This Year, More Than Ever, Everyone Needs a Christmas

Last night I had a dream that I was doing CPR on someone. I have only really done CPR on one person in the ER and they didn't make it. But in my dream I was doing CPR on someone I really care about. Everyone was standing around and no one was doing anything. I ran over to them all and saw this person just lying on the ground. I listened to the heart beat and there was one, but it was too slow - only about 10 beats a min. I knew I had to do CPR to save the person. I started. I stopped after a little and nothing had changed. I started up again but all of a sudden felt what I can only describe as inadequacy and down right fear. I started to cry and knew my CPR wasn't strong enough. I was crumbling. Then, out of nowhere, some strength helped me put my emotions aside. My CPR became effective again. After a little, the person came back. I could only sob out of gratitude.

I woke up. As I was laying in bed, a thought came to me - "this year, more than ever, everyone needs a Christmas". At first I was thinking about this in relation to Sub-for-Santa, in that I want everyone to be happy and to get presents. But then it hit me (the thought was definitely beyond me) - this year, more than ever, everyone needs Christ. All of a sudden my dream took on very special meaning. There are people that a lying around, spiritually dying, and just needing the saving power of Jesus Christ's Atonement. They need someone to come and save them - to share the hope, power, healing, joy, and peace that comes from the Atonement of Jesus Christ. They need someone to come and help sustain them and get them really "living" again. My dream showed my need to do my part. I would run to anyone - even a stranger - that was physically dying on the side of the street and do CPR immediately. What would I not immediately run to those suffering in sadness or who are just not living a fulfilled life and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them? It is such a greater gift, yet I shy from sharing my testimony for fear of inadequacy, hurt relationships, or any other number of reasons.

This year, I know there are people that need the Gospel of Jesus Christ more than ever, whether they know it or not. In fact, I think we all need Him desperately in our lives more. That is because He is the real meaning of Christmas, the real meaning of His life was to save ours. I do know that He lives; that He died for me and you; that He loves us. His Atonement has real power in my life. His suffering was real, and was in part for me personally. He felt my pain and sorrow, but He did it to succor me when I am need. He did it as My Savior and Redeemer. He did it some 2,000 years ago, but its effects still save me today. When He appeared in Jerusalem and in the Americas, His resurrected and perfect body still bore the marks in His hands and feet and side - marks that He remembers me and you still. This season, we must try harder to remember Him. We must love Him enough that nothing stops us from trying our hardest to bring the gift of His life and Atonement to those around us. We must do this because this year, more than ever, everyone needs a Christmas.

Prop 8

Today Prop 8 has been on my mind. I got into a discussion with a couple friends from California about it. They were telling about their family members and friends who so greatly being affected by this. My friend Kyley told me about her family members who have stood on the street with signs in support of Prop 8 and how they are constantly being harassed. My friend Tommy had similar stories. He told of a friend of a friend who was confronted by protesters on the way to the Oakland Temple. I left leaving with an even deeper realization of the sensitivity of this subject.

I do not think this is a simple issue. I mean, in principle it is simple to me, I believe that marriage is between a man and a women. But I recognize that there are real people and their real feelings involved in this issue - and that is not simple. I have spent a lot of time reading about this, discussing this, and pondering it. I think ultimately we, as members of the Church, have a responsibility to support this marriage proposition. However, I think it is a hard thing to support and explain the necessity of to others without a true understanding of the Plan of Salvation. I do think we must be tolerant of others - but we can not excuse true doctrine from God, nor condone things contrary to eternal law.

I have many, may feelings on this - as everyone reading knows, I am quite passionate. But, I will not step on my soapbox. However, I want to share two very excellent things that I have found.

This is a commentary from the Church - which discusses not just our stand on the issue, but WHY it is our stand and what the implications of same-sex marriage are. It is very well written.
http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/the-divine-institution-of-marriage

This is an excellent interview from 10 years ago about politics in the Church.
http://ldslivingonline.com/article.php?articleId=79643

And I'm Back...... (Day 1 of New York)

So, I have not written in like a week. That is due to the fact that I have been in New York City. My friend, Darren, and I went to visit our friends, Meg and Mitzi, in the big apple. It has been a fabulous trip and I will be sad to jump the plane back home today. I have missed Meg and Mitz SO much since they left me and have LOVED being with them again so much. Plus, have absolutely loved the excellent city and things therein.

So, I will post you some of the highlights from Day 1 of our New York trip.....


