I have never been one to have multiple books going at the same time. I guess you could say I've always been a monogamous reader. New York has kind of changed that. So much of my reading is done on the Subway that I have to have books small enough to fit in my bag without contributing to my already strained shoulder. This causes me to have one book only for "on the go" and another book only for "on the couch". My "on the couch" book, which I'm still working on, is a full sized hardback with 641 pages. A little much to schlep around town. So this was my "on the go" book that I picked up on a whim at B&N.
Alpana Pours, is a non-fiction wine and lifestyle book, by Alpana Singh, one of the youngest people ever to reach the level of Master Sommelier. It is a lighthearted book about de-mystifying wine...making it more understandable and more approachable. I'm a big wine fan, and thought this might be interesting for picking up tips on choosing wines, as well as food and wine pairings for dinner parties and dining out. While the book does provide some helpful tips, it is mostly disappointing. I felt like Alpana was trying just a little too hard to sound cool, sexy, and edgy. A few too many unsolicited dating tips...how to pick a guy based on the wine he picks. A few too many unnecessary innuendos. Trying a bit too hard to be "Sex and the City".
To be fair, this book delivers exactly what it promises..."About Being a Woman, Loving Wine & Having Great Relationships." So, if you're wanting something more along the lines of the 840 page Oxford Companion to Wine, Alpana Pours is probably not for you. If you want a few general, helpful tips, this isn't bad...but there are probably better books on the market.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Monday, January 22, 2007
Book #2 -- Three Junes
My second book of 2007 is Three Junes, by Julia Glass, and was recommended to me by my boss right after the holidays.
Pause -- I just remembered that many of you may not know that I'm working as a personal assistant for a wonderful woman here in the city. She is an executive with a financial company and found that with all that she had going on in her life, things were slipping through the cracks. A friend of mine from chuch recommended me, and I've been working as her PA since September. I work out of her home on the Upper East Side and do everything from financial records and organizing insurance appraisals to buying clothes and designing her Christmas cards. It's a flexible and fun job...and one you don't find very often outside of NY and LA. -- Unpause.
As we were going over her Christmas card returns, one of them was from a woman she went to school with (I believe). My boss -- we'll call her W -- said, "Julia's an author. In fact, you might enjoy her first book, Three Junes. It's one of the best books I've ever read." Well, how can you not rush out and buy a book someone claims may be one of the best they've ever read? And W is a serious reader!
Three Junes is is the story of a Scottish family, the McLeod's, during three key summers, and stretches from the Greek Isles, to Scotland to New York City. The book is divided into three sections, with each section centering on one member of the family...first the father, Paul, after the death of his wife Maureen. The second, Fenno, the oldest son, immediately after the death of his father, Paul. And finally, Fern, who you meet in the first section.
To boil it down to a sentence, it is a beautifully written story about the choices people make and living with consequences of those choices...both good and bad. Ms. Glass' writing is colorful and emotional...you can easily picture the locations, and the people. Some of the situations she writes about are heartbreaking, yet sadly, very real. (One of the sons is gay and lives in NYC during the rise of AIDS, losing friend after friend. Another son and his wife struggle with the inability to have children.) And it's very satisfying how her story comes full circle in the end.
I must warn you, should you read the book, some of the scenes in Fenno's life in NYC can be disturbing. Not graphic, necessarily, but definitely unsettling in their depiction of the homosexual lifestyle and the effects of AIDS. I don't want to end all of my book reviews with a disclaimer, but, then again, I'd hate for my friends to pick up a book on my recommendation, and halfway through go, "WHAT?!?"
Pause -- I just remembered that many of you may not know that I'm working as a personal assistant for a wonderful woman here in the city. She is an executive with a financial company and found that with all that she had going on in her life, things were slipping through the cracks. A friend of mine from chuch recommended me, and I've been working as her PA since September. I work out of her home on the Upper East Side and do everything from financial records and organizing insurance appraisals to buying clothes and designing her Christmas cards. It's a flexible and fun job...and one you don't find very often outside of NY and LA. -- Unpause.
As we were going over her Christmas card returns, one of them was from a woman she went to school with (I believe). My boss -- we'll call her W -- said, "Julia's an author. In fact, you might enjoy her first book, Three Junes. It's one of the best books I've ever read." Well, how can you not rush out and buy a book someone claims may be one of the best they've ever read? And W is a serious reader!
