Reading Challenge 2011/ Reading Challenge 2012

My GoodReads Reading Challenge for 2011 was to read 50 books.

I really wanted to reach that goal, but a combination of factors thwarted me. The biggest one was definitely my iPad, between reading the NY Times and blogs and, of course, general time wasting. I also started several books this year that just didn't do it for me. I slogged through a couple, and stopped reading others altogether. A few more I reread in part (Consider the Lobster, for instance.) And then there was that one Michael Chabon book Ben didn't know I was done with and lent to a friend. (Hmph!)

Oh, and I wrote a book, too. That probably had some bearing. I did count reading the manuscript as one of my books, which might be cheating, but I read the dang thing about 23 times, so I say it counts.

Unless I finish the last couple chapters of The Pastor as Minor Poet tonight, my grand total will be 45 books. Not bad.

My reading goal for 2012 is at once way more and way less ambitious. I intend to read (at least) one book, but a particular one: Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. 

Happy New Year!

A Year in First Lines

Time for the annual year-in-review: first sentence of the first post of each month.

January: Jackson Henry Taylor was born yesterday morning!

February: I submitted my manuscript to Chalice Press on January 30th... two whole days before deadline.

March: When I see this picture, taken just a few moments before Ben and I walked down the aisle, hand in hand, to be married, several thoughts immediately come to mind.

April: Later this month, we close on the purchase of our first home, thanks to financing assistance from the church.

May:  I've had writing friends for nearly as long as I've been writing.

June: I experienced two strong symptoms when the temperature passed the 90 degree mark: the misplacement of my ankle bones, and a fierce desire to chop my hair off.

July: Juliette has said some funny things lately that I don't want to forget.

August: At first I was afraid to say it out loud, thinking it would immediately jinx the situation.

September: My last blog post began with the observation that I was one-third of the way through my maternity leave.

October: I'm back to work.

November: A terrible thing happened nearby last week.

December: Not just any coat.

What a year. What a year. 

Remember December

The pageant and the baptisms definitely loomed large in our Christmas celebrations, but there were quite a few memorable moments during the last month. Here are a few caught on Instagram, in no particular order.

1. Maddie wrote a wonderful poem to go with a shot of Juliette playing hopscotch taken by my father-in-law that I ran through instagram, and Elizabeth framed it beautifully.

 2. With Grandpa in town, Juliette got to hear the original Willis family version of T'was the Night Before Christmas.

3. Juliette was not shy about meeting Santa in the parlor during preschool.

4. One of my all-time favorite ornaments. Oh, how I want to make some new felt ornaments!

5. This was the third year our tree has been topped by a hand drawn star - made by Juliette at her Montessori school in California.

 6. It's hard to see here, but Juliette was holding an imaginary hamster for most of her preschool singalong. The teacher finally asked her to put it down, and she did, but spent the rest of the concert giving the girl behind her threatening looks - like, "Don't you DARE step on my hamster." We were in hysterics.

7. A completely spontaneous show of affection between darling little ballerinas.

 8. Christmas glowsticks were a big hit.

 9. Juliette gave Genevieve a sock monkey for Christmas.

 10. Juliette loves the little birdie in a cage from her Aunt Marie.