Siesta Key

 For my fortieth birthday, Lance sent Julie, my friend of twenty-seven years, and I to Siesta Key, Florida.  We had a week of sunshine, white sand beaches, yummy seafood, and rest. It was the best gift I have ever been given. . . my husband is the bomb!

My beach reading list:

A Long Walk: The true story of a trek to freedom by Slavomir Rawicz.  One of my high school students highly recommended this book.  Since I love to know what boys read, I grabbed it.  I started this book at the airport and soon discovered it was not a "beach read".  I set the book aside and finished it when I got home.  Set in 1941, it is the story of a Polish man who with six fellow prisoners escapes from a Soviet labor camp - in Siberia.  They walk thousands of miles by foot to British India - a fascinating tale.  I was captivated by the men in the story and their endurance, compassion and remarkable strength. A must read. . . .

61 Hours by Lee Child.  Reading a Lee Child book is one of my guilty pleasures.  The newest book in his Jack Reacher series did not disappoint.  Set in a blizzard in South Dakota, it was the perfect beach read.  My only question. . . . (and it is haunting me) did Lee kill Jack????

Shadow Baby by Allison McGhee.   FABULOUS book.  This is the story of eleven year old, Clara winter (spelled with a lower case - she has her reasons. . . .).  I laughed and even cried.  I don't want to give the story away:   Loved Clara, loved the old man,  loved this book. . .

Spirit of the Marathon

I secretly love indie, documentaries and foreign films. My netflix queue is full of such titles I never watch. . . why? Because it is also full of kids movies, family films and tv series the family wants to watch. Last week, we got this disc from netflix (I know, I know, I am WAY behind the times. . .) that allows us to stream movies instantly through our Wii. The first movie I picked was one of my documentaries - "The Spirit of the Marathon". It follows 6 people from all walks of life training for the Chicago marathon. Watching, I was moved to tears several times. . . I walked my first (and I swore only) marathon in Portland in 2008. It was an amazing experience and watching this film made me want to run, well, anything. . .

In an attempt to see better fitness results, I started running this past spring. I. Hate. Running. I want to like it, but so far, I don't. This movie has given me hope. I am going to continue to run, continue to persevere, continue to dream of running an endurance race. . . Put this movie in your queue and let me know what it inspires you to achieve.

Duck! Rabbit!

I just received a shipment of books in the library (like Christmas!!) and this wonderful picture book by Amy Krouse Rosenthal was in the box. I ordered it because it is up for a major award in Colorado.

As I was reading this book to third grade last week, I looked up to see several high school students listening. That's when I know I have a winner. The kids (of all ages) loved this book. A great read aloud for home or the library. During library time, we discussed how easy it is to look at a situation and read it two different ways. Very applicable to friendships and relationships, especially this time of year. So, what do you see when you look at the image - a duck or a rabbit??

Justice

It has been awhile since I have posted. . . still reading like crazy, so I'm back. . .

I have been pondering social justice, loving well and my role in it all. So I thought I would share some of what I have been reading on that subject. I also have a HUGE stack of new YA titles by my side of the bed, but that will have to wait for another day.

Social Justice Reading List:

Isaiah 58 - the Bible has quite a bit to say about loving well and living a just life. I have been reading through the gospels (Luke this year) and just read this chapter in Isaiah. Read it. Then read it again and again. It will get you thinking.

Quaker Summer by Lisa Samson - I am not typically a fan of Christian fiction. I find the plots boring, the characters sappy and the stories completely unrealistic. Then I read this book, it was thought provoking and real. I am looking forward to exploring more written by this author.

Love Mercy by Lisa Samson - My friend Leslie recommended this title (yes, it is the same author as above). I devoured this book. It is the story of a suburban housewife who begins to explore the issues of social justice. The first part of the book is her very open and real struggle as her family begins to move in a new direction. The second part of the book is the story of her and her daughter's journey to Africa - visiting AIDS patients and orphans. This book was so deeply personal for me that it is almost hard to write about. If this topic is of interest to you - add this book to your reading list.

Justice in the Burbs by Will and Lisa Samson - again by the same authors. Will and Lisa, parents of three, had the typical suburban life - huge house, nice cars, private school for their kids. God began to move them out of that life into a life of inner-city community and service to others. This is the story of their journey, as well as a guide for others longing to live a just life (even in the burbs). This title makes me laugh because the burbs would be inner-city for me. . . but it has been thought provoking as I look for ways to use my time and resources to serve those in inner-city small town. The needs are there, am I willing?

Enough: Contentment in an age of Excess by Will Samson - I have not read this yet, but it is on my list. . .


Crazy Love - by Francis Chan - working my way slowly through this book and have been listening to his sermons online. He constantly speaks out about justice and how we use our time, money and ourselves to serve God by serving others.


