Letter X

I've looked and looked for an "X" topic that would make any sense for me to write about.  There isn't anything.  So, if you'll indulge my leap, today I'm going to write about X-stitching.

Cross-stitching is pretty much the only craft skill I learned as a child that I still know how to do.  And now, for nearly 10 years, the only projects I've worked on are Christmas stockings for my nieces and nephews.  In that time I've completed 7 and I have 3 in the works right now (sorry, sisters, only 2 will be ready by Christmas-want to draw straws to see who gets pushed back to next year?)

Two of the finished ones

Of course, the irony in the time and effort I've put into these gifts for all my cute relatives?  My own children have been using every-day white socks for their Christmas stockings since they were born...

A-W

Underwater Worlds

When Ben and I were engaged he talked a lot about wanting to learn how to SCUBA dive.  That sounded adventurous and fun so of course I raved about how I wanted to do that too!  This though I'm a pretty terrible swimmer and had panicked the first time I'd tried snorkeling.  Since making such a bold statement, I've had several more opportunities for snorkeling and learning to SCUBA.  The snorkeling is getting better; the SCUBA is probably never going to happen.  What I've learned most of all is to be comfortable with my abilities.

My first snorkeling experience was with a group of friends on an organized tour in Bermuda.  Trying to look cool, and not wanting to look like the old lady on our tour, I declined a life jacket.  I made it about 2 minutes offshore before the guide took me back to the sand.  Brushing that off to my friends as seasickness (or something equally ridiculous) I eagerly followed them out into the open ocean at an abandoned beach hours later.  The underwater rocks beat up my legs and the current beat up my pride.  I spent most of the afternoon fooling around on the shore.

Goofing around with my friend Dave 

I tried exploring underwater depths in the same way several more times with no better results.  Looking good was always the determining factor and I'd rather make up an excuse to not go out rather than looking stupid.  Then, the changing day came.  

Ben and I had found a great little beach cove on the west coast of Mexico.  A local cabana shack charmed me into putting on a life jacket and Ben and I spent the entire day out on the water!  No boat or kayak, no tired arms or fear of drowning-just the two of us floating in the world alone.  It was amazing!  That's the day I set my pride aside and I allowed myself to have fun without embarrassment or worry.

A great snorkeling day

I am never going to be a diver.  It turns out that conquering my minimal swimming skills wasn't nearly as difficult as feeling comfortable with schools of fish swarming through my legs.  I enjoy being in the water and observing the underwater goings-on as I float safely distant from above.  It's true I may never see the most beautiful things down there to see, but I'm out there.  And that's pretty big to me!

 See A-T

Not That I'm Holding A Grudge...

I come from a devout Scrabble-playing family.  When I was a girl my mom was my spelling idol; she won that game every single time she played.  Her magic weapon? QAT...a short little "q" word that does not need a "u."  Time after time I'd watch her school her opponent and many times that was the word that I remember shooting her ahead.  I pretty much had a love affair with that word until the middle of 2nd grade.

In 2nd grade I was in a combination class with six 2nd graders and around fifteen 3rd graders.  My teacher was Mrs. Cummings and at the time I held teachers in pretty high esteem.  She was the first to tarnish that image for me.

Every once in awhile Mrs. Cummings would let us have a vocabulary challenge.  Two students were chosen and given a whole day to think of a word that would stump the class.  I have no idea what the reward was for winning, but I was confident when I finally got to have my turn.

Without thinking twice I came to class knowing I was going to win.  I was pitted against 3rd grader Brian Fisher and I don't think I even heard him say his word for the class.  How important could it be?  With  uncharacteristic boldness (I was a pretty shy child) I told that combination class that my word was "QAT! Q-A-T"  Stunned, dumbfounded faces.  Of course nobody knew that one!  Even Mrs. Cummings' expression portrayed silent stupefication.  Then my confidence started melting away.

Mrs. Cummings said she'd never heard that word before.  Was I sure I hadn't forgotten the "u"?  She asked what I thought it was and I proclaimed, "It's an evergreen tree!"  She was still less than sure.  She suggested we look it up in the dictionary.  I wasn't worried-my mom's red dictionary definitely had that word in there.  I'd look it up lots of times.  

The classroom dictionary pages started turning.  The "q" section was located and the page turned back and forth, fingers scrolled up and down.  More than once.  Back and forth again.  No "qat."  Anywhere.  Mrs. Cummings declared that my word was not a word and 3rd grader Brian Fisher was declared the winner.  In an instant my mom became smarter than my teacher.  And of the few memories I have of that combination-class year, being ignorantly stripped of my title as vocabulary challenge winner stands out as though it had happened only yesterday.

(I just looked "qat" up in the dictionary again and discovered that while "an evergreen tree" is a loosely correct interpretation, it's actually the leaves of a middle-eastern plant used to make narcotic stimulants.  Maybe it's a good thing Mrs. Cummings didn't look into it further and call to ask my mom some questions...)

A-P

H Takes Us Up, Up, & Away

I LOVE hot-air balloons!   Last year we went to the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta for the fiesta and I'm hooked!  That festival has hundreds of balloons lifting off every morning of the 10-day festival.  You can sign up to be part of a balloon chase-team and then get in free for the entire festival.  Last year I pushed my reluctant husband into volunteering and he was addicted after his first day.  He ended up chasing with a team from the Netherlands flying a 10-story-high Rooster balloon.

