In 1999 one of my students came up to me and uttered the fateful words, "I think you should read this book Miss Stewart." The same week, one of my best book-recommending friends said essentially the same thing. And thus Harry, Ron and Hermoine entered into my life. The best part for me is the plot twists. I've read so much that I can usually detect even the slightest hint of foreshadowing and predict what will happen, but Rowling has "gotten" me several times over.
Awaiting Amazon to deliever my copy of Book 7 had me slightly panicked. I think that it is EVIL to tell someone the end of a book, and I was terrified someone was going to blurt something out and ruin 9 years of waiting! I avoided the media and public places, but had to make copies the night before. The girls there were talking LOUDLY about how they knew the ending and just wanted to tell it to people because they were being so ridiculous. I almost walked out of the store, but settled for humming very loudly to myself to block out their voices.
I spent the evening and next morning reading on-line plot summaries (I'd listened to No. 3 again--my favorite) and reading the last part of No.6 in preparation. When I went to mail my bills, I saw the mailman at our boxes and my breath caught in my throat. Nothing was in my box, so I went up and asked him, "Have you done this side yet?" He hadn't and I just stood there, deciding whether it would be ridiculous to wait. Finally he asked me, with an understanding smile, if I was waiting for something in particular. I blurted out, "Yes, my Harry Potter book!"
Like Santa in his sleigh, he rummaged through his many white boxes and drew one out with my name on it. He said he had to wait until he got home to read his, and I nodded sympathetically and clutched my book even closer as I walked away. I then proceeded to ignore anything I could (I had to teach Sunday School and RS the next day--poor planning!) and stayed up late into the night devouring the story.
I did actually guess one of the main twists (I've had six books to catch on to her style) but did enjoy it throughly and want to read again, slower this time, and enjoy it without feeling the desperate, "Hurry up, before someone spills the beans!"
And thus the end of a book era!
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Independence Day
I love Provo on the 4th of July because it FEELS like a holiday. As I ran in the Freedom 10K along blocked off University Avenue, I looked up to see hot air balloons sailing above us and it felt different. To leisurely chat with my friends as we ran down a street, normally clogged with traffic, passing people of all ages, genders and races sitting outside(have you noticed how no one really sits outside anymore?) took me out of my normal thought patterns and I started noticing things.
I noticed how breathtaking the crevice in the mountains above the temple is. I've looked at it a million times, but yesterday, I really SAW it and it stunned me.
I noticed how much more supportive people are of the armed forces. Or maybe it just feels different to me because I've close friends whose husband's have been deployed, but I noticed that people stood and cheered for the military and the flag in a more heartfelt way than before. The patriotic songs and the pledge of alligence also seem more meaningful to people. On the other hand, I noticed that people don't seem to know our public officials very well (maybe I observed it more since my dad was in the parade.)
I noticed how much little kids enjoy things. My niece was waving to all the royalty on the floats in the parade and would say excitedly, "The princess waved back!" All the little kids disappeared into the backyard during my sister and brother-in-law's family BBQ and wouldn't desert the slip n' slide even for the amazing food.
I noticed how much more fun events are when you have good seats. To watch the parade with my sister and her family from shaded bleachers and be on the 4th row for the Stadium of Fire with another sister made both of those events. I've never been one to pay more money for better seats, but I may have changed my mind. Thanks Dad!
I also noticed that Disney music seems as "american" as "America, the Beautiful" to me and is the ideal background music for a fireworks show.
Anyway, I'm glad for all that things that made me feel unusually grateful for my home in this country--shaken out of my normal complacency and entitlement attitudes and that made me want to say, "May God continue to bless America!"
I noticed how breathtaking the crevice in the mountains above the temple is. I've looked at it a million times, but yesterday, I really SAW it and it stunned me.
I noticed how much more supportive people are of the armed forces. Or maybe it just feels different to me because I've close friends whose husband's have been deployed, but I noticed that people stood and cheered for the military and the flag in a more heartfelt way than before. The patriotic songs and the pledge of alligence also seem more meaningful to people. On the other hand, I noticed that people don't seem to know our public officials very well (maybe I observed it more since my dad was in the parade.)
I noticed how much little kids enjoy things. My niece was waving to all the royalty on the floats in the parade and would say excitedly, "The princess waved back!" All the little kids disappeared into the backyard during my sister and brother-in-law's family BBQ and wouldn't desert the slip n' slide even for the amazing food.
I noticed how much more fun events are when you have good seats. To watch the parade with my sister and her family from shaded bleachers and be on the 4th row for the Stadium of Fire with another sister made both of those events. I've never been one to pay more money for better seats, but I may have changed my mind. Thanks Dad!
I also noticed that Disney music seems as "american" as "America, the Beautiful" to me and is the ideal background music for a fireworks show.
