Holiday Greetings

We sure hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! We sure had a great one, full of lots of gifts and many blessings!

We spent our Christmas Day this year in Sandy with Tony's parents. It was a really great, relaxing day. We woke up and I was introduced to a new Christmas tradition. "The Rope". Apparently when Tony and his sisters were all little, his mom tied a ribbon around the top of the staircase to show that they couldn't go down and peek at what Santa had left for them in their stockings. (Tony and I slept in the basement, so we had to kind of run up there really fast for a picture) It was really cute and it seems to have worked! After the ribbon cutting ceremony, we looked through our stockings and had a simple but magnificant breakfast of cinnamon rolls, fruit, breakfast casserole, and hasbrowns. After breakfast we moved on to the good stuff--opening presents! It was so funny to watch Candace and Caity open their gifts, and I got a lot of really great things from Carmie (thank you!). The present opening lasted from probably 10:30 to 1:30.

Now we head off to my homeland this Sunday to have Christmas the Second with my parents and extended family. I am really excited to spend some time with my mom. You know, go shopping, get polar pops, all the usual things. I don't get to see her very often, my mom is a wonderful support and friend and I am very excited to be able to hang out with her. Of coure I'm excited to hang out with my dad and sisters, too! :)

P90X is still going wonderfully. We get to switch up our diet in a week so now week can eat three servings of carbs instead of just one! Hooray! I don't think either of us have shed anymore inches, but Tony did get some dumbells for Christmas so maybe that will help!

Happy Holidays!

Changes

There have been a few changes in our lives recently. The one I'm most excited about is the change in weight I'm experiencing! Because of our P90X workouts, I've lost a total of 2.5 inches on my torso, and an inch and some off of my thighs! YAY! Tony's also slimmed up a bit, but he's not as obsessed with measuring it as I am :). He is getting some pretty little abs, I'll admit.

Another change--one we're not as happy about as we are about losing weight--is that we were released from being Sunbeam teachers. I'm grateful to have been in primary as long as I have, and don't get me wrong, there are no hard feelings from us about getting released :). We are sad, but a little relieved as well. It was a perfect time to get released--the last day of primary.

So, with all of that, we wish everyone Happy Holidays!! Hope everyone did well on their finals :).

Taking a Break from Stress

I thought I'd take a little break from all of the worrying, writing, studying, presenting, grading, and homework I have to do to post a little blog.

We have finally started our P90X workout, and it is tough. They have us on a bascially no carb-all protein diet. (Low fruit, too!) It's very hard to follow but I just keep telling myself that in 25ish days I get 3 servings of carbs and fruits instead of just one. The workouts are hard, but they are really working. I feel so much healthier and I really feel like I'm losing weight. I would recommend it..so far.

Finally, to end my short blog...I'm sick of school. If Thursday weren't my last day I would totally run away and hide in the mountains or something. Ick, school is just getting annoying.

Group Projects -- Group Schmojects

For the most part I'd say that I enjoy college, but one thing I hate more than anything about it is GROUP PROJECTS. This may just be my independent/loner side coming out, but I am sure that most of you feel the same about this group project thing. You get a bunch of fairly intelligent humans together, all who wish to share their insights and opinions (which are usually good), and even though you have four or five smart people working at it, everyone's grade is lower because you all had to work together. Stupid. However, group projects are nowhere near as horrible as group papers. I want to meet the individual who decided, "Hey, let's make four people write a paper together instead of just one". I'm sure it was some researcher somewhere, probably in my field. (we're all about the unity in the MFHD world)

Other than stressing myself to the point of nausea over this group project I have, life's good. We're anxiously awaiting our infomercial-ordered P90X workout system, guaranteed to have us ripped in 90 days! (Lame, I know) Don't worry, though, I did my research and many claim that it is a good thing. I'm quite excited to see the results. Tony and I are doing the whole before & after thing too, complete with pictures and measurements. I think I'll spare the blogging world an upset stomach by not posting our pictures up, though. We'll see what this P90X thing can do, and whether or not it will royally kick my butt.

Two Sundays ago we put up our Christmas decorations. It was really fun! We put on some Christmas tunes, decorated the tree, and put some lights out on our porch railings. It was fun to open our own box of Christmas decorations and not have to go out and buy a bunch of stuff! Our tree looks lovely, complete with blue and silver BYU/Utah Jazz colored ornaments. It even has a present underneath!

Last thought: the semester is almost over! Yay! I think semesters are the perfect length. Right as soon as I begin to hate my life and school, it's over! Then I rest for a couple of weeks and I'm ready to go back for more learnin'. Needless to say, I hate school right now and Christmas break is so close I can almost taste it. I NEED Christmas break to come!

I hope all is well for everyone out there!

A Paper Among Many on the 'Books-vs-Films' Debate

Tony Anderson

Are Books Still Worth Reading in the Age of TV and Film?

A Look at Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things Shows How Literature May Still Possess Redeeming Characteristics

“For me, what made writing The God of Small Things so worthwhile is that people all around the world are connecting with this book, that it’s somehow hitting some deeply human chord,” said Arundhati Roy of her Booker-Prize winning novel—a novel that earned her over one million dollars in sales in the first year alone (Jana). Her work is described as “dazzling” by The New York Times (Kakutani) and “glowing” by MSNBC (Shapiro). The Washington Post Book World even went so far as to state that it is the “strongest kind of novel” (Amirthanayagam).

In fact, this novel is making a case for not only itself as being an intrinsically worthwhile source of creative knowledge, but for novels—books—in general. Arundhati Roy has created a powerful work, employing advanced literary techniques that could hardly be duplicated through any other medium than the novel genre. One wonders, however, in an age when the popularity of film is at an all-time high—for example, Rotten Tomatoes’ collective group of critics considered the recent comedy Wild Hogs to be “87 percent rotten” (an essentially terrible film, in other words), yet in its first week it still garnered $39.7 million at the box office (Rotten Tomatoes)—whether even “the strongest kind of novel” still has something worthwhile to offer.

After all, one must concede that in the books-versus-film debate, film has the inherent upper hand. It functions much like the composer Richard Wagner’s concept of ‘Gesamtkuntswerk’ (total artwork), providing a complete presentation of images, words, and music. From this perspective, the world of books and reading—an act that focuses on a single aesthetic presentation, rather than a Wagnerian sensory attack—might seem one-dimensional to some, while appearing appropriately focused to others. To be sure, the overwhelming multifariousness of the filmic presentation, has itself fostered a diversity of opinions on whether or not such a strong shift from the page to the screen is, indeed, a positive thing.

