Meet My Friend Louis!

This? This is shameless matchmaking at it's internet-finest. See, there's this blog I discovered today, called Kelly's Korner . And apparently she does this thing where people list information/pictures about their single friends and people can sort of...match up if they want to.

So if you are completely against matchmaking, ignore this post.

Otherwise, here you go...

Louis is an awesome guy I have known for the last 6 years. He's in his mid-twenties and lives in Florida.

He's a guy with really diverse interests--he started life as a city-guy, but has discovered he loves to hike and spend time outdoors too.

Louis has a bachelors degree in Philosophy/Religion, and he's working on his M.Div. He's one of the smartest people I know and my husband and I have had many late-night conversations with him about theology and how Christianity should shape our culture.

Feel free to let me know if you want me to pass on an email address... =)

Book for this Week! Yay!!!

This week I'm strongly suggesting that you check out Jenny B. Jones' Just Between You and Me. There are two main reasons for this:

1. You'll love it.

2. Her new book comes out in February, and I want you to have this one read before you tackle the new one. It's called Save the Date and there's a pretty good chance I'll review that one in a few weeks here...

Okay. Back to THIS week's book.

So far I haven't read anything by Jenny B. Jones that I haven't loved. Just Between You and Me is a little different from the YA books she's so well known for writing, but her fun voice remains the same. I love her sense of humor and the way it finds its way into her novels. Just Between You and Me has the perfect blend of funny, deep, and romantic.

Maggie Montgomery is a very likable heroine. She's one of those adventurous women most of us wish we could be, but she has one paralyzing fear deep inside of her. When she has to leave her high action job to go home and help care for her niece, she has to face this fear head on, along with something almost as scary--the possibility of falling in love.

If you're looking for a book that you'd love the second time around as much as the first, I can pretty much guarantee that this one would be a good choice. It's definitely on my "To Be Read AGAIN list".

Happy Monday!

It's so easy to be perky on a Monday when it's a holiday, don't you think?

I've had a marvelous day so far. I had yummy coffee, accomplished some decision making for the new house we're building, made fun plans for the day, decided to get my hair cut...AND the baby went down for the nap he so desperately needed. So that's good news.

All in all, I had a marvelous weekend too. I'm ready to get back to school and talk about Henry V and some exciting connections to modern day politics. Oh, it's going to be exciting. Think my juniors will think so? Hm...

I'm about to start reading Ronie Kendig's Digitalis, so I'm thinking maybe that will be next week's book. Everyone I know who has read it LOVED it, so I probably will too...

The baby is making noises, so I'm off. Enjoy your day off, if you have one, and if you don't...maybe look into a job change? =)

Notice the Blog Title?

Yes, I think somewhere on that handy main page I have my blog description. "Thoughts about life, books, and the ministry fishbowl." If it's not there, someone let me know, because it should be. No, I'll probably check in a minute. I'm pretty sure it's there, though.

Okay, I mentioned last week that I really want to start forcing my book preferences down your throats...um, I mean, telling you what to read...uh, sharing my thoughts on books I've loved. Yeah. That one.

For the record, according to some new random law, I'm supposed to tell you when I get books for free. How about you just assume that all the books I review on this site were complimentary copies, okay? I'll let you know if they weren't. It'll be simpler that way. I WOULD like to state, just for the record, that I don't say nice things about all the books I get for free. If I don't like it, I keep my mouth shut. I'm allowed. It's a free country. It's also a free enough country that no one makes me say nice things about books I was given.

But, the law's the law, right?

Anyway, this week's book that I'm highly recommending is Double Shot by Erynn Mangum. First, if you haven't read the other two books in the Maya Davis series, you really should do that. Maya is a fun, caffiene addicted twenty-something who's trying to figure out life on her own after college. I'm assuming I'm not the only one who has been there, so if you relate at all, you'd probably like this.

This is the third book in the series and Maya is planning her wedding to her best friend Jack, who she's been dating for sometime now. While they're making happy wedding plans, Maya's bombarded with some pretty tough events---a possible job change for her fiance, which means a BIG move for her, and a really, really, really premature nephew who has to stay in the NICU for quite a while. I love how Erynn Mangum could deal with events like this and while they're definitely a big part of the story, it's so upbeat. Maya's point of view is so honest, straitforward, and fun (I know, I'm overusing the word fun. But I had FUN reading it, give me a break) that it's what sticks with you.

This is a great read in a bubble bath, at the beach, in front of a fireplace and relax kind of book. My only suggestion that could possibly make this book better for you is if you drink it with coffee. I think Erynn would agree with that suggestion.

I should also tell you that even though I'm completely in love with this series and I'm 24 (some website classified that age as MID twenties, can you believe it? It's totally still early twenties. Ask me about how I break up ages like that...) my mom also really enjoyed reading it and she's...um, well...not 24. I'm pretty sure telling your mom's age on a blog is kind of uncouth. But know that this book isn't limited to a certain age group.

Check out the rest of this series at erynnmangum.com and read Erynn's thoughts (she's hilarious!) at erynnm.blogspot.com It's that enjoyable that I'm sending you away from here to go read hers. And she doesn't even know it. Someone tell her how nice I am. ;) No, really, go check it out. If you haven't heard of her before, please, please, please find the nearest bookstore and buy the first book in this series or in the Lauren Holbrook series. Hilarious. =)

We Got Snow!

