Book (Series) Review: Percy Jackson

According to Wikipedia, I'm almost a decade late in getting into this series. The first book was published in 2005, and I'm sure I heard people talk about it then, but it wasn't until this last year that I actually picked up the books. Thankfully, the last book was published in 2011, so once I started reading the series, I didn't have to wait for any sequels before I could finish it.

Here's a TV Tropes synopsis of the series as a whole:

Percy Jackson and the Olympians is an Urban Fantasyseries by Rick Riordan based on Greek mythology. In the books the Greek gods have moved to the United States, and their home, Olympus, is now located at the 600th floor of the Empire State Building. They have many demigod children with mortal humans. Unfortunately, these demigods attract mythological monsters, so they must travel to a safe haven in Long Island, New York, called "Camp Half-Blood", and learn to fight. The books get progressively Darker and Edgier throughout the series as a war with the Titans approaches.

Not gonna lie, I had some qualms about the whole premise. Everything from Greek mythology has moved to America while retaining its Greekness, the Greek gods are real and running everything, and they're sleeping around with mortals and having tons of kids like it's no big deal.

It's just a little sketch, if you think about it. I mean, all these kids are at camp with dozens of half-siblings, and none of them bat an eyelash at the idea that one of their parents has so little loyalty to the other. I wasn't sure if I wanted to endorse a "pagan" and "adulterous" cast of characters.

But then I decided to not be suck a stickler and just accept it as fantasy and give it a shot. At first, I found the writing and plot to be just a bit too juvenile for my taste. But I kept going, and I was reminded of how fun juvenile fiction can be. I got really into it and now I can say that I really love the series. Enough to be slightly offended at how untrue to the source material the movies turned out to be.

If nothing else, the fantastical elements are pretty awesome, I must say. Depending on their parentage, each kid gets a unique set of demigod powers. Rick Riordan had so much Greek mythology to pull inspiration from, and the way he adapted it to a modern setting is always unique and often hilarious. The way the gods adapted to modern American ways is especially humorous.

And the dialogue is gold. Every character gets at least one funny line, even the main antagonists. It's all terribly clever.

So if you're a kid, I'd definitely give this five stars and tell you to give the series a chance. It's excellent juvenile fiction and will keep you entertained. If you're an adult, it's still super entertaining, you just have to remember that it was written primarily for kids.

Just have fun with it.

Now on to Heroes of Olympus! From what I read of the first chapter of the first book, it's going to be awesome. Much more complex and aimed at an older audience than the Percy Jackson series. I'm excited to read it.

Deadline: Internship

Okay, since this is job related, I'm calling it Deadline, but really this is just going to be a random rambling post.

I GOT THE INTERNSHIP!

Who's "ready for great things"? I am! ME! ME!

You're looking at the new summer intern for LDS Living magazine. Right now I'm kind of in shock, but a half hour ago when I checked my e-mail, I was a complete wreck.

When I came out from the dead zone that is the basement of the JFSB, I had a few unread e-mails. Since I was running to get to work on time, I waited to check them until I had already gotten to the office and settled down at my desk.

My heart skittered when I saw that one of the messages was from LDS Living. I was so excited to open it, but at the same time I was terrified. I was sure that I would be inexplicably rejected, just like the last two times I'd applied for internships.

I'd felt so good about the interview and the location and the whole LDS Living deal, that to be rejected would have crushed me. And I was so sure it was going to happen. I couldn't think of a single good reason why it would happen, but I was so afraid that it would.

So I said a quick prayer, similar to the ones I made every night before I got my mission call. "Heavenly Father, if I don't get this internship, please help me be okay with it and move on with my life."

For a moment I just sat there, shaking and feeling tears build up. Then I took a deep breath and checked my e-mail.

The tears that I thought would be shed in bitter disappointment became tears of absolute euphoria instead. I couldn't believe it when I saw that I had been selected! Finally.

Man, how I wished that I had checked my e-mail before I got to work. I would have whooped and went running down South Hill, Maria Von Trapp-style, rejoicing for all the world to hear.

Instead, I had to sit still at my desk and pretend like nothing happened. I had to act like a calm professional for the next four hours, only releasing my excitement through texts to my family that contained five too many exclamation points.

Now that it's been a half hour, I should probably be glad I didn't open my e-mail outside. Someone probably would have YouTubed my outburst of joy and then my future employers would have seen it and changed their minds. :)

I'd just like to thank the LDS Living team for being so friendly and inviting and seeing my potential as their newest team member.

I'd also like to thank my family for their support during this difficult job hunting time, my editing teachers for giving me a valuable life skill after all (sorry I doubted you), and my roommates for listening to my drama.

Also, I'd like to thank the Academy... But since no one ever seems to finish that sentence with any reason why the Academy should be thanked, I don't really know how to parody that. What does that even mean, anyways? Nevermind, I'll just stop now.

Freewrite: Apologies. Here's an update.

I'm sorry I've been so bad about writing lately, but my excuse is that I've been writing too much. For the first time in months I've been working on my fiction, so all my writing energy has gone into everything BUT blog material. Sorry. :)

I could have just posted a bunch of Drafts of my writing, but it would be so out of context I don't know if you'd enjoy it. So instead, I'm going to give you a brief update on my life, and then my next post will be on Sunday.

Update 1- Job Search

On Tuesday, I had yet another job interview, this time up in Salt Lake City with LDS Living magazine.

I loved the interview. The work environment seems so friendly and comfortable--very tight-knit and definitely my style. From the questions they posed and the enthusiasm I felt in answering, I think this would be the perfect job for me.

After not getting the Church editing internships, I'm wary about getting my hopes up, but I just can't help getting excited about the idea of working adjacent to City Creek, with a sweeping view of the Assembly Hall and the temple, on a magazine that follows my same values.

So third time's a charm, I hope! They said they'd let me know by the end of this week if I get to come work for them or not. If I get it, I'll post about it very soon, I'm sure.


Update 2 - Editing Job

We printed our second proof of Stowaway yesterday, and the final drafts of text are all done. We should be seeing printed copies in the next week or so.

In the meantime, I'm editing a book for my friend, Greg, which is a very interesting undertaking. He dictated the whole thing using voice recognition software, and so every other day we meet for two hours so I can read it out loud and make sure that it makes sense in written form.

We get through about seven chapters every time we meet, so we're making very good progress. THe goal is to have the whole thing cleaned up for publication by April 11th.

Mostly I'm just catching homophones and stuff, but occasionally we run into phrases like "This condition is was is very to the..." We both just stop and stare and try to figure out what Greg said out loud that the software didn't understand. After saying it out loud to ourselves over and over, one of us realizes, "Oh! It's necessary!" It's like a crazy version of Mad Gab, and can be very entertaining sometimes.

This weekend I'm going to help format the whole text so that he can self-publish it. All my Print Publishing training has prepared me for this precise task. :)


Update 3 - Fiction 

I don't know what triggered it, but lately I've been overwhelmed with creativity. I hadn't done any serious writing since November, but then this week I wrote a lot.

I've currently got three stories going on, and one of those three stories is part of a series. Having so many ideas all at once means that I keep randomly grabbing my phone, scribbling on the nearest sheet of paper, or whipping out my laptop so that I can write down what just went through my head.

When my mind is resting just before I fall asleep is when my best ideas seem to happen, and I learned a long time ago that I can never say, "Oh, I'll for sure remember that in the morning. I'll wait until then to write it down." I always forget. So whenever I get a good idea, no matter what time of night it is or how tired I am, I roll over, fumble for my phone in the dark, and try to make a note in my groggy state. Sometimes it means having to interpret weird autocorrected words in the morning.

When I'm not writing, I'm drawing my characters so I can really visualize them.

You've already seen some Snow Glider stuff, so here's Anastas, the MC's love interest. 

And here's a spread that nicely sums up Nara's relationship with her awesome snow dog, Kai. The words are the lyrics to "Gone, Gone, Gone"

And this is a sketch I don't like of Yiska, who makes a few appearances in Snow Glider. He's a shape-shifter, hence the wolf shadow. I can never draw Yiska right, for some reason. Men are hard to draw. But this one will do for now.

Or I'm lining up my dream cast, should they ever make my books into movies (I can dream, can't I?).

I'm also working on establishing distinct voices for each character. I've learned that dialects define characters more than descriptions usually do. And since I love writing in first person best, I want to make sure that the reader notes a difference between one character and another. There's no point switching viewpoints if both voices are exactly the same.

The series I mentioned has been very entertaining to write. It was originally just going to be one book, and that's the plot line I have most established. But now it turns out that this one book is going to be the last book in the series. Everything else I've come up with has to do with the characters' backstories. Since I'd prefer to publish them in chronological order, it looks like I'm writing the ending first. That will make writing the "prequel" books much more interesting, since I'll have a very clear idea of how it all plays out in the end.


Conclusion

So that's my life as of lately. I'm sorry again that I've been so inconsistent this week. Stay tuned for my long post on Sunday!

Soliloquy: "Have ye inquired of the Lord?"

I apologize for the lack of post yesterday. I'm working on a longer post that I had planned on publishing yesterday, but I didn't feel like it was quite ready yet, so I just didn't post anything.

So today I just wanted to comment on an insight I gained yesterday while reading the scriptures. It will also kind of serve as a disclaimer for next week's Sunday Soliloquy--the post I've been working on.

Now, I don't know who reads this, but whether or not you believe in the Book of Mormon, I hope you can agree with the concept I'm about to point out.

The passage I was reflecting on comes from 1 Nephi, chapter 15.

 1 And it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had been carried away in the Spirit, and seen all these things, I returned to the tent of my father.

 2 And it came to pass that I beheld my brethren, and they were disputing one with another concerning the things which my father had spoken unto them.

 3 For he truly spake many great things unto them, which were hard to be ^aunderstood, save a man should inquire of the Lord; and they being hard in their hearts, therefore they did not look unto the Lord as they ought. 

4 And now I, Nephi, was grieved because of the hardness of their hearts, and also, because of the things which I had seen, and knew they must unavoidably come to pass because of the great wickedness of the children of men. 

5 And it came to pass that I was overcome because of my afflictions, for I considered that mine ^aafflictions were great above all, because of the ^bdestruction of my people, for I had beheld their fall. 

6 And it came to pass that after I had received ^astrength I spake unto my brethren, desiring to know of them the cause of their disputations. 

 7 And they said: Behold, we cannot understand the words which our father hath spoken concerning the natural branches of the ^aolive tree, and also concerning the Gentiles. 

 8 And I said unto them: Have ye ^ainquired of the Lord?

 9 And they said unto me: ^aWe have not; for the Lord maketh no such thing known unto us.  

10 Behold, I said unto them: How is it that ye do not keep the commandments of the Lord? How is it that ye will ^aperish, because of the hardness of your hearts? 

 11 Do ye not remember the things which the Lord hath said?—If ye will not harden your hearts, and ^aask me in ^bfaith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these things shall be made known unto you.

To give you some context, Nephi and his family are traveling in the desert, led by the Lord away from Jerusalem to find the Promised Land. Lehi, Nephi's father, had an in-depth dream that's really an extended metaphor of this whole earthly existence (I could write pages and pages about said dream, but I won't today).

The family didn't really understand what Lehi was talking about, so Nephi went off on his own and prayed for understanding. Because he was so faithful and humble, the Spirit of the Lord showed Nephi the same vision that his father saw, explained what it all meant, and even went on to show Nephi the future of his posterity.

This future was rather bleak for Nephi--he saw great blessings ahead, but eventually his descendants would all be wiped out by the descendants of his brothers. That must have been extremely hard for Nephi to see.

So Nephi comes back to camp after this experience, and he finds his brothers still trying to understand what Lehi was talking about. They've been bickering about it the whole time he's been getting answers from the Spirit, and seeing them like that must have broken his heart. He's already seen the future. He knows that his brothers will turn away from the gospel and lead their posterity astray.

He's seen what they will become, and despite all that they've done to him (it comes as no surprise to the reader that they fall away--they weren't the nicest people to start with), he loves them. They're his brothers!

This isn't my favorite depiction of Nephi and his brothers (if that's even what this is--I'm not positive), but I had the HARDEST TIME finding a painting of them where they're not fighting. Seriously, they had a troubled history. Maybe someday I'll write a story or at least draw a picture of Nephi and his brothers back when they didn't hate each other. Laman and Lemuel didn't start out evil, after all, but that's how we all remember them, and how everyone paints them.