Three Junes is is the story of a Scottish family, the McLeod's, during three key summers, and stretches from the Greek Isles, to Scotland to New York City. The book is divided into three sections, with each section centering on one member of the family...first the father, Paul, after the death of his wife Maureen. The second, Fenno, the oldest son, immediately after the death of his father, Paul. And finally, Fern, who you meet in the first section.
To boil it down to a sentence, it is a beautifully written story about the choices people make and living with consequences of those choices...both good and bad. Ms. Glass' writing is colorful and emotional...you can easily picture the locations, and the people. Some of the situations she writes about are heartbreaking, yet sadly, very real. (One of the sons is gay and lives in NYC during the rise of AIDS, losing friend after friend. Another son and his wife struggle with the inability to have children.) And it's very satisfying how her story comes full circle in the end.
I must warn you, should you read the book, some of the scenes in Fenno's life in NYC can be disturbing. Not graphic, necessarily, but definitely unsettling in their depiction of the homosexual lifestyle and the effects of AIDS. I don't want to end all of my book reviews with a disclaimer, but, then again, I'd hate for my friends to pick up a book on my recommendation, and halfway through go, "WHAT?!?"
Friday, January 19, 2007
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
I learned this week of the death of one of the most amazing young men I have ever known -- Adam Langford. Adam was serving as a missionary in Uganda when he was killed in an automobile accident, along with another member of his team.
I feel like I've known the Langford clan my whole life. I grew up at Quail Springs Church of Christ with the Langford family, and his older brother Ben and I were best friends from the end of high school into college. His family was my second family and his two younger brothers, Adam and Jonathan, were like my brothers. Those amazing Langford boys had hearts that were completely sold out for Christ. They knew He had a calling on their lives, and they were eager to go anywhere, do anything to serve Him.
Adam was the kindest, funniest, most talented "kid". He had a contagious laugh and a heart of pure gold. He never met a stranger, and was fearless in his faith. I believe that a bright light has gone out on earth now that Adam has gone home.
My love and heartbroken prayers go out to his parents, Terry & Kathy, to Ben, Kym and Eli, to Jon, and the rest of his family. My prayers of praise go to God for Adam's precious life and the hundreds and hundreds of people he has blessed. Adam loved the Lord and followed Him fearlessly. I pray that I might do the same.
For more about the ministry being done in Uganda, visit www.jinjamissions.org.
I feel like I've known the Langford clan my whole life. I grew up at Quail Springs Church of Christ with the Langford family, and his older brother Ben and I were best friends from the end of high school into college. His family was my second family and his two younger brothers, Adam and Jonathan, were like my brothers. Those amazing Langford boys had hearts that were completely sold out for Christ. They knew He had a calling on their lives, and they were eager to go anywhere, do anything to serve Him.
Adam was the kindest, funniest, most talented "kid". He had a contagious laugh and a heart of pure gold. He never met a stranger, and was fearless in his faith. I believe that a bright light has gone out on earth now that Adam has gone home.
My love and heartbroken prayers go out to his parents, Terry & Kathy, to Ben, Kym and Eli, to Jon, and the rest of his family. My prayers of praise go to God for Adam's precious life and the hundreds and hundreds of people he has blessed. Adam loved the Lord and followed Him fearlessly. I pray that I might do the same.
For more about the ministry being done in Uganda, visit www.jinjamissions.org.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Book #1 -- Julie & Julia
So, in my quest to read more books this year (stop laughing, Kevin!), thought I'd blog about the ones I've read to, "a. of all") hold me accountable to actually reading, and "b. of all") provide you -- whoever you are or aren't -- with book ideas, or not, as the case may be.
My first book of 2007 was a memoir -- Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously, by Julie Powell. I received this book for Christmas from my sister-in-law Kelly who knows that I am an aspiring chef and absolute food nerd! Julie Powell is a would-be actress in NYC working as a secretary (or "government drone" as she calls it) and living in Queens with her husband. Approaching age 30, she is absolutely lost...no acting jobs, no accomplishments, nothing to look forward to...hopeless. The only things that bring her any joy are cooking, drinking vodka gimlets and watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. A strange sequence of events brings her in touch with the cooking classic Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1, by Julia Child, and Julie sets off to complete all 524 recipes in 365 days. And now the fun really starts!
