Tag: quotes

happy thanksgiving!

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happy-thanksgiving-2016-greeting-ecardI know I have been a ghost on my blog for the past few months. But had to make a reappearance to highlight my annual grateful list – short, yet very meaningful one this year.

First, my favorite quote of the season…

“Given the amount of unjust suffering and unhappiness in the world, I am deeply grateful for, sometimes even perplexed by, how much misery I have been spared.” – Dennis Prager

  • I must start with my hubby of almost eleven years! Wow! Eleven years! God only knows what I’d be without this guy!
  • My family, extended included, with a special shout out (does anyone say that anymore?), to my sister, Emmi, an inspiration to me in so many ways.
  • The Buddy Man
  • My mother-in-law who has made it possible for me to pursue a career and be a mom at the same time. Can’t do it without her!
  • Runs, and nice hot showers after.
  • Books and all the knowledge, insight, and even entertainment, found therein.
  • Danielle LaPorte’s Truthbombs
  • My job, that I really enjoy!
  • Becoming a regular contributor on Rocket City Mom and the Book Club we created. Wouldn’t have happened without you, Taralyn. Thanks!
  • The Love Notes Project! Don’t know what I’m talking about; you can check it out here.
  • Two trips to beach this year complete with balcony views of the ocean. Thanks Mommy and Daddy!

Happy Thanksgiving from me and mine to you and yours!

quick lit – next page, please {april 2016}

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I love Quick Lit time. I can brag to you about all of the books that I read (LOL); four books this month and am currently six books ahead of schedule to read 36 books this year. However, when I tell you my life is hectic this week, I am not lying in any way so just the books and some favorite quotes this month. I may expound on some of these at a later date.

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Read

  • Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan:“There is no immortality that is not built on friendship and work done with care. All the secrets in the world worth knowing are hiding in plain sight….Your life must be an open city, with all sorts of ways to wander in.”
  • The Travelers by Chris Pavone: “Will wants everything to be perfect. He wants the perfect wife, the perfect kids, the perfect old townhouse, perfectly restored, where he’ll serve perfect food accompanied by perfect wines in perfect glasses. He wants his suit perfectly tailored, his shoes perfectly shined. He wants the hotel room to be perfect, the overnight train ride, the local tour guide. And he has made the relentless pursuit of perfection his career.”

Stopped Abandoned Reading:

I have changed the title from stopped to abandoned because it is more in line with the wording for MMD’s Reading Challenge.

As usual, linking up with Quick Lit over on Modern Mrs. Darcy. Check out what everyone else is reading.

quick lit – next page, please {march 2016}

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 I love Quick Lit time – time to post what I have been reading this month.

Read:

  • The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin: Modern Mrs. Darcy (Yes, her again! LOL) recommended this book for someone who has the Meyers-Briggs personality type of ISTJ: capable, logical, reasonable and peaceful, which happens to be close to my type, as the perfect summer read. The only problem was that it took FOREVER to get it from the library. I absolutely LOVED this book and I can see while the Hold list was so long; it has climbed the ladder to be one of my favorite novels of all time. I blew through this during the 3 and ½ hour flight home. So many great quotes. “He feels naked when speaking about things he really loves.” I feel like this too. And “Sometimes books don’t find us until the right time. Also very true, indeed.
  • Wildflower by Drew Barrymore: I really liked reading this series of short stories about Barrymore’s life and what she learned through them. Here she talks about her feelings for her mom; who quite arguably, could have been a better mom. “I want only to say thank you to her, because I love my life and it takes every step to get to where you are, and if you are happy, then God bless the hard times it took you to get there. No life is without them, so what are yours, and what did you do with the lessons? That is the only way to live.” My question to myself has become just that: what I am doing with my lessons?
  • French Women Don’t Get Fat: The Secret of Eating for Pleasure by Mireille Guiliano: I started reading Bringing Up Bébé by Pamela Druckerman and became fascinated by the French mindset of how they enjoy life: living every moment in that moment. I remembered hearing about this book a long time ago and Oprah and decided to pick it up and see what it was about. I finished this one but am still working through Bringing Up Bébé. My two takeaways are from these two quotes: (1) “I also had to cultivate my appreciation for what I was having. In short, …[the] French way of enjoying those foods that can be friend or foe depending on how we treat them. The keys are sensory awareness, portion sense, quality, and an eye to the big picture of overall wellness.” And (2) “If you can’t name your pleasures, chances are you’ve surrendered to many of them. It’s time to start cultivating.” A problem that I have had until recently.
  • Every Day I Fight by Stuart Scott: When I met my basketball-loving Hubby 13 years ago, I started watching ESPN’s Sportscenter with him, which was often anchored by Stuart Scott. I began to feel like I knew him, I saw him so often. When he was first diagnosed with cancer, of course, I was aware and we saw him fight and go into remission a number of times. When he died January 4, 2015, it hit me a little hard. I loved this book because it gave me a perspective into what those who are fighting cancer may feel like in a way I pray selfishly, I will never be able to understand. This perspective is invaluable to me as I am a Chemo Card Angel. More about that here. I loved this quote by Scott:“Nerves are good. What are nerves, after all? They’re just energy.” Sometimes it’s hard working up the nerve to write these blog posts, I gotta tell ya!

Currently Reading:

Paused Reading

  • To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee: Had to return this one to the library (someone wanted it) and thus will have to get back to it later.
  • Daring Greatly by Brené Brown: Yep, still paused.
  • The Book Thief by Markus Zusak: While not my favorite way to read, there is something to be said about reading books digitally, on a Kindle or other mobile device. You can do it while you are traveling at night! Started this while returning from my 10 Year Anniversary Trip. Haven’t been in the dark since and thus my digital loan expired. Not sure if I am going to re-borrow it but I am leaving the door open.

I have read 12 books out of my goal to read 36 books this year; I am 5 books ahead of schedule – a nice cushion for the Holidays when things get hectic.  I don’t want to have to make a big push at the end of the year to make my reading goal.

As usual, I am linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy. Check out what everyone else is reading over there.

What have you been reading?