I really liked the FEAR lesson we had this past week. I think that the media has a great impact on what we are afraid of. Some of my greatest fears are from movies, for example IT is a scary movie that I watched back when I was little and even til this day, I am afraid to walk in front of open gutters and over sewage lines thinking that there might be a clown there. I just don't like clowns in general now. BUT there is a time when I like scary movies and it is around this time of the year.

Affects of Scary movies.

With it being the Halloween season and scary movies are playing all around us, I liked the homework assignment reading that was due for this week. Where they surveyed the college students about their reactions and longitudinal effects of scary movies. It really made me think what makes a scary movie to me scary. I LOVE suspenseful movies and and movies that make you think, but I don't like blood and gore movies. I thought it was interesting that when some of the samples viewed the movie Jaws that it was really the shark that scared them, but the sight of blood that triggered the emotion. I would have to say that for me creepy glass dolls and the sound of breathing that makes me a little jumpy. I have a glass doll that I got when I was little and til this day it is in my closet and I like it, but  it still creeps me out.

What kind of things were you afraid of growing up after seeing a scary movie?

"Confidence is what Heavenly Father thinks of me"

Watching that movie in class today, has really opened my eyes to the world. Being a 25 year old women, I know that I have value. Yes, I do go through periods of self-doubt, but in the most part I know that I am a daughter of God. I learned and gained a strong testimony of that fact while on my mission in Louisville, Kentucky. I would see girls EVERYWHERE who belittled themselves thinking that they weren't good enough or beautiful enough because of what the media portrayed. I used to read all those gossip magazines as a teenager and even before my mission started working out, going on diets just to be accepted and NOT because I wanted to be healthy. My favorite part of my mission was when I saw my investigators actually realize how good they actually were, their divine potential. It wasn't until THAT moment that the miracles started happening, they began to have more faith, hope and reassurance. They realized that they had a good purpose, and realized that they can actually matter for their quirks and short-comings and for their actions. A quote that I like is "Confidence is What Heavenly Father thinks of Me." Heavenly Father will love all his children no matter what and he is our biggest cheerleader. Satan does have a strong effect on our minds, he knows our weaknesses, he knows that media is readily available to us all and he uses the ONE thing he can't have to make us ruin ours. It is a hard being a girl, we constantly compare ourselves with others in all aspect of our lives, even when we realize that we are doing it, we still do it.
When I was a teenager I HATED my smile, I would cover my mouth every time I smiled just so people wouldn't see. It was my biggest insecurity. I am so glad that I stopped that, because I realized that I am much more than just a smile, I am Brittany, a wonderful daughter of God. Ironically, now, years later, the thing I get complimented on is my Smile. I love to smile, with my mouth uncovered.
I am glad we watched that movie, I think all girls and boys should watch it and realize that Media does not effect or matter in the long run.
Just know that YOU are a Child of God and that He is looking out for his Children.

My favorite Book and why!

            My favorite child hood book has to be the Little House on the Prairie Book series. This book is about a real life pioneer family in the mid-west trying to get back and survive the prairie frontier. My favorite book in this book series has to be “The Long, Long Winter.” I loved how Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote and dove into her family history. I liked how simple the words and the phrases were in these books. Mrs. Wilder wrote also a wide array of stories that were so compelling and filled with adventures. Being a little girl while reading these books I could relate to the thoughts and intents of Laura and her sister Mary. I used to imagine how life would be like for me if I lived during the time of covered wagons and handcarts.

            Another reason why I loved the, “Little House on the Prairie” books is because this was the book that my mother and I would read together when I was about 8 years old. She and I used to read these books at night before I went to bed and I would fall asleep to the sound of her voice. These books remind me of my mother and how I loved hearing her voice. It is very important to spend quality time with your parents, especially in my growing up years. I also plan when I get older to read this book series to my little girls, and I hope that they enjoy this time with me as I did with my own mother. I liked the relationships that occurred in the family, I enjoyed how Mary and Laura got along so well together as sisters, also I loved how Charles and Caroline (The parents) treated and worked hard to support their family.  I am also a huge fan of history and how people back then survived. I enjoyed hearing stories about how the Ingalls family had to plant gardens, harvest, fight off Indians, and survive long winters with little to eat. To me there were just so many miracles that were happening in everyday life, that I started looking for them in my own life.  It made me really grateful for having electricity and modern day inventions such as cars instead of covered wagons.

            My favorite book right now, besides the cannon of scriptures, is a book series by Dean Hughes called, “Children of the Promise.” The book is about a fictional family, the Thomas Family, during World War Two, living in Sugar House, Utah.  This book told the story of what it was like to be LDS and growing up during the 2^nd great world war. Dean Hughes did a fantastic job to describe in detail what happened during the days of World War Two. He studied and researched for this book to get every fact accurate so that he could write the closest to the truth. I loved how Dean Hughes placed the characters in this book to illustrate certain events in history. For example he had a son serve in Germany on his mission and while there he saw the early uprising of Hitler. Another son was a POW in the Philippines who lived through the Death March.

            I really liked this book because it contained actual historical events that made the characters even more real. I enjoy the subject of history and because Dean Hughes was well researched I felt like I understood history a lot more. I also liked this because most of the characters in this book were my age. I felt like I could relate to them and their decisions. As stated before I liked how this book was educational and expanded my knowledge on history and life.  I also like the humanities aspect of World War Two and how they survived.  I like how books are able to do this, transport us to different locations and experiences. Other forms of media can do this as well, but there is nothing like a book where you can use your imagination to expand your horizons and knowledge. I don’t think books will ever go out of style, because there are so many stories that still need to be told. 

Media: Music

I am soo happy for music right now. I have been a little stressed out with tests, tests, tests!! General Conference has been a real treat especially when Mormon Tabernacle Choir started singing on Saturday morning. I immediately felt calmer and stronger. I have been listening to more classical music to help with the anxious nerves and it helps a lot. Earlier this week I went to devotional and heard the BYU Men's Chorus sing Come Thou Fount and again it sent a peaceful feeling to my heart. I really do enjoy media especially the media of music.