February 25th I Can't Believe it...

Okay.  First watch this and laugh your heart out.

http://www.ksl.com/?sid=24134157&nid=1017&title=have-you-seen-this-sounds-human-

Now watch this.

http://www.ksl.com/?sid=24201077&nid=1017&title=have-you-seen-this-taylor-swift-one-upped-by-a-goat&fm=home_page&s_cid=featured-5

When I saw the second one, I "Amory-swore."  Most of you will get what that means.  If you don't, ask one of my friends or family members that are near me all the time, and you will then get what that means.  I said the word that starts with h.  I haven't said that word since June!!!!!  NOT FAIR NOT FAIR NOT FAIR!!!  The worst part is how funny it is that I said that!!!  Grrr...

Anyway.  That was really funny and frustrating at the same time, to sum it up.  I hope you had a good laugh!

Amory

February 24th Random Stuff

So yesterday was the tournament.  It was awesome!!  I wish I could speak in front of small audiences more often.  I did get to speak on a stage once.  It was so cool!  I really need to have my speech memorized.  Working on that...  At the end, one of my friends won 2nd Place!!!  :D  I was so proud of her!!!  I like tournaments because I get to see my friends there, and I get to keep working towards completely overcoming my fear of speaking in front of people.

So I started a dream journal.  Every morning (I want to wake up earlier to do this), I will write down any dreams I had the night before, in as much detail as possible.  I've heard of other people doing that, and I think it would be really neat.  If I can't remember my dream from that night, I will write down an older dream that I remember, or a daydream.  Since I name my journals, I have named this one Hera.  I don't know why.  I just liked it.

Speaking of dreams, I recall a dream from when I was almost asleep, but not quite.  I was sitting in the back of our green "Uncle Rico" van (which we don't have any more), and across from me was Alex.  She was holding a couple of papers in her hand.  She turned to me, looking very concerned, and asked me, "What type of phone number is my cash?"  I opened my eyes right then, startled.  I thought about it for a long enough time before I went back to sleep that I remembered it just barely clearly enough to write it down in the morning.  Then I told Alex about it.  We had a laugh.  It was weird.

This is my favorite primary song.  I love it!  A lot.  I'm not sure why.  You should listen to it though.  :)  http://www.lds.org/music/library/search?lang=eng&query=holding%20hands%20around%20the%20world&x=0&y=0&clang=eng#d

Okay, this keeps bugging me.  Who puts two spaces after a period in a sentence?  I mean really!  I do.  I've always been taught to.  But most of the people I know don't do that.  So which one is right?  One space, or two spaces?

Amory

February 13th 364 days...

The Puppy walked into a room where my mom and I were talking.  He was holding a box that I knew he used for valentines last year for co-op.  He held out a plastic bag with that cookie in it and said, "Um...  This has been in here for 364 days..."  I totally lost it!!!  HAHAHA!!!  I've been laughing for almost ten minutes!!  Oh...  So I just had to share that.  :)

February 10th Evaluation

Okay, before I start, just know that I am letting my thoughts roll over the keys of my computer for this post, and I do not intend to tell anyone that they're doing things wrong, or offend anyone, or anything.  I am expressing my opinion.  I also hope to help people think about things, but again, I do not intend to tell anyone that they are doing things wrong.

Okay, here we go.  There's this thing called Doctor Who.  Heard of it?  It's a TV show.  Just about all of my friends (except for a select few) are enthralled with and love this show.  But I have decided not to watch it.  There are things on that show that I don't agree with.  I could name ten things, on the spot, that I don't like about that show.  In fact, I will.

1. Swearing/Profanity
2. Immorality
3. Pornography
4. Immodesty
5. Vulgarity
6. Violence
7. Horror
8. Obscenity

Okay, maybe just eight.  But look at that list.  For a person who tries to let virtue garnish their thoughts unceasingly, this is not a good show to watch.

I try to think of my mind as a temple.  We are taught (in the LDS church) that our bodies are temples.  Well, that includes our minds, right?  So when I come across something like Doctor Who, I ask myself, "Would I watch that [or listen to or read that] in the temple?"  I don't think I would watch Doctor Who in the temple.  And it's not just Doctor Who.  There are other shows like Once Upon a Time, Merlin, Rugrats (yes, it's a little kids' show that I was never allowed to watch), Psych, and other things.  I have decided not to watch those at all.  But there are also things that I would watch in the temple, or at least that I think would be okay to watch in the temple, even if I never actually did.  These are things like The Sound of Music, Homeward Bound, Cinderella, and other movies of the sort.

