My film list.

I feel like I'm not strongly opinionated enough to critique films, but I certainly do love a good film and I have seen many good ones lately. I also made a list of all of the movies I want to see that have come out recently (and maybe some not so recently.) There are few activities I love more than watching films. I'm making this list for myself to keep track of the movies I have seen so far this year, and want to see during the remainder of the year. If I'm feeling particularly inspired, I'll write a few thoughts about the film or give it a rating. This will be an on-going list that I will regularly update.

• Straight outta Compton This film was heart-wrenching, but the whole gangster rap doesn't really interest me. I watched this with my boyfriend because he is a huge fan of NWA. However, this film was pretty excellent.
• Anomalisa I really wanted to love this film but it was so....strange. I liked how it was filmed entirely out of stop-motion and I thought the idea of it was refreshing, but it just sort of left me hanging and wanting more of a conclusion. 
• The Danish girl
• Tracks A film about a woman who walks across Australia with her dog and 4 camels. It's a true story, and one very emotional part hit me harder then I would have imagined. I loved this movie!
• Goodfellas Again, another gangster movie that isn't really my thing, but surprisingly, I really liked this one as well. It really baffled me to see how easily these people will shoot up their friends over something as simple as an argument. 
• The Revenant YES. Wow. This movie. Watch it. 
• Daddy's home It was interesting to see Will Ferrel play this role because it seems to be the opposite of every role he has ever played, which was nice. This was a surprisingly hilarious film and I wish I didn't fall asleep during part of it. 
• The hateful 8 Ugh. This movie was so gruesome and disgusting. However, the story line and cinematography were amazing. But I could have done without seeing exploding brains and other....graphic scenes. 
• Star Wars: The force awakens I only recently hopped on the Star Wars band wagon so it's all still quite new to me. I thought it was a good movie, but I don't think it means as much to me as it does other Star Wars fans. 
• Lord of the rings: Fellowship of the ring Same with LOTR. I did fall asleep for a bit, but I do like the LOTR story with all of the different characters. 
• In the heart of the sea I really enjoyed this film and was surprised it didn't get very much recognition. I was very squeamish during some very uncomfortable scenes, but as cheesy as it sounds, I always love a movie where humans and animals connect in some unspeakable way. 
• Room I know this isn't a true story, but I'm sure it's based on many true accounts of things like this happening. Imagine growing to 5 years old, never having seen anything other than the 4 walls the surround you. Then to be thrown into the outside world! I just can't even imagine it. Seeing trees, seeing THE OCEAN, mountains, other people, cars, animals, ah! It just completely blows my mind and is no wonder why poor little Jack is scared of everything and everyone at first. Not to mention his mother who has to deal with not only his introduction to the world, but her re-introduction and learning how to settle after being held prisoner for 7 years of her life. I think this film was absolutely brilliant and has easily become a top favourite of mine. I will continue to watch this again and again. 
• World of tomorrow
• The diving bell and the butterfly
• Force Majeure
• The other dream team
• We need to talk about Kevin
• Short term 12
• 50/50
• Mud
• About time
• Mommy
• The boy in the striped pajamas
• The broken circle breakdown
• The lives of others
• Zodiac
• Locke
• Mysterious skin
• Inside Llewyn Davis
• The imposter
• Winter's bone
• Shame
• Capturing the Friedmans
• The lunchbox
• Ruby sparks
• Lars and the real girl
• Ida
• The pianist
• Before trilogy
• Mr. nobody
• Princess Mononoke
• Disconnect
• Once
• Safety not guaranteed
• Adam
• Incendies
• Girl, interrupted
• Welcome to me
• Mean creek 
• Upstream color
• The sea inside
• What Maisie knew
• Snowpiercer
• People places things
• Maiden trip
• It's such a beautiful day
• Two days, one night
• Another year
• Election
• Blue ruin
• Virunga
• Nightcrawler
• Twinsters
• Moonrise kingdom
• Bottle rocket
• The act of killing
• The Magdalene sisters
• Dirty pretty things
• Beginners
• After the wedding
• Phoenix
• The station agent
• Undefeated
• Philomena
• Beast of no nation
• Dear Zachary: A letter to a son about his father
• Beasts of the southern wild
• The wolf pack

