Pay it Forward

This morning on the news there was a news report that caught my attention.

In a coffee shop there was a lady who was just so full of the Christmas Spirit(you know how that is- always willing to give) -Anyway, she paid for her drink as well as for the person behind her. The reporter said it was like wildfire, spreading down the line. Soon everyone was paying for another person's drink. I think it started a near five in the morning and here the reporter was, standing by the shop, about eleven o'clock-lunch time, and people were still at it.

It amazes me how good you can make someone feel if you simply try. I know these drinks were like three bucks (not to mention, full of disgusting coffee-) but still, it was enough to make people realize how wonderful it is to serve.

My father always said that the way to love someone is to serve them. And he's right. ...So girls, if you find a cute guy all you have to do is pitch in a couple of dollars of service and maybe it'll work out. But no, really, life is beautiful. It is what we make it. If you want to be a miser the world will mise with you. And if you want to be a giver guess what? -the world will give back. Mind you, it may not always be in the way we expect, but there will be effects, both good and bad.

Anyway, I didn't mean to steer away from my original subject- back to what I was going to say. I know it may sound funny or child-ish, but I'd like to challenge all who read this to notice when someone does something for you (whether big or small) and pay if forward. (Yeah, like the movie.) Okay, now, I realize that most of you are probably regretting you ever read this post, but really it doesn't have to be big, just do it. You'll feel good about it. Step out of your box and do something for someone else. Whether it's jumping in front of someone to open a door, or carrying boxes for an elderly woman, or just saying hi to someone who looks miserable. -Just do something. Anything.

Then, for my sake -I'm so bored- please comment on what you did. Let me know how you felt when you did it. And please, I realize that doing something for your family is the easiest way to go, but just try acting outside of all that. Serve a stranger. You may find out that they weren't very strange to begin with.

Just try. Please. And, of course, Good Luck!

Forgotten Superheroes

Yesterday at work was so boring. I believe it was due to the fact that our "SUB-WAY" lights were burnt out. At first it was just "WAY" that was out, but since the workers came yesterday to fix it, all of it went out. So, yeah, nobody really thought we were open. It was very boring.

There were three workers; Me, Mackenzie, and Brandon. Brandon is a college student of twenty-one years (but he really only looks fifteen) and Mackenzie is just sixteen. Anyway, aside from the boringness of it all, Brandon and Mackenzie were acting really goofy. I admit at first I found it fun, but then after a short time, it became just a little too much.

Near the end of my shift Brandon decided (actually I think he was dared) to put on the Subway-Man suit that we keep in the back. (Its of a smiling sandwich, of course, only he's got a long red cape in the back.) When he put it on he went out into the lobby and started sweeping, or mopping, or whatever. It was hilarious watching him try and mop when he could barely see in front of him! There was one point when he started mopping a rug, thinking that it was the floor. Yeah, it was pretty funny.

For the longest time I've wanted to dress in the Subway-Man, take a picture, and post it. But I haven't really got around to it. Except Yesterday. Mackenzie happened to bring a camera with her. I didn't dress up in the suit, but I did have her get a picture of me and Sandwich-Brandon. We had our thumbs up and everything! It was really funny! Mackenzie could hardly hold the camera still because she was laughing so much!

Anyway, after work I walked a few blocks away to "Chili's" where Melinda, and her friend Sarah, were eating their dinner. It took me a while to find them, but I won't go into the details. They were just finishing up with their appetizer when I came in and scooted in next to Melinda on the booth.

They got their food a little while after I arrived, all the while we chatted about random things. Oh, boys and such, lol. I only had water. Lots of it. Our waiter just kept coming around and pouring me glass after glass and I kept drinking it, glass after glass.

"Are you a camel?" Melinda asked me as I sipped the last of my third glass (rather rudely, making way too much noise). I had to stop drinking when my sixth glass was about half empty. Boy, was I full! And fool. I really should have know better than to drink so much water all at once! Oh, well. I'm still alive.

But yeah, sorry this post is so boring. I really have nothing else to blog about. Nothing much else has happened...yet.

But who knows. Today could very well be better. Or worse.

P.S. I'll be sure and post the pictures when I get them. No worries there!

Of Good "Scents" and Car Chases

"I'll take you home," Sister Furnell said looking at me from across the room.

"Well-," I answered, "Kara was going to take me."

Sister Furnell just tipped her hand. "Oh, Kara's going to be late as it is. No, I'll just take you home."

Late? I glanced over at Kara who was sitting at the table eating her Seminary breakfast. She was normally very good about keeping up with time, and thus far she didn't seem worried that she'd be at all late. No, we weren't going to be late. But then...I looked back at my Seminary teacher and thought only one thing. "Cheryl Lynn must be up to something." But of what- I had no idea.

I obligingly passed the news on to Kara, that she was going to be "late" if she took me home and I told her that Cheryl-Sister Furnell that is- had offered to take me home. She never does that. Whenever the need arises I'm always the one asking the question. No. Something was definitely up.

I helped Nicole Young, another girl in our Seminary, carry out a couple of boxes of donuts to her car. I placed them in the back seat of the car, bid her and her sister goodbye and escaped back into the warmth of the house. There I found that Cheryl was holding up a copy of the book she had "present-ed" to us earlier this morning.

"Oh, who left their copy?" She asked the tiny book in her hands. Once she flipped open to the front cover she found the name. "Melyssa Young," she read aloud. "Oh, well. I'll just give it to her on Sunday." But when she set the book back down on the counter I snatched it up and bolted for the door. The girls had just left and I was sure I could run them down!

Their little red car had just pulled out of the parking lot. I wasn't too late! Nicole, who was driving, shifted the car into Drive and started down the way. I managed to leap down the stairs and fly down the drive just in time. There were, I'm happy to say, a few moments when I got to match my speed to that of the car. Running up beside it and then running it down. Sadly it was only for a few seconds. Nicole just looked at me through the tinted window and slowed the car to a stop.

"What is it?" She asked smiling through the rolling down window.

I took in a few sharp breaths and held the book out for her to see.

"I already have my copy," she answered, her smile growing just a tad bigger probably at the thought that I had just gone through all that work to return something that was never lost to begin with.

"No," I panted holding the book closer to the window, toward it's owner in the next seat. "It's Melyssa's-"

"My book-!" Mylessa said reaching over and taking it from my cold hands. "I almost forgot it!"

I said my goodbyes once more and returned to the house.

Boy that was fun! I think I might actually enjoy running, when, that is, it's for a good cause. Anyway, Sister Cheryl Furnell walked me out to the garage and climbed into the drivers side. And as I walked around the car I noticed a small rectangular box, wrapped with Christmas paper, sitting in my seat.

I knew it, I thought opening the door. She was up to something.

Cheryl scooped up the gift so that I could sit down and then she held it out for me. "This is for you," she said just before rolling the car out of its place.

