The Thirteenth Tale

I just finished a book yesterday called "The Thirteenth Tale" by Diane Setterfield. I started it probably a month (or more) ago. At first I was enjoying it, but a few chapters in I started finding it to be completely dry. Nothing about it was capturing my attention. So instead of reading for hours each night like usual, I would only read a chapter or two every few nights. I would have stopped reading it altogether, but I hate quitting things, so I knew I was going to have to finish it no matter what.

The story is basically about a woman who is called on by an elderly author to come and write her "true" biography. The elderly woman is notorious for telling stories and lies and no one knows her true story, but now--on her deathbed--she decides that she finally wants to tell the truth to someone. (It's a very similar plot line as "The House at Riverton" by Kate Morton, but the story is very different, of course.)

Interesting enough plot, right? That's what I thought, too. And it is an interesting plot, but the writing is too dry for my taste. I like a story that keeps me on a constantly inclining roller coaster with lots of action and some big, shocking twist ending--and that's definitely not what this book was offering.

Well . . . by the time I reached the 80% complete mark in the book, it actually started getting really interesting. And once I hit that point I finished the book in one sitting. And the ending was astounding!

Let me just say that the writing in the book--though dry--is full of artistic metaphors and descriptions; which I like, but that in-and-of itself doesn't make a book interesting. There were plenty of seemingly useless details throughout the book that I had wondered why bother even put in there at all . . . until the ending came and tied everything together; just as a good book should.

Suddenly I found myself wishing I had read the book faster so I could remember more of the details that had suddenly become crucial to the tale. I think I may actually have to read it again now that I know the mystery.

If you are looking for something to read, I would ultimately recommend this book, but it comes with the warning that you may or may not enjoy it until the very end. So if you start it . . . finish it. I promise it'll be worth it.

The Solo That Started It All.

Today I was reminiscing about my first time singing in public. That time also happened to be my very first solo.

I was seven.

I sang in church for my grandparent's mission farewell. It was actually all of my cousins singing a song appropriately titled "Grandma and Grandpa are going away on a Mission", but the first few lines were a solo part. The part was supposed to go to the youngest grandchild, who was actually my sister Hailee. I remember being totally jealous that she was going to get to sing a solo in church. But she was only four or five at the time, and was completely mortified by the concept, so she tearily declined; and I was quick to fill her shoes.

I don't think anyone knew at the time (including myself) that I could sing, so it came as a bit of a surprise when I turned out to have pretty strong vocal abilities.

I remember how completely amazing it felt to be up in front of all those people singing. I don't remember feeling the slightest bit nervous. I was too excited to be nervous.

And that's how my singing career began. After that, my parents signed me up for some vocal lessons and the rest is history. I often wonder how different my life would be if I hadn't offered to do that solo. I may never have ended up in singing lessons, which would have meant that I would have never performed. I probably wouldn't have ever been in any type of music competition or musical play. I never would have spent that little bit of time working with a singing producer before cancer came along and squashed that dream. Haha. (At the time I was bummed, but I've since grown to appreciate that my life went in a different direction.)

And on that note . . . I'll share this lovely little musical gem with you. (Aubrey is performing the male part.)

 

PS, I finally got around to posting the next part of Chronicles of Zacorah. Sorry it took so long for those of you who have been asking me for it. I wasn't sure where to end the first episode. It was either too short, and ended in kind of a dull place, or it was waaaay too long. Ultimately I chose to publish it even though it's short and ends dull. Haha. Oh well. If you want to read it, Click Here. If you've already read the Introduction, just scroll down to Episode 1.

Pity-Party.

This is not going to be a happy post, because I am not a happy person right now. I'm having a bit of a pity-party day.

I think when I was up in Heaven, I thought I was a lot tougher than I really am. I signed up for waaaay too much stuff here on Earth. I didn't sign up for anything super challenging (so far, anyway), but I signed up for something to happen constantly.

If it's not cancer or hormone issues . . . it's a new allergy.

This gluten thing is kind of kicking my ass. Which is really ironic, because I typically have a lot of self control over what I eat. But now that I can't eat certain things, it seems like I crave them far more. (And this is of course (unfortunately) normal.) And then there's the fact that no one around me is forced to keep a gluten free diet, so they of course don't.

At all.

Pizza and chocolate chip cookie party anyone? Cortney? Oh, that's right . . . you can't eat this. Hmm . . . why don't you snack on yet another rice cake while we all dig in right in front of you. What's that? The smell is making you suicidal? Well . . . there are more rice cakes in the cabinet. Eat a few more of those.