It says that he didn't approach them until he had "received strength". He was exhausted--physically, mentally, and emotionally. He had to take a minute to catch his breath, but then he approaches and asks why they're arguing.

"We cannot understand," they say. They just have no idea what Lehi was referring to, and they're already irritated with the whole journey to begin with. No doubt their debate was heated and exasperating.

And so Nephi asks them, "Have ye inquired of the Lord?"

"We have not; for the Lord makes no such thing known unto us."

At this point, I can almost imagine Nephi just throwing up his hands and scoffing in disbelief. "How is it that ye do not keep the commandments of the Lord?" he asks. "How is it that ye will perish, because of the hardness of your hearts?

"Do ye not remember the things which the Lord hath said?--If ye will not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these things shall be made known unto you."

I just love this response, and it's what I wanted to comment on today. Lately I've been hearing all these discussions--no, arguments--about the doctrine of the Church, and it makes me want to ask, "Well, have you asked the Lord?"

Unlike Nephi, I am not in a position to accuse people of not keeping the commandments or not having faith. I've definitely never had strong enough faith to receive a vision from God. But that's something I'd like to have, and that's something I know we all could have if we applied these principles.

Don't harden your heart
+
Ask the Lord in faith.
+
Believe that you will receive answers.
+
Be diligent in keeping the commandments.
=
A clear, undeniable answer.

It's that simple, but we all need to be better about it, especially when it comes to these doctrinal debates. The truth of the matter is, we can pull obscure quotes from general authorities. We can use philosophy and history and scripture to one-up each other. We can argue our points of view until we're blue in the face. But we cannot change absolute truths, no matter how many debates we "win".

The gospel of Jesus Christ is not a democracy. We don't put the commandments up for a vote. We don't let men decide the things of God.

So why are we arguing? It's okay to have questions, and it's okay to talk through doubts with others. But ultimately, your questions should be and will be answered by the Lord. What He says goes. No viral blog post nor popular opinion poll nor petition will change eternal truths.

And if you aren't sure what truths are eternal and which ones are temporal (and thus flexible), then ask GOD for understanding. Let Him tell you and no one else. If He says something needs to be changed, then by all means go for it! But the fact of the matter is that He has promised not to lead us astray. He has promised that His prophets won't lead us astray. You can trust them, because God will testify to you that you can. That's why I watch General Conference--because I know through the Spirit that President Thomas S. Monson, his counselors, the Twelve Apostles, and all the other speakers will help me better understand correct principles that the Spirit of the Lord has already told me are true.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm saddened by all the arguing. I haven't had a vision like Nephi did, but the Spirit has still told me what is true and what is not. And so when I see my brothers and sisters fighting, I just want to ask, "Have ye inquired of the Lord?"

If you haven't, then do so and be content with the response He gives you.

If you have, then invite your debating buddies to do the same.

Only the Lord can say what is right and what is wrong. If we all listened to Him rather than putting our trust in our own opinions--or worse, in the opinions of others--then there would be no need for debate.

The Lord's ways are straight and clear, not twisted and confusing. He wants to give us answers, peace of mind, and calm in our hearts.

Give Him the chance.

Doodle in the Margins: Fluffy Horse

I learned the other day that not only do I love the look of horses with long manes and furry feet, they are also very fun to draw.

I decided that the riverdweller people I write about raise large, piebald draft horses, so that would be the horse form of my shape-shifter character, who lives with the riverdweller people.

...Just in case you were wondering what the caption was about.

Deadline: Stowaway News and Job-Related Blessings

I'm happy to announce that we're coming close to finishing the summer issue of Stowaway. We've finished our initial designs and figured out how everything will fit together. Now we're just going over it all and making sure it looks awesome before we put in the final text and publish the thing.

Here's the Humanities Publications Lab (HumPub, for short), where all the magic happens.

Look how dedicated everyone is. You can practically feel the creativity flowing.

I can't wait to have a final printed version in my hands. It will be amazing to know that I've been a part of actually publishing a magazine, start-to-finish.

