18

Hello beautiful humans. It's not a Wednesday today, but it is a special occasion. Namely, my birthday. My eighteenth birthday! I'm legally old enough to get married, vote and get a tattoo. Not that I'm planning on doing any of those things. No, what I am in fact doing is sitting on a chair attempting to muster up the bravery of honest words. Because in my 18 years of living I have discovered that that is how I want to use my influence. I want to make a difference by speaking transformational words of truth. And on this birthday I thought it would be fun to do an 18 facts about me at 18 post, just so I could establish my voice a bit better on this darling little blog, and kick off into my resolution of posting regularly. Let's get into it :)

1. If I were a food I think I would be dark chocolate. Whenever I eat dark chocolate, I feel understood by the poetry of that delectable confection. Haha.

2. My favorite author is L.M Montgomery, popularly known as the author of the Anne of Green Gables series. I have read her books countless times, and each time I read one of her charming literary creations I am inspired to be a better person. I always come away from her words feeling that life does have beauty in it.

3. My best friend is my adorable, quirky and artistic thirteen-year-old sister.

4. I have an obsession with literary webseries on YouTube. They are like....literally my favorite thing. (The best ones are Emma Approved, In Earnest and Green Gables Fables.)

5. After I watched the movie A Walk to Remember for the first time I made a life list like the one she has in the movie with 100 items on it. I'm still pretty proud of said list.

6. My ancestry is mainly Italian and I have a dream to visit Italy one day.

7. I really, really, really want to travel the world and experience new places and cultures.

8. I have a strange fascination with names. Names of anything, but mostly people. It's just so interesting the things people name their children, haha. I have an obsession with baby name trivia quizzes

9. I have actually written a novel of over 100 pages which I don't think anyone will ever see because I wrote it for mainly therapeutic purposes

10. I absolutely adore singing and I pretty much constantly am.

11. My first blog when I was 11 had the very alliterative title of Lulubelle Learns. And a giant picture of my face at the top of the webpage. Great memories haha

12. I've lived in New York and Arizona but I barely remember either as I've lived in my current house for the past ten years of my life.

13. My current favorite scripture is Isaiah 12:2

14. One of my biggest pet peeves is having jagged or uneven nails. I pretty much die inside whenever I break a nail.

15. My hair is in braids about 50% of the time.

16. When I was younger I had an adorable parakeet named Birdo II who died of food poisoning :(

17. The first real play I was in was A Midsummer Night's Dream steampunk style and I played Hermia.

18. I have a major addiction to the sky :)

Thanks for reading! If you'd like to check out my blog post on 18 things I've learned in 18 years go here: http://pocketfulofpoetry.blogspot.com/

Positivity!

So as I mentioned in my Introduction Post, I'm big on positive thinking. 

I shower every text and chat message with smiley faces just so that the conversation doesn't take a wrong turn. It's a silly Pet Peeve of mine, but it can be a good diplomatic gesture. 

Anyway, in recent weeks, I've had trouble being positive with myself. 

I've been playing the victim, beating myself up over miniature mistakes that aren't even my fault, and just plain moping and being overly emotional.

All these symptoms aside, I'm sick of it. So this week I'll be taking action. 

Here are some things I've gathered that I'm going to be focusing on this week:

 

1. Positive Environment

Print out positive quotes that remind you to be happy, and stick them all over your room and bed. 

Keep your room clean. Make your bed and keep the floor clear every day.

Surround yourself with positive media, music and books.

The Relationships we have influence the way we feel, how we think, and how we act.

It is critical to have positive relationships that uplift you and benefit everyone.

Review all the relationships in your life. Do they make you feel this way?

2. Exercise

At the beginning of the school year, I made a goal to exercise everyday. 

And just as I was getting into the habit, winter came. 

Don't get me wrong, I love winter.

 I haven't gotten back into the habit yet. So I need to. 

Exercise gets positive chemicals in your body called endorphins going. They help you feel refreshed, energized, and happy.

3. Create Mindset

One good way to have a positive mindset is to give service! Then you don't have time to wallow in your personal problems, and your focus is on others.

When you're negative, you focus on the bad things in your life, right?

So, instead, think about the positive in your life. Count your blessings! Write them all in your journal. You'll find that it's hard to count them all!

I challenge you guys to be positive! 
Comment below on the things that make you feel happy!

Happy Easter From AmberSkye!

Hey guys! Sorry I haven't posted in a while! I've been really busy, and I'm still learning the ropes of blogging.
I'll try to start getting all my weekly posts up on time.

~

Happy Easter, Everyone! (Two days ago, that is).

I love Easter so much.

Not only the holiday festivities, the celebration of spring, and all the family time, but specifically Easter Sunday.

