Insurgent

In case anyone was nervous that I wouldn't be able to fill the Harry Potter void in my heart, fret no more.

My life has now been made complete by Veronica Roth (and Bob Goff, but you knew that already). 

These books are outstanding. I could not put them down, and am slightly nervous that I won't make it to the fall of 2013 for the third book without some sort of breakdown. 

For those of you who can't read that title up top in reverse, here is the official Insurgent cover. This is the second book in the Divergent series, and it is one of the rare page turners that you can't ever quit reading. I kept finding myself wanting to go to sleep or skip church or run an errand, but then something else would happen to Beatrice Prior that I knew would be a big deal. And change everything. And I just couldn't stop there. Or 100 pages later. Or 150 after that. I sat on the edge of my seat for the last 48 hours with my palms sweating and heart racing, until all concluded.... WITH A CLIFFHANGER ENDING. Uggghhhhhhhhhh. I CAN'T WAIT TIL 2013 AFTER THAT! And because I love you, I won't spoil what's going on here and deprive you of being mad about this ending too. I need someone to commiserate with.

Being a young writer, Roth has certainly proved herself to be a great story-teller. These books have tons of action, a little bit of romance laced throughout, and provide an honest look at human nature. I hope that English teachers are using these books as tools because they are jam packed with great questions, perceptions, prejudices, and realities on life and the potential future of our world if left unattended to.

So I encourage you to go to your local Target, and pick up a copy today (as Target only began carrying them this week). 

Marked that off my prayer list on Friday. 

Let me know if you guys have read anything good lately, because I'm obviously only going to flounder around and complain about the void of good books the world has to offer at this point. And you know that I will always take book suggestions. 

XOXO

Happy reading!

Love Does

I just finished Love Does by Bob Goff. Bob Goff is an incredible man with some of the most inspiring stories I've ever read. What is so challenging about him is that anyone can do the kinds of things he does. 

He gives generously, never sparing an expense when it comes to showing his love to others. And what impresses me most is that he demonstrates love in tangible ways not only to those who are close friends, but also to those who are complete strangers. Like when he sent flowers to a woman that totaled his jeep, just to remind her that it was okay and that she was forgiven. Or like when he helped a kid he met on a walk propose to his girlfriend, and found a way to get the Coast Guard involved to make it an even more spectacular event than the kid had ever imagined it to be. Or like the time his children wrote to foreign ministers, and were invited to come visit 29 of them. He sold his car to pay for plane tickets for his family to travel to those places, because he knew that those would be lifelong experiences that his children would never forget.

I read these stories and am just flat out inspired and stirred up that he has learned to love and live in such a tangible and expressive way. A way that people long for, but don't have the gumption to just do.

He helps dreamers dream. He challenges you to live outside yourself. To see others first. To let others enthrall and captivate you with who they are. He makes no excuses. He says yes, even if its hard or uncomfortable. Because that is what living a life fully engaged is all about. Creating memories now that you'll never regret.

He reminds me so much of my favorite lesson that I took away from Blue Like Jazz. That we must love others simply because they exist. Why is that so hard to do sometimes? Why is it so unbearably easy to pick apart why you should/shouldn't do something, when you know it would mean the world to someone else? Maybe we don't give ourselves enough credit. Maybe we think that it wouldn't matter to someone, when in reality we are who they need in this season. Or maybe we don't like someone, so we want to withhold our love from them. But maybe it's in the overcoming of our flaws and issues and specks that we see past what we see, and are able to lay hold of what God sees.

If someone simply asked me to see a movie tonight, I'm more inclined to say no than yes. Why is that? I love spending time with people, and I never regret a minute doing it. But sometimes its just easier to stay at home. Or easier to finish my book, or watch a movie. Because that requires virtually nothing from me. When going out would mean I'd have to spend money, look presentable, get home late, and probably use up gas in my car. But is that really how God wants us to live? Secluded in our rooms with the TV on, completely MISSING an opportunity to engage with someone? To encourage them? To be encouraged by them? To swap life stories? To be reminded that we all need love and friendship and meaning and people to believe in us? We're meant to live bigger life stories than I think we can even dream up for ourselves, and sometimes it takes someone like Bob to point that out.

Closing the final pages was incredibly difficult for me, as this book is one that will ring in my heart for decades to come. And I know that I cannot simply 'walk away' from this one. This one was different.

