Six Words

My friend Camille  wrote this on her blog:

you've probably heard the story of how ernest hemingway was challenged to write a story in six simple words, and subsequently wrote, "for sale: baby shoes, never worn."

the online journal smith magazine has collected thousands of people's 6 word memoirs.  

And I decided to do the same.

As I've been thinking about it, this is what I've come up with:

Writing my life story with God. 

I am a writer. I always have been, and I always will be. Not only have a written stories about others and created their lives, but I'm also creating my life with every etch I make: every keystroke of action, every deliberation of decision, constantly moving my plot forward, learning how to create witty, thought-provoking, and beautiful dialog and forming my character. 

Of course, none of my story could even be possible without God. His gift of agency allows me to make decisions, and the gift of the Atonement gives me erasers and delete buttons, for which I am eternally grateful. 

Not only that, but as I learn and grow and write my story, I realize more and more how dependent I am on Him: for my plot, especially. He is the Master Storyteller and Editor. He has a better knowledge of how my story should play out than I do. And I'm learning to trust in His editing and foresight. Truly, He is the Author and Finisher of my faith . . . and my life story. I'm just grateful He gives me the chance to live and to . . .

Become nearer, my God, to Thee. 

Eeeee!

That, my friends, is a squeal of excitement.

Like when Liesel screams after Rolf kisses her on "The Sound of Music."




But no . . . I wasn't kissed. Not tonight, anyway.

But, I applied for an internship with the Church Magazines last Friday. And tonight I got an e-mail saying that they want me to send in my portfolio!

This doesn't mean that I'll get the internship (I still have to send in my portfolio and then, if they still like me, I'll be interviewed. And if they still like me after that, I'll get the job).

But for the moment it means that . . .

They like me! They really like me!

And it feels so good.

Eeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (too many for an English major, I know. But that's okay.)

A Thing of Beauty is a Joy Forever

There are some days and weeks when I wonder why I am an English major. I usually wonder this when am forced to analyze something I hate and write paper after paper for that class. Those are hard days.

And then there are classes that make it all worth it. These classes make the bad days disappear and I realize, "Yes. Yes! This is why I'm an English major!" 

My later British literature class with Professor Steve Walker is one of these classes. One of these amazing, inspiring, life-changing classes that make me rejoice in the beauty of language, ideas, and literature. It's a class that I'm excited to go to every day. It could be at eight o' clock and I'd still be excited to go to it. 

Really. 

The discussions Professor Walker conducts are incredible. I learn so much from him and from my fellow classmates. And I hope they're learning from me. I love how Professor Walker's words of advice: 

"I'm a dreamer," he says. "True love and high adventure. I say go for it." 

My roommates can attest to how much I love this class. I come home every day and just gush about how interesting and inspiring the ideas we discussed were. 

Like our discussion on Keats's "To Autumn." We talked about the movement in the poem, and how it moves from life to death, company to solitude, light to dark . . . but that the tone is not melancholy, because it talks about fulfillment. Autumn is a time of harvest and commencement. Yes, life is ending, but there is a story to be told. There is so much beauty to be found in a life well-lived.

Or our discussions and questions in Keats's "Ode on a Grecian Urn": How important is anticipation? Is the first kiss really the best kiss? Is the anticipation of the first kiss even better? How do we find joy in life knowing that, more often than not, our expectations will fall short of reality? How big should we dream? 

Or when we discussed Wordsworth's "We Are Seven" and talked about loss . . . and what is gained in loss. 

I don't know how well I'm expressing myself . . . but I hope that you at least get a taste of why I love this class so much. 

The questions of literature really do address the fundamental questions of life. They don't always have the answers, but they ask the questions so I can answer them myself. 

Literature helps me to live deliberately.  

Passive Aggression

I smell a rant.

Basically, the German passive voice and I do not get along right now. Because there are like five or six (or possibly six hundred . . . I'm getting to the point where I couldn't care less) different forms of the German passive voice and I can't keep track of them all. 

And why do I need to learn German passive voice when all my English professors tell me to do away with passive voice whenever possible? 

Alas, alack. Such is life. 

In fact, I'm beginning to feel a lot like Cecily from "The Importance of Being Earnest": 

CECILY: But I don't like German. It isn't at all a becoming language. I know perfectly well that I look quite plain after my German lesson. 

Ain't that the truth. 

Although "quite frightful" would be a better description of me after a frustrating German lesson than "quite plain."  Oh well. 

In all seriousness, I really do like German. There's a lot of good that is German. Like my last name. And Goethe's poetry. And Erich Kaestner's "Das doppelte Lottchen." (Did you know that "Das doppelte Lottchen is the original "Parent Trap"? Cool, huh?) 

