a compilation of my best pranks (aka: happy april fools)

i have done all of these pranks with ultimate success. use my knowledge wisely. (.....on second thought, don't try these at home.)

1. find a bunch of old office supplies. put in box. mail box to friend, while putting a different friend's address on the return label.

2. if you work in a food chain which prepares its food as ordered (ex: Papa Murphy's Pizza, Subway, etc.) switch the ingredients. What you normally start with, put at the end. Put the end ingredients near the front. This prank is best done the night before when your manager isn't there. And then let them make the first order the next day.

3. that friend that is always pranking everyone? dissassemble their car, bring it up the elevator on one of the campus buildings, and rebuild it on top of the structure. make sure that you don't help them when it comes to getting the vehicle back down.

4. move everything in the house 4 inches to the left. (so evil. so hilarious.)

5. change your relationship status on facebook. This one is so fun, especially if no one knows you're joking.  make sure you keep it going for long enough that everyone starts to actually freak out.

6. hide alarm clocks in target's bedroom. set them for horrific times during the night. (2:08, 2:10, 3:37, 4:48, etc....keep it unpredictable).

7. Lock them out of their house and hide ALL the keys. Or just change the locks completely.

8. rewire the brakes on their car...so every time they hit them, the horn goes off.

9. get their mom in on a prank call. (I don't care who you are or where you came from: your mother angry at you will always be your worst fear.)

10. hire a musician to follow the target around for a certain number of hours. either have them play one song over and over and over and over and over again (i recommend "Barbara Anne" first sung by the Regents but you've probably heard the Beach Boys version, "Baby" by Justin Beiber, or "Its a Small World After All" by Robert and Richard Sherman)...or have them base the current song off of something they said... (ex: "seriously, dude, get lost." turns into "HIT THE ROAD" ::: "i can't hear you over the sound of this bozo making noise" equals "Say something" ::: and every time they answer their phone "HELLO...ITS ME..." :::
NOTE: only use this prank on your very worst enemies.

Please remember that April Fool's Day is not Make Everyone's Day the Worst Day of Their Lives Day.
Confuse, don't abuse. And please be safe.

I'm laughing so hard...APRIL FOOLS. Did you actually think I did all these? LOL NOPE. but i would. mwahahaha.... (These are actually pranks that people that I know did, or I found the ideas on Pinterest. #mostdangerousplaceever #youmustnevergothere #beware #happyaprilfools) 

All the Light We Cannot See (book review #6)

WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE
From the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr, the beautiful, stunningly ambitious instant New York Times bestseller about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II.

Marie-Laure lives with her father in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where he works as the master of its thousands of locks. When she is six, Marie-Laure goes blind and her father builds a perfect miniature of their neighborhood so she can memorize it by touch and navigate her way home. When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great-uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel.

In a mining town in Germany, the orphan Werner grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments, a talent that wins him a place at a brutal academy for Hitler Youth, then a special assignment to track the resistance. More and more aware of the human cost of his intelligence, Werner travels through the heart of the war and, finally, into Saint-Malo, where his story and Marie-Laure’s converge.

Doerr’s “stunning sense of physical detail and gorgeous metaphors” (San Francisco Chronicle) are dazzling. Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner, he illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another. Ten years in the writing, a National Book Award finalist, All the Light We Cannot See is a magnificent, deeply moving novel from a writer “whose sentences never fail to thrill” (Los Angeles Times).

GOOD: STOP EVERYTHING AND GO READ THIS BOOK. seriously guys, it was amazing. it is now the best stand-alone book i have ever read. like, gaaaaahhhh.... *flails* *falls over* *cries silently* *lays still* *takes a deep breath* GAAAAAHHH. Here's why: 
a) this book is written from two different view points. you may have heard me rant about the difficulty of this. Doerr NAILS this. i've never read better. Werner is quiet and thoughtful, a constant battleground for good and evil. Marie-Laure is a forest clearing filled with forget-me-nots and daisies, always seeing the good even though her eyes don't let in the light.
b) description: one character is blind, the other is not. seriously, the chapters switch like that. Marie goes by smell, taste, touch, and hearing. She goes by memory, she goes by instinct. she is a sponge for knowledge and her chapters in the book are steeped in it. she is also obsessed with 3-D maps (you'll get that later) and the ocean. Werner, on the other hand, sees everything. His eyes are the sponges, flitting about, pulling in information and analyzing not only the facts but the feelings, the emotions, wondering why at every opportunity. and his chapters. oh golly. his chapters make me cry. and he loves radios. seriously, this kid makes. my. world. although he kinda breaks my heart at the same time.

BAD: there's some language. there's also some really heavy real life stuff. which is difficult to swallow sometimes. one girl gets raped. one character is willing to blow up half of Europe (oh wait, that was Hitler. okay, blowing up the continent would be an exaggeration but you get my point) in order to heal himself. characters are blown up, shot down, impaled, frozen by water in the middle of the night, and some are taken to prison camps. you know what? i fully expected all of that. this is a book written in the middle of the Second World War. There were bad things happening then. a book that doesn't detail these would be lacking historical accuracy and depth. 

DIFFICULTY: the undaunted book queen in me says not hard at all. i mean yeah the book was more than an inch thick BUT HEY who's counting? however, the tiny little girl in me disagrees. for it was indeed a difficult book to read considering the fact that there would be one sentence describing how the field was full of daisies and you could hear a cow's bell in the distance and you could smell the sea and life was normal, and the next sentence would be talking about how the character hadn't eaten in three days and they were on the brink of wishing for death. this wasn't an easy book to read as far as content goes. definitely not for the weak of heart. 

