Gratitude, Sentiments, and Junk. (part dos)

The second installment of my gratitude posts. I'll be honest, it's coming a lot faster than I expected. It was harder than I thought to think of the first ten. I got to about six and then had to sit there and think, really hard, for quite some time. But once I started thinking about the next ten, I got on a roll and I'm already halfway through the next post! Once you make the effort to recognize your blessings, it's amazing what you'll see. 

11- The Shineys. Now, most of you will have no idea what, or rather, who the Shineys are. It's an all girl group on facebook. A place where you can go to share your sorrows, triumphs, and inspriations, and know that there are 1,101 other girls out there to love and support you. Be excited with you. Be sad with you. Pray for you. And even though I don't go on there ALL the time, and I'm sure it's not nearly as big a part of my life as some of the others, I'm still grateful for it. Because when I DO go on there, I always find something that tugs my heartstrings or makes me smile. Something that reminds me that I'M NOT ALONE. Love those girls. 

12- Literature/Books. I LOOOOOVE to read. Anything and everything (for the most part). I love that I can sit down and read a book and be transported into a different world, different time, different perspective. I love all the knowledge that people have been kind enough to write down for the future generations. I love all of it. Even if I hate it. Because somewhere, someone, loves it. They love it in the same way that I love the literature and books that I love. I have a few books that I love so much, that I've read and re-read them over 20 times. Okay, really, only one book. I've realized lately, that it's truly my favorite book. I've never claimed to have a favorite book because I always felt like I loved too many books. But, I always end up coming back to this book. And I love it every single time, even though I know exactly what's coming. Because what I'm going through each time I read it is different and I take away something different. I just rambled a little bit, but there you go! I'm grateful for literature. 

13- My followers on the blog, and Instagram. As little as it is, I'm grateful when people like the things I post. I'm grateful that for those few minutes or seconds, I've been able to be part of their day, and hopefully bring a smile to their face. I'm grateful that they took the time to listen to me. I'm grateful because when I see the list of people who liked my picture on Instagram, I don't feel as alone in the world. 

14- Other bloggers. They teach me, inspire me, relate to me. I love being able to connect to people through the internet and I love that we all encourage each other to be our best. I love reading other blogs and seeing that I can do something really small for someone else and it can change their entire day. 

15-All the girls I work with. Regardless of if I like them personally, I get to learn something different from each of them. There are a few where I simply learn patience. Lots of it. Because they are just so darn ridiculous. But, I'm grateful for them. 

16- My past. All the humans I've ever known, all the things I've gone through, all the places I've been, words I've said-- that's what makes me, me. If one tiny, seemingly insignificant thing changed, I could theoretically be a COMPLETELY different person. And I like who I've become. I'm grateful for every crappy day I've had, every crappy thing that's been said to me. Because they've made me stronger. 

17- Lotions, chaptsticks, etc. Moisturizing products. Dry skin of any sort is AWFUL. ITCHY. PAINFUL. Chapped lips? I avoid them like the plague. Hence the Blistex Medicated Mint that is almost permanently attached to my pockets (or cleavage on the occasion that I don't have any pockets, one of the ONLY benefits of being busty). Dry skin is pretty much my mortal enemy. I hate it. 

18- My British YouTube friends... who don't know I exist. I just love them. You should really get to know them. I can't remember who introduced me to DailyGrace, but they opened a can of worms. She is my favorite American YouTuber, and watching her every day lead me to fall in love with Jack from JacksGap, Alfie from PointlessBlog, Marcus from MarcusButlerTV, and Caspar Lee from dicasp. I love all of them and I just label them all as "British" because majority of them are. But, I love them. They are fantastic. You should check ALL of them out. And Subscribe to their channels. And just, love them. 

19- A couple specific teachers. Namely, Mrs. Crampton and Mr. Barth. They made such an impact on my life my senior year. They brought out the best in me, always. And definitely helped me become the person I am today. I absolutely love them. I have a constant reminder of what Mrs. Crampton did for me hung in my room, my mosaic. It was a BEAST. But I did it. I completed it. And it was showcased in the senior art show. It's a physical reminder that even if I personally don't think that what I do is all that spectacular, other people can see it. And react accordingly. And Mr. Barth? He's probably one of the only teachers that I am ACTUALLY friends with. Not in a weird way, though. It's hard to explain. 

