Doctor Who

. . . is dumb.

Yes, I know a ton of people are going to be really upset at me saying this, but it's the truth.  I do not like Doctor Who.

Yes, I've actually watched it.
Yes, I've given it a fair chance and watched multiple episodes.
Yes, I understand it.
No, I still do not like it.

Yes, David Tennant is attractive.
No, that is absolutely no reason to suffer through watching the show.
Yes, I've watched the old classic episodes as well.
No, I still don't enjoy the show.


My reasoning behind not liking Doctor Who: One of my all time favorite TV shows is Community, and on Community they created a TV parallel to Doctor Who called Inspector Spacetime that Troy and Abed are obsessed with.  The way they explain Inspector Spacetime is just so incredible that now Doctor Who can't possibly live up to my expectations of Inspector Spacetime.  Yes, you may think that is a dumb reason but I also don't care what you think because you are an annoying 'Whovian' and I am not.

Doctor Who is simply a boring television show that has not been capable of holding my interest.
The end.

The Truth

You know that feeling when you have a wonderful friend that you can rant to about the most random things who you know will never judge you no matter what you say?

Well I don't.

Hence this blog!

Ha! Hence. What a fun word!

Anyway...

I'm not entirely sure what I want to talk about, all I know is I want to blog about something because my stress level is at an all time high.

Amanda's Stress Level
On a scale from 1 to I'm Currently Craving Mashed Potatoes and Gravy I'm probably at a stress level of Let's Go Back To Thanksgiving Break because of the Mashed Potatoes, No School, and Lots and Lots of Pie!

Okay now onto a rant: Puppies are adorable and perfect and make people incredibly happy despite how stressed or mad or upset they might be.  Puppies make the world a better place and everyone should have a puppy at some point in their life.  Now cats on the other hand are evil and conniving and don't help people in any way, shape, or form.  Every cat in the entire world should be put on a spaceship and blasted off to Pluto.  We can keep the kittens around, but as soon as they become actual cats we have to ship them to Pluto.  The great thing about puppies is that they become dogs and dogs are still just as great as puppies!  They may not be as cute and small, but they are still loving and fun and awesome.  Kittens are evil, but at least their small adorableness makes up for their evilness, but when they become ugly cats there is nothing that can make up for the fact that the cats are plotting to take over the world!

Next: Lately I've been in the mood for chocolate eclair cake which is this delicious desert that I learned how to make when I took a cooking class in elementary school with my best friend Makayla Peterson.  Now that I think back on that cooking class I'm concerned for humanity.  Why were they letting small children use ovens and stoves and sharp knives with only one adult supervisor.  I could have potentially killed any one of those other kids at any point in time and probably would have even had time to plant evidence onto one of the other kids before the teacher ever even found the body.  Also, why did I take a cooking class?  I mean yes, I like food.  No, I don't mean that in a feminist "cook your own food" way.  I just really don't know why I was in that cooking class...

Next: Remember April 27th of 1994?  Yeah... me neither...

Next: Apparently the world is going to end in about a week and a half-ish. Or to be more specific; exactly 11 days if you don't count today but you do count the day the world is supposed to end.  I'm not sure how I feel about that...
I don't actually believe that the world is going to end, but I'm also not convinced that I will wake up alive that day.  I believe in the stupidity of mankind and honestly would not be surprised if someone ends up starting a nuclear war that day just because they believe everyone is going to die anyway.  Last time the world was allegedly going to end a huge group of people splurged on renting a mansion and committed a massive group suicide.  Moral of the story: some humans are just really dumb.

Next: Today is the very first day of finals week.  Monday December 10, 2012.  Guess when my only final is.  Friday December 14, 2012.  I get to stay here in Cedar City instead of going home for an entire week simply because I couldn't take my Modern final early.  Thank you the universe!  Sometimes your kindness shocks even me.

Nest:  I'm testing you.  Did you notice anything different about the beginning of this rant? No? Look again!

Next:  I want to play a game (said in the voice of Tobin Bell) with all of the Theatre Majors here at SUU.  It's called the Let's Not Spread Rumors game (and yes, that is italicized because I'm working on getting this game patented) and if you fail we will handcuff your left hand to the Adam's stage and leave you there overnight in a snowstorm with an electric blanket fifteen feet away from you and and a saw next to your left foot.  You must make a decision.  Try and survive the snowstorm and if you do suffer the humiliation of having everyone walk past you the next morning on their way to class or do something with the saw... I'm not sure what you would do yet.  The logistics of the game aren't completely worked out yet.  I'm still working on it...

Next: Pineapple's are delicious.  'Nuff said.

Next:

 I want an Abed.

Next: I have a disease.  It's called the Amanda is Awesome disease.  There is no cure.  This will only end in death.

Next: This blog post is named The Truth.  "Why?" you might ask.  And my response is, "Well that is a great question.  When you find out, please let me know."

Next: This is the end of my blog.

Love

Let's talk about love for a moment.

Love.

Now the moment is over.  Moving on.

Next topic is my relationship with literature:  I fell in love with books at a very young age...

Wait!  There's that word again.  Love.  Weird.

Moving on!

New topic:  Theatre!  That should be easy to talk about, right?  Because I love it so much...

Love!  What?  *awkward chuckle* No...

MOVING ON!

Topic number 3:  Love.

WOW!  This is just getting ridiculous now.

And no!  I'm not in love!

That's crazy talk.

Okay, but really, let's talk about love.

None of this love is patient, or love is kind crap either!  And don't get me started on this love is blind business.

Now lets take a moment and list all of the things that love isn't:  patient, kind, blind, easy, stupid, hard, worth it, wonderful, giddy, tiring, confusing, compassionate, freedom, truth, or any other random words you can think of.

Now onto the real purpose of this blog post, where I tell you exactly what love is:

Love is an absolutely terrifying creature from a place so dark and scary that even the depths of Edgar Allen Poe's mind cannot compare.  It is an invisible creature that can control our minds into thinking crazy thoughts of caring and compassion towards someone other than ourselves.  It is a sick sick beast who enjoys watching us pine over people we "care deeply" about when we should really just be focusing on our own happiness and satisfaction in life.  Love is a manipulative freak who also enjoys putting thoughts of joy and happiness into our heads when we are with certain people that we "love."

The worst thing that Love can do to you is have that one person you are pining over start "loving" you back.  It's absolutely disgusting!  Feelings get involved, people become mushy, marriage happens, and suddenly you have someone you must care about constantly as well as yourself.  That's just ridiculous!  We are selfish creatures, meant to only care about ourselves.  Love is messing with the very fabric of reality and that is why I propose we stop Love in his tracks!

