How Will You Tell Your Story?

Something that has really stood out to me lately are stories. I've run into more writers lately, just by happenstance, but I've also talked to a number of people that wouldn't call themselves writers, but have a story to share and are trying to find a way to do so.

My opinion is that everyone has a story to share. The way they share that story however, will not always be the same as anyone else. Some people, like myself, write stories. We take principles and situations and put it in a fictional setting. We take the things that we have learned through the school of hard knocks and put it in a format for people to read, while disguising some of the details and/or names. The joke goes around to not get on the bad side of a writer, they will find a way to put you in a book and kill you. While there hasn't been anyone in real life I've wanted to kill off in a story, there have been hard situations I've been in that I want to include in my writing so that others can learn from them and not have to go through the same thing.

Other people are verbal storytellers. They love to be in front of an audience and tell their stories. They use gestures, actions, and facial cues to help show what they want to share. Oftentimes they will record these stories, whether on an audio or actually filming themselves telling their stories.

Another fairly common way people tell the story inside of them is through acting. Whether through movies or the stage, people love to tell stories through acting, and people love to watch. Personally, this is another one off my favorites, and I have actually written a play. I just can't decide which role in it I'd want to play!

Some other storytelling methods seem more abstract. Music is often used to tell a story. How many songs do you love because you relate to them so much? The music doesn't even have to have lyrics. Think of movie soundtracks, think of the great composers. I know that I've created pictures in my head while listening to Beethoven's fifth symphony, even before seeing Fantasia do it.

Speaking of pictures, that can be another way stories are told. Whether actual photographs, or other modes, such as painting or drawing. This weekend I helped at an event, which I knew some of the storyline, but seeing the pictures afterwards (I was only there for a few hours on the second day of the event) a whole new portion of the storyline came to light, and it was epic! It made me sad I hadn't been there for all of it!

One of my favorites that is a little less common is role playing. Much like acting in a play, but where there is no script, or you are given a lot of leeway on how to get to a plot point. The event I was helping with this weekend was a simulation, where I was a captain in the villain army. I knew that in the end I would end up dead on the battlefield, but I also knew that in the meantime I would provide a formidable roadblock for the heroines (little girls in this case) in achieving their goals of saving their king, and I had a bit of leeway in how I did that. Other role playing things I have done are tabletop games (RPGs such as Dungeons and Dragons) where you have a character working with others to complete quests that an overseeing player gives them, and live action role play (or LARP) which is similar to a simulation, but doesn't necessarily have a specific way it will end, but with the character and cooperation aspect of RPGs.

Other modes I'm thinking of at the moment that tell stories: Sculpture (including clay, composite, carving, smithing, origami, etc.), dance, architecture, gardening and landscaping, cooking, blogging (which can combine several of these methods), board and video games, and I know there are others.

Which method is your favorite? What have I not covered that deserves a mention?

Passions

What are you passionate about? This can be an interesting question because in can be interpreted a lot of different ways. I'm not talking about things you're interested in or just like doing, I'm talking about things that stir your soul.

Upon looking up the word "passionate" in the dictionary this is the first result I receive: "Showing or expressing strong beliefs, interest, or enthusiasm." (There are other uses for this word that are related, but my focus today is using this definition.) Some things that I have determined I am passionate about are first and foremost my relationship with my Heavenly Father as well as my Savior, writing, and music. There are others, but these are the ones in my mind that mean the most to me right now.

The one that I'll focus on most is writing, which I think in large portion really comes down to storytelling for me. I've been telling stories for as long as I can remember, whether verbally, through acting, through daydreaming, or thorough writing. I remember writing my first "book" when I was about three years old. I drew the pictures, stapled them together, and had my parents transcribe my description. It was about a dinosaur named Harry who was sad because while all the other dinosaurs were hairy, he hadn't had a single hair come in yet (My three year old self probably knew dinosaurs didn't grow hair, but my imagination grasped the idea of "what if?"). By the end of the book he was starting to grow hair and was so excited. I even wrote a sequel!

