Hey, Welcome back, Pal!!

Well… It’s been a while! I have a whole bunch of lame excuses as to why I haven’t posted in a while.


1. I have done homework. I understand this is a lame excuse, as I spend plenty time not doing homework. But I do do a lot of homework. So I’m counting it as an excuse.

2.       I have been cleaning my room. If you know me, you know how likely this excuse actually is.

3.       I have been becoming a high cuisine chef. I am now qualified to make anyone a mean bowl of cereal, grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwich or apple. Yes, I make apples. From scratch.

4.       I am on a strike from all social media. If you would like this to be proven to you, go check my facebook and just try to send me an email. I refuse to answer.

5.       I’m trying to redeem myself from all of the scandalous lies I just told.

Really, I’ve just been busy. College just kind of consumes your life and so all extra little things often get put on the back burner. I do still care about keeping in touch with all of you!

So, in the last few months, great things have happened.


1.  I went home for Thanksgiving. Seriously, this was one of the best weeks of my life. My family was awesome and was really good at pretending they were so glad to have my sassy little self back inside their home. They honestly must have all taken acting classes because were so happy to see me! Regardless of how that emotion came across, I immensely enjoyed myself. I played a lot of games with my siblings, so if anyone would like to challenge me on Racko, chess, or Ticket to Ride, now would be the time to challenge me.

2.       I went home for Thanksgiving. I got to see all of my best friends I hadn’t seen in forever! I stole a pillow that had been held hostage for months, had awesome Caribou runs, went to some parks, and spent time just really enjoying everyone’s beautiful faces. 17 days and counting until I get to go home again!

3.       My home teachers gave me cake in a cup. I haven’t had it yet, but how great is that? You just stick it in the microwave and wait for two minutes and BAM! You have cake. Also, our apartment has a real legit quesadilla maker. Also way cool.

4.       I met Santa yesterday. I told him exactly what I wanted. But I’m not going to tell anyone else so if it really happens, I know he is the real Santa.

5.       Ah, life is just overall good. I love the people that are in it, how we spend our time, weekends, my roommates, my pillow, weekends, and everything else.

So that’s my life right now. I hope you have an absolute Friday. And just for the record, I woke up at 7 a.m. and had a bowl of cereal. Then I saw my friends. However, I walked to class and I do not have a rule that all of my friends have to look Norwegian. So, that’s where the similarities between Rebecca Black and I end. :) 

Garfield, Sprite, and a Little of Everything Else

Once upon a time there was a princess named Anne Katherine. She wanted three things desperately with all of her heart. First of all, she really wanted a scholarship for school her sophomore year. Her parents, the King and Queen, were very helpful in paying for college, but she knew she needed to contribute. So she worked very hard in school and wrote lots of papers with happy endings and studied painting, horseback riding, diplomacy, and how-to-ward-off-witches 101 very hard. Anne Katherine loved to sing. She sang all day, every day. Usually it was High School Musical which sometimes her roommates got sick of. But they were nice about it and would counter it with their own songs. The princess sang so much because one of her deepest desires was to get into her school’s music education program. She knew only 12 people got in every year, so she practiced her Italian love songs every day. The other thing Princess AK really wanted was a handsome young prince to come into her life. It wasn’t like she was boy deprived; she had many amazing boys she loved that she had met at her school. However, she needed someone to take her to dinner a couple times a week because she was sick of eating sandwiches for lunch and dinner every day. There are only so many times you can eat turkey and cheese and expect it to still taste delicious. But the princess knew she had been spoiled at home where her mom made her food every day, and so she tried to appreciate what she had been given. Also, she wanted a handsome young prince to help her with her Calc class she was thinking about taking next semester. It intimidated her, and she knew if she was going to take it, she would need a lot of help. She met a guy at a dance last weekend that she really liked, but before the end of the dance, she was swept away by her roommate and left before midnight. So after that dance, she never saw him again.

Once upon a time there was another girl named Ellen. She was Anne Katherine’s roommate and took very good care of Anne Katherine when she got sick. Anne Katherine really appreciated that about Ellen and loved her very much.

Once upon another time there was a guy named Herman Cain. Anne Katherine thought he was funny and funny that America was rooting for the CEO of Godfather’s Pizza. Once she went to Godfather’s Pizza when she was a child for her birthday. They gave her a giant Garfield doll. But hey, if you gave every starving child a plush Garfield and instigated the 9-9-9 plan, world hunger would be solved. Right? Right.

I'm thinking that Princess Anne Katherine could run for president if she wanted to. After all, she's come up with this brilliant idea called the 1-1-1, where each person gets one scholarship, one admittance to the program of their choice, and one handsome prince. Also, she used to be the CEO of Sprite. Clearly, she is qualified. 

One Picture Tells 1000 Stories

I was directed for one of my classes to a website with 25 of the most influential photographs of all time. These pictures honestly and frankly tell America's story over the last 80 years more efficiently than any textbook I have read. Some tell of the mountains we have climbed and the progress we have made. Many of the pictures truly show the pain that has been endured. Some are disturbing because you realize these aren't just pictures; they are people, events and stories that actually took place. Hunger, war, racism, and natural disasters are realities of the world that we live in. They are cruel realities, but ones that we must face. Not only must we face them, but we must accept them and where we can, fight them. 90 years from now, there are going to be a set of 25 equally illuminates photographs depicting the rest of the 21st century. What pictures do you want to be shown there? Will they be more pictures of war and violence, hatred and indifference? Undoubtedly, some will tell of horrors we cannot imagine. I can only hope though that some will tell of compassion and charity. Some will show that yes the world has evil, but it can be countered with human creativity, progress, ambition and love. 

