Background Love

So, first what I want you to do is take a look at the picture. Think about it, how it makes you feel, what it stirs within you, if anything.

Now that you have done that, if you would, I want you to comment and let me know what it was that you felt.

I created this image for a reason. In a few days time I hope to come back to let you know why I did it, but first, let me know what you think.

At This Moment

~*~

And what did you think I would say at this moment?

When I'm faced with the knowledge that you just don't love me

Did you think I would curse you or say things to hurt you?

'Cause you just don't love me no more

Did you think I could hate you or raise my hands to you?

Oh come on, you know me too well

And how could I hurt you when, darlin', I love you

And you know I would never hurt you, no, no, no

~*~

I'd fall down on my knees, kiss the ground that you walk on

If I could just hold you, if I could just hold you

I would fall don, down on my knees, oh God, please

Let me hold you, let me hold you again

The preceding stanzas are selections from Michael Buble's latest album, Crazy Love, from a song called, At This Moment.

So, I have put off posting this simply because admitting the fact that still sort of hurt makes it seem to hurt all that much more. It is honestly fascinating to me to think that even when I care about someone so deeply, on a level I have never felt before and I can share the sweetest moments with a young man but it isn't enough, or I am not enough, or something...

I realize now, that if he couldn't see the value of being with me then he must not be worth being sad about, right? I mean, we never officially dated, but it seemed like it was going to go that direction and I thought things were different this time. I guess it's just hard to see someone I care about choose to not care about me in the way I thought he did and then I see the person he chooses to care about through social networks like Facebook and I wonder, what makes her better? But I can't think that way, can I? Ah, enough babbling and ranting.

My thanks goes out to my best girls who support me, (you know who you are) and the collection of varying comfort-songs that get me through the day when the day gets going!

Any advice for me?

*sigh*

~Holls

Rainy Days and Girl's Nights!

My Bestie, Christine C. (pictured from Dec '09)

The past few days have been quite cold, and unusually so since it is mid-March. Why is it that there is snow in March in UTAH?! What ever happened to spring rain, spring warmth, spring color? I don't like the snow and the wind and the cold!!! Regardless of my dislike of the current weather, I was still able to have a good time with my friends and family this weekend.

So, Friday night, I spent the chilly evening with one of my besties, Christine C. As you may have read in my post about my Dad, she is such an amazing friend. I love her to death!!! (And more!) I made dinner for her and her family, simple yet delicious, Mac & Cheese with Bacon, Shreded Tillamook Cheddar Cheese and a bit of Onion.

We then headed to the institute to dance the night away and give our legs a good work-out. By the time we were done, both of us had sore legs! We stayed up late that night (probably later than we should have) and we watched The Guardian while eating giant chocolate-covered strawberries and drinking our favorite sodas (Diet Coke for me and Dr. Pepper for Christine). Then as the movie got more intense Christine ended up reassuring me that everything was going to be ok and I also found out that she has a good arm to clutch when afraid!

On Saturday, in the morning we got up and I made breakfast for me and Christine (since we got up a bit late the boys had already eaten), we had Bacon, Eggs (with cheese and onion) and Toast with home-made jelly. It was soooo yummy! After that, we headed to Wal-Mart to do some shots with Emma and Jeremiah for the video I am making for my digital media class. It isn't done yet, but it will be!!! Below is a clip from the various shots that I took, be on the lookout for the final project soon!

What I am trying to show is...

how quality Tillamook Cheese brings people together,

take a look!

Let me know what you think about this shot.

After the filming was over, we grabbed a bite to eat for lunch and I had to head home. I took the long ride on the bus from Utah County to Salt Lake County and then took TRAX home. After mom picked me up from the station, we headed home to the beading party. There were snacks to be had, drinks to sip and necklaces to be made.

Below are the things that I worked on.

Part of a Choker made of Hemp, using the Square Knot

The entirety of the necklace and earrings I made. The Dragonfly charm lifts up to show the blue underneath and it says "Live life to the fullest." The blue earrings say "Hope" on them. I anchored on the little swirlies and the dragonfly charm using jump rings.

As we all worked we helped each other with our projects, while listening to Michael Buble, Harry Connick Jr., Carrie Underwood and the Hairspray Soundtrack. Mom and Chrissy had already finished a few necklaces before I got home, but while I was there mom made a couple of pretty button necklaces and Chrissy put final touches on some unfinished projects such as a watch, she also did some repair work, such as fixing my New Moon Necklace, and she made a cool China-themed necklace too!!!

