The 50 States!

I was thinking earlier and I realized that each State in the US reminds me of SOMETHING. some remind me of waaay more than others, but I think it would be interesting to list out all the states and what each reminds me of! So here goes! Oh by the way, California goes FIRST cause its the best. (:

California: my HOME!!! the beaches, surfers, palm trees, warm sun, golden gate bridge, earthquakes all the time, kick-butt agriculture (meaning fresh food all the time!), Hollywood (all the movie stars and famous people) one of the only places where you could, if you wanted, go skiing and surfing IN THE SAME DAY! Wildfires all the time in the summer. Yosemite and Half Dome! Redwood trees all over in the mountains. We love our Pacific Ocean. We are called the Golden State because all the grass on the hills turns golden yellow in the summer and there was the gold rush in 1849. The weather is amazing. It pretty much never snows except high in the mountains. It only rains in the winter and there's usually no rain for about 6 months straight! Where i am from, it never goes below 30 degrees and when it gets in the thirties at all, its in the early morning in the winter and only stays there for about an hour. 50 degrees Fahrenheit is considered cold. We are wimps and proud of it! We get that overcast marine layer coming in off the ocean in the mornings sometimes! California's government may suck and the state might be bankrupt, but everything else about California makes it awesome! People from California are generally super proud about it, but  not as proud as people from TEXAS (more on that in TEXAS's section lol). West coast represent!!

Alabama: It became a state on my birthday! (December 14). There are tons of people with crazy southern accents there!!! It has a bay that is pointy and has a city named Mobile, which is a weird name for a city because cities don't move!

Alaska: Polar bears, Killer Whales, freezing cold, Tundras, Sarah Palin, Glaciers, Arctic Ocean, and dog sled races!

Arizona: Super warm/ hot, sunshine, cactus. for some reason, the band "The Eagles" always reminds me of Arizona. probably because of the song "Take it Easy," which has a line that says something about a corner in Winslow Arizona. "Well I was sitting on a corner in Winslow Arizona..." My dad likes the Eagles and he was born in Arizona, that's also probably why. There is the Grand Canyon there and the Painted Desert. And then of course, there is Monument Valley, which is also in Utah as well. For some reason, I just really like Arizona. Um maybe because it is warm!

Arkansas: I know nothing about Arkansas except that is is just Kansas with an Ar in front of it! Also i think it has or had a diamond mine, and it apparently has a lot of hills and trees. Next!

Colorado: Rocky Mountain High! John Denver lol, Denver. Colorado is like that state where its like wild wilderness, especially in the Rocky Mountains! And its super pretty! My aunt and cousin used to live in Colorado. For some reason all the epic SUV car commercials seem like they are set in Colorado. I like Colorado and I totally want to go back there again!

Connecticut: This state is totally full of trees and rain and its humid in the summer! There are also no mountains there. My roommate is from Connecticut! What is with the spelling of Connecticut? It does NOT match how the word sounds. It should be spelled more like "Conneticit." I mean, do we really pronounce it "connect-a-cut"? um no! East Coast people!

Delaware: It was the first state! Its really small too!

District of Colombia: Corrupt as heck but has a ton of cool monuments and buildings! I've seen the Capitol Building and the White House and Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial and the Jefferson Memorial and the Supreme Court building and the Library of Congress and the National Archives which has the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution...there is a lot in Washington, DC!

Florida: Its like the East Coast version of California! Sunny and warm and palm trees! i love this state even though i have never been there! It has alligators and they grow oranges there. Florida gets hit with a lot of Hurricanes because it is one giant peninsula! it pokes into the Gulf of Mexico.

Georgia: Peach! Georgia on my Mind. Midnight Train to Georgia. I guess people like writing songs about Georgia!

Hawaii: California and Florida, just with a more expensive plane ticket.

Idaho: Potato farmers. its really cold there!

Illinois: Another state with a spelling that makes no sense at all! Illinoi. Why is the S there!! Chicago is in Illinois. i know it is windy there. and Illinois is humid in the summer and gets storms.

Indiana: I think there is a Nascar track there or something. the Indy 500?

