Country Tunes

I love music. There isn't much that I won't listen to, and there is nothing I love more than hearing new songs and new types of music. While I can't love everything I hear, I can at least appreciate most genres. However, I love country music. I know most people hate it, and I just can't understand why. I have always believed that you should at least try something before making a judgment. I'm sure every country music fan out there has found him or herself in a conversation with another person who makes the claim that he or she likes every kind of music there is-except for country. Why is this? What is wrong with country music? Could it be the fact that you can actually understand what the artist is trying to say? Or maybe because it's not about sex, drugs and filth, and it's good, clean, honest music you can listen to while your grandmother is in the room?

I like country music because it's about the things in life that really matter. It's about family, God, love, children and sacrifice.Unlike so many other music genres where you may not know the actual words to even your favorite songs, with country, the words and meaning are crystal clear.

Instead of taking political sides on issues like war, country music celebrates the men and women who go to fight for our freedom. Country music is also great because it talks about how wonderful kids are. Too often we hear about how awful kids can be these days, but this music honors children and shows that there are great kids out there who just need a little support and understanding. One of my favorite songs is called "Watching You" by Rodney Atkins. He sings: "I've been watching you dad, ain't that cool? I'm your buckaroo, I want to be like you, and eat all my food and grow as tall as you are. We like fixing things and holding mama's hand, yeah we're just alike, hey ain't we dad? I wanna do everything you do. So, I've been watching you."

This is an example of what really matters in life and how we shouldn't take anything for granted. It's real music, sung by real people, for real people-the people who make up the backbone of this country.Country music isn't all dead dogs and broken hearts. It's about the same things any other type of music is about, and some songs are just downright funny. Of course, not everyone will like country music, even if they really give it a try. I can respect that. However, unless you've really listened to the good stuff, you can't say you hate country music.

Irrational Fears

We all have heard about phobias like fear of darkness and fear of enclosed spaces, but a lot of people tend to be afraid of the strangest things. I have come to find that I am a wimp and am afraid of a lot of weird things. To prove that, I have made a list of things that "frighten" me.
10. I have an irrational fear of people who have had too much Botox. To me, they just look like expressionless mannequins with eyes that blink. Creepy.

9. Scorpions and earwigs, especially the alien earwigs that crawl in your ear and cause you to go insane, like on "The Twilight Zone."
8. Old cars with a burgundy interior. It makes me feel like I am driving in a coffin.
7. Rejection. In other words, if you don't like this piece, don't tell me.
6. Dirty antique shops. There is this one antique shop on the Boulevard where everything is breakable and piled up high. There is everything from old stuffed animals that look like they have been dragged by a car, to porcelain dolls with half of their faces missing. I feel like I will get lost and never find my way out.
5. That everyone in the world is an actor, and I am the big joke. I have a fear that my whole life is being taped and everyone is in on it. I find myself looking around for cameras; I haven't found any yet, but you never know when the host of "Candid Camera" might pop out and tell me to smile.
4. Undercooked chicken-enough said.
3. Aliens. The movie "E.T." has to be one of the scariest movies ever made. I really don't understand why everyone insists on making him a cuddly, friendly little creature. My parents made me go on the ride at Universal Studios, and I almost cried when he said my name at the end. Even this picture scares me...

2. Repetitive patterns. Very distinct lines and certain textures make my skin crawl. I have no idea why, but things like fish scales and sponges give me the heebie jeebies. I can't stand honeycomb shapes, raw beef tripe, burned milk on the bottom of a pan, pictures of cells, or any irregular shapes clustered together with contrasting colors (dirty snow with holes from sprinkled salt). I'm not even gonna post a pic for this one. UGH! My skin is CRAWLING just writing about it!!!
1. My No. 1 irrational fear is clowns. When I was young, I got really sick, and my parents rushed me to the hospital. I was in and out of consciousness all night, so when I was dreaming, I wasn't sure if I was asleep or awake. In one of my dreams, I was waiting for the doctor in the examination room. When the door opened, my doctor was a scary clown with crazy multi-colored hair, a red nose, sharp teeth and long, brown nails. That was enough to send any child into hysterics. Fortunately, the nightmares stopped with age, but every once in awhile I panic when I see a clown. (I put a picture of a nice looking clown as opposed to the really scary pics I found...) There are plenty of other bizarre phobias out there. According to http://www.bli-aloo.com/info/phobias.php, arachibutyrophobia is the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth. Didaskaleinophobia is the fear of school (sometimes I suffer from this as well). Hippopotomonstrosesquippe-daliophobia is the fear of long words (that's ironic). Chlorophobia is the fear of the color green (St. Patrick's Day must be a doozy). Logophobia is the fear of words. (If you suffer from this, I applaud you for facing your fear and reading this article.)

