It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's... Su-per Grover!

Roadtrip - After Pageant – Destination: Washington DC

So, the pageant is over… and as the wig-ladies say, “Don’t be sad it’s over, be glad it happened!” I had an absolutely ‘wonderful-marvelous’ time at the Hill. Unfortunately, however, I didn’t have a whole bunch of time to get to blog my experience but I will update that part ASAP. In the meantime you are welcome to read my sister’s blog, which has great pics of us at the pageant, and right now, I am going to post about today’s events.

This morning we got up early at the Red Carpet Inn in Canandaigua, New York. Luckily for us, we had taken the time to pack up our stuff so all we had to do was shower up and ship out! We grabbed a bite at the local Micky-Ds and headed to the Rochester airport. It was today that I realized that it has been seven years since I was last on a plane. That was summer of 2001 – before 9-11 – There is no lie about how security has changed since then. I will admit, however, that the wait for security wasn’t bad at all since we had an early flight and there wasn’t very many people in the terminal. We had to take any of the liquids/gels out of our suitcases, I had to take out my laptop and we both had to take off our shoes. That was just weird… being shoe-less in an airport…
Because of the increased security it is pretty much mandatory that you arrive at the terminal two hours before your flight departs. Well, since we got through security fairly fast and since it wasn’t too hard to find our departing gate we had a little less than an hour and a half to wait for our plane. The sheer irony of this whole thing is that our flight was only 45 minutes long! My sister figured though, that it would have been a day driving to Washington D.C., so when you calculate the time gained and the things that we were able to do today it all worked out in the end.

But now, back to the flight, oh my goodness! The plane was small, it had about 16 rows of seats (Chrissy and I figured) and each row had four seats and the rows were divided by a small aisle. That my friends, is how I got the aisle seat and how Chrissy got the window seat. So, because it was a smaller plane, the norm of having two carry-on pieces is different. We actually had to give them one piece of our luggage so they could put it in the belly of the plane – there wasn’t enough room on-board. Another thing about the plane being smaller was that it was a bit bumpier in the air than a bigger plane, that was the only thing that I didn’t like about the smaller plane. I didn’t mind them taking my other bag. OK, so the next thing about flying in this plane was that when we arrived we didn’t get out in the terminal. We got out on the Tarmac!!! Ever since I’ve seen the old version of “Parent Trap” I have wanted to get off of a plane on the Tarmac. So there we stood, not five yards away from the wings of the plane!

On the Tarmac, waiting for my luggage right by the plane!

Once we had gotten into the building we walked to the other side of the building (not far at all) and literally walked onto a shuttle from the building… it pulled right up to the building, like a truck would at a loading dock. Have you seen a loading dock before? If you have you know the height of it and I think that these docks for the shuttles were pretty high too – that was evident to me when I looked out the window as we pulled away from the building – the wheels on these things were HUGE! Ok, ok, they weren’t as big as the wheels on the machines at Kennecott Copper Mines but they were significantly bigger than any care tire.
So we were speeding across the Tarmac on this shuttle to get to the main terminal. Once there we confirmed out tickets for the “Super Shuttle” from Dulles to Washington D.C. and within another hour we arrived at the Holiday Inn Capitol. This hotel is literally within walking distance of the Capitol, the White-House, the Washington Monument, and several Smithsonian museums as well as many other tourist hot spots.

As soon as we had checked in to our room we headed to the Air and Space Museum. There were so many cool things there! There were things that some of the earlier astronauts took with them up in space was very interesting… to see how their food was packaged, what they used for breathing, what safety equipment they had the tools they used to collect space stuff… back in the developing days of space-travel. Now everything is so different, but yet in a way, it isn’t… Does that make any sense? Another thing that I really liked was seeing this presentation about flight – it was meant for kids, but there were ‘kids’ of all ages watching. The young (probably college age) presenter explained the four characteristics of flight. Honestly, I can say that a lot of what he talked about was applicable to my physics class. I am such a nerd… There were artifacts and displays of the beginnings of flight as well as artifacts and displays of space-crafts and many neat hands-on learning centers so that the laws of flight, gravity and space could be better understood. I’ve gotta say that the display of presenter was asking the kids questions, sort of in a rhetorical sense, because I think he knew that a lot of kids were kinda intimidated, and I wanted to raise my hand and answer them, but it wasn’t my place to do so… The questions weren’t meant for young adults.

A NASA space aircraft



Ahh! I don't wanna get sucked in!



Planes - Dude!



And you thought I was short before!