The interesting thing about the fact that I love writing is that my spelling used to be terrible. Even though I've loved stories and reading from a very young age the actual writing aspect was a struggle for a long time. Spellcheck was my best friend, and even then it sometimes couldn't figure out the word I was trying to spell. In the three times I participated in the spelling bee I went out in the first round twice. It wasn't until I was fourteen that I had much confidence in my ability to spell. That was the last year that I could do the spelling bee, and I lost the tiebreaker for third place, taking fourth! The really funny part? The words I missed were "falsetto" and "vibrato," both music related words.

Did I let my struggling spelling skills hold me back? No! I continued to create stories, whether I actually wrote them or not. I went to events at my local library with guest authors and wished that there was even a chance for aspiring writers to earn enough money to make a living. The idea of being an author greatly appealed to me, but I thought it was impractical. (Did I bother asking the guest authors? Er, no.)

I pushed away the idea for years. I just didn't see it as possible. I was still a kid, and I was letting stigmas crush my dreams, though I didn't see it at the time. Do. Not. Let. Your. Dreams. Be. Crushed. Had I truly believed in my passion (though I didn't realize then that's what it was) at the time I could be leaps and bounds ahead of where I am in my current skill level. I'm grateful for where I am, and for how I got here, but now I know that I want my children to grow up knowing that it is okay to follow their wholesome passions. The most important thing though is that I didn't let the idea die. There was still a part of me that longed to write and create.

Part of what makes it a passion to me is the fulfillment I feel when I am doing it. I feel so much myself. It brings me great joy, not just fleeting happiness. Especially when I can look back at a finished project, or even just a project that I've worked on a lot. The fact that I created something so cool, even when it is a collaborative effort, brings me great joy and satisfaction.

I could go on and on, but let's look at another passion of mine, music. What about music makes it a passion? I think the biggest thing is they way it makes me feel, much like writing. I feel so much joy when I sing, or play my violin, or listen to wholesome music. Sometimes I'm not as focused on the words or the notes as I would like, but I still love what I am doing.

Another thing that brings the joy into my passions is the connection that I feel to my Heavenly Father. In music I can sing His praises, or remember that He is always there for me. I feel His power even when listening to music that might be considered secular, because it relates to my life. This is one reason I am very selective of the music that I listen to, because I can feel it when the song drives away the Spirit. When that happens that song gets deleted or skipped, even if I previously really enjoyed the song, though I tend to keep those a bit longer to make sure it wasn't just my mood that day or misunderstanding the lyrics (it usually isn't, but it has been in a few cases).

In my writing, I feel connected to my Heavenly Father because I am using the creative powers He has given me, creating worlds like He has, though on a much, much smaller scale. I learn the importance of agency as I allow my characters to make mistakes. When I let them go through hard things because I know the growth they will go through I better see how God does the same thing for me, and it makes my trials a little bit easier to bear.

My passions bring me joy. More so than other things that are more of an interest. Does that mean those things can't become passions? No, but as of right now they are hobbies, not passions. Does the fact that I'm passionate about something mean it's always easy or I always want to work on it? No! Sometimes I really don't want to work on it, even though I know that it will help me, or something needs to get done. But it is in those times that I go through the most growth, even if I don't see it for a while.

What are you passionate about? What brings you the most joy? How does it better connect you with heaven?

Thoughts from a Stake Valentines Dance

Last night I attended a Valentines dance that my stake put on. Both youth and adults were invited so I took my younger brother since my parents weren't feeling well. Dances aren't usually my favorite as I love to ballroom dance, even though I don't know much, and not many people know any or will dance it. I prefer the slow dances because even if I don't know the song I can be talking to someone. Or at least, that's how it used to be...

While I was working out of state I learned how to loosen up and dance with my upper body, instead of just doing dance steps (not a whole lot of dance space behind a grill). This made the fast dances that I didn't know much more enjoyable. The slow dances were actually the less enjoyable part because there were not many youth at all so there was no one to dance with. (And none of them were waltzes, which I will dance by myself.) I had made the determination before I ever went to a stake dance not to ever do the jump up and down with your fist in the air dancing. Unfortunately this caused me to avoid using my arms for almost anything while dancing. I am so glad that I have been able to learn a more fun way to dance, and have gotten over my inhibitions.