Iowa: Whenever I think about Iowa, i think about corn and open plains. I bet its really boring there, but still nice!

Kansas: TORNADOES!! i really want to go to Kansas. its as boring as heck there and the farm fields are all shaped as a circle because that's how they water them the most effectively, but i want to go there to experience the crazy weather Kansas gets. i happen to know that its state flower is a Sunflower and that its state bird is a Meadowlark, also known as a tornado bird cause they are the first ones out singing after a tornado or storm has passed. Dorthy and Toto!! Tornadoes for real!

Kentucky: I always think of like old strict military dudes when i think about Kentucky. oh and there is a city in Kentucky called Shepherdsville and it was named after ancestors of mine from the 1800's. hahaha (: Kentucky Fried Chicken. i have no idea if it came from Kentucky but who cares, it tastes great! i think there are a lot of trees there.

Louisiana: Swamps! I imagine a lot of swamps and Cypress trees when i think about Louisiana! and then there is New Orleans! Hurricane Katrina kind of messed it up though. The state is kind of shaped like an L! it has the Mississippi river delta in it, which doesn't make sense because why is the state not called Mississippi then?

Maine: Why is there an E on the name of this state? Regardless of the E, Maine reminds me of Lighthouses and Lobsters. And cold weather, and pretty coastlines!

Maryland: Who says "mary-land"?? i say "Maralind!" that name is wack. well i know that they have these pretty birds there that are black and orange...and i think they are called Baltimore Orioles. And there is like a football team there called the Baltimore Orioles too i think. I've been to Baltimore. we were driving to the airport from Washington DC. All i remember is a lot of trees in the state.

Massachusetts: MITT MITT MITT!!! Massachusetts has Harvard in it. Cape Cod looks like some guy flexing his muscle! Boston is there and I believe it has great seafood.

Michigan: There are a lot of car factories there. And it seriously looks like a mitten! Detroit sucks, apparently.

Minnesota: Ridiculously cold! like, really really cold!!! Land of a thousand lakes. i bet it is really pretty there. other than the fact that it is freezing cold! Mini Soda. Mini Mouse.

Mississippi: What is up with the spelling of this word! who came up with this word?! probably someone on drugs, just kidding. Well i think about a big river and a lot of swampy trees and a lot of people with Southern Drawls!

Missouri: Well there is the Saint Louis Arch, i think that is what its called! its blue and really big! it has a city called "Kansas City." Why is that city not in Kansas?

Montana: A really big state with a really big blue sky and mountains and pine trees and huge prairies of grass. and it gets really cold there!

Nebraska: Epic storms and tornadoes. Thunder so loud you can hear it inside of you. Farm fields and prairie to the horizon.

Nevada: Ugliest place i have ever been! Driving across Nevada is 6 hours of nothing. gray hills gray scrub brush and thats about it. theres Las Vegas, and thats filled with lights and gambling. At least there are palm trees there and it is warm!

New Hampshire: Hampshire sounds like Hamster. Im not even kidding! New Hampshire is one of those east coast New England states.

New Jersey: This joke i made up: "What did Delaware? It's New Jersey!!" yeah okay its lame, but who cares. the thing i remember about New Jersey was thatt there were a lot of trees! And there would be major highways where you could just pull right off the highway into a parking lot for a store or something. there is no way that is safe! And there were too many cities and stuff! And the air was too polluted. But I just like New Jersey for no reason at all.

New Mexico: i know that Santa Fe has like this epic adobe architecture. Nothing grows there, pretty much. i might be wrong though! its hot there. i seriously think of brown rock and blazing sun when i think of New Mexico.

New York: New Yorkers. enough said. Upstate New York is really pretty. lots of trees and green stuff! Niagara Falls. Church History and the Sacred Grove. and then there is New York City. The Statue of Liberty and the Empire State. The Twin Towers and 9.11. There's Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge. New York also gets some songs: like "New York Minute", "New York State of Mind", and "Empire State of Mind" so Lets hear it for New York!

North Carolina: Trees and birds and hills. The Wright brothers flew the first airplane there!