New York University professor Mitchell Stephens optimistically welcomes the age of images through technology, considering it, in most respects, progress in the realm of fiction; he points out the ‘picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words’ argument, stating that when film came on to the historic scene, writers had the capacity to describe a landscape, but no writer had the ability to render the image of a landscape to his or her reader as accurately as a photograph. Photorealism was, according to Stephens, a “new development in the ancient competition between images and words. Nature, after all, has never been persuaded to pick up a pencil and ‘reproduce herself’ in words” (Stephens). Stephens goes on to explain that he views this new age in fiction as building on all of the achievements of prior ones. In the world of fiction, Stephens would suggest that we are moving away from the horse-and-buggy we call ‘literature’, and into the sleek, new Porsche: film. He writes:

Nevertheless, I can’t look at the history of human communication without
concluding—unfashionable as such a conclusion may currently be in
the historical community—that a kind of progress has been
made. Yes, we’ve lost some wisdom along the way, but I believe
we’ve gained more. And I can’t look at the magical devices we
are coming up with for capturing, editing and making available moving
images without concluding that they will help us make additional
progress (Stephens).

Not everyone, however, is an optimist. Some are downright leery of the potential dangers of having an explosion of information readily available through films, television, and the Internet. William Paulson, though speaking generally of technological advancement (and not specifically about television itself), still offers very trenchant remarks for this discussion. Paulson warns us:

The assumption that information (or even knowledge) should increase is not a
self-evident or even innocent one…Stockpiled information in general
provides the capacity to neutralize, control, and integrate aleatory
events…The ultra-communicativity produced by modern technology is a form of
ever -increasing complexity, but it is hardly progress; in fact, it
has nothing to do with the emancipation of the mind hoped for by the
Enlightenment. It is as if humanity, far from controlling or
creating its destiny, is simply caught up in an expanding dissipative
structure…” (Paulson 266).

Put in such dire terms, it is as though film and other technology-based sources of knowledge are rocketing mankind uncontrollably into some immense void; as though we are creators of our own epistemological atom bomb, which—as a result of our incapacity for understanding it—will lead to our imminent self-destruction. Sven Birkerts seems to share some of Paulson’s concerns, but pulls back on the reins a bit—perhaps with the realization that a good deal of the anxiety over this issue could simply be due to a nostalgic tie to the printed word: “Books—vessels of thought and creative impulse—[are] no more noble or sacred, any of them, than what they contain” (Birkerts 255). Birkerts concedes at the conclusion of his book that he may be superfluously worrying about the progressive death of the page (Birkerts 270).

Such are the varied opinions on the filmic usurpation of the printed word’s role in society. Most scholars prove somewhat skeptical about the issue, while a few embrace this progression wholeheartedly; all, however, seem to agree that it is happening, regardless of how attentive the world is to the collective warning cries. While I will not make even a feeble ten-page attempt to tackle that greater issue—whether or not books will survive, and what repercussions would attend their complete eclipse by film and computers—I am interested in discussing why I think books should survive the technological onslaught, why they ought to still have a meaningful place in our lives, by examining some of the features of Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things.

Books may be facing a not-so-distant demise, and defending their integrity makes one feel almost like baby boomers who defiantly cling to their IBM Selectric typewriters well into the age of the word processor. Yet, Roy’s novel clearly contains elements—such as powerful, though not all-encompassing character development; thematically significant word and phrasal usage and repetition; and the ability to address issues which are considered taboo in other genres. These uniquely literary elements, amalgamated, serve to illustrate my point: books, especially “the strongest kind” of books, have the potential to convey information in a still-unique way, despite the advantages which film, television, and the internet possess.

Part of what sets books apart from films is their capacity for creating believable characters: From Hamlet to Elizabeth Bennett to Holden Caulfield, a good author is able to create a set of intriguing and realistic people—those who could potentially exist in real life—and a poor author is certainly not able to do so. Unlike film, the printed word offers us a mode of freely representing an infinite number of characters without any limits or deterrents. “Now wait a minute,” one may argue, “there are a great number of films whose unique characters are portrayed flawlessly by gifted actors.”

Let us take as an example the highly acclaimed 1994 blockbuster smash, Forrest Gump, starring Tom Hanks. In the film, Hanks plays the difficult role of a mentally challenged man whose life follows through several pivotal decades of American history. Hanks’ performance is arguably very good. However, as the film ends and the credits roll, no viewer is left with the lasting impression that Tom Hanks is really Forrest Gump and that Forrest Gump is someone that actually exists somewhere. In fact, we have seen Tom Hanks in many other films before and since Forrest Gump: Big, Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve Got Mail, Castaway, etc. In all of these films, Hanks does a fine job of portraying his characters as believable, realistic people (he even acquires Eastern European mannerisms and speaks Bulgarian in The Terminal), but we are never left seriously convinced that Tom Hanks is literally Joe Fox in You’ve Got Mail. Instead, we find ourselves saying, “Boy, Hanks sure does a good job in that film.”

Books, on the other hand, require no intercessory medium, such as an actor, in order to give us a character. Words might be considered the vehicle in place of a human actor, but words differ in two important ways: 1.They can be manipulated exactly to the taste of the author, creating a very specific character who may or may not be reproducible in the real world. 2. On the opposite end of the spectrum (and which may initially sound contradictory), words do not give us a perfect likeness, but only at best a rough depiction of a character.

To get back to our literary example, The God of Small Things gives us two highly developed characters—the seven-year-old twins, Estha and Rahel. Perhaps an ambitious director, interested in making a filmic version of this novel, could find what he considered to be two similar-looking, young Indian children who could play the parts of Estha and Rahel. Upon finding such children, however, this director would have to somehow get the children to act their parts as convincingly as the experienced Tom Hanks does playing Forrest Gump; they would have to somehow take on the challenge of portraying seven-year-olds who are forced to grow up prematurely. Even if this is possible, every film has its casting problems, and more often than not, directors are simply required to alter the intended character to fit the actor, and not vice versa. In Roy’s novel, however, Estha and Rahel can be (and essentially are) whatever Roy wants them to be or not be, regardless of whether or not such a human being actually exists somewhere.

But even with Roy’s remarkable descriptions of Estha’s hair “poof” and Rahel’s “Love-in-Tokyo”, even after Roy takes such pains to give us an intense psychological gaze into the minds of the twins, it is the reader who is ultimately required to fill in the numberless blanks in order to create a seamless representation of Estha and Rahel. In this way it is the inexactitude—or, perhaps, the incompleteness—of writing which allows us to make the twins (and essentially all other well-developed literary characters) believable for ourselves.

This is, then, essentially the classic argument by those who advocate literature over film: books require some level of active participation on the part of the reader. Sven Birkerts boldly posits that without the “intellectual want” and the “ledges and baffles and barriers” which novels of themselves provide, essentially the television/film-viewers’ entire epistemological system is altered negatively over time (Birkerts). In other words, the very deficiency of a total or all-inclusive description (a kind of complete description which is more closely approximated through film than through books) allows the participant to “fill in” missing information, in the same way in which the human eye can recreate peripheral surroundings without observing them directly. I won’t venture too deeply on that vein; but it is important to recognize that Roy’s God of Small Things requires much more thought and participation in order to create for ourselves the more believable literary Estha and Rahel than would a filmic interpretation of it, which would offer us a very rigid set of characters—characters who are completely dependent on the acting skills of seven-year-olds for their accurate portrayal.

