Gratitude #5... Cousins

I'm grateful for these people...
And these people...

And for Rickey, Russell, Marie, Brady, Rabab and Amirah who are not in these pictures. I'm grateful for my cousins. They are amazing people with so many different things to offer. They all have amazing strengths and abilites. I love them all for so many different reasons and I'm grateful for our friendships and hope that they last forever. I'm also grateful that we live so close to each other right now so we can see each other more often. They are an amazing group of people!

Gratitude #4... My Daddy

I am grateful for my dad! I feel like I am the luckiest girl in the world (along with my sister of course) to have such an amazing dad. My dad has always been there for me. He has never given up on me. He has never judged me. My dad is the perfect example to me of a worthy priesthood holder. He has all the qualities that I want my future husband to have. I would be lucky to marry someone like my dad, and someone who treats me like my dad treats my mom. My dad has amazing strength, and I think he's especially shown that this year with all he's been through.

There is always something random I think about when I think about my dad. You know those times when you are right on the verge of crying? Well, being a girl, that happens to me alot! :) I can be on the verge of crying and yet be so strong, but the second that I talk to or see my dad, I lose it. I know I can cry to him and he'll be there for me. I can even cry about something and be totally over it, and when I talk to my dad about it I cry again. And when I'm right on the verge of wanting to punch someone, I can call my dad and cry it out. My dad is just that person for me and I love him for it.

Today I am grateful for my dad!

Gratitude #3... My Jobs

I am grateful for my job. In this economy when people are struggling and several people have no work, I have 2 jobs. I am grateful for the opportunities my jobs have afforded me. I have met amazing people, life-long friends, and contacts that will help me accomplish my goals. I have been humbled by some of the experiences I've had. I have learned gratitude and awareness from people in my community and from my coworkers. I have learned that anything is possible. I've gained self-confidence and strength. I've become a better person. I've handled situations that I never thought I could handle. I've learned to trust other people and to how to better be trusted. I've learned how to serve other people and how to accept service. I've discovered what I want to do with my life. I've realized my own abilities.

How grateful I am for the stability of a steady job and a constant income. How grateful I am for the amazing and talented people I work with, both in dispatch and the officers in both departments. How grateful I am for the lessons I've learned and for the opportunities I've had to learn from my mistakes and accomplishments. My job is definitely something that has made me a better person and I am so grateful for everything it has taught me and all the things I have yet to learn.

Gratitude #2... My Grandparents

So I've been thinking today about the things I'm grateful for in my life. I've had a hard time choosing what to post today...not because I have a lack of things I'm thankful for, but because I have so many things I'm thankful for that I can't choose which ones I want to post. I guess since I'm catching up on gratitude posts though it shouldn't be too hard to find 5 things on that long list to blog about.

Today I'm grateful for my grandparents. As you all know by now, I live with my grandparents. I moved in with them the week before my birthday this year. I had several reasons for moving in with them. I needed to save money, I wanted to live closer to my work, I wanted to be able to help take care of my grandma since she was having so many health problems, I wanted to be able to help cook and clean to take away some of grandpa's stress.

When I moved in I was still in school, so I had class every night and worked during the day so I wasn't able to help too much. We all knew though that as soon as the semester was over I would have 4 months off and would be able to do the things I had planned on. Right before my class ended, I injured my leg and was in a walking cast for several weeks and not able to get around very well. I also had surgery on my wrist (my right wrist and I'm right handed) so that kept me from being able to do alot too. I finally got those things taken care of and was able to help out for a few weeks. Then I started feeling sick more often and took some time off of work. I wasn't feeling well and that kept me from helping out alot. And then I hurt my back and that put me down flat in bed for almost a month. When that month was over, I started going back to work a few days a week. I was still not feeling well health-wise, and I was still in alot of pain in my back. I would go to work and the pain would get worse, and by time I got home I would have to go straight to bed and I'd be there for the rest of the day most of the time. When I wasn't in bed I was laying on the couch or in a recliner chair, not able to get up or move around much. And not moving around means not helping around the house.

I had all those good reasons for moving in, and so far the only thing that I've accomplished is saving rent money. I feel so bad for not being able to help. Instead of taking away some of grandpa's work load and stress, I've added to it. There were several days when grandma and I couldn't get out of bed at all and he would have to check on us and bring us our meals, as well as take care of our house. And to make it worse, grandma and I have rooms on opposite ends of the house...meaning several trips back and forth each day for grandpa.

