So this year was kind of a cool one. It had it's ups and downs, but for the most part-it was great.
It started off pretty bad because of my ex-best friend. I think about her a lot and wonder how I had looked past her rudeness for so long. I'm so glad I got that toxic relationship (among a few others) out of my life.
The good thing that came from it, was that Steve and I moved in together. While we moved into a tiny TINY townhome, it was fun finally being a real couple and seeing each other every day. Yeah, sometimes it's a struggle. And sometimes I miss having the bed all to myself. But I love him and I'm so lucky to have him :)
Steve and I got married in September, so that was awesome! I can't believe it's been over 3 months since we got married...the time really does fly when you're having fun. Our honeymoon was awesome and I can't wait to go back to California.
My Grandpa Horton passed away in November. That was sad. It made me realize I've lost 4 grandparents in the span of 6 years, which was hard to swallow. But I'm glad he's no longer suffering and I know he's with the Lord and with his wife, whom he loved so dearly.
I guess something I'm really proud of, is that America voted to have their first African American President this year! I'm so excited and I can't wait for January 20th. I'm so proud of Barack Obama and what he stands for. I don't expect him to be a miracle worker by any means, but I look forward to seeing what he can do for our country. It's just a really historical moment.
I'm also getting back into reading, which is really nice and relaxing.
As far as my goals for 2009....I really hope to get back on the getting in shape bandwagon. I've really put on too much weight and I would LOVE to fit back into my clothes better. So I'm immediately starting to watch what I eat. I'm also going to stop making excusing for not working out. I know it makes me feel better while I'm doing it and I know I feel amazing afterwards. I want to run a 1/2 marathon by the end of the year. I'm really looking forward to that. I know it's possible if I put my mind to it. I also hope to be teaching soon. My other goal is to get a new car. I think I'm driving mine into the ground. I hope with a new car, I'll learn to be less of an aggressive driver :) (doubtful, but here's hoping!). Other than that, I guess that's it.
Happy New Year, everyone! Be safe, have fun, and see you in 2009!!!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Are you Serious?!
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/31/inauguration.lawsuit/index.html
While I am by no means a devout Christian, I do not understand why people feel the need to take things like this to court. Nobody is pushing religion at you, get the crap over it and stop pushing your non-believing crap at me.
While I am by no means a devout Christian, I do not understand why people feel the need to take things like this to court. Nobody is pushing religion at you, get the crap over it and stop pushing your non-believing crap at me.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Review: Dry by Augusten Burroughs
Ok, so I'm about to go to lunch, and then I'll edit this to show my full opinion on the book Dry, but I just to go ahead and post SOMETHING.
I could not put this book down at work. For 2 days I've read the 300 pages. It was so, so, so good! It makes me seriously reconsider how I felt about Running With Scissors. Maybe I should re-read it. Seriously.
Ok, so I'm going to go to lunch and then I can't wait to blog about Dry. I'll probably do a horrible job of telling just how good it is, but I'll give it a shot.
Ok...Now time for the REAL review...
Dry reminded me a lot of A Million Little Pieces by James Frey....though not entirely. Basically, Dry starts off years later, once Augusten has taken up a well paying job for an advertising company. Immediately, he sweeps you into his life of work-then booze. It seems, at least to me, to start off as just a get together with a friend at a bar...and then you realize he has a problem by the time he's on his 10th martini of the night.
You can tell from the very beginning why he's drinking. He had a traumatic childhood, his mother left him with a crazy doctor and his family, he was in a relationship with a pedophile when he was 13, and never really had a place to call "home". On top of that, he dropped out of elementary school, he has a job he doesn't like (but brings in the money), has a best friend (whom he loves-but tries to distance himself) who has HIV, and another friend who's his drinking buddy. Put all of that together, and you can imagine why he wants to drown everything with alcohol.
