Book #26



Picture from http://www.hungergamestrilogy.net/2010/09/mockingjay-quiz/





Mockingjay

By: Suzanne Collins

I promise that this contains no spoilers. I am not even going to discuss the plot. I actually just need to write out my feelings about this book.

I finished it less than two days after it was released in August, but it has taken me this long to write about it for a reason. For those of you who have read The Hunger Games and Catching Fire and have fallen in love with the characters in these stories like I have, just beware! Please understand that this trilogy is brilliant. The plot will snag you and keep you on your toes. The characters are very real and very believable. The story cannot end well for anyone involved. The reader, the author, Katniss, Peeta, Prim, Finnick...no one. The world that Collins created is too corrupt. It is too evil to be able to completely wipe out evil, and it makes me sad. Probably because it is too much like the world we live in. We can get rid of those who revel in the power they crave, but there will always be someone else to take their place and introduce another kind of evil. I will never say NOT to read this book. I loved the others too much, and you MUST finish this story. I will say, proceed with caution. I couldn't talk about this book for days after reading it, and I still feel pangs of depression and regret as I think about all the things that happened.

Book #25

      Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

By: J.K. Rowling

I know! You are shocked that I am writing about this book, right? Well, let me clear things up for you. This is not my first read of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. This is actually only the second time I have read it, but I wanted to read it again before the first part of the movie comes out in November. Once again, I am in awe of the story that Rowling has so brilliantly told. There is nothing disappointing about this story. Don't get me wrong, there are things which shock the senses and send ones mind reeling! Just when you think you know a character, it turns out, you don't! I cannot help but smile and sigh and even cry at all the same parts. This is a story--a series--which will neve get old! Harry, Ron, Hermione, Dumbledore and everyone, EVERYONE, else will remain as real to me as my own family. Too much? Okay, I do understand that this is a book--a story, a made-up thing--but I can't help it! When the characters are so wonderful, so believable despite being completely fictional, I just can't help myself. I still wish that Hogwarts was a real place, and that somehow I was overlooked as a powerful and clever witch. Believe or not believe, think it is evil (but ONLY if you have read the books), but I promise you that there is good and hope in all of these books. I will never tire of these stories, and I will read them to my children! 

Back to the Hustle...and a little sad

www.desicomments.com/sad/sad-little-girl/

I haven't posted about this yet, but I don't know why! I have time on my hands again because my long term sub job ended early...very early! I was booked to work through Thanksgiving, but when we landed in Colorado the Thursday before Labor Day, I received a phone call from the teacher I was subbing for to let me know that she would be back on the following Tuesday. Great for her! I am glad her recovery is going so well. Not so great for me. Now I am back to hustling jobs on a day to day basis. This is NOT my favorite, and the jobs have been well...nothing. I haven't worked since we got home--not for lack of trying. I do have some jobs scheduled, but they are few and far between. Just frustrated, but trying not to question it too much.

Powderhorn 2010

For those of you who don't know, the Mahan Family has a tradition that takes place over the Labor Day Weekend. For many, many years we have left the world behind us and headed to Powderhorn (located on the Grand Mesa) to just enjoy one another's company. It is probably the best weekend of the entire year! It is better than Christmas! We relax, we eat, we play games, we hike. This year was no exception. Everyone was able to make it, even the Nashville folk which now includes my niece, Miki Jo! What better way to share the weekend than with pictures!

Here is our darling niece sitting in her Uncle Nick's arms. I loved watching him play with her. He is very smitten with this little girl, and it makes me so very excited to watch him with our's. He is going to be a truly amazing daddy...no matter what he seems to think!

Uncle Adam and Aunt Kara met Michaela for the first time, and I think they were pretty smitten with her baby charm as well. Kara got some hands-on training. Stef let her change diapers and everything.  

Lisa brought her boyfriend, Alejandro, with her. We were excited to meet him finally, and Nick was excited to not be the new guy anymore! In all seriousness though, we really liked him, and were glad that he was able to join us for this weekend. I know we are an intimidating group, but I think he managed quite well.

We went shooting. We played at the lake. We laughed a lot. We took a ton of pictures. We let Eric turn everything we did into a competition. :-) He's good at that.

We made the usual trip up to the top of the Mesa, and FROZE in the frigid wind. If you stuck your head over the barrier wall, the wind would blow your hair straight up. Holly and Eric are seen here modeling that look for us, but we all had to do it.

On Monday we were able to go have lunch at Carino's in Grand Junction with Christopher! He was in town for his sister's reception, and it was so great to see him! We are all so glad that he loves New York so much, but we do miss him terribly!

