This looked fun

If money, time, and babysitting were no object, where would you go and with who?

I would want to travel all over the world, but not all at once. I'd like to visit Japan, the Polynesian Islands, France....many places.

When was the last time you cried?

Sometimes when I'm really tired at night, I might get annoyed at things that don't usually annoy me and I start crying a little bit.

5 things you were doing 10 years ago - 1998

Wow, that was a while ago.

1. Definitely going through puberty
2. Awkwardness that still continues
3. I got a horrible haircut that would haunt me for nine years
4. In November, my parents announced that we were going to move (I wasn't happy)
5. My Grandma Slack died a few days before my twelfth birthday

5 things you were doing 5 years ago - 2003

1. Finding out that my brothers would miss each other by a week going/coming from their missions
2. Going to Disneyland for the first time
3. Getting upset over really stupid things
4. Learning to drive
5. Getting sick three times in a school year

5 things you were doing 1 year ago - 2007

1. Getting rid of the frizzy hair I had for so long
2. Got into Pilates
3. Corresponding with three missionaries
4. Not liking the English major very much
5. Hung up on a stupid boy (not anymore)

7 of your favorite hobbies

1. Reading
2. Listening to music
3. Going to orchestra concerts
4. Eating!!!
5. Watching movies
6. Pilates
7. Hmm...crocheting?

5 favorite foods

1. sushi (don't get it very much though)
2. Mexican
3. Chinese
4. Mom's home cooking
5. chocolate

5 places you've been



1. Arizona for my grandfather's funeral
2. Toquerville, UT...where many Slacks are buried
3. Washington D.C.
4. Salt Lake City (duh!)
5. Los Angeles, CA (high school orchestra trip)

5 favorite memories

1. Living with amazing roommates last spring
2. Realizing that with the right haircut, my hair was beautiful
3. Getting a sister-in-law
4. Traveling with my cousins to Arizona to say good-bye to our grandpa
5. When I got to be present when my uncle became stake president in Dallas

5 people you wish you could meet/see again

1. My deceased grandparents--especially my Grandma Slack because I didn't get to know her before Alzheimer's took her away from us.
2. My great-Grandma Kimball...she was an amazing, strong woman and I can hardly believe I am descended from such a woman.
3. Aunt Maile (my-lee) Ann. She died, when I was nineteen, from stomach cancer--I never got to know her well because she lived in far away in Pittsburgh and had nine children. My parents think that I would have been good friends with her. But I am getting to know her kids better--the ones who live in Utah.
4. David Patten Kimball--my third great-grandfather. He was one of the three young men who carried members of the Martin-Willy Handcart Company across the icy Sweetwater River. Brigham Young said that David Kimball and the two other young men were guaranteed entrance into the Celestial Kingdom for such a selfless act. I can hardly believe I am numbered among his posterity.
5. My future husband, wherever he is. But I guess I'll just have to be patient :)

appalling

I found this link while reading an article about a couple who has been married for 83 years. Ironic.

Basically, it talks about how people cheating on their spouses is supposedly a "biological urge" and that we shouldn't condemn people who do act on these urges. And it talks about how it's natural to be attracted to others even if you are faithful to your spouse.

I know we can control things that are considered "natural". We can treat various illnesses with medicine. Depression and other mental disorders can also be treated in different ways. Are we as humans slaves to nature? No. We do a myriad of things everyday that could be considered "unnatural". Examples? Many of us wake up to the annoying sound of an alarm clock even when we haven't slept well the night before. We take showers when naturally, we get dirty. We brush our teeth because it is only natural for us to have bad breath. We comb our hair because it naturally gets messy. Do you see where I'm going with this?

However, I think this article could go under dating. I don't see anything wrong with dating a variety of people before settling on one. That is, as long as you aren't steadily dating several people at once. I think that's wrong. But the purpose of dating, in my opinion, is to eventually find someone you are not only attracted to but who is also compatible with you, not to mention someone you know you can be faithful to as well. If you are still romantically attracted to others even when you are steadily dating, then obviously you are not ready to get married.

I personally think these "urges" to cheat can and should be controlled. I don't see anything wrong with thinking someone else is attractive, but that's different from being attracted to them. Does that make sense?

Mother Nature is powerful, but she doesn't have to control us. We can control ourselves.

survey

10 Years ago I was:
-In the fifth grade and eleven years old. I don't really remember what I was doing at this time of year, though. Probably getting ready for the TAAS test and worrying about starting junior high the next fall!

What would you do if you had a Billion dollars:
-Pay tithing, tuition, and rent for starters. Maybe get a nicer apartment to live in. Travel the world. Help some people...the possibilities are endless. Well, almost.

