Your Happily Ever After

I was browsing Deseret Book's website this afternoon, and was thrilled to pieces when I saw that President Uchtdorf has a new book. Titled "Your Happily Ever After," based on one of my favorite talks given by this amazing man, this book encourages members of the Church (especially girls and women) to remember who we are, that we are children of our Heavenly Father, meaning that we are literal royalty.

"My dear young sisters, you need to know that you will experience your own adversity. None is exempt. You will suffer, be tempted, and make mistakes. You will learn for yourself what every heroine has learned: through overcoming challenges come growth and strength.

It is your reaction to adversity, not the adversity itself, that determines how your life’s story will develop.

There are those among you who, although young, have already suffered a full measure of grief and sorrow. My heart is filled with compassion and love for you. How dear you are to the Church. How beloved you are of your Heavenly Father. Though it may seem that you are alone, angels attend you. Though you may feel that no one can understand the depth of your despair, our Savior, Jesus Christ, understands. He suffered more than we can possibly imagine, and He did it for us; He did it for you. You are not alone."

Beautiful. Here's a picture of the book (isn't is gorgeous?):

Watch or read the whole thing here.

The Happiness Project

Have you heard of The Happiness Project? No? Let me tell you about it. I came across this website and best-seller book a few weeks ago, and since then I might have become slightly obsessed. Gretchen Rubin spent a year of her life testing out theories and studies about what makes society happy. Her book and website record her findings. She lists her 12 commandments for herself and four splendid truths that remind her what life is about, and each of them are things I'm trying to implement in my life. If you have some time tonight, check the website out, and be happy!

Nerdy

Have you ever had to create something, and you put so much time into it, but then you came up with this brand new idea that was even better than what you had just created and you tore your old project apart? Do you remember the emotions involved in that? Maybe that doesn't make sense, but I'll explain.

For my Victorian Lit class we're writing research essays about Victorian short stories. My essay is about a children's story from 1874 that I read called "The Shoe-Black." I was writing my essay, and while I liked it, I didn't LOVE it. It's hard for me to turn something in when I don't absolutely love it. But I thought that with some editing I could make it into something good. Well yesterday I had this stroke of genius to change my entire thesis around, which I did. It ended up causing me to change the whole idea of my paper, but I liked this better. However, it required me to kill my original essay. 6 pages of sources, citations, and ideas...all gone. And I felt so bad! This essay was like my child! I had spent a week making this as great as I could. Is that weird that I felt so guilty, even though I think my new paper is better?

Anyway, I stayed up late last night continuing to work on my own version of perfection. Maybe my professor will hate it -- maybe it won't make sense to her. I have a habit of writing like that. But right now on my little white MacBook sits six pages of what I deem to be literary perfection. Well, at least as perfect as my writing is going to get this semester.

Am I a nerd?

Sherlock Holmes

I know I talk about my English 375 class a lot, but I LOVE it. It really is becoming one of my favorite classes here at BYU. This week we read a short story by Arthur Conan Doyle called "Scandal in Bohemia," and it's a Sherlock Homes story. I love Sherlock. I hadn't read a Doyle novel until I went to London, where we were assigned to read "A Study in Scarlet," the first Holmes story. I fell in love. Yes, there is some weird Mormon-bashing in the book, but when you get over that it's fantastic. My friends and I all became obsessed with him after. We even went to 221B Baker Street, which really exists, and it is a gift shop dedicated to all things Holmesian.

There's something about his personality that I love. I always laugh when he comes up with a conclusion and Watson says, "How did you do that?" and Holmes nonchalantly gives a reply similar to, "What, you didn't?" I love it. I also love Irene Adler. Talk about a brilliant woman. She's the only one Holmes can't figure out.

Anyway, if you haven't read a Holmes story, you should! And if you haven't seen the new movie with Robert Downey, Jr., you should! The fact that Jude Law is Mr. Watson is reason enough to see it. And if you haven't been to the gift shop at 221B Baker Street, you should do that, too. :)

With the infamous Holmes figure on Baker Street!

221B Baker Street!

Mr. Watson. Yes, this is really Jude. Not wax. He is so multi-talented that he can be Hamlet as well!

