1. Richard II, Grassroots Shakespeare
2. Next Door, BYU Off the Map Series
3. Dogville, BYU
4. Mother Courage and Her Children, BYU
5. Sundown, BYU Off the Map Series
6. The Crucible, BYU
7. The Father, Studio Theatre, Washington D.C.

1. The Father - Studio Theatre, Washington D.C.
2. Next Door - BYU, Off the Map Series
3. Sundown - BYU, Off the Map Series
4. The Crucible - BYU
5. Richard II - Grassroots Shakespeare, Provo
6. Dogville - BYU, Character Mask Presentation
7. Mother Courage and Her Children - BYU, Barta Heiner's last show

American History Museum Smithsonian

Ten Movie Classics to See
1. Casablanca
2. I Was a Male War Bride
3. The Philadelphia Story
4. Twelve Angry Men
5. The African Queen
6. North By Northwest
7. Bringing Up Baby
8. Rear Window
9. A Gentleman’s Agreement
10. His Girl Friday

Thailand- Uncle Boontmee Recalls His Past Lives
Romania- Closer to the Moon
Argentina- Medianeras
France- Les choristes
Bolivia- También la lluvia
Mexico- El cielo de tu mirada
New Zealand- The Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Chile- Colonia
Peru- La boca del lobo
Spain- Mar adentro

Dear Elisha,

This day has finally come. It's your wedding day. Part of me never thought we'd get to where you are. I'm glad that we did. I have a couple things:

One, remember that today is not the most important or interesting day in your marriage. There will be days that will be vastly more interesting like the day when your husband gets sick and pukes everywhere and you have to take care of things or the day things try to tear you apart. Today you make promises but those are the days you keep those promises. As far as I can tell, marriage is about the everyday. You have someone on your team every day. It's you two against the world. Don't waste time going up against him. There is no hill important enough to fight and die on. "But the pleasure isn't owning the person. The pleasure is this. Having another contender in the room with you." Phillip Roth. I want you to always remember that. He is on your team. You don't own him but he is part of your team.

I know you've wanted this for a long time and I'm really glad it's happening but I never want you to forget what it felt like to be single and feel like you were never going to find this person that you are going to marry today.

Two, don't you dare forget the people who loved you and helped you to get to this day. Don't be like Tanner and Bailey and completely ignore everyone else in your life. Marriage is important and that relationship deserves a lot of your time and attention but it's not the only important relationship. Your relationship with your family and friends are also important. Don't you forget the people who loved you into the woman you are today.

Marriages I really admire:

President and Sister Rowley

Hermano Marcos and Hermana Rebeca

John and Sarah Green

Garrett and Sara Wilkes

Ben Wyatt and Leslie Knope (fictional but very real)

Chip and Joanna Gaines

Jake and Amy

Chelsea and Bryce

Gabe and Lauren

Elisha, I think things are going to be okay. It's difficult to say because I am coming the long way round. I hope he is wonderful and kind. I hope that he brings you joy and that he will do all he can to build a life with you. I hope he's strong in all the good ways and vulnerable in all the good ways. I hope that he's balanced. I hope you're balanced, too.

Take a look at the women who are by your side. They have been there through the bad times and they have loved you. They have stayed because they love you. Naomi, Amy, Mackenzie, Janea, Lauren, Chelsea, Alyssa, Frankie, Allyse, Adri, Orma. That includes women who aren't physically present but are always by your side: Camila, Sheyla, Flordelis, Daiiana, Elizabeth, Grace, Anyi, Ceila. They are part of you. They are your sisters. You have your actual sisters too. Megan and Becky. They will always be there. Remember what these women have done to lift you up. Also remember that they are by your side because you have done things to lift them up. Not to inflate your ego but to remember that this is a relationship of equals. You love them and they love you. It's beautiful.

I am glad you have gotten here. I will follow and I'll make it eventually. I'll probably be late but it will be okay.


Love from the long way round,

Elisha

I attended the Peery Film Festival and I saw "He Named Me Malala" and "Can You Dig This?" They were both very moving documentary films.