I took the small gift and turned it over in my hands. I asked if I should wait 'til Christmas or if I could open it then. "Oh no, you can open it now," she answered a little anxiously. So I did.


Once the paper was fully off, I found in my hands a small pink box. The color and the sleek texture of it made it obvious that it was perfume. And scrawled in a beautiful font, just in the middle, were the words "Bella Belara."

Bella. Of course. This was a gift for and from a Twilight fan. I do love Cheryl Lynn!

We talked for the rest of the ride home. She even took the long route so that we could get as much said as possible. The conversation went a little differently today. She began by asking me the personal question: Do you date? I answered by saying that I'd only ever been on two, but that I wasn't completely against it. Turns out that she had a particular boy in mind for me. She described him and the conversation they had to lead him into the idea of dating. I don't want to bore you with the details, so I won't. She was just curious. "I'm not a matchmaker or anything, I was just wondering." The boy in mind, actually showed up today in Seminary (It's not that he doesn't go, he just doesn't go to this particular one. Today, as the other students put it, he was acting as "Spy" for the neighboring Seminary.) Anyway, if anything other happens I'll be sure to let you know.

Five days until Christmas Can you believe it! I can't really. I'm not sure the reality has hit me yet. But that tends to happen with me. I don't really see something coming until it's already arrived. One of my many flaws I guess, ;) Enjoy your break from life! I'd wish you Happy Holidays, or a Merry Christmas, but I think I'll do that later. Well, Bye!

P.S. The perfume smells wonderful!

Of Chocolate Muffins and Smoke Detectors

Today for breakfast Melinda decided that she wanted chocolate muffins. So she found a recipe on the internet and we started making them! ...Well, actually, she made them, I just read the directions. Anyway, the fun thing about this was that we had to use the oven. What's so funny about using an oven? Well, I'll tell you. When I first arrived here one of the things Melinda warned me about was the Smoke Detectors. "They go off at the tiniest hint of smoke," she noted. "They are very sensitive."

It's been about two months now (Holy Jersey Cow! Thats quite a while!) and I haven't heard them go off once! I admit, I began to wonder if the Claybrooks really had been telling the truth. (Haha, just kidding) They mentioned that if the oven was ever used, or if the toaster was ever used, then the Smoke Detectors would go off. (Let's just say, my Toast and Jelly days were finally over, just because I'm too afraid to use the toaster)

Then the other thing about the Smoke Detectors: They are all linked. If one of them goes off then they all go off. It's like when a baby cries during the Sunday meeting. When one starts, they all start. And before you know it the entire congregation is crying. Even the ones that aren't children. -Or like when you yawn. If a person sees you or hears you or even thinks about yawning, they unavoidably, without fail yawn too. How bizarre is that!?

So, the chocolate muffins were made and divided up into their own little hole, then placed in the oven to cook. After about ten minutes or so Melinda asked me, very serious, I might add, if I was ready. I had to ask why.

"Because," she said handing me a checkered hand towel with an earnest look, "I'm going to open up the oven and the Smoke Alarm is going to go off."

I took the hand towel slowly from her grasp and remained in the hallway, just under the small white sensor pressed against the ceiling, while she disappeared into the kitchen.

"Okay!" she hollered. "I'm opening the oven!"

Quick as a flash Melinda opened the oven and quick as a flash she yanked the muffins from the depths of the oven. (She did it so fast, in fact, that on the last round, more than half the muffins fell to the ground. It was really rather funny. I laugh just thinking about it! Of course, they're were only three muffins in the pan to begin with, but hey, it was still more than half)

I remained under the detector watching as Melinda worked. So far the alarm hadn't gone off and I was beginning to wonder if it ever would. I guess I wasn't too surprised when it finally did. (Beep! Beep! Beep!) I was a little busy laughing at folly's to fan the smoke away. Melinda came round bopped me lightly on the head with another towel and started whipping away the smoke from around the abhorrent sphere.

Although I had plenty of good laughs at this small act, I was a little disappointed that I had not been entreated to the full effect. The alarm only went off twice. The other detectors in the house hadn't had a chance to go off yet. Oh well. I'd like to say simply, "better luck next time" but somehow that doesn't seem to fit right. Oh well.

When we were each done eating our muffins (which turned out rather well, if I do say so myself) we decided on a couple of things. The house, for one, is a boy. The car, however, is a girl. The car is a girl simply because she has her days of when she feels like starting or not. Plus, it just looks like a girl. Then the house is a boy because, as Melinda put it, "It makes weird noises." And it does. Really. Whenever I find myself home alone, the house makes the strangest of sounds. There are times I even think that I'm not alone, because it makes so much noise. We also decided that the smoke detectors alone aren't really a he or a she. They're just an "it".

So yeah. That's how my day went. Interesting hu? ....yeah, you're right. It was actually very boring....Oh well. That's life!

I guess the lesson to be learned here is that the unpredictabilities of life are indeed very unpredictable. Strange things can happen and quite often do. …-Oh, and another lesson is that you should always have a towel handy when cooking muffins. You wouldn’t want to disturb the neighbors or give yourself a heart attack.

White Compass

On Friday at 10-ish, Melinda drove me to the Metropolitan Community College up in Longview. I was going to take my Compass Placement Test and see what classes I need to go too. Thankfully, for my ACT results, I only had to take the Math section. Everyone takes the Math. Doesn't matter how good your ACT score was, you still take the test. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Of course, it would have been much harder had I been given the College Algebra and Trigonometry portion, but thankfully they realized that I was too stupid for that and only gave me the Pre-Algebra, and Algebra.

It took me about a half an hour to finish and that was actually taking my time. The lady at the front really emphasized the "Take Your Time!" thing, but I finished early. Which was good I had other things to do. ....Sort of. I had work later in the evening. Like four hours from then....whatever.

When I was done with the test (and I took it on the computer by the way) I had to wait out in the hallway while my results were processed. I wasn't out in the hall for very long, but I liked getting a first look at the school I would soon be attending. I always like to know what I'm getting into before actually getting into it. Then, shortly after, the lady called me into the office and sat me down to discuss my results. She was very pleased with my score and said that I was right where I needed to be. I was so relieved to hear her say that. I always tend to get very nervous when I have to do anything, especially when I know it may have a lasting effect on my life. Sure it was just a little old test, but it meant a lot to me. I don't know. I guess I'm weird that way.

Okay so that was the "Compass" part, now for the "White" part.


Yes, its snowy up here. Or down, depending on where you are. My family informed me today that there is actually NO snow there, just a smidgen of ice. Well as my little sister says "Like five inch icicles hanging from the roof!" And to think I was worried about driving all the way to Arkansas in this weather, come to find that there is no weather! Or well, no snow anyway.

