Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Read any good books lately?

Ok, Honey Bunch...this is for you. Don't say I never did anything for you. :0)
This is the list of books I have read since January {I think anyway...it's hard to keep track}. I love to read. I have been known to stay up until the wee hours of the night in order to finish a book. In fact, just the other night I was up until past 1:00 a.m. finishing off this one.....

This is the latest book by one of my new favorite authors, Stephenie Meyer. It was not at all what I expected it to be like. I knew it had to do with aliens taking over human bodies, but the story line was so intriguing and thought provoking it kind of took me off guard. It made you think about what qualities make humans truly human and perhaps if some of us don't act very humanely at all.
This one honestly, just looked interesting to me. I've always been curious about weegie boards, but never dared even touch one. Bad karma. The main character of this book is able to see and speak to the spirit of a man who was wrongly accused of several murders. Nobody else can see him but her, as she did the whole weegie board thing. The real murderer is back out on the prowl and so she has to try to figure it out with the help of a handsome policeman. Yeah, I know...typical story line. It was an ok book though.
This one was interesting. Two little twin girls are kidnapped. One is returned. The other is assumed dead. The one still alive appears to have some sort of "twin connection" with the other one, making some believe that her sister is really still alive and out there somewhere. Made me wonder if twins really do have that kind of connection. You've heard about twins separated at birth that knew they were "missing" something and ended up along similar paths in life. Weird stuff.
My friend, Alicia, totally hooked me up with this book. She literally brought it to my house. Now that I think of it, I read this in September. Oh well...can't leave it off the list right? I read the book in 2 days and borrowed the last two in the trilogy from her immediately after. I read the other two in only a couple more days. I couldn't put them down. When I was done with the third one, Eclipse, I was angry that the next book wasn't out already. I mean, seriously...what is up with making me wait? Don't they know I don't "do" waiting? Sigh.
This one was another mystery sort of book. A retired attorney, who is also a single dad, ends up having to come out of retirement to help out an old friend accused of rape and murder. Interesting storyline. It was ok.
Yes, Ashlee read the "devil books". My brother has not let me live it down. There was so much hype over these books and everyone just kept saying that you weren't supposed to read them or watch the movie....yada yada yada. I knew at some point, my book loving son would want to read them and I needed to be able to make an educated decision over whether or not I would allow it. So, I read the books. I'm an adult. If the books were really evil, I would figure it out pretty quickly and/or be able to look past the subtleties. It doesn't really get into the taboo stuff until the third book. But, honestly, whether or not the authors intentions were to portray man killing God or whatnot, I read it strictly as a fairytale. People can read whatever they want into pretty much anything these days. The characters live in a different reality, a different world actually. In their world, things are different. Their souls live outside their bodies. Anyway, it's all pretty much fictious and as long as it is read that way, there's not too much to worry about. It's kind of like reading into Narnia. Sure, one could say that the big lion is portraying Jesus, but really? He's just a lion. See my point? Anyway...the books were pretty decent up until the end of the third. I was seriously let down. Three books leading up to the big finale.....that wasn't so big. I was pretty disappointed. They weren't horrible, but not that great. Moving on....

