SinCerely YouRs

Told you...

2009-08-04T18:57:00.004-06:00

We did our lipsync for my mom's side of the family. Here are our costumes! It just took me a while to get them posted here. To answer your question: DI!

Alice in Wonderland

2009-06-29T11:07:00.009-06:00

Tim Burton is coming out with a new movie!!!

Alice in Wonderland will be release in March 2010. Here's some photos of a few of the characters. Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter are regulars of Tim Burton's films, but Anne Hatheway is a new pick for the cast. I'm interested to see what Johnny will do with the Mad Hatter, and how Anne does in a Tim Burton film!

Flower Collage

2009-06-29T10:13:00.002-06:00

I guess I've just been in a picture funk lately...Oh well :D Here's another!

Disguised Golf Club and Ball

2009-06-26T08:39:00.001-06:00

Tents

2009-06-23T20:09:00.003-06:00

Random story. So, I was helping my dad set up and take down tents at a pack meeting earlier this evening when I heard someone say, "They're family is really weird. All their daughters know how to set up tents!"

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

Ok, so I thought it was funny. We ARE weird, but that definitely wouldn't have been on my list of top ten reasons as to why we're weird. We sometimes have days where life is a musical and there's random song and dance throughout the day. Now THAT would be on the list. Or the fact that some of us rather enjoy books with Hoovooloos (superintelligent shades of blue) in them... But not that we can all set up tents. I mean really, it's not rocket science people. Connect the long bendly rods to little hookies and metal pins. Genius. Love it. That's all :D

ABBA Super Trouper

2009-06-15T11:11:00.003-06:00

So for the Laney family reunion this summer, my grandpa has requested another lip sync. Mom, Hollie, Charlee, Natalie, and I will be performing Super Trouper (the Mama Mia! version) in our 70's garb on the night of either July 10th or 11th. We're going to record it, of course, and will probably post it on Facebook and maybe here too if I can figure that out. To answer your question, because it's silly and we love it. Haha, I can't wait!

Life During Fall Semester

2009-06-15T08:46:00.007-06:00

I've been carrying a lot of weight around lately... I'm not really sure what to tell or who to tell. Things haven't exactly been easy for me, and I guess it started during the fall semester at UVU last year. The semester started off great! I was excited about my new classes and the major that I'd decided on, I had a great job that I enjoyed, my brother was finally home from his mission, and I was absolutely loving my callings in my singles ward. It seemed like life was an easy ride. That should have probably been my first hint that it wasn't going to last much longer.

I guess I had better start explaining what I mean. There were many things that I was going through at the time.

I bought a car. A silver 2004 Honda Civic Coupe. Her name is Cadis and I love her to death. The only trouble is that I don't handle being in debt very well haha. The payments weren't a problem, but having such a huge commitment weighed on my shoulders a bit. I switched jobs to one that was closer to home and school, and the first bit of that was a bit stressful, waiting for the paycheck and everything. That passed soon enough and my love for Cadis grew even deeper :D

I decided that I needed to start weening myself off of my antidepressants. The pill that I had been one wasn't habit-forming, but your body gets used to having certain drugs in it. It's often recommended that you go to see a therapist while you wean yourself off of medications dealing with depression, so I decided that that's something that I should look into. I started cutting down on dosage and going to see a therapist once a week. I'd been to therapy before during my sophomore year of high school, so it wasn't anything new. Therapy is really really helpful when you're willing to listen to the therapist and actually give an honest effort to make a change in your life. But there's still the sense of being broken that creeps up in the back of my mind whenever I thought about it. It just a weird feeling to know that you have to go see a therapist because you can't take care or yourself. I hated the feeling, but loved the process of getting off my meds.

I had a boyfriend. I'm not really sure why. I knew I didn't love him, and I knew that I didn't want to marry him. I didn't really know why I was dating him seriously. Maybe I just wasn't ready to have a boyfriend yet. I was with him for all the wrong reasons... I'd never really had boyfriends in high school. Every time I'd tried the whole "boyfriend" thing I ended up hurt, broken, and sad. After high school I decided that I should give it another shot. After all, guys after high school are supposed to be more mature, right? I figured that I wouldn't get hurt, but in the end, it was me that hurt him. I could tell that we weren't right for each other and it was stressing me out more and more each day. Just the little things all seemed wrong, so I decided to break it off. I knew I'd hurt him, and knowing that hurt me. I cried many times for so long...

