Alexis (Lexy) Blue Rose Mikkelson

Today has been a really hard day for me.

My heart is broken. Tears shine on my cheeks. A lump is in my throat. All the while I'm trying to be strong. It's impossible.

Anyone who has owned a dog knows how much we love them and get attached to them. Even then you cannot know my pain of losing a dog who I have known my whole life.

Today we had to put to sleep the greatest family dog ever to live. My dog Lexy.

This is a picture of her at Christmas time. She would always lie by the fire and warm up. Sometimes she would be my foot warmer.

On Sunday, when we would have breakfast, she would always come under the table and stay there for the rest of the meal. We used to feed her scraps off the table. I would always give her the end of my ham as a treat.

I remember when she would run everywhere. When we went sledding, she would always be flying along side us with her ears bouncing up and down. She would do the same when we were at the sand dunes.

Every time it snowed, she would always be the first one out there, leaving a trail of footprints behind her. She would go outside in the freezing weather just to eat the snow off the deck. When she came in, she would have a snow beard around her mouth.

Lexy was incredibly loyal. She would always be there beside us when a stranger was near. She was my  protector. Late at night, when my parents were gone, she gave me that sense of safety. When she was in the house, I knew we would be safe.

Everywhere we went, she would follow us around. When I would go into my parents room, Lexy would come along and lie down on her big red pillow.

There are many other stories I have of her, but I will have to post them later.

She is the greatest dog ever to live and I will miss her terribly.

She will forever be in my heart.

Mistborn

Ever wanted to have super strength, balance, and speed? What about gaining enhanced senses? Seeing, smelling, touching, and hearing better? How about making people feel a certain emotion? What about soaring through the air? Seeing what someone is going to do before they do it?

You can do all this and more if you're Mistborn.

"For a thousand years, the ash fell and no flowers bloomed. For a thousand years, the Skaa slaved in misery and lived in fear. For a thousand years, the Lord Ruler reigned with absolute power and ultimate terror, divinely invincible. Then, when hope was so long lost that not even its memory remained, a terribly scarred, heartbroken half-Skaa rediscovered it in the depths of the Lord Ruler's most hellish prison."

With the Garrison keeping everyone in line, Obligators everywhere you go, Inquisitors watching your every move through steal spikes where eyes should have been, and the Lord Ruler's unmatchable power, it's no wonder why there is no hope in the land.

Kelsier, The Survivor of Hathsin, The Lord of the Mists, and Slayer of an immortal Inquisitor. He is a fully realized Mistborn. He has undertaken the most challenging task of overthrowing the Final Empire.  With the help of his friends, a skilled set of mistings, they make the plan into a reality.

Vin is a 16-year-old girl who expects betrayal from everyone she meets. She's had a rough life. Her mother tried to kill her. Her father doesn't know she exists. Her brother beats her. Now she's alone, left with a thieving crew who mistreats her. But she has a special gift. She has luck. Unknown to her, Vin's so called luck is really Allomancy.

When these two meet, Kelsier explains to Vin that she's Mistborn. He convinces her to join his group. Together, they try to topple the politics that has dominated society, lead the helpless Skaa in a rebellion, and kill the Lord Ruler.

Will they be able to bring hope to a hopeless world? Will Vin learn how to trust and be a friend? Will Kelsier kill them all with his unbelievable plan?

Find out in Mistborn.

My review:

After reading this book, I was tempted to swallow some metal to see if I was Mistborn. My dad forbade me of this.

I am a big book reader. I LOVE to read! Lately I've noticed I can predict what's going to happen in books. I don't like books that are too predictable. I haven't read a book in a long time that challenged my skills at predicting. I really enjoyed Mistborn because I wasn't able to predict the entire story.

It took me on a great ride. I spend hours sitting in my favorite chair reading this. WARNING! IF YOU PICK UP THIS BOOK, YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO STOP READING!

I have warned you.

The characters were very fun to get to know. I especially loved Vin. It was fun reading about her adventures.

This table will help you understand a bit better what each metal does.

