Tag Archives: BYU

Filed under film, John Mayer, LDS/Mormon, literature, Natasha Bedingfield, physical hotness, Uncategorized

Tagged as America, BYU, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Christina Aguilera, Claudio Costa, Facebook, guitar, Hunter Hayes, LDS/Mormon, line of propriety, literary conference, myth vs. experience, Napoleon Dynamite, Natasha Bedingfield, Stephen Crane, text-to-self connection, The Red Badge of Courage, The Yellow Wallpaper, violence, Whitney, wordplay

October 8, 2013 · 4:40 pm

Perpetual Education Fund

1) Learn more here about the amazingness known as the “Perpetual Education Fund.”

2) I have met a handful men and women who have benefited from the PEF, and it is obvious that their lives have been super blessed because of it!

3) I like the band “Fun” a lot. Here’s one of my favorite songs by them:

When you’re lost and alone, and you’re sinking like a stone….

CARRY ON!

Closing Thoughts:

The Latter-day Saint Perpetual Education Fund has done (and continues to do!) amazing things for men and women around the world who otherwise wouldn’t have the chance to receive an education and better their economic opportunities. It is truly a philanthropic flagship, and I am grateful to pay a portion of my offerings to it every now and then.

PERPETUAL EDUCATION FUND RULES!

🙂

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as BYU, charity, economy, education, Ernest Wilkinson, Fiji, Fun., Gordon B. Hinckley, LDS/Mormon, money, Natasha Bedingfield, Perpetual Education Fund, philanthropy, poverty, wordplay

October 7, 2013 · 6:50 pm

Democracy is veeeeeery rare…

as throughout the vast majority of history there has been a vicious cycle between anarchy and dictatorship.

Line of propriety.

Myth vs. experience.

The Constitution is AMAZINGLY AWESOME!

America is not perfect (duh!), but if I ever hear ANY of you insult this country as a whole, you will expose yourself to the wrath of a woman who is very passionate, very logical, and (probably) knows WAAAAAAY more than you do on the subject.

Just sayin’

I pledge allegiance to this flag. And if that bothers you, then

THAT’S TOO BAD!

No it ain’t the only place on earth, but it’s the only place that I prefer.

And I am not a nationalist (not prideful like I think Toby Keith is sometimes), but I do love my country A LOT.

More to come on these ideas.

Much more.

*Thanks American Heritage for your inspiration!

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as Aaron Tippets, America, anarchy, BYU, Constitution, country music, democracy, dictatorship, Frank Sinatra, government, LDS/Mormon, line of propriety, Lord of the Flies, LOST, myth vs. experience, Nazi, temple, Toby Keith, William Golding

October 3, 2013 · 5:00 am

Come out Virginia, don’t let me wait…

You MORMON girls start much too late!

~Billy Joel

🙂

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as Billy Joel, BYU, Catholic, LDS/Mormon, myth vs. experience, Tori, Virginia

September 22, 2013 · 5:43 am

Main Objective

I have a lot of goals and purposes for my blog (read here about it’s many part-time jobs). I have a vision for it. A dream, even. And yet I still can say in two simple words what my main objective is:

What the heck does that even mean?

So, yes friends. That is what I’m striving to do. Hope it’s working at least somewhat. And I think it is, to be honest 🙂 As I have said before, my blog is (partially) a gift to you! And as I have also said before, if it’s not doing it for ya, then there’s a ton of other websites you could be browsing right now….

sure [does] stimulate my brain

~Shania Twain

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as alliteration, aviators, brain, Brigham Young University, BYU, dream, gift, honesty, neurology, professional, Shania Twain, sunglasses, vision, website

September 20, 2013 · 9:05 pm

Sometimes girls as sweet as sugar and spice

gotta live in a gangsta’s paradise…

And don’t we make it look so COOLIO!

🙂

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as Boggle, BYU, Coolio, costume, gangster, hat, Melissa, myth vs. experience, paradise, rhyme, song lyric, sugar, Whitney

September 17, 2013 · 3:39 pm

“No Promises”

is a phrase that I have found to be quite useful as I navigate this journey of life. I am certainly not suggesting that we avoid making any promises, but only that we make sure we don’t get people’s hopes up when we cannot back up our commitments with 100% surety (myth vs. experience). Additionally, we needn’t “run faster than [we] have strength” (Mosiah 4:27) in trying to keep promises we perhaps should not have made in the first place. Now, don’t be calling me lazy! As I have said before, I desire to serve others, get out of my comfort zone, and work hard. Still though, I cannot do it all. Neither can you. Neither can any one person (and that’s okay, ya’ll!) So we must decide what kinds of things are worth the word “promise” (or at least the level of commitment that it implies). But when we do make those promises, let’s make them count!

line of propriety, line of propriety, line of propriety, line of propriety,

“I never make a promise I don’t intend to keep.”

