Get Happy!

When you have a child get married, it makes you do a lot of reflecting.  It is kind of fun to think about them through the years, how they have changed and how they have stayed the same.  As I have been going through all of the hundreds of pictures from engagements, bridals and the wedding day, I couldn't help but smile as so many reflected her personality.


From almost birth, Ashley has had a passion and joy for life that was and is contagious.  Sure she would cry and get upset like any child, but it was always short lived.  Sometimes so short lived that in the process of throwing herself to the floor in anger, she'd be laughing before she could kick her feet and pound her fists.  When you sang songs together, she would tell you most enthusiastically, "Good job, Mommy! Good job!"  She could never keep a straight face, and always had a twinkle in her eye.

This is one of my favorite pictures of her. :)

Now she is all grown up and married, and the years have perhaps mellowed her a little, but she still is quick to smile, and more often than not can be found dancing around the house about some new thing that she is excited about. I hope she always keeps that sparkle and spring in her step!

Here are some of my favorites that the photographer captured:

 

Les Miserables

I set a goal almost two years ago to read Les Mis, the unabridged version.  I started the book with my usual excitement.  Certainly a book with so much hype, and such a beautiful story, had to be the best book ever written right?  Well promise me you won't hate me, but it was perhaps one of the most difficult books I have ever tried to get through, and I only finished it finally this year because I had set the goal and I was determined, if not slow, to accomplish it.

I am not sorry I read it.  The overall story is beautiful and amazing.  There are so many good take aways, and parts of the book are fascinating and compelling.  I loved the character development, and I loved knowing the "rest of the story"  that is skipped over and changed in the movie and play.  Marius and Cosette is a beautiful and believable story in the book, Javert makes so much more sense, and you understand so much better how low Jean Val Jean was before being changed by the kindness of the Bishop. I felt like the ending in the book is much more satisfactory than how the play ends as well.

That is what I liked, what I didn't like is that Victor Hugo must love to hear himself talk or something.  No one, or at least I didn't,  wants to know or read his harangue about the sewers of France and the positive uses of human fertilization, or the lengthy discussion on dialects, or countless other things.  I appreciate and even like some historical background that makes the story make sense and enables me to understand it's context, but I don't need page after page of philosophical opinion making.

So what is my overall take-I am glad I read it.  Will I read it again? No.

Alexis with the Liahona :)

 In other news...This amazing and beautiful sister missionary will be home in exactly 4 weeks!
4 WEEKS! Can't wait!

Here we go again!

This happened today! Breanna got her learner's permit.  Teaching kids to drive is not my favorite task, it's almost like potty training.  However, I do love having them be able to drive themselves to all the million things they have to be to, so for the next 9 months I will be spending about 40 hours by her side gripping the door handle and using my imaginary brake. 

This was only her second attempt at parking...pretty impressive!  Breanna is so entertaining, I suspect teaching her to drive will never be dull.  She was Sharpay in her school production of High School Musical 2, and in my humble, and completely prejudiced opinion, she stole the show.  Just picture driving with this girl...

Wish me luck!