Some Good Reads

Well it's been almost a solid year since I got lost in a book.  (It's probably just a coincidence that this occured just a week before meeting a particular guy, right??)  And when I say lost, I mean can't-put-it-down-must-read-it-all-in-one-sitting, lost.  In college, this used to be a typical occurrence for me. Now, not so much.  I've realized, though, that reading was often my form of escape from the real world.  There are worse things, I suppose!

For example, the Summer of 2009, after college when I had a degree and no job, I read 20 books.  Not kidding.  Twenty.  And that was in between looking for jobs, which at one point, my mom looked at me and said, "I think you've done enough applying.  You should take a break."  Most of my friends were not in town, either, so I had a ton of free time.  Too much, probably.  Let's just say it was a challenging summer.

Since this past December, I've slowly incorporated books back into my world, and let me just say it feels nice.  I didn't cut reading out completely--I will always be a reader, but now I read a ton of blogs.  It fits my life right now.  I can read a blog post in two minutes and move on.  Plus, people fascinate me.  Why not read what they're willing to write?  And I've learned about all kinds of topics from decorating, budgeting, cooking, and new books, to name a few.  I've been exposed to Haiti and Africa, places that weren't even on my radar very long ago.  (And I've also learned that you can't believe everything you read.)

My parents have both moved on to the world of the iPad, which left a Kindle sitting all alone.  Poor thing.  My Dad offered to upload it with some books, and he even added this one for me...

And as opposed as I am to "clicking" my way through a book, (I'd much prefer to hold the real thing in my hands), I'm enjoying the compact Kindle and its contents.  The Pioneer Woman began writing the story of her and Marlboro Man's romance on her blog.  {Click here to read the story.}  Readers loved it so much that she kept writing and put it into a book.  Rumor has it there might be a movie coming soon with Reese Witherspoon as the main character.  Last Sunday, it was number three on the New York Times' best seller list.  That's sayin' something.  That, and the fact that I can't put it down.  I read it during my lunch breaks and any extra time that I have. 

Next on my list, thanks to blogworld, is this book...

To fight a season where getting out of bed was nearly impossible, author Ann Voskamp began writing a list of one thousand things she was thankful for.  Unsurprisingly, it changed her life and spurred this book.  I've been mustering up the courage to read it (it kind of frightens me...in a good way). 

And lastly, just to round things out and add one more thing I've learned from a blog, I thought I'd share this post for those "Looking for Thicker Skin" from Amanda Moore. I definitely could use more of that in my life.   

Rock Climbing: then & now

Yes, I said rock climbing.  If you know me at all, this probably surprises you.  I was, after all, the tennis manager in high school.  {That's how I got my P.E. credit, thankyouverymuch.}

Prior to beginning my Running Adventures with Adam, we went on a date rock climbing at a local place around here with a bunch of people from church.  It was quite fun, and I had a good time.  Last night was the first time we'd been back in quite a while, so I needed a little refresher with all the "On belay...Belay On...Climbing...Climb On" jargon.

It got me thinking about the first time we were there almost a year ago and how some things are the same and some things are a whole lot different.

Then {March 2010}

• I was in Memphis at a Lady Bears basketball game when I got the Facebook message from Adam asking me if I'd be interested in rock climbing.  (He didn't have my number yet.  Ha.)  After only a little encouragement from my college roomies, I said, "Sure!  No problem."  Naturally, my first question to the girls was about my outfit.  I dragged them to Target and we bought a cute shirt to wear with my workout capris and some little CZ diamond studs.  (Because those are essential when rock climbing...)
• We met up at the rock climbing place, and he rumbled into the parking lot in his sleek black GTO.  Even though we'd been writing messages back and forth for a little while, this was only the second time we'd hung out, so I was a bit nervous but a lot excited.   
• Adam patiently explained the whole how-to-belay process and trusted me enough to climb up walls using the rope that was in my hands (and thankfully some very strong caribiners).  We climbed for about an hour and a half, and I was blown away by his patience and his encouragement along the way.  
• We went to Pei Wei afterwards and sat and talked for another hour at least.  I remember laughing a lot, and he laughed at things I said.  I was thrilled that he thought I was funny!  He asked if he could call me sometime, and we made plans for lunch later that week before I left for Easter.
• My arms felt like they were about to fall off the next day.  I could barely type at work.  Seriously.  How embarrassing!  That was all about to change, though, because at our lunch later that week was when Adam told me he'd run with me.  And so it began...

Now {February 2011}

• Yesterday, I only stressed slightly about what to wear because it's gotten cold again.  And no, I did not put earrings in this time...but I did fix my hair.  What can I say?  Some things never change!
• We met up at the rock climbing place again.  This time, I wasn't nervous to see Adam, but it was nice to see him after a long day at work.  And last night, he rumbled in with his new truck.  (And yes, I think it's quite cool.)
• Again, Adam explained the climbing/belay process again, reminding me of what I'd forgotten.  (Which was pretty much everything.)  And still, he was patient and encouraging.  This time there was a whole lot more of us giving each other a hard time, but just as much laughter, and I even got hugs this time around.  ;-)
• We headed to Panera Bread afterwards, and instead of "getting to know you" conversations, there were still good chats, but with a lot more depth to them.  {No nerves.  It was wonderful.} 
• Thankfully, my arms don't feel like they're about to fall off today.  Amazing what running and working out will do!   

