Winter 2014 Olympics

2014 Winter Olympics, Sochi Russia.
The Olympics according to Alayna.

Opening Ceremony

Did you see the clip of Pride and Prejudice in the Russian video at the beginning of the opening ceremony?

Russian monastery choir. They still have those?

Lots of countries. Insane opening ceremony. The country of origin lights up on the "floor globe" as their athletes walk in.

Bermuda wore Bermuda shorts. And it was hilarious. Only one athlete though.

The Venezuela athlete was jumping up and dancing around with the flag. A nice reminder that it's a great opportunity something to be proud of.

Germany is wearing sherbet colors (apparently it's a statement for gay rights. Russia is NOT a fan.)

The order the countries enter based on their position in the Russian alphabet, which makes it incredibly unpredictable

America has DORKY sweaters... and everybody still looks thrilled to be there. It proves just how proud and brave we are.

Lots of countries are sending their first winter Olympians.
This one guy skis for a country whose language doesn't even have a word for skiing.
Russia looks like Santa Claus, with fur coats and everything.

The floor of the arena (which was built specifically for the opening and closing ceremony) looks 3D because of 60-ish projectors on both sides of the arena. The technology was very 'next gen' throughout the whole performance... because Russia was so desperate to prove that they belong in the modern world. 

They tried

This little girl flew around, thousands of feet in the air (probably the envy of all her 4th grade class). She broke her arm in rehearsal and still performed.

And tried.
 LOTS of technology (these are Buzzfeeds... so have a bit of view responsibility.)
And tried.
With absurd decorations
But all anyone could seem to do is focus on their mistakes

The last ring never opened up. It was really tragic, considering how many millions of dollars were spent. But it became an internet sensation and a moment of infamy. See?

Woah. Their doves look like jellyfish at first. And in the end it became so beautiful and clear!

It was the longest Olympic torch relay in history.
It's a shame, really.
But in the soon enough, the opening ceremony was over and the games officially began.

Olympic commercials are beautiful and tender, really playing on our emotions and loyalties.

 

There were many fun moments:

Like this little joke... by Kate Hansen, who happens to go to BYU
Or poor Johnny Quinn
The Young Women's leader...

Kate Hansen

My Olympic Heroes

I heard one of the reporters refer to the box the athletes go to after they finish the figure skating routine "The kiss and cry area." I thought it was humorous.

Here are my Olympic heroes. They may not have medaled, or made big news. But in "the Olympics according to Alayna," these are the athletes that really mattered.

Jeremy Abbot (Figure Skating) American from Colorado.

Went out onto the ice

A sort-of clip

… and FELL. HARD on his hip. I gasped as he slammed into the wall and was heart-broken for him as I expected him to hobble off the rink. But the crowd egged him on. He got up and finished his performance without a single flaw.

 He DANCED and it was one of the best (and certainly among the most impassioned) performances I've ever seen. When the stupid, nosy NBC reporter asked him about his performance he simply said. “I fell hard, and got back up again. I may not be an Olympic medalist, but at least I can teach the world that.” Seriously? My faith in humanity is restored, thank you sir. He got up because of the fans and finished it for them, even though he doubled over in pain moments after finishing his skate... it was inspiring. He's a four time Olympic champ, and got a bronze medal in the "team skate." (which is new this year.) He was no longer a medal contender after the short program, but the final set (the freestyle skate) was beautiful and flawless. He’s an artist. And on his last Olympic skate, he has nothing but good memories facing him.

Henrik Harlaut (Swedish surfer dude.) Chillest dude in the winter Olympics.

I mean, he has dreadlocks for heaven's sake. And he wore purposefully baggy clothes, he ordered xxl pants, and they hung around his knees most of the run. But I've never seen anyone have so much fun. Win or lose. Make it or not. Fall or stick it. He’s having the time of his life. Henrik skis with a raw egg in his pocket because of an American movie of a Jamaican bobsled team ("Cool Runnings") where one of the members of which kissed an egg for luck. That egg definitely cracked a couple of times.
5th place, and thrilled.

Evgeni Plushenko (Russian Figure skater) A legend.

