Halloween, Nevada Day, and 500

Today is a cool day, errybody. Pay attention.

Halloween
Is a huge amusement to me every year. It was so fun to see everyone dressing up. We saw everything from princesses to James from Team Rocket to the university lawn to Star Wars characters and generic scary costumes and everything in between and it was incredible. There's something really wonderful about people so unabashedly being themselves and showing what they love.
Also, my costume of Sophie, from Howl's Moving Castle, was a rousing success- I was recognised and complimented and someone asked to take a picture of me and people were generally very excited about it, which was so much fun for me. :) Also, a few people exclaimed that I looked just like her, which was cool.
I just flippin' love Halloween. It's so much fun!

Nevada Day
Home means Nevada to me. Battle Born. Today is the day that Nevada became a state on October 31, 1864. Right there in the middle of the Civil War. We're pretty hardcore. And I guess this means I'm starting and ending this month with Nevada, but this time on a much better note. It's such a great thing to live in a state that celebrates its heritage so hard- state holiday, Friday off, parades and celebrations. It means so much to me to hail from a place that knows where it came from and celebrates that!

500
Years ago today, Martin Luther nailed those 95 theses to the door and kicked off the Reformation. I was on my mission in Germany during the beginning of this year, and let me tell you what, they were so HYPED about it. Books on Luther and copies of the Luther Bible and a new edition and all sorts of things everywhere and everyone has been talking about it all year. And they celebrated today! People all around the world did, because the Reformation is so important to so many people's faiths and stories and the general progress of the world. 
Especially important is for me, is that this was one of many events that paved the way for the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and His true church, and that's why I'm here. And basically every good thing in my life stems from that.

So, basically, today was the bomb. :)

Fangirl Friday: Blogs!

So, I follow a few blogs. And I just need to share them, because they're wonderful!

The first blog I started following is Cakewrecks. It's exactly what it sounds like- a blog that makes fun of cakes gone wrong, professional cakes that turned out hilariously awful. It's SO FUNNY. It includes gems like these:
 

This cake is the cake that started it all. It's a classic.

 

Still not sure what the story on "Falker Satherhood" is. But it's FUNNY.

 

Yes, this creepy baby cake is REAL. And yes, someone paid for it. 0.o

However, to restore your faith in cake makers, every Sunday, the lovely folks at Cakewrecks post Sunday Sweets, which are AMAZING.
Like this:

Also, posts tend to be full of geeky references and jokes. SO MANY JOKES.
So, that's Cakewrecks.

Then, a few years ago, the primary author of Cakewrecks, Jen, started another blog: Epbot. Her tagline for the blog is "Geekery, Girliness, & Goofing Off," and that's exactly what it is. Jen posts amazing tutorials for crafts that she and her husband John have done, ranging from Halloween eyeball wreaths...

to steampunk goggles...
to Harry Potter Death Eater Masks...
 
and a whole lot more!
Jen also posts a lot of geek stuff, and Jen and John go to a lot of conventions, so she posts cosplay pictures and con survival guides. She posts about books she's read, and movies she loves. And she also is real about her life, including her struggles with anxiety, and their cat who overgrooms. Epbot is a lovely corner of the internet full of happy things.

Then, there's It Just Gets Stranger. I will be honest, I'm not sure how I found this blog. But it's wonderful! Eli blogs about everything from his job as a lawyer to his Iron Man training to his neighbours "The Perfects" and his friends. He also travels a lot, and posts amazing pictures. But the cool thing about this blog is that it ranges from incredibly silly (The Lost Journal Series), to very deep (A Kentucky Clerk), and everywhere in between (Pictures and Distractions). The Stranger community is a good one. :)

And the last one is one I just check up on every once in a while, but it's HILARIOUS. Obvious Plant is full of shenanigans. Basically, this guy makes signs and ads and posts them places. Like this:



 He goes to a lot of effort to make pamphlets and posters and store labels, and it's all good fun.

So that's the effort for today. Enjoy my blogs!
 

Music Day

I just feel like sharing all the music I've been obsessing over recently.

It's gonna be a random day.

First, PENTATONIX. I love them. I've been following them since they started on the Sing-Off. And their new single is AMAZING.

Can't Sleep Love

Like, I just keep listening to it. Pentatonix's blend and balance as a group is phenomenal, and they've done such an amazing job with this song. Plus, it's just so dang catchy, the lyrics are great, and the video (although almost a sensory overload) is just so much eye-candy that you can keep coming back to it. It's marvelous.

