My Homemade Christmas

I mentioned in my previous post that I decided to make most of my Christmas gift this year. I spent quite a bit of time putting all of these things together so I'd like to show them off, in all of their gloriousness.


For some friends I made a variety of picture frames:

I never new that Popsicle sticks and tongue depressors could be so useful. Lacee and I worked as a team to put these frames together. The directions we found online were for really small pictures so we decided to take those directions and adapt them. It was a little difficult at first but eventually we were successful!

This one was our first. We didn't intend to write "Buddies"
but things didn't go as planned so we had to adapt.

These ones were for our little friends (Justin's-from the Mow Crew-kids)

I made this one for Carly, a fellow teacher at LRA.




Lacee and I decided to get really crazy and make a photo collage for Andrew and Russell.
Then we used tongue depressors to frame it. Pretty darn awesome!

For my nephews I decided to make snow globes:

These creations took loads of Epoxy. I had never met Epoxy before this project but we became very well acquainted. The most frustrating thing is that my practice snow globe turned out better than any of the ones I gave away.

These are the bases of the snow globes.
I gave the Epoxy plenty of time to dry; but when Quinn and Elliott
opened their snow globes their letters we're floating around.
Bummer...

The finished snow globes before they were unwrapped.
I had issues with Taylor's and Braxton's snow globes so they didn't get to be a part of this picture.
Theirs turned out pretty good but only after lots of soaking in rubbing alcohol
to help dissolve all of the dried Epoxy.

My nieces got pull toys:

I was very nervous about attempting this pull toy project. I found the idea on Martha Stewart's (ick) website. They looked incredible and I just wasn't sure I had the talent or ability for that. But then I remembered that I firmly believe in "Go big or go home" so I went big. It started rather simply with a paper pattern that you trace onto cardboard, cut out, and glue together.

My traced, cutted, and glued cardboard.

Step 2-1,000 (or however many steps it takes to reach your desired level of thickness) is applying paper mache to the cardboard.

My first layer. I was feeling a little overwhelmed at this point.




The completed paper mache squirrel.
(for some reason I didn't take a picture of the elephant)

While the paper mache was drying I painted my bases, wheels, and wheel caps.

Post paper macheing, I coated the animals with Creative Paper Clay.
(another item I met and became acquainted with)


This clay stuff takes a long time to dry. So I worked on my bases. Luckily Justin (mow crew) was willing to help me saw to the desired dimensions and drill the necessary holes.




My completed bases, all ready for completed animals.




I painted my elephant gray and my squirrel brown.




I decided to add some spots, eyes, and eye lashes.


After some assistance with drilling more holes (thanks, Dad!) I was able to attach my hardened animals to their respective bases. I also attached strings so that they could officially be pull toys and not just animals on boards.




The finished product.

Cassie received a storage suitcase:

A few years ago I received a free subscription to Good Housekeeping. I remember seeing this idea. You take an old suitcase and put legs on it. It becomes a convenient looking storage case! I had to spend quite a bit of time on Good Housekeeping's website in order to find the directions; but I found them and-VOILA!

The legs I attached (well, really my dad attached them-I stood around and helped a little bit),
painted, and sanded.




The closed case. The opened case.




And the finished product on display!

Lucky for me, all this work wasn't in vain. I was super-duper excited to give my gifts and my gifts were well received. Three weeks before Christmas just isn't quite enough time to do all of these things. So I think I'll start researching projects a little earlier in the year for I do believe that a homemade Christmas is the way to go.

Finding Christ in Christmas

Over the past few years I've noticed something when it comes to myself and the Christmas season. About this time of year I become impatient with all things Christmas and I can't help but think, "There's seriously ONE more week until Christmas?! This stuff just can't end soon enough!" I begin to feel a little bah-hum-buggy and by Christmas morning opening gifts and saying "Merry Christmas" are merely formalities. The Christmas songs have lost their jingle, the lighted trees and houses have lost their luster, the snow is no longer welcome, and I'm ready to move on.