When I woke up this morning and looked out the window, it was true! There was snow on the ground! Frozen snow that was completely unsuitable for snowmen or snow icecream, but still. I love snow.

My apologies to the weather channel. You were right this time.

I heard it's supposed to be in the sixties on Saturday. Have I mentioned lately that southern weather cracks me up?

Reading and the "Snow"pocolypse that Wasn't

First, let's tackle the second part of that title. Supposedly, I should be huddled in front of a fire right now, watching the sky dump buckets of snow, ice, and other wintery precipitation. But so far...nothing. Weather Channel, why do you do this to me? When I say you're lying, it snows. When I believe you, I am disappointed. Sigh.

On a good note, this does mean that school is canceled for tomorrow. And as much as I will miss my students and know that they will miss me terribly too, I really need some time to catch up on my laundry. About 8 more snowdays where I do nothing but laundry, and I probably will make a dent in that pile.

For the first part of that title...I love reading. I just finished reading an arc (advanced reader copy) of Kristin Billerbeck's A Billion Reasons Why. Loved it. And as I was sitting here thinking about it I thought about how much most people love a good love story. It's just a basic part of human nature. We like to hear how couples met. We like to watch movies about it. Read books about it. Even guys. Those computer games? There are love stories in there. For real. Anyway, it just got me thinking. Maybe it's one of those things God put in us just for fun or to point us to Him. Either way, I'm glad it's there.

I definitely recommend this book, though, y'all. I'm not going to say anything about it now, because I just wrote a review (check it out eventually on TitleTrakk.com--not for a week or so probably) about it. But it's good. Really. Really. Good.

So how about you? Read any good books lately?

I've decided, by the way, that I'm going to try to post every Monday or Tuesday-ish about a books I've read. Either one I've read lately or just a really super good one from the past. That way if you're just stunned by how amazing the book sounds, you can go buy it and have it in time to read the next weekend. Because who doesn't like to have a new book to read on a Friday afternoon? Ah. It's such an indescribable feeling. Anyway. Tune in this Monday or Tuesday-ish for my take on Erynn Mangum's double shot. And bring coffee. Because reading or reading about an Erynn Mangum book without coffee? It's just wrong.

Messy Houses and Adventures

Ever have one of those Saturdays where you wake up and feel so productive that you clean your entire house in, like, warp speed? No, for real. I've had them. Now if you've been to my house lately, you can tell by the baby food castle on the table (hubby went shopping and stacked up all his baby food purchases castle wall style), the Christmas tree that's still up, and the baby toys forming a new creative carpet on the living room floor that this has not happened to me lately. Nor did it happen this morning. This morning I wanted to DO something.

This is odd, because it's so my sister. SHE'S the one who wakes up on Saturday mornings and wants to drive somewhere, go hiking, or do something different. I love all those things too, but usually I'm too focused on productivity.

The bad news is, we kind of woke up too late and got going too late to be able to go anywhere "new". I'm holding out for a hike in a week or two, though. The good news is that I feel like I learned something. I don't HAVE to be productive every Saturday. Sometimes it's okay to just relax and do things I enjoy. Hm. How fun, right?

So this Saturday...dishes. And maybe laundry, because otherwise I'm not sure what the baby's wearing tomorrow. You don't think anyone will notice if I just leave yesterday's outfit on for a few days, right? No. Just kidding. Really.

But next Saturday? Or maybe next Monday when I have the day off from school? I'm planning an adventure. Until then, I'll just keep planning this Alaska trip. Did I mention yet that I used to live up there and have been hoping to go back every summer for the past eight years? Yeah, I'm excited.

What are your favorite Saturday adventures?

Happy New Year!

Confession: It's still 2010 as I'm writing this, but I'm thinking that writing a post at midnight is not going to happen, so there you go.

Last year I was SO ready for the new year. Not to hate on 2009, but it was kind of a rough year for me and my family. I had a new job (a job I love, but still a transition, you know?), but within weeks of starting it my grandmother and my great uncle (who was really more like a granddad) both died. Then on Christmas Day, the dog I'd had since I was...eleven, I think...died. It was just not my favorite year. I was ready for 2010. Really, really ready.

But 2010 has been good to me. Like I said earlier, I have an awesome job that I love. My family has been healthy overall this year, which I'm so thankful for. And in June, my son was born, which was definitely one of the highlights not just of this year, but of my life. 2010 hurried by, at least for me. I'm not quite sure I'm ready to see it go. See, I'm not good with change. And while the date is kind of a minor change in the grand scheme of things, it's still change.

What I do love about the prospect of 2011 is that it's a new start. It's a chance to make goals. It's a chance to look at life and think of little things you'd like to do differently. My family and I are building a house that we're planning to move into in 2011. My extended family is planning to go to Alaska in 2011, and if you read my post the other day, you know how excited that makes me. I know this year is going to be amazing. And I'm excited to see what God has in store. He's done so many amazing things in my life this year, so I just need to trust Him with this next year too.

In the meantime, I haven't forgotten my promised list of things-that-aren't-resolutions-but-look-suspiciously-like-them. Look for that...probably January 2nd. I have to let all the New Year-ness sink in, you know?

Again, Happy New Year! And for those of you not on East Coast time, Happy New Year whenever the date switches from 2010 to 2011 for you. =)