This year will marks 10 years of being a member of the LDS church. To those who are non members of the church, the youngest a person can get baptized is at the age of 8 because 8 year olds are old enough and capable enough to know the difference between whats right and wrong. and yes I got baptized when I was 8 years old. I believe it was May of 2008, I can not remember the exact day but that was the year and the month.
I wouldn't say I'm like a lot of stereotypical Mormons, or in this case a Mormon Young Woman who lives in Utah. For example, I don't listen to the same music as a Mormon girl my age would, around my area. Online in LDS youth groups I can. As much as I love and respect David Archuleta's and his music I don't really listen to him. I'm more into alternative rock bands like, Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers,Modest Mouse, Weezer, Foo Fighters and The Smiths (which is a band I got myself into lately and has helped me since Zac left) I have a favorite scream o band, Of Mice and Men (yep, named after the book you were forced to read in your high school English class) and I know what a lot of you are thinking, either scream o music dose not seem like something I would listen too. I was surprised myself but it has given me a boost of energy in the day when I need it. What about the lyrics? Okay there are a lot of songs in the genre that have some extreme lyrics, however not all, as a matter of fact a lot of songs from Of Mice and Men are quite positive. Songs like "Feels like Forever', "You're not alone", and "Second Sebring" to name a few. The style of the genre is something lots of people including my parents is one of the main reasons why they don't like listening to scream o. But hey it's the same people who were listening to Van Halen, and Pink Floyd and there parents didn't like it. Heck there was a point in time people treated Jazz the same way as my parents would with scream o or Rap music.
This type of music I like over all has been something I've always enjoyed. I am careful with what I listen too. Do not get me wrong, I still have standards when I comes to my library of music.
Another difference would be my clothing style, I'm not very girly. I don't really like wearing dresses unless is for a special occasion, like going to church or the temple. I don't like dressing immodestly either. A lot of what I wear consists of skinny jeans and T shirts, Boyfriend t shirts are for the win. For the past two years I've been wearing chokers wearing eyeliner and flannels, making myself look grungy. And you know what? That what I feel the most confident in. It makes me happy!
What God cares about it the type of person you are inside, are you serving your fellow man? Are are you be friending others? Are you doing what Jesus wants you to do? Are you being a good example to others with your decisions you make, regardless of the people you are with? (that's something i'm striving to be better at)
Also it doesn't matter what religion you believe or don't believe, it doesn't cost anything to be kind to one another. Time, maybe, but it's time worth wasting and giving up.
Friday, January 5, 2018
Tuesday, December 19, 2017
Enough Mourning! It's Time to Get Down to Business! (to defeat the Huns)
As much as I miss Zac I decided to make some goals for myself before he comes back. I promised him before he left that I will become a better person,a better version of myself and that's what I'm going to do! The hard part is well doing it. Some of my number one priorities are:
- Getting the dang program done and over with at the DATC.
- Receive my patriarchal blessing and study it rigorously. (Which I am in the process of doing so right now)
- Do better in school, instead of BS a lot of my work and procrastinating I'm going to prepare myself for the college life style. I recently downloaded an app called, Cold Turkey, which is suppose to set a time lock on the apps that distract me from doing the more important things, like homework.
- Gain confidence. Zac's confidence had always been something I truly admired and I would like to get out my comfort zone.Actually, I learned from my therapist years ago that its not getting out of your comfort zone, its expanding it and well I want to show the world who I am with out being afraid or cringing. Zac also did an amazing job making me feel special, like one of a kind, and I may not feel like it a lot of the time I would like to agree, I am one of a kind, I'm not like anyone else.
- Most importantly is to level up my talents. I hope one day my art will take me places, traditional doodling is one thing but using the drawing pad for me lately has been hard, the lines aren't smooth and crisp like the artist I see on Instagram and YouTube, so I might get a better drawing tablet some time soon. I went through a period where I just didn't want to draw anymore. Around the time Zac and I first started getting close, I showed him my drawings for the first time, and he loved them and he always encouraged me to do what I'm good at, but he also sparked my love back for art again. I'm going to try my best not to let any one such as former art teachers tell me otherwise.
The future isn't always clear, a lot of the time I definitely find it foggy and bleak, but my dad tells me "follow the yellow brick road". Will my interest and plans change during this course of time? Yes. But that's the fun part about the future. So many possibilities. You'll never know what to expect!
Thursday, December 14, 2017
The Aftermath of Emotions
I would say I spent a good chunk of yesterday crying. And yes I promised I would post positive things on this blog but I don't think God intended my blood type would match my personality (which is B negative by the way).
