Sunday, October 28, 2012

Rise

(Warning: unintentional spoilers may appear. I'll do my best to avoid them.)
So...I watched the third Batman movie yesterday. Oh. My. Goodness.
So good.
It was easily my favorite of The Dark Knight trilogy. (Did you know that it's The Dark Knight trilogy, not the Batman trilogy? I learned that yesterday.) The other two were good. Incredible, even. And as much as I love Inception, Christopher Nolan outdid himself this time. I even enjoyed watching Anne Hathaway, which doesn't happen very often. (Sorry, Anne Hathaway.)
The reason I loved the movie so much wasn't because of incredible filming--although that was part of it--or that there were amazing actors--which there were--but because it was so inspirational. Don't believe me? Here's one of my favorite lines from the movie.
"A hero can be anyone. Even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting a coat around a little boy's shoulders to let him know that the world hadn't ended." --Batman
I mean, the whole movie is about ordinary people who make a huge difference in saving thousands, even millions, of lives. There's nothing particularly special about Batman. He's just like you and me. (Well, except for the money. And the cars. And...okay, so maybe he's not exactly like you and me.) But sometimes, he messed up. He fell. From which came another one of my favorite lines:
"Why do we fall, son? So we can learn to pick ourselves up." --Thomas Wayne
One of my favorite parts in the third movie was (spoiler alert) when Batman is trying to climb out of the pit. The men are chanting, "Deshi basara! Deshi basara!", and you think that they want to see him fail. Rather, you discover that the chant actually means, "Rise! Rise!"
How many times have you fallen into your own personal pit? How many times have you been in such despair that you think you'll never be able to make the jump and find your world again? When you find yourself in a pit, remember the words of President Gordon B. Hinckley.
"You did not come into the world to fail. You came into the world to succeed. You have accomplished much so far. It is only the beginning. As you move forward on the trail of life, keep the banner of faith in self ever before you. You may not be a genius. You may not be exceptionally smart. But you can be good, and you can try. And you will be amazed at what might happen when in faith you take a step forward."
There are so many challenges in this world. There are so many pits for us to fall into. It will never be easy to rise out of these pits. But it's possible. There are people around you, cheering for you, and they want you to succeed. I love this video of the 2012 Mutual theme song, Arise:

 
 
For me, The Dark Knight Rises was so much more than the last movie in the trilogy. It was a reminder that no matter how far I fall, I can always rise.
Arise and bring in the new day. :) 

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

The Space Center

     No. No, no, no, no, no.
     I'm really trying hard not to be overdramatic here, but this is one of the worst things that I can remember happening.
For those of you who haven't heard my rants on Facebook, text, or in person, the Christa McAuliffe Space Center is closed for good. I can't really express very well how I feel about this. The Space Center has played a huge role in my life. I've been going on missions since fourth grade and volunteering since fifth. Every single one of the kids in my family has taken pre-algebra from Mr. Williamson. 
      What the district needs to realize is that the Space Center is more than just simulations. It's more than Star Trek or aliens or missions. It's team building. It's working under pressure. It's the childhood of over 300,000 people. Yes, the electricity is a problem. I realize that. But do they really honestly believe that it's not worth every penny? The Space Center may not teach kids to be geniuses; it teaches much more important things than that. The Space Center taught me more about hard work, communication, and good morals than any other place I can think of (beside my home, of course).
     There is nothing to stop me right now from ripping the world apart to keep the Space Center alive. It means so much to the community as well as thousands of others, and I won't let it go this easily.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Quotes.


If there's one thing I've learned from college, it's that people say the darndest things. I think I've heard more hilarious things at BYU than I have anywhere in  my life...except maybe AP Stats. So today, in an attempt to make you smile, I'm posting some of the funny things I've heard in my month and a half at college.  
“I’ll do Ryan Lochte’s tattoo…this is a new one I found today.” –Shawntel

“Our ceiling carpet is squeaky.” –Shawntel

“Let’s go creeptastic all over the place!” –Hayden

(Directed at myself) "Sometimes, you’re a good replacement for a boyfriend. You’re warm, you text me, you cook…” –Margo

“Oh, my hormones!” –Amy

“I want to grab a random guy off of the street and make out with him.” –Amy

“Nothing’s better than cuddling. It’s like kissing with your body.” –Amy

“It’s Kathy’s cake?!!!” –Chelsea

“I didn’t know my hair was long enough to whip her face!” –Chelsea

“Why are you asking me about church when there’s a boy involved?!” –Martha

“I think you two should just get together.” “But it’s almost curfew…” –Emily and Martha

“Have I married anyone yet?” –Emily

“Once he gets married, he’ll be fine.” –Anonymous

“I want to be blind. Not really, I just think it would be cool to learn sign language.” –Margo

“Am I in the lust stage?” –Tyler

“This song is so angry. I love it!” –Martha

“That makes more senseful.” –Margo

“I love when people wear…bananas.” –Jeanine

“That’s what you get for leaving your bum in the doorway.” –Shawntel

“I didn’t say spooning, I said playing spoons!” –Margo

“If you’re going to be fat, you might as well do it right…” -Audrey