But it goes deeper than that. While Forrest Gump is a memorable character, he is now intrinsically linked with Tom Hanks, who is also unavoidably connected to several dozen other characters. We are almost unable to recall Gump without bringing to mind widower Sam Baldwin (Sleepless in Seattle) or Federal Express bigwig Chuck Noland (Castaway). Certainly few Americans can see the young actor Haley Joel Osmont on the screen without his Sixth Sense quote-turned-pop-idiom, “I see dead people,” echoing somewhere in their subconscious. Often, filmmakers will use this type of character identification to their advantage when casting roles, such as Harrison Ford—who is eternally remembered as the 1980s action hero, Indiana Jones—shocking the film-viewing world as a murderous adulterer in What Lies Beneath. Roy’s characters, Estha and Rahel, on the other hand, remain as real and unique to readers as George Washington, or Babe Ruth, or Martin Luther King, Jr., or any other personage of history one has never met. Readers are left with the sense that somewhere in India today exist two very real twins—by now in their forties—whose lives are chronicled in an account by Arundhati Roy.

Another thing The God of Small Things teaches us is that there are ways in which words can be manipulated in order to give the reader a deeper glimpse into the psyche of each character. Significant thought patterns are then repeated throughout the book. One example is how Estha seems to view himself as a “Little Man” in many situations. This is Roy’s way of showing how Estha is unnaturally forced to come of age before actually coming of age. Invariably, whenever Estha has such realizations that in many ways he is maturing, his mind connects the phrase “Little Man” with the Popeye The Sailor Man theme, that begins, “I’m Popeye the sailor man, I live in a caravan,” after which there is the rhythmic “dum dum” of drums or hands clapping or feet stomping, which completes the meter of the verse. Whenever Estha performs a task he considers to be “manly,” like holding the movie tickets for his mother, or fixing his hair ‘poof’ by himself, this thought works its way into his consciousness: “Little Man. He lived in a car-a-van. Dum dum.” In many poignant passages the narration returns to this thought of Estha’s, despite the dissonant, conflicting emotions which it evokes because of its out-of-place, overly-merry sense. In some cases, after this idea has been repeated sufficiently—such as one instance shortly after he is sexually abused—Estha will think of only the “dum dum” sound as he remembers the rhyme. The narration follows: “Estha Alone walked weavily to the bathroom. He vomited a clear, bitter, lemony, sparkling, fizzy liquid. The acrid aftertaste of a Little Man’s first encounter with Fear. Dum dum.”

The film director may attempt to reproduce this rhetorical motif in some way; he may have the musical score ever-so-faintly play the Popeye song (hopefully not, though), or perhaps have a voice speak Estha’s thoughts. However, there really is no subtle way to convey this idea through film—it is too word-based. In the above example, Estha’s thought—which interrupts even his most intense recollections of his abuser—is reduced to the simple “dum dum,” rather than the whole couplet. Would an audience pick up on a muffled background drum beat in a film adaptation? And if they did, would it produce an excess of comedy and ruin the moment? Arundhati Roy’s careful use of the “Popeye-Song” image has the effect of numbing the reader somewhat to the atrocity of the sexual abuse—in essence, it creates the kind of post-traumatic numbness that Estha was experiencing at the time. But in the fledgling film genre, where thoughts spoken aloud and overt musical sentimentality have already become clichéd devices, would any attempt at recreating this idea come off as (for lack of a more precise word) “cheesy?”

Let us return briefly to the scene in which Estha is sexually abused. Estha and his family are at the movie theater in 1969, watching The Sound of Music. Estha simply cannot restrain himself from singing aloud the words to the songs, which begins to annoy the other patrons at the theater, so he goes into the lobby to sing the remainder of the song—and gets molested. It is not unprecedented or impossible for filmmakers to recreate sexually charged scenes without being offensive or explicit. Nor is it unheard of for films to address morally sensitive issues. A good example of this is the relatively recent film, Brokeback Mountain, which features homosexual cowboys. To be sure, film is touching on themes that were socially forbidden just decades ago. Yet, it seems that the abruptness of this molestation scene would be very difficult for a filmmaker to reproduce tastefully (or legally, really). Roy’s book allows us, on many levels, to go along with Estha, as he sings joyfully in the lobby, and then endure with him the confusing sexual abuse, as well as the psychological consequences that follow. A filmic adaptation would allow us to sing with Estha, and it could in basic ways explore the consequences of Estha’s crude introduction into adulthood, but it would have trouble allowing us to experience the molestation itself without becoming pornographic, offensive, or, again, cheesy.

There are other taboo themes in the novel: incest, sexual relations between members of different societal castes, and even the caste system itself are all issues that are more fluidly dealt with on paper than on screen. That “picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words” power is sometimes counterproductive when it is focused in too sensitive a direction. We are, as a society, to some degree comfortable with graphic war scenes, consensual heterosexual love scenes, and other social issues. But when the subject is something that is deemed wrong, no matter what moral system one subscribes to, especially regarding sexuality and childhood innocence, there is simply too much sensitivity there for any other medium than the printed word. And even in print form, much care is chosen to introduce tender issues as appropriately as possible. The God of Small Things created quite a stir in India, facing obscenity charges for the eroticism at the book’s end (Jana). Indeed, Roy took quite a bit of heat for what she described with words only. Films would be both empowered by their ability to deliver lasting images which viewers would not soon forget and crippled by their lack of control over the power of those images. The advantage books have in this case would be their greater control over the subtlety of their eroticism (or violence or racism, etc.).

Clearly, books still have something to offer. There are ways in which characters can be developed—especially internally—which, despite the many advantages of film, is almost impossible to do successfully in any other medium than literature. There is a certain subtlety that lends itself much better to the metaphorical prose of literature than it does in filmic creations. There is some subject matter than can only be addressed through the written word. Some messages, even with all of the amperage of modern technology, can be spoken more distinctly, even more fluently—if not more forcefully—in print than films are currently capable of.

That said, I do not argue with that majority of scholars who, in my opinion, correctly state that film and television have the potential to impact the audience on a much more complete level: certainly the combination of aural, visual, and thematic presentations attack the senses in ways that are far superior to the book. Films will, as a consequence, present themselves in a much more memorable manner. Films have a stronger capacity for attracting (and entertaining) the masses. But books, I contend, are still able, in some ways, to go places films cannot go, at least for the time being; there may come a day when films will find a way to breach the intellectual/rhetorical gap between themselves and film, perhaps through a partial visual and aural retrograde of sorts, but such a day has not yet come. Those who oppose film and television’s ruthless supplanting of literature may have more than just a nostalgic basis for their concerns—books continue to have something completely fulfilling and worthwhile to offer. This is what makes the “strongest kind” of books still worth reading.

The question that remains for the future—will anyone care to read to read them?



Works Cited
Amirthanayagam, Guy. "Bitten By Destiny." The Washington Post 31 May 1998: X.05.