Santa brought this book to my son this last year. Apparently Santa didn't pay too much attention because this book is way too old for an 8 year old. Sigh. Good times. Not old as in "too mature", just old as in....he wouldn't understand half the stuff or half the words. It's kind of like Harry Potter...made up words for a made up place. So, I stole it and read it. They said on the cover it was supposed to be like Harry Potter....not so much. The wizards don't really have powers. They summon demons to do their dirty work. I know, I know...here I go with demons and evil blah blah blah. They are not evil demons. They are creatures that are like nymphs and fairies and stuff. They are forced to do the will of the wizard that enslaves them. Got it? It was just ok. Perhaps a tween might like it.
Ah, yes. This fabulous book comes out in just a couple of days. I have been DYING for it to come out. I hope they don't run out of copies for me. Actually, I'll be in Boise this weekend, so I probably won't be able to even focus on getting a copy for myself until I get back next week. But then...I'm off to scavenge for one. This is book #4 in the Twilight Series. yes, the one I couldn't wait for, but was forced to because Stephenie hates me. Not that she really knows me, but if she did and she really loved me, she wouldn't make me wait. Right?
This one was wierd. But, apparently not wierd enough {or maybe just weird enough} for Hollywood. The movie version of it has already been made. It will be in theatres next October...meaning 2009. A teenage girl is raped and murdered {I know, again with the violence} and her murderer is never found. She goes up to heaven and is able to look down on her family and see what happens to them after her death. Like I said, weird.
This one was interesting. They made it into a "made for TV movie", which didn't do the book justice. They left out half the stuff. Sigh. A doctor ends up having to deliver his own baby one blizzardy night in the 1960s. Turns out, his wife was pregnant with twins. Though the first born, which was a boy, is perfectly healthy, the second born, a little girl, is born with downs syndrome. Back in that generation, people thought that this meant the baby would die soon after birth. The doctor, and new father, is afraid of what it would do to his wife to deal with that kind of loss, so he gives the baby to his personal nurse that is there to help him and tells her to take it to a home for people with this "disease". He tells his wife that the girl died. It destroys her. The nurse can't give the baby up and ends up raising her as her own. The book describes what life is like for both children and the parents afterwards. It wasn't my favorite book, but it was enlightening and interesting.
This book was almost the death of me. It was over 1000 pages long. Longest book {besides a text book} that I have ever read. Holy cow! Though the descriptions of the architectural elements were totally boring to me, the storyline was good. I was completely involved with the characters and their relationships with each other. It was interesting to see how they all affected each others lives.
I bought the book, Wicked, to take with me this weekend. Don't know if I'll have time to read, and really I should be reading my chapters for next weeks assignments instead, but I figured what the heck. This book is the same story as the musical, which I would love to go see. It is a twist on the whole 'Wizard of Oz' story, which is told from Dorothy's perspective. I am told this is the story of how the Wicked Witch became wicked. Sounds intriguing. I'll let you know!
What books have you guys read? I'm always looking for a new good one to add to my library.



Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Lady in Red....


Now that song brings back some memories.....it was THE song at all the dances I went to as a teenager. Good times....
Anyway..I hurried and had my son take picture of me so I could show you the new 'do. I am officially a red head. For 25 more days. It's a wash out color job. Semi-permanent, you know? My little one NEEDED to be in the picture. I don't know if death would have been the result of my not allowing it, but honestly...we just got back from a 1 1/2 hour trip to Target and I am SO done with whiney children today. So, you get to have a picture of my adorable daughter as well. She makes the picture, don't you think? Her blank stare....yes...she's tired. It's nap time. Sigh.
Landon did a good job as photographer don't you think?

Monday, July 28, 2008

Vacations and Psychology....that's why!

I'm just realizing it's been almost a week since I last posted. But, honestly guys...I got nothin'. My brain is on overload.


I'm getting ready for our big family vacation up to Boise this weekend. Four days of non-stop f-u-n, FUN! A train ride featuring a Wild West Shoot Out, a BBQ at my sister's house, Roaring Springs Water Park, Boondocks Family Fun Center, Jaysen's Day 'O Golf, Lots of shopping, and swimming in the pool at the hotel will be part of our big adventure. I think Jaysen has Sunday night's dinner lined up for us as well at his aunt and uncle's house. SWEET!

The OCD in me is making my lists, and checking them twice....to make sure I know exactly what should be packed and purchased and loaded in the car. I will still forget something...it never fails. But at least I will have tried. :0) The car needs an oil change and a good gutting so that we can refill it with more stuff for this trip. I haven't emptied it since the family reunion. It's scary in there. :0)

