Blog Challenge Day 8: 5 Current Goals

1. Get healthy and fit this summer.
I have numerous diet cookbooks that have been started, but never finished.  I also have a gym membership I rarely use.  I want to make a habit of eating healthy and working out this summer, when I have time to do it, so that when I go back to the grind in the fall, it's part of my daily routine.

2.  Fall in love with my job.
I love my job, but I'm not IN love with my job.  I don't necessarily know what aspects need to change in order for this to happen, but I'm willing to get creative and try new things in order to figure it out!

3. Go on a vacation.
I want to go somewhere I've never been.  Like New York or Greece.  I want to figure out how to work my budget in order for this to be possible.  I just want to travel somewhere and get away from life for awhile.

4.  Make time for me.
I want to scrapbook.  I want to read.  I want to blog.  I need to set time apart in order to do these things, so that I can still get enough sleep (because we all know how much I need it!) and am not so overwhelmed that by the time I get around to doing something for myself, I'm completely unmotivated to do anything!

5.  Enhance my spiritual life.
I have a fabulous church which I love and am involved in.  However, I need to remember to work on my spiritual journey everyday and not just on Sundays.  I want to make daily meditation and prayer time a habit, and fully reconnect with God.

Blog Challenge Day 7: Your 5 Favorite Songs

I LOVE music!  And my musical taste is about as vast as Mariah Carey's vocal range!I tried REALLY hard to narrow my favorite songs down to five today.  But every time I thought a song should be put on the list, it brought several others to mind...and I just couldn't do it!  So, in order to accommodate a decent sampling of the songs I thought of today, I am going to categorize like Wendy did...

Country:

5. "One Boy, One Girl" - Collin Raye
4.  "Can I Trust You With My Heart?" - Travis Tritt
3. "Somebody's Hero" - Jamie O'Neal
2. "I'll Be" - Reba.  She's my idol...he could have her own top 5!
1.  "Wanted" - Hunter Hayes.  He's precious, he can sing, and his concert was Jerrod and my first date.

Broadway: (by far the HARDEST category to just pick 5...)

5. "Defying Gravity" - Wicked
4. "A Little Fall of Rain" - Les Mis
3. "Seasons of Love" - Rent
2. "Someone Like You" - Jekyll and Hyde
1. "Someone Else's Story" - Chess

Disney: (also extremely hard to narrow down...)

5. "Something There" - Beauty and the Beast
4. "Let It Go" - Frozen.  I want to be Idina Menzel.  Seriously.
3. "You'll Be In My Heart" - Tarzan.  Phil Collins + Disney = a match made in heaven!
2. "Reflection" - Mulan.  Quite possibly my favorite Disney heroine.
1. "Baby Mine" - Dumbo.  That song has been special to me and my mom for as long as I can remember, and thanks to the fabulous Allison Krause, it became special to me and my daddy on my wedding day.

Rock:

5. "Every Rose Has It's Thorn" - Poison
4. "Fix You" - Coldplay
3. "Africa" - Toto
2. "Ants Marching" - Dave Matthews Band
1.  "Strawberry Fields Forever" - The Beatles

Significant Songs: (aka songs I love more for the person or thing it reminds me of when I hear it...)

5. "Magic" - Jeff Wood.  Because he is an amazing artist and I miss sitting out listening to him on a gorgeous afternoon.  And because it has kinda become my Wendy theme song.
4. "Heal the World" - MJ.  My mom made an amazing slide tribute to our trip to the Romanian orphanage with this song.
3. "Pray for Me" - Michael W Smith.  My song for Lynette.  I still can't get through it with dry eyes.
2. "That Was A River" - Collin Raye.  My AOPi "Oceans'" theme song
1.  "The Reason" - Hoobastank.  LJ's theme song

Wow.  That was way more difficult than I thought!  And I named 25 instead of 5!  And there's still so many more I want to include!  Ugh.

Blog Challenge Day 6: What are you afraid of?

Top Ten...in no particular order:

Wolves.
When I was little, I used to have nightmares about being chased by wolves.  Why?  I have no idea.  But it was a recurring nightmare that I always believed might come true...despite the fact that there were no wolves in the city of Dallas that I was aware of.

Clowns.
I don't know what it is, but I can't stand them...they creep me out.  Jerrod and I went to a comedy show awhile back, and there was a guy dressed as a clown who sang.  Terrified me to no end.

