A place to keep family and friends up to date on what's going on with us.
"No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally (and often far more) worth reading at the age of fifty...Those of us who are blamed when old for reading childish books were blamed when children for reading books too old for us. No reader worth his salt trots along in obedience to a timetable."
-C.S. Lewis
The various Twilight communities have come together to show their support for Stephenie, over what has happened with Midnight Sun. If you would like to participate in some way, here are some options for you. Feel free to participate in some or all.
1. Post this for your MySpaces, Blogs, LiveJournals, website sigs etc.
Stephenie Meyer c/o Author Mail Little, Brown and Company 237 Park Avenue New York, NY 10017
3. Participate in a “We support Stephenie Meyer” video. All you have to do is send a picture of yourself showing support to twilightthanks@gmail.com and put “VIDEO” in the subject line. Be creative with your show of support, but make sure it is a still photograph and not an actual video. We will take the photos and make them into a video that will later be posted on You Tube.
4. For those of you graphics people who want to do something, we have another idea. We are going to make a virtual quilt. Send a 200 X 200 support graphic to twilightthanks@gmail.com and we will work it into a virtual support quilt. Make sure you put “QUILT” in the subject line.
5. On Saturday Sept. 13, in honor of Bella’s birthday, wear a twilight themed t-shirt to show your love of the series. If you work or have other obligations that won’t allow you to wear a Twilight shirt, wear all black, white, and red to show your support.
All entries for the video or quilt must be submitted by Wednesday Sept. 3, 2008. You are certainly welcome to do one in each category, but that is by no means a requirement. Also please submit each item in a separate email as it will make our sorting go faster. If there is some sort of detail we left out that you need help with, email twilightthanks@gmail.com with “HELP” in the subject line and we’ll see what we can do.
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Okay I am trying not to be angry and upset over this. But some completely selfish person, whom Stephenie Meyer trusted, took her Midnight Sun manuscript (what was completed thus far). That was given to them confidentially, and leaked it onto the internet!
And now Stephenie is so disheartened with this betrayal, that she doesn't feel like she can finish the book. I am completely heartbroken for her, and for her fans who were looking forward to reading Twilight from Edward's perpective. I was looking forward to this book, more than any others or even the movie. And now we probably won't ever see it in print. Waah, I seriously am about to cry over this mess. Poor Stephenie! :*(
Here are her thoughts on what happened. And since it is already floating around the internet, she felt the need to just go ahead and post the unfinished manuscript on her website as well. So if you feel the need to read it, it is there. I'm not sure how I feel about that yet, so I don't know if I can read it right now.
In two weeks I am heading to Forks, WA. Yes, I am doing the geekiest thing imaginable... I am making an exodus to where the Twilight universe takes place. Myself, with a group of 26 other Twilight Moms, are going the weekend of Bella's birthday. They are having special festivities there that weekend. September 13th is officially "Stephenie Meyer Day", (Bella's bday is the 13th), in Forks. Tons of people are planning to be there for the celebration. I know of over 100 TMs alone that are making the trip.
Gorgeous, isn't it?!
I fly on September 11th, and land in Seattle. We are planning on spending a few hours there. Eating lunch at one of the cities famous eateries, then hopping a ferry, and driving the rest of the way to Port Angeles and Forks.
Oooh I am super excited! I can't believe the date is coming up so soon. I'm stressing a little though, because I have so much left to do before the two weeks are up. I am a late comer to the group that I'm going with, so I have a lot to prepare in a shorter amount of time compared to some of the other ladies (they've been planning this since January).
First Beach
The great thing about the group I'm going with is that I know so many of them already. Jessica, who went with us to Comic Con, will be my bunk buddy in our cabin. And quite a few of the other TMs that I met at the picnic back in June, will be with our group as well. Including the TMs creator, Lisa. Knowing all these ladies makes things a little less scary for me, since I'm going to a new, out of state, place by myself.
A couple months ago, we bought Dallin and Sierra their first bikes. Their Great Grandma and Grandpa B. got them Toys R Us giftcards for Christmas, and we finally were able to use them (it only took us 6 months lol).
The kids love their new bikes. They are very proud.
Here is a video of one of their first rides.
Grandma and Grandpa thank you so much! The kids have something to say to you as well...
Okay, my friend Heidi "tagged" me. I need to tell y'all 6 quirks that I have. But as you all know, I am practically perfect in every way (Yes,Mary Poppins was inspired by me). So I really have nothing to say. Just kidding, of course. ;p Anyway here it goes...