Love Love Love

No, despite the title this post has nothing to do with Valentine's Day. It has to do with what I was able to do this morning, and what I'll be doing over the next few weeks.

This morning I was able to hold an authentic Victorian era periodical!

I know, I know, I know. I'm so odd. But for my English class we have to do a research report on a Victorian short story, and today, for the first time in my entire college career (pathetic I know), I went to the L. Tom Perry Special Collections section of the HBLL. And there were shelves and shelves of real magazines and books from that era! Call me a geek but I was so excited to look at them. That is what I love today.

I also love the tulips that showed up at my work. :)

English 375

Here is why I love English.

Today in my Victorian literature class we were studying Matthew Arnold's poem, "The Scholar-Gypsy." We spent most of the class period comparing the scholar gypsy's quest of educating people through nature to Harry Potter's quest to collect Horcruxes. Then we discussed how the scholar-gypsy's goal was to have the ability to control the minds of men. My teacher compared this goal to the Imperius Curse. Awesome.

Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy

Have you ever read a really good book, and even though it was written a long time ago, you still relate to it perfectly? While I've been studying for finals and packing to go home for Christmas and New Jersey for New Year's, I started reading one of my favorite books for the 6th time: "Little Women." It is so good! I remember reading it for the first time as a 10 year old and relating to the characters. Each time I read it I relate to someone else. However, I think in a lot of ways I'm most like Jo. This paragraph from the book should explain why:

"The moment Aunt March took her nap, or was busy with company, Jo hurried to this quiet place, and, curling herself up in the big easy-chair, devoured poetry, romance, history, travels, and pictures, like a regular book-worm. But, like all happiness, it did not last long; for as sure as she had just reached the heart of the story, the sweetest verse of the song, or the most perilous adventure of her traveler, a shrill voice called, 'Josy-phine! Josy-phine!' and she had to leave her paradise to wind yarn, wash the poodle, or read Belsham's essays by the hour together."

If you haven't read it, please do. There are so many lessons to be learned in this book, like forgiveness, humility, and charity, among others. The book follows the girls from the time Amy is 12 until they are young adults and married. Every time I read it I relate perfectly to the character that is my age. If you haven't read it, please do! You won't be disappointed. There's just something so pure and good about a wholesome book that makes you learn, and "Little Women" is definitely one of those books. And now I'm going to get back to chapter 10...well, after I finish studying chapter 32 of Physical Science.

This One is NOT a Twi-Hard

Okay. I might be the only girl in the world who got bored with the "Twilight" series. At least it seems that way to me. But I just never really loved them. I don't think Stephanie Meyer is a good writer at all. Her frequent use of synonyms for the word "sparkle" grew old, and constantly made me laugh, but NOT because they were supposed to be funny. And Bella just bugged me. Smile, just once please, honey! But then again, I'm an English major, and I've been trained to analyze and break apart literature. However, I gave them a chance and read the first two. So here is what I think. This is just my opinion. Feel free to agree or disagree with me.

Here's my issue. I admit, I am a Harry Potter nut. I've read the books countless times (J.K. Rowling is SO much more talented than Meyer in my opinion), and the movies are wonderful. My point, however, is about the stark difference between the two series'. Harry Potter is a series about magic and enchantment. It's about watching good prevail over evil. Harry Potter wins in the end (sorry if you haven't read the last book and I gave it away). "Twilight," I feel, is about obsessive love and unrealistic expectations.

I know I haven't read the entire series, but I feel as though I've read enough to know what it's about, and I've heard what happens in the end. Yes, it's some easy summer reading, without much thought or concentration involved. That's all well and good. So if you choose to read it, great.

What worries me is watching how young girls and older women (mothers and grandmothers) are obsessed. If you're a teenage or college girl, fine. Be obsessed. But why in the world are MOTHERS (who have husbands of their own) lusting (yes, I said "lusting") after a 17 year old werewolf? Gross. I feel like "Twilight" gives girls and women an expectation of what perfect men should be like. And guess what? They don't exist! Yes, Taylor Lautner has a good body. But to get that body he gave his life to the gym for a long time. And he will be paid millions of dollars to do so. It's just not reality.

