Texas Spring

We are in the middle of the about 6 weeks of weather in Houston that are not just tolerable, but actually pleasant. We have been doing our best to take advantage of the good weather until our beautiful summer weather starts up soon. Then, we only spend time outside if it's at the pool. So now it's been visits to the park, playing baseball, walks, crouquet in the back yard. We also just went to Old MacDonald's Farm. I blogged about it last fall when we went, and we had a fun time again.

Would you choose us?

We are so close to being approved for adoption, like one piece of paper away. I finished our photo collage, but I am still working on our letter. It has been so much harder than I thought it would be; I feel like I am a decent writer, or at least I used to be, but for some reason, this is just not clicking. I think it is so difficult, because it is just so overwhelming. Birthparents look through a stack of profiles and will choose a family based on four pages of information. Eeek! See, doesn't that sound overwhelming? Do you think you could fit in 2 pages of pictures and a 2 page letter everything you would want someone to know about your family? Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. And here are our photos:

I am smiling

So I went to the mall with my friend Kelsey today. She totally made me buy this purse. I am usually pretty conservative when it comes to things like this, but she convinced me to branch out just a bit. All afternoon I have found myself looking at it, or even just seeing it out of the corner of my eye, and feeling so happy. I love it. Thanks Kelsey!

What I've been reading lately

I try to always be in the middle of a book. Sometimes I borrow, a few a buy, and I love my library card. So here are the last five books I read:
I picked this up, not really knowing what it was about, but having heard a bit of a buzz surrounding it, I didn't even realize it was a memoir. I didn't really care for it. Gilbert describes it as her search for pleasure, spirituality, and the balance between the two. The author seems a bit self-absorbed. Having had my own spiritual experiences, I felt like she came across that my experiences weren't as good as hers because I didn't spend four months in India to accomplish them. Overall, I didn't hate the book, but I really wouldn't recommend it either.

My next book is an LDS fictional book called Traitor. (Sorry no pic off amazon for it) My mother-in-law loves these, and she is kind enough to let me borrow them from her. This was an interesting read, set in WWII. But part of the plot seemed a bit far-fetched to me. If LDS fiction is your thing, you ought to read it. I didn't LOVE it the way my MIL and SIL did, but I liked it and would read the sequel when it comes out.

Before that I read Vanishing Acts, by Jodi Picoult.
I have read about 7 or so of her novels. This was one of my least favorite of hers. My problem is, they all start to seem the same. Some sort of crime is committed, a main character is a lawyer, there are all sorts of shades of gray with nothing black and white, things seem to work out "right" in the end. Okay, not all of her books are like this, but pretty much. I have enjoyed her works in the past, and would recommend reading her if you never have, but maybe not this one. It is only okay. My favorite Jodi Picoult novel is Plain Truth. I would start there.

I have also read The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian.
Sometimes when I'm in the library and want to choose a book, but don't have one in mind, I will find an author that I've read and pick up something new. That's how I chose this book. I had read Midwives, and thought to give this a try. I liked this book. It was interesting, a good read, and quite a shocker of an ending. I liked the exploration of memory, and how our minds choose to remember things that happened to us, especially reading Vanishing Acts right after this as they both deal with that topic. Anyway, I would recommend this, and if you have read it, let me know, I would love to have someone to talk with about this book. (And as a side note, I just saw this in Sam's yesterday, so while I like to think I am not swayed by those popular books there, I guess I totally am because everything on this list minus the LDS stuff is on sale at Sam's right now!)

Totally different direction here. I read this to count as hours for our adoption training log. I really like this book and it was a great opportunity to see adoption from a birthmother's point of view. It takes you through the thought process, or more like the choice process that a birthmother would go through. Great opportunity for some understanding and empathy on my part.

And here is a sixth book because I like it:
I liked The Memory Keeper's Daughter. My one complaint was that why in so many books do wives/mothers find their life is so hard (usually just being the wife/mother) that they have to run away either literally or figuratively. I think being a wife and mother is a great thing! Anyway, that's just a teeny part of the book, not the whole idea like The Mermaid's Chair by Sue Monk Kidd (Ugh, didn't like that book!). Overall this is a great read and lots to think about. I recommend it.

So there you have it. This is what I've read since about the beginning of February. I am now in the process of looking for a new book. I actually don't have anything to read right now.