A Talk From the Heart

For those of you who aren't familiar with the Mormon church, the members give talks during the sacrament meetings. I have given many talks in my lifetime, however, I have never written one. I have always given someone else's talk from general conference or from one of he church magazines. Well, back in April of this year, I was randomly inspired to write about Faith. So I am going to share my words with you:

Faith is an extremely fragile thing. It’s not tangible, it has no taste or smell, and in many cases, it cannot be seen.

We all know the story of the boy and prophet, Joseph Smith. He questioned which church to join, he prayed about it, and he saw the Father and the Son. Joseph was only 14 years old when he mustered up the courage to pray for guidance. A young teenage boy … I remember when I was around the age of 14, I too, questioned religion. I did not know if the church was true. I believed there was a God. I believed Jesus was the Christ. But at the same time, I was not entirely certain. However, my moment of truth was maybe not as spectacular as Joseph’s, but I believe it may have been just as breath taking.

Throughout my teenage years, I was questioned on my beliefs as “the Mormon kid.” I had several friends who would always ask “Why do you do this?” or “Do you really believe Joseph Smith saw God?” and I’d always respond with “the CHURCH believes…” this continued on until I was about 16 or 17. Then I really began to wonder why I answered that way. Why was I constantly saying “the CHURCH believes” instead of “I believe?”

Being a teenager is … interesting, to say the least. I look back on it … sort of fondly, but never again would I wish to be one. I’ve done my time, and that is more than enough. Teenagers think they know everything. I did. During Sunday school lessons I was always thinking “I know this already, I’ve heard this lesson a hundred times before.” Which was true. I had heard the lessons many times, but I had never really listened to them. When I was 17, almost 18, I had a non-member boyfriend who wasn’t the greatest influence on me. However at that point in my life I had decided that if the church was true, I wanted a temple marriage, JUST IN CASE. So I had constantly nagged this boyfriend about coming to church with me. He came a few times, but he never really gathered anything from it. Then one day, he invited me to his church. At first I told him “no” but then he made the argument of “well I went to yours, so you should come to mine.” So I asked my parents, and they decided it was okay to go just once.

Well… that Sunday, when I got home, I walked into my parent’s bedroom where my father was reading his scriptures, and I told him “Dad, I know the church is true.”

I’m not going to bash any religion. I will say that it was very uncomfortable to me, though. It wasn’t reverent. Or at least it wasn’t the type of reverence I was used to. And I felt… empty. Like, something was missing. It was the strangest feeling. I almost felt hollow. At first I thought, “Well I’m just out of my comfort zone” but I later figured out that I was missing the companionship of the Holy Ghost.

When I was 16, I received my Patriarchal Blessing (for those of you who are unaware of what that is, it's basically personal revelation given to each person who asks for one. It's full of promises one will receive in their life if they live worthily for receiving them). I remember feeling substantial bliss when I heard the words, “Your Heavenly Father is pleased with the pattern of your life” I immediately had a stream of tears running down my face. My blessing continued on revealing spectacular promises throughout my life if I am to keep the commandments. But my favorite blessing that is mentioned is the following: My Patriarchal Blessing states that my testimony will be unshakable, and that it will cause those that hear it to have their hearts tremble.

Brothers and sisters, I assure you that I know that at least half of that particular promise has come to pass. I do have an unshakable testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I KNOW that God is the Father and that Jesus Christ, our beloved brother and Savior, died for the remission of our sins. I hope that my words today will touch your hearts in a way that can strengthen your own testimonies.

Now, let me continue on with my story from my teenage years. Remember that non-member boyfriend? Well he and I ended up hitting a few bumps in the road. It got to the point where I viewed my family as a trial, instead of what they really are: the people I love most in the entire world. I ended up spending that summer away from home. Over that summer, I did a lot of fasting and praying, just as a final test, a final prayer … to see if this gospel is true or not. One evening, I was sitting alone outside. I looked up at the stars and asked out loud “Is the gospel true? Am I fighting for the right thing (meaning my temple marriage)?” and I had an overwhelming feeling of peace and comfort. Ever since, I have not questioned who I am or what I stand for. I am a witness of Christ, and I plan on letting my testimony of Him and His gospel shine through in everything that I do. That summer, I had truly gained a strong desire to be married in the temple, to have an eternal family, and to be the best I could possibly be. And I knew that without keeping the commandments, without my family, and without faith in my beloved Heavenly Father… I would fail. I wouldn’t gain my dreams of temple marriage, an eternal family, and I would not be the best I could possibly be. I read over my Patriarchal blessing countless times that summer. And I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the straight and narrow path was where I needed to be.

