Book Talk

I'm making progress on the reading challenge, but still doing a little cheating ... (see my previous Book Talk post for details on this).

 For a book you can finish in a day, I read What She Knew by Gilly Macmillan.  I didn't actually read it on one day-day, but I did read it within 24 hours, and I'm counting this because a) although it spanned two days, a 24-hour stretch is technically one day, and b) I don't foresee a single day with nothing to do but read presenting itself in my near future.  This was an easy book to read in such a short time frame because it was very captivating.  On a Sunday in the woods with his mom, 8-year-old Ben disappears.  The book walks the reader through what happens in the next nine days, during the desperate search for Ben.  Every new details leaves the reader questioning the motives of each character.  And while Ben's family struggle with their range of emotions during the search, so too do the investigators assigned to the case.  Definitely a thriller worth reading.

 Sara and I are reading a book I've already read at least once (it was also published before I was born): The Mouse and the Motorcycle.  This came up because my school wrote a grant for a one school, one book community literacy grant, and we're using this book.  I thought, what better time than now to introduce Sara to Ralph.  We're having a great time reading this classic!

 My sibling/BFF selected The Obituary Writer as a book chosen for me.  The two main characters, Vivian - living in 1919, and Claire - living in 1960, are connected in a surprising way in this story that explores the emotions of living with both grief and hope.  As the obituary writer, Vivian spent her life helping people through their hardest moments.  And Claire, who thought she married for all the right reasons, finds herself struggling in a marriage she no longer wants.  The book ended on an ambiguous note, which left me feeling irritated and unfulfilled on one hand, and surprisingly satisfied on the other.  Sometimes I like the grown-up version of "choose your own ending".  Easy to read and also very engaging, this would be a great winter fireside or summer poolside read.    

"Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems that divide us."

-JFK's Inaugural Address as quoted in The Obituary Writer

My Birthday Surprise

For a couple of months Steve has been telling me to leave this weekend open.  He wouldn't tell me why, only that I would have plans.  All week I was begging for hints about my surprise, but he wouldn't budge.  When he pulled in from work Friday evening with two of my college BFFs who live in KC, I was beside myself with excitement (caught on video here).  We had about thirty-six hours together and didn't waste a minute.  Unfortunately we did fail to get a decent picture of all three of us, but our myriad attempts resulted in endless laughter.

Our weekend consisted of good food and beverages, shopping, laughing to the point of tears, gossip, and full disclosure about anything and everything.  The last part is what I love most about Brooke and Leigh.  We are totally 100% ourselves around each other; we can bare our souls and let down our defenses, free from judgement or fear of transparency. 

 One of Leigh's friends from Illinois was in town for work, and he had about thirty minutes to spare so we met up with him briefly.  It was a nice break in our shopping excursion at North Park.  After watching us fail miserably at selfie attempts, a passerby took this shot.

This weekend was the perfect start to my new year ... it was the birthday celebration I didn't know I needed with two ladies I'm so blessed to have in my life.  Friends who wine o' clock together stay together, correct?

 "Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name ..."

Wordless Wednesday

Book Talk

The deeper I've gotten into this book challenge, the more I realize I'm not a huge fan.  Here's why: for one thing, I don't abandon books.  I always finish what I've started, so the book you've abandoned category is eluding me.  Also, books I own but have never read are also pretty much the same thing as books that intimidate me.  Otherwise I would have read them.  Further, books that I should have read in school are largely the same books that have been banned at some point.  So I'll start with this and explain why I've decided that a little cheating is totally acceptable ...

As an English major in college and then as an English teacher, I have read many of the books that should have been read in school.  And like I said above, many this this category have also been banned at some point.  Still, I haven't read everything, so I wandered over to our book shelves and selected a classic - banned at points, should have read in school, and published before I was born - Of Mice and Men.  I still can't believe I never picked it up prior to this challenge.  It's a short book about an unlikely pair of laborer friends in California at the turn of the 20th century.  Authored by Steinbeck, of course it's well written and gripping.  I know people don't come here looking for classics, but if you're leaning that way, this would be an easy place to start.   

Thanks to Amazon Prime, I nabbed a book published this year for free on my Kindle: The Moonlit Garden.  It's the story of a young widow, Lilly, who unwittingly inherits an old violin with a rich history.  As she decides to delve into why the violin belongs to her, it becomes her vehicle to coping with her loss, rediscovering herself, and moving on after the loss of her husband.  This was a quick, enjoyable read - a little adventure and a nicely packaged happy ending.

 For a book recommended by my librarian, I went no further than my school library.  When I was in the classroom, I used to read a ton of Young Adult novels, but I haven't read one in a while and welcomed the opportunity to pick one up again.  My school librarian recommended Zane and the Hurricane, and it didn't disappoint.  Zane is from the New Jersey, but he ends up in New Orleans to visit a long-lost relative just days before Katrina hits.  This is a story of friendship, disappointment, fear, and ultimately survival.  I had forgotten how much I love YA literature, and this book made me wish I was once again surrounded by a group of 13-year-olds with whom to dissect and discuss. 

 "I think of life as a good book.  The further you get into it, the more it begins to make sense."

Harold Kushner

Pool Updates

The first step in getting the ball rolling on our pool update was draining the entire thing.  As the water level slowly lowered over the course of 12+ hours early last week, the serious need for new tile and plaster became even more apparent than it already had been.  

 

 

 

 Since we are leaving the brick (different stone would be fantastic, but not in the budget), we decided to stick with blue tile.  It looks good with the brick and I personally like the pop of color out back.

 The girls thought running around in the unfilled pool was super fun!

 In just a matter of days, everything was finished and water was going back in.

 It may be hard to see in the pictures, but in person the change is night and day.

 

 

 We decided to take out the fountain that was in the hot tub.  It's in our garage, so we can always reattach it, but we're liking the simpler look for now.

The finished product on top of the gorgeous weather this weekend has us wishing for pool season, and solidifies that the project was definitely worth every penny.  Now onto the landscaping behind the pool.  I have an idea and am in the process of collecting some estimates.  Here's hoping they're low!

When it Rains ...

That's right: it pours.  We've known for a while that our pool is overdue for new tile.  After the first of the year, we decided it was time to bite the bullet and shell out for the re-tile.  We definitely want it done before pool season starts so we aren't staring at an empty pool in the heat of the summer.  Since the process involves draining the entire pool, we decided to also go ahead and re-plaster, since that will need to be done within the next year or two anyway.  On Friday, just as we had finished collecting bids for this work, we came home to the sounds of a pool pump in serious distress.  So now, before we start the tile and plaster project in another week, the pump has to be replaced this week.  Then as Steve was coming home from his run today, he approached at just the right angle to see a spot in the roof where something (probably a squirrel) chewed through the wood to likely build himself a cozy home inside.  So now that goes on the list of things that need to be fixed immediately.  And I'm pretty sure I found at least four new ceiling cracks today ... not that I was counting.

Ugh.

Sometimes home ownership is so overrated.  If I thought we could find something, I'd consider selling and renting for a while.  However, with a handful of large corporations moving to our area, real estate is at a premium, and unless you can pay over-asking in cash, people are having a hard time beating out investors ... or just the many regular people looking for a home.  The other problem is that we really, really love our house.  It's not big or fancy or HGTV-approved, but it's comfortable and it's us.  Sort of like our kids, it is a labor of love (and money) every single day.

I realize that in the grand scheme of things, these problems are small.  We'll figure out the finances and get through these home-owner issues like we somehow always manage to do.  But sometimes watching the list of "want-to-do's" shrink in the shadows of the "have-to-do's" is so frustrating.  Here's hoping everything else stays in tact this week.

The Cys of Texas

You know we love our Cyclones, especially during basketball season, so we weren't going to pass up the opportunity to see them play at TCU this year.  Like last year, the DFW alumni group had a pre-game gathering at Cooper's BBQ complete with give-aways and cheers before we all headed to campus for the game.  We brought the girls along this year, and I'm so glad we did. They had a blast and we succeeded in further indoctrinating them in the Cyclone way.

 Coach Robinson came to Cooper's to visit for a bit before the game.  I hate to state the obvious, but - seriously - he is very tall.

 This was Coach's attempt at a group selfie.  We had 300+ in attendance at Cooper's (and even more at the game), so this picture barely scrapes the surface, but we made it in!

Game time!  The girls were great cheerleaders. Even though I intended to do so, I took no pictures of the actual game.  I guess I was too busy watching the Cyclones win!

 

 After the game, lucky Sara got to meet and have her picture taken with Georges Niang.

 I love fun family days like this.  Especially since we are many miles from Ames, it's so great to have the opportunity to hang out with people who make us feel at "home" and help us remember where our family really began.

Forever ONE!