By the way..

We are expecting baby number three! I am due August 7th. No time to waste... we love babies!

Las Vegas

Darren had a convention for work down in Las Vegas so we decided to all go down there and visit Erica and her cute little family. We had a great time. Our kids played together and we just enjoyed the nice sunny weather!

Check out my Slide Show!

400 Days

A few weeks ago Darren and I took the kids to California to visit my brother Alan and his family. Since then Alan was deployed to Afghanistan. Alan flies a Chinook helicopter and will be away from from his family for 400 days. We are all proud of him and know that he do well in Afghanistan.

My Latest Favorite

You probably think I have nothing to do but read and watch movies. That isn't true I promise, I really do other things. However I just wanted to pass this little tidbit of information on. Last month I became obsessed with Jane Eyre. I read the book and loved it, so I wanted to watch the movie. Turns out, there have been many, many movies made of this book. I watched two of them and just didn't like them. Then I found this version, the latest PBS Jane Eyre movie and LOVED it! (Every time I brought home another Jane Eyre movie Darren just rolled his eyes and said "not another one!" He just didn't understand.) I loved this movie so much that I went out and bought it! It just had so much feeling and the story stayed pretty close the actual book. I highly recommend it.

Book Review

Dispatches From the Edge

So anybody who remembers Anderson Cooper from watching Channel 1 in middle school or high school raise your hand? Common on... fess up! I admit it I watched Channel 1 and I'll be brave and say that I liked it. I know, again this shows that I was kind of a nerd in school, and given that I read this book not too long ago, I probably still am.

I actually read this book maybe a year ago, but found it and saw that I'd written a little bit about the book after having just finished it, so I thought I'd post a late book review on it.

This book just seemed sad. Anderson seems to be a person who is haunted by the loss of his father and brother. He didn't know how to deal with the pain of their loss and seems to have gotten used to the feeling. So much so that he seeks it out all over the world. It's as if he longs to be with other sad people who have experienced trama and loss in their lives. It seems to be where he is most comfortable.

I'm glad to have read this book because it opened my eyes to the terrible plight of other nations and people not around me. I think too many people have blinders on, and don't look outside their immediate circle of family and friends to see what's going on in the world and what they can do to help others. This book helped me recognize that I can do better.

The sad thing in Anderson's case is that he only sees the devastation, the immediate crisis. He doesn't get to see the recovery, the healing, because it's a long, slow process. But I think it can happen. People do smile again and they can find peace in their lives again.

If you've read this book let me know what you thought of it.

"I've Been Tagged"

The rules:

A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.

B. Each player lists 6 facts/habits about themselves.

C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

1. I am a sucker for people who come to my door to sell me something. I don't know how to tell them no! I've bought everything from wrapping paper and brownies to Irish guitar CDs, books and cleaning supplies. If you know any door to door salesmen don't give them my address! Needless to say Darren is pretty frustrated with me on this account. :)

2. I like to listen to talk radio. I know, I'm a total nerd... but it's very informative.

3. I hate to scrapbook. I'm not creative at all. I tried it and thought maybe I just needed practice, but it was completely frustrating. I actually like family history, finding and organizing old photos and reading stories about my family and ancestors, I just can't dress it up with pretty paper.

4. I started a book club in my neighborhood and discovered that I like to read! The latest book that we read was "The Goose Girl," by Shannon Hale. It was so enchanting. I highly reccomend it. Read it, you will love it!

5. I hate to shop. I love new clothes I just hate the process of going to the store and trying things on... and now with two kids it's two times harder! I have just discovered the joys on online shopping. It's great!

6. Don't tell anyone but I'm actually starting to like the domestic lifestyle. Don't get me wrong I still want to go back to school and get a masters or go to law school, but for now I'm kind of enjoying making dinner everynight.



The following people are now tagged: Erica, Lisa, Sarah, Kristy, Kara, Julie