20 in 2010??

What started out as a very noble goal, to read 20 books in 2010, has fallen by the wayside. In the wake of Dustin's diagnosis and our search for a natural and God-patented cure, there seems to be very little time for reading. Unless of course you the countless articles on Type 1 in relationship to wheat and dairy allergies. Or maybe you would be so kind as to count the number of hours I spend searching the internet for a DF recipe (DF is my new term for Dustin Friendly, or maybe it could count for Diabetic Friendly or Dustin Friedman). Regardless, the idea of reading for pleasure hardly seems to exist anymore. Outside of the Type 1 whirlwind that is our lives, Dustin is busy in his first semester at school and I am using every free moment not at work post-processing images for the fabulous Cristi Owen. There just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day ;o)

BUT... I have managed to read three books so far in 2010. And they all have been SO good!!

Most recently I read The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks
I had to check out this book since the movie is out. I don't really have any desire to see the movie, but really wanted to check out the book. I love Nicholas Sparks' books, even though they seem to all be written in a very similar formula. This book was a heartwarming story of teenage romance, and the struggles between a daughter and father. It was heartwarming and made me cry. But by no means do I think that this was one of his best books. Overall, I would categorize this more as a young-adult book









Prior to that, I read Barefoot by Elin Hilderbrand.
I must confess that I originally bought this book to take on our honeymoon.  I saw the cover with three women and their feet in the sand and it looked like a good beach book.  And I wasn't wrong... unfortunately I read it from the comfort of my own home long after our fabulous honeymoon to Kauai.  This book is about three women who are trying to escape from different areas of their lives by taking a summer trip to Nantucket - with two small kids in tow.  One of the characters was recently diagnosed with cancer, and chooses to undergo treatment in Nantucket instead of in NYC where her husband is.  She takes their two kids with her and her friends, because she is coming to the reality that this may be her last summer.  The next character is a English Lit professor and is fleeing from a tarnished reputation at the university she teaches at.  And the last character is taking time to get her life in focus after she learned that her husband has been having an affair.  This book does a phenomenal job of intertwining all the characters into an incredible story of love and friendship.



The other book I read in 2010 was Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne.
Words can't even begin to describe how much I loved this book.  If you do read this book, be ready to have the way you look at life and faith absolutely transformed.  Shane Claiborne does a phenomenal job of showing what it means to live as an ordinary radical while walking in faith.  After all, Jesus was quite the radical and challenged almost everyone's way of thinking.  This book made me realize that sometimes we get so caught up in the political and legalistic views of what it means to be a Christian, that we forget Christs first commandment to us... to love!!  I can only imagine how the world would be today if we as Christ followers loved the world in the way that God intended us to!!  Talk about transformational!!   And for anyone who thinks that the idea of social justice can not go hand in hand with Christianity, please read this book!!  Maybe I will send Glenn Beck a copy  ;o)






And there you have it.  3 down.... 17 more to go!!

Here we go... again!!!

I have made several attempts in the last few years to blog. But typically, it is a trend for a few weeks (maybe even a month) and it fades fast. Just sitting somewhere in cyberspace as a brief chronicle to a moment in my life. Well I am hoping that things will be differenct this time around. There is so much that I would like to document in 2010!!

First, as a way to document our first year of marriage, Dustin and I have decided to take part in Project 365. We have to take one picture every day of the year. The rules are that we only have to be in one picture a month, the rest of the pictures can be of absolutely anything. We started on January 1st, and hope that this will be a really fun way remember our first year of marriage!!

Second, I made about a thousand new years resolutions this year (that can be discussed more in a later post) but one of them is to read 20 books in 2010. This may not seem ambitious to many people, but it seems VERY ambitious to me!! Last year I hardly read 5 books. My goal is to turn of the TV and read. So, as I read a book I will post my review on this blog, and hopefully this will keep me accountable. YIKES!!!

And lastly, I just want this to be a way to keep in touch with a few friends. Only time will tell if I am successfuly on this adventure, but wish me lots of luck!!