Carl Bloch

This summer I had the wonderful opportunity to go to Copenhagen. Around the time I was helping plan the trip, BYU's Museum of Art had an exhibit of Carl Bloch paintings. While visiting the exhibit, I learned that there were a bunch of Carl Bloch originals in Denmark. I was ecstatic to go to the Frederiksborg Castle and see 23 original Carl Bloch paintings in the place they were designed for. We planned an entire day to travel outside of Copenhagen to tour the castle and see the paintings.

When the time finally came to visit the castle, I was so excited and had researched exactly where in the castle the paintings should be. I had seen the pictures of the room they were housed in and knew it was by the chapel. To our surprise, we walked right through the room with out realizing that was the room with the Carl Bloch paintings. We had to back track through the castle to get back to the room once we realized we had passed right through it.

The room was surprisingly small and dark. The paintings were tiny and easily glanced over. To me and my family these paintings were beautiful and meaningful yet so many people just walked right through this room without taking a second glance. (we did the first time)

Carl Bloch is such a significant artist to the Mormon culture yet most people in the world couldn't care less about his paintings.Each painting is a beautiful depiction of a part of Christ's life. It is sad to think that these paintings are so often overlooked and passed over. His paintings are incredible and I wished he received more recognition for his incredible paintings.

Real or Not Real?

One of the best parts about Christmas Break is free time.
During the semester I have free time but in the back of my mind there is that nagging homework that I know needs to get done or studying for that big test I have coming up. 

This break I chose to reread the Hunger Games series in preparation for March 23!

I've never been good with words and can never find the right words to say (or write) to express my true feelings but this blog hit it right on the nail.

This break Taylor Swift ft. The Civil Wars released a new single that will be in the movie. I have definitely had it on repeat the past week :)

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the series:

“Only I keep wishing I could think of a way to…to show the Capitol they don’t own me. That I’m more than just a piece in their Games” -Peeta

"It's only now that he's corrupted that I can fully appreciate the real Peeta. Even more than I would've if he'd died. The kindness, the steadiness, the warmth that had an unexpected heat behind it. Outside of Prim, my mother and Gale, how many people in this worl love me unconditionally? I think in my case, the answer may now be none. Sometimes when I am alone, I take the pearl from where it lives in my pocket and try to remember the boy with the bread, the strong arms that warded off nightmares ont he train, the kisses in the arena. To make myself put a name to the thing I've lost. But what's the use? It's gone. He's gone. Whatever existed between us is gone. All that's left is my promise to kill Snow. I tell myself this ten times a day."

"Did you love Annie right away, Finnick?" I ask.

"No." A long time passes before he adds, "She crept up on me."

" 'You're a painter. You're a baker. You like to sleep with the windows open. You never take sugar in your tea. And you always double-knot your shoelaces.' Then I dive into my tent before I do something stupid like cry." -Katniss

"It's a long shot, it's suicide maybe, but I do the only thing I can think of. I lean in and kiss Peeta full on the mouth. His whole body starts shuddering, but I keep my lips pressed to his until I have to come up for air. My hands slide up his wrists to clasp his. 'Don't let him take you from me!' ... 'Stay with me.' ...His pupils contract to pinpoints, dilate again rapidly, and then turn to something resembling normalcy. 'Always,' he murmurs."

"You're still trying to protect me. Real or not real," he whispers.

"Real," I answer. "Because that's what you and I do. Protect each other."

"That what I need to survive is not Gale's fire, kindled with rage and hatred. I have plenty of fire myself. What I need is the dandelion in spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction. The promise that life can go on, no matter how bad our losses. That is can be good again. And only Peeta can give me that."
"So after, when he wishers. 'You love me. Real or not real?' I tell him,'Real.'"




I love The Hunger Games......Real or not real?
REAL!

Traditions

Christmas is always a wonderful time of year!

The holidays are full of family and traditions. 

My family has lots of wonderful traditions that make Christmas extra special!

Every year right before Christmas my family heads to see A Christmas Carol at Hale Center Theater.