I hope rice cakes disappear from the face of the Earth. I'm growing soooo sick of them. And yet, every morning I somehow crave another one.

I've literally been living on foods that I couldn't stand in another life. And by "another life", I mean 4 weeks ago.
-olives
-eggs
-rice cakes
- . . . .

Oh, wait . . . that's it. That's all I eat. For 7 weeks now.

And I don't have a boyfriend. Not that that's related. Just another annoying fact.

Oh, and I've had cramps for the last 96 hrs straight. Periods are bad enough. Cramps are just cruel.

Also, this picture seems to fit today.

 

New songs and artists

I hate it when I judge people. Fortunately, it's not something I do often, but sometimes it just catches me off guard! For example, today I was browsing through one of my fb friend's albums. Mostly it was pictures of funny sayings and stuff, but then a picture of her popped up. My first reaction was Yikes. Did she really put that on fb??

I instantly felt terrible. Judging isn't me!! That's something I simply don't do, and I have to wonder where this thought came from! It's horrible! I feel really bad. I'd apologize to her, but since she doesn't know it happened, I think it's best if I just apologize to God. ;)

There is a spider living in my bathroom. :-/ I found him the other day hanging out in my shower. It of course creeped me out, but I have my litte rule about not killing things. Anything. Not even spiders. So I left him alone. I thought about taking him outside, but that would mean certain death for the little guy given that it's currently about 30 degrees outside. I guess I'll just have to live with him there. :(

I discovered some new songs/artists this past week. I'll share a couple of my favorites.

First, there is this song by t.A.T.u. Not sure how I hadn't heard it before; apparently it was pretty popular??

t.A.T.u. -- All About Us

Tatu - All About Us download at emp3

And there's this one from Apocalyptica. I think I had heard it before . . .


Apocalyptica -- I Don't Care

Adam Gontier/Apocalyptica - I Don't Care .mp3

Found at bee mp3 search engine

And then there are these following artists who I hadn't heard of, but I really like their stuff. Here are some of my favorites.


Little Dragon -- Twice

Little Dragon - Twice .mp3

Found at bee mp3 search engine

Amberian Dawn -- River of Tuoni

Amberian Dawn - River of Tuoni .mp3

Found at bee mp3 search engine

Sirenia -- The Other Side

Sirenia - The other side .mp3

Found at bee mp3 search engine

A Few of My Favorites.

My favorite . . .

Genre of music: Currently Indie.
Song: P!nk - Just Give Me A Reason

Musician: Muse and Florence + the Machine.
Perfume: "Bombshell" by Victoria Secret, "Ralph" by Ralph Lauren, "Revert Eco" by Rue 21
TV Personality: Ellen Degeneres. (LOVE her!)
Comedian: Steve Carell. (LOVE him!)
Actor: Right now it's Zac Efron (yes, that little crush is still goin' on) and Robert Downey Jr.
Actress: Jennifer Aniston. (My sister and I both adore her!)
Author: Right now I'm really into the Child and Preston books.
Season: Fall
Holiday: Halloween and 4th of July
Food: Sushi, but only from a legit sushi bar--none of that "grocery store" stuff.
Junk Food Snack: Caramel rice cake with honey-vanilla Greek Gods greek yogurt, flax seed and raspberries on top.
Healthy Snack: Salmon fillet salad with fresh-squeezed lemon and a dash of sea-salt substituting for dressing.
Workout Routine: Any of the Jillian Michaels videos.
Kid's Movie: The Lorax.
Action Movie: The Avengers.
Action/Comedy: the Sherlock Holmes films.
Action/Adventure: Avatar.
Comedy: Step Brothers or Role Models.
Drama: Seven Pounds.
Romance: The Notebook.
Teen Comedy: 17 Again.
TV Show: Glee and Vampire Diaries. (Previously I've favored Lost, Psych, Heroes, and--of course--Friends. In fact, those are the ONLY shows I've ever watched.)
Candy: I only eat one kind of candy--Dove dark chocolate with almonds.
Breed of Dog: Miniature and Doberman Pinschers.
Place to Visit: Fort Myers Beach, Florida (Second is Bozeman, Montana.)
Time of Day: Sunrise.
Video Games: The Elder Scroll series, the Fable series, and the Zelda games. (And occasionally, Sims.)
Color: Gold

Also, completely unrelated to the rest of this post (because this is definitely not one of my favorites), here is a song I sang recently. Not my best. Not my worst. Moderately difficult song.