If I could pull apart a few of the truths that I really want to carry with me, they would be related to doing more, loving more, and engaging more. And I realize that sounds kind of stupid, but after reading these compelling and awe-inspiring stories from Bob Goff, you realize how much more you could be doing. And by “you”, I mean “I”. Because I can get lazy. And forget to be intentional. And forget that I can matter. And those are terrible things to forget. Because at the end of the day, love does.

Vietnamese Summer Rolls

Cooking new foods is an invigorating process for me. I feel like I always get stuck in a rut with dinner, so finding new recipes and actually making them is a big step. This recipe for Vietnamese Summer Rolls I pulled from Pinterest, and literally had zero idea how they would turn out. I've never done any kind of roll or wrap before, but this one seemed easy enough to replicate. 

Ingredients for the rolls:

Handful of lettuce

Cilantro

Carrots

Rice sticks

Chopped mango (I used mango salsa)

Steak (the recipe didn't call for this, but I thought it'd be a nice addition)

Rice paper

Mint (the recipe calls for this, but I did not use it)

1. Soak the noodles in boiling water for 3 minutes or until soft. 

2. Cook steak (or meat of your choice in sesame oil)

3. Chop lettuce, cilantro and carrots

4. Dip the rice paper in water and soak for a few seconds. Dry off.

5. Put the cilantro, lettuce, noodles, meat, carrots and mango salsa on the first third of the wrap.

6. Fold over the end closest to you (where the ingredients are), fold in each side, then roll.

7. If you wanted to bake or fry the roll at this point, you could. However, eating them raw is great. And better for you. 

Ingredients for the dipping sauce:

4 tbsp soy sauce

4 tbsp warm water

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp rice vinegar (I used white wine since I didn't have rice vinegar on hand)

Ground ginger and/or garlic

Red pepper flakes

1. Mix all ingredients together. Make sure the sugar dissolves in the mix.

I highly recommend a dipping sauce of some sort (even if you don't use this one). The flavors are a little bit bland, although the mango salsa kicked it up a little bit. I really liked this dipping sauce, and you could probably do any variation of these ingredients, or any of your choice. 

I loved making this as it gave us a needed break from baked chicken, tacos, and spaghetti. They would be great for an appetizer at a party, or as part of a bigger meal. I really loved them, and hope you'll give these a shot! Here are some iPhone pictures of my ingredients, but I'll replace them with real pictures once I get them on my computer. 

Divergent

You guys, this book IS AWESOME.

 

I read it this past weekend and it was the PERFECT thing to get me over Harry Potter. If anything can get you over Harry Potter. 

Although dystopian novels are gaining popularity, this one does not disappoint. 

Society in futuristic Chicago is separated into 5 factions: Candor (the honest), Erudite (the intelligent), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), and Amity (friendship). At the age of 16, everyone must select which faction to align themselves with. And that faction then becomes your family and your way of life. Beatrice Prior grew up in Abnegation, but has questioned whether or not she is truly selfless enough to spend her life as a part of that faction: wearing the same gray clothes as everyone else, only seeing a mirror once every other month during a hair trim, and only focusing on others rather than herself. The book follows Beatrice as she selects her new faction, and follows through on the daunting initiation process.

I could not stop reading this book y'all. And of course I promptly ordered the second one on Amazon, AND IT ARRIVED YESTERDAY. But I'm wrapping up 'Love Does' by Bob Goff first, so I haven't started it yet. The third book in the series doesn't come out until 2013 - AND I'M PRAYING THAT THERE WILL BE MORE THAN THREE. I just hate waiting for these kinds of things. And if I love the books, I want there to be 29384729356129384 so I can always read them and work the characters into my daily life. Healthy right? :)

Let me know if you want to borrow this book... I love to share. 

Harry and Bob

Sorry for the meltdown a couple of days ago folks. I didn't mean to bear my soul in such a scary way. But in real life, it happens.


I finished the Harry Potter series last night. 

Twas the end of an era. 

The 7th book was epic. And I'm slightly embarrassed that it took me so long to read the series. I can understand why every man, woman, and child has loved it. Including Stephen King. Who was the one who convinced me to read it. 


I just ordered this guy from Amazon: 

as Bob Goff became so completely inspiring to me after reading A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller. I cannot wait for this to come in the mail. I even ordered a second copy as a gift as I have that much faith in how great it will be. Cheers to you Bob.

In other news, I feel like I've been thinking a lot about family lately, and am starting to get excited about when Patrick and I will have one of our own. We love Lucy and Bailey tremendously, but sometimes you want more than what a pet can provide (this coming from someone who is afraid that they will love their cat more than their firstborn). And yes I'm serious. 

