Poem by Colette Bryce (and yes the title really is "+").

+

Through the cabin window's haze

we watch the black shadow of our plane

free itself from the underarriage,

separate, then fall away.

With it falls the sunlit runway,

grids of crops and reservoirs, then all

the scattered glitter of a city

falls, the tattered coastline of a country

plunges out of view.

And just when you might expect to see

the globe in brilliant clarity,

cloud fills the tiny screen

and we, who haven't taken off

at all, wait, seatbelts on,

for the world to turn and return to us

as it always does, sooner or later,

to fix itself to the craft again

at a point marked with the shadow of a plane,

pencilled now on a runway, growing

larger under Irish rain.

---

If you like poetry (Miranda), I'd really suggest looking into some of her stuff...I like what I've found so far!

This is written by a guest writer - my bestest friend Alonso:)

Every teenager worries about looking good. Some are better at it than others. Those who are lucky, have parents who supply them with very good genes or pockets full of cash. These few find that getting the right look comes much easier than it does to all others.

Looks are a big part of today's teenage society. Those who wear the right amount of make-up, have good enough skin, choose the right clothes, and keep their hair clean and “unique” fit in this social trend which matters more and more each day. This rising amount of people trying to look good is making it easier for those of us who want our trend to be spread from sea to shiny, gellin’ sea. Too many of us teenagers allow others to live outside of this social circle. There are those out there who do not fit in with us, and that is unacceptable.

If everyone just fit in to this social trend, then places like school and dances, where we gather for the purpose of socializing, would be a lot more comfortable for us. There is great peace in knowing that everywhere you turn there will be attractive young people who think just like you do. Because of this incredible truth, I propose that we begin the hazing of all those who do not care enough about their appearance. We need to force others to conform into our logical ideology - looks are more important than absolutely anything and everything.

To accomplish this goal, a great amount of effort will need to be put into this work. Exclusion shall be our first strike. To make life a more fashionable and lovely place, we must to shun out all the others. If any of them try at all to make contact with you, give them a smirk look and walk away! Act as if their existence is meaningless unless they conform to our trends!

For girls, we can't go wrong with rumors and jokes made directly towards the female anarchists. The natural oversensitive emotions found in teenage girls are key to obtaining our goal! Do not falter in making them feel so low that they will have no choice but to finally go buy the expensive perfume, clothes, and makeup to join us.

            

To all our guys out there, you must harass the other guys who have not chosen to join our stigmas. Bully them physically by shoving them around in the halls, taking their food, and breaking their thick glasses! Let it be known to them that this is how life will be unless they choose to finally stop wasting their time on homework, and focus more on getting girls, and being pretty and “babe-a-licious.”

Our generation may not accomplish many things. We may not get very far. But as long as we look good, it's ok. Understand that appearances will soon be the only thing that matters on this earth. It is our duty to quicken this process in any way we can. By our continuous efforts, we can turn our young society into the most glamorous, and unprepared generation this world has ever seen.

Hopefully by now you've figured out that it's supposed to be a satire...and hopefully it made you think! Let's all be nice, kay?:)

Love you all.

My Self Affirmations:)

Whenever I think I'm done writing about this, it pops back up again. It's such a big part of my life, that I think it's worth mentioning another time. Between 5th and 8th grade, I was bullied. I had zero friends and I was extremely depressed. I found my way into a group of friends. They ditched me in 9th grade. I found another group, and they ditched me in 10th grade. I felt completely alone...then I met Alonso. He makes me want to be better! He gives me reasons to smile every day. He helped me have respect and love for myself. I will forever love him for bringing happiness back into my life. 

Yet still, I feel an inkling of sadness. Whenever I think about the horrible things those girls said to me so long ago, it brings me down. When I see them in the halls at school, I avert my eyes. I sometimes get jealous of the nice clothes they have, or their large group of friends. I've never known what it's like to have a group of friends to spend friday nights with...usually Alonso and I watch the news together and play scrabble. Don't get me wrong, I love the time I can spend with him! But sometimes I get caught up with wanting a real circle of friends.

The reason I'm writing this is the talk President Uchtdorf gave today. STOP IT. I need to tell myself to STOP IT!! Why am I letting things from the past into my life now? Why should I let fake, rude, and mean people tell me who I need to be? I am going to stop it.

Wanna know how?????:)

My dad reads self affirmations to himself in the mirror every morning... things like "I am awesome!" He swears by the practice and says that it has really made him feel better about himself. I wrote my own self affirmations, but rather than just saying nice things about myself, I tried to make it a little more motivational. Here it is:

Today I will be stronger than yesterday. I will smile more. I will be charitable, gracious, and classy. Today I will be more beautiful. I will try harder, and I will be more intelligent. I will work toward my goals. I will learn something new. I will have more meaningful relationships. Today I will be closer to Christ and have a greater testimony of His restored Gospel. Through Him, I will overcome my challenges.

Today I will do and be all of these things because I say I will, and because I am not alone.

That's it! Every morning, I am going to read this out loud to myself in the mirror. I firmly believe that saying something about yourself makes it true. If I repeat to myself "I am depressed" everyday, then of course I'm depressed...but if I say "I am happy," then I'll be happy. 

Any thoughts? If you try this too please let me know how it turns out!!:)

PS- General Conference notes will be coming...