I'm an addict for dramatics, I confuse the two for love.

"Secret love, my escape.

Take me far far away.

Secret love, are you there?

Will you answer my prayer?

Please take me anywhere but here."

Yesterday was one of the best days of my life. Those little girls are the loves of my life. My escape. They are the answers to my prayers. They take me away from the worries of life and bring joy and happiness to everything they touch. 

At one point Jaycee (the beautiful blondie) gave me a big hug and said, "Misty! I am so glad that you came skiing wif us today, I just love you sooooo much!"

Are you kidding me? My heart melted then and there. Not sure I could possibly love any thing or person more than I love those two little angels.

Whenever I need to be anywhere but here, I find refuge in those girls. You know what they say... "Thank heaven for little girls." You bet your boots that I do. Every day I thank my Father in Heaven for placing them in my life. They are, without and beyond a shadow of a doubt, two of my greatest blessings.  

Who gon stop me?

"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath."

-James 1:19

I think, in general, that most people are, "swift to ignore (while adding perfectly placed, "hmm's" and "yeah's" to make it seem like we're paying attention), quick to speak (about only the things pertinent to ourselves), and instant to wrath (easy to irritate and easier to annoy)." I know that I especially need to work on taking the advice of James, the spiritual giant. I need to give people the attention they deserve. I must quit interrupting while they speak. I need to value what they have to say the way I would hope they would value my opinions. I need to think before I speak. Use eloquence in my words (starting with adding the word eloquent to my vocab). I need to not get irritated so easily, or even at all. Love. Happiness. Let's have some more of that this week :]

Ps. If you don't watch SNL... first of all shame on you. Second, watch this. I know it's a little sacrilegious, but honestly it killed me.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH, I WAS TOO LAZY TO EMBED IT

50 things to smile about.

Before I get to the point of what I want to talk about here, I'm going to throw it out there that Keni (the roomie/cousin/baller) and I are on day 8 of 25 Days of Elf. Still going strong. We are picking up on things I never even paid attention to before. I think I am going to come up with a quiz that people can only pass if they watch the movie 25 days in a row. 

Example:

What is the step-mom's name?

What is Buddy sitting on in the corner of Walter's office?

What song is playing in the background when Buddy asks Jovie out for the first time?

Who asks Buddy where he has been for the last 30 years?

...etc.

It's getting ridiculous. I can tell you that the little girl sitting at the Dr.'s office is named Carolyn. Buddy tuned the piano. Walter has a copy of The Sea King on display by his desk. I even have a new favorite part of the movie that I never noticed until now.. When Walter bails Buddy out of jail and they are walking out the door- Buddy tries to hold Walter's hand- and Walter slaps it away. Cracks me up every time.

That's a shhhhton of Elf watching.

Anywho. The thought behind this post was inspired by a shirt I saw at Forever 21 the other day. The top of the shirt read, "50 things to smile about". Literally a shirt with 50 things listed on it. They all made me smile, and I didn't even write the list. Magical. Not the Harry Potter kind of magic where it forces you to be happy because some out of your control force takes over your emotions, but the Disney kind where happiness just comes from thinking of how lovely all those things really are (that was not a hit at HP, I love HP. Just trying to describe what I mean). I wanted to make a list (I l-o-v-e making lists) of 50 things I smile about. Where better to do it than here.

Before I start the list (I do this in case you get bored with the list and want to bail out on reading this and decide to hit the magic red X in the top right, then I will have gotten my point across.. muahaha) I want to make a point that every one should have a list of reasons to smile. Whether you take the time to write them down, put them on a blog, print them on a shirt, or just think of them from time to time- a list of this nature could just change your whole life. 

How many times do we sit around and just feel sorry for ourselves? No matter how lovely of a person you are, we are human. Every one has those times when they feel like there is nothing good around them. Every one feels like their life is miserable at some point or another. During these times we need a slap in the face of reality to bring us back down to earth. 

Back in the day (like when dinosaurs roamed the earth) there was a woman in my life who used to always sing us a song that has the same concept as this 'smile list'. When you're a kid (and sometimes where you're an adult) you feel like every little thing that happens is the end of the world. We would be all "I just got in trouble for hitting my sister, my life stinks, woe is me...."ing, and this woman would sing this song. It always made us feel better. The lyrics were as follows:

"I love little baby ducks,

old pickup trucks

slow moving trains

and rain

and I love you too.

I love coffee in a cup

little fuzzy pups,

bourbon in a glass,

and grass

And I love you too.

I love winners when they cry,

losers when they try,

music when it's good

and life

and I love you too."

