What I've Been Reading

I love reading and pretty much always have. One of the things I didn't like so much about the end of college and early adulthood is that I haven't made reading for pleasure as big of a priority as I once did. As a younger person, I was almost never without a book to read at any given point in time. There was a period of time during high school and early college in which Tonisha and I were constantly swapping books, giving recommendations, or gifting each other with great books. Then life happened and we got busy and moved away. I also used to frequent the public library when I lived near Enid, and I could go back to a now-local library, but I've just never taken the time or effort to do so. There was a period of time in which most of my pleasure reading consisted of reading about Catholic theology. I still enjoy spiritual reading, but I think I got a little burnt out from all of that. Add in to that having to do more academic reading and lesson planning, I either lacked the desire or energy to spend any extra time reading just because.

Here I am, now almost four years out of college, the dam is slowly starting to break. I have, over the last couple of years, gradually started back to reading more books just because I can. I thought I'd spend some time talking about what I've read over the past year...

I may have written some about this first book, but it has still been pretty noteworthy. It is When God Winks: How the Power of Coincidence Guides Your Life by SQuire Rushnell.

The title more or less gives away the book's overall premise, but anyone who knows me knows just how strongly I don't believe in coincidences. This book is equal parts reflection on how the author and other public figures have come to believe in God's guidance/divine providence and journal prompts that guide you through recognizing these "God winks", as the author puts it, within your own life. This book was a relatively easy read, prompting lots of good internal monologue and retraining my brain to recognize these small miracles. (If you ever read this book and want to talk more about it, hit me up. I have an awesome story that followed right after I read this book. I firmly believe that this book was a stepping stone to that next part of my story!) In doing a little bit of research, I found out that the author has since written multiple follow-up volumes to his original book, all likely coming from people sending him their stories. I think it's worth a read! If you want to learn more, check out this link!

*****

Last year during Lent, I was scrolling through Instagram and found a post from a girl I follow on there. She talked about her Lenten plans to reread a favorite book. She gave a brief description, and I was instantly intrigued, so I hopped over to Amazon and ordered it ASAP. It was like 10:30 PM, and I read the free preview after having ordered it. I was hooked. The book is Between the Savior and the Sea by Bob Rice. 

This book is religious fiction. It goes through the gospels, but all from the perspective of Simon Peter. If you're familiar with the idea of Ignatian meditation, the practice of imagining yourself interacting with Biblical characters and directly experiencing Scriptural passages, then that's the idea that this book generally uses. If you're familiar with the Bible, then you know the basic premise of the book, but I still believe that there's something there for you. I've said before how much I love Peter, and this book may or may not have had a lot to do with that. Now that it's Lent yet again, I recommend this book, although you could easily read it any time of year. Somehow it seems more appropriate to read it at this time of year, but that's just me. Either way, here's a link to the author's page if you'd like to learn more. 

*****

I've written previously about my love for SiriusXM radio show host, Jennifer Fulwiler. She was the voice of so many long drives to visit Thomas before we were married. I admire her because she is unabashedly honest, yet relatable, in living out her Catholic faith. She was an atheist convert to Catholicism and now has six kids. She doesn't pull punches, but she still has the ability to relate to people of all backgrounds. About a year ago, she published her second book, One Beautiful Dream. 

Because I had heard so much hype about it on her radio show (and because Barnes & Noble offered a pretty sweet pre-order discount), I decided to give it a try. I also think she's a cool person, so I wanted to support her. She talks about her journey of pursuing her passion of writing, along with balancing her duties as a wife, mother (did I mention she has six kids?), and all of her other roles. She talks candidly about living out her Catholic faith and how it hasn't always been a bed of roses. I love her refreshing honesty and unassuming nature. Even if you aren't a wife, a mother, a writer, or a Catholic, I still think there's something here for you. Those are obvious themes in her book, so if you don't fall into any of the aforementioned categories or take issue with any of them, keep in mind that that's the perspective she comes from and judge accordingly. (Also, there's a good chance she's already aware of all that people could potentially take issue with, and she's pretty open about it.) Reading about her life's journey, I found it to be relatable and refreshing to hear her tell these stories with such candor. This book had the magical ability to bring me to tears, then to make me laugh hysterically within a few paragraphs. I loved it immensely, and hope you will, too! Learn more here!

