Kari

My friend Kari Firestone Heil would've turned 33 today. I still think about her almost every single day. I miss her so much and continue to hope that her two sweet daughters will one day be able to know and understand what a beautiful, talented, and loving mother they had. Here is the post from last year with many more pictures and memories.

2008+: My Year...ish in Books

I’m way overdue for a book review update. When I looked back at this list, I was pretty shocked that I had read so many books over the last year…ish. I remember the days just a few years ago when I yearned to read a book that wasn’t related to my job somehow. I guess I’m making up for lost time.

• I started the year with Traveling Mercies and Identical Strangers.
• Audition by Barbara Walters – Really enjoyed it. There was much more substance to it than the focus of the publicity (Barbara’s marriages) including her family, daughter, and career path. It’s really impressive to see how far she has come when you read about how male-dominated the industry was. I would not have wanted to be her back then. The book was also historical and educational to read about all of the presidents, world leaders, and entertainers she’s interviewed.
• Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas – Our class at church did a group study on this book. Wonderfully convicting and powerful. I encourage any married couple to read it and find another mentor couple to discuss together.
• What To Expect the Toddler Years – STRESSED me out. I’ve heard this from other parents of toddlers as well…a lot of the milestones are presented in a way to freak you out if your kid hasn’t done them yet. Tate is so across the board, ahead in some areas and behind in others, that I eventually tucked the book away for several months.
• There was Twilight, of course.
• It’s a Boy: Women Writers on Raising Sons – Several of the essays cracked me up. Several were a little too out there for me. And several seemed like maybe I had written them myself.
• Snow Flower and The Secret Fan by Lisa See – Probably the most unique storyline of any I read. Although it’s a novel, the historically accurate story about 19th century Chinese feet binding is fascinating. Great story of friendship.
• Just Who Will You Be? by Maria Shriver –This is a tiny book, but she wrote many things about finding your identity in the midst of motherhood after leaving a successful career. Granted I was not a network journalist, but I was surprised with how much I related to what she shared. And it couldn’t have been at a better time, as it was the same time our minister was doing a sermon series on identity. The combination of both made a true impact.
• Stepping Up: Psalms of Ascent by Beth Moore – Very different than her other studies but a good perspective on some often overlooked pslams.
• Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall & Denver Moore – My favorite of the year. I love true stories and this one is amazing. The fact that it happened just 25 miles from where I live makes it even cooler. A must-read book that will change your view on homelessness, poverty, wealth, faith, and good people!
• The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd – Loved it, loved it, loved it. Beautifully sweet story. Can’t wait to rent the DVD.
• New Moon by Stephanie Meyer – Ran to get this second book of the series after I saw the movie based on the first. It dragged on more than the first but definitely adds a whole new twist to the story. It takes me back to my pre-teen Sweet Valley High days when I couldn’t put a book down.
• Born Standing Up by Steve Martin – This autobiography is about his stand-up career. I love him, love his writing, and love his story. He was born in Waco and worked at a magic shop in Disneyland. Who knew? Great book. Would’ve love to see his act back in the ‘70s. Sounds like my kind of goofy humor.
• Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer – Just finished this 3rd book in the series. Was so glad Edward was back and think it is my favorite of the three so far. Not sure about the Jacob plot but enjoyed the drama.
• 2007: My Year in Books
  
  Any other good ones out there to suggest? Happy Reading!

Valentine's Day 2009

Poor Tate doesn’t have the craftyiest of mothers, so this year’s Valentine’s Day card was pretty basic. He loved getting to scribble everywhere and put on the heart stickers.



Valentine’s Day started Friday night with a Date Night for me and Wade at one of our favorite Fort Worth restaurants, Lucille’s. I had the camera with me but completely forgot to take a picture. It’s funny when we remember back in the pre-Tate days how we used to eat out all of the time and totally took for granted what a treat it is. These days we relish any opportunity to go to a restaurant just the two of us. We can take our time, talk about anything, and just enjoy being together.

The Big Day...complete with festive shirt. Tate is sitting on his great-grandfather's rocking chair.

And Valentine’s Day itself was pretty low-key, but we left church and picked up our dinner. This is the first year that we tried the Papa Murphy’s heart-shaped pizza. It was surprisingly really yummy.

After some coaxing (if anything looks different than what he’s used to, he’s hesitant), Tate enjoyed it too.



And then we had some fun camera time.

On a day to celebrate love, I'm thankful for these two handsome guys in my life. I love you both!

Love puts the fun in together, the sad in apart, and the joy in a heart. ~Author Unknown

The Latest

I used to think a 4-hour road trip by myself would be so boring. These days, I find it quite nice. I made a very last minute and fast trip to San Antonio this past weekend. I loved the drive and loved listening to ‘80s music the entire way. No Wheels on the Bus for this trip. It did however make me wonder when my listening to the good ‘ol ‘80s music will be just as annoying as my when my parents listened to the good ‘ol ‘60s music. Has it come to that yet?

I headed down to SA to see my friend Garyn and sweet Baby Campbell before they moved to Atlanta. Yes, Atlanta! I’m so sad that they’ll be that much further away, but I’m also excited for the opportunity that Zach has there and the new chapter they are beginning. Even just 24 hours together is a fun time with my sweet friend, and of course, we found time to have a long, leisurely lunch at Alamo Café.

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And speaking of Garyn, she is the one who taught me my newest obsession…shopping at CVS. I have turned even stranger. I now get a tad giddy on Sunday when the new CVS sale circular comes out. With my CVS card and Extra Bucks in hand, I am a woman on a savings mission. I have saved a total of $52 over the last 3 weeks there. Recession…Schmeression!

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The other fun this week has been on Facebook. Not only did my sister finally cave in and join the addiction…I mean fun…but I have reconnected with friends from elementary school, junior high, and high school. I moved around a lot growing up, so I didn’t always stay in touch. It’s been so interesting to see where people have ended up. If you haven’t already, you so need to jump on the bandwagon.

A PJ Kind of Day

Today was a PJ kind of day...cold and wet outside. When our playdate plans changed this morning, I made the official decision that Tate and I were housebound and PJbound today. So with an energetic 2-year-old, you have to pull out all the stops to make the day enjoyable for everyone.

By his naptime, I realized that I had read to him all of these books (some more than once) throughout the day. My new party trick may be reciting by memory Is Your Mama a Llama?


And at our house when the garbage trucks come by, all activities must stop. All can then watch the awesomeness that is the garbage truck.

A fun new trick of Tate's is counting from 1-10. By the 27th time today, I figured I should capture it on video.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

And finally, one of Tate's favorite episodes of Sesame Street is when Elmo and Zoe have the "How Many Hats Can You Put On Your Head Contest." So we had one of our own today. Just like with Elmo and Zoe, it was a tie between me and Tate...3 hats!