Porn in Provo

Today when my sister and I were leaving her apartment we found pornography cards on the door step of each apartment in her complex!!! We were so disgusted and furious that someone would spread this material to the homes of newly-wed couples where they would have potential to create long lasting destructive habits. I have never seen this stuff in Utah, even in Salt Lake City, in fact the only places I have seen it is in Las Vegas and New York. I don't know what the motivation for placing the porn but I am appalled and shocked that someone would do that! Pornography is literally a threat on families and individuals that is right at our door, or even at our finger tips even here in "happy valley". Now that is what scares me more than anything this Halloween weekend!

Proposal concerning "the Proposal"

I watched the proposal for a girls night activity this weekend and thought it was pretty hilarious. I do however want to propose that a couple scenes be shortened or cut out. I luckily had a friend there who had seen it before to help me know when to "avert my eyes", but it was still pretty easy to know what was going on. I felt like the scenes were unnecessary or could have at least been shorter and still got the point across. We were talking about the naked scene on our way out of the theater after the movie got out and thinking how many film people saw the completely nude bodies of these two actors...how disturbing! I guess if you get paid enough money people will do almost anything. Anyway, the friend who edited it for me saw it on a first date a couple weeks ago and her date walked out because it was so awkward. what would you have done or at least felt you should do in that situation?

cool google stuff

so my hubby loves to find new uses for technology and especially computer programs. He has found some very uplifting and just plain awesome uses for some Google programs which I didn't even know were in existence. He is using one to keep in better contact with people while he is working at his office on a computer. Apparently they have a program that allows you to receive voice mail (transcribes automatically so you can read it like an email) and texts in email form. I got a mushy text from a random number and knew it had to be my husband and he just showed me all the neat things the program can do tonight, I was impressed! We have also been using a program for our scripture study and it is so much more organized and helpful than my random paper scripture journal entries. Check out what the Google genius' have created and you just might be surprised!

The "new" Emma Smith movie, aka-tear jerker!

With all the midterms this week, my hubby and I decided to have family night on Sunday instead of the typical Monday. We searched around our neighborhood and finally found the New Emma Smith movie for our activity. I am grateful that we have such high quality media that can convey the sorrows, sacrifices and strength of the early saints and especially the Smith family! I am such a girl, so I was of course bawling the whole time, but I really did feel the spirit while watching the film and it strengthened my testimony of eternal families and made me realize how much I take the gospel, temples and the Book of Mormon for granted. I love that we have so many uplifting, virtuous, lovely, praiseworthy media choices in these latter days which inspire us to keep going and remind us what is important in a world where there is so much confusion and selfishness! I recommend this movie to anyone who needs a good reminder of how blessed we are and what we should be focusing on (just make sure to hold a box of tissues when you watch it).

To facebook or not to facebook? that is the question!

I have been using facebook more than I should this week with midterms coming up and have been talking with others about their facebook use as well. I have found that most people either use it too much and feel they are wasting their time on it when they should be doing something else (displacement theory) or else they despise it and will not get a facebook page or don't ever get on. How do we find a happy medium, and what is a happy medium? Daily use, weekly use, hourly posting of everything you eat, see or think? I feel it has helped me to sort of calm down when I start feeling overwhelmed with school, but in the long run it almost makes it worse since it makes me more behind in everything. To facebook or not to facebook? that is the question!

I am such a girl (my fav book)

In high school English we read several books, and they all were depressing and dramatic accept one; Jane Austin’s “Pride and Prejudice”. It has since become my favorite novel with its ever cunning dialogue and sarcastic tone. It is romantic, ironic and intriguing! It makes me both want to be back where such events took place and at the same time so grateful to be where I am. I love the book so much that I cannot stand to watch the newer, shorter movie because it leaves so much out. The five hour version follows the script of the book quite nicely and I love watching it with my sisters and girl friends!

Rockin' out to Non-LDS Christian songs

Recently I have been listening to this Christian Rock radio station when ever I drive because I want to have good uplifting music in my head all day, but sometimes hymns get old and are not as energizing as an upbeat pop/rock song. Some of the songs aren't that amazing, but I really liked a few and ended up looking up the artists on "imeem" and pandora and now they are some of my favorites. I have told all my siblings about the station and I just want to pass the word on to any of you who need a fun radio station to listen to on those long rides to and from school in traffic. Its 90.5 FM I believe, so check it out and you just might find a great alternative to the over played LDS songs (which I still like but you gotta have variety). I think that I also enjoy listening to the station because it makes me feel connected to other Christians when our religion is often attacked by those who say we are not Christians, it gives me hope that there are good people in our nation still and that the earth will not be burned just yet!

what family does to our media choices and vice versa

I was just thinking about my little brother and how living in a family mostly comprised of women has affected his media preferences. He definitely loves the "manly" video games and movies, but he has been exposed to many "romantic", musical and typically more feminine films. He told my mom the other day that his favorite movies are "transformers" and "anne of green gables". My mom thought that was so precious lol. That is one example of how our family upbringing can effect our media preferences, but more importantly, I think that our media choices can dramatically effect our families for better or for worse! Having divorced parents and thus living in two different homes where the media standards were different made this quite evident to me. In my father's home more worldly and violent media was acceptable and there were far more fights (both physical and verbal) between siblings there than at my mother's house where the media rules were more strict and less worldly. I believe that this small difference in media choice made a big difference in the overall level of conflict and spirituality with in each home.