Ms. Barbie Doll

We all know how unrealistic Barbie is. The big boobs, the tiny waist, the perfect skin, hair, and makeup. Not to mention the fact that she has everything. Is she effecting the way the world is?

Recently in school we read a paper called "An Apology for the Life of Ms. Barbie D. Doll." The writer debated about how despite what some experts say, Barbie is not ruining the lives of teenage girls.

Some researchers say that because girls play with barbies when they are little, they grow up to take pleasure in leisure activities, popularity, and personal appearance. They seek to be like Barbie - therefore, she is to blame for self-esteem issues.

This writer used her own experiences to say that those reasons weren't valid and the researcher lacked her own experiences. Defending her stand, the writer said that is is more of what we see on TV and movies and read in books and magazines that effects younger kids and teenagers.

I thought it was an interesting subject, and I think I agree with the author of the paper. While Barbie certainly has a tiny body to go with those legs up to her neck, I'm not sure she has quite that much of an effect on the way girls turn out the way they do. We have the mass media to blame for that.

So what's your opinion? Does Barbie have a profound effect on kids that may carry into their later lives?

Easter Weekend

We had a nice weekend. It wasn't as relaxing as I had hoped, but we had a lot of fun.

On Friday we had my cousin Angela and her husband Zak over to play games. He insisted on playing Friends Scene It (he was brave), and they actually did well. But Chris and I won. :) We also played Catch Phrase, that was blast.

On Saturday night Chris and I had dinner at his parents' house for Easter. It was a lot of fun and everyone was there - except for Chris's brother Aaron and his wife Julie who are in Ohio. We really missed them. We had dinner after playing a game of Bacci Ball. 

You throw a small white ball somewhere in the distance, then try to throw larger balls at it (they are heavy, like shot-put balls), and whoever is closer gets a point. It actually was a lot of fun. Here are some sweet action shots :)

This is a great shot of William, my brother-in-law. He and Chris got way into it.

Chris looked pretty intense...

Chris showing off his tree-flip... it was scary, nobody knew if he was actually going to land it.

We had a fun night. I really have a lot of fun with his family. They've all go their little quirks about them that makes their family unique. Here's a good shot of the brothers with Aubri, the 

only girl. We missed you, Aaron!

Of course Joan (my mother-in-law) gave us tons of candy, and homemade chocolate eggs - bavarian mint, actually - soooo yummy! She even put our names on them and put them in little boxes. She's so funny. Sorry, I don't have a picture.

On Sunday we taught primary and shared the empty egg story - it is such a cute story, let me know if you've never heard it. It's a wonderful story, significant of the resurrection of Christ. The kids loved it (whether they liked the story or the candy we gave them after, we're not sure), and it was a good Easter lesson.

That evening we went to my parent's house and celebrated Easter with them. My mom put together a treasure hunt like she does every Easter, and I helped my niece Cessna find and read the clues. My mom included something for everyone, she's sweet like that. We've never gotten our own Easter baskets, but the treasure at the end of the hunt is for everyone. We got a slinky, some reeses eggs, and a pink bunny. :)

Cessna and Lance had a fun time, and Lance was more interested in the candy than the actual hunt, but that's not unlike him at all. :) Don't you love his hair in these pictures?!

How cute...

The other day I was sitting at the computer (already dressed) when Chris got out of the shower and changed before we went out. He walked into the room with a shirt on that was the match to mine (a shirt that he hardly EVER wears, mind you)... and we always tease other people who dress alike - whether they mean to or not. We looked like we were going to take family pictures or something. Anyway, It was pretty comical, and I had to take a picture. We don't dress alike very often!

A New Hobby Already?

As a sister missionary, I will be the first to say, that the clothes we wear are not the cutest. We wear whatever is next in the closet, knowing that it doesn't matter what we wear or when we wear it (except for Zone Conferences - where we are to look our best), as long as we look clean and neat.  

By the end of the mission, you end up with skirts and shirts that are worn, stretched out, and faded - and most of the material on the skirts are even fuzzy from wearing them so much.

But, you seem to grow attached to those clothes, that you have so many memories in. At least, I did. Not quite as many memories as you have with your name tag, but for some reason, it was hard for me to just throw all of those skirts away. 

