So, this day would not be complete with first, a synopsis of the day, and second, a list of things I am most thankful for.
So, like most years, this Thanksgiving was spent in Meridian, Idaho, at the home of Jeff & Tresa Ball. And, like most years, it was relaxing, fun, and delicious. For those of you who don't know, I am a devout vegetarian, and so when Thanksgiving comes along, I frequently am asked,
"Well, what do you eat?!"
Oh, ask anyone at the table and they will tell you...passing the turkey on down the line never hampers my ability to stuff myself! :) Anyways, after we were all full, we spent the remainder of the afternoon playing cards, sleeping, and, of course, scouring the newspaper ads for the best Black Friday deals followed by periodic trips to the kitchen for leftover snacks. :)
Of course, Thanksgiving would not be complete without my list of top 10 things I am grateful for, and so we begin.
1. Family. They are the greatest source of encouragement and happiness in my life. I love them!
2. Friends. I kind of feel like they should be added to the family category, because that is what they are to me, but alas. They deserve their own specific category. Diana, Cloey, Melissa, Cassie, Britni, Sarah, Hailey, Emily, Rachael, and Lex, thank YOU!
3. The Gospel. How blessed I am to have been born knowing that I am a daughter of God; that I have the tools to return to my Father In Heaven, and that His endless love will never falter.
4. Boise. I never want to leave. This city is the most beautiful place I know. We've got it all within 30 minutes, it's safe, semi-cultured for being in Idaho, and BIKE FRIENDLY! :) :) :)
5. Mouthwash/Toothpaste/Toothbrushes. One of my favorite past-times is brushing my teeth, and I am currently getting my teeth straightened by the help of Invisalign. Let's just say in the morning... and after 24 hours of wearing plastic in my mouth, I am so grateful for the germ killing power of Listerine!
6. My Mac. Once you go MAC you don't go BACK. Oh, how I love my baby and the assistance it offers with school & play.
7. Running. After eating all this food today, I'm grateful for a way to make it all go away, plus I am thankful for the stress relief and focus it offers.
8. School. Well, I wanted to say I am grateful there are only 107 days of it left, but alas... :) I'm thankful for all my teachers, the fact that I am semi-good at it, and the fact that next year I can go to a new one. :)
9. Electricity. I would have been a terrible pioneer.
10. Life. It's good, it's mine, and it's full.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Twilight Nation!
So, as you might know from the posts by my sister and Mom, Twilight is not the favorite book of our household... however I do find it hilarious that it took them reading ALL THREE or FOUR for them to figure this out. :) Anyways, without further adieu, I would like to write my own thoughts on Edward, Bella, and all of Forks, Washington.
I read Twilight in the summer of 2007- before "Edward" was commonplace. My friends were raving about it, and so I had to figure out what all this vampire nonsense was... and thats what I found it to be- nonsense. Now, I will say that I really don't enjoy fiction all that much, and when I read, I like non-fiction about people doing great things, finding themselves, experiencing new culture, or finding enlightenment. Yeah- all Bella finds is Edward. (Who reminds me of the vampire in the movie, "The Little Vampire", so really I couldn't ever get past his paleness and 12 year old features) I found myself struggling through the entire thing, and wondered constantly when it would get good. Much to my dismay, it never did. I was the first person I knew to not want Edward as a boyfriend. I mean seriously? His body is cold and hard as marble, his skin glitters like he's been heavily perspiring, and basically he is albino. Ahhhh... dreamy, right? After the first, I decided I wouldn't continue. And, when my mom and sisters picked up the books, seems they drew the same conclusion.
Another reason I think this movie/book sleaze is hilarious is because of the message it sends to females. My friend's dad asked us what we thought it was that makes women so drawn to vampires, and so I thought a little. I think the biggest reason is that women want to be WANTED, and hey! A vampire wants his "woman/meal" SO BADLY he would do anything- namely suck their blood, to get to them. Hmmm... yeah, nice. But seriously- what is this teaching girls? In the book, Bella is totally miserable and suffers from low self esteem. When Edward comes along, she throws herself at him, and will do anything to be with him- even if that means separating herself from other people her own age, and subjecting herself to his sometimes emotionally abusive behavior. Now if this isn't the perfect equation to a healthy relationship, I don't know what is! Mainly I don't like it when girls feel that they must have a boy to feel self- actualized, and I feel that this book (I only read the one) puts this ideal on a pedestal and says that having a boyfriend is the only true road to happiness.
I read Twilight in the summer of 2007- before "Edward" was commonplace. My friends were raving about it, and so I had to figure out what all this vampire nonsense was... and thats what I found it to be- nonsense. Now, I will say that I really don't enjoy fiction all that much, and when I read, I like non-fiction about people doing great things, finding themselves, experiencing new culture, or finding enlightenment. Yeah- all Bella finds is Edward. (Who reminds me of the vampire in the movie, "The Little Vampire", so really I couldn't ever get past his paleness and 12 year old features) I found myself struggling through the entire thing, and wondered constantly when it would get good. Much to my dismay, it never did. I was the first person I knew to not want Edward as a boyfriend. I mean seriously? His body is cold and hard as marble, his skin glitters like he's been heavily perspiring, and basically he is albino. Ahhhh... dreamy, right? After the first, I decided I wouldn't continue. And, when my mom and sisters picked up the books, seems they drew the same conclusion.
The best part about these books I think is the hype- no, HYSTERIA girls under 12 & over 40 are experiencing. While discussing this with my friend's parents over dinner tonight (yes, that's right) I learned what this Twilight plague is doing to the US. First of all, many girls think the actor playing Edward is really a vampire, and line up for days and days to see him sign autographs, cry hysterically when they meet him, and my favorite, ask him to bite them. Yeah. Healthy.
