Book Review: Paper Ghosts

Paper Ghosts by Sarah Addison Allen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was pretty good, but I didn't like it as much as her other books. I really like how she weaves magical realism into her stories in a natural, laid-back way. This one didn't have quite enough, and the story felt a little lacking, like there was a big gap somewhere in the middle of it. But overall, it was worth the read.

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John's Mission Homecoming!!

 John returned home from his two-year church mission to Denver, Colorado (the upper left quarter of the state) on Friday night, August 7. His flight was delayed out of Denver a couple of times, so it really was a late arrival. But it did indeed arrive, and needless to say, it was a joyous and memorable occasion! It wasn't easy being separated for so long, and John made a huge sacrifice in giving two years of his life to the Lord. I'm so grateful he chose to serve and have that very special and transformative experience in his life. He did a great job!

Delayed!

It got delayed again, and he didn't get in until around 11:30 p.m.

This is where his plane was going to be arriving.

I had a special banner made on Etsy.

Three of John's best friends from high school were there, Adam, Nick, and Jack. They're not even LDS! Despite all their banter, they missed each other.

 

Waiting...

The flight from Denver (finally) arrived!

Jack spotted John first, and then I called out to him, and he saw us and ran to me and gave me a big, long hug. It was one of the best moments of my life!

Happy reunions are the best!

The three of us, together again!

Two years ago, when he was leaving:

Some silliness ensued 😄

Once we (finally) got home (after 1 a.m.!), John was reunited with his phone after two years. 

Because it was so late, John was officially released from his mission by President Sofoul the next morning. One of his best friends, Conner (Pres. Sofoul's son), came over, and they were reunited after over two years. Conner had returned from his mission to Japan a couple of weeks earlier.

Later that day, John, Conner, and Ben all got together. Ben had returned from his mission to California several months earlier. John was so happy to be back with so many of his friends again.

Also later that day, we had a family combined birthday and welcome home party for John at my mom's house.

Family picture 💖

A week later, John and Sam both gave talks in sacrament meeting. It was just the two of them, and it was special! They both did a great job.

Our bishop is Tongan (he's descended from Tongan royalty!), and he orders fresh, real leis that are express-shipped from Hawaii for returned missionaries and their mothers when they give their homecoming talk. It's so special! The leis were beautiful, and they had such a lovely scent.

Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Welcome home. 💕

Rest of the Cape Trip Randoms, August 2026

 That's quite the creative title, isn't it? 😄

Peaceful Sunday

Sam was finishing reading And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie and trying to guess who did it. He pretty much guessed it. He shares my interest in mysteries and is even better at solving them than I am (okay, I'm not as great at it as I'd like to be 😆).

Pretty flowers at a nice little park we stopped at.

Whale, hello there!

I am fond of seagulls.

I took some updated exterior shots of the front of the house. The grass was greener than it's been in years, thanks to David fertilizing the lawn in the spring and a decent amount of rain throughout the season.

I love my Cape Coddage!

I like how the front window glows at dusk when the light is on. It reminds me of Thomas Kinkade's paintings and how he always made his house windows glow.