Just yesterday, Seth took me to the bank so that I could deposit my last couple of checks (I'm terrible at remembering. Last month I was going through my things and I found a check from Dairy Queen that I hadn't cashed yet, so I was like "Hey cool a hundred dollars!" I love it when that happens!) Anyway, as I was getting out of the car I put my leg out and then, as I always do, I shifted my weight to that one leg and then the ice happened! Before I knew it I was sitting on the rim of the car, or that gap between the seat and the door, or whatever you call it. The thing you hop over when you get into the car. So half of me was in the car and the other was out of it. It was actually kind of funny, but my bum was cold. So, that wasn't very fun.

Well, see ya later.

Another day in Paradise

Despite the title of this post, yesterday was horrible. I'll start at the beginning....

I was scheduled to work at eight o'clock so me and my ride (aka Melinda) went to Subway. We were there on time, but that didn't make a difference. No one was there. It took twenty minutes for my boss to arrive. She apologized and noted that she had driven halfway here and then realized that she left the keys back home, so she had to turn around and make the trip again.

I don't remember exactly what I was doing, but Renee came by and asked if I could watch the front while she went to the bank. Watching the front is the managers way of saying "If anyone comes in deal with them. I'm not sure if I said I would or not, but every bit of me inside was screaming No!. I'm new. What did she expect? Yesterday was like my fifth day of work. Did she expect me to know everything by then?

Anyway, Renee left and I was at the store alone. ALONE! I admitt I wasn't too worried at first because it's a new store and I didn't think anyone really realized that it was open already. .....Boy was I wrong.

Right after Renee pulled out of the parking lot it hit. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! People were coming in by the hundreds! ...well not really, but the way I was feeling just then, it might as well have been a hundred people. It was more like seven or eight. But still, that's enough to send a greenhorn crazy! Honestly!

I got through the first two customers with very little trouble, but once I got to the register, WOOSH, I hadn't a clue how to ring up what he had ordered. Luckily the customer I was helping was really nice. I told him that I was new and he was perfectly alright with that. He said "We've all been there before." I got really embarrassed when I accidentally put steak on his sandwich instead of roast beef. -Well they look exactly the same! He told me that I had made a mistake, very politely, and then I fixed it. The rest of the line looked at me funny when my face turned bright red and I started apologizing. I could almost hear their thoughts as I worked my way down the counter with the sandwich. Argh!

Renee showed up just as my register problems started happening. I was glad she had returned, but the fact that she was upset with me didn't improve the way I was feeling. In fact it got worse. I did my best to just keep smiling and I pretended like I knew what I was doing and actually I came to realize that I knew a lot more then I thought I did.

Renee never yelled at me or wrapped her hands around my throat, but I could tell she was upset. The look on her face when I asked all those questions was one of pure acrimony. As the day trudged along, however, her mood got lighter. Soon after the rush, she was laughing and joking just as if this morning never happened. For that I was grateful.

Melinda picked me up at four o'clock and we headed home. As she drove I related my awful experience of work. I also told her that despite the horrid nature of my morning, I was glad for it. Why was I glad? Because now I had something to Blog about. Isn't that sad? My life is so utterly boring that it has to be made abhorrent in order for it to be interesting.

I called last night to get the rest of my work schedule and guess what? This week I'm working over forty hours! Why in the world my manager did that to me I'll never know, but what I do know, is that its a comfort to be earning twenty-five cents more than my last job. Twenty-five cents is a big step for me. It really adds up.

-Oh gosh! Do you see how boring I am? I'm thrilled to be earning an extra quarter. Ugh, I can't stand how boring I am.

Anyway, about the title. My day reminded me of a quote I once read and it goes as follows: Through clever and constant application of propaganda, people can be made to see paradise as hell, and the other way round, to consider the most wretched sort of life as paradise. ...Yeah, I never was a big fan of Adolf Hitler. But he is right. If a Richvillian (….I hope you don’t mind if I just start making up words for you-) were to see a pauper and how wonderful their life really was (should that be the case) then they would see their “paradise” as a sort of hell. And were the pauper to see the Richvillian’s life he may think just the opposite. Life is strange. Why is it that we always want what we don’t have?

Truth Restored

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is doing a Mormon Campaign. Commercials have now aired in three test areas of the United States, each spot featuring a recent convert to the Church sharing his or her personal experiences in searching out answers to questions such as “Does my family go beyond this life?” and “Does God know me?” The Church conducted over 200 interviews for the campaign, with most of the interviewees suggested by their local Church leaders. Only a handful of people were selected to share their conversion stories on camera. Those chosen received no coaching. They were asked to simply share their answers to questions about their baptism and conversion or elements of their faith.

And guess what? We're one of the three test areas! We hear the commercials on the radio and we see them on the Television. It's so great to know that the truth is spreading!

The religion known in the past 30 years for its cutting-edge public service ads on the family has now redefined ways to share its message in a major multimedia campaign. In ads being run in three test areas throughout the United States, recent converts to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints share their experiences unscripted and in their own words.

Journalists in the test areas have already asked if the campaign, known as “Truth Restored,” is a response to the current presidential campaign in the United States and the attendant interest in the Church because of the Mormon faith of one of the candidates. The answer to that is a decided “no.” The Church, which conceived the campaign three years ago, does not take account of political trends and emphasizes its neutrality in partisan politics. The new campaign builds on a long tradition of broadcast and print advertising by the Church, beginning with the award-winning Homefront public service series in the 1970s, which featured family-oriented themes and entertaining messages. The ads pioneered the use of public service time, which has now become an industry staple.

Scott Swofford, media director for the Church’s Missionary Department, says the ads, while successful, didn’t explain what Mormons believe beyond family values. In 2004 Church leaders put together a task force made up of industry professionals from the advertising, media, entertainment, public relations and research fields to answer the singular question, “What message does the Church want to send?”

The result, says Swofford, was a campaign based on a series of powerful questions. “Almost everyone in some point of their life reaches a point where they ask one of these great questions of the soul. Does God know me? Does He care about me? Does He have a plan for me? Where do I go when I die? Do my relationships in this life go beyond the grave? Why does God allow so much suffering?”

As the people in the ads responded to questions, they raised additional questions that they could not answer. Instead, readers or viewers were invited to look for the answers on www.mormon.org. Mormon.org not only provides information about the Church but also offers a chat function where visitors can ask questions and receive immediate answers. It’s a function that Swofford said visitors are using.

Results for the campaign won’t be compiled until next year when Church leaders will decide if it should be taken to other cities in the United States. But Elder Cook says he believes it is generating interest because the number of visitors to Mormon.org has increased significantly. Notwithstanding the final outcome, Swofford says the campaign ultimately will prove useful to the Church. “What we’ll learn is how to better speak to those not of our faith and explain what we believe,” he said.

