Chasing Rainbows

The Human Response in State Legislature

2013-04-12T12:08:00.000+02:00

Recently I came across www.utahvalues.org which is a Utah group that asserts love, fairness, opportunity and family. This group asserts that it is not within our Utah value system to allow hate and discrimination against those in the LGBT spectrum. On the site there was a place to fill in your address and be given a form to write to your local representatives to ask them to vote for anti-discrimination bills.

Here's what I wrote:

As a young voting constituent I'm writing you today to ask you to next year vote in favor of non-discrimination bills in Utah regarding the LGBTQ community. I've grown up in utah being taught to hold to my integrity and to always love and cherish those around me. As a state I believe we are very kind and generous people, it is something I love about living in Utah, and I believe that there is currently an incongruency between the law and the hearts of most of our citizens.

As a state we are people of service, people of charity and people of kindness and yet, the law stands to uphold the bigoted attitudes of the few. I'm not writing to take a stand on "the big issue" right now (maybe that will come later) but right now I ask that we offer the protection of the law to those who are currently cast in the shadows.

Ireland Trip: Kilmainham Jail

2013-04-07T15:25:00.000+02:00

This was so cool for me to see, after talking about the Easter Rising in my Irish class it was so fascinating to see exactly where and how these men were held! The tour was amazing, they told you so many cool things!

Haunting but sadly beautiful in it's own way

Ireland Trip: Viking Walking Tour

2013-04-07T15:23:00.000+02:00

The architecture in dublin was so stunning all the time!

Ireland Trip: Paddywagon Tour and Cliffs of Moher

2013-04-07T15:22:00.000+02:00

I really enjoyed the Paddywagon bus tour, they took us to some really great spots and the driver was really awesome!

Traditional Irish lunch at an Inn

This old abby was gorgeous!
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Fear and Exhilaration

2013-03-29T15:55:00.001+01:00

Day 29

Spring break: you think about it in the U.S. as a wonderful respite in the middle of the semester that makes it bearable to continue the drudge towards finals.

Before I cam out here I didn't really do any research on when the school holidays were. So you could probably understand why I was pretty shocked when I was putting assignments into my planner and realized that there was a two week break during the fourth and fifth weeks of class.

Yeah, two weeks off when we just started. I mean don't get me wrong, I was excited but at the same time it stressed me out beyond belief.

At home I hadn't really thought about how terrifying this trip would be. I was thinking to the flight and that was about it. Everyone was constantly telling me "oh you're so brave" but I wasn't really thinking about it, I would shrug it off and just think about how simple it would be.

Then I got here.
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Inaction Gets You Nowhere

2013-03-10T15:37:00.001+01:00

There's this funny thing about life: If you do nothing, almost nothing will happen to you.

This has come down on me a lot the past week. I didn't quite come to Innsbruck with a social plan. I had my schooling and traveling and financials all set up but I didn't really think that hard about my social life. Some where in my head I think I assumed that part would just happen.

It doesn't.

You have to make it happen just like everything else. I think it is the fact that this adventure has been so overwhelming that finally made me see that I can't just sit back if I want to make the most of it. I have to get out there and be assertive with my desires for friends and activities. You can't be afraid to ask someone if they want to do something. You can't just wait for them. You have to make it happen.

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IKEA Run!

2013-03-09T15:26:00.003+01:00

Made my first IKEA run every and I was shocked at how cheap the stuff was! This whole haul was only 53.39 euro! If we count the pans and cooking tools individually then that averages out at about 3 euro an item!

Hangers
Dish Towels
Glass Baking Dish
Fry Pan
Flatware
Cutting Board
Two Storage Containers
A Pack of Kitchen Tools
Three Pots
1 Bowl
1 Plate
1 Mug
1 Glass

I think I did pretty good :) Now I can actually cook instead of the munching I've been doing the past week. If anyone has any recipes you think I should try give me a holler!
Carly

Wunderschön

2013-03-09T15:12:00.002+01:00

It is the only I can think of that grasps at how I feel about this place. Directly translated it means wonderfully beautiful. Wonder inspiring beauty. That is Innsbruck.