What would be a girls night with the family without Tippy's crazy antics? She ran around the room like she was high on cat-nip and she tried attacking the strings of my hemp, thinking possibly that she was trying to help, and then as she finally calmed down, she laid out flat on her back and looked at us lazily. Silly cat! I love you!

Tippy on her back...

Today, at church it was pretty interesting, the Relief Society lesson was about the Creation. Sacrament meeting was exciting, it was for the two missionaries that are leaving soon, Brother Tholke, who is leaving for Argentina and Brother Littlewood, who is leaving for Connecticut. Also, I managed to discover something during Sacrament, when trying to catch a couple's kid from running out of sacrament, it would be wise (especially if you are already klutzy) to not dash after him while wearing heals. It may result in a twisted ankle, hurt knee and damaged pride. Meetings aside however, it was the cover of the program for Sacrament that caught my attention, there was a scripture quoted there, and it read...

Behold, my arms of mercy are extended toward you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me.

~3 Nephi 9:14

Also, since my mom serves in the Library, she makes tons of copies for people in the ward, so I happened to see the program for tonight's Standards Night, which struck me as weird, because I don't have to go anymore... Anyhow the scripture that is quoted for the theme this year is "Be Strong and of Good Courage."

Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.

~Joshua 1:9

This scripture really struck me, and I really hope that I can remember it in days to come.

Well, this weekend was a great weekend and I really wish that I could skip the next two days and just go straight to Spring Break... I am really looking forward to it. There is some stuff going on with the Epilepsy Association of Utah this week, and then Chrissy and I are taking another adventure to Vegas on Friday, now that I can actually DO the "fun" stuff there! LOL JK.

Be on the lookout for another post!

Always

~Holls

Letter to Santa

November 1, is the first day that Christmas songs play on play on FM 100, with all of that Christmas swirling around I've begun to think about things I'd like Santa to bring me this year as well as things for my birthday, since it is in the same month. I am posting this letter here, because at this point I am sure that Santa is online, and I'd bet that it makes the whole list-thing go a lot faster.

Dear Santa,

This is Holly, remember me? I've been trying my very best to be a good girl this year and I just want to let you know that anyone who tells you any different is lying! Just be aware Santa, that I am using this same list for my birthday so I suppose you might have to watch to see which presents I get. There are a few that may be hard to come by, I suppose that as the world's children get older, the things that they ask for get harder for the little elves to make. Well, with that being said, Santa, here is the list.

Movies I'd like:

• “Kung Fu Panda”
• “Made of Honor”
• “No Reservations”

Movies I'd like to See:

• see “The Prince of Egypt”
• “Pirates of the Great Salt Lake” (?)
• see “Eagle Eye” – Dollar Theatre or Redbox is good
• see “Twilight” in Theatres ☺

Music I'd Like:

• “Made of Honor” Soundtrack or select songs
• “Pirates of the Caribbean” 3 soundtrack
• “Don’t Forget” Demi Lovato
• “The Open Door” Evanescence
• “Spirit” Leona Lewis
• “Fearless” Taylor Swift
• Select David Cook tracks (if available?)
• Select Brooke White tracks (if available?)
• Select Sara Barilles tracks
• Select Maroon 5 tracks
• Select Linkin Park tracks

Gift Cards I Like:

• iTunes Gift Card
• Megaplex gift card/package
• Old Navy Gift Card
• Target Gift Card
• ShopKo Gift Card
• Fabric Center Gift Certificate

Music Stuff:

• Clarinet Cleaning from Riverton Music
• New Synthetic Ligere Reed size 2.0-2.5
• New Vandoren Cane Reed size 2.5-3.0
• D-String for Guitar

Makeover… one or more of the following:

• Manicure
• Pedicure
• Massage
• Make-up that works for me and my face!
• Herbal Essences Curly(or body…whatever special type…) Shampoo & Conditioner
• Anything from Bath and Body Works

Various-ness:

• The Slice (scrap-booking thing)
• Orville Buttered Microwave Popcorn
• A Brick of Tillamook Cheddar Cheese
• A Bar of Hershey’s Chocolate
• Anything from Claires or Icing
• Twilight T-Shirt from twilightguy.com
• New Heavy Duty Walking Sketchers
• Jewelry Cleaning for my rings
• ASL CTR Ring
• A Date
• A Boyfriend
• Lunch with a friend
• Money

Well, I think that about covers it, Santa. Thanks so much for taking the time to read it!