(Look to your left. Can you see the video bar? You may have to scroll up a little, or down depending. See it? Click on the third one down and watch carefully. Cool,hu? The second one down is cool too. The top one is Elder Ballard talking about his very thing. It's interesting.)

Thanksgiving

Melinda picked me up at Subway around three o'clock and then we left for some sort of grocery store so that Melinda could pick up a few things and so that I could change out of my sandwich scented uniform. (It was snowing outside. It was nice to see the puffs of white blow past the glass windows and then pile up on the cars and ground around them. I was excited. But having a white Thanksgiving was a bit of a change for me.)

We picked up Seth when we were done, then we left for home. The ride there was fun. Seth read a book ("Tennis Shoes among the Nephites) aloud while Melinda drove (and listened) and I sat in the back trying to figure out what-in-the-world was going on in the story. (I haven't read that series yet and they happened to be on the very last part of the very last book. Funny hu?)

We arrived at my house around seven-ish. I thanked the Claybrooks for the ride, scooped up my things and dashed to the door. (Well, actually, it was too cold to dash, it was more like sauntered.)

I had to kick the door for someone to answer.

It was strange. When the door was open and I was inside no one moved. They were (most of them) sitting in the living room just staring at me. It was like I had become a figment of their imagination. It was weird. But funny at the same time.

"Hi Guys!" I said with a smile.

And then it happened...little arms sprang out of nowhere grabbing me around the waist and legs. My name echoed throughout the room and up the stairs. Over the heads of my siblings I saw my dad making his way towards me. It was hard to hug at first, what with all the other million arms around me, but it was nice. I really miss my dad. He held on for a very long time.

After the hugging and all, we went upstairs for dinner. We talked a lot. I go the whole update of "What's going on at the Willis' " from the possum that they scared away to the liter of kittens that is now overthrowing our deck. It was fun.

We stayed up late that night watching a movie called "We Are Marshall". It was good, if you like sports movies that is. Well I guess even if you don't, it was good anyway. I enjoyed it. And I'm not much for sports. I slept on the couch that night. Burr! I had to use the couch cover as a cover, my dinky traveling blanket didn't work at all!

The next day was fun too. Thanksgiving. We spent most of the day preparing the Thanksgiving Meal and passing the time with fun music videos. I liked being home. But it had its down sides too. For one, I knew very little of what anyone had been doing this past month. And second, I didn't have a bed, but that was okay ;). Third, well...the house I'm at now is nicer so it was a little unusual to be back home in our house that looks like a dozen kids lives in it. Oh wait, there are! Haha, no, it wasn't that bad. I love you family!

Unfortunately, (and it is very unfortunate) just before the big meal was complete we got the news that our youngest sister of two years was burning with a fever. My mother, along with one of my younger sisters, rushed her off to a hospital about an hour away. We kept her in our prayers and waited for a phone call. Mom called just before dinner was served and told us what was happening. It was pneumonia. She said that the doctors would hold her overnight and do more tests on her. But now that she was in the right care, she's going to be alright.

Did I mention that the Missionaries were over? I guess not. Well, they were. We had dinner without Mom, Haylee (my ill sister), and Alicia (my other sister who tagged along), so it was a little small. Having the Missionaries over was nice. Great people. Strong testimonies.

The meal was good. I surprised myself by not eating any turkey. Isn't that weird? I just stuck with ham and mashed potatoes. After dinner my brother Jacob dragged me along to return the Missionaries to their house and then my older sister to hers. On the way home we stopped by the Andelins (-great family! Love 'em to death!) because Jacob wanted to spend his Thanksgiving playing with bows and arrows rather than at home with all nine of his sisters. Can you blame him? ...A little, I'd have liked to stay home and visit, but being with my some of my closest friends was great too.

About the bows and arrows I mention, the Andelins were holding a tournament in their backyard for all of Farmville. (That's the place they live. So many of their family members live next door that they just called the whole lot by that name.) I had fun watching the tournament. Jacob was a little bummed that he didn't get to participate as well. After the tournament everyone went next door to Farmville's main attraction: The Leavitts.

There we ate dessert and got to view the awards being handed out to those who got a place in the tournament. It was fun. I liked seeing everyone again. We didn't stay as long as I would have liked. It was getting late and Seth and Melinda were waiting for me. They had gone next door from our house to visit they're family.

The ride home was okay. Very dark and I was actually exhausted. More or less. I liked being in my own bed again. I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to my parents. They were not both at the hospital with Haylee. But that's where they needed to be, with her. I do hope she gets better soon.

Chili's

Went to Chili's for dinner the other day. The line was really long, but we didn't mind waiting. It was about fifteen/twenty minutes before we got a table. We had fun looking at the menu's and all that.

First we ordered appetizers which were chips and spinach dip with something else in it, I can't remember but it was surprisingly good! Melinda had them get a certain kind of egg roll, only it wasn't Chinese. I really like it. Oh wait! -they're called South-Western Egg Rolls.

After the appetizers were demolished, we ordered. I had a burger (Massive thing. I had to squish it down in order to get it into my mouth.) Melinda had steak and Seth had ribs. It was good. I only managed to eat half the burger though.

I got to drink Strawberry Lemonade for the first time. It was good too.
Seth let me try his Grilled Shrimp Alfredo that came with his meal. It was better than I expected. And then Melinda gave me a piece of her steak (her favorite kind) and it was excellent, nice and tender. And the spices were delicious! And the Boneless Buffalo wings were good too.

-Sorry, everything was really good. ....I must have been really hungry. Haha, no, I'm just kidding. I'm not usually a picky eater.

Aside from the superb meal, there was something else that I enjoyed too. I have to give you a mental picture first: Okay, the table we were sitting at was in a row in the middle of the room. And pushed up against our table was a wall. On the other side of that wall was a whole other row of tables. Make sense? Good. I'll continue...

There was a little Hispanic boy in the table beside me and he kept poking his head over and saying "hi" then we'd talk and he'd tell me what he's eating cuz I'd ask. But mostly he just said Hi. Like every five seconds. His parents just said that I should probably just ignore him and maybe he'll stop. There was one point when he stuck the menu box (you know those weird little menus that stick out so far and you don't know what to do because it's taking up all the space? anyway, it's like that) But he put it on his head like a hat and his little ears stuck out. It was really cute. =)

But yeah, Chili's is good. You should go sometime. It's a bit pricey, but the food is really good...sorry, I keep saying that. I feel like a parrot or something. Argh!

Orientation

I showed up for orientation at four-thirty on Thursday. But I came to find that William wouldn't be there until five. So much for punctual.

I spent most of my time conversing with the boy behind the counter. His name was Max. He was more than willing to give me all the information that I wanted. He told me a little about what goes on and a little more about what doesn't go on. He even warned me about the manager, Renee (Rin-A). He said that she was okay so long as you did everything the right way. I guess you could just caller her "Business." That's how most managers are. The rest of the time I spent memorizing the order of the toppings. William told me that it would be on the test after orientation and I was determined to pass it.

