Keeping The Moon

This book is a young adult fiction by Sarah Dessen. It was our book club book for the month and I have to say I wasn't sure about it. I LOVE young adult books (ask Rusty, he's always bugging me to read more "adult" books), so it wasn't that that I was worried about. I'm just not one for realistic fiction.


Anyway, this story is a kind of coming of age story; growing into your own self kind of story. I think I probably would have really liked it when I was 16, but I'm passed that stage now and have no desire to go back. I was talking to my mom about it and saying "I just couldn't relate to Collie (main character). She was always worried about what people thought of her and I was never like that." My mom corrected me and reminded me that I did care what people thought of me when I was a teenager. I then corrected her and said, "Yeah, maybe, but I was never willing to change myself to fit their expectations". I've always kind of had this attitude of "take me as I am, if you don't like it, that's your problem, not mine." Not exactly conducive to adolescence. It definitely didn't work for flirting with the boys.


I remember once when I was about 14 going into my parent's room. I was depressed, feeling like no guys liked me. (Typical feeling for that age group, especially since all my friends seemed to have boyfriends). Anyway, my dad, of all people, asked me if I flirted with the guys. I didn't know what he really meant by that. He asked, "When they talk to you, do you act interested?" And my reply was, "Only if what they're saying is interesting!". He then said, "Well, that's your problem. You have to act interested, even when your not." That just seemed like the stupidest thing to me.


So yeah, I never had what it took to be a good flirt, or to impress other people. Luckily, I think I turned out ok. I found a guy that wasn't really interested in flirting either! I wouldn't really recommend this book unless you're a teenager feeling like no one understands you or you don't understand yourself.

HAPPY VETERAN'S DAY

With the recent election, and today being Veteran's Day, I wanted to say something about how awesome it is to live in this country. I have to be honest and say I was one of those that was just glad that the election was finally over. I was so sick of the debates, ads, signs, campaigning, etc. I hope the leaders of the country will finally get to work and try to fix some of the messes our country is in right now.

That being said, yesterday the Chorus Club at our school did an assembly for the 3-6th graders. (I'm in charge of it). We sang patriotic songs and had a Veteran from the local VFW come and speak. I hope the kids understood why they had today off and appreciated more than just because they didn't go to school.

Because I've been planning that assembly, it got me thinking about the Veterans I know. I really don't know that many. But every year at Veteran's Day, I think about one in particular that has been a great example to me. Brother Lulloff (I just can't bring myself to call him Earl, even though I'm an adult now) is the father of some friends of mine from childhood. They live down the street from my parents. He was shot and paralyzed in Vietnam. Jel and I went and visited him today to say thanks for your service, but also just to see him. He has colon and liver cancer (I think) and isn't expected to live much longer. He looked great, but I'm sure he's on a lot of pain medication. He has always been so positive about his circumstances. When we were kids and he was in a wheelchair, I never heard him or his kids complain about his situation. His wife has taken care of him all these years with nothing but a smile on her face. I was still a child when he had to have his legs amputated. At first it was a little weird, but he never let it phase him. Over the years he's had many health problems and probably should have died on a number of occasions. He has been spared each time and continues to live as an example to all of us.

I just wanted to write and say thanks to all the Veterans who have served our country. I'm proud to have known one who has been such a pillar of strength to those around him. It would be nice if he could live through yet another trial. But if not, I will have been glad to know him and his family.

So next time you get one of those annoying address labels in the mail, think twice about chucking it in the trash. Just a small donation to the Veterans can go a long way, if not only to show your appreciation for what they've done. (We also get the yellow bags to donate to the Vietnam Vets of America every month and I always find something I need to get rid of. I don't even have to take it down to the charity--they pick it up!)

Our First B&B Experience

Last weekend was October Break and we had Thursday and Friday off. Rusty and I decided to take a quick trip to southern Arizona before I got too big and didn't want to travel anywhere. We vascillated between staying at a resort we like in Tucson, or trying out a bed and breakfast somewhere. Rusty's always wanted to check out some abandoned mining towns down south, and we knew if we stayed at the resort we'd never leave. So the B&B it was.

