English Green

     I love books so much. I can't even express how much I love books. And bookstores like Barnes & Noble? They're the best. Rows and rows, shelves and shelves, thousands of books. It's beautiful, it really is.

     And I really wish I could write a poetic something about books and how they take the reader into other worlds and clean the dust off your soul and whatnot. But really, there are so many others who have said it better. So many others...

• "A book is a dream that you hold in your hand."  - Neil Gaiman
• "Whenever you read a good book, somewhere in the world, a door opens to allow in more light."  - Vera Nazarian
• "Always read something that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it."  - P. J. O'Rourke
• "Anyone who says they only have one life to live must not know how to read a book."  - Anonymous
• "Great books help you understand, and they help you feel understood."  - John Green
• "A book is a version of the world. If you do not like it, ignore it or offer your own version in return."  - Salman Rushdie
• "There are perhaps no days of our childhood we lived so fully as those we spent with a favorite book."  - Marcel Proust
• "If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all."  - Oscar Wilde
• "Just the knowledge that a good book is awaiting one at the end of a long day makes the day happier."  - Kathleen Norris
• "A room without books is like a body without a soul."  - Cicero
• "Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home."  - Anna Quindlen
• "That is part of the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you are not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong."  - F. Scott Fitzgerald
• "A great book should leave you with many experiences, and slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading."  - William Styron

     And finally, the most accurate quote, specifically for this love I have for Barnes & Noble: "Where is human nature so weak as in the bookstore?"  - Henry Ward Beecher

Alloy Orange

Hey Dad.

     So in case you're wondering, which I'm sure you are, Alloy Orange is the color of that one shirt you have. It's not even that significant really, it just makes me think of that one time when you wanted to go shirt shopping and so we drove out to this store that was really far away because you had always wanted to check it out and then about two seconds after we pulled into the parking lot, you announced that you'd left your wallet at home so we didn't even have any money to go shopping. But we still went inside anyways and Nathaniel and I played cops and robbers throughout the whole store with broken hangers we found on the ground while you tried on clothes you couldn't buy and asked me for fashion advice.

     That's it really. That's the whole story. But it reminds me of all of our adventures like that. Those really random memories where we were all having a lot of fun but it was just so weird that it always stuck out to me. Like that one time when Nathaniel and I were in the car with you driving home from something and we found this huge pool of water in the Walgreen's parking lot. And so we did the natural thing and sped through it several times at varying high speeds until this cop showed up to ask us to leave because he thought you were probably a reckless teenager.

     Or that one time when you got home from work and it was just me at the house and you were hungry after a long day so you decided we should go get some food so we ate Kentucky Fried Chicken in the park in the middle of March. Or all those times you've come home from business meetings and given me all the "free swag" they give you and how now that's turned into a habit and I have over 20 pairs of socks from all your "free swag" meetings.

     Alloy Orange is like a "this is about as adventurous as we can get" spontaneity that's fun without the craziness. It's little things like shopping for technology on Saturday's or last minute trips to see the latest movie that came out. It's so many things that all build up to rival the amazing memories that come from the planned trips and activities we've all done. It's the accidental memories, these Alloy Orange ones, that I love most of all.

Lavender

To my spunky little sister, fellow adventurer, and spaz buddy,

    Before you were even born, Mom and Dad decided to decorate your room entirely purple. But not just purple, Lavender Purple. Because you were going to be named Lydia, and Lydia in the Bible was a seller of purple and somehow, that meant Lavender. I'm not sure it ever really connected to my five year old mind but I will always remember that shade of your room, the blankets, the curtains, stuffed animals, etc.

     And I think that same shade of Lavender will just always remind me of how much you've grown, despite how small you still are. And I know you hate being reminded of that but let's face it. You're eleven. You're pretty small to me. Plus you're the baby of the family. Most of my memories of us involve me giving you piggy backs, dragging you around to do something, or me squashing you somehow.
     But I think more than that is the memories of you and me going on adventures and doing absolutely crazy things together. I think I've driven you around more than anyone else and I'm pretty sure you are the only person I've ever shared forty chicken McNuggets with. That's really important to me. And it's still one of my favorite adventures, even if we couldn't eat all of them (which was probably a good thing).
     And I think Lavender also makes me think of lavender bushes - which I don't particularly like - but those make me think of bike rides - which I love - which make me think of you - who I love most. Like when you and I biked miles around Valley Forge while the rest of the family did historical tour things. And biking to the park close to the house just to sit and talk with you. Lavender makes me think of spring time and holding hands with you during family museum trips and coming up with cool book ideas and having "sleepovers" in my room. It's a light and happy color with adventurous memories and crazy stories to tell. And you're a part of all of those and that's what makes them all perfect.

