revolution 2.

life in general is pretty crazy. i am a full time student, which takes up a lot of my time but surprisingly i still find more than enough time to sit back and enjoy the beauty of the world.
as i have been looking back on the past year, i have come realize that i have done so many things that i never would have imagined myself doing.
for example.

• i went to china. who does that? i mean, a lot of people do but i didn't go for me. yes, i knew that i was going to be a different when i came home, but what i didn't realize was that i am a totally different person. i am still me, of course, but my view of the world has changed.
• i became a cryer. i knew this isn't something that someone should put up for whoever to read. but i am truly one of the most emotional people i know. i don't think it's a bad thing, not at all. i actually like being able to cry when something is awesome, or sad, or inspiring, or even hilarious. i find that it makes life a little more interesting when i cry out of no where.
• i was able to grow closer to my family. this has always been a goal of mine. not because i am distant from my family but because i feel like there is always reason to be closer. the weird thing is, it was while i was in china that my relationship with my family grew stronger. it's true that absence makes the heart grow fonder.
• i came to the realization that life is something to celebrate and every day there is something exciting going on. yes, some days are less exciting than others, but we all need to laugh and clap and cheer about the fact that we are alive. we are living, surviving, and loving. how lucky are we.
• i have the greatest friends. i know that i'm not always there for them when they need me to be, but i want them all to know that i always want to be there. when they are happy, sad, angry, heart broken or on top of the world. dear friends, i love you all. and i am here for you when you need me.
• i don't have anything to lose. in life in general. i think a lot of the time i keep myself from doing things because i feel like i am going to miss out on something else, but the fact of the matter is, there is never anything to lose. only more and more experiences to learn and grow from. bring it on, life!
• i gave my heart away to 33 little asian children. i went from getting all their little round faces confused, to knowing who was laughing even when i wasn't looking. each of them changed my life more than i ever imagined and miss them everyday. i will never be the same person i was last year, and because of them i am better than i was.
• i learned to say when i'm thinking. this isn't always the greatest thing to do. but i feel like there are so many people out there that tell people things that they don't necessarily believe. i want to be someone that just lays it all on the line and says what i'm thinking. if you don't like that, too bad for you.
• i learned to roll with the punches. life is so unpredictable and if we get too caught up in worrying about what is going to happen tomorrow or in the next six months, life gets too messy and we get ahead of ourselves. i learned to just live in the moment and enjoy it. embrace it, take it all in, and breathe in deeply the fresh air of unpredictability.

well there you have it, just a few examples about how i grew more over the past year than i could have imagined. and the exciting part is, i don't even know what the next year is going to bring! hopefully something exciting (you'll be the first to know). for all you who read this blog, thank you for reading it and thank you for being so great. cause really, you are all so great and i am so lucky to have YOU in my life.

bless you.

xo.

don't pass me by.

improv everywhere has done it again.
this video is hilarious.
what i wouldn't give to live in new york and be a part of this.



please tell me this made you laugh.

sun king.

today is thanksgiving.
happy thanksgiving. i'm thankful for you.
today is also the birthday of elder mason t. porter.
he's 21 today and thats a big one.
i'm not there to celebrate with him, but guess what
he'll be home in one month and we'll celebrate then.



this post is just a little shout out to my best friend in all the world.
happy birthday mason.
you are the sun.

because.

i had way too much fun on yearbookyourself.com tonight. i really should have just gone to bed. heha.


i only wish i had that hair. and those nails.


sorry about my 5 o'clock shadow.


there's a squirrel in that hair.



haha. i was laughing way too hard while i was doing this.
the end.
xo.

what you're doing.

i am once again in astronomy. but this time, it is far less interesting than last time...if that is possible. einstein is no longer on the screen, but fortunately the galaxy is. pretty, eh?
i had a whole lot of time between classes today, which was good because i was able to study for my std test. yes, std's. yummy. on the other hand, all the the time between classes allowed me to take a finer look at the great people that attend utah valley university, home of the wolverines.

the first kind of person i came across is your typical "nerd". you know the ones, with their pants up a little too high with their white socks sticking out. they typically haul around one of those rolling backpacks and they always seem to be pondering something a little too hard which causes their brows to furrow up and every once in a while they talk to themselves. loudly. most nerds, as we all know, typically have glasses, however, i wear glasses and do not consider myself to be a nerd.