 

Chronicles of Zacorah.

I've started a new blog, Chronicles of Zacorah. Feel free to check it out, and leave feedback if you'd like.

The Legend of the Tetons

 

Aubrey had to write an "Indian myth" for her English class. It had to be two pages long (hers ended up being much longer), include cliches often found in Indian tales, such as "many moons", and it had to be about how one of the landforms in Idaho was created. She of course came to me for help and I had a FIELD day. I miss having homework assignments like these.

Anyway, we thought about it for a little bit, and decided to do her myth on the Tetons. This is what we came up with. (Ignore the fact that it repeats the difficult names about a million times. That was our private little joke because the teacher had to read the legends out loud to the class and we thought it'd be funny if she kept having to say all these words.)

 

The Legend of the Tetons

            Long before the grass-covered flats of Northern America became known as the Valley of the Tetons, there lived a boy named Ciqala, which means “little one”. He longed to be a fearsome warrior like his father and brothers, but was mocked and ridiculed by the members of his tribe for his tiny stature. One day, the boy pleaded with his father for a way to prove he was more than just his size. He wanted a chance to prove he too could be a great warrior, but his father proclaimed, “Ciqala, you are simply too small. In order to be a warrior yourself, you must find a way to impress the fearsome warriors of our tribe, and this would be no simple task; especially considering your tiny size.”  

Discouraged--but not deterred--Ciqala thought of all the ways he could possibly impress the great warriors of his tribe. He remembered the legend of Hotah Tohapka, the white buffalo. Hotah Tohapka had eluded hunters for many years and had lived an extraordinary long life. Hotah Tohapka was worshipped and considered to be a sacred symbol to the people of the tribe. It was considered a great honor to see the buffalo. Legend stated that, he who could approach and ride the buffalo was destined to be the most fearsome of all great warriors.

That very night, Ciqala snuck out and used the full moon as his guide across the vast valley. He traveled for many nights until he finally found Hotah Tohapka grazing in a field of alfalfa. The buffalo watched intently as Ciqala attempted to approach. The buffalo turned to leave, but Ciqala pleaded with him, “Please, Hotah Tohapka. My name is Ciqala and I am here to prove to my tribe that I can be a great warrior. If you would just let me ride upon your back, my tribe would accept me as the greatest warrior to be born in many moons. You would bestow upon me a very great honor.”

Hotah Tohapka paused in consideration, then nodded for Ciqala to approach. The boy returned triumphantly to his tribe atop of Hotah Tohapka’s large, pale back. The great warriors of Ciqala’s tribe held a ceremony in his honor, officially welcoming him back as the greatest warrior in the land and gave him the new name, Ciqala-Cheveyo, meaning “little spirit warrior.”

Many years flew by and even though he never grew to be as large as the other warriors in his tribe, Ciqala-Cheveyo grew to be a great warrior indeed; always accompanied by the white buffalo, Hotah Tohapka.

Unbeknownst to Ciqala-Cheveyo or the members of his tribe, as the seasons came and went an enemy tribe was plotting against them. They envied the small warrior with the fearsome white buffalo and longed to take the beast for themselves. Rumors of Ciqala-Cheveyo’s small size only encouraged the enemy tribe, convincing them they would have success in taking the life of the little Indian man. The enemy tribe plotted for many seasons until the budding of the Quaking Aspen trees signaled to them that the time to take the white buffalo for themselves had come. Hundreds and hundreds of enemy tribesmen mounted their large, black steeds and headed out across the grassy countryside towards Ciqala-Cheveyo and his people.

That night, as Ciqala-Cheveyo and his brothers slept, Hotah Tohapka paced across the plains in agitation, the cold, Idaho breeze barely registering through his thick, heavy white coat. He had senses superior to any man or beast and sensed the impending danger of the enemy tribe’s approach. He knew their numbers would be great—far greater than those of his family tribe—and thought long and hard about how he could help to save those he loved.

Just before the sun was prepared to make his journey across the sky, Ciqala-Cheveyo awakened to a terrible trembling of the ground. At first, he thought there was an earthquake, but as he stood, he saw the enemy tribesmen, still far away, but approaching fast on horseback. They much represented an angry, omnipotent cloud. Ciqala-Cheveyo quickly awakened his fellow warriors and, with a sense of impending doom, all prepared for the imminent battle.