~John Michael Montgomery

READERS:

1) What promises have you made (or will make) that are important to keep (family, covenants, relationships, employment, etc.)?

2) What are some aspects of your life about which you should probably not make promises?

And now, one final question:

Is this blog the best thing in the world?

🙂

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as Book of Mormon, BYU, country music, covenants, economy, employment, family, hope, John Michael Montgomery, LDS/Mormon, line of propriety, milk, missionary work, money, Mosiah, myth vs. experience, promise, relationships, running, single/dating/marriage, song lyric, temple, text-to-self connection

September 12, 2013 · 11:05 am

What’s your opinion?

“You’ve GOT to stand for something, or you’ll fall for anything.”

~Aaron Tippets (country musician btw)

“I don’t need a microphone to say what I’ve been thinking.

My heart is like a loud speaker that’s always on 11.”

~Natasha Bedingfield

“Don’t let your mind be SO open that everything falls out!”

“You got opinions, man. We’re all entitled to ’em. BUT I NEVER ASKED!”

~Sara Bareilles

O BE WISE! WHAT CAN I SAY MORE?

~Jacob 6:5

“Belief is a beautiful armor. But it makes for the heaviest sword.

It’s like punching underwater. You never can hit who you’re trying for.”

~John Mayer

“I still don’t know what I stand for. What do I stand for?”

~Fun

“You got your same big loud opinions, but nobody’s listening!”

~Taylor Swift

This post might be borderline offensive with the juxtaposition of some of the people pictured. Once again, I hope to spark discussion and thought without ever making my own OPINION explicitly and fully clear.

intentional ambiguity!

thunderbolt of blasphemy

Ann Coulter is someone who Katherine believes gives conservativism a VERY bad name (for the most part).

“One can have a strong intelligent opinion and even be persuasive

WITHOUT being overly opinionated or pushy.”

~Katherine Anne

LINE OF FREAKIN’ PROPRIETY!

Also, I believe very strongly that the teachings found within the structure and gospel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

can and will bring us lasting happiness. Thus, I greatly value missionary work.

But I value religious freedom just as much.

Blink and you might miss that there are TWO pictures

of Natasha Bedingfield on this post.

Also, John Mayer is brilliant and has forever changed my life,

but he will be the first to tell you that he has at times had a very stupid mouth (read more about it here).

And Katherine would like to remind you that EVERY. SINGLE. PART. of this post serves a purpose (I don’t believe in fluff, remember?).

Also, I try hard not to toot my own horn too much, but go on and count the number of allusions/references I made in this post………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

HOW MANY DIDJA FIND?

🙂

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Tagged as Aaron Tippets, american flag, Ann Coulter, Book of Mormon, Bruce R. McConkie, BYU, conservativism, Constitution, country music, Fun., Ghandi, Gordon B. Hinckley, heart, India, intentional ambiguity, Jacob, Jane Austen, juxtaposition, Kenny Chesney, LDS/Mormon, line of propriety, missionary work, Mitt Romney, Natasha Bedingfield, opinion, Oprah, Oprah Winfrey, Perez Hilton, Randy Bott, rejection, Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone Magazine, Sara Bareilles, song lyric, Taylor Swift

September 10, 2013 · 11:15 pm

I have responsibilities…

but only because I choose to have responsibilities.

I believe in accepting legitimate criticism and also in getting out of my comfort zone, but if anyone ever tries to force or pressure me into anything in a manner or form with which I am not comfortable in any way at all…

I’M GONE!

figuratively AND literally…

But as is always the case, I am kind and civil about this. Ain’t no James Dean, “rebel without a cause” thing going on here. This is NOT me being selfish or evading (legitimate) responsibility in any way at all.

I desire to work hard and stretch myself to serve others.

Still though. The number 1 person on my list is ME!

and for that I will NEVER apologize…

🙂

READERS!

1) What responsibilities do you choose to have?

