Anniversary gift

I dropped a not so subtle hint (a printout of exactly what I wanted, as well as another printout of all the places that carry them... along with a note that said OUR ANNIVERSARY IS IN TEN DAYS) into Mike's lap a few days ago. He played dumb, not understanding at all.

I have had his anniversary gift researched and in my possession since April (and am growing excited to give it to him soon!) It was kind of expensive, BUT since we have never exchanged an anniversary gift before and this IS a milestone year, I justified the gift. He's worth it and I hope think he will like it!

I hope he doesn't mind... in case he doesn't get the item that I wanted (a specific scented Yanke candle - now on clearance), "he" may have purchased me a book that I had been wanting.

Thanks for remembering our anniversary, honey... I love my new book and can't wait to read it!


• • • • •

The joke was on me! He had been scheming and planning an anniversary surprise since February and had even gotten my parents in on it.

I was surprised with a sunset dinner cruise on the same boat that married us while my parents watched the boys. It was lovely.

And, for the record, he took Sydney out shopping and they bought my "that silly candle".

:)

Independence Day 2013 invites

Earlier this week, I made our party invites for our annual Independence Day celebration.

Tonight, I printed out the insides of the invite onto paper and adhered it with a simple loop of tape inside.

On the bottom, it says:

NOTE: Card can be re-used to send to our troops by removing this inside sheet.

On the back of the card, I wrote:

– MADE IN THE USA –

DUBUQUE, IA

I'm providing our GUESTS with a blank envelope as well, for mailing of the card to a service man or woman. I'm pretty PROUD to be an American; perhaps, if I time it right, they will get them in the mail before FLAG DAY (June 14, 2013)

Boston

On my Bucket List, I have some RUNNING listed.

110. Train for and run a 5K
111. Train for and run a 10K
112. Train for and run a half-marathon

I wanted to be realistic with my goals and ambitions.
A full marathon? Twenty-six miles?
I don't think so. NO WAY!

Even the half-marathon is pushing it, but I have to set my sights on SOMETHING, right?

Currently, I don't think I could run around the block; however, it IS a very hilly block.

And with my MS diagnosis, I didn't know if running really SHOULD be on my list. (Once again, I have been SO FORTUNATE since my diagnosis.)

When you mention MARATHON, my mind immediately goes to the Boston Marathon. That's the only FAMOUS one I really know of. (That was BEFORE the horrific 2013 explosions at the finish line.)

My heart goes out to all of those victims of that crime.
How terrible. How sad.

Weekly glance

Something has annoyed me (more than once) and I have to get it off my chest - simply for venting purposes.

Hanging on our fridge, is a dry-erase calendar that shows ONE WEEK at a time. I update this calendar every single week YET I am starting to get annoyed when I am asked "What time is your book club TONIGHT?" when the calendar clearly indicates that it is in three more days... or how when the actual book club night arrives, it is suddenly "A SURPRISE" that I won't be around that night and how hubby WISHED that he had been told so that he could nap/plan accordingly.


So, I wonder...
WHO 
am I writing this calendar for?


Please tell me that I am not wasting my time, writing it for just myself. Please tell me that it makes OUR LIVES EASIER to see the entire week on the fridge. Please tell me that you will start to acknowledge it and pay attention to it. (It would make me feel better, I think.)

TWENTY-thirteen Completed Reading List

JANUARY 2013
1. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society  January book club
2. Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood 1.13.13
3. The Art of Racing in the Rain 1.16.13

FEBRUARY 2013

4. Marry Him: The Case for settling for Mr. Good Enough 2.1.13
5. Bossypants 2.4.13
6. The Fault in our Stars 2.8.13
7. The Jane Austen Marriage Manual 2.16.13  February book club

MARCH 2013

8. Left Neglected 3.5.13
9. Love Anthony 3.21.13
10. Y: a novel 3.25.13  March book club
11. The curious incident of the dog in the night-time  3.29.13

APRIL 2013

12. Until I Say Good-Bye: My year of living with Joy 04.07.13
13. The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards 04.18.13
14. My Mother was Nuts 04.25.13

