tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10474652362568992322023-11-16T08:00:00.487-07:00Spotts in the Valley of the SunLWSpottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00678304330356877591noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047465236256899232.post-83819035676174567802011-10-15T10:59:00.000-07:002011-10-15T10:59:31.086-07:00I am moving...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtQpYr5RcFPe9RqkqxKiRCSjN86Igf5RKQmp73Y1cLwIsAfatw1Vyy722ChHspftIlzZEhIBxYeJrcBzDw18jomWC4Cg9fsxYimfu1qBZyRh_NEeMQ-sMzPU_jqXIPGgyD_dbm8pyfv0e/s1600/new+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtQpYr5RcFPe9RqkqxKiRCSjN86Igf5RKQmp73Y1cLwIsAfatw1Vyy722ChHspftIlzZEhIBxYeJrcBzDw18jomWC4Cg9fsxYimfu1qBZyRh_NEeMQ-sMzPU_jqXIPGgyD_dbm8pyfv0e/s200/new+blog.jpg" width="199" /></a>...not out of the Valley of the Sun, but to a new blog. </div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">Whether you're visiting for the first time or have been a regular reader, thank you for pausing a moment at my blog. I am in the process of transitioning to a new location, so please follow the link and visit me there.</div><br />
Welcom to the new <em><a href="http://thespotts.wordpress.com/">Spotts in the Valley of the Sun</a>.</em><br />
<br />
Happy reading!LWSpottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00678304330356877591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047465236256899232.post-69205880156663368762011-10-13T16:51:00.000-07:002011-10-13T16:51:51.154-07:00This Could be Me<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrYOHOLHOKqsRiIEbazZ9gQH5h_2F4-WRET0EJUoZRZUo3rOfG3Y5WDB9CIb8rvwrBWOKdqMFSv04XIKqh8sHKMdJ80DxBJCF__JQbMukQeDpRURs-W68TNLSBO5-gkfn5XWXNNox2d4Nw/s1600/5+ft+2+in+98+lbs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrYOHOLHOKqsRiIEbazZ9gQH5h_2F4-WRET0EJUoZRZUo3rOfG3Y5WDB9CIb8rvwrBWOKdqMFSv04XIKqh8sHKMdJ80DxBJCF__JQbMukQeDpRURs-W68TNLSBO5-gkfn5XWXNNox2d4Nw/s320/5+ft+2+in+98+lbs.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Height: <strong>5 2 ft</strong> Weight: <strong>98 lbs</strong><br />
<div class="col goleft"><div class="padded-5"> Pant size: <strong>0</strong></div>Shirt size: <strong>S</strong></div><div class="col large goleft"><strong class="goleft rightpadded-5">Shape:</strong><a href="http://www.mybodygallery.com/photos-102-body-shape.htm#"><img alt="" src="http://www.mybodygallery.com/images/shape-1.gif" /></a></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
I am so glad that the above picture shows the girl's body but not her face, because this easily could have been me...when I learned I was fat at about age 12. In fact, I was actually 96 lbs, and though I wore a larger pant size (probably more like a 4...I've never been a size 0 in my life), I was still shaped very much like the girl in this picture, and I had achieved my full height of 5'2". <br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I was told I needed to lose two pounds in order to wear a certain coveted outfit...and I lost the two pounds, and I wore the coveted outfit. I did not realize that in order to continue wearing the coveted outfit, I had to maintain the two pound loss, or the outfit was off limits.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">And so began my life as a chronically overweight woman.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>LWSpottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00678304330356877591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047465236256899232.post-66749044664283264142011-10-13T13:44:00.001-07:002011-10-13T14:25:35.733-07:00"You is kind. You is smart. You is important." --The Help<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf8fAoNHlAF4uuWXryieEQkyIld_71bfgJFn6JKXyMIu6XANLnFnUt0zqT3dT7l3su-ugxFi8QJoHI9onkKH3kxBRgVAxab4wAJo6JenZLXC8JmjmHjs96P6-vM518ajqy3JqbxGYdmvLS/s1600/before+you+speak%252C+think.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf8fAoNHlAF4uuWXryieEQkyIld_71bfgJFn6JKXyMIu6XANLnFnUt0zqT3dT7l3su-ugxFi8QJoHI9onkKH3kxBRgVAxab4wAJo6JenZLXC8JmjmHjs96P6-vM518ajqy3JqbxGYdmvLS/s400/before+you+speak%252C+think.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
This picture was posted on FB this morning, and it reminded me of perhaps my favorite quote from The Help, said by Aibilene Clark to Mae Mobley in a loving and sincere attempt to counter the criticism and lack of love Mae Mobley received constantly from her mother. I thought this was some of the best advice -- especially <em>parenting</em> advice -- that anyone could get. If we could remember only the last point - to speak <em>kindly</em> - we would be far, far ahead of the game in almost every circumstance.<br />
<br />
The biggest disservice <em>any</em> parent can perpetrate on their children is the act of criticizing them, vilifying them, relentlessly point out their faults, speaking to them disrespectfully and unkindly, <strong><em>in the name of love</em>.</strong> The attitude that "I only say this to you because I love you" is a poor excuse for deliberately hurting our kids with our words. To ask "Who will tell you if I don't" presupposes that even as young people, we are not our own worst critics. It assumes that even as children, we do not hear and internalize the unkind words directed at us <em>in the name of love</em>. <br />
<br />
How can we believe that?? How can we forget how we were ourselves as children...hurting when spoken to unkindly, believing what we were told because a person in authority had said it, thinking our faults are huge and glaring because they have been pointed out so often, gradually learning that a raised voice and harsh words are part of what love is? How can <strong><em>I</em></strong> forget this and perpetrate these behaviors on my own child?<br />
<br />
I am choked with remorse at the thought that I might have done these very things, because I became short-tempered and annoyed with my child's failure to listen until I yell. I have taught him that. I have, by my own words and actions, let him know that he can ignore me repeatedly until I finally raise my voice. It's my fault. I am the parent. I am the adult. I am the one that is supposed to love him, guide him, train him, and mold him into a responsible member of society, and more importantly, into a man who loves God and puts <em>Him</em> at the center of his life.<br />
<br />
I don't want to be that person, that kind of parent. Not only am I failing myself, I am failing my son, and I am failing to fulfill the most important job of my life, to train up my child "in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." I don't know how to parent in a way that will show Christ to my child...every day. I don't know how to reflect Him properly, and it grieves me...desperately.<br />
<br />
I feel like a lazy, shiftless, poor excuse for a parent. I am not qualified for this job...this responsibility. I thank the Lord that he has gifted me with a husband who is a wonderful and involved father, who buoys me up when I fail, and who encourages me to strive to be the person God created me to be, not only as a woman, but particularly as a wife and mother. That is the greatest calling of my life...the calling to which I come willingly...the calling at which I fail repeatedly and magnificently...but my calling nonetheless, and God has promised to faithfully provide the ability and the means to fulfill it. I know that in the twilight of my life, I will be able to look back and see that he has been faithful to that promise. It is my job now to (with God's help) commit to being the wife and mother He has envisioned. I know I can't do this adequately...not even close...but even through the gigantic failures that are sure to propagate my attempt, I hope to (once in a while) be the reflection of Christ that my son needs to see.LWSpottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00678304330356877591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047465236256899232.post-25191087117450344472011-09-11T09:15:00.001-07:002011-09-11T09:15:37.321-07:00I RememberYesterday as I was reading different thoughts & posts online, I ran across the following comment:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
<h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":1}" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}">Not
into the whole "remembrance" thing this weekend, because I love looking
forward instead, but this beautiful creature is too awesome not to
share with everyone! You rock, Guinness! </span></span></h6>
</blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFRR7AWsuzOy9RZKuMtxX2oQNlomLuOlKhv-eC9odYqPIO2QhcZWmJowvSU4yIiZ4looTJ6s4UUkmf5UhR7qWlsiH9e9LXkhfb0NRGiH2NJ0rnx9egh67YikYDJy5hfl-RRGxVx7pxNj-P/s1600/guinness+dog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFRR7AWsuzOy9RZKuMtxX2oQNlomLuOlKhv-eC9odYqPIO2QhcZWmJowvSU4yIiZ4looTJ6s4UUkmf5UhR7qWlsiH9e9LXkhfb0NRGiH2NJ0rnx9egh67YikYDJy5hfl-RRGxVx7pxNj-P/s320/guinness+dog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<blockquote>
<div class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0">
<span style="font-size: small;">Guinness
served at ground zero after the 9-11 attacks. This brave boy is now a
14 year old retiree. Dog Bless You, Guinness. Tune in to Dog Bless You
tomorrow for the premiere of our 9-11 tribute on the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/NationalDisasterSearchDogFoundation" title="To tag someone, type @ and then the friend's name">National Disaster Search Dog Foundation</a>.</span></div>
</blockquote>
<div class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0">
</div>
<div class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0">
It made me so sad, not because this person was highlighting a profile in a dog's courage (a beautiful tribute), but because there was an underlying snarkiness to the remark, a tinge of negative judgment toward all of us who have remembered with heavy hearts each year, and whose hearts are particularly full on this 10th anniversary of the worst attack on U.S. soil. Our country was targeted, savagely & brutally attacked ten years ago today, and left stunned & reeling in the wake of it.</div>
<div class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0">
<br /></div>
<div class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0">
I will never forget it. I can't. Every time I am reminded of that sad day in our nation's history, I am transported back to that morning at 8:47am as I am driving to work, listening to the morning music program, and I get a call from my brother, who says "Where are you? A plane just hit the World Trade Center. Turn on the radio!" For the rest of that day, and days after, I was rooted to the news...on the radio, on TV, on the internet, in the newspaper. I had to watch...I had to listen...I had to sear it into my memory and make it a part of me.</div>
<div class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0">
<br /></div>
<div class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0">
Our country was rightly...and righteously...outraged. How could someone hate us so much, just for our way of life? We were (momentarily) cohesive in our grief, our anger, our indignation, our resolve. For a few brief moments we were a nation undivided, mourning the loss of so many innocent lives, proudly hailing the heroic actions of so many individuals on that sad day, understanding that their decisions were instrumental in saving lives while they were losing their own. For the briefest second we all...every one...supported our President as he spoke out loud what was in all of our hearts & minds.</div>
<div class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0">
<br /></div>
<div class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0">
How can something that united us so completely when it happened divide us so intensely a decade later? How does a President who was in office barely eight months get the blame...virtually in its entirety...for this act of terrorism? How is it that ten years later...ten years in which we have not been attacked once within our borders...we are <i>less</i> safe according to some than we were when it happened? How is it that the act of <i>remembering</i>, of <i>honoring</i>, of <i>memorializing</i> those whom we lost has become so controversial? How is it that it has become more appropriate to look forward, to leave the whole incident in our past, than to stop on its anniversary and mark the moment, if only to reconfirm to ourselves that this moment in history should never be repeated?</div>
<div class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0">
<br /></div>
<div class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0">
I remember.</div>
<div class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0">
<br /></div>
<div class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0">
I am comforted that, providentially, this tenth anniversary falls on my day of worship...that I will mark it not only by remembering, but also by knowing that God in his sovereignty has used this most devastating of events to turn hearts to Him, that he has shown his immense mercy and grace through the myriad acts of selflessness, kindness, and fortitude by all who responded, who cared for the hurt & broken, and who demonstrated the overwhelming compassion and love our fellow Americans have for each other.</div>
<div class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0">
<br /></div>
<div class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0">
I remember.</div>
<div class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0">
<br /></div>
<div class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0">
I will always remember, and on this day & every day, may God continue to bless the United States of America.</div>
LWSpottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00678304330356877591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047465236256899232.post-37744542523028551782011-08-05T11:37:00.000-07:002011-08-05T11:37:26.807-07:00Randomly Ruminating...part 2Things I've grown to like (that I never realized I would):<br />
<ul><li>The Desert (it's the dry heat)</li>
<li>Brussels sprouts</li>
<li>Carrying a backpack </li>
