Apr 30, 2014

64 Facts That Will Make You Feel Happy

Too Good Not to Share
64 Mind-Blowing Facts That Will Make You Feel Incredibly Happy

1. Every year, hundreds of new trees grow because of squirrels forgetting where they buried their nuts.
2. There is a basketball court on the top floor of the U.S. Supreme Court Building. It’s known as the “highest court in the land.
3. Even if they’ve never been able to witness it themselves, blind people smile when they are happy. Smiling is a basic human instinct.
4. Cows have best friends and they tend to spend most of their time together.
5. Otters hold hands when they sleep so they don’t float away from one another.
6. Also, there’s a special pocket in their skin where they carry their favorite rock.
8. Wayne Allwine and Russi Taylor, who respectively voiced Mickey and Minnie Mouse, were married in real life.
9. Rats and mice are ticklish, and even laugh when tickled.
11. The Roman Emperor Caligula once declared war on Neptune, the god of the seas. His men ran to the ocean and stabbed at the water.
12. Caligula then declared victory, and commanded his men to collect seashells as war trophies.
13. The official Space Jam website has not changed since 1996.
14. The voice of Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, Jim Cummings, calls children’s hospitals in his spare time to cheer up sick children.
15. Blind Willie Johnson was blinded by his mother as a child, and he died of pneumonia in the burnt remains of his house in 1945. In 2004, he became an ambassador for life on Earth when the Voyager I left our solar system with a recording of his song “Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground” aboard.
16. The day of his assassination, Martin Luther King Jr. got in a pillow fight in his hotel room.
17. There’s a prison in Washington that offers inmates pet cats for rehabilitation.
18. Apollo 17 astronaut Gene Cernan wrote his daughter’s initials on the surface of the moon. The initials “TDC” are still there, and likely will be for tens of thousands of years.
19. A cat version of the corgi exits: the munchkin cat.
Victoria Ristenbatt/Flickr Creative Commons; Clarke Thomas/Flickr Creative Commons
20. A group of flamingos is called a flamboyance.
21. And a group of pugs is called a grumble.
22. A group of kittens is called a kindle.
23. A group of hedgehogs is called a prickle.
24. A group of cats is called a cloudier.
25. And a group of bunnies is called a fluffle.
26. At one point, very briefly, you were the youngest person on the planet.
27. Cuddling can help wounds heal faster, due to the release of oxytocin.
28. It also releases serotonin, which can improve one’s mood and fight depression.
29. Sea horses mate for life and travel holding each other’s tails.
30. Not only do penguins mate for life, but they also spend time finding a pebble to give their mate in order to “propose.”
31. When you shave a guinea pig it looks like a little hippo.
32. Worms communicate by snuggling.
33. Butterflies taste with their feet.
34. Somewhere, someone is having the best day of their life.
35. Norway once knighted a penguin.
(The penguin’s full name is Colonel-in-Chief Sir Nils Olav.) Via Reuters
36. Puffins also mate for life.
37. And baby puffins are called pufflings.
Andreas Mulder / Via andreasmulder.com
38. During the Christmas Truce of 1914, German and British soldiers played a game of soccer in the “no man’s land” between trenches.
39. Seventeen-year-old Jackie Mitchell, one of the first female pitchers in professional baseball, struck out both Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in 1931.
40. Baby echidnas are called puggles.
41. Zach Braff, who played JD on Scrubs, and Donald Faison, who played Turk, are actually best friends in real life.
42. Charlie and the waitress from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia are married in real life.
Amanda Edwards / WireImage
43. There have been studies that show that goats, like us, have accents.
44. Male pups will sometimes let female pups “win” when they play-fight so they can get to know them better.
45. Cats bring you dead animals because they think you’re just a crappy cat that can’t survive on its own. Cats bring you presents!
46. The elephant shrew’s closest relative isn’t a shrew — it’s actually an elephant.
47. Red pandas can have tails that grow up to 19 inches — despite being the size of a house cat.
48. Dolphins have names for one another.
49. In Welsh folklore, corgis were the preferred method of transportation for fairies.
50. There’s a competition in Sweden called Kaninhoppning, or rabbit show jumping.
51. Octopuses actually do make gardens by collecting stones and shiny things and arranging them in the sand. Ringo was right.
52. There is no angry way to say the word “bubbles.”
53. The only member of ZZ Top who does not have a beard is the drummer, Frank Beard.
54. The kingdom of Bhutan uses “gross national happiness” as a key national indicator.
55. When rabbits get really excited and start to jump around, it’s called a binky.
56. Mister Rogers was given the honors of pouring the wax that made the 1,000,000,000th Crayola crayon.
57. Newborn giant pandas are about the size of a stick of butter.
58. No two dogs’ nose prints are the same, much like human fingerprints.
59. Katy Perry has a cat named Kitty Purry.
60. Canadians eat more doughnuts than any other country.
61. They also eat the most Kraft Mac and Cheese.
62. In April 1930, the BBC reported that there was no news that day, and played piano music instead.
63. You can tickle a penguin.
64. And always keep in mind, no matter how bad you might feel, you’ll never be as ugly as the world’s ugliest animal: the blobfish.


