Bending at it's finest

Have you ever seen Avatar? Not the blue people running around like Pocahontas meets The Matrix one. But the good one, the airbender one, the cartoon-anime one. Yeah, Avatar: The Last Airbender. One of my favorite tv shows of all time. It is SO good. And the newest Avatar series is just as good.
The Legend of Korra. It is in its second season, and it is so great. Not as good as the original Avatar series, but still fantastic.
Bending is so cool. You bend the elements and rule the world. If I could have any "super power" I would want to be a bender, and I don't even have a preference of which element.

And here in Provo this last year or two, I've connected with some fellow Avatar fans. And converted others to becoming Avatar fans. It's been glorious. Seriously, this show is like my guilty pleasure. Except I have no guilt about it. It never gets old.
Three years ago, my wonderful mother bought us all three seasons of Avatar. Little did she know how obsessed and in love with this show we were and how absolutely sick of it she would get. There have been more times than I can count in these last few years that we've sat down and had an Avatar marathon. If you watch it without stopping, you can finish the entire series in less than 24 hours. About 22 hours to be exact. Not that I know...

Honestly, I have never found a show that is just as funny and entertaining for me as an "adult" as it is for my 8 year old brother. I wish I had this show when I was a child. Best cartoon ever. My children will love this show.

I tried to find some video clips of the best and/or funniest scenes, but it seems that nickelodeon has a lock down on Avatar scenes on youtube. So let's just say: Look this show up. It is hilarious and you won't be disappointed.

A French Elder

So... I have many brothers, we all know this. And it looks like I'm making this a mission tradition, so look forward to more posts about my brothers in future years. And here is a shout out to my dear brother Adam.

He is currently on his 2 year mission for our church (click here  or here for more info) in the West Indies. What an adventure! I am so excited for Adam but I did not want him to leave back in July. He is the sweetest dear boy in the world and I love him with my whole heart. He always takes my side in arguments (much to Ryan's frustration) and we are equally crazy and loud together. He is always up for an adventure and he is super creative. He has got to be one of the funniest people I have ever met in my life, though I may say that about every one of my brothers. I'm just all around a big fan of him. And I know he is being an incredible missionary and touching so many lives!
Here's some photographic proof of the amazingness that is Adam (also the model that Adam thinks he is). I tried to cut down the number of pictures, but they were all too good:

He tried to tell us that there was a mustache there... False.

This is for his cardboard cutout at my wedding (because he's convinced I will wed while he's gone)

You can see where he gets his good looks and model tendencies.

The dos of them or missionarying now. I'm so proud.

Awkward family photo?

This was when we dropped him off. This is the adorable face of an incredibly nervous missionary who is about to embark on an adventure of a lifetime and has no idea what to expect.

And he's off. There he goes ladies and gents, there he goes. Love him.

Halloweenies.

I can not express to you how much I love Halloween. I am completely serious.
This is my favorite holiday. Maybe Thanksgiving rivals it, and obviously I love Christmas, and let's get real, holidays in general are my favorite thing ever. But Halloween is the best.
Costumes, dance parties, candy. 
How can you get better than that? Those are potentially my 3 favorite things in the world. Plus my birthday is around Halloween time and it is in fall, my favorite season. So much goodness. One of my favorite past times in the world is dressing up and going to dance parties. I dress up for pretty much every dance party I ever go to (which is many), but Halloween is just a whole new level. I always have multiple costumes every year, and go to as many dance parties as I can. Thus far this Halloween season I have been a grandma (again), a birthday princess, and Professor Trelawny (throwback). Also, I've already attended 4 Halloween themed dance parties. Winning.
So, what will I be tonight for real Halloween? I have no idea yet, but some potential ideas I have had are: David Bowie as the Goblin king in Labyrinth, a Jedi, and a Native American. Also DeeDee from Dexter's Lab because I have a friend considering being Dexter.
I just love costumes. I need to calm down about that, I know. And yes, I realize that I am now 23 years old. I don't think I know what it means grow up and be an adult. Fine with it.

Moral of this rambling story: Halloween rocks. I love dressing in costume. I love being in character. I love dancing. And I love sweets. Let's go celebrate the day of the dead.

Employable.

Now let's address what I have been doing since graduating from college.
What's that you say? I forgot to mention that I graduated from college? Well, surprise! I did that.

I finished the last of my graduation requirements in August. All I had left was to finish my internship and turn in my final research paper - which ended up being far more work than anticipated. But it's all done! I'm done! I graduated! And it was official about a month ago when my diploma finally came in the mail. That was a very exciting day of my life.
It's kind of funny how important a single piece of paper can be in the world. I spent 4 solid years of working my butt off for that piece of paper. I crammed my brain with so much knowledge and spent countless hours in the library studying and writing papers. And you know what? It was absolutely worth it.

