So This Is Love...

Once upon a time...

That's how all the best love stories begin, so of course that is how I will begin my story today.

Once upon a time there was a girl who worked at a coffee shop. One day several years ago a boy walked into the coffee shop to use the free wifi and drink some espresso. After several visits to the coffee shop the girl and the boy struck up some casual conversation. She learned that he worked for the local newspaper and that they had a mutual love for travel. She soon found that she was looking forward to his visits to the coffee shop. One day the two shared stories about some upcoming trips they each had. Hers to the Baltic sea for a family vacation, his to Europe for a whirlwind two month adventure.

What the girl didn't know was that the boy had quit his job in her small town and when he returned from his adventure, he moved two towns away.

More than a year went by, life moved along.

Until Wednesday December 14, 2011 in that very same coffee shop the girl happened to be working an unusual night shift closing up.

At about half-past-five the boy walked back into the coffee shop. (He was passing time before he was to meet at a friend's house for a fried chicken dinner.) The girl greeted him and after he had ordered a bottle of grape soda they began remembering each other. They chatted for a bit before the boy took a seat near the window.

When closing time grew near, the boy returned to the cash register to buy a few more grape sodas for the road. The girl remarked, "Those things will turn you purple." Then the boy asked her if she wanted to get dinner sometime, she replied yes and the boy wrote down his number on a yellow sticky-note.

The next day the girl called him from the back of the coffee shop and they made plans for dinner at Bahn Thai on Friday night.

The boy and the girl have been happily together ever since, traveling the world together.

On March 1, 2014 the girl walked into the coffee shop where she once worked to meet her sister-in-law for coffee before getting a pedicure. When she opened the door she saw her sister-in-law at the end of the counter taking her photo. When the girl looked to her left she saw the boy dressed to the nines. He walked up to the girl, took her hands and told her how much better his life had been since he had walked into the coffee shop that day in December. He told her how much he loved her and got down on his knee and asked her to be his wife.

That's the short version of our love story.

Now what you've all been waiting for.... photos of the proposal AND the ring!

Ten down.

I just finished my tenth book of the year. That is more than half of the amount of books I read in all of 2013. This makes me happy. I feel like I have found a happy place for reading. After forcing myself to read like a madwoman in 2010 I haven't really been in the reading zone since. I still managed to read more than a lot of people would in the past three years, but I wasn't getting the same joy from reading.

Maybe that had something to do with not reaching my goal of 100 books during the first year of my blog.

Maybe I am just now getting over that.

I have a favorite quote from a Nike ad about running that starts off:
"You are in a relationship with running. A love/hate relationship."

Maybe reading is kind of like running for me.

Maybe most of the things I create goals for I have a love/hate relationship with.

When I think of the list I think that must be true; running, reading, blogging, gardening, cleaning, and budgeting.

Some of them have more of a hate/love relationship.

The end of the quote says this:
"A balance between joy and pain, work and play."

So I guess for me, reading like anything does take a little bit of work to get to the joy part. You can't argue that it is easier to watch the movie in 2 hours than take a week to read the book. I also believe that you can't argue that reading the book is much more fulfilling.

So here is the list of books I've read so far in 2014 and as short of a review as I can possibly give!

Little Bee- Chris Cleave
A lot was made of this book's beach scene. I think that the hype around that particular part of the book kinda ruined the entire thing for me. The whole time I was reading just to get to that part. I figured I would be shocked or devastated, but instead it was kind of a let down. Turns out I have seen too many R rated movies to be shocked. Don't get me wrong here, I enjoyed parts of this book, including the change in narration and Little Bee's voice, but it wasn't enough for me to get over the fact that I didn't like rest of the characters. The people who I was supposed to relate to (the british) I found to be awful and unredeemable. During the main conflict on the beach I just wanted to yell at them for being so stupid and selfish. When I went to Africa last Summer I carried with me a sense of how dangerous that continent could be, and I found it difficult to understand how the characters in this book could be so ignorant that they would get themselves into these situations. I understand how you could enjoy this book, Cleave is a talented writer, but I can't recommend a book that made me so frustrated. 

   
Blue Like Jazz- Donald Miller
Billed as "Nonreligious thoughts on Christian spirituality." I enjoyed this book mostly because of Miller's writing style. Brian and I read this together and he found a quote by Charles Bukowski that describes it best,

"An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist saysa hard thing in a simple way.' 

I think that Miller is an artist and his medium is definitely Christian books. I liked a lot of the ideas in this book and found the story to be very relatable. 

The History of Love- Nicole Krauss
I read this book because I stumbled upon and fell in love with this quote, 

“Once upon a time there was a boy who loved a girl, and her laughter was a question he wanted to spend his whole life answering.” 