Being alone.
Not in the "I need someone in my life or its not complete" sense, but rather the "without another human being's presence" sense.  When I babysat in high school, I used to have panic attacks once the kids went to bed until their parents came home, and had to be as far away from windows as possible.  I can live on my own now just fine, because I'm in an apartment complex...but if I had a house to myself, I would freak.

Scary Movies/TV Shows.
I can't watch them.  At all.  They give me nightmares for weeks.  I tried to go see "What Lies Beneath" in a theatre once, and left ten minutes into the movie.  Couldn't do it.

Failure.
I'm afraid of letting others down.  And myself down.  And not completing a task up to standards.

Heights.
Which is shocking, because my dad had a plane and I've flown since I was a baby.  I just cope with the fear by sleeping the ENTIRE trip.  And, I will ride roller coasters...but I still get a knot in my stomach every time I get on one.

Elevators.
Goes hand in hand with my fear of heights.  If given the option, I will take the stairs.  I don't care how many there are.  Especially glass ones.

Crowds.
Yep, I am claustrophobic.  I need room to move as I please, and always have an escape route when there are lots of people around me.

Spiders.
I hate them.  And pretty much any other creepy crawly thing.  And snakes.  I got bit by a spider once.  Found it, killed it, and took it with me to the urgent care clinic, so they could look it up and see what kind of spider bite they were dealing with.  It got worse before it got better, and I had half a dozen sharpie lines drawn on my leg like an elevation map or something.

Public speaking.
I'm a teacher, so you would think I should be comfortable speaking in front of others.  Wrong.  I am comfortable speaking in front of children, but when you put me in front of my peers, I completely clam up.  I'm the same way when it comes to singing in front of others, which is also strange, due to my love of karaoke.  But I turn into a big nervous wreck, and shake pretty much the entire song.

Blog Challenge Day 5: Your Proudest Moment

Geez.  This is a tough one.  I've been sitting, staring at the blinking cursor on my screen for awhile now, and still don't know what to write about...

Being an only child, the baby granddaughter on one side, and the baby grandchild on the other, I have had quite the opportunity to be a spoiled brat.  Growing up, I'm sure the spoiled side came across frequently, although I don't think I made it to the brat mark all to often.  I think, though, in my adult years, I have become an extremely giving person, and am pretty much willing to do anything for anybody within reason.  I have made numerous sacrifices for my students and my family (mostly) without complaining.  I want those around me to be happy and successful, and have a hard time saying no to a task without a good reason.

Sometimes, I even have a hard time saying no when I have a good reason...me!  I have a fear of failure and disappointment, and don't want to let others down...even when it is truly in my best interest to change my situation or circumstances.

This leads me to what I'm proud of about myself.  It wasn't one exact moment or situation...it was several.  My life was going downhill fast.  I was miserable.  Certain aspects of my life had become toxic to my health and happiness.  So, for the first time in my life, I did what was best for me.  I didn't care about how other people might react, or that I would be judged by those who didn't truly understand my situation or intentions.  I walked away.  From an unhappy marriage.  From an unhealthy lifestyle.  From people who were bringing me down instead of building me up.  

Because of that, I have begun to discover who I am.  I have surrounded myself with loved ones who truly make me a better person.  I can say honestly I am proud of who I am and who I am still becoming.  

Blog Challenge Day 4: Your Dream Job

When I was little, I thought I wanted to be a marine biologist.  Then, I decided I wanted to follow in my mom's footsteps and be a teacher.  I even played school with my stuffed animals as students with the leftover materials she would bring home in the summer.

When I went off to college, I still knew I wanted to teach.  There was a brief moment after my best friend passed when I thought I should honor her memory by living out her dream of nursing.  That quickly passed when a broken bone in the pediatrics office I was interning at caused me to pass out.  So, back to teaching it was...

Now, I'm having a mini midlife crisis.  I'm not really sure if I want to stay in the teaching profession. But, I have no clue what I want to be when I grow up!  Well, that's not entirely true.  If I'm being completely honest, my dream job is to be a stay-at-home mom.  I want to be able to watch my children reach every milestone and be there for me if and when they need me to, without having to worry about missing work for it.  But, I'm not married and don't have children...so that one will have to wait awhile.