Me and Darren in front of the Eagle



Darren and Rustin (2 Eagle Scouts) pointing at Josh (not an Eagle Scout)



Me riding the Bull



Darren in front of the NYSE



Me with Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement



Mitz and Darren at Lenny's



At Lenny's there was this tiny trash can, which I spent forever trying to get out trash into - only to realize it was the small recycle bin 1 minute later



An Inspirational NYC Subway sign



The longest Strawberry Shortcake there has ever been (at a Strawberry Festival



Me, Meg, and Mitzi at the Yankees game



The crew at the game



All of us on the Bus

Living Biblically and The Last Lecture

Okay, so NPR has become one of my very favorite things. At my old job, I used to listen to various NPR podcasts as I would work. But, after leaving work and returning to be a student, I stopped being on the computer so much and subsequently stopped tuning into NPR. However, I added it to my preset and have fallen in love with it again. Yesterday was a wickedly cool interview with a guy (an agnostic) who decided to live the laws of the Bible for one year. He discussed his journey of growing a beard, keeping the Sabbath holy, and praying. It was a fascinating interview! What was the outcome? Is he a faithful Christian now? No. He says he is now a reverent agnostic. He says he does not know if there is a God - but that he does believe in sacredness. Anyways - here is a link to the interview on NPR. Also, he recently wrote a book about his journey. I will most definitely be buying this one. Check it out.

Okay, next topic. So, for my Pathophysiology class I had to do a research paper on a disease of my choice. I chose Acute Lymphoid Leukemia - since I really want to work with cancer. Talking with my professor about my research paper one day he told me this crazy cool story about a professor who is dying of cancer. This professor was invited to give his last lecture at the end of the school year since his prognosis was only 3 to 6 months. Most professors at this school that give their last lecture talk about their amazing accomplishments, research, and findings. However, this professor goes on to give an amazing inspiring lecture on the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment. At the end of his lecture he closed by saying that every word he had just spoken was not for the hundreds of people listening but for his young boys who he will would only have a little bit more time with. He wanted them to know as they grew up what he had learned about life, that he had really lived it, and that he had loved it. Beautiful! Anyways, this book is back ordered EVERYWHERE. But, here is the link if you are interested. PS - The guy is quite attractive....

The Salt Lake Half

So, this morning Allison and I did the Salt Lake Half Marathon. Whoop Whoop! It was Allison's very first Half! My pride in her is overflowing. We ran together and kept a pretty good pace. We finished at about 2 hours and 7 min (about a 9 1/2 min pace). Whoop Whoop to such a good time for Allison's very first one! Here are some pics....

Oh, and we decided that we needed to represent a little High School Musical on our matching shirts. We got so many cheers and high fives from little kids who were enamored by our style!

US


US AGAIN


Since we forgot to bring a camera we ran by in front of Allison's house so you could see what we looked like running....


And the other way....


Allison


Me

The Cedar Chest

So, if you recall from my previous post entitled Jill of all Trades, I took a woodworking class. I decided to make a cedar chest - only out of walnut. The bottom and back are actually made of cedar - to give it that good smell. There is a red oak inlay on the top and decorative red okay framing on the sides and front.

Here are some pics of the masterpiece. Can you believe that I actually designed and made this?!??! What?!?!!??


The Front from above -


The Side -


The Top -


Open (you can see the cedar wood inside) -


From the Side again (without the flash so you can see a little better the natural wood colors)-

Green Drainage

So, I am having some congestion issues as of late. Basically I wake up in the morning and until I go to bed at night, I am leaking fluid out of my nose and struggling with a sinus headache to the max. However, this morning when I was getting rid of the built up drainage from the night - it was kind of green!

Now, before you think of how gross this is that I am sharing this on my blog, read on. I am sure we have all had this occur! But, have you ever wondered why it was green? Well, let me tell you (since we learned last week in Patho). When you start to get a sinus infection, your immune system kicks in and goes to fight the junk that is making you so ill. As your white blood cells go fight and kill the infection, many of them die too and are sent to the lymph system. As they die, they lyse (break open) and let out their cell contents. Included in the cell contents is the nucleus, which also breaks open. Do you remember from Bio 100 what is inside the nucleus? Well, DNA is (and it has a green tint). This is what you are seeing when you have green drainage. You are actually seeing millions of strands of DNA - the DNA that codes for every since cell inside of you, that tells your cells what their function is, and that genetically makes you who you are. Pretty freakin cool, huh!

So, the next time you are sick and have green drainage, please stop and ponder the awesomeness of that green tint.

