- Grandmother had red hair.
- She liked to cook. And she was really good at it. (The only time I’ve eaten mutton was when she cooked it.)
- She introduced us to Harry Potter.
- She introduced my mother to fantasy books, including THE BLUE SWORD which is a family favorite.
- She beat cancer, twice.
- She liked playing Freecell on the computer. She decided to try and play them all and went through them numerically. (Some of them can’t be won.)
- She played the piano. Her favorite song to play was "The Man I Love" by Gershwin.
- She liked playing card games including Pinochle, Hoof and Mouth, Grandma Doesn’t Know, Kings Corner, Lucky Duck, and Wizard.
- She barrel raced.
- She would sneak off when she was a child to read.
- I remember driving with her the big Dodge Ram truck and she always made wise cracks about a grandma behind the wheel of such a big vehicle.
- She let her grandchildren play her baby grand piano.
- She liked to goose my grandfather.
- She loved watching birds.
- She taught her sons how to use stilts while she was pregnant (Grandfather wasn’t happy).
- She loved roses.
- She would play with the neighbors’ cats, so long as they didn’t hurt her birds.
- She was fashionable in clothing and jewelry.
- She embraced technology, and introduced me to Amazon back when it just sold books.
- She loved giving her grandchildren books.
- Jell-o salad (enough said).
- She taught children to stick their tongues out.
- She liked science fiction movies and watching Turner classic movies channel.
- She would go to the Farmers Market in the summer on Saturdays to get her fresh produce for the week.
- She collected comic books such as Calvin and Hobbes, For Better or Worse, Zits, and Foxtrot.
- She liked doing puzzles.
- When I was in college we would change books back and forth.
- Her laugh was infectious.
- She earned an English Degree from BYU so she could teach.
- She believed in left overs.
- She played the organ for her church starting when she was a teenager.
- She did a biking tour of Europe when she graduated from college.
- Family was important to her and she would make arrangements when she got older and had a difficult time driving so she could attend baby and bridal showers.
- Her two older brothers spoiled her since she was the only girl and years younger than they were.
- She loved her Heavenly Father and Grandfather more than herself.
26 June 2013
Grandmother
A Day Out
Saturday Moose and I didn’t have anywhere to be besides grocery shopping. There are a lot of townhouses by where we live and we have driven by a lot of “Open House” signs. Saturday we decided to take them up on the offer. We learned that the townhouses are a lot better than we realized. We made the comment as we left that we now understood why people would retire to a place like that. (Not that we would give up the beautiful house we just got.)
We were leaving Home Depot and headed to Kimball Junction for grocery shopping when I noticed a sign with an arrow. We didn’t have anywhere to be and it looked intriguing. We followed the signs along roads we had never travailed before. A couple of times we were just about to give up learning the mystery when we would spot another neon green sign in the distance. As we drove Moose made the comment that maybe it was a joke. Maybe it would lead us in a circle. At one point we drove through a roundabout. As we were leaving the top I noticed in my mirror that there was a green sign leading out the way we had come.
We ended up at Deer Valley resort when we realized what the secret was. We had followed a path to a bike race for 45 minutes. We laughed about it for the rest of the day. Apparently Cannondale is a company that manufactures bikes. I kept expecting the signs to lead to a store.
Overall, it was one of the most sporadically fun days we have ever had.
We were leaving Home Depot and headed to Kimball Junction for grocery shopping when I noticed a sign with an arrow. We didn’t have anywhere to be and it looked intriguing. We followed the signs along roads we had never travailed before. A couple of times we were just about to give up learning the mystery when we would spot another neon green sign in the distance. As we drove Moose made the comment that maybe it was a joke. Maybe it would lead us in a circle. At one point we drove through a roundabout. As we were leaving the top I noticed in my mirror that there was a green sign leading out the way we had come.
We ended up at Deer Valley resort when we realized what the secret was. We had followed a path to a bike race for 45 minutes. We laughed about it for the rest of the day. Apparently Cannondale is a company that manufactures bikes. I kept expecting the signs to lead to a store.
Overall, it was one of the most sporadically fun days we have ever had.
21 June 2013
The Seven Realms Series
by Cinda Williams Chima
I first came across Cinda Williams Chima's books years ago when I saw the WARRIOR HEIR on the new release shelf. I have been reading all her of books as they come out since then. While I love that series and will review it, once I read the two new books that are going to come out, I am actually going to review her high fantasy series THE SEVEN REALMS.
The story follows two characters. Raisa is the daughter heir to the Gray Wolf Throne. She is torn between her people and her emotions of who she should marry versus who she should marry. Han was born in the poor section of town and becomes a street lord. Their destinies are more intertwined than anyone could have ever thought possible. Throw in magic and you have the beginning of a great saga. That is the very short of it. The series is four books long: THE DEMON KING, THE EXILED QUEEN, THE GRAY WOLF THRONE, and THE CRIMSON CROWN.
