The phenomenon that is Facebook

My husband and I announced on Facebook the other day that we are going to have a baby in September and we got over 240 likes and about 30 comments.

I can't tell you how happy that made us feel that so many people were excited for us...but probably a third of those people haven't talked to me face-to-face or on the phone for over 2 years. But we are still "friends" on Facebook so that means we are still friends in real life... right? It is just interesting to me that the only contact I have with some of these people is to "Like" each others' random stuff as we scroll through our phones. I am totally guilty of this too though. There are so many of those people who I too haven't bothered to call in the last 2 years because I "don't have time." But I do still care about a lot of them. Has Facebook, with it's purpose of Keeping us Connected to those we love, actually made our relationships more shallow? I don't know.

Anyway...this just made me want to actually talk to these "friends" of mine about their lives instead of just "scrolling" through.

No Happy Endings...

I've been feeling really sad and funky after watching episodes of Once Upon a Time lately. It's a really intriguing show and keeps you wanting more for sure...but I have been trying to figure out why it leaves me feeling all "off-kilter" afterwards.

And I think I figured it out last night. 

The episodes leave you with a cliffhanger every single time!! I don't know what the heck is going to happen! They don't wrap up all nicely with a happy ending like movies do. You see I've never had a TV show that I watch so that's why this concept is new to me. Don't judge. But anyway, I'm used to watching a movie for an hour and a half to two hours and leaving feeling closure. These shows leave me with NO closure whatsoever. I think I'm going to get an ulcer actually. 

Does anyone have any advice for a new TV show watcher who doesn't want to feel lost and depressed because there are no happy endings??

Stake Conference

The visiting member of the Seventy, Elder Terry, had us read a series of scriptures before Stake Conference this year. It's been really cool to be able to have some specific scriptures to study from the the last few weeks, and I feel like it's brought my husband and I closer together. We were able to read the verses and talk about what they mean to us. Most of them were about Christ and we ended up sharing a lot of mission stories with each other. I've always heard people say, and I said it on my mission as well, that if you study more about Christ you will have a stronger testimony of his Atonement. I believe that is true, because in these last few weeks my testimony has grown. I think my favorite passage out of all the ones he had us read was Alma 36: 17-28. This is where Alma the Younger is talking about how he was in the gall of bitterness and was wracked with torment from his sins, but then he thought of Christ and cried for forgiveness and all his pain was gone. Not only was it gone, but it was turned into joy. I love that. I have felt something similar to that only a couple of times, but it is a very sweet feeling to feel forgiven and loved.

I'm Addicted

So I signed up for Netflix thinking that the movie I needed to watch for my project was on there...it wasn't. So now I have Netflix for free for a month and I figure I need to take advantage of it right? My sister told me that she loves to watch Once Upon a Time. I have never seen an episode before but I'm a fan of fairy tales so I thought I should try it...I shouldn't have done it...because I'm now addicted.

I've never "had a show" that I watch every week, except for Studio C, but that doesn't have a running plot. But this would drive me crazy if I had to wait another whole week before seeing the next episode! All I wanted to do today was go home and watch Once Upon a Time...ALL DAY...This is why I don't watch TV! Oh well. Bring on the next episode...

Disney - a monopoly?

My husband and I had an interesting discussion this morning while watching Cinderella and playing Monopoly, both I had just received for my birthday. There was a special feature on the DVD about a major renovation of Disney World where they were doubling the size of Fantasyland to add more attractions. It looked amazing and we both said we want to go there. We went to Disneyland last year for our honeymoon and it was so much fun, other than the super long lines of course. But that's just what we've come to expect right? So we then started discussing how Disney has become a monopoly; they own everything; they seem to be all about getting money. However, we decided, it still makes us really happy when we watch Disney movies and visit the amusement park. And I love putting on the old Disney princess movies and reliving my childhood; there are so many memories there! I remember going to Disneyland when I was 12 and learning how to draw Minnie Mouse. We got to meet a few of the Imagineers, the creators of Disney, and I told my mom I was going to be one of those one day. Everyone seems so happy to work for Disney, but then again, maybe they're not really. Maybe it really isn't about magic and happiness all the time. But I don't really know. I probably will never actually become an Imagineer, but I think I will always love Disney for what it originally stood for: family and joy. If Disney starts making movies that don't fit with family values then that will be sad, and the Disney channel definitely has some stuff it has to work through ...but I will continue watching my old Disney classics and wishing I could travel to Florida to go to Disney World.