What's happening?

I remember the day my mom called me into her room to tell me that my friend was pregnant. I was 17 years old; so was my friend. I was finishing up my senior year of high school; so was she. I was raised in a home where we were taught that sex was a beautiful thing, but something you waited to have until you were married; so was she.

According to the Natality Data File from the National Vital Statistics System, "The U.S. teen birth rate declined 9 percent from 2009 to 2010, reaching a historic low at 34.3 births per 1,000 women aged 15–19; the rate dropped 44 percent from 1991 through 2010."

Although thousands of teenage girls are getting pregnant and having babies out of wedlock, that number is decreasing. I think this is a good thing, although just because the number of babies born to teenagers has gone down, it doesn't mean that the number of teens having premarital sex has gone down.

Since the 1940s, the number of babies born to teens has been decreasing. However, the number of teens having sex is still high. According to the CDC, 47.4% of high school students had ever had sexual intercourse. That's almost half of all those high school kids!

So my question is, if so many kids are out there "doing it," why is it that the number of teen pregnancies and births is steadily declining? I think this is because birth control is so much more accessible to kids than it has been in the past. Just a few days ago, the FDA approved that Plan B, a "morning-after" contraceptive be available to purchase over the counter to anyone aged 15 and over.

It's pills like this, pills that are so readily accessible to teenagers, that convince kids that premarital sex is okay. That they can do what they want and not have any consequences because they can just take a pill that will "fix" everything.

They may not be having babies, but there are still other factors to consider. Emotional side effects as well as physical effects are still cause for concern.

STDs anyone?

Raleigh, North Carolina Temple!

Yeah, I went there. :)

Mission Call!

Whew! It finally came! For a while there I was afraid my application to go on a mission would be denied.

Maybe they'd found out about the time I stole that toy from my cousin and took it home with me...

Or the fact that I'd run that red light recently.

BUT it came!!!! And I am hereby called to serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Utah Salt Lake City Temple Square Mission!!!

Confession: my very first reaction was actually not one of complete and ecstatic joy. Mostly because a sad thing about our church is that we are taught to be excited about missions....to other countries. If your call is to Montana or Wyoming or Ohio (anywhere stateside, really) people look at you with those pitying eyes and say, "oh...congratulations... You'll be a wonderful missionary there." Whereas if you get called somewhere like Guatemala people are ceaselessly patting you on the back, wishing you the very best, and baking you cakes.

So for a girl to get her call to Temple Square, well, I just never thought it was that exciting. Until now.

Now that I am actually going to go out there and be a missionary, I could not be more stoked! This will be just as much of an adventure as if I were going anywhere else in the world. People from all sorts of crazy countries are going to be coming to ME. And I am going to be sharing the gospel with people who are actually interested in what they are looking at and what they are hearing.

It is going to be amazing. The Lord knows exactly the best places for us to be. I know I KNOW that Temple Square is the absolute best place for me to serve my mission. Not only will I grow and gain confidence and the testimony that will make me stronger, there are people waiting to hear about the gospel from ME.

I just can't think of anywhere else I would rather be going. Salt Lake City, HERE I COME!!!

First Story!

http://heraldsun.com/view/full_story_news_durham/7587074/article-Bull-City-streets-to-be-open-to-fun-lovers?instance=main_article

I am officially a real reporter! My very first story in the Herald-Sun just came out today. I have to say, I am very proud and extremely excited. :)

I love being a journalist.

Waiting

I found this in my inbox today. It's a writing response I had to write for my Communications class two years ago and I kinda liked it.

The assignment was to write our thoughts about this quote: "How much of human life is lost in waiting." --Ralph Waldo Emerson.

One of the things that Americans are best at is waiting. With theme park lines, college acceptance letters, and true love, we are constantly waiting for something. But, like Emerson ponders, how much of our life are we wasting by waiting? Much of my life has been squandered away because I have been too afraid to take action to obtain something that I want, reasoning that if I wait just long enough, surely that thing will come to me. Life is partly about taking risks. You don't learn if you never find the courage to get out there and experience life, even when you are terrified of making a mistake.

I have had many experiences with waiting. My personality is one that often dictates just how outgoing or courageous I am (or am not) when it comes to what I do with my time. I have often been stuck inside of myself...waiting. Waiting for the right words to say, waiting for the perfect moment to tell someone something, waiting for someone else to make the first move. Often I've been told that to override my fears I have to be willing to jump in headfirst. Waiting just prolongs the inevitable and makes what's coming that much harder to deal with.

