Letters

I've got a fresh batch of letters for you today. They're a little bit sappier than usual and I hope you don't mind. Write a few of your own when you're done reading mine and leave them in the comments OR make a post of your own.

Dear Jean Pierre,

You French speaking darling, you...Thanks for being brave enough to shout "big cup!" across the airport late that night in Denver. I smiled and you drug your garbage can closer and the conversation that followed is one that I hope to hang on to for a good long while. You said, "we have God or we have nothing" and you were right. The joy in your eyes and the chance to use a little French and to talk about the treasure we have in God was a real delight. See you on the other side, my friend! I wasn't joking when I said I'd look for you.

Dear Brother of Mine,

Everyone keeps asking about my trip and my response is always something along the lines of, "Really good! Mostly." You're the reason behind that mostly. I enjoyed every millisecond I got to spend with you. The teary goodbye in the garage and the heart to heart and the letter you wrote me after I pulled out of the driveway...They mean the world to me. I miss you more than you'll ever know the same way you miss me. I can't wait to see you again. We're gonna plan it and you're gonna have some time off from work. I love you!

Dear Austin,

Thanks for choosing the healthiest restaurant I have ever stepped into for lunch that first Friday after I got home. I now know that I really like tangerines and that they make a great addition to a salad. I'm not sure that I'll go back, but it was way outside of my comfort zone and like everything in that category, it wasn't so bad after all.

Dear Old Bamboo,

When Leia watched Chitty Chitty Bang Bang every single day I swore I would never ever watch it. Time went by and I ended up watching it. More time went by and my brothers and I would sing "The Old Bamboo" as we used the giant one that came from who knows where to get the stray birdie off of the roof. I had no idea that even more time would go by and the little boy dancing around in his underwear with the bamboo shoot that was five times his size would don a fancy costume and learn an amazing routine that he would perform on stage in his first professional theatre contract. What a run we've had!

What letters do you have to send today?

What has the power to make you sentimental?

Summer Reading 2017

For years now, I've been making summer reading lists for myself. It just didn't happen this year. I went back and forth over what to do and then I realized that I kind of have a list going in my head...

This summer, I plan to read whatever I make it around to. I'm back to reading a lot less again, which is just fine, but also means that planning my reading is more overwhelming than it is helpful. Life is full of seasons! The important thing is being able to recognize which one you're in and doing whatever you need to do to make the most of it.

This summer, I've got my eye on:

Making progress on C.S. Lewis's Space Trilogy

"This Side of Paradise" by F. Scott Fitzgerald

"To the Lighthouse" by Virginia Woolf

Getting started on The Maze Runner series 

I've made it to the Psalms in my Bible reading plan and I'm picking up E.B. White's essays, E.E. Cummings's poetry, and Packer's "Keep In Step With the Spirit" when I need to mix things up. Oh, and I'm still working my way through "HP and the Deathly Hallows", which means I am the last one of my siblings to finish reading this series. Surprise, surprise!

As I make my way through this "list", I'll be sure to post reviews!

What are you reading this summer?

Chinese Chicken Salad

via Instagram...I apologize for this being all you get. :)

This is the kind of salad that is loaded with lettuce that you eat in a bowl, NOT the kind you put between two pieces of bread. Of course, maybe you're into that. I mean, when I was in SC I made a big batch of broccoli salad and my Grandpa couldn't keep himself out of it. He came wandering into the living room with a grin on his face and a sandwich in his hand. The only thing between those pieces of bread was a heap of that broccoli salad. I've officially seen it ALL.

Back to the salad I came here to tell you about! Summer days are the perfect time to incorporate lighter meals. Half because nobody wants to heat up the kitchen and half because people just don't each as much when they're hot. One thing my family LOVES to eat a lot of during summer is salad. If I announce "salad bar" for dinner, there is sure to be an honest to goodness celebration happening.

I dream of coming up with a rotation of four or five different salads that I can keep in the fridge for afternoons when you want nothing more than to head to the fridge for something to eat that is both cool and satisfying. I've been working on it for years now and have yet to come up with some options that everyone is crazy about...Which is unfortunate. BUT, this salad puts me one step closer!

It's quick and easy and you most likely have everything you need on hand. Like every salad before it, this one is open to any tweaks you might want to make to it! I used bottled dressing because that dressing happened to be the inspiration behind the whole dish, but you could sub your own favorite asian inspired dressing whether it happens to be bottled or homemade.

You ready?

Here we go!