These are the basic eight metals. If you swallow a certain type of metal and burn it, you will be able to have whatever skill it lets you.

If I had to choose one, I would be a Tineye. But of course I would be Mistborn so I would have all the powers.

The coolest metal, which isn't on the list because it's special, is Atium. It allows Mistborn to see a few seconds into the future. Wouldn't it be nice if you're in a fight to see what your opponent is going to do before he or she does it? You could block or dodge all of there attacks, making sure you go away from the fight unharmed. The only problem is it is really expensive. The Lord Ruler controls what goes out, just like they do with diamonds. The more rare, the more expensive.

I can't wait to read the next two books. I'll be at my library tomorrow to pick them up.

"There's always another secret." -Kelsier

Fire vs. Water

The Alpine fire is four miles away from my home. Kind of scary. What's even more scary is its burning up my mountains. Fire, you can't do that.

 It looked like harmless clouds at first, but then I looked down. That was no clouds. That was a fire! Burning up the forest. That was not ok.

I went back inside my house, went to my parent's closet, sat down, and cried. I was heart broken. And scared. And angry.

At night, I went outside with a camp chair to watch the flames. I don't know how long I was there. I lost track of time. You do that when you see the mountains burning up. In the nighttime, you can see the flames much easier.

My sister said it looked like a trail of wisps. Wisps are the little blue guys from Brave.

On a side note, my hair looks just like Merida's. Except not the exciting color of fiery orange.

I hoped and prayed for rain. And it came. Two days after the fire started. I was so grateful. I went outside to take pictures. The clouds covered the mountains. It looked like they were sitting on the side.

In a happy mood, I looked around and saw the most beautiful flower I've ever seen. I asked my mom when she got it. Apparently they have been in our yard for many years. 

For a close up (which makes them even more pretty):

And others that looked just like it but different colors:

I was walking around and saw the coolest thing ever. Little beads of water hanging from a branch of a pine tree.

It's amazing when you get close up to nature.

In the end, ladies and gentlemen, water beat fire in an amazing battle for the ownership of the mountains. This has been a good day. A good day indeed.

Fo(u)rth of July

Even though it's not spelled with a "u". I think it should be. It just makes more sense.

Anyway, the Forth of July. Independence Day. The day we got our freedom from England. An amazing day to celebrate.

We go over to my grandma's house for dinner. Sandwiches, chips, pasta salad, and some delicious salsa. My aunt made the coolest looking drink ever.

A little science lesson. The sugar's density makes the drinks separate out and makes this creation. Pretty cool, huh. She also made this with a little help from my cousins.

Marshmallows covered in pop rocks, all on top of a twisty straw. You can't get much better than that.

My cousin enjoying this treat. It was so funny when she opened her mouth. You could hear the popping sound echoing around.

Savannah posing for a picture in grandma's garage. She has the cutest smile.

Fisher, Savannah's little bro. I love his face. My little bro is standing in the back. He could be a soldier.

This next picture is going to make you drool. If you're hungry, turn away. Now. 

Homemade Oreo cookies. The best cookies ever. I'm usually the cookie maker in the family. The day before, I had made a few batches of chocolate chip cookies (the second best cookies ever!), and I didn't feel like making any more cookies. (Probably because I was still trying to get over my stomachache from eating half the cookie dough.) 

My little sister, Annika, took over the job. She's never made cookies before, so my ma helped her. They turned out very well.

My little bro agrees with me. It looks like he got caught taking a cookie he wasn't supposed to have.

The little girls got out the Disney castle play set, and started playing with the small figures. I remember when I was much younger I used to play with this too. I showed them the secret passages and buttons. They thought I was so cool so know all this secretive stuff.

My sister decided to join them in their make believe game. She also showed them a few tricks. Who knew a plastic castle as small as this had so many secretive things?

The older kids sat on my grandma's couches having a conversation about Harry Potter and magic. Apparently they are to cool for toys anymore, as all other older kids are. They asked me if I was taking a picture. I told them I was deleting pictures. They fell for it.

