Bookworm

Anyone who knows me well will know how much I LOVE to read. Ever since I found my first chapter book in 1st grade during library time, I've often had my head burrowed in a book.
This is why I'm SO excited about GoodReads. I just found out about it last week, but it's great. It's kind of a "Facebook for books", you register and network with friends to share and rate books you've read. Now, I instantly have lists of good (and clean) books to read instead of having to read the book jackets and hope that the story stays appropriate. So, join GoodReads (it's free) and add me as a friend so we can share recommendations, it's awesome!

Some of my favorite memories of reading:
-As a child, my friends would often come over after school or during the summer to see if I could play. Too many times my reply was "No, I can't play, I'm reading." The sight of their dumbfounded looks made it apparent they didn't understand why reading a book would be better than playing with friends.
-I'd stay up late at night (almost every night) to finish a book until my mom caught me one too many times still reading at midnight as a 10 year old, and I got grounded from reading for a whole week! How many kids get FORBIDDEN to read as a punishment?
-My elementary school librarian expected my daily visit to the library to check out a new book and she had my library ID number memorized from typing it into the computer so much.
-My 5th grade teacher would get so frustrated when she would be teaching the class a new lesson and would catch me reading with a book in my lap hidden under my desk. She soon switched me to another classroom that had more of an emphasis on reading. My new teacher soon also became frustrated when we would read stories outloud as a class, taking turns reading, but anytime I got picked to read, I had to sheepishly ask what page we were on because I was too impatient and would read ahead at a speed-reading pace.
-My older sister Alyssa would read a chapter a night to me. I loved it and I get a sentimental feeling everytime I see a "Fudge" book by Judy Blume.

ps--favorite novel of all time? Hard question, but probably "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok, "Gone with the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell, or "Number the Stars" or "The Giver" by Lois Lowry.

Death or Life Eternal?

Ok, here's a logic puzzle for you. It took me a LONG time to get it (count in days or weeks) but only took Brian about 5 seconds. Think about it. I'll post the answer in a few days, but feel free to ask questions for clarification or answer in the comments if you'd like:

You are in front of two doors, each with a guard in front of them. One door leads to Life, one door leads to Death. One guard only tells the truth and the other guard only lies. You don't know which door is which or which guard is which.
What ONE question can you ask (to either guard) to figure out which door to go through to live?

Cheney Reunion

Two weeks ago we had a Cheney Reunion in Rochester, MN and Ames, IA when Brian's brother Ben and his grandparents came to visit from Provo and Boise. Brian had to miss out on most of it because of a med school conference in Chicago, and though we missed him, we still had a lot of fun.Here we are showing off our Venus Fly Trap souvenirs after watching B's bro David perform in the play "Little Shop of Horrors"--hilarious (although with a Sweeney Todd creepiness) .
Happy 80th Birthday Grandma Cheney! It was so good for Ethan to get to meet his Great-Grandparents.
4 Generations!

Ethan thinks it's funny and fun to try on glasses and see his world go blurry. Don't worry kid, fortunately both your parents are practically blind and you'll get to join the "4-Eyes Club" soon enough. For now, we're just getting him practiced in being an ADORABLE geek ;)

Surfs Up

Here's an updated photo of the area that we were sandbagging last weekend. Half the city of Coralville is very flooded, but luckily our apartment is up on a hill and we are safe.

The Rain Comes Down...

...and the floods come up.Yes, this may look like a peaceful, serene picture of Iowa. But look closely, the above picture is (was) a baseball field. None of the trees should be near water. The Iowa River has flooded nearby neighborhoods and roads.


These 2 pictures are someones backyard. I hope they have a boat, because the kids won't have much fun trying to run around back here.


The cities of Coralville and Iowa City are asking churches and community members to assist in sandbagging efforts starting last Friday. We went and helped on Saturday and Sunday (it's bad enough that they announced after church for anyone who could to go help--an ox in the mire sort of thing). I think some companies are even shutting down, encouraging their employees to go out and sandbag instead. It's hard work, but there is still SO much to be done. All the walls we got up during the weekend now have to be raised a few more feet because the floods are supposed to be record breaking. Our apartment is safe, but I feel terrible for anyone who is in the flood plain because it will be a miracle for the sandbags to hold and be everywhere it is needed.
...And I thought Iowa's weather excitements were over with the winter...

Memorials

Brian and I wanted to record our favorite memories of those grandparents who have passed on before us on Memorial Day, and even though we missed it, I figured it's never too late. We're grateful to have such wonderful ancestors that helped make us what we are.

Grandpa Pratt: Always playing the Banjo.
Grandma Lillywhite: Cinnamon graham crackers with strawberry milk, her miniature trampoline, and her electric recliner that we always wanted to play on and push the buttons.
Grandpa Lillywhite: I never met him, but I know he was a great baseball player and very involved in local politics to help improve the community.
Great-grandpa Bench: His blue double-swing I loved to play on every time we went to visit him.
Great-grandma Thomander: Her pink press cookies, picking out a ceramic figurine to paint from her collection, and her reminder to me not to carry a baby just on one hip, or it would grow lopsided from the other.

We Love and Miss You!