However, this doesn't seem to be the case this year. Here are my theories as to why I feel differently:

1. I put up my Christmas decorations in December, not the day after Thanksgiving. I was able to put them up at my leisure and not feel rushed into bringing Christmas into my home. I guess you could say that I was inviting Christmas at my will instead of forcing it into my home based on tradition.

2. I'm going homemade this year. Instead of going from store to store, looking at ideas of what to get people, and fretting about making the right decision, I scoped the Internet for ideas (don't get me wrong, I spent HOURS searching the web, but I didn't have to deal with people and that makes all the difference). I'm more excited about giving gifts this year than I've been in a long time. I haven't had to deal with traffic, long lines, or cranky people. I make a list, I map my route, and off I go. I've been quite successful and quite efficient, if I do say so myself. The less time I've spent with the crowds, the more I've enjoyed preparing for Christmas.


3. I didn't allow myself to listen to Christmas music until December began. There are only so many Christmas songs out there. Of those songs there are only so few that are decent enough to listen to. If I start listening to Christmas music too early then I get sick of it. Not this year!

By the way, the only Christmas music worth listening to is...
1. The Carpenters
2. Nat King Cole
3. Burl Ives
4. Andy Williams
5. Johnny Mathis
6. Frank Sinatra
7. Dean Martin
8. Josh Groban (but even this one has its limits)

4. I tried to focus on the Atonement. Over the past week I've been wondering what people mean when they refer to the "Christmas Spirit". What is this spirit people speak of and how does it differ from the Holy Ghost, which I have the privilege of feeling every day? Our final lesson in Institute this semester (Doctrines of the Gospel, Part 1) was on the Atonement. As I've spent the last two weeks thinking about the Atonement and studying the effects of the Atonement, I have noticed a difference in the way I look at Christmas. I think I've always looked at Christmas simply as the birth of the Savior, for those are the stories we always read; but I needed to take it further-for me. The Atonement lesson caused me to think and reminded me of something my dad said a few years ago: "Christmas is the birth of a life of sacrifice."

Jesus Christ was born with a purpose. He was born with a cause. He was born with a mission. He was born to teach me how to live. He was born to save me. He is my Savior. Without His birth there would be no way to return to live with my Heavenly Father. There would be no way to find comfort and peace as I struggle through the loneliness trials have to offer. There would be no way to keep pressing forward without the enabling powers through His grace. Christmas is a time not only to celebrate the birth of Christ, but the life of Christ.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas Wreath

Yesterday I started decorating my apartment for Christmas. I decided that I needed a little more greenery so I headed off to Hobby Lobby. I also decided to look for a wreath. Lucky me, Hobby Lobby was having a nice sale on all of their Christmas decor. I found the greenery I wanted plus some berries. Looking at the wreaths though I decided they were too expensive. The cheapest one was $39.99 (original price) but actually 50% off. I couldn't decide if twenty bucks was worth it. I found the naked wreaths and thought "Hmmm, I could probably make my own and with everything on sale I could do it for cheaper." And what a success! My own creation for under fifteen dollars. Now that's a deal. And quite the accomplishment (for me, at least).

Merry Christmas Wreath

Gratitude-Day #7

The Final Five:

1. Chinese food from New Hong Kong

2. Dishwashers & Microwaves

3. An Education & A Degree

4. A Modern-Day Prophet (President Thomas S. Monson)

5. All the life skills my mother has taught me

Gratitude-Day #6

Here's five of the last ten...

1. Heavenly Father's love

2. Diet Coke and Dr. Pepper

3. The Gift of the Holy Ghost

4. The Internet & Cell Phones

5. Sleep

Gratitude-Day #5

And the next five are...

1. YouTube

2. My Grandparents

3. Movies

4. Nieces and Nephews

5. Thought provoking conversations with my dad

Gratitude-Day #4

And the list goes on...

