Thanksgiving!

Hooray for Thanksgiving! Who doesn't love Thanksgiving? Honestly it is the best! The mashed potatoes and the pie....Yum....Anyways....So on behalf of Thanksgiving I would like to make a list of some of the things I am thankful for.

Gratitude List:

...My supportive and loving Family,My Mom, Dad, Lindsay, Ryan and Megan...My awesome friends... Sleep... Food... The Gospel...My testimony... The Beatles... Technology...My Education... Classic Movies.... Karaoke Revolution... The Prophet... Soda!... My Ward and neighborhood... Books... My senses... Twilight... Music in general... The Lion House... Laughter... I-tunes... Joseph Smith... My dog Molly... Bear Grylls... My Health... Good Teachers... Young Women's Leaders... Sun Chips... Jane Austen Novels... The clothes on my back... My beautiful home... Bobby pins... The Scriptures... Harrison Ford... Prayer... The beautiful and truly amazing creations of Heavenly Father... Google... Smiles... The Fall Leaves... My bed... Missionaries... Curly Hair... This Country

And the list goes on and on!

"I've got sand in my trousers which is not ideal."

One of my favorite things Bear Grylls (Man vs. Wild) has ever said is the above title. I know this quote seems entirely random but it has been very applicable for me lately. I relate the sand to small irritations (hehehe) in life, the things that are little that drive you insane and you can't shake them. There have been many small things that bug me and I have no idea why. Half the time you feel the irritation but can't find the source of it, which is entirely how I feel.

So with that being said I will face this "sand" with the attitude of Bear Grylls. Even though it is not ideal to have some irritations driving you mad, you need to keep going and work through them because let's just face it, there are ALWAYS irritations and it doesn't help to dwell on them. Bear Grylls just keeps going on his mission for survival in the african dessert and doesn't let that sand get to him so neither will I. I won't  let my tiny annoyances ruin the big picture!

A Hairless Rapunzel

Is it important to have hair to play Rapunzel? I would say the answer to that would be yes. At our final dress rehearsal on Tuesday this week, Bailey and I were laughing because we counted the attempts to find me an appropriate wig. Up to Tuesday night there were five attempts and still no decision on what I would be doing with my hair. 

Attempt #1. Renting the Wig from Pioneer Theater Company. This idea became quickly squashed after we actually saw the wig (and after I had brushed out all 12 feet of it!)

Attempt #2. Use my real hair and find a way to attach the long piece from PTC to it. That got dashed straight away.

Attempt #3. Buy a 250 dollar wig from a wig shop that could be braided. It turns out the wig couldn't be braided. There goes that idea.

Attempt #4. Borrow the long braided wig from Hillcrest (who did Into the Woods ten years ago). I am pretty sure the wig had dust mites in it....gross.... In the end we did not like the top piece it attached to.

Attempt #5. Getting a braided short wig from the wig place for the top piece and using Hillcrest's braid for the bottom piece. No way Jose.

And so finally we have arrived at attempt #6 which took place on Wednesday for the parent preview: Use my own hair on top and connect it to the braid from Hillcrest (after we brushed it out and made it look pretty of course) My mom was able to find a way to attach it with velcro and the director ended up really liking it. I was so happy with the final attempt and I am glad it passed the directors inspection because I don't know what we would have done. This week the "wig situation" was a source of frustration to me and now looking back on it I think it is hilarious!!! Good times in the play...

(Bay Girl's wig count on the board in the drama room. Hahahaha...Oh good times)

ODE TO THE ELVIS SHIRT

A terrible thing has happened...My beloved Elvis Presley 30th anniversary shirt (all the way from Graceland baby!) has gone missing! I cannot find it anywhere and I am worried that I left it in Lake Powell! AHHH! So depressing was this event that I have decided to write an Ode to my shirt...Here goes:

Me and My Elvis Shirt made a great pair,

On T-Shirt Fridays people would stop and stare.

My Elvis shirt made my heart feel happy

and was not at all sappy.

So many good times were had 

and I am just a tad mad

Oh Elvis Shirt come home soon

or I will feel like a loon...

Ok so I am not a poet but I felt some tribute is necessary! That shirt meant a lot! 

P.S. Elvis Presley why did you have to die?

Sarah,Sarah,Sarah, Mara,Terra...

Not that I don't love my name...but wow! TOO many people are named Sarah. To be honest it is slightly ridiculous. I had never noticed how many Sarah's there are until 7th grade when there were seven Sarah's in my choir (4 of which were in the second soprano section alone). I also noticed when there just happened to be 5 in my orchestra class as well. At this point I became bored with my name, not that I don't love it ( I mean how could I not love a name that means princess) but I was hearing it all the time. Speed time up just 4 short years and now I am in the same situation. This year in the musical there are 6 Sarah's. AHHHHH! hehehehe! We always laugh because there are 3 Sarah leads plus a Mara and a Terra... a lot of rhyming going on. I guess what I am trying to say is that I love my name and am proud to be one of the many Sarah's in the world... but at times like this I would love to have a random name like Shannequa that not many people have! I even appreciate the slight different variation of Sarah Jane. That brings so much joy! I am seriously considering making a legal change to Sarah Jane....or even Shannequa....

 

(The three lead Sarah's....and Adam)

So Cupcake=SO YUMMY!

Last Spring, my mother discovered a cute cupcake shop here in Holladay called So Cupcake. Ever since it has been my favorite place and cupcakes have become my favorite dessert! They have so many flavors to choose from and every time I go there is a flavor I have never heard of before. My personal favorite is apple with maple frosting, SOOOOOO GOOD!

Yesterday morning I was able to go to the temple. I love going early morning because it always makes your day so wonderful. However by the end of play practice the tiredness hit me like a ton of bricks and my tummy was saying "feed me!!!" I got home and saw the most beautiful sight in the world....A box of so cupcakes (not to mention they were the big kind!!!) sitting on the counter. Oh how happy to see 6 of those delicious cupcakes and to know that one of them was going to be in my tummy! It was one of those moments where you say to yourself "The church is true!" hehehehe! The Temple+So cupcake=Eternal bliss!

The Fifty Yard Line Oath

Tonight a few of my friends and I ended up at the football field. We went to surprise a friend who was running around the track and afterwards ended up running around the field. I felt better than I have felt in a while and couldn't understand why, then I came to this conclusion: For the past little while I have been worrying about things that seemed so important that really aren't. I had been letting a stupid boy ruin my confidence and ease at school and I decided that I was done letting it get to me. What is the point in waiting around and being sad? Being on the field was strangely therapeutic (which is weird because this boy happens to be a football player) and I was able to just let it go. I was able to believe the things people had been saying to me like "he doesn't deserve you" and "it is good that you stuck up for what you believed in." I finally came to a realization that even though what I had done was hard, I HAD done what was right.

This small group of friends huddled around the fifty yard line and each put a foot on the line. We all went around and told everyone goals that we really want to accomplish this month. I had two #1. To not over stress about school, work and the musical and to take the time to really enjoy it! and #2 To have the confidence and ease that I used to have. The amazing sense of support and love in that circle was amazing. I am glad that I have friends that I can share goals with and that I know they will support me!

When thinking of something deep to say my friend Bailey profoundly said "Curly fries are Arby's gift to the world." Hehehe, next time we make an oath on the fifty yard line we are definitely bringing curly fries!

"A friend is someone who knows who you are-But loves you anyway."