 I remember him from last time. And since that was 4 years ago…. That’s impressive. He’s had back surgery since then and hasn't really skated in 2 years. He did a jump in the practice and… didn't fall. But couldn't land it. So when his name was called to perform, he skated out to the judges table and withdrew. The stadium cheered his exit. How heartbreaking! A chance to skate for GOLD in his home country. And he couldn't do it.
I HATE NBC reporters. Of course he’s devastated, of COURSE he’s in pain! You don’t have to keep asking! But she did anyway. And in his heavily accented English he said, “I’m just like you. We all have good and bad days. And that’s ok." (Paraphrased) And I’m so proud of him because of that. I'll miss seeing him perform, but I'm glad he could go with grace. Although he didn't compete in individuals, he did lead the Russian team to Gold.

Nick Goepper (American Skiier in first-ever slope style Olympic competition)

He grew up in Indiana, built it a training arena in his backyard. He skis without poles which is weird, but works for him. His dad lost his job, so he’s been working odd jobs to fund his dream for YEARS (talk about the American dream). He got Bronze.

 Joss Christensen (Slopestyle Gold) His dad died 6 months ago, and he skis with a picture of him in his pocket. He was 5ish points short of a perfect score, a record. And he got GOLD. America’s first. America swept men’s slopestyle.

Oh ya... and we swept the podium.

Women’s Figure Skating

Gracie Gold: Leading lady

 

 Her parents must have had figure skating on mind when they named her, because that’s a perfect name. She skates beautifully. Got 4^th overall, and danced to “All that jazz” in the bonus/ just for fun round. So free and fun, putting on a hat half way through. She was a gold medal favorite and the star of most Olympic commercials that interrupted the action... but I forgive her. 

Polina Edmunds: American girl

One of America's rising stars, 15 year old Polina Edmunds is still growing into herself. Babyface, tall and gangly as can be. She didn't rank very highly, but she has PLENTY of time for that.

Yulia Lipnitskaya: Russia's hope.

Russian skater with a performance of pure power and energy. She carried the weight of the host nation on her shoulders... and it showed. It brought her down. She Twirled faster than I thought humans could move. Fell once, lost lots of points, and that was the end of that. Oh, and by the way. She is also 15.
 

Adelina Sotnikova: Russian phoenix


Rising from the ashes of her country’s darling, she skated past everyone’s expectations and wowed the world. 98% of the time, her facial expression was a firey“AH!” with a “look at me, world!” defiance. Truly compelling. She shocked everyone (someone who wasn’t even the favorite RUSSIAN athlete) by getting Gold. THIS girl, was on fire. Some figure skaters get tired, but she never seemed to. Most people put their hardest stuff in the beginning. She ended in a fury of twirls. At the end of her Gold skate it took a small army of little skaters to pick up all the flowers and tokens thrown onto the ice for her. But she deserved every single one of them.
Kim Yuna: Silver of the South

South Korean staying on top, but she ended with Silver. She’s the inspiration of a whole nation, more famous (and for much better reasons) than Lady Gaga... or whatever Korean equivalent there is. She rules the ice with unparalleled grace. She danced to “Imagine” with a super-gorgeous ombre-blue outfit in the free for all.
Russia and S.Korea wear their tights over their shoes and one of the Russians had gloves on. Interesting... I wonder if it's a cultural thing.

Ice Dancing

SO much fun to watch. Many of the couples have an energy and presence that is simply delightful to witness. Charming and alarming, this sport mixes the sweetness of dance with the unbelieveable difficulty of skating. All of the dances were great…. But Canada, Russia, and America were the best for the short program which seemed to have a 20's theme. One of the American Ice-dancers teams is a brother-sister duo, and they danced to a Michael Jackson Medley. Another American dance team: Large height difference, but they danced to Les Mis, and stole our hearts. SO many really impressive lifts and stuff. VERY enjoyable.

Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov (Russian Ice Dance Team) Bronze Medal

Russian, Swan Lake (Odille and Rothbart, rock’n the darkness). 98% of their routine was me wondering, “Where did (insert body part) go?” Crazy beautiful, still in awe of many of the lifts, and they did their home country proud. It was a great moment to be a part of. They totally nailed it.

Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir (Canadian Ice Dance team) An Olympic favorite

They are BEAUTIFUL (but America for the win). And both of them are drop-dead gorgeous, so that's a plus. Aparently, they share a coach with the American team, which could get awkward. This team won gold in the Vancouver Olympics, but got silver here because....

