Kindleworm

I've been spending my spare time reading on my cool new Kindle that my parents gave me for Christmas. (Thanks Mom and Dad!)Here's what I've been reading:

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. It is a futuristic story about a tyrannical government that forces citizens to offer up their youth for gladiator games, just to remind them who is in power. I loved the book but the ending was a little bit of a downer so I had to immediately read the sequel:
2. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. Loved this book too, but I have the same complaint as the first. I want a happy Stephanie Myer-type ending, dang it!
3. Dark Lover by J.R.Ward. If I don't know what else to buy, I'll go with a book about vampires. Even though these books are what Makayla would call"junk food for the brain," they are good reads. This one was definitely brain junk food.
4. Crossroads Cafe by Deborah Smith. Ahhh. A love story. It’s about a beautiful actress who is in a firey car crash and goes back to her roots. It’s about a man who lost his family in 9-11 learns to love again and forgive himself. It’s about biscuits. (With biscuit recipes at the very end) Bonus: It takes place in North Carolina.
5. Already Dead by Charlie Huston. If I can't decide what to read next, I usually pick something out of the vampire genre. It drives my mother crazy. This book is a mystery about a vampire who must find a rich woman's daughter who ran away without getting in too much trouble with the other vampire gangs. He brings the raw elements of inner city life (drugs, runaways, squatters, homelessness, bar restrooms) into the fantasy world of vampires and zombies. It was okay.
6. Vanish by Tom Pawlik. Except for a few people, the entire population dissappears. One by one, the survivors start to disappear. It shares the same spirit of a Stephen King book. That is, until the Pawlik tacked on a Charles Dicken's Christmas Carol ending. I found out he wrote another book called The Way Back after I read the book. If I knew he was that kind of author, I probably would have passed on the whole thing. He had me until redemption.
7. The Shining by Stephen King. If I can’t decide what to read next and am sick of vampires, I go with a book by Stephen King. This drives Mom crazy too, but she is the one who suggested that I read my first King book, The Stand. I’m still reading this one. Even though I’ve seen the movie and know what is going to happen, the book is still very scary.

New Moon

Mark and I joined the rest of the world and watched New Moon last weekend. You are probably wondering how I got Mark to go see that movie with me. It's simple. He lost a bet. A few days before New Moon was released, we were watching the Superhero Movie. Mark was convinced that the leading lady was the same actor that plays Rori on Gilmore Girls. Mark was totally wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Thanks to Kayla, I know the Gilmore Girls almost by heart. So we put a bet on it, and if I won, he had to take me to a movie of my choosing. If he won, I had to go to the gym with no complaints. (I know! But that is seriously what he wanted!) We looked it up on imdb.com and I proved victorious.

What I will say about New Moon, is that the second it is just as good as Twilight. Sorry fans, I laughed hysterically during the first one and Mom threatened to make me leave the theater. The movies are just extremely cheesy. Most of Myer's romancy stuff just doesn't translate well onto the screen...especially the frolicking. And the glittering in the sun. And the dialogue. Still, it something you have to see if you like books.

When You Feel Down....

It's rainy today. I went to the DMV to get my driver's license first thing this morning. It took me 20 minutes to get there and an hour to get home. It was the Garmin's fault. It kept telling me to do something, I'd do it, and then it would say "recalculating" like I made the mistake.) Then, while I was driving on some random two-lane country road, I ran over a squirrel. And I really, really feel bad about that.

Eventually, I made it home, and one of the fail-safe ways to improve your mood is to look at old pictures. Its true. I read it in an MSN article. :) So I picked one that made laugh out loud.

This picture is from when Mom, Dad, and Kayla came to visit us in St. George. Kayla was feeling a little grumpy that day (see other pic), but she still played along and sat on Brigham Young's lap. See..I feel better.

Our Weekend

Mark and I went to Sue and Brian's overnight on Saturday. They live a little over an hour away, and when we were 15 minutes away from the house, I realized I forgot my jacket. Throughout the night I also realized that:

I brought Dori's crate, blanket and food, but forgot her medicine. And leash and coller.

I brought two different shirts for the next day (so I'd have options) but forgot my pajamas.

I ended up with Mark's toothbrush, but not my toothbrush or toothpaste.

And Mark forgot his deoderant.

Hopefully the scatterbrain episode doesn't repeat itself anytime soon.

"Scenic Prettyness"

So, it is really pretty down here. The leaves aren't as vibrant as they were when we first moved in, but still really pretty. When the wind blows, they just fall off the trees and it reminds of the last scene in Robin Hood (Kevin Costner version, of course) when there is the wedding and the leaves just fall all around them. Kinda reminds me of Forest Gump, too. I watch too much T.V.

I decided to get out of the house this afternoon and took Dori to a park that is a few miles from our house. At the start of our walk, we went down a pathway that was filled with leaves. As we started down the path Dori was freaking out! The sound of crunching leaves under her feet scared her and she kept running in zig zags, with her tail between her legs, and looking over her shoulder. It was hilarious. Eventually she got the hang of it and walked normally.

Where are the dish towels?

Our stuff was delivered today! This picture does not do justice to the many, many boxes we have. I thought we would be able to find things pretty easily since the movers label the boxes, but I have been searching all day for the dish towels and haven't been able to find them. I found the stuff from our junk drawer in the old kitchen. The box with the junk drawer contents was labeled, "Kitchen, toaster" The toaster was in there too, but overall, it was misleading. The rest of the "kitchen" boxes have been just as tricky. But I am so happy to see our things, and start putting this place together that I don't mind a bit.

Never Starve a Van Gorder

Packers arrived yesterday and put everything in boxes, even the Tostitos. Movers showed up at 9:00 this morning in a really big diesal truck. It blocked a few neighbors' cars in (including ours) and kept traffic from being able to pass by. The movers didn't mind, but this did prevent us from getting breakfast or lunch. I didn't eat until 4:00. You have to be a Van Gorder to truly understand how terrible it is not to eat until 4:00. "WTF? WTF?"

Other than that, the move has been going smoothly. We have one more day in St. George to tie up a few loose ends (that means you, carpet cleaner) and then Mark, Dori (yep, that's the dog) and I will head to a pet-friendly hotel in Vegas.