*****

I took a good hiatus in reading/finishing books for the better part of a year. What can I say? I was busy! Last summer and fall were a total whirlwind for me, and I'm slowly starting to catch my breath from everything that's happened. (Okay, maybe not totally, but relatively speaking, things are ever so slightly more stable than they once were!) Diana is a member of a book club with several of her long-time friends, most of whom were mothers of Thomas and Elizabeth's classmates/friends. The books they've read over the last few months have all sounded incredibly gripping, so Diana promised she'd share them with me when she was finished. The first book she shared was The Sound of Gravel by Ruth Wariner. 

This book was heavy, but worth reading overall. Ruth Wariner was the daughter of a polygamist prophet in the Mormon church. Her father started a Mormon colony just across the Texas border in Mexico. Her father was tragically murdered by his brother, and her mother ended up re-marrying a man who had at least 3 other wives. Wariner's stepfather was abusive to the whole family, but the mother clung to him out of obedience to her faith and principles. His abuse and neglect is a major theme in the book, so if you find that to be triggering, then I'd maybe steer away from this book. On the flip side, I say it is worth reading because it details the literal hell this woman and her family went through and how they went about escaping it all. She is incredibly strong and courageous for publishing her story and being as vulnerable as she was in her writing. Wariner was forced into growing up much quicker than a child should ever have to. Upon starting it, I couldn't put it down. It was a breath-taking, emotional journey, worth every page. Learn more about this book here.

*****

Another book shared courtesy of Diana's book club was We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter. I just finished this book, as in last night before going to bed. I started it this past Friday, and it pushes 400 pages. It was *that* good. 

Full disclosure, this book plays to a couple of my favorite topics to learn about--WWII and the Holocaust. I have always been passionate to learn more about this time in history. Maybe because it makes me think of Grandpa Hladik, who fought in the war. I feel like the more I learn about the war, the more I know about him. Having never met him (he died long before I was born), I feel like he gave me this desire to learn more. 

This book is classified as historical fiction, but is based on the author's family. I think that was a wise choice on the author's part, honestly. Anytime you write about something so personal, especially when your knowledge is all based on stories about deceased loved ones and personal research, you can't get it completely right. You have to use a little bit of creative license to develop the story and fill in the gaps of the facts you know to be completely true. Hunter's depiction of her Jewish ancestors who lived in Nazi-occupied Poland was incredibly moving. Her writing made me feel as though I was transported back to 1940s Europe. Her imagery was incredible. This was another book that was challenging, because it tackled the horrors of the Holocaust in unflinching terms. I feel that so many stories about the Holocaust almost get "white-washed", so to speak. You know it was bad, but you somehow feel like at the end of the stories everything goes back to normal and the Jewish people went back to their regular lives. That was most definitely not the case. This book detailed all of the physical and mental scars this community carried with them immediately following the war. It describes in vivid detail the absolute evil they were subjected to at the hands of a madman and his puppets. It shattered my heart to more deeply consider the fact that it is a pure miracle that the Jewish people still exist after the horrors of the war. The awful attack on their lives, all based on faulty assumptions by people in authority, brought me to tears. Slight spoiler alert: her family does survive, defying all odds, which was the impetus for this book. You should definitely read this. I can't say enough about how much I loved it. Learn more here.

*****

There we go--all of the books I've recently read. If you've been looking for a recommendation, all of these were just great. If you read any of them, let me know. I'd love to discuss them further with someone else! Enjoy!

Catching Up and Getting Crafty

I’m starting to realize that I have been oddly cryptic about my goings-on this summer. I wish I could say that I was out exploring the world and going on new adventures, but really my life has been mostly contained to my job. Fortunately, that has not been the worst thing in the world! How fortunate am I to have a job that I love as much as I do! I think that my last day will be in a couple of weeks and I am not looking forward to that day at ALL. *Sad face* I love my co-workers, I love helping out, I love being part of a company that is more of a family than anything else. I have a pretty good feeling that my co-workers are going to miss me too, because they have all told me that they’re going to hold me hostage so I can’t go to Stillwater!