Birkerts, Sven. Readings. Saint Paul: Gray Wolf Press, 1999.

Jana, Reena. "Winds, Rivers, & Rain." 30 September 1997. The Salon. 25 March 2007 <http://www.salon.com/sept97/00roy.html>.

Kakutani, Michiko. "Melodrama as Structure for Subtlety." The New York Times 3 June 1997.

Paulson, William. "The Literary Canon in the Age of Its Technological Obsolescence."

Rotten Tomatoes. "Wild Hogs." March 2007. Rotten Tomatoes. 27 March 2007 <http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wild_hogs/>.

Shapiro, Laura. "Books." 26 May 1997. http://www.msnbc.com/. 29 March 2007 <http://www.msnbc.com/M/nw/a/b/bk_r.asp>.

Stephens, Mitchell. the rise of the image the fall of the word. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.

Tabbi, Joseph and Wutz, Michael. Reading Matters. London: Cornell University , 1997. 242-243.

Lazy Day

Today is a lucky day for me, all but one of my classes were cancelled and luckily all the classes that were cancelled were my morning classes! So, I have to stroll up to campus around 3 to take a test (which will be easy), and go to my last class. Lucky Duck, I know!

I know I should be studying for aforementioned test but I feel like being lazy. I'd like to talk about my new job! It was crazy, but I think I'm going to love it. The kids are so sweet, and it doesn't bother me much that they're throwing things at me, spitting on me, scratching me, etc. because I know I'm helping them. I'm learning a lot of parenting skills that I can use when I have chilren of my own, which I'm grateful for. If any of you want a fun, rewarding job, let me know! We are desperate for staff!!

I'm still pumped for Bulgaria, too! We are just awaiting some form of letter of recommendation from ANYONE so we can apply for the internship. We know we'll be accepted, it would just be nice to have an official "yes" from someone so we can get goin' on saving up and getting passports!

Friends, Fun, Excitement, & Crazy Men

I packed so much into this week it seems like it has lasted for a month's time. Sunday, I went to my good friend Caleb Hustedt's mission home-coming. It was so great to see him! I was so proud that one of my friends served a full two year mission and returned with honor. He got to meet Tony for the first time, and that was cool. He had a fan club of girls following behind him, so he'll be just fine adjusting to the dating world :).

On Wednesday (Halloween), I had a job interview at the House of Hope in Provo. It is a women and children's home for mothers who are drug addicts learning to form bonds and appropriate attachments with their children. I was hired on as a Child Development specialist working with the children to help them develop social skills that will cause them to develop normally...mmm, sounds much better than shoe associate at Sears, doesn't it? Yeah, definately. I also worked Halloween night, which I thought would be a blast because they had trick-or-treating at the mall, but it was so lame. No one came to shop, and they only gave out candy upstairs so Cecilia and I were bored out of our minds.

Because of this new job I have, I had to drive to Salt Lake City to get some tests done. So, Friday morning, I drove up there, leaving early so I would make sure I made it on time. Of course, I got there way too early and had nothing to do so I walked to the McDonalds across the street to get a drink and use the bathroom. The bathroom situation should have been a red flag to me that I was in a not-so-safe kind of place. I had to have someone escort me to the bathroom because you couldn't get in without a token. I had never seen anything like that before, especially not at a McDonald's! So, I did my thing, got my drink, and started walking back to my car to wait for my appointment. As I approached the crosswalk, I heard a man yell "Hey! Do you have change for a dollar?" I looked over at him and responded with a no, because I didn't. "Well, do you have a dollar?" he said. "Nope, I'm sorry" I replied and I began walking quite briskly in the opposite direction. The man began screaming at me saying things like "I know you have a dollar! Just give me the dollar! Everyone's got a dollar with them!" He was following me during all of this, so I began walking faster. He started walking faster. I began running, and he started chasing me. I was running as fast as I could with this man behind me screaming at me and chasing me. Luckily, I got my keys out in time and got in my car and locked it. The man ran up to my car and started pounding on my windows insisting that I did have a dollar with me. By this time, I was bawling my eyes out and shaking like crazy as he tried to open my door and pound my window in. Luckily, there was a cop that saw the whole chase and came to my rescue. He grabbed the crazy man and threw him in his car. The cop asked me if I was okay, and I said I was, and then he took me into the building where my appointment was and explained to the receptionist what had happened. She gave me some free hot chocolate and I sat there safely in a big office, grateful for policemen.

I still have my internship to look foward to. We've completed our applications and we're both just waiting for our letters of recommendations to come so we can submit them. We recently found out that for me to count this as an internship for school, we have to stay there for 14ish weeks. This thought scared me at first, but after talking to Tony about it, 14 weeks is perfect. I'll have the language down and by the time I get over the culture shock, I'll still have a while to enjoy my time there. Learning Bulgarian with Tony is really fun, and I feel like I'm pretty good at it. I'm so excited about this opportunity, even though my family doesn't really support the idea. Luckily everyone here LOVES it and wants to help us out, which is fantastic. Nobody can stop me from going. It won't make us poor, and if it does..well, we're poor now so it wouldn't make a difference. As far as our future family, we'll be just fine. We'll both get good jobs. Heck, I have a decent job now! Anyway, enough ranting. We're going to Bulgaria and that's that.

България!

Yesterday I had a splendid day! My classes all went well, I got to see Tony a lot, and best of all--the internship fair. I went to this fair to see what kinds of things MFHD majors do with their lives, because honestly, I wasn't sure. I walked in planning on finding a local Utah company that I could get hooked up with for a short time. I dragged Tony along, hoping he would be some moral support. I walked through all of the booths, and somehow spotted one that said Bulgaria. The girl at the table told me a little about the program, and it sounded so wonderful! (They WANT me to teach music to these little Bulgarians in an orphanage!) Really, it just feels like the right thing for me to do. Everytime I think about us going, I just get goosebumps and I feel so great. So, probably fall of '08, Tony and I will head off to the land of dyuners and plain yoghurt. :)

I'm so excited it isn't even funny. I've already learned a little Bulgarian, and Tony is more than willing to teach me. We promised the coordinator that I'd be semi-fluent by the time we arrived in Plovdiv. I am so so excited!

Sunday of Youngsters

This past weekend was VERY relaxing. I'm grateful that I had the time to re-charge over the weekend. Probably one of the more interesting things that happened was the Primary Program on Sunday. Each child gave a scripture and a little blurb about how they can serve their family. There were some humorous responses, of course, and it was nice to laugh a bit during our meeting. This program included such hits as "Hee Hen"(...this is my beloved son "Hear Him") , "Faith is like a little Seep", and "I know that My Reedemer Limbs". The way the sunbeams sing the songs can by itself make me laugh all day long. My favorite part about it, though, was it was one of those very few and far between times where you could tell some of the kids felt the spirit. It's always nice to see that happen because you can tell it really touches them. Then, of course they were hoolagins during class because they had to sit so still in front of their parents. We did a lot of let-your-crazies-out dancing, which seemed to help.