**NOTE: This letter is just for fun, but the wishes are true.


Anyway, this was just to get back into the Christmas Spirit and revert back to the thought process of a child. Make comments, ask questions, and please make your own list and letter for Santa!

A Sunday Still Unstained by Homework

Well, this week has been... interesting... I will give you the quick recap.

Monday

• Work

Tuesday

• Helped Mom at WX
• Ate Breakfast with Briahna and Kaylee
  
• New Epileptologist Appointment
• Psycho Phlebotomist
• Talked with U of U student on TRAX
• Hung Out with Jeff M.
• Ate at Litza's Pizza
• Shared music on our MacBooks

Wednesday

• Helped Mom at WX
• Took Frontrunner/TRAX/UTA Bus to Campus
• Found my classes
• ASL Level 3
• Philosophy
• Shakespeare
• Sociology
• Symphonic Band
• Explored the new Library
• Saw Joe...
  
• Bought my books
• Signed up for Institute
• Dating and Courtship
• Friday Devotionals

Thursday

• Hung Out With Breelyn
• Breakfast at Johanna's Restaurant
• Saw Mama Mia at Jordan Commons
• Work

Friday

• Work
• Shopping at Dad's Work (Caterpilliar [CAT])
• Shopping at Wal-Mart
• New Shirt
• Tink Bag
• Purple iHome
• School Supplies
• Jewelry
  

Saturday

• Wrote the most of my talk
• Work
• Finsihed writing talk

Sunday

• Nursery Calling
• Gave Report on Hill Cumorah Pageant Experience in Sacrament
• Went to YSA Class

Pretty much all I have been doing today is exactly what I want... I have been able to surf the internet and just listen to music and enjoy the day. This is probably the last week that I will have a weekend, let alone a Sunday that I won't have to do homework. I am hoping though, that I won't have to do homework on Sunday. I start school this Wednesday and I am pretty excited about it.

I've sort of had a lot on my mind lately, stuff pertaining to work, school, and my new epileptologist. I won't be working nearly as much now that school is starting. It is a good thing that I won't be working because I get so tired so easily but at the same time, I am going to miss the people that I work with and I am going to miss the fabric...

I don't know what to think about my new epileptologist... she seems nice, and kind, but I am really sort of nervous about the whole thing... I have some new perscriptions that I am going to start in a month...

There is so much more I want to tell you right now, but my mind really isn't working too well with me...

TTYL
~Holly Elizabeth

Weekly Highlights - Tuesday

Weekly Highlights

Well, among other things that have happened this week, I thought I would talk about some of the good things that went on. Let’s see, I’d have to say that within the last seven days my first highlight would have to be last Friday. I had made plans with Briahna to go to her house and have a get-together with some friends from high school before we all headed back to college. I got my stuff together, including some snacks to share with the gang.

I went to the TRAX station that was closest to my house and I got on to make the journey to Salt Lake. It took about 45-50 minutes on the train, but I passed the time by listening to my “Purple Pixie” iPod Shuffle. I absolutely love listening to music while I am on the train or bus. It let’s me be in a different time and place, away from anything that bothers me. Not to mention that I can sound-out the din of anything or anybody that is making noises that I don’t want to hear. So there I sat just enjoying the ride.

Once I was in Salt Lake, I went to the platform where the Frontrunner boards passengers. I had to get my ticket first because my Ed-pass doesn’t currently cover the cost of Frontrunner. I had never been on Frontrunner before. It is a rather recent addition to UTA. It is a really nice commuter train; it has nice large seats and plenty of leg-room. There are two levels to the train so more passengers can fit. I haven’t had a chance to see the view from the upper level but I think that it would be a really neat experience.

The Frontrunner is very smooth, it doesn’t sway and it isn’t a bumpy ride. It only took me about 15 minutes to get to Woods Cross, where Briahna picked me up.

Once in the car with Briahna, we talked and chatted about how our lives were now and what our plans were for the fall. We talked about the young men that we knew who were on their missions or getting ready to go on their missions.

Getting to hang out with my friends from Woods Cross and the general North Salt Lake area is pretty important to me. It is really hard for me to see them since I live about 25 miles away from there and the cost of gas is just obnoxious. Not to mention the fact that I don’t have a car. ☺

I arrived at Briahna’s house and her mom was kind enough to let me have some of their dinner, since I hadn’t eaten. Actually I hadn’t thought about it much before I left from home. So, I had Spaghetti with “Farmer John” cheese, a slice of toast and something that I had never thought to have with Spaghetti before - Peeled and sliced cucumbers! I never would have thought that it would be such a refreshing side for marinara pasta! I think it is sort of a way to refresh your taste buds after tasting the pinches and scoops of onion, tomato, basil, and garlic. I will definitely consider adding cucumbers to my next dish of Spaghetti; thanks to Briahna’s family!