Last May, my Maternal Grandfather passed away. He was only in his 60's and in what we thought was the picture of health.

He died from a sudden Heart Attack.

I wasn't there when he died and I didn't get to say good-bye.

I miss him all the time and his absence is greatly noticed.

He won't be there to meet my future husband, see me get married, meet my children, or give me hugs.

But I know that I will see him again. 

I truly do believe that Jesus Christ was a real person.

He was sent to be our exemplar, and enable us to go back to Heaven and live with God again.

He lived a perfect life and never made a single mistake.

He Atoned for everyone's sins and understands us perfectly and individually.

Because of Him, all of us can one day become like him, perfect and sinless.

He was scorned, whipped, beaten, crowned with thorns and nailed upon a wooden cross.

He died and was buried in a tomb. He was mourned for by his friends and family.

Justice was served through his perfect life and pure innocence.

Three days after His death, he rose again.

He broke the bands of death and gives us all the chance to be Resurrected as He was.

And He still lives.

~

Every year, The LDS Church releases an Easter Campaign Video. They are so powerful and so beautiful. I invite all of you to watch this year's:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ly9xk59Qkfc

Favorites.... Ruthie edition!

Hello, darlings! I decided that since I've only posted twice, it would probably be good if I told you just a little bit more about me. After all, if we're best friends, you gotta know a few more things about me than my introduction post. ;) So I decided to tell you my favorite things. You can tell a lot about a person by what they love, so we'll do a specific favorites post!

Favorite color: Lime green

Favorite subject: History

Favorite superhero: Captain America

And here we have a picture depicting my life

Favorite book: The Way of Kings or To Kill a Mockingbird

Favorite article of clothing: Probably these pants!

source: jcpenney.com

Favorite makeup product: This BB Cream. No promises on what skin tone I am. I honestly don't remember the number. 😂

Favorite shoes: THESE!

source: payless.com

Favorite store: Savers

Favorite food: Watermelon!!

And here we have a lovely picture of a watermelon from Google Images because we definitely need a pic of that 😂

Favorite hairstyle: Honestly, my hair is in a bun 99.9% of the time. I just hate having hair near my face. It's really fine and tangles easily, so it's just nice to have it securely out of my face.

If I could go anywhere, I would go to... Disneyland!

source: Google Images but technically disneyland.disney.go.com

And since we're on Disneyland, my favorite ride: Hyperspace Mountain and Star Tours. Again, GEEK ALERT

Favorite movie: Cinderella or Captain America: Civil War

 

Let me know in the comments what your favorites are! I'd love to hear from you. Much love,

Ruthie

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The Ruthie Chronicles: Brandon Sanderson Fangirl Edition

Hello, darlings! It's Ruthie. I'm here to tell you about something that I've been super excited about...

Brandon Sanderson.

Yes, I'm a geek. Completely and fully. I love all things superhero, most things sci-fi... And I'm really excitable too, so it all works out.

First, can we just talk for a moment about The Stormlight Archive (my personal favorite series by Mr. Sanderson and the one I'm currently rereading) and how characters from the other books keep showing up, more so than any I've caught in the other series? I'll just be reading and all of a sudden, we have characters from Mistborn, Elantris, White Sand, and Warbreaker showing up and let's just say it makes my little fangirl heart very happy.

What I really love about all of his books (besides the amazing magic systems, the fantastic yet relatable worlds, and the mind-boggling crossovers) are the characters. Yes, I'm one of those that gets emotionally attached to the characters. But hey, isn't that what good writing is? ;) I can see in these characters role models for who I want to be. I want to learn about being an awesome leader? Haul up The Way of Kings and learn from Kaladin! I want to learn about being strong and powerful, yet unashamed and embracing of my femininity*? Pick up Elantris and learn from Sarene! I take a lot of inspiration from characters with a strong moral center, regardless of how fictional they or their threat might be. Many of his characters are deeply rooted in their morals and hold strictly to what is right, regardless of what others think. It gives me something to strive for and model pieces of my life after. It really doesn't matter if they're fictional, as long as they're good. (Although I do have to say that traits such as skill in fighting dragons or Surgebinding--no matter how epic--probably won't give you a ton of experience in our sadly Investiture-less world.) There's always a parallel in our world that you can apply the issue to. What are your dragons?

 Like how a play shows the possibilities of life through physical movement in a visual fashion, books and stories give you experiences you never could have on your own. They can give you adventure in a battle, strengthen your mind as you struggle to untangle the complex plots, and teach you about dealing with people and situations without any fear of repercussion--because it's not real and not you!