The crying of course is from missing Zac but it also has to associate with change. I've talked and messaged Zac just about every day more than twenty times, and you know what they say about doing something more than twenty times? It becomes a habit, and having something to look forward to every day getting put on hold for a while is rough. Thankfully friends and family have reached out and comforted me, letting me know that everything will be okay! The million dollar question is what am I going to do to occupy myself for the next two years? Well I do have the rest of my senior year of high school to worry about, and graduating has been something I've yearned since junior high.
I am currently enrolled in the digital media and design program at my local applied technology collage, called the DATC. Going into animation and working for Pixar or Nickelodeon has always been a dream of mine ever since I was a kid, and as a kid I would spend and unhealthy amount of time in front of the TV watching cartoons. Yes it has affected my eye sight but bright LED light is going to deteriorate this generations vision for decades and decades to come, and it doesn't make it any better when I plan on majoring in something that requires sitting in front of a computer screen all day.
Anyway, yesterday I got a call from the amusement park I work at just about every summer saying I got a position as supervisor. If any of you know me, where I work, a lot of the supervisor there are already 16 so it's not too much of a big deal. But hey, I was told that having a management-like position at work looks good on a college application or resume, plus I do get paid better then I did as a regular employee, but there are a lot more hours I have to work in the supervisor position sooooo that's gonna be..... tiring. But hey as long as I'm getting paid! Right? That's a plus!
After I graduate I will be applying to LDS buisness college, because that is the one of the only colleges that accpets DATC credits, plus if I did a year course at LDS BC I will already have two years under my belt and after I that I will work on getting a Bachelor's degree in animation at BYU. Honestly BYU wasn't one of my top choices in the first place, I kind of wanted to go to a college that is south of Utah so I can take a break from northern Utah's Bipolar weather, but this plan seems like a better fit for me. My parents do want me to go to an LDS friendly college so also of the factors that got me to deciding LDS BC and BYU, plus BYU has a great animation program, from what I have heard. But who knows? Maybe something will occur that will cause a change of plans after high school, which could be good or bad. We'll never know!
Distracting my thoughts of missing Zac on goals has so far helped a lot. Am I still going to have a moment where I miss him like crazy? Yes. And will he? Of course! I'm so glad I can email Zac and send him letters, so it's not like communication is completely cut off between the two of us, and with Christmas break just being next week, I completely forgot about getting gifts for friends and family! Gotta get that checked off the list of the many things I need so accomplish.
And besides planing for the future Zac gave me a list of things I should do before he gets back, a lot of them consist of binge watching movies, mainly Harry Potter and the Marvel movies (in order) which don't kill me I didn't even think there would be an order to watching all the Marvel movies, but nope in order for me to understand what in the hoo-ha is going on, I gotta watch them in order. It amazes me hows fandoms are so obsessed over a series. Heck Star Wars might as well be it's own religion! There are books about each individual planet, creature, and galaxy down to a science. George Lucas is one heck of a cleaver creative maniac. But it's people like Lucas that inspire to draw an create a world of my own.
The crying of course is from missing Zac but it also has to associate with change. I've talked and messaged Zac just about every day more than twenty times, and you know what they say about doing something more than twenty times? It becomes a habit, and having something to look forward to every day getting put on hold for a while is rough. Thankfully friends and family have reached out and comforted me, letting me know that everything will be okay! The million dollar question is what am I going to do to occupy myself for the next two years? Well I do have the rest of my senior year of high school to worry about, and graduating has been something I've yearned since junior high.
I am currently enrolled in the digital media and design program at my local applied technology collage, called the DATC. Going into animation and working for Pixar or Nickelodeon has always been a dream of mine ever since I was a kid, and as a kid I would spend and unhealthy amount of time in front of the TV watching cartoons. Yes it has affected my eye sight but bright LED light is going to deteriorate this generations vision for decades and decades to come, and it doesn't make it any better when I plan on majoring in something that requires sitting in front of a computer screen all day.
Anyway, yesterday I got a call from the amusement park I work at just about every summer saying I got a position as supervisor. If any of you know me, where I work, a lot of the supervisor there are already 16 so it's not too much of a big deal. But hey, I was told that having a management-like position at work looks good on a college application or resume, plus I do get paid better then I did as a regular employee, but there are a lot more hours I have to work in the supervisor position sooooo that's gonna be..... tiring. But hey as long as I'm getting paid! Right? That's a plus!