Afterwards, we all went outside to watch fireworks. Since I was the oldest kid there, I was the one setting off the most fireworks. Starting off the night with sparklers and parachutes, we did every kind of firework imaginable (not really, but it seemed like it). My favorite kind is called ground blooms. The spinning ones on the ground.

I don't know what it is about these, but they are the coolest. They always spark a childish glee inside of me. This is just like any firework I see. It's funny that humans are attracted to bursting bombs of light.

Happy Forth of July everybody!!!

Question of the Day #3

Time for another Question of the Day! The question is:

Did you have a special object that you slept with? blanket? doll? stuffed animal? Did it have a name? Where did you get it?

I had all of the above. Blanket, doll, and teddy bear (stuffed animal). The relics of my past.

Don't they look cute together?

Let's go from oldest to youngest.

This is my blanket. (I enlarged it to show detail.) It has the abc's on it. They must have wanted me to start learning right away. My grandma gave it to my mom right before I was born, so I guess it's older than me. I had this blanket for a long time. I don't remember much about it, but I do remember loving it.

When I went to find it to get a picture, I smelled it. (I know that's weird, but that's what I do.) It triggered something. It's hard to explain, but I remembered that smell. It's the smell of my blanket.

On to the next item.

My baby doll. I named her little baby. This isn't really her (though some part of me says it is.) She looked just like this, but I had chewed her fingers and toes so it can't really be her. She was my doll for a very long time until one day I lost her and couldn't find her. I should have taken this look alike, but it just wasn't the same.

For a long time I was without a sleeping partner, until my grandma had a garage sale and I found this.

She let me take him home, and he's been mine ever since. His name is Alex. I think I've had him since I was seven. Ever since I've been attached to him. When I was eight, I took him to a photo shoot my mom had me do.

I had short blond hair back then.

As you can see, I really like my bear. Even though I'm older, he still occupies my bed while I sleep.

Question of the Day #2

Out of the blue Box of Mystery comes yet another question of the day!

The question is:

If you could live in another country, where would you live? Why? What do you know about it already?

Remember, you can answer this question for yourself in the comments box below.

Ok, Hawaii isn't another country, so I would pick Austria.

"Austria?" You say, "Why in the blazes would she pick Austria? It's a country no one even barking knows about!" Well, I know about it and I think it's wonderful.

Austria's located in the dead center of Europe.

The circles really help to find it.

I have always loved Europe and have wanted to go there for a long time. In my history class, my teacher made us do reports on different countries in Europe. I was really excited about this because my favorite book series (Leviathan, Behemoth, and Goliath) was set in Europe. One of the main characters, Alek, is the prince of Austria-Hungary. (Back in WWI, it was called that.) I wanted to learn about where he lived, so I chose Austria.

As I looked up pictures and other things, I realized how cool this country is. The scenery was fantastic! I saw the mountains and fell in love with it. 

I've always been a sucker for mountains. 

I don't know about you, but I want to visit this town. I'd live on the edge of the water with a boat, so I can, you know, boat. 

Notice every picture has water in it. I guess the mountain/lake combo is a winner. 

I did a full report on Austria, but I won't bore you with all the dates and facts. But I will tell you the things I found interesting. 

About one fourth of its population lives in the capital, Vienna. I guess that's a good way to meet people! Just visit the capital.

The official language spoken in Austria is German. Hmm. I need to start learning German. 

The Austrian flag is one of the oldest national flags in the world. No wonder. It's so easy to draw.

Red and white stripes. And only three! (Instead of thirteen on the American Flag.)

I want to go to Austria.

Luckily, my grandma promised me when I graduate from high school she would take me on a trip to anywhere I wanted. Austria, here I come! 

Sand Dunes!!!

The second happiest place on earth, according to my cousin Jamie.

I agree.

In southern Utah, there's a place called Little Sahara. Sahara as in the huge desert in upper Africa. It's hot. Very hot. But it's also the best place to go four wheeling.