One would wonder how long a person could keep that kind of lifestyle up AND keep their job. Well...Augusten gets lucky and his co-workers decide to do an intervention on him one day after another long night, to which he comes to work reeking of alcohol. I'm not exactly sure how long he had been doing this-going to work late in the mornings, coming home and starting drinking...but to have co-workers care enough about you and know you're wasting your talents on alcohol, is comforting-at least to me.
Augusten goes to rehab (of course, before-which he gets plastered every night). I would say he does pretty well in rehab. He makes some friends, especially one, who is British names, Hayden. After he leaves rehab, he is supposed to go to group meetings, individual counseling sessions, and AA meetings. He keeps this up for a while, which is impressive. He meets a hot guy by the name of Foster, who is a crack addict going to the same group therapy session as him.
I really felt sorry for Augusten when he described his relationships with men. Jim, his drinking buddy, couldn't really be his friend after rehab (because Jim had to learn to change his ways-which he eventually does at the end of the book), Foster is a crack addict-who can't stay away from crack. Then there's Pighead. He's the HIV positive friend. Augusten tells of his love for Pighead, but Pighead didn't love Augusten the same way. THEN Pighead was diagnosed with HIV and soon afterwards, he realized he did, in fact, love Augusten...But at that point, it was too late. Augusten distanced himself from Pighead because he thought it would be easier once Pighead finally succumbed to the disease.
Honestly, I was pulling for Augusten the whole time. I was pulling for him to win his battle with alcoholism, to right his relationships, and get help for his friends who needed it. The end is where you really see him battling his demons and I really enjoyed reading about it. It's amazing what goes on in the mind of addicts, and what they would do to just have one more hit or one more drink, etc. I could not put this book down.
Like I said, the way he wrote this book, makes me want to go back and re-read Running With Scissors because it was fabulously written. I guess this time, when I re-read it, I won't read it during lunch :)
I could not put this book down at work. For 2 days I've read the 300 pages. It was so, so, so good! It makes me seriously reconsider how I felt about Running With Scissors. Maybe I should re-read it. Seriously.
Ok, so I'm going to go to lunch and then I can't wait to blog about Dry. I'll probably do a horrible job of telling just how good it is, but I'll give it a shot.
Ok...Now time for the REAL review...
Dry reminded me a lot of A Million Little Pieces by James Frey....though not entirely. Basically, Dry starts off years later, once Augusten has taken up a well paying job for an advertising company. Immediately, he sweeps you into his life of work-then booze. It seems, at least to me, to start off as just a get together with a friend at a bar...and then you realize he has a problem by the time he's on his 10th martini of the night.
You can tell from the very beginning why he's drinking. He had a traumatic childhood, his mother left him with a crazy doctor and his family, he was in a relationship with a pedophile when he was 13, and never really had a place to call "home". On top of that, he dropped out of elementary school, he has a job he doesn't like (but brings in the money), has a best friend (whom he loves-but tries to distance himself) who has HIV, and another friend who's his drinking buddy. Put all of that together, and you can imagine why he wants to drown everything with alcohol.
One would wonder how long a person could keep that kind of lifestyle up AND keep their job. Well...Augusten gets lucky and his co-workers decide to do an intervention on him one day after another long night, to which he comes to work reeking of alcohol. I'm not exactly sure how long he had been doing this-going to work late in the mornings, coming home and starting drinking...but to have co-workers care enough about you and know you're wasting your talents on alcohol, is comforting-at least to me.
Augusten goes to rehab (of course, before-which he gets plastered every night). I would say he does pretty well in rehab. He makes some friends, especially one, who is British names, Hayden. After he leaves rehab, he is supposed to go to group meetings, individual counseling sessions, and AA meetings. He keeps this up for a while, which is impressive. He meets a hot guy by the name of Foster, who is a crack addict going to the same group therapy session as him.