After we went to the Air and Space Museum we headed to an expo that was going on at a part of the Smithsonian – Jim Henson’s Fantastic World! It was a really neat thing to go to. Not only were their displays that had the Muppet and Sesame Puppets but there were commercial reels and sketches that got Jim started in the TV industry. There were story boards of some of the things you see on Sesame street as well as sketches of what some of the main characters looked like originally. For example, Oscar, the Grouch was sketched as being purple, but in Season 1 of Sesame Street, Oscar was orange. If you have seen Sesame Street at any time in the last several years you would know that Oscar is neither Purple or Orange but he is Green! Did you know that that Elmo’s World has been on Sesame street for the past ten years? It aired beginning in 1998, I was 9 at that time and it is still going strong today! Here is a quote from the expo,

"As children, we all live in a world of imagination, of fantasy, and for some of us that world of make-believe continues into adulthood."

Unfortunately we couldn’t take any pictures inside the gallery, but it’s understandable for preservation purposes. However, I did take this picture of Christine at the entrance of the gallery.

After we finished at Jim Henson’s Fantastic World! we headed for the Washington Monument, but unfortunately we arrived there after the tours ended so we couldn’t go up inside of it, but we were satisfied just being within yards of the monument.

One view of the Washington Monument, we took so many pictures of that thing!

Finally, to finish up our first day in D.C. we headed to the National Museum of Natural History where we spent about an hour in the display area for stones and gems.

Topaz: My birthstone. There was an entire case of large chunks of Topaz, here are a few that I really liked. If you need any ideas for a birthday present, here's one! *wink wink*

A HUGE chunk of Quartz that we could touch

Christine, touching some lava-rock

After a long day of going up and down the National Mall, we headed back to the hotel and ordered an extra cheesy pizza from room service - ah it was delightful!

Well, that was a long post, and I need to turn in for tonight.
Blogging later,
~Holls

Short but Sweet Update

Well, today is the 11th of the 17 days that we are at the Hill Cumorah Pageant.  I haven't had a whole lot of time to post updates because we really don't have a very good connection in the dorms and really, we don't have time once we get back from the Hill.  

Our days start at 6:00 and we don't get back to Hobart/William Smith College until past midnight on performance nights. 

 Oh wow!  My experience here has been absolutely marvelous!!!  I tried out for a movement part, which is a part that does dances or is in battle and I was casted as a Nephite Battle Banner Carrier along with 11 other battle-women.  The banners themselves are 25 tall and long pounds of metal and upholstery.  I would venture a guess that the banners are probably twice my hight (which isn't too hard to be tall around me (hee hee)).

Well, my sis made a long post today on her blog and has a lot of pictures, go check it out!  I will post when I can later. 

Blogging later,

~Holls

Cherries in Cleaveland

Roadtrip - Day Three - Destination: Kirtland

Well, today was basically a drive day, we crossed the Mississippi river, drove through Illinois, Indiana and now we are Kirtland, Ohio. There's not too much to talk about today, but I will post a few pics for ya!

Mississippi River

"The Land of Lincoln"

"Welcome to Indiana!"

It's a Coke truck! Let's raid it! Hee Hee

"...and Columbus is the capital of Ohio!"

This is my favorite pic for today, this is Cleaveland, Ohio and it is probably the best view of the city that we saw from the highway. Since I took the picture from inside the car I got a picture with the cherries that hang from the rear-view mirror!

Well, I know that this was short, but I've got to be getting to sleep!

Blogging Later,
~Holls

"Inedible, Not Intended For Human Food"

Roadtrip - Day Two - Destination: Davenport

So, while on the road, sometimes you tend to see weird things but this was something that really made me wonder... "What is inside the hull that truck?" What do you think could be inside of it? We tried to get a glance of the company or any other information on the truck, but nothing was to be found! What are us common travelers supposed to think of trucks like that?! (If you get a chance, please comment and let me know what your ideas are of what could be inside!)

Well, it's a bit later tonight since I worked on organizing my photos some more and I just got the computer charged up. Today was a pretty good day, we had a lovely continental breakfast at the Howard Johnson in North Platte and then we drove for a long while.

One of our big stops today was in Nebraska, we stopped at the Mormon Trail Center - Winter Quarters, which was the headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for about two years. Sadly though, during the harsh winters about 600 of the Saints died there and are buried there. It was just really cool though to visit the center there, they have different displays of what the pioneers and people in the Willie-Martin Handcart company would have brought with them, they had a replica of what cabins at Winter Quarters were like and how much room they had. I think the thing that I found the most amazing was the reminder of how much faith the Saints had to leave what they knew as home to journey across a land they didn't know to a place they weren't sure where it was. Sister Hansen, the missionary who guided the tour for us, said that Faith, Hope and Charity were the things that kept people alive on the trail, at Winter Quarters and though their "Exodus." That really meant a lot to me because Faith, Hope, and Charity are the traits that are mentioned in my favorite scripture, Ether 12:28,

Behold, I will show unto the Gentiles their weakness, and I will show unto them that faith, hope and charity bringeth unto me—the fountain of all righteousness.

