under the influence.

being a positive role model is one of the most important jobs a person can have. reminiscing on my life these past few years, it really starts to become apparent how much i really have depended on positive influences to shape my life.
i'm head strong. i'm stubborn. i'm independent.
but i'm also human. i'm so lucky to have the men and women in my life be ones with positive effects on me.

what got me thinking about this subject in particular though, was a blog post. i'm obsessed with this one girls blog (well actually i'm obsessed with her, even though i don't know her. i just think she is quite possibly the most beautiful person i've ever seen). in this blog post she confessed to a couple things about her that she probably considers mildly shameful, or things that dim her perfect reputation. but it did the opposite! i love her (from afar) even more now. why? because i like people that are real. people that are able to be candid without fear of retribution. because that's the mark of a truly great role model. someone who you can look up to even when the perfect life facade is down.

what people need to realize is that life isn't about being perfect. it's about turning crappy situations in to good ones, or at least that's what the people i have looked up to have taught me. make lemonade out of those stupid lemons.


oh. and i really want a puppy. just because i've been really wanting a child lately... and i think a puppy is an excellent way to fill the void without being shunned by the BYU community.

that's all. xoxoxxx

he's just not that into you.

this book changes lives.
don't believe me? you must not have read it.

it is a right of passage in a young female adult's life to be stuck on some boy who couldn't care less about her. yes i speak from personal experience. yes this a sore subject.

but i put my big girl undies on, picked up the book, and read every single word from cover to cover. and all i have to say are two little words: LIFE. CHANGING.
these are supposed to be the most fun and exciting years of our lives, yet so many of us are wasting them dwelling on some stupid and usually not that attractive guy. if i had to take one piece of advice from the book it would be to not waste the pretty.
don't waste your pretty on someone who doesn't waste even a half of a second thought on you. because if a guy liked you, you would know. it would be so apparent that even helen keller could see it.
such a refreshing take on a depressing subject. i highly recommend it.

supercalifragalipstick.

there is very little in life a make over can't fix.
a new hair cut, new wardrobe, or even a new blog layout has the ability to make anything feel like a fresh start.

honestly, that's what i feel like i've been in need of lately. a fresh start. like spring cleaning.. except it's the fall and i'm talking about myself not a house. life has a funny way of throwing curve balls when you least expect them... and there is no better time to show your true colors than when things aren't going your way.
i've always been a firm believer in karma. if i'm doing what i'm supposed to, making the right decisions, and treating people kindly, i will be out of harms way. but i've recently discovered that sometimes, as unfair as it may seem, bad things happen to good people. but when these bad things happen, truly good people learn from these unfortunate events and turn them into valuable life lessons, further progressing their lives and not letting set backs actually set them back. so that's what i need to do. make lemonade out of lemons.
also; i need to focus on myself. make something out of myself. reach my potential. stop procrastinating. start doing. i hate thinking of myself as a lazy human being, but that's exactly what i've turned into! yuck. so diet, gym, and library here i come. it's time to get the old dani back.

roller coaster.

change is life's only constant.
i've always considered myself pretty receptive to change, and i am quite proud of my ability to "roll with the punches"
but you can only get hit so many times before you can't get back up.

recently, i have had the rug of life ripped out from beneath my feet so fast that i was on my butt before i even realized what happened. yes i'm fine, and no i don't want to talk about it. but the funny thing is... i really am fine, and i really don't want to talk about it.

i have officially closed a chapter in my book of life and i'm pulling out my pencil to start the new one. whats the goal? to not need to use an eraser quite so often. i have my whole life ahead of me and this time everything is going to be different. it's time to start defining and refining myself, because it's time to grow up. i'm ready to start working hard, playing harder, and start deserving some of the incredible opportunities i've been given. i've never been more anxious for a fresh start and i'm so ready to make my own happily ever after.

happy bearthday.

get it? it's a good pun. it's earth day.... haha. my mom once told me it isn't a funny joke if i have to spend 5 minutes afterwards explaining why it's funny. i now understand the point of that lesson. anywho, the earth is a pretty good planet. (i forgot a comma... it's is supposed to read as if i was saying "the earth is a pretty and good planet") well that about sums it up. stay classy, planet earth.

irony, dollface.

the second definition of irony, according to dictionary.com is:

a technique of indicating, as through character or plot development, an intention or attitude opposite to that which is actually stated.

well i'll tell you what is truly ironic.... cancer awareness ribbon stickers at a tanning salon.

okay for one, what is the point of the stickers in the first place? every single teenage girl that goes through my salon spends a good 15 seconds in front of the different piles of stickers searching for just the perfect dolphin to be placed strategically on her hip. i know this shouldn't bug me as much as it does... but i mean really? the point of going tanning is to make yourself look better. looking better doesn't count if everyone that sees the tan line left from a peace sign shaped sticker on your stomach, because then it's so obvious the tan isn't real. every correctly done cosmetic process (tanning, highlights, teeth whitening, etc.) is supposed to be done to enhance natural beauty and give the image that the subject is, well, naturally beautiful. so why take your newly bronzed bod, and make it look cheap? okay, i get the argument that there needs to be a way to measure how much your tan increased in that session, but i have a quick fix for that: look in a mirror. keep going tanning until you feel like you are confident in your skin. stop tanning.

anyways, that was a tangent. back to the point. cancer awareness stickers. DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND THAT EXPOSURE TO UVA/UVB RAYS IS THE CAUSE OF SKIN CANCER? thats like a wearing a leather and fur coat with the PETA logo stamped on the back. dumb.

someone just took a star sticker. the LAST star sticker. do you want to know what that means? i get to spend the next 10 minutes of my ripping star stickers off the roll for the rest of the star-on-the-hip-to-show-everyone-how-fake-my-tan-is lovers that come in today. hows that for irony.

