Sometimes I hate media.. Exibit A.

Tonight my mom, sister, and I all went out to eat because my dad and brothers went to Idaho for the weekend. We went out to Chili's, which is one of my favorites!!! However, one of the first things I noticed when I walked in were these little "ziosks" on each table. They were almost like little ipads advertising the different foods they serve there. My initial reaction was "thats kinda cool," at least until our waitress came and explained it to us. She said..."Here is our brand new little ziosks. You can play unlimited games, search our menu, and even pay for your meal all on this little machine, all for just 99 cents." That's when I got really annoyed. They already have a million TV's in their resturant, and lots of people were just sitting around on their phones anyway. It bugs me that they are encouraging people to play games now too!! When you go out to eat, its usually to get away, and enjoy the people around you. The atmosphere. The food. The memories. Not your stupid phone, or what's going on on the TV in front of you!! Now they want you to play on the ziosk. Whatever happened to HUMAN INTERACTION?????
xoxo,
Jessie

My news feed.

This week I almost had a panick attack! When I log into Firefox, it automatically takes me to a news feed of different articles that have been published in the news that day. Well when I logged in earlier this week, the top story was about the earthquake in Chile. My best friend is serving her mission there and is serving in that area. I was so worried about her. But luckily all the missionaries in Chile are all safe. I'm really grateful that there is media out there that can let us know about different parts of the world at the click of a mouse.
xoxo,
Jessie

Hilarious memes!

My face book has been exploding with "memes" lately! They have taken one picture of my friend and have literally gone insane with all these clever ideas! Note: its a picture of Charlie and his partner Lynnsay after they won a dance competition a few weeks ago! A pictures speaks one thousands words! Its funny how these are all so different too! Take a look!

Original picture 

Now look what they turned it in to... 

 

Yeah.... 

xoxo, Jessie

Food Blogs!

One of the things I am obsessed with lately are food blogs! I have never been a very good cook (or I haven't really tried to be) not sure which!!! So once I discovered pinterest, I was exposed to a whole new world of cooking! I fell in love with it, but my husband wasn't so sure about it! I'm known in my family as the "pinterest fail" queen! To name a few examples....
1: River cookies. I decided to make simple chocolate chips one day and looked in the oven with about a minute left and low and behold.... a cookie river in the pan bubbling and liquified all over my pan. I cried. My husband managed to get a video and sent it to my whole family! I didn't add enough flour! haha!
2: Avocado pasta: no.... just no. Never combine avocado and noodles.
3: Cauliflour pizza. Just eat the real stuff!
So these are just a few of my cooking examples :) haha! I really do love the food blogs Six Sisters Stuff and Mel's Kitchen Cafe! (Or it could be that I just love their photography) What are your favorite food blogs??
Help a sista out!!!!
xoxo,
Jessie

Rising above trials.

I've been feeling so bad about the missionary from Utah that died doing a service project. I read the story on the news and was shocked. One thing I really thought was amazing was how the family of this missionary shared their testimony of the church when being interviewed on tv. Even though this was a very tragic situation, I think it is amazing that his family used his life as a testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel. Media is an amazing way to share our beliefs and values with the world.      
Xoxo Jessie

Royals

Ok so this new royals song that everyone is obsessed with is so weird! What is cutting teeth on wedding rings in the movies mean???? Really. Then I was thinking about how most people don't even know the words to their favorite song! As parents I think it's important to monitor and educate or kids about the kind of music they listen to!
Xoxo, Jessie

Internet identity is SO ANNOYING!

So I had a really interesting experience with media this week. I am a student instructer for a 184 ballroom dance class at BYU and I decided to send out a "mid course evaluation" this past week to get some feed back from my students. As we all know.... these are anonymous so I had no idea what student was saying what. So I get my results back and apparently one on my students really isn't enjoying my class and said some pretty harsh things in her evaluation. Made me kinda sad, but I guess it's good to know! So it got me thinking about how people can act totally different when their identity is taken away! All my students in my class have seemed to be enjoying the class and all are really friendly... but all kinds of crazy breaks loose when I don't know who they are! haha! Way interesting.
xoxo, Jessie

Speaking in Church.