Unrelated to that, I'm still hunting for editing jobs. Earlier this week it seemed like nothing good was coming my way (as if you couldn't guess that from my angsty posts), but now things are looking much better.

Last night I wasn't planning on going to Institute because I had a lot of homework to do. But my friends convinced me to go, and I'm so glad I did! After the lesson, we were all chilling in the cultural hall, and an old friend from high school passed by and said hello. I'd seen him around on campus, but last night I felt compelled to really catch up with him, so I invited him to sit down and chat with us.

We got to talking, and we got on the topic of our career paths. I mentioned that I was trying to find editing work, and his eyes kind of lit up when he realized I was an editor. He'd already told me about a nonprofit organization he's started that's kind of a life coaching program, but then he said that he's written self-help books and he's been looking for an editor because he'd rather self-publish than go through a big-time publisher. 

So now he's got an editor (a slightly-desperate, eager-for-work editor), and I've got a potentially big freelance editing job on the horizon! I'm so happy!

The blessings you get from Institute... Seriously, you never know just how deeply it can impact your life. :)

Also, this whole week in Persuasive Writing we've been learning about resumes, cover letters, and interviews. On Wednesday, class was awesome. We did a blitz reading of everyone's resumes and cover letters, and it really showed me what catches an employer's eye. So, as soon as class was over, I revised my resume, whipped up an enthusiastic cover letter, and submitted a job application to LDS Living magazine. 

I'd been talking back and forth with the representative there all week, and when she got my application she basically said, "Well we're not hiring for jobs or internships just now, but we'll keep your info on file." That was a little discouraging, but I knew my resume was awesome so I didn't let it faze me.

Then, earlier today, I got an e-mail from the representative. She said that the internship mentor at LDS Living magazine was impressed with my application and wants to meet with me on Tuesday! EEEE!! 

Despite this week's earlier disappointments, it's hard not to get super excited about this. I never knew before Stowaway how much fun it would be to work on a magazine. Now I would love nothing more than to keep doing that same kind of work, with an LDS publication, right across the street from Temple Square.

Wish me luck!

Ambiance: Humanities Banquet

Last night was the English Language/Linguistics Department banquet for graduating seniors. I'm a graduating senior (hooray!) so I got to go, along with my buddies the Butlers, and some other random classmates I've gotten to know over the years.

The banquet was held in the Hinckley Alumni and Visitor's Center (which we students think should totally have the nickname "Havoc" by now). It's hard not to notice the center when you're on the north side of campus, but until last night it was always the building for the "grown-ups" or the "elite"--those who, because of their achievements in academics, are accustomed to fancy dinners and expensive furniture.

So we were very excited to get to go inside it for the first time. It was like a rite of passage. We're graduating! We get to go in the fancy building now because we're going to be alumni!

And fancy it was. It felt a lot like my grandpa's house. Even Starla said so, and she's only been to my grandpa's house once. Almost four years ago. The feeling was uncanny.

I felt really tacky taking pictures, but it was just a beautiful building, and the dining hall was gorgeous. 

The food was amazing. I contained myself enough to not take photos of every course, but here's what the settings looked like when we first showed up.

We had spinach-apple-bacon salad, dinner rolls, grilled honey-lemon chicken, asparagus spears, some gourmet cheesy potato side, and high-quality white grape juice (the Mormon version of wine, I guess). I can't even remember the name of the chocolate dessert because it was so fancy, but mine (pictured above) was a cherry souffle with white chocolate cream on top and whole cherries at the bottom. 

It was all amazingly delicious, and I was grateful to my parents for teaching me how to eat such a formal meal. I made sure to butter my roll one bite at a time, rather than slather the whole roll with the whole butter ball as I normally would. :)

When the meal was mostly finished, the program started. Mostly it was an awards ceremony, for those crazy studious people who are graduating with a 3.9 or higher. I was not one of those people.

There were three very memorable parts of the program. First, there was a eulogy for a student who passed away unexpectedly last year, one day after his first child was born. I never knew him, but he was in our department, and many of the professors knew him very well, so it was a very solemn moment. 

