Formal Gowns

As is my life at this moment in time, I got pretty bored today and didn't really want to do what I should have done. So after showering, I peered into my closet and saw the bottom of one of my prom dresses hanging out. I decided that I was going to try them on just for fun, because I was alone and no one would laugh, and because I wanted to see if they still fit (interesting how your body can change in 3 years but still measure the same...). I tried on two prom dresses from Sophomore and Senior year.

As I was trying them on, it brought back a WHOLE lot of memories and feelings. Like the time I backed into a car while driving to dinner, or when me and my date were the only ones not dating and would never date probably to his disappointment, or the time I was asked the week of, ha oh I remember laughing a lot at some and not so much at others. I had a plethora of memories and feelings of excitement, nervousness, awkwardness, ridiculousness, laughing moments, eye-rolling moments, and so many others where I had to just shake my head and laugh. Oh man, formal dances and high school. I also began to be thankful that those days are over, but had a good time reliving an interesting part of my life.
Then I thought, look where I am now. Look at where my dates are now. Look at where others in the group are now. Those awkward stages of my life are over (at least I hope so). I've grown a lot and experienced even more. A lot of my dates are on missions or coming home soon, some of the girls are married, and one is married and has a baby! I've learned there is life beyond high school and it doesn't really matter what other people think of you (well this is one I find myself constantly having to work on). It was the days of finding out who you really were or at least the start of such. I'm grateful for what I experienced and learned, but ever so much more grateful that I've moved on to bigger and better things, like a mission. One month ladies and gentleman, one month...

So go back to the recesses of your mind and remember those days of school dances and high school. Relive the good. Relieve the bad. Laugh and some, try not to remember others, but most importantly be grateful for what you learned and here's to what tomorrow will bring!

SHAZZAM.

If Life Were A Movie

Have you ever said or thought to yourself "I wish life was like a movie." (come on, admit it, I know you have!). Well here is a provoking thought for you people out there. But first let me gather my thoughts and explain.

So now that I've been home and for most of the day am home alone, I find myself thinking about lots of random things. Something new that got me thinking today was Grey's Anatomy. No, I'm not obsessed and not really a fan, but it just happened to be on at the time I sat down. From what I could figure, this episode was some sort of season catch up or review as it went through short sections of many episodes. It was all very exciting and VERY dramatic in so many terms and ways. Then after all the holla-baloo was over, a thought occurred to me that I had never really appreciated or cared for before.

I'm glad my life is NOT like a movie. Cause really, there is so much ridiculous drama and over-the-top reactions and unnaturalness in it all. It would just be so hectic and always thinking on your feet and there would ALWAYS be a catch somewhere in everything in anyway. I'm not saying that real life isn't like that sometimes, but other times there just isn't a catch or where something has to go wrong before it can be totally awesome.

Examples - (excluding all animation and cartoons, cause those aren't real to begin with)
Penelope - well, the biggest problem is that she was born with a pig nose and ears; blows the whole story out of proportions right there
P.S. I Love You - cancer really does take people from our lives, but what are the odds that you would run into your deceased husbands old best friend twice in like a 24 hour period?
Princess Bride - R.O.U.S's? I don't believe they exists. But can I have a pirate for myself?! (Sorry that comment is going against my argument...)
Italian Job - I mean, who plans amazing jobs like that and gets away twice under the radar of all government officials? And how is it that Stella is the only offspring and gorgeous?!
Taken - it could be real where your daughter gets taken and used like his did, but what are the odds that your dad is a super spy/ninja and would be able to find you, fight off all the bad guys, and survive all by himself?

Then we've got the based on true events movies like Remember the Titans and Blindside. Yes there is truth and actual real life experiences and stories in those movies, but to make it a good box office hit along with the true-ness of it all, there has to be some things added in and some things expounded upon.

Of course there are real, personal, life experiences that could be part of a movie.

Examples
Throwing a next door neighbor's shoe in the middle of the night into the middle of an iced over pool with a locked gate around it and figuring how to get it out with chair and a pool net - Holding a roommate while she cries and just lets go of it all then taking her to Brick Oven with sweats and no make up on hoping no one will see you - Go to China for 7 weeks - Laughing hysterically as you make one of your roommates make animal noises in her sleep or take her on a date with Peter Pan - Re-watching a part of a movie with roommates several, too many, times over and over to watch a couple come together - Not being able to get into your apartment building because there is a couple making out at each entrance - Calling home and crying over a crummy day ending with a horrible exam grade - Getting hit on in Vegas by two drunk men...need I tell more? Cause I will.

