A
few years ago, I made a New Year’s Resolution to read at least one book a month.
A “book” qualified as something I checked out or purchased and read cover to
cover. It also had to be something outside what I normally read as part of my
job or schoolwork. During the course of that year, I did a pretty good job,
reading a range of novels and nonfiction. While not making an official
resolution, I entered this year saying I wanted to read some new things and see
what I could learn.
So as a way to review our highlights from this year (in addition to what
Tiffanie wrote), here are the top books I read this year:
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The Taking – Dean Koontz
When reading a novel, I have a general rule that I don’t
want to know too much beforehand. I don’t want to read the back cover, I don’t
want to read about the author and his/her motivation, and I certainly don’t
want to read reviews by other readers. I want to be surprised. I want to jump
in the deep end wearing a blindfold and try to navigate through the murkiness. I
want to enter knowing nothing and let the author tell me things when I need to
know them and in a manner that best fits the story. It doesn’t always work, but
it’s part of how I like to experience a book.
The Taking came
out many years ago, but I never had the chance to sit down and read it. I knew
subtle traces of the story, and what I knew went something like this: A man and
his wife are sitting in their home and outside it starts raining. And it rains
a lot. And it keeps on raining. And the rain seems weird. And while it’s raining
they get nervous. And they’re worried that the rain may be covering something
up, like an alien invasion. And then weird things start happening. And then the
rain stops. And then it starts raining again.
All the time I was reading The Taking, I kept giving Tiffanie updates: “It’s still raining.
Oh, wait. The rain just stopped. No, no, it’s back on again.” Her reply was
always some version of, “That sounds like the worst book I’ve ever heard.”
Anyway, The
Taking was one of the more surprising, unexpected books I’ve read in recent
years. I liked it.
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Always Daddy’s
Princess – Karen Kingsbury
On one of my days off this fall, Emery crawled up on the
couch and wanted me to read her some books. This was one we picked. It’s a book
about a dad who has a baby girl and celebrates life with her as they both grow
older. It’s a beautifully written, fun book, but it was hard for me to read. I
could barely get through the last few pages. I saw all these pictures of my
baby girl growing old, leaving me, and starting her own life. I saw in those
pages my looming role as a cheerleader (of all things) who rejoices in her
successes and champions her through every up and down, all the while knowing my
importance will one day drop tremendously. Okay, I’m being dramatic, but I seemingly
lived a lifetime in those few minutes, and I wasn’t ready for it to unfold. I
don’t want to keep her young forever, but I’m also not ready for her to move to
Paris and forget all about me.
Of course, as I’m writing this, she’s upstairs in her room
singing Christmas carols when she should be sleeping. Apparently her stuffed
bear requested an encore. Go to bed, princess, go to bed.
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Eat and Run: My
Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness – Scott Jurek
The New Rules of
Marathon and Half-Marathon Nutrition – Matt Fitzgerald
I’ve always liked to run, but I haven’t had as much time in
recent years. This year I got into reading about people who accomplish amazing
feats, such as running ultramarathons or completing incredible acts of
endurance. At the top of that list was reading about the man (nicknamed Iron
Cowboy) who completed 50 Ironman Triathlons in 50 days in 50 states, and
another man (ultramarathoner Scott Jurek) who ran the Appalachian Trail in a
record 46 days. The thing that caught my eye about Scott Jurek is that he is a
vegan. I was surprised that someone could burn that many calories on a
consistent basis, keep his body in one piece, and eat no meat or dairy. How is
that even possible?
So that led me to reading the two books listed above. I’m by
no means a die-hard vegetarian, but both books were really interesting and got
me thinking. I’ll spare you the specifics as you probably gnaw on a chocolate
covered marshmallow Santa and guzzle some holiday nog (no shame at Christmas!),
but both books made the case that our physical and mental energy is often
directly connected to what we eat. Both books also made the case that the
normal American diet makes it hard for people to lose weight and build
endurance.
My favorite parts of both books were the recipes! This has
been a year of trying new things, including eating a lot of new vegetables. We’ve
tried a lot of wild serving combinations – most which I would eat again!
