Book Reviews: The Selected Series

So I have my giant reading list for the year and three of the books I read this year were not from my reading list. Ha, figures... I think I aim too high. However, when I posted my reading list I asked for recommendations and my friend Leah recommended The Selection by Kiera Cass. I read it and away I went with the entire trilogy. Leah quoted it as "It's a quick, fun read with lots of romance-y-ness." She was right and I loved it.

Of all the popular trilogies right now... Hunger Games, Divergent, and Matched that I have read, this was the only series where I loved the ending and I felt satisfied with how they wrapped everything up. All of the others felt rushed or unresolved in the end or completely off in left field from where the series started but this one kept me interested the entire time and I felt the resolution was planned from the beginning, making everything fall into place. I mean don't get me wrong, there were a few chapters here and there where I was thinking, "Oh no, is she starting to go off on a tangent?" but then she would bring it back in.

This book is set in a time in the future when The United States has fallen weak and has evolved into the caste system. Everyone is marked by their station with little hope of promoting themselves to a better level. The book is centered around the "selection" which is basically a G-Rated version of the Bachelor. Thirty-five girls are chosen from all of the castes to come and live at the castle where they date the Prince and he chooses his bride to be, to become a princess and one day the queen, from this group of girls.

Now don't just go and pooh pooh it off, off of that; it's actually a lot of fun. I think what I liked the most is the main girl in the books, America Singer. She is spunky, speaks her mind, kind, confident, considerate, fun, strong and lovable. But I also liked the entire other story going on; the books are not just about the Selection, they were also about how to improve the country and bring equality back to everyone.

Yes, this is a teen novel so of course this was light and fluffy but I didn't care. It was fun to be giddy and imagine being dressed up in the fancy ball gowns with all the girls and secretly hating Celeste (I guess you'll just have to read book to find out why we hate Celeste... or do we?). It was one of those books where you wished life really was that fair: a prince noticing you for being you and instantly falling in love with you just because you surprised him for being true to yourself.

The Selection
The first of the trilogy. The first 35 girls to be selected to the palace to be part of The Selection. This is where we meet the girls, the royal family, the hand-maids, the royal guard and of course... Prince Maxon.

The Elite
The group is narrowed down to 6 girls... "The Elite." America is torn between her childhood love and her new love for Maxon. While also the palace is being invaded by "The Rebels"... but what on earth could they be after?!

The One
The group is down to 4 girls and Prince Maxon must chose "The One" but not without some trials. The country is in chaos with riots, they King is trying to sabotage the relationship between America and Maxon, family members are dying, and the list goes on.

Do We Still Wonder?

Over a year ago I backpacked through Peru with a friend. One of our days we visited Colca Canyon, the deepest canyon in the world. On our ride back to Arequipa, the city we were staying in, we stopped at the tallest peak at Colca Canyon. As we were walking around looking at a rocky dead plain, with a few patches of snow, I noticed a little old woman trying to reach over a rock wall and touch a patch of snow. I watched her for a moment as she struggled to lean over the wall, because of her old age and body, determined to touch the snow. I walked over to her and asked if she was trying to touch the snow and I soon realized she didn't speak English because she looked at my blankly and then said one word that I didn't recognize. So, just assuming she wanted to touch the snow, I decided to just lean over the rock wall and scoop up a hand full for her. As I went to hand it to her, her eyes were bright and she looked at me for reassurance that it would be ok to take it. I smiled and nodded and then I put it in her hand and she immediately said, “Oh!” and then giggled quietly and sweetly to herself but there was excitement in that giggle too. It was the sweetest thing watching someone experience snow for the first time in their life.

I ran across this moment in my travel journal the other day and it made me smile but it also made me think. Do I work that determinedly towards things I have never done? Do I strive for worthwhile things even if they are hard? Do I take time to find joy in the small things? Do I recognize the things to be grateful for and for the things I get to experience? Do I still take time to wonder and be imaginative?

I was grateful for that experience to help that woman reach her goal to touch snow but also grateful for what she taught me and made me reflect on.

