Don't Go Without Me

Let's start with Thanksgiving break. It was great! Did absolutely nothing but eat, shop, watch movies, eat, watch nieces and nephews, shop, and then more eating. Being home is such a wonderful feeling. There's a feeling of acceptance from family members that is hard to find in others. Definitely possible, not as easily found though. There's just something comforting in having a sister say "that's so Crista" in regards to music or fashion. Or being able to have them laugh at your ridiculous puns and jokes. Not necessarily because they're funny, but because it's just who you are. Or something like that.

I don't really know what love feels like but I know that I want so badly for everybody in my family to be happy and for everything to work out for them and for them to not feel pain or sadness, and I think that's love right? And maybe that's love for me. Or at least part of it.

Also, accepting your family for what it is. Because it's probably one of the hardest things that I am still trying to work on. We are far from perfect for reasons that I still don't understand but we try in our own ways. Maybe not the way that you would want them to try, but trying nonetheless. And that's just family I guess. (:

Everybody does it. 

Christmas is coming fast and I can't wait. And I can already feel the relief of a fresh start come January. It's hard now as finals seem to be consuming all thoughts but January always brings with it renewal and a revamping of my life. I love it.

Basically I'm obsessed with this song: Cset La Mort by the Civil Wars. And I have been for a while. I listen to it daily. Hourly even when I'm home. It's so beautiful. And dark, but more beautiful than dark. Just listen to the lyrics. Take what you will from them. I took what I needed.

Also, I'm on Pinterest, and I want to share stuff from there to here but there is just not enough time in the day to explain the significance of each pin so you can just check them out and gather what you will if desired. I think I pin pretty great stuff. But doesn't everybody? Well, I think I pin exceptionally great stuff then.

I'm on the home stretch. And the things that are getting me by til then?

• the Civil Wars
• Les Miserables clips
• naps
• rice crackers
• the thought of playing with the nieces and nephew
• knowing that Christmas and family await me at home
• New Girl, Parks and Rec, Office, Modern Family, and Once Upon A Time episodes
• Study Blue online flashcards
• peppermint milkshakes
• and Pinterest

And that's all I've got peoples. It's bed time. 

So Much Beauty.

I can't even tell you how much I am simply enjoying the snow today. Right now. I would be in bed right now were it not for the snow. It might also be the fact that I had a headache today so I took two Excedrin when I got home and because of the caffeine, sleep has not come easy. I'm alright with that tonight. I keep looking outside and getting goosebumps and then I start wanting to cry tears of joy for the beauty and tears of sadness for the wish to be out enjoying it with my family and nieces and nephew. It also brings back bittersweet memories of last years adventures. I sure do miss a lot of people.
The snow brings with it feelings of peace and calm to the world and I can't wait to go to bed with the thought of waking up tomorrow, putting on my warm clothes and taking a walk in the fresh snow, and then coming home and making some tea with loads of honey and cinnamon. Honey and cinnamon have been my go to cure-all for everything lately. I eat it by the drops and I have yet to receive the dreaded cold that this beautiful season brings. It's good stuff. I highly recommend it to anyone feeling a bit under the weather. Especially local honey. Yum.
Due to my insomniatic state at the moment, snowflakes and origami cranes were crafted from old magazines whilst watching Charlie St. Cloud (what an emotional roller-coaster of a movie, yet so beautiful and rewarding). I have decided this is one of the only ways to spend a Friday night on your own after a nearly all day work load. Also, I hate to admit it, but I started my Christmas music as well (I guess I'm one of those people.) How could you not with a blanket of snow covering everything and street lights glowing down the streets, illuminating the falling snowflakes? I just couldn't resist. Only the best kind of Christmas music though. The Believe by Josh Groban and When Christmas Comes to Town by Matthew Hall kind from The Polar Express. And also Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas by Judy Garland from Meet Me In St. Louis. These are some of the few songs that catch the Christmas spirit without being loud and gaudy. Don't get me wrong, I love those ones too, there's limited time on them though. One can only handle "Jingle Bells" so many times.

And that about finishes my post, I just couldn't hold in all the great feelings I had surrounding the snow. Poor snow getting so much hate from everybody though. Get over it people. Accept it, find joy in it, take advantage of it.
On that note, dress warm and stay happy. And drink tea or hot chocolate. I believe it does more that just warm the body, but also the soul. (:

"You can do it on your own, but you don't have to." Let others help you. It sucks, but it's great at the same time.

Happy weekend everybody! 

Being Normal.

This is Fraphne. A Scooby Doo combination of Fred and Daphne. I think I'm pretty funny sometimes. 

I don't know why I have to be making that face among all of the beautiful smiling faces but I guess that's just normal. This is my friend Mikes farewell. He's an odd child and I love these here people too much. 

And is this not the cutest green baby mustache you have ever seen?? Needless to say, I love my niece, and she loves her morning green smoothies. 