Last Christmas my husband's boss bought hot-air balloon rides for all his employees.  Oh, that was fantastic for me!  We saved our vouchers and went last week for my birthday!  I think most people have a romantic idea of what it will be like floating in a balloon.  It was exciting and fun, but not necessarily peaceful.  We were in a basket with 10 other people.  The burners control the rate of conversation (or at least how much of the conversation you hear) and they're pretty hot!  One man on our balloon was nearly bald and the pilot had to scrounge up a dirty smelly baseball cap for him to where instead of roasting his head.

I know hot-air ballooning is not for everybody.  It happens in the EARLY morning.  It's more successful in cooler temperatures.  It's not face-paced and you are thousands of feet off the ground suspended in a basket propelled only by a little propane.  But it's definitely worth a try!  The balloons are enormous!  Watching the first balloon of a dawn patrol alight before dawn is mesmorizing.  The coldest air is actually on the ground and warms as you make you way upwards.  And though I'm not afraid of heights, several people have told me that once you're off the ground, height is all relative and not really a problem.  

I think you should try it!  Get up close and see how it happens.  And if you find yourself at this year's Balloon Fiesta (Oct.1-10), look for me!  I'll be there.

In My Heart On Thursday

-as seen this week on Blackpurl's Knitpickings

Doing Something That Makes You Happy

I went to a free concert last Friday with my family to see a band called Moosebutter.  Self-billed as a comedy acapella group, I had never seen them in person, but was promised a night of hilarity.  Not necessarily because the band is good or funny, but because my in-laws are notorious for making fun of something until you're laughing so hard they start laughing at you.

Moosebutter on Friday night consisted of four middle-aged guys (I say middle-aged hesitantly because one of them went to school with my husband and that would mean I've now labelled myself with that heavy moniker) jumping around and shouting out melodic song parodies.  I think sometimes they have only two guys and maybe sometimes they have five or six.  This night there was a beat-boxer, a phenomenal falsetto, and two other guys.  About every 10 minutes I found them genuinely entertaining, and then I morphed back into complete boredom and confusion.  The show went on for nearly two hours and while my very first impression was that this was 4 winded guys who needed to sit down after the first stanza, by the end I was at least impressed that they were all still standing.

As the show ended, the park lights came up, and we were forced to rationalize the two hours of life we'd just lost, my thoughts went this way:

~That was really bad...I think I stared straight without blinking for at least half an hour
~Alright, they obviously have an audience.  The stage was three-deep with pre-tweens that couldn't contain their enthusiasm.  And, oddly (or sadly), there was an occasional uproar of attention from the larger audience which would indicate that at least the parent's of those pre-tweens were paying attention.
~Good for them for knowing their audience and not pretending they're trying to do anything more...well, surely they hope to be something more, but for now it's a great idea to work with what you've got.

Then I got a tad bit melancholy.  As I listened to the last of the jokes putter out around me, it hit me:  These are four guys who have found something they love to do and are making a living doing it.  As I've done more research (on their humble website) I've come to the conclusion that this definitely is not a day job for any of them.  Maybe that makes it acceptably better-a hobby that people are in some degree willing to indulge occasionally.  Sounds pretty amazing!

On our way out of the venue, my husband made an effort to talk to the Moosebutter member he'd once palled around with.  That is when the oddity and reality finally hit me.  "Mr. Tim" is definitely my husband's age (just to clarify that's only around 35, we're not ancient yet).  He shared great insight on the pitfalls of performing in that particular type of venue with parent-less children storming the stage.  He looked tired, but was so obviously still the center of attention amongst all the Moosebutter groupies.  Then, as we were talking a boy looking  at least 10-years-old came up and called Mr. Tim "dad."  Everyone in our party did a double-take.  Turns out Mr. Tim has SIX kids and still finds time to dress up in a red monkey suit and babble nonsensically onstage every now and then.

Moosebutter in concert ended up being a shot in the arm for me.  Big deal that I didn't find myself entertained beyond my wildest belief, and how impressive is it that we made ourselves feel better by mocking people more willing to share their talents than we ever will be.  I have great ideas about living the life I want rather than the life society has pigeon-holed for me.  People are doing it!  Moosebutter is doing it!  I want to being it, too!

Wandering Still? What It Means To Me

My Past
Small town Iowa girls don't often take far trips from home.  From birth to age 17 the longest trip I had taken was a three-hour road trip to my uncle's house in Weeping Water, Nebraska.  Then my mom blew everything out of the water.  Attempting to get me away from an abusive high-school boyfriend, she loaded me on a plane and sent me 8 flight hours away to the European continent.

Now, don't go thinking this was normal for my family.  We grew up on hand-me-down clothes and Hamburger Helper with twice the noodles and half the meat.  Fate just happened to intervene that year and I became the first student  hosted by our local Lions Club in a Youth Camp and Exchange Program. Traveling to Brussels with 25 Iowa teenagers and then embarking on a 6-week solo adventure with host families in the Netherlands was the most frightening enterprise imaginable.