The order of toppings goes as follows:
It's called "The Works"

Lettuce, Tomato, Cucumber, Pickles, Green Peppers, Black Olives, Onions, Jalapeños, and Banana Peppers. Thats a mouth full....haha, no really it is. My little plan for memorizing this, as I mentioned earlier, goes as follows: Little Tink Can't Put Green-peppers Before Olives Just Because.

Yeah it's weird but it helped immensely. I later found out that another boy had done the same thing, made a sentence with the first letter or whatever, only he wouldn't tell me the sentence. My guess was that his language was a little more colorful than mine was. I was glad he didn't tell me.

The Orientation went well. We learned how to cut bread and had a run down of all the different meats that go in each sandwich. (That part is going to take longer for me to learn, that's for sure) The only thing I didn't like about the orientation was that it was way too crowded. All six of us were crammed behind the counter cutting bread, or putting vegetables on the sandwich. It was a little hectic that way. Renee was really nice. She understood that we were new and clueless, but her expectations are very high. She wants us to get everything cemented into our brains by next week. I got a little scared just then. I'm terrible with memorization.

After the orientation they (as in William, Renee, and another manager from a different store named Tracy. She's a really cool person. Very outgoing) gave us each a slip of paper and we scattered throughout the lobby. I can't say I was nervous, the test really wasn't hard. But if you know me, you'll know that I get nervous over the smallest things. I was nervous. I passed the test, though. I only missed two questions and that was how many napkins go with the twelve inch, and then how many go with the six inch. It was either one or two and I happened to switch them around.


After the test, Renee read from a handbook that each of us were given, about all the things that go in Subway and the rules that apply. Even though they were things that I had heard already from past jobs I listened carefully. There wasn't anything new really. After that we were allowed to eat from our "dummy sandwich" that we made earlier. It was good. One too many peppers for my tongue.

Seth and Melinda picked me up a little after eight. "You smell like sandwiches," Melinda noted as we pulled out of the parking lot. She was right. But, hey, it's better than smelling like greasy chicken, right?

Interview

My quest for a job has finally come to an end. And the result: Victorious!

I got a call back on Tuesday from Subway. The manager, William, asked that I come in for an interview the following day. Isn't that great? Well, the interview went perfectly. Probably the best one I've ever had!

I got there a little early because my ride (aka Seminary Teacher. She is so wonderful!). I got there at ten o'clock and I was asked to be there at ten-thirty. I tried the door at ten, and after realizing that it was still locked I paced the entire walk of buildings a few times. The Subway is placed alongside many different stores, such as a bank, a Chinese restaurant, an aerobics center, and many different businesses. It was cold that morning, but Melinda's hoodie kept me warm.

I actually liked waiting outside for that half-an-hour. Sounds crazy I know, but honestly I enjoyed it. I got to walk past all those big stone pillars and stair out into the lot of cars. I actually got to see a Chevy Malibu, just like the one I have. It was even blue like mine too! I watched it for a long time, thinking about when in the world mine would be fixed.

I tried the door again a little before ten-thirty and found it unlocked. I walked in from the cold and looked up to see William standing behind the counter.

"You're punctual." He said with a smile. "I saw you out there at ten and then you... weren't there anymore. Where did you go?"

It took me a second to figure out he was referring to. My mind had been several places in the past half hour. "Oh, I was just walking around outside."

I saw him look down at a slip of paper in his hand as I walked toward the counter. It didn't take long for me to see that it was application. "This is the best applications I've seen in a very long time." I didn't really know what to say to that one. "It was very specific and accurate."

We sat down at a nearby table and he talked about the job and asked me a few questions. It went very well. It lasted until about ten 'til eleven. Before I left he gave me a Subway Handbook, that was chuck full of rules and guidelines that the Employee follows. He also gave me homework. I was to memorize what was called "The Works." Its all of Subways vegetables toppings in a certain order. I was to memorize the topping itself and the order that it went in on the sandwich. I didn't worry about it too much because I had a plan. (I'll tell you about it in my next blog) He asked that come in for my orientation the following day at four-thirty sharp. I told him that I'd be there and we went our separate ways. We'll technically he didn't go anywhere I was the only one who "went", but anyway...

Since both Melinda, and Seth were still at work I had to walk home. Sorry, "had to" isn't the right word...hum..."had the privilege of" is more accurate. It was a beautiful day outside. I walked for a while alongside the busy road, thinking about how happy I was to have gotten a job so quickly, and then I had to stop. Right at my feet was a snake. I can't tell you what it looked like only that it blended in incredibly well. It was a fare size and very still. I had to stair at it for a while to see if it was even real. I backed up a little when I saw its scaly body expand with breath. Yup, it was real. I watched it for a little before I continued on my way.

Instead of continuing alongside the active street I took a detour into a nearby neighborhood. The houses were scatted everywhere on either side of the road. The colorful trees in the yard standing on the carpet of leaves was so alluring that I had to force myself to keep walking. Which sounds crazy because it was actually very cold outside and my delicate red nose was on the verge of falling of my face. Luckily it remained for the entire walk home.

On the walk I passed a house that had a small dog chained against a tree. It was so cute. I admit at first I thought it was some kind of fluffy pillow or pile of rags, but when it barked I figured it out. I didn't pet it only because I remembered the rule of "don't touch a pet unless the owner says its okay" (They always said it on my PBS channel. I really don't know why I remembered that. It was ages ago.) Another reason I didn't pet it was because of the chilly weather. But it was tempting. Yeah, sorry, I'm a big dog person.

It wasn't long before I reached the house. I can't remember what I did when I got home, probably get on the computer. But yeah, that was my day.

"The Wizard" on Stage

Last night Seth, Melinda, and me, of course, all went to the Lee's Summit High School production of "The Wizard of OZ." And since none of us had ever been to the school we kind of got lost on the way, and we ended up being about fifteen minutes late. But it was okay. The back-seats weren't all that bad.

We watched the play, merely because the Tin Man was being played by a boy in our Church. I don't know his name and I don't even know what he looks like. I only know that he is tall and dressed in a full tin suit, he looks pretty good. But that's it. He did a really good job. They all did actually. And despite the fact that orchestra was a bit sour and squeekie, it turned out very well.

There were a few parts however that were, I guess, "The Bluppers" for the production. There was one part where the Scarecrow bangs on the Tin Man's chest and is suppose to hear nothing, you know its empty- no heart- the echoing of the tin is all you hear. But when the Scarecrow hit his fist against Tin Man's chest those two times, the sound was off. Way off. It was cute though. And then my favorite part was when the Wicked Witch of the West, or East, or whatever, calls for her soldiers. I think they're called Winkie Guards. But anyway, as they were marching with their funny little jagged-edge spears, one of the soldiers' spear-head fell off. So, that was pretty funny. Perfect timing -Right during the suspenseful, serious part. And then when the Captain of the Guard is speaking to the Witch, his spear-head fell off too. Melinda and I had a bit of a giggling fit, but hey - where's the fun in perfection?