Beyond these preparations, I am attempting to get this week's school work done in record time along with part of next week's assignments done so that when we get back LATE Tuesday night I will not have to worry about posting Tuesday's assignment. These "fun" school preparations include writing the introduction and conclusion to my research paper on how Antidiscrimination Laws are a form of discrimination themselves. {Don't get me started...I could go on and on...} as well as learning all about the sexual development of humans and sexual psychology. Good times....If you have any questions as to that....please don't ask me. I've read it, I'm done with it...heaven knows I don't want to know one more thing about the male anatomy and how the "bits and pieces" work. SERIOUSLY. Guys are just gross! :0)


I was going to post about my new hair color. Yes, I did it again....from blonde to brown and now to my new shade {which is thankfully going to wash out in 26 more days}. It's a little scary, though everyone is being really nice and telling me how much they like it. I think they're lying. But I appreciate it. Because I have 26 more days of it. :0) Why haven't I posted about this? Because I haven't taken a picture yet. I really meant to do it yesterday when I was all cute for church, but I never got to it. So, you will all just have to imagine it until I get one taken. :0)






So, for now, you will have to deal with this long boring post about how I can't think of something for real to post about. OK? I'll work on something more create for later. Or maybe not. We'll see how I do with adolescent egocentrism. Several assignments on that one....so glad I don't have a teenager yet. Oh yeah....

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Wordless Wednesday

Want S'more?


I almost forgot it was Wednesday....sigh.


For more on Wordless Wednesday, go here.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Is it getting hot in here?


OK...a few of you asked about the guy in my all about me mosaic I posted yesterday. Honestly, I don't have a "real" celebrity crush. So, I had to think hard on this one. And the first hottie I could think of was this guy. His name is James Scott and he plays EJ Wells/Dimera on Days of Our Lives. I haven't been on the "up and up" with the show for a while, but between his lovely british accent and his puppy dog eyes for Sami....I can't help but love him too! :0)
He's awfully dreamy without a shirt on, but we won't get into that.....
So, now you now. Go google him or something! :0)

Monday, July 21, 2008

Me in pictures....




If you'd like to play along, here is what you do.

1. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
2. Use only the first page of results, and pick one image.
3. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into Big Huge Lab’s Mosaic Maker to create a mosaic of the picture answers.

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. What is your favorite drink?
7. What is your dream vacation?
8. What is your favorite dessert?
9. What did you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. What is one word that describes you?
12. What is your Flickr name?

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Ah, Memories.....

My friend's are all doing this on their blogs and since everybody else is doing it, that means that I need to as well. :0) Actually, they are all getting nice warm and fuzzy memories left for them, and so I thought it would be fun to see what each of you can come up with.
1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses.

Now go! Leave me happy memories. That's right....I don't want the bad stuff. :0)

Wordless Wednesday

Snake River Canyon

For more on Wordless Wednesday, go here.

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Oh, come with me to Primary...

Today....I'm going to reveal how "selfish" I am.

I was taught to never turn down a calling in church. Whatever I was asked to do, I should accept it and be grateful for the opportunity. Right? And so I've done that.

Since becoming an adult and going to the family ward where you begin to get jobs to do...this has been my "lot"

14-15 year old Sunday School: 1 year
moved to Buhl
CTR 8 Primary: 1 year
moved to TF
CTR 8 Primary: 2 1/2 years
moved into house
12- 13 year old Sunday School: 1 1/2 years
Choir pianist/Primary fill in pianist: 1 year
2nd Counselor in Primary: 1 year
moved into current home
CTR 6 Primary: 1 year

For those of you unaware of what Primary is, it is where the kids that are aged 3-11 go to learn about Jesus. Got it? Ok...we'll move on.

Are you catching the trend? I have practically LIVED in Primary my entire adult life. Which is when we're supposed to be out of Primary learning "bigger" things. Right? Yes....not so much for Ashlee.

Here's where the selfish part comes in.