We kept Libby Gray two weeks ago for a weekend, and we really had a blast. She is so fun and sweet and FULL OF ENERGY. I know my dad and Jill were grateful to have some time away from her constant chattering, so Patrick and I happily took up the post. We got ice cream, we went to the pool, we went down a waterslide, we went out to breakfast, and we drew on the driveway with sidewalk chalk. Little girls are very fun, especially ones like her who are completely more fearless than I ever was as a child. I love watching how open she is to new experiences. Occasionally it takes a little extra encouragement, but she always comes around. And when she does, she is ALL IN. 

At the creek in the park. Lucy got in so Libby Gray did too. Luckily she was still wearing her new Hello Kitty two-piece.

Going down the water-slide. Look how sweet she looks!

We couldn't have had more fun with this sweet little girl. And I pray that we will one day have one as cute and sweet as she is to call our own. 

I'm heading to make dinner after a really long, but good day. Lucy and Bailey are begging to be fed, and I'm dying for some reality tv. Which is severely lacking in my life these days. I know, hard to believe, but my job does make me actually work. 

It's worse than that, he's dead Jim.

Divorce is an ugly and terrible thing. And I know that anyone who reads this would agree with me.

Patrick and I were talking the other night about how parents have an obligation to each other, first and foremost. Their relationship has to be good, strong, and healthy in order for them to give their best to their children. Obviously that does not mean that the children are not cared for, nurtured, looked after, etc. But it does mean that the parents must first have a good foundational relationship and solid commitment to one another in order to raise children in a healthy environment.

But one thing that is tough for me is second marriages. Both parents, once divorced, and despite great difficulty, have to move on from one another. They pursue different interests, they move out, they get re-married, and eventually they have someone new that they are committed to.

That in and of itself is not a bad thing.

However, the Bible doesn't demonstrate the clear priorities of parents in second marriages. It seems to me that once the parents are initially split, they each have to then be responsible for the children, since they are no longer responsible to each other. Because if they are not responsible for the children, who else will be?

I hate divorce because it forces children to have to learn to nurture themselves at a young age. Especially once parents are re-married and have new families. Because the parents get to start over but the children do not. The children no longer have a 'home' in the traditional sense. They don't have a safe place anymore to let their guard down. Or to participate in all the traditions and customs they grew up doing. If the parents don't make a concerted effort to prioritize their children, then its easy for them to just get lost in the shuffle. To not feel a part of any family. And to have to work to be a part of their parent's new lives.

But how do you tell parents that you're still important? That you're still their child and you still need them? They might have other relationships in the mix, but is it wrong to think that you should still have a priority in their life? Shouldn't your parents know that you're important? That you missed parts of your childhood that can never be recovered? And that they are the people that can make that not scar not cut so deeply?

The children can't and don't want to be the adults. The nurturers of themselves and each other. That's not their role in a parent/child relationship.

So that leaves me wrestling with all of these thoughts right now. Because I don't have a great answer. And I think parents need to do what they need to do to be healthy, but sometimes that damages the children in the process. And the damages cannot be undone.

Which makes everything just messy. And ugly. And dumps truckloads of crap on the kids to deal with over their life-time. To force them to look for the missing pieces of their 'home' and 'childhood' and pick them up, dust them off, and figure out what to do with them.

Then to figure out how to hold all of those things, and not let them hurt any other surrounding relationships. But only to use them in a positive way that is edifying and supportive for others. But to not ignore them because they need attention, and processing. And you want to be certain that you won't grow up to be the same. But not letting them overwhelm you or steal your joy or make you feel ungrateful.

All while not falling apart.

Is it even possible?

Job Perks and Life Snapshots

So it looks like my most recent posts have just been a compilation of pictures I've taken over the last week or two. Which I'm okay with. We've had birthdays, our anniversary, and just random work stuff going on. Patrick started a new job 3 weeks ago so he's making the horrendous Buckhead commute as well. 


But on the upside, we have had some incredible new perks at my work that make me really LOVE going into the office (and bearing the terrible commute). First of all, we now have a fully stocked beer fridge. Praise God. Working in client services has the tendency to drive you to drink. And I'm not ashamed. Secondly, we now have 'Freestyle Fridays' which means - no meetings, no check-ins, and don't come into the office. Everyone works from home on Fridays now, so all of our catered Friday events will be moved to Monday. As well as our weekly massages. Thirdly, and on that same note, we can now work from home 4 days a week! I'm doing a bootcamp with work on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so I will not be participating in all four days, but having the option is awesome. Lastly, we now have the option of getting our car washed and detailed once a month, AS WELL AS getting our HOUSE cleaned once a month. Can the benefits get any better!? Poor Patrick is finally going to have a clean house. He's going to be so excited! 


