snappin, snap me, snip it

My roommates are the best (I mean my fall 2012 roommates). They will always be considered "my roommates, no matter who I am actually living with. They are my very best friends and we are so lucky that such a unique group of girls can get along so well while living together. Sure, we have our problems every once and awhile but I feel like that's normal.

Alyssa, Hailey, Katie, Ashley

Miss Alyssa J. Eyring left on her mission today (farthest left in the picture). She is going to St. Petersburg, Russia and I could not be more proud. She is going to be an incredible missionary and I am really so excited for her. I had to say goodbye last night and it was just not a very happy night......

Anyways, Alyssa has been living at home since Christmas break so I haven't seen much of her. This is one of many reasons why I am so grateful for the media. 

SNAP CHAT! Yes. Snap chat saved our lives ever since Alyssa left us. We snapped all day everyday and I loved it. It's way better than texting because you get to see what the person looks like! (although not as effective for long messages). I know a lot of people are against snap chat because of inappropriate pictures that could be sent....but I only used snap chat in a very wholesome way. :) Now that Alyssa is gone...my snap chat usage will definitely be down. I think it is so cool that people are smart enough to come up with cool apps like snap chat! Good thing we have technologically gifted people in the world. They sure save my life. 

So the purpose of this post? Snap chat is great. 

Gotta Kick it Up!

                                                      

Gotta Kick it Up!!!

I LOVED this Disney Channel Original Movie when I was little. I thought the main character, Daisy, was the coolest. I loved her dance moves and always wanted to be a cheerleader just like her. This weekend, I wasn't tired so I was watching some TV at 1:00 in the morning. Gotta Kick it Up just happened to be the show that was on. I was laughing so hard! It was so dramatic and cheesy. It's interesting how Disney shows seem so real when you're little but now that i'm older I realize that it wasn't like real life at all.

My favorite things about this movie:

1. Their rocking nineties dance movies

2. The awesome lines the parents say..."Rome wasn't built in a day...you'll have better luck next time."

3. "Si Se Puede!" YES WE CAN!

My real life complaints:

1. The main character is a 14 year old girl with an 18 year old boyfriend. It's obvious that their relationship is all physical and definitely not healthy. 

2. The girls lie to a lot of people because they think they're ready to compete. They play tricks on their coach and the school administration and they don't tell their parents where they are going. They also never get punished for lying. They are told that what they did was wrong but they don't suffer any real consequences. 

3. Apparently Daisy doesn't have parents. The only "parenting" she gets is from her dance coach Miss Bartlett.

When I was little I adored this show! I remember being so excited when it would come on. Looking back,  I realize that although this show probably isn't detrimental for the tween girls watching it, it doesn't show the greatest example of relationships with boys or with parents. 

"Si Se Puede!!!!!"

                                           

KSL 5

I have always been a HUGE fan of the news. During high school I watched the news every single night from 10-10:35 before going to bed. My dream career was broadcast journalism. I just knew I would be a news anchor someday. I never actually declared a communications major once I got to BYU. I think I lost that dream sometime during my senior year or maybe it was after I took comms 101 freshman year. I also realized that I hate the sound of my voice on tape... So even though my high school dream of being a news anchor isn't really my dream anymore, I still love to watch the news. After a long day at school, turning on the news is just the perfect way for me to unwind. In fact, I'm watching KSL 5 news at noon as I type this.

Channel 5 has always been my favorite. I think the anchors are more professional and more reliable than the other Utah stations. (and I promise I would know...I've been watching Utah news for years!)

I think the main reason I love watching the news is because I love knowing what is going on in the world. I think it's so easy in college to tune out the rest of the world and just worry about homework and a social life. It is important for me to be a responsible citizen and know what is going on in the rest of the world.

kids and the media

This weekend I was talking to my cousin Caleb(8) about school, his friends, and his favorite things to do. When I asked him what his very favorite thing to do is...he answered quickly..."I like to play on my iPhone." I was shocked! Since when did an eight year old kid need an iPhone, and since when did a phone become someones favorite thing to "do." As we kept talking I learned that his parents gave him his mom's old iPhone (he kept calling it ancient...it's the iPhone 3). It doesn't have calling or texting capabilities, he just uses it for the fun games. At first, I was nervous about him having his own phone to carry around and play games on all the time. I don't know if he could sense my concern but he quickly told me that he is not allowed to bring it to school, and that he can only play games that his parents allow him to play. 

