Honest Scrap.

"First, list 10 honest things about yourself and second, pass this on to 7 bloggers who you feel embody the spirit of the Honest Scrap."

Disclaimer: I am only doing this for my sister, Whitney, because she passed it on to me...

10. If I was born a boy, I would be Michael Alexander Deer instead of Mikhael Alexandra Doe.
9. I'm not really a huge fan of germs...
8. I don't know when to quit.
7. I used to be the world's biggest perfectionist.
6. I love public speaking. I love forum debate.
5. I am a 'people-pleaser'.
4. I can't whistle or snap my fingers.
3. I rarely fall for anyone but when I do I fall hard.
2. I hate change. I hate letting go.
1. I have some of the greatest friends on the planet.

Freedom.

Ah, yes- the day has finally come... I'm free!! From classes, from finals, from BYU, and most importantly from the HBL library! For the next four hot, humid, relaxing, carefree, fun-filled, beautiful months, I am free. Oh, happy day!

I love the spring. I especially love the spring in Provo, Utah, and more specifically on BYU campus in Provo, Utah. People litter the grass like dandelions, all dressed in yellows and pinks, wearing shorts and sandals. It is a beautiful thing. Spring flings start to bloom and summer romance begins to fill the air. Smiles and laughs are exchanged warmly in the sunshine and blossoms from the trees speckle the sidewalks with color. Everyone seems to be glowing and emanating a spirit of cheerfulness. Parks are full of soccer balls, frisbees, and picnic blankets. Rooftops are occupied by sun bathers by day and blissful lovers by night. The fresh air is welcomed eagerly to swirl through open windows and doors. Contented sighs and giggles float up from the streets below... the perfect soundtrack to summer.

And what a better way to kick off summer vacation than with a cruise to Mexico with 80 of your closest friends! We'll be driving down on Friday to spend a day or two under the sunny Los Angeles sky until Sunday when we'll be Mexico bound. Don't worry, I'll post pictures ;)

This summer will be filled with tearful goodbyes, but also with long awaited hellos. It will be a summer of fun and family, of change and soul searching, but most of all- love.

Happy sunshine, everyone! Go outside and enjoy it!!

Optimism.

"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending." -Maria Robinson
If there was ever a day to start a new ending, today was definitely the day. Today had the most outrageously gorgeous weather I have felt in months. There's nothing better than walking to school with your best friend in February wearing shorts, and I can't think of anything more perfect than hitting up the park after class to toss a ball around with your other bestie. And to end the day, another Anna-Mikhael adventure and more priceless memories made with the best roommate ever. Beautiful.
At this point in life, it becomes increasingly more difficult to face the bombardment of trials put in front of us with a smile. The refiner's fire seems to be glowing hotter and hotter with every step forward and there does not seem to be any sign or intention to cool. It is in these moments of suffocating heat that we need to look for the simple joys, the tender mercies. Spontaneous study sessions with a friend, lunch with pals from home, taking the scenic route on the walk home from school, any little thing that can put a smile on our face and remind us of the many things and people the Lord has blessed our lives with despite our adversaries. If we do this, I've found that our lives will be filled with much more happiness and a greater sense of fulfillment. There is always, always hints of silver in the gray, you just have to keep your head above water long enough to see it. Our Father in Heaven is mindful of each of us and every circumstance and situation we find ourselves in is for our benefit, no matter how strenuous or awful they are. He has not and will never forsake us. Have faith in Him and we will feel joy. With this mindset, it is easy to have a clearer prospective and motivation to become everything we want to be in this life.
No one can escape their past, but they can determine their future. Today is the day to start writing our new ending, and we will keep rewriting it every day by our works and faith, persevering through the storms, finding gladness in all things, until one day when it truly is the end, we can look back and be happy with what we gave.

Love.

"If what they say that 'Nothing lasts forever', then what makes love the exception?"
Quite possibly one of the most overlooked song lyric of all time. Easy to do when OutKast's G-Funk music is backing it, but go listen to this version of Hey Ya by Mat Weddle and really listen to the lyrics, it will change your life. Alright, maybe not life changing, but pretty close...
So what does make love the exception? They say Love is a many splendored thing- yes love, lifts us up where we belong... Love is a feeling, it's an emotion, an attitude, a state of being. It is an attachment to another. Love, true love, is not just a one way street, it takes two. When two people are in love, it is one of the most blissful, wonderful, and magical things that could ever happen. It comes so naturally, like breathing. Two become one, every emotion and thought is experienced together in tandem with one another.
Unreciprocated love feels just the opposite. It is one of the most excruciating, discouraging, and uncontented feelings ever imaginable. It is much like being surrounded by air but being completely unable to breathe. You grasp madly for something you cannot see and only come up with fistfuls of emptiness. The emotional despair you feel inside becomes a very real, outward physical pain and all hope and confidence dissipates. It is an awful place to be.
So why try? Why take the risk? Is it truly better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all? Almost 50% of all first marriages fail. Love has gone from "forever and ever, babe" to "for now and tomorrow, dear." What happens in the transition from puppy love to the dog house? Lack of patience? Miscommunication? Annoyance? Boredom? Weight gain? Early baldness? What is it?
Words of wisdom from Dan in Real Life: love isn't a feeling, it's an ability. I believe it is both. There is no denying it is a hormonal mystery. There is also no denying that lasting love requires a whole slew of skill sets that take a lifetime to master. I believe that if you can love someone once, you can always love them. It may not always be the same carbon copy of that love, but it is still love and it is still there. Love is not always butterflies and fireworks. Sometimes it's not even laughs or smiles. It's work, it's a continual struggle, it's a chase, it's an act of constant forgiveness, but through all these things... it's still love. It's hard to put terms and conditions on love, especially when there are so many different types and only one word to describe them all. We just have to remember that love is love. As complicated and imperfect and untangible as it is, we still love. We must love, for without it we would truly be lost.
Love is what you make of it, so go love and let love.

The Bestest of The Beatles.

Blackbird singing in the dead of night,
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life,
You were only waiting for this moment to arise

Black bird singing in the dead of night,
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life,
You were only waiting for this moment to be free

Blackbird fly, Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night.

Blackbird fly, Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night.

Blackbird singing in the dead of night,
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life,
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
You were only waiting for this moment to arise

The Best of The Beatles.

When I find myself in time of trouble,
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom-
Let it be
And in my hour of darkness,
She is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom
Let it be

Let it be, Let it be, Let it be
Let it be
Whisper words of wisdom,
Let it be

And when the broken hearted people
Living in this world agree,
There will be an answer
Let it be
For though they may be parted,
There is still a chance that they will see
There will be an answer
Let it be

Let it be, Let it be, Let it be
Let it be
There will be an answer
Let it be...

And when the night is cloudy,
There is still a light that shines on me
Shine until tomorrow
Let it be
I wake up to the sound of music,
Mother Mary comes to me,
Speaking words of wisdom-
Let it be