Long Distant Relatives.

I'm currently reading, The Friday Night Knitting Club.  It's about a working single Mom, who's Caucasian, named Georgia and her half Black daughter Dakota.  James, Dakota's father, left Georgia and Dakota to work in Paris.  Georgia didn't speak ill of James, but wasn't thrilled when he decided to return to New York, thirteen years later.  James realized that he needed and wanted to be a part of Dakota's life.  He wanted her to get to know his side of the family and culture.  Dakota wanted to know that side, as well.
On Facebook, I saw that I had a photo tag, in an unfamiliar photo.  I clicked on it and then realized that I didn't really know anyone, but I knew that they were from my Tongan side due to their clothes.  I asked my cousin Timothy, via FB, if he could tell me who they all were from left to right. [For remembrance sake: Mele (NZ), Siu (Aus), Tae (NZ), Tita (Aus), Suliana (Aus), Milika (Aus), Lela (Aus), Dorothy (USA)…and the minister in the back is one of their four Brothers – Manase (Vava’u)].  I've met my cousin Lela in teal and her brother Manase, when I was very young. 
I looked at these women and I felt like I could see family resemblences.  I felt like I looked like them.  My thick, coarse hair makes sense now, as well as my round nose and body structure.  Even though I've never met 80% of the people in this picture, I could feel that they were my family.  My Dad started to tell me stories of his family members, and in particular all my (above) cousins' Dad, Peau.  I love hearing stories of my Dad's family and his homeland of Tonga.  I feel a little bit more connected to a land and people that I have yet to meet.
I look forward to the day that I find myself on a plane headed to the south Pacific.  Just like Dakota, I want to get to know my family members and know where I came from.  However, in the meantime, I'm grateful for the magic of technology that can bring families together....even when we're oceans apart. 

Thank you Facebook.

Friday: 5 Faves!

It's been a while since I've done a Friday 5 Faves...or was it Friday Fave 5?
Well, whatever it was called...here are FIVE of my FAVES on FRIDAY!

Let It Be Me - Ray LaMontagne

I seriously love this song. It's the type of song I want to cuddle to.  A song you listen to after a long and trying day.  Exactly the type of song I want to rest my head on Levi's chest to.  

The Friday Night Knitting Club 

I started this book last year, but have recently picked it back up .  I just love it!  Although I should be finishing the last 1,400 pages of Les Miserables before Dec. 10 and currently reading Ender's Game for my Nov. 4 book club, I just love this book!!  

Filippi's - Garlic Cheese Bread

I don't know if it was because we were starving after church, on Sunday....but man,that garlic cheese bread was like manna from heaven! I LOVE mozzarella cheese! And man oh man, it was totally delish on garlic bread! I think I blame my starvin' hunger to me loving this bread so much! 

I LOVE this picture!

I just love how happy we both look. I love the vibrant colors and this man is just so dang cute! It was such a fun date!!

Kristen Bell's Sloth Meltdown

I don't care how many times I watch this, I can't help but laugh and tear up just a little.  I know that I would act EXACTLY the same way if I were able to hug a panda!  And I love the fact that Kristen Bell is just as emotional as I am... I cry whether I'm happy, I cry when I'm sad or mad...and if I'm talking with a friend who's crying, then I start crying too.  Seriously, I cry all the time. {Poor Levi} 

Free books? YES PLEASE!!