I'm done. I can't do it anymore. I love Primary. I do. I love the innocent faith of all the little kids in Jr. Primary. But, I need more. I get absolutely nothing out of church. Nada. I fight with my 2 year old during sacrament meeting {where we all get together for talks...much like a sermon} because she can't sit still...and then I get two more hours of babysitting other parents' 6 year olds. I know...I'm being a little negative here. But at this point, that is beginning to feel like what it is. A babysitting job. I know I'm teaching them important things. And I love it when they understand. In fact, today I taught them about gratitude and how important it is to say thank you to people and to God for everything we have. For fun, I taught them how to say thank you in six different languages. They thought it was hilarious. And it was funny listening to them try to say it in Japanese. :0) But, in the middle of all of this I am attempting to get them to stop climing on their chairs, to get out from underneath my desk, to stop pestering their neighbor, to stop turning off the lights, to stop talking long enough for me to get a few words in......you get the picture. It's draining. And I have been getting drained for years now. I need nourishment of my own. I need to be taught.
So, today...after Primary was over...I told the Primary President that I wanted out. Ok...so not necessarily those exact words. I explained to her, as I did with you just now, and she was really nice about it and said she would get it taken care of for me.
But, I was taught to accept your calling. And I'm ducking out. I don't feel bad. But should I feel bad for not feeling bad? I don't know. All I know is that I'm tired. And I dread going to church because I know what's coming. And that IS bad.
So, now you know. I don't know why I told all of you. Actually, yes I do. Let me know it was ok for me to do that. I need some words of affirmation again ladies. So, show me some love. :0)

Friday, July 11, 2008

A Very Merry Unbirthday....

It was girls night last night and I got to play host. We've had several birthdays in our group

lately and so I thought it might be fun to have a little UNbirthday party where we celebrated by swapping gifts with each other.

We played a little pin the tail on the donkey as well. I totally won...

And this was my little Mackenzee's first time at girls night. She got to come because it was at my house. :0) I was worried she'd be her usual energetic self, but she was so good and just wanted to take part in the big girl festivities. She passed out the presents to everyone and played pin the tail on the donkey with us, but she couldn't make it to the very end. She fell asleep on my lap around 10:30. :0)

Thanks for a fun night ladies! Can't wait until next month!

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

I can't sleep

So, what does any normal person do?

Down a sleeping pill and then take dumb online quizzes until they kick in!

You do this to right?

Really? It's just me? Huh....well, enjoy my results!




There's a 36% Chance That You Need Therapy



You may need therapy, but you're probably doing okay at working out your own problems.

In general, you are able to solve any troubles that come up. But there's no harm in talking to a professional.


So, if I'm studying to be a psychologist and there is a 36% chance that I need a psychologist...does it count if I shrink my own brain?




You Are 41% Selfish



You are quite balanced. You are able to compromise when it's in the best interests of those involved.

But you're no pushover. If something is important to you, you'll get it!


I like that the picture is of a girl with a chocolate bar...I'm not selfish...unless you want my chocolate. Then BACK OFF! :0)




You Are 52% Control Freak



Generally, you are in control but not a control freak. You life is usually in order.

However, sometimes you get too obsessed with making everything in your life picture perfect.


Like I needed a quiz to tell me this? Have we not already established that I am obsessive?




You Act Like You Are 24 Years Old



You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel like an adult, and you're optimistic about life.

You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences.



You're still figuring out your place in the world and how you want your life to shape up.

The world is full of possibilities, and you can't wait to explore many of them.



Yes! So, if any of you were wondering...I am 24. Got it?




What Your Feet Say About You:



You are more expressive than most people. You let everyone know how you're feeling - the good, the bad, and the ugly.



You are a very passionate person. You are highly charged and easily inspired.



You are an assertive and aggressive person. You are determined and not likely to ever give up.



You fall in love easily and develop strong bonds. You are attached to many people.



You are easily frightened. You are fairly neurotic and paranoid.



You are very practical and down to earth. You're more concerned with action than thoughts.



You are a fairly hard worker, but you are also a little spoiled. You like indulge yourself every now and then.



You are easily influenced by other people. You're quite impressionable, so you should only be around people who are a good influence.


See? Now you all wish you had freakishly long toes like me...




You are Barefoot!