For Christmas Eve my family heads to Temple Square to stuff our faces with yummy food from The Roof Restaurant. This is followed by walking around and seeing the lights on Temple Square.

Every Christmas morning we all have to sit on the steps and take a picture before we can head to open presents. The little ones were a little anxious and not too patient with having to take pictures.

Christmas breakfast is always breakfast pizza. We have this every Christmas and ONLY on Christmas!

This year was full of fun surprises and awesome presents. 

My sister Raye Ann and I both got a hand painted Santa from our trip to Russia. We both also got a pearl ring to go with the pearl set we got a few years ago.

I also got a very special present that is dear to my heart. My parents turned my London blog into a book, so now I have a book with all my posts and pictures from London!!

My dad is now the proud owners of the Green Bay Packers..... okay, he is one of the owners. 

Every year since I can remember my dad has worn a red bow tie on Christmas morning. 

Last year my dad bought all his sons and grandsons red bow ties. 

Look how handsome they are.

I love all of our family traditions! It just wouldn't be Christmas without them!

I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas!!!

Christmas Break Adventures

The past week has been quite the continuous flow of adventure. 

There has been a trip to Rexburg for my sister Raye Ann's graduation, 

Three weddings:  

Morgan 

(my sister's freshman roommate and she lived at our house this past semester)

My cousin Diana

Welcome to the crazy Blauer family Cary Shane!

And my friend from high school, Marie!

Congratulations to you all!

For 5 days my cousins from Texas partied at our house. 

One of the days we took them sledding so they could play in the snow.

To bad the snow was all man made and the only snow to be found was on the sledding runs!

However Long and Hard the Road

Just a little something to help you get through finals week. 

(and all the other hard things we face in life)

"If your eyes are always on your shoelaces, if all you can see is this class or that test, this date or that roommate, this disappointment or that dilemma, then it really is quite easy to throw in the towel and stop the fight. But what if it is the fight of your life? Or more precisely what if it is the fight FOR your life, you ETERNAL life at that? What if beyond this class or that test, ... you really can see and can hope for all the best and right things that God has to offer? Oh, it may be blurred a bit by the perspiration running into your yes, and in a really difficult fight one of the eyes might even be closing a bit-, but faintly, dimly, and ever so far away you can see the object of it all. And you say it is worth it, you do want it, you will fight on." 

"But how, you ask, do you get this glimpse of the future that helps you to hang on? Well, for me that is one of the great gifts of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ... through the blood and the toil and tears and the sweat...it is out there. "

-Elder Jeffrey Holland, Devotional address 18 January 1983

Thanksgiving in Atlanta

For Thanksgiving break my parents, Raye Ann and I all headed to my Grandma's house in Atlanta, Georgia. 

Since we moved to Utah a few years back, we don't get to visit my Grandma as often as we used to.

It had been a few years since I'd seen my Grandma and my mom's side of the family so I was really excited to see everyone.

Thanksgiving Day was spent at my aunt and uncle's house where I ate far too much yummy food!

My niece Jenna and I

Somehow I ended up at the kids table?

My Grandma with all her great-grandkids.

My grandma with her grandkids that were there

Everybody

Isn't she just the cutest?

 Black Friday was obviously spent shopping for hours...and hours!

Sadly there were no pictures taken of our goodies but there's pictures of lunch at Zaxby's.

Friday night we left the kids with the men and us girls headed to see Breaking Dawn. 

The theater was interesting. It was called Movie Tavern. 

There was a full menu to order from and they deliver the food to your theater.

In front of you is a table...strange....

Just Peeta in the background. Probably the best part of the movie.

On Saturday, my dad took us all to the Fernbank Natural History Museum. It may sound lame to go to some museum, but this place is awesome. 

I remember when I went there as a little kid.

 It was a lot of fun to take me nieces and nephews there. 

We ran around looking at all the stuff and playing with everything. 

I was exhausted by the time we left that place. 

Of course we had to stop by Folks Southern Kitchen Restaurant while in Atlanta. 

Gotta love some southern cooking, including fried pickles and hush puppies.

Thanksgiving break was a wonderful few days filled with family, shopping and lots of yummy food.