Facebook: Fact or Fiction?

Facebook is fascinating. We use it to connect with other people and to share how we are doing, yet it still gives us a warped view of reality. Now I can't speak for everyone, but I would assume that many people post their ideal lives on Facebook. They announce all the exciting news and the joyful moments to celebrate, but once hard times hit they quiet down. We seldom can understand what others are going through scrolling through their Facebook wall.

I will even admit to this. Last Friday I got engaged to my fiancé, and naturally Facebook was the medium I chose to let most people know. We posted pictures, I wrote a blog post, and my notifications exploded. We received a lot of incredibly validating feedback. Which was awesome. Well, since he proposed his car has broken down twice and I have been facing some of my most stressful academic days of my life. Did I post all that on Facebook?

Of course not! Why ruin the joy of the moment by posting a complaint? I want everyone to see that I am still happy. Because I certainly am! I've never been happier. Doesn't mean I'm not incredibly stressed or that my life is perfect, though. Which is what we tend to see when we scroll others' Facebook pages. We see what is on the surface, but we rarely see the difficult challenges that are going on back stage. Some people are incredibly open with their challenges on Facebook. I, however, tend to keep those to myself. 

So this post is just a little reminder to never compare your life with the life you see someone else living on Facebook. Because you are only seeing a piece of reality. 

Why Youtube is the Best Idea Ever

Youtube is the best idea ever. I have a very practical personality. I just love how practical youtube is. You can use it to find out how to do just about anything.

You're a female and need to tie a tie for a Halloween costume? Look it up on YouTube.

Need to learn how to play your favorite song on the piano? Look it up on YouTube.

Need to learn how to cook your favorite recipe? Look it up on YouTube.

Car broke down and you need to replace your fuel pump but don't know exactly how? Look it up on YouTube.

Yes, that last one actually happened. Two days ago, to be exact. It was not me who looked it up though. I Do not know the first thing about cars. My fiancé's car broke down and his friend pulled up how to change a fuel pump on YouTube.

Why some random guys posted a video on YouTube about changing a fuel pump I will never know. But it inthe ultimate how to. You can learn how to do practically anything. Which is a comfort to me if my car ever breaks down and I have to take action, or if I find myself in another precarious situation.

YouTube. Best idea ever.

Why I'm not using Pinterest to plan my wedding

Now this post is going to be a little nicer than my one bashing mainstream media. I know there are a lot of Pinterest fans out there. This is just my own personal opinion.

Pinterest has been around for years, and maybe it's just because I prefer to be one step behind in mainstream media, but I never touched it until recently. I didn't quite understand the Pinterest hype. But I wasn't one to judge, because I had never created an account or used the website for anything.

Well, I'm trying to plan a wedding. I am anything but the creative type. So! I get myself a Pinterest account. I bailed within 10 minutes.

Why? I don't know. Maybe it's because I'm trying to plan a wedding during the most crazy semester of my life. Whatever it is, Pinterest is way too overstimulating for me. I jump on hoping that it will give me some ideas, but what I get is an explosion of endless pins with possibilities. Some personalities like that; it feeds their creativity. I, on the other hand, am very practical, and possibilities  just increase the overall stress. I can't navigate the site very well, but for very orderly and practical personalities like the one I have, I personally think Pinterest should have a way of narrowing the search. The categories are way too broad for me. I was looking for bridesmaids dresses and I already had some idea of what I wanted them to look like. I hopped on Pinterest and all I saw were hundreds of pins with dresses that didn't come anywhere close to what I was looking for. I didn't find it very helpful.

I don't know! Is there a way to narrow the search? That would make my life infinitely better.

I guess I'm not a huge fan of the idea of Pinterest either. Maybe it's because I'm too practical. I see all these ideas posted on individual pins, but am left with no set plans to put these ideas into action. When I browse Pinterest it feels like most of the pins I see are cute ideas but I have no idea where to even begin to use that idea for my own wedding. Granted, there are a few that have direct links to websites where you can find certain products, but generally, I feel that it is just filling my brain with more possibilities without giving me any real substance.

But maybe one has to be taught to use Pinterest to plan a wedding. Especially one such as myself who generally stays away from popular media.

Cinderella! Everywhere!!

Two days ago my boyfriend and I watched Ever After together. I love Ever After. It is definitely my favorite of the plethora of Cinderella stories found in the media. Each character (with the exception of the baronness and Marguerite) have their own kind of growth and transformation. The dialogue is absolutely brilliant, the love story is actually believable, and the story has a fun and entertaining plot to follow.

We happened to watch Ever After together the day after we watched Cinderella's episode of Once Upon a Time, which throws in the twist that Cinderella finds her story's happy ending (kinda) after making a deal with the baby-hungry Rumpelstiltskin.

I started to think about all the other Cinderella stories in the media. A quite obvious one is "A Cinderella Story," which puts a modern twist on the Cinderella story, starring Hillary Duff. Others include "Slipper in the Rose," "Ella Enchanted," Disney's "Cinderella," "Another Cinderella Story," Roger and Hammerstein's "Cinderella," and "If the Shoe Fits." In fact, there are dozens! Cinderella stories are everywhere! I wonder if Cinderella isn't the most popular fairytale; its plotline seems to weave its way into dozens of stories. The prevalence of Cinderella-themed plotlines would be an interesting content analysis.

