I just finished reading a book called Map of the World. Natalie brought it over to me one day a while back and I decided to pick it up last Thursday because I needed a break. I hardly put it down until I finished it on Saturday. I haven't read a book in quite some time, and this one was so good. I connected so deeply with the characters, and the story, while difficult and tragic to read at times, was beautifully written.
Decided to see how I've done on my 2010 reading list...
This is what I've read so far:
-Same Kind of Different as Me [Hall/Moore] ♥♥♥♥
-Bible (Almost halfway now. Aaron and I are going through a Chronological reading plan.) ♥♥♥♥♥
-Post Secret [Warren] ♥♥♥
-A Tree Grows in Brooklyn [Smith] ♥♥♥♥♥
-The Glass Castle [Walls] ♥♥♥♥♥
-Half Broke Horses [Walls] (updated 9/30/10) ♥♥♥♥♥
-Sense and Sensibility [Austen] ♥♥♥♥
-Map of the World [Hamilton] ♥ ♥♥♥♥
Have yet to read/finish:
-Hunger Games [Collins]
-Grapes of Wrath [Steinbeck]
-Boys Should Be Boys [Meeker]
-Shepherding a Child's Heart [Tripp]
-Permission Marketing [Godin]
-Tribes [Godin]
Looks like it's time to re-visit the library!
Monday, September 20, 2010
A Tearful Confession
Well, I can no longer deny it. I am a crier. (My husband is laughing right now. Duh, he's saying.)
I used to secretly make fun of moms when they'd cry at a Hallmark commercial. When friends at school would cry over a boy or not making the team or whatever the case may be, I just didn't get it. At summer camp when all of the students around me would be weeping, it's not that I didn't feel, I just didn't feel moved to tears.
When Aaron and I started dating, I proudly declared that I was not an emotional girl. I never cried. I could almost see him breathe a sigh of relief after dating a couple girls with a propensity towards drama. I'm just not like that, I assured him.
Fast forward eight years. I've cried probably four times this week. Ha! No wonder my husband looks at me like he's completely confused when my eyes start to leak! Poor guy.
For the longest time, I blamed it on stress or the fluxuating hormones that come with having children or any number of other things... but the fact is, I suppose have so much more at stake now than I did at 19. Life... the little things... the big things... well, they all mean so much more than they used to. When a bride walks down the aisle, or a family is broken, or someone achieves something they've always wanted, or if my husband writes me a sweet card or if he gets upset with me, or if my kids tell me, "Mommy, I love you sooooooooooo much!" -- those are all big deals.
So... to my dear husband. I'm sorry. It's not that I was lying back then. I'm just not the same girl I used to be, and I like to think that (for the most part) it's for the better. Thanks for (inadvertantly) showing me that there are things worth crying for. I love living life with you!
I used to secretly make fun of moms when they'd cry at a Hallmark commercial. When friends at school would cry over a boy or not making the team or whatever the case may be, I just didn't get it. At summer camp when all of the students around me would be weeping, it's not that I didn't feel, I just didn't feel moved to tears.
When Aaron and I started dating, I proudly declared that I was not an emotional girl. I never cried. I could almost see him breathe a sigh of relief after dating a couple girls with a propensity towards drama. I'm just not like that, I assured him.
Fast forward eight years. I've cried probably four times this week. Ha! No wonder my husband looks at me like he's completely confused when my eyes start to leak! Poor guy.
For the longest time, I blamed it on stress or the fluxuating hormones that come with having children or any number of other things... but the fact is, I suppose have so much more at stake now than I did at 19. Life... the little things... the big things... well, they all mean so much more than they used to. When a bride walks down the aisle, or a family is broken, or someone achieves something they've always wanted, or if my husband writes me a sweet card or if he gets upset with me, or if my kids tell me, "Mommy, I love you sooooooooooo much!" -- those are all big deals.
So... to my dear husband. I'm sorry. It's not that I was lying back then. I'm just not the same girl I used to be, and I like to think that (for the most part) it's for the better. Thanks for (inadvertantly) showing me that there are things worth crying for. I love living life with you!
Saturday, September 18, 2010
My Chef
My husband and I are different in almost every way. While this fact makes me crazy at times, I absolutely wouldn't have it any other way. Reason #1,419,722 that I adore this man? He likes to cook. And he's good.