So what HAVE I been doing?

Well once I graduated, I was no longer eligible to work in my on-campus student employee job, so I found myself unemployed. Isn't it interesting that upon graduating from college I lost my job? It's usually the other way around, but it's fine.
And thus began my weeks of unemployment. Having absolutely no obligations to my name in the middle of August? You would think that sounds like a heavenly end to the summer, but let me tell you, it was miserable. I have been in school and working for 4 years straight, and have gotten used to that fast-paced movement and then all of the sudden BAM - I was sitting home all day, everyday watching netflix and reading fantasy novels. The first day was great. I slept in, I went for a jog, I didn't have to shower until after lunch, and I watched at least 5 episodes of Once Upon A Time. But then the second day happened and I realized that I was going crazy. I needed a job. I applied to seriously at least 40 jobs; it was ridiculous. I was unemployed for a good 2-3 weeks, and I really think I went crazy. But then I was blessed and got a great job! Basically, life's just moving right along. Good work team.

Karen.

So it's been a month and a half since I last updated the blog. Sometimes I'm just not as into it as usual. But I'm back, hopefully. And ladies and gentlemen, let me just tell you... life has been a crazy hullabaloo of fun, sad, wonderful, hilarious, exhausting, stressful, and awesome memories.

Let's first just take a moment to appreciate love. And marriage.
Never fear, not my own love and marriage, but that of my roommates. In the last month or so I have had 2 roommates get engaged and the one that was already engaged got married. Lots of love? You are quite right. And it has been wonderful. In the last 8 months, I have been able to see these relationships begin and develop and grow and become something wonderful.
I am so so so happy for my best friends and that they have each found an AMAZING man to spend eternity with. Does life get better than that?

Kaylee + Daren = Karen. Or Daylee?
Kaylee has been my best friend for 4 years. Living with someone brings you closer than pretty much anything and I love this girl with all of my heart. She's always been the one to share all of my nerdy passions and get excited about the most ridiculous things. She plans the best parties in the world and she understands my love of themed events. Midnight premier? Kaylee and I are the ones at the front of the line and pre-buying enough tickets for all of our friends. We just have so much fun.
Kaylee is also my therapist. She understands when there is an issue and she knows how to make me look at every side of the situation. She knows just what to say to shine a new light on a problem and she will let me sit in my pit of stubbornness as long as it takes for me to understand what she's saying. And she gives unparalleled advice.
Kaylee has taught me how to give my all in everything I'm involved in. With her, there is no wishy-washy indecisiveness. You make a commitment and you stick with it until it is good and done. I admire that trait so much.
I honestly truly don't know what I would be like without Kaylee Joy.

Kaylee and Daren's wedding day was absolutely beautiful. They are so in love and I am so excited for their life together. I knew from the day we returned from our California trip back in February that they were perfect for each other. And I am thrilled to have been able to be there to support them for their wedding! Here's a few of my faves from the day:

All of Kaylee's friends that were there at the temple when they came out. I love this group of humans.

Bridesmaids!

And let's just take a moment to appreciate every person's face in this picture. Everything is solid gold entertainment. Winning.

MT and I proving that we were the one's that made this marriage happen. We brought them together in California. But you don't have to thank us.

Happy 100 & The Return.

Happy 100th blog post! 
This calls for some sort of celebration. I'll let you know how it goes.

How fitting that what I was planning to post today was about how absolutely ecstatic I am about this girl returning to Utah this week:

Why is it fitting, you may ask? Well, because Alyse is a complete party at all times. So why not celebrate 100 posts by talking about her?

Guys, she has been in the DC area for the last 8 months. That is such a long time! I have missed her so much. I have seen her once in all of those months and it was not nearly enough. She was there for the Washington Seminar, which is an internship program through BYU, and I'm so happy that she was able to go! Life changing, if you ask me.
It was really difficult for me at first when she left because I wanted to be going with her. You see, we started talking about the Washington Seminar together last fall and we both applied to the program and we were so excited. We talked for hours about how much fun it would be if we were in DC together and how we would party all the time and go clubbing together. It was one of the best ideas we've ever had.
So when she got accepted, and I did not, well that was a rough patch in my life. But after a bit of frustration, I came to the realization that I was right where I needed to be and she was heading to where she needed to be at that point in our lives. I've learned things about myself and grown in ways that I personally could not have if I was anywhere else but in Provo, and I'm pretty sure she has had a similar experience about DC. I'm so happy she got to have that experience! And now I'm SO happy that she is finally coming back!
I love that girl with all of my heart and I just have never met anyone that makes me laugh as much as her or who can make any situation the most fun thing that has ever been done.

