♥/out of 5

• The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold ♥♥♥♥

The way Alice Sebold writes is really engaging, and her stories are always told from such a different perspective.

• Lottery : A Novel by Patricia Wood ♥♥♥

I wasn't sure I was going to like after the first few pages, it seemed a bit simplistic and I thought I knew where the story was heading. But I gave it a chance, and although I HAD known, the story was worth the ride.

Instead of always messing with clearing out my phone (and losing texts like I did with my last one), here are some of my favorites :

• "now" ~cowboy, 9/22/07 (and that nickname is exactly why it's so very funny)
• "OMG I'm at an Irish Pub and there are so many hot dudes with Irish accents. It's a world of Bono!" ~J, 9/16/07
• "tomorrow in torts we discuss a case about a bunghole" ~J, 9/12/07

• wrist, falling off pony
• toe, walking into bedframe
• heart (twice) from loving unwisely
• amazing handcast Mexican mask, put up on wrong wall
• trust with H in kindergarten, by telling her secret
• the lock on Juli's Holly Hobby box, because I was angry

My husband thinks he's the lucky one. Not even close, handsomest!

• he makes up and sings ridiculously awesome songs with my name in them. Sometimes they are also about burritos. This is the best thing ever.
• he always lets me choose the side of the bed I want.
• he makes the best grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches.
• his hugs make the bad days into good ones.
• he likes my friends, and they love him.
• he likes my family, and they love him.
• he always offers to give up wrestlin' night, although I never let him.
• he never forgets to kiss me goodbye when he leaves for work
• is the cutest thing in the world when he's napping with the kitten.
• although when we started dating he said h...

Books I've read reviews on, or that have been recommended :

• The Decameron - Gionvanni Buccaccio
• Remainder - Tom McCarthy
• Sunstroke - Tessa Hadley
• Cheating at Canasta - William Trevor
• Twenty Grand - Rebecca Curtis
• Bearing the Body - Ehud Havazelot
• Call me by Your Name - Andre Aeiman
• Like you'd understand, anyways - Jim Sheppard
• A Changed Man - Francine Prose
• The Confessions of Max Treviolli - Andrew Sean Greer
• Man Gone Down - Michael Thomas
• The Diving Bell & The Butterfly - Jean Dominique
• Taken - Edward Bloor
• Practical Magic - Alice Hoffman
• Howl's Moving Castle - Dionna Wynne
• Pandora's Stars & Judas Unchained - Peter...

A list of "firsts". I hope to keep adding to it.

• First word: "No!"
• First pet: A golden named Red.
• First car: '79 Chrysler Newport
• First job: helping Josh on his family's chicken farm. I was 7 and only helped because I had a mad crush on him.
• First piercing: Ears, when I was 10. I'd begged and begged to get it done.
• First foreign country visited: Australia
• First time in the prinicipal's office: I don't think I ever went, except possibly to talk to him about it when my little sister had gotten into trouble.
• First real concert: Def Leppard & Ugly Kid Joe. Heh.
• First celeb crush: Jeff from Today's Special, when I was four or five.
• First "real" kiss: age 12, and I punched him afterwards. The only time I've punch...

Documenting this over at Flickr, and blogging about it over on the blog.

• Family
  • ✔ 1. Share Madeline L'Engle books with Bunk.
  • ✔ 2. Make my nephew laugh
  • 3. Write Juli a letter letting her know how much I <3 her.
  • 4. Go fishing with Dad, even though I hate it.
  • 5. Ask Mom to teach me how to crochet. Again :)
  • 6. Visit Grandma T's grave and take purple flowers.
  • 7. Have a night out with Juli.
  • 8. Make John & Juli a wedding book.
  • 9. Forgive Dot.
  • 10. Have a real conversation with Michele.
  • ✔ 80. Go through Grandad's pictures with Mo...