My alarm went off at 5:53. (My clock is eight minutes fast so it would really be 5:45). I'd slept in my clothes so I wouldn't have to get dressed in the morning. Upstairs my family waited for me. We threw the last minute things into the back of the car and started on our one-and-a-half hour trip to the dunes.

We started our car ride routine. Get in the car, eat breakfast, stare out the window, maybe sleep, and then watch a movie.

We passed the town of Eureka, which meant we were almost there. Driving over a railway, I spotted the trees.

Trees you say? Yes, there are trees, and lots of them! But they look very different from our trees.

See what I mean. Different. Here's a close up view because the above picture is a wee bit misleading (because the trees aren't that green):

That's what they look like. Pay no attention to the rock/sand formations in the back. There's none of that at the sand dunes. 

As we drove into our favorite campground, our car got stuck. There had not been any recent rainfall in the area so the sand was very loose and shifty. The tires were so low in the ground that the front of our car touched the ground. It took a while to get it out, but we finally moved it out of the pit.

My aunt came with her four-wheel drive truck and made it over the pit without any trouble. Nothing to worry about, right? Wrong.

My cousins came with their truck and drove over the pit. Guess what! They got stuck. Even with their fancy shmancy four-wheel drive truck (yes, they had one too) they couldn't make it. 

It took forever to dig them out, but we finally did it. After that, we all went on our four-wheelers and drove around. I took my little bro on our first ride. After digging out two cars, I was anxious to get going. We drove into the trees, which is my favorite place to go because it exercises your brain. You have to make last second decisions of where to drive your four-wheeler because there are lots of twists and turns. 

After taking many rides (yeah, I hogged the four wheeler), I came into camp and grabbed a doughnut (second breakfast!). It was delicious.

My little cousin Savannah wanted me to play with her on the sand dunes. There's a place where kids can go to play on the sand dunes. It's marked off so four-wheelers and motorbikes can't ride in. We chose a shady spot and started to dig. 

Soon she made up a game (as little kids always do). We were the queens of a place called shloppen dople doo, and we were in charge of all the birthday parties. She gathered eight buckets to use to make her cakes and cupcakes. I dug a hole. She said I could give it to her as a present on her "birthday".

Using this shovel, and this shovel only, I dug a hole that went up to her shoulders. The shovel looked like this:

Very small, I know. The hole was this deep:

To give you a better idea of how deep it was, my little brother chose to hop in to show you all.

And he's tall for his age.

After my little play date, I went back to have lunch. We ate turkey wraps. Mine tasted like a sandwich. By that time, it was one in the afternoon. We were all tired from the day. It was too hot to play on the dunes without getting your feet burned. I decided I would go take my nap. Every time I go to the dunes, I take a nap. Even when I don't feel tired, I always end up falling asleep. 

I ended up taking a three-hour nap. What can I say? I was tired.

When everyone was up, we drove around on our four-wheelers again, waiting until it was nighttime. I took my last four-wheeler ride of the day. 

Yeah. I look cool.

After eating a dinner of brats (pronounced brawts), which are hot dogs with cheese inside, the sun had finally gone down. Time for nighttime dunes!

The best time to be at the sand dunes is night. It's when all the animals come out of hiding and the sand has cooled off so it doesn't burn your feet.

One thing that is really cool about the dunes is the rippled designs the wind creates. It looks like an ocean made of sand. Here's a picture to show you what I mean:

We played kick the can and tag until it was time to go.

Piling (pile with an ing on the end) into the car, we settled down to watch the rest of the movie. By the end, everyone was asleep except my dad, my little sister, and me. I wanted to watch How to Train Your Dragon and my little sister was too tired to argue. I was happily snuggled in the car watching my favorite movie. 

A perfect end to a perfect day.

Question of the Day #1

Here's how it works. I choose a question out of the amazing blue Box of Mystery and write my answer down. Feel free to answer it as well in the comments section.

Out from the shiny blue box comes the first ever question of the day! It is:

If you were on a deserted island, what 5 things would you want to have with you and why?