After waiting for a little while for people to show up, we chatted and talked until we decided that we should get down to business in the sense of watching a movie. We watched something that most of us hadn’t seen before. It is one of Kiera Knightly’s first big movies, The Princess of Thieves. It was a very good movie, it was thrilling, it was suspenseful, there was a little bit of romance but it was a clean flick! I will do a Media Review on it if I get a chance to watch it again. This worked for everyone there too, since there was only one guy, we didn't really want to subject him to chick-flicks, even though he is practically immune to them by now.

We watched the movie, at popcorn, M&M's, Chex Mix and had drinks. It was really fun to see a few friends from school. Especially Briahna and Kaylee. I saw BJ, Stephanie and her little sister, Rachel, (BJ was the guy I mentioned earlier.) BJ and Steph are so cute together, you can just tell how much they care about each other and how close they are to each other. I am happy for them, that they are lucky enough to have found each other... Steph and BJ graduated a year ahead of me and Briahna but we still knew them pretty well.

It just boggles me that I didn't know Briahna until the end of our Junior year. When you see us together and if you were to listen to our conversations you wouldn't think that we had only known each other for a little over 2 years. We have sure had some times to bond. I can think of a few, such as NHS and the music trips to Cali.

After the movie was over, BJ, Steph, and Rachel headed home but me and Briahna stayed up to watch 27 Dresses in her room, on her laptop. Katherine Heigl was the star of the show, and I liked her so much better in this movie, as compared to the role that she plays in Grey's Anatomy...

And may I just say that James Marsden does a spectacular job in this movie? He just seems to play himself... he isn't Cyclops, he isn't Corny Collins and he isn't Prince Edward. *Sigh* I think that with a few word edits here and there that 27 Dresses would be a spectacular movie!

Even after the movie was over, Briahna and I stayed up, having girl-talk. We probably got to bed around 2 am only to wake around 7:45 am and have yummy French Toast. Again, I give my thanks to Briahna's mother for a scrumptious breakfast!

After breakfast it was home to change and off to work. But I hope that I can definately see my High School friends again soon - and more of them too!!!

Well, that's all for right now,
Blogging Later,
~Holly Elizabeth
AKA
~~Holls

Wonderful Week!

Well, today is Sunday, I have been home from my trip for 11 days now - not even two weeks yet and it seems that Post-Pageant-Depression is settling in. No worries though, that is just another way of saying that I miss being at the Hill, I miss being with the people at the Pageant and I miss the feeling that I had while I was there.

I am pretty sure that I can try my best to keep that feeling with me, even here at home, but it isn't quite the same. I will liken it unto the feeling that you would have at Christmas-time... Do you know the phrase, "Keep Christmas with you, all through the year?" Well, that's what it's like, you can try and keep that feeling with you all the rest of your life but it isn't the same as being there, or it isn't the same as it actually being Christmas. If anything at all, I am going to have to try and keep it alive at least until Sunday, Auugust 24th, Brother Fair asked my sister and I to speak in Sacrament meeting on that day and tell about our experience at the Hill Cumorah Pageant. I will make it my goal to try and have a post or two about the Pageant up by that time.

In other news, I had a pretty good week, I worked everyday this week except for Wednesday and, of course, Sunday. I read the new book, Breaking Dawn, starting on last Sunday through Tuesday, (Look for another post on Media Reviews) I hung out with my friend Jaynee, and we watched The Village. I've been watching the Beijing Summer Olympics, which has been good too. The only thing that wasn't so great about this week is that Allyson, one of my co-workers at work, has been pretty much gone this week.

Allyson is the Drum Major at WJHS and therefore must be at the practices that they have. Therefore she wasn't at work, which was sad for me because I love working with her, and because her not being there made me the default folder, which added more work for me at the store, even on slow nights...

I think it was Friday night that I didn't get out of there until after 10:00pm, which is unusual for me since we close at 9:00pm and are out of the store by twenty after. Anyway, on the happier side of things, Wednesday was one of my better days this week.

