Monday, January 25, 2010

quote of the week...

“I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing.”
—Agatha Christie

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

best thing I ever heard on a talk show:

"What your problem is, is, that you got no self-respect for yourself."

Monday, January 18, 2010

quote of the week...

"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want."

--Bill Watterson

Friday, January 15, 2010

credit where credit is due...

To those of you who asked if I took Bri and Jordan's engagement photos:

I wish.

Two of Bri's roommates at school this past semester were sisters. Their mom is Rebecca Frazier, a very talented photographer, who was kind enough to do their shoot for them while she was in town for her daughter's graduation.

We love her. A lot. As you might guess.

See more of her work HERE.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

and so it begins...

These two wonderful young people will be married on April 10th, 2010.
It is a joy to see our daughter so happy and in love.
We are so grateful to be a part of watching them create their own family!
We love you, Jordan and Brianne!






Tuesday, January 12, 2010

quote of the week...

"People become attached to their burdens. Sometimes more than the burdens are attached to them."

--George Bernard Shaw

Sunday, January 10, 2010

books read, 2009

Here's the breakdown:

I read 43 books.

20 were biographies/autobiographies. I used the strictest criteria on this, meaning that if it was non-fiction about a person's life, I counted it as a biography. Some books could have really gone into "humor" or plain "non-fiction" because while they were real stories about a real person's life, they couldn't really be considered a definitive account of the person's entire life.

4 were non-fiction/educational. Which means I supposedly learned something from them. We'll just have to see about that.

10 were non-fiction/brain candy. This is what I call the category of books that really just let me
have a simple, enjoyable little read. I don't expect much from them, and so they never let me down. Like a Twix...only you don't have to brush your teeth afterward.

9 were just plain non-fiction. These are ones that while non-fiction, still would challenge me a bit as a reader.

Most favorite: I pick Three Cups of Tea. I read it early in the year, and still found myself considering the life and work of Greg Mortenson as the year went on. His passion and drive to educate the women of Pakistan and Afganistan is amazing. His conclusion that "if you educate women you can change a culture" resonates with me. Women have a role that is so much more than simply an equality with men...they are the primary educators of their children, and I felt like Greg Mortenson really understands that.

Least favorite: I hate to say this...but I have to go with The Lovely Bones. I absolutely loved Alice Sebold's writing, but I really thought that the ending turned the book into something it hadn't started out to be. It felt like the book had been building up to something completely different...and I felt kind of cheated.

What were the best books you read last year? Any suggestions for what I should read this year?

Monday, January 04, 2010

quote of the week...

"Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."
--Thomas Edison

Friday, January 01, 2010

happy new year...

I wish for everyone a year full of love and peace. My hope is to accept and embrace all of the year's coming challenges with grace and humor...and I hope that you are able to do the same!