In our society, particularly within our Mormon culture, this situation comes up regularly. Girls are taught during young women lessons and youth activities to make up lists about their perfect spouses. They devise long and lofty goals of who and how their perfect guy should be. Then, when confronted with an opportunity at being happy with someone, if that guy does not possess everything on her perfect list, she throws away a chance at happiness because she continues waiting. Waiting for something that will never be there. Perfection is not found in every day experiences. Perfection comes over time. It is a never-ending process. One too long to be waited for.

Our lives could be so much more enriched, enlivened, and experienced if we would only stop waiting. Although it is said that the best things in life are worth waiting for, it is my personal belief that the best things in life are actually the things we go out and attain ourselves.

FHE Talent Show

So Sean and Justin come over for Family Home Evening on the first Monday of every month. I'm trying to get them to come every Monday but they won't do it. Something about having their OWN families to have FHE with. Sure, sure.




I had the great idea this week to do an official family talent show! Although I gave plenty of heads-up about the event, pretty much everyone threw something together last minute. Which was fine, because Sean's and Justin's on-the-spot rendition of "My Girl" was priceless. (I would post the video of it, but it won't let me. Rude.)

Dad showed us a painting he did a few years ago. Nice! And Kylie and I did a song. I played away on Cocoum and she belted it out on those pretty little lungs of hers. And yes, we did a Taylor Swift number. It's really unfair that she has good songs AND good hair.

So after the talent show we played ninja destruction, but this is really the only good picture I got:

Ahh good times. :)

ZuMbA!

Tuesday morning...

I got off the spinning bike, finishing up my last couple of minutes on the workout cycle I was doing. Thirty minutes of hills and inclines-- I was feeling good. My mom walked past me and opened the door that led to the gym, turning around and gesturing for me to follow.

We walked into the gym where 7 or 8 women were standing around, some stretching their legs, others chatting, a couple rolling up their sweatpants.

Well, this should be interesting, I thought as Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie" started playing on the stereo. All at once, a short, blonde-haired woman sashayed over to the front of the group. She was wearing purple gym pants and a bright pink t-shirt that had Zumba! written across the front in bright letters.

Her hips never stopped moving as she called for the ladies to get in rows and follow her movements. I looked uncertainly over at my mom, who smiled back encouragingly.

"Just follow her. The movements aren't that hard if you just memorize the routine," she said.

The instructor then began a long series of hip-shaking, grapevine-ing, and arm waving. The other ladies followed suit while I stood there, smirking, and watching. The other Zumba-goers all seemed to be in their 50's and 60's. More power to 'em, but I couldn't help feeling out of place. Not only did everyone look absolutely ridiculous...they were shaking their hips better than I could ever hope to.

But I dove in anyway, trying to mirror the instructor's moves, but somehow always seeming to be off a beat. The Latin music filled the room and obviously inspired the instructor because she suddenly began a complex combination of kicks, twirls and shakes that no one could keep up with. The ladies kept trying, however, and I couldn't help but giggle a little bit at the slight chaos of it all.

So, I mostly stood there, watching, silently laughing, and thinking about what I was going to eat when I got home...

But oh, I'm definitely going again.

Forget It

So I previously mentioned that I would be posting my columns on this blog which turned out to be a bigger hassle than I wanted to deal with. So if you want to read my stuff, ask me and I'll send ya a copy.
So here I am! Back in good ol' North Carolina. Not quite sure why I'm here, but I figure I'd just go with the flow and see what happens. So far I've got an internship lined up with The Herald Sun (a newspaper in Durham about 10 minutes away) and I may have a job at a chocolate/pastry shop. Fun, no?
So we'll see what happens. I'm also looking to start my mission papers and hopefully be gone somewhere exotic by the end of the summer. Unfortunately, for that plan to work I need money. So...ugh. We'll see. For now, I'm just going to go with it, see what happens, and hope for the best.
Yes the weather's great and I can just rest and relax here at home...but already I miss snowy, busy, crazy, crowded Rexburg. Weird, huh?

On The Sublime

"That which is simultaneously attractive and repulsive." That was the definition my British Lit professor gave me for one little word that sparked my interest: Sublime.

He was talking about nature and the fact that it can be a magnificent wonder and at the same time, an indescribable horror. One second you're gazing up at a mountain full of beauty and majesty, and a second later you're contemplating all the dangers one mountain range can pose. Mud slides, wild animals, hypothermia...you get my drift.

People can be sublime. It's like watching Will Smith in Hancock. You're distracted by his good-looking face and bulging biceps--until you realize just how repulsed you are by his character and, really, the whole movie in general.

A 1988 American Reggae band was named Sublime. Good name for a band. But Reggae music? Mmmm. There it goes again. Simultaneous attraction and repulsion.

