Thursday, June 7, 2012

Inspiration: It's Summer!




I love summer! Maybe it’s because my birthday is in the summer or maybe it’s because I have fond memories of summertime from my childhood. Either way, it’s here, and that fact fills me with joy!

Summer Reading…

Each year, I create a yearly reading list in January and a summer reading list. For summer, I pick a memoir (preferably with an element of comedy), a classic, and something theological or spiritual formation based. 




This summer I hope to read:

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle – I mentioned before that it’s the 50th anniversary of this book, so this one wins as my classic this year.

Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus: How the Jewish Words of Jesus Can Change Your Life by Lois Tverberg – I read Lois Tverberg’s (co-written with Ann Spangler) Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus. Oh my word. It changed my life. I will never read the Gospels the same. For that matter, I will never read the Bible the same. I’m excited to read this follow-up.

Let’s Pretend this Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir) by Jenny Lawson (aka The Bloggess) – Last year I read BossyPants by Tina Fey. I often took it with me to the gym and laughed so hard I almost fell of the elliptical (If you don’t ever plan to read this book, at least pick it up to read the chapter about her honeymoon, when the cruise ship caught on fire!).

I first heard of Jenny Lawson when her post about a metal chicken she named Beyoncé flooded the internet last year. That post still makes me laugh on any given day. (Warning: do not read if you are offended by strong language) Then, Brené Brown interviewed her recently. I need to remember how to laugh, and Jenny’s book seems like a perfect thing to read in this season.

A couple others I hope to get to:

My girls…

This is the first summer I am not working fulltime. I’m excited to take the girls swimming, to the park, and do some summer reading together (Kyla is starting the Boxcar Children this year. Woohoo!). They are attending Vacation Bible School this week (loved this as a kid!) and next week we will go to the Farmstead to pet animals. 

Also, Kae informed me today that she plans to be a baker, painter, and gardener when she grows up. We'll see what we can do this summer to help her develop those areas she likes.



Farmers’ Market…

As a kid, my mom took us to the Farmers’ Market in Acacia Park sometimes. I’ve been dying to get to a Farmers’ Market pretty much all of my adult life, but it has never happened. Probably mostly because of working but there were also some extreme reasons too. For instance, when I was pregnant with Kyla, I wanted to walk down to the one in Old Market in Omaha. As I stepped out my door, the tornado sirens went off. No joke. I am determined to go at least once this summer!


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What are your summer plans? What are you excited about in this season?

1 comment:

Heather said...

I always love the books you choose! And I really hope you get to go a farmer's market. They are the best. I bet there are some great ones in your neck of the woods. Hope it's a summer filled with encouragement, and a renewed sense of purpose.