2013 Reading List

My 2013 reading list.  Titles in bold were my favorites. 

• The Language of Flowers, by Vanessa Diffenbaugh, fiction
• The Time Traveller's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger, fiction
• The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, by Michael Chabon, Fiction
• On Chesil Beach, by Ian McEwan, fiction
• Blankets, by Craig Thompson, autobiography and graphic novel
• The Gate at the Stairs, by Lorrie Moore, Fiction
• The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald, fiction
• The Devil in the White City, by Eric Larson, non-fiction
• Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes, Fiction
• I Couldn't Love You More, by Jillian Medoff, Fiction
• The Sense of an Ending, by Julian Barnes, Fiction
• The Comfort of Lies, Randy Susan Meyers, Fiction
• The Baker's Daughter, by Sara McCoy, HIstorical Fiction
• Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity, by Katherine Boo, nonfiction
• The Secret Keeper, by Kate Morton, historical fiction & mystery
• Wish You Were Here, by Graham Swift, fiction
• Maus II, by Art Spiegelman, historical nonfiction & graphic novel
• Maus, by Art Spiegelman, historical nonfiction & graphic novel
• And the Shofar Blew, by Francine Rivers, nonfiction & women's fiction
• Before I Go To Sleep, by S.J. Watson, fiction & suspense
• The Scarlet Thread, by Francine Rivers, nonfiction & women's fiction
• No Promises in the Wind, by Irene Hunt, historical fiction
• Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte, fiction

Christmas Surprises

Christmas came and went with a bang this year. First, I made a totally awesome tacky Christmas sweater, complete with a headpiece.

Second, my parents and grandparents visited.  I took them on car rides, tram rides, and boat rides, fed them a delicious Christmas dinner, and forced them to watch a classic Christmas movie (which they seemed to enjoy despite the occasional foul language).

Sometimes, however, the Christmas excitement was just too much for my Grandpa. 

Finally, I received a very big surprise on Christmas morning.  Chris documented the surprise and posted the video on youtube for your viewing pleasure.  

Apparently, Chris snuck to Houston last week in pursuit of my dream car, in my preferred color and with my choice interior finish.  He then hid the car at the airport and moved it to his office on Christmas eve.  Chris then woke up at four a.m. on Christmas morning to retrieve the car, only to realize that he wrapped the key in an oversized box.  Luckily, the key only needs to be in the car to start it (there is no actual ignition slot).  So, at four a.m., wearing his pajamas and carrying a wrapped box under his arm, Chris jogged to his office to retrieve my Christmas gift, making for a very interesting sight.        

In the past,  I made fun of the car commercials showing a husband who surprises his wife with a new car on Christmas morning.  I thought, "Who really does that?"  Little did I know I was making fun of my future self and my future husband.  Now, having been the recipient of one of these extravagant surprises,  I can say that it feels really, really fabulous, even if it means that your husband bought you a car and you only bought him a pair of boots.      

Chris models his boots.

From the depths of South Texas (and the seat of my new car!), Merry Christmas. 

La Abogada Dulce

My mom found this puzzle in my Mimi's garage and brought it to me as some sort of early Christmas gift.   

My mom must have missed the memo: I am la abogada dulce, and no one wants to kill la abogada dulce.

Senior Status

This week Chris received in the mail an invitation to join AARP.  The letter was addressed to him specifically and came with a membership card in his name.  Wow - a man discovers his first grey hair and AARP comes a-knockin' a few months later.  

Thanksgiving 2013

Chris' family visited over Thanksgiving.  Our pre-Thanksgiving madness consisted of a last minute office remodel to transform the office into an office/guest room.  Chris now has several new tools, and we now have three beds.  That's one bed for Chris, one bed for Kim, and one bed for Doug, if it ever comes to that.  

I assumed the primary cooking responsibility on Thanksgiving day: the turkey.  My last turkey cooking experience consisted of reheating a frozen pre-cooked turkey.  That turned out . . . interesting, which you can read about here.  This time around, I cooked a raw bird.  I trussed the turkey, bathed it in butter and salt, filled it with vegetables and herbs, and roasted it for 3+ hours.  The result was a beautiful, juicy, flavorful bird.  I was impressed, although my killer cranberry sauce turned out to be my favorite dish of the day. 

The day after Thanksgiving, Chris and I took the family to the beach.  It was a cold day and we didn't last very long by the water, but we did last long enough for one deceivingly warm looking picture.

Forced to abandon the windy beach, we headed over to the Port Isabel light house.  I can't believe it took Chris and I a whole year to discover the awesomeness that is the Port Isabel Lighthouse.   I suppose we ignored the lighthouse for so long because of it's small size and unassuming exterior.  The observation deck at the top of the lighthouse, however, is charmingly cozy and the view of the ocean through the large, old glass doors is great.  

The unassuming exterior. 

The charmingly cozy observation deck.

The view through the large, old glass doors.  

With not much else to do in McAllen during a cold spell, Chris and I resorted to recruiting Jesse and Vanessa for our first geocaching adventure.  What started out as a rather aimless adventure actually turned into an entertaining evening.  Kudos to Vanessa for finding the hidden treasure near marker number three at El Pato.

Now, with Thanksgiving behind us, we bravely forge forward toward Christmas.    

My Big Table

Three years ago, Chris and I designed a table that my talented dad built it for us.  The table is simple,  beautiful, and about nine feet long.  This extra long table fit perfectly in the apartment in San Antonio, so perfectly that I felt like I was living in a magazine.

When Chris and I moved from our apartment, we were lucky to find a house that accommodated our oversized table.  Although the table no longer enjoys a magazine quality setting, the table has adjusted well and has even acquired two additional chairs.  Regardless of the backdrop, it is a beautiful table.

Most of the time. Chris and I are the only people using our table.  Nine feet is a lot of table for two people, which means that we usually use only one small section at the end.  I wanted a big table, however, because a big table has big potential.

A big table is perfect for birthday and holiday celebrations.

Christmas 2010

Chris'  Birthday 2013

Thanksgiving 2013

A big table is also perfect for a game night.

Game Night San Antonio Style

Game Night McAllen Style

A big table also substitutes as a handy workspace.

Building a puzzle.  The puzzle is actually on a piece of glass.  The
 glass is the table top from the first dining table Chris and I owned,
which occupied half of our living room in our first apartment.

Work surface for building a pine car.

Really, a big table is just a great gathering place.

My Birthday 2013

Backyard Movie Night

In just three years, my table has lived up to its big potential.  Thanks, Dad, for a perfect table.    

Paper Turkeys

This Thanksgiving, I recruited my sister-in-laws to help me make last-minute paper turkeys for our Thanksgiving dinner. My mother-in-law folded my red napkins to look like head feathers. After we made the turkeys, I decided they needed pilgrim hats. The result? Super cute turkey pilgrims.

As cute as our turkey pilgrims looked, they were nothing compared to the magical paper creations of one of my favorite paper artists, Helen Musselwhite.   Her paper creations are absolutely amazing -  clean, modern, whimsical, and elaborate all at the same time.

I love, love, love it.