June Wrap Up

I have done some updating during the month but since this is my only version of a scrap book, I thought I would do a little picture summary of the month:

Signed up for but didn't get to ride in

Little Red Riding Hood

Went along for the girls trip and had a

Beautiful run while they were out riding.

First trip of the season to Bridal Veil Falls

Tim took Luke to the splash pad and

We discovered that he is a water baby.

Luke and I went to Dallas for Jessica's graduation.

Tim and I went to the Tim McGraw concert and

Stayed in Salt Lake to celebrate our anniversary.

Sean came to town and four of the five siblings

Strolled down memory lane at a concert,

Bare Naked Ladies, Ben Folds Five and Guster.

Plenty of pool time for this boy.

The Fault in Our Stars

At 16, Hazel Grace Lancaster, a three-year stage IV–cancer survivor, is clinically depressed. To help her deal with this, her doctor sends her to a weekly support group where she meets Augustus Waters, a fellow cancer survivor, and the two fall in love. Both kids are preternaturally intelligent, and Hazel is fascinated with a novel about cancer called An Imperial Affliction. Most particularly, she longs to know what happened to its characters after an ambiguous ending. To find out, the enterprising Augustus makes it possible for them to travel to Amsterdam, where Imperial’s author, an expatriate American, lives. What happens when they meet him must be left to readers to discover. Suffice it to say, it is significant. Writing about kids with cancer is an invitation to sentimentality and pathos—or worse, in unskilled hands, bathos. Happily, Green is able to transcend such pitfalls in his best and most ambitious novel to date. Beautifully conceived and executed, this story artfully examines the largest possible considerations—life, love, and death—with sensitivity, intelligence, honesty, and integrity. In the process, Green shows his readers what it is like to live with cancer, sometimes no more than a breath or a heartbeat away from death. But it is life that Green spiritedly celebrates here, even while acknowledging its pain. (From Booklist)

I had read several reviews of this book, mostly good, a few negative, and was excited to have a chance to read it for myself.  The short answer is that I loved it.  There are plenty of books out there about people dying of cancer but what I loved about this one was the relationships, primarily between Hazel and Gus, but also their mutual friend Isaac.  I loved the sarcastic conversations balanced with tender emotions between people who were really struggling.   One of the recurring conversations is about An Imperial Affliction and how many times Hazel has re-read it.  I found it somewhat ironic that as soon as I finished reading, I wanted to read it again.  In fact, just talking about it has put it back on my shelf of books to be read.  

Solid A

 A few of my favorite quotes:

Dallas June 2013

Thirteen years ago I graduated from BYU.  Jessica was there and we took a picture of her wearing my cap, she has displayed the picture it in her room ever since.  Last week I was lucky enough to be on the opposite side of that tradition and be there to see her graduate from high school.  As the single aunt for so long, I never felt completely childless thanks to my nephews and nieces.  I was lucky that Sean and Julie always invited me to be such a part of their family and I love my "Texas babies" as if they were my own.  Over the years we have been asked numerous times if Jess was my daughter, a question that  has always made us both smile.  Now that I will be having my own daughter, I can only hope that she will grow up to be a great of a girl as Jessica has.

As excited as we were to go,

It was a little traumatic to separate my two boys at the airport

I was a little nervous to travel on my own

But thanks to some great packing

I was happy to be able to handle 

Everything on my own.

Luke didn't sleep at all on either flight

But...he was super happy and kept everyone entertained.

One of the best parts about being together 

Is of course, the chance for a family run.

Everyone was very gracious and ran very slowly for me.

Nothing like a summer night at a baseball game

Luke brought his own ball, just wanted to fit in.

 New fridges to explore

The best part of the trip, really any trip to Dallas

Was just spending time with family.

Luke especially like hanging with everyone,

And loved the non stop attention.

So proud of this girl,

Can't wait for her to start college at BYU

Happy Anniversary

Four years ago I made the best decision of my life and married Tim.  At the time we got married we had been dating for a little over a year, so we have actually been together for over five years.  Last night we were talking about how many great experiences we have had since then.  Life hasn't been perfect, but it has all definitely been better as a team.  Looking forward to rest of eternity with you babe.  

The Big Day

First Anniversary

June 15, 2010

Tim surprised me by taking me to The Chef's Table

Not sure what happened to the pictures from our second anniversary.

