"Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life."

You know that feeling when you hear a new song, or maybe one you haven't heard for a long while, and it just captivates you? I would hope everyone knows that feeling. I love music in my life. It is one of the greatest gifts God has given us, in my opinion. Think of all of the roles music has in life. It can cheer us up. It can give us understanding and depth. It can convey the message that you want to get across, but don't know how to otherwise. I can think of so many songs that have meant so much to me at different times of my life. These are generally the songs that make me stop in my tracks and really just listen. And while I can connect to many songs by many different artists, there are some artists that I just seem to align with. Their songs, their moods, their words fit into my life in a way that I can't really explain. And while this post may be more for myself, to compile a list of artists and their songs that mean so much to me, I wanted to share them. Because this music in some small way makes up part of who I am.

MAE
In many ways, I feel like Mae provides the soundtrack to my life. If my life was made into a film, one of their songs would fit every scene. In my opinion, these guys have some of the best stuff out there today. I have never heard a band with a better combination of music and lyrics. Very smart stuff. And very enjoyable.

SOMETHING CORPORATE/JACK'S MANNEQUIN
These two bands, and their shared singer/songwriter Andrew McMahon. Talk about talent. I first came to love him because of the piano music. The melodies that he creates can be beautiful, heartbreaking, exciting...all at the same time. And the songs he writes just fit any emotion so well. It's hard not to adapt to his mood just by listening.

JIMMY EAT WORLD
I love this band because it reminds me of every good time I ever had with my friends in high school. My high school experience was incredible, and I had the best friends I could have asked for. One thing we definitely had in common was a love for JEW. Every one of their songs brings back a specific memory or person. For me, this music puts me in a good mood whenever I hear it.

JACK JOHNSON
Jack Johnson for president! Haha. Really, his music got me through any stressful time I've ever been through. It's impossible to listen and be uptight at the same time. I'm not sure if I would have survived college without the smooth sounds of Jack. And it reminds me of one of the best summers of my life - the summer after I graduated high school and fell for my first love. I can't think of a better artist to describe that time of my life.

DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL
I think for my generation, and this is my own opinion, but I think for my generation, Dashboard Confessional defined that time of life when you go through the heartbreak and triumph of growing up and everything that comes with it. From the first date to the first breakup, Dashboard Confessional covers it all.

Obviously, this isn't to say that there aren't other artists and songs that I love. There are so so many. But these are the ones that I can call my favorites. The ones I relate the best to. They are the songs in my head.

And one other thing I wanted to share...I saw videos made by this guy on my friend's blog and it reminded me of how hilarious they are. There is a Frenchman named Rémi Gaillard who just makes random videos and puts them on his website. His slogan is "C'est en faisant n'importe quoi qu'on devient n'importe qui", which is sort of a play on words in French, but basically means "it is by doing nothing that one becomes nothing." Anyway. Here are the links to some of my favorites:

The Shark

Remi Kart

Alpine Skiing My favorite! Probably because I've been around French people. And I had to laugh because when I was in Paris, there was a sign outside the public pool that showed two guys, one in swim trunks and one in a speedo, and the guy in swim trunks was crossed out! Only speedos are allowed. Anyway...

The Astronaut

There are a bunch more. Some are funnier than others. You can visit his website HERE.

Grooooooo!!!

Yesterday Jonathan brought home a copy of Square magazine, a local Provo/Orem magazine run by college kids. Inside was an "expose-A", as Jonathan called it, about Stephen Groo, a local filmmaker. Jonathan and I have enjoyed his movies for a couple of years now, and have shared his work with many of our friends and family. According to the article, he has made "about 109" films. If you visit his website, www.utahwolfproductions.com, you can view previews of his productions. My personal favorites have to be Tale of Mermaids, Shikito (which as Jonathan pointed out, is basically a rip off of the video game Final Fantasy), and of course Broken Hearts, which has been unfortunately removed from his website. That one basically destroyed a Journey song. Ooh, so horrible. He also makes music videos. Major Tom is a classic, Tribute to Utah is interesting. But whatever you do, don't watch Ride on a Meteor or Lollipop...It's amazing how awkward and awful those ones are...anyway. He is apparently oblivious to it. Now, keep in mind that Stephen Groo takes himself very seriously. Which just makes watching his films that much more hilarious. I almost feel bad for the guy...but at the same time, I want to make sure he keeps making films for all of us to enjoy. Here are a few excerpts from the interview in Square:

Interviewer: Would you be willing to explain why your film label is called Wolf Productions?
Groo: Yeah. Pretty much my nickname is actually "Wolf", and then, because of people that I've been friends with a long time; plus, it's pretty much my favorite animal, and I just decided to turn it into a production company name.

Interviewer: What's your favorite film of all time?
Groo: It's hard to say what my favorite film is. I have to break it into genres because I can't just say one ultimate film. For, like, sci-fi, I'd have to say X-Men, Armageddon, Lord of the Rings, Narnia. For drama, I'd probably have to say Gladiator. Action - too many to even say on that one. That just kind of gives a broad spectrum; I like pretty much all of the genres that are out there.

Interviewer: What are you ultimately hoping to achieve or accomplish through your films?
Groo: Energizing at least one person out there is one part, and a second part is just like what Stephen Spielberg said back when he did Schindler's List: "I don't care if anybody sees my film, but in the end at least I made the film." Pretty much making my dreams coming true -let's put it that way. I try to follow that philosophy almost every time that I make a movie. I really don't care if anyone sees any of my films, but I have enough fans out there that they want to see everything I make. (gee, I wonder why...)