Hotah Tohapka watched the enemy’s swift approach and listened to the weeping of the women and children of Ciqala-Cheveyo’s tribe. He looked out over the miles of grassland separating his loved ones from the approaching enemy and, in that moment, he knew what he had to do. He turned toward Ciqala-Cheveyo, let out a large snort of air and signaled with his head for Ciqala-Cheveyo and his people to turn and flee. Before Ciqala-Cheveyo could object, Hotah Tohapka turned and raced toward the thick flood of enemies. He raced long and hard, gaining speed, then burrowed his massive frame deep into the ground, disappearing under the green earth. Then with great effort he heaved upward, pushing the rocky soil up and up with his strong, sturdy back. He pushed and heaved and pushed and heaved, and as he did the earth raised with his effort. It raised and raised growing more and more jagged, climbing higher and higher until a great mountain range formed between the stampeding enemy tribe and Ciqala-Cheveyo’s people.

The enemy tribe’s progress towards Ciqala-Cheveyo and his people was forced to a halt. Despite their best efforts, they could find no way over the large mountains that had formed before their very eyes. They returned to their people, heads hung low in defeat.

Ciqala-Cheveyo’s brothers rejoiced at having been saved and held a spiritual ceremony in Hotah Tohapka’s honor, thanking him for his heroic actions, but Ciqala-Cheveyo couldn’t bear to join the celebration. Instead, he packed a few belongings and headed toward the great mountain peak which had been created by the back of Hotah Tohapka. He climbed to the top of a peak near the largest of the three main peaks and began digging, hoping to save his beloved beast from his earthy tomb. He dug so long that the moon and the sun both had time to complete their casual journeys across the sky three times. He dug through the mountain until it was no longer a peak, then pounded the earth flat over and over again in aggravation, pleading for Hotah Tohapka to hear him, but there was no reply. He dug many caves into nearby mountains, trying to gain access, but again had no luck. Hotah Tohapka had perished with the effort of his heroic rescue. Lost without his life-long friend and companion, Ciqala-Cheveyo soon joined him in the heavens.

Many moons later (more than most can count) Hotah Tohapka’s mountains became known as the Grand Tetons and the valley that sheltered Ciqala-Cheveyo’s people became known as the Valley of the Tetons. The mountain top worn flat my Ciqala-Cheveyo’s desperate search for his pale friend became known as Table Mountain, and the caves he had dug in an attempt to rescue him soon were called the Caves of Wind.

The end.

Sharing a few songs . . .

I am in the mood to share some music. So here are a few toons I'm diggin' lately.



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Spoon - The Underdog .mp3

Found at bee mp3 search engine

 

Neon Hitch - Fuck You Betta

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David Guetta Feat. Sia (www.Aloonak9.in) - David Guetta Feat. Sia - She Wolf _Falling to Pieces_ _Radio Edit_ [256]

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Correatown - All the World (I Tell Myself)

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A Fine Frenzy - What I Wouldn't Do

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Voxhaul Broadcast - If I Run

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Coldplay & Rihanna - Coldplay & Rihanna - Princess of China

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And of course, my most favorite (because Florence is amazing!!):

Florence + The Machine - Breath Of Life

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We go together.

I'm going to start this post by once again stating (I've already said this on my facebook page) how much I absolutely hate, loath, detest and abhor Silverstar. Their internet Suuuuuuuuucks. Sucks. Sucks. Sucks. I can't say it enough. They suck so bad.

Anywaaaaaay . . .

I entered the SingSnap "Nifty Fifties" challenge. We had one day to prepare and had to pick a song from an artist who got their start in the fifties. I decided that I wanted to try and do one that no one else had done, but with over 600 entries, that didn't leave many options. Really only one, in fact.

It only left this one.

Eff, that song was harder to sing than you would think. My voice was DEEEAAAAD by the time I was done recording it. I spent over an hour just learning the song. I haven't watched Grease in such a long time, and then I never exactly learned the words to that song in the first place (for obvious reasons.) But I think it turned out okay. The comments people have left are very sweet. Then again, everyone leaves sweet comments--even to the people who royally suck--so I take it all with a grain of salt.

I don't imagine I'll win--not with as many entries as there were--but it was still fun to enter. :)

Want to see something cute??

(Nevermind . . . Silverstar SUCKS so it won't let me upload the video.)

My little dog is too dang adorable. He also has got to be the cleanest little dog ever! He LOOOVES to shower with me. In fact, ever third day, he'll scratch at the shower door and whine until I pull him in. We even have a system worked out. While I'm under the water, I stand to one side so a stream still comes down and hits him (which he positions himself under so it hits him square between the shoulder blades), then when I'm out of the water lathering up or whatever, he moves under. He loves it! Especially now that it's getting cold.