And although I know that being a mom is incredibly hard work, I think the intention of "dream job" here was more along the lines of a career path...  And I am stumped.  When I think about what I would do if money were no object, things like Broadway singer, personal shopper, food blogger, sports writer, bookshop owner, flight attendant, and chef cross my mind...but even still, I can't decide which path I would choose if I had the means and opportunity.

But no matter what career path my dreams take me down, the one thing that keeps reoccurring is motherhood.  So, I guess what it all boils down to is that my dream job is to be a mom.  Maybe someday I will be lucky enough for my dreams to come true.

Blog Challenge Day 3: Your Favorite Quote

For those of us who don't speak French, this reads, "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly.  What is essential is invisible to the eye."

The Little Prince has been my favorite book for as long as I can remember.  In this story, he lives alone on a tiny planet no larger than a house.  He owns a flower, unlike any other flower in the galaxy, of great beauty and of inordinate pride.  Although the flower was of utmost importance to the Little Prince, it was the pride that ruined the serenity of his world and sent him on a series of travels, that finally brought him to Earth, where he meets a fox.  This fox shares with him the secret of what is really important in this life, as you read above.

I have read this story numerous times in English, and have attempted it a time or two in French.  No matter how many times I read it, the message is just as powerful as ever: what is important cannot be seen, but rather must be felt.  I could write a lengthy, philosophical post on the meaning of this quote, but after a day of state testing, my brain is mush.  So, I will let you take from it what you choose...

Blog Challenge Day 2: 20 Facts About Me

1.  Although most people don't believe it, I am adopted.  I also consider the people who raised me my REAL mother and father and refer to my birth parents as my egg and sperm donor.

2.  I hate strawberries.  So much so that I used to tell people I was allergic so that I wouldn't have to explain why I refused to touch them.

3.  I have been to more foreign countries than US states.  I worked at an orphanage in Romania, rang in Y2K at a castle in Austria, and student taught in New Zeland to name a few...

4.  I LOVE to sing.  My biggest musical regret is that no one recorded my senior broadway recital...I had never sung that well before, nor have I since.

5.  I am overly committed to my students.  Most take up permanent residency in my heart, and I will show them my love and support in whatever way I possibly can...even when they have left my classroom.

6.  I am addicted to cheese.  A friend and I once easily polished off a 5 lb block of cheddar cheese in college just because her dad didn't think we could.

7. I have a horrible memory, yet can remember EXACTLY what I was doing the day I received the call that my best friend had passed away. I still miss her...

8.  I hate feet.  I don't like them touching me and I won't touch yours.  You know you're a very special person (or a pedicurist) if I don't cringe if you touch mine.

9.  I love to cook, and have quite the collection of cookbooks.  I also have several "diet" cookbooks, but I've never actually made it the length said diets were supposed to last...

10.  I don't do scary movies...or clowns...and especially not scary movies involving clowns.

11.  In our house, Christmas presents come wrapped in brown paper with pretty bows.  You also open gifts one at a time, in order, and watch what everyone else receives.

12.  I modeled as a child...briefly.  I spent my paycheck on a teddy bear that I still sleep with to this day.

13.  My close group of girlfriends is referred to as "The Coven."  It is apparently my job to plan events and keep everyone's calendars updated...and I am all too happy to do so!

14. I once wore my mom's Looney Tunes jacket while she was out of town.  I wasn't allowed to.  I put it back EXACTLY the way I found it, but she still knew.  She claims no one told her, and to this day won't let me know how she knew...

15.  I am absolutely 100% a "Daddy's Girl."  I could get him to say yes after mom said no almost every time.  Mom was the disciplinarian, but there was no punishment worse than my father uttering the statement "I'm disappointed in you."

16. I love to read...mostly young adult novels or what I refer to as "beach reads."  However, I never finished Twilight or Harry Potter.

17.  I have never broken a bone, but have had more stitches than I can count.

18.  I have OCD tendencies.  For example, my closet is organized by season, type of garment, color, and pattern.

19.  I played sports when I was very little, but was not athletic in junior high or high school.  But I watch them like crazy! Especially the Texas Longhorns, Auburn Tigers, and Chicago Cubs.  I don't do basketball though...the screeching noise of shoe on court is like nails to a chalkboard!

20. Purple has always been my favorite color.  I had the cutest Osh-Kosh purple overalls when I was a baby.  In fact, I'm pretty sure it was the first color I said.  And I said it correctly...unlike "lellow"...

Blog Challenge Day 1: Your Blog Title

I have two very dear friends whom I introduced to blogging, and they have taken the ball and run with it.  I'm so glad somebody picked the ball up, since I have clearly dropped it!  I found a 30 day blog challenge online and decided they needed to take part.  Then, I decided that I, too, would take the challenge to try to get back into blogging.  I absolutely love doing it, I just don't seem to be able to find the time for it lately.  So, here goes...

I enjoy coming up with cute and clever ways to say things (for example, I came up with the name for both of the forementioned blogs).  I guess that's the former English teacher and aspiring writer in me. So, when I started to think about the things near and dear to me that I might talk about, I noticed that I could tie them together with alliteration.  Winning!  And then I needed a tag line to connect them all together...duh! Math problem!  I love math...perfect!  So, thus a title was born.  I do think I have a pretty fabulous life, mainly because of the friends and family that are a part of it!

And, my overly ambitious self planned on all blog posts having a title beginning with "f" as well...but for at least the next 30 days, I'm not THAT creative!

Forty Book Challenge: The Book Thief Edition

For the longest time, I refused to read The Book Thief.  I was supposed to read it this summer for my book club, but couldn't get a hold of it at the library, and wasn't quite sure if I wanted to purchase it at the time, so I decided to listen to it on CD.  Bad idea.  I wasn't in my car enough to stay with the story, and quite honestly, "Death" as the narrator really creeped me out.  So I stopped listening.  Then, my friends started reading it, and raving about it...and I still managed to refuse...for awhile.  At one point, I even purchased the novel, but was still daunted by it's length and narrator...so it remained on my shelf.  Once Wendy read it and started to question my aversion towards it, I had to cave in - there's really no argument when dealing with the Ninja.  I decided to at least put it off until Spring Break, so I would have enough time to really get into the story, instead of constantly putting it down and coming back to it.

I am happy to report that I completed my endeavor.  I enjoyed it way more than I thought I was going to.  I even liked "Death" as the narrator...he gave a very interesting perspective to the whole story.  I liked the "mini-stories" within the novel best and the ending least.  My favorite line in the whole story was the last line of HER story.  I would elaborate on this more, but don't want to be a spoiler for anyone who hasn't read it...

Then, as luck would have it, the movie came out on DVD this week as well, so since all my girls finished the novel, we decided it would be the perfect girls' afternoon.  The company was fantastic....and that's about the only nice thing I have to say....  If you HAVEN'T read the book, you might enjoy the movie...I don't think it was truly as bad as I thought it was...  If you HAVE read the book, be prepared for a "sweetened" plot and omission of some of the better details.  Oh, and an absolutely unnecessary and RIDICULOUS moment at the end.  Seriously, Hollywood?!?

So, as it always* does, the book far surpasses the movie.

*Ok, maybe not always...there are a few exceptions, like The Wizard of Oz...but pretty darn close!

Farm to Table

So, i know that farm to table dining isn't really a new idea...but it is new to me...and I LOVE it!
As many of you know, I am an avid Food Network watcher.  One night, "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" came to Austin to a restaurant called Foreign and Domestic.  The gruyere popovers made my mouth water just watching them.  When my friends discovered that I have never had a popover, that was reason enough for a mandatory trip into Austin.

The only downfall to farm to table restaurants is limited availability.  I am sad to report, that I STILL have not had a popover...but that was the only thing disappointing about my experience.  The food was UNBELIEVABLE!!!

My meal for the night: fried chicken and biscuits.  I am SO thankful that, although on their limited availability menu, that I was able to try it!  It is just as amazing as it appeared on Triple D!  And, as an added bonus, you can find the recipe here if you want to try and make it yourself... :-)

Both of my friends decided on the pork rib chop.  Apart from the jalapenos, this dish was also divine...especially the gouda fritters!  My favorite part about dining with friends is tasting a little bit of everyone's meal...thank goodness none of us have an aversion to sharing!

And of course, dessert was a MUST!  We decided to order both items on the menu: buttermilk panna cotta and chocolate cake.  Because of this decision, we learned that dill syrup makes an intriguing addition to desserts, sea salt should ALWAYS be on top of chocolate cake, and we need to figure out how to recreate that coffee cream immediately if not sooner!


As if dinner at F&D wasn't enough...the next morning we imparted on an adventure downtown which began with brunch at 24 Diner.  (Also featured on Food Network...go figure...in an episode of "Crave")  Again, what an amazing food experience!

Brunch meal 1: Corned Beef Hash

I LOVE corned beef hash when it's done right...and this was ABSOLUTELY done right!  The corned beef was extremely fresh and in huge meaty chunks.  Wow.  This might just be the best hash I've had.

Brunch meal 2: 24 Hash

The perfect blend of eggs, bacon, sausage, cheddar cheese, and potatoes.  I was also informed that adding Siracha gave it one helluva kick...but my weenie mouth couldn't handle that...oh well!

Brunch meal 3: Waffle Sandwich

Usually, I am not a huge waffle fan (unless they're Belgian and are topped with loads of whipped cream...) but when you put bacon, a fried egg, sausage, and cheddar in between the halves...that's a COMPLETELY different story!  O.M.G.  The perfect blend of salty and sweet and waffle and meat.


So, I'm thankful that my Spring Break ended with fabulous friends, food, and fun!  Being the foodies that we are, I know that this is only the first of many delicious adventures to restaurants throughout Austin (and beyond?)!

And I want to go back to both restaurants.  Right now.  ;-)

Finding Time

So, I have inspired several of my friends to start their own blogging adventures.  As I read their entries, two things come to mind:
a) Their writing is WAY better than mine!
b) How do they find the time to write?

Time.  One of the few things we wish would speed up, but also wish we had more of.  Crazy, huh?  I find it to be one of the biggest struggles in my everyday life.  By the time I've gotten my "need to do" bin almost empty, I'm overwhelmed by the overflowing "should do" and "want to do bins"...  And instead of doing one of the items in those bins, I usually end up doing nothing.

Nothing.  Let me digress for a minute and explain my nothingness.  I don't mean doing literally nothing, which is what I get to do while actively monitoring students during state testing.  No, that type of nothing would send me to the looney bin...and quickly!  The nothing that I end up resorting to is really just mindless something...napping, tv, messing with my phone, etc.

Balance.  Something I am NOT good at...whether we are speaking of bodily equilibrium, mental stability, or equal distribution.  I am becoming better about balancing work and play, and spending quality time with my friends...but I know at times I falter, and I let people down.  Lately, I have been doing a lot of self-reflection and re-prioritizing that I hope will help me with finding balance in my life.

I will end this with a powerful quote from H. Jackson Brown: You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.

For Lent?

So, although I'm not a Catholic, I have always tried to give up something for Lent.  The year I didn't realize that caffeine was not only in soda, but in chocolate and tea as well was a particularly miserable year.  One year I gave up Facebook, which was a great idea in theory, but disconnected with me from friends all over the country.  This year I have noticed several articles floating around the social media world with some really good messages about Lent.

The first: Make your sacrifice meaningful not miserable.  Is what you are giving up helping to better you as a person or just a random thing you're challenging yourself to live without?

The second: Find a way to peel off any old dead layers of yourself and replace those layers with a fresh new and rejuvenated perspective.

The third: Twenty Things to Give Up For Lent - (taken from the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd...off Facebook)
Guilt
Fear
The Need to Please Everyone
Envy
Impatience
Sense of Entitlement
Bitterness and Resentment
Blame
Gossip and Negativity
Comparison
Fear of Failure
A Spirit of Poverty
Feelings of Unworthiness
Doubt
Self-Pity
Retirement
Excuses
Lack of Counsel
Pride
Worry

So what am I giving up this year?  Well...nothing, really....just making several changes in my daily routine to grow in my spiritual journey and become a healthier, happier person.

Our church is doing a Lenten study of The Daniel Plan.  Although I cannot participate in the study, I purchased the book and have decided to make that plan a part of my life for at least the next forty days. It states there are five essentials to wellness: faith, food, fitness, focus, and friends, and I will reflect upon my practices in those areas, making improvements where necessary.  I am also keeping a journal which contains a daily food tracker, so that I can keep track of my progress.

Some other cool suggestions I'm taking from the 'net:

-Give up technology for one hour each day.  It was suggested to use that time to strengthen bonds with family face to face...however I plan to use that hour to incorporate devotional quiet time as well as guarantee some quality reading time each day.

-Sacrifice by giving.  Pay it forward, random acts of kindness, etc.

40 days of giving back, doing good, and living generously

Ash Wednesday is a day that reminds us that we're not here forever and challenges us to live the best everyday.  It is a time to reflect and share our thanks, for this is the time we remember the greatest sacrifice.