Interviewer: You have quite a local following. Is there any message you would like to convey to your fans?
Groo: In a sense, mostly, it would be to just keep film real but keep the fantasy in there, too. No matter what it takes to make a movie, do it within reason. Don't let people keep you away from making your dreams become realities in film. (did that make sense to anyone out there?)

Wow. Amazing. Make sure you check out the music video for Nickleback's Save Me featuring Mr. Groo himself. You won't be sorry. Actually you probably will be. But do it anyway. Just for the experience...

Another update...

I love checking my email these days...

"Dear Ms. Tyler:

Congratulations! I am pleased to inform you that you have been accepted for admission to Quinnipiac University School of Law as a full-time day student for the fall 2009 class. Your official letter of admission is in the mail.

Your acceptance here is a particularly noteworthy accomplishment in this very competitive year, as we project that we will review about 2,500 applications for a first-year class of approximately 130 students. Our decision to offer you a seat in next year's class acknowledges the excellent record you have established to this point, and our confidence that you will be successful in this program.

For now, please accept my sincere congratulations and welcome on behalf of the law school faculty and administration. We hope that you will join us!

Sincerely,

Edwin Wilkes

Executive Dean for Law School Admissions"

I also just got a call from Drexel University in Philadelphia letting me know I was accepted also. :)

I guess that makes the score...

ACCEPTED

4

REJECTED

0

Updated Score!

Accepted
2

Rejected
0

I just received another acceptance email from Penn State University! Wahoo! :) This is a pretty good school, too. Let's just say, I'm feeling pretty good about myself right about now...

The Score

ACCEPTED

1

.

REJECTED
0

That is the score so far for how many law schools have rejected or accepted me. I received a call from an admissions director at the University of Dayton to tell me that my acceptance letter was in the mail. He was a very nice guy - we talked for about 15 minutes. He told me the school is a Catholic school, and they have lots of "members of LDS" there. He also wanted to verify my information because I am apparently a good candidate for one of their scholarships. So that is awesome. I am excited, even if I can't even go there. That's one acceptance letter for the scrap book. As my Mom said, I might as well save them all so I can show my kids one day. :)

And I just found this post on mormonlawyers.com. Interesting. I might have to do further research.

More updates to come...

Welcome to 2009

Well after perusing everyone's blogs for the second time today and finding nothing new, I figured I might as well update my own blog just to amuse myself. And I am going to blame the fact that we were out of town and that we lost our internet for a month or so. But it's back, so I am too. Today is January 8, 2009. 2009, people! That's practically 2010. Which is almost a decade. Think about it – where were you ten years ago? I was in middle school. Wow. But let's not be too hasty. There are still 357 days of 2009 to go...

So far in 2009, I...

Watched the ball drop in Times Square on New Years
Bought $12.00 M & Ms on the Las Vegas Strip
Got stuck in the snow twice and had to be rescued once
Changed my first diaper in probably 5 (or more) years
Twisted my knee shoveling 18 inches of snow
Was assigned to head a new project at work
Watched Utah win what should have, could have been BYU's bowl game
Learned all about fake piano music from my Grandpa
Stood in line at the post office 3 days in a row for an hour each
Won a milkshake in a 5 game series of foosball
Drank a bottle of delicious Jones Cream Soda

In 2009, I plan to...

Find out if I am going to law school or not
Spend Spring Break in California visiting David and Darcy
Get up early to exercise every day before work
Learn to play some songs on the guitar
Hike Mt. Timpanogos and not die in the process
Fly to the Oregon Coast for a week in the summer
Read at least 12 of the books on my to-read list
Stick to a budget and start saving money for a house
Cheer on the Cougars at all of their home football games
Sell the Jeep and buy a different car
Make a new friend or two
Spend as much time in the sun as possible

Now, how about a quick update on the last month or so of our lives...

Found out our good friends and neighbors David & Darcy were moving back to California. They were gone in less than a week. Helped Tad and Candice work on finishing their basement and saw their new baby boy, Wesley. Saw Juston for the first time after his mission. Drove to Boise through a snowstorm for Christmas with my family. Talked to Elder Schroath on Christmas Day. Cut and colored my hair. Survived a huge snowstorm. Jonathan started a new semester of school.

For those of you who want an update on law school, my applications are all turned in. I applied to BYU, U of U, and to a bunch of schools that sent me letters and gave me a fee waiver before November, just for fun to see if I would get in. The comprehensive list is:

BYU - Provo, UT
University of Colorado - Boulder, CO
Creighton University - Omaha, NE
University of Dayton - Dayton, OH
Drexel University - Philadelphia, PA
Lewis & Clark - Portland, OR
University of Oklahoma - Norman, OK
Penn State University - Carlisle, PA
Quinnipiac University - Hamden, CT
University of Richmond - Richmond, VA
Seton Hall University - Newark, NJ
Suffolk University - Boston, MA
University of Utah - Salt Lake City, UT
Vermont Law - South Royalton, VT
Western New England - Springfield, MA

Realistically, I only would go if BYU accepted me. Possibly Utah. While Jonathan is still in school, we have to stay in Utah. My last letter of recommendation was turned in mid-December, so I am now receiving emails from the schools stating that my application is complete and they will begin reviewing it. Apparently they can let me know their decision anytime between February and August. I'll keep you updated as I hear more.

As my digital camera is broken, I rarely take pictures. Jonathan's camera works, but I'm not in the habit of taking it anywhere anymore. I'll try to be better. I would call it my New Years resolutions, but we all know those are bound to fail. I'll do what I can though.

All I can say is, welcome to 2009!