When I received this book in the mail, I quickly snuck a peek at the first chapter and I was immediately sucked into the life of the misfit hero (a.k.a Andrew), the newest Mormon deacon with an issue of “deacon’s collar.” From the first few pages and the way author Matt Peterson described Andrew’s frustration with how his tie always peeked out from under his collar while passing the sacrament at church, I knew that this guy would be fun to read. And I was right. Of course.
I hope Matt Peterson plans to take Andrew on many more adventures because I think every aspiring Mormon deacon out there(and behives)should tag along. This story was suspenseful and inspiring. It was also funny and oh so true. I loved the way that all the characters were portrayed and could imagine all kinds of kids that I know personally in each one. My only critique for future books is that the author try to write in a way that wouldn’t leave Non-Mormons confused. Peterson’s cute stories should be able to resonate with every child and sometimes the “Mormon references” might leave a non-Mormon reader confused.
Although I originally thought this book would be great for a 12 year old audience, after reading I think it would better suit an 8-10 year old reader. (I admit my kids are pretty advanced readers though so if your kids aren’t then adjust the best reader’s age accordingly) That being said, I can still see my 13 year old daughter who reads at a college level enjoying this story as much as I did.
For me the best part of this story was absolutely the plain and simple truth that all readers can’t help but grapple with: “the fulness of the gospel might be proclaimed by the weak and simple unto the ends of the earth.” It was absolutely exhilarating to peek inside the main character’s heart as he pondered on this idea that was presented to him by a Scout leader during a campfire. It was also wonderful to see how this short and simple sermon affected Andrew in such a profound way.
As a reader, peeking inside my own heart to think about what God has been able to accomplish through me, one of His weak and simple, was also a highlight of this book. Isn’t that what they say makes great writing, when the reader can relate to the story? And it’s even better when the reader can learn about them-self through the story. Thank you Matt Peterson. Well done.
Check out Matt Peterson’s Facebook page I do believe we will be hearing a lot more from him. Purchase the book on Amazon
I have this amazing ability at getting myself roped into things.
That’s a nice way of saying I often forget to say no.
This year, my big project has been
Freedom Week.
It’s be a beast.
Just enough to remind me to say no
for another year or so.
What a gorgeous view, eh?
Freedom Week
is a yearly week-long celebration
at the girls’ school
that focuses on the freedoms we enjoy
as Americans.
I was originally told that all I had to do
was plan a few dress up days
and line up a speaker for an assembly.
If that is all I had to do
I wonder why it occupied about
80 hours of my time over the past
two months.
Anything for freedom.
Or my kids.
Or because I can’t say no.
I did rope in a few people to help.
My ward’s (Mormon way of saying congregation)
young women
did a great job with the big banner
and small posters for each classroom door.
Aren’t they cute.
I was sad I didn’t get a photo of them all.
They cranked out 16 of these
in about 30 minutes
and no one uses glue and glitter
like young women.
The greatest sacrifice for me
was waking up at 6 a.m.
to hang up the flags outside.
It was dark
and I hate mornings.
I let Abigail drive around the
empty parking lot
as a reward for waking up early.
She was pretty stoked.
Each student got their own personal
American flag
as they arrived to the assembly this morning.
Aren’t they just the cutest?
We lined the halls with red white and blue.
And messages of freedom.
I’d like to think that this is what
I looked like
all morning.
This is me teaching the kids about IwaJima
while introducing Mr. Mason a WWII vet.
But I am sure it was much more like this.
Props to the school orchestra and choir.
They did amazing.
Two of my perfect children
are singing
about voting
and loving America.
Can you spot them?
The Mayor of Orem
brought along some of his heroes:
A local police officer,
and some firefighters.
You should have seen the faces of the kids
when this guy walked in the room
in full firefighting garb.
It was awesome.
My personal favorite part of the day
was introducing a true
American hero.
He is in the middle of this photo
in the Marine Corps shirt.
His name is
Fred William Mason
and he faught at IwaJima.
What an honor it was to
give the kids a piece of history
and to see them give
Mr. Mason
the standing ovation
he deserves.
(See the bottom of the post
for his story)
Perhaps my greatest gratitude should go to this man.
He is always my technical support and go-to guy.
As you can see by the photograph,
he was perfect
at entertaining Caroline.
We’ve already over-established what a handful she can be, right?
Here’s the slideshow I made.