I never thought that I would be selected to participate in a disco competition. They played a disco song, and after everyone had danced they had a few people select their favorite disco dancer and had a small dance off. With all the adults there who had actually lived through the disco era I didn't expect to be chosen, but one of the judges came up to me and had me go up. She mentioned that disco was a 'little' before my time, and I agreed with her. She mentioned that disco was during her high school years, and that she thought it was fun.

I came to the realization that just because it doesn't come from your era doesn't mean that it isn't fun. This can apply to people of all ages. The younger people can learn to appreciate things from eras before them, that just because they are 'old' doesn't mean they are dumb or embarrassing. The not as young people can learn to accept and perhaps enjoy some of the newer things. They aren't too strange or too difficult. There are things in every era that perhaps could/should do without, but there are also things that are worth keeping.

I was resting during one of the slow dances and had a chance to look out at all of the couples dancing on the floor. I thought it was so cute to see all of the couples dancing close to each other, it was so tender. I want to be that way with my husband whenever it might be that I get married. I wouldn't do that while I'm still single, but that is a beautiful part of marriage.

I didn't think that I could learn so much from a stake dance, but it just goes to show that if you live your life so you are always learning, any experience can teach you something unexpected.

Life After Death

A few weeks ago, some dear friends of mine passed their little 3 year-old boy into his Heavenly Father's arms after a battle with leukemia. I had heard something the week before indicating he was really not doing well, and wondered if it might only be a matter of time. I still wasn't prepared for it when I heard that he had passed, it wasn't a surprise, but it still gave me some shock. Because my mom is the funeral coordinator for the ward I was involved in getting ready for the luncheon. I was busy enough that it didn't really sink in for the first few days.

I never cry at funerals. I think I may have forced tears at my great-grandmother's funeral, but I was still kind of young. I didn't think that I would be crying at this one at all and didn't have any Kleenex, which ended up being a mistake. I was getting choked up during the opening hymn, “I Know That My Redeemer Lives” (#136 in the LDS hymnbook), The message was just so beautiful. It is sad that he did not get to live a long, full life. But it is such a blessing to know that he will live again, and that his parents will have the opportunity to raise him. I could also barely sing the closing hymn, “Families Can Be Together Forever” (#300) It's sad that his sisters won't grow up with him, and I know that they miss him, but it is a comfort to know that they can be with him eternally after this life.

It is such a blessing to know that he is no longer suffering, and has, as the hospice nurse quoted him as saying, “no more owies.” That family will have a little angel watching over them. His father miraculously was able to speak at the funeral, and said that he believes that little children like that volunteered to have a 'broken body' and go through all that suffering, and are too pure to stay on the earth. Honestly, that family is such a strength to me. I can't, and don't want to, imagine what they must be going through right now. They are carrying through with so much courage, and I know it is the Lord that holds them up. The mother was telling a group I was in a story about how she had to comfort someone she had told about her son. They know that they have an eternal family, and that they will be able to raise their son during the millennium. This is one of the many things that brings them strength.

It is quite interesting having this happen during the Easter season. It has given me a real reason to rejoice in the reason for the holiday. I mean, it was still applicable before, but I can really see now how much comfort the message brings now. The miracle of the resurrection, and the hope for a better life in the hereafter. So many times when I have thought of the resurrection I have thought of this little boy and his family. The passing of a child really makes you wake up to an eternal perspective.

I know that my Redeemer lives. I know that because he lives this little boy, and everyone else, can live again. Death is not the end, it is merely a step in the process to Eternal Life. Families can be together forever. I know that God has plans for each of us. I know that He loves each and every one of us, and knows us by name. I know that He cares, and will give us those things that we need. I know that if we are faithful we can be like Him someday. I say these things in the name of my Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, amen.