Forever...failed.

Between Christmas break, allergy-infested weekends and "ice" days, I have spent a lot of time watching tv.  As usual, I channel flipped between HGTV, Food Network, Discovery, TLC, and sports.  I found myself watching numerous episodes of "Say Yes to the Dress," which got me thinking.  Here were a bunch of happy and hopeful brides-to-be searching for the perfect dress...which I was fortunate enough to find very quickly.  The perfect dress for the perfect day...which was supposed to end up with the perfect marriage...  But when it doesn't, what do you do with the dress?  Keep it?  Sell it?  There is no daughter to pass it on to, and if I am lucky enough to find my true soul mate someday, it's not like I could wear it again!  And then I wonder what will happen if I do get married again...  I found the perfect dress once...will I be able to do it again?

Forty Book Challenge: Christmas Break Edition

This year, our campus adopted the 40 book challenge...that is to read 40 books by the time the school year is over.  Over Christmas break, I was able to read books 20-25 of my challenge, and thought I would share them with you here:

Book 20: The Elite by Kiera Cass

This is book two of the Selection series, which is a young adult series seeming to combine the ideas of the Bachelor and The Hunger Games.  I have really enjoyed reading this series, and cannot wait until the third and final book, The One, comes out in May.

Amazon.com Product Description:

Kiera Cass’s The Elite is a must-read for fans of dystopian fiction, fairy tales, and reality TV. This sequel to The Selection will enchant teens who love Divergent and The Bachelor.

In America Singer’s world, a bride is chosen for the prince through an elaborate televised competition. In the second book of the Selection series, America is one of only six girls left in the running. But is it Prince Maxon—and life as the queen—she wants? Or is it Aspen, her first love?

The Elite delivers the adventure, glamour, political intrigue, and romance readers of The Selectionexpect, and continues the love triangle that captivated them.

Book 21: Austenland by Shannon Hale

This book was a recommendation by a friend who had read the book and seen the movie and thought that I would enjoy both.  It is an easy and quick read, and the romantic in me couldn't wait to see what would happen to the heroine in the end.  I look forward to seeing the movie...I'm sure it will be a cute chick flick!

Amazon.com Product Description:

Jane is a young New York woman who can never seem to find the right man—perhaps because of her secret obsession with Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. When a wealthy relative bequeaths her a trip to an English resort catering to Austen-obsessed women, however, Jane’s fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman suddenly become more real than she ever could have imagined. Is this total immersion in a fake Austenland enough to make Jane kick the Austen obsession for good, or could all her dreams actually culminate in a Mr. Darcy of her own?

Book 22: A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg

At this point, I realized I had not brought enough books to my parents' house, so I decided to raid my mom's book collection.  I saw this one, and had to grab it, because a. it was Christmas, and b. I LOVE Fannie Flagg (she's the one who wrote Fried Green Tomatoes).  I am SO glad I did!  It is such a sweet story about a man who leaves Chicago due to medical issues and winds up in a small town in Alabama.  I easily fell in love with all of the characters and became genuinely concerned with the events of their lives.  My only disappointment is that it ended...I wasn't ready to let go of life in Lost River.

Amazon.com Product Description:

With the same incomparable style and warm, inviting voice that have made her beloved by millions of readers far and wide, New York Times bestselling author Fannie Flagg has written an enchanting Christmas story of faith and hope for all ages that is sure to become a classic.
Deep in the southernmost part of Alabama, along the banks of a lazy winding river, lies the sleepy little community known as Lost River, a place that time itself seems to have forgotten. After a startling diagnosis from his doctor, Oswald T. Campbell leaves behind the cold and damp of the oncoming Chicago winter to spend what he believes will be his last Christmas in the warm and welcoming town of Lost River. There he meets the postman who delivers mail by boat, the store owner who nurses a broken heart, the ladies of the Mystic Order of the Royal Polka Dots Secret Society, who do clandestine good works. And he meets a little redbird named Jack, who is at the center of this tale of a magical Christmas when something so amazing happened that those who witnessed it have never forgotten it. Once you experience the wonder, you too will never forget A Redbird Christmas.

Book 23: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

I recently purchased The Witch of Portobello and took By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept off my mom's bookshelf, both by Paulo Coelho, but decided that before I read them, I needed to go back and re-read The Alchemist to remember why this author intrigued me in the first place.  This is a novel in which you can surface read and enjoy the tale of a young man's journey, or you can read between the lines for the deeper meaning of his quest.  I loved it just as much as I did the first time I read it, although I think I got a lot more out of it this time around...

