The Wait is Over

Last week a group of our Young Men and Young Women from church all got together and went to the temple (about an hour away) to perform sacred ordinances for those who have already passed on. It is a sort of tradition that the youth of our church get to participate in. We all dress in identical white and are baptized physically for those who did not get a chance to on this earth. Normally, I would go to be baptized for some stranger I did not know who had died hundreds of years ago and leave with a feeling of happiness for that person and relief that I hadn't done something stupid like slip down the stairs on my way out. But this last week was different.

My Grandma C------- works in Salt Lake City at the Family History Library where they do family history research and compile names that can be sent to temples across the globe so their work can be done. I asked her if she had some family names that needed to be baptized. She said yes, and sent my brother and I a package filled with pink and blue cards that were ready to have their work done for them. We took these names to the temple with us and were able to be baptized in their name. We were the last two to perform the baptisms, which made the ordinance especially meaningful for me. The fifteen cards I held in my hand represented fifteen people who had waited, wait how many years? I looked down...three hundred years to be baptized. They were waiting for someone to come along and do the physical work they could not do for themselves. They wanted to be sealed together with their families for time and all eternity, but just needed someone to help them along. As I stepped out of the water after my baptisms were done, the brethren there stopped me and confirmed each and every one of those names right there on the baptismal font steps. I stood there, shivering with cold as they placed their hands on my head. I was instantly warm and felt a peaceful stirring inside of me. I knew the women on the other side were grateful for my service and I knew that I was doing the right thing. They had waited a long time to be baptized, just like I waited a long time in line. But the funny thing is, now it doesn't seem like that long of a time compared to theirs. When put into the eternal perspective...

50!

Wahoo! This is post 50. Count 'em baby! Isn't that exciting? I sure think so. Have I honestly been blogging that long? Man, time does fly when you're having fun, eh?

Hmmm, what does one write on their fiftieth post? I could write about my weakening immune system and vulnaribility to even the commonest of colds. (I stayed home today because I'm ill). Or I could write about my sad attempt to make a suprise dinner for my mom and family. I told her that I had learned how to make "something" last weekend at a friend's house (which I did) but when she asked if she needed to buy anything special, I couldn't tell her seeing as every ingredient is so distinct. All I could tell her to buy was eggs. Any other ingredient would give it away. Honestly. I can't even tell you what they are because she'll probably read this post!


Change subjects:


My librarian is out to get me. She's teaching our English class how to research biographical information "properly". I'm afraid I'll go to school tomorrow with a pile waist-high of work that I missed. What's funny, though, is that I'm not the only who isn't necessarily fond of her. She's got a little army of passionately devoted followers (almost like a cult) but besides that everyone else hates her.


Change subjects:


David Hernandez is my favorite American Idol guy this season. I adore his voice, and he's so cute! Google him. You'll be pleased...as I am.


Change subjects:


I'm finally on the HARD level on Guitar Hero. It's pretty hard. But I like it. The songs I play are now starting to sound like the real songs on the recordings. After a good solid session of playing, my fingers start to tremble from strumming the button so fast. It usually takes me a minute or two to let my eyes readjust and my hand stop shaking. Strange, isn't it? Maybe I should take a couple days off...


Well this has been fun, hasn't it? I'm not really sure what people could possibly say about all this, but go ahead. Comment away!

This is Gonna Be Great!

The complete Cullen family has been casted (finally!) for the upcoming thriller-romance Twilight, based on Stephenie Meyer's genius work. You can go to www.stepheniemeyer.com/twilight_movie.html to see other pictures, and the official scoop.

I honestly am pretty happy with the choices, with the exception of Jasper -- the supposed hansome blond on the far left-- who in my opinion was casted incorrectly. I was a little skeptical about their choice of "Edward" when they first announced him, but with his supporting family, I think he fits in with them, complimenting them and vice versa. Alice and Edward look perfect together, (they are the closest brother and sister combination in the family due to their ESP-like communication) and Carlisle (the father) looks perfectly perfect and very doctorish. That's a good thing.

Make sure to leave a comment and tell me what you're thinking!



**Edit: Jasper's on the far right. I was just testing you. To make sure you were paying attention. And you've passed the test**

Untitled

"I must now stand aside, for our party and our country," Romney told conservatives.
"If I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention, I would forestall the launch of a national campaign and make it more likely that Senator Clinton or Obama would win. And in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign, be a part of aiding a surrender to terror," Romney told the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington.

You've got to love Romney for that speech, come on. As my dear friend Sara commented to me, "He's got class!" How true that is.

Dad recieved an e-mail today from one of his friends who made an interesting, and I think very valid point. He said, "After that speech today, Gov. Romney is going to be the most popular candidate come 2012. See you in four years in New Hampshire."

He and my father drove to New Hampshire this year to rally and campaign with the governor, and Dad went by himself to Florida (yes, Florida) to work for his candidate. That is dedication. He also hasn't let us kids forget that his father worked for the Reagan campaign in '68 and '76, both years when he did not win nomination until 1980 when he did. There is still hope, and Dad is continually optimistic. No heartbroken teardrops at our house. We'll hang on to those MITT '08 stickers to hand around in a couple of years. It should be interesting how the rest of this election plays out, though. Especially on the Democratic side, oh my goodness. I don't think that McCain will be able to beat Obama - he'll tear him limb from limb - and I'm not sure what would happen between him and Hillary.