1-10 SCORE: 10. All the way. This book won 6 awards. and it won 6 awards for a reason. it will break your heart and then heal it again. for me, it is forever on my favorites shelf. 
let me put it this way: i normally don't buy books. normally i just borrow them from the library. 
i bought this book. 

OVERVIEW: All the Light We Cannot See is intense, a web of stories and people and facts and myth and time that weave together into one grand climax and leaves you wondering what the purpose of life is. It makes you wonder how you are living today. It makes you think about what you notice, what you give into the world. It changed the way i think. i don't see bad things anymore. i see empty voids capable of good or bad, equally equipped and with equal opportunity to take over that space. at one point in the story Werner is trapped in a basement, listening to a radio. there's absolutely no light, and yet he doesn't feel scared, because the voice that is transmitting over the radio carries light with it. it lights Werner's soul. this scene left me wondering if physical light is not the most important. maybe it is the light that's felt, and heard, the kind that changes our hearts, i think that's what matters. and oh how much there is of it, all the light we cannot see. 

that's what i got out of it.

darn you, john green (my 10 favorite quotes)

So, you say John Green quote and its like #heaven.

Rule #1. Don't read the books becuase they are not clean. There is a hearty percentage of non-Christian content in these. And that content is gross and repulsive.
Rule #2. If you do read these books, there is some really profound and intense writing (I am indecently jealous of John Green's abilities as a writer) which will make you think that it makes up for the bad stuff which is wrong. The bad stuff is bad enough that you shouldn't read these.

but I did. and darn you, John Green, you came up with some INCREDIBLE quotes.

Allow me to share them with you:

note: these are all from Pinterest. But PROBLEM: some of them are grainy. sorry.

i didn't know how to fix it.  dang it, technology.

Day 17: TAG you're it: a happy list (10 things...:)

it's a great idea, really.
writing down things that make you happy. like counting your blessings.
remind yourself that your life is incredible. even if its incredible just because you're breathing and you've got wi-fi. even if its just because you're in pain - it means your alive.
even if its just because you had ice-cream last night.
even if.
count your blessings.

~~ it is autumn.

~~which means i can wear sweaters and boots again.

~~we went on a train trip to Portland and it was lovely. (more pictures to come, etc.)

~~ + new music to listen to. my ipod isn't even close to full but its got all my faves.

~~ god is patient. god is gracious. god is listening. 

~~ COFFEE: because its always a toss-up between a hazelnut breve and an americano with room for 

cream and sugar.

~~ a new bible study on Hebrews. The Nearness of King Jesus by Lisa Harper. its really good to get out and go to a bible study that isn't based solely on my own motivation.

~~ i'm signing up for college. my brain got bored over the summer and this fall. yay midwifery school. (maybe? probably? unless something drastic happens.)

~~ these little girls, my nieces. (aren't they adorable?) their mom (my sister) took the photo.

~~ the fact that God has everything under control.  Hebrews 4:13 "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account."


SO - TAG YOU'RE IT.
if you read all the way through this post then i tag you. comment below some of the things that you're thankful for! or steal the idea and do it on your blog. :D

p.s. I'm behind on this little Blogtober adventure AGAIN but i promise you that i will catch up. :D

Kisses From Katie (book review #5)

What would cause an eighteen-year-old old senior class president and homecoming queen from Nashville, Tennessee, to disobey and disappoint her parents by forgoing college, break her little brother’s heart, lose all but a handful of her friends (because the rest of them think she has gone off the deep end), and break up with the love of her life, all so she could move to Uganda, where she knew only one person but didn’t know any of the language? A passion to make a difference. Katie Davis left over Christmas break her senior year for a short mission trip to Uganda and her life was turned completely inside out. She found herself so moved, so broken by the people and the children of Uganda that she knew her calling was to return and care for them. Her story is like Mother Teresa’s in that she has given up everything—at such a young age—to care for the less fortunate of this world. Katie, a charismatic and articulate young woman, has gone on to adopt 14 children during her time in Uganda, and she completely trusts God for daily provision for her and her family, which includes children with special needs.

To further her reach into the needs of Ugandans, Katie established Amazima Ministries. The ministry matches orphaned children with sponors worldwide. Each sponsor's $300/year provides schooling, school supplies, three hot meals a day, minor medical care, and spiritual encouragement. Katie expected to have forty children in the program; she had signed up 150 by January 2008; today it sponsors over 400. Another aspect of the ministry is a feeding program created for the displaced Karamojong people—Uganda's poorest citizens. The program feeds lunch to over 1200 children Monday-Friday and sends them home with a plate for food; it also offers basic medical care, Bible study, and general health training.

Katie Davis, now 21, is more than fascinating, she's inspiring, as she has wholeheartedly answered the call to serve. 

GOOD: INSPIRATIONAL TO THE POINT OF TEARS. i kid you not. this was a really incredible book in the genre of testimonies and auto-biographies. this girl dropped everything - i repeat EVERYTHING - for God so that he could move her across the world and have her start a non-profit ministry that would care for +200 kids not to mention an uncountable number of adults. Oh! and in the process she adopted 14 children.
INSPIRATIONAL: YES. GOD THING: DEFINITELY.