You're a total free spirit, go with the flow girl

You can't be restricted by shoes for very long

And unsuprisingly, the same goes for men

Your match is out there - and he's as carefree as you are


Wow...who'd have thunk it? Sure, I prefer bare feet, but that's not really acceptable in public. Maybe we should petition....




Your Personality Profile



You are dependable, popular, and observant.

Deep and thoughtful, you are prone to moodiness.

In fact, your emotions tend to influence everything you do.



You are unique, creative, and expressive.

You don't mind waving your freak flag every once and a while.

And lucky for you, most people find your weird ways charming!


You mean not everyone has a freak flag? Great...and here I thought it was "normal"!




You Are 55% Normal



While some of your behavior is quite normal...

Other things you do are downright strange

You've got a little of your freak going on

But you mostly keep your weirdness to yourself


Here I go waving my freak flag again....
stop staring!




You Failed 8th Grade US History



Sorry, you only got 5/8 correct!


Well, it's a good thing I'm not a history major!




You Are Cookie Monster



Misunderstood as a primal monster, you're a true hedonist with a huge sweet tooth.



You are usually feeling: Hungry. Cookies are preferred, but you'll eat anything if cookies aren't around.



You are famous for: Your slightly crazy eyes and usual way of speaking



How you life your life: In the moment. "Me want COOKIE!"


That's right people...hand over the cookies and no one gets hurt.
I SAID DO IT!

This has been fun. Really...

We should do it again sometime....

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Long Lost Friend

The BEST thing happened to me the other night. I am still bursting with excitement. :0)

Do you remember my yard sale I had a couple of weeks ago? Well, one of my customers happened to be the mother of a friend I had in high school. It took her a second to remember me {have I changed that much?}, but when she did she told me how her daughter had been talking about me and wanted to find out how to get in touch with me.
Guess what? For over a year now, I have been wondering how to get in touch with her. Crazy, huh? She was one of my best friends and since she got married 8 years ago, I haven't seen her. Our lives drifted apart as they tend to do when we move on with life. But, I never forgot her. It's just really hard to find someone when they have a new last name that is SO super common, and you don't even know where to begin to look for them.
So, you can imagine my excitement when her mom showed up at my house! YAY! She got my information and promised to pass it on to her daughter.
She called me! Yep! On Sunday night! And we talked for THREE hours. It was so good to reconnect with her and find that we still "fit". Does that make sense? High school was a long time ago, so I was worried that our personalities would click like they used to. But...no worries!

Sorry for the poor picture quality here. My scanner hasn't been hooked up since we moved everything into the basement. So, you get a picture of a picture instead. :0) This is my junior prom group photo. My friend, Kim, was a senior. Yes, that is me in the very back sharing my boyfriend with a good friend of ours. She had gone to prom with her boyfriend at his school, and so was dateless for our prom. So, I let her hang with me. Good times....
And...here is the close up of me and Kim. She is the one with the gorgeous red hair. {obviously}

Anyway...turns out, my dear friend will be moving back this way early next year! Yahoo! I wish it was sooner, as patience has never been one of my strong points. But, it's not up to me. Dang it! Still, having her here next year is better than having her hours away forever. I'm thrilled to be able to reconnect with such a wonderful friend.

Do you have any friends you've lost contact with that you wish you could reconnect with?

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Rewind....

Sassy posted a song today that was meant to describe the last year of her life. I had never heard it before, but liked it IMMENSELY so. :0) You should definitely check it out.

Anyway, she asked her readers to play along. I thought...that should be fairly easy, right? Not so much. Because honestly...the last 12 months I have had A LOT going on.

There were times when I felt like I was going to go CRAZY!



I decided to go back to college...what was I thinking?



I went through a little PTA hell..



I made a goal in January to get fit...and haven't quite gotten there....



I've learned a bit about myself and what I need to do to overcome my own personal demons...
Yes...even perky happy Ashlee has struggled this last year. I just don't usually let people see it. :0)



And yet...with everything that has gone on this last 12 months...I can reflect back and still feel truly blessed. I have a wonderful hubby, two amazing kids, a roof over my head, and food on my table.

Yes, I am blessed.