I thought she made it up because it was a pretty random list of things to love, but as it turns out it is a song by Tom T. Hall called "I Love". It, in a way, is a list of things to smile about. The same concept can be held in the song from the Sound of Music, "raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, brown paper packages tied up with strings, these are a few of my favorite things.."

The lyrics in this song are brilliant (pronounced BEE-RILL-LEE-ANT). Seriously, bro. Hold on to your hats for this concept....

WHEN THE DOG BITES, WHEN THE BEE STINGS

WHEN I'M FEELING SAD

I SIMPLY REMEMBER MY FAVORITE THINGS

....AND THEN I DON'T FEEL SO BAD.

Pshh.. the power of the lovely Julie Andrews to throw some perspective in my face. It's a pretty easy concept, really. I'll put it in an equation for you math nerds (like myself):

feeling sad + remember favorite things = don't feel so bad

sad + smile list = not sad

Right?

I think so.

The best part of it all is when she says, "I SIMPLY remember". Like, duh. Simply. Just do it. Am I making a point? Probably not. I just want to make it obvious that there is always a little something, no matter how small, to brighten up a day. If you keep that list somewhere close then you can refer to it whenever you are feeling down; you'll be back on top in no time. And let's face it, who doesn't want to be on top (TWSS)? We're at the top of the world, you and I...

Man do I tend to ramble. Ok, here goes nothing, 50 things to smile about:

 1. Snow

2. Hoodies

3. The word 'babydoll' (not the toy, but the cutsie/corny nickname for a lover)

4. Campfires

5. Ice Cream

6. Pictures of my friends

7. Summer BBQ's

8. Air kisses

9. High fives

10. Holding hands

11. Disney movies

12. Laughing until it hurts

13. Roller coasters

14. Sleeping in

15. Homemade cookies

16. That moment on a long run when it actually feels good (runners high- GET AT ME)

17. The phrase 'like a boss'

18. Getting something for free

19. MUSIC

20. FAMILY

21. Leaves turning in the fall

22. The monsoons

23. Stories about historical events told my grandparents

24. Dancing in your skivvies (we all do it)

25. A text that says, "I miss you."

26. Singing at the top of your lungs

27. The color purple

28. Boys playing guitars

29. Crossing something off a 'to-do' list

30. The ocean

31. Clock towers

32. Deep conversations until the wee hours of the morning

33. Knowing someone has your back in all things

34. A cold Coke

35. Waterfalls

36. High school year books

37. Watching someone play piano

38. Songs that speak to your heart

39. Reading a book to a kid 

40. That moment you've waited your whole life for (read more about that HERE, an old post I stumbled upon last night)

41. The way you feel after giving service

42. Inside jokes

43. Jim and Pam 

44. Sunsets

45. Puppies

46. Butterflies in your stomach

47. Road Trips

48. Your best friend

49. Bike rides

50. The temple at night

Hope some of these make you smile, too. You- make a list of reasons to smile. I doubt you'll regret it.

One Eighty by Winter

"Go on just say it, you need me like a bad habit.

One that leaves you defenseless, dependent, and alone.

Live up to your first impression.

My best side was your worst invention.

Why can't you live without the attention?

I'll just say it.. I need you defenseless, dependent, and alone."
-Taking Back Sunday

I just went running in a tank top and booty shorts in December and was still sweating. Eat your heart out, Flagstaffians. Maybe next time you'll think before your rub the glorious snow in my face.

In other news, I can't wait to put this hat to use. When I told my parents that I don't start work until January 17th, they BOTH replied, "good, gives you time to fit in some snowboarding." Dear Sender of the Snow, please bless my pretty white mountains with the lovely fluffy stuff they were named for. Mommy already promised me a trip as soon as Sunrise opens it's pretty little doors.

And the song quote was just the song I was jamming when I started to write this, so you got a taste of it. I once (very hesitantly) said it was my favorite TBS song. I won't say it again, it's too sacred of a claim. Just know, it must be up there for those words to have come out of my mouth (even in a moment of weakness). 

"It came to me then that every plan is a tiny prayer to Father Time"

Right now I'm on day 5 of "25 Days of Elf". It isn't old yet. I still laugh out loud every time. Not just an occasional chuckle.. but still literal outbursts of cracking up laughter. Such a classic movie. 

Anyway. I just wanted to write a little thank you note to the universe for being so good to me. I am so blessed in so many more ways than I deserve. I am not sure why, but I know I am thankful for it. I know the Lord's hand is in every aspect of my life. I know it is through Him that all things are possible. So many prayers have been answered today, this week, this month, this year. I have learned so much. I just feel so overwhelmed with gratitude toward my Heavenly Father, I can't contain it. I had to write it down somewhere. I have been challenged in ways that have brought me to places I never thought I would be. I was so confused as to why, and now lately I am seeing the blessings that have come from it. The Lord knows what we need, if only we will trust Him. He knows how to help us, if only we will allow Him to do so. 