I had no idea what I was doing,
so give me grace people.
It was a great way to spend my 39th birthday.
And the day before it. And the two days after it.
We also did a few other things:
school-wide speech writing contest (the winners gave their speeches today at the assembly and got $20 giftcards to Wal-Mart)
The Cub Scouts officiated at the flag ceremony
A student soloist did the Star Spangled Banner
A mock presidential election (Governor Romney won with 74% of the votes)
Letters from the kids for Vets at the VA Hospital
We were supposed to do a donation drive but student council never got it together
Each student received a white star to write about what they appreciate most in their freedom. They will each tape them on their classroom door banners. (picture above)
Oh and we have dress up days all week.
Monday – stars and stripes
Tuesday – red white and blue
Wednesday – Dress like your favorite American hero or wear a uniform
Thursday – Denim day (jeans were invented in the US)
Friday – School spirit colors – which happen to be blue and white.
* Oh and an added not for future reference. I asked Bella what she liked best about the assembly and with all attitude she immediately responded with, “I hated it when you cried mom, you embarrassed me in front of all my friends.” Maybe someday she will see that differently and be proud of a mom who is so grateful.
Fred Mason’s introduction
It’s my great pleasure to introduce you to one of our great American heroes. He’s a friend and neighbor to us all. He lives right off 1600 North in Orem. His name is Fred William Mason and I am proud to know him.
Mr. Mason was a corporel in the Marine Corps during WWII. He faught at Iwa Jima. There is a famous photograph that won the Pulitzer Prize of soldiers raising the American Flag at Mount Serabachi on Feb 23, 1945. Mr. Mason know the soldiers in the photo personally.
IwoJima was a volcanic island and no civilians lived there. Its name means Sulphur Island. It was a very important military spot in the Japanese Territory and it was a critical victory for American strategy. If we hadn’t won at IwoJima we probably wouldn’t have been able to drop the Atomic Bombs and the war may not have ended so fast.
The Battle of IwaJima happened from Feb 19 – March 26 1945. Only 216 of the 21,844 Japanese survived and of the 70,000 Americans who faught 6,821 were killed and 19,217 wounded. Many of those soldiers were friends of Mr. Mason. He served in the 5th Marine Division of the 28th Regiment.
Mr. Mason is 86 years old.
He was born in 1926 in Lexington, KY.
He was the fifth child of 9 kids in his family.
His four brothers also served in the military.
Two also served in WWII
Richard fought in the army at Okinowa.
Earl was also in the army and was taken as a Prisoner of War at the March of Batan in the Phillipines.
Glen and Ernie enlisted after the war into the Navy and never had to fight like their older brothers.
He worked on farms from age 8. Sold veggies at the market.
He wasn’t able to attend school but a few years as he was expected to help provide for his family.
Around age 12, his family got indoor plumbing.
At age 14, he started taking the bus and going to church to every Sunday with his sister.
He grew up during The Great Depression. When I asked him what his favorite food was, he said he was always hungry and would eat anything he could get his hands on. He particularly like his momma’s biscuits and gravy, and was always really happy when he would get a little bit of ham in his beans.
He was drafted in 1944 at age 18.
Went from Lexington to Louisville to join the Navy, but there was a Marine recruiter who snagged him and 4 others in line up to fill his quota for the day.
Went to Camp Pendelton in California for Basic Training.
When he was done he boarded a ship and was told 4 days into it that they were on their way to the South Pacific to fight the Japanese.
After the Battle of IwaJima, Mr. Mason reboarded the ship and remembers many soldiers celebrating. He however just wanted to brush his teeth (they had been in the trenches for over a month) and went to the Red Cross to ask for a toothbrush but was told they didn’t have enough to give him one.
Mr Mason was shipped back to Hawaii, where he served 8 months of occupational duty and was discharged in 1946.
After the war he went back to Lexington where he worked at a Wholesale Food Distrubutor. He delivered food to Colonel Sanders of KFC and says he looked exactly like his pictures. In fact, he can’t remember him every changing from before the war.
Mr. Mason is a hero to me for another reason then his honorable military service, after the war, he taught himself to read. Remember he didn’t have much school growing up.
In 1950 he met Mrs. Mason and they had their first child, a girl named Debi, who is also our neighbor.
Mr. and Mrs. Mason then moved to Indiana so that Mr. Mason could work at a Defense Plant building helicopters. The had two more children. Both boys who still lived in Indiana.
