The Cluff Family

It seems like for the past two summers I have had a job that is extremely slow and boring where I find myself with LOTS of time on my hands. Right now I am working as a receptionist for an outdoor movie screen company. My main responsibility (and only) is to answer the phones. On average the phone rings maybe 15 times a day... if I'm lucky. So that being said... I have read a few books already and am going to continue my summer reading adventure.

I started out by reading the Hunger Games series. I was surprised with how Suzanne Collins (author) could capture such a disturbing and gruesome storyline and still keep it enjoyable at the same time. I must admit that I was hooked on the first book and half way through the second... but by the third I was anxious for the happy ending. I would highly recommend this to anyone who loves fiction. Very easy read!

The next book I read was The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I FELL IN LOVE. I don't know why but I am so fascinated with the 1960's and black culture. It boggles my mind that it was not even 50 years ago when blacks and whites were not seen as equal. I know that racism is still everywhere today and not even just with blacks and whites either. I wonder what it would be like to be in Jackson, Mississippi today... and to see how far things have changed... if at all. This is one of my all time favorite books. I read it in 3 days. I can't wait for the movie too... anyone wanna see it with me? I am in the process of reading the Isaac series by Ben Behunin. My mom gave me these books for Christmas and I am just starting to read them. I love the comparisons throughout the books between potters and people. Just like a potter takes the time to shape and mold its clay into something beautiful... we too are molded and shaped throughout our lives to become perfected. This book ties a lot of religious concepts into the story line and it is just an uplifting read. The author is an actual potter in real life and I want to own some of his pottery someday.
Well I am positive I will need some new suggestions by next week so let me know what are some good summer reads! :)

This post is dedicated to my Dad. I know it is not quite Fathers day yet but it is close enough and I just want to express how much I love him. Here are some reasons why I love my Dad:

1. You are hard working and have always supported the family. Even though your job can be stressful and time consuming at times, you always pulls through and endure... a quality that I have learned from.

2. You are the biggest motivator out there (maybe that is why you are so good at what you do). Ever since I can remember, you have always pushed me to be the best that I can be and to never look back. you have always encouraged me to take risks so that I never have any regrets.

3. You are active and enjoy playing games/sports with the family. Even though you have your occasional junk food binges, you have always been an example in the health department.

4. You have a strong testimony of the gospel. Even though you might not have initiated FHE or family prayer, I always knew you had a strong testimony through your example. Even now, I come home on the weekends and witness you kneeling in prayer or reading your scriptures. When you lost your job in December you went to the temple almost every day. I am grateful for your example and loving support in helping me find my own testimony.

5. He has a sense of humor. He is fun to be around. It's like that saying when mom is happy everyone is happy... well when Dad is having fun everyone is having fun.

6. He made it possible for me to go to college and instilled the value of education.

7. You helped my car get home in the snow at 2AM when it was a blizzard.

8. You woke me up with "RISE AND SHOUT!" in the mornings growing up.

9. You drove me across the country to spend the rest of my senior year in Utah... and drove practically the whole way.

10. You helped me paint my room yellow.

11. You allowed me to dance and came to all of my recitals.

12. You held my hand when we were stuck in a storm while snorkeling.

13. You are compassionate and help others without being asked.

14. You have always made me feel secure, safe, and protected.

15. You love me.

I LOVE YOU DAD!

My sister and I flew out for a week to visit my oldest sister because she just had a beautiful baby boy! Bradley Michael Andersen. My mom was there too so we had a fun-filled week of hanging out together and spending time with the new addition to the family. Bradley is the sweetest baby! I miss him so much already and I have not even been gone a week. There is something about holding a newborn that is so precious. He seems very easy-going and loves sleeping on someone's chest.
How could you resist this perfect baby? Even though he slept a lot... I really wanted to hold him every second!
Jaclyn and I headed into New York City one day for a few hours because it was SO HOT! We just so happened to come to the east when there was a major heat wave. Temperatures reached 100 degrees and when you are inside the city and subways, that is almost multiplied! We stopped at Saks 5th Avenue on Jaclyn's request. I personally see no point in looking at things that I could never afford but I was also being cranky and pregnant at the time. We also ate at the Shake Shack. It is very popular and we had to wait in line for an hour but it was well worth the wait! If you ever watch the movie Something Borrowed, there are tons of scenes filmed at the Shake Shack. We also stopped at Tiffanys. As we were walking out, one of the salesmen stopped us and tried to convince us to come upstairs to look at the new purses and that someone like us with such high taste and class would not want to miss out. I almost started laughing because I felt like a sweaty hobo walking into there in the first place... oh salesmen. After heat exhaustion and blisters we decided to head back to New Jersey to spend the rest of the week in air conditioning.

Besides the extreme heat, the trip was so fun! One day all the girls walked down the cute main street that is close to Michelle's apartment and got cold stone. We also browsed through some baby boutiques where the employees just oohed and awed over Bradley... I have a feeling he is going to get that the rest of his life. Another day we went and saw Midnight in Paris. I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed the movie. I high recommend it to any Art/Writer/Humanities Buff. To fill in the blanks... we just all enjoyed each others company and loved helping Michelle and Michael adjust to their new life as parents. The next time I get to see the Andersen family will be with Tanner at the end of July... counting down the days!

College was a frustration for me because it was never like I could really pin point one thing that I enjoyed or one thing that I was good at. I guess I was scatterbrained in the dreams department that I never chose one career. I understand that my ultimate career will be to raise a family and be a mother and wife, hence my major choice (home and family living). I do still think it is possible to incorporate all of them into my life.

One-I love designing. Whether it be rooms, cards, scrapbooking, etc. I LOVE IT. Ever since my mother asked me my opinion on what color to paint my room when I was six years old (PINK)... I have always loved to design.

Two- I also love baking. There is something that I do want to learn in the future and that is cake decorating. I am obsessed with finding new recipes and trying new desserts. Cooking... FORGET IT! but baking... well I could spend hours.

Three- I also have had a passion for photography. I took a photography class in high school and I'm not even lying when I say it was probably my favorite class. If I could go back in time I would have majored in Photography at BYU. At the time of choosing my college path, I was a scared freshman who never thought I had a chance of making it into the very competitive program :(. I know that you don't need a major to do photography or even just do it as a hobby so that is another goal of mine.... save up enough money to buy a camera and take the next step.

Four- I love flowers and floral design. During one of my summers off during College, I worked at a Party store that was co-owned with a flower shop. I envied all of the florist and desperately wanted their job just so that I could learn.

I guess to conclude all of my aspirations it comes down to one word: CREATIVITY. I desperately need to express my creativity and have fun in the process. This leads me to my dream job: Party planning. While blog stalking today, I found the cutest website that I fell in love with. This is what I want to do. It incorporates everything! Design, cake, photography, flowers, fun, organization! It is called onecharmingparty.com. Check it out!