Self Esteem

I've never met a toddler that didn't absolutely love themselves. They seem totally enamored with their own toothless smiles, chubby tummies, and wild hair. What happens to this unabashed joy in self as children age? Wouldn't it be lovely if each adult you met embraced their own talents, bodies, and thoughts without the need to lift themselves up by demeaning others? Imagine. . .

Highlights from a Year of Passionate Reading

As most of you know, I am a very passionate reader. I keep a detailed list of what I read each year and like to catalog and review each one in an on-line account. I think this must mean I have some serious nerdy tendencies, or perhaps that I am just a former librarian turned mom. Anyhow, at the end of the year I like to see what general themes I've been drawn towards. Out of the 38 books I completed last year, here are the highlights of those that I would strongly recommend. The items with an asterisk are non-fiction titles.

1. My Life in France by Julia Child *
Oh Julia, after reading your book I really feel like we would have made the best of friends . . .

2. Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

3. A Natural History of the Senses by Diane Ackerman *
I've read this book at least three times now. I have favorite passages highlighted. I don't think it will resonate with everyone, but I just love Ackerman's writing style.

4. Gertrude Bell: Queen of the Desert, Shaper of Nations by Georgina Howell *
Why don't we learn about bold women explorers like this in our history classes?

5. Catching Fire and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
I couldn't put either of these down. I can't wait for Collins to complete her Young Adult trilogy.

6. They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky: The true story of three lost boys from Sudan by Alephonsion Dena and Judy A. Bernstein *


7. The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner *
Part travel writing, part psychology, lots of humor . . .

8. The American Revolution: A History by Gordon S. Wood *

9. The Forgotten Garden: A Novel by Kate Morton
This is the type of book I long for but rarely find. It is infused with mystery, romance, adventure, strong female characters, and fairy tales. Sometimes multigenerational novles can be confusing, but Morton's book was easy to follow. I especially recommend the audiobook format for its superb narration.

10. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

11. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
I know it's shocking, but this was my first time to read the classic. I love Austen's wit.

What are you reading? I'd love to know your recommendations!

27 Things

Here is a list of 27 "Firsts" from my 27th Year:

1. Swam with sharks in Hawaii
2. Finalized adoption
3. Had Pesephone sealed to our family
4. Saw "Madame Butterfly"
5. Took Persy on her first airplane ride (repeated this 4 more times during the year-including one mommy-Persy solo trip)
6. Learned to knit and made a scarf
7. Dipped chocolates
8. Ate a maple bacon bar at the famous "Voodoo Donuts" in Portland
9. Visited the world's largest bookstore
10. Celebrated my first Christmas outside of Utah while on vacation in Hawaii
11. Heard Mozart's "Requiem"
12. Tasted Vietnamese food
13. Drank boba, or bubble tea
14. Visited Jamestown and Colonial Williamsburg
15. Ate fois gras
16. Rode "The Griffon" at Busch Gardens
17. Took an on-line opera appreciation course
18. Planted my first garden
19. Toured a Southern plantation
20. Got a Costco membership
21. Went to a movie by myself
22. Ran my longest distance ever- 16 miles
23. Got a clue about the Revolutionary War by studying Gordon Wood's award winning book
24. Took a course on Ancient Egypt
25. Visited San Diego's Wild Animal Park
26. Spent the night at Primary Children's Hospital with a sick daughter
27. Saw "Don Pasquale"

Here's to another great year . . .

I confess . . .

I have been a terrible blogger lately. Overcome by guilt, I now feel penitent and ready to begin anew in my blogging efforts. In the spirit of contrition I feel it necessary to confess a few of my other "sins." O.K. world, here it goes . . .

* I tell people I'm 5'10" even though I'm only 5'9 and a half
* Sometimes I read library books in the bathtub
* I once ate an entire log of cookie dough all by myself
* I rarely dust and my bathtub can get pretty scuzzy too
* There's a Britney Spears song on one of my ipod playlists, (oh the shame!)
* I've used the "10 Items or Less" lane at least 2 times when I've knowingly had at least a dozen items
* When I was 19, I had money set aside to get a butterfly tattoo. I've always been grateful that my best friend talked me out of it.
* I write down things on my to-do list after they've already been done

Oh, it felt good to get that off my chest! Now, back to less revealing topics, family pictures and the like. :)

Beating the Winter Blahs . . . .

