Jump, Jump...Jump Around

Can you tell there's a difference in personalities?  :)

2011: My Year In Books

2011 proved to be a good year for me in reading books.  I definitely picked up the pace compared to 2010.  Pretty sure a baby with no more ear infections and sleeping through the night has a lot to do with that.  :)  So here is my recap in no particular order:

The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls - I really loved this book.  I always enjoy true stories, and this one was pretty incredible and an inspiring story of resilience.  It's very well-written and engrossing.

Half-Broke Horses by Jeanette Walls - So this is the prequel to The Glass Castle.  I wish I had read them in chronological order.  But I was still pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book.  It's set during the turn of the century out on horse farms most of the time.  Not what I usually gravitate to, but I couldn't put it down and really loved the main character.

Hotel On The Corner Of Bitter & Sweet by Jamie Ford - I enjoyed this book, but it probably ranked on the lower end of the ones I read this year.  It's a novel but based during the WWII days when Japanese Americans were sent to internment camps.  I really have not read a lot about this part of our country's history.  Obviously hard to comprehend.  There is a sweet story of friendship woven in.

Open by Andre Agassi - I love a good biography and decided to read this way before I started taking tennis lessons.  I wish I could read it for the first time (I'm horrible at re-reading books) now that I understand the game of tennis so much more.  But it was still surprising to read about someone's rise to success but see that they still feel isolated and lonely.  Very sad at times but definitely interesting.

Crazy Love by Francis Chan - I had heard of this book and of Francis Chan for awhile, and then in April we were able to hear him speak at a conference.  Wow.  This guy is impressive.  It's always refreshing to see what appears to be the real deal in a very public Christian leader.  I liked the book, but I'm thinking because I had heard so much of it already, it didn't have the impact I've heard so many others talk about.  Still all very applicable and good.

Still Alice by Lisa Genova - This was one of my favorites of the year.  It was also one of the hardest to read.  I had just come back from visiting my grandfather, who has severe Alzheimer's.  The novel is based on a college professor who is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's.  It's from her perspective as the warning signs start to appear.  Disturbing and sad, but also gave me such a different perspective knowing that someone I love has gone through something similar. 

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand - This one took me awhile to really get into.  But once I did, oh my word.  I couldn't put it down.  I will say, though, it is disturbing at times.  Pretty sure I had some odd dreams while I was reading this.  It's the true story of a WWII pilot that was lost at sea for an insane amount of time on a raft and then held in a Japanese POW camp.  Everything about his story is incredible and terrifying.  But I loved that there is some hope to his story in the end even after the suffering.  And another personal moment (SPOILER ALERT) was when he was finally rescued from the POW camp, he was on a bus with others rescued from the Bataan Death camps.  My grandfather was part of the team that liberated those prisoners.  Kind of neat to realize some connection. 

The Hole In Our Gospel by Richard Stearns - Well this book (and video study with our Small Group at church) had a huge impact on me.  It was a perfectly placed step in my search early in the year.  His basic premise is that the missing hole in the American Christian Gospel is living out our faith and serving those that need it the most.  We were going through this study when I found out about the trip to Haiti.  The part of the book that stayed with me the most was his prayer of "Lord, break my heart for what breaks yours."  This book opened my eyes in a new way, and I'm so thankful for the chapter it helped lead to in my life.

Bossypants by Tina Fey - Hilarious.  Seriously, she is funny.  Very interesting to see how her career progressed. Loved all of the stories and even easy to relate to after she had her baby.

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty - If you've seen the movie, The Vow, this book is pretty much the same thing (although much better!) but instead of a young, single girl, it's a middle-aged mom.  She wakes up in a hospital after an accident and is fine physically but has forgotten the past 15 years of her life.  Interesting and easy to read, good story.

Any great ones out there to recommend for this year?  If you're like me, you like to get actual recommendations from people you know.  So here are my lists from 2010, 2009, 2008 and 2007.  I wonder if this is the year I'll finally tackle the Benjamin Franklin biography and/or Jane Eyre?  Those have been on my to-read list for about a decade.  Procrastinate much?

Happy Reading!

TOT Time

This is the second year that Tate has participated in TOTs (Teams of Tomorrow) at preschool.  He LOVES it.  TOT days are some of his favorite days.  They don't compete in basketball games, but learn ball-handling skills, coordination, with educational components mixed in.  Now in his second year, he is a pro.  I'm so proud of him as he has got the routine down good.  So mid-year, they do a halftime performance at a local high school basketball game.  I think he loved watching the game just as much as performing.  And especially enjoyed yelling (loudly), "Get the ball back!!!" whenever the defense stole the ball.  I think we've got a competitor our hands.  :)

I also couldn't believe how much bigger he looked this year compared to last.  And you can tell a year makes a big difference in coordination.  He did a great job dribbling the ball, and he had so much fun.

He had a cheering section with us and Mimi & Grandpa.  Fun night!

And later that same week, the TOT teams from all over DFW were able to participate in a pregame show at the Harlem Globetrotters game at the American Airlines Center.  Pretty fun to get to be on the same court as the Dallas Mavericks.  Although Tate's biggest question was how in the world there could be a basketball game, hockey game, and a circus all at the same place?  :)

He did so good out on the big court, and we were so proud of our Tater Tot.  Then we got to stay for the game.  None of us had ever been to a Harlem Globetrotters game before.  Wade got a good laugh when I was so excited that our tickets were for the league championship game.  I guess ALL of their games are for the league championship game.  :)  They were definitely entertaining.

We had some extra tickets, so two of Tate's friends, Noah & Caleb, joined us.  A car full of three 5-6 year old boys is loud...in case you were wondering.  But these boys had a blast together and especially enjoyed being covered in a layer of cotton candy gunk.  I had to borrow a baby wipe from the lady in front of me to clean them off!

 Such a fun night!