The Help

I know I am a little behind the times here, but I saw this movie for the first time on Monday night.

It's amazing. Seriously. But it is awful to see people treating each other like that. I don't think I have ever before watched a singular movie where I wanted to punch so many different people in the face. I mean, we are all children of God here, right? Right. So let's be considerate. (And not actually punch people in the face.)

Daylight Savings

Failure in the consistent blogging department noted.

Now. Yesterday was Daylight Savings.
Interesting Fact: Hawai'i does not observe the above mentioned odd practice.
How weird is that?
Therefore, without doing anything, I am an extra hour behind my friends in Washington.
So, dear friends who occasionally call me: Be aware that while over the last few months I have been two hours behind you, now it's three.
Thanks.

Blurg. Ants. People. Yesss

Life is really hard. In lots of ways. And sometimes you just need to cry yourself to sleep.

But then in the morning your friendbrother calls while you are getting ready for seminary, And you get to chat with him and the adorable lil Miss B. And they wish you a good day.
And it makes things look a little brighter.
So thanks guys.

In other news, ants have taken over my locker. Yup. Luck abounding through my life in sooo many ways.

Sarcasm completely intended.

(PS You can tell I put a lot of thought and effort into that title, yeah?)

Facelift

So, I am trying to be cool and make my bloggy pretty and unique. Trouble is this technology thing...well usually I just don't bother dealing with it because it so annoying. So if anyone has any ideas, pictures, advice, or design help, it would be greatly appreciated.

Day 1

On Monday I moved to Hawai'i. It started like this -

Wake up before 3 AM. Pack everything while trying (and kinda failing) to not argue with your sleep deprived siblings. Load up a shuttle to the airport. Haul everything out.

Total bags - 13
   4 backpacks
   2 instruments
   3 rollaway cases
   3 huge duffels
   1 hard bright yellow suitcase

Get through security. Get food. Have Starbucks mess up my order, causing an annoyed, exhausted, stressed, sad breakdown. Get on a plane. Fly away from the home you love.

Arrive in San Francisco. Get on another plane. Sit, sleep, stare out the window, listen to my iPod, and do sudoku for about 5 hours or so. Land in Kona, Hawai'i.

Open air airport... this is the baggage claim. Pretty cool.

Pick up baggage (as well as possible, the suitcase handle broke) and take a taxi (no rentals cars available for some crazy reason) to the condo. Unload. Again.

Walk to a restaurant. They had cool chips. Walk back. Saw a giant centipede on the way. We don't know if it is poisonous.

Hide in my room from my family. Skype Mr. D. Breakdown again. Finally get to sleep.

Hard, long day.

One Reason Why I Hate Teenagers

Last week I had to sit in the back of the bus after school. Typically I try to avoid this, for reasons any highschooler knows.
The annoying, rude, crude, and immature boys sit in the back. That day was no exception.

These boys swore about every three words. I'm not even kidding. It was awful. Me being the reserved person I am, I sat there with my friend Miss L and just silently fumed. Until I finally snapped. Turning around, I said sharply, "Please watch your language, I do not want to hear half the things you are saying."

I won't tell you what they said in response. I got up to sit toward the front of the bus. I was almost shaking, I was so angry and upset. Then I heard them continuing to talk about me. Not nicely. I admit it, I fought tears. Emotion does that to me. I cry - happy, sad, or mad.

I don't understand how people can purposefully be so mean to each other.

Echo, echo...

Hello? Is anyone out there? Do you remember me? I used to update my blog. Then life got crazy...er.
I'm sorry to those few people who actually checked my blog in the last month. Especially my dear Miss L. I was very seriously chastised by her for not updating. Love ya darling ;)

So much has happened recently, I won't ever be able to catch up. So I'm not going to try. I am just going to jump in again. Have fun keeping up.

First and foremost - My family is moving. In November. To Hawai'i. Yeah. I am not kidding. So things have been insane. Hard month for me. But we won't get into all the reasons for that.

Anyway, school has started. It's alright. Have some fun classes, others not so much.

That's Life.

Summer Update

So, there is alot I should be doing this summer. And quite alot I haven't done.

Summer homework? Yes I have a ton. Have I started? Of course not. Will I regret that? Of course I will. So will I start it soon? ...Probably not.
But maybe! I try to believe in myself.

Have I been practicing my music? ...No. Don't tell my band teacher.

Have I been swimming to get in shape for season this fall? Definitely not. But at least I have been trying to eat healthy. That has to count for something.

Have I been blogging? Not really. As you can probably tell if you are taking the time to read this.

Have I been lazily reading all day to finish this epic series? You bet.

Assistance Please?

Hi. Yes, I am alive. Barely. But that is another story. Remind me to tell it later, okay?

I need some help, guys. I have some things I want to talk about, but my brain is rather scattered recently.
SO - Do you think you all could leave me some ideas on topics I could blog about? Questions, comments, complaints...anything. I would just really appreciate some inspiration and encouragement that I am not absolutely boring (but if I am, please let me know).

Please! Comments or emails would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

"No Cussing Club"

In response to my previous rant on swearing, the wonderful Mama D sent me this video. It is about a No Cussing Club. I love it. Go ahead, take a look. Also, you can go to the website mentioned in the video, NoCussing.com, and even take the no cussing challenge and become a member. Pretty cool.

