Noel's 20th Birthday

 

Noel turned 20 over the weekend. She was so celebrated by many people. Throughout the day, she would tell me of more people messaging and texting her to wish her a happy birthday. After some tough years in the past, it made my heart happy to know that she now has good people in her life that are willing to take even a little bit of time out of their day to do such a simple thing to make a difference in her day. 

With Noel's birthday being on the weekend, we were able to spend the day with each other on her actual birthday for a change. We started the day off getting breakfast and streaming Wicked. Then, we went to Red Robin and headed to the theater to see Wicked: For Good. We loved the movie. She is actually going to see it one or two more times this week. 

After the movie, we went home to rest a bit before going to Olive Garden as a family. Then, we went home for dessert, presents, and karaoke. (All her choices.) I hope she had a good birthday and knows how much she is loved. 

It Feels Weird

My youngest child will be turning 20 in a few days. This means a few things. First, I will no longer have any teenagers. They are really all adults now. Also, she will be the age I was when I married my first husband. )Why did no one say I was too young? Oh. That's right. They didn't care as long as they didn't have to pay for it.) Then, there is the reality most people wouldn't even think of: my youngest child will officially be older than my older brother. I'm not doing great with this thought. I was relieved when the boys made it past 19. This is different somehow. 

My Current Nonfiction TBR

This time last year, I had one bag with books in it that I wanted to read. Since then, the list has grown even though I read some of the books I had. I bought a few books with the money I got from my parents for my graduation (one by Kelly Bishop, and one by Eleanor Roosevelt), and I went through the books I already had around the house (mostly books that I had for some class or another and only read certain chapters). As this collection grew, I grew more excited to read them. I got a bit behind on my reading goal for a while because I was so busy with the internship, but I am back on track to succeed by the end of the year. 

You may ask how I decide which book I will read and when. That is a difficult question to answer. I have tried to put the books into a specific order, but it doesn't work for me. I am not always excited to read the next one that was preplanned. I basically read the next book that I'm excited to read and hope to be inspired from it in some way. It's not a perfect system, but it works for the most part. Over the past few months, I have chosen some books because they were short and I needed to catch up to a goal that I made for myself that no one even sees unless they follow me on Good Reads. Those were enjoyable enough, but my heart wasn't in them. The books that I feel inspired to read have brought me joy and made me really think about how I can incorporate the lessons learned into my life. What can I say, the more I read nonfiction, the more inspired I am to make changes here and there. 

In case you are wondering, I do read fiction as well. Most of those books I read on my Kindle because It is less distracting for Chad when he is trying to sleep. This year, most of those books have been books either Chad or I acquired through the years in one way or another that I haven't read yet. I found a new author that I really like this way: Lucinda Berry. There is a good possibility I will go back to the series I was reading last year because I really like it and want to finish it and find the other series by Nancy Warren, but now I know I can look for a book by Lucinda Berry along with a few others that I liked in the past if I need a break from witches and vampires. 

My reading likes and dislikes my change as I go, but one thing remains the same: I will not stop reading as long as I have the ability to do so. 

You Learn by Living - Book Review

 

I recently finished You Learn by Living by Eleanor Roosevelt. This was such an amazing book! I talked to my sister and husband about it every chance I got. This book is full of practical advise on how to improve your life mixed with stories from her own life. As I read it, I was amazed at how much a book originally published in 1960 (only about 2 years before Eleanor Roosevelt died) was still applicable today. There were a few things mentioned that reminded me how far we have come in certain things, and I couldn't relate to things that she enjoyed because of her wealth and station in life. However, I didn't let that take away from the amazing messages of wisdom that poured out from the pages. 

Here are a few quotes I particularly liked:

Today, learning and living must go hand in hand. Each new bit of knowledge, each new experience is an extra tool in meeting new problems and working them out. It takes everything we can acquire to help us understand the new situations, new problems that are arising on all sides. (page 17)

 A mature person is one who does not think in only absolutes, who is able to be objective even when deeply stirred emotionally, who has learned that there is both good and bad in all people and in all things, and who walks humbly and deals charitably with circumstances of life, knowing that in this world all of us need both love and charity. (page 63)

I think one of the basic things to recognize is that the only valuable development is the development of an individual. If you try to change that individual so that he loses his personality, you have done something that he loses his personality, you have done something that has destroyed the most important thing about the human being, his essential difference from anybody else. (page 69)

If it is essential, though difficult, to learn how to deal with various kinds of people in one's own environment, it is equally essential, and much more difficult, to learn how to deal with various kinds of people from a totally different environment, people of many races and cultures, people whose customs and patterns of thought are altogether unlike our own. At this moment, it is quite possible that the future of the world and of life on this planet depends on our ability to mast the technique of getting along with the many different peoples who inhabit this globe. (page 143)

The last quote I listed is my absolute favorite from this book! It ignites in me a spark I haven't felt for a long time. This book makes me want to get out and meet more people and do something in my community that will make a real difference. I think that this is what I am here on this earth to do.  

 

Need to Make a Change

 

I went to the temple yesterday and took a picture as I was leaving to post on social media, but I didn't post. There were two problems with this picture. First, the wind was so strong that I made a goofy face that slightly resembled a smile. I hate when I do that, but that alone wouldn't have stopped me from posting. The second problem, the one that made me think twice, was I looked so fat. I know I have gained a lot of weight since I started working from home, but I didn't realize how much it showed in my face. I need to make a change. I want to be confident enough to post a picture leaving the temple no matter what the wind make my face do. I don't know exactly what I will be doing yet, but I know I can't keep going in this direction with my health.