So I guess what I'm trying to say (let me explain, no there is too much, let me sum up) is that I am grateful for my normal, boring, day-to-day, life where I get to experience and learn on my own. Where I don't always find my McDreamy (or McSteamy) and fall in love in a week. Where I don't always make it out of a trial in sweet success. Where I don't have unlimited money. Where I don't have a party or event to go to every night or every weekend for that matter. Where I don't always have friends over all the time. Where there is always a happy ending.

That's why we're here! We're here to experience all things through our own choices and actions. Where sometimes we fall and sometimes we succeed. We're here to learn to lead a life of our own. We are here to find happiness. How we find and fulfill our happiness is our choice. I'm grateful for the choice that I have made, those not so good and those better, that have led me to where I am now. I know that however bored I may be, or however much I get stuck in a rut of how much I miss BYU and friends, I have made the choice to where I am at this moment in my life and I've felt that this is what I'm supposed to be doing now and where I'm supposed to be.

So lets all be happy with a normal, non-movie life because I can bet if you take a step back and look at it all, its one heck of an awesome life amidst all the mountains to climb and bumps in the road.

SHAZZAM.

First Kiss

Ha! Did my title make you look?! No, no don't worry, I'm not home to "fill my canteen". Mission - staying focused.

So last night as I was watching TV, a commercial came on for gum or something, I don't really remember, but it said "the average person has had 28 first kisses." (Clarification: this means a first kiss with 28 different people.) I was quite surprised because to me, that seemed like quite a few. I mean like really, I don't think I even know 28 guys! Ok, that's not a true statement but...ya! 28! Awesome! I mean, oh that's awful, what a player or something like that...

Then I thought, wow I am SO not average! For once in my life I've found a statistic that doesn't make me an average person! However, this means I'm below average (that's where you all go ahhh and pity me, pity the fool). Sad day in the life of Jenessa. It just looks like I've got a lot to catch up on when I get back from the mish. Ya, boys, look out for yours truly in 18 months.

Then I thought, wait, where did they come up with that statistic?! Did they survey a large sample of people? Or did they only survey those who came forward to answer? If someone walks up to you and asks you how many first kisses have you had, would you answer truthfully? What about those people who have yet to have their first kiss? Would they be willing to tell a stranger of their lack in life? (No offense). What about the person who is ashamed of how many first kisses they've had? Pause, is anyone ashamed if they've had a plethora of first kisses? I wouldn't be one to give you an answer that, go ask some boy or someone.

Anyways, I mean really, I could see so many variables, misconceptions, problems, and mistakes that could go wrong in this statistic. But I don't know anything. I don't know the statistical knowledge and facts behind this specific statistic and I'm not an expert on statistics like my good friend Ashley Bell who aced that class. So I guess my words aren't worth a grain of salt...but if salt has lost its savor, wait wait, that's another conversation for another time.

SO...Are you a statistical average? Do you find yourself wanting to be counted in this statistical average? Think about it and if so, then get out there and find someone (or several)!

SHAZZAM.

What's Life If You Can't Laugh Out Loud?