Let's face it. Winter is NOT my favorite season and come October, I begin to dread the 5 months of cold weather and ice that inevitably leave me with the winter blahs. Whenever I begin to feel like Anne Frank trapped in "The Annex," then I know it is time to get proactive about staying cheery during this coldest of seasons. Here is my plan:

Get Outside, No Matter What: If the weather is warm enough to keep us from getting frost bite, we go outside! It makes a difference not only in how I feel, but also in how Persephone feels. When we spend at least 10 minutes outdoors she seems like a happier baby throughout the day. I also try to plan a little "field trip" each week to visit someplace interesting. This week I am going to a Book Baby program that the library offers with one of my good friends.

Exercise: At least 30 minutes a day, 6 days a week does a body good.

Socialize: Being a mom can sometimes feel a little isolating. I really try to plan a week filled with at least a few social activities to look forward to. Being around friends and family really energizes me. I e-mail, facebook, book club, play group, etc. to feel like I am connected with others.

Set Goals, Work on Projects, Plan the Day the Night Before: I love to-do lists! When I have goals and to-do lists I feel like my day has structure and purpose.

Remember that after Winter comes Spring: Every year I dramatically declare to Gabe, "This is the LONGEST winter of my life!!!" He just laughs and reminds me that at least we no longer live in the frozen tundra known as Syracuse, New York. When worse comes to worse, I just plan what I want to do when it becomes Spring and Summer again. Winter never lasts forever, (not even in Narnia! :)

So, what do you do to avoid the winter blahs? I would love your ideas!

Wishing You a Happy Thanksgiving

Pied Beauty
Glory be to God for dappled things--
For skies of couple-color as a brinded cow;
For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;
Fresh-firecoal chestnut falls; finches' wings;
Landscape plotted and pieced-fold, fallow, and plow;
And all trades, their gear and tackle and trim.

All things counter, original, spare, strange;
Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)
With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;
He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change --
Praise Him.

Gerard Manly Hopkins

8 Things . . .

8 TV Shows I Watch
(8 is a lot! There are only a few that I watch practically every episode.)
1. Man vs. Wild
2. The Office ****
3. Mythbusters
4. John and Kate plus 8 ****
5. House Hunters
6. The Amazing Race ****
7. Oprah (I'm strangely ashamed to admit that I fit this stereotype. I don't tune in religiously, but I do watch on occasion.)
8. What Not to Wear

8 Restaurants I like
1. Elizabeth's Bakery and Tea Shop
2. Docetti's Gelato
3. The Mikado
4. Bombay House
5. Mazza
6. P.F. Chang's
7. The Bakery - real name!
8. Art City Trolley

8 Things that happened yesterday
1. Drove to Logan for a surprise visit with the in-laws
2. Had interesting conversations in the car with Gabe
3. Finished folding laundry
4. Put away laundry
5. Read "Good Night Moon" three times
6. Tried to make creme brule with Gabe, but it didn't turn out
7. Visited Grandma White
8. Listened to David Sedaris audio book

8 Things I'm looking forward to
1. Christmas in Hawaii
2. The Midnight movie of "Twilight" with Rebecca
3. Finalizing our adoption
4. No more student loan payments
5. Making cookies/forts/crafts etc. with Persephone someday
6. Becoming a world class fiddle player (who knows? I may have a secret talent and all that is missing are the lessons!)
7. Deep fried Turkey on Thanksgiving
8. Buying a home

8 Things on my wish list
1. My own washer and dryer
2. A Super hero outfit that really works
3. A life-time supply of Ferro Rocher chocolate
4. Snazzy sun glasses
5. A shopping spree at "Anthropologie"
6. My own vegetable garden
7. A personal chef
8. 1000 years to sleep

8 Things I love
1. My Family
2. Sharing a pint of Ben and Jerry's
3. Digging my toes into the sand
4. The sound of the dish washer
5. Hazelnut Gelato
6. When a long and stressful day finally comes to an end
7. The scalp massage you get when you have a hair cut
8. Baby giggles

8 Things I can't stand
1. The DMV
2. Rude behavior
3. Driving in the snow
4. Getting on the scale after a particularly festive weekend or vacation
(That's all I can think of right now. I'm in a pretty good mood!)