I’m pretty sure that I’ll be able to come back and help on “busy” days or over holiday breaks, but we’ll have to see. Actually, I’m not sure why I’m so sad about leaving when I know that after I quit working every day, I’ll still come back in to shop & take classes! I am overflowing with quilting ideas/inspirations, which was inevitable considering the fact that almost everyone who works there is an avid sewer/quilter. I think that my first order of business will be to get certified to use their long-arm quilting machine, so that I can quilt my own quilts! (Is it sad that I've already thought of about three people I want to make a quilt for? I didn't think so, either!)

I do have to brag on myself a little bit, so bear with me! I can’t remember if I ever mentioned this or not, but I have managed to sell a couple of sewing machines during my short time there! Even better, I managed to impress my boss with one of my analogies…I’ll explain: The Pfaff machines that our store sells come equipped with a technology called IDT (Integrated Dual Technology), which helps to feed the fabric from both the top and the bottom sides, whereas most machines only feed the fabric from the bottom side. (It is extremely useful when sewing multiple layers or thicker fabrics.) While demonstrating this capability to a customer, who had no idea what that meant and happened to come from a farm, I likened this technology to a four-wheel-drive system. As in, you can drive perfectly fine in 2WD in the proper conditions (just like standard feed dogs), but sometimes you need the extra control that comes from 4WD (IDT). When my boss heard about that analogy, she was over-the-moon thrilled with my comparison, and even went as far as to use that in our company newsletter!!! I guess it’s my inner teacher coming out already…let’s just hope that I can think of stuff like this when I’m trying to teach a classroom of students about factoring or integration or something math-y!

I promise I really do have a life besides work! To prove that, I’ll show you a few of the crafty things that I have made this summer!

About a month ago, Liz turned 21 and was pretty excited about it. I wanted to help her celebrate, but couldn't really do much to help her in that department (for obvious reasons…me not wanting to go to jail being the primary one!). However, I found one thing I could give her that I could legally procure and she would love all the same. If you know me at all, you probably know that I am too thrifty (or cheap, as my dad says) to go spent tons of money on something that I can make for way less money. With that in mind, I decided to make Liz some glittery wine glasses! They were super easy to make, and relatively inexpensive, since I already had some Mod Podge from my last glitter project, and I found some nice looking wine glasses at Ross for a good price!

Here is a link to the tutorial I used, in case you’re interested! Honestly, you can use the same steps to glitter almost anything, so go glitter crazy!

In case you missed it when I initially posted it, I’ll remind you: Gina & Jeremy are having another boy in October!!!!! (Yes, I will have six nephews, and I will love it immensely!) Gina was undecided on whether she wanted to find out the gender, but Jeremy wanted to. They decided that when the ultrasound tech found out, that Gina, Taylor, and the boys would look away, so only Jeremy would see. Well, that was great until the tech realized that Wyatt could read, and he caught a peek when she had it typed on the screen. (Why she didn't just write it down, I’m not sure, but that’s just me.) Wyatt managed to keep it a secret between him and Jeremy, and did great up until Gina came back into the room after leaving to use the restroom, when he told Jeremy that he wanted to name his little brother Jake. Jeremy could have easily smoothed it over, but was too surprised to do so, hence Gina finding out! I’m pretty sure that was a God thing…out of the mouths of babes! So, shortly after finding that out, I knew that I had to make my new nephew a quilt! It was exciting being able to pick out something that wasn't gender neutral for once! After much deliberation, I decided to make a rag time quilt, which has to be one of the easiest quilts to make. When it came time to buy my fabric, I still ended up picking out fabric that could be fairly gender neutral…such is life! I thought that it would take much longer for me to do, but it really only took me a few evenings to finish it. (If I had the time and energy, I probably could have/would have finished it in a day.) Isn't it adorable!?! 

