Another Semester Down

One more semester down. I can't believe how far I've come and how much closer I am to graduating. I should be done in about 3-5 semesters (depending on how well i do my scheduling and how I fit in classes) But I'm proud of this semester.

I got a 3.89 this semester! That pulled my overall GPA up to a 3.27

It's always nice to see what your hard work and stress and anger and tears paid off.  Costume Design was one of the most time demanding classes I have ever taken. I was so proud of getting an A in that class. There were times where I was sure I blew it. 

If I keep getting good grades, hopefully that will pull my GPA up to a 3.6 by the time I graduate and I can graduate Cum Laude. That would just be incredible. Here's to crossing my fingers and hoping and working hard the next few years.

This is why I never really have time to hang out with my friends. This is why I don't take time to do stuff on the weekends or go out and Party. Because when you get to this point, then everything the whole semester was worth it. And when I finally walk across that stage, hopefully with a purple and white cord around my neck, It is going to be one of the best feeling ever.  

(Yes I only got a B in yoga. I slept in a few days...........)

Thirty by Thirty

I'm 27 years old. Nothing wrong with that. In fact, I like being older. When I was younger I couldn't wait till I wasn't a stupid teenager anymore. That was the reason I didn't want to be a teen. Even as a teen I knew teens were stupid and obnoxious. ANYWHO.
I have loved my twenties so far. I've lived in 3 countries (besides the U.S.) I've done a lot of schooling (apparently not enough though, sheesh.) I've had bad relationships and a few good relationships, and I have amazing friends. I've been on amazing trips, I've made amazing costumes, and BLA BLA BLA!
hahah
Three years ago I wrote a post about my life so far and the things I've accomplished on my "list of things to do before I die."
By the age of 24 I had crossed off the following:
- I rode a horse in a dress
- I went Skydiving
- Played Evelyn Nesbit in Ragtime
- Rode a tandem bike on the beach.
- Saw a Broadway show in NYC
- Saw the Taj Mahal
- Ate dinner on a beach at sunset (in Sri Lanka actually)
- Saw Sutton Foster Live
- Learned to do Yoga (very basics, but enough to calm down my freak outs)
- Played the Tambourine in a band.
- Went snorkeling on a coral reef
- Received my endowments from an LDS temple
- Saw Rachmaninoff's second concerto performed live. (with my mom)
- Lived in Europe (germany)
- Lived in India and did humanitarian work.
- Get a puppy. (sigh)

16 things done. that means i had 84 to go. So what have I done in the last 3 years that I have crossed off my list? Let's see.

Won a Costume Contest

(If you'd like to see more pics click HERE)

Worked at a Renaissance Faire

(It was a very cold day here. I'm trying to stay warm)

Went to Rome

(With my best friend, Kristi, none the less)

Visited the Sacred Grove in Palmyra, New York

Read Shakespeare in Stratford Upon Avon

(This is in Anne Hathaway's garden. Anne was Shakespeare's wife)

Climbed to the top of the Statue of Liberty

(Thayne, Me, Mom, and Russell)

Visited Stonehenge

Did something drastic to my hair. 

(I pixie cut it, then I bleached it blonde. WOAH!)

Study Abroad

Saw a show in Shakespeare's Globe in London

Ran a 5k

Studied Shakespeare in London

So now I am going to do more. I have a 30 by 30 list. I have three years until I turn 30 and I'm going to accomplish 30 things on my "bucket list" my "101 things I want to do before I die" list etc etc etc. 

I got this idea from my friend, Jen. (She's also my brother's very special friend that's a girl and they go on dates and kiss. yes, his girlfriend, and I love her to death.)

Some of the things I'm determined to get done on my 30 by 30 include:

1-Graduate with my Bachelors.

2-Go to a Redwings game. (My bro-in-law, Ron says I can't without him)

3-Breath Fire.

4-Learn to do amazing Night photography. 

5-Go back to Europe. (Especially England)

So I'll keep you updated. Everytime I accomplish something on my 30 by 30, I'll post it. If i do 10 things for each next 3 years, I can do it!!! 

                  

27 years old!

