Etsy Love

Whoops, 4 months have gone by. How did that happen?

I blame baby blogs for my lack of posting. All of the blogs that I follow (that post regularly, or semi-regularly) are focused on new babies or adorable toddler stories. I get completely sucked in and I don't even have kids! Aside from my own thoughts and ideas about the future, I really don't have any ground to stand on when it comes to talking about cloth diapers.
Or stroller reviews.
Or decorating a baby room.
Or breastfeeding.
I find all of it unbelievably exciting! That may sound kind of silly, but it makes sense to me. And I've been seriously considering turning this into a mommy blog when the time comes. I think it's the easiest way to talk about the little things in life...because they really are the big things. A lost tooth. Discovering feet. Reaction to tasting a strawberry. I've seen mommies write a single long post about a favorite toy, or a first headstand. Blowing bubbles and stomping in puddles. Especially when there are pictures included, they are never boring to read.

But I gotta tell ya...without kids, those kind of "little-big moments" are fewer and far between. And it just doesn't occur to me to write about them when they do happen. So many of my past blog posts have been "big picture" posts about birthdays and anniversaries and how I feel as a person. Extremely introspective...and hard to illustrate with pictures.

Hence the nature of this post! I've been all over Etsy these past few months, oohing and aahing over how creative people are! These are some of my fav purchases:

Link to search

This called to me in all kinds of different ways, from my love of the 90s and my love of Home Alone to my love of fun t-shirts. I was able to wear it a couple times during the season and, not gonna lie, I'm looking forward to wearing it again this December. I tried to include a link, but that particular listing doesn't seem to exist anymore. I included a link to a list of similar items.

Link to item

My sister picked up a beautiful ring from Israel that had an important Jewish prayer on it. I was pretty jealous of it and went searching on Etsy for a smilier ring. While I couldn't find that exact ring, I found many others sporting the same prayer in many different and beautiful ways. I picked this ring and I love it!

Link to item

This ring was trending on Etsy and it caught my eye. I LOVE that it is adjustable, as I have stupidly small fingers and rings are rarely made in my size. It is cute costume ring and the shop it comes from has many similar rings with all different kinds of stones.

Link to item

I'm nostalgic. I can't help it. Normally the print comes with just one heart, but I contacted the shop and asked if instead of just one heart, if I could have 3. Two little hearts representing where Dan and I were from and then a bigger heart where we got married. They were happy to customize it for me. The shop has all the states in a bunch of different colors.

Link to item

Ugly Hanukkah sweater! They have hundreds and hundreds of ugly Christmas sweaters out there, but the world is severely lacking in the other department. Granted, it's not as ugly as it probably could be, but it gets the point across.

Link to item

The link is only for the print, not the frame. I envisioned it in a white frame, hanging over my pilot husband's man chair. And that's exactly where it is. This shop has OVER 600 "Keep Calm" prints, for all different kinds of reasons.

It's the most wonderful time...

I love this time of year. The feel, the lights, the smells, the sounds. Even as a little girl who didn't celebrate Christmas, I always loved when my (Jewish) parents put up our Hanukkah bush. It was a fun way to stay involved in the season, even if our holiday came and went in early December. I loved sitting on the floor with my family, carefully unwrapping each ornament and smiling at the memories each trinket brought to mind.

We eventually stop setting it up because the new dog would take things off of it and run around the house. And there it sat, lonely in a bag and a box in the cold attic for at least 4 years. Until Dan and I moved back east and for the last time I sat on the ground with my mom, unwrapping ornaments, and discussing which ones I was allowed to take for our growing ornament collection. Ever year, Dan and I have gotten a bigger bush (and eventually a tree when it doesn't have to be carried 2 flights of stairs) to accommodate our growing collection of ornaments and memories. I thought I would share some of my favorite ornaments with you!

I love this rocket ship. I don't care that that it's slightly broken and has to hang weird.

You have no idea how excited I was to find a true Hanukkah ornament!

Ornament I made in pre-school!

Pretty self-explanatory. Sock with dreidels.

Newest addition: From my family's precious pup!

Dan got this from his mother...she finds the coolest ornaments!

An ode to our last name.

Passions

pas·sion

: a strong feeling of enthusiasm or excitement for something or about doing something

Brewing beer
Caring for children
Playing guitar
Photography

These are just some of the passions that I see in the people around me. Delight is contageous! I can't help but smile when my husband starts talking about hops and grains. Not because I care about brewing beer, but because it's uplifting to be around people who are happy. Truly. There is a shitload of reasearch out in the world that supports that very concept. Pick up any book about happiness.

It's when Dan leaves the room that I start thinking again. Wow, he truly loves beer and the whole process involved. Is there anything I feel that way about?

Now, there are things that I wish I was passionate about:

• Running marathons
• Fashion
• Cooking

But my knees would explode, I have no idea how to dress myself, and I'm scared of the stove. Bottom line? I don't LIKE those things. But I figure that these are actual legitimate passions, better than anything I could come up with.

"I have an idea of who I wish I were,

and that obscures my understanding

of who I actually am."

-Gretchen Rubin, The Happiness Project

"I felt like the things that other people

enjoyed were more valuable,

or more cultured...more, well, legitimate."

-Gretchen Rubin, The Happiness Project

Preach it, girl. I shouldn't feel guilty because I don't like to run marathons. Ok, I feel a little guilty, but I will never ever be the kind of person that enjoys running. I can choose what I do, but I can't choose what I like to do. Big distinction. Big revelation. Thanks, Gretch.