This is the tutorial I used to help me get started, although it is fairly self-explanatory after a while, or at least it was for me. This definitely won’t be my last rag quilt, but I will probably end up mixing it up some more on future projects!

I always talk about Liz, but I don’t talk about her brothers, Jake and Evan, quite as often. Today, I’ll tell you a little bit more about Evan. Since we are both the youngest, he and I have always had quite the bond. As we have grown older, I have found that we are alike in a few ways…mostly in the fact that we are both “old souls”. Our thinking is usually contrary to that of most people our age, and we are both big on domesticity and simplicity in everyday life, although we have different ways of showing it. I am big on baking, cooking, sewing, and crafting. Evan has ended up being quite the avid crochet master, gardener/landscaper, and environmentalist. His neighbor helped him get started on his gardening kick, and now it has turned into a passion of his. He grows almost every plant imaginable, although he focuses on growing his own produce. Back in February when Liz & Jake got new phones, Evan had the choice of getting a new phone or getting something of equal monetary value…he chose to get a fancy new tiller for his garden, because he was tired of working his plots by hand! Shortly thereafter, he mentioned wanting to expand his garden to have a pumpkin/gourd patch, but his mom wouldn't let him do so, because he was running out of yard space. My dad caught wind of this and told Evan that as soon as harvest was over, he could have free range of a part of our field. We were starting to think that Evan wouldn't be able to get it going, only because he was busy preparing for the summer musical at the local theater (one of his other passions) and helping with children’s day camps. However, last weekend, he and his dad ended up coming out to get the patch worked, planted, and watered in. It makes my heart happy to someone his age being a good steward of the earth. (He planned on coming back the next day to do some more planting and watering, but we ended up getting two inches of rain!) While he was here, I showed him some of my quilting things, like how he always shows me his crocheting projects. We happened to get on the subject of aprons, and how I made everyone in my family one, which sparked my next project. He mentioned something about needing something that he could take with him when he picked green beans or peas, so I decided to make him a garden-themed half apron. Maybe it’s just me, but I think it’s cool, and suits him perfectly!

I think after all of these years being the stereotypical OCD, left-brained, type A person I am, I have finally managed to start tapping into my right brain, and letting go of my compulsive need for perfection in my projects! It makes it easier and more fun for me in the long run, so it is a good thing! This can be best shown in the apron, where I hardly used a pattern. Okay, so I still used it a little bit, but I didn't cling to it like I usually do, hence the nifty tall pockets on the inside of the shorter pocket! (My mom inspired that part, if we’re being totally honest here.)

That is the gamut of my craftiness so far, but there are a few other noteworthy things that have happened...I’ll try to keep it short from here on out!

I went to the Catholic Bible Study at the lake last week and was pleased with my experience! It was great to be around people my age who share my passion for Christ. I was the only girl there besides an older lady who brought supper, but the other guys who were there were either seminarians, in their late twenties, or a priest, so it really wasn't awkward for me. They were all very welcoming and kind, which I appreciated! I found out that they host multiple activities throughout the week during school, many of which I hope to attend. I am excited about the opportunities/friendships that await me through that group and many others! (I am starting to get less worried about making friends…I’m not quite sure why I was worried about that anyway, because I am more outgoing than I give myself credit for!)

I read yet another good book during my lake retreat last week. The book was “The Shack” by William Paul Young. I read it quickly because I was really into it, but I had to put it down often so that I didn't get overwhelmed by it. (It had a tendency to do that, but in a good way.) It is a true story, but it doesn't really make sense until the very end. It is about a man whose young daughter, in a tragic turn of events, was abducted by a serial killer. After that, he becomes deeply depressed and angry with God, as he had been for most of his life (his younger years weren't the best), until he receives a cryptic note from someone named Papa, beckoning him to the place where his daughter (Missy) was abducted. What follows is a beautiful story of God’s love, the Trinity, and peace. If I was to tell you more, it would ruin the book for anyone who hasn't read it and might want to. It moved me to tears more than once, but was wonderfully soothing overall. I think it helped that I read it at the lake, where I didn't have TV or my computer to distract me, just my trailer and the water.