But I could do with a little less frustration and more understanding. 

Okay. Rant over. 

I'm sorry you had to listen to that. But it is my blog . . . I can write about silly frustrations if I want to. And you don't have to read if you don't want to. 

But thanks for reading anyway. 

Star Struck

This is Jimmer Fredette:

But THIS, ladies and gentlemen, is why we really LOVE Jimmer:

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

    (Video also courtesy of my friend, Jen, who posted it on her blog. Such an awesome video. Thanks, Jen!)

Anyway. So Jimmer is cool.

No, cool is an understatement.

Okay, Jimmer is awesome.

. . . still an understatement.

It's hard to find words adequate enough to express how unbelievably, ridiculously, incredibly astounding and entertaining it is to watch Jimmer on the court: especially watching him take shots 40-plus-feet away from the basket.




Enter Megan.

Megan is a silly girl. But that's why we love her.

So, what happens when a star basketball player and a silly girl cross paths in the basement of the JFSB?







. . .



Nothing, actually.

This silly girl didn't know what to say.


BUT I RAN INTO JIMMER FREDETTE TODAY!!!!!! 






What do YOU think I should have done?

Simply Stunning

Recently, we've been studying Romanticism in one of my English classes. I'm a big fan of Romantic poetry . . . I'm a Marianne Dashwood in that sense, you could say.

Take the way nature is described in Wordsworth's "Tintern Abbey" or "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud," or Keat's "Ode to a Nightingale." It's just beautiful.

I wonder what sort of verses Romantic poets would write if they could see what I saw today:

The perfect stillness of barren trees amidst fields of purest snow,
The majesty of Timpanogos rising in white and silver splendor,
Framed by a sky of rosy peach, tinted with heaven's blue.

If the Romantics had seen the beauties of the Rockies in winter, they would have written masterpieces.

Winter is beautiful.

"Then Shall Your Confidence Wax Strong in the Presence of God"

While I was home during the break, my mom gave a lesson in church during Relief Society. (For non-LDS readers, Relief Society is a women's organization the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the largest women's organization in the world, and it focuses increasing faith and personal righteousness, strengthening homes and families, and seeking out those in need. Its motto is "Charity Never Faileth." See Relief Society for more information.)

The lesson my mom gave in Relief Society was based on a 1993 BYU devotional by M. Catherine Thomas, who was an associate professor of ancient scripture at the time. My mom's lesson was about self-esteem and confidence. She mentioned how Professor Thomas said that the search for both of these is a red herring, leading us off the trail of what really matters: our relationship with God, and realizing who we truly are--sons and daughters of God. Realizing this and realizing His love for us gives us the confidence we crave. 

There was a quote from the talk that my mom used in her lesson that really touched me: 

"Often doors have closed before us that seemed to lead to the opportunities we thought we had to have. We assumed that the closed door was a reflection of some inadequacy in ourselves. But perhaps the closed door had nothing to do with whether we were good or bad or capable or incompetent. Rather, a loving Father shapes, even now, our path according to a prearranged, premortal covenant (see Abraham 2:8). The opening or the closing of these various doors is absolutely dependent on the Lord's perfect perception of our developmental needs. All the elements that we really need for our individual experience here, He puts onto our path. The most important things that will happen to us in this life will come to us often by no initiative of our own, but they come because He is piloting the plan. He says that He does nothing save it be for our benefit (see 2 Nephi 26:24); He has promised that all things work together to our good in order that we may be conformed to the image of His Son (see Romans 8:28-29)." -- M. Catherine Thomas 

I needed that quote. 

And I've been thinking about the lesson a lot, and have now read the devotional address. It talks about how when you give up the search for self-esteem and essentially "lose your life" for Christ, and really seek Him, you become liberated and stresses dealing with self-esteem disappear. 

It's the giving up of the self that is a bit overwhelming. But it is step-by-step, day-by-day, by actively choosing  to look to the Savior that it can be possible. 

I've always been fascinated with fairy tales. One motif that I'm particularly intrigued by is in stories where a girl magically becomes more beautiful with each passing day. I've pondered about that concept, and decided that confidence adds to beauty, poise, and grace, and as a girl becomes more confident, she becomes progressively more attractive--not only in looks, but in manners and in spirit. 

Now I'm really beginning to see that really, this beauty with each passing day is found in "seeking this Jesus" (Ether 12:41), and striving to receive His image in our countenances (Alma 5:14).  It's definitely a thought. 

For those interested, here's a link to the talk by M. Catherine Thomas. Enjoy.