The Road of Lost Innocence by Somaly Mam - Warning: this is one of the most difficult books I have read this year. The first night I read it, I had nightmares. It is the story of a young girl sold into the sex slave trade in Cambodia. After ten years, she escapes and dedicates her life to rescuing other girls. She has exposed the human trafficking trade in Asia and works tirelessly to rescue and rehabilitate young girls (some as young as five years old). This is a story that needs to be told and needs to be heard.


14 Cows for America by Kimeli Naiyomah - this is a children's book about a young African man living in NYC during 9/11. He returns to his village in Kenya and tells the story of our hurting nation. He seeks to give something that has great meaning, so he gives his cow, which equal life and wealth in his tribe. Others follow suit and the village gives 14 cows to America. I read this book aloud in the library this week. It is a beautiful story. My students were captivated. For students in a ranching community, this story had great meaning. My favorite quote from the book: " Because there is no nation so powerful, it cannot be wounded, nor a people so small they cannot offer mighty comfort." Beautiful. . .

Forty. . .

Six days ago, I turned 40. It pains me to write this. I know that 40 is the new 30 (or the new 20 if you're Courtney Cox), but for whatever reason, I was not ready to begin a new decade. Don't get me wrong, I love my life, I love my family, I am blessed beyond reason. . . I know all of this, but I still don't want to be 40 (yikes!)

A few months back, I was reading an interview with Laurie Halse Anderson. When asked how she so effectively wrote for teens, she said something to the effect that inside she was still young. She commented that there were days when she looked into the mirror and was shocked by the "old" face looking a back at her. I completely understood. . . I feel so young, how can I have so many wrinkles?

So where does this whining lead me? Nowhere. I had a fabulous birthday - somehow, there are no pictures of my parties (picture posted is of flowers from a dear friend), but they were varied, and wonderful. I have a fabulous life, I will enjoy each day and purpose to "live in the moment". This is my 40 year resolution. . . And maybe someday (hopefully soon), I will have a night where I do not wake up in the wee hours of the morning with the crazy "you are 40, you are 40. . ." chant repeating itself in my head. . .

Diary of a Wimpy Kid 4

Today was our first day back in school after a five day break. School was closed to due to the high number of flu-related illnesses. We re-opened today, but still had many gone. The halls seemed quieter and the mood was definitely mellow. I spent the morning reading reviews and tidying my shelves. This afternoon, UPS delivered my copy of Jeff Kinney's new book. I picked it up while I ate lunch and began to read. Confession time: (I read the whole thing. I tried to put it down, I really did, but I HAD to finish it.) I felt like a kid trying to text during class. I kept the book down low and read while it looked like I was busy on my computer. The fact that I kept laughing out loud was probably a dead-giveaway.

In this book, Greg is faced with summer vacation. His parents are cutting back on spending and not taking their annual vacation to the beach. When presented with the alternatives, Greg would rather spend the summer indoors watching TV and playing video games. His mother has other plans. . . I don't know if it is the fact that I have a middle school son that makes this book so hysterical, but I love this series. So do boys. . . order copies for all the boys on your Christmas list this year. It will be their favorite gift.

Massacre at "M" Mountain

If you are at all squeamish, a vegetarian, thinking about becoming a vegetarian or a card carrying member of PETA, read no further. . . Seriously. stop right now. This is not the post for you.

Some good friends of ours were going to butcher their meat chickens last Saturday, and invited us to join them. Lance immediately declined (he joined us for dinner because you don't ever turn down a chance to eat Connie's cooking). I am always up for an adventure so I joined another set of friends, (also city transplants) for a day of murder and mayhem. . .


The chickens are everything an organic cook could wish for - they live in a beautiful cage free stall, eat from the garden and range (safely fenced) on the property.

On death row. . . literally.

Getting ready to be put on the chopping block. I could not carry the live birds, but I did hold the wire (with my eyes closed) that kept them on the block. Myron performed his duties as executioner quickly - yes, that is my children laying on the trampoline watching. . .

Honestly, when someone says they were "running around like a chicken with their head cut off" , it will carry a whole new meaning for me.

Um, yes, he is holding what you think he is. . . I prefer to think of him as a biologist in the making. . . One of the chickens "ran (w/o a head)" under the truck and A very calmly crawled under and pulled it out. . . country kids are very tough.

Yep, that's my boy. . . This was about as close as he got, well this and racing his scooter through the trail of blood on the floor in the shop. . .

My girl - she even worked up the courage to pluck the chickens with us. Very strong kid!

This smelled as bad as it looks. . .

An automatic chicken plucking machine - created by our high school FFA program. It did not work too well for the chickens so we ended up working by hand. . .

Right about now, I am so grateful for my college diploma and job in a library. . .

As we worked, Connie, who grew up Amish shared that her mother (with the three oldest children) would butcher 50 chickens at a time. What a life. . .

Really, it was a great day. Perfect weather, amazing friends and lots of laughter. I left with a renewed sense of gratefulness for my "easy" life. Would I do it again? Sure, if Connie is cooking dinner. . .

(photos taken by Elaine Sanders)