2) What is your LINE OF PROPRIETY when it comes to responsibility?

“I don’t answer to ANYBODY. And it’s a lovely, LOVELY feeling…”

~John Mayer

…

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as apology, bad hair, BYU, Carrie Bradshaw, choice, country music, criticism, education, Fiji, film, fire, friendship, graduation, guitar, hair, James Dean, John Mayer, kindness, LDS/Mormon, legitimacy, line of propriety, literal, lovely, Montgomery Gentry, myth vs. experience, perfume, pun, Sarah Jessica Parker, selfishness, song lyric, temple, The Yellow Wallpaper, Tom Petty, wordplay

September 9, 2013 · 5:31 am

Divine Organism

A few years back, a stupid 90s pop song suggested that the human race was merely mating mammals likened unto primates on a popular scientific television program. Um, that’s pretty ridiculous, if you ask Kath. Check it out:

Plus there are WAAAAAY better episodes to discover by clicking our channel changer to something else…

And now I would like to share a poem from a few years ago (I wrote it for extra credit for Biology 100 at BYU). It is not exactly related, but it still speaks of these ideas of science/God/creation, et cetera. Again, I’m no scientist (and don’t pretend to be!). But I like to try to explore the ideas of reconciliation of seemingly opposing truths (over which theologians, experts, and philosophers have fought for centuries!). HERE IT IS!

Creation or evolution?

What’s the solution?

Did God make man?

Or is it from apes we began?

Some thump their Bibles, saying evolution is libel

Some their microscopes claiming God is a hoax…

Creation or Evolution?

What’s the solution?

In this time of scientific and religious growth,

maybe the answer is BOTH!

What didjaylthink? Again, I don’t pretend to be an expert (but check out more about Mormon scientist Henry Eyring here!) and I CERTAINLY don’t pretend to be the only person who thinks creation and evolution do not need to be mutually exclusive (line of propriety YET AGAIN!).

But seriously that poem is pretty awesome 🙂

(read it again and ponder every. single. word.)

And now a beautiful song from a band that has had on an indelible influence on not only music, not only the world, but also on Katherine!

Lyrics here

(the title is phrase-twisting Mr. Chuck 🙂 Darwin’s famous piece…)

There is obviously a lot more to say about these ideas (and you better believe I have more to write!), but this much will suffice for today.

This is a picture from an LDS temple, where we learn more about how divine (of organisms) we really are.

(and I’m allowed to show this pic in case you are wondering!)

Readers: What are YOUR thoughts on evolution,

science, God, creation, etc.?

“We are more than just mammals.

We are a special species.”

~Katherine Anne Wilkinson

🙂

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as alliteration, bathroom humor, Bible, biology, Bloodhound Gang, BYU, Charles Darwin, chemistry, creation, creationism, divinity, evolution, God, Henry B. Eyring, Henry Eyring, humanity, Jesus Christ, lamb, LDS/Mormon, line of propriety, mammals, microscope, microscopic, myth vs. experience, organic, organism, Origin of the Species, philosophy, phonetics/, reconciliation, religion, salvation, science, scripture, text-to-self connection, The Discovery Channel, theology, toilet, U2

September 5, 2013 · 7:27 pm

It. Gets. Better.

Just watch it, okay? 🙂

(and don’t say you don’t have 10 minutes; You ARE reading this blog, after all!)

In April 2012 I attended a seminar put on by the Sociology department at BYU concerning these same issues. It wasn’t about marriage/ legal stuff at all. It was just about what it is like to be gay/ lesbian/ bisexual, but still abide by the laws of God and the precepts of the Honor Code.

There is LOTS to say about the seminar, and I hate to try to “sum up” an event that was very complex, very classy, and very important. But for now I’ll simply express that I was incredibly inspired by the bravery of not only the 4 panel members (who each told his/her individual story with honesty, tact, and vulnerability), but also by everyone who in any way experiences same-gender attraction, particularly if they choose to abide by the standards of the LDS Church.

Thank you.

God loves you.

I do too.