Looking back on the past: Part one

So I decided with all of my free time at work I wanted to do a little memory project. I noticed that I have a TON of albums on facebook, dating way back to 2010! I don't want to delete them because they are chalk full of memories. I have always been an avid photo taker because I think it's super special to look back on old photos and reminisce. What I decided to do is go through each album and pick out one photo from that album to write about! (Also, I'm sort of curious to see how functional my memory is) I honestly think I have at least 40+ albums on there. They won't be in any particular order but I will try to date them if I can. Let's get started, shall we?

2013: Greg, Marissa, Amy & I decided to make the most out of our Saturday off. First, we went to Cedar and cheered for their cousin Chad in the special Olympics (who totally won first place!) We had a good time shadow dancing on the bleachers and watching the events. Then we made our way to Springdale to swim at the Cliffrose lodge for the rest of the day. 

2010: Ryan, Paige, myself, Cas & Amy planned an amazing senior trip for ourselves when we graduated high school! It was the first big trip I had ever taken with friends and we were all super excited! Paige's parents let us borrow their suburban and Ryan's grandparents let us stay in their NICE condo up in the Laguna hills. We were very fortunate to have all of these nice connections. The condo was amazing and you could see the misty beach down below. We planned 2 days at Disneyland and 1 day at six flags and some time at the beach in between. All of it was just incredible. Well, except six flags. That was a little too intense for me and I cried a number of times on the huge thrill rides. But that aside, it was very special and one of my most fond high school memories. 

2012: Oh boy! My mom and her sister have a fascination of taking old photos and re-making them! This wasn't the actual re-make, but this was us goofing off after we took it. When we were kids, we dressed up in Grandma & Grandpa's old fashioned clothes and took some photos with some really old baby buggies. Braxton's infamous line was "why do I always have to be the old man?" From left to right it's Jessica, Lexie, Braxton & I. 

2014: I had to get some head shots done for a theatre audition. Being the cheap ass that I am, I had Courtney take them for me on her DSLR. We had a good time out at the pretty watermill park in Washington. We decided to take a break and get some timer shots of us :) Courtney decided at the last minute to say something gross or funny that made me laugh, and then we got this photo! I like to say it's a perfect portrayal of our friendship! She's always doing something hilarious to make me laugh!

2010: Food babe. Jadon, Trevor, Kiri & her cousins and I took a little trip to Vegas one weekend to visit our good friend Kelsey. My friend's and I had a serious obsession with the Cheesecake factory (and I still do whenever I am in a city where I can eat it!) Every time we went to Vegas, California or Salt Lake, it was always a given that we would eat at CF at some point, and it was usually the highlight of the trip :p I love this photo because I'm proudly showing off my stuffed tummy while Jadon is looking so proud in the background!

2010: Thanksgiving at Jessica's! This was my most favourite Thanksgiving. Usually, Jessica and her family travel to St. George for holidays because they are some of the only members of our family who live out of town. We decided to switch it up a little and drive down to them for Thanksgiving! All of the families went except for my uncle Kelly's. They have a lovely property in Phoenix with a pool and a huge yard with a farm next door. We were there for a few days and we had amazing food, went on a hike, did some shopping, and had a grand time. One crazy memory of that Thanksgiving was one evening we were eating dinner and out the window we see 2 missionaries walking up to the door. Well, most people in my family aren't LDS so they weren't too fond of this, but the next thing we knew we see Lexie bolt out the door! We're like "what the heck?" Turns out it just so HAPPENED to be Lexie's cousin, Garrison! He was serving in Phoenix. The crazy thing was, him and his companion weren't even assigned to this area. But they decided to do some tracting anyway. It's crazy and ironic how they just happened to run into us! We invited them to stay for dinner and we were all just flabbergasted at the whole situation!