I really felt sorry for Augusten when he described his relationships with men. Jim, his drinking buddy, couldn't really be his friend after rehab (because Jim had to learn to change his ways-which he eventually does at the end of the book), Foster is a crack addict-who can't stay away from crack. Then there's Pighead. He's the HIV positive friend. Augusten tells of his love for Pighead, but Pighead didn't love Augusten the same way. THEN Pighead was diagnosed with HIV and soon afterwards, he realized he did, in fact, love Augusten...But at that point, it was too late. Augusten distanced himself from Pighead because he thought it would be easier once Pighead finally succumbed to the disease.
Honestly, I was pulling for Augusten the whole time. I was pulling for him to win his battle with alcoholism, to right his relationships, and get help for his friends who needed it. The end is where you really see him battling his demons and I really enjoyed reading about it. It's amazing what goes on in the mind of addicts, and what they would do to just have one more hit or one more drink, etc. I could not put this book down.
Like I said, the way he wrote this book, makes me want to go back and re-read Running With Scissors because it was fabulously written. I guess this time, when I re-read it, I won't read it during lunch :)
Friday, December 19, 2008
For a Good Laugh:
This is something I read today in Dry, that I think you guys would laugh at, I know I did.
"There's something in her voice that makes me think I won't get away with anything, that I shouldn't even try. I feel pretty confident Rae's clubbed more than her fair share of baby seals in her life".
I've gone back to it a few times today since I've read it just to laugh. I'm sure we've all known that woman who strikes us as the kind of person who takes pity on no one. :)
"There's something in her voice that makes me think I won't get away with anything, that I shouldn't even try. I feel pretty confident Rae's clubbed more than her fair share of baby seals in her life".
I've gone back to it a few times today since I've read it just to laugh. I'm sure we've all known that woman who strikes us as the kind of person who takes pity on no one. :)
Dry
Ok, so even though I didn't like his book, Running With Scissors. I'm going to give Augusten Burroughs another shot with his book, Dry. I'm mostly doing this because my sister let me borrow the books and I feel I should read them and I'm out of books at home that I haven't read. Who knows? Maybe I'll like this one.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Our Life Update...
So a lot has happened in the past few weeks for Steve and I.
Steve had an interview at a design company before Thanksgiving and was supposed to hear back from them the next week. Turns out that the next week would actually be about 3 weeks later. He finally heard back Friday and he got the job! It was such glorious news because he'd been out of a job for 3 months. He starts after Christmas and I know he's really excited about it. I think the main thing is, it's just wonderful for him to have this opportunity with the economy the way it is. He also got 2 freelance gigs that he's working on right now. I'm just so proud of him. He's so talented, I knew he would be able find something (I just didn't expect it to take 3 months).
On top of that good news, I was also given a bonus this year at work. I couldn't believe that even though they laid off a few employees, that we'd still be getting any kind of bonus. I'm pretty sure that money will automatically go towards our Christmas gift purchases.
Another really cool thing is that I ran 5 miles in the White Rock Marathon Relay. I am so proud of myself to run that far. I am not a runner, so to me, it's a major accomplishment. I have a goal to run a half marathon by next year. I really think I can do it.
Anyway, I guess that's it for now. I just wanted to update.
Steve had an interview at a design company before Thanksgiving and was supposed to hear back from them the next week. Turns out that the next week would actually be about 3 weeks later. He finally heard back Friday and he got the job! It was such glorious news because he'd been out of a job for 3 months. He starts after Christmas and I know he's really excited about it. I think the main thing is, it's just wonderful for him to have this opportunity with the economy the way it is. He also got 2 freelance gigs that he's working on right now. I'm just so proud of him. He's so talented, I knew he would be able find something (I just didn't expect it to take 3 months).
On top of that good news, I was also given a bonus this year at work. I couldn't believe that even though they laid off a few employees, that we'd still be getting any kind of bonus. I'm pretty sure that money will automatically go towards our Christmas gift purchases.
