Tag: reviews

Friday Funnies

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Hi everybody! I’m here today because I love to laugh! 😀 Isn’t it just the greatest when you see or hear something and then start letting out these maniacally happy screeches? (By the way, I don’t have some tinkling bell laugh, like Snow White. I start snorting and crying really loud-it’s pretty great). Anyway, these are some things that I think are hilarious. I hope you enjoy my fabulously dumb sense of humor!

1. Troy Bolton in Scream!

Okay, this one is just a classic. I absolutely LOVE all things High School Musical, and so if we’re in a conversation and I start singing some song at the top of my lungs, that’s what it is. I’ve seen the movies way too many times to count, endlessly annoying my brother 🙂 Don’t get me wrong, I love Troy Bolton, but in his big-dramatic-emotional-epic-solo-type things (like Scream and Bet On It), it’s too much for me to handle. The Troy-ness of this song just makes me love him even more. The dancing, the facial expressions, the drama…it gets me every time. I hope you enjoy!

2. Oh Snape

A series of sketches by Studio C in which Snape and Voldemort are best friends with a vlog? YES, YES, and YES! They’re short, clean, and absolutely hilarious for all you Harry Potter fans. It’s jam-packed with Harry Potter references, and is super fun and creative! I’ve watched them all too many times. 😀  WARNING: IT CONTAINS SPOILERS!

3. Jokes

I think you all knew this was coming. I love bad puns, obvious jokes, and absolutely everything in-between. Maybe you’ll think these are funny, or maybe you’ll just roll your eyes. Either way, I love them!

  • Knock knock. Who’s there? Barbie. Barbie who? Barbie-Q!
  • What did one pickle say to the other after it dropped to the floor? Dill with it.
  • Why did the seagull fly over the sea? Because if it flew over the bay, it would be a bay-gull (Ha! Bagel! Get it?)
  • Why was the cucumber so traumatized after becoming a pickle? It was a jarring experience.
  • What do you say to a rabbit on its birthday? Hoppy birthday!

Thanks for reading! Let me know your thoughts in the comments? What’s your sense of humor like? Did you ever watch these?

 

Life as a Middle Schooler!

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As a middle schooler at Draper Park Middle, there’s a lot to take in every day. I normally like school well enough, but I’m here to break down into the good and the bad!

The Good

I’m going to start off positive, because even though middle school has its problems, there are some awesome things about it too.

  1. Friends. No matter what you think about the academic part of school, it’s easy to admit that everybody looks forward to seeing their friends all the time. I’ve found that most people I know go to the same school as I do, and it definitely helps to have somebody to ask questions to about a class.
  2. Different classes. Having your schedule separated into periods helps the day to seem more exciting. At the very least, it lets you look forward to the end of an awful class! You also have the choice of lots of fun electives that fit your interest.
  3. Different people. Whether you’re in the same friend circle or not, middle school provides the chance to meet lots of different kinds of people. It also gives you an array of teachers!

The Bad

  1. Homework. You all knew this was coming! Middle school typically has a lot more homework than elementary does, and it ends up taking away a lot of your free time.
  2. Bad teachers. Even though, as I mentioned above, you can get some really awesome teachers, you can also get the complete opposite. And normally, if they’re bad, they’re really bad.
  3. Stress. Middle school can definitely give students a lot of stress. Stress about being on time to your next class, stress about studying and making good grades in all your subjects…the list goes on and on.

Travel Review: Oahu, Hawaii

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Hello! One of my family’s favorite vacation spots is in Oahu, Hawaii, and we always have so much fun! I really like it there, and would go back every time. Here’s a short review of my stay there, telling what to do, where to stay, and what to eat!

1. Hotels

The best place to stay is definitely the Ko Olina Marriot. Each room has a little kitchen, living room, and beds, so you have plenty of space to dump your suitcases. It also has a little private beach, which is so nice! It doesn’t really have any waves (or sharks), so it’s great to sit out on an inflatable tube and relax. In addition to this, the resort has several pools that are well-lit: perfect for hanging out on a late night.

2. Things to Do

Besides hanging out on the beach, one of our favorite things to do is go to the swap-meet that they hold every Wednesday. They hold it at an arena, and lots of people have booths filled with things that they created. You can get fresh coconut water, wooden turtles, and jewelry. That’s not all, though. There are lots of very unique little trinkets that you can get for souvenirs. There is also a hike that we love, where you go up to Waimea Falls. It isn’t a hard hike, but wear your swimsuit! Once you get to the end of the hike, there is a little cove with a waterfall that you can swim in. Beware, though! The water is very cold. Another stop is the Dole Plantation. You can take tours to see their pineapple fields, but mostly we go there for the Dole Whips. Tangy pineapple soft serve? Sign me up!

3. Food

As we have six people in our family, instead of going out to eat every day, we normally just go to Costco and pick up staples like pineapple, pancake mix, and guava juice. There are lots of places that are really delicious though! We love to go to Ted’s Bakery in order to get one of their famous pies and loco mocos. They’re amazing! Along with that, there are lots of shrimp shacks along the North Shore that are also very good. As aforementioned, the Dole Plantation is always a great place to go if you’re looking for something sweet!

Restaurant Review: Penguin Brothers

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Hello!!! This is my review of The Penguin Brothers, an amazing ice cream sandwich shop. Recently introduced to Penguin Brothers, they have two main venues: one in Provo, Utah, as well as one in Salt Lake City. Now, what is so special about their food? They serve ice cream sandwiches, pizookies-a heavenly warm, half baked cookie served with a scoop of ice cream on top-or regular ice cream! Though there really is nothing regular about it; it’s thicker and creamier than you could ever imagine. They have lots of unique (and delicious) flavors, including Strawberry Nutella, Dark Chocolate Sea Salt, and No Bake Cookie. Here’s a link to their menu.