After I graduate I will be applying to LDS buisness college, because that is the one of the only colleges that accpets DATC credits, plus if I did a year course at LDS BC I will already have two years under my belt and after I that I will work on getting a Bachelor's degree in animation at BYU. Honestly BYU wasn't one of my top choices in the first place, I kind of wanted to go to a college that is south of Utah so I can take a break from northern Utah's Bipolar weather, but this plan seems like a better fit for me. My parents do want me to go to an LDS friendly college so also of the factors that got me to deciding LDS BC and BYU, plus BYU has a great animation program, from what I have heard. But who knows? Maybe something will occur that will cause a change of plans after high school, which could be good or bad. We'll never know!
Distracting my thoughts of missing Zac on goals has so far helped a lot. Am I still going to have a moment where I miss him like crazy? Yes. And will he? Of course! I'm so glad I can email Zac and send him letters, so it's not like communication is completely cut off between the two of us, and with Christmas break just being next week, I completely forgot about getting gifts for friends and family! Gotta get that checked off the list of the many things I need so accomplish.
And besides planing for the future Zac gave me a list of things I should do before he gets back, a lot of them consist of binge watching movies, mainly Harry Potter and the Marvel movies (in order) which don't kill me I didn't even think there would be an order to watching all the Marvel movies, but nope in order for me to understand what in the hoo-ha is going on, I gotta watch them in order. It amazes me hows fandoms are so obsessed over a series. Heck Star Wars might as well be it's own religion! There are books about each individual planet, creature, and galaxy down to a science. George Lucas is one heck of a cleaver creative maniac. But it's people like Lucas that inspire to draw an create a world of my own.
Wednesday, December 13, 2017
The First Day and How We Met
Hello fellow readers, may name is Maddi Flynn. I am a 17 year old teenager who spends and unhealthy amount of time online. Today the most amazing person I have ever met left to the MCT today, he will be serving the south Puebla, Mexico mission. This amazing person is my boyfriend, Zac. (Elder Zacharry Peterson) 😂 and honestly I have some mixed emotions about this.
Last night was the last time we video called, and the majority of the time we called was we cried and saying we'll miss each other. Now, people like my dad will be like, "Oh c'mon Maddi! Two years is nothing!' well, I guess...? But the things is, I've never had anyone I have been so close too leave for a mission, let alone someone who I'm in a relationship with so this is kinda new to me. It's exciting and yet kinda scary in a way, kinda like getting in line for a roller coaster ride that you haven't been on, you're not going to know what you'll expect until you ride it!
What I find exciting about this is Zac has always wanted to serve a full time mission I think he will be one of the greatest missionaries Mexico has ever seen!
I met Zac in an LDS Facebook group, he sent me a friend request and we started talking, but it wasn't till October when we got really close and opened up to each other. It happened one day when I got home from a rough day at work, he messaged me and asked how I was doing and I said, awful. My co-workers and superiors were being rude and the customers were stressing me out. He decided to call me. As an introvert, I hate phone calls, plus I was on the verge of tears. After I accepted the call I held in my tears while at the same time I was trying to match his voice to his face. (We didn't video call, this was just a regular phone call conversation) but it definitely want long until the tears were streaming down my face and I was too choked up to speak. Zac definitely helped me calm down. It was also the moment I realized he wasn't like other guys I have ever encountered. There was something about him that make I'm different.
For the longest time I always thought boys were stupid and they're nothing but immature. I thought the guys that treated there girls like princess have gone extinct, but he proved to me wrong, they still exist. When we first met in person he came to my house wearing a a nice black tailored suit with a red tie holding a bouquet of roses. Man, I remember how nervous I felt that day! I spent most of my day trying to look as good as possible, trying to get some good natural waves in my hair, and praying to the makeup gods to please give me the ability and strength to use my liquid eyeliner to create the perfect wings. When Zac knocked on my door, I was so nervous, I nearly fell down the stairs as I was trying to make it to the door. The very first thing I did was give him a great big hug. All sorts of thought and emotions were flowing in my mind such as "Oh my gosh he's real!" "Oh my gosh he's at my house, he is inside my house! Holy crap!"
We spent Friday and Saturday together. Friday we went to a local DI and bought each other silly outfits then went to a family fun center called Boondocks (northern Utahns are pretty familiar with Boondocks) and then we when bowling, we drove go karts and raced each other, we had some delicious pizza ( and if any you guy know me I love me some pizza) and we did a few arcade games. Saturday Zac took me out to breakfast and introduced me to Taco Bell's amazing breakfast. (Cinnabon Delights are to die for by the way) my friend Jessica said he gave me the Shane Dawson breakfast. After breakfast I introduced Zac to my grandparents. Zac was so sweet to my grandma, she has difficulty walking and he was most than happy to help her up and down the stairs. We played around of Skipo and I creamed everyone, then we headed off to temple square to see the lights. On the way to see the lights Zac was playing a song called '2 years" which is about a girl waiting her her missionary to come home. It brought tears to my eyes knowing that he was going to leave in just a few days, all of this was getting to me, at that moment I had had my eyes closed leaning on his shoulder wishing that this moment would never end. My friend Karissa was a trooper for being the third wheel and photographer. She took some beautiful pictures of us in front of the Salt Lake City temple. Zac made sure I stayed warm. We drove to my house and he asked me if I would like a blessing before he left. I said I yes and he did. Zac gives the most sincere and heart felt prayers. <3
I walked outside to Zac's car, held each other close. He hold my face in his hands, as I gaze into his beautiful brown eyes. "This isn't good bye" I remember him saying. We gave each other a few more kisses and then he took off. After he left it took me a while to realize what had happen the past two days, and Wow they were the best two days of my life.