1. Safe arrival in Idaho Falls

2. My parents' warm house

3. The Sandwich Tree

4. Fudge-Covered Mint Oreos

5. My knowledge of the Gospel

Gratitude-Day #3

And the Gratitude Daily 5 continues with:

1. My Apartment

2. Tums

3. Steve

4. The Book of Mormon

5. A Functioning Washer and Dryer

Gratitude-Day #2

And to continue my list, 5 more things I'm grateful for:

1. Hot Showers

2. Prayer

3. High School Musicals (actual musicals put on by high schools; not to be confused with Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens)

4. Cassie

5. My Car

Gratitude-Day #1

Tonight at Ward Prayer Lacee issued a challenge to everyone to take some time each day this week to write down five things you're grateful for. I'm taking on that challenge. So, 5 things I'm grateful for:

1. The Atonement

2. The Temple

3. My Family

4. Lacee

5. Ability to play the piano

Wear the Ring

Riddle me this: Why do so many males choose to not wear their wedding ring?

We all remember "The Red Bull Disaster", right? Well, I was simply hours away from repeating that experience-to some extent.

I'm currently working for Parks and Recreation in Logan and we happen to meet in the same large warehouse as all the other departments-Light & Power, Water, Streets, etc.-and last week I happened to notice a rather handsome man in the Street Department-let's call him Handsome. I decided to keep an eye on him, mostly because he was good on the eyes but also to see if there was any way I could tell whether or not he was married. He didn't wear a ring (surprise surprise) so that wasn't to be of any help.

Yesterday I confessed to my good friend, Steve, that there's a Street Department guy I've been wondering about. Today I clued him in on who Handsome was. Steve didn't know whether or not Handsome was married. I don't want to be checking out someone else's husband so Steve said he'd look into it.

On my drive home today I gave myself a little pep talk. (I tend to do that fairly often because if I don't, I will think myself out of a lot of opportunities or allow my mind to carry me to a realm that no longer resembles anything close to potential reality) "This dude is probably married so don't even start thinking about what you could say to him if you find out he's single." By the time I got home (not even 10 minutes after leaving work) I had decided there was nothing to be done about it. Steve will find out, my curiosities will be satisfied, and we'll all move on.

By the time I got out of the shower (probably 20 minutes later) I had decided that if there was an opportune time (like this morning when Handsome and I both arrived at the same time and he held the door open for me) I'd just flat out ask him if he was married. I figured I got nothing to lose-my last day is Friday. So the guy says he's married, I finish my job with Parks and Rec, and I never see him again. I could totally do this! I've been bold before. It's rare but it has been known to happen. So I had it all planned out, I was prepped and ready. I had the kahones, I had the opening line, I just needed the situation. And then Steve called me up.

Steve: "You are not going to believe what I found out!"

Me: Maybe the guy's gay or in the process of a divorce or has like six months left to live or something. "Okay, what'd you learn?"

Steve: "Well he's married."

Me: Okay, minor sting-not a big deal. You prepped yourself for that one. "Ok...?" Maybe his marriage is going down the pooper and he'll be single soon? Where is this going?!

Steve: "You know the blond lady that works at the landfill?"

And then Steve proceeded to describe this lady who apparently looks much older than Handsome and Steve just can't believe that Handsome is married to someone who looks that old because Handsome looks so darn young! Well, that's crazy because obviously I think Handsome deserves a better looking woman than that but this isn't the big deal he made it sound like it was.

Steve: "So then I learn that Handsome's wife may look old compared to him, but in reality he looks much younger than he really is."

Jalayne: "So how old IS this guy?"

Steve: "Well, ya ready for this? He has a 17 year-old daughter."

After the "You've got to be kidding me!" I was speechless. Not only does this man not wear a wedding ring to let the world know he's taken, he looks like he could be 27 when really he's probably almost 40! Handsome has a daughter that's a mere 7 years younger than me! I wasn't prepared for that one. I wondered if Steve got information about the wrong guy but 'tis not so. Handsome is not only taken but WAY out of the age range of date-ability.

