Day Four: Good Literature

I am grateful for good books. I cannot possibly describe how deep my love for books goes. But in third grade, it was my goal to read every book in my English teacher's classroom. (That included all of the "easy" books, which I still enjoyed reading for the gorgeous art in them, as well as all of the chapter books for advanced students). By the end of the year, I had succeeded.

I love reading so much, that I decided on my major because of it.  Nothing is more important to me than being a mother and raising a family...but I would still like to support my family in some way. Then I considered my primary interests and talents: reading, writing, editing, drawing, painting. I then thought, is there some job out there where I could get paid to read? Yes, I thought. There is. Editing and publishing books was my solution. If I could work for a company that publishes children's or young adult books, I could read things like "Harry Potter" and "The Hunger Games" all the time. And so, for those of you who are curious, that is why I chose to be an English major with a minor in Editing. I love to read. So much.

Thank you, for giving me good books to read. 

"There is no surer foundation than a mutual taste in literature."
~P.G. Wodehouse

“I can't imagine a man really enjoying a book and reading it only once.”

~C.S. Lewis

"There is something wonderful about a book. We can pick it up. We can heft it. We can read it. We can set it down. We can think of what we have read. It does something for us. We can share great minds, great actions, and great undertakings in the pages of a book."
~Gordon B. Hinckley

"Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again."
~C.S. Lewis

"Good books are as friends, willing to give to us if we are willing to make a little effort."
~Gordon B. Hinckley

"What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it."
~J.D. Salinger

"If we could follow the slogan that says, 'Turn off the TV and open a good book' we would do something of substance for a future generation."
~Gordon B. Hinckley

"The worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it."
~James Bryce

"I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves."

~Anna Quindlen

Just a few books that I love:

The Book of Mormon

Pride & Prejudice

Jane Eyre

Wuthering Heights

To Kill a Mockingbird

Harry Potter (1-7)

The Hunger Games (1-3)

Divergent

Insurgent

The Maze Runner (1-3)

Twilight series (fine, I admit it)

The Host

The Great Gatsby

Warriors Don't Cry

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Three Cups of Tea

Ethan Frome

The Awakening

The Westing Game

A Christmas Carol

This Side of Paradise

House of the Scorpion

Roald Dahl books (too many to name!)

A Series of Unfortunate Events (1-13)

Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites (series)

The Lion, The Witch, And the Wardrobe

Julie of the Wolves (1-3)

Walk Two Moons

Ruby Holler

& many, many more. 

My dream library: 

Cozy and rustic and warm and clean

Or...

This wouldn't be so bad...Beauty and the Beast library (this is from Bachelorette by the way ;)

I like this one, too

Beautiful--love the colors 

If you love to read as much as I do and have a suggestion for a great book, I want to hear about it!

Please, by all means, give me a list of things I need to read...I am craving another series to fall in love with. 

Day Three: Dear Friends

 I am blessed with the most marvelous and most beautiful (inside and out) friends. 

I could not ask for better. And though I feel that I have true friends far and wide, there is nothing like having a small group of intimate best friends whom you know you can absolutely rely on.

Here are some of my favorite quotes on friendship:

"A friend is more concerned about helping people than getting credit. 
A friend cares. A friend loves. A friend listens. And a friend reaches out." 

~President Thomas S. Monson

“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art.... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.”
~C.S. Lewis

"We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided...We can fight [enmity] only by showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust. Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open." 

~Albus Dumbledore

Just before leaving for the summer--everyone going back to school :(

Completely gorgeous & adorable

Gonna be an AMAZING/very hott mama

The very best of the best friends :D

From our old bff Christmas photos

I love her!

How gorgeous is this girl?? And her hair?

She is so adorable!

This about sums her up: being hott, reading, and cats ;)

That time we went to see Harry Potter in the middle of the day and were the only ones dressed up ;)

After a Church dance :]

Visiting Sarah at BYU! Best buds reunited!

One of my best birthdays with my dearest friends at Fort Stark!

Eating lobster at my house this past summer!

And here are some pics with our other wonderful friends. We are so blessed to have such terrific relationships with these people!

Two of my best friends ;)

Jason and Derek are awesome friends of Dalin (and me too!)

Anthony and Lauren -- we love doubling with them!

Wesley (friends since we became teenagers) and Payson (our wonderful brother)

Fun over Thanksgiving with out friends and cousins in Arizona!

Our awesome Boise friends :)

With my boys at Canobe Lake Park! My brothers are some of my best friends--love them all.

Thank you for giving me great friends with great morals. I am thankful for friends I can rely on and who lift me up. They bring me so much joy, happiness, laughter, and peace to my life. 

"No friendship is an accident." 

~O. Henry

“A faithful friend is a strong defense;
And he that hath found him hath found a treasure.”  

~Louisa May Alcott

“It is important to know when you feel down that many others do also and that their circumstances are generally much worse than yours. And it’s important to know that when one of us is down it becomes the obligation of his friends to give him a lift. I hope that each of us will cultivate a sensitivity toward the feelings of others and when encouragement is needed make an effort to extend it. 
Be a friend and you will have a friend. God be thanked for wonderful friends.” 