1. I eat all my sandwiches and hamburgers around the edges first, and then eat the middle section. In my mind the middle is the best part of the sandwich, where all the good stuff and the most sauce/mayo/etc. is. So I like to save it for the end.
2. I love miniature things. Like miniature food, or little knick knacks. Anything that is tiny and cute. I think this is because of my love of babies, or maybe that is the reason I love babies so much. lol
3. I am a brand loyal person. Once I find a certain brand, of any kind, that I really love, it is hard for me to shop anywhere else. Whether it is clothes, or even certain food brands. For example, with mayo I can't eat any kind other than Best Foods. For me nothing else tastes the same. I am better with this than I used to be though, I've split my loyalty (especially with clothing) between three or four stores rather than just one or two.
4. I have to have things matching, not to the point of OCD though (yeah right). Like my books; when I have a series collection, they need to be either all paperback or all hardback, if at all possible. Which is what led me to read Twilight in the first place. So I guess I have to say "Thank you" to my quirk (read my original post, back in February I think, for more of an explanation).
5. I like to eat my cereal soggy. As long as I can remember, I've been eating my cereal this way. It tastes better to me. I don't like it crunchy. So I usually let it set for about 5 minutes before I start eating it. I don't like it soggy to the point of dead though. Dan thinks this quirk is disgusting (I'm sure many of you would agree with him too). lol
6. Umm I can honestly say I can't think of any others (could this be considered a quirk? *hee hee*). I am sure I do have many others, so if anyone wants to add to my list feel free.
Alrighty then, I now tag anyone that reads this post and wants to participate too.
Our friends Clark and Jolie are trying to adopt. But having a hard time finding a birth mother willing to give up her baby for adoption. They will make wonderful parents. Truly they are two of the most loving, smart, spiritual, and exceptional people, I know. Any baby would be blessed to be a part of their family.
So because of this, I thought I would post this on my blog. As I know, I have a lot of people stop and read. If you, or someone you know, are considering the option of adoption, for your baby. Please, please consider them.
Here is some info for you, from Jolie and Clark.
Just a gentle reminder that we are eager to find a baby to adopt. You can help. First, if you know a birth mother, please pass this information on to her. We have been approved to adopt through LDS Family Services. You can click on this link to read our blog and learn more about us. http://www.clarkandjolie.blogspot.com/
Or you may call our social worker, Travis Turley, at(559) 255-1446.
We hope to find a birth mother who will consider the blessing of adoption for her child. There are many couples wanting to adopt and only a few birth mothers preparing adoption plans. So we really have to get the word out there to as many people as possible to increase our chances of finding a birth mother. This means so much to us.
Thank you for helping us, Clark and Jolie Hiddleston Hoping to start our family through the miracle of adoption!
Dallin and Sierra started school on Thursday. They are in a brand new school this year. Just opened in time for the new school year, and it is just around the corner for us. It is such a nice school too. They went all out when building this one.
We're ready
Here we go!
Dallin started 2nd grade this year. And Sierra is in Kindergarten! What a grown up girl. Here is a video of their thoughts on the new year, before heading to their school.
So far things have gone just fine. The first day was this past Thursday. We dropped Dallin off at his classroom first.
My little ducks all in a row
His teacher is Mrs. Woodbury. She transferred from a school across town. She seems very nice.
Then we took Sierra to her class. The Kindergarten classrooms are separated from the rest of the grades. They have a separate playground and everything. I like that a lot. I think it makes the transition, for the little ones, go a lot smoother.
The kindergarten classes here are half day, and each class is team taught. Sierra has her main teacher Mrs. Lopez, and she is helped by Ms. Sullivan. Then in the afternoon classes, the teachers switch positions.
Sierra went right into her new classroom, and sat right down. While waiting for class to start the kids got to choose what they wanted to do. So she decided to color. Her friend Caitlyn, from her preschool class, ended up being in class with her. She was so excited.
Sierra did just fine, when it was time for Dan and I to leave. It didn't phase her one bit. Such an independent girl. :)
A cute snack Sierra made on her first day of Kindie
The kids first two days were great ones. They had a fun time in their new classes. I think it will be a great year for both of them.
