A Shout Out to My Books!

So, last week a few of my girlfriends and I went out to dessert and got talkin' about books. We usually include books into our topic of conversation but this time I made us a little assignment. The idea is to come up with a list of the TOP TEN most influential books we have ever read. Books that have stayed with us long after we have read them. Ya know, the ones you can quote or the characters and events within them that you think about in different situations in life. I started my list yesterday and I quickly realized how hard it will be to narrow it down. I haven't read NEAR the books I have wanted to yet, but I have read some truly terrific stuff too. I think this should be an assignment for all of us! Make a list of your best books. It's trickier than you'd think, but do it anyway. It is interesting to see which books have shaped your thoughts and opinions and have caused you to think about life in different ways. Words are indeed pretty powerful things! So, here are the top ten that are on my list of ultra powerful, life changing words!

Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ
Confessions of an Organized Homemaker, Deniece Schofield
Positive Discipline, Jane Nelson
The Good Earth, Pearl S. Buck
To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
Reviving Ophelia, Mary Bray Phipher
Tuesdays With Morrie, Mitch Albom
Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen
Charlotte's Web, E.B. White
The Peacegiver, James L. Ferrell

Okay. . .Picture This!

This morning, when the alarm went off, Steve and I got quite the shock. It said 8:10!!!! What happened? We scampered out of bed, showered, got the kids and ourselves dressed and bolted for the door! He was freaking out that by the time we pulled into the school parking lot, it would be time for "School Square" (our morning pledge of allegiance/announcement ceremony that Steve runs each morning). I was feeling guilty about missing the meeting I was supposed to be to at 7:30 that had long since ended. As we lifted the garage door and got settled into the car, it didn't dawn on us that the sun was not shining (we are so used to leaving before the sun comes up, that we really didn't think anything of it). Then, Steve glanced at the clock just as he was about to put it in reverse. "Wait a minute," he said, "this clock says 6:30!" "WHAT?" I looked down and confirmed, then I ran back in the house to check the microwave clock. Yep, sure enough we were not AT ALL late, just a couple of hours EARLY! I went back out to the garage and saw my little family sitting there in the van and we just all buckled over laughing! How did the alarm clock get sooooo messed up? Steve thinks he must have pushed a wrong button when he thought he was hitting snooze? "Well," I said, "let's go eat some breakfast!" What a funny, crazy way to start the morning! Just another crazy occurrence to jot down in the record books for our adventurous school year!

This Week's Five

A few things that made my week Great!

1. Waking up on Monday and worrying about getting gas in the car (and making it to school on time) and then turning the ignition and realizing Steve had put gas in it for me!

2. Barbeque with the Croxalls (Jeremy and Wendy)! We really do have wonderful friends. We scored these awesome ones thanks to Steve. He and Jeremy served in the Young Men's Presidency together years ago. We have been hanging out with them since. They have three little youngsters. The first two are close to Lewis and Conners' ages and they get along great (even though they are GIRLS)!!! It helps that they live right up against a huge mountain and the boys like to hike up to the top with the dads and call back to us on walkie talkies! Wendy and I love to "catch up" while we get the food ready and play with her youngest baby boy. On this night, I couldn't help but realize that our kids are at the PERFECT barbeque age! They eat their food, help clean up and then spend the rest of the evening playing happily in the basement! This is a far cry from how are barbeques used to look (with all the messes and chaos that come from having wee ones running around)! Yep, we have been doing barbeques with these folks for a long time, but this one was especially relaxing and enjoyable!

3. Alvin and the Chipmunks with the boys and Uncle Kirk. My parents had to make a quick run up north so we got to have Kirk over for awhile on Tuesday. We decided to go to the "dollar" movie and what a great idea! This movie was so cute and funny! I am a huge "Chipmunks" fan! My sisters and I grew up with the Chipmunks and we loved to pretend to be them. Kristin (my oldest sister) was Simon (fitting since she wore glasses and was the oldest). I was Alvin (because I was definitely the MISCHEVEOUS one, and the middle child) and Jaime, the baby, was Theodore! This movie brought back the childhood memories and kept smiles on all of our faces. A fun afternoon!

4. Baseball season has begun! I know that I was pretty relieved when football season ended just a few short months ago, but I am stoked for the boys to be back in the "swing" of things with baseball. I love how "devoted" to their sport they become and how cute they look in their baseball hats. It was so great to see the excitement on their faces as they told me about their first practice and that they would both be "Angels" this year!

5. Friends and family willing to watch our boys while Steve and I were stuck in a weekend Constitution class. The class ended up being pretty enjoyable (and that could be the number 6 thing I am thankful for this week) and the boys were well taken care of by the Reyes' on Friday night and my mom on Saturday morning. They had a ball and I was reminded of how great it is to not be totally alone in this world!