[day 372: valentinios]

well, reader, it has been
94 days
since my last confession.

ha! just kidding.
umm this life that i'm a part of currently
(which is awesome)
is slightly insane.
and completely amazing.

i am in school...about to earn my
associates (whoop whoop!)
i am finishing my leadership program,
student government is winding down,
and the rest of my life is winding up.


yesterday was the national day of love...
right?

i felt so loved yesterday.
and no, i didn't go on a date
i didn't get a ring, or chocolates,
or anything like that.

but, let me tell you what i did get.
i got valentines from dear friends,
and made a slew of my own.
(which i passed out with the enthusiasm of a five-year-old)

i got to go to dinner with a group of wonderful people,
and then went to a movie that had beautiful people and an awful ending.
(the vow)

let me tell you about my dinner.
i went to red robin, (in provo)
and while i was there,
three teenage boys came up to my table and
serenaded me with a little song.
these three sang me "happy valentines" in the
tune of "happy birthday".

those three boys were my little brothers.
who had come from their dinner, to sing to me.
and those three brought me to tears!
they each gave me a present with their section of the song,
and they each gave me a hug.

behind them, watching from a distance, were my parents.
two of the most amazing people i will ever meet,
and two who have taught me and shown me
how to love more than anyone i've ever known.

one of the presents was a letter with a note
from every member of my family.
and those tears that were clouding up my vision
from the cute song began to fall on my plate.
it was one of the most precious things i've ever had.

and i'll definitely keep it forever.

when i asked my mom why they wanted to do it,
she said that my brothers just wanted to make sure i felt loved on valentines.

and i did!

happy valentines everyone.
i hope that you guys felt the love that i did.

[day 278: dear construction]

dear construction,
as a driver in utah county,
i have a bone to pick with
you.

i do not understand
why utah has the need
to bring

every.

orange.

cone.

and put them in the geographical area
between the point of the mountain
and springville.

for the last year...
almost two,
there has not been a day
where i have not driven past
an orange cone
and a whole crew of workers.

in fact, i see them about every 20 feet.
budget cuts are always being made,
but i think it's because the state of utah
is pumping all their money into
our roads...
which were decent to begin with.

and if there is a need to fix a road,
rather than spread everyone out to
work on 50 different projects,
why don't you guys combine your efforts
into one project,
finish it all the way,
and then move on to the next one??

the half-finished drawn out jobs are
making driving anywhere
a mess...

thanks for nothing,
a discouraged driver

[day 274: leftbrain rightbrain]

Left brain: 

I am the left brain. 

I am a scientist. 

A mathematician. 

I love the familiar. 

I categorize. 

I am accurate. 

Linear. 

Analytical. 

Strategic. 

I am practical. 

Always in control. 

A master of words and language. 

Realistic. 

I calculate equations and play with numbers. 

I am order. I am logic. I know exactly who I am.

Right brain. 

I am the right brain. 

I am creativity. 

A free spirit. 

I am passion. 

Yearning. 

Sensuality. 

I am the sound of roaring laughter. 

I am taste. 

The feeling of sand beneath bare feat. 

I am movement. 

Vivid colors. 

I am the urge to paint on an empty canvas.

I am boundless imagination. 

Art. Poetry. I sense. I feel. 

I am everything I wanted to be.

I love this.

SO much.

everyone is predominantly one or the other,

but both are needed...

which one are you?

[day 273: 11/11/11 11:11]

soooo i know it's sort of cliche-ish
to write about this day,
but in light of my post yesterday,
i think i should
write about something happier!!
lighter.

anyways,
how cool is this?
really.
this day won't happen
for the next 100 years.
and we all got to be here for it.

super cool.

let me tell you,
i made a pretty good wish!!
[it's a secret though...]

andddd,
it's veterans day.
i just want to thank all of you
who currently serve this country,
who have served our country,
and will serve this country.

you are amazing men and women,
and i hope that you get the
recognition you deserve.

today in nashville,
we got to plant trees.
lots of trees.
and digging holes with my senators
was awesome...

we planted 10 trees in less then an hour.
i think it's because of mutual activities,
and saturday chores. ha

the lady that was there representing
the "hands on in nashville"
service organization was
floored.

she couldn't believe how fast
we dug those holes...
and i loved it.

way to represent UVU.

you rock.

