A Truly Grand Individual

Well friends, life’s been a bit meláncholy (#megamind). It’s great and exciting too, but we’ll get there another day. The reason for the current sadness is that my roommate, Rachel Connell the Grand, has moved out. Tears. Literally. I can only remember two other times (maybe three :)) that I’ve cried after I’ve stopped being roommates with someone, so that means she's kind of a big deal.

Anyways, let me just tell you a bit about the gem that is Rachel Connell.

 Here we are!

And, here’s a list of reasons I think she’s wonderful:

-She reminded me of the joy of reading before bed.

-Sea cucumbers. Yes.

-She eats popcorn with chopsticks.

-She does puzzles and art projects. :)

-Her family. They’re fantastic.

-She is a deep thinker with whom you can have conversations about things that really matter.

-Her painting of Paris that hung in our kitchen. <3

-She’s an excellent listener.

-She knows who she is and exudes confidence in a wonderful way.

-Her love of chairs.

-Anna: You know what, Rach, I think I’m just going to go to bed.

Rachel: I support that.

-She drove all the way to Delta, Utah to go trilobite hunting.

-Her flashlight, which doubles as a self-defense weapon, and her hammer

-Her EMT life-saving skills. Feel free to almost die anytime she’s around, she’ll probably be able to save you. Just don’t choose anything too complicated. :)

-She introduced me to this song:

 

 

-She’s a true friend that came along right when I needed her.

Rachel, thank you for enriching my life. 2 Corinthians 7:13 pretty well sums things up: 

Therefore we were comforted in your comfort: yea, and exceedingly the more joyed we for the joy of [Anna], because [her] spirit was refreshed by [you].   

Peaches, England, and Interstellar: A Conglomeration

Well hello, friends! It's been too long! These words are happy to see your faces. Beijos.

Here are some thoughts:

1. Peaches are really good.

Just look at those! Mmm.

2. Recent conversations with Mr. J have included the phrase “my flatmate and I were having a long conversation” and something about getting someone’s “details” (I’m pretty sure he was talking about their contact information.) #Britishbrother Isn’t it great! :)

3. Speaking of the motherland, I'm glad Emma isn't dating Harry.


4. Also, do you know who I love? C.S. Lewis. I'll probably name one of my sons after him. (But really.) I recently finished Mere Christianity (FINALLY!) and The Great Divorce! Mmm! I'm currently reading The Last Battle, and I really loved this sentence: "Anyway, one always feels better when one has made up one's mind." Amen.

5. The Sunday school lesson in Gospel Principles today was about the creation. When we talked about the water, Genesis 1:6-7 "And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. and God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so", I thought of Miller's planet on Interstellar. Maybe her planet was just still in the creation process :). Oh boy. Interstellar at church. No judging.

Well, I was going to go to ten, but I think I'll stop at five.

Happy Sabbath, everyone! 

Merry Christmas!

Silent night! Holy night!

All is calm, all is bright

Round yon virgin mother and Child.

Holy Infant, so tender and mild,

Sleep in heavenly peace;

Sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night! Holy night!

Shepherds quake at the sight!

Glories stream from heaven afar;

Heav'nly hosts sing Alleluia!

Christ the Savior is born!

Christ the Savior is born!

Silent night! Holy night!

Son of God, love's pure light

Radiant beams from thy holy face,

With the dawn of redeeming grace,

Jesus, Lord, at thy birth;

Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.

-Joseph Mohr-

I will be forever grateful to the holy Infant born on that sacred, silent night.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

-Isaiah 9:6-

Wisdom from Ralph

 "Rings and jewels are not gifts, but apologies for gifts. The only gift is a portion of thyself." 

-Ralph Waldo Emerson-

It's a Wonderful Life!

Have you ever watched that movie!? It’s phenomenal. You should probably go watch it. :)

Life really is wonderful though! Even though sometimes it’s so hard, sad, stressful, disappointing, and confusing that all you want to do is sit on a rock and do nothing for the rest of forever, sometimes it’s really happy, exciting, and hopeful! Having both is what makes life wonderful! 

The Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 2:23-25

And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin.

But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.

Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.  

#true

Here’s a list things that have made life wonderful lately: 

-Our ward Christmas party! It was fantastic!

