Spring Break Plans

My spring break plans.

March 22, 2013

Well for starters we can get rid of that word, “spring.” On Monday there was a big snow fall and now the city looks like we are in the middle of December again. Not cool Mother Nature. I plan on going to Fargo and Grand Forks to do some shopping with my dad and little sister, with two other close families. This is a trip we take almost every year, at least three times and it never disappoints. I can always find something great with a fabulous price to match and it seems to make the trip worthwhile. As well, there’s also a great place in Grand Forks where we stop for pizza, it’s called “Rhombus Guys.” Top notch food, drinks and service, what more could you ask for? And spending this vacation with friends is always a bonus. I’ve always said the transition between winter and spring is the busiest, people, schools and family always seem to be in a rush, so a break to slow thing down is appreciated quite a bit. After this weekend voyage, I’m back to sitting on the couch for a bit, trying to wrestle away the remote form my sisters, but I do have some spring break books to read in my mind. “The Penderwicks” by Jeanne Birdsall is one of my all-time favourites and isn't a difficult read either, perfect for a relaxing break. At the end of the week I’m off again to my cousins’ cottage, probably with many more giggles and secrets to be made there. Not a fancy vacation but a very good one in my opinion, and I wish you all a great spring break as well.  

This picture symbolizes me taking me time and enjoying my spring break, and getting away from the rush of everything. It sounds pretty good to me. 

Literacy Blog Number Three

Literacy Blog Number Three

March 8, 2013

Today the following question was provided; what do you like most about your novel so far? My answer, how do you pick your favourite section of a work of art? It takes much thought and reason, and you often have to argue your point with many facts. For those who have read this book and seen some reviews, you will see there are many polar opposite opinions. Some say it's a great book with a new perspective on life and making the most of the time you have, and others think it was too happy, and they often thought he was saying 'yay for me.' I have to disagree with these negative opinions. Although this book didn't bring me too tears, I did find myself laughing out loud at parts, and somber and silence at others. This book shows new light on an old subject ‘make the most of the time you have.’

I admire the way Randy speaks with such blunt honesty, saying point blank he has cancer and he isn’t going to be here much longer. Instead of saying you should make the most of the time you have, he says you NEED too. Time is short and so is life so get too it. Move your butt off the couch and get going. He shows what he has done and inspires others this way. It isn’t a ‘yay for me’ situation per say but an ‘I made the choice to move past this and I moved on, end of story’ kind of attitude. This is something not a lot of people do these days, me included. I really need to work on not complaining so much, and seeing the bright sides of situations more often. This is a book, which is a treasure among novels, is essentially a guide to living in the moment, and we could use a change in perspective once in a while. So…get to it.

Blog Entry Number 2

Blog Entry Number 2

Text to Self Connection

My book, The Last Lecture, is divided into sections with numerous stories and pieces of advice from the author Randy. One of the stories is titled, Pouring Soda in the Backseat. The story talked about how Randy didn’t have kids until his late thirties, so he hung out with his sisters two young children. He was the “fun uncle” which we all adore. He loved taking his niece and nephew on adventures a couple times a month to show them the world threw different ways. In this story I found a connection to a vacation to my cousins’ cottage this past year with only my uncle as our adult supervision. I found these two men had similar rules.  

  1) No whining

  2)Whatever we do on this vacation we don’t tell our mothers.

Words of wisdom. While we were out at the cottage we seemed to be dirtying every dish in the house. It finally got to the point where it was so crowded a few dishes fell to the floor and broke. My uncle didn’t get mad though. He just looked at us and said we would clean the dishes up and for the rest of the time we would use paper plates. He didn’t get mad, showing us accidents happen and we could have a good time together, while taking away a job. Something similar happened with Randy. He came to pick up his niece and nephew during the afternoon in his new convertible. As he pulled up his sister made sure to tell them to keep it clean, wipe their feet before getting in and not to touch or make a mess of everything. He thought these were ridiculous rules because kids always make messes. So as she was speaking he poured a can of soda all over the back seat, to show them people make mistakes and they are more important than things. Show people they are going to make mistakes and it’s only human, don’t value objects more than the people you love and most importantly, use a soda to show someone you’re important to them.