BAD: it took me a bit to finish this book. it was a little slow at first. i really like the last half of the book, maybe just because i was more focused and i didn't have other things distracting me? it was a little slow, but totally worth reading.

DIFFICULTY: harder than Ranger's Apprentice, but easier than the worst book you read in school last year. (that's not vague at all. *sigh* just go with it.) (the ONLY problem that i had was that it didn't involve dragons. but i say that about every non-fiction book i read.)

1-10 SCORE: 9. seriously guys, it was that good. GO READ IT.

OVERVIEW: to read a book that tell sthe story of a girl who felt that she wasn't comfortable inteh cultural norm REALLY spoke to me. that she did something about it was INCREDIBLE. and that God worked through her even when she didn't understand what was going on, but then later she was able to look back and see his hand prints over every single moment is TOTALLY COOL to me. i really really really really liked this one, guys.

that's what i got out of it.

Rangers Apprentice #8, #9, and #10 (book review #4)

When a cult springs up in neighboring Clonmel, promising to quell the recent attacks by lawless marauders, people flock from all over to offer gold in exchange for protection. But Halt is all too familiar with this particular group, and he knows they have a less than charitable agenda. Secrets will be unveiled and battles fought to the death as Will and Horace help Halt in ridding the land of a dangerous enemy. 

The renegade outlaw group known as the Outsiders has journeyed from kingdom to kingdom, conning the innocent out of their few valuables. Will and Halt, his mentor, are ambushed by the cult's deadly assassins when Halt is pierced by a poisoned arrow. Now Will must travel day and night in search of the one person with the power to cure Halt: Malkallam the Sorcerer.
















When Horace travels to the exotic land of Nihon- Ja, it isn't long before he finds himself pulled into a battle that is not his - but one he knows in his heart he must wage. A kingdom teeters on the edge of chaos when the Nihon-Ja emperor, a defender of the common man, is forcibly overthrown, and only Horace, Will, and his Araluen companions can restore the emperor to the throne. Victory lies in the hands of an inexperienced group of fighters, and it's anybody's guess who will make the journey home to Araluen.












GOOD: guys, these are the Rangers Apprentice. I HAVE NO COMPLAINTS. (other than the fact that certain characters who are supposed to be romantically involved with one another are STILL NOT TOGETHER. #problems like, seriously. i'll be dead by the time they get married.) The entire series is really cool, not too hard to read (either by actual reading level difficulty or mentally/emotionally. You know how some books  make you think about the purpose of life? these...not so much.) its basically about a boy who learns his trade as a woodsman-type guy. Think Robin Hood hired by a good king to be the sheriff and then he grows up to be one of the best Rangers that there is and saves the country 7 times...or something like that.

BAD:  Sometimes, the stories drag on and on. Basically its: they come across a problem, send the Rangers and the Rangers buddies to deal with it. Which usually ends up with tactical obstacles and sometimes they need an army to defeat their foe, but they're all so resourceful that they never lose. (predictable? NEVER.) in the later ones there are also a couple of swear words, too, so if you've got issues with that then probably don't read them. (although i think there's only like, 7 swear words in all 12 books.)

DIFFICULTY: not too bad at all. If you're looking for an easy, entertaining read, DEES BOOKS URR GUD. 

1-10 SCORE: 8.76 (i'd give them a 9 but a) cussing and b) predictability.)

OVERVIEW: my reaction= DAAAAWWWWW *throws books across room* WHY ARE YOU SO CUTE? these books make you feel like you're 8-years-old again and your only problem is that your homemade bow and arrows aren't actually real. plus this lovely series is HILARIOUS. (i snort-laugh [its a thing] at the amount of sarcasm in these humorous tomes.) I was driving in the car with my mom one day while reading one of these and started hysterically laughing to the point where she was worried about me. AWESOMENESS. plus, you know, they have Skandians, which are the equivalent of our Vikings. SO COOL. they even have accents. SO READ THESE whenever you get bored and need to fill out your TBR list with +12 books. 

that's what i got out of it. 

10 quotes from the awesome people i hang out with (10 things)

   

quotes are MY MOST FAVORITEST THINGS EVER.

i've been noticing that the people that i hang around with are really REALLY profound, or just the stuff that comes out of that hole in their face really hits home with me... so i thought i'd quote them.

1. Mom - "That's the part of the equation that we can't control." (We were talking about people in our lives and how their actions affect us, and our actions affect them. I got a picture in my head of a ship sailing through a storm. It has been said that you are the main character of your own story, and the supporting character of someone else's. As ships, we sail through other people's storms. We can either change course and get out of it, or sail straight on through. We can't control the storm itself. We can't control other people. That's the part of the equation that we can't control.)

2. Dani (my older sister) - "Sometimes we have to hang around in the dirt to realize that we don't want to be dirty." (Talking about people again. Sometimes they have to see the bad stuff to realize that they don't want to be in it.)

3. Chris (my brother-in-law) - "Their moral compass is kinda squishy. You know that cornstarch stuff? Where you add cornstarch and water together? And if you hit it really hard, it doesn't give, but if you let it sit in your hands it just turns to goop. That's what their moral compass is like. If you hit it really hard under pressure, its super strong, but the more you hang out with them, the softer it gets." (Again, talking about people - sometimes they put on masks which present the view that they are solid in their morals, in their faith, ethics, whatever...and if not tested except for the occasional smack, they seem solid. But the longer you hang out with them, the goopier they and their morals become.)