More Pentatonix- this cover they've just released. I love what was done as far as staging and videography, and musically, it's just wonderful.

Where Are U Now

It's just great. I also love that it's simpler, and you can get a lot more of the emotion out of it. Plus, Mitch's dance party. :D (Mitch being the one in the black sweater) I really love watching Pentatonix perform, especially because I sing, and it's incredible what they do with a capella music. It's so great to watch them, because they are SO committed to what they're doing.

Moving on! Joe Hisaishi in Budokan - Studio Ghibli 25 Years Concert. Studio Ghibli makes these magical, beautiful animated films that I love intensely. Joe Hisaishi is responsible for most (if not all) or the soundtracks, and this concert is incredible. It's also like an hour long, so you may want to just listen to it while doing other things.

I especially love the moments following:
from 0:19:40 to 0:24:10
from 0:45:21 to 0:46:58
and 1:08:42 to 1:15:50
but it's all phenomenal. Ghibli movies are wonderful. And the music is incredible. I've listened to bits and pieces of this concert and the whole thing so often. And I've got a Joe Hisaishi station on my Pandora radio. So that's that.

And my last musical obsession of today is MIKA. He's AMAZING. He's recently released an album called "No Place In Heaven" that's absolutely outstanding. My siblings and I have basically had it on repeat since we bought it a few weeks ago. And I'm just gonna share a few of my favourite moments.

Talk About You

It's just so cheerful and happy, and great to jam out to. Plus, he's so fun to watch perform, and I adore the staging and choreography in this video.

Good Guys

Again with the staging and choreography thing. What they did with this video is phenomenal- I love the interpretative dance feeling, and the costuming. It's great. Also, the crescendo at 2:18. It's awesome. And finally, the line, "If we are all in the gutter, it doesn't change who we are, cuz some of us in the gutter are looking up at the stars." I love that idea- it doesn't matter where you are, it matters where your focus is, where you're going.

Last Party 

It's perfect. I love the emotional feel of this song, and what they did with this video is perfect. Devastatingly perfect. And I love the music- all the effects with the various strings, the gentle continuous build of the whole song, the backing vocals and subtle harmonies, and then the HUGE crescendo with the runs in the flutes that starts at 2:50--- and then it just all cuts out, at 3:17. Oh. My. Gosh. It's PERFECT.

And finally, my current obsession and the song I've had on repeat for days:

Hurts

I just love it. It's devastating, lyrically, and so painfully relatable. "You say it's only words, and that it will get easier with time, but nothing's only words, that's how hearts get hurt." The piano part is incredible. The vocals are simple, and the backing is minimal, and the simplicity just adds to the emotion. And I intensely love the "I can't- I can't- I can't stop..." at the beginning of each chorus (first time at 0:58). To me, it sounds like the feeling of crying to hard to talk, just "I can't, I can't, I can't" and then you finally manage to say it. It's so wonderful.

Yeah. That's my current musical obsession. But everything in this post is something I adore.

At The Ballet

So, my voice teacher, G.M. found this incredible performance of this AMAZING song from Chorus Line.
A little background- Chorus Line is a musical about auditioning to be in the chorus line for a show, and as part of the auditions, the casting director asks each of the dancers to tell him something about themselves. That's when "At The Ballet" happens.

OK. So, I LOVE Audra McDonald, and I LOVE Kelli O'Hara, and I don't know Megan Hilty but I need to look into her more. And this song is just... WOW.

I used to dance ballet. I danced for five years, and my sister danced for seven, and we only stopped because we moved to Podunk, where there weren't any good ballet schools. Usually, I'm fine, but watching this video- oh! that was it, exactly. Dancing was home, and it was beautiful. And at 4:50, when the music just swells, and then the dancers came out, I cried. I miss dancing, I do.

Also, I've since grown up into the most physically awkward person, but that's off-topic.

Anyhow, so then I found two more things, the original cast recording and Seth Rudetsky. So here's the deal. The original cast doesn't sing as well as Audra and Megan and Kelli, but that's because they're DANCERS. And hearing the emotion in their voice is just incredible. And then Seth- he's this Broadway pianist who posts videos dissecting Broadway shows and songs and people, and everything he says about "At The Ballet" is just so cool, and it adds so much to the song, and the whole story. It's incredible.

original cast recording

Seth Rudetsky

And finally, I found this performance, of the original cast, fifteen years later. WATCHING them do it, and knowing what Seth said about the stories... It's wow.

the song starts 40 seconds in

I'm just obsessed with this song. It's beautiful and heartbreaking and everything.