Still, I'm not sure that I actually have a passion. I have a couple of hobbies that I enjoy and a few causes that I think are important. But I haven't found my true passion yet. I have hope, though.

Two Year Review

My husband and I had our 2 year anniversary a couple weeks ago! It is truly hard to believe that so much time has passed. It seems like just yesterday I was driving cross-country to Oklahoma to live with my boyfriend. I was 22 years old then.

Now I am 26 (and a half). I feel like a completely different person from that scared little girl in the car. So much has happened since then. Most of it in our second year of marriage! For the first time in my life, I feel like an adult. I am an Aunt. I have held 3 newborn babies. I have changed a diaper. We have bought a car. I have had serious thoughts about living in a house. I have had serious thoughts of being pregnant and starting a family. While these events aren't specific to all women in their mid-20s, they are specific and significant to me. According to me, I am an adult now. At last.

What I mean by that is I did not enjoy my teens or early 20s. At a time when most kids are figuring themselves out, going to parties, shrugging off mistakes, I was lost. I never really knew how to be that age, as odd as that sounds. I was awkward, couldn't figure out how to make new friends, had a rare form of OCD, and had absolutely no fashion sense. ("Mom, why can't I have these super baggy black pants with studs and giant pockets that drag on the floor?" "Hey look, this shirt is reversible!" ) I wanted to fit in, more than anything in the whole world, had absolutely no idea how to do that, and stuck out like a sore thumb (or just blended into the background? I was never too sure which). I always felt like I was living in the wrong decade. That instead of turning 13, I should have just jumped to 26. Because that was my magic number. I knew what I would want at that age. I would want a husband. I would want to be a soccer mom. I would want to have other friends that were moms. I would want to join the PTA. Why couldn't I just be 26 now?

The answer? Because I had to go through everything I went through to get here. I get it now. I finally understand. If any one thing in high school went differently, I wouldn't be where I am. That cliche is completely accurate. Wishing things went differently is pointless. For one thing, I love the friends and memories that I have from that time. I met my husband through one of these friends and I am eternally greatful. It can be fun to look back. But it is way more important to look forward.

I did not have these thoughts at our one year anniversary. There was still more that I needed to learn at that time. There is more that I need to learn still. But I do know one thing: If I am still in the area for my RHS Class of 2005 reunion, I will walk into that place with my eyes looking forward and a big smile on my face.

Bring it on, Marriage: Year 3




Years 0, 1, 2

I analyzed my blog and found...

So I did a quick tally in my"Posts" section, wanting to see what kind of posts had created the most traffic. These were my top 5 posts, in order:

5.) Quarter Century Crisis --43 views
4.) On Writing --44 views
3.) One Year Review --45 views
2.) Sex, Happiness, Gymmnastics --55 views (Probs because I tricked you with "sex" in the title)
1.) Twenty Six --56 views


Now on one hand, I'm a little sad that my book reviews haven't generated much traffic. But I get it. Someone who doesn't like to read isn't going to care what my summer reading list is or that I couldn't finish Anna Karenina. If this were someone elses blog, I would be waiting for the personal entries. Or better yet, a personal entry with pictures. I love reading about the lives of people I know. I guess I assumed no one else would feel that way, but to my surprise, that doesn't seem to be the case! So thank you so much for having an interest in my life, it truly means a lot to me.

So maybe I'll change my format a bit, slide some book info into a post where I talk about how I got my eyebrows pierced, or something to that effect. (If my mom is reading this, she is thinking "Oh, no, not again").

I find writing in a public forum to be therapeutic in a way, so even if you stop listening, I will still be here sharing. And I hope you don't stop listening! I have a lot to say :)

An Epic Tale

Before I chat about the series I finished a few months ago, I want to set up the scene a little bit. These books have an unfair reputation of being "uncool." They were written in the 50s by an English author, whose voice I find very similar to other classics that came out of English writers, such as Jane Austen. It is completely my loss that I don't enjoy reading books that were written that way. Do you know what I mean? I know that is stupidly vague. Here is an example:

“Begone, foul dwimmerlaik, lord of carrion! Leave the dead in peace!"

A cold voice answered: 'Come not between the Nazgûl and his prey! Or he will not slay thee in thy turn. He will bear thee away to the houses of lamentation, beyond all darkness, where thy flesh shall be devoured, and thy shrivelled mind be left naked to the Lidless Eye."

A sword rang as it was drawn. "Do what you will; but I will hinder it, if I may."

"Hinder me? Thou fool. No living man may hinder me!"

I am ashamed to say that I am a bit dense when it comes to these types of novels. I was never able to get even halfway through Pride & Prejudice, even though I love the plot of the story (thanks to the movie). Same with Anna Karenina. Or anything written by Shakespeare.  I feel like it's sacrilegious for me to call myself a reader and lover of books and not love the classics...but there it is. 

Those who have read them will know right away what series I am referring to after reading the quote...I'm talking about the Lord of the Rings series.

I watched the movies first. If you are going to read the books, I highly recommend that you watch the movies first. It really helps put the many strange names and places into perspective. And the movies were AMAZING. Seriously. Watch them. You will have such respect for Peter Jackson in addition to J. R. R. Tolkien and the worlds they created together. The way he uses technology and special effects is nothing if not inspiring. 