Meryl Davis and Charlie White (American Ice Dancing Team) USA's golden couple

Every moment was genuine

 and fun

and intimate.

I seriously wonder if he has any feeling in his legs... he did this SO many times.

They are just... priceless.
(we think they got bonus points for Charlie's hair... you should have seen it when he twirled)

Honestly, they aren't beautiful individually. Something seems off about Meryl's face and I didn't even know figure skaters were allowed to have that much hair (Charlie). But together... the passion and grace is tangible. I'm obviously biased because of my nationality, but I loved them so much.
On the first part, they danced to “My fair Lady” (I should have danced all night, which happened to be the only non-20’s dance, and totally endeared them to me). Then they danced to Les Mis, and I gave my heart to them completely.
His hair though….. we called him Kristoff.

For obvious reasons

Gold medal round, Americans rocked it, Charlie rocked the royal purple. Their lifts were effortless, their skating was graceful, the energy was unbelieveable. It’s the first American gold in Ice Dancing. I have a love affair with his hair… and they both sang the national anthem while on the podium, something that made me proud to be AMERICAN. Highest score ever recorded in ice dance.
And just for the adorbs...

Closing Ceremony

There were a lot of issues coming into The Games (and #sochiprobs is a trending hashtag) but for once, all of that was forgotten as we celebrated the closing ceremony.
Russia highlighted the cultural things that make them great:

ballet (with a chandeler and two “stages” representing their most famous companies. There were tons of beautiful ballerinas and it was great to see),

artists (A whimsical tribute to Marc Chagal),
 Russian authors (The 3D floor lit up with open books and hand written letters, eventually creating a swirl of papers in flight which added onto the real vortex created by fans and slips of paper. Famous Russian authors had their photos rise out of the ground on long thin sheets, standing tall for all to see).

Near the end they brought out lots of mirrors which looked amazing, as we saw a distorted and confusing cacophony of images of the stage, the athletes, and the stadium.
Then the weird animals that look like giant Dream Works puppets came out again. Apparently they represent The Games, and the big teddy-bear like one represents Russia. (Russia is a bear, and saying that it’s a nice bear now, is making a very useful political statement.

But the odd animals meandered around the mirrors, then suddenly a replica Olympic flame (with real fire) was brought in front of the bear. I called that he was going to blow it out, signifying the end of the games, and it did, with cloudy smoke coming out of the bear’s mouth to add to the effect. What I WASN’T expecting was the tear that leaked out of its eye afterwards. It was emotional and silly but I REALLY liked it.
And for the smallest moment... we were united around the world with an appreciation of all that Russia had done and given.
And so ended the 22 Olympic games.

March 2013

This is my favorite photo of SpAria.
And I needed a Progression picture for March, I'd see them for their wedding in April and the whole thing was rather perfect.

I had a hard time at first.

Figured some more things out

Worked on Aria

Tried to get over my fear of drawing guys...

(Slightly weird angle). Gave Spencer an alien head and started making up his shirt.

Fixed it.

And... the end.

Cowardly love

I am no Rosalind or Juliet,

I'll never be like Eponine or Cosette.

My hair isn't golden as the old saying goes,

I could never be the princess Briar Rose.

Though my complexion is fair, I am no Snow White

(My pallor stems merely from a lack of sunlight.)

Love's steady audience and bystander I'll be
in any fairy tale where "true love" is the theme.

Love is a game, love is a trap 

Love means you give all, and get nothing back.

Love is a risk, love is a pain, 

Love leaves you with nothing but an addled brain. 

Even the fairest in all Love's great stories,
fare not well in the end, forget the promise of glory
that each was given ere the tale did start.
Tales preach of love, and then stamp on the hearts
of the families and towns of the starcross-ed pair,
till the plot's run its course and all is left bare.
In the end, love takes more than in mischief it gave
so I count myself lucky and plucky and brave
that when fat Cupid pulled back his bowstring,
I took a side-step and avoided the thing.

Isn't this eternal?

“I wished she’d never stop squeezing me. I wished I could spend the rest of my life as a child, being slightly crushed by someone who loved me.”  -Gail Carson Levine

We grow up, we grow old, and we die. We leave just as many more homes as we create.

We believe in eternal life, but the scenes and stages of our lives on earth are just a glancing moment. There is no permanence here. Spouses and children are sealed, but what guarantee do we have for our friendships? 