Everyone fears something silly. It is nothing to be ashamed of. Of course, if you were to ask me to accompany you to the circus, I would most definitley say, "NO."

So what are some of YOUR "irrational fears?"

I Wont Grow Up

Summer is one of my favorite season. It means life, awakening, blue skies, green trees and plenty of sunshine. As a child it meant going to my grandmother's house, going swimming, frog catching, bike riding, long days and short nights.

I'd look forward to sitting under the trees of our backyard sanctuary, listening to the birds and basking in the sunlight. Maybe I'll bring out my laptop and write, inspired by the beauty. All the colors come out of their winter hibernation.

And as the colors come out of their hibernation, my skin sheds its winter white, too. My freckles darken and my cheeks glow rosy red. All right, all right, for those of you who know me, you know that I am pasty white all year round. Dang it.

But I find myself stopping at least 10 times a day to enjoy the bright newness popping up around us, whether it's feeling the air get cool as I run through a shaded green-treed trail to our creek or watching the sunset create magical sky-paintings.

When I was young, I was fortunate enough to be surrounded by happy music, good books and magic. I've chosen to root myself in these ideals. It may sound silly, but I'd rather emulate a Disney princess than just about anything. Belle, from Disney's "Beauty and the Beast," was always a favorite role model. She wasn't afraid to be different and extraordinary. And like her, I'd rather find treasures in a good book than channel surf through filth, rubbish, slime, muck and putrescence. I don't ever want to be content sitting in a thoughtless stupor and watching other people live my dreams.

I wasn't quite a girly girl. I loved to play in the mud and wrestle with my brother. I climbed trees and caught crawdads in the river. Once, we caught a pail of frogs and left them in the basement window well and they all escaped, or so my mom said.

My inner child was a pioneer, off to explore my world and to conquer. I was a cowgirl riding my stick horse, leading a red wagon train of kids and blankets and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and toy pistols and other Western paraphernalia around the neighborhood block.

So even though we are older, the inner child within each of us longs to be heard, to be embraced and followed. Our inner child is creative, innocent and holds the keys to our true desires, though over time our inner child is often told to sit, be still and listen. The keys that our inner child holds are then stuffed deep down into the pocket and forgotten.

One of my favorite stories growing up (and still is) was "Peter Pan."

In a behind-the-scenes clip on the "Finding Neverland" DVD, actor Dustin Hoffman said: "In Peter Pan, there is a place called Neverland, and if you ask people what the metaphor is, you will get different answers. One person might say it is a journey to imagination, to creativity, others may say, it means you never die. Neverland is the place that exists for all of us in the 'wish' part of our brains."

We should never forget our "inner child." We must always remember what it was like to not have a care in the world.

One of my all time favorite songs is called "Fireflies" by Faith Hill. She sings of times where she would catch frogs, call them princes and make herself a queen. She tells of how she'd sleep in castles and fall in love because she was taught to dream.

My favorite part of the whole song means a lot to me because it reminds me of myself. It says: "I found mayonnaise bottles and poked holes on top to capture Tinkerbell. They were just fireflies to the untrained eye, but I could always tell. I believe in fairytales and dreamers' dreams like bed sheet sails. And I believe in Peter Pan and miracles, and anything I can to get by. And fireflies."

So in the spirit of keeping "Neverland" alive, I plan on making this summer the greatest adventure of them all.

Fictional Hunks

This is an article I wrote when I worked for the Dixie State College Newspaper. This was right at the beginning when Gav and I started dating. If you pay attention, you will notice how I subtly mention that I like Gavin. :O)
DISCLAIMER... because I talk about the ficitonal hunks I've had crushes on, nothing compares to the reality of my very own flesh and blood hunkahunka burnin love.

Not everyone has experienced love at first sight, (I could say I have! LOL) but plenty of ladies have experienced love at first read. It may sound crazy because it is a lot like having an imaginary friend, but girls everywhere seem to develop a profound love toward fictional characters. So, who are the sweetest and most desired fictional characters? In my opinion, there are just too many to name, but I can think of a few that are worth mentioning.
One of my first literary crushes was Oliver Wood in J.K Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." He was not even that prominent a character, but the moment his character made an appearance, he seemed like a charmer. What made Wood so attractive was his passion for the ultimate sport, Quidditch. How many guys can handle flying on a broomstick while two heavy balls are sporadically trying to knock you out of the air? Sure, Harry Potter is supposedly the best player Hogwarts has ever seen, but come on, Oliver Wood has a better name. Ron Weasley is another male character who has caught my attention. (I have a thing for redheads.) He is Harry's best friend. Sure, he has his moments of jealousy, but he is there for Harry through thick and thin. He is the comic relief, and we can all relate to him. One example is in the movie "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets." The famous trio is sent into the Forbidden Forrest where they were told to follow the spiders. "Follow the spiders," Ron whines. "Why couldn't it be follow the butterflies?" Ah yes, why couldn't it have been butterflies? Well the answer is simple, Ron. It is just not as entertaining as spiders.


