Music and Lyrics

Dear Reader, A good portion of my female friends and acquaintances love country music. It is something perplexing to me, but it has never been a problem. Two of my closest friends at the moment listen to country music almost daily, especially Keith Urban and Toby Keith. This fascination with cowboys became apparent to me when my best friend and I were cowboys for a day back in 2007. Here is an article that recently came to my attention: " One girl gets exactly what she asks for. " Read the story. It is pretty entertaining. Now, let me share our side of the story. Mike and I grew up together and we had just become part of the same priest's quorum in 2007. We were always being told to be our best selves and serve others. Little did we know that would include a random cowboy day on Christmas Eve. Our young men's leader asked us one day if we wanted to help out in giving a Christmas present. We of course agreed, allowing him to explain the situation. He told us a...

Dear Reader, There is actually a song called " Basketball John " which I first heard from my aunt as a young kid. While I know little to nothing about his actual basketball career, for some reason I always think about John Stockton when I hear the phrase, "follow your shot." John Stockton was on the shorter side of Basketball players, standing at 6'1". This means he would not stand up very well right under the hoop against taller centers. However, any quick guy like Stockton learns very fast that shooting from 3-point land or long 2-pointers means having to shoot the ball and then run after it in case of a miss in order to grab the rebound. That is what is means to "follow your shot" in basketball. It is the same concept in basketball, soccer and several other sports. However, the idea of "follow your shot" comes into play in many other circumstances in life outside of sports. To say it another way, "follow your shot" r...

Dear Reader, Deck the halls with lots of students! Fa la la la la, la la la...way too many students. Here is your fun fact for the day: the Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University becomes one of the busiest places in Utah during December. Students at the University are studying for finals, meeting up with their groups for the final projects and getting those last minute tips from their tutors. They are all in the library. Today I could not find a spot to sit! There is no need to fear, faithful reader. The floor can be a great place to write, as long as there is a wifi connection that provides communication with you. I realized that this Blog was visited for the 8000th time this week. What a great Christmas present! Thanks to my mom for the 7999 visits! Thank you, dear reader, for the 8000th. I figured that between this milestone and the Christmas season, today is a good day to share my view on Christmas and the reason for the season. So go ahead students, take a break fr...

Dear Reader, After talking with a friend of mine, I suddenly remembered some statistic I heard years ago that friendships lasting 7 years or more will be friendships for life. After researching and trying to find where the statistic came from, it seems that I slightly misinterpreted the idea. Of the articles about the subject, the Huffington Post  says that friendships have a high rate of decay which occurs around 7 years of friendship and Live Science  cites the same research that talks about a person's circle of friends being replaced every 7 years. These ideas seem slightly pessimistic to me, so I want to tell you that being friends for 7 years or more is really a blessing, rather than dwelling on how friendships don't last. Another article that popped up during the search for this 7-year statistic was an article about nurturing the friendships that already exist. The friendships that I have had for a long time are so great because we have seen each other grow and eve...

Dear Reader, Today's lyrics come from a song we learned in Elementary school during Halloween. Ever since I can remember, my feelings have been mixed about the holiday that supposedly has to do with death and darkness. However, this year my opinion of Halloween has become more solid. We will see this through a few pictures from the past couple of days. First, on the right, we have Belle from Disney's Beauty and the Beast.  I kid you not, she was reading a book as she was walking across campus. Granted, she was actually studying for a test, but it was very appropriate to see her walking around just like the movie "with her nose stuck in a book." (If memory serves correctly, the book was something about anatomy or physiology). Where else would Belle work  other than a library? Who else did I also run into? Well, check for Belle again! This time she was dressed formally for work. Where does Belle work? In the library, of course! She was very accommodati...

Dear Reader, Photo Courtesy of thedailysheeple.com . The lyrics from today's title comes from the uplifting film/Broadway Production Newsies . The story deals a lot with people fighting for a cause and the main characters sometimes get involved with the law. One question that keeps arising as the story unfolds is, "How is that fair?" As this week has gone by, I have thought a little about what how the law works and what we should do about it. Thus, my question to you is this: what is justice? It is an abstract concept.  Miriam Webster's dictionary defines justice in several different ways. One of the most prevalent meanings is "the administration of law;  especially the establishment or determination of rights according to the rules of law or equity." Although, another definition listed on the same page defines justice as the conformity to truth, fact or reason.  Based on that, I would really like to know what you think about justice i...

Dear Reader, Today I walked past a couple people and acknowledged them because I knew them. Luckily for me I also remembered their names, but not everyone is blessed with my mother's gift of remembering everyone she has ever met. She seriously has this gift with people. Here's an example to illustrate:  Imagine you meet my mom and talk to her for 5 minutes. Due to her nature, the conversation will probably focus on family and emotional state, but imagine talking with her about anything. She will give you a hug before you part ways. She does that. No matter who you are. Take note of the shirt you are wearing when you talk to her, too.  Now, imagine yourself walking down the street or into a store 20 years from now. You haven't seen my mom during those 20 years. My mom, if she sees you, will not only recognize you and remember your name, but she will remember what shirt you were wearing the first time you met. Not only that, she will somehow remember to congra...