In summary, I think you should read Lord of the Rings if you like any of these things:

1.) An epic story (One story split into 3 books...4 if you include The Hobbit)

2.) The Harry Potter Series (Another epic fantasy series)

3.) Fantasy  (I actually don't generally like the Fantasy genre, so going off those other 2 points alone is enough!)

So watch the movies. Read the books. Listen to the books on audio DVDs. You won't be disappointed.

Harry

Stone. Chamber. Prisoner. Goblet. Order. Prince. Hallows

 

We all know them. We all love them We have all (secretly or not) wanted to be sorted into houses. We are Generation HP.

 

These movies are always circulating through various TV channels. I have watched more than a few Harry Potter Weekends on ABC Family. When I learned that I would get the chance to visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, I started thinking about the books. In general, I feel that rereading books is a waste of time (I know many people disagree) so I hadn't opened a book in the Harry Potter series since the 7th book came out several summers ago. I reasoned that even though I know the basic plots and endings, a lot of story and detail are left out of the movies. And since I rescued the series from my husband's childhood room, I had them all at my fingertips. Ready, Set, GO!

 

The most common thought I had while reading was that J. K. Rowling's imagination is SPECTACULAR. The universe, the detail, and the character development are all so in-depth that it is easy to imagine a world where this really does exist and I think that's why kids are drawn to the series. I mean seriously, who truly hasn't wondered what house they would be sorted into? (I think Hufflepuff for me.) I'm not going to recap the books since even people who haven't read them know what they are about, but I thought I would list some of the best quotes from each one.

 

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

 

It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.

 

It takes much bravery to stand up to our enemies but we need as much bravery to stand up to our friends.

 

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

 

It is our choices, Harry, that show us who we truly are, far more than our abilities.

 

Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain.

 

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

 

You can exist without your soul, you know, as long as your brain and heart are still working. But you'll have no sense of self anymore, no memory, no...anything. There's no chance at all of recovery. You'll just exist. As an empty shell. And your soul is gone forever...lost.

 

You think the dead we loved ever tryly leave us? You think that we don't recall them more clearly than ever in times of great trouble?

 

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

 

We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided.

 

It was like trying to keep water in his cupped hands; the details were trickling away as fast as he tried to hold onto them.

 

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

 

Indifference and neglect often do much more damage than outright dislike.

 

We've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to at on. That's who we really are.

 

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

 

Have you any idea how much tyrants fear the people they oppress? All of them realize that, one day, amongst their many victims, there is sure to be one who rises against them and strikes back!

 

It is the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more.

 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

 

Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on Earth should that mean that it is not real?

 

It is a curious thing, Harry, but perhaps those who are best suited to power are those who have never sought it.

 

 

 



Always impressive

Chicago

I went to a book club meeting yesterday to discuss our latest book, The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. When I picked it up from the library, I was looking forward to reading it as I had never even heard of it and probably wouldn't have picked it off the shelf even if I had, because I rarely read non-fiction. Not because I don't like to read about true events, I just never know which events are worth reading about.

In the interest of seeing if any of you would be interested in this book, I'm going to throw out some key words:

Chicago. World's Fair. Architecture. Serial Killer.

This book is about the Chicago World's Fair in 1893, how it came to be, how it was built, what came out of it. And an additional story about a serial killer who lived and worked within walking distance from the fair and how he took advantage of all the tourism by killing many of the tourists.

It was definitely an interesting read...but knowing what I know, I still wouldn't have picked it off the shelf. For one thing, it was very architecture-heavy. I skimmed over a lot of the too-detailed descriptions and jargon involved in designing and re-designing,  the executing and re-executing, the building and re-building of the many structures involved in the Fair. But if that kind of stuff interests you, then you will LOVE this book.

Also, I wish the stories intertwined more. Obviously history can't be re-written, but it would have been way more interesting if the killer's story somehow intertwined with the magic of the Fair. But the two plots are seperate which meant I was less invested in going back and forth between the two stories.

It would have been amazing to see the Fair, though. Huge and beautiful. So many inventions came out of that fair, totally changing the course of history. I'm not going to mention them here because it's more interesting to read them in the context of that time period.

Or go see the movie due out in the next few years, rumored to be starring Leonardo DiCaprio!

Twenty Six

When I was a teenager, I had a theory about turning 26. In my mind, 26 was the ultimate age to be because it's the youngest age to be old and the oldest age to be young. I was really hoping to find an old diary entry that stated my 26 Theory, but I guess I never wrote it down. So today, I've been thinking about 16 year old Sam and wondering if she would be happy with the person she turned out to be at 26. I am pretty confident that she would be thrilled, as I am the happiest I have ever been and I am so excited to see what changes occur in the coming year. While I never saw myself as a military wife, I know that I was meant for this role and while the crazy last minute changes and switches are frustrating, my life has never been more exciting. So thank you to everyone involved in my life at this point, you all had a hand in helping me reach a happy 26!

And now, here are some people who share my birthday:

Poncho Villa
Richard Scarry
Kenny G
Mark Wahlberg
Chuck Klosterman

Book Fair!

My local library had a book fair this weekend and I was so thrilled that I found out about it! As I have mentioned before I love book stores but I hate spending money on these expensive books that I'm most likely only going to read once. And I love libraries, but it sucks to have a time limit on books, plus having to to wait for a checked out book to come back. So book fairs are the best of both worlds! Super cheap books. There were people with gigantic shopping bags full of books. I can't buy anything that I don't know I will like...not exactly a risk taker. But I managed to walk away with 4 books for a grand total of $2.50.

