I Believe in Santa Claus

I know it may be a little early in the season for this, but I love Christmas all year round and this is one of my favorite memories.  I am 23 and Yes I believe in Santa Claus!  I believe in him with all my heart and his spirit that fills us with charity and joy.  May you all enjoy this and never forget that you never have to stop believing.   Eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon wrote a letter to the editor of New York's Sun, and the quick response was printed as an unsigned editorial Sept. 21, 1897. The work of veteran newsman Francis Pharcellus Church has since become history's most reprinted newspaper editorial, appearing in part or whole in dozens of languages in books, movies, and other editorials, and on posters and stamps.

"DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old. "Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. "Papa says, 'If you see it in THE SUN it's so.' "Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus? "VIRGINIA O'HANLON. "115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET." VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except [what] they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge. Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished. Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world. You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding. No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

Daddy's Little Girl

My Daddy is my hero.
He scared away the monsters,
He wrestled til "I won,"
And when I couldn't walk a step,
I rode his shoulders instead.

My Daddy is my hero.
He knew to work hard each day,
He taught me to as well,
And nothing beats the says we played
As if it couldn't wait.

My Daddy is my hero.
He always knew the words to say,
He brought the spirit too,
And now I know my Father's Love,
Him smiling down on me.

My Daddy is my hero.
He's superman you know,
He does it all for those he loves,
And taught me to do the same.
I'm getting there--I'm working hard--
I'll make you proud each day.
For you are mine, my one and only,
And of you Daddy, I feel so proud.

Dedication to Friends

This post is for those in my life that make all the brighter, my friends.

We all have those people in our lives that know us better than anyone else. Whether it is the dead of night or the middle of the work day they are there when it really counts, to "see the first tear, catch the second and stop the third." These are the people that make leaving home, growing up, and taking chances worth while, without them we are left to our own strength as limited as that is. With their arms around us supporting us as we support them we can do feats of unusual skill and strength. May we never forget just what we all mean to each other. This is my thanks, and a few of my favorite quotes about friends:


"We are all a little weird and
Life's a little weird,
And when we find someone whose
Weirdness is compatible with ours,
We join up with them and fall in
Mutual weirdness and call it Love."
--Dr. Seuss




"My friends remind me, by their very steadfastness, that truth, beauty, and goodness exist in the world, and that, no matter what, there are and always will be people loving people through THICK and THIN." --unknown

"Good friends are like stars. You don't always see them, but you know they're always there."

"Even though we change and we're all finding our own place in the world, we all know that when the tears fall or the smile spreads across our face, we'll come to each other because no matter where this crazy world takes us, nothing will ever change so much to the point where we're not still friends."

"Remember no man is a failure who has friends."  -Clarence, It's A Wonderful Life

New Love

Okay I know this is absolutely but I am a country girl at heart and I have discovered a new love in country music...

Scott McCreery, the recent American Idol winner, has a voice that can put me in a trance every time and just embrace the music and love I have. His voice amazes me every time, but tragically enough for my dream, it stops at his voice. Not that he isn't good looking; he has good looks. But he is also only 18, and every time I look at his cute little face that is exactly what I see--a little boy. I prefer to just enjoy his voice.

So do me a favor, close your eyes and just enjoy the seductive quality of his voice in this song.

Pictures with Cosmo

This weekend we had one of those wonderful and beautiful days...Saturday could not have been more beautiful. The weather was good too. Yep I am talking about the BYU vs. Idaho St. football game. The only thing that could have made it a little shinier is if they hadn't scored that field goal. I mean 56 to 3 is respectable and fun, but it would have been the perfect topping to have it be a full shut-out game. (When it comes to football, I am unrelenting. It has something to do with being brought up in the South.)

It was at this game that I was reminded of those
Quintessential College Moments.
I got the chance to take my picture with Cosmo the Cougar, that sexy feline! I was directly behind the south end zone on the second row. He stands right in front of us for at least half the game doing is awesome dance moves and flips and shooting shirts into the crowd out of his amazing canon. It made me smile to see his kindness to children from 2 to 27. My group could not have been any less excited that the 4 year old near us that got a high five to get a picture with Cosmo.



Now I would ask anyone out there...What are other Quintessential College Moments? Share with me your experiences and help me make sure that I don't miss out on anything before I leave in April.