Apr 24, 2014

Silence vs. Violence

When we hear a tough message, we often resort to one of two unhealthy behaviors: Violence or Silence.

Violent: Aggressive, defensive, yelling, threatening, lash out, say things you don't mean in the heat of the moment, focused on being right, focused on being heard…etc

Silent: Withdraw from tough conversations, avoid the main issue, say you're okay with something when you're not, don't fully express your thoughts, give silent treatment, walk out of the room, wait later to voice opinion through electronic forms…etc

For example, let's say you are presenting an idea that means a lot to you in front of a group of people and the group is not thrilled with the idea. A violent person in this situation might take full control over the conversation defending why this is not only the BEST idea that's been presented but the ONLY idea they're willing to work on. They become bossy, shutting down the ideas/revisions of others, stuck on why they are right and the others are wrong. A silent person as the presenter might try and defend in the beginning, start withdrawing or avoiding comments but feel like it's a lost cause. Extreme silent people may even stop saying anything or get so frustrated they leave the conversation abruptly. They are also stuck on why they are right and the others are wrong. Neither personality leaves the meeting reassured nor happy. 

How to discover which behavior you tend to be: 
(note that you can often change with different people, places or phases of life)
Think to a conversation that didn't go well in your recent past. Now, think realistically of what emotions triggered you, then you physical response to the situation and then how these two things made you behave.

Violence Physical Triggers: Pointing fingers, hands on hips, raising voice, balling up fists, tense muscles, accelerated heartbeat…etc

Silence Physical Triggers: Folding arms, avoiding eye contact, tense muscles, knot in stomach, urge to cry, look for an escape route (door,) removing yourself from the room…etc

So, why should you care if you are a violence or a silence?
Honestly, there are negative repercussions to not resolving a problem fully. When a violent person lashes out, they may think that others are agreeing with them when in reality, they probably just lost a lot of respect for them. You may have just burned a bridge you didn't know about and it will take significant time to repair that relationship. When a silent person can't be honest they often turn to gossiping and venting to others instead of dealing with the person that can help solve the issue. In some cases, they can begin to have displacement issues in which they take the problems out on someone else. Either way, you let your emotions get in the way of coming to an agreeable resolution and are in a downward spiral of self-destruction. Believe it.

It's also very helpful to recognize when your emotions are taking control over yourself or recognizing these signs in another person so you can have healthier conversations. In these experience, you may  find yourself being able to calm your emotions before you resort to your violent or silent nature. 



Personally, finding out I'm an EXTREME silent has been such an eye opener to me. Making sense of the behaviors I don't like in myself, I can usually pinpoint a conversation that I avoided, didn't feel heard or even physically ran out of the room to get out of. It has hurt my relationships with others, it has significantly lowered my self esteem and at times I grovel to complaining to others about the situation instead of trying to fix it. 


Why I'm an extreme silence: 
-I say "It's fine" when I'm not or "I forgive you" when I haven't 
-I HATE/AVOID answering the phone even if I'm pretty sure the person on the other line will only say nice and flowery things
-I usually make a bullet point list of exactly what I am going to say on a phone call if I absolutely have to talk to someone
-I used to text serious conversations instead of being willing to talk face-to-face,  I cry when I feel uncomfortable 
-I would hold my breath until I got what I wanted as a child 
-I used to feel like I didn't belong in my family. They are all Violence in these situations, they are blunt, direct and it used to be very overwhelming to me. Being the only daughter that is truly silent (maybe Katie but she grew out of it) they didn't understand the way I worked and vice versa. 
-I hold grudges easily 
-I avoid grocery stores where I could possibly encounter someone I don't feel prepared to talk to, 
-there is always a point I become too overwhelmed to continue and physically RUN away from the situation. Ask my husband Dave, he can tell you a number of times that he has had to follow me out the door during a heated discussion, not necessarily to continue the conversation but to make sure I was safe roaming around Provo at 3am. 

