Thoughts about Parents

I've started reading Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. It is far more captivating and thought provoking than that silly Jane Austen book I was reading yesterday (sorry, Katie! I'll probably pick it back up soon though.)

Gilead is a letter written by a dying minister to his son. I'm only several pages in and I've had so many thoughts. First I thought how neat it would be if, one day, my parents had written me some letter telling me how they really feel about life and the world and all the lessons they learned. How candid and sweet it would be. But then I thought about my relationship with my parents. They are pretty candid now. I decided I would not like to wait to learn all that they had to teach me. I'm very glad that I can call my mom about any problem and she can help me see some reason.

I have a lot of friends who are parents, and while Jacob and I aren't quite ready to start a family yet, I do think about it. I think I want to be the kind of parent who talks openly with my kids. I'm a real, flawed person. I have opinions and desires and experiences. I hope that I'll have the sort of candid and constant relationship with my child that I don't need to write a letter for when I'm gone. I hope my children will cooperate with this plan. :)

Mom and Dad, thanks for putting up with all my whining, disobedience, and bad decisions over the years. Now that I'm turning into a grownup, I'm starting to realize just how amazing you are and have been to me over the years. Love you guys.

Exciting news!

So very exciting news for two very dear friends (and bridesmaids!) got engaged to their respective mans over the holidays!


Megan and I have been friends since we were two years old. Although she moved away in elementary school and our penpal-ship has been... rocky at best over the years (it was totally my fault!), we have stayed very close and since freshman year in college have learned just how similar we still are. She and her honey, Matt, are looking to get married this July (and I get to be the matron of honor!! I'm so excited!)



Grace and I met when we were in middle school, and ended up living together for 3 years in college. She and I have seen each other through all our crazy times learning who we were, how to be grownups, and how to survive this awful thing they call "classes". She and her man, Nathaniel (who I studied with in undergrad) are also looking forward to a summer wedding. I know it will be beautiful!


On a totally different note, I recently asked many friends via facebook for book suggestions and I'm starting to slowly make my way through the list. Which you can look at here

So far I've read:

• The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho,
• 2 short stories by William Faulkner (The Evening Sun Go Down and A Rose For Emily)
• I'm about 6 chapters into Jane Austen's Persuasion.

I am actually really enjoying trying new things. It's not like I have any expectations out of reading these books, or that I am trying to finish them in any sort of reasonable time-frame, but somehow it makes me feel less sad while my husband does super smart academic things like learn his 5th language (English, Greek, Hebrew, Syriac, and now Latin) or do research on topics that I can't even understand! (Fyi - He and his friends blog about these endeavors here).

If you have any other book suggestions for me, feel free to comment. :)

Gardening in 1975

Last night Jake and I went up to a local college. After visiting a comic book store, a used bookstore and my second ever Bubble Tea (much tastier than the first time I tried it.), I came home with a book on vegetable gardening. First of all, there are not very many books on vegetable gardening... Hundreds and hundreds of books about flowers, but if you wanna grow some food, you are on your own.

I started reading mine in bed last night. The author keeps talking about how vegetable gardening is gaining popularity due to the energy crisis and the high cost of food, not to mention the economic downturn... this book was written in 1975.

So I spent a little time on wikipedia this morning: 1975 - Watergate had just happened, and the Vietnam War, which had started almost 15 years previously, would FINALLY end that year in April. There was of course the ongoing Cold War, and they started Daylight Savings time in February because of an energy crisis. Wheel of Fortune started that year, which I thought was kinda fun. The world population was only 4 billion (we're at 6.8 billion now.) Apple Computer would be founded the next year and they're about to land on Mars.

And apparently, people liked to grow their own food.

I've already learned a lot from this book, but mostly, it's kinda fun to be connected to the gardening divas from 35 years ago.

Oh, and I have several sprouting cucumbers and romaine lettuces inside already!!!! :-)