Between The Lines Of Life

By Claire Enos The last few months have been tough. I admit it, they've been crazy, hard, heart-wrenching, and possibly the worst months I can remember in my short life. However, they've also been the best, most life-changing months I can ever remember. Sometimes it's crazy to think that the hardest times we endure might lead to the best parts in our lives. I'm convinced that without God in my life, and my faith, I might have gone over the edge several times over. If not for my conviction in the truths I know I might not be sitting here writing this blog. After all, what would have kept me here? Without my faith I wouldn't be so close to my family, I wouldn't be here at school studying English, I wouldn't be learning Spanish, I wouldn't have met the people in my life (present and past) who have made me who I am. The other day, Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts, started playing on my laptop. I love that song, so I started singing along. About h

By Claire Enos Past the hurtful words and the insincere remarks is someone hurting, deep inside. The hurtful words and insincere remarks just a barrier. A brick wall if you will, built to protect a broken heart, as it is repaired, painstakingly, over weeks, months, possibly years. And while the heart waits to be completely healed, by the loving touch of one who cares, it can only be taped up waiting for the repairman to show up and take charge. There are still cracks, but maybe-- just maybe-- the heart that has been broken can be repaired, with the hard work of the owner, and a lot of tape. Still, the cracks will show. Some of the heart crumbling from further blows, until it is fortified, not with a wall, but with a glue gun and magic. Slow, calculated magic, here and there, where needed. Until eventually, miraculously, all has been healed. Meanwhile, through the whole process, life has continued on. And the owner, not able to spend every moment working on the heart, must conti

By Claire Enos As I was reading an article  on seeing past the outward appearances and seeing each other as God sees each of us, I was filled with joy that there are people out there who are compassionate and willing to look past the ugly outside to see the good inside. However, as I read through some of the comments at the end of the article, I was filled with sadness. As people, none of us are perfect. We all have imperfections. My mom can't spell very well, I know people with atrocious grammar (and I'm no where near perfect on that front either). However, my mom and my friends are among the smartest people I know. They've gone to school, some of them have degrees in various areas or are working on getting degrees. It saddens me to know that these people who are very smart are judged based on how poorly they spell or how horrible their grammar is. As an English major I understand the importance of spelling and grammar, and how they can affect how a person is seen. I

By Claire Enos It's 9/11 again. Never again will that date trigger absolutely nothing, not since that date 12 years ago, when those terrorists attacked our land and brought the death and destruction to us. But I didn't sit down here today in order to write yet another post about 9/11 and how sad it is, and how proud I am to be an American. Nor did I sit down to write about countless other things I could most definitely write full blogs on, such as this article  on humor and anti-mormon jokes, or Obama and Syria, or even racism in general and this video . No, today I sat down to write something that is important in my life right now. So, as I sit down I meditate on how I may find the right words to express those feelings that impress me most about my summer and what I learned is most important to me at this point in my life. I pray to God that I may touch at least one heart with what I have to say. If there is one thing I have learned this summer, it's that no one can ju

You ever hear of doing a "Random Act of Kindness"? I've heard of it, but as far as I know, I've never actually done one. Yesterday, however, a random person in my apartment complex did one for me. It started to snow while I was in class, and so when I got outside it was snowing pretty hard. I walked home but by the time I got home I was soaked through, my hands were red, I was wearing my only jeans, and my glasses were fogged up and soaked. I had to take my glasses off to see at all, and my vision definitely isn't the best. Chelsey was in the office when I got into the building, and when I mentioned I was wearing my only jeans she told me to grab some extra quarters to dry them. So I grabbed some quarters and headed upstairs to my apartment so I could change out of my clothes (by then I was shivering) and put a load of laundry in the washers. I had to borrow some pajama pants from my roommate and best friend, Meg. Once I was done changing, I put a load in the

