Book Lovers Anonymous

Hi my name is Hannah and I am addicted to books. I love the way they smell, the feel of the pages in my hand, hardcover, paperback, it doesn't matter. I get completely giddy when I walk into a bookstore. I could literally read all day. My favorite thing to do? Sit outside in the sun and read. I love Summer because I can read as much as I want without feeling guilty that homework is being neglected. Ever since I was little my summers have been full of reading. This summer will be no different. I've already a few; Reading Lolita in Tehran, Great Expectations, Rebecca, Keturah and Lord Death, and It Had to Be You. And I have made a HUGE list of books I want to read, most of them I won't get to before the Summer is over, but I'm definitely going to try!

Can you believe how many books there are in the world?! Like a billion trillion!!! I pretty much want to read them all! A couple Summers ago I decided that since I can fly through books I should read some books with substance such as classics, memoirs, some biographies, books like that. That summer I read all of Jane Austen's works and as you all know she will be one of the first I seek out in the afterlife. So began my love for the classics or at least my desire to read as many as possible. I have the mentality that I WILL love whatever classic book I read. And if I don't love it at least I've read it and somewhat understand what the hype is about. (ok except for Wuthering Heights. I really don't get why people love that book. How is it a beautiful love story? Catherine and Heathcliffe never end up together and they do everything possible to make the other's life miserable. I don't get it...Sorry Emily Bronte.) Anyways....I digress...

There are SO MANY books out there! I was making a list of books to read and looking at lists of "100 Books Everyone Should Read" blah blah blah...and I realized I want to read a billion of them and I don't know if I will ever be able to do it. And books just keep being written, not that I want to read all the books that are being written because some are just plain stupid like those ones Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters REALLY?? How dare you slander my Jane Austen!!!! Anyways...I decided that I need a library like the one in the book Beauty, it's the story of Beauty and the Beast and the Beast's library is GINORMOUS and is filled with all the books that were ever written and have yet to be written. Yep, I want that library. But Marisa crushed my hopes and dreams when she told me it was impossible. So I guess I will settle for a room in my house filled with shelves of all my beautiful and loved books. Someday when I have money I will be addicted to buying books.

So this summer I've got a lot of reading to do. I made a list of like 40 books from the lists of books I looked at. I went to Barnes and Noble and wanted to buy out their whole classical section. I also want to read a few other books that aren't exactly considered "classical". Here are a few from my list:
The Friday Night Knitting Club-for you Mom! I think I should read the book that got you addicted to knitting...
Eat, Pray, Love
The Glass Castle
The Count of Monte Cristo
David Copperfield
Middle march
Anna Karenina
Bleak House
A Room with a View
The Portrait of a Lady
Daisy Miller
3 Cups of Tea
The Year of Fog

That's just to name a few. I'm pretty excited! And if any of you have any suggestions PLEASE suggest away!

So I'm Going to Drop Out of School to Become a Model

There are so many photogenic places around here! But midway through taking pictures it began to snow...SNOW! Really? Really Rexburg? It's the end of May! Good Grief.

I want to give a BIG shout out to my photographer Janelle Cheney, who is fantastic!!! Thanks Jo for making me look good :)

Girl's Night!!

Last Saturday we NEEDED a girl's night. We also called it a "hate men" night. Yes...I know that sounds sad and pitiful but a few of us really needed it. It consisted of good friends with a common cause, games, "better than sex" cake, laughter and a hate man movie, John Tucker Must Die.

Better than Sex Cake
(Devil's food cake with sweet condensed milk, caramel, cool whip, some more caramel and crushed up score bars)

It was DELICIOUS! And we ate it right out of the pan.

I finished it off the next day...

Sometimes a Girl's Night is just needed and I think we feel somewhat better...
(Don't worry Dad, I'm done hating men, I think it's out of my system now)

To My Mom...

