I have to tell you that I am impressed with my own self over the number of books I’ve managed to read over the last few weeks. Here’s a quick list with a brief review of each.
1. I Regret Nothing by Jen Lancaster – Funny, light, perfect to start summer
2. The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery – So many of you recommended this and you were totally right. It’s the sweetest story.
3. All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr- Gorgeous book
4. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty – I couldn’t put this one down. Finished it in two days.
5. In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume – I hate to say it but this wasn’t my favorite. A lot of characters and at times it was hard to follow even though I did like it better towards the end.
6. Crazy, Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan – Another light, easy read but I enjoyed it.
Anyway, I started Secrets of A Charmed Life by Susan Meissner and have already ordered a few more off my list so they’ll be waiting for me. And one of the reasons I’m so motivated to take the time to read in the summer is because I think reading makes you a better writer. It has always helped me to read other people’s words and stories because they inspire me to work harder at what I do.
But this summer it appears to have the opposite effect. I’m so busy reading that when it comes time to write a blog post (like tonight) my brain is so into whatever book I’m reading that it’s hard to step outside of it and write about real life. And it probably doesn’t help that real life has been pretty uneventful.
Although I did go to Nashville last week to record the opening video for Dot Mom and I got to put butterfly clips in my hair like it was 1995 again and -OH YES- I got to meet Christy Nockels.
I know what you’re thinking. Nice poker face.
I find it’s important to play it cool in all situations and act like you’ve been there before. Clearly I’m a master at this.
And I only sang one of her songs to her once. Or twice.
The truth is she couldn’t have been nicer and Sophie and I loved spending the day with her even though the bulk of that time involved us making fools of ourselves on video. But I will say that our acting skills must be getting better because we were able to get most shots done in one or two takes which is significantly less than it’s taken in the past. Or maybe they just know us well enough by now to know it isn’t going to get any better than what they got in the first take.
After a day of shooting the video, we met a bunch of friends for dinner at a gluten-free restaurant that was surprisingly not bad given the lack of, well, gluten. And then we headed back to the hotel because I had a cab picking me up at 6 a.m. to get me to the airport.
Later that day, after I’d arrived home, I remarked to P that I couldn’t believe the sun was totally up at 6 a.m. in Nashville and said it must be because it’s further east than Texas, but he said the sun is up here at 6 a.m., too. I just never see it. And I don’t think I believe him but I also don’t care enough to get up that early to find out if he’s right.
As for the rest of the weekend, we spent a lot of time lounging around. Caroline had soccer camp all last week and spent the night with a friend on Thursday so she was more than a little tired. I’ve already mentioned that I’d seen the sun come up in Nashville on Friday morning and P has been working long hours because ’tis the season for landscaping. And so we were more than happy to just spend time together doing not much of anything.
Then on Sunday morning we had our seventh Community Worship Service. I may be biased but I felt like it was one of my favorite ones so far. We are all getting into a routine and figuring things out as we go. August and John led amazing worship and P taught the best message from Psalm 139 about how God uniquely designed each of us. This is a picture from a few weeks ago, but it’s a good look at our space.
We’re meeting at Turner Production Studios at 8126 Broadway from 9:30-10:30 every Sunday morning and anyone is welcome to join us if you happen to be in the area on a Sunday.
After that, Caroline had an indoor soccer game which HOORAY FOR AIR-CONDITIONING. And then later she and I ran some errands, I took Piper and Mabel to Yappy Hour at the Dog Park (not an official thing but it’s what I call the 5:00 hour at the Dog Park) and I’ve been curled up with a book ever since per my summer routine.
Tomorrow we’ll be busy packing our bags because Gulley and I leave with the kids on our annual road trip on Tuesday. Speaking of Gulley, it’s her birthday today.
Happy Birthday, Gulley!