In My Heart On Thursday

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs.  Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive."
                                                                            -Gil Bailie, as quoted in Wild At Heart by John Eldredge

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!

This Is The Way To Start the New Year!

I was a good girl yesterday and refrained from turning on my computer.  That's a huge thing for me.  What a treat, then, to log on this morning and see that Shah at Words In Sync has given me my first Stylish Blogger Award!

To accept the award I have to, first, tell you 7 things about myself and then, second, pass the award along to 15(ish) blogs I've fallen in love with recently.  Here goes:

1. I don't have favorite anythings.  Not colors, books, movies.  If I've ever told you what my favorite something is, I made it up right there on the spot.

2.  Same for fantasies.

3.  I loved Thai food before it was trendy and now love cooking it at home.

4.  I've ridden bareback on an elephant's head.  Feeling elephant ears curl around your legs is unnerving.

5.  Working seasonal hospitality jobs ruined me for the SAHM life.  There's not a day I don't want to be on my way to a new exotic destination.

6. I've cross-stitched Christmas stockings for 6 of my nieces and nephews, am working on 3 this year, and my own kids' stockings came from the dollar store.

7. For my birthday I filled my kitchen window with houseplants and through some birthday miracle I haven't killed them yet!

And now, I'm excited to pass The Stylish Blogger Award onto:

Timeless  http://timelessexclusive.blogspot.com/


Becoming LDS  http://becominglds.blogspot.com/

Lunch Box Lowdown  http://lunchboxlowdown.blogspot.com/

Old School-Self Reliance 101  http://www.mynewoldschool.com/

Pedaling Fast & Trying To Keep Up  http://pedalingfast.blogspot.com/

Roots of Simplicity  http://roots-of-simplicity.blogspot.com/

Shannon Makes Stuff  http://shannonmakesstuff.blogspot.com/

Skitt A Skatt  http://skittaskattfurniture.blogspot.com/

Suerte Mom  http://www.suertemom.com/

To Europe With Kids  http://www.toeuropewithkids.com/

Writing The Waves of Motherhood  http://writingthewavesmama.blogspot.com/

Blackpurl's Knitpickings   http://blackpurlsknitpickings.blogspot.com/

Secrets of Mom  http://secretsofmom.blogspot.com/

Go check them out!

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.

In My Heart On Thursday

"If you live up to your privileges the angels cannot be restricted from being your associates."   -Joseph Smith, Jr

Hoping that 2011 finds you being the best that you can be!