This has become my favorite spot in my house.   Lately, it's become the focal point of my room.  Before, my bookshelf use to just hold my books, but now it's become the center of my universe. I just love this corner because of how colorful and alive it feels.  These aren't all of my books, I've got books under my bed and in a box in the trunk of my car.
I've been spending a lot of time at my secret book spot and scoring some sweet finds!  Yesterday I scored the sweetest "find" possible!
Right after my mission, I worked in the office at Deseret Industries.  There was a gentleman that came in about 2-3 times a day for books.  He was always friendly with me.  I would entertain his humor and laugh at his lil jokes.  In talking with him, I came to find out that he did book reviews for Deseret Book.  Once he offered me a possible book review job. I turned it down since I was soon leaving for school out of state.  The funny thing about it, he wasn't Mormon.  However, he had a respect for the LDS church, being Jewish.
Over the years, I'd randomly see him around town.  We remembered each others' names and would exchange pleasantries with one another.  Yesterday, as I was eating lunch with my best friend, he happened to approach us and soon joined our table for a few minutes. We talked about the DI, Utah and books.  I expressed my rediscovered love of books & my secret book spots in town.   He told me that he had somewhere much better than all those places combined--his personal collection.  He said that he's been giving all my secret spots hundreds of books from his collection.  He hasn't been able to do so lately because of his failing health.  He gave me his card and said to put a list together of all the books I'm looking for. (He even offered for me to just come over and go through all his books...all of which I could have for free!!) I told him I was looking for a lot of the classics (Les Miserables, Anna Karenina, The Odyssey, Iliad), he said that he had them all.  Also, if I happen to be looking for church books, he had those as well.  Now I remember him telling me how Deseret Book use to send him books for him to read and review, so he read through them once and just kept them (or later donated them).
HELL FRIGGIN YEAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!
It was like a ginormous Christmas gift!!  I AM SO FRIGGIN STOKED!!! TOTALLY HOOKED UP!!!
Oh I cannot wait!!  My mind has been racing since our chance meeting!
What do I want??
Walt Whitman... Edgar Allan Poe... Leo Tolstoy....Robert Browning....Jane Austen....EVERYTHING!!
YES, PLEASE!!!

Excuse me, I'm suffering from a case of 'Butterfly Knots' today.

-So tomorrow's my recital. I'm nervous as heck and because I am, I can't memorize A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G!!!  When my nerves get the best of me, it's just terrible!!!  It's like my mind can't wrap itself around the lyrics that I know I KNOW.... I can already feel the knots in my stomach. Knots? Butterflies? Butterfly knots? Yes, that's exactly what I have.  I have Butterfly Knots.  That's what I'm calling them from now on.  

-Have you ever been super stoked excited to see someone...and then got way too nervous that you started to think that you don't want to see them?  Sorry, apparently I'm suffering from the 'crazies' as well today.  

-Anywhoo... I get to walk & talk with Mr. Red tonight. Walking & talking is one my most favorite thing to do with friends. I think fresh air helps people think clearer.  Plus, I always rather be outside. (And when I say "walk" I mean 'stroll', no power walking here...it'll interfere with the integrity of a good conversation)

-I finished reading Eat, Pray, Love last night and then watched the movie. Yep, the book was WAAAAAAAAAAAAY better!!! Oh I loved that book!! I need to meditate. I haven't being doing so lately.  I like trying to align my chi and get my spirit in a good place.  

-Sim & I went to Barnes & Noble yesterday. OH MAN, I LOVE THAT PLACE!!!! I ALWAYS want to buy EVERYTHING in there...or at least one of everything.  I love the deal they have going on right now, Buy 2 get 1 free (of their B&N classic versions).  I found Anna Karenina, The Art of War & Tao Te Ching.   I SOOOOOOOOOOOO wanted those...but I need to finish the books I've recently purchased.  Those will the next 3 books I purchase.  But, I also found an awesome book by Walt Whitman that I want...which happens to be part of that special.  Man, I LOVE BOOKS!! I LOVE TO READ!!! As we were walking around, I felt as giddy as a kid at Disneyland.  

-Yes, books & reading have become my life. Earlier this week, I went to my secret spot for buying sweeeeet books. I TOTALLY scored on a compact quad of the scriptures (Bible & Book of Mormon).  TOTAL SCORE! I love it!! I can't wait to start reading the scriptures again, from cover to cover. I'm stoked for this smaller version because, for the last 5 months I've been hauling a VERY heavy bag to church each week. Now I can just show up with a cute small purse and call it a day! :) Love it!  I also bought: 

I've rediscovered my love affair with reading & books and I couldn't be any happier.  More on this top later...

Amazon!

I have a love/hate relationship with Amazon! Every time I'm on there, I just wanna buy EVERYTHING!!!  So for now, these are on my wish list..... 

(yes, some of them are children's books, but I've never read them all the way through but always heard so much about them.  I especially love the Shel Silverstein books!)

"Good reading can become a love affair" -G.Hinckley

What's on my night stand right now....

