Well this is the story all about how...

This might be the best video I've ever seen. I love you, Jimmy.

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!

Love Notes

Tonight was one of those nights. The one where nothing is really going on, you're home alone, and your mood starts to sink a little bit. I hope I'm not the only one who occasionally has those! The stress of moving in the next few weeks, of paying rent when I have about $5 in my bank account, and other things just kind of got to me. So I decided to read some notes.

I have a drawer in my room where I keep notes and letters from friends, family, neighbors, etc. I haven't read them in a while, and browsing through them was just what I needed. Notes like those remind me to put a smile back on my face, and to keep moving forward. They remind me that there are people out there who care about me, who want the best for me. So to those of you who have written me a "love note" in the last 4 years, thanks. Thank you for reminding me that I'm beyond blessed for having so many wonderful, amazing, and inspirational people in my life. And thanks for the memories those notes remind me of.

The Best Day

It rained again today. And when I say "rained" I mean "poured."

Jenni, Audrey, and I decided to take a rainy day trip to Barnes and Noble. We got our hot chocolate and did some browsing. I could spend all day here if I could!

Who wants to buy me a Christmas gift?

Genius.

I still don't know if this book is serious.

My favorite childhood book

So Audrey. It's called "Pink Think: Becoming a Woman in Many Uneasy Lessons"

Now onto the rain. On our way home, we got caught in a flash flood. So of course we drove through puddles as fast as we could. Sorry if you're the runner or biker we drenched on our way...

This is what the Santa Barbara parking lot looked like. So naturally I played in it. I love rainy days and bookstores.

Rainy Days

I love rainy days.

I love sitting on my couch next to my window with a book and watching the rain and listening to thunder.

School starts in 34 days. Only 34 more glorious days left of the best summer of my life. I'm going home in 18 days. I can't tell you how excited that makes me!

Brother Tyler graduated from BYU-I this weekend. I'm so proud of him! I cried the whole time. That Processional March sure gets to me, apparently. Or maybe it was knowing that that's going to be me in December. Boo-yah. He's moving to Provo in 14 days. Another Justesen in Provo...that can only mean one thing. There will be two Justesens in Provo.

Anyway, I'm going to get back to my book. In the meantime, here are some pictures from the Harry Potter premiere. I was a non-ginger Ginny Weasely. I cried during the end of the movie, too. I sound like I've been an emotional wreck this week!

Also, Instagram is the neatest thing on the iPhone app block.

I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.

Today I want to dedicate a post to Harry Potter. I don't know if I would call myself obsessed...who are we kidding, I am. At the end of this week this phenomenal series will be over, and I will probably cry. And guess who finally jumped on the midnight premiere bandwagon? I'm still conflicted over who I should go as: Bellatrix or Kreacher. Being the villain is fun, but the Kreacher costume might be a bit easier. We'll see. All I can say is, I'm excited!

I think the reason I love this series so much is because of how it influenced my childhood. I still remember, as a 10-year old, buying the very first book at a Ralph's grocery store with my mom. I remember seeing the first film on Thanksgiving day with my family and grandparents. I remember anxiously waiting for each book to come out, and staying up all night to finish it. I remember spending every summer reading the whole series all over again (who am I kidding, I'm doing that this summer, too!). Seeing something that has had this much of an influence over my life end is a little bit sad! All I can say is,

Here are a few more images to let you know how I feel about HP:

Thank you, J.K. Rowling. As an English major, I've learned to appreciate the symbolism she used in each book, and I am constantly amazed at her genius. And I love the fact that I've been to eat at the place where it all started:

As J.K. Rowling said, "No story lives unless someone wants to listen. So thank you all of you...The stories we love best live with us forever, so whether you come back by page or the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home."