Isn't this eternal? No. It is not.

Moments pass and fade and die, and even our memories fail us in the end. 

Isn't this eternal? No. It is not.

It is but one scene in a long play, which helps to shape the conclusion, but the specifics of which are forgotten long before the curtain closes. This time is but a sandy footprint near the tide; necessary for the journey forward, but eroded with a sandy mixture almost before the foot leaves the mold.  

Isn't this eternal? No, it is not.

But that doesn't mean that it isn't important. 

Life is better taken at a run; a good clean break from the last step, a firm new footing for the next one. But I find myself trudging along, dragging my feet, unwilling to let go of my previous step and take a bold new one. Even I know this is no way to walk or to live. 

But I love the past. I hate to let it go.

 I fear the future. I hate each halting step I'm forced to take in life's great race. 

Yet I must keep moving forward. I must complete the course. 

Shall I falter, or shall I finish? 

And although the individual steps are blurred together in the rush of the journey, some can be recalled with the right trigger. 

And although each individual moment cannot be reclaimed, not a single one is lost in the mind or life of the runner. Each step and every moment is eternal in memory alone, but important all the same.

Cloaked in Confidence.

"Alayna is our queen, cloaked in confidence."

This quote, voiced by my roommate Liz, has become part my dorm identity.

When I left my laptop open in the living room, I should have known that my roommates would change my profile picture... and they did. But unlike poor Marissa (whose profile picture turned into a stock-photo of a young boy picking his nose), my profile picture became the Queen of England.
 
Why? Because, I am "The Queen, cloaked in confidence."

Yes. I'm confident. I think highly of myself. I'm awesome.
I remember sitting next to Eliza in a Young Woman's lesson about self esteem (my favorite lesson topic, incidentally), and the leader asked (in her most approachable and careful tone), "How many girls do you know who wake up in the morning, look in the mirror, and say I'm beautiful?"
Eliza and I shared a look. Because we both knew the answer. I did.

And then the leader pointed to the whiteboard which was covered with heart cut-outs with  little words in the center. Words like "beautiful, graceful, artistic, athletic, creative, intelligent," and "kind." Our sweet young women's leader asked each girl to chose one word that described her.
I had a dilemma, but it was very different from the problem facing all of the other girls in the room.
They couldn't find a single heart that described them.
I couldn't find a single one that didn't.
So being the hilarious person that I am, I walked up there and chose the word "humble." Little giggles broke out across the room because everyone knew how ridiculous my choice was. They know me. They know what I think of myself. And it was legitimately funny. I've always treasured that memory, and that little paper heart is one of the few relics I brought with me to college, tucked almost out of sight on my magnet board.

I'm not particularly vain about my appearance, but I am the kind of girl who can't resist a mirror. I noticed this more as I came to college, where there's a full-length mirror in the hallway of my dorm. Every time I walk down that hallway, my head automatically snaps to the side so I can catch a glimpse of myself as I pass by. I don't stop and stare. I don't consciously acknowledge what I see. But I can't help but think, "Not bad." or "Yep, still look'n good." 


Alayna is our Queen, cloaked in confidence.

I get the occasional eye roll, but it's more likely that people will envy my confidence.

And then, one weekend we played "True Colors."
It's a fun game, and I highly recommend it (and I'm not just saying that because I won by over 20 points). Each player is assigned a color (no orange, or that definitely would have been me). A card is read with a prompt like, "You need some quick cash. Who would you turn to first?" and everybody votes using a colored card. Before we look at the results, each person puts down a +,0, (both three points) or ± (one point) based on what we think the votes will be (if you will get the most, least, or at least one vote). I was the only person brave/confident/conceited (take your pick) enough to consistently think I would come out on top of (or get absolute zero in) the ballots and my friends often cater to my confidence, so I really raked up the points.

And then came the question, "Who would you most like to see with all their barriers down?"
I put zero.
And when the votes were cast.... all of them were for me. (except, you know, mine, because you can't vote for yourself.)

I was was fairly taken aback. I always thought I was honest, up front, and frank. I didn't think was hiding anything.
I asked for an explanation, and got one.

"It's just... you're our Queen, cloaked in confidence. So we don't know how you really feel about anything."