Despite all of this, grandpa has never complained. He has never asked me for more help than I could give. He has never made me feel like an imposition. He has never made me feel like I'm asking for too much. He has been so awesome with helping take care of me. I am also so very grateful for grandma. She is so strong. She has had so many health issues the past several years, but the past 6 months especially. And yet she doesn't complain. Sometimes she cries, and sometimes she listens to me cry. I will lay in her room on her bed with her, or we will both lay in the family room together, and we give each other moral support. One of her problems she's had the past few months is with back pain, so she knows how I feel and I know how she feels.

My grandparents are amazing. The are such good examples of a happily married couple, of strong church members, of hard workers, of children of God. I can look up to them in all aspects of my life, and I can turn to them for any reason. They are rocks. I am so grateful to them for their selflessness, their strength and their spirit. I'm grateful that they love me and let me live with them. I'm grateful for the opportunity to live with them and become closer to them. I'm grateful for the knowledge I have that I will be able to be with them for all eternity.

Gratitude #1... My Blog

It seems like November brings out the gratitude in people...or at least they express their gratitude more often. Because this is the month to give thanks, I'm going to do just that. It's already this 6th of November and I haven't really posted what I'm grateful for yet, but I'm going to record at least 1 thing I'm grateful for everyday. I'm going to make them each 1 post, no matter how short my thought is that day, and since I'm behind I'm going to catch up. By the end of the month I will have 30 gratitude posts. I think that saying out loud (or in writing for others to read) what you're grateful for helps you remember what those things are and why they are so special to you. I think it makes people (or at least me) a little more grateful when I'm reminded of the blessings in my life.

So today my gratitude is for this blog and all of my friends who read it. I am grateful for the opportunity it gives me to keep a "journal". I have not been this consistent in keeping track of events in my life ever! I think of all of the pictures, events, thoughts, feelings, emotions, etc that are recorded here and I am filled with gratitude. What a blessing in my life it is to have a place to record life's events. I'm also grateful for all of you who read my blog and leave your thoughts and comments. I'm grateful for the friendships that are not lost because of the blogging world. I'm also grateful for all of your blogs. You are amazing, strong, inspired people who I am lucky to be friends with. I am encouraged daily by your blogs and reminded daily of our friendships. Thank you. I am grateful for you!

This little piggy went to....

Bed!! That's what happens when you get the swine flu! You get qurantined to bed with no friends and no life! :( No...I don't have the swine flu, and I'm praying it stays that way. Russell (my little brother) got it a few weeks ago and is finally over it. Ricky (my older brother) got it a few days ago and is still infected and not feeling well. Then yesterday Meriam (my cousin and next door neighbor) came home from school early with a sore throat and fever. It got worse throughout the afternoon so they went to the doctor and sure enough...swine flu. She is now quarantined to her room for the next 7 days minimum! :( Poor thing is sick and miserable and still getting worse.

We have been lucky so far (knock on wood) not have any infected people at our house, but it's getting closer and closer. It's a good thing I talked grandpa into the masks and sanitizer at our door. Perfect timing! :) My family that lives next door (Lori, Abderrahim, Sami, Meriam, Rabab and Amirah) come over to our house often. Especially now because they don't want to stay in there house with the risk of getting sick. But because they are in an infected home, when they come over they go through a sanitizing process...wash and sanitize their hands, wear a mask, spray Lysol all over themselves, etc...before coming in. They try to stay as germ-free as possible for us. But grandma and I are still very worried about catching it.

This may sound weird but I'm hoping that if I do get it that it happens AFTER Saturday. I have to work 10 hours at Orem on Saturday and cannot take that shift off. I think I would have no friends left if I called in sick for this shift. Really though I'm just hoping we don't get it at all at our house.

Oh, and 1 more thing...? My vacation is canceled. It wasn't really a vacation, but a chance to get away for a few days. Meriam and I were going to go to Arizona to stay with and visit family. But due to Meriam's illness, it's been called off for now...with an unknown reschedule date. Our family that we were going to visit has young kids and we can't risk infecting them. I'm disappointed, but it will be ok. We'll get down there eventually.