Here's the one time we dressed up as lumberjacks (though we do also look like Hurley and Sawyer from Lost):

And here's the one time we wore mustaches at a dance party and then I told Brandon Davies that we were aware that he has a prostate:

And here's the time we were tribal (apparently we dress up a lot together. I'm a fan):

So here's to Alyse and her return! And to growing experiences that take us across the country from each other! And for 100 blog posts!

I'm Jennie and I'm the intern.

I am doing an internship this summer. It is seriously the greatest thing I could have decided to do with my summer.
I am working with the DCFS (Division of Child and Family Services) Drug Court team. I get to meet so many humans who are trying to make their life better. And the caseworkers who honestly truly care about them and want them to get better so they can take care of their children.

Yes, it is hard. There are days that I come home and I am so sad and just can't believe some people. I don't think life is fair to a lot of children in the world. All kids deserve happy, safe, functioning homes with people who love them, and there are too many kids that don't have that opportunity and don't even know what it's like. I see parents doing drugs and neglecting their children. It's all quite sad.
But you know what else I've seen? Parents working harder than they've ever worked in their lives to get clean so they can get their gets back. I've seen goals reached successfully. I've seen children who are finally  in safe environments and are being cared for.

I love working with people. I have realized even more strongly that I want to be a social worker. I want to help people when they are at their lowest and give them the encouragement and inspiration that they need to take steps forward. I want to care for people because they are human beings and they deserve the best in the world. I want to be able to look past a person's flaws and see them for who they can become and help them to get there. I just really think that everyone deserves multiple chances to succeed and access to all the resources possible to help them do so.
That's what an internship is supposed to be, isn't it? Giving me direction in my life and showing me what I do and do not want to do with my career. I'm a big fan.

Job huntress

Looking for a job is probably the worst thing in the world.

It's stressful.

It's time consuming.

It's nerve-wracking.

I am nearly a college graduate

Someone should want to hire me.

I swear there is nothing good about job hunting, except for the actual getting hired part.

But I haven't reached that part yet.

So I'm going to keep complaining.

Someone give me a job.

K, thanks.

Little Green House

Guys. I live in an adorable little green house. We have a washer and dryer, two fridges, a yard, and a porch. And we got a vacuum last month. Come now, this is amazing. What else can you ask for? Maybe a dish washer. Or air conditioning. But that's beside the point:
I love our house!!!
I've lived here for a 3 months now, and I still haven't gotten over the excitement of it. I love where I live. I love my roommates. I love sitting on the couch on my porch, with the twinkle lights on, and just chatting with people. Does life get better than this? I submit that it does not.

There is no moral to this story; I just wanted to share my excitement and love for it all. 

An Ode to Jenna Bear

This is a Jennie Bean and a Jenna Bear.

She is my roommate and she is awesome. She is currently just being abroad in Scotland and I miss her ever so much. When we first started living together, we discovered so many ridiculous similarities between our lives. I seriously think that we've lived the same life and I don't know how we never met until last year!
Here are just some of our similarities:

1. Her name is Jenna. My name is Jennie.
2. Our full names sound almost exactly alike.
3. Initials: JCL. JLC.
4. When we first met, I put her number in my phone and randomly put her name as Jenna Bear without really thinking about it. I then found out that this as the only nickname she ever had growing up. We then discovered that she put my name as Jennie Bean, which is what my parents have called me my whole life.
   Basically, we inadvertently guessed each other's childhood nicknames.
   And they sound alike.
5. Before we even knew each other, we both named our blogs the exact same thing. Check it.
6. A couple years ago, she worked with a girl named Lacy (names have been change to protect the innocent)who always told her all about her fiance named Andrew. In high school, I dated a boy named Andrew who ended up marrying a girl named Lacy. Yeah, Jenna and I knew opposite halves of this couple.
   AND we were both at their wedding reception and probably saw each other before we ever even met!
7. Both of our mothers are twins.
8. I have grandparents named Farrell and Marilyn. She has grandparents named Gerald and Marilyn.
9. We both lived in somewhat the same area for a couple of years and have memories from a lot of the same places: Iceberg shakes, camping, ice skating, etc.
10. Her grandmother lives just a mile or so down the street from my parents house.
11. Her tone-deaf grandmother used to sing her a weird song about a fat woman hugging and kissing all sorts of men... and once when she was telling us about it, I recognized as a song that my dad taught me when I was little about Chalkin and a-Huggin.
    What kind of weird coincidence is it that we both were taught this super odd song as children?!
    Here's a link to the version that Jenna's grandma sang:

12. We've been told that when I straighten my hair we look somewhat alike... So for Halloween, we dressed up as each other and we looked creepily similar:

13. There are just all sorts of small similarities that we have. It is seriously kind of terrifying. In the best way possible.

