Big Brother

This is my big brother Johnny.

I was so proud of him tonight. In our game against powerhouse Bingham, he scored 13 points (career high!) and scored the game winning clutch free throw to put us up one, 64-63. With 2.4 seconds left, Bingham couldn't make the basket for the win. I was thrilled for my big brother. Already, he's had an amazing senior season. I love him.

Although he may not realize it, he is one of my best friends. I know that I annoy him a lot of the time, but its not on purpose. He's the best big brother I could ask for. I love being only one year younger than him in school so I get my big brother everyday at school.

Johnny is one of the most incredible people I know. He's cares about everyone. He doesn't slack off. He gets everything done that needs to be done. He does well in school. He plays the piano so well. Everyone loves Johnny because he is just an all around solid kid. He's hilarious. He's dang cute. He plays basketball. He wouldn't speak a rude word about anyone and he gets mad at me if I do. One of my favorite memories with Johnny occured a couple of months ago. We were the only ones home and I was sitting at the piano. Sidenote: Johnny, Paige and me all print out sheet music allll the time and so the piano is usually being played at my house. So I was sitting at the piano and Johnny kicked me off so he could play (rude I know;)) and then I started singing to his playing. For, I'm not even exaggerating, at least an hour we played piano and sang together. I know it sounds so dumb, but it was so fun.

Johnny can submit his mission papers in exactly 3 months and 1 week. Its weird and exciting and hard. I'm so happy that he can worthily serve the Lord for two years but sending this brother off will be so different than the rest of them. I don't think he realizes how much I love him and look up to him. I love that now when we see eachother at school he'll say hi and smile. I love that almost weekly, rather than hanging out with friends we both stay home, head out to redbox or Top Hat, rent a movie, stop at Dick's so Johnny can get a party pizza and watch a movie together. I love going downstairs and doing homework together(..well not together but in the same room haha). I love our failed "secret sibling handshake." I love that we had a text conversation on the way home from the Provo game so Paige wouldn't hear what we were talking about(not to be rude to her, but he was telling me about girls and didn't want Paige to hear). I love that last weekend we took a momentous step in our relationship- we hung out together.. like at a friends house with other people haha:) I love that he LOVES Toy Story.

I love that crazy big brother of mine, John Mason Maxwell.

mechale lauren

Thanksgiving!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!(yesterday)

yep. its that day. we stuff our faces and share what we're grateful for. An excellent holiday in my humble opinion.

I'm thankful for so much! Its kinda ridiculous how blessed I am. Why do I often focus on what I don't have rather than the many MANY things I do have? Just to name a couple of blessings, I have great health, a loving family, the most amazing friends anyone could ask for, foooddddd, a love of learning, my basketball team(yes, I claim them:)), warm clothes, a cell phone, the true gospel of Jesus Christ.

This year I was priviledged to indulge in not one, but TWO thanksgiving dinners. Yesterday with the Websters and today with the Maxwells. Tight.

Its kinda become a tradition for me to wear my favorite sweater to thanksgiving, so yes, the tradition still lives on! Here are some lovely pictures of this picturesque sweater. A true gem. Oh and the best part is that all of my cousins on the Webster side have these. Girls in red, boys in blue! Yes sir, we love them...or at least I do!



Doesn't that empty mug make the whole ensemble seem much more cozy? haha I thought so too:)

Oh don't worry, I just found these pictures of the one and only Paige Maxwell on my computer. She's a keeper! And I'm proud to say that she edited the green one all by herself and it is currently her profile picture on Facebook.







mechale lauren

today

I feel ill. not seriously, just ill. I woke up to death itself. No bueno. Cero divertido.

see-




oh and the basketball game i've been counting down to got canceled due to the "blizzard." lovely. but that just means we have a game tuesday, thursday and friday next week. tight.

mechale lauren

Accomplished.

I had a debate tournament today. Me and Hannah competed in Parlimentary Debate which is an impromptu, current event, debate event. So hard. So fun. So crazy! Basically, we went into the tournament thinking we didn't care and just wanted to have fun. After the first two rounds we knew we had won so why not just try hard for the rest of the time? For our last two rounds we put so much effort into it. We wanted to win! They were way hard debates but we did really well and to our utter surprise we took FIRST PLACE!!! YeeHAWW! Honestly I was shocked. I thought we did well, but not that well! and there were a lot of teams! I'm so proud of us:) I feel accomplished. We placed in something other than duo haha.. (its kinda a whimpy event even though I LOVE it...) Well thats all I have to say:) Oh and we got these way big trophys and viking hats!




I'm elated.

mechale lauren

I've been thinking...

I've been thinking that I don't want to grow up and decide where to go to school. I've always wanted to go to BYU and I think that's where I'll end up but what if USU is better? I could easily get full ride there. To never have to pay for school would be incredible. Good thing I don't really have to worry about that for a year.. ish.

I've been thinking that it would be fun to move. I've lived in the same house my entire life. Yes, I have roots here and it would be so hard to leave everything, but how cool would it be to start a new life. Meet new people. Have new experiences. I just want to get out for like a year. I guess college is like moving.. I'll wait until then.

I've been thinking that I'm home. Baskeball season is my home. Last night at Meet the Team night I kept the score book for the boys scrimage. Honestly, no one will understand this, but I felt like I was home. Watching 10 boys, three referees, two hoops, one ball and a court interact is the best thing. I love all kinds of basketball, but without a doubt, my favorite is high school boys basketball. The NBA is amazing and the players play with such skill and precision, and their plays are so exciting. College is just fun. The best month of the year is March because of the NCAA tournament. But high school is my favorite for its unpredictableness(uhh new word?) and its intimate setting. Some of the best days I've ever had have been those where I get to watch 3 back-to-back basketball games, keep the book for the first two and pour out my soul cheering for the third. Best ever. I love basketball. This season is going to be amazing.

And that's what I've been thinking!

mechale lauren

Thats how I feel about you

"Well she was wearing a skirt and he thought she looked nice,
and yeah, she didn't really care about anything else
because she only wanted him to think she looked nice.
And he did."
-Kate Nash, "Birds"

How true is that? Well sometimes. I know that looking good for someone isn't the most important thing, but really, think about it, we all do it. I definitely do it. A LOT. hahah the things we do for boys...

This song is my favorite right now. Its darling. And Kate Nash's british accent is right nice. I also love her style. Her lyrics aren't super rhymey or anything. They just tell a simple story. I HIGHLY reccommend her. For "Birds" listen here

Anyways, enough music musings. Sometimes I hate my best friends. Not really, but really. I'm not getting into that here though. I just needed to throw that out there.

And then there are those others. Best friends but somehow casually thrown to the side. Yet always in the forefront. There are two in particular who have saved me tonight when those other friends weren't there. They are my cousin Jessica and she-who-must-not-be-named-in-this-post:)

My cousin Jessica(the one in my profile picture over yonder ----->) is the most caring person I know. She truly is one of my best friends. I feel so lucky to have her in my life. She knows more about me than anyone else. Really though. There are many things I've never told anyone but her. I know she will never judge me or look down on me. She just cares. I know she loves me and is happy for me when things are looking up and takes my sorrow when I'm feeling down. I don't know how many times I've texted her randomly when something's not right and not a minute later she responds with an honest caring reply. Like tonight. I miss her so much. Now that she's in college I don't see her nearly as much as I used to. I look up to her so much. I'm so grateful families can be together forever.

Next is she-who-must-not-be-named-in-this-post. I don't even know how to adequately express how much she means in my life. We've definitely had our ups and downs as friends. Honestly, sometimes I wonder how we've remained such good friends. We've managed to get through some tough times. She's one person I know I can always go to for anything. She knows how to get mad when I'm mad but gently bring me back to reality. I love her. Really, there are so many other things I could say about her but I won't bore you with those details. I hope she knows how grateful I am that we're friends. She's blessed my life in countless ways. I feel like she does WAY more for me than I ever do for her. Thanks she-who-must-not-be-named-in-this-post:)

mechale lauren

12 days until basketball season officially starts

I wish so badly I had something good to say right now but the fact of the matter is, it don't. But I want to blog so I'm faced with a serious dilemma. I'm never at a loss for words, I love talking. This is weird.

