It is official. I love the new TV show called "Glee"! First off, it has a ton of music in it. What's better than that? Honestly. Especially with my background and a love for nearly all things musical. lol The fact that they use not only Broadway/show tune songs is totally awesome. They re-write songs for the actors/performers and they come out beautifully. It's kind of neat really. And for the first time in my life I have heard a young man (his real age is 19) that sings in the Alot/Soprano range without falsetto-ing.
Next, the cast is so fun to watch. Each person has their own unique style and personality that it's just fun. It is based in highschool so of course there's going to be some major drama (what high school experience isn't like that), but they write it so well that it doesn't get on your nerves (too badly. lol). It actually makes me remember what it was like to be in high school sometimes. The friendships, the cliches, the hierarchy (though AF High was a little backwards compared to this school), all of it.
My personal favorite characters are Kurt (LOVE HIM!), Puck, Artie, Tina, and Mercedes. lol If you watch the show you'll know who I mean. Can't stand Rachel though. Would like to strangle her.
So yes. If you haven't seen this show yet, go watch it! :D I would LOVE to talk to someone about it! And if you watch it, TELL ME! lol
Eight years ago today the United States of America was attacked by terrorists and terrorism in New York City, the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virgina, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Over three thousand people were killed and more than double that were injured. But what was hit the hardest was probably our sense of security and our trust in our fellow human beings.
Nothing could explain the horror I felt when two planes flew straight into the World Trade Centers, one at 8:46 am and the other at 9:03 am EST. I watched the buildings burn until both eventually collapsed to the ground, ash and debris falling onto other nearby buildings, forcing some to collapse and others seriously damaged.
9:37 am EST, the Pentagon was hit and I felt particularly confused and outraged. I was only thirteen at the time, but I had great pride in my country and I was so furious that someone would do this to us. I remember watching the news casts in class, and my teachers had basically abandoned their lesson plans for the day. I was so shocked at the events that I didn't feel anything. I couldn't feel anything.
Then we heard of the brave people in the United Airlines Flight 93, who fought against the hijackers, and at the ultimate cost of their lives, saved the White House and the U.S. Capitol from another attack. Pride swelled in my heart and I thanked each and every soul from the bottom of my heart for their bravery. I still do. I was so proud of them for standing up and stopping terrorism in it's tracks.
Yet America didn't fall. America didn't submit wholly to the grief over the loss of thousands of innocent lives. Despite our lack of trust and our feeling of insecurity, US citizens gathered their strength and courage and supported one another. They decided to stand up, next to each other, and defend the place and country they called home. Millions answered the call in their own way, whether it was in prayer or volunteer service.
International support flew in from around the globe. Thousands of shrines were erected where people dropped off flowers and lit candles. Our neighbor, Canada, wept alongside us as several of their countryman had died in the attacks. England played the Star Spangled Banner at Buckingham Palace, where onlookers cried and some sang along. Germany, Sweden, Finland, and several other countries had their own soldiers protecting shrines dedicated to those who had been killed.
Though the United States was the only place that was outright attacked, the entire world felt the pain and agony from it. And for a short time, everyone bonded together to fight against those who would so deliberately kill thousands of innocent people. Eight years later, there is still a sense of togetherness that flies across the globe. Even to this day, there are people who feel a connection to those who honored the dead.
I am an American, a proud United States citizen. I am proud and honored to stand by my country in the best way I know. I am glad to have so many friends who will stand by me in not only protecting our home, but to stand as strong neighbors in other countries. I thank them for their support and love! I thank those serving away from home in Afghanistan and Iraq, protecting our home from even more attacks.
We will never forget. God Bless the USA and her allies!
Josh Groban - The Star Spangled Banner
Nothing could explain the horror I felt when two planes flew straight into the World Trade Centers, one at 8:46 am and the other at 9:03 am EST. I watched the buildings burn until both eventually collapsed to the ground, ash and debris falling onto other nearby buildings, forcing some to collapse and others seriously damaged.
9:37 am EST, the Pentagon was hit and I felt particularly confused and outraged. I was only thirteen at the time, but I had great pride in my country and I was so furious that someone would do this to us. I remember watching the news casts in class, and my teachers had basically abandoned their lesson plans for the day. I was so shocked at the events that I didn't feel anything. I couldn't feel anything.