I am so thankful for that knowledge. I am so thankful for His tender mercies. I am so thankful that He is willing to let us hurt in order to help us. I am so thankful for the Atonement and its healing power. I am so thankful Christ was willing to lay down his life and to suffer more than we can possibly imagine on our behalf. I am just so thankful. I am overwhelmed with gratitude. It is a beautiful feeling.

Last night I was reading in Alma about receiving His image in our countenance. I'm not sure if I have done that, but it hit me just how hard I need to strive to achieve it. Especially this Christmas season. Now is the time to reach out to Him, to let Him know just how thankful you are for all He has done for you. If you think you aren't blessed, just start noticing the people around you. Look at the challenges they are struggling with. Watch the news. We are so blessed.

"Have you received His image in your countenance?

Does the light of Christ shine in your eyes?

Will He know you when He comes again because you will be like Him?

When He sees you will the Father know His child?" 

...just think about it.

Remember, you can catch a lot of flies with honey..

..but you can catch more honies being fly. 

I know I already posted that on facebook, but seriously it never gets old. 

Hiiiiiiii friends! I know you miss reading my rantings. No worries, I haven't stopped watching Fantasy Factory and being inspired to write because of it, I have just been lazy. All is well. 

A few things before I get to the point I am trying to make.

1. Seriously the Hunger Games trailer, am I right?! I'm freaking out.

2. The Cards won today, the Wolves won yesterday, the Heat are back on. The sports fan inside of me is tickled to death. 

3. I bought a new stereo for my car. Ballin. Finally out of 2005 with my FM transmitter and caught up on the times of actually being able to use my iphone for what it's made for (besides making me the happiest girl to ever have an iphone).

4. If you aren't watching New Girl faithfully at this point, you're no friend of mine.

5. Everyone pray for snow.

6. Freaking Christmas right now. Best.time.of.year. There is a song they always played when I worked at Disney that said, "IT'S THE GREATEST TIME OF YEAR, AND IT'S HERE, COME AND CELEBRATE IT!" That's how I feel about Christmas right now. Let the watching of Elf & the Grinch on the daily commence.

So the other day I was watching Jay Leno (as I often do when I am hanging out with my mother (he's no Jimmy Fallon but he makes me giggle)) . Two of the guests on the show were an old man and his son. They told a story of how the father had gotten in an accident a while back. He flipped his car in to some swamp (or something? I wasn't paying close attention, the details are really irrelevant to the point) and disappeared for about a week. He was injured and starving, he had resorted to eating ants and spiders by the time they found him. The family had put together a search party and found him themselves. It was a really special story and they were both very emotional. The point, though, that was the real kicker, was when Jay asked the man what he learned from the event. 

His response:

"I learned to not wait for a holiday to have dinner and spend time with my family."

That hit me like a punch in the face. Think about it..

How often do we get so caught up in our lives, our jobs, whatever we think is important in this life, that we don't take the time necessary to connect with our families? How many people only visit home when Easter, the 4th, Thanksgiving, and Christmas come around? Don't get me wrong, those holidays are important and nothing compares to that family time. However, I know we all have things we can cut out of our schedules that are less important than a Sunday dinner with those closest to us. It always seems to take some outside force to encourage most people to spend time with their loved ones. Holidays, tragedies, weddings, etc. Why not just visit for the pure joy of seeing family? Nothing is more important in this life. 

Walt Disney once said, "A man should never neglect his family for business." I agree, but I would like to rephrase it to, "Nobody should neglect their family for any reason." Family is one of the few things we take with us after we are done here. It's one of the only relationships that will stand by our side our whole life. I think we all can agree on it's importance, but do we back this belief with our actions? Does it take a holiday to bring us together, or do we make a constant effort to spend time with those who mean the most? 

I just wanted to share the incredible insight that man had. What a way to look at the horrible situation he was in. I guarantee he'll never take that time for granted again, and I hope I don't either. 

I hope everyone had an incredible Thanksgiving and was able to see some family. Any time with them is good times. I know that's true for me. My family is a bunch of ballers. I love every one of those kids. This week has been bliss with them.

I didn't draw that, but it seemed to say it all.

Peace up, A-town down.  

Ps. Look at this picture I found while googling the word "family"

You- laugh at my picture. 

young & reckless

Luvers & fransss.

It’s been too long, how lovely to see you. As I mentioned in a previous post, I neglect blogger way more than I should. I wanted a mini reunion, so here I am.

By the way, I think if I had a dollar for every post that I referenced Fantasy Factory & I put those dollars in an interest bearing account, I could retire on Tuesday.