So then Steve and I got to talking and wondering why so many men don't wear a wedding ring. He thinks it's dumb and I completely agree. We started thinking about the other guys we work with and realized that most of them don't wear their wedding ring. We're going to survey the situation tomorrow and see how everyone responds.

I decided that it would really bother me if my husband didn't wear his ring on a regular basis. There are exceptions-playing sports, working out-but I'd want him to wear it just about every other time. Not just to ease my mind and lessen the chances of some bold chick hitting on my man, but because I know how annoying it is for single girls to scope out guys in a crowd, spot someone attractive, notice the absence of a ring, and still not know whether the guy has a wife or not.

So here's my plea to all ringless, yet married men out there: Just wear the ring if for no other reason than simple common courtesy! Think of all those singletons out there working to build up the courage to come talk to you only to be shot down because you actually have a wife. Save us the pep talk it takes to build the courage, the effort of the actual conversation, and the embarrassment that will undoubtedly ensue. You don't like jewelry? You lost your ring? It's a safety hazard? Draw one on there every morning.

A taken finger means a taken man.

On behalf of all singleton women: Help us out-wear the ring!

Life as I've Known It

My lack of blogging hasn't been due to being busy. I'm not pregnant, I'm not planning a wedding, I'm not even busy dating someone. I've simply not had the desire to blog. But today I find myself with a lack of things to do to keep me busy (Logan City did not need my presence or abilities today due to crummy weather). So allow me to highlight my experiences over the last eight months.

March:

Remember "The List"? Well, I've now crossed off #13. I've walked "The Strip" in Las Vegas. First thing I've crossed off that list so it felt pretty good.

Yes, that is me doing a head stand in Las Vegas. Aunt Diane, aren't you proud?

April:

I finished making my payments for my rafting trip that was coming up in August. I also started preparing to move.


May:

My roommate, Andrea, got married.

Lacee, Russell, Andrea, and Me

Lacee and I moved to an awesome new apartment. (No more living in the Crap House! YAY!!) Our apartment is part of a little apartment community on the west side of town. I love living away from the college scene and feeling like I live somewhere a little more established. We had to furnish it ourselves, and believe you me, it's awesome! We each have our own room and our own bathroom. It's almost an ideal living situation. It'd be completely ideal if I shared this apartment with a husband (no offense Lacee).

We can thank DI for the chairs and my parents for the table.

We can thank DI for the coffee table and my grandparents for the couch.

Oh, and with moving into this awesome apartment, Lacee and I moved into an AWESOME ward where people actually attended church to worship and not just to socialize and hang out! Sure, the ward was full of late-twenty-somethings and early-thirty-somethings but they were there to worship! It was such a relief. We were growing weary of the 18-22 year olds texting and talking all through every church meeting. It was one of the best moves I've made since living in Logan.

June:

I welcomed a new nephew into this thing we call earth life. I now have 5 nephews and 2 nieces.

Me and Baby Benji

July:

Former roommates, Andrea and Russell (he was just kind of a roommate), resided in Maryland over the summer. Lacee and I made a spur-of-the-moment-decision to go visit them.

Lacee, Andrea, and Me at the Washington Monument; Lacee, me, and Andre at the Lincoln Memorial; Andrea, Me, and Lacee at the Capitol Building



We drove up to Hershey, PA and enjoyed the theme park, Hershey Park.
Me, Lacee, Andrea, Glen (Russell's cousin), and Russell



And I enjoyed one of the best roller coasters I've ever been on.

On July 28th I was packed and ready to head down to South Jordan where I would spend the night so Ashley could take me to the airport the following day. On my way out the door of LRA, my principal asked to see me in his office where I found out that due to budget cuts I would be losing my job. I left the school in a daze. I called my parents, called my siblings, questioned whether or not I should continue with my plans to leave town, and ultimately decided that some time away would be nice.

On July 30th I started my rafting journey on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. I spent 8 days on a raft and 7 nights camping with 13 complete strangers. I had the time of my life and of just about everything I've done and seen, that experience tops the charts.