<li>Doing laundry (ok...stretching a bit, but I do like my washer & dryer)</li>
<li>Vacuuming</li>
<li>Audiobooks (actually, I LOVE these) </li>
<li>Skype</li>
<li>Sushi, raw oysters & runny(ish) eggs</li>
<li>Having very short hair</li>
<li>Deep tissue (painful, bruising) massage - because I feel immeasurably better afterwards</li>
<li>Some rap music</li>
<li>A drama-free life</li>
<li>Being a little out of step with the mainstream</li>
<li>Living in the Southwest</li>
<li>Making lists</li>
</ul><br />
Things I've grown to dislike (that I never realized I would):<br />
<ul><li>Most veggie meats (I grew up on them...now...kind of blech)</li>
<li>Talking on the phone (for the most part, I'd rather text / FB / IM / email)</li>
<li>Having long hair</li>
<li>Uber-long books</li>
<li>Pumps (very uncomfortable for me - much prefer wedges & platforms)</li>
<li>Being a packrat </li>
</ul><br />
Things I've decided I want (or need) to do more:<br />
<ul><li>Pray </li>
<li>Read</li>
<li>Write to / visit my long distance friends</li>
<li>Work out</li>
<li>Spend more time with my local friends</li>
<li>Organize my time, my stuff, my house / car, and my life</li>
<li>Say what I mean, mean what I say</li>
<li>Travel</li>
<li> Explore the Southwest</li>
<li>Take pictures</li>
</ul><br />
Things I've decided I will not do anymore:<br />
<ul><li> Eat Lima beans</li>
<li>Try to prop up one-sided relationships</li>
<li>Fail to clear the air when it is needed</li>
<li>Wear pantyhose</li>
<li> Be embarrassed by silly stuff</li>
<li>Fly Delta (if I can help it)</li>
<li> Suffer foolishness or guilt unnecessarily</li>
</ul><br />
I want to be better at my life. More on that...and other things...tomorrow.LWSpottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00678304330356877591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047465236256899232.post-31873190647004937632011-08-04T16:35:00.001-07:002011-08-04T16:37:04.309-07:00Randomly Ruminating......my brain is full of non sequiturs. Read on... <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_8rLwxHvRwCL5Ktp6Ro1U6hCoKs_xIzeChmXJ3lm-fu8Lkzp1BVuatPp1MzJmvV4GyT1pKyxIVWkjZhSTkMnPv4RSv0vo78KUE-OnKJmE7zd7C7hcM9UbljY6bk2RcwQTeTCoSMoVx64Y/s1600/great+hearts.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_8rLwxHvRwCL5Ktp6Ro1U6hCoKs_xIzeChmXJ3lm-fu8Lkzp1BVuatPp1MzJmvV4GyT1pKyxIVWkjZhSTkMnPv4RSv0vo78KUE-OnKJmE7zd7C7hcM9UbljY6bk2RcwQTeTCoSMoVx64Y/s1600/great+hearts.png" /></a></div>In the midst of registering my sweet little man for school this year, I got to cogitating. A great education is completely unrelated to how much a school may (or may not) cost to attend. Really good schools can cost a small fortune (McCallie & Girl's Preparatory in TN), or they can cost next to nothing (Great Hearts Academny in AZ). I mention these schools because they are the ones I know, and their reputations are not earned by the $$ that goes into the school, but rather by the stellar graduates they produce - on a regular and consistent basis. This is a great thing, because it means that a top notch education is available to <i>anyone </i>who has the wherewithal to seek it out and obtain it.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnWPhx2J-GXhutJAzfT4QaBMYRJjUFG2Ts8e6nXD2sTG9zPjQ-YffmUPPTtWmk-weeFn6In9hXzUauz4IHHTl6QZHagO-4NhBBOA-6-AA1xGOONUjlcoiYRitf9hy5Nj6FBCR4bJl1Kyu2/s1600/az+dmv.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnWPhx2J-GXhutJAzfT4QaBMYRJjUFG2Ts8e6nXD2sTG9zPjQ-YffmUPPTtWmk-weeFn6In9hXzUauz4IHHTl6QZHagO-4NhBBOA-6-AA1xGOONUjlcoiYRitf9hy5Nj6FBCR4bJl1Kyu2/s200/az+dmv.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>I have had a singularly frustrating week this week, and it has been largely due to the ineptitude of government. It all started with needing to get licensed here in Arizona, and get our cars registered here.<br />
<ul><li>Monday (Day 1) - Arrive at the DMV that really isn't the DMV because it is third-party outsourcing. Can they register my vehicles? No...systems are down statewide. Went to Phil's office to print the sheef (reem?) of registration paperwork for Cody's school, filled it out & dropped it off, only to learn that I had forgotten one essential item - his birth certificate. Aarrgghh!!</li>
<li>Tuesday (Day 2) - Took the birth certificate to school. Hooray - officially registered now. Arrive at the "not really the DMV" only to learn that I could <i>still</i> not register our vehicles. This time because neither vehicle is in my name, and because I need to have emissions testing done on mine. I don't suppose this information was available on Monday, right? OK, what about getting my license? Not there, but the licensing office is down the road, and I'm given a map...to the <i>COMMERCIAL</i> licensing office, which of course does not apply to me. OK, where do I go? Back in the direction I came from to the Motor Vehicle Division...oops, wrong again. This is another third-party that only does tags & insurance...but hey, it's cleaner than the first one, and I'll go back to it when I have my documentation. Cross the street to the DMV (<i>finally</i>) only to find it overflowing with people because of the system failure on Monday. In an building with 133 maximum occupancy, they were at or exceeding those numbers. It was packed, hot (because the a/c was fritzing), stinky (what do you expect?), dirty, and noisy. I tried, but when I realized I LEFT MY LICENSE AT HOME, I gave up and left. Aarrgghh...again!! Too late to do emissions. Went to Walmart to get Cody's school supplies, and two hours later (and some $$$ later) we got home...exhausted. </li>
<li>Wednesday (Day 3) - Forgot to get Phil to sign the paperwork for the tags, and he's in downtown Phoenix all day at a job site. My bad. Got the emissions testing done, then off to TJ Maxx (my favorite store...yay!) to get drawer organizers for the gargantuan task of getting my kitchen organized. <-- Progress, but this is going to take a while. <sigh></sigh></li>
<li>Thursday (Day 4) - SUCCESS...FINALLY!! Not only did I get both of our vehicles registered (wow, was that <i>expensive</i>), but I also am officially licensed to drive in the state of Arizona. While this is all good, it does highlight the complete inefficiency of government. Why could not most of this be done online? It was just paperwork and fees, for heaven's sake. As a reward to my long suffering 6yo, who patiently accompanied me on all of these excursions, he is now happily playing in the Chick-fil-A playground while I'm taking advantage of their Wi-Fi and drinking a (well-deserved) Diet Dr. Pepper. :-)</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Knme2R2pEACXH0woYYbfwkbZUNVf7oyHAnvbg76kIrNvgUHOKkSDmgj9gTcAVHLlVXEZZ3IAcDUfQRsWfrb0aywqwAEvBbSoIxrtsXX-Dr63j_xOdaF7tUudDUVk9MauX5QmSw7b8LWk/s1600/detroit+zoo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Knme2R2pEACXH0woYYbfwkbZUNVf7oyHAnvbg76kIrNvgUHOKkSDmgj9gTcAVHLlVXEZZ3IAcDUfQRsWfrb0aywqwAEvBbSoIxrtsXX-Dr63j_xOdaF7tUudDUVk9MauX5QmSw7b8LWk/s200/detroit+zoo.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJcfW4kfumceRZy7YIkxTnKWQ8GXirwywnzgp3L-RWhNnBrZ20zy85EOlVArrtmV5YmWxLeQgz2BlWD2SUIKZB9jMNUfwEUmf8YyLpYKKSxC6vFvO9z2VLZ6Yy2Kuj5rZDrfnt0NrUS6a0/s1600/knox+pres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="103" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJcfW4kfumceRZy7YIkxTnKWQ8GXirwywnzgp3L-RWhNnBrZ20zy85EOlVArrtmV5YmWxLeQgz2BlWD2SUIKZB9jMNUfwEUmf8YyLpYKKSxC6vFvO9z2VLZ6Yy2Kuj5rZDrfnt0NrUS6a0/s200/knox+pres.jpg" width="200" /></a>In light of the above, I am even more thankful than I already was for the relaxing weekend we spent with our much-missed friends, the Kriegs. What a fun time we had...celebrating sweet Cody's 6th (yes...6th) birthday with a yummy meal, a "made with love by Mandi" birthday cake complete with dinosaur decorations, and a birthday present worthy of the happiest of happy dances (Rex from <i>Toy Story 3</i>). We also got to see the Detroit Zoo, which was a cool outing made even cooler by a fabulous dinosaur exhibit, had <i>yummy</i> Mexican food for dinner, and then watched <i>Sherlock Holmes</i> (a fantastic movie). The kids & guys got to swim while we grown-up girls got pedicures & laughed riotously over yummy Pei Wei food. An evening of pizza & kidlet movies (<i>Mater's Tall Tales</i> and <i>Three Little Pigs & a Baby</i>), then church the next morning that fed my soul with a good Sunday School lesson and great sermon. We hauled a** to the airport (with a quick stop at <i>Culver's</i> for lunch), and made it through security with lots of time to spare. Kudos to Mark for the outstanding <span id="goog_164307483"></span><span id="goog_164307484"></span>driving. We are so thankful for y'all, and can't wait to return the hospitality (we recommend a winter visit!).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
So as I'm sitting here watching my kiddo play and letting my ice cream melt, I am thinking once again about last night's Skype call to my parents, and how surprised I was when Taylor came in to say hello because <i>his voice is so much lower than it was the last time I saw him</i>. That is a rather sad testament to how long it has been. At least a year and a half, maybe more...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLZCTxWhlixHwJmpUfG7BErgz5VdUrQvqx0bGpKgbQBWPvrKcz8HNwBUEIn_A_MQhF7-tjeER2oGP6gIjtglvZw38Z2RTAb8um5AcH4wXiBgxRFtOKLZMf9At0LLYDHUftmZT4zvgFZM36/s1600/hot+temps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLZCTxWhlixHwJmpUfG7BErgz5VdUrQvqx0bGpKgbQBWPvrKcz8HNwBUEIn_A_MQhF7-tjeER2oGP6gIjtglvZw38Z2RTAb8um5AcH4wXiBgxRFtOKLZMf9At0LLYDHUftmZT4zvgFZM36/s200/hot+temps.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>It is HOT outside this week - fluctuating in the 108-116* range. Ridiculously hot.<br />
<br />
I am way behind in my reading for this year, making it very likely impossible to reach all of the goals (or complete all of the challenges) I set for myself. My main reading goal is always 100 books, not counting any of the reading I do with or to Cody. I'm about halfway. The best I've done in the past 5 years is 84 books in a single year, and this is a paltry number compared to some readers I follow, who complete each year with 200-300 books under the belts. I want to hit my target at least, and I'd like to do that every year. There is still time to ramp up the effort, so I'm going to try.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmnDYRAvgMzE6OIZgwLrNXn19xJ_RDrJh00VODojdUcEXMtK5MdoByTvvE0EbjzZv6-H6A8jUnw9FbvVA73BcOV6FxeSgCzEbO97QPW6v3KD3hVYKtMAeL2mGy8L5e584HuYoS9vSaSGYS/s1600/animal+print+reading+glasses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmnDYRAvgMzE6OIZgwLrNXn19xJ_RDrJh00VODojdUcEXMtK5MdoByTvvE0EbjzZv6-H6A8jUnw9FbvVA73BcOV6FxeSgCzEbO97QPW6v3KD3hVYKtMAeL2mGy8L5e584HuYoS9vSaSGYS/s200/animal+print+reading+glasses.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
I've gone up from a 1.25 magnification in my reading glasses to a 1.5 this year. Aging sucks.<br />
<br />
My interest has been piqued in kinesiology...specifically how it could benefit me with some of the health issues I have. I've wondered...because when things seem to be long term or chronic, and medication seems to be a permanent fixture, it causes me to ponder if there are other (more effective) solutions.<br />
<br />
Since it's past 4:30pm and I've yet to open a box today, I'll leave this to be continued...hopefully tomorrow.LWSpottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00678304330356877591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047465236256899232.post-59389076670293135892011-07-07T11:11:00.004-07:002011-07-21T09:39:50.739-07:00Revamping the "To Do" List<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinXfUrmkJnEMYrjMjGa3Wx2NoHhJk8uEU1gWQGmIjdRFANOsXsZbaljGXf3nviXcN2yWJRO1_Sw0vAidAz-Koq1FuiA5Xk7BDEE41KB2gYEgZ-r_Nuv1FZEr3Sp9MizfK1GNoOjyUnw59a/s1600/to+do+list.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinXfUrmkJnEMYrjMjGa3Wx2NoHhJk8uEU1gWQGmIjdRFANOsXsZbaljGXf3nviXcN2yWJRO1_Sw0vAidAz-Koq1FuiA5Xk7BDEE41KB2gYEgZ-r_Nuv1FZEr3Sp9MizfK1GNoOjyUnw59a/s320/to+do+list.png" width="320" /></a></div>My "To Do" List looks a little something like this:<br />
<br />
1. <s>Pack, pack, pack, pack.</s> <br />
2. blood work - procrastinating...<br />
3. Mammogram - again, procrastinating...<br />
4. Haircut / color - this short hair is awesome, but the haircuts come much more frequently.<br />
5. <s>Did I mention packing?</s><br />
6. <s>Fold / put away laundry (or perhaps pack it...)</s><br />
7. Clean as I pack (yay...so fun) --> <i style="color: red;"><b>Today's job! BLECH!!</b></i><br />
8. <s>Do some fun things with the young man.</s><br />
9. Get my coupons in order - and continue collecting - so I can start using them the "right" way. ;-)<br />
10. <s>Pack the house up so we can move. Have I mentioned that?</s><br />
11. Exercise - more? again? regularly? Lifetime Fitness <i>IS</i> cool...<br />
12. Take my computer back to the repair shop to fix the power plug AGAIN. <br />
13. Get the young man signed up for swim lessons at the Verrado pool (since Lifetime has a wait list).<br />
14. Cook and freeze spaghetti sauce. <i style="color: yellow;"><b>R</b></i><b style="color: yellow;"><i>escheduled...yay!</i></b><br />
15. We <b><i>moved</i></b> to our new house on July 16. <b>UNpacking</b> has commenced...and will continue until everything has a place, or a new owner, or a price on it for our upcoming (and <i>very</i> necessary) garage sale. <b>We have too much stuff!</b><i><b> </b></i><b><i></i></b><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKNmuTo_aeLOuuojPXnkWinh6CYJUFug2VbRMLzbNj1c3D-Fz5tGtMPuLqTatLCDD0qXbG3WV8BvM7QVZ4Mlrro125yevgmAliE2S5lIkZ9P-Wu1SsDvHPmsHqZm46g2qTOslPkMI49NvS/s1600/the+wednesday+sisters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKNmuTo_aeLOuuojPXnkWinh6CYJUFug2VbRMLzbNj1c3D-Fz5tGtMPuLqTatLCDD0qXbG3WV8BvM7QVZ4Mlrro125yevgmAliE2S5lIkZ9P-Wu1SsDvHPmsHqZm46g2qTOslPkMI49NvS/s1600/the+wednesday+sisters.jpg" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQt37NG7JtUdb-MFRAyJ6iVZuWYUOZhHgClF6UT1Az5tYdOLYQHcdKjHfwxbdrbRBiJibnxG7O6rpsqDtwKcU2eCv__sqNacsBNk4D9AwEHxJEmMSIJ-JIR31yAgKMOhKNcNB5tvzdn486/s1600/pfft.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQt37NG7JtUdb-MFRAyJ6iVZuWYUOZhHgClF6UT1Az5tYdOLYQHcdKjHfwxbdrbRBiJibnxG7O6rpsqDtwKcU2eCv__sqNacsBNk4D9AwEHxJEmMSIJ-JIR31yAgKMOhKNcNB5tvzdn486/s200/pfft.jpg" width="200" /></a>WHERE is my motivation today.<br />