I ended up breaking off that relationship because of my desire to have a temple marriage. I was at institute one night with some friends, and then my boyfriend came in. Brother Williams, the Institute Director, asked the Young Single Adults, “What’s the one thing you want out of life?” some said “happiness” or “success” and my boyfriend leaned over and asked me “what do you want?” I told him “You know what I want.”

He stood up and walked out. I was furious. We ended up getting in a big fight, both in tears, and I asked him, “Do you honestly think you’ll ever give me a temple marriage? I want you to really think about it. Can you give me that?” and he got really quiet for a while and then told me “No.” Then I said “Okay, then. We’re done.” Mind you, this was one of the hardest decisions I had ever made. I loved this boy, and I cared about him. But he was not worth risking my eternal family for. Which, I mean, it all worked out for the best, I’m waiting for my sweet, sweet, missionary as we speak!

Now, another one of my friends asked me once, “How do you know God is real?” I told her “It just makes sense.” I mean if you really think about it, how can there NOT be a God? Let’s get a little scientific, here: if a single organism in our solar system was even just a hair off… we wouldn’t exist. If Earth was just a little closer to the sun, we’d combust, and if it was just a little further away from the sun, we’d freeze. Now let’s look at nature: there’s so much to nature. A seed falls into the soil, and the soil has amazing nutrients to help that seed sprout, wich the seed can then turn into anything from a blade of grass to a giant tree. And it all does it on its own. How could that be possible? How could any of this be possible? A loving Heavenly Father, who is brilliant beyond our human capacity, loves us enough to make this perfect science, this perfect balance for us to live in.

Now how do I know He’s there? That’s another question that was shortly followed by the first one, and my answer to my friend was that I can feel Him. She asked “How?” and I told her “the Holy Ghost.” I then explained that the Holy Ghost was sometimes administered through a physical feeling, and sometimes it was emotional. My friend became very curious about how the physical aspect of the Holy Ghost felt, so I told her to close her eyes. As soon as she had her eyes closed, I wrapped my arms around her and held her in a tender embrace. I had no other way of explaining the physical feeling I receive from the Holy Ghost. Words cannot do Him justice. He is the spirit of our Father in heaven.

I was 9 years old when I joined this church. Back then, it didn’t really make a whole lot of sense to me. My attention span has really never been the greatest. But as I grew older and I began to listen to the talks and prayers in Sacrament meeting, as I began to really listening to the lessons in Sunday school and in Young Women, as I began to read my scriptures and pray privately… I have heard the voice of God. I can even tell you what He sounds like. Sometimes, he sounds like my Dad. Sometimes, he sounds like my mom. Sometimes, it’s Susan Carpenter’s voice. Sometimes, it’s our lovely Bishop’s voice. Sometimes, it’s my own voice. Through the power of testimony and faith, I have had multiple witnesses of our Heavenly Father’s existence in my life. He’s administered through love and care.

So what is faith? The best definition of Faith that I can offer you, is “Love.” Heavenly Father has done everything for us out of love. How do I know Him? Through love. How did I gain a testimony? Through love. How do I share my testimony? Through love. He sent His son to die for us, because he loves us. Jesus Christ bled through every pore on his body, endured pain so great that it made God, the Almighty, tremble… because he loves us.

With Faith comes Obedience. Why? Because faith is believing. When you believe something or in someone, you get to know them; once you know them you gain a friendship, and with friendship comes love. “Obedience” is another word for “Loyalty.” Are we all not loyal to our beloved friends? Do we not listen to their guidance and counseling? Why should it be any different with our Heavenly Father? We love Him, trust Him, He is our greatest friend, so we should be loyal to Him.
Our loving Heavenly Father has promised us that He will keep His word if we obey His laws. At the beginning of each school year, my Father gives each of his children a blessing. At the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year, Heavenly Father promised me that if I prayed every day and read my scriptures that I would do well in my classes. Well, I’d like to let you know that I have been praying and reading my scriptures more regularly and I have passed the past two semesters with flying colors!

