Kites, Bees and a Banana.....

It's been a while and thus there is some book catching up to do....thus I'll do my best to keep this brief.

The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini:

Hands down the saddest book I've ever read. The writing was great, the story compelling, and the main character is tragically heart-breaking despite his best efforts. Every time you think he will redeem himself and make things happily ever after you're wrong...which I guess makes it more true to life. Set in Afghanistan what I appreciated most was how it reminded me that REAL people live there. People with families, friends, hobbies, and kites. People who, by no choice of their own, have had their lives changed forever. People who aren't extremists. People trying to do their best and be happy. It's a feeling of remembrance I haven't been able to shake since I read the book and for that I am grateful.

The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd:

Years ago my friend Tara Bradshaw told me to read this book and it's been on my mind ever since....and finally I picked it up. Set in the south during the civil rights era, I was immediately interested. The characters are distinctive and endearing and I appreciate how they each have their own story. This book has it's fair share of sadness as well, but is ultimately redeemed by love conquering those things that divide us. It was a little slow for me at times...but that's just me and for the most part I really enjoyed it. C and I also went and watched the movie which I thought stayed impressively true to the book.

Banana Rose, by Natalie Goldberg:

I'd read the phone book if Goldberg was the author. I've read her writing books and memoir, but this was the first piece of fiction. At first I wasn't sure I'd love it because the characters lives were so different than what I'm prone to be interested in. But then she sucked me in with her development and emotion and by the end the characters were my friends. Aside from a part or two I would edit, I enjoyed the book. Most interesting to me was the main character's intense connection to place....sometimes at the expense of other aspects of her life. More than even people or activities she felt linked to a place that made her feel whole and allowed her to truly live.

Check out.....

Last Train Home by David Mead.

I stumbled upon his music today and it's hitting the spot. "Last Train Home" makes me want to smile and cry a little all at the same time. Always a good sign.

A day at the races....

Horse racing is alive and well. Who knew?
As we drove back from San Antonio the other day we noticed a race track and knew it must be our next adventure. Maybe we were some of the only people there (though the "regulars" were very hard-core and made the night all the more enjoyable and interesting), but we had a great time. And for $2.50 to get in (and no betting on our part)...it sure made a cheap excursion.



C studies the stats to pick a winner.

I relax as we wait for the next race.

Ahhhh...horse race food...eerily similar to sporting event or fair food.


C makes his prediction...

And the winner is..... ZOOMIN' CAT! No lie. If only we were the gambling kind.

Food, glorious food...

Last weekend C and I had what I dubbed "the day of food." We didn't initially intend on ALL of our Saturday activities to center around food...but hey, I'm not complaining. We started off the day by heading to Austin to check out Whole Foods, a store we had heard great things about. Let's just say we could have stayed there ALL DAY...and did indeed pass an hour or two looking at all the great foods, eating lunch, planning exotic meals we would now have the ingredients to make. Love it. While there C picked up some Japanese ingredients for the next portion of our day...Sukiyaki. When we got home he whipped up the delicious Asian meal and we've added it to the list of goodness. While pondering what to do later that night we did what came naturally and converted our grill into a smoker and smoked a salmon. Why not right? All in a days work.

Hilary the voice-less wonder...

After boasting over the weekend that neither C, nor myself, had gotten sick over the holidays...despite so many of those around us coughing and sneezing etc.....it hit me. The coughing, sneezing, congestion, headache. The whole bit. And then if it wasn't enough...it took my voice. I H-A-T-E losing my voice. Knowing there are conversations I'm not having, opinions I'm not expressing, cell minutes I'm not using....it's just too much.
While C and I were in Brasil a few years ago C awoke to me trying to speak. I had been little under the weather and had woken myself up by coughing. But something with my cough just wasn't right...I could tell by the sound...my voice was gone. In the hopes of proving myself wrong there I was in the middle of the night desperately trying to speak. We were in one of my areas and the next day was Sunday. There were people to love and hymns to be sung...and only a whisper escaping my lips.
Another time, while at Ricks College, I lost my voice (with no good reason or illness mind you) and my professor (love you Robyn Bergstrom!) told me it was my body's way of telling me to slow down and relax. Imagine me...a communications major in communications classes unable to communicate! I was a case study waiting to happen. My body's way of telling me to relax...my body's way of telling me to relax. Hmmmm. In honor of that sentiment I took a 2 hour nap today.

A day in San Antonio....

C and I FINALLY ventured down to San Antonio last week and saw the sights. We had a great time walking around the Alamo and the River Walk. To be honest, at first I wasn't sure why the Alamo was such a big deal (GASP!)....Remember the Alamo.....and so on....but by the end I think I was able to appreciate what it represents and it was fun to learn more about the history of Texas. Then we strolled the River Walk, had dinner, and just walked around that part of town. And don't let C's face fool you in the last pic...he LOVES when I take random pictures of him! Ha. It's actually one of my favorite "C faces"....makes me laugh every time.

An ode...as it were...

C and I only made it to the slopes one time over the holidays and although by the end of the day (who am I kidding...mid-day) my legs were screaming, my heart longed for more! We reminisced and missed days on the hill. So as an ode to a favorite past-time (and some favorite people) here's an old picture or two...and a great video...this is for you, Marty.

Listening to.....

A lot of Missy Higgins in the hopes of catching her show in Austin in February.
So many faves....some include:

Where I stood
Ten Days
Scar
Sugarcane
Steer
Special Two

And really, so many more....

Siao...

There were so many great things about our time in Logan. Here are just a few: