I had weird dream last night. Don't laugh at me. I'm pretty sure the only reason I had this dream was because I was watching "How It Should Have Ended" videos on YouTube last night and the Twilight one was one of them. Also, I was reading a bit of the Hunger Games last night, so that might have had something to do with it too.
Anyway, so in my dream I was Bella and of course I was dating Edward, but I was getting pretty sick of him because he was way too smothering and controlling. Sure he was totally in love with me, but he was getting a bit obsessive and it was getting on my nerves, so I decided I wanted to leave him. But since I knew he wouldn't let me go so easily, I knew I had to be able to sneak away fast enough that he couldn't catch me, and go where he couldn't find me. So I was in the kitchen at his house one day, while he was in the living room with Emmett watching something on TV, and I was talking to Rosalie, or somebody, about helping me leave and they agreed with me about Edward and agreed to help me leave, but we had to do it so that he wouldn't pick up my scent, because then he could follow me anywhere. So we started hatching this plan that involved sneaking out the house right then, and Rosalie carrying me while running me really fast to the next state, having me roll around in a creek to cover my scent, then putting me on a plane to fly all the way to the other side of the country, and changing my name and dying my hair so that he couldn't come looking for me and find me or recognize me. We were just starting to run away from the house and I was really afraid he'd find me anyway, and then I woke up.
Yes, I have read the books
before, but I became very disillusioned (is that the right word?) by
Twilight after the first movie came out (because it was awful!)
I think the older I get the more crazy my dreams are. They didn't used to be so weird and crazy when I was a kid.
Thought this was funny and somewhat fitting
Because at least Katniss isn't completely helpless and swooney all the time.
So, this video talks about a bit of a more serious topic, but I really like it.
This guy is talking about respect. Respect for others, respect for women, respect for yourself.
He's also talking about making good choices and choosing what's right. About thinking before you do something and not doing anything that you will regret.
Whether you are a Christian, Atheist, or whatever, I believe this is a good message for everyone. You don't have to agree with it. That's your choice. You don't have to like/agree with the religious things he says. That's also your choice. But I'm asking you to be open minded here and try to understand and show some respect for what may be a different point of view. Something I would wish that everyone would keep in mind is that this is a good message with good intentions. He is not trying to put anyone down. In fact, he can obviously really relate to all kinds of people.
As far as the religious stuff goes, if you agree with it, great! If you don't, then like I said, that's fine too. But please just listen a little deeper and try to see past any debate about whether or not God is real, whether or not Jesus is real, or whether or not Christianity is true. That's not the topic here. Please, try to see the love, the kindness, the charity, the forgiveness, and the overall goodness of the message/story, even if you don't believe it or agree with it.
So, i kind of had a small awkward moment today where somebody asked me something (in English), and without thinking, I accidentally answered in French. Granted, all I said was "oui", which means yes, but I was a little embarrassed. It was when I was ordering something at Taco Bell at the Cougareat, and the Cashier was checking that my order was correct. When I realized what I said, I told her I was embarrassed because I had answered in French, and maybe I'd been studying it a little too much (I had been just studying something from my French book while I waited in line). What's funny is that she then signed a few words, and as she did, she said, "That's okay. I'm learning ASL for a reason." Haha!
Another story for today:
I was on my way home from school, standing at a crosswalk waiting to cross the street. There was a school bus full of kids (I could tell mostly from the noise that was coming from it) at the stop light. As the bus started to turn, I saw a girl waving at me, so I decided to humor her and wave back. Then I noticed that the girl next to her was making faces at me. I just laughed. Then, after the bus had already turned and gone, I thought, "I should've stuck my tongue out at that girl. That would've been funny!"
I am not usually a Fall/Winter kind of person. I love Spring and Summer, especially Summer. I like it warm, sunny, and I love greeness and bright colors. I also tend to get seasonal depression so, especially since I live in Washington (because can get very overcast, dreary, and wet here) I usually end up being a bit crabby throughout the Fall, and Winter can be even worse (I do love living in Washington though. It's so pretty here, that the wet, overcast weather is so worth it). This is how my Fall started out this year. As soon as it started getting cold, I spent about a week or two being unhappy and in a bad mood. Then I thought, no! I'm sick of being depressed for half the year just because of the weather. I decided I needed to learn to like Fall and find the beauty in it, especially since so many other people love it (I'll work on Winter later).
I walk about 25 minutes to and from school everyday. The street I walk on is lined with trees. One day about 2 months ago as I was walking, I noticed that the leaves on the trees were changing color, and that these colors were actually quite pretty. I decided that was why I was going to like Fall. Everything changes colors and for just a little while, there are beautiful yellows, reds, oranges, and even purples on all the trees and blanketing the ground (because of the leaves that fall). Granted I still prefer pink and white blossoms and the smell of lilacs in the Spring, but I could learn to love this.This Fall, I believe I succeeded. Here are some pictures from my walk to school over the last two months.
That is Mount Baker in the distance. It was one of the clear days we get where you can actually see the mountain clearly. I just love the colors with this picture!
I took this while I was walking home one night. It obviously came out blurry, but I think it looks cool. I wanted to capture the yellow color of the leaves in the lamplight.
This was a lucky shot of a beautiful sunset I saw on evening.
This was the pumpkin I helped carve. Sarah decided we should carve a unicorn. She then proceeded to draw a very cute unicorn with a very big bum.
Brianna helped carve this Harry Potter pumpkin. She really is a die-hard Harry Potter fan.
Brianna is on the left
For my single's ward's FHE just before Halloween this year, we carved pumpkins. These are just a few pictures from that fun night.