WooHoo, this news has me doing the happy dance! I know they moved the date up, because Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince moved their release date back to Summer '09. I was sad to hear about Harry, but this news more than makes up for having to wait longer for that. I'm completely ecstatic! *runs around the room screaming* ;p
I meant to share this one Q&A from the Breaking Dawn Concert, that Stephenie answered. I can't remember the exact question. But I can remember her answer. And I felt, that since there were some people surprised or unhappy, by how Breaking Dawn turned out, that it needed to be shared.
She said she knew where the story was meant to go, way back in 2004 before Twilight was even published. And that if you read all three books (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse) very carefully you will see all of the foreshadowing, that lead to everything that happened in Breaking Dawn. It is all there, you just have to look closely for it.
Maybe this is why at the back of my head, I knew what was going to happen before it did. I predicted two of the most surprising things, that occured in Breaking Dawn, pages before those things did happen. Not to say I wasn't surprised at all, when my Alice moments actually did come to fruition. Because it still was surprising, but my subconscious, at the same time, was doing the touchdown dance in the corners of my mind over being right.
See, so once again it proves that it is helpful to obsessively read the series over and over again. ;p LOL
My mother had her first book published in July! I am so proud of her.
The book is called Animal Omens, Your Pocket Guide to Animal Wisdom. It has a bunch of different personal stories by her, and a few other contributors, having to do with animals they've come in contact with in nature and what you can learn from those experiences.
It is a really good book. Even though my mom and I hold different beliefs now, I respect her beliefs and her courage to put herself out there like she did. I know that these experiences are very personal for her, so I know how hard it is for her to share them with the world.
I think it was an enjoyable book, and worth reading. Very descriptive, heartfelt, and intelligent writing. And I have come to appreciate the natural world around me, all the more now, because of reading her book.
My favorite stories were Deer, Hummingbird, and Turkey.
And to top it all off, Danny is now famous too. He shared an experience he had, with my mom, and she put in her book. So I'm partial to that story as well. :D
The Breaking Dawn Concert series in Los Angeles was a wonderful experience. Dan, the kids and I headed to Apple Valley first. The kids were going to stay with Dan's cousin Joey & his family for the night.
Then Danny and I drove the rest of the way to UCLA. We were worried about getting there on time with the traffic, but we actually made good time. We got to our motel at about 6 PM, and the concert started at 8 PM. So it worked out just right for us.
The Los Angeles Temple was right across the street from our hotel. That was so neat!
We got ready and arrived at UCLA at about 7:15. We parked and walked to Royce Hall. The UCLA campus is amazing. I love all the red brick and old world feel. And I didn't realize just how huge the campus is!
We waited in line for a few minutes, and they gave us wristbands, and then checked our tickets and told us where to go for our seats. It was all assigned seating, so that took the worry out of getting there majorly early to get a good seat. We had balcony seats, so they weren't the best for pictures (especially with my camera). But it was still close enough to really see and hear everything. Plus it ended up working to our advantage that we were in the balcony (more on that later).
Dan and I went to the concession area to get a little something in our tummies, before the event began. Then we headed up the stairs to get to our seats. They were right in the middle. The perfect view. About 1800 people were there. I saw a lot of my Twilight Mom friends down in the orchestra section. And actually I called my friend Jessica (you know her from our Comic Con adventure) who was down in that section and she told me she talked to Catherine Hardwicke (the director of Twilight the movie) just a minute before I called. Catherine had been in the audience, before being whisked away so she wouldn't get mobbed. I was so excited for Jess that she got to be that close to her.
Soon it was time for the big event. First the interviewer lady came out to go over the guidelines. They didn't want us taking any flash photography during the event, and no pictures period when we were in line to meet Stephenie and get our books signed. So my pictures really aren't the greatest. But you still get the idea of what went on at least.
First to come out was Justin Furstenfeld, the lead singer of Blue October. He sang us a few acoustic versions of some of his songs. He sang Fairytale, Ugly Side, and a new song coming out with their new album, in March of 2009, called Blue Skies. I got a little video of the Fairytale song. Here you go..
After Justin's singing, it was time for the Queen Mother herself to come out. It was Question and Answer time with Stephenie Meyer, about all things Breaking Dawn. I won't really go into the Q&A here, because I know that not everyone that reads my blog, has read the book. I don't want to spoil anything.
I can tell you one of the questions that Stephenie answered though. She was asked if she has seen the Twilight movie yet, and what her thoughts were on it. She said she had seen a rough cut of the film, and that she was thrilled with the results! She said if this had been the movie in the theaters, that she would've walked right out when it was over, and purchased another ticket right away to go watch it again. Woo hoo!!!!