September 2015- Jammy Dodgers
October 2015- Lemon Bars
November 2015- Gingerbread
December 2015- Chocolate Cake
January 2016- Pumpkin Bread
February 2016- Naan
March 2016- Scones
April 2016- Churro Cupcakes
May 2016- MEDIFAST MONTH
June 2016- Healthy Blueberry Muffins
July 2016- Lemon Poppyseed Bread
July 2016- Blueberry Buckle
August 2016- Cinnamon Rolls
September 2016- Butterbeer Cupcakes

Star Trek Beyond and Jason Bourne. Star Trek was great but Jason Bourne was not great.

50 Questions to Free Your Mind

- How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are? If I had no idea how old I am I would be 17. Whenever I’m not really thinking about it and people ask me how old I am, I always go back to 17. I feel like I stopped there and no matter how old I get I will always feel like I am 17. It’s not a bad thing. I loved being 17. It was probably one of my best years. In many ways, I feel the same way now as I did back then. At 17 I was finding my place. I was looking but almost there. I feel like I’m still there. I am almost there but I don’t quite fit.
- Which is worse, failing or never trying? Although I will admit that I am afraid of failure I think it is more important to try and fail than to never know. From failure you learn. It is in that effort that meaning is found. Not every failure is a catastrophic failure. Most days you can pick yourself up and try again. I think the world needs to be a place where we all accept that we make mistakes.
- If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do? I think it may have a lot to do with question two. Many people feel that it is better not trying than trying and failing. A lot of the time those things that we don’t enjoy as much are necessary or are safer. Worthwhile things require risk. There is no way around it. We risk something every time we go after something worthwhile. Many feel that those risks aren’t worth the trouble. However, there is another side to this. Much of life is mundane, run of the mill, housekeeping things with other things in between. I don’t particularly enjoy cleaning toilets but it is something that needs to be done in my life. If you make your life about just having a good time you are giving up some of the best stuff out there. You miss the lumps and everything is boring.
- When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done? I have a bad habit of talking too much. I say too much and I don’t do enough. I would like to think that I do important, meaningful things but I am just good at words. Words feel better to me than actually doing things. Words are safer because you just talk about something instead of doing which could make problems. But in the end you feel useless and trapped by the words. So it’s hard to find a balance. I want to do more and make what I say really matter.
- What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world? I would most like to change the lack of love. If we truly loved our neighbor there would be no inequality. All the things that are truly terrible about our society wouldn’t exist. If we could truly love then things would be better.
- If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich? What would make me personally rich would be staying at home with my family and my children and being a mom. Taking care of people is what I’m good at and it makes me happy. I want someone to take care of and that would make me all the happiness I need.
- Are you doing what you believe in, or are you settling for what you are doing? I had to change what I was doing and even though it was really hard to change I feel like what I am doing now still fits in to what I believe in. I want to understand the world in which I live and doing what I do will help. That’s what I believe. I want to help. I believe in helping so whatever I choose to do I can help and I will be doing what I believe in.
- If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently? I would try to find the one I love quickly so as to have the most time together possible. In life, the thing that truly matters is love and I want to fill my life up with it as much as possible.
- To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken? I have taken choices when I was presented them but there is a lot to be said for things that are out of my control. I could do better at reacting to the things that happen to me in a positive way instead of getting upset. I can control how I react and reacting better would help me.
- Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things? Both. For me they go hand in hand. I want to do things right and do the right things. I want to do the right things right if that makes sense. For me, they are two things that are not mutually exclusive. I want to do good so I can feel good and when I don’t do things right I don’t feel good. I beat myself up a lot about not doing things right.
- You’re having lunch with three people you respect and admire. They all start criticizing a close friend of yours, not knowing she is your friend. The criticism is distasteful and unjustified. What do you do? I would defend my friend. I wouldn’t be a jerk about it, but I would emphasize their good points and help the other people value my friend as I do. I’ve been in this position before and it is difficult but I find that it is always worth it to be loyal.