The dictionary definition of sublime isn't quite as interesting. Something sublime is thought to be highly noble or excellent. Awe-inspiring or supreme. Like the outside of an Oreo. Yes, the cookie--not the filling--the best part and truly sublime.

To sublime something means to make it higher, nobler, or purer. It's also a chemistry term where something solid is turned into a gas and then as it cools, goes straight back into a solid, skipping the liquid phase.

Now that's sublime. The attraction is there as you think about how amazing the world is in that processes like sublimation can actually work. And then there's that stomach-clenching horror that comes as you realize that you've just admitted to liking something about chemistry.

Lastly, if you sublimate something, you are changing an instinctual desire or impulse that may be publicly unacceptable to make it socially or culturally welcome. For instance, you would sublimate all your impulses to watch Hancock, eat only the frosting from the Oreo, or listen to Reggae music by simply...not doing them.

Oh the complexities of the sublime. There are hundreds of things that could be "simultaneously attractive and repulsive." I guess it's just a matter of personal preference and perspective.

How sublime.

Columns

So my new favorite class this semester is Comm 340. Advanced Media Writing. Who knew Journalism could be so fun? Our current project is all about columns. We are required to write three columns a week for the rest of the semester. So I thought I'd share them here. Enjoy!

Impossible

Okay. So this blog was originally solely used for the purpose of completing a requirement for my journalism class. Blog three times a week about something you are interested inblah blah blah...

So I wrote about books. And now the class is over, and I've decided to take over my own blog and make it into whatever I want.

Unfortunately, I don't have a whole lot of interests. So despite the fact that the only thing I've written about on this fabulous blog is books, I'm writing about yet another BOOK.

Impossible by Nancy Werlin.

I've had to read a LOT of books this semester. Seriously, more than I ever thought I wanted to. But for some reason, I can't stop. Impossible was one of the best books I've read in a long time. And really, now that I've finished it and am thinking about it, I'm not sure exactly why I liked it so much.

Maybe it's just because it's Christmas time and I'm just in a crazy sort of fanciful imaginative disposition. But I really liked it. It was different. Not your usual young adult novel...you know. Some kid finds out he/she has powers or some magical talent that no one else does, so he/she has to go on some quest to kill some guy because he/she's the only one that can save the day...yadda yadda yadda. They're all the same.

But this one was not like that. Ehh ok it was a little like that. But not completely. Anyway, I don't even want to tell you what it's about because it'll just sound strange. But trust me! It's amazing. Totally worth reading. And I'm going to read it again. After I read all the other books I've been meaning to.

But seriously. Impossible. Nancy Werlin. Read it.

Hungry?

One of the most interesting books I read over the course of my Young Adult Literature class was Suzanne Collins' novel, The Hunger Games.

"Set in the far future, this book is about the nation of Panem, which is the remains of what was North America. In Panem there are 12 Districts forced to live in poverty. Each year each district must participate in what is called The Hunger Games. Two tributes (one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18) are chosen to participate in the games and compete to the death. When her sister is chosen to be the tribute for District 12, Katniss volunteers to go in her place. As she uses her talents and wits to stay alive in the games she learns how to survive and, in the process, learns about herself."

This was my synopsis for the book. Overall, the book posed some interesting dilemmas. While Katniss proves her bravery by competing in the hunger games, she pays for it with the price of another child's life.

Scheduled to be released in the near future as a motion picture, The Hunger Games is going to cause quite a stir, I'm sure. Children being attacked by killer bees, falling in pits to their deaths, and most controversial--being murdered by other children.

Despite the bad vibe that this blog post is giving the book, it really was entertaining and not quite as gruesome as it sounds. Katniss is an adventurous girl with a good heart, and the book kept me on my toes.

The second book in the series has just been released, and I think I am just a little hungry for more Hunger Games.

The Book of Mormon

Though some may argue the fact, the truth is that the Book of Mormon is the best book on earth.

Even more strictly said, the Book of Mormon is the best book for young adults on earth. Through this blog, much has been said concerning young adult literature. Though any book any young adult reads is bound to provide something. A lesson, insight or just plain enjoyment.

The Book of Mormon, however, provides all of those things and more. Joseph Smith, former prophet of the LDS church said this:

"I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book."

Though perhaps this astounding book is not at the top of the ALA Teen Read Weekly list, the Book of Mormon should be at the top of our daily reading lists. The Book of Mormon is not only a book of stories and journals to be read, but an instruction guide to be studied and poured over.

It is a book that will, as Joseph Smith said, bring us nearer to God. And that will help us every day, any day, with whatever we are going through.