We must form an anti-love campaign and ruin all of Love's plans.  I propose we start with kidnapping Love from his home in Amsterdam so he can't manipulate people anymore.  Then we hang him on a flagpole by his underwear and because he is invisible no one will ever know he's up there so he will never be rescued.  Therefore Love will forever be hanging from that flagpole by his underwear.  I believe that a permanent wedgie like that is exactly what Love deserves for what he has done to all these poor helpless people!

After putting Love on a pole we must save all the poor innocent people who have already fallen to Love's keen arrow.  We will snap everyone out of their love dazed minds and back into reality where we all use each other to get what we want without really caring for anyone else's feelings.  Then the world will be right again!

New Level of Nerd

Warning:  if you believe that I am a really cool person and have no nerdy tendencies at all you shouldn't read the rest of this blog post.  I would hate to let the few people down who actually think I'm awesome.  
Also if you value our friendship you will swear on the life of Scott Pilgrim that you will not judge me too harshly for the things you learn from this post.

I've always known that I am a little more nerdy than the rest of my family, and I've come to completely accept that in my life.  I love and enjoy my nerdiness, even if it may embarrass my jock brother.  But recently I have hit a new level of nerd that I never imagined possible!

Throughout the years I've noticed that there are many different kinds of nerds: gamer nerds, book nerds, computer nerds, anime nerds, comic nerds, art nerds, band nerds, theatre nerds, the role-playing nerd etc.

Side note: The more I keep typing the

word nerd it's starting to look less and

less like an actual word.

Nerd nerd nerd nerd nerd nerd nerd...

Being a nerd doesn't mean that you wear the stereotypical nerd glasses and that you can't associate with other people, especially the opposite sex.  Being a nerd simply means that you genuinely like stuff.  My favorite author John Green has a quote about being a nerd that I absolutely love: "Nerds like us are allowed to be unironically enthusiastic about stuff. . . Nerds are allowed to love stuff, like jump-up-and-down-in-the-chair-can't-control-yourself love it.  When people call people nerds, mostly what they're saying is 'you like stuff.'  Which is just not a good insult at all.  Like, 'you are too enthusiastic about the miracle of human consciousness'."

I believe in this 100%

Nerds like things, it's what we do!

I've always known that I'm a book nerd.  I learned about my love for reading at a very young age while discovering the wonders of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, Amanda Pig, and A Series of Unfortunate Events, and I have continued to read as many books as I can possibly devour throughout my life.  

During my teenage years I learned that I was also a closet gamer nerd.  I love playing video games! The only problem is that I don't have money for them which is why that nerd side has always been less apparent.  And even though I have a younger brother we still don't have many video games at our house.  My brother has always been the sporty type who would rather go out and play catch than stay inside and play video games.

Eventually I found my overall passion in life when I discovered the theatre world!  Ever since then I have been a die-hard theatre nerd.  I audition for everything I possibly can, be involved in any way, and I'm currently working on getting my BFA in Musical Theatre.

I've also dabbled in comics, anime, and art, but the one thing I promised myself I would never do is the weird role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons or LARPing.  They were just so beyond nerdy that I honestly couldn't bring myself to even imagine participating in them.  My high school had a LARPing club that would meet after school once a week and they would fight in the common area with foam swords and axes.  After watching them a couple times I couldn't help but making fun of them with my group of friends.  They looked so completely ridiculous and it was just too easy to jab at what they were doing.  That was when I promised myself I would never become one of those people!

I eventually went on my merry way to college and found myself surrounded by wonderful theatre friends.  I never realized that when I picked my major it brought me one step closer to role-playing games. Theatre is role-playing.  That is what we are paid to do.  We pretend to be other people in front of an audience for the sole purpose of entertainment. . . obviously it was only a matter of time. . .

This school year I had the opportunity of becoming friends with an absolutely wonderful guy named Tony who happens to be very into D&D.  When I first learned this information I must admit that I laughed out of pure shock.  One thing you need to know about Tony is that he is absolutely gorgeous!  He practically has women throwing themselves on him left and right.  And I don't mean that in a rude way!  He's not a jerk about his good looks, and he doesn't take advantage of them either.  He's just a genuinely nice guy with a wonderful personality who happens to be very handsome as well.  So when I found out that Tony was one of those people I was surprised.  I had indulged the stereotype for too long that I couldn't imagine someone attractive and social actually participating in a role-playing game.

Then began my decent into the world of D&D.  It first started with Tony asking me if I would be interested in playing, then me being a little curious and saying maybe, and then actually following through with it, getting into a group, making a character, and proceeding to have the most awesome campaign of D&D that I could possibly imagine!  Tony is a complete genius when it comes to story telling and I have to admit that I loved every second of that game.  Even when I had my arm bit off by a dire wolf, or when we were tricked into killing the royal family, or when I found out that I had been unknowingly helping the bad guy throughout the entire campaign.  And even though I went on a horrific emotional roller coaster from being banished, to falling in love, to watching that love murdered, to being falsely accused, having my family be sentenced to death for those false accusations, to losing my only friend, eventually gaining him back, finding the survivors of my family, miraculously bringing my love back to life, and in the end finally realizing that the one bad guy that I had been chasing and planning revenge towards for all he had done to me was in fact not bad at all and instead just completely misunderstood and emotionally irrational just as I was, I can't imagine playing a better game!

So yes, I have become one of those people and I have to admit that it is absolutely wonderful!  D&D is a perfect game for theatre people because it's all about creating and embodying a character.  In fact I loved it so much and our group is so tight that we've already started working on getting our characters for the next campaign.

In conclusion:  I have in fact hit a new level of nerd.

Rantings

A conversation between me and my blog:

Blog: "Hey... remember me?  Yeah... I'm still here."
Me: "Wow, you are.  Sorry about that man..."
Blog: "Oh it's cool..."
Me: "Yeah, okay..."

I've recently realized that there are only a handful of people that read my blog posts that I don't put on facebook. So naturally this would be a fantastic place to rant, right?
RIGHT!

So here goes:

Dear "Just give it time..."
I am, and I'm willing to give you as much time as you need.  I know you think that I just want to instantly jump into a relationship with you because of what happened between us at the end of last semester, but that's not true.  And I don't know how to convince you of that!  I wasn't lying when I told you that I value your friendship more than I want a relationship with you.  If you want us to just stay friends I would be totally fine with that!  And I also understand how you seem to be having a hard time believing that because when most people say that exact phrase they don't mean it.  They may say it but they all hope that friendship will eventually lead to something else, but that's not how I am!  

Okay, scratch that, sometimes I am like that.  I will fully admit that I have said being just friends with a guy is totally fine with me while secretly hope one day he'll want more from me.  But this is one of those rare cases where I really do value your friendship more!  As attractive and amazing you are, and despite how much I really do want to date you, I would rather stay friends with you than risk ruining the first really good friendship I've really ever had with a guy.  Now moving on...