I have had these habits for so long that I haven't fully resolved poorly handled situations emotionally. Thus resulting in projected the effects of negative experiences onto my expectations of others. So, if one person in my life has a pattern of falling short in being reliable, I expect anyone who cancels plans doesn't truly care about me and try to write them off forever. I also care deeply about my relationships with other people and have had a history of forgiving people too quickly, pretty much giving them permission to continue their poor behavior. By not talking to them about how much it actually hurt me, it prompted them to do it again. I knew Dave was good at conversations before I married him, the balance between violence and silence is where healthy dialogue falls. It also is something the Fesler's practice naturally with one another as well as letting go of the situations that you have no more control over instead of dwelling on them. 

Apr 20, 2014

Easter 2014










Apr 16, 2014

Full-time Worker

An interesting thing about attempting to be more honest with your writing is that it tends to be more ego-centric and often negative. Well, simply, I need to work on me before I can expect the world to conform to whatever I hope to accomplish. So bear with my selfish and whiny posts, I'll try to keep them to a minimum. As a matter of fact, I attended a training this past week that I believe will help me recognize where to go from here. 

Things that DON'T ONLY INVOLVE ME:
-The people I work with are awesome, need proof? This is how I was welcomed on my first day of work.


-Other than this, I've been learning a new side of things, asking for production bids, seeing how companies/contractors set realistic budgets (did you know $50,000 for one international video is a GREAT deal? I never would have guessed…I have to force myself to not feel like I've been taken advantage of as a video professional)

-Let's follow up on content, COULD I HAVE PICKED A MORE BENEFICIAL COMPANY TO BE INVOLVED WITH? Seriously, I feel like I'm getting paid for therapy. Every video I've worked on is how to strengthen yourself and build the relationships around you. Let me know if you want to be involved with a training, they take up two full work days but you won't regret it.

Apr 15, 2014

"We judge ourselves by our intentions,
we judge others by their actions."
-JD

Apr 10, 2014

After The Storm

"On my knees and out of luck,
I look up.

You must know life to see decay
But I won't rot, I won't rot
Not this mind and not this heart.

And I took you by the hand
And we stood tall,
And remembered our own land,
What we lived for.

now I cling to what I knew
I saw exactly what was true
That's why I hold,
That's why I hold with all I have.

I'm scared of what's behind 
and what's before.

And there will come a time, 
with no more tears.
And love will not break your heart, 
but dismiss your fears.
With grace in your heart 
and flowers in your hair."        -Mumford and Sons

This is what I long to feel like. This is what I'm striving to accomplish. These words are powerful. I'm falling short but I'm pushing the resentment out of my heart. I want to recover instead of rot. I want undying hope. I want to look towards the heavens confessing my faults. I no longer want fears controlling me.

I believe in kneeling.

Apr 9, 2014

Remember Vividly

Remember this? She's a brilliant villain. 

Apr 5, 2014

He knows I will follow Him, give all my life to Him.

Does He really know that though? I don't write a lot of posts about my religious beliefs, it's a very personal and important topic for me. Not really up for discussion. I get small impressions. My style of missionary work is very different than what a typical member might believe is right but when it comes to people, we're all made different for a reason. If we are all supposed to play on our talents and strengths, my strength is on a one on one basis. I'm better at  talking quietly to a friend than being comfortable in a big group of people. The Lord primarily speaks to me through quiet and calm feelings, not big loud trumpets in my ear and that used to bug me. I wanted what everyone else had, the BIG moments. The times you knew without a doubt that the Lord wanted you and only you to do the task at hand. The more I thought about it though (thanks to my Papa,) maybe it's a compliment to me that He doesn't need to yell in my ear for me to listen. As a matter of fact, I usually don't feel much until I have made the decision on my own and then the Lord will confirm whether or not he agrees with my choice. It's very trusting on his part but there are times I know I could be doing more. 


This phrase has weighed on my mind a lot, "He knows I will follow Him, give all my life to Him"-I feel my Savior's Love. Maybe because I feel what best describes the way I feel about myself is "To rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as I, that He should extend his great love unto such as I." I know I don't deserve his love. I'm a very flawed individual. So as I attempt to be mildly less selfish than usual, I'm going to try and really do what I believe God would think is best. So far, it's been a success.

Apr 3, 2014

Baby I'm Yours

Apr 2, 2014

April Fools

We put baking soda in Dave's water. With most of the responses we got from the prank it was shock, appalled and then spitting the water out.

Our eyes bugged out when we watched Dave chug the entire glass. He looked at us and said, "what?"

I guess he didn't taste a thing.