I thought of leaving some for my companions, who are always grateful to get new clothes (it is a wonderful feeling, getting something new to wear on a mission, even if it is a hand-me-down), but I wanted to hang on to them. At the end of my mission, I decided that I wanted to make a quilt out of all of my clothes - including my one pair of jeans. I wore these jeans nearly every "P-day" and any other day we were doing service. Countless hours were spent in them playing, cleaning, hiking, painting, doing yard work, and whatever else we did. I had to include them in the quilt - they have too many memories attached to them not to.

The clothes have been sitting around for more than a year and a half now, along with my plans to put it together. Last weekend, I took them all over to my mother-in-law's house, who helped me start. She is an excellent seamstress, and she was more than willing to help. She also had some great ideas for it.

Joan (my mom-in-law) cutting out all of the squares (yes, she did all of them because she's so sweet, and better at cutting a straight linethan I am when it comes to fabric, I assure you)

This is one variation of a square that will be sewn into the quilt. 

What did I tell you - very plain, eh? But when I look at this fabric, I am reminded of members who let my companion and I go through their clothing before taking it to Goodwill (comparable to D.I.), biking in skirts everyday, trying to make it look like I hadn't worn that skirt already (sometimes twice that week already) by wearing it with a different shirt, getting excited because I got something new from Goodwill, or the skirt I had to send home because it was getting too short (riding up on my bigger hips from weight-gain).

I am very excited to see how this turns out. I will keep you updated on how it's coming... and I have to say, I have enjoyed sewing! I have only sewn a few squares together, but check out my skills! Don't I look like a professional? I'm actually thinking about getting me a beginner sewing machine. I've got some great 

ideas of skirts I'd like to try to make. We'll see... one project at a time!

Karaoke....

Last weekend Chris and I hung out with good friends of ours who have become known somewhat as our "Karaoke Friends," finding ourselves just singing silly every time we hang out.

Lorin and Paige invited us over to their house once more (thank you for always letting us come), and we watched "Hot Rod" with them after working on our sweet karaoke skills, receiving scores such as "Ameteur," "Wannabe," and "Hopeful." Although we are not the best of singers, we have lots of fun! I do have to give them better credit than this video, though. This is just a tough song - who really wants to sing to Rhianna?

This is their daughter Polly. She is hilarious!

We had a lot of fun, as we do every time. Thanks for the good times, guys!

Lance is a Cheeseball

I wanted to post this video of my nephew, Lance. I guess he thought I was taking a picture of him, and it is too classic not to share! It's super short, though. His cousin Robby will love it - I tried to get Lance to say hi to him, but he was too happy smiling. :) He's at such a fun age, I love it!

Top 5 Reasons

I was looking through my "Preach My Gospel" manual the other day (what missionaries use to teach, for those of you who aren't familiar), and I realized just how much I marked that thing up. It is basically falling apart, but I have some great insights in there.

On the first page, I wrote down what I learned from each of my eight companions. It seemed that I learned more from the companions I had the hardest times with. But I was reminded of just why I loved my mission, and I wanted to share, if I had to choose, what those top five reasons would be.

5. I was able to serve wonderful people, with wonderful people. 

Like I said before, my companions taught me so much. Serving with those girls made it fun, and meaningful. And I will never forget the people we came in contact with. Whether they joined the church or not, it was wonderful getting to know them. Not to mention the members - Some of the people I look up to the most are from wards in the Fresno Mission.

4. I was able to serve under two mission presidents. 

That was a huge blessing. I got to know and love both of those great men, and though           their leadership styles were different, they each taught me lessons that can help me throughoutmy entire life.

3. I learned how to live with someone 24/7, and how to get through things... 

There was no point in fighting when you have to deal with each other no matter what, so working things out was a priority.

2. I gained a testimony of my own of the gospel. 

I always thought the gospel was true, but it wasn't until I was learning, studying, and focusing on the gospel day in and day out that I knew that it was true for myself. I gained a testimony of the power of prayer - some of the greatest times on my mission was when I was on my knees. I know that Jesus Christ in my Savior and I need him. I am so grateful for his atoning sacrifice, without which I would be nothing.