The Book of Mormon is everything! There is no book better for adults and young adults and even children alike. It will strengthen testimonies of the Savior, Jesus Christ, and will renew our faith in a God who loves us and cares about us.

As we study its pages and learn from its chapters, we will become the best forms of ourselves.

The Writing in Reading

"Reading, like writing, is a creative act. If readers only bring a narrow range of themselves to the book, then they'll only see their narrow range reflected in it." --Ben Okri

Often, the best readers are the best writers. When one comes to understand how to write well, one can understand how to read well--or how to find the best books to read.

There is such a need for writing in the world. Long through history, people have been writing, record keeping, and journaling.

Michael Schudson, in his book, Discovering the News said,

"I remember a friend saying that the best time in pottery is the moment, with the wheel spinning, just before you shape the pot--just before the infinity of possibilities becomes but one of the possible things."

There are so many different ways that one person can affect many peoples' lives. Books are incredibly important to the world. They teach, they lead explorations, they open eyes.

Writing opens our creative minds. It expands our imagination and opens doors that would otherwise be closed.

Learning how to write teaches us how to think critically; how to put sentences together to make language flow and be inspiring. It is impossible to appreciate good literature if we do not know what goes into creating such.

The only way to get better is practice. So while we're out there discovering new books and literature, let's discover new talents and possibilities. Write!

Vampires and werewolves and...Mormons? Oh my.

There is a scene that replays over and over on the campus of Brigham Young University--Idaho. It involves no words, only an image. A girl sits alone, in a setting anywhere from under a tree to a lonely lunch table. Her face is molded into something between intense concentration and absolute adoration. In her hands are one of those books. One with a red and black cover. The name Stephanie Meyer printed neatly across the bottom...

A Twilight book.

Although the craze over the Twilight saga has spread throughout the country--even the world, perhaps--it is no more popular than in the LDS community.

Since the author herself is Mormon, many of her LDS thoughts and ideals are shown through in her books. But many have argued that Meyer has completely missed the mark on a few very important doctrines of the church.

In an article by Tyler Chadwick called Reading the Mormon Gothic, he says,

"In an assembly of letters written to the editor of Meridian Magazine in response to the magazine's positive treatment of the Twilight saga, several readers wonder how we Mormons, "the children of . . . Light," can justifiably indulge ourselves by reading literary works situated in supernatural realms of darkness and touching the inherent sensuality of human experience. How have we, "the very Elect" of God, one asks, "been hood winked and dazzled by the Adversary" into thinking that Twilight and its sequels are "harmless" entertainment?"

While it is true that the books do not explicitly promote the Latter-day Saint faith, Meyer does her best to keep LDS readers happy and interested without going too far out-of-bounds.

Rather, as Chadwick points out, "Stephenie Meyer summons us, particularly as LDS readers, into this revisionary reading of the ungodly...by coaxing the vampire novel into the light, she gives us the opportunity to confront and come to terms with the implicit humanness of the uncanny as we grow into the fullness of our stature as embodied children of an embodied God."

For however much sense that statement makes, LDS youth are still reading, still obsessing, still soaking up all Twilight has to offer. And it's pretty certain that no amount of protesting or discussion will make that girl move from her tree or table. The book is in her hands, and she's going to finish. Mormonism, werewolves, vampire-life, and all.

Uglies. Wait---Uglies??

Near the top of the list for best young adult novels is a story that tells us we are all ugly. Every one of us. And the only thing we care about; the only thing we want, is to become pretty.

That about accurately describes society, right?

Many of the young adult authors out there have been writing novels about real issues. No longer are the popular books fluffy, fun, no-worries storylines. Now young adult novels deal with matters like sex, eating disorders, defiance and self-image.

The latter is something that is greatly affecting society--particularly the young girls who are reading these novels.

Beth Younger, in her article entitled Pleasure, Pain, and the Power of Being Thin:Female Sexuality in Young Adult Literature said this about recent young adult novels:

"Although these narratives portray an ethnically diverse group of young girls and women, they also reveal the difficulty many young adult fiction authors have been resisting the contemporary hyper-thin European ideal of beauty....The associations of weight...serve a purpose in young adult texts; they reinforce negative ideas about body image."

This idea that thinner is better is not new. The world tells us that to be beautiful is to be better. Their idea of beauty is not even real. The above link proves that.

While the story from the beginning, Uglies, does tell of a society bent on changing everyone into perfect, thin, gorgeous members of the community, the overarching theme of the book is to be who you are.

Wouldn't it be nice if the whole world could just grasp that concept?