So we love you all, but don't come visit! :) And I will stay away until we know for sure that we are germ-free. I texted Meriam earlier and told her that I love her, but from a distance! And so I say it again...I love you all, but from a distance! ;P

A hand to hold on to

I just wanted to say how grateful I am for family and friends who are always there for me. People who I love and trust who are always there, with hand reached out to me, waiting for me to turn to them for help and support. I've learned (and I'm still learning) how to accept service from others. I have amazing people in my life who can sense when I'm having a hard time and be there for me. I feel an overwhelming sense of peace knowing that those I love will never judge me or hurt me. I feel like I always have a hand to hold on to. I have the hand belongs to our Savior and my brother, always outstretched towards me, holding onto me and yearning to help me. Even when I'm being stubborn, that hand is always there for me.

My cousins were over at our house being babysat my grandpa and I the other day and baby Courtney (who is 10 months old) was crawling around. She was pulling herself up on furniture and then letting go and standing on her own for a few seconds before she would fall to the ground. I put my hand out behind her, to catch her if she needed. I also knew my hand would protect her from hurting herself too bad if she did fall. At one point she was standing on her own, about to fall, and she reached over and grabbed my hand so she could stand on "her own" a little longer. We did the stand/fall thing for several minutes and several times during her game she grabbed my hand. It's like she knew it was there. She was trying to do it on her own, but when she couldn't, my hand was there for her.

I think of that example with Courtney and know that is how our Savior is there for us. We set goals and try to do things on our own. We are learning to stand on our wobbly legs and some of us succeed, but nobody succeeds all the time. We all need to reach out to that hand every once in awhile, whether it be to help us up to our standing position or to steady us when our balance isn't in check. That hand also helps us when we fall. It doesn't keep us from falling, but it helps us not to get hurt to bad when we do fall.

I have to say how grateful I am for that hand. And for the hands of all my friends that are there as well. When we are born we receive a blessing. We are given a name on the records of the church. I always love to watch baby blessings. All of those strong men, worthy priesthood holders, standing around a perfect little infant giving it support while the blessings of Heaven our poured down upon it. I often think that we don't lose that in our life. Even though we don't have a circle of worthy priesthood holders standing around us physically each day, we have them around us. We will never lose that. Those men, with their strong hands and loving hearts, are always there for us. Those hands that are layed upon our heads as an infant, and at baptism, and the first day of school and when we're ill and when we're trying to make big decisions, those hands never go away. They are an extension of the Lord's hands and I am forever grateful for all the hands in my life. One of the greatest blessings in our lives is a hand to hold on to.

I have always loved the song "His Hands" and I found it on youtube. As I was writing this post I kept thinking of that song, so I decided to share it with you. I hope you all remember that there are hands outstretched for you at every stage of your life. Reach out and hold onto it.

Are we rude?!

I want to ask a question and see what people think...and who better to get opinions from than my fabulous blog friends! :)

As most of you know, I live with my grandparents. My grandma has several health problems that she has had for several years, and some new problems that she has had just for the past several months. She is finally, after 6 months of being pretty sick, starting to feel better. My grandpa is pretty healthy right now, but he's older and so he has health related issues. He has sore muscles and his bones creak when he walks around. He spends each day taking care of grandma and trying to take care of our house. I have my pancreas problems that I have had for several years, and also some health problems (tired, weakness, nausea etc...plus my back pain) for the past month or so. Needless to say, we have our fair share of health problems around here.

We found out today that my older brother Rickey has swine flu. They quarantined him at his house with his wife, and they gave her tamiflu to hopefully prevent her from getting it. Russell had the swine flu a few weeks ago, and Scott (my uncle) had it a few months ago. We also have several people (alot of cousins etc) who have had coughs, sore throats, colds etc.

We have several people come to our house every day. There are ward members, family and friends, church members and neighbors who stop by often to visit with us and check on grandma. We appreciate them all and I really believe that people coming to visit and encourage grandma really does help her to get better. It raises her spirit.

I was talking with my grandparents today and we were talking about all the people coming through our home and all the people we know who are sick. We were talking about possible ways to keep grandma (and the rest of us for that matter) from getting any of the illnesses. I suggested that we put a box of face masks at the door along with a bottle of hand sanitizer. I think we should have every guest (neighbors, home/visiting teachers, friends) sanitize or wash their hands and put a mask on right when they come into our house. That would cut down on germs being passed through touch or through the air and that would reduce the chances that grandma would get sick with any of the things going around. I think that even family members should wear a mask and sanitize if they have had any illnesses or predecessors to illnesses (cough, runny nose, etc).