Monday Letters

{Sunday lunch with la familia @ Chili's}

Dear Troy, having you home this weekend has been so much fun.  Yesterday sitting around with Mom and Dad helping you craft your resume will always be a funny and sweet memory.  I'm so excited about the opportunities you'll have in some snazzy summer internship.  Dear church friends, it's always nice to come back to visit.  I love it when we can catch up & it's as if time never passed.  I think this spot will always feel like home.  Dear AMP, I'm excited about our new project.  Hopefully our adventures to Home Depot will not resemble last night's dream I had where the store turned into Willy Wonka's chocolate factory maze.  And here's to more Springtime runs, bike rides and impromptu dance parties.  Dear Barnes & Noble, I love getting lost between the bookshelves...even if "everyone" is reading on iPads and Kindles now.  I don't think that will ever get old.  SMoo, I treasure our conversations.  Thanks for being such an insightful friend.  I so glad you're here!  Dear weekend, come again soon, ok??

Deep Ellum Music

Troy is home!  We are enjoying having him here for the weekend.  {He gets President's Day off, lucky duck!}  After a bunch of us went out to a fun dinner at El Fenix, we headed over to hear Troy play at the Prophet Bar in Deep Ellum.  It was fun to see him in the same setting as many times before but without his band.  He did about a 40 minute acoustic show--it was great.

Adam was singing one of Troy's songs the rest of the night, so I guess it's catchy!  

(I mean, I think it is, but I'm biased.  Ha.)

The weather is beautiful today, and it's been this way almost all week.  I think everyone is just soaking it up after spending most of February cooped up inside!  Hope you're getting to enjoy it, too.  

"The Merediths"

My dad and I share many similarities, starting with our middle names. I really love my name. Has someone ever asked you what you'd rather have as a name? I can never answer, because I like mine, Shay Meredith, just the way it is.  Not only do we share middle names, I found some old photos of my Dad this week at my parents' house, and was shocked at the similarity of these poses. Uncanny, I think! {This is me on the left and my Dad on the right.}

 

My dad's dad, "Pops" (his first name is Meredith!) has been in the hospital this week getting a pacemaker. (Valentine's week irony, I suppose.) I post often about my Mom's side of the family because I see them a lot (and love it), but not much about this smaller (but equally sigificant) side of my fam. Pops has been on my mind a lot this past week and thankfully is doing better after his surgery. We've had so many close friends praying for him and even visiting him this week in Virginia, and for that we are so touched and very grateful.

How We Didn't Celebrate V-Day

Here's the story of Valentine's Day 2011...

Originally AMP and I weren't going to really celebrate Valentine's Day. When we saw a commercial for it a few weeks ago, we looked at each other and laughed, and said simlutaneously, "Let's just not do this holiday."

We'd just finished celebrating his birthday, and before that we celebrated Christmas at the Symphony, with my family, and even before that, Christmas with his family in Iowa. Not to mention my birthday was in November as well. Needless to say, we've done our fair share of celebrating in the last four months.

So here I am, thinking that Adam and I are just going to hang out like we usually do (which typically involves running, cooking, working on a project, or running errands--just being together), and I get this text:

So I know something might be up. And as I walk out to my car after work, I see these on my windshield:

{I have to say that Adam continually impresses me with his use of markers and construction paper. This is not his first creation for me.}

So now I'm thinking, "Well, shoot. This is totally against the 'Not Celebrating Valentine's' thing, but I'm liking it. A lot." So I head home, where Adam's waiting in his car, and I walk up to this:

At this point, I have zero words. Zero.

{Please note the use of construction paper again}

Next I learn that he's brought all these groceries, and he's going to teach me how to make his famous lasagna. He's made it for me once before, but I wasn't around to see him put it all together. I'd been wanting to learn, and it was a lot of fun. It takes a while to make and a while to bake, but we just jammed out to music, and it gave me an opportunity to get my words back. {Seriously, I couldn't complete a sentence for about an hour! I really just wasn't expecting this.}

Somewhere in between all the cooking, I see a bag on the mantle. I ask if I should open it now or later. "Now," he says. So I open it, and it's a 3 x 3 square box with a jewelry store name on it. Inside is a beautiful silver bracelet with an engraved heart! {It says, "My Shay Bear." Indeed.}

I wore it the rest of the evening and again today. Every time I look at it I just smile. :-)

We sat down to a delicious dinner of lasagna, garlic & Parmesan bread and salad. Yum.

AMP was quite proud--as he should be! I ended up with two dozen roses, dinner, a bracelet and a stuffed animal that the jewelry store threw in that says, "I'm Ape for you." It made us laugh. We're not really sure what that means...

I'm all for not celebrating more often! Suffice it to say that I felt incredibly special. Since I thought we weren't celebrating, I got Adam a humongous card (literally two feet tall) that was pretty funny. At least I bought a card! :-)

My alarm went off at 4:50 a.m this morning to get Downtown for a Kickoff Breakfast, and after my very exciting day, I was in bed before 10 last night! I'm still smiling from yesterday and probably will be for a good long while.

And that's the story of how we didn't celebrate Valentine's Day in 2011.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!