'Tis a Gift to Be Simple

Every week my family attends a class about an hour and a half away. The past few weeks I have been taking a laptop to work on assignments during the drive. I didn't have anything due this time, just a book to finish for class next week. I read that on the way to class while it was still daylight, but it was dark when we left so I was not able to read the last six pages. I'll finish it when I'm done here :-). I was going to pull out the laptop so I could do some pleasure writing (like, my blog!), but my mom suggested that since we were in a more rural area I look at the stars until we got back to the city area and couldn't see them anymore. I agreed with her and did some stargazing from our van.

It is amazing how beautiful little white dots on a dark background are. I have always loved the stars, but don't normally get to see them for all the light pollution where I live. At girls' camp I have never missed a stargazing night, even though you only have to go during your fourth year. The first time I went the person teaching did such an awesome job, and knew so much, that I was hooked. While in the car I didn't recognize any constellations besides Orion, (I really only know summer constellations from camp) it was still amazing to see how many stars I could see just outside my window. My younger sister was looking too and said that she saw a bunny in the stars, after she said that I happened to see a cluster that resembled a carrot.

Looking at the stars reminded me of one of my family's favorite scenes from a movie:

" Pumbaa: Timon?
Timon:     Yeah?
Pumbaa: Ever wonder what those sparkly dots are up there?
Timon:     Pumbaa. I don't wonder; I know.
Pumbaa: Oh. What are they?
Timon:     They're fireflies. Fireflies that uh... got stuck up on that big... bluish-black... thing.
Pumbaa: Oh. Gee. I always thought that they were balls of gas burning billions of miles away.
Timon:     Pumbaa, wit' you, everything's gas."1 

It's amazing to think about how little things, like stargazing, will bring up memories. Just sitting there, enjoying the stars and the dark, hilly scenery left me with lots of time to think. My mom had just put in our Sting album (the British singer), and the song "When We Dance" started playing. Because we hadn't played that CD since our vacation to California a few months ago, my mind went back to the last specific time I remember hearing it, which was when we were either at, or headed to the beach for the first time for my siblings and I. I think that I am going to correlate that song with the beach for a long time. The funny thing is, if you had asked me what we were listening to when we went there, I probably couldn't have told you, but music tends to stir up memories and emotions that may have been sitting stagnant for a while.

After I finished reminiscing in my flashback, I got thinking about the stars again. I got thinking about how awesome it will be when I can make stars, constellations, and worlds. In my religion (the LDS or 'Mormon' religion) we believe that (in a nutshell) if we live the way we should, repent, get married in the temple and keep our marital covenants, and endure to the end, we will be able to become like God, live with Him again, and become gods and goddesses with the ability to create worlds. I think that is really cool, and I want to live my life in a way that I will be able to do that. One of my favorite scriptures is Psalms 82:6 which relates to that thought. I don't consider myself an extremely creative person, but I still like to create things.

I decided that I liked the feeling of riding in the car on a rural highway in the dark, it reminded me of childhood trips to my grandparent's house, which took three hours and was often in the dark. I began to ponder how amazing it is that we used to take trips like that a lot, and didn't have much to do, but were fine with the long drive (as long as we had a pit stop or two). Now I, and some of my family, had a hard time with this weekly drive we take. My brother kept bothering my mom to give him the iPad because he didn't have anything to do. I wanted to do stuff on the computer. I decided then that I would not pull out the laptop, and would contently look out the window.

Sometimes it is a good thing to be able to be amused or awed by the simple things in life, like the stars, a favorite quote from a movie, or recalling memories from small things. I think today we get so caught up in all this technology that we don't stop to think about the little things in life. We don't stop to smell the roses, we don't take the time to just find a book and read, we don't write a letter to a friend, we don't stop and dance when our favorite song is playing on the radio, we don't stop to take the time to write down our thoughts (I find myself kicking myself over this one a lot). There are so many small and simple ways that we could be taking a break and enjoying life, but we never stop in this ever moving world to take advantage of all the couple minute, or even second things that have the ability to refresh us.

I hope we all can find the time to take advantage of the simple things that make life pleasant. What are some of the simple things that make your life more enjoyable? Leave me a comment!

The Thought-Provoking Sherlock Holmes

Last Sunday I watched the last episode of season 2 of the BBC Masterpiece series Sherlock. It is a modern day Sherlock Holmes, which makes it extremely interesting. At the end of the episode, Sherlock's life is at stake to save his friends. (Sorry to those of you whom that last sentence was a shock in any way) It ended so dramatically, and there was such a mystery at the end, I was excited for days about it. I was thinking about the amazing acting, the mystery, why I only watch British television, how they don't start filming for next season until January (so I've heard), and why people will risk their lives for different things.

That last thought was actually the first one that came to mind. For some reason this thought keeps coming back to me over and over again. I can think of it in many different ways: bravery, self-sacrifice, and courage in the face of death. Why will people risk their lives for something? I can think of several examples.

A while ago I had the opportunity to see the opera The Magic Flute, at one point, Tamino, one of the main characters, has to be blindfolded to start a series of unknown trials in order to marry the girl he loves. His new-found friend, Papageno, is terrified and tries (unsuccessfully) to resist. The actor who portrayed Tamino stood there, waiting to be blindfolded. There was fear in his eyes. (Kudos to the actor for great acting!) That struck something in me, and it keeps coming up every now and then. There are several examples in the scriptures of this same thing, being willing to go through something that might involve death. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego and the fiery furnace, Daniel and the lions' den, Abinadi and king Noah and his priests, Alma and Amulek preaching to the people of Ammonihah, Joseph Smith, and many others. Sherlock Holmes even risks his life several times in the original cases. I'm going to read The Final Problem today, and wanted to post beforehand, so I didn't have something else to think about, as I know the basic idea of what happens at the end, but not the details. I don't know why I keep thinking about this, I'm just glad I have an eternal perspective and know there is life after death. I know this is one reason the people in the scriptures were able to do what they did, which makes me wonder what the fictional characters would be thinking.

I went to a cemetery where my great-grandparents are buried on Monday, and had some interesting thoughts. It didn't seem creepy like people normally picture cemeteries, it was peaceful, and almost, happy. I was talking about it with my parents afterwords, and they said it was because I had an eternal perspective, and I have more friends than enemies there. I also thought it was odd that even though I was standing at my great-grandparents' grave, I didn't feel connected there. I figured out later that it is also because I have an eternal perspective, and even though their bodies are there, their spirits aren't necessarily.

As I've been thinking, I started to wonder why it is I pretty much only watch British TV, I like some of the Masterpiece series, (others are just weird in my opinion) and I like Doctor Who. I know there is other British TV, but this is what I chose to watch through my PBS station. I think a lot of  it has to do with the values in the shows. In Doctor Who, the Doctor is always battling evil, in Sherlock, pretty much the same thing. (although for different reasons) They also are clean for the most part. (one of the Sherlock episodes was kind of iffy) They have a nice blend of  funny and serious. They also are not violent for the sake of being violent, they only fight when they have to. (which is one reason I heard Jackie Chan is retiring from action movies, but that's another story) They also are not very gory, Sherlock does have some blood, but I can't think of a time off the top of my head when Doctor Who does. Thinking about it further, they both have incredibly intelligent title characters, and their friends who try to keep up. I think another aspect of it is, I don't find the need to watch TV all the time, and so I pick and choose what I watch, and these are the shows I pick. I actually don't watch Doctor Who very much anymore because it is on at an inconvenient time.

I started reading the original cases after watching the show, partially to relieve my mind of the mystery left at the end of the show, but also because the show piqued my interest into the books. They are really quite interesting. I find it is kind of fun to find similarities between Holmes and I. Some I have noticed are: We both play violin, (although he plays much better than I do!) when we are busy, we don't eat until we are starving and really need something, or are forced to have a break, and evidently we both think it is handy to have a pistol in some situations. Funny story! I was getting ready to go on a hike, and as I was filling up a water bottle I was thinking: "What else should I grab to be prepared? Watson, would you grab a pistol? What?!?" I have no idea why I thought that I might need a pistol, I must have been reading too much Sherlock Holmes.

Something else I have noticed while reading is how much of the character of the language is seeping into how I write, think, and talk. I am glad is is more refined. I get excited whenever I need to pull out the dictionary to find out what an unfamiliar word means. I love to expand me vocabulary! It has really gotten me back into reading. I had hit a dearth and wasn't reading very much. The ironic thing is it was partially my schoolwork that was preventing me. I am really glad to be reading again!