Another really cool thing is that I ran 5 miles in the White Rock Marathon Relay. I am so proud of myself to run that far. I am not a runner, so to me, it's a major accomplishment. I have a goal to run a half marathon by next year. I really think I can do it.
Anyway, I guess that's it for now. I just wanted to update.
Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs
Ok, so I FINALLY finished this book yesterday at lunch.
Like I said in a previous post, the book was mildly offensive and disgusting, but I'm pretty sure you can't sugar coat what goes on in your life. Augusten's book starts with his childhood and goes through to his late teens. It starts off talking about his life with his mother and father and their dysfunctional life together. They go to therapy with this doctor who immediately grosses you out by his uncleanliness and talk of sex. He even has a "masturbatorium" which is located in his office for when he feels the need to relieve himself of his sexual frustration. The thing I liked about Augusten's writing is that it's comical and you can see into this kid's thoughts and relate to him. Augusten is naive (as most kids are) and doesn't see the red flags everywhere regarding his mother's relationship with her psychiatrist.
I guess the things that disgusted me were the living conditions that he supposedly lived in at the Finch's home and some sexual encounters he had as a thirteen year old. I have no problems with gay people, but like I said before, I guess reading about that kind of stuff when you're on your lunch break isn't such a great thing.
The whole time I was wondering how on earth a person could come out a normal human being after dealing with the things that Augusten was put through...but I guess you can. He managed to get his GED and attempted college.
Final verdict:
I liked his style of writing, but it wasn't my favorite. I enjoyed some parts of the book but for the most part I didn't enjoy reading about the filth he had to live in, the weird people he lived with, his sexual encounters, and the pooping. (no, I'm not joking)
I guess it all depends on your sense of humor.....or how hungry you are while you're reading the book...because seriously, you WILL lose your appetite. And maybe I haven't been in the mood you should be in while reading about these things, so my sense of humor may be warped at the moment...I don't know. It wasn't easy for me to get through it, though I will say it was an easier read than The Memory Keepers Daughter (probably because it wasn't a very serious subject). I don't know. I guess I take things more seriously, so when reading about his life, I'm just like, "Oh my God, get out of there now!!", instead of just laughing about it and being amused at the dysfunction he lives around.
Like I said in a previous post, the book was mildly offensive and disgusting, but I'm pretty sure you can't sugar coat what goes on in your life. Augusten's book starts with his childhood and goes through to his late teens. It starts off talking about his life with his mother and father and their dysfunctional life together. They go to therapy with this doctor who immediately grosses you out by his uncleanliness and talk of sex. He even has a "masturbatorium" which is located in his office for when he feels the need to relieve himself of his sexual frustration. The thing I liked about Augusten's writing is that it's comical and you can see into this kid's thoughts and relate to him. Augusten is naive (as most kids are) and doesn't see the red flags everywhere regarding his mother's relationship with her psychiatrist.
I guess the things that disgusted me were the living conditions that he supposedly lived in at the Finch's home and some sexual encounters he had as a thirteen year old. I have no problems with gay people, but like I said before, I guess reading about that kind of stuff when you're on your lunch break isn't such a great thing.
The whole time I was wondering how on earth a person could come out a normal human being after dealing with the things that Augusten was put through...but I guess you can. He managed to get his GED and attempted college.
Final verdict:
I liked his style of writing, but it wasn't my favorite. I enjoyed some parts of the book but for the most part I didn't enjoy reading about the filth he had to live in, the weird people he lived with, his sexual encounters, and the pooping. (no, I'm not joking)
I guess it all depends on your sense of humor.....or how hungry you are while you're reading the book...because seriously, you WILL lose your appetite. And maybe I haven't been in the mood you should be in while reading about these things, so my sense of humor may be warped at the moment...I don't know. It wasn't easy for me to get through it, though I will say it was an easier read than The Memory Keepers Daughter (probably because it wasn't a very serious subject). I don't know. I guess I take things more seriously, so when reading about his life, I'm just like, "Oh my God, get out of there now!!", instead of just laughing about it and being amused at the dysfunction he lives around.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
The Movie Quote Game
Pick 10 of your favorite moviesgo to IMDB to get a quote from each moviepost the quotes and wait for your friends to respond
Guess the movies!!!