Thanks for letting me share my fun and inspiring me with your own fun.

This I Believe...

I remember that day in October of 2005, life was just starting to get back to normal after Hurricane Rita had done such damage to my hometown. I walked in from school and found my mother crying in the front room. The day had finally come we had all prayed would never happen. He was gone. My little five month old nephew was gone. Being born with muscular dystrophy we knew it would come within the first two years, but we had been praying for a miracle. A miracle that never came.

A mom of 7 children, a sister of 7 siblings, a daughter of loving parents, an Aunt to 30 kids, and a friend to many. A healthy happy woman giving to all with two of her darling children still living at home, the most smiling person you will ever know. Cancer. Years in and out of the hospital. The lows of it spreading, the highs of remission waiting for the all clear—finally home but just to say goodbye. A family torn apart.

He saw her on a balcony talking on the phone to her best friend, bare foot, smiling, and fiddling with her hair, unconscious of anyone else’s attention. After a month of flirtation and romance a relationship blossomed into fruition. After many happy discussions of the future and looking at intricately sparkly jewelry, a shock came…instead of him taking a knee, he took a hike. A treasured and life-long dream ended as a nightmare.

It may seem that after experiences like this my belief in God and His love for His children would wane, but the exact opposite happened. The truth of God’s love for His children was proven in the many angelic hands that He sent to help make each and every strain on my emotions a chance to learn and grow. My family pulled together and all our friends around us kept us even closer. The hugs so tight that I thought I wouldn’t be able to breath, and yet so comforting I never wanted them to end were the perfect medicine for my illness.

Many people look around at those they see and judge; it is generally thought in Christian communities that if we live well and do as we are commanded by God than we come to deserve the miraculous happy endings that we wish for, but the real unfiltered truth is that every person on the good green Earth have struggles, difficulties, and challenges—the good, the bad, and everywhere in-between—the truth, beauty, and comfort of prayers and most specifically of those that appear as unanswered prayers is that we are not promised to have an easy life undaunted by turmoil, but we are promised that when the tempests come our way we will be able to bear whatever is put in front of us whether it is through a deeply desired but seemingly impossible miracle or the unfathomable growth, strength, and support that comes from not getting the miracles or endings that we want.

I have been blessed with a life of twists and turns that I never would have expected many that were good and many others that I felt would break me, but became what made into the woman that I am today, and from this…

I believe in the miracle of unanswered prayers.

Where to Look

We all have moments when we look inward and find ourselves lacking. We feel unsatisfied with ourselves, whether it be due to emotional instability, ill health, or overwhelming schedules. It is in these moments we look for comfort. We grab for the cookie dough, the ice cream, or the junk food. If it isn’t food we usually find a friend, someone to give us a hug, play with our hair, or just put their arms around us. These do a great job at bringing us comfort as we wallow in our own internal turmoil. Unfortunately, these cures don’t last very long, and they don’t fix the underlying problems. A better solution is to remember that when we are looking inward and finding problems or limitations, we should look outward to others. We look to others, not to have pity on us, but to be their friend. Listening to them and talking to them about their lives: the highs, lows, and laughs. In this relationship you give them some needed “TLC,” and you get a new perspective on your own situation, and you may realize just how little your problems are in comparison to the joys in your life and the life of those around you. When you find yourself low, reach out to one of the best natural highs that exists…helping others.

....Na na na na na na

Duh, duh... duh, duh, duh... duh, duh... duh, duh, duh... In...out...in...out... around...back...spin... cross...up...over... you're moving, just going, non-stop, no direction or purpose but to keep moving, can't stop even if you wanted to, intoxicated, you almost don't even think, just step, step... twist...spin...turn...back...forward... and again, not just your feet, but your whole body feels it, suddenly soaring through the air... catch your breath.... your heart pulsing... you have wings like the birds high above, you are weightless--no gravity pulls at you, you could stay up forever but coming down is just as fun since then the floor is a slip and slide, standing still is not an option, slick...smooth...roll...flick... head bobbing, hips rocking... arms wrapping, swapping spots... twitching muscles and vibrations communicate everything from top to bottom, near to far... a smile... a twinkling eye... a rippling laugh... his face tells you he is in the groove just as much as the fluidness of every movement, there is no feeling like it when he spins you out, back in, around and around, to the ground, spin again, and launch up around his shoulders, landing on his hips until you bounce and land on your magic feet and you step to the side your hand sliding across his back to reconnect on the other side, you lean in and flick you are dipped so your head is inches from the ground and as he pulls you back up you hear the final beats of the song fade away to a memory... until the next song begins...