I think you are one of the most interesting and fun people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting and despite all the retarded rumors I keep hearing about you I still think you are a great guy!  So in response to your "Just give it time..." I would like to say "I am, and I apologize for my constant flirting but that is simply how I talk to attractive men.  It's really hard to control."  But seriously, I am going to give it time because I respect you as a person and I realize that you have been hurt before, and I understand that because I've been hurt too.  I can see that you have a lot of walls built up around your feelings and some of them are for the sake of others, not just yourself.  I promise that I won't take offense and anything you might have to say to me (that is unless you think I'm one of the most ugly and stupid people you've ever met... I think I might take offense at that) so please just be honest with me!  That's really all I want.

Dream Roles

Lately I've been thinking a lot about different characters I want to play in my lifetime, so I decided to make a list because I'm really good at making lists.  I even made a list of all the things I'm good at and making lists was on my list!

Anyway, dream roles were what I was talking about, so here they are:

Lucy, from Jekyll and Hyde

Little Red, Into the Woods

And the Witch from Into the Woods as well

Roxie, Chicago

Jerusha Abbot, Daddy Long Legs

Brook, Legally Blonde the Musical

Or Kate (the nerd), or Margot (the really dumb one ), and I guess Elle would be pretty awesome too! (but if I could only ever be in this Musical once and I had to choose a part it'd be Margot)

Eponine, Les Miserables

Heidi, Title of Show

Millie, Thoroughly Modern Millie

And there are many more but as of right now I am being kicked out of the Institute building which is the only place I currently have Internet access because my apartment is attempting to install new Internet routers, so this is where I will end for tonight.

To My Mother:

I know that you all ready know how much I love you, but there are times when I am so overwhelmed by how important you are to me that I have to type it out in a blog post to publish on the Internet for eternity . . . so here goes:

Dear Mom,
Thank you so much for everything you have done for me throughout these past 20 years.  You have taught me so much and helped me through so much.  Thank you for being such an amazing example and teaching me how to be a good person.  Watching you raise each one of us (especially Sarah) has taught me what it truly means to be an amazing mom.  I hope that someday I will be able to raise my children the way you raised Taylor, Sarah, Anna and I.  The patience you have had with all of us is incredible.  It has been through your example that I have learned how to be patient with people.  Even though sometimes it's okay to say 'You suck!' and then hang up on a complete stranger, but those were special circumstances.

And in regard to those special circumstances: Thank you for standing up for me when I was too scared/intimidated to stand up for myself.  Even if you were also scared and intimidated (if you could have seen the guy you were talking to you would understand even more.  He is massive!)  I know you hate confrontation just as much as I do so thank you for struggling through it with me.

Also thank you for being the kind of mother I can talk to and confide in.  I know that if I have problems I can talk to you about them; whether they are school troubles, friend falling outs, spiritual walls, or boy drama.  You are always willing to help and always have great advice.  It breaks my heart when I hear other girls complain about how annoying their mom's are or how embarrassing it is to be with them.  I feel so bad that they don't have a wonderful mom like I do!  Thank you for being the cool mom who's fun to hang out with!

I also hope you know how much it means to me that I was raised in an active LDS home.  You and dad have been such magnificent examples for all of us kids.  I am so grateful that you were sealed in the temple and that I was born under that promise and that I will have the opportunity to spend eternity with this amazing family.

I love you so much!  And the worst part about going back to SUU is that I can't come home every weekend to see you.  Well . . . I suppose I could but that would be a lot of gas money.  Anyway I just want you to know how much you mean to me and how happy I am that you are my mother.  I miss you whenever I'm away and hopefully I get into a lot of shows this year so you have an excuse to come to Cedar more often!  And even then I'll be coming home as much as I can to see you.  I love you to the moon and back again and a million red M&M's!
Love from your daughter, Amanda.

My Perfect World

Sometimes I fantasize about how I wish my life was instead of how it is.  Not that I have a bad life, because I in fact have a great life!  There are just things that I would love to make improvements on.


The first thing I would change is my job.  Now I don't have a bad or boring job, I actually really like the people I work with, I just don't particularly like working.  So instead I would get paid to read and work out, because then I would be super motivated to exercise so I'd probably be super fit.  And I'd also be rich by now because I read all the time!


Second I would want to be able to recharge myself like a phone or a computer.  Just plug myself into a wall while working on homework or watching a movie and then I'd be completely recharged.  No need for sleep which would give me more hours in a day (alright, technically I know it wouldn't literally give me more hours in a day because that's impossible but it would give me more awake hours in a day) so that I could accomplish more.  I still absolutely love sleeping though so I would also still be able to choose the pleasure of actually sleeping if I wanted to.  It would just be really nice to not have to sleep sometimes, especially during finals week or homework all nighters.  Or even just to stay up and play with friends all night.


Also teleportation!  If I could teleport my life would be amazing!  I could come home to visit my parents anytime I wanted, or go visit my friends during the summer.  Plus I could travel anywhere for free!  I could go to Rome and walk around the Pantheon anytime I wanted.  And I could go to Amsterdam, Paris, China, Italy, Taiwan, Australia, Tokyo, London, and obviously New York City whenever I felt like it.  Plus if I was like Nightcrawler then I could teleport people with me so I could bring people on my many adventures!


Next I would love it if I had my own personal chef.  His name would be Chef Chef and he would cook all of my meals for me and they would taste absolutely delicious, have perfect portion control,  and be ready whenever I became hungry.  He would also be able to tell beforehand whether I was craving Mexican, Italian, or American food (or whatever other food I might crave) and he would have that food craving prepared.  Also he would be a robot so I wouldn't have to pay him and I also wouldn't feel guilty about having someone cook all my meals for me.


Fifth I would have a motorcycle.  Even though I would be capable of teleporting in this perfect world I would still like to have a mode of transportation and I would want that mode of transportation to be a motorcycle, a Honda Rebel to be exact.  It's smaller with the seat lower to the ground, which would be perfect for my 5'3" height.  It's also low weight compared to a ton of other motorcycles, which would be perfect for my small frame.  And it also doesn't have a ton of power behind it, which means being a very small person I would actually be able to control it!  (Daddy if you're reading this you can clearly see that I've been doing my homework on motorcycle's and maybe someday you will maybe possibly let me get a Honda Rebel... maybe.)


Next on my list of perfect world stuff I would make it so sickness and brokenness never occur.  Because then you would never have to cancel any fun plans because you were vomiting, or you would never have to worry about understudies maliciously pushing you down a flight of stairs and breaking your legs because you're legs would be unbreakable!