What I LOVE about you:

• You make the BEST pasta salad ever. And I think everyone agrees
• You give good hugs...even when you don't want to be touched you give good hugs
• You sent me a text yesterday. This is why I loved it: you saw the Edward barbie doll (oh my gosh it sparkles! isn't that hilarious?!) you thought of me when you realized how outrageous it was. Then you took a picture and decided to send it to me even though you don't have text. And I know it probably took you like 10 minutes to figure out how to send it, a picture!!! Mom that is so legit! I can just see you as you try to do it. And you were successful and it totally made my day because I never get texts from my mother.
• You called me this morning before I left for church to wish me luck and reassure me on my RS lesson. When my phone began to ring and it was your ringtone I immediately felt a little better. But then I was a horrible daughter because about 15 minutes later I realized it was Mother's Day and I didn't wish you a Happy Day. I didn't forget I was going to call you later but STILL...you thought of me on a Sunday morning and called me. And I love that you are selfless and always thinking of others! And someday I will be more like you and not wrapped up in my own life. You are so Good.
• You send people cards. Even if it's not their birthday. You think of them and send them a little letter and I know that it just makes their day.
• Speaking of birthdays you are really good and remembering people's birthdays and either taking them a little gift or sending them a card.
• You could win an award for 'who can stuff the most things into a little package' It's true.
• You live with 4 boys and 1 man...I don't think I need to elaborate...
• You have a great taste in movies...and you are good at quoting them too
• You are my personal translator...I think you are the only one who really understands my ohmygoshimsohyper/excitedthatiamtalkingreallyreallyfastandhaventbreathedforabout5minuteswhileitellmystoryandallmywordsareslurringtogether!
• Your laugh. It just makes me smile
• Your testimony. it shows in your daily life
• You are a great teacher and example
• You are protective of your children. Thanks for sticking up for us.
• You are a FANTASTIC mother.
  

Mom, I LOVE YOU MORE THAN ANYTHING!!!!!! Thanks for always being there. You're the BEST!

New Favorite Pasttime

So this semester I live on the second floor of the apartment building and I absolutely LOVE it. It took some getting used to but it's pretty fantastic if for only one thing...it is much easier to spy on people from the second floor. Yes...I said SPY. My roommates and I love to look out the window overlooking the parking lot and watch people's coming and goings. Our favorite time of day to do this...a few minutes before and after curfew. We watch as people leave and arrive and say their good byes. In order to not be caught we turn off all the lights, wear dark hoodies, and put the blinds down and tilt them to the perfect angle so that we can see out but people can't really see us from the outside (yes we did test it. I went and stood in the parking lot to see if I could see my roommates looking out the window). Sometimes we open the window so we can hear what they say...but then if we start laughing out loud they can hear us. So often the window is closed shut.

We do have our favorites to watch...One is a couple we first saw a couple nights ago. They did the whole "the girl walks the boy to his car and they stand there awkwardly..." then they hugged (for a long time) And we're saying "are they going to kiss?" And then we're trying to decide how long they've known each other and create their background. Then they FINALLY kiss. And we, being the creeps we are, watch. HAHA. Suddenly they pull apart and the boy gives a whoop...yes he threw his hands in the air and whooped. It was the strangest thing. Umm... Wow...kind of a turn off personally, but hey the girl didn't seem to mind because they commenced to kissing again. And all the while cars and people are coming and going. We would've shouted "get a room" but this was just much more entertaining! When the couple finally finishes the girls begins to walk back to her apartment and the boy gives another big whoop and she stops throws her hands in the air and whoops back. Needless to say my roommates and I were rolling on the ground with laughter. We figured it was their first kiss or something and so they were both just really excited but then last night we found them again in the parking lot next to his car and when they were finished they both gave big whoops. Haha, and then we saw the girl at church today and tried not to laugh...we were somewhat successful.

The La Jolla parking lot is great fun just around curfew and if you ever need something to do around midnight or 1 AM just stop by my apartment :)

This is kinda true...