After touring at the visitors center and going to the cemetery where the 600 are buried my sister and I walked over to the Winter Quarters Temple which is a stone's throw away from the cemetery. Sometimes it still stuns me how beautiful the Lord's Temples and the Temple Grounds are and how tranquil it is there, even just on the grounds of the temple.



Well, tonight we are staying at the Baymont in Davenport, Iowa and there is a store/restaurant called the Cracker Barrel within walking distance away from the hotel and we got a bite to eat there - we both had breakfast for dinner, though it wasn't a big dinner since we had been snacking all day.

Well, I have some more stuff to do before I get to bed. I will update later!

Blogging Later,
~Holls

Sylvia Magellan (and other helpful guides)

Let me introduce you to...
Sylvia Magellan!

Yup, this is Sylvia, she is our "Magellan Roadmate," she is great as a guide and is always willing to recalculate the route that you are on if you turn the wrong way. Chrissi and I found that she is great when we get to a division in the freeway or when we are getting off the freeway - basically, she makes sure that we get off at the right place and even sends a "ding dong" sound to let us know that we are going in the right direction.

We got to thinking that we should give our GPS a name since it has a voice - it's kinda weird to have a nameless voice talking and as we started thinking of names I thought of Sylvia and it just seemed to fit her voice.

We are using Sylvia in addition to our Roadmap, and the book called "The Next Exit," which is a marvelous book. Basically it is a listing of all the states, all the major highways and their exits. It is really nice because it tells you what is at every exit as far as food, gas, lodging, hospitals, parks and camping areas. It's really helpful if you are craving a certain type of food and you don't want to get on and off the freeway too many times.

Well, that's my bit on helpful guides while traveling...
Blogging later,
~Holls

Windless Windmills

Roadtrip - Day One - Destination: North Platte

Well, the first day of the road-trip is coming to a close, it's 10:45 pm Nebraska time and I am just relaxing on a queen-sized bed givin' you the update while watching TV.

Today was a long day, we got up early and got some last minute things together and got out around 8:00 AM, we stopped at Little America and made sure to get our 50 cent ice cream cones. I think it's pretty amazing how there is just that little oasis of a spot just in the middle of nowhere. Little America seems to always be getting better. Last year they were doing construction between the gift-shop and restaurant and this year, we found that they added a playground to the Little America stop. I think it's great that they decided to invest in one, since many people - many families with small children stop there to take a stretch and get a bite to eat.

So, on our way to our one of our first stops we traveled through some hilly areas, and one area which seemed the optimum spot to harvest wind for power. It seemed obvious anyway since there was literally a field of windmills. The strange thing was that they weren't moving at all! My sister and I found that to be terribly ironic since it's supposed to be really windy up there but there was no wind at all! I took a picture as we were driving past the windmills and that's what they looked like - no movement at all!

One may wonder what in the world a passenger could do while in the car for around nine hours (The time from SLC, UT to North Platte, NE). Wanna know what I did while in the car? (I know you do!!!) So yes, there is the obvious option to sleep, which suits me fine since I get drowsy from the movement of the car anyway. However, one can only sleep so much in the car... and it's seriously murder on your neck if you are in the wrong position. So what else to do? Well we listened to CDs while we were still in Utah and once we got to Rawlins, Wyoming, we started listening to Fire of the Covenant by Gerald N. Lund on CD and I have been following along in the book. I felt skeptical at first about reading it, but so far it's pretty good. It is a fictional story based on the journey of two families from their native lands to America and to their final destination of Zion, (Utah). It is about the handcart company that got stuck in the winter and had some hard times on their journey. I am really enjoying this book, it's a great way to get in the mood for Pageant and just be reminded of things that are important to me - things that I value.

Well, I still have some things to do before I go to bed, I was thinking of doing some reading and maybe work on organizing my photos from last year. Oh yes, I am organizing my photos from last year while on the trip and I sorted them a bit before I started blogging, but I'll need to do some more organizing soon. Maybe that will wait until tomorrow, it's 11:15 PM Nebraska time and I should get to bed... the hard thing is that for me it's still 10:15 PM Utah time, so really this isn't my usual bedtime...

Ah well, I should sleep anyway it's going to be another long day of driving. We might be stopping at Winter Quarters tomorrow! That should be good.

That's all for my update
Posting later,
~Holls

Roadtrip (Again!)

I am going on a roadtrip with my sister, Christine, to participate in the Hill Cumorah Pageant. I will be at the Hill Cumorah, in Palmyra, New York, from July 4th until July 20th but since we are driving we are leaving on the 28th or 29th of June and we plan on being back by the 29th or 30th of July. Before and after the pageant I can use the internet, if we find hotels with WiFi and I will be able to post updates. During the pageant I can write postcards to anyone who wants to receive one. If you want me to write to you let me know. I will be posting the address where you can reach me from July 4th to July 20th (the last day you can send something is on July 15th and the first day is July 1st). I would really appreciate a letter from you while I am gone and I would be happy to write to you as well!!!

