Book Thief...Check

We have another check off! Molly and I have been trying to watch The Book Thief for A. Long. Time. First, we would have to be in the same place at the same time and second, we would have to get our hands on a copy of the movie. Finally the stars aligned and we were in the same place at the same time with the movie!

Molly hasn't been much of a reader in the past, but she finally read The Book Thief and loved it. I still have the message on my phone from when she finished the book. I really enjoyed sharing this experience with her, both book and movie.

My dear friend, Dawnelle, invited us over for dinner and then to watch the movie. She made AMAZING spaghetti and pretty sure I ate my weight in pasta that night! Then it was time for movie and popcorn!

Josh, Dawnelle, Molly and Me

Molly and I have a hard time taking pictures together sometimes. Dawnelle was having fun just snapping and got these "fun" shots. Truthfully, these pictures are pretty accurate of who we are.

I enjoyed the movie and was glad that I hadn't just read the book. I could sit and enjoy the movie without comparing the two the whole time.

The best part of the whole movie was this:

 When Molly came in the next morning and "snuggled" next to me. She is pretty nice to have around.

Let's Get Physical...Physical

Finish the Sentence Friday! How I wish I could consistently participate! Anyway, here I am for this week's topic:

My favorite way to exercise is...

Carol, Kris and Me
Horsetooth Falls in Fort Collins

Kris trying to find her old stomping grounds
 in Fort Collins from Arthur's Rock

Boulder

Molly and me at Needle Rock

Cassie, Carol, Kris and me in Boulder

Have you figured out what it is yet? Hiking. I very much enjoy going for a hike with friends and with my sister. I often find out VERY quickly how out of shape I really am, but enjoy every second of it. I even like when my feet come out looking like this...

Hiking in Chacos after hiking Arthur's Rock near Fort Collins

All is worth it when you get to look at a view like this...

Need Rock, Crawford, Colorado
Looking out over the North Fork Valley

What is your favorite way to exercise?

I played along this week with the folks over at Finding Ninee, check out the others and their favorite way to build blood vessels and lung capacity!

May Sweet Summer Fling Update

Is it really the end of May already? Geesh, what a month. Anyway, since I have free wi-fi at the moment I thought I would update my Sweet Summer Fling Challenge (although I am not sure if anyone really cares, but too bad, you're getting it!) I joined it the fun over at Bookish.

My goal is to read forty books off of my shelves at home. It is preposterous the amount of books that I have at home that haven't been read. So far I am liking the goal itself, but am freaking out about making it. When I set the goal of forty it was based on about how many books I read each year. Well, I didn't take into account the amount of kids books for school and book club books I read each year. When it comes to books in general, I am right on track with 21 books, but for my Sweet Summer Fling, 12.

I am behind. I should be at about 20 books now. Should I be freaking out? No, probably not, but I am weird like that. It won't matter on Dec. 31st if I met this goal or not.

I think that with this summer I might be able to make up some ground. Here is what is coming up.

All three books by Sarah Sundid. I have three sets of trilogies on my list and have decided to read them all one right after another. I just finished the Post Cards from Pullman trilogy this morning.

Well, I feel better now after sharing this all with you. Now, I better pick up my next book and get busy!

What are you reading?

Keep Your Fork

I don't know where this came from, but I first heard about it from Marilyn after Wally died. Someone had given her a plant with a fork in it. When I asked why, she told me the story. So thankful and comforted that she knew there was still the best to come.

There was a woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. So as she was getting her things "in order", she contacted her pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes. She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in. The woman also requested to be buried with her favorite Bible. Everything was in order and the pastor was preparing to leave when the woman suddenly remembered something very important to her.

"There's one more thing," she said excitedly.

"What's that?" came the pastor's reply.

"This is very important," the woman continued. "I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand."

The pastor stood looking at the woman, not knowing quite what to say. "That surprises you, doesn't it?" the woman asked. "Well, to be honest, I'm puzzled by the request," said the pastor. The woman explained. "In all my years of attending church socials and potluck dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, 'Keep your fork'.

It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming...like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie. Something wonderful, and with substance! So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder 'What's with the fork?'. Then I want you to tell them: "Keep your fork....the best is yet to come".

The pastor's eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the woman goodbye. He knew this would be one of the last times he would see her before her death. But he also knew that the woman had a better grasp of heaven than he did. She KNEW that something better as coming.

At the funeral people were walking by the woman's casket and they saw the pretty dress she was wearing and her favorite Bible and the fork placed in her right hand. Over and over, the pastor heard the question "What's with the fork?" And over and over he smiled. During his message, the pastor told the people of the conversation he had with the woman shortly before she died. He also told them about the fork and about what it symbolized to her. The pastor told the people how he could not stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it either. He was right.

So the next time you reach down for your fork, let it remind you oh so gently, that the best is yet to come…

Tea Monkey

Sandwiches tend to taste better when someone else makes them for you. Would you agree? I feel the same thing about a cup of tea. My OMM would make me a cup, I would enjoy it then go buy the EXACT same tea and I wouldn't like it. Same thing happened with Jane. Then I realized why it was this way. Friendship.

Sharing the cup of tea with a friend made it taste better than alone.

The other night I shared this cup of tea with Cassie and Jordan. Since I was the special guest, Jordan let me use his special tea monkey tea bag holder. It was divine.

Are you a tea drinker? Do you agree with me?

Frozen...Check

It is official, I am no longer the only person on the planet who hasn't seen Frozen yet. I no longer have to feel like this:

 You can put a nice check next to that on my bucket list.

Last Sunday our little town celebrated the class on 2014 with speeches, food, drink and fun. I went to seven parties with my friend Erin and her three girls. We only spent about fifteen to twenty minutes at each party before we headed to the next one. By the last party everyone was drained, tired, hot and thirsty, so what better way to end the night with a movie about ice!

The best part about the whole movie was when Haedynn curled up with me to watch. She was trying so hard to not sing along and quote every line. I totally understood how hard that was for her!

I wanted to take our picture but there wasn't a way to take a good one, so here is an alternative one!

Thank you Erin, Taelynn, Haedynn and Maesynn for helping me check off my first item off of my list this summer! Any others you want to help with?

Ideas Needed

Ok fellow crafters, I need your ideas. I have these...

glass "stones" that I had in a vase as a centerpiece. I no longer want them as a centerpiece, but my desire to be on the show Hoarders is too strong to just toss them. I can't think of anything to do with them, so I thought I would ask for your help.