Aside from all of the mistakes, they had their share of cool affects too. The house actually spinning around on stage, was really cool. Lots of applause for that one. Then the witch disappearing in the mist, and sinking into the stage below, was really cool. They picked a good Witch. Perfect laugh. Looked just like the real one. And Glinda! Oh, she was wonderful. Looked like the real thing. ...of course, the bubble she arrived in was just a big spotlight on the wall, but still, it was good. And the girl who played Dorothy Gale, did a marvelous job of making her voice sound like Judy Garland. Then everyone who had a singing part, Dorothy especially, all had a really good voice. No mistakes there.

There were a lot of cheesy lines in the play, but that was okay, and then there were a lot of funny ones too (not that cheesy isn't funny, its just, I don't really like cheesy things- well other than food that is, and even then I have to be in the mood for it. But I admit I get in the mood for cheesy things sometimes, too). My favorite was when Dorothy is with Glinda and the Chipmunks -I mean Munchkins, and the Witch appears looking for her sister. Anyway, they inform her that her sister is dead, and it was a little hard to get her to understand that a house had actually done the killing. That was pretty funny. But anyway, all you can see of the deceased sister is her feet sticking out from under the house and Glinda asks The Witch if she recognizes her sister, now that she's looking at her...or what's left of her. And The Witch replies, "Of course I recognize her! Who else would ware those slippers with those socks?" (I'll pause for a moment to let you laugh)....

Okay, then my next favorite line is when the Witch calls for her "Winkies" and they come in chanting that strange, depressing cadence. And the Witch gets a little irritated by it and asks, "But what does it mean anyway?" And the Captain of the Guard leans in and whispers (and it's always funny to hear people whisper on stage, because they're really not) "Well, it's an old Winkie chant and translated it means something like this: Ooo-eee-hoo. Yooo-ho. Ooo-eee-hoo." Funny, right? (I'll just pause again, for you to laugh....)



So anyway, that was what we did last night, and I realized while I was watching it, that it was the first actual performance that I had been too. I mean, there were those few plays I'd been to when touring Nauvoo, but this was the first High School Play. It was nice. I hope someday I can actually go the Theater and watch professionals preform.

Grande de la China Wok

Yesterday Seth, Melinda, and I all went out for dinner. We went to a small Chinese restaurant called China Wok. It was actually more like a fast food place than a dine in restaurant. But still, it was good. The order cost a little less that thirty dollars, but like I said, it was good. I had never eaten Chinese food before. In fact just the other day, I had steak for the first time with Seth and Melinda. It was good. But yeah Chinese-


It was cool. The workers there (well, all but one) were Asian. Melinda was happy about that. She said its nicer to have Asian food cooked by Asian people. It makes sense. The inside of the building (apart from the big menu board) didn't look very Chinese. It was nice though. And on the radio, they were playing Country music! Don't get me wrong, I love Country, it's just...I expected something more, I don't know...Chinese.

Melinda and I both order Sweet and Sour chicken, which also came with rice, and then we ordered two egg rolls. Seth ordered Szechuan Chicken with Crab Rangoon. We also ordered a hot/sour soup that was actually really good. I think I like that the best. It really works up the allergies though, I was blowing my nose like crazy!


We ordered water instead of soda, which at the time my tastes were more for Lemonade, but after eating that spicy food, I was very grateful for water. I must have filled my glass at least four times! But it was good.

The food was served in small white Tupperware boxes so that if we didn't finish we could just ask for a lid and take it home. It was really nice. Melinda was excited to have new Tupperware for future purposes and Seth was excited to have lunch for tomorrow. I was excited at having tried something new. It was a lot better than I expected it to be. The chicken was really good.

For some reason, my stomach was really small that evening. I usually eat a lot, but last night I hardly made a dent in my plate. I felt kinda' bad because I told them I like Chinese and here I am, in front of a full plate. They were probably thinking "Yeah, right!" But honestly, it was good.


When dinner was over, or, when we were full, we put lids on our Tupperware boxes and bagged our food for the ride home. We were also given fortune cookies, of that I was very grateful. I love fortune cookies! (They're kinda' like Dove Chocolate. Not only are they really good, but they have these little messages inside them) Mine said "Today will be lucky and memorable for you." And I picked one up off the floor just before we got our food and that one said "Your efforts are budding- results will appear soon." I can't decide which one I like better, though I think I prefer the latter one.

But yeah, Chinese. I like it. I just hope that one day you too can be as cultured as I am.

The Move

I arrived here a bit sooner than I, or my cousin, expected. It was 10 o'clock. She'd expected me about an hour later. But it's all fine. The first thing she did was give me a tour of the house. Yes, it is a house. Although it looks identical to about forty of the houses around it, it's still a house. It is actually a very big house. Lots of room. My closet (which is a walk-in one, by the way) is about the size of my old room. It's enormous! After the tour and all, Melinda (my cousin) and I went shopping.

(Oh, wait before we went shopping, we actually went to the Post Office where she and I bought a book of stamps. Afterwards...)We went to Wal-Mart to do a bit of grocery shopping. We went through the list of things she needed, all the while passing back conversation. It was actually a lot of fun. Of course, I was a bit quiet, but I sure learned a lot. It's hard to stay quiet around the Claybrooks, so it didn't take long for me to...well, talk and joke around. After shopping, which by that time it was 3 o'clock. Melinda realized that we hadn't eaten lunch. She had forgotten. She does that sometimes, and just by looking at her, you can tell she forgets. She is the tiniest little person. But yeah, we ate lunch at Wendy's (best place, by the way) and we parked in the lot and ate our food. (We were actually waiting for Seth to get off work, cuz we didn't have time to go home or anything, so we just waited. We talked a lot in the car. I asked her all these questions, you know, get to know you type questions. For example, one of them was "If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go?" and her answer was "Someplace tropical." She said that she hadn't gone on a real vacation for her and Seth's entire marriage. She'd been to a lot of places, but that was for weddings and such. She had gone to London, only about a year ago, but again, that wasn't really vacation, Seth was working and most of the time Melinda was walking the streets alone. But yeah it was fun. They're a great couple!

We, both of us, decided that my moving here, hadn't really sunk in yet. But we concluded it would in a couple of weeks. For me I think it'll be 'til after Thanksgiving when I've got all my things...Oh! That reminds me!

When she was giving me her tour one of the things she showed me was a book shelf. And guess what?! The first book I saw, and it was weird because there was a lot of books on the shelf, old classic ones, star trek, star wars, lord of the rings, but yeah, the first one I saw had a black cover and a red ribbon running down the spine. The word Eclipse was unmistakable.

