Clever Title, Play On Words

Dear Fellow Dreamer,

I do realize it's been a while since I have written in this thing called a blog but, I do have my reasons for withholding the bits of information and happenings in my life.......No, not really. I just didn't make the time. Alas, (I like that word.....alas...alas...tehe!) not everything in my life seems to be exciting enough to really share with the very few who do happen to read this.....stuff. I really am a sorry excuse for a writer, huh? I want to write, I do. I have all these ideas, but none of them seem to make it onto actual paper. It will happen, though......yes. It will.

Anyway, I will catch you up on what has happened since last I wrote. I got the job. Well, one of them...at a middle school as a Special Needs/Resource Aide. And, I'm trying for a second job, as well. It's at this kind of after-school/kindergarten/pre-school/daycare place. I will hopefully find out about that one within this next week. For Halloween, I spent time with my family. And for Thanksgiving, I spent time with my family. Both were really, really fun! I love my family. :)

I'm soooo excited for Christmas! All of my family will be together this year, and I can't wait! Together for Christmas...... I wish everyone could have that. To be surrounded by the ones they love. To have a nice, warm home to stay in.

I'm rambling again...sorry.

Well, today I'm sick with a sore throat. The situation pretty much stinks like old cheese.

Have you ever felt completely out of place? (jumping subjects, I know) Like you don't quite belong? Like there's some kind of concept on life that you suddenly skipped? Or some kind of memo you missed? Almost like you were invited to a costume party, but no one told you it was a costume party, so you show up looking like, well, yourself?

...I have. Quite a lot, actually. It's not that I've never felt like I belonged, no. It's that I seem to think so much differently than everyone else, that sometimes, when I share ideas or opinions that sound so brilliant in my head, people sometimes think they're just plain silly.

"Think. Think. Think."

"When you are a Bear of Very Little Brain, and you Think of Things, you find sometimes that Thing which seemed very Thingish inside you is quite different when it gets out into the open and has other people looking at it." --A.A. Milne

I'm weird. I know I am. But, everyone is in their own way, right?

What I will leave you with is a book suggestion, and a quote: 1. Read 'Le Petit Prince,' or 'The Little Prince' by Antoine De Saint Exupery. My mom suggested it to me a few years ago, because it's one of her favorites, but I didn't read it all the way through until this year. Your life will never be the same if you read this brilliant book. I promise that it may just change the way we think about things. About life.

2. "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."--Le Petit Prince, Antoine De Saint Exupery

It is one of my favorite books, and you will not be disappointed. Thank you, mom, for sharing it with me. Love you!

Keep loving, living, and dreaming!

Sincerely,

Erin (.^_^.)

Life, Decisions, and Other Silly Things

Dear Fellow Dreamer,

Well, on August 27, 2011, my big brother, Asher, and my new sister-in-law, Victoria, got married in the Oquirrh Mountain temple. :) Yay, happy day!

photo credit: whiteorchidphotography.blogspot.com :)

Aren't they so cute together? Love them! ^_^

I moved back home this past week, after spending the summer at Che' and Jared's and Fin's. I miss them. :( But, I get to see them at family get togethers, so it's good and happy business. :)

I had two, TWO, interviews for two different schools to be a teaching assistant this past Thursday! (excited face) Hoping to get one of them. I hear back this week. *making a wish* Please, please, please.

I also tried out for A Christmas Carol at Hale Centre Theatre yesterday. It was a very...new experience. But, I loved it. :) It felt good to perform again, even if it was just an audition. :) I didn't make it, but it's all good. It was kind of one of my wishes to audition there, and that's what I did. So, it was a happy experience. Check!

Today was a good Sunday. :) I went to church with my fam to support my friend, Mike, who just returned from his LDS mission to Columbia. His talk and the other talks were very good. I have missed the people in my home ward. They're all so nice. :)

I guess that's all I have to say for now, I'll try to keep more updated on this. :)

I'll leave ya with this thought:

There's always a flicker of hope for a better future...be it in the new-seeing eyes of a newborn, or the knowledgeable and experienced eyes of the wise. But, the only way we can achieve this 'better' future, I suppose, is to press forward, having faith that 'every little thing is gonna be alright.'