Maybe I'll just go read the Scarlet Letter instead. Oh no, did I really just say that??! I'm such a nerd. But really. Calculus and Chemistry are my two favorite classes. Oh dear. I should have kept that in. But now its out and it'll take too long to erase.

There are the most beautiful bananas on my kitchen counter right now. In case you were wondering..? What's with me?

Just so you know, anything I start to write right now, I'm not erasing. Thats why I'm getting so random.

I really have nothing thought provoking or deep to say right now. How tragic. Usually when I blog I'm thinking about something worthwhile even if I don't post it. Not right now! haha gah.

I'm just a waste of space this second. Give me something to think about!

Everyone reading this now thinks I'm a freak. I promise, its just an off night. I should be hot tubbing at Hot Tub Thursday with friends right now. But instead I'm here. Maybe that's why I'm so bored. I definitely should have left my homework for later so I'd have something to do right now.

I kinda want to go to my room but its FREEZING! I'm on the corner of my house with windows on two sides and wood floor with just the garage beneath me. It's an ice box. Thank goodness for electric blankets!

I love it when my brother plays the piano. Like now.

The Prestige is great.

My brother just stopped playing and said, "Mechale, how do you right a song? Like the words." so I said, "search your innermost feelings and write what comes hahaha" then he said, "I have no innermost feelings." well Johnny, you've got a problem.

I miss my cousin Jessica.

Bountiful is in the semi-finals for football! WOOT! so now we play at Rice Eccles Stadium tomorrow! YAY! and we get out of school early for the game. Tight.

well this is just such a waste of both of our time so I'll be signing off.

Peace out girl scout

mechale lauren

Psh, Yeah Right!

My brother just told me I look like a polygamist. Jerk. Granted, my hair is doing a sort of wooshy up-do thing. Shoot. I look like a polygamist.

mechale lauren

We All Have Our Things, I Guess

Guess what. This morning I accidentally got toothpaste in my eye while brushing my teeth for the third time. It hurts, and burns, and feels minty strangely enough. HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN!!!! Normal people don't get toothpaste in their eye, yet I have 3 times. Talk about embarrassing.

I really like the rocket summer. a lot. especially "do you feel." good song.

Also, I DO NOT want to go to the christmas dance. I don't even know why, this time last year I would give anything to go but not right now. I just don't want to go with someone I don't want to go with and I don't want to go with anyone in particular so... and it saves $$$ haha. I'm so cheap.. but it just means more christmas presents for little Max! and others haha.

the guitar is fun to play.

I love debating.

I also can't wait for basketball season to start. First game, two weeks from today! go braves. We're taking state this year, realistically. We're basically amazing. Oh and the starting five all run the 2 mile in about 13 minutes which is where my dad said his other state champion teams were at. And Mckay ran it in under 12 minutes! thats fast. We're lookin good this year!

again, I'll just throw this in because I always do- I love calculus. end of story.

I'm not opposed to christmas music right now. Usually I am, but not this year. In moderation of course.

mmm Hot Chocolate from Corner 22. delicious. but super sweet.

I neeeeedddd new headphones. Mine broke forever ago so I've been using these macho ones that my brother stole from BHS. And they're terrible.

anyone know any good songs? like not too chill, but not super pop, or edgy. just good and catchy. catchy is a must. I'm in need.

mechale lauren

All about Us

April 28, 2010: SLC, UT- coming home from my grandma's funeral in Oregon.

July 21, 2010: Logan, UT- At a family reunion in Bear Lake

July 22, 2010: Provo, UT- At a family reunion in Bear Lake

November 5, 2010: SLC, UT- Finally at the concert

In the past 6 months, He Is We, my favorite band, has been to Utah 4 times and finally last night I was able to see them live at the venue after a year of obsession. Honestly, It was one of the most insanely incredible concerts I've ever been to. I loved every second of it. From the first opener Allred (soo good) to the second opener He Is We (Best eeverr!) to the main act The Rocket Summer(absloutely incredible) it was a night I'll never forget. Luckily my brother Jordan had bought tickets early and because he couldn't go, gave them to me. If that hadn't happened I wouldn't have gotten in. My friends Hannah, Natalie, Nick and Jason couldn't get in because the concert sold out! So thank you Jordan for the tickets!! It was the best night of my life.

There's something about a tiny club filled to the max with people and acoustic music. And He Is We live is beautiful. She sings with such feeling and emotion. The lyrics mean so much more to me now hearing them live. It was so fun being with 5 other crazily obsessed girls. Belting every word of every song and dancing like no one was watching. K, this sounds so dumb but I was just in the moment haha, you'd understand if you were there.

Also, I had a slightly awkward moment. So I was standing by one of the girls I was with who is also in love with the band and she suddenly told me to turn around. So I turned and squeezing past us was Rachel, Trevor and the other people of he is we. So I kinda missed Rachel, but just as Trevor was passing I said quietly to Jorgen, "Ahh thats Trevor," right as I accidently hit him on the shoulder. So he turned around and I didn't know what to do so I awkwardly said "hi" haha oh man i felt soo stupid, but it was way funny!

Then the Rocket Summer. So its just one guy, Bryce Avary, and he plays every instrument. Acoustic and Electric guitars, keyboard, harmonica, bass, drums, the works. He was so good too! I was a little worried that he wouldn't sound as good as his cd's but my expectations were far surpassed. He was way better live! I loved every second of it.

All in all, it was an amazing concert. I loved every second. Oh and He is We finally set a date and said their debut album will be out before Christmas! yessss.

mechale lauren

p.s. the post title was my favorite song he is we played last night

Thanksgiving letter

So this is probably one of the most enjoyable things I've ever read. I decided to crack it back out as its now Thanksgiving season! It's from awkwardfamilyphotos.com enjoy!

November 26th, 2009



From: Marney

As you all know a fabulous Thanksgiving Dinner does not make itself. I need to ask each of you to help by bringing something to complete the meal. I truly appreciate your offers to assist with the meal preparation.

Now, while I do have quite a sense of humor and joke around all the time, I COULD NOT BE MORE SERIOUS when I am providing you with your Thanksgiving instructions and orders. I am very particular, so please perform your task EXACTLY as I have requested and read your portion very carefully. If I ask you to bring your offering in a container that has a lid, bring your offering in a container WITH A LID, NOT ALUMINUM FOIL! If I ask you to bring a serving spoon for your dish, BRING A SERVING SPOON, NOT A SOUP SPOON! And please do not forget anything.

All food that is to be cooked should already be prepared, bring it hot and ready to serve, warm or room temp. These are your ONLY THREE options. Anything meant to be served cold should, of course, already be cold.

HJB—Dinner wine

The Mike Byron Family

1. Turnips in a casserole with a lid and a serving spoon. Please do not fill the casserole all the way up to the top, it gets too messy. I know this may come as a bit of a surprise to you, but most of us hate turnips so don’t feel like you a have to feed an army.
2. Two half gallons of ice cream, one must be VANILLA, I don’t care what the other one is. No store brands please. I did see an ad this morning for Hagan Daz Peppermint Bark Ice Cream, yum!! (no pressure here, though).
3. Toppings for the ice cream.
4. A case of bottled water, NOT gallons, any brand is ok.

The Bob Byron Family

1. Green beans or asparagus (not both) in a casserole with a lid and a serving spoon. If you are making the green beans, please prepare FOUR pounds, if you are making asparagus please prepare FIVE pounds. It is up to you how you wish to prepare them, no soupy sauces, no cheese (you know how Mike is), a light sprinkling of toasted nuts, or pancetta, or some EVOO would be a nice way to jazz them up.
2. A case of beer of your choice (I have Coors Light and Corona) or a bottle of clos du bois chardonnay (you will have to let me know which you will bring prior to 11/22).

The Lisa Byron Chesterford Family

1. Lisa as a married woman you are now required to contribute at the adult level. You can bring an hors d’ouvres. A few helpful hints/suggestions. Keep it very light, and non-filling, NO COCKTAIL SAUCE, no beans of any kind. I think your best bet would be a platter of fresh veggies and dip. Not a huge platter mind you (i.e., not the plastic platter from the supermarket).

The Michelle Bobble Family

1. Stuffing in a casserole with a serving spoon. Please make the stuffing sans meat.
2. 2.5-3 qts. of mashed squash in a casserole with a lid and serving spoon
3. Proscuitto pin wheel – please stick to the recipe, no need to bring a plate.
4. A pie knife

The June Davis Family

1. 15 LBS of mashed potatoes in a casserole with a serving spoon. Please do not use the over-size blue serving dish you used last year. Because you are making such a large batch you can do one of two things: put half the mash in a regulation size casserole with lid and put the other half in a plastic container and we can just replenish with that or use two regulation size casserole dishes with lids. Only one serving spoon is needed.
2. A bottle of clos du bois chardonnay

The Amy Misto Family (why do I even bother she will never read this)

1. A pumpkin pie in a pie dish (please use my silver palate recipe) no knife needed.
2. An apple pie in a pie dish, you can use your own recipe, no knife needed.

Looking forward to the 28th!!

Marney

could she be a little more demanding? hahah. classy.

mechale lauren

Sequels

I'm excited for-

1. November 19th. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1.

2. December 10th. The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

Both look exquisite. Check out their trailers if you don't believe me. But I am telling the truth. Promise.

mechale lauren

Girls Get Away

Ever been to Midway, Utah? Its amazing. I'm in love. Yesterday I went out to Midway with my friends Kirsten, Natalie, Hannah, Kelly, Annie and Christine, then we came home today. Such a great way to spend a long weekend. We got gelato, supplies for a spa, gave eachother massages, watched Killers (with hottie mcHot hot Ashton Kutcher yesss) and swam in a crater! Okay the crater was tiigghtt! I loved it! It's a 65 ft deep, 95 degree crater for swimming/snorkeling/scuba diving. It was so much fun! I lurrrved it:) thanks Kir for inviting all of us! I think we'll make it a tradition! So of course we listened to some great music on the hour plus drive there and back and I heard this song. I love Allred and all of these songs. It's a legit medley.

Well I've gotta go eat dinner now, so thats all:)

love mechale lauren

It's Decided

So recently I decdided what I want to do with my life. Actually its what I've wanted to do since 7th ish grade, but now I just understand it and feel more ardently about it. So here's my plan.

I want to go to BYU and get a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

But in order to learn more about it and make sure it engineering is where I want to go, I'm applying(in February) for Hi-GEAR(Girls Engineering Abilities Realized) at the U of U. Basically its a week long camp for girls interested in engineering. They do hands on experiments and the like while working with the female engineering students and professors at the U. But here's the kicker- only 25-35 girls are accepted. I hope I make it so badly. But really. And it's over my birthday which could potentially be fun haha!

So ME here I come. I'm a girl and not a boy so I know you'll appreciate my love for math and science because I'm rare in your program.

And since I've looked harder into this, I've become so much more attentive and willing to learn in Calculus and Chemisty. Its good for me.

mechale lauren

Satisfied

I love people. Yes, there are definitely things that really bother me in some people but why would that make you say you hate someone? Why would you say you hate how judgemental this person is. Doesn't that just make you judgemental? I don't get it. I know this seems very arbitrary, but it's been on my mind today.

Oh and speaking of people, I'd like to share with you a little 20 seconds of my life that made my day today. So I was out of class (with a hall pass of course) because I had to take something to my car. As I was walking down the 3rd floor hall I saw these two guys talking to some teacher. I know who these boys are but I guarantee they don't know me. So I was planning on just walking past, minding my own business when one of them smiles and waves at me. So I wore a cute little smile and waved back. Then he proceeded to tell the teacher/me, "she's really pretty" and the teacher said, "yes, she is really pretty" so I said a cute little "thanks:)" (I guess everything I did was just cute and little haha). Now I know this sounds so dumb and you're probably thinking to yourself self-centered much? But you have to know today I felt TERRIBLE! I woke up late, showered, braided my hair, pulled on jeans and a sweatshirt, put on mascara and tried to stay awake through all my classes, all the while feeling like I looked like a disaster victim. To hear this guy tell me that really made me feel so much better about my day. So thanks ______.

Yesterday I had a debate tournament, first of the season! I competed in JV Impromptu. I haven't given an impromptu speech since last november so I went into it so unprepared! First round I had to speak on the quote "Don't go through life, grow through it" -Erik Butterworth. Now this was actually a really easy quote, but I bombed my speech. And I felt so bad about myself because I didn't really try and I regret that. Then came round two and I spoke on the topic Imagination. Redemption! I felt really good about this round! And there was this guy in there who is from England and has a British accent. Score. Then came round three. The dreaded current event round. I looked at the 3 topics I was given. Haiti, Wind Farms and Distracted Driving. So of course I went for the last one! It was so good! I had so many great captivating stories and took up the full 7 minutes! I was really feeling good now! (sidenote: British boy was in there too!) But I really felt bad about my first round because that one eliminated me from placing:( So while we waited for awards Bountiful's debate team had so much fun! Ahh go Nick Johnson for organizing games. In Layton High's foyer they have a diamond shaped logo in the carpet so what did we do? Played BASEBALL!! It was so fun! I took my shoes off because they were heels and hard to play in and then my toe got sliced open. So my debate friends Hannah, Natalie, Nick, and Kim carried me to go find a band-aid while making siren noises.. We caused quite a scene. Then FINALLY we had awards. In the JV impromptu category they awarded 2 finalists befor the top 3 and I was a finalist! I was shocked! I didn't place, but I did a lot better than I thought I would! So that was that.

Today in English we did lots and lots of grammar. I've never liked grammar until this class. Go Gardener.

Calculus. I love calculus. Everyday it gets better and better. More and more challenging. And I adore it. I also love helping people with their math. Nerdy? Probably, but I'm okay with it.

By the way my nephew is growing too fast. Good thing I see him in approximately 2 months! hmmm.. thought. Maybe I should skype my sister and nephew. That's almost like face to face. Erin?

mechale lauren

Homecoming 2010

So since homecoming week is officially over I figure now is as good a time as any to post about it! The week started pretty slow.. I had a Junior Committee meeting to make posters for the parade but thats about it. Nothing really started happening until wednesday with the parade and pow wow! The parade was hot, short and fun haha! But the pow wow after was a blast! I signed up to compete in the toothpick/lifesaver race. Basically you have a toothpick in your mouth and you pass a lifsaver on the toothpick down a row of people. And I was so mad because the juniors totally should have won but the seniors cheated.. oh well, it was still way fun! Lots of music and dancing.. successful night! Oh and as a side note, I'm posting pictures of Johnny and his homecoming adventures so you can see them Erin.





Thursday was the assembly, I just watched it but Johnny was in it for being Homecoming king. He was also in the video as an avatar.. Such a great homecoming video! Probably my favorite part Johnny was in was the peanut butter/plexi glass contest between the royalties.. Johnny's team won!



Friday was the homecoming game against undefeated East. I'll be honest,I thought we'd lose but alas, the Braves pulled off a 21-0 victory!! It was such an amazing game! Ahh! GO BRAVES!

Then Saturday. The Homecoming dance. I went with Wesley Thompson and it was so fun! The dance was on the night of the Priesthood session of General Conference, so for the boys to be able to go we didn't go to dinner, but had a day activity and went to Macaroni Grill for lunch.. or an early dinner. Either way haha. Then we went to the ZOO!! I love the Zoo.. and Giraffes.. which are at the Zoo. Perfect match. Then the girls went home to get ready while the boys were at Priesthood! It worked out beautifully! I loved my dress (thanks to Hannah) It was perfect!



My group was so fun!! My very best friends were in the group which made it such a party! I met some new amazing girls as well! And oh the boys! I love them all! We probably had the most fun and most attractive group at the dance hands down!




Overall one of the most fun nights of my life! Oh and Mr Homecoming King Johnny looked pretty good himself:)



love mechale lauren

What if Aliens Invaded?

Collide (Acoustic) by Howie Day.

Thank you Pandora for just playing this. I love this song. How did you know?

