Love Like Crazy by Lee Brice

they called them crazy when they started out
said 17 to young to know what loves about
they've been together 58 years now
thats crazy

he brought home 67 bucks a week
bought a little two bedroom house on maple street
where she blessed him with 6 more mouths to feed
thats crazy
just ask him how he did it
he'll say pull up a seat
it'll only take a minute to tell you everything

be a best friend
tell the truth
over use i love you
go to work
do your best
don't out smart your common sense
never let your prayin knees get lazy
and love like crazy

they called him crazy when he quit his job
sellin' home computers - boy they'll never take off
well he sold his one man shop to microsoft
and they paid like crazy

just ask him how he made it
he'll tell you faith and sweat
and the heart of a faithful woman who never let him forget

be a best friend
tell the truth
over use i love you
go to work
do your best
don't out smart your common sense
never let your prayin knees get lazy
and love like crazy
always treat your woman like a lady
never get to old to call her baby
never let your prayin knees get lazy
and love like crazy

they called him crazy when they started out
they've been together 58 years now
ain't that crazy

Book Review: Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld

Uglies, Pretties, Specials, Extras
Those are the titles of Scott Westerfeld's New York Times best-selling series. It started out as a trilogy - all of the first three books even say "trilogy" on their covers. But then he wrote a fourth. Quick funny story about that: My dad and I were going to Border's and he says, "Do you think there's going to be another book in that Uglies series you like?" And I said, "No, Dad, it's a trilogy." Then we stepped foot into Border's and I cam face to face with a giant poster announcing Westerfeld's fourth book, Extras. Great timing. haha.
Anyways, the series takes place in the future. Humanity as we know it has be wiped out and a new way of life has appeared. Instead of having classes based on wealth, stereotypes, and beauty, everyone becomes Pretty at age 16. That's right, on your 16th birthday you go in for the Operation: they give you new skin, puff up your lips, and make you all around pretty based on the decisions of the Pretty Committee, the group of officials who decide what Pretty means and how far you can go with the operation. So basically, the series follows the story of a girl named Tally. Uglies starts about two months before Tally's 16th birthday and all she wants is to be Pretty. But her whole life gets messed with and twisted around as she learns the real secrets to being Pretty, and that sometimes, the people in charge need to have someone stand in their way.
Extras, the fourth book in the series, is written from a girl named Aya's point of view, and to her Tally is mostly a legend. But Aya goes through just as many adventures as Tally and gets to meet the legend along the way.
These books are really well written and full of amazing ideas. Westerfeld has come up with a stunningly creative story line. The whole series is hard to put down and you will have to fight the temptation to read under the covers with a flashlight at night. I highly recommend this series to anyone.

naps are a necessity...when you're 4

Last week I babysat my cousins for the whole week. The biggest thing I learned? Four year olds CANNOT miss their naps! The day he missed his nap, we had more meltdowns than I can count! Meltdown over who made the salad: "I want to make the salad!" "Do you know how to make salad?" "No." oh dear. Meltdown over playing catch. Meltdown over going through the gate. Meltdown over getting in the car. Meltdowns left and right. So word of advice: Make sure the four year old you are watching takes a nap!

From mountains to trees

Well, its over. I have officially finished my first year at BYU. I've been living in Utah for the last 10 months and the contrast between there and Oregon is so drastic! Its no greener here than normal, but it seems incredibly green compared to the browns of Utah. Driving home, the sky seemed really low because there were no mountains. That doesn't happen here though because the trees are so tall. I like being home with the fam and my home ward and Murry, but I'm missing all my BYU friends. At the end of summer term and fall semester, we weren't really saying goodbye, it was just "see you in two weeks." Now its goodbye for either a few months or two plus years. Its kind of sad - endings are never that fun. Well, hello summer and goodbye school. See you in the fall.

Book Review: Austenland by Shannon Hale

This book is one of Shannon Hale's adult novels. Austenland is about a girl named Jane who is obsessed with Mr. Darcy from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Jane's great Aunt pays for Jane to go to Europe to Pembrook Park - a place that is pretty much Jane Austen's world come to life. So Jane spends three weeks in this "Austenland" and discovers a lot about her self and a bit about Jane Austen. I liked this book as a novel, but as a Shannon Hale book, I was a bit disappointed. Shannon Hale has written fantastic books for a younger audience (like Princess Academy and Goose Girl). Those books are extremely cute and 100 percent clean. I am very impressed with them. Austenland, on the other hand, is written for adults, so of course there will be more to it. But I was disappointed with some of what Hale wrote because she has these other books that are so enchanting, and I felt like she sort of lowered her standards. But it was a good novel, and I thought it was a clever plot line.

when Raul attacks

On Tuesday I was working in the sixth floor dish room. Apparently the dishwasher has major issues but no one bothered to tell me and I've never used it before....so when I pushed it up to pull out dishes (it opens up and down like a garage door) the door went up quickly and apparently got off its tracks. When I tried to pull it back down to close it, the door flew down and hit me in the head. My crew lead yelled "are you ok?" from around a corner. At first i thought I was fine so I said I was ok. Then blood started streaming down my face and dripping onto my clothes. So I said "actually I think I'm bleeding." She took one look at me and screamed. Then we rushed to the 3rd floor kitchen where the 'in charge' girl was. They kinda wiped up my bloody face and the BYU EMS came. They put Neosporin on the gash/cut and then drove me to the ER. The doctor in the ER gave me 10 stitches. I have to got to the BYU health place on Tuesday the 13th to get the stitches out. It's not sore and I feel fine. It was very exciting though.

a poem titled Dear Mailbox

Dear Mailbox,

Please have a letter,
Inside you today.
You've been empty so long -
It's hard to say.

Please have a letter,
With an address I know.
And a stamp in the corner,
And a little "xo."

Please have a letter,
That's signed "miss you."
I could use a smile,
And it'd be something new.

Thank you, mailbox.