Oxford Blue

To my hilarious brother and partner in crime,

     I was trying to find the color of your laugh but I'm going to have to settle with the color of that one BYU sweatshirt you wore everyday for years: Oxford Blue. And it's almost the same color as your uniform blazer that you wear now and it is definitely the color of your obsession with the Civil War and dressing up like you're from any time period but the 21st century.
     Oxford Blue could be the thousands of random facts you've memorized throughout the years or your non-stop giggling at the dinner table. It might be your goofy faces, your insatiable sweet-tooth, or the million papers tacked onto your wall. It's probably the color of all those times we've gone on "adventures" together that usually end up involving sugar.
    I know for sure that Oxford Blue is the color of the nail polish I painted on your nails when you were six and had an absurdly strong desire to be included in everything that was going on around the house. Well, you still have that need to be included. But it's a good thing. It's gotten us into lots of fun trouble together and some of the best memories I have.
    But Oxford Blue isn't the color of your laugh. I'm not sure there is a color for your laugh. It's the kind of laugh that is absolutely uncontrollable and ridiculously contagious and probably doesn't have a color at all. But it's what I like best about it and your laugh is what I like best about you.
     Plus the random jokes. I don't think I'll ever get enough of you suddenly walking into my room to say, "Why were the early days of medieval history called the Dark Ages? Because they had so many knights!" before doing that finger-gun thing and waiting for me to laugh with you. That's always my favorite.

*Update: or that your new favorite thing is to say, "Also..." before walking out of my room and not coming back until hours later to finally finish what you were saying. It amazes me that you have that much patience just to try and annoy me. Kudos.*

Old Rose

To my amazing older sister, my best friend, and my hero,

     Since you're off in college now, Nathaniel suggested that I make your color Cardinal Red or something Stanford-y. But that makes me think of your smart-ness and your good grades and things that are you but aren't actually the you I think of.

     Because I think for me, you'll always be Old Rose. Because it's not Pink (you were never pink) and it's not even Rose really (you've never made me think of flowers). But it's Old and looks like it would smell of Shakespeare and E. E. Cummings and Wordsworth and maybe Rilke and definitely intelligence.

     But even besides the fact that Old Rose makes me think of poets and fancy words and philosophical talks in the middle of the night, Old Rose also makes me think of laughter and grand plans and going to the store to buy gross candy and then eating it all while we sat on the roof. It makes me think of not just sharing a room but sharing everything we have - clothes, jewelry, food - but most importantly, ideas.

     Old Rose is the color of the totally killer books we're going to write someday and the complete understanding that we've developed with each other. It's the color of hours spent in silence that we both still call quality time. It makes me think of letting the cat lick Cheeto dust off our fingers as we watched Merlin on your computer and it's the fact that our conversations would make absolutely no sense to anyone else. It's moments from sabbatical summer with you and being so weird with you that there aren't even words to describe what the heck was going on.
    It's also the color of forever. Never-ending memories, and conversations that will never be quite over. Ideas that we will always come back to and the ability to talk for hours and hours. There will always be more movies, TV shows, books, songs, Tumblr posts - more smiles, chocolate, laughs, tears, adventures, and hundreds of thousands memories to share with you.

     Old Rose is the color of never running out of things to say to you or about you but always running out of ways to express how much I love you, how much I look up to you, and how much you mean to me. Because there will always be more and the fact that this post will never really be finished is somehow the best part.

Coral Pink

Mom is Coral Pink by all definitions.

     She buys scarves and jewelry and jackets in Coral Pink and paints her nails to match. It's the color of her phone case and her purse and accents around the house. She wakes up before the Coral Pink sunrise just to have breakfast with me before seminary. She spends her Coral Pink sunsets making dinner for the kids and driving us where we need to go.

