for the love of people.

I love people. When people ask the questions what do you like to do- often times among my answer is the fact that I spend most of my free time with people. Over the weekend both my roommates were gone and I hated having a quiet house. I love hearing their life stories, their hopes and dreams, their fears, I love it all.

Today was a great day because of people. I owed a friend money because of a gift we went together on- which was a perfect excuse to stop by. We sat on the couch and just talked and caught up on life before I had to leave. As I walked outside there was a group of people gathered talking. 30 minutes later I was back on track to go home.

The night was filled with FHE. (more people). We had an egg drop competition because of the easter season. I remember doing it in High School physics. Where before my head was full of ideas this time I was I was blank. Our design was a little... mismatched to say the least. It was a fun FHE, which went long. Very long. I was meeting people to go swim laps at 8 45, and we didn't finish until 8 50. I would run back to my room and start getting ready when there was a quick break. Such a good mom. right?

Swimming was perfect. I just love it- unfortunately the pool closed on lap 30 of the 33 we were aiming for. It was the worstest- they blew the whistle and I just wanted to keep going. But i stopped. after all I dont like it when people come to the window after we are closed- so I figured I shouldn't keep swimming when they are "closed". It just means that tomorrow will be a very VERY early morning. We have decided to wake up and go right at 6 to finish out last laps. wish me luck.

so my musings about life and people. i have noticed in my life that I like myself the best, or am most myself, around those people I know like me. The people who get excited to see me. It is these people that I know aren't judging me based on what silly thing I say or do. There are those friends who make me wonder sometime- and it is around them that I feel like I am trying so hard for their approval. I try extra hard to make a funny joke, which then isn't funny. Or I try to make myself sound thoughtful, and it comes out all wrong. Why is that? Why do I need everyone to like me? Well folks- it is because I like people. But it makes me questions myself- how do I make people feel? do I make them feel loved? comfortable? at ease? do people feel like they must fight for my approval? I hope this is not the case. And I hope I can stop worrying about whether or not people like me so I can just be myself.

That's all for today.

let the odds be ever in your favor...

today felt like summer. it might be because I dont have classes on Thursday, or the fact that the rest of my day was spent playing.

the morning started off with tears as I drove Anne to the Provo Airport to go home before her mission. I had been to tired the night before to write her a note so I decided I would just tell her in person what I had wanted to write. BAD IDEA. I now know why I love notes so much, because I can keep my emotions in check and not be a blubbering fool. It was fun to take her to the Provo Airport- I had never been there before. Thank you frontier for now coming to Provo.

It was then off to work until 2- the day seemed to go faster than usual which I was very happy about. Then it was home to get stuff done before Fly Fishing.

yes thats right- fly fishing.

I was talking to a boy in my ward and mentioned that I had never caught a fish that I can remember- or really gone fishing for that matter. So he was a doll (ehh...action figure style) and took me. We had waders and all. I learned quickly that I am not the best fly fisher in the world. He was kind and patient with me as I tried and tried to get the cast just right. And shielded me as i almost hooked us- no worries I never succeeded in almost killing us. I was as giddy as could be walking around in the river staying as dry as could be.

i am sad to say we didn't catch a fish- but we did hook one. Jon said it was a big one- i was just freaking out and giggling because I didnt know what I was doing. Unfortunately, the fish was a smart one and got us hooked on the bottom and broke the line. Sneaky little bugger.

my huge boots. aka jon's boots i wore. i was clanking around like there was no tomorrow.

It was home for .5 seconds and off to eat Lamb (really beef) and Plum stew before the Hunger Games. We had tickets for the early premiere at 8:00 which was perfect considering I can't stay awake through a Midnight showing if my life depended on it.

The movie was extremely well done. It followed the book for the most part and the casting was perfect. As we got in the car to go home we analyzed the movie- which might be my favorite. It was a hard movie to watch. You read the books and know that the premise is people killing each other, but to see it depicted is different. It is a movie I am glad I saw, and thought was amazing, but Im not sure if I would say "hey guys, lets watch the hunger games this weekend." While it showed many inhumane moments- it also showed a lot of amazing things about humanity. Like when Katniss volunteers as tribute to save her sister. Or when Rue dies, and later the boy from District 11 saves Katniss' life. How Katniss risked her life to save Peeta. The list goes on and on.