What is maturity? From what I've seen, the world thinks of anyone who is mature as being boring. Well, who WANTS to be called boring. After all, we all like to think we are interesting and fun to be around, generally. I certainly don't like being called boring. So, I decided to look up the word in the dictionary: Mature:  Complete   in   natural   growth   or   development,   as   plant   and   animal   forms:   a   mature   rose   bush. Ripe, as frut, or fully aged, as chees or wine. Fully developed in body or mind, as a person: a mature woman. Pertaining to or characteristic of full development: a mature appearance; fruit with a mature softness. Completed, perfected, or elaborated in full by the mind: mature plans. Hey, wait a minute! I'm not a fruit! And I'm not fully developed. Last I checked, I have a couple more years until my brain has fully matured, and even then I'm still adding more and more facts to my mind, right? So, how did maturing c

I have a confession, and many of you already know, but many of you don't: I'm not perfect. I'm not some little Mormon girl who just follows all the rules perfectly and without complaint. If I allowed myself, I'd wear quite a few immodest outfits, and as it is my clothes are right on the border. In fact, I've been told as much before. That is one weakness I'm not ashamed to admit. I have another confession: I don't believe that reading into other religions is horrible. In fact, I do so for fun! I've often believed that if I weren't Mormon, I would definitely be either Buddhist or Wiccan (not necessarily in that order). I believe that many of their guidelines on life and the world around us go right alongside my own beliefs. In fact, I research their practices and beliefs and test them out once in a while, just for fun. Yet another confession: I actually follow horoscopes. Not because I believe they are true, but because they are fun and interestin

Something so simple, yet simply profound. Follow your heart. I mean, how deliciously simple can it get?! All these years I've been agonizing over decisions I shouldn't have worried about. I worried because of remarks from friends and family which made me feel inferior, like I couldn't take care of myself. These decisions mostly involved affairs of the heart, college, and my future. Sure, some of the advice I received I kind of wish I'd listened to, but if I had I wouldn't have learned such a valuable lesson. The last two or three months have been one gigantic learning curve for me, and although it sometimes hurts to think about, I'm glad I had the experience. When my uncle said all that mattered is that I follow my heart, that's when I knew where things had gone wrong, and where things were going right. My college degree is right, because I'm following my heart. God wouldn't have given me a love of and a talent for writing if it weren't right

I started this blog a few years ago to write up my feelings and thoughts on life. Lately I haven't really used it for my feelings or my thoughts or anything. I'm going to try starting that up again, so here goes: I'm a normal girl. I don't know who I am, or where I'm going, except what I've been told. I do know that 2+2=4 (don't ask me why, I don't understand that much) and I do know that the stars we see at night most likely have already died, so essentially we are seeing into the past when we look up into the universe. But that's not much, I know that. And it is our duty to learn as much as possible in this life down here on Earth. Life is hard. Everyone knows that. There are some people who seem to have mastered the art of living ("seem" being the operative term here), and there are others (like me) who barely know how to take one step at a time and somehow seem to mess everything up without thinking (because they aren't thinking

For my International Studies class on Developing Worlds we had to write an essay at the end of the semester about our role in the Developing World. I thought I'd post it on here for my friends and family to read. I hope to one day make a difference in the world, especially in Mexico. Mexico is such a great place and it saddens me to think that there are still so many 3rd world problems there that are easily fixed. Maybe one day I'll find my place in the world and figure out how to make a difference in my own way. So, here is my essay. Not the best I've ever written, but certainly not the worst either. My Role in the Developing Worlds             Throughout the course of this class I have learned a great deal about the developing worlds. Before taking this class I didn’t think much about what other countries were like or what problems they faced. In fact, I didn’t think much about other countries at all. During the course of this class, however, I have learned what prob

