Nourishment

A second grader sat at the lunch table with an empty white tray in front of him. The turkey. mashed potatoes, gravy, and peaches that had occupied the tray were scraped clean. Perched precariously on top of that try was a clear plastic container that held the contents of a very large salad, complete with lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, cheese, onion, and even chicken. Most of the salad still remained in the container. These salads are typically ordered and enjoyed by the teachers. This salad was definitely an adult meal.

"Where did you get that?" I asked the second grader, pointing to the salad.

"I asked them and they gave it to me," he responded.

"You asked who?" I asked. "Who gave it to you?"

"The cafeteria ladies," he pointed in the general direction of the kitchen.

"They said you could have a regular lunch and a salad?" I asked, surprised.

He grinned up at me. "Well, yeah. I needed some 'freshment!"

Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel by Jeannette Walls

In this biographical novel, based on the life of her tough and sharp-witted grandmother, Jeannette Walls recalls numerous family accounts of Lily Casey's spectacular life- a life that began in a small frontier town, breaking horses. Walls expertly portrays the spunky, tenacious personality of her maternal grandmother through short, amusing vignettes that are engaging and readable. So many of Lily's adventures in the book highlight her driven independence and back-breaking work ethic, including when she rode a horse for 4 weeks alone over dry southwest terrain 500 miles to her first teaching job (at only 15 years old!). The book also recounts Lily's experiences falling in love and marrying a "crumb bum" in the big city of Chicago, raising two children on a 180,000 acre cattle ranch with her second husband (who was one of the Mormon Lot Smith's fifty-two children), selling bootleg booze out her back door to make ends meet, and fulfilling her dream of learning to fly an airplane.

If you have read Wall's best-selling memoir, The Glass Castle, then you already know how difficult Jeannette's childhood was as a result of the reckless and neglectful lifestyle of her free-spirited parents, Rex and Rosemary (and if you haven't read it, I highly recommend it). Half Broke Horses presents it's readers with wonderfully entertaining family history that precedes The Glass Castle and then carries us right up to Rosemary's marriage to Rex, where The Glass Castle takes over. In Half Broke Horses, Walls hints at the upcoming turbulence of her own difficult childhood as she frankly recounts the contention between her mother and grandmother and their acute differences in priorities.

"Where are you going to live?" I asked Rosemary.
"I don't know," she said. "It doesn't matter."
"What do you mean, it doesn't matter? The place where you live- your home- is one of the most important things in a body's life."
"I feel like I haven't really had a home since I left the ranch. I don't think I'll ever have a home again. Maybe we'll never settle down."

(Interesting, when you know what's coming.) It is in retold moments like this one that Jeannette's future begins to sneak through the pages of this book, and our eyes are opened to the circumstances that led to her tumultuous childhood.

To be honest, I did not have an immediate interest in reading this book when a friend (another big reader and one of the many people who insisted I read The Glass Castle) loaned it to me unexpectedly, insisting that I would like it. Now that I have finished the book, that friend is not interested in getting it back and has instructed me to pass it on to somebody else who would like it. So, if you are someone who is interested in obtaining your very own hardback copy of this wonderful book, leave a comment here. In a week, I will draw a name and pass it on to the winner!

A Gym Milestone

A title like 'Gym Milestone' might imply that I have kept an ideal pregnancy weight because of all the dedicated hours I have spent working out, that I have walked some impressive number of miles on the treadmill, or maybe that I have finally been brave enough to try that daunting stair climber.

But, no... my gym milestone- the one that had me rushing the half mile home to wake Nathan- was something entirely different.

My milestone happened when the 24-Hour Fitness personal trainer who checked me in actually greeted me by name!

Not only did she greet me by name when I arrived, she also used my first name to say good-bye to me as I left!

Four months ago, when (in between naps) I was seriously considering giving up my gym membership, I never would've believed that I would so regularly be visiting the gym that people who work there would actually know me by name! I have to admit that I am pretty proud.

And, for now, it doesn't even bother me that the name she called me was 'Mareeka'.

Lesson 26: Trusses

I think trusses are just joists that have been put into place.
(Correct me if I'm wrong.)
Either way, a roof is taking shape... and I know that's a good thing!

Moloka'i by Alan Brennert

At our most recent lunch date, my friend, Erin, and I (who had both acquired copies of the book Moloka'i somewhere along the line) decided it would be fun to start reading this book together (i.e. at the same time) and I'm so glad we did! This is such a wonderful book about a fascinating and little-known (to me) time in history!

The book opens in Hawaii in the late 1800's. It is a time in Hawaii's history when a seemingly dangerous, contagious, and scary disease- leprosy- is popping up among its residents. The unfortunate Hawaiians who begin to show signs of the illness (open wounds, sores on the body that have lost all feeling, limbs that have grown crooked) are sent to the island of Moloka'i in an effort to isolate the sick and protect others from contracting the disease.