2011: Paige & I on our way up to Brian head with Courtney, Jason and Zach (at least I think Zach was there) in the front seat. I was so pumped because it would be my first time skiing and Courtney had taught me everything I should know. Well, little did I know that would be my last time ever skiing again. First off, trying to maneuver around in skis was a nightmare. You know how every once in a while you see that idiot who gets knocked over by the ski lift when trying to get on and the operator has to stop the lift so they can get on? Yeah.....that idiot was me. Absolutely humiliating! I was sitting next to Courtney probably trying not to cry of embarrassment. Once we got to the top, I was panicking. I was hoping we could have started at the bunny hill but the guys weren't fond of this idea and assured me that I would be fine on this massive hill (oh yeah no big deal.) When we hopped off, I held tight to Courtney and of course made her and myself topple over. Before we actually went down the hill, we practiced a bit up there. No matter how hard I freaking tried to shape my skis into a pizza to stop, I could NOT figure it out. I continued to fall and crash into trees and after probably 30 minutes or maybe even an hour, I had absolutely had enough. So I took my skis off and took to the side of the hill and slid myself down the hill on my bum. Yes, you read that correctly. My friends went on a few rounds down and would wave at me each time and see if I was fine, but I just remember I was so frustrated and just done. I went down to the suburban and put on a movie and passed out. It was a horrid experience, but I am glad to say that I at least tried. I'd love to try again in the future, but perhaps on a baby hill next time.

2011: I don't have one specific memory for this photo, but I did enjoy seeing these cute faces! These are my sister Tarci's boys. Alec's missing teeth and Ayden's hair are priceless. These boys seem so grown up now! They just barely moved back here from Colorado and it's fun having them back. I used to babysit for them all the time, but now that they are older they don't even really need babysitters! Also, it's funny for me to look back on my eyebrows throughout the years. Good gracious. I don't know how I ever thought these skinny brows looked good! :p

2012: One of the best nights ever! Greg, Marissa & I wanted to go to the Zion Canyon music festival up in Springdale. It was a weekend event and I had researched some of the bands that would be playing there and a lot of them seemed very good! There were 4 per day (it was tiny) and two stages. These guys were the last performers and for good reason. They stole the entire festival. Little did I know that they would become one of my favourite bands whom I would befriend and follow throughout the years! They are called the Brothers Comatose and they are a contemporary bluegrass band from San Francisco. Their music was lively, fun and extraordinary. They are phenomenal performers! I think a year or so later, they ended up having a performance in Cedar city at some Episcopal church. It was a funky little venue with pews for seating. At first it seemed a little awkward because it was a lot of older people attending and not many young people. There was plenty of space up front to dance, but everyone seemed a little hesitant. Eventually someone broke the ice and then everyone started filling up the front and standing and stomping along! That night was extra special because they remembered us and invited us (along with many other people) to their B&B for a jam session and some refreshments! It was so much fun and the owners of the B&B had endless instruments in their basement jam room. We listened to them jam out with friends, the banjo player Alex offered me some banjo pointers and I got to sing one of my favourite duets with the lead singer, Ben. Now THAT was one of the highlights of my life! Just this last summer, they came to Springdale and Tim & I attended their concert. It was in a bar and I was so glad that they had remembered me. Ben asked if there were any girls out there who knew the duet that he sings on his album with one of his friends, and there were plenty of hands raised high. He picked on one gal but she didn't know all the words. I was waving frantically, and he called on me to come up and sing with him! My heart was pounding with nervousness and excitement and I was just on cloud 9 being able to actually perform with them. I will never forget that!

2011: Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 premiere! My friends are great and decided we would all dress up. I regret to say that at this point in time, I had yet to read the books and had just barely seen all of the films. I wasn't as familiar with Harry Potter as my friends were. I wish I had grown up with it like everyone else had. However, I am still glad that I have been able to indulge in the Harry Potter experience as an adult :) Anyway, I dressed up as Bellatrix Lestrange. Amy as Hagrid. Grace was Mrs. Weasley, Alex was a fantastic Voldemort and Courtney was Snape! I wish I could find a group photo. It was so much fun. Amy even won the costume contest for her PERFECT portrayal of Hagrid, am I right?!

