Because yes, I'm a total Harry Potter Nerd

What I Learned from Harry Potter-

1997 - 2011

• Harry Potter taught me that some things are worth dying for.
• Ron Weasley taught me that believing in yourself is a hundred times more powerful than luck.
• Hermione Granger taught me that an education is a girl’s best asset, even if it doesn’t make you many friends.
• Severus Snape taught me to never, ever, ever judge someone.
• Rubeus Hagrid taught me that anything can be cute with the right perspective.
• Ginny Weasley taught me that bold is beautiful.
• Lily Potter taught me that a mother’s love is the strongest force on earth.
• Remus Lupin taught me that fear is the only thing I should be afraid of.
• Dolores Umbridge taught me that education with a political agenda is a terrible, terrible thing.
• Sirius Black taught me that the ones we love never truly leave us.
• Albus Dumbledore taught me that good people are not always good.
• Draco Malfoy taught me that bad people are not always bad.
• Neville Longbottom taught me that courage is standing up for what’s right, even when you’re scared out of your mind.
• Luna Lovegood taught me that weird is wonderful.
• Dobby taught me that freedom is a gift.
• Lucius Malfoy taught me that no amount of money, pomp, or circumstance will buy you true friends.
• Fred & George Weasley taught me that sometimes all you need is a good laugh.
• The Dursleys taught me that a world without imagination is a dull and dreary place.
• Arthur Weasley taught me that a good sense of curiosity and a bit of obsession can be healthy.
• Fleur Delacour taught me that true love is not based on appearance.
• Molly Weasley taught me that a happy family is not measured in gold.
• Bellatrix Lestrange taught me that hatred and prejudice rot your mind and can turn even the most beautiful person into a monster.
• Kreacher taught me that if you want to get to know a man, look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.
• Cho Chang taught me that rebound relationships almost never work.
• Nymphadora Tonks taught me to love myself, no matter what I look like.
• Percy Weasley taught me that, in the end, no career is worth sacrificing your family.
• Sybill Trelawney taught me that you cannot change the past, only the future.
• Lavender Brown taught me that physical relationships only last for so long.
• Peter Pettigrew taught me that rats do not make good friends.
• Nicholas Flamel taught me that to the well-prepared mind, death is but the next great adventure.
• Minerva McGonagall taught me that a good cause is worth fighting for at any age.
• Hedwig taught me that the love we have for our pets is very real.
• Lord Voldemort taught me that a life without love is barely living.
• J. K. Rowling taught me that the stories we love will always be with us.

Until the very end.

Honorable Mention

This past summer I spent six weeks in London, with a side trip to Paris, studying art history. It was an amazing, life inspiring experience and I can't wait to go back...whenever that will be! Anyway, when I got home I found out about an International Photo contest at UVU, where I go to school, and submitted a few photographs from my trip. I just found out that one of my photos won an honorable mention and will be in the 2012 calendar and displayed in the International Center on campus. Not bad for an armature right!? Here is my picture below, it's of the Louvre (obviously).

Stuff I love

I haven't posted a favorites list in awhile and since I've recently discovered a few things to be totally obsessed over, I thought I'd share them with you.
















 Number One: Jamba, Vanilla Blueberry Pomegranate Perfection, Yogurt & Sorbet Bars.
I found these at Walmart the other night and I must confess, I've already finished off the box. They're sooo good! Creamy, tart and not too sweet, plus their only 80 calories per bar (this doesn't matter when you eat the entire box in a 24 hour period, but we'll just pretend I didn't do that..Ok?)

Number Two: Vaseline's Cocoa Butter Vitalizing Gel Body Oil with Brazilian Nut and Almond Oils. As you may or may not know, I hate the feel of lotion on my skin. In fact I dislike it so much that I haven't used body lotion for the majority of my life. Well, times are changing...because time is beginning to leave its mark on my skin. I figured if I have to use lotion I might as well go all the way and use an oil, so I bought a bottle of this fantastic stuff.

Here is why I love it.

1. It smells really good. Some people say it smells like cocoa butter, but I think it smells like sugar. It's not to heavy of a smell, which is a huge bonus for me.
2. I only use this two or three times per week, because it actually lasts for days. I don't know if it will continue to work like this once Winter hits, but I can't imagine I'll stop using it.
3. It makes my skin look glowy. Yep, glowy.

Downsides:

1. I actually have to wait up to 30 minutes before it absorbs into my skin enough to get dressed. It's not a comfortable 30 minutes, but it's a good excuse to spend time on Pintrest.

 Number Three: Mabelline Falsies Mascara. I just really  like it. My lashes don't clump together, which is a problem I usually have. Another problem I often have is mascara flaking and leaving lovely specks of black under my eyes. This mascara doesn't do that. So, it's on my list of faves.

Number Four: McVitie's Digestives. I sort of got addicted to these while I was in London this summer for my Study Abroad and haven't been able to find them here in Utah since I got home. Well guess what I found at Walmart the other night! Yep, not long after I discovered the Jamba bars I saw these in the cookie isle! They didn't have dark chocolate which is my personal favorite, but they did have milk chocolate and I am a happy, happy girl.

Number Five: "The Five Love Languages" by Gary Chapman. A friend recommended this book and I'm now reading it for a second time. If you haven't heard of it or read it yourself already, I highly recommend it. I'm reading the singles edition but there is an edition for married people as well. Basically the book explains the five ways that people show love, and helps you discover what your primary love language is. It's very interesting and makes a lot of sense.

Number Six: Givenchy, Very Irresistible. I recently got a sample of this perfume and I love it. It has notes of Rose, peony, verbena, star anise and plum in it. If I had to put a word to it, to describe how it smells I would say sophisticated or vibrant. One of these days, when my money tree blooms I'll buy myself a bottle. It's yummy!

So there are my current favorite things. I could probably go on forever but I'll stop right here. Tomorrow is my last day of Fall break from school and then it's back to work and books and studying. Midterms are coming up, so it should be fun! Have a great day!

My 29th Birthday...again

Had a few friends and family meet at Chili's for dinner a couple of days before my actual birthday, it was pretty fun having everyone together.

Pere Lachalse Cemetery Paris

I've got too much time on my hands. I've been messing around in Photoshop again. Here are a bunch of images I took at Pere Lachalse Cemetery in Paris this summer.

Pioneer Village

Since I'm broke and bored to tears I grabbed my camera and jumped in the car and soon found myself at Pioneer Village in downtown Provo. I've never been and had always been curious about checking it out. I walked around and took pictures and thanked Heavenly Father for his wise decision to have me born in the days of electricity and indoor plumbing. My tiny little bedroom is bigger than some of those cabins, where mother's and father's raised 12 and 14 children! Oh how times have changed.

Here's some of the pictures I took. Went a little crazy in photoshop...gotta learn all I can you know.

JR. Street Artist and Activist

JR and his team use paper and paste to try to leave a message. In Africa they covered roofs with vinyl images, that kept the rain out of the shanties beneath them. In South America he showed the faces of the family members of victims of a terrible crime. In Israel he pasted up pictures of Jews and Muslims side by side and asked people if they could tell which person was a Jew and which was a Muslim. They couldn't. Art has power, and if JR had it his way art would turn the world inside out.

Here's his amazing talk at TED: http://www.ted.com/talks/jr_s_ted_prize_wish_use_art_to_turn_the_world_inside_out.html.

London!!!

In three weeks yours truly will be boarding a flight to London, England! I'm so excited about this that I can't seem to keep my brain in the 'now', the 'now' that involves a 10 page paper, a found object sculpture, a 24 month calender and a brochure, plus my job and stuff. So I'm allowing myself a few minutes to think about it, then maybe I'll be able to get somethings done!