Yeah. I think that's it for today.

19 Years Go By So Quickly

Yeah. It's my birthday. 19 today. (mission, here I come!)
And I just feel retrospective, and I'm going to post some things about myself. (there were going to be 19 originally, but I started this post way too late. so I've got like 10. oh well.)  Things I love, things I've learned, things I'd like to leave behind.... So here we go.

love- READING. I've always been a reader, as long as I can remember. I've lived thousands of lives and been to a million places and books have saved me and inspired me and amazed me and I absolutely love them. The Chronicles of Narnia. The Harry Potter Series. The Books of Bayern. The Cry of the Icemark. The Bartimaeus Trilogy. The Percy Jackson Series. Just to name a few.  I grew up in worlds of ink and paper, with my dad reading us stories and bringing words to life. Reading is amazing.

learn- What other people think doesn't matter. And I don't mean ignore your parents or your very best friend's good advice. What I mean is, it doesn't matter if the girl in your class thinks your pants aren't cute enough or if the boy doesn't laugh at your jokes or if your hair/face/laugh/thing you love/hobby isn't fashionable or whatever else. If you spend your time worrying about pleasing others, it is far too easy to lose yourself in the disaster that high school and society can be. You're the only person who lives with you 100% of every day, and you need to be okay with who you are. And who you are is brilliant and bright.

leave- Insecurity. Because of what I just talked about, I've also realised that insecurity is something I can live without. Yes, it's scary to talk in front of people, and I'm nervous about singing or performing or auditions, and sometimes I may not like the way I look. But letting insecurity eat away at my love for myself is never worth it.

love- MUSIC. I've been singing for as long as I can remember, playing piano since second grade, bassoon since sixth, saxophone since ninth, writing music/songs since eighth grade. And music is a wonder. Ink on a page and creations of wood and metal can change moods, break hearts or mend them, hurt and heal. Music expresses what words cannot, and it is miraculous.

learn- It's okay to be weird. I spent ridiculous amounts of time in high school trying to be less weird than I thought I was. But ya know what? It's beautiful to be passionate about something, whether that's cars or Broadway or painting or calculus. There's no need to shave off the ragged edges of your weirdness, because that's what sets you apart from everyone else, what makes you powerful, worth talking to. Love the thing you love, do that thing you do, and know that you will be all the more interesting because of that. No one ever made history who wasn't called weird at some point.

leave- Toxic people. There are times when you may meet someone who brings you down- they guilt trip you or make you feel bad about yourself, they make you doubt yourself and your abilities, they make you question your worth. Don't let those people take up your time and eat away at your soul. Surround yourself with those who bring you up and encourage you and make you feel valuable and wonderful, because YOU ARE.

love- WRITING. Well, if you've been reading this, you know I write poetry, songs, words. There is something incredibly therapeutic about watching my soul come to life on a paper, organised and beautiful. And writing has been an incredible outlet for me, when I've been sad, lonely, happy, excited, angry, confused... Words are magical.

learn- Life is scary and hard and wonderful. Take chances. There will always be things you can't plan for, and unexpected events, but if you never try, you'll never succeed at anything. You will never know how much you may love something if you don't give it ago, and you will never know how much someone may mean to you if you never say hello. Don't let the things you're afraid of stop you from living.

leave- Unnecessary worry. If you can't change it, don't let it ruin your life. Make the changes you can, but accept that it may rain. Bring your umbrella, and enjoy it. Don't let tiny stresses take the joy out of life.

last, but not least- The Gospel is true and God loves you. That's it. That's the most important thing. I've had times of doubt and been lost, during high school. But the Gospel of Christ always ended up being the only thing that made any sense. And it always will. He will always be there, because He loves you.

Yeah. I guess I've grown up, some. Let's see the next 19?

Jesus, Once of Humble Birth

So, in my stake we have a Spanish branch, and they don't have a pianist. I'm one of a few youth who get to go play for them sometimes, and yesterday was one of those times. I was playing for the sacrament, and the hymn was #120, Tan Humilde al Nacer. I recognised it as Jesus, Once of Humble Birth, and I was thinking about the lyrics I could remember-

"Jesus, once of humble birth, Now in glory comes to earth. Once he suffered grief and pain; now he comes on earth to reign. Now he comes on earth to reign."

"Now his chariot is the cloud."