Then towards the end there was a series of toasts (minus the alcohol) for a professor who's retiring after almost forty years. I never knew him, either, but the stories people told about him made me wish I'd known him (he's in Linguistics, not ELang, though, so there was really no occasion for us to meet). 

The highlight of the event was a performance by a gamelan group. For those of you who (like me before last night) have no idea what gamelan is, here's the Wikipedia summary:

A gamelan is a traditional musical ensemble from Indonesia, typically from the islands of Java and Bali, featuring a variety of instruments such as metallophones, xylophones, kendang (drums) and gongs; bamboo flutes, bowed and plucked strings. Vocalists may also be included. For most Indonesians, gamelan music is an integral part of Indonesian culture.^[1]

The term refers more to the set of instruments than to the players of those instruments. A gamelan is a set of instruments as a distinct entity, built and tuned to stay together – instruments from different gamelan are generally not interchangeable.

                 

The pictures can't give you even close to a good idea of what this kind of music sounded like, so here's a video of the same group when they performed at the DeJong Concert Hall.

                                      

Also, search for "BYU Gamelan Bintang Wahyu" on YouTube, and you'll find a video of them playing at the Tabernacle last year. For some reason, that one wouldn't load onto my blog.

It was beautiful, in a surreal kind of way. The first song sounded like raindrops on a tin roof--discordant and haunting. But there was one player in the middle of the group who kind of led the others, and at multiple points throughout the song he'd suddenly bang his mallet harder than the others, and in unison the others would chime in. It was like lightning cracking and rain intensifying. It was mesmerizing.

The second song used those bamboo rattles pictured above, and the instrumentalists played them like a bell choir. Each rattle had a slightly different sound. All together, they sounded like skeleton bones rattling together. If you closed your eyes and listened, you could imagine a bunch of skeletons dancing together. Appropriately, they said that song is often played at funerals.

The final song was super fast compared to the others. All the xylophone-like instruments played in major chords (unlike the other songs), but then there were flautists playing along, and their tunes were very minor key. It seemed almost grating at first, but then the more I listened the more I realized that the musicians were extremely skilled, the musical sound is just so different from what I usually hear. 

I love learning about different cultures, and I feel like you can learn a lot about a people from the music they produce. 

Maybe you can tell from the video a bit, but what I found most impressive about playing the gamelan was that those playing the xylophone-type instruments had to not only hit the right chimes at the right time, but then they had to use their other hand to still the chimes a second later. It was like a bizarre game of Simon or Bop-It, with the mallet leading the way, and the free hand following close behind. I can't imagine the kind of concentration you'd need to play so fast and so accurately.

In conclusion, it was a very memorable night. It was a nice way to remind me that I have accomplished something big in my life. Graduating from college is no easy feat. I'll be so proud to call myself a BYU alumna. 

Freewrite + Doodle: Stuck but Still Striving

Today I feel like...

* a kite that keeps getting stuck in tree branches

* a river that just wants to keep flowing but runs into a beaver dam and gets turned into a lake

* a girl who's spent four years of her life studying to be an editor, only to fail in her initial attempts to get even a simple freelance proofreading job. 

I know it's way too early to give up or anything, but from my current perspective, all I can think is, "Wait. I'm NOT getting this job? Then...what have these last few years been about? Am I even going to be an editor, or am I going to just work retail for the rest of my life?"

I know I shouldn't panic yet. I've barely even started looking for jobs. It's just terrifying to know that I'm moving to Salt Lake, to a nicer apartment, away from all my current friends, and I might not have any way to pay for myself. 

But I know that God has something else in store for me. Maybe it's an editing job I just haven't thought of yet, or maybe it's something completely unrelated to editing. I know it will all work out, and in the end I'll look back and say, "Thank GOODNESS I didn't get that Church editing job." 

So for now I'm just fighting back panic and converting my fear into productivity. I'm spending all my free time searching for jobs and refining my skills. 

Except when I'm in class. Today in class I was really bored and there's no internet in the basement of the JFSB, so I tend to doodle instead. My doodle for today is a rough sketch of my History of English professor. It doesn't really look a lot like him, but I'm just pleased with my ability to draw a person at all. I can draw animals no problem, but people are really hard for me. After today's relative success, though, I might just try drawing people more often. Practice makes perfect.