Wes got engaged. Don't get me wrong, I love Natalie to death and she fits right in with our family! I felt that I just got him back and now I was losing him again. It was hard for my best friend to suddenly be back at home, but to not really be there. I wanted to talk to him and be with him, but he was ready to move into the next phase of his life. He's there now, and loving it. I still miss him, but I'm so happy for him, and I get to see him and Natalie a lot. I wouldn't have it any other way. My mom and I got to plan the reception that was going to be in Utah, my mom got really stressed with all of that, and seeing her stressed made me stressed.

Stephen came...and left. I'm not really sure why I was attracted to Stephen so much... The Whiteheads moved into my home ward and live right up the street from my family. Ever since I met him, I felt this weird connection. Like there was some sort of relationship there before we even knew each other. Wes and I bacame good friends with him right away. Stephen had been recently struggling with drugs and had a pile of papers of court orders and bills that he needed to attend to, a process that would have most likely taken years to sort out. He was working so hard to straighten out his life and rebuild relationships with his family. Stephen and I began to hang out more and more and I started to really, really like him. I liked how he smiled when he talked about stupid things that he used to do. I liked how much he liked to tease his siblings and make jokes. I like how his eyes lit up when he felt the spirit or played his guitar and sang. I liked his odd fascination with penguins. And vampires.
Even since I was really young I've had this weird obsession with vampires. We talked about them a lot. We went and saw the Twilight movie together, though he had never read that books. He thought the idea was cool, but neither of us really enjoyed the movie too much. It made for much laughter, though, and I loved hearing him laugh. Twilight has always meant something different to me since then. I didn't give him a hug after our date that night. I always thought that was weird since I always give the guy a hug after a date. I think in this case, however, it was for the better.
Stephen killed himself December 4th on a bright Thursday morning. No one saw it coming. He was so determined to make good and repair the broken fragments of his life. He had such amazing talent and potential. It's hard to see such an amazing person be so strained, to the point that Stephen was. Since then, our families have been even closer. For some reason, I get the strange feeling that I knew Stephen before we came to our Earth lives. I know that I came into his life for a reason, and him into mine. I'm not sure why someone I knew for such a short time had such a great impact on my life, but it's not really for us to know why things like this happen. I do know however, that it happened for a reason. If I had hugged Stephen that night, I know that it would have been harder to say goodbye.

After all of this, my grades were struggling. I had a scholarship, and a high GPA standard to maintain in order to keep that scholarship. I knew that if I lost it, I wouldn't be able to pay for school any more. Through all the stress and all the tears, I had to push myself hard to keep up with the schoolwork that was beginning to pile up for the end of the term. Life was getting hard. My head was always swimming and my eyes were always a bit more moist than I was used to. I didn't feel like being around people. They couldn't understand what I was going through, what I was thinking, or how I was feeling. I felt bad for not keeping in contact with some people during this part of my life. None of them tried to keep up with me either, as our lives became more full and distant. With so much going on, it's easy to see how hard it had become to remember who I was and the things that I used to enjoy doing. Life had been shown to me as something fragile that most people take for granted. I spent more time with my family and the scriptures. I can't explain to anyone out there why I am the way I am. I do know that I went through all of this at once for a reason. Maybe I needed a distraction from something. Maybe I needed the experience. No matter the reason, I'm glad for the changes that I have made in my life, and I am glad for the person I am now.

Into the spring semester, I still had moments of pain, longing, and sadness. Wes got married, I lost my scholarship, I had new classes and stressors in my life, but life was good. It's hard to go through so much all at once, but I know that it has made me a stronger person with more confidence in the things that I can handle. No one can tell where our lives are headed, but in the meantime, I'm fine going through it, weeding my way through the hard times, waiting for the great things that Heavenly Father has in store for me. This life is truely a precious one that we need to make the most of while we can.

Hug a Tree

2008-09-04T19:26:00.005-06:00

As an assignment for my sociology class, I needed to hug a tree for 5 minutes. Here's what I got out of it:

I looked up into the forest of branches above me and began my ascent into the unknown reaches of the apple tree in my backyard. As soon as I’d hoisted myself up off the ground, I felt a wet, sticky sensation on my hand. My mother had assured me that there wouldn’t be any bugs, due to my father’s spraying efforts, but neither of us had thought of the birds. I looked at my hand with apprehension and guessed that the leftovers from the birds was a sign that the tree didn’t want me to mingle with its limbs. This was going to be harder than I thought. Wiping the stool off of my hand, I positioned myself in a comfortable position near the trunk and assured the tree that there was nothing to be afraid of: I wouldn’t hurt it.