20- Periods. Yeah, they hurt like HELL most of the time. Like, a million daggers coming from all sides down there. But, they are wonderful. Period=Fertility. It means you can make babies. You can create a tiny little human. You're healthy. It's the best pain there is. And I've come to realize that it's more of a blessing than most people will ever realize in their lifetime. I know this is a weird thing to be grateful for, but I am. This may not be said ever again, but I AM GRATEFUL FOR PERIODS. Also, sidenote that is related. If you're a woman, and you have a smart phone- GET A PERIOD TRACKER APP and USE IT. Know what's happening in your body. Know your cycle. Please. Please. Please! You'll thank me one day. The apps are free. But their purpose and usefulness is priceless. 

Just in case you missed the first ten, those are here.

There you have it. 10 more things I'm grateful for. Once again, let me know what you're grateful for. I love seeing what makes others tick. It's eye-opening most of the time. Anyway, I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday! 

Cheers, 

       Reille K. 

Happy Birthday Harry!

Think you're a PotterHead? Well, compared to me, you're NOT! Today, my friends, is my dear friend, Harry Potter's birthday. And how glad I am that he was born! Technically he was only born from the mind and onto a page, but he has come alive in millions of people's imaginations, and on film, therefore, legit. Harry Potter is responsible for the literacy of my generation (in my opinion), and I can't imagine my life without him and his band of crazies.

I absolutely love Harry Potter. In all shapes, colors, forms, everything. I've read those books over seven times each, I'm even re-reading them right this moment! I've watched the movies countless times. I have Ron's howler MEMORIZED. "Ronald Weasley! How dare you steal that car! I am absolutely disgusted! Your father's now facing an inquiry at work, and it's ENTIRELY your fault! If you put another TOE out of line, we'll bring you STRAIGHT HOME! Oh and Ginny dear, congratulations on making Gryffindor, your father and I are so proud. *the sound that it makes when you stick out your tongue and blow, you all know the sound* *rip, rip, shred, shred*. Great, isn't it? I feel like I'm missing a part, but I'm pretty sure I got it all.

Anyway, this post is for them. Harry, Ron, and Hermione. As well as the many other characters in the books that won my heart. I legitimately cry when any of them die. Like Hedwig, I lost it. I still lose it. Every. Time. Harry Potter has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. And it will forever live on in my heart.

I watched this earlier today and I teared up. I am just so sad to see this "come to an end". Thank you, Harry Potter. For teaching me so much about life, love, and friendship. I've always wanted a friend like you. :)

If you haven't read the books, go read them. If you have, then I commend you and I hope you love them as much as I do. If you don't, you'll get there someday, just work on it. :)

Cheers,
Reille K.

Directioners, Morp, and Gratitude. (and congratulatory remarks and books)

I don't mean to disrespect. At all. But I just have one word to say. DIRECTIONERS.


You can like One Direction without having to be a so-called "Directioner". You can like them for their music and not their attractiveness, personalities, et cetera. Just because someone isn't totally obsessed with them, doesn't mean they can't enjoy their music, which is their main purpose in the first place. I mean honestly, people. Don't be hatin' and pretentious because someone doesn't know how to pronounce "Louis" correctly. I mean, I'm a pretty pretentious person and it bugs me when people freak out because of that. Then again, I'm really trying to work on it. 


I have NOTHING against Directioners, as I am one myself. But it really annoys me when people are super... hipster... about boy bands and stuff. It's like, really? They WANT to have a billion screaming fans, that's why they got into this business. So don't freak out because other people like them. Just take a chill pill. Relax. It's JUST a band. Think of it this way, you now have something in common with these people. A conversation topic. You just may surprise yourself if you give them a chance. They could be a future best friend. I mean really, my first conversation with one of my best friends started with me saying, "Don't you dare give me swine flu, or I'll blame you for the rest of your life and mine." And in that conversation he determined that I was gangster because I went to Orem Jr. and so on and so forth. The point is, I can't imagine my life without him now. 


Also, I once upon a time mentioned asking this attractive boy to Morp, found out today that he has already been asked. Blast-Ended Skrewt. I guess it's on to Plan B! Or rather... Plan C, since the boy I'm now asking's name starts with a C. Heh. Yeah, the joke was super lame. Don't worry, I know.