I can't think of much else that has happened recently, so I’ll end it with some pictures of my family and other summertime shots! Enjoy, and have a great week!

PS) The 4th of July went great, and I even got grape sherbet!!! All's well that ends well :)

Yes, that really is a clock tied to a stop sign...Not sure why it's there, but I found it oddly hilarious!

Cody and me...can you believe that he's almost as tall as me and about to turn 9?! Crazy, I know!

I love Cole's happy, smiling face!

Another cheesy Cole smile in a typical farm kid picture!

Wyatt's Lincoln Log creation, complete with a stable, fence, and a bridge

Emily and Cole, who is looking somewhat nervous about the fireworks going off in the distance

Emily & Scotty...look at those lovebirds who are about to celebrate their 10-year anniversary!

4th of July Update

Happy 4th of July, everyone!!! It's been a while since I've posted about what I've been up to, so now that I have a few minutes to spare, I figured that I'd do so! Let's see...

I'm kind of bummed out right now because this is the first time in recent memory that we aren't having any sort of a 3rd/4th of July celebration. As stressful as it can be to plan and prepare for, it really is my favorite holiday/celebration of the year. We had good intentions of doing something, but after the late harvest and rabies incident, my parents knew that their hearts wouldn't be in it if we did do something. With that in mind, we decided that it would be better to hold off on doing anything until we get our new shed built, which will probably be sometime around September or October, which is also when my dad claims that he will shave his hair/beard. (He is starting to look like a mountain man, much to my mom's displeasure.) Anyway, it feels a little bit empty without our party, and I'm ready to get the shed done so that we can celebrate again!!

With that being said, I really don't know that we'll even do anything tonight, which bums me out even more. Although it is nice to have everyone home and have no real agenda for the day, it is slightly depressing to me to not have plans on a holiday. I'm hoping to make it to town this afternoon to get some half-and-half so that we can maybe make some grape sherbet (our traditional 4th of July dessert), which might possibly salvage my mood! I suppose we'll see how that pans out, and hope for the best.

I say this every time I make a post, but I still am enjoying my job! With that said, I am happy to have a few days off, just to recharge and sleep in for once, but otherwise love it! I have become more and more inspired  to start making quilts of my own for me and my family. Even better, I won't have to worry about spending so much of my paycheck on supplies, thanks to a recent contest we did! During June, our boss told us that for every customer demonstration we did on a specific sewing machine, we would get one dollar of store credit. (That is the closest we really get to a commission, in case you were wondering about that.) I am happy to say that I earned $31 of credit, which will go a little way toward some of my upcoming quilt materials! Although the public sometimes leaves a little bit to be desired, I actually do enjoy working retail, and wouldn't be afraid to pursue it as a job during the rest of my college days, until I can start a career!

After having a bit of a dry spell in the matter, I have finally found some time to read for pleasure again. I have read two books in the last few weeks. The first was "Happy, Happy, Happy", by Phil Robertson (the man who started the Duck Commander line, and whose family is featured on "Duck Dynasty"). The book is his autobiography, and tells about the long road to his family's success, which was quite tumultuous, and not as idealistic as it may appear on their show. I gained much respect for him, and admired the fact that he and his family hold their Christian faith at the root of all they are and all they do. Even if you aren't a duck hunter, have never heard of the Robertson family, or watched their show, this book has something for everyone, and I feel is a must read, and flows easily. (I finished it in one evening, if that tells you anything!) Having said that, both of my parents (more notably, my dad, who rarely reads books) are currently reading and enjoying the book. (Fun fact, if you covered up the bottom third of Phil's beard, he has a striking resemblance to my dad right now!)

I also read the book "To Heaven and Back", by Dr. Mary Neal. I gave my mom this book for Mother's Day, at the suggestion of the lady we bought my trailer from. I really enjoyed this book, as it made me contemplate the common questions of why bad things happen to good people, and our purpose for living. For it being a little over 200 pages, it was also a quick read. She has a good story, and I recommend it for a good book to make you think.

This next Sunday, we will be getting a new priest at my parish. Without saying too much, I don't think that this is the worst thing in the world. I am interested to see what he will have to offer us, and am desperately hoping for the best in this situation!

