Brit Lit Cake explanation

A few of you have asked what wedding cakes have to do with British Literature, so I guess I should offer an explanation. As part of the requirements for the class, we we had to complete a creative project that took a minimum of ten hours to complete. It could be basically anything that tied into either a piece of literature we studied, or on of the time periods that we studied. I knew I wanted to do something I would enjoy, and that would be worthwhile, but had absolutely no ideas. The Victorian Era was my favorite time period that we studied in class, so I began researching Victorian traditions online. I happened to find a few websites about Victorian Wedding Traditions. One tradition was that the wedding cake had three parts. There was a big intricate wedding cake, much like the ones we have today, and there were two smaller cakes. The first small cake was the bride's, and it was a simple white cake, with white fondant. The second small cake was a dark cake for the Groom. Inside the small cakes, were charms for the bridal party. The charms would each symbolize something such as good luck, the next to fall in love, next to have a baby, and so on. Well, I am currently in the process of teaching myself how to decorate cakes, and I loved the Victorian wedding tradition. So, I decided to make a traditional Victorian wedding cake for my creative project. I only posted pictures of the main, intricate cake, but I made the two smaller cakes as well! One of the websites mentioned that the main cakes were usually decorated with white fondant, floral patterns, and the primary color was often blue. So, that is how my wedding cake tied in to my British Literature class!

In defense of Anne Boleyn, a Heroine

I just finished watching "The Other Boleyn Girl," and I am now furious. The film is quite inaccurate historically and it portrayed Anne as a terrible, manipulative girl. I believe she was a heroine and a martyr. Many historical texts view her in a negative light, simply because most of them were written by her enemies, the same enemies who plotted against her. The film was incorrect with dates and the sequence of events, and many important details were either forgotten or purposelly avoided. In real life, there were some members of court who were not happy with Anne because she lessened their power. They framed her, and had her executed. Obviously, their writings about the Queen will be against her. Anne Boleyn did more for England than any other ruler in such a short time. She forever changed the face of England. Now, to point out some inaccuracies in the film: First, Mary was actually older than Anne and was known as the beautiful one. Anne was the opposite of what society viewed as beautiful at that time. Mary was already a member of the French court when Anne was sent to France, which all happened before entering the court in England. Anne was in France for six or seven years, where she was educated and learned to speak French fluently. She was also exposed to many scholars and philosophers who opened her mind to a world beyond the Catholic Church. She became passionate about protestantism, and carried her passion with her to England. Second, Mary was exiled from the English court after marrying Stafford, who was below her in status. The marrieage made Anne furious. Mary never returned to the court to beg for Anne's life. The onely reconciliation the two sitsers had was when Anne sent Mary some money because she (Mary) was extremely poor, and struggling financially. It is also unknown whether Mary's first son, Henry was actually the son of King Henry VIII. Third, Although it is unknown exactly where it happened, King Henry VIII became enamored with Anne. By this time, Mary had been his mistress but was not any longer. Anne refused to become his mistress. Some say it was because, as in the film, she used her sexuality to gain power and the throne. I, as well as others, believe she did it for moral and intellectual reasons. She knew Kings moved on from mistress to mistress without a second thought, and she was smart enough to avoid such humiliation. She also had morals, and stood by them. I believe she simply had no desire to become a whore. She was headstrong and outspoken in the English court and with the King. Many hated her for it. I think she was brave. Women did not express themselves in those days. They simply did as they were told and followed society's expectations. Anne had tremendous courage and made a stand for her beliefs. Also, it is unkown who proposed the idea of marriage to whom between Anne and the King. The film made it look like it was Anne's plan. Some historical accounts claim that Anne did finally give in (though none claim the King took her by force as implied in the film), and the King was forced to divorce Katherine to save his son (which he believed anne carried) from illegitimacy. Others say that Anne was a virgin when she married the King. I have not read any accounts that say Anne married Percy. They met and fell in love, but both were previously betrothed. It was while waiting for Percy that Anne caught the eye of the King of England. She made the king court her for years, until Percy married someone else. This was when she became more willing to marry the King. Another detail left out in the film was the fact that before Anne was sentenced to death, her marriage to the King was announced void. It was proclaimed that the marriage was null and was therefore invalid and erased. If such was true, how could Anne have possibly committed adultery? The two proclamations counteract each other. The court overlooked such details in their haste to be rid of Anne. It was not shown very well in the film, but in reality, Anne was extremely close to her brother George. She was not able to see him much, especially while in France, and instead resulted to letters. They loved each other, but only in a sibling manner. There are many speculations of incest, though none were backed up with solid proof. The allegations against Anne in court were not well proven either. It was also not shown in the film that while in France, Anne gained a great interest in religious reform. It is possible that she may have shared such thoughts with Henry VIII, which would have led to hatred from Catholic members of the court. The film was correct in the fact that the downfall of Queen Anne Boleyn came about due to a malicious plot, but it was not run by her uncle. Though her uncle did announce Anne's sentence, the plot was led by Cromwell. Anne and George were not the only ones arrested. Several others were accused of adultery with the Queen as well. The film also ommitted Anne's final speech before her execution which is as follows:
"Good Christian people, I am come hither to die, according to law, and therefore I will speak nothing against it. I come here only to die, and thus to yield myself humbly to the will of the King, my lord. And if, in life, I did ever offend the King's Grace, surely with my death, I do now atone. I come hither to accuse no man, nor to speak anything of that whereof I am accused, as I know full well that aught I say in my defense doth not appertain to you. I pray and beseech you all, good friends, to pray for the life of the King, my sovereign lord and yours, who is one of the best princes on the face of the earth, who has always treated me so well that better could not be, wherefore I submit to death with good will, humbly asking pardon of the world. If any person will meddle with my cause, I require them to judge the best. Thus, I take my leave of the world, and of you, and I heartily desire you all to pray for me."
I'd say that was quite a speech. How could anyone think her evil and malicious after such a speech? I do not know. Anne was a martyr. She was a pawn in many greedy plots by power-hungry fools. Anne's father was one such fool. He ordered Mary to become mistress to the king of France, and later to the King of England. He tried to do the same to Anne.
Lets not forget that she produced the famous Queen Elizabeth, one of the most renowned political leaders in the world. Elizabeth herself commended Anne, and proclaimed a love for her. Anne was hated simply because she had a mind of her own. I do not find such a characteristic a fault, but rather a marvel.

