Giving Thanks

One more hour until Thanksgiving. I love this holiday - the good food, spending time with family, and most importantly, taking the time to remember all the things I am grateful for. Here are just a few:

• The fact that I am in Washington right now. It may have been one of the dumbest decisions in my life to decide to come up here in the middle of a snowstorm - all the way up. I seriously thought I was going to die several times, like the time we were driving straight through the blizzard and inches of snow, spinning into a ditch, driving through a mountain with about 10 feet of visibility, getting only one hour of sleep in 48 hours... not the funnest moments of my life. Let me tell you, hell will not be fiery and hot, it will be a frozen wasteland. And I feel like I just drove through it. It was a miracle I survived, and I'm so grateful for all your prayers and I know I know someone greater was helping me along the way. But I'm here now! And so grateful to see my family in just a few hours!
• My family and friends. They support me through anything. I feel like I have someone I can talk to concerning all the different facets of my life, and it's so comforting to know that. 
• Technology. I would feel so alone if I didn't have a way to stay in touch with everyone.
• Food. It's delicious. 
• That I go to BYU. Best decision I ever made. 
• That I'm in the PR program! Check out my articles for the newsletter on my PR portfolio page. 
• My church and the gospel. Feel bad this was lower on the list. I don't know where I'd be without it. It's really one of the best comforters I have. I know I complain about some of the culture surrounding the church every now and then, but let's face it, there are much worse cultures I could be complaining about.  
• Movies and television. Am I sinful for saying this? I just love them. In addition to being a source of entertainment whenever I need it,  film and TV are also just great art forms that display the different emotions and experiences of the human condition in the most wonderful ways. They tell stories and lessons about life in a way that no other medium really can. They literally show us how great or miserable life can be and give us great examples of ways to deal with our circumstances. Of course, some movies and TV shows are more valuable than others.
• My room! It's seriously amazing. A huge closet, a bookshelf full of stuff, a vanity dresser, a desk, a comfy bed, a clock, sweet decorations, awesome chair, rug, movie posters... all to myself :)
• corny jokes
• sarcasm
• inspirational stories

Deathly Hallows Review

Unless you live under a rock, you probably know that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 came out a few days ago, experiencing an opening night of $61 million. And it was amazing. I've seen it twice already (Yes, I'm a nerd. So what.) and I have to say that I think this one is my favorite so far. Here's a few reasons why:

• the most faithful to the book and good quality HP film so far. The previous films have either fit into two categories: there were either really faithful to the books but not the best quality film (1 & 2) or good quality films that left out a lot of important plot points (3, 5, & 6). (Movie 4 was neither. That's one I block out of my memory.) But HP7 Pt. 1 was the first film that was both. The things it left out (Lupin's scene, Kreacher's tale, Dudley's stupid line) weren't missed at all. Some parts were even better than the book.
• the ministry scene, the locket scene, the dance between Harry and Hermione, the Godric's Hollow scene (I jumped both times I saw it haha) and the Malfoy Manor scenes
• Dobby
• that this movie felt different from the others - they weren't in Hogwarts anymore, the trio had to fend for themselves, it was slower paced, etc.
• the acting of the trio. Dan's been solid for a while now, Rupert finally had a chance to show his acting chops and show a side of his character we haven't seen before, and Emma - oh my goodness can that girl act. Totally stole every scene she was in (which was pretty much the whole movie). When she cried, I cried. So good. 
• I LOVED that they had things in there only book fans would understand and made no apologies for it. For instance, the shard of Sirius' mirror. At this point, I could care less if you're confused and have no idea what's going on. The books have been out for more than 10 years now. Learn to read.
• Makes me SO excited for Pt. 2. Is it July yet??

So yeah, I would definitely recommend this film. Let me know of your thoughts on it. If you agree or disagree, etc.

In other news... yeah there isn't much other news. I worked all day today. Getting sick of school. Only two more days until Thanksgiving Break and then I'll see my family up in Washington! So excited.

I Love PR

I get to be the social media expert for The Vanguard and Voices of Courage and write a letter to Hilary Clinton asking her to come to an event. How awesome is that?

In other news, I was supposed to have my study abroad interview today but it got rescheduled for Tuesday. So now I'm wearing this interview outfit for nothing. Lame.

Oh and I bought dominoes and sidewalk chalk for Triniti today. Gonna be an awesome time.

Friends?

So I've been thinking lately about the power of friendships and what exactly it means to be a friend. I've never had a "BFF" - you know, the one girl with whom you are inseparable, who you share all your secrets with, the girl everyone knows is your best friend. I've always had more of big group of closer friends, where each know a little part of me but none know everything about me.

This used to depress me a little bit. I was always jealous of those girls who just had that one girl they could do everything with. But I've also seen quite a lot of those friendships go down in flames - over really stupid things, too. These girls who once seemed so inseparable don't even talk to each other anymore. And that's just really sad.

So is there such a thing as being too close of a friend? Is there a danger in only having one close friend who knows everything about you? I think there is. I may not have a "BFF," but I have a lot of best friends. And I'm ok with that, I think.

What do you guys think?

So dumb

Some people in this world are just not that intelligent. Just thought I'd point that out.

It's 50 minutes to midnight

Why is it that I can't ever go to bed before midnight? It's a problem.

Well anyway, this week has been kind of a bore, with the exception of Halloween, of course. I dressed as a gypsy and went to a dance. It was pretty fun. Other than that, I've mostly just done my normal routine. (Which I admit, is still pretty hectic). I also have three exams coming up. Joy.

Oh and the stupid faucet in our bathtub won't stop running water. It's driving me insane.

Here are some pics from Halloween: