I'm obsessed...

I've officially declared myself obsessed with Harry Potter... I'm almost done with the Work and the Glory series, so even though I've been craving to read HP again, I resisted so I can finish without distraction. Instead, my little brother downloaded the HP audio books .. Fast-forward a month later and I haven't listened to any music thanks to these being on my zune! Also, I'm just starting Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.... ANYWAY! I've been meaning to record my favorite Dumbledore quotes {not in any particular order} for a while now, so here we go! {And if you're really nice, I'll even include more of my favorites from other characters!}

1. "It is the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more."
2. "It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be!"
3. "We are only as strong as we are united; as weak as we are divided."
4. "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends."
5. "Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light."
6. "Ah, music...a magic beyond all we do here!"
7. "In dreams we enter a world that's entirely our own."
8. "Numbing the pain for a while will make it worse when you finally feel it."
9. "It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that."
10. "Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living and above all, those who live without love."
11. "It is our choices, Harry, that show us who we truly are, far more than our abilities."
12. "To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure."
13. "Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry. But why on earth should that mean that it is not real?"
14. "It is a curious thing, Harry, but perhaps those who are best suited to power are those who have never sought it. Those who have leadership thrust upon them, and take up the mantle because they must, and find to their own surprise that they wear it well."
15. "The truth is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution."
16. "Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open."
17. "It is important to fight and fight again, and keep fighting, for only then can evil be kept at bay though never quite eradicated."
18. "Dark times lie ahead of us and there will be a time when we must choose between what is easy and what is right."
19. "We must try not to sink beneath our anguish, Harry, but battle on."
20. "The consequences of our actions are so complicated, so diverse, that predicting the future is a very difficult business indeed."
21. "You think the dead we loved ever truly leave us? You think we don't recall them more clearly than ever in times of great trouble? Your father is alive in you, Harry, and shows himself plainly when you have need of him."
22. "Indifference and neglect often do much more damage than outright dislike."
23. "Youth cannot know how age thinks and feels. But old men are guilty if they forget what it was to be young."
24. "People find it far easier to forgive others for being wrong than being right."
25. "Welcome! Welcome to the new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you.."
26. "I make mistakes like the next man. In fact, being - forgive me - rather cleverer than most men, my mistakes tend to be correspondingly huger."


"Hearing voices no one else can hear isn't a good sign, even in the wizarding world." {Hermoine Granger}
"If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals." {Sirius Black}
"We've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That's who we really are." {Sirius Black}
"Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure." {Luna Lovegood}
"What a beautiful place to be with friends. Dobby is happy to be with his friend...Harry Potter." {Dobby}
"We do not need magic to change the world. We carry all the power we need inside ourselves already. We have the power to imagine better." {J.K. Rowling}
"Achievable goals are the first step to self-improvement." {J.K. Rowling}
"Bad news, Harry. I've just been to see Professor McGonagall about the Firebolt. She, er, got a bit shirty with me. Told me I'd got my priorities wrong. Seemed to think I cared more about winning the cup than I do about you staying alive. Just because I told her I didn't care if it threw you off, as long as you caught the Snitch first. Honestly, the way she was yelling at me... you'd think I'd said something terrible?" {Oliver Wood}

Well, that's that! If you have any other quotes you love, please do share! This post took me way too long and I'm sure I left out many many more jewels! I've revealed my obsession to Cody, so I'm hoping he will keep that in mind as the holiday season approaches....

UPROAR

1. Escape the Fate
2. Bullet for My Valentine
3. Seether
4. Three Days Grace
Set list:
The Good Life
Break
Pain
I Hate Everything About You
Home
Lose Yourself {Eminem cover?} {3:42 is when he starts..}
Never Too Late
Riot
Animal
5. Avenged Sevenfold
Set list:
Nightmare
Chapter Four
Welcome to the Family
Almost Easy
Seize the Day
Afterlife
M.I.A.
God Hates Us
Little Piece of Heaven {definitely NOT work/family-friendly}
Bat Country
Unholy Confessions

Oh my goodness... I know I've praised Avenged Sevenfold before, but this concert was unbelievable! First, the other bands were really great! I was impressed with Bullet and Seether; both were very good live. Three Days Grace was not as good live as I would've hoped, but I still enjoyed their show very much. He was very entertaining {with a fun schizo episode at the end of Animal} and he apparently really loved performing for us. I sang to every song and it was a great set list for them!

But Avenged... Absolutely amazing! Avenged came with UPROAR last year (which I attended, duh), so M. Shadows thought it would be dumb to play the same list of songs. I would've been ok with that because I loved it last year, but I do see his point. They played a great mix of older and newer stuff! They also played two songs I'd never seen them perform (M.I.A. and Little Piece of Heaven) and they were AWESOME! Jeremy was flipping out because his favorite guitar solo is on M.I.A.! And it's just a beautiful song. Little Piece of Heaven is a very impressive song, but it's definitely not for the faint of heart!

