Day Thirteen

"Investigate new possibilities with friends. Now is the time!"

Does this mean I need to meet new people and expand my list of friends? Or perhaps, now is the time to make plans with my friends. For example, I am trying to find a place to live during the spring and summer of 2012 and then for the following fall and winter semesters. I really want us all to live in the same complex together. I also think it would be way fun to start study nights and Saturday breakfasts and Sunday dinners. Also, there is this bookstore in a neighboring city that will pay individuals $25 to sort books on Saturday mornings. We're poor college kids, we need money, sounds like the perfect fit! There are so many things us friends could do together. What better time to start new traditions and plan for grand adventures than the beginning of a new year!

Day Twelve

"You have a flair for adding a fanciful dimension to any story."

Yeah...I think that comes from my ability to tell half the truth and not the whole truth and a knack for exaggeration...At least when I am telling stories. For example, when I introduce my family. I have two uncles in prison, my papa and another uncle "transport goods across interstate lines", another uncle stakes things out, and people call my dad when they want to get rid of people. Sound like a shady family? Those two uncles in prison? They're prison guards. My papa and the other uncle? Truckers. My other uncle? A surveyor. My dad? A controller and HR Director. He fires people when called upon to do so. That's the way I usually introduce my family to others, for example, the missionaries I write that do not know my family. One Elder wrote me back expressing that he thought my dad sounded like Bourne. It made me laugh! I also recently went to the doctor where I found out that I had to have a surgery done where part of my left buttock would be removed ASAP. I was out for a day and am still recovering. The part of my body that was cut out from me is undergoing research from a pathologist to see if I have cancer. I should hear back from them next week. It's quite entertaining to watch people's reactions! Please don't get me wrong, I know when to be serious and I know when it's okay to be funny.

Day Eleven

"Now is the time to set your sights high and go for it"

What a perfect fortune for the beginning of the new year (Well, almost beginning...)! I have actually been thinking on the many improvements that I need to make to myself and contemplating how to tackle them. You know, I could make all the plans that I wanted but they would be completely useless if I did not act on them. I was at Target recently and saw a book entitled "The Happiness Project". In it the author explains her experiences over the year. Each month she focused on something different, like cleanliness, energizing, developing talents, etc. Well, I would like to make plans and do them along the same lines. For January, I was thinking I would focus on cleanliness: making sure I kept my room clean, did my chores more consistently and diligently and physical cleanliness. Every month I will come up with something different to focus on. The real struggle will come with keeping up with it. But, I'm going to go for it!
In addition to personal improvement, there is a certain gent that I would really like to get to know. But every time I am around him I suddenly have nothing to say and I just don't know what to do! I suppose it is because I am all twitterpated and such...I don't know...Anyway, I want to develop a friendship with him and I am no longer going to be afraid, I'm just going to put myself out there! I'm just going to go for it! I have nothing to lose and everything to gain! I think it's interesting how formidable some things may seem, like writing a research paper, jumping back into the dating scene after having your heart broken, moving to some place new, or undergoing surgery. However, when you go through it, you realize it was not at all as bad as you thought it would be and you discover that the thing that made it so frightful was yourself. Maybe what we personally percieve is what we will see. So, how would our lives changed if we anticipated joyfully? How much more brave, strong, and comfortable would we be? What would happen if we no longer percieved in fear? Try it and anticipate it joyfully! As my grandmother would say, "If you can't anticipate joyfully, then don't anticipate at all!"

Sorry for the Delay

Sorry for the delay everyone! Life got really busy with school and finals! I will be starting this back up hopefully this week or the first week of January! Thanks for your patience! Happy holidays!

Day Ten

"You will soon be singled out for a promotion. Congrats!"

So, I am going to be completely open and admit that the first thing I thought was, "Yes! I will be promoted from single to 'in a relationship'!" Yeah...I do not see that happening anytime soon, circumstances being as they are...So, how does this relate to my life today? Well, I work for BYU Broadcasting and perhaps I will get assigned another responsibility soon! Other than that, I have no idea. But here is a thought: So often we succeed in competing with others, but never ourselves. One of our greatest focuses should be on improving ourselves and making us the best us possible. Never settle for mediocrity and always give 100% to everything you do, wherever you are, whoever you are with. I believe it is this trait that employers look for. For those that seek to be the best they can be will be promoted.

Day Nine

"Soon you'll have a chance for a profitable transaction."

Exactly what kind of "profitable transaction" does this fortune mean. Does it allude to political, social, economic, metaphysical, physical, grammatically, etc... Well, this Friday is payday and I know that I have the chance to accept that money...which I will most happily do! I am also selling three of my pageant dresses, so perhaps someone will buy one! Oh, that would make my day! The money I earn from the sale of those three dresses will ideally take care of my books for Winter Semester and enable me to pay my parents back for the Fall Semester books. Not relating to finances, perhaps I will have the opportunity to make a good, new friend! I have had that opportunity today. I found out that my friend of about a week feels like she doesn't really have any friends, so My Big Brother and I decided that we are going to fix that. She is an incredible, fun, young woman. Now, I don't know if that is "profitable" in that sense of the word. But it is so important that we remember that we must love and befriend all, giving everything and expecting nothing in return. True love and charity is tested in how we choose to treat others, regardless of what they can or cannot give us in return. May we love and serve all people and immerse ourselves in the service and love of others, regardless of who or what they are! It is then that we discover some of the sweetest, most meaningful, and enduring relationships that will bring us great happiness!