(fun fact: Both Dani and Chris, after saying these things, looked at each other and said: "wow! that was really profound!".....gotta love 'em.)

4. Jana (friend, blogger, awesome person) - "Europe is nice. They have trains." (I told her that I was going to run away. She asked if she could come with me.)

5. Eliza Marie (new baby niece!) - "*gurgle* *babble* *wheeze* *sigh*." (All while looking at me with a wide-eyed and bemused expression on her face. I have no idea what this means, but I thought it was profound.)

6. Joelle Rose (2 year old niece...ADORABLE) - "Five fives....LIAR!" (We were playing Pirate's dice.....i think she'll be able to beat us all by the time she's six, but i'm not sure if that's a good thing or not.)

7. Me - "I thought it would help to travel the world." (is it terrible to quote myself? i could give myself a pen name....or say it was one of my friends...)

8. Sara (friend, blogger) - "Even if we fail, we will have learned so much." (We actually didn't have a conversation about this...i found it on her blog.)

9. Courtney (friend, musician) - "But yellow Starbursts are my favorite!" (In response to: a Facebook post that said "Never let anyone treat you like a yellow Starburst. You are a pink Starburst." This was the same girl that told me that "normal was just a setting on your washing machine". Seriously, this girl is brilliant.)

10. Kelaiah (friend, musician, blogger) - "To love is to risk." (ok, so Leo Buscaglia actually said this, but Kelaiah shared it with me. Which makes it awesome.)

11. (BONUS ROUND) Dad - "In 50 words or less, tell me who peed in your Cheerios this morning." (i died. laughing. this is my dad, all the time. so awesome.)

So.....What's your favorite quote? Who said it? Or have you ever said something yourself that you really liked?
I LOVE COMMENTS so talk to me! :D

if i had an extra hour (10 things)

if i had an extra hour
i would go to the grocery store for sugar and milk
and pull the cocoa and cinnamon out of the kitchen cupboard
and make hot cocoa with whipped cream,
steaming and sweet.

if i had an extra hour
i would write a letter
because snail mail is the best
to receive
and the second best to send.

if i had an extra hour
i would take a hot bath
with candles and sea salt
and lavender
and the silence as a barrier
between me and my mind.

if i had an extra hour
i would wrap up in my scarf and jacket
and take a walk in the woods
i would watch the deer nibble their way through the brush
and listen to the squirrels argue over stolen nuts.

if i had an extra hour
i would play on the swings with my niece
and hear her giggle being
flung to the world
at the edge of the autumn breeze.

if i had an extra hour
i would throw the ball for my dog
happy she would be
happy i would be
because she was happy
instead of moping around like she does.

if i had an extra hour
i would make that empty scrapbook
that i've been putting off for a month now
and i'd make a white elephant gift or two while i was at it
because christmas is just around the corner

if i had an extra hour
i would write a song
this one about wishing that walls would come crumbling down
and miscommunication would dissolve like smoke in the rain
and grief and discomfort and pain would wash away
to the sound of my piano and the plink plink plonk of precipitation

if i had an extra hour
i would go looking for you
so we could spend time together
because heaven knows
we don't do that enough anymore.

if i had an extra hour
i'd give my hot cocoa to you
that letter would have your name on it
i would let you know when the bath was full let you have it instead
i'd take a picture of the deer, and steal some of the nuts from the squirrels
and i would chase after that giggle and give all these to you
i would let my dog lick you on the face to share her happiness
and those white elephant gifts would end up on your pillow on two different mornings,
and maybe they would make you smile
the song would be yours
and the time would be yours
and my heart would be yours.

so let me go make an extra hour.

...

The Princess Bride (vs. Eleanor & Park) (book review #3)

so, i try and fail valiantly to prohibit myself from reading more than one book at a time.

this time, it was indeed a war-zone in my bed as i attempted to throw Eleanor & Park out the window and focus on the paperback version of The Princess Bride that i got from the library three weeks ago.

i will bring your attention to three words: "and fail valiantly".

because that's what happened.

two books at a time can be a good thing though. you start to realize what exactly you like in books, and which ones you read because you somehow feel obligated to do so.

and for me, two books means i read them faster. (don't know why, but i do.)

we'll start with Eleanor and Park because honestly i liked it better.

it wasn't on the list, but let me tell you, it was beautiful in an ugly way.

Eleanor... Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head. Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem drabber and flatter and never good enough...Eleanor.

Park... He knows she'll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There's a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep promises...Park.

Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. 

GOOD: There are some books that restore your faith in humanity. Sometimes i think that everyone wears a mask; that being real isn't something that people strive for; that searching for yourself isn't something that is encouraged, but should be. This book made me think that maybe, just maybe, there were still people out there who know what it is like to live passionately, and with every intention of giving more to life than what we get out of it. Eleanor and Park were both themselves. They couldn't help it. If they tried to be someone else, bad things happened. So they just decided to be them. and it worked out beautifully, and painfully. which is life, i guess.