- If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be? If you have to choose between being smart and being pleasant, always choose to be pleasant. There is nothing wrong with being intelligent but there is a certain importance that being pleasant in life. If you are kind to others, the world will thank you more. Maybe not everyone will love you for it but there will be enough people that you will feel love and give love and receive love. That’s the most important part of life; love.
- Would you break the law to save a loved one? If it were the only option, I probably would. It depends on the situation.
- Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity? There was a time in my life where I didn’t appreciate abstract art. I didn’t understand it and it seemed like it wasn’t “real” art. Now that I’m a more informed person, I understand that art is everywhere and it is so much better to say “Everything is art,” rather than “Nothing is art.” I began to see the things the artist was trying to communicate and it made those paintings all the more meaningful.
- What’s something you know you do differently than most people? I save the best things for last. Like when I’m eating skittles, I sort out all the skittles by flavor and I eat the ones I like the least first (greens and yellows) then purples, then reds, then oranges because oranges are the best. I do it that way because I want the best things to be the last things I taste.
- How come the things that make you happy don’t make everyone happy? I think all of us have to find our own happiness and what makes me happy doesn’t make other people happy because I am different from other people as they are different from everyone else. I think rainy days are great but those can be really depressing to other people.
- What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back? There are lots of things that I want to do and I haven’t done them because I haven’t had the opportunity to do them. I think with a lot of these things it’s all about creating an opportunity. I really, really want to be an EFY counselor but as of right now I don’t think I’ll be able to accomplish that goal because I already have a job this summer and I may have another job this summer. It’s all about creating opportunities without getting too attached because there is always that element of surprise.
- Are you holding onto something you need to let go of? I think I hold onto a lot of things that don’t necessarily add to me as a person but I like to keep them around because for some reason, they make me feel better. But that “feeling better” isn’t actually true. That’s hard. Letting go of things is difficult. I’m not necessarily good at letting go of my control. I believe I have control but I don’ t think any of us really do. It’s hard. I wish I had better control over my life, but apparently that’s not how this whole life thing works.
- If you had to move to a state or country besides the one you currently live in, where would you move and why? If we’re talking states then I would love to live in Indianapolis, Indiana. I don’t know why but ever since I started school I have wanted to live there. It sounds really nice even though the winters sound kind of awful. If it’s another country, I think I would like to move to either Canada or the UK because they sound pretty great. Especially Canada.
- Do you push the elevator button more than once? Do you really believe it makes the elevator faster? Yes, I push the elevator button more than once. I don’t think it does, but I still do it, mostly
- Would you rather be a worried genius or a joyful simpleton? I don’t necessarily like this question because it kind of eliminates your choice of whether or not you will be happy. Happiness is a choice and sometimes I choose to be mad but it doesn’t necessarily help me. I think being intelligent really adds to my life but the whole point of being alive is being happy. It’s a choice I’m glad I don’t have to make. If I could use my genius to improve the lives of others I would totally pick that though. Like significant improvements.
- Why are you, you? I feel like this is a question wrongly asked. I can’t be anyone else so I’m me by default. Who else would I be? That whole idea of “just be yourself” has never made any sense to me.
- Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend? I would like to think that I am. Maybe I’m a crappy friend. I want to help my friends and do things for them but sometimes I feel like I take more than I give. But apparently my friends like me.
- Which is worse, when a good friend moves away, or losing touch with a good friend who lives right near you? I think losing touch with a good friend near you is worse because that’s something you can control. You can’t really control if your friend moves away but you can still keep in touch with them. Amy moved away but I kept in touch with her.
- What are you most grateful for? I am most grateful for the opportunity to start over. Even if I fail I can start over and try again. God gives me second chances every day and I am so grateful for those second chances. And sometimes they aren’t second chances, but third or twentieth. Maybe I’ve been given a new chance to do life right since I was born. No matter how many chances I am given I am grateful for the opportunity.
- Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones? I am really caught between the two. I don’t like either of the options. It would be hard to be suddenly without the things that made me who I am.
- Is is possible to know the truth without challenging it first? I feel that truth is universal but to truly know something you have to find out for yourself. In a way, that could be seen as challenging truth but I prefer to look at it more as investigating than challenging. A lot of my experiences with truth have come by asking God to help me know the truth and he answers. That’s very comforting to know that if we seek truth and ask God, he will help us.
- Has your greatest fear ever come true? My physical fears like dying painfully or snakes have not come true and I think it’s too soon to tell if my life will amount to nothing and I will never get to have any truly important experiences so I can’t really answer that question. The jury is still out.
- Do you remember that time 5 years ago when you were extremely upset? Does it really matter now? Like when Tim dumped me for the second time? I think that was five years ago. It doesn’t especially matter but it is kind of poignant because Tim told me last fall that we had no future together. That kind of hurt. No one in this world has hurt me so many times like Tim.
- What is your happiest childhood memory? What makes it so special? One that I’ve thought about a lot recently with Grandpa dying is when we were in Seattle at the Pacific Science Center and they had Beauty and the Beast in IMAX and Grandma and Grandpa took Becky and I to see it. It was incredible! I remember during the part where they are dancing in the ballroom I felt like I was actually there. A lot of my childhood memories are happy. A lot of them come with embarrassment for little me but we turned out okay. The reason that memory in particular is so special is because it is a reminder that even though we didn’t get to spend a whole lot of time with Grandma and Grandpa, when we did spend time with them, it was quality time. I don’t think my cousins could say that they got to go to Beauty and the Beast in IMAX with Grandma and Grandpa on a day in April in Seattle which is arguably the greatest city.
- At what time in your recent past have you felt most passionate and alive? It’s stupid but when Trent told Becky that I’m the best intern that they have ever had I felt really good about the work I’m doing. It’s stupid and pretty pointless in the grand scheme of things but in the end I’m really happy that I’m good at what I do.
- If not now, then when? When the time is right. Maybe right now is the moment and if it is, it is time to do and move forward. If the time is not right then you’ve just got to wait for it.
- If you haven’t achieved it yet, what do you have to lose? I’ve got nothing to lose it trying. Hermana Juarez would say “We don’t lose anything in trying” and if I fail, I’ll learn. Failure is a part of life and failing isn’t the end. It’s a time to reevaluate, learn, and begin again. Keep moving forward.
- Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever? I feel like a lot of my time with Naomi is like this. I love that about her. Her presence is calming and I love her.
- Why do religions that support love cause so many wars? First of all, it’s not religions that cause wars. People who believe strongly in their religion cause wars. And there’s nothing wrong with strong beliefs. It only becomes a problem when people are intransigent and intolerant of the beliefs of others. We need to be tolerant and love others. When we stop listening to each other we create conflict.
- Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil? I think that we can know truth from God and He promises us that we will be able to discern. But there is a lot that is neither good nor bad but it is complicated. So some things yes and and others are complex. Truth resists simplicity.
- If you just won a million dollars, would you quit your job? I would use my money to pay for my education and then I would save the rest for something I really want. I really want to become a city planner and be the Leslie Knope of city planners so I don’t think I would quit my job. But I would help people. I would find something that I really want to support, like the Malala fund or the UNHCR. One million dollars is a lot of money but not enough to retire.
- Would you rather have less work to do, or more work you actually enjoy doing? More work I enjoy doing. I want to do work worth doing with great people. I want to feel like what I do helps others and build communities.
- Do you feel like you’ve lived this day a hundred times before? No, but I know I have lived this day over 100 times before. I like repetitive days, I like routine. I also like spontaneity. I think there is room for both in life.
