Art I love: A Growing List

*Michelangelo's "David"
*Jan van Eyck
*Leonardo da Vinci
*Jan Vermeer
*Marc Chagall
*Van Gogh
*Picasso
*Degas
*William-Adolphe Bouguereau's "The Young Shepherdess"
*Byzantine mosaics
*Giotto's "Lamentation"
*Monet
*Jackson Pollock
*Mark Rothko
*Ansel Adams
*Dorthea Lange
*Jacob Riis
*"Man Proposes, God Disposes" by Sir Edwin Landseer
*"The Babylonian Marriage Market" by Edwin Longsden Long
*Maggie Michael
*Greg Olsen
*Minerva Teichert
*Edward Hopper
*Dan Steinhilber
*Dr. Brainwash

And people expect me to pick a favorite artist? Goodness sakes.

Art and the Gospel

"God’s purpose for the artist is to inspire, to give us visions of ourselves that we might not otherwise see, to make us better than we would have been. The world is better for the arts and righteous artists in it. In the quest to achieve greatness in artistic pursuits—whether in painting, dance, music, drama, film, sculpture, or the written word—we should always seek first to achieve God’s purposes. 'All great art is the expression of man’s delight in God’s work, not his own,' said John Ruskin, the great nineteenth-century English art critic.

"We call upon all members, those in the arts and those seeking to appreciate the message of good art, to expand their vision of what can be done. If we are going to fill the world with goodness and truth, then we must be worthy to receive inspiration so we can bless the lives of our Heavenly Father’s children."

-M. Russell Ballard

I love my mother

I just got off the phone after an hour long phone call with my mom. I laughed really hard, I teared up a little, I felt the Spirit and was inspired to be a little better. Fortunately for me, this is a normal occurrence in my life. I am so blessed to be able to say that my mom is truly my best friend.

She knows all my secrets and inside jokes, my strengths and my weaknesses. She loves me without restraint and encourages me in all that I do. She recognizes the best in me and chooses to overlook my many flaws. She could have done anything with her life, yet she chose to stay home and make sure I was raised in a home that was full of love.

She is remarkably strong and never fails to stand up for what is right, even when it is not convenient. She has a burning testimony of the Savior Jesus Christ and the Book of Mormon. She deals with many trials, yet bears them with little complaint. She lifts up my knees when they hang down. Even though my problems are probably so insignificant compared to hers, she listens, cares, encourages, and advises. She is one of the hardest and most selfless workers I know. She is a woman of many talents, and yet she has the humility to recognize that they are only to be used in the service of the Lord.

My mother makes life magical. Being with her is a pleasure because she helps create adventures, hilarious moments, spiritual experiences, and a home full of love and peace.

She never wavers in her honor and respect for my father and the other priesthood leaders of the Church. She recognizes and embraces her special role as a woman. She has taught me to be obedient with exactness, to love without restraint, to find joy in the simple things of life.

I hope these feeble words can describe some measure the love and gratitude I have for this remarkable woman. I am so grateful to have her as my mother and my best friend. I could not get by even one day without her.

Proverbs 31:10

"Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies."

I can find a virtuous woman; she is my mother.

Thanks for everything, Mom. I love you.

Interpretive Dancing Pirates?

Today I ran across this fact: "Maps with x's to mark the spot are a creation of the movies, pirates would simply memorize where they left their treasure and communicate it to others through dance." Movies pirates are now lame compared to interpretive-dancing pirates. MLIA.

My life is average

I discovered the coolest website today, mylifeisaverage.com (also known as MLIA). Basically anyone can go on and post funny, random, happy things that happened to them during the day. Here are a few of my favorites:

Today, I felt something small and cold fall directly onto my head. I reached up and discovered that a penny had fallen into my hair. I was inside and no one was standing near me. I still have no idea how this happened, but I plan on keeping this Magic Penny forever. MLIA

Today, in my college physical science class, my professor said "this part of the lesson is really boring, so I am going to put on my mullet wig." He then proceeded to pull one of out his bag, place it on his bald head, and teach with a straight face. Never have I enjoyed physical science class so much. MLIA.

Today, a kid in my class told the teacher that his dog ate his homework. The teacher laughed, until the kid silently pulled out a clear ziplock bag with an obviously chewed piece of paper in it. We all applauded. MLIA

Today I was calling for my cat who was outside, her name is Pancake, after calling for a third time my neighbor shouts out his window, "I've got the syrup." He's 90 years old and now I remember why I've always thought he was cool.

Today, I watched Bear in the Big Blue House for the first time since I as 7. I'm 18 now and the first thing Bear said when he opened the door was 'My, how you've grown!'It made me feel good to know he remembers me. MLIA

Today, I gave my spanish 2 class an exam which consisted of pictures of household items and the question "What is this used for?", asking them to respond in Spanish. #3 was an armoire. I gave full credit to 75 students, including the 18 who said "to find Narnia" and the 2 who said "to hold boggarts" MLIA

And my favorite...

Today, I was sitting in my room and heard a little boy outside sneeze. I said bless you, and five seconds later, I heard a very hesitant...."God??." MLIA

This website gives me hope in humanity and helps me to appreciate the little things in my day. Enjoy!

Funny moments in Art History

Madonna (with a long neck), Parmigianino, 1540.