In my quest to let virtue garnish my thoughts unceasingly, I have told myself that I won't watch Doctor Who, or any of those other movies and shows that I said.  I have just realized that I should not be watching those.  I am a big fan of the show Merlin.  But today I evaluated it for myself, and though it's somewhat a hard decision to make, I am not going to watch it anymore.  Whew!  That just lightened my load a bit.

So I have a challenge for any who think they would like to undertake it: find the things in your life that make it so you can't let virtue garnish your thoughts unceasingly, and disregard them completely.  This might be a hard step; it might be an easy one.  Whatever it is,

I challenge you.

Amory

February 8th Good or Bad?

This page is formatted after pages that I once made.

When I was ten, I made this page.  This was when I missed my dog because I was on vacation, so I used my imagination to help myself not miss him as much.  This page was made just over four years ago.  Since then, I have added on.  I put the date that I made the page at the top of each one, and the most recent page that I made was in August.  Yes.  I have imaginary dogs, and keep adding on.  Make fun of me now, please.  :)  I currently have 41 full pages of these, and 1006 dogs and puppies.  My siblings have now taken up the idea.  The Otter has been sitting by me since I got home, asking me to name her animals and spell them for her.

Now, here's the main reason that I posted this:  Is that a good thing or a bad thing?  I want to know.

Amory

February 7th Something Special - That's Right, it's You!

Found this on Facebook and thought it was inspiring.  :)  (Everything in purple is from Facebook.)

Every night , someone thinks about you before
they go to sleep,
At least fifteen people in this
world love you.
The only reason someone would ever hate you is
because they want to be
just like you
There are at least two people in this world that
would die
for
you
You mean the world to someone.
Someone that you don't even know
exists
loves
you.
When you make the biggest mistake ever,
something good comes from it.
When you think the world has turned its back on
you, take a
look.
Always remember the compliments you've received.
Forget the rude remarks.

Amory

February 3rd Little Recollections

This is not how I came upon my beloved pup (who died last May), but I wrote this story based off of him and me and I liked it.  I just wrote it on the spur of the moment, not even thinking about what might happen with the story.  I just started with the first sentence and then I was off.  I want to continue the story, at least for a little, and I just thought I'd put it on here.

Avery paced about on her little Hill of Dreams for the whole of the afternoon, her wavy auburn hair flouncing, her white and blue mid-shin-length dress streaming its ribbons, and her dark blue eyes staring solemnly at the ground.  She couldn’t get that picture out of her mind - the picture of the poor little dog that she had found in the Forest of Memories, but that she had not dared to bring home for fear her mother would merely throw it out of the house.  The poor little thing was so thin its ribs showed, it was so covered in dirt that she couldn’t tell what color it was, and its eyes - oh! - its eyes had been looking at her with such longing that when she saw them she hardly dared to breathe.  Yet she had swallowed her pity for the poor creature, and she had walked home with a sick stomach.  After a dinner of five peas and a quarter of a slice of toast, she had sought solace on her Hill of Dreams, which she loved dearly and found to be a place of thinking.  She paced around the hill many times, just walking in circles around the little thing, which was only a few feet high but spread around like a thick pancake in a clearing on the forest floor.  She couldn’t stop thinking about the poor little pup she had left to starve.  What could she do?  She couldn’t really leave it there, could she?  Oh, but she had!  What to do, oh what to do!  Perhaps if she just brought it home and asked to keep it her father would coax her mother into it.  And then if he couldn’t, the dog would just have to fend for itself again.  Well, what harm would trying do?  Either way the thing might have to live outside.  She would try it.  She would go gather that pup in her graceful white arms, and she would carry it home and look after it as long as she could before her mother found out.  Yes - this was what she would do.

She set out across her Hill of Dreams, through the Fairy Meadow, and into the Forest of Memories.  The Forest of Memories was just a small forest, with trees spread out in lush green clusters, and lovely green moss covering the floors.  She searched out the place where she had seen the dog before, and she found it still curled in a tight cold ball in a dip in the ground under a low-hanging tree.  She decided to approach it slowly for fear it would snap at her, but when she did the poor little thing just wagged its tail and licked its nose, and it got right up to snuggle into her arms.  Avery smiled, and hoisted up the light thing.  She walked home, not too briskly, and took a deep, consoling breath before entering the house.