Sunday Soliloquy: Made Free in Christ

One of my favorite songs to listen to when I'm feeling overwhelmed or sad is "You Are a Child of Mine" by Mark Schultz. If you're not familiar with it, here are the lyrics:

I've been hearing voices
Telling me that I could
Never be what I wanna be.
They're binding me with lies,
Haunting me at night,
And saying there's nothing to believe.

Somewhere in the quietness,
When I'm overcome with loneliness,
I hear You call my name.
Like a father you are near,
And as I listen I can hear You say

[Chorus]
You are a child of Mine
Born of My own design
And you bear the heart of life.
No matter where you go,
Oh, you will always know
You have been made free in Christ.
You are a child of mine. 

And so I listen as You tell me who I am
And who it is I'm gonna be.
And I hang on every word,
Knowing I have heard
I am Yours and I am free.

But when I am alone at night,
That is when I hear the lie,
'You'll never be enough.'
And though I'm giving into fear,
If I listen I can hear You say

[Chorus] 
You are a child of Mine
Born of My own design
And you bear the heart of life.
No matter where you go,
Oh, you will always know
You have been made free in Christ.
You are a child of mine.

You can listen to the whole song here.

This song has a lot of sentimental value to me. It's gotten me through a lot of tough times over the last two years, and helped me remember that God is always here for me.

Well, I had somewhat of another tough time yesterday when the day passed and I didn't get a call from the Church internship people. Despite my backup plans and confidence in God's plan, I found myself getting kind of depressed last night. I sank into a dark mood and returned to some bad habits, and I woke up this morning feeling so weak-willed and ungrateful for everything that I do have.

So I started today off right by reading the scriptures, listening to a Conference talk, and then listening to "You Are a Child of Mine." Once again it demonstrated its ability to cheer me up. But more than that, it had a deeper impact on me than usual.

You know when you re-watch or re-read something (especially the scriptures), certain things jump out at you like never before, even though you know the words by heart? The same thing happened this morning.

I was fixated on two lines:

I am Yours and I am free.
and
You have been made free in Christ.

I know I just talked about how obedience brings freedom in one of my past blog posts, but it's funny because yesterday two people separately assured me of the same thing. I was texting both my grandma and my dad, expressing worry about the internship.

Nana said, "You have done all of the right things that will open up options for yourself. Many people your age have made decisions that have closed or limited their options. In the grand, eternal scheme of things, you are way ahead of the game! Think of yourself as being ahead and not behind."

Then, a few hours later, completely unaware of my conversation with Nana, Dad said, "Disappointment is fine. Fear is not necessary. You have freedom that comes from hard work and obedience."

At the time, when he said that, I thought, "Huh. That's funny. Nana said something similar." And then I listened to that song this morning and I was like, "Wow. I'm hearing this everywhere. I guess I should pay attention."

Honestly, I don't feel like I've been doing "all the right things", and I wouldn't be surprised if I didn't get the internship simply because there were others more worthy of it. But I'm not going to delve into my problems.

I just want to say that it is a true principle we all have in our lives--Christ's Atonement paid the ultimate price for our freedom. As long as we sin and disobey, we are chained down by guilt and the consequences of our actions. But when we keep the commandments of God and do our best to improve and make good choices, we are free. We can go as far as we want in life if we listen to Him.

Some people tease and ridicule those who stick to certain principles, but look at how free they can make us (obviously these aren't guarantees, and I'm not condemning those who don't follow these principles, I'm just saying.):

* By not giving into vices like alcohol or drugs, we preserve our health, save money, and don't have addictions manipulating our actions.

* By staying chaste, we avoid unwanted pregnancy, heartbreak, and shame.

* By dressing modestly and abstaining from crude language, we earn peoples' respect and are seen in a different light.

* By being honest and law-abiding, we avoid legal limitations and people give us more freedom because they trust us.

So when you're like me and you're having a low moment in your life, just remember that God's principles make you free. Even when things don't go as planned, you can know that at least God is happy with you, and He will guide and preserve you. He loves to bless His children when we just make the choices that make us worthy of said blessings.