Blog Spotlight: A Very Fukui Family

I have a student worker in my office who is taking a business course where she is required to write a blog. The blog can be about anything. She has decided to write about the cultural differences between her upbringing and her husband's upbringing; he is half-Japanese... she is not.

Her posts are short and sweet but also very smart and witty. I like that her blog makes you laugh but is not negative. I love that she is able to laugh at herself as she is truly trying to learn about the culture and customs she has married into.

Go check out her blog and follow her: A Very Fukui Family

Book Review: The Giver

I first read "The Giver" by Lois Lowry in my 7th grade English class. I remember liking the book a lot but not being able to remember the plot.

At a get together with some friends of mine from growing up, I brought up The Giver and asked if anyone could remember what the book was about. We could remember little bits and pieces but we really couldn't remember the book. It bothered me that I couldn't remember a book that I loved at one point in my life so I decided to read it again.

As soon as I starting reading The Giver it all came flooding back to me. It's a story of a controlled society where people are told exactly what job to have, their emotions are taken away from them, they see no color and the world is perfect and ordinary with nothing out of a routine. I love the book because it fascinates me that a "society" could function in such a way. It makes me think, would I want to live in a perfect world or would I rather have the imperfect world I live in where I know sadness and pain but I also know joy, wonder, adventure, variety and more?

I think the "controlled society" is very "in" right now. The Hunger Games, Divergent, Maze Runner and more and The Giver fits right in with them. No wonder they made a movie of The Giver (I haven't seen it yet but it will be interesting to see what they do with it). I wonder why this story line keeps us so interested and pulled in?

The Giver was a fast and easy read. I liked the book again but I think different things stood out to me as I read it. It's funny how with 13 years later a book can have different meanings. I think the one thing that was a big difference for me was the ending. I feel like the book ends in a very metaphorical way and when I read it in 7th grade I understood the ending completely differently then when I read it today. I had to read the last page a few times because I couldn't believe that I was understanding it differently and it couldn't be that the book was ending that way.

I'd recommend reading the book. Again it is a fast easy read, which is nice with our busy live's, but it also was just as interesting as it was 13 years ago.

Friend Dates

A few months ago I was with some friends of mine who I don't get to see very often because we either don't live near each other or our work schedules are completely different. I have been friends with these girls for years and so getting together never has the awkward, "Oh, I really HAVEN'T seen you in awhile" moment. It's as if we pick right up where we left off.

As we were chatting we were talking about how we don't really know how to make new friends anymore. (I mean we dooooo but) It seems like just as much work as dating. In fact, making new friends at this stage of life IS like dating. It's probably harder than dating because at least with dating you can say that you don't really see things clicking, whereas with a trial run with a new friend, you are just the jerk who just doesn't want to hang out anymore.

It's like you have have to go on a "date" to see if you really want to hang out with them. Neither one of you calls it a date or acts like it is a date but you pick a small activity, one you both have an interest in, and you go and do it together and hope that you still find the person interesting and fun to be around by the end of the hang out. And if you don't want to hang out with them after, unlike dating, it is more awkward "breaking up" with them than with someone you have been on a few dates with.

I love those friendships where you can be completely yourself, you can be silent and not feel awkward, you can run basic errands together, you know you can call that person for a new activity and they won't shut you down even if it is out of their comfort zone. Friend dating is hard to get to this level. I rather just spend some quiet introvert time alone and then have a few meaningful friend nights with the people who fall into the category of this list, than spend and entire year trying to make new friends that never really stick.

I feel like it takes work, commitment, time and years to reach a true level of friendship. Maybe that is why it is so easy to enjoy the lasting friendships I already have, even if I don't see them on a daily basis, because there really isn't time in life to create something similar at this stage in life.

Man... it's a problem. Friend dating... phew!

Though this may be a problem for the rest of my adult life. When I get married I will have to go on friend dates with other wives. And then when I have kids I will not only have to go on "mommy-dates" with other moms, I will also have to go on "play dates" to make sure their kids aren't going to use my kid as a punching bag.