North Dakota: Buffalo and amber waves of grain. i think it gets really cold there!

Ohio: I dont really know what goes on in Ohio! it has an interesting name! HI stuck between two O's. thats pretty creative! Some cities are Cleveland and Cincinnati and they both start with C's.

Oklahoma: Tornadoes and stuff. yeah theres Oklahoma City, SUPER creative name! i always think of Indians when I hear the word Oklahoma. well okay, first I think of tornadoes, THEN Indians. TULSA

Oregon: i will be honest, whenever i think of Oregon i think of hippies and tree huggers and weed. But i also think of lots of pine trees and lots of rain and a pretty coastline. And Crater Lake!

Pennsylvania: One of those east coast states! it has a lot of trees. the capital of the US used to be Philidelphia, a long long time ago. thats where Independance Hall is! And the Liberty Bell. Philidelphia is called the city of brotherly love, but i'm not too sure. when we were there we saw some super scary driving;  some guy in a car cut off a taxi and the taxi driver spit at him out the window.....yeah brotherly love!

Rhode Island: The smallest state ever! seriously its so tiny! reminds me of the Eagles song that says "she came from Providence, the one in Rhode Island." i imagine a lot of Ocean in Rhode Island. oh and by the way, its NOT an island so why the heck is it named that, i dont even know!

South Carolina: Its south of North Carolina. South Carolina thought it was so awesome when it succeeded from the Union during the Civil War, because it was the first to do that! i think there are palm trees in South Carolina. I'm pretty sure there is one on South Carolina's state quarter. i think they grow cotton there. maybe.

South Dakota: it has Mount Rushmore! and the black hills. its south of North Dakota.

Tennessee: This state is shaped like a gun and for some reason i always think of Tennessee and Kentucky as siblings, i dont know why!

Texas: Everything is bigger in Texas! Even the Texan Pride! the people there love their guns and they love America and they dont take crap! Seems like Texans are the few left with working brains. Texans are proud to be Texans and they show it! They beat out the Californians in the category of state pride! Thats kind of what makes me love Texans so much. i would really love to go to the Lone Star State sometime, it gets so warm there too! Texas also reminds me of cowboys and ranches!

Utah: Mormons!!! Mormons everywhere! BYU! theres tall mountains and the Great Salt Lake and salt flats and then there is all the epic geology like Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, Arches National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Monument Valley, and all the red rocks. I love the red rocks in Utah! The Wasatch Mountains are pretty too. It gets too cold in Utah. There is too much snow and winter lasts too long. and there are no palm trees. I've heard of a couple in Saint George though! But Utah is actually pretty awesome, it gets nice and warm in the summer!

Vermont: I think they make Maple Syrup there. So there must  be a lot of maple trees there.

Virginia: There are a lot of trees and forests and hills and mountains that arent very tall there. And a lot of birds and wildlife. And a lot of houses in the middle of nowhere. It is probably really pretty in Virginia!

Washington: Green pine trees, mountains that can kill you, also known as volcanoes like Mt St Helens, and Mount Rainer. There is Seattle and the Space Needle which i have seen from an airplane. And yes it was raining when my plane stopped there. i think it is raining all the time in Seattle. And there is Puget Sound and an island called Orcas Island. I always wondered why it is called Washington when George Washington lived on the east coast...and why would they name it Washington, that is really confusing because of Washington DC, so you have to say "Washington State." When I think of Washington, i think of green trees and grey sky.

West Virginia: According to the West Virginia state quarter, there is a cool gorge with an epic bridge crossing it above a pretty river. it looks really cool and I would like to go there! Thats pretty much all I know about West Virginia. Its probably similar to Virginia, just West.

Wisconsin: I think of cheese for some reason and cold winters, and a lot of snow.

Wyoming: I like Wyoming and I don't really know why. There is a city named Cheyenne. There is Yellowstone National Park which is awesome and there are the Grand Tetons and Devil's Tower. And there are a lot of wide open spaces and a lot of grass. I imagine wild horses and ranches and rolling hills.

