Friday, August 31, 2018

August Books



This book is written by the great-great-great niece of the man who bought the patent for Jell-O many years ago and is about the family history as well as the "Jell-O curse" of mysterious ailments that plagued the family.



This book is about a mother's journey to save her daughter from NXIVM.  I have read about the organization NXIVM, which many believe is a mind controlling cult, and can not imagine the pain of losing a daughter to a group that you initially believed in.  



After reading two books this month that I didn't love, I decided to re-read one of my favorites.  Jen Hatmaker is one of my favorite authors and is a great storyteller.  I am glad I re-read Of Mess and Moxie in August because while reading I thought my mom would enjoy it and was able to order it for her birthday!

Sunday, August 19, 2018

Weekend Fun!

We had hoped to spend last Saturday in the pool to celebrate our first day back to school but it was raining so we went to HeadPinz instead!  It was Ava's first time bowling and we had so much fun :)



Friday, August 10, 2018

First Grade!

Today was Ava's first day of First Grade!  She was super brave and said that it was a fun and busy day :)  She got to play with her best friend from last year during recess and said that she made some new friends in her class.  We are so thankful!


Tuesday, July 31, 2018

July Books

4 days in a car + over 2 weeks vacation = a lot of reading this month!


This book is about a girl who reaches her goal of earning a Rhodes Scholarship and the opportunity to go study at Oxford for a year.  I loved reading about her relationships with the other characters and was interested from beginning to end.  


I loved Elin Hilderbrand's new book.  It was her typical awesome summer read about Nantucket but the story line included a murder mystery.  


This memoir is about the author's experience growing up Mormon in a polygamist family in Mexico.  It is a tough story to hear but very inspiring and captivating.  I couldn't put it down.


The author of this book posts comedic videos about parenting online and her book was equally funny.  On her 41st birthday she decided she was going to live brave and stand up for herself.  She is hilarious, relatable, and encouraging.


This memoir is about a girl who responds to a job posting on Craigslist that ends up being for the position of President Obama's stenographer.  She tells stories about her travels on Air Force One, her interactions with the Obama Administration, and her relationships.  I loved hearing about her job and getting a behind the scenes look.


This book is about an event planner from Chicago who loses her job and moves to Lake Sackett, Georgia to work with the family business:  a bait shop / funeral home.  While the story line didn't seem completely believable to me, I enjoyed the characters and was rooting for the main character to find love and happiness.


This book was made up of stories about Kathy Griffin's celebrity encounters.  It wasn't as juicy as I expected, but a few of the stories were funny.



I also re-read two of my favorite books this month.  I consider August my "new-year" since I head back to school and always like to re-read a few motivational books that I have loved in the past.

Thursday, July 26, 2018

Chicago

Matt and I took the train from South Bend to Chicago while we were in Indiana. Two years ago we took the same train ride to Chicago to see Navy Pier and go on the architectural boat ride, but only for the day.  This year, we decided to stay overnight and had the best time!