Hill Cumorah Website

Please note, that while I can receive text and voice messages on my cell phone, I may not be able to respond quickly during this time.

IF YOU WANT TO WRITE ME, you can reach me at the following address:

Holly E. Ferrin
The Hill Cumorah Pageant
P.O. Box 403
Palmyra, New York 14522

Please note that letters sent after July 15 run the risk of arriving after we leave the Hill Cumorah.

I'd love to hear from ya!
~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

You're The Voice

We have the chance
to turn the pages over
We can write what we want to write
We gotta make ends meet
before we get much older

We're all someone's daughter
We're all someone's son
How long can we look at each other
Down the barrel of a gun?

You're the voice
try to understand it
Make a noise and make it clear
Oh whoa oh whoa oh-oh
Oh whoa oh whoa oh-oh

We're not gonna sit in silence
We're gonna live with fear
Oh whoa oh whoa oh-oh
Oh whoa oh whoa oh-oh

This time, we know we all can stand together
with the power to be powerful
Believing, we can make it better

We're all someone's daughter
We're all someone's son
How long can we look at each other
Down the barrel of a gun?

You're the voice
try to understand it
Make a noise and make it clear
Oh whoa oh whoa oh-oh
Oh whoa oh whoa oh-oh

(Repeat 2x)
We're not gonna sit in silence
We're gonna live with fear
Oh whoa oh whoa oh-oh
Oh whoa oh whoa oh-oh

The above was a song as performed by an Australian, John Farnham from his 16th album of 1986, Whispering Jack, I really like the song and the message it gives.  I can't be sure what his and his writers intentions were upon interpretations of the song but it is a song that seems to promote independence and the opportunity to stand up for yourself as well as trying to work things out with others and not letting the good times pass us by.  I italicized lines and words that stood out to me more than others.  I hope you can find meaning within it for yourself as much as I did. 

I will admit that finding an Australian song from the late eighties is a tad strange, but it was the song that David Archuleta sung last Tuesday for American Idol.  I didn't quite understand all of the words nor the origin of the song so I did a bit of web-browsing and I found out the lyrics and the videos.  Again, with the video that is on YouTube and being able to read the lyrics along with it gives the song definite meaning. 

Links/Sources:
John Farnham: Wikipedia
You're The Voice: Wikipedia
John Farnham - You're The Voice: YouTube
David Archuletta - You're The Voice: YouTube
You're The Voice Lyrics: TSRocks.com

Mixed Emotions

Which of my emotions dominate? It seems like negative feelings will always dominate over anything else and that negative feelings will continue to cause unsettling and painful sensations in my body. But I cannot focus on these feelings anymore, I must cherish the good times that I have. Such feelings are of today.

When I woke up this morning, and I took the advice of an old friend - I was determined to feel good and confident, no matter what any of the other feelings I have felt this week and honestly, it did me a lot of good to do so.

I picked out my favorite pair of jeans, black v-neck tee and burgundy "mod" tank, I wore my favorite purple topaz rings and earrings and again, took the advice of an old friend and tried my hand at natural eye-shadowing colors with brown mascara, eye-liner and shadow. I put my ever-growing hair up with a one of the classy up-dos in the front that you typically see on girls and used a claw to make the back of my hair spout up with style.

I was finally ready to go to school and my sister dropped me off in AF to wait for the bus and even though it was just after seven, cold, and I couldn't see the sun yet, I was still in a good mood and practically skipped around the bus shelter to keep warm and wait for the bus.

I arrived at school without mishap or problem and as I rounded a corner while headed towards the science building I literally ran into the man who left me in the dust last Tuesday, we barely glanced at each other, and murmured our greetings and continued our separate ways. I let him and any surfaced feelings bounce off of me and I headed to physics.

Physics was good and I was happy, we watched a few videos and worked in our workbooks. ASL was good too, we watched the video from our workbook and I understood most of it. I then headed to lunch with my friend Emma and we chatted for a bit about random topics. After lunch I headed to English and we talked about King Lear and how either he was crazy at the beginning or how he went crazy at the end. After that, I headed to the ASL lab. It was at that point that my emotions had a serious downfall.

I reached into my backpack to get my wallet out, then I opened my wallet to get out my student ID and it was like one of those scenes where everything is in slow motion and strobed and you hear the theme song from Jaws. My ID was missing! I wouldn't have been so worried except for my bus pass is useless without my school ID and I can't get into the ASL Lab without it.

I felt the worry begin to burgeon inside me and my memory began flashing to figure out where the little piece of plastic, that held the key to my transportation home could be. My mind raced and finally I realized where it might be. I remembered playing pool the other day and giving my ID in order to borrow the pool ques and balls. I called my best friend, Emma, because she had been with me at the time and I couldn't get a hold of her so I did the next thing I could, and that was to head to the Institute building where I could hopefully find her.