To conclude this post I am going to try my best to post any positive thoughts feeling, and updates about my best friend and I in this two year journey.
Last night was the last time we video called, and the majority of the time we called was we cried and saying we'll miss each other. Now, people like my dad will be like, "Oh c'mon Maddi! Two years is nothing!' well, I guess...? But the things is, I've never had anyone I have been so close too leave for a mission, let alone someone who I'm in a relationship with so this is kinda new to me. It's exciting and yet kinda scary in a way, kinda like getting in line for a roller coaster ride that you haven't been on, you're not going to know what you'll expect until you ride it!
What I find exciting about this is Zac has always wanted to serve a full time mission I think he will be one of the greatest missionaries Mexico has ever seen!
I met Zac in an LDS Facebook group, he sent me a friend request and we started talking, but it wasn't till October when we got really close and opened up to each other. It happened one day when I got home from a rough day at work, he messaged me and asked how I was doing and I said, awful. My co-workers and superiors were being rude and the customers were stressing me out. He decided to call me. As an introvert, I hate phone calls, plus I was on the verge of tears. After I accepted the call I held in my tears while at the same time I was trying to match his voice to his face. (We didn't video call, this was just a regular phone call conversation) but it definitely want long until the tears were streaming down my face and I was too choked up to speak. Zac definitely helped me calm down. It was also the moment I realized he wasn't like other guys I have ever encountered. There was something about him that make I'm different.
For the longest time I always thought boys were stupid and they're nothing but immature. I thought the guys that treated there girls like princess have gone extinct, but he proved to me wrong, they still exist. When we first met in person he came to my house wearing a a nice black tailored suit with a red tie holding a bouquet of roses. Man, I remember how nervous I felt that day! I spent most of my day trying to look as good as possible, trying to get some good natural waves in my hair, and praying to the makeup gods to please give me the ability and strength to use my liquid eyeliner to create the perfect wings. When Zac knocked on my door, I was so nervous, I nearly fell down the stairs as I was trying to make it to the door. The very first thing I did was give him a great big hug. All sorts of thought and emotions were flowing in my mind such as "Oh my gosh he's real!" "Oh my gosh he's at my house, he is inside my house! Holy crap!"
We spent Friday and Saturday together. Friday we went to a local DI and bought each other silly outfits then went to a family fun center called Boondocks (northern Utahns are pretty familiar with Boondocks) and then we when bowling, we drove go karts and raced each other, we had some delicious pizza ( and if any you guy know me I love me some pizza) and we did a few arcade games. Saturday Zac took me out to breakfast and introduced me to Taco Bell's amazing breakfast. (Cinnabon Delights are to die for by the way) my friend Jessica said he gave me the Shane Dawson breakfast. After breakfast I introduced Zac to my grandparents. Zac was so sweet to my grandma, she has difficulty walking and he was most than happy to help her up and down the stairs. We played around of Skipo and I creamed everyone, then we headed off to temple square to see the lights. On the way to see the lights Zac was playing a song called '2 years" which is about a girl waiting her her missionary to come home. It brought tears to my eyes knowing that he was going to leave in just a few days, all of this was getting to me, at that moment I had had my eyes closed leaning on his shoulder wishing that this moment would never end. My friend Karissa was a trooper for being the third wheel and photographer. She took some beautiful pictures of us in front of the Salt Lake City temple. Zac made sure I stayed warm. We drove to my house and he asked me if I would like a blessing before he left. I said I yes and he did. Zac gives the most sincere and heart felt prayers. <3
I walked outside to Zac's car, held each other close. He hold my face in his hands, as I gaze into his beautiful brown eyes. "This isn't good bye" I remember him saying. We gave each other a few more kisses and then he took off. After he left it took me a while to realize what had happen the past two days, and Wow they were the best two days of my life.
To conclude this post I am going to try my best to post any positive thoughts feeling, and updates about my best friend and I in this two year journey.
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