It is magical. There's a feeling in the streets of the old city--not in from the people necessarily but from the city its self--that speaks to the past. It is as if the stones themselves have wisdom from the things they've seen, as if should you listen hard enough you could hear them whispering to you.
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Anything That Could Go Wrong Did...But I Survived

2013-03-02T09:00:00.000+01:00

Finally in Innsbruck and let me tell ya people, it was no easy task getting here.

My flight out of Dulles was an 1 1/2 hrs late leaving and with me only having an hr layover between flights I was screwed on making my connection before I even left the tarmac. I knew that United had already booked me for the next flight into Innsbruck but I was worried that since the Dorm office is normally only open until 1pm on Fridays I would not be able to check into my dorm until Monday.

Once I arrived at Frankfurt I transferred my boarding pass and my luggage to the flight into Innsbruck leaving at 12:20 and landing at 1:20. After finding my way through the maze of an airport and going through security again (being stopped for private screening for the second time that day) I finally made it to the terminal.

After grabbing a pamphlet from the info desk on how to get to their free 30mins of internet I sat down to try to get on to email everyone about the delay and try to work something out with the dorms. Once I got to the log-in page I had the joy of learning that the log-in required you to have a phone to send a text to with a confirmation code. Well duh-duh-DUH! Guess whose phone was off because it doesn't work in foreign countries?
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"Snow White with Worms"

2012-10-27T19:46:00.001+02:00


Snow White with Worms RebekkaIvacson Mixed Media

I found this wonderful piece on deviantART Daily Deviations and was totally struck by it! On D.A. when you're a premium member you can ask for art critiques of it and so I wrote one and submitted it! I just loved this piece so much I wanted my readers to see it. I would also definitely recommend checking out the rest of her gallery its pretty great.

My Deviant Art Critique:
From the get go I must say this is such an emotive piece and a fine choice for a daily deviation. The interpretation of our classic princess is startling and yet rings true in a way that is hard to put into words.

One of the elements that pulls the viewer in would have to subject and content in that she is in the laying position but has her eyes open, so unlike traditional portrayals. The expression is one of such vacancy, almost resigned sadness.
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"Over Reaction"

2012-09-24T16:58:00.001+02:00

verb (used without object)

to react or respond more strongly than is necessary or appropriate.

I have mixed feeling on this even being a word. In my opinion it takes a lot of festering for something to be a true over reaction and a lot of people miss use the phrase too often.

In my opinion a gut reaction is NEVER an over reaction because it is a quick calculation of your experiences by your brain and your intuition. It may seem like someone is making too big a deal out of something than they should but there will always be a reason for it.

Busy Just Doesn't Say Enough

2012-09-20T20:13:00.004+02:00

So here I am, 4th week of school and it is the first time I've been able to even think about blogging.

This semester has been insane already! For some odd reason I thought it was a good idea to take 17 credits including German, Painting, two upper division creative writing classes, and a gen ed. FOR FUTURE NOTICE: not a good idea.
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It's Called Political Activism not "Like"ism

2012-07-23T17:45:00.000+02:00

Politically my generation must be a "like" generation because I am convinced that 75% of us believe that "like"ing something on Facebook actually does something.

"Like this photo of the firemen if you appreciate what they did"

"Share this video to stop animal torture"

"Repost this if you are sending your thoughts out to the victims"

Sorry guys but that really does little to nothing. The firemen probably don't know their picture is going around, dog beaters aren't going to stop because you posted a video and saying your condolences on a facebook page is a pretty lame way of saying you didn't want to get off the couch to actually do something for them.

I read this article last night from mindpetals.com about overreacting and David makes some really good points.
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Vulnerability: It can Change Your Life

2012-07-21T04:05:00.000+02:00

I just watched this amazing TED talk video:

And wow. While watching this I realized that the reason my life is the way it is today is because of how I looked at my self and how I looked at being vulnerable.

