The Quake

You may have heard about the earthquake in California yesterday. It was a pretty significant shake--somewhere around a 5.4 on the Richter scale.

My sister, her husband, and their two kids live in southern California. In fact, their house is less than 10 miles from the epicenter of the quake. See picture:

Luckily, Amy was able to email and tell us they were all okay. They had some things fall from shelves and whatnot, but no one was hurt and nothing of theirs was damaged.

However, it does make me a little nervous to see headlines on CNN like "Expert: LA quake 'small sample' of future one." I mean, I know earthquakes happen pretty often and lots of times aren't even felt. But I still think of them now and hope that any future earthquakes are not as bad or not as close.

So You Think You Can Dance (dance, dance, dance)

I'm somewhat ashamed to admit that I love this show. I think they're on season four and I've seen three of them. I don't know a lot of other people who watch the show, but yesterday I found out my sister-in-law Tori is a big fan. Yay!

Tori and I spent the afternoon yesterday hanging out at the beach, talking about work, boys, the future, and So You Think You Can Dance. It was so much fun--and only in part because we share a love for this summer's indulgence of "reality" tv.

My sisters are all far away. And I miss them tons. And as much as I love my friends, sometimes there's just nothing like hanging out with your sister. You reminisce about when you were eight and broker your arm or when you were ten and fell off a treadmill (me and not me, respectively).

My new sister-in-law and I are almost there. She refuses to call me her sister-in-law because in-law can be such a weird term. So I'm her sister, despite the fact that it's always a little funny adding family members by marriage. You're never 100% sure how it's going to work. But I do know one thing. My sister Tori is pretty amazing. I love spending time with her and I love that I'm her sister (and she's mine).

Hug It Out

Apparently I'm missing The Office because this is my second post this week with an Office reference.

You know the episode? Dwight betrays Michael and begs--BEGS--for forgiveness. What does Michael do? He says, "You can get up and you can hug it out..." (Then he says something that I would get censored for, but you get the point.) The moment is hilarious. And yet true to a point.

Sometimes you're just too mad or confused or processing to hug it out. But my mantra? Just talk it out. I'm pretty bad (good) when it comes to this. When something happens to me in the extreme (either really great or really sucky), I start talking. I call my husband, I stop by my friend's cubicle, I hang out with a friend that night.

It usually takes about three tellings of any given story for me to calm down a little bit. And if you know me, you will probably be able to tell which stage you get. First telling: Stage One. I am off my rocker. If it's really great news, I'm a little screechy. If it's terrible stuff, I'm in a rage. Both involve fast-talking. Second telling: Stage Two. My moderation kicks in. Great news: repressed squeals. Terrible stuff: control has entered my peeved state. Third telling: Stage Three. I am in full denial. Both cases: I deny that either thing has happened, blaming it on other circumstances and telling myself it can't be this great/terrible.

Last night, I spent some time with my great friend. And we both had a good time laughing, playing with her kids, and talking. For some of her stories, I think she was a late stage one, early stage two. For some of my stories, I was clearly into stage three. And that is an AWESOME thing. Friends should never talk/listen when they are both in stage one. Odds are, listening will take a back burner and both will just be wishing the other would shut up so they can keep talking about their own stage one story. Much better if friends are in different stages.

So next time you've got great news, talk it out. (Just make sure I'm not in stage one if you really want me to listen.)

Counting Calories?

I tried it for a while and quit after about 10 days. It was just too much work for me. I would dutifully go to the website I used and enter every little thing I ate, then get slightly depressed at the high number. It wasn't terrible, but I tend to push myself on these things. I always want to have a lower number, a better day. So if I have a not-so-good day, I beat myself up.

When I get on the scale lately, I am not so happy. I'm not out of control, but I'm up about 15 pounds from where I have been. And that's not fun. I know it's not much and I'm still probably in the healthy range for my height, but I'd rather be 15 pounds lighter.

So I've been trying to be more faithful in exercising. And I've been watching what I eat to an extent. And I am NOT going to start counting calories again. Definitely not my bag. But I am starting to notice what I put in my body. Yogurt? Good. Cookies? Bad. Double Stuff Oreos or Fat Free Raspberry Newtons? Ice cream or blueberries? I'm trying to make good decisions.

I'm guessing I'll last about 10 days.