OH! And, once upon a time, well, my last post upon a time, I noticed that more people are starting to read my blog AFTER I wrote a post that I didn't expect to ever be read. HA! That was a silly mistake. But, I kept it really vague, so I guess it's not a big deal. But anyway, my point of this paragraph is THANKS. Thanks for reading my blog and making me feel like an interesting person. Thanks for silently motivating me to be a better blogger. And most of all, thanks for taking time out of your busy life to listen... read my ramblings about the things that I care about. :) I hope all of you have a FANTASTIC day. 




xoxo, Reille K. :)


P.S. My really good friend, well, I guess the better term would probably be one of my best friends from childhood that I still try to make the effort to sometimes stay in contact with.... anyway, he's the Student Body President at Mountain View next year! And I am super proud of him! I know he'll more than likely never see this, but still. I'm really happy for him, and you should be too. :)


P.P.S. My old seminary teacher wrote a book. I have yet to read it quite yet, but I'm still going to guarantee that it's going to be amazing. It's called... "Bring the World His Truth" by: Matthew B. Christiansen. You can get it at Seagull Book and it's brown and has a globe on the cover with gold letters. For reals, I can't wait to go buy it. I just have to get some moolah first. And he said he would sign mine and I'm really really excited. Really. Once I get around to the purchasing and reading of the book, I'll let you know how much I ended up liking it. :)


P.P.P.S. I'm reading this book called "Divergent" by Veronica Roth and I absolutely love it. I started it... yesterday? and I'm already almost done with the book. I don't have to wait TOO long for the next book, since I believe it comes out at the beginning of May, but even just those few weeks... or days, I guess. They will be torturous. :)

a quick book post. :)

So I was looking for a short book to quickly get through for my summer homework and I came up with:

Death of a Salesman by: Arthur Miller

This book made me a little bit sad, simply because the dad, Willy, is getting old and just starts losing it. And it's just not something I enjoy; watching people deteriorate like that. And his sons, Biff and Happy, don't really help him at all. But! The main theme of the book is not about Willy, it's about Biff. He is middle-aged and still hasn't settled in a job. But he realizes that it's because he hasn't been doing the things that he wants to do, for himself. So, the moral of this story, is to do things for yourself and do things that you love.

A billion and a Half BOOKS to tell you about...

Okay, so I guess it's been a while. Not only since I blogged, but also since I blogged about the books I've been perusing. The last book I told you about was Wuthering Heights, which took me FOREVER to read (forever for me, prolly about average for most) Anyways, since then I've read five and a half books. And I think I'll just do one super long post about the five of them. Hope you're cool with that! :)

First: Tangled by Carolyn Mackler

Basically there are four kids who all go on a vacation to the same place and from this vacation their lives all become "tangled" together. It's split into four parts, each part is narrated by a different person, and it is not as annoying as you might think. I quite enjoyed this book and I really loved it. It could possibly be a little graphic for young readers, so just be aware. 

Second: The Life of Glass by: Jillian Cantor

This book is about a girl's life leading up to and after her father dies. No worries, her best friend is there by her side the whole time, except when he's being a total hobo because he's found himself a girlfriend. Anyways, it's quite a good book. I didn't expect to like it as much as I did, so it might not capture you right away. It's worth the read. :)

Third: In the Company of Crazies by: Nora Raleigh Baskin

This book is about a girl who gets sent to a boarding school of sorts where she's the only girl and blah blah blah. It's kind of a lame book, but I kept reading solely because it's super short. Like, about 100 pages. 

Fourth: Going Bovine by: Libba Bray

This is about a boy who discovers he has mad cow disease. Crazy, right? No really, he's basically going crazy. But honestly? I sorta loved this book. I like that there was a mixture of real and fantasy. Even though you sometimes couldn't tell whether it was real or not, I still absolutely loved it. It's pretty kid friendly, but not so much written for kids that you can't stand to read it if you're not a wee little one. 

Fifth: Going Nowhere Faster by: Sean Beaudoin

This is about a boy who lives in an extremely small town and works at the only video store. He also thinks that someone is trying to kill him. But, no big. No one believes him. His parents are also a little crazy and organic. I really liked it, if my opinion means anything at this point, because there have been very few books that I don't like. But I suppose that may just be because I like a lot of things. 