Keep hoping, loving, serving, smiling, believing, and dreaming!

Sincerely,

Erin (.^_^.)

p.s. Sorry about the change of font at the end...I can't get it to fix. hmphh.. :/ Meh. Oh, well! :)

I'm Goin' to Hogwarts!

Dear Fellow Dreamer,

So today I went running with my sister and Fin..(no, Fin wasn't running with us this time...just riding in the jogging stroller, silly!)..and I ran 2 miles! Woot! And Che' ran 3 miles! Yee-ah! haha Anyway, we took little Fin to the park right after, swung on the swings, slid on the slides, etc. Typical park fun. That's when I saw a stick. Yes, a stick.

I know, you're all super excited. I was.

I've been on this kick, where each funky looking stick is a wand, like from Harry Potter.

So, I picked up the stick and gave it to Finley. Then, after a moment of thought, I yelled, "Avada Kedavra!"

After a second of Che' giving me a weird look, I realized what that spell actually did, and explained to her that, "It was the first spell that popped into my head." Heh...

It's true.

"I don't think we should let you go to Hogwarts..." Che' said.

Yeah, that's probably for the best anyway...I mean, I would probably get there, be put in a wizard dual for class, feel way under pressure, yell, "Avada Kedavra!", kill some random kid, feel bad and shocked, then innocently say, "It was the first spell that popped into my head."

The headlines would read:

CRAZY GIRL KICKED OUT OF HOGWARTS FOR MURDER

*rocks back and forth on her heels* "Well, THAT went well........Sorry?"

And I'm pretty sure that wouldn't go over well with anyone I would meet in the future...I would probably be exiled for my lack of brain functioning under pressure when in a serious situation...

Needless to say, it wouldn't be pretty.

After that, we saw really weird bugs around the park, like a lot!! Kind of like this:

So, we left. My theory is that a whole colony of them live under the park, and that's the reason there were so many birds there today. (Even though that thought makes my skin crawl...eeughh...)

Hope you are all well, and happy!

Keep smiling, laughing, loving, and dreaming!

Sincerely,

Erin (.^_^.)

P.s. Not to offend anyone, but why is the school called 'Hogwarts?' Think about it. Hogwarts. Hog. warts. A Hog's warts? If any of you have the answer to my question, I would be gratefully benefitted from it...*oink, oink*

Harry Potter...Voldeeemort...and...schtuff.

SPOILER ALERT: In case you haven't read the books, or seen the movie, yet.

Dear Fellow Dreamer,

So, today I went to go see Harry Potter 7, part dos, with my Daddy, Che', and Jenna. It was for my Daddy's work party. It was a lot of fun! (Thanks, Daddy!)

It was a really intense, really funny movie and, I loved it! One of my favorite parts being when Voldeeemort died. But, if you please, let me explain:

1. The obvious reason that good conquers evil, and it ends happily.

2. A little boy yelled out, as Voldeeemort was dying, "Take that, Voldermort! You're dead!!"

Baha! That little outburst has had me laughing for quite some time.

After the movie, we went to go get pizza for thewhole family from Little Ceasar's-btw, traffic was crazzzyyy today!- and they say 'hot and ready pizza'...but they weren't. So, while Che', Jenna, and I were waiting for Daddy, we joked around about different things...like...

Then Che' said my patronus was a Llama... :)

Sweet! I get to be like Kuzco!

Heh...

Then I decided Jenna's was a chicken... :)

Then Che', randomly and jokingly said that hers could be a sloth...because we were having a hard time deciding...and it was super funny to picture a sloth being a patronus.

When the pizza people finally finished the pizza, and Daddy got back in the car, we decided his patronus is to be a snail...(Gary the snail-Spongebob reference.) :)

Anywho...that was some of my day. :) I love my family! They're so funny and amazing!!

Keep smiling, laughing, loving, and dreaming!

Sincerely,

Erin (.^_^.)