Being the sentimental human that I am, I have FINALLY made this blog post. She returns to me this weekend. God bless Scotland.

Summer slushes

My last post was called "Here at the end of all things" (a beautiful reference to a beautiful movie/book series that I sincerely hope you got). I honestly did not mean for that to legitimately be my last post on my blog, but recent months have proved that to be the case. I have been so busy and having so much fun that I have no had time to blog in nearly 2 months. For shame.

But now I'm back.
You're welcome.

This summer has been all sorts of eventful and I have loved it! I probably won't recap most of it, but don't you worry, you will most certainly be receiving pictures and updates from my trip to the UK. It was AMAZING!
And when I haven't been abroad, I've been making new friends and playing oodles of volleyball and eating lots of Sonic slushes and going on hikes and doing tons of adventuring and reading good books. Overall, it has been so perfect. Love me some summer.
Though I must say, it is the absolute weirdest feeling not to be in classes. Disregarding holiday breaks, I have been in classes for the last two years straight with no breaks. So now that I am all of the sudden done, I just don't know what to do with myself. So much beautiful freedom!
Moral of the story: I'm back and rearing to go and ready to blog and tell you all of my opinions and about all of my adventures.
Life is so good.

Here at the end of all things

So once upon a time yesterday, I realized that in one week I will be 100% done with classes for my undergraduate degree. This made me so sad. I complain about school and homework and papers and finals all the time, but you know what? I love it all. I have been so blessed to be able to go to college and further my education and expand my horizons. I love learning and seeing new perspectives on all sorts of situations and contexts. I'm not necessarily a pro at being a student, but I'm very comfortable with it. Here at the end of all things, I realize how much I took for granted in my education. There are so many things that I was taught, but I never learned. There were so many people that could teach me so much, but I didn't appreciate their stories or their knowledge. Now that I'm more mature (don't laugh at that), I wish I could go back and do school all over again and learn all the things!
But here it is... I only have two days of class left, and I really just don't know how to feel about that. You know that feeling when you were in the middle of a sentence but then get cut off and distracted and you feel like something is unfinished, and you feel that way until you finally finish your thought? That's kind of how I feel about my education. I feel like I'm stopping before it's really done. I have so much left to learn and so many people still to meet and learn from.
Now I realize that finishing school is not the end of my learning, but do you realize how much harder it is to learn when I don't have deadlines and scheduled times for people to stand up in front of me and share their knowledge? This kind of life long learning requires motivation and dedication and out-of-my-way effort. Completely worth it, but still exhausting.
So there it is. This time next week I will have taken my last final. I will have gone to my last review and sat in my last two hour lecture. I don't mean to be nostalgic, but if you haven't figured out already, I'm the most nostalgic person I know. I remember my first day of class freshman year.. Strangely enough it was Intro to Sociology, which is funny because that was 2 years before I EVER decided to declare sociology as my major. Funny how things work out like that. Sociology has shaped my personal theology and the way in which I approach the world. I think about that first day of college and I see how much I've grown and changed, and I realize that while I may not have taken advantage of every opportunity here at school, I most definitely have learned more than I ever thought was possible. How is it that the more I learn, the more I realize I still have left to learn?

A quick observation

Being the social scientist I am, I have absolutely loved looking at the ways my roommates' relationships fit into stereotypical categories and the ways they are completely different from the usual. I've also learned to appreciate even more the differences between my roommates. We are all best friends and get along amazingly well, but at the same time, we are each so different. We've always recognized this and commented on it, however it has been magnified since bringing their boys into the picture. They all handle situations differently, and no particular way is better than the others, they are just different. It is absolutely fascinating to me. Yes, I am kind of crazy and I sit and analyze the dynamics between the people in my life. Okay, I won't go into anymore detail about the observations I've made regarding roommates, relationships, and love. But suffice it to say that I really appreciate the way that my major in college taught me to think about the world.

"Growing up is losing some illusions, in order to acquire others"

Quote by Virginia Woolf. Smart woman.

Have you ever felt like the whole world is moving along with their lives and they've just left you behind? That's kind of how I've been feeling recently. I've basically graduated, but I still don't really have a set plan for my future. Everyone around me has exciting things going on and great life changes happening now or right around the corner, and I'm just here like, " yeah, Provo's cool." But you know what I've realized? That it's all about perspective.

You know what else I've just realized, I only ever blog about my problems after I have gotten over them and have something profound that I learned and need to share. I suppose that's for the best, since I know I don't want to read about anyone's issues, and I'm sure you don't either.

