There is Always a Lot to Say.

We are all in the midst of the holiday season. There is a lot going on with all of us, I don't feel guilty in the slightest about taking a little time to pen my thoughts.

First of all, happy anniversary Mom and Dad! They are the reason I believe in true love, know what to expect from my husband, and my biggest cheerleaders for my life choices. Congratulations on 23 years of marriage and I love both of you like crazy cakes.

I'm feeling gluttonous of late, probably a sign of dehydration. I encourage all of you to drink extra water during this season, it will help your health in many ways.

For Christmas I got a lot of useful gift cards and some money, practical for my upcoming mission. I cannot wait for my mission to Tahiti! I have several items of clothing for Tahiti but the catch is that I'll need to pack winter clothes for my time in Provo UT MTC.

You know who I think is awesome? Jennifer Lawrence. She is beautiful (dime a dozen in Hollywood) but also really enjoys her life. And it's clear why: she has a great sense of humor and she realizes the value of being healthy (physically and mentally).

I may have met my soul mate. Possibly. I am a hopeless romantic so it's possible that I'm overdramatizing this, but I know that this person made me realize what a soul mate would be like. I don't know his name, but we talked on the airplane from Rochester to Cleveland. He goes to the Rochester Institute of Technology to study Optical Engineering. He is a blonde (not typically my type, I usually go for dark or foreign/exotic) but with a handsome face. I was not expecting to talk to him, we just threw around a few lackluster comments at the beginning of the flight and then I was planning on sleeping but we ended up talking the whole flight about really interesting things, almost hitting the highlights of our favorite thoughts. He doesn't like comedians who end up yelling to make something funny, he understands what I mean about Anne Hathaway's acting. He didn't agree for the sake of pleasantry, he actually meant it and further explained what I thought. He wasn't trying to make me like him and vice versa. I didn't have to explain things that didn't make sense when I said them, he knew what I meant. We talked about ideas and people. He is very intelligent. We talked intelligently. It was a beautiful thing. I have no idea what to do with this information other than save it here and remember how I felt like we'd known each other for a long time.

My parents are out to dinner and I'm in charge of my little sister Lindsay and she wants to look at pictures of dogs, so I must away. Per usual, lots more thoughts but it is what it is.

Au revoir, Court

At My Marriage Reception: I Got You.

I have loved this dance for over a year and here's a secret: I want to do this dance with my husband at our wedding reception: Leona Lewis- I Got You.
P.S. I love Melanie & Marko in this. :)

So You Think You Can Dance: I Got You

Exam Week, Kinda Bleak.

There you go, yet another by-product short poem brought to you by Courtney's Tired Brain.

I have been awake since 4 am, studying for my 11:00 scheduled Political Science 200 exam. During that time I gave a girl a ride to work & I drove/walked through snow. Fortunately I was wearing my waterproof, oil slick-resistant, steel-toed hiking boots that I just rediscovered under my bed. Yes, there is quite a bit of snow. I am actually home now, possibly for the rest of the day because I almost hit a pole while driving because my car didn't turn very well.

I have the exciting prospect of attending Andrea & Connors' wedding on the 22nd! Thrilled that I can be the Maid of Honor, in attendance. I'm doing pretty well in all aspects of shutting down my residency at Alta Apartments, just have to finish doing about...6 loads of laundry of clothes I don't ever wear. (I want them to be in good condition for giving them away, of course.)

I'm actually less tired from all of the studying I have been doing and more tired from all of the time thinking about the importance of the final exam grade. Gah.

I'm watching Charlie Brown Christmas for the first time ever, pretty good so far! I didn't realize that this famous song was from this movie. "Of all the Charlie Browns in the world, you're the Charlie Browniest!" :)

Seriously concerned that I don't love my family members enough, sometimes. Like I'm seriously more excited to see my puppy more than anything else when I go home in 5 days! Is that wrong? I just know that I don't have to impress my puppy and she loves me anyway. I don't have to defend the guys I date to her either, she just assumes that I have valid reasons. Is this crazy talk? Possibly.

I hope everyone is enjoying the Christmas season! Lucy is on to something, I should charge for my therapeutic insight and observation. Ailurophasia is the fear of cats, I know someone with that. Pantophobia is the fear of everything! Ok, I like Lucy. I want real estate for Christmas also! Or just cash. Please, please, please just give me the monetary value of whatever you were thinking of getting me. :P

Here is the secret to enjoying Christmas: give. Make people around you happier, your work is never done. Right now I'm working on a quote book for someone and it has completely turned around my mood from stressed and distracted to peaceful. Did you know that PEACE is the only feeling that the Devil cannot replicate?

