Camping and a Book Review

Camping this past weekend was fun as expected. We had great weather, great food, and great fun. However, because of babysitting issues and lack of a ride home, Aunt Donna could not get tipsy. I know...I was disappointed too. I was soooooo looking forward to the cat screech/Beaker dialect.

We had a great visit anyway with the Botts/McGinley clan and we all decided we do it way too seldomly. I taught Chelsea, Justin, Jamie, Jeff and Rachel how to play King Mau. Its a card game with ever-changing rules. It was hilarious to try to keep all the rules straight as we sipped on pineapple juice, mandarin absolute, and grenadine. I miss everyone already,..I have so much fun with them.

Jubilee had a blast too. Rachel took Juju to the park several times where she got 3 different kinds of filthy. I hardly recognized my child covered in dirt by the end of Saturday - but the more dirty, the more fun, right??

A Book Review: Twighlight by Stephenie Meyer

First of all, you should know Ive never done a book review. In fact, Ive never even read one. This is just my official way of saying, "Hey...you get to read of what I think of this book!"

My friend Elizabeth in North Carolina recommended this book to me. She said I would thank her.... so, on record: Thanks Eliz! I dont often listen to other people when they tell me what I should read...but Elizabeth is an exception. She is a librarian, (and no not the frumpy old kind. She is pretty hot), and she digs a lot of the same kinds of things I do. So when she said, "Vampires in Port Angeles...get this book!" I did!

The story is set in Forks mostly, but Port Angeles is also the background for some of the story. This was very interesting to me because Ive never seen a book set where I live....but even more interesting - the author had it all right. When she described the harbor, the scenery, the restaurants, the book stores or even the highways - it was all correct. I was impressed by that. I was also impressed with the way she described what you should envision as the story was told. It painted a bold picture without having to skim 5 pages dedicated to describing a leaf. She is a talented author. I got to thinking...obviously she is familiar with the area. It said in the book's "About the Author" section that she lives in Arizona but I almost positive she was from the Olympic Peninsula. While camping, I asked my cousin Jamie if he had heard of her. He grew up in Forks - and like Port Angeles, its a small town where everyone knows everyone. Sure enough after studying her picture, he remembered her. Her name wasnt Stephenie Meyer at the time, but he knew her. She was a year ahead of him in school, and was a cheerleader. Small world!

Ok, back to the book itself... The story was right up my alley - a vampire love story. While I normally like my sagas about vampires a little more dark and bloody, this was a book that kept my attention. When I wasnt reading it, I was thinking about what was coming next. I found myself smiling at that "first and true love" feeling the characters where experiencing. Add the fact that only one of them was human, and then it was "first, true, and forbidden" love.....I was hooked! If you get it from your local library, you would find it in the "Young Adult" section. So its not too gory or dark, but its good. Get it!