I had my birthday last week. I love birthdays for one big reason: I get to hang out with my friends. I've always been one of those people who loves throwing parties, I love to hostess, but I can't seem to ever get a lot of people to come to my parties. I blame facebook. Before facebook, we all wanted to go to parties and see people and catch up so bad. Now? Nobody wants to see each other anymore, no one needs to catch up. And everyone RSVPs to parties, and never shows up. I haven't thrown a party in about a year....since my last birthday, because I try to hide it, but I really do get sad and disappointed at all the people who don't show up when they say they are going to. But oh well. I understand people are busy. I'm busier than busy. I make busy look like a yoga retreat.

So we had a nerd party at my family's restaurant, Bella's Fresh Mexican Grill, where we watched Doctor Horrible and played Nerd Jeopardy.

I made a very sad looking tardis cake. I know. It's ridiculously pathetic and droopy. 

And I got to see some of my besties. Chad and his boyfriend, Adam, came dressed up in Battlestar Galactica gear.

Shawn drove like a madman all the way up from Spanish Fork to see me on my birthday. 

And Brady made a break from doing lights in Wyoming and interviews in Idaho to come to my party. He even came with me to my family party the next day.

Congrats to him by the way, he's going to be the resident lighting designer for BYU-I. Their facility is just like the LDS Conference Center. Quite the challenge. Not only is he going to learn so much, but he's going to  wow them.

But this year was great. I didn't care it was my birthday, it was just fun to visit with family and friends. 

"Father Forgive me"

So a while back, like...years ago, I worked for Foursite Film Institute. It was...interesting. But one of the fun parts was helping out with films, and I got to be in a few, always small parts. One of them was a period piece called "Father, Forgive Me." And honestly...it was so cheesy. But I found it on youtube last night, and you know what? I remembered how much fun I had doing my little part. So if you want, I'm in the first five minutes or so (I'm Miss Kitty) and after that, no more. So if you don't want to keep watching, you don't have to, but my friend, Jim is super sexy on his horse (he's the deputy) and I thought Charlie Halford did a great job (the sister's husband) as does Paul Mize (the sheriff).
It's also one of my favorite costumes I've ever made and worn (the one I am wearing). I spent a long itme on it, and it has a million buttons up the back. It turned out phenomenal and it fit me like a glove, especially then at my smallest at 135.
Also, how about that cheeky butt slap?

Enjoy. It was fun to recall that.

P.S. I always kinda wished I'd let Tye kiss me in that scene, just for the blooper reel. :( Maybe next time.

Lastly, this was a dance for the camera we did while I was there. I did the costumes. Nothing too fancy, but it was so much fun to be a part of.

I don't know, if there'll be snow, but have a cup of Cheer.

I love Christmas. I really do. It brings out the mushy side of me that I scoff the other times of the year. I have a very spiritual belief of Christmas. I come from a very strong religious background, so to me, Christmas really is about the birth of the lord and savior, Jesus Christ, who I have a strong testimony of. 

I have quoted this before in my blog, but I truly believe the greatest thing Charles Dickens ever wrote was "A Christmas Carol." This story enthralls me every year when I read through it, pulled by Dicken's words through the streets of London and through the life of Ebenezer Scrooge as this man has a true change of heart. But Dickens says something in his story through the character of Scrooge's nephew that touches me every time I hear it. 

"There are many things from which I might have derived good, by which
I have not profited, I dare say," returned the nephew: "Christmas among the
rest.  But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has
come round--apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if
anything belonging to it can be apart from that--as a good time: a kind,
forgiving, charitable, pleasant time: the only time I know of, in the long
calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to
open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if
they were really fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of
creatures bound on other journeys.  And therefore, uncle, though it has never
put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe it has done me good,
and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!"

It makes me sad when I go out at Christmas time and hear people being so rude and coarse and unkind. I try to be especially kind to people during this time, especially those in retail and food services. :\ They seem to get all the brunt of people's rudeness at this time. I try to wish everyone I come in contact with a Merry Christmas or a Happy Holidays. And I'm always sad when they seem surprised that someone would wish them that.

I am grateful for my knowledge of the gospel and the knowledge I have not only of the miracle of Christ's birth, but of his life and the things he taught and the miracles he performed. I am grateful for the writings of Isaiah who have inspired some of the most beautiful music ever written.

