The Secret Life of Prince Charming

     During my trip to San Fransisco, I read a really wonderful book called "The Secret Life of Prince Charming" by Deb Caletti. The book is about this girl Quinn who is surrounded by women who have gotten their hearts broken by the men in their lives. Quinn's father is one of these men; her parents were divorced and her dad wasn't too involved in her life until just recently. When Quinn finds out that her father has taken a token from every woman he's had a relationship with, she sets out on a road trip with her little sister and he half sister to return the stolen items. Along the way, they find truth. Truth about their father and about love. In the end, Quinn even finds some good love of her own.
    Throughout the book, stories of the women in Quinn's life are told. The stories are about their bad relationships, their mistaken perceptions about love, and about how they finally found good love. The stories were one of my favorite parts about the book. They really resonated with me, and reminded me of how I've let myself get into stupid situations and bad relationships. They also made me realize how strong women are and how much we need to stand up for ourselves, especially when we aren't being treated like we should in a relationship.
     I strongly recommend this book! It's a great teen read (although there were a few f-words :s), it's fairly easy, and it has a lot of great insight. It would make a great summer read! I'm just gonna share a few of my favorite quotes, hope you enjoy :)

"Love should have conditions. And the biggest one

is that you should be able to look in someone's

face and respect what you see."

"I know now that if love is a decision, it should be 

stuck with not out of some sort of cement-and-chains

obligation, but because the choice was a good

one. A solid one. Love is a decision that should be 

made for the right reasons and kept for the right reasons."

"The most basic and somehow forgettable thing

is this: Love is not pain. Love is goodness.

And real love- it's less shiny than solid and simple. It's

the stuff of sunflower spirals and seashells, where there is 

beauty and mystery, but where there is logic too. You do not

need protection from it. It is not about the lies that

someone else tells you or that you tell yourself, but about

the truth. Real love is clear. It's as uncomplicated as that

shell. It's as timeless. When you find it, if you find it, pick it up.

For all the right reasons, pick it up and hold it close."

and my favorite:

"Listen, when what you want is a relationship and

not an actual person, get a dog."

     Sincerely,

               Me

San Fransisco!

The Golden Gate Bridge

Turner running free in the desert

     What better way to start a summer than with a vacation! After surviving finals week, my parents and I took a trip to San Fransisco. To make it even better, my cousin came along! We had a great time. San Fran is a very pretty city, the architecture is so beautiful and it's a very different culture than my quiet life in Utah. The first day was all travel, which kindof sucked because I was still recovering from being sick during finals week. We ended up in Reno and spent the next day, Sunday, in the area too. We went to this cute little mountain town called Virginia city, with cute little shops and random people dressed in old western clothes. Then we took a scenic drive back to Reno, and stopped on the way by a pile of rocks to let the dogs out. There were some really good views at the top!

The beautiful "Painted Ladies"

     The next day we traveled to Petaluma California, only a short drive from San Fran! We got there in the early afternoon, so me and my cousin sat out by the pool while my parents finished setting up. I got a really awesome sunburn from the sweetheart neckline of my sundress lol. We decided to get dinner in San Fransisco, at pier 39. It sure was beautiful! We ate dinner at Bubba Gumps and I got some shrimp and lobster bisque, sure was yummy! We spent all day in the city the next day, mostly driving around looking at cool sites. We also went to Alcatraz that day, it was really interesting. I loved learning about the penitentiary, but I also got some really beautiful shots of the nature on the island. The next day was spent in the city as well, this time riding the trolleys through the city. we also went to china town, where we stopped for lunch. Surprise! I found out I can use chopsticks pretty well! The food was delicious and I loved the novelty of using chopsticks, especially since they were plastic instead of wood (which is the only reason I tried using them at all).

Fun at the beach!

     Thursday was spent in the areas surrounding the city. We started off at the beach (not in the bay, but I can't remember where). The dogs loved it! My dalmation Kaya is usually the water dog, but this time Turner jumped right into the water! He loved exploring and chasing the seagulls. We saw a lot of starfish and we even found a sting ray washed up on shore! After the beach we went to Sausalito, a cute little community west of the city. Very charming! It was a very relaxing day to wrap up our trip. the next two days was spent traveling back home. The pictures I'm sharing with you are some of my favorite, and also some of my more artistic shots. Taking the trip to San Fransisco was a great way to relax after the stress of school and now I'm ready to jump into my summer!

     Sincerely,
               Me

Gorgeous staircase on Alcatraz

Pretty pretty starfish!