I went country dancing this weekend and this is my attempt to explain how it feels as the dancer on the floor when it works the way it is supposed to. There is no feeling quite like it and those of us who love dance would do almost anything to never let it go, which explains why we get hurt so much and don't stop, from the popped blisters to the broken bones, we still go back and relish in each beat of every song to fly, to soar for however brief a time. The only way to fly...

Willoughby vs Colonel Brandon

In Sense and Sensibility two very different men fall in love with the same woman, the young and attractive Marianne Dashwood. She is the typical naive lady who has not been exposed to the turmoils of life and is ready to fall in love with her entire heart as if she were the romantic heroine of the novel in which she is featured. She compares true passion with Guinevere, Juliet, or Eloise. The choice she is faced with seems no choice at all.

Colonel Brandon is reserved, dignified and loyal. He first meets Marianne at the moment she is singing at the piano forte; he falls in love. As he is over 35 years old, however, Marianne sees him as too old for love and does not consider him a real suitor even though his affection for her is clear. He remains a kind and helpful friend to her and her family through it all.

John Willoughby, on the other hand, is young and dashing. He is in the neighborhood visiting a wealthy relative and sweeps Ms. Marianne off her feet with his good looks, knowledge of poetry, brash open behavior of affection.

Impetuous and enthralled Marianne falls instantaneously for John Willoughby.

In a surprising turn of events, Willoughby does not become engaged to Marianne, but turns and gets engaged to a wealthy Ms. Grey. He deserts his love of Marianne for the security of money that he does not have. With this change Marianne is devastated. Reduced to a broken heart, Marianne returns to the country.

Unable to let go of her affection for Willoughby, Colonel Brandon comes forth to give Marianne a clearer perspective of him. He explained his own tragic history of loving a young lady who had been to poor to be approved by his family. His love, Eliza, eventually became a "fallen woman." In the last moments of her life she bore a child named Beth whom she leaves in the charge of Colonel Brandon. This young lady follows after the reckless lifestyle of others and ends up the deplorable and misused woman of Willoughby. She is left alone and pregnant.

Understanding the true position of the man she loved and obtaining an entirely new perspective of Colonel Brandon in his tragic romance, Marianne must reexamine her life and romantic sensibilities.

Marianne becomes life-threateningly ill and is rescued by Colonel Brandon. As she is on the mend, he is her constant and unfailingly kind attendant. He finds a position for Edward, the love of her older sister, and finds a way of rekindling Marianne's love of literature and music.

In her new situation, Marianne learns to find a great respect and affection for Colonel Brandon and with such a wonderful start to a relationship the are married. Love with her whole heart is not long in coming.

May I now present to all the woman of the world a noble truth. The best of relationships that stand the test of time and the unavoidable struggles of life are those not based on passion or polite affection, but on honest and deep friendship. There is nothing so intoxicating or stable than a true friend who becomes a true spouse. May we learn without our own hearts being broken of the infinite wisdom that has been presented to us by one of the greatest authors of all time, Ms. Jane Austen.

Rediscovery

I have been writing for years, at least 8 seriously, but every once in a while I like to go back and see what I wrote and make it a finished product, or just remember why I wrote it. Going through my writing journal I found this one...

Untitled (always the hardest part for me...any suggestions?)

It seeps through you,
Touching every spot:
Filling you up,
Soaring in and out
From every pore,
Ribbons of emotion
Covered by musical notes.

Like a wind swooping
Over, under, around
Each leaf of every branch
Of the tall oak tree.
How can one not feel
the magic of its touch?

A blessing come from God
that speaks from soul to soul,
Another piece of the
Intricate staff of life.

Milk

I love Milk!

I cannot go even 24 hours without feeling with drawls from my lack of milk intake and I have been out of milk for days without a car to go and replace it, so a cosmic thanks to the guys to took me to the "cloud nine" for all dairy products...the BYU Creamery! They have the riches and best price milk and other dairy products ever created. But how can one resist that cool, smooth, and refreshing glass of white that sits in your fridge and why would you want to?