When Rachel Kalama begins to show signs of the illness, her family attempts to hide it so their beloved daughter will not be sent away from them. But, at the tender age of seven, her secret is discovered and Rachel is sent, alone, to Moloka'i. Confined to the island with other lepers, Rachel must learn to accept her strange new life and love a new and different sort of family- a family of friends all suffering from the deadly disease that has determined a new and unchanging course for their lives.

In this book, Alan Brennert shines a light on a fascinating time in our country's history. Moloka'i is a lovely, sad story, and wonderfully interspersed with Rachel's fictional experiences are historical references that add validity and a ring of truth to the novel. Brennert refers to famous people, Robert Louis Stevenson and Jack London (among others), who visit the island and he writes about the astonishment Rachel and her friends feel at hearing a gramophone for the first time. Brennert describes early advertisements for Coca-Cola and Bayer Aspirin and recounts the first viewing by the island residents of a "moving picture". And then there was this...

"Swooping down from the green heights of the pali was an aeroplane- the first either of them had ever seen. Its double tier of stiff wooden wings tilted as the aircraft banked away from the cliffs, a lattice of wires strung between the double wings like a spider's web. Rachel and Catherine got to their feet, gawking as the plane dove toward them. They could see its propeller spinning in a fuzzy radius around the nose; could hear the staccato of its engines; and when it was only a hundred feet or so above their heads they could see its pilot, capped and goggled, as he genially waved to them.

Awed into silence, they waved back."

I appreciated Brennert's descriptions of these experiences and how they illustrated that no matter how isolated the residents were from the rest of the world, it was sometimes impossible to keep the world from coming to them. This kept the resident's spirits up and their faith alive.

And the faith of this reader.

Rachel's confinement to the island and her insuppressible dream to someday travel the world and return to her family combine to tell a lovely story of hopefulness in a hopeless circumstance. I was rooting for the spirited young girl right from the beginning, hoping against hope that she would beat the odds and rejoin her family.

That undying hope filled Rachel with a passion and determination that followed her to the end of her life; and hope accompanied this particular reader to the end of the book.

(For Erin's review, click here.)

Lesson 25: A Makeshift Notepad

This is how a real carpenter works!

(Nathan found Daddy Dan's notes written on the siding of our house.)

A Peek Inside

The Drowning Tree by Carol Goodman

Juno's best friend, Christine, mysteriously disappears after giving a controversial speech about the influential founding family of the college they both attended. As Juno searches for answers about her friend's disappearance, her own dramatic past- the unplanned pregnancy that kept her from graduating, her former husband's attempt to drown Juno and her daughter, and his subsequent admittance to a nearby mental hospital- begins to emerge in uncomfortable and haunting ways.

Dark, mysterious, and fraught with mythological references and artistic allusions, this was a wonderfully spooky mystery! Like her other novels, Carol Goodman, has, with wonderful imagery, used water as a central focus of this book. In fact, so many of the features of this mystery- a single mother with a sad history, a scholarly setting, allegorical references, water- are so similar to the other Goodman novels I've read (The Lake of Dead Languages and The Seduction of Water) that, for the entire first chapter, I believed The Drowning Tree might be a book that I'd somehow forgotten I'd already read. This was definitely not my favorite Goodman book, but I am very anxious to continue reading more by this author. She's great! If you like mysteries, you must look her up!

Lesson 24: Framing the Addition

Framing our extension can be done by a couple of guys in just a day. Who would've guessed?

Nathan & Daddy Dan

~They even framed the pantry (after these pictures were taken)!~

And the winner is.....

Perry, Becca, & Simon!!

(which I'm pretty sure means Becca is the real winner!)

The random number generator chose comment number 15 as the winner!

Congratulations!

E-mail me or leave a comment letting me know which book from my list of the top 9 books of 2009 you would like to receive. Happy reading!

SRES Dinner

(check out Caleb's grin in this one!)

(check out Hailey squirming in this one!)

(Hailey's waving good-bye!)

No One You Know by Michelle Richmond

"Every story is flawed, every story is subject to change. Even after it is set down in print, between the covers of a book, a story is not immune to alteration. People can go on telling it in their own way, remembering it the way they want. And in each telling the ending may change, or even the beginning. Inevitably, in some cases it will be worse, and in others it just might be better. A story, after all, does not only belong to the one who is telling it. It belongs, in equal measure, to the one who is listening."

