Happy Little Trees

This weekend, I have no plans. Well, I do have plans, but they aren't super exciting.

Here's my amazing Memorial Day Weekend To-Do List:

1) Get an oil change.
2) Clean up the leaves in my back "yard."
3) Borrow a friend's husband to help me connect the gas dryer.
4) Finally drop off the baby gift I bought for a friend before the baby grows anymore and can't wear the outfit.
5) SLEEP.
6) EXERCISE.
7) Spend some time praying for all the people I tell, "I'll be praying for you..."
8) Watch a movie.
9) Start selecting clothes which will go to Seattle with me.
10) Read some books.

I am most excited about Monday, because then I will finally realized that I have a longer weekend, and instead of squeezing all my activities in on a couple of days, I get an extra! I love that long-weekend wiggle room!

One of the major selling points of the Kindle for me was the "read-to-me" feature. The voice is kind of robotic, but can be adjusted to be fast/slow and male/female.

After listening to Mrs. Kindle read to me for awhile, I realized her voice was familiar. She's either a distant relative of or the actual iPhone voice command lady. It was kind of comforting that I might already know her.

I'm also starting to be able to imitate Mrs. Kindle very well. It's one of my new favorite electronic voices to mimic. In case your wondering, my favorite is the voice from War Games.

Groupons frequently get sent to my e-mail inbox, but I usually just wave them on by. My co-worker spotted a Groupon for Spanish lessons, and she asked me if I had seen it as well. I had and was trying to decide if I should finally attempt to take Spanish classes. Together, we decided to take a bite out of the tortilla and go for it!

Our first lesson was Monday. I'm supplementing my learning with listening to some cheesy Latin music from Pandora. I catch a word every now and then like amigo or aqui. That's about the extent of my knowledge so far.

I think the biggest barrier with learning a language is the fear of something foreign escaping your mouth, and the uncertainty of knowing if what you said made sense or isn't offensive. I'm hoping to gain more confidence and keep practicing by first talking to myself--of which I am an expert.

I might need a more Spanish sounding name. My name is Hebrew, but maybe I could latinize it somehow. Any suggestions? From listening to the Latino music, I kind of like the name Shakira.

I bit the bullet. I bought a Kindle. When the $114 version appeared on the market, it seemed like too good of a deal to let pass. I will be on a long plane ride to Seattle soon, and I wanted a buddy to travel with me. Since no tall, dark, and handsome man is in my life to be my travel companion, I decide to instead rekindle my relationship with books.

Right now, my Kindle is waiting at my door (per alerts from package tracking). I can't wait until we meet. I have such great hopes and dreams for our new relationship...

Stay tuned for updates on my new flame.

Two weeks ago, I pulled out of Whole Foods after lunch and was leisurely driving to a stoplight when I was abruptly cut off by another car. While still in a bit of shock but being thankful I wasn't injured, the same car rolled the window down and showed me a special finger waving it around. (It wasn't the special finger that sings the song "This Little Light of Mine"--it was the one next door.)

I don't know what I did to the driver, but apparently he/she was very upset with me. As I pulled into my work driveway, the driver then laid on the horn--I guess to display another sign of dissatisfaction. I wish I would have known what I did. It must have been pretty earth-shattering.

This week, I pulled out of Whole Foods after lunch and continued, as many times before, on my leisurely drive to the stoplight. My car was in the same position as before when I met Mr. Tallman in front of me two weeks prior. I felt someone's eyes on me, so I looked two rows of stopped traffic over, and a young gentlemen had rolled down his window. He was driving a gleaming white new BMW with fancy wheels and shining silver accents. At first glance, I thought he was Usher. When my eyes found his gaze, he started waving and motioning for me to roll down my window. I didn't oblige, but smiled and stared forward.

I waited a minute pretending to be very interested in the status of the light and looked over again. He was still staring--this time, leaning out the window a bit. He became animated again when I looked at him. After an eternity, the light changed, and Usher drove away putting a kiss onto his hand and waving it as the BMW quickly took off down the road. At the same time, I turned to the left and started down the road to work realizing that on that same spot of the road I had received both a curse and a blessing (of sorts).

Life is funny that way. In possible a stretch of theological meaning, it also made me think about Jesus and how one minute the crowd loved him and the next they were yelling at him to be crucified.

I might find a new way to drive back from Whole Foods.

Oh, people! We are fickle.

I listen to Christian radio on the way to work in the mornings. I've been learning about the history of the compilation of the English bible. People were burned at the stake and everything else torturous you can imagine in efforts to publish the first Bible for the people to read.

All I can say is...thank you! That sacrifice is something I take for granted. I have an amazing tool to read everyday. Those pages should be more threadbare and worn than they are. I love the Bible. I've never thought afterwards, "I wish I hadn't read that..."

Here's a sample.

2 Samuel 22:31 (New International Version, ©2011)

31 “As for God, his way is perfect:
The LORD’s word is flawless;
he shields all who take refuge in him.

READ IT. You may read it and weep, but that softened heart will feel much better than a hard heart.

I am pretending I am a reader. I joined a book club and everything. I own books, but then, I wind up watching t.v.

I used to be a reader. As a child, I had my nose in a book all the time. I loved reading. I loved going to the card catalog and finding a book on my favorite topics. In middle school, I focused on realistic fiction on the topics of divorce and eating disorders, then in my early high school years, I switched to Stephen King novels. I would read during the day, on the bus, during school, before bed, or whenever.
editor's note: please no psychological evaluations on author's reading selections

At the age of 15, I fulfilled my dream, like my aunt before me, of becoming a high school cheerleader. I also started adding more and more afterschool activities to my schedule. My life became smashed full of appointments. And the books were left on the shelf gathering dust.

I've tried many times since to pick back up reading, but it hasn't been natural. I have to commit to it. I miss being in the Book It program like in elementary school. For every book I read, I earned a star that got me closer to a personal-size pepperoni pan pizza! Oh dear, I just realized that food is my best motivator!

My bookclub is meeting on Thursday, and so far, I have zero pages read. I had this brilliant idea last night to go to the gym and be one of those people that reads during a workout. I wound up assembling my new mini-trampoline and bouncing for 30 minutes while I finished a mindless movie from 10 years ago.

Maybe I need to reinvent Book It. For every book I read, I can earn a star, and after five stars, I can order a pepperoni pizza. Sounds like a plan! Not a Weight Watchers plan, but a plan, nonetheless.