Literary characters I love...

Today on the NPR website I saw the article "Fictional Beings Bella Swan Should Fall Madly In Love With." This inspired me to make a list of fictional beings that I am completely, madly, utterly in love with. I don't love all of the characters on this list in the same way. Some, like Rhett Butler and Atticus Finch, I want to marry. Others I just want to protect. I think the mark of a good book/movie/TV show is caring about the characters and what happens to them. Here are some of the characters that I absolutely adore.
1. Rhett Butler: I have had a crazy mad crush on Rhett Bulter ever since the first time I saw Gone With the Wind when I was a child. Not only is Clark Gable possibly the sexiest man to ever live, but the character is also so wonderful. There is no way in the world that Scarlett deserves him but he loves her unconditionally anyway. I love Rhett in the movie and I love him even more in the book. In addition, he has one of the greatest lines in movie history: "You need to be kissed, and often, and by someone who knows how." Yes, please.
2. Atticus Finch: Atticus Finch is a close second behind Rhett Butler. I'm not sure many people would agree with me, but I believe that Atticus and Rhett are similar in many ways. It's true that on the outside Rhett is a scoundrel, but when it comes right down to it he is a good man who does what is right. That's what I love most about Atticus Finch. He is kind and loving and wise and always does the right thing. I've often said that I hope one day to marry a cross between Rhett Butler and Atticus Finch. (If you haven't read To Kill a Mockingbird shame on you. Stop reading this blog and go buy a copy as fast as you can and read it immediately.)
3. Edward Rochester: He's grouchy and set in his ways and hid his crazy first attic (I hope I didn't ruin it for anyone who hasn't read Jane Eyre.) but I love him anyway. He is a good man who is afraid to let others get close to him but once he does he loves them wholly.
4. Jay Gatsby: The Great Gatsby gets better every time I read it and I fall more in love with Jay Gatsby every time I do, too. He is blinded by love and makes terrible choices but he is persistent and willing to do anything for Daisy, even though she doesn't deserve him. (Do I see a pattern here?) He's one of my favorites, old sport.
5. Mr. Darcy: Who doesn't love him? He is madly in love with Elizabeth Bennet but can't show it. She loves him too and doesn't know it. (When did I slip into verse?) Like Edward Rochester, he's grumpy and difficult to get along with, but I love him. (Another pattern?)
All of these characters are wonderful and the books they are in are truly amazing reads. While I did enjoy reading the Twilight series and am on Team Edward, those books and that character can never live up to these truly great literary men. Now tell me, which fictional characters are you in love with?

Sweet Baby Gracie

It has just occurred to me that I haven't posted any pictures of my sweet baby, Gracie. She is a 9 year old black lab mix and for now she is my child.







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Songs for Summer

It seems that now that I've started writing again I just can't stop! I was driving in my car today thinking about the songs that just scream SUMMER IS HERE! Here's a list of my songs of summer.
1. California Gurls- Katy Perry: I wasn't sure if I like this song at first, but after hearing a couple times it has grown on me. I just downloaded it from iTunes and find myself listening and singing along.
2. Summertime- Will Smith: As a child of the 80's and 90's, I don't think there is a song that reminds me more of summer than this one. It's a little cheesy but boy do I love it!
3. Soak Up the Sun- Sheryl Crow: I don't know if this song actually came out during the summer (one would assume that it did), but it makes me happy during the summer. Soaking up the sun is one of my favorite summer pastimes.
4. Waterfalls- TLC: Who from my generation doesn't remember riding around in their first car on a summer night, hearing this song come on the radio and turning it way up and singing along?
5. Under the Bridge- Red Hot Chili Peppers: I remember turning 13 the summer this song came out and listening to it in the car with my parents. My friends and I liked to sing along. My poor parents were horrified, both by the song and by the singing.
6. Kiss From a Rose- Seal: Who doesn't love this song? And Val Kilmer's lips under that Batman mask?
7. School's Out- Alice Cooper: As a teacher, I have to admit that this is one of my favorites.
8. Summer Lovin'- Olivia Newton John & John Travolta: I love musicals and I love this song!
9. Kokomo- The Beach Boys: Again, I don't know if this song came out during the summer, but who doesn't want to make their way through the destinations of this song: Aruba, Jamaica, Bermuda, Bahamas, Key Largo, Montiego, Kokomo...Sounds good to me!
10. Margaritaville- Jimmy Buffet: Let's go!
Which songs always remind you of summer?

Kudos from a friend & feelings of guilt...

So I posted a hello a couple weeks ago and promised to write more, but have not done it yet. So imagine the guilt (and happiness) I felt when I read my friend Nancy's blog and found that she had awarded me the Versatile Blogger award. I appreciate the recognition and am glad that someone is reading. I feel bad about not blogging more, though. Now that the summer is here I plan to blog more. I don't have too much else to do (except for an AMAZING trip that I'll blog more about later) so I have plenty of time to get some blogging done. Now, the rules of this award, as I understand them, are that I have to tell seven things about myself and then pass the award along to bloggers that I enjoy. So here are my seven things:
1. When I find something I like I stick with it. Movies, food, restaurants, songs on the radio...I stick with them until I've had/heard/been to them so much that I can't stand them any more. Then I have to stop it for a while. But when I go back to whatever it was that I'd overdone it's like visiting an old friend. The only exception to this so far is Mexican food. I could eat it every day to the week and never get tired of it.
2. I have never had a full time regular job during the summer. I went from public school, to college, began teaching, stopped briefly but was unemployed for the two summer months, and then returned to teaching. Of course there were summers where I held down part-time jobs, but I have no idea what it's like to work a full-time regular 12 month job.
3. I am about to go to Europe for the first time and I am so excited I can barely stand it. In less than a month Steve and I are setting out for 9 days in Italy. I've never left North America before, and the only time I've left the US was when I went to Mexico on a cruise. I can't wait!
4. I don't have just one favorite book. There are so many that I have read that I absolutely love that I can't possibly narrow it down to just one favorite. I have been able to narrow it down to a top five. They are: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner, Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, and One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. If you need some summer reading any of these are wonderful choices!
5. During the summer I watch more crap TV than anyone should ever be allowed to. I am absolutely addicted to The Real Housewives of New Jersey and last week I discovered You're Cut Off. I can't explain why these shows appeal to me, but they do, and only during the summer months.
6. I long to be a person who does crafty and domestic things but I am terrible at them. My mom quilts and crochets and sews and my friend Nancy (see her great and crafty blog at voulezvouscrochetavecmoi.blogspot.com) is one of the most talented and craftiest people I know and I want to do those things but I am terrible at them. I'm also not a great cook. The food is always edible but I don't ever think it's as good as other people's food. I plan to keep trying and hopefully get better at these things.
7. Conflict makes me physically uncomfortable, and I don't even have to be in it to be uncomfortable, sometimes just watching it on tv makes me feel anxious.
So there are my seven things. It took me a while to come up with seven things that I thought someone else may find interesting. (Probably why it's taken me so long to blog anything!).
Now it's time to pass the mantle on to blogs that I enjoy. So here they are:
Courtney @ Life These Days
Tiffany (Crafty Fanny) @ Live Happy
Traci @ Pictures and Posts of Life and Art
Thanks for the great blogs ladies! I enjoy reading them all!

Hi!

Hi everyone! I've been gone for quite a while. Has it really been 5 months since I've written anything? I don't have time to post all that is going on right now but I will be posting more soon.