So my question about character, integrity, and the hunger games- is it okay to kill someone if you are protecting yourself and you have to? 

the night ended with a brief scare that my laptop was stolen- luckily a friend had it to work on editing our video for our wards academy awards night tomorrow, and the rest of the night was spent editing some more. I am proud to say it is done- it might not be good but it is done. A link will come shortly to watch the amazingness...

positive versus negative duty

day two.

Today is positive and negative duties. have you ever thought about the word duty. for some reason i think it is an extremely funny word. yes, im five.

so what are positive and negative duties you ask?

a positive duty is when you act to preserve life. a negative duty is when you refuse to act to preserve life.

examples to think about (i might be stealing some of these from my SFL 480 class):

1. you are a doctor in the outback (Australian style). 5 hikers come in to your clinic. All five are suffering from hikinonia (a made up disease caught while hiking). You only have four CCs of sleepicillin (a drug that will cure them). One hiker is suffering a severe case, the guess is he is the one who caught it first and infected the others. He requires four CCs to survive. However, the other four only need one. do you save the one or the four?

2. you are a sheriff (much like in the game bang- which I played on Saturday...and sunday and loved it). you are holding a prisoner who is awaiting his pending trial, where he will most likely be sentenced to death. A mob comes to the jail and tells you that they hate him and want to kill him. All you have to do is take a longer lunch break. If you don't they will kill four civilians. What do you do?

3. You are a doctor and you have four patience all needing different organs (liver, heart, kidney, and lung). A man comes in who is a perfect match for all four organs. He tells you he would like to donate them. He is in good health, and is not likely to die any time soon. Do you take his organs, killing him and saving the four?

why is the answer different from one and three? well folks its because of duty. in scenario one you are deciding between positive and positive duty. In that case utilitarianism comes into play (doing the greatest good for the greatest number of people). But in scenario three you are choosing between positive and negative duty. Side note: negative duty almost always trumps positive duty.

personal application.

yesterday I was driving to my integrity and personal character class. I was coming up to a stop light on campus that is used to allow people to cross the street. The light was green, but I had been slowing down trying to figure out where I was going. As I slowed, people started inching their way into the road- and then crossing. Perplex faces looked both ways as the light was still green. I had been shag-hied. I had a funny non-verbal with a guy on the side of the road. he looked at me- and then at the people in front of my car with a quizzical look. I shrugged my shoulders and told him to cross. The light turned yellow, and then red, as I waited for the pedestrians to cross.

now how does this situation have to do with positive duty. well I was honoring my positive duty when I stopped my car so I wouldn't hit a pedestrian. I then was honoring my negative duty as I refused to go even though the light was green because there were people in front of me.

make any sense?

random tidbits of the day.

happy pi(e) day. I hope it was enjoyable and filled with pie. Some friends in my ward threw a pie party- which was quite delicious.

i went running again today. im starting to love it again. today it was a run to Matt and Keri's from my apartment. I decided to run sans music and loved just being out there me and the road. I found back roads, and kept myself entertained by trying to figure out the best route. The sun was shining- there was a slight breeze. it was perfect. what was not perfect was the fact that my sweat was burning my face because of my extremely dry skin. luckily, keri is a doll and gave me some extra strength lotion. fingers crossed it will help. she was also a doll and drove me to class after my 6.5 mile run. she is the bestest.

after class a friend who is an RA at Heleman Halls took me to the Cannon Center. Best thing ever. I relived my freshman days as I grabbed my tray and looked out the options. However, nothing looked appetizing. It might have been the fact I had just run and grease sounded disgusting- but the endless buffet was wasted on me. better luck next time.

knowing people pays off. yesterday I got a text from a friend saying they had two free tickets to see xanadu at the hale center theater. I couldn't say no. So Cecily and I jumped in the car and went and chuckled our way through the show. It wasn't what I was expecting- very glittery and flamboyant- but it was full of life and energy. Brittany (a girl in my ward, and marrying Jason) was amazing. I was proud to know her. The show was only and hour and a half with no intermission which was perfect because it meant we could get back for the pie party. It was so fun to go to a show again. It reminded me of being in London going to a show every other night.

random tidbits of life.

