Music & Video, Genius

We all (well most, maybe not my parents) have seen the music video for Ok Go's song Here It Goes Again. If not here you go so you know what we are talking about.


I mean how can you top that? They must feel a lot of pressure to live up to.

OK Go - This Too Shall Pass from OK Go on Vimeo.

(I guess they are no longer able to embed the video so if you want to see it you can go here.)

I don't know why but watching this video made me really happy...Maybe it was the grass sneak suits, or the band guy (the one in white) doing his little march in time with the xylophone. Or maybe because it reminded me of two (or maybe 4) other music videos I like.



Alright this isn't a music video, maybe I just wanted to watch it to see Thom dancing. But it does sound awesome with the marching band behind it.


Wait isn't there another video with a marching ban???


And maybe just one more


Maybe I shouldn't laugh when people tell me they were in marching band.

Out With The Old In With The New part 3

500 Days of Summer



This was not only my favorite movie of the year but one of my favorites in general. As soon as it was over I wanted to watch it again, it just had that movie magic.

Avatar



I knew this movie was going to be important and I tried to tell people, thankfully most listened and not only had their expectations met but exceeded.

New Moon



All I can say is man I love Chris Weitz.



In the past I have picked 5 movies but I can't decide what order the rest should go so here are just some other movies I liked this year they just didn't stand out like the first three.

Terminator Salvation



Christian Bale, Sam Worthington & Anton Yelchin, enough said.

Wolverine


Hugh Jackman, Ryan Reynolds, & Taylor Kitsch...no reason for words.

17 Again


I didn't understand the deal with Zac till I saw this.



Movies to see in 2010
Alice In Wonderland - March 5th



Iron Man 2 - May 7th



Salt



Interception

I heart my family

Look at the pose William did on entering Disneyland, all on his own.

Mimi showed how the Queen from Snow White opens the curtains and looks out at you. William & Gracie were obsessed with watching.
Here William & I are going on the Dumbo ride, Gracie & Russ were behind us.

We made my mom go on It's A Small world, look how happy she is watching Gracie.

Bryant got picked for Jedi Training and got to show off his training by fighting Darth Vader.

Eric, Mark, our Dad, Mimi & I went on Big Thunder together.

I told Eric I was not going to pull my hair back so it would get him...booyah!
Mark, Debbie, Russ, William, my Dad, Bryant, Mimi & I went on the Tower of Terror. I am pretty sure William thought he was going to die. So I am really sad I had my hands up and you can't see his face.

Screaming and no Mimi & I did not coordinate our rock signs, in fact I though Mimi was covering her face.

There are so many great things that happened on our trip, it really was a blast. I am so glad my parents did this for us, they are the best. I hope everyone had as much fun as I did!

Meet The Ocean

A young guy was walking his bike down the beach and when he saw the kids playing & laughing in the water he smiled. Debbie told me after he passed she wanted to say to him "it's their first time, first time playing in the ocean". It did feel like an momentous moment watching these kids I love experience the ocean for the fist time.

I made Jacksper smile

Alright I am just going to warn you right now this in essence is a Twilight post. I saw some friends were going to go see the band 100 Monkeys in concert here today. Jackson Rathbone aka Jasper Cullen is a member of the band, but since I am way to much of a music snob to go to a concert when I don't know or like the band I wasn't interested in attending. But I saw that they were doing a free show/signing at Zia records at 3 pm. And although I wanted to go and see Jackson smile in person I had to work. But Melissa's little sister Stephanie decided to go, even all by herself because she is that confident and cool. But sadly for Steph the band was TWO hours late & she had plans at four. But luckily for Melissa and I they were two hours late so we went down after work. Just in time to miss the band playing and get in at the end of the line for signings.
When we got up to the band the first guy who I was going to call mohawk but just looked up his name, Jared was waiting. I asked if they were ready for the show tonight, the confirmed they were always ready to rock. Jared then asked my name and I told him Connie, he asked how to spell it. I smiled and said C-o-n-n-i-e Jackson then said something about him not being able to spell. Then Jared said something about how he understands sign language so I spelled my name in sign language and Jared signed something to me and asked if I caught it. "Thank you?" I asked, he then told me he signed thank you & something else which I don't remember. I then told him that I knew how to sing Yellow Submarine as I signed it. Jackson's face lite up with a smile and he shook his head in approval and said yeah. Then Jared began to sign along with me as we sang "we all live in a yellow submarine". It was a cute little moment singing "Yellow Submarine" & signing with the boys. We continued down the line and realized I didn't really get any pictures so I went back in front to get some pictures and Melissa said we should have been recording so we could have got you guys singing Yellow Submarine. They then started signing "Yellow Submarine" so I could get a picture. Aren't they just so cute!

I am happy I got this picture of Jackson smiling and it has Melissa in it! We don't know what the other boy (Ben) was pointing at.
I am not sure what is going on in this picture but I love how interested he looks in what Melissa is saying. This is the first attempt to take the picture of them signing Yellow submarine
But they just held the pose for the second picture. They are cute boys huh.

I am only posting this video for Melissa & Stephanie...I was just trying to see which signature was Jackson's.

The Look of Joy

This year Mimi & Debbie told me at different times that their favorite Christmas song is Christmas Time by Smashing Pumpkins. I listened to the words more carefully, they were both right it is very fitting for how I felt about Christmas day.