I came home at the end of that summer an altogether different girl (yes, I did get rid of the loser of a boyfriend soon after).  Wanderlust has been a part of me ever since.  It prompted me to study Hospitality Management and released me from the Midwest to see the world.  Working seasonal hotel jobs, I lived on Cape Cod in Massachusetts and all over the state of Alaska.  Because they were seasonal jobs, and in the tourism industry, I was also afforded months of open-ended travel.  My mid-twenties found me gallivanting around the globe and culminated in a 4-month backpacking/cruising trip that hopped from the Caribbean to western Mexico, from southeast Asia to Australia and New Zealand.  Those are the days that spoiled me!

My Present
I'm married to a native Utahn and that has been my dwelling for the past 7 years.  Within 9 months of moving here I had experienced more of what this diverse state has to offer than a friend who'd been going to school here more than 3 years.  As a married couple, and now as a family with two young boys, we've made it a priority to continue getting out to see what there is to see.

People often give us long sideways glances after hearing of the next trip we're planning or reading about our latest exploits on our family blog, It's What We Do.  What they usually fail to understand is that while they're spending their free money on clothes, eating out, and movies, we're bundling ours together and escaping the humdrum of our every day lives.  The ultimate example of these glances, and our own sacrifices, was a 6-week trip to Europe in celebration of my husband's college graduation and our son's 1st birthday.  More than anything, it proved to me that I was still me and the doors of the world hadn't closed when I said, "I do."

My Future
A day does not go by without me gazing out my window wondering where else there is to be.  Traveling is now inherently in me.  I used to passionately proclaim that, "You don't have to settle down until your kids are in school!"  I want my family to share the world with me.  Some argue that toddlers and infants are too little to even know, that world travel is wasted until they're old enough to read the places they are going.  I don't agree.  My 3-year-old son Beck is a map-lover!  He will stop every 10 steps, lay down his map, and recalculate which way we should be heading.  I want him and his baby brother Peyton to start out right from the beginning with a love and appreciation for exploring.

Peyton will turn 1 in March and I want more than anything to be somewhere exotic on his birthday.  Not to be snobby, but for him to look back in 20 years and know that that is who we were.  Beck starts school in less than 2 years.  I want more than anything not to put him on the bus for his first day of kindergarten with the regret that we never got him out of here.

Ben and I are working on a goal.  By January 1, 2012, we are going to be out of here.  Maybe we won't be continent-hopping like I'd once dreamed, but we will be packed and jet-setting to somewhere more exotic than Lindon, Utah.  And, then, who knows...kids can do complete K-12 programs online now...the world doesn't have to settle in on me!

A Year of Reading 2010

It seems like it was a really busy year without a lot of time for reading  Looking back, though,  I think the problem is I read stellar stories right at the beginning and descended down a road of none-too-inspiring tales from there.

I switched this year to recording all my books on Goodreads (username Wanderingstill).  The list below is in the order I read them, with one exception.  This year found me for the first time in my life quitting a book.  I've always been a die-hard believer in finishing a story in hopes that it will get better.  I couldn't do it this year and I've listed those at the bottom.

Have you read these and want to share your review? I'd love to hear it!  Or leave me a recommendation on your "must-reads".  And if you're looking for something different than what I have here, be sure to check out my lists from 2008 and 2009. Or check out the book challenges I'm participating in for 2011: Take A Chance Challenge at Life with Books and Outdo Yourself at The Book Vixen.

1. Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day (Watson)-Fun escape story set in 1930's high-class England.  An old biddy experiencing new life and fate changing her misfortunes.  Left me feeling happy.
2. The One Hundred (Garcia)-Great fashion suggestions and direction. Good to see that trendy "Utah dress" isn't all there is to wear.
3. Out Stealing Horses(Petterson)-Norwegian author, simplicity of writing is beautiful and full of feeling. Great reflection on relationships. "You decide how much it hurts."
4. Orrin Porter Rockwell(Schindler)-I appreciated the grittier view of early Salt Lake City, but the author openly admits his sources were pieced together liberally with what was available.  Church history in opening chapters is not very accurate and their is a lot of speculation in the narrative.
5. Triangle: The Fire That Changed America(von Drehle)-NYFD deserves their century-old reputation.  The chapters on the fire were captivating and on unions/social welfare were informative. 
6. The Outlaw Trail(Kelly)-A LOT of people to keep straight.  I started skimming over the names and fell in love with the wild west tales.  Intrigued at their resourcefulness in the Utah deserts and that a lot of outlaws later became the law.
7. The Worst Hard Time(Egan)-I thought I knew about the Dust Bowl, but I had no idea!  Couldn't keep my mind on the fact it was the 1930's-so primitive and it wasn't that long ago! Great Read!
8. The Twins(de Loo)-FANTASTIC! Translated from the original Dutch. A fresh perspective on WWII that hasn't been done to death.  The balance of the two character's seems off for awhile, but it all comes together beautifully.
9. The Relationship of Mormonism & Freemasonry(Ivins)-Not a good comparison of the two, but succinct info on the church and ancient American traditions from a general authority.  No interesting information on the actual controversy at the time it was written.
10. Breaking Free(Lo-Johannsen)-Classic Swedish story with no progress and no climax.  Last chapters had hope but then fizzled out.  Should be read as history not as a story.
11. 1-2-3 Magic(Phelan)-A discipline program that explains what you're doing when you're counting.  Singles out parent emotion as a huge stumbling block.  The positive motivations were a lot to digest.
12. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian(Sherman)-Innocent.  Subject matters I wouldn't want my teenager to read, but touching as it comes together at the end.
13. Lean Mommy(Druxman)-Not the least bit motivating
14. Toilet Training in Less Than A Day(Azrin/Foxx)-Thorough, but this was not the system for me.
15. Mommy I Have To Go Potty(Faull)-Good information.  Not as a mean method of training.
16. A Confederacy of Dunces(Kennedy Toole)-The strangest story! Used audio book and still exclaiming, "Whoa, hey!"
17. Heaven on Earth(Oppenheimer)-Too focused on nature/earth for me, but very creative ideas for kids.  Especially loved the ideas for creating backyard fantasy lands.
18. The Great Gatsby(Fitzgerald)-Enjoyed the writing style. Dark but not too dark.
19. The History of Love(Krauss)-Beautiful!
20. Liars and Saints(Meloy)-Think about the story of your family-not the public story, but the story nobody wants to tell. Then read this book.  Family stories should be told the way this story was told.
21. Sway(Brafman)-Real life examples of irrational behavior. No idea how to apply it in real life.
22. The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet(Larsen)-Has a major believability problem but I kept turning the pages.  Author uses a child's true vulnerability to bring it home.
23. Yup. Nope. Maybe.(James/Thomas)-Read it as a funny & humble relationship book written with a spiritual perspective.  The "golden nugget" is a study guide at the end. Read the last question first.
24. The Red Pony(Steinbeck)-Great guy book.  I'm not a short-story reader and wanted the stories to connect together.  Didn't understand why he completely changed topics in the last story, either.
25. Crossing to Safety(Stegner)-Spoke to many different pieces inside me.  Conflicting pieces.  I needed it.  And I want to live in the cover.
26. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future(Fox)-Lacks continuity but includes humble down-to-earth observations from his life.
27. Me Talk Pretty One Day(Sedaris)-Can't stand this author or his subject matter.
28. Adventuring with Children(Jeffrey)-
29. The Creative Family(Blake Soule)-Really cute natural craft ideas for kids.
30. Kabul Beauty School(Rodriguez)-The idea of saving the world through beauty school seems shallow, but one lady took what she knew how to do to a scary part of the world hoping she could make life better for women-and it's working!  Hope she's still finding success.
31. The Master and Margarita(Bulgakov)-Well-written but undeniably evil.  Couldn't read it on Sunday or when my husband was away.  1st half is psychological.  2nd half less so, hence, not quite as unnerving.
32. An Ordered Love(Kern)-Proof that dissertations are not meant to be read.  Didn't agree with author's LDS perspective so read the rest with a grain of salt.   I would never recommend this book.
33. The Christmas List(Evans)-A feel-good Christmas read.  Yes, I cried at the end.
34. The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes(Opie)-Hadn't heard most rhymes included. Boring.
35. Wild at Heart(Eldredge)-Just attacks fathers and tells men they're damaged. Very different religious opinions than my own.
36. The Christmas Box(Evans)-Undeveloped.  For a light read, The Christmas List is much better.


The ones I didn't finish:
1. Too Much Happiness(Munro)-These are disturbed and depressing short stories.
2. How the Soldier Repairs the Gramophone(Stanisic)-Brilliant first chapter and then gets so murky and muddled I had no idea what was going on.  Do you know what was going on?
3. Do Travel Writers Go To Hell?(Kohnstamm)-My biggest letdown.  Thick-laden with sex and swearing and I had to stop reading.  Really glad I didn't pay money for this one.


And just for fun, my favorite children's book this year:

The illustrations remind me of the Montmartre neighborhood in Paris.

Whimsical and breathtaking.

Women In Deed

Two thoughts on my mind today.  First, of course Beck isn't eschewing the true meaning of Christmas...I haven't given him any kind of example to follow.  Second, I have done a terrible job of keeping my own identity as a woman and not just a wife and mother.  I don't feel like writing about the first one, seeing as how it would entail delving into the ugly parts of me and I already do that all too frequently.  Instead, a more positive path to lead me  back to me.

Sometime in the seven years I've been married, I've completely lost me.  I can't say anymore that I have any hobbies.  I don't hang out with gal pals.  I don't have the patience to be pampered.  It's almost guaranteed that if I tell you something I like to do, it's something I do with my whole family.  This has been really weighing on me.  It's the main reason I'm trying so hard to get back in the habit of writing.  That is something I love to do...just for me.

This isn't going to lead right now to me listing projects I want to start or pastimes I used to have.  I suppose maybe those will come later.  No, today I want to recognize and thank some of the wonderful women around me who have held on to who they are or who have found new parts of themselves during their journey.

Kathy, Brooke, & Kimberly
Three of my beautiful sisters (of course, the other two are fabulous as well!).  We were raised to be crafty and our Mom was always looking for creative ways to make a little extra money.  Now they have followed in her wake.  Kathy was always quite artistic and now is decorating beautiful cakes.  Brooke was a single-mom for years and began designing silverware jewelry to take care of her kids.  And Kimberly is a new mom now, trying to do the same for her family.  A fashion designer at heart, she has created a niche for herself everywhere from Renaissance fairs to baby showers.  I'm lucky to have so much creativity in the family.