I would also want to be able to read people like open books.  Mostly because I am absolutely horrible at getting a read on people, and I'm never entirely sure of people's intentions and it would just be really great to be able to know that right up front.  Also it would just be great to always know when people are lying to me!


Eighth (for those of you keeping track) bacon would be healthy.


Now for some girly things:  Shopping would be easier!  I would be able to find everything I could ever want in my size in one cheap store.  Instead of reality where every time I go shopping I only find a couple things I like and approximately 67 things I would never wear and those couple things I do like aren't as cheap as I would like them to be.  Also decorating would be as simple as searching the Internet for the definition to incorrigible.  I would simply be able to type in some letters and then have a super cute decorated college room instead of having to take the time to go to stores and pick out different things and find different inspiring quotes or print out different pictures to paste onto cute boards with cute ribbons or whatever.  Decorating is hard!  It would also be nice to never need makeup.  I hardly ever wear makeup anyway and it would just be so nice to have super long luscious eyelashes without having to glob on mascara.  And it'd be great to always have shiny pink lips without needed lip gloss or lipstick.


And now for a list of theatre related perfections I want:
     1.  Life would be like a musical

"Go away you threaten me!"

     2.  My hair would be capable of growing at will so I could keep my wonderful short hair when I wasn't in shows but I would be able to grow it out overnight for any auditions or parts that I was cast in.

     3.  I would be capable of dancing like every person who has ever been in the top 20 of So You Think You Can Dance

     4.  I would have the range and be capable of singing like Barbara Streisand.

And so far that is my perfect world.  I'm sure if I sat here long enough I could come up with a ton of things to add, but this should be good for now.

Guilty Pleasures

I've recently realized that my guilty pleasures are very unusual for a person of my age of the female population.  The norm, obviously, being chocolate, bacon, shopping, Dr.Pepper (or whatever soda you're addicted to), Jersey Shore (or whatever other ridiculous television show makes you feel better about your own life), trashy celebrity gossip magazines, shoe shopping (because apparently it's a completely different endeavor than regular shopping which is listed above) et cetera et cetera.  So clearly there must be something wrong with my girl capabilities because none of these fall into my guilty pleasure list.  I mean I must admit that I love chocolate, bacon, and Dr. Pepper as much as anyone else, but they aren't guilty pleasures, they are just pure and simple pleasures for me!

So here is my guilty pleasure list:

#1: Homestar Runner!  Shocking I know, but seriously it's probably the most fantastic website I've ever been on.  It has the capability to keep me entertained and laughing for hours!  Especially Teen Girl Squad and Strong Bad Emails and I mean come on who doesn't love Trogdor?!

#2: Really ugly sweaters.  I love wearing baggy, frumpy, horrendous looking sweaters in the winter.  Anyone who knew me at school last year can vouch for this because that's pretty much all I ever wore.

#3: My hobo boots.  I have a pair of snow boots that I found at the D.I. last year that I have completely fallen in love with.  I wear them whenever I get the chance.  They are so big and clumpy looking that I just look so funny when I wear them, but they are also the greatest things that have ever graced my feet.  I even wear them during the summer.  It's a serious problem.

#4: Working my body so hard that I feel physically ill.  Lately I've been going to the gym a lot and I've been doing a lot of weight training.  Sometimes I enjoy working so hard without breaks that I feel like I'm going to vomit.  It just gives me this overwhelming feeling of achievement. 

#5: My superhero fantasies.  Sometimes when I am in a frustrating situation I imagine that I have superpowers and I can do anything I want.  Like vaporize the incredibly annoying person talking to me, or mind control the absolutely beautiful girl talking to the guy I like into saying something completely embarrassing and irrevocable, or even hulking it up and beating everyone that crosses me into a pulp.

#6: My future wedding plans.  Yes some of you will try to argue that this is something that all girls obsess over, but first let me explain before you start putting me into the "normal girl" category.  I sometimes like to imagine my wedding themes in the not so normal way.  Like a Marvel themed wedding (me and my husband would be dressed as Marvel characters and all the decor would be superhero themed and we would get an emergency call at the end of the reception to go fight crime in whatever place we were honey mooning and we'd rush off in our tricked out super car to go save the day), or an Avatar wedding (as in Avatar the last airbender not the blue space people), and obviously a HP wedding (because seriously Harry Potter is the greatest thing on planet earth.)

#7: Being cooler than everyone else.  No explanation needed.

Reason Behind the Love

This blog post is for my dear friend Mads who was wondering why I love the story of Peter Pan so much.  So here goes:

I don't want to grow up.  I never have, and I never will.  That's why I still play pretend whenever I can.  This is also why I love theatre so much!  It's just playing pretend in front of an audience and you have a chance to entertain and make people happy (or give them something to really think about depending on what kind of show it is.)

I have a small fear that involves growing up: I'm scared that I will lose my understanding and love of childhood innocence.  So a land where you never have to grow up appeals to me.  Neverland sounds like the most magical place in the world!  I want to spend all of my life in a wonderful world of mystery and play where I never have to worry about growing up.

So basically that's the gist of why I love Peter Pan so much.  Plus it contains some of the best lines in the entire universe!  My absolute favorite version is the 2003 version of Peter Pan with Jeremy Sumpter as Peter (he's so adorable!)

(P.S. I don't own this movie *hint hint* to anyone interested in making me the happiest person in the entire universe.  And no Maddie I am not talking to you so don't you dare even think about it!  You already bought me the best birthday present anyone could ever ask for!)

Anyway onto my favorite quotes from this movie:

"Forget them, Wendy.  Forget them all.  Come with me where you'll never, never have to worry about grown up things again!"

"I want always to be a boy, and have fun."

"Then go home.  Go home and grow up.  And take your feelings with you!"

"You offend reason, sir.  I should like to offend it with you."

"One girl's worth more than 20 boys."

"To live would be an awfully big adventure."

"Have you not noticed?  Observe her mouth.  There, hidden in the right hand corner."  "Is that a kiss?"  "A hidden kiss."  "But what is it for?"  "It is for the greatest adventure of all.  They that find it have slipped in and out of heaven."  "Find what?"  "The one the kiss belongs to." 

End of quotes.

So there it is.  My reasons for loving Peter Pan so much.  So basically I've just come to the realization that I refuse to grow up.  And someday I will find a man who also refuses to grow up and then we can not grow up together!  

The end.

Fun Facts

Today I decided to make a list of me related facts.


Fact number one: I have two fake teeth

This is a picture of the screw that is in my jaw that one of the fake teeth is planted on.


Fact numero two: my favorite theatre character that I have ever done was actually not even an actual part.  It was just a costume that I got to randomly pick out during a Musical Revue for the song "Show People."  I was pregnant, had a baby taped to my chest, and was smoking.  

