Blog-tember Day 12

I'm linking back up with Bailey again today for Blog-tember.  Today's topic is: three books!

1. Book I've Just Read: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
    Oh y'all.  Loved this book.  Loved it.  I love reading anything about World War II, the lives of people who lived during it (I know this book is fiction...), and I just find it all so interesting.  It happened and I don't want to forget it happened.  Anyway....this book is about two sisters in France in WWII and their own paths they take during the war.  I couldn't put it down.

2. Book I'm Currently Reading: A Prayer for Owen Meany: A Novel by John Irving
    I'm a little late to the party on this one.  It was published in 1989 and the movie "Simon Birch" is based on it.  But I liked the movie when I saw it years ago and so here I am reading the book.  It's about two best friends, one with some type of physical growth abnormality, and the death of one of their mothers by the friend.  So far, it's interesting.

3. Book I Want to Read: The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander 
    I read Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson and I was pretty riveted by it.  Every other chapter tells the story of Walter, a wrongly-accused, poor, black man on death row.  The other chapters speak to the inherent inhumanity of the justice system and prison system.  It's just a really eye opening book. I've heard good things about The New Jim Crow as well, so I want to read it.  Race and racial disparity is such a prominent topic in our society today and I want to educate myself.

I'm always looking for books to read, so I can't wait to see what others suggest!

Blog-Tember Day 7

I'm a little late to hop on this train, but I thought I'd try to follow along with Bailey.  Two babies, school work, and new home chores may get in my way a bit and I highly doubt I'll be able to post every day of the challenge, but I'll do my best!

Today's challenge: Five things that bring you joy.

1. Hadley and Griffin.  This is probably so cliche but I can't even handle the amount of joy my children bring me.  It still tickles me to say, "my children" because how am I old enough to have not just one, but [TWO] children?? But here I am and every day I feel like my heart could just burst with pride and joy and these two humans that I made.  It gives me such a precious glimpse into just how much the Father must love me.  Unconditional.  Full of grace.  Pure, whole love. Shew!





2. Christmas.  I'm the one you love to hate.  The one who starts listening to Christmas music in July.  The one with the countdown on Facebook.  The one who puts up decorations on Thanksgiving and takes them down after the New Year has already rolled in.  It's magical, it's beautiful.  Everyone seems to be kinder around the holidays.  And I'm passing that love onto my kids because just yesterday Hadley asked to put Christmas music on to dance to.  Yesssss.





3. Spending time with my family.  There is just something about spending time with my family that heals my soul.  I grew up close to my mom, my aunt and uncle, my cousins, and my grandparents.  We were always getting together and most of my favorite memories from childhood involve them.  Now that I'm married and have babies, I love spending time with them.  Day trips to pick apples, lazy days spent in pajamas, date nights sans kids...these are my people and man, they are so much fun.





4. Travel. I don't get to do much of this anymore (adulting is so hard!), but I love experiencing new cultures and broadening my horizons.  One of my favorite summers was spent studying abroad in Belgium during college.  For our honeymoon, we spent two weeks in Hawaii discovering everything Honolulu and Maui had to offer- not just laying on the beach (how boring!).



5. Coffee.  Let me just preface this with: I. Need. All. The. Coffee.  My blood runs orange (Go Tigers!) but there is a whole lot of coffee running through these veins as well!  Not to mention the word "coffee" is actually in the name of my blog....so, there's that.  But I will literally wake up in the middle of the night and think, "only a few more hours before coffee."  If I could drink coffee all day I would.  The first sip of coffee is easily in the running for "best part of my day".

 

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A lot of things bring me joy and these are just a few, but oh, I love them!