Jill of All Trades

So this semester I decided to immerse myself in many new things. In addition to my regular classes, I am taking a Spanish class, a Photography class, a Woodworking class, and flute lessons. Although it would be lame to share Spanish with you, I will share some of my other stuff. Early next week I will finish my cedar chest that I am making in Woodworking (I still have to spray it and put on the hardware). And I haven't quite decided, but I if may post a small clip of my flute playing.

So today I will share some shots from my Photography class. Below each one is a description of what the assignment was about. Some I recognize are kind of different and a little uninteresting, but sometimes you have to print the pictures that the teacher likes in order to get an A. Feel free to comment and give feedback.

WARNING: These images are not good quality because - all shots were taken with traditional black and white film. I used Ilford HP500 film on all shots, with the exception of the architecture picture which was taken with Kodak TMax. I printed all pictures in the darkroom and then shot with a digital so I could post them.


I never turned this one in - i used the one below instead. This assignment was on texture, shape, and pattern. i really liked the shape and different hues of the pineapple - but liked the below picture better.


I kinda love this shot. This picture is of water on oil. Texture and Shape assignment.


This shot had to be about urban streets. Since Provo is the butt and I didn't have time to make it to Salt Lake, I decided to do a night shot of cool architecture.


This shot describes a current relationship in my life. It is personal - so I will not share the dets.


My favorite shot. This assignment was a portrait assignment. Sam reluctantly agreed to shoot some pics. This was my masterpiece. You can also currently see this hanging at UVSC.

I am Definitely White!

Today I would like to share with you a fav site. Sam's friend introduced us to this site and now I will share it with you. It is hilarious.

Stuff White People Like

Some of my favs...

Apple Products
Sandwiches
Davis Sedaris
NPR
Marathons
Having Black Friends

Today I went to lunch with some old work friends at an expensive salad and sandwich place. Then on the way home from school I was listening to a spot about David Sedaris on NPR and making a mental note to read his newest book. And am typing this on my MacBook. All I can say is I am pretty white. Sad.

Two Posts in One Day????

I know, crazy! But, I just have a lot to say today. But, I will keep this one short, because the other one is much better.

However, anyone who knows me pretty well knows that I have a problem with books. I love them - but at the same time I get bored of them quite quickly. I have a chronic problem of starting a book and putting it down about 34 pages later to forget about for months. At that time, I start over and the exact same thing occurs. Every once and a while, an amazing writer is able to keep my attention and I fall in love with the book (Thank you J.K. Rowling!).

Recently, Sam and I were at the library and picked up some books. Mostly he got some books he was amped about and I just did my book cycle of interest (this time only 2 or 3 pages) and boredom within the very halls of the library. As we were leaving I felt like I "should" get a book - so we walked by the science section and I grabbed one called "The Hot Zone." It sat by my bed unopened for 3 weeks. Then, one night, I was wide awake and grabbed it to put me to sleep. However, upon finishing the first couple pages, I was hooked. This book is FABULOUS! I finished it Saturday and have basically retold the whole story to Sam throughout the time of reading it due to my crazy enthusiasm. It talks about three viruses - Marburg, Ebola Zaire, and Ebola Reston. Seriously, this book is crazy intense as it details these viruses breakouts.

So, please add this book to your list. You will not be disappointed. Commit this cover to memory.

Uncle Brian

Okay, so let me tell you about my uncle today. I pretty much adore him. He is my mom's youngest brother. He is a genius. He graduated with his PhD in Engineering from Stanford years ago and has worked for a computer engineering company out near Palo Alto for the past 12. He really is ridiculously smart. (I am actually very blessed with very intelligent genes on both of my parents side, and since they seemed to have skipped me - I can only hope that they are skipping a generation and will bless my children even more abundantly.) He and his wife, my aunt Eleni, have three beautiful and ridiculously intelligent children (pictured below). They live in Fremont, California and are a great little family.

Anyways, my mom and uncle were chatting on the phone the other day and my uncle spilled his new career plan. He is planning to continue working at his current company for a couple years - enough to establish a fair amount of savings and to finish saving for the home they want to buy. (While their current house is nice, their growing family is running out of room in their townhouse.) Anyways, what is his plan after that? He wants to go back to teach junior high. He wants to "try to make a difference". While I must admit being a little shocked at this dramatic shift in direction, I admire it... a lot.

I love that he is willing to leave a high paying job and do what few people with PhD's in Engineering from prestigious universities do. Whether he makes a huge difference or not is not the question. But, I think his efforts are very noble (especially considering the fact that junior high-ers are the butt). Thank you Uncle Brian for being so excellent!