So why is Cinderella so popular?

This is something that has actually intrigued me for years. What is it about the story of Cinderella that creates enough appeal to retell the story in hundreds of books and movies? I have a few ideas. The challenges presented can appeal to many. Some struggle with broken families. Some struggle with feelings of rejection, betrayal, ostracism, and loneliness. Some feel out of place, some feel overworked, some feel that their circumstances are preventing them from reaching their potential or finding happiness. Cinderella struggles with all of these difficulties and finds a quick and simple solution: a fairy Godmother who makes all her dreams come true with the flick of a wand. Suddenly Cinderella rises from rags to riches, finds love, and lives happily ever after.What's not appealing about that?

Not that I'm accusing the human race of not having the desire to solve their own problems. But I'm sure everyone would agree that it would be nice to have an external influence solve all our problems for us.

But does real growth occur when that happens?

Plus, some of these Cinderella stories do not even include a fairy godmother. In some of them, the heroine has to endure trials and challenges throughout the entire story until she finally achieves her grand reward.

Perhaps it's the hope that anyone's rotten circumstances can change that appeals to audiences everywhere. Whatever it is, I still find myself among Cinderella fans. As long as the story isn't cliche. Which is kind of hard to pull off when it has been done so many times.

Best Youtube Video Ever

I came across this Youtube video the other day that made my life.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z2Z23SAFVA

And now I quote it all the time. So does my boyfriend. And all of his coworkers.

There are so many reasons why this video is awesome. Firstly, it appeals to grammar and spelling Nazis like myself. It pokes fun at egregious spelling errors in a non-aggressive way, in my opinion.

The animation of the words is also visually captivating. Even though all this video portrays is words on a screen, it animates them in such a way that makes it entertaining. I may or may not have watched this video at least a dozen times.

And finally, the choice of soundtrack adds the perfect overdramatic tone to the entire review. It adds to the overall humor and appeal of the video, thus making it a masterpiece.

Go watch it.

"Beacuase the voices where pretty good . . ."

Meet the Mormons

Last night I saw Meet the Mormons and was pleasantly surprised. I can honestly say that it is not what I anticipated. I thought that the movie would be a documentary that focused more on Mormon Doctrine and how our beliefs set us apart from other denominations. Instead, I was surprised to see that the documentary places an emphasis on how Mormons live their lives. The overarching theme that I believe the Brethren were aiming for is that Mormons are normal, everyday people. I love how the video portrayed ordinary people doing extraordinary things that bring them so much joy and fulfillment.

The idea behind this movie truly is brilliant. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that after seeing the movie, viewers were more likely to walk away with a more accurate representation of who Mormons are and what we believe. They are more likely to think of us as Christian. I was also pleasantly surprised to find that it ranked number ten in the box office. It is another significant effort put forth by the church to help the world understand who we truly are. Though it does not include much doctrine, it does a fantastic job of showing examples of how true disciples of Christ live their lives. It gives people an accurate idea of our values. I was incredibly touched by each of the stories featured in the film. Though it's primary purpose is not to proselyte, I believe that it will plant many seeds in people's hearts.

It's awesome! Go see it!

Why I Love General Conference

Yes! Another post about Conference. Can you blame me? Conference is awesome!! I look forward to it like Christmas! Lemme tell ya why.

In my opinion, Conference is everything the media needs to be. I love having the opportunity to watch inspiring messages back to back. I never watch 8 hours of television over the weekend except for General Conference time. It's TV viewing that is actually fulfilling and leaves you with a desire to do and to be a better person. That's what the best kind of media does for you. It inspires you to change and inspires you to act. I can't think of any media that does that better than General Conference.

This Conference weekend was particularly fun. The last time General Conference rolled around I was still on my mission in Tennessee and had no access to social media. I watched every talk with other people in mind; I wanted to know what I could share with investigators to help bring them closer to Christ. This time I had no investigators, but I had a few of them as friends on Facebook, along with several others that I had taught on my mission. I thought I could use that to my advantage this time.

I had Facebook open almost the entire time and went to town. I updated my status with new inspiring messages every ten to fifteen minutes. My friends were doing the same thing. At the same time, memes with inspiring messages were springing up all over my feed, people were discussing spirituality, and everyone was "liking" each other's statuses. My Facebook feed has never been more inspirational.

It was so cool! Sometimes around Conference time I would hop on Facebook and I would see several statuses in my feed bashing the Church, its leaders, and my beliefs. I used to avoid Facebook during Conference time for that particular reason. I love how I can now use it as a tool for good. I believe this is what the Brethren had in mind when they asked us to use social media to share our messages with the world. Imagine if everyone's Facebook feed looked like mine did over the weekend. The world would be a much less hateful place. Social media can be a powerful tool! Let's use it for good!