Swearing

Swearing, cussing, cursing, crude or foul language...it's all the same. And it's all nasty. Whatever you want to call it, I hate it. I feel so strongly about this that there will probably be several posts about it. Swearing is just so negative, it only  make me grumpy. I prefer to be around people who are uplifting, not constantly bringing me, and others, down.

There is a LOT of swearing at school. It is impossible for me to get through the day and not hear at least one bad word MINIMUM. And that is being optimistic. Usually I hear much, much more. I can't really express how much I dislike it.

The For the Strength of Youth pamphlet has a great section on language (which has some other great links and resources, by the way) -

"How you speak says much about who you are. Clean and intelligent language is evidence of a bright and wholesome mind. Use language that uplifts, encourages, and compliments others. Do not insult others or put them down, even in joking. Speak kindly and positively about others so you can fulfill the Lord’s commandment to love one another. When you use good language, you invite the Spirit to be with you.

Always use the names of God and Jesus Christ with reverence and respect. Misusing their names is a sin. Profane, vulgar, or crude language or gestures, as well as jokes about immoral actions, are offensive to the Lord and to others. Foul language harms your spirit and degrades you. Do not let others influence you to use it."

Isn't that great? "When you use good language, you invite the Spirit to be with you." Who doesn't want that? The Spirit helps guide us and comforts us. Conversely, "Foul language harms your spirit and degrades you." Nobody wants to be degraded. So we shouldn't use foul language.

I have heard the excuse swearing "is just words." No harm, it's just words....

Not true. Not true at all. When someone tells you they love you, is that just words, or does that have meaning? Doesn't being told you are loved inspire a feeling? Happiness, maybe? It works that same in reverse. Crude, degrading language brings you down. Words have power. There is proof of that everywhere.

If you have time, take a look and study James 3:2-13. It's pretty intense.

I know it is hard to stand out, to be that one kid who doesn't swear. But it is completely worth it. You are standing steadfast for what you believe in, and your example truly does influence others. There will always be those who ridicule you, that is inevitable. But it is not their opinion of you that matters. It is your Heavenly Father's opinion that matters.

Sleep Needed

I realize I have not posted for a while, and I apologize for that. It has been difficult to put thoughts into words recently, but I have finally found a topic I am passionate about this week.

Sleep.

I can never get enough of it. Nobody can. Exhaustion is an endless cycle here in highschool. I have taken three 2-hour naps this week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday). My mother asked if I was sick.

I'm not. Just tired.

Let me put it into perspective for you. Teenagers, like me, need to get about 9 hours of sleep a night. I get about 6-7, more or less. Most often less. And the pathetic thing is that when I count up my hours of sleep for the night, I consider 7 hours a success.

So, say I get an average of 7 hours of sleep a night. That's 49 hours a week. Add a few extra hours for Friday night (when I can sleep in on Saturday), and it's about 52 hours.

I am supposed to get 63.

63 hours of sleep a week. I am 11 hours under.That's OVER a full night of sleep. Ouch! That's like pulling one all-nighter a week...and then going to school. And taking tests. And giving presentations.

And I know people who actually do.

What causes such a lack of sleep, you may ask? Typically just being so busy. School, homework, friends, maybe a job, homework, sports, extra activities, homework...did I mention that one already?

I am the type of student who, when I am too tired to function, says, "Forget homework, I need sleep." If you know you are exhausted, what is the point of trying?! It will just take you longer to get everything done than it would if you took a nap first and then finished! Plus, then you are even more tired for school the next day, and the cycle continues.

But I know a lot of people for whom getting homework done trumps rest. They get even less sleep than I do. I also know several insomniacs who get about...3-4 hours of sleep? And then go to school, just like everybody else.

Double ouch.

Now, I have to be fair - if I was a bit more proactive in getting my work done, I would probably be able to fit more sleep in. I tell myself all the time, "Megy, you know you are gonna regret this if you don't do it now!" But do I ever just do the work right then? Rarely. I know, I know, how silly of me...but after over 6 hours at school, I am just about dead. Depending on the day. It always seems that I am the most tired through school and the afternoon. When it is actually a decent time to be going to bed, I am finally awake. Not a good system.

Whoa...Scripture Mastery coming on...drum roll, please!

Doctrine and Covenants 88:124
"...cease to sleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated."

Great counsel. For highschoolers, very seldom followed. At least, the "retire to thy bed early" part. Many, including myself, arise plenty early for seminary.

But that is a blessing in and of itself. If I didn't go to seminary, I would be even more exhausted and unable to focus.

Here is a nifty little article I about how to get more sleep - Six Ways to Get Your ZZZs

What about you? Your average hours of sleep a night?

Let's get this one out of the way...

Homework.

We all hate it. It is annoying, stressful, and sometimes (being optimistic here) rather pointless.

Agreed? Good.

We also all procrastinate our homework at one point or another. Sad, but true. Don't believe me? I bet you can think of at least one time you put off homework until the last possible minute. Maybe the class before it was due...

(My friend Mister T does that. I have no idea how he gets away with it! He does quite a bit of his homework IN SCHOOL, yet he has good grades! That boy is a beast...)

Hmm, procrastination...I feel a Scripture Mastery coming on!

Alma 34:32-34 (Yeah. It's the long one.)
"...i beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end..."

In this case, I think of repentance as homework. =]