Anyway, back to perspective. So I've always thought that I was this super friendly, outgoing human. I suppose I really am, but the last month or so has made me realize how much I am lacking. I just moved into a new house for the first time in 3 years and realized that I was surrounded by a whole group of people that I didn't know at all. I love meeting new people, but I've always done so with at least one other friend with me. It's nice to have someone be there to back you up when trying to strike up a conversation with strangers. But this new situation I am in has required me to just show up places and introduce myself and invite myself into groups of people. Guys, that can be really hard sometimes. I desperately want to spend time with fun people and make some good friends, and in order to do that I have to put myself out there and meet these people. So I think the biggest thing I have learned is to be comfortable with myself, by myself, even with no one to fall back on. And confident enough to go out and be ridiculous and make new friends. It's been rough, but it's also been wonderful! I've met some wonderful people!

Guess what I did the other week? I went river rafting in Moab with a group of about 50 people and I only kind of knew 4 of them. It was so fun! I met so many great people! It's things like this adventure that I have been so blessed with this summer. Up until about a month ago I wouldn't have gone on this trip unless I could convince one of my really good friends to go with me. But having decided to go out of my way to meet people, I just took this Moab opportunity and ran.

Moral of the story: life is constantly changing and just when I get comfortable with something, it stops or changes and I have to adjust to it. One of the best things I've learned recently is o be open to the new things. If I am willing to accept feeling awkward and entering new situations, then I am totally rewarded with some amazing experiences and great friends.

Time for a trip? YES!

Guess what I'm doing this summer?!?!

Taking a nice little trip to LONDON! I've decided to spend all of my money and give myself a graduation trip across the ocean. And I'm absolutely thrilled!

I'm spending about a week in London and taking a train up to Scotland for 2 days. I can't think of anything I would rather do this summer. Sadly, Ryan just got transferred further north in Scotland and I won't be able to hunt him down. Up until this past Monday, he had been in Kirkcaldy which is only an hour away from where I'm staying in Edinburgh and I was going to try to meet up with him and his companion for lunch or something. But alas, that is not meant to be, which could possibly be for the best. Anyway, I digress.

London! I'm so excited!
Seeing the sights, eating the food, staying in hostels,riding the tube, just being there and getting experiences outside of Provo. I can not express to you how thrilled I am. I'm going with some amazing old friends and some fun new friends. This will be such an adventure! It's only about a month away!

Current events

Typically current events are up to date news and important things happening around the world.
Not today.
This is all about my life.

These are my current events:

Getting crunk at Halie's birthday fiesta

*Note: no alcohol was involved in the making of this picture

Freaking out over an episode of  Doctor Who whilst wearing my Doctor Who t-shirt - when I should have been studying for finals, of course

Watching hands down THEE best volleyball game of my entire life. I'm serious, I cried.

Delivering a celebratory bust to a dear friend.

Solo ice skating with the BYU Pre-med Club

Right before I packed up my room... I lived there for 2 solid years, it will be missed.

Discovering treasures whilst packing

Graduation with these crazies aka my brosephs

THE WORLD IS OUR CAMPUS!!!!!!!!!!!

Last volleyball game as students. I miss them already.

Now this is growing up

So it's been a full month since my last blog post... why has it been a full month, might you ask? Because I haven't even had time to sleep let alone blog in the last month!!

My life has been crazy. Finishing final projects and papers and interviews for my last full semester of my undergrad, then studying for and taking finals, then graduating  then packing up our entire apartment and moving into an adorable little house, then diving straight into my internship, and then starting spring semester classes. Yeah, it's been busy. And it doesn't look like it's going to slow down anytime soon.

So who has two thumbs and walked at her college graduation last week? This girl.
I'm thrilled!

Your classic High School Musical jumping picture, but this is way better because it's College Musical.

I love them. We will never be hip.

Since I obviously struggle taking "normal" pictures, and I have surrounded myself with people who are just as ridiculous as myself, my mom made me promise that I would take a "good picture" for her... whatever that means. I held it for about 5 seconds. Yes, I'm a child.

a celebration

Today is one of my favorite days in the whole world: May 4th.

I know what you're thinking, "But Jennie, Cinco de Mayo isn't until tomorrow!"
Oh but you, sir, have obviously overlooked the significance of this day.

Folks, all I have to say is: May the fourth be with you.

Yes, this day is the ultimate celebration of all things Star Wars nerd. And honestly, how can life get any better than that?!

So, as you go about this day, please go about succeeding and doing great things with your lives and as always, MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU.

Has spring arrived?!

Happy April!

This is such a good month. Seriously. In the past, I've never been a big fan of spring. Not that I don't like it, I just preferred the other seasons... but I am definitely in love with this spring!
It just is beautiful and it rained the other day and it is getting warmer and people are just happier -- well most people... maybe not college students because they have final projects and final tests.