I'm figuring when I am old and retired I will just hang out with my husband and maybe some of our close couple friends but then when my husband dies I may have to start the whole "friend-dating" thing again. Good thing my friends and I have a plan for when all of our husbands die. Let's just say we'll be the cool kids on the block (slash, crazy old ladies who have to much fun).

Good times in the friend dating world. Overall, this concept was a big laugh to all of us when we recognized all of the similarities of trying to make new friends these days with dating.

(I do have one exception to all of this: I do think it is still possible to create lasting friendships through co-workers and people you have to see on a daily basis but that is because the time is being spent together while at work and there is time to build the friendship. But outside of work... we sadly don't have the time we used to have when we were wee-little ones.)

Not Your "Normal" 26-Year-Old... I guess

First Half of Post: Marriage - Second Half of Post: Life Progress

In the past year or so I've noticed on blogs and facebook the "older" single crowd is starting to speak up a little more. (Haha or maybe it's because everyone I follow and am friends with on Facebook is my same age and so the probability of these posts is going up) Not in a contentious type of way but just a way of saying, "Hey, these are my own thoughts on my situation... it's not so bad." These were two blogs/articles that I found that I liked what they wrote and I've just added my own thoughts and opinions along with them.

I have been very blessed to have close friends and close family members in my life who love me for who I am I don't treat me as if I am "broken" or incomplete because I am not married; I never have to feel ashamed when I am with them because I know they love me no matter what.

The Older YSA Crowd

3. I love weddings! Especially when it is a wedding for a close friend or family member. Never have I ever been jelous or bitter when celebrating their bliss. I love seeing someone I care about making a life step that makes them so happy. I mean how immature to be bitter just because someone else is happy.

I love getting together with people I love at weddings; catching up and swapping fun stories about the happy couple. Oh and dancing! I love dancing, so when there is dancing at a wedding I go from "happy-camper" status to "cloud nine."

My younger brother got married last summer... gasp! I know! How on Earth... Is Amy Ok? (sad head tilt) Last I checked I'm not dying or even ill... so umm.. I'm great... In fact I was so excited for my brother I wasn't even thinking about me... that was until people kept asking me or family members if I was ok with the situation... but then I would forget them and continue being super excited for my brother's wedding.

4. Haha, yeah... no need to pity me.

5. Sometimes with those pity parties from other people you do start to question your self worth. I think she says here is perfect, "If a guy isn't interested in us, it's OKAY. God is. And in my eyes, knowing that and reflecting that knowledge in our daily living is what makes a person truly attractive."

8. The first time I had someone say to me, "Don't worry, you're turn will come too!" I was 20... TWENTY-years-old. Haha umm, thanks, I know. (Can't imagine what they must think of me now)

9. "I rather be happily single than miserably married." Amen! Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to one day be married and sharing life with my best friend, my partner in crime, etc. But I'm not just going to settle for Joe-Shmoe because everyone is making me feel like if I don't jump on the train now I'll miss it completely.

This second article is an article that, not only was relatable, but was also a good life reminder for its outlook. Constantly I find myself stressing about what I'm doing next and why I'm not where I feel I'm supposed to be but the thing is, why am I stressing about what is next all that time? Shouldn't I be enjoying the "now" and learning from the "now?" What's the rush to completely growing up? I've got YEARS to be grown up.. Yes, of course, making goals is important and we should always be working towards moving along, but we shouldn't be stressing over it... I shouldn't be stressing over it!

I like that this article reminds me to also be considerate when I am talking to people and not asking what is next all the time but asking about what they are doing with their life right now.

Ask What I'm Doing Now
and The After Math of "26 Unmarried and Childless"

What I find so interesting about these articles is that the first one spoke out to many single people; her article went viral (on noss speed) with the single crowd. BUT what the second article explains, the first article wasn't meant entirely for the "single" crowd. The first article was about a friend of her's with infertility problems, another who had lost a job, etc.