After the Q&A session, Justin came back out and joined Stephenie for a little more chit chat and music. Stephenie talked about how she heard the song Hate Me for the first time on the radio, back when she was writing New Moon. When she heard it she had to run right home, and find out whose song it was. It profoundly encompassed Edward, when he you know in New Moon for Bella's sake. She said it was like Edward was speaking to her right through the radio. And after she found out the band was Blue October. She found that so many other songs, related to her stories as well, and helped inspire her when she writes. Justin then sang the song for us. It made me all teary eyed. That song is so sad and so Edward, but I love it.
She mentioned that some bands songs, for her, were character specific. She gave the example of My Chemical Romance being completely Jacob songs (I can totally see that too. Another "Jacob" band for me is Blink 182). Then she said, that for other bands (Muse, Blue October) they can encompass a whole range of emotions in their songs, that the different songs can relate to different characters for her, or different situations.
Then they talked about the song Overweight relating to Jacob in Eclipse. And Justin then related Stephenie's favorite verse in the song (He said it was too hard of a song to sing acoustically, so he just said the lyrics to us).
"I owned up, I've grown up. Do you remember me? I showed up and so what if I'm the used to be. I'm here to tell you that I’m sorry, I was sorry. But I’m happy that you're happy, this is no longer about me. Trade roles, switch sides for your beautiful eyes. Let him be there through your beautiful cries. Let him hold you up so you can touch all four of your skies and live your life just like a dream, without the pain of goodbyes. Goodbye"
Then Justin sang another new song for us, that is on Stephenie's Breaking Dawn playlist. It is called, My Never. It is such a beautiful song. I loved it, and I'll definitely be buying Blue October's new album come March. Stephenie says this song is a Jacob song, and you can find it on page 355 of Breaking Dawn. Here is the song from a YouTube video, of the NY BD concert.
Then the last song Justin sang for us, was my favorite of Blue October's songs. It is an Edward song. Now when I say these are specific people's songs, does not mean Justin wrote them specifically for Stephenie's books. The songs, like I said before, just happen to relate perfectly to her books and characters. Anyway it is Sound of Pulling Heaven Down. I love that song so much! I got all teary eyed again.
After that it was time for the book signing. Now this is where it paid off to sit in the balcony. The people in charge came out again, and told us how the signing was going to happen. They let us up in the balcony get in line first, before the orchestra people! Go us! LOL
So we didn't have to wait as long to get our books signed. They had us line up downstairs around the courtyard. The line moved pretty quickly. Poor Stephenie had to sign her name so many times, I'm sure her hand was killing her by the time it was all over.
Dan and I got to the front, and got to talk to her for about 5 seconds. She noticed my Twilight Moms shirt, and said "Twilight Moms, Yay!" She is, after all, a TM herself (Truly, she's posted in the past. Not recently though, with all her touring and editing). It was awesome to meet her in person, and very surreal. After her TM comment on my shirt and our saying thank you to her, we were shepherded out of the way. And that was it. Short and sweet. Wish we had more time to really talk, but I understood completely why it couldn't be that way. I just wish we could've taken pictures in line. Oh well, not the end of the world. And I have her siggy forever in my book, so it's all good. :D
After everything was over with, Dan and I were starving so we headed to the Westwood Village area. We ate at a place called Napa Valley Grille. Very yummy food. They were only serving appetizers by the time we got there, so we ordered a few extras and chowed down.
Then I spied a Pinkberry shop down the street from our car. I had to try it for dessert. I've heard so much about their famous frozen yogurt. Oh My Edward, you guys! It does not disappoint. I have never tasted anything like it in my life. I had a sample of the original flavor and of the green tea, and they also have coffee but I knew I wouldn't like that kind, so I didn't bother with the sample. I went ahead with the original flavor, and got kiwis on it. It was so, ummmm, heavenly I guess would be the best word to describe it.
This was half eaten, before I thought to take a picture. So it's not as pretty as it originally was.
It is hard to describe the exact flavor to you. It is fruity, but unlike any fruity-ness I've ever had before. Seriously something you'd taste out of the Garden of Eden. :D
I absolutely wanted more of it the minute I was finished. And the next day I wanted to go back and get some more. I am STILL craving it. I wish they had a store close to here, but at the moment they are all down in the SoCal area or New York. *sob* :*(
Anyway that is the story of our Breaking Dawn Concert adventure. We had an amazing time. Even Dan said he enjoyed himself, even though he really didn't have much of an idea of what was being talked about. Since he, being a vampire "purist", refuses to read the books. But he understood enough, since I talk about the Twilight Saga constantly, that he could follow what was being talked about. He said it has made him a little more curious about the books, but still not enough to get him to read them (although he did read page #355 while we were in line waiting for autographs).
