breathing it all in

I heard this song for the first time this morning and I just can't get enough--it has been officially dubbed my favorite song of this Christmas season. Hope you enjoy!

This is your brain. This is your brain on finals.

My ultimate love, my ultimate passion, my ultimate joy is rooted in the one thing that gives direction, life, and purpose to all other things. This thing is the end to every means I ever put into motion. This thing is my family: earthly and heavenly--immediate and distant--past, present, and future. "Thankful" does not begin to capture the humble, sacred gratitude I feel for all in my family and for the relationships that I have (and will have) with them.

Below is a link to a talk by Jeffery R. Holland that is a personal favorite of mine. I would encourage you to give it a read as I believe that it really applies to a lot of us (although it is directed towards LDS Young Single Adults)...and because it's just really that good! Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence Also, I would like to let all of you know that I know that all of the doctrines and principles taught in this talk are indeed true:our God loves us and He keeps the promises that He makes to us. I know that as we continually strive to show our faith in the Lord by being obedient to the commands that He gives us through the voice of His prophets and through His Holy Spirit, we can qualify for blessings which He desires to bestow upon us. We can reach our promised land with His help. Sometimes we all feel lost and abandoned at certain points along the road, but I know from personal experience that this is never really the case. His hand will ever guide us, so long as we ...

So I was exposed to this song my Freshman year of college and I just have to say, it is truly top natch! How many music videos can claim aliens, Karen Carpenter, "interstellar policemen," and a very classy green jumpsuit? I will be bold and assert that very few can. I hope that you find much joy as you laugh in awe that this video was ever made. The Carpenters - Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft

This poem was the first of many that I have written over the last couple of years. I derive much joy from expressing thought and emotion in a really open, yet figurative way and writing is a very effective outlet for doing this! I wrote this a couple of years of ago while being bored @ work--I had been reading through Shakespeare's Sonnets and decided to try my hand @ coming up with my own. Anyway, I think that I will forever love this piece, not because it is anything amazing, but because it has led to my writing other poems. Sonnet I -July 2008 The stars call and mock my eternal task, As I circle, stray, in quest of love’s piece. Facades jest and wrench in their fatal masque-- weaving envy slyly through divine lace. The telestial bodies’ light comes to naught, No guidance, faint truth do they emulate. This mission avast, what light have I sought? My heart too tutored to rest in stars' fate. To the moon, yes I sing even beyond. Hoping fully on penetrating note That tune wil...

“A man has his hidden sorrows that the world knows not; oftentimes we call a man cold when he is only sad.” ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow I would like to illustrate this favorite quote of mine with a story... A 14-year-old girl walked up to a stranger on the cheer squad during lunch and disdainfully asked “How does it feel to have everyone know that you’re a total snob because you’re a cheerleader?” The cheerleader paused for a moment and responded with saying, “Well, I would hope that people wouldn’t think that I’m a snob simply because I’m on the cheer squad. There are a lot more things that define who I am than my being a cheerleader, and I hope that people will be able to see me for who I am and look past the uniform that I wear on game days. There is more to me than what everyone sees…just like there is more to you.” The questioner was taken aback as this response was definitely not the reaction that she had hoped to provoke—her smug expression melted into one of surprise, remo...

So when I started up my blog a year ago, several people thought that my url said "breathing italian" instead of "breathing it all in." They wondered why I would select such a name for my blog as I personally have no ties to Italy, or at least not enough to base an entire blog off of (I do have a good friend on a mission in Rome and I do really like Italian food...). One of these confused souls was my friend and former roommate, Claire Plimpton. After she realized her mistake, so decided to create a "breathing italian" blog to give me a hard time. She's only put a couple of posts on the blog, but I definitely think that they're worth scoping out...scale of one to ten, they're pretty hilarious! Here it be: Breathing Italian and here's the link to my post explaining the real name of my blog...just in case you're curious: Breathing it ALL in! Happy one year of blogging!...and can I just say that "blog" is an unfortunate soundin...

Here we have two gurus on time, black holes, and hair fashion! I think it's a little eerie and entertaining how much these two "one of a kind" geniuses have in common. HA! Stephen Hawking Mr. Spock Disclaimer: I understand how ridiculously nerdy this blog post is--in my defense, I watched the new Star Trek movie last night and dabbled in Hawking's A Brief History of Time late last week, so yeah. It's really not all that bizarre that I would think to link these two together...RIGHT?!

