Summer Reading

With the absence of most good television this summer, except of course, So You Think You Can Dance (and The Closer), I've had a lot more time to read. Also, I went on vacation for a week, so that helped too. Here are 2 excellent books I've read so far this summer.


The Shack by William P. Young
I'm going to have to read this book again. There's so much I missed and so much I want to go back and re-read. It's the story of Mack and his struggle with his faith and coming to know God, Jesus and The Holy Spirit. It's one of the most challenging, gut-wrenching, uplifting books I've ever read. Young has a gift for writing in a relatable, kind of folksy, way. It's like he's just a good friend, telling you a story, which made me feel the emotions so much more and understand the story in a completely different way. It caused me to re-examine my faith and look at it a different way, which is always good thing in my book. No pun intended. Well, maybe I sort of intended it. :)

Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos
This woman is an excellent writer. She is hilarious, relevant, touching and she clearly loves movies, which immediately made me love her, of course. It's an unconventional love story that's both sweet and bittersweet, filled with laugh out loud moments and "I'm not crying, I've just got something in my eye" moments. She really knows how to tell a story and I was riveted and entertained from the first sentence. Clearly, this is a completely different book than The Shack and I was glad I had chosen it to read afterwards - it was just what I needed.

Other books in the wings right now:
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
A Wife After God's Own Heart by Elizabeth George
The Bible - I've never read the Bible completely through and so I've gotten a little schedule that breaks it out for me to read in a year. I'm on day 11 and I'll tell you, the Old Testament is way more fascinating than I thought.

It's shaping up to be a busy summer of reading - ahh, love it.

Hilton Head

Vacation this summer was to Hilton Head, SC for a week. I haven't been in forever, but we used to take family vacations there when I was younger, so it was nice to go back! Tyler and I went with my parents - who were going for a wedding anyway, which we in turn managed to get invited to as well and so we turned it into vacation. Score!

We stayed in Sea Pines, close to Harbour Town, where the big red and white lighthouse is. We had a lovely, relaxing time. We rented bikes and rode all around - GREAT bike paths, and it was nice to ride to get some breeze going because it was HOT down there. We also rented kayaks and went on a tour through the sound. That was fun, but I need to brush up on my kayaking skills, which, up until that point, had been, well, none. But after plowing into numerous people and not being able to remember how to go left and right, I finally got the hang of towards the end of the trip. Of course. I'll just have to practice some on the 'Hooch here in Atlanta. Tyler and my dad, however, were pro's at it.














Me, making sure I have a wide area all to myself, so as not to run into or otherwise annoy the other kayakers.














Dad, laid back, resting from his effortless paddling and kayak manuevering. Show off.














At the beach - yes, we probably are the 2 whitest people there. And combined, I think we have more freckles than stars in the sky. And Tyler, before you yell at me for posting a picture of you at the beach, please note that per our agreement, it is not a full length shot. Thank you very much.


It was so nice to have a week off work and to spend time with the folks - who I don't get to see that often and miss terribly. I was able to read 2 books while we were there, which was awesome, as I am a total book nerd. And I discovered the deliciousness that is Blueberry Cobbler Coffeemate Creamer - thanks Mom! I know, it sounds gross, but try it, it's deceptively delicious.

And with that, we come to the end of the trips planned for this year. It's kind of sad, but also nice to know we'll be home for a while! I do love looking forward to vacation though - so now I will get excited about our 4th of July trip to Huntsville to see Tyler's family. Hooray for swimming pools and fireworks!

Dance Fever!

So, summer is fast approaching, which means one thing: all my favorite tv shows are on hiatus. Also, it's 800 degrees outside. And humid.

However - there is one sparkling oasis in this hot, humid, tv show-less time of year. And it, my friends, is called: So You Think You Can Dance!












That's right - I admit it. I LOVE this show. I get excited when I hear the theme music. I can't wait to see the next Wade Robson dance. Will the breaker be able to ballroom dance? Can the contemporary dancers bring the funk to hip hop choreography? What will Cat Deely wear this week? It's television GOLD people!

So last night, they picked the top 20. And I must say, I was kind of disappointed that they didn't make the Vegas auditions last a little longer this year. I feel like I didn't get to see enough dancing or enough of the competitors. Mia Michaels KILLED some of those dancers last night with her contemporary piece - they were running on fumes, but still. Her choreography is ridiculous - and I mean that in a good way. My favorite dance ever was her park bench routine from Season 2. I might have cried a little bit.

Part of the fun of watching this show is watching it with Tyler. He DOES NOT get the contemporary dances and I love them. He's convinced he could do them just as well as the dancers on the show because really, all they're doing is "rolling around on the floor". I would advise you to ask Tyler to show you his contemporary piece to the "ER" theme song and then judge for yourselves who is more talented.

These dancers are amazing and so fun to watch. It's a million times better than American Idol, with the added bonus of not having to watch them gaze awkwardly into the camera.

One thing I don't like about the show? Mary Murphy's screaming. Seriously.