I wrapped my arms around the sturdy trunk and realized that the weight of my insignificant body had no effect on it. All of my weight was resting on a single branch with nothing between it and the ground below, and yet there was nothing to fear. The strength of the beautiful giant in front of me was enough to hold me up without even budging an inch. As I looked up into the gracefully swaying branches I saw that I wasn’t alone. Like a mother of so many precious children, the tree held hundreds of apples, each the size of a small fist, within her sheltering grasp. The branches progressively got thinner the further up the tree they were, but each of them yielded enough apples to make them bend directly towards the ground, though every one of them grew nearly straight up out of the trunk. Branches with no apples continued to stretch as far into the heavens as they could, grasping for the sunlight and possible rain that would bring nutrients that the children desperately needed to grow.

A thought struck me as I leveled my awed gaze to stare at the trunk directly in front of me. This tree was nothing but a mother. She would do anything within her abilities to posses the shelter and nourishment that her children needed. Even though her branches were heavy-laden with fruit, the leaves determinedly grew long and wide. Everything about the tree’s structure suggested that she was built for nothing else but to produce the fruit. Even the seemingly flimsy branches were strong enough to withhold the weight.

I suddenly felt guilty for climbing into such an intimate environment. This mother was doing her best to help her precious children grow to be a big and strong as possible, and here I was doing nothing but give her more weight to carry. I was grateful when my timer went off, signally that my time with the tree was done. Hurriedly, I dropped to the ground and stepped back look at the perfect example of dedication and devotion. Though I was glad to no longer be a burden to the tree, I was sad that my time with her was up. I knew that I’d seen into a world that not many people notice through the hustling motions of our modern-day world. Maybe we should try to be more noticeable of the world around us, and take the harmony of Mother Nature’s aspects into consideration for examples for our own lives. Maybe then life would slow down. Maybe then the important things would seem more important than the trivial tasks we busy ourselves with from day to day.

Amoebae of Thought

2008-08-20T23:08:00.005-06:00

Amoeba
Amoeba Amoeba
Amoeba Amoeba Amoeba
Amoeba Amoeba Amoeba Amoeba
Amoeba Amoeba Amoeba Amoeba Amoeba
Amoeba Amoeba Amoeba Amoeba Amoeba Amoeba
Amoeba Amoeba Amoeba Amoeba Amoeba Amoeba Amoeba
Amoeba Amoeba Amoeba Amoeba Amoeba Amoeba Amoeba
Amoeba Amoeba Amoeba Amoeba Amoeba Amoeba
Amoeba Amoeba Amoeba Amoeba Amoeba
Amoeba Amoeba Amoeba Amoeba
Amoeba Amoeba Amoeba
Amoeba Amoeba
Amoeba

I cannot tell you how happy I am that people do not reproduce as fast as amoebas (so sorry - amoebae) do. Don't get me wrong, I love the general populous, but honestly, some people are weird. And not in a good way. Oh well. But seriously, why do some people have to be creepy? I'm a little sorry for the fact that not everyone can be viewed as the good kind of weird, for lack of a better word. Wait, there is a better word: Unique. Yay c:

I'm also sorry for the two world wars. But not the civil war. That one was necessary. I guess they were all kind of necessary when you look at the turn around of the economy and all that. But the idea of war is kind of dumb.
I'm sorry for the way ABBA ended up.
I'm sorry that the best lotion in the world has to be made from hemp.
I'm sorry that most of my CD's are pirated.
I'm sorry for my blue rubber duckie that isn't sitting in his look-out post in my car tonight.
I'm sorry for Tinker Bell. She must always be so cold.
I'm sorry for my dull scissor and they're lack of sharpness.
I'm sorry for my neglected journal(s). No. Journal-S. The S wasn't really an option since I've been neglecting all of them.
I'm sorry that not everyone can enjoy duct tape as much as I do.
I'm sorry that my car gets so lonely at night.
I'm sorry that I couldn't think of anything better to blog about.

Finally but not really, I am a little bit sorry that my Phantom of the Opera soundtrack comes before my Wicked soundtrack in my CD player. I did get Wicked first and it seems that it should receive some sort of precidence in my stereo. But my CD of ABBA Greates Hits is third so I guess it only matters that those are the three in there and that it's been that way for about a week now. Oh the places you will go...

Speaking of farms, I obtained a rubber cow today. He's by my rubber piggy. They're cute c: I also happened to buy two pairs of jeans the other day. These are very special jeans you see, for they have names. One is called Opal and the other is called Ruby. They came with ribbons that had their names on them. I think I'm going to use them in my giant journal somehow. I just can't decide the most fabulous way to do it yet.