Deadline: Graduation and Beyond

Well, even though this didn't have an actual deadline (aside from Graduation Day itself), I'm glad that I got this out of the way.

I'm graduating. I can't even believe it. All my life, this is as far as I've ever gotten when it came to goal-making. It was always, "Get good grades so you can go to BYU." Then it was "Work hard at BYU so you can get a degree." Well... now I'm getting a degree and... what do I do after this?

Not gonna lie, I kind of planned on being married at this point. I wanted a smooth transition from Student to Mother. Instead I'm going from Student to... Single Adult? Employee? Hermit?

Actually, it's kind of exciting, knowing that I can be whatever I want until Awesome Future Husband comes along. I feel like a balloon that's just going to be left to drift through an open sky. It's scary, but at the same time I'm pretty darn free. I can keep living with my own, independent expenses, while having no other obligation except to work hard and earn more money. I can live with that. For now.

It just seems kind of lonely. College life is awesome--it'll be hard to leave. Especially if I don't really have anything worthwhile to leave for.

I've been hoping and praying and working to get a Church internship, but so far I haven't heard anything. My friend has, though. They called her yesterday and offered her one of the internships I was hoping to get. And here I am just checking my phone every two seconds waiting for my own call. They're hiring through Monday, but I still would like to get called sooner rather than later. I don't know what I'll do if I don't get this job.

There are other possibilities, of course, and I trust that God has a plan that will send me in the direction that will help me most in life. It may be confusing and stressful at first, but I'm confident that things will work out. If I don't get this internship I wanted, I'll find the internship or job that I need.

If nothing else seems certain right now, I am certain about that. God is watching out for me. He's helped me through so much already, and He'll help me again. I may be a balloon drifting aimlessly through the sky, but He's the wind that carries me in the right direction.

Comic Reviews: My Sources of Good Humor

When I was a kid I had a routine of reading the newspaper comics every night after dinner. It used to drive my friends crazy.

Well now I no longer receive the newspaper, but I still enjoy a daily dose of humor. So I thought I'd share with you my four favorite web comics.

1. xkcd

This is a comic created by a super smart scientist who finds humor in everything. Sometimes his jokes go right over my head.

Like this one. WHAT is this?? Obviously it's aimed at computer programers, which I am not.

But then sometimes the joke is aimed at MY specific field...

...and I find it HILARIOUS.

And most of the time his jokes are basic real-world enough to be funny to readers of any scholarly field.

Assuming that you keep up with current real-world issues.

On top of his almost-daily comics, this guy also has a "What If?" page where he uses his vast physics and science skills (and funny drawings) to answer ridiculous theoretical questions posed by fans. 

This one on Radar Enforcement is my favorite so far, though I just barely discovered this page a few days ago.

So the jokes might go over your head sometimes, but give it a try. It's definitely enriched my life.

2. The Doghouse Diaries

This comic is very similar to xkcd in style of drawings (stick figures are popular, apparently) and style of humor, but I can't ever remember not understanding one of their jokes. So if you're looking for something simpler and consistently funny, this is the comic for you.

3. Cakewrecks 

This is actually a blog, not a comic, so I can't copy and paste any examples. Written by a wife-and-husband tag team, this blog receives photos from fans of absolutely terrible professional cakes, and puts them all together in some kind of hilarious narrative or parody. Seriously, check it out. It updates every day, and it never fails to be funny. 

And just when you think your faith in bakers is lost, on Sundays, they post "Sunday Sweets"--photos of absolutely amazing GORGEOUS cakes. 

4. Nimona

Finally, there's "Nimona". This is actually more of a graphic novel. It has a beginning, middle, and eventual end (though it's not finished yet and I can't wait to see how it all turns out). The art gets progressively better as time goes on (so don't judge the whole thing by the first few pages), and the characters are great. The eponymous Nimona is a snarky teenage shape-shifter and I love her.

It only updates on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and you will get super hooked into the story so if you binge-read the whole thing and catch up to the current pages, you will have many agonizing weekends ahead of you. Trust me. The waits are unbearable. Every single page seems to end with a hook or cliffhanger that makes you desperate for more.


Conclusion: I appreciate good, clean, smart humor, and these are my four main sources of it. I hope you come to enjoy them as much as I do!