blue

This picture makes me think of the first time I saw lightning bugs at a rest stop on a road trip to Connecticut when I was a kid. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me.

It makes me think of the first time Corey saw lightning bugs in Amy's backyard in Kalamazoo. I was surprised he had never seen them but I had.

I remember the first time we saw lightning bugs in Arizona on a backpacking trip. We couldn't convince ourselves we were actually seeing them because they're not supposed to be here, right?

Are lightning bugs extra special to kids who don't grow up with them around all the time? I suppose we are all fascinated by something that carries a light inside.

P.S. Today is blue day at Poppytalk. And try as I might I can't figure out where I got this picture from. karmahasnofriends is by L Lawliet.

red

Today is red day at Poppytalk. I dig those red sunglasses, but I don't think I could wear them for very long.

P.S. The Kitschy Kitschy Bang Bang line of lingerie is from Private Arts.

Who's watching Breaking Pointe?

Since I love America's Best Dance Crew on MTV and So You Think You Can Dance on Fox, I thought I would really like Breaking Pointe, a reality show about a ballet company in Salt Lake City. At first I felt like it was staged, but there have definitely been some real moments on there. Even if it is scripted I love watching how physically powerful those ballerinas are. There can never be enough fit guys in tights on t.v. in my opinion. But Beckanne is my favorite. She makes everything look easy and she seems really sweet.

Is anyone else watching it? It airs on Thursdays if you want to check it out.

P.S. Today is pink day at Poppytalk.

P.P.S. tulip skirt is by modernromance.

yellow: anniversary edition

13 years ago today I married my humorous, clever, and adorable soul mate.

Happy Anniversary! Here's to many more happy years together with our mini-pack.

Today is also yellow day at Poppytalk.

P.S. I'll Be Your Honey Bee is by The Art of Handmades.

A Portrait of Love is by Josh Kenyon & Colby Nichols.

Love Print is by Paola.

A Brand New Day is by Becky Altman.

green

It's Summer Colors Week at Poppytalk which means it's my chance to share random cuteness from the internet.

When I got a Summertrees Umbrellawalk bookmark by Masha Dyans I fell in love with her colorful artwork. Luckily for me she has a line of greeting cards so her work is accessible at an affordable price!

Happy Birthday Joss Whedon!

P.S. I found My Little Firefly Pony on Nerd Approved.

Desperation by Stephen King

There is a group on LibraryThing that reads a Stephen King novel every month in the order they were published. Desperation was scheduled for March but I didn't have time to read it until May. How nice it was to have a giant book to go to Kansas with me! Yes, this book was read on the plane both ways and also came with me to 3 graduations and I still didn't finish it until I got home!

It's been awhile since I've read an actual horror story, which is what Desperation is. It begins with an unsuspecting couple driving down a highway in Nevada through "the loneliest place on earth" and getting pulled over by a crazy police officer who seems to have the power to summon and communicate with coyotes, vultures, and any other animal that crosses his path. WTF?! The police officer continues making up reasons to arrest people, beating them up, randomly killing but mostly collecting them up and taking them to jail in the mining town of Desperation.

It is up to the prisoners to band together and fight the police officer and the evil entity that has overwhelmed the town. Right away you feel as though Desperation is shrouded in some kind of dark force that has been uncovered in the mine. The only one who seems to be stronger than the dark force is a little boy who is able to pray to God and receive instant miracles throughout the story. Handy!

For a Stephen King story it dragged a little for me, but if you're looking to be grossed out, creeped out, and freaked out this book is a good choice for you.

P.S. This book counts as my horror story for the Eclectic Reader Challenge. I took the photo on my flight to Kansas.

Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

Corey has been trying to get me to read this series for years, and because of the Eclectic Reader Challenge and my need to read a Fantasy story I finally started it.

I came home from class one day in college to find Tracy Hickman in my apartment. My roommates were Mormons who aspired to be fantasy writers so Tracy, a Mormon fantasy writer, was there to mentor them. He was not surprised that I didn't know who he was and was very nice.

Flash forward 16 years to reading Volume 1 in the DragonLance Chronicles. The back cover says, "Knight and barbarian, warrior and half-elf, dwarf and kender and dark-souled mage; they begin a perilous quest for --

the legendary Dragonlance."

The story begins with an unlikely band of beings united by their common desire to defeat evil via possession of the DragonLance. Evil is a bad guy trying to rule the world with an army of terrible lizard creatures that turn to stone when they die, and who is also rumored to have a dragon on his side even though dragons were thought to be a thing of legend.

If you've read Lord of the Rings you kind of have the framework for the story. The differences lie in the mystery of whether or not the mage (magician) is secretly working against the group, the humor provided by the kender (smaller than a dwarf), and of course, the dragons!

Really it was not the most awesome book ever (sorry Corey...and Tracy) but it was an easy read and I liked it enough to continue the series later this year.

for post-it addicts

...like me.

(found on Poppytalk)