New Car

This is my new car! I know most people think PT Cruisers are hideous or that they look like herses, but I love it! I don't really like regular PT Cruisers, but I absolutely love the convertible! Its my dream car, and its super fun!

Personal Statement to "Clear the Air"

I know I just posted my cake blog yesterday, but you're just going to have to put up with me again today! I was looking at some pictures from London on my friend's facebook page and it all seemed super surreal. Its sometimes hard to believe that just one year ago, I was having the time of my life in London, England! It was the most amazing school semester ever! Each time I look at pictures I remember how much I miss Europe. For those of you who do not know, Kristie and I have decided to move to Germany. It won't be until after I graduate, so we've still got some time in the US. I haven't told very many people, but the reactions have all been interesting. Some people have said basically nothing, others thought it was awesome and acted all excited, and a few were a little upset. some were beyond upset. I just want to let everyone know that I am not moving to Germany on a random whim, nor am I running away from any problems. I am not abandoning my parents or my siblings. I absolutely loved the time I spent abroad, especially in Germany, and Kris and I researched Munich a lot before making the decision to move. When I changed my major to English Education, I just knew it was right. I could feel it. Everybody supported me in that decision, and said that if it felt right, then it probably was and nobody doubted me. Well, Germany FEELS right. We made the decision weeks ago,I switched from Spanish classes, to German classes at school, and we have started looking into our options as well as requirements to live there legally. Ever since the day we officially decided to save up and go for it, I have been waiting for that awful gut feeling, the nagging in the back of my mind, and the second thought. They haven't come. Also, since that day tons of random things have happened pertaining to Germany. I keep running into people who have lived there, and they all have nothing but positive things to say. I have stumbled across awesome programs that help people move abroad, as well as some really neat language learning programs, and it has all just happened. Personally, I'm not going to write it all off as a coincidence. Contrary to some people's thoughts, I am not planning to run away to Germany and marry some guy. If I move there and happen to meet "the one", so be it. I'm not going to ban dating the entire time I'm there (which will be a minimum of one year, hopefully more). I am extremely excited, and I hope my friends and family will be able to trust me and support me in my decision. I know it will be difficult, and I will definately miss people, but I also think it will be worth it. I have some of the most amazing friends I could ask for, and I hope they will still be around when I get back. I won't be leaving for at least a year and a half, and if I do happen to meet someone around here and get married (which some of you have expressed you wish would happen), then there is a good chance my plans will change, but as of right now, I don't see that happening! Until then, I will just have to spend as much time with the people I love as I possibly can! For those of you who have doubts, I hope this helps to clear some of them up. If not, please talk to me about it!