Blueberries, Birthdays, Burgers, and Blokus

This weekend has been quite lovely, though quite rainy as well. Friday I went blueberry picking with my dad and walked away with six pounds of blueberries! If you want a good place to go picking, the Gold Barn in Holland (Quincy and 160th) is awesome. $1.35 a pound and the Early Blues and Dukes are PERFECT right now.

Friday evening, we went out with the Baar side of the family to celebrate Sue's birthday. We had a great dinner, laughed a lot, and got to meet my brother-in-law's girlfriend. She's amazingly nice and she probably got away with half my blueberries because of it. :-)

Saturday I ended picking another three pounds of blueberries since I gave some away to my mom and Drew and Jen. I made blueberry muffins and blueberry crisp for dinner that night with friends. The Speyers cooked up some burgers and brats for us and Hoeksemas, Meisenheimers, and we brought other yummy food for a great night. I didn't win Blokus (Mandy, that win was pretty amazing), but I did have TONS of fun with our friends!

Sunday (today), I'm trying to pretend that tomorrow is not Monday. And failing.

Abba in the Morning

Lately I've been listening to NPR on my way to work, but this morning I needed some music to jump start my day. What should be the first song on the radio but this one:



I love The Office. :-) Have a happy Friday!!

I stole this cool meme from Camy Tang. Fun!

1. Do you remember how you developed a love for reading?

No. Both my parents read a lot, so I'm sure they loved getting books for my sister and me. My mom has a favorite picture of me at about nine months old, looking through a book. The actual reading came later, obviously, but I loved books from the start.

2. What are some books you read as a child?

The Babysitter's Club was huge for me, as was Nancy Drew. I was a pretty advanced reader, so by the time I was in middle school, I was tearing into a lot of longer novels. I remember Mandy being a favorite and as little kids, we read a lot of Berenstein Bears.

3. What is your favorite genre?

I don't know that I have one, but I like fiction more than nonfiction. I read thriller/crime novels a lot. And some romance. I like a lot of literary stuff, too. I love the bestseller lists on Amazon and from the NY Times.

4. Do you have a favorite novel?

Yes! The Brothers K by David James Duncan.

5. Where do you usually read?

In my bed or in my reading chair. We have a little reading nook at our house with a giant, comfy chair and ottoman with bookshelves right next to it. Heaven. In the summer, I read on the beach a lot.

6. When do you usually read?

In the evenings and weekends (I work full-time). I think I read a lot more in the winter, too, because there's not much else to do in a cold state.

7. Do you usually have more than one book you are reading at a time?

Sometimes. I used to be really, really obsessive about reading only one book at a time. But recently, I've been trying to read some nonfiction too, so I'll often have a fiction book and a nonfiction book going. I'll read a chapter or so of the nonfiction, then dig into the fiction book.

8. Do you read nonfiction in a different way or place than you read fiction?

Oh, I kind of already answered this. I could sit down and read a fiction book cover to cover. Not so with nonfiction. I usually have to read nonfiction in little bursts.

9. Do you buy most of the books you read, or borrow them, or check them out of the library?

Lately I've been checking out of the library a lot, but I often buy them or receive them as gifts. I love, love, love Barnes and Noble's bargain books section where you can get a hardcover book for $6. And I love, love, love my dad and sister, who buy books when they come out and then lend them to me. :-)

10. Do you keep most of the books you buy? If not, what do you do with them?

Um, heck yeah. A couple years ago, I got rid of a lot of my books because (a) we really don't have enough space in our little condo to keep ten Rubbermaid containers of books and (b) I really will never again read the Babysitter's Club Super Special #8. But I've since regretted getting rid of them. I'll loan them out to friends, but I don't think I'll ever get rid of a book again!

11. If you have children, what are some of the favorite books you have shared with them?

We don't have kids, but I'm trying to share my love of reading with my nieces and nephews. There will be a day very soon when I will start buying chapter books. And then they'll never get rid of me. They'll be forced to love books.

12. What are you reading now?

I just finished The Historian and I started Becoming Jane Austen. I'm thinking about re-reading Pride and Prejudice.

13. Do you keep a TBR (to be read) list?

I have lists all over the place. I made the mistake of going to a conference on reading and writing and I desperately scribbled as authors and editors told us what some of their favorite books are. I'm sure I'll never get to all of them!

14. What’s next?

What's next? Geesh, I have no idea. I have a drawer full of books that need to be read and a billion others that are on my mind. I did put the new Janet Evanovich book on hold at the library and I know James Patterson has another that just released (although he ALWAYS has another one that just released).