Not your average love triangle!

book #9- Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Not the cover of the version I read, but this is definitely my favorite. I really like it, my kinda style. :)

Wuthering Heights is not just a love triangle, it's one big hot mess. Everyone's in love with everyone and it's crazy. And the weirdest part? They're pretty much all related. The book is basically Nelly (the housekeeper/nurse... lady) telling Mr. Lockwood (a tenant at the Grange) the whole story of Heathcliff. So really, you're reading it almost as if Nelly is telling the story to you. The beginning of the story is when Heathcliff is a little boy and comes to live with the Earnshaws and ends pretty much when he dies, so it's a pretty long stretch of time that gets put into one book. I don't really know how to summarize it, mostly because so many many things are going on at the same time and it's all just a crazy mess that you can't summarize without spoiling the whole thing. I think I would recommend this book. It's definitely interesting. If the romance doesn't do it for ya, then learning more about the culture from that time period might! It certainly was fun for me to learn about. And I asked my dad sooo many questions about what they did and such, it was great. Anyways, my next book is The Grapes of Wrath, which is set in the depression...? I believe... so hopefully it's a good one.

(Sorry everything is so gray and dull! But I reaaaally liked that cover!!!) 

One of the few books that I've started and never finished...

Book #8: The Catcher in the Rye by: J.D. Salinger

This book. I could not even read it. It was so incredibly boring that I just had to stop. I mean, I've read boring books before (the old man and the sea) but I only read those because it was absolutely required as it was a class read book. And this? I made it to page thirty before completely giving up. It was basically about this kid who complained about everything and everyone around him. Thend. That's all that happened in THIRTY pages! So, I quit reading it and am now in the midst of Wuthering Heights. Which, needless to say, is a much better book. Also, prolly needless to say, I don't recommend this book. At all. Not even a little.  Have a good day!

Be kind to one another!

Of Mice and Men

book #7?: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

So Lennie and George go from farm to farm to work. Mostly because Lennie is mentally handicapped, from what I gather, and just makes mistakes that happen to make other people angry. Also, Lennie really likes to pet soft things and always seems to kill them... oops. So it begins with them on their way to yet another job and George is really just fed up with Lennie by now. But he still keeps him around and looks out for him. They get to the farm and George tells Lennie not to talk to anyone so they don't realize what's really going on. Anyways, there are puppies, talks of dreams, makin' money, and so forth. There is also this really... promiscuous lady who is married and she ends up dead... anyways! There is a commotion and George ends up killing Lennie in the end. Sad day, right?

I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book, actually. It was really quite boring, it had an excessive amount of swearing and I just didn't see much of a point to the book as a whole. I slogged my way through it, simply because I had to read four books off the AP reading list for my summer reading or whatnot and it was only about 100 pages. Although, it is a classic and maybe you could get more out of it than I did. Maybe I just missed the message?

P.S. I actually wrote and published this post when I realized that I had put the wrong author... umm, it was only really depressing and made me feel dumb because, well, look at the picture of the book that I used... the authors name is bigger than the title. Oopsie!

The madness is coming to an end.

book #6: Fablehaven: Keys to the Demon Prison by: Brandon Mull

So, this is when everything comes together. It's the end of the Fablehaven Series, and everything has been leading up to the ending of this book. It's crazy sauce what happens, andit makes perfect sense. I don't think it really needs a summary, as you wouldn't read this book without having read all four of the other books. So hopefully you've made it this far! As always, I recommend this book!

Lions, Tigers, and... Dragons? Oh... my?

book #5: Fablehaven: Secret of the Dragon Sanctuary by: Brandon Mull

So, I find these dragons to be a smidge weird-lookin'. But you know, not really my place to say anything. And... that has nothing to do with the contents of the book. So, the gang is led to a place called Wyrmroost. It's a dragon sanctuary, no big. Just a place filled with dragons that paralyze you with fear if you look at them, unless you're a dragon tamer. Which are super special people, by the way. And if Seth and Kendra hold hands, they become one, it's super cool. Which reminds me, in one of the books, I don't recall which one, they go to the Lost Mesa, which is another secret preserve like Fablehaven and recover another artifact. Strange that I forgot that. Anywho, before they go to Wyrmroost, they have to find a unicorn's third horn (they have three throughout their entire life, just a side note) as that's the key to get in to Wyrmroost. The closest one just happens to be the heart of Grunhold, which is where the Centaurs live at Fablehaven, and just a clue, they are all super jerks. They wouldn't let them borrow it, but they got the horn anyways... no spoilers as to how! They make their way to Wyrmroost and have a limited amount of time to get what they need and get out. Kendra meets a fairy dragon (his egg was cared for by the fairy queen... it's explained in the book) and he helps throughout the rest of the series. They make it out alive and they got what they went there to get... which was the key to the artifact at another secret preserve... which I didn't mention... but anyways, crazy things happen towards the end of this book that will just make you crazy.