This painting is creepy on so many levels. First off, look at Mary's fingers! They are ridiculously long! And her neck is really long too (obviously, from the title of the piece). She must be trying to get a kink out of it or something. The Christ child looks more like a toddler, and this pose echoes the pieta, which is definitely not a happy subject. Then we notice some really weird things with the space. Why is it that, on the left side, there are room for 5 heads but only one body? Where are the rest of those bodies? And why don't they move to the right side of the painting where there is an incredibly deep view? But the right side is creepy as well. There is a tiny bald prophet way back there, which is really weird because all the depictions of prophets in these days showed them with hair! The only bald prophet I can think of is Dallin H. Oaks. And then there is the column - at the bottom there are about 10 bases, but at the top it looks like just one column. And what is it doing there, anyway? Isn't there a building it belongs to? This picture looks like the inspiration for Salvador Dali, if you ask me.

I hope you found that as funny as I did. Mark Magelby is a wonderful teacher and really makes this subject entertaining!

CES Fireside

Sister Elaine S. Dalton spoke at the CES fireside tonight, and it was incredibly moving. She spoke of the power of virtue and the need we have for a return to virtue in our world today. Sister Dalton proclaimed that the core of virtue is chastity and we can't be honest or have integrity without living a chaste life. I had never thought about that before, but it is so true. I can't think of any unchaste person who is honest and full of integrity! We are the ones to lead the world in its return to virtue - for if not us, then who will do so?

Sister Dalton also reminded us that "The temple is the reason we do everything in the church," and that we cannot get distracted from making it there! We must be virtuous in order to do this.

A wonderful choir performed this gorgeous song that I had never heard before. It's called "I Marvel at the Miracle" with lyrics by John V. Pearson. They are as moving as the lyrics. I have a link the full set, but here is my favorite part:

I pled with God to shed his grace
And take away my sin.
He did and, yet, I turned away
And stumbled once again.
At last I knelt before His throne
And offered Him my soul.
He wept, then gave it back to me
Renewed, and washed, and whole.

I wonder at the grace divine
And power to redeem;
That Christ alone could overcome
And change eternity.
My thanks cannot sufficient be.
My praise is incomplete.
For all I pay, my debt remains
For God's great gift to me.


How grateful I am to have living prophets and the Atonement of Christ in my life! I pray that I may find ways to use my tremendous blessings with my fellow brothers and sisters.

Betsy-Tacy

Which Betsy-Tacy character are you? Your Result: Tacy Kelly   Tacy, though bashful with people she doesn't know well, can be just as merry as Betsy and the others in the Crowd. Remember the Irish Colleen and the brogue accent? Tacy is a true friend who both sympathizes with and understands Betsy whether she is sad, happy, obsessed with a certain boy, etc. Although Tacy doesn't lose her heart easily, when she does it's for keeps (Harry Kerr!)
Julia Ray
Betsy Ray
Emily Webster
Irma Biscay
Tib Muller
Carney Sibley
Winona Root
Which Betsy-Tacy character are you? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Ways to Find Contentment

A friend shared this list with me, which I think is pretty wonderful.

Be still.
Know God.
Make your bed every day.
Pray. Pray always. This is the mastery of thoughts.
Be kind to everyone. Especially yourself.
Study and ponder the scriptures first thing in the morning.
Find ways to talk about and live what you study each day.
Respond quickly to promptings.
Say I love you as often as possible and really mean it.
Look people in the eyes when they're talking to you.
Treat the one you are with as if they are the most important person in the world. In that moment, they are!
Take a good long look in the mirror every day. Be sure to make eye contact with yourself. AND don't pass judgment.
Look for hints of greatness in yourself and others. Vocalize it.
Eat healthy.
Exercise daily.
Feel the sun shine on your face for at least 10 minutes a day.
Never give up chocolate. Ever!
Try to listen more than you talk.
Remember that someone always has it worse than you. Get over yourself.
Laugh every single day. The harder the better.
Read a conference talk or Ensign article every day.
Never hold back a positive comment, compliment or thought. BUILD! BUILD! BUILD!
Trust that life is divinely guided and is happening exactly as it should be.
Say thank you.

Any other ideas to add?

Back to School

"Don't you just love...fall? It makes me want to shop for back to school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address."

Well, it may still be summer in California, but school is up and running here in Provo. I am taking German 102, Doctrine and Covenants Part II, Art History 202 (Part II of the Western art overview), Art History 300 (the Theory and Historiography of Art History), and Clogging. It is fun! I have great teachers and very interesting subject matter, but lots of reading! That's good though; I will be nice and busy!

I am living with my summer 2008 roommate, Rachel, and our friend from that term, Cristina. They are great girls. I love them so much! They make me laugh, put up with my messes, drive me to the grocery store, and just love me. I am blessed to have them in my life.

I've had some disappointment this past week. Last Friday I auditioned for Women's Chorus, and didn't make it in (they said I didn't have enough experience). Wednesday night I auditioned for the Folk Dance Teams, got a callback, but didn't make it, also because of a lack of experience. I'll be honest; it's been tough. With two rejections so close to each other, I felt for a while like these events were reflective of my self worth. I used to think that I was pretty good at singing and dancing, but after this I felt like I wasn't really good at anything. I really wanted to go home.

Fortunately, I have good and parents roommates who took good care of me, and even better I have a Heavenly Father who takes really good care of me. That night I ran into Doctrine and Covenants, Section 24 verses 8-9

Be patient in afflictions, for thou shalt have many; but endure them, for, lo, I am with thee, even unto the end of thy days.
And in temporal labors thou shalt not have strength, for this is not thy calling. Attend to thy calling and thou shalt have wherewith to magnify thine office...

I don't think the Lord created me to be exceptionally good in "temporal things." Some people here have extraordinary gifts in music, dance, languages, academics, and all kinds of other things, but I don't. But the Lord has given me another calling...and that's ok with me. :]