Then we heard of the brave people in the United Airlines Flight 93, who fought against the hijackers, and at the ultimate cost of their lives, saved the White House and the U.S. Capitol from another attack. Pride swelled in my heart and I thanked each and every soul from the bottom of my heart for their bravery. I still do. I was so proud of them for standing up and stopping terrorism in it's tracks.
Yet America didn't fall. America didn't submit wholly to the grief over the loss of thousands of innocent lives. Despite our lack of trust and our feeling of insecurity, US citizens gathered their strength and courage and supported one another. They decided to stand up, next to each other, and defend the place and country they called home. Millions answered the call in their own way, whether it was in prayer or volunteer service.
International support flew in from around the globe. Thousands of shrines were erected where people dropped off flowers and lit candles. Our neighbor, Canada, wept alongside us as several of their countryman had died in the attacks. England played the Star Spangled Banner at Buckingham Palace, where onlookers cried and some sang along. Germany, Sweden, Finland, and several other countries had their own soldiers protecting shrines dedicated to those who had been killed.
Though the United States was the only place that was outright attacked, the entire world felt the pain and agony from it. And for a short time, everyone bonded together to fight against those who would so deliberately kill thousands of innocent people. Eight years later, there is still a sense of togetherness that flies across the globe. Even to this day, there are people who feel a connection to those who honored the dead.
I am an American, a proud United States citizen. I am proud and honored to stand by my country in the best way I know. I am glad to have so many friends who will stand by me in not only protecting our home, but to stand as strong neighbors in other countries. I thank them for their support and love! I thank those serving away from home in Afghanistan and Iraq, protecting our home from even more attacks.
We will never forget. God Bless the USA and her allies!
Josh Groban - The Star Spangled Banner
When we first moved here, my parents offered to the young missionaries a place to eat on the days they were in Trenton if they couldn't find someone to offer them a meal in the first place. For a long time it seemed that we had them over every Tuesday and we got to know them much better. However, things changed, they didn't call as often and we fell out of habit of feeding them. To be honest, I can say I rather missed it. It's fun talking to them at the dinner table. They always seemed more relaxed then.
Well, we've got a new pair in the area as of late and apparently we're feeding them tonight. I didn't know this before yesterday when I was sent to Wal-mart to pick up a ham for tonight's meal. I'll admit that it's kind of awkward sitting at a dinner table with two young men who are only 1-2 years younger then me, but I'm excited to get to know them. It does help that both are rather cute. ;) lol I won't lead them down the wrong path, I promise.
Anyway, just thought I'd share that tid-bit with you. I've been lacking a proper blog entry lately and I thought this fit. *nods* I'm so odd sometimes...
As you guys can see, I got a new layout for my blog. Hopefully this one will allow you to comment on my blogs (if you so wish) as my past ones seemed to have denied that option to people. Odd if you ask me. Oh well. I'll have to ask a few of you to try to comment on this one to see if this new blog does the same thing.
I really like how this blog looks though. I never would have thought that I would have chosen red for a main color, as blue and silver are my favorites, but I really liked this layout. I even looked through all the colors I could. The only problem I'm having at the moment is that little comment bubble by the title of my blogs. It says undefined for me and I'm not quite sure how to change that. Looks like I'll have to experiment a little more. Perhaps it's being stubborn. :P Not that it majorly bugs me, but it is something I'd like to fix.
EDIT: Fixed it! lol As you can probably see.
Yup, so anyway, there's my new blog. lol Enjoy my music playlist too. Some of the songs are odd, I know, but I love each one of them. Hooray for fun songs! Of course, if you don't like the song you hear (as my list is on shuffle) feel free to skip to the next song. If you can't see my player, well...I don't know what to tell you as it's located right below the search option. haha Ta ta for now!
My parents bought a Wii Fit about two weeks ago and I've always been skeptical whether the thing actually gives you a workout or if it's one of the many work out programs that claim to get you results you want, but really doesn't. So, because I've begun to gain some unwanted weight, I decided to try it this morning.
I can't believe how great it works! It's basically doing any routine amount of workouts, but in the comfort of your home and a TV screen. lol It's only been one day and I know it's already working. You know how you can tell if you're burning calories if your stomach feels chilly compared to the rest of your body? After working out for 30 minutes, mine was ice cold.