Even though sometimes those kids just frustrate me to no end, I still love 'em and I'm glad I can be a Sunbeam teacher. :)

The Late Show with Hollie Anderson

I'm surprised with my recent spells of insomnia that I haven't posted a new blog sooner. The reason for both the lack of sleep and lack of blogs is probably because this weekend was simply nuts. I worked Friday through Monday and had little time to do things like homework, spend time with Tony, and sleep. Luckily, that is all over and now for the rest of the week I only have 8 hours of work to look forward to. Even though this weekend was packed, I still managed to sneak in some fun here and there.

Friday was half work/half play..but mostly work. I woke up early (for me) and went to the infant development lab where I now volunteer. To me, that is play. It's actually quite interesting what we do. It begins by cold-calling mothers (we have birth records) with babys a certain age. This is an age-held-constant study so we only study babies all around the same age at a time. The mothers volunteer to bring in their little ones, and we hook 'em up to some awesome machinery. This is a net full of electrodes that we strap on to these little guys and gals. This isn't an acutal picture from our lab (this girl is way older than the babies we're testing now).

After we're done strapping them in and calming them down (c'mon, you know you'd be freaked out if a bunch of people strapped that thing to your head!) we go into our observation booth and show them a series of big dot, little dot, low pitch, high pitch. We start with the big dot and the low pitch, and the small dot with the high pitch...then, we switch it up on them to see if their brain detects a change in the material. It's complete nonsense to those who don't know what we're studying. We often get a lot of puzzled mothers after having watched the little "show" ask us what we are doing. No brainwashing --don't worry! It's fascinating research and I'm glad I can be a part of it!

On Saturday, Tony and I both woke up, relaxed for a bit, then headed out to the mall. I had recently recieved a gift card and I wanted to use some of it! We each got several things from the mall, and we had a pretty good time together. Tony started feeling sick, so that wasn't fun, but other than that it was really nice to get to go shopping.

We are both still pushing through school trying to finish in one piece. I've been having some hard nights lately that keep me up into the wee hours of the night, but overall we're doing great.

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!

Blah

Since I'm positive only 2 people read this blog, I feel like I can write a little more freely without offending or depressing too many people.

Today I was in the BYU library, partly doing my homework, partly talking to my sister online, and partly shopping for clothes and makeup when I was having a nice (kind of uneventful) conversation with my sister and all of a sudden she attacked me. I asked her about a buddy icon she had on her profile and she responded with "nothing. now don't go and tell mom like you always do". I will admit, I've played the part of tattle tale when dealing with this particular sister. Posting obscene messages on myspace for the world to see not only ruins an individual's reputation, but the family's as well. Not to mention that it was highly offensive. So, I decided to inform my parents of my sisters embarassing and immature behavior. But regardless of the few times I've "tattled" on my sisters I don't see my self as a so-called "tattle-tale".

My sister proceeded to tell me that I always "tell" on them all the time, and that I make my parents hate my younger sisters. This attack went on for about 5 minutes until I finally just quit talking. "Squeaky clean" is what my mom refers to me as, according to my sisters.

I remember when it was just Andrea and me around. We shared a room, always played together, and we were pretty good pals. Even though I was only 6 or 7 years old, I promised myself (and my teddy bear I always talked to at night) that I would be the best big sister for Andrea. I wanted to always be her friend, and be someone she could always "play with". It really, really broke my heart today when my sister told me that I am the opposite of what I intended on being. I'm not really sure what I did wrong. I always thought being "squeaky clean" was a good thing, I always did it to be a good example to those around me, especially my sisters. When faced with a decision, I often thought about how my sisters would see me if I chose to do or not do the thing at hand. I guess my efforts were all for not.

I hope that one day I can have a positive influence on someone. My sisters included. Maybe as they grow up and mature, they'll understand. I have no idea..I've never had a big sister, which is why I always wanted to be the ideal one.

Best Weekend Ever

This week has been very nice to me. I only worked two days, my first class this morning was cancelled, I have from Friday to Monday off, and this weekend is going to rock. Simple as that. Friday I am going to sit around, do some homework, watch some Rachael Ray, and take it easy. Saturday--I'll probably go to work with Tony, watch conference, and then while he and his dad are at the Priesthood session, Tony's mom and sisters are taking me somewhere for my birthday (which is on Monday). We're going to stay the night at his family's house Saturday night for conference the next day, which is also when I open my presents from his family! Then! Monday I get to open presents from Tony. This weekend is going to be so much fun. Not because it's my birthday, though that's a plus, but because I get to relax and spend time with family.

Happy Conference Weekend, everyone!

Let it..Snow?

The weather here in the past couple of days has been very interesting. Yesterday, the high was 80 degrees. Today, the high was 60 and on my way home from work...it began to snow. Snow in September is something I don't think I've ever experienced before, and I can't say I like it much. Fall has a very special place in my heart and I always hate when winter comes around and snatches it away from me. Winter is already trying to shove its way in and frankly it's just not allowed yet. I found a kitten today on our porch crying loudly for its mama. I attempted to coax it into our apartment so it could be warm, but it was scared of me. I put out a big, fuzzy, warm blanket for it to have tonight to sleep on while it snows. I hope it's okay!

Other than the snow I've been having fun. I went to my first ever corn maze last night at Thanksgiving Point. It was a fun little date. I also bought myself a new pair of shoes today, and that was really fun! I'm easily entertained, I know.

Baffling "Beauty"

I guess I do not understand the Utah culture as much as I thought I did. Countless times I have had my haircut here and have come home complaining of the weight of the excessive hairspray and the amount of backcombing that was used in the styling of my "do". I'm not sure what the triangle-head look does for people here, but all of the hair stylists seem to love it. Once I even came out of the salon looking something simliar to Jackie Kennedy (who was a lovely woman, but her hairstyle isn't quite my taste). I have vowed never to get my hair cut in Utah again, and if I somehow break and have to cut my hair, I will ask only for a cut, and I will style it myself when I get home. I just can't handle it anymore.

However confusing this hairdo thing is for me, I thought it was the only strange beauty trend occuring in this state. Boy, oh boy was I wrong! I recently talked with my mom about some new makeup called Bare Escentuals. It's supposed to be really healthy for your skin so I ordered some online. The kit was $60, so I decided to go to the mall and have it put on me by a so-called "professional" before I opened my kit and decided I hated it, and then waste $60. While I love the makeup, it feels really good on my face and looks very natural, she decided to add some of her spunk to my look. Blush from my nose to my ears, eye shadow clear up to my eyebrow, and jet black mascara (I usually use brownish). EEK! It looked kind of nice after I fixed it for a while, but then when I got home it looked like I had put on makeup that was two shades too dark for me because of this bronzer crap she put all over my face. This was a surprise to me, because her makeup was beautiful. With the hair thing, you can always tell when you're gonna get backcombed, and I figured it was the same with makeup. Maybe I'm just an old fuddy-duddy and I am too conservative for the new 'Hip' styles. But, I will not get my makeup done here again, either. I love the makeup, and I think I would love it a whole lot more if I put it on the way I like it. Who knows, maybe I'm just too hard to please.