And the mother of the year award goes to (drum roll) ME!


Fact number three: My longest relationship was with my very first boyfriend Garrett.  It lasted two and a half years and ended very badly for both of us.  But we've grown up since then and now we're on good terms with each other.  Hooray for maturing!

This would be Mr. Stud Muffin working on his mothers car.


Fact four: Once upon a time I spooned with Zefron.

He was a cardboard cutout of Troy Bolton from High School Musical, and I was a lonely college girl, one thing led to another and here we are.


Fact six minus one: I own a dirt bike.

And I can actually ride it too!  I also enjoy rock climbing, long boarding, and skiing in case there are any men out there looking for a girl who is single and fun. 

Side-note: I think I might mention the fact that

I'm single on this blog way too much.  I mean come

on girl, desperate much? *uncomfortable chuckle*

. . . yeah, maybe a little bit. . .

Fact actual six: I own a pair of footy pajama's.

The only problem is they have two left feet... which probably explains why there were at the D.I. in the first place.


Fact number seven: I used to have long hair, as you can all see from the previous pictures, but now I have short hair.

This is actually the very first picture I ever took with my short hair.  Pretty right?  Also that's one of my best friends McKenna.  She's eating raw cookie dough because we do that sometimes.

This is my even shorter hair and my other best friend Maddie, along with McKenna again.

Side-note #2: if you ever see the three of us looking at

you like this you are probably going to die really soon.

Fact # (number sign) 8 (eight): I am a kid at heart and I enjoy doing very childish things.

Including, but not limited to: making my own cardboard armor and wearing it in public, building blanket forts, playing lava tag, wearing tin foil fats around campus to ward away aliens, fighting with lightsabers or Nerf swords (and winning said fights), refusing to wear shoes outside, finger painting, tree climbing, fence climbing, school climbing (which is where you climb on top of an elementary school in Cedar City because you can), coloring, stalking people around campus and pretending they can't see you when you know they can, spontaneously busting into ninja moves to destroy the bad guys (or just the stupid fruit fly buzzing around), accepting double dog dares, eating candy for dinner, pretending to be a zombie, and going on quests to find Narnia (which was eventually found in the bush below.)

FACT NEIN! *ahem* I mean nine: I have a secret desire to be a model.

But alas, I am too short; and anyway models are snotty jerks who think they're better than everyone else so whatever!

Fact # 10:  I once dated a frat guy!

"What's with the sombrero picture?" you may ask.  Well the frat guy I dated was Mexican so I felt like it was fitting.  Okay, fine, he was only half Mexican, and even then he was pretty much as white as they come (I mean personality wise.)

And here he is now, the man of the hour with me slung over his shoulder.  Hello Gratten!  How's it been going since you preemptively dumped me?  No, don't worry, I'm completely over it!

Side-note #3: I really am over it.  And Gratten if you are

reading this, which is a possibility since I do post these on

facebook, I just want you to know that I think you are a

wonderful person and I miss your long face!

Fact eleven: I love snakes!  So much that sometimes I just let them slither all over me during "Th Big Bang Theory" marathons.

I want a pet snake really bad, but unfortunately my parents STRONGLY disapprove of them.

Fact eleven point two: I love haunted houses!

Especially the ones where you can pay extra to wear a glow stick necklace that allows the actors to actually touch you and drag you around the rooms.

Fact 11.8: I thoroughly enjoy shooting guns.

And I'm actually quite decent at hitting clay pigeons.

Fact number twelve: Fall is my favorite season.

Reasons: It's not freezing cold but it's chilly enough that I can wear my chunky ugly sweaters.  It's not blazing hot like in the summer where you can't even will yourself to step outside of your air conditioned house.  Also it's just absolutely beautiful!

13: I have an inner cowgirl that desperately wants to exist on the outside too.

It's causing me to question my parents choice to live in good ol' K-town instead of Winnemucca, Nevada.

Fact numero fourteen: I'm tired so I'm going to end this post here so I can go dream of wonderful things.

Very last side-note: the wonderful things I am about 

to dream of probably involve a giant apple pie, a Pikachu,

Link, a french llama, an ostrich, and possibly a cute boy.

I mean definitely a cute boy because I already said Link

was going to be there, but also possibly another cute boy.

The end.

A Poem for You

There is a talent that you possess

That most tongues lack; consider yourself blessed.

You seduce with words, proof of a brilliant mind,

And a boy with a brain is hard to find.

With every word that your soft lips utter

My heart begins to frantically flutter.

Your alluring alliteration causes me to forget to breathe;

Many memories with you I'd like to weave.

I seep with excitement for that awaited date

To finally see if I will be a part of your fate.

For my dear Peter Pan you truly are,

But am I really your Wendy, will we fly past that star?


I pray that we do for the plans I have in mind
Are meant to be shared with you: my one of a kind.
A dance across the blackened street;
A secret place where we could meet.
A blanket fort spread across the room;
Avoiding the ground to escape lava induced doom.
A Disney marathon, and a trip to the zoo,
All these things I desire to do with you.


So you see, my dearest Peter,
I believe that nothing could be sweeter
Than getting to know you more
And allowing my heart to soar.
Your Wendy waits humbly for the time drawing nigh
that you will finally teach her to fight and to fly.
Then maybe someday we'll fly through the night
far and beyond that second star to the right.

This is a Blog Post

This is a word:

Cantankerous

This is a line:

______________________________________________________________

This is a pokemon:

This is a book that everyone should read:

This is some advice:

Use your words!

This is a list that will only make sense to me:

Golf Cart

Lunchables

Birthmark

Theo

Simba

Captain America

Peter Pan

Nutella

Cowboy

Spiderman

Cameras

Kenneth

Coloring

Santa

This is a confession:

I am a hardcore nerdfighter!

This is my favorite fruit:

This is my current song:

This is a picture that describes my addiction to pie:

This is a color that I love:
ORANGE!


This is something I really want to say to someone:
"If you upset her one more time I am going to make this upcoming school year a world of pain for you!"


This is something else I want to say to a day, not a person:
"Please get here sooner!"


This is a thought:
I thoroughly enjoy school and am scared for the day that it's officially over.


And this is a poem that someone wrote for me:

Amanda

What children know and wise men teach,

You have already in your reach.

Free of fear, you are no more

Than what you've hoped ans waited for:

Yourself! So singular and true.

You see Amanda, you are YOU.

While others strive to emulate,

You simply live and emanate.

So dance and sing, and laugh aloud

For all that's yours you should be proud.

The beauty in that purest face

And tongue that's quick and full of grace.

A willingness to play and smile,

Yet not afraid to toil a while.

The gentlest gift that you possess

Is how you often treat the rest.