Finally, Mom purchased this for us. We were able to announce to the family over our weekend that we are going to have a girl! I'm still in shock, and it doesn't feel quite real, but she is coming. In fact, she will be here in about 20 weeks. Yikes! We are about half-way through this pregnancy, and I can hardly believe it!

I am working...

No, that is not a fluke title. I really am working right now. I have a long-term sub job that will (hopefully) keep me working and busy until Thanksgiving. That is what I have been hired for, anyway. The teacher for whom I am covering is recovering from a very severe accident she had over Spring Break last year. She is itching to get back and gain more control over her life. So, updates have been few and far between, but I am still here. Still ticking, and now working! Yea! It is exhausting, but I am happy to be here.

Baby News

It occurred to me the other moment that I haven't actually blogged about our baby news. We made our new "Facebook Official" weeks ago, and I have yet to actually write about it on here. So, for those of you who are interested, here it all is:

WE ARE HAVING A BABY!

As of right now, I am a little over 16 weeks pregnant, and feeling good. I was one of the lucky few who did not experience any morning sickness during my first trimester. Although, I waited for it to come. I didn't always feel wonderful, but I actually felt my worst at night. This allowed for us to have some pretty early bedtimes, but that was just fine with me! I have taken serious advantage of nap time so far as well. I have always loved naps, but they have become a necessary part of my day. 

My official due date is January 30, 2011. I am a January baby, so I can't help but hope that I will have a January baby too, but my wonderful grandmother has her birthday in February all by herself (this is unusual in our large family), and I know she would love to share her birthday month with a great-grandchild. So, we shall see! My mom's birthday is January 25th, and I think she wouldn't mind sharing either. 

We will find out what we are having in a few weeks. I can hardly believe it, but we are almost at that point. Then we will be at 20 weeks and half-way through this thing! Yikes! We still have so much to do! We are turning our current "office" into the nursery, so we still have a guest room for everyone to come visit. I am calendaring visits. I don't want everyone to converge on our house at once. I want everyone person (especially the excited grandmas) to have their share of time with this baby. So, we may have visitors from January to June, but really...I love it! Come one, come all! 

 

Here is our little kumquat when he/she was the size of a kumquat. This was taken at about ten weeks. 

Book #23 and Book #24

Pop

By: Gordon Korman

For those of you unfamiliar with Mr. Korman, I highly recommend reading his Son of the Mob books. There are two, and they are HiLaRiOuS! I saw this book on the library shelf, and I immediately grabbed it hoping that it would be as fun a read as those books are. I wasn't disappointed, exactly. This book was different simply because of the tone and the topic surrounding the story. In this story, the main character is new to a small town. This small town has a BIG football team, and he wants in. He is a pretty good player, but the team is less than receptive to having a new guy come in and bust up what they have accomplished. However, when said character, Marcus, wants to be a part of something, he works hard to make it happen. Marcus begins practicing his throw in the park one day and out of no where comes a HUGE grow man who plows him over. This guy has to be at least 50, but he acts like a 17 year-old boy. He has the lowest center of gravity Marcus has ever seen, and Marcus and this mystery man begin practicing knocking one another over...okay, not just knocking one another over, but tackling with all their might. 

As the story progresses, Marcus discovers that his mystery man is none other than Charlie Popovich! He was a great NFL player, and his son (who HATES Marcus and is ex-boyfriend of the head cheerleader who has taken an interest in Marcus) is the staring QB. As it turns out, Charlie has early Alzheimer's from too many concussions. He thinks Marcus is his best friend from when he was 17, and he actually gets Marcus in a lot of trouble. However, Marcus and Charlie help one another out in many different ways, and when it comes time to say good-bye...well, you have to read it. 

1984

By: George Orwell

I never had a desire to read this book. The only reason I picked it up this summer was because I had hoped I would be teaching it in the fall. I did not love it. Not at all! In fact, it depressed me more than any book has since Lord of the Flies. I was silly enough to actually think for a minute that Winston and Julia would/could actually escape the horrible control of a government so set on controlling the people. Why did that happen? The world turns on itself and the people just let it happen. Big Brother will save you! Big Brother--as one person--did not exist, but as a group, yes! We worry today about the government taking over our lives, but I cannot imagine living in a world where they can actually SEE into your living quarters. A world where reading and writing and thinking for oneself was dangerous and took a person to the Ministry of Love where no love exists. In fact, no love exists. The irony and oxymorons of the world where Winston lives are frightening. The reality and the similarities of his world and ours is too much to think about. I think I would like to live as the proles...unknowing and in my own happy place.