Chinese Chicken Salad

Chicken:
3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. brown rice vinegar

1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

Salad:
1 head romaine lettuce, washed and cut into bite sized pieces
1 carrot, peeled and shredded
3 green onions, washed and sliced
1/4 c. slivered almonds, toasted
1/2 c. crispy chow mein noodles, toasted
1/4 - 1/2 c. Newman's Own Sesame Ginger Dressing

Combine chicken, soy sauce, and brown rice vinegar in a zip top bag, tossing until mixed well. Place bag into the fridge for at least one hour or overnight, turning occasionally.

Brown chicken in sesame oil and extra virgin olive oil over med-high heat for 10 minutes, turning once. Remove from heat. Let rest 5 minutes, then slice into bite sized pieces.

Meanwhile combine the lettuce, carrots, green onions, toasted almonds, and toasted chow mein noodles in a large salad bowl. Toss in chicken and salad dressing, continuing to toss until your salad comes together.

NOTE: May sprinkle with a little pepper and some extra onion powder if you like!

Serve immediately. Leftovers will keep for a few days in the fridge. The noodles get a little soggy, but I enjoyed it just as much on day three as I did on day one.

Enjoy!

What are some of your favorite "fancy" salads?

What's the strangest sandwich you've ever seen?

May I Be

March 30, 2017

Back in May, I read a poem by E.E. Cummings that really resonated with me. It was one of those instances where the poem found me at the right time. My Mom saw the book (titled 73 Poems) lying at the top of a stack of poetry books and said, "Read number 43."

So, I did. And then I read it a few more times. And then I thought about it for days afterwards. And then I got out my journal and copied one of the lines down and drafted a little list of my own.

May I be...

holy

satisfied

full of joy

full of peace

patient

humble

GLAD

helpful

kind

compassionate

quiet

None of these things come naturally to me. Just being real. Getting to know people and deciding how we're going to explain ourselves to them has a way of bringing us face to face with who we really are. If moving teaches you one thing, it's the truth about who you are. 

People want to know where you came from and why you're here and where you're going. They want to know what you like to do and what you hope to do. They want to see you laugh and some of them want to know what makes you cry. 

You listen to their questions and do your best to give them answers. You ask questions of your own and you wait for them to come with answers. And then you go home and you  think about the people who already know you and you wonder how long it's going to take to get to that place with the people you're just now getting around to letting in. 

And then, you read an old poem on some random night in May and you carry it around with you and everything comes full circle. Your life is full and you are who you are, but it's never too late to think about who you want to be. You make a list and you trust that God won't leave you where He found you. 

And that's why I like poetry!

What's on your list of things to be?

What I've Been Reading

My last reading update was already a few months ago. I've read some doozies, but I've also read some really great things that I have been soooo looking forward to telling you about.

  

Land's End: A Walk in Provincetown by Michael Cunningham // I can't remember how I found out about this book...After my recent trip to Provincetown, I was in the mood for more MA. This book isn't one I'd recommend, but I will say that it was just as quirky and beautiful as Provincetown itself.

A Life in Letters F. Scott Fiztgerald // I picked this book up within 24 hours of being home from MA to take care of a little Fitzgerald craving I had. It was just what I needed. It's a monster of a book, but for someone as crazy about the Fitzgeralds as I am, it was a real treat. In July, I get to read one of his novels for the first time for the last time. Reading over the letters he wrote to his wife and his parents and his daughter and his friends and strangers and his wife's doctors was a great way to get to know him while I looked forward to the end of a journey. He was honest with people. He offered writing advice at every chance. I look forward to re-reading his books!

A Beautiful Place to Die by Philip R. Craig // My attempt to tell a friend what I had been reading when I had to admit to having just finished this book clued me into my true feelings about it. Craig has a whole series of these Martha's Vineyard mysteries (seeing the theme here?) and I had HIGH hopes. It was three parts cozy mystery one part where did that come from. If you're looking for a cozy mystery with a great setting, I'd recommend Laura Childs's Tea Shop series!

  

Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier // This skinny little book took me nearly two months to get through. It was what I would call a literary thriller and it was REALLY good. For whatever reason, I just wasn't in the mood when I first picked it up. This one is for lovers of Mary Higgins Clark, whose style DEFINITELY imitates du Maurier's in the best possible way. I'd recommend saving it for fall, as it is just the kind of moody suspense fit for the days that are growing shorter and colder.

Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly // Towards the end of April, I found myself in a serious reading rut. This book club read helped to pull me out of that. We saw the movie before I picked up the book, but my friend Shauna provided the motivation I needed to stick with it. This books reads like a history of America and of both planes and rockets and of women and of civil rights. There's always more than meets the eye and Shetterly attempted to bring the truth into the open as she collected the stories behind the figures that needed a little solving.

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles // Another book club read. This is the first novel to really hook me in months. It's formatted and arranged in a unique way. There is TONS of dialogue, but it's rapid fire conversation that keeps even detail loving people like me engaged. In case you haven't figured it out, this book is one I couldn't WAIT to tell you about. I was impressed! The nod to George Washington and the setting of 1930's NYC couldn't be beat. Up until the last section, I thought this might be one of those books that I'd be passing around to EVERYONE for months to come. Things went a little crazy in the last section. A little crazier than I'm personally comfortable with. And then, the Epilogue comes around and makes everything all better again. This is one of those beautiful novels that moves along even though not a whole lot is happening. There are characters you can't quite figure out and you have no idea what the point of the book is going to be. The words are crafted in a way that has you reaching for a pencil every once in a while to copy down a sentence you want to remember. If you've read this one already, please tell me so we can talk about it!

Coming soon is "This Side of Paradise"...I can hardly wait!

What have you been reading lately?

Life Lately

June 9, 2017

During my little blogging break, life was full of so many things just like it always is. 

I've been:

* Cleaning and organizing to prepare for and to make up for my time away. It's good to leave a clean a house. It's good to have a clean house too.

* Going to the movies in the middle of the night. Just before I left, I got a text saying we were going to  Pirates after one of my brother and sister's performances. I ran a brush through my hair and trooped down to the theatre in my comfy clothes. I even managed to stay awake for the whole thing!!!

* Watching my brother and sister do more of what they love on the stage. Shows and showcases and more shows. It'll be slowing down soon, but for now, we're in the thick of it and they're shining BRIGHT!

* Traveling to SC and GA and NC. I was gone for two weeks and have so very much to say about the whole trip. For now, I'll just say, I can hardly believe it's already behind me.

* Hiking every chance I get. My most recent excursions all happened in the south, but I've got plans for lots more in the months to come!

* Geocaching with whoever wants to go. My Mom and I did a brand new series here in town and then I took my Dad and my Aunt out for their first time while I was in SC. We completed my first ever geotrail and I am the proud owner of my first geocoin. It's the little things, you guys!

* Getting together with friends and family to eat and visit and stare at each other see the whites of each other's eyes. Texting and FB and talking on the phone are all great, but you cannot beat time to be TOGETHER in person. My two weeks in the south were alllll about getting time with people I don't get to see nearly enough. I'm home now and have continued my attempts to get together with people I don't see enough of since moving here.

* Holing up to write. Between writing contests, people reminding me to keep at it, and a couple of my favorite writers, it seems that inspiration and motivation are everywhere. I've been writing anywhere and everywhere and even saying no to things to make time to write. It's been good to recognize the place writing can and should have.

So, that's what's been happening with me...What have you been up to lately?

Another Saturday Night

June 12, 2017

Last time I wrote, Memorial Day weekend hadn't even happened yet. It still felt like spring and the promise of summer had me STOKED. Summer is here. I've been swimming and my trip to SC has come and gone. I've napped in the sun and sipped that first iced toasted marshmallow latte of the season (and taught you how to make your own). My freckles are back and everyone is commenting on them. Summer will forever and always be my favorite. 

I still haven't planted my garden. In fact, it's been several weeks since I've done anything other than sit out there to read which means a good round of weed patrol is going to have to happen before I can even THINK of planting anything. I wonder what kind of harvest I'll have now that it's as late as it is. We'll find out!

I've been thinking about the future and summer commitments and writing and what it takes to keep things straight. The answer to it all is staying in God's Word. The future is in his hands. The strength to keep our word comes from Him. The reason for writing is that storytelling is rooted in Him. Distractions and alternatives are all around us, but so is His truth. There's a rap for this...I've got my head to the heavens.

I've been in a Sam Cooke mood lately. It all started  several years ago when Joy the Baker mentioned a man that walked through her neighborhood singing "A Change Is Gonna Come" every single morning. Well, one of my characters listens to Cooke, so I have been too. Yes, you read that correctly. I'm turning into one of those people who "knows" their characters. This particular character drinks his coffee black and has a gray cat named Scott, in case you're wondering.

It's Saturday night and I made plans to stay home to get some writing done. So, I'm off to work on a fiction piece that's due in a few days. I'll be back here again soon. In the meantime, what are you up to this weekend?