Grandma didn't think it was a bad idea, but grandpa thought it might be rude to ask people to do that. I told him several people with new babies are doing that and several nursing homes are making all guests do it. I don't think there is a problem with trying to cut down on germs in our home. I honestly believe that people wouldn't mind "masking up" because they know grandma has been sick and they want her to be healthy as much as we do.

So my question is this:
"DO YOU THINK IT WOULD BE RUDE TO ASK PEOPLE TO PUT A MASK ON AND SANITIZE OR WASH THEIR HANDS BEFORE THEY ARE ALLOWED INTO OUR HOME? IF SOMEONE ASKED YOU TO DO THAT BEFORE GOING INTO THEIR HOME WOULD YOU BE OFFENDED? AND IF YOU DO THINK IT WOULD BE RUDE TO ASK PEOPLE TO WEAR A MASK, WHAT WOULD YOU SUGGEST WE DO TO HELP KEEP GERMS FROM SPREADING THROUGH OUR HOME?"

I honestly want to know what you think. And I plan on showing the comments on this post to my grandpa so he can see what people think....whether you agree with me or with him. So let me know what you think! Thanks! :)

***Sorry this is such a long post just to ask a simple question! ;P

Happy Haunting!

So my Halloween was not as exciting as it could have been. I've had a cold coming on for a few days and apparently it reached its peak (hopefully) today. I was not feeling well at all nad had taken a few doses of cold medicine with no relief. I ended up sleeping for several hours today (12+) and was still tired and weak. I finally got up and visited with grandma and grandpa for awhile. I helped them get all the treats ready for Halloween and get the lights turned on etc. Then I chilled for an hour or so in the recliner chair, to tired to do much else.

Finally the cousins came to visit. Scott and Nicole brought the 4 kids and they looked great! Marren, Mason and Cameron were Star Wars characters. I would name which characters they were but I don't know too much about Star Wars so I don't really know. One of them was a Padowan (I think), one was Anikan (I think) and I don't remember the other. They looked awesome though! And cute, adorable little Courtney was a chicka-dee. She didn't like her hat too much but she looked awesome. And she even had cute little ruffles on the bum of her costume. She is way too cute and can melt your heart in no time at all!

Sami and Meriam also spent quite a bit of time at our house today and when Amirah was all dressed up they brought her over to visit and get her treats. Yesterday she was a pirate and today she was a Morrocan baby. It helps that she is Arabic and her mom is from Morroco, so she totally fit the part! :) She looked beautiful. She is another little one that can melt your heart in minutes. I really do have the cutest little cousins ever! Meriam was going to be a road (wearing all black with yellow lines taped up her and cars glued to her) but she didn't come over for her picture. Rickey and Mari stopped by dressed as doctors (I think...they were wearing scrubs) and visited for a few. All in all it was a pretty fun day...despite the fact that I slept for most of it.

I was surprised that we didn't have very many trick-or-treaters. I can understand when the neighborhood does trunk-or-treating that not as many kids come around, but we didn't do anything like that and still kids were sparse. Besides the cousins I would say we maybe had 10 groups of kids stop by...tops. I was counting how many times the doorbell rang or knocks came at the door. Grandpa was in the living room near the door reading and waiting for kids to come for candy and grandma and I were in the family room watching the World Series. Grandma then went into her bedroom and I fell asleep on the couch. (Yep, after that many hours of sleep I still was tired enough to take a nap.) Due to my nap though, I lost count. Grandpa said later that there were hardley any, so I would say my guess of about 10 is pretty accurate! :)

Ok, the moment you've all been waiting for...me to stop talking!!! :) Here are the pictures I got of the cousins. I think they're so cute and loved hanging out with them tonight for a few minutes. Hope you enjoy!
Nicole is trying to make the little chicka-dee smile...with little success...

Amirah is tasting a piece of candy. Her mom doesn't let her eat sweets hardly ever, so she was enjoying it today! :)

Here is Marren with grandma in the background. She (unlike the boys) kept her "mask" on all night. It was probably easier for her since it didn't cover her face. I love their cute little costumes.

Mason (with his mask off) smiling for the camera. He usually HATES pictures taken of him, so I was lucky to get a picture of him...ESPECIALLY with him smiling! :)

Amirah is kind of shy and was unsure about all of the people around when she first came over. It didn't take long though for her to warm up. I think candy can do that to a kid!

