Books and a Review

B is for books! We went to a Joni and Friends Family Retreat (more about that later) and came back with EIGHT new books! We have more books than we know what to do with already, but what’s another shelf full of books in the grand scheme of things? (And that’s not including what I put on my Kindle…)

I recently completed one of those eight books, The Harbinger by Jonathan Cahn. The subtitle is “The Ancient Mystery That Holds the Secret of America’s Future.” Although a work of fiction, the author informs us at the beginning of the book that the story contained within is based in reality. The premise? A verse in Isaiah foretells the future of America, down to the events of 9/11 and the stock market collapse of 2008.

Cahn makes a rather compelling case for how Isaiah 9:10 connects with the U.S. of today. He shows parallels between the fate of ancient Israel and the possible fate of the United States, should we not heed God’s call to return to him as a nation. If Cahn’s assertions are indeed true, this is a book that should be spread far and wide as a tool of awakening for our country, especially to the Christians within. However, the question of the book being fiction does make one think twice before shouting it from the mountaintops.  

The book meanders a bit too much for my liking at times. It thoroughly explains its plot points, but in doing so sometimes bogs down the reader with excessive verbiage. That being said, I still stayed up until midnight reading it, so the author did something right!

The Man and I went out recently for my birthday (another B) and came back with four more books. We just might have to purge soon…our bookshelves overfloweth.

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AAAAAAAAA...to Z

Hooray! Patty Wysong’s A to Z meme is back, thus prompting me to get off my bum and get back to the keyboard. It’s been awhile since I’ve done this, so here’s a quick recap. Each week those participating in the meme will post something related to the letter of the week, presumably on Friday of that week. (I’m already late.) 

I contemplated writing about autism, the big “A” in our home. I’m sure I will write about it in some depth sometime in the not too distant future. However, considering I’m easing myself back into the blogosphere gently, I’ve opted to share my favorite “A” commercial.  Gotta love YouTube links.

Unfortunately, there's nothing quite as catchy as this place in our local phone book. If there were, I'd call them just to hear them answer the phone.

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Going Postal

I love my mailbox. I traipse down to the post office every day hoping for the little yellow slip that tells me I have a package. Currently I am waiting for two boxes from Amazon, 2 boxes from ebay sellers, and a package from my sister-in-law. I'm also waiting on a catalog and a magazine. What came today? A bill. Rats.

I once let a postal carrier know how much it bummed me out to have nothing good in the box. She promptly told me I needed to get out more. Can't, though. I might miss the mail delivery.

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Catching Up

Seriously? Has it been seven months since I posted here? So much has happened in that time frame that it would take multiple posts to cover it all. I’m going to go the easy route and do a recap.

JUNE: The Man and I celebrated our 16^th wedding anniversary by taking a road trip with the kids. We went to the home office of Canine Companions for Independence to take part in a personal interview, one of the steps required to obtain a service dog for Monkey Boy. Glad to say, we passed! We are now in the waiting phase and are hoping to be in training with a dog by August 2013. I also sprained my ankle in June. I’m so graceful. I join Curves, and within the first month, I’m injured. Not easy to use the leg machines with an ankle brace. 

Me with The Man, Joni Eareckson Tada, and Ken Tada

JULY: Road trip! The four of us went to Family Retreat put on by Joni and Friends, a well-known disabilities ministry founded by Joni Eareckson Tada. What a blessing that was! We got to spend five glorious days in a camp atmosphere, surrounded by people who understood what it was like to live with disabilities. It was, in many ways, better than Disneyland-- a little slice of heaven on earth. Each of the boys had “short term missionaries” assigned to them, who spent most of each day hanging out with them. Monkey Boy was so active that they gave him three. The Man and I were treated to a date night, and I got a massage during the spa day. We’re definitely going back this year.

AUGUST: I skipped my 20 year class reunion. How’s that for school spirit? And on the school front, DSguy started junior high. That still floors me. Does this mark the beginning of fogeydom for us?

SEPTEMBER:  I auditioned for and was cast in a local production of Annie. Let the rehearsals begin!

OCTOBER:  We celebrated DSguy’s birthday with a sleepover. All night with a bunch of junior high boys. We’re nuts. We also had a much-anticipated visit from Grandpa and Grandma. October was a good month.

Me as a blonde for Annie

NOVEMBER:  Annie officially opened, complete with standing ovation. Couldn’t ask for more. Also exciting, but significantly less pleasant, was the hit and run done on our pickup truck. We think it was hit by a drunk. Sigh. Eleven something at night, we hear a thud, and go out to find the driver’s side dented up and the mirror ripped clean off.

DECEMBER: Exhausted and exhilarated, I said goodbye to the Annie cast. We had a good run, and topped it off by riding on a float in the town’s Lighted Tractor Parade. A few days later, we had a little scare that landed me in the ER. I was having chest pains and my blood pressure was too high, so in we went. Thankfully, my heart was fine. It turned out to be GERD. Man, I never realized how utterly painful that stuff really is. Since then, I have been on what I call the “bland and blah” diet. If I like eating it, I probably can’t have it. The worst part is…no chocolate! I did find out that I could eat cheesecake, though, so I have been consuming mass quantities. 

Christmas was quiet and mostly uneventful, which was a nice change of pace. We also celebrated Monkey Boy’s birthday. He wasn’t particularly interested in opening his presents, so I ended up doing it for him. He’d rather get down to the nitty gritty of playing with his new loot. None of this wrapping paper business, thank-you-very-much. 

That brings us up to date. Happy 2013! Did you make any resolutions this year? I didn’t. I resolve to not stress myself out by resolving to do stuff. My only goal is to take things a day at a time.

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