Guess what happens this month? I am walking at graduation! Not that I'm actually graduating until August; but I definitely am going through the motions and feigning graduation this month. I am so excited! After this semester, I have 1 class to take during spring term and then an internship that goes through August. So pretty much, past June, I am DONE with my undergraduate career. Honeyboosaywhat?!?! Yeah, I can't even believe that.

Spring brings new life, and I've found that this year it also brought new perspective on life. From here on out, I'm going to be the most happy, fun, positive person you've ever met. It is going to be sickening how much I love life. And you know what else? Christ lives! I'm serious. That is one thing that I know for absolute certain.

That is all.

People watching

I love people watching. I always have.
Being a sociology major has enhanced this even more.

In high school I always loved just hopping on the train, putting in my headphones, and heading down town - I would just watch all of the fascinating people on the train and marvel about how cool humans are. I love looking at a person and trying to decide what their story is. Every person has a story and they are all so unique. Making up background stories for people and creating an idea in my head about how they ended up in that exact spot at that exact moment in their life - it seriously doesn't get much better than that.

And now that I'm a crazy social scientist, I think it's become even worse.

Not only do I love to observe people and try to figure out there lives, but now I try to figure out how they fit into a specific generalizable population. It's so interesting to see what aspects of a person fit perfectly with the description of a population and what aspects are completely different, because no one fits 100% into a defined social group, which is why social policy and research is so incredibly difficult. -- educational rant. my bad.

This kind of reminds me of the movie He's Just Not That Into You. Ever seen it? It's not one of my faves, but it was decently good. Anyway, in the movie it talks about how there are rules for dating (and for life) that are very generalizable and people try to say that they are the exception, but they are not the exception. But at some point in life, everyone is the exception. Their life doesn't fit perfectly into a little mold of how things are supposed work, and that's what makes life exciting. If everything always worked exactly like we expect it to, then life would be boring and there would be zero problems because life is predictable.
But alas... life is never predictable and people are all a little bit crazy and that is okay. This is why I study people and social groups. This is why I want to work with unstable populations and try to help them establish at least a sense of stability. This is why I am fascinated by people and will never stop people watching.

Speaking of fascinating: It has come to my attention that I am attracted to men that I find fascinating. When there is a person that I am interested in, it seems that I always end up describing him as fascinating. I love getting to know people that have different views of the world and have had different experiences and up-bringings because they widen my paradigm and give me a new way to look at the world. So... if you ever hear me say that I find someone fascinating, then you know that is the one of the best things I can possibly say about someone.

Quirks

Here's the deal. I'm quirky. We know this. Here is a Lecture on Quirks from my dear roommate.

I just find things that I love and I grasp on to them and obsess over them. And I am so proud of my quirks. I want to share them with everyone and I want everyone to share my passion for random things; if they don't share it then I at least want them to understand how much I love it.

Usually I am not successful in this. I just get looked at like I'm crazy. I can't help it, I just get so excited about life and some of it's more quirky aspects.

Like when I see a really cool new pez dispenser at the grocery store and try to convince my friends that it is legitimately the best thing they have seen all day. I don't usually get the reaction that I'm looking for. How can people not appreciate the amazingness of a Darth Maul pez dispenser?!?! Seriously, so cool.
Or when I try to explain how much I love Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings or Doctor Who or any one of the other incredible fantasy shows that I adore,

I don't understand how you can live life without passion for at least something. Granted, I realize that my passion may be excessive and it may be spread to many things, but at least I get excited about life. I think I realized exactly how quirky I am during Roommate Christmas this past December. My roommates all got me fabulous gifts that I absolutely adore - and they each are based on at least one of my many passions.
I got a Darth Vader hot chocolate mug, a Lil Wayne poster (this fulfills my love for Weezy PLUS my addiction to owning posters), a Doctor Who t-shirt that says "bow ties are cool", a mustache sandwich cutter, a One Direction 2013 calendar, and a pair of elephant earrings ("they just looked like you! They were such a Jennie thing!"). Now look back at that list... really? I love the weirdest things. Can everyone just appreciate how varied my interests are? Yeah, big fan.

I really do love my quirks and I love finding others with similar quirks.Who would I be if I wasn't a little weird and crazy and opinionated? Life is fun and it's even more fun if you're passionate about something.

And end quirky rantings.

There is sunshine in my soul today.

The sun is shining!
The tank is clean!
Ahhh, the tank is clean!