(Warning: I like a lot of comedies)
1) (Brenda)Who are you?
(Madea) Who are you?
(Brenda) I'm the owner of this house.
(Madea)[buzzer sound] wrong answer, my grand daughter Helen is the owner of THIS house. You da hoe, you aint got no power or no deed.
(Brenda)Did you do this? this is Vera Wang.
(Madea)Who dat is? She do nails? I need to get my nails did.
(Brenda) That's it I'm calling the police.
(Madea)I aint scared a no po po. Call da po po hoe... Call da po po hoe.
2) The whole purpose of places like Starbucks is for people with no decision-making ability whatsoever to make six decisions just to buy one cup of coffee. Short, tall, light, dark, caf, decaf, low-fat, non-fat, etc. So people who don't know what the hell they're doing or who on earth they are can, for only $2.95, get not just a cup of coffee but an absolutely defining sense of self: Tall. Decaf. Cappuccino.
3) Buddy the Elf, what's your favorite color?
4) [writing in her yearbook] Dear Jamie, When we're together, I feel like we're not in high school, but in our own little Chris and Jamie world. Whether we're watching 'Party of Five' or practicing our cheers, I feel like I can just be myself. Jamie, we've been friends for a really long time, but I want to be more than that. Hoping to be your boyfriend... Sincerely, Chris Brander. BFF!
5) Life is a storm, my young friend. You will bask in the sunlight one moment, be shattered on the rocks the next. What makes you a man is what you do when that storm comes. You must look into that storm and shout as you did in Rome. Do your worst, for I will do mine! Then the fates will know you as we know you: as Albert Mondego, the man!
6) (Judge)Bryan, does she watch your kids?
(Bryan)Oh, she's actually really good, she's a big diciplinarian though, but uh... they have a lot of respect for her.
(Judge)Really? [Looks over at Nikki] Stand up Nikki. [Nikki stands up] Mable Simmons, since you can't seem to act like you have any sense except when you're caring for somebody, meet Nikki Grady. You're her new foster mother.
(Madea)The hell I am! I dont - huh! - hell naw! It's a reason why god put a woman through menopause, I'm past 60... you know what that means? After that time you're not supposed to be bogged with no kids. I'm sorry, I will kill that lil girl... I don't know her...
(Nikki) So, You ugly anyway, old lady!
(Madea)She tryna get me the electric chair already.
(Judge)Either you're her foster mother or you're a prison mother.
(Madea) I'll take the prison for 200, Alex. Lock me up, hell, I'd rather be in Martha Stewart's old cell fightin' for my *virginity* than to be sittin' there dealin' with this.
(Bryan) She'll be a great foster mother, your honor.
7) Dear Mr. Inman, I began by counting the days, then the months. I don't count on anything anymore except the hope that you will return, and the silent fear that in the years since we saw each other, this war, this awful war, will have changed us both beyond all reckoning.
8) The Boy-Who-Lived. How lies have fed your legend, Harry! Do you want to know what really happened thirteen years ago? Shall I divulge how I truly lost my powers? It was love. You see, when dear sweet Lily Potter gave her life for her only son, it provided him with the ultimate protection, I could not touch him. It was old magic, something I should have foreseen. But no matter, no matter, things have changed. I CAN TOUCH YOU... NOW!
9) I don't eat shellfish. Mom always says, "Don't ever eat nothin' that can carry its house around with it. Who knows the last time it's been cleaned." She should know.
10) Well, I'm gonna get out of bed every morning... breath in and out all day long. Then, after a while I won't have to remind myself to get out of bed every morning and breath in and out... and, then after a while, I won't have to think about how I had it great and perfect for a while.
