Thursday, September 27, 2012

Staying Up Way Too Late

Okay so it's like 12:15 am and I should be in bed because A) I have class at 8:30, B) I have a lot to do tomorrow which = absolutely no time for a nap and C) I just need some sleep that's all.

But it's Wednesday night! (I guess it's now technically Thursday morning...) And Wednesday night equals Country Swing Dancing! Happiness!

I feel like every time I go there I find a new man to have a crush on.  Yes, it's true.  I just love good looking men who know how to dance well.  I can't help it! 

But I just have to say that I absolutely love Mumford and Sons' new song "I Will Wait."  It's super fantastic! And now that I have gotten my little bit of typing out that I guess I needed to do before I went to bed, I will now go get some good ol' sleepy time!  Hopefully I can stay awake tomorrow morning while sorting through rocks, fish bones, and charcoal....or sitting through my Plants and Civilization class...(that's the more likely class to fall asleep in...)!

*Good Movie: Swing Kids

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Biology...

Biology...how I hate thee!

Why can't I understand biology?!  This is a question that I have asked myself every time I take one of those dumb classes! 

I'm taking a Plants and Civilization class (Biology 3040) this semester for my depth science requirements.  Yep, it's a real class!

I've been learning all kinds of interesting things...about how flowers get pollinated and fruit develops, how tomatoes and cucumbers are berries, and how peanuts are fruit. (True story!)  So to mix in with all this confusion (why have I been lied to my whole life?!  I thought peanuts were nuts!!), I have to remember the processes of meiosis and mitosis.  What?! I feel like they're kind of the same thing...or maybe that it's just that I don't understand either one!

I can pick apart the American Revolution and identify multiple political, economic, and cultural reasons why we shouldn't have won that war.  I can give you the details of what happened on a field in Gettysburg in the summer of 1863 and the significance of the battle of Antietam, but when you try to get me to remember the different parts of a plant...epic fail!

Why?!  Why why can I not remember these simple things?!

I took a test today...I'm pretty sure I failed it.  So many large words...polysaccharides (what?!), polymers, and endosperm.  Yep...no idea!  Hopefully I'm a good guesser...

I think I better stick with my time lines and old documents...just sayin!

*Good Song: "Ours" by Taylor Swift
*Good Book: "Les Miserables" by Victor Hugo (I'm trying to read it amidst all my homework and work!  And I am loving it!!)

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Why Men Don't Date Me!

Okay so here's the thing.  I don't get asked on dates...ever! Seriously, the last time I went on a date was like 3 months ago and that was a blind date.  The last time before that was like six months!  I find myself wondering why men don't consider me a dating option.  I mean, I have nice blue eyes, I'm fairly intelligent, I make great chocolate chip cookies, I love children, and I'm not high maintenance!  So in thinking critically about this issue I have come up with my top five reasons why men don't want to date me! Ready?!  Here we go!

1.  I don't know how to flirt!  My male friends tell me that flirting is key when attracting the male gender.  But when I practice on my guy friends, what happens?!  They laugh uncontrollably at my attempts.  Epic failure!  So I suck at the games of flirting and trying to show interest?! Strike one!

2.  I'm incredibly clumsy.  Running into doors, falling up stairs and hills (seriously! This one happened today...I was walking up the hill to school and I took a short cut, tripped on a step that was really a tree root and fell right on my face! Bahaha!), slipping on ice, and bruising my knees on any object that is at knee height!  No man wants to be constantly catching me or fixing up my scrapes and bruises!

3.  I'm great at awkwardly rejecting friendly male gestures.  Example:  So one day, our home teacher was bringing us brownies and Brittany and I were standing in their parking lot.  My hands were full with who-knows-what (history books perhaps?!), but I took the brownies graciously, smiled widely, and thanked him profusely.  I tried to show my appreciation by taking a piece to try it, but with my hands full and note reason #2, I dropped the plate of brownies right there in the parking lot...face down! 

4.  I'm incredibly nerdy and far too passionate about my favorite subject - history! No man wants to listen to how much I love learning about the American Civil War, the crazy quirks of Roman emperors, or how turquoise ended up in Central America.  And I like watching historical documentaries...I think that every male subconsciously knows that I would ruin their lives by having the TV on the History Channel instead of the football game!

5.  What was number 5? .....I'm sure I had a good one.  Oh yes!  I'm too funny...not in the "I'll-make-you-laugh-every-second" way, but I have far too many weird quirks that are crazy! Whether it's me tripping over my short tongue and saying something unintelligible, being way too tired to form cohesive thought, or not remembering what you said to me like five seconds before, there would be far too much funniness going on...that usually ends up in the form of me being made fun of!

So there you have it!  I'm expert at repelling males and their advances, so if you have any more reasons why they don't want to date me or how to fix my situation, leave me a comment! Or shoot me an email!  annamarie914@hotmail.com  :)




Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Remembering a Great Friend.

I have a music minor.  This music minor requires me to have four semesters of choir.  I finished three semesters of choir before my mission and now I have one more semester of choir to go.

Last Friday, I found myself walking through the halls of the familiar music building.  I have spent many hours there, learning music theory, playing the piano, and singing my little heart out.  I've also had the opportunity to make some incredible friends in that building.

Time came for choir to start and I was surprised at how incredibly hard it was for me to step back into that room as part of the women's choir.  I looked at the front row where I used to sit.  Then I looked to the seat next to mine where my dear friend Celeste used to sit.  Freshman year...an incredibly hard time of life...moving out, making new friends, being out on my own.  That's when Celeste and I first became friends.  She had an incredibly lovely smile and an infectious laugh.  I was super jealous of her hair, because it was thick and curly!

We were both second sopranos and we had the greatest time laughing at people and just enjoying music!  She moved into my ward the summer before I left on my mission, but I ended up moving home.  I went on my mission and when I got home and everything had settled down, I was devastated to learn that Celeste had been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma about the same time I got home.  She had just barely graduated with her degree in Music Therapy the month before.

I kept close tabs on her progress by reading her blog.  I prayed and prayed for her recovery.  I got to see her when she came to Logan to attend a benefit concert that some of the music therapy students were putting on for her.  She was just as happy as ever and she played the piano so beautifully that night.  I was ecstatic when the update in January said that she was in remission!  She was so strong and I knew she was going to be okay!

A month later, she found out that the lymphoma had come back and that it was much worse than when they had first found it.  On April 9th of this year, she passed away at the age of 22.

Walking into the choir room this last week made me realize how much I missed her.  As I think about it, I'm reminded of how important it is to cherish every moment spent with the people you love.  Life happens so fast and you never know when somebody is going to be taken from you.

But I do know that when I make it to the other side, I will see Celeste again.  And she will have that beautiful hair of hers that I'm so jealous of!  And I am going to give her the biggest hug!  And we are going to sing some good songs!

*For more information on God's Plan of Happiness for us and what happens when we die, visit http://mormon.org/plan-of-happiness