The book details the year Julie spent cooking through Mastering the Art of French Cooking (or MtAoFC), the highs and lows, goods and bads. The successes and abyssmal failures. It is oftentimes laugh-out-loud funny...just as Kevin...he had to put up with me laughing. Julie's life is absolute drama...or, more to the point, Julie reacts to situations with absolute drama. She is witty, smart and a smart a$$. She is an oftentimes crass, serious liberal, dyed-in-the-wool Democrat, who thinks Republicans are sub-human, and is very vocal about her strongly held opinions. Even though our lives appear similar (Texas native, living in NYC, acting, cooking, approaching 30, etc.) we are more mirror images. She is all the things I am not, and I am all the things she hates.
Poignantly, there is a quote at the end of the book that Julie writes after finding out that Julia Child, whom she has never met, has died. She writes: "I have no claim over the woman at all, unless it's the claim one who has nearly drowned has over the person who pulled her out of the ocean." And I thought as I read that, "hmmm...much as I feel about Christ."
If you like food or cooking, this is a fantastic read. It makes you want to "cook dangerously" or at least with more daring then you have before. If you aren't necessarily a self-proclaimed food nerd, this is still a hilarious book about being thrust out of your everyday, normal, boring life into a adventure of your own making. If you can look past the rough language at times and the conservative bashing, I think you will find Julie a brash and funny ordinary person on a search for the extraordinary.
My first book of 2007 was a memoir -- Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously, by Julie Powell. I received this book for Christmas from my sister-in-law Kelly who knows that I am an aspiring chef and absolute food nerd! Julie Powell is a would-be actress in NYC working as a secretary (or "government drone" as she calls it) and living in Queens with her husband. Approaching age 30, she is absolutely lost...no acting jobs, no accomplishments, nothing to look forward to...hopeless. The only things that bring her any joy are cooking, drinking vodka gimlets and watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. A strange sequence of events brings her in touch with the cooking classic Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1, by Julia Child, and Julie sets off to complete all 524 recipes in 365 days. And now the fun really starts!
The book details the year Julie spent cooking through Mastering the Art of French Cooking (or MtAoFC), the highs and lows, goods and bads. The successes and abyssmal failures. It is oftentimes laugh-out-loud funny...just as Kevin...he had to put up with me laughing. Julie's life is absolute drama...or, more to the point, Julie reacts to situations with absolute drama. She is witty, smart and a smart a$$. She is an oftentimes crass, serious liberal, dyed-in-the-wool Democrat, who thinks Republicans are sub-human, and is very vocal about her strongly held opinions. Even though our lives appear similar (Texas native, living in NYC, acting, cooking, approaching 30, etc.) we are more mirror images. She is all the things I am not, and I am all the things she hates.
Poignantly, there is a quote at the end of the book that Julie writes after finding out that Julia Child, whom she has never met, has died. She writes: "I have no claim over the woman at all, unless it's the claim one who has nearly drowned has over the person who pulled her out of the ocean." And I thought as I read that, "hmmm...much as I feel about Christ."
If you like food or cooking, this is a fantastic read. It makes you want to "cook dangerously" or at least with more daring then you have before. If you aren't necessarily a self-proclaimed food nerd, this is still a hilarious book about being thrust out of your everyday, normal, boring life into a adventure of your own making. If you can look past the rough language at times and the conservative bashing, I think you will find Julie a brash and funny ordinary person on a search for the extraordinary.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
The 7-Year Itch
Monday, January 8th was my 7 year wedding anniversary! Honestly...where did 7 years go?
On Saturday, Kevin and I flew to Lake Tahoe for a weekend in the mountains to celebrate. It was nice to actually see snow, since New York has been ridiculously warm. In fact, the day we flew out we packed our coats and wore short sleeves to the airport...it was 70 degrees! We stayed on the North Shore at the Hyatt and skied three days at Squaw Valley. Sunny weather everyday in the 40s...gorgeous!
We arrived Saturday night and stayed in Reno, since it was a little late to make the drive into Tahoe. We got off the plane around 10 p.m. (which is 1:00 a.m. body time) and stumbled down to baggage claim, only to find that 2 of our bags arrived...and one was stranded in Denver. Which one? The one with all the ski gear. We filed a claim, and United gave us vouchers so we could rent coats, pants, goggles, and gloves, and they actually bought us hats and thermals. After finally making through the line, filing our claim, and finding our rental car we were headed to our Residence Inn to crash.
Then, as we are driving down the highway, what do we see shining like a beacon off the highway, its bright, golden arrow pointing world weary travelers towards an haven of joy, welcoming home it's prodigal children? That's right...In 'n Out. We don't care how late it is. We don't care how tired we are. We KNOW that the cure to what ails is us a Double Double with cheese, hold the onions, and fresh-cut french fries. All is right with the world again.
We checked into the Hyatt, and then made our way to Tahoe Dave's for some gear. They outfitted us with all the requisite ski/board accoutrements and sent us out to the mountain. While we cut our teeth, so to speak, on the icy slopes of Southern California, we were seriously spoiled last year with feet and feet of fresh powder in Colorado. It took us awhile to remember how to navigate on snow that oftentimes felt more like we were skating. But we quickly remembered, and had 3 wonderful days at Squaw.
What can I say about 7 years of marriage? I can say that I truly never knew a person could have this much fun. I didn't know I was signing up for such an adventure. And I'm not talking about Mediterranean cruises and ski weekends. I mean the day to day routine of building a life the person you'd rather be with then anyone else on the planet. I mean the Saturday mornings and the Tuesday evenings. The nights on the town and the nights on the couch. The elegant 3-course dinners in chic New York restaurants, and the pad Thai at home in front of the TV. It's laundry, and movies, and cooking, and groceries, and alarm clocks, and musicals, and Bible studies, and grad school, and running in the park, and cleaning...and all the things that add up to life. Except that to me they are a never-ending, always surprising, breathless adventure...because I'm sharing them all with him.
Is it any wonder seven years feels like just the beginning?
On Saturday, Kevin and I flew to Lake Tahoe for a weekend in the mountains to celebrate. It was nice to actually see snow, since New York has been ridiculously warm. In fact, the day we flew out we packed our coats and wore short sleeves to the airport...it was 70 degrees! We stayed on the North Shore at the Hyatt and skied three days at Squaw Valley. Sunny weather everyday in the 40s...gorgeous!
We arrived Saturday night and stayed in Reno, since it was a little late to make the drive into Tahoe. We got off the plane around 10 p.m. (which is 1:00 a.m. body time) and stumbled down to baggage claim, only to find that 2 of our bags arrived...and one was stranded in Denver. Which one? The one with all the ski gear. We filed a claim, and United gave us vouchers so we could rent coats, pants, goggles, and gloves, and they actually bought us hats and thermals. After finally making through the line, filing our claim, and finding our rental car we were headed to our Residence Inn to crash.
Then, as we are driving down the highway, what do we see shining like a beacon off the highway, its bright, golden arrow pointing world weary travelers towards an haven of joy, welcoming home it's prodigal children? That's right...In 'n Out. We don't care how late it is. We don't care how tired we are. We KNOW that the cure to what ails is us a Double Double with cheese, hold the onions, and fresh-cut french fries. All is right with the world again.
We checked into the Hyatt, and then made our way to Tahoe Dave's for some gear. They outfitted us with all the requisite ski/board accoutrements and sent us out to the mountain. While we cut our teeth, so to speak, on the icy slopes of Southern California, we were seriously spoiled last year with feet and feet of fresh powder in Colorado. It took us awhile to remember how to navigate on snow that oftentimes felt more like we were skating. But we quickly remembered, and had 3 wonderful days at Squaw.
What can I say about 7 years of marriage? I can say that I truly never knew a person could have this much fun. I didn't know I was signing up for such an adventure. And I'm not talking about Mediterranean cruises and ski weekends. I mean the day to day routine of building a life the person you'd rather be with then anyone else on the planet. I mean the Saturday mornings and the Tuesday evenings. The nights on the town and the nights on the couch. The elegant 3-course dinners in chic New York restaurants, and the pad Thai at home in front of the TV. It's laundry, and movies, and cooking, and groceries, and alarm clocks, and musicals, and Bible studies, and grad school, and running in the park, and cleaning...and all the things that add up to life. Except that to me they are a never-ending, always surprising, breathless adventure...because I'm sharing them all with him.
Is it any wonder seven years feels like just the beginning?
Friday, January 05, 2007
Taking a stand!
So, one of my other New Year's resolutions is to read more. Now, if my husband happens to read this he is going to laugh out loud. He thinks I read plenty of books. But I feel like I didn't read much last year, which is seriously not like me. Actually, the entire resolution is "more books, less internet". Do you ever feel that with the wealth of information literally at our fingertips, we are actually dumber? It's like, if it can't be communicated in one page view, one instant message, one 30 second spot, I can't be bothered with it. Well, I say no more! I say, more books! More handwritten letters! More thought provoking conversation! Let's expand our minds, people, not just our MySpace pages!
Don't get me wrong, I love the convenience, information and communication the internet offers. I would be lost without it. But I should be able to use the internet for those things without becoming a mindless drone slumped on the couch in my pajamas reading about Britney Spear's New Year's drama, watching SNL videos on YouTube, and playing Tetris. Pathetic.
So, this year I'm reading more books! I went to Barnes & Noble (well, to their website, anyway.) and took advantage of their post-holiday sale. I bought a bunch of stuff I've been wanting to read, but have been too busy downloading music from iTunes and webcam-ing with friends in Georgia to get to. I have a great stack started...which is a little inconvenient in a 500 square foot apartment. I'm completely out of bookcase room, and have started stacking books under the bed. Ah...someday I'll have a library. So I'll let you know what I've read, and if it's worth reading. And, if you have recommendations, please post them! I could always use another good book in my stack.
Don't get me wrong, I love the convenience, information and communication the internet offers. I would be lost without it. But I should be able to use the internet for those things without becoming a mindless drone slumped on the couch in my pajamas reading about Britney Spear's New Year's drama, watching SNL videos on YouTube, and playing Tetris. Pathetic.
So, this year I'm reading more books! I went to Barnes & Noble (well, to their website, anyway.) and took advantage of their post-holiday sale. I bought a bunch of stuff I've been wanting to read, but have been too busy downloading music from iTunes and webcam-ing with friends in Georgia to get to. I have a great stack started...which is a little inconvenient in a 500 square foot apartment. I'm completely out of bookcase room, and have started stacking books under the bed. Ah...someday I'll have a library. So I'll let you know what I've read, and if it's worth reading. And, if you have recommendations, please post them! I could always use another good book in my stack.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
All I Want for Christmas
I think it's definitely a sign of adulthood when at Christmastime you ask for, and receive cookware. And are so excited you want to do a little dance. Or maybe it's a sign that you should, a.) dream bigger, or b.) get out more. Either way, it was a cookware Christmas for Tracey! As I was approaching my 7 year wedding anniversary (Monday, in case you're curious), I realized that I could seriously use a kitchen upgrade. I am now the ecstatically proud new owner of one 8-inch All-Clad skillet, one 4-quart All-Clad sauce pan, and one 10-inch All-Clad all purpose brasier. It's cookery heaven!
On Christmas morning, instead of the 10-inch brasier, Santa actually brought me an enormous, shiny All-Clad lasagna pan. Clearly, Santa had not been in my kitchen, for when I got it home from Texas and put it into my oven (no, there was no lasagna in it), the oven door wouldn't even close. Sigh. So I had to return the large lasagna pan and get something that would fit in my miniscule oven...which is when I returned with the brasier. Imagine a 10-inch skillet, but instead of one long handle, it has two small handles on either side. It's, very cute actually, and made a delicious crusted chicken cacciatore two nights ago. Even with purging the old pans, I'm still having trouble finding cabinet/pot rack space for the new pans. Yes, that's how it is when you have one small cabinet for all your cooking/baking/mixing/ricing/spinning equipment, and one already overflowing makeshift pot rack (it was a towel rack at Bed, Bath, and Beyond in it's former life). Ooh, and did I mention...I also got a brand new food processor! I won't bore you with the details of it's shiny white surface, large 7-cup bowl, and wonderful inventive 3-cup bowl that fits down in the 7-cup bowl for smaller chopping jobs. Let's just say it's beautiful.
By contrast, my husband got very practical and marginally exciting things like a snappy new computer bag (don't worry..."snappy" is my word, not his), framed pictures for his office, a new coat, tickets to see Duke vs. Gonzaga at The Garden. But what was his most loved gift? A black market video game set I bought from some member of the Russian Mafia down on 14th street, west of Union Square. For $12.99, this thing has literally 76,000 games. All it is is a cheap, Nintendo looking game controller that you plug directly into your TV, and it is pre-loaded with games. I'm not talking new, high detail, graphically spectacular games. I'm talking Super Mario Bros., Duck Hunt, Contra, Joust, Donkey Kong...all those games that, if you were born in the mid-70's were the games you got with your very first Nintendo. It is fantastic. The night we opened it we were up until 3:00 a.m. playing games...and have had some subsequent late nights since. This thing is seriously ghetto, but I don't think I've bought my husband a gift that has made him this happy in our 6 years and 361 days of marriage.