I mean seriously, does it get any better?

Here are my purchases:

This was the first book that I stumbled across.
I know that I have strayed a bit from my original
intention of reading through Oprah's book list,
but I try to find them at book stores. Generally,
I buy them for cheap, read them, then end up
donating them back to a library at some point.
The gift that keeps on giving. I have never heard
of this book before, so hopefully it's good.





I was particularly excited to have spotted this book
next, as I had actually planned on buying it. I read
this book at camp a long time ago and I remember
loving it, even though I don't actually remember what
the story is about. I love that about books, that the
feelings about a book last longer than the memories
of the book itself. Sort of like muscle memory.






I never had any interest in reading this book,
though I remember it being at the top of the
bestseller list for a long time. I figured that
it must be good and for $.50, I figured it
was completely worth it.








Now don't laugh, or scoff, or gasp, or roll your eyes.
I know that this book is completely outdated at this
point and that there are many later additions. I know that
I am not pregnant at this point. But I knew I would eventually
buy this book when I did become pregnant, so I figured I
should buy it now for 2 quarters instead of later for $20+.
I stared at it for a while, not sure if I should actually go through
with it, until I saw the sweet inscription on the inside cover. A
woman gave this book to another woman and wrote about how
excited she was that they would be "sharing something so miraculous together."I just thought this would be worth saving.


I wish I could have stayed in the room longer to look at everything more closely, but at this point, I was sneezing my brains out because of all the dust in these old books. I think I made out pretty well. And I have 2 boxes filled of books in the back of my car that I need to donate to the library for the next book sale!

Spring is not "Springing"

I have to say, I am loving 2013 so far. I finally took the GREs and got a decent score. I've lost close to 10 lbs. And I can officially run for 10 whole minutes without walking! That last one may not sound impressive, but for someone who couldn't run for 30 seconds, that's a pretty big deal. My next goal is to run a whole mile. And then to run a whole mile in less then 11:57 (which was my lowest time in high school). If only my gym teachers could see me now...I'm also looking forward to a lot of traveling this year as well as making a lot of choices and decisions about my life. This is the Year of Sam.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel
I have actually been wanting to read this book since I saw my friend Jenna reading it back in sleepaway camp. I have no idea why that book stuck with me all these years, but when I saw that they were making a movie out of it, I knew it was finally time to read it. I still haven't seen the movie yet, but I've heard that it's beautiful.
This book is split into two parts. I have to say, I didn't quite care for the beginning part. Everyone knows that the book is about a shipwreck, a boy, and a tiger, but none of that happened until the second part of the book. The first half is all about Pi's life before the wreck, which I did like reading about, but there was a lot of zoology and religion talk and at times, it was hard to get through. It really was interesting, but I thought the whole book would be about the wreck, so I wasn't expecting to read about religion. But now that I'm telling all of you about it, you will be expecting it when you start the book! And I do recommend it. Or at least see the movie! It is a fantastic story.

                                                                            

Crash and Burn by Michael Hassan
I can't remember the last time I was this excited about reading a book. The day this book hit the shelves, I had Barnes n Noble put it on hold for me. Why, you ask, was I so excited to read this particular book? Because I know the author! And that made it so much more fun. Also a little nerve wracking, because you don't want to hate a book that was written by someone you know. Fortunately, that was not the case. It is a Young Adult book, which I was excited about because it is still one of my favorite categories. And it was a thick book! I LOVE a good, thick book because it means tons of character and plot development. Some of my favorite books were gigantic reads (Atlas Shrugged, I Know This Much Is True, the Harry Potter series).
So if you love big books and you love young adult fiction, then I recommend you read this book. It is told from an 18 year old boy point of view, reminiscent of Catcher In The Rye, except not annoying. It's about the relationship and intertwined lives of two teenage boys and how it all led up to a school shooting (I promise I didn't just ruin the ending!) It's funny, suspenseful, and interesting and I recommend you pick it up at your local bookstore!

Favorites

I've been catching up on the latest books from some of my favorite authors. I find it so thrilling to see a new book on the shelf that I know I will love from beginning to end. (Any of you experience the same thrill??) I highly recommend all of the following books! Read them! Buy them! Download them! Request them from your nearest library!

Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult
This author always writes about the most interesting issues. Her books always have some legal issue involved, but I wouldn't consider them court dramas. The issues are always super interesting and this one is definitely unique. It has to do with a father who takes care of wolves, who basically gave up his family to study and take care of them. His daughter lives with him, but his son lives in Thailand and his ex-wife has remarried. He gets into an accident and ends up in a coma. His kids haven't seen each other in years, and both have different ideas about how to take care of their father and the wolves. It's a really cool story and has a lot of interesting information about wolves. It still isn't better than my favorite book by her, though...possibly my favorite book of all time, which is The Pact. Forget Lone Wolf. Read The Pact, instead.

The Witness by Nora Roberts

I love Nora Roberts. Many of you know that she is my number one favorite author of all time, so I may be a bit biased when I say that all of her books are amazing...but The Witness may be one of my favorites. It was such an interesting story and I finished it in less than a week! It's about a girl who witnesses a murder when she was a teenager, then changes her name, cuts all ties with everyone, and lives on the move for 12 years. She settles down in a little town, hoping to keep to herself and keep herself protected. But being a loner and secretive in a small town rarely works out and she ends up drawing people to her. Against her better judgement, she gets involved with the town chief, who quickly realizes she is hiding from something and desperately wants her to let him in, so he can protect her. The book has suspense, romance, humor, intrigue...if you want proof that Nora Roberts' books aren't trashy romance novels, read this one!! 