One by one, others you accept

To pardon and love you are adept.

So thank you, 'Wendy', for you see

My happy thought is: YOU like ME.

And this is the end.

Hello during a random desert, the month and day of which coincide numerically with your expulsion from a uterus

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ME!


In lieu of my birth I am going to tell you the true story of my life.  Now many of you may choose not to believe this, but I promise you on all of the cheese and crackers in the entire universe that every word I will type from here on out is completely and 100% true.


On July 1st of 1992 I was born.  As soon as the doctor laid eyes on me he knew what I would become, "This one is destined for greatness!" he told my mother as he laid me in her arms.  And ever since that day no 6 words were ever truer!


From birth until the age of 9 my parents tried to help me live a normal life.  They tried to ignore the signs, to ignore the powers I possessed, and even to ignore all the calls they were receiving from the government about me.  I must admit that I was rooting for them too!  My not entirely developed mind was scared of what I was destined for.  I wanted this burden to be passed along to another kid, someone who would be up to the challenge, for I feared that I was not.  By the age of 10 we couldn't ignore the signs any longer.  I was already becoming very powerful.  I  had already learned how to fight: I was very skilled in the art of sword fighting, archery, knife throwing, hand to hand combat, and I was also very good with a .22 pistol.


It was November 21st, 2002, that it finally happened.  I was just leaving school as I noticed a man around the age of 27 walking towards me.  At first he seemed like any other dad that was searching for his kids to drive them home, but suddenly I just knew.  He was there to kill me.  I began sprinting towards him, it was as if I had no control over my own body.  I wasn't thinking of what I was doing, I just knew that it had to be done.  As I got near him he pulled out a gun and pointed it to me.  I leaped into the air and soared over his head.  Along the way I managed to grab the gun and twist it out of his grip.  As I somersaulted over the man I twisted my body so I landed facing his back.  He turned around in shock to find me pointing the gun at his chest.  Right before I was about to pull the trigger my brain finally caught up to my body.  I stopped myself just before killing him.
"Why are you here?" I asked him very calmly.
Instead of responding he simply smiled a very knowing smile.
"Why are you here?" I persisted, beginning to lose my patience.
When he refused to speak again I turned the gun, pointed it at his right foot, and pulled the trigger.  He crumpled to the ground in pain and I again pointed the gun at his chest.
"Answer me question." I said through gritted teeth.  He shook his head and I could see him trying to hold back the screams of pain.  I dug the toe of my tennis shoe into his injured foot and he let out a yelp of pain.
"Answer me." I said again as I pushed my foot harder.
He still refused to answer me.  And suddenly I became very aware of my surroundings.  We were still in front of the school but there was no one outside.  Everyone had ran inside as soon as they saw what was going on.  I started remembering the screams and people running for cover as this whole event was taking place.  My mind had just blocked them out while I was focusing on the man, but now that I was remembering I could see and hear it all very clearly.  There were faces pressed against every window I could see, all of them looking at me with shock and fear.  Then I noticed my best friend Kasey, he was looking out one of the door windows that were closest to me. When I saw how scared he was I dropped the gun to my side.


As soon as I did this the man started to go into action.  I quickly roundhouse kicked him in the temple and he crumpled again unconscious.  I tucked the gun into my jacket and pulled out the emergency phone that the government had issued to me when I was three.  I had never even taken it out of it's casing until that morning.  I suppose I subconsciously knew that I would need it that day.  I flipped it open called the only number in my contacts list.  
"This is agent Barlow." said the man who answered.
"My name is Amanda Dayton," I began, "I was issued this governmental phone when I was three.  Today a man tried to attack me outside of my school.  I've knocked him unconscious and need you to send someone right away."  I heard him bark some orders to someone on his end and then he returned to the phone.
"We are on our way Miss Dayton.  Is there anything else?"
I paused for a moment.
"I'm ready to begin my training." I finally said.


The line went dead and I put the phone back into my pocket.  I turned and walked towards the doors where Kasey was.  As I approached he opened the doors to meet me.  He still looked scared, he seemed too timid to actually walk up to me so I covered the distance between us so he wouldn't have to.  I didn't know what to say so I just stood there silent, searching his face for something, anything.


"You're leaving, aren't you?" he asked.  Although it didn't seem like a real question; because out of everyone I had known throughout my life, he was the only one outside of my family that I had told about myself.


"Kasey," I began one afternoon as we were out in my backyard climbing a tree.  We were 9 at the time and I was up at the very top of the tree where I always climbed to be alone.  I had been an expert at climbing anything from trees, walls, and mountain cliffs since the age of 7.  I looked down at Kasey who was approximately ten feet below me to see if he'd heard me.  It didn't seem as if he had, so I swiftly jumped from branch to branch down to where he was.


"How do you do that?" he complained as I hung by my knees on the small branch directly above him.  He'd been trying to get to my high spot in the tree for months now but he kept getting stuck around the same spot every time, which happened to be the spot where he was now.  It was the tricky spot in the tree where suddenly all the branches were out of reach.  What you had to do was jump up to grasp the branch where I was hanging and then you had to swing yourself out to a lower hanging limb a couple feet away.  I'd shown him this trick many times before but he refused to try it.  Instead he opted to attempt the Winnie the Pooh shimmy up the main trunk of the tree, which resulted in bruised buttock failure every time.


I watched as he tried this method again.  By wrapping his arms and legs around the trunk he slowly shimmied his way up inch by little inch.  He got so close that time, but as soon as he reached out to grab the branch he slid back down smacking his rear end on the lower branch.  He winced and began rubbing his left butt cheek where he landed on a particularly painful notch in the wood.


I went on, "Kasey I have to tell you something."  My tone was grave and serious and he seemed to pick up on it.  He moved over on the lower branch giving me room to join him.  I flipped right side up and dropped beside him landing softly on my toes.  Standing I looked down at his awe struck face.  I smiled and then sat down beside him.  "I'm not sure how to explain this."  I started, looking at him for reassurance.  He nodded for me to continue, so I did.


"I'm not a normal kid.  I was born with my life already planned out for me.  I have a destiny that people have been expecting me to fulfill since birth.  I'm supposed to become a governmental agent and help save the world."  I glanced at my best friend again to gage his reaction.  He was sitting in stunned silence, this was obviously not what he was expecting, so I continued on.  "My body is capable of things that even I don't understand.  I am unusually strong for my size, I don't seem to feel pain in the extreme way that other people do, and I..." I stumbled over the last bit, not entirely sure how to explain what I wanted to tell him.  "I can make fire..." I ended quite lamely.


I looked over at him waiting for a response.  His face changed from confusion to disbelief mixed with a tinge of anger.  "You're lying!" he grumbled very childishly.  At first I became angry at his response, until I realized that we were on 9 and we were technically still children.  I had always been mature for my age and sometimes found it hard to associate with my immature age group.


