Come out, come out, wherever you are!

I had to make a couple of changes to the html of my blog layout to accommodate the larger image sizes from flickr . Can everyone see it or is it too wide? Thanks!

The Hubs

The Hubs, originally uploaded by sjluto.

Love this picture of Rob, just thought I'd share!

The Merchant of Death by D.J. MacHale

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
I liked the story, I liked the characters. The book is a bit juvenile, as it should be when written from the perspective of a 14 year old boy. There were a few times when I got a little annoyed by it, but I kept going mainly because I liked the plot and knew that as the series continued he would get older and the juvenile feel would eventually go away. (hopefully) We'll see how the rest goes.


View all my reviews.

Let Summer Begin!

While I've technically not done anything regarding school in the past 3 weeks, Saturday will mark the beginning of summer - the end of school. I graduate from college Saturday! Wait, it's been 4 years already? You mean I've been with my husband for 5 years (almost) already? Huh, let me let that sink in for a few minutes...

Okay, I'm done. I'm going to have quite the weekend! I have a (hopefully final) job interview tomorrow at 10am that I've been mentally prepping myself for all week. I'm really hoping I get this job! I don't know if my nerves can handle much more of this interview stuff. It really just throws me all off...

Then, I'll be cleaning all day on Friday to prepare for my graduation party on Saturday. God, please keep the rain away. I don't think I can fit all these people in my house. Amen.

Which, brings me to graduation. Did you walk in your college graduation ceremony? I'm debating this. If I walk it's really going to cut me close on time to get ready for my party. Like, really close. As in, I may be late to my own party.... I know its a great accomplishment and all, but I really have no attachments to Lindenwood. No one I really need to say "goodbye" to. Part of me wants to walk, but then I think it's probably going to be a long boring ceremony that I'm going to wish I had skipped. It's not like I actually get my diploma that day. What did you do?

Meanwhile, while I go contemplate the decisions I need to make, I'll leave you to contemplate my newest favorite photo:

What do you think? Pretty? Creepy? Let me know!

Book Review - The Graveyard Book

I'm kind of bummed to make this my first book review, since I didn't even finish the book, but here it is:

Neil Gaiman's (an author recently brought to the spotlight for his book Coraline, now a movie) The Graveyard Book is the most recent winner of the Newberry Medal, an award for outstanding children's literature. I love children's books, but must say I was pretty disappointed with this. To be honest, the story was fine. It was imaginative, interesting, curious, and often left me wondering what the heck was going on. If done properly, a book which creates these emotions can hook a reader and suck them in for an inevitably good read. However, I did not feel that way. In fact, I couldn't bring myself to finish it.

This is the second time I've tried reading this book, and the second time I've failed to complete it. To be honest, I blame it entirely on the improbability of certain events and facts in the plot. Now, before you get started on the "it's a fantasy, it's supposed to be improbable" standpoint, let me explain. At the beginning of the book, the child is an infant and somehow devises a plan to escape his crib with the thoughts of an average 10 year old. Okay, maybe he's smart for his age. This occurs over and over. In many situations he has the mindset of someone much older than him but there is no reason nor rhyme to this. The author didn't explain that the child was unusual in any way aside from growing up in a graveyard. In fact, I feel the author meant for him to be a "normal" boy. But when I am consistently reminding myself that this boy is only 6 or 7, not 15, I just got annoyed. There was just too much that didn't make sense to me.

Maybe it was the writing style? Maybe it was just me? Either way, I'm telling you why it didn't work for me. I give this a 2 out of 5, mainly because the idea and story was there, but the characters were its ultimate downfall. Obviously, someone liked it (my husband included) to award it a Newberry Medal. But I'll leave that decision to you!

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Mother's Day Miscellany

Happy Mother's Day!!! I think this day is an excellent reminder to honor those women who are near and dear to us without whom we wouldn't be here! I love you, Mom!!

I graduate on Saturday! Finally! I am so happy to be done with school and kiss that place goodbye! No more dealing with the annoyances of Lindenwood! That's another story entirely. I'm a little nervous though because I'm having my first real party at the house on Saturday. I'm excited for everyone to finally get to see our house, but I really hope it doesn't rain! I don't think my house is big enough for everyone to be inside! Pray for a beautiful day!

I mentioned my graduation present in my last post. For those who may be wondering, my awesome husband got me a Canon Rebel XSI DSLR camera. I am stoked! They had a deal at Best Buy where we got the camera, an extra lense, and a camera bag for an awesome price. I've been spending much of my free time reading up on it and playing. Be sure to check out my Flickr photostream (link up top) for updates!

Rob figured it could be a good investment as I'd like to hone in on my photography skills and he wants to build me a website to add to his portfolio. I'm thinking about trying to start up a small side business taking pictures of children and families. I don't know if I have the talent for this, but I'm certainly willing to learn if it means I can do something I love. We'll see! I can't wait to set up a session with my nephew and maybe my neice!

Speaking of my photostream, what do you think? I went to Main Street in St. Charles and was just snapping pictures of things I liked. Some turned out, some didn't, but I think that's the way it works, right? I only got a few up, I have a LOT more I plan to post when I get a chance.

Summer's almost here! They are cleaning out the subdivision pool and the weather is steadily getting warmer! I LOVE summer. Warm weather, ice cream, sitting outside in the sun. It's my favorite. I just wish I didn't burn so easily... I feel like I should take out stock in sunscreen.

Does anyone have summer plans? I'm hoping to get a job and start planning for my classroom!

Now, watch, knowing St. Louis, it'll be 50 degrees tomorrow..

My New Photostream

I've been doing some work with my photography hobby lately and decided to start a Flickr profile to share them. Check them out and tell me what you think! There isn't much there right now, but I hope to be adding a lot more in the future! The link is also at the top of my blog. Good night!