P.S. you should check out the author of these two articles... she's HILLARIOUS! MandieMarie

Closing thoughts: Well, I'm 26 and even though I have my downs of thinking I am behind in life or in a rut, I also remember that I am still me and I live a pretty interesting and filled life and I wouldn't trade it. I also have great family and friends to share my life moments with; I am not alone. And yes I want to be married and start that life chapter but I am also not going to sit around doing nothing until that day comes. I'm going to keep going on adventures and learning and growing and being me.

Blogs... they're kind of funny

The other day I was thinking about a post I wanted to write  for my blog but then I thought, "Maybe that is too personal to publicly write about" and then I started to think about blogs. They can be a digital journal. Of course not ALL blogs are journals; some are purely informative, retail, a place for married people (who are too cool for Facebook) to post, advertisement, recipes, etc. But I use mine as a journal of random thoughts that I force the 3, maybe 4, of you to read. (Haha, Thanks)

When we were younger we all used to lock up all our secrets in our "diaries" now we blog about it. We tell the world. So my thought is, where do we draw the line of sharing and not sharing? Sometimes maybe we're too secretive and we need to share the hard things as much as the good things so that everyone knows that we are just human. Maybe someone else needs to read about the hard things to know that they are not alone in what they are going through too. But then again, sometimes it gets old hearing people's sob stories. I don't know, I guess a happy variety is always good... leaning on the the side of more positive posts.

One great thing about blogs is that is a great way to stay connected with friends who are not in the same state as I am. I love hearing about their little daily activities, their full stories, seeing their pictures, etc. Of course this does not beat getting to see them in person but it helps to get to enjoy the things that they wouldn't have time to fully share in a phone conversation.

The type of blogs I enjoy are the ones that make me laugh, inspire me to think outside the box or be more creative, and the ones that are written by friends and family.

Anyways... cheers to blogs and their funny-ness.

Let's Look at Life in a Different Light

I ran across this Coca-Cola commercial and I know it is an ad but I liked that it shows people doing good things without having a personal agenda or motive for themselves. I think with such a fast paced society, filled with instant gratification, it can be easy not to look around once in a while and see that there's more to society than just ourselves. Sometimes I see something that I could do for someone else and I think about doing it and then I decide I am too busy or that it doesn't matter. I kick myself and feel guilty every time I do this. It really can be so simple to take the time, even a small 30 seconds to 5 minutes, to do something for someone else each day.  The thing is, that small 30 seconds probably would mean the world to that person. Just think what the world could be like with that attitude and think how much happier we probably all would be.

The video also shows people enjoying life in its little moments; something I sometimes forget to do. But I think finding joy in those little moments is really want life is all about and those little moments are really the ones that matter.

Anyways, I just liked this and wanted to share. The original commercial played the song, "Give a little bit" but because of copyright stuff they had to change to YouTube version.

If you knew you were going to die tomorrow...

If you knew you were going to die tomorrow, what would you today? Do you ever think about that?

On a fun level, I would want to have a dance party with my college friends, go boating or have a pool party with my close friends that I grew up with, spend the rest of the day with my family having a big potluck and playing games; badminton, croquet, woofleball, cards, etc. and then have a late sleepover with my dance friends.

If I didn't have people in my life that I loved, I would jump on a plane and go to a beautiful place that I have never been and eat delicious food, read a favorite book and take some pictures.

On a serious note; I think it is hard to really know what you really would decide to do if you were going to die tomorrow. I think I would at least want to be with my family. I don't know if I would just want to sit and enjoy their company or if I would want to go do activities. I don't know if I would want them to know that I knew I was going to die or if I would just enjoy the time without the sadness.

I've always said that I would like to send a thank you note to everyone in my life that I love and have appreciated their influence on my life. If I had those notes ready, I would mail those out on my "last" day.

Maybe I would try to do one more thing on my bucket list; something I've never done before as a last hoorah!

What would you do if you knew you were going to die tomorrow?