I think this is a good question to start out with. Many times I have envisioned myself on a deserted island and have asked myself, "What would I do? Who would I bring?" and other stuff like that. My five things are the following:

• My family
• Lot's of fresh water
• Camping equipment
• A couple boxes of mac-n-cheese
• The Leviathan series

These are in no particular order.

Now you ask for an explanation. And now I give it to you. 

My family. The number one thing I would bring. They are my pride and joy. I can trust and depend on them. I know they've always got my back. Instead of having to deal with all the problems that come with being on a deserted island, I could share the load. 

     My dad would be the protector. He would hunt, fish (actually he wouldn't because I don't like fish),    and provide for the family. I depend on him to be there if I ever need him. He makes up the best stories   and brings the family entertainment. He would also wrestle a lion (because there would be lions on my deserted island). I love my dad and couldn't make it without him. 

     My mom would work along side my dad. She would probably have her own garden, because she loves to pull out weeds (well, no one likes to pull weeds, but she does like to work outside). She would also keep the peace. Enough said. My mom would be there to help with all our needs. I also love her and would want her to be with me on my lion-infested island.

     My siblings. They would be my entertainment. 

     My little sister loves to make up plays. She is a big actress and is always looking for opportunities to act. She is also a great artist. She could draw an S.O.S. sign in the sand with many swirlys, flowers, and the like coming off of it. 

     My other little sister would take care of my little brother. They don't always see eye to eye, but she is great with little kids. She would hang out with me and would make up great games for us to play. 

     My little brother is the cutest kid I've ever seen. He always makes the funniest comments. He would be the source of humor in the family. He would also be the daredevil. He does the craziest things. I would accompany him on his adventures. 

Lot's of fresh water. Got to have that, right? Last time I heard, humans are made of 70% of water. Got to stay hydrated!

Camping equipment. Everything you need to survive the outdoors. Tent, sleeping bags, even a pot to hold the next item on my list.

Mac-n-cheese. The meal I have every Saturday for lunch. It's my favorite!

The Leviathan series. My ALL TIME FAVORITE BOOK SERIES!!! Love these books. If you haven't read them, shut down the computer and go to your local library to pick them up. They are that good. I promise.

I think that covers it. If I could have a 6th item, it would be my dad's potatoes he makes on Sunday (topped with ketchup of course!) They are delicious!

Box of Mystery

I've always wanted a journal, but I can't bring myself to ever write in one. A whole stack of journals sits in a corner of my room, each with a few pages filled up before I gave up on the endeavor.

Then I got a great idea from a teacher. She told my class her journal is her blog. I sat up in my seat. If I can't write in a journal, then maybe I can type one! Great idea, right? But there is one more problem I have to fix. I can never think of what to write. Luckily, my teacher had that one covered. She handed out an envelope with questions typed up on wee slips of colored paper.

Could this day get any better?

I ran out of the classroom eager to get home and start. Heading home, I heard someone shout, "Tori!" I turned around to find my teacher running after me. "Don't forget to roll them up!" The smile dropped from my face. There must have been over a hundred questions, each on there own sheet! 

I went home walking instead of running. 

I up-ended the open envelope and the colored papers cascaded down onto my bed. A whole pile (though it seemed to be a mountain) sat on my bed, ready for me to roll each of them up. I picked up a blue one and was about to do it when a brilliant idea popped into my head.

I could stuff them in a jar. That would make it so I didn't have to roll each one up. But there was another problem. They wouldn't fit. I looked around and saw my salvation sitting on a shelf. It was a metal box I made in school.

Yes, I made this box. Pretty sweet huh?

I stuffed the papers into it. It looked like this:

No more rolling up papers. Problem solved!

There was a little saying on the envelope, so I tore it off and taped it to my box. In case you can't read it (because I certainly can't) this is what it says:

Journals

"Preserve your memories-

seal them up well.

What you forget,

you can never retell.

But a journal that's kept

fresh on the shelf

will help someone through rough times-

maybe even yourself!"

- Unknown (Unless my teacher is a genius and made this up herself.)

Now I am all set and ready to go. In my mind I yell, "Ready, get set, BLOG!"