Worth While

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

It is easy enough to be pleasant,
When life flows by like a song,
But the man worth while is the one who will smile,
When everything goes dead wrong.
For the test of the heart is trouble,
And it always comes with the years,
And the smile that is worth the praises of earth
Is the smile that shines through tears.

It is easy enough to be prudent,
When nothing tempts you to stray,
When without or within no voice of sin
Is luring your soul away;
But it’s only a negative virtue
Until it is tried by fire,
And the life that is worth the honor of earth
Is the one that resists desire.

By the cynic, the sad, the fallen,
Who had no strength for the strife,
The world’s highway is cumbered to-day;
They make up the sum of life.
But the virtue that conquers passion,
And the sorrow that hides in a smile,
It is these that are worth the homage on earth
For we find them but once in a while.

Breaking Dawn Part One.

Yes, I did watch Breaking Dawn at midnight last night and I actually, surprisingly, liked it. It is rated PG-13 and yes a few scenes were taken out before it aired moving it down from being rated R. And I'll tell you why. Firstly, it was very much like the book. The couple is on their honeymoon and well.. Anyway. There's a few bedroom scenes where you see lots of shoulders and skin and lots of drawn-out kissing. And there's that ocean scene (which was very similar to that Harry Potter scene in the last one). Also, aside from all the honeymoon bits, there was a scene just before the wedding when Bella has a nightmare and she's standing on all the dead bloody bodies of all the people she knows and blood is seeping out from beneath them. Not a necessary scene but it didn't bother me as much as the other scenes did.

The acting wasn't as cheesy as some of the other ones and the makeup and everything was actually quite good. My sister Jessica, who sat next to me, said "Wow. They actually look really good!" The director took his time with everything and so it wasn't rushed at all. It split exactly where I thought it would and I thought it was super fun when they had Stephenie Meyer attend the wedding! And if you do watch it, be sure to stay for a bit after the credits, there's an important scene that sets up the next movie. So yeah. I liked it, but I think this is one of those movies where I'd just have to say: Watch at your own risk.

Okay Jillian, Let's Try This Again...

I have successfully made it to Day 12 in Jillian Micheal's 30 Day Shred. And I am loving it! ...Well, actually, as I'm exercising I don't love it, but afterward I do!

..Actually, I WAS loving it. That is, until I started her second workout. Her 30 days is broken up into three workouts, and, naturally, they each get more and more intense. And for the months and months that I've had this video I have never once looked at the second workout. ...until two days ago. And when I first did it I thought I was going to die! If workout two is THIS bad, I don't even want to SEE workout three! I don't even want it in my presence!

..But today wasn't as bad. I keep reminding myself that when I started this whole thing I felt the same way about workout one. And that's a piece of cake right now. Hopefully I'll feel the same way about the others. And soon!

Pizza Dough!

1 1/4 cups warm water
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
Mix and let proof for five minutes.
2 Tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon salt
Mix in.
3 1/4 cup flour - Mix in 2 1/2 to 3 then knead in the rest.

Roll out fairly thin.
Poke holes in crust and shape edges.
Cover with 1 cup. sauce or so and add your favorite toppings!
Bake at 425 degrees for fifteen to seventeen minutes.

Tip: Before cooking, brush garlic butter onto the top!

Once Upon A Time.

Not that you don't have any other far more important things to be doing or anything, but I've discovered this new TV show on abc and I love it! It's a brand new series and it airs every Sunday night at 8/7 central. My roommate and I have faithfully watched every single episode so far and we're oober excited for the next one to come out! ...There's only three out so far and I think you can access them free on abc.com. I'm a little skeptical about giving too much of the story away by telling you about it. I'll just say that it has something to do with Snow White, Prince Charming, the Evil Queen, the fairy tale world and the real world! It's PG for mild language and the violence is very clean (old fashion punching, bloodless sword fighting), although the graphics are a little cheesy at times. Anyway, if you have a few extra hours in your busy day you should check it out!

My Dilemma in a Nutshell.

GED and ACT? Check.
College and University? Check.
Freshman year? Check.
Sophomore year? Check.
Junior year? Check.
Senior year? Check.
Graduation? Check.
What in the world to do next? .........AHH!!

Crossed.

It's the sequel to Matched by Ally Condie. And if you haven't read Matched I highly recommend it! The second wasn't quite as good as the first but it was still good! It sort of just set the pieces up for the last book. As I was reading it felt very much like watching the first part of the last Harry Potter movie. ...It just kept going and going and nothing really interesting was happening. I mean I enjoyed reading Crossed, but I sort of wished that.. I don't know.. I can't think of what she could have changed to make it better. Everything was important and all. Maybe that was it. It was all very serious. Practically no comic relief. Anyway, if you've read it I'd love to hear your thoughts!