Annie
I find my inspiration from Annie in a completely different way.  Life threw us together as sisters-in-law, and I'm grateful.  We probably would have never been found hanging out in the same circles.  What Annie brings to her life is a zeal and appreciation for having close friends to share celebrations and hardship.  The people she chooses to be around know how much she loves them.  And she takes the time to get away and be just with them every now and then.  Away from her kids and her husband.  Girl time just to be free.

Amanda
An old friend from my Alaska days whom I haven't seen in years, but Amanda is still inspiring me.  She's a little off the wall, maybe a little off her rocker.  She's kookie and I love her kookie-ness.  Amanda loves life!  That's how she inspires me.  She keeps dreaming and reaching and makes my dreams seem a little less out there.  


Darla
I don't know a lot about Darla, I'll admit.  She takes my rent each month and I try hard to not give her a reason to evict me.  What I do know about Darla, though, is that she uplifts her family.  In the trenches right now with serious illness, financial difficulties, and all kinds of unknowns, her faith is strong.  No person is immune from doubt or frustration, but her testimony is bright.  She hasn't shied away from service, her family obviously loves her, and they're making it through okay.  It's completely selfish, but watching her walk through the life she has today uplifts me.

Ladies, thank you.  For being you and having flaws and sharing them with me.  But also for not being scared or hesitant or resigned to defining yourself as less than you want to be.  You're helping me to be a better me.

A Year of Reading 2009

Looking through the list of "Recent Reads" on my blog has taken me on a short trip through the past year.  The diverse range of topics left my head spinning but also encourages me that there is an interesting story here for anyone.  Along with my reviews of the following books, I want to share two reading-related websites that I found and used this year.

First is www.paperbackswap.com.  It allows you to list books you're willing to part with in exchange for books you are interested in.  There is no fee to sign up and the process works on a credit system.  You send out a book and then receive a credit to get a book.  You pay media mail rates to ship out your books, but pay nothing to get the "new" book sent to you.  Generally the shipping is less than $2.50 and it usually only takes 10 days max from requesting a book to ripping off the wrapper and delving in.

The second website is www.goodreads.com.  This site allows you to list and review books you have read and then share the list with your friends.  It's been so interesting to learn more about my sisters-in-law just by their choice of story. 

Now, on to the books.  If you've read anything listed here, I'd love to hear your review.  If not, I hope you'll find something that sounds interesting (or check out last year's list at http://wanderingstill.blogspot.com/2009/01/year-of-reading.html.)  And, it's a new year so any must-read suggestions for 2010 are always welcome!

1 The Christmas Sweater-Written by Glenn Beck, it was a pretty good short read.  The writing is a little jumpy but believable from the child's perspective it's written in.  Nice ending I didn't expect.  Wish I'd seen the live performance.

2 Women of Covenant: Story of Relief Society-Pretty good information on early LDS church history.  The pioneer history was a little more interesting than the organizational history.  Favorite quotes:  "The men couldn't or didn't do what I asked them to so now I'm going to ask the women," and "To the women there belongs a right which lies deeper than suffrage, higher than education, and sweeter than enforced virtue.  It is the right of choice; the right to choose what she shall be." 

3 Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith-Made me really question polygamy and Joseph Smith's secrecy on the subject, but did not make me question my testimony.  Very enlightening on Emma Smith and her decision to stay in Nauvoo.  Clarified why she was so disliked in Utah throughout the years.

4 Mornings on Horseback-1st of 2 books this year about Theodore Roosevelt.  I almost quit reading this one-the beginning was very forced and completely not captivating.  Sometime after he left for college the story became more interesting.  Decided it was because the information on his childhood was pieced together from letters and journals while in his older years there were many more sources to rely on. The North Dakota part was interesting because I've visited Medora, but I didn't understand the ending.  Left me with too many unanswered questions about him.

5 Recovering Charles-From the author's journalist background, the Hurricane Katrina descriptions are fantastic and made me think of my New Orleans friends returning home from Alaska to the devestation and what they went through.  Has a lot of annoying flashback sequences.  I loved the twist with the funeral photo, but then the "break-up" and "make-up" scenes were pretty expected and generic.

6 Revolutionary Road-No idea why people like this book, but can see why it made a good movie.  Still it was thought-invoking and left me pondering dream life versus reality and which to work towards, how people are fake, and left me wondering, "If people in the 50's were giving up, what hope is there for people in our day?"

7 Waiting for Snow in Havana-Started with great childhood memories of Cuba and written the way a child thinks.  Further into the book the author starts switching back and forth between that perspective and his adult thoughts and that got a little annoying.  The story spends too much time merely alluding to the change with Fidel Castro and very little about the change itself.  It was really interesting to learn about Cuba and the revolution, but maybe not entirely realistic since the main characters were wealthy. Favorite quote, "Dante was so wrong.  At the lowest point, at the nadir of the ninth circle of hell, Satan will be sharing eternally cold space with treasonous brownnosers who abandon their principles and do what is wrong for the sake of a good grade, or applause.  And these brownnosers will have to lick Satan's razor-studded butt forever and ever, with their tongues."

8 The Year of Magical Thinking-BIG LET DOWN!  Thought it was going to be an uplifting story of coping and growing and moving on.  Instead it was an entire year of not coping or moving on.  May be an accurate depiction of grief, but I didn't have any reason or desire to read about it.

9 The Railway Children-Refreshing!  It's a juvenile fiction story from the earlier 1900's, but super sweet.  I expected with every turn of the page that now something cynical would happen, but it never did.  Loved it!

10 Report From Ground Zero-Full of great testimonies from rescue workers and family that were at the World Trade Center on 9/11/2001.  The author, however, seemed to be patting himself on the back.  When he got tired and bored of volunteering or helping out, he would just move on.  The 2nd half of the book put a better perspective on experiences and became more apparent that the book project was really his story and his coping mechanism.  If you accept that, the book is fine. 

11 Leap of Faith: Memoirs of an Unexpected Life-Story of Queen Noor of Jordan.  It opened my understanding of the problems in the Middle East and the role that the U.S. has there.  An expectedly biased telling of events, but very good.  Favorite quote, "I will not fail you, my love.  I will continue on the path we shared, and I know you will be there to help me, as you always were.  And when we meet again at the journey's end, and we laugh together once more, I will have a thousand things to tell you."

12 House of Mirth-1st of 4 Edith Wharton stories I read this year.  My new favorite book!

13 The Reef-2nd Edith Wharton story. Didn't ever figure out the title.  The main character Anna is very tedious.  The story was originally written in installments for a newspaper and that is obvious when reading it as a complete book.  It doesn't flow.  Wouldn't recommend reading it.

14 50 Boyfriends Worse Than Yours-10-minute read.  Not quite to an almost funny rating.

15 The Custom of the Country-3rd Edith Wharton Story. Readable.  That's about all I can say.

16 Up Shit Creek-Hilarious and Disgusting!  About the  various types of portable poo-contraptions available on whitewater rafting expeditions.  Will make you roll on the floor, cry, and lose your lunch all at the same time.

17 The Age of Innocence-4th Edith Wharton story. Pretty good.  Written from a guy's perspective.  Compared to the other three stories, there were some contradictions in environments and time frame.  I wish she had more plainly stated what time frame this story was meant to take place.  I was hoping for a happy light ending.  Also, after these four books, I definitely needed a break from love stories.

18 The Wonder of Boys-Good ideas for the parenting of boys-especially older boys.  I blogged more on this book at http://wanderingstill.blogspot.com/2009_05_01_archive.html.

19 Shadow Divers-Fascinating true story about a scuba diving team that discovered an undocumented sunken U-boat off the coast of New Jersey.  The characters are well-developed and the technical descriptions of deep-water diving are well explained.  Don't write it off just because you're not a diver, it really is interesting!

20 Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim-The author is funny and the story is well-written, but has too much swearing and two completely inappropriate sections.  As with most of the author's writing, this book is taken from family stories.  I won't be reading anymore of his work-it's too crude for me.  That's too bad, because he is really funny.

21 The Quality of Life Report-The depiction of the midwest is nothing like the midwest I grew up in (except in the spot-on description of winter.  That was perfect.). Unfortunately, my opinion is that the reviewers for this book ate it up just like the main character's New York fans ate up her phony reports.

22 Daisy, Daisy-Horrible book filled with inaccurate facts and history.  A true story about an English woman who rode her bicycle across the United States.  The geography and chronology are completely discombobulated.  She never even tells you how long it took her.  The only redeeming quality was the inspiring idea of cycling across the country.  

23 I Love Dirt!-Creative ways to get kids to notice and explore their outdoor surroundings.

24 Cooking Art-A fun book of recipes and ideas for cooking with kids.  For the focus age a lot of the instructions could have been much simpler.  I wish it had color photographs instead of sketches.

25 River of Doubt-2nd Theodore Roosevelt book I read this year.  FANTASTIC!!!  About an excursion he took in the Amazon.  It was an era when there were still unknown places and men who wanted to explore them.  Description of flora, fauna, fish, and animals was intriguing and not boring or academic.  I could feel the fear and frustration, understand their luck and fortune, and yet could not imagine the physical and emotional feat they endured.  Stories like these, about the people who shaped our society, are the stories we still need to hear about!

26 The Alphabet Sisters-A fun light read.  Great author who's comfortable with the setting (Australia) and develops good characters.  This story's family and problems were believable and easy to relate. I ended with a warm feeling telling me that love feels good. 

27 Round Ireland with a Fridge-Let's grab something-ANYTHING-and go!  Inspiring tale of the author doing exactly what the title infers.  Does have a lot of English slang, but don't get tripped up in it.  

28 A Stone Boat-Excellent insight to cancer, death, and the emotions that come as part of the package. Did feel distracting because a definite time period was never established.  Would have been much better if the focus was more broadly on the family as a whole instead of specifically one character.  Favorite quote, "...if we all managed three weeks of feeling light, and easy and unconcerned, we could build up our depleted energy for the renewal of the battle.  And if the battle need never be renewed we will not have wasted this time by being happy."

29 Pastoralia-WHAT IS THIS????? PLEASE, SOMEONE EXPLAIN IT TO ME!

30 The Best Things Parents Do-Short vignettes, each identifying a different principle of parenting.  Doesn't get in depth on any topic, but was thought-provoking.  Most prevalent  topic was choices and consequences.