Mr and Mrs Mason moved to Utah 14 years ago.
They have been married for 62 years.
Mr. Mason continues to make a difference for his country by working a Heritage School in Provo. He has worked there mentoring troubled youth for the past 6 years.
Mr. Mason is truly a remarkable person. Tom Brokaw once called his generation the Greatest Generation. I believe they were a great generation and I believe Mr. Mason was one of the greatest.
Please join me and give Mr. Mason and all his friends who fought for our freedom the round of applause they deserve.
Romantic Mystery. I do believe this is the first time I have ventured into this genre. Perhaps it is the first time I have heard of this genre. Would that make me seem illiterate if I admit it? While on a date with my hubby a few weeks back I told him how much I enjoyed this romantic mystery. He turned to me perplexed and made me laugh when he asked, “is that really a genre, romantic mystery?” Nothing like a good man to make you feel smarter than you are.
Anyhow,”No Holly for Christmas” was a great first romantic mystery. It made me wanting more of the genre and more out of my life: more romance and more mystery, if you know what I mean. Sometimes books like this can be a bad thing, especially as you walk out of Target with your husband of 15 years. So NOT romantic or mysterious. It’s a good thing he can still make me laugh and feel smart.
Enough about me. This book was really great. After reading No Holly for Christmas I was double super pleased. As I was reading I wondered why I had never heard of the book before. It really was a fantastic read. I loved Julie Ford’s writing style. It was perfectly descriptive and fast paced. It was clean and clear. It was also romantic and mysterious. Imagine that.
I am trying to figure out who to give this book to for Christmas as it will make a perfect read for so many of my friends and family, especially the ladies who are wanting more after their 50 Shades of Grey. (Make clear: I would never read 50 Shades of Grey, but a lot of my friends have) They now are waiting for that next best romantic novel, and I do believe they would all really like this one. It was a great adult version of happily ever after. I loved the ending. I loved the characters. I loved how the plots played out. I loved the feel-good portions (there were many) and the slight focus on overcoming our psychological hang-ups (we all have to do it).
Short synopsis. Holly, a recently widowed single mom socialite turned social worker, gets entangled into a dangerous situation: more than one murderer is after her. Brian, a defense attorney turned deputy DA at his sick father’s (DA) request, has now found it part of his job to look after Holly. Holly’s gay sister Margo is Brian’s new partner and the Judge of the small town is married to Brian’s longtime love Josie. If that isn’t enough of a web for you, there are plenty of other fascinating characters to attach to: Holly’s controlling mom, the sleazy other guy at the DA’s office, Brian’s mom who wants nothing but grandchildren, Holly’s two new neighbors/girlfriends who are living the dream in the suburbs, or Holly’s two daughters.
Will the beautiful and mysterious Holly help Brian finally get over his married x-girlfriend? His past two wives weren’t able to do the trick. Will Brian help Holly break out of her perfect shell? Probably. But the only way you will know is if you read the book. Before you do, just like you do before going to watch that newest romantic comedy major motion film, brace yourself to want more romance and mystery in your life. Otherwise your husband may need to all of the sudden grow an incredibly amazing sense of humor and compliment your mind at the same time to make up for the date to Target.
Oh, after looking through goodreads just now, I just found out that this book is a follow up on another book. I never like to start in the middle of a series, but I liked this so much I will for sure be heading over to purchase the first book “The Woman He Married” as soon as I get some extra cash.
You can purchase this book for .99 ebook from Barnes&Noble or at Amazon.
That is a steal. Seriously. I can’t believe they are offering it that cheap.
When you do purchase, you can also be entered to win a $25.00 Barnes&Noble giftcard if you e-mail your confirmation number to Steph&Jules bloggers@vbooktours.com by November 1st.
And for those of you that are way too cheap to fork over even .99 on one of the best book’s I’ve read this year, there are two additional ways to win a free copy.
Enter to win a free hard copy and/or ebook of No Holly for Christmas when you do one and/or both of the following between Tuesday, October 29thand Thursday, November 1st:
I just took a photography class. I loved it. I hope to find more time to pursue this hobby. Not that I will ever be famous or anything but at least maybe I will be able to capture some good family shots.
Here are the shots from class that make me the most proud.
I know I still have so much to learn, but I am proud of the things that I picked up in the class.
alice w. gold 