the second kind of person is the ever popular "dude bro". oh man, these guys are my favorite and bring so much life to the hallways of uvu. they seem to "know" everyone and are still wearing their hollister shirts with the collars popped. i don't know why, but i can't help but laugh when i see these guys strutting their stuff down the hallways and checking out every other guys collars as he walks past.

my third encounter was with your classic "i don't care what i look like/i'm a new-age hippie" person. however, you can tell that they put a little to much thought into matching their vegan shoes with their hemp shirt and their greasy long hair with their unkept fingernails. i get that they "don't care" what other people think, and it's obvious that once stop wearing shoes in the hallways and they get to the point of "i'm not wearing underwear" that they've completely given up any thought about what they're putting out into the world. yikes.

the fourth kind of person that i've had the wonderful opportunity to witness is the "i go to school, but don't go to class" person. we've all seen them. they sit on their computers all day long, and no matter what time of day it is, they are completely unaware that there is anything going on around them. often times, they are watching movies online and laughing a little too loudly for where they are. as i type this, one of these champs is sitting next to me. watching battlestar galactica. awesome.

there are a few more types of people that i have seen roaming the halls of uvu. but by far, my favorite kind are the "old people going to college" type of people. i don't know why, but in my mind, they are always super sweet, and pay super close attention to everything that goes on in their classes. they too have the rolling backpacks, because their backs aren't strong enough to carry all those books. they walk slow and it totally sucks when you get stuck walking behind them, but they are always super friendly when you accidently look at them for too long and the two of you make eye contact. oh old people. they bring so much joy to my life.

as you can tell, school at uvu is quite an adventure. don't you wish you go here?

don't let me down.

i have been inspired by my dearest tiffaroo to make a list of my top movies of 2009. it has been quite the year, and i was out of the country for most of it. with that said, here we go.

in no particular order.

where the wild things are.

i've seen this movie twice and i can't wait to see it again. the emotions i feel when i watch this movie are so raw. it is not a love story, it's not an action movie, no an adventure movie. it is beautiful, in an unconventional sort of way.

(500) days of summer.

i know i've mentioned this movie time after time. but i love it. it isn't your traditional love story, but it portrays love and relationships how they really are. love is rough and tumble at times, but in the end, all is well and the trees will bloom again.

julie and julia.

i wasn't sure what to expect when i saw this movie, but i totally loved it. it made me want to cook so badly. and made me want to have a laugh like julia childs. it is funny, cute, somewhat romantic, and makes me really hungry.

star trek.

i love this movie mostly because of the circumstances of seeing it. it was the only movie i ever saw in a chinese theatre and trudged through pour rain to get there. it was hannah's birthday and was so great.

this is it.


michael jackson was amazingly talented. it's a shame that he's dead, but at least he left some great music for all of us to enjoy and dance to.

and here's one more just because.
amelie.

yes. i know that this movie isn't new. it's actually a couple years old, but i just recently saw it and absolutely loved it. it is beautiful and charming. i want to have a photo booth in my house. and be someone's secret admirer.


and as for the worst movie of 2009.
my sisters keeper.

absolutely, positively terrible. i have no other words, but to say that i absolutely hated this movie. i'll never see it again, or will ever have any desire to.

welp. that's it people. the year isn't over, so this list may change, but up until now, these movies are at the top of my list.
until next time.
peace and love.

rock and roll music.

i'm at school and i should be paying attention, but astronomy is just so boring. oh wait! einstein is up on the ceiling. i'm a little more interested now.
so i just took the liberty of reading the blog of my dear friends jason gibby and jason davis. and $BiggiB$ listed his best and worst albums of the year. because of his post, i have been inspired to share with all you my, my best albums of the year.

enjoy.
in no particular order.

where the wild things are. beautiful and fit the emotions of the movie so perfectly.


monsters of folk. m.ward. conor oberst and mike mogis (of bright eyes). jim james (of my morning jacket.) brilliant and lovely.


andrew bird has done it again. this album is wonderful. if you haven't listened to it, i suggest you do.


as tall as lions. big thanks to tifaroo for letting me steal this album from her.


500 days of summer soundtrack. this movie is touching and beautiful. and the music makes my heart beat faster.



and as for the worst album of the year.
lady gaga. live ep. or regular album (released dec. 2008). everytime i hear one of her songs, i am one step closer to gouging my ears out.



ps. it's been over an hour and einstein is still on the ceiling. obviously we've covered a lot of information in astronomy today.

pps. only 57 more days til i see THIS face! i can't wait.