So You Think You Can Dance?

I don't think I can dance, I KNOW I can dance. The only reason why I haven't auditioned for the show is because I don't think it would be fair to the other contestants, and they deserve to have a chance for fame, right? :) You should see me get my groove on. But enough about me, this post is dedicated to my favorite tv-show, So You Think You Can Dance? This wonderful show is the absolute highlight of my summer, and I look forward to the next season as soon as the finale is over. There are so many inspiring people of wonderful stories about their lives that motivate me to do something with my own. The dances are moving and beautiful, and every season there's been many dancers who have stolen a place in my heart. I started watching the show with my dear best friend, Anastasia, the second season. And I have watched every episode since then. I can't count how many times the show has brought me to tears, or how angry I was when Twitch got runner up (and how angry I STILL am about that), and I can't help but smile as I reflect on some of my favorite dances and the moments that truly took my breath away. It's hard to limit myself to this, but I'm going to post my three favorite dances. I have many other favorites as well, and I love all of them the same, but these are some of the three that have really struck out to me as remarkable.

Dance #1: Alex and Twitch

I chose this dance because, as mentioned earlier, Twitch is one of my favorite dancers I've seen on the show. Period. The dance is just so much fun and it never gets old. I also chose this dance as one of my favorites because Alex, the one in the red shirt, is a trained ballet dancer and therefore should not know how to move like that. This was the last performance he made on SYTYCD, because he got a severe injury during the next week and was no longer able to perform. Which is really sad, because I'm pretty certain he would have become my all-time favorite, along with Twitch, if I had seen a full season of him. Still love him though!

Dance #2: Kayla and Kupono

This is one of the many dances I've seen on the show that have brought me to tears. For any who may not be familiar with the story behind the dance, the dance illustrates the relationship a person has to a destructive addiction. The female dancer, Kayla, is constantly struggling and fighting to pull away from the drug, but something is always bringing her back to it. I saw this dance soon after I had started reading the book Go Ask Alice, so it definitely had an affect on me and was a reconfirmation to me that I want absolutely nothing to do with drugs in any of its forms.

Dance #3: Melanie and Marco

I had a hard time deciding on which would be the last dance I'd post about. I have far too many favorites, and it took me a while to finally pick which would be the three posted on this blog. But I'm happy with my decision, and I absolutely LOVE this dance. It may be a little too weird, for some people, but I love how artistic the movement and music work with each other. The story behind this piece is two statues who are in love and come alive at night, but they are trying to come together so that they can be frozen into one statue before the sun rises completely. I think it's beautiful.

If you're ever bored, with nothing to do for an hour or so, I would definitely recommend perusing some of the dances from SYTYCD on Youtube. It is well worth your time! Some more of my favorites are anything by Twitch, Melanie Moore, or Lauren Froderman.

I'm so happy to have this show, it truly makes me smile :)

Family Time

Spending time with my family makes me smile. It's been a while since I've posted on this blog, instead I tried to keep the world updated on my Russian adventures here.

Being away from my home and family for nearly five months really helped me to realize what is truly important to me in my life. I knew I loved my family and that they were wonderful, but being away from something for so long helps you to truly understand how amazing things truly are. And my family is the bomb. I missed them very much while I was in Russia, and it was wonderful to get to spend so much time with them the past week since I came home. My lovely sister moved to Fiji today for humanitarian service, so we were able to spend lots of quality time together celebrating my arrival home and anticipating the departure of my sister.

I love my family and the relationship I have with every individual member. They're pretty much the best thing in my life, and I'm so grateful that I get to be with them forever.

My family makes me smile :)

My dear dear cousin Ragen :)

Family can do wonders to your soul. Right now I'd like to blog about my wonderful cousin, Ragen. I often forget to include her in my list of best friends, simply because she's family. And family are made to be best friends, right? Ragen is one of my favorite people alive. What a lovely human being she is!

Just last night, I was having a really hard time. Lots of stress has been building in my life, and I tried to relax and let myself take a break from studying and worrying about life's problems by watching a movie instead. It was a movie I had never seen before, so I really had no idea what to expect, except "love" was in the title so I figured it must be some good romantic type of movie. On any other night, I think I would have loved it. But last night was not the night for me to watch it. Not even three minutes into the movie, the cute couple's baby died. And I lost control. I sobbed, and sobbed. And then I sobbed a little more. None of my roommates were at home, and I felt completely alone. I just felt so ALONE. I have lots of friends, but I didn't know who to talk to, because I knew I needed to talk to someone. So guess what?

I called Ragen.

We talked on the phone and skyped for 2 hours or more. I seriously LOVE that girl! I vented to her about what was going on, and she comforted me. It was like giving me a hug through the phone. After I let out all of my frustrations and woes, she helped me by changing the subject, and making me laugh instead. What a good friend is she?! Really, one of my best. I've already said that Chase and Stasia are my best friends, but Ragen is definitely up there in that list. I love her dearly, how great is she?! I feel so blessed with the friends and family I have in my life.

Now, about our younger years... :) Ragen and I kind of hated each other as children. But, because we lived so close in proximity, our mothers thought it would be a great idea for us to spend what felt like every other weekend together. I'm so glad they did though, it really helped us to become the great friends we are today. We love each other! :) If she weren't a girl.. or my cousin.. maybe we could have been a good couple together.

At sleepovers, we discussed Harry Potter. For hours. We talked about our theories of how it would end, and shared in the jealousy of wishing we could be Hermione. We pretended like the "Battleship" gameboards were our laptops, and we'd run around with them everywhere, imagining that a huge tornado was on its way.. "if our calculations were correct." :) We watched countless Disney movies together, had sleepovers ALL THE TIME, ate lettuce and mayo sandwiches (um gross), played in dress-ups, played with our Barbies, reenacted hit movies with our Polly dolls, played piano together. Seriously, even though we "hated" each other, we loved each other and had the times of our lives. I love my memories with Ragen! I'm so grateful for the wonderful friend she is for me and that I know she will always be there for me, no matter what.

Ragen, I love you. You make me smile :)

We go to the temple.
When we lived in Ephraim, we went weekly.

You're never too old to dress up :)
DI can be really fun.

Dancing 80s style is FUN

We love each other.
Can't you tell?

At my ward campout a few years back.
This really is one of my favorite pictures of us.
This picture describes us so well.

On A Scale of 1 to Voldemort..

While on Pinterest this afternoon, I found a phrase that really delighted my soul.

"On a scale of 1 to Voldemort..."

What? Who comes up with these things?! Whoever came up with this brilliant phrase, can we be best friends please? I enjoy laughing dearly, and the simple sayings such as these are what make life worth living. Seriously.

Shout out to Harry Potter: I miss you :( Post Potter Depression is real my friends, and it didn't really hit me until 11/11/11. In case any of you are unfamiliar with the significance of that date, let me refresh your memory: it was the date that The Deathly Hallows part 2 was released on dvd. Did my roommates and I participate in an epic all night Harry Potter marathon? Yes, yes we did. And you know why? It's quite simply really.

I love Harry Potter.

Harry Potter brings me back to the happiest memories of my childhood. Harry Potter, along with the Chronicles of Narnia, gave me the love and joy I have of reading. Harry Potter was the first book I couldn't put down. How does one describe their love for a book? I first read The Sorcerer's Stone when I was nine years old. Harry Potter was my first love. He will always have a place in my heart. I've read and reread those books dozens of times. One word to describe them: magical. Harry is not a fictional character, he is my best friend. He was there for me when I was sad, when I needed an escape, or when I wanted to have a fun time. And he will ALWAYS be there for me. I remember the nights I stayed up late in bed reading about the adventures of Harry, Ron, and Hermione and falling asleep with them in my hands. I remember feeling jealous of Hermione, and wishing that I could be her. I remember the disappointment I felt at age 13 when I realized I wouldn't be getting my Hogwarts letter because I was too old. I remember the tears I shed when Cedric Diggory died, when Sirius Black was murdered, when Snape betrayed Dumbledore, and when Snape turned out to be in love with Harry's mother and was good all along. Harry Potter, and all the characters, are still very real to me, and always will be. I don't care what anyone else has to say about it. Harry defines me, I love him and he loves me <3. Thank you Harry for what you have done for me and always being there to help me relive my childhood.

Harry, thank you. For the past 11 years, you have made me smile :)

Now that I'm legitimately depressed, I'm going to watch Moulin Rouge so I can have a good cry.

Oh, the library..

I sincerely love going to the library. Books, and therefore being surrounded by books, calms my soul. It's too bad that when I come to the library, I don't actually get as much done as I need to. Next week is Finals Week (AAHHHH!!!!) so therefore, this week is crunch week. I have so much to get done, and really not enough time to do it. I go to the library with every intention of getting my homework done, but for some reason nothing ever gets done. Why, may you ask? First off, I love books. I love perusing the shelves and looking at all the classic literature, seeing all the stories and adventures whispering my name as I walk past. I have so many books to read, and so little time to read them all. Right now I'm reading Jane Austen's Persuasion and oh, it is lovely. I'm such a book nerd, and I'm strongly considering buying glasses so I can look nerdier whilst I read. I have 20/20 vision, but I'm sure that glasses would make the whole reading experience much more enjoyable. Second reason why nothing gets done at the library: I have my Mac, which is the gateway to Facebook, Pinterest, and Blogger. I always log on to one of my accounts, thinking "Oh it'll just be 10 minutes, no biggie!" But then, hours have passed and I have no idea where the time has gone. Why is it that the closer that I get to Finals, the less I work on what needs to be finished? It's quite silly. I told myself I'd get some work done before finishing my final paper about the eternal battle between Satan and God illustrated through John Milton's Paradise Lost. Don't worry peeps, I shall triumph over my finals and prevail! Off to work I go.. consider my finals to be CONQUERED.

