I have been on a reading kick lately. My spring classes start next Thursday (yikes!) and I want to get in as much reading as I can before it's time to crack open the textbooks. I've read a lot of good books in the past couple months including the following:
Age of Miracles (very interesting and a quick read)
Tale of Two Cities (for the 100th time)
Kisses from Katie (very inspirational)
Bossy Pants (very funny)
Life of Pi (now I have to see the movie)
The Devil in the White City (non-fiction, parts of it read like a history book but I liked it!)
Cloud Atlas (heard it's better than the movie)
Fahrenheit 451 (which I read in its entirety yesterday)
Next on my list are:
Ella Minnow Pea (waiting for it to come into the library)
The Red Leather Diary (I know nothing about it)
The Stand (I hear it's a modern day classic)
The Giver (which I read in college and loved and I want to read again)
The Pact (on NY Times Best Seller list)
I'm also looking for other suggestions! I love all kinds of literature - memoirs, sci-fi, some fantasy, action, classics, etc.
What have you read lately that you loved?
Monday, January 7, 2013
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Welcome to 2013
I am so unbelievably excited for 2013! 2012 ended spectacularly, but it sure had a lot of ups and downs to get to that point. But I'm starting this year on the right foot. I am so so so happy, my marriage has never been in a better place, I am loving my job, our apartment is finally completely redecorated (as far as we are going to do with it), we have such wonderful friends, and we have finally moved to step 3 of our 4 step plan.
Let me explain. Charles and I have been married for 7 years now. We like to stay up late, sleep in, go out to dinner on a whim, go on vacations, etc. With that kind of lifestyle it's hard to have any kind of responsibility at home. When we first got married we talked about the possibility of kids someday and decided we needed a 4 step plan. Step 1) plant. If we could keep a plant alive for at least 6 months (a challenge for us both, to be sure), then we could graduate to step 2) fish. We made it that far and took care of a beta fish named Simeon for nearly three years. Since their average lifespan is 1 year, we decided we nailed step 2. So when Simeon died we decided to move onto step 3) animal. I was hoping for a dog, since I love dogs but that's just not feasible right now with where we live and such. So we went with a cat. (I've never been a big fan, but Charles loves them.) That being said, we are in a trial run of adopting my parents cat. To be honest, this cat is a little more like a dog. He loves to be pet, loves to snuggle, comes when you call him, etc. But he doesn't have to go outside to be walked, can use a litter box, and generally is a little less maintenance than a dog. So pending how this experiment goes, at some point in the future we may graduate to step 4) children.
The thought of having kid is exciting (a miracle in itself) and scary as hell. I went to my first baby shower in AGES last weekend for my college roommate and learned very quickly that I know NOTHING about babies. I am 29 and I have never even changed a diaper. I don't hold babies very often and I thought the baby bath was for soaking swollen preggo feet. I will have a lot to learn, that is for sure. But 30 is looming and I have decided that it's time to grow up and settle down! :)
As for the new year, I am not a huge fan of New Years resolutions but I do have a few goals.
Being that I have been blessed with a fast metabolism, I have been able to eat whatever I want for my whole life up until this point. My dad always warned me it wouldn't last forever. As 30 approaches (this is a big deal for me, as you can see), I want to start the year in the best shape possible. So after a holiday of crazy binge eating, it's back to healthy choices and portion control for me. And most importantly, exercise. I'm skinny enough, but I definitely need to tone a few areas. I hate to run and I live in a blasted cold state and I hate the cold, and I hate spending money on gym memberships, so exercise has always been a challenge for me. But challenge or not, by my 30th bday, I am going to be in excellent shape.
Another goal is to read more. I love to read. But with long hours at work, school work, a leadership class this fall, and responsibilities at home, it's harder to do. And I just need to set aside a reasonable amount of time to do it. Usually when I read a book, that's all I do for the 2 days it takes me to finish it. I need to learn to balance.
My third goal is to get more involved in church. We have a wonderful church and I would love to be more involved. I need to stop making the excuse that it's just too far away and just jump right in. And I want to be better about inviting people over for dinner and making new friends. I want to be a part of the community, not just attend the church.
Upon reflection of 2012 I have to say that I learned two major lessons. They may sound old and trite but they are profoundly, amazingly and miraculously true. 1) When you give yourself fully over to God, he can and WILL give you the strength to overcome ANY obstacle, no matter how impossible it may seem. 2) Prayer changes things. Sometimes I hear people say "well I've been praying and praying" and I'm tempted to say "Just stop praying so much and DO something." But I am SO wrong in that advice. I look at my life a year ago and look at it now, and it seems that every day I find out how someone else felt led to pray for me this year - whether they knew what was happening in my life or not. I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that my life would not be what it is today if my faithful friends, and their faithful friends, had not been praying. I am awed, and moved and blessed.
Bring on 2013!!
Let me explain. Charles and I have been married for 7 years now. We like to stay up late, sleep in, go out to dinner on a whim, go on vacations, etc. With that kind of lifestyle it's hard to have any kind of responsibility at home. When we first got married we talked about the possibility of kids someday and decided we needed a 4 step plan. Step 1) plant. If we could keep a plant alive for at least 6 months (a challenge for us both, to be sure), then we could graduate to step 2) fish. We made it that far and took care of a beta fish named Simeon for nearly three years. Since their average lifespan is 1 year, we decided we nailed step 2. So when Simeon died we decided to move onto step 3) animal. I was hoping for a dog, since I love dogs but that's just not feasible right now with where we live and such. So we went with a cat. (I've never been a big fan, but Charles loves them.) That being said, we are in a trial run of adopting my parents cat. To be honest, this cat is a little more like a dog. He loves to be pet, loves to snuggle, comes when you call him, etc. But he doesn't have to go outside to be walked, can use a litter box, and generally is a little less maintenance than a dog. So pending how this experiment goes, at some point in the future we may graduate to step 4) children.
The thought of having kid is exciting (a miracle in itself) and scary as hell. I went to my first baby shower in AGES last weekend for my college roommate and learned very quickly that I know NOTHING about babies. I am 29 and I have never even changed a diaper. I don't hold babies very often and I thought the baby bath was for soaking swollen preggo feet. I will have a lot to learn, that is for sure. But 30 is looming and I have decided that it's time to grow up and settle down! :)
As for the new year, I am not a huge fan of New Years resolutions but I do have a few goals.
Being that I have been blessed with a fast metabolism, I have been able to eat whatever I want for my whole life up until this point. My dad always warned me it wouldn't last forever. As 30 approaches (this is a big deal for me, as you can see), I want to start the year in the best shape possible. So after a holiday of crazy binge eating, it's back to healthy choices and portion control for me. And most importantly, exercise. I'm skinny enough, but I definitely need to tone a few areas. I hate to run and I live in a blasted cold state and I hate the cold, and I hate spending money on gym memberships, so exercise has always been a challenge for me. But challenge or not, by my 30th bday, I am going to be in excellent shape.
Another goal is to read more. I love to read. But with long hours at work, school work, a leadership class this fall, and responsibilities at home, it's harder to do. And I just need to set aside a reasonable amount of time to do it. Usually when I read a book, that's all I do for the 2 days it takes me to finish it. I need to learn to balance.
My third goal is to get more involved in church. We have a wonderful church and I would love to be more involved. I need to stop making the excuse that it's just too far away and just jump right in. And I want to be better about inviting people over for dinner and making new friends. I want to be a part of the community, not just attend the church.
Upon reflection of 2012 I have to say that I learned two major lessons. They may sound old and trite but they are profoundly, amazingly and miraculously true. 1) When you give yourself fully over to God, he can and WILL give you the strength to overcome ANY obstacle, no matter how impossible it may seem. 2) Prayer changes things. Sometimes I hear people say "well I've been praying and praying" and I'm tempted to say "Just stop praying so much and DO something." But I am SO wrong in that advice. I look at my life a year ago and look at it now, and it seems that every day I find out how someone else felt led to pray for me this year - whether they knew what was happening in my life or not. I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that my life would not be what it is today if my faithful friends, and their faithful friends, had not been praying. I am awed, and moved and blessed.
Bring on 2013!!
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