shazzamber

My dear friend Aria, who happens to be teaching English in Cambodia right now, keeps a really lovely blog, and posted one of those posts where you answer questions and then tell your other blogger friends to answer questions too. You know what I’m talking about? So here are her questions. I’ve actually never done this before, because this kind of post isn’t really characteristic of my blog, but I’ll go for it anyway. Apologies if it’s not interesting to you.

It’s called the Leibster Award.

This is her explanation: The Liebster award is given to bloggers who have less than 200 followers.  (I have like a tenth of that) What is Liebster?  Apparently it’s German.  You use it to start letters, start prayers, etc.  It means Dearest/beloved/kind/valued….I like this word.

Liebster Award rules:
1. Post 11 things about yourself 
2. answer the questions the nominator made for you
3. create 11 more questions for the blogs you nominate 
3. choose 11 people and link them to your post
4. go to their page and tell them too
5. oh, and of course, no tag backs. 

11 quick things…
1. I’m double-majoring in music and elementary education
2. I’m going on a mission to LA in February, and my entire life has been in preparation for this incredibly exciting event. I cannot wait. Like, I can’t even express how excited I am.
3. Meh. You know enough about me.

So… Behold my answers to her creative questions. 

1.  Do you like your hair up or down (may be substituted for long vs short)? UP! I don’t know if I’ve ever gone a day without tying it up. I don’t like feeling it on my neck, and it ties up so easily in a knot that it’s hard to resist. But everyone always tells me I should wear it down.

2.  If you knew you could not fail, what would you do? Whoa. Um, that is an extremely difficult question. I’d run an Ultra, I’d play with a really good jazz combo, I’d ski really advanced hills in the best ski resorts, I’d learn like 20 languages, I’d find a way to get music back into all the public schools, and become a really good 4th grade teacher who uses music in her classroom. I’d write a riveting article for a big newspaper or magazine. I’d go on a mission and invite lots of people to come unto Christ. Man, I’d love to not fail.

3.  What actor would you like to play the lead romantic role in the story of your life? Oooh. Joseph Gordon-Levitt? 

4.  Do you ever get lost? Ha. All the time. I don’t have a right hippocampus.

5.  What is your favorite kind of toothpaste? Uhhh Crest? I just buy whatever is one sale.

6.  Right…..*now*……are you happy with where you’re going? Yeah!
 7.  If you could live in a foreign country…… Nepal.

8.  Did you watch the Presidential debates? Yep.

9.  What is the one thing that you are best at? Maybe listening and encouraging? It’s definitely not music or school or running.

10.  If you could re-live a day in your life, which would it be and why? Well, every day is my best day so far, so that’s hard. The day I went through the temple for the first time was amazing. So were all the days in Hawaii right after we graduated from high school. The day I left the hospital after my surgery was good. Oh, the day Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (the BOOK) came out was great. So was the day part 1 of the movie came out, because the Laie temple was rededicated soon thereafter, and my friend got baptized that day too. So many good days!

11.  What song would you like sung at your funeral and who would sing it?  Maybe If the Savior Stood Beside Me, or that one new one that says, “I know He lives! I will follow faithfully…” NOT God Be With You til We Meet Again. I think I’d like my grandkids to sing it. I’ll have like 50 grandkids.

My new 11 questions:
1. What is your favorite dessert?
2. Crunchy or Creamy? (please explain, because one of these answers is clearly right)
3. What is your favorite scripture?
4. Who is the greatest world leader of all time?
5. Favorite Harry Potter character?
6. Favorite word?
7. #1 pet peeve?
8. View on immigration
9. Favorite joke
10. When will we get a temple in Jerusalem?

Yeah. I nominate Lug, Leen, Mike, Dell, Kamille, Maren, and other friends who read this blog, who by some miracle may have made it to the end of this post. That was an adventure. And a nice little break while I waited for my laundry.

Every time I hear the choir or hear the organ or hear the piano, I think of my mother, who said, “I love all the acclaim that has been given you, all the degrees you have obtained, and all the work you have done. My only regret is that you did not stay with the piano.” Thanks, Mother. I wish I had.

“I’m so glad I quit piano when I was a kid.”

That is one thing you will never hear anyone say. I cannot even begin to count the times someone has said to me, “Man, I wish I’d stuck with piano. My mom tried to get me to, but I just wouldn’t.” I think I hear that every day.

I had to stop taking piano lessons when I was 16, for various reasons, and it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. I had a lot of other things going on– I was really involved in sports and my classes– but I just couldn’t go on without piano. And then I found myself a music major, a year into the education program, because I just couldn’t stay away.