So with that said, here are some snapshots from the last two weeks. I have a lot of pictures on my nice camera, but haven't had a chance to upload those yet. But they'll be on their way soon! I hope. :)

KILLER butt work-out from Natalie at Fresh Life Findings. Trust me, you need to this. And if you think it's hard, remember that Natalie runs for 2+ miles AFTER completing it. Ugh. Over-achievers. Jk. :)

This is a pretty hilarious card I gave Patrick for his birthday. Sorry for the lack of class on this one. :)

One of the pieces of jewelry Patrick gave me for our anniversary. It's so beautiful!

MY GLORIOUS NEW FOOD PROCESSOR. I'll post more pictures of my recipes soon.  This is my first batch of salsa in it. It was pretty awesome.

We went to Lake Wylie for Memorial Day weekend, and spent LOTS of time with this little bug. 

My perfect morning.

Love watching the sunrise on the dock. Sweet iPhone picture too, I'm pretty impressed.

The King of Pops came to visit at work!

My Georgia Peach popsicle that I have attempted to replicate at home. Pureed peaches and agave nectar. Pretty hard to beat. 

Do you see what I see? Apparently 'vajazzling' is a popular trend that is exactly what you think it is.  'To bedazzle oneself in the nether regions'. You're welcome.

Our newly hung wine racks!!! They are awesome and look great against the dark gray wall.  If only we had an unlimited wine supply to populate these racks... then we'd be in business.

My newest piece of home decor. An antler from Alaina at Recycled Interiors.

Make sure to check out Natalie's blog for her great work-outs and recipes! They are all really awesome, and if you see how fit she is, you'd be crazy not to take some advice from her! I'm still hobbling around after that butt work-out. 

Healthy Recipes

On Sunday, I had the privilege of visiting the Dekalb Farmer's Market for the first time. Its a hike from our house, but we had gone out to lunch in Decatur for my brother's birthday. And of course Patrick was practically BEGGING me to go since we'd never been before. Not. I had to drag Patrick kicking and screaming(which surprisingly stopped once he realized that the beer and wine section at the Farmer's Market was OPEN. ON SUNDAY. AND THAT HE COULD BUY STUFF). I'm not complaining though. He was a good sport, as Sunday has to be the absolute worst time to go. 


The main reason I wanted to go was to switch out some 'traditional' ingredients and foods for some healthier ones. We have a Whole Foods near us, but it is so expensive that we don't go in that often. That and I get kind of annoyed with the whole health food thing. And the people involved. And I can't bring myself to buy flour at Whole Foods for $78 when I don't know that it'll be that much better for me. Or worth my $78. Because I would kind of rather spend that money on shoes. 


So the Farmer's Market is the perfect place (in my mind at least) to swap out a few old things, try a few new things, and learn some different ways to prepare your food. For dirt cheap.


So I bought a bunch of fruit and vegetables, but I also bought flax seed, hard wheat, couscous, millet, and raw un-pasteurized honey. Now the couscous doesn't really fit into the 'abnormal' category by any means, but buying 2 pounds for $1.10 was AWESOME. 


Once I got back, I went to Patrick's house to use his mom's wheat grinder. Because she has an incredible blueberry muffin recipe that is to die for. And it is completely guilt free. 


I wanted to give you guys the recipe because I love it so much, and could eat muffins and pastries as my sole source of sustenance if they weren't terrible for you. So why not find ways to make them better? And this is definitely the better way to go.

Here is the recipe:

2 1/4 cups freshly ground wheat (you want to use it within hours of it being ground or the nutrients start to deplete)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder (aluminum free)

1 cup buttermilk (I used nonfat Kefir - its like Greek yogurt)

1 egg

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup raw honey, unpasteurized

1-1.5 C organic blueberries

1 tsp organic cinnamon

1 tsp organic vanilla

(I added a handful of millet because it is high in vitamins and gives an extra crunch)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix the dry ingredients together, then add the wet ingredients. Add batter to muffin pan. Cook for 15 minutes.

My other favorite recipe that I made this week was MANGO SALSA. I've posted the recipe before, but since its been awhile, here it is again:

3 mangoes

1 red pepper

1 cucumber

1 red onion

handful of chopped cilantro

lime juice to taste

*this time I also added some mint leaves from my yard

Chop everything up and voila! The PERFECT mango salsa. It's great on tacos and turkey burgers. And anything in between. I would give vats of it as gifts but I eat it too fast to give it away. :)

Boot camp at work starts next week, so I'm excited to have some more regularity to my work-outs. Mine and Ginny's schedules are now opposite, so my main motivation is now gone. But hopefully this free bootcamp class twice a week will get me back in gear.