Mary Winkler

So, yesterday I came home and was exhausted. I had been in the Photo Lab for about 5 hours and felt hungry and tired. So, I decided before I sat down to write the Psych research paper that was due today (and that I was not nearly close to being done with), I needed to eat a bite and relax. As I ate a turkey sandwich, I flipped on the tele for company. I flipped through and found myself intensely emotionally involved in a show on Oxygen called "Snapped." This show focuses on women who, in essence, snapped and killed someone close to them. The episode I tuned into was about Mary Winkler.

If you don't remember Mary Winkler, she was the one who killed her husband, Matthew (a preacher in Tennessee) about 2 years ago. I remember being pretty interested in the story at the time, but had no idea what had happened - until yesterday. Basically, Mary was secretly setting up fake bank accounts and writing checks from these accounts - and basically, was $17,000 in debt because of these fraudulent activities. The day before she killed her husband, she had been figured out by the local bank. She then shot her husband, took her children to the beach, and was caught and arrested a day later. She claimed her husband was highly abusive and controlling and worked the emotions of the jury.

Here is the kicker - she was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter! A sentence of only 210 days in jail! For killing her husband, she only served 160 days in jail and 60 days in a mental health facility. If you ask me, this is absurd!

Now, I don't mean to say that her sufferings and the abuse she received was not sad - but it does not justify killing another person. No amount of abuse can justify voluntarily killing someone when there are so many other options for handling the situation. There were other ways to get out of her situation. Most importantly, her sentence should have been much more severe. She served in jail for less than half a year after killing her husband! How can we let people like Mary out with such an insignificant consequence for her actions. I was (and still am today) absolutely outraged by her sentence. Even Mary commented that her sentence was too short. She told Oprah, in an interview, "There's no amount of time I think you can put on something like this. I was just ready for them to lock the door and throw away the key to my batcave."

I don't know if the problem was with the jury. Or with the fact that we don't have severe enough consequences for women murderers. Or what. I recognize I don't have all the facts. But, whatever the case, I can not stop thinking about the outrageousness of this case.

Snoop what?!?!?!

http://cnnentertainment.co.nr/2008/SHOWBIZ/Music/04/01

Samson

Okay. So recently I can't help but be obsessed with a song by Regina Spektor called Samson. However, I have no idea what her exact intentions were in writing it. Here are some of the lyrics....

You are my sweetest downfall
I loved you first , I loved you first
Beneath the stars came falling on our heads
But there just soft light, there just soft light
Your hair was long when we first met

Samson came to my bed
Told me that my hair was red
He told me i was beautiful and came into my bed
Oh I cut his hair myself one night
A pair of dull scissors and the yellow light
And he told me that I'd done alright
and kissed me till the morning light

So - What does it mean? I don't know. So, I did some research. One view (a view that a small part of me likes) talks about how Samson, in the context of this song, actually allows her to cut his hair. Why? He is choosing to let himself be completely vulnerable. He loves her and wants to tell her his weakness. He is okay with losing his strength in order to be closer to her.

However, let's be honest. This is likely not the meaning of the song, nor is it really a very good one (which is why I only allow a small part of me to like it). And most importantly, it is definitely not "love" as the song calls it. Let's consider the true (and sad) story of Samson. He is a man who breaks three covenants with the Lord that were made at birth. He gives up, in essence, all the Lord has given him and promised. He marries outside the covenant, was "with" a harlot, and had his hair cut. Being a Nazarite, these were strict offenses. Of course, we all know that when his hair is cut, his strength leaves. But, let's discuss how this is so sad. Delilah uses him and betrays him various times. Yet, he still sticks around and tells her where his strength lies. This is not love.

I have no idea what Regina meant by her song. But, I do believe that the world has a twisted view of love. A view that causes so many to give up things of importance for things seemingly important at the time. I am sure many people justify, if not aloud, in their hearts (or their own actions), that Samson gave in to Delilah. How many people do we see today that give up a marriage for an lustful affair because they have found "true love" with someone else? And how often is cheating or a lack of devotion justified in the plot of the chick flicks because two characters "belong" together? "Love" has taken on a new meaning to most of the world - and to be honest, it is quite sad.

Inspired by Pres. Griffith.....

Sunday evening, my roommate and I got off on the fluffiness of the Young Women's programs. Why is it that we had lessons about Journal Keeping and other seemingly unnecessary topics? And most importantly, why is there little substance to the lessons? In essence, why was the Atonement not stressed like it should have been? Jen and I most definitely discussed and then decided to write a letter to the Church Curriculum Department. Here is a little of the letter.....