Some say Chick Flicks are overrated, and that they are the supidest things ever. They hold no value in the world, and are nothing but the romantic imaginings of singles who have nothing better to do but to live through the lives of characters in movies. Then of course, there are the girls who enjoy a good chick flick for exactly that same reason. They want to get away from their relationships which are going no where, or from their non-existent relationships. Chick Flicks help them feel better about themselves. I don't agree with either side. They aren't stupid movies, and they aren't just there to escape reality. Because honestly? There's no way you're ever going to forget you're single or your relationship is going nowhere if you are sitting around watching romantic movies all the time. That's like trying to ignore a box of cereal by eating it. So then, what's the value of a chick flick? What's the use? Does it have a purpose? Well, obviously

I've been having a really hard time lately, and while it's been one of the worst weeks ever, this summer so far is one of my favorite summers for as long as I can remember. They just keep getting better and better as the years go by. However, this last week has given way to depression and other problems, so I compiled this list of Things I Believe. I thought I'd share it with you, my readers. Thanks for being there for me! What Do I Believe? I believe that everything happens for a reason I believe that I control my destiny I believe that my decisions are mine to make, mistake or not I believe that all people are placed in my path to teach me a lesson, good or bad I believe that sometimes I just need to take a step back, reevaluate, decide whether I'm on the right path, correct or move on based the decision I believe that sometimes what is best for me isn't always the easiest decision to make. But it's still mine to make or ignore, unless others are inv

You know those moments where you are so far down and you don't know how you will ever get back up? And all you can think about is how horrible you feel, but then you see a tiny ray of light and you realize that you are the luckiest person in the world because all of a sudden you realize how much you've grown through the whole horrible experience? I just had this experience. I was depressed and in tears over something I did the night before. The thing is, I did what I did because of friends and I realized that if I'd done things the way I wanted to, rather than listening to them things would have turned out a whole lot better. I realized that I tend to rely on my friend's opinions more than my own thoughts and feelings. I ignore myself in favor of what my friends say, and that's not exactly a good thing. My friends don't know what I'm going through or what situation I'm in, no matter how much I tell them they'll never fully understand the situation

I think it's important to remember to be ourselves, be brave and let the words flow, whether they are on paper or in a group of friends, acquaintances, or even complete strangers. [Read More]

Every second of every minute of every day we are faced with choices. Should I wake up early today? Or should I stay up late tonight? I'm not going anywhere: should I stay in my pajamas all day, or change into clothes? Every day...  [Read More]

I decided I should post a goal each week for me to accomplish, as well as a monthly goal. I have no idea what this month's goal should be, but I've decided that my goal this week will involve studying Spanish. My goal is to get on my school library's website and using their language program in order to practice spanish for an hour every day this week. I will post how it is going throughout the week. Have an amazing day and keep an eye out for my post tomorrow on ANWA Founder and Friends about Regrets. <3Claire

For an amazingly epic summer! Ever since last November, when I realized my best (and only) friend in Las Vegas would not be home for most of the summer, I have been dreading a boring summer. I mean, if you have no friends, what are you supposed to do? Sit around the house watching shows on netflix, reading, writing, singing (badly) to music, and texting and emailing friends who are there to hang out with you in person? That's exactly what I saw myself doing. It's what I did most of last summer, despite my best friend being in town, but at least we got out once a month and did something fun, like hit the mall and window shop or eat out, maybe even catch a movie in the theater! Since I won't be having that kind of fun this summer (unless I make new friends, as unlikely as that is) I decided to do something with my summer. No, that does not mean I went and got a job, though that does sound like a good idea. It means I made a list of things to do this summer to keep myself

Well, I said I'd know my grades by the next time I posted, and here they are! [Read More]

This week is officially finals week, and I get to go home to Las Vegas on Saturday. [Read More]

Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry I forgot to post yesterday! I remember thinking I need to write a blog post, but I've been so busy with... [Read More]

I just noticed I haven't posted in a while. I thought I should write a post, and make up for it. Oh wait... I hope I didn't miss posting on ANWA Founder and Friends... *shrug* oh well, I'll check that one in a second. So, what I thought I'd write about today is.... Drum roll please! *drum roll* *Absolute Silence* Blogging! I noticed recently that a lot of my friends and family members have been asking me about it. They've been thinking about starting ones of their own. Well, I thought I'd write something up about it. However, I won't post it quite yet. I want to perfect a few things and... *ahem* write it... So! If you are wondering about blogging, I will be posting something about it pretty soon! Maybe I'll do a series on it... I haven't quite decided yet. So keep an eye out for that. But just so you know, it might not show up for a few weeks. Finals are in less than a month, so I'm really busy. Maybe once I'm home! Good luck!