PS - I tried a lemon kale pasta the other day, and I'll do my best to post the recipe. The jury is still out on this one. Ginny loved it, but kale and I are not quite warm and fuzzy yet. 

Camping, Rafting, Graduating, Etc.

It's been a great few weeks. We've been moderately busy, Patrick started a new job, and we've had some good weekend outings with friends. Spring is so nice for that sort of thing, and I think my blood pressure has dropped a good bit. That could also be in part due to my increased wine drinking as of late, but that's of course hard to measure.

In other news, today is our FOUR YEAR anniversary, and we're celebrating by going to Bistro Niko in Buckhead tonight. According to the Bert Show, it has the best bathrooms. Praise God.

Here is a look at my recent life through my iPhone: 

Libby Gray graduated from preschool! Look at that cute little bug in the green dress. 

We went camping with some friends up at Red Top Mountain. And Lucy slept here. In our tent. On my sleeping bag.  Yes it was just as terrible as it sounds. SHE IS 60 POUNDS FOLKS. And the tent was so spacious that we had to keep our bags in the car. :) It was still great fun though. And Lucy is very easy and sweet. Just very affectionate.

Last weekend we went whitewater rafting for our friend Liz's birthday. It was hilariously fun, and I have bruising down my left leg to prove it. :) Our guide was a little bit aggressive, which 80% of the time made it more fun, and 20% of the time made me want to quit and walk home. But I put on my bravest face and have great battle scars to show my domination of the Ocoee River.

This is a shot from our camping trip at Red Top Mountain. Just a little 6 mile hike before lunch. Had we known it'd be that long, then we would have packed a lunch. But Lucy loved it and we couldn't keep her out of the lake. 

[FOR THE HOME]

Newly recovered chair in our office. I need a bright pillow for it but haven't had the time to look for one yet. 

Just ordered one of these babies that I am THRILLED about receiving! It will go in the room with the Anthro bedding in the last picture. Check out this girl at Recycled Interiors for her great design ideas, crafts, etc.

My purse rack from GoodWill that I bought for $2.67. 

Wine racks that hang on the wall like a shelf. I'll probably put wine bottles in one, and pictures in the other? The tough part will be figuring out how to hang these guys. As Patrick and I aren't the handiest of folks.

My new euro shams from Anthropologie (my happy place).  I LOVE THEM. A lot. And I have lots of Pinterest-y ideas for the room now, that I probably won't ever get around to. But now I wish I had a million dollars to Anthro in order to furnish the rest of the room to match the bedding. And you can't furnish a room from here without a million dollars.

Not sure what color to paint the walls though? 

Happy to let you in on my life these days. Hope you all have a great weekend!

Love love.

Bucket Lists

A good friend asked me last weekend what was on my bucket list. And honestly, I don't have one. I'm not an adrenaline junkie, and I'd rather die than go skydiving or bungee jumping (thanks to the story where the girl's bungee cord BROKE). 

I'd rather just see every country of the world and meet as many people as I can. So I figured my best attempt at a bucket list would just include some of the places I want to visit or things I want to see. Here is my destination bucket list, and I'd love additional recommendations on things to add, as I'm sure I've barely scratched the surface of what is available in the world. 

Visit outdoor markets in Instanbul and Mumbai. Take a gondola ride in Venice. Camp on the Great Wall of China. See the cherry blossoms in Japan. See the Northern Lights. Hike to the villages of Cinque Terre. See kites being flown in Afghanistan. Sit by the ocean on the Amalfi Coast. Ride a bike in Beijing. See the fjords in Norway. Drink wine in Tuscany. 

Oooorrrr basically do everything that these guys did in their year around the world (minus the skydiving). I would even do all the overnight hiking/camping treks because they look too stunning to miss. I'd need grace from everyone on how oily my hair would be in all the pictures, but hats are always an option!

Traveling is basically a drug to me, and if I could have any luxury in the world it would be to see everything there is to see before I die. (This makes me grateful for my no vacation limit at work, but also makes me sad because I don't have millions of dollars and Patrick does have a vacation limit. Rats). Here are some photo gems stolen mostly from Matt and Taylor, in case you needed any reason to believe that their journey was anything less than incredible:

Cheers to dreaming of traveling the world.