Before I said anything, she pulled out the book and introduced it to me as her favorite series. Sadly she only had the third one, but she knew that her husband had bought her the first and second for Christmas. She was a bit disappointed that she couldn't read them sooner. But before her sorrow mulled over, I told her that I had actually, the whole set....She was so excited! She told me that I had made her day. Isn't that so cool! She was surprised that I had even taken an interest in the books, or even that she had. "Vampires? Werewolves? I really thought it was going to be stupid or weird," she said, "But then I read them and I loved them!" She told me that she first read them only a couple of weeks ago. Something about her Young Women's class reading them and so she read them. So yeah, I let her borrow my Twilight and she was so happy.

After lunch (sorry about the interruption) we left to go pick up Seth from work. Strangely enough the exit we were to take to get to Seth's work was block off. So we had to take a very long detour and go back around the other way. It took a bit of time, but we had fun talking and listening to Christmas music (yeah, isn't the weird? Like every station is playing Christmas music. Is it like that down there?) We picked up Seth and went to Blockbuster and picked out a few movies. (they have that rent five a month free, thing or whatever) They decided to put me to the wheel and pick an a movie myself. It was actually easier than I thought. I saw the movie sitting right in front of me, and I hadn't seen it and my friends had told me it was good, so I grabbed it. (It was "Meet the Robinsons". In case you were wondering.) We left shortly after picking out a second movie. I can't remember what it was...oh well.

After that we came home talked a bit more, Melinda made dinner. It was Manacotti. Really good actually, a bit like lasagna. I don't think any of us had eaten it before, but Melinda did a really good job making it. They have this thing, were at least once a week they try something new. On Mondays, Melinda calls her mother up in Utah, and they make dinner together. Then on another day, Seth and Melinda make something new, by themselves. It's pretty neat. She has this system, a calender of every day of the month and they're work times, and them another calender for the meals of the week. They plan a new schedule ever Sunday, planning they're weeks worth of dinners.

When dinner was finished, we did the dishes and sat down in the living room and had Family Home Evening. Again there is a bit of a schedule for that as well, this Monday it was Seth's turn, then the next Monday it will be Melinda's turn, and them me! Fist we sang a song, then Seth read a story from the Ensign, and after that we made a list of rules. Melinda came up with one, then me, then Seth, and back around. The rules are simple enough, things like "Call if you're running late" or "Attend Church regularly" and then one that Seth came up with "No boys upstairs" and "No strangers in the house". I had them put on a certain curfew for both being out, and getting on the computer. The rules that apply to time, may of course, change depending on my work schedule and the homework I'll have when college starts.

When that was done we played a game of Rummikub while eating Grasshoppers (not like actual grasshoppers, but those minty, chocolate cookie, mubobers). It was fun. Melinda won the first round, and I the second, but only because Melinda was helping. The first round my slate was so full I had to start laying them on the floor in front of me. None of my tiles fit anywhere. That was a bit annoying, but it was all good.

We chatted a bit more and they gave me a log-in for the computer and so I got on a bit, read a few posts from other blogs ;), and such. Then we went to bed. Right now, I am home alone, Melinda is working form 7:30 to 4:00, I believe and Seth is pretty much the same. They get up and 5:30 in the morning and I'll be sleeping in 'til around 8:00 just like this morning, until I can go to Seminary with my own car. But don't worry I have a homestudy book here with me that I'll be working from.

...humm...is there anything I missed?

I really like it here. The house is very clean. I'm looking forward to getting a job here and starting school. I'll tell you more about that when they actually fall into act. I'll be looking up applications from online right now, that way we can just drop them off when we get a chance, lots easier that way. But wish me luck! I miss you guys! love Ya, tons, tell everyone I said "Hi"! I'll be sure to call or e-mail, when I get the chance. Again, wish me luck!

My Grand Horde

I learn't a valuable lesson today...and that is "It is very easy for Julia to spend a lot of money in a bookstore."

Yes, I made a bit of a mistake today. I went to Books-A-Million today for the soul purpose of buying a single book that I didn't have. But as I walked through the isles of so many books that I had been aching to read, I found that my fingers were soon cramping from my grip on more than a handful of books. Unfortunately enough that handful of books became an easy two handfuls, which easily became a total of a hundred dollars. I bought the books, knowing full well that I'd probably just end up returning many of them because I need the money else ware, but you know me...I love books. Oh, and the lady at the counter pressed me to become a member of this silly club where with every purchase it gives a free ten percent off. That alone cost me fifteen dollars, I was told that on any other day it would have been lots more, but today was "My lucky day." Yeah right.

Sure I had enough money, no bouncing of checks or anything of the sort, but I really shouldn't have done.

Depending on how much my car fixture is going to cost, I may have to return the books, but if the price of my car is hopefully around three-hundred, I can manage without having to release a single book from my grand horde.

Do wish me luck! I really would rather not have to return the books, but "What will come will come, and I'll just have to be ready for it when it does."

ACT Scores

Yippie! For those people who have read About Me, (it's just to you're left and down a little) then they read about my bombing the ACT. Well, I just got my test scores back a few days ago and I got a twenty-one. 21! Isn't that cool? Yeah, I know. Just about all my friends got a higher score than me- but hey, at least I wasn't an eleven! (I apologize to anyone who reads this and has an eleven. No harm was intended.)

But yeah. I'm excited! Now I can go to the college that I've always wanted to go to! But that won't be for a while, because I'm poor. Well, not rich enough to go to Idaho anyway.

Well, good luck to all you people who are going to take they're ACT soon. I would love to say that it was easy, but it really wasn't. "Study hard and work fast", that's my motto...well, my motto for other people that is. I rarely use it on myself. Sort'a like that "take my advice, I don't use it anyway" kind of thing.

Strange II

Sorry about that last entry. I had to catch my ride. I was typing from the town library and lost track of time.

Anyway, I was just standing there, open mouthed and flabbergasted at the fact that a customer had crossed the counter and was trying to correct me on something, when my shift manager came up.

"Uh, sir," he said, putting his hand on the guys shoulder and leading him back to the other side of the counter. "You can't be back here."

The guy was obviously very hungry, because he would not leave until we had his plate right, which we fixed once we figured out that's what he wanted.

Yeah, it was pretty strange. It felt kind of like an invasion of personal space.

Its funny how far people will go, to get the food they want, but that's another entry...

Strange I

I work at a fast food resturant, it's actually called KFC/A&W. I'm normally just scrapping food out of a dish and sticking it on a plate, either that or squirting ketchup on a burger or something. It's not a hard job. Anyway,a few weeks ago at work I was packing an order and I looked up and saw this guy, this random guy standing next to me. He was pointing at the plate in my hands and talking with a strong hispanic accent, that was hard for me, a little white Texas-born girl, to understand.