15. What books would you like to reread?

I would love to re-read Jane Austen and the Harry Potter series. It's probably time to re-read some David James Duncan too.

16. Who are your favorite authors?

I have lots! David James Duncan and Jane Austen have already been mentioned, as well as Janet Evanovich and James Patterson. Some Christian authors I have been loving lately are Camy Tang, Elizabeth White, Anne and May, Mike Snyder, and Rob Stennett. There are just too many to name.

Wish Me Luck!


(That's all you get; it's a superstitious thing. If I tell you what it is, then I'll have to tell you later that I've been rejected and disappointed. If I don't tell you, I can just pretend it never happened and not give an update.)

Goodness!

I've been slacking on the exercising lately. I haven't gone to our gym in a long time; our Tuesday/Thursday workout group is taking a break for the summer; softball on Wednesday doesn't really count as exercise (standing around for 90% of the time, then sprinting to first base? no).

So yesterday, the hubby and I went for a run together. But again, I felt like I really needed an extra boost--I walked part of the way and needed another ab workout--so I did a 30-minute video.

THEN, we were supposed to meet some friends at the Aquatic Center to play with their kids in the play area. Kent and I swam laps waiting to see if they'd show, but they didn't. So I swam laps for 30 minutes.

And now I'm tired.

Home



A few months before the hubby and I got married, we purchased a condo together. It made good sense all around. I needed a place to live; we knew we were getting married and would need a place to live; lovely hubby had enough saved for a down payment; I had a full-time job to take care of the monthly payments; owning is a better investment than renting. Whew! Lots of good reasons!

We live in a previously-owned condo with two bedrooms and two bathrooms. I honestly think it's the perfect size for us. I would love to have a little more storage space (there's only a one-stall garage and no basement), but it's probably a good thing because now I'm forced to live lightly and not have tons of boxes stored when I won't really ever use the contents of said boxes.

But Kent and I have also talked about buying land and building our own house. We even have a house plan we really like:


However, with the economy the way it is and the housing industry so slow, it will probably be several years before we decide to sell our condo. And now, Kent is even hesitant of building our own house. Why? All you need to do is look around our West Michigan town. There are empty buildings all over the place. Empty houses, empty businesses. New, old, doesn't matter. They're just wasting space. And Kent doesn't think it's responsible to take up more space when there are perfectly good buildings just sitting there, unused.

I'm kinda selfish, though. I tell myself that I would actually be doing the environment a favor by building my own house instead of taking one of the empty ones. I mean, I would build a more eco-friendly house. And oh, by the way, I would get to pick everything out so I loved every little detail, right down to the kitchen sink. Selfish, I know.

What do you think? Is it silly to take up more space when there's perfectly good space right in front of us? Or is is more important to create your own space?

Glistening

I don't glisten; I sweat.

West Michigan can get hot. But even more than getting hot, it can get HUMID. Last night, I went for a short bike ride with a good friend. When I got home, I felt like I really needed to exercise something other than my legs (though those need it too).

So I got out Billy. And worked Boot Camp Abs for 30 minutes. I was wearing a tank top and shorts and by the time I was done, I was soaked.

Now, in general, I sweat a lot. More than the average bear. But last night, I was drenched. I could literally swipe my hand from one clavicle to the other and come away with drips. DRIPS! As in, more than one.

Thank goodness for cold showers. I hopped in and barely turned the water on so it would be as close to the "C" as possible, then stood there making weird shrieky noises in the icy stream until I wasn't sweating anymore. A nice, thick braid in the hair and I was ready for bed-y.

There's nothing quite like a cold shower on a hot night.

Monday?

Seriously? Already? Okay, I shouldn't complain because I had a lovely weekend. Spend time at the beach every single day. Saw great friends, ate great food. Ahh. Summer.

But this cubicle? Not so much. :-)

Hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July weekend!

Beach. Then Beach. Then Maybe Some More Beach.

That's how I'm planning on spending my 4th of July weekend! How bout you?

Holy Rain, Batman!


We are under siege...AGAIN! About a month ago, we had rain. And more rain. And flooding. This time around, it doesn't look like it's going to rain 40 days and 40 nights, but it sure is coming down. The sun sets at 9:27p tonight and yet it's pitch black at 5p.


Check out the map below. I live in Holland (in the mass of red in the middle of the map) and I work just east of Kentwood (in the mass of red closer to the right). So yeah. Fun drive home tonight. Pray we don't get swept off the road in a massive flood.