The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton

If I had one word to describe Kate Morton, it would be "twists." She is the queen of the amazing plot twist. All of her books have had an epic twist that changes the whole way the reader had read the book thus far...to the point where you almost want to read it again with your new knowledge. If you are looking for a new author in your lives, someone different and interesting, pick this author. This book is about a daughter who witness a tragic event when she was a teenager and never tells anyone about it. The book goes back and forth between her childhood, present day (she is in her 60s), and back when her mother was a teenager. Read this book and then read The Forgotten Garden, which is my favorite book from her. 

  

The words and wisdom of Mitch Albom

Mitch Albom has written some of the most thought-provoking books that I have ever read (and probably will ever read.) He shared his treasured moments with an old and valued friend and mentor in Tuesdays With Morrie. He discussed about the importance of each individual person and how their afterlife is affected in The Five People You Meet In Heaven. He wrote about getting to spend more time with a lost loved one in For One More Day. And then he shared his thoughts on the importance of time and how it all began in The Time Keeper. In this blog post I will talk about each of them, including what I learned from them, quotes that I liked, and which ones were my favorite. If anything comes from writing this blog post, I hope that I can convince at least one of you to read at least one of these books. I promise you won't be disappointed!

The Five People You Meet In Heaven
Probably my favorite book out of the four. Yes, even before Tuesdays With Morrie. If you haven't been introduced to a Mitch album book as of now, I would urge you to read this one first. The concept is simple: “There are five people you meet in heaven. Each of us was in your life for a reason. You may not have known the reason at the time, and that is what heaven is for. For understanding your life on earth. This is the greatest gift God can give you: to understand what happened in your life. To have it explained. It is the peace you have been searching for.” Kind of like having 5 ghosts of Christmas Past. It is incredible to think of how many people you may have influenced without realizing it. In case you need more convincing, here are a couple more awesome quotes:

“Death doesn't just take someone, it misses someone else, and in the small distance between being taken and being missed, lives are changed.” 

“Sometimes when you sacrifice something precious, you're not really losing it. You're just passing it on to someone else.” 

“The only time we waste is the time we spend thinking we are alone.” 

Seriously. Read this book.

Tuesdays With Morrie
This was the first book I ever read...not sure when, probably back in high school. This book is nonfiction, about a relationship between the author and his dying mentor, Morrie. They meet every Tuesday and Morrie talks to Mitch about everything he has learned in his life, advice for him for the future, how it feels to be dying, everything a person would want to hear from a mentor. I wish I had a relationship with one of my teachers the way Mitch had with Morrie. If you read this, so will you.

"So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they're busy doing things they think are important. This is because they are chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others,  devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning."

"Sometimes you cannot believe what you see, you have to believe what you feel. And if you are ever going to have other people trust you, you must feel that you can trust them, too-even when you're in the dark. Even when you're falling."

Read this one, too.

For One More Day
This book is short. If you're looking for a book to read in a day or less, this is your winner. This book shares an idea that everyone hopes will happen to them. That when life gets you down to the point where you don't want to be a part of it anymore, someone that you have loved and lost will come back to you and remind you of what you have to live for. I found this to be harder to believe than The Five People You Meet In Heaven for some reason, even though both have to do with being visited by people from the dead. It still has some good morals.

“One day spent with someone you love can change everything.” 

“When you're rotten about yourself, you become rotten to everyone else, even those
you love.”

"...You can go your whole life collecting days, and none will outweigh the one you wish you had back.”

The Time Keeper
This is his most recent book, it came out last year. I was so excited to read a new book by Mitch Albom...but it's my least favorite. It has to do with the man who invented time and he gets punished and then has to help these two people: One who wants to extend his life as long as possible and another who wants to end her too early. I can tell you the moral right now: Appreciate life for what it is and what your life may have to offer the world. Blah blah blah. I will provide you with quotes, in case you're interested in the book, anyway. I'm sure plenty of people disagree with my opinion.

“As mankind grew obsessed with its hours, the sorrow of lost time became a permanent hole in the human heart. People fretted over missed chances, over inefficient days; they worried constantly about how long they would live, because counting life’s moments had led, inevitably, to counting them down. Soon, in every nation and in every language, time became the most precious commodity.” 

“The length of your days does not belong to you.” 

“It is never too late or too soon, the old man had said. It is when it is supposed to be.” 



Moral of this blog post: Explore Mitch Albom. You won't be disappointed!

One Year Review

Today is my one year anniversary. One year ago today, I stood across from Dan on a slightly chilly Sunday afternoon and exchanged rings, vowing to spend the rest of my life helping to fill our lives with happiness, humor, and challenges. The wedding itself was, to this day, the best day of my life. All of my closest friends and family were there and the dance floor was never empty. I felt loved and beautiful and full of hope and excitement for our future.

So I thought that I would reflect on our first year of marriage here. I’m the type of person who loves looking back at my life, remembering how I felt about certain memories and situations, so I think that in 30 years, when I want to look back at how the first year was, I will have this entry to remember. (Also, I will probably print this out and save it. I hoard this kind of stuff. I have a huge envelope filled with nostalgia.)