Have a happy week!!
Courty

Let Kids be Kids.

I have a few thoughts that come from a very personal place. I have always had a very healthy self-image. I can attribute much of this to the "plain Jane" style of my Mom. My mom has a lot of natural beauty and I always told my friends how pretty my mom was. In a lot of pictures of me as a toddler I actually look like a little boy. I'm so glad that my mom didn't put the idea of "image is everything" into my head. If kids want to look pretty, make "ants on a log" for a healthy snack or get them into sports. I will dress my kids up, but I will never dress them up to look like mini versions of celebrities or teenagers. I think it's cute to play "dress up" but when a toddler is giving fashion advice, I really think that's teaching them the wrong priorities and that's not okay. A lot of girls in America today have image issues because their parents set bad examples and/or it is expected that they looked a certain way. If you start that early, they'll have problems earlier.

I don't mean to come across as extreme, but I really think that there is a time and place when girls should wear make up and wear trendy clothes to school. That time shouldn't happen until they date, ideally.

In short: dressing up kids for play or for a cutesy photo is fine, but don't make them feel like that is when they are the prettiest and don't send them to school like this. 

11,000 Views: Thank You

I just wanted to announce a mile-marker: I checked Stats and my blog has been viewed over 11,000 times!!!! That is really cool! I guess I'll try and be more serious and grown-up in my posts.
Did you know M&M's chocolate stands for the initials for its inventors Mars and Murrie? :)
Good night.
Coco <3

Nothing but Blue Skies: the Color Code

Au contraire, it is quite gray (grey) and overcast today but I feel happy of myself.

No, I'm not being super productive with my schoolwork. No, I haven't taken a shower today.

However, I am knocking out some quizzes & I took a shower last night! HAH for all you judgers out there.

Seriously, I would like to discuss the Color Code: Personality Test. This generation is obsessed with who they are, what their skills are, personal branding, all that sort of thing. Personality tests are yet another tool to craft identity. I would like to throw out the possibility that you are not just one personality. Not a completely original idea but I want you to fully realize the actual concept.

I'm going to let that settle for just a moment, marinate if you will.

This means that the reason personality tests don't completely describe you is because you most likely act differently in different situations and with different people. I am equally comprised of all four colors in the color code book. Not impossible, but more probable than you might have previously thought.

I was frustrated when I took the test and found myself not being able to give an answer I felt really got it more than the others. Is this true for you? I have also found that I self-analyze (not self-criticize or demean) more so than most people with whom I have talked. I have improved a lot of weak areas throughout my life. I believe that there is a balanced place that is a healthy mix of all the colors. I really am not egotistical. I simply have an honesty with myself about what I need to work on vs. my strengths. I can honestly say that I am almost at a place where I am versatile enough that I can be the best of different personalities, whichever best suits the situation. 

I Look So Hipster Right Now.

Today is Monday, the 3rd of December, in the year two thousand and twelve. I have been 21 for a month now & I feel great. I have the best friends in the world, I am going to one of the best schools in the world, (the best for my spirituality def), best family in the universe, the best mission call in the world (Tahiti speaking Tahitian and French), and the coolest sweater in the thrift store world. I even have headphones (free on an airplane about 5 years ago) slung around my neck.

Also, I know The Secret. The law of attraction is real. It explains all of my luck and the unusual opportunities that have strewn my life's path thus far. I really want to watch Home Alone tonight. By the way, the most recent Winnie the Pooh movie is my current favorite movie. I watched it in French the other night (with English subtitles) and laughed like a loony every time I understand a single French word. By the way, so freaking excited that one of my potential missionary comps is so cool!!! We are interested in exactly the same things and at the same level of excitement, fingers crossed that we will be missionary comps because that would be so awesome.

I am planning on donating plasma in a few hours, wish me luck. The concept sounds so dirty, but the monetary reimbursement is helpful. I am able to stay afloat financially because I have a propensity towards treating myself in small ways. All the time. Perhaps this is why I enjoy life so much.

Anywho, I must leave you now for PoliSciClass.

Courtney