Upon finding her she saw my pained expression and asked me what was wrong. I told her what had happened and a look of understanding brightened upon her face. She had it from the other day because I had forgotten it that day. My spirits were immediately lifted and continued to do so when one of the guys who was in the gym with us came over and asked what the sign was for "today." He asked for the sign because Emma and I typically sign to one another since we are in the same ASL class and we need the practice - but we told him what it was and he signed "you look beautiful today" to me!!! I tell you, it's one thing for someone to say it, but to have someone sign it, makes all the difference in the world to me. I didn't over-analyze it at all because I know Brady well enough to know that he didn't like me that way, but I appreciated his compliment just the same.

I was hoping to see Mark at the Institute building too and so I headed to the game room. To say the least we played pool for an hour and a half and continued to talk for about another hour and a half more after that. Let's just say I am learning how to play pool really fast and I am learning a lot about technology very fast as well. 

Later on this evening I went to see "Robin Hood" at my sister's elementary school where she teaches, that play, in and of itself deserves a post for itself, but to say the least it was witty and cute and well worth my time.

Upon arrival at home, I felt at a loss for what to do when I saw that no one was online, but I didn't let myself get too down about it.

So today has been good and bad - but today, I focus on the good.

Always
~Holls

Ahh Heath - Why Did You Have To Die?

So here I am, it is about a quarter after seven in the evening on a Saturday night and what am I doing? Am I out with friends? No. Am I talking on the phone with a guy? No. Am I doing something that I really want to do? Naw... So I have been doing research for my 20 page English paper all day today, and I think I deserve a little break so here I am updating ya'll on my life.

While researching the internet for the past few hours my sister and I have been watching movies, first we watched Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix then we watched Win-A-Date With Tad Hamilton and now we are watching A Knights Tale - easily the best movie that Heath Ledger he was in.

It saddens me that a man like him had to be stupid and die!

Anyway, so now we are watching that and I would have to say that by far, my favorite quote is this...
"Better to be a silly girl with a flower rather to be a silly boy with a stick."
"It's called a lance... hello?"

So besides Heath Ledger here is the news on the weather in Utah.

It's freakin' snowing! It was just beginning to get green here and the flowers were blooming and then the next thing I see is the small yellow flowers covered with a frosting and dusting of snow.

Too Much Time on Your Hands?

OK, so what is the deal here? Either these people do not have a life, or they are depriving themselves of a job or they are getting paid to make these videos. But who am I to complain? I like watching them and, um, do I want to really DO anything right now? No, why else do you think I am here? Anyway, besides me talking about how these people have too much time on their hands let me make my next point.

Enlighten me on something - when did the first original Numa Numa song come out? How many versions have been made of it? How many YouTube videos have been made to the tune of that song? These are my questions for you and if you have any inkling as to the answer that I am searching for please share it. (I should probably just hit up Wikipedia and see, but I am currently writing this so... yeah)

Well, the latest on Dan Balan is that he is the new Crazy Loop and I am loving that new song just as much as I love Numa Numa - and what do these songs mean? Well, even Putty admits to them being far past her normal randomness and she is random! Does it really matter what they mean, so long as we get a kick out of them? I dunno.

Well I have a few videos to share with you but I would embed them here, I will post the links though.

These are a few examples of people who have too much time on their hands to make videos to the tune of Numa Numa.


Numa Numa Contest
$5,000 Winner
$10,000 Winner
$25, 000 Winner

These were the ones that I could immediately find on YouTube - if you want you can go to NewNuma.com to see more of these funny vids.

Double Feature

Well, last Friday was a long day, I had gone to Physics, then I headed to ASL for an essay test, after that I went to a Literature Rebellion class for extra credit for my English class, and ironically enough, I headed to my English class where Professor Fullmer expressed his annoyance with the lack of attendance for both his English and Lit. Rebellion class and let us out early since there weren't too many people there.

Physics was as uninteresting as usual and my professor was as eccentric and childish as ever. Although, to look on the bright side, there is a young man in my class who I talk to during the time we are allotted to work on our worksheets. He started talking to me the first time that I straightened my hair this semester. He is a few years older than me, but if anything, he is a nice guy who makes the time in Physics bearable.

ASL was nerve wracking and suspenseful, I had read the book required, The Mask Of Benevolence by Harlan Lane , and the essay covered words that were within the book, but not so much the context of the book. Anyway, I am still waiting on my score, which I won't get until this Monday, the 17th.

The Literature Rebellion class was really interesting, Professor Fullmer covered songs by Black Sabbath, "War Pigs" and "Paranoid." I had never really heard the songs before or given the group with the name Black Sabbath the time of day, let alone their vocalist, Ozzy Osbourne. There is actually a lot of literary value to their songs. Specifically, the song "Warpigs", is an allusion to WWII and the Holocaust.