Less than a month after the wedding, my loving husband went on our honeymoon without me. He was sent on a mission to HAWAII for a week, leaving me to freeze my tuchas off in New Jersey. In November, we had a lovely Thanksgiving with my extended family in New York and I participated in Black Friday for the first time. In December, we celebrated Hanukkah with my family and then celebrated Christmas with Dan’s family and friends. We had a quiet New Years Eve, preferring to watch the ball drop together. A couple days later, Dan deployed for the second time. This deployment was worse than the first, for me. The first time was the previous summer and I had just started a new job and was busy busy busy planning the wedding. I went to my parents house a lot and the days just flew by. This time was different. It was cold. There wasn’t a wedding to look forward to. And I hated my job. I was sad and lonely and ate my feelings. Dan and I decided it would be better for me (and us) if I quit that job. I quit my job the Friday before Dan came home and I felt two gigantic weights lifted from my shoulders. In case any of you are wondering, I have still not regretted quitting that job. (The girl they hired to replace me quit less than a month after I left.  Not surprised.) Less than a month later, he came home announcing that he was going to Spain for a month! I was happy for him and we talked about me going over to visit. By the time I got my expedited passport back, he had gotten a better handle the goings on over there and didn’t think he’d be able to spend any time with me at all. And I don’t speak any Spanish, so I didn’t want to be wandering around a foreign country alone. So I passed on the trip. Dan deployed again on July 4, meaning I was going to miss celebrating his birthday for 4 years in a row. This was also a tough deployment (though not as bad as the second time) as I wasn’t working and was bored out of my mind. But I made it through. Soon after he got back, I decided to take the GREs, so I signed up for a Kaplan Prep Class. I was also offered a temporary position at Campbell (which I’m hoping turns into them hiring me) which I am now working at and, thankfully, enjoying.

Dan has also been on other trips and I have done other things, but these are the key events that I know I would want to look back on and smile about in the future. If anybody has read through this, thank you for your interest!

The Pumpkins of Fall

This weekend is shaping up to be a fantastic first weekend of Fall. The sun has been shining, the weather has been in the cool 70s, and I had my first (and second) pumpkin iced coffees of my life. (They are amazing and I have been missing out!) I never realized that Autumn was my favorite season until I got married during it, but it really always has been. Thick scarves, high boots, pumpkin flavored everything, apple cider donuts, browns, reds, golds...it always makes me appreciate the fact that we have seasons. And Fall is a rather fantastic one, don't you agree?

What makes this weekend even more awesome is how we spent it. We had friends over and Dan spent the afternoon brewing beer with his friend while I enjoyed the company of his wife and adorable baby girl. While they were here, we received a call from a very close friend of ours that he had gotten himself engaged! We could not be more excited for him and his new fiancee and the story of how they got engaged is just magical. And tonight we have the Patriots game and the Emmy Awards! Fun for both of us.

Meanwhile ...

Both times my sister and I have visited our grandmother in Virginia, I end up taking books home and Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda was one of them. It was a story about adoption, different cultures, and the importance of knowing where you come from. I find India and all of its cultures and traditions fascinating and beautiful and if you do as well, you will enjoy reading this book. It is told from a few different perspectives, which is a technique that I like. I find stories more enriching when I can understand it from different views.

While I was reading this, I was also finishing up the audiobook I had in my car. It took me over a month to get through it, as it was a 24 hour story. But it was so worth it. As I had mentioned in a previous post somewhere, I had tried to read Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides before and could barely get through the first chapter. I knew it was a book about a hermaphrodite and I have always found genetic anomalies fascinating, so I was interested to read it. I stopped reading it for two reasons: 1.) I didn't understand why the main character's brother was referred to as "Chapter Eleven" and 2.) It really wasn't about the genetic anomaly at all. But having the story read to me in all the different voices and accents really brought it to life. It turns out, it isn't about hermaphroditism so much as it is a detective story about how that particular chromosomal difference occurred. The reader is taken on a journey that goes as far back as the main character's grandparents and the long journey from their story, to the parent's story, and then to his story. Think "How I Met Your Mother"-esque (this happened because that happened because the other things happened). I am very glad I gave this book a second chance because it was AWESOME and I highly recommend it. In audiobook form, if possible. (Also, after doing a little research, the name bestowed upon his brother by the main character has something to do with the the U.S tax law Chapter 11. Interesting.)

The last book I finished has a little story behind it. When Dan was deployed, I started watching the TV show "Bones" on Netflix. And fell in love. Not since E.R. have I found an hour-long drama show that I felt so connected to. It turns out that the show is based off a series of novels that were written about a forensic anthropologist that helps solves murders using bones (like the show). I was so excited that I couldn't wait for the first book in the series to check back into the library, so I downloaded it onto my Kindle. And I was disappointed. Aside from the name and occupation of the main character, nothing else was the same. Her personality and lifestyle were different, her location was different, and none of the other characters in the book matched the characters from the show. And that bummed me out. Once I realized it wouldn't be the same, I tried to separate the show and the book in my mind so that I could try to enjoy Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs on its own. In the end, it was a good mystery, but not what I was expecting (and not in a good way). So really, I would only recommend this series if you haven't seen the show. But I DEFINITELY recommend the show. Seriously. Start watching.

My next blog post is going to have a theme! Gasp! Woo! Seriously, it'll be fun. Have a great weekend! Happy reading.