God does not give us trials that we are unable to overcome. He loves us. Granted, he will push us to be our best, just as any loving parent would do, but he will never ask us to do something we cannot accomplish. In the Book of Mormon, we read the story of Nephi and his family traveling out of Jerusalem. God asks Nephi and his brothers to go back into the city of Jerusalem and retrieve the golden plates from Laban. Laman and Lemuel were complaining saying that the Lord had given them a hard thing to do. Nephi’s response to his brother’s complaints was this scripture:

1 Nephi 3:7 “I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which He commandeth them.”

This is a good scripture to keep in mind when one struggles with keeping the commandments, or even when one is simply struggling with life’s daily challenges. Sometimes it’s hard to keep some commandments. We are human, we have flaws, we are not perfect, and we sin every day. Once upon a time, we were with Him in heaven, and we were among the 2/3rds of Heaven that chose to follow His plan. Look at yourself. You’re already halfway there. You’ve chosen to follow Him through your love and devotion; you have come to this Earth and gained a body. Now we need to try to be like Nephi and “go and do the thing which the Lord hath commanded” us to do. It’s not easy, but it is doable. Prayer plays a big factor in overcoming our daily challenges, no matter what those challenges may be. If we keep that relationship open with our Father in Heaven, we will be successful in all things.

Now, I’d like to formally bare my Testimony to you, dear Brother’s and Sister’s:
We are in the last days. There will be trials that will bring each of us to our knees in frustration and heart ache. The youth of our church are especially targeted by the adversary and he will try his hardest to break them down. I testify that Heavenly Father is there. When you are scared, feeling alone or abandoned, or if you’re just at your breaking point… cry out to your Father… He’s listening, and he’s willing to help His children. He just needs us to put our human pride aside and ask for it. He loves each and every one of us. He knows us. He knows the beginning from the end. We came to this Earth to be tested. So far, we’re doing pretty well, I think. Each day is both a trial and a blessing. Each trial IS a blessing. Every hardship we endure will make us stronger. Those who weep will someday have no reason to shed another tear. We are all sons and daughter of a Heavenly Father who loves us, and we love Him. Through faith and obedience, we will make it back to Him and live in eternal bliss. I leave these things with you and I testify of these things in the name of our beloved Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.

That Thing...

So I had a 6 hour shift at work today. Well, almost 7 hours, really. Anyway, my boss, Alan, can be quite terrifying when he's ticked off (ANGRY MAN!), and me and my fellow co-workers try to hide and avoid him at all costs. No one likes to be yelled at, but it happens. Anyway this isn't the point of my blog, but it leads up to it...
So Alan was in a pretty bad mood, and I was thankfully sent off on a delivery. I was so happy to be out of the pizza parlor! When i finished my delivery and came back in the store, Alan had calmed down significantly, and we even had some sarcastic jokes towards each other, like usual. Then he asked if I was ready to go home. HECK YEAH! I didn't want to stick around for another anger flood! So I was collecting my cash and receipts and I clocked out. Now, when a delivery driver clocks out, we're supposed to get a print out of all the deliveries we made with all the financial information and coupon information that we handled. I went to the back and i didn't see mine, so i went into the office thinking "Oh Alan must have taken it in there for me." So i go in and I don't see it. Alan comes in behind me and I turned around and looked at him and said "Alan, my thingy never came out."


I really need to think before I speak.

Alan looked at me and just turned red and began laughing to the point where he teared up a little. Not yet realizing what was so funny i just looked at him blankly. Then it was like the light bulb above my head just came on. "Pffft, oh my gosh, I uh, I didn't mean for that to sound so...well, bad." Alan at this point couldn't breathe pretty much. He looked at me, still laughing, and said "Go tell Pam that you can't find your thingy! See what she says!!" at this point, folks, I'm having a giggle fit, because my other boss, Miss Pam, has a really fun sense of humor and I had no idea what she would say about my...thingy. So Alan and I run back to go get Pam. "Pam!"
"What?"
"My thingy never came out!"

".......What the hell is that supposed to even mean!?"
"My thing! I never got it!"
"You talkin' about your PRINTOUT? it's called a 'printout' Lindsay."