BAD: this was not what i would deem a "clean" book. there was a lot of cussing, which was disappointing. i have issues with this whole cussing issue. the "ouch doesn't cut it" phenomenon explains it best i think. sometimes "ouch" doesn't work. sometimes you need something a little stronger to figure out the pain. in this book, there were contrasting characters as far as the cussing went. both Eleanor and Park use language, but only when they don't know what else to say. other characters are a little more fluent with colorful language, and Eleanor and Park both feel uncomfortable using swear words frequently. so, read at your own discretion. it was a secular book. and some people would say that it's full of crap. (which is partially true) but it was beautiful. life is full of crap. but it's beautiful.

difficulty: not that hard as far as writing style went.  (personally i love books that switch back and forth between characters perspectives, especially if its in first person.) as far as content goes - it could be considered more difficult. Eleanor lives with a) a broken family, b) an abusive step-father, and c) her personally created isolation because she really has about ZERO people she can trust, until she meets Park. that can be difficult.

1-10 SCORE: (i hate this part.) How is it that whenever i read a clean book, its not interesting at all and then the second i read a book that should receive a lower rating because of its non-Christian content it pulls at my heartstrings like a child tugging at its mother's sleeve? oh my heart. this was one of those books that wormed its way onto my bookshelf and i really don't mind that its staying. so...7 stars, and don't read it if you get easily offended.

OVERVIEW: GAAAAH. this book was beautiful, and filthy. it was heart-wrenching, and gut-wrenching. i wanted to pull to my heart and then throw in the trash. sometimes we constrict our view of life to the small pinhole of light that we have been exposed to in our few years here on earth. and that if we pulled away our black bowl under which we hide, then we would see that there is much light around us. "To love is to risk."-Leo Buscaglia. to love is to open ourselves. E&P were "smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try."  somehow, i agree. that life will hurt us.  but we can either try to make our life beautiful, or we can hide from it and never live. 

that's what i got out of this one.

 NOW:

What happens when the most beautiful girl in the world marries the handsomest prince of all time and he turns out to be...well...a lot less than the man of her dreams?

As a boy, William Goldman claims, he loved to hear his father read the S. Morgenstern classic, The Princess Bride. But as a grown-up he discovered that the boring parts were left out of good old Dad's recitation, and only the "good parts" reached his ears.

Now Goldman does Dad one better. He's reconstructed the "Good Parts Version" to delight wise kids and wide-eyed grownups everywhere.

What's it about? Fencing. Fighting. True Love. Strong Hate. Harsh Revenge. A Few Giants. Lots of Bad Men. Lots of Good Men. Five or Six Beautiful Women. Beasties Monstrous and Gentle. Some Swell Escapes and Captures. Death, Lies, Truth, Miracles, and, well...in short, it's about everything.

GOOD: its the original story from the movie. of course its good. i mean, you get POV's from both Inigo and Fezzik. You get a close up of the albino (because let's face it, the accent thingy he did in the movie the first time we see him in The Pit of Despair is AMAZING). you get to realizing that Buttercup is a spoiled brat.  oh, and Goldman's italicized monologues and reasons for cutting out parts of the old book were actually amusing. which surprised me because i've been told that they're rather annoying. basically, you get the depth that a book offers with all the good parts of the movie. 

BAD: its a 300 page book made into a 98 minute movie. its gotta be slow.  that depth that i was just talking about? that's what you get with this - in excess. whenever i do the unpardonable act of watching the movie before reading the book, i end up disappointed. it was good because i got to see where the idea for the beloved movie came from. it was boring because honestly, movie editors only take the very best parts. and writers leave in everything, good or not.

DIFFICULTY: it was hard because it was long. i kept reading it because it had a great page voice, but that was the only thing (as far as just reading it, all partiality aside) that it had going for it. simply, the plot line was a little slow.

1-10 SCORE: 3. *sigh*...honestly, watch the movie instead.

OVERVIEW: it could have been better. it was good to see the passion that the author had behind it. Goldman wrote it with the idea that his father read him this story when he was a kid, but Goldman himself never actually opened the pages. So when he gives his son a copy for his birthday and his son doesn't like it,  Goldman investigates and finds that the original version is extremely boring. So he edits out all the boring parts. he gets the "good parts" version. and its quite a feat. the idea was wonderful. the book itself was good, really. but it just wasn't something that sparked with me. 

that's what i got out of it. 

10 things about you

okey-dokey, folks. change of plans.
10 things posts, well, they have tended to be about me.

PLOT TWIST: this one's about you .

YAY.

Source

So who are you?

Source

Comment your answers, or blog your own and comment a link to your post!
(It's like a really really really casual blog party.)
(and i answered my own questions. because i can. don't read 'em if ya don't want to.)

1. What is your weirdest hobby? Mine is making journals. Not particularly writing in them (although I do love that) but actually MAKING the journal. And blogging (i'm only slightly addicted.)
2. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? "I haven't been everywhere but it's on my list."  - Susan Sontag
3. Favorite quote. or Bible verse. :D "In the end I want my heart to be covered in stretch marks." - Andrea Gibson
4. one of your secrets. or something that you never tell anyone. it doesn't have to be serious. just something simple that you never said. mine is: i hate ranch dressing. seriously. and it's like, the only salad dressing that my family ever makes. 
5. Do you cuss? (i find this interesting. but you have to tell the truth. even if you only cuss when you stub your toe.) goodness. i do cuss, in my head. it's a habit i'm trying to break: i don't want to cuss, but sometimes i cuss about cussing. *facepalm* #embarrassed.
6. what's that thing that bothers you? what gets under your skin and makes you itch? people not closing the door behind them (if it was closed when they walked in) and leaving lights on in rooms that aren't in use. stereotypes. (the worst. don't get me started.) and being patronized. or watching others be patronized. 
7. how are you spending your summer? (mine = hiking, reading, working, canning, running, trying to get enough sleep, chocolate, and Downton Abbey with mom and dad. :D)
8. what is your guilty pleasure? (*ahem* mine is books. the ones that make my heart ache. yay.)
9. would you rather learn to do something new or have a new toy/gadget/thingamajig? i'd rather learn. how to get through an airport without losing your mind or a new iPhone. AIRPORT THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
10. what makes you happy? what makes you smile without being able to help it? good songs. happy poetry. laughing with family and friends until my gut hurts and i'm crying-laughing. good books that make you think about life and why it is the way it is and why you are the way you are. that one friend's smile that they don't know means a lot to you. mom's hugs. summer sun, autumn breeze, the nip of winter on your nose and the way springtime makes the chickens happy. i love life. it makes me happy. sometimes it makes me sad but mostly it makes me happy. mostly it makes me smile...without being able to help it. and then when someone asks why i'm smiling, i have no answer. its just that things are good. something wonderful happened. something wonderful will always happen.  

