Book Clubs

     This is kinda lame but I was looking at the website for the Orem Public Library and noticed that they have kits you can check out for a book club. They have a list of suggested books that you can check out for six weeks and get as many copies as you need for your group. 

       I don't know why but it makes me really want to join a book group! Perhaps it just might help me stay focused to finish the books I am reading. 

Living Up To My Title

This post isn't any one thing specific but just some things that I have been thinking about. Perhaps a confession or two.

In my very first post I explained a little bit of why I had a blog. I've always enjoyed writing, not the serious, change the world, next great American novel kind of writing, just writing in general. I love writing letters and just writing things down. Not only does it help me make sense of things but it helps me express a voice that people don't normally get to hear from me. The problem with that theory was that it just didn't work out so well. Honestly I didn't enjoy having a blog and I didn't do so well in my computer class because I was a horrible blogger. The reason why I mention all of this is because just in the last week or so something has changed and I love having a blog.

I don't know what that something was but I was reading one of my favorite blogs, The Pioneer Woman and it made me want to have an awesome blog. I'm not a photographer, I can cook but nothing spectacular and I wouldn't want the pressure of having a famous blog but maybe, just maybe I can develop a talent :)

Do you ever have those life-changing epiphanies and moments of personal revelation that makes you feel like life might just actually make sense? Mine come with surprising frequency, like every night while I'm lying in bed waiting to fall asleep. All my great ideas come at once and I feel like I have life figured out and for what I don't quite have figured out I most certainly can conquer, no problem.

The problem is that I fall asleep and the next day if I can remember what I was thinking about I start to wonder what was I smoking?! It seems like crazy thinking but it would be really nice to wake up the next morning and have that same courage and confidence to concur the world. At least my little corner of it.

Maybe I should be writing these things down. If they really are crazy ideas and don't help then maybe I'll just get a good chuckle out of them. Not a bad idea if I say so myself but in all honesty it probably won't happen cause I'm kinda lazy like that :)

Zoo Outing and Other Ego Boosters

Last week I went to the zoo with my friend Amy and her two kids. I can't even remember the last time I went to the zoo, but it was before all the renovations so it's been a while.

My interest in going to the zoo increased significantly in mid April when the 2nd graders went for a field trip. Yes I am pathetic and was jealous that I didn't get to go as well and ever since then I have been really wanting to go. My only problem being, I am childless and it just seems like the place you wouldn't want to go if you weren't accompanying one. So both thinking the other was going as a favor to us, Amy and I headed out with the kids.

It was really fun and we got to see the bird show, the baby elephant and my favorite the giraffes. Being the super lame photographer that I am these are the only pictures that I got...

Amy and her kids.

Me, the kids and the sneezing elephant!

Speaking of Amy and the kids, yesterday while driving home from St. George I got this text and yes I did read it while I was driving! I didn't reply though so it's only half a sin and I don't feel so bad about that :)

Anyway....

Amy: I asked Sarah if she wanted to go the zoo again, here's the conversation that followed:

"I want to go to the zoo with Kaitlin. Not Grandma and Grandpa they are boring. I want to go the the zoo with Kaitlin again."

"Why do you want to go with Kaitlin?"

"Because she is just so cute mommy. Kaitlin is very cute."

A three year old thinks I'm cute and I take that as a great compliment and it made my day!!

New Look

Well after many hours of trying to figure it out I finally have it, a new look! Let's just say I'm grateful for a mother than understands all of this stuff so I'm not stuck with the hum drum llok of before. Hope you like it :)

Worth Remembering

This boy was one of my Kindergartners this past year and putting it mildly, he was difficult. He was a good kid he just had a hard time with school. He loved to give hugs and and on most days was fun to have in class but on more than one occasion I had to pick him up and take him to the office for a time out.

Why is he worth remembering you ask? Well on the very last day of school I went in to help in his class and one of the activities that his teacher was doing was having each child say what their favorite thing about Kindergarten was. There of course was the normal responses of recess, playing, lunch etc. When it was his turn without thinking about it he said his favorite part of Kindergarten was Miss Blocker!

Now to be perfectly honest I dismissed it just thinking, "oh that's cute". But for some reason I've been thinking about it and I'm a little more flattered now than I was then. Granted he is only in Kindergarten so the chances of his even remembering me in the long run are minimal but for now anyway he thinks of me as the best thing about his first year of school!

It's great knowing that I helped someone have a better day :)

My Accidental Hobbie

I didn't set out to be the family photo collector/editor but here I am. It started because I wanted to make movies for Christmas presents last year and surprise surprise, I only got as far as loading and editing pictures. In my defense that's A LOT of pictures to work through!!

As you saw in the last post a lot of those pictures brought us a lot of laughs but there were some that reminded us that sometimes we weren't so bad. Just to defend our honor I share some other pictures with you.....

We used to be cute, maybe.

Maybe this summer I'll get around to finishing those movies :)

Some Real Winners

So Kimberly brought over a box of some of the pictures she had when I was working on the wedding video and I've only now gone through them, which is unfortunate since we came upon some real doosies like this one:

I say this with sisterly love but doesn't she look like a rat? Kylee and I still can't stop laughing over this one :)

But then we decided it must just come by heredity....

Don't worry, all is fair in me saying this cause soon after we found this we found these beauties from a trip we took to Seattle. I won't tell you what movie we were inspired by, you'll have to figure that one out for yourselves.

And just so it would be fair:

I don't know what's worse the fact that I appear so serious about what we are doing or the fact that I used to tuck my shirts in! Hideous!!!

But hey we all need a good laugh now and again :)

Summer Vacation: Day 2

I'm only two days (if you don't count Memorial Day) into my summer vacation and I have to say I have been unusually productive. Knowing it was coming but not realizing it was coming so soon I moved out on Monday. I decided Sunday after church that I was ready to be done with the stress, I started packing that night and by 2:00 Monday afternoon I was done.

I am just moving home for the summer so I can save a little money which I dreaded for a long time, not because I don't like it but because of all the "how old are you?" looks and comments. After all the stress building up the last year though as soon as I had everything out of the apartment it felt like someone hit the release valve and let the stress out. I feel so much better!!

Besides finding places to put things and cleaning I'm starting into my summer reading. I have so many books to read that I don't know where to start. I have my list of books that I just bought that I want to read and then I have all of my books I've just rediscovered in my move that I am anxious to read and remember. It's so exciting!!! I have to be in the mood to read and it comes so rarely these days that I have to embrace it when it does. Luckily it hit me a few months ago and is continuing strong and hopefully will continue throughout the summer.

For the books I have finished I am writing my reviews on the side of the blog for those that are interested in reading. Among the books I'm hoping to concur (I use that word cause they are big) are:

Jane Eyre

Wives and Daughters

and maybe, just maybe Les Miserables.

I don't know if I can emphasis how excited I am about this. I have just been waiting for this day!!

P.S. If you don't have the time to devote to the books at least watch the movies of these two below cause you will not be disappointed. They are great stories but besides that just look at that man on the cover!! He's amazing and well worth your time :)

 *I know this video is kinda cheesy but I think it works nicely since it's kinda hard to find what I want