I do know that it involved PF Chang

Third Anniversary

June 15, 2012

So much fun to be a family of 3.

June 14, 2013

We got started a day early with the Tim McGraw concert

We knew it would a long night so we decided to stay in Salt Lake

What better place to stay than the Hyatt House,

Same place we spent our first night married

Thanks mom and dad for letting Luke have a sleep over

And of course, to Gavin and Miles for

Helping take such good care of our boy

Class of 2013

Taylor graduated from Skyview High School last week.  He is such a dedicated student and crazy smart.  I remember when I first met him he was about 13, half the time I wasn't quite sure what he was talking about because he was already so advanced in so many subjects.  Thanks to his good grades, he has been awarded a four year, full tuition scholarship to Utah Valley University.  We are so proud of all of his accomplishments.
My favorite quotes from the speeches:
"Too often we judge ourselves by our intentions, and others by their actions"  Steven R. Covey
"I have prepared for death all my life by the life I have lived"  Socrates

Mexican Book Club

No, this isn't a post about Mexican authors or books that focus on Mexican themes, it's a summary of the books I read while in Mexico.  I like to say that I had my own little book club while I was gone.  Three books in six days is my idea of a perfect vacation.  Here's a quick review on two that I read.

At an intimate, festive dinner party in Seattle, six women gather to celebrate their friend Kate's recovery from cancer. Wineglass in hand, Kate strikes a bargain with them. To celebrate her new lease on life, she'll do the one thing that's always terrified her: white-water rafting. But if she goes, all of them will also do something they always swore they'd never do-and Kate is going to choose their adventures. (Amazon)

I loved the premise of this book and was excited to see what adventures each of the women experienced.  I often read the first paragraph or page of a book to decide if I want to buy it, I loved the quote by Mary Oliver that the author chose to begin this book "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"  Unfortunately, I never could get invested in the characters and wasn't all that impressed by their stories.  I think one of the real flaws for me was that it didn't seem like a cohesive novel for me, rather I felt like I was reading a collection of short stories - and in general, I don't care for short stories.  The book was perfectly fine for a vacation read and there were a few bright spots, but overall, not as good as I had expected.
B-

Thirty-six-year-old Grace McAllister never longed for children. But when she meets Victor Hansen, a handsome, charismatic divorced restaurateur who is father to Max and Ava, Grace decides that, for the right man, she could learn to be an excellent part-time stepmom. After all, the kids live with their mother, Kelli. How hard could it be?

At thirteen, Ava Hansen is mature beyond her years. Since her parents’ divorce, she has been taking care of her emotionally unstable mother and her little brother—she pays the bills, does the laundry, and never complains because she loves her mama more than anyone. And while her father’s new girlfriend is nice enough, Ava still holds out hope that her parents will get back together and that they’ll be a family again. But only days after Victor and Grace get engaged, Kelli dies suddenly under mysterious circumstances—and soon, Grace and Ava discover that there was much more to Kelli’s life than either ever knew.

Narrated by Grace and Ava in the present with flashbacks into Kelli’s troubled past, Heart Like Mine is a poignant, hopeful portrait of womanhood, love, and the challenges and joys of family life. (Amazon)

I packed at least three books and six or seven magazines, but during our layover in Houston I still was pulled to the bookstore in the airport.  When I read the back of this book I was immediately interested but put it down because I obviously didn't need any more books.  I'm pretty impressed, I resisted for about a half hour before going back so it does't count as an impulse purchase, right?
The book was almost exactly what I expected.   Despite the heavy topics, the book was pretty light reading and the story moved along with a good mix of present day narratives and flashbacks.  I did find the struggles of the blended family very familiar and it was interesting to see which of their issues were easily resolved and which continued to be a theme throughout the book.  Overall I liked the characters and more importantly, cared enough about them to be invested in their outcomes.  I passed the book along to a friend already, which for me, is a pretty good recommendation.
B+

Tulip Festival

It's been several years since I have been to the tulip festival - I always seem to forget until after the tulips are gone.  A few weeks ago I talked Tim into going by promising him a trip to JCWs after.  We had such a great time.  The boy loves to be outside and was perfectly content to hang in his stroller while we wandered around the grounds.  It was a great way to spend an afternoon.  Oh and the burgers, delish.