Right now you might be saying "This girl is ridiculously ideological." I am, and I take that as a compliment. If you can never expect the human race to get better, why are you here? Look at Martin Luther King Jr. Certainly he was an ideologist. He fought for something no one could foresee happening: equal rights for both whites and blacks. And yet in the last 50 years, America has revolutionized because of the civil rights movement. 

I am not Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Theresa or Gandhi, but I am Anne Katherine. I do not fight for revolutionary world change, but I will argue that one person does make the difference. In your life, you are that one person. So many people undervalue the true effect a single person can have on the world. Pick a cause, and fight for it. If you are unhappy with something, try to change it. If you love someone, tell them. If you don't, what will the world say about you when you are gone? Or will it have anything to say at all? 

If you want to take a look at the site, here is the link. I suggest you take a look. http://www.pxleyes.com/blog/2011/07/25-of-the-most-influential-news-images-of-all-time/

Go change your world, okay? 

Anne Katherine

Umm.. Can You Stand Up Without Arms or Legs? Probably Not.. :)

So yes, the little messages that flash in between the clips of him are cheesy. But in an "I need to keep watching this right now," way. This guy is the epitome of a positive attitude. It's insane. Just watch!

"Nick Vujicic was born in Melbourne, Australia with the rare Tetra-amelia disorder: limbless, missing both arms at shoulder level, and having one small foot with two toes protruding from his left thigh. Despite the absence of limbs, he is doing surf and swimming, and playing golf and soccer. Nick graduated from college at the age of 21 with a double major in Accounting and Financial Planning. He began his travels as a motivational speaker, focusing on the topics that today's teenagers face."

How amazing is that?! AH, amazing. It puts my little college tests into perspective. 

Another thing. Let's just say you need five minutes to chill out and need something to entertain you? Go to drawastickman.com. 

My favorite song at the moment: 

And just an underwater river. NBD.

The world is beautiful, don't you think?! Night!!

Word Up, Braski.

When I left, my little brother could barely string three words together. Today, he told me that he liked hockey and about how he was learning to paint in preschool. It's crazy just how much you miss in a month and a half.

Thales, a Greek philosopher said, "Underlying all the change in the world, there is a fundamental order ad unity that does not change." I'll believe it when I see it, dude.

I made homemade peach pie with my grandma on Sunday. It was delicious. And I helped make it... That is very paradoxical. But I was very happy with how it turned out. It was so nice being at my grandparent's house this weekend. They are such amazing people and such wonderful examples to me. And my uncle and aunt are so much fun to be with also. And for the record, I beat them in Ticket to Ride. Anyone who knows them knows that this is a big deal.

This is how I feel right now:

However, it's HOMECOMING!!!! :D This week there is something huge happening every night (minus tonight) and the weekend is even better. Football, 5 dances, lots of parties. It is going to be great! That is.. if I get the hundreds of papers I have due done. If not, they will be looming over my head like the giant rain cloud that hit Provo an hour ago. Whenever people talk about college, they conveniently forget to tell you just how much homework you are going to have. 

Anyways, it's still homecoming this week and I cannot wait. It is going to be WAY awesome. 

Way. That is a word that is WAY overused on campus. It doesn't even make sense. It's way confusing. 

See what I mean? 

A cute boy I didn't know came and sat by me this morning. I love random encounters with attractive men. Almost as much as the regular encounters with attractive men. 

Do you want to know how to persuade people you are going to rule the world? All Alexander the Great had to do was cut a knot. You think I'm joking, but I'm not. There was a knot in Gordium that was tied to a wagon. The knot was complex and whoever could untie it was said would rule the world. Alexander got there, looked at it, and cut it in half. The world then believed he would rule the world. 

If only it were that easy.

My roommate, Rachael Davies, feels like an old soul. At least that's what she tells me at 2 in the morning. 

One last thing. You know in cartoons when people drop coconuts and they break? I didn't think this would actually happen. Rachael and I bought a coconut but could not figure out how to cut it open. We tried three knives. Finally, I just jokingly threw it down on the floor. And it shattered. ALL OVER. Then two seconds later, like 10 boys walked into our apartment. And found us splattered in coconut milk with the shell all over the ground. It was a... humorous moment.

Anyways, be yourself.

AK

Plato, Star Wars and Harry Potter. Life Doesn't Get Much Better.

I have found my perfect Pandora channel. Nora Jones, Sara Bareilles and Howie Day. It is genius. If you are in the mood for a chill and spunky music channel, this is it. I love it. I listen to it practically every day. 


So my professor dressed up as Plato the other day. Greek white robe, the gold laurel headband, stone tablet and talked liked Plato the whole time. He pulled a girl up from the first row and started questioning her in the Socratic method and pretty much proved to her she had no idea what she was doing with her life. If I was her, I would still be in a state of confusion. I guess you could say he is pretty passionate about Greek Philosophy...


I ran into something comparing Star Wars to Harry Potter the other day. It made me laugh. A lot. So if you are in to either Star Wars or Harry Potter- or better yet- BOTH, check it out. It takes three seconds. Just Go Here.


Also, if you are still unsure of Harry Potter's dominance over Twilight.. Go Here Right Now.

Hope you smiled today!

Everything They Taught You in Kindergarten is Wrong.

Tonight I have something for you to consider.

Can anyone do anything unselfishly?

At first, you would like to say yes. But many good acts are done because of something you will get in return. You get good camaraderie, tax returns, scholarships, a good feeling, eternal happiness, and so on. I thought about my life and all the things I had done to serve other people. Most of the time it was because I was with my friends, I knew it would benefit me, colleges wanted to see it or I knew God wanted me to help others. Have you ever done anything unselfishly without any invested interest in it? Think about it...

I have my own opinion on this. You form your own ideas though. I'm not going to tell you how to think!

Just for laughs...

Love, AK