31 Second Hand-Title needed to be "Vintage/Retro" instead.  Well-written with great descriptions, but too many gratuitous scenes and too many f-words.  I didn't feel like the end was as shocking as I'd been lead to believe it would be.  The characters just got really depressing. 

32 Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal-The first part of this book was the most irreverent and offensive to me, in part because I didn't know what to expect.  The second part was story-telling of boyhood adventure.  The third part was the most believable (if you stretch).  There is a LOT of sex in this book and overall I didn't find the author particularly funny. 

33 The Stardust Lounge-True life account of a mother raising a rebellious teenage son.  Her strategy would not work for everyone, but she took an interesting angle in using the family pets to reconnect and repair their relationship.  

34 The Sun Also Rises-My first Hemingway novel.  Not knowing what to expect, I found it to be very readable.  It subtly captured the futility of life, how our roles are often less-than-ideal, and yet we accept living in them.

35 The Human Comedy-A simple and innocent story about a family in the World War eras.  The writing and characters are touching.  Without a lot of words the author draws you into the characters' curiosity, maturity, positivity, and pettiness.  Worth the few hours it took to get from cover to cover.

A Year of Reading

Have you read any of these books from my 2008 Reading List? I'd love to know how you liked it. And if you're looking for a new escape, take a look and see if there's anything that might catch your fancy...

1 The Frontiersman-Daniel Boone's era about the invasion of the Indians. I loved it, my husband hated it. Some graphic battle descriptions.

2 Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy-About the Amish School Shooting. Interesting insight into the community.

3 The Mormon Way of Doing Business-As a Mormon housewife it was inspiring to see people in business who live their moral and religious values in every aspect of their life. Left me wishing I witnessed it more in my personal life.

4 Loving and Loathing Your Inner Housewife-Crude enough to shock me a little bit, (I should've guessed since the full title starts with To Hell with all That).

5 The Marketing of Evil-Purely propaganda. I was pained to get all the way through it.

6 The Year of Living Biblically-I love this author!!! Both his books I read this year were funny and interesting. I'm recommending them to everyone! This one was mostly about the Old Testament and he really did it while living in New York City. Very entertaining! 

7 Simplify, A guide to Caring for the Soul-Very good from a local author I met at an Enrichment meeting. A great self-improvement book meant to read and ponder one bit a time

8 Reading Lolita in Tehran-After all the hype this book got, I was expecting a lot more. It just didn't wow me. Maybe I missed all the political and women's right issues I was supposed to pick up on.

9 Eat pray love-Section 1 reminded me 100% of my friend Lori and I loved it. Section 2 was so foreign to me it was interesting. Section 3 had me begging her not to end it all by being immoral. 

10 The Know-It-All: One Man’s Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World-The second book from the author mentioned above. A little dry as he worked through the encyclopedia from A-Z, but still really interesting.

11 A War of Gifts, An Ender Story-Very fast read-good if you like the Ender series. 

12 Heyday-A great fiction read set in early New York and the west. 

13 Smile when you’re lying, confessions of a rogue travel writer-Grabbed me like almost all travel collections do, but honestly I didn't remember I had read it.

14 The Middle Place-A story of family illness, healing, and death. Uplifting and heartbreaking, but some of the chronology and geography was confusing.

15 Hungry Planet, What the World Eats-FASCINATING picture book of families around the world and what they eat in a week. 

16 Memo To the President Elect-by Madeleine Albright. Won't interest anybody who's not fixated on politics or Bill Clinton's presidency.

17 The Kite Runner-One of the best stories I read this year (with a little bit anticlimactic end). I hated the movie when I finally got around to watching it.

18 Material World, A Global Family Portrait-From the same photographer as the food book above and equally intriguing.

19 A Walk in the Woods-A satirical author with an Iowa connection. His experiences hiking the Appalachian trail and worth the read. 

20 Inside the Kingdom-Not deep writing, but a great insight into the Bin Laden family and the Arab culture. 

21 The Four Agreements-An Indian philosophy that clashed too much with the way I believe things. Not interesting at all. Skip it.

22 I’m a Stranger Here Myself-Written in New England before the Appalachian trail book mentioned above and also pretty funny.

23 Family Baggage-A really light read that I shouldn't have liked but I really really did. Love and travel wrapped up with oldsters and television actors. 

24 An Inconvenient Book-Written just like he speaks and I couldn't handle it. Glenn Beck is a great man with great ideas, but way too ADD for me to read.

25 Hitler’s Willing Executioners-This book is very scholarly and explains the psyche of people who went along with Hitler's plans. Too freaky for me to finish. 

26 Little Women-Who didn't love this story when they were little girls? It's still good, go ahead and read it again! 

27 Europe Through the Back Door: Italy-Full of secret information that really helped us along the way!

28 Anna Karenina-This is one of my all-time favorite books and one of the few books I've read more than once. I'm honest that it has some parts that really drag, but the end instantly wipes out all the drudgery. 