2011: Candid dance photo! This had to be my best halloween costume. I LOVE halloween but usually I end up buying some crappy, over-priced costume or throwing something together last minute. This specific year, I decided I was going to go all out. My sister gave me the idea to go as a peacock! I knew I would have to make it all from scratch. I picked out a pattern that I liked (I went with a western, saloon girl dress) and my mom made my vision come alive! I can't sew like her so she did almost all of the sewing. We paired it with lots of feather accessories, and I found some awesome fake lashes with peacock feathers! the best part was the tail. It was nearly impossible to create a full fanned tail that would actually stay up. So we did our best with a bundle of feathers and some Velcro. I still have this hanging in my closet hoping that (someday) I can fit into it again!

2011: I believe this was Thanksgiving day. This started a little tradition of ours. Jess usually comes down for thanksgiving. With the beautiful fall colors, we decided to go out and do a little photo shoot after Thanksgiving dinner. It was so much fun and we got some really fun shots! Now, we try to keep up the tradition by dolling up and going to our same little cove with the duck pond to take more photos. It's fun to see how different we look each year!

2012: This is certainly not my most favourite memory but it's interesting to look back to. when Lexie and I worked at Frostop we worked with this guy, Jeremy. He was super nice and fun and we introduced him to Trevor and they got along swell! Well, we wanted to go out and explore this abandoned warehouse out by Gunlock once, so we invited along a couple other friends of mine, Kyler and Zach. It's the scariest place I may have ever been. It's an old, abandoned, giant warehouse with broken glass and broken boards and graffiti (plenty of satanic) all around. There is also another building next to it that seemed more like an old office building. Inside had broken computers, discs, files, papers, etc. There were old clothes thrown around, more graffiti and broken glass. I hated this place but I tried to put on a face and act like it wasn't a big deal. We went into the warehouse and went upstairs into this little loft room. we had like a giant spotlight so it wasn't so dark. The windows up there weren't actually broken so the boys felt the need to break as much glass as they could. Whenever I took photos, there were floating orbs everywhere. If you're like my mom, you think orbs are ghosts! The boys decided to play a really mean prank on us and all bolted out of the warehouse and left us there with NO lights (iPhones with flashlights were not a thing yet.) They ran back to the car and LITERALLY left us there. We ran as fast as we could after them (knowing they weren't actually leaving us there, but this is certainly NOT the type of prank that you play on Lexie & I. We are the most stressed-out, panicky people out there!) We started just walking down the road after them, and we saw them turn around in the distance to head back toward us. We decided to give them a taste of their own medicine and we ducked down into the dirt behind the bushes. They drove right past us and we saw them park and get out. They were yelling for us, with no answer in return. I could hear them start to panic and after they searched around for a little bit, we started sneaking back up behind them. We started running and screaming at them and it certainly frightened them...but they were NOT happy with us after that. I told them that they had no right to be pissed because of what they did to us, and they were pretty butt-hurt about it. It was NOT a fun night and I don't think I've gone back since. I've heard plenty of creepy stories about that place, though.

I didn't realize how long these posts would be! I have about 40 more albums to still look through, but perhaps I'll do it in parts. This is fun for me and I enjoy seeing these photos and thinking back to the moments that they have captured. I hope you enjoyed taking this trip down memory lane with me :) More to come!

Let's make some changes.

I found this article called "5 reasons why marriage doesn't work anymore." I was really put out when I read the title. After I read the post, I still don't believe that marriages simply don't work anymore. I feel like that is a very immature thing to say, because any marriage has the capability to work. I did pull out these 2 pieces from the article that really struck me, though. I have such a hard time with social media and technology. I wrote a previous post about this and yes, I too am a victim. But when I read things like this, I am truly inspired to make changes. 

-We're more connected than ever before, but completely disconnected at the same time.

Let's face it, the last time you "spoke" to the person you love, you didn't even hear their voice.

You could be at work, the gym, maybe with the kids at soccer. You may even be in the same room.

You told your wife you made dinner reservations ... through a text message.

Your husband had flowers delivered to your job ... through an app on his phone.

You both searched for furnishings for your new home ... on Pinterest.

There's no physical connection attached to anything anymore.

We've developed relationships with things, not each other. Ninety-five percent of the personal conversations you have on a daily basis occur through some type of technology. We've removed human emotion from our relationships, and we've replaced it colorful bubbles.