I am just happy today and thought I would share with the cosmic void...Good day dear void.

JFSB Fountain

So if you aren't familiar with the BYU campus let me tell you about one of my favorite places...the Joseph Fielding Smith Building. This is the building in which I live. Every building on campus has a major or school that has all of its classes there, and the JFSB is mine for both history and English classes and believe it or not my on campus job. (No, I never leave.)

As I have so much time in and around this building you would be correct in thinking that I know it pretty well from the balcony on the fourth floor to all the great places to hide and read/study in a good chair or couch to the beautiful relaxing court yard. In this courtyard is a wonderful fountain with large pieces of rock in the middle creating natural-like waterfalls, albeit small ones.

One of the things I love to do is watch when little kids come up and start putting their hands in and splashing around or better yet, when they hope right in and play like they are at the water park and secretly I have always wanted to join them, but thought that my college peers would think me juvenile and maybe a little "around the bend." This secret desire has been building for over 4 years now and this Sunday I gave in.

I was helping giving a tour to my sister and her family and we went there and their little girls got in to play...so I did too. Now I didn't go crazy and fall in or splash a bunch I just walked around and got my feet wet, but it was so worth it. I may even do it again and make a mess of it before I graduate from this lovely school and let other people's opinions of me be poppycock!

The Power of Words

I was reminded today of the power that words can carry when the right ones are chosen.

My brother wrote these words six or seven years ago and they have brought me and many others a great deal of comfort.

The Rear Guard

By Dean Newton (distributed by his sister Melanie Newton)

Walking back from the temple last week, a piece of music got stuck in my head. As it played over and over, an image formed in my mind…

I stood on a hill, over looking a great battle began. I could see two mighty armies battling with swords and shields, one in bright silver and gold, the other in a dark black and grey. I look down, and notice that I too am clad in armor of silver and gleaming gold. I turn back to the battle. I see the battle sway back and forth, one side gaining ground, and then the other pushing them back.

Finally thirteen horses ride past me, on their way into the conflict. It is my captain, and his twelve sub-captains. Almost immediately the black army starts to lose ground. The Enemy throws everything it has at my Captain, but nothing can slow or stop him as he charges into the fight, rallying our soldiers to him. Then, I see him take a vicious blow from behind: He was betrayed by one of his twelve. He soon rises again, but leaves the field of combat, with a few last commands to his still faithful sub-captains.

Shortly, after the Captain leaves, his sub-captains are forced from the field by overwhelming numbers of mighty Black soldiers. I watch as my fellow soldiers try to hold true to their cause, but with no leader on the field, they fight a hopeless battle. I see them struggle, and I long to help, but I cannot, for I am a soldier in the Lord’s Army, and my orders hold me back. For I am in the Rear Guard, the Last Army of the Lord.

Finally, my company’s commander leads the way into the fray, and the call goes forth “REAR GUARD to the Fight!”

I see the enemy send forth his most terrible soldiers, his most powerful companies, but we are the Rear Guard and we will not fail, for we are the LAST Army of the Lord. We cannot fail, for if we do, there is no one else to come.

Our Captain is behind us as we charge into the fight, his commands hold us strong. We will not fail!! For We Cannot.

Rear Guard to the Front! Into the Battle! Victory! Victory! For our Lord!

Memorial Park

We went to the park again; this time for a picnic and we played on the AA gun that was in the park.

Yes we are college students, but yes we still climb on things like they are playground equipment.

Spring has Arrived!

The Sun has finally shown its face and given us a little warmth to enjoy the outdoors. To commemorate this my roommate and a few of the guys in my ward went the park to read and nap in the sun and green grass.

While we were there we saw people flying a kite in the lovely breeze.

As you can see I mostly read. A Cathy Marie Hake book recommended to me by my sister and might I say I really do enjoy CMH as an author.

Here is our group reading and napping. Great thanks to Mom for the amazing jean quilt and the fleece that go outside for things like this.

Jackie reading in her oh so cool sun glasses.
(She is reading The Undaunted, one of the most dauntingly thick books I have ever seen.)

Michael napping and synchronized leg moving with his roommate on the other blanket.

All in all it was a fantastic day and may become a weekly tradition during the fine weather.