So, if anyone can explain what's so beautiful about a triangle head and fake makeup, please..enlighten me. My midwestern farmgirl ways just don't seem to fit in out here. Funny, though, I never pictured Utah as a fashionably modern place to begin with. Huh.

It's a No Go

So I didn't get the job on the Behavioral Coding research team. I am actually not too upset about it. I was having some really not-so-good feelings about the position the more and more I thought about it and the longer I waited for a response. It's mostly self-esteem issues. (e.g. I don't think I'm educated enough to be on that kind of team, which is partly true)

Other than that life is good, minus the fact that I am still stuck at Sears where no one listens and I do way more work that I'm paid for. Never fear, I'm still searching for a better job. But in the mean time, come buy some jewelry from me.

Feeling the Pains of TOO MUCH HOMEWORK

Ahh it feels nice to sleep in and relax for a bit this morning. The first two weeks of school have been simply brutal. It's my own fault, scheduling 15 credit hours only on Tuesdays and Thursdays and all. Wednesday night I did my homework from 4pm to basically midnight with only about an hour and a half break in between, and I still didn't get it all done. While slight procrastination was to blame, I'm not sure if it would've helped as much as I needed it to if I had done my homework all on time. However, that day is done and now I get to watch season 2 of Rachael Ray...hooray!

Some happy news...I recently applied for a Behavior Coding position with the School of Family Life here at BYU. Of 53 people, 8 were chosen for interviewing. I was chosen! yay! Yesterday I went to the group interview and felt like I had an okay time, but it was all really uncertain. I'll hear from them in a couple of days to see if I got the position. It was odd, though, because they told us they were choosing not based on skill level at all. They were just going to choose the final coders based on whether or not they thought your personality would fit with the current reasearch team. So, we'll see if I'm weird enough or not.

A fun little side:

Here's me and Tony as simpsons...wow we're hot.

Space to Think

Since I realize basically millions read this blog, and you are all just dying to know how my first day of school with a new major went, I suppose I'll post an update.

Tuesday was the first day of school for BYU and I began my day as a new MFHD major with a class called "Forming Marital Relationships". The teacher seems very intelligent and he is very funny, so I think that class will be really good. The first day we talked about the whole Saturday's Warrior Theory: are there soul mates? Does Heavenly Father choose who we marry for us or do we make covenants in the pre-existance with someone to seek them out and find them? NO!!!!! (at least that's what I think) It was rather "heated" discussion because many people do believe that there is only one person for everyone. Although I said I don't believe this, I kind of sit on the fence for some of it. For example, I should not be at BYU. My grades were not good enough, and with all odds against me, I made it here. I believe that Heavenly Father blesses our lives and helps us get places He knows we need to be. Along with that, I believe I had the privelage to be here so I could meet Tony (and have other bad experiences along the way to him). So...does that totally contradict what I said? Probably. But really, as much as I love Tony, I don't think either of us floated around in the pre-existance promising we'd find each other and when we did sing "I've seen that smile somewhere before". I do not believe there are one-and-onlys, but I do believe that when you get married to the right person, you make them your one-and-only. I also believe Tony is the only one awesome enough for me so he is my one and only ;). But anyway--the idea of soul mates to me kind of takes away some of our agency...we can't choose who we marry? Done...let's move on.

My second class we talked about the same thing. Gross.

My third class which is Research Theories, while it seems like it's going to be the most boring class I've ever taken, is taught by the funniest old man I've ever seen. So, at least it will be entertaining, even if I get a bad grade.

After these three classes, my first day of school was honestly, discouraging. I was fearing that I was in a major where every class was Sunday School and there would be only straight up LDS doctrine, and no scholarly learning. I was also having a lot of feelings of regret for leaving music, something I have been familiar with for years. Then, I went to my last class of the day: Strengthening Marriage and Family taught by Lloyd Newell (music and the spoken word man). That class helped me so much. He shared quotes with us about how the first presidency wants BYU to be known for family research and for the family life majors. (that's me!) That class was my pump up class, if you will. It made me feel so great about what I was doing and I realized that I was going to be okay. Yesterday my classes were tons better and we actually learned things instead of having gospel doctrine class. Don't get me wrong, I like the gospel and all, but...I want to learn about families at school, and gospel at church, thank ya.

*The one thing I love the most about this new major of mine is how much I get to think! In music, I didn't think all that much except for when I played. But here, they throw out these ideas and just get you thinking! It's so fun!!*

Tony's classes seem to be going well for him. I swear I don't know how that boy reads so much. $635 in books and most of them were his. He has 10 books for one class! Silly English majors. That's okay, though, he loves it and he is the smartest man I know.

So now you can all rest easy. I survived and I'm going to be okay. I forgot to mention that my Infant Development teacher is a former boilermaker (Purdue grad) and so he and I are already best friends. He talked with me after class and I could possibly see him as a future mentor for me, which is exciting.

Well, have a good day ya'll.

New Crayons and Boquets of Freshly Sharpened Pencils

Today is the first day of classes here at BYU. I woke up early today and as I sit around waiting for it to be time to start getting ready, I've been thinking about all of my first days of school. Some make me laugh, others make me remember how scared I was back then. This year, I've started school differently (aside from last year, of course, when I started school as a married woman). I'm just going regular plain ol' style. This is the first year I've started school with no new pencils, paper, folders, binders, and mostly: clothes. Not that I need any of these things, but it is a weird feeling to me that I'm starting school without having been on the Grey Family Back-to-School Clothes/Supplies Shopping Extravaganza. First year, ever! I assume this is because I am an adult now, and Sears should provide me with enough paycheck to buy back-to-school clothes (HA!).

Regardless of the fact that I am wearing my same old wardrobe (which is still as fashionable as new clothes, might I add) I will start school today. I will be embarking on a new adventure called MFHD and even though I'm basically a professional at going to school having sixteen years of experience, I have those same anxious butterflies darting around in my stomach this morning. It kind of makes me nostalgic in a way because I remember feeling this same thing the night before my first day of kindergarten (too bad the school experience isn't similar to kindergarten!), and even though I may not LOVE school--I know I'll miss this feeling when I don't experience it once a year anymore. I will have grown up, and being a grown up like that scares me a little.

So, to all your BYUers out there: good luck today! Have fun, smile a lot, and do your homework. I'll sure try.

It was Colonel Mustard, in the JSB....