- When was the last time you marched into the dark with only the soft glow of an idea you strongly believed in? Changing my major was difficult. I didn’t really know why I had to change but I decided I wanted to do Urban Planning on a whim and I’ve discovered that I really love it. I didn’t really believe in it myself but then as I started studying geography and talking about place and community I’ve discovered that this is what I really want out of my life.
- If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today? That’s really sad. Why would you make me decide between all the people I love? This is an awful question. Why are they all dying? Are these deaths all related? I have so many questions. I first thought of visiting my Nana because I didn’t get to see my grandpa before he died. It was in my plan but he died the morning I was supposed to visit him. I kind of understand the way my aunt LeeAnn felt when grandma said “I’m going to die and then LeeAnnie will come and take care of my things.” and Aunt LeeAnn had told her to wait and she didn’t. But I also would want to visit Naomi because I would be so sad without her but also my parents. I don’t want any of them to die. I also though of Hermano Delfin, who is actually dying and I don’t think I’ll get to see him again. I hate this question. I hate it so much.
- Would you be willing to reduce your life expectancy by 10 years to become extremely attractive or famous? No. Not a chance. Because I’d much rather be alive. Being alive is better than being attractive or famous. Those two things come with their own price and I don’t either set of problems. I’d rather have ten more years with the people I love.
- What is the difference between being alive and truly living? I think truly living is doing what makes you happy and living with empathy for others. Obviously, what makes you happy shouldn’t hurt other people but you don’t have to hurt others to have happiness. Truly living is to love and be loved. Being alive is like being a zombie, plodding onward and doing whatever it takes to remain alive. Truly living is intentional, whatever that means to you. It’s on purpose.
- When is it time to stop calculating risk and rewards, and just go ahead and do what you know is right? I’m not good at calculating risk and reward. That’s not usually my main concern. Just go with your gut. If it’s kind of scary, but not actually dangerous, you should probably do it.
- If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake? We’re afraid of being a failure. We learn from a young age that failure is bad but it’s not. No failure is final. “From failure you learn, from success not so much.” I’m usually afraid of making mistakes because I worry about what others are going to think of me. That’s always a struggle.
- What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you? Be more outspoken about my political beliefs. I worry about how my family is going to react about how I feel politically. It’s very different from how they feel and I worry that they would be upset or reject me.
- When was the last time you noticed the sound of your own breathing? When I was exercising yesterday. It’s hard not notice your own breathing when you are exercising. Mostly because I want it to stop. I hate exercising but I need to do it.
- What do you love? Have any of your recent actions openly expressed this love? I love a lot of things. I love love love herbal tea. I bought an electric kettle to make tea more easily. It’s beautiful. I love a lot of things. I love lots of people too but you didn’t ask about people.
- In 5 years from now, will you remember what you did yesterday? What about the day before that? Or the day before that? Nope. I will remember that I worked at Allegiant but I won’t remember specifically what I did that day. It was really boring.
- Decisions are being made right now. The question is: Are you making them for yourself, or are you letting others make them for you? I think it’s a combo. There are things I decide for myself but I also think there are things that I let others decide for me because they’re not important and I can live without making those decisions for myself. But I am deciding the important things and that’s what really matters.

It's a pinterest board filled with amazing women (and some amazing feminist men) who have done amazing things to contribute to the world.

https://www.pinterest.com/lishajan/beautiful-power-musk-oxen/

I went on a huge scary waterslide with Jason. I initially said no but Jason really wanted to try it so I went and it was actually pretty fun. I cried the first time but then we went on it again. I wouldn't do it by myself though.

Sean and Lyska were not expecting a baby blanket from me so they were pretty surprised when they received the blanket. I got a very lovely thank you note from me and Lyska told me how much she loved it.

1. National Pizza Day 9 February 2016
2. National Cereal Day 7 March 2016
3. Pi Day 14 March 2016
4. Casino Night 11 May 2016 (10th anniversary of when Jim and Pam first kissed on the Office. Very important.)
5. Cinco de Mayo 5 May 2016

Mormon History in Mexico Museum
Brigham Young University Museum of Art
Columbia River Maritime Museum

John Green
Looking for Alaska
An Abundance of Katherines
Paper Towns
The Fault in Our Stars

Casablanca
Twelve Angry Men
Hotel Rwanda
The Philadelphia Story
Rear Window

Monte L. Bean Lifescience Museum