[day 240-272: politicians and pocketbooks]

it's official. i am a terrible blogger.

it's just because life

keeps getting in the way...

which is a great thing!

because life is great!

anyways...i just started this

history class

in effort to get my

associates by the end of this year.

my teachers name is dr. frederickson,

and she is fabulous.

for those of your who know me,

you know that i have never been very

politically inclined....

and that's not really why i'm here.

the last thing i want to do

is get into a political debate about anything.

i've just had some thoughts that are in the

realm of politics...

lok, more like on the outside border. ha

two weeks ago in class,

we were discussing the departing address

of george washington.

he was a great man,

and for those of you that don't know...

he was the first president of our country!

(cut down a cherry tree...on the $1 bill. haha)

anyways, in his address,

he said two things that

have stuck with me...

first he said that as americans, we need to

cherish public credit.

put simply...washington believed that

our nation would be the most successful

it it kept its money circulating within our borders.

now, i know that with the global economy,

there is no way we can do that...

we couldn't survive as a nation.

but, it leaves one to question where our money

IS actually going.

would the founding fathers agree with

what our national government has gotten us into?

really...think about it.

in a world that is being torn apart by

war and famine

and natural disasters,

we are slowly and surely killing our nation

with national debt...

and it is piling. daily.

for someone who is a part of the

"rising generation",

what is going to be left for me?

really??

at this point,

i will have no social security waiting

for me when i retire,

because it's all being used for a

national adgenda.

rather than outsource,

why don't we start to restablish

and cherish our own public credit?

why don't we being to use

the hundreds of thousands

of americans that are out of work?

why don't we chreish the

spirit that build america

bring back the benefits of being

a working man [or woman]

to america?

i'm not on this soapbox

because i'm unhappy with my life...

i have been very blessed and am so grateful for it.

but i am wary as to where this nation in going to

be in 20 years...even 10 years.

i hope that someday,

politicians can put away their pocketbooks

and think about the future they are leaving for

my generation.

my children.

even my parents...

i don't know if that will ever happen though.

there is too much taking and not enough giving...

too much person gain to be had.

but maybe, there will be a day where the

true american dream is revisited,

and the working man will be called back to his rightful place.

maybe we'll actually begin to appreciate

the value that is found in our own

backyard...and cherish our public credit.

just a thought...

[day 237-239: pretty sundays]

how beautiful are sundays?
i swear...god always saves the
best
days for sunday.

think about it...
almost every single sunday
[of my life, anyway]
have been beautiful.
they have amazing mornings,
bright days,
and beautiful sunsets.

and today was the first day
in days
that hasn't been full of cold rain
[though i do quite like the rain]

it was beautiful.
it just goes to show
that the big man upstairs
knows which day needs
a little more attention.

gotta love those sundays!

[day 235-236: steve jobs]

"here's to the crazy ones, the misfits,
the rebels, the troublemakers,
the round pegs in
the square holes...
the ones who see things
differently.
they're not fond of rules...
you can
quote them,
disagree with them,
glorify or vilify them,
but the only thing you can't do it
ignore them
because they change things.
they push the human race forward,
and while some may see them as the crazy ones,
we see
genius,
because the ones who are
crazy
enough to think they can
change the world,
are the ones who
do....think different"
--steve jobs

i got this quote today from a dear friend
who is quite the visionary himself...
but in light of the loss of
steve jobs,
i want to pay my own little tribute to the
visionary
who's forward thinking
literally changed the world.

this man brought a near-broke
computer company
back,
and created the most successful
tech company
in the world.

we use ipods, iphones, and ipads daily.
lets face it...they are a part of our lives.
for some, a very crucial part.

and it was all due to this man.

here's to forward thinking,
being different,
doing different,
and being visionary.

here's to understanding the big picture,
and believing that you really can change the world.

so, in the words of my enlightened friend...
keep moving forward.

keep trying and keep looking to the future,
but do not forget the significance
of your current experience.

eventually, you'll look back and realize
that every experience has added up to
the you that you've become.
[yeah yeah, i know it's cheesy]

you never know...
maybe you'll be able to change the world,
just like steve jobs.

rest in peace mr. jobs.
the world will truly miss you.
thanks for your innovation!