25 Things....

Welp... This should be interesting.. I got this little pass along thingy on facebook to come up with 25 Things about me... and I thought it was pretty fun. So here goes.

1. I love studying people. I think human nature is the most interesting thing in this world. I mean, after all, we are God's supreme creation, are we not? :) I like to watch people, not in a creepy stalker way, but in a way that let's me get to know them without them even realizing it. I like knowing about people, what they think and feel and why they do the things they do. Basically I'm just a people person. :)

2. I have a curse and a gift all wrapped into one. People just tell me things. Serious things. Things that weigh them down and trouble them. Things that they can't handle by themselves. It's hard sometimes, to listen to that, but I love it anyway. It keeps me close the the Savior, because I can't help them if I'm not close to Him. I usually just point them to Him anyway. :)

3. Not very many people know me very well, at all. I don't talk about me very much. Just because I'm naturally a listener. And I don't talk unless people ask me.

4. I love asking questions and getting answers. I like when people ask me too...

5. Singing is my passion. When I'm singing, I'm happiest. Music can touch people in a way that nothing else can. It connects people. I love it.

6. As soon as I realize I really care about a person, I get all weird and insecure about myself. I kind of hate it.

7. My cat, Charlie, is my baby and I am going to miss her very much when I go to college next year.

8. I'm going to BYU-I next year and I am so freaking excited!!! :) I am so ready for college and life!

9. I love shoes. And dressing up and feeling pretty, but I also love lazing about in my sweats and hoodie. If you come to my house unexpected, you'll probably find me in the latter.

10. I think Mac n Cheese is a beautiful creation.

11. Smells are really big with me. If you smell bad, I probably can't really be around you.. haha sorry. I don't like it when anything smells too strong, though, even good things. I'm very particular about smells. I like clean soap smells. And rain.

12. Thunderstorms are my favorite. :)

13. I've recently developed a new standard for kissing. I don't really want to go into detail here.. but if you're curious, you can ask me. Reference #3.

14. Everyone says I'll get married young, really young, but I am kind of dead set against it. I need to know what it's like to be on my own for a while. I need to live life and experience things and learn more about myself before I can figure out who I want to spend eternity with.

15. I really enjoy reading. Books influence me a lot. If I read a good book.. it kind of changes my life. That may sound dramatic or something.. but it's true.

16. I'm basically a professional procrastinator.

17. I love words. And spelling. And the English language. If you do it wrong, I'll correct you.

18. There's something about a man with an accent or speaking a different language that melts my heart into a little puddle.

19. French is the bane of my existence.

20. I think I have a selective memory. I remember the weirdest things, things that I don't necessarily need to remember but that were for some reason significant to me. And then there are things that I should remember and I don't.. for example meeting my now best friend for the first time during 7th grade.. haha

21. I am completely dedicated to my faith and religion. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the best thing that ever happened to me. In the words of Caleb McKay: "If I wasn't Mormon, I'd have AIDS" BAHAHA

22. I love laughing and smiling and being happy. What's the point of life if the majority of it isn't spent doing those things? :)

23. Sometimes I pretend my life is a musical and make up songs. Opera, Broadway, Gospel, and Screamo are some of my favorite styles of different life musicals. :)

24. I laugh at things that aren't funny to other people.

25. Nothing says Annie Fletcher like everyone around her. I am a total chameleon. If I hang out with you, I will steal your laugh and mannerisms and tastes, sometimes your sense of humor. It comes in handy since I move a lot. I can always find friends.. because people like people that are like them.

Woo that was interesting. Hope you liked it... if anyone even read it. haha woo.

"The Decision"

I wrote this story a while ago in English but I'm pretty sure it's the best thing I've ever written, so I decided to post it... enjoy! :)