"Kasey I'm not lying to you, I promise!" 
"Yes you are.  I'm not dumb you know!"
"I don't think you are dumb!"
"Then prove it!" he said folding his arms with a smugness that just oozed childish confidence.
"Fine!" I was fed up, and I was prepared to prove him wrong and wipe that smug smile off of his face.  I held out my hand palm up concentrating on the particles of air above my outstretched hand.  I felt the heat travel from the center of my chest, to my shoulder, down my arm and into my palm.  I glanced over at Kasey to make sure he was paying attention and then I ignited the air particles.  I created a burning flame a couple inches above my outstretched hand that was slightly bigger than I meant it to be.  I was still learning to control this fire, and had had a couple accidents with it recently.


Shocked and scared Kasey gasped and attempted to scoot away from me forgetting that we were high up in a tree.  I extinguished my flame as he began to fall backwards towards the ground.  I immediately went into action, dropping from branch to branch chasing after my best friends falling form.  A couple of feet above the ground I managed to grab onto Kasey's wrist with my right hand while simultaneously clutching onto a branch with my other and wrapping my legs around the trunk to keep me sturdy.  After stopping his fall I gently dropped him the next two feet to the grassy ground below.  He landed on his feet but stumbled a bit and then fell back onto his butt.  I dropped down to his side and helped him up.


"Wow, you just saved my life.  Thank you!"  He said in the most sincere voice I had ever heard escape his lips.
"Do you believe me now?" I asked, still a little upset that he had challenged me in the first place. He nodded and we walked inside, got an otter pop for each of us, and we never talked about it ever again.


Now standing there in front of him remember that moment and watching him wait for my answer I became very sad.


"Yes, I am." I nodded, trying to hold back tears.  The tears that were pressing against the backs of my eyes weren't just a result of leaving behind a good friend, I was also terrified of what was going to happen to me.  For the first time in my life I let myself think about what my life would hold.  With a wave of fear I reached out to my best friend and hugged him tightly, worried that I would never see him again.  He hugged back and we separated knowing that this was it.  I turned and walked back to the unconscious man as a half dozen sleek black cars sped into the parking lot.


Four men stepped out of the third car; two removed a collapsable gurney from the back seat and rushed to the unconscious man to my left, and the other two came straight to me.
"Agent Barlow." the taller of the two introduced himself while reaching out a hand for me to shake.  "And this is Agent Wilkes."  I shook the hand of the other man noticing his softer features and kind eyes.  "He will be your mentor from now on."


I nodded knowing that they wanted some kind of a response but not sure of what to say in the situation.  With that they ushered me to the car they got out of as the other men took the man I knocked unconscious to the car behind ours.


Ever since then my life has been anything but normal.  Since then my life has been nothing but school, training, and missions.  I miraculously convinced the CIA to let me continue my schooling in a normal setting.  I finished elementary at Windridge with Kasey and then we went on to Farmington Jr. High.  Everyday after school from 10 until the age of 14 I would get picked up by Agent Wilkes, who told me I could call him Dennis if I wanted to but mostly I just call him Wilkes, then we would drive a couple minutes to the underground bunker that was built for the purpose of training me.  And then we would train.  Under Wilkes guidance I have become a master swordsman, master archer, I've become skilled in taekwondo, kung fu, sarit sarak, S.C.A.R.S., ninjutsu, jogo do pau, and shin-kicking (which is real, look it up if you don't believe me!)  I've even learned to control my fire and I've learned how to used it while fighting.


On June 24, during the summer before I started High School I had my first real mission.  I'd rather not relive the gruesome details so all that I am going to say is that I lost a man.  After we apprehended the enemy I began to run.  I didn't know where I was going, or why, I simply needed to run.  So I ran.  It was about 45 minutes before Wilkes found me.  He jumped out of his car ready to talk me through whatever emotional crisis I was going through, but that didn't register to me.  Unfortunately he didn't understand what was going through my head.


I was turning 15 in a couple days.  I was supposed to be hanging out with friends, getting myself ready for the drama fest of public high school, thinking about boys.  Not watching people I know and care about get killed because of a crucial mistake.  I felt jaded and I lashed out at Wilkes.  I was prepared to kill him.  I saw him as the root of all my problems, all the things that were wrong with my life.  As I jumped up to attack him he knew exactly what I was about to do.  I should've realized that since he had taught me that particular form that he would see it right away.  He caught my ankle in mid air as it was heading towards his face and he twisted it with a sickening crack.  


I knew instantly that it was broken.  I didn't need to feel the pain to know that.  I could clearly see it, and I definitely heard it as well.  The knowledge that my ankle was broken seemed to bring me back to my senses.  I looked up at Wilkes and tears began streaming down my face.  It was the first time I had cried since that very first car ride we took to my parents house to explain to them that I was finally starting to fulfill my destiny.  I cried for all the long days I had endured training, for all the things I'd missed out on that normal kids have, and mostly I cried for Agent Coulson who will forever be with me.


Wilkes took me back the the base where I was put under as they performed surgery.  Wilkes apparently got a stern talking to for injuring me, and was almost fired.  Luckily I had a say in it and told Agent Barlow that if I didn't train with Wilkes then I didn't train at all.  The broken bones took me out for the rest of that summer and a little into my first year of High School.  I broke both the tibia and fibula so it needed a long time to heal.  I was three months before I could start walking again and another month before I could resume my training.


Since then I've had many different missions, and I've received countless injuries.  I've lost teeth and have had to get fake ones as a result, I've gotten multiple bruises and cuts, I've burned myself many a times when trying to fire bend, and I've even received a minor gun wound on my left wrist.  But none of my battle wounds can compare to the very impressive scar on my right leg from when Wilkes broke my ankle.


Now I am 20 years old, I have a specialized team that is under my command, and I am more deadly than anyone else on Earth (I am also single, just in case anyone was wondering.)  I can feel my destiny looming ever closer each year, and I know that someday I will face a greater enemy than ever before and I will have to save the world from utter destruction.  


And that is the true life story of me.

Page 84

"David walked in.  He had a bag over his shoulder, two tickets to Rome in his hand.  Shall we? he said.  He was sweating, plotting, a turtleneck under his jacket, anxious about my answer."


This is at the very top of page 84 in The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach.  Do I wish this would happen to me?  Yes, I wish it very much actually!