I had a lovely Halloween this year. I went to the ward Halloween dance dressed up as a Jane Austen character. On Halloween, I went to my friend's house, we got chinese food for dinner, and we watched Blood and Chocolate. The best part was that I got to pass out candy to all the little kids that came trick-or-treating that night. I've never gotten to do that before and I always wanted to, so that was pretty exciting for me! They were so adorable to! There were some little princess, some superheroes, a dinosaur, and a whole lot of other cuteness. One kid (looked like he was about 8-10 years old) hollered "don't forget to file your taxes!" as he was leaving. I just said, "uh, thanks?" and shut the door. Then I laughed.
Good news! Today, I got a seasonal job at Bath and Body Works! This is exciting and much needed, because I am a poor college student who was wondering how I was going to pay rent next month.
It's funny how things work out sometimes. I only just started looking for a job two days ago. I was at the mall getting applications when I wandered into Bath and Body Works and asked for one. They were all out of applications, but said I could print one off from their website and bring it in. I thanked them and then began to browse around the store, trying out their new holiday scents (btw, Apple Wreath is delicious! You should buy it!). Suddenly the manager came up to me, asked me a few questions, and before I knew it, she was offering me an interview for this afternoon.
The interview happened, and when it ended, to be honest I didn't think it had gone all that well. I felt like I had done my best, but that I didn't compare to the two other girls who were also interviewing (it was a group interview). I walked out of there literally thinking that I was not going to get the job and that I needed to go ahead and fill out the other applications I had picked up the other day.
On the way home I started thinking about some things about me that I thought would count against me, like how shy I can be sometimes. This trait has made things difficult for me in the past, in many different situations. My thought process went something like this, "Maybe my shyness is a blessing and a curse. Wait, I can't see how it is a blessing at all. It must just be a curse, because it only causes me problems. WAIT! Heidi, you can't think like that. It may feel like a curse sometimes, and it may be difficult, but it is a blessing too. It's a blessing because it is a weakness."
I told myself that I needed to remember the very thing that I had said in the devotional I gave in my Institute class just last week. I talked about the scripture 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 that says:
"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake, for when I am weak, then am I strong."
There is a similar scripture in The Book of Mormon (Ether 12:27) that says,
"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."
Basically, I reminded myself that my shyness is a weakness, but that made it a blessing too, because weaknesses can make us humble, and humility can bring us closer to God, and the closer we are to God the stronger we are and the more able we are to receive help and guidance from Him. If we are humble, the grace of God can help us to turn our weaknesses into strengths, or at least help us to learn to live with them or love them.
I realized that even if I didn't get this job, and even if it was because I was "too shy", it would be okay, because it was a learning experience where I was being taught to trust in God more than I had been, and everything would be okay.
I ended up walking the rest of the way home with a big smile on my face. I still didn't think I would get the job, but I felt great.
Then, as it turned out, a few hours later, I got a call from the hiring manager who told me they had decided to hire me. Yay! I start tomorrow with a five hour long orientation session (Looonnnnggg!, but oh well, I have a job!). Like I said, it's funny how things work out sometimes. Now lets just hope I things go well from here on out. Wish me luck!
I've been listening to this beautiful song a lot lately. I actually read the lyrics for this song in that same devotional I gave last week. It has a very happy and encouraging message.
Haha, This title doesn't refer to me! It refers to my younger brother.
Blue Note # 2
Name:Justin Griffin
This is Justin back in August 2011, trying to look like Men in Black or something.
Why He's Noteworthy:
Well, mostly he's noteworthy because he's my younger brother, but also because I'm so proud of him because he just went into the MTC today to be a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He will be serving in the Eugene, Oregon mission for two years, teaching the gospel and helping people. I'm so proud of him! I am going to miss him though. I already don't get to see him all the time, because he has been living with our parents in Kansas while I live in Washington, but I have at least gotten to call him on the phone and talk to him. I've actually been calling and talking to him almost daily for the last month (because I knew he was going to be somewhat "unreachable" soon), and I talked to him and said bye just this morning. I do get to talk to him again fairly soon, at Christmas, but otherwise, it's going to be mostly letters from here on out. Did I mention I'm going to miss him? It's totally worth it though.
Haha, just look at my cute little brother!
Did I mention I'm so proud of him? And this is for more than just the simple fact that he is going on a mission. It's a little bit more than that. Justin has a group of friends from his high school days who are Mormon boys, just like him, but guess what? Not a single one of them decided to go on a mission. That is kind of disappointing to me. A mission is a great blessing. It's something that can help a person grow in such a wonderful way, as almost no other experience could. It's sad that so many boys would choose not to go. Now, I'm not trying to say that my brother is better than any of these guys, because that wouldn't be very charitable (though I am biased), but I am so proud of him because he didn't go down the same road as his friends who chose not to go on missions. He did his own thing, and that thing was to stick to his convictions and choose to serve the Lord. He can be the quiet sort sometimes and doesn't always necessarily say what he is feeling, but I know that he knows he is doing the right thing.
And just for good measure, this is from back in August when I managed to get a picture of him after he fell asleep on my bed. Obviously he wouldn't like me posting this on here, but who cares? He's going on a mission now. He'll never know :)
"Be one who nurtures and builds, who has an understanding and forgiving heart, who looks for the best in people. Leave people better than you found them" -Marvin J Ashton
"Happiness is a decision, not a destination. It's an attitude, not an event" -John Bytheway
Happy is the heart that still feels pain Darkness drains and light will come again Swing open up your chest and let it in Just let the love, love, love begin -Everybody by Ingrid Michaelson