This weekend I had the AWESOME privilege to have a local from the Las Vegas area to show me around her hometown. Melany Martin and her family graciously let me stay at their crib, eat their food, sleep on their futon in the sewing room, become the new favorite auntie (Auntie JJ), and take their daughter/sister out of the house and out on the town. Mel was a next door neighbor/roommate from BYU, where we met and became good friends. She showed me the strip, hotels and their attractions, the fountains at the Belagio (my favorite of all), the local favorites including Yogurtland, and lots of fun stuff like such.
However, I don't want to give you a travel log of the trip, but I want to tell you of something poignant I said that I thought was pretty good words of wisdom. Don't get me wrong, I would love to tell you how we got lost several times on the strip, when I got a picture with Elvis and Ironman at the same time, how we got hit on by two, most likely, drunk cowboys outside of the PBR bar, played in Gameworks and rocked DDR, got asked to an open bar (because we were the only two on the sidewalk), when I dropped a sticky melted giant marshmellow on myself, watched Alyson fit three, yes 3, campfire size marshmellows into her mouth, got splattered on by banana puree during the Blue Man Group concert in the Venetian, had one of the members of the Blue Man Group kiss my ticket, bought MC Hammer pants, and so much more, but I'll save those stories for another time.
The first night we were on the strip, we were walking around, standing on a corner, waiting to cross the street when Mel made me laugh out loud, and if you know me well, you know that my laugh isn't one to be well hidden. Mel then told me that I was being loud and was slightly embarassing us as the people around us looked at me like I had a little too much to drink. (nope, just hot chocolate and happy endorphins!). Then I said, "What's life if you can't laugh out loud?!" Wow, did those words just come out of my mouth?! I like it!
Personally my life would be rather quiet and boring. But really, what is life if we can't laugh out loud at ourselves? When we won't laugh out loud at something that just catches our funny? If we don't laugh out loud when we remember something awesomely hysterical that happened to us in our past and we just remembered during a class lecture? Ok so maybe there are times when we shouldn't literally laugh out loud, but you can still do it in your head and show a little smirk as you try not to let others see and think that maybe you are mischievously plotting to run around campus in a gorilla suit chasing another person in a banana suit, oh wait, that's definitely not something that I've done...
Joseph Smith said "Happiness is the object and design of our existence..." One way that makes me happy is to laugh. To laugh in joy and happiness. It makes me happy, so I will laugh. Don't get so caught up in the world and its downward spiral with all its negativeness, seriousness, wickedness, etc. that we forget to realize all those things we've been blessed with, all the awesome friends and acquaintances we've had the opportunity to get to know, all the great moments and memories we've created in our own lives and together, and all the times we've been so happy, that we've laughed out loud! Be serious and reverent when the time arises, but also remember to be happy, lighten up a little, and laugh out loud!

Have you laughed out loud today?

SHAZZAM.

Red Lids

So I caved in, I made a blog. What really got me to do this was the super-duper experience I had today. I will explain...

My loving father a few weeks ago told me after church that he had signed me up for a cannery volunteer assignment. I thanked him graciously for signing me up without any previous consent, and yet I agreed to do so because I before then had not had an experience to help in the LDS cannery. So this morning was the morning. I arrived, found my way to where I was supposed to go and signed in with name tag sticker and all. After we watched the very "well done", included with humor and all, safety/information video produced by the church, we were informed that we were going to be doing syrup today. I thought, ok I can do that. The man then counted and said you six sisters will be doing lids. Lids? um, ok. Wait! Just because I'm of the female gender, I'm selected to do a what seems like a task with an easy work load and not much hard labor involved? Come on! I came from throwing tables and chairs (oh excuse me, we never threw, they were sacred resources we were dealing with...) and building awesome set crew muscles and now I'm doing such things as finger exercises because I'm a woman?! Do not underestimate me man! And yet, alas, I consented to my gender role and prepared for the task.

After hand washing, hair net, and gloves I was set. I went into the production room, was told where to stand, and told what to do: twist on the cap then untwist it so that it can expand and release pressure in the machine. I looked around, looked down at the box full of red syrup lids, looked at the clock...I'm supposed to do this for 4 hours, really? Maybe we'll switch jobs or something. Then began the next hours of my life full of, as my good friend Craig would say, a "mind-numbing" job. No we did not switch, no one talked to me, I didn't talk to anyone, I just stood there for three and a half hours screwing on lids blowing my mind away into oblivion trying to keep occupied with something to think about and trying to remember more that just the two songs that kept coming into my mind. I had to keep reminding myself that I was screwing on red lids for a good cause. Its for a good cause. I'm doing this to build character...what?!

I thought this red lid experience was so funny that I needed to share it with someone, because while at BYU I would go back to the apartment and tell my roommates of my experiences of the day. However, I no longer have that precious and dearly missed opportunity. So who would I tell? I could go home and tell my parents, but...that doesn't satisfy my craving of telling someone of my story as I embellish and make it a fantastic story. So then I thought, I could write a Facebook status about it, but then I couldn't tell the whole story. Then I thought, I could make a blog and write about it! Brilliant! I'll do it! And look, I have done it. Accomplished. Boom. Roasted.

That's when I figured it out. That's when I reasoned as to why people - particularly women - make blogs. They get married or move away and feel disconnected with those they used to share their masterfully spoken stories and life experiences with. However, they still want to connect with the world around them, share what new things they are experiencing, tell what funny moments happened, and what better way than a pretty colored internet page about their life! So here we go...I made a blog about my experience at the LDS cannery. I'm disconnected from my good life of BYU with awesome roommates as I stay at home and prepare for a mission. So even though no one will read this, it is posted on the world wide web, hoping, that maybe someone will read this and be enlightened or just laugh at me and go about their day. Thank you for reading, I hope you have a stupendous day!

SHAZZAM.