<br />
Pfffffftttt...<br />
<br />
Oooooooohhhhhhhhh....there's a good book to read! <i><b>EXCEPT THAT I'VE LOST IT! <span style="color: yellow;">{found it under the newspapers when I was packing)</span></b></i><br />
<br />
(REALLY easily distracted)LWSpottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00678304330356877591noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047465236256899232.post-54229761769117986292011-07-01T12:30:00.002-07:002011-07-01T14:00:14.333-07:00I have met the enemy......and it is me.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3NllShe-b9hHrKT0vufhyjvyTlFd0ab3kfmeAP-guXxEGPloPS5dzzRZ7rde1gFHCGsiYph_x_EbxyM7OewI1ShNLltt4w1pjER9WdTLbEhyphenhyphenpt17dwd1Rms1hPvJ42YHBljOQW_ce3QE4/s1600/i%2527ve+seen+the+enemy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3NllShe-b9hHrKT0vufhyjvyTlFd0ab3kfmeAP-guXxEGPloPS5dzzRZ7rde1gFHCGsiYph_x_EbxyM7OewI1ShNLltt4w1pjER9WdTLbEhyphenhyphenpt17dwd1Rms1hPvJ42YHBljOQW_ce3QE4/s320/i%2527ve+seen+the+enemy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>It's strange, the things that provoke you to write. I have felt really introspective the past couple of weeks, in part because what I've been reading has been causing me to reflect a lot on the state of my heart and my relationship with God. Flannery O'Connor's stories will do that to you. She has a way of zoning in on the crux of a person's character with laser-like precision, and it is uncomfortable when it's a character defect that you possess. And I possess a lot of them. Talk about an ability to point out hypocrisy...and heresy...and faithlessness...and (thankfully) redemption.<br />
<br />
All of the O'Connor stories I've read lately have talked about judging others harshly. They illustrate (painfully) the folly of judging others while failing to judge oneself. They expose the heresy of failing to recognize our own shortcomings while continually pointing out those of our neighbors...our associates...our coworkers...our peers...our fellow church members...our friends...our families.<br />
<br />
I am such a hypocrite. I have committed this heresy a million times, every time thinking that I am the wronged one and therefore not in the wrong. <i>I was wrong</i>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZyDeSXzmg5xsiGZQsPjfCAiip4pYCkQVQjQvpIjCk9ywz90Kv1pcuaK8ny-NkcLGO6HRFu9Yp5RF-CcBvjH8VYac9iduVSh8n6F9YrrpeR0L3DgNd5Om4oKIGPGY9f8GOG5HVQ12U9LmP/s1600/effort+no+effort.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZyDeSXzmg5xsiGZQsPjfCAiip4pYCkQVQjQvpIjCk9ywz90Kv1pcuaK8ny-NkcLGO6HRFu9Yp5RF-CcBvjH8VYac9iduVSh8n6F9YrrpeR0L3DgNd5Om4oKIGPGY9f8GOG5HVQ12U9LmP/s200/effort+no+effort.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>A family member remarked to me a couple of years ago that he "only makes efforts with those who make efforts" with him. I was astonished that he would admit that, because it struck me as so petty and judgmental. And let's face it...it was. I was inclined to think at the time that he was selfish and shortsighted...that if he continued along that path, that he would be a lonely person because he would alienate so many people with that ungenerous attitude. That is not how friendships - nay, relationships - work. Placing the burden of "making the efforts" on the other party...always...creates such a lopsided relationship that the effort to sustain it becomes too great to maintain. I know this because I've been there.<br />
<br />
And, as has become sharply and painfully clear to me in the past few weeks, I've exhibited the very characteristic I have judged harshly. What have I been doing, trying to pick the splinters out of others' eyes while ignoring (or not seeing) the beam in my own? I've been the damaged party...sure...but I've been the damaging party too.<br />
<br />
Is it learned behavior? Maybe. It doesn't help to see others in your own family doing this. But the real culprit is a fallen world...a world that is so infused with sin that we don't half recognize the egregious offenses in ourselves.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhT-9Qv6zN3a7r4Feh1Ay6rD3xAi8EFQaXdr6mgNcc_LpuU_0-9ina_Ac3zUwZ-AKh1M3bkzhU21Q_TW0HwKS3dCE57i0txdVorlFGLhjf3-MI775aEb7eizAHmg6OkZp32vdTQPnHs-W4/s1600/forgive.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhT-9Qv6zN3a7r4Feh1Ay6rD3xAi8EFQaXdr6mgNcc_LpuU_0-9ina_Ac3zUwZ-AKh1M3bkzhU21Q_TW0HwKS3dCE57i0txdVorlFGLhjf3-MI775aEb7eizAHmg6OkZp32vdTQPnHs-W4/s200/forgive.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>I am struggling to forgive some excruciatingly painful treatment in my past...treatment that engendered in me years of rage, depression, uncertainty and bitterness. I was the wronged party. I had (and have) a right to feel all of these things. But...but... At what point will I be able to stop pointing the finger of judgment and recrimination, and (truly) forgive it? Apologies have been made. Sincere ones. I am grateful for them, and gratified by them, but I am failing miserably at my part in the equation. How do I do it? <br />
<br />
I have not made the efforts I am supposed to...not consistently. I don't reach out voluntarily across the divide. I do keep an arm's length. I often allow the efforts at maintaining the relationship(s) to remain one-sided. I do not trust that it will not happen again, even though I "believe" that it won't. I am almost confident that the other shoe will not drop...almost...but I am still waiting for it. How do I trust that we are finished with it? How do I do that when I am weak and fearful?<br />
<br />
In his autobiography, Mahatma Gandhi said "the weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." So true, and in this situation I am the weakest of the weak. But couple that with Psalm 73:26 which states that "my flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the <i>STRENGTH</i> of my heart and my portion forever." (emphasis mine) A no brainer, right? Yep...in a sinless world.<br />
<br />
Myriad sources discuss forgiveness, in every possible light, but I think it was C. S. Lewis who described forgiveness as something you must do again and again, every single day, because until your heart has truly forgiven, the results are only temporary. What a perfect analysis of what forgiveness is and how to do it. It makes Matthew 18: 21-22 crystal clear...forgiving seventy times seven is not to forgive 490 times, but to forgive repeatedly until forgiveness is real.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8h1-ctYU_q7bRbEaaap5BXFrqKVH7E8KZ0r5dq7c18_JQycx-nBL72cEYw0T4lu69CLkZd4X8sBLJIiGRkig04U3nW4exqZVtkMaxmcO3qqWZjNdioAuKwimuAPt6_2N1iKoboupVX6hi/s1600/make+the+effort.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8h1-ctYU_q7bRbEaaap5BXFrqKVH7E8KZ0r5dq7c18_JQycx-nBL72cEYw0T4lu69CLkZd4X8sBLJIiGRkig04U3nW4exqZVtkMaxmcO3qqWZjNdioAuKwimuAPt6_2N1iKoboupVX6hi/s200/make+the+effort.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
The marching orders are to make the effort. Every day. Reciprocation great, but not required. Because it is not about the other party...it is about my heart. Your heart. Our hearts.<br />
<br />
I have met the enemy, and the enemy is me.<br />
<br />
God, and God alone, can change me.LWSpottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00678304330356877591noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047465236256899232.post-1313482980974054462011-06-29T10:41:00.007-07:002011-06-30T22:56:02.592-07:00I just get teary...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWB0ab7hdv17R-9Yt0AaOOgAUzqh5X5App2Go42kHpEuqRWp8Y6yv8y_MAhveU5J8jWYIXMJEOYP5F8mo8Efkg5uSIg0jwFSZeCBP7_1evs22mwUB0h74Lp9JGfhafOhuOpNRc2-D1YR6r/s1600/friendship.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWB0ab7hdv17R-9Yt0AaOOgAUzqh5X5App2Go42kHpEuqRWp8Y6yv8y_MAhveU5J8jWYIXMJEOYP5F8mo8Efkg5uSIg0jwFSZeCBP7_1evs22mwUB0h74Lp9JGfhafOhuOpNRc2-D1YR6r/s320/friendship.jpg" width="320" /></a>...thinking of how caring and generous my friends are to me.<br />
<br />
They challenge my mind,<br />
share their joys and fears with me,<br />
and in general make me feel valued.<br />
<br />
They open their home to my family, <br />
feed me,<br />
pray for me,<br />
care for my child,<br />
and miss me when I'm gone. <br />
<br />
It touches me deeply,<br />
and I can't explain adequately<br />
how full my heart is because of this.<br />
<br />
That is all.LWSpottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00678304330356877591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047465236256899232.post-64691650679244021122011-06-10T11:44:00.001-07:002011-06-10T11:50:08.294-07:00What Got into Me?I have neglected this blog for a while now (last post in April...good grief!). I've been reading and reviewing books, and generally haven't been ultra-inspired to write off the cuff for a while.<br />
<br />
It's funny what triggers the need to write. So many times it's something that is so small as to seem ultimately insignificant, and yet it can touch off a flurry of thoughts that...sometimes...make their way into something coherent. That's the case here, I think, and it all started with the question "What got into you?"<br />
<br />
Let me explain. We (hubby, son and I) were spending some time with family one evening in the midst of packing up all of our belongings for the final trek out west. Sitting around the table, eating dinner & talking, and someone noticed my wrist...or rather, the pink ribbon tattoo that now resides there. The questions: "What have you done to your wrist?" (show the tat.) "What got into you?" And the comment that touched off the frenzy of (unspoken) responses in my head: "Probably the same thing that got into ___________" (who apparently has some artwork on his shoulder that has not gone unnoticed).<br />
<br />
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!! Because the implication was that I had simply gotten a whim to do something out of the ordinary (for our family) or that would cause a reaction....the implication was that I am shallow, and that I chose to ink my skin just because I could.<br />
<br />
Not true. Not even a little bit. So here I am now, feeling a need to explain my decision(s), not because someone made an assumption that appears to diminish me, but because a comment to that effect was made in a setting that included my parents. Whatever differences of opinion we have on the merits (or demerits) of tattoos, one thing is for certain...I do not want my parents assuming that I chose the art I did for shallow reasons. That is NOT ME. If they know me as they say they do, they know this to be true.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKjSpgIBZRAM79qT_6hZiWw1IoUtWu-rt1OG_8ZOVPgabky2kp37MlKCcTaZffH7Mnb8RWMktw8zKODL4QjMYQF57tVCPYpAZCPUARUkWJSMRYN76wm0_luLfT_GfThdfnlZoPcBDu_3Eh/s1600/DSCN0059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKjSpgIBZRAM79qT_6hZiWw1IoUtWu-rt1OG_8ZOVPgabky2kp37MlKCcTaZffH7Mnb8RWMktw8zKODL4QjMYQF57tVCPYpAZCPUARUkWJSMRYN76wm0_luLfT_GfThdfnlZoPcBDu_3Eh/s200/DSCN0059.JPG" width="138" /></a></div>I am feisty, and emotional, and passionate. I think deeply. I like to do fun things, to enjoy my life, and to express myself in ways that are meaningful to me. But bottom line, the artwork on my body is personal, it is a way I express myself, and (most importantly) it makes a statement about what is deeply important to me and where my allegiances are, and those things aren't remotely shallow.<br />
<br />
So about the pink ribbon tattoo on my wrist: my husband's family has been quite heavily touched by breast cancer. Most recently his sister...my sister-in-law and <i>friend</i>...was diagnosed with breast cancer, went through two surgeries and radiation, and is now (as far as we know at this point) cancer free. Praise God for that! I have friends whose families have been ravaged by breast cancer. I hope and pray for a day when there is a cure for this, and all, cancers. They are a scourge. So, as a reminder to myself to be personally vigilant, and as a show of support to friends and loved ones who have been touched by this disease, I have a pink ribbon.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiudExx0AF1tjAj7TBzTmNi590bxLi3cyueWdUFaMD-ivIuokknE8nLoKOCy3i4aKdZsym1GWyy2oZQYhGchkb8_jjCcjMlpjSrSqBMkZ2qRGl4kLa1SuULKIdL2janwPv3D_lL3_whWHZe/s1600/2010-06-24+17.54.17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiudExx0AF1tjAj7TBzTmNi590bxLi3cyueWdUFaMD-ivIuokknE8nLoKOCy3i4aKdZsym1GWyy2oZQYhGchkb8_jjCcjMlpjSrSqBMkZ2qRGl4kLa1SuULKIdL2janwPv3D_lL3_whWHZe/s200/2010-06-24+17.54.17.jpg" width="163" /></a></div>Additionally, on my right ankle I have a cross, with Psalm 73:26 written above it, which reads "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." What a magnificent statement of faith that David wrote! It absolutely captured my heart and soul and has become a talisman of sorts for me. When I forget that I will fail, and fail mightily, without the grace of God, that tattoo on my ankle is a visual (and effective) reminder that GOD never fails, and that only by putting my trust and faith in him will I be sustained. It is also precisely what anyone fighting the cancer fight needs - to know with certainty that God is the strength of their hearts and their portion forever.<br />
<br />
