Book Love 2014

Last year, I wrote a Valentine's post about being reunited with a book I love.  As someone who doesn't like to make a huge deal of Valentine's Day, I thought this would be a fun, simple tradition.

Lately, I've been feeling a lot of nostalgia for this little gem.  I remember first reading it as a class in first grade and the rhythm has stayed with me ever since.  I often find myself chanting, "eating once, eating twice, eating chicken soup with rice."  Like the book, I often insert my own participle.

My favorite month, you ask.  November because a whale spouts chicken soup with rice.  I'm so predictable.

Reading once,
Reading twice,
Reading chicken soup
with rice.  

Monterey and Pacific Grove

As one last pre-baby trip, I went to Monterey and Pacific Grove, California to visit a friend from college for the weekend.  Most people know that I do not have a deep love for California, but I have to admit that this area was gorgeous and nearly equal to my love of Sequoia National Park. 

While all the locals were praying for rain, I relished the unusually warm and sunny weather.  This ocean views were just blocks from where my hosts lived.  I decided these towns were perfect for me because they were easily walkable.

The wildlife was up close and personal. 

To my delight, I found that there were depictions of whales all over the town.  I love whales ...

 
... and sea life of almost every sort. 

We drove down Route 1 and enjoyed the amazing views of Big Sur.  On my final evening, we watched the sunset at Asilomar Beach which is perhaps one of the most beautiful views ever.

Announcing ...

After 22 weeks, Jerry and I have decided to make our announcement, "social media" official.  Very soon, we will be welcoming a new member of the our family into the world.

FAQ's

Is it a boy or a girl?

Well, a few weeks ago we had an ultrasound and the woman told us she wasn't quite sure, but she thought it was a girl.  There was a foot blocking  the view.  I was mentally gearing up for Dora and Disney Princesses until yesterday when we found out ...

  It's a Boy!

What is the due date?

May 13

How are you feeling?

I can't complain.  Some minor nausea and sickness in the first trimester, but I got my love for food back just before Thanksgiving.  This made for some extremely enjoyable holiday eating.

Have you picked out a name?

Nope, but I have a lot of opinions about naming. 

Do you have the nursery ready?

Again, nope

Are you guys excited?

Of course we are!  

 

2013 Reads

Whenever I think of books that I've read, I always feel a very strong sense of the place I was when reading it.  I remember the subway rides, winter chill, or smell of dinner cooking.  That's one reason why I like to keep track of what I read.

Here are some of the highlights and lowlights of 2013.  (Keep in mind this is what I have read this year and not necessarily books published in 2013.)

Highlights

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys - Don't be distracted by the title.  This is a sad but powerful story of labor camps in the Soviet Union. 

Heist Society by Ally Carter - I have read all three books in this series.  They are fun art thievery stories that are light and fun but well-written.

Colin Fischer by Ashley Edward Miller & Zack Stentz - this is a creative, high school story about a boy with Asperger's who sets out to the solve the mystery of a gun going off in the school cafeteria.

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate - 2013's Newbery Medal winner.  It's a sweet, sad story based on true events, but Applegate brings the animal characters to life.

In a Glass Grimmly by Adam Gidwitz - This is the second in a three book series.  Gidwitz takes the most gorey fairy tales and strings them together in clever stories.

Lowlights

Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage - This children's book received a lot of acclaim, but I felt that the characters were unbelievable and the story was slow.

Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz - This was another that critics seemed to love, but I can't even begin to describe everything I thought was wrong with it.

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson - I thought this book was okay, but it wins my award for the most overrated book of the year.

Matched by Ally Condie - Condie jumped on the love triangle, dystopian novel bandwagon without success.  I've read the first two in the series, but have decided to leave the third alone.

The Storyteller by Jodi Piccoult - Definitely my least favorite book of 2013.  As with Splendors and Glooms, there is just so much wrong with it.

Picture Books

As a children's librarian, I read hundreds of picture books a year.  Most are forgettable, but here are just a few standouts from my readings.  Again, they were not necessarily published this year.

• Love Waves by Rosemary Wells
• Hush: a Thai Lullaby by Minfong Ho, illustrated by Holly Meade
• Up, Tall and High by Ethan Long
• Oh, No Gotta Go by Susan Middleton Elya illustrated by G. Brian Karas
• The Tooth Fairy Meets El Raton Perez by Rene Colado Lainez, illustrated by Tom Lintern

Christmas Trees etc.

Decorating for Christmas was particularly fun this year.  Adorning our apartment is made simple by our tiny tree and meager amount of decorations. 

But conversations like these made decorating quite fun.

Jerry (Holding up an ornament): I didn't know we had (fill in the kind of ornament here) where did it come from
Me: (insert person's name here) made that for us.  It's one of my favorites. 

Jerry (Holding up another ornament): Where did this come from?
Me: I got that my first Christmas in California.  It reminds me of home and is one of my favorites.

You might be sensing a pattern here.

Me (after finding more lights):  The tree looks good enough, we don't need more lights.
Jerry:  I'm hanging these up.  It needs more lights. 

Jerry and I both share a love for Christmas decorations.  I want to be one of those old ladies whose home is spilling over with nativities and nutcrackers.  But until I have space for that, I will have to settle for these.

BYU vs. ISU

All football season, Jerry and I were looking forward to going to his first BYU football game.  I tried to teach him the fight song and failed to convince him to buy some BYU apparel.  Well, the day of the BYU vs. ISU game finally arrived.  It was Jerry's ideal weather - a mix of snow and rain.

You can't see it under my layers, but I promise I am wearing a BYU hoody.

We had a nice sideline view of the game.  And we watched BYU dominate the other team.

After every touchdown, these gentlemen would do pushups of the total score.  In the first half they did a total of 196 pushups.

We decided that since we saw a full game's worth of scoring in the first half it would be okay to ditch and find somewhere a little drier to finish watching the game.

We watched the halftime show then bolted.

Fall Things

It would seem that I have been absent from the blogosphere for some time.  I have faithfully kept up on other blogs, but have been a bit distracted of late.  It's time to play a little catch up.  Enjoy!

After a long summer of hard work for both Jerry and I, we decided to spend our two year anniversary in California where we met and dated when we weren't in separate countries.  Returning was strange, because I did not realize how many memories I had there.

We reenacted our first date at the Hoff's Hut in Torrance.  I even got the breakfast tacos again.  They are seriously delicious.

We could see the restaurant where we held our wedding reception from out hotel.  Yes, we went there and took a picture.  Yes, that is super cheesy.  Yes, it was totally worth it.

We mostly relaxed and ate at my favorite restaurants, but we did play the tourist.  We visited the Queen Mary, but I wanted my money back because I didn't see a single ghost.

We've decided this fall to get out and do more fun stuff than we did last year.  We hiked Stewart Falls on a chilly fall Saturday and it was beautiful.

Jerry really wanted to play in the water.

Not pictured here are the orange and red leaves contrasted with the snow in the mountains and the rainbows that the falls are making.  It was gorgeous, but you're just going to have to trust me.

We did learn the if you are not in great shape this "family-friendly" hike can still take its toll.