3RD Annual Crook Refunion~Day 1

This is so late but I finally have time to go through my pictures of our Re"fun"ion in Las Vegas.

I love our matching bright yellow t-shirts. And if that weren't enough, Mom surprised us all with matching bright blue and yellow shoes. You know, to match the yellow t shirts.

We all went hiking in Red Rock Canyon Park just outside of the city. 

Cousins!

The Conquering Heroes finish the leisurely 2 mile stroll. 

We went to the Yard House for lunch, yes all 27 of us. We had one of the restaurant employees ask us if we were from a school because we all had matching shirts and we had so many kids with us. I think everybody is cracking up in these pictures because Olivia kept trying to photo bomb the group. 

WHITE (AKA ANGRY) ELEPHANT EXCHANGE. DAY 1

COORS LIGHT PHONE COVER WITH A 200 DOLLAR CREDIT TO STUBHUB..

JILLIAN MICHAEL WORKOUT AND A NEW SUSANNA KEARSLEY NOVEL

T SHIRT

DNA TEST FROM ANCESTRY.COM. ONE OF THE COOLEST GIFTS EVER. YOU CAN FIND OUT WHERE ALL OF YOUR ANCESTORS COME FROM. 

REALLY NICE CAMPING BACKPACK. I CAN'T REMEMBER THE BRAND

GIFT CARD AND POSTER GO TOGETHER

CHRISTMAS DISHES

JEAN JACKET AND MAKEUP-EVERY GIRLS DREAM

COOL BAG. 

THE BEEF JERKY AND ANCHORMAN FANPACK WERE PAIRED TOGETHER

WACKY STACKY (JENGA) AND DESPICABLE ME DVD

HAIR CARE: HAIR SPRAY, MOUSSE, AND VOLUMIZER

MORE SHAMPOO!

A MUG SHAPED LIKE A TOILET-UNBELIEVABLE 

IPOD SHUFFLE

Sunday Social-Pet Peeves

1. What is your biggest driving pet peeve?
I guess I would say when people make a left hand turn, like out of a parking lot, and they pull out right in front of your car. Then you have to slam on your brakes to avoid hitting them. 

2. What is your biggest blogging pet peeve?
One I noticed recently is when people criticize or say they do not like something for no other reasons other than just to stand out and ruffle feathers so to speak. Maybe they are trying to retain their hipster image. I know everybody is entitled to their opinion but its hard to know where to draw the line. For example, I have heard one or two people who have recently posted somewhere on the internet that they did not enjoy the movie frozen. Frozen breathed new life in Disney Animation, it broke box office records, and was nominated for at least one Oscar? And this person just wanted to tell everybody how much they hated the movie and why. Sometimes there are opinions you should keep to yourself. 

3. What is your biggest shopping pet peeve?
This really isn't a pet peeve but just goes to show how impatient I am. I always get behind the person either has a billion items to purchase at the grocery store or the person who has coupons and just an overall difficult transaction at some store. They take forever. For example, I went out to dinner with my friends for our Book Club Meeting. I was the last person to order and ended up behind this couple with twin four year old girls. Granted I felt really patient at first but the mother then was asking the four years old what they wanted to eat and then asked the cashier about menu items and what side dishes were available. She took at least 15 minutes to order food. I know this makes me a horrible person but I believe when you go shopping, whether it is for clothes, food, whatever, you should go with a purpose. Does that make sense?

4. What is your biggest general pet peeve?
My biggest general pet peeve is negativity. I work with some ladies, maybe just one,  who epitomize the phrase "wet blanket." They never have anything happy or uplifting to add to any conversation. Remember how I was so excited for the Hunter Hayes concert? One lady in particular was going off about how she thought Hunter would sound horrible when he sang live because she'd seen him on an award show once. This same lady also called Easter a "dumb" holiday. I just like to try and look for the positive as much as possible. 

5. What is your most irrational fear?

Spiders and Bees. I've never been bitten or stung but I turn into a child when I see either of them.
I also have this weird fear that people I meet won't like or me or will think I am annoying for some reason. 