Whatever else there is to say on the subject is a discussion topic for another day. For now, I will end with this: "From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. (Gal 6:17). Amen to that, and may God be glorified through this and all that I do.LWSpottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00678304330356877591noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047465236256899232.post-4431304997832353622011-04-29T16:40:00.002-07:002011-04-29T16:41:21.414-07:00Yes, I am an Introvert.Check out this interesting article on introverts. Very good! <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2003/03/caring-for-your-introvert/2696/">Caring for Your Introvert - The Atlantic</a>LWSpottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00678304330356877591noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047465236256899232.post-56624162760128114352011-04-28T09:55:00.000-07:002011-04-28T09:55:03.425-07:00Been Thinkin'<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I was reminded of something recently that has been percolating in my mind for a few days. It's a theory that goes something like this: if you want to change how you approach the world, your life, your stresses, your good days & bad, you first & foremost have to change how you think. I've heard something to this effect in many different scenarios:</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><ul style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><li><span style="font-size: small;">If you're discontent or unsatisfied with your life, make a list of what you are thankful for.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">If you're restless, focus on what makes you content.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">If you're sad or angry, take a moment to reflect on the happy moments in your life.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">If you're experiencing stress, focus on the (likely) positive outcome rather than the stressful uncertainty.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">If you're feeling as though your faith is weak and unsustaining, note times where God has blatantly and obviously made his presence known, cared for your needs, and protected you from harm.</span></li>
</ul><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The point of the exercise above - whether it is a physical list or a mental note - is to refocus your mind and heart on what is good, and let the bad things take a back seat. This is not only good common sense, it is actually a biblical imperative. Just check out Philippians 4:8, which says "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honorable, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">One of my Facebook friends (also a friend from high school) is approaching this concept in a clever way. She decided to do a 30-Day Thankfulness Project, the goal being to write a Facebook status every day for 30 days with three things for which she was thankful. She has inspired me to do something along those lines, with the specific requirement of writing (and publishing) my daily thoughts, not for affirmation or feedback (though feedback is always good), but to purposefully take time to not only think through "whatsoever things are lovely," but also to write them down in a permanent and visible place. Talk about a unique and ingenious way to create a habit of dwelling on the pure, virtuous and praiseworthy parts of life...not to be a Pollyanna (Gawd no), but rather to make a serious and deliberate effort to let go of anger, pain and corrosive bitterness, and replace those things with contentment and joy. So I'm going to do this...to see if it really will work.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">***************************************************************</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><i><b>Happy Memories and a Thankful Heart</b></i></u></span><br />
<ol><li><span style="font-size: small;">Wedding day</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Honeymoon</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Being well taken care of by my darling husband</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">My job (the best one on earth) - wife to my husband and mom to my sweet boy</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Birth of my sweet boy</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Purchasing my first home ever</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Purchasing our first home together</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Graduations - grad school, college, high school</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Christmas at the grandparents when everyone was there</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Sea World w/ my sweet boy on his 5th birthday</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Vacation (twice) in Destin FL with great friends</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Trip to Quantico VA to see a good friend graduate from the FBI Academy</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds concert with my husband</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Completing a 5K</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Skydiving with a friend</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Scuba diving vacation to Grand Cayman with a good friend</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Scuba diving vacation to Aruba with a good friend</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Vacation to Denver CO with my boyfriend (now husband)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Road trips with my husband</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Scuba diving trips to Jupiter FL</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Cowboy shooting with my husband</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Target practice</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Anytime I read for pleasure</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Anytime I am writing</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Anytime I am playing the piano</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Dinner parties with great friends</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Listening to audiobooks in my car</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">A house free of clutter</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Garage sales</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Thrift store shopping</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Shopping days with my best shopping buddy</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Reconnecting with old friends</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Quiet time</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Finding the perfect gift for someone</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Great conversations with my husband</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Library trips</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Reaching a weight loss goal</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Pets in the house</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Moving to Phoenix AZ</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Seeing my sweet little boy happy in school</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Hugs & kisses from my sweet boy</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Being told "You're my best girl" from my sweet little boy</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Being told "You're my favorite" from my hubby</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Anytime my hubby calls me "Mrs. Wife"</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Great massages</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Feeling completely & utterly exhausted after a hard workout</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Cutting my hair OFF</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Pedicures</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Good conversations with great friends</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">A clean car</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Driving fast</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Riding roller coasters</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Eating ice cream</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">First movie outing with my husband (when he whacked is head & got a goose egg)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">The dinner party where we both burned our left hands</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">The dinner party where we stayed up until 4am playing London Gin</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Coffee, a cinnamon roll and my laptop for breakfast</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Having funny made-up jokes with my family (What does Mommy start with? M! No, coffee!)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Happy giggles from my little boy</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Listening to my little boy pray at night</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Reading a book that I love so much I don't want it to end</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Sneaking books out of the library when I was a kid (because I was determined to read everything)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Attending Wine Over Water every year with friends</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Attending the Daytona 500 every year with friends</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Peanut butter, banana & honey sandwiches on white bread</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Standing up for myself</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Road trip to the Grand Canyon with my good friend</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Anniversary mini-vacations</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Finding cool turquoise jewelry</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Watching my sweet little boy happy dance when something pleases him</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Waking up rested</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Great friends</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Watching TV with my husband</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></li>
</ol></div>LWSpottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00678304330356877591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047465236256899232.post-23412954130483232752011-04-01T14:09:00.001-07:002011-04-01T14:09:41.166-07:00Funniest Excerpt Ever"S----ing, the other day, I knew <br />
Exactly how much I owed my arse; <br />
The stink was so strong, so compelling, so nasty, <br />
That my nose curled up and my ears turned blue. <br />
Oh ! If only someone would bring me <br />
Her for whom I long, and I sing me, <br />
While S----ing !"<br />
<br />
--from Gargantua & Pantagruel by Francois RabelaisLWSpottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00678304330356877591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047465236256899232.post-7856888099415053552011-03-24T10:50:00.003-07:002011-03-24T10:53:13.942-07:00Power of Prayer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVIdzZ7RxqcZb9AOf825i8cZ25porGUul49JyQiRQiqjkGdEu8ad1-5tS6T7Gc-EVajLMEaLIifV7d5XoMH9aDEFCpR-3e6OVbNcUgfTEBFwDTATt2zuH4AoM4GnA3t7tV3OU4Yvk-PbCR/s1600/praying+hands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVIdzZ7RxqcZb9AOf825i8cZ25porGUul49JyQiRQiqjkGdEu8ad1-5tS6T7Gc-EVajLMEaLIifV7d5XoMH9aDEFCpR-3e6OVbNcUgfTEBFwDTATt2zuH4AoM4GnA3t7tV3OU4Yvk-PbCR/s320/praying+hands.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I am humbled and grateful to have friends whose faith is strong and who will cover me up in prayer when I ask. I am thankful that, when their need for being lifted up to God for an extra measure of grace, they do not hesitate to ask. We know the power of prayer...and of those who go to their knees on our behalf. We covet that kind of care. We crave the circle of protection that surrounds us when those we love and who love us raise our concerns to God.<br />
<br />
And so I ask...<br />
<br />
Please pray...<br />
...for my friends who are coping with loss and grief...and with time moving forward (too fast)<br />
...for my friends who are dealing with parenting challenges, and finding it difficult to know just what to do<br />
...for my friends who have moved so far from their families & friends, and are now creating new circles<br />
...for my friends who are expecting new and precious children<br />
...for my friends who are struggling with the newness of parenthood, and all that it entails<br />
...for my friends who are searching for a lift in depression, an answer for emotional anxieties, or a cure for debilitating illnesses<br />
...for my friends who are burdened with hardships that they do not share<br />
...for my friends who feel the need to make changes, but are unsure of how to proceed<br />
...for my friends who feel trapped by mistakes or decisions of the past, especially when what lies before them seems bleak<br />
...for my friends who are carrying anger, bitterness, grudges & pain...and who can't release them on their own<br />
...for my friends who are not believers<br />
<br />
And finally...<br />
...for my husband...for safety in his business travels, for ease in job stresses, for rest when he needs it, and for renewed physical & mental energy at the start of each day<br />
...for my 5 1/2 year old son...for ears that hear, a heart that is kind & full of love for God, and an attitude of willingness & thankfulness<br />
...for me...for patience, for learning to let go of anger, for motivation to make needed changes, for more energy, for doing better at caring for those who are entrusted to me, for a graceful & merciful attitude, and for an increased measure of faith that God will never fail me.<br />
<br />
I ask humbly, and likewise commit to doing the same for you.<br />
<br />
Psalm 6:9...The LORD has heard my<sup> </sup>plea; the LORD accepts my prayer.LWSpottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00678304330356877591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047465236256899232.post-77689239979396038232011-03-16T18:09:00.000-07:002011-03-16T18:09:32.173-07:00(Somewhat) Random ThoughtsI've been playing around with my blog design to find something that seemed to be more representative of the vision I had in mind. This is what I came up with. Tell me what you think...really!<br />
<br />
In addition to the above, I designed another blog (which I posted about previously) so I can contain my bookish observations, reviews, lists, etc. They are overflowing out of me, and it has gotten to the point where I'm posting more regularly along that line than along the various other meanderings of my brain. Of course, I've been reading a lot (more) lately, which I suppose could account for that.<br />
<br />