But I also love the fun parts of Christmas. My traditions of course include reading A Christmas Carol (I've never found a play or movie that did the book justice.)

 going to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert:

But I also have some movies and tv episodes that always get watched every Christmas as a tradition for myself. I must say, I do watch shows like Grinch and It's a Wonderful Life and Charlie Brown Christmas and such, but my favorites are as follows:

Invader Zim's the most Horrible X-mas Ever

This is for my darker side, and is really weird dark humor. But if you love Zim, you know how twistedly funny of a Christmas episode this is!

Roswell's Christmas Carol

This was one of my favorite TV shows through High School and College. But the Christmas episode is still a really sweet, episode. And for those who have seen it, you know the best line is when the harsh, doubtful, skeptic, Michael says, "If there is a God, please help us." I love this show.

Elf

What is not to love about this show? Best movie Will Ferrel ever made. (Shortly followed by Anchorman) but This show is just SO FUNNY. It really cracks me up so much.

One Magic Christmas

If you haven't seen this, you should. See if Netflix has it. Makes me cry every time. My mother and I love this movie so much.

White Christmas

What else do I need to say? This is one of my favorite Christmas movies. I've already watched it about ten times this year. The last 15 minutes just makes me emotional and teary and it's just such a wonderful movie. 

Little Women

I know a lot of you wouldn't consider this a Christmas movie, but I do. 

I love my mom and sisters more than anything in this world, and this movie just makes me cry for 2 hours because I can relate to Jo March more than any literary character ever written. 

I love her devotion to her sisters and how helpless she feels when change comes.

But I love the Christmas scenes in this movie. I love them reading their father's letter, to Beth getting the piano, to the party where Jo meets Laurie and Meg twists her ankle ("He put snow on your ankle? With his bare hands?") and the Christmas where the father comes home (cue me crying again.) 

I love this movie and it will always be a Christmas movie to me. 

I hope you all have a wonderful and Merry Christmas! I hope you find the spirit of this season, because I promise you, it exists. It exists through Christ-like love and the miracles of Santa (Yes, Virginia, there IS a santa clause) and he does exist. I have seen too many Christmas Miracles for the spirit of Santa not to exist. As QE2 puts it

"I want to wish you all, a blessed Christmas!"

What did you do tonight?

Oh. I faked a proposal on temple square, with my best friend, and kept a straight face the whole time, which was hard considering we were adorable and melodramatic the whole time. Sometimes, it's nice to be reminded why someone is your best friend.

The Book Thief

My brother, Russell, recently read a book, The Book Thief, by Markus Zusack. He gave it an amazing review and I thought, "oh, that's nice!" and got on with finals. I bought myself a kindle during all the black Friday stuff and Russell told me I should read the Book Thief. I'm always looking for a good book to read, and I completely 100% trust my brother's recommendations. He has taste and is educated to recognize good literature.
So I actually downloaded the book on tape and started listening to the book thief. I would only let myself listen to it while I sewed or cut stuff out (motivation to sew) and finished it last night just as I finished part of Brady's Christmas Present.
The book was wonderful.
I've always loved books. When I was a little girl I was always reading. My mom would have to bribe me NOT To read just so I would get something done. Usually as a child I could be found up some tree, with a book in my hand. My mom had an afternoon paper route and would very often leave me at the A.K. Smiley Library for the afternoon where I read every Nancy Drew, discovered Old Yeller, the Mixed up Files of Miss Basil E Frankweiler, and hundreds more.
What did I love about The Book Thief? What set it apart from so many other books I had read?
The author's voice.
Markus Zusack had such a phenomenal way to say things, write things, explain things. The story is told from Death's perspective. It is about a girl living on Himmel Street in "Molching", Germany. Molching is a fictional town, that sits right by Dachau. I have been to the city of Dachau and their infamous concentration camp. I speak German, have lived in Germany, and so it was a lot of fun to be familiar with all those things.
This story was beautiful. I loved the relationships with all the characters. This wasn't your typical "holocaust story." It was told from an angle I, personally, have never experienced before, and it didn't leave you feeling like the world is a terrible place and all humans don't deserve to live (which is how I leave after most holocaust storied and movies) Don't get me wrong, it was heart-wrenching. I cried, but I also laughed and smiled.
There were parts that were so amazingly written I was left breathless. Pick it up, read it. Do it.