Me at Deer Creek Falls; Ken and Me on the raft; View from our hike up to the granaries



The family I wanted to become a part of; Canyon Scenery; My Rafting Family (Our 3 guides are in front)

August:

My rafting trip carried me into August. Upon my returned I broke the news to my students, cleaned out my classroom, and started up work again with Logan City where I returned to two of my true loves: mowing and weed whacking.

September:

Since my job change I have had to cut back on some of the things I enjoyed doing. Of the things I had to cut back on, the one I miss the most is traveling. I feel like I always had my next trip planned, my next adventure in the works; but that is to be no more...for now. I spent the month of September eating fried food (my favorite!) at various state and county fairs.


October:

I attempted to rally a group together to go on a sky diving adventure with me. I had been saving the money for the last two years and nothing was going to stop my this year. It was to the point where I had about 6 people semi-committed to going with me. One by one they all began to drop out until there were 3 of us. One discovered there was a weight limit and he was no longer able to come. Then there were 2 of us. The other one never told me what time he wanted to go. He never responded to my queries, so I gave up on him. It wasn't really anything I want to do alone but after all the planning my heart was set and my mind wouldn't change. I had the money and Ogden was only a 40 minute drive away. Who knew when I'd have this chance again? So I went sky diving. Cross #10 off "The List"!

At the beginning of the month I applied for Anasazi, a wilderness program in Arizona. I had a phone interview with them a couple of weeks ago and was offered an opportunity to experience a two-week training. It would kind of be a trial period to see if this was something I really wanted to do. For some reason, a reason which I'm not completely sure, I didn't feel great about going. So I didn't go.

On October 30th I went through the Logan Temple and received my endowment. I'm now experiencing life with garments. I always felt like this would be the easiest transition for me but I'm finding it to be the most difficult. Oh well. Great things take sacrifice.


November:

This is my last week working for Logan City. I'm officially ready to substitute anywhere in Cache Valley and I am hoping to be able to fill every day of every week for the new few months with substitute teaching. We'll see how it pans out. Maybe next month I'll find that I need to get myself a second job. Who knows? I sure don't.

So the last few months have brought twists and turns. I felt like I was bucked off the horse in July. It took me a while but I feel like I'm back on the horse and we're both just sitting there. I've got the reins, I just don't quite know which direction to lead the horse. I tried the Anasazi route, didn't feel good about it, and back to Square 1. Not a fun place to be but sometimes that's life. I'm thinking about getting a health endorsement, but that means more school-which isn't enticing-but we'll see if that direction feels good anyway. Such freedom is exciting and quite adventurous. I'm kind of getting tired of all this adventure!


Things that Haven't Changed:

1. I'm still diseased a.k.a. single (that's for another post)

2. I'm still wish I could mow and weed whack year round in Logan

3. Chocolate cake is still my favorite breakfast

4. I still keep my room as neat and tidy as someone with OCD.

5. My ward boundaries have changed since mine and Lacee's move but the attitude of "Be sure you go to church and attend every activity to make sure you find someone to marry!" is still ever present.

6. Ward prayer is still at the bottom of my list of favorite things about singles wards-but lucky me! Lacee and I are the Ward Prayer Coordinators.

7. I still hate winter but I'm really looking forward to snow mobiling season.

8. I still enjoy a $1.00 large Diet Coke from McDonald's every morning.

9. Clark is still on a mission in Rome and I still really miss him.

10. I still love playing 2-touch football and wish more people wanted to play with me.


So I guess you could say that over the course of the last eight months, this has been life as I've known it.

Uninvitations

Back in the day, when I was in high school, I ran around with a large group of friends. This large group consisted of smaller groups that were tight knit and sometimes a little exclusive. These smaller groups planned little outings, to which I wasn't invited, and they had a wonderful time. How did I know I wasn't invited? Because while I was in the same room they would talk about plans and discuss things to pack and things they would do on this wonderful adventure I wasn't to be a part of. Was I offended? A couple of times, yes. Did I wish I was invited? On some of the trips, yes. Even if I had been invited and was given permission to go would I still have gone? Probably not. Do I harbor ill feelings towards these people today? NOT AT ALL! How can I harbor ill feelings when I learned something from these experiences?

