splash mountain.

I love SPLASH MOUNTAIN at Disneyland. Always have, always will. So when my typography class had an assignment to build a monument or building out of using just type and font, I immediately was up for the challenge of trying to do Splash. Below is my final product and it took me FOREVER!! But I think it was well worth it. You may need to click on it to enlarge to see it and appreciate it. I was well surprised with the outcome.

wild thing.

Last night I went to see Where The Wild Things Are. I've been waiting for a long time to see it. I really liked it. But it's not for everyone. I picture it more like a piece of art rather than an actual movie. I remember reading the book as a kid and the images of the monsters forever being lodged into the back of my mind. The movie was a little slower and it kind of feels like it doesn't fit in with any category of person. Kids will think it's boring (especially in this age of fast paced action stuff and tinkerbell/barbie princess movies.) And some grownups will be turned off by its thin plot and anti-climatic purpose. I thought it was JUST RIGHT. Loved it.

The visuals are incredible. It's a beautiful looking movie and they did amazing with the monsters. I've read that they combined puppetry with CGI effects to create them. It was flawless. The acting was great by the little boy. I had heard rumors that he was a super annoying kid actor (like Miley Cyrus), but I thought he did awesome.

And the music rocks!!

5 years ago....

It's October 12, 2009.

5 years ago today...

I finished my training at the MTC and took the 50 minute flight from Salt Lake City to Phoenix where I would live for two years. I remember waking up extremely early that morning and feeling like I had already served my two years (even though it had only been 3 weeks in the MTC) and that it was time to fly home! Oh no no no no...little did I know.

I remember getting dropped off at the airport and thinking that I was soo cool for having been done with the MTC. I remember wearing my super cool sunglasses and feeling like an elite member of a club, and as a group, looking like the mafia had arrived. I remember calling my mom and dad from a payphone and talking to them about my experiences so far. I called my siblings and some of my friends here in Rexburg. It was scary.

I remember the flight and flying over the grand canyon and thinking THIS IS IT!! THIS IS WHERE I'LL BE FOR TWOOOOOO YEARS.!! P.S. it was scary.

I remember landing and being picked up by the Assistants to the President. We saw Air Force One at the airport cause president bush was visiting Arizona. We stopped at the mission office (me like a deer in headlights) and getting my first piece of mail!...(from long-time friend Summer Knight...she had sent a letter there before I arrived so I would have one when I got there.) We went to the mission presidents house and I remember thinking he was going to be SOO loving and caring and take care of these precious little new missionaries. FALSE: I said "Hi, I'm Elder Shipley" and President Booth responded extremely intimidatingly "Take your jacket off and go eat."....."SIR, YES SIR!!!!" yikes!

We ate and then did introductions of ourselves and bore our testimonies and then went to bed there at their house. That day was one of the most spiritual experiences of my life. I had no clue what I had in store from there on. But I do remember thinking "these two years are never going to end" and probably at that time wishing a little bit that they were already over. But now that I've been home for 3 years...what was I thinking? But...I'm sure everyone thinks that a little bit. After all, it was the beginning of the rest of my life!

a.c.r.o.n.y.m.s.

Mormons LOOOOVE acronyms. We shorten everything! Is this because we're taught to be frugal and save for a rainy day? Is it to save verbal space? Is it to make things easier (when in reality it makes things more difficult!?). The poor converts I helped bring into the church in Arizona must have had the hardest time coming into mormon culture (do they serve ...particularly that of acronyming. (Dad, was it hard?).

But maybe it's not just mormon culture. It seems acronyms have been adopted into societal culture as well. We shorten everything!!...(especially those associated mainly with the texting generation in purpose of lessening the amount of space within a text message).:

L.O.L.! - laugh out loud
B.R.B.! - be right back (which I even find myself verbally acronyming as I leave my apartment)
UR! - you're
T.T.Y.L. - talk to you later
K.I.T. - keep in touch
R.O.T.F.L.M.B.O. - rolling on the floor laughing my butt off
O.M.G. - oh my gosh
R.U.O.K? - are you ok? (obviously)

and of course, if you're a genius texter (sorry for using that word robin) like me:

H.U.A.M.U.A.T.S.S.S.J.N.T.T.K.F.C.I.T.W.M.P.L. - hurry up and meet us at the second stop sign just next to the kentucky fried chicken in the wal-mart parking lot

NOW THAT'S TALENT!

And in mormon culture we have the oh so many:

C.T.R. - choose the right
R.S.P. - relief society president
M.T.C. - missionary training center
The BOM - the book of mormon
P.P.I - personal priesthood interview
B.Y.C. - bishop's youth committee
R.M. - return missionary
E.T.T.E. - endure to the end
R.W.H. - return with honor
E.C. - eternal companion
E.Q.P. - elder's quorum president
T.R.C. - the referal center
W.W.J.D. - what would Jesus do? (more common in other faiths but definitely worth noting).
L.D.S. - latter-day saint

and my dad's personal favorite (as he would drop me off places during my teen years):
R.W.Y. A.! - remember who you are

Have I missed any or forgotten any? Let me know....ttyl.

i live with who?

Roommates are a funny thing. I was thinking about this the other day. During college you live with all these random people you don't know and you all share the same roof and the same refrigerator...but you have no clue as to who they are. Obviously you get to know them...sometimes...but I just think it's a funny thing. There's all sorts of roommates. Lets list them shall we?:

THE WOMANIZER. This roommate is the type who look at girls as expendable and dates through them just for the number. He may be dating Jessica from your F.H.E. Group, but is secretly having "lunch dates" with Chloe from geology class; putting all his roommates in the awkward position of "should we tell Jessica or not?" (In the end, he wouldn't even care...)

