Not in the Mood

I have a lot on my mind, and that doesn't leave much room for thinking or writing. However, I do feel like leaving you with a random assortment of thoughts from some favorite books to why I love golden retrievers.

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Yesterday I did something very bad.

Okay, bad depending on how you look at it.

I spent money on something I shouldn't have. I bought a book.
We already have a bookshelf full of books, which I refer to as our library,
but after reading 37 pages in the bookstore yesterday I just had to buy this one!
A Big Little Life by Dean Koontz

I may be a bit biased since I grew up with a golden retriever,

but they really are an amazing breed of dog.

Below is a picture of me and my dog, Gnomie, when I was just a baby.

My parents named her Gnomie since she was the runt of her litter, and Gnomes are small.

Makes sense, right?

She used to follow me around our place when I was crawling,

and my parents said she always slept next to me when I fell asleep.

She was basically my guardian angel in dog form.

If you want to know what love is,

get a dog. They will teach you.

Other great books featuring dogs:

The Art of Racing in the Rain

Merle's Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog

There was something about our dog, Gnomie, that made you want to hug and squeeze her. I used to tell her all my secrets, and, since I was an only child, she was a constant companion. She was great at multitasking when it came to meeting the demands of a needy only child. She was also one of the best listeners I've ever known, but maybe that's because she couldn't talk back. I think if she could have spoken with words she would have though. Dogs always seem to know just what you need, and Gnomie was no exception.

Do you have any favorite books featuring a dog as the main character?

I Have the Blues

Do you have a favorite book, or even author, that always picks you up when you are down? For a long time now, one of my go-to authors has been Nicholas Sparks. His books never fail to make me smile, and sometimes cry, because he weaves the most inspiring love stories known to man. His stories always involve a coastal setting, and the locations alone charm you with their romantic allure.

{I have yet to read a Nicholas Sparks book that I dislike}

I tell you, that Nicholas Sparks is an author after my own heart. Wait, you feel the same way too? Well heck. I was feeling special for a minute. Either way, I just love the way his love stories make you feel as if you heart just grew by a few inches. Nicholas Sparks is my go-to author for an uplifting story when days are blue.

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As you might know, I've been working on making the den/guest-room in our apartment feel extra special and inviting. Let's be honest though, this room won't be just for our favorite guests. I hope to spend lots of quality time blogging away in this sea-inspired room myself. In order to make guests feel welcome in Florida and myself feel inspired to be creative, I hope to add some touches that meet both of those goals. Little reminders of life on the water always make me feel at home.

Just yesterday I peeked over at our new bookshelf and realized that it could really use a pile of pretty blue books on one shelf in particular. Luckily our other bookshelf had quite a few books to choose from, so I pulled some books in varying shades of blue. Oddly enough, each title that I pulled from the shelves included coastal influences. Each book was just perfect for this sea-inspired room!

books: top to bottom  { 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 }


I hope you're enjoying this little sneak peek of our office/guest-room. Next week I'll share more of the progress. There are still a few hundred piles to clean up around the room. I also have a big plan for part of the room, but I'm not sure if it will be completed next week. I'll try though. (:

As you can see, I have the blues.
{Good thing we're talking about the color and not the feeling}

Do you like seeing books stacked
in varying shades of one color?

~ One more peek ~

I found these frames at Target over a year ago or so.

They find themselves right at home in a sea-inspired room.

Okay, that's all you get for now!

I hope you're having a great week!

Books on Deck

There is no denying it. I love to read! Some day my husband and I will be living in the house of our dreams, and it will have a comfortable and inviting library full of books of all kind. That being said, I wanted to share with you some of the books that I have lined up for reading after I finish these darn Harry Potter (HP) books. (I totally got hooked and am reading the 6th of 7 HP books right now).

 For now this small bookshelf of books will do :)

The Happiness Project:
I got this book a while ago, and then I got sidetracked reading other books. Still have not read this, but I am really looking forward to it! Anything 'happy' is good with me.

The Glass Castle:

This memoir sounds really interesting, and I am really looking forward to this one. My husband gave this to me on my birthday. You can never go wrong with giving me a book as a gift.

The Piano Tuner:
One of my good friends gave this to me as a birthday gift, and her note said that since I love to travel that she thinks I'll love this book. Since she has good taste in books, I trust her on this one.