Oh but seriously, it is freaking gorgeous today and has been all week! I was outside in a t-shirt and flip-flops. Best news I've had in ages. Don't get me wrong, I love winter. I love snow and the cold and the winter clothing and the like. But there's something wonderful about when the sun comes out for the first time in the spring! Oh how I just adore being able to sit and enjoy the beauty of the world.
Campus is so funny to me when it starts getting warm. There are people everywhere and they are super loud and they are just fascinating. It is 55 degrees outside and there are people wearing shorts and t-shirts. Welcome to Utah, where anything above 50º is considered summer weather. And it really is! After the weeks of below 0º that we had back in January, this week is the most joyous thing I've ever been a part of!
Yesterday was so wonderful that I may have taken the day off from school and just hung out in the sun at a park. I possibly even hunted (unsuccessfully) for sasquatch. And climbed a huge tree. And took a nap in the sun and half of my face got sunburnt. It was great!

Oh and happy Pi Day!! That also made my day on campus entertaining, there were Pi Day activities all over the place. Don't you just love having a celebration about a mathematical constant? I know I do.

Cob

Do you see this kid?
This is a Cob. And he is an amazing human being.

He is my youngest brother and an avid lego builder. He loves Avatar and Dragon Ball Z and everything on Cartoon Network. He plays soccer, baseball, and loves to wrestle. He has a little attitude and thinks he is the bomb (which he is). His sense of humor is ridiculous and it never ceases to make me laugh until my abs are sore. He gets beat up on by older brothers and he knows how to dish it back out. He brings so much joy and happiness and excitement to life. But don't discount him, he's still the annoying little brother. He's adorable and he knows it. And he has diabetes. And recently found out that he also has Celiac disease.
He amazes me with his strength and his courage and his attitude. How many 8 year olds do you know that can just accept that for the rest of his life he has to constantly be checking his blood sugar and reading food labels? This boy is incredible. Yeah, I am so proud to call him my little munchkin of a youngest brother. And I am proud to be able to say that I look up to him more than he can know.
And if this picture doesn't make you die of laughter, I don't know what will. He is definitely on something, and it's not insulin:

Musical Reminiscent

So we do this thing in my family where at least one of my brothers start playing his ukulele - usually Ryan, but sometimes Kade and Adam too - and then we all just end up singing along with as many songs as we know for hours on end. And then after that we just start making up songs, and they are always hilarious. Some of my favorite songs topics have been the pizza and hot dogs song or the dancing asian bears.
Sound fun? Yeah it is.

I miss that. Ryan is off serving the Lord and the Scottish. And I don't see Adam and Kade or any of my other brothers as often as I would like. I think it is high time for a jam sesh with the broskis. I miss them! Seriously, the funniest people I know. Honestly, even when the ukes aren't present, we find music everywhere and just sing our hearts out all times. I love that about them. Though sometimes Cob has zero rhythm and it is ridiculous.

And here's a vid of us instigating the singing of Bohemian Rhapsody at a family Christmas party a couple of years ago. Grandpa did not appreciate the impromptu and loud nature of it :)



This is my family. And I love them. The crazies.

Oh and Adam is going to the freaking West Indies on his mission! So rad. I can't even handle how excited I am for him.


PS.. Happy Birthday shout out to the BFF! Charity is unbeatable.


And to the other BFF who's birth celebration is tomorrow. Love you, Lyse!

Life is just a-movin!

Check this kid:

This is an Adam. He's awesome. And he's my broski. Love this guy. And check that stache. And guess what's happening today?! Yeah, he's getting his mission call.
I know exactly what you're thinking, "What the heck?! I thought your other brother just barely left on his mission." And to that I respond, yeah, TELL ME ABOUT IT. I'm freaking out!
Ryan has only been gone for 9 months and here Adam is just being an adult and graduating from high school in few months and getting ready to go on his mission! Blows my mind. I'm so proud of him; of both of them. I definitely have the best brothers in the entire universe.
Here's a great pic of all of us:

Weekend update!

Hello folks! Guess where I was this last weekend? CALIFORNIA! Road Trip!!!
We spent an entire day just chilling on the beach for 7 hours. We laughed our heads off. Literally. [it was super uncomfortable.] We shared life stories - particularly dating stories. We bonded so very much. We played football and soccer on the beach. We got our feet wet. We didn't get enough sleep. We didn't do any homework. We played liars dice in a jacuzzi. We saw the San Diego temple. We ate delicious food. We played games. We sang songs. We got sunburnt. We did lots of driving. We had absolutely no plans at the beginning and the whole trip was so spontaneous. We remembered what it was like to see the sun and to be warm. We strengthened our friendships.
Yes, overall it was spectacular. I went with 3 of my wonderful friends and I just love them even more after this trip. The weekend was way too short for my liking.
Here's a quick pic of our beach partying:

And here's our tooth brush partying:

Now I'm back in school, and struggling. Ever heard of senioritis? Yeah, it's a real thing. I have not wanted to do homework EVER this semester. Bad news bears, if you ask me.