Anyway, I was just standing there, open mouthed and flabbergasted at the fact that a customer had crossed the counter and was trying to correct me on something...

...hang on. Hold that thought. I'll be back.

Just a Thought

I was just on my way to the library- and I walk because my car's in the shop, anyway I was just going to the library when I passed a used bookstore. Cute little place. It's called Pat's Books and Crafts.

If you know me you know that I can't just pass a bookstore, I have to take a peak inside.

It was nice. At first, however, I thought it was just some kind of dumb horror, icky romance shop, but then I discovered a whole other room...and then another...and then another. It was great! Nearly half of the hard backs were half off and nearly all the paperbacks were no more than a few dollars! I think I bought about seven books for five dollars. And despite my sore back and aching shoulder, from carrying my bags and leaning over to see the book titles, I am excited.

My dad says I'm wierd. I remember the first time I bought a pocket dictionary. I was so excited. I had always wanted one and now after seventeen years I finally got one!

"Well, you're sure easy to please." That's what my dad said after I skipped over to him in the Wal-Mart book isle clutching the little dictionary in my hands.

Perhaps, I am easy to please. When it comes to books anyway.

As I said in my earlier post, I haven't always liked reading. Even now I have to take a break from it. I'm always squirming around in my seat when I read because I can never seem to find the perfect position. After a while my back starts hurting and my eyes start fuzzing up... Do you think maybe I'm getting old? I hope not, I want to stay young for as long as I can.

That's one of the reasons I love reading. The characters never grow old, and in turn never does the reader. I mean sure, minds change and all that, but really no one ever gets any older. Wouldn't that be fun to be trapped inside a book and never get old, always living in an adventure; To be imortal in the eyes of the reader and never be forgotten...

Anyway, just a thought.

Unfortunes

I always have the worst luck when it comes to toilets. They’re always malfunctioning around me. Mind you, it’s not for any particular reason, they just do.

Take Friday for example. I went to the bathroom at work (and this was before we were open, it was just me waiting in the lobby until it was time to clock in) and everything flushed, I won’t go into detail, anyway the toilet filled as toilets do, only this time it didn’t stop. So water filled the entire bowl, spilled onto the floor and eventually leaked out under the door.

Normally I would have lost my head or something, but I didn’t. I had been through this sort before. I just started grabbing paper towels and throwing them onto the giant puddle. I must have used half the stock of paper towels before I went and got a mop.

After I mopped up all the water and put up the wet floor signs I went back to the lobby and sat back down at my usual table.

Yeah, it’s a good thing the bathroom was little or I would have had a lot of work to do. I felt kind of embarrassed at how wet the floor actually got, but I don't think anyone noticed. Nobody really used the bathrooms that morning.

When I got home I was looking through one of my journals and there must have been at least six other times when a toilet has gone wrong and I just happened to be the one it went wrong with.

I think it's a curse. I should write a book Curse of the Weretoilet. Wouldn't that be great? I'd read it, anyway.

Books

Okay so I have this jar, it's called a journal jar and in it are these little slips of paper that have little questions on them. Since I'm not much of a conversationist I have to use it sometimes and the last slip I pulled out was one of my favorite questions. So here it is: Do you have a favorite author? Who? Why? Tell about your favorite books as a child and as a young adult.

My Answer: Wow, I am actually a young adult. Cool. But, yeah- books. Don't get me started. I love reading! (I got a 99% on my GED in Reading. Cool!)

My favorite authors, so far, are as follows: J. K. Rowling, Shannon Hale, Clare B. Dunkle, Jane Austin, Patricia Maclachlan, Dan Brown (when I'm in the mood, which isn't often, but he's okay) Janette Oke, Brandon Mull, Wrede and Stevermer (together, I haven't actually read any of their single novels yet) Lemony Snicket (though he can sometimes be a bit strange), J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, Nicholas Edwards, Jack London, William Shakespeare (mostly his comedies), Dr. Seuss, and the most recient Stephenie Meyers.

My favorite books as a child was that of Nicholas Edwards. He wrote a series of books about a dog called Santa Paws. I don't know that it was my favorite book, but I sure liked it. I didn't read much as I child I normally just resorted to the television.

(I actually remember being in class as a child and looking around the room when I was actually suppose to be reading. Sometimes I'd even look at the book and daydream about the future and turn the page when the girl sitting next to me did. I never realized how much fun reading could be, until I actually started reading. You should try it. It is so much fun to travel to different worlds and live within the pages of anothers imagination. Oh, what a thrill!)

Another book I enjoyed was one titled Tikki Tikki Tembo, retold by Arlene Mosel and illustrated by Blair Lent. This story is about a mother and her two sons. One of the sons, the younger, is called Chang, while the older, or more important son, was given the name (take a deep breath-) Tikki Tikki Tembo-No Sar Rembo-Chari Bari Ruchi-Pip Peri Pembo. The moral of the story is to not give your children such great long names or bad things could happen. I love reading this book to my younger siblings and to have them try and say the child's name. It's funny.

But about the most recent of my favorite authors- Stephenie Meyer. She wrote a series of books and the first is called Twilight, the second is New Moon and the third Eclipse. I loved them all, but I think my favorite would have to be Twilight. Meyer is so incredibly talented! If you ever get a chance whether you like reading or not, read her books. (I wouldn't be surprised if she changed your mind)

Okay, so I have to tell you something. Over half of those authors that I just listed off are all because of my some of my two best friends, who also happen to be sisters. They read a book -and their family is a big reading family, they can read like two-hundred words a second- but anyway they read a book and then thrust it into my hands and say 'okay, here you go. Give it back when your done' and so I read them, and then after I read them I have to buy them. So just about all the books I own are because of them.

You know I can't remember the last time I read a book that they hadn't already read.

A Little About Me

My name is Julia. I am fourth of fourteen children. Yes, I know- that's a lot of kids. I'll explain why there's so many. My parents had eight children. They were married for seventeen years before they divorced. Then a few years later my dad remarried a woman with five girls. It has been mighty hard trying to mix the two families together, but we did it. My father and step-mother had another child after that and she was the most beautiful baby I've ever seen. Our families now consist of four boys and ten girls.
Yeah thats a big family. I get that a lot.

Corvette

I work in a town about a half hour from my house and I have to ride in with my parents who work there in town as well. And since I don't work for ten hours like they do, I often find myself walking around town on my way to Wendy's to eat a cheap meal, but anyway everytime I go, I pass this car place, and for a really long time the place had a yellow corvette on display. It was the coolest car I had ever seen. I would stand there and drool all over it each time. I once got so close that I could have touched it, but I was afraid that I would set off an alarm or something so I never did. But yeah, this is a corvette. Its probably one of the only cars I can recognize. So now instead of just drooling as I walk by I drool while I'm driving too.