This weekend my family has been going crazy because they have been asked to speak in sacrament tomorrow! Somehow everyone in my family got asked to speak except for me and my little sister! I have no idea how I worked that one out! I know that we use media quite a bit in our church, expecially during sacrament meetings because we sing 3, sometimes 4, hymns in an hour. Are giving talks a form of media? I guess this goes for any type of public speech. Its not necessarily entertainment, but it is informational and educational and spiritually edifying! Is it media? I guess I'm in for a treat tomorrow!
xoxo, Jessie

Sick Days.

Its been a sick day at our house today. My little baby sister has been throwing up all day and it is so sad. I have never seen one little girl throw up so many times. The day has consisted of me holding back her hair as she leans over the toilet all day. It totally stinks. My family headed out to my brother's basketball game and I stayed behind with Sophie. So hear I am doing this assignment, and she is behind me on the floor watching Dora on my laptop.

We talked a lot about children and children's media in our class and there is one part of these children's shows that I'm curious about. As I'm listening to this show behind me, every once in a while Dora will stop and ask a question like "Do you see the banana?" and then pause for like 7 seconds before she answers it for herself. Clearly this is an attempt to get kids more involved in the show. But do kids actually respond to these things? I'm curious if they are effective or not. Will kids get more involved if the characters stop and ask questions and stare at them? Or ask them to do the dance moves with them? I don't know. I would assume so, but I want to know what you guys think!
xoxo, Jessie

My Sentimental Side.

One of my favorite types of media is music. One of the things I love most about it is how it can totally take us back in time! There are some songs that bring back such weird memories for me! The other day I heard a backstreet boys song that I was obsessed with when I was little and it reminded me of the time my little cousin and I drove to Lagoon for my birthday when I was like 8 years old! It was so weird that I remembered all these things just from hearing Backstreet Boys "The Call." haha! I was obsessed with that when I was little! But this week I heard a song that I absolutely love. My mom used to sing "Baby Mine" from Dumbo to me when I was a new born and that song has always been very special to me.

  I am going to rock my little future babies to sleep with that song. I have very slight memories of it, but I do remember her singing it to me one night in my pink room :) I just bought that song on iTunes and have been listening to it on campus this week on my ipod. :) Such special memories. Do you guys have a special song?
xoxo, Jessie

Dance Moms.

I'll admit it... I LOVE dance moms! I love love love it! I have danced my whole life and can totally relate to those girls! My experience wasn't as crazy as theirs but I love other people's drama! haha! So the big thing on the show right now is that one of the moms on the show freaked out and hit and pulled Abby's hair (the dance teacher) and got arrested for it. Now she is trying to sue Abby for public humiliation for like 5 million dollars or something crazy! I love reality TV shows.... but this totally got out of hand. What do you guys think???? Like or dislike?
xoxo Jessie
Dance Moms.

ew... how creepy is this.

Ok. soooooo basically this is one of the weirdest and creepiest things I have ever seen. This is why I don't like cats! However, I love this type of media because people can literally share whatever they want with the rest of the world. Even though it can sometimes be a waste of time... its fun to be able to record your history and fun memories through video!
Here is the cat video
Cats....
xoxo Jessie

What cute little grandmas think :)

Hello,
These little grandma's are so funny and have been best friends for like 94 years! They have really been around to see the changes in the media! I love this video because they have such strong opinions about how things have changed such as singers, phones, dance, slang, etc. They are so funny! I wonder what we will think of the media when we get to be that old :) Sometimes I wonder what our world would be like without all the iphones, email, ipads, iwhatever..... it might be fun to send a hand written letter every once in a while! What do you guys think?
xoxo, Jessie

All time fav.