-Making ugly Christmas sweaters. :) 

-Doing laundry!!!

-Going to the dentist and not having any cavities!!!! That never happens!!! I was so excited! :’)

-Only sleeping for 35 minutes but being able to stay awake for the rest of the night to finish a project. I’m grateful Heavenly Father helps me all of the time. :)

-Having a little sing along to this song. 

      

-Fitting 11(ish) big marshmallows in my mouth! 

      P.s. The ones coming out are 12 and 13. Sorry if that grosses you out. :)

-Having a Relief Society sleepover at Bishop Boyack’s house!

-Going to Costco!! I <3 that store. So much.

-Putting in new contacts :)

And there you have it. Have a great day!

P.s. Today is December 13, 2014, aka 12/13/14!!!!!!! Whhhaaaaatttttt!!!!!!

People and Plays

Well, hello there! Welcome to The End of the Semester! A production featuring presentations given without enough preparation, long to-do lists, a serious lack of sleep, high levels of cortisol, and insanity.   

What a week.

Despite the overall craziness of everything, it has been wonderful. A few reasons for the wonderfulness (Ha:)) are outlined below:

-I got to spend time with Chelsea Nay. 'Nuff said.

She’s an angel. Really.

-My friend, Leah, helped me with my Shakespeare project. She was kind and helpful even though I didn’t really deserve it and she wasn’t getting anything out of it. I was amazed. Have you ever met someone that makes you think, “Wow. They’re really good at keeping their baptismal covenants!” Yeah. Leah. (I really thought that.)

-On Wednesday night I got to go to BYU’s production of Our Town by Thornton Wilder. Wow. Let’s just talk about this for a bit. 

First of all, the way the play was put together was fantastic! There aren’t a lot of props; most of the play is pantomimed. But! This version incorporated both film and stage acting! A character would be talking on the movie and then walk through the screen and continue talking to you! It was amazing! Ahh! You should probably just go see it!

Second, the story was beautiful. I cried for most of the third act. It was a much needed, therapeutic cry. Don’t you love when things help you feel! Mmm! The play was beautifully simple. It was wonderful.

“Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it?--every, every minute?”  

-After watching Our Town, Michelle took me to my parents’ house to pick up some things I had left there. She’s the best! (But not just because she drives me places:).) We talked, and I cried some more. 

Aren’t people fantastic?! Aren’t you amazed that people choose to love you even though you have a bazillion faults and don’t really deserve it? Sometimes kindness just blows me away.

President Spencer W. Kimball said, “God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs.” Amen.

Thank you.

P.s. I got Hermione Granger on the Which Harry Potter Student are you? Buzzfeed Quiz. Best day ever.    

P.p.s. (<-is that even right?) I’m sorry these posts are starting to get so long! I just have so much I want to tell you! I’ll try to restrain myself :). Have a great day!

A Letter to Dear Shakespeare

Dear William,

I’ve been taking a class about you this semester. (It’s true. We have a class that solely focuses on you. You’re kind of a big deal. Bien hecho.) My awesome professor, Dr. Christiansen, is basically an expert on you and your works. She’s helped me not only learn more about you, but through your works she’s shown me so much about what you tried to teach the world, and I just wanted to thank you. 

Thank you for using Othello to teach me how stereotypes blind the world and cause unnecessary tragedy.

Thank you for showing me the sad effects evil choices have on individuals’ minds through the story of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. (I really like Macbeth. Good job on that one! :))

Thank you for teaching us the value of tragedy and how it can be a tool to help us become more empathetic and humble, as it did Gloucester, or an excuse to feel sorry for ourselves and turn inward, as happened with Lear. 

Thank you for showing the sadness that comes through pride in Titus Andronicus.

Thank you for exploring human nature and for your ability to so accurately portray it through your characters. Your plays are fascinating! (For the most part. Sometimes I don’t really know what’s going on. But that’s okay, my teacher helps me. :)) It’s always so exciting to see what’s coming next!

To sum it up, thanks for being awesome. I could go on, and I’m sure the rest of the world could go on with me, but I don’t want your head to get too big. (You’re welcome.)

Love,

Anna  

The Fan with your Best Interests at Heart