S’mores Sunday Pizookie

 

My personal favorite is their pizookie: which is so good it’s hard to describe. I like the combination of their double fudge cookie and their Dark Chocolate Sea Salt ice cream. Rich and chocolate-y, it is absolutely divine! The warm cookie is very thick and doughy, which allows the ice cream to melt on top of it, creating rivers of ice cream goodness. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

Luigi’s Mansion Ice Cream Sandwich

Next up, value. Some items can cost about seven dollars, especially if you choose toppings. However, the money is absolutely worth it. Even their ice cream cup comes with about four large scoops of ice cream. The place itself also is very fun and charming. Pink walls, penguin doodles, and workers dressed in bow ties, Penguin Brothers definitely has a fun atmosphere. All in all, The Penguin Brothers is the perfect place to go to find your new favorite dessert place!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Top Ten Favorite Books

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Hi there! It’s Ashlyn. Again. As an avid reader and huge nerd, I’m here today to tell you about some of my favorite books and series. These recommendations span from anything to science fiction to killer romances. (Killer? Get it? No? Keep reading to see what I mean.) These books are not ranked in order, as I love all of these books equally. Happy reading!

  1. Heist Society

One of my favorite book series of all time is probably Heist Society, by Ally Carter (who also happens to be one of my favorite authors). In this book, the main character, Kat Bishop, lives in a world of crime. She and her family are master con artists. But when Kat tries to leave her old life behind, she gets pulled back into the game. In order to save who she loves, she must plan one more impossible job, and she doesn’t know who to trust. I love this book! The characters are smooth, the style sophisticated, and the concept unique. This is a must-read!

      2. The Hunger Games

Next up, The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins! Now this is a popular one that actually deserves the hype. It’s a three book series (not including the prequel, which is also amazing) that has also been made into movies. I will say, I actually loved the movies, and thought they lived up to the books’ potential. In case you haven’t heard of it, this series centers around Katniss Everdeen, who lives in a dystopian world.  She lives in one of 13 impoverished districts, and her name is drawn to compete in the Hunger Games, at fight to the death for the people’s enjoyment. This series is absolutely amazing, angsty, and the series just gets better as it goes along.

3. Scythe

This next one is called Scythe, by Neal Schusterman. This is another dystopia (because it’s my favorite genre), and it’s also really good. It centers around two characters in a perfect world. Death, disease, and despair are all rid from the planet. However, as a means for population control, a select few people are chosen to be Scythes: humanity’s way of killing people in the most compassionate way possible. This is a great book if you’re not a fan of romance, and enjoy science fiction! I recommend this series highly, as the concepts and characters are so interesting.

4. The Westing Game

The Westing Game, by Ellen Raskin. This will always be a classic in my mind. It isn’t a hard read, nor is it very long, but it’s one I’ve reread time and time again. It revolves around lots of unlikely heirs to a mysterious man’s fortune. At the reading of the will, they discover that he didn’t die of natural causes, as they all thought. They all have to interpret the clues they are given, and no one can be trusted. Read this book!

5. Harry Potter

This one probably isn’t a surprise to you: Harry Potter, by JK Rowling. I won’t talk much about this one, but I will say: to everybody who hasn’t read this, you should! It may seem boring at first, but as you read, the books get better and better! My favorites in this series are the fourth and seventh books.

6. Bone Crier’s Moon

Bone Crier’s Moon, by Kathryn Purdie: Paris, death, and revenge? This book is about all of these things, and let me tell you-it’s amazing! There are a few main characters in this book: Ailesse, a Leuress responsible for protecting and guiding departed souls to the Underworld. But the job comes with a catch. She must find the one she is destined to love, enchant him, then kill him. However, Bastien, a different character has plans. One of the Leuress killed his father, and he won’t stop until he gets his revenge. This book might seem strange at first glance, but the plot twists and characters are worth it.

 

7. The Lunar Chronicles

Before I tell you that Cinder, by Marissa Meyer, is just another Cinderella retelling, let me assure you that this one is different than the others because it’s in the science fiction genre. In this retelling, Cinder lives in a futuristic world, and she is a cyborg mechanic-a second class citizen. With the plague running wild and the Lunars threatening war, this book is more than meets the eye. It’s unpredictable, unique, and has become a recent favorite.

 

8. Embassy Row

Embassy Row is another series by Ally Carter. The second and third books are my favorite. In this world, the main character, a rebellious girl, lives on Embassy Row in the country of Adria. Politics, mysteries, and danger lurk around every corner. Once again, things get much better after the first book.

9. Not if I Save You First

Yet another Ally Carter book, Not if I Save You First is a standalone novel in which the main character is best friends with the president’s son, Logan. Until, of course, she is forced to move to Alaska, away from all civilization. When Logan shows up seven years later after ignoring all communication from her, she is furious. But when Logan is kidnapped, and there is no way to call for help, she has to try to save him-all while trying to survive the freezing weather. I absolutely adore this book! Highly recommend.

10. Out of My Mind

 

 

It’s been a while since I last read Out of My Mind, by Sharon M. Draper. I will say though, I still love it, even if it makes me cry every time-yes, it’s that kind of book. It’s about a girl with a form of cerebral palsy, and she can move nothing but her thumbs. Unable to speak, she is stuck in a class far too easy for her. When she gets a chance to switch classes, she is thrilled at the chance to show her genius. However, her smarts are hard to communicate, and the other kids aren’t as nice as they seem to be. I highly suggest you read it.