* you can click on the pictures of the books and it will link you to the book on Amazon *

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Have you read any of these books, and if so what did you think? (just don't give anything away)  (:

Lessons in Love

One of my new all time favorite movies, even though it's a fairly new movie, is the Blindside. I'll admit that I shed a tear (actually lots of tears) every single time I watch it. The movie portrays an incredibly inspiring story that shows us what a lot of love and determination can do for someone in need.

I recently finished reading In a Heartbeat, which was written by Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy. They were the family that created the real life inspiration for the Blindside. The book gives you a much deeper look into their lives, their origins, and the whole story that inspired such a wonderful movie. I cannot possibly narrow down the most important messages that I took from reading that book, but they all revolve around love and giving more than you get. Those two issues are things I think you could practice your entire life and still not perfect, but the Tuohy family sure seems to come close.

I want to share a small piece of In a Heartbeat that I loved, because I think it's often too easy to dismiss people in life... this might change the way you look at strangers:

"Love, we've learned, can come into your life in a heartbeat. But the people who are your family aren't always the people who are blood related to you, and loving someone unconditionally is a lot easier than we make it out to be.

Give love and you will always get it back. That's our story, that's our message."

The definition of family for me is a rather loose definition. Like the book quote above says, family is so much more than just relation by blood. Family is about giving love to others, and your family could essentially include anyone who you love... and maybe they'll even love you back. Some families don't even give love to their own blood, and to me that goes to show that not everyone gives love to others. It really is a lot easier than we would like to believe at times.

Unconditional love should not be saved for a select few; it's meant to be shared. No one should ever have to earn love... it's deserved by all. Change a life by giving love. A little bit of love can go a long way, and it sure is great to give!

The Art of Racing in the Rain

I love dogs, but that's not the only reason why I loved this book so much. 

The words on The Art of Racing in the Rain's pages made me think, cry, and laugh. It also made me miss my dear golden retriever, Gnomie. She was such an incredible dog. It definitely made me think differently about her life... and her death. If you've had a dog in your life, who's changed you as a person, and you miss them dearly, please read this book. It's amazing.

The Library is Free?!

Who likes free stuff? I know I do.  :)

I went to the Denver Public Library today. This was an assignment from my travel writing workshop instructor. Not to visit the library... but to go somewhere we had not been before. I had been inside the lobby once, but I actually perused some of the other floors this time. Holy cow, do they have a lot to offer! The great thing about the library is that it's all free! (That is unless you are notorious for returning things late, then it costs you something... depending on how late you are) I cannot think of a better deal then visiting your local library and getting a library card.

* Denver Public Library *

Nate and I move in a month to a different area in metro Denver, and we're looking forward to being down the street from a library. I'm thinking we'll get a library card and cancel Netflix... because... get this... you can get dvds at the library and check out 5 at a time! (ssshhh, don't tell anyone!) Yes... I said 5 dvds at once. Not to mention I cannot pick up my movies from Netflix via bicycle, but I can ride up the street and get books and movies at the library. Cool! The library seems like a resource that people forget about these days. I still love to have a book in my hands, because the internet cannot replace everything. :)

Everything at Once

I sit here with a cup of tea, writing a blog, with a half read entry from Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy (another great book) open to July 19th next to me, and my recipe binder next to that displaying a meal that I haven't made in a while; on top of that, Traditional Home magazine lies on the kitchen island open to a spread featuring a home in Harbor Springs, Michigan. Whew! I never used to start so many things without finishing them. Don't worry though; I'll probably put everything away before we go to sleep. Nothing like finishing everything you started right before you get some rest.

** Does your dining room table look like this too? **

What ever happened to the girl who wouldn't leave her lego city for dinner until every last lego in possession was utilized? I also used to start books and read them all day until I finished them that day. I've somehow become proficient at tackling too many things at once or not finishing what I started. Although, I do still finish what I start... it just takes me a little longer when I've got 5 things to finish and I get sidetracked along the way. Sometimes life gets overwhelming when you have so many things going on that you don't know where to start. Usually a good place to start is step 1, and for some reason it feels like that's easy to forget at times. Start with step one... you can't do everything all at once.

Recent Reads

Last night I finished Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. Let me tell you, this is a book I will read probably at least once a year. Following her theme of change and adapting to change, it would make sense to read the book often because life is ever changing. The book is 50 years old, but it's still relevant and helpful when thinking about issues we face today.

Yesterday I wrote down, in my handy dandy notebook, a couple of things that Lindbergh wrote in Gift from the Sea. Some of her observations of the world are things I often wonder about today. 

