~ALICE~

For many months now, I have been excited about Tim Burton's version of the classic tale of Alice in Wonderland. I love Tim Burton movies. His style is unique and his cinematography is simply amazing! To me, ALICE seemed like a perfect fit for the man who brought the world Nightmare Before Christmas, Charlie and the Chocolate factory and many others. This film surprised me. It wasn't like any ALICE I had seen before. This time, Wonderland was truly wonderful!
Tim's ALICE is truly one of a kind. In the beginning, we find Alice (played by newcomer Mia Wasikowska), now 19 years of age, at her engagement party. The only problem - Alice isn't ready to marry. She is imaginative and curious and her husband-to-be is more serious. Not a perfect match. When Alice sees the white rabbit she has only dreamed about, she chases it down the rabbit hole and ends up in Underland, a place of her dreams, where there is a constant battle between the Red Queen (played by Helena Bonham Carter) and White Queen (played by Anne Hathaway). Now, with the help of the Mad Hatter (played by Jonny Depp), she must find herself and defeat the Red Queen, saving Underland from a dismal demise.
To be honest, it took me until about the half-way point to truly like this movie. All throughout, I was expecting ALICE to go where every other ALICE movie had gone. Who was I kidding? This is Tim Burton's version. Once I got over the fact that this was a completely new ALICE story, I fell in love with this version. The acting is supurb! Each actor fits perfectly into their part (even the voice actors). As we already know, Helena Bonham Carter can play evil well and she truly steals the show!
This ALICE is the new one to beat! Burton's imagination has brought Wonderland to life in a way the land has never been shown before. While this film isn't perfect, ALICE is truly magical and will be enjoyed!

A year in review

2009 was a great year! Here is a recap of my favorite moments of 2009.

January

• Although I already was accepted to BYU-Idaho, I finally decided to go there for college.
• Many free periods in high school!
• NEW YEAR, New Semester!

February

• Valentines dance with Alyssa! Fun Fun!
• High School basketball games at the ECenter
• Hanging out with Logan, Laura and Alyssa

March

• MORE CRAZY BELNAP!
• Choir tour including Disneyland and seeing Phantom in Las Vegas!
• Ikea
• Found the world's greatest product - The Snuggie
• 9 to 5!!!!
• Choir NAME CARDS

April

• The woes of English 1010

May

• "That's Not My Name!"
• Graduation
• UP!
• END OF DEALING WITH CRAZY BELNAP!

June

• Last Night - After Graduation
  
• New Job - Fruit Stands
• 18th birthday fun!
• Registering for classes at BYU-Idaho
• New camera
• New Zealand Girls visit. Lots of adventures!
• Hiking

July

• Harry Potter Party
• Work, Work, Work
• Lagoon
• Best Youth Conference EVER!!!

August

• Get ready for school!
• Family Reunion

September

• Moved to Rexburg, Idaho!
• Get Connected
• Met AMAZING people!
• Fun with FHE sisters and room mates!
• Sand Dunes
  

October

• General Conference with Reece and Levi. Ride back to Rexburg with Laura, Sarah, Kelsey, and Reece.
  
• Owl City Boise Concert!
• Crazy Halloween!
• More New Friends!

November

• Looking forward to break
  
• Thanksgiving at home with Reece and the Rhondeaus. Fun Fun times!
• Cabin Adventures. Christmas music, sitting by the fire for 4 whole hours! Felt the Christmas spirit!

December

• Finals Stress
• Final Rexburg adventures
• Leaving Rexburg :(
• No School Until April!
• CHRISTMAS!!!
• Seeing Old Friends!

As you can see, I had a very productive year. I hope this year brings me many more adventures!

I'm Back!!!!!!

I completely realize that I haven't blogged for months, but now I am out of school and I will be back at it again. I really have no idea why I didn't blog much while in Idaho. I had plenty of time to do so. I guess I just couldn't think of anything to blog about.
BYU-Idaho was GREAT! I love that little town in Idaho, the wide open spaces right across the street from campus, and better yet, the people and all my new amazing friends. School was a learning experience, not just for the knowledge you learn at school, but the kind you gain just by living. I had to learn patience living with others. Every college student, in my opinion, needs to move out for school. There are life lessons one will never learn without living independently.
College for the most part was good. I wish I had gotten more involved and started tracking school earlier in the semester. Although my grades were fine, I wish that I had worked harder. But hey, that is what next semester is for.
Overall college has changed me for the better. I know what kind of a person I now want to be in life and I now am beginning to know what in life really matters. College is supposed to be a big change in life, and for me it has been.

What to post about?

Sorry I missed yesterday, I had nothing to write. It feels as if the well has run dry for now, at least for big posts. First of all, Laura, I am so excited for Saturday. I think that we are going to have a lot of fun! Second of all, I love my friends! This year I have become friends/become better friends with some of the most amazing people in the world! And to my long-time friends, thanks for always being there for me! Last, but certainly not least, my LOST and The Office friends, Alex and Olivia, I couldn't do without our weekly get-togethers. Wednesday and Thursday nights literally get me through school, and surviving through the end of my senior year. What will we do next year when we will be away? I suppose I will be here in the spring, but we will still be missing you, Olivia. We can always wait until the DVD...

I love you all, and hope you are all doing well!

*Thanks EMILY for finding my blog and being my friend in CHEMISTRY!*

Too small?

I hate how my first Apple-related post is negative. If you know me, I have always been a huge fan of Apple products. Apple recently introduced a new iPod shuffle and seriously, I HATE it! It is smaller (the size of an AAA battery), has a voice that tells you which song you are listening, and has 4 gigs, which is good. But the biggest downfall is its lack of buttons on the actual player. Because three buttons are on the earbuds, Apple forces you to use their earbuds which, to the casual user, might sound ok, but many people prefer other brands.
Apple is known for their simplicity of their designs. On the outside, this new Shuffle may look more simple, but no one wants to press the center button multiple times just to switch the song, as seen HERE. Apple, users want to easily controll their music. You had it right on the first and second generation Shuffles. Without the iconic Apple buttons on the front of the player, this new shuffle looks like a cheap knock-off that you would get from china. The new Shuffle, put simply, is ugly.
What do you think about this new iPod shuffle? Would you buy one? I definitely wouldn't.