A Great Big World!

The Great Big World Concert + A great friend = A FANTASTIC night! :)

I love this band! They have clean lyrics which is hard to find now a days. Seriously, if you have never heard of this band you need to look them up. Their message is uplifting and filled of positive messages. THIS IS HARD TO FIND NOW A DAYS!

The band members wrote their music from personal experiences which are easy to relate and connect to.  As I watched them perform, I could feel their love and passion for what they were singing. They have amazing voices and I am still blown away by how much I loved the the concert.

I am a bit surprised by how much i loved the concert. I mean I enjoyed the band before but now I have a deeper respect for them. I respect what they are striving to do and a desire to share with others such an amazing band.

Now I feel like whenever I met someone who loves A Great Big World, we will instantly be friends. I have already found people who share my love for a great big world and it is a wonderful connection.

Here is a video of one of their songs.. you all already now their songs, Say something but here is one of my favorites. :)

Don't text and drive

Today I got in a car accident,  my first one that i was driving and it was my fault. I have been pretty blessed in the whole car department but man it funny how fast something could happen. I'm not even sure how it happened because it happened so quickly.

When I texted my mom about the accident, she replied, "Just tell me you weren't on your phone? And you are ok? How bad is the damage?"

Happily I relied that I was NOT texting or on my phone when it happened but how often have we heard stories about people who have gotten in accident because they were looking at their phone. People have been killed because people can't wait to see who texted them or to switch to the next song.

Even thought I was not on my phone while I was driving at that moment, it still made me think that next time it could be worst. myself or someone else could be seriously injured because I was inpatient  .  Maybe its a sign that I need to work on my patience :)

I now have a goal to not look at my phone while I am driving and to be more observant while I drive. I was lucky this time around but next time I may not be as lucky.

Media is great but it can be deadly.

Watch Home Videos.

I LOVED the segment in class about home videos. Growing up one of my favorite family activities was when we would all gather together usually on a Sunday evening, pop some popcorn and watch home videos.

Now, It is not uncommon to hear someone quote a home video or make a reference to one when the whole family get together.

I am grateful my parents took time to record little moments of us playing around the house, going on vacations, celebrating holidays/birthday. These memories have brought my family closer together and I will forever be grateful for them.

I am determined to have home videos of my future family and keep this tradition alive! :)

Here is my cute family plus one new baby not pictured :)

Have a wonderful day!!! 

Be yourself!

There were certain things in class that hit home, as we watched and talked about the documentary Miss Representation. There were many thing in this documentary that triggered a few different emotions. I called my older sister after class (who took this class last year) and talked out all source of different emotions. 

 One of the main things I took away from this and from many other experience in my life is to BE MYSELF!

As a teenager, I use to compare myself to media characters, and others around me OFTEN! I use to think I was not good enough in certain aspect in my life. It was an unhappy way to live...I allowed certain media to tell me what it meant to be beautiful, and that I would be happier if I looked, acted and was a certain way.  I never felt good enough. 

Now, that I am older and have gone through different experiences which have helped me understand that I do not have to try to be anyone else. I just need to be me!  My faults, weakness and difference are what makes me who I am. Once I stopped comparing myself, my confidence grew and I found greater happiness in my everyday life. Now believe me, I still struggle with this and it is a working progress but this is a fight I never want to give up on. 

Be yourself because you are the only one who can! I want to share a song that really expresses this. It's "Try" by Coblie Caillat. 

Don't try to be anyone else because you are great just the way you are :) ! I may not know you all personally but I know what it feels like to try be someone you are not. 

don't stress out!!

It's mid-terms session and everyone around me is a bit stressed with test, assignments and everything else that happens with mid-terms. The last few weeks for me have been a bit stressful.. Thats school for you i guess. Over the years, I have formed different habits to help reduce my stress. Interesting enough a majority of my habits to destress are centered around media. This class has made me aware just how much I use media and every week I become a bit more shocked how often i use media everyday.