so TELL ME! because i'm really curious. like, really curious. biting-my-nails, drive-me-nuts curious.

hugs,

Sami

p.s. excuse the art. its my new kick lately. 

10 Things I Learned This Year

So, we passed that time of year again. Graduation. Parties. Friends. Family. Planning, thinking, finishing, doing...starting.
Your life as you know it is ending, and then you realize that your life is just starting, too. What a contradiction.
Watching the 2015 graduating class go through the ceremonies and the parties and everything...it got me thinking. I've only been graduated for a year, but in that year I have learned a gazillion things. I have become aware of things that were there for 18 years, but I didn't notice them until now. I have discovered new depths and dug deep into rich, healthy soil that has been being primed for this post-high-school life. A lot can happen in a year. Everything comes and goes - everything - to the point where somehow your life looks similar (because it's still yours) but the color, the look, the feel - EVERYTHING has changed.

Somewhere along this great timeline of life, someone thought it would be a great idea to have young adults have a complete change in EVERYTHING right smack-dab in the middle of what could be considered a young adult's mid-life-crisis. (Currently, I don't like this person.) But even when everything changes, we keep going.

"...life doesn't stop for anybody." - The Perks of Being a Wallflower

So, life doesn't stop. Neither do we. We never stop learning, doing, breathing, thinking, living.
And this is what I've learned while I've not stopped in the last year:

1. Family is the most important thing that you will ever have, other than your faith. So, get to know them, if you don't. Lose the attitude - your parents actually do know more than you. Make use of their knowledge. They've lived longer than you. Also, find another model-figure for your life and make use of their knowledge. Usually someone who hasn't lived with you for the last 18 years has a different perspective. Also, family is not limited to blood-relatives. Some of my family members are sunday-school teachers from 3rd grade. Some are co-workers. Some are my mom's clients that I cat-sit for. And then there's my church. (which personally I think can be a little weird, because it's like: assuming everyone in this building has accepted Christ...um, they're all my bro's and sista's....sorry, what was your name? I don't think we've met..." And it's also weird when those people know your name because you're on the worship team, but then you're like "actually I don't recognize you at all....I was probably looking at my music..."). Basically, EMBRACE YOUR FAMILY.
2. You can't change people. You can only change yourself, your reactions, your responsibilities. So, if you don't like something that you can't change, change your reaction. for example: this spring i had an incident with the director of the play that i was providing music for. she felt that i wasn't putting enough effort into the music (when in reality i was putting in as much effort as i could muster). I had to tell her that i was doing that, but in order for me to do any better, i was going to need HER support, and the music director's support too. and then, rather than being really mad at her (because i really wanted to be mad at her) i decided that she was stressed about the play and the deadlines in it, and i was stressed about the same, and the only thing i could do was be nice to her. and you know what? it worked. the more understanding i tried to be, the less angry i felt with her and the easier it was for me to put more effort into the music. 
3. Treat others as you would like to be treated. (And don't be a two-year-old and be mean. Be decent. It will be returned to you.)
4. Make new friends. This one, I think, is critical. Usually, we spend most of the first 18 years of our life surrounded by familiar faces: friends that we grew up with from childhood, family, people from church, etc. I think we have a tendency to harden our abilities to meet new people, thus creating cliques (which, if you have ever been on the outside of a clique, is actually very painful). So when a new face shows up at bible study, introduce yourself. When you see a new family at church, or at a gathering, or WHATEVER, go say hi. (I know: this is coming from the introvert. But I'm not entirely hopeless. I have at least 3 friendships that are new as of the beginning of the year.) WARNING: if you are in a clique and you do this, you might lose your place...just sayin'.
5. Clothing does not wash itself. (I had to put this one in.) I have never been good at doing laundry. I put a load in the washer, and then forget about it for two days. Thankfully, I've been getting better about not leaving it for days at a time, but in the process have developed another habit: waiting to wash the clothes until I have none left to wear. DON'T DO THIS. Because chances are, you'll choose to do laundry on the very day that everyone else in your living quarters chooses to do laundry. And then that results in laundry wars. (*ahem*, underwear helmets and laundry basket shields.....be sure to remove all cameras from premises so as to avoid blackmailing material...)
6. Get a job, and learn how to love it, even when you hate it. Currently, I'm not totally in love with my job, because I'm learning that everyone in the world does not wish for bubblegum, rainbows and unicorns. But, the paycheck makes up for it. And I have awesome hours. So basically it balances itself out.
7. Have fun. Literally. For a couple months after I graduated, it was like I was still in school. Always busy, always doing something. And then things slowed down. This last month or so, even though I'm still really busy, I've been focusing more on doing things I enjoy - like staying up until 2 a.m. reading. Or going for walks with my mom. Or going to a movie with my sister. Or just meeting a friend for coffee. (I LOVE coffee dates.) Or Skyping with people halfway around the world. Slow down a little, enjoy what you do.
8. Be YOU. I know you've heard this before, but I cannot stress it enough. This is your life. More particularly, this is your first year on your own. (Yeah, I know, it's freaky.) So you get do change the things you don't like about yourself, and nourish the parts that you do like. You get to take that clay that your parents have spent 18 years centering and shaping (not details yet, just form) and you get to start saying "I like that, lets add a little detail. I like this, lets put some in here. And...oh GOODNESS we need to get rid of that..." You get to shape yourself, and let God shape you. It's really awesome.
9. Laugh at yourself. No kidding, here. I used to get super stressed out and then the tiniest little thing would set me off and I would either turn into the Hulk, or run sobbing to my room. SERIOUSLY let it go. When you mess up, LAUGH. It makes the situation that much less painful, and everyone else around doesn't get a ruined day.
10. Find something you love about yourself. EXAMPLE: I have great legs. No, really. I LOVE my legs, especially when I work out and they are semi-tan. Also, I love that I'm an introvert. I mean, yeah it can be a little bit of a problem when I have to be around people...but when I DON'T have to be around people its really awesome because then I'm this super low-maintenance person. When you start looking for something you like, you get to know yourself better. It's really interesting, because it basically goes like this: "Lets see....what do I like about myself....OOH! I like that. But what's that? Ugh...gross. I think that needs to go. So, trashcan where are yo- OH MY GOODNESS LOOK AT THIS LOVELINESS where has that been? has it been hidi- have you been hiding all this time? THAT IS SO COOL!!!"