Anyway, I'm glad for all that things that made me feel unusually grateful for my home in this country--shaken out of my normal complacency and entitlement attitudes and that made me want to say, "May God continue to bless America!"
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Aspen Grove
I just arrived home from a family reunion Aspen Grove (a family camp in the mountains). All of my siblings and their children were there as well as their spouses (off and on) reaching a grand total 57 people.
I got a sense of what a Stewart-ville would be like because our cabins we clustered together. I even started naming areas as Browning Blvd., Whiting’s Way, Rust Road, Shelley Street etc. Every night, when the little ones were all in bed, we congregated under the starry skies, eating bags of candy generously supplied by my sister Anna, and talked late into the night while we searched the sky for satellites. It was lovely.
One of the most interesting daytime activities was put together by my sister Martha. She had us all try to guess each other's love languages, then set up a competition where we were supposed to actively communicate with each other in the way that person felt loved.
Like learning a spoken language, it took effort and produced some awkward moments, but it was amazing to see how a person would light up when you did an act of service or melted when you gave them a hug if their love language was physical touch. My love languages are quality time (spending time doing things I want to do) and words of affirmation (but only if they feel sincere!) so of course a reunion is a perfect place for me to “feel the love.”
When I was small, I remember a primary leader asking all the children who had pioneer ancestors to raise their hands. I slumped in my seat thinking “I wish I had pioneer ancestors.” As an adult I discovered that I did have them and they are fascinating. One great-great grandfather helped build the Nauvoo temple and another one was a sea captain who was the leader of the first group Saints to come to Salt Lake from Holland.
So, I did a “Meet the Ancestors” session and told the life-stories of those two pioneer ancestors. My siblings and especially my in-laws got major “quality time” points for letting me do that, and afterwards my brother Mark did an internet training on genealogy.
Other highlights were doing Dance Dance Revolution, hiking to Stewart Falls, taking a quiz on dad for Father’s Day, sharing a cabin with my sister Becky and her kids, making earrings with Martha and watching all the cousins interact with each other. I didn’t even mind the bug infested bathrooms; it was so wonderful to be in nature with my favorite people!
I got a sense of what a Stewart-ville would be like because our cabins we clustered together. I even started naming areas as Browning Blvd., Whiting’s Way, Rust Road, Shelley Street etc. Every night, when the little ones were all in bed, we congregated under the starry skies, eating bags of candy generously supplied by my sister Anna, and talked late into the night while we searched the sky for satellites. It was lovely.
One of the most interesting daytime activities was put together by my sister Martha. She had us all try to guess each other's love languages, then set up a competition where we were supposed to actively communicate with each other in the way that person felt loved.
Like learning a spoken language, it took effort and produced some awkward moments, but it was amazing to see how a person would light up when you did an act of service or melted when you gave them a hug if their love language was physical touch. My love languages are quality time (spending time doing things I want to do) and words of affirmation (but only if they feel sincere!) so of course a reunion is a perfect place for me to “feel the love.”
When I was small, I remember a primary leader asking all the children who had pioneer ancestors to raise their hands. I slumped in my seat thinking “I wish I had pioneer ancestors.” As an adult I discovered that I did have them and they are fascinating. One great-great grandfather helped build the Nauvoo temple and another one was a sea captain who was the leader of the first group Saints to come to Salt Lake from Holland.
So, I did a “Meet the Ancestors” session and told the life-stories of those two pioneer ancestors. My siblings and especially my in-laws got major “quality time” points for letting me do that, and afterwards my brother Mark did an internet training on genealogy.
Other highlights were doing Dance Dance Revolution, hiking to Stewart Falls, taking a quiz on dad for Father’s Day, sharing a cabin with my sister Becky and her kids, making earrings with Martha and watching all the cousins interact with each other. I didn’t even mind the bug infested bathrooms; it was so wonderful to be in nature with my favorite people!
Sunday, June 10, 2007
New Things
I've never been the kind of person that picks up new things easily. Whether it's a dance step, a new recipe, or figuring out my cell phone, where others soar, I have a long climb up a very steep mountain before getting it right.
Figuring out this blog has been no different, despite the patience and longsuffering of my sister Naoma in helping me, I'd no sooner get it pulled together than I'd lose it (several times over). The upside to my incompetance, however, in that once I do figure it out, I tend to remember it forever.
When people suggested trying blogging, I said I couldn't ever imagine doing it (mostly because I'd have to go to the trouble of figuring out how to do it) but I've enjoyed friend's and family's blogs so much that I'm taking the plunge. I like the set-up where you get to talk about what you are thinking about instead of giving a running update of everything going on in your life (like I always seem to feel I need to do in an email update). Also, only the people who want to read it will read it.
As a child, I had a deep and abiding aversion to change and new experiences (I had a nervous breakdown every time my parents talked about moving which happened at least twice a year), but as I get older I developed strange cravings for "something new" so I am officially setting foot on previously unchartered territory.
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