On saturday we had a clothes swap. aka bring clothes you dont want any more and other people can take them. it was grand. I followed that with a test- and then an afternoon playing with ethan. The little guy is adorable- and super shy around strangers. My roommates bribed him with gummy bears and army men and he opened up in no time. we topped it off playing at the park with cooper and joy. i could have played at that park forever. the night ended with a very funny, very awkward, blind date. oh the joys of dating.

*pictures to come*

sunday was a perfect day. literally. church was wonderful, and we had sunday school outside. The weather was gorgeous. No complaints. A group of us played ticket to ride after church. we had two games going- i played with cooper and winston. probably the funniest boys I know- trash talk was exchanged. And i am proud to say I did not let the hall family name down, and won.

on monday we had FHE down in payson. we went and visited an old couple who had just gotten home from their mission. It was both of their second marriages (due to death and divorce) and they were absolutely adorable. They had only been married six years but if you did know you would have guessed 30. They were so in love, and acted just like teenagers. I loved listening to their stories and could have stayed all night.

sorry for the novel. but you made it through.

Living the Life of a Seven-Year-Old

I have a wonderful life.I might be a little biased but its true.

Tonight for Family Home Evening we had a childhood theme. It started with "Welcooome to Faaaamillyyy Hooome Evening" which always brings significant joy to my heart. Then Alison took us away with amazing lesson on President Uctdorf's talk from the Relief Society Broadcast. She recounted the analogy of looking for the golden ticket in life. There are times we are so preoccupied with the things we want that we forget what we have. We are so looking forward to getting married, or graduating college, that we wish our life away. Like in Willy Wonka, they stopped enjoying the chocolate because they were so focused on the golden ticket.

We then finger painted. So fun. Except I never know what to draw or paint. So i went with the typical tulip that covers the corners of all my notes as I doodle in class.

What made the night go from good to great were the treats! The girls in charge went way above and beyond the call of duty. They brought dirt cups, tatter tots, chicken nuggets, gushers, fruit roll ups, and fruit snacks.

Our FHE group is so wonderful, and everyone is so fun. We stood around and talked for a bit before people started to realize they had homework waiting for them. Even though responsibility still called, it was nice to escape adulthood even if just for a few hours.

too much goodness

So I have been avoiding blogging because there are too many good things to blog about. I just get overwhelmed. But the longer I wait, the more fun  and exciting things happen, the less I want to blog. It's a downward spiral- I swear. So im sucking it up, and just jumping in head first. So here is the brief update of my wonderful life. In bullet-point form.

Friday.

*I LOVE Hobby Lobby. and looking at fabric. I made these flag type things to hang in our loft that were hanging on the Southbank when we were in London. It was so fun to look at all the different fabrics and try to choose ones that would match, or look good together. I swear the lady who cut the fabric hated me because I had so many different fabrics to cut, and only wanted a small amount. dear worker at Hobby Lobby, Im sorry.

* Dinner at Panda with Megan, Giselle, Jessica, and their roommate Lauren. Delicious. Made my stomach hurt the rest of the night. devil.

*Most perfect BYU football game ever. Why...let me list the reasons

1. front row seats. there is something more exciting about standing against a railing than up on the bleachers.
2. a high five from Cosmo
3. we were on the fan cam
4. I made friends with a police officer who had a mustache. We talked about if BYU would come back after the half. He was the nicest.
5. Got a high five from one of the marines who shoot the cannon. and then later talked with him and I might get to shoot the cannon at a game. fingers crossed.
6. saw Jimmer. lots. at one point he was only 5 feet away.
7. made a new friend. turns out he is in my ward. we didnt make the connection until Sunday when i saw him at ward prayer. weird.
8. oh yes and we WON!

