to me

honestly, i think that i've pretty much failed in my assignment to take group shots over the break. i haven't even really used that camera at all. trouble. maybe tomorrow i'll be able to do something before or after work. hopefully. at any rate, what i've been busy with in the mean time has been rather thought-provoking in many facets. the most recent has to do with something that is as historic in my family as the cloth diapers we were wrapped in as babies: idaho. we went for a quick trip to see family while we had a minute. i started thinking today as we were packing up to head back of things that stood out and meant a lot to me. what the significant objects are, if you will. i thought of pictures in the basement, the pool table, a horse-bridle mirror, a record collection, a china cabinet, or mom's bronzed shoes. i thought of a scene that i'd seen hundreds of times that really was an idaho scene to me. i wish that i had thought of all of these in time to take pictures. i didn't. instead, i got two quick shots on the way out. i feel like i've missed something.

anyway, i've babbled for a long time and all i really had to share was a few pieces of idaho and what it is to me. but remember, it's missing a lot. it's not the whole picture.

nun

i'm ocd, get over it. yes, i've finished my homework, get over it. this is what happens when i have stuff to do and no life.

anyway, on with what i really want to talk about.
elder came home last week. it's been interesting having him here. he's the same person, but not the same. i remember some things that i notice are the same and i see other things that are not the same at all. who is this person? i don't really know how to act around him or what to do. i know that i had the same problem when sister came home last year, but i still don't know what to do about it. mostly i just feel awkward and silly.

then again, i know that i have changed a lot. i am not the same as i was two years ago, hair aside. it's odd to think that he only really got snapshots of what was larger than life for me.

i kind of wish that he had come during school because it would have given me an excuse to do something all day instead of just feeling out of place. That is one reason why i finished the homework that i had. kind of the anti-social way out, but what can i do? oi.

Christmas is good. it always is. it was carnage all day. it's a great picture, isn't it? Christmas carnage. it seems sos weird to me sometimes that people give me presents. i got so much. i get so excited. i still wake up at six. i was just happy that all the family was there. that was the best. though, i won't say no to a stuffed reindeer. it's so cute!

squared

i love going up to temple square in the winter. the lights are beautiful, and the atmosphere is very Christmas-y. for mutual today we went to the legacy theatre for the Joseph Smith movie, then saw the lights and had hot chocolate in the parking lot. i enjoyed myself, despite the long car ride with hyper 12 year old girls. it was really hard to focus my camera with no light, but i got a few shots that i liked. we'll see how they turn out on the screen.

the first is the classic temple shot. yes, i am a sucker for the Christmas tree lights and the lit-up temple. i wish that i'd been able to be more in the center, but we can't always have everything our way can we? life is not mcdonald's (ironic how you never really get what you want at those places, huh? they just listen half-way, shove what they think you want in a bag and send you on your way. another 'satisfied' customer.).
the second is a different perspective on the classic shot of Moroni. i was looking through the window of the theatre before we went into the movie. good stuff.


i like this one a lot. you can't see it, but the nativity is right under the tree.i took a ton more, but i didn't like any of them. really, i failed on my assignment (taking group pictures), because people move too fast for any kind of good shot in the dark. the light would go weird or the thing would be completely blurry. i was not pleased. what am i going to do? go to the super-market and corner some innocent little family. bleh.

ACT now!

it's such a good feeling to walk away from a test and know that you will never have to sit through it again. that feeling is added to when, for the first time, you actually finish the whole test. i rarely even did that in the practice exams. whatever has happened the last two weeks, i'm glad for it. mostly though, i'm excited that there is less than two weeks left of school. i'm weary of school. it's beginning to interfere with my education.

StAT!

in my experience as a student, i've had a great deal of trouble with timed tests. it frustrates me to no end that i do just as well, if not better, in school than those who score much higher on these tests. but i'm always cut for time, and my scores suffer.

however, i took the sat today, and greatly surprised myself. out of the ten sections that comprise the test, i finished eight with time to spare, and felt very secure in my answers. i might even venture to say that i enjoyed the test. for once i didn't come home feeling like i had blown a large chunk of my parents' money. and the benefit is that if the results come out better than my act, byu takes the sat too! and if i don't, no worries! it's all good.

man, i was way blessed today. awesome possum (hey! i should ask for a possum for Christmas!)