tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61787850564835618212024-03-14T04:14:13.433-06:00lb for lbi see life in technicolor, and while i take it all in i have some pretty awesome insights, at least i like to think so. i am traveling through this life in my own way, and that's okay because in the end, the only steps that matter are the ones you take all by yourself. that said, i think its time for me to spread the love and share the awesomeness because, let's face it, i'm basically the coolest kid you know.Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13357673346622234049noreply@blogger.comBlogger263125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178785056483561821.post-25632706095474159542016-01-06T14:19:00.002-07:002016-01-06T14:24:52.624-07:00"Books are a uniquely portable magic"*<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 18px;">It's been a year since my last post. I am such a slacker! Sorry to all of my loyal readers (all 2 of you) for the unintentional hiatus. I have no excuse, I just got distracted and busy, and stopped making time for this. I can't promise I'm going to do much better this year, but I have some new projects in the works and I hope to update you more often!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18px;">All that aside, I have been doing a lot of reading this year. Like, A LOT. Come back in a few days (hopefully) for an explanation as to <i>why</i> I read what I read.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 36pt;">2015 Reading Stats</span></b><span style="font-family: 'SwingSet BB', sans-serif; font-size: 36pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 15pt;">Number of Books Read: 52<br />Number of Re-Reads: 3<br />Genre You Read The Most From: YA Fiction (and I feel no shame), although my book choices this year have been far more varied than in years past</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 36pt;">Best in Books</span></b><span style="font-family: 'SwingSet BB', sans-serif; font-size: 36pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;">1. Best Book You Read In 2015?</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;"><u>All The Light We Cannot See</u> by Anthony Doerr. Such a beautiful book. Beautiful story, beautifully written, it even had a beautiful cover. I loved it through and through. Bonus:the author lives in my hometown, so that;s cool.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;">2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn't?</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<u style="font-size: 14px;">Murder on the Orient Express</u><span style="font-size: 14px;"> by Agatha Christie. Maybe I just watch too many crime procedural television shows, but I wasn't as intrigued by this one as I wanted to be, and I kind of felt like the ending was a bit of a let down.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read in 2015?</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;"> </span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;"><u>Severed Souls</u> by Terry Goodkind. You know that quote about not being afraid to kill the darlings?** Goodkind is certainly not afraid!</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;">4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did) In 2015?</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;">I was pretty good about not pushing books on people this year. That being said, it is kind of part of my job to convince reluctant readers to read, so I did make a bunch of suggestions. I think the most recommended was the Lorien Legacies series (beginning with <u>I Am Number Four)</u> by Pittacus Lore. Looking forward to the (supposed) last installment sometime in 2016!</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;">5. Best series you started in 2015? Best Sequel of 2015? Best Series Ender of 2015?</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;">Best overall series I read this year was probably <u>Legend</u> by Marie Lu. Best sequel is a toss up between <u>Severed Souls</u> by Terry Goodkind and <u>The Fate of Ten</u> by Pittacus Lore. I love both of the series' as a whole, and I really enjoyed these additions. Best series ender was maybe <u>The Shadow's Curse</u> by Amy McCullouch. </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;">6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2015?</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Marie Lu.</div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;">7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;"><u>The Count of Monte Cristo</u> by Alexandre Dumas. I have been trying to work my way through some of the classics, but I usually find them a bit boring and/or tedious. It;s a personal problem and I am working on it. Anyway, sometimes I am pleasantly surprised and this was one of those times.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;">8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;">Ooh, I read a few action packed books this year, but since I finished all 630 pages of <u>Severed Souls</u> in a weekend I'd say it probably takes the cake on all three counts.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;">9. Book You Read In 2015 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;">I don't know that I'm likely to re-read any of these books next year, but I will certainly read <u>All The Light We Cannot See</u> again at some point.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;">10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2015?</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;">Here I go, judging a book by its cover...I think my favorite might have been <u>An Abundance of Katherines</u> by John Green. It's colorful, and fun, and I'm cool with it.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;">11. Most memorable character of 2015?</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;">Raim from <u>The Oathbreaker's Shadow</u> and <u>The Shadow's Curse</u> by Amy McCulloch</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;">12. Most beautifully written book read in 2015?</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;"><u>All The Light We Cannot See</u> by Anthony Doerr. I cannot even put into words how beautiful this book is.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;">13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2015?</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<u>It Starts With Food</u> by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig. Made me rethink my beliefs, attitudes, and approach toward food. </div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2015 to finally read?</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;"> </span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;"><u>Sense and Sensibillity</u> by Jane Austen. Actually, not surprised about this book specifically, but surprised that it took me this long to finally read anything by Jane Austen. This was my first foray, and I wasn't as impressed as I had expected to be, but it wasn't bad. I might get around to reading some more at some point.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;">15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2015?</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">"The sum of all human wisdom will be contained in these two words: Wait and hope." from <u>The Count of Monte Cristo</u> by Alexandre Dumas.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;">16. Shortest & Longest Books You Read In 2015?</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> Longest:<span class="apple-converted-space"> <u>Anna Karenina</u> by Leo Tolstoy</span>. Shortest:<span class="apple-converted-space"> <u>The Best Christmas Pageant Ever</u> by Barbara Robinson</span></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;">7. Book That Shocked You The Most</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;"><u>Blood and Guts in High School</u> by Kathy Acker. Didn't like it. Kind of hated it. Not really sure why I read it. Definitely shocking though.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="font-size: 15pt;">18. OTP of the Year (I will go down with this ship!)</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Richard and Kahlan from<span class="apple-converted-space"> <u>Severed Souls</u></span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>(and the rest of Goodkind’s Sword of Truth series).<u1:p></u1:p> They are perfect and I will never change my mind about them. This is exactly what I wrote last year with the exception of the book title, I feel no shame in repeating it.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;">19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Colin and Hassan from <u>An Abundance of Katherines</u> by John Green. If I were under the age of 19, I'd take a road trip with them.</div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;">20. Favorite Book You Read in 2015 From An Author You've Read Previously</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;"><u>Looking for Alaska</u> by John Green. What can I say? I like the way the guy tells a story.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;">21. Best Book You Read In 2015 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;"><u>Swamplandia!</u> by Karen Russell. </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;">22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2015?</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Brace yourselves for a shocking revelation... I DON'T HAVE ONE! I mean, I have plenty of fictional crushes, but none that are new to the year of 2015.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;">23. Best 2015 debut you read?</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">I am behind the times and I didn't read any</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;">24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;"><u>The Oathbreaker's Shadow</u> by Amy McCulloch</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;">25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;"><u>The Witches</u> by Roald Dahl. Loved it as a kid, enjoyed it as an adult.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;">26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2015?</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;">I cry over everything so this is a fairly long list. Like 19 of 52. So, 36% of the books I read made me cry.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;">27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><u>The Encyclopedia of Early Earth</u> by Isabel Greenburg.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;">28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;"><u>The Kite Runner</u> by Khaled Hosseini. So many tears. So, so many. I was legitimately torn apart by this one and I'm not sure I have fully recovered (or maybe ever will).</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;">29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2015?</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;"><u>The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay</u> by Michael Chabon. A book about comic book authors in the ear;y days of comic books. It's a nerds dream come true. Some other stuff happens too (like a world war), but whatever.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;">30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn't necessarily mean you didn't like it)?</span></i></div>
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<u style="font-size: 14px;">As I Lay Dying</u><span style="font-size: 14px;"> by William Faulkner. To start with, the only copy I could find has the movie cover. I hate when books have movie covers. Even worse, the movie cover is just a picture of James Franco and I think he looks like my brother-in-law (doppelgangers for sure) and I was not a fan of that whole situation. And then there was the book itself, Faulkner certainly has an interesting storytelling approach. Some people love it, I found it frustrating at best.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 36pt;"> </span><b><span style="font-size: 36pt;">Looking Ahead</span></b></span><span style="font-family: 'SwingSet BB', sans-serif; font-size: 36pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;">1. One Book You Didn't Get To In 2015 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2016?</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;"><u>Warheart</u> by Terry Goodkind. It's the last of the series. What am I gonna do without these books?!?! I just don't know, but I need to see what happens!</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;">2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2016 (non-debut)?</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;">The as yet untitled next (and last) installment in the Lorien Legacies series. They lied to me last year when they said the sixth book was the last, if it happens again I am going to scream. And probably rant. A lot.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;">3. 2016 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">As I said earlier, I am a bit behind the times, so I don't even know what is out there to anticipate.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;">4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2015?</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">I don't typically anticipate series additions since I am slow to get on board and usually don't begin a series until all of the books have already been published. This year is a bit different in that I am anticipating two series enders. One is already out, I just haven't got my hands on it yet (<u>Warheart</u>), the Other doesn't even have a title yet, but if they make me wait I will not handle it well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="font-size: 15pt;">5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2015?</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;">A new challenge. I'll update you in my next post :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Stephen King</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">**Oft quoted, and equally oft misattributed. The most well-known version of the quote comes from William Faulkner and goes "In writing, you must kill all your darlings."</span><br />
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Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13357673346622234049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178785056483561821.post-13654076131502983812015-01-06T01:13:00.001-07:002015-01-10T17:41:01.625-07:00End of Year Book Survey<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 22.5pt; margin-bottom: 3.75pt; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is my version of the end of
year book survey from over at <a href="http://www.perpetualpageturner.com/2014/11/5th-annual-end-of-year-book-survey-2014-edition.html" target="_blank">The Perpetual Page Turner</a>. I left out
the whole category about my blogging/bookish life because, my blogging life is
pretty unremarkable.</span></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'SwingSet BB', sans-serif; font-size: 36pt;">2014 Reading Stats</span></b><span style="font-family: 'SwingSet BB', sans-serif; font-size: 36pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Number of
Books You Read: 36<br />
Number of Re-Reads: 2<br />
Genre You Read The Most From: YA Fiction (and I feel no shame)</span></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'SwingSet BB', sans-serif; font-size: 36pt;">Best in Books</span></b><span style="font-family: 'SwingSet BB', sans-serif; font-size: 36pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1. Best Book You Read In 2014?</span></span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">First of all, I don’t think it’s fair to start off with such a
difficult question. Ultimately though, I’ve settled on<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><u>The Fault In Our Stars</u><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>by John Green. If you still haven’t
read it, get on that!</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2. Book You Were Excited About
& Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn't?</span></span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">The Spectacular Now</span></u><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">by Tim Tharp. Don’t get me wrong, it </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">wasn't</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> bad, I just </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">didn't</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> love
it as much as I anticipated.<u1:p></u1:p></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">3. Most surprising (in a good way
or bad way) book you read in 2014?</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;"> </span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Dracula</span></u><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">by Bram Stoker. I thought I knew what this
was all about, but it </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">wasn't</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> quite what I expected it to be.<u1:p></u1:p></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">4. Book You “Pushed” The Most
People To Read (And They Did) In 2014?</span></span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Obviously, it’s<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><u>The
Fault In Our Stars</u><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>by John
Green. Seriously, read it.</span><u1:p></u1:p><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">5. Best series you started in 2014?
Best Sequel of 2014? Best Series Ender of 2014?</span></span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">I loved the entire Divergent series by Veronica Roth and I think<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><u>Allegiant</u><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>was the best series ender I read this
year.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><u>The Revenge of Seven</u><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>(from the Lorien Legacies series) was
the best sequel I read this year. The best series I started, but have not yet
finished, was<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><u>Ender’s Game</u><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>by Orson Scott Card.</span><u1:p></u1:p><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">6. Favorite new author you
discovered in 2014?</span></span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">John Green. Wow, I sound like a John Green fangirl. Whatever, I’m
on that bandwagon and I’m not getting off anytime soon.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">7. Best book from a genre you
don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?</span></span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Haunted Mesa</span></u><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">by Louis L’Amour. My dad read a lot of
Louis L’Amour while I was growing up, but I never really got into that genre. I
read </span><u><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Haunted</span></u><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> Mesa</span></u><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">this summer and I enjoyed it WAY more than
I expected to. Turns out, it’s a pretty great book.</span><u1:p></u1:p><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable
book of the year?</span></span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">I finished<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><u>The
Fault In Our Stars</u><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>in less
than 24 hours, so definitely unputdownable, but not exactly thrilling or
action-packed. That honor goes to<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><u>Allegiant</u>.</span><u1:p></u1:p><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">9. Book You Read In 2014 That
You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?</span></span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">The Perks of Being a Wallflower</span></u><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">by Stephen Chbosky. I am also likely to
finally see the movie.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">10. Favorite cover of a book you
read in 2014?</span></span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">I really don’t pay very close attention to the covers of books I
read, so don’t hate me if you disagree with this answer, but I’m going with<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><u>The Maze Runner</u><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>by James Dashner—NOT the one with the
movie cover.<u1:p></u1:p> Movie covers make me sad.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">11. Most memorable character of
2014?</span></span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Augustus Waters from<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><u>The
Fault In Our Stars</u>. (I’m kind of obsessed with the book. Clearly).</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">12. Most beautifully written book
read in 2014?</span></span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">The Book Thief</span></u><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">by Marcus Zusak<u1:p></u1:p>. It was just
so lovely.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">13. Most Thought-Provoking/
Life-Changing Book of 2014?</span></span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears</span></u><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">by Dinaw Mengestu<u1:p></u1:p>. It wasn’t
my favorite, but it was new and different (for me) and made me think about
things.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">14. Book you can’t believe you
waited UNTIL 2014 to finally read?</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;"> </span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">There were actually a few<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><u>Bridge
to Terabithia</u><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>by Katherine
Paterson (how did I never read this as a child?),<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><u>The Wizard of Oz</u><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>by L. Frank Baum (it’s been my
favorite movie forever), and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><u>The
Help</u><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>by Katherine Stockett (I
may actually see the movie now).</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A
Book You Read In 2014?</span></span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">"My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations.” <u>The
Fault In Our Stars</u>—and I was really upset when I didn’t hear it in the
movie<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">16. Shortest & Longest Book You
Read In 2013?</span></span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> Longest:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><u>Third
Kingdom</u><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>by Terry Goodkind.
Shortest:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><u>Bridge to Terabithia</u><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>by Katherine Paterson</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">17. Book That Shocked You The Most</span></span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">The Help</span></u><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">by Kathryn Stockett. <u1:p></u1:p>Possibly
because YA fiction isn’t typically all that shocking, and possibly because I
have lived the majority on my lifer in Idaho. Most likely some combination of
the two.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="font-size: 15pt;">18. OTP of the Year (I will go
down with this ship!)</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Richard and Kahlan from<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><u>Third
Kingdom</u><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>(and the rest of
Goodkind’s Sword of Truth series).<u1:p></u1:p> They are perfect and I will
never change my mind about them.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">19. Favorite Non-Romantic
Relationship Of The Year</span></span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Will, Nick, and Ajay from<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><u>The
Paladin Prophecy</u>.<u1:p></u1:p> If I were a teenage boy, I would hang out
with them.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">20. Favorite Book You Read in 2014
From An Author You've Read Previously</span></span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">O! Pioneers</span></u><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">by Willa Cather<u1:p></u1:p>. I read <u>My
Antonia</u> years ago, but never bothered to read anything else. I think I like
<u>O! Pioneers</u> better.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">21. Best Book You Read In 2014 That
You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:</span></span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">The Divergent series by Veronica Roth. Totally worth it.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">22. Newest fictional crush from a
book you read in 2014?</span></span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Augustus Waters forever! (In the pretend world where I am not 15
years his senior).</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">23. Best 2014 debut you read?</span></span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">I don’t think I read one.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid
Setting You Read This Year?</span></span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Ender’s Game</span></u><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">by Orson Scott Card</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">25. Book That Put A Smile On Your
Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?</span></span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">The Paladin Prophecy</span></u><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">by Mark Frost, and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><u>Paper Towns</u><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>had its moments.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">26. Book That Made You Cry Or
Nearly Cry in 2014?</span></span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">This, my friends, is a VERY long list. 11 made me ugly cry, 5
provoked less disruptive tears, and 6 came really close.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?</span></span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">I just can't decide.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?</span></span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">I’m interpreting this to mean the book that I hated so much I
wanted it to not exist. Given those parameters, the book that crushed my soul
was<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><u>Hawkes Harbor</u><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>by S.E. Hinton. I only finished it
because we needed the state of Delaware for the summer reading challenge and
this was the only book I could find. It was awful. So awful. I almost cried
about how awful it was.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">29. Most Unique Book You Read In
2014?</span></span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Icy Sparks</span></u><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">by Gwyn Hyman Rubio<u1:p></u1:p>. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">30. Book That Made You The Most Mad
(doesn't necessarily mean you didn't like it)?</span></span></i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">In addition to<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><u>Hawkes
Harbor</u><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>(grrrrrr!), I was
excessively angry about the ending of<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><u>The
Spectacular Now</u>.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 16.5pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 36pt;"> </span><b><span style="font-family: 'SwingSet BB', sans-serif; font-size: 36pt;">Looking Ahead</span></b><span style="font-family: 'SwingSet BB', sans-serif; font-size: 36pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1. One Book
You Didn't Get To In 2014 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority
in 2015?</span></span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> <u>Legend</u><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>by
Marie Lu<u1:p></u1:p>. It was at the top of my to-read list for most of the
year and I even bought a copy, but then I lent it to someone and never actually
got around to reading it myself.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2. Book You Are Most Anticipating
For 2015 (non-debut)?</span></span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">The Country of Ice Cream Star</span></u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> by Sandra Newman</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">3. 2015 Debut You Are Most
Anticipating?</span></span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> I got nothing…</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">4. Series Ending/A Sequel You
Are Most Anticipating in 2015?</span></span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">The as yet untitled next (and last) installment in the Lorien
Legacies series.<u1:p></u1:p> </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="font-size: 15pt;">5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish
Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2015?</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><a href="http://jennielyse.com/2015-ultimate-reading-challenge/" target="_blank">This challenge</a> </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">6. A 2015
Release You've Already Read & Recommend To Everyone:</span></span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<u1:p></u1:p>
<u1:p></u1:p>
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<u1:p></u1:p>
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<u1:p></u1:p><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10.5pt;">Nope. </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13357673346622234049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178785056483561821.post-69596450269453887482014-11-17T11:38:00.003-07:002014-11-17T11:38:53.750-07:00i only ask because i genuinely want to know...sooooo... i love to read. like, i genuinely, truly, deeply LOVE to read. i love to read more than i love bacon, and i REALLY love bacon. ask anyone. well, anyone who knows me anyway. ideally i could just spend my days reading books and eating bacon, and then when someone asked me what i did all day i would just say "books and bacon," and they would understand.<br />
<br />
well, i have this <a href="http://adaclubs.org/" target="_blank">super-stellar job</a> (it's, like, number 5 on the list of things in my life that i really love), part of which entails attempting to instill in young people a love of learning. in my brain that is the same as a love of reading. during the school year i mostly just try to talk them off a ledge while they do homework that they find boring/confusing/frustrating/infuriating, and the reading bit is mostly assigned by their english teachers. sometimes the books are wonderful, sometimes not so much. it's often an uphill battle, but there's only so much i can do.<br />
<br />
and then it's summer.<br />
<br />
ahhhh, summer. what kid doesn't just live for summer? the long days, the late nights, the lack of homework...it's glorious!<br />
<br />
so each summer at work, we (and by we i mean me) choose a theme and set a goal for summer reading. usually it's pretty simple--books that have been turned into movies (read the book and watch the movie, complete with snacks), myths and legends from around the world, etc.--anything to get them to read. literally anything. i discovered long ago that teenagers will jump through hoops of fire if there is food on the other side so the motivation for meeting the goal is pretty much always pizza. this year, we did something a little different. and it was, by far, the most daunting summer reading scheme we have ever undertaken.<br />
<br />
we read the united states.<br />
<br />
say what?!<br />
<br />
we read the united states. meaning, as a group, we (collectively) read one book that takes place in each of the 50 states plus d.c. 51 books. 51 books as a group by the end of the summer. it may not seem like it to you, but this is actually a lofty goal. considering that our summer program is only 10 weeks long (1 full week shorter than years past) and the fact that we have never, in my all years at the club, reached a number like that in one summer.<br />
<br />
enter the motivation.<br />
<br />
food, of course. ice cream sundae party for all of the readers if we reach the goal. i spent days compiling a list of books, organized by state, made and hung a big map of the country on the wall, and even made a little flag for each of my teens. all 111 of them.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JFjw8D8h0z0/VGo_scp05aI/AAAAAAAAAxU/XR26UAht9MA/s1600/0811141343a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JFjw8D8h0z0/VGo_scp05aI/AAAAAAAAAxU/XR26UAht9MA/s1600/0811141343a.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
when they chose a book and began reading, they marked the state with their flag--staking their claim. when they finished they got to paint the state in with the color of their choice and, if they wanted to, move their flag and start a new book.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VxKori2JC9Q/VGo_sbOoj2I/AAAAAAAAAxM/oogTtxat5GQ/s1600/0811141343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VxKori2JC9Q/VGo_sbOoj2I/AAAAAAAAAxM/oogTtxat5GQ/s1600/0811141343.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
and they did.<br />
<br />
it was a slow start (i read the first 3 books myself), but they gradually gained momentum and we finished! not only that, but we finished a week ahead of schedule. for those of you who like numbers ("not i!" said the little red lindsay) that averages out to 5.66 books per week. and that's only counting the books that took place in the u.s. there were other readers whose books (like harry potter) took place in other parts of the world or (like eragon) took place is another world entirely. that also doesn't count the five or so incidents of double reading (more than one person read either the same book or a book from the same state). all told, we probably read closer to 65 or 70 books in the 10 week period known as summer at the club. go us!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T_Y3tW_VvkI/VGo_tSjVh9I/AAAAAAAAAxY/1AJBS7DZ_98/s1600/0811141344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T_Y3tW_VvkI/VGo_tSjVh9I/AAAAAAAAAxY/1AJBS7DZ_98/s1600/0811141344.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
as the title of this post suggests, all of this has been leading to a question (i just had to brag on my teens a bit first), and that question is this:<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>what book did you read that made you love reading?</b></span><br />
<br />
<br />
also, how the devil am i gonna top this program next year?!!!<br />
<br />Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13357673346622234049noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178785056483561821.post-57346652798632589392014-11-05T20:23:00.000-07:002014-11-05T20:23:44.598-07:00The WitnessFor those who are unaware, I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as the Mormons). I spend a lot of time explaining all the details of what we believe, but that really isn't the point of this post. If you are interested in learning more, click <a href="http://www.mormon.org/" target="_blank">here</a>. We don't have preachers who give sermons, but, instead, members of the congregation are asked to deliver talks/messages. So, I recently had the opportunity (yes, I think of it as an opportunity) to speak in church and I thought I would take a few moments to share my thoughts again here.<br />
<div>
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">During
General Conference in April of this year, President Boyd K. Packer gave a talk
titled “The Witness.” He begins by sharing a story about leaving home to serve
in the military during WWII. He says: “I
had left my home in Brigham City, Utah, with only embers of a testimony, and I
felt the need for something more…I wanted a personal testimony of the gospel. I
wanted to <i>know</i>!” He continues by talking about a time when he
left his bunk late at night and knelt to pray <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">“Almost
mid-sentence it happened. I could not describe to you what happened if I were
determined to do so. It is beyond my power of expression, but it is as clear
today as it was that night more than 65 years ago. I knew it to be a very
private, very individual manifestation. At last I knew for myself.
I knew for a certainty, for it had been given to me. After some time,
I crawled from that bunker and walked, or floated, back to my bed. I spent the
rest of the night in a feeling of joy and awe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">“Far from
thinking I was someone special, I thought that if such a thing came to me, that
it could come to anyone. I still believe that.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">I echo
that sentiment. If I was able to receive the answers I sought, anyone can. And
it’s not just anyone, we can receive personal revelation about anything. It
requires some effort on our part, but it is absolutely worth it. As President
Packer puts it:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">“Like most
things of great worth, knowledge which is of eternal value comes only through
personal prayer and pondering. These, joined with fasting and scripture study,
will invite impressions and revelations and the whisperings of the Holy Spirit.
This provides us with instruction from on high as we learn precept upon
precept.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">We are all
unique individuals living unique lives under unique circumstances. No two of us
are in the same situation or at the same point in our lives. Which means no two of us are at the same point in our testimonies or eternal progression, but ALL
of us have some room for improvement. As far as I know, no one in this room has
yet achieved perfection. Some of us may fancy ourselves close, but we’re not
there yet. So we all have some room to learn and grow and we all need the
continued presence of the Holy Ghost in our lives and the promise of
“instruction from on high as we learn precept upon precept.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Many moons
ago when I was a recent high school grad, I was getting ready to leave for
college in Rexburg and I wasn't totally pumped about it. Aside from the fact
that BYU-Idaho wasn't my first choice of schools, I just wasn't really feeling
like I was ready to be there. As the summer wore on, it just got worse. I wasn't nervous about starting college per say, I wasn't nervous about classes
or professors, or living on my own, I was nervous because I had somehow convinced
myself that I would get there and find out that everybody on campus had more
gospel knowledge and a stronger testimony than me. I grew up in the church, I
had always been active, I was really good at scripture mastery, and looking
back, I think I probably did have a testimony, but I think I was kind of
waiting for a big a-ha moment. Like, something big would happen and then
suddenly—TA-DA! Testimony! So I spent an inordinate amount feeling really
inadequate until I realized that gaining a testimony is not an event, but a
process.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">As we
proceed along those unique paths through this life, we will have the
opportunity to learn and grow and build our testimonies as we seek to be more
like our Savior, Jesus Christ, and our Father in Heaven. In order to become
more like them, we must come to know them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">I think
it’s pretty amazing that of all the other titles He could have used, God chose
to be called</span><span class="Emphasis1" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #2f393a; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Father.
And we aren't told just once, but multiple times. I was thinking about a story
found in Moses chapter 1. Moses is “caught up in an exceedingly high mountain
(</span><a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/pgp/moses/1?lang=eng" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" target="_blank">Moses 1:1-8</a><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">)” where he is transfigured and is then able to see God face to
face. God calls Moses by name and
repeatedly refers to him as “my son.” So Moses has this incredible experience
where he sees and is told many things, but at pretty regular intervals in the
conversation he is reminded that he is a son of God. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">We too are
reminded over and over again. I mean, we don’t have the same experience (we’re
not often transfigured) but we are reminded that we are children of God. It is
in the scriptures we read, it’s in the hymns we sing, it’s in lessons we’re
taught, and it’s in every prayer we utter. We are constantly reminded that He
is our Father and that He loves us. He has clearly defined our relationship to
Him, but it is up to each of us individually to come to an understanding of
that relationship. As we seek to do so, the Holy Ghost will testify of that
truth. We will feel peace, reassurance and comfort in confirmation of the
understanding we seek.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">The Holy
Ghost is real. His mission is to testify of truth and righteousness. Our Father
in Heaven loves us and so He has provided a way by which we may know for
ourselves the truths which are contained in the Gospel. The companionship of
the Holy Ghost is just one of the many blessings which we might receive and is
a direct result of our own righteous living. President Packer put it like this:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">“The gift
of the Holy Ghost is conferred through an ordinance of the gospel. One with
authority lays his hands on the head of a new member of the Church and says
words such as these: “Receive the Holy Ghost.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">“This
ordinance alone does not change us in a noticeable way, but if we listen and
follow the promptings, we will receive the blessing of the Holy Ghost.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">It is
through this blessing that the promise found in <a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/moro/10?lang=eng" target="_blank">Moroni 10:5</a> is fulfilled<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Through
the Holy Ghost, we may know the truth of all things. So it is through the Holy
Ghost that we may come to know and understand our relationship to our Savior,
Jesus Christ. He is the Savior and Redeemer of the world, the Only Begotten of
the Father, our Advocate. He too has many titles, all of which tell us
something about Him, but perhaps more important than those titles, we know His
name—Jesus Christ. It is that name which we promise to take upon ourselves each
week when we partake of the sacrament, and it is that name we use each time we
close our prayers or bear our testimony, it that name that is the only name
given under heaven by which we may be saved. In President Packer’s words:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">“Foremost
and underpinning all that we do, anchored throughout the revelations, is the
Lord’s name, which is the authority by which we act in the Church. Every prayer
offered, even by little children, ends in the name of Jesus Christ. Every
blessing, every ordinance, every ordination, every official act is done in the
name of Jesus Christ. It is His Church, and it is named for Him—The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (see<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/115?lang=eng" target="_blank"> </a></span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/115?lang=eng" target="_blank">D&C 115:4</a></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">“For there
is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (</span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/acts/4?lang=eng" target="_blank">Acts 4:12</a></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">“Each of
us must come to our own personal testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ. We then
share that testimony with our family and others.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">As we seek
a personal testimony of these things, we will be met by the adversary. It is
his intent to disrupt the work of the Lord and that means he will seek to
disrupt us. If look back on our Moses story…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">So, Moses
has all of this revelation and then he is left alone to recover from the
experience. He comes to some conclusions (<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/pgp/moses/1?lang=eng" target="_blank">Moses 1:10-11</a>) and then Satan shows
up. “Moses, son of man, worship me (<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/pgp/moses/1?lang=eng" target="_blank">Moses 1:12</a>). Satan wants to negate
everything Moses has just learned so he tells him the exact opposite. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Does that
seem familiar to anybody else? Satan does not want us to understand or develop
our relationship with our Father in Heaven. He doesn't want us to know our
Savior, Jesus Christ. He doesn't want us to build our testimonies, so when we
have experiences or gain knowledge that would serve that purpose, he swoops in
and tries to cut us off at the knees. I mean, I've never had a face to face conversation with Satan (and I’m totally okay with that), but I have felt the
Spirit and then, almost immediately thereafter, felt as if Satan was attacking
those feelings. Moses has the perfect response to that situation<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/pgp/moses/1?lang=eng" target="_blank">Moses,chapter 1 verses 13 and 16</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">He
basically looks Satan in the face and says “Who are you? I am a son of God. I
know who He is and I know who I am and I want nothing to do with you. Get thee
hence.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Again,
I’ve never seen Satan face to face, so I’m not literally going to look him in
the eye and say “get thee hence,” but as we face various temptations (and we
will face them), or feelings of doubt begin to creep in, we must remember who
we really are and who we have chosen to follow. In those situations we can
absolutely respond with a “get thee hence, I know who I am and I want nothing
to do with you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">President
Packer closes his talk with his testimony:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">“I believe
and I am sure that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that He
lives. He is the Only Begotten of the Father, and “by him, and through him, and
of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are
begotten sons and daughters unto God” (</span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/76?lang=eng" target="_blank">D&C 76:24</a></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">I bear my
witness that the Savior lives. I know the Lord. I am His witness. I know
of His great sacrifice and eternal love for all of Heavenly Father’s children.
I bear my special witness in all humility but with absolute certainty”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">I would
like to add my own testimony that I know that I am a daughter of God. I know
that He loves me. I know that He sent His Only Begotten Son to take upon
himself the sins and afflictions of the world. I know that my Savior willingly
did so. I know that He willingly suffered and died for me, that I might return
to live with them again and I know that He did the same for each and every one
of God’s children. I know that our Father has sent the Holy Ghost to comfort
and guide us as we learn and grow and try to make our way back to Him. of these
things I am certain and I bear my witness in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
</div>
Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13357673346622234049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178785056483561821.post-10462226006005812022014-11-03T11:21:00.000-07:002014-11-03T11:21:38.011-07:00it's not unusual<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
i don't really have anything to say, i just thought you should all see this...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eN_fTGrjL08/VC5dVTAstVI/AAAAAAAAAw4/tXCHFr_ekK8/s1600/carlton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eN_fTGrjL08/VC5dVTAstVI/AAAAAAAAAw4/tXCHFr_ekK8/s1600/carlton.jpg" height="640" width="449" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
you're welcome</div>
<br />Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13357673346622234049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178785056483561821.post-21857927967133171962014-09-22T22:06:00.002-06:002014-09-22T22:06:23.584-06:00And now for something completely different......well, actually, kind of the same. As promised, here is my expanded list of "honorable mentions." I could probably do 3 more of these lists and still have plenty more to say about plenty more books.<br />
<ol>
<li><u><span style="background: white;">The Complete Tales and
Poems of Edgar Allen Poe</span></u><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white;"> </span><span style="background: white;">by Edgar Allen Poe. Specifically <i>The Fall of the House of Usher</i> and <i>Annabelle Lee</i>, but this is a book list so I’m including the entire
book. Plus, I mean, they’re all great. Dark, and creepy, and often sad, but
great. Happy endings are lovely, but the sad bits have their place too.</span></span></li>
<li><u><span style="background: white;">Harry Potter</span></u><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white;"> </span><span style="background: white;">by
J.K. Rowling. I know this series makes its way onto lists like this all the
time, but there is a reason. They are awesome. For a lot of people these are
childhood favorites, but I actually didn't read them until my late 20s. Of
course, I read all seven books in something like 2 weeks and cried my eyes out
in the process. So not childhood faves, but lifetime loves.</span></span></li>
<li><u><span style="background: white;">Divergent</span></u><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white;"> </span><span style="background: white;">by
Veronica Roth. Ok, I admit it, I read a lot of YA fiction. I usually blame my
job, I mean, when you make a career out of relating to teens you’d better be
reading what teens are reading. Truth be told, I read them because I love them.
Again, tears. Lots of tears. But the kind of tears that leave you somehow
feeling better. You know, cathartic tears.</span></span></li>
<li><u><span style="background: white;">The Princess Bride</span></u><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white;"> </span><span style="background: white;">by
William Goldman. Believe it or not, this was a class assignment. I know, weird.
Good weird, but weird. I love the movie (I've got gobs of hilarious stories related to
the movie if you ever want to hear them), and I was honestly a bit worried that
the book wouldn't be a funny. You guys, it’s funnier. I have cried over books
more times than I can count, but laughing? Real, genuine, audible laughter? Over
a book? That’s far more rare. I literally laughed out loud while reading this one. Like, a lot. </span></span></li>
<li><u><span style="background: white;">The Alchemist</span></u><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white;"> </span><span style="background: white;">by
Paolo Coelho. Not at all what I expected, but in the best possible way. The
story itself is great, but the reason this book really stands out is that it
told me more about myself than any other novel I've ever read.</span></span></li>
<li><u><span style="background: white;">The Five People You Meet
In Heaven</span></u><span style="background: white;"> by Mitch Albom. I read this book at a point in my life
when I really needed the reminder that we’re all connected and that even the
seemingly insignificant interactions in our lives can be more important than we
ever realize.</span></li>
<li><u><span style="background: white;">The Client</span></u><span style="background: white;"> by
John Grisham. My mom was a huge Grisham fan, so his books were ever present in the house. When I ran out of books of my
own to read I began to read those belonging to my parents, and that meant i picked this one up when i was still quite young. I somehow thought that because the character
in the book was a kid, the book itself was appropriate for kids. I was not entirely
correct in that assumption, but I read the book anyway. I’m quite certain that I
didn't fully comprehend the book, but I loved the whole mystery/suspense
business which was new to me at that point.</span></li>
<li><u><span style="background: white;">Watership Down</span></u><span style="background: white;"> by
Richard Adams. It’s a book about talking rabbits, but not really about talking rabbits.
I was also probably a bit young for this one, and I distinctly remember looking
up some words in the dictionary (which may well deserve its own place on this list), but when I finally grasped the full magnitude of the story I was glad I had
read it. I just wish more people would pick-up on my references to it.</span></li>
<li><u><span style="background: white;">The Outsiders</span></u><span style="background: white;"> by
S.E. Hinton. Remember how I said <u>To Kill A Mockingbird</u> was the
first book that shocked me? Well, that’s true, but the thing is, <u>The
Outsider</u></span><u>s</u> should have. I mean, *spoiler* there are a BUNCH of
dead characters by the end and not one of them out of their teens. Why did that
not shock me? Maybe it was because I happened to read it while I was in the
midst of an obsession with West Side Story. Sidenote: How is it that I love West Side Story, but I hate Romeo and Juliet? They are, after all, the same
story with different names. Maybe it’s the semi-hypnotic finger snapping...</li>
<li><u><span style="background: white;">The Old Man and the Sea</span></u>
by Ernest Hemingway. Truth be told, I strongly dislike Hemingway. We read this
one in high school, and I loved it. It’s just such a sweet story, and for a
short time (really short. Like 2 days short) I thought it would be really cool
to be a fisherman. I mean, I’m not a man, but you know, whatever. Afterward, I
tried to read his other books, but I just couldn't finish them. I don’t think I
even got past the first chapter of most of them. Turns out, Hemingway is not my
style, but this book is the exception to the rule.</li>
<li><u>Lord of the Flies</u> by William Golding. UGH. I HATE
this book with the fiery passion of a thousand suns! It’s unsettling, unhappy and supremely unawesome. It also made me doubt my previously resolute
decision that if I had children I only wanted boys. That, my friends, is a powerful book.</li>
</ol>
<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13357673346622234049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178785056483561821.post-53915632510714656482014-09-09T23:39:00.000-06:002014-09-09T23:39:07.918-06:00"Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them"*<div class="MsoNormal">
So, I was tagged for this 10 book challenge. Now, those of
you who really know me know that asking me to choose my favorite book is like
asking a parent to choose their favorite child. Not. Going. To. Happen. Top ten
seems a bit kinder, but it was still REALLY difficult for me. Only ten? What about
the hundreds of other books I love?! They will not be ignored!!!! They will,
however, wait patiently for their turn to be recognized which is precisely what
will have to happen here.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The rules: There is only one. List ten books that have
stayed with you in some way; these don’t have to be the “right” books or great
works of literature, simply books that have left and impression in some form or
another. These need not be favorite books, but they must be influential.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For my own list I am omitting books of scripture, not because
they don’t fit the rule, but because they do. So much so that I’m not sure it’s
fair to include them. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And now, the list. Given that these are not necessarily
favorites, they are also not ranked. In fact, the order is somewhat arbitrary—also,
loosely chronological.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ol>
<li><div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Matilda</u> by Roald Dahl. It’s a book about a girl who
loves to read and *spoiler* she develops telekinesis which is a superpower I have
always desired. This book spoke/speaks to my soul. Disclaimer: Matilda’s home
life and school experience were both terrible. Mine were not.</div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>A Wrinkle In Time</u> by Madeleine L’Engle. My initial
introduction to sci-fi. I didn’t know that’s what it was at the time, but it
was glorious and I loved it. So much so that I went on to read the rest of the
so-called series, and many more from the genre.</div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>The Hobbit</u> by J.R.R. Tolkein. This one was actually
read to me. Well, not me personally, but my class. My fourth grade teacher read
it to us and I am so glad he did. This was my first memorable introduction to
the fantasy genre. Oh the worlds I have visited since… Also, I’m pretty sure I wanted
to <i>be</i> a hobbit. They sure know how to
get down in the Shire!</div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>The Chronicles of Narnia</u> by C.S. Lewis. Okay, maybe
it’s cheating but I’m counting these seven books as one item because they really
ought to be read together. I will admit that the magic in these books is often
lost on adults, but as a child they were beautiful.</div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>To Kill A Mockingbird</u> by Harper Lee. I read this for
the first time because it was assigned to my Freshman English class. Truth be
told, many of my favorites started out as assignments. It’s a good thing I was
such a diligent student. *wink, wink.* More to the point, this was the first
time in my life I remember being shocked by a book. This was the first book
through which I was exposed to a world that was totally foreign to me, but
which was definitely real. I wasn’t even entirely sure that could happen, until
it did. I have since read this book a dozen or so times and each time I learn
something new about myself, about human nature, about the world at large…it’s
perfect.</div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Romeo and Juliet</u> by William Shakespeare. Let me first
say that I HATE THIS STORY. So why did I include it? Because this was the first
Shakespeare play I ever read. I went on to read the Compleat Works (I skipped
over Romeo and Juliet), I grew to love the author, and I took a Shakespeare
class in college, none of which would have happened if I hadn’t been determined
that The Bard redeem himself from this not-so-beloved work.</div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Great Expectations</u> by Charles Dickens. Dickens
definitely isn’t for everybody, but I’m certainly a fan. Well, I’m a fan of
this book anyway. And while I generally don’t care for 19<sup>th</sup> century
literature on the whole, I very much care for <u>Great Expectations.</u> This
is another one I have read multiple times, usually around Christmas, though I
can’t explain why. Just for the record, I DO NOT like Estella and I cannot
fathom why Pip (whom I do quite like) is so infatuated with her.</div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>The Odyssey</u> by Homer. I went through a phase where I was
really into Greek mythology. I also found this book to be a little slow and, at time, rather boring. Maybe I just got my hands on a poor translation. Whatever the case, I read it, and I find myself making reference to it more often than I ever thought I would. Also, the sirens are terrifyingly awesome.<o:p></o:p></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Atlas Shrugged</u> by Ayn Rand. I have no interest in
summoning all the politicos out there into a debate/argument, so I won’t
specify whether or not I agree with the tenants Miss Rand puts out there. I
will, however, point out that I found it to be an interesting read. Gosh, it
was a long one though!<o:p></o:p></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal">
<u>The Fault In Our Stars</u> by John Green. I loved this
one enough that I devoted an entire <a href="http://lb-for-lb.blogspot.com/2014/04/i-find-myself-unable-to-appropriately.html" target="_blank">blog post</a> to it. If you haven’t read it
yet, do. Also, if you haven’t read it yet, skip the rest of this bit because I don't want to ruin it for you. Oh, John Green, you cruel, cruel man. You crush my heart,
but in a way that is just so tragically beautiful that I will submit to such
torture willingly. I think I might be in love with Augustus Waters. Be still my
beating heart. For real, I’m pretty sure my heart actually stopped when his
story took its fateful turn. The gas station scene? Buckets and buckets of
tears. </div>
</li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Honorable mention: <u>The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar
Allen Poe</u> by Edgar Allen Poe, <u>Harry Potter</u> by J.K. Rowling, <u>Divergent</u>
by Veronica Roth, <u>The Princess Bride</u> by William Goldman, <u>The Alchemist</u>
by Paolo Coelho, <u>The Five People You Meet In Heaven</u> by Mitch Albom, <u>The Client</u> by John Grisham, <u>Watership Down</u> by Richard Adams and <u>The Outsiders</u> by S.E. Hinton.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Actually, stayed tuned for a post in which I elaborate on my honorable mentions because they are at least equal to the books listed above. I told you they would not be ignored!</div>
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Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13357673346622234049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178785056483561821.post-48310152720483251862014-04-26T17:23:00.003-06:002014-04-26T17:23:56.759-06:00top ten signs you're not getting enough sleeptop ten signs you're not getting enough sleep<br />
<ol>
<li>upon waking up you are unable to determine what day of the week it is</li>
<li>upon waking up you are unsure as to where, exactly, you are</li>
<li>waking up is an extremely trying experience</li>
<li>you wake up in a tizzie convinced that you are late for something (which may or may not be true).</li>
<li>you actually manage to forget to pour milk over your cereal and don't realize the mistake until you've already eaten a few bites</li>
<li>you made it through a portion of your day before realizing you only have makeup on half of your face</li>
<li>you've read 5 or more books in the past 2 weeks</li>
<li>you find yourself sleeping standing up. in the shower.</li>
<li>you can't remember if you did any of these things today</li>
<li>you are a mom</li>
</ol>
Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13357673346622234049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178785056483561821.post-75369768922808055352014-04-21T02:48:00.000-06:002014-04-21T02:48:25.893-06:00i find myself unable to appropriately title this postyou guys. i don't even know where to start. first of all, let me just point out that for the third night this week i have stayed up way too late crying over a book (the fourth book i've finished in the past seven days. maybe i should get out more...). i do that a lot actually. i sometimes worry that i am more emotionally invested in the lives of fictional characters than i am in my own. i should probably work on that.<br />
<br />
but, have you ever finished a book and immediately want to turn back to the beginning and read it again? it doesn't happen super often, but when it happens it is a deep and profound experience. i mean, there is a sort of hierarchy of books. it goes something like this:<br />
<br />
<b>level one:</b> books that exist, but you really aren't sure why. they are terrible and you would probably never even finish one of these books unless it is (for some indiscernible reason) required for a class or something. i hate these books with the fiery passion of a thousand suns. i also hate the teachers/professors who turn them into reading assignments. evil.<br />
<br />
<b>level two:</b> books that are not great. books that aren't even good. books that actually kinda suck, but you power through them because you keep hoping they'll get better (which, of course, they don't) and when you're done you basically regret the decision to ever have started and you definitely regret all the time you put in to actually reading them. these books fill me with rage.<br />
<br />
<b>level three:</b> books that don't suck. books that you genuinely enjoy in the moment, but which are thoroughly forgettable and rarely discussed. there is nothing actually <i>wrong</i> with them, but there isn't anything really <i>right</i> with them either. their okay, and that's okay.<br />
<br />
<b>level four:</b> here you will find books that are more than just <i>not bad</i> but which are actually books quite good. these are books that you might recommend to a friend with similar taste or something. these are books that make you glad that books exist<br />
<br />
<b>level five:</b> really, really good books. books that you recommend to a lot of people even if you have no idea what kind of books they like because you are sure they will like these books-or at least not hate them. these are books you revisit from time to time because you kind of miss them. these are books that fundamentally change the way you think about books.<br />
<br />
<b>level six:</b> really, really, super incredibly awesome books. these are the books that you recommend to everyone. i mean, EVERYONE. these are the books that fundamentally change the way you look at everything. these are the books you read over and over and over again because there a sort of void in your life when these characters are not a part of it. it is as if they become a part of you in some way and even though it makes no sense, it is as if you become a part of them.<br />
<br />
so, somewhere in this hierarchy of books lies every book you've ever read, and every book you haven't read, and every book that you have yet to read. every. one. and though you genuinely hope that every book you read will be a level six book, you know that is a ridiculously unrealistic hope. so, you attempt to avoid, but sometimes succumb to the ones and twos, tolerate the threes and fours and embrace the fives when you can. and, on the exceedingly rare occasion that you find a six, you glory in it. you revel in it. you finish it. GAH! it's over! now what?! i mean, it's not like life will ever be the same again (except, you know, it totally is. especially since this transformative experience was had by you and you alone). so you have the urge to turn back to the beginning and start reading again.<br />
<br />
gosh, i love those books.<br />
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anyway, the whole point of this post was to tell you that i just read the most incredible book.<br />
<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a9/The_Fault_in_Our_Stars.jpg" /><br />
okay, so i know i'm a little late to the party with this incredible revelation, but seriously, it is SOOOOO GOOD!!!! brace yourselves, here come the recommendation...read it.<br />
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yes, that's all i'm going to say about it. just read it. oh, and if by some minuscule chance you don't actually love it the way i love it, don't tell me you don't love it because it might just break my heart if you do.Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13357673346622234049noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178785056483561821.post-29959706840304821632014-03-11T23:34:00.002-06:002014-03-11T23:36:00.072-06:00Coincidence? I think not...Random fact of the day:<br />
The symbol for pound (at least in the U.S.) is lb. This symbol comes from an abbreviation of the constellation Libra which is a scale.<br />
<br />
My initials are LB and I am a Libra.<br />
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I am destined to be a fatty (or something)...Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13357673346622234049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178785056483561821.post-66111358362352386652013-11-24T04:09:00.001-07:002013-11-24T04:09:03.141-07:00freaky fridayso, remember that time when i told you all about the pain i was having in my back? well, the pain persisted and despite my best efforts-including but not limited to visits to 2 MDs, 2 chiropractors, a massage therapist, a neurologist, an acupuncturist and a physical therapist (right up until my insurance wouldn't pay for any more appointments)-i am now scheduled to have the offending part surgically removed. on friday the thirteenth. <div>
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guys, i'm nervous. the idea of having surgery of any sort freaks me out and surgery on my spine really freaks me out. there is some important stuff in there and i would really, really like it all to stay intact. you know, except that bit that shouldn't be there-i.e. the reason for the surgery. even though i know that my surgeon is one of the best, having a major procedure on friday the thirteenth is just a terrible idea. if i see a black cat i'm staying home.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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p.s. did i mention that my neighbor has a black cat that likes to sleep on my doorstep? every time i open my front door, there it is, staring at me like a genuine creeper. not cool.</div>
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Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13357673346622234049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178785056483561821.post-36682221508099097392013-11-09T16:46:00.000-07:002013-11-09T16:46:07.306-07:00and i'm like....<br />
sometimes life gets ahead of me. sometimes i get really overwhelmed and i'm like<br />
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but only sometimes<br />
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Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13357673346622234049noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178785056483561821.post-17765330098854100492013-11-03T20:31:00.001-07:002013-11-03T20:31:11.535-07:00an outing with auntie lindsayi had the chance to re-establish myself as the world's best aunt recently. i took my niece out to eat and then to the park for some fun and finished the day off with with a little art making. i didn't manage to get any pictures of the art, but we had a genuinely fantastic time!<br />
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<br />Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13357673346622234049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178785056483561821.post-74037917146621658462013-09-27T13:51:00.002-06:002013-09-27T13:51:51.759-06:00the mysteries of the universe explained by a 15 year old boyyesterday one of my teens told me that dryer lint is just the remains of my socks that were stolen by trolls. i didn't even know dryers had trolls. i hope mine is the troll from the <a href="http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/type0122e.html" target="_blank">3 billy goats gruff</a>, since he's dead and all...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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oops. did i spoil the story for you? my bad...</div>
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Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13357673346622234049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178785056483561821.post-20689662148195697092013-09-27T07:39:00.000-06:002013-09-27T07:39:03.982-06:00getting to know you...well, getting to know me actually. i'm about to turn 30, (i don't feel 30. usually i feel more like a 20 year old, but then i hang out with 20 year olds and i'm like "no, i'm definitely 30.") so i put together a list of 30 things you may or may not know about me:<br />
<ol>
<li>i think cats are super creepy and i want absolutely nothing to do with them. i am quite convinced that if they ever developed opposable thumbs they could eliminate the human opposition and take over the world. <a href="http://theoatmeal.com/comics/cats_actually_kill" target="_blank">cats are basically serial killers as it is.</a></li>
<li>napoleon dynamite pictionary is pretty much my favorite game to play at work.</li>
<li>oh yeah, i totally get payed to play games and stuff. be jealous.</li>
<li>my favorite snow cone flavor is tiger's blood. </li>
<li>i think superman is the best looking superhero. scratch that. i think clark kent is the best looking superhero alter ego. superman wears entirely too much spandex and his hair is basically glued in place. gross. </li>
<li>i don't like skittles. i'm told that's strange. whatever.</li>
<li>i also don't like cake, in any incarnation. for some reason people find this upsetting, but i'm like "what's the big deal? if i don't eat any that leaves more for you." duh.</li>
<li>there is a card game in existence called "lindsay's awesome." it's named after me. i have no idea how to play, but that doesn't even bother me because, c'mon, it's named after me.</li>
<li>i regularly appear in public sans makeup. i'd so much rather sleep for 5 extra minutes.</li>
<li>i kind of hate driving. partly because i drive <a href="http://lb-for-lb.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-time-i-cleaned-my-car.html" target="_blank">this thing</a>, and partly because i'd just prefer to sit in the passenger seat.</li>
<li>i am the world's worst decision maker. actually, that honor might belong to my father, but i'm close. i hate making decisions. i waffle for hours, days, weeks even. it's a genuine handicap.</li>
<li>i'm a jelly bean racist. i only like the white ones.</li>
<li>when i was a kid, my favorite movie was newsies. my siblings and i watched it often enough to ruin the tape (yeah, this was in the days when we watched movies on vhs. i'm old, whatever.). my sister and i actually learned the choreography to most of the dance numbers. you might think this is sad and pathetic, but i disagree. it. was. awesome.</li>
<li>i love, love, love the smell of campfires.</li>
<li>i just learned to drive stick this spring. i'm still pretty terrible at it. i'm also not sure i care.</li>
<li>my feet are perpetually cold.</li>
<li>i think snow is magical.</li>
<li>i don't like cinnamon flavored (or scented) anything. it doesn't actually taste (or smell) like cinnamon. that box of hot tamales is just a box of lies.</li>
<li>i am an art lover in general, but i really don't care for the impressionists. i loved van gogh least of all until i saw<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1591786/" target="_blank"> this episode</a> of doctor who. </li>
<li>i am a whovian. don't judge.</li>
<li>i wish i had a fireplace so i could cozy up in front of it and drink apple cider (or hot chocolate) and read a book on a crisp fall day or in the dead of winter.</li>
<li>i also wish i had someone to cozy up with. that would be ideal. i'm cool on my own too though.</li>
<li>i love avocados. they are delicious and i relish any opportunity to eat them. unless you mess them up by making guacamole with bits of other stuff mixed in.</li>
<li>i am a terrible procrastinator. and by that, of course, i mean that i am extremely good at it.</li>
<li>i really enjoy naps. i would take one every day if i could.</li>
<li>i kind of looked like yoda as a baby. my ears were a little pointy and i was bald until i was about 3.</li>
<li>my hair still grows really slowly.</li>
<li>i love brushing my teeth. well, that's not strictly true. it's not so much that i love brushing my teeth as it is that i love when my teeth are clean, which means i also enjoy a visit to the dentist.</li>
<li>i have a tiny disco ball hanging in my kitchen. i don't know why i decided it should live there. i don't even know where it came from in the first place. i honestly don't even care. i like it, so it's there.</li>
<li>my birthday is in 5 days!!!!! </li>
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Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13357673346622234049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178785056483561821.post-260721289583992452013-09-25T14:54:00.000-06:002013-09-25T14:54:17.169-06:00oh dear, what can the matter be?dear mr. ambiguous,<br />
rumor has it you're engaged. that's not ambiguous. i guess i need a new name for you. also, congratulations.<br />
sincerely,<br />
no longer confused<br />
<br />
dear nemesis,<br />
you've been unusually nice to me lately and it's weird. i don't know how to respond to it, but i guess i appreciate it. maybe. actually, i'm not totally sure how i feel about it. i'll get back to you on this. also, i'm never joining the dark side.<br />
sincerely,<br />
devil woman<br />
<br />
dear mr. angry eyes,<br />
your eyes aren't all that angry anymore. what am i supposed to do with that?<br />
sincerely,<br />
the girl who now has to come up with a new name for you<br />
<br />
dear bram,<br />
i know i said i was gonna get over you, but you are making that EXTREMELY difficult! i'm sure it will happen at some point, but, in the meantime, i really enjoy our conversations.<br />
sincerely,<br />
twitterpated<br />
<br />
dear frolfer,<br />
turns out, i'm really bad at dating. i don't know what i'm doing and i get super awkward. you were the unfortunate recipient of my awkwardness. i'm sorry. but i really did have a good time, so thanks for that. if you ever decide to look past my debilitating awkwardness i would totally be up for another date. i promise to be less weird.<br />
sincerly,<br />
the most awkward dater on the planet<br />
<br />
dear tattoos,<br />
you're to young and too short for me anyway. that sounds harsh. i'm not saying your age and/or height are a bad thing, they just put you solidly outside the ideal dating range. besides, you found someone else who is both younger and shorter than me. i feel like that's a better match. good on ya.<br />
sincerely,<br />
the jolly green giantLindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13357673346622234049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178785056483561821.post-38419968091637534382013-09-24T14:16:00.000-06:002013-09-24T14:16:08.254-06:00with a song in my hearthave you ever looked up the song that was number one on your birthday? according to legend (aka 12 year old girls) the song that was number one on your birthday is an accurate prediction for you life (the same way MASH is an accurate fortune teller). i hope that isn't true because if it is, things aren't looking good for me. if you want to play along, you can do so <a href="http://www.birthdayjams.com/" target="_blank">here</a> then leave me a comment letting me know what your song is!<br />
<br />
since i'm turning 30 in 7 days (seriously?! i'm only a week away from my thirties?! when did i become an adult and how do i make it stop?) i thought it would be fun to make a playlist of all the songs sitting at the number one spot on all of my birthdays, because, hey, why not? so here it is, thirty songs that were #1 on my birthday:<br />
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1983: bonnie tyler, total eclipse of the heart (have you seen <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsgWUq0fdKk" target="_blank">this video</a>? it's hilarious!)<br />
1984: prince, let's go crazy<br />
1985: dire straits, money for nothing<br />
1986: huey lewis and the news, stuck with you<br />
1987: whitney houston, didn't we almost have it all<br />
1988: bobby mcferrin, don't worry be happy<br />
1989: janet jackson, miss you much<br />
1990: maxi priest, close to you<br />
1991: marky mark and the funky bunch, good vibrations<br />
1992: boyz II men, end of the road<br />
1993: mariah carey, dreamlover<br />
1994: boyz II men, i'll make love to you<br />
1995: mariah carey, fantasy<br />
1996: los del rio, macarena<br />
1997: boyz II men, 4 seasons of loneliness<br />
1998: monica, the first night<br />
1999: tlc, unpretty<br />
2000: madonna, music<br />
2001: alicia keys, fallin'<br />
2002: kelly clarkson, a moment like this<br />
2003: beyonce (featuring sean paul), baby boy<br />
2004: ciara (featuring petey pablo), goodies<br />
2005: kanye west (featuring jamie foxx), gold digger<br />
2006: justin timberlake, sexyback<br />
2007: soulja boy, crank that<br />
2008: t.i., whatever you like<br />
2009: black eyed peas, i gotta feeling<br />
2010: bruno mars, just the way you are<br />
2011: maroon 5 (featuring christina aguilera), moves like jagger<br />
2012: maroon 5, one more night <br />