I've been learning a lot this semester in my Creative Non-fiction class... [Read More]

You know that moment when it's the night you've been waiting for? You've been planning on going dancing (country dancing in my case) and you know you're going. Then suddenly, it's time to get ready to go and you start procrastinating. Yep, I'm at that point right now. I want to go but I don't want to walk there. So now, I guess I need to decide if I'm going to stay in tonight and read a book (best homework ever!) or watch a movie and then go to bed early because I only got five hours of sleep last night. Unfortunately, it's time to decide. I think I'm leaning more toward not going this week. Even though last week when my roommate decided not to go I really wanted to go. I guess that's just the way things happen. Definitely going next week though! I'll make myself go! I really do love Country dancing, I'm gonna miss it this summer. Have a date this Saturday, that a friend set up. The guy is nice, so I hope it goes well. I don'

The other day, I was writing up the Ancestral History I was doing for my Family History Research class... [Read More]

You ever feel like you want something so badly, but you don't want to get your hopes up because you're afraid it won't happen and you'll be crushed? And then your friends or family are expecting it to happen and you just have to say you know it won't, because otherwise you'll get your hopes up too high and they'll just crash down around you, but in the process you just seem to be making yourself depressed? I mean, does anyone know where the line is? Between not letting yourself get your hopes crushed but not bringing yourself so far down that you feel depression start to take over? It's like a tight rope act. One push either way and something bad will happen, and there's nothing you can do but not look down, because otherwise it'll push you one way or the other. I feel like that all the time, about the most mundane stuff. It's all fine and dandy to say one thing when you already have what you want me to have. It's even worse when so

It was a chance of fate... [Read More]

Life has been really hectic lately. I barely manage to keep up with my homework, tests, quizzes, essays, and projects and still have a social life. However, yesterday I mostly finished an essay I've been putting off for weeks, went cycling for a little over half an hour, and finish all my other homework and mostly get it in on time. Today, I woke up late, and yet here I am in the library where I finished a late assignment and am currently waiting to meet up with my group so we can work on a presentation for monday. Life is a great and marvelous work and I love it! Tomorrow I'm doing a lot more homework, including an essay exam, and then helping a friend index. So I'll be done with one project! I'm so excited! Anyway, that was a quick update. Find a way to love life! Trust me, it's worth it. <3Claire

Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 Richard Paul Evans This review is going to be slightly different than my usual. I read this over the summer, so I'm just quickly writing up a review for a class right now.  Previously, I read only one of Richard Paul Evan's books, The Christmas Box , in fact the only reason I even picked this book up is because my aunt loves Richard Paul Evans and she told me about this one over the summer when I was staying at her place. I didn't check it out right away, instead I went home and checked it out at my public library there. My mom immediately stole it from my stack of books, and then gave it back the next day, raving about how good it was. So I put aside the other books I was reading and started reading this one. I really loved the overall feel of the book. It had just the right mix of adventure and character development. Over the course of the story, I fell in love with the main character and his friends. E

I almost completely forgot today was my day to post! I'm half asleep right now... [Read More]

Well, I've been sick since Monday. Though I only missed one class, on Monday. I've been going to classes, but only because I felt well enough. Started with the flu on Monday, and it slowly worked toward losing my voice and having a huge headache today. I still ache a little bit and my throat hurts but I'll get over it. I hope you are all feeling better than I am! Have a good weekend! <3Claire PS: I've decided daily posts might have been a little overly crazy right now, so instead I am going to cut back to at least once a week. Once I have that down I'll slowly work up. As long as I post regularly. Love you all! <3

