I found this MEME on the blog of one of my
favorite authors. I LOVE to read, and I thought it looked like fun. Feel free to use it on your blog if you like!
1. Do you remember how you developed a love for reading? I believe my parents read to me quite a bit. But I have always loved reading; I can't remember NOT loving it.
2. What are some books you read as a child? Nancy Drew mysteries, Hardy Boys mysteries, Box Car kids, The Baby-Sitters Club, Sweet Valley Twins...pretty much everything I could get my hands on!
3. What is your favorite genre? Probably Christian non-fiction. I read a ton of ministry, marriage, and other Christian living books. I love Christian fiction and fiction in general, too.
4. Do you have a favorite novel? I have a difficult time choosing favorites. To narrow it down, some of the top ones I can recall are The Covenant by Terry Blackstock, The Awakening by Angela Hunt,
5. Where do you usually read? At home, on the couch.
6. When do you usually read? In the evening, often before bed.
7. Do you usually have more than one book you are reading at a time? Oh yes. I have a number of books in progress. I buy more books than I can read at one time, so they keep piling up on the floor, the shelves, the nightstand...
8. Do you read non-fiction in a different way or place than you read fiction? I usually read fiction straight through, often in a few days. If I don't have the time, I will drag it out a little more. I read non-fiction more slowly to process the content and what it means to me personally.
9. Do you buy most of the books you read, or borrow them, or check them out of the library? I buy most of them. I like to have them to loan out and I like full bookshelves. I also highlight and mark up the books that really mean a lot to me. In addition, as a future author, this is a great quote from another author: "I buy them. Because if nobody buys books, authors starve. Sad but true."
10. Do you keep most of the books you buy? If not, what do you do with them? Yes, I keep them. I loan them out as well, but I like to have them for quick access. I often plan on re-reading most of the books I have.
11. If you have children, what are some of the favorite books you have shared with them? Were they some of the same ones you read as a child? N/A
12. What are you reading now? Hmmm...I have lots of things in progress. Matt and I are reading The First Five Years by Bill and Pam Farrel together. I am also reading The Sacred Influence by Gary Thomas, In Search of Eden by Linda Windsor, a re-read of Get Out of That Pit by Beth Moore, and a book recommended by a friend called The Healing Choice by Brenda Stoeker and Susan Allen. The intended audience is wives who have been betrayed, but I have found that it applies to a much broader spectrum as the woman who writes the first half dealt with her mother's battle with cancer. Many of the truths I have read are universally applicable to everyone who has taken an "unintended journey" in life (who hasn't?). It really has given me some great tools to draw closer to God. I'm only about a third of the way through it, but it is incredible in its ability to honestly address pain and how we deal with it.
13. Do you keep a TBR (To Be Read) list? I buy what I want to read. If I can't afford everything I am interested in (generally true), I save it in my Amazon.com cart so I can retrieve it the next time I'm ready to place an order.
14. What's next? I just ordered Every Woman's Battle, Believing God by Beth Moore, and I also have Authentic Faith by Gary Thomas that I really want to start and When Sinners Say I Do...don't remember the author.
15. What books would you like to reread? A Tale of Three Kings by Gene Edwards. Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas. Joy That Lasts by Gary Smalley. Visioneering by Andy Stanley.
16. Who are your favorite authors? Oh, I have so many. I will list just a few. For non-fiction, it would be Gary Thomas, Brenda Stoeker, Beth Moore, John Ortberg, and Andy Stanley. For fiction, Angela Hunt, Karen Kingsbury, Terry Blackstock, and Dee Henderson.
It wasn't even on SALE. Hel-lo?!?! (Get it? Hello Kitty?) I don't know the last time I bought a clothing item at regular price. I just thought the Hello Kitty was too adorable, and I figured a hot pink sweater for a baby girl could be worn over many things in the winter. I hope so, because I think it's just precious.
That would be 2 pairs of shorts, 4 tank tops (all items were 98 cents each), two floral print dresses, one insanely cute smocked pink top with brown polka dots (her nursery colors will be pink and brown), and two peasant-style tops with stitching on the sleeves. Oh, and I didn't include them in the picture, but there is a set of onesies with Disney princesses dresses. One says "It's all about the..." and has a picture of a dress. SO cute! I am so glad she found out she is having a girl - it's so fun to shop when you know who you're shopping for!
When you live far from those you call family - parents, siblings, and extended family - you have to create your own family. Your friends become like family. Those you work with, minister with, and share life with are the family God has provided. I am grateful for each one I have come to know and love.
I have two sisters. They live 8 hours from me. One is pregnant, due near the end of October. I feel far removed from this incredible event in her life. I haven't seen her since the end of March, and I don't know when I will be able to meet her beautiful baby because of the distance between us. I talk to my sisters on the phone, but we don't get to "share life" as fully as when we lived in the same town. They still live in the same town, and sometimes I get jealous of the times they share. I am the oldest and not used to being the one left out of things.
(With Mom and Grandma)
Psalm 102:25-27 "In the beginning, You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing, You will change them and they will be discarded. But You remain the same, and Your years will never end."
Before I write, I had to throw in a vacation picture. LOVE the Goldmoor.