"....I like calling it a 'thingy' better."

so i get my thingy printed out and then Alan and I go back to the office so i can cash out and go home. Alan then explains to me that his mind is usually not very dirty, but what i had said was just too...provocative to not laugh at. So everyone in the kitchen had heard about my THING and they were all having a good laugh, so then i turned to Alan and said "See how much joy my thingy brings into people's lives?" then I left. pretty sure this is gonna be the new joke from now on at work. fun stuff, guys. FUN STUFF! :D

Mother's Day

This weekend is the weekend to celebrate, love, and show immense amounts of appreciation to your mother, and other motherly figures in your life. I think this is one of the sweetest holidays that we celebrate. I know that no mother is perfect, but I also know that every mother is a gem!

My mother is one of my best friends and I appreciate her so much. We used to not have a very strong relationship (because I was a little stinker in high school), however we are now like two peas in a pod! I love my mother with pure, unconditional love. She is human, but at the same time she seems like someone from a story- too good to be true. She's an amazing cook, and she's ruined our whole family! Not in a home-wrecker sense, but in a "I found Olive Garden's Alfredo sauce recipe online and I'm gonna play around with it" sort of way. She did play with it, and she made it better. NOW I GET NO ENJOYMENT FROM OLIVE GARDEN. But that's okay. We don't go there too often.

My mother is hilarious. I can't tell you how many time's she has made me cry from laughing so hard. She can also spit like a camel! Beware my mother when she's drinking water: she'll spit on you and she doesn't ever miss. No matter where you are, you could be right next to her, or on the other side of the room... she will get you with the water.

I love my mother's smile. Her smile can light up a room and cheer me up on even my darkest of days. No matter how upset I am, she always knows how to make me smile. She's fun, beautiful, a queen, a chef, remarkable, wise, and smart. She is my mother, and I am truly blessed to have her in my life.

I know a lot of remarkable women who are mothers who are being celebrated this weekend.

Susan Carpenter: my future mother-in-law. She's a joyous woman with one of the biggest hearts imaginable. i love her to pieces!

Jill Galyan: She's an inspiration and a role model to me. I absolutely adore this mother and her whole family.

Brittany Jones: She was one of my Young Women leaders, and a dear friend of mine who has shown tender motherly love, to not only her children, but to all.

Jennifer Arrington Cromwell: This is my friend's mother, whom, I feel is just as much my own mother. She's helped me cope through some hard times, and she's treated me as if I am one of her own children.

there are hundreds more that I can name, but I just wanted to highlight a few that I think needed to hear or read something nice about themselves. I love these women, and I love my mother. I hope that all mothers are getting treated like queens this weekend, and every day of their lives. They deserve it.

A Strange Dream

Last night I had the most peculiar dream. Me and my family were invited to a important church meeting. Our Bishop emphasized to dress our very best and to invite any and all whom we cared for and loved, such as family and friends. So we show up, and in the church building's gym, there are long tables with refreshments, crowds of people everywhere with not enough tables and chairs to seat all of them, and every one is dressed in their Sunday's best.
Me and my family start to mingle with others, and I end up finding my future mother in law, Susan, and my future sister in law, Jenna. Jenna asked me "Why do you think Bishop called this meeting?" I told her i simply had no idea, and then Susan pulled me aside and told me in a very hushed voice, "Bishop told me that this was going to be the hardest and most memorable experience any of us have ever witnessed. I'm a little scared, Lindsay."
Our sweet Bishop comes out and announces, "Within a few minutes, everyone in the building will be in tears. We're locked in, so no one can leave until we are done for the evening. I urge each of you to find those who are closest to your hearts in the room, and stay near to them." and with that, he left the stage and I didn't see him again. My friend Jenny found me. She was with her dad, who is ill with cancer, and she said "Lindsay I have a bad feeling in my gut." I looked at her and tried to reassure her that we were where we needed to be. Then I noticed her father beginning to look a little strange. He had started to turn transparent and he was fading away. Jenny began sobbing as soon as she saw her father. there was a strange glow in the room and the source of the light was coming from the center of the ceiling where there was a golden orb hovering. "Daddy, what's wrong with you?" he did not answer her, he only looked at her and placed his half invisible hand on her cheek and smiled. He began to walk towards the center of the room where other fading people were gathering. Jenny started to become transparent as well. "Jenny!" I  grabbed her hand and tried to hole her back, but she squeezed my hand and whispered, "I have to go." and then she made my hand drop from hers. I ran to find my parents. My mom and dad were fine, they were just as confuse as I was. everyone was going into a panic because more than half of the room was full of transparent loved ones.
Jenna and Susan found me both in tears and Jenna said "Lindsay I'm scared!" I held her close and told them to stay with me and my family. My little sister Kaitlyn was at this point in my arms as well. Then this little glass box appeared. it sort of looked like an empty fish tank. Jenna pointed it out and asked me what it was. I didn't know, so i crouched down to look at it. there were little swirling golden lights in it. They turned into loved ones who had passed away. Jenna's father was there, my grandpa, my aunt, many other faces that i did not entirely recognize... it was breath taking.
My bishop came back out and said "Brother's and Sister's, this is very much like how the second coming will be. We will lose and gain loved ones just like you are experiencing tonight. It will be hard, but it will be rewarding." then the golden glowing lights in the room faded and everything and everyone was back to normal. Jenny's dad was solid again and he was looking better than he had been looking for a long time. He said "I...I feel...healthy." His cancer was gone. Everyone in the room who had had some kind of illness or something wrong with them... it was all cured.