Everybody, listen to the Civil Wars. At first I only liked a few of their songs because I felt they were super folky, but then I guess I just came around and now I'm a firm believer. Which is good. Because they're great. Barton Hollow album. It's good.  

And that's it friends. Stay happy, everything will be alright in the end. I promise. It may not seem like anything at all will work. But then you have to remember that so many are happy with so much less than what you have. So be grateful for what you've been given and find joy in your journey. 

Okay, I'm done being annoying and preachy. 

America's Funniest Home Video!

Guys. Everybody, anybody. MY video, aired on America's Funniest Home Videos. The very video, sent from my phone, uploaded to AFV's website, aired on their opening episode for Season 23. How cool is that?! And just so you understand how excited I was about this, you have to know that I love AFV. It kind of goes hand in hand with the fact that I desperately love to laugh. And while I know that these videos are totally predictable and cliche, I still end up with tears in my eyes or abs of steel by the end of the night. Here's a picture just to note how much I love AFV. And Jackie Chan. Always Jackie Chan.

You bet your bottom dollar it was on my bucket list.

Enough of me, here's the link to Hulu, my video is about 8 minutes in. It's the one with all those stupid boys rolling on end tables:

Season 23 Episode 1

Wasn't it great. Not the funniest video, but it's mine, and those are my friends, and it's on America's Funniest Home Videos. So you can definitely say I'm pretty pleased with myself. Also, they owe me a t-shirt for this. How awesome would an AFV t-shirt be?? Pretty dang awesome I'd say. 

Anyway, that's my story for the day. Had to share my fame. (:

You rock. Happy Tuesday!

Wowzas.

How about that General Conference? Crazy right? It's kind of rocking my world to tell you the truth. A mission can either be an answer to all of my problems or simply a way that I'm trying to escape all of my problems. I sincerely wish to serve a mission and want to for all of the right reasons, but

Sundays at the Arch House

Sundays have become more steadily my favorite day. I feel now that I am older, I realize how much of a physically, spiritually, and mentally rejuvenating day it is. I try my best not to do homework (definitely doesn't always happen that way) and because of this, after church, my roommates and I basically cook and do whatever the weather permits. (:

Sjfkdjfdklsa.

College is hard. This has been my go to sentence this week. Whyyy? I keep telling myself, "you can do hard things," and then it comes time to do them and I'm like, "no I can't!" And then my boss tells me I'm promoted and that I can work 5 extra hours a week and part of me is like "yay, more money" and then another part of me is like "darn, less time and more responsibility." It's good though. And I definitely can't complain because it is a blessing needed and fun to be a part of something bigger at work, but at the same time I wonder, can I really handle this? Throughout my college academics, there have been multiple times when I simply felt like a failure. And I don't want to feel that way anymore. I'm finally getting into my major classes and I don't want to fail. It's one of my greatest fears. But it's one that I've been facing alone and it's hard. College is hard.

Okay, that's all I'm going to whine about today. Because

The G-rand Canyon.

As you can probably already tell, I'm terrible at blogging. I shouldn't be surprised, this is how all of my journal entries are. Long periods of time and then long update entries on life from the past month or so. It's a little exhausting. Maybe I'll get better.

Things have been a little crazy as of late though. Back to school, finalizing schedules, moving in, promotions at work, homework, etc. Life keeps moving. It never stops. One day I'll catch up. Until then I'm hanging on as best I can and trying to enjoy the ride.

So, before I forget amongst other things, the Grand Canyon.

Enjoy:

Rejoice with your family in the beautiful land of life! ~Albert Einstein

Alright. So a lot has happened but I am trying to take it one post at a time.

I'm dying to post all of the pictures from my Grand Canyon road trip adventure with a couple of my great friends but I know that I have to first post about my family break before I forget!

My brother Caleb and his little family of Lisa and Tyce came to visit from Vegas and it was a good time all around. It was good to see them and to take a break from school and mostly work. 

 So, steel yourself, because you are about to be hit with a large amount of photos.

It Never Gets Easier. You Just Get Better.

This statement is false. I walk up the stairs to campus daily, it never gets easier and i still come up breathing three times as hard  as when I started and wishing for an escalator. Besides this though, I suppose it's true (:

Well, summer semester has ended and I can truthfully tell you that I really just don't like school. Which is odd, because I desperately love to learn. I hate the methods surrounding that learning I guess. The ideal learning environment for me would be doing I guess. Traveling for history, experimenting for science, reading for language and so forth. I'm sure this is the true for many others. What I dislike most about school is the fact that you have to go in order to get anywhere in life. You have to have a degree to be anybody. Lately, all I've wanted is to simply drop out. The things that I've learned and wanted in life don't seem to come from a classroom. Especially when loans and so much money are put into it. Why not spend the money instead on an international trip where I'm sure I could learn much more than I ever could at a prestigious university. While I feel that sitting in a classroom learning useless facts isn't the best for everybody, I'm not ignorant to the fact that schooling is necessary for many aspects in life. Maybe I'm just terrible at school and that's why I don't like it? I'll get better. That being said. I do like school in my own ways. I like having purpose that classes give, I like discussions, I like being a part of the mass of people walking towards campus, I like being able to relate to the fellow peer sitting a table over from me at the library who has been there for 6 hours, I like forming relationships with interesting professors, I like understanding ideas and then wanting the whole world to learn what I have just realized, and so forth. Weird.