     Coral Pink is the color of the books she would read out loud to us as kids and it's the color of piano practicing and the color of picnics in the backyard. It's the color of her tearing up and laughing so hard she cries even more. Coral Pink is the color of a clean house and singing around the piano and themes for every special day. It's the color of reading books out loud during long drives and perfectly planned trips. Coral Pink is the color of "nifty excursions" and scrapbooks and family game nights. It's long talks about important things and her helping us on our homework every day and it's the color of patience and perfect gift giving.

     Coral Pink is the color of pink milk and heart-shaped toast on Valentine's Day morning, gifts for her kids and sappy notes to her husband. It's the color that could go on and on and on until it fills up the whole sky. It's thousands of memories and chocolate and a love that cannot be expressed in words, only in colors like Coral Pink.

Happy Valentine's Day Mom

Nadeshiko Pink

     Once when I went to Denmark, I saw this McDonald's sign advertising for "SCHMOUDEES" and that means the world to me.

Jade

     I love candles. I love the tiny ones and the big three-wick ones. I love the seasonal scents and the summery flower smelling ones. I love the colors that candles come in and I love lighting a candle for the very first time. I love watching tiny fires flicker and I love watching the smoke drift upwards when you blow it out. I love how they never really run out, they just burn for hours and hours. I love the first candle I ever got - Palm Beach Cooler - and I love the beautiful color of Jade that it is. It's the same Jade color that will always remind me of candles and how much I love them.

Teal

Things to know about sharks and reasons to love them:

First: there's no reason to be afraid of them!

• Humans only have a 1 in 300 million something chance of being killed by a shark.
• To be honest, you're more likely to be run down by a cow.
• The U.S. averages only 19 shark attacks per year and only one every two years is fatal.
• (More people die from being struck by lightning, okay?)
• Yes, it is true that sharks can smell one drop of blood in a million drops of water but to be fair, you're about a thousand times more likely to drown than to actually be bitten by a shark. So technically, this goes in the cool traits list. Which is next.

Second: they are actually really, really awesome animals.

• Sharks can literally never run out of teeth. If they loose one, it will always grow back.
• Baby sharks are called pups (how cute is that? I mean, they're also born with a full set of teeth and swim away from their mama sharks who might eat them but STILL!)
• Two thirds of a shark's brain is dedicated to their sense of smell and they can also sense vibrations in the water and the electrical energy that surrounds their prey.
• One of the largest species of sharks is called the basking shark and it is also the most harmless and the funniest looking. Please Google a picture right away.
• I don't know actually, a lot of sharks are pretty funny looking. Like the Sawshark, the Megamouth, the Hammerhead, the Cookie Cutter, the Goblin shark... I mean, come on! Even the names are funny sounding!
• More here if you're interested: Shark Facts & Ten Weirdest Sharks Ever

And lastly, at the danger of sounding turning this into a Save the Sharks campaign: sharks are actually endangered and need our protection and all endangered animals need our love. Seriously.

• 100 million sharks are actually killed each year for their fins.
• They are a critical part of the marine ecosystems and their declining populations harm the whole ocean.
• It could take sharks hours or even days to die after being finned.
• Okay, I'm just gonna embrace the fact that this has turned into a campaign and give you some links: Saving Sharks & Shark-Water Video & Save Our Sharks

Apricot

A rap about my cat:

Soren is the name of my cute cat,

he's an apricot color that's nice to look at.

But even though he's soft and really quite pretty,

he still gets in trouble and can be very tricky.

He's kinda like a dog in the way he acts;

he just loves to be where his people are at.

So if that means the kitchen or even the loo,

he's gotta be there, just chillin' with you!

He's also kind of helpless, to be quite frank,

he can't find his food, he constantly draws a blank.

So every single morning, always bright and early,

he needs help gettin' food - you'll be up at 5:30.

So even though he gets kinda frisky sometimes,

(he's chewing on my stuff while I'm searchin' for these rhymes!),

and yeah, he likes to meow for no reason we can get at,

I still love my kitty - he's my apricot-cream cat.

Like the warmth I can feel when he's sleeping at my feet,

he makes me think of colors that would probably give off heat.

Not hot enough to burn, but enough to feel cozy,

he would be a color that makes your cheeks feel rosy.

Although I'd hoped he wouldn't bite my favorite shoes,

and I kinda wish I could be a cat like him (and snooze!),

I think we're pretty lucky and we really hit the jackpot,

with this problematic kitty, this little Apricot.