So here is my fantasy that stems from page 84:  I am in my apartment in Cedar City lazily packing for spring break.  I'm leaving for Kaysville the next morning and am excited to go home and visit my family for a while.  I finish packing and turn to go spend the rest of the night with my roommates.  *Cue gorgeous man who I am currently seriously dating*


He sweeps into my room with a look of confidence on his face.  I notice he has a bag slung over his shoulder and an envelope in his hand.  "Hey beautiful," he says in his wonderfully perfect voice, "Have you finished packing?"
I nod.  Then curious I ask,"What's with the duffel?"
In reply he hands me the envelope and flashes me that beautiful eye crinkling smile he uses when he's genuinely and ecstatically happy about something.  I take the envelope in my hands and begin to open it.  Before I have time to find out what's inside he pulls me close and kisses me quickly: almost like he can't seem to contain his excitement.  I laugh and he just smiles goofily at me while I finish opening the envelope.  I pull out two airline tickets.  At first I don't notice the destination I just stare blankly at them wondering what their meaning is.  I again look into the envelope to see if I've missed something.  When it turns out to be empty I look back at my man questioningly.  His smile falters for a moment; I can tell he's nervous about my reaction.  I look back at the tickets and finally realize that they are two plane tickets to Rome departing that very night.


My eyes widen in shock and my mouth drops open.  "Rome?" I ask in a mixture of disbelief and excitement.  For I've always wanted to go to Rome.  He's heard me talk of it a million times.  How I dream to see the Pantheon, how I know that if I ever do get to walk through that building I'd probably just cry from joy.  How I want to see all the beautiful things in the Roman Forum, how I want to visit the catacombs, and walk through St. Peters.  I look up into his beautiful eyes that are shining with excitement.
"Yes," he laughs at my bafflement, "You and me for spring break.  It's all set up."
I continue to stare at him in disbelief.
"Don't worry, I've already talked to your parents." he tells me, somehow knowing exactly what was going on in my head.
"Really?" I ask still trying to connect everything in my head.
"Yes!" he laughs again, now more at ease.  "Now grab that bag of yours, add whatever you think you'll need for Rome, and lets get going."  As he says all this he pulls out a manila folder and hands it to me.  I look inside to see my passport and visa along with a letter from my parents.  "I had your mom mail them to me a week ago."  He answers my unasked question.


Still in shock I read the letter.  
We love you so much Amanda!  Sad that your not coming home over the break, but we hope you have a blast in Rome!  Call us when you're on your way to the airport.  
Love your Mom and Dad
After reading the letter that is clearly in my mom's handwriting I finally realize that this is actually happening.  I screech in excitement and jump onto my boyfriend hugging him as tightly as I possibly can to try and say all the things that my brain is too muddled to say.  He's not prepared for this and we both tumble to the floor in a heap of limbs, bags, papers, and laughter.  I jump up and instantly start throwing things out of my bag and adding other things.  My mouth has finally caught up with my brain and I'm rambling on and on about how incredible this is, how amazing he is, how unbelievable this whole situation is.


I finish packing, sling the bag over my shoulder and look over and the most incredible and handsome boyfriend in the world.  "Shall we?" he asks with a suave smile as he offers me his elbow.
"Thank you good sir." I reply as I take his arm.
We then proceed to run out the door in the childlike manner we behave that our hearts will never get rid of.  And shove everything into his car.  While driving to the airport I call my parents like I've been instructed to.  They say all the things that parents do: Be careful, keep us updated, and my personal favorite remember who you are and what you stand for.  I assure them that everything will be just fine and when I get off the phone my man fills me in on what we'll be doing in Rome.


He tells me he's booked us each a separate room in a very nice hotel (because of course both of us being LDS we couldn't possibly share one.)  He goes on and on about all the things he's planned for our trip as I sit in the passenger seat trying to contain my sheer giddiness.  We arrive at the airport and board our flight.  We sleep most of the time, and when we're not asleep we spend the flight talking in our usual ease mixed with a sense of something new and exciting.


When we arrive in Rome we take a taxi to our hotel.  He obtains our room keys and proceeds to carry both his and my stuff to our rooms.  After leaving me with my suitcase to settle in I hear a light knock at the door.  I open it to find a beautiful dress with a note attached to it.
You have one hour to shower, put this on, and get ready for our dinner date at Armando al Pantheon.
Love (insert name of my amazingly attractive boyfriend)
My stomach comes alive with butterflies as I close the door and start to get ready.  When my hour is up I open the door to find my boyfriend in a  suit and tie.


"Wow, you clean up nice." he teases, referring to my normal dress of sweats and a t-shirt.
I simply smile and stand up on tiptoe to kiss him.  My butterflies are still bouncing around my stomach and I can't seem to control them.  We head to the restaurant which is across from the Pantheon.  As soon as we are out of the taxi I instantly make a beeline for the one building I so badly want to visit.  He cuts me off though, and with a gentle smile he leads me into the restaurant. 
"As soon as we're finished eating, I promise." he says to keep me from pouting.


Dinner is superb.  Either it was the food, or the fact that I am in Rome with the most amazing man I could ever dream of.  After dinner we obviously splurge on dessert which is also magnificently delicious.  After the bill is paid, he takes my hand and we slowly walk to my favorite building on the whole planet.  I can barely contain my joy as we walk up the small staircase and past the corinthian columns and under the pediment.  When we walk into the building I look up into the vast dome and tears spring to my eyes and a huge smile cracks onto my face.
"I'm finally seeing it!  I'm actually here!" I say to no one in particular.


My boyfriend lets me take my time walking around and taking it all in.  I look at everything, all of it so beautiful and majestic.  When I've finally gotten over the shock of actually being there I run up to him and hug him tightly.  "Thank you so much."  I whisper to him, for there is nothing else to say that can express how I feel in that moment.


He pulls away from me with a brilliant smile on his face, takes my hands in one of his then reaches into his pocket with the other.  After he's extracted something from that pocket he looks into my eyes and says: "Amanda, I have a very important question to ask you."
Then he proceeds to get onto one knee.  My heart starts to race, my mind begins to whir, and those butterflies that have been with me all day start fluttering faster than ever.  My mind is screaming the one word that I am dying to say right in that moment.  YES!  I think in my head, but I wait until he asks.
"Will you marry me?" he says producing the most beautiful ring I've ever seen.  But I'm not even looking at the ring.  I'm looking at the man that I love.
"Yes!" I say as the silent happy tears begin to stream down my face, "Of course I will!"
I pull him up by his tie and kiss him long and hard.  He pulls me into his arms, lifts me up, and twirls me around.  We begin to laugh together and notice people applauding around us.  Apparently we've drawn a crowd.  He lets me down and we proceed to bow and curtsy to the audience that has formed around us.  People we don't know are congratulating us and I'm dizzy with the sheer magnitude of it all.  Being in Rome, seeing the Pantheon, saying yes to the most important question the man I love could ever ask.  This is true fairytale happiness.  I think to myself.