My heart was between three diversities:   Its first piece was with the one who loved me most  Kind, selfless, full of light, genuine and safe   My heart has never wanted to forget  The one who “saw me” and sought to make me his  And I wanted to be his, but never was.   Its second piece was with the one who I loved most  Good, gentle, captivating, stubborn, and insightful  My heart has often wanted to forget  The one my “heart could understand” and that I lived to love  I was his, and for a while he wanted to be mine, but never was.   Its third piece was with the one who saved me  Disciplined, deep, guarded, unchartered, and sincere  My heart has been grateful for his granting me breath  The one who never really knew me, but allowed me to feel what I had lost  He gave me more than he could know, but we never really were.   And now I reclaim all three pieces for the one who will love m...

taking a hot bath, wearing high heels, giving my little cousin a piggy back ride, playing in the mud, reading a book that REALLY makes you think, having curly hair, waking up and not having to get out of bed right away, climbing a mountain, making someone laugh, having a late night chat with dad, running errands with mom, being teased by my brother, playing the violin when no one else is around, driving with the windows down, singing while washing dishes, watching a Disney movie, enjoying an Arizona sunset, having a shoulder for someone to cry on, 10-hour workdays, 0-hour workdays, learning to do something new, wearing my favorite dress, working for a good cause, having opportunities to use my talents, eating fresh peaches, going swimming in a lake, getting to know someone new, catching up with an old friend, doing something that’s a little scary, telling someone how you feel about them, laughing until you almost pee your pants, not being afraid to let yourself feel deeply, looking at ...

You know when you’re thirteen years old and you go through that awkward stage where your feet and arms are way too long for the rest of your body? Ha—then you try and walk and your arms are swinging out of control and you keep tripping over your recently acquired pair of clown shoes! Of course in a year or two the rest of yourself catches up and you start to look a lot more balanced out, but for a while (lets face it), you are just plain weird. Well, I kind of feel like I’m in the awkward, disproportioned phase. Not literally, of course--I’ve been past that for quite some time (thank GOODNESS), but still. I feel like I’m caught between two versions of myself…not sure if that makes sense. Actually I’m sure that it doesn’t make sense as I don’t really understand exactly what’s going on myself (much like the 13 year old). The best guess that I have is that I'm starting to feel graduation and real life away from the BYU bubble inch closer...and I'm sure the fact that I have...

So this morning at work, I was surrounded by enthusiastic chitchat discussing the intricacies of last night’s episode of the oh so popular “Grey’s Anatomy.” As I have never watched this show (nor do I plan on starting to watch this show), I must admit I felt a little out of the loop! I had no comments to add on who loves whom, who did/didn’t get shot, or how things should/will play out in the coming season. In fact, during this rather extensive show analysis the only two thoughts that really came to mind were 1. “This sounds more like a hit-em-up show than the E.R. rip-off that I had envisioned it to be” and 2. “Have any of you seen that great picture titled “Grey’s Anatomy” on AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com?” I didn’t voice either of my contemplations seeing as they really had nothing to do with the circulating buzzes, but yeah-still kind of wanted to share them with someone (hence my telling this rather mundane story and posting this beautiful picture for y’all). I would like to note t...

A Russian rip-off of Winnie the Pooh (which was hands down my favorite TV show when I was little)! I love this!

One of my favorite opprotunites that I've had while studying at BYU has been being a part of the BYU Women's Chorus. As part of the class we were asked to complete a series of journaling assignments. Here is one of my entries. :D It was one of those days. You know, the kind of day where your bright eyes and bushy tail are captive to a tired glaze and a tied back bush of oily, unwashed tresses representative of your lack of sleep and semi-dented looooooong to-do list . You feel moldy, you feel tired, and your feet would rather fall off than have to take another step…but unfortunately, you have to. You have to walk ALL THE WAY from your apartment, up the JSB/duck pond stairs of death, to the JKB for your blasted Women’s Chorus concert warm-up. SIIIIIIIIIIIIIGH of exasperation. On most days, you would gleefully bound up those stairs to get to your concert as Women’s Chorus and performing are two of your very favorite things, but not today. You moan internal, faithless t...

I want to become a good teacher...probably a let down to read that after being captivated by my alluring title, but there it is. More than almost anything I want to become an exceptionally good teacher.

Work was slow this morning, so I wrote this!! The silver clouds and morning starlight Whispered “Girl, come stay a day And hang your hat past rugged shadow Come, dream beyond life’s toil and clay. “Dream, dream deep of days well taken Lived in pastures grown and green With fragrant fields and rosy pathways And riding ‘long a swelling stream. “Dream of gentle winds’ caresses Carried by a sweet refrain And wealthy tunes that fill the senses As uttered songs escape unfeigned. “Dream of lavish blackened pages And liberal time to spend in words Full of thoughts to stretch horizons More powerful than wielded swords. “Dream of known truth in its glory And mysteries yet to emerge Prayers of faith and hopeful quarries Of brilliant blessings soon to surge. “Dream of all your heart's desires. Dream, oh dream, Girl. Dream away. The road you tread is long and weary. Hang your hat and with us stay.” This tempting call to sleep invited The soul's imaginings to feel But one path seemed to her...