Last night Tony and I went on a really fun group date with some of our friends. We had done this before, but it was still lots of fun. We played life-sized Clue on campus. It's a pretty clever little game to play, and everyone seems to enjoy it. Each couple chooses a character (we were green, I'm not sure who that is in the game) and wears their colors so as to act as "game pieces". Then, it's a mad dash around BYU campus. You go into each building and use the courtesy phones to make your guesses to the "home base" couple. They will inform you how many guesses you have right..then you move on until you have all three correct. Tony and I never had the privelage to be the murderers, but it was still fun. It's nice to go on dates like that every once in a while. We also got to hang out with Tony's cousin, Aaron, and his soon to be wifey Shareena. They're a fun bunch to be with, and I'm excited that we'll have some more married friends!

School starts Tuesday and I'm not sure how excited I am anymore. I mean, I'm totally pumped for this new major of mine, but I just hope I can handle work and school. I've never had a job while in school before, if that tells you how much of a spoiled brat I am. :) I'm sure I'll have a great semester, though.

Don't Be Such A Baby!

This morning as I was sitting on our couch suffering from extreme boredom, I decided to glance at blackboard to see if anything for my new classes this fall had been posted. A couple of my classes had actually put some stuff up and the class with the most information was my Development in Infancy class. I was browsing through, getting excited to learn all of what seemed to be very interesting stuff, when I stumbled upon an Extra Credit assignment. I must say, I laughed out loud for a couple minutes after reading through it. It's quite simple, actually, just a little odd. The assignment is to block out a four hour period and, well, act like a baby. Crawl around on your hands and knees, restrain from communicating verbally (aside from grunts and goo-goo gaa-gaas), and use only very basic motor skills. How funny! I'm sure that if I take on this assignment Tony will have a very entertaining evening to look forward to. Apparently the purpose of this assignment is to come to a realization of or to remember how it is for an infant to live in this world. It seems like it's going to be very frustrating. I just hope I don't have to eat infant food. Ick!

Three goals...

Tony, here.

I have to say right off the bat that this is my maiden voyage into the BlogSpot world. Sure, I've thrown down a few words here and there on Myspace.com (before BYU decided that logging into Myspace is directly correlated with a spiritual downgrade of sorts, and thus has restricted access to the website, along with a host of others...that really is another subject), but I really haven't put forth the effort to flesh out anything decent in a while. Not that I wouldn't like to--after all, I'm supposedly a fledgling writer of sorts--I might direct you to my inexhaustible list of published works...hold on...I just can't seem to remember where I placed the list...;)

Perhaps the proper time for goal-setting is New Year's when resolutions and fresh starts are on every one's mind. However, I am more disposed to self-evaluations during the long summer months, when school is scanty, work is arduous, and the only glimmer of intellectual progress that can be made is through sheer dedication to autonomous study. The resolutions made at the culmination of holiday mirth often tend toward shedding the unwanted pounds from the traditional killing (and consequential consumption) of the proverbial fatted calf--in essence, it is a striving back to a previous state--but my summer aims are more often seeking new heights in various aspects of my life. I want to achieve what I have heretofore been unable to (or never attempted to) achieve. As such, three of my goals from this summer are:

1. Do "well" on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Now I realize that "well" is about as relative a term as you can get, and that goals are merely yearnings when not accompanied by specific, quantifiable results, so I will qualify my goal slightly: I want to score at least a 700 on the verbal section of the GRE, at least a 600 on the quantitative section, and get a 5.5 or higher on the essay portion. (The highest possible scores are, respectively, 800, 800, and 6.0) In order to do this, I've taken to some serious summer studying, adding roughly 800 words to my vocabulary in about a month's time (with another 100 or so more vocab words to go), and learning all of the tricks of the test-taking trade through a book that Hollie so sagely recommended to me. I would like to take the test in December after finals.

2. Dunk a basketball on a ten-foot goal. Now this is a silly goal, intermingled amidst academic aims of much higher importance! But look at it from my perspective: Ever since I was probably ten years old I've dreamed of dunking a basketball. The prospect seemed imminent when I was 14 and 5'7" and could already touch the rim. Then, at about age 16 and 5'9", my biological clock determined that it was time to quit growing (at least vertically). Now, I've done the math: at 5'9", and a reach of about 7'4", I would have to have about a 40" vertical leap in order to smoothly dunk a basketball on a ten-foot goal. Right now I'm hovering around a 37" leap, so it's not altogether an outrageous proposition. So my reasoning behind placing this goal on an-ever-so-short list of more-worthy aspirations is two-fold: First, accomplishing it would utterly convince me that I am capable of whatever I set my mind to; second, in the world of fitness, the vertical leap is one of the finest measuring tools of overall physical fitness--the litmus test, if you will, of athleticism. Anyone who is of my whiteness and not a collegiate athlete, possessing a 40-inch vert, is a pretty studly individual. I give myself one year for this, although the faster the better, because my aforementioned biological clock will once again begin working against me if I let this lifelong goal stretch out too long.

3. Write a novel by the end of next year. Aspiring to Michael Jordan-esque hang-time might be more feasible than this goal, but notice I did not say publish a novel by next year. I've actually already begun the book. I'm currently working on chapter three, and I expect that when all is said and done, I'll end up with something around 70,000 words in length (we writers tend to deal in word-lengths rather than page numbers, because that's a much better indicator of actual length; pages may range from 200 words to 600 words, depending on how the publisher likes to present the information). Although it is difficult at this point to give a summary of the book's plot, I will say that it is extremely religiously-charged (although not with a particularly LDS flavor, or even a Christian one, at that, but rather with an overall sense of man's relationship with Something Greater Than Himself, if you will). At the same time, I expect it will leave the ultimate decision of God's existence up to the reader. I'm trying to make it an entertaining read, though, and I think, if categorized, the writing style would fall somewhere between a James Joyce and an Arundhati Roy, with a lot of stream-of-consciousness and free indirect discourse, though not to such a degree that it becomes the focus of the work.

So that's it. Maybe I'll write again.

If All the Snowflakes Were Candy Bars and Milkshakes...

I don't like money. I wish that we could all trade jelly beans instead of dollars. But, I guess then the jelly beans would become as frustrating as dollar bills. However, jelly beans are a lot more pleasant to think of, don't you think?

I guess I can only expect some stressful times after coming home from such a good anniversary trip. With the start of school I'm sure there are many college students across the nation that are feeling the same pressures we're feeling right now. While I continue to tell Tony "we'll get through it," I still have the same sick feeling I'm sure he has. Being poor is hard. :) It makes us appreciate one another, though.

Aside from frustrating college expenses, we are exteremly happy and anxiously awaiting the starting of fall semester. Tony is studying hard for the GRE and I am searching for apartments in our future grad school areas. No studying for me, I'm happy with an undergrad!

I'm always excited for the life we have ahead of us. It will be fun to go through all of these adventures together. It would be quite lonely if I were dealing with all of this stuff on my own! I'm glad I have a constant pal who will give me a pat on the back and maybe, if I need it, a shoulder to cry on. Yay for Tonys!

Well, that's all I have to say for now. Think about the jelly beans idea...you like it, don't you? ;)

I know...I'm weird.

One Year Older and Wiser, Too!