Today in my French class we were discussing this topic, and a girl mentioned that in her home stake, Elder and Sister Oaks came to speak to the youth and their parents recently. Sister Oaks told the audience that "Twilight" is almost like pornography is some ways. Not in what is said or what is happening in the books and movies, but in the same way that men get addicted to pornography, women and girls get addicted to these books. Both give an unrealistic expectation of what men and women should be, and people begin to lust after those things. Maybe that's a drastic example, but is it far from the truth? I know not every girl is like this, but I do know girls who compare guys they know to Edward or Jacob, and no one is ever good enough. "He's a nice person, but he's just no Edward." Really? REALLY? Yes, that's a true story.

I just feel that it's an unhealthy story for girls. Bella is obsessed with Edward, and when he leaves she can't move on. What does this show girls? Certainly not that they can be strong and enjoy their lives after a break-up. I feel as though it's teaching them that they have to have a boy, and when they don't life might as well end.

How is it unhealthy for mothers? Maybe I'm weird but I would be disturbed if I saw my own mother freak out over how hot Jacob is. Daughters look to their mothers as examples, even from a young age, and when they see moms get excited about teenage boys instead of their own husbands, what will they think?

I found this article on CNN.com that expresses some interesting points better than I can. Enjoy!


"Some Parents Wary of 'New Moon'"

The Berlin Wall

This past week I started reading a historical fiction series about a family living during the 1960s. I haven't ever really studied the 60s in depth, but in reading this book I've learned a lot about the Civil Rights movement, Communism in East Germany and Russia, and the assassination of JFK, among other things.

In the book some members of the family are living in East Berlin during the Communist reign. I didn't know much about what went on there, and this book has got me really interested. The people suffered through so much oppression and had no freedoms. Religions had to be renounced in order to receive decent jobs, and leaving the country, even for a trip, almost never happened. I thought it was kind of coincidental, and also really neat, that today is the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

While I was in London we went to the National War Museum, and in front of the museum there is an actual piece of the Wall, covered in graffiti that says, "Change Your Life." I thought this was such an optimistic piece. That's all the the people there wanted. Just a change from the oppression they had suffered through. This makes me realize once again how much I love history!

So if you're looking for a good historical fiction series about this era in history, Dean Hughes' "The Hearts of the Children" series is a great one.

Books and Such

Today is a beautiful Fall day. Yes, a bit cold, yes a bit rainy, and yes, the bottoms of my jeans will be soaked for the rest of the day because I forgot to wear rain boots, but it's still beautiful nonetheless. Fall makes me think of curling up on a couch with a good book, Starbucks hot chocolate, and my pink fleece blanket.

Speaking of books, have I ever mentioned I love them? This next story will prove how literary and bookish I am. After the General Relief Society broadcast Saturday night (which was wonderful), I had the strongest urge to go to Barnes and Noble. I kept telling myself I had stuff to do after the broadcast, but the urge wouldn't go away. So I went. And it was wonderful! I think I spent an hour or more there, just looking. I love walking in and smelling the Starbucks smell, a mix of coffee, chocolate, cinnamon, and vanilla. Mm! I looked all over the store, from the children's section to the cookbook section to the biography section. I spent time looking at cool coffee table books I want to have in my home one day. A coffee table book can say a lot about the people who live there!

So yes, it's stories like this that make me love my major. I hope someday I can have my own library, and not just have it, but actually use it. Reading to me is such an amazing way to learn about people, cultures, life, history, anything. My wish right now is that I had more free time to read for myself. School and work are definitely keeping me busy. Maybe someday! But until then, I heart Barnes and Noble.

Modernism

Today I was sitting in my English 292 class, and it hit me again how much I love British literature. We've recently started talking about the modernist movement in literature that followed the Victorian Period, and I love it. It's so interesting to me how each time period had its own style of literature. The modernists were influenced by change and by separating themselves as much as they could from the Victorian writers such as Tennyson, Browning, and Dickens. Currently we're reading James Joyce's "The Dead," which is such an interesting book because there are so many ways to interpret it. I'm so excited I'm in this class because I'm going to London for BYU study abroad in about a month and a half, and I can't wait to visit the places these authors lived and wrote. Once again I'm so glad I decided to major in English!

It was also so sunny today. Not quite warm yet, but still sunny. I love how happy I get when I can walk home from campus and not wear a jacket. Hopefully it'll keep warming up!