50 Books Challenge

I still have a Christmas post to write, but this is way more important...

I'm continuing to challenge myself to read 50 books a year. Last year, with my return to work, I didn't do so hot, but 41 isn't terrible.

As part of my challenge, I pick an author to read in-depth. This year, I chose F. Scott Fitzgerald since I had to read The Great Gatsby for school. I only made it through part of one other book by him before deciding I am not a fan.

• The Great Gatsby: ****
• This Side of Paradise: *

Despite not being a fan of John Green, I read two more books of his:

• The Fault in Our Stars: ****
• Paper Towns: ***

This is the only book I gave five stars to this whole year: A Monster Calls: *****

Except these two, which I have read more than once before:

• To Kill a Mockingbird *****
• Anne of Green Gables *****

Other books I read for school:

• Black Boy ***
• The Crucible ***
• A Raisin in the Sun ***
• Their Eyes Were Watching God: ***
• Speak ****
• A Child Called It ***

This book I couldn't finish because it was putting me to sleep on my commute: The Light Between Oceans*

Some non-fiction:

• Bossypants ****
• Blink ****

And the rest:

• The Sense of an Ending ****
• Between Shades of Grey ****
• Where the Mountain Meets the Moon ****
• The Engagements ****
• Wonder ****
• Mormon Wife ****
• All Our Yesterdays ****
• The Secret Keeper ****
• The One and Only Ivan ****
• Night Film ****
• I'd Tell You I Love You But Then I'd Have to Kill You ****
• Defending Jacob ****
• Eleanor and Park ****
• The Hiding Place ****
• The Final Empire ****
• The Shoemaker's Wife ***
• Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy ***
• The Round House ***
• Before I Go to Sleep ***
• The Humming Room ***
• The Apothecary ***
• The Black Opal ***
• The Sea of Tranquility ***
• Juniper Berry ***
• Where'd You Go Bernadette **

The Latest and Greatest in Extracurricular Activities

Soccer season came and went without me taking a single photograph. Have I mentioned how much I hate soccer season? And it has only gotten worse since I started working....

In October, all of the boys decided to try out some new sports. I found a super inexpensive tae kwon do class for Rylan through Raleigh Parks and Rec. Despite being the boy who loves pink and princesses, Rylan is the most physical of all of my children and loves to play fight. Tae kwon do has been a great fit for him.

This past month, since hockey ended (see below), Eli decided to try out tae kwon do also. After his first class, I said, "How was it?"

He shrugged, which is his way of saying he doesn't really want to tell me.

"Harder than you thought it would be?"

"I guess."

"You think you owe Rylan a little respect now?"

"I guess," which is his way of saying definitely but I don't want to admit it.


Meanwhile back at the ranch, Cole and Eli got to try out ice hockey through the Boys and Girls Club. Needing more kids for their hockey team, the director of the Boys and Girls Club practically begged the boys to join. Michael and I were excited because it was a good opportunity for them to try out for free a sport that we otherwise would not be willing to pay for.

The verdict: Eli loved it and wants to continue playing. Cole, meh.


All three boys continue to take piano lessons, and Cole and Eli have continued with percussion in their school band. Their band concert was absolutely wonderful, and I wish I had recorded some of it.

Annual Trip to Chimney Rock

During another fun day of this:


...Eli went over the waterfall, fell backwards off his inner tube, hit his head, and all tubing was pretty much spoiled the rest of the day. Of course, if I would have had to predict which one of my kids was going to have some sort of tubing accident, it would have been Eli. (here, here, and here)

We still enjoyed being lazy in the river, ...


...climbing on the rocks,...


...and enjoying nature.



We went on a fantastic boat tour of Lake Lure that included several very important landmarks (where Dirty Dancing was filmed) and ended with rain.



We ended the trip with our annual meal at that Mexican restaurant in Chimney Rock.



Unfortunately, Michael had to point out the phallicism of Chimney Rock, and since we will now never be able to get that image out of our heads, we may be moving our annual camping trip to a new location next summer.

Annual Trip to the Beach

These photos are from August. Rest assured, we did not go swimming in the ocean in January...







Michael decided we needed some of those boards (that I'm forgetting the exact name of right now), and the two older boys definitely enjoyed them. I can take or leave the ocean, but I definitely don't mind a good day of beach-reading and photographing my little toothless cutie: