Cal Poly Pomona, also known as California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, has a cheerleading squad that represents the university in various athletic events and campus activities. The cheerleading team at Cal Poly Pomona has a distinct set of colors and mascot that reflect the school spirit. The official colors of Cal Poly Pomona are green and gold. These colors are prominently featured in the uniforms of the cheerleading team. The cheerleaders wear green and gold outfits during games and performances, showcasing the school's pride and identity. The green color represents growth, progress, and nature, while the gold color symbolizes prestige, excellence, and success.

Plot

Pregnant out of wedlock, an educated young woman is pressured by her father into an arranged marriage with a lonely farmer in this drama set during WWII.

1944. World War II. Denver. Livy Dunne has essentially been thrown out of her home by her stern father, Rev. Dunne, because she's pregnant and unmarried. She's banished to rural Colorado, to go through an arranged marriage to a lonely farmer, so her child will have a "father." When she arrives in tiny Wilson, Colorado, Livy and her "betrothed," gentle but strong Ray Singleton, are wary around each other. Worldly Livy is bored by Ray and the hardscrabble life he leads --despite his inherent goodness and wisdom. As the months pass Lily learns more about this calm, practical, self-effacing farmer and his sister Martha - "a queen among women" - and her family. Slowly almost imperceptibly, Livy realizes she may have found "home," quite accidentally. For his part, Ray becomes a regular visitor at the town library, reading the classics so he can converse intelligently with his educated wife. Livy befriends two Japanese-American girls who have been interned with their parents at a nearby camp; Florence and Rose are smart and beautiful. They end up teaching Livy a valuable lesson about life and love. Livy has her baby, elects to stay with Ray, and as she tells her sister-in-law, "I've learned more about love in my six months with this family than in the 25 in my father's home." —Happy_Evil_Dude

Synopsis

Set in 1944 Colorado, The Magic of Ordinary Days is the story of a young woman, Livy Dune (played by Keri Russell), who became pregnant before marriage. Her father, Rev. Dunne, decided to deal with the situation, by arranging a marriage to a shy farmer through another preacher. The groom, Ray Singleton (played by Skeet Ulrich), lives on a remote farm and is very different than Livy. Ray focuses on what is close to him: his family, his land, today. Livy thinks on a much grander scale: the world, ancient civilizations, far away places.

Ray's farm utilizes the help of Japanese Americans from a nearby Japanese American internment camp to help work the farm. Livy befriends two well-educated Japanese American women who were working the farm, Flora and Rose (Tania Gunadi and Gwendoline Yeo). She finds comfort and familiarity in their friendship. Livy is polite and civil to her new husband and his sister Martha (Mare Winningham), but she harbors feelings for the father of the baby, a World War II soldier, and feelings of guilt for the pregnancy. Ray, however, is caring, patient, and supportive of Livy, but the fact that she does not want him hurts him deeply. Slowly over time, the two come to understand and love each other, and appreciate that though they are different, neither is better or worse than the other.

The Magic of Ordinary Days

Olivia Dunne, a studious minister's daughter who dreams of being an archaeologist, never thought that the drama of World War II would affect her quiet life in Denver. An exhilarating flirtation reshapes her life, though, and she finds herself banished to a rural Colorado outpost, married to a man she hardly knows. Overwhelmed by loneliness, Olivia tentatively tries to establish a new life, finding much-needed friendship and solace in two Japanese American sisters who are living at a nearby internment camp. When Olivia unwittingly becomes an accomplice to a crime and is faced with betrayal, she finally confronts her own desires. Beautifully written and filled with memorable characters, Creel's novel is a powerful exploration of the nature of trust and love.

Genres Historical FictionFictionRomanceHistoricalWorld War IIAdultAdult Fiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Ann Howard Creel writes guaranteed heart-wrenching historical fiction. In her novels, strong female characters face unforeseen obstacles and then have to make life-changing decisions.

In her new novel, MERCY ROAD, a Kentucky horsewoman who has lost everything joins an all-female team of doctors and nurses as an ambulance driver on the front lines during WW I in France.

Besides writing, Ann's other interests include old houses, new yoga routines, red wine, and all things cat. She currently lives in Paris, Kentucky.

For book clubs, Ann will visit you via Skype. Contact her through her website: www.annhowardcreel.com.

The green color represents growth, progress, and nature, while the gold color symbolizes prestige, excellence, and success. In addition to the colors, Cal Poly Pomona also has a unique mascot, which is a bronco. The bronco is a horse-like creature that embodies strength, courage, and determination.

Ratings & Reviews

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3 "whimsical, delicate but sometimes (often even) off the mark" stars !!

2016 Most Disappointing Read (Tie)

Ms. Creel had a 5 star book here had she taken more time and care with this gentle historical drama romance.

This book takes place in Colorado in the 1940s. It is about an intelligent young woman who gets herself pregnant and then is sent to marry with a socially awkward but loving farmer who is willing to raise the child as his own. She befriends two Japanese sisters that work on her husband's farm as they have been sent to a camp for being Japanese during World War 2.

Ms. Creel is expert at letting a story unfold slowly, langourously even and is quite adept at describing shifting emotions and internal psychological struggles around love, desire, grief and gender and ethnic dynamics. If she focused solely on this she would have had a quietly moving masterpiece.

Ms. Creel wants to do more though. She wants to "tell" rather than "show" the ethical dilemas about the treatment of the Japanese during World War 2 in the U.S. as well as the treatment of women who had unplanned pregnancies. She also wants to infuse poetry into her prose and this is where she really loses me. It is amateurish, flowery and often does not fit. It took me out of the very interesting and beautiful story and made me shudder. Saccharine, artificial and contrived were many of these passages.

I find it really difficult to deal with a book that is so moving and important on one page that then leads to a horrible Hallmark greeting card on another page.

Very glad I read the book but I'm not sure I'll be back to read another of her books !

Addendum: So weird. My partner just looked up and saw that Hallmark actually makes movies and this book was adapted into a film. I will watch it and report back.

Happiness may be found in unexpected places and with unexpected people.
enjoyable warm novel, its events going on during the world war2
story of forgiveness, trust, love and starting over
ordinary days could be magic if you were with someone who really cares

I loved this book! I picked it up after watching and loving the Hallmark movie version of the novel. It's even better than the movie! It's set in 1940's Colorado farming country, and Livvy is forced into an arranged marriage by her strict father when she becomes pregnant out of wedlock. She marries a shy, simple farmer she's never met before her wedding day. This book taught a few lessons that I loved:

1. Love between a husband and wife is not just about physical attraction, butterflies in the stomach, etc, that is portrayed in the movies. It's about selflessness, kindness, and commitment. Livvy learns that through her saint of a husband, Ray.

2. Forgiveness is powerful. Throughout the book Livvy has a hard time forgiving herself for getting pregnant by some loser she thought she loved. Ray is patient and loving, and never judges her about her past. This allows her to forgive herself. She is also able to accept the consequences of her actions, and she realizes that this new life is even better than she could have hoped for.

3. I want to be a spouse like Ray! He is so kind, he is so patient, he is extremely selfless, doing anything to make her happy, even when she gives him nothing in return. That's what makes a good marriage!

I've said a lot, but I just thought this book was great! I must say, there were a couple sexy scenes, just so I said I warned you!

I loved this. Reading each page was like rolling a chocolate around in my mouth. The words and images were that beautiful. The story was artfully and thoughtfully created and I ended up loving these wonderfully human characters with all their brilliance and flaws. As my friend Laura pointed out, it was so great to see the protagonist's attitude change over the course of the book. I think it was because she was surrounded by uncommonly good and kind people, whose words and actions brought me to tears several times. Maybe these kind of people aren't so uncommon though, because I know many in real life, and this book made me appreciate them even more.

There was a quiet sweetness to this one. I wouldn't dare to offer a synopsis. Maybe I would say a woman ends up on an unexpected path. But she finds surprises and learns lessons along the way. Finds love where she least expected it to creep up on her. She is worldly minded, but by the end she learns what wisdom is. It is a bit about growing up.

Re-read 2019
Audiobook narrated by Justine Eyre 7hs 43 minutes 19 seconds

Originally I read this book many years ago after watching the 2005 Hallmark Hall of Fame television movie. Over the last few days I decided to take a second look and realized that I loved the main characters of Livy and Ray because of the way they were portrayed by Felicity Russell and Skeet Ulrich in the film. Livy in her book format is harder to love as she spends much of the book stuck in the past. Ray, though is a beautiful man but I wished he was able to take over narrative at times.

Set during WWII, Ann Howard Creel does offer readers of glimpse of opinions and events during that time period. But sometimes the book read more like a history lesson than making me feel invested fully in the characters.

My original rating falls from a 4 to a 3.

Goodreads review published 29/08/19

I first 'saw' this book as a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie on TV. I was so impressed with the story that I had to get the book. Olivia Dunne is the oldest of three sisters. She is the only one who is single and she is also pursuing her master's degree in history. Intelligent with goals to better her life, she wants to become an archeologist. At the opening of the story she is taking care of her mother who is ill.

This is a simple story of love-gone-wrong during the early days of WWII. Olivia is a minister's daughter who does the unthinkable; she gets pregnant after a one-night stand with a soldier that she thought would love and marry her. Unfortunately it is war time and he never returns.

Her mother passes away and her strict father sends her off to marry a farmer. A stranger. A lonely man. A gentle man. Someone who has known heartache in his own way.

Journey with these two isolated individuals who eventually earn the respect and then love, from one another. Deep in scope, this is a powerful story with interesting characters. Besides the warmhearted romance you will learn what was expected of farmers during this era. There is also a secondary story between Olivia and two Japanese sisters she meets.

THE MAGIC OF ORDINARY DAYS moves slowly but not in a bad way. This is one of those romances that you will be sad to end. Ann Howard Creel normally writes young girl fiction but this adult fiction is oh-so-sweet. The movie follows the book but takes some liberties. Read the book first.

I really did not like this book. I found the plot and the writing to be too simplistic, the characters to be too one-dimensional, and the relationships between characters to be poorly developed. The choices made by the characters felt contrived and I did not find myself caring in the least what would become of them. I especially disliked the main character, Livvy, and found her to be self-centered and lazy. You live on a farm during WWII and you complain that you don't have enough to do? Really? I would imagine that taking care of a home without all the modern conveniences must have been a full-time job in and of itself, not to mention farm work and maybe contributing to the war effort in some way. But no, she instead spent her time on leisurely driving, using the gasoline which they were allowed only because it was necessary for farm work. I guess I should have realized that a book which was the inspiration for a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie might somehow miss the mark in terms of literary quality, but I was sucked in by the promise of Livvy's unwitting involvement in some type of crime, which I thought must contribute some intrigue. Unfortunately, the crime occurs only in the last 30 pages of the book and was a big let-down in the intrigue department. Did you ever wish you could get a couple of days of your life back and do it all over again? Maybe read something good? Sigh.

“Sometimes you do find what you're looking for closer than you think”
― Ann Howard Creel, The Magic of Ordinary Days

This was a beautiful exploration of love and self. I read this because I had previously seen the movie which was outstanding. It's rare when a movie does a book justice but this one did. And I read the book AFTER seeing the Hallmark film.

I liked the character of Olivia. It was wonderful to watch her emotional growth throughout the book. The relationship between the two main characters felt so real and the book does not take any shortcuts. It's a poignant read filled with lush descriptive writing of the characters and their surroundings in a sleepy Colorado town.

The friendships depicted here are realistic and there is just nothing here that I did not love. I kind of wish I'd read the book BEFORE seeing the movie but it was still a wonderful and stirring read anyway and I highly recommend it to all Historical Romance fans.

I really liked this book. I was a bit disappointed in the ending--not how it ended, just that it was wrapped up a little more quickly than I would have liked.

That said, please don't let the slow beginning turn you off. Trust me on this. Don't give up on it. This book is a love story that kind of sneaks up on you. Contrasts true love with what so many girls think love is and in the end I loved it! It's not an exciting book, but a good book that will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy.

I was really touched by this book. I especially loved the characters. Although Livvy is the main character, my thoughts of Ray lingered for several days. I know there will be many out there who would call this story cheesy or predictable whereas others would criticize Livvy for conforming to society's expectations of her at that time period. As a stay-at-home housewife with kids to tend to, however, I found that I could relate to Livvy's sacrificed dreams. Having said that, I, like Livvy in the end, wouldn't change a thing which is probably why this book touched me so much.

My favorite thing about this book, however, is the title. That is absolutely a 5-star title! It's so evocative, and it's the reason I picked it up in the first place.

I loved the idea of a female protagonist who is getting her master's degree during the 1940s. But everything else about this fell flat.

I am someone who loves "ordinary days" and believes that there is nearly always magic in them if one chooses to look for it. Sadly, this book didn't show how the magic of the ordinary days can be found. Olivia and her husband have zero emotional connection almost till the end of the book. The worst disappointment is, the reader does not get the opportunity to see Olivia and Ray develop feelings for each other. Instead, the author ruins it all by simply telling us, all of a sudden that there are feelings. I read this because I thought the book would be better than the movie, but it did not. It also did not go into as much depth as the character's issues.

I also felt the side story about the Japanese girls didn't even belong here. It added nothing to the main plot or character development. I think this story could've turned out much better if the author didn't try to do too much.

RATING JUST BASED OFF OF THE MOVIE. I KNOW THIS IS A BOOK PLACE. BUT I KNOW I'LL NEVER READ THIS BECAUSE OF THE MOVIE AND PEOPLE SAID THE MOVIE WAS PRETTY ACCURATE.

For one, I HATED the heroine. She was ungrateful, and treated the hero badly when all he wanted to do was help her and love her. She planned to leave after practically mooching off his money, food, and home for like 8months.

The hero was perfect. Like literally. He said such sweet things.

There were moments of too much history. His brother died in the war and there was a sort of clear animosity he had with Asian people kinda.

Why did she help the Prisoner of war only to turn him in?

At the end, I didn't feel like she change any. Maybe the book will prove to be different. But just from the movie alone, I'm gonna prob stay far far away from this.

7 books 35 followers

I thought this book was okay. But if you like novels, you probably would like it more than I did. (My reader friend who suggested it to me said it was the BEST BOOK EVER. But she also loved Twilight and all the other books that I am ho-hum on.)

My problem is, when I am reading a fictional book I keep thinking, "This is so dumb. It didn't even happen. These people are fake. It's not even real. Why am I even reading this?" I just love awesome non-fiction, where the stories are true and you could actually meet the people involved!

This book moved slow for me, and nobody survived a natural disaster or invented something or almost got ate by a shark. What did happen was this: the main character meets a handsome young man named Edward, who is not a vampire, falls in love, and sleeps with him the night before he ships off to war. He says he doesn't write letters much, and that he won't be able to send a letter at all for at least a couple weeks. A month passes. No letter. And she's pregnant. But month two, she knows he never cared about her and slept with her only as a conquest. Her dad arranges a marriage for her with a farmer in the country, and she meets him the same day she marries him, 3 months pregnant.

At first the farmer is boring, then she gradually decides she loves him. Plus another subplot, but that's the basic story.

Seriously, though - did she even TRY to get ahold of her Edward lover? Maybe write and tell him you're pregnant? Maybe find out if he was killed at war? Call his parents?

IMO, a better ending would have been Edward coming to find her after he heard she was pregnant, but after meeting him again she realizes that she actually loves the farmer. Edward doesn't want the baby, so they go their separate way and she chooses farm guy. And then they should escape a shark attack.

a word of caution: this review might be the most biased review i ever write on goodreads.

the magic of ordinary days (from here out TMOOD) is a quiet story of learning to love when you've been betrayed badly by those you've trusted, loved, and lost. i knew i was in trouble when the back cover "applause" included the line "gentle but powerful" - any turn of phrase that could easily grace the box of some feminine cleansing product as it does a book jacket probably isn't ideal. know what i'm sayin'?

the story itself isn't terrible. livvy is a free-minded, "educated" daughter of a minister who, after the death of her mother, gets herself in a spot of trouble, zygote-wise, when she falls for a smooth-talking history buff-cum-soldier named "edward". okay, tragically, the name edward has been ruined for me by the "twilight" series, and while this book came out first, it still made me giggle every time i read his name. her shamed and distant minister father calls on one of his "minister buddies" and arranges a marriage between independent livvy and reticently stoic bachelor-farmer ray. here's my thing: i liked ray. i didn't really love livvy. and ray being SO good, made it harder and harder to like livvy.

the plot itself is fairly quiet - a lot of awkward dinner conversations as livvy learns how to be a farmer's wife and love her hubby. there's a strange twist with japanese internment prisoners - rose and lorelai - who made me think more of the gilmore girls than the plight of the asian during this time period. they, like the unfortunately named edward, abuse livvy's loneliness, to the point where she commits treason for them (unwittingly. but considering livvy has to analyze ray's entire genealogy before she'll hug him, i'm sort of shocked she didn't crack that caper long in advance). the end, like the rest of the novel, is quiet. and strangely ray-free. the last few pages deal more with livvy's quiet transformation than the quiet man who helps her to love again. i thought that was a particularly sad choice, actually.

by now, you're probably wondering where the bias comes in. here you go: the whole book reminded me of this unfortunate class at tufts i took when learning to become a teacher. the english MAT students paired up with the history MAT students and we read "snow falling on cedars" - another literary glimpse at japanese interment. i loathed it with the fire of a thousand suns. the real kicker? livvy, her temperament, her words, hell, even her major and college remind me of this awful girl in the program. so self-righteous, so not-as-smart-as-she-thinks-she-is,so artificial. i could go on but i won't. i probably dislike livvy partly because of her startling similarity to the one i went to school with, and that's not really fair.

The magic of ordinary days

The Magic of Ordinary Days by Ann Howard Creel

Release Date: July 2001
Publisher: Penguin
Pages: 274 pages
Source & Format: Bought; Paperback
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Summary from Goodreads

Olivia Dunne, a studious minister's daughter who dreams of being an archaeologist, never thought that the drama of World War II would affect her quiet life in Denver. An exhilarating flirtation reshapes her life, though, and she finds herself banished to a rural Colorado outpost, married to a man she hardly knows. Overwhelmed by loneliness, Olivia tentatively tries to establish a new life, finding much-needed friendship and solace in two Japanese American sisters who are living at a nearby internment camp. When Olivia unwittingly becomes an accomplice to a crime and is faced with betrayal, she finally confronts her own desires. Beautifully written and filled with memorable characters, Creel's novel is a powerful exploration of the nature of trust and love.

I watched the Hallmark movie The Magic of Ordinary Days long before I ever knew it was based on a book. It came out in 2005, and I somehow stumbled upon it. I wasn't a big Hallmark movie fan, but I absolutely loved Keri Russell. I recently decided to re-watch it, which is when I finally realized that there was a book by the same name. Since I already knew I loved the story, I couldn't wait to see if the book was even better. After all, that's usually the case! So, was that true with The Magic of Ordinary Days?

It's the last year of World War II, and Olivia Dunne is a minister's daughter who dreams of being an archaeologist. But a moment of passion changes of her life forever. Suddenly, she's leaving Denver for a rural Colorado outpost. and about to marry a man she's never met before. Overwhelmed by loneliness, Olivia becomes friends with two Japanese American sisters who are living a a nearby internment camp. She's stumbling through the awkwardness of her marriage and battling loneliness until she unwittingly becomes an accomplice to a crime. Now, she's finally forced to decide what she wants out of her life - and her marriage.

I love marriage of convenience stories, so that was already a point in this book's favor when I started. As soon as I started, I could already tell that I liked Creel's writing style. I highlighted a number of passages while I was reading! Olivia, who goes by Livvy, narrates the book. There were things I loved about her character, such as her love of history. But she was also difficult to connect to because of her grief. She's put up a wall around herself, and she really only thinks about herself for a long time. While that's not a flaw of the book, it is something I found frustrating at times. Furthermore, her love of history occasionally turned into info dumps that felt largely unnecessary - though I believe they were meant more as a character quirk.

