be dying alone.

Too bad I can't pick up the phone and call him. After all, the hospital's only 3 blocks away from his house. But 3 blocks is too much to ask from a boy who grew up without a father.

Blurbs

Cats in the Cradle (Harry Chapin)
Charles Jones was a hard worker, a good employee, an excellent boss, but never a loving father. He was a workaholic instead of a father. Now he is 62, retired, and battling cancer. After the doctors said he had 2 months left, he moved into his son Will's neighborhood. But Will's too busy with his own family and job to see his father. Time is running out.

Don't Take The Girl (Tim McGraw)
Johnny never knew he could love someone as much as he loves Kate. He didn't always feel this way about her, but now the feeling just won't go away. One dark night when her life is put in danger, he doesn't think twice before sacrificing his own. Everything turns out alright then, but now he's faced with a bigger problem. Does he ignore her wishes and sacrifice the one thing she wants more than anything else, or take a chance on letting her go?

There Goes My Life (Kenny Chesney)
Jim never wanted a kid. He was just having too much fun to think about responsibility that night, and that's what happened. He begged her to give it up, but she said, "No way. I'm keeping my baby." He didn't understand. Not until he held his daughter for the first time. His life changed at the moment because he had finally grown up. Now Sally is going off to college, and Jim can't stop thinking about what he's going to do without her.

Wrinkles (Diamond Rio)
Kyle hated growing up. He wished he could be five forever. He saw how his grandpa was, old and wrinkled and sad. He didn't want to be like that. He wanted to stay young and happy forever. Then Paul and Evelyn moved in next door. His mother brought them cookies and Kyle listened as Paul told stories of being a soldier in the war. Kyle started going next door almost every day just to hear Paul. Pretty soon, he started to wonder if being old was a bad thing after all...

Forever and Always (Taylor Swift)
Jessie hated love ever since her parents split up when she was five. She didn't understand how people who loved each other could hurt each other so much. She hated guys and didn't ever want a boyfriend. Max's parents forced him to move his senior year. He was angry and didn't want to make new friends. Somehow, they became friends. Then they started to become more than friends. Until Max got asked to a dance by Heather, the head cheerleader. Everything started to change after that.

Story Song

Song title: Cats in the Cradle
Song artist: Harry Chapin
Link to song lyrics

Plot: A little boy wants his dad to spend time with him, but he is always too busy and says he will be with him later. The little boy says he wants to be just like his dad when he grows up. When the boy is grown, the man calls his son and wants to see him but the son is too busy.

Characters:
Boy
Dad

Conflict: A little boy wants to be just like his father, who never spends time with him. When he grows up, he gets what he wants and turns out just like his father, which his father now regrets.

Themes:
Make time for your kids so they will make time for you
Never procrastinate spending time with the people you love
Family is more important than any worldly posessions

Setting:
the man's home
the son's home

6-Word Memoirs (Top 10)

10. High school is the worst. Period.
9. People are so confusing sometimes.
8. Just want to be lost together.
7. We don't talk about our problems.
6. Avoid eye contact at all costs.
5. Don't want to ever grow up.
4. Scared of letting someone love me.
3. No way to change the past.
2. Smiling makes the world go round.
1. Don't know what true love is.

Grand Theft Poetry

The Essence Of The One I Love
you are
the sun in my sky

you are
the paint on my toes

you are
the song in my ears

you are
the book on my shelf

you are all I live for

Second Draft (Bad Poetry)

Original Image: Unrequited Love

The Truth About Love
I told him I loved him
He said, "Go take a hike."

What happens when
the one you love
doesn't love you back?

Why do we always want
what we cannot have?

Is it part of human nature
to torture ourselves this way?

Love is hard

Love is torturous

Love is impossible

Love is unavoidable

Love is divine

Very Bad Poetry

Cheesecake is yummy
but also very funny
i love it
and it is a fit

cows say moo
and they do
chew their cud
all day long, bud

eat food
when you're in the mood
for the dude
who sells stupid stuff on tv

"go home" he said to me
but i'd rather read
a story about girls
and their pretty little curls
so i stayed there
with that bear
named Marshall

i said i loved him
he said go take a hike
we decided to go to vegas
and got married at the drive-in
while ordering fries at McDonald's

Impulse

M: Are you ready?
W: No
M: Will you ever be?
W: Nope.
M: Then let's go.
W: A couple more minutes... please? I can't... I just need a second.
M: Okay.

W: What am I supposed to say to him?
M: Who?
W: My father.
M: Just tell him the truth.
W: What if I don't even know what the truth is?
M: Then I guess you're in trouble.
W: Wait, what did you say? Why would I be in trouble?
M: You're supposed to know what the truth is. If you didn't, then why'd you say "I do?"
W: I don't know...
M: You don't know?! I gave away my life for you and now you don't know?!
W: Yes.. I mean.. You don't understand!
M: Obviously not. Have fun with your dad. Make sure to tell him I say hi.

Four Alarm Fire

Choices

Every day, there are choices to make
Get up or go back to bed
Be happy or be depressed
Go to the gym or eat junk food
Study for a big test or watch a screen
Help others or help yourself
Be the hero or be the villain
Live or die

What choices will I make today?
Will they be the right ones
or the wrong ones?
Will they improve my life
or damage it?

When I die
Will I be thoroughly happy with the life I've lived?
Today I will make myself a better person
so the answer to that question will be,
"Yes."