"...Reflecting on our learning process [speaking of Young Womens] has caused us to realize we never seemed to grasp why so many of the Gospel teachings were important. Often the priciples were taught as do's or don'ts. Through our personal increase in testimony and knowledge of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we have to come realize the importance of living the standards of the Gospel. Not only has our understanding grown, but also our desire to live righteously. While both of us try each day to live as disciples, we feel sorrow for the girls who have chosen to not accept the full blessings of the Gospel. We can't help but wonder if these girls would have made better choices if the principles of the Gospel had been taught more explicitly regarding and stressing their foundation in the Atonement. We recognize that this should largely be taught in the home, however, also realize the reality that this is not always the case.

We feel that the topics in the Young Women's manual, such as Dating, Eternal Families, Repentance, Priesthood, etc. could be greatly enhanced with the addition of a more explicit tie to the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Then, they will better understand why we have certain standards and the importance of keeping the commandments. Looking back now, we can see how the Atonement is highlighted throughout these teachings, but as young women we only saw the principles and commandments. While occasional lessons focused stricly on the Savior and His atoning sacrifice, the connection between this vital doctrine and the do's and don'ts was never directly stated. Looking through the manuals, we see the implied mentionings of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, but we feel a more explict connection would increase the sister's desire to live the commandments..."

Thank you Pres. Griffith for helping me understand the importance of the Atonement! I am changed because of his example and the APRIL program he instituted in my stake. If you are reading this and would like to know more about Pres Griffith and read of his powerful testimony, check out his Aug 07 Ensign article, "The Root of Christian Doctrine."

Hillary for President?

A very shocking thing occurred on Sunday. I actually found myself defending Hillary Clinton. Someone criticized HIllary for "standing by Bill after all he did." I found myself chiming in that I thought the fact that she did save her marriage was quite admirable. Granted I have no idea her motivations for doing so (I mean would she have ever gotten where she is now if Bill and her had split?) Still, I think it is an example of forgiveness and I can only hope that she really does recognize and appreciate a better meaning of marriage than a lot of the world today.

My Easter Thought

Today my mind has been focused especially on the Atonement. Being Easter, the Spirit has reminded me time after time today of the importance, the beauty, and power and influence of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Today I am especially grateful for the suffering that accompanied the Atonement. This has been on my mind a lot these past few months. What would the Atonement have meant for me had there not been suffering? Had there been a way that the effects of the Atonement could have been brought about without the suffering, would it ever had meant anything to me? If Christ had no prints of nails in his hands or feet or side, and therefore didn't literally have my walls before Him continually, would my reuniting with Him at the last day be so sweet? Of course, the fruits of the Atonement - not just the powerful resurrection and the freedom from the sin but also the enabling power, the grace, the succor, and the other beautiful gifts given through the Atonement - are the point of the Atonement. But these eternal and infinite, yet intimate also, gifts have meaning to me in large part because of the price with which they - and I - were bought - a sacred price I don't know I will ever fully comprehend.

“My son, be faithful in Christ; and may not the things which I have written grieve thee, to weigh thee down unto death; but may Christ lift thee up, and may his sufferings and death, and the showing his body unto our fathers, and his mercy and long-suffering, and the hope of his glory and of eternal life, rest in your mind forever” (Moroni 9:25)

Thinking of His suffering humbles me. It not just makes me grateful, but it changes me. It sanctifies me, gives me hope, and instills a deeper dedication, love, and desire to return to Him in me. I love the words of my old Stake President, Thomas B. Griffith, when he said, "His suffering proves His love, but it does more. It is the means He uses to get us to “repent and come unto him.” When we come to have some sense of what He has done for us—and, in particular, what He has suffered for us—our natural reaction as children of God is to want to show our gratitude and love by obeying Him."

So today I am grateful not just for the Atonement of Jesus Christ - for His unfathomable love, His obedience to the Father, the wonderful gifts made possible through His great sacrifice, for the many roles He plays in my life - but I am also grateful for the suffering that gives meaning to the price He paid for me.