I hope you all had cookware-video game Christmases, getting just what you wanted, or loving what you never knew you needed!
On Christmas morning, instead of the 10-inch brasier, Santa actually brought me an enormous, shiny All-Clad lasagna pan. Clearly, Santa had not been in my kitchen, for when I got it home from Texas and put it into my oven (no, there was no lasagna in it), the oven door wouldn't even close. Sigh. So I had to return the large lasagna pan and get something that would fit in my miniscule oven...which is when I returned with the brasier. Imagine a 10-inch skillet, but instead of one long handle, it has two small handles on either side. It's, very cute actually, and made a delicious crusted chicken cacciatore two nights ago. Even with purging the old pans, I'm still having trouble finding cabinet/pot rack space for the new pans. Yes, that's how it is when you have one small cabinet for all your cooking/baking/mixing/ricing/spinning equipment, and one already overflowing makeshift pot rack (it was a towel rack at Bed, Bath, and Beyond in it's former life). Ooh, and did I mention...I also got a brand new food processor! I won't bore you with the details of it's shiny white surface, large 7-cup bowl, and wonderful inventive 3-cup bowl that fits down in the 7-cup bowl for smaller chopping jobs. Let's just say it's beautiful.
By contrast, my husband got very practical and marginally exciting things like a snappy new computer bag (don't worry..."snappy" is my word, not his), framed pictures for his office, a new coat, tickets to see Duke vs. Gonzaga at The Garden. But what was his most loved gift? A black market video game set I bought from some member of the Russian Mafia down on 14th street, west of Union Square. For $12.99, this thing has literally 76,000 games. All it is is a cheap, Nintendo looking game controller that you plug directly into your TV, and it is pre-loaded with games. I'm not talking new, high detail, graphically spectacular games. I'm talking Super Mario Bros., Duck Hunt, Contra, Joust, Donkey Kong...all those games that, if you were born in the mid-70's were the games you got with your very first Nintendo. It is fantastic. The night we opened it we were up until 3:00 a.m. playing games...and have had some subsequent late nights since. This thing is seriously ghetto, but I don't think I've bought my husband a gift that has made him this happy in our 6 years and 361 days of marriage.
I hope you all had cookware-video game Christmases, getting just what you wanted, or loving what you never knew you needed!
Monday, January 01, 2007
Happy New Year!
Happy, happy New Year! It's impossible to believe we are almost a decade into the "new millennium". I know it seems cliche, but each year goes faster. We spent our New Year's Eve with Matt and Laura, two of our dearest friends here in New York. It was low key, and wonderful...slumped on the couch eating take-out and watching the ball drop from the comfort of the living room. Perfection!
It's the time for New Year's resolutions, and though I'm not sure how effective they are, it's hard not to re-evaluate your life as you face a fresh new year. So here are a few of mine...I reserve the right to amend, adjust, re-think and discard as needed:
- Read the Bible more.
- Make healthier choices (who needs the "lose weight" pressure...this sounds easier!)
- Be a better friend
- Blog more (Ha!)
- Give more than I get
How's that for a start? I know some of them sound ambiguous, but they are clear in my head.
I pray you all had a wonderful holiday season...a blessed Christmas and a fun New Year's. I pray you are looking forward to 2007 with anticipation and excitement. And I pray we all have a greater sense of God's presence this year.
It's the time for New Year's resolutions, and though I'm not sure how effective they are, it's hard not to re-evaluate your life as you face a fresh new year. So here are a few of mine...I reserve the right to amend, adjust, re-think and discard as needed:
- Read the Bible more.
- Make healthier choices (who needs the "lose weight" pressure...this sounds easier!)
- Be a better friend
- Blog more (Ha!)
- Give more than I get
How's that for a start? I know some of them sound ambiguous, but they are clear in my head.
I pray you all had a wonderful holiday season...a blessed Christmas and a fun New Year's. I pray you are looking forward to 2007 with anticipation and excitement. And I pray we all have a greater sense of God's presence this year.
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