Sunday, September 14, 2014

10 Books That Have Influenced Me

There is a thing going around on Facebook where everyone is writing about 10 books that have influenced them. I wanted to write a bit more about it, so here it is on my blog!

Book of Mormon - a book that teaches about drawing closer to God and has many examples of individuals choosing good or evil and the rewards or consequences of each. 

The Giver - I love ambiguous endings. I love how you get to choose for yourself what you believe happens at the end. This book reminds me that even though there is so much bad in the world, the good is so much more meaningful because of it. 

The Two Princesses of Bamarre - I love love love this book. I love how the main character gains confidence and discovers her worth as she realizes that she can do hard things. 

The Empty Pot - a kid's book about the importance of honesty. with beautiful illustrations. 

The Happiness Project - This book changed the way I think about a lot of things. It motivated me to stop stressing out so much, make changes in my life, and just enjoy life for what it is. 

Hard Times - A weird book, but we read this on my study abroad and it was the source of many a good laugh. It also helped me to connect to England more and to enjoy my time there. My English teacher on the trip was also so passionate and I loved the discussions we had on this book. 

Harry Potter - so many good family memories that brought us closer together and increased our love of reading. We read every book out loud together as a family and I loved it. 

The Continuous Atonement - This book is amazing. It talks about how the Atonement can work in your life to help you overcome pain and to be better. It talks about how the Atonement helps us overcome our shortcomings. 


The Book Thief - I love the imagery in the book. I also love that it is written in a more child-like perspective and you learn a lot about history and the importance of perspective. 
Narnia - so much symbolism of Christ and a great fantasy series. I just love them. 

Monday, June 30, 2014

Summer Bucket List

Well, it's been a good six months since I last posted on my good old blog! A lot has happened in the mean time. Most important, I got a job teaching full time next year! WOO HOO! I will be teaching the high school hoodlums at a high school in Draper that has only been open for one year. and it's a really nice school. so there is that to be excited about.

but also there is this summer to be excited about! No work, all play. (Well, there is going to be the work of getting ready for the first two weeks of teaching, but I haven't even thought about that yet.)

So, without further ado, my summer bucket list:

1. Find at least 3 more names to take to the temple. (I found 2)
2. go to California (This never happened.)
3. Hike Stewart Falls. (fail)
4. Go to Seven Peaks at least 10 times. (fail)
5. Lose 5-10 pounds. (definitely fail)
6. Create a solid lesson plan for the first two weeks of school and gather a ton of resources. (didn't really need to do this)
7. Get a professional wardrobe for the coming school year.
8. Reread all the Harry Potter books. and read at least 20 books. (still working on this, but I read a lot!)
9. Learn 5 new hairstyles.
10. Go to the food truck round-up.
11. Go up to Park City.