My mom has decided to keep her mothers tradition of Christmas breakfast. We all met at my parents house at nine for a wonderful breakfast after everyone was done eating we were sitting around talking. I could not take it any more, I wanted to give my gifts. So I asked are we going to open gifts or what. My dad said they were just waiting for me to tell them it was time. It made me laugh, I guess I always have determined when it was time to open presents. Growing up on Christmas eve we (my siblings & cousins the Porters) would all sleep on the floor in our basement in sleeping bags. I would always wake up first and would try to wait as long as I could before waking everyone else, especially since my older brothers & cousins were not always happy about getting woken up. Well one year when I was still pretty young I came up with a plan I got in my sleeping bag head first started screaming that I was stuck, that woke everyone up. After one of my brothers pulled me out and made sure I was alright, they realized it was morning and that we could open presents. It was a genius plan, no one yelled at me for waking them up.

We watch the children playing Beside the Christmas tree The presents are wrapped up It's beautiful and secretly the gifts still hide The fun awaits for you inside

I remember dreaming Wishing hoping praying for this day Now i sit and watch them The little ones i love so excited by the wait And now the word is given It's time to peek inside It's time to let the toys out So anxious for your look of joy and delight Waiting for just your surprise

In case you didn't realize the words in blue were the lyrics to Christmas Time by Smashing Pumpkins. Here we (me and the kids) doing the Nativity. William was Joseph, Marie was Mary and I was the donkey. I heard Gracie start crying when Marie got on my back but I didn't think much about why.

Here is Gracie as a shepherd chasing after us crying because she wants to ride too.


Don't worry she was happy as soon as she got up on my back and performed the rest of the Nativity sitting on the donkey.

Bryant was a wise man and Conner was another Shepherd. I love this picture.



I love my family so very much, here is my dad dressed up as Santa, he dressed up for the special needs people my parents have spent the last year visiting every Sunday. It was so special to be able to see them love and serve those great people.

My mom asked if she always looks that short next to my dad.

So they didn't have Christmast Time for my little music player so here it is if you wanted to hear it.

Also I wanted to show off my new bookshelves!!! My sister told Mark about how I needed more bookshelves (after he asked something he could do for me). It is missing a couple shelves but don't worry I got an IOU with a card that is framed in the picture below. I am happy the two shelves are coming a little late otherwise I never would have got the awesome card. And I am not even going to explain the card here.

Also look at the beautiful Jane Austen books Debbie got me. Oh how I love them.

Creation

As anyone who reads this blog regularly knows I have a special love for the band Travis. In the booklet for their album The Invisible Band under special thanks it says, "And to you for getting this record. These songs belong to you now." They understand that when you create something that the reaction of that creation is going to be different for each person. Each of us have had different experiences in our lives to make us react differently to art.

When I was a senior in high school I took an art class, a painting class to be exact. Which I loved, of course I was never really good but it was something I enjoyed doing. After high school I continued to paint in my room and stick the paintings in my closet. One day while looking for hangers my mom found my paintings and looked at them. When I came home my mom told me she found my paintings and how much she loved one in particular. It was of a field of grass with a barbwire fence and a blue sky. Sometime later when we were remodeling my moms kitchen we were talking about colors and what she wanted to paint. She brought out my painting and said she wanted me to paint it on her wall. Although I was flattered that my mom had wanted me to do that I refused. It was scary to think about having to see people react to my painting. I think we argued about it for about a month and I don't really remember what persuaded me to change my mind probably a combination of my mother & sister.

Soon after I painted the mural in our dining room we had a bridal shower for my friend Lindsey. I was very uncomfortable as there were going to be a lot of people coming and I would have to watch all of their reactions to the painting. But I kept thinking about my mom and how happy it made her and my nephew Bryant who loved it. He would run along the wall and rub his hand along it like he was feeling the grass. That was enough for me to be happy that I painted it, but I still would always watch to see how others responded.

It is hard to create things and even harder to share those creations. But how glad I am for those who are brave enough to pour their hearts and soul into something and than share it.
In this video Fran Healy from Travis talks about how to write a song. He says "Good songs come from the space between thoughts....it should just come out of darkness and it is light" If you crack open Stephenie Meyer's book New Moon and turn to the acknowledgements you will see "Thank you to the talented musicians who inspire me, particularly the band Muse-there are emotions, scenes, and plot threads in this novel that were born form Muse songs...also...Travis... have been instrumental in staving off the writer's block." When I then think about the many people (particularly women) who have been inspired by Stephenie, it would seem to me that inspiration is like fire, it spreads. Alright when I wrote that I was not thinking about the scriptures in Matthew (chapter 5: 14 - 16) 14 Ye are the a light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your a light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
But it is kind of perfect and when you think about it as a candle it works the same if someone lights their candle (or receives inspiration from your creation) it does not take away your light it spreads & creates more light.
Last year a member of the Presidency of my church President Dieter F. Uchtdorf was addressing the women of the church at a conference for us. In his talk entitled Happiness, Your Heritage He talked about "The work of creation" and said...
Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty.
You may think you don’t have talents, but that is a false assumption, for we all have talents and gifts, every one of us. The bounds of creativity extend far beyond the limits of a canvas or a sheet of paper and do not require a brush, a pen, or the keys of a piano. Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before—colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter.
The more you trust and rely upon the Spirit, the greater your capacity to create. That is your opportunity in this life and your destiny in the life to come. Sisters, trust and rely on the Spirit. As you take the normal opportunities of your daily life and create something of beauty and helpfulness, you improve not only the world around you but also the world within you.
I believe truth is universal and those who seek truth can find it everywhere, a song, a poem, a book, a leader, a teacher or a friend. I wanted to thank all those who are brave enough to create and share their creations. You inspire me and make we want to be brave as well.