I'm gonna miss my computer

So Emily, Jacob and I are headed to Europe at noon today and we all decided to leave our computers at home. I was hoping to make posts during our trip so you could see what we were doing, but you'll just have to wait until I get back. I guess I could make the posts, but I couldn't put any pictures on it and that's no fun. So I will see you in two weeks!

My Sister's Keeper

I just finished this book last night and I cried like a baby. I've read all but 2 of Jodi Picoult's 15 books and "Second Glance" has always been my favorite. I think "My Sister's Keeper" bumps that one down to second followed by "Harvesting the Heart".

In true Jodi Picoult fashion, with "My Sister's Keeper", she takes an emotionally hard and controversial topic to write upon. When Brain and Sara Fitzgerald are told their two-year-old daughter, Kate, has leukemia, they decide to have another daughter, Anna, who will be the perfect bone marrow match for Kate. They do this through preimplantation genetic diagnosis which has often been criticized for making "designer babies." At first they plan to use only the cord blood, but when things go bad for Kate years down the road, they take blood and eventually bone marrow from Anna. When Anna is 13 and Kate needs a kidney to survive, she decides to get a lawyer and sue her parents for medical emancipation. It was at the end of the book, where there's a huge twist, that had me crying so hard. But you will just have to read it to find out.

You should read it quickly because they are making a movie of it right now that will come out in 2009. The cast includes Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin, Joan Cuzack and Alec Baldwin. I heard that before they got Abigail Breslin to play Anna, Dakota Fanning was cast to play Kate and her little sister was set to play Anna. But I guess Dakota didn't want to shave her head so she left the movie taking her little sister with her. I swear that if there is a little girl in a movie they only ever cast Dakota Fanning or Abigail Breslin. Let's get some new meat!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Monday is my dad's birthday and I just wanted to wish him a happy day! He is one of my favorite people because he has such and easy going personality and we can joke around a lot. Years ago, my older brothers started calling him "Olds" and it has stuck. We all call him Olds today. Most people might balk at that nickname, but he has been very good natured about it. That's what I love about him.

I have memories all throughout my life of doing things with my dad. He use to drive me to elementary school, he coached my t-ball team, he played pickle with me in our backyard, he gave me my braces and he made my school lunches for me everyday. Those are things of the past, but today we still do a lot. We mostly go to dinner and the movies on the weekend with my mom and whatever siblings are around. We also have a couple of TV shows that we watch together every week. A couple of years ago, I worked as an assistant for my dad and those are some of my fondest memories. I think he will admit that I worked hard but we also joked around a lot.

I admire my dad so much. He works so hard and has definitely been my example in learning to have a strong work ethic. I love you dad and appreciate all you have done and all you still do for me. Happy Birthday!

This is me and my dad but I have no idea where it is. I wonder what we're looking at?

This is me and my dad and again I have no idea where this is. My dad has a book in his hand. He always has a book he's reading and I think this is where I got that same habit from.

This is me and my dad in McCall, Idaho and Briton is on the left. I love sunflower seeds.