A close up. I was trying to get her hair to show up but it didn't work very well. She has the super curliest hair ever and it's darling. Tonight she had 2 cute little buns on the top of her head and then tons of curls in the back. It fit her costume perfectly!

Cute little Courtney chicka-dee with her hat on. She was not a fan of it...hence the fact there is no smile on her face. I think she's darling anyways, smile or not! :)

Cameron thought it was funny that Sami was wearing Mason's mask, so they took a picture together. I told Cameron his face looked different and he said "Don't worry Kayla, it's just a mask. My face is underneath. It's hiding for Halloween. It still likes you though!" He then lifted his mask and said "See? It's still here. It's just me!" How could you not love these cute little kids?

Here is the best picture I could get of the ruffles on Courtney's bum. Too cute, right? And that's Scott in the picture with her. He's my dads youngest brother and the dad of all these cuties. I love his family!!

Here is Sami wearing Mason's mask. Sami said he didn't want to dress up for Halloween, but he had a good time playing with the kids. I have the best cousins ever!

I hope you all had an awesome Halloween. HAPPY HAUNTING!!! ;D

Trick-or-Treat

***FOREWARNING***There are no pictures in this post because, once again, I forgot my camera today. And it might be a long post. I'll put titles on each paragraph so you can know the topic in case you want to skip any!

BABYSITTING
Today was such a fun day! It started off with me and the grandparents babysitting Cameron and Courtney. I LOVE these 2 kids. They are so cute and so funny. Cameron always keeps us entertained. Last time I watched them was for the temple dedication and Courtney cried alot. She wasn't too used to being away from mom and dad, and she wasn't feeling well. Today was much better. She had just woken up from a nap and was so happy! She played and ate and cuddled. She even played with grandpa on the floor. Cameron was cracking me up. We don't have a high chair at our house so I just sat Courtney up in the corner of the couch and fed her there. She also didn't have a bibby since her mom had forgotten to put in the diaper bag. She's 8 months old though and has been eating food for awhile so I wasn't too worried about it. She doesn't ever grab for the spoon or turn her head away or try to crawl or anything like that. So I was sitting on the couch feeding her and Cameron came and stood right next to me. And almost the whole time I was feeding her this is what I was hearing from Cam: "Don't spill on her clothes! Be careful Kayla, don't make a mess. Make sure it all gets in her mouth. Don't get it on her pretty shirt!" It was just so funny because he was so concerned about her cute little outfit. He is very protective of his little sister. He also plays very well with her and tries to make sure she is always happy! I love spending time with them and get to do it alot more often now that I live at my grandparents! :)

CHIROPRACTOR
I left around 2pm and went and picked up Meriam from school and took her to the chiropractor with me. I have never been to a chiropractor before and was kind of nervous about going. My neurologist who I've been seeing for my back thought it might help though, so I scheduled the appointment and found a friend to go with me! :) It wasn't too bad I guess. He did a consultation, an adjustment, some physical therapy and then a massage. Today's visit was $49.99 and he said any previous visits would be $39.99. My insurance doesn't cover him though so if I decide to keep getting seen by a chiropractor then I'll find one who is covered by my insurance. However I'm not sure that I want to go back. I'm not really into chiropractors (no offense to anyone who is...including my mom) and I think it hurt me more than helped. I definitely think I might do a massage though in the future (today was the first one of those I've had too) and I think that might help a little. (Anyways, just thought I'd share this part of my day since I use this as a journal...)

TRICK-OR-TREATING
After the chiropractor Meriam and I went and picked up Amirah from the babysitters home. Lori (Meriam's mom) and Jessie (my sister) work together at Provo Craft in Spanish Fork and they were doing trick-or-treating at their work. When we got to their work we had to put Amirah's costume on her. She was a cute little pirate and so (since we were running late) we dressed her real quick over her clothes in the parking lot! :) We had so much fun!! She learned a little to like the monsters (she still has a fear now and it's worse again thanks to Jessie) and she got tons of treats and entertained so many people with her cute personality. Rabab (Amirah's mom) doesn't like her to have sweet treats, but since it was Halloween we gave her a tootsie roll while we were still at their work. Then on the way home I gave her a pack of fruit snacks and some pretzels that she got while trick-or-treating. She was so tired from all her fun that she fell asleep on the way home and didn't wake up when I got her out of the car, carried her past the singing monster, talked to tons of my family while still holding her AND laid her on the couch. She then slept through a ton of talking, playing and even dinner. And since she can't have sweet treats, Meriam and I got to eat her "goods"! :)