Underland

So since high school English class when I was forced to for a grade, I have been writing short stories and poems sporadically. It has been nice, and now I am wanting to share a few of them with those I love.

I hope you enjoy reading these as much as I enjoyed writing them.

I've been to Underland and made it back again,
But have no fear, tisn't so scary--the upside down world.
I shed my tears when I hit my head,
But my heart was where I felt the hurt,
The pain it wound around my head as a ribbon of color and stars.

Chorus:
Falling down,
Spinning round,
Topsy turvy,
Upside down,
Holding on,
Letting go,
and Reaching out.

Up my eyes to rest on a door--a way forward;
Is there any other way?
Through the door or up the hole from which I fell,
And as I went there they were, the objects of my memories.
The things I passed, they tell a tale that makes me twinge from the everyday.

Chorus:
Falling down,
Spinning round,
Topsy turvy,
Upside down,
Holding on,
Letting go,
and Reaching out.

So forward it is and through the door I go.
On the other side, another world,
A brand new life to be discovered--to start all over.
In smoke and mist appear my trials: a cat, a queen, and a caterpillar,
Some old, some new, but real as day.

Chorus:
Falling down,
Spinning round,
Topsy turvy,
Upside down,
Holding on,
Letting go,
and Reaching out.


I overcame; I made it through,
Each test one step toward my goal.
And now the trick no mind can master no lights, no flashes, no sleight of hand,
To take them both and go ahead;
Two lives I've lived: one right side up, on up-side down.

Out I came on the other side,
I rose again to the world I knew.
The sky is up, the earth is down,
My world is righted,
My life continues.

Chorus:
Falling down,
Spinning round,
Topsy turvy,
Upside down,
Holding on,
Letting go,
and Reaching out.

A map in my hand,

A hat on my head,
A butterfly pin,
A watch in my pocket,
A road at my feet,
And a sunrise before me.

Personal thought:
Never forget that no matter what problems and trials come your way there is always hope and a sun rising in the future...Faith will take us through anything.

Road Trip to Vegas

So I never got around to posting about when my little sister and I road tripped down to Las Vegas to see Rachel, Andrew, and baby Katherine.

They were in town for Andrew's business trip and Elaine and I decided we needed to leave the Provo bubble and do a little site seeing as well and some good quality family time. (Not to mention this was our first road trip ever without the entire family.)

Well we being the poor college students that we are staying in Circus Circus Hotel, and let me tell you that the room we had wasn't fit for much more than sleeping in, extremely sad, but as we were only there for the 7 hours of sleep a night it was fine.

And let me tell you the inside really is a circus just like the sign says.

The second thing we were there for was to see family. And even though we didn't get any pictures of Rachel and Andrew we assure you they were there and didn't ship there child to us in a box. Isn't she the cutest child ever!

She was teething so everything went in her mouth.

She wasn't too happy in these, but at least she wasn't screaming which also occurred while we were there. We all had fun playing with her the whole time.



So we spent most our time in Rachel and Andrew's hotel the Aria and let me tell you it was amazing. Just look at what we saw in the lobby of the shopping center right next door.

This is the kind of car my brother wants to drive.

We ate breakfast a little French patisserie in the lobby called Jean Phillipe and it was worth driving to Vegas to eat there. The food was to die for.

And the architecture was pretty neat too.

This was the view from their room! A little better than ours...

The lobby casino, so convienent except when you want to walk through it. The scented air they pump through it is not quite strong enough to eliminate the alcohol and smoke smell, but that is what should be expected.

Remember I mentioned site seeing...well this is what we passed in the short drive to there hotel everyday.

Harrah's, Mardi Gras Central
(a little taste of home)

The Sphinx, not the name of the hotel, but I forget that part.

The Eiffel Tower
I always wanted to go to France and in a way this could count right? (Correct answer: NO!)

Caesar's (classic)

The Statue of Liberty
I saw this one in NY and you get a better view in Vegas let me tell you, except for the boat ride part.

Excalibur
This is a more kid friendly place to stay and looks pretty cool.

And Finally my favorite part of tourism in Vegas, the 4 story tall M&M Store. It has everything you can think of in M&M and is amazing. It was totally worth holding Katherine in our arms as we looked around since she couldn't wait to get back to the hotel to take her nap. She was heavy and escalators aren't easy, but we had a lot of fun and three sets of arms to take turns.