Also, I couldn't find the tape today so a wrapped my brother's birthday presents with ticky-tack instead. Sorry Wes... But that should be a fun little adventure for him come Sunday. Huh.

Good kind of weird? K. Thanks. Bye.

LoViNg KiNdNeSs

2008-07-18T10:14:00.007-06:00

So around Valentine's Day, my English teacher asked everyone to bring in a poem to share with the class. This assignment was unique because she didn't want a lovey dovey or mushy poem. I couldn't find any that I liked so I just decided to write one. I've never been too big on sharing my own poems with bunches of people, but I figured that I was almost done with high school and I frankly didn't care if anyone thought my poem was stupid. So I just wrote one to share with the class. Here it is. Enjoy :)

loving kindness

most roses are Red, but
some can be Pink,
some poems have meanings, that
will make you think.
but now here is a poem, that’s
both Simple and Smart,
all Gifts on this day, should
come from the Heart.

now here is a day, that
i really quite like.
a day to step back, take
a look at your Life.
take a look at yourself, and
all of your Friends,
ask who needs help, which
friendship needs Mends?

if your answer is ‘None,’ then
be on your way,
considered a Fool, with
no friends on this day.
but if you can Look, and
see someone in Need,
then get to Work! and
do your good deed.

for Valentine’s Day, is
all about love,
the gifts from the Heart, all
come from Above.
there can always be found, a
friend who needs you,
to be their real friend: Helpful,
Prayerful, Kind and True.

Laney Galbraith

S-M-i-L-E :D

2008-07-18T00:38:00.012-06:00

I love smiling.

No, seriously.

I LOVE smiling.

For the past couple of weeks I've awoken each morning not feeling my best. Of course, by saying "not feeling my best," I simply mean to say that I felt like a lazy loser that might as well have just dropped from the sky with no meaning and no purpose in life. When I wake up feeling that way, it just seems that nothing goes my way. It seems that nothing can make me happy. Then I realized, that's just it: NOTHING can make me happy. Ha the only thing that can make me happy is me. Just me. It doesn't matter that I'm not in school and I don't have a job. I have an amazing family, a more than adequate home, a healthy car, and a knowledge that there is a divine, predetermined plan that has been set apart for just me. I start school in the fall, and I start my new job this upcoming Monday. I just graduated from high school and I get to start my life as an adult, beginning to explore the paths that will show me who I am supposed to be. What could be better than that?

I am so blessed to be where I'm at in my life. It truly is a blessing to be who I am and have so many chances and choices before me. What an amazing time and place to be living. I get to receive an education, see people I love every day, and best yet, I get to choose my life. I get to wake up every morning, and CHOOSE what I want to be. So why, when given such an amazing opportunity, would I ever, ever choose to not smile, or to not be happy. It just seems ridiculous that anyone with an opportunistic life like mine, would choose to do anything but smile. So, I'm going to smile :D I hope that my smile can maybe help others to smile as well.

Please, please...smile.

Ice Cream

2008-02-04T20:57:00.001-07:00

My tongue embraced the chilly substance as creamy drops slid knowingly down my throat into my eager stomach. The calming comfort feeling that comes with chocolate covered ice cream -- well chocolate covered anything -- began to sweep me off my feet, the way no boy could ever could. I know why all girls have an obsession with chocolate, I mean, who wouldn't, it's freakin CHOCOLATE...just the word brings warmth to my soul and a blanket over my heart. But why ice cream? Especially on a brisk, white day such as this? Why, on such a day, would ice cream be such a comfort?

Faster than butter melts in August, an epiphany struck my mind: ice cream = cold = numb... After eating ice cream to my stomach's content, there's no feeling left in my heart to worry about boys. Everything in my body is icey, glistening, numbingly cold. Left with nothing but the numbness, there's nothing left for them, just as they left: leaving nothing for me.

It's been said before that the fastest way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Maybe, in this sense, the sexes aren't as different as we claim to be.

Roses

2008-01-31T09:58:00.003-07:00

I wrote this poem a while ago, but last night I was reading through my poems and decided that I really like this one. I just thought I'd post it here for anyone interested.

Roses

Symbols of feelings more than lust,
Putting chocolate down with just.
Symbols of all that’s pure and true,
Diamonds in sun rays, with shining dew.

Petals that wind round and round,
Luscious red that came from the ground.
Such a beautiful thing from such a place,
Lighting up every passing face.
~♥~

While walking by, his mind is distracted,
What did it mean, how she’d reacted?
He had asked her to go out with him,
But they had always been just friends.