Another reason I think this movie/book sleaze is hilarious is because of the message it sends to females. My friend's dad asked us what we thought it was that makes women so drawn to vampires, and so I thought a little. I think the biggest reason is that women want to be WANTED, and hey! A vampire wants his "woman/meal" SO BADLY he would do anything- namely suck their blood, to get to them. Hmmm... yeah, nice. But seriously- what is this teaching girls? In the book, Bella is totally miserable and suffers from low self esteem. When Edward comes along, she throws herself at him, and will do anything to be with him- even if that means separating herself from other people her own age, and subjecting herself to his sometimes emotionally abusive behavior. Now if this isn't the perfect equation to a healthy relationship, I don't know what is! Mainly I don't like it when girls feel that they must have a boy to feel self- actualized, and I feel that this book (I only read the one) puts this ideal on a pedestal and says that having a boyfriend is the only true road to happiness.
RUBBISH.
Want a good book? Read....
1. Born Confused
2. Mutant Message From Down Under
3. Eat, Pray, Love
4. Three Cups Of Tea
5. The Great Gatsby
6. The Good Earth
Want a good book? Read....
1. Born Confused
2. Mutant Message From Down Under
3. Eat, Pray, Love
4. Three Cups Of Tea
5. The Great Gatsby
6. The Good Earth
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
History Was Made
And how glad I am to have been a part of it.
How far we have come, how many heights we have reached, how proud we should be to be Americans.
Last night when watching the election coverage, I just didn't know what to think, exactly. I was sitting at my computer facebook-ing (it's like crack!) and working on my election project, when I heard Lindsay in the family room yell to my mom that Obama had won! I rushed in, and sure enough, the results were in. That moment and the ones following are some of the moments I will not soon forget. As the cameras panned the citizens of Chicago cheering, crying, hugging, I couldn't help but feeling a swelling of my heart. As I listened to McCain give the most gracious concession speech I'd ever heard from the man accompanied by the remarks of a Georgian Congressman, I couldn't help but feel so proud to be an American. Democracy works. That is all.
How lucky I feel to live in a country that has undergone such drastic changes in the last 50 years. It is so reassuring to know that in this time of economic turmoil, war torn countries, a national debt of 10 trillion plus, and a plethora of other problems, Americans can come together and elect the man for the job. We are overcoming the racism that so seriously plagued our country such a short time ago, and elected the first African American president of the United States. Does this mean that we are getting closer to sitting at that "table of brotherhood" Dr. King spoke so longingly about years ago? I definitely think so.
This election is bringing together the United States of America. Whether you believe in the "change" Obama so fondly (and frequently) speaks of, there is no doubt that the hope he strikes into the hearts of Americans young and old is contagious.
I have such great expectations for the next 4 years. We are so lucky to live in the United States at this time.
"The road ahead will be long, our climb will be steep.... but I promise you, we as a people will get there."- Barack Obama
Watch the speech
How far we have come, how many heights we have reached, how proud we should be to be Americans.
Last night when watching the election coverage, I just didn't know what to think, exactly. I was sitting at my computer facebook-ing (it's like crack!) and working on my election project, when I heard Lindsay in the family room yell to my mom that Obama had won! I rushed in, and sure enough, the results were in. That moment and the ones following are some of the moments I will not soon forget. As the cameras panned the citizens of Chicago cheering, crying, hugging, I couldn't help but feeling a swelling of my heart. As I listened to McCain give the most gracious concession speech I'd ever heard from the man accompanied by the remarks of a Georgian Congressman, I couldn't help but feel so proud to be an American. Democracy works. That is all.
How lucky I feel to live in a country that has undergone such drastic changes in the last 50 years. It is so reassuring to know that in this time of economic turmoil, war torn countries, a national debt of 10 trillion plus, and a plethora of other problems, Americans can come together and elect the man for the job. We are overcoming the racism that so seriously plagued our country such a short time ago, and elected the first African American president of the United States. Does this mean that we are getting closer to sitting at that "table of brotherhood" Dr. King spoke so longingly about years ago? I definitely think so.
This election is bringing together the United States of America. Whether you believe in the "change" Obama so fondly (and frequently) speaks of, there is no doubt that the hope he strikes into the hearts of Americans young and old is contagious.
I have such great expectations for the next 4 years. We are so lucky to live in the United States at this time.
"The road ahead will be long, our climb will be steep.... but I promise you, we as a people will get there."- Barack Obama
Watch the speech
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Daylight Savings
freaks me out!
While I must admit, it WAS nice to sleep an extra hour last night, I get an acute case of panic attack every time it is "that time of year again". When it is dark at 6 I freak mainly because my brain thinks it's time to go to bed, and most of the time none of my homework is done, and frankly, I don't like the fact that I am GOING to work when it's pitch black outside. (Curse you, 7-close shift!)
However, I guess every cloud has a silver lining, and it is nice to know that for a few weeks we'll actually be able to see the road in front of us when Diana and I ride our bikes in the morning to school.. that is, if we don't die of exposure. (we've been contemplating buying face masks for the every day journey.. hehe)
While I must admit, it WAS nice to sleep an extra hour last night, I get an acute case of panic attack every time it is "that time of year again". When it is dark at 6 I freak mainly because my brain thinks it's time to go to bed, and most of the time none of my homework is done, and frankly, I don't like the fact that I am GOING to work when it's pitch black outside. (Curse you, 7-close shift!)
However, I guess every cloud has a silver lining, and it is nice to know that for a few weeks we'll actually be able to see the road in front of us when Diana and I ride our bikes in the morning to school.. that is, if we don't die of exposure. (we've been contemplating buying face masks for the every day journey.. hehe)
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