8 People I tag . . . Whoever wants to do it!

What I love about Fall

1. The crunch of leaves under my feet
2. Sipping hot chocolate with loads of whipped cream from any of the local cafes
3. Rainy Fall days
4. Driving through the canyon
5. Visiting my parents and the smell of grape juice being bottled
6. Crisp mornings and sunnny afternoons
7. The season return of my favorite show, "The Office"
8. Planning my Christmas gift giving
9. My birthday
10. Baking more cookies, bread and soup
11. The start of a new Symphony season
12. Watching children walking to and from school
13. Putting away summer clothes in favor of snuggly warm sweaters
14. Sales on school supplies
14. October LDS General Conference
15. How cute Persy looks in PJs and a beanie cap!

When Wasps Attack!

On Friday, Gabe and I saw the musical "Big River" at the Tuacahn Theater in St. George. The theater is outdoors and we found ourselves being pestered by a particularly aggressive wasp. It wasn't long before I got stung. By the end of the show the sting on my finger had swelled to the size of a Polish Sausage. Making matters worse, was the fact that I had been stung on my ring finger. My wedding band began to act as a sort of Tournecut, cutting off circulation. I spent Saturday and Sunday examining the juicy apendage and grimly imagining my finger being amputated. Without a ring finger I would never be able to learn how to fiddle, (a secret ambition,) which means I would never travel the world in a bluegrass band! Luckily for me, the swelling has subsided today and all is well. Lesson learned: If you get stung on the finger by a wasp, quickly remove all your rings!

Side Note: "Big River" was fabulous! I just loved the music and thought it was a fun adaptation of Mark Twain's novel. Because the production was outside, they were able to flood the stage and make a real river!

What Do You Think?

Thanks to some kindly suggestions I have been able to change the title of my blog and I changed the template as well. What do you think? Can you read the white script against the green background? Any suggestions?

What's in a Name?

Now that our blog is no longer being linked to an adoption profile I am most regretful that I didn't choose a more inspiring blog name. Using our first names as our title just doesn't ignite curiosity. I don't think it gets more bland, boring and vanilla flavored than that. I was thinking something like Persy's Pomegranate, Bliss and Kiss or The Nerd Herd. Maybe even a catchy phrase or favorite scripture. Oh well, it's rather too late for that now. In the words of my favorite childhood character, Anne Shirley, "I don't believe a rose would smell as nice if it was called a thistle or a skunk cabbage." Hopefully we're still coming up roses despite our skunk cabbage of a name. :)

A Few More . . .

After posting my last blog on crazy fears, I kept thinking about other items to add. Here are a few more:

• The fear that the candy machine will fall on me and crush me when I pound on it to get out that last dangling bag of peanut M&Ms.
• The fear of blowing my nose in public, (admittedly, this one is a little weird and uptight.)
• Getting hit by a baseball at a baseball game (see blog post “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.)
• The fear that the brakes will suddenly stop working on my car and send me cruising out of control only to end in a high speed chase and my arrest.

Common fears not on my list: dying, flying, public speaking, heights

10 illogical fears that I have

1. Being stuck in a dentist chair with a Doctor who has nasal drip
2. Plugging up the toilet when I use someone else's restroom and then discovering that the bathroom has no plunger
3. Flu-like symptoms that lead to a rare and deadly disease
4. Spiders crawling into my mouth when I sleep
5. Sending an intimate text message to the wrong person
6. The fear that I've signed up for a college level math class and I just forgot to attend or drop the course and then have to learn ALL of the material the night before the final
7. Accidentally getting wrapped up with the mafia
8. My car exploding because I have too much static electricity when I go to pump gas
9. Meat that has been undercooked
10. The fear that I'll forget to lock the bathroom door on a flight and be publicly exposed

Winter's Death?

The temperatures have only been in the 40s this week, but the city has come alive with neighbors popping out of their little burrows as though it were really spring and not just the hope of it! Gabe and I ventured out to the park on Sunday to read and bask in the relative warmth, but after a mere 30 minutes of "sun worship," we admitted defeat and retreated under covers to enjoy our books. Winter in Utah is usually mild, but this year has been unrelentless-dumping snow continuously. Oh how I long for spring . . .