I was tired by the end of the day and I didn't think that there was too much to look forward to when I got home. Surprisingly, however, my mom called to see where I was and to let me know that she was thinking of seeing a movie.

With the prospect of going to the Megaplex Theatre and seeing a movie made my day seem better.

Penelope
Well, between the two movies, I would have to say that this movie was by far the best. It is a good movie if it is just a GNO (Girls Night Out) or it would also be a good date movie, I think that some guys could find something that they could appreciate in it. Reese Wirtherspoon is the Producer of the film and also plays a supporting role as one of Penelope's new friends (Annie) when she finally escapes from her homely prison.

Basically the story starts with scandal and a curse. Penelope is born with the nose and ears of a pig and because of family pride, she is never seen outside the house, let alone by many others at all. Then, when a broken and rebellious James McAvoy comes into the picture they both fall in love with each other. But in everyone's minds it is star-crossed because he isn't fit for her - isn't a "blue blood" and he cannot break the curse.

Well, I won't tell much more, because that would ruin the movie for you! But if you only see the movie for one reason, girls - see it for James McAvoy (previous movies include Becoming Jane and The Chronicles of Narnia, the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe) and guys - see it for Reese Witherspoon (previous movies include Just Like Heaven, Sweet Home Alabama and Legally Blonde)

The soundtrack to this movie has new and original songs, I went to iTunes to download it as soon as I could and my new favorite song from is now "Your Disguise" by James Greenspun. And when I say that the music is new and original, I am not being sarcastic, I did a search of James Greenspun on YouTube and only one entry came up and it was added on March 7th 2008. I also tried looking up the lyrics but none have been added thus far. Here is the music video of "Your Disguise" from the movie. I really like this song because it can be applied literally and metaphorically.





College Road Trip
College Road Trip was a good movie to see if you wanted a good laugh. The storyline was sort of ridiculous, but if you are just going to see a movie for fun, this would be the one to see. For those of us who watch Disney Channel, Raven Symone (That's So Raven), Brenda Song (The Suite Life of Zack and Cody) and Lucas Grabel (High School Musical) are easily recognized. Raven is the one of the lead characters while Brenda plays one of her girlfriends and Lucas is Raven's opponent at a Mock Trial at their high school but Lucas ends up being Raven's roomate's boyfriend.

Two other actors that I found recognizable was Martin Lawrance and Donny Osmond. The last movie that I saw with Martin Lawrance in it was Wild Hogs.

I think that being in Utah and understanding the culture that surrounds Donny Osmond and the generalization that is made when someone talks of Donny Osmond made the movie a lot funnier than may have been intended. He was basically portrayed as a happy-go-lucky musical in human form.

I could list all of the funny things and hi-jinks that happen to Raven and Martin in their movie, but I would recommend seeing it for yourself.

Well, I think that is all for now - go and enjoy your movies!
Always
~Holls

Holly's Needs

So I was reading my sister's blog and she did this neat thing with 'needs' and you should try it too. What you do is put your name into the Google search bar and then add the word 'needs' to it. Then you get you list of needs via the Google search engine. Woot!

Holly needs...

• ...help in her Olympic efforts (it's true)
• ...to go back to neighbors (because they are next door? Why?)
• ... a home (well I do have one, but not of my own, so I guess it works)
• ...to start courting (does flirting count?)
• ...to go to obedience and learn how to walk nicely on a leash because she does a lot of "drifting" from side to side investigating things... (ok then, I didn't know that drifting was a problem)
• ...a new home (again, I do have one, but who wouldn't mind something new?)
• ...help, not to be left to rot away in that awful place (well who would want to rot - I can use the help!)
• ...something (so true, I always need something)
• ...a work permit (well I am getting a job soon - so yeah!)
• ...identification (does a drivers license count?)
• ...a job (wow, this thing it psychic!)
• ...a pollinator (really? really? are we having this conversation?)
• ...a hero (well duh! I am so holding out for a hero!)
• ...both male and female plants for maximum berry production (again, are we really having this conversation? really?)
• ...to vent (well who doesn't?)

Well, those are only a few of my needs, apparently, according to Google, I have approximately 663,000 needs... Wow!

What do you think of my needs, and what are your needs?

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.

I am part Tarzan, part Simba

Which Disney Hero Are You?
	You are part Tarzan. You feel out of place when you venture away from your home and into the heart of the city. Your whole life you've been trying to fit in with the styles and trends, but now you're starting to realize that it's OK to enjoy simplicity. Watch out though! Someone your complete opposite is about to enter your life.
	You are part Simba. You're young, naive, and misguided. However, don't fear, because your growth comes exponentially with hard times ahead. Only then will you reach the goals you've set out to accomplish.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

Marriage Proposal

Yes, it is true - I was proposed to!