In related news, this year I also saw some good friends
running marathons and completing triathlons, and that challenged me to get back
into running. It hasn’t been easy, and who knows where all the time goes each week, but I
am slowly making progress and feeling stronger. I signed up for a marathon in
March. We’ll see how it goes!
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Every Bitter Thing is
Sweet – Sara Hagerty
This year was without a doubt one of the hardest in our
marriage and in my adult life. It wasn’t any one thing; it was multiple things
compounding on top of one another. The year certainly had many moments of joy –
we were very happy this year. We are
a happy family and have a happy home. But in midst of all the happiness, every
one of us has to face at least the possibility of times of sadness, and with
such prospects have a rationale for overlooking the pain and focusing on better
days. Some people might even claim that sad times are purposeful, that they serve to make you feel better about the times
when everything is going well, times when you’re grateful for what you have and
cognizant of all that could be.
But this book took things a step further. It asked us to
look at our pain, to listen to it, to learn from it and through it. It implored
us to not wait for the day when all the pain is gone and we have this fabulous
understanding in its wake, but instead to find contentment and purpose in the
midst of all that’s wrong, a peace that goes beyond reason.
On one hand, it was uncomfortable to look at pain and
disappointment in this way. It’s not how you’re supposed to respond. You’re
supposed to avoid pain, to sidestep or power through as quickly as you can. Disappointment
is the last thing you want in life and accomplishes no great purpose. At least
that’s how we often feel in the natural, and certainly hundreds of other books
and resources preach some version of this message. This book, however,
encouraged us to lean in, to embrace loss in a manner which is both
unconventional and countercultural. In that leaning, we find grace and purpose
which doesn’t make sense but works, drawing us deeper into the versions of ourselves
that are more useful than we ever otherwise would be.
These are hard lessons, and we’re still learning, but I have
no doubt that we end this year closer as a family, having had lots of honest
conversations and a renewed (though different) sense of hope for the future.
Not the most lighthearted reading, but some good thoughts
nonetheless ….
From the Book of Lamentations
Remember my affliction and my wanderings,
the wormwood and the gall!
My soul continually remembers it
and is bowed down within me.
But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the Lord never
ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”
The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul who seeks him.
It is good that one should wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.
It is good for a man that he bear
the yoke in his youth.
For the Lord will not
cast off forever,
but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion
according to the abundance of his steadfast love;
for he does not afflict from his heart
or grieve the children of men.
Let us test and examine our ways,
and return to the Lord!
Let us lift up our hearts and hands
to God in heaven.
“I called on your name, O Lord,
from the depths of the pit;
you heard my plea, ‘Do not close
your ear to my cry for help!’
You came near when I called on you;
you said, ‘Do not fear!’
“You have taken up my cause, O Lord;
you have redeemed my life.
You have seen the wrong done to me, O Lord;
judge my cause.
8 Years: We started the year with a celebration of 8 years of marriage on January 13. 
Growing: This year, Emery's hair has grown noticeably, and there are loose curls in the back. She's also grown several inches taller and was about 38.33 inches in December. She is learning phonics and recognizes many sight words. Mrs. Diana works with her and her daycare buddy, Mary Helen (4 1/2), on phonics, blending sounds, and writing letters, and they're soaking it up! 
Johnson Visit: In April, Blake's family visited from Wyoming and we enjoyed time with them in Annapolis, at Frying Pan Farm, out for great meals, and at home playing. Emery loved sharing time with Avia Jo, Avi Alan, and Uncle Brandon, showing them her favorite playgrounds and the library, and putting on puppet shows in the living room.
Seattle/Oregon: Tiffanie's folks took us to Seattle and Oregon in June to visit her dad's family and friends. We got to see Leon's college roommate and family in Seattle, and one of Tiffanie's friends and her family. In Oregon, we saw Aunt Renee, Uncle Dan, Aunt Beth, Cousin DanLee, and Leon's cousins, Paula and Judy and some of their families, and his Aunt Tillie. Blake, Tiffanie, and Emery went to the Oregon coast for Emery's first trip to the beach. It was cold! 
Looking forward: In the next few weeks, we will celebrate Christmas