Weekly Favorites #21

First and Foremost I got to go see my love Hunter Hayes in concert. He had great opening acts. Hunter puts on a great show and just pumps up the energy constantly. Hunter really is so talented. I got see my dear cousin Danielle. It was such a fun night and I hope Hunter comes back to Utah soon. 

Also, for you fellow country fans, Dan and Shay performed as an opening act for the concert. I only had heard one of their songs on the radio but they were so great live. I am going to buy their album. 

I finally took the Praxis, which is a test I need to get my teaching license. The test is 120 questions. 30 Language Arts, 30 Math, 30 Science, and 30 Social Studies questions. I scored pretty well. 
29/30 in Language Arts, 29/30 in Math, 26/30 in Science, and 23/30 in Social Studies. However nobody can tell me yet if I actually "passed."  

Speaking of School-I turned in my Senior Portfolio this week. I am officially done with my second Bachelors Degree. Now the job hunt can begin. That deserves a celebratory Woohoo!

I also got to meet with fabulous friends for book club. Though if we are honest, we usually just go to visit and eat dinner. We don't spend a ton of time discussing our book. We read Wonder by R.J. Palacio and you can read my review of the book here.  I love those girls. We got to meet our friend Emma's new baby boy. His name is Elliot. He's five weeks old and he is such a doll. 

I'd love to hear about your week. Write about what was great in your life this week and link up in the comments. Have a wonderful rest of the weekend.

Book Club-Wonder by R.J. Polacio

I will just start by saying that this is definitely a book for a younger, elementary school age, reader, but it has a great message for everybody. 


Wonder is about a boy named August Pullman. August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school—until now. He's about to start 5th grade at Beecher Prep, and if you've ever been the new kid then you know how hard that can be. The thing is Auggie's just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. But can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, despite appearances?

The character who is best developed is the main character August. During the book you really do get to see how extraordinary he really is. August tells his story with surprising maturity. August is a kid who has dealt cruelty his entire life. People never know how to act around him. They avert their eyes to avoid staring at him and some are even afraid to look at him and touch him,. Some can be just plain mean and unkind. However,  August is able get through his first year of school with strength and a sense of humor, despite some bumps along the way. He really is a brave kid. 

“It's like people you see sometimes, and you can't imagine what it would be like to be that person, whether it's somebody in a wheelchair or somebody who can't talk. Only, I know that I'm that person to other people, maybe to every single person in that whole auditorium. To me, though, I'm just me. An ordinary kid.

Part of what helps August get through this first year of school is that August makes a couple of really good friends and a family that loves him. 

“no, no, it's not all random, if it really was all random, the universe would abandon us completely. and the universe doesn't. it takes care of its most fragile creations in ways we can't see. like with parents who adore you blindly. and a big sister who feels guilty for being human over you. and a little gravelly-voiced kid whose friends have left him over you. and even a pink-haired girl who carries your picture in her wallet. maybe it is a lottery, but the universe makes it all even out in the end. the universe takes care of all its birds.

The book does a good job of examining how August's condition affects not only August but those around him as well.   A friend caves under pressure and ends up saying some hurtful things about August. Unbeknownst to this friend, August overhears him. The sister feels torn because she loves her little brother but wants to be known as her own person. She wants to create her own identity apart from constantly being known as the girl who has the brother with the deformed face. As a result she wants to keep her family life as separate from life in her new highs school as possible. The conflict you see in the characters is very real. It is something we can all relate to. 

Over all I love the message of kindness, and thoughtfulness. We should always be careful about judging others. 

“The things we do outlast our mortality. The things we do are like monuments that people build to honor heroes after they've died. They're like the pyramids that the Egyptians built to honor the pharaohs. Only instead of being made of stone, they're made out of the memories people have of you.” 

In my opinion this is a book with a message that should be celebrated and that should be read even though it examines a very complex issue in a more simple way.  I do love this thought: “I think there should be a rule that everyone in the world should get a standing ovation at least once in their lives.” 

How great would that be?