This is me "Studying":

P.S. On a side note, look how long my hair is getting! I'm so happy :)

Best friends :)

Best friends make me SMILE!! My two best friends are better than your best friends, I promise. The first best friend I ever had, and who will always be my bestie forever, is my dear kindred spirit Anastasia. We first met half my life ago, when she moved into my home ward and our mom's signed us up for the same dance class. We've had our ups and downs, but through it all she's still my bestie. Stasia is the BEST best friend you could imagine. She's the one who introduced me to Pride and Prejudice. We used to day dream about Gilbert Blythe as well as Frodo Baggins. Watching ancient movies from the library, the slightly sketchy bus ride to the dollar theater, girl's camp every summer, cuddling when we're scared, making up our own rendition of "Footloose", so many memories of her and I that make me who I am today. If I had to marry a woman, it would definitely be her and I'd love to be sealed to her if that were allowed. We grew up a short walk from each other, now it's at least a 5 hour drive on a good day. We've kept in contact even after our friendship has changed, from her moving out, to me moving out, to her getting married. I love her soooo much! She led me to my other best friend, Chase. Stasia dated Chase's older brother and decided that he and I would get along, so she worked her magic and set us up. And guess what? She was right. We fell in love very fast and were very young, but it's lasted. Chase is the ultimate boyfriend and best friend. He bought me flowers if I felt sick or was having a bad day, brought me a Jamba Juice so I could know he was thinking of me and knew I loved White Gummy. He took me to movies he didn't want to see but watched them anyways because he knew how much I wanted to see it. We had so much fun together, one of my favorite memories of him is the time that we got tickets to see the midnight premiere of Transformers 2 together. We drove all the way to Salt Lake and didn't get home until about 4 AM. We couldn't say goodbye very easily, so we layed down on the grass and looked at the stars and talked and laughed for well over an hour, but how I wished it could have lasted forever. That moment was perfect for me, it was one of the first moments I really realized how much I loved him. I've loved that boy for three years (YEARS!!) now, and there are many more to come. I haven't seen him for almost a year, because he's serving an LDS mission in California, but he's still my very best friend in every possible way. I am so excited to see that boy again in a little more than a year. 13.5 months to go Elder Johnson! I love both of my best friends, and this is a tribute to them. Chase and Stasia, you make me smile :)

Now... it's picture time.

The very studly Elder Johnson, serving the good people
of Riverside, California 

He found a street, with his name!
He works that nametag :)

We got really bored during play practice one day.
I had so much fun being in plays with my bestie.
We're the best part of that play.

We went to China together. China!
Neither of us could sleep during those many, many hours on the plane.
This is what happened instead.

Twilight... midnight premiere.

Us with more of our best friends.
Basically, her last night being single.
That's right, Bachelorette Party baby!

Chase and Rauni :)
Although I hate my braces, I have always
LOVED
this picture of us.

We look so little...
That's because we were.
You can fall in love at any age.
Take my word for it.

One of the only pictures of the three of us.
BFF's :)
When he comes home, we'll take more.

Happy Birthday wishes :)

Yesterday was my birthday, and I have to admit that I didn't think that anything really great would happen. Birthdays have always been kind of a big deal to me, and it's important to me to do something special on my birthday and I love it when people plan things for me, it makes me feel so special and loved. My best friend, Chase, has not been able to make it to a single birthday for me, yet he's made every birthday so special. The first birthday I had when we knew each other was only a week after we had first met, but he still remembered and sent me many birthday wishes. The next birthday he couldn't make because of family reasons, but he made it special for me by planning our own Homecoming dance in our friend's basement, a surprise party with my closest friends and dinner to one of my favorite restaurants. The next birthday I spent my first year at college, and he planned a surprise party for me at my cousin's apartment. He had pizza delivered and worked with my cousin to make sure that I had friends who came and ate with me, and also delivered flowers to her apartment for me. This year, he's on his mission, so I really wasn't expecting anything at all, hence why I didn't think anything would happen. Well, boy oh boy was I wrong. I hadn't heard from him in about a month and was feeling really down and upset over it, when I received a package in the mail. Due to complications I wasn't able to get it til later on in the day, and walked into my apartment after all my classes at 3:30 to find 6 red roses with a card on the table. I have no idea how he was able to do that, but he did it! And he made my birthday so special. Afterwards I had fun with my friends who came over for a cake party, but Chase was still there in spirit through the flowers he gave me. Chase makes me smile :) And so does turning 20! Happy Birthday to me :) And here's a quick shout-out to my mother: thank you for giving birth to me 20 years ago. I appreciate it.

Yes, I did cry. Only the happiest tears :)