new blog

This blog has been relocated to http://literarywife.wordpress.com.

My goal of reading William Allen White award winners has turned into something larger than I had imagined. I have been busy at work writing articles for Examiner, specifically about Children's Books. Check out my personal webpage here:

http://www.examiner.com/x-38206-Topeka-Childrens-Books-Examiner

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I've never been a very good listener. I can be, if I try really, really hard, but it doesn't seem to come naturally for me to sit and listen intently for more than 15 minutes. This is not something that I am proud of or okay with. I believe that, if we treasure our relationships, we must be willing and able to listen to the people around us with intentionality. It is for that reason that I have decided to "read" some of my books for my yearly goal, on CD. The public library here has plenty of young adult books recorded on CD and I spend enough time in my car that I have the time to listen to a few this year.
Last night, I drove to Wamego to watch my brother and cousin play basketball, and decided to try it out. I started listening to Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli and boy, did I have a hard time paying attention. Luckily, the CD is set up in tracks that are divided by chapters, so it was very easy to skip back to the beginning of the chapter. I have always been a confident reader, but listening. . . This could take some work.

A few wedding photos

Me and my handsome man



An intimate moment with my daddy



My favoritest girls in the whole world



Steve and his favoritest guys in the world



My amazing family, at our finest

A Resolution

For this new year, 2010, I have decided to pursue again my love of literature and the beauty that is this thing called a book. I remember working in the library with Abby and poring over lists and reviews of recommended novels, hoping someday to read them all. Well, I am starting fresh and setting a new goal. I am going to be working from 2 different lists, one that is the William Allen White award winners from the year 1985 to the present. The other being The Modern Library's list of the 100 Best Novels. I hope to read all of the award winners and at least 20 of the Best Novels. Hopefully, I will get the chance to write reviews of some of the books on this blog, revisiting my days of writing as well. If you get a chance to look at either of these lists, which can be found online or in your local library, feel free to recommend my next read. For now, I begin my journey with The Great Gatsby. . .

I am officially a Mrs. My wedding day was quite possibly the best day of my life. Having the people that I love most in the world gathered to celebrate the love that Steve and I have, supporting us in the beginning of our life together, was more than I could ask for. I do tend to be nostalgic, and I'm sure November 21, 2009 will be a day that I think about a lot throughout my life. I do have to say, however, that the engagement period is one of the most awkward stages of life. Of mine, at least. Now that I have moved in with Steve, I feel as if I can move on with the rest of life. Time kind of stood still for the past 6 months, putting me in a precarious position of struggling to move forward with friendships and life decisions. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed being engaged. I loved living in Wamego with my family. In fact, Steve is already annoyed because I keep saying, "I miss my brothers." But that part of my life was just a transition period, and I am more than happy to be living with and spending the most time with the man that I love the most in the world.

I am officially a commuter. I live in Wamego and work in Manhattan, so every morning and evening, I drive twelve miles of Highway 24. The speed limit is 70 mph, but I choose to go 60 because it saves gas. I'm one of THOSE people, I know. So, it's interesting to watch all the cars (and I do mean ALL the cars) pass me by. I'm starting to see the same cars every morning, including one with the license plate ALWYSL8. And trust me, if his speed says anything, he definitely is. Today, I was especially observing the tremendous speed and carelessness of the drivers around me. I just can't imagine living a life in which you have to drive 85 mph on the highway to work and eat your breakfast and talk on your cell while driving, recklessly cutting off drivers just for a spot ahead in the commuter crowd. I hope I never resort to that kind of lifestyle.