  I am excited for this weeks game to say the least. side note: there are times where I get really quiet and awkward. the first half was one of those times. I was sitting with "friends" from freshman year. the quotation marks are because two years changes a lot. I was sitting there realizing that no one knew me. That no one really cared about my life. Instead of acting- like i should have done- i reacted and shut down. silly ellie. i was talking to phil (the new friend) on sunday and he was telling me how i should never be quiet again because the second half was more fun. mental note to self. dont be dumb.

* after gameness at Megan's. Aka I fell asleep watching the movie. shocking.

Saturday.

*woke up at 8 15. picked up Megan at 8 45. drove up the canyon. arrived at soldier hollow. RAN THE DIRTY DASH. took a freezing shower. drove home.

side story. the dirty dash ended up being a crazy ordeal. in the fact that people who were planning on doing it had things come up. then the people they found to take their spot ended up not being able to do it. friday night i was terrified that no one could do it and i would be alone. Megan, the amazing friend she is, and who is not a runner at all, agreed to do it with me. It was great. We climbed under walls, through tunnels, over pipes, through trenches, and sloshed our way through the reservoir. I loved every moment of it. I have voted that our family is doing it next year. 

*took the best shower of my life.

*put away laundry, and worked on making the flags. 

*Sister date with Keri- PERFECTION. half a cafe rio salad later we were off to the Marriott to watch the RS General Broadcast. It was a wonderful broadcast. and Uchtdorf's talk on Forget-Me-Nots was absolutely perfect. I absolutely adore Keri, so it was fun to have a night with her.

*Saturday night was full of parties. It started at Stacee's where I met up with Eric and Tanner, then on to Kesley's (we stopped by the LAX party on the way) and after Kelsey's we headed over to the avocottage for an open mic night and stayed there for the rest of the night. It was wonderful.

Sunday.

* I woke up at 7 45. note i had nothing until 10 30. silly body. instead of rolling over and going back to bed, i got up. craziness- i know. it ended up being wonderful. i was able to get so much done that morning- including finishing the flags.

*had a delicious pancake breakfast thanks to anne. and met abby. who is the sweetest girl ever.

*church. wonderful per usual.


*looked at an outside of a house with matt and keri. it had charm galore. it was built in 1900 and was recently redone. their were balconies, three stories, and looked perfect. (we went back yesterday, and walked through. not so perfect. hopes dashed.)


*birthday party for a girl in a ward, Jari. Side story. Ellie is a CREEPER. yes, thats right folks. she had worked EFY in Virginia and I knew all the Virginia people via facebook because of Morgan. I felt like I knew all their life stories and they had NO clue who I was. 




Monday.


* work was grand.


* class was grand.


*cardio cinema. love. me + the italian job + the eliptical = best workout ever.


* ward FHE. story number one. walk up. brother dewsnup sees me and says "i was watching you on Sunday when we stood up to sing. you are really short" ah devil. later they needed someone to say the closing prayer. i raised my hand. he called on me. "super short girl" yes. he doesnt know my name. but at least he knows im vertically challenged.


*played ultimate frisbee. im not the best.  i have a run around technique that makes me look like i am trying but really do nothing. i like to roar when i guard people. and i scored twice. it was grand. and made new friends. 


*i hate studying. i successfully got very little done by blog stalking people. dear blogger you are ruining my life. correction. dear child psychology you are ruining my life. dear blogger you make my life better.




Tuesday.


*no megan at work today. i cried.


*worked out with the free personal trainer. moral of the story. im out of shape. moral of the story. i am changing that.


*night classes. not a fan anymore. i was so antsy. thank you angry birds for distracting me.


*walked through the house with M&K and we were all bummed at the fact it wasnt perfect.


*was supposed to study but didnt get home until eleven. sometimes i make bad decisions. bad ellie, bad.


*went to bed. funny story of my life. recently i havent been able to fall asleep. it is the most annoying thing ever. last night i was frustrated so i switched the direction i slept in my bed. aka put my feet where my head normally goes. i feel asleep right away. weird.


THE END of my crazy, yet wonderful life.


*Pictures to come