I started out around 10, going to run errands with my Aunt JoAnne, we headed first to Office Max for some colored paper, since the Library at Church was in dire need of colored paper for the new copy machine. The paper was easy to find, but you couldn't help but get sucked in looking at all of the different things for school and all of the pens! I know I am weird, but that's what scrapbooking does to you, just seeing all of the different possibilities of what different pens can do and their different colors and designs. I don't know why, but colors and designs intrigue me in any form, not just pens, another form is shoes!

After making our purchases at Office Max (mine being a couple of little notebooks and the new Sharpie pens) we headed down a couple of stores of the Family Center Strip-Mall and went into Famous Footwear. JoAnne said that she needed some new shoes for her new job at the local elementary school. It took a lot of self control to not try on shoes for myself and then buy them. Instead of trying and buying for myself, I channeled my "shoe-energy" to helping JoAnne find some cute shoes. And why buy just one pair when it is BOGO? (I know that is a Payless thing, but Famous does it too) So my task was to help her find those kinds of shoes that are easy to slip on, but stay on nicely too - generally the kind that have a bit of elastic in the tongue of the shoe.

After a bit of looking and trying on of shoes, JoAnne ended up getting some nice white Sketchers with little gems on them and she also bought some RocketDog shoes that were multi-colored, mostly in the colors of brown, blue, pink and purple. They are so very cute!!! I wished that I could have bought some for myself, but I remembered that I stopped at the Sketchers store in Park City on my way home from Pageant and that I still owe Chrissi a bit of money...

After I put our spoils in the trunk of JoAnne's beautiful green Pontiac, we headed over to Chili's and had some lunch there. I was reminded of the first time that I had gone to Chili's, which was the only other time I had been to Chili's before this last Wednesday. I had gone before with Julie C. before we had gone to the Jonas Brothers, A Little Bit Longer Tour, concert. I remembered that I had the Big-Mouth Bites, which are the epitome of what I love on a burger and that Julie had a Chicken Ranch Sandwhich. So I suggested that JoAnne have the Big-Mouth Bites and I had the Chicken Ranch Sanwhich... Oh my heavens! It was absolutely delicious!!! I am not a huge fan of spice, but this was just right! Oh, and I will say, on behalf of Chili's that their Cherry Cokes are Fan-Tabulous!!! I downed three of those they are so good. Usually I don't get past one and half drinks let alone two! After lunch, we made a stop at Wal-Mart just to look around and I picked up some stuff for my mom. My self control to spend money on frivoless things nearly broke, if it hadn't have been for JoAnne. They had so many Tinkerbell things and so many shiny things! All for a low price - ha ha

After my close call at Wal-Mart, we headed home and I got JoAnne's stuff in her house and took my stuff home to drop it off. Afterwards, I headed over to Jaynee's house to just hang out, we watched The Village, painted our nails, and ate Twizzlers and Popcorn. It was good to finally see The Village, because Jaynee always talkes about the character, Ivy Walker and one of the guys in the movie, Joquain Pheonix - who is a very handsome man. *wink wink* It was a nice change too, I am forever watching chick flicks or action flicks with cute guys in them, but this was a thriller flick that had suspense, the right amount of romance between a modest young man and woman and suspenceful action! The Village kept me on "the egde of my seat" except for I was on my stomach on the floor with my chin in my hands and my feet waving back and forth. I love hanging out with Jaynee. I can totally be myself when I am with her. I think she is one of my truest most loyal friends and one of the few friends that has been friends with me for more than 3 or 4 years.

So, by 5:00 pm on Wednesday I was home and I was in store for an interesting night. I went with Chrissi to the Library and checked out some new books, texted a lot that evening after dinner. Then I went outside to help do yard work. I took my phone with me, since I knew that friends would be texting me from conversations that were still going and also because I needed a reason to be distracted from yard work - it isn't my most favorite thing in the world. Anyway, I was really glad that I brought my phone out with me because by 7:00 a guy from college texted me.

I met this guy during my first semester of college, I saw him pretty much everyday through my second semester, but I never really got to talk to him - he was just one of those people who you say "Hi, how ya doin'?" to everyday and then move on with life.

Back in June, I went with Jaynee and Marcie to an Institute dance on campus and I saw him there, we danced a couple of dances together and then fast danced with his group of friends. I got his number at the end of the dance and we texted a few times in June, but obviously nothing in July, and then out of the blue, I got a text from him last Wednesday. By 9:15 pm we had texted here and there, until finally he said something that just made me think, "what?!" and so I called him and we chatted until after 11:00pm during which time he asked me out for a date this week! Keep an eye out for more to find out how the date went. Anyway, he came by to see me on Thursday night to tell me a bit about his business and it was good stuff to learn about. I got a hug and a half out of it so that's a good sign (I think).

