Re-Writing Katy Perry's Teenage Dream

I remember the first time I heard this song. I heard the opening and thought, "Oh, this song is so cute!!" Then all of a sudden, WHAM!!! It flips and takes on some questionable lyrics. This made me sad - why would they go and ruin such a fantastically cute opening and turn it into something so lame?? I decided to re-write the lyrics. I left the opening to it pretty much the same, because that was the best part of the song. I loved it!! So it stayed.

MY "Teenage Dream":

♫ You think I'm pretty without any makeup on

You think I'm funny when I tell the punch line wrong

I know you get me, so I'll let my walls come down

Do-own!

Before I met you, I  was alright but things could've been better

Then you entered my life!

Now every February, you'll be my Valentine.

Valentine! ♫

Chorus Part 1:

♪ Lets take our time falling in love, no regrets at all.

We will be the best of friends, you & I, together forever! ♪

Chorus Part 2:

♪ You make me feel so warm inside & so happy!
The way you hold me close in your arms!

Lets talk into the night & look up at the stars

I'll wish upon a star.

My heart stops when you take my hand

That one touch! Just turns me all bubbly!

Could this be real?

So I'll just hope that we never say good-bye,

Yeah, never say goodbye. ♪

♫ Our times together make me feel like a kid!

We built a snowman, and built a fort out of sheets!

Raced paper airplanes, and you pushed me on a swing

My heart sings! ♫

Chorus Parts 1 & 2

♪ Let you put your arms around me, I feel so happy

That you're here with me tonight ♪

♫Then even after you leave when I fall asleep

You'll be in my dreams tonight ♫

Chorus Part 2

Shannon

This morning my friend Shannon and I went to go celebrate her getting her Associates Degree. She chose not to walk at graduation today, since she had worked for 12 years to get her High School diploma, and only spent one year in college for her Associates (thanks to her taking 30 hours of college credits in High School) - honestly, I am SO proud of her!!! :)

Shannon is also the one that helped me fix up my blog - added background, specially designed the photo for the top of my blog, and even helped me add an HTML link to add a music playlist. She is AMAZING, and one of my best friends.

Meeting Shannon was quite the interesting experience. She bumped into me at the library one day (LITERALY)...
I was sitting down at one of the tables the library has so that I could read a book I had found there. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a girl I didn't recognize start spinning around the library... and then she accidentally spun into me. A short pause, in which I didn't know what to say, was quickly ended when she said, "Hey! I'm Shannon. Do you know Chris?"
"Um, yeah. I do. Why?"
"Oh, I've just seen you guys together sometimes, and I'm good friends with him." The ice having been broken, we started chatting for a bit, and then became friends. One week later, she invited me over to her house. I called home, and much to my surprise, I was given permission to go play. I was surprised and yet delighted to discover that Shannon had absolutely no chagrin in playing Legos when she was a Junior in high school. A few hours later found us in her room "spilling guts", and we have been close friends ever since. If that isn't an unusual way to meet someone, or a super quick establishment of a friendship, I don't know what is...

Anyway, I just wanted to give a shout out to one of my best friends, who got her Associates today :) I am so proud of her! She's helped me through more than I would have ever thought possible the day she bumped into me at the library. Have a wonderful day, Shan :)

Kid History - FAAACT!!!

Kid History is an absolutely GENIUS set up episodes that I stumbled across one day through one of my friends. If you have not seen it, I'm going to share it with you. FAAACT - you may find yourself laughing, quoting lines, sharing them with friends, and re-watching them over & over :)

If, after viewing these videos, you have a keen desire to have a bumper sticker that says "Don't punch... our car." or a T-Shirt with your favorite line on it, or are feeling extremely generous and want to buy a shirt for a loved one, friend (or me! ;) ) see their line of products they now have available!! They have made it so they get as little money back from their products as possible, making it the best deal they could offer you.

Life's Undo Button, & The Lack Thereof

I absolutely love life. But there are times when you jump ahead of yourself and act spur of the moment, without giving your action a whole lot of thought. Times like those, I really wish there was an undo button. Granted, this life is all about living and learning & often times we will make mistakes. But some mistakes can hurt, and I personally dislike hurting others by stupid, thoughtless actions.
I guess I don't really know where this not so well thought out action is going to go yet. If it goes the direction I thought it would go when I did it, I shall be extremely grateful. But if it doesn't... Then I'm going to have some work to do, making sure I don't mess things up.

Obviously Heavenly Father knew what He was doing, though, when He left out life's undo button. If we had one, we wouldn't ever learn from our mistakes. We could make as many mistakes as we liked & say, "Oh, no. It doesn't matter if I do this. I'll just hit the undo button once I'm done & go on with my merry little life, like nothing ever happened."

It's not like He is completely merciless, and offers absolutely no escape from our poor decisions. He set up a plan where we can repent for our sins and mistakes. Which is a lot harder then just hitting undo, and makes us learn & grow from our mistakes. He is definitely more infinitely wise than I - the number of times I've wished for an undo button prove so.

In the end, when it's all put in perspective, I'm actually glad Heavenly Father never obliged to all of our complaints that there is no undo button in life, no Ctrl+Z. Because His plan will actually get us somewhere, and help us develop & become His children.

Danny's Story - The Prologue

Ok. I'm working on this story that my friend came up with the entire plot for, and I would like feedback, please. Here's the prologue (Not all that I've written, but all that I'm sharing for now) Please let me know how I can improve, what you think about it, etc.