Twenty years after the death of her sister, Lila, Ellie Enderlin, a thirty-something professional coffee buyer, is still haunted by the circumstances surrounding the murder. Lila, a graduate student at Stanford and a gifted mathematician, had a promising future when she mysteriously went missing one evening. Days later, her body is found in woods 75 miles from her hometown of San Francisco.

After the murder, Ellie is comforted by her friend and professor, Andrew Thorpe. When she discovers that Andrew has written a book about Lila's murder, Ellie is devastated. In the book, Thorpe names a suspect and, however unwittingly, a picture of her sister's murder settles into Ellie's subconscious.

She lives with Thorpe's version of her sister's murder for years.

Then, when Ellie unexpectedly acquires the book in which Lila kept all her math notes- the same one that went missing when Lila did- Ellie's unsettled acceptance of her sister's murder is questioned and she begins to seek out the real truth of Lila's last day.

Beautifully written, this calm mystery is engaging and powerful. Richmond delicately weaves Ellie and Lila's story around delicious details about the world of coffee buying and concise mathematical theories (that even this reading specialist could follow!). My only wish is that Richmond would have delved a little more deeply into the complicated sibling relationship that's bound to emerge (but was only hinted at) between a mathematical, introverted genius (Lila) and an average, social girl (Ellie). But, being one in a family of four sisters, this might just be a personal inclination.

One of my favorite things about this book was how Richmond cleverly refers to her earlier novel, The Year of Fog. While Ellie is visiting a local cafe, she picks up a book. "On the bottom shelf I spotted a novel that I'd read recently, a sort of literary mystery about a kidnapping set in San Francisco," Richmond writes. "The book had been interesting if somewhat drawn out. Halfway through I started skipping long passages on memory and guilt just to get to the meat of the story. As I was reading it I found myself thinking that, sometimes, a story just needs a beginning, middle, and end." Ha, ha!

Very smart! Just like the rest of the book. It's definitely a winner.

Don't forget to enter my Book Giveaway by leaving a comment HERE about the best book you read in 2009! The winner will be chosen on Friday.

And Now I Present You With.... The Floor!

And the stairs!

Lesson 23: Joists

I guess you build floors with these.

Top 9 Books of 2009: GIVEAWAY!

One of the only personal goals I made for myself in the year 2009 was to read a book a week all year and I got off to a terrific start! I was reading and reading and reading...

And then I got pregnant...

...and sick.

And I couldn't read anymore.

I took two months off and haven't been reading at the same pace since. (And, sadly, might never again.) ~insert sad emoticon here~

SO, the grand total of books I read in the year 2009 is a measly 39.

Of those 39 books, I have chosen 9 favorites to share with you here. If you're looking for a good read, these are all excellent choices that I highly recommend. In no particular order, I present you with the...

9 best books I read in the year 2009

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
This epic novel is simultaneously a coming of age story about a boy and his dogs and a haunting book about desperation and revenge. It may start a little slow, but it is totally worth the time it will take to read all 562 pages.

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
This deliciously intriguing story about the secrets of two very different writers is beautifully written (and my favorite book quote of the year comes from this one)!
See below

Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos
This enchanting story of a lonely 30-something woman and a scared 11-year-old girl is a sweet, captivating love story.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
Shaffer and Barrows describe life on Guernsey during the German occupation with affectionate sentimentality and quirky humor through letters written by endearing characters. This is a story well worth reading!

The Kindness of Strangers by Katrina Kittle
When the Laden family takes in the abused son of a good friend, they learn the true meaning of family. This absorbing story of child abuse is superbly written.

Every Living Thing by Cynthia Rylant
This tender book of short stories for children captures the significant impact animals can have in the lives of their people. Each animal tale has a poignant, subtle message that is perfect to read aloud to children of all ages!

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
This book is a terrific and amazingly accurate portrayal of bullying in a high school. It moved me to tears.

The Lake of Dead Languages by Carol Goodman
The Lake of Dead Languages, while predictable, was wonderfully scary and completely engrossing. The all-girls boarding school at a lake in the Adirondacks is the perfect setting for a great mystery, and Goodman's detailed descriptions of the events surrounding the lake made this book totally creepy!

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Told from the perspective of death, this World War II young adult novel is one of the most amazing and powerful books I have ever read! It made me think about right and wrong. It forced me to consider the strength of my convictions. It overpowered me with compassion and love for characters unlike any I have felt before, and made me cry like a baby. It's definitely the best book I've read this year.

Now...
it's time for the BIG giveaway!!!

Leave a comment on this post letting me know what books were your favorite in 2009 and you could win a copy of one of my favorites from 2009! Next Friday (January 15) I will use a random number generator to select one of the comments... and that commenter will get a brand new copy of one of the books (his/her choice) from my list of 2009 faves above! Good luck!

"There is something about words. In expert hands, manipulated deftly, they take you prisoner. Wind themselves around your limbs like spider silk, and when you are so enthralled you cannot move, they pierce your skin, enter your blood, numb your thoughts. Inside you they work their magic." -The Thirteenth Tale

2009 Books

The complete list of books of all the books I read in 2009...

Adult Fiction:

-No One You Know by Michelle Richmond (December, 2009)
-Naked by David Sedaris (November, 2009)
-The Godmother by Carrie Adams (November, 2009)
-Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (August, 2009)
-Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell (August, 2009)
-The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski (July, 2009)
-A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch (July, 2009)
-The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver (July, 2009)
-Drenched in Light by Lisa Wingate (June, 2009)
-Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah (May, 2009)
-The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (May, 2009)
-The Living End by Lisa Samson (May, 2009)
-Love Walked In by Marisa De Los Santos (April, 2009)
-Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky (March, 2009)
-The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows (March, 2009)
-The Kindness of Strangers by Katrina Kittle (March, 2009)
-The Shop on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber (March, 2009)
-Promise Not to Tell by Jennifer McMahon (March, 2009)
-The Woods by Harlan Coben (February, 2009)
-Back When We Were Grownups by Anne Tyler (February, 2009)
-Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons by Lorna Landvik (January, 2009)
-The Lake of Dead Languages by Carol Goodman (January, 2009)
-The Sunday Philosophy Club by Alexander McCall Smith (January, 2009)

Autobiographies/Memoirs:
-Lucky by Alice Sebold (June, 2009)
-Such a Pretty Fat by Jen Lancaster (April, 2009)
-Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin (February, 2009)

Short Story Collections:
-Girl's Night Out by Various Authors (June, 2009)
-Every Living Thing by Cynthia Rylant (June, 2009)
-Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout (May, 2009)

Adult Nonfiction:
-The Not So Big House by Sarah Susanka (July, 2009)

Young Adult Novels:
-Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (December, 2009)
-Incantation by Alice Hoffman (November, 2009)
-Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (November, 2009)
-The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (July, 2009)
-Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (June, 2009)
-The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne (June, 2009)
-New Moon by Stephenie Meyer (February, 2009)

Children's Chapter Books:
-The Shakespeare Stealer by Gary Blackwood (December, 2009)
-Coraline by Neil Gaiman (February, 2009)

A Decade in Review

With the onset of the year 2010, and inspired by a special sermon our pastor at church gave yesterday, I've spent a little time reflecting on everything that has occurred in the past decade (like many of you, I'm sure). When I think back to the year 2000, my life was very different than it is today. In 2000, I was a single woman living in Harrisonburg, VA only two years out of college and in the midst of my second year of teaching. I lived just down the street from the college I graduated from and spent a lot of my spare time (when I wasn't grading papers and writing lesson plans) with the friends I had in college.

Now, in 2010, I am a married woman living hundreds of miles from where I went to college. I am in the middle of my twelfth year of teaching (HOLY COW!!) and spend time with only a few friends I had in college (wish it could be more). Many of the friends I see now are ones that I've met in the past ten years.

In his sermon, our pastor encouraged us to think back over the past decade and consider our accomplishments, and so I did just that; and initially didn't come up with many. But, after I gave it some thought, I was a bit surprised by everything that eventually came to mind. So, here I am going to list some of them...

• I made a HUGE move from Virginia to Colorado without a clear & specific reason for the change except that I was ready for something different.

• I lived with 11 different housemates (Dede, Mistie, Ramona, Anne, Kelly, Shera, Kristina, Ronda, Tina, Ryan, and Nathan) and 3 different cats (Crookshanks, Chloey, and Quincie).
  

• I have completely eliminated all accrued credit card and school loan debt (thank you, Dave Ramsey)!

• I applied for, interviewed, and got hired in two new teaching positions (one as a 4th grade teacher, and the other as an elementary literacy coach).

• I traveled to many new new places, including (but not limited to) Barbados, Hawaii (twice!), Canada, New York City, and Boston, and went many times to Boise.

• I got engaged, planned a wedding, and then got married!

• I graduated from the University of Colorado with a Masters in Curriculum & Instruction in Literacy with a 4.0 GPA (and became a far better teacher because of it)!

• I started blogging.

• Nathan and I bought our first house, gutted it, and are watching while other people renovate it.
  

• After months of trying, Nathan and I conceived a sweet little boy, and are anxiously awaiting his arrival!
  

Celebrating 2010!

We spent New Year's Eve with great friends in Denver this year! We had a terrific time, and I was proud of myself for staying awake long enough to welcome in 2010.
(We were actually up long past the midnight hour. I haven't been up that late in ages!)

The next morning...