Book Review: Reconstructing Amelia

"Everyone has beacons.  Lights that guide them home."

-Kimberly McCreight

I have been a reading machine this past week and a half!  I finished up Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern last week (book review will take place next month with Bon's Book Club) and last night I finished reading Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight.  Both were excellent reads and books on my 2014 Reading List.

I could not put Reconstructing Amelia down.  It was a riveting and sad story about a single mother whose daughter is found dead after being caught cheating on her English paper.  According to the initial investigation, Amelia jumped.  Then, in the weeks following her death, her mother receives a text saying "Amelia didn't jump."  Kate knows that deep down she has known this all along, but it launches an investigation into the life of Amelia, the private school she attends, and the secret clubs within that private school.

Kimberly McCreight did a fantastic job of demonstrating the impact social media has on our society, particularly teenagers, in this day and age.  Also, I found the relationship between Kate and Amelia heart-warming.  Their mother-daughter bond reminded me of Lorelai and Rory's bond in Gilmore Girls.

I would highly recommend this book!  Next up on my list is Dead Man Walking by Sister Helen Prejean. Have an excellent weekend!

Happy Birthday!

On Monday, my youngest brother celebrated his 15th birthday and boy did that make me feel old.  When I was fifteen, I was spending my days reading, studying, dancing, and hanging out with my friends.  I loved school and I was finishing up my freshman year at the junior high school and beginning my sophomore year at the high school.  It really doesn't feel like it was that long ago but that was ten years ago!

I hope my brother's 15th year is as wonderful as I remember mine being and I cannot wait to see what life has in store for this crazy kid.  He is a smart, funny, caring young man who towers over me with his over six foot frame.  Happy birthday Luke!

Wednesday Wedding Update

In case you didn't know, Frozen came out on blu-ray and DVD yesterday.  I stayed true to my word (read about it here) and purchased it at Target yesterday afternoon.  Aaron was gone last evening and I was off work so the movie went in to my DVD player as soon as I got home from the store and I loved it just as much as I did the first time.  Don't worry, I've already decided I'm watching it again Sunday afternoon so Aaron can enjoy it as well :).

As promised, I have a Wednesday Wedding Update for you today.  Not a whole lot has happened since my last post, but I will fill you in on a few small details.  Most of our Save the Dates have been mailed out and we finished registering.  Can I just say I love that technology allows us to update our registry online!  It has been marvelous.  I was so overwhelmed in both Target and Bed Bath and Beyond and I could tell that Aaron was ready to go so I just made a list of what we still needed and went home and did it online.  I've also added a few other items we forgot the first time.  It is seriously one of the best things ever!

This past weekend, we took Aaron's niece in to try on flower girl dresses but we still haven't come to a definite decision.  I really love this one by Alfred Angelo but I may end up having somebody make a dress instead.  

My hairdresser in Topeka has agreed to do my hair for the big day and I could not be more thrilled.  As Aaron says, I have attachment issues with places I have gone to forever (i.e. my doctor, my dentist, my bank, my hairdresser, etc.) and I have trouble trusting new places or people, so I am so thankful that my hairdresser is willing to make the hour drive for our big day.

Our to-do list is still pretty extensive, but I'm working on a few of the items right now.  Here is a rundown of what still needs to be done.

To Do List:

• Flower girl dress
• Music
• Bridesmaid shoes
• Jewelry
• Decorations
• Transportation for the wedding party
• Location for gift opening the day after the wedding
• Invitations/programs
• Wedding party gifts

163 days until the big day!  Happy Wednesday everyone!

Life Lately

As I mentioned in one of my posts last week, I haven't felt the greatest over the past few weeks.  The good news is I have had three very good days, so I should be back in full swing next week and it's going to be a blogging bonanza!  I had a request for a Wednesday Wedding Update so you can bet there will be one of those.  In the meantime, I have a few pictures to update you on what we have been up to lately.

Last weekend was both busy and relaxing.  Saturday morning, we ventured to Chapman with my mom and sister to visit my grandma.  My grandpa was sick otherwise he would have been in on the visit as well.  

Love this woman to pieces.  Three generations here folks.

Later that evening, we went to Kiku with Ryan's family to celebrate my other grandma's birthday.  I love the vibe and excitement at Hibachi restaurants and the food is always wonderful.  My aunt and uncle currently have a foreign exchange student from Denmark and it was her first time at a Hibachi restaurant and I think she really enjoyed it.

Sunday was a day filled with relaxation and cleaning.  It was a beautiful day so Aaron and I ventured to the nearby lake to walk the trails.  The wind was a little more brisk than I thought, but we had fun nonetheless.

Love this man.  Also, one of the few times he has worn tennis shoes instead of boots.