2013: hasn't happened yet, but today the number one song is wrecking ball by miley cyrus. i hope it changes in the next week (although, truth be told, i don't like any of the songs in the top ten at the moment)<br />
<br />
okay, first of all, my birthday has some really terrible number ones. boo. second of all, how did i live through NKOTB, BSB, NSYNC, 98* etc and none of them make an appearance on this list? boyz II men is on here 3 times and no one else makes the cut? weird.<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:user:129762969:playlist:3LBQdPy9jnEhEXK5cHegS4" width="300"></iframe><br />
<br />Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13357673346622234049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178785056483561821.post-22484332979195841992013-09-23T07:56:00.000-06:002013-09-23T07:56:26.778-06:00these are a few of my favorite things<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]-->not my favorite song from not my favorite movie/musical, but it seems fitting for this particular post. <br />
in honor of my 30th birthday (um, when did i get so old?) i've compiled a list of my 30 favorite things. gosh this was a tough one. only 30 things? brutal. so when i say 30 favorite, what i mean is the first 30 things that popped into my head when i thought of my favorite things. in no particular order. and just in case you haven't gotten me a gift yet, you have 8 days and maybe you can find some inspiration here.<br />
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<ol>
<li>my nieces and nephews</li>
<li>pajamas/sweatpants</li>
<li>the cold spot in the sheets</li>
<li>shaved legs (but not shaving)</li>
<li>grilled cheese sandwiches</li>
<li>salted fruit</li>
<li>brushing my teeth</li>
<li>painted toe-nails</li>
<li>singing along to the radio</li>
<li>phone calls from my booger</li>
<li>otter pops and fudgcicles (it's a tie)</li>
<li>photographs</li>
<li>boys who sing</li>
<li>camping</li>
<li>cooking</li>
<li>reading</li>
<li>trees</li>
<li>walking barefoot in the grass. Or sand. Or anywhere</li>
<li>12:01 parties</li>
<li>the jukebox at merritt’s</li>
<li>board games</li>
<li>road trips</li>
<li>snail mail</li>
<li>volleyball</li>
<li>air conditioning</li>
<li>laughing out loud</li>
<li>pie</li>
<li>cool, crisp fall days</li>
<li>hoodies</li>
<li>my birthday!</li>
</ol>
oh, and in case you were wondering, this is my favorite song from <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059742/?ref_=sr_1" target="_blank">the sound of music </a>:<br />
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<ol>
</ol>
Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13357673346622234049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178785056483561821.post-51832032957329846502013-09-21T12:26:00.001-06:002013-09-21T12:26:25.720-06:00the time i cleaned my caror...the time i discovered that i am, indeed, a disgusting slob.<br />
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part of me thinks i should just pretend i never made this discovery and that i certainly shouldn't share it with anyone, but then i realized that if i don't, nothing will ever change and i will simply continue in my repulsiveness. is that even a word? spellcheck isn't disagreeing so i'm gonna roll with it. the point is, i'm gross and the atrocities that i just pulled out of the back seat of my car attest to it.<br />
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before you scroll down any further, let me just say that i do not, in fact, live in my car. i have an apartment and i typically keep it fairly clean and generally organized. i mean, i live here, okay, and while i'm not perfect i try to keep things liveable. i regularly shunt my hoarding tendencies with a nice binge clean and then live peaceable for a few months before repeating the process. clearly, this attitude does not apply to my car. maybe it's because i don't spend as much time there or maybe it's because i spend too much time there, but i like to think it's because my car is old and ugly and generally unpleasant on the outside, so i tend care far less about how it looks on the inside. see:<br />
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poop. brown.</div>
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this is the trunk that leaks in the rain </div>
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this is where my grandma rear ended me (oops)</div>
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this is the door that doesn't close all the way, and the window that doesn't roll down.</div>
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<br />
i'm telling you, it's only partly my fault. in any case it was OUT. OF. CONTROL!<br />
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so here it is, in all it's awful glory, the contents of the back seat of my car (brace yourselves):<br />
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okay, so the trash bag was empty when i pulled it out of the car (yes, there was a box of trash bags in my car. you never know when you might need to clean something up or dispose of a body...), but i definitely filled it right on up with refuse from the backseat.<br />
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turns out, my car is super spacious. the most interesting finds? </div>
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these car keys that don't belong to me</div>
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about a hundred jingle bells</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ic8kM5K5Bjs/Uj3hQEhi9QI/AAAAAAAAArQ/DmuaogNf4GQ/s1600/0921131120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ic8kM5K5Bjs/Uj3hQEhi9QI/AAAAAAAAArQ/DmuaogNf4GQ/s1600/0921131120.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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supplies for an impromptu game night</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bUOQuz_3sZA/Uj3hVFNhTdI/AAAAAAAAArY/jcJUJSW8QzI/s1600/0921131128.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bUOQuz_3sZA/Uj3hVFNhTdI/AAAAAAAAArY/jcJUJSW8QzI/s1600/0921131128.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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handcuffs (for the body before it's dead...)</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mM_O1Tvbay4/Uj3hdwZruHI/AAAAAAAAAro/6o0VitY7q80/s1600/0921131130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mM_O1Tvbay4/Uj3hdwZruHI/AAAAAAAAAro/6o0VitY7q80/s1600/0921131130.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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at least i won't starve if i'm ever stranded in the middle of nowhere (like if i run out of gas after dumping the body)</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9qZF504xTRo/Uj3hdVOf0dI/AAAAAAAAArk/EZ-Yop-PKD0/s1600/0921131130a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9qZF504xTRo/Uj3hdVOf0dI/AAAAAAAAArk/EZ-Yop-PKD0/s1600/0921131130a.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
also- 6 ugly Christmas sweaters, about 12 boxes of valentines, a tennis racket, various dishes, 3 textbooks i never got around to selling back, 2 pairs of socks, a t-shirt i've been searching out for the past year, 2 coats and a snuggie (definitely not freezing while stranded), 3 inner tubes (????), aluminum foil (to pack up any leftovers i might have while stranded), and 9 seed packets (so i can grow food to eat while stranded).<br />
<br />
i told you. i'm a disgusting slob and now you all know it. the good news is, i am determined to change my ways. please, if any of you see me regressing, please remind me of this occasion and knock some sense into me. use force if necessary. not too much though, i will fight back if i feel threatened.Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13357673346622234049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178785056483561821.post-51813508984325089112013-09-19T13:55:00.000-06:002013-09-19T13:55:18.863-06:00above averagei read somewhere that, on average, a woman already knows if there is any potential for a long term relationship after 34 minutes of conversation. i've always been a little above average so i'm pretty sure i can tell after about 8 minutes. now, if only i could convince the man...Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13357673346622234049noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178785056483561821.post-82404137817555667012013-09-18T14:17:00.000-06:002013-09-18T14:18:05.774-06:00dear boys (complete with pictures)okay, maybe pictures was misleading. graphics would probably have been more accurate, but whatever.<br />
<br />
dear boys (yes, all of you),<br />
my attraction to you is directly proportionate to your height. within reason.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wq7q_KpRVw4/UjoDkyYWQuI/AAAAAAAAAqE/SwKxWTIece4/s1600/attraction.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="278" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wq7q_KpRVw4/UjoDkyYWQuI/AAAAAAAAAqE/SwKxWTIece4/s400/attraction.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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i don't know what else to tell you here. be tall, the end.</div>
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love,</div>
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me</div>
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dear boys (yes, all of you),</div>
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there is a direct link between your age and my attraction to you as well</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QXEbox1lVXo/UjoFDPK2sLI/AAAAAAAAAqQ/XZIpw35CUFQ/s1600/age.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QXEbox1lVXo/UjoFDPK2sLI/AAAAAAAAAqQ/XZIpw35CUFQ/s400/age.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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fyi, this will change in direct proportion to my age, so getting older won't help you unless it happens overnight. good luck with that.</div>
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love,</div>
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me</div>
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dear boys who fit into the prime attraction window,</div>
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it occurs to me that there are a myriad of reasons you are not asking me out, but just in case one of those reasons is that you think i'm busy, let me assure you, i am not.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7KBQsVEqMOs/UjoHCzuA2eI/AAAAAAAAAqc/nIuMjX2Rb_o/s1600/busy.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7KBQsVEqMOs/UjoHCzuA2eI/AAAAAAAAAqc/nIuMjX2Rb_o/s400/busy.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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see? solid proof that i have almost nothing going on in my life. feel free to change that.</div>
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love,</div>
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me</div>
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dear boys who don't fit into the prime attraction window,</div>
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i have some friends who would love to meet you.</div>
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love, me</div>
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<center>