Sorry I've been so horrible at posting the last couple days. I had a funeral to attend, then friends over all day Sunday, and then I got sick today and on top of that the power and the internet went out. The power was out until 10:30 and the internet was out until an hour ago or so. I will try to get back on track tomorrow. <3Claire

Today has been pretty crazy for me... [Read More]

What about that feeling? You know it. The one where you wish for something you can't have, and it hurts because you can feel the fierce wanting, but you also feel something pushing you away. Usually it's your mind telling you it's not gonna happen. Other times it just feels like your heart is ripping apart inside you, and you know that if you don't have it you're gonna die. Or at least you wish you would, or that something would happen to make you forget it at all, or that somehow the want would suddenly become a reality. Because either way would be better than feeling that heart ripping sensation for days, weeks, months, or even years. This feeling comes when I'm just browsing the internet, listening to music, and certain songs come up. Or when I'm at the store and I see little kids with their parents, especially babies. It comes when I least expect it, sneaking up on me. It comes when I'm looking at pictures of my friends, happily married or engaged.

This weekend I will be gone. So my Saturday post might come a bit late, unless I scheduled a post and totally forgot about it. I will try to get one done sometime Saturday night though. I am attending my Great-Grandma May's Funeral and Viewings this weekend. This will be Friday and Saturday. Anyway, I'll post again later this weekend. <3Claire

Nothing is so completely depressing, at least in this point in my life, as when my best friend and roommate asks me, "Where did that lid to my pan go to?" And I'm like, "I have absolutely no idea, I do not recall there ever being a lid." Ever since she left me to take care of her stuff and use them, I've been stressing about not losing her stuff and not breaking anything,  because I would have no idea how to tell her what happened. I know she'd want the truth, but I just hate that feeling. I've tried to be really careful and not lose anything or hurt anything, but some things have slipped through the cracks with all my stressing out, and now that she's back and has been going through all her stuff, she finds things missing and she keeps asking me how it happened. The honest answer is I have no idea. I wish I did, but I don't. If I could afford to, I'd replace everything I lost, but of course I'm a poor college student. The s

Few people know that I actively search out zodiac personalities and compare them with my friend's zodiacs. I find it really interesting. I'll even check mine against the zodiacs of guys I like. For example, I'm supposed to get along really well with guys who are from Gemini, and it's not all surprising that my Leo friends and I get along. I am a Libra, and I follow zodiac blogs, paying attention to stuff posted about Libras, Geminis, and Leos. Even though I don't really believe it, it's still a fun little pastime of mine! Love, <3Claire

So, this semester I decided to take 4 English classes, which isn't all that amazing considering I'm an English Major. Every single last one of my classes requires writing, and I'm required to spend at least 2 hours on each class doing homework for every 1 hour spent in class. Obviously homework isn't going to take up all that time for the classes, so we're required to spend the rest of the time writing. This includes my Family History Research class, but at least for that one I can work on my final project instead. Since I'll be spending so much time writing, I probably won't be able to put as much thought into my blog posts as usual, but I will try. Some days I might decide to get off topic for that day, but for the most part I'll stick with my schedule. Hopefully you will all stick with me through that! I shall keep you updated. Love you all, <3Claire

It's getting harder and harder to think of things few people know about me, but I'll try my hand at it for the whole month. I guess a lot of people know this one, but not even half the people I know, so I'll count this one. I love Tinkerbell. She's gotta be my favorite Disney character in the world. I have 5 cups of different kinds with her on them, and a puzzle with her on it. I hope to eventually collect more Tinkerbell stuff. So, that's an interesting fact about me anyway. Watch out for my next installment of things few people know about me on Wednesday. Love to all of you! <3Claire