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The Writing Book that Actually Tells You What to Write

2012-07-18T20:19:00.002+02:00

Story Engineering by Larry Brooks

As a creative writing major, I've read a lot about writing. There are the craft books, the character construction books, the short fiction writing books, the famous writers about writing books. You can usually get a couple things out of each of them but at the end of the day most of the time you're still wondering what to write and when. I have always been left with the feeling that they didn't really explain what to do.

Story Engineering is different. Brooks condenses all of the sporadic advice to a solid layout of what makes up successful novels and screenplays.

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Going Greek

2012-07-10T06:52:00.001+02:00

Don't just shut your brain off during this post.

Give me the courtesy

I am not a stereotype.

I'm not the bimbo in that college show.

I'm not the girl that will get killed first in that horror movie.

Let me show you what my sorority means to me.

Age 14: I told my parents I wanted to join a sorority because it looked "fun". Parents laughed and said there weren't any sororities at BYU (where they thought I was going to go).

Age 16: Turned off by the stereotypes. Legally Blond and House Bunny didn't really have me appreciating blond girls with pink sweaters. I didn't want to hang out with a bunch of dumb girls who only cared about their nails.

Age 18: Freshman year, I missed rush week and I felt oddly sad, even though I hadn't thought about joining a sorority in a long time I felt like I had lost something. Next time.

Age 19: I see a few advertisements for rush week and toss the idea around. I go to the page, the $20 fee is enough of an excuse for me to let my fear of rejection stop me from going.

Then I met Shayla. Aside from being a wonderful friend, mentor and fellow christian she was in a sorority. Not only was she in a sorority but she was everything in my mind that wasn't "sorority". Independent, forward thinking, political, level headed, down to earth, and most of all REAL.

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4th of July

2012-07-09T01:18:00.000+02:00

Just a "my life as I know it" post.

My time with Evan for independence day was really fun! Evan has a tradition of hosting for his friends as well as usually purchasing a toooonnnn of fireworks.

The tradition continues.

We invited over his friends.

Cheesy filter, I know. Sorry

We had food and libations, and of course, icecream! It was wonderful :)

Then we busted open the neon sparklers Evan got (he thought of my love of sparklers)

they weren't as neon as we were hoping

Homosexuality in the Bible

2012-07-07T08:47:00.001+02:00

This is the most in-depth look at the biblical scripture and its context relating to homosexuality in the bible that I have ever seen. I think he looks at it quite fairly. If someone made a rebuttal with this much research and contextual history I would be glad to watch it as well, but for now all I can say is this:

It is our job to love. It is not our place to scorn or judge, we are not on the judgement seat. There is no reason on earth to ever treat someone with scorn or abuse and it does no glory to God to cast stones. Love thy neighbor. I will try to bring good fruit to God through love and faith. What will you do?

Questions? Comments? Feel free to drop me a comment below.

Love,
Carly

Update on Study Abroad

2012-07-02T19:19:00.002+02:00

University of Innsbruck

As most of you know I've been planning to study abroad in Innsbruck, Austria during spring 2013.

I'm happy to say that it is still very much my plan. I hadn't done much other than meet with a Study Abroad counselor because I had been planning so far in advance. And now I've finally taken a real first step: I've completed my Study Abroad application!

It was probably very foolish but I decided to do the application at 3am the other night. They asked about my Academic work, language profiency, international experience and which classes I would be requesting in short answer boxes as well as two references with their emails. I also wrote a personal statement of 300-500 words answering this prompt:

Introduce yourself and explain your goals for studying abroad and for integrating into the host culture? What specific situations from your past (i.e., coursework, job experience, travel, intercultural experience) have helped you prepare to accomplish these goals?

Well let's see how I did:

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'Merica Style: The Stars and Stripes

2012-07-01T03:37:00.000+02:00

The 4th is coming up and I figured I would kick off this month with a little 'merica.