Day Eight

"Your lost treasure will be found within the month."

Lost treasure? Well, this would be a way cool fortune if I had a lost treasure... There are, however, some items that I lost that I would like back again. For example, my high school choir CD, Marshall McDonald's "This is the Christ" CD, and my handy-dandy cooking pot. Perhaps I will find them by December 12, 2011. We shall see! Wait a second...then that means that I need to start actively looking for those items, for when we seek we shall find.

Day Seven

"Your best idea will come to you in the shower this week. Act on it."

When I first read this, I thought "Great. Now I need to take a shower..." So I did. And my incredibly brilliant idea? I should really call maintenance and ask them to unclog our shower drain. That, and I should probably eat some dinner. Now, I am required to act on those things. Maybe I should comment on later showers in the week and see if any better ideas come up...which is pretty hard since it's difficult to beat unclogging a shower drain...

Day Six

"You will soon be involved in many gatherings and parties."

I like this fortune! And how true! On Friday, I intend on purchasing Harry Potter 7.2 and having a movie night where all of us Harry Potter nerds, devotees, lovers (whatever you term them as) can converge together and immerse ourselves in the magical world of Harry Potter. (Yeah...I am a proud Harry Potter fan...this woman is not afraid to let that nerd flag fly! I even got sorted into a house via Pottermore - Gryffindor! I also have a phoenix feather, ash, 10 3/4 in., slightly yielding wand...:)This Saturday, I will be engaging in a movie marathon with some buddies! It will be complete with cereal, pajamas, Scott Pilgrim, Nacho Libre, Napoleon Dynamite, and the dudes from Hot Rod. It should be a blast! Following the marathon, I'll be hanging out with my old roommate (whom I shall call The Artist). Then, there are those spontaneous Saturday evenings, where anything could happen...perhaps I'll go dancing! Then on Sunday, I will be going to Stake Conference, followed by ward prayer, group scripture study, and tunnel singing (maybe tunnel singing...I don't know...that's TBA). Lots of gatherings and parties coming my way? I think so! This weekend should be a good one!

Day Five - November 9, 2011

"Your talents will be recognized and suitably rewarded this year."

Okay, so my first thought when I read this was "A year from now, or by the end of 2011?" I am going to decide that the fortune cookie meant that somewhere between November 9, 2011 and November 9, 2012, my talents will be recognized and suitably rewarded. Then I thought, how funny it is that I get this fortune the day after I receive the fortune about prospering in the entertainment industry. Is the Universal Fortune Cookie Association trying to tell me something? We shall see! Or perhaps, my genius ideas (like monitor wipes for computers that this company called Staples grabbed and marketed) will perhaps be given a chance to take wing! There is so much that can happen this year! Opportunity is everywhere, now I just don't need to be afraid to answer the door!

Day Four - November 8, 2011

"You could prosper in the field of entertainment"

Why, thank you fortune cookie, same to you!

Actually, throughout part of middle school and all of high school, I have immersed myself in the performing arts, whether it be through choir, community theatre, musicals, operettas, plays, or dance, or a combination of all the above. When I first came to Brigham Young University, I intended on becoming a Music Dance Theatre (MDT) major. However, I discovered that there is a distinct difference between loving to do something for fun and loving to do something for a career. When it comes to hobbies, the performing arts is my number one! I love being a mechanism through which art can present itself and speak to others. It is incredible! At BYU, it is a little harder to get into the art scene, I was, however, a member of Women's Chorus and participated in dance classes and received vocal lessons. This semester is the first time that I have not been actively involved in the performing arts and it is driving me bonkers!! (For my church calling I get to be involved in music, but other than that...) I need it in my life!! I have been wanting to audition for plays or perform, but either I don't have the time or it's a hop, skip, and a boat ride away! But next semester I am taking a ballroom dance class where I will learn the waltz, quickstep, foxtrot, and the tango (imagine that being said with a Spanish accent...that's just how I'm thinking it...)! Anyways...the process of me getting back into the entertainment industry is in the works!

Day Three - November 7, 2011

"You will be happily surprised by a long time friend."

