Weekend Wonders: Two.

After a week of movies, Tiki parties, hours and hours of the Sig Ep boys, work, sleepovers, attempting to go to the Cache Valley Cruise-In, watching Brian try to make friends with a couple monkeys, and actually attending my single's ward...it's safe to say it's been a good week. ...it's time for bed. Besides, it's Birthday week! I'll finally be 19 on Wednesday, no big deal. But first, this Weekend's Wonders.

This song, that quickly became the anthem of our trip to Huntsville. Justin Timberlake is just as good as he was when I was little.

This kitchen.  Gray is my favorite color...and I'm kind of obsessed with this design.

These initial rings. Simple--and slightly perfect.

And finally, these words.  I'm surrounded by some pretty successful people...and sometimes I forget that I'm only 18. I've got plenty of time to be where they are.

The way it looks.

November 12: I've always loved English, and I love to read. So it only makes sense that finally, I can call myself an English major. I love to read, love to write, and as Bronson put it, I say probably twice as many words as anyone else. I'm also kind of obsessed with quotes...and have a board with over 1,000 of them on my Pinterest. [Pathetic, I know. But I'm not a crafter. Or a cook. So my boards are mainly quotes and clothes. Deal with it.] Today, I'm thankful for my all the incredible books out there, the plays, the poems, and the people who created them all. Now for some of my favorite quotes, Pinterest style.

Not only do I love quotes, whether they're funny, cute, sad, inspiring, or mind boggling, I am an avid reader. I could read Randy Pausch's "The Last Lecture" or Alexandre Dumas' "The Count of Monte Cristo" seven millions times and never get sick of them--and I've probably come pretty close to that many readings. Which brings me to my very favorite quote in the whole world.
At the very very end of the Count of Monte Cristo, the Count is writing a letter to his friend before he leaves with Haidee, and leaves his old life for the last time.
The Count tells Morrel, "There is neither happiness nor misery in the world; there is only the comparison of one state with another, nothing more. He who has felt the deepest grief is best able to experience supreme happiness. It is necessary to have wished for death, Maximillien, in order to know how good it is to live. Live then, and be happy...and never forget that until the day when God shall deign to reveal the future to man, all human wisdom is summed up in these two words--Wait, and Hope."

Words, words, words, people. They're a big deal.

November 13: I'm grateful for the standards that I keep. Last night, we had to go see the play "A Chorus Line" for my creative arts class...and it was one of the worst things I've ever watched. So many vulgar, crude, and nasty jokes. A whole lot of swearing. And nothing in it was even slightly redeeming.  It was so uncomfortable. But it did teach me something--there are things in this world deemed "high culture" that are just as low as the lowest culture out there. And I know my standards, and know what I think is okay. I'm glad that there are some things out there that are okay though, and that I know what's what. I'm grateful for the standards and ideals that my parents helped instill in me, and for the beliefs that I have being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That's all, really. :)

It's all in the eyes.

I'm just reading yet another juvenile chick-lit romance, and a line in it got me thinking.

"He gives me a look.

I give him one back."

Have you ever noticed that no matter who you're with, they can give you one look, and you know exactly what they're thinking? It cracks me up sometimes, and other times it's like they're staring straight into your soul and suddenly they know every deep dark secret you've ever kept.

If I say anything snotty, sarcastic, or even remotely rude, I know that Kyle will look at me like I'm a complete idiot. Just kidding. He just tilts his head, and looks down at me like I need to see a doctor. Which gets him a look in turn, that usually involves me sticking my tongue out or shrugging my shoulders. It says more than any teasing remark ever will, and it never ceases to make me laugh.

Emi and I mock each other incessantly, and when either of us runs out of something to say, we make the weirdest faces at each other. Crossed eyes, messed up mouths, and far too many twisted expressions. I'm not even sure what it means; maybe that the conversation is over, or it's a white flag of surrender. Who knows. But we're definitely in the running for the weirdest faces out there.

Hailee and her faces speak novels. It's a proven fact. Thursday night, she was...spooning? my massive teddy bear, and Emi and I were talking about who knows what. We said something ridiculous, or at least more ridiculous than usual, and the bear went up in the air and Hailee just made this "I can't believe you two just said that and I hang out with you on a daily basis and call you my friends" face.

Everyone knows when their mom is angry, because of her stink-eye. I know when my dad is making up a story, because his upper lip doesn't move, and I know when my friends are truly happy, because their eyes literally shine.

When it all comes down to it, the face is an amazing thing.

Yes, that was a random rant, but it's over now. Deal with it.

Also, my acrylics are gone and I really don't know how to handle feeling normal again. FYI.

You'll never understand.

Life comes at ya fast, right?

And sometimes it's all you can do to take a step back and just breathe.

We all have problems, but they don't define who we are.

The way we respond and react to them define us.

The way we treat others in the face of trials defines our character.

I have a quote on my mirror that says,

"Watch your thoughts, for they become words.

Watch your words, for they become actions.

Watch your actions, for they become habits.

Watch your habits, for they become character.

Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny."

I try really hard to not let my outlook on life be determined by the challenges I'm facing.

Just like I won't let an impossible run for practice determine my view of the weekend,

I can't let one bad scenario/decision/consequence determine my outlook on the rest of my life.

And while those around me may never understand why I react the way I do sometimes, in the long run only my opinion matters. And I'm happy with the way I respond, at least most of the time.

If anyone has a problem with that, they can deal with it. Once Upon a Time has a quote that says, "Your bad judgment is your problem, not mine."

But they also say, "All you did is show that anyone can change her life."

Our her outlook on life.

Aimer et etre aime.

Love and be loved.

Easier said then done, right?

Especially when it's something you want...but you have a hard time pursuing it.

Let me elaborate.

Your past has a way of effecting the way you look at things in the future.

Sometimes, you lose something, and that makes you feel incapable of finding something like that again. Even when it's staring you right in the face.

You feel...not unworthy, but undeserving (?) of feeling that way again, and you can't give in to what's right there.

I have no problem loving others. [There's only one person in this entire world that I hate. But more on that later.] I love people, love getting to know people, and constantly surround myself with people.

But letting people get close is another story. I have a huge group of friends, but very few of them do I trust with everything and know everything about me. And I'm okay with that.

Oh well. Everything works itself out in time, right?

I have a board on Pinterest that's entirely full of quotes, and I'm only partially obsessed with a majority of them. My favorites?

Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes...because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world are the ones that do.

Every girl deserves someone to remind her that she's beautiful.

People will always stare. Make it worth their while.

Everyone wants happiness, no one wants pain. But you can't make a rainbow, without a little rain.

So this is my life. I want you to know that I'm both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be.

I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.

Remember kid, there's heroes and there's legends. Heroes get remembered, but legends never die.

Never love anyone who treats you like you're ordinary.