So I'm just excited and can't wait to keep going on this thing. If it helps me lose the weight I want to, I'll be a very happy and satisfied person. :D
Alright, this post is LONG overdue, but I figured now would be as good as ever. Of course, I know of one person *cough* Britt *cough* who has been wanting to hear about my trip, so I hope she'll forgive me for not posting this until now. :D
So I left Missouri May 12th. I had to get up at 4:30am to get to the airport on time, but the excitement of my first flight since I was five had me up and going pretty easily. Anyway, got to Utah where Jessica and her brother picked me and we went back to her house. Jess had work that day and it felt a little weird being left at her house with her family, but I adjusted pretty quickly. Then Creggan called me and we ended up having a bunch of people come over to Jessica's house to play Super Smash Brothers Brawl on the Wii. It was a blast!
Wednesday I visited with Eric. That picture features his two dogs, Caesar (brown one) and Dante (black one). I also go to take this great picture of some tulips in his back yard! Aren't they gorgeous?
After that we went to Little Caesars, got pizza, and then went to Evergreen Park to eat and chat some more. If I did anything else on Wednesday, I don't remember it. lol I probably ended up going to Rune's house. That actually happened quite a few times while I was out there.
On the 14th a group of friends went up AF Canyon and had lunch up there. Jessica and I rode up with our friend Sean. He's from England so that instantly makes him awesome. Creggan and Rune were up there as Creggan was our wood supplier. haha We also had our friends Jonathon and Phil (they're Swedish) up there with their girlfriends, Alisha and Heather (I hope I spelled their names right). It was fun meeting them. Of course, lunch was hot dogs and s'mores. What could be better then that?
Friday, of all things, was a relaxing day for me. I did absolutely nothing that day. Almost literally. I sat at Jessica's house and really didn't do much. What a boring day, right? lol I enjoyed it though. I really did like relaxing for one day instead of hanging out with people. Doesn't that make me mean? :P Of course, I'm more introverted than extroverted and being alone energizes me. Strange, ne?
Saturday was about the same during the day. It wasn't until the evening that we started to do something. We went late night bowling at Jack and Jill's! I was so excited as we did the late night bowling which features the black lights. I think we played...4 games? And for $14 that's not bad! I was rather impressed. We had a large group there and it was really fun. I got to see Bobby again as he'd just gotten back from his mission. It was very fun that night.
The next day was Creggan's homecoming. The meeting itself was very good, but we didn't stay for all three hours of church. So some of us went up to the American Fork Amphitheater. Lots of good memories there. It was fun getting shots of the surrounding scenery while I talked with friends. It was very relaxing. After church ended for Creggan, we went to his house and visited with more friends. It was good seeing those I hadn't seen in a while, especially Cory. He's absolutely hilarious! And still quite the movie critic apparently.
I can't remember Monday and Tuesday seperately, but I got to see Alyssa and her family during those two days. We went to the Wing Shack near Coldstone and had lunch. It was really fun, especially as I got to see Alyssa's husband, Kelan, and her little girl Sierra. Sierra is super adorable and apparently she pouts a lot. haha It was also nice to see how her husband interacted with their little girl. He was being a good dad!
The trip ended when Jessica dropped me off at the airport Wednesday morning. Over all it was a good trip and it made me realize what I really missed about Utah. Of course, Missouri isn't a terrible place as it holds Miss Brittanie Dyer. haha We'll definitely have to get together again sometime. Perhaps a big trip with her and her hubby is in the future? One can hope so! Enjoy the pictures everyone and be grateful that I didn't put all of them in this post. XD
So...we had an interesting experience tonight. It was a pretty normal day for a vacation. I visited family for the first part of the day as I hadn't seen them since I'd arrived. It was fairly fun as I got to see my little cousin, Ethan. He's so adorable! I love him! I also got to see my grandparents who live in Richfield so it was a pretty nice set up.
After I got back to Jess' house (as that is where I'm staying) we decided to set things up for tomorrow's adventure (which is going to the canyon for lunch). So we went to Famous Footwear and I got a pair of boys shoes (yes, boys shoes) and then went to Wal-mart for various other things. We got back to Jess' house and we decided to go to a nearby park, Legacy Elementary.
Well we stayed there till about 10:45pm and a car pulled up. It turned out to be a cop. Well, she told us parks closed at 10:30 and so we started to head home. As we were heading home, another cop stopped us and asked for our IDs. Well, I didn't have mine and I live in a different state! So I'm internally freaking out and for some reason it's taking a while for them to get my information. I was super concerned that I'd have to go spend a night in jail, but things cleared out.