Let me share my words of wisdom. First of all, just because you associate with someone or people who make plans doesn't entitle you to an invitation to be a part of those plans. If someone you know has made plans to do something and you're not invited-don't sweat it. So what? You weren't invited. Who cares why? Maybe there isn't even a reason you weren't invited. Maybe you just weren't. Don't get all bent up about it. Life is too short to worry about such trivial things. If not being invited puts your panties in a twist then make some plans of your own to fill the "good time" you think you'll be missing out on. But under no circumstances should you invite yourself. Let me say this again just to make sure that you're not reading so quickly that you missed out on one of the main points of this wisdom: UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU INVITE YOURSELF.

If someone is planning a trip and you're not invited it could simply be an oversight. And if he/she talks to you about the trip and realizes you weren't invited and wants you to be there, he/she will extend an invite. If that invite is not extended you should STILL NOT INVITE YOURSELF. You don't know what the plans are. You don't know who is going to be there-maybe he/she planned a trip with someone you can't stand to be around. You don't know the financial situation. You don't know the time frame. Maybe he/she considered inviting you but decided that he/she couldn't because of obligations he/she knows you have. Maybe he/she thought he/she was being thoughtful by not tempting you with an invitation to distract you from the responsibilities life requires. The fact is, you don't know. So don't assume.

Assumption leads to hurt feelings. "He/she didn't invite me to go camping this summer! I guess we aren't as good of friends as I thought!" Assumption leads to drama "He/she didn't invite me because his/her best friend hates me and I don't even know what I did! He/she is going to have to choose. It's either the best friend or me!" Assumption leads to drastic measures "Well, if I wasn't invited to his/her party then I'm going to plan a cruise and invite everyone but him/her."

Last of all, assumption leads to offense. We learned from Elder Bednar in the October 2006 General Conference talk "And Nothing Shall Offend Them" that being offended is a choice...

"When we believe or say we have been offended, we usually mean we feel insulted, mistreated, snubbed, or disrespected. And certainly clumsy, embarrassing, unprincipled, and mean-spirited things do occur in our interactions with other people that would allow us to take offense. However, it ultimately is impossible for another person to offend you or to offend me. Indeed, believing that another person offended us is fundamentally false. To be offended is a choice we make; it is not a condition inflicted or imposed upon us by someone or something else."

Someone doesn't not invite you to something to hurt you, disturb you, or to cause distress. So get over your non-invite and don't give it a second thought.

Remember these three things:

1. Just because you associate with people who make plans doesn't mean you're entitled to invitation

2. Under no circumstances do you invite yourself to something you weren't originally invited to

3. CHOOSE not to be offended

The List

It all started the first Sunday of the year when I decided to write a list of all the things I wantto do this year. They aren't goals that will make me a better person, just new adventures that I want to accomplish and thought, "Why not this year?" So I made that list and then started thinking of other things I wanted to do but wouldn't be able to fit into this year. I wanted to be able to remember what those things were so I started making a list. I didn't list these things in any particular order, just as they came to mind. And before I knew it I was at number seventeen and thought, "Okay, I'll try and get to twenty." By that time I only had five lines left on the page so I thought "Alright, I'll fill the page." And now I have myself a little bucket list.


Things I Want to Do Before I Die...

1. ride in a hot air balloon

2. take a trip to the Outback in Australia

3. go back to New Zealand

4. ride in a helicopter

5. ride a horse on the beach

6. see "Rigoletto" in Italy

7. visit all 50 states

8. design/create a cake with fondant

9. drive a semi-truck

10. go skydiving

11. join the Peace Corps

12. sleep in a sleep car on a passenger train

13. go to Vegas and walk the strip

14. do an amusement part tour back east

15. go hunting at least once

16. go to Greece

17. walk the beaches of Normandy

18. take a picture of the Swiss Alps

19. go back to Gettysburg

20. snow mobile through Yellowstone National Park

21. learn how to use the foot pedals on the organ

22. drive a stick shift without assistance

23. read the Book of Mormon in one month or less

24. drive a convertible

25. be in a taping of "The Price is Right"


So from that list...