Drowning

So, for my photography class I have to do a project that describes my life right now. I have to choose a relationship I have with someone or something. Then I have to choose a adjective and photograph that adjective. This project has really caused me to analyze my life right now. The adjective that best describes me in life right now is drowning. I feel like I am emotionally drowning, spiritually drowning, and basically I feel like there are 500 things that I can't fit into my day. I keep thinking that life should be easier than this. But, I don't think it ever will be. It isn't that life isn't good or that I am not happy, cause life certainly is quite great and I am pretty happy the majority of the time. I am dating someone that I absolutely can't imagine life without, I am getting ready to start nursing school, my living situation is great. I couldn't even start to list the things in life I am grateful for. But regardless of the millions of good things in my life, I still feel like I am drowning. So, if you have a yacht or a ski boat or even a sailboat and you see a hand sticking out of the water, please go grab it and pull me out.

Yay!!!!

So, yesterday I got my acceptance letter for Nursing school at the University of Utah! That mean in a year and a half I will have my second BSN and my RN (assuming I can pass the NCLX). I am so, so, so amped about it. Two of my other really good friends also got in - which only makes me so much more excited. Yay for nursing!!

The Church does it again

Today I hopped on LDS.org to look up something. On the front page was an announcement about a new Church website:

http://jesuschrist.lds.org/

This site is amazing. There are excellent things on this site - the testimonies of, messages from, and talks from the leaders of the Church and Jesus Christ. I think this a great tool for education about the basic doctrines of the Gospel, which are centered in Jesus Christ. It tells of His life and His ministry. It also clearly outlines how we can better invite those around us to come unto Christ.

Take a minute and check out this site.

Candy Hearts

Even though Valentine's is way over, I saw some f these on a blog and thought they were quite funny. Least Popular Candy Hearts:

"Your Mom is Hot"

"I Licked This"


"Maybe When You Get Your Braces Off"


"How Old is Your Sister"
"I Stalk You"

My Addiction

I have to admit it. I am addicted to Facebook. I love it. I may or may not check it 2 times a day (at least). While I think one of my roommates might secretly judge me each time she sees me on it, I just can't help it. My two favorite Facebook activities are
1 - Facebook stalking
2 - Looking at people's pictures

Why do I feel such a love for these two activities? I don't know. Maybe it is cause I like to know what is going on in people's lives. Maybe it is cause I really care. Maybe it is cause I am nosey. Probably the latter. But, in any case, I feel greatful to the Facebook inventor for providing me with entertainment and information.

---Side note: The one thing I do not like about facebook is the gifts. I think they are lame. Who cares to receive a digital flower or a binary-encoded cookie? Not me. So - please don't send me facebook gifts - unless it is Amber and she is sending me a facebook rat (the only acceptable gift). Rather, send me real flowers (not lilies) or real cookies (preferable without nuts).

Let it Out

Since I worked in the marketing world for a couple years, I have become quite critical of different companies marketing. When see commercials, I can't help but analyze their effectiveness and critique. Today I saw the Kleenex "Let It Out" commercial again - and couldn't help but absolutely love it. I think they hit the nail on the head - brilliant. Not too sappy, but draws out quite strong emotions. Check it out...
http://youtube.com/watch?v=E5fZ-dnmExE

Some other favorites.

Kinkos - http://youtube.com/watch?v=4U-dYleBVFo
Orbit - http://youtube.com/watch?v=WEJJUGJZxpU
Dove - http://youtube.com/watch?v=iYhCn0jf46U
Coca-Cola - http://youtube.com/watch?v=NwCn-D5xFdc

Thank you Stacy London.

Recently I have basically decided that I 100% LOVE Stacy London. Thank you for trying to teach America how to dress better. I really think that so much of America does not know how to dress themselves well. (I must admit I could probably improve some of my outfits.) But, I think we should all take advice from Stacy on how to better dress for our body type.

Here are some great take-aways for fitting your body type with the perfect pair of jeans (from her appearance on Oprah today).

Problem: No or little bum (Does anyone really have this problem?)
Solution: Add some volume to the bum area with thicker pockets or pockets with flaps. Also, try a pocket that hit a little lower on the bum. Also, try a denim that fades - this will add dimension to the bum and thigh area.

Problem: Round bum (much more common)
Solution: Try a jean with thinner pockets and one with no flaps. Also, try a uniform colored jeans so as not to add even more dimension to your legs or bum. Try a waist that is not low-rise - one that is more of a mid-rise (eliminate the muffin tops). In addition try one with a wider band at the waist - this will bisect the bum helping it to look smaller. Try to pair with a jacket or shirt that hits mid bum (cutting the bum in half).

All of these are excellent suggestions. So, if you are buying your jeans just cause they look cute on the hanger or are a great brand - next time try following these guidelines for a better look for your body type. I think these are great suggestions Stacy London. Thank you.

Link to the details on Oprah -