Guess the movies!!!
(Warning: I like a lot of comedies)
1) (Brenda)Who are you?
(Madea) Who are you?
(Brenda) I'm the owner of this house.
(Madea)[buzzer sound] wrong answer, my grand daughter Helen is the owner of THIS house. You da hoe, you aint got no power or no deed.
(Brenda)Did you do this? this is Vera Wang.
(Madea)Who dat is? She do nails? I need to get my nails did.
(Brenda) That's it I'm calling the police.
(Madea)I aint scared a no po po. Call da po po hoe... Call da po po hoe.
2) The whole purpose of places like Starbucks is for people with no decision-making ability whatsoever to make six decisions just to buy one cup of coffee. Short, tall, light, dark, caf, decaf, low-fat, non-fat, etc. So people who don't know what the hell they're doing or who on earth they are can, for only $2.95, get not just a cup of coffee but an absolutely defining sense of self: Tall. Decaf. Cappuccino.
3) Buddy the Elf, what's your favorite color?
4) [writing in her yearbook] Dear Jamie, When we're together, I feel like we're not in high school, but in our own little Chris and Jamie world. Whether we're watching 'Party of Five' or practicing our cheers, I feel like I can just be myself. Jamie, we've been friends for a really long time, but I want to be more than that. Hoping to be your boyfriend... Sincerely, Chris Brander. BFF!
5) Life is a storm, my young friend. You will bask in the sunlight one moment, be shattered on the rocks the next. What makes you a man is what you do when that storm comes. You must look into that storm and shout as you did in Rome. Do your worst, for I will do mine! Then the fates will know you as we know you: as Albert Mondego, the man!
6) (Judge)Bryan, does she watch your kids?
(Bryan)Oh, she's actually really good, she's a big diciplinarian though, but uh... they have a lot of respect for her.
(Judge)Really? [Looks over at Nikki] Stand up Nikki. [Nikki stands up] Mable Simmons, since you can't seem to act like you have any sense except when you're caring for somebody, meet Nikki Grady. You're her new foster mother.
(Madea)The hell I am! I dont - huh! - hell naw! It's a reason why god put a woman through menopause, I'm past 60... you know what that means? After that time you're not supposed to be bogged with no kids. I'm sorry, I will kill that lil girl... I don't know her...
(Nikki) So, You ugly anyway, old lady!
(Madea)She tryna get me the electric chair already.
(Judge)Either you're her foster mother or you're a prison mother.
(Madea) I'll take the prison for 200, Alex. Lock me up, hell, I'd rather be in Martha Stewart's old cell fightin' for my *virginity* than to be sittin' there dealin' with this.
(Bryan) She'll be a great foster mother, your honor.
7) Dear Mr. Inman, I began by counting the days, then the months. I don't count on anything anymore except the hope that you will return, and the silent fear that in the years since we saw each other, this war, this awful war, will have changed us both beyond all reckoning.
8) The Boy-Who-Lived. How lies have fed your legend, Harry! Do you want to know what really happened thirteen years ago? Shall I divulge how I truly lost my powers? It was love. You see, when dear sweet Lily Potter gave her life for her only son, it provided him with the ultimate protection, I could not touch him. It was old magic, something I should have foreseen. But no matter, no matter, things have changed. I CAN TOUCH YOU... NOW!
9) I don't eat shellfish. Mom always says, "Don't ever eat nothin' that can carry its house around with it. Who knows the last time it's been cleaned." She should know.
10) Well, I'm gonna get out of bed every morning... breath in and out all day long. Then, after a while I won't have to remind myself to get out of bed every morning and breath in and out... and, then after a while, I won't have to think about how I had it great and perfect for a while.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Is it just me or...
Is Running With Scissors a little messed up?