So here are a few of my habits,

First,  Netflix.. this can be both a curse and a blessing. Netflix gives me away to escape for a few minutes from my stresses and focus on something else. Giving my brain a rest and allowing it to recharge. On the other hand, I find myself wasting a lot of time and staying up way to late.

Second, Music. I've already written on blog about this but I am a firm believer of having at least one dance party a day... this can make place, in the car, shower, on your walk to school/class. When I feel the stress come, music is usually the first thing I will turn to. 

Lastly, phone a friend.. After those long hours of studying in the library sometimes all I need is a good conversation with a dear friend. Just the other day as I was walking home feeling a bit overwhelmed with a test I was going to be taking in a few hours, I decided to call my cousin. This cousin and I talked my entire conversation home. By the time I got home, I was feel more calm and was able to study focused and relaxed. 

Media is great and its everywhere.. got to love it! I hope you are enjoying this wonderful time of year and have formed your own habits to help reduce your stress. 

Go to LDS.org

Saturday night, I got asked to teach Sunday School for the next day. It was a bit last minutes but what I love is that the Church has so many great tools to making planning a lesson so easy. The Church of Jesus Christ website is filled with ideas to make a lesson interactive and spiritual. I started preparing for my lesson by searching a few key words from the lesson and within minutes I had a handful of quotes and ideas of what directions I wanted my lesson to take.

It made a stressful moment of trying to prepare a lesson minutes lesson enjoyable and rewarding. One of my favorite think on LDS.org are the mormon messages. These wonderful videos are filled with the spirit and words of wisdom that seem to always speak to the heart.

Share goodness in the world by sharing one of your favorite mormon messages and if you have never watched any, I promise that if you take the time to watch a few you will feel a wonderful calming feeling that will bring you great happiness.


Here is one video to get you started.

Read a book

To quote one of my favorite childhood shows, Arthur, " Have fun isn't hard, when you've got a library card." Books are a gateway to hundreds  of different worlds where people can escape from their presents world and explore a whole new one.

One of my all time favorite book serious is Harry Potter. I am proud to be a part of the Harry Potter generations! I was one of those fans who would waiting in line for the midnight release of the next book and the movies then not sleeping or doing anything else for the next few days. For weeks my friends and I would talk endlessly about the new Harry Potter book. We would discuss our favorite parts, characters and what we felt might happen next. To me Harry Potter was more then just a book but a way to escape from the stresses of life. This may sound cheesy but the characters of Harry Potter play a huge part of my adolescent years.

I love to read and I agree that it truly is fun to have a library card where thousands of books are waiting for you to explore and join in on their adventures. During the school year I have a bit of a love hate relationship with the library but this week I am going to work on remembering the joys of the library.

Guilty Pleasures

Guilty Pleasures.. We all have them.. Most of the time we are a bit embarrassed by them. When i googled guilty pleasure it said,  "something, such as a movie, television program, or piece of music, that one enjoys despite feeling that it is not generally held in high regard." 

This got me thinking, What are some of my guilty pleasures? How did these become my guilty pleasures? One of my guilty pleasures is Sesame Street pop songs. I love them and think they are hilarious. Here is my favorite. 

This guilty pleasure of mine started when one of my nephews fell in LOVE with Elmo. This adorable little man and I bonded over Sesame street songs and a guilty pleasure of mine was created.

As I thought about other guilty pleasures I thought about how often some of my guilt pleasures have helped me to connect with other people who like the same thing I do. 

Guilty Pleasures are a wonderful way to connect with people who also like the media that may not be generally held in high regards. Don't be shamed of your guilty pleasures, share them and you may be surprised to find someone who has the same guilty pleasure.

Friendships can be brought together by guilty pleasures.. Media is such a wonderful tool to bring people together. 

What are some of your guilty pleasures?

Oh and just for fun.. here is another sesame street song just for fun! :) 

SING!!