Things To Do In The Summer Time

Dear Fellow Dreamer,

Here is a list of things to do for if you're bored, it's summer, no school, etc. :)

1. Take up a new hobby and perfect it.--If it's not working, try something else.

2. Try something you've always wanted to try.

3. Invent something. Whether it's a new game, new gadget, whatever.

4. Make videos for youtube, even if only you and your friends get the jokes.

5. Write a short story.

6. Do service for someone who's having a hard time.--doing it secretly is the most fun, in my opinion. :)

7. Read some books.

8. Go running, biking, for a hike, these are fun, and cheap! :)

9. Paint, draw, sketch, doodle.

10. Do a just for fun photoshoot with a few friends, and edit the pictures together...Then laugh about some of the awkwardness of not knowing how to pose, or about people looking at you strangely.

11. Write a note to someone, just for fun. Or a letter. Everyone likes getting letters! :)

12. Go swimming.

13. Swing, close your eyes, and pretend like you're flying to an amazing place.

14. If you're home alone (even if you're not, in some cases), turn your favorite tunes up, sing, and dance around the house! :)

15. Run around your house, or chosen place, and sing disney songs at the top of your lungs.

16. Organize a dance mob at your local mall, or grocery store...

17. Make homemade popsicles using little cups, popsicle sticks, and koolaid, or some kind of juice. :)

18. Have a giant lightsaber battle with your friends. ;)

19. Have a water fight!

20. Play night games!

21. Go people watching at a mall with some friends.

22. If you don't know how to already, learn how to skateboard, longboard, or rollerblade.

23. Help clean around the house. (May sound daunting, but, it makes everyone a lot happier...especially parents. It's a happy surprise for them. Much better than if they found a week old sandwich under your brothers bed...Happy parents=happier home.)

24. Make a music video!

25. Cheer someone up with one of those silly, dumb, laughy taffy jokes. :)

26. Go climb a tree. :)

There's so much to do! Even more than what I have listed but, I hope you have found something you think would work for you! :) Happy summer-ing!

Keep laughing, loving, and dreaming!

Sincerely,

Erin (.^_^.)

Princess Festival 2011--Simply Wonderful!

Dear Fellow Dreamer,

For the past month, or so, I had the amazing opportunity to be involved with the Princess Festival. It's this wonderful organization that is sponsored by In Our Own Quiet Way, and helps the people of Kenya get fresh water and other necessities. They are wonderful. Little kids get to come, dressed up, and meet a bunch of fairytale characters and they get the opportunity to do service, too.

It was so much fun! I got to be Pearl, one of the Twelve Dancing Princesses. :) I got to know all 12 of my 'sisters' who are each wonderful and funny in their own way, and a few of the other people who participated. Everyone was so nice and they are all so talented! Everyone is a volunteer, meaning that 100% of the proceeds goes to the cause. Such a wonderful experience! I hope to be able to do it again next year! :)

Anyway, so yesterday was my birthday and it was wonderful. :) We celebrated it though on Sunday with the whole family and it was so much fun! :) I love my family soooo much! They are seriously the Best ever. I can't wait to see everyone again when we go to the zoo all together this weekend! :) That is all for now. Until next time!

Keep living, loving, serving, believing, and dreaming! :)

Sincerely,

Erin (.^_^.)

London's Burning!

Dear Fellow Dreamer,

So, I have been living with my sis, bro-in-law, and nephew for the past month or so. It's been really fun and I've had a lot of laughs.

We try to go running every morning at the track, and sometimes, it feels like my brain is on fire...So, one day I started singing this children's song I had heard in a movie called, 'Anxiously Engaged.' The song was 'London's Burning.' So now we just sing it once in a while cause it gets stuck in your head really easily... And it goes a little something like this:

London's burning!

London's burning!

Fire! Fire!

Fire! Fire!

Fairly simple song. So I started singing it yesterday, and Finley, my nephew, started saying, "Londn's bning! Londn's bning!" haha It was so cute!

In other news, (hehe! I've always wanted to say that...=) ) the Princess Festival's final dress rehearsal is today and I'm sooo psyched! Should be lots of fun! I can't believe how fast this past month and a half has gone by! It seems like yesterday I came here to live for a little bit, but it's been a little over a month already, and I still feel like the 'new girl.' It's okay, though. It will get better, I suppose. =) Anyway, back to the Princess Festival, it starts, STARTS, tomorrow! Crazy, right? Let me answer that for you, yes, yes it is pretty crazy. (Again, so psyched!)