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as acceptance, BYU, Christianity, gay issues, God, kindness, LDS/Mormon, love, sociology, suicide, tolerance

September 2, 2013 · 4:56 am

Dewey (eyed) Beauty Gets Lost in the Library…

I have a confession to make that may cause you to question my ethos as a thinker/writer/scholar:

Back to December all the time…

(don’t love this song, but am sad I didn’t mention DECEMber in the video AND I love Taylor’s whole look here…)

Anyways, libraries can be amazing, but even the great American transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson knew that they could be problematic:

“Meek young men grow up in libraries, believing it their duty to accept the views, which Cicero, which Locke, which Bacon, have given, forgetful that Cicero, Locke, and Bacon were only young men in libraries, when they wrote these books.”

~The American Scholar (this address is SO powerful. Read (about) it!

And to further illustrate (figuratively AND literally!) this idea of library limits,

allow me to borrow some palabras from my dear friend:

“They read all the books, but they CAN’T FIND THE ANSWERS!”

~7 time Grammy Winner (and thief of Kat’s heart) John Mayer

(and more than just part of Katherine’s [K]orazón…)

half of my heart

so BACK TO BIBLIOTECHAS (after that long but still fascinating tangent)!

Let’s ask ourselves what are the extremes/outliers to all the stuff available to us today..

Where is the wisdom in all this knowledge?

(click here to read even more about an OVERLOAD of information)

Eternal struggle between reading and writing…

(good problem to have…)

READERS!

What things do you like about the library? What things intimidate you?

And do you know how to use the DDS?

perdida in the periodicals….

AWESOME JOB, KATHERINE!

Now sleepy (?) students (readers),

RISE AND SHINE!

because it’s time for a little blog assignment:

Go count how many religious/pop cultural/music/literary/ biligual references I made in this post…

don’t forget the title!

DO I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION YET?

🙂

Go gotta go hang out with my boyfriend Harold now…

BOOK-ending…

literally

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as (im)modesty, alliteration, America, Andy Grammer, Bacon, bad hair, bad makeup, Beauty and the Beast, bookending, Brigham Young University, BYU, Cicero, Dewey Decimal, Disney, eyeliner, Francis Bacon, Harold B Lee, heart, Hillary Duff, inanimate boyfriends, intimidation, John Locke, John Mayer, LDS/Mormon, library, literal, makeup, mathematics, Mormon Message, myth vs. experience, percussion, poetry, question, Ralph Waldo Emerson, rimshot, single/dating/marriage, song lyric, Spanish, Taylor Swift, text-to-self connection, The American Scholar, Transcendentalism, Twiggy

August 31, 2013 · 6:49 am

Just one of the boys…

This was after a little concert we did at “The Wall” at BYU.

I can be a cougar in more than one sense of the word….

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as BYU, Carlos, cougar, Evan, guitar, LDS/Mormon, music, myth vs. experience

August 19, 2013 · 12:55 pm

Some Mansions

are better than others.

Hugh Hefner is not a hero. He is a ZERO. He is not someone to be admired. He is a sad, ugly old man who has made millions from an industry that has destroyed relationships, lives, jobs, freedom, confidence, health, and happiness. Total loser, if you ask me.

Plus, his red plush robe only makes him look more like the devil,

AND emphasizes his blood-shot eyes and blotchy complexion.

And ya’ll know how much I love free speech, but don’t even try to go there with me on this one because I will PULVERIZE every claim you make. That’s how good I am 🙂 And that’s how bad pornography is. So let’s hear what real men think of it:

Don’t care about/believe in religion/God/prophets? This guy doesn’t talk about it:

And neither does this girl:

Pornography is terrible in every way possible! It’s not sexy. It’s not hot. It causes abuse. It degrades something sacred. It it highly linked to drug use, depression, crime, and other problems. Bourne Ultimatum? I wish we could make it the PORN Ultimatum! But until then, we just have to try our very best to control ourselves and keep this trash out of our lives in every way possible. Sound good? Peeeeeerfect.

🙂

But back to mansions, if we Stay out of the Smut that Satan Spreads, we can party it up at this one!

In my Father’s House are many mansions... I go to prepare a place for you.

~John 14:2

(and for further reading, I also write about chastity/purity/sex/temples here)

PS. Think I’ve covered all my bases, ya’ll. And I don’t even play sports.