I really liked this book once I got used to reading the vastly different tones of the two narrators. I like Krauss' writing style a lot and found her to be funny and witty. If you've read any of my book reviews in the past, you know how much I like books about books... especially when you can feel how much the author loves books (examples: The Thirteenth Tale, The Book Thief, The Shadow of the Wind). This was a good read!

Icy Sparks- Gwynn Hyman Rubio
Sometimes you pick a book up from your vacation condo and find a real gem. This wasn't necessarily one of those times. I didn't hate reading this book, I just found it to be very odd and unsettling. Also, the ending was too unclear. 

Suite française- Irène Némirovsky
I've had another book by Némirovsky on my shelf for a couple of years. I borrowed this book from my future-sister-in-law and loved it! Sometimes when you read books about WWII while you're on a beach in Hawaii it is difficult to really get into the story, not so with the novel.

Labor Day- Joyce Maynard
Sometimes I read books just because I want to see the movie. It was a quick read best enjoyed on a beach.

The Year of Fog- Michelle Richmond
This is another book that is difficult to say very much about without giving too much away. I knew from reading the back cover that I might have a hard time reading it. Overall, it was compelling and I felt like I had to know how it ended as soon as possible.  

Alana: The First Adventure- Tamora Pierce
This is a young adult book is a reread from when I was actually a young adult... well probably more like pre-teen. It had big font and was easy to read. I remember LOVING these books the first time around. Strong female character who goes against gender roles to become a knight? That's what every 12 year old girl wants right? I remember there was more of a love story, but maybe that comes in the later books. I still enjoyed this and it's a book I'd give to my future daughter to read.

South of Broad- Pat Conroy 
This is one of those epic multi-part books. I enjoyed a lot of this book, but not all of it. It had a few too many twists and turns for me. It was also very graphic. I prefer books that don't have to try so hard to shock you.

Kisses From Katie- Katie Davis
This is a book I never would have picked up before going to Africa. Her story is very interesting. Imagine just graduating from high school and deciding to move to Africa to adopt a houseful of African girls. Her stories were heartwarming and very honest. I enjoyed this book.

Posted.

Are you on Facebook? Have you opened any links lately that have detailed how as a society we need to unplug, to limit our screen time. In the past two days I've read two articles that have sparked some thought bubbles. (I must admit that I've usually found these articles by scrolling through my news feed and reading them on my three-inch iPhone screen.)

The first article is about the need to appreciate the people who are in our lives that are actually in the room. Your phone is not the most important thing sitting next to you, your significant other is. About a week ago Brian and I went out to lunch at our favorite Pho restaurant. At the table next to us was a family of four, all of whom were glued to their phones. Not talking to each other or enjoying each other's company.

I think that I am pretty good about this one. I usually keep my phone put away during meal time, but there are other times when I'm a little too dependent on checking my Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest. I also used to read A LOT MORE, but some of my reading time has gone to screen time. So in the interest of one of my resolutions for 2014 I would like to limit my screen time. The best way to get me reading more and scrolling less is to try not to use my phone at night before I go to bed. This will probably help me sleep better and have fewer weird dreams about people I have only seen on Facebook within the past ten years.

Check this article out if you want to feel guilty about neglecting your significant other:
http://jarridwilson.com/why-im-getting-a-divorce-in-2014/

My favorite thought from the second article I read was the idea that some moments are sacred. Why interrupt a beautiful moment cuddling with your nephew so that other people can know how stinkin' cute your nephew is?! I love photos and capturing moments, but there are some moments that you really just need to feel and appreciate. What I liked about this article was that it went to the root of why we post these things for other people to see and how much better it actually serves ourselves to savor the moment than it does to exploit the moment. This is something that is a challenge to me because I do want everyone to know how wonderful my boyfriend is or how cute my nephews are. It is also difficult not to see everything posted on Facebook as sort of selfish calls of attention. We all love attention but I think a little censorship on private moments is a good thing.

Here is the link for the second article:
http://www.relevantmagazine.com/culture/tech/5-questions-ask-posting-social-media

All this being said I'll probably still use my phone too much and post too much to my Facebook and Instagram. It wouldn't be something I had to type on my blog if I didn't need something to stay accountable to!

2014 Resolutions.

Last year was pretty awesome.... 2014 has a lot of living up to do! I already have some amazing things planned, but lets get down to the nitty gritty. It's resolution time!

Here are the resolutions I've had since creating this blog:

2013:

#1: Run for fun. Don't get injured. Run another half-marathon.

#2: Read for fun.

#3: Show more love. 

#4: Plan a trip somewhere I've never been.

