30 Day Bust

Yeah about that 30 days challenge... I'm not saying I'll never finish it. I'm just saying that I really didn't enjoy it. I thought I would like it more than I did. But hey- that's ok right? I'll put the last few topics up eventually, but every day is a little much if you ask me Plus the topics aren't that interesting a lot of the time. Maybe I should come up with a 30 day challenge that is actually cool. hmmm.... maybe I will. Anyway- don't worry- I haven't died. I'm just on strike of the 30 day challenge, which I am now calling the 30 day bust if you can't tell. Welp- see ya

Day 20

Day 20 : A Bible Verse

Joshua 22: 5

" But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses, the servant of the Lord charged you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul."

I guess you'd like my thoughts on it to? I'd say the verse is pretty self-explanatory. But I really like the word diligent- its requires a certain dedication and exactness to God and to his laws. It's nothing for the faint of heart. We must cleave to him, and give all of ourselves to him. And that is definitely not easy. To give of your entire self requires energy, effort, and the ability to humble yourself and recognize that you aren't the one in control. That is definitely a hard thing for me to grasp. Anyway- here's to being able to give of my WHOLE self to God with ALL of my efforts.

Day 19

Day 19: Something you want to do before you die

Well I want to do a lot of things before I die, which hopefully isn't for a long time.

1. Go to Jerusalem- preferably living there for a semester abroad, but going there in general would be ok too.

2. Graduate from college- it seems like this is forever away, but in reality it really isn't, so yay!

3. Finish reading the Old Testament- yeah... I've been reading it for over a year now... let's just say it's a slow read. haha

4. Learn to sight sing. I'm convinced that my inability to sing isn't because I have a bad voice per se, but more just because I can't sing high enough for a soprano part, but don't know how to read the alto line, leaving me to squeak out the melody, which is pretty unpleasant to my (and everyone else's) ears.

5. Learn to play the violin (or just a stringed instrument that isn't a guitar really)

6. Write a book - I'm unsure what the content will be yet... I have ideas, but I haven't really decided.

7. Get married and do that whole family thing... I guess... (totally kidding)

8. I'll just do everyone a favor and just say travel in general as opposed to listing off every single place I want to go- because trust me, there are a lot of different places that I want to go.

9. Learn to play the 3rd movement of Moonlight Sonata on the piano by Beethoven. Pretty much the hardest song I've ever heard.

10. Eat in a ridiculously expensive 5 star restaurant in NYC. I know it seems stupid, but hey it's something I'd like to do one day.

Day 18

Day 18: Favorite TV shows

I could put pictures up, but hey it's not worth it- you guys know what I'm talking about

1. Glee

2. The Simpsons

3. 30 Rock

4. Psych

5. So You Think You Can Dance

Day 17

Day 17: Your Favorite Song

It probably doesn't surprise you that my favorite song is a Michael Jackson song- or at least it shouldn't at this point. Thriller is my favorite song. It's my ringtone as well- and I can't get enough of it! It's also my favorite music video of all time. And yes- I have it on DVD.

With that being said, having a favorite song is a lot like having a favorite movie- it's hard to choose just one. It all depends on what you are in the mood for and such. So here's a list of other favorites:

All Time Faves: (in no particular order)

1. Take on Me- A-ha

2. Everybody (Backstreet's Back) - Backstreet Boys

3. Ain't no Sunshine- Bill Withers

4. Acceptable in the 80s - Calvin Harris

5. Say Say Say- Michael Jackson

6. Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps - Doris Day

7. At Last- Etta James

8. Missing - Everything but the Girl

9. Share it With Me- Family Force 5

10. She Doesn't Get It - The Format

11. You Make my Dreams - Hall & Oates

12. You Are So Beautiful- Joe Cocker

13. Move Your Feet- Junior Senior

14. Bang Bang- K'naan feat. Adam Levine

15. Dangerous- Kardinal Offishall

16. You Make Me Feel Like Dancing- Leo Sayer

17. Mad- Ne-Yo

18. You Are the One- Shiny Toy Guns

19. Kiss Me- Sixpence None the Richer

20. Careless Whisper- Wham!

Current Faves:

1. Paris (ooh la la) - Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

2. Give a Little More- Maroon 5

3. Who Owns My Heart- Miley Cyrus

4. Higher- Taio Cruz and Travie McCoy

Catch UP

Day 16: Things that you hate

Screamo music

World of Warcraft

Being Late

Seafood

People that text during the sacrament

Putting away laundry

People who chew with their mouths open or just loudly

Bulleying

Day 15: (sorry I know I didn't blog on Friday or Saturday, but hey here are the topics anyway!) Things that you love

Roadtripping

Special Olympics

Playing Rockband

Writing in my Journal

Shoes

Word Games

There are plenty of other things that I love - but these are the pictures that I had on my computer.

Day 14

Day 14: Something you don't leave the house without

This question is rather boring, I know. Especially since I feel like these days, everyone doesn't leave their house without the same basic things- such as a cell phone, their wallet, etc. I will say though- that there is pretty much only one thing that I always have with me- and that's my cell phone. I don't always take my wallet to school, even though I usually do. And I usually have my planner on me, but not always. So my cell phone is the winner on this one. I guess I can't live without it! Who can though, really? Unless you are one of those people still stuck in 1990 that doesn't have a cell phone haha. I would say that I regret that I have come to rely so much on a piece of technology, but that would be lying. I love my iphone and all of the information I can get from it whenever I'm wondering where I know some actor from, or what a certain word means, or what the Bachelor does for a living. Information is literally at the tips of my fingers at all times. And not to mention communication! I can call or text people whenever I please, and THAT is the beauty of the 21st century.

Day 13

Day 13: Someone you miss

It's little Pooky! He's on a mission in El Salvador right now- there he is pointing it out! This is at the missionary mall. He is such a sweet heart and I am very lucky to have him as a brother. He is hilarious as well. He makes me laugh all the time, it's really great. Our sense of humors just click, you know? He is a very good role model to our youngest brother, Ethan as well. He is the sweetest boy you will ever meet and he would give you the shirt off of his back if you needed it. Everyone likes him, and for a good reason! Anyway- I miss him more than I thought I would- and I thought I would miss him a lot! I can't wait for him to get back, the time is already flying by faster than I could have imagined.

Day 12

Day 12: Celebrity Crush

Need I say more?

Zac Efron is such a doll. And just for the record- he is older than me for all of you that are thinking I'm a cradle robber.

Day 11

Day 11: Favorite Movies

I actually did a post on this a while back. I suppose I could post a link to it... but ehh... I'm pretty lazy.

Favorite movies are hard to determine for me, as I'm sure it is for everyone else as well. There are movies that are just good movies, plain and simple. Good meaning well written, good acting, and beautiful cinematography. But those movies aren't always the kind that I want to watch all of the time. Then there are the movies that I could watch over and over again- so they are my favorite simply because of their rewatchability. There are a few movies that fit both categories, but it's not often. And then there's always the mood factor. Sometimes I'm in the mood to watch a light hearted movie, or a sad one, or a mind-blowing one. So it's hard to really say what my favorite movies are... With that being said, I am making this topic a lot harder than it needs to be. So I think I'm going to pick my top 3 in different categories of my choosing.

Overall Favorites:

1. Moulin Rouge

2. Beyond the Sea

3. Vanity Fair

Rewatchable ones:

1. Clueless

2. Zoolander

3. Hairspray

Animated Movies:

1. Nightmare Before Christmas

2. Toy Story 3

3. The Princess and the Frog

Mind-blowing Movies:

1. The Others

2. Inception

3. The Sixth Sense

Musical:

1. Singing in the Rain

2. 7 Brides for 7 Brothers

3. Meet Me in St. Louis

Recent Faves:

1. Tangled

2. The Social Network

3. Harry Potter 7

Tearjerkers:

1. Steel Magnolias

2. The Last Song

3. Moulin Rouge (sorry for the repeat)

Chick Flicks:

1. Mean Girls

2. 500 Days of Summer

3. Legally Blonde

Other:

1. Edward Scissorhands

2. Ray

3. Strictly Ballroom

There are so many good ones out there! But I will leave it at that...