Lately, I've rediscovered my love affair of reading.  I finished, The Traveler's Gift, and LOVED it!!! So much good food for thought!!  Last Saturday, I spent sometime talking with Mr. Red about his favorite book.  I've been trying to read it since March. I talked with my friend FishLips and he suggested I try again.  I did.  Les Miserables is so wonderful!
I've been reading, Standing for Something, off and on since last week. I love the virtues that Pres. Hinckley speaks about.  They're a good reminder of what I need to do to improve my life.
The Te of Piglet makes me love Piglet even more.  I love the philosophies that are presented. Such good food for thought.  I like reading this book when I just need to clear my mind and not really concentrate on remembering different characters.  So good...can't wait to start on The Tao of Pooh.
My sister LOVED Eat, Pray, Love so I figured I'd borrow it from her.  I started to get into it, but misplaced it.  I found it recently and thought I'd try it again.  Every time I read it, I just want to take a trip to India, Italy & Indonesia!!

As I sat in a waiting room yesterday, reading Standing for Something, I came across two great points:
-"We must not rest in our personal development--development that is emotional and spiritual as well as mental.  There is so much to learn and so little time in which to learn it."


-"Indeed, the schooling of our spirits is as important as the schooling of our minds, if not more important"


I don't know where this resurgence of learning and reading came from...but I'm grateful for it. I have so much more I need to learn and read, life is short!

Thoughts on a Thursday.

Since yesterday, I've been reading, The Traveler's Gift.  I stumbled across it while at a friend's house and thought I'd check it out.  I looked at it before, but I was really drawn to it yesterday.  Now I know why! I can't put it down!! I just want to continue reading it but there are so many GREAT points to ponder.   I'm about half way through and hope to finish it off by tonight. 

I didn't really read the back cover or see what it was about, nor did I read the subtitle; 

"Seven Decisions That Determine Personal Success".  

I would have thought this was a 'self-help' book and disregarded it. So far, it has a vibe like, The Alchemist.  

The Traveler's Gift is about a man, David Ponder, who was once a successful executive that lost his job and basically all meaning to his life.  Things take a turn for the worse when his 12-year-old daughter falls ill and needs medical help.  In the depths of despair, willing to give it all up while driving recklessly on icy roads, he suddenly finds himself on an incredible journey through time that helps him discover the 'seven decisions that determine personal success'.  

Some of my favorite lines from the book so far;

• "Challenges are gifts, opportunities to learn"
• "I am where I am today--mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally, and financially--because of my decisions I have made"
• "Serving is a way we can place value on one another. A wise man is a server."
• "He who serves the most grows the fastest"
• " I will become a humble servant.  I will not look for someone to open y door- I will look to open the door for someone.  I will not be distressed when no one is available to help me-I will be excited when I am available to help."

Seriously, I cannot wait to continue reading this book tonight!!

10 Day YOU Challenge: 4

(4) Marley & Me...or anything by John Grogan.  Love his writing style!
(3) Memoirs of a Geisha. I love Japan even more because of this book!
(2) Like Water for Chocolate. Makes me want to cook more often!
(1) One Hundred Years of Solitude--HATE HATE HATE this book.  

Reading > Writing

I like reading.  

I always have. 

I think I attribute that to my Mom sending me to my room for quiet time and my 8th grade English teachers, Ms. Silva & Ms. House.  

Sometimes I just feel the need to read.
If I don't, I feel like I start to become dumb.  Like I'm letting my mind waste away.  I don't like that. 

About 3 months ago I started reading Les Miserables.  

It was a nice first page.  

I was trying to read it to impress a friend.  

If I still want to impress this friend then I've got a month to complete it.  

We'll see about that.  I'm a lil busy these days. 

However, I was staring at my bookshelf today and saw my favorite book.... Marley & Me.  

I LOVE LOVE LOVE John Grogan!! I never thought I was one of those people who read a specific author, but I've come to realize that I am! He only has 2 books, but I LOVE both of them. I LOVE his style of writing. He paints the most perfect picture that makes me feel like I'm right there with him, in all of his recollections.  Maybe it helps that he's also a journalist so he has learned to paint the most precise picture that gets his exact point across.  

I wish I could write more like John Grogan.

I will, soon enough.