My Current Project

This is the cake I'm currently working on for a project in my British Literature class (ya, I know it sounds odd). It has been time consuming, but I love it! It is exactly what I would want for my own wedding.

Teenagers,shakes, and 80's aerobics!

I was driving down the street with my cousin last week, and we saw a group of teenagers playing a game in which you freeze in some random pose everytime a car passes by as you're walking down the street or hanging out outside. We laughed, and the sight sparked a conversation about high school, and the random things we did with our friends. I discussed the topic with another friend, and we talked about how much we missed the fun of high school, and doing random games such as the freezing game, thinking we were the coolest people on the planet. I mentioned that I never really got bored in high school because my friends and I could always find something to do, even if it was simply taking a trip to walmart to see who could find the most ridiculous outfit. So, last night, my cousin and I were in crazy moods. Anybody who knows us, knows that when we get into our random moods, we are very spontaneous and do whatever comes to mind. We started the night by driving by a house we want to rent in Provo. As we were driving home, we talked about how long it had been since we'd had one of those really yummy shakes from Granny's in Heber...so we drove to Heber. We then went to Kristie's house to pass some time until we concocted our next great plan. We played DDR on the wii, which happens to be one of the best games ever made. We quit when we had worn ourselves out, and sat around the living room talking to the little sis. As we were in there, Kris found an old 80's workout video and we decided it would be fun to do some good ol' aerobics. So we did. It was hilarious! Remember those old excercise shows with the leotards, tights, leg warmers, and sweat bands? Ya, thats the one! We followed the tape for about 45 minutes. We then grabbed Kristie's little sister, and took her for a walk around the block with us so we could play the freeze game. We got really into some of our poses, ranging from Karate Kid to Charlie's Angels. Yes, we did get soaked in the rain. Yes, we were a bit immature. Yes, I did feel a little bit stupid when I heard some guys in one of the cars that drove past us laugh at our poses. Yes, it was one of the funnest nights of my entire life.

here it goes again...

So, in the past I have had many different jobs. I generally get bored easily, and once I'm bored I make changes--sometimes drastic, sometimes simple. Now, that I have finally found a job that has not bored me at all the past year and that I absolutely love, I actually HAVE to find a new one. Ironic eh?
Anyways...this week has been a pretty good one. I had a clogging performance on tuesday. It was the funnest performance I have ever been to. It was in Cedar Hills Park, which is totally gorgeous, and it was such a nice day! Some of my best friends were there, which made it even more fun! I'm still totally stoked to be clogging again! I'm also totally stoked that monday is the last day I have to go to one of my classes, which means that I will no longer be waking up early (at least until August...)!
On Wednesday I got some new pictures from my trip to Europe from a friend and some of them are quite hilarious pictures! They are the pics that were at the top of this blog.
I saw some new pictures of my friend's new baby today, and he is definately one of the most adorable little guys I have ever seen! And that's sayin something considering the fact that I work at a hospital and see hundreds of babies come through the nursery, lol!
Lets see...I don't think anything else has really happened lately...oh wait---I got a new phone! I finally have a camera phone again! yay! I had to drive to Kaysville to pick it up from the girl I was buying it from, so I stopped in Salt Lake on the way home. Kris, Kelsie, and I went to The Bakery (yummiest french bakery in the country), and then over to the British store where I bought some of my favorite treats that I miss very much from England! It was fantastic! I bought some Alpermilch ritter sports, caramel McVities, the red fanta flavor that I drank all the time in London, and a galaxy caramel! All of which were my favorites while I was living over there!