What do you all think?

Wordless Wednesday: We're Ready for Tuesday. Are You?

I AM SO ANGRY!

I don't normally get angry (not like this), but when I do writing it down is my solution. ( I apologize in advance if I offend anyone in my ranting of The Chocolate War. We'll chat later about our opinions on it. Promise.)

Ugh. The source of this body-shaking, mind-boggling, anger is my ever infuriating English teacher. She's an intelligent woman with intelligent things to say, but we're not always on the same page. She has some very different opinions than me, and for those who know me well, I'm always the first one to express mine given the oppurtunity. Anyways, her new book assignment for the next month is a choice between Ayn Rand's Anthem and Robert Cormeir's The Chocolate War. Initially, I picked The Chocolate War (I'm not sure why; probably because my best friend did), but quickly came to learn of the gross content and sick scenes this book harbors. She told us yesterday (after I had made my decision) that this book did have some "disturbing scenes" in it and that it has been banned in other schools.


She also said, "Now I want you all to be mature about this and handle this novel like real adults. Some of the things they mention in here, you should already have learned about in your Health class and your sex education course in Science." I didn't really know what she was referring to (or rather, I tried not to think about what she was referring to), but one of my other friends who had read ahead whispered to me, "That's for sure."



Okay, so this was getting a little bit weird for me. I then raised my hand (if you know me, then you already know what I was going to say) and said, "Mrs. C-----, I'm being very bold here by asking this but, shouldn't you have told us about some of the innapropriate things in here before we made our decision? I think I would have liked to know this yesterday so that I could've made a more educated choice."



I said all of that in that voice that my dad uses all the time to persuade people he's right. That voice that's probably a little too loud and questiones one's authority a little bit too much.


At this point everyone had turned around in their seats and were staring at me - me all alone in the back row - with mixed expressions on their faces. Mrs. C----- looked at me, looked down, looked at the clock (?) and then back to me, suprised that I had made such a comment. She then lashed back with, "Well you hear about all of these things on the bus, at home, on the TV...none of this should be new to you."



Well thank you Mrs. C-----. That is the perfect thing to say in this situation [exclamation point] That totally makes a little Mormon girl with an over-developed sense of superiority feel a lot better.


So then I said to her, "At school and in the halls I have no choice but to hear innapropriate conversation topics and profanity. At home I choose not to watch it on television and choose not to go finding it on the Internet. I also choose not to read it."



Again, all of this in that forceful tone I learned from Prince Charming.



At this point, she was obviously uncomfortable and I was raging - and FREAKED out. I personally couldn't believe I had just told her that and was slightly embarrassed. I also didn't really care just then. She was making me mad. "You can come talk to me after class if you really feel that strongly about it, Alice". I mumbled a "Thanks" but she said under her breath, "I really didn't think anybody would."


I wasn't quite ready to talk to her, so I went back at the end of the day.


I was cooled off (a little) and went up to her desk . She then asked me, brilliant as always, "So what was it that bothered you?" Oh my goodness, Mrs. C-----, where do I start? The bad language? The pornography? Everyone had been talking about it at lunch time, and giggling as they told each other what page to find the such-and-such bad behavior on. I was sickened. I honestly didn't know what to tell her, so I simply asked her for the other book and returned the first. It felt dirty in my hands as I handed it back to her, another tell-tale sign of bad literature. "Are you sure you don't want to give it a chance, Alice? You really can't judge a book before even reading all of it. It really has a wonderful message in it; you have to dig for the deeper meaning." She had a hopeful look on her face, like somehow that worthless comment had changed my mind. Ya right. I shook my head. Wait, wait. There's more.

"Well honey, its probably just where you are in your life right now." She said it in a very final tone, no doubt expecting me to walk out and leave for the day. But really, what in the world was I going to say to that??? Actually, I knew exactly what I was going to say (...'where I am in my life'? I guarantee that I never will be apart of any pre-marital sex EVER and I don't have porn magazines in my room under my bed like the kid in THIS book does. That will never change.), but I didn't, knowing I would just get her and myself more mad.

I was still fuming when I got home, and sat my mom down to tell her everything. She is such a good listener, that woman. She reassured me that I did the right thing, and asked if she should write my teacher an e-mail, agreeing with me. I said no, just that I would apologize the next day. My mom then quoted herself saying, "You know, Alice, 'It's not worth wading through all the muck to get to the good parts'". She had made this comment before concerning a movie, and a time before concerning a friend. I didn't realize how true that statement is until that moment, and I'm grateful for "the spirit...of power, and of love, and of a sound mind," (2 Tim. 1:7-8) that I am blessed with every day.



I think I've finally calmed down. A miracle, writing is.

My thinking silence is broken...

My November Guest

My Sorrow, when she's here with me,
Thinks these dark days of autumn rain
Are beautiful as days can be;
She loves the bare, the withered tree;
She walks the sodden pasture lane.
Her pleasure will not let me stay.
She talks and I am fain to list:
She's glad the birds are gone away,
She's glad her simple worsted gray
Is silver now with clinging mist.
The desolate, deserted trees,
The faded earth, the heavy sky,
The beauties she so truly sees,
She thinks I have no eye for these,
And vexes me for reason why.
Not yesterday I learned to know
The love of bare November days
Before the coming of the snow,
But it were vain to tell her so,
And they are better for her praise.
~Robert Frost