Today in Fast and Testimony meeting my Bishop talked to us before he turned the mic over for testimonies. He read the lyrics to this song and replaced all the mentions of "home" with "in our apartment". I thought that was really awesome, so I decided to post it for all of you as well. Keep this thought in your hearts, and remember this when times get hard. Maybe the problem isn't that you suddenly have all these trials, but that you aren't being loving enough to your roommates and/or family members. I love you all! Have a great week! <3Claire

A Discovery of Witches Deborah Harkness Pros: Good character development and story progression. I love the main character and by the end of the book I genuinely cared about the characters and what was going to happen next. Cons: There were one or two scenes in this book which would make me less likely to recommend this book to certain friends. I also hated the cliffhanger at the end, but I can live with that. Some scenes seemed to me to be a bit far-fetched, but that again is something I can live with. It is really thick, but that's normal for fiction. Overall: I'd definitely recommend it to my friends (well, most of them) and I'd have to give it 3.5 stars. Only because of the few cons I mentioned above. If you love fiction, romance, adventure, action, characters you can believe in, and a good storyline that involves a witch and a vampire, this book is perfect for you! <3Claire

New post on A Snapshot of my Life! Here Update: I am now in Rexburg up at college. Thursday consisted of travelling; Taco Time and Nielsen's Custard with Hannah, and Forever Strong. Today consisted of shopping; unpacking; Crime of Fashion; Hello Sister, Goodbye Life; and Sorority Wars. Tomorrow I will be finding my classes and maybe looking at textbooks. Sunday Megan gets here! And Monday classes start!!!! SO excited!! <3Claire

"Line upon line and precept upon precept, gradually and almost imperceptibly, our motives, our thoughts, our words, and our deeds become aligned with the will of God. Conversion unto the Lord requires both persistence and patience." -- David A. Bednar "Converted unto the Lord"  How many of you have heard of the musical Saturday's Warriors? I grew up on the music from this musical and every time I hear the words "Line upon Line" I automatically start singing that song in my head. Here is a video of the song, in case any of you haven't heard it: Lately I've been doing a lot of thinking about some really big decisions in my life, and this is something I try to keep in mind. Anyway, today I'm flying back up to school. I hope you all have a wonderful day! I'll bring you an update tomorrow! Love, <3Claire

Something about me few people know... is that English/Reading (other than spelling) was my worst subject in Elementary school. My best subjects were Math and Science. See how well that went? Science and Math got hard, and English/Reading got easier. I was average for my age in Reading until 2nd grade when my Reading Level shot up to a 6th grade level when I started reading Novels for the first time. Ever since, my  grades have just gotten better. So, you see? Our strengths do change a lot as kids, which is important to remember! <3Claire

After all these years, I've learned a lot about writing, but not nearly as much as I want to learn. I'm an English major, and I've taken classes that taught me a lot, but until I reached College and started taking college level courses I didn't learn anything that was useful to me. This last semester I took Creative Writing. It was very useful to my writing, and I continue working on my writing. So, what I really want to say is never give up, keep learning, the more you learn the better you get, and the better you get the better your chances. So write on friends! Write on... <3Claire

This year, I'm doing things a little differently. I'm not going to measure myself on how well I do each individual thing on my list, I'll measure myself based on how much improvement I'm making. Mom talked me through making my resolutions more effective, so here goes: Healthier Lifestyle Physical Exercise Go to at least one dance (Swing or Latin) each week Try a yoga class Healthy Eating Plan meals ahead of time Cut out most of my sugar and soda Better Spirituality Study my scriptures for at least 5 minutes a day Pray morning and night Pray over meals Pray and Fast about a mission Attend all church meetings unless I can't get out of bed, and spend more time magnifying my calling Focus on Me Self-Esteem Don't worry about what others think Grades No C's or D's Grades are important, focus on school work and get it all done Grades come first, the rest comes after Writing Get a full manuscript written down Spend half