DINNER/GAMES
Grandpa made the best taco's for dinner and when we were done eating Meriam and I headed to Pleasant Grove. We went to the fire station and visited my dad since he was on duty and then went to my parents house to play with my mom. Russell and Marie were there for awhile and so we played Clue and visited. Then right as Russ and Marie were leaving, Jessie and Sydnee (our friend) showed up. They ate dinner (since they had both just got home from school) and then we visited and played games and laughed. We really had a good time. My cheeks hurt from laughing so hard.

BEST STORY OF THE NIGHT
We were sitting around the table playing a game. Meriam had wrapped up in a blanket and fell asleep at the table while we were playing. Her and her brothers don't do very well when they get woken up. They are VERY grumpy!! So Jessie tried to wake up Meriam and she got mad. Meriam kind of tried to swat Jessie's drink away and instead of that happening she hit a glass of ice water and knocked it right into my lap. Yep, my lap was full of ice and freezing cold water. Oh and I had set my jacket on the floor next to me and it got covered in the ice water too. Jess was kind enough to lend me a pair of pajama pants so I didn't have to drive home wet and I just hurried to the car so I didn't freeze without a jacket. It was just so funny to top off the night of random and funny! :)

ONE LAST STORY TO TOP IT ALL OFF
Meriam had brought giant pixie sticks to our house and her and Jess decided to have a contest. They wanted to see who could eat the whole thing first. So they got all ready and started the contest. They were doing pretty good, but then Meriam started getting sick. She grabbed a cup that was right in front of her and ended up spitting (throwing) up most of what she had just eaten. Jessie claimed victory even though she didn't finish eating hers either. I don't think that either of them will be downing large amounts of straight colored sugar any time soon! :) We did record the contest on mine and Meriam's phones, but someone (who will remain un-named) said something a little sketchy in the background so I won't post the video. You can just imagine it. It was very funny though! :)

Ok so this is another forever long post, but it's finally over. A huge pat on the back for any of you who actually read this whole "no picture-probably had to be there for any of it to be funny post!" :)

Book List

I copied this from Cindy (she put it on facebook) and then changed it just a little... Hope she doesnt' mind :)

This is an alleged list of top read books. I thought I would mark which ones I have read, haven't read, liked/disliked, etc. So here's the breakdown:
;D means I've read it and loved it
>:( means I don't want to ever read it or I've read it and hated it
**** means I really really want to read it
if it's blank then I haven't read it and I'm kind of indifferent towards it.

WOW! Was that confusing enough? Well I want to post it anways despite the confusion. (Again this is more for me to just remember...) Who knows, maybe I'll actually follow through and read some of these.