He also has gotten in the bad habit of not ever wanting to leave my sight. Especially since I've been home so much lately with him. (More on that in a moment.) He's a great little dog and I love his little guts!! We've had a great weekend, just the two of us. I turned down two dates this weekend just so I could enjoy my time alone with my little guy. (And because I've felt horribly lately, honestly.)

About me not working so much lately . . . That is an aggrivating story. Basically since July my skin has been freaking out. Like, royally freaking out, so I haven't wanted to go anywhere. But only along my jaw line. If I'm being honest, my skin has been breaking out since last March, but it only started getting out of control in July. And it has been anyone's guess as to why. I've had doctors thinking it was related to my job with Targhee and the chemicals we use. Others have thought it was hormone related. I even had one doctor tell me I probably have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. But that didn't make sense. My cycle is normal (you're welcome for that information) and I don't have any "masculine hair growth". In fact, I have NONE of the symptoms of that syndrome besides the breakouts along my jaw.

I finally started doing some research of my own and discovered that I have a gluten allergy and possibly something called Celiac disease. It makes perfect sense! Basically all that means is that my body can't absorb gluten so my immune system treats it as a threat. This adds up with my symptoms more than anything. Remember how I said my skin started getting bad in March? At the time I blamed it on the stress of having to come home from my vacation and get back to reality. But while I was in Florida I first broke my diet by eating a salmon sandwich. (My vegan diet I was on was gluten free completely by coincidence.) Then, when I got back, Zach and I spent those two weeks together and I ate so much bread. I ate incredibly poorly nearly everyday and my skin was getting worse. So was our relationship, so I blamed it on the stress from that. Then, in July I started working at Targhee and the job was so physically taxing that I felt like I needed more calories than my vegan diet was providing, so I started taking a sandwich pretty much every day. And THAT'S when I started having the troubles with my skin.

It's kind of ironic -- Since I dont' have a thyroid I have literally prayed for a way to stay in shape (people with no thyroids often end up overweight, and those tendencies run in my family anyway so . . . double whammy). Well, I think my prayers were answered. If I can't eat bread or sugar . . . pretty sure I'll be fine my whole life. :) As long as they are done messing with my thyroid, that is. So . . . in the end, it's a huge blessing! My temptation to eat junk food is completely eliminated by this new fact of life!

The only that SUCKS about it is that sushi (my very most favorite food) isn't always gluten free. The soy sauce especially is a no-no. Balls. I think I'll just have to deal with poor skin a couple of times a year because I don't think I can eliminate sushi from my life completely.

 

 

Just Some Thoughts.

Thoughts I've had today:

Why can't I do it for myself? Why does it always have to involve a boy??
I am not immune to the Gangnam Style groove. It gets me every. time.
I'm going to eat that cookie.
Being vegan for a year and a half, and then abruptly stopping was a baaaad idea.
Nevermind. I'm not going to eat that cookie.
It's not over. Oh, no. It's not over. He'll see.
What ever am I going to do once I'm done with all the Child and Preston books?!?
Okay . . . Maybe I'll eat the damn cookie.
Aubrey and I's Gangnam Style is almost as cool as the original.
I'll have an entire, huge house to myself this whole weekend. And I'm completely single.
No!! No cookie!! I'll eat this banana instead. But I'll be wishing it was that cookie.
I'm effing cold.


Also . . . look how hot my sisters are . . .

 

Halloween Photos! (Again!)

It's OCTOBER! October is by far my most favorite of all the months. Halloween is my favorite holiday, which may seem weird, but it's not for the reasons you may think. Halloween is the ONLY holiday that still brings me the exact same emotions I felt from it when I was younger.  And I love everything about the month that hosts it. I love the crisp weather (even though it's cooling down dramatically), I love the falling leaves, the smells, the pumpkin spice teas and candles, and I especially love the COLORS (of course!)!!!

You know what else October and Halloween mean, right?? Halloween photos!! Haha. Yesssss. Here are the three I've done so far. (Thanks Colt and Will for letting me do your photos.) :)

Make sure and email me if you want yours done again this year!!

Happy Birthday, Mommy!

Today is my mom's birthday (Happy Birthday, MOM!) so Aubrey and I sang her a little song. It got off to a rocky start (my earphones weren't plugged in), but ultimately, I think it adequately communicates our love and appreciation for our wonderful mother. :)

 

In all seriousness, my mom is wonderful and has done so very much for me in my life. I'm very grateful for her and love her VERY much!!