The Wonders of Advertising

This semester, I'm lucky enough to be taking a "Media Effects" class for my communications major. This class is super interesting and fun and the teacher is really entertaining, funny and smart! And the best part? He literally sounds exactly like Jack Black when he talks.

Gif retrieved from http://giphy.com/gifs/jack-black-school-of-rock-bDQcYdKix5gxq

Anyway, in class the other day we talked about the power of advertising...which basically turned into an hour and a half of us watching our favorite commercials and discussing them. It was the best class ever. 

Some funny gems:

Video retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I07xDdFMdgw

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And some tear-jerkers:

Video retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2V-20Qe4M8Y

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These commercials all made me smile. And I hope they made you smile too. 

Being in a lot of PR and business classes this semester, I've been thinking a lot about promotion and the fact that advertising is powerful. I believe it can be used for good or bad and it's really neat for me to see the ads that go deeper than simply a product—the ones that really dig into the heart of a brand. 

In short, great advertising makes you feel something.

"The work of an advertising agency is warmly and immediately human. It deals with human needs, wants, dreams and hopes. Its 'product' cannot be turned out on an assembly line."

- Leo Burnett

Hello 2015

Happy New Year!!!

And may I officially apologize for being the worst blogger of all time....my last post was in October.

October!?!

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So embarrassed for myself right now. 

However, I realized that it's a new year, a fresh start, a clean slate, if you will. So...*drum roll*...I resolve to be a much better blogger this year. I also resolve to lose 15 lbs. While I'm making goals I'm sure to fail, I might as well resolve to end world hunger.

As I look forward to 2015, I've also taken some time to reflect on all that's happened to me in the last year. There were good times and bad times, laughter and tears, but I think of all the things I learned during 2014, there was one lesson that stands above all the others—Don't be afraid to take risks.  

I'm a person who appreciates comfort: comfort foods, comfortable couches, and the security of knowing what's going to come next in life for me. I don't like to make a choice unless I'm fairly positive about the outcome. 

But this year, I started taking chances. I took some risks in school, work, love and friendship. I surprised myself with some of the things I gambled on. It took more courage than I knew I had, but I got out of my comfort zone in many ways this year. And the funny thing is, when I took chances, things ended up working out better than I could have imagined.

Venturing away from the safe route is not always a bad thing. I'm grateful to 2014 for teaching me the valuable lesson that sometimes, I need to get out of my own way. 

After all, life is too short to be too careful. 

Merry October!

Oh, October.

My favorite month of the year.

A time for pumpkins, scarves, boots, blankets, telling scary stories, jumping in piles of leaves, trick-or-treating, apple cider, hayrides, football games, sweaters, harvest skies and curling up by the fire with a good book. 

To quote a book I recently read....

"There's a chill in the air that lifts my heart and makes my hair stand on end. Every moment feels meant for me. In October, I'm the star of my own movie--I hear the soundtrack in my head (right now, it's 'Suite: Judy Blue Eyes')--and I have faith in my own rising action.

I was born in February, but I come alive in October."

- Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

Ok, now all I want to do is throw a bunch of quotes about the fall on this blog post.

Yep.

That's exactly what I'm going to do.

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Image retrieved from http://www.onsuttonplace.com/2013/10/fall-free-printables-october-edition/

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Image retrieved from http://www.countryliving.com/outdoor/fall-quotes?src=spr_TWITTER&spr_id=1453_84355956#slide-1

If these don't make you love the fall, you're wrong.

Happy October everyone!!!

Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat!

My family and I met up at Lagoon last weekend, which made for an extra fun Saturday. Between riding the Samurai (my favorite) and eating my weight in Dippin Dots, I was on top of the moon.

The best part of the day, by far, was riding Rattlesnake Rapids. 

Rattlesnake Rapids is a group ride that involves sitting in a circular, spinning raft-thingy and then careening out of control down a raging river of death.

Sound familiar? 

Naturally, no one wanted to go on this ride except for me and my youngest brother Jackson. Somehow, we convinced everyone except my sister-in-law to get in the boat. And then we were off.

I knew we were in trouble the moment we hit the first rapid. What should have been a fun, family activity turned into a mass panic as everyone scrambled around the raft trying to avoid getting wet. I remember a lot of screaming, kicking, biting, offers to sell our souls to stay dry, etc. It was all very dramatic.

We were lucky enough to have Andrea capture some of it on film.

Enjoy.