Amazon.com Product Description:

"My heart is afraid that it will have to suffer," the boy told the alchemist one night as they looked up at the moonless sky." Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams."

The Alchemist is the magical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure as extravagant as any ever found. From his home in Spain he journeys to the markets of Tangiers and across the Egyptian desert to a fateful encounter with the alchemist.

The story of the treasures Santiago finds along the way teaches us, as only a few stories have done, about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, above all, following our dreams.

Every few decades a book is published that changes the lives of its readers forever. The Alchemist is such a book. With over a million and a half copies sold around the world, The Alchemist has already established itself as a modern classic, universally admired. Paulo Coelho's charming fable, now available in English for the first time, will enchant and inspire an even wider audience of readers for generations to come.

Book 24: The Ocean At The End of The Lane by Neil Gaiman

I'm participating in a book club at school, which tends to pull me out of my literary comfort zone every once in awhile.  The two options for the month of January, both definitely did, because I'm not usually the type to self-select fantasy.  I attempted The Golem and The Jinni by Helene Wecker, but just could not get into it...and it's LONG...so I decided to not invest that much of my time to a novel I just wasn't feeling.  The Ocean At The End Of The Lane wasn't particularly one of my favorites, but I enjoyed the story and am glad that I read it.  It was just...well, strange...

Amazon.com Product Description:

A brilliantly imaginative and poignant fairy tale from the modern master of wonder and terror, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is Neil Gaiman’s first new novel for adults since his #1 New York Timesbestseller Anansi Boys.

This bewitching and harrowing tale of mystery and survival, and memory and magic, makes the impossible all too real...

Book 25: Calico Joe by John Grisham

I had never really given Grisham much of a chance, because I didn't think I would be interested in stories about lawyers...  But then, one of my best friends introduced me to Bleachers... A great novelist writing about sports?  I was in love!  Calico Joe is no exception.  Ok, ok, so maybe it's the Cubs fan in me that got so excited about the book at first...but it is a great story.  Highly recommended for anyone who loves baseball, has a father, has a son, or just enjoys a good read.

Amazon.com Product Description:

A surprising and moving novel of fathers and sons, forgiveness and redemption, set in the world of Major League Baseball…

Whatever happened to Calico Joe?

     It began quietly enough with a pulled hamstring. The first baseman for the Cubs AAA affiliate in Wichita went down as he rounded third and headed for home. The next day, Jim Hickman, the first baseman for the Cubs, injured his back. The team suddenly needed someone to play first, so they reached down to their AA club in Midland, Texas, and called up a twenty-one-year-old named Joe Castle. He was the hottest player in AA and creating a buzz.

In the summer of 1973 Joe Castle was the boy wonder of baseball, the greatest rookie anyone had ever seen.  The kid from Calico Rock, Arkansas dazzled Cub fans as he hit home run after home run, politely tipping his hat to the crowd as he shattered all rookie records.

Calico Joe quickly became the idol of every baseball fan in America, including Paul Tracey, the young son of a hard-partying and hard-throwing Mets pitcher. On the day that Warren Tracey finally faced Calico Joe, Paul was in the stands, rooting for his idol but also for his Dad. Then Warren threw a fastball that would change their lives forever…

In John Grisham’s new novel the baseball is thrilling, but it’s what happens off the field that makes CALICO JOE a classic.

First Things First...

Another year has come to a close, bringing with it the hope and promise of a new year.  2013 was a year of many ups and downs, but was also a year of strength and growth, and ended much better than it started.  I look forward to what 2014 has to offer...I think it's going to be a fabulous year!  I've never been good about keeping my New Year's resolutions, but I think that this year I might just be able to be successful in my endeavors.

Resolutions:
1.  To have a conversation (either via phone or in person) with someone I haven't truly talked to in awhile every day in the month of January...and continue working on my communication skills throughout the year.
2.  To make healthy living habitual...taking vitamins, going to the gym, drinking water, eating right, etc.
3.  To make time to do what makes me happy...blogging, reading, scrapbooking...and regularly schedule "play dates" with my friends.
4.  To improve my spiritual life by praying daily and continuing to be involved in church activities.

Happy New Year!  May 2014 be your best year yet!