He pauses to look and has this thought,
“Maybe this is what I’ve sought.”
Wanting to show his feelings were true,
More than words, actions show through.
~♥~

She thinks back to earlier that day,
He had asked her out in his cute little way.
They were going to go later that night,
Just the thought, made her eyes shine bright.

~♥~

Six long stems for her he chose,
Six longs stems of the reddest rose.
She feels her cheeks grow red in a rush,
Deep as the roses she got from her crush.

They go out for a time with their friends,
She looks at him until the end.
He can’t help but to stare at her,
He feels something there, but can’t be sure.

Near the end she blushes once more,
As he holds her hand and opens the door.
She doesn’t know what that look meant,
His eyes had lingered for a just a moment.

As his arm slides gently around her waist,
Their friends know well to look away.
He leans in close, lips brushing her ear,
The world’s far away, while they’re so near.

He bends a bit more and holds her there,
As soft kisses he begins to share.
She closes her eyes and kisses him too,
All thoughts lost, this feeling so new.
~♥~

He sighs as he finally closes her door,
Secretly hoping to see her more.
She smiles and leans back on the wall,
Secretly hoping for him to call.

As she holds the roses he gave to her,
She knows that one thing is for sure.
All she wanted right then, she knew,
Was him by her side for all the days through.

He thinks about her as he drives away,
Her face in his mind was there to stay.
He thinks of the roses he’d given that night,
Missing her already, with all his might.
~♥~

Together they sit while looking up at the moon,
These sacred moments leave far too soon.
He looks deep in her sparkling eyes,
Loving her more than all stars in the skies.

It had all started with the giving of roses,
Simple enough, yet enough to show us,
That sometimes the simpler shows how we feel,
More than this, it makes it real…

Laney Galbraith

Ardently

2008-01-30T22:41:00.005-07:00

Today was pretty tough... I came home sick from school with a raging stomachache that threatened to alter my very existence. I suspect Celiac but the investigation is still underway. About 6 or 7 hours after that crisis had calmed down, I watched Law and Order with mi madre. Law and Order is a definite 'must see' for anyone who thinks that THEIR life has issues. I then ate some cheddar cheese on beef stick slices and decided that it was time to spill my entire soul out to my mother. We sometimes have these little discussions about life, the universe, and basically anything that vexes us. I was long over due. Before i new it, i was crying about stresses of graduating, being sick all the time, missing my brother (who is on a mission in Louisiana), and my insecurities that she swears don't exist. 10 minutes after the conclusion of our chat, all of you get to hear about it :D Lovely. So I'm going to bed now so i don't fall asleep walking in the halls of the great and spacious building tomorrow. Please cross your fingers with me that my test for mono comes back negative!

P.s. Here's a random freestyle poem that i wrote today. Lots of double meanings that coincide with my life. Yeahhhhh, better to just not ask. Well, here it is now:

Ardently Lost

My Thoughts to you are Ardently Lost.
Cheerful, smiling days, both present,
And past, with yet still more to come.
Your face to me is Heaven’s view,
While your Ardent smile captures my soul.
My spirits rise when you raise me up,
In loops, you embrace my tight twirls.
With arms around you, it’s hard to ignore,
This feeling of melting inside.
These Ardent passions some say are Lost,
But they’re Ardently Lost to you.
Someday I hope you’ll find the words,
My Ardent lips could never say.
Till then, my dear, hesitation will do,
With ardor kept locked within.
I look at you, smiling, thinking, waiting,
While my thought to you are Ardently Lost.

Ardently Yours,
Laney Lou

Kissing

2008-01-29T20:30:00.002-07:00

The other day, my best friend Megan and I were being our silly little selves and looking for pictures of movie kisses for a slide show I was making. One of the pictures we found brought us to a website that is dedicated to nothing but (drumroll please) KISSING!!! Here, there was information on how to kiss, how to get kissed, and pictures of the many different kisses. Yeah....

Don't get me wrong, the website was interesting and good for a couple of laughs -- we laughed a lot --but what kind of a person would you be if you altered both your personal appearence and how you act to catch the attention of a guy. Then you get kissed and blah blah blah, we get it. Guys are gorgeous, randomly intelligent, sometimes sweet, and mildy humorous. But, honestly, they're not worth it.

This is my proclaimaion to every girl out there: BE YOURSELF. Changing yourself to meet the sad, sorry requirments of someone else will never benefit anyone. Dress in clothes YOU like. Listen to music YOU like. Be friends with people YOU like, and be friends with people who like you for being YOU. The best friend, and the best boy will respect and love you for being true to yourself. Take Luck Girls :D