PPS. If you are involved in pornography, there is hope, both professional and spiritual. Keep fightin’

PPPS. Even Mr. Hefner could repent through the Atonement.

still considering law school…

🙂

8 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as 1st amendment, alliteration, BYU, celestial, chastity, Christianity, cliche, destruction, devil, don't know anything about sports, Downton Abbey, Ernest Wilkinson, freedom of speech, heaven, Hugh Hefner, idiom, Law School, LDS/Mormon, legal, mansion, New Testament, phrase twist, pornography, purity, San Diego, Satan, scripture, sex, sports, temple, Voodoo dolls

August 19, 2013 · 10:09 am

I think the other apostles are getting jealous…

that this guy gets more blog time than the rest of them.

And I KNOW Iago isn’t the greatest role model,

but he did rightfully warn about the green-eyed monster of jealousy: (even if the following monster has blue eyes AND blue skin…)

YOU. HAVE. BEEN. ADMONISHED.
(used the word “warn[ed]” already…and I DO follow the apostle Paul, anyways)

And I just got struck by lightening (which followed the thunderbolt of blasphemy, of course).

And I’m very, very sad now…

🙂

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as admonition, Aladdin, apostle, Articles of Faith, Bible, blue, Brigham Young University, BYU, Coldplay, Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Disney, Eric Clapton, green, Iago, jealousy, Kenneth Branaugh, Laurence Fishburne, LDS/Mormon, metaphor, monster, New Testament, Othello, Paul, Shakespeare, skin, thunderbolt of blasphemy, tragedy, William Shakespeare

August 16, 2013 · 4:32 pm

Victoria’s Favorite Quote:

“A [wo]man filled with the love of God is not content to blessing [her] family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race.”

~Joseph Smith Jr.

And holy freakin’ cow, does she embody it! Her money is TOTEZ where her mouth is…

Even I can’t find the words to express how I feel about this girl.

Help me out, Natasha:

Can’t think of a better way. That’s all I have to say. I love you!

PS. In case you’re wanting some sort of count, she’s been to Uganda (TWICE!), the Phillippines, Fiji, France, and probably a million other places I don’t even know about. Jet-lagged much?

See more of what these guys can do here:

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as Africa, airport, BYU, cliche, cow, dance, Eiffel Tower, Fiji, France, idiom, Joseph Smith, LDS/Mormon, love, missionary work, money, mosque, Natasha Bedingfield, Paris, Philippines, service, single/dating/marriage, song lyric, Tacloban, Tori, travel, Uganda, wedding

August 16, 2013 · 4:29 am

Whoever said “The Spirit of Ricks (BYU Idaho) is dead” was DEAD WRONG!

Cleanliness is next to Godliness, but it’s NOT Godliness.

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as blooper, Brigham Young University, BYU, Carlos, Idaho, irony, Kemp, Ricks, Spirit

August 16, 2013 · 2:30 am

The linguistic genius of Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin

In October 2008, Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin (an apostle in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) gave an address entitled “Come What May and Love it” in Mormon General Conference. It caught on like wild-fire. The address has to do with not only accepting unforeseen circumstances, but also finding JOY in them. Best part is when he mentions how his daughter’s blind-date went awry. The address itself is fantastic to say the least, but I think the REAL genius is in the title/catch-phrase. You see, Elder Wirthlin took a familiar phrase:

AND MADE IT HIS OWN!

(Read the talk here)

And thus he single-handedly spawned many a kitchen plaque and Pinterest Meme…

So that’s the key to making something do so well! Do a phrase twist! Take an idiom/cliche that everyone knows well, and add your own unique spin to it! That way, “that original feeling [will] never [go] away“!

I’ve tried this tactic before; on this blog even! Here are a few of my examples.

Twitter/Jitter-Bug.

Blog is made for Katherine, and NOT Katherine for Blog.

One is sexy dark chocolate, and the other flaxen gold.

Lessons Plans are made for teachers, and NOT teachers for lesson plans.

(oh yah, and the Biebz has been known to do it, too. Here’s one example: The grass ain’t always greener on the other side, it’s green where you water it.)

Of course, I’ll never be able to do it as well as Elder Wirthlin. Come to think of it, his wife was an English major if I remember correctly. He probz got it all from her. And so I guess it looks like my future husband will be an apostle then…TBOB! (thunderbolt of blasphemy)…

PS. In case you are wondering, this post alone contains ideas inspired by the following: Elder Wirthlin, Natasha Bedingfield, BYU, Moulin Rouge, Twitter, The Book of Luke in the New Testament, Justin Bieber, Pinterest, and blasphemy/sacrilege. Well done, Katherine. Well. Done. 🙂

9 Comments

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Tagged as apostle, Brigham Young University, BYU, Christianity, cliche, Elder Joseph Wirthlin, General Conference, idiom, Justin Bieber, LDS/Mormon, Luke, Moulin Rouge, Natasha Bedingfield, New Testament, Pinterest, single/dating/marriage, thunderbolt of blasphemy, twitter

August 11, 2013 · 3:29 am

I was a satirist…

before I even fully knew what that meant!

Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift would be so proud!

Check out my approach to satire here.

For those who may not quite understand, I was exploiting the stereotype that Mormon girls often get married and pregnant very young. Here is another self-satire.

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as Alexander Pope, BYU, California Gurls, costume, Divine Comedy, explanation, freshman, Gulliver's Travel, Halloween, Jonathan Swift, Katy Perry, LDS/Mormon, parody, pregnancy, Provo, rap, self-satire, Snoop Dogg, Snoop Lion, stereotype, subtle satire, Utah

August 11, 2013 · 3:04 am

Wilkinson picture within a Wilkinson picture

Wilkinson picture-ception

See what I did there?

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as -ception, BYU, Ernest Wilkinson, hiking, Inception, Leonardo Dicaprio, Maizy, myth vs. experience, see what I did there?, Wilkinson

August 9, 2013 · 10:02 pm

If it’s love

When this girl

lets this guy

do this:

you know it’s love.

And they lived happily ever after!

Read Lyrics Here:

🙂

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as BYU, Christmas, flag, hair, hockey, LDS/Mormon, Melissa, myth vs. experience, single/dating/marriage, song lyric, temple, Train, wedding

August 9, 2013 · 6:21 pm

Sometimes you don’t understand the first thing about Rugby…

but you take a picture with a guy you find in Fiji because he’s wearing a BYU Rugby shirt.

🙂

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as BYU, don't know anything about sports, Fiji, myth vs. experience, Rugby, sports, subtle satire, t-shirt

August 8, 2013 · 2:21 pm

Wearing a tie, zebra slippers, and pajamas while you and your friends are holding a cake with a BYU magnet on it to cover up a spot where the icing was uneven?

Been there.

(Brigham Young University helped me cover up my sins. Literally!)

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as been there, BYU, Eliza, freshman, pajamas, tie, Whitney

August 8, 2013 · 1:58 pm

There are plenty of fish in the sea,

SO LET’S GO FISHING!

These guys Dan & Ben Tenglesen are from BYU (made it big in Guitars Unplugged) and are SO talented. This is such a great song. Even if you don’t usually listen to music I post, don’t miss this one. I’m talking to you, Tricia Thomas!

Here are the lyrics:

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as BYU, cliche, Dan & Ben Tengelsen, fish, guitar, idiom, LDS/Mormon, mom, singer, singing, song lyric, songwriting

August 8, 2013 · 4:45 am

Doctrine & Covenants is NOT the same thing as D&C

DOCTors will understand why DOCTrine & Covenants is different.

🙂

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as (im)modesty, BYU, costume, doctors, Doctrine & Covenants, freshman, gross, Halloween, LDS/Mormon, medical, Melissa, myth vs. experience, over your head, pregnancy, spelling, subtle satire, wordplay

August 6, 2013 · 5:11 pm

I know boys sometimes find it annoying when girls talk about makeup, hair, clothes, etc.

but it’s hard not to when you love beauty and you also love expressing yourself! Guy friends/boyfriend/future husband/sons, etc., will do my best to strike a happy medium with you, okay? 🙂

As for you boys, let us talk about it sometimes! And for the love of Pete, PLEASE use a little tact. I once had a boy tell me that my lips looked like, wait for it, saturated urine (I kid you not). Think he’s getting this girl’s sweet kisses anymore? Nope. Not even stealin’ ’em. And also, I never said I was great with makeup. Just that I LOVE IT!

But I also don’t NEED it! I can keep my canvas of a face blank sometimes, particularly when I’m feeling lazy.

(and yes, I realize I’m wearing TONS of it in that picture.

Oh the biting irony that comes with being a wanna-be model for

“Some days are just a waste of makeup.”

~Mildred Fake Name for Privacy

LIP line of propriety, my ~~boy~~friend!

And you know I’m a fan of the color yellow, but come on now…

🙂

So back to the main point of this post (I like to bookend a lot!).

