My life now... & My delightful book reviews. :D

Well it's been about two years since my last post. I guess it's about time. The reason for my long absence you ask. Nothing to say I guess. But lately Craig (my husband, I got married since my last post) has been telling me since I read so much I should critique what I read. "That's a good idea," I thought.

First thought I should tell a little about my life now... Craig and I are loving life and enjoying being married. We have so much fun EVERYDAY! We laugh a lot, and talk a TON. I am working in a group home, teaching social skills to girls 13-18, mostly 18. I like my job and Craig still loves working with computers and making them run better. He's always updating my machine, (don't you all wish you had a computer tech as a husband?) I appreciate and love him more everyday. I am on target to start school again in the Fall, I'll be a Sociology major still, with a history minor. I'm hoping to add teaching onto my major/minor so that I can be an educator when I grow up. :D We'll see how that goes. I'll keep you all posted.

So here it is, the thing you've all been waiting for, my book critiques...

I have been really into Rick Riordan lately I have read all of his books for juvenile readers (minus the one I'm reading now, I'm only a third of the way through The Throne of Fire.)

The Heroes of Olympus, The Lost Hero is Rick Riordans sequel series to the Percy Jackson and the Olympian series. It is as exciting and full of mystery as Percy Jackson. Riordan has a special talent of making you wonder what's going to happen next and how the book will end. His books are full of imagination and historical legend. He will keep you turning the pages until the last one. And when you are done he makes you wish that his next book was around the corner at the local library. Unfortunately you have to wait 'til October to find out what happens to Jason, Piper, and Leo, and learn if they ever find Percy.

The Kane Chronicles, The Red Pyramid, and The Throne of Fire. This is another series by Rick Riordan. The first book is The Red Pyramid. Riordan keeps with his clever ability to bring history to life in this series. A draw for Riordan books is that you don't only get a good read full of adventure, he also gives a history lesson along with the fun. The Kane Chronicles are slightly less exciting than his Greek Mythology reads but still worth the time to read.

Animal Farm is a classic book with many political implications, this book as been a favored assignment in many classrooms in the last 20 years. I enjoyed thoroughly my reread of this look into George Orwell's imagination. He teaches great lessons in this book about not becoming the who don't want to be.

Along with my current reading of The Throne of Fire I have been introduced so loving by my husband to The Help this book is all the rage right now and being a third of the way into it I can see why. The Help is full of insight and indignation at the plight of the black maid in the early 1960's the author Kathryn Stockett gives you a look into the lives of women both white and black in the book. This bestseller is on schedule to have a movie of the same name come out in just two weeks. I hope I have it done in time to watch the movie. This is a great pick for any reader, avid or someone that only likes to read every once in a while. Be prepared to hang out on the waiting list at your local library though.

I almost forget the other book I've recently read, The Bridge to Terabitha, was delightful to read it was full of imagination and real life as the characters had to deal with family and friend troubles, the kids in the book learn some adult lesson when faced with the bully, death, and growing up. A great read for any age.

This was fun for me, go read a book,

-Sam

Thanks for making it WONDERFUL!!!

I know I haven't blogged in a long time, it's because when I do I feel like it's not so good. I think it's because I don't say what I'm really feeling in my blog so here it goes..... cheesy? maybe. silly? definitely but non the less.

So do you ever have those days (or in my case weeks) when you just feel off? Well let me tell you the remedy. Food, lot's of it, especially 6 layer dip, (courtesy of Amanda's magnificent Costco card) ham, and potatoes, and ICE CREAM cake from DQ (courtesy of Mamma, Thanks by the way). Mix in a LOT of family, Banger's annual Christmas Eve party, never short on extended family, and a Christmas/birthday filled with them. And FUN! a heaping mound of birthday presents, THANK YOU ALL!

More blogs and PICTURES to follow with my NEW dream camera "Santa" gave me for Christmas. You know who you are, my dear "Santas".

Well I guess it's been long enough.....

Do you ever have tender mercies from the Lord? I know you all do. I do too.... That's why I've decided to blog again. I was once taught that when you have hard times and trails, good things, and blessings are around the bend. In my short life I have come to find that very true. I have featured below pictures of some of my many tender mercies.

This picture represents the tender mercies of TALENTS.... We've all got them.

This Picture represents the tender mercy of friendship..... I choose a picture of mission friends because I believe Heavenly Father gives you certain experiences to meet the people he needs you too. I feel that way about every friend I have. (Don't worry Katie you're still my bestie, it's just embarrassing to talk about what made us bond.)

These next two picture show you my biggest tender mercies of all.....

Don't worry Jess and Manda, I love your kids too!