MAY 2013

15. When in doubt, add butter 05.02.13

16. The Perks of Being a Wallflower 05.06.13

17. State of Wonder 05.14.13 May library book club
18. Wife 22: a novel 05.22.13  June book club

JUNE 2013

19. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry 06.10.13  July/Aug/Sep book club
20. The Postmistress July library book club

JULY 2013

21. Smart Women 07.13.13
22. Speedbumps: Flooring it through Hollywood
23. Fall Down Laughing 07.25.13
24. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years 7.30.13

AUGUST 2013

25. Where'd you Go, Bernadette? 08.10.13

26. The Art of Fielding 08.31.13  September library book club

SEPTEMBER 2013

27. The Beautiful Ruins 09.18.13
28. The Ocean at the End of the Lane 09.29.13

OCTOBER 2013

29. The Silent Wife 10.11.13 October book club
30. Just What Kind of Mother are You? 10.16.13

NOVEMBER 2013

31. Sisterland 11.1.13
32. The Night Circus - 11.3.13 November library book club
33. WILD: From lost to found on the Pacific Coast Trail 11.22.13  November book club
34. Revenge wears Prada 11.27.13

DECEMBER 2013

35. The Chaperone 12.30.13  January library book club

started, but not finished Life after Life (Jill McCorkle)

started, but not finished Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker January HER book club

started, but not finished The Help 

IN PROGRESS
The Help  - in progress, started on vacation 2/2013... will eventually hope to get back to it

My (hopeful) reading List for Twenty-thirteen

I keep writing down book titles that I want to read and then, in my disorganized state, I can't find where I put the list(s) – until I find one or more of them at a later date. While it IS nice to stumble upon my own handwriting, which I am often accused of it looking "too perfect", I have decided that I will just go HERE on this blog and I will start my list (and likely add to this post as the year goes on.)

BOOK CLUB READS 2013:
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society •DONE•
The Jane Austen Marriage Manual •DONE•
The Bad Girl
The Fault in our Stars •DONE•

BOOKS I WANT TO READ:
The Art of Racing in the Rain - Garth Stein •DONE•January 16
Parenting with Love and Logic
Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood •DONE•January 13
Happier at Home - Gretchen Rubin
The Reason for God - Timothy Keller
Stumbling on Happiness - Daniel Todd Gilbert
Eat, Pray, Love - Elizabeth Gilbert
The End of Your Life Book Club - Will Schwalbe
The Anti-Romantic Child - Priscilla Gilman

HEARD ABOUT THEM IN THE NEWSPAPER/INTERNET... some of them "classics":
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
In Cold Blood - Truman Capote
Anna Karenina - Tolstoy
any title  by author Kurt Vonnegut
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - Betty Smith
The Instructions - Adam Levin
Orlando - Virginia Woolf
The Education of Henry Adams - Henry Adams
Pride & Prejudice, Emma - Jane Austen
Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain
The Yellow Birds: A Novel - Kevin Powers

MAYBE CONSIDER...
Lincoln's Last Days - Bill O'Reilley/Dwight Zimmerman
Killing Lincoln - Bill O'Reilley/Martin Dugard
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Elin Hildebrand (any title)
Jodi Piccoult - Plain Truth OR Between the Lines
The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D - Nichole Bernier
Brooklyn - Colm Toibin
Hector and the Search for Happiness - Francois Lelord
The Glass Castle
The Book Thief
The Kite Runner
Harry Potter books
Twilight series
Sarah Palin
Spoken from the Heart - Laura Bush
Me talk pretty one day
Water for Elephants
Mockinbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee
Sisterland - Curtis Sittenfeld - DONE
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter - DONE
The Faraway Nearby - Rebecca Solnit
A Field Guide for Getting List - Rebecca Solnit
Where'd you go, Bernadette - Maria Semple  - DONE

Writing a letter

I wanted to write more letters AND be more positive in the New Year.

I had started writing a letter. And THEN, the tone in my letter started to get angry so, I ripped it up and threw it away.

And now, I have NO LETTER to mail and a garbage can filled with confetti.

Better luck next time...