Some girls have really got their 'merica pride out! Rockin the style!

If you're looking for some red white and blue here are some great pieces!

Real Shopping

Miss America Sling Backs $168

For Narnia!!!

2012-06-30T20:14:00.002+02:00

Okay finally I've finished The Chronicles of Narnia! I must say that I wish I had read them sooner! I will definitely be giving them to my kids when they are little.

C.S. Lewis's The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Ya know, it is kind of funny how my opinion of the movies vs books keep flip flopping from book to book. This one I liked the book much more, I really didn't like the movie because it seemed so frantic and confusing. C.S. Lewis sets the pace really well and the little interludes between dramatic scenes are nice breathing points in the book.

Definitely an adventure tale, this would make any child want to travel the high seas. It was nice to read because, even though I like a book that I can't put down, this one I could put down because of those nice breathing points. I did want to pick it back up though, it wasn't boring it was just well paced :). I liked how so many ideas I've seen come out in more recent fiction and movies were brought up first by C.S. Lewis (fallen stars being animate people for example as in the book and movie Star Dust).

A good read all around!

C.S. Lewis's The Silver Chair

100 Posts in 1 Year

2012-06-22T00:01:00.000+02:00

Well this is it, the big day I've been looking forward to. My little blog is a year old today and this will be its one hundredth post.

In 1 year I've had over 5,500 views in over 20 countries from every source imaginable.

I've had posts that soared with 500 views in 3 months (Spring 2012 Fashion Palette) and posts that have doozied out with zero views in 11 months (Life is Goin' Good).

I've ranted ( Group Projects , If You're Going to be Player Have Some Decency ),
I've reviewed (Temptation Cupcakes, Angie's Restaurant , Sushi Ya ),
I've taken a stand (Discrimination Against Women, Kony 2012, Second Class Citizens, Government Mandated Rape, Break the Silence ),

and most of all I've come very far spiritually (It's My Spirituality, Not Your Spirituality, Tipping Point, I Don't Know How to Be a Christian, Sometimes Ambition Gets in the Way, Dialogue Journaling, 31 Status, A Little(big) Update, It Isn't Christmas Time, Oh Great Glorious God!, :), I am who I am,)

I've learned a lot about blogging this year and about life:
I've learned that if you want a picture to bring in revenue you should caption it well and pin it.
I've learned that if you don't ask for help you'll never get it.
I've learned that a good title is your ticket to google heaven.
I've learned that sometimes you just need to love people and not give a crap if they love you back.
I've learned you need to find out what people are googling and put your blog in the line of fire.
I've learned that sometimes there are things you and your friends will never agree on.

I hope you've been enjoying this ride through life with me. I know I am enjoying chasing those moments that you want to last forever. I'm having fun chasing rainbows and seeing sunshine.

With Love,
Carly

Prince Caspian

2012-06-19T10:01:00.000+02:00

I actually liked the book much better than the movie! I know that is common to say but the Narnia movies were really well made and Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe was about the same if not the movie being better for me.

Prince Caspian the book was much better. I liked it a lot more because it had a lot more Aslan in it than the movie. I don't know, as a Christian I just have a soft spot for the Lion-Jesus. They also waaaay amped up the war scenes, which I don't find particularly interesting in books.

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Pinterest Crafting: To Do List

2012-06-19T09:45:00.001+02:00

So it's summer time and now we college girls finally have all the time in the world for our secret obsession: CRAFTING!

Here are some of my favorites from Pinterest that I want to do this summer:

Cheap Painting into Word Art

link

It's My Spirituality, Not Your Spirituality

2012-06-15T05:05:00.002+02:00

I first am going to start off by saying this: I am a very liberal Christian.

A lot of my view points aren't shared by some of my conservative friends. That's healthy, it's good for us to see other view points even if we don't agree with them.

And this is one place where I differ a bit:
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