1 Pride and Prejudice - ****
2 The Lord of the Rings - >:(
3 Jane Eyre -
4 Harry Potter series - >:(
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - ;D
6 The Bible - ;D
7 Wuthering Heights -
8 Nineteen Eighty Four -
9 His Dark Materials -
10 Great Expectations -
11 Little Women - ****
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles -
13 Catch 22 -
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare - ****
15 Rebecca -
16 The Hobbit - >:(
17 Birdsong -
18 Catcher in the Rye - ****
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - ****
20 Middlemarch -
21 Gone With The Wind - ****
22 The Great Gatsby - ****
23 Bleak House -
24 War and Peace - ****
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - >:(
26 Brideshead Revisited -
27 Crime and Punishment - ****
28 Grapes of Wrath - ****
29 Alice in Wonderland - >:(
30 The Wind in the Willows - ****
31 Anna Karenina -
32 David Copperfield - >:(
33 Chronicles of Narnia - ;D
34 Emma - ****
35 Persuasion -
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - ;D
37 The Kite Runner - ****
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin -
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - >:(
40 Winnie the Pooh - ;D
41 Animal Farm - ;D
42 The Da Vinci Code -
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - ****
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - ****
45 The Woman in White -
46 Anne of Green Gables - ;D
47 Far From The Madding Crowd -
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - ****
49 Lord of the Flies -
50 Atonement -
51 Life of Pi -
52 Dune -
53 Cold Comfort Farm - ****
54 Sense and Sensibility - ****
55 A Suitable Boy - ****
56 The Shadow of the Wind -
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - ****
58 Brave New World -
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time -
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - ****
61 Of Mice and Men - ;D
62 Lolita -
63 The Secret History -
64 The Lovely Bones -
65 Count of Monte Cristo - >:(
66 On The Road -
67 Jude the Obscure -
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - >:(
69 Midnight’s Children - ****
70 Moby Dick - ****
71 Oliver Twist - ****
72 Dracula - >:(
73 The Secret Garden - ****
74 Notes From A Small Island -
75 Ulysses - ****
76 The Inferno - ****
77 Swallows and Amazons -
78 Germinal -
79 Vanity Fair -
80 Possession -
81 A Christmas Carol - ****
82 Cloud Atlas -
83 The Color Purple - ****
84 The Remains of the Day - ****
85 Madame Bovary - >:(
86 A Fine Balance -
87 Charlotte’s Web - ;D
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - ****
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - >:(
90 The Faraway Tree Collection -
91 Heart of Darkness -
92 The Little Prince -
93 The Wasp Factory -
94 Watership Down -
95 A Confederacy of Dunces -
96 A Town Like Alice -
97 The Three Musketeers - >:(
98 Hamlet - ****
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - >:(
100 Les Miserables - ****

Ok, so I just realized I haven't read alot of these. I haven't even heard of alot of these! The ones I have read I love. The ones with frowny faces I've heard of and don't have any interest in reading. There are some books that just don't interest me in the least. I'm sure the ones I left blank are good, but it would be hard for me to just go pick it up and read it. Especially having never heard about it. I like to know someone has read it and can give me a recommendation. The ones with **** though I REALLY want to read! I actually have thought about some of them recently when I've been thinking of something to read (along with my book club books of course...) And I am the kind of person who can read the same book several times and not get bored of it. (My mom can only read a book once and she's done with it.) I'm really glad Cindy sent this to me. It gives me some books to remember to look for and read! :P

Vacation Countdown!!!

My vacation countdown is on and I couldn't be more excited. I've been planning it since about July (no joke) and it's finally almost here. (*Tips for future vacations: I need to learn to not plan them out so far in the future....it makes waiting and anticipating torture! And I have to hear all about how far away it is from my impatient and yet very excited cousin who is waiting for me to show up at his house!) So what are the details of my vacation?!

*Days left until departure: 14
*Destination: Safford Arizona
*Hours it takes to drive to destination: 16 (I'm hoping that is old man driving time and that I can make it a few hours sooner. We'll see... ;P)
*Days I'll spend at destination: 5
*People accompanying me on vacation: Meriam (for sure) Wyatt and Kamila (maybe)
*Things to look forward to on my vacation: shooting (I'm finally going to put my gun to use), visiting family I don't often see, warmth and good weather (as opposed to the cold and snow we've all of the sudden got here), a break from work (for something other than sickness), a chance to get away and think about things (like everyone, I have some big choices to make), bonding time with Fuzz (road-tripping with her is one of my favorite things), and quality time with Gary and Heidi who I only get to see a few times a year at best

I am so, so excited! I have cousins (Gary and Heidi) who live in Safford. We'll be staying with them at their house with them and their 2 super cute kiddos. Gary and Heidi are actually the reason we're going. Gary's mom Zilpha (my grandpa's sister) lives very close to Safford, so we'll get to see and visit them as well. I am so excited Meriam is going with me so I don't have to travel alone (and so I have an extra driver) and I seriously can't wait for the time to come for us to head out. I've had it planned for awhile, but with everything that's been going on in my life lately, I feel like now especially is the perfect time for a little getaway!

YAY! I love having things like this to look forward to! :) My family is amazing...both my immediate and extended family. I feel like the luckiest person to have so many family members that I am close to and love, and who love me. I love having family members who are so willing to invite you to their home, to have you stay in their house (inconveniencing them) for several days and to entertain you and make your trip exciting and memorable! (And for all my family who is reading this, I would love to be able to spend time with you and host you at my house whenever and for however long you want! You call me and it's on! And if you ever want a house guest...it doesn't take much to persuade me! ;P)

So my vacation countdown is officially on and I couldn't be more excited! YAY!!!! ;D