Day 10

Day 10: A Picture that Confuses You

When I saw this topic I knew exactly what picture I wanted to pick. As it has been stated many times before, I went to Hawaii this summer with some friends. We rented out this house a block away from the beach and it was awesome. Something that made it even more awesome was the art that was put all over the walls. It was usually stuff with extremely strange quotes and such. Anyway- the best one/most confusing one was this poster mounted in the dining room.

Can someone please explain this picture to me? It was a great topic of conversation for everyone that went to Hawaii with me, and no one could really figure it out. How does an egg flying in the sky with butterflies coming out of it over a chess board explain perspective?! Like seriously.... if you guys have any idea... please let me know, I'd be interested to know what your thoughts on this are.

Oh. and the quote underneath "Perspective" says "Change is not only necessary to life... It is life" What the heck?

Day 9

Day 9 - Someone or something that has gotten you through a lot

Just for the record- a lot of different people have gotten me through a lot of different things in my life. But I'm really an independent type of person- to a fault actually. When I'm truly suffering, I tend to keep most of it to myself and just tell myself that I can get through it by myself. I do have one thing though that has truly gotten me through every possible problem that has come up in my life. And that thing is my journal, or I suppose multiple journals at this point.

I guess it's kind of an odd thing to choose, but it is absolutely true. With journal writing, I just find it sooo therapeutic. I can write anything that I'm thinking about whenever I come across a problem in my life. It allows me to vent and not hold back, get excited over stupid things, and just be myself and think and write whatever I feel like writing. And it's very fun to go back and read my journals as well.

Whenever I'm going through a really hard time, I can express my fears and pains and such to their full extent and not worry about other people worrying about me. Which is where the whole independence thing comes in I guess. I can also really see how much I have been blessed with as I write down all of the good things that have happened to me and how much God watches out for me and loves me. It's a good way to reflect on the past, live in the present and look forward to the future at the same time. I'm a huge advocate of journal writing- I can't say enough good about it. So I suppose that's what has gotten me through the most, if not everything.

Day 8

Day 8: A picture that makes you laugh

I went to my photos on my laptop to search for a picture that made me laugh. I only have pictures from 2010 and 2011 on there, so I didn't need to search long because this one is form January 1, 2010. haha!! I had kind of forgotten about it. Love these boys- even the creeper in the back.

Day 7

Day 7: A picture of a place that you've been

It was hard for me to pick a picture for this one because I've been to a lot of cool places. I decided to go with a picture from Hawaii though. I tried to pick a picture that I don't think most of you have seen, since I didn't put it on facebook or on the blog. I'm pretty sure this is Sunset beach in Hawaii. But who really knows- I went to a lot of different beaches. Hawaii was awesome. So chill and perfect weather. It was really paradise, I must say. I would love to go back again.

Day 6

Day 6 : My Parents

Aren't they lovely? Well the topic "my parents" is rather broad.... So here is a picture of them. My parents' names are Flint and Freda Finlinson. Yep- that's right. Take that for some alliteration, why don't you. It's even better when you add family at the end. I still think they should have named all of us F names, but hey that's just me.

My mother is a Southern belle from Georgia. She is extremely proud of her Southern heritage, which is where I get my love of the South from. (In case you didn't know, I love the South) I'm very much like my mom in a lot of ways. She is very practical, honest, and everyone seems to love her. I'm not sure how much I am like her in that last aspect, haha. Despite her protests, I still believe she is an amazing mother, even if she doesn't think that I have that opinion. She loves Aerosmith, diet coke, Gone With the Wind, fine dining, and planning and going on family vacations.

My father is a western boy from a small farm in middle of nowhere, Utah. You would never know that form meeting him today, but he is still proud of his heritage as well and the work ethic that it taught him. I am also a lot like my dad in a number of ways. He loves being creative, fashion, and cooking. He is obsessed with cooking actually, and spends most of his leisure time planning gourmet meals and cooking them. Lucky for us, right? He is very good at keeping in touch with and having a personal relationship with all of his children- unlike a lot of fathers that I know. That is what makes him special as well as many many other things.