With regard to the reading a lot, if you have read something that you think is fabulous, tell me about it. Tell me here, or at <a href="http://bookishnerd.blogspot.com/">Bookish Nerd</a>, or on Facebook, or through email, or (gasp) we could talk on the phone. I know, that's practically out of fashion anymore, but still...you could text. LOL<br />
<br />
As I'm looking around, I note that I'm sitting in the living room that is absolutely chaotic with the detritus of a 5-year-old boy who is on spring break. A barn, animals, books, DVDs, animals, PlayMobil (teeny tiny) pieces, Buzz Lightyear, animals, Sheriff Woody, Jessie, animals, a dinosaur camo throw, tractors pulling wagons filled with (have I mentioned this before??) animals. What is miraculous about this is that I haven't blown a gasket as he sits absorbed in <i>The Land Before Time </i>and completely content with the state of things. This is something that bothers...really bothers...me. To the point that I can't relax until order is restored, and yet my darling son - so like his father - can be completely at ease in the midst of it. Just push it over to the side if you need the space. No problem...he's going to use (play with) each item at some point...this week...ya know, so let's not be putting things away unnecessarily. I mean, you should see his bed. It can be made neatly, with a few of his stuffed animals settled strategically for a warm & inviting sleeping environment, and as I peak in before heading to my own bed, every stuffed animal he owns is piled (PILED) at the head of his bed, and he is sleeping in some cockeyed position, snuggled within the pile, and possibly with some part of his body hanging off the bed. Now when I say that he reminds me somewhat (as does my husband at times) of Pigpen in the <i>Charlie Brown</i> comics, who constantly has this little dirt cloud swirling behind him, you can visualize the trail of belongings that follows my son wherever he goes. It goes beyond my threshold for clutter, and yet...well...he's 5.<br />
<br />
Since I promised said darling 5-year-old boy (who has informed me he is hungry) that I would prepare dinner at 6:00p, and he has been watching the clock, and I am now 9 minutes past my promise, I will stop and attend to him.<br />
<br />
Until next time.LWSpottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00678304330356877591noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047465236256899232.post-21330305057479273952011-03-13T15:42:00.000-07:002011-03-13T15:42:55.593-07:00Bye bye, book stuff...Just a note to say that I've created a new blog, <a href="http://bookishnerd.blogspot.com/">Bookish Nerd</a>, that will be dedicated to bookishness. In the interested if maintaining some semblance of blogging organization (if such a thing exists), I thought this would help. Not to mention that wading through a bunch of stuff you don't want to read to get to the post you do want to read is...really...a pain in the rear. So thanks to those of you who read my personal craziness. To a great extent you are keeping me sane by following along and being interested.LWSpottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00678304330356877591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047465236256899232.post-23957240317553079332011-03-10T22:37:00.002-07:002011-03-23T12:14:02.513-07:00Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout<div style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4jlw-t5FhPpbVgYizNaEAEViCDqqzzr0yHBWr9r0H3_-otbrI9v5I7MaVjPJNfGbiwtTyQIP-wrbsevytQwGx89Io86OIqjPS30UlO74a8oTcHT70X2sTa0fogb7PejFLRQwhz-JiXbKn/s1600/amy+and+isabelle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4jlw-t5FhPpbVgYizNaEAEViCDqqzzr0yHBWr9r0H3_-otbrI9v5I7MaVjPJNfGbiwtTyQIP-wrbsevytQwGx89Io86OIqjPS30UlO74a8oTcHT70X2sTa0fogb7PejFLRQwhz-JiXbKn/s200/amy+and+isabelle.jpg" width="123" /></a></div><div class="row">Paperback, 320 pages</div><div class="row">Published February 1st 2000 by Vintage <nobr class="greyText"> (first published 1998) </nobr> </div><a class="left inter actionLinkLite" href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/167216.Amy_and_Isabelle#" id="bookDataBoxShow" style="display: none;">more details...</a> <br />
<div class="clearFloats"><div class="infoBoxRowTitle">ISBN</div><div class="infoBoxRowItem">0375705198 <span class="greyText">(ISBN13: 9780375705199)</span> </div></div><div class="clearFloats"><div class="infoBoxRowTitle">original title</div><div class="infoBoxRowItem">Amy and Isabelle: A Novel</div></div><div></div><div class="clearFloats"><div class="infoBoxRowTitle">literary awards</div><div class="infoBoxRowItem"><a class="award" href="http://www.goodreads.com/award/show/90-orange-prize">Orange Prize Nominee for Fiction (2000)</a>, <a class="award" href="http://www.goodreads.com/award/show/3812-los-angeles-times-book-prize">Los Angeles Times Book Prize (1999)</a>, <a class="award" href="http://www.goodreads.com/award/show/6511-pen-faulkner-award-finalist">PEN/Faulkner Award Finalist (2000)</a> </div></div></div><div style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Goodreads Synopsis:</b></span></div><div style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="freeTextContainer3363982329538496600">In a novel about emotional exile, Elizabeth Strout explores the secrets of sexuality that jeopardize the love between a mother and her daughter.</span></span></div><div style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="freeTextContainer3363982329538496600"><b>Review:</b></span></span></div><div style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><span class="readable reviewText"> ** spoiler alert ** <span id="freeTextContainerreview6473366" style="display: none;">This was a very well-crafted look at a troubled relationship between a mother and a daughter. What I loved about it was how true to form it was - the estrangement between mother and daughter was expected and realistic, and the ways they acted out both with & away from each other demonstrated the anger and hurt each was experiencing. <br />
<br />
I hated to see Amy start down a path that was at best painful and at worst mentally & emotionally destructive, but I understood what drove her desire. S<a class="actionLinkLite" href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/167216.Amy_and_Isabelle#" onclick="updateMoreLink('review6473366'); return false;">...more</a></span><span id="freeTextreview6473366">This was a very well-crafted look at a troubled relationship between a mother and a daughter. What I loved about it was how true to form it was - the estrangement between mother and daughter was expected and realistic, and the ways they acted out both with & away from each other demonstrated the anger and hurt each was experiencing. <br />
<br />
I hated to see Amy start down a path that was at best painful and at worst mentally & emotionally destructive, but I understood what drove her desire. She was hurting...she felt weird and ugly...and here is an adult man who made her feel special. She was young and innocent, and didn't see that she was being played the fool by an unwholesome - and ultimately cruel - man.<br />
<br />
I hated that Isabelle was so closed off that she refused to allow herself to connect with friends, preferring instead to maintain her privacy and superior attitude toward virtually every woman with whom she came in contact, including her daughter. I hated that she didn't understand the need for friendship, because she felt that her existence, such as it was, was sufficient. She wasn't happy, and she didn't see a need to be. She fantasized about her boss, an older, frumpy, married man...this personal secret was more valuable to her than a real, loving relationship.<br />
<br />
I hated that, when Isabelle found out about Amy's improper relationship with her teacher, that she attacked her physically, but it was clear that she couldn't help it at that moment. I hated that she never apologized. But what was good as a result of this meltdown was that the fault lines in the walls she had erected around her life were irreparable, and she finally was able to accept offers of friendship from the women in her office...kind, decent, ordinary women who reached out with tenderness when Isabelle finally admits her own indiscretions. Better even was her recognition that she had hurt her daughter in a way that until that moment she was unaware of, and her heartfelt remorse for that lead to a shift in their relationship that began to heal it.<br />
<br />
What was perhaps my only quibble with the book was that, at the very end, Amy comes to the unfortunate understanding that she had a sexual attraction to older men, that they would pursue her, and that she wanted that. The visual encounter with (what I would call) a potentially pervy man in a diner on the way to visit her family showed me that she had learned nothing except that her obsession with Mr. Robertson would end, and there would be others to replace it. How sad.</span></span></span></div>LWSpottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00678304330356877591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047465236256899232.post-33802400696417842682011-03-10T22:33:00.005-07:002011-04-14T18:27:38.037-07:00My Reading Life by Pat Conroy<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVCyd71gK-ScfrsN69ftA28Qb0Pfwx4fUH5VIuAZgdZLzT5Lo4c-mGNxa8YZ_VZX4JmE8Lg5mptZqekptX1Zc9y-jTpttuWpQVKIN3pUtoUMj09RuykqoW64_EViJVziv0cvZiFAIu_zJl/s1600/my+reading+life.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVCyd71gK-ScfrsN69ftA28Qb0Pfwx4fUH5VIuAZgdZLzT5Lo4c-mGNxa8YZ_VZX4JmE8Lg5mptZqekptX1Zc9y-jTpttuWpQVKIN3pUtoUMj09RuykqoW64_EViJVziv0cvZiFAIu_zJl/s200/my+reading+life.jpg" width="137" /></a></div><div class="row">Audio CD, 7 disks (8 hours)</div><div class="row">Published November 2nd 2010 by Random House Audi0</div><a class="left inter actionLinkLite" href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8649512-my-reading-life#" id="bookDataBoxShow" style="display: none;">more details...</a> <br />
<div class="clearFloats"><div class="infoBoxRowItem">ISBN: 0307749207 <span class="greyText">(ISBN13: 9780307749208)</span> </div></div><div class="clearFloats"><div class="infoBoxRowItem">primary language: English<br />
5 stars overall / 5 stars audio narration</div></div></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Goodreads Synopsis:</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i></i><span id="freeText849890812165846771">Bestselling author Pat Conroy acknowledges the books that have shaped him and celebrates the profound effect reading has had on his life. Pat Conroy, the beloved American storyteller, is also a voracious reader. He has for years kept a notebook in which he notes words or phrases, just from a love of language. But reading for him is not simply a pleasure to be enjoyed in off-hours or a source of inspiration for his own writing. It would hardly be an exaggeration to claim that reading has saved his life, and if not his life then surely his sanity. In My Reading Life, Conroy revisits a life of passionate reading. He includes wonderful anecdotes from his school days, moving accounts of how reading pulled him through dark times, and even lists of books that particularly influenced him at various stages of his life, including grammar school, high school, and college. Readers will be enchanted with his ruminations on reading and books, and want to own and share this perfect gift book for the holidays. And, come graduation time, My Reading Life will establish itself as a perennial favorite, as did Dr. Seuss’s Oh, the Places You’ll Go! From the Hardcover edition.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="freeText849890812165846771"><b>Review:</b></span></span></div><span id="freeTextContainer8844975318493515966" style="display: none;">I got this (audio) book from the library, and concluded as I approached the end that I MUST OWN THIS BOOK! Not only must I own it, but I want it in a<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8649512-my-reading-life#" onclick="updateMoreLink('8844975318493515966'); return false;">...more</a></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><span id="freeText8844975318493515966">I got this (audio) book from the library, and concluded as I approached the end that I MUST OWN THIS BOOK! Not only must I own it, but I want it in audio & hardback format. It's that good. I LOVE that Pat Conroy narrated this particular book himself, because it is so very personal. There is nothing in the world like hearing an author narrate his own life. Under any other reading circumstance, Pat Conroy should (and does) avoid reading his own work, as he does not have the voice to do any novel justice, but with this one he positively shines. The reason, I believe, is its intensely personal and emotional nature. It was so easy to hear how affected he was - and still is - about the experiences he relates, how passionate he is about books and words, and how grateful he is that he has had the opportunity to make a living doing what he loves to do. He does not see his life through rose-colored glasses, either. It's clear that he is not an easy person with whom to share a life, and it's clear that the traumas of his childhood, as well as the sweetest of moments, affected him in ways that made him both a superb writer and a emotional train wreck. He is candid about this frailty, and his writing about his experiences - even in fictional form - is clearly cathartic and healing for him. This book touched me completely, and I have more respect for him as a writer now as a result of being given this gift of his personal story.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><span id="freeText8844975318493515966"> </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2cHPUFq5gwvlEo9c4FXYxMq0yF0D4-g7C7MR1HX9G__wlNogMsnZ_UjEpS7oQXuRuwJegkQ0elQY_FfDPV1akR3vzvk3jaal8fM8GO2b3j7F8TEL0waAKGf5YWENKwyVPhVpr9O4NPqkI/s1600/audio+impressions.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="61" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2cHPUFq5gwvlEo9c4FXYxMq0yF0D4-g7C7MR1HX9G__wlNogMsnZ_UjEpS7oQXuRuwJegkQ0elQY_FfDPV1akR3vzvk3jaal8fM8GO2b3j7F8TEL0waAKGf5YWENKwyVPhVpr9O4NPqkI/s200/audio+impressions.png" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><span id="freeText8844975318493515966"> </span></span>LWSpottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00678304330356877591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047465236256899232.post-27116613655889784172011-03-10T22:25:00.006-07:002011-04-14T18:24:23.639-07:00The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson by Mark Twain<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1D6Ohvtd2rm3pQMZfWZZBhbn3YzordGcChE3XkBZzEkNiAo6IRrn_Py4Sj4MHQi10DM06Li7L2K9iP6NXQOLrmPGAu5w6M5SulMBsYsI2o-6GFiPPQ7Oz01V3qBgLDD_r4IMp-lDGFKX7/s1600/puddnhead+wilson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1D6Ohvtd2rm3pQMZfWZZBhbn3YzordGcChE3XkBZzEkNiAo6IRrn_Py4Sj4MHQi10DM06Li7L2K9iP6NXQOLrmPGAu5w6M5SulMBsYsI2o-6GFiPPQ7Oz01V3qBgLDD_r4IMp-lDGFKX7/s200/puddnhead+wilson.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><div class="row">Audio CD, 6 disks (6.5 hours)</div><div class="row">Published December 15th 2002 by Tantor Media <nobr class="greyText"> (first published May 10th 1893) </nobr> </div><a class="left inter actionLinkLite" href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/496768.The_Tragedy_of_Pudd_nhead_Wilson#" id="bookDataBoxShow" style="display: none;">more details...</a> <br />