Workout with YouTube

One day in January I went to go to the field house on campus to go for a run; I'm a woose and running outside at that time of the year is NOT an option. As I was about to walk into the gym I noticed a sign on the door, "The Filedhouse will be closed on January 11 for a Track and Field meet." As a friend of mine always says, "Dangit Jim!"

As I headed home I started to try to think of other things I could do for a workout. I hadn't had a chance to work out for the entire week and really wanted to. I then remember a few weeks earlier a roommate of mine just looked up a workout on YouTube and she really liked it; so I decided to jump on there and see what I could find. WOW! So many choices! I feel kind of dumb I didn't think of this before... you can find ANYTHING on youtube.

Anyways, I thought I would share with you the awesome 30 minute workout that I did but also the "Aw ha!" moment of knowing you can simply jump on to your computer to find a quick workout for the day and still feel good about getting some physical activity in.

The "Just Like Heaven" Debate

The movie, Just Like Heaven, came out in theaters when I was in high school. My friends and I went to go see it for one of our friend's birthday... our lives have never been the same since that day.

*Spoiler Alert* (You can get over it, if you haven't seen the movie now, do you really think you care that much NOT to know what happens) Near the end of movie, Reese Witherspoon's character is about to die and Mark Ruffalo jumps to save her and what he did next was a huge debate with my friends. Did he give her one last kiss or did he try to give her CPR? Whichever side we were on we didn't even think the other side existed until someone mentioned the last kiss and the debate began. First it was a small discussion after the movie and then it turned into heated debates during lunch at school. Both sides were  presented with reasonable defenses but at the end of the day neither side won; we all kept to our side of the opinion and no one was swayed to the opposite side of their opinion. Eventually we called it what it was and the discussion died off.

Fast forward 9 years and we still have this debate on the "once-in-awhile" occasion; though it doesn't get as heated as it used to, it's more a funny memory that we enjoy reminiscing about. I love this memory; makes me think of these great girls who are a part of my life, who cared and who stuck to their guns and opinions BUT still love and care about each other at the end of the day. Looking back on this fun memory I almost look at each side being labeled as romantic or practical thinkers (not that I'm saying the romantic thinkers aren't practical people and vice versa). Of course a romantic thinker would see a last kiss as the perfect send off and a practical thinker would do the step-by-step procedure in an emergency situation. The funny thing is, it seems to be that the girls who had the "romantic view" are all married and those with the, "IT WAS CPR!" argument are still kickin' it in the single lane.

Well, I'm still single, not even  just dating but not married, nope, 100% single. Can you guess where I fall? That's right, I'm on the CPR side of the debate. It only makes sense to me that if someone, who I loved, was dying I would probably do all that I could to save them.

Where do you fall? CPR or Last Kiss? Practical or Romantic?

"... then it will really be a good day."

"You may think that today is just another day in your life. It's not just another day. It's the one day that is given to you... today."

I watched this TedTalk that a cousin sent out in a work newsletter and I just wanted to share it. Just another reminder to put life back into perspective. (Only 10 minutes long)

Realities of an Average Snowboarder

In honor of the Olympics I decided to write about my own experiences as a snowboarder. My favorite Winter Olympic events to watch are the Snowboard Cross and the Halfpipe. I watch these events in awe at their ability to do these amazing things; the speed, the precision, the tricks, the DARINGness, etc. and I always get a small, very small, thought of, "They make that look so easy. Maybe I should try to go snowboarding a little more and then I will be able to do the McTwist." and then I chuckle as reality cruelly comes back into focus. I am but a humble snowboarder who is happy doing the "falling leaf" down the mountain and excited when I can carve. (No worries, every year I'm improving a little)

So here is just a little fun as I list some of the realities, experiences and "must do's" of the snowboarding world.

A snowboarder must wear at least one item of ridiculous clothing (if not the entire outfit)
OR! At least something that STANDS OUT! This is one area where I fall short as a snowboarder. My coat, pants, boots, bindings, board, goggles, gloves, etc all coordinate and in subtile ways. Oops.