On Friday, I have got to tell you that I made the absolute best breakfast for myself that I have ever had in a long time. I will share the ingrediants with you...

• Quarter Green Pepper chopped to desired sizes
  
• 2 and 1/2 tablespoons of Pico De Gallo
• Pinch of Onion Powder
• Pinch of Garlic Powder
• Salt & Pepper
  
• Three Medium Eggs Scrambled with Vegetables and Seasoning in small bowl
• Pour in frying pan
• Let it begin to cook
• Add and let melt...
• Grated Cheddar Cheese to desired amount
• One slice of Provolone Cheese Torn into desired sizes
• Cook until desired firmness is reached
• Enjoy!

Saturday was the last day of Harvest Days but I had to work... so instead, my mom and sister went to the park to see what the little booths had to offer. They were nice enough to buy me a pair of purple earrings, and a pearl ring with a purple bead with it - my favorite!!! After work ended I went to a YSA Activity/Birthday Party at Lizzy's house, played Eygptian Rat Screw, had a quick bite, and headed home to meet Chrssi, Mom, and JoAnne to go see Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband for free at the park! It was so freakin' awesome to see them! I never get tired of seeing Ryan and his band live. Their music is fantabulous and I really hope that more people give it a chance. They are all so full of energy and their music is down to earth and not punked up. It rained off and on during the performance, but it was nothing compared to the rain back east! The rain ended for a bit and then it was time for the fireworks that signified the end of Harvest Days and another year of being Midvale City. During the fireworks, it began to rain again, and I wrote the following poem in response to what I felt while I watched, heard, and felt it.

Firedrops

The sky lit up,
brilliant with color.



It seemed, as if,
human memory
or photography
could ever allow
justice to be served
to that dazzling sight

Volumes of sound
shook the atmosphere
around us
and reverberated
off walls of houses
behind us

It seemed, as if,
it was causing
an internal earthquake
for my ribs,
but excitedly so.

Suddenly,
It seemed, as if,
the sparks
and charred ends
of the bursting light
were falling to the ground
in a frenzy.

The night was warm.
The drops
made the air hazy.

But I was not sodden
for the leafy shelter
kept it from my face
making the night more
ominous

The gleaming blasts
would not be frustrated
So dangerous, so beautiful…
Kept silent and peaceful
until provoked and tempted
to explode into their beauty,
if only for a moment

The drops amongst the fire
only made everything so much more…

I hope you got through my post without falling asleep, and I hope you liked my poem. Please comment! I would love to hear what you have to say, and answer any questions I can. Here is my question for you tonight.

Is there someone who just makes you smile? Who? What can you do to let them know that?

Also, I am going to try and post at least one picture from my Vaction on the rest of my posts so you will get to see a lot of them.
Here is tonights...

This is the last church historical site that we visited before we got home. There is a replica of the Jail housed inside of the visitors center, it is inside of the domed part of the building that you see on the right side. I really enjoyed what I learned there and what I felt there. It was a true testiment to faith and endurance on the part of Joseph Smith and the others who were with him. Enjoy the pic! Ask questions! Comment!

Lots of Love,
Posting Later,
~Holls

Raised Eyebrow Interesting

Ok, so how long has it been since I have posted anything? The last time I posted was in April and all of May went by without any word and we are now into the second week of June and here I am to say that I am back for a new post! *Accepts thunderous applause and bows*

Alrighty then, enough of the imaginary applauding, lets get to the good stuff shall we?

Sooooooo, where to start, where to start? Well, I guess I will start with an explanation for my absence away from my blog, which I know you all read so often! I think what happened was that after some interesting events and encounters with friends I no longer had the motivation to post anything for a while. I mean, what is the point of posting something if the people who read it are not going to read it? Case and point made, I will move on and away from that disappointing and depressing subject.

So it turns out that my grades are as good as I thought they would be;
ASL 2010 - A
ASL 2040 - A
ENGL 2010 - A
HLTH 1100 - A
MUSC 130R - A
PHYS 1010 - B

I think I did pretty good for myself!

Wow, I am way tired, I just realized, and I didn't cover nearly as much as I thought I would, so it will have to be procrastinated just a little bit longer readers!

End of Semester Happenings

Well, to say the least... My last week as a freshman was interesting. I think I did well in most of my classes, I know I did well in English, Health, ASL Numbers, and intermediate ASL, the only class that I am slightly worried about it Physics, but I should at least get a B, I think...