Tuesday, I spent the morning before work at my mom and Ryan's.  She was home with a migraine and I still wasn't feeling very well and the little cutie below was quite the cuddler.

My puppy niece, Marley.

On Wednesday I worked day shift so Aaron and I headed North to his parent's house to see his niece and nephews who are in town from Minnesota.  On our way, he took me by the Shoe Tree.  It stands near Wetmore, Kansas and the owner started putting shoes on it in 1985.  Crazy!

I work this weekend, but we are heading up to Aaron's parent's house again tonight to see his niece and nephews before they head back to frigid temps.  Hope you all have a great weekend!

Happy Friday

"Fridays are the hardest in some ways: you're so close to freedom."

-Lauren Oliver

The above quote is truly speaking to me right now.  One more eight hour shift before I have two days off.  I think this two day break will be refreshing, rejuvenating, and exactly what I need.

Here are a few random things to begin your weekend.  I've made it known time and time again that I loved the movie Frozen, so I was thrilled when it won not one, but two Academy Awards at the Oscars.  I was equally amused when I saw this tweet regarding the harsh winter we've had this year.

I'm certain you have heard this song as it's been on the radio for a while now and it's on the iTunes Top 100, but I just love it.  It's been my anthem these past few weeks.

I've started reading The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, another book on my 2014 Reading List, and I'm excited to dive into it.

We've got big plans on Saturday then we're in for a relaxing Sunday.  Don't forget we lose one hour of sleep this weekend!

On a different note, if there is anything you want to know or would like for me to write about, please leave a comment below.  Inspiration is always appreciated and I would be glad to answer any questions you may have!

Time

 "With endless time, nothing is special.  With no loss or sacrifice, we can't appreciate what we have."

-Mitch Albom

It has been a rough past few weeks on this ole' body of mine, so my motivation has been severely lacking. I'm hoping I'm on the uphill slope and my motivation to clean my house, wedding plan, and write will return.

For today, I have another book review.  I finished reading The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom, a book on my 2014 Reading List, this week and while I wouldn't say it was as good as some of his other books, I still enjoyed it.

The Time Keeper tells the story of a man named Dor who unknowingly invented something that would change the world forever.  Dor invented time.  His wife becomes ill and he goes off in search of a cure by climbing a tower to the gods.  Instead, the gods put him in a cave for hundreds of years where he is forced to listen to the voices of many begging for more time or wishing time would stop.  Intertwined are the stories of Sarah and Victor.  Sarah is in high school and sees herself as someone others pay no attention to.  Victor has terminal cancer.  Time means so much to these two lives and Dor does everything he can to teach them the true meaning of time.

There were a few paragraphs in the book that really resonated with me.

"Try to imagine a life without timekeeping.
   You probably can't.  You know the month, the year, the day of the week.  There is a clock on your wall or the dashboard of your car.  You have a schedule, a calendar, a time for dinner or  a movie.
   Yet all around you, timekeeping is ignored.  Birds are not late.  A dog does not check its watch.  Deer do not fret over passing birthdays.
   Man alone measures time.
   Man alone chimes the hour.
   And, because of this, man alone suffers a paralyzing fear that no other creature endures.
   A fear of time running out."

This could not be more accurate or more well-written.  I often wonder what life would be like if I didn't have a watch on my wrist, a phone in my pocket, or a clock on every appliance in my home telling me what time it is.  Time is often the cause of stress in my life, as I'm sure it is in yours as well.  Would my life be different if I just went through the day without paying attention the the hours?  I am positive it would be. Unfortunately, in this day in age our lives depend too much on time.  We have to be at work at this time, we have a meeting at this time, we have to have our bills paid by this day, etc.  Our society has perpetuated this "fear of time running out."

Another paragraph that hit me hard was this one:

"As mankind grew obsessed with its hours, the sorrow of lost time became a permanent hole in the human heart.  People fretted over missed chances, over inefficient days; they worried constantly about how long they would live, because counting life's moments had led, inevitably to counting them down.  Soon, in every nation and in every language, time became the precious commodity."

There is so much truth to this.

"People fretted over missed chances..."

• Every once in a while I think back on missed opportunities, lost friendships, and things I would have done differently all the while knowing there is nothing I can do to change the past.

"over inefficient days..."

• I often wish I would have had more time with both of my grandmothers, more days spent dancing, more days spent living in Lawrence, more time spent with my dearest friends.

Time is a precious commodity.  Ask any mother, father, daughter, son, sister, brother, friend, or co-worker. We have all wished for more time at one point or another.  However, without experiencing the end of time we cannot appreciate the present time.  I challenge you today to notice the good around you, to appreciate what you have right now at this very moment, and to remove what Mitch Albom refers to as the "permanent hole in the human heart" brought on by "the sorrow of lost time."