1. I learned what's TRULY important. 

When you're on a mission, you say goodbye to the world. There are no TV's to watch, no radio to listen to, and though there are magazines in the check-out line at the grocery store, you do your best at avoiding them. Because for your whole mission, whether 18 months or 2 years, you want to spend that time devoted to the work. You know that will be the only time you can be fully dedicated his work - that is your job, and the only thing you have to worry about. We can all easily get caught up in what's going on in the world. But those things should be least important. We have so much more to worry about.

Okay, one more reason (of many) - I gained a greater appreciation and love for my family. There really is no place like home, and I am grateful for those devoted family members of mine who sent me letters often and included me in their prayers.

I will always remember what happened in the mission field to change my perspective on things. The entire 18 months was a roller-coaster ride full of ups and downs, and I am grateful for the ride.

Another Tag....

I guess a few of you might learn something new about me... or maybe not.

A-Attached or single: Attached
B-Best Friend: Chris
C-Cake or Pie: I've been really liking pie lately.
D-Day of Choice: Friday... it is such a relief to get to the end of a week!
E-Essential Item(s): Lip Gloss and cell phone... and my glasses - I am getting more and more blind every day (just ask Chris).
F-Favorite Color: Red
G-Gummi Bears or Worms: Gummy Worms... they are bigger :)
H-Hometown: Sandy, UT
I-Indulgence(s): Snickerdoodles, M&M's (recent favorites) and Stephen's hot chocolate.
J-January or July: July... I am unbelievably tired of the snow.
K-Kids: None
M-Marriage Date: October 20th, 2006
N-Number of Siblings: 2 brothers, 2 sisters
O-Oranges or Apples: Neither... I like both orange juice and apple juice, though. :)
P-Phobias or Fears: Scary movies
Q-Quote(s): "The only thing necessary for triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." - Unknown
R-Reason to Smile: Seeing Chris after a weekend of him being gone
S-Season: Autumn/Fall
T-Tag: (If you're up for it) Heather, Holly, Ali, Kami, Paige
U-Unknown Fact About Me: I collect suckers
V-Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: Bring on the MEAT!
W-Worst Habit: Squinting (I need to do something about my eyes!)
X-X-Rays or Ultrasounds: Unless there is a person in my body, X-rays. They're cheaper! :)
Y-Your Favorite Food: Meat Pies from Australia and Tacos
Z: Zodiac: Libra

Why I love kids. Especially Cessna.

My niece Cessna is definitely in a league of her own. She says the craziest things sometimes, you can't help but laugh right out loud. Her mom Heather usually tells me the funny things she says, but today I had the privilege of hearing from her.

I was supposed to stay at their house tonight because Chris is out of town. Cessna was so much looking forward to our "sleepover." But today Heather woke up sick, unable to do much, and didn't want to effect me with her sickness. Cessna was told by Heather to look after her little brother Lance, since her mom was sick. She told me, "My mom said if I'm really good today, I will get a surprise tomorrow." I said, "Really? That is so nice of her." She then told me excitedly, "A long time ago, my mom told me I only had money for the dollar store. But now, I can go to Walmart and get something!"

You gotta love kids. Walmart is so much a step above the dollar store. :)

I Need A New Hobby

I just updated my personal profile and realized that though I am busy and do lots of things to keep me going, I don't have many hobbies. Chris has also mentioned this a few times recently, and I feel like it's time to get some new ones!

Recently I have picked up my violin after 10 years of not playing it. I love it, but there is only so much practicing you can do each day when you know a total of 2 songs at the moment. I often think that I should pick up scrapbooking again, which I haven't done since I finished my senior year of high school. It was such a huge project that I got fed up with it and gave up, though I am determined to scrapbook my mission. I want to be done by my 2-year mark on July 5th (yikes... that went by fast!) so I know I should get going on it.

However, scrapbooking is a very pricey hobby. Unless someone knows a cheap way to do scrapbooking (with non-digital photos), I feel like I need to get a new hobby that doesn't cost very much money! I know that is lame... there aren't many hobbies where money isn't involved. I am willing to spend money, as long as I don't go overboard. Does anyone have any suggestions? I thought of picking up sewing or making jewelry... but I need more ideas!

Blog Under Construction...

A friend of mine is helping me with my blog. Please excuse it if it doesn't look complete... it just means she hasn't worked her magic yet! I could only do so much!

Yes, it's different. Again.

I decided I really love my hair short... so I took it to the next level. It's darker and even shorter than the last 2 times. Just wanted to share. :)