It's time for a new post

This blog hasn't quite fulfilled the purpose that I intended, but then again, one of my rules of having this blog was that I didn't have any rules. Otherwise, I would just look at it as one more thing to do. This entry is just to get rid of the Christmas post that is definitely getting a little stale.

As far as what's new with me....I'm about to graduate from college, I'm applying to graduate school, and I joined a tap ensemble. The last of these is my absolute favorite. It has always been one of my dreams to be some sort of dancer. I tried ballet and gymnastics (I know, it's not really dancing, but it's related) when I was little, but quit. I also tried learning how to swing dance, but that also didn't stick with me. I resorted for many years to just dancing around the house thinking that I had missed my chances. But then I got to BYU and tried out tap dancing and just fell in love. Even then I didn't think I would ever do anything really fun with it. But then, I had this opportunity and encouragement from a dear friend (we'll call him Tim) and decided to go for it. Now I'm a happy member of The Foot Poetry Tap Ensemble (we even have fancy jackets). I'm pretty sure it's the coolest thing I've ever done.

Anyway, that's really all I have to say at this moment. I hope to write more, but then, I won't commit because I don't want to stress myself out.

Christmas Fun

Dad and his apron. What a man.

My new scarf and me.

Kelley with the present I gave her.

Aren't they cute?

Mom "opening" her present from Dad.

In the car before ring and run.

None of us will claim this ornament, but we just can't part with it.

Decorating the tree is an art. Placing an ornament usually requires consulting with other family members before making a final placement.

One of my ornaments. Isn't it lovely?

A Season of Giving

This year has been a very interesting year for me and gift giving. Due to my financial situation I was unable to buy gifts for my loved ones. This got me thinking a lot about the gifts that really matter in life and the gifts that I've received that have meant the most to me. As cheesy as this sounds I realized that the best gifts that I've gotten haven't been wrapped and can't be wrapped. These gifts include a listening ear, encouragement, laughter, blessings from Heavenly Father, and time, attention and love from other people. Those are just some things. I have to be honest and admit that I still like to get gifts like the new watch my sister gave me so I can time myself when I run, or the new shiny red kitchen aid mixer from my mom, or my favorite gift, the purse that my coworker gave me this year (see picture). These things make me happy and bring enjoyment to my life, but without those other gifts my life would have little meaning.

I had the most fun making gifts for my family and other loved ones and watching them open them. I tried doing something along these lines a couple years ago when I was in similar situation, however, I did not get the results I had hoped. That year I gave my parents a few of my running awards to show my appreciation to them for helping me accomplish something and so they could proudly display them in our home. I think they just saw it as a cop out. We laugh quite a bit about that now. My parents cried when I gave them my gift this year, so I feel like this year was a lot more successful.

I like this quote from President Hunter: "This Christmas, mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. Write a letter. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Forgo a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Apologize. Try to understand. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Be kind. Be gentle. Laugh a little more. Express your gratitude. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love and then speak it again. Christmas is a celebration, and there is no celebration that compares with the realization of its true meaning—with the sudden stirring of the heart that has extended itself unselfishly in the things that matter most." I think that is beautiful and so very important to do all the time. I'm glad that I was able to have this experience so that I can remember again what is really important. Merry Christmas!

Advice About Girls

When I was visiting my brother this weekend he showed me a book called, " The Dangerous Book for Boys" which discusses numerous topics that all boys love. One section was entitled, "Advice About Girls". I found it quite entertaining and thought I would post it for any of the males that might read my blog. There is some good advice. It goes like this (my comments are in red):

"You may have noticed that girls are quite different from you. By this, we do not mean the physical differences, more the fact that they remain unimpressed by your mastery of a game involving wizards, or your understanding of Morse code. Some will be impressed, of course, but as a general rule, girls do not get quite as excited by the use of urine as a secret ink as boys do.

We thought long and hard about what advice could possible be suitable. It is an inescapable fact that boys spend a great deal of their lives thinking and dreaming about girls, so the subject should be mentioned here-as delicately as possible.

Advice About Girls:

1. It is important to listen. Human beings are often very self-centered and like to talk about themselves. In addition, it's an easy subject if someone is nervous. It is good advice to listen closely-unless she has also been given this advice, in which case an uneasy silence could develop, like two owls sitting together.

(I personally get a little uncomfortable when I have to talk for a while and my conversation partner is silent. I don't normally have a whole lot to say unless someone gives me something to work with. There needs to be a good balance. Conversation is an art. One of my favorite things is being able to converse well with a guy.)

2. Be careful with humor. It is very common for boys to try to impress girls with a string of jokes, each one more desperate than the last. One joke, perhaps, and then a long silence while she talks about herself...

3. When you are older, flowers really do work-women love them. When you are young, however, there is a ghastly sense of being awkward rather than romantic-and she will guess your mother bought them. (I like flowers. The more spontaneous, the better)

4. Valentine's Day cards. Do not put your name on them. The whole point is the excitement a girl feels, wondering who finds her attractive. If it says, "From Brian" on it, the magic isn't really there. This is actually quite a nice thing to do to someone you don't think will get a card. If you do this, it is even more important that you never say, "I sent you one because I thought you wouldn't get any." Keep the cards simple. You do not want one with fancy stuff of any kind. (Cards are nice. And simple is always good. I prefer a nice card with a sincere note over a gift any day.)

5. Avoid being vulgar. Excitable bouts of windbreaking will not endear you to a girl, just to pick one example. (Amen)

6. Play a sport of some kind. It doesn't matter what it is, as long as it replaces the corpse-like pallor of the computer programmer with a ruddy glow. Honestly, this is more important than you know.

7. If you see a girl (or anyone) in need of help-unable to life something, for example-do not taunt her. (Never a good thing) Approach the object and greet her with a cheerful smile, while surreptitiously testing the weight of the object. If you find you can life it, go ahead. If you can't, try sitting on it and engaging her in conversation. ( : ) )

8. Finally, make sure you are well-scrubbed, your nails are clean and your hair is washed. Remember that girls are as nervous around you as you are around them, if you can imagine such a thing. (It really is true...at least in my case) They think and act rather differently to you, but without them, life would be one long football locker room. Treat them with respect.

So that's that. If you want any more specifics on my thoughts on these, I would be happy to discuss.

In the Pursuit of Beauty

Even though my sister has already written about what I am going to write about, I'm doing it anyway, mostly because it was my idea in the first place. Since my only readers are my family and they have probably read what she wrote, I apologize for any duplication of ideas or thoughts.

This summer while I was at the beach with my family my mom, sister and I began discussing Chinese food binding. My mother was reading a book about it and we decided to learn a little bit more about this seemingly inhumane tradition. The more we learned, the more appalled we became. (See above photo)

Chinese foot binding dates back to the 10th century and was practiced until the 20th century. A woman began binding her foot when she was a young girl. The binding would cause her feet to break and then grow to be deformed and often infected. The foot usually reached a length of a mere 4-5 inches. The smaller the better. The reasons for doing this were mainly aesthetic, for the binding caused the woman to walk in a certain way which for some reason was highly attractive. This is called the lotus gait. Another thing that I found interesting was that with bound feet, the women had very limited mobility causing them to have a very limited role in society.

As I learned these facts about foot binding I couldn't not believe that a women in her right mind would allow that to happen. And then it occurred to me that we women do the same thing today just in a different forms. This idea occurred to me as I was laying out in the sun suffering from a somewhat painful sunburn. Who ever decided that baking in the sun in order to have dark skin at the risk of getting cancer was a good idea? Probably someone who thought that breaking little girls feet was also a good idea.

My point is, which I feel like I am not expressing very well, is that it is really ridiculous what our society has defined as beauty. The pursuit of beauty as the world defines it is in most cases associated with pain, discomfort, and sacrifice of one's virtue. How easily we are deceived. I am so grateful for the Gospel that teaches us what real beauty is and that we don't have to sacrifice our souls to obtain it.