Somehow, we've learned to get offended by text on a screen, accusing others of being "angry" or "sad" when, in fact, we have no idea what they are feeling. We argue about this — at length.

We've forgotten how to communicate yet expect healthy marriages. How is it possible to grow and mature together if we barely speak?

Years ago, my grandmother wouldn't hear from my grandfather all day; he was working down at the piers in Brooklyn. But today, if someone doesn't text you back within 30 minutes, they're suddenly cheating on you.

You want to know why your grandmother and grandfather just celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary? Because they weren't scrolling through Instagram worrying about what John ate for dinner. They weren't on Facebook criticizing others. They weren't on vacation sending Snapchats to their friends.

No.

They were too preoccupied loving and respecting one another. They were talking to each other at dinner, walking with each other holding hands instead of their phones. They weren't distracted by everything around them. They had dreams and chased them together.

-Social media just invited a few thousand people into bed with you.

We've thrown privacy out the window these days.

Nothing is sacred anymore, in fact, it's splattered all over the Web for the world to see.

Everywhere we go, everything we do — made public. Instead of enjoying the moment, we get lost in cyberspace, trying to figure out the best status update, or the perfect filter.

Vacations are no longer a time to relax, but more a time to post vigorously. You can't just sit back and soak it all in.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with sharing moments of your life. I do it myself. But where do we draw the line? When does it become too much?

We've invited strangers into our homes and brought them on dates with us. We've shown them our wardrobe, drove with them in our cars, and we even showed them our bathing suits. Might as well pack them a suitcase, too.

The worst part about all this? It's only going to get worse.

Well, there you have it.

Countless times, I have been offended by a text message because the sender didn't use a certain punctuation mark or replied with a one word answer. I would automatically assume that their tone was negative if they didn't use 3 exclamation points or a smiley face! That is not how it should be! Human connections should not be replaced by things. It's so easy to let technology devoid us of emotion. Emotions are a beautiful thing. It is heart breaking to think that this may only get worse. I've been trying to make small changes in my life by spending less and less time on social media, especially in the presence of my loved ones. It feels good. It really does. I challenge you to do the same. Nobody wants to talk to someone who is only half there. What's the point?

Keep ya eyebrows thick...

Is this button the greatest or what? I'd love to put this on my purse! 

I've never really considered having much to do with business. Being a business owner sounds very stressful and to be honest, I don't know much about what it even takes to own your own business. However, I am dating a man who is very very interested in the world of business and he has inspired me to start up a little gig of my own (along with my sister's inspiration, as well.) My sister has her own little shop called "My Poppy Creations." She makes beautiful handmade children's moccasins, handmade blankets, and leather bags. She has always been the creative daughter in our family ;) 

Take a look at her Etsy shop if you are interested in any of these adorable items. 

Anyway, just getting back from Lithuania, I was trying to find ways to make extra cash while I was trying to find a job. They both mentioned "hey, why don't you try a pet sitting or dog walking gig?" 

well, okay then. Why not?

So I did! I made up a flyer...

and I've just been rolling in the dough.

Haha. Just kidding. 

But it has been going great! I've gotten a few great clients so far and it has been fun. Plus it's not time-consuming and it's something I can easily do on the side :) If you know of anyone who needs help with their pets, send them my way!

I've also been stitching away at these babies:

I was inspired to make a pretty wall hanging piece with these embroidery hoops that would look something like this:

as you can see, mine is very mediocre compared to these, but I think it's just so pretty and nice. I want it in my rooooom! 