One November Night

It was sunny and 'warm' today in Provo. I say 'warm' because 50 degrees is NOT considered 'warm' where I am from! Warm in San Jose, California is about 65 or above! However, one November night, when the weather was the exact opposite of the weather today, a tiny thing happened that will probably affect me for the rest of my life.

It was Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, and I was with my boyfriend Brad's family visiting other members of their family in Salt Lake. We were having a great time! We had just taken a wonderful (but cold) nighttime tour of Temple Square, including the Lights on Temple Square, which I had never seen before. They were spectacular! What a treat to see them! I was amazed at how there seemed to be lights on every branch of the trees. The time and dedication it must have taken to put up the lights, on each of the trees! I had a great time walking around with them in my brand new boots that Brad had given to me for an early birthday present. The lights were beautiful, I was with friends I loved, and I was happy. There were Christmas decorations all around, and I for one was beginning to feel the joy of Christmastime. Though being at Temple Square was a great experience, it is what happened immediately after that impacted me so greatly.

The members of Brad's extended family had left in order to go see a play, and it was just Brad's immediate family and me left. We were waiting to get on the light rail that would take us back to our car, because we were going to go see a movie and it was way too cold to walk all the way back. As we were waiting in the cold, a young man of about 25 years or so walked up to our group. I didn't really think much of it until I heard him say to Brad's parents that he didn't have enough money to buy a ticket for the tram. I immediately felt awkward and looked down at the ground. I've always felt very uncomfortable around people who are asking for money. Homeless people, people on the sides of the road with sad signs, and people who just need money. I mean, what do you do? You feel awkward saying no...but you- at least I- also feel uncomfortable saying yes. I've always had the mindset that a lot of those people will just take your money and buy drugs, and that they really don't NEED the money. I've always been reserved about giving away my money, especially to people like that. Therefore, I looked at the ground and wished I could disappear for a few minutes.

And so I learned a deep lesson when I looked up to see Brad's dad open his wallet, and give the man the money he needed.

Brad's family, like most of us, isn't made up of money. I'm sure they could have used the cash for something they needed. But the fact that his father gave so freely to the man in need really made me question myself. I have such a profound respect for anyone who can give like that. We are told to be charitable, and impart of our substance to our fellow men. But I had never really taken it seriously, I guess. So when I stood there and watched this example of Christlike charity before my very eyes, I realized that I needed to change. I realized how much I have, compared to some people. And I realized that there are people out there who need things so much more than I do. Why then, did I have such a problem giving a couple of dollars to someone in need? I stood there in my brand new boots, and cute jacket, holding my new camera, and I realized just how much I had, and that I had selfishly reacted towards people in need my entire life. And I realized that it doesnt matter how the person got themselves in the situation. And it also doesn't matter what they do with the money. What DOES matter is what is in our hearts. It matters that WE are willing to help them. We are supposed to love our fellow men. We are supposed to help them. We are supposed to do so with a willing heart. We never know what their story is. But we don't have to. All we have to do is love them, and to be truly willing, in our hearts, to help. I realized I had never truly had that attitude. So at that moment, I decided to change. Months later, I can see the impact of this small moment on who I am.  I am filled with more love for people. I see others and instead of criticizing them for something or judging them, I remember that everyone is a child of our Heavenly Father. I now love to help others, because I love them more. I try to imagine how Christ sees them, and act accordingly.

Why did Brad's dad give to that man? It wasn't for the praise of the world, I'm pretty sure that no one really saw it, and that no one who was there even remembered it fifteen minutes later. It wasn't because he felt he HAD to. If that was the case, I doubt he would have even given at all. I believe it was because he had charity in his heart and truly cared about that man, though I'm pretty much sure that he didn't even know him at all. I'm pretty sure that no one who was there even remembers the event. I don't think Brad's dad himself even remembers doing it. But I remember, and the impression that it left on me will not soon leave me. On a cold November night in downtown Salt Lake, this simple Christ-like example changed my life. I will forever be thankful for that tiny, seemingly insignificant experience that night. Although it has probably long since left the minds of others who were there,  I know I will never forget that November night.