Hey everyone,
I wanted to share my favorite song with you! I have been belting this song at the top of my lungs a lot recently! I love it more and more each time I sing it! Carrie Underwood has always been one of my top favorite singers! This song just absolutely blows me away! I love that we use the media in our church and that it can be such a strong testimony and witness to us. This song has deepened my own testimony and has taught me so much of the power and grace of the Lord. It has especially touched me as I think about the passing of sweet Ashleigh. The Lord has a special plan for all of his children and his hand is guiding our lives even if we can't see or notice it. Hope you love this as much as I do.
xoxo, Jessie

Laptop Probs...

Soooo.... I may have had a panick attack or two this week. And by panick attack I mean my laptop died. Not just ran out of battery... but literally crashed. Of course this would happen the week my classes start going test crazy! Lets just say this has been a huuuuge challenge for me! I never knew how much I relied on my laptop for EVERYTHING until I didn't have it anymore! I don't have an I phone so basically my internet access this week has been zero, unless I go to the library (which is annoying). So missed out on 2 assignments for school this week since it crashed and I didn't know they were due.... and... I NEVER turn in things late! This event has seriously pushed me to my limits! But it has also been a real eye opener to me. I literally didn't know what to do with myself without my access to the "outside world." No pinterest, no email, no learning suite, no facebook. I am constantly checking these sites all day and I felt so out of the loop without that access. We live in a time where it is basically impossibe to go through school without readily available internet access all the time. Its been lots of fun trying to go to school with such limited internet. EVERYTHING is online! Wow! For those of you with a working laptop... count your blessings :)
xoxo, Jessie

Brings me to Tears.

This is one of the most beautiful videos I have ever seen. My mom showed it to me this morning and I have not been able to stop thinking about it all day. I love learning life lessons through inspritational videos. In this particular one I learned to never ever judge. You never know someone's story, their trials, or their struggles. Mothers are so powerful, and I gained so much insight and strength from this. This is the sweetest video I have ever seen. The love someone has for their family is the most powerful of all <3
xoxo, Jessie

hot Hot HOT!

People are constantly trying to argue with me that dance ISN'T a sport. Nothing in the world makes me more annoyed then when people say its not! Try watching this and THEN tell me its not hard, that it doesn't take practice, and isn't athletic. Riccardo and Yulia are world champions in latin style ballroom dance, and she has been one of my idols since I was 14 years old! However, is watching a dance performance considered media?? Obviously the music the dancers dance to is considered media... but is the actual performance considered media? If movies are considered media, are live performances also considered media?? I'm not sure! I would totally consider it entertainment (and a sport)... just throwing that in there! lol. What do you guys think!?

xoxo, Jessie

Is Sleeping Beauty evil?

Ok ok ok.... so just like everyone else in this world, I am in LOVE with Disney! I was especially excited when my friend shared this video with me! I literally can not wait to see this show! For those of you who are as obsessed with Disney as I am.... you kind of feel a loyalty towards all the "oldie goldie" shows like Snow White, Pinocchio, Peter Pan, and in this case Sleeping Beauty. Maybe for some that's weird, but for me its totally normal :) So when I first saw this trailer, it totally drew me in. It was intense, the music was all mysterious, and action packed. Clearly this trailer was designed to draw people in and to get people excited about this film. However, the more I have been thinking about it, the more it sort of irritates me! I don't really remember the original Sleeping Beauty being so dark and creepy. Besides the lyrics of the song, the only phrase they say is "There is evil in this world. Hatred. And revenge." When they said that I was just like... "really??"

 From this.....

     

   to this.    

                                                                                                                                                         
Why is Disney taking a happy love story and turning it into a creepy horror film? Maybe the film is more focused on the evil queen or whatever and isn't really the actual Sleeping Beauty story. Who knows... the film isn't out yet. Now OBVIOUSLY I am going to see the show! How could you not??? But try watching it from another perspective. Was it necessary?

xoxo Jessie

If you need a good laugh... :)

I LOVE music! I played the piano for a really long time when I was little, but I wish I kept playing so bad! I ran across this video of two old couples that I absolutely love. You can see how much joy that this couple has when they play together! I have watched this so many times and laugh my head off each time! I love that music has obviously strengthened their relationship and that they brought so much happiness to the people that heard their performance! Hope you get as good of a laugh out of this as I did! :) Has music been a blessing to your life?
Piano Performance at the Mayo Clinic
xoxo Jessie

When life gives you lemons.. and I mean A LOT of lemons..