As far as the Geo Deer canvas, I thought I would frame it and set it up on my shelf. This is also another potential business idea of mine. If I get better, I'll probably start selling these babies. I think they are very chic and modern and they look very nice and clean. If you are interested in one, give me a shout. I could probably do just about any animal :) 

I'm feeling pretty good right now. It's nice to fill up my time with things I enjoy doing. My job is super simple and very laid-back. I work with super kind people and the work environment is very pleasant. I do have a lot of down time though, so that can be a plus and a negative. It's nice because I can do a lot of blogging and research and stuff like that, but negative because it makes the time go by a bit slow :p It's like a dream job for lazy people, really. Sometimes I prefer a bit more moving around, so we will see how it all goes :) 

I'm excited because I'm going to be starting a tap class on Monday nights. I just ordered a new pair of tap shoes that should be arriving soon. My old pair is now 2 sizes too small. My feet grew almost a whole size while I was in Lithuania. I love tapping though and I am super excited to start attending the class! Maybe later on this year, I may get back into musicals/plays as well. Now that I have nights off (seriously, best ever!) I'd be fully capable of doing a show. I can't remember the last time I have ever worked a job where I had nights off. Ummm....try never? So this is pretty great :) 

Not much to complain about right now. Life is treating me well.

Oh! One of my best girlfriends ships off to Lithuania tomorrow!! 

I'm so excited and proud of her! I know she will have a wonderful time and will gain so much life experience by doing this. Then when she gets home we will go frolic around San Francisco because we are so in love with it! <3

Thanks for stopping by!

Look Up

Did you watch that video?

Good.

I have found myself re-watching this video for the past couple of years. The first time I ever saw it, it hit me like a cannon. I felt foolish, because I knew I was a victim of technology, just like everyone else. I went around preaching this video, posting it on social media (Ironic), and discussing it with friends. I wanted people to take it seriously, like I did. The amount of time we spend on our phones really is a huge issue, and it is sad to me that a lot of people don't see it that way. I am grateful that I have chosen to surround myself with people who tend to agree with me on this. I found myself often getting upset because I would spend my time with friends who would choose to hold their phone in front of their faces the entire time we would hang out. Now, when I first got a smart phone, I obviously thought it was the neatest thing, because I never had savvy gadgets growing up. Friends would often point out to me that I was spending way too much time online and they would express that it sort of hurt their feelings that I would rather look at my phone than look at them. I had to take a step back and really observe how much time I actually was spending on my phone. Once I did that, it has been a lot easier to put it down, and absorb myself in the world around me.....not the world of my iPhone.

As I sat and people-watched during my lunch break today, I was surprised at how many people had their phones out on the table. Maybe I shouldn't be surprised because it has become the norm to do so, but I certainly was. Also, almost every person in line was mindlessly scrolling Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Notice how I said "Mindlessly." They (most likely) didn't have any purpose or direction in doing so, except to just see into other people's lives. Why do we do this? Does this not bother anybody else? What is so special and personal about seeing an Instagram photo of your friend that has also been viewed by 300 other people? That is just the thing...it isn't personal. If I could have it my way, I would scratch Facebook, Instagram, and all of this Twitter bull crap and go back to E-Mail and snail mail. It feels so much more special to receive a personal e-mail from a friend with photos that they only want to share with you. And a physical letter? Even better. Is it really so fulfilling to log on and see that you have 364 likes on a photo? I don't even know 364 people! I went through my Instagram followers and cut them down to strictly my closest friends and family members. It does nothing for me to see a bunch of random strangers or people from high school who I haven't spoken to in years liking my photos. I guess it does it for some people, but certainly not me.

I am so happy that I was born in the 90s. I was able to have an amazing childhood where I played outside every single day. I called my friends up on the phone and asked to play and then I walked or rode my bike down to their houses. I wrote stories and colored pictures. I played house and pretended I was a doctor or a teacher. I played with dinosaur figurines and I did puzzles. I swung on swings and slid down slides. I watched my childhood through the VHS tapes that my mom so meticulously created.

But what about kids growing up now? In 20 years when they want to see videos of their childhood, will they only be able to see them in 7 second increments that have been posted online? Or childhood photos spoiled by filters? It is a shame to think so.

I definitely try my best to constantly be aware of my phone usage. I am lucky to have a boyfriend who enjoys having intellectual and deep discussions about many different things, and when we do so, I appreciate it when we can both put our phones away and not be distracted while we are talking.

As you can probably tell, I am not much of a writer but I do enjoy recording my thoughts. Social media and technology is something I am quite passionate about, so I may ramble on about this quite often.

Thanks for stopping by!

-Shelbi