I love my parents very much, even though I don't say it as often as I should. (Good thing they read this blog, right?) I always say that I was first in line in the parent picking line in heaven. I had first choice, and these people are who I picked! haha. My parents also like to use that line against me when I am not happy with them. They will always say "well you picked us!'' Oh boy... either way, through good and bad, I AM glad I picked them. :)

Day 5

Day 5 : A habit that I wish I didn't have

This is a hard one because I'm always trying to start good habits as opposed to focusing on ones that I wish I didn't have. Instead of wishing, I prefer to actually try and change them. Of course I'm not saying I'm perfect and that I don't have any habits I wish I didn't have, I'm just saying that if you wish you didn't have a habit, you should change instead of wishing it wasn't so! So I guess I need to take my own advice.

I wish I was IN the habit of keeping up on current events more. So I guess I wish I didn't have the habit of ignorance? haha. I try my best to keep up with what is going on, but then I often forget. And it's so easy to just look at the New York Times online. So I wish I could get into the habit of just looking at it everyday to just know what is going on. I have TIME magazine and I need to read it more thoroughly more often. I know the basics of stuff- like oh hey there are a bunch of protests going on in Egypt right now! But I want to know the history behind them and the full on story.

The only problem is that you can never know everything that is going on in the world. I've been really good at keep track of the situation going on in Sudan right now. (Southern Sudan is seceding form Northern Sudan) And I know all the reasons and such, but that's only ONE country! How is it possible to know about the protests in Egypt, the ousting of the Tunisian president, the seceding of southern Sudan, the floods in Australia, and not to mention everything that is going on in America!? And also not to mention everything that I didn't just mention. haha. So it's a huge feat, but I'm continuing to give it my efforts. Not my BEST efforts, but hey I'm giving it effort. Anyway- I'm going to make a goal to look at the New York times every day for a week from here on out. Here's to habits that we (I) want to change! Who's with me?

Day 4

Day 4: My first love

I highly considered not doing this topic and just choosing some other random topic, but I suppose I'm not that creative in thinking of blog topics... so here we are. I'm not one to have extremely personal blog entries, so I'll keep this one kind of vague. For those of you who know the story, you'll know what I'm talking about, and for those of you that don't, you can ask me in person!

So my first love... eh hem...

When I was a mere 15 I met this boy at a youth dance. We hit it off and I really enjoyed his company and he seemed to be enjoying mine as well. Not really thinking anything of it, I would talk and dance with him and so forth. All of my friends during this dance saw what was going on and didn't waste any time in finding out if we were interested in each other- and it turns out that we were! And a young, exciting romance blossomed from there. I couldn't actually date him, since I wasn't 16 yet, but we were "going out" haha. Oh man.... it all sounds so silly looking back at it now.

Anyway, we hung out with in groups for the next 6 months, talked on the phone incessantly and just couldn't get enough of each other. I found myself wanting to be a better person, loving life to its full extent and just wondering how I could have been so lucky to have this happen to me. I know this may surprise many of you, knowing me now, but hey I was 15! I was stupidly "in love." haha I put quotes because I don't actually think someone that young really knows what love is, but that's what I thought I knew at the time.

Those 6 months were great and I thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience. Due to complications that I don't wish to get into and the consequential teenage drama that ensued, it obviously didn't last. He broke up with via another friend (which I was SUPER pissed about) and that was that. I was devastated, but I did survive and live to tell the tale today. I've liked/dated a few guys since that time, but I have yet to recapture that 'stupidly in love' feeling that I felt during that first experience. And that is why I'm not married I suppose! I'm glad I went through that experience.

I actually went back through my journals over this past Christmas break when I was in town, and OH BOY. My first love experience filled the pages during those 6 months, as you would imagine. And as I read the entries, I felt all of the emotions all over again- from the excitement of having a boyfriend to the sadness of breaking up. It was intense!! Because you know that 15 year old girls are so much more dramatic than 23 year old ones.... (or are they?) I'd like to think so.... Either way it will be interesting to see how I am once I am in love as an adult. Here's to the future!