<div class="clearFloats"><div class="infoBoxRowItem">ISBN:1400100682 <span class="greyText">(ISBN13: 9781400100682)</span> </div></div><div class="clearFloats"><div class="infoBoxRowItem">primary language:English</div></div><div class="clearFloats"><div class="infoBoxRowItem">original title:The Tragedy of Puddn'head Wilson</div></div><div class="clearFloats"><div class="infoBoxRowItem">characters:<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/characters/200-david-pudd-nhead-wilson">David Pudd'nhead Wilson</a>, <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/characters/201-roxanne">Roxanne</a> </div></div><div class="infoBoxRowTitle">setting:<a class="" href="http://www.goodreads.com/places/2-united-states">United States</a></div></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">4 stars overall / 4 stars audio narration<br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Goodreads Synopsis:</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="freeTextContainer16450087053061237337">Switched at birth by a young slave woman who fears for her son's life, a light-skinned infant changes place with the master's white son.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="freeTextContainer16450087053061237337"><b>Review:</b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><span class="readable reviewText"> <span id="freeTextContainerreview147371195">I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and am reminded as I am each & every time I read Twain just how good he is. This is a tall tale, to say the least, but wholly entertaining and fun. I love the idea of just desserts, and clearly Twain did too, so the conclusion was a very satisfying end to a tale that was complex, exciting & fun.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidZnkTFRaIwIAB-V9dTeSaU4GFKDx1E_sGtj4jm1u6OPic8PQPetEkTn-_RzWisZUEAjpJVrQpR-6Zf8bW85Qc4pEleK5YzsRCGltADkMo3V9nry2bi73UyqFDI9Q7MaDr0sQs12MaUJHp/s1600/audio+impressions.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="61" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidZnkTFRaIwIAB-V9dTeSaU4GFKDx1E_sGtj4jm1u6OPic8PQPetEkTn-_RzWisZUEAjpJVrQpR-6Zf8bW85Qc4pEleK5YzsRCGltADkMo3V9nry2bi73UyqFDI9Q7MaDr0sQs12MaUJHp/s200/audio+impressions.png" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextContainerreview147371195"> </span> </span></span>LWSpottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00678304330356877591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047465236256899232.post-83714686167505653102011-03-10T22:18:00.015-07:002011-04-14T18:26:46.851-07:00Review: Gilead by Marilynne Robinson<div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5aUndGC1ZnNBCnr1cCDAHIHPmYZ9xXdElfOO6JxBGWqmgHZruq9EtgteeLeGJQUvX92Dq_JtKGR-Bum6nGkT2id3qzaP6aXxJ3-pstIfeVXSpp0zpl90hLVmhdAWnrpPg1QBi6rj1UAN/s1600/gilead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5aUndGC1ZnNBCnr1cCDAHIHPmYZ9xXdElfOO6JxBGWqmgHZruq9EtgteeLeGJQUvX92Dq_JtKGR-Bum6nGkT2id3qzaP6aXxJ3-pstIfeVXSpp0zpl90hLVmhdAWnrpPg1QBi6rj1UAN/s200/gilead.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="row">Audiobook, 7 disks (9 hours)</div><div class="row">Published April 1st 2005 by Audio Renaissance <nobr class="greyText"> (first published November 4th 2004) </nobr> </div><a class="left inter actionLinkLite" href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1233285.Gilead#" id="bookDataBoxShow" style="display: none;">more details...</a> <br />
<div class="clearFloats"><div class="infoBoxRowItem">ISBN:1593978227 <span class="greyText">(ISBN13: 9781593978228)</span> </div></div><div class="clearFloats"><div class="infoBoxRowItem">original title:Gilead</div></div><div></div><div class="clearFloats"><div class="infoBoxRowTitle">literary awards:</div><div class="infoBoxRowItem"><a class="award" href="http://www.goodreads.com/award/show/16-pulitzer-prize">Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (2005)</a>, <a class="award" href="http://www.goodreads.com/award/show/496-national-book-critics-circle-award">National Book Critics' Circle Award (2004)</a>, <a class="award" href="http://www.goodreads.com/award/show/1632-ambassador-book-award">Ambassador Book Award for Fiction (2005)</a>, <a class="award" href="http://www.goodreads.com/award/show/6511-pen-faulkner-award-finalist">PEN/Faulkner Award Finalist (2005)</a> </div></div></div><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">4 stars overall / 4 stars audio narration<br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Goodreads synopsis:</span></b></div><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="freeText9174118160110040111">"In 1956, toward the end of Reverend John Ames's life, he begins a letter to his young son, an account of himself and his forebears. Ames is the son of an Iowa preacher and the grandson of a minister who, as a young man in Maine, saw a vision of Christ bound in chains and came west to Kansas to fight for abolition: He "preached men into the Civil War," then, at age fifty, became a chaplain in the Union Army, losing his right eye in battle. Reverend Ames writes to his son about the tension between his father - an ardent pacifist - and his grandfather, whose pistol and bloody shirts, concealed in an army blanket, may be relics from the fight between the abolitionists and those settlers who wanted to vote Kansas into the union as a slave state. And he tells a story of the sacred bonds between fathers and sons, which are tested in his tender and strained relationship with his namesake, John Ames Boughton, his best friend's wayward son." This is also the tale of another remarkable vision - not a corporeal vision of God but the vision of life as a wondrously strange creation. It tells how wisdom was forged in Ames's soul during his solitary life, and how history lives through generations, pervasively present even when betrayed and forgotten.</span></span></div><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="freeText9174118160110040111">Review:</span></span></b></div><div style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><span class="readable reviewText"> <span id="freeTextContainerreview6387912" style="display: none;">I tried to read this a few years ago and didn't get very far. This time I loved it, and that is a testament to how being in a different frame of mind can make a huge difference in whether or not a book is enjoyable. I think the fact that I listened to it this time helped, as the narrator was excellent. He had exactly the right voice for John Ames, and It was easy to picture him and everyone of whom he spoke. I also thoroughly enjoyed how Marilynne Robinson wrote such a lovely book without be<a class="actionLinkLite" href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/68210.Gilead#" onclick="updateMoreLink('review6387912'); return false;">...more</a></span><span id="freeTextreview6387912">I tried to read this a few years ago and didn't get very far. This time I loved it, and that is a testament to how being in a different frame of mind can make a huge difference in whether or not a book is enjoyable. I think the fact that I listened to it this time helped, as the narrator was excellent. He had exactly the right voice for John Ames, and It was easy to picture him and everyone of whom he spoke. I also thoroughly enjoyed how Marilynne Robinson wrote such a lovely book without being afraid to deal with meaty religious issues. This book is certainly not a theological epistle, but it isn't pablum either. It is beautifully rendered, and the portrait I came away with was of John Ames as a man of strong faith, a devoted husband & father in the sunset of his life, and a man humble enough to recognize his own fallibility and frailty. <br />
<br />
There were several points through the where I had to back up and listen again, because the passage was perfectly written and profound. Perhaps my favorite was about love, and specifically that love and grace are alike in that the quality/goodness of the object is rarely the most important aspect. So true.<br />
<br />
This was a great read, and one that will remain with me for a while.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview6387912"> </span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1-IYjuYbrgtGhdnFmGsgp7dUA_9Fhyp_SR2PSy_ItI4wg1fwJCGd4AUIALsCLyohC0LKvIg0s8AXP3CIvBnojeQfmNLNpzVHAlzHgfxRqmDXpF4zulaX0bJEV3OMzII0Ga8ltW_McdG-5/s1600/audio+impressions.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="61" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1-IYjuYbrgtGhdnFmGsgp7dUA_9Fhyp_SR2PSy_ItI4wg1fwJCGd4AUIALsCLyohC0LKvIg0s8AXP3CIvBnojeQfmNLNpzVHAlzHgfxRqmDXpF4zulaX0bJEV3OMzII0Ga8ltW_McdG-5/s200/audio+impressions.png" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview6387912"><br />
</span></span></span></div>LWSpottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00678304330356877591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047465236256899232.post-65960297542601417822011-03-08T10:51:00.001-07:002011-03-08T18:59:29.848-07:00Literary Dynamic Duos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCnSmrwDZVU47utLmNi7Hjt7zPgmjk-2PPkSqdToaeM1JZoamdn1d8N6Ed6JhwSfAUxqzSF8SQG-ZCiFlbDRQYrM7jk53Vl7xicKcvdDDRHPzbIon-2eehHDR4MvPqK8mOuSnn8j6ar-kv/s1600/top+ten+tuesday+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCnSmrwDZVU47utLmNi7Hjt7zPgmjk-2PPkSqdToaeM1JZoamdn1d8N6Ed6JhwSfAUxqzSF8SQG-ZCiFlbDRQYrM7jk53Vl7xicKcvdDDRHPzbIon-2eehHDR4MvPqK8mOuSnn8j6ar-kv/s200/top+ten+tuesday+3.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at <a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/2010/09/top-ten-tuesday-stephanys-top-ten.html" style="color: #ff9900; text-decoration: none;">The Broke and the Bookish</a>. This meme was created because they are particularly fond of lists at <a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/2010/09/top-ten-tuesday-stephanys-top-ten.html" style="color: #ff9900; text-decoration: none;">The Broke and the Bookish</a>. They love to share their lists with other bookish folks and LOVE to see your top ten lists!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Each week they post a new Top Ten list complete with one of their bloggers answers. Everyone is welcome to join. All they ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND sign Mister Linky at the bottom to share with all those who are participating. If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Don't worry if you can't come up with ten every time...just post what you can!</span><br />
<br />
<div style="line-height: 19px; text-align: center;">*******************************************</div><div style="line-height: 19px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><b><u style="font-style: italic;">FAVORITE LITERARY DYNAMIC DUOS</u> (in no particular order)</b></div><div style="line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><ol><li><b>DAVE ROBICHEAUX & CLETE PURCELL</b><br />
From James Lee Burke's detective series that started with <i>The Neon Rain</i>, this pair is one of my two favorite detective/sidekick duos. Together they make crime busting an art.<br />
</li>
<li><b>SPENSER & HAWK</b><br />
My other detective/sidekick favorite, created by Robert B. Parker. Until Dave Robicheaux & Clete Purcell, there wasn't a crime busting partnership that could touch Spenser & Hawk. I will confess here that, not being hugely impressed with Parker's elementary writing style, I fell in love with this duo when <i>Spenser: For Hire</i> began on TV. For me, Robert Urich & Avery Brooks perfectly embodied the essence of Parker's characters.<br />
</li>
<li><b>TOM SAWYER & HUCKLEBERRY FINN</b><br />
Who doesn't love these two crazy kids? Mark Twain was an unparalleled genius in creating two precocious boys who, in the midst of getting into all manner of trouble, had the best of hearts and intentions.<br />
</li>
<li><b>SCOUT & JEM FINCH</b><br />
Harper Lee's <i>To Kill a Mockingbird</i> gave the literary world so many wonderful things, not the least of which is this brother/sister duo that embody what a sibling connection can be. Love them.<br />
</li>
<li><b>NAOMI & RUTH</b><br />
This biblical pair are the epitome of what an ideal mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship should be. They love each other and are devoted to each other despite the losses and sadness they have experienced.<br />
</li>
<li><b>JO & LAURIE</b><br />
From <i>Little Women</i>...who wouldn't want to have Jo & Laurie as friends? They had constant adventures, fought like they were brother & sister, were intellectually challenging to each other, and loved each other & their families with ferocity & loyalty. The best of best friends.<br />
</li>
<li><b>FRANKLIN & BEAR</b><br />
Paulette Bourgeois' <i>Franklin </i>books are wonderful for preschoolers & young readers. Franklin & Bear are best of friends who stick together, learn together, have fun together, and are great examples of what good friends should be.<br />
</li>
<li><b>ORRY MAIN & GEORGE HAZARD</b><br />