Because of the first person point of view, you only see the other characters through Livvy's eyes. This is particularly important when it comes to Ray, the man Livvy marries. As the reader, you can tell that Livvy is wary of Ray. He does numerous kind things for her to make her feel welcome and to ease her into life on his farm. But for all his outreach to Livvy, she remains distant and closed off.

My biggest issue with the book was the development of their relationship. It felt so realistic and understandable to me for so long - until there's a change. In the movie, you get to see them interact and watch the progression of their feelings. In the book, you're only seeing through Livvy. So, you don't really understand why Ray cares for her as much as he does, or why she finally makes the decisions she does regarding their relationship. Because of that, I never loved the book as much as I'd hoped. I was rooting for the Ray and Livvy of the movie much more than I was for the couple in this book.

What about what I did love about this book? I think my favorite aspect was the inclusion of Rose and Lorelei - the two Japanese American sisters living in an internment camp. The Japanese internment camps are such a sad part of our nation's history, and I feel like it's something I never see depicted or discussed in books. I enjoyed seeing Livvy's friendship with them blossom, and my heart broke for what they were experiencing. The biggest difference between the movie and the book is the way their storyline ends. I did not expect it to end where it did and that broke my heart even more.

The Magic of Ordinary Days was an enjoyable read. I lost myself in the story, and I loved what I learned about history. There are so many stories from the past - layers and layers of people who experienced so many unimaginable things. I'm so glad this book made me think more about the stories of Japanese Americans in internment camps. As for the main story of the book - Livvy and Ray's marriage - I enjoyed watching it grow. While I ultimately loved the movie more, the book was still worth reading!

"As we grew up, my sisters played with dollhouses and dreamed of futures beside successful husbands, whereas I became gripped by the past. The stories and struggles of olden days worked their way from the crepe paper pages of old books and under the seal of my skin."

It serves as a symbol of the university's athletic prowess and competitive spirit. The cheerleaders often incorporate this mascot into their routines and cheers, further reinforcing the school's identity and fostering a sense of unity and enthusiasm among students, faculty, and fans. The Cal Poly Pomona cheerleading team plays a crucial role in energizing the crowd and creating a positive atmosphere during athletic events. They use their spirited performances, chants, and stunts to uplift and encourage both the athletes and the audience. Through their dedication and passion, they embody the values and traditions of Cal Poly Pomona. Overall, the Cal Poly Pomona cheerleading team contributes to the vibrant campus culture and helps in promoting school pride. With their green and gold colors and bronco mascot, they represent the university's spirit and support its athletic programs..

Reviews for "Behind the Energy: What it Takes to be a Cal Poly Pomona Cheerleader"

- Jessica - 2 out of 5 stars - I was really disappointed with the cheerleading colors and mascot of Cal Poly Pomona. The colors are so dull and boring. They don't give off any energy or excitement. And don't even get me started on the mascot. A bronco? Really? I know it's the school's symbol, but it's just not a fun or interesting mascot. Overall, I found the colors and mascot to be very lackluster and unimpressive.

- John - 1 out of 5 stars - Cal Poly Pomona's cheerleading colors and mascot are just plain terrible. The colors are so unappealing and don't reflect any school spirit or excitement. And the mascot? A bronco? That's so generic and unoriginal. It's like they didn't even put any thought or effort into it. I was really let down by the lack of creativity and imagination when it came to the cheerleading colors and mascot.

- Emily - 2 out of 5 stars - The cheerleading colors and mascot of Cal Poly Pomona are so uninspiring. The colors are drab and don't make me feel any school pride. And the mascot is just a plain old horse. It's not unique or memorable at all. I wish they had put more thought and creativity into the design. Overall, I was not impressed with the cheerleading colors and mascot of Cal Poly Pomona.

The Tradition and Legacy of Cal Poly Pomona's Cheerleading Program