*ahem*
or something like that.
10 things in 1 year. I've probably learned more. I've probably learned more important ones. But I've probably also forgotten them.
These are the ones I remembered. These are the ones that are important to me.
so what did you learn this last year?  what do you remember? what's important now? You should totally tell me about it in the comment section! :D

10 favorite songs (right now)

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this list changes. every month. some new song comes on the radio and i'm like OH MY GOSH DO YOU HEAR THIS SONG?????? THIS IS AMAZING!!!!!!

.... *ahem* or something like that....

anyway. here's my faves, not in any particular order, because that DEFINITELY changes day to day. But this list is my go-to music. There's always something on here that gives me chills. in my world, this is good music.

1. Hold Back the River - James Bay. This, my friends, is my hippie song. I regularly belt it out on my way home from work. ...hold back the river, let me look in your eyes, hold back the river so i, can stop for a minute and be by your side, hold back the river, hold back...
   
2. Brother - NeedtoBreathe. I love this song wholeheartedly. It's such a great example of friendship. ...Ramblers in the wilderness we can't find what we need, get a little restless from the searching, get a little worn down in between, like a bull chasing the matador is the man left to his own schemes, everybody needs someone beside em' shining like a lighthouse from the sea...
   
3. Broken Together - Casting Crowns. (warning: upcoming rant.) I find it interesting that society pressures us to be whole, since society is just about the most broken thing around since the last time I dropped a drinking glass on the kitchen floor. It's this shattered, misshapen, taped-together mess, and yet it pushes us to be perfect. I think this song can be about having to co-exist with other people. Sometimes we just have to  let each other be broken. So, in particular this isn't one of my favorite songs to listen to, but I love it's message. (end of rant.) ...How I wish we could go back to simpler times, before all our scars and all our secrets were in the light, now on this hallowed ground, we've drawn the battle lines, will we make it through the night?
   
4. Wake Me Up - Avicii. And this is my running away song. (watch the music video...i thought it was cool.) ...Feeling my way through the darkness, guided by a beating heart, i can't tell where the journey will end, but I know where to start, they tell me I'm too young to understand, they say I'm caught up in a dream, well life will pass me by if I don't open up my eyes, well that's fine by me...I tried carrying the weight of the world, but I only have two hands, I hope I get the chance to travel the world, and I don't have any plans...
5. Awake My Love - I Am They. Something about this song just clicks with me. Maybe its the beginning, maybe it's the lyrics. but it works. ...I’ve been walking through this life, feeling empty on the inside, just when I thought my hope had died, you were there to bring me back to life...
6. Say You Do - Dierks Bentley. one must have at least one heartbreak song. this one's mine. no touchy....Don't worry about the damage done, just let those words roll off your tongue, even if you're lyin'...well couldn't you, say you do, say you might, for tonight, have a heart, bend the truth, even if you don't, couldn't you...
7. Photograph - Ed Sheeran. This song is the best thing ever. I don't know how to describe it other than that. Just....go listen to it. Maybe you'll understand then. :) ...when I'm away, I will remember how you kissed me, under the lamppost back on sixth street, hearing you whisper through the phone, "wait for me to come home."...
8. Greater - Mercy Me. I cannot sit still to this song. not to mention the great message. he is greater, yeah? ...every day I wrestle with the voices that keep telling me I'm not right, but that's alright...'cause I hear a voice and He calls me redeemed, when others say I'll never be enough, and greater is the One living inside of me, than he who is living in the world...
   
