Blended for a Purpose

You may have noticed that I stole a term coined by Jamba Juice: Blended for a Purpose. I happen to be a Jamba Juice lover, even to the extent of trying to create a home-made version at home with my mom. Jamba Juice makes you feel like a million bucks when you go spend the money for it. It blends all healthy, natural things (unless you cheat and get the kind that has ice cream), and gives you a sense that you have accomplished something great by giving your body something nutritious and delicious. When my mom or I have a terrible day (or even not such a terrible day), it is a tradition that we treat ourselves to a nice big cup of Jamba Juice. When we go there, anything that happened before doesn't matter anymore. It is a place we go to restart the day in the middle of the day. "From now on," we tell ourselves, "we're going to have a good day." That's how I hope this blog goes; not only for myself, but eventually (and hopefully) for you as well. Everything that goes on the table is going to be all-natural, healthy, clean stuff that can make you have a better day.

So now I'm going to talk a little about how I came up with the idea of my blog name. No, all of that stuff up there wasn't the first thing that came to mind when I thought of the blog name. While trying to decide what to name it, I tried to think of something that I was good at that defined myself. Honestly, I couldn't think of just one thing that explained my life. I have my thumbs in so many pies right now that all I could think of was that I am a whole bunch of people blended into one person.

I am a grammar FANATIC. I am an English major at BYU-Idaho, and I have enjoyed every English class I have taken here. I am currently taking a Literature Analysis class that I am absolutely loving. That class is so intense and quirky that it deserves its own blog post, seriously. I also tutor English Grammar and Reading/Study Skills at the Reading Center on campus. I have a true passion for all departments of English, and I feel like there is great strength in knowing your own language and being able to use it to your advantage. Again, I will expand on this in later blog posts.

I play the flute and am in a flute ensemble. In that respect, I enjoy classical music. I have played for quite some time now- I started when I was in fifth grade (10 years old). I did take one year off my first year of college, but now I'm in full swing again. Along with this, I enjoy choral music. I was in a show choir my senior year of high school, and we had such a blast. We were able to sing for little children, people in nursing homes, and special needs kids. It was a wonderful experience to share the beauty and power of music with all these people.

On the other hand, I attend hip hop dance classes every Wednesday night. I love to feel the beat of the music pulse through my body. I enjoy R&B and Pop music because of this hard, low beat. Music that makes me want to get out of my shell and just dance--that is my kind of music. This fascination started with my brother coming home from Brazil with some Jo Jo CD's. Yes, Jo Jo was the first one to win my heart over into the world of R&B and Pop.

I also have a love and passion for photography. I am currently in a photography class, and I have already learned so much about my camera and about seeing things. Truly seeing things. There was a quote shared in my class that said, "The camera teaches you how to see without a camera." I have already found this out. I walk around the streets of Rexburg and find myself taking mental pictures--setting up the frame, looking at different angles, analyzing things. I hope to be good someday.

Another part of me is my obsession with Spanish. It was a somewhat recent occurrence, but nonetheless an honest one. I am minoring in Spanish, and I'm getting pretty good. Yo entiendo mucho, pero no puedo hablar mucho. (I understand quite a bit, but I can't speak a lot.) I love the Latin Culture, Latin food, Latin dancing, everything! It's a lot of fun.

A more recent "pie" I have stuck my thumb into is exercise. I have really started enjoying cycling lately. I try to go as often as my schedule will allow. I want to be able to live my life without anything holding me back. I want to be able to play a pick-up game of Ultimate Frisbee without feeling like my lungs are going to explode. I want to be able to help someone lift something without dropping it on them. I want no limitations, and the only way to do that is through hard work and effort on my part. I'll be honest: sometimes I'll put off homework until the morning so that I can go workout in the evening. I love working out in the evening because when I hit the pillow, I feel all the hard work I did in my legs. It makes going to bed that much more relieving. I fall asleep faster, work harder the next day, and I feel better.

Lastly, I love the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that we can, through righteous living, have a happy and enjoyable life. It is the times when I put forth the effort to have Christ in my life that I have the utmost joy and unceasing happiness. That's right: unceasing. It is only when I become lax that I let the things of the world get to me. I know it's the truth. I have so much more confidence in myself and my capabilities when I acknowledge that they aren't really mine. My talents and likes are not mine; they are our Father's, granted to me through His loving kindness. I cannot be more grateful for that. How dull would life be without something to improve in your life? Something to work for? Something to enjoy?

There it is, in a nutshell. I have many seemingly opposing likes, but they are all a portion of me. I hope that you have enjoyed your first sip of this kind of juice; it was Blended for a Purpose.