THE GAMER/NERD: This roommate is obsessed with all things technology. He eats and breaths World of Warcraft for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and stubbornly crams his 78 inch television into his bedroom instead of putting it in the living room. I'm not bitter or anything. When he comes out of his room, and to the astonishment of his roommates, he is asked,"Wait...You've been home this entire time?" Oh, and he ditches class because he has to figure out who supposedly killed Spock...again...

THE PRE-MEE (in LDS terms this means a boy that has yet to serve a mission when he turns 19): This roommate thinks he knows it all...and wow, he really has no clue! He's often heard saying "When I'm a missionary life will be so much easier..."...or..."Tracting will be so much fun!" ....haha....Hahaha....HAHAHAHAHA!

THE THERAPIST: This is the apartment guru in all-things-advice...but rarely uses his own for himself. His room is the nightly apartment hangout where secrets are spilled and opinions are shared on all sorts of topics: life, love, girls, movies, embarassing stories and missionary near-death experiences. And girls. I already said that.

THE JOCK: ESPN. ALL.........THE.........TIME.....

THE STRANGER: Leaves at 6 a.m. Comes home at 2 a.m. Usually is engaged and curfew rules are "not for him" because he's "found true love" after three days. He doesn't attend his bishop interview, or church for that matter, because he's going to his fiance's ward instead. You don't find out his name until halfway through the semester and by then it's too late to even try to start a friendship with....who am I talking about?

THE CREEPER: This roommate is always home and never seems to leave. His roommates question his academic career because he never appears to be doing homework or going to class...and yet...somehow still gets A's. Theories include that he dishonestly tells his teachers that someone in his family is very ill and so therefore can't attend class...(true story).

THE SPIRITUAL GIANT/ MOST RECENTLY RETURNED MISSIONARY: Every roommate strives to be this but usually only one can succeed as the ultimate reminder of what the others need to be like. He's usually called to be the elder's quorum president and finds it his personal responsibility to know every single one of Jacob's sons in chronological order. Relates every story to his mission.

THE THIEF: This roommate is in denial. His roommates wake up and awkwardly realize their gallon of milk is a centimeter lower in the carton than it was last night. But the thief is a sneaky one, as he has discovered there are 4 other roommates with potential to blame it on....

THE LONER: This roommate is invited to all the same social roommate activites as everybody else but still proceeds to announce awkwardly in those social settings that he has no friends and that nobody likes him. Interesting, as I just gave you a ride out of my own free will and kindness so that you can hang out with the people/roommates who thought they were your friends.

THE BONUS BROTHER: This is Kramer from Seinfeld. He comes and goes unexpectadly and pretty much does everything except for sleep at your apartment (except for weekends...then its free game...). His role is to replace "the stranger" roommate and burst into the apartment with funny stories but senseless annoyingness. The word "LEAVE" does not register to him. Love him or hate him, you're stuck with him for life...and he knows it.

THE NON-FLUSHER: Yes. He exists.

There's a-plenty more, but these stereotypes are the most common.

This semester I have great roommates. Some are new, some are old, but they're awesome. Who are they exactly? Find out for yourself (and to spare any offenses, I won't be categorizing them into a stereotype, even though each one fits one, including myself...):

Room 1: I don't have a picture of him nor do I know him at all actually, but his name is Filipe. Or Phillipe. No clue how to spell it.

Room 2

Brock Norton
Nickname: Broccoli
From: Twinsburg, Ohio
Mission: Long Beach, Cali
Facts: Been home from his mission for 3 years. Studying business management and is graduating in december.
Favorite movie: The Dark Knight
Wants to be when he grows up: A Liberal (?)
Quote: "4 out of 3 people have trouble with fractions."

Room 3

Dallas Norton
Nickname: Scandallas
From: Twinsburg, Ohio
Mission: Anchorage, Alaska
Facts: Been home from his mission for 3 weeks. Studying business management and has a looong way to go.
Favorite movie: Blue Streak
Wants to be when he grows up: Amish (?)
Quote: "The first and greatest victory is to conquer yourself" - Plato

Room 4
(the picture is from halloween last year.)

Ryan Tremble
Nickname: Trembles!!
From: Hollister, Cali
Mission: West Virginia
Facts: Been home from his mission for 4 years. Studying mechanical engineering. Almost done.
Favorite movie: Lord of the Rings ("True fans don't pick a favorite out of the three...")
Wants to be when he grows up: Astronaut
Quote: "The greatest thing we can do is decide best what to do with the time that we have left." - Gandolph

Room 5

Mike Briney
Nickname: Gus Gus
From: El Segundo, Cali
Mission: Somewhere in Argentina.
Facts: Been home from his mission for 3 years. 2 semesters left studying business marketing.
Favorite movie: He has no clue.
Wants to be when he grows up: USC Cheerleader (?)
Quote: "The only reason you're my friend is because I make you laugh."

Room 6

Craig Shipley
Nickname: Craigslist
From: Salinas, Cali
Mission: Phoenix, Ariz
Facts: Been home from his mission for 3 years. 2 semesters left studying advertising and graphic design.
Favorite movie: Big Fish or A Beautiful Mind
Wants to be when he grows up: Owner of Disney Inc.
Quote: "All you need are 3 things: duct tape, tacks, and Craig Shipley. I'll be there in 15 minutes."