In other news- so you know how supposedly if friendly aliens ever invaded Earth they would state, "Take me to your leader." Have you ever wondered who this leader would be? Well fear no more, the UN just appointed Mazlan Othman as our "leader". Aliens will be directed to her because she is now our extraterrestrial ambassador. Cool.. part of me hopes that she is needed at one point in time. That would be funny. But only if the aliens were really kind and didn't want to take over.



ooh. look up this song- Long Time Traveler by the Wailing Jennys. beautiful. I kinda really like folky music with cool harmonies.

mechale lauren

Lovely

Would you like to know what I love lately? I knew you would! Alright here it goes.

1. Harry Potter ABC's written by me(a.k.a. Ravenclaw) and Janey Boy(a.k.a. Hufflepuff).

2. The fact that I just wrote a bomb 10 paragraph essay on why 1763 was a turning point in the events that led to the American Revolution. Exceeding expectations.

3. Mary Hart 80's Aerobics Video with Natalie(a.k.a. Slytherin). Get fit ladies:).. the fun way!



4. Pandora Radio. I've just discovered some gems of songs on my Ingrid Michaelson station.

5. Homecoming is saturday. Its going to be so fun! My dress is dang cute. Thanks for letting me borrow it Hannah(a.k.a. Gryffindor).

6. I have the coolest brother in the world. His name is Johnny. He's homecoming king. Go yohahn(my affectionate name for him)

7. Calculus is cool. Math is no longer exercises. Its application and problem solving.

8. I want to go to MIT or Stanford. They have great mechanical engineering programs.

9. General Conference this weekend. Yesss.

10. Also seminary is wonderful. I love going. I knew hardly anyone in my class but we have the best discussions. Today was about the priesthood. Boys (not that any read this) remember, you hold the priesthood everyday, not just sunday and you've been endowed with something Godly. Remember that.

11. Sister Michelle Goodwin taught the best YW/RS lesson sunday about mothers and daughters. It really impacted me. I love you mommy:)

12. I have cool friends.

13. We have churros at my house. Do you understand how delicious a perfectly baked, crispy, golden churro is?

14. My family is wonderful. I love my siblings. Did you know that BYU came out with a study recently and they found that siblings have twice the impact that your parents have on you. I believe it.

15. I have the cutest nephew. I miss him.

16. The boys basketball team has started conditioning. That means the season starts soon. In fact, yesterday I put the entire season's schedule in my phone. First game November 23 at Northridge.

17. I want to be an officer so badly. Just sayin

18. I went to the state fair for the first time in my life. And I loved it.

19. I like my choir songs.

20. I keep reminiscing on the Maxwell side of my family's river rafting trip a month and a half ago. Look how cool my boat was! We were the River Rats named by gramps:)


We consisted of: our captain Gutless Willie(Jordan), Skip(Josh), Skipper(Johnny), Scarlet the Harlot(Me), Pompous Pepper(Kristi), First mate- Fearless Ferdinand(Buddy), and Motherless Mary(Heather) (From back to front)



Well this concludes a boring post..
love, mechale lauren

Fix You

If you love dancing... watch this. I'm slightly embarassed to say I cried.

Travis Wall is my favorite choreographer of all time. Wow.

mechale lauren

The Library of Congress

Today I watched the bonus features (my favorite part of any movie) of National Treasure 2: The Book of Secrets. By far my favorite feature was titled "Inside the Library of Congress." Now if you know me well, you might know that I have an extreme fascination with American History.. Mostly early colonial America and first half of the 20th century. So naturally my dream vacation right now would be to go back east to Washington D.C. One reason is to see my sister, her husband and my nephew in Maryland, but also to go explore our nations history. I want to go more than you even know.

Before watching the afore said bonus feature I really had no interest in going to the Library of Congress. But au contraire. That is the number one place on my go-see list. I have to go!

I know this probably doesn't make it sound that amazing but it is. This is from the Librarian of Congress(p.s. isn't that one of the coolest professional titles ever?!)

Welcome Message from the Librarian of Congress

The Library of Congress is the nation's oldest federal cultural institution and serves as the research arm of Congress. It is also the largest library in the world, with millions of books, recordings, photographs, maps and manuscripts in its collections.

The Library's mission is to make its resources available and useful to the Congress and the American people and to sustain and preserve a universal collection of knowledge and creativity for future generations. The Office of the Librarian is tasked to set policy and to direct and support programs and activities to accomplish the Library's mission.

As Librarian of Congress, I oversee the many thousands of dedicated staff who acquire, catalog, preserve, and make available library collections within our three buildings on Capitol Hill and over the Internet. I am pleased that you are visiting our Web site today, and I invite you to bookmark our URL and return to it often.

Sincerely,

James H. Billington, Librarian of Congress


I want to go.

Since I want to go so badly, I was on their website today. Granted it isn't the most exciting site ever, its very informative. I found this little gem called Today in History on their site, although it isn't the only Today in History on the internet I really like it. Did you know that today, September 7 in 1977 President Jimmy Carter and Omar Torrijos, Cheif of Government in Panama, signed the Panama Canal Treaty and Neutrality Treaty which signed control of the Panama canal to Panama? What a nice piece of history!

Okay so basically this post made me even more of a nerd than I already am. And sorry for this rambling of thoughts. It was really weird I know, but please don't judge me:) haha

mechale lauren

Impossible is Nothing

Since this is the new description to my blog I thought I'd just give you the rest of the quote.

"Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing." -John C. Maxwell

This is probably my favorite quote of all time. I think I might write and oratory for debate on it this year. Tight.

mechale lauren

Bedroom Intruder

So I know that you most likely won't watch this... But please- Do IT!! Its kinda way funny. First you have to watch this one and realize that this is real. Straight from the news. And it's hilarious. THEN.. This is the even better follow up video. Someone autotuned the original and its actually a song on itunes now and is so dang funny! But watch out, it gets stuck in your head. You can run and tell dat. homeboy. (you'll get that if you watch it..)

k well hyperlinks aren't working so number one- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-ih9kzrx04 and number two- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMtZfW2z9dw&feature=related

mechale lauren

school school school

If I were a normal teenager I would probably say about this subject, "Summer was wayyy too short (which I happen to agree with by the way) and I am not enjoying going back to school."

But alas. I happen to be an abnormal teenager and as such I have absolutely loved these first two days back! I've been on such a high. I'm excited to see friends I've missed and most of all (and suprisingly satisfying) I've been extremely excited to learn. I'm excited that both my AP American teacher Mr. Harris, and my AP Calculus BC teacher Mrs. Volk are both college professors. How cool is that? I also love that my new favorite teacher- at least for now- Mr. Harris is also my advisory teacher and our class is bomb! I love that my first period has about 20 kids in it, my second period has about 15 and my third period has about 120! Good ol' choir. Which by the way I have really missed. I've missed Larry, excuse me Mr. Smith, saying ridiculous things like, "may the blue bird of happiness rain poop on you." And as a bonus this year isn't just girls choir, we have boys in there too! I love my debate class. So much! Two of my very best friends Hannah and Natalie are both in there along with various extravagant people... Its going to be a pretty eventful class. I love that I knew all of about 10 people in my seminary period and therefore I will have ample opportunity to make new friends! I love that I have my favorite class, math, everyday. I'm really excited for my chemistry class. My lab group consists of Caddy, Adam, Chandler Meyer and me. We'll rock that class... as long as Adam doesn't injure us all! And my teacher is great! Mrs. Ludwig loves HP(Harry Potter). Score. And I love my English class. At first this was the class I was most nervous for because I didn't know anyone that was going to be in the class after asking most of my friends about it. Today I walked in and saw a great group of guys that I'll become better friends with I hope:) and oh Mrs Gardner... She has the most ridiculous sense of humor. I'm in love with that class already!

I'm so ready for this Junior year at Bountiful High. Bring on whatever curve balls you want to throw at me. Lets do this.

P.S. I learned a new word today- brouhaha: A noisy and overexcited critical response, display of interest, or trail of publicity. I like this word.. I'll use it in a real life sentence... Tomorrow. K?