29 Rhett Butler’s People-Nothing spectacular, but good for the imagination if you liked Gone With the Wind. 

30 Shepherd of the Hills-The backwoods Missouri dialect was tough to read, but the suspense kept me turning the pages. 

31 One Hundred Years of Solitude-I didn't understand the overall message, but liked the story of family and trials. Set in South America, I couldn't get over the fact that I've read another story eerily like it and can't remember what it was. 

32 The Road-The only Oprah's Book Club book I'd ever read and the writing was exactly what I expected it to be (not great), but the end of this book made me cry for an hour and the message should really inspire anyone who knows they should be preparing for an emergency. 

33 The Portrait of a Lady-Incredible look into European society in the 1800's.

34 The Brothers Karamazov-I'm discovering that I love the old Russian authors. I didn't think this story ended as powerfully as it could have, but it was a great read (and Laura Bush's favorite book). 

35 The Secret Life of Bees-Fun to read because it had been recommended to me and I did like it. I'm still not convinced the end would have been realistic in real life. 

36 Bel Canto-A storyline about foreigners in a terrorist hostage situation was weird and I don't think it ever would have happened the way it did in the real world, but I loved it anyway. I wish there had been a different ending. 

37 Peace Like a River-The librarian told me it was an unusual story, but it didn't seem that strange to me. Family Tragedy, honesty, and independence made this book perfectably readable.

38 The Book of Mormon-It took me 18-months this time. Worth every minute!

What We Do

Okay, so the title is a little bit stolen from my family blog, but it fits perfectly... I've been thinking a lot lately about the different activities I enjoy doing and how they compare to what I used to like to do or what I might like to try in the future.

When someone asks what things you like to do, how do you respond? When I was growing up I remember loving to play softball with my family and the neighborhood kids. Sometimes we would play on a baseball diamond with sisters, parents, aunts, and uncles taking turns rounding the bases. More often, though, we played in the yard with the tree as home plate, the house as first base, the playhouse as second base, and a random item thrown in the grass near the street as third base. We would fight, some people got hurt, but we loved to play and could be heard throughout the neighborhood late into a summer day.

I loved reading and writing. My family will try to convince you I never read a page or wrote a word, but, instead, used these mediums as a ruse to spy on the hunky neighbor boy. They're partly right. I did love books, though. My most memorable project was alphabetizing and categorizing our 200+paperback book collection. Also, I have notebooks full of imaginary stories (okay, one era of my writing was pretty much also made up of how I imagined being with the aforementioned hunky boy).

Fast forward and it's interesting for me to think about what intrigues and captivates me now. Growing up I was not an athlete and had no inkling of desire to work my body. Music was much more my cup of tea. Now, though, I really do enjoy getting out and riding my bike or hiking or throwing around a Frisbee. Sometimes I surprise myself as I'm trudging up a mountain or sweating with a smile. Don't get me wrong-I complain a lot and talk myself out of getting off my bum a LOT, but once I am out there I thoroughly enjoy myself. Athletics will never be my #1 choice for an afternoon's activity, but I've even become quite enthralled with watching some sports on tv and will always do my best to attend events where a Utah team and an Iowa team are playing together (Go I-Cubs!).

I still love writing and reading. Bliss to me would be having nothing else to do but pour through the library catalog and bury myself in far away lands. I don't typically read a lot of fiction anymore, but can lose myself in a myriad of different subjects. I love learning (and school, by the way) and I love trying to express the way I'm thinking. A lot of times, as I observe the people around me, I realize that I understand topics and events a little bit differently-due to my own personal experiences and background-and writing helps me to share my opinions fearlessly.

Nothing I can think of right now intrigues me more than travelling. I was introduced to the foreign world in high school as my parents attempted to separate me from an abusive boyfriend and growing up in the midwest afforded me a plethora of opportunities for road-tripping. Yet, no one could have expected that the travel bug would bite me so infectiously and I'm not sure that many people understand it even today. I love traveling!! It's exciting to be surrounded by people who live differently, eat differently, and speak differently. It's scary sometimes, but the thrill of figuring it out makes it even better. I love the getting there and I love the being there!

I've done incredible things while traveling that I never would have considered when I was at home. I jumped out of a plane over the geothermal landscape of New Zealand and went blackwater rafting in a Kiwi cave. I ziplined through the Costa Rican rainforest while I was pregnant, ate fish eye curry while I was in Thailand, and sat on an elephant's head while elephant dung splashed all over me. I watched my husband and my son chase pigeons in a Gibraltar courtyard and trekked with them along the most beautiful coastline I've ever seen. These are the things that are intriguing to me. It's those experiences that have made me who I am and sometimes make it hard for me to consider what activities might interest me next.

Ben and I went paragliding for my birthday. Part of me (in addition to the part called "my husband") thinks it'd be amazing to invest in and learn how to do that on my own. I've thought recently it might be fun to actually try mountain biking instead of insisting it's not for me. And, don't tell Ben, but I think I might be ready to again try skiing.

Life is full of opportunities. If I could stand in the same room with teenage me, she wouldn't know what to make of who I've become. I'm proud of my interests and that I've had the courage to try new things. At the same time, I'm glad I've held onto some of my childhood vices. I wish more people would step out of their comfort zones for a brief moment and imagine trying something new. Just let the adrenaline flow, make a decision, and in that moment where doubt begins to creep in, take a huge flying leap! You'll be amazed at where you land.