Me? Well, to give you a picture, I am a Kraft Mac-N-Cheese, frozen pizza, sandwich, and canned soup kind of girl. I'm just to lazy to really cook. Don't get me wrong, there are times when I love cooking. But that's about as predictable as the weather. I have visions of being a domestic diva, but alas... When I cook, I stick 100% to the recipe, and still have the terrible tendency to forget to buy some key item from the grocery store (this morning I made pancakes and then realized there was no butter in the house). Once the meal has been cooked, it goes on the table in whatever pot or pan it was cooked in, and everybody digs in. Ta da! It's actually very anti-climatic.
But Aaron? Well, he's a steak and grilled asparagus with homemade sauce kind of guy. When he is in the kitchen, he's in his own world. He skillfully -- artfully -- creates and invents and tastes and plates everything. Recipes are not to be held to, and meal in a box (when his wife has been too lazy to buy or think up the real stuff) has no limits. If he's wife has been absentminded and forgotten some important ingredient... no sweat! He improvises. (I don't even know HOW to do that in the kitchen.) Nothing is served in it's original container -- he presents and plates every dish and side as though we were at a five star restaurant. If the smells coming from the kitchen weren't good enough to make me come running, the beauty of the presentation would.
He's so good, it's intimidating. But that's the other great part. Even though I'm much less refined in the kitchen, he always loves to eat whatever I put on the table... Well, unless you count the horrible Beef Stroganoff incident. But even then (I think it actually made me feel worse) he ate every last bit.
I love sitting in the kitchen with him as he cooks. I love our evenings spent around the table as a family. It feels like home to me.
Just so you get a picture, this was tonight's dinner. It was originally almost all out of packages, but he put his own spin on things, added here and there, and made it his own. Isn't it pretty?
I had to include this picture because as we were standing in the kitchen, Abby asked, "Daddy, why don't you ever smile with your teeth?" So, he obliged her with his toothiest grin.
Me? Well, to give you a picture, I am a Kraft Mac-N-Cheese, frozen pizza, sandwich, and canned soup kind of girl. I'm just to lazy to really cook. Don't get me wrong, there are times when I love cooking. But that's about as predictable as the weather. I have visions of being a domestic diva, but alas... When I cook, I stick 100% to the recipe, and still have the terrible tendency to forget to buy some key item from the grocery store (this morning I made pancakes and then realized there was no butter in the house). Once the meal has been cooked, it goes on the table in whatever pot or pan it was cooked in, and everybody digs in. Ta da! It's actually very anti-climatic.
But Aaron? Well, he's a steak and grilled asparagus with homemade sauce kind of guy. When he is in the kitchen, he's in his own world. He skillfully -- artfully -- creates and invents and tastes and plates everything. Recipes are not to be held to, and meal in a box (when his wife has been too lazy to buy or think up the real stuff) has no limits. If he's wife has been absentminded and forgotten some important ingredient... no sweat! He improvises. (I don't even know HOW to do that in the kitchen.) Nothing is served in it's original container -- he presents and plates every dish and side as though we were at a five star restaurant. If the smells coming from the kitchen weren't good enough to make me come running, the beauty of the presentation would.
He's so good, it's intimidating. But that's the other great part. Even though I'm much less refined in the kitchen, he always loves to eat whatever I put on the table... Well, unless you count the horrible Beef Stroganoff incident. But even then (I think it actually made me feel worse) he ate every last bit.
I love sitting in the kitchen with him as he cooks. I love our evenings spent around the table as a family. It feels like home to me.
Just so you get a picture, this was tonight's dinner. It was originally almost all out of packages, but he put his own spin on things, added here and there, and made it his own. Isn't it pretty?
I had to include this picture because as we were standing in the kitchen, Abby asked, "Daddy, why don't you ever smile with your teeth?" So, he obliged her with his toothiest grin.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Living Room Makeover
The living room has been giving me fits since we moved in. It's so blank and so open, I've been completely at a loss with what to do with it. Finally, though, everything is coming together and yesterday Aaron and I finished most of what we've been dying to do to make the living room a cozy and comfortable place to be. There are still a few details or pieces of furniture I'd ultimately like to add, but for now, I'm really happy with the way it came out!