“Hello?” I say as I pick up the relentlessly ringing phone.
“Hello, Mr. Jones, this is Mr. Smith from the bank. I was just calling to remind you, once again, about the bills you owe.”
I slam the phone down on the cradle and sit back in my chair dejectedly.
“How did my life get this way?” I ask myself aloud. “Where did all the meaning escape to?”
I look around my apartment and feel my age permeate everything in sight. I don’t remember getting this old, getting this way. My bills are sky high and I realize I have nothing to live for anymore. My life is empty like my bank account, my cupboards, and my bed. I look down at the clock reading 11:55 and make a resolution.
“Twelve o’ clock is the deadline,” I say aloud again, then bark out a harsh laugh as I see the double meaning in my statement, “Literally.”
I retrieve my gun from its resting place and sit in the chair again weighing the Decision I hold in my hands. My head feels fuzzy. I think of all my problems, all the reasons this is best.
The phone rings again, interrupting my thoughts. I stare uneasily at it while it rings angrily at me for a few rings.
“Hello,” I finally give in.
“Hello, Fred Jones?” inquires a voice that seems to have a memory attached.
“Yes,” I respond hesitantly, afraid of more bad news.
“Fred, it’s Jane Peters… from college.”
I know Jane Peters. She was the first woman I ever really loved. It didn’t last, though. I let someone else come between us, a new woman, and broke it off. I hadn’t really thought of her since.
“Jane, this is a surprise, why do you call?” I ask, feigning nonchalance.
“Fred, I just couldn’t get you out of my head today. I was baking cookies with my grandkids this morning and you popped up all of a sudden. Then I was doing my regular chores around the house and with each new task you were right there and I thought I’d better call you to see how you are. So how are you?”
“I—I don’t know what to say, Jane, I suppose I’m fine,” I say slowly.
“Are you sure, Fred, you sound sort of strange.” I can hear concern in her voice. What can she hear in mine?
“I said I’m fine! Look, I’ve got to go. Goodbye!” I say hurriedly and hang up the phone.
What is the purpose of that? Why did she call now? She is thinking of me, though. She might call again. What does that mean? I look at the clock again.
11:57.
“Three minutes,” I whisper as a reminder.
Jane brings on more memories and now I feel my regrets. Divorcing my wife and leaving our children to her sole care are at the top of the list. They are all grown now but I haven’t seen them in decades. Decades. How life does pass by in a hurry. Mine has flown right on past me. I have nothing to show for the years I have taken up space on the earth; nothing tangible to hold in my unaccomplished hands or intangible to feel in my calloused heart.
And yet, what is the value of a life? What is the value of my life? I cannot tell. I weigh the Decision again in my hands. The cold metal against my skin burns.
11:58.
The gun slips from my hands and lands on the floor. I look at it there and pause, feeling life grow slower. My hand comes up, almost of its own accord, and touches my face. I feel the lines testifying of age. The skin sags and feels frail, just like an old man’s skin.
“You are an old man,” I remind myself loudly. “Will you be missed?” I ask, quietly this time, as if I am not quite myself anymore; as if I am not the one being questioned.
“What could I possibly miss?” I reply.
11:59.
My hand picks up the gun. I feel the burn again on my old man skin, but it soon begins to numb. Now I remember my wedding day. My wife was beautiful then, and I was happy. Then my first daughter was born and I forget my aged skin with the memory of her brand new kind.

The ghost of a smile touches my unhappy mouth, too long fixed in a frown.
But then I remember my emptiness again. My empty life cannot be hidden by full memories and I feel the burn of Decision in my hands once more.
“What could I possibly miss?” I ask again loudly, urgently. “What could I possibly miss?” The question comes again. “What would I miss?”
It hangs in the air directly in front of my face, and I can’t see anything else. I bring Decision up to my head, perhaps I can think clearly with it closer to my brain. With the cold, hard Decision against my temple the numbness fades and I feel every inch of my worn body and the beautiful memories and pressing problems line up on the battlefront in my mind.
The battle never commences, however. The Future steps, unsure, onto the middle of the fire zone and voices his one truth:
“You would miss something.”
12:00.

So.. it's been a while...

Well, I am sitting here eating a plate of vegetables. I don't know what is happening to me... oh wait, I do. Kyli and I decided that we were doing NO sugar for the whole summer. Which is pretty exciting if you think about it.. but if you don't think about it, and eat a veggie tray instead.... it's not as exciting. Oh well, vegetables are good for you. Lots of things are good for you that aren't necessarily exciting though. Like school. Filling out scholarship applications. Finding out your parents aren't perfect. Breaking important things, like hearts.

If I've learned one important thing this year, it's that you can turn any situation into something beneficial. That's what life is for. Life is to learn. and Grow. and Change. and Smile and Laugh and Love. If you can change a bad situation or experience into a good learning experience, you're pretty much set for life. "To love another person is to see the face of God."

If I've learned one important thing this year, it's that worrying is the biggest waste of energy on this green earth. (Yes, the earth is green. Just an example of some crazy people worrying that our earth is going to be brown or something.. what the heck? The earth will be fine... it's nice and green all over the place.. we're good. Stop worrying so much!) You can't worry about something that hasn't happened yet. It doesn't make sense. Just have a little faith that things will work out. And if you do find yourself in a situation that IS worrysome, just reference the above paragraph.

If I've learned one important thing this year, it's that people matter before anything else. People are here right in front of you. They are more important than school or work or clothes or music or your phone... or even facebook (you're shocked, I know). Nothing can compare to the memories people create together. Connection with another human being will last longer than anything you can learn from a textbook or buy at a store.

If I've learned one important thing this year it's that you can do anything. With a little faith and a lot of help from God, you really can do anything that you need to do. You can get through anything. You can accomplish anything. You can learn anything. It's the greatest feeling in the world, and the most powerful knowledge out there.

Welp, that's about it. This is very poorly written, and a bit unorganized and random but I just felt like it. So there. OH YEAH. That's another thing I learned...

DO WHAT YOU FEEL.

:)