Make It Up As You Go

"Make it up as you go. 

Future's wide open. 

Nothing's written in stone." 

~Plain White T's

So a while back I mentioned the Plain White T's concert in Vegas. At their concert they played some of their new songs, and announced that the CD would be released in December. Well guess what? It's here now, and I've been listening to it nonstop. The CD's title is "Wonders Of The Younger" and has an overall circus theme to it. All the songs seem to also follow the theme of Imagination, which really hits home with me. The lyrics above are from one of the songs. My favorite song would have to be "Body Parts" followed up by "Killers" "Wonders of the Younger" and "Boomerang". I know what you're thinking, some of those song titles sound a bit gruesome. No worries, they're not at all. All the songs have quality to them (that is if you appreciate songs with a festive circus sound. Heavy drums, gongs, bells and symbols). I'll add a few tracks to my music player once they are posted on Playlist.com.

Today has been an awesome, even though it was the first day of finals. I don't have any finals until Wednesday, so I'm just enjoying the free time. I slept in until I was rested, then rolled out of bed to get some breakfast. I am currently low on food supplies because I'm expecting to depart soon, and don't want to leave food behind. Our apartment management promised us breakfast every morning this week for finals, but today they didn't deliver. I didn't mind though, because I used it as an excuse to visit my favorite cafe- TwentyFive Main. The place is seeping with awesomeness! I love everything about it. The food is delicious and I've yet to be disappointed. This morning I decided to try the French Toast take-out. It was tasty, just like I expected it to be. I'm looking forward to enjoying a big bowl of soup there tomorrow with my awesome Indian friend, Rakul Labana! =)

After breakfast, I started packing a few supplies for an epic adventure to Angel's Landing at Zions National Park. Around noon, I rolled out with Kelby, Chris, and Kelby at the wheel! Luckily we survived Clay's "Abrasive Driving," and reached our destination. The day was perfect for hiking, and by the time we neared the top, we we're all dripping sweat. It's a pretty steep climb! As we approached the very top, we had to walk across narrow ledges with sheer drop offs on both sides. No exaggerating! All there was to hold on to were occasional chains along the ledge. 

'WARNING! Falls from cliffs on this trail have resulted in death."

Despite the deadly circumstances, we reached the landing in no time. The view was incredible! Definitely worth the risk of climbing up there! We sat around, ate lunch and took a bunch of pictures in various places on top. Here are a few that I like:

After spending a considerable amount on top, taking in the view and living on the edge, we made our decent back to the base. On our way down, as we passed the meadow, we came across these little guys:

They were everywhere! We saw even more when we we're walking to the parking lot, and they're were far from shy! 

We even spotted Rudolph!

See the  nose? =P

That pretty much wrapped up our trip. We headed back out of Zions Canyon, cut through polygamist village, and homeward bound to St. George! On our way out, we stopped one last time so we could catch a few more unique pictures to commemorate the fact that there are only 12 days left 'till Christmas! (Really, we just couldn't resist)

Ostrich farm? Of course!

Ostrich Egg!

 

That pretty much completed our epic adventure for the day. As we we entered St. George, we were greeted by a sweet sunset. Then we parked the car and went back to our apartments to clean up for FHE dinner. We had hamburgers and rootbeer floats. =)

Well, the sun has set on an incredible day. To top it all off, I got a letter from my pen pal, Kelsey who's in Hawaii. I was thrilled to see her letter waiting for me in the mailbox, and even more thrilled when I saw she had included some beach sand inside the envelope (she can be so thoughtful). The letter was just the Cherry on Top! I'm headed off to bed, and when I wake up, there'll be one less day 'till I'm home for the holidays. I can't wait!


Specific things I'm excited for: Seeing my family! Jones Soda, Catching up with friends (Kelsey, Katy and her Roy crew, Kendra, Chaundi, Morgan, Colter, Seth, Ellen, Keri, Dena, Keaton, Andie, and others), Seeing Tangled, Snowboarding, Snow...(I guess), Warm fires, Hot Chocolate, Sledding, Snowmobiling, Island Park, parties, Egg Nog, Temple Square, CHRISTMAS, NEW YEARS, Christmas music, Food, and No homework! Only 2 more days to go... I can't wait. =)

Splat!

A Beautiful Song To Be Sung

"‎Music is a morel law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, a charm to sadness, gaiety and life to everything; It is the essence of order and lends to all that is good, just, and beautiful." ~Plato

 I've been wanting to blog about this for a while, but I've just slipped into a writing slump again. However, I feel like the subject for this post is long since overdue. If you haven't already caught on from the above quote, this post is going to be all about music. 

I can't really remember a time in my life when music wasn't important to me. I have always felt a deep connection to it. I remember when I was younger, singing along to country songs in the truck with my dad. My favorite song to sing with him, hands down, was "The Shake" by Neil Mccoy. I knew all the words by heart and felt like a rapper as I'd mumble the chorus. I also recall familiar songs from Toby Kieth, Shania Twain, and some non-country songs from Super Tramp and The Beach Boys. Since then, my taste in music has become more diverse, but I still love those songs. 

I am amazed at the power music possesses. It's truly unique in it's qualities. It has the power to unite people together and helps us relate to one another. Music has the power to bring faded memories back to life. Years can pass since you've heard a song, but once you hear that familiar tune, it instantly zaps you back to another time and place. At least, that's how it works for me. My memories (good and bad) cling to music, forming a very real time machine. 

Another special quality of music is the power it has to influence our emotions. I'm sure you've noticed this. Music can get us excited. Pump us up before we race, or do something that requires a lot of energy. Music can lift us up when we're feeling glum, or it can shoot us down underwater. Music can foster feelings of hope and gratitude, happiness, anger, fear, sadness, or grief just to name a few. The cool thing is, we can harness this power and use it to our advantage. It's up to us, what music we listen to, so we can use it to help influence our mood. I love that.

So like I've already said, music is really important to me. Recently, it has become even more important. I've always dreamed of learning how to create music. I've always enjoyed it, but I've rarely been a creator. However, I feel like that is finally starting to change. I've at least started down the right path and I'm headed in that direction. Sure, it'll be a while before anything good comes of it, but I'm determined to succeed. 

As I look around me, I realize that I've had great people who have helped influence me in my dream to play guitar. Great friends like: Seth Anderson, Tasia Mist, Katy Hunter, Pearl White, and Brooks Miller along with past music teachers, and famous artists. I know that there are even more influences then this, and it's incredible. I aspire to one day be as influential as they have been to me by sharing their musical talents. I consider myself blessed for knowing each of them.

I can feel myself changing one step at a time. Music is shaping me into something entirely new. I am caught up in the painfully beautiful process of becoming a musician. It's a slow change, but I can feel it. As I've started learning guitar, I can feel myself connecting to music in a more intimate way. It has deeper meaning to me. I feel the rhythms, I catch the beats, stronger than I ever have before. And it's everywhere! Not only in the tune, but also in nature. If you listen closely, you can hear it too. 

As I work hard in changing my weakness into strength, I feel more alive. I find great peace and joy in the resonating strings of my guitar. Today, I stand somewhere I haven't been before. I'm headed in a new direction, and I'm loving the journey. 

"Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to their graves with their song still in them"  

~Henry David Thoreau