2012:

#1: Run a FULL MARATHON

#2: Make chores a priority

#3: Save Money

#4: Eat out less often

2011:

#1: Give more

#2: Read with meaning

#3: Take more photos and learn more about photography

#4: Run a half-marathon

#5: Eat clean

2010:

#1 is: Be Fearless....No matter what, don't be afraid to do anything that makes me happy.

#2 is: Travel more
#3 is: Read 100 books
#4 is: Drink more water

Life Resolutions:

Travel the world, drink more water, be more fearless, give more love the little things.

Some of these resolutions I've checked off with success, while others seemed to fade as the year went on. Most of them have caused me to lead a healthier and happier life. Take 2010's Drink more water. I made that resolution because I had a serious problem with diet soda. Like 7ish a day. No joke. While I still on occasion drink a soda, I now drink primarily water. I actually don't remember the last time I drank a soda! While being fearless is something I will always struggle with, my resolution to run a half-marathon was a success and I found a love for running!

So here we go for 2014! The list of things that will determine my goals for not only my coming year, but also set in motion things that will affect me for the rest of my life. 

#1: Read 30 books.

Yes that is an arbitrary number. Its challenging enough because it is as many books as I've read in the past two years combined, but also completely attainable if I set my mind to it. 

#2: Stretch.

This is such an important resolution for me. Even through training for 3 half-marathons I've never been a dedicated stretcher. I know there are many views on how important stretching is or isn't, all I know is that my muscles need it and feel better when I do it. It could possibly be the only way I get back to achieving my exercise goals. So yoga here I come. 

#3 Sign up for a race.

Any distance. I just need to get back into racing again! I love the challenge and need to get a jumpstart! I also believe this resolution will set me up for an even bigger 2015 running resolution. 

#4: Blog at least once a week. 

Don't roll your eyes! I can do this! I just need to make it a habit. Also, If I'm reading more it will be easy to at least put a book update in! 

So there you have it, 2014's resolutions. All completely doable! Watch out 2014 I'm coming for you!

That was a good year.

A little more than four years ago I started this blog with a pretty simple idea in mind, to read 100 books in 365 days. From that idea came the desire to set resolutions (goals) to challenge myself to become a better person. Within the past few years I've reached many of those goals and have continued to set new ones along the way. All with the idea that there are always things to learn, habits to break, and new places to see. Although I haven't kept blogging as regularly as I may have hoped, I still enjoy looking back on the things I've accomplished through this online journal. 

With the new year upon us it is time to look back on the year 2013. It was certainly a year of adventure! It was filled with travel, new family members, and a continued journey in discovering myself. 

At the beginning of 2013 I set these resolutions:

#1: Run for fun. Don't get injured. Run another half-marathon.

#2: Read for fun.

#3: Show more love. 

#4: Plan a trip somewhere I've never been.

If I only remember one thing from 2013 it will be the incredible trip I took to Malawi, Africa. The journey didn't begin when I stepped onto the plane on August 11, it began when I decided to sponsor a little boy named Mphatso. Although I had never dreamed of traveling to Africa, I couldn't deny this wonderful opportunity to challenge myself in ways I'd never imagined. Taking myself completely out of my comfort zone I began asking people to help me get to Africa. At the time this was so very difficult for me, but I was so humbled by the outpouring of generosity from family, friends, coworkers, and even strangers. 

That brings me to my third resolution, to show more love. I guess I can't really judge for myself if other people felt more of my love this year or now.... but I can say that I have never felt so much love. 

Seriously my heart is bursting with it!

While in Malawi we had several task, my priority was to take photos that would then be used to tell the stories of the children we were interviewing in Children of the Nation's programs. Although snapping photos was important I really believe just being there to hold a child's hand, play soccer with them and give them a hug (aka: showing more love) was the real reason we were there.

Traveling to Malawi certainly checks off resolution number four from my list, but I was also blessed to do some more traveling during 2013.

Kauai in January.

California in May.

Paris in August.

Resolutions #1 and #2 were not as fulfilled as my other two. I still struggle with knee pain when I run. I think I've discovered part of the problem is my weak core. I need to strengthen my hips and abs to better support all the tendons going to my knees and ankles. As they say, everything is connected! My days of half-marathoning are not over!! If it is important enough for me, I will find a way to come back from this injury!

As for the reading resolution... Maybe I was a little too lenient with myself. I feel pretty disappointed with my showing for the year. Maybe I'm still a little burned out, but I would like to make reading more of a priority for the future!

Some other things that filled my time and challenged me this year....

 My garden was the best it has ever been! Consistent watering and lots of love really paid off this year! Seriously, look at that tomato!

I also began a little business for myself. On top of my full time job I've also become a stylist for Stella & Dot. This has definitely challenged me to get out of my comfort zone!

So there ya have it folks! 2013 in a little nutshell. So many more amazing things happened! I can't wait to see what 2014 has in store for me!