SO I guess what I'm trying to say is that when times get tough.... count your blessings. It always blesses me. Believe me these are NOT all of my blessings, I just don't have enough time to put them all here. 1 Nephi 8:8

IT'S ABOUT TIME......

That I wrote again that is. So I am now and have officially been on Summer Break for two weeks. Oh and TODAY is my ONE year ANNIVERSARY of being HOME from the MISSION! 1st I can't believe I've been home a year. 2nd what do I have to show for it? Well, a year more of school under my belt. That's a good thing.

That brings me to now.... my Summer Break..... so far during my break I have been to Missouri, went camping, and watched about a million movies. I need to slow down on the watching movies. I was thinking about it today and the fact that when I'm in school I don't watch very many movies. (I go through dry spells) There has to be a happy medium though. That's enough about that.

Today I inherited something special.... SOMETHING I've been wanting for a while...... THE FINE CHINA. Ha! kidding. A bike. Mom gave me a bike today. this is a very effective gift because this fall at school, I'll be living away from campus, to far to walk, (unless I want to leave an hour early) but I don't want to drive either. So a bike is a PERFECT solution.

And also from exciting news in Boo Boo's World...... I ACED my Sociology class. It was my hardest but also my favorite class. It's pretty convenient that I got an A because Sociology is my Major and it'd be kind of lame to flunk out of my major.

I know that this is a randomly put together blog but what do you expect my brain is on vacation and it's late.

So now for the details from my trip to Missouri..... Julie(my roommate/former mission companion) and I left Rexburg Friday the day after school got out at about 1:15 pm we drove all afternoon and into the night. We had big plans to stay the night in a hotel in Ogallala, Nebraska, but alas, without reservations we didn't get a room. The hotels were all booked...... still an unsolved mystery as to why. So we drove down the freeway a couple towns 'til we got to Hershey, Nebraska. I thought "hey I like chocolate, let's stay here" so we pulled into a truck stop, went inside to the bathroom, gave our grills a little scrubin', crawled back into the car with sleep in our eyes, locked the door and said goodnight 'til morning. (don't tell Dad) We woke with the chickens at about 7:30 (I think, who knows with the time change it might have been 8:30) we drove all the rest of the way to Missouri and got there at 3. We checked in with the Bells. Boy, do I love them, they are a family that live in Independence 2nd ward. I was in that ward for seven and a half months. (that's a long time in mission life) after a shower and a shave. (ok, not the shave) we went to our favorite restaurant in Inde. SQUARE PIZZA..... ahh just thinking of that delicious BBQ Chicken Pizza makes me salivate. The highlight of the trip for me came early..... (one of the highlights anyway, I had a blast) Saturday evening I got to see my last companion and daughter (mission slang for I trained her) Sister Schiess. I never knew she'd be so excited to see me. We both freaked out, jumping and screaming just like we used to when we were companions. Boy, do I LOVE her. She'll be home next week, meaning... I will no longer know the missionaries in my mission. What a SAD day. Sunday we went to church at about ten wards. Just like being a missionary again. Ok so it was only three. We got to see SO many people though. It was a great blessing. All the days start to blur together after that but I do know I got to see Janet, Nicholas, the Flaters, the Fuscos, THE SANDERS and Patrick. I don't know how the trip could have possibly be better. A few of the families I taught are still active. I saw people that touch my life, people who claim I touched their lives. I wondered for a long time before and after I came home from the mission if I had done all that Heavenly Father had wanted me to do while I was there, finally the answer came. It felt like I had been home forever before it did but I think it was only a few months. I don't even remember where I was I just remember feeling like Heavenly Father was pleased with my life especially my mission. I do feel like Heavenly Father has accepted my work there. Thanks goodness too, all I wanted to do was serve him. And now, after all this time, going back and hearing "Thank you" from the people I taught. I don't know of a better way Heavenly Father could tell me that he has accepted my offer.

While in Missouri I went and saw some of my favorite places. Adam-ondi-Ahman, Far West, the Visitors Center, and my favorite, the Temple Sight in Independence. I took some time to ponder on the things that happened in Missouri while I was there. It's a special place, my friends and family, don't forget that. Dad says that someday I'm going to be a old lady in my rocking chair waiting for that temple to be build. It's true, I surely will be. Hopefully when it's built I'm still strong enough to help.