Prologue

The world was asleep and almost silent outside, though guards lined the palace walls keeping watch. Kaleb sighed. The peace of the castle was almost unbearable with the knowledge hanging over his head that many of his comrades were out fighting on the battlefield, possibly even dying. The one thing that had kept him at the castle was the knowledge that outside of the palace walls he wouldn’t be allowed to wield a gun, which was the weapon he was best at. Well known throughout the battalion as the most skilled marksman, and having never missed a shot in years, Kaleb hadn’t been ready to give up his gun. Shifting his weight just slightly from one foot to another, Kaleb maintained ridged watchfulness over the landscape, though his mind was free to wander while he observed.

               Many, many years ago his race had split off from their original planet and spread throughout space, building different kingdoms as they established their territories. Much to their surprise, many of the planets were already inhabited by various life forms. Some looked just like humans, others more like beasts, and some even wielded magic. Times were peaceful, and the leaders of each of the races were able to gather together and establish territories to prevent future confusion. However, soon the magic users began raising superiority over those without magic, and distrust and hostility rose between those with magic and those without. War became imminent, and the non-magic users joined together to fight against the oppression the magic-users had placed upon them.
               A light breeze fluttered through the trees, and Kaleb felt a brief moment of unease as he scanned the hillside carefully. Discontent with the complete peace he found there, he began moving along the wall walk slowly, continuing to scan the valley below tensely. The stillness continued, and he gradually allowed himself to relax. Settling back to his post, he allowed his mind to wander again, frowning as he thought of his friends serving at war.
               All silence and peace was instantly shattered as a loud explosion resounded around the kingdom, the floor shaking slightly beneath his feet. Abandoning his post, Kaleb began sprinting towards the source of the sound. A brief second later, sirens began wailing, and Kaleb felt the hair raise at the nape of his neck as he realized how closely to the princess’ rooms the attack had taken place.
               Smoke as dark as gunpowder coiled down the halls, obstructing the view of the guards like a thick cloud of smog. Chunks of cement and marbled statues were everywhere; shredded tapestries were fluttering in the air as they slowly fell. The halls buzzed with sudden activity, heavy with panic and ringing with the echo of the explosion. Kaleb rushed forward, only to have to catch his balance as he almost tripped over a fallen comrade.
               “Jayden, what happened?” Kaleb demanded, his teeth clenched in fear as he attempted to help his friend rise. Jayden tightened his lips and grabbed at his ankle, his face paling slightly. Guards flooded past them, desperate to stop the invasion. Kneeling, Kaleb got a closer look at his friend’s ankle. Twisted grotesquely, Jayden would be unable to fight.
               “I tripped,” Jayden admitted gruffly, trying to hide his pain and embarrassment. Kaleb stared blankly, his mind not comprehending. Panic dimmed for a moment as it gave room for confusion as he tried to wrap his mind around what was going on. Jayden was always sure on his feet, and he’d never have broken a bone from just tripping. That he had not only tripped but broken his bone while doing so was not a good sign. A few moments later, a couple of the other guards tripped on their way towards the smoke at the far end of the hall, slipping as easily as if the halls were coated in oil.
               Cursing, Kaleb rose quickly and surged past the other guards, dodging past those that were falling and struggling to rise. Passing a doorway, he paused as he heard thudding and panicked voices on the other side. “My sword is stuck!” a guard near Kaleb called out in desperation, which was met with other voices calling out in confusion as they met equal challenges.
               “Use your guns if you need to! Just start shooting!” Kaleb called out loudly in exasperation over his shoulder as he turned to the door. Futilely he pulled on the handle as hard as he could. “What happened?” he demanded loudly, calling to those on the other side.
               There was a muffled oath from the other side of the door, and a familiar voice, tight with stress and fear, called back, “The door’s jammed! We can’t get it open! Don’t stop to help, just get to the princess!” Vahn. Why was Vahn on the other side of the door? He was supposed to be guarding the princess; he was their best soldier. If anyone would’ve had a chance it was him. Beginning to panic now, Kaleb sprinted towards the explosion as quickly as he could, just in time to see a dark figure emerging from the clearing smoke. Waiting expectantly, Kaleb was stunned as the man was the only one to emerge. It wasn’t an invasion from the magic kingdom… Who was this man to create such chaos completely unaided? The man was tall and wiry, with blood red eyes that met the chaos around him in complete satisfaction. A strange machine like contraption was on one of his arms, and Kaleb gazed for it at a moment, confused at what its purpose could be. As the man’s eyes passed over him, Kaleb felt a strange sense of despair, like all hope had just left him.
               In horror, Kaleb watched as the man strolled forward, easily sweeping guards aside with his sword, stepping over each of the bodies as casually as if they were simply fallen trees over a pathway. Guards around him frantically shot at him, bullets missing by several inches. Leaning down nonchalantly, he removed the gun from one of the bodies and shot back at those around him, completely uncaring as soldiers fell down, bleeding or already dead. Certain he could hit his target, Kaleb raised his gun and aimed carefully. Pulling the trigger, Kaleb watched in disbelief as the shot missed.
               “My gun isn’t working!” a guard called, clicking frantically as his gun refused to fire. Suddenly a bullet dislodged, and a severe pain struck Kaleb in the side. Crying out, he quickly applied pressure with his right hand to his side, doubling over. Trying to ignore the blood he knew he was losing, he struggled forward, intent on stopping the man despite his injury. His left hand going to his sheath, he tugged harshly on his sword handle. It remained firmly intact. Making his way forward, he slid a sword out of one of the sheaths of his fallen comrades.
               From the corner of his eye, Kaleb watched as the man opened the princess’ doors with ease, as casually as if he had all the time in the world. Slumping to the floor, he gave way to the pain and loss of blood. Guards rushed forward, tripping and sliding back, stumbling over Kaleb’s and the other fallen guards’ bodies. Finally flooding into the rooms, they watched in confusion as the man, smiling and holding the princess’ unconscious body, pressed a button on the contraption on his arm and vanished into thin air.