Couldn't Keep It to Myself

This has been one busy summer!! We have had lots of family in town and have already traveled some. I have been spending a lot of time with a lot of people and have loved it. I haven't necessarily gotten any major projects done around the house but I've gotten some good quality time in with some friends. God is continually showing me the goodness of community and friendship. I thought I would share what I am reading right now. I will be posting some fun summer posts soon. Anyway, I am reading "Couldn't Keep It to Myself: Testimonies from our Imprisoned Sisters" by the women of the York Correctional Institution and Wally Lamb.

source

Here is the synopsis: "A collection of heart-wrenching tales of abuse and violence from a writing class of women prisoners, edited by world-renowned no.1 New York Times bestselling author Wally Lamb. Wally Lamb's writing has been lauded around the world for its humanity and sensitivity to the plight of the outsider, the misunderstood figure who seeks hope and redemption. For the past several years, Lamb has devoted himself passionately to working with a group of incarcerated women at the York Correctional Institution. While at first the women distrusted Lamb, each other, and themselves, many of them began to slowly embrace the opportunity to join Lamb's writing class. Over time, they began to express themselves, and this book is the product of that journey into expression. Many of these women were imprisoned by their circumstances even before they came to York. Some women recount harrowing tales of chronic abuse and rejection by their families, their peers, and their societies. Brenda Medina joins a gang to fit in and to impress her volatile boyfriend, and violence soon ensues. Nancy Birkla is arrested for drug trafficking just when she has begun the painful ascent toward sobriety and toward facing her demons. Other tales give glimpses into life in jail. Robin Cullen writes about the difficulty of celebrating Christmas in a maximum-security prison where no care packages are allowed. Bonnie Foreshaw tells of how much she misses the music and joy of family gatherings. She still has much more time to serve of her forty-five year sentence for an accidental killing. The reader learns why some women turned to brutal violence, how others were caught in no-win situations, and how many of the women embrace hope even in the depths of their despair and loneliness. Wally Lamb's powerful introduction describes the incredible process by which these women found their true voices, and how they challenged him as a teacher and as a fellow writer: "I have come to know my current students not merely as the substance abusers, gang members, thieves, and killers they have been, but also as the complex and creative works in progress they are." Couldn't Keep It to Myself is a book about the hope and heartache of that process of finding onself and striving for a better day."-source

I pretty much recommend all the books I read and the same goes for this book. The testimonies have opened my eyes so much. These women have shared stories from their childhood; stories of abuse and hurt that have carried into their adult lives. I love reading fiction and books that encourage me on my walk with Christ but I also know that I need to read books like this to be further exposed to what other people go through. Great read and as usual, I would definitely recommend it.

Linking up with Book Club Friday over at Blonde Undercover Blonde!(the button isn't working for me for some reason)

Happy Anniversary!

5 years ago today, Bryan and I said "I do". 

Happy Anniversary, Noons. I love you.

backyard ideas

With my April goals, I was able to get almost everything done that I wanted to accomplish except for the backyard projects (putting out backyard furniture and researching garden options). I have done some weeding back there but I just have so many ideas for what else I want to accomplish back there. All these other plans have halted my other plans that are within reach. Does this happen to anyone else out there?

We had dinner with a couple from church last weekend and they have a pretty awesome backyard. We have a pretty small backyard-especially in comparison to the backyards that we both had growing up. But for downtown living, it is a great space with so much potential.

I am not talking about doing anything crazy like this....

-via

But I definitely have some ideas up my sleeve.

Bryan just might die if I suggested adding a swimming pool to our backyard : )

Book Club Friday: Expecting Adam

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Please go read this book. I have loved every minute of reading this and have already cried so much. The book is Martha Beck's memoir-she and her husband were Harvard grads, both working on advanced degrees from Harvard when she conceives her son Adam, a boy with Down's Syndrome. Beck is not a Christian but often alludes to her life being lead at times by Bunraku puppets (puppeteers moving dolls on stage with such invisibility that you forget the puppets are puppets). She is such a great story teller. I have nearly cried at every chapter. As I have shared before, I love reading stories or little snippets from books about nurses. Beck shares a few little stories about interactions with her nurses and these are great little additions to the book. This little paragraph about how much I love the book does not do the book justice. You just need to go and read it!

goals for April

Can you believe we are a quarter of the way through the year?? Where does the time go?

The other day I shared my tendency to be very "productivity driven". Even though I did not get a single thing done on my Spring Break to do list, I thought it would be a good idea to have some general goals for the month of April.

April goals

Continue training with the Couch to 5K running plan.

Get rid of all the extra magazines I have lying around.

Yard work-weeding, etc.

Put out backyard furniture.

Plant flowers in my planters in the front yard.

Research garden options.