She didn’t find anyone in the living-room so she slyly snuck down the hall to the bathroom, where there was a tub to wash her treasure in.  She caressed his ears and rubbed his back as she washed him, all the while glancing into his eyes.  As the mud came off his fur it revealed a big patch of black on his back, brown around the edges of that, a cute, nut-brown face with a white muzzle, a furry, fluffy, tri-colored tail, and a white underbelly and legs.  She flopped his dark, brown, big, triangle ears in her hands and smiled.  He looked back at her with pitiful little eyes that said, “I don’t like this bath but I can tell that you love me so I will stay still until you finish.”  Then his eyes just smiled back at her.  She fell in love with the dog - the beautiful, lithe little creature that she had found under a tree.

She dried him off and gave him a cuddle, and nuzzled his nose.  The little pup shook his fur and it poofed out slightly.  Avery giggled.  She brought him to her room upstairs and set him down on the floor, closing the door behind her.  She sat on the edge of her bed and watched him for a while, using his cute, long snout to sniff around the room.  When he finished he came up to her and weakly sat down, his eyes looking imploringly up to her.

“Oh!  Of course!  You must be starving!”

She hopped off the bed, gathered him right up in her arms, and marched downstairs to the kitchen.  She found him a few things to eat, and before anyone could hear her say, “Oh dear!” they were gone.  The little pup licked his lips and begged for more, gazing up with his sweet brown eyes at Avery’s face.  She giggled again.  “Oh, you are just so loveable!  Alright.  Here’s some more.”  She gathered up a few more morsels of food and put them in front of the dog, and they again disappeared in a flash.  Avery kept feeding him this way until she was almost out of food and the pup didn’t ask for more.

Avery took the pup back up to her room.  He looked sleepy, so she laid him on her bed with an extra blanket under him so as not to dirty her quilt.  She watched him fall asleep and sighed.  “Oh, pup, what do I do if you can’t stay here?”

Right at this moment she heard footsteps.  Someone was home.  She listened for a moment to see who it was.  She could tell a person in her house by their footsteps, and found that this one was her father.  She smiled.  Her chances of keeping the dog had just increased.

She rushed quickly down the stairs to the kitchen where her father was grabbing a bite to eat.

“Pa, Pa!” she called as she went.  “I’ve something to show you, come quickly!”

She paused near the bottom of the staircase and waited.  She heard the sound of a plate on a table and footsteps coming her way and grinned.  She started up the stairs again when she saw her father, beckoning him to follow.  “Hurry!”  She whispered this time.  “But be quiet.”

His eyebrows raised as he followed her.  “What is this thing I have to be quiet for?”

Avery giggled quietly.  “Just come on!  I’ll show you.”  She opened the door to her room as silently as she could, glanced inside, and gestured for him to follow her in.  She stepped into the room and stopped near the side of the bed, looking at the pup.  Then she looked up at her father.  She knew he liked it when she got to the point quickly, so she did.  “Well?  What do you think?  Can I keep him?”

Her father stared at the dog as if someone had just given him a surprise party.  “Where did you find him?” he finally asked.

“He was under a tree in the Fairy Meadow, and I just had to bring him home, Pa.  Isn’t he beautiful?”

Her father nodded.  “That he is,” he said.  His face suddenly changed from a surprised one to a delighted and excited one.  “Does he have a name?” he asked.

Avery shook her head.  “No.  I was waiting to see if Ma would let me keep him.  I was hoping you would help with that.  I thought you would let me, but I know Ma won’t like it.”

Her father folded one arm over his chest and used it to prop the other up by the elbow so he could keep his hand on his chin.  He nodded thoughtfully.  “You’re right,” he said.  Then he looked up at her mysteriously.  “But I might be able to arrange something.”

“Oh, Pa, would you?” she jumped, just barely remembering to keep her voice down.

He nodded again, and took his hands down.  “Yes.  Consider it done, darling.  If anyone can convince your mother of something, I can.  You can keep the pup.”

“Oh, Pa!”  She jumped for joy and threw her arms around his neck.  “Thank you, Pa!  Thank you!”

