My Vacation - A Reading List

One of my favorite things to do on a vacation up at "The Lake" is to read. The boys are happily occupied with other people and there are no requirements for me to clean, make dinner, etc. I just read and sit in the sun and take a dip in the pool or lake once in awhile. So here is a summary of what I read this week.

Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace...One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson

• I actually have been "reading" this one all summer. It has been stashed away in my pool bag so I was getting through it bit by bit at our short stints at the community pool. In a nutshell, Greg Mortenson saw a need for schools in the rural of most rural parts of Pakistan. He struggled and struggled but found a way to meet that need. He strongly believes that the best way to fight terrorism is through education. One of the Taliban's greatest recruiting tools is the large schools they set up in countries such as Pakistan. To give another option for education to the Pakistani people is to fight terrorism. This is a well written and intriguing book. I was ready to donate all my cash to the CAI, if only had some extra!

Finger Licken Fifteen by Janet Evonovich

• I have read this entire series of Stephanie Plum series. She is a bounty hunter in New Jersey who can't seem to do anything right. She always looses a car to some kind of fire, there are relationship issues and a whole host of wacky characters. If you are looking for a funny mystery series, I recommend this one.

Carrot Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke

• Another light hearted mystery series. Hannah is a cookie bakery owner but in every book she happens upon a dead body and helps solve the murder. The books all include recipes of food mentioned during the story. I have yet to try one but I have been intrigued to do so. :-)
  

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

• I really enjoyed his first book, the Kite Runner and I equally enjoyed this book as well. It was different from the first but equally well written. There were many moments when I cried. It gives you a real heart for the people of Afghanistan and the turbulence they have been experiencing over the past 30+ years.
  

The Shack by William Paul Young

• This is not a book I would have picked up on my own. Blunoz's mom sent it to him and I still was not interested in it. But I have a new position on our church's council and I received an email saying I needed to read it by the next meeting. So I went out and picked up another copy. The premise of this book is intriguing. A man experiences a parent's worst nightmare but in the end meets God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit in a very personal way. I am not sure what to write about this book. I do agree with the overall ending theme of the book that God is not responsible for the bad things in our lives but he always uses them for some sort of good, though we might not ever know what the good is. At some points I thought of the old poem of Footprints in the Sand as we often have a hard time seeing that God is with us, but He is alwaysALWAYS with us.

Me, Myself and Bob: A True Story about Dreams, God and Talking Vegetables by Phil Vischer

• Do you know who Phil Vischer is? He is the creator of Veggie Tales! I love Veggie Tales and I remember when we were living in San Diego that Veggie Tales went bankrupt but then the videos kept coming. Well, now I know why. But I digress... I highly, highly recommend this book. Phil is FUNNY! Phil is Honest! Phil had a dream to be the "Christian Walt Disney" and God apparently had other ideas. If you are looking for God in your life, I recommend this one over The Shack (ok, so I prefer happy uplifting stories). Phil you need to write more adult books (though keep writing the kid stuff too)!
  

So there you have it, my vacation in a nutshell.

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for the gorgeous weather that God provided for us on Saturday for Blunoz's Wetting Down and all of our wonderful friends and family.

I was having heart palpitations all week over the thought of 75+ people in my house but the Lord provided a beautiful day. At the end of the night I was sure that someone who had RSVPed had not actually shown up. So we went through the list and, yes indeed, everyone who said they were coming came! I swear there was only about 40 people here. :-)

As scary as the thought of 75 people in my house was, we were truly honored that everyone wanted to come share in this accomplishment with us. When throwing a party, the rule of thumb is that about 1/4th of the people you invite are not going to be able to make it. In the case of this party, I think maybe only 1/16th or 1/20th of the people we invited were unable to come.

It is hard to believe that Blunoz has reached the rank of Commander. When we met, he was a Liuetenant, junior grade (an O-2) and now he is a Commander (an O-5). I wonder where the years have gone and I wonder what the years ahead of us will hold. But I know that no matter what the Lord has in store for us, we will be surrounded by people that love and support us. Thank you our friends and family (even to those who were only merely here in spirit)!

So I guess, in a nutshell, I am thankful for where we have been and where we will go!