The Secret Life of Bees

My sister recommended this book to me ages ago and I finally took the opportunity to read it. It was excellent. It takes place during the civil rights movement in South Carolina, so there are a lot of racial issues that the main character, Lily, is confronted with. She ends up living with a house full of African-American women, which baffles everyone because she is a 14 year-old Caucasian girl. It is very well written, even though it is the author's first novel. I would recommend it to just about anyone (especially you, Kandis).

Isaac Takes a Stand

Here is the latest video of our pride and joy. It was taken about a month ago, before our camera broke. Please ignore my high-pitched voice and concentrate on how long he stands by himself---I counted 17 seconds but I think I was being quite conservative since the video is 34 seconds long.

Lately he loves to crawl over to us, pull himself up, and then throw his hands in the air as soon as we shout "stand up!"

Being his mother, I think it's the cutest thing ever.

Pregnant at the Prom

I never went to the prom in high school and I've always had a hole in my heart because of it. Until now. At least that's what I told Ryan to convince him to take me out last night. It worked! Last night Ryan took me to the DMU Winter Gala, which is basically like his school's prom. It was a dream come true! Ok, so it wasn't the greatest night of my life or anything, but we had a good time. We got dressed up (I even made Ryan put on a suit), left Isaac in the hands of our friends Cassie and James, and headed downtown.

There was a live band, dancing, food, and my personal favorite--a chocolate fountain! We met up with some friends while we were there and I even got Ryan out on the dance floor (he was a real trooper--I think he would have rather been scrubbing toilets than dancing at the Gala--it's just not his thing but he pretended it was for me).

I even got some new shoes to wear to the party. I have been needing some flats since shoes with heels are increasingly hazardous to my health considering my present condition and the weather. I found these beauties on sale at Target just in time for last night:

Unfortunately, our camera still isn't working so I only have one picture (thank you Shauni!). Ryan said we could get dressed up and take a picture (when our camera is fixed, of course) and pretend it is the night of the Gala but I just can't lie to all of you like that (plus, hello, I wanted to post about it today!). So I apologize that I have no pictures of Ryan and I together--I guess now we have a reason to go next year, right honey?

Kelly, me, Natali, and Shauni

Into Thin Air

Into Thin Air, by Jon Krakauer, is a personal account of the author's experience climbing Mt. Everest in 1996 and the tragic deaths that took the lives of many of his teammates during the expedition. I would highly recommend this book to just about anyone. It absolutely reeled me in--I couldn't stop reading it. It is a truly haunting story that has made it hard for me to think about anything else. Even though he tells you in the first couple of pages who dies (the book is dedicated to his teammates who lost their lives), I couldn't help but be caught up in the suspense of the book.

One thing I know for sure--I NEVER want to hike Mt. Everest. I don't care if I ever even make it to Nepal/Tibet to see the mountain in real life. Don't get me wrong, I have more admiration and respect than ever for those who have summited the mountain---I just don't have any desire to be one of those people!

The Big 28

Today was Ryan's 28th birthday (getting old, isn't he?). He has a big test tomorrow so we knew we wouldn't have a whole lot of time to celebrate. Those of you who know Ryan know that he isn't the easiest person to buy a birthday present for because he never lets on that he needs or wants anything (though we did convince him to buy himself a new pair of shoes--hopefully he follows through).

Since we didn't get any hints from Ryan about what he wanted for his b-day, Isaac and I had to get a little bit creative, so we decided to win his heart by way of his stomach. Here's what we gave him (a special thanks to Allie for giving me the idea and allrecipes.com for coaching me through this meal--especially the red meat which I know next-to-nothing about cooking!):

Blue Cheese Crusted Filet Mignon

Strawberry Avocado Salad

Sauteed Mushrooms and Onions

Cresent Dinner Rolls

Sweet Corn with Cream Cheese Sauce

Strawberry Lemonade

Ben and Jerry took care of dessert with Ryan's favorite ice cream, Cinnamon Buns (I highly recommend it if you've never tried it before).

I feel so blessed to be married to Ryan. I cannot imagine my life without him. He could not be a better father to Isaac. Ryan loves our little man so much and Isaac knows it. Plus, he is an amazing husband who always puts my needs (as well as everyone else's) before his own. He is my best friend. I am the luckiest girl in the world :-)