Ah well, (there's that character seeping out!) I should stop rambling now and read. The first case I read today is supposedly the one that introduces Mycroft. I'm excited!

Higher Education

With graduation here, I'm getting some of the most annoying questions asked of me over and over again. "How do you graduate?" and "What are you doing for college?"

The problem here is there are so many options, I don't know!

The question that needs more answering here is the college question. Depending on that answer, we can continue onto the graduation question. I know it's kind of backwards, but that's how it has to be done because what you want to do later determines what you have to do now to get there.

Right now, I'm leaning towards not going to college and entering the workforce instead. This is a whole lot cheaper, and honestly, I don't know that college is worth it. That is a lot of time, energy, and money to spend. And what do you get for it? A piece of paper and facts pounded into your head. The question is, how much are those facts and piece of paper worth? I'm thinking, not as much as they cost. How far does a degree really get you now days? Unemployment among college graduates is rising. That makes it really difficult to pay off student debt.

How much of that information could you learn, filtering out the stuff you didn't want to learn, from reading? If you want to learn about something, I would like to re-write a common phrase: there's a BOOK for that! You know, those things with pages? That you turn, and the paper has words on it? Yeah, those things! You can learn so many things from books. You just need to know what ones to read, and how to read them. Fictional literature can be educational if you know how to read and apply it. Here are some things that can help in this endeavor:

A colloquium group helps you see things you may not have noticed or paid much attention to while reading, and helps you expand those ideas you had while reading. I started participating in a colloquium group with adults when I was twelve. It was an amazing thing. Even when we got off topic, there were still great thoughts being shared. I learned some things I would not have without doing that. A colloquium group is not the same as a book group. You discuss ideas from books or articles as opposed to story lines. You have a moderator that keeps the discussion moving, and talk about the how, the why, what the author was trying to get at, and other like minded things. I wish I had the opportunity to do this now that I'm more mature and understand things better.

A mentor is another useful resource. A mentor can guide you to what books you should read, ask you questions about what you are reading to get you thinking, give you assignments to apply what you are learning or to learn more, and be there to ask questions of to help you understand something you are not grasping.

Another thing I have found useful is writing. I have been enamored by something this past week and a half, (which I should be posting about tomorrow, or I will not be happy with myself!) and had just started writing in my journal again just before the inciting incident. It has been so useful to write down what I've been thinking and in so doing it has made me think more, and my thoughts have been more organized. It has also helped me think more critically, and has made me come to some realizations. I filled almost a quarter of my journal in a week with how much I have been writing in it. It is interesting because I have been reading an older English book, (about turn of the century) some of the characterization of the language has seeped into what I write. Because I think faster than I write, It makes me think more about what I am writing. Then of course sometimes I think much faster than I am writing, and leave out something, and then I have to add an addendum to what I wrote because it doesn't make sense without it. And then there are those times you leave what you are writing for a moment, but are still thinking about what you were writing, and then when you come back you can't remember what you decided as you were gone that you were going to write! Like right now. That is so annoying. Ah, that's what it was. Writing is also helpful because you keep a record of what you have learned and what you were thinking. Then you can come back to it at some later point.

One thing I think affects your learning is what music you listen to while you are reading/learning. I find listening to classical music helps me think, doesn't distract me, and keeps me from getting distracted form outside influences. When I listen to my pop music, (about 80s or older, I don't care for the stuff from this decade) I find it harder to concentrate. (So what does that indicate about my brother listening to "The Song that Doesn't End" while doing math?)

A combination of these things is what I think you need for a higher education. For some people, they can get this at a college, and it will be worth it to them. You need to prayerfully decide what is best for you. Right now, I think what is best for me is to work, use the resources I have listed above, and take some free courses from MIT as described here. I value learning and education, but I don't know that I need to spend thousands of dollars on expensive college classes. I can spend that money on other things, such as necessities and books, not get into deep debt, and do things for little or no cost.

Wedding Observations

I had the opportunity to attend a couple wedding receptions with some of my family this month. As both marriages were in an LDS temple, and both receptions were in a ward building, it was rather interesting to see the differences between the two.

The first one I went to was for a friend whom we met through political campaigns who is closer to thirty than to twenty. When we arrived, the first thing we saw was the car that had (of course) been vandalized. I was rather appalled at some of the things that had been written on it. One of the more tame things that was written on the car was "Guess what we're doing tonight?"
    When we got into the church, I was surprised at how low the ceiling in the cultural hall was. It turned out that there was material draped from the walls to the middle of the room. It looked rather nice actually, it was just weird at first glance. After we went through the reception line, we went to the refreshment tables. They had a lot of different options there. After we got our food, we sat at a table where there was room for us to sit. We didn't know anyone sitting there, and only talked to them a little bit. Everyone we knew was sitting at another table that was full.
    They had some music playing in the background, and it changed to a song I don't like, and got louder. They announced that it was time to throw the bouquet. My mom made me get up and go over. I was really uncomfortable because I didn't like the song that was playing, I didn't know the bride, and I didn't know any of the people who were going to try to catch it. Then, she ended up throwing it before I could get to where everyone was standing because someone was in the road trying to take a picture of their daughters. I was perfectly fine with that. Then the music changed to something that I didn't know, but I still didn't like because it sounded really suggestive. The bride sat down so the groom could get the guarder, that whole thing was not done very tastefully in my opinion. Shortly after was the send off for the couple with sparklers, and then most everybody left.

The second one I went to was for one of my homeschooled friends who is not much older than me. Opening the announcement was a shock to me!
    First thing we saw when we got there was a group of my friends standing outside chatting. We went through the reception line, chatting with both families. After the reception line, we went over to the dessert table, they had cheesecake with syrup on top. We didn't even sit down, we just stood while talking to some other friends.
    They cut the cake, (another cheesecake :-)) and then said they were going to toss the bouquet. My dad put his arms around me, preventing me from going for the moment. Then he let me go so I could join the group. After the toss, they announced that they were going to have a dance, first with the bride and her father, then the bride and groom. Then they opened it up to anyone who would like to dance. I talked to people some, I danced when I was asked to, I watched with the bride's roommate the little video that she had made for the reception.
    Eventually it came time to send off the couple, with bubbles. The theme of the marriage had been how the couple was becoming a king and queen in Zion. The car had a giant crown on the top of it. It was really fun, but they stopped after a few yards so they could clean off the windshield so the groom could see. The notes on the car were much cleaner than the ones at the previous reception. After they left, we chatted with some friends in the parking lot, then lots of people went inside to help clean up.

Some interesting things we observed between the two receptions:

• The first one almost seemed more for show than anything else, the second one was more of a celebration of the union between the two families.
• The music at the first one seemed to imply 'you're hot' while the music at the second one was more of a 'I really, truly love you'.
• The cars were obviously very different from each other. I decided that if my car had the things on it the first one did, I would not get in the car. The first one would have been easier to clean up, as the second one had Oreos, balloons, cardboard (which ended up falling off anyway), and maybe another thing or two besides the window marker and cans behind the car. I would prefer to get in the second car with all that then the first one with all the messages that were on it. Although, for my wedding, my dad is going to help us hide the car, and it will not be vandalized.
• The helpfulness of people afterwards said a lot about how much people cared about the families in my opinion.

Don't get me wrong, the people in both couples are great people, it was just very interesting to see the differences between the two receptions.

When it comes to that time in my life, I would rather have a reception like the second one. Minus the car. It actually is the first reception I have been to that they have had dancing. And I have been to a fair amount of receptions. (Although, there is one I didn't make it to a while ago that I highly suspect had dancing, the parents of the bride there are very big into ballroom) I love ballroom dancing, and I think I would like to have that at my reception, but I might say in the announcement when the dancing starts.

Those are my thoughts on that subject. Hopefully I will post again soon, since it has been over two months since I last posted. I already have some thoughts in mind that I think I would like to share, albeit on very different subjects.