(click here for how I compare myself to Ms. Middleton)

Men and women can be very different, especially when it comes to their preferred topic of conversation (listen to this song, I LOVE IT!) Some even suggest that they are from different planets {Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus}). But despite all this…

We CAN get along, we CAN learn to compromise sometimes, and we can make it work!

“The course of true love never did run smooth”

~William Shakespeare (A Midsummer Night’s Dream)

🙂

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as A Midsummer Night's Dream, bad makeup, Ben Harper, BYU, future, Josh Kelley, Kate Middleton, line of propriety, makeup, myth vs. experience, Natasha Bedingfield, Prince William, single/dating/marriage, sweet spot, William Shakespeare

August 6, 2013 · 4:56 pm

Lawyer Stereotypes….

Lawyers get a bad name. Sleezy lawyer jokes; we’ve all heard them! Anyways, my father defies all of those. He was a lawyer, but is also a scriptural/doctrine heavyweight. And he’s stayed true to God all these years.

Think Atticus Finch, ya’ll. Love ya Dad!

PS. A few years ago, there was an article written in the BYU Alumni magazine about this kind of idea of lawyers not being sleeze-bags. It was called “In Search of Atticus Finch” based on an idea by Mike Papantonio. I can download it as a PDF, but don’t know how to attach it to this blog. If you are interested, google it!

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as Atticus Finch, BYU, Christianity, Dad, God, google, Harper Lee, high school, LDS/Mormon, legal, Mike Papantonio, myth vs. experience, stereotypes, To Kill a Mockingbird

August 5, 2013 · 11:57 pm

What’s in a name?

Names play a significant role in our lives (especially in THIS girl’s life!) Furthermore, name changes are an interesting part of our experience. Let me share for a minute about my own name and it’s journey.

My birth name is Katherine, but when I was very young my family called me Kate. In 2nd grade, I wanted to go by my original name, and because education often stressed phonetic spelling, it was “Katheren.” I eventually spelled it the way it was given to me and used this name until the end of high school. When I first came to BYU, I wanted a new identity. Not brand spankin’ new, but a way to have somewhat of a fresh start. I wasn’t a reformed bad girl or anything, but almost anyone can relate to wanting a clean slate when they first leave home. I told every new person I met that my name was Katie. Not anything too drastic, but the change was still significant. But 2 years later, “Katherine” was calling my name again (see what I did there?), and so I used that name and continue to use it to this day. My name journey was and continues to be very funny at times as some people to this day do not know whether to call me Kate, Katherine, or Katie. I will respond to all, but 90% of the people in my life call me Katherine, so if in doubt, go with that.

Why does this matter to you? May I suggest that you ponder your names. First/last/middle/maiden/nicknames, etc. What do they mean to you? To your family? I have known people who have chosen to take on new names after significant changes, such as religious conversions, therapy, and of course marriage. Names are a part of our identity, and since we do not choose our own names from birth, there are times when individuals decide to change them on their own. Deeper parts of the LDS theology reveal the significance of new names for those who desire to become closer to God. Think about how Saul changed to Paul in the New Testament. Oh, yah, AND my platonically beloved former counselor went from ______________ to Therapist Zach. An alias, a pseudonym, but for a good purpose, I’d say.

Last soapbox for the day: I am open and accepting, but whatever you do, do NOT name your child North West, or something weird like that.

Explore the origin of my metaphor here.

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Tagged as bildungsroman, BYU, Christianity, English, Kanye West, Katherine (and all it's variations), Kim Kardashian, LDS/Mormon, literary, metaphor, names, Old Testament, Paul, platonic love, Shakespeare, single/dating/marriage, teacher, teaching, temple

August 4, 2013 · 10:15 pm

Lesson Plans are made for teachers, and NOT teachers for Lesson Plans…

And still Dr. Ostenson made me write them anyways. Sigh

Better over-prepared than under-prepared, I suppose.

🙂

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Tagged as Bible, BYU, English, LDS/Mormon, lesson plans, Mark, metaphor, New Testament, origin, preparation, Sabbath, see what I did there?, teachers, worship

August 4, 2013 · 5:13 pm

That weird writer neighbor

You know how in “The Princess Diaries” Mia has that weird writer neighbor? He has no social skills and he’s always really nervous and awkward and half the time he’s in his pajamas and probably won’t ever get married. He’s so sure that he’s on the verge of greatness, but in actuality will never make any money. Yep, that’s me.