My Summer Reading List

It is quite hard to believe that the summer is almost over. It seems like just yesterday I was worrying how I was going to make it through these two months with Dan being deployed. I dreaded summer this year, which makes the first time I’ve ever felt that way in my whole life. Starting when I was four years old and ending at 17, summer was when I learned how to be independent and to explore myself and the world around me. Day camps and Sleep-away camps defined my summers from before I lost my first tooth until after I learned to drive. When the time came that I needed to start working during the summer it was like learning how to breathe differently. For so long, just the feel of sun against my skin was synonymous with lying by the pool and protesting against playing sports (I am not athletic, in case you were wondering). And even now, eight years after my last camp summer, I still close my eyes as the sun hits my face and allow myself be transported back to my summers of blissful freedom.

Me, during my last summer at camp.

I may have digressed slightly from the original point of this post, which was to talk about the books I have read over the summer so far. But my brain had made the connection from summer reading to those summer reading lists we were all forced to pick from over the summer. Which reminded me of how much I put it off while I was at camp in favor of hanging out with my friends. Which led to my camp reverie. But now I am back to reality. Summer reading!

Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner

Jennifer Weiner is one of my regulars. What I mean by that is when I find an author I like, I go on a reading rampage of all of his/her books until I have to wait for new ones to be written. She is one of those authors. I enjoy her books a lot, I consider them great summer reads. She is the author who wrote In Her Shoes, which came out as a movie with Cameron Diaz back in 2005. That book was fabulous and I believe it was the first book of hers I had read, although I’m not sure what drove me to read it in the first place. It could have been the cover. I am very drawn to books with fantastic covers and I am not ashamed to admit it! That technique has led me to many great reads. Anyway about this book…I definitely thought it was a great read. It circles around the stories of 4 women and how their lives eventually all connect. To be honest, it was very easy to see how their lives would come together once I read a little from all of their different points of view. But knowing how it’ll all end up doesn’t mean it isn’t enjoyable going on the journey with them. A good beach read, in my opinion. And there are still a few weekends left of some good quality beach time to be had.

Home Front by Kristen Hannah

Another one of my regulars, she was also a victim of me loving the covers of her books. I don’t remember which of her books was my first, but her covers always look so inviting. Not sure what it is. I actually read this book as an audio book. I like choosing audio books that I know I will like because it will make my long drives that much more enjoyable. So when I saw she had a new book out and it was available in audio form, I grabbed it! It actually revolved around military life and how a family has to readjust when a parent goes to war. In this case, the mother went to war, which meant a complete family adjustment, as she ran the roost. I liked hearing about how her husband had to change everything about his life and himself as he struggled to repair a family neither of them noticed was broken. A good read and I recommend it!

The Pilot’s Wife by Anita Shreve

I actually started reading this book many years ago but I found it so boring that I stopped reading it. When I saw that it was on Oprah’s book list, I knew I would be giving it another chance. I was hoping that when I read it a second time (now being older and wiser and an actual pilot’s wife!) I would change my mind. I didn’t. I found it so dull and uninteresting. I believe that it was written in a very dull and muted way on purpose (although I’m sure the author wouldn’t have used the word “dull”) as a way for the reader to feel the grief that the widow felt after losing her husband. The reader goes through the motions, just like Kathryn, and has to feel what she feels. I guess personally I didn’t like that approach. Even when the story gets to the most interesting part, it is still told in a numb and muted way, when I thought there should have been way more build up and some fire and ice. But that’s my opinion. I probably won’t read any more books by her. Which I realize might not be a fair thing to say and I shouldn’t judge the author just because I disliked one of her many books, but there are thousands of other authors out there and I would rather try some of theirs. (Which sounds slightly hypocritical, since the other two books I read this summer are not from any of these thousands of other authors. But still. I’m not going to read what I’m not interested in.)

I am currently in the middle of a book by a new author, actually (Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda). And I am also reading a book on audio, which I had also tried reading in the past and didn’t like. I must say that I am LOVING it now (Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides). More to come when I finish it. And I also discovered a whole line of books by a new author that coexists with one of my favorite new tv shows (Kathy Reichs' Temperance Brennan series, which is where the tv show 'Bones' comes from). More to come on that when the first book in the series returns to the library!

Have a great summer day and don’t forget to take a minute and enjoy the sun. 

Sex, Happiness, Gymnastics

Sex

I'm sure you can all guess what trilogy I am referring to! I actually finished the Fifty Shades trilogy way back in May, but I really wasn't looking forward to talking about my opinions. I still have mixed feelings about them. On the whole, I really enjoyed the plot and the characters. Downloading the first book onto my Kindle, all I knew about the series was the term "Mommy porn" and that there would be S&M. When I finished the first book, I was thoroughly surprised about how much I enjoyed reading it and how much I was looking forward to downloading the next one, which I did the second after I finished the first one. The characters were mysterious, the plot was exciting and intriguing, and the "intimate" sections weren't as scary as I was lead to believe. The second book was my favorite, but by the time I reached the third, I was getting more and more annoyed with how bad the writing actually was. The repetitiveness of various phrases, the frequent use of ridiculously placed SAT words (how many times can an author use the word "mercurial?") and the sixth grade reading level (peppered with the SAT words) were making it hard to focus on the story. Now, I don't claim to have any sort of qualifications when it comes to critiquing a person's writing style and I know the way I write probably won't get me into any literary magazines (I do love run-on sentences and flipping tenses). But I love to read and have been reading for a long time and I have never read an adult book that was written in the same style as the Baby Sitters Club series. I can honestly say that I hope the movies are better than the books, because the story itself is interesting!