At the going-away part for Fr. Joe this past weekend, the hot topic of conversation is my upcoming transfer to OSU. As I have been (probably unnecessarily) fretting about recently, I am still afraid that I won't make friends there. One of our friends suggested that I look into the campus ministry from Catholic Church on the campus as a means of meeting people. She told me that her daughter went there quite a bit, and loved the Christian fellowship and home-cooked meals from the older parishioners. With that in mind, I decided to look it up and was pleased with my findings. I found that they still do have weeknight Mass for college kids with a meal afterwards, along with fellowship activities and a Bible study group on other nights. Even better, during the summer, they do a Wednesday night Bible study just across the cove from my trailer at the lake! I am considering looking into this activity as a way to possibly make some friends before school starts. Maybe I will be able to go, we'll see!

On a final, totally unrelated note, I have to say that I have found a new addiction in getting gel manicures. I have always hated painting my fingernails because it looks terrible when I do my own nails, and it inevitably chips off and looks icky after a day. I got my first real manicure right before graduation, and I am somewhat addicted to them now! It lasts about 2-3 weeks without chipping, and honestly, it makes me feel pretty and glamorous! Jeremy's daughter, Taylor, is just starting in beauty school, and I cannot wait for her to be in a salon, where I will always have a manicure hook-up!!! :)

On that note, I'll end it here and hope that everyone has a SAFE, and Happy 4th of July holiday!!!

Ten on Tuesday

1. I had a great Easter weekend, as you may have gathered from my last post. We had church on Saturday night, so on Sunday, my family had a nice brunch. There was enough food for a small army, but, my oh my, it was delicious!!! After my dad whisked the older boys away for a while, we hid the eggs for the ceremonial egg hunt. Here is a picture of the boys all posed with their baskets!

2. We had the Creation Story at the Easter Vigil Mass. It really went well this year, as opposed to last year. I got to be the "herder"...aka the person who stands at the front by the altar and helps the children get into their places. It is always fun to see what animals people bring, and this year was no disappointment. We had rabbits, guinea pigs, ducks, a lamb, and a spirited goat. Thank heavens we have a bunch of farm kids at church who know how to handle said animals or else that could have been semi-disastrous. Personally, my favorite moment was when Andrew, who was supposed to be standing with the stars, took it upon himself to stand in front of everyone and proudly shout out, "Look Mama!!! I'm a star! I'm a star, Mama!!!" It was priceless. All of the children did a great job, and I hope that it goes that well next year.

3. On a related note, I wish my church's Easter service didn't have to be at 8:30 at night. After the excitement from the Creation Story wore off, most of the children fell asleep or were terribly grumpy because it was past their bedtime. I miss the old days when we would have sunrise services, and I wish that we could possibly bring that back in place of the nighttime service...that just doesn't seem as Easter-y to me, I guess.

4. Happy Birthday to my amazing big sis, Emily!!! Today is her birthday, and I took her out to lunch earlier today. This evening, I think our family will be going to supper together, so I'm pretty excited about that. I hope you have a fantastic day!!! Love ya!

5. I have been on a bit of a reading frenzy as of late. I recently read my new Nicholas Sparks book from Tonisha (my birthday present), which didn't disappoint. Last night, I FINALLY got around to finishing "The Hunger Games". After my experience with it last year, I was pretty hesitant to try reading it again, because it left me less than impressed in the two chapters I read of it. However, Tevis couldn't believe that I hadn't read it (he loved the book), and at his insistence, I broke down and reread it. I must say that it was a very good book, and I loved it. I am ready to go buy the next book ("Catching Fire") so that I can continue on in the series. It was a little longer than you would think (374 pages), but it goes by pretty fast once you get into the thick of it. It has a little bit of everything in it, so perhaps that is why it has such a mass appeal. I would recommend it, and I am glad that I gave it a second chance!

6. Speaking of reading frenzies, my mom has finished "The Help". As I had hoped, she fell in love with it, and now she is ready to watch the movie. We have definitely had some good conversations about it. Once again, if you haven't read it, you should...it really is as good as everyone says it is, even if it is over 500 pages long!

7. Another fun thing from last week was my parents' 34th Anniversary, which was on Saturday. Congratulations on another year, and many, many more!!!

8. I took another Calculus test today. I wasn't too thrilled about it, to be honest, but there is light at the end of the tunnel...we only have one chapter test before our final, and our next chapter test is supposed to be easier than the one we just took. There is hope! On a sidenote, I will have to begin studying for my final pretty soon.

9. I'm not looking forward to moving out here in a few weeks. It seems as though I have accumulated a few more things than when I moved in back in August, so it will definitely take longer than I want. I also will miss Carissa...I have grown to enjoy her company, which makes me that much more hesitant for my roommate next year. Oh well, surely I will have a decent roommate next year, and if not, such is life.

10. I have to share this picture of Andy from Sunday. Shortly before the egg hunt started, he insisted upon getting the wagon. Not only did he get the wagon, he put his basket inside of it and pulled it along as he hunted. He was in it to win it! (Also, I love his Green Lantern shirt.)

Have a great week, everyone!!!

Heaven Is for Real

Last night, I finally got my homework for the week all wrapped up, and I was ready for little bit of relaxation. For me, relaxation comes best when I'm reading a good book. Last week was my mom's birthday and Gina had happened to get her the book "Heaven Is for Real" by Todd Burpo. This book has been on my must-read list for quite some time, and it is never in the public library (like I've said before, that isn't surprising when I want to read bestsellers.). My mom started the book last Saturday and was done by Sunday night. After reading it, she told me that I should read it, too. Unfortunately, I didn't have too much spare time in the past week to read, so I finally had time last night. I will just say this, it is normal for me to stay awake to finish reading a good book, because I can't bear to put it down for the night. That was definitely the case with this book.

"Heaven Is for Real" is the account of Colton Burpo, the son of Pastor Todd Burpo (one of the book's authors) who went to heaven and came back to tell everyone about it. When he was four, Colton underwent surgery for a ruptured appendix and was really in bad shape. The outlook was pretty grim, but he pulled through with flying colors. A few months after this happened, he began telling his family about Heaven and Jesus, and it absolutely blew them away.

Colton's descriptions are very vivid, and are given in the way that only a four-year-old could. I don't want to say too much, because the book is something that you must experience on your own in order to fully appreciate it. This book will make you cry, then two seconds later, you will be laughing because of the innate honesty of a child. Through the book, Todd offers his take on it all as a pastor, which gives interesting insight. It is actually a short read, totalling about 160 pages, so it really doesn't take much time at all to read, which makes it even better.

I highly recommend this book. It just might change your life once you read it, but it will definitely change your life for the better. All I can say is that you should read it.

Sooner or Later Review

 I read a book today, which was my first in about a month or two. What with the hubbub of the last few weeks, I really haven't had time for reading. Also, I have been on the wait list for "The Help" at the public library, hoping that my name will come up soon. (I am really thinking about just buying the book already, because I don't think I can hold out much longer. Merry Christmas to me, I suppose.) Furthermore, my list of books that I want to read is becoming increasingly shorter, and I had no idea of where to go from there. (Suggestions, anyone???)

I digress. The book I read had a bit of sentimentality to me, mostly for the fact that it was written by a cousin of mine, Melissa. Truth be told, I really didn't know that my cousin was even considering writing a book, as she lives in Tampa, FL, and our families don't correspond very much or very often. I found out about her book when Gina randomly added her on Facebook. I happened to see that they were friends on there, so I checked out her page and added her. While reading some of Melissa's posts, I saw then and there that she had just published a book! I am so proud of my cousin for her accomplishment, and the fact that she has brought honor to the family name. (I have many cousins who have not necessarily lived lives of model citizens...)