So, other then when I totaled my parents' car, this was my first experience with the law. It was kind of fun though as both cops were fairly nice. So yes, there's my nightly adventure. haha
AUGH!!! Less then a week, friends! Less then a week and I'll be in Utah for a self planned vacation! O_O I can't believe it! And I'm so nervous! I've not flown on a plane by myself EVER. I don't even know my way around the airport! Sheesh, I haven't even thought about what I need to pack. *is dizzy* Ok, I need to slow down and take a few deep breaths.
I guess this is when I really need to start planning things out. I think I need to contact people and start planning out my grand adventure. *bites fingernails*
lol On another note, I'll be attending the Single's Ward this Sunday. Not excited about it honestly. Don't get me wrong, I don't really mind the singles ward, but I won't know a single soul there. And it takes 2 hours to get there. 2 HOURS! Ugh, I think I'll die. X_X Oh well. I can't die before my trip to Utah. haha
Alright, so I had a new experience today. Last Saturday my dad's farm got three new little calves (each are about 7 months old so they're not brand new). My mom loves them and has named the three after her mother and aunts. So, they're names are Verla, Norma, and Fawn. Kind of funny to name cows, but eh, who am I to judge? lol
Anyway, my parents will be traveling back to Utah in about a week leaving me at home to do the laundry, cooking, etc. Guess what else that leaves me to do? That's right. I get to take care of the cows! O_O Scary thought! If one of them dies while I'm in charge I'll feel terrible. So yes, that was my new experience. I didn't bring my camera with me, but I'll have many chances of taking pictures of them for the next few weeks so I'm sure you'll get at least one picture in this blog. haha
On a little neat note, these cows are special cows. For those of you who don't know, there's a difference between milk cows and beef cows. Anyway, the reason these cows are special is because they are both. They'll be milk cows for who knows how many years, but as they get near the end of their life we can use them as a beef cow. Neat huh? I don't think we'll be running out of steaks for a long time when that happens. haha
...but my new camera came in! And wow, is it awesome! I'm already loving it! I've been reading the user's guide carefully, just to make sure I'm not going to unintentionally damage it. That's the last thing I need. Anyway, I've decided to share some of my pictures with you! Hoorah! First, let me show you a view from the front and back of our house.
This is the front yard. Yeah, I know it's a lot bigger then most Utah yards. Remember that we live on a 3 acre lot though. Anywho, the tree in the center of the picture is starting to bud. I can't wait to see all sorts of leaves and flowers this coming spring. I'll be sure to take pictures then. Also, note the shadow on this picture. I could have NEVER gotten that with my old camera! Neat eh? The next picture is of the largest tree in our yard. That thing is a monster! I almost backed our car into it once! Oops! Oh, click on them to make the pictures bigger. I know you'll appreciate them more if you do.
The next set of pictures are the back yard. The first one is directly out the back door. Not much to see, but you should see that area during the summer. It's almost completely green. Pretty nice to look at. The white gate is a small fenced in area in the back that will let our dogs have free roaming. We'll occasionally let them outside of it, but not often. I'll have to take a picture of the hill in the back for you guys. I can't believe I didn't think of that. Oh well. The next picture is what you'd see if you turned immediately to your left. Another big tree, but it's not as big as the one out front.
Last but not least, I started to play around with some of the options on my camera. What better way to get to know it, right? As I was cruising through the normal picture taking options, I came upon the option Color Accent. Not quite sure what that meant, I clicked on it and started to wave it around the room. Nothing really special happened and I was about to move on when I noticed an option at the bottom. I found out that it allows me to lock in on ONE color and the rest of the picture is black and white! How awesome is that? I only though professionals had that kind of stuff, but I guess not! So, just for you guys, I took a picture of my sister's flowers.
I hope you guys enjoyed these pictures. I know I had fun taking them. Again, please click on them to get the larger picture. There's a lot more detail in them then what you can see right now. ^_^ *waves goodbye for now*
Alright, so I'm a little nervous. Yesterday my dad ordered my flight tickets for my trip back to Utah. The main reason I'm so nervous is because I've not been on a plane since I was five years old and this will be the first time that I fly alone! Ack! I'm sure I'll screw something up and that I'll miss a flight somehow! I wish I didn't worry so much about things.