I should not eat while reading it. It seriously creeps me out and disgusts me. I don't know why, because I'm pretty sure I've read worse...but it almost offends me. I tried to read today during lunch and was reading a really gross part. I almost lost my appetite (and that RARELY happens). So from now on, I'm only going to read at night because this is not a good book to read while hungry.
I would go into specifics or just give you an idea of what I'm talking about...but I'd rather not. It's not exactly lovely material.
Anyone's thoughts on this book and if I should feel grossed out, please comment. I know it's supposed to be kind of funny and all..but I guess I was not in the mood to read some of the stuff I read today...especially on an empty stomach.
I should not eat while reading it. It seriously creeps me out and disgusts me. I don't know why, because I'm pretty sure I've read worse...but it almost offends me. I tried to read today during lunch and was reading a really gross part. I almost lost my appetite (and that RARELY happens). So from now on, I'm only going to read at night because this is not a good book to read while hungry.
I would go into specifics or just give you an idea of what I'm talking about...but I'd rather not. It's not exactly lovely material.
Anyone's thoughts on this book and if I should feel grossed out, please comment. I know it's supposed to be kind of funny and all..but I guess I was not in the mood to read some of the stuff I read today...especially on an empty stomach.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Teaser Tuesday
TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:
Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!
From: Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs
Even though I wanted to. I said, "School. I hate school."
"What are you, like eighth grade or something?"
Page 132
Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!
From: Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs
Even though I wanted to. I said, "School. I hate school."
"What are you, like eighth grade or something?"
Page 132
Thursday, December 4, 2008
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
This book was really good. I have to admit it was a little hard to get into after reading Twilight, but once the story started, I wanted to know more...
I loved the description Kim Edwards used to describe everything. You could see everything so clearly, the color of Norah's coat and how her eyes were the same color green. The color of the flowers, etc. It was wonderful. I really enjoy good visualization. It really helps me connect to the book and the story.
I have to say that it was a sad story, of course there was happiness, but it still made me sad. I think it's just the prejudice that people with Down Syndrome or any other mental defect are faced with on a day to day basis. I cannot imagine what it would have been like in the 1960's where this book begins. There are so many misconceptions and wrong judgements about people with Down Syndrome and their abilities. I enjoyed reading about Caroline and how she dealt with overcoming the stereotypes of children with Down Syndrome. How she fought for her daughter and other children's rights for an equal education.
I really enjoyed this book. I liked the way it was laid out and I liked Kim Edward's style. It was a really great story and I would definitely recommend this book to others.
I loved the description Kim Edwards used to describe everything. You could see everything so clearly, the color of Norah's coat and how her eyes were the same color green. The color of the flowers, etc. It was wonderful. I really enjoy good visualization. It really helps me connect to the book and the story.
I have to say that it was a sad story, of course there was happiness, but it still made me sad. I think it's just the prejudice that people with Down Syndrome or any other mental defect are faced with on a day to day basis. I cannot imagine what it would have been like in the 1960's where this book begins. There are so many misconceptions and wrong judgements about people with Down Syndrome and their abilities. I enjoyed reading about Caroline and how she dealt with overcoming the stereotypes of children with Down Syndrome. How she fought for her daughter and other children's rights for an equal education.
I really enjoyed this book. I liked the way it was laid out and I liked Kim Edward's style. It was a really great story and I would definitely recommend this book to others.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Family Pictures
Ok, I have some family pictures to share!! We just had them done a few weeks ago:
This picture is the whole Brumley, Jackson, and Hancock family (without Anna) :)
And this picture is the Brumley family picture. We haven't done one of these since I was probably 6 months old, so it's nice to have a new one!
This picture is the whole Brumley, Jackson, and Hancock family (without Anna) :)
Here are my gorgeous nieces. I love them so much! Aren't they beautiful?
This is the picture Steven and I will use for our Holiday Greeting card. It looks like Anna is smiling with us, doesn't it?
And this picture is the Brumley family picture. We haven't done one of these since I was probably 6 months old, so it's nice to have a new one!
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