The book is entitled "Sooner or Later" by Melissa Hladik Meyer. It is a fictional story of a Chicago magazine writer, Patricia Jordan, who is forced to return to her small Oklahoma hometown to write an article about the town's star football player, all while trying to avoid her long-lost high school sweetheart. Melissa did a nice job of creating the scenes, both in Chicago and in Oklahoma. (Melissa used to live in a Chicago suburb, by the way.) Through the book, she accurately depicts everyday details of life in rural Oklahoma. The characters were believable, from Patricia's critical, but ultimately loving mother, all of the usual small-town characters (family friends, random relatives), but mostly, Patricia herself. Patricia's character is a single woman in her mid-thirties who left her slow-paced Oklahoma roots to seek a high-powered career as a Chicago journalist. She has many hang-ups about relationships after being burned in most every relationship she has been in, stemming back to her teenage heartbreak.

The plot moves smoothly, with a few twists that take you by surprise, and add to the overall story. All in all, I had a hard time setting the book down, because just when I thought that I would be at a stopping point, there would be a cliffhanger between chapters that kept me hanging on for a few more chapters until I ultimately finished the book.

One thing about this book, which is really only important for people like me, who are not that technologically advanced, is that it is only available for digital download on the Kindle, and I think on the Nook. (Unless you happen to live in eastern Oklahoma, near Melissa's hometown of Checotah, where she had three paper copies published for their library system.) With that being said, I had to resort to borrowing Emily's Kindle to read it, which was no problem with Emily, thank goodness. My only real caveat about this book, is that it contains a moderate amount of coarse language, so, if that is not your cup of tea, you might not care so much for this book. Otherwise, I would definitely recommend it as a fun weekend read!

Two thumbs up to Melissa, and I cannot wait to read your future books! Keep them coming! :)

Eat, Pray, Love Review

I happened to have a little bit of time before I have to go tutor, so I decided that I should write my review of "Eat, Pray, Love" that everyone has just been DYING to read ;)

"Eat, Pray, Love" is Elizabeth Gilbert's autobiographical account of a year she spent traveling around the world, and the inner transformations she experienced while on the road. The book is split up into three different sections (hence the eat, pray, love part), with each focusing on a different aspect of the author's life through the year. The book begins with the backstory of Gilbert's painful divorce, which really sets up the entire book. The explanation is lengthy, but necessary, in order to fully understand the depth of it, and why it impels the author to commence her travels as she does. As you may (or may not) know, the "Eat" portion of the book is largely set in Italy, and focuses on the marvelous things she eats while she is there.

The second portion, "Pray", is set in an ashram in India (she doesn't say where for reason she explains in the book. This portion focuses on the spiritual transformation Gilbert makes during her travels. In the book, she is studying about Yoga, and some parts of Hinduism, that were largely foreign to me, and were, at times, difficult to understand. I didn't necessarily agree with everything she said, but it was interesting to read about, for nothing more than to broaden my horizons.

The final portion, "Love", is set on the Indonesian island of Bali. It continues many of the practices mentioned in the preceding portion, but adds the element of pleasure. This portion may very well have been my favorite of the three. She encounters Indonesian medicine men, a colorful, yet tragic Balinese healer, and a few other people who shake up her life for the better.

To speak generally of the book itself, Gilbert does an awesome job of describing everything. From the scenery, to the food, to the people themselves, I felt like I lived vicariously through her book. I will admit, however, that in the beginning, she is slightly vulgar, and the book does include quite a bit of coarse language, at first. She is also brutally honest about some things that she encounters. As the book progresses, however, it becomes clear that she has succeeded in changing her life for the better. It is apparent that the mood of the book changes as she experiences new things, and has new epiphanies.

I will say that this book may not be for everyone, if you are unyielding in religious matters, or really just not open to hearing about religious matters. (No, she doesn't necessarily turn into a holy roller in the course of the book.) It might not also be for you if you aren't the kind of person who could ever consider just uprooting for a while and traveling the world; rather, if you think that that kind of thing is frivolous and selfish, then I might not read the book.

Overall, I really liked this book. If you have seen the movie, it fits the plotline fairly well, although there were a few minor differences, as could be expected. It took me longer to read it than I thought it might, but it was definitely worthwhile, in my opinion. I would also enjoy reading some of her other accounts. However, I would definitely recommend it!