What I love to eat:
sushi (I wish I could afford to eat it more often), shrimp, Life cereal with blueberries, chocolate mousse yogurt, popcorn, strawberries, dark chocolate...mmmm

3 of my bad habits:
1-Listen to music when I'm supposed to do homework
2-Procrastinate (I'm getting better)
3-My drawers get messy

5 places I've lived:
There's only 3 places!
1-Tokyo, Japan
2-Katy, TX (though we had a Houston address)
3-West University (a neighborhood in the metro Houston area)
4-Galleria area
5-Provo, UT

5 jobs I've had:
1-Baby-sitter
2-Assistant secretary
3-Cook's help
4-Editorial Intern
5-......

5 things to do today:
1-Homework
2-Call Mom
3-renew my contract with Glenwood
4-go to a baptism
5-call Anika

5 things people don't know about me:
-I want to be a writer
-I can do weird things with my mouth
-I have connections
-I do Pilates
-I've always been fascinated with Holocaust history...I don't know why.

I was wrong

No blind dates involved *whew*. It was just me, Rachel, and her fiance's sister. Our cousin Kersten plays violin with the Orchestra at Temple Square and she got us tickets. The performance was nice, but I thought they took "Air" by Bach just a bit too fast for my taste. But that would be Igor Gruppman's fault. I just think "Air" sounds better taken at a slower, smoother tempo...to give one a feeling of floating on a cloud, as corny as that sounds.

The rest of the program also featured Beethoven's Eighth Symphony and a piece by Rimsky-Korsukov (I know I spelled that wrong). I thought these were well done, but nothing spectacular. Don't get me wrong--I did enjoy it, but it wasn't the absolute best thing I've ever heard. I'm starting to turn into my dad; like me, my dad LOVES classical music and going to concerts, but he is not easily impressed. My music appreciation class must be having an effect on me, or there must be a genetic factor in this. Maybe both.

Last week, my cousin Anika gave birth to her third child: a little boy whom they have named Darren Smith Busby. He was born last Monday, but I did not receive news of his birth until this morning. There are pictures of him on Anika's blog, and he's adorable! But you must know that the Slacks produce and adopt the cutest offspring. I mean, look at me! *laughs*

I'm playing hooky from orchestra tonight. I get one free absence per semester, and since I haven't used my free absence so far and the semester is coming to a close, I've decided to use it for this occasion. My cousin Rachel has invited me to a concert at the Tabernacle tonight. I'm assuming that her fiance Brad is coming along too. However, I do smell a set-up. I could be wrong, but I'm somewhat suspicious. Well, I guess I shouldn't complain too much. Rachel's standards for my potential dates are probably higher than mine, and heaven knows I have high standards!

I need to post

So, does anyone actually read my posts? I'm just wondering :)

I hope my last entry didn't sound desperate or bitter--I'm neither. I'm content with how my life is going right now. The intent I had in writing that last entry was to give my response to tips I've received in how to have a more "productive" (for lack of a better word) dating life. But honestly, I think more BYU guys should ask girls out instead of the other way around.

Lately, I have wondered why there have been so many dating lectures from the General Authorities. I was discussing this with a friend of mine, and we both agree that feminism might have something to do with it. I have also noticed some parental pressure on young women to not get married "too young". LDS people tend to get married younger than the average population, but a lot of people think that 18 and 19 are the most common ages for LDS girls to get married. Not so. According to this article, the average age for both parties is about 22. That is according to a 2005 survey done. I was originally under the impression that an unmarried 21-year-old female BYU co-ed was considered an "old maid". I am relieved to learn that I am not an "old maid"! *laughs*

I have heard of parents who won't allow their daughters to get married before finishing their degree because we have all known the women who got married young and never finished college. But BYU has made it easier for married students to finish their degrees and work at the same time. Of course, little can be done for the student whose parents withdraw all financial support when the student marries. I have a brother who is married and still in school, but my parents do pay for his tuition and books. Everything else, he's on his own. And I don't see anything wrong with that.

Then there's feminism, the kind where women want to be superior to men and want to do everything by themselves and have control over everything. There's also the "why do I have to wait for a guy to ask me out? I'll ask him out!" I'm all for equality, but guys should do their share too :) And it seems that they aren't.

If any guys are reading this, please don't take offense. I'm merely expressing an opinion. If you want to disagree with me, then SHOW ME that you do disagree ;). Okay, I know that there are a lot of catty girls who turn down guys right and left. My brother is a good guy and keeps getting turned down when he tries to ask a girl out. And I do agree that girls in general are pretty mean these days--I can see why you'd get nervous. Again, I blame feminists and the media who promotes the aggressive female. I'll write about that in another entry.

Heh heh, I think I was going to write about something else :)

What else shall I discuss? Well, BYUSA elections were this week. And I actually voted, for the first time ever. I voted for Steele and Amanda, mostly because of their plan to have more internship and research fairs for every major. I think this is a great idea--finding information on internship and research opportunities is pretty hard and I'd like to see that improved.