Let's Elope, Darling

I have always been a romantic. I love happily ever after, guy falls for girl (or the other way around) stories. Every little girl watches at least one movie, or reads at least one book filled with a heart warming love story that makes her dream and wish to find her own prince charming.

I have witnessed several relationships grow and turn into marriages. It is marvelous to have so many good examples of happy couples, even through the hard times. The only thing that has always bugged me about the whole marriage thing, though, is the prodigious size of wedding celebrations. So much money and worry go into the planning and pulling together of ring ceremonies, receptions, and open houses. Ugg. It is all well and good to have a nice party for family and friends, but I think that a lot of people overdo it. There is the life after the party to remember, after all.

I have been a bride's maid for all of my siblings' weddings and will be one again, in just a few weeks. I am so tired of wedding preparations and I'm not even a major part of the ordeal. It is ridiculous. I don't think I am going to have bride's maids at my wedding... that is, if I ever marry. You know the saying, "always a bride's maid, never a bride." DUN DUN Dun... just kidding. ;) Bride's maids are a cause of useless worry. The girls I know wouldn't care one way or the other whether I asked them to be a part of my wedding or not. If I were to choose a special person to stand by my side, it would be a maid of honor and I would choose my cousin Kahli. This is because she is like my sister and my best friend. Still having bride's maids, at a Mormon reception, seems pointless. It is not like we have isles to march down (unless there is a ring ceremony performed), rings and bouquets to be carried, or any of that jazz.

The point of this blog = wedding receptions tend to be too huge! I want a small reception, if i have to have one. If my future hubby is out there and reading this.... "Let's elope, darling!"

The Secret

As most of you know, I am a fan of positive thinking. I have several books that emphasize the power of intention and the like. Recently, my mother and I were watching Oprah and a lady was on the show who was advertising a book called The Secret. The contents,of this book pretty much fit perfectly with all that I have previously learned about changing life for the better. We bought the book and a DVD that goes a long with it.

As the Costco cashier said, "Once you get past the weird music and whispering" it is an amazing DVD filled with the basic truths of the universe. The main truth discussed is the law of attraction. Basically, people attract people, places, experiences, and things into their lives. Quoting from the movie: "thoughts become things." If our thoughts and feelings are positive, then good things come into our lives and vis versa. Using an example from my own life: when I'm running late, it seems like I hit every red light. This is because I am constantly thinking, "I'm going to be late." I am thinking about being late and so I end up being late. Yeah... This stuff is disgusting, if your a pessimistic individual. On the flip side, though, knowing how to harness your positive thoughts and feelings assists you in money matters, relationships, health, goals, dreams, and an infinite number of things. Check the website at http://thesecret.tv/!

Good quotes that agree with all self-help/positive thinking material:

"Imagination is the key to all things" ~Albert Einstein

"And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" ~Luke 11:9

"What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality" ~Otto Rank

"Empires of the mind are empires of the future" ~Winston Churchill

"I think therefore I am" ~René Descartes

Tips From the Pink Bible

"The clever huntress always looks her best. She never knows when big game will pass her way" ~ The Pink Bible.

What do y'all think about that? If you have no clue what The Pink Bible is, look up http://www.pinkbible.com/. In the Mormon version of Pride and Prejudice, this little book is used and referred to by the many characters (a bunch of girlie college students on the hunt for men).

Anyways, the above quote has been running through my head, a lot, as of late. It seems to me that--even though it is a bit (or extremely) naive of a girl to follow the advice of silly books that supply the do's and dont's of dating--this bit of advice strikes true.

People really should love one another for their inner beauty, but there has to be an initial physical attraction. Am I right or am I right? A guy is not even going to give a girl a second look (unless she is abominable...) if she doesn't look half-way decent. Without even a second glance, a girl wouldn't be able to get small talk, a hang out session, a date, marriage, and/or any form of a relationship from a guy. As shallow as it may seem, looks do matter.

From my experience, this can be really annoying. Whenever I look like a neanderthal woman, handsome guys are everywhere. I swear it is like my ugliness attracts 'em. Sigh. I do try to look pretty, most of the time, but it requires a lot of effort. Okay, okay, it isn't a lot, but sometimes it is more than I care to put forth. There are a bunch of steps that go into the beautification process (basic hygiene, shaving and plucking unwanted hair, contacts, makeup, nail care, clothes, curling/straitening/just doing one's hair, and etc.).

There is a quote circling about random conversations that goes something like, "there are no ugly women in the world, just lazy one's." With a bit of effort, every female has the capability to look like a glamour girl. The thing is, though, I hate dolling up for no reason. If only people had built in or natural abilities to sense a need to look impressive. Wouldn't you agree? I mean, honestly! I don't always want to look like Beautiful Brooke, especially if I am not going to run into a Handsome Henry. A little warning would be lovely.

Oh Ye of Little Faith

"There's no more faith in thee than in a stewed prune"~ Henry V.

The above is quite a quote, wouldn't you agree? On my Google homepage I have a Shakespearean insulter. It usually provides me with nothing more than a daily giggle, but today's actually started to turn the rusty cranks of my brain. It brought up several thoughts and memories.

Thought/Memory #1

I have a piano student who has serious ADHD and a form of autism. At his last lesson, the student's father took 5 minutes to inform me of his child's disabilities. It would have been better to know about such things, at an earlier time, if he had to tell me at all. I had basically figured the boy's issues out (through the past weeks), anyway. I thought and still think that the kid progresses well. His father, on the other hand, made sure that I understood his minimal expectations. He didn't want much more than the basics for his kid. "I'm just glad he is playing the piano, quoth he.

It is good to be glad about such things, but HONESTLY! Where is this man's faith? If he doesn't have faith in the kid, the kid won't have faith in himself. It will definitely be harder for a person with disabilities to do anything, but all things are possible (for everyone). From what I can see, learning and continuing in music could only help the boy. He improves each week and will continue to learn like I learned and all of my other students are learning.

If a person is going to put forth the time and money to learn how to play the piano (or any instrument!), that individual should learn properly. He or she shouldn't just leave lessons barely knowing how to play. Anyone can teach themselves how to barely play an instrument! I am of the opinion that technique, memorization, theory, and etc. are all necessary aspects of piano lessons. He's handled what I've required, so far, and (with little steps) he'll grow to handle more. All it takes is a little effort and faith!

#2

My brother is having some health issues. Throughout the whole of his life, he's spent many a day in the hospital. In fact, it seemed like (for awhile) every other week he'd take a trip to the emergency room.

Through the years, my family has come across several sources of assistance. The books, Feelings Buried Alive Never Die [by Karol Truman] and Remembering Wholeness [by Caroll Tuttle], introduced the power of positive thinking into our household. Because of these books I have seen and experienced many amazing miracles. I have, also, come to know that the words "I am" are powerful. Thoughts about ourselves, our lives, and etc. play a big role in what happens to us. If we constantly think negative thoughts, negative things will happen. It is a law of attraction; negative attracts negative, positive attracts positive.

Once we discovered the above mentioned, my brother slowly started to do better. His health progression continued for a long time. The act of positive thinking was healing him! Recently, though, he has become very frustrated with life. His positivity has been on the down-ward slide. Being around him, one can feel the negativity. It is almost tangible! I talked to him about this, the other day. It was a very sad conversation. I love my brother, want the best for him, and (because of this) it hurts to see him giving up. "I don't believe in that stuff, anymore. It doesn't work!" he muttered, annoyed. He went on to mention that God had given him trials and that only God could take them from him.

To me, this doesn't fully make sense. Yes, God can take our pain away, through the Savior's Atonement. After all, with God nothing is impossible. We can't forget, though, that He wants us to try our hardest to overcome our issues and live happily. We have to supply some effort and faith! Positive thinking worked before, why should it suddenly not be "God's way." He loves and wants us to be happy. Even if it didn't have a healing power, it is not like positive thinking is gonna make matters any worse... it could only help. *Sigh.*

"tick-tock" w/ a "ching-ching"

Tis' a shame that wasting time isn't a profession. If I were to gain one dollar for every minute of my life used "unwisely," I'd be good to go (economically, if in no other way). Quite frankly, I'd be one rich woman!

Finals are a comin', and I feel like I'm in a rut of procrastination. I suppose, in a sense, life goes through cycles of entropy; through time, a need to clean out and start over arises. I have my moments of serious self-discipline/motivation and then the function of my life oscillates. My highs often tend to hit lows. Perhaps, it's time for a "self-clean."

I read once that the cleanliness and organizational patterns of a person reflect how that person is dealing with the stresses of life. I have found this to be true, in my own experiences. When things are hectic, my room (and the whole of the upstairs, really) is comparable to a pig's pen. Cleaning at times like this can be very therapeutic.

*Brooke has changed her status to busy. She will return to blog mode at a later time.*

The Vacuum and my Phys Anth notes call! "Bla."

Weak.

The ROTC had a big shebang goin' on, today. I was walking to the SUB, observing the craziness, when I caught sight of one of my friends. He, being one of the ROTC guys attempting to get people involved, convinced me to head over to the activities and get some free stuff. Free stuff! What college student isn't always up for free stuff?!?! He led me over and hooked me up. The thing is, though, the "free stuff" wasn't exactly free (besides a selection of camouflage pencils). To get the good stuff, a person was to do some sort of physical activity. I decided to go for a T-shirt by busting out 78 sit-ups and 48 push-ups.

To keep things simple, let's just say that I could have done better. My attempt was pitiful. I did do enough of each to get a nifty U.S. Army water-bottle... Woohoo! You'd think, with all the junk I've carried around the past two semesters, that I'd be in better shape. Then again, carrying backpacks doesn't really work on a persons abs or biceps. I've pretty much decided that the only thing I've gained, from the months of backpacking around campus is bad posture.

I am determined to exercise more often. I do love running. Perhaps, I'll get back into the habit of jogging around my neighborhood. Yoga is awesome, too. Whatever works... Nonetheless, my push-ups and sit-ups definitely need some help. I am weak! :(.

Falalalala

I'm beginning to miss Christmas music and it's only April! Today, I caught myself singing "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas." Could this be a some sort of a Freudian slip? Maybe it's not the Christmas music, per se, that I'm missing. Perhaps, I'm simply craving cheery seasonal music, in general. As of this moment, I am of the opinion that there is a need of popular music for every season. I'm sure, if a person was to dig through archives of music, that he or she would eventually come across songs about spring, summer, and fall. I find myself wishing, though, that these songs were as famous and/or as well liked as the classic Christmas carols. I mean, during the winter holidays, certain radio stations are devoted solely to songs about Christ or good old Saint Nick. No one does this for other holidays or seasons. It's not like we get to hear songs about Peter Cotton Tail, or Saint Patrick when Spring comes around the corner (not that they are as important as the Savior by any means). There are always primary songs like "In the Leafy Tree Tops" and "Oh what Do You Do Summer Time " to hum as I walk about, but I think I am going to do some research and learn some new/old songs. Then, even though the radios aren't busting with seasonal music, I'll be as fit as a fiddle (when it comes to spring, summer, and fall-like melodies).

If you have any good seasonal songs up your sleeve, let me know. "Sharing is caring, it can be fun!"