Things I Want to Do This Year:

1. go skydiving (any takers? seriously? I'm not kidding so don't mess with me)

2. sleep in a sleep car on a passenger train (hopefully to a state I haven't been to before)

3. possibly get letters of recommendation for the Peace Corps (this depends on timing)


Things I Want to Do This Year That Aren't On My "Bucket List":

1. visit Colette in Wisconsin again

2. move (I really don't like my current house)

3. go on a rafting trip through the Grand Canyon (which has been planned but not yet paid for)

4. buy my own snow mobile helmet with goggles (visors are AWFUL)

Anti-Closure

Lately I've had issues with the endings of movies. Specifically chick flicks. They all end the same way. They always end up together. It's the traditional pattern for a Hollywood chick flick. Haven't we gotten to the point where we don't even need the last three minutes of the movie? Don't we know they end up together? Can't we just use our imagination and end it ourselves?

Let me give you some examples...and don't worry I won't be ruining anything if you haven't seen the movie yet because you already know they are going to end up together. It's Hollywood.

Notting Hill: William Thacker finds Anna Scott at the press conference and tells her he's reconsidered her offer of love-"I'm just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her." She then tells the reporters that she's going to stay in the U.K. indefinitely. Movie DONE! We don't need to see them going to awards ceremonies together and ending up on a bench in a park. She said she was going to stay indefinitely so we know they are going to get together. Use a little imagination and come up with your own ending!

Serendipity: Sarah and Jonathan find each other at the skating rink in Central Park. They embrace, they kiss, they cry. You really think they AREN'T going to end up together? They've spent the entire movie trying to find each other. Seeing them drink champagne in the department store is unnecessary.

Leap Year: Declan asked Anna "If the fire alarm went off and you had 60 seconds to grab something before running out, what would you take?" She didn't have an answer at the moment. Further into the movie she pulls the fire alarm during her engagement party and realizes she doesn't own anything she'd want to take with her. OBVIOUSLY she has a realization that she's engaged to the wrong guy and has to go back to Dublin to reunite with Declan. Why do we need to watch her return to Dublin and tell Declan that she really wants to be with him? We already know, thanks to the Chick Flick Formula, that they are going to be together. The movie should have ended at the fire alarm.

Now allow me to present a couple of examples with endings that I approve of...

My Best Friend's Wedding: Jules thinks she's in love with her best friend so she tries to stop the wedding. It doesn't work out and her best friend ends up marrying someone else anyway. Some may find this ending a little depressing because Jules ends up with no one but a gay friend (literally). Hollywood did it right with ending it right there. We don't need to see her end up with the man of her dreams a few years down the road. We get to use our imaginations! Maybe she ends up an old maid because she has issues with the "ucky love stuff". Maybe she gets over these issues because she meets the man of her dreams. Who knows? Who cares? The point is cheesy closure just isn't necessary.

Groundhog Day: It's finally February 3rd and Phil wakes up with Rita. There's no cheesy marriage proposal, there's no "1 year later", it's just "Let's live here!" and DONE. PERFECT ENDING! Now (if I desire to think about the movie AFTER it's over) I can picture them getting married or moving into their new house in Punxsutawny, PA, etc. The possibilities are endless because Hollywood didn't tell me what happened.

What is comes down to is this: I don't need closure when it comes to a chick flick. I know they are going to be together and I know they are going to be happy. Cheesy proposals, corny lines referencing something earlier in the movie ("Let's bet on it."), and weddings of supporting characters are superfluous. Hollywood should save themselves a little money and save me a little time by just cutting out the last couple of minutes.

So let's practice this no-closure-use-your-imagination thing: I'm 23, as single as single gets, graduated from college, working a full-time teaching position, counting the Sundays until I can move out of this ward...