P.P.S. I got a really short Jane Austen book at the library yesterday. Yes.

i like frozen charleston chews... actually frozen anything for that matter

i've been meaning to continue my weblog for quite some time and so i finally got on to blog.. and now i'm not in the mood. ah well, i'll blog later. i really do have lots on my mind to write about. did you know that i lovee life? well i do. cool cool. oh guess what. my best big sister ever and her wonderful husband and my cutest ever nephew just moved to maryland. as sad as i am, i'm extremely grateful for modern technology so we can still chat it up.. oh and now i have an excuse to go back east. score. i'm thinking about going to virginia for efy next year(i heard its one of the best places to go for efy btw) and spend some time in maryland/d.c. anyone want to come? well thats all for now.

mechale lauren

Do You Want Some More Food?

No thank you, I've had an elegant sufficiency of all the numerous delicacies. Any more would be a superfluity since my gastronomical sanity is admonishing me that I have arrived at a state of diagladiation consistent with dietetic integrity. In other words- no thank you I've had enough.

I was just reminded of this superb phrase my grandpa used to always say. I miss him. He was a swell guy. But anyways, this is a great phrase and if you learn to say it in a british accent with all the right fluctuations you can sound right brilliant. I'll demonstrate to you sometime if you'd like:)

summerrr.

***Much of this post is BORING! so I reccommend skipping to June 15 and read through the 19th, but do what you will***

I realize that it has been quite some time since I last blogged so I decided to give you a little update of my life/summer so far. So here it goes!

June 3- Yearbook signing! Gotta love that. And after I went to the blvd(not boulevard.. its blvd.) with basically the whole sophomore class:) yeah buddy.

June 4- Technically this was the last day of school... but no one goes so FIRST DAY OF SUMMER!! Yes. So in the morning I went to the M Bla Open. A tennis tournament that no I didn't play in, but I went for moral support haha.. but it was way fun! good times, good times

June 5- a saturday... umm i think i must have had fun.. was that the night we swam at Ali's? Idk.. its all a blur, but if indeed that was the night, it was mighty fun! Just a bunch of friends, a hot tub, a pool:) and frozen yogurt. can life get any better? I submit that it cannot!

June 6- Sunday. Slept until 10, ate breakfast, got ready went to church. came home, ate dinner, wanted to go to the blvd on a walk but the fam wasn't really up to it:( oh well, it was a great day anyways!

June 7- I probably weeded... probably laid out... probably read a book...

June 8- probably weeded... went to mutual:) it was purty funnn.. we had a bbq. I made incredible peanut butter bars.. just sayin:)

June 9- Fun day. I went to my flute lesson then went straight to provo, ate lunch at zupas with mi madre! If you have never been to Zupas you probably should. They have insanely good paninis, superb salad, scrumptious soups and to top it off, complimentary chocolate covered strawberries:) delish. Then I went to my sister's appartment to spend the night there. We ate food, cried while laughing at my sister's yearbook, watched cinderella man, loved my nephew and got some sleep. It was eventful.

June 10- my cousin Jessica picked me up from Erin's and we went shopping, and watched leap year (i loovveeeee that movie!) and we ate tons of chocolate.. oh well!

June 11- I went home to b-town:) I don't remember what I did that night... must have been wayyy fun... okay wait! just kidding I totally do. A bunch of people went to Bri's. We watched Made of Honor... and... yeah.

June 12- I think I weeded... but that night we had a surprise party for miss Madison Noelle Blake. Maddie has been one of my best friends since she moved back to bountiful from Australia in first grade. But now she's moving onto bigger and better things in the beautiful state of Cali-for-ni-a. I'll miss you maddie moo but its alright because I'll see you soon and we have cell phones and such:) love you! and that was a funn night!

June 13- I played the flute in sacrament meeting. A definite success:) I loved every second of it! Again I wanted to go on a walk but it never happened.. anyone that ever wants to go on a sunday walk let me know because I always want to but no one ever will.. I'm a loser. haha!

June 14- I went shopping for ever. I hated it. I honestly don't like shopping all that much.. I'd much rather have someone shop for me so I can have all the spoils:) haha

June 15- I went shopping and out to eat at Applebees with my dear Grandma! She's soo darling! She picked out some sandals for me that are pretty sweet.. Go Grandma! And the definite highlight of the day was between 7:30 and 10:00. So my mom told me that I should probably get a little more ready than I was because I was going to have a visitor... mystery. So the doorbell rang and my mom told me to go get it. I opened it and Adam Alvey was standing outside... I was SOO confused and he pulled a beautiful yellow rose from behind his back and shouted HAPPY BIRTHDAY! and then Caddy came out from around the corner with a present:) I was soo surprised!! and instantly I caught on, I was to get 16 visits with 16 roses for my 16th birthday:) I love my parents! I tried to upload all the pictures but its not working so well so I'll put them up in a day or two. But after Caddy and Adam, Tommy came, then Dain, then TJ, then Dan, then Luke, then my cute brother Johnny with Matt, Jordan Bell and Monson, then Brandon, then Jordan Beattie, then Brock, then Auzzy, then my neighbor Tanner, then Brit:) Thanks boys! and Caddy:)


June 16- TREK!!!! We met at the church at 9. I met my Ma and Pa- Butch and Ranelle Johnson. I LOVE them! and my family was incredible! Ben Belnap, Davis Newman, Jarom Sule, Josh Harris, Brailyn Strain, Rachel Rhodes, Erin Sims, Rachel Olson and Bailee Sidwell. Forever Family:) We treked 6 miles in the rain and hail and wind and freezing temperatures.. funn stuff. and then slept in tents. great... but actually it was! Oh and happy 21st big brother Jordan! I love you!

June 17- My official birthday:) 16. finally! On trek. I thought it wouldn't be too fun, but turns out to be one of the best birthdays I've ever had! To my complete surprise, my cute mom sent 16 fake roses with 16 boys to give to me on my birthday on trek! So I ended up with a total of 32 roses! 16 fake and 16 real:) so fun! So on trek that day we walked 7.5 miles and later that night had a hoedown! What a praty! so much fun!

June 18- I love trek! we walked 6 more miles and had the women's pull. It was incredible. It was hard, but oh so worth it. It was one of the most uplifting experiences I've ever had. I won't blog about the whole thing but you can ask me sometime for the deets if you so desire. Testimony meeting that night was bomb. I love love my trek family! and we wasted at the games!

June 19- Only 2 miles:) and hallelujah I got to shower!!! really, so great:) Later I went to Costa Vida with a bunch of girlies:) It was Maddies last day:(( we later went to Jeff's for a fire and movie on the projector! funnn!! Andd it was the first night that my curfew was officially 11!! woo! but I stayed out until 11:45, thanks parental units:) I really am going to miss Madison. She is one of the absolute most incredible people I've ever been lucky enough to know. She is so kind and really looks out for people. She is also hilarious! I'm so sad she's gone from Bountiful, but really, its okay because I can visit her in Cali and I'll still stay in touch:) I love you Maddie Moo!

June 20- Fathers Day/Grandma Maxwell's birthday:) I went to church.. my family left me at church... and then when I got home we went out to my Grandma's for a family dinner! I love my family and my grandma and aunts are super good at food:) yum!

June 21- I weeded and Erin, Robby and Max came up for a visit and ended up sleeping over! My little nephew is the most wonderful little boy ever! He's soo chubby and has soo much hair! Ahh!

June 22- Chris headed to Seattle from the MTC and we got to talk to him on the phone:) He is going to be one incredible missionary! Max turns 1 month! what a stinkin cutie! Jordan comes home in 10 days! AHH! and to top it off we went to see Toy Story 3 as a family. I HIGHLY reccommend this movie! It was so funny. And I'm pretty sure my family were the only ones really laughing.... oh well, we just caught all the humor! haha.

June 23- today. Its been fun:)

Well that's been my june so far! haha, good times, good times.

uhhh idk, i hate choosing titles!

I'm sorry, this is all that I have been blogging about lately but its kinda all I've thought about. In sunday school on Sunday this quote was read from the manual. Here it is with my interjections added.
Elder Boyd K. Packer said:

“Shortly after I was called as a General Authority, I went to Elder Harold B. Lee for counsel. He listened very carefully to my problem and suggested that I see President David O. McKay. President McKay counseled me as to the direction I should go[I've recieved counsel to what I need to do]. I was very willing to be obedient but saw no way possible for me to do as he counseled me to do[exactly. How can I do this?!?! That is exactly what has been running through my mind].