Okay, so I'm not celebrating a birthday or anything. I am, however, wrapping up a day of celebrating our one year anniversary! It was a fun little day. We've spent the weekend (beginning Thursday evening) here, in Saint George at a condo. Friday was like the day of my DREAMS! You know what we did? Nothing. Absolutely nothing! It was soooo fantastic. I needed a day like that. A day of PJ's, ice cream, junk food, movies in bed, and not going anywhere. It was great. Then today, we dressed up all pretty like and did some shopping and then went to The Outback for some yummy steak. Probably the most perfect steak I've had there. Yum-o! We came home and had some more ice cream and watched Ice Age on our super cable TV. It's been a good year for us. I'm glad we could take some time to celebrate the wonderful year we've had together. Yay for getting married!

Aside from all of the happiness and celebration going on, I've got almost a whole week off work to just relax and do stuff I want to do! I'm really excited about that. I'm also excited for school to start. I'm anxious to begin my new little major and see what it has in store for me. Hopefully I'll enjoy it! Although I'm QUITE sure I will. I'm really pumped.

I hope all of you had a wonderful, relaxing weekend.

School's Out For Summer..

Well, at least a couple weeks of summer. It's finally happened! I don't have to attend summer classes any longer! (Until next summer, of course.) I'm really excited about the free time I'll have for a short while before Fall semester begins. During my little break I'm going to have a lot of fun. Our one-year anniversary is coming up very quickly! August 18th. We're going to St. George and hanging out in Tony's parent's condo down there. It doesn't seem like it's been a year but at the same time it feels like we've been together forever :). I'm so glad I married my best friend. We really have fun together.

Some of you may know that I recently applied to be manager at Sears. I didn't really want to, but the leads kept asking me to. I felt completely stupid on Saturday, though, when the Store Manager told me someone else was manager and he wasn't sure why I even applied. As stupid as I felt, there was a huge feeling of relief that came along with it. I was so worried about how I was going to manage being a manager (haha) and school. I am quite happy that I can keep working my 20 hours a week. Now I'll be able to see my husband!

Yay for being done with summer school and not being promoted to manager. Life's good.

Statistics is for Losers

Right now I should be getting ready for school, but it's just aerobics class so there isn't much for me to do. I'm just sitting here watching the morning news, looking back at my nearly completed summer semester and I must say, I'm pretty darn proud of myself. I managed to workout everyday, take statistics 221, and work almost full time all at the same time! Furthermore, I am going to PASS that stats class. Hollie passing college math - there's something no one's ever thought of. It was a tough class, but it was tons easier than music theory ever thought about being. I love my new life!

I am getting really excited for our new adventures coming up this year. Tony will finish school, and then in 2008 we'll head out to grad school, most likely in Indiana, and start a new life somewhere else! Hopefully in a nicer apartment! I'm excited about getting a new car and driving across the country with my loverboy. We'll make a five-day trip out of it so as to help me overcome the strong hatred I have for driving to Utah without stopping...*shudder*. I'm starting a new major, which has allowed me to only have classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, something I'm extremely grateful for.

I'm just really having a good time right now! I love Tony so much and I have so much fun with him! I couldn't imagine going on all of these adventures with anyone but him. I'm really glad he's my best friend :).

I'm also super pumped to go to a BYU football game with Tony...go cougars!

Best Friends

Tony doesn't write here because he thinks no one reads it. Which is most likely true. So...it's Hollie again!

I am so tired but I can't seem to find sleep tonight. I think it's because I am worried about my mom. She just had surgery on Tuesday and they had to keep her another day (I think), and I haven't spoken with anyone about her today so, I worry. Sometimes I wish Indiana and Utah were the same place so I could see her right now. I know at times I "act like a little kid" and this is one of them: I miss my mommy.

Yep, it's true. I'm not at all ashamed to say it, either. My mom and I have become best friends since I've moved out and I wish almost every day that I could just hang out with her and have some fun! Not that Tony isn't fun, I just want to go out with my mom one weekend or something ;).

It's weird how when you're a teenager you think that your mom is so old fashioned and doesn't know anything about life, and then suddenly, one day you realize how smart she really is. You realize how much she cares about you and on that day, you go from being just mother and daughter, to being friends. I'm so grateful for my mom and all the support she always shows me. I'd be one lost puppy without her.


Tell your mom you love her...because she REALLY loves you! :)

Hello all..Hollie again.

Tony is working later than usual at work today and I'm extremely bored. I don't have classes on Friday so I've spent my day cleaning and catching up on some homework. I'm pretty sure not many people read this but just incase, I thought I'd update whoever does with what is going on with us :).

My last post was basically all that's up with me. I am loving this "new me" I've discovered and I am so happy! Tony is working hard at Redman while studying for his GRE. He recently submitted an article to the Ensign and we're hoping they'll take it. I'm sure they will, Tony is a great writer! I am really excited for him to go to grad school and get a job with a publishing company. From what he's told me about it, I know he'll love it! Plus, it will be fun to live in Indiana for a little while and eat Sunday dinners with my family for a change.

We're both doing really well, and we're both very happy. I hope all is well for everyone else!

Change for the Better

Why, hello..this is Hollie speaking.

As many of you may or may not know, I have switched majors. I often joke about this new change and give a reason for it by saying "oh, it was too hard". As true as that may be, I am learning that I could have overcome the "hardness" of a music major, or any other major, really. After earning a very satisfactory (for me) grade on my statsitcs exam, I immediately thought to myself "Man, if I can get good grades in this class, I can do it in any class!" (Math really isn't my cup of tea). Even music? Yes, even music. As I sat out on the stairs of the testing center waiting for Tony to pick me up, I began thinking about my change of major. Could I have just toughed a music major out? Yep, I think I could have. I love music, with all of my heart, I really do. Now that I know I can conquer any class if I try hard enough...was it the wrong choice to switch?

ABSOLUTELY NOT

I loved being a music major for the time I was, but if any of you knew me during that time...I was never a happy camper. My confidence was always low, I was spread too thin, and not many people in that department were nice to me. Ever. I changed my major not because it was too hard, but because it simply wasn't for me. Almost everyone I talk to asks me what I'm majoring in NOW and I tell them "Marriage, Familiy, and Human Development". Oh, the relief society major (ha. ha.) It isn't a relief society major. It isn't an LDS girl's cop-out major just to get to college, find a man, and drop out. It's a real field of study with a lot of great opportunities to help children and families.

I walked past the JFSB the other day and noticed the observation lab children playing on the playground. I found myself almost analyzing them. Wondering why they do what they do and what makes their brains think they way they think. It was extremely fun. I plan to use this interest to help me through this new major that I am already loving. Knowing that I am interested in it not just because people expect me to be gives me a shining hope for the future. I'm doing it because I want to.

So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I've learned that I can do anything if I put my mind to it, and that knowledge has helped me realize I've made the best decision for me.

More to come!

Hey all!

I just signed us up for this and thought it was silly to have it up and going with no post!

So..all this is is a post saying that there will be more interesting things to read soon. Don't you worry.