"Once all things he meekly bore, but he now will bear no more."

"Now their King he shall be known."

And I almost started to cry, playing that hymn, even though I couldn't understand the words in Spanish, because I could feel the spirit so strongly, just thinking of what I did know! And it was absolutely incredible!

So after I finished playing, I sat down with an English hymnal and read through all the words.

Jesus, Once of Humble Birth

Jesus, once of humble birth,

Now in glory comes to earth.

Once he suffered grief and pain;

Now he comes on earth to reign.

Now he comes on earth to reign.

Once a meek and lowly Lamb,

Now the Lord, the great I Am.

Once upon the cross he bowed;

Now his chariot is the cloud.

Now his chariot is the cloud.

Once he groaned in blood and tears;

Now in glory he appears.

Once rejected by his own,

Now their King he shall be known.

Now their King he shall be known.

Once forsaken, left alone,
Now exalted to a throne.
Once all things he meekly bore,
But he now will bear no more.
But he now will bear no more.

Holy cow. I cried then. Those words just hit me with such force, and I felt my heart burn within me, and I KNEW they were true. And it's absolutely incredible to me that Jesus was willing to come and suffer and die for us to atone for our sins! And it is going to be AMAZING when he comes again.

I have a new hymn to add to my favourites.

Home, Sweet Home!

Orlando was a fantastic trip, everybody! Although, I've spent the last two days recuperating just a little bit... XD

Our men's, women's, and concert choirs received Silver awards, which means we scored between 80 and 89- very good.

And by some miracle, show choir received a Gold, a score between 90 and 100! We were thrilled!

And of course, we got to do a lot of cool things and generally just rock on.

A few of my favourite pictures and memories:

 

 Lee Chapel at Stetson University. The acoustics in here are AMAZING, and we got to sing here!

 

 The entryway into the Island of Adventure park at Universal Studios.

The Onceler's house and the Lorax, in Suess Landing!

A shot of Hogwarts, in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!

 The inside of Honeyduke's, in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!

The First United Methodist Church, where our competition was. Gorgeous! And the acoustics were stellar!

 

The "beautiful" sand mermaid we made at Cocoa Beach.

One of my friends, with a whole lot of sass.

This sign, in the line for the safari in the Animal Kingdom at Disneyworld. My friends and I laughed... And also ran away. ;)

Mickey, the Sorcerer's Apprentice, in Epcot! One of my favourite scenes from Fantasia.

Also, that song is a bassoon duet, so... :D

The Tower of Terror, one of my favourite rides. AWESOME.

I GOT TO BE IN TATOOINE. :D

Sorry, if this is any bigger, it looks awful... 

A shot of the castle during the light show.

The castle at the finale of the fireworks show.

Alice in Wonderland with the Cheshire cat during the light parade.

Rapunzel's tower in Fantasyland!

 And, finally, the castle during the daytime.

 This trip was AMAZING, and I made some FANTASTIC memories... And had a great time. But I'm happy to be back in Myneton. :]

Music Is Lovely

I basically just keep listening to four songs on repeat, and they are my life right now.

Say Something, by A Great Big World,

(although I don't particularly care for her in this song, I love the harmonies)

AND I really LOVE the Pentatonix cover.

Laughter, by AcoustiMandoBrony.

Alone, by Hirosashii.

Invisible, by Hunter Hayes.

Two really sad songs, and two that are optimistic and heal my hurting soul a little bit. But I'm still having a rough go of it.

And that is my contribution for today.

I STAND ALL AMAZED

I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me,
Confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me.
I tremble to know that for me he was crucified,
That for me, a sinner, he suffered, he bled and died.
Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me
Enough to die for me!
Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me!

I marvel that he would descend from his throne divine
To rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine,
That he should extend his great love unto such as I,

Sufficient to own, to redeem, and to justify. 
Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me
Enough to die for me!
Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me!

I think of his hands pierced and bleeding to pay the debt.
Such mercy, such love and devotion can I forget?
No, no, I will praise and adore at the mercy seat,
Until at the glorified throne I kneel at his feet. 
Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me
Enough to die for me!
Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me!

Text and music: Charles H. Gabriel, 1856-1932 

This is one of my absolute, very favourite hymns. Has been since I was about twelve, I think. It's so powerful and moving and absolutely true. This Sunday, I was privileged to attend a morningside by the BYU Young Ambassadors, about how God loves and knows each person individually. IT WAS AMAZING. The Spirit filled up that room like CRAZY! And they opened with an INCREDIBLE arrangement of this song. The morning side was exactly what I needed. :]

Books.