🙂

No man can serve two masters.

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Tagged as Anne Hathaway, BYU, Disney, film, football, Hollywood, Julie Andrews, Meg Cabot, Melissa, money, movie, myth vs. experience, neighbor, pajamas, princess, single/dating/marriage, t-shirt, The Princess Diaries, truth in jest, weird, writer, writing

August 4, 2013 · 7:25 am

Satan is on Facebook,

but so is God. Who’s friend request will you accept?

Thanks for the help on that one, Andrew. BYU taught me to quote my sources. 🙂

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Tagged as bait and switch, BYU, evil, Facebook, God, good vs. evil, LDS/Mormon, literal, metaphor, quote, Satan, shout-out, subtle satire, violin

August 4, 2013 · 12:55 am

I only really know one or 2 other people in this picture, but I put it up on Facebook to make myself look more popular.

True story. Plus I STILL don’t really understand all that much about football, even after all these years. Sorry, Dad.

PS. Can you see my cute pink glove? 99 cents from Walgreens, if I remember correctly. This girl loves a good deal.

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Tagged as 3rd person, attention, BYU, Dad, Facebook, football, myth vs. experience, red-eye, subtle satire, Walgreens

August 3, 2013 · 6:35 pm

Being happy with my achievements does NOT mean that I’m not thankful to God

and vice versa.

PS. Notice how I carefully avoided the troublesome word “pride” (and all it’s variations). Will blog about that soon. But for now, check out this land-mark talk on the subject:

Or read it here.

I am looking for the cover-girl of dignified beauty magazine…

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Tagged as Book of Mormon, BYU, conference, confidence, connotation, Ezra Taft Benson, Gordon B. Hinckley, gratitude, LDS/Mormon, pride, wordplay, writer

August 2, 2013 · 8:10 pm

I am confident enough to be vulnerable,

but ain’t gonna do any Demi Moore pregnancy poses, know what I mean?

~Andy Grammer

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Tagged as (im)modesty, BYU, classy, confidence, Demi Moore, freshman, Halloween, Melissa, over your head, pregnancy, vulnerability

August 2, 2013 · 3:08 am

If you have blue eyes, don’t wear blue makeup because it will drown them out…

THEORY DISPROVED!

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Tagged as blue eyes, BYU, makeup, teeth, theory, Whitney

July 31, 2013 · 3:39 pm

You thought it was a picture, but it was actually a video….

We’ve all been there…

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Tagged as been there, BYU, Fiji, hair, lay, myth vs. experience, photography, picture, straight hair, video

July 31, 2013 · 1:29 am

Look a little closer

Seems like a picture of nothing, right?

Wrong. Look a little closer,

see the symbols,

and ponder all they represent.

#inspiration is everywhere

#for better or for worse, this is my mind people

#BYU English Program done me good

#took this 3 years ago…..

#I wasn’t driving-don’t worry!

#you’re welcome, teachers

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Tagged as America, BYU, driving/car, English, flag, freedom, green light, inspiration, literary, ponder, Provo, symbolism, teacher

July 31, 2013 · 12:37 am

Get a Darker Under Shirt!

Colors can be deceiving, can’t they?

But I AM wearing one in both. Promise.

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Tagged as (im)modesty, bangs, BYU, color, dark, Jeanna, Maizy, Renae, soapbox, Whitney

July 30, 2013 · 11:44 am

Being the only goofy looking one in the picture…

(consciously or not)

“look ugly in a photograph…”

“oh, you look so beautiful…”

~U2

Been there 🙂

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Tagged as (im)modesty, been there, BYU, El Salvador, Eliza, freshman, goofy, graduation, Jeanna, LDS/Mormon, photography, temple, Whitney

July 29, 2013 · 11:01 pm

She really puts the DYING in stuDYING, huh?

By the way, skip ahead a few short years and this sleeping beauty wakes up, gets a makeover, and finds her prince!

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Tagged as BYU, freshman, makeover, single/dating/marriage, sleep, studying, Tori

July 29, 2013 · 8:06 pm

Becoming a woman….

BYU Fall of 2006, I spoke the following words with complete and utter sincerity:

“My email is AmericanGirl, but now that I’m in college

I’m thinking about changing it to AmericanWoman.”

And Melissa never let me forget it 🙂

I’m an All-American rebel making my big get-away…

~Sheryl Crow

#bildungsroman