My recommendation stays the same, I recommend this boooooooooook! The things that go down in this book, are nuts. Romance transpires, friends are lost (lost in the way you lose the keys not lost as in lost forever, I think...) and interesting twists are made in the plot. I seem to be forgetting a lot in my summaries, which is either good, so I don't ruin the book; or bad because you'll get confused because I told you about the wrong things. But I hope you enjoy!

Now there are artifacts to protect, eh?

book #3: Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star by: Brandon Mull

So in this book, the craziness really begins. A man poses as a friend and happens to get Seth and Kendra to steal a demon from a safehouse. This demon has to be fed to be moved and if he bites you, he will kill you. He just keeps growing and growing, and eventually, he's going to kill you. He's an interesting demon, and I forget his name. So anyways, the kids realize he's with the Society of the Evening Star (which, I don't think I've mentioned yet, they are trying to destroy all the preserves-like Fablehaven- so that all magical creatures/demons/general magical hobos can run free, not good) so they flee back to Fablehaven ASAP. To get there, a woman named Vanessa shows up, who they've never met before, and races them to the preserve. Once there, they meet Coulter and Tanu. A little introduction? Vanessa is a mystical creature trapper and has a billion and a half animals of all sorts. Coulter is a magical relics collector and expert, he has amulets and such out the kazoo and has this nifty glove that makes you invisible, if you don't move, that is. And Tanu, he's a potion master, which is slightly self-explanatory, but something cool, he has a potion that can turn you into like... a mist? if that's even a good way to explain it...anyways, he's a pretty chill dude. So yeah, those are the specialists that were sent to help the Sorenson's find one of the hidden artifacts or rather protect it... I wouldn't want to give away too much, so I'll just say that Seth saves the day eventually, and they get the artifact and it falls into the hands of someone who they think is a friend, but may end up actually being the foe. You'll have to read the whole series to find out if The Spinx is the good cop or the bad cop. 


Just as the first book, I for sure think you should read this book. It's filled with even more magical creatures that just drive me crazy, and I really wish they were real! But unfortunately, they probably aren't. Only in my dreams I guess. The adventures really begin in this book and the writing isn't noticeably juvenile in this installment. In the first book, I could definitely tell it was written for kids; but in the second, I was able to just read, and not be distracted by the writing style. Definitely an upgrade. :)

Stuck in a fantasy land? This is where your dreams become a reality!

  Preface: I have a sister, who likes to recommend some books to me. And then I read them. The first six of the bookiness posts shall be about the books that she told me to read. 


I wrote the whole post in lower case, don't judge me. I just felt like it. It was actually a slight struggle for me to keep up but once I decide to do something like that, it's gotta happen. Even if it goes against all the OCD fibers of my being. 


book #1: Austenland by Shannon Hale

Here is a little visual stimulation of le book. :)

     it's about a girl, jane hayes is her name, who is in her... late twenties? i feel like that's how old she is. and she has a not so awesome sort of love life, which her mother tries to make more awesome, but just fails and makes things worse. this jane hayes loves loves loves! mr. darcy from Pride and Predjudice and it's a secret fantasy type love and she watches the movies over and over and all that jazz. anyways, her mom forces her to go to lunch with a super old lady relative because she was "close to death" and she wants to inherit some money from her. greedy much? ;) so the mom goes to freshen up or something of the sort and the not so old lady and jane have a little chat. they talk about mr. darcy or something to hint that she is obsessed and that's that! later on the old lady relative dies and jane's inheritance is a ticket? or something of those sorts to a place called Austenland. it's a place where you go (in england) and live like someone in Jane Austen's books. there are actors and the sort there and there is no technology and stuff. even the attire is jane austen. then romantical type things happen and that's as far as i'll go with that particular sub-subject. :D 


    wells, there is a short little summary in the words of me. my opinion of the book? i really loved it. a whole bunch. i read it on a sunday afternoon and therefore, it's a relatively short book. it moves pretty quickly and keeps your brains engaged in the story. it's very easy to get to that point where you feel like you're in the story, rather than reading the story. like the pensieve in harry potter? just like that. 


    


    i highly reccomend this book. and i hope that you read it and tell me (in the comment-type fashion, yeah?) how much you either liked or loved or possibly even hated? the book. :)