We left to come home on Wednesday I was sad to see Missouri go behind me, I was excited to come home and see all of you my lovely family. And, I was excited not to have to drive 18 hours again for a while. Maybe next time I'll fly. (fun side note we got to go fishing at Far West, we caught Bass and Bluegill, we ate them the next day.) We left Missouri about the same time we had left Rexburg, we got tired a lot faster this time and stayed the night in a cheap hotel. This time IN Ogallala, they weren't sold out anymore. This is just funny, while in the hotel we watched this show called "Toddlers in Tiara's" I'm sure you've all heard of it. It was intense. Why a mother would put her child through that is BEYOND ME. Just in interesting random thing to know. We got to Salt Lake (to drop off Julie at the airport) at 7 pm the Thursday after we left. Tired and worn I drove to Manda's I got there at about 10 pm I think it was. I've slept good every night since being out of school. It takes a lot out of me. Being in school. I love it though and I'm glad to be home for a month. I love you all. Thanks for reading my blog.

HEAR GOES NUTTIN', I MEAN NOTHIN'.......

Yes I wrote that correctly. I hear nothin' (as in no valid date offers) I goes nowhere.....(as in not on a date.) And I got nothin'..... (in the way of a fella that is.) I might as well go NUTTIN' (I'm making it up and it means to collect nuts.) BUT I am NOT bitter or looking even (for LOVE that is). I just thought that was a clever play on words. I'm so PUNNY! ha. thanks Kate.

AS per usual I am avoiding my homework. It's really hard to concentrate on it right now anyway because in a matter of DAYS I get to come home and see all of you beautiful lovelies. 

School is going well though.... I think, and hope, anyway. I hope that when this semester is through I will have straight B's. Hey, I don't expect perfection..... I still love my Sociology class. I am tested a little more everyday. It stretches me, not in a painful way, just a "work a little harder Sam" way. I love it. This morning in my Humanities class we watched a documentary on the Mythology of STAR WARS. Talk about right up my ALLEY. I was in Sam heaven. I feel like I've been having so much fun lately. A couple weeks ago Katie and I went to the Titanic Museum..... WONDERFUL. Speaking of RIGHT UP MY ALLEY the museum was great. Sometimes I think I could live my life in Museums and Libraries. AND to top it off..... Vicki and I went to the Teton Dam Flood Museum on Saturday, and not only that but we went out to the actual Dam. It was great...... We talked about paying tribute to the Queen afterwards but we ran out of time. Darn work.

Translation: 

pay tribute to the Queen: patronize the local Dairy Queen establishment. 

I almost forgot....... Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat! Talk about AMAZING..... IT WAS. I waited my whole life to see it and I did. Last week. With Katie and Laura (Katie's roommate) That dirty cheatin' Katie got a NEW roommate. ;) Is cool though.... anyway off of that tangent. I loved the play. I've been singing the music in my head since I went. I shall introduce you all to Joseph. He's great. OH, I could live at the Theater TOO!

Work seems to be going fine too. I really like working at the Bookstore. We had out Employee dinner on Friday night, it was out at Hiese Hot Springs which is only about a half hours drive from here. It was fun and great to socialize with all the peeps I only get to walk past at work. 

VICKI, shall we go to DQ sometime soon? As in NEXT week.... whatdayasay? ha! (that means... what do you say?) 

That's all for now..... Thank you come again. (in my best Indian accent)

SEE KATIE'S blog......... HA! (no, but really if you wanna know what's going on with me go here.... http://www.whatsomaybeaboutkatie.blogspot.com/) LOL...

 

Katie, How come this is the only picture of you and I together that I have? We take MILLIONS together.

"I don't wanna go to the gym!!!"

As of late I have had this feeling in myself that I should become more physically fit...... not that I feel soggy around the midsection, I do, however, feel a little jiggle sometimes when I jump up and down. I didn't know this was taking such an effect on my life.... UNTIL TONIGHT....... I got up from my desk to go to the bathroom when I heard my roommate take out her earplugs and say "your butt's saggy" talk about trauma to a poor girls self esteem, all I could think to do is crumble to the floor in a ball and scream "I don't wanna go to the gym" all I could think about was sweaty people, heavy weights, and the sound of boys using cheesy pick up lines to ask girls out that probably aren't in the mood to be asked out while they aren't wearing makeup and running ten miles an hour on a tread mill. I don't like to sweat. I think that's what keeps me away from the gym. All the while these thoughts were going through my head Julie was laughing harder than I've ever heard her laugh, I couldn't care less however, because as usual I find my humor in my own jokes so I was laughing just as hard. As soon as we calmed down she choose to grace me with her explanation that she meant my pants were sagging not my actual butt. Boy, did that bring relief to my mind, the gym is the most traumatic place on earth. I just don't like all those mirrors they have around. WHO really looks GOOD when their working out, anyway? Personally I only like to look at mirror when I look good. HA!!! 

ON second thought though, maybe the gym isn't such a bad idea..... bring on the boys! They can use their cheesy pick up lines on me anytime! Hey, I gotta find them somewhere. The GYM is DEFINITELY the one place I HAVEN'T tried!!!