This video really makes me laugh because everyone jumps on top of each other to avoid being under that waterfall. Not sure that we followed Lagoon's rules of "Stay seated at all times," but us Bakers were never much for rule-following in the first place. 

Watching this video also makes me smile because it reminds me that my family is stuck together on this ride for life...forever actually.  

I think Zac Efron really said it best....

Gif retrieved from http://wifflegif.com/gifs/474823-were-all-in-this-together-gif

Yes, we're together. And that doesn't always make it easier. Family doesn't necessarily keep you from getting soaked by the giant waterfall that you're headed towards. In fact, sometimes it's your family who's pushing you under it, laughing while they do so. But, the important thing is that when one of us gets pummeled by a rapid and comes up dripping wet, our family is right there by our side. 

Like it or not, we're all in the same boat. Ands maybe that's the whole point.

Bonus Pic:  (gasps and thunderous applause please)

With the gif above, I really couldn't resist posting my own family "High School Musical Jump Attempt" photo. Here we are, folks.

Such talent. 

Bows, Arrows & Old Friends

There's a two week break in between summer and fall classes. So, I headed home to Idaho for a little bit and spent some time with my family, which was wonderful.  

While I was there, I got to run to Rexburg and visit my oldest friend Julie. Julie and I met as little kids, when I first moved to Idaho around 8 years old, and we became fast friends. I have so many happy childhood memories with her...some of my very best memories, in fact. The greatest thing about Julie is that she's that kind of friend who you can get together with after months of not seeing each other and it's like no time at all has passed. 

I went out to Costa Vida with her and her husband and then we just spent some time catching up and watching hours of YouTube videos while her husband was at work. Looking back on it, we didn't do anything special. But, it's the people you're with who make moments special. And she's one of my favorite people on earth.

When I got back from Rexburg, my dad brought out my old bow. I was so excited because I used to be way into archery as a kid. I was also a little nervous because I hadn't shot in forever! Luckily, my body remembered the basics. My dad and I spent some time just shooting at a target in the backyard and it really reminded me of my childhood.

Yours truly!

#betterthanlegolas #notreally

My dad :)

#betterhairthanlegolas

Bulls-eye! Seriously though, I nailed that sucker right between the eyes.

That shot was so good, I was half-expecting these dudes to show up.

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Maybe the best part was just being with my dad. I rarely got him all to myself growing up (four brothers and all) and so I've really learned to cherish the moments when just he and I get to do things together. 

So, being in Idaho again was a real blast to the past. I got to see old friends and try out a few old activities. It was such a fun couple of weeks! It made it even harder to say goodbye and head back to school. But, I'm excited for a new year at college. BYU....Ready or not, here I come!!!

God's Light: A Little Inspiration

Yikes! Over a month....I'm totally getting worse! So much has happened since I last posted...I dealt with a break-up, I finished summer classes, I watched 3 seasons of Supernatural, I said goodbye to my little brother leaving on a mission, and I drove all the way to Montana where I went clubbing, swam a lot, and only got in 1 car crash (which was totally not my fault).

Like I said, it's been an absolutely crazy summer--full of good and bad and everything in between. It's been extremely fun but unfortunately, it's coming to an end. As I've been preparing myself to start a new year in school with new classes, new roommates, and a new apartment, I've been looking for a little inspiration.

Last night, I think I found it. I happened to click on this Mormon Message and I'm so glad I did. It was something I feel like I needed to hear...and it was just too well-done not to share here:

I know God is real and His light is there for us always, even when we feel lost and in the dark. I don't always have all the answers I want and sometimes (alright most of the time) I feel a little scared and confused, but I'm grateful for a Father in Heaven who cares enough to guide me and illuminate my paths before me. 

1 John 1:5

This then is the message in which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

Image retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/65897426@N05/6004194378

Lake Powell 2014

Wow. Let me just say that I am the suckiest of bloggers. I promised that I'd post every week and well....let's just say I'm very disappointed in myself. Almost as disappointed as Hercules here.

Almost.

But seriously, so much has happened since I last wrote, I wouldn't even know where to begin. So, I'll just talk about last weekend, in which I traversed across Utah to arrive on the beautiful shores of Lake Powell. 

I swam. I surfed. I skiied. I tubed. I ate. A lot. I roasted s'mores. I slept under the stars. I played boardgames. I told scary stories. I got in a giant water fight. And I got fiercely sunburnt.

All with some of my favorite people in the world.

It was a perfect weekend in Paradise.

Bonus Picture: My brother Kody surfing in the USA. (Zoom in on his face. Priceless.)