it was a powerful dream. I almost cried while telling my mom about it.
anyway, I just thought I'd share it with all of you.

I Now Know Why...

Why I'm not finishing anything. I was, once again, on Tumblr just passing time away. Then I came across something very enlightening.

Please excuse the S-word, but seriously, since I've discovered how freaking amusing this site is, I have ... not been very productive. I was telling Clint through an email that I don't have enough time to finish all of my paintings at this point in my life. AND NOW I KNOW WHY. Tumblr.

That three panel comic above is pretty much head-on of what I've been doing the past few weeks.

"Yeah I'm gonna totally work on my homework today!" pshhh. Yeah right.

"I'm gonna make an epic painting of Jesus for Easter!" Yeah. Sure. Easter is over. Jesus has left the building.

Or, how about, "I'm gonna go take some snazzy pictures at the park with my spiffy camera!" HA! Riiiiiight.

I love tumblr so hard, but holy crap it is SO addicting. Where have I been getting all of my fun images for this blog? Tumblrrrrrrrrrr...........

WHUT?

oh my gosh, guys...
I love Tumblr.

and Tom Hanks.

Working Out

So this morning i woke up around 7am, and I couldn't get back to sleep. So after laying there for about half an hour, I decide "Okay, it's time to get out of bed." So I'm trying to figure out how to pass the time getting ready for school. My class doesn't start until 1pm, and I didn't want to get sucked back into Dragon Age Origins on my 360. Turns out, one of my friends needed a ride this morning. WOO! But she didn't need a ride until 9am. It was 8am when she told me. So, I decide to work out for half an hour, shower and get ready.
So I'm working out. I feel great. But then....... Foul Bachelor Frog never fails.

I totally did this today. Work out failed. At this rate, I will be a squishy bride. I hope Clint likes squishiness.

I'm a Big Inspired Baby.

Okay, so we all know how much i LOVE Disney's animated movie Tangled, right? Well my mom bought it, and I've watched it twice this week already. I just love it so much. I'm pretty sure I want to paint a scene from the movie for the Italian Street Painting Festival (aka: Via Arte) in October. I've already got some sketches down for it, but once they're more developed I'll start practicing in my back yard (or the front yard maybe) and post some pictures.
Now, I'm gonna give out a spoiler alert for the next paragraph: I CAUTION ALL HARRY POTTER FANS WHO HAVE NOT SEEN DEATHLY HALLOWS PART ONE.

anyway, I bought the movie on itunes and I have yet to read the book, so I was completely unaware of everything that was going to happen. Well when Hedwig got zapped down and died I cried. It was like a "OH NOES!! NOT HEDWIG!!! *sad face*"
However... when Dobby died... I cried so hard. Like, seriously. It was a little on the ridiculous side. I was sobbing, my face was soaked, and every time i attempted to close my mouth, i squeaked like some injured animal and gritted my teeth. Guys, it was messy. Cassie sent me the perfect icon for this situation though. And here it is.

Enough said.

So Tangled pretty much makes me foam at the mouth with inspiration for painting, and Harry Potter makes me feel like a blubbering baby. I have some issues.

Oh My Gosh

I think I just found the wedding dress of my dreams...