We researched a few in the area we wanted to go and decided on one called the Dusquesne House. It was a gamble because it didn't have a website and only a couple of pictures. But it turned out to be a great pick. Found in Patagonia, Arizona, this adobe house was built in 1898 by the founder of the town. It was built as a bording house, so it was nice because we had our own suite. There was a front room with 2 day beds that we did our reading in, connected to the bedroom with a private bathroom off the back. It was only $125 a night and included a full gourmet breakfast in the morning.

The B&B was also only a couple blocks away from the main street, so we just walked to the restaurants and arts festival that was going on that weekend. It was really relaxing, and we did spend a day driving around checking out the old mining towns.

There's a couple reasons I'm putting this on my "Reading" blog. First, we met some really neat people over breakfast in the morning. Friday morning we met the owners of Changing Hands bookstore in Tempe. They were there for a relaxing few days as well. We started talking to them because their license plate said "BOOKS", so Rusty thought one of them was a librarian. Turns out they own one of the last privately owned bookstores in the valley. We learned a lot about the publishing industry and Rusty came away with 2 books that Gayle gave him. She insisted he take them because of some of the things we talked about that morning. Anyway, that was really neat. I think staying at a B&B is so much better than a resort because you actually meet people in an intimate setting.

Second, for book club this month we are reading "These is my words", set in southern Arizona from 1881 to 1910 or something like that. Driving around these old mining towns and reading about the people who lived there really gave me a feel for the setting of this book. I have read the book before, but it's nice to read it again with a fresh perspective on it!

If you're ever looking for a relaxing weekend getaway, let me know and I'll give you the info for this B&B--I highly recommend it!

Galileo's Daughter

For book club this month, we are reading Galileo's Daughter. It's a very good book, but I'm only about 1/2 way done and the meeting is a week from today. I'm in here blogging because the Presidential Debate is on right now and I get too emotional and charged about it, so I needed a break.

But I do have some comments I'd like to post about the book, even though I haven't finished it. For those of you who really know me and Rusty, you know that the only TV we watch is pretty much on Channel 8 (PBS). We actually became "Friends of 8" just to support the only quality TV left. Anyway, on Tuesday nights at 8 (most of the time) is a show called Nova. If you haven't seen it, you should check it out. This last Tuesday night it was a fascinating show about how there is a black hole in the center of our galaxy and they have found a black hole at the center of about every major galaxy known. I may have heard this before, but didn't really know what a black hole was or why it was significant that it was at the center of the galaxy.

Anyway, it got me thinking about Galileo. First of all, I think he was a brilliant man, but he was also a very faithful man. His discoveries in science did not negate his belief in God. He could reconcile the two very easily. In fact, he worried that there would be a division between science and religion that didn't need to occur (which in fact, for the most part, has). But I can't imagine how amazed Galileo would be to look through the telescopes and other technologies we have today. Isn't it amazing that we can see GALAXIES? I really can't wrap my brain around it, any more than I can wrap my brain around black holes. And to think, sometimes we think we know it all!

There is so much out there we are unaware of or don't understand. I do believe in God and it amazes me that He understands everything. I suppose it takes an eternity to do, but still it's amazing. And when I think of the infiniteness (is that a word?) of the cosmos, to imagine that God actually cares about me, it's pretty amazing. Not only does God care about me, but I believe He cares about all his creations, which are innumerable!

I don't feel like my feelings are being articulated very well in this blog, but I am enjoying the book and it is causing me to look at the broader picture of life and the world. So yeah, I may get upset at the current politics of our country, but it sure is amazing just to be alive, isn't it!?

UPDATES ON THE BABY

Ok, so I'm really not going to put much about the baby on this blog, I promise. But Friday I went and got an ultrasound (12 weeks). It was so cool and there were some really cute pictures, so I thought I'd post them for your enjoyment.

On the first one you can kind of see the baby with his hands up by his face. (I'm saying "his" but we still don't know what it is yet).

This one is a shot of the legs. Can you see that the feet are crossed?

Here's a close up of the feet crossed.

Here's baby Pitney! It was crazy to see him/her moving around, kicking, etc. It was like a real humanoid! The ultrasound at 8 weeks just looked like a peanut. For all of you who have done this before, I know it's old hat! But it was pretty exciting for Rusty and me, being the first time around!