In class this week, we discussed the effects of music. I listen to music often, I am even listening to music as I write this blog post. Over the last day or so I have been thinking lots about music and what each song represent and why do I listen to certain music. Here are a few things I have learned as I have thought about this.  

I have started to really listen to the lyrics of songs and what they are expressing. At my job, I often have pandora playing for background music and because I love finding new songs. Well one songs came on and at first I really like the beat, I was about to add the song to my Spotify play list but then I began to really listen to the song and what the lyrics were saying. I quickly changed the song. Even though the song had a great beat, the song was talking about having a one night stand and getting someone into bed. For the rest of the day, I have found myself hearing the lyrics of each songs I have been listening to.  I want to filled my day with good music that uplifts and brighten people day.. just like that Gavin DeGraw

I love music, I love the way it brings people together and help people. I know this post may seem a bit scattered but if you take anything away from this post please remember these two simple things. First, remember that the type of music you listen to represent what you stand for and believe. Second, Use music for good by allowing music to brighten those touch days and moments in your life.  Don't be afraid to sing a song at the top of your lungs, have a dance party and just fill your life with good music. When life gets rough, take a few moments, turn on your favorite song and just SING.. and dance if you like dancing :) 

Here is a great example of what that looks like :)

Thanks Pentatonix for this great song!

SING! 

Communication

According to google, the definition of Communication is “the imparting or exchanging of information or news.”  As a family studies major, I’ve learned and witnessed that communication is an important factor in creating a strong relationship with others around.

With this knowledge I strive to exchange information with my family to keep them informed with my life. Now this is easier said then done.  Out of my five siblings, only 1 lives near me. We are all spread out all around the world… living different day to day life. We all desire to be a apart of each other life and share new with one another but distance makes it hard at times.

 BUT, with media we are able to stay connected through FaceTime, Cluster, Facebook, Google hangout, and many more.

It is not uncommon to see me walking to the bus stop holding my phone straight out in front of my face, Facetiming one of my siblings, playing hind and seek with a nieces or nephews. FaceTime has become a wonderful way for me to create and connect with my nieces and nephews.

Sundays consist of the whole family getting on google hangout and talking for hours sometimes about what life. I love watching my nieces and nephews interacted with one another. Hearing about what they learned in church that day.

And it is not uncommon for one of my siblings to post a picture or video on Cluster about something exciting in their life.  Incase you have never heard of Cluster. Cluster is best compared to Instagram but expect for private groups.

These are only a few ways my family has learned to communicate with one another even thought we may life hundreds or miles apart.

Find the balance

          Media is all around us, everyday we all us some type of media. You reading this blog post, is a form of media. Think about the last ten minutes of your life, How much media do you think you used? Did you listening to music, get on Facebook, check your phone, etc. There have been times in my life when I felt overwhelmed with all the media I was using.  I started to noticed that I could not go a day without checking Facebook or leaving the house without my cell phone. I was so focused on my phone that I was not focusing on the people or things around me. I felt lost and unconnected with my friends if I did not have service for a day.  I was allowing media to control my life instead of using media to improve and benefit my life. Have you ever had such an experience? At this point, I would strive to have a media fast. I would avoid Facebook, leave my phone behind, strive to not watch movies and so forth. Sometimes I would go to the extremes to cleanse media from my life.  Going to the extreme is never a good things. Media is a wonderful tool to help improve our lives and relationships. I have come to understand that instead of cleansing media from my life. I need to find the balance of not allowing media to become my master.  Elder Russell M. Ballard gave a wonderful talk which helped expand this principle. In this talk he said,

 “They need to be our servants, not our masters. For example, if later tonight you share inspiring thoughts from this devotional on social media, your smartphone is a servant. If you randomly surf the Internet, your smartphone is a master.” 

Media is a wonderful tool that can be good to share and uplift others around us. To end this post, here is a youtube video that brings me great joy and reminds me to be grateful and that I can do anything good! Find the balance in Media use and remember that you can do anything good!