Like... seriously. I've never wanted a dress so badly. It's so pretty! And simple too :D
oh my gosh! AHH! i want my wedding dress to BE this dress!!!!

Foul Bachelor Frog and Duck Face

I pretty much love Tumblr.
And I also love the Foul Bachelor Frog. He makes me laugh until I'm drooling, and when I get kind of bored with that, I go to Anti Duck Face and suddenly I feel like I have abs.
Let me share with you some of the funny treasures on these sights. Sorry in advance for the possible foul language. I'm just copying and pasting here.

.......Pretty much the story of my life.

And this one takes the cake with the caption "oh. oh jesus. um. we’re sorry about subjecting you to this picture, people. christ, we’re assholes."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! IT GETS ME EVERY TIME!!!!  I'm dying from lack of oxygen now... hahahahhahhahhahahahaha


I'm not sure this one is human...

seriously... how is that picture even humanly possible!? and holy cow, chick, can you put ANY MORE bling on your freaking nails?! Jeeze, just shine a flashlight on those bad boys and you got yourself a disco!


AND BACK TO BACHELOR FROG!

.........yeah. That one is pretty much my teenage life in a nutshell.


okay, so now that we've had some laughs and giggle, and possible gut-busting action, you all should really look at those websites. They will change your life. When you're bored, or have nothing important to do, or you need to kill time before class, go to tumblr or anti duck face. It's highly amusing. You may get some odd looks ... but it's entirely worth it. I was looking at Anti Duck Face this last Tuesday in between classes at the Institute building across from BC, and I'm pretty sure half the people in the room thought I was mentally ill, or something.

Bittersweet

Today I saw the most depressing scene EVER...
the Borders Book Store... half empty... and ....and...


CLOSING.



Yeah. Maybe it's not that big of a deal. I mean, sure there's another one in the mall, but that one is small and insignificant next to THIS one. The Borders on Stockdale highway in Bakersfield... is closing. I have spent so much of my life there. And now, it's leaving. I wanted to cry when I saw how empty it was. I mean, the coffee shop is already closed down and abandoned, and seeing how dead it looked made me fear for the way Borders may look in a week.

However, there were awesome deals on everything in the store. So, naturally, as an artist... I went straight for the art books. For those of you who don't know this fact, Art books (especially hardback ones) are freaking expensive! But today, in between work shifts, I bought three of them for $20!!!!!! :O

I almost went back after work... but unfortunately I didn't make much in tip money. *sob*
Oh well. I get paid next Friday. If Borders is still alive, I'm going back. To buy whatever else I can find. I'm a bit of a book whore. If I find a book that looks interesting, I'll buy it if I have the money. I just looked at my book shelf, and just from a quick peek, I can see ten books that I have yet to read. Darn me not having enough time to crawl into a corner and just read.

Pshh. The only way I'd have time to do that is if i dropped out of school and quit my job. HA! not happening.


anyways... I've decided on a Peacock theme for my wedding. I'm thinking the colors will be green blue and purple. Britney sent me a bunch of links with Peacock wedding stuff, and I'm smitten with a lot of it!

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand now I'm sleepy.
however, I'm pretty sure this is what will happen

I WAS FEATURED

BC student paints on the side - Features
holy crap! I'M IN MY SCHOOL PAPER!!!
today... the paper...
tomorrow... THE WORLD! bwaahahaha!

except in the paper, the editor chose like the crappiest piece of art ever. :< I was kind of bummed when i saw the stupid stippling picture. The article talks mostly about my digital stuff, so why not show a digital painting??? And I'm also kind of sad that Sandra (the lady that interviewed me) didn't mention Cameron Brian (my favorite art teacher at BC).

oh well, I'm sure (hoping) that I'll have other opportunities :)

Procrastination is Bad for My Health

Seriously, guys. It's freaking almost 3:30 in the morning. I put off doing my stupid 5-page essay, and a 2-page response paper all weekend cause i figured "Hey, I always have Monday's off, so I'll just do them then." Well guess what. I had to work tonight. From 6pm until closing. Well, one of the supervisors called me (BLAAAAAKE....) and asked "Hey can you come in early?"

"no."
"You're fired then."
"well, dang."