Getting-off-the-lift Anxiety
Oooooh yeah, it's a thing! It is a right of passage to be able to get off the lift without falling. It takes concentration, balance, and a little prayer in your heart saying, "PLEASE don't make me fall in front of everyone again! I promise to be a better person!" When I first started snowboarding I would stop in the middle of conversations to prepare myself to get off the lift; everyone on the chair would become invisible to me yet I would be panicked I would be knocking them over in a few seconds as well.

Just watch:

The celebration of getting off the lift without falling
Yup... this is a thing too! It is as if you try to play it cool until you know, without a doubt, you will not topple over and then... you celebrate. Whether it be a loud cheer or whoop! Or a silent put your hand in a fist pulling your arm down, while whispering, "yes!"

I have a friend, Spencer, that I love to go snowboarding with because we are at the same level but we also push each other to get better. Spencer is about 6'2" and I... am not. I was with him his very first time ever trying out snowboarding when a group of our college friends went snowboarding. The first time he and I rode the lift together I assured him he could get off the lift without falling (clearly I was lying but I was trying to give him a little confidence). Well it came time to get off the lift and we started to smoothly slide down the small slope when *WACK* he completely took me out. Ahahahaha! The best part were these two punk teenage snowboarders who saw this happen and one said to the other, "Dude! That guy took that little girl OUT!" You can bet Spencer was celebrating the day when he could consistently get off the lift without falling over.

The celebration of reaching each stage of snowboarding

1. Stopping
2. Getting off the lift without falling*
3. The Falling Leaf
4. Riding Toe Side
5. C-Turns
6. S-Turns
7. Carving
8. Speed
9. Jumps
10. Tricks in The Park
11. The Olympics

*This really could fall anywhere on the list... if you are lucky it happens at the beginning of learning how to snowboard.

A Consistent Hatred of Cat-tracks
Ugh! Nothing is worse than getting stuck on a flat area of the mountain. These situations tend to lead to scootching your body in a weird fashion which leads to exhaustion, hopping about in a side to side and slightly forward motion which also leads to exhaustion, getting on your hands and knees and hopping forward or undoing your bindings and walking to a snowboard friendly area. Good thing none of these actions are humiliating... oh wait... they are.

My thanks go out to any skier who's ever helped me out in these situations and held out their pole for me to hold on to while they pulled me along.

Yeah... this is a good interpretation of my feeling of ending up on a cat-track; especially when it is a complete surprise.

The Sore Bum, Wrists and/or Neck at the end of the day
It's inevitable. The sore bum and wrists seem to come from falling over; especially when trying to get better at certain things. And the neck comes from those knock-the-air-out-of-you tumbles. I'm too old for those things.

The snowboard itch on a powdery day
It's a lot more fun to fall over into powder; I am much more brave and willing to try new things when there is a think layer of powdery/fresh snow. When it is snowing a lot and I know the mountains are filling up with new snow I ache at the idea that I have to wait for the weekend to go (Stupid grown-up jobs). Who wouldn't want to go snowboarding in this:

Other Fun Things About Snowboarding
Talks with Friends on the lifts.
Meeting new people and hearing their stories while on the lifts.
That peaceful/quite feel on a snowy night for night boarding.
Fresh air.
Being out in nature.
Doing something you love and enjoy.

Missionary Moments Part 2

Recently I blogged about some missionary moments and I had a few more thoughts I wanted to share but I thought that post was getting a bit too long. Mostly these are just other examples of people in my life and how they are sharing the gosepel through their everyday actions. I'm really grateful for their example to me.

I had a friend in college (We're going to call him Kevin... because that is his name) tell me about a neat missionary experience he and his family had growing up. His family moved in next door to a non-member family. The two families, just being courteous and kind to each other eventually became friends. Simple hellos expanded into "how was your day" conversations which lead to dinner invitations that later on extended to game nights and more. Kevin's family simply became friends with their next door neighbors. There was no agenda or goal; they were just friendly and created a relationship with a really good family. As the non-member family grew closer to Kevin's family they would ask questions about the church; just simple "I'm curious" or "Could you clarify" questions but they were close enough that they knew they could just ask. Kevin's family did invite their neighbors to church activities and dinners where they could get to know other people in the neighborhood (which is funny because here Kevin's family was the newer family in the neighborhood). It wasn't until about 8 years of the two families being close that Kevin's neighbors joined the church; the entire family joined and they are still extremely strong members today. I thought that this was such a neat story because something as small as being openly kind and friendly and letting it grow into a natural friendship, led to a strong family joining the church.