BEFORE:
AFTER:
BEFORE:
AFTER:
Thursday, September 9, 2010
This Week [09.09.10]
This week...
- My husband bought me an iced chai.
- I got my hair cut.
- I kept my office clean! (Yes, this deserves an exclamation point!)
- Abby's teacher told me she's been doing GREAT on all her tests.
- Aaron is on his third retreat in a month or so.
- I watched part of the TV series "Parenthood" over again. And loved it just as much.
- Baked cookies.
- Worried and had some tiny "freak out" moments over the NW Campus launch.
- Placed it all in God's hands (where it belonged all along).
- Enjoyed time with family.
- Shot one of my favorite weddings.
- Had to call the A/C repair people AGAIN.
- Had good friends over for dinner.
- Had great conversations with my husband.
All in all, an interesting, challenging, and good week! Looking forward to what's next!
- My husband bought me an iced chai.
- I got my hair cut.
- I kept my office clean! (Yes, this deserves an exclamation point!)
- Abby's teacher told me she's been doing GREAT on all her tests.
- Aaron is on his third retreat in a month or so.
- I watched part of the TV series "Parenthood" over again. And loved it just as much.
- Baked cookies.
- Worried and had some tiny "freak out" moments over the NW Campus launch.
- Placed it all in God's hands (where it belonged all along).
- Enjoyed time with family.
- Shot one of my favorite weddings.
- Had to call the A/C repair people AGAIN.
- Had good friends over for dinner.
- Had great conversations with my husband.
All in all, an interesting, challenging, and good week! Looking forward to what's next!
Lessons in Distraction
This is the perfect example of why it can be hard to work from home and stay on track some days.
Still can't think of what I was going to tweet, but NOW, I really am going to get some work done!
- I sat down to work. Edit a few pictures and then...
- I think of something I need to tweet. Open Twitter...
- Get distracted reading other people's tweets.
- Start clicking links.
- End up at photojojo.com looking at tons of fun photography merchandise
- Think to myself, "I really should be working." And then I thought, "Wait. I am a photographer and this is photography stuff."
- See a cute photo prop, which prompts me to check out Etsy. They're bound to have cute photography props! "Still working..."
- Back to Photojojo to decide if I want to buy that iPhone macro lens. "I'm sure that'd be a justifiable business expense."
- Back to Twitter to try to remember what I was going to tweet in the first place.
- Can't think of it, so I get caught up on all recent tweets. There's another tweet from the guy who tweeted about Photojojo.com and he comments on some Photo App for the iPhone.
- Download app. Clearly I need it. You take a picture and it processes it like a Polaroid. You even shake it to make it develop quicker.
- Call Carson in to test out app. He starts making funny faces and the rest is history.
Still can't think of what I was going to tweet, but NOW, I really am going to get some work done!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Back to School [Carson]
Carson has anxiously been awaiting his first day of "gynapsics" school for the past several weeks. I found a Christian gym that offers a 1 or 2 day MDO program with all of the regular stuff, PLUS gymnastics. With Carson's propensity to jump and fall and flip all over the place, I thought this would be a great program for him that would also allow me to start doing shoots or meetings during the week. It didn't hurt that it was by far the closest MDO to our house.
Yesterday morning, he woke up so excited. I wondered if he'd stay that way once we got there and I dropped him off. I guess he was ready though, because he ran upstairs and started playing and just sort of waved me off when I told him goodbye, which strangely I was glad for. When I came back at two he was grinning ear to ear and gushed about what a good time he had. His teacher, Coach J, said he fit right in and had a wonderful day! I can't believe that this time next year, this guy will be in Kindergarten!
*Yes, he's wearing his swimsuit. Yesterday was a water day. :)
Yesterday morning, he woke up so excited. I wondered if he'd stay that way once we got there and I dropped him off. I guess he was ready though, because he ran upstairs and started playing and just sort of waved me off when I told him goodbye, which strangely I was glad for. When I came back at two he was grinning ear to ear and gushed about what a good time he had. His teacher, Coach J, said he fit right in and had a wonderful day! I can't believe that this time next year, this guy will be in Kindergarten!
*Yes, he's wearing his swimsuit. Yesterday was a water day. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