Lindbergh wrote:

"The present is passed over in the race for the future; the here is neglected in favor of the there; and the individual is dwarfed by the enormity of the masses."

"America, which has the most glorious present still existing in the world today, hardly stops to enjoy it, in her insatiable appetite for the future."

I could not believe I had found the perfect explanation for some of the things that have been bothering me. The housing collapse, the "unstable" economy, the Gulf oil spill, and countless other issues seem to be telling us "Hey! What's the rush for?" These are things that happen when you skip today for the future! If you are worried about what your child will choose as a profession when they are 2 years old, then you're likely to miss them growing up along the way. Really, what is the rush? If we don't nurture and enjoy what we have now, then who's to say it will be around years down the road to enjoy later? That goes for family, friends, children, the earth, your favorite beach... you get the idea.

Life seems so busy these days. You have Twitter, Facebook, email, iPhones, satellite television, Internet, and countless other means of "keeping in touch". To me these are often devices that keep people from enjoying the here and now and most importantly from enjoying each other. Your children glue themselves to the television; husbands take work calls while at home with their families; people answer emails while driving their cars. When you watch television, people constantly speculate about the future. Stock owners follow their portfolios like it's their job. Why worry about what could happen? Anything could happen, but you might miss that anything if you're too busy wondering what might be. It's a shame that people put so much time into "keeping in touch" via technology; when each second you spend on your phone, or in front of the television, could be spent with a loved one "in the moment" instead! Instead of moving further apart, why don't people try moving closer to each other?

Sometimes it seems so difficult to enjoy the present, when we're constantly bombarded with people telling us it's so important to plan for the future. There are so many things you can't ever plan for, so why stress out over what you think your life should be? Each and every one of us are exactly where we're supposed to be at each moment. Love yourself each day, and love your loved ones each day.

Thank you Anne Morrow Lindbergh for shedding light on some timeless issues! :)

Everyone Should Read This Book

Best book I've read in a while... Same Kind of Different as Me

This book should be required reading for every human being person with a heart and a soul. Seriously. It was incredibly touching and demonstrated that you can learn from anyone, and it just might surprise you. Don't judge a book by it's cover either. It doesn't exactly have the "prettiest" cover ever, but what's inside the covers just may change your life.

This book tugs at your heart strings, and I'm glad I made it through the story without even crying... who am I kidding?! I cried like a baby, but whatever. It's a great story that can probably touch every corner of the world in some way. I could relate to both main characters at times... and you end up finding that these two unlikely of friends are more like each other than they thought.

Everyone should move through life a little differently after reading this book. If anything, it should maybe make you think twice about how you treat others. (Strangers included) I'll be reading this book again, I'm sure.

Personal Library

If you know anything about me, you may know that I love being surrounded by books and reading them too. We have a mini library forming in our apartment hallway, and as you can see there is not even one inch of shelf space available for more books.

After looking at this picture, I realized that when we move we'll have to pack up and lug all of these books to a new location. Yikes! Maybe I should lay off of the book purchasing for a while. It is a goal of mine to have a "library" space in a future house. This may not come for a while, because we aren't even really thinking about buying a house yet. But when we do have a house and some extra space, I really really really (did I mention really) want a room or designated area for books and reading! Actually, there will probably be many shelves and places for storing books around our hypothetical house, but I'd still love a library-type room. I've seen some really great ideas for libraries and reading nooks, and I'm storing up great ideas as I type. For now, we'll have to make do with our tiny apartment library.

I visited the St. Gallen Abbey Library (pictured below) in Switzerland about 4 years ago. And let me tell you, it was like I had died and gone to book heaven!

The St. Gallen library may not be ideal for a personal library, but the reading nook shown below might be. I found the picture of this cute little reading nook while browsing google images, and I would love to have a spot like this in a future house! What a smart and multi functional space. It wouldn't take too much room in a house, and it has a spot for keeping books and reading... score!

As for books, I'm currently reading "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson. He's one of my favorite authors, and I'm working on convincing Nate to read it when I'm done. The book is laugh out loud funny. I'm not kidding. I was stifling laughs on the airplane ride back to Denver this past weekend. A little embarrassing, but worse things could have happened. I also really like Nicholas Sparks' books too. (There's really no chance to convince Nate to read those!) They're always a comfort read, and I am usually pleased after reading his books. As for my favorite type of book to read, I'm not really sure. I like a little bit of everything, and that's sort of like my taste in music too. Anyone have recommendations of great books they have read? I am open for suggestions.