I'm kidding. That is NOT what happened. It's how the scenario played out in my head though when I wanted to say "No." I said "yes" instead. Honestly though, I have no idea why the heck I had to come in early. THERE WAS NOTHING TO DO. There was MAYBE 6 groups of people that came in tonight (and when i say "groups," I mean the groups were mostly couples or 2-3 people at a time.) So my question is this: WHY BLAKE, WHY!?!??!

Sigh...

oh well. Bigger paycheck. Well, we got done closing around midnight, and I still had.....about 90% of my paper to write. So before I headed home, I went to Food Maxx to buy me some Monster Energy Drinks (I know, shame on me. Big whoop. I know they're horribly bad for you, which is part of the reason why I'm writing this blog. my eyes are wide open and I'm all jittery! LORD HELP ME! Darn you Monster... DARN YOOOU!!!!!). I only drank one of the two that i bought. I'm shocked that I finished my homework already. Well, I guess my fingers are going at a million miles a second with all this sugar and caffeine in my system. I suppose that MUST be why I'm already done. Though I'm sure my paper is full of crap. Like I care at this point. I'm just happy i have SOMETHING to turn in tomorrow. Besides, it's just for the rough draft/peer editing portion of the assignment.

I have been in this situation multiple times in .... every school semester/quarter I have ever been in. When will I learn? Procrastination will be the death of me. I swear, one day my body will be ready to die and mentally I'll be saying, "No wait... just a few more hours. I'm still enjoying something completely unimportant." Thank you internet and itunes and Studio Ghibli and... I'm sure I've participated in multiple distracting things this weekend.

Well shoot, I hope I get some sleep before I have to go back to work tonight at 5pm. It's either sleep.... or the other Monster Can. the one that is sitting in my refrigerator. Not the one that is empty and coursing through my veins mocking me with every waking moment I am now suffering from. I WANT TO SLEEP. But I am in no way shape or form tired. ............I'm gonna die later on in the day. I'm sure it'll happen in class. I'll come down from this ridiculous hype and just crash and burn (snore).

And now I'm hungry. Great. Breakfast isn't for at least three more hours. *sob* Why did I procrastinate!?

UUUUGggghhhh....

So at work tonight, I was delivering a pizza..... and I got a flat tire at the person's house. I was having such a great day too... Oh well, it'll get fixed in the morning. But it still sucks.

So here's a recap of my almost-perfect day :)

First: I got some gaming time before class and I totally took some names and kicked some butt!
Second: I got an A on a paper in English class, and my teacher used a quote from my paper in her lesson today
Third: I was interviewed by a reporter for my school news paper about my art! it was so awesome! :D
Fourth: My boss told me that his brother who owns another one of the pizza shops requested me by name to work for him for a little while, and they kind of fought over me. (which i find both amusing and very flattering! haha!) So I guess that makes me a "good employee" :D
Fifth: I made almost $40 in tips tonight


Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand then i got my flat tire. :<
honestly though, I have no need to complain! I've had such a wonderful day. Maybe I got the flat for a reason. Maybe the next delivery was bad juju or something?  Who knows! But hey, i got to head home a little earlier than expected ;D so that's good too!

okay, now I'm going to share some of the art I showed the reporter :)

Worst Music Video Ever

Love You Tender is a pretty, uh... sweet song. I guess. I don't know. I can't take it seriously after watching the video for it. Click on the name and you;ll be sent on quite the adventure of giggles and possible crying.

Oh
My
Gosh.

I just found something that's Absolutely Hilarious!!!!! Click it, watch it... be educated by it. hahaha! i love the internet!

Japan

Japan was hit with an 8.9 earthquake, followed by a raging tsunami. Over 10k are dead, and their nuclear plant is leaking. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ap_on_bi_ge/as_japan_earthquake

I'm absolutely heart broken by these series of events. Japan is a beautiful country full of sophistication and knowledge. I'm so scared for all the Japanese people right now... When I first heard about this tragedy a few days ago, I felt my heart sink. As I watched the news, I cried. I couldn't take it anymore. I didn't want to see any more of it. I've never had a bigger urge to just go hop on a plane and help people.

Sadly, I'm unable to do that for many reasons. BUT! As an artist, I am able to display my emotions through my art. I posted these paintings, above and below, on my deviant art page, and someone left me a comment to a link on Face Book. It's a Charity called Drawings for Japan.

So for all my fellow artists out there, or if anyone knows an artist... please share this page and let's all give Japan something. Let us show that we are thinking of them and that they are loved.