Life is hard. I don't think that's new news to anyone. We are so lucky as members of the church to know that we have a Savior that is right there to help us in our greatest times of need. I came across this blog post here that really hit home for me and that I really really needed to hear. As students, it's really easy to feel like we don't quite measure up, like we aren't quite as good as someone else, or that we didn't get as good of a grade as we wanted. Sometimes it literally takes every single speck of energy in my body to roll out of bed in the morning. I think we all can relate. After reading this article I totally have a new opinion about how the Lord works in our greatest times of need. He WILL give us more than we can handle. That's just how life is, and I think that's how it's supposed to be. The reason he gives us these trials is so we will come unto him and recognize our need for his help. I'm so grateful I ran across this blog post. I found it at a time this week when I really needed to hear these words. It is so beautifully written, really touched my heart and totally changed my perspective. In this life we really do need our Savior. I believe that  blogs can be a way for people to share their experiences to bless the lives of others. It's not like every post needs to be some grand thing, but I do believe that learning from the examples and stories people share through their personal blogs can be a source of great strength to those who run across them. I hope one day I can be as well written and as eloquent as she is.

xoxo, Jessie

The Power of Photography!

 I have so much respect for photographers! I hope one day I can find my "creative eye" and capture all the beautiful moments in my life! One of my all time favorite photographers is Lisa Schleicher Furey. {I attached a link to the photo below} Everyone should look up her facebook page or her photography business called "2 Hip Chics Photography" because she is absolutely amazing! The photo I added below is one of my all time favorites! I absolutely LOVE <3 China! I have a little sister that was adopted from China so naturally I love it! I'm so excited because this summer I get to go there for the first time!! The reason I love photography so much is because it can teach us so much about EVERYTHING! Its like taking a little millisecond of our life and keeping it forever. I especially love this photo because I feel like it captures the "real feel of China." To my understanding Lisa was just walking down the streets of China and saw this little girl and took the picture. It really captures what everyday life is like there! Its amazing how differently they are from us and I have never even been there! Its true that a picture is worth one thousand words! What are your thoughts on this picture or of photography in general??

Here is a link to her photo!

2 Hip Chics Photography

xoxo, Jessie

If you LOVE babies you will LOVE this!

Sometimes I go through these phases where I feel like I want a little baby sooooooo bad! And this video is a perfect example of something that makes me feel like that! haha! It was fun relating this video to our class because its amazing to see how quickly even infants respond to the media. I would say that worldwide, music can put anyone in either a really good mood or a really bad mood. It can be either really soothing or really stressful. I also think that music has a really powerful way of inviting the spirit in our church settings as well. Music is very powerful! The little baby in this video changed moods within a matter of seconds! Its really quite amazing! Just watch her eyes! Not only is this video {adorable} but it really is a large indicator on how great of an influence it can have on how we feel! Hope you enjoy this as much as I did! I've attached a link to the video below.
xoxo
Jessie

Love Disney, love these girls, love EVERYTHING about this video!

Hello everyone :) This video that I found is one of the sweetest and most hilarious videos I have ever watched! When I saw it, I knew I had to post it for our class to watch! This is a perfect example of how media can be used in a great way! I'm sure when these little girls are older they will be so happy to have those memories saved! I would LOVE <3 to record my future kids singing when they are young! If anyone is having a rough day, this is seriously the perfect pick me up :) What a cute way to treasure your childhood! I imagine that posting video recordings of our children will increase in popularity in years to come! Hope you {enjoy} this as much as I did :) I attached a link to the video below!
Maddie and Zoe sing Disney's "Frozen"

xoxo Jessie