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<a href="http://eliseypants.blogspot.com/search/label/dear%20boys"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-OHuERUFE-hE/TlLBQi4llOI/AAAAAAAAC9I/c6bW28tgzwE/dear-boys.jpg" /></a></div>
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Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13357673346622234049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178785056483561821.post-7241429233663384662013-09-07T12:53:00.000-06:002013-09-07T12:53:29.509-06:0030 by 30 updateso, my thirtieth birthday is coming up. like fast. weird. anyway, i figured i ought to share an update on my <a href="http://lb-for-lb.blogspot.com/2012/04/30-by-30.html" target="_blank">30 by 30</a> list. sadly, i have been unable to fully complete the list, but i made some good progress and, in my
defense, i was injured for the last 7 months and unable to do some of them. i know that sounds like a lame excuse, and maybe it is, but i'm
kind of okay with that. on that note, if you happen to be equipped to help with any of these in the next 3 weeks that would be awesome.<br />
for your viewing pleasure i have highlighted changes in red.<br />
<ol>
<li>ride in a hot air balloon</li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;">complete a triathlon (not yet, but i did a biathlon with my sister. i think that should count.)</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;">run the <a href="http://robiecreek.com/" target="_blank">race to robie creek</a> (check)</span></li>
<li>live alone (check)</li>
<li>write a book</li>
<li>learn to surf</li>
<li>snowboard</li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;">have an epic food fight (check and check)</span></li>
<li>attend the <a href="http://www.councilidaho.com/porcupine.htm" target="_blank">world championship porcupine races </a>(check)</li>
<li>go scuba diving</li>
<li>kayak</li>
<li><span style="color: magenta;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">learn to drive stick (check. sort of. i still suck at it, but at least i know how, right?)</span></span></li>
<li>water ski</li>
<li>sing on stage (check)</li>
<li>eat on a rooftop</li>
<li>sell a piece of art</li>
<li>go rock climbing</li>
<li>travel to a foreign country</li>
<li><span style="color: magenta;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">read the <a href="http://mormon.org/book-of-mormon/" target="_blank">book of mormon</a> from start to finish (check)</span></span></li>
<li>cartwheel across a city street</li>
<li>watch a sunset and stay up for the sunrise</li>
<li>complete the <a href="http://bookreviews.me.uk/rory-gilmore-reading-challenge/" target="_blank">rory gilmore reading list</a></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="http://lb-for-lb.blogspot.com/2012/04/be-better-person.html" target="_blank">be a better person</a> (a work in progress) </span> </li>
<li>be on <a href="http://www.jeopardy.com/" target="_blank">jeopardy</a></li>
<li>go snorkeling (check) </li>
<li>visit new york (check)</li>
<li>be awesome (check)</li>
<li>fall in love (check)</li>
<li>learn to play an instrument </li>
<li>attend the <a href="http://www.utahkrishnas.org/index.php?Itemid=190&id=100&option=com_content&view=article" target="_blank">festival of colors</a> (<a href="http://lb-for-lb.blogspot.com/2011/03/holi-colors-batman.html" target="_blank">check</a>)</li>
</ol>
<br />Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13357673346622234049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178785056483561821.post-33948597696962853782013-08-18T20:44:00.002-06:002013-08-18T20:44:59.170-06:00inceptionis it weird that sometimes i watch inception just to see the hallway fight? no. not weird at all. i mean, let's just be honest, it is basically the coolest fight scene ever filmed. c'mon, a fight in a hotel hallway in which gravity is continually shifting since the hallway only exists in a dream and the dreamer is in a tumbling van (but really the van only exists in a dream and he's actually in an airplane)? brilliant. i think i might go watch it again. you can join me if you like<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/i6XkEEzjVFA" width="560"></iframe><br />Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13357673346622234049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178785056483561821.post-62787638819443042682013-08-07T16:58:00.001-06:002013-08-07T16:58:46.072-06:00call professor x because i am a certified mutantit's true. i'm a mutant. extra vertebrae? check! just waiting for my superpowers to kick in. <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z4-8_QE2SzE/UgLQx1ZCEtI/AAAAAAAAApQ/ib5zm4DGnjc/s1600/spine.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z4-8_QE2SzE/UgLQx1ZCEtI/AAAAAAAAApQ/ib5zm4DGnjc/s1600/spine.JPG" height="640" width="544" /></a></div>
<br />Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13357673346622234049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178785056483561821.post-11190155622772207012013-07-29T09:55:00.001-06:002013-07-29T09:55:53.595-06:00in which i remember that i have a blog and attempt to catch you up on my lifeas if you care. just in case you do, here's the reader's digest version of the last, oh, i don't know, 5 months of my life. <br />
<br />
<i>march:</i><br />
ummmmm... march was a really long time ago. i don't remember anything exceptional from the month. oops. <br />
<br />
<i>april:</i><br />
ran <a href="http://www.ktvb.com/news/2013-Beat-Coach-Pete-Charity-RunWalk-202848291.html" target="_blank">beat coach pete</a>. did<span id="goog_1068724236"></span><span id="goog_1068724237"></span>n't beat pete. but i did run my fastest 5k ever and he beat me by less than 2 minutes. i'm okay with that.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SwB6mmo8R90/UfaEo0mCFwI/AAAAAAAAAnM/QKJsRe4QYto/s1600/beatpete.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SwB6mmo8R90/UfaEo0mCFwI/AAAAAAAAAnM/QKJsRe4QYto/s1600/beatpete.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
<br />
exactly one week later i ran <a href="http://robiecreek.com/" target="_blank">robie</a>!!! for real. 13.1 miles, <a href="http://robiecreek.com/course/" target="_blank">most of it uphill</a> and i did it all by myself. okay. not ALL by myself, i had a friend who ran it with me-the first 2 and a half miles anyway, then he left me in his dust. the point is, i finished. check that off the <a href="http://lb-for-lb.blogspot.com/2012/04/30-by-30.html" target="_blank">30 by 30</a> list!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BxazpGsL10A/UfaG0gF0TRI/AAAAAAAAAng/tqYL2tstP8E/s1600/robie2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BxazpGsL10A/UfaG0gF0TRI/AAAAAAAAAng/tqYL2tstP8E/s1600/robie2.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5iMbrc7SQQI/UfaEsIEqm5I/AAAAAAAAAnU/nVVwKign_Y4/s1600/robie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5iMbrc7SQQI/UfaEsIEqm5I/AAAAAAAAAnU/nVVwKign_Y4/s1600/robie.jpg" height="200" width="142" /></a></div>
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<br />
<i>may: </i><br />
finished up the semester at school and got hired by the <a href="http://boiseartmuseum.org/" target="_blank">boise art museum</a> to teach a summer art class. i'm kind of a big deal. <br />
<br />
<i>june: </i><br />
taught the summer art class at the museum. so much fun. the kids were great and it was nice to be able to focus exclusively on art for a bit. we did a variety of projects focusing on the <a href="http://boiseartmuseum.org/exhibit/current.php" target="_blank">current exhibit</a> featuring art from africa and from papua new guinea as well as native american art.<br />
took a trip to yellowstone with the fam. was treed by an elk. 2 of them actually. for real, that happened. it was kind of the coolest thing that has ever happened to me and all i could think was "crap! i left my camera in the car!" <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KRVG1PuP4vs/UfaIXnRorcI/AAAAAAAAAns/J3OUGQYWFSQ/s1600/fish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KRVG1PuP4vs/UfaIXnRorcI/AAAAAAAAAns/J3OUGQYWFSQ/s1600/fish.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bThwKT1X9Uc/UfaIYBF084I/AAAAAAAAAn0/7nOicB8i2aE/s1600/logan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bThwKT1X9Uc/UfaIYBF084I/AAAAAAAAAn0/7nOicB8i2aE/s1600/logan.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UbxrL9jRdYI/UfaIYrqrnOI/AAAAAAAAAoE/_7LQsT9cWVc/s1600/yellowstone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UbxrL9jRdYI/UfaIYrqrnOI/AAAAAAAAAoE/_7LQsT9cWVc/s1600/yellowstone.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wCKFRbOCVYI/UfaJySt82eI/AAAAAAAAAoo/fEsXLdNh_Bw/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wCKFRbOCVYI/UfaJySt82eI/AAAAAAAAAoo/fEsXLdNh_Bw/s1600/004.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8K0_-hEVeWI/UfaKO1ZcQiI/AAAAAAAAAo4/MEdV-n46TBg/s1600/104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8K0_-hEVeWI/UfaKO1ZcQiI/AAAAAAAAAo4/MEdV-n46TBg/s1600/104.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g6O355AdY04/UfaKY3IuQVI/AAAAAAAAApA/RXQkmEuU9Yw/s1600/281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g6O355AdY04/UfaKY3IuQVI/AAAAAAAAApA/RXQkmEuU9Yw/s1600/281.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WwoXVDfY8dE/UfaJmY08rgI/AAAAAAAAAoY/X3QIXyOMfHo/s1600/042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WwoXVDfY8dE/UfaJmY08rgI/AAAAAAAAAoY/X3QIXyOMfHo/s1600/042.JPG" height="200" width="133" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Zo5omXzLlP8/UfaKIK9-QSI/AAAAAAAAAow/HxAC6sDyzL8/s1600/075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Zo5omXzLlP8/UfaKIK9-QSI/AAAAAAAAAow/HxAC6sDyzL8/s1600/075.JPG" height="200" width="133" /></a></div>
<br />
<i>july:</i><br />
work, work, work. no worries though, my job is awesome. i mean where else could you work where dressing like this is not only acceptable, but encouraged?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nnT--SJFJOI/UfaIYbUe1-I/AAAAAAAAAoQ/ZrEy8EJY3Dc/s1600/tourist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nnT--SJFJOI/UfaIYbUe1-I/AAAAAAAAAoQ/ZrEy8EJY3Dc/s1600/tourist.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nxhsz-DTjHw/UfaIX58wM9I/AAAAAAAAAn4/3d7neDLhKeg/s1600/flo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nxhsz-DTjHw/UfaIX58wM9I/AAAAAAAAAn4/3d7neDLhKeg/s1600/flo.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
i have also dressed as wonder woman, the golden snitch (from harry potter), one of the muses from disney's hercules, and cyndi lauper. this week is a toss up between yzma (from the emperor's new groove) and dorothy (from the wizard of oz) and the week after that i'm going as little bo peep. have i mentioned that i love my job?!<br />
<br />
<i>other things that have happened recently:</i><br />
i have a herniated disc in my back which is pinching my sciatic nerve. it's pretty much the most painful thing ever and i am currently unable to do anything physical (volleyball, running, tying my own shoes). it sucks, but that's just part of life i guess<br />
i was hired to work in the outreach program at the art museum for the school year. i'm just that awesome.<br />
<br />
i guess that's it. okay, back to life as usual and regular posting!Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13357673346622234049noreply@blogger.com0