Random LOL Videos

Okay, here are some music/random videos that made me laugh out loud.


Ke$ha: Blow
Josh Groban: Panda Love
Backin' Up
Smart Phones
Molly the Pug
Old Spice


HAHAHAHAHHAA! that last one is my favorite!

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I'M BORED AND MY MOM WONT LET ME PLAY MY XBOX

So yesterday I got sucked in to a video game for about 6 hours straight while my mom was gone running errands. I hadn't intended to play the game for so long, but it's so addicting! The game is Dragon Age Origins, and I had almost beat it, but then i decided to start a new game file and hoard all my health potion things for the epic end battle that I die so miserably in. So i started a new game a few days ago and I'm about half way done. Well my mom came home and i turned off the game to go pick up my sister from school. When I came back I asked my mom if I could play again, she said "No my shows are on, go draw or something."
Well... I didn't really feel like drawing. So instead I cleaned out the back of my car, tried watching some t.v. and then decided, "eh okay, I'll draw"

So... I always have my music playing while I'm doodling. And when "Is He Alive" by the Rednex came on (yes, I have that song, I have it because it's funny. don't judge, man.) And ...it all just went downhill from there!! hahaha, this is what happened.

This is my character Tenchi ... and that ball thing is "STRANGER DANGER" ... so remember kids! Beware of strangers! Everyone and Everything aren't always what they seem!  :O

Shameless Advertisement

Yeah, that's right. I've done an act of SHAMELESS ADVERTISEMENT! O___O it happened this morning around 12:30... I was extremely bored and I couldn't sleep. So I made a Video promoting my art and my art page on DeviantArt.com.

I really am tired of being more on the "unknown" side of the artist's scale. Sure, a few people know my art, but most of them are close personal friends. I just want to get my stuff out there, and let the world know that I am here and I want to really BE an artist.

Well, on another note: if and when you type in Deviant Art.com ...don't forget the "m" on ".com" O_O Apparently if you don't put that "m" there, you'll end up in a very bad bad place. My friend Sam forgot the "m" and she was scarred for life. She saw boobies. lots and lots of them. Poor Sam :(

Young Woman's Message

For those of you who don't know, I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormon church), and I have a calling in the Young Woman's program (teenage girls ages 12-18). I'm the adviser to the 12 and 13 year old girls. I teach them on Sunday's, I try to get them involved in our Wednesday night activities, and i love them. Well, this coming Sunday, I'm teaching a lesson on Overcoming Opposition. It's an awesome lesson, I love it! I went online to try to find some extra material i can use in my lesson. I recently came across a conference talk by President Deiter F. Uchtdorf. His message was geared towards the Young Women in the church. The talk was titled "Your Happily Ever After."

“Once upon a time” promises something: a story of adventure and romance, a story of princesses and princes. It may include tales of courage, hope, and everlasting love. In many of these stories, nice overcomes mean and good overcomes evil. But perhaps most of all, I love it when we turn to the last page and our eyes reach the final lines and we see the enchanting words “And they lived happily ever after.”

On the first page of your Young Women Personal Progress book, you will find these words: “You are a beloved daughter of Heavenly Father, prepared to come to the earth at this particular time for a sacred and glorious purpose.” ¹

Sisters, those words are true! They are not made up in a fairy tale! Isn’t it remarkable to know that our eternal Heavenly Father knows you, hears you, watches over you, and loves you with an infinite love? In fact, His love for you is so great that He has granted you this earthly life as a precious gift of “once upon a time,” complete with your own true story of adventure, trial, and opportunities for greatness, nobility, courage, and love. And, most glorious of all, He offers you a gift beyond price and comprehension. Heavenly Father offers to you the greatest gift of all—eternal life—and the opportunity and infinite blessing of your own “happily ever after.”

I love this message. It's very uplifting and encouraging. I came across this talk, I think, last week or the week before. It had touched me, and inspired me to make a painting. More specifically this quote from his talk, “Happily ever after” is not something found only in fairy tales. You can have it! It is available for you! But you must follow your Heavenly Father’s map.

This is an acrylic painting of The Tree of Life from Lehi's vision. I painted the tree, the straight and narrow path, the iron rod (it's kind of hard to see, it's on the bottom though), and a young woman standing next to the tree touching it with her hand. It isn't the best painting I've made, but it was fun. :)