So, I have a problem. I get really attached to characters in books, and I get really upset on their behalf. Also excited. And basically everything else. Pretty much, I don't need a life because I live in fiction, in ink and pages.

You think I'm kidding, but I'm not.

I have a list of fictional characters that I'm in love with. I mean, I've written it down and everything- in no specific order, but I've done it. And it just keeps getting longer.

Classic case? The Bartimaeus Trilogy, by Jonathon Stroud. I've been in love with Nathaniel for... at least five years. And every time I reread the series, I fall for him again. Also, Kitty and Bartimaeus are all SORTS of awesome, a kick-butt girl and a smart-aleck djinni. EPIC. And OHMYGOODNESS. The ending of the series is SO perfect, but I honestly cried for two hours the first time I read it, and have cried every time since then. Absolutely fantastic books, though.

Recent offender? The Fault In Our Stars, by John Green. I discovered this book yesterday and devoured it, finished today. It's GORGEOUS, and it really makes you think about a lot of things, but it's also totally a tear-jerker. But then, it is a book about teen cancer patients, and life, and love, and everything. It's AMAZING. And Augustus Waters has been added to The List, totally. He's ADORABLE. But yeah, definitely a book I cried over. And will if-- actually, when, I read it again.

I'm honestly trying to figure out why it is that I get so attached to fictional people, why I can absolutely get lost in the world of a book and wish I could be there. In the meantime, if you care to join me, this is The List.

It's not complete. And it's not in order. And it's not even all the books I love. Just the characters I'm in love with from some of them. But all of these books are excellent!

THE LIST

Peter Pevensie------The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis
Edmund Pevensie
Prince Caspian
Nathaniel------------The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Jonathon Stroud
Oskan---------------The Icemark Trilogy, Stuart Hale
Charlemagne
Gilbert Blythe-------The Anne of Green Gables Series, L.M. Montgomery
Walter Blythe
Jem Blythe
Ken Ford
Corlath--------------The Blue Sword, Robin McKinley
Geric----------------The Books of Bayern, Shannon Hale
Finn
Razo
Conrad
Howl-----------------Howl's Moving Castle series, Diana Wynne Jones
Michael
Abdullah
Peter
Ron Weasley---------The Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling
Neville Longbottom
Viktor Krum
Twig-----------------The Edge Chronicles, Paul Steward and Chris Riddell
Quint
Rook
Nate
Peder----------------The Princess Academy, Shannon Hale
Steffan
Nico Di Angelo--------The Percy Jackson Series, Rick Riordan
Leo Valdez
Frank Zhang
Percy Jackson
Jason Grace
Magnus Bane---------The Mortal Instruments series, Cassandra Clare
Jace Wayland
Simon Lewis
Augustus Waters-----The Fault In Our Stars, John Green


Ummm.... That's about all for now. But yeah. If you don't read, you SHOULD. Books are magic!

Yeesh.

This week has been crazy. There were a lot of things I was going to say. But I had no time to post. So I'm just going to post this poem that my English teacher read us yesterday, which I absolutely adore.

If-
Rudyard Kipling

IF you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, don't deal in lies, Or being hated, don't give way to hating, And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise: If you can dream - and not make dreams your master; If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools: If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breathe a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!' If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch, If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds' worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son! I just.... Whoa. So good. That last bit- "If you can feel the unforgiving minute/ With sixty seconds' worth of distance run" especially resonated with me... Maybe because I run. Wow. Absolutely beautiful. This is why I love poetry.

Child of Winter

Today I wrote a poem. And I'm gonna post it on here.

This is a big deal, everybody. It's terrifying!

Also, this isn't the best thing I've ever written... But I like it a lot.

CHILD OF WINTER

The cold has never bothered me

While others run from her embrace

I welcome an old friend, because

In the Winter I find my place

And the heat always destroys me

Although others run to the summer sun

And revel in its light and heat

I shy away from it- I'm the only one

And spring's bright new flowers

Autumn's turning leaves

Make me feel like I don't belong

And I'd much rather be free

But in the long, dark nights of Winter

And her frost covered misty mornings

In the gentle snow or wild blizzard

That's when I feel my soul returning

I belong in the cold harshness

I'm a child of Winter, it's true

'Tis a season long unfavoured

But in the icy Winter, I am new

It's also not very long. But I still love it. Winter is my favourite season. :]