(First off, sorry that these are all delayed. I'll try and not let that happen again!) Today, I not only was surprised by one friend, but many! It brings such a cheer to my day to see my dear companions! What made it better is that we all ran into each other simultaneously! It was wonderful to hear how everyone's lives were going, (school, men, life in general...). What is interesting is that these dear women are not what would be generally termed "long time friends". Rather, I met them during my freshman year at Brigham Young University. We all went through a lot together and have grown to love, trust, and rejoice for one another. What a testament to the observation that it is not quantity of time, but the quality of time spent with other people that create lasting and enduring relationships. I love my friends and I was so glad to see them! In fact, one of them invited me to accompany them home for Thanksgiving! My telling of her proposition prompts a rather long tangent, so sorry. So, there is a certain gent, let's call him...Mr. Dapper... who I have been writing letters to since April. (Back story behind that: One Sunday in April, my friends and I were having a missionary (specifically missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, of which I am a most happy member) letter writing party. After I had penned a letter to some missionaries that I knew, I inquired of my friends if they knew any missionaries that perhaps were not receiving letters and would be happy to get a letter from someone, even if it was from a complete stranger. That's when my friends excitedly suggested that I write Mr. Dapper. So, I did. It was thereafter that they proceeded to tell me about him, showed me some pictures, etc. and I started crinkling on said gentlemen (For those who are unfamiliar with the term "crinkling", it is a precursor to a crush). Ever since then we have been writing back and forth and I have quite honestly become infatuated with him!) Okay...back to the main story about why this tangent was engendered by my friend's Thanksgiving invitation...So Mr. Dapper's sister was married over the summer. Mr. Dapper's family had these big pictures of Dapper's head put on popsicle sticks so he could "be present" at the wedding. One of my friends, who I will refer to as the Matchmaker, attended the wedding and at Fall Semester, brought me back one of those heads. I laughed 'cause I'm thinking "What in the world am I going to do with this?!" So, I put it on my closet wall, behind all my formals and such, where I would hardly see it (I have this strange phobia, if you will, that people in pictures are watching me and they can see what I am doing, hence why Dapper's picture went into the closet where I could not see him and he could not see me. Plus, I just didn't know what to do with it! -PS I am not schizophrenic!) I told Matchmaker and my other friend (who I just can't come up with a pseudonym for at the moment). It just so happens that a few weeks ago, Dapper's mother was at BYU and Matchmaker and my other friend went to chat with her. In this little chat, Matchmaker informed Dapper's mother that she had given me Dapper's head picture and then my other friend told her that I was keeping it in the closet!!!! [At this point I turned beet red and screamed in shock] Dapper's mother just laughed and told them to tell me to keep writing him. Great...she thinks I am a psycho! That is most definitely what I wanted her first impression of me to be...

So, I had to turn down my friend for Thanksgiving because more than likely I would also be meeting Dapper's familia during that period of time. I would love to go, however, I am just embarrassed - and my mother wants me home for Thanksgiving.

Day Two

"You have an ambitious nature and will make a name for yourself."

Hmm...I have an ambitious nature and will make a name for myself...Let's see, today I came to the realization that I am more than I have become. I want to become better, to be the best that I can be and that is my ambition. I want to be who I know I can be. I want to be learned in all things and perfect my character in all aspects until I am whole and complete. That is one of my deepest, most sincere ambitions. And the thing is, it is a life-long ambition, a goal I can always work towards. Isn't that one of the most common, and deep of human desires? To be in a state of constant progression and moving forward? And as we work, consistently and diligently to fulfill that desire of bettering ourselves and becoming complete, even perfect, we will make a name for ourselves. A name that is looked upon with honor and respect.

Day One

"It's time for you to learn to dance in the rain rather than wait for the sun."

So, I'm single and I'm in a place that's like couple central to the infinity power. More than often, I am reminded of that which I currently lack. I want to be in a relationship, I would LOVE to be, yet for as much as I date, I just cannot seem to find the right guy. For example, there has been a particular gent that has asked me out on four dates in the past couple of weeks. Today, I think he decided would be the last date. It was kind of a bummer, yet not. I knew from date two that this guy would be no more than a friend. Now, don't get me wrong, he is a fabulous guy and all, just not for me. He will be an amazing husband to some lucky woman, but that lucky woman is not me. That kind of seems like my dating life. I have the opportunity and blessing to date awesome guys yet, they are never more than friends for me. That can be very discouraging and disheartening at times. However, I do not regret dating any of them at all. Being in the company of them has taught me and helped create who I am today. I am such a strong believer that we are a compilation of all the people we've met and the things we've experienced. So for now, until my Prince Charming comes along, I am having a wonderful time relishing in the creation of friendships with many wonderful fellows. I am continuing to learn and grow and have fun. The sun will eventually come out, for it does not rain forever. Until then, I am going to continue to love life, make friendships, learn all I can, and serve others. I cannot let my relationship status get me down, let it consume me. Why choose sadness when I can have happiness? There is no golden ticket to happiness and happiness, peace, and joy can be found in even the darkest, most turbulent of rainstorms. So choose to be happy, regardless of the weather!

Now It Is Finally Constructed!

I have wanted to get this blog going for some time now and I have finally got the blog built...now I just need fortune cookies...Check back later for actual entries!