Cloaks are good, right? They keep you warm. They protect you.
I've always liked my cloak for these reasons.
I've always thought my confidence was a blessing.
I never knew it was a barrier.

Do people feel like they don't really know me because of it?
Do I distance myself from others because of it?

One time a roommate asked if I wanted a certain guy to kiss me.
My instinctive response was, "He wouldn't dare."
And I think I was right.
I can be really unapproachable.

I've written posts before about how I don't feel close enough to certain people. Is my cloak a factor? Am I really that closed off? Why did this little moment in a silly game upset me so much?

Because a small part of me knows that it's all a lie.
Maybe my confidence is just an act, a projection to hide my inborn uncertainty.
Because under this cloak, I'm just a frightened little girl shivering in the sudden coldness of a gigantic world full of choices and possibilities and darkness and mistakes.

I'd rather hold onto this illusion of grandeur. A Queen, cloaked in confidence is much better than being another sad little nobody.

Maybe I keep my cloak because want to be different, I don't want others to see... that I'm just like they are. Scared and alone in the great big world that holds our futures.


I act scary, Mike. But most of the time? I'm terrified.

February

1) Journal once a week.
No. I'll work on that
2) Get a job.
Interview to take over my roommate's job is on Tuesday.
3) Practice at least once a week.
3/4 if we're counting personal practice. Yes, if we count rehearsals, yes.
4) Work out (as in, serious "go somewhere and do something" work outs) at least once a week. Small daily exercise.
I went swimming for the first time here at college. But I'm going to have to give myself a 3/4 for this one.
5) Cook new meals... more often. Use cookbooks... more often.
Still need to use those cookbooks. But I'm eating more than pasta, so I'm good.
6) Figure out Facetime
Hey, we did that. Thanks Een fam!
7)  (Repeat goal) Write more often. Something every week (journal doesn't count). A poem, a story, descriptive essay, something. Write a chapter a month on the novel I started last November. As long as applicable.
I missed it a week, and I haven't actually written the chapters though. (sad face)
8) (Repeat goal) Do "Artistic Progressions." Once a month... more follow through on the photo evidence.
Yep. February
9) Keep up with old friends. And cousins. And people from home.
Not quite as good as it has been. Not as bad as it could be.
10) Make new friends, don't be afraid to branch out. Get to know people in my classes.
Psychology class looks promising. Other than that, not much.
11) Keep up with my blog.
Falling a bit
12) Go to the temple at least 12 times.
Revised goal, once a week (piggybacking on Marissa's goal) so I'm totally getting this one done. I haven't missed a week yet!
13) Study the scriptures 30 minutes a day. 15 in the morning, 15 at night.
I've been pretty good at that.
learn how to count.
15) Read missionary letters. They aren't doing any good in my inbox.
hide face in shame. I just need to START. And set aside time.
16) Share my testimony, or a little bit of the Gospel more often. Once a week through social media or a personal email, and as often as possible on fast Sunday.
I actually am required to do this for one of my classes. So this one's a shoe in for now.
17) Write an in-depth monthly email/newsletter thing. Send to friends and family.
Ah. I'll work on that tomorrow.
18) Read more. For fun. For facts. For enrichment. The Faults in our Stars, more Jane Austen, a couple of Shakespeare plays, TIME magazine.... just stuff.
Not much progress on that front. It's mostly buzzfeed. But I'm going to finish The Hobbit by... the end of this week! ;)
19) Be more generous. With my words to others. With my time. With my actions. With my candy hoard....
I shared my pizza.... I think I'm good with this so far. I've done a crapload of tutoring recently.
20) Come up with/complete a scriptural challenge once a week. Write down experiences in a special place.
Ah! Finally something I've actually got a handle on. I've done this one. 
21) Do more service.
Signed up for the tutoring program. Done that a couple of times, helped with Emily's essay, Kids on the Move volunteer. Good show.22) Start mission papers and go on a mission.
woah. Um... soon?
23) Support friends who are getting married/going on missions, moving into new stages of life...
Aria's engaged too! (Crazy things) I'm totally on board with that. (Pinterest Board). I also bought a bridesmaid dress, and what could be more supportive than that? 
24) WRITE to missionaries! Especially my cousins. I've never been very good at that.
hide face in shame. again.
25) Be awesome.
Pshhhh. BORN that way. ;)