summer summer summer summer, part 2

So, along with those, I'm also reading Twilight. Everyone's reading it, right? I guess I've been suckered in; yesterday I read for quite a few hours. It's fine. Goes quick. Like a movie. I guess I don't have any real strong feelings about it....well... Actually, one thing that makes me squirm is the script that it's giving so many girls for falling in love. I feel like it says, "This is what it is to fall in love." It feels like this way, looks this way, is this way. It's always and only and completely consuming. (As though a boy-crazy jr high girl needs to have that re-enforced!) And in Twilight it's totally physical, instinctual. Like there's no brain or choosing involved. Love just IS. I don't know, what do you think? I know some of you have read it :) With that critique though, I should add, I think Stephanie Meyer is a charming writer. I like the way the words and pictures are woven.

Just watched Tears of the Sun. Still thinking about genocide, ethnic cleansing and all that. Heavy. Good movie.

Also, the old, all-time favorite, While You Were Sleeping. Still love Sandra Bullock. David chose Tears of the Sun, I chose this one :) Did you know they don't have this at Blockbuster anymore? I guess I'm getting old! Who doesn't enjoy a dose of happily-ever-after on occasion?

What else? Oh! I've been slowly making my way through Walking with God by John Eldredge. It's pretty much his personal reflections on what it means to walk with God over the course of a year. Over the past five years I've been regularly challenged by the way he's written about what it means to walk with God. I feel like he's put into words and given theological reasons for things that I've experienced. I'm not a hook-line-and-sinker follower, but the concepts stir me up enough to make me hold onto Jesus tighter. What more could an author want, huh?

No picture for this one, but we've been studying Ruth with church. What a fantastic story! Over the past few months, I've been reminded what an incredible story of hope and promise this is. Speaking of happily-ever-after endings! This one has it, from bitterness to restoration.

summer summer summer summer

I am SO happy it's summer. As a student, I had NO idea just how thrilling the first day of summer could be. NO idea. As much as school was hard this year, I've gotta say, the joy of being out of school has almost made it worth it. Almost.

Yesterday I spent like five hours sprawled on the floor under the front window reading library books. Delicious. Books that were for no particular purpose except enjoyment. Wow. And here they are:

Cuts of beef and exotic appetizers. Who knew those Spaniards had such fun cook books?


Yep. Still a teacher. I feel like I just scratched the surface of a whole world of fantastic kid literature. I loved learning about US history this year, and I was most emotionally impacted by the historical fiction kid novels that I read. A personal favorite? Day of Tears by Julius Lester, about the largest slave auction held in America.

Oops! Battery's almost dead. More later.

yeah for meat!

There's this restaurant in Portland--Two Brothers Cafe--that makes me feel like I'm back in Slovenia (or maybe a little south of there).

David got pleskavica. And though he stumbled over that name, he was pretty excited to have a hamburger that was as big as his head!


And I had čevapčiči. YUM YUM YUM! (And fyi, Christina, the meal was brez Union, brez Laško. Samo sva pila vodo. And boy do I like water!)

stressed, uncertain and fun--three words about me

It's been almost 1.5 months since I last posted. Just a quick one today from school. I'm working hard, teaching English & Social Studies. That's stressful. I feel like my whole life revolves around the Industrial Revolution right now. (Did you know that cotton gin is short for cotton "engine"? Fascinating fact, huh?!) I roasted a chicken last night and went to a little knitting club--it was a three hour break from anything work related. That's nice. I moved to Salem. That's new. I have a new apartment. Well, it's old, but to me it's new. I'm unpacking stuff that I haven't seen since I left George Fox six years ago. That's fun!