Happiness

I have been reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin for a while, actually. It was an impulse buy at Target because I was drawn to the cover of the book. My name is Samantha and I do judge books by their cover. I have been reading the book quite slowly because I am thoroughly enjoying it and I want to take in all the advice that I can. I have been working on trying to elevate my level of happiness for many years and this book seems to be what I've been looking for. I am amazed at how much reading and research this woman did just to be able to put all the happiness knowledge available into an accessible book. I am practically hanging on every word this woman is saying and quoting and I am going to re-read and highlight the book so that I can really talk about the profound conclusions she has made and how much it has affected my way of thinking. Because of this book, specifically the section on friendship and how important it is to just "be present" and "make the effort," I ended up doing something that I would never have done, had she not spelled out the importance of showing others how much you care. This was a big deal to me and not something I want to talk about in a brief paragraph, so look for the explanation in a coming post :) Bottom line: I highly recommend this book if you are looking to make some change in your life.

Gymnastics

When I was in middle school, I became obsessed with a famous gymnast, Dominique Moceanu. I had this biography of her childhood and being part of the "Magnificent Seven" in the 1996 Olympics and it was filled with pictures and fun facts. It was a relatively short book, as she was only fourteen during the Olympics and it was a book written for young adults. I never forgot her over the years and in college I started looking up videos of her performing on YouTube. I think I spent hours pouring over various videos from the Olympics and other events. A couple months ago, when coverage of the upcoming Olympics was starting, I started looking up videos of her again. I found a very recent interview with her, talking about an autobiography that she had written called Off Balance. In it, she tells very personal stories about her childhood and all of her behind-the-scenes training for the Olympics, as well as how she felt during everything. And the biggest shocker: that she had another sister, a secret sister, that her parents had given up for adoption because she was born without legs and was never told about. It really is an incredible story and if you are a lover of gymnastics like myself, I would recommend reading this book.

 

Quarter Century Crisis

I love everything about birthdays.

I love giving gifts (even though I stress out over finding the perfect one), attending parties, singing Happy Birthday, watching the candles blow out, celebrating that another person I love has been in my life for another year.

June is my favorite month. It's my mom's birthday, my sister's birthday, one of my oldest and dearest friend's birthday, Father's Day, the anniversary of when I first laid eyes on my husband, the beginning of summer...and of course, my birthday. I have always loved June 5. I love the month, I love the day, I love that I share a birthday weekend with my mom and that my sister's day is right around the corner. I truly do feel special on my birthday, no matter where I am, because I have an amazing and loving extended family and every year we all call each other on our birthdays, and I look forward to those calls every year (and in the last 8 years, the Facebook posts!) Last year I got to do something really cool on my birthday and celebrate the coming birth of my honorary nephew at a good friend's baby shower. I love birthdays.

So why am I not excited about this one?

25 is a slightly notable birthday. I can rent a car without hassle. So that's cool. And it's a quarter of a century! That's pretty neat! But I spent last night tossing and turning, wondering why I was not excited for my birthday this year. As I write this blog post, I still can't really put my finger on it.

Maybe it is because I'm starting a new quarter of life and it is going to be drastically different than the first quarter. (Which is silly, because it's not like there's a guarantee I'm living until 100! I can't possibly know what year of my life is the first of a new quarter!) Years 0-24 were all about growing, changing, figuring out who I am, a real big giant focus on me. Years 25-50 are going to be very different and maybe I'm just worried about messing them up. I have a lot of regrets in my first 25 years and I don't want that for me this time around and I'm scared that I won't be strong enough to make the changes that I really want to make. It's a good thing I have a life partner this time around :)

On my birthday tomorrow, I plan to do a couple new things I have been putting off for months and months because of fear, but I plan to make my 25th birthday the start of some new changes. I also promise to wake up tomorrow with a smile on my face as I start, what I consider to be, a new phase of my life's journey. Because if I'm not trying to move forward, then I am just swimming in place. And that is incredibly exhausting. And as Walt Disney said, "If nothing changed, there'd be no butterflies."

High Five for May 4

It was definitely easy to find 5 great things about this week!

1.) In a spur of the moment decision, I bought these cowboy boots! I was in Philly with a friend and she was actually looking for a pair of cowboy boots and I went inside with her, not interested. The second I saw these boots, I knew they had to be mine, even though this is totally not my style. They called to me and I had to have them. And now I do! I am now totally ready for Oklahoma (should we end up back there!)

2.) I bought this cute little book! I am actually reading the book this is based on, The Happiness Project, and this book is like a little side project, if someone wants to start their own Happiness Project. It is a 5 year journal, but there is only enough room for a few short sentences. It is the perfect amount of space to describe what I did that day, and see the difference in the days over the years. There one page per day, with 5 sets of paragraphs, so that I can see what I did on that day over the years. I think everyone should have one!

3.) My husband sent me a beautiful bouquet of flowers this week. He is in Spain right now, so it was very nice to receive these. Even though they are no substitute for the man, himself. They sure do smell nice :)

4.) My friend Jess, an aspiring photographer, asked me if she could take pictures at my wedding and I said OF COURSE!! She gave me the disk of all the pictures the other day and they are beautiful. Here is an example of her work. If anyone is interested in a photographer to capture those special moments, let me know and I will give you her contact info!

5.) I'm in CT for the weekend and I went out to dinner tonight with my sister and my parents to this AMAZING All-You-Can-Eat sushi restaurant. The food was amazing, and for only about $20 per person, it was totally worth it. I absolutely love sushi!

Hope you all had a great week, as well!