OK, OK, I suppose it isn't as cool as it could be. When I first told a lot of my friends what had happened they were surprised because I haven't been dating anyone seriously (or at all for that matter).

It wasn't the way I thought it would happen, I was hoping for something a bit more romantic...

I was I was getting off of the TRAX train at my usual stop and as I started heading for the parking lot I literally ran into a guy. I mumbled, "sorry" to him and was ready to just head off, I heard him say something to me and I didn't quite understand him, so I turned around and asked him what he had said and he said, "you have nothing to be sorry about." I was thinking, "ok..." and then before I could say anything to him he looked me over and said, "wow, you're pretty." So, I replied a polite "thank you" and he proceeded to ask me my name and said that my name was pretty too. He talked about a few things and then he asked me my age and at this point I was thinking, "erm, I think I had just better start running here," I admitted that I was 19 and he seemed stunned that I was that young. He said, "Dang, I am twice your age!" He just kept talking to me and I found him intriguing. By the time the next train came he had gone down on one knee and asked to marry me. I laughed and I said, "but I don't even know you!" and I was thinking, "and you are drunk and twice my age!" So yeah, I can now say that I have been proposed to. LOL I don't think I will ever see that guy again and I don't think that he will remember me since he was drunk.

What do you think of my experience?
How would you propose (or want to be proposed to)?

Bob's House

So, today in my ASL 2010 class, Flavia (my professor) showed us the sneak peak to the Superbowl commercial that will be aired this Sunday. To my knowledge, this is one of the first times that there has been a commercial that has been done totally in sign language. I am so excited to see it!

Unfortunately, some of the people who responded to the commercial are ignorant of what wonderful culture Deaf people have and how beautiful their language is. I suppose they have not had the opportunity to learn more about Deaf culture, that can be the nice way of saying it.

Flavia encouraged us to read the comments that were made about the commercial so that we could see how Deaf people are opposed and discriminated against even today - 19 years after the reformation. I will post the video here, but I urge you to make your comment on YouTube as well. This is history in the making and we cannot let it fall to those ignorant enough to make such biased comments.



I absolutely loved this commercial and found it hilarious. The commercial is based off of a Deaf Culture joke about "Bob's House."

If you want to see the behind the scenes of making this commercial as well as some explanation about the history of the joke, check out this link.

Please make your comments here, YouTube, or wherever. Pass this video along to your friends.

If you have any questions regarding this video or Deaf Culture, don't hesitate to ask.

~A 'terp-in-training~
~~Holls~~

The Wheel of the World

I am in total shock... there is no other way to describe it... I cannot believe that President Gordan B. Hinckley just died less than 2 hours ago today. He is the only president of the church that I ever knew and really remember. I don't remember very much of President Kimball, since I was only in first grade when he passed away...

I suppose I took his being here on earth for granted. I mean, I knew that one day that he would die, considering that he was nearly 100 years old and that he was suffering some health issues that are normal for a person his age... but...

I really don't know what to say... I know that this is part of God's plan, and I am not shaken in my faith from what has happened at all. I know that President Hinckley is in a better place, he is with his wife and he is free from earthly pains and stresses. In a way, I am happy for him, that he can be with his wife, Majorie P. Hinckley.

This just makes me want to stop and think about how much he has impacted the world, how many lives he has touched and even though he is gone now, he will still continue to touch more lives by way of remembrance.

Right now I am listening to Carrie Underwood's "Wheel of the World," here are some of the lyrics...

God put us here on this carnival ride
We close our eyes
Never knowing where it will take us next
Babies are born and at the same time, someone's taking their last breath

It's the wheel of the world
It's the wheel of the world turning around

In the blink of an eye
It can change your life
And it never even slows down

It's the wheel of the world

I don't know what it is
I'm flying high
Then I'm wondering why I'm sinking on this ship, going down
Life keeps on moving anyway

I suppose I will be posting more on this when my thoughts are more settled...

"We thank thee, o God, for a Prophet..."

Music & Lyrics

Have you ever wondered why it is that we choose the music we do? Have you ever wondered how it is that we can find songs that relate to whatever is going on in our lives? I find, in my own experience that I will listen to music that goes along with my mood, and whatever is on my mind. I find the way that artists combine their words with notes to be so amazing... the way that they sing and articulate certain syllables, the way that for one part there is a sudden crescendo and for another there is a slow decrescendo until the sound is so soft it is barely a whisper.

What song is on your mind right now?
If there were a song that you wanted me to hear what would it be?
Are their lyrics that you can relate to?
Does your choice of music change with your mood?
What are your thoughts on music and their lyrics?

I am just really curious about this today, because I either choose my music based on my mood or my music influences my mood. If you want to answer the questions that would be great, if not just say whatever.

I hope you all are enjoying good music and lyrics.
Lots of Love to Ya!