I did a lot of talking with the Piano Man, Daniel, this week and he was simply amazing - I mean, he has the greatest advice and the kind of input that you'd think you'd hear from Yoda, only in a more modern tongue of speech and he is very tall and just a little bit more of a human than Yoda ever was... anyway... I realized this week what I was doing wrong and I have been working very hard to get the problem(s) fixed.

So lets see, what all do I want to say here???

I am not sure, but I think I'll come back later and post more...

Unwritten, Unafraid, & Untitled

Wow, it is has been nearly two weeks since I have said a word here... that is kinda unusual. Well, today is Sunday and I think it is time for an update. I am sure that there might be question about what the title means, and really it is sort of my mood right now, and I didn't know what to call this post and there are so many things that I wish to address in this post but I don't think I have the time nor mental capacity to put all my thoughts out here. I think I will work from the most recent events and work backwards - I'll see how far I get.

This past week has been a roller coaster for me it was extremely stressful and it was exhausting. I'm still on the fritz with my close friends, and honestly, so much has happened since that argument that I am beginning to wonder why I let things get to me and why I let things get so out of control, because looking back at it, it was the dumbest thing to get mad about...

A couple of people whom I still consider friends, broke up this last week. I couldn't believe it when I heard it and I tried to tell the person who broke it off that he didn't have to do it the way he did and that his breaking up with her hurts not only her but the people around both him and her. I don't think I have ever been in a relationship with the level of seriousness that he had for her but I can only imagine how much it must have hurt. I wish that I could help them both and make it work but I think that it is too late for that - too late for me to be allowed to help and offer suggestions. In the words of OneRepublic "It's too late to apologize," which is an extremely hard thing for anyone to hear.

This last week I had a paper to write for English and unfortunately I had put it off a bit, I mean, I had done the research and I had gotten it started, but it was no where close to being done when I got going on it again. So I had induced stress that didn't need to be there along with the uncomfortable feeling of tenseness with my friends. My week was sleepless, I probably got a maximum of 4 hours of sleep in a night and a minimum of 3 hours of sleep. Even with all of what was going on this last week, lets add one more thing to the pile. The Deaf Studies Today Conference was going on all this week at UVU, it was an amazing conference, I only attended the days that had workshops and presenters, I missed the Deaf Artwork and Film Festival. I volunteered my time to helping some of the presenters but I was also able to go to workshops of my choice as well. Needless to say, my decision to cut out the caffeinated soda in my diet was ruined, I mean, I couldn't function through the day without a little jump-start to my day. I know that is terrible, but that is what comes of dating a guy for eight months who loves Mountain Dew.

More about the Deaf Conference, it was very enlightening to have those who are in the Deaf Community speak (or sign as the case may be) about what issues were prominent int today's Deaf Culture. There were 4 main things that I will sharply remember about the conference, and I will probably blog about them in detail at a later date.

1. The feature film The Wrong Game
2. Presentation by authoress Ella Mae Lentz about Deaf Studies
3. Discussion about the Importance of Interpreters in the Deaf Community
4. How Deaf people are represented in the Media

There is going to be a conference coming up this summer and it is going to be in Milwaukee and it is in late June. I hope that I can get my sister to deviate from our plans and make a side trip to Wisconsin.

Well, most of you know that I was gone for a bit on the band trip and it was better than I thought it would be. I mean when I heard that we were going to Durango, Colorado, I wasn't exactly stoked for it - I mean, I was glad to get away from school for a bit but I thought, "Colorado... woo-hoo... *moves index finger in circular motion with bored look on face* " But it actually was a good experience, it was interesting and fun and I got a chance to really get to know my fellow band-mates better. I got a chance to seriously be independent since Butch isn't a thing like Doc.
I had the opportunity to understand what it is like to find out what one of my friends is really like and how sometimes they are not who you think they are at which time I reflected upon how I had been as a friend and I think I got a taste of my own medicine, so to speak...

Durango was interesting, the group of people that I hung out with all went to a family Mexican restaurant called Tequila's and all of us were just fascinated with how the bar-tender made drinks at the bar for other patrons since we were all from Happy Valley and had never seen a bar before - lol. We had a table that was just off to the side of the bar and so we could see all that he was doing and noticed that he put 6 shots in the Margaritas. Oh, and the fried ice cream was soooooooooooooo good! At one of the stores in Durango, I bought an ugly doll, and he is so cute, his name is Wedgehead! This is the little quote that comes with him...