He is looking forward to seeing the movie (and hopefully movies) in the future. So I've tried not to say too much about what happens, so he doesn't get spoiled. He did learn a lot of spoilers at the concert, but I figured if they do make the movie it will be at least 4 years from now that it comes out, so he will forget it all by then. LOL
We had a fantastic getaway together, and he really is a good sport about my obsession. Love you Danny Boy!
I've been in my hide-e-hole all weekend reading Breaking Dawn, which came out Saturday. I finished it Sunday evening. It was wonderful, and completely unexpected in parts. Lots of surprises in this one. But I liked the surprises. I feel this book touches on a lot more mature themes, which is to be expected, since Bella herself has matured as well. I enjoyed the themes of love, family, and sacrifice that were portrayed. The book had me crying, laughing, nervous, heart broken, joyful, amazed, and many other adjectives. One roller coaster ride of emotions.
I am in the process of "re-vamping" the novel. I know I missed a lot of stuff this first read, because I was very nervous about what was going to happen in the book. So I had to plow right on through to make sure everything turned out okay. Plus, I admit I was depressed and sad when I finished it this first time around, because it is the end of Bella and Edward's story. So I am reading it again to cheer myself up.
This happened to me at the end of Harry Potter, and other book series that I love, as well. I really get attached to the characters of the books. So it is hard for me to say goodbye to them when it is over. Thank goodness I can go back and "visit" them anytime I want to, which is why I love reading so much. My favorite books are like old friends to me.
This is one of the reasons, it is hard for me to read new books. It takes a lot of convincing for me to read books I've never read before. (Trust me, I didn't get around to reading the Harry Potter series until 6 of the 7 books were already out. My mom finally convinced me to read those. Thanks Mom! :D ). My mindset is why read new ones, when I can just re-read the ones I already know are great? Books, I know that I love and adore, and have loved for a long time. I guess you can say I am loyal. LOL
Here are some pictures of Friday night/Saturday morning at Borders. They had a midnight release party there. Some friends and I went, and my sister in law, Lindsay came with her friend Stuart. It wasn't anything fantastic. Pretty disorganized actually. But it was fun to visit with friends and all get excited together about buying our books. I wore my Cullen/Swan '08 shirt for the occasion.
Actually one cool thing did happen to me. I was on the waiting list to buy the book (I had preordered through Amazon.com, before I had decided to go to the party), so I was in the waiting line, which is way after all the preorder people. Well they were doing a raffle for three people to win a spot at the very front of the line, before all other people got their books. And I got picked! I was floored, because I am rarely ever lucky. I was able to move to the third spot in line to get the book. :D
I am glad I went and bought a book that night, because my ordered book still hasn't come. Nobody preorder books from Amazon.
After I bought my book that night at Borders, I skedaddled right out of there. Didn't want to run the risk of anyone yelling out spoilers, or have anyone tackling me and stealing the book (I know for certain I had a few girls eyeing me like they wanted to). ;p
Anyway, now that I am out of my self appointed exile, I thought I'd let y'all know my take on everything. Still no posts about DL or Vegas though. I've put off writing my talk for Church this coming Sunday. I work better under pressure(at least that is what I tell myself, to justify my procrastination lol). Plus we leave Thursday to go to the Breaking Dawn Concert down at UCLA. I get to meet Stephenie Meyer, woo hoo!
Once upon a time there was a girl named Amber, that grew up in a fairyland, called Chico. Her Prince Charming, grew up 20 miles away in a land called Orland. They were in the same Stake and knew a lot of the same people, but were not fated to ever meet when they were young. Years later the stars were aligned in their favor. The girl who was proclaimed the Dancing Queen in the land of Chico 6th ward, was dating Prince Charming's Evil Cousin Jo Jo (just kidding Joe, you know we love ya!). One night while the Dancing Queen was holding court in her ballroom, the Prince arrived at the ball to meet up with the Evil Cousin JoJo. Amber and the Prince Dan met, became best friends, dumped the Evil Cousin, fell in love, got engaged, got married, had three royal children named Dallin, Sierra, and Quentin, and have henceforth lived happily ever after. The End! :D