Confu(sed)cius.

i hate not getting what i want, especially when what i want is something i've already had and i did appreciate it enough to hold onto it.

Daynskiis said something very interesting tonight in which i hope isn't true but it kind of is.
here is the scenario:
hot black guy in store that i was chatting it up with. we leave the store. i say i'd tap that. dayna says of course i would. then the profound statement.

"black+athlete=your type. or you could replace either with money, and you'd have the same result."
ouch. this isn't true. in fact the very person i was discussing above is none of those things. bloooop.

i'm just ready for something new and exciiiiiiitng to happen in my life.

as of late.

they don't call me dani "the slacker" beckstrom for nothing.

actually they don't call me that at all...

but i have definitely been ignoring my yogging (silent B-L) duties lately.

here are my excellent reasons why:

1. i've been busy

2. i haven't had too much to complain about

3. i realized people actually read my blog, so i had to wait long enough for people to forget about it so that i could continue with spilling my thoughts out onto this thing without the audience.

to sum it up... i hope no one is reading this. my blog is for my own mental benefit... because contrary to popular belief i do have a filter, and this blog is what keeps me from going into overload.

so let's catch up. this is what i've been up to my second semester of my sophomore year:

1. the MOVE.

i decided to move out of the AV in january into the cutest little house with the most beautiful little roommates. it was at first a pretty stressful situation trying to get everything figured out, but it turned out to be the best decision i could have ever made. moving in with kimbra, brooke, and eliza was something i needed so much, and something i didn't expect to effect me so much. not only are they the most fun and most attractive girls in provo, but they are also the best shoulders to cry on and friends to lean on. those three are like stand up comedians, personal stylists, match makers, and therapists all wrapped up in to one. how would i have survived without them?! i wouldn't have. i can't even explain how much i love them. i'm so lucky to have spent the past 4 months with them.

2. the JOB

i got a job in january. i'm so mature!  just kidding. but really. it was so odd because i left for Christmas break living in Alpine unemployed and i came back to p town a week later with a new house and a job. but one of my cute friends from broadcasting is the superviser over tanning at Gold's gym, and she was nice enough to work out a shift for me! which is pretty much a miracle considering how busy basketball season is. it's such a fun job because i get to talk to people all day... i love it! it's also nice because i get to tan and work out for free.... i want that forever. it's so nice! and it's nice to not feel so dependent on mom and dad. i mean they still pay for rent, car, insurance, tuition, books, and the occasional j. crew purchase... but as far as gas and groceries go i'm on my own! yes that isn't that much.. but baby steps here people.

3. the MAJOR

i'm in love with my major. IN LOVE. this semester was my first in the program, and even though it was the most stressed i've been in a while... it confirms even more how right my choice was to do broadcasting. i took the beginning reporting class, which is the most stressful in the major, and i got to be a sports reporter every thursday for KBYU. not only was that so much fun and such great experience, but i had the best people in my lab. let's just say i got lucky. the best part about it was my friend Carson was the same reportign day as me. she totally made the stress survivable!! honestly she is the best. all the beginning reporters had a story a week, which may not seem like a lot, but i was always totally swamped. it's crazy trying to schedule my own interviews and haul around a big camera and tripod. even though it was so fun, i can't even explain how glad i am to be done with it. so much stress. now i'm on to bigger and better things... like producing. haha ohh how the fun never ends... but i am so lucky that i found something that i absolutely love to do. work will never be work.

4. the COMPETITION

my team is great. so great. we decided to go to USA competition this year instead of NCA and i'm so glad we did. it was such a blast! we took second (don't get me started... we totally got ripped off. ask anyone.) and had such a great time. i can't believe how far we've come in the past year... and honestly i think it's all thanks to our new coach Jocelyn. that woman is a miracle worker. i've never met anyone quite like her... we got so lucky to have her. not only has she whooped us into shape, but i know that she is going to do amazing things with BYU cheer in years to come. our team would have been a trainwreck without her. regardless, i'm so lucky to be a part of such an amazing team. not just skill wise, but people wise. mixing cheer with the Gospel isn't something that seems natural, but it's amazing what can happen when everyone on the team has the bigger picture in mind. it's unlike any other experience, being a part of BYU cheer, one that can never be duplicated. i can't believe i've been able to participate in it these past years. what a blessing.

5. the SEASON

one word: JIMMER. BYU basketball was a force to be reckoned with this past season thanks to jimmer and the gang, and it was quite a ride. i got to travel to vegas for the Mountain West Conference tournament and then to New Orleans for the SWEET 16 GAME!!!!! so amazing. honestly, a once in a lifetime opportunity that i can't even describe how amazing it was. it was so cool to be in vegas and instead of people heckling us as we walked by in our BYU gear people were saying "go jimmer!" what a change. that guy has done amazing things for our university. and how cool is it that i got to be in the middle of it all? again, so blessed.

well that's about it. i'll try to keep this updated more often now... just as long as you promise to not read it.

xoxoxo