Beautiful bounties of books!

I have a secret. I love to read. I mean I really really really love reading.  I love to read so much that I once even got grounded from reading for leisure. Crazy, right? I would sometimes stay up until about 2 am reading, just because I was unable to put the book down.  I had to know what was going to happen!  That's part of the reason why I was grounded from books. I didn't have the self control when it came to reading a new book.

Why are books so fascinating?  Well, mostly because they provide a sort of escape from life, and you can pretend that you are part of this other time and world.  It's so interesting to read about different characters and see how they develop.  I also really enjoy history, and I think reading historical fiction books is such a fun and interesting way to learn about past and important events.  The World War II time period is really intriguing to me, partly because my paternal grandfather served in the Army in WWII.  I've read so many different books about that time period, some focusing on soldiers' lives, others focusing on the effects in everyday American society.

Finding a new book is like finding a new friend.  I want to get to know them and learn all about them right away.  Books entertain you and serve as a trustworthy companion, especially on long trips.  Some people don't really like rereading books, because they already know the plot and sequence of events.  However, I view rereading a book as a comfortable safe haven, or visiting with an old friend.  There are so many books that are worth reading over and over again, and they never get less exciting.

Do you like to read? If not, ask yourself why, and make a goal to start reading more! I promise you'll enjoy it.

Fantastic Fiance

I have a wonderful fiance name Chris. Here he is:

He truly is a wonderful person, and I love him for many reasons. He impresses me over and over with his selflessness.  When we first started dating, I got really sick with two different things right in a row. I got a bad stomach virus on the Saturday of this past April General Conference, and I called him to cancel our plan of making lunch between the sessions.  Fifteen minutes later he showed up at my door with ginger ale to settle my stomach. Even though I was sick, he stayed with me all day and helped me feel better. The next day, I started getting a horrible cough, which then developed into sore throats and I lost my voice for a week. The Monday night following conference I felt just plain awful, and he came to my rescue again.  He bought NyQuil and Chloraseptic throat spray for me and gave me a back rub until the NyQuil took effect.  That is only one example of all the things he has done for me.

He is also a very active person, which I love.  He's done musical theater, soccer, choir, folk dance, clogging, tap, student government, and skiing.  I'm sure I've even left a few things out.  All of the things he's done often leads to interesting conversations, where I can learn little interesting snippets of his past. I've done some similar activities as him, so it also gives us a good common ground.

Another thing I love about him is that he is wonderful with children. I've gotten to watch him humor his nephews for hours on end, and he never seems to tire of it.  He would also help me with my babysitting job last year, which was so good for the little boy, since his father passed away the year before.  My siblings could tell that he really enjoyed playing with them. My youngest sister would wake Chris up at 6 am when he was visiting my family, just so he would play games with her.  It is so endearing all the things he does for others.

There are so many other things I love about him, but then this post would go on too long and everyone would get bored. Trust me though, there are so many good qualities about him.

Fall foliage is fetching!

I've decided that alliterating post titles will be a theme, even though it might get difficult sometimes. However, I can do it! As you can gather by the post, I love fall and the colors that come along with it. Here's a sample:

 Isn't this just gorgeous? 

 I never really appreciated fall and how beautiful it truly is until I moved to New England. Fall is absolutely magnificent in the tiny town of Lakeville, where my family now resides. There are only about 10,000 people in my hometown, and plenty of windy roads lined on both sides with trees. When fall is at its peak, and the colors are rampant, I love driving around.  It's amazing to see how trees that were once all green, are now orange, red, yellow, and sometimes even plum. 

I haven't always loved fall, because it's also associated with the start of school. Fall still isn't my favorite season either, rather summer is.  But all the seasons are wonderful, aren't they?

Being here in Utah, strangely enough, has also helped me appreciate fall more. You might think that's odd, since Utah is a desert and has very few trees compared to New England. Consider this though: it's blazing hot outside, and you are wearing a backpack stuffed to the brim. You only have a few more minutes before your next class starts, and you are on the other side of campus, and so you start walking quite briskly. By the time you reach your class, you are out of breath and sweaty. You feel a little embarrassed and wonder how everyone can make it around campus without getting all nasty.  A few weeks go by of this, and suddenly, the temperature drops and it is so pleasant outside.  Merely walking around doesn't cause you to get sweaty, and sometimes you even need a light jacket!  Walking from class to class and back home no longer is a chore, because the weather is so nice. As an added bonus, the leaves around campus and on the mountains are slowly changing color and are so much more fun to look at.

This is why I love fall.  I love the color of the leaves and the change in weather.

 

Family is fun.

Welcome to my family! The word "family" has several definitions, but my favorite I have seen is "a person or people related to one and so to be treated with special loyalty or intimacy". President Gordon B. Hinckley read a proclamation in 1995 which said that the family is central to Heavenly Father's plan, and it is in the family where we can learn certain basic truths. Prophets and apostles have said over and over that the family unit is extremely important.

My family is pretty much the best one ever. Sorry if you feel differently. I love that people stare at us when we're all out in public together. Why do we get strange looks? Most likely because there are 9 of us, and 2 in laws (soon to be three). When we were taking family pictures a year ago, we definitely got a ton of looks. It isn't everyday that you see 11 people all dressed similarly. I love being part of a big family; I think it just makes life so much more fun. There are always people around, and definitely enough people with whom to play volleyball in the pool! It is sad that the entire family is together for about one weekend a year, since I'm at college, and two siblings are married and live away from home. However, when everyone is home, life is a PARTY! We play games, go swimming, have a cookout, play RockBand, and whatever else we want! It's so much fun!

Even when things are going badly, I know that my family is always there to support and encourage me. When I've gone through rough break-ups (trivial, but they seem major at the time!), my older sisters are especially good at helping, since they've also gone through things like that. I love playing with the littlest siblings, because their troubles don't go far beyond who ate the last bit of ice cream. Whenever I am around little kids, I feel like I get a huge reminder of what really matters in life. A bad test grade will only matter to me for so long, but playing and interacting with my family will have eternal consequences.

I know that I get annoyed with my family sometimes, but I'm only human. It happens to everyone. I am trying to change that though. Since I only get so much time at home now, I should always try to make the best of it. Family is a wonderful thing, and if you haven't discovered that truth yet, I challenge you to go discover it now!

My name is Andrea

This is me: Andrea Lynn Martin.

I have a confession to make. I get extreme blog envy. I love to read blogs, and learn about other people and the fun things that are going on in their life. Once I stumble across a cute blog, I get obsessed with reading it. I love the cute things they post about, the sweet layout, and the fun pictures! I hope that doesn't make me seem like a stalker. Anyway, I tried to start a blog once, but it didn't really happen. My family can attest to that fact. So, I'm starting a new one, so that I can get a fresh start. Why am I starting to blog again? Well, I will tell you.

This semester, I am in a class called English 313: Expository Writing for Elementary Education. We have a project to complete called Enjoyment of Writing. We get to choose what we want to do, and keep working throughout the semester to learn how to really enjoy writing. This blog is for that project, hence the name "Enjoyment of LIFE!" I want to post about things that are important to me, things that I love, things that I dislike, etc. and in the process, learn how to become a better writer and to enjoy the experience.

Writing has always seemed to be a huge drag to me, but when I thought about this project, I really did get a little excited! I do want to know how to express myself better through print, and I think this can really help. So, please bear with me as I explore myself and the wonderful world of WRITING.