I think a lot.
It is not just problems in the world that I have learned not to think about, but concerns in my own life as well. When something happens that should make me mad, I just don't think about it and I am able to forgive and move on easily. When I like a boy, I just push t out of my mind and don't think about it because if I think, I freak myself out and over analyze, so I don't think at all. (this is potentially a terrible plan in dating situations) When I am faced with stressful situations or sad events, I just don't think about it and focus on other things. It's probably not the most healthy way to handle myself, but it's been decently effective thusfar in my life. Though I feel like sometimes it makes me emotionally disconnected from others. That can sometimes prove a problem, but I'm working on it.

Thoughts on Injustice

There is so much injustice in the world.

A lot of the times I say that I don't think about things. And by things I mean everything in the world; every serious concern, every problem, every action. I just am not a thinker, and I just kind of go with whatever happens and don't worry about it. But I've come to a realization recently. I have trained myself to not think about things, because when I do buckle down and think about problems, I get really worked up. I get entirely consumed in the injustice of the world. I can be very opinionated about problems in the world and I want everyone to just be kind and act fairly. I just get so frustrated. And thus, I end up rambling, and just beating the same idea into the ground many times over... which I'm about to do right now.

An injustice that I am currently frustrated with (and have been for years): the way most facilities handle juvenile delinquents.
I recognize that most facilities do not have the resources to hire exceptional counselors and to utilize the best of the best in rehabilitation, but honestly, I am immensely saddened by the way that delinquency is handled in our country. Most of these delinquent youths have not been given the opportunities to better their lives. They were raised in difficult home situations, often with relatives who struggle themselves and are living lives that will lead them to being locked up as well. It's a never ending, vicious cycle of crime, lack of education, lack of resources, and lack of discipline. These kids are not given the chance to become better and they often don't even realize that they are stuck in a terrible world that has condemned them. Now don't get me wrong, obviously it's not completely due to environment that kids become delinquent, it's very much a consequence of their individual thoughts and actions as well, but I think the grand majority of the blame ought to be placed on the environment. If we can improve their environment, then we are improving their chances of succeeding in a productive, law-abiding life. And these detention centers, rehabilitation centers, and other facilities for delinquents often do not give these kids the opportunities they deserve. They need caring, patient counselors who are willing to spend as much time as it will take to help these kids in whatever they need. Those who will go above and beyond their job; who realize that though this is their job, it's much more important than that - they are influencing these kids and potentially changing their lives. They need to be the best influence possible and show their concern.

Soapbox end. This is what being a sociology major does to you.

Technology

So... it's been a while. I don't think I've ever gone this long without blogging. But I'm back! December flashed by and so has half of January. I'm into a new semester and I love school. I've just developed this love of thinking and analyzing, and that is what this post is all about. Enjoy!

I am having a really hard time focusing in the library. Want to know why? Because this world is so individualized and privatized. I look around the library and I just see people all in their own little electronic worlds – on their laptops, cell phones, and head phones. Everyone has so many ways of accessing what others are doing and saying on the internet, but they don’t know anything about them personally. They know them on facebook, twitter, spotify, instagram, blogs, online games, and through texting, but they don’t know the real person. There are some things that just can not be expressed in any way except in person. Some emotions can not be portrayed through texting, no matter how many different smiley, frowny, or winky faces you use. When your main form of communication and socializing is through electronics, you lose a sense of reality. I also feel like you can lose a sense of trust, because these aren’t just spoken words… these are words that have been put into text and can be preserved forever and shared with anyone.

I’m not saying that technology is a bad thing. Oh, I am not saying that at all! But I am saying that when it starts to interfere with normal, everyday communication, then it definitely can be. Or when it becomes your main form of communication. I’ve seen too many situations where someone is with a group of friends physically, but they mentally are not there. They are just on their phone texting someone else or even playing a game, showing that the current situation is not important enough for their attention. This is not okay.

Humans crave personal, human interaction. It is in our nature. But then we go and lose the substance of the interaction by getting caught up on our electronics. It’s a vicious cycle. Some people get depressed because they do not interact in a significant way with others as much as they would like, but then they do things that inhibit any such action from occurring. Technology in some ways seems to be slowly making us completely disconnected from one another. And this is not okay.
So just some words of advice: put it down, turn it off, unplug it. Not always, but occasionally. Just take a break from technology and really enjoy the world. Go have a real conversation with some you care about... Or have a real conversation with some one you hardly know and maybe they can become a great friend. Technology is a blessing and makes life so much easier and more convenient, but it shouldn't be a hinderance or take over your life. Let's not forget to be humans.