I must go and get ready for rehearsal now, though! Hope your life is going pretty spectacular! And, if it isn't at the moment, let me be the first to say, 'It will get better.' =)

Keep believing, smiling, and dreaming!

Sincerely,

Erin (.^_^.)

The Rain

Dear Fellow Dreamer,

I LOVE the rain. It's one of my 'favorite things,' for sure. =)

I love it because of the way it makes me feel, and how it makes everything seem new and wonderful.

I love the turn of each new day. The promise of a whole new start, a whole new beginning. A new story begins, as soon as the clock strikes 12.

Who would have thought,

that so much promise and wonder could be brought,

with the turning of a hand on a little clock?

Have you ever felt that nagging in your heart to share something with someone. One that makes you feel warm and happy inside so much that, you can't help but share the thought with someone? The Holy Ghost is wonderful. If we listen to the promptings, we may just help someone who needed to hear what he prompted us so strongly to say.

I'm so grateful for today. It has been a beautiful Sunday, with some new faces, and some faces already dear to my heart.

I went to my new singles ward today. It was all exciting and new, but the spirit was the same-Wonderful, warm, and constant.

I have been kind of struggling for the past year, off and on. I say off and on, but I think it's just been nagging at me for a while. It's something I've been told everyone goes through in this life. Just simply that, I'm trying to figure out who I am, and what I want to do, and where I'm going, and where I belong. Sometimes it brings heartache and confusion. But, I guess everyone is just trying to do the same as I am. I wish I could help them. Help heal the heartache and tell them that everything will turn out alright.

I know I am a Daughter of God. I want to enjoy and endure this life to return to my Heavenly Father and my family for eternity.

So, I will listen and learn from those around me. I will work my hardest to achieve my goals, instead of just watching my life pass by. I will help others by sharing my testimony through my words and deeds. I will be more outgoing, not letting my pride or shyness get in the way of possibly making a new friend. I will smile, and be confident, knowing that the Lord is on my side and will help me through these tough times that I know I will have to endure, in time. I will face my fears.

Keep dreaming, believing, serving, loving, and smiling!

Sincerely,

Erin (.^_^.)

Beginning, Yet Again

Dear Fellow Dreamer,

Nothing has gone exactly the way I planned for my life. That may be my problem. Maybe I should just stop planning my life, and accept what is going to happen, good, or bad, and press forward, knowing that it will all turn out right in the end.

It's hard to do that sometimes though; trust that everything will be alright.

It's a lot easier, though, when we have people there to help us back up on our feet when we take the hardest of falls. Thank you for being there. Thank you for being there when my heartache seemed to never end, when I thought my life was over because of some of the choices I've made, or because I felt hurt when someone had broken my heart. I know it might happen again, but it's good to know that you're there. Always have been, always will be. Forever & for Always, in all ways. Thank you.

I think it's time to start again. And, though it scares me and hurts me to say it, grow up. Maybe it's time. Start anew and figure out exactly who I want to be, and what I want to do with my life. I'm scared to death. I don't want to change.

Maybe it's for the best.

Keep smiling, laughing, loving, and dreaming.

Sincerely,

Erin (.^_^.)

Expectations and Aspirations

Dear Fellow Dreamer,

What do we know, but that which we have experienced? Life doesn't always go according to plan, but since when has everything played out exactly the way we anticipated? I guess what I'm trying to say is, outside of my crazy daydreams, life is...complicated...and wonderful. Even with all it's disappointments and twists, it's all worth it in the end because I know it's going to make me who I am supposed to be...

I constantly find myself caught off-guard with each moment in my life. I seem to expect the opposite of what actually ends up happening. I know it's for the best though! =) How boring would our lives be if we could predict precisely what was going to happen each second of every day?

It makes life more exciting to just not know...but also sometimes a little scary...mostly exciting though...

"To live would be an awfully big adventure!" Yes indeed, Peter Pan, living is an awfully big adventure. Twists and turns like we wouldn't expect thrown at us on each page of each of these marvelous adventure stories.