“I returned to Elder Lee and told him that I saw no way to move in the direction I was counseled to go[mmhmm]. He said, ‘The trouble with you is you want to see the end from the beginning.’ I replied that I would like to see at least a step or two ahead[well yeah.. I'm soo apprehensive as to what will happen next!]. Then came the lesson of a lifetime: ‘You must learn to walk to the edge of the light, and then a few steps into the darkness; then the light will appear and show the way before you’ [which is just the lesson I need to learn]” (“The Edge of the Light,” BYU Today, Mar. 1991, 22–23).

Thanks Brother {he who shall not be named} for reading that to us. I was like "what?! thats exactly what I'm doing!" Oh and I think you're going to do an incredible job at teaching us. I know you're scared to embark on this journey, but seriously, after that first lesson I'm looking foward to every other week when you get to teach us. It's okay that you've only recently reactivated, I think you're great!

In other news- my nephew was born saturday night just before midnight. yes sir, he's a definite keeper:)

Gratitude

So much relief. Its definitely not over yet, but today has made me feel so much better about my decision. I know that my Heavenly Father is guiding me to just take a leap of faith and let Him point me in the right direction. Its definitely one of the hardest things I've ever done, but now I know that I need to.

I was talking to a friend about it today and she made me feel so much better about it. I know that it'll all be okay even if it'll be hard, and I know that it will be. And people like her will be there for me. She just completely reassured me, as she's gone through a similar situation, that I won't regret it and it really will be better in the long run. But then, I keep having these worries and doubts that it really won't be better, and just then, as these qualms creeped into my mind, a different friend had read my blog and asked me about it and honestly cared, and then my cousin said she had a feeling that she should text me and see how I was doing- right then. Heavenly Father really is looking out for me. And then I read comments from the last post I wrote and it has just made me feel so much more at peace about everything. There really are people out there that care about me and believe in me and know that I can be strong and get through this. So thanks to all of you. Really.

mechale lauren

When life gets you down you know what you gotta do?...

...just keep swimming.

**Disclaimer: Much of this post won't make sense... It's more of my ramblings than anything.**

I'm done.

I don't know why, but I'm just so frustrated lately. Actually I do know why. My grades are seriously no bueno right now and school's out in about 2 1/2 weeks and I don't know if some of my grades can get up. And on top of that I have a huge decision to make. What is that decision? Oh you know, just one that I'm keeping out of the cyber world at the moment:)

I've been so stressed out about it this week. I feel like I sortof know what I'm supposed to do, but I just don't know for sure. Its too hard. Yes, I've prayed about it and done my best to find answers in the scriptures, New Era, Conference talks, old EFY manuals, you name it, but nothing is clicking yet. How do you make a change in your life that affects every aspect of it in a huge way? I've made a pros and cons list too and it doesn't seem to help. I just don't know. I wonder if there's a way that I can change the situation without taking drastic measures because those drastic measures are the ones I'm wary about. I don't want to lose this part of my life, but in return I'd gain something more valuable, I think. Nothing about it is clear at the moment. Ugh. I have no clue what to do.

for a rainy day

i just happened upon this lovely ditty
as well as this one-

both sung by Tanya Davis and art by Andrea Dorfman

hmm yep, they're fun. i like.

score. he is we definitely emailed me back. they're so cool haha. and they said they def want to come back because they had so much fun in good ol' utah. and they said, and i quote "because u had to miss [the concert], we will hang with you a bunch next time" yes. haha. isn't it fun to be a groupie when the band is still generally not known?! i do believe it is. much more personal that way

i'm stoked.

obsession

please listen here.

listen to lovey love, all about us, happily ever after, radio, breathe, better than the rain, light away and any and all others por favor.

if you aren't immediately in love... well. thats not good. but thats a joke because i'll accept you even if you don't love the exact same music as me:) but you'll love it. don't even worry.

so he is we is comprised of rachel and trevor.. like 19 years old. they decided to make music together and he is we is the result. incredible.

so last night they came to concert in murray, utah and guess who couldn't be there? yep, thats right, me. I was driving home from oregon for my grandma's funeral. I think i died a million deaths..okay thats a bit extreme, but i sorely wanted to be there. for real. a bunch of my friendlies went and told me all about it:) mostly miss maddie moo, i love you! haha, rhyme. but really, they had such an amazing time! i'm so glad they were all able to go so i could hear about it! apparently they all became like buddy buddy with rachel and trevor like got numbers and stuff! are they lucky or what!? and now he is we wants to come back, so we're hoping it all works out:) i emailed them like a month ago to come to utah and when they do i couldn't go! but i emailed them again today so they'll be back, i'm sure of it! haha, how cool would it be if they replied?! hmm. lets all wish upon a star that they do. i'll keep ya posted;)

oh he is we. she is incredible at vocals and he is amazing at the guitar. and the best part about them is- and this is from my friends- but they are such cool people! like way chill and fun to be around. i want to meet them so badly! gah. i'll get my chance one of these days. until then i'll just be the best fan eever

mechale lauren

p.s. if you want free downloads for 12 of their songs that are completely legal because they put the songs up themselves to spread the word go here

Airplanes

Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars? I could really use a wish right now.
-"Airplanes" B.o.B ft.Hayley Williams

I like this song. yeah.

Well I originally planned for this to be a long post because I have a lot to say I just don't know how to say it so this is all you're gonna get.

maybe I'll post more later.

mechale lauren

p.s. jane I hope that you just said "wait what? thats really it? what?" with wimpy bunny ears raised:)

Oh Brother

So I have this brother. Jordan is his name. He is one of the most incredible people in this world. Let me just say that. He is currently serving an LDS mission in the Brazil Maceio Mission, and I miss him like crazy! still. Its been over a year and a half, but I still miss him. Good thing we have email, and the fact that he gets home on July 22nd!

I've been thinking a lot about him lately for some reason that I really don't know. But I love him. He's such a cool person. He is insanely kind and caring and he honestly cares for everyone. He always knows just what to tell me when I'm having a problem. This one time I was just telling him about my life and how I was sick of guys haha, and he told me, "just remember boys are for kissing, just not a lot" Haha, oh how I love that boy. I was expecting him to be on some mission high and tell me that I need to be careful because I'm only 15 or something but instead he told me to kiss guys... don't worry, I'm still VL haha, but he's just great like that.

I also admire how goal oriented he is. He recently told me that he set a goal to memorize all 100 scripture mastery in the 25 weeks before the end of his mission, and I have NO doubt that he will do it. He also made a goal to write everyone who writes him by the end of his mission, but he just finished through december haha.. he'll get it done.

I love Jordan's spirit, and yes I know this is typical missionary, but still, I love it. I love how in every email he sends me, no matter how frivolous the subject, he always finds a way to bring it back to the Gospel. Just in the little while he's been gone, he has already taught me so much about the Gospel and how to be a better person. I love him for that!

Well Elder Maxwell, only 96 more days:)
I love you

mechale lauren

You Have Beautiful Eyes

Name that movie! I've said this I don't know how many times today.

So this spring break has been... good. Haha. mostly. My parents and brother and sister all headed up to Oregon to visit family while my brother Johnny and I are home alone! Ah. I love it... Except for the fact that Johnny refuses to drive me anywhere or pick me up anywhere or anyythingggg. so I've been stuck home. Literally. I've only left to go running and to do my sister's paper route. funnn... haha oh well! It's all good because my favorite cousin Jessica came up wednesday and left last night:) yay! love her to death. for real.

So in my bajillion hours spent home I have perfected 2.5 songs on the piano, 4 songs on the guitar, and my 2 flute federation pieces. I feel good about that bit of productivity.

Speaking of productivity I just have to mention what I did allll day Tuesday. I washed all my clothes, even if they've been washed since the last time I wore them. Yes, I'm sure you think that's a waste of detergent and water, and you're probably right, but it just felt good:) Then I completely organized all of my clothes drawers and my closet and put clothes that I no longer wear in a bag destined for D.I. Now my room is clean. My mother will be proud when she sees haha!

Sorry for that utterly boring post of this-is-what-i've-been-doing. heh. sorry.

Have a great day:)
mechale lauren

P.S. It's Ice Age. Ya know, the post title, it comes from Ice Age. Just in case you were wondering

Oh Life

So last night was a blast! Let me tell you what I did.

I was in biology and Hannah got a phone call and we weren't really doing anything so naturally she answered it. It was her papanwa. So I hear her say "really? let me ask. Hey Mechale, what are you doing tonight?" me:"nothing why?" Hannah:"Just a second let me talk to your dad." (who happens to be our teacher) She comes back a few minutes later to inform me that we are going on a daddy daughter date tonight to the Jazz game! Oh life! How fun are we?! So the four of us went to the game. It was so fun! The Jazz killedddd. 128-104. And it really was just such a fun night with one of my best friends and our dads. Presh.. haha.

By the way, lately I love this song. and this one. Oh yeah and mostly this one.

You want to know something? I love life! I've just asolutely love everything about it:)

Oh hey, so I'm starting this new project, well kind of just restarting it. So my very first year at girls camp we made these little journals about 4 x 2 1/2 inches. These journals were for us to write all of the things we are grateful for. I only got about 5 pages in and then I stopped writing in it. So I happened upon it yesterday so I decided that I'm going to take it up again. And its just the perfect size so I can always have it with me so that when I find something I'm grateful for I can record it! I'm so excited about this new little project!

La Di Doo Do Da

heh- shelbs you get my title:)

So. Quite frankly, I don't know why I'm blogging... I should probably do my homework that's due tomorrow.. but I don't want to, so I'll just find time to do it at school tomorrow. Yeah, thats the best option. Blogging is mucho more fun. It's quickly eating up the time I waste on Facebook. But I'm more than okay with that, I deem blogging a much more productive waste of time. Basically its journaling which is more than fine in my book!

So I've read 136 pages. Of what you might ask? Of Fablehaven: Keys to the Demon Prison of course! AHH! Man Alive(<= one of my favorite of my grandma's phrases. I decided I'm going to let them crop up periodically)! It's quite the nail bitter already! I can't wait to get back to reading it... in approximately 33 more minutes. My little sister pagina(okay fine, her name is Paige, but I call her Pagina, pronounced paheenah, it means page in spanish. So basically I'm calling my sister a page of a book. Oh hilarity.. k fine, not even funny. What's with me today?! weird mood) and I bought the book together so I got to read it from 4-6, she gets 6-8, I get 8-10.. or whenever I stop reading. It's a great little system.

So. I love blogging, most ardently. (replace "blogging" with "you" and say it in a british accent, you have a quote from Pride and Prejudice kiera knightly version... just a fun fact) Its so great! I love being able just to sit down and type, and get my feelings out there, however dumb and boring they may seem. And I also love how many people are my age are blogging these days! I just keep hearing about people who have just gotten a blog and I get so excited!... am I a creeper? I don't think so, I just love hearing about the lives of my friends and stuff. It's great!

So I end this post.
It was for you janey, you wanted one today that was "longer than like two lines, 'I got a haircut. yay.'" so here ya go:)

mechale lauren

snipetty snip

I got my hair cut today. good thing! It's been in serious need. So now my hair loves me again! YAY!

mechale lauren

Fable-freakin-haven!!

Oh its coming.. it most definitely is!

March 23, 2010 Fablehaven 5: Keys to the Demon Prison comes out, the last installment of the series! I don't even think you understand my excitement. I just pre-ordered it from Walmart.. yeah its that important.

For all of you that don't know, Fablehaven is only the best series ever written. Its up there with HP(harry potter) and if you know me, that's a pretty big deal! Fablehaven is written by Brandon Mull, a mormon author from like Provo or something. But really, if you haven't read this series let me know you can borrow my copies of the books;) I don't know anyone that has read it that hasn't absolutely loved it! Even my science teacher last year was obsessed.. for real.

Basically its about these two kids, Kendra and Seth, who go spend part of a summer at their grandparents house. Soon they find out that it is a magical preserve for mythical creatures like satyrs, niads, fairies, golems, giants, demons, centaurs, astrids, phantoms, imps you get the picture... then there's TONS of crazy ridiculous things that happen and there are so many twists in the story its soo good!! GAH! so I don't want to give anything away, but I will say- its incredible! Really. I know it sounds soo stupid.. thats what I thought at first but just give it a chance.. you will not regret it!

Oh and did I mention they're making the series into a movie. Well they are. And Avi Arad, the producer of Iron Man and Spiderman bought the rights to it. It'll be so good.







don't those just look ammmazzinnnggg! because yeah, they are

check ya
mechale lauren

Can It Get Better Than This?

I submit that it cannot.

Thank you maddie moo.

I'm in love. absolutely.

kevin hammond- sing to me.

:mechale lauren

Really?

So I love pictures.

Let me just throw that out there. So two summers ago I saved all my money so I could buy myself a camera. and i succeeded! but then the most tragic thing happened. Let me recount the event.

So I was up in Oregon, headed to the beach:) oh love. So I told everyone in the car that my camera was in the pocket behind the drivers seat. But then my little sister needed somewhere to put her capri sun, so she put it in there and I said "oh no you don't" but she promised she'd keep her eye on it so it wouldn't spill on my camera. So I trusted her. As we arrived at the beach I took out my camera and guess what. It was completely covered in a sticky, sugary fruit juice.. UGH!!! really? So I proceeded to clean it off and by some miracle it still functioned perfectly. Praises. So we head down this quaint little trail to the beach and I have my camera and a boogie board in one hand and a million other things in my other hand. Finally the ocean is in view! oh beaut. And there was the most beautiful picture opportunity so I nimbly took my camera and took some stunning pictures. After that I put my camera away and I got ready to continue down the final sand dune when suddenly someone ripped the boogie board out of my hand and sent my precious camera tumbling to the sand. power still on and everything. Pause: bear in mind that it is still sticky from the capri sun accident. Resume: oh dear. My poor poor camera was then covered in sand so I blew it off gently but the damage had been done. There is sand all inside my camera. It works just great, except for the fact that the lens won't focus or open very well:( tragic I know.

So I have yet to fix it, but I plan on taking a look at it tomorrow so I'll let you know how it goes.

Now the reason I brought this whole thing up is because I'm feeling a lack of pictures on my blog. I'm quite depressed over it... But no fear! I'm getting on the problem:) I feel bad, I have a camera, yet I have completely failed to capture my sophomore year through photos. ugh.. oh well.

oh fyi, my fixing-the-camera-plan-by-blowing-the-sand-out failed.

I'm A Fan

of closing my eyes. laying on my bed. blasting a song over and over and over. and thinking. I think so much better when I'm listening to music, I don't know what it is. At the moment I keep listining to Be Here by Parachute. Quite frankly, I don't even know what it's about but I love it. Every once in a while I find these gems of songs. I just listen over and over. It helps me think. I don't even really know what I'm thinking about.

Maybe I'm being grateful for my realtively easy life.
Maybe I'm thinking about my friend and the hard time she's having at the moment.
Maybe I'm wondering how I can be a better person.
Maybe I'm acting.
Maybe I'm asking why its just not working out.
Maybe I'm wanting to go for it.
Maybe I'm worrying about getting hurt again.
Maybe I'm trying to be more compassionate and judge less.
Maybe I'm feeling jealous
Maybe I'm hoping it won't end.
Maybe I'm wishing things won't change.
Maybe I'm believing in things that won't happen.

I don't know. But I do know that music helps me sort out this brain of mine traveling a million miles per hour.

Its late, I should go sleep.
I just needed to spell it all out in words.
Thanks for listening.

mechalelauren

look a likes

So yesterday I was told that I look like both of these girls. Brittany Holmes, "Darla" from Little Rascals, and Selena Gomez. K so thats first time I've heard Darla, but its weird, I've been told that I look like Selena Gomez multiple times. Probably the weirdest time was when my grandma was like "Mechale, you look a lot like that Selena girl on Disney Channel." "Uhh... thanks grandma" How does my grandma know who Selena Gomez is?!?! That was a weird moment. But seriously? I don't even see it. huh. I guess I really should take it as a compliment, so thanks everybody who thinks I look like Selena Gomez:) Haha..

Two posts in one day? This is a new record for me! But since I'm on the computer waiting for some cds to import might as well not facebook stalk and blog:) much more constructive. Much more.

So today as I was sitting in math at 9:57:50 a.m. I started vibrating. I had received a text message! Who was it from you might ask. It was from Gomez.. a.k.a. Chris my brother Maxwell. And this is what it said:

Make sure you come home for lunch i'm opening my call

AHH!!! WHAT?!?!?! It came. Today it came. My brother's mission call came. So I arrived home for lunch anxiously wondering where my brother would serve the next two years of his life. His envelope was half opened as he toyed with it alllll morning. So finally he began reading

Dear Elder Maxwell

You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Washington Seattle mission.

YAY!! oh soo happy! The northwest is incredibly gorgeous! He's going to have the best time.

My brother Chris is one of the best people I've ever known. He truly is incredible. He has such a strong will that takes him places. He is the best older brother I could ask for. We never were really that close when we were younger, but after he came back from Oregon in December I feel like I kinda have a connection with him. I absolutely love this boy! He is extremely kind and considerate and generous. He's amazing. He is so easy to talk to and even if he's annoyed, he'll listen and pretend he's intersested:) I'm so happy he gets to serve the Lord for two years. He'll be one incredible missionary. And I'm going to miss him. I'll miss his smiley face, his enthusiasm, everything. It's been so nice having him home full time for the past few months.

I love you Chris
Have the best two years of your life.. beginning June 2. The people of Seattle are so lucky to have you serving them.

mechale lauren

Did You See The Sky Today?

Talk about blue!

If you can name that movie you win.

But really, blue skies today!
I'm so ready for summer. yeah, I am.
Honestly, I know spring has just sprung, but on Monday my alarm's(yes, alarms, I have 3) were set for late start time from last friday so needless to say, they didn't wake me up at 6:30. So I'm just enjoying my sleep like a teenager should when I hear my dear father walk in the room and say "mechale, you coming to school today?" And I kid you not, I almost said, "uh hello.. its summer. There is no school."

Seriously this is NO BUENO! Cero divertido.

I'm so ready for summer its not even funny!
My skin is as white as the melting snow and is just itching for some rays of sun to attack it.
I have looked at swim suits like 17 magillion billion gaboollion times. In case you were wondering, that's A LOT! I just want to go swimming outside in 97.461 degree weather. Is that really to much to ask? I want to be at flaming gorge with my neighbors this weekend! I want to be on the Oregon Coast boogie boarding, and laying on the sand. (I realize that last statement is slightly contradictory to my whole heat position because the Oregon Coast is fuhriggeddd! but still...) I'm dying here! I recently decided that spring is my absolute least favorite season because I'm so ready for summer, therefore spring feels like an eternity. ugh. Oh and another reason is that everything is almost too happy and giddy. I'm sure you probably don't understand what I mean but think about it. Spring=springing, bouncing, finally-winter-is-over-so-lets-be-overly-rambunctious-and-crazy and summer=ahhhhhh,lets-just-relax-and-be-lazy-and-love-being-outside-where-its-hotttttt. I'm such a sun worshipper right now. I love it! I'm ready to get burnt and feel my skin get all tight. I'm ready to throw away every care in the world and just read a good book outside in the heat. Need I say anymore? The scorching summer sun is more than welcome right now!

okay, now let me hop off of my soap box.

So the BHS basketball team won their 2nd round state game last night!!! I was quite the stressed coaches daughter over in the student section, but those boys are incredibe and of course pulled it off:) So we play Mountain Crest manana at the Dee Events Center at Weber State. This is the best week of the whole year in my opinion. Fo sho. There's nothing like sitting in those purple plastic arena seats watching game after game witnessing all of the crazy happenings of high school state basketball tournaments.

Well I'll let you know how it turns out.. keep your fingers crossed for a win! and a loss by Provo.. yeah, that'd be grrreat!

Over and out

Feat #1- Complete

WE TOOK REGION!!!
Oh and by we, I mean the Bountiful Boys Basketball team. AHH! I don't think you will ever understand my joy. Ever.

So in case you were wondering, this team is made up of purely juniors and sophomores. They started pre-season with a record of 4-5.. thats not too impressive. But what do you expect from a team of juniors? So we began regular season. Game 1: against Highland. I'll be honest, I was slightly worried. But we won 44-42. A nail biter! And so we continued winning. And then came Friday, February 5th. We had to go play Woods Cross. At WX. Oh bother. That was such a stressful night. We were playing so well, but then we lost by one point. One point! Our perfect record (in region that is) was down the drain. But we were back on our feet for our next games against Stansbury, East, and Tooele. Don't even worry about it- they were all wins:) So by this time our record is 10-1. Olympus' record is 10-1. Tuesday night was a showdown between us and Olympus for the region title! They'd won 4 of the past 5 region titles. We'd won 4 of the last 5 region titles. So the game began. At the end of the first quarter we were down by 8-13. But did that stop us? NO! At the end of the half we had narrowed their lead to only two points. So the second half began and in the 4th quarter we were up by 11 points. I was completely blissed out up in the student section. But oh no, Olympus wasn't going to give it to us that easily. They made a huge comeback and came within 3 points with only a few seconds left. McKay LaSalle got fouled and made one free throw. That sealed the deal!! they couldn't do it. We became Region VI Champions!! 5 years in a row! And we were a team of juniors against a team of seniors! Sweet victory.

So we clinched the title. And now comes state. The BEST week of the entire year in my humble opinion:) For a JV team, I think we have a pretty decent shot, so we'll see where the boys can take us! This team is amazing. If you didn't already know, Natalie, Hannah, Caddy and Me have all kept the score and helped manage the JV and Sophomore teams. It's been so fun, I've loved every second of it! Honestly, these boys are so fun to watch and be around. They're just incredible. I love them to death and have complete faith in them this coming week. If you ask me, I think we'll do pretty great!

mechalelauren

Bliss

Today I had flute. Can I just tell you that I absolutely love it. You have no idea. I started taking flute when I was in 4th or 5th grade, my memory is a bit hazy I guess... Anyhoo, I quit in 7th grade because it wasn't even fun. I took from this lady who said that my half hour lessons would be free if I cleaned her house for an hour after, and back then I was willing to do anything to play the flute. So this is how my mondays went for a couple years. Go to school. Come home. Get my flute. Go to my lesson. Play stupid, annoying exercises and although I'm sure they were good for me, I got so bored after years of exercises and no solo pieces. So I quit. But then, in December, my young women's president asked me if I would accompany the young women singing God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen in Sacrament Meeting, so I said I'd try it and I'd let her know. So I practiced.. and it kinda sounded crappy, not super bad, but not as good as I wanted it to so I didn't play for them. But through this, I realized that I LOVE the flute and want to get back in lessons. My mom called around and got me into this AMAZING teacher who usually has waiting lists of basically a billion people, but miraculously I got in right away:) soo I've been taking for a month and its incredible. My teacher, Cindy Henderson, took flute from Toshio Takahashi. Now I'm positive that that name means nothing to you, but he developed the suzuki method for the flute! Mrs. Henderson was the first suzuki flute teacher in Utah, yeah she's that good. But honestly, I thought I was going to be terrible, but turns out I guess I'm actually pretty good. That made me more happy than you can believe. Today I picked out my federation pieces, and they're pretty hard and technical, but my teacher said I'll have no problem with it. Such good news, really.

There's something about playing the flute that excites me. I can't exactly pinpoint it. I don't know if its the fact that its an instrument that was new to me and one that no one in my family plays so it made me unique. Or maybe its the way that you have to sychronize every part of you to create a beautiful sound. It takes your tongue, throat, sinuses, fingers, lips, lungs, jaw, diaphram, proper anchoring of your legs, wrist posture, shoulder direction and much more to make a just single clear note.

I can't get enough of it.
It's truly a beautiful instrument.

he.is.we

My new almost* favorite band.
Name: {he is we}
I can't even express how much I enjoy this band.
Maybe you should check them out.
They play music that I can listen over and over to- and for the record I have.

*Parachute- you will forever and always be my favorite. Don't even worry about it;)