My feet hurt, I got to bed really late, and there were guys smoking pot behind us... But it was so great! I actually got up and did my workout, so I'm feeling pretty optimistic about today. What a great night! I had a lot of fun with Jeremy and his girlfriend Mackenzie. It's comforting to know that Cody and I aren't the only silly couple out there. LOL

Update?!

On the Book of Mormon challenge, it's going to take me longer than 100 days, but I've been doing it a few days a week at least, plus reading two or three days worth on Sundays. I love being able to catch up on Sundays!

As for other things, I tried out this workout today and I think it went pretty well. The 20 minute cardio was a little tough for me because I usually allow more than 20 minutes to do my run. I had to hustle! Other than that, the rest was pretty doable, except for the last one.. I had to get a tutorial on youtube on how to do it! haha Anyway, here it is: {provided by See Beauty over on tumblr}

{I realize that today is NOT in fact Monday, but I plan on doing this on Saturday, so there. I'm going to be super sore tomorrow, but luckily there's another to do then so I don't just veg hehe}

100 day challenge..

Now, I don't know if I'm going to end up documenting this challenge on this blog, but I know that would be cool. I want to read the Book of Mormon in 100 days! I've been reading through The Work and the Glory series and it's been pretty enjoyable. But what has stuck with me the most is the characters involved and their quests to know the church is true through reading the scriptures.

I've been fortunate enough to have come to this knowledge by other means. I have a very strong testimony of the power of prayer and of the Atonement. I have read the Book of Mormon before, but I've never been very consistent. And even though I have a strong testimony of prayer, I've failed to keep up with those as well. What I would like is to get back to the basics of my testimony. The basics of the church I love so very much.

I would be lying if I didn't say that my being called to be a Beehive Adviser didn't have something to do with this. I would love to have a positive experience to share with my girls. BUT I have been wanting to do this for quite some time and I think now is a perfect time. I've been getting into routine ruts this year and I think getting back to the basics would be a big help. We had a lesson in Sunday School today and he talked about how keeping up with your scripture study and prayers will always be the best first step to bettering your life. And I believe it!

This challenge I've found will not only help me read it in 100 days, but it will prompt me to ponder the things I'm reading. I've had a few testimony-building experiences with the scriptures, but I've never read it to know it's true. I've never read the scriptures and then prayed to gain a witness. And I know every person is different, but why not try?! I think I owe Joseph Smith that courtesy, at the very least. So wish me luck!!

{I will try to document my progress on here, so if I forget, remind me!}

{loved it}

I just realized that both of my HP posts were just leading up to the movie! I went to the midnight showing with my dear friend Amanda and it was so good. I kind of wish there were more HP movies coming out so I could do the midnight showing again.. It's just amazing to be in a theater filled with people who want to be there as much {or much more so} as I do. And who didn't bring their children/babies. I love kids, don't get me wrong. But Harry Potter is no place for children. This movie wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. There was a lot of violence and it was pretty intense, but they did a really good job with having plot with the battle. I'm not the type of person who will go through the book and movie and stew about everything they did wrong because I think that ruins it. It was a great movie and even though they didn't do everything exactly as JK Rowling wrote it, it was tastefully done. I'm planning on seeing it again, but that might be after it goes to dollar theaters. I didn't cry as much as I expected either. But I loved having the audience laugh, cheer, and be silent when it was appropriate! What a great experience.

So sad the movies are done, but I've thoroughly enjoyed them all; cheesy or not. Now we just need JK to start writing again, even though she's probably set for life financially. {oh my, how they've grown!}

counting down..

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part two is coming up!!! I've been re-watching the other movies in preparation for it and I'm so flipping excited!! Also, Cody is up in SLC for his company's convention this week, so I'm alone until Saturday.. I'm going to miss him lots. Even with my crazy schedule, I've still been able to see him fairly often. Not having him here when I get home from Harry Potter will be hard. I'm going to cry the whole time, I just know it! I've already cried during the trailers I've watched, so you do the math!

Question: when did Neville Longbottom get so hot? He needs to get his British teeth fixed, but he is looking very handsome these days..

Also, I'm still doing the 30-day challenge over yonder, so check it out!

get ready!

Thanks to my loverly friend Amanda, I have now borrowed all seven currently available Harry Potter movies, and I will soon commence the watching of said movies before the MIDNIGHT showing of part two of Deathly Hallows ... Next week people! Did I tell you I bought some Potter-esque glasses in preparation of said showing?! Because I did. I'm also a little sad that I am just now on the Harry Potter bandwagon. Oh, the wasted years!! I also kind of wish I didn't have to work or be a wife for the next week so I could read through all of the books before I go to the movie. Just a little bit. *sigh* Too excited, is what I am. GET EXCITED WITH ME!