~Gordon B. Hinckley

Pinterest Pages I Must NOT Forget About

This pinterest page is all about fun art projects and activities to do with kids of all ages. LOVE the ideas here! I want to do them all now!
http://pinterest.com/jenny_gilmore/kids/

Pretty things to try! 
http://pinterest.com/ashli8/ooo-snap/

Yes, I'm married, which gives me even more of a reason to LOVE weddings! Here is a very sweet and happy blog with wedding ideas some of which I would love to use for a friend or daughter!
http://pinterest.com/kaylissa/for-the-love-of-happily-ever-after/

Cute engagements pics! And cute ideas for regular couples pictures!
http://pinterest.com/kaylissa/for-the-love-of-engagement-photography/

Craft ideas...I'll take those...
http://pinterest.com/kaylissa/for-the-love-of-doing-it-myself/

Oh so cute ideas! 
http://pinterest.com/shivvycharv/nifty-thrifty/


Which are your favorites?? 
Or do you, like me, love them all? <3 

iLike

I like the rain. I like being sun-kissed, but I like being in the shade more. I like deciduous trees. I like them in the spring as they are just beginning to sprout bright green leaves and bloom, and I like them in the fall when every single leaf is tye-dyed coral, tangerine, and marigold. I like tall, skinny boys--one in particular. ;) I like the color aqua. I like getting flowers for no reason at all. 

I like People Water. I like #TeamJem (Jef & Emily). I like blue cotton candy. I love roller coasters. I like getting handmade handouts at Church. I like little blonde children. I like long hair. I like BYU-Idaho. I like scrapbooks and the history in them. I like artsy hand-crafted jewelery. I like dried flowers, and pressed ones. I like the sound of stepping on autumn leaves. I like colored glass bottles. I like antiques (tables, chairs, bracelets, earrings, necklaces, broaches, rings, pictures, books, etc.). I like yard sales--"one man's trash..." I like action movies with an underlying romantic theme. I like salted almonds. 

I like the smell of a campfire. I like turquoise. I like wearing boots in the fall. I like the smell of real leather. I like the sound of birds when I wake up. I like the chirping of crickets. I like when church is not at 8am. I like paper lanterns. I like the rubbery feeling of spatulas. I like licking spatulas covered in batter. I like painting things I like. I like anything that reminds me of the ocean. I like humidity and how it makes my hair curl. I like signs with positive messages. 

I like seeing my full name in cursive--Olivia O’Rissa Searle Gunnell.

I like Pride & Prejudice...and Sense & Sensibility...and imagining I live in that time period. I like potted plants and how they bring life into a room. If I had to pick between the two, I'd be Team Jacob. I like the secret whistle Dalin and I use when we can't find each other in a store, or when we want to get the other one's attention, or to let the other one know we're home and at the bottom of the stairs. I like old keys. They remind me of the Secret Garden. I like how I feel like royalty when I'm in the temple. 
I like being a Latter-day Saint. I like the idea of yoga. I like Bohemian prints. I like Persian rugs. I like things made out of wood. I like the ticking of old clocks and of watches. I like dachshunds--especially ours. I like paying in cash. I wish all coins were as thin as dimes. I like when make-up looks natural. I like the Sound of Music. I like singing when I'm not with anyone so I can try to sing well. I like knowing every word to a song. I like pomegranates. I like Christmas stockings more than presents. I like Christmas romances. I like the movies that play on the Hallmark channel. I like the taste and texture of kale chips. 
I like mustard colored fabrics and leather. I like candy apples more than caramel apples. I like Tinker Bell. I like my birthstone, peridot. I like the smell of new cars and new tennis balls. I like shoes that look brand new. I like to sit with a soft blanket around me when I'm on the couch. I like non-scented lotion and deodorant, but I like the smell of shampoo. I like the smell of sunscreen and ocean water on my skin. I like when things work like they're supposed to. I like being either Yoshi or Toad when I play Mario Kart. I like wicker baskets. I like cream cheese on celery. I like star-gazing with my Grandpa and listening to him teach me about the constellations.
I like when everything is washed, cleaned, and put away. I like having nothing to do. I like reading--a lot. I like watching movies and seeing things in an entirely new light. I like seeing old friends. I kind of like shopping now. I like seafood...and I love lobster and steamers. I like cute outfits. I like how pregnant ladies look. I like sincere smiles. I love kisses from my husband. I like when people enjoy my artwork. I liked the time I saw the Northern Lights. I like the smell of apples. I like my house. I miss my family. I like how my parents raised me. I would like to be a book editor one day. This is because: a) I am good at editing, b) I love reading and I'll be able to all day with such a career, and c) I can work from home and be a stay-at-home mom like I've always wanted to be. I like the idea of being a mom and having lots of cute kids that look like their daddy. I like my sweet husband...a lot. I like being happy. 

Being with Dalin makes me happy above all.