I was talking to another close friend who recently finished reading, "The Power of Everyday Missionaries" by Clayton M. Christensen and she was telling me about a blurb from the book and I loved it. (I need to read this book!) In his book he tells a story about when he and his wife have moved out of state for school and since they were around more non-members they were excited to share the gospel with as many people as possible. He and his wife invited one of his classmates and his wife over for dinner and games and then invited them to come to church with them the next day. The classmate and his wife politely declined. Not to get discouraged the Christensens moved on to another couple in the program and asked them over for the same activities and the invited them to church. This couple politely declined going to church as well. They continued this routine. Later on Clayton found out that one of his classmates, who he had invited over at one point, had told another classmate that he did NOT like the Christensens. Turns out this classmate was annoyed that the Christensens didn't want to be friends with he and his wife if they were not interested in their church. The Christensens had no idea and had not realized this was the impression they had left.  (I have no doubt the story is written much more smoothly and eloquently in the book) I think this example happens to SO many of us; in a completely innocent way. As members of the church we are incredibly busy with work, family, church callings, service, etc. So when it comes to everyday missionary work it can be so easy to jump to invitations and when we're turned down then just move on to the next person when instead, like Kevin's family, taking the time to build a real relationship. Who knows, that relationship could never lead to the other party joining the church but at least they will have a good opinion of members of the church.

This friend, who talked to me about reading The Power of Everyday Missionaries, has been such an incredible missionary in her everyday actions a lot lately. She always has been a good example, loving and inviting to everyone but she moved out of state almost two years ago now and has been a missionary in many ways. It has been fun to talk to her about her many missionary moments while living in a very non-member populated area and state. She hasn't gone out of her way to be a missionary but has been an example through her everyday actions and letting it be known (in a courteous  and even fun way) what her standards are. She has had many casual conversations where her roommates may ask a question here or there and she'll answer them without a hint of defense in her answers. She has been open about things too (which I find so inspiring); when she gets home from institute or church and her roommates ask her how it was she doesn't just say, "It was good!" and leave it at that, nope, she says, "It was good we learned about (insert subject)." And then if her roommates ask what she learned about she'd give them a simple answer. In return, when her roommates get home from their churches she always asks them what they learned. She also has been having a lot of fun showing her roommates and classmates that members of the church are "normal," like to have fun, are motivated and interested in education, etc. Again, it sounds like my friend's roommates probably will never join the church, though you never know, but at least they have a better and more accurate understanding about our church.

Elder Perry came and spoke at my Regional Conference in November and he talked about missionary work. These are a few notes I took from his talk:

• "We should be grounded in the gospel"
• "We need to do more when we have been given so much"
• "Be a missionary in your everyday actions" (examples given were: blogs, Facebook, conversation, etc.)

Just to wrap up, I thought this quote by President Benson gave a great light of hope... not discouragement... with this big task of missionary work for all of us to tackle:

"Our work will be light and easy to bear if we will depend on the Lord and work. Don't worry about being successful. We are going to be successful - there is no doubt about it. The Lord has sent us to earth at the time of harvest. He does not expect us to fail. He has called no one to this work to fail. He expects us to succeed." - President Ezra Taft Benson, "Keys to Successful Member - Missionary Work." Ensign, September 1990.

It's Another Reading List! Why Not?!

The new year is here and I'm posting my 2014 books I hope to read! As always I over estimate my ability to read lots of books in the year (ahem, 2013 Reading List), and so there is overlap from last year (again... as always) but that's ok... I'm going to continue to plug along and think glass half full! Every year I post my reading list I read more books than I did the year before, so I'll continue to over-stretch my goal BUT increase my number by doing so! Huzzah!

