Words On A Page

I'm sitting here listening to an album by High Society, drinking a glass of water, and taking the time to write a review for a book I received from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.
The book I've been reading is called "Secrets" by Robin Jones Gunn. 

I haven't read any of Gunn's most popular books, but I have read a few of her Christmas stories and LOVED them. I love her writing style and the types of characters she brings to the table. Gunn writes good, clean books that are worth the time they take to read. 
This book is no different. There is a bit of romance, but it's not over the top or causing me to cringe. "Secrets" is about a regular woman named Jessica who is trying to start over in a new town. The pages are full of the trials Jessica faces, the friends she meets, and the difficult people she must learn to deal with. 
This particular book is a little slow. I'm already on chapter 14 and I still don't know what Jessica's "secret" is. I still have questions about why she chose this town and why she is hiding certain things about herself. 
I'm going to stick it out and I am HOPING Gunn doesn't wait until the very end to answer my questions! 
If you're interested, you can check out the book HERE. 
Do you have a favorite book by Robin Jones Gunn?
What are you reading right now?

I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. All thoughts and comments are my own. 

Babies and Birthdays

The baby shower for my friend Heidi was so much fun! There were people there that I haven't seen since before Christmas. As we enjoyed games, cakes, and watching Heidi open her gifts, it was one giant catch up session. 
I didn't bring a camera and I didn't pose for any pictures. Most of the days like that are left to be preserved by my memory. Sorry!
This week we've got another birthday to celebrate. It's my Mom's birthday. So far I'm planning to fix BBQ ribs, mashed potatoes, broccoli, and the rest needs to be ironed out. 
Also on my mind is getting my things together for my time with Heidi. You'd think I'd have this "temporary" move thing down by now...I don't! Every time I start thinking about what I have to bring, what I don't need to bring, and what I'll wish I had brought. I'm starting to get a little nervous. 
Good thing I have other things to keep me from getting too worried. :) 
What's going on in your life this week? 
Did your weekend leave you feeling refreshed? 

Frankly Friday

Good morning, ladies!

A few hours ago, I said goodbye to my friend Amber again. She and her husband came over for another visit. We stayed up WAY too late, got up WAY to early, and now they're on their way to their next stop. This time, I knew they were coming. 

It was a cold foggy morning and the quiet that settles after the guests leave is always a little strange to me. 

As I headed downstairs to grab my laptop, I noticed the cats sitting together looking out of the window. Of course, the noise of the camera disturbed them. I never thought this would happen...Today, you're getting a post with a series of cat pictures. 

I'm going to be really busy in a few weeks...I'm not sure what it's going to look like, but I feel like I should just warn you now. My friend Heidi is going to be having another baby very soon and I'm going to be helping her for a while. 

In the meantime, I've been doing crazy things like tearing my room apart trying to get things organized. February is a time to start working outside again. I'm thinking that that is going to be put on hold this year. 

Normally I would start gathering leaves and sticks that have blown in and settled through the winter. This year, I would be digging up some grass that has been trying to take over a flower bed. 

By the time March comes I would be ready to start pulling up all the weeds that mark the coming of spring. 

I'm not exactly sure what I'll be doing this year.

I'll get to the yard work eventually...In the meantime, things are just going to look different. Rather than tending to dead things and ugly things it looks like I'll be coming alongside one of my best friends as she and her daughter welcome something very much alive and beautiful into the world.

Frankly, I'm looking forward to whatever the next few weeks will bring!

Days, Months, YEARS

A few of the gifts

Big things have been happening around here. 
I think I have eaten more cake in the last two months than I ate throughout the course of the last two years. And honestly, I don't even like cake all that much. 

A few weeks ago, my youngest brother turned 13. Time flies...Time is flying. It took me a while to catch on, but now I'm CONVINCED. 
To celebrate the house was full of people, we ate pizza AND tacos and ceasar salad, served up Jay juice, and finished things off with chocolate chocolate cake and banana split ice cream. There were LOTS of Legos, candles, balloons, laughs, and a new card game. 
After I love people by cleaning for them and feeding them, I add letter writing to the mix. I love writing to people...Really, I just like to write. I woke up knowing that the day would call for a special letter. 
I'm not going to share the letter with you, but I do want to share the ideas behind it. 

Playing with the helium tank was half the fun.

I think 13 is a monumental moment in the life of a boy. To me, 13 means you're not a little boy anymore. To me, 13 means you are officially on your way to becoming a man. Moms (and in this case, sisters) BLINK and their baby, toddler, little boy is THIRTEEN. Then, everyone (including the boy) BLINKS and their thirteen year old is TWENTY. 
I'm speaking from experience here...Last fall my other brother turned 20 and I'm still a little dumbfounded...HOW did that even HAPPEN? 

I don't envy guys today at all. The only thing I would enjoy about being a man would be the "don't mess with me" factor that I'm missing as a 20 something female. 
My brother has (and is) growing up in a world where he is being challenged by women everywhere he goes. He cannot watch TV, go to the grocery store, or get a job without having to deal with women who don't respect themselves and yet demand respect from him. 
My brother has (and is) growing up in a world where women are under dressed, outrageously competitive, and not willing to let him be a gentleman. 

Shhh...Christmas decorations are still up!

Still, God has given him life at the time He deemed best...He calls my brother to be a man, a godly gentleman who leads and serves and loves and protects and honors the women around him. There will be men to learn from, men to teach, and men to serve as well. 
My brother has a calling and the same Jesus who is making me who I am, is laboring to make my brother who he will be too. The same Jesus who protects and leads me is protecting and leading my brother. 

I wrote to my brother to express my love and excitement for him. I wanted him to begin to take life seriously. His foundation has been laid and now it is time to do the work of purposefully becoming a man. 
For many years, I have hoped and prayed for both of my brothers to become the men God would have them be. I wanted me brother to know that! 

I want my brothers to be able to look back on their lives (however long or short they may be) and KNOW that they lived them well. I want my brothers to be so glad in God that whenever they look back, they can smile as they consider the people they have helped to become glad in God as well. 
In short, I want my brothers to know that they didn't waste their lives.

The Scenic Route...Out the Window

 

Another beautiful, FREEZING winter day happened around here. Today I hit the road and took some pretty pictures of the scenery. That's what you're getting. :) 

Today was Martin Luther King Jr. day. We're all thinking of the man and the cause. At the mall today, there was a kids fair and there were kids EVERYWHERE. I saw several pictures of MLK and that was okay with me...I kind of love him.

Today was the second inauguration of Obama. We're all thinking of the man and the cause. I wasn't home to watch it, but I'm hoping to find some clips online. I watched things last time around and I want to this time around too. I seriously pray for him and the country he has been given to lead. 

Today my sister ended up in a cast. It's big and purple. Long story short, "ripsticks" truly are death traps. I am grateful that the fall I witnessed only led to the death of an arm. 

Tomorrow I'll be filling in at a coffee shop and I'm looking forward to it. When I was 15, I started working there and I worked there until college...Since then, I have filled in on emergencies when I am in town. I passed the job onto first my brother and now my sister...
I loved the summer that I spent opening the shop every morning. Maybe I'll tell you about that summer sometime!