John Jakes' <i>North and South </i>trilogy has a special place in my heart. It is my favorite historical saga and it is one of the few times when I fell completely in love with one of the main characters...Orry Main. I loved who he was, a proud Southerner with a good heart and many flaws, a gentleman who stood up to (and defended people against) abusive behavior, and a man who's love for his friend, George Hazard (a proud Northerner) remained steady throughout the Civil War. I love that this legacy followed them throughout their lives, and that, though they were politically opposed, they did not allow that to ruin their friendship.<br />
</li>
<li><b>LOUIS & LESTAT</b><br />
Though not a huge fan of vampires and such, I did love Anne Rice's <i>Interview with the Vampire</i> and <i>The Vampire Lestat</i>. The relationship, contentious as it could be, between Louis & Lestat was interesting, controversial, and at times infuriating. They were both strong, and their divergent convictions - along with Lestat's complete devotion to hedonistic pursuits - made for an intriguing (and sometimes baffling) relationship between them.<br />
</li>
<li><b>HARRY POTTER, RON WEASLEY & HERMIONE GRANGER</b><br />
J. K. Rowling's tremendous trio...each as integral to the other as breathing. There is no grouping like them in all of literature.<br />
</li>
<li><b>KATHERINE TYLER (KIT) & HANNA TUPPER</b><br />
From Elizabeth George Spears' <i>The Witch of Blackbird Pond,</i> these two characters are outcasts in a Puritan community in Connecticut that believes both of them to be witches. They offer friendship to each other in what would otherwise be a desolate existence for them. They watch out for each other, teach a little girl to read (whose mother has deemed her a halfwit), and ultimately protect each other from the superstitions of the Puritan community.<br />
</li>
<li><b>CALVIN & HOBBES</b><br />
So, so, so, so funny. Calvin is the ultimate precocious kid with a raging imagination. Love him, and love Hobbes more because he's the "adult" in the relationship. And they make me so very thankful not to be parenting them. LOL<br />
</li>
<li><b>JAMES HERRIOT & THE FARNON BROTHERS</b><br />
Based on the true stories of James Herriot's years as a country vet, these three have the craziest and most hilarious adventures. Herriot joins the Farnon's veterinary practice, and the life that transpires as a result of this partnership is what the greatest of stories are made of. I absolutely devoured these books as a kid, and again as an adult. They are not to be missed.<br />
</li>
<li><b>CLIFFORD & EMILY ELIZABETH</b><br />
OK, I'll admit I stole this one from another list, but how could I not add it? This was my son's first favorite series - both books and tv - and I loved how the relationship between EE and Clifford started, developed, and continued throughout the series.<br />
</li>
<li><b>DANTE & VIRGIL</b><br />
From <i>The Divine Comedy</i>, this partnership is one of the most memorable in literature, largely because of the exploration they undertake. Virgil (and later Beatrice) are exemplary guides through the afterlife, and Dante's experience is tremendous, touching, and profound.<br />
</li>
</ol><div><br />
</div></div>LWSpottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00678304330356877591noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047465236256899232.post-86071487932604427352011-03-02T18:13:00.000-07:002011-03-02T18:13:25.653-07:00Random ThoughtsSo why is it that rude, vitriolic, hurtful, offensive comments get a complete pass when they are directed at conservative, white, Christian people, but when the target is ANY OTHER demographic, they are the source of huge reaction, offense, and trips to the verbal woodshed? Honestly, the target of insults hardly matters in defining whether or not something is better left unsaid, and perhaps if the conveyors of such verbal vitriol lived by principle rather than moral relativism (or feelings), then they would think twice before insulting anyone, even the most "acceptable" of targets. It's the double standard that galls the most, because that duplicity is what causes decent people to be personally & professionally eviscerated and left on the ash heap of what once was a good life.<br />
<br />
To repeat a Facebook status update I wrote recently, if I read with the voraciousness of Pat Conroy, I would finally be satisfied that I might at last, in the declining years of my life, be well read. Not to mention that I would have amassed an impressive vocabulary.<br />
<br />
I have watched and listened in quiet amazement at how my sweet 5-year-old son has grown and changed during this first year of school for him. Kindergarten has been the source for a blossoming in him this year the likes of which I have not seen up to now in his short life. His personality has flourished in ways I could not have foreseen, and he has grown into a boy more comfortable in his own skin that I have ever been in mine. He is gregarious and friendly, kind and compassionate, and he has a sense of humor that can leave anyone - adult or child - in gales of joyous laughter. He can turn a phrase that will slay you with it's unintentional hilarity, spontaneous sweetness, or (let's face it) excruciating stubbornness. He's dreamy and imaginative. He sings and dances. He still happy dances when the smallest of things please him. He brings joy and laughter daily to those he encounters. He is the class clown. What a fun and funny life he will have, if the inhibitions of adulthood do not leash him too tightly.<br />
<br />
I am inspired by my friend <a href="http://livinglovingbreathingboys.com/">Reema</a>, who discovered long ago that writing was a solace for her soul. It is her encouragement (and her interest in reading about me) that pushed me to finally blog. Satisfying to write about all manner of things? Sure. Gratifying to have others read it and react to it? A thousand times, YES! So thank you, Reema, for the virtual kick in the pants. :-)<br />
<br />
I imagine that any mom of small(ish) children will relate when I say that my brain in overstuffed with the various music and minutiae of children's television programming. The fact that I remember the words to the music (and some of the dialog) for Clifford the Big Red Dog, Wonder Pets, Wow Wow Wubbzy, The Land Before Time, Toy Story, Curious George, Ice Age, Dinosaur Train.........I could go on & on, is a sure sign that 1) I am the mom of a young'un, and 2) We've probably watched way to much kid's programming. In fact, the fact that I seem to know this trivia better than that which is more age appropriate (for me) says something about who is the priority in our house. Maybe that's a good thing. Wow, wow, Wubbzy. Wubbzy, Wubbzy, wow, wow!!<br />
<br />
I've had a mission the past 2-3 years to become more well read in the literary classics. There are woefully huge deficiencies in my knowledge of classics that would embarrass me somewhat were it not for the fact that I have always read something...constantly. Ever since my husband introduced to me the joys of audiobooks, which I confess to have scorned in years past, I am NEVER without a book in my car, on my laptop, iPad or iPod. It's better than music for making time fly by (especially when I'm working out), and it is a <b><i>brilliant </i></b>way to enjoy the classics...especially the long, dense ones. So if you're a reader, try it out. If you're not, try it out. And if you're road tripping, definitely try it out. Let the audiobook section of your library become your new best friend. <-- There, my obligatory book mention...in fact, my second mention. So crazy!! :-)<br />
<br />
Do you have a favorite word? I do. It's zaftig. Look it up.<br />
<br />
What about a favorite curse word? I have that, too, but I can't write it here...or ever. It's impressively versatile, though.<br />
<br />
Miss, miss, miss my girlfriends who are a couple thousand miles away from me now. I don't think you realize until you move away from a place just how much the regular face time you have with friends rejuvenates your whole being. I love that Facebook is available. I love that I can email...and blog...and call for free on Skype or my cell. But it is not the same. Not at all. And as much of a talker as I am (and I AM), I am<i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i>much less a phone person than I used to be...enough so that I neglect that important connection point. I hate that I do that, because talking to my friends more than just once in a while would ease that part of me that misses them. It would also assuage the guilt I feel for having neglected that area of our friendship. There is no excuse for it...none...and I have only myself to excoriate for it. I need to do better...a lot better...starting tonight.<br />
<br />
We want another child. There, I said it. Prayers in that regard are appreciated more than I know how to articulate here.<br />
<br />
There is a constant and consistent chatter in my head...all the time...that seeks to convince me of my lack of ability to parent properly, and further, that anything that is wrong with me, my family, or my child is my fault and mine alone. I fight against this daily, because to do otherwise would leave me mentally, emotionally and spiritually debilitated. Thank you, God, that you are able to block my ears from such destructive thoughts. Help me cleave to you constantly so I do not destroy myself.LWSpottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00678304330356877591noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047465236256899232.post-31776634190437930032011-03-01T09:23:00.000-07:002011-03-01T09:23:14.067-07:00Top Ten Books I Had to Have...but are STILL Languishing on the Bookshelf<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSfEE6NJLeXmoq-YgRMu35nK5XTyRQLheip8DwB0Rx9MEqFPNY0qEz5WHXhWxY8249ZNexEe3CS-_FF-AJHR4T631NABvMkPSoruHb1uBotncclmH0ujOloKdHXv9mHrT1hDdFRUScF5pi/s1600/top+ten+tuesday+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSfEE6NJLeXmoq-YgRMu35nK5XTyRQLheip8DwB0Rx9MEqFPNY0qEz5WHXhWxY8249ZNexEe3CS-_FF-AJHR4T631NABvMkPSoruHb1uBotncclmH0ujOloKdHXv9mHrT1hDdFRUScF5pi/s200/top+ten+tuesday+3.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at <a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/2010/09/top-ten-tuesday-stephanys-top-ten.html" style="text-decoration: none;">The Broke and the Bookish</a>. This meme was created because they are particularly fond of lists at <a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/2010/09/top-ten-tuesday-stephanys-top-ten.html" style="text-decoration: none;">The Broke and the Bookish</a>. They love to share their lists with other bookish folks and LOVE to see your top ten lists!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Each week they post a new Top Ten list complete with one of their bloggers answers. Everyone is welcome to join. All they ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND sign Mister Linky at the bottom to share with all those who are participating. If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Don't worry if you can't come up with ten every time...just post what you can!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">*******************************************</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Laura's Top Ten Books I Had to Have...but are STILL Languishing on the Bookshelf</span><br />
<br />
<ol><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><b><i>The Millennium Series</i> by Stieg Larsson</b><br />
I bought the audiobooks when they were first released because my husband & I were both interested in them, and we listen to audiobooks together on road trips. They are still on the shelf almost a year later...one road trip this year, and not long enough for even one of those books. Sad.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><b><i>A Thousand Splendid Sons</i> by Khalid Hosseini</b><br />
I bought the audio version of this and <i>The Kite Runner</i> at the same time. Listened to <i>The Kite Runner</i> and LOVED it, but have not gotten to this yet.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">The Chronicles of Narnia</i><b> by C. S. Lewis</b><br />
This set has been on my shelf for at least 10 years, and has followed me through several moves. I purchased it with the conviction that I should read it, because it's an incredible shame that I never even knew they existed when I was an adolescent. Still there...still waiting...</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Hearts in Atlantis & Insomnia</i><b> by Stephen King</b><br />
I have loved Stephen King since I was in 9th grade, and have devoured 30ish of his books over the years. For some reason these never made it past the bookshelf, and I eventually got rid of both, though I have since re-purchased <i>Hearts in Atlantis</i> in audio format. The last several King books I've "read" were actually listening experiences, and that is proving to be my preference lately.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">If On a Winter's Night a Traveler</i><b> by Italo Calvino</b><br />
Purchased for a book group read, I had grand hopes of finishing it. I barely got started, and with the distractions of a new baby and home renovations, it was abandoned and is still on the shelf. I haven't discarded it, so there is hope that eventually it will make it into the pile of current reads. </span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><b style="font-style: italic;">Memoirs of a Geisha </b><b>by Arthur Golden</b><br />
I bought this book when it was causing a stir on the book scene, and it sat on the shelf for years. I finally sold it to the used bookstore, only to repurchase in audio format. Still there, but I'm hoping to get to it this year.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">The Bourne Series </i><b>by Robert Ludlum</b><br />
These sat on my shelf for years until I finally sold them when I was getting ready to move out of state. They were a recommendation from my brother, and for some reason I never got excited about reading them, even after having seen the movies. They are still on my TBR list, so hope is still alive that I will read them one day.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><b>Everything Monica McInerney has written</b><br />
McInerney is an Australian author, and I stumbled across her books <i>Family Baggage</i> and <i>The Alphabet Sisters</i> through www.dearreader.com. I devoured those books and started looking for more, only to discover that the rest of her books had only been published in Australia. Thanks to my online book club, I had a contact, and over the next year I exchanged books with her...she sent me the McInerney books I couldn't get in the States, and I sent her book club selections that were difficult for her to find. I have read a couple more of them and I love them, but I hate the thought of finishing the and having no more to look forward to, so I space them out. Silly, I know, but sadly true.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><b>Complete sets of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway</b><br />
For some reason, I thought I needed "the complete set" of whatever classic author was on the radar at the moment. So I bought them...in fact, I bought the book club editions, which have virtually no resale value when one decides to part with them. I have not parted with them, but I've not read them either. They do, at least, look good on the bookshelf.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">The Space Between Us </i><b>& </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">If Today Be Sweet</i><b> by Thrity Umrigar</b><br />
I have been on an Indian literature kick for the past couple of years. It's not a constant pursuit, but when I find Indian novels that look interesting, I can't resist buying them. Not only did I purchase these, but I bought <i>The Space Between Us</i> at full price, which is almost unheard of for me. They are still on the shelf, and I will get to them, but I signed myself up for all these reading challenges this year...<br />
</span></li>
</ol><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div>LWSpottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00678304330356877591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047465236256899232.post-37734381581940940322011-02-24T06:58:00.003-07:002011-02-24T17:07:59.200-07:00Some of Laura's Favorite Book Quotes ('cause there are more than 10)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbMxjpZaKtxIUHJo5PFTJG6MBnXMs8bQtvuhWsWFDSeoZ73tcMZUkc8X47DJIYrNUGlSLHoQMYA1uhchg-8Y5SgyLJyqmZMAmjHucmteMRhqsJs0S0hvGnW98P2LFcB92J1onS5JPIfdOP/s1600/top+ten+tuesday+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbMxjpZaKtxIUHJo5PFTJG6MBnXMs8bQtvuhWsWFDSeoZ73tcMZUkc8X47DJIYrNUGlSLHoQMYA1uhchg-8Y5SgyLJyqmZMAmjHucmteMRhqsJs0S0hvGnW98P2LFcB92J1onS5JPIfdOP/s1600/top+ten+tuesday+2.jpg" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at <a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/2010/09/top-ten-tuesday-stephanys-top-ten.html">The Broke and the Bookish</a>. This meme was created because they are particularly fond of lists at <a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/2010/09/top-ten-tuesday-stephanys-top-ten.html">The Broke and the Bookish</a>. They love to share their lists with other bookish folks and LOVE to see your top ten lists!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Each week they post a new Top Ten list complete with one of their bloggers answers. Everyone is welcome to join. All they ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND sign Mister Linky at the bottom to share with all those who are participating. If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Don't worry if you can't come up with ten every time...just post what you can!</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">So, without further ado...Some of Laura's Favorite Book Quotes ('cause there are more than 10)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">:</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 16px;">1. "You know I hate, detest, and can't bear a lie, not because I am straighter than the rest of us, but simply because it appalls me. There is a taint of death, a flavour of mortality in lies — which is exactly what I hate and detest in the world — what I want to forget. It makes me miserable and sick, like biting something rotten would do. Temperament, I suppose."<br />
from <i>Heart of Darkness</i> by Joseph Conrad<br />
<br />
2. "Show me a man or a woman alone and I'll show you a saint. Give me two and they'll fall in love. Give me three and they'll invent the charming thing we call 'society'. Give me four and they'll build a pyramid. Give me five and they'll make one an outcast. Give me six and they'll reinvent prejudice. Give me seven and in seven years they'll reinvent warfare. Man may have been made in the image of God, but human society was made in the image of His opposite number, and is always trying to get back home."</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 16px;">from <i>The Stand</i> by Stephen King<br />
<br />
3. "Water, water, every where, / And all the boards did shrink; / Water, water, every where, / Nor any drop to drink."<br />
from <i>Rime of the Ancient Mariner</i> by Samuel Taylor Coleridge<br />
<br />
4. "Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone, / Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone. / Silence the pianos and with muffled drum / Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come."<br />
from <i>Funeral Blues</i> (aka <i>Stop All the Clocks</i>) by W. H. Auden<br />
<br />
5. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: normal;">"Things are sweeter when they're lost. I know--because once I wanted something and got it. It was the only thing I ever wanted badly, Dot. And when I got it it turned to dust in my hands."</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 16px;">from <i>The Beautiful and Damned</i> by F. Scott Fitzgerald<br />
<br />
6. "Straddling the top of the world, one foot in China and the other in Nepal, I cleared the ice from my oxygen mask, hunched a shoulder against the wind, and stared absently down at the vastness of Tibet. I understood on some dim, detached level that the sweep of earth beneath my feet was a spectacular sight. I'd been fantasizing about this moment, and the release of emotion that would accompany it, for many months. But now that I was finally here, actually standing on the summit of Mount Everest, I just couldn't summon the energy to care."<br />
from <i>Into Thin Air</i> by John Krakauer<br />
<br />
7. "All kings is mostly rapscallions."</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 16px;">from <i>The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn</i> by Mark Twain<br />
<br />
8. "The telephone rang, and she knew she was going to die."</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 16px;">from <i>Queen of the South</i> by Arturo Perez-Riverte<br />
<br />
9. "If all the world hated you, and believed you wicked, while your own conscience approved you, and absolved you from guilt, you would not be without friends."</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 16px;">from <i>Jane Eyre</i> by Charlotte Bronte<br />
<br />
10. “Entreat me not to leave you, / Or to turn back from following after you; / For wherever you go, I will go; / And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; / Your people shall be my people, / And your God, my God. / Where you die, I will die, / And there will I be buried. / The LORD do so to me, and more also, / If anything but death parts you and me.”<br />
from <i>The Bible (Ruth 1:16-17)</i><br />
<br />
11. "Girl," I says, "come help me haul these things down the hill, I'm going to live in the post office."<br />
from <i>Why I Live at the P.O.</i> (short story) by Eudora Welty<br />
<br />
12. "I've had an elegant sufficiency; any more would be a superfluity."</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 16px;">from <i>The Beard</i> (short story) by Fred Chappell<br />
<br />
13. "There was something strange about this country of America, something that they all seemed to share and understand and she did not."</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 16px;">from <i>The Witch of Blackbird Pond</i> by Elizabeth George Speare<br />
<br />
14. "In the great green room there was a telephone, and a red balloon, and a picture of ... the cow jumping over the moon."<br />
from <i>Goodnight Moon</i> by Margaret Wise Brown<br />
<br />
15. "Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."<br />
from <i>To Kill a Mockingbird</i> by Harper Lee</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">16. "Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing."</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from <i>To Kill a Mockingbird</i> by Harper Lee</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">17. "Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You too? I thought I was the only one."</span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from C. S. Lewis</span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">18. "Seek first to understand, then to be understood."</span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from <i>The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People</i> by Steven Covey</span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">19. "</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: 19px;">Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from <i>Anna Karenina</i> by Leo Tolstoy</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: normal;">20. "To be, or not to be,--that is the question:--whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them?"</span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: normal;">from <i>Hamlet</i> by William Shakespeare</span></span></span></span>LWSpottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00678304330356877591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047465236256899232.post-4214355525843239542011-02-08T20:08:00.000-07:002011-02-08T20:08:36.623-07:00Top Ten Characters (or Literary Figures) I'd Name My Children After<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghX70zGAGlcv8SBEmNfaCjEjFJtx14CAuYOQPW_bzIE_rQ8lpV50jCWLzbTxgLxyIk37E81wLOjBxGkSLC41DuPTmsmIYjprDmXTZdqlt52cpN5Y-ipYLAwSOzU11WRd6Huev-bmLP_ELy/s1600/top+ten+tuesday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghX70zGAGlcv8SBEmNfaCjEjFJtx14CAuYOQPW_bzIE_rQ8lpV50jCWLzbTxgLxyIk37E81wLOjBxGkSLC41DuPTmsmIYjprDmXTZdqlt52cpN5Y-ipYLAwSOzU11WRd6Huev-bmLP_ELy/s1600/top+ten+tuesday.jpg" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/2011/02/loris-top-ten-characters-and-literary.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+blogspot/JywQY+(The+Broke+and+the+Bookish)&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher">The Broke and the Bookish</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">. </span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Each week t a new Top Ten list is posted complete with one of their bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join, so please link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND post a comment on our post with a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post to share with all those who are participating. If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><b>If you can't come up with ten, don't worry about it---post as many as you can!</b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;"><b><br />
</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;"><i><b>Laura's Top Ten Characters / Literary Figures I'd Name My Children After:</b></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<ol><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;"><b>NATHANIEL</b>...My husband and I both love this name, and it is an added bonus for me since Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of my favorite American writers.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;"><b>ESME</b>...meaning esteemed or loved, this name comes from <i>The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox</i> by Maggie O'Farrell. Loved the book, and the name is really lovely and unusual.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;"><b>SCOUT</b>...from <i>To Kill a Mockingbird</i> by Harper Lee. I love everything about this book.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;"><b>EBENEZER</b>...(This is my husband's choice). Not to be confused with Scrooge, Ebenezer is of Biblical origin and literally means "a stone of help." Theologically, it refers to anything that reminds us of God's divine & holy presence.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;"><b>DELILAH</b>...From the Biblical story of Samson & Delilah. Though the character is a duplicitous trickster, her name is beautiful.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;"><b>FINOLA</b>...from Becoming Finola by Suzanne Strempek Shea. I loved the book, and more importantly, I loved (by the end) how the essence of Finola became bigger than the actual character in the book. Very cool story.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;"><b>SCARLETT</b>...from <i>Gone with the Wind</i>, of course. Despite the fact that she was essentially a spoiled brat, she has a very cool name.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;"><b>NICHOLAS</b>...certainly a very rich literary history. <i>Nicholas Nickleby </i>by Charles Dickens<i>, </i>Nick Caraway in <i>The Great Gatsby</i>, <i>Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas</i> by James Patterson, Saint Nicholas, and I'm sure many more. Meaning "victory of the people," it is a strong, masculine name.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;"><b>JOSEPHINE</b>...of course, my very favorite character from <i>Little Women.</i></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;"><b>CODY</b>...The literary character of Buffalo Bill is based on Colonel William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody. That it is a well-known name in western fiction makes it near & dear to my heart, and as such, my son is named Cody.</span></li>
</ol><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">That's it. Stayed tuned for next week's Top Ten Tuesday!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div>LWSpottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00678304330356877591noreply@blogger.com2