He chuckled and gave her a hug.  “Yes, darling, yes.  You’re welcome, princess.”

Avery felt as if her heart could burst.  Her face was lit up.  It was all she could do to keep from jumping and squealing, because she didn’t want to wake her dog.  Nevertheless, his eyes opened and he squirmed upward to see what the commotion was about.  He hopped off the bed and trotted over to Avery on his long legs.  His shoulder reached just above her knee, and he went to nose her hand.

“Oh!” she jumped at something cold and wet on her fingers and looked down.  “Hello, little one.  I get to keep you!  Oh, I get to keep you!  What do you think of that?”

The pup wagged his tail and smiled at her with his eyes.  Avery plucked him off the floor and cuddled him in her arms.

“You’re mine.  You’re mine forever.  Oh, I love you, little dog!”

Her father was still standing, watching.  He stepped into place just behind her and looked at the pup’s eyes.  “You’d better take him outside,” he murmured in her ear.  “Maybe you can think of a name then.”

Avery turned her head to look at her father and smiled.  “Alright,” she said.  She put her puppy on the floor.  “Come on, little dog!”  She patted her thigh at she looked behind her, calling him to her.  “Come on!” she coaxed again.  The puppy looked at Avery’s father for a moment, and then he followed her with a wagging tail.  Avery smiled at her father as she walked out of the room.

As he watched her, he smiled too.  “Have fun,” he said, “and love that little pup - because he’ll be your treasure forever.”

Avery took the pup into the front yard and let him smell the flowers.  She sat down on the front steps, placed her chin in her hands, and watched him run around.  He went to all the flowerbeds and then rolled in the grass.  He ran around and around in circles, looking at Avery, enticing her to play with him.  She just smiled at him for a minute.  He came up to her and nuzzled her hand; she laughed.  “Wanna play?” she asked.

The little hound pranced around on his strong long legs excitedly, as if to say, “Yes, yes!  Can you, can you?  Please?”

Avery laughed again.  “Alright!  You run and circles again and I’ll try and get you!”

Somehow the little pup understood, and he ran in circles around her.  Avery kept lunging at him, trying to catch him.  She caught his tale once or twice.  She laughed and laughed as they played.  He began to bark - a lovely, loud, melodious bark of a young hound.  Avery paused for just a moment.  It was the first time she heard his voice, and she wanted to listen.  She just smiled as she watched him.  He ran for a moment more before he noticed she’d stopped chasing him and then halted in front of her.  He continued to bark until she laughed and started lunging again.  Then he bounded and bounded around her in circles; lunge - bound - lunge - bound.  It was then that Avery suddenly realized what his name would be.  “Bounder!” she called, testing it.  The pup halted in front of her and barked as if telling her to say it again.  “Bounder!” she called once more.  The dog seemed to smile at her and bark his approval.  Avery smiled really wide and laughed heartily.  “Well, c’mon, pup!  Keep playing!  I gotcha!”  She lunged again and they continued playing.

They played for a long time out in the yard, until they were both tired out.  Then Avery trudged wearily to the front steps.  The pup followed her, and sprawled himself out with his back against the lowest step.  Avery sat down on the lowest one to catch her breath.  When she had caught some of it she said, “Well, Bounder, that was fun!”

He looked up at her with a doggie smile in his eyes that said, “You got that right!  But I’m tuckered out!”

Avery laughed.  “Want some water?” she asked him.  She got up without waiting for an answer and filled a bowl from the water pump in the kitchen.  She came back outside and set it down next to him, and then sat down on the steps again.  He got up to drink it and she pet and ruffled his neck while he drank.  “I love you, Bounder,” she said, continuing to ruffle his fur.  “You know, pup, I’m glad I found you.  I didn’t think you should have died.  And now you’re here!  You get to be my best friend!”

At this the dog stopped drinking and looked up at her.  “Yes!  And I’m so happy you found me because you’re right - we are going to be friends!  Forever!”

Avery smiled.  He went back to drinking again and she kept lovingly ruffling his fur.  She knew she loved this dog, and that she would love him for as long as she lived.  Sure, she may have other dogs much later that she would love, but that was in the far future, and she didn’t think about that now.  All she thought of was how much she loved this dear little tri-colored hound, and that she knew they would be loyal companions for eternity.

Amory