~Holly

Scrapbook

So, I have talked about putting up a few pix so here is a photo update...














Christine and I, in the backyard, before the "Best of Both Worlds" Concert.












Miley Cyrus (AKA Destiny Hope Cyrus) and...













The Jonas Brothers: Nick, Joe and Kevin









Me in my favorite UV beanie and my scrumptious Parson's Bakery birthday cake. Happy 19th Birthday to me!!!


Below are some pictures from our adventure to snowy downtown SLC when we went to see and hear the "Bells on Temple Square.
Crossroads Mall used to be here, construction is in progress. I miss the mall.











Standing next to the reflection pool in front of the SLC Temple. Can you see the little candles on the reflection pool?














This is the view, inside the conference center from where we sat. It is decorated with a Christmas style. Note the trees and the snowy village on the stage.









Christmas Dance 2007!
Last December I went with some good friends from high school to the Holiday Dance, half of the group are alumni and the other half are seniors. We had a marvelous time! This picture is at my friend's house, after games, and dinner.

Girl's Night Out!!!

Well, it is the end of my first official week of my second semester as a freshman at UVSC!!!
My schedule is pretty packed this semester, I am taking 15 credit hours, which is 3 more than the full-time requirement. Here is my schedule...

Mon Tue Wed Thurs Fri
9:00 Physics BoM II Physiscs BoM II Physics
10:00 ASL III ASL III ASL III ASL III ASL III
11:00 Health break Health ASL #s break
12:00 English II Band English II Band English

Until today, I had two English classes because Dr. Fullmer (my English professor for my previous semester) wanted me to continue English 2010 in his class and it was full when I went to go register, so I had to go to the English class I was actually registered for, as well as Dr. Fullmer's class. It was quite the fight to get into Dr. Fullmer's class, I would check nightly and sometimes randomly during the day to see if an opening occured, just as Dr. Fullmer and Gibson suggeested that I do, so I did that for probably about nine days until... well, let me back up, and not get ahead of myself.

Thursday night I checked during every chance I got and the message came up that "No class changes can be made for this semester." I felt like I was gonna have to succumb to the class I didn't want to be in and that I would have to just grin and bear it. So, I presented my problem to Dr. Fullmer and he suggested that I go and try using an "Add Card" which is like a place-holder to be in line to be the next student in the class, he didn't seem to think that it would be any easier though, because it would require departmental adjustments and approvements, which would be hard to come by, seeing as all of Dr. Fullmer's classes are full.

It was a miracle!

The lady at the English Department, didn't bat an eye at my request and approved it without problem, then the people at "One Stop" happily took my five bucks and changed my schedule for me! Hallelujah!
I can't contain my joy at not having to be in Dr. Gibson's class, I mean, he seamed nice enough and everything, but ah! Thank Heavens! I thought I was gonna die!

OK, OK, I am making a bit of a hyperbole out of this, but guys... I was so excited!

So on to G.N.O.!!!

Well I had been hoping that I could have a Girl's Night Out sometime soon, and so I chatted with Jaynee for a bit and we decided that we could have our own chick-flick fun!!!

Ok, I admit, it wasn't exactly a chick-flick, but there was nail-painting, movie watching, the consuming of yummy food and the listening of good music. Jaynee taught me how to french-tip my nails and she has the coolest nail accessories (is that what you call them?). Anyway, I tipped my nails with a chrome-like purple and put white butterflies on the ring-finger nails. I couldn't stop there, don't you know!? I had to paint my toe-nails too and I painted them a darker purple and put stars and butterflies on the big toes. It was nice to kick back and relax and just be girly.

After the nail-painting, Jill (Jaynee's older sister) came over and then we headed to IHOP to have dinner. Jill and Jaynee had strawberry pancakes and I had eggs benedict - which reminded me of the yummy breakfasts at Hobart college in Rochester, New York.

Our waitress was sort of a spaz, she took our orders, brought us our food and a jug of water and we didn't see her again for a long while - we didn't care so much until we had finished everything we ordered and we had downed the whole jug of water and were ready for our checks, it was only when Jill put her purse on her arm that she came over and gave us our checks... Ah well, I didn't much care, it was so much fun just to spend time doing chick stuff.

Once we got home again, Jaynee and I watched Pirates of the Carribean 3 and it just gets better everytime - I think part of that is that I understand it better everytime. We talked about Orlando, Kiera and some other actors who I can't remember their names, (sorry blesh!) but it is very insightful to watch a movie with Jaynee, she knows a lot about what she watches and she clears things up that are hard to understand. Yayness for Jaynee! I still gasped and oohed and ahhed in all ther right places in the movie and I still could barely bear to see Orlando get stabbed and then see Kiera freak out about it. It always gets me right here *puts hand over heart.*

Well, I suppose there was some chick-flick-ish-ness involved, but overall, it was a good time had by all!

PTYL

~Holls