I know piano lessons aren’t for everyone, but I’m so grateful I “stuck with it”. I am not and will never be a concert performer, but I’m grateful for the talents I’ve developed from it.

I think this is a lesson for everyone– Don’t quit stuff! Just don’t quit. It may seem “too hard” or “too time-consuming”, but if you just “stick with it”, there won’t be regrets later on. I think every kid deserves a chance to be great at whatever he or she wants, and that can’t happen without sticking with stuff. Not to become an expert, but to make an investment in something.

If you really care about something, time will make itself. I committed to read a book every month, which seemed totally crazy, because I have next to no time. But if you make something a priority, it will happen. Anything can happen.

Missing your daily dosage of Harry Potter? This week I’m featuring Harry Potter on my tumblr www.shazzamber.tumblr.com, if you’d like to experience that with me. Specifically, I’m dedicating it to the promotion of the high values of Harry Potter. Join me!

All my life, I’ve been singing “I love to see the temple, I’m going there someday”, and last week I went there. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I know that the temple is the house of the Lord.

The earthquake hits Canada, and the tsunami warning sirens begin to ring on Oahu and the Big Island soon thereafter.

The raging waves up the coast of Haeiwa on Oahu, and the warning of the major expected hit at 10:28 that night had us all fleeing to higher ground in terror, with thoughts of death and our precious electronic devices on our minds. We stayed up all night, huddled together, hoping for the best, fearing the worst.

Nothing happened. The highest the waves got was 2.5 feet, as opposed to the expected 6-foot waves. And that huddling on higher ground? My friend Julie and I opted out of racing to the temple, which is where we were all advised to go, and instead went to the practice rooms above the auditorium (a second-story, so a perfectly fine and safe location) so that we could practice and study for orchestration. (Yes, that is what music majors do.) And the only ones that were really scared were the inexperienced freshmen and that one other type of person. You know.

I have now survived 3 very anti-climactic natural disasters. Here’s a little taste of how it is for us students:

At a loss for a conversation-starter?

Whoa. Holy cow. Mind blown.

That was my initial reaction to this major announcement. [I shall spare an explanation, since everyone already knows about this Announcement.] Then I made the mistake of getting on facebook when I got home from watching that session of Conference, and my news feed happened to be overflowing with excited young girls who had “just started the mission papers!” and “can’t wait to go in 2 months!”

These are girls who just graduated from High School. Some (many?) of these girls hadn’t even seriously considered a mission up to this point. None of these girls have had to wait 21 long years, or 28 veeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrry looooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnng, painful months.

I’m happy that the work is picking up speed, and more kids are going to take this opportunity now. I’m just frustrated that it happened right now, and that I STILL DON’T HAVE MY DARN CALL!!!!!!  But as I said, I’m happy. I know this is divinely inspired. And I know I will be blessed for the long spiritual road I’ve taken, and the time and experiences I’ve had.

This is an article and press conference about the new rule, which was very informative and even helpful for me. I recommend taking time for this.

Well folks, I recently (yesterday) experienced the most anti-climactic moment of my life. Allow me to illustrate:

I started the grueling process of the mission papers a few months ago, and finally completed and submitted them. They were subsequently received by the church mission office, and shipped off from Salt Lake City shortly thereafter (Sept. 28). That is fact.

As it happens, another girl in my ward went through the same thing– she submitted her papers, but they were in Salt Lake for six weeks. They finally got shipped to Hawaii the same day as mine, which means that they would obviously arrive on the same day.

Friday came, a week after the day those precious documents left the Mainland, and the call was sure to come. Tiffany texted me in the morning when I was studying in the library, and told me she had her call. I had my call!!! My call was in my mailbox!!! I immediately texted several friends and family members with the happy news, and then proceeded to tell almost everyone I came in contact with.

 I could hardly focus for the rest of the day, and could NOT WAIT to walk home and see the envelope I’d been expecting literally my entire life. The anticipation almost killed me. I got to my house, excitedly opened the mailbox, and…

empty.

It wasn’t there! I checked again and again, hoping by some miracle it would appear, but it didn’t. I asked a few of the missionaries that live by me, and I even looked inside my fridge to see if my roommate had possibly been possessed enough to play a twisted trick like that on me.

Nope.

So that happened. I have never felt so let-down and disappointed in my life. This even surpasses my feelings after seeing Harry Potter 7 part 2. And that is saying something.