I love you last. . .

Me and Grandma and Grandpa Swenson on Christmas morning. (I don't have a pic of Grandma Pete nearby :( . . . )

For my moral foundations class, we are currently doing a report/analysis on an autobiography or biography. At the very last second, I chose to do my maternal grandfather's autobiography. While I was around 6 years old, my family was blessed with a book my grandfather had written about his life. A few years later, my grandmother followed suit. At the time, I thought it was neat, but didn't really care too much to pay that much attention to it. Now I don't think I own a more treasured book than that of my grandparent's autobiographies, (excepting the BOM of course!).

I lost grandpa when I was 9 and grandma when I was 13 or 14. One death was 2 days before my birthday and one was 2 days after. A few years after that my paternal grandma died, leaving me with no living grandparents. Every once and a while, I go through these moods where I just miss them like crazy. I haven't had them in my life for a long time now, and at this point in my life, I've never needed them more. My grandpa especially, for he was my first best friend. Every time I hit that low point of missing them so much that it physically hurts, I pull out their books. Each time I read them, I am awed at just how amazing and strong these people are. Every time I read their books, I feel close to them. It makes me truly grateful to have the Gospel in my life and the knowledge that I WILL be with them again. Sometimes that is the only knowledge that propels me forward in life. I know that my grandparents are still with me and I know that they are my guardian angels. I just hope to one day be as strong and amazing as they are.

I am truly grateful for these books and for the heritage that they contain. I am grateful that my children will be able to read these books and learn about their ancestry and the sacrifices that were made so that they could grow up in the Gospel. I know this sounds like a testimony- but I guess that is because it is. Family and heritage are SO IMPORTANT. It is a big part of who we are- our identities. The BOM works the same way.

I can't wait to see them again.

Caskett

Castle.

AHHHHHH! I'm going to punch a wall! I'm so freaking frustrated with this continued Castle-Beckett almost-get-together-but-things-go-sideways dance. Just get together already!!!!

Seriously, I've been watching this show religiously since it first aired and I think I'm borderline obsessed, but I don't care. Ever since it started I've loved the Caskett chemistry and ever since day one, I've wanted them to get together. I don't mean to sound like one of those crazy bloggers out there who are so emotionally involved with TV relationships, but I mean, come on. It only took 2 seasons of Friends for Ross and Rachel to get together. GAHHHHH! This last episode was sooooooo frustrating! Soooooo good but sooooo frustrating!!!

May the Odds Be Ever In Your Favor

I know EVERYONE will be blogging about this, but oh well.
So I was a lucky girl and got to see the Hunger Games opening night. Well, I got to see it a few hours before the opening night, just because I have an awesome sister who scored me tickets with her work.

The movie was pretty epic. I didn't really appreciate the camera work in the beginning, (I don't think it is necessary for the camera to be shaking like it's an action scene when she is simply walking to go hunting). It was also pretty disturbing to see kids brutally killing each other. But the book is disturbing, right? I haven't read the book in about two years, but from what I remember, the movie stayed pretty true to the book. I also didn't appreciate that they casted Liam Hemsworth to play Gale. I like Gale better in the books (up until the very end) and I was hoping that I would like Peeta better in the movie since it ends in his favor, but they had to cast Gale as a better looking guy. Sigh... what is a girl to do...?

Overall I really liked the movie. I thought it was really intense. I don't know if I would necessarily buy it since I'm not obsessed with the books like everyone else, but it was a good flick. I would definitely recommend it.

Lyrics

Isn't it interesting how many song lyrics we have memorized? Seriously, think about it. How many songs can you actually sing along to, word for word? My friends and I were coming back from seeing the Lorax tonight and the whole way back we were singing every song at the top of our lungs, word for word. For me, it's pathetic that I can have songs clear from the 80s up till now perfectly memorized, but I can barely remember things for tests. Tell me how that is fair?

By the way, this is the perfect weekend to see any other movie than the Hunger Games. NO ONE is seeing the other movies. So if you want a theater to youself, go this weekend to something other than the Hunger Games!

Chicken Run

This week was my mom's birthday so I came home for the weekend to celebrate with the family on St. Patrick's Day. When I got to the house Friday night, my sister-in-law told my nephew to show me a "surprise" out in the shed in the backyard. I was a little hesitant. I'll admit that my first thoughts was that there was some dead animal that they found or maybe there were some kittens nestled in a box of my old dance costumes. Boy, was I off. I opened the shed door only to find a huge box with 5 or so baby chicks chirping away. Much to my mother's dismay, my brother (who's family is currently living in my parents house) had decided to go ahead and buy some chicks from IFA. Why? Because he wants to have his own eggs of course! So now he's talking about building a chicken coop and shooting the chicks that might turn into roosters and the whole time I'm just thinking about Chicken Run and pies. Now I really want to watch that movie...

I need a "Pintervention"

I have always been a crafty person. I am left-handed after all :). But, ever since I've discovered Pinterest, my craft level has gone WAY up!
for Christmas, I made my mom a birthday calendar that looks like this:

I've made mason jar luminaries like this, only with black lace:

And my most recent proud accomplishment was this:

Which was inspired by:

Not to mention the many delicious recipes that I have found, including the Butterfinger Blondies that I just made last weekend:

They were sooo heavenly!

Pinterest is my most favorite form of media at the moment. Love it!

!!!Kony 2012!!!

I saw pins like this all over pinterest and videos about "Kony" all over my home feed. At first, I thought it was some underdog politician and since I hate pollitics and really don't understand them, I ignored the hits on my social net sites. Today, it was overloaded on facebook, and so I decided to take the 30 minutes to watch the video-whatever it was.

W.O.W.

Changed my life. I think I signed up for a newspaper last year that helped the invisible children, but I had no idea what that meant. I think this is an incredible movement and it is an awesome time for all of us to get involved. What an amazing way to use media!! Let's use it to catch the bad guys!!!! Woopwoop!

If you are ignorant of Kony like I was, take the time and watch the video: Kony 2012. Let's help save the invisible children!!!

Booooooks

This weekend, I took off to frigid Logan to spend a couple of days with my bestie Kels. Me and my friends are the type of people who can spend hours on end just talking. Talking or hanging out in a book store. :)

I think my dream job would be either a librarian or a sales associate at a bookstore. Bookstores = heaven. I've had to ban myself from them because I can easy justify spending all of my money on books. But, Kels had the brilliant idea to spend some time in the local Logan bookstore: The Book Table, a ghetto, back street book shop. It didn't have a great selection, but I didn't walk out empty handed.

I wanted Persuasion by Jane Austen, but there were no copies there. So, I resigned myself to Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and the Sword of Shanara by Terry Brooks. One a classic and the other a fantasy novel. My total bill: approximately $13. SCORE!

Bazinga

Project 2 of my sewing class is done!! WOOHOO!!! For this project, I chose to do a black pencil skirt that has a lace drape going down the left leg. I'll post pics once I get it back from my TA. Anyway, because of my busy schedule with work and . . . well . . . doing nothing, I wasn't able to hem my skirt until last night. Lucky for me: I'm a night person.

Anyway, I don't know how many of you out there sew, but hand hemming is a beast! It takes F-O-R-E-V-E-R. And when you're doing black thread on black fabric, it really hurts your eyes. So, I grabbed lamp and my laptop and spent the rest of the night on my bed, watching Big Bang Theory and hemming my fingers off.

If you haven't seen Big Bang Theory, add this show to your list because it is HI larious. When I first started watching it, I didn't think it was that funny, but like the office, I grew to love it too. Now I giggle hysterically like Troy (for those of you who know my family) all episode long.

Seriously, start watching.

Movie Night!

I looooove that walmart has a $5 bin for movies. Just the other day, I was chilling with my mom in the Park City Walmart and we decided to hit up the media center. We spent a good half hour plunging through the bin. At least the Walmart in Orem has them on a rack. But, despite the fact that it was a pain in the butt, I was able to find 4 awesome movies to make up for it.
1. Rush Hour/Rush Hour 2. Can't beat a Jackie Chan movie.
2. What Happens In Vegas. I collect chick flicks like there's not tomorrow.
3. Robots. Not a lot of people have seen it, but it's super cuuute! Plus it's got Ewan Mcgreggor's voice as the main character. Yummy!
4. Anastasia. LOVE this movie and have since I was a little girl. At The Beginning by Richard Marx and Donna Lewis will forever be a favorite love song of mine...

media that feeds the belly

I have to say, one of my favorite forms of media is my recipe book. Several years back when my grandma Swenson was still alive, my sister had the brilliant idea to compile a book of the favorite family recipes. We had this huge day where all of the girls in the family came to my grandma's house and put the book together. From what I remember, there were several rooms where the girls sat, putting all of the pages in pocket protectors to create one very large recipe book. Every woman in the family got one and I cherish mine so much.

The only problem is: I rarely cook anything. It's not that I'm a terrible cook, I just never have time. When I do have time, I'm usually too tired and end up making Ramen, a sandwich, or just not eating. Healthy, I know. But, the other night I was feeling adventurous, so I decided to make chicken enchiladas for the first time in my life. Soooo good! And, I'm still eating the leftovers. So, for all of you out there who are just like me and want an easy, fabulous tasting dinner, here's my family recipe:

What you need:
2 lbs of chicken or ground beef
16 oz can of sour cream
2 cans of cream of chicken soup
1 small can of chopped green chilli peppers
1 package of large flour tortillas
1 package of shredded mozzarella cheese
1 package of shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat to 350. Brown meat and mix together the sour cream, chicken soup, and green chillies (chilli juice included).
Spoon out mixture onto taco shell, add a spoonful of meat, then top with mozzarella and cheddar cheese. Roll up and place in pan, (I ended up with about 6 enchiladas). Spoon the rest of the mixture on top of the shells and sprinkle off with cheese, (the more cheese, the better!). Cook for either 20-30 minutes. I'll have to get back to ya'll on the time :)

S.A.D.

Happy belated Single Awareness Day to everyone! Man I just loath this time of year. I mean, I guess it's great if you have someone to spend the holiday with, but as for me and my single self, I will support the stereotypical bitter girl who hates on the commercialism of love that is expressed every February 14th. I do hope to one day be able to enjoy it as it is meant to be enjoyed, though.

This year, as it was to mark the 1 year anniversary of my ex-fiance coming home from his mission, I knew that I could not spend V-day night at home, alone, with nothing to do. If I did that, I would just wallow, and wallowing Shalese is an ugly Shalese. So instead, I spent the majority of the day at work and then spent the night with my awesome sister up in north Ogden. She invited me to come and hang out with her friends and go watch the Vow. I was all for that plan, especially since I've harbored a long-lasting obsession with Channing Tatum ever since Step Up.

My impression of the movie? It was pretty good I guess, but if you are going to watch it for a nice romantic pick-me-up, it won't ring your bell. The expression of love in this movie was profound (especially coming from Channing's character. I hope to have a husband as devoted as he was) but I did not walk out of that theater feeling lighter than air like a good Hugh Grant movie might have done. But, I did like it.

My love/hate relationship with social networks

So, I've decided that I really do not like facebook. I've been wanting to delete my account for some time, but I have several things stopping me. First: I have a new computer, so all of the photos from my old one only exist on FB. Second: I never ever get to see my cousins, so FB is the only way I ever connect with them. Third: I have a lot of old friends who I like to keep up with. Fourth: Facebook is my connection to the outside world and all of its news. If I deleted my account, I'd probably drop off the face of the Earth never to return again. But, I want to delete my account sooo bad!!!

Besides that, I've found other sites to use my time for procrastination. First: this blog. Plus I like to blog stalk other peoples' blogs. Second: Pinterest. Oh my gosh I am so addicted. And, one of these days I'm going to do every single craft and recipe I have pinned on there. It's on my bucket list now. Third: Goodreads. I just discovered that today. Bad, bad news for Shalese Mary Peterson. I am a book addict. Like, seriously, I forgo food, sleep, and shower to read. This site it not going to help my productivity in the outside world at all.

It really is ridiculous the amount of time I spend on the internet. Sometimes I love it and other times I just wish I wasn't that good at procrastination. If it were a major here, I'd be offered a full ride scholarship and graduate with honors.

Condition of Desperation

So, there is a new song I'm obsessed with. It's called Condition of Desperation by Randy Porter. It's featured in the Mormon version of Pride and Prejudice and it is awesome. In my sewing lab we are allowed to play music and one girl has this soundtrack on her ipod and this song has been on my mind ever since. The only think that bugs me about it is the scene during which this song plays. It's at the very end when Elizabeth kisses Darcy in the street and he's got blood all over his face. Seriously, I mean, it was a romantic moment and all, but I would NOT want to kiss a man with blood all over his face. Especially on his lips. Sorry, but I'm not a vampire. Ick!

Anyway. Listen to it, cuz it's a beautiful song. :)

Moulin Rouge!

I l.o.v.e. Moulin Rouge! It's definitely one of my favorite movies out there. I mean, take away the fact that it's about a prostitute, and you've got yourself a fantastic movie!!!

Okay, Ewan Mcgregor and his adorable good-looks aside, the music is FANTASTIC!! I mean, seriously! If you don't want to watch the movie, that's totally cool, but you've gotta listen to the music. It's really what makes the movie. They are just so powerful, (even though they are songs redone, how they are reworked and rewritten is just awesome).

Funny tidbit: During my last few years at Girl's Camp, me and my friend would sing Elephant Love Medley all. the. time. On the hike, during meals, whilst making s'mores, etc. None of the other girls had seen the movie, but by the end of the week, all of the girls could sing along with us. Probably not the best song we could have been singing for a spiritual retreat, but, as I said before: the music is fantastic.

P.S. I was really upset about the Lady Marmalade song when I found out what they were really saying. The song is so dang catchy, but so naughty when translated to English. Boo.

Parachute

Before this summer, I had never been to a concert. It really was no big deal to me since growing up I never really had a favorite band or artist that I just had to pay 30-100 to listen to music I already owned. But, this past summer, my good friend Kelsie decided to introduce me and my other friend Jamie to Parachute. I've been in love ever since.

It was a Goo-Goo Dolls concert in Park City and Parachute, along with Michelle Branch, was opening for them. Since all 3 of us were fairly new to the concert scene, we didn't think to pack blankets or extra jackets. We were also late to the concert AND the Goo-Goo Dolls, (while I like their music) were kind of big, fat jerks. But, overall it was a good experience (probably due to the fact that Parachute gave an impromptu after-concert show on the sidewalk and we were an arms length away from them).

(Me, Kelsie, and Jamie. My first concert!!)

A few months later, I found myself at another Parachute concert. This one was at a club in the ghetto of Salt Lake where Kelsie's car got a window smashed in (nothing stolen) and my car had been towed previously that day. But, again, overall it was a good experience. Mainly because their music is so good and they're actually decent, humble human beings while they were on stage.

(With the lead singer of Parachute. Not a big fan of me in this pic)

Not a lot of people know who Parachute is, however they are familiar with the song, She Is Love. But, the rest of their stuff is just as good too. It's clean, it's awesome, and you all should look them up. They are fabulous!

Marcia Lynn Mcclure

A few years back, one of my best friends introduced me to Marcia Lynn Mcclure. She gave me her favorite book entitled The Highwayman of Tanglewood and it was a pretty good book. I recommended it to my sister, who reads about a book a minute, and she then recommended it to my mom. Now we are all going through her books like there is no tomorrow, (I think she has like 40-ish novels/novellas).

Now, an important thing to note about me is that I love a good romance. I am my mother's daughter, after all (my mother got the majority of her kids' names from Harlequin romance novels). But, the important factor with Marcia Lynn Mcclure is that she is an LDS romance novelist. Her stuff is super clean and it's great!!

Okay, okay, so maybe these books aren't some amazing Pulitzer prize that will change humanity, but her books are fun and lighthearted. They always have a happy ending, and even when you're rolling your eyes with just how cheesy all romance novels can get, you can't help but giggle a little bit too. Her books always leave me with a happy feeling. They are what kept me sane through my summer engagement break-off fiasco of 2011. Though it may have created unrealistic expectations in me when it comes to looking for my E.C. :)

So, if your a girl like me who is a sucker for romance stories and need an easy read to keep you sane through the semester, I recommend her. My favorites are The Highwayman of Tanglewood, Shackles of Honor, A Crimson Frost, and The Visions of Ransom Lake. Her historical romances are the best.

Another Playlist

Since my mixpod does not seem to be working anymore, I thought I'd create a list of my all-time favorite songs. You can look them up on your own time.

Keep in mind, these are in no particular order.

The Get-Up-And-Dance playlist:
1. Footloose. Kenny Loggins style. You do not need to deviate from the original version people.
2. This Will Be by Natalie Cole. A classic.
3. Hot N Cold by Katy Perry. Will always remind me of Troy doing Just Dance. HI larious.
4. Jump Down the Line (Shake Senora) by Harry Belafonte. Beetlejuice. 'Nuff Said.
5. Club Can't Handle Me by Flo Rida. Great for those aerobic workouts. Trust me.
6. Dog Days Are Over by Florence + The Machine. Though it reminds me of a recent breakup, I still like it.
7. Take Over Control by Afrojack feat. Eva Simmons. Do the extended radio version. Just discovered it and I LOVE IT!
8. Fake ID by Big and Rich. Makes you wanna put on your boots and go country dancing :)
9. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. Now you can do the classic with this one, but I do like the Miley Cyrus version, too. I know. I have no shame.
10. Ain't Nothing Wrong With That by Robert Randolph and the Family Band. If you haven't heard it, LOOK IT UP!!!
11. Girlfriend by Avril Lavigne. The Lil Mama version is fun too.
12. You Can't Stop the Beat. Featured on Hairspray. If that doesn't get you to dance, then you don't have a soul.
13. Canned Heat by Jamiroquai. This is totally my theme song. P.s. it was featured on the movie Center Stage before Napoleon Dynamite and it was much better then too.
14. Brighter Than the Sun by Colbie Caillat. Love her.
15. Pump It by the Black-Eyed-Peas. *Sigh* brings me back to my freshman year on drill...
16. I Want You Back by the Jackson 5. Oh MJ...
17. More by Usher.
18. Do Your Thing by Basement Jaxx. It's a fun one.
19. Yeah 3X by Chris Brown. Good energizing song.
20. Jump, Jive, an' Wail by the Brian Setzer Orchestra. Loved it in high school and I still love it.

For happy, dance music, I'm all about the songs that make you feel happy. Go figure. Music has a way of influencing who we are. Especially our moods. Pick your music wisely.