I asked him what his very favorite game is and he told me he likes to play on "Net Smart Kidz." I was curious, so I asked him to show me the game. He and his older sister Meghan (9), told me all about how you can play fun games that teach you how to be safe on the internet. I asked them what they had learned and the explained that "Potty Mouth Pete" teaches you not to say bad things about yourself or others on the internet. "Meet me Mac," teaches you not to meet anybody in person that you met on the internet. They explained that lots of times, people pretend to be someone they're not on the internet so you can't trust anybody! I asked their little sister Emmalee (7) what she had learned from the game and she explained that you have to have good netiquette and not to answer a message someone sends you without asking your parents for help. 

When I first started talking to Caleb, I was very nervous about his ancient iPhone and the type of games he could be playing on there. After talking to him and his siblings a little bit more, I learned that there are great games for kids to play! I was happy and interested to learn about "Net Smart Kidz." I didn't know that an app like that existed! 

okay he doesn't really have much to do with this blog post, but i'm completely obsessed with him. Isn't he adorable? This weekend I made him repeat over and over...."Hailey is my favorite cousin."

These kids are NET SMART!

iPhone

For the past two years (or at least year and a half), I've been living in a smart phone world without a smart phone. I told my dad over and over that it was just time to break down and get one, but he didn't think so. He even had an iPhone, but didn't think that I would have use for one. This Christmas I asked for one thing, just a smart phone! That was all I wanted. Christmas morning came, and much to my surprise I got an iPhone. Now that I've been living with the little gem for a few weeks I can't even believe I lived my life without one!

There are a few great things about my iPhone that have changed my life significantly over the past few week.

1. I never get lost anymore! I have the worst sense of direction. It's the greatest thing just getting in my car, putting the address into my phone, and never thinking twice about getting lost! My iPhone seriously saves me like 20 extra minutes per day.

2. I don't forget about my homework/appointments. How great is it that I can sync my iPhone to my school calendars? I have access to everything I ever have to do right on my phone!

3. If I forget to submit something, I can just do it on my phone! I am way too forgetful. My physical science class requires that I take a quiz everyday before class to say whether I read. I realized at 10:55 AM yesterday that I hadn't done the quiz which is due at 11. Luckily, I had my phone to help me. :)

Really, I have no idea how I lived before my iPhone. I think my back problems will be solved because I don't have to carry my laptop everywhere....and I'm sure my parents love it because I keep my phone with me more often. My one complaint about my phone...i'm WAY too connected to social media. If i'm bored, I check Instagram or Facebook. I feel like I constantly have all the updates on everyone's lives which makes me feel a little bit creepy. Yesterday, I even deleted the Facebook app on my phone to see if that would reduce my consumption. Then, when I needed to stalk someone later I got all annoyed that I didn't have the app so i re-downloaded it. #firstworldproblems

Who would have thought that a white iPhone 5 with an adorable case would have changed my life so much in just a few short weeks. I'm kind of embarrassed to say it, but now that I've lived with a smart phone I'm not sure I could live without.

What is truth?

Last night I attended a broadcast of the CES fireside given by President Uchtdorf. They dimmed the lights, so it was hard to stay awake! But I loved the message he gave. There are a few specific things I took from the fireside that I want to apply to my daily life.

1. We have a responsibility to discover truth. Not only is it a good thing to search the scriptures diligently but it is my responsibility to seek after the truth. I am going to apply this to my daily life by not only reading the scriptures but searching for light and knowledge during my study. 

2. Seek truth to get rid of contention. President Uchtdorf explained that contention is of the devil and will not bring the spirit into my apartment. I will apply this into my daily life by seeking truth and allowing the Holy Ghost to be my guide. As long as I follow Christ, I will be less contentious with my friends and roommates. 

3. Once I know the truth I need to follow it. President Uchtdorf explained that once we find the truth it is important to live it and apply it to our daily life. Knowing the truth requires great responsibility including the responsibility to share it and help other people live it. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the CES fireside given by President Uchtdorf. I plan on applying these important principles to my life so that I can continually be on the quest for truth.