As always, feel free to read along with me!


Books I have started but have not finished: (Is it weird that I start books and then put them down and come back to them later?! Sometimes it's because I want to say I've read them but just can't get into them but other times it's just because I'm not in the mood for that book until later on.)

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

The History of Love by Nicole Krauss

Mediation and the Atonement of Christ by John Taylor

Books to Read this year

Deception Point by Dan Brown

Utopia by Sir Thomas More

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

The Servant by James C. Hunter

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

The Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas

Twenty Years After by Alexander Dumas

Any recommendations for:
A light fun book; possibly on the chick flick side or young adult.

A church book; also on the light side. I really liked reading I Sit All Amazed this year. It was an easy read, inspiring, motivating and enjoyable. I would like to find something similar.

It's the end of another great year: 2013

Review
Another great year has come and gone and I feel like I completed my "Year of Mistakes" (blog post link below) theme almost to a T (with a few responsible things sneaking in). I quit my job with several ideas of what path to take next and then throwing all of those paths out to the wind (aka: Caution to the Wind) and traveled... I traveled like nobody's business. Even though it was a year of highs and lows (for myself and for others around me) I would not change it one bit (well, if I could take away the heart ache of those that I care about I would in an instance). After traveling, my next plan was to sign up to go to Africa for 6 months to do some humanitarian work but a job opportunity snuck its way into my path and I decided to be daring and jump back on the employment path. Africa will have to wait... it is not off the table.

Travels
As traveling is something I love to do, I started a travel blog to share and journal my experiences as well as share things and tricks I've learned.

As I said up above, this year was no exception to traveling!

Pocatello

Oceanside

Boston/DC/NYC Roadtrip

Peru

Hwy1

Connecticut

My Top Favorite Things of the Year (In no particular order)
The Traveling with Friends and Family
Monthly Get-Togethers with my Group of Friends from High School
My Brother's Wedding

One of Many Lessons Learned
Timing, by Elder Oaks was shared with me by a friend and it brought me a lot of comfort. I get pretty stressed when trying to make a life decision, especially when so many options seem right, and I probably still will get stressed but this talk was a good reminder to have faith and do the small things that I have been asked to do and then other things will fall into place when and if they are supposed to.

Top Five most visited Blog Posts
Top 25 Friends Episodes
Spiritual Gifts
What is Love?
Book Reviews
2013: Year of Mistakes

Things to look forward to
I don't really have any big plans for travel or for life for 2014. Knowing me I'm sure I'll change that pretty quick but until then, I'm looking forward to enjoying the simplicity of life and doing little things like: playing with my nieces and nephews, reading books, hanging out with my family, laughing with friends, finishing little projects that always seem to get set aside, etc. No matter what, I'm excited to keep life interesting, even in the smallest of ways, and just continue to enjoy the ride.

Book Reviews: Peter and the Secret of Rundoon

Yay! I'm continuing on with my 2013 Reading List; It feels great!

Peter and the Secret of Rundoon by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
This is the third book in the Peter and the Starcatchers series. The books are written for children but I have really enjoyed them. One of the many fun things about this series is that it unfolds how Peter Pan becomes the character we know, and how Neverland comes to be the place we wish truly existed. This book continued on with Peter's adventures and it didn't hold back as it included a flying camel, an evil creature that can steal your shadow and soul (Gasp! What! I thought he died in the last book! Nope, guess again), magic carpets and a snake that eats children. The book has two stories going on at once and it would jump back and forth between the two stories, creating cliff hangers and the "want" to continue reading. I loved how the book includes all the elements of what childhood should be; adventure, imagination, innocence, hope, loyalty, love, etc. I loved the ending to this book, it left you slightly sad (like a happy-sad) but also warm and hopeful. I would recommend this book! But you would have to read the first two first AND remember it's a children's book so plan to let your imagination soar but there will be not intellectual gain.
Originally this was the last book of the series but two more books have now been written; I'm debating if I want to read them or just end with this one.