Anyway, I feel like my posts have been depressing lately. You can call me Negative Nelly today I guess. That will change though. My upcoming post will include my short break and family. Get excited. Because it was relaxing and much needed and fun and just lovely.  

Thoughts

Lately I've been pretty annoyed with social tools and devices. Things such as facebook, twitter, instagram, pinterest, even blogger. It's all so selfish.  I'll admit this now. I'm being a bit of a hypocrite as I have a username and password to all named social mediums. I don't know though. It's just irritating to see so much me me me me posted everywhere. Pictures of yourself, posts for sympathy, pins of things that you want, status updates all intended to see how many "likes" and comments you can get. Is most of the population so insecure about themselves that they need to publicize everything in their life in order to attain attention? Is nothing sacred anymore? Nothing left to mystery?

As I say this, I do realize that these things are all used for good as well though. I just feel that it is being abused and has also created unneeded competition and wasted time. I say this from experience in wasted time and wanting notifications. Like anybody else, I enjoy seeing pictures of friends and their vacations, support groups, humorous posts/pictures, having people "like" my posts, seeing my page views go up. It's fun to see that people are interested in you. But to some extent, it's all fake and superficial. And it's disheartening to see. I can't really put that feeling into words at the moment so interpret it as you will.

Why don't we spend the time doing something worthwhile? Like going the extra mile in school. Or going for a run, planting a garden, folding some clothes, making a nutritious meal, calling an old friend, serving somebody else. Simply focusing on somebody other than yourself.

Once again, I'm being a hypocrite here as I sit at my desk and write this instead of doing some readings for my class. But I had to get these thoughts written out before I let them loose on some innocent bystander such as my roommate or her boyfriend.

Anyway, how about those Olympics? A truly joyful thing to witness. It's a dream of mine to see the Olympics in person. Hopefully one day it will happen. At the moment, my twelve inch laptop screen will have to do. 

Blue skies are coming, but I know that it's hard -- Noah and the Whale

As of late,  this song has been my escape: Blue Skies by Noah and the Whale

Just listen to it. I know you'll love it. 

"Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly?" -- Frida Kahlo

Oddly enough, tonight's post mostly includes feet. Don't be alarmed, it's not really about feet exactly, more so about things that have to do with feet...I guess you'll just have to read to find out.
For my title, I simply googled feet quotes and found one I liked. I feel like this might be a trend I continue. I chose this quote because I love the idea of flying. It's one thing I immensely wish I could do, it always makes me think about that scene in Ever After when Drew Barrymore is on a cliff and the Prince asks her if there is anything that she couldn't do and she responds, "fly." Strange I know, but I can't explain the inner-workings of my mind.
Also, I enjoy Frida Kahlo, she may have had a sad life, but she was an interesting lady with many interesting paintings and stories. Anyway, enjoy the post! It's basically about a few of the things that I love and the things that make me, me.

Here We Go

Well everybody, or nobody, I don't think many will be reading this. But that's okay, this blog is more for me than anybody else and if you want to read and comment, the more the merrier! I'm not sure why I created this blog, maybe to keep me focused, or simply an output for thoughts and emotions. Either way, I'm excited.  This is something I'm doing for myself (and for others if you find you enjoy it (: ) Might as well hop on the bandwagon.
So, here it goes. Let's just start with a little bit about me I guess:
I was born in Las Vegas, Nevada and was raised in Logandale, Nevada. My family moved to Riverton, Utah about six years ago and it is now the place I call home. I currently live in Provo, Utah, where I am attending Brigham Young University. My major still remains to be decided so don't ask. All I know is that I want to help people and maybe make a difference (cliche, I know). May this be through art, culture, or therapy, it has yet been made known to me.
In all truthfulness, I started this blog when I am actually supposed to be writing a paper for my Marriage and Family Life class, college life at its finest, I know. So, while I would love to be pouring out my thoughts and life to you at this moment, I actually need to be writing on essential attributes I wish  to find in a future spouse. Wish me luck! I will be back. And the future content of this blog will be much more substantial I hope.
One more thing to end with: "To love another person is to see the face of God" -Les Miserables. I have been quite obsessed with this musical as of late and this quote has stood out significantly to me. Take whatever meaning you need from it. It simply reminded me to find reasons to love those who surround you and even those who don't, whether they deserve it or not. And other things but I have never been the best at expressing my thoughts so that will have to do!