9. Bad Blood - Taylor Swift. There was a day when i would rather be tortured and murdered in cold blood rather than be caught saying that i liked a TS song. Unfortunately, that day has passed. And this is a really good angry song. so there....did you have to do this, i was thinking that you could be trusted, did you have to ruin what was shining now it's all rusted, did you have to hit me where I'm weak baby I couldn't breathe, I rubbed it in so deep, salt in the wound like you're laughing right at me....
   
10. Crash and Burn - Thomas Rhett. This song makes me laugh. Every time. i just find it funny that he screwed up and then wrote a song about it and the song happens to be a very happy sounding song. it's a bit ironic, yeah? ...I know that it might sound jaded, and I have to say
    I think love is overrated, but I don't like throwing it away,  do you hear that? I'm right back, at the sound of lonely calling, do you hear that? It's where I'm at, it's the sound of teardrops falling down, down, a slamming door and a lesson learned, I let another lover crash and burn...

10 summer foods...a la favori

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I'm a foodie. These are my top ten favorite summer foods.
Okay, enough said.
LET'S EAT.

1. Watermelon. I'm fairly certain I could live off of watermelon.
2. Grilled Chicken. *ahem* My father makes THE. BEST. GRILLED. CHICKEN. EVER.
3. Iced Tea. not sweet iced tea (although I have had that and DANG it's good) but my mother's honey-bush sun tea, loose-leaf and slow-steeped. it's lovely.
4. Tomatoes. particularly the orange tiny ones from the garden.
5. Zucchini. You will hate me for this one. But really, I LOVE zucchini: it's really versatile: very simple and yummy just by itself, but can also be used in other more complex dishes. not to mention we have a ton of it growing out of our garden so we really have to like it.
6. Granola, applesauce, and milk. it's like cereal. I always used to put applesauce in my cereal. And now that we can't have cereal...we use granola.
7. Cheese. Guys - GUYS: Yogurt Cheese. They actually make it out of yogurt. It's softer than regular cheese, and I've tried the garlic-and-herb and the vegetable versions. both are simply amazing.
8. S'mores. (seriously, is it even summer without them?) And these are a feat, because until about a month ago we didn't think we could get s'mores or graham crackers without gluten in them. BUT WE CAN... so, salute to s'mores.
9. Coke Life. because it's soda that lex and I can drink. and BONUS it comes in glass bottles so YAY we get to look cool.
10. PB2. It's peanut butter, but dried, so just add water. it's amazing. enough said. 

Food...what would life be without it? Plus, you know, Jesus liked food too. (John 21:5) I feel justified in my obsession. To learn more about my said obsession, check out my other blog (which is posted on at my leisure...*ahem* as in, whenever i feel like it.) here :D. Now go eat summer food!

Earth Girl (aka summer reading list #2)

2788. Only the handicapped live on Earth. Eighteen-year-old Jarra is among the one in a thousand people born with an immune system that cannot survive on other planets. Sent to Earth at birth to save her life, she has been abandoned by her parents. She can’t travel to other worlds, but she can watch their vids, and she knows all the jokes they make. She’s an “ape,” a “throwback,” but this is one ape girl who won’t give in.

Jarra makes up a fake military background for herself and joins a class of norms who are on Earth for a year of practical history studies excavating the dangerous ruins of the old cities. She wants to see their faces when they find out they’ve been fooled into thinking an ape girl was a norm. She isn’t expecting to make friends with the enemy, to risk her life to save norms, or to fall in love.

GOOD: there was one main aspect of the book that I loved: the book was set in a utopian future, not a dystopian future. the difference? dystopian means the world ended but the people survived and everything is terrible and the government is possibly bad and controlling. utopian means that the world didn't end, everyone is in agreement on what the government does, and changes have been made to make peace between people and people, people and nature, people and deity. So, in this book, Jarra is stuck on earth becuase her body goes into shock if she does, but other people can leave earth for other planets (outside the Milky Way) which is how everyone lives today: making use of other planets out there. even though she hates it, Jarra has to stay on earth. Really, the conflict isn't between her and an outside force (government or nature) but between her and herself. Jarra has to come to terms with who she is. I liked that.

BAD: it was slow. very slow. I actually took the opportunity to skip ahead oh, 80 pages or so. it didn't really make a difference. i did go back and read the whole thing becuase 1, i was feeling listless and i do pointless things when i feel listless, and 2, i did miss a part of the plotline that WAS THE plotline, so i had to unskip. See, books like that bother me. You shouldn't have to spend 200 pages getting your book set up for the plot line. Your reader should know when they're getting to the big main good part. and you should start your reader IN the conflict, or at least right before it. Earth Girl was lacking in this area.

DIFFICULTY: this one was harder to read. it didn't seem to flow. there were long passages of description that weren't description, just facts thrown together in a jumbled heap. there wasn't much of a plotline...i had to convince myself  finish it.

1-10 SCORE: i'm giving this one a 2. (oh, i'm cruel...) like i said. it just didn't go with me.

OVERVIEW: there were good parts. like when Jarra decides that maybe the norms aren't so bad after all. when she realizes that she's just like them, and that prejudice can be two-sided. when she realizes that she has made friends that are like family, and even though she lied to them they are standing by her. overall though, it was fairly disappointing. it reminded me of my dad's old BB gun (the pellets ROLL out the end of the barrel, and then pathetically drop to the ground.) maybe that's a bit harsh, but that's what i got out of it.