Wedgehead has his eye on you. And he likes what he sees!
He knows exactly what you mean. Of course he has to stand
on his head to do so...but he totally gets it. See...you are his
proof! Evidence that humans really do exist! But to prove this
to his best buddy Ox...Wedghead needs something. You know
that pocket change you've been saving? Yeah, Wedgehead
kinda needs all of it. No? OK. Hug?

I had a ton of fun when we stopped in Moab at "The Hole in the Rock," Butch cooked steaks and some of the more experienced band members cooked dutch oven cheesy potatoes and buttery bacon and mushrooms to go over the steak. I also learned how to play a football game called 500 and one of the trombone guys, Nate, told me that I had a good arm and a good "spiral." No worries though, he is married so I'm not over analyzing this guy.

Here are some pics from the trip









Monticello, Utah Temple











Frozen Grass in Monticello











Up-close Frozen Grass











Self-Portrait of me on the Bus
(which looks pretty good, since I had just gotten out of bed)










At The Hole In The Rock, Moab











Kris and Danny (Clarinet and Alto Saxophone)











Lacey, A-Reum aka "Autumn" and Corbin (Trumpet, Flute and Trumpet (I think))










Playing "500" with the guys
(Photo from Mark)











Redrocks


Ok, well I have more fabulous pics that I would love to show you, but the uploading is killing me for time so I am going to stop for now. I hope that was a good update for ya'll. TTYL

Love Always,
~Holls

The Jonas Brothers - In Concert!

So, Last Friday I went to go see the Jonas Brothers in concert. I met my friend Julie at the Gateway and then we drove to the E-Center. We arrived around 5:00 and parked the car, soon after, we walked to the nearest Chili's and had a scrumptious dinner. I had their new Mini Burgers which were cooked to perfection and fabulous!

By the time we had been seated and the food served and eaten, it was around 6:00. Man, were there a lot of Jonas Brothers fans in the restaurant! Though, I was happy to see that the age range of the fan group was pretty broad. Julie and I saw a lot of teenagers who were our age and a bit younger, so we didn't feel very out of place like I sort of thought we would.

By the time we had climbed over the ice hill in the parking lot a couple of times and put our take-out boxes in her car it was still early! We decided that we would head in anyway and it was a no-wait entry!

Our seats were on the second level but the view was fabulous! We had a front and center view - only from a-far. There are only seven rows on the second level because it was very steep and we were on the top, but since we were at the back we were able to stand up, sing along, and dance around and be the crazy women that we were!

They opened with a group that we were not familiar with but we thought that they were pretty hott and their guitars were sexy. Since we didn't know who they were we deemed them the "Hott 5" since they were hott and there were five of them. (I know, we are very original)

After the "Hott 5" finished their set the techies put the finishing touches for the Jonas Brother's set. It seemed like forever before the curtain would open and the trio of starlit hotties would come out.

The Jonas Brothers finally let the curtain drop and it was an explosion of excitement and music. They played some of their newest songs first and worked through their latest album. There were two songs that they played from their earliest album and they were "Underdog," and "Year 3000." They saved their hit singles for last and everyone was able to sing along with them.


Pictured from left to right is Nick, Joe, and Kevin Jonas. If I remember correctly, Nick is the youngest of the trio, Joe is in the middle and Kevin is the oldest of the trio.

There are three particular songs that I remember especially - first is "Australia" when Joe was on his knees singing to the girls on the side. I couldn't help but think of how much I would love a guy to sing to me that way and with that kind of passion. The second song that I will remember was where Nick was on the drumset and Kevin came in with a humongous bass drum and finally and most interestingly, Joe was in the center with what looked like a fire extinguisher. Though it was more like dry ice that came out of it than anything. Nick and Kevin would play the "da da da dum" part of the rhythm and Joe would send out a spurt of dry ice which was way cool! The third song was where the brothers were taking off their jackets, vests, arm-bands and other apparel until they were down to pants and sleeveless shirts.

The concert lasted a good two hours or so, but it was over too fast. Before Julie and I knew it they were up on the top level of the stage sinking through the floor of the stage and waving their goodbyes.

We stayed until the lights came on, hoping that there would be an encore, but no such luck for us that night. We headed out and got free posters that were being handed out.

After getting to the car and calling our parents to let them know that the concert was over, Julie took me home and there was no question on how well I slept that night...

Well, that's all I have for the Jonas Brothers - take a look at this video from their official YouTube site.