Despite my nervousness, I'm totally excited to be going back to Utah! It'll be good to see friends and family again, especially as a few friends will be back from their missions at the point I show up. How exciting is that? I can't believe it's almost been a year since I moved out here to Missouri. Crazy isn't it? I wonder what American Fork will look like when I return. I'm sure there's a bunch of changes to that shopping area right by the freeway. I can't wait to see it! Gah! I'm so excited!
Despite my nervousness, I'm totally excited to be going back to Utah! It'll be good to see friends and family again, especially as a few friends will be back from their missions at the point I show up. How exciting is that? I can't believe it's almost been a year since I moved out here to Missouri. Crazy isn't it? I wonder what American Fork will look like when I return. I'm sure there's a bunch of changes to that shopping area right by the freeway. I can't wait to see it! Gah! I'm so excited!
Everyone likes getting new things, right? Well, I just got an e-mail from my dad saying that he's ordered my soon to be new camera! I'm totally excited for it. Then I'll be able to take tons of pictures and share them with you people. Hooray!
Anyhow, here's some info on the camera. It's a Canon SD790IS. The resolution is 10MP and that's way
better then my old camera. I'm used to 3.2MP! Can you imagine the difference it'll make? I can't wait to see the detail in the pictures! It also has a 3x zoom, so I'm sure it'll turn out to be pretty nice at the highest quality. I've also ordered a Kingston 4GB memory card so I'll have tons of room.
I'm so excited I can't stand it! Once it gets here I'm taking pictures of the area around me so all of you can see what it's like. Remember, I live in a small town near a lot of farming land so be prepared to see a lot of green come spring and summer. It's amazing how different things can be.
You know, I love taking pictures so much, maybe I should have gone into photography...I'd get to travel the world, wouldn't I? That'd be pretty sweet. Aw, man, now I'm rethinking my life's decisions again. >_<
Anyhow, here's some info on the camera. It's a Canon SD790IS. The resolution is 10MP and that's way
better then my old camera. I'm used to 3.2MP! Can you imagine the difference it'll make? I can't wait to see the detail in the pictures! It also has a 3x zoom, so I'm sure it'll turn out to be pretty nice at the highest quality. I've also ordered a Kingston 4GB memory card so I'll have tons of room.I'm so excited I can't stand it! Once it gets here I'm taking pictures of the area around me so all of you can see what it's like. Remember, I live in a small town near a lot of farming land so be prepared to see a lot of green come spring and summer. It's amazing how different things can be.
You know, I love taking pictures so much, maybe I should have gone into photography...I'd get to travel the world, wouldn't I? That'd be pretty sweet. Aw, man, now I'm rethinking my life's decisions again. >_<
Ah, my first post. I'm not much of a blogger (I think), but I'll definitely try to be good at this. Maybe I'll get friends to inspire me. lol
I currently live in Missouri. It's not a bad place, but I'm desperately wanting to go back to Utah. I miss being around friends and socializing. And it's not that I'm not trying to make friends out here, but it's kind of hard when the only time you really get out of the house is to go to church or to work. And all the ladies even remotely close to my age are married and/or have kids. Not exactly the kind of people I can easily mingle with.
I'm so excited! First off, there's the new baby in my life! Congrats to Alyssa and Stacy Steck on their new little daughter, Sierra Lynn! It's so exciting! I can't want to meet this little baby. And it'll be soon, I believe. I'll be visiting Utah in May, another reason I'm excited. It's so nice to be able to see friends and family again. I can't wait!
That's it for me on my first post!
I currently live in Missouri. It's not a bad place, but I'm desperately wanting to go back to Utah. I miss being around friends and socializing. And it's not that I'm not trying to make friends out here, but it's kind of hard when the only time you really get out of the house is to go to church or to work. And all the ladies even remotely close to my age are married and/or have kids. Not exactly the kind of people I can easily mingle with.
I'm so excited! First off, there's the new baby in my life! Congrats to Alyssa and Stacy Steck on their new little daughter, Sierra Lynn! It's so exciting! I can't want to meet this little baby. And it'll be soon, I believe. I'll be visiting Utah in May, another reason I'm excited. It's so nice to be able to see friends and family again. I can't wait!
That's it for me on my first post!