We each have our own story to tell. We title it all on our own. We write it on the pages in our mind and heart.

We dream, we write, we tell, we cry, we laugh, and we love...

Keep dreaming, and never stop believing!!

Sincerely,

Erin (.^_^.)

Sleep...

Dear Fellow Dreamer,

I don't have a lot of interesting things to say, but I will say that sleep is a good thing...

Sorry this is so short, but I'm really tired, and I have to be awake for math tomorrow. =)

Have a Marvelous night!!

Go sleep and dream a lot!

Sincerely,

Erin (.^_^.)

Daydream Traveler

Dear Fellow Dreamer,

Have you ever wished you could just see the world, learn about the different cultures, and just experience something new? Who hasn't, really?

I am almost always daydreaming. I am almost always off in my 'own little world,' especially when I get in situations that may make me uncomfortable...I guess it's a blessing and a curse.

Anyway, back on subject, I imagine things the way I want. It's never exactly the same. I like to imagine myself in different places, different countries (especially with cute, decent guys.) =)

Someday, if I have the money, I'll go and travel the world. But for now, I guess they are just some dreams of a silly girl...who is almost, maybe, possibly, a little oblivious...

Never stop dreaming and go for your dreams!

I know I'll make it, someday.

Sincerely,

Erin (.^_^.)

Fate--Destiny

Dear Fellow Dreamer,

Have you ever thought about the people that you've met and wonder if you've met them for a reason? Whether they build you up, or knock you down, you met them for some unknown, at present, cause?

I believe that we meet the people we do, and go through the things we experience for a reason. Though we may not know it at the moment, I think we begin to realize it later in life.

So when we go through things that seem hard to handle, we can know that we will get through whatever it is we are going through. Heavenly Father would never give us anything we couldn't handle. No matter how hard that is to believe while we are 'going through the motions.'

It's hard to think about, that those who have hurt us, or those feelings that we have at the time, make us who we are for the future, and make us better people, but I believe it's true. Though it's hard, I don't think I would go back in my life to change anything. I've learned so much, but still have yet to learn many things.

A boy from my old high school was killed today in a car accident...I didn't know him personally but, I remember seeing him in the halls with a smile on his face, laughing. Those who know him speak very highly of his wonderful personality and attitude. I believe that he influenced their lives for the better.

My heart goes out to his family and friends. It is a hard thing to go through, losing a friend, but things will get better. It may not seem like it right now, but I believe they will. As I said, I didn't know him personally, but I'm sure that he is in good hands.

Jose Ceballos, you will be missed and loved forever...I pray for all those who are mourning. I'm sorry for your loss...

Stay strong. Keep believing, and never stop dreaming. 'Things are gonna get better.'

Sincerely,

Erin (.^_^.)

Complications--The Reason

So...I kind of, sort of, maybe messed up my other blog of random thoughts...hence the reason this one was made. =)

So, the reason I made this, was to make it another journal-type thing.

Dear Fellow Dreamer,

I thought I would take a moment to say, life is hard. I think it's a good thing though. Ya know, we all go through things that are really hard for us at the time. Sometimes it feels as if the whole world is conspiring against us, trying to break us down to feel so small and insignificant that we forget who we are.

WhO aRe We?

We are all children of God. Sons and daughters of a King. I heard something interesting on an inspirational talk on cd today that I received from my loving parents. The speaker said that, maybe sometimes we just hear that phrase so much, "I am a Child of God," that it just becomes something that is more said repeatedly in our minds than something that is an important part of our conscious reality.

I am a Child of God.

He loves me, unconditionally, and answers my most sincere prayers.

Sometimes I forget who I am. Sometimes I forget that those around me are probably experiencing more tough things than I could ever imagine. Sometimes I just get so caught up in my own problems that I forget that they probably need help, too.

I feel that no one should feel hurt, or insignificant.

We are all children of a loving Heavenly Father.

Everyone is important in His plan.

So yes, life is hard, but it will be worth it.

"I never said it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it."

Keep loving, serving, and dreaming. Never forget who you are.

It's a new year, a new chance to start again.

Sincerely,

Erin (.^_^.)