Trolls, Leeches, and Pink Zombie/Vampire/Unicorn/Pony Horses

This weekend, I went to the annual Daddy/Daughter Camp Out.

We arrived at camp and found that another group of LDS people had taken our usual spot, so we chose a spot next to them. We found a troll sitting on the table and were told that we were only allowed to camp there if we left him there when we left. We agreed and reserved the spot.

We ate a lunch consisting of hot dogs, then went geocaching. We found six caches.

After we came back to camp we just hung out with the other people who had arrived until Brother Romero got there with dinner at six. he cooked us all hamburgers and we had several salads and chips with it.

After dinner, a fire was built and marshmallows were roasted while we sat around talking. I brought out my deck of cards and Cati, Lydia, and I played some card games.

Soon after night fell, another family showed up and all the dads went to help set up their camp. The daughters stayed around the campfire and played a game where you tell a story a sentence at a time with each person adding to it. It started out with a girl named Elinor who lived in a castle and had a pony but ended up being about a Zombie/Vampire/Unicorn/Pony horse who was killed by its Zombie owner. After scaring each other a few more times, and a few jokes being told, we went to bed.

The next morning, I got up and sat around while waiting for breakfast. The neighbor's dog, Sox, came over for a visit a few times.

For breakfast, we had breakfast burritos.

After breakfast, marshmallows were roasted again and some of the girls went swimming while I just stayed by the fire.

Most of the group went on a hike around the lake, but Cati, Lydia, and I stayed back. While they were gone, we had a visitor to camp. A squirrel came and we fed it potato chips.

After the hikers got back, everyone started to pack up and leave. Several girls went swimming and Cassie came back with a leech on her back. It was promptly removed.

Before we left, Cati started burning our plastic cups into creative shapes. All the girls who were still there got one as a souvenir.

The camp out was officially over, and we all headed home, leaving the camp troll behind.

A Review: The Hidden Sun by J. Lloyd Morgan

Back of the book: 
The kingdom of Bariwon in at a crossroads. Ever since Eliana was born, she had been primed to become the kingdom's leader. But she is not to rule Bariwon alone. A contest of sorts, called the Shaginoc, is to be held when Eliana turns twenty one. The victor gains the right to marry Eliana and become king of Bariwon. Rumor has it that the favorite to win the Shaginoc is Daimh, son of malevolent Govenor Abrecan. However, Eliana has fallen in love with her personal guardian, Rinan. She is torn between renouncing her title to be with the man she loves or marrying to keep the kingdom out of the hands of those who rule it unjustly. A plan is hatched to keep her in power while allowing her to marry Rinan, but little does she know the impact this deception will have on everyone in Bariwon for years to come.

My review:
I read this book on the long road trip to a family reunion, and all along the way, I was giving a commentary of what was going on in the book. My sister delights in asking me every few minutes, "Have they died yet?" whenever I'm reading a book, and this time I could answer truthfully every time she asked, "Yes, someone has, actually." It made her day, I'm sure.

I am a big fan of unique names, so seeing so many of them in this book excited me. Not only were the names unique, however, but the characters themselves all had unique and well defined personalities. You could easily fall in love with the characters, even several of the evil ones, which made it even more devastating when several characters were unexpectedly killed off.

The plot was always twisting and turning, making certain events very unexpected. I often cried out in protest or surprise while reading it, because of something that had happened with no previous foreshadowing to lead up to the event. There was also a certain level of predictability, but not too much. I certainly wanted to keep reading to see what might happen next.

The first line of the book, "The sun's playing hide and seek," ties the whole story together in a way so that all the characters introduced halfway through the book, and the periods and time that the story skips all make sense and fit right into the plot of the story.

One thing that distracted me while reading the book, was all the little mistakes. A word misused or a grammar mistake here or there. Still, these mistakes weren't so noticeable as to completely draw you out of the story. I just took note and kept reading.

This novel's mix of fantasy and romance drew me in and kept me in and I can't wait for the next book to come out.

J. Lloyd Morgan's site is http://www.jlloydmorgan.com.
You can purchase the book here:  http://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Sun-J-Lloyd-Morgan/dp/160911437X.


Disclaimer: This book was sent to me free of charge so I could review it. However, it did not influence my opinion of the novel at all. This review is my honest opinion of the novel. 

Conference, Driver's Ed, and Other Events

Writing Prompt: Take a random book, open it to a random page, and then post the passage that begins at the top left. It you want to go further, tell us if the passage you posted sheds any light on your life at present.

My passage:
"At least the Pale Prophet will serve me some useful purpose."


"What about the girl?" someone asked.


"The girl?" said Jacob. "What about her?"


The stones vibrated. Footsteps were leaving the tower. My uncle's shrieks faded as Jacob, the priests, and the prison guards, carried him away. I was alone. My head was floating. Floating like a helium balloon. I was lying on my back now, just rocking back and forth. Just rocking back and forth. My energy was slipping away...slipping away. The dark light of death was settling over me...settling around me...settling in.


I heard trumpets. 

That was an interesting passage to share. Someone dying. Great.

Anyway.....

Last week, I started Driver's Ed. It is a pain, let me tell you. I am learning a few new things, mostly random facts, but most of the class is just repetitive and boring. Plus, it's annoying having to drive into town every day for four plus hours.

On the other hand, last weekend I attended a Multi-Stake Youth Conference. The first day, 1,600 LDS youth ages 14-18 gathered together in Spokane. We started out playing some games while people were arriving. My favorite was Human Statues in which a group of ten or so people tried to make a human statue of a monument. I had Double Decker Bus, Old Faithful, and Statue of Liberty, among others.

Once everyone arrived, we went outside to the big grassy field and played Simon Says before splitting into smaller groups and playing some other games. We then ate dinner, consisting of tacos, and then prepared for the dance. There were two dances, one was a DJ and the other was a live band. There were also some Minute to Win it  games going on.

The next day, we listened to a couple soldiers and a Gold Star mother speak, mostly about soldiers who lose their lives fighting for our country. Afterward, we made Christmas and Thanksgiving cards to put in care packages.

For lunch, they made hamburgers for us all. I was at the back of the line, so had to wait forty-five minutes in the hot sun. After lunch, we gathered again to listen to several more speakers and sing some songs. We then went home and celebrated Lydia's birthday. She turned fifteen.

In other news, I remade my website. The link is now http://agstewart.webs.com.

And a last bit of advice - at Baskin Robbins, don't eat the watermelon flavored ice cream with the chocolate seeds. It's really not that great.