A few housekeeping matters:

1. I am back in Texas, so there may be many more of these to come. I tend to get bored and want to write when I am stuck in a hotel room 12 hours a day for 2 weeks.

2. I wish I could delete the words ‘epic’ and ‘legit’ from the English language, unless of course they are used at the appropriate time (nobody seems to know when that is).

3. Ryan Gosling is…. go watch Crazy, Stupid, Love; I think you’ll get what I mean.

4. I am still so happy Melanie won So You Think You Can Dance.

5. I think that’s it.

There are two reasons I am here. First, today I was stuck in the car allllllllll day driving through ‘the land of enchantment' (how DID New Mexico get that nickname? #questionsiwillneverknowtheanswerto), so I was asking the dudes I was with random questions (does that surprise anyone coming from me?). One of the questions was this: “If you were stuck on an island and could only listen to one band/singer for the rest of your life, who would it be?” I was expecting Disturbed, AC/DC, some metal core band I had never heard of…..

“Bob Marley.”

Really, bro? That’s awesome. Not what I was expecting at all. It made me really question who mine would be. The very first instinct was Taking Back Sunday. I never get sick of them. They are my favorite. Easy choice. This guy’s surprising answer made me think again… It needs to be someone with variety. Soft, hard, bitter, sweet, happy, depressing, something that fits any mood. Who would you pick?! It’s not that easy. I am still having trouble deciding (maybe Mayday?). I’ll get back to you on that.

Second, I want to talk about something I discovered in the last two weeks. Being a seasonal firefighter, I really don’t have a summer. Most people go on vacation, play at the lake, soak up the sun, eat ice cream, beach, lemonade, whatever. We all know what summer includes. I haven’t had one in five years. I miss the 4th of July, I miss family vacations to San Diego, I miss friend vacations to Disneyland. I know, boo-hoo woe is me… that isn’t what I mean. I love my job and am very thankful for it. I just mean that everything I packed in these last two weeks made it finally feel like summer time for the first time in years. It was glorious.

In the last two weeks I went to the creek, I went hiking (not to a fire), I ate ice cream, I sat by the pool all day (twice), I got a little color on my skin, I walked around the city at night without a jacket & in a skirt (that never happened living in Flags, I was only there for the winter), I rode my bike with my sister, I went to the temple, I went to lunch with my mom, I went to a concert, I got a pedicure with my sister, I went on a date, I jumped in the lake at night in the rain.

Incredible right? So much to fit into two blissful weeks!

The important thing that I learned about it, though, was how simply reckless it all was. Not reckless in the irresponsible way (like maxing out a credit card, or quitting the only job I had so I could be more social). I was reckless in the way that I did everything I wanted when I wanted to. I didn’t hesitate. I didn’t worry about what it would mean for the future. I didn’t stress in my mind about the consequences of the actions I took. It. Was. Amazing.

I am not saying we should all start making senseless decisions where we don’t contemplate the consequences of our choices… I am saying we should not sweat the small stuff. Life changing decisions, right and wrong decisions, decisions that affect other people… those ones need serious time and contemplation.

Deciding, however, to spend the money for a concert you will never forget, eating food you know calories could kill you with, taking the day off to lay by the beach pool with your nieces… none of those need serious thought! Just. Do. It. Thinking too hard about the affects hold us back. I always worry to the point of near insanity about every tiny decision I make.

“Should I text this boy? Maybe he will think I am crazy…”

“Should I drive all the way to Winslow? I really need to clean my room…”

“Should I spend this money on this show? Maybe I should save it for later…”

Behold, I say unto you: stop it with the stress. Text him! Who cares what he thinks? Maybe it will lead to something good. Go! Your room can be cleaned any time; you can’t go see your mom any time. Spend it! You work hard, rewards are deserved at times.

See what I mean? Reckless… maybe. Or maybe this is just how normal people are, and I am guarded for no reason. Either way, I learned something.

Have you ever seen the movie ‘Yes, Man’? That movie pretty much sums up my point. Saying no to things closes so many doors. I don’t think we should say yes to absolutely everything, but I do think we should stop saying no all the time. Yes brings opportunity. No puts you at home alone on Saturday night. Yes brings memories. No brings regrets. (Disclaimer: we all know there are MANY times we should say no, especially when the world would have us say yes. But the little things, like standing in a fountain, say yes once in a while.) Be open to things.

"The world is a playground. We know that when we're kids, but somewhere along the way everyone forgets."

It’s what we are, what we should be.

Put your feet in the fountain as you walk by it. Lay down in the middle of the street if you want to. Kiss a boy. Jump in a lake fully clothed. None of these have negative lasting impressions.. rather, they leave you with unforgettable memories. Being reckless keeps us young. Stay young… go dancing.

Think about it.