Also, if I had to choose one character from "Lord of the Rings" (No, I would NOT choose Gollum!), I would choose the beautiful blonde elf, Legolas. Why, you ask? Well, why not?! He can see far, hear the softest sound, and sense when someone is coming. He's also very fast and light-footed. His archery skills are second to none. And he is an ELF-need I say more?



I have always been a Jane Austen fan, and "Pride and Prejudice" is my favorite because Austen is so skilled at capturing the desires of the female heart. At first, Mr. Darcy might seem like the haughty and pompous jerk who doesn't care a wit about others, but in reality, he is just misunderstood. Mr. Darcy is a classic gentleman. He has the perfect combination of subdued arrogance and aloofness mixed with pride and loyalty, and has the capacity for deep and meaningful love. Another thing that makes him appealing is his flaws. Because of those flaws, girls can relate to him. He is human. On the flipside, there are characters who aren't human at all who hold an enormous sway over young ladies.




After Mr. Darcy, a certain fictional vampire caught my complete attention and still holds a special place in my heart. What is it about Edward Cullen, as opposed to Wood or Darcy or any of the other hunks who have captivated almost every girl from Atlanta to Anchorage? Could it be his smoldering topaz eyes or his superhuman strength? Is it his cold marble skin or his ability to read minds? I have heard oodles of guys asking the question, "What is it about Edward Cullen that makes girls fall head over heels?"Gentlemen, the answer is simple: all of the above. Bella, like most girls, sees herself as average and has little self-confidence. Readers find it easy to relate to her and identify themselves with aspects of her character. So, when Edward falls madly in love with her, it is understandable for girls reading the book to feel a connection with the romance. She is not the popular girl or anything special, so when there is a story of a common girl finding true love, it gives us hope.
Typically, girls are always searching for love and looking for the person they believe will complete them. Every girl who has read any of these books yearns for that same feeling.I am not saying that good men don't exist because they most definitely do. (They sure do! Hehehe) Even so, we yearn for some sort of fairytale ending at some point in time, and these characters fit the image for our own perceived happily ever afters.

Well there you have it. I really liked writing this article. And Gavin sure enjoyed reading it and seeing him inadvertantly mentioned. Good thing he caught the hint because he doesnt consider himself a "redhead". But he knew who I was referring to. ;)

Pranks

Last year, I wrote for the college newspaper, The Dixie Sun. One of the articles I did was on pranks. Technically, as a writer for the paper, you cant use personal stories, but this prank was too good not to. Below is an exerpt from the article I wrote about the prank Lexy and her "friend" (me) pulled on Mr. Gavin Gardner. . .

Learn to pull off successful pranks

By Lauren Jones

"April Fools' Day is still a distance away, but that doesn't stop some students from finding ways to break away from the everyday routine and enjoy life to the fullest.Most people have been the target of a prank. Sometimes it has been funny, and other times we just want revenge.

Lexy Cline, a freshman radiology major from Salt Lake City, was with her friend (ME!) when they decided to pull a prank on Gavin Gardner, a sophomore biology major from Lake Shore, who was out of town at the time. They started blowing up a bunch of pink balloons, planning on filling up his dorm room, but they got to the 70th balloon and realized that they would be there forever. So, instead they put a sheet by the door and filled the space with the balloons. When their friend came home, it was so packed he couldn't even open the door.

"I was confused why my door wouldn't open," Gardner said. "Then I saw the balloons, and I thought it filled the entire room. So I whipped out my pocket knife and started popping. I was relieved when I saw the sheet and realized that it wasn't entirely full. I was shocked they came up with that. Let the games begin."

To get the girls back, Gardner inadvertently told them he was allergic to latex. The girls got worried and went to his place to see what they could do. Gardner then "popped" out and scared them half to death."

. . . This is a pic only about a fourth of the way done. Gavin was out of town and his suitemate and friend, Craig let us in to play the joke on him. We werent sure when he'd be back, so we were trying to hurry.

This is Craig . . . Caught helping with the prank!

And this is Lexy helping too. :)

Good times. . . Good times.

:)