a sunday smile.

when i was fourteen, i was a stake ycl for girls camp. i was only a small ninth grader, and all of the other girls were juniors or seniors.
i felt insignificant.
our stake camp director’s name was rosemary. she is, to this day, one of my role models. although I never got real close with her and i haven’t seen her since, she left an impression on me.
the theme for camp was “because nice matters”.
as the girl’s camp council, we met every week or so for several months. rosemary wanted to make sure that each of us got the real meaning of the camp theme. so each time we saw her, she would give us small challenges to complete during the week. these challenges were supposed to result in making someone else feel good.
we were supposed to smile and say hi to people we didn’t know in the hallway. we were supposed to help a stranger with a task. we were supposed to give compliments.
the next time we met, everyone would share good experiences they had resulting from the challenges.
i, unfortunately, failed at this. still an insecure junior high kid, i never went out of my way to complete the challenges. i regret that.
so, two and a half years later, i’m going to fulfill what i was asked to do. it’s been long overdue.
a sunday smile: my new project. (p.s. bonus points if you get the reference.) each sunday i will make a goal to complete in the next week that will make somebody smile.
i will post these goals here, on the lovely blog, so you, too, can join in!
i promise you won’t regret it if you try… but you will if you don’t! ha…
anyway. the challenge for this week?
operation beautiful.
the gist of it is, write encouraging notes on sticky notes, and put them up in public bathrooms, women's locker rooms, etc.
i think it's important to remind the female population how beautiful they really are. (especially on the up-coming first day of school... when everyone will be worrying about how they look!)
i'll be putting some notes up when school starts this week. i certainly hope it will make someone smile. i encourage you to do the same!

by: hannah

on the virtues of lipstick.

i like to wear lipstick. it's kind of my thing.
i don't remember the first day i decided to wear lipstick to school, nor do i remember why i decided to keep doing it, but i thank my lucky stars for whatever came over me.
because lipstick, you see, has many benefits:
1. you will stand out.
2. people will listen to you when you talk.
3. boys will beg you to kiss them.
4. (you can refuse.)
5. you may look pretentious, but you will be stylishly pretentious, nonetheless.
6. you will:
a. scare those who are younger than you.
b. be envied by those younger than you.
c. scare adults.
d. be envied by adults.
e. be told, "you are so vintage" by young womens leaders, or,
f. be laughed at by adults, in front of or behind your back. (i've just realized that being in front of a back and behind it is essentially the same thing.)
as you can see, it is a win/win situation.
i suggest revlon.
although the 97 cent NYC brand at walmart is a good buy. i tend to buy one every time i go.
is fifteen different colors too many?
i think it's just perfect.. except it can present some tricky situations when deciding which shade to spring upon the sophmores on the first day of school.
smooch or in vogue?


By: Hannah

Hush.

Have you ever experienced a perfect silence?

You know, that indescribable silence?

Where you don't have to say anything to be in perfect harmony with another person.
All you simply have to do is just be.
And there is nothing but peace between two hearts as they peacefully communicate with no words.

It can only be experienced between certain hearts. But everyone can experience it. Just not with everyone else.
No one can feel it with everyone.
It takes something special; something different.
It takes vulnerability.

I have a theory that you can only feel Perfect Silence around the people who make you feel the most comfortable with yourself. You know? Like you don't need to be anybody but you. Because you are enough.

It's a nice feeling. Being enough, I mean.

It's nice to know you are needed. And no one even had to tell you. You just sit there, silently, and know that you mean something to someone else.

I honestly can't think of something I enjoy more than the perfect silence.



By: Mallory

actually, it's miss chanandler bong...

fact: friends is my favorite show.
i watch at least two episodes every night. there are four episodes a day on kjazz. i record them all. hence, my collection of episodes keeps growing.
you know that episode where chandler & joey challenge monica & rachel to a game to see who knows each other best? and ross acts all stupid as usual and is the gameshow host? it's arguably my favorite episode.
two of my friends & i decided to play our own little version of this game. we had to answer questions about each other like, 'who are their two favorite actors'? (which was impossible.) and 'what kind of flower would they be?' (parker was a tulip? heavens.) and 'what would they name their first two boy and girl children?' (morgan's were difficult. i knocked parker's p.j. and jitasha out of the park.)
but guess what. i won.
and i'm proud. that's all.
too bad we didn't bet our apartments for it.
p.s. if you were a friend, which would you be?
i would be pheobe. although my abilities to live on the street and mug ross are debatable, i think i could succeed at writing songs like smelly cat.

By: Hannah

Good Grief.

I seem to lose sight of everything that is real.

I forget reality for days at a time.

Is this bad?
Do not respond to that, for the answer is quite obvious.

I have this lingering feeling that one of these days it will all come crashing down. And the wrath of reality will swiftly bop me on the head and politely inform me that my days are numbered, and my opportunities are limited.
And I'll be excruciatingly shattered. And as I mourn my losses (and despairingly ponder upon mental promises I had previously made to myself and broken) I will sulk in my regrets and stumble into a state of misery. Where I will sit forever, wishing I would have lived in reality.

I don't mean to not live in reality.
Honest!

It's just that, well, sometimes I simply forget to live in reality...
This is entirely an accident.

But sometimes, when I finally come to the realization that I'm not in reality,
I simply forget to go back...
This is entirely on purpose.

I guess all of the misery I may suffer later from this is self-inflicted.
And I'll simply have to get over it.



By: Mallory

i've only watched this a million times.

and i suggest you do so also.

Lost Things from mini-mag on Vimeo.

a dent.

"he's smart, athletic, he's got everything. a well rounded kid. except he's got a dent in his social life."

dear anonymous,
i have a confession.
i find your flaws positively endearing.
i don't like you for the reasons other people do. you're nice, and funny, and not too bad lookin. but i don't really care.
i like you because you're an idiot.
it's not an insult.
i wouldn't be your friend if you weren't scrawny.
i also wouldn't be your friend if you weren't able to cheer me up with your stupid jokes.
it's a love/hate relationship.
that's why it works.
i trust you to always say stupid things. i trust that you'll take my jokes. i trust that you'll try to come up with good combacks, and i trust that you'll always fail.
i'm not laughing with you.
i'm laughing at you. except if it's about people's awkward kisses. then we're laughing together. until you start giggling. that ruins it. every time.
but that's love.
i'm not being sarcastic at all right now.
totally, completely honest. you might as well be reading my diary.
some people may wonder why we are friends. it's a simple equation.
hate+a tiny bit of like+realistic sarcasm+secret love+i would die if you died+i'd probably be the one to kill you=our relationship.
love, hannah.
p.s. the quote above isn't about you. sorry.