DEEP spring cleaning of my house

I also shared a while back about my struggles with time managemement. I've been trying to be more aware of what our weeks/weekends look like rather than just going through the motions. I wanted to share what my weekend "musts" are. These are things that I want to be non-negotiables for us before the crazy work week starts.

-weekly schedule with Bryan. When we are good about this, it makes our weeks flow so much more smoothly! It is nice to be on the same page about what our weeks look like. It also creates less stress from the day to day when we don't have to come up with a last minute plan or when we can plan something with someone else when the other already has a plan.

-laundry. If I could make this happen, this would be a life changer! I currently have a few loads hanging out in various places around the house that need to be folded. I always wash clothes on the weekends but I don't always get around to folding. I also like to fold all my loads at once and I might need to adjust that. We go through a lot of clothes with scrubs, work clothes, exercise clothes, etc. and I just really need to be disciplined about getting it washed, folded, and put away during the weekend and not leaving it for a weeknight.

-meal schedule. Generally speaking, I am pretty good about this but I am just adding this to my "must do" during the weekend. This would be a natural next step after Bryan and I plan out our weeks together. Once I know how many evenings we will actually be at the house, I know how many meals to plan on making. I think this would also help me to make healthy choices when I can plan ahead rather than being at the grocery store and trying to come up with a plan.

-organized house. Notice that I didn't say "clean house" here. It is definitely not realistic for me to have a clean house to start the week off with every single week. This is just a very generalized organization here that I am going for-clothes put up, counters somewhat cleared off, etc.

-grocery store. For some reason, since we have been married Mondays have been my grocery store day. I really need to change this and make my weekly grocery trip during the weekend. Right now, I never really have enough to pack a lunch for Monday so my lunch ends up being a weird mixture of whatever we have lying around and then I am rushing to the grocery store after work on Mondays. I also do my Qi cycling class on Monday nights at 6:30 so I usually don't get home until 7:45 which is a horrible time for starting dinner. I am going to do a crock pot meal on Mondays but I can't start a crock pot meal for Monday night at 5:00 on Monday afternoon. Going to the grocery store over the weekend would just make the whole week start off on a better foot.

And every night before work, I want to pack my lunch. This may seem so simple but I have done this for a few weeks now and it has helped a ton! It is one less thing to do in the morning before trying to get out the door. I also have been doing this when I am cleaning up from dinner. I am full from dinner so I am able to make healthy choices for my lunch the next day. I want to make this another non negotiable for my weekly routine.

Bryan definitely has a high pressure job and with having a 5 school assignment this year, my job is also pretty challenging and demanding so our weeks can be pretty crazy and stressful. We both love what we do which makes a world of difference but I know that having systems in place will really help our day to day. I think my monthly goals and "weekend musts" will help us out a ton. Here's to productivity!

Pinteresting Wednesday

Happy Wednesday, dear friends! Loving these things that I found in Pinterest...

I made this last week and I wanted to share it here. This is such a yummy casserole. Lots of chopping, but it's worth it.

Source: picky-palate.com via Megan on Pinterest

Kelly Kapowski! She is 38 now! (!!!!!!) This links to some great meal prep for a weeks worth of healthy meals.

Source: self.com via Megan on Pinterest

Common kitchen mistakes! This is so helpful!

Source: cookinglight.com via Megan on Pinterest

How cute is this? I don't like the tiered look but just one would definitely add a pop of color.

Source: positivelysplendid.com via Megan on Pinterest

This looks so yum!

Source: alidaskitchen.com via Leigh on Pinterest

back from Spring Break

My Spring Break is officially over. I had a very specific list in my mind of things that I wanted to accomplish (weed removal, getting patio furniture out, major Spring Cleaning, etc). I didn't cross off one thing from my list! It was great! I spent a lot of time with a lot of great people. If you know me at all, I don't really like to sit still and I like getting things done so it was a struggle for me to fight the urge to "get things done". I love spending time with people but I sometimes choose to value getting things crossed off of my list instead of valuing time with others. God is really growing me in this area. We need community in our lives.

In other news, it has been snowing here since early this morning. It is really throwing me off. Especially since we just had our Spring Break! I posted on facebook that my mind is in the same place as it was in October when we had our first big snow (before Halloween). This picture below is from the Denver Post, taken in City Park.

Image from the Denver Post

I can't wait to get home to play with Penny in the snow. She loves the snow and so do I. And there is still a ton on my list that I need to get done. Clothes are literally all over the house right now. I have about 6 loads of laundry to fold. But, I am really looking forward to going to my Tuesday exercise class (Kettlehell) at Qi with a dear friend and then walking and playing with Penny at the park. I'm thankful that God is continuing to grow me in this area. I'm still fighting it but I'm learning to love time with others and living in community over the glorious crossed off item on the to do list.