(Just as a side note, I love the covers to these books. I don't think these pictures do them justice.)
What draws me in: While I mentioned earlier how Raisa is a princess who has to decide who to marry, don’t get the idea that she is typical princess. She stands up for herself, goes after what she wants, knows when she doesn’t know it all, and she is a fighter. She is an awesome character that I rooted for the whole series.
I absolutely loved Han. His character grows through the books yet he is the same Han. I liked the fact that he was born on the streets and yet knew the value of education and manners. His abilities and personality was also cool.
There are a lot of characters throughout the series that I grew attached too. I like the fact that Cinda Williams Chima created fleshed out, varied characters. The cultures were unique in a familiar feeling way, and I thought her magic system was interesting. Not the most original but good enough for what it needed to be.
The political aspect was intriguing. It wasn’t over the top, and yet it added great depth to the story and characters that couldn’t have been done any other way.
What kicks me out: I thought the story dwelled a little too much on Han’s desire of physical intimacy. I understand hormones, and it wasn’t too bad, but at times I didn’t want it to be quite as important as it was made out to be. (It wasn’t overly descriptive or inappropriate for the age of YA by any stretch of the imagination.)
There were parts of the story where it was a little slow or I thought the characters were being overly dramatic.
I want one more book because I love the characters, though I would be happy if Raisa and Han were side characters if some of the side characters became the focal point.
Conclusion:
Should you read it? If you like YA fantasy, YES!
Should you buy it? YES! If you need any more of an excuse get it as a present for someone who likes YA fantasy and then borrow it.
I first came across Cinda Williams Chima's books years ago when I saw the WARRIOR HEIR on the new release shelf. I have been reading all her of books as they come out since then. While I love that series and will review it, once I read the two new books that are going to come out, I am actually going to review her high fantasy series THE SEVEN REALMS.
The story follows two characters. Raisa is the daughter heir to the Gray Wolf Throne. She is torn between her people and her emotions of who she should marry versus who she should marry. Han was born in the poor section of town and becomes a street lord. Their destinies are more intertwined than anyone could have ever thought possible. Throw in magic and you have the beginning of a great saga. That is the very short of it. The series is four books long: THE DEMON KING, THE EXILED QUEEN, THE GRAY WOLF THRONE, and THE CRIMSON CROWN.
(Just as a side note, I love the covers to these books. I don't think these pictures do them justice.)
What draws me in: While I mentioned earlier how Raisa is a princess who has to decide who to marry, don’t get the idea that she is typical princess. She stands up for herself, goes after what she wants, knows when she doesn’t know it all, and she is a fighter. She is an awesome character that I rooted for the whole series.
I absolutely loved Han. His character grows through the books yet he is the same Han. I liked the fact that he was born on the streets and yet knew the value of education and manners. His abilities and personality was also cool.
There are a lot of characters throughout the series that I grew attached too. I like the fact that Cinda Williams Chima created fleshed out, varied characters. The cultures were unique in a familiar feeling way, and I thought her magic system was interesting. Not the most original but good enough for what it needed to be.
The political aspect was intriguing. It wasn’t over the top, and yet it added great depth to the story and characters that couldn’t have been done any other way.
What kicks me out: I thought the story dwelled a little too much on Han’s desire of physical intimacy. I understand hormones, and it wasn’t too bad, but at times I didn’t want it to be quite as important as it was made out to be. (It wasn’t overly descriptive or inappropriate for the age of YA by any stretch of the imagination.)
There were parts of the story where it was a little slow or I thought the characters were being overly dramatic.
I want one more book because I love the characters, though I would be happy if Raisa and Han were side characters if some of the side characters became the focal point.
Conclusion:
Should you read it? If you like YA fantasy, YES!
Should you buy it? YES! If you need any more of an excuse get it as a present for someone who likes YA fantasy and then borrow it.
19 June 2013
I Wish I Could Do This
I think I have been ranting too much (in fact I wrote a whole other post regarding another rant) so I want to share something that Moose showed me yesterday. He learned of these guys from KSL.
Moose and I were amazed over different aspects of the duet. As someone who has played the drums and the piano I could actually see how it was possible. My brain was getting twisted over how they composed it in the first place as well as being able to sing while they do it. I am always impressed with people who put for the time and effort into learning how to do this. I wish I could, but there are so many other talents I have that I just don't have the time dedicated to this particular talent.
I recommend going to their other videos as well. I recommend “I’ll Make a Man out of You.”
Moose and I were amazed over different aspects of the duet. As someone who has played the drums and the piano I could actually see how it was possible. My brain was getting twisted over how they composed it in the first place as well as being able to sing while they do it. I am always impressed with people who put for the time and effort into learning how to do this. I wish I could, but there are so many other talents I have that I just don't have the time dedicated to this particular talent.
I recommend going to their other videos as well. I recommend “I’ll Make a Man out of You.”
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