Great learning can come even through fiction. It doesn't have to be a textbook to have valuable knowledge. It doesn't have to be written in some archaic form of English to explain morals and change your life. And it certainly doesn't have to be boring to be "worthy" of being a classic (a book you can read over and over and get something new out of it every time).

Inspiration and growth can come in any form, be it a form of media, a form of art... whatever speaks to your soul. What speaks to your soul?

The thing is, guys, it doesn't matter what people think. There are set standards on what is right and what is wrong. But when something doesn't fall into that category (like your favorite color, your favorite book, or other types of personal opinions), find what is best for you!!! Someone once told me that God is trying to tell you something everywhere you go. That includes lessons about personal traits to develop to become the best version of yourself, which can obviously come through books!

All of you are so wonderful and I just love you. Let me know in the comments what your favorite books are and what you've learned from them!

Love,
Ruthie

*As I was typing this, "femininity" got autocorrected to "felinity." The secret is out... I'm apparently a cat.

Get to know Court...

Hello lovelies! It’s Courtney! I am a tall, brown eyed, freckled teenage girl who is still working on finding her place out here in this chaotic world. I am very new to the blogging game, but I am very excited to get started because I always have so much to say. So, without further adu, here is the super boring introduction about me that I know you’re insanely excited to read! Haha.

Here is everything you need to know about me!

My two very favorite escapes are dancing and working out. I dance because it allows me to forget about the real world and disappear from reality for a while, it helps me to express myself and to keep me sane. I originally started to work out because of the image that society reflects on us girls/women, I was made fun of because my body didn’t fit that particular image. Working out has given me confidence and has helped me to get rid of those awful insecurities that I had about my body. I no longer care about what people think about my body, even though it still doesn’t match what society says a woman’s body should look like. I do it for me, and only me. It truly has changed my life.

My fitness journey has lead me to want to inspire others, teach self-love, and empower women. I want to help women to feel comfortable with themselves in their skin, and to recognize their beauty, no matter their shape or size.

I have a strange obsession with words and love. The way words are strung together, the way they roll off tongues in all languages, and the way they are put to music to invoke one’s emotions. They amaze me, to say the least. Love is the most incomprehensible, most indescribable, and most powerful thing that I have ever experienced. It truly is the most incredible thing, I want nothing more than to share my love with the world.

I absolutely love spending time with my small family of 13, we’re really crazy and loud, and we all drive each other insane at times, but at the end of the day we love each other so much, and that’s all we really need.

I recently discovered the power of the Gospel and the power of the LDS church. I have found truth and that is the most comforting thing. I am slowly (but surely) gaining a knowledge of God’s plan for me.

Some of my (hidden) talents include, being able to have a conversation with my siblings using movie quotes, every quote from a different movie. (Okay, I may be exaggerating a little bit, but I really can quote movies like you would not believe.) I sleep a lot. Some would say it is not a talent, but I’m not a very talented person so I consider it a talent.

I’ll be posting every Friday about anything and everything really. Anywhere from thoughts, analogies, and ideas, to makeup tutorials, work out or stretching videos and tips! Also, I just started my own personal blog, so feel free to "ceep" up with me on that! http://ceepingupwithcourt.blogspot.com/

xoxo Court K.

An intro....

Hello all, I’m Hailey! I pretty much have two parts that make up my personality: First, there’s the part of me that wants to wear flannel shirts and hiking boots, drive in a Jeep, and go on adventures. But then, there’s that side of me that just wants to listen to Il Divo in my sundress and sandals -the “picture of elegance”. I couldn’t give up either one of them, and I don’t plan to. I have a fantastic, crazy mane of hair, I’m pretty darn tall, I have a fondness for old-fashioned things, and I absolutely love creating, and being surrounded by beauty. I love reading, I am passionate about organizing, and to say that I “like” music would be a lie because I feel that music is a part of my soul. One of my all-time favorite songs is I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking for, by U2 (this is probably because it is on one of my favorite movies: Runaway Bride). I have relationships with music through playing the piano and singing. One of my dreams is to play the guitar (fingers crossed this will happen soon). A few years ago, I had a really hard battle with depression (which I won, and am still trying to win every day). Because of my experience, I was led to realize part of my mission in life: to help people find happiness and to live in positivity and love, versus negative judgment about others, or themselves. I feel called to address the problems that plague the individual. Right now I am striving to become a homemaker, so that those who find their way to my doorstep (whether they are my family or not), come away more assured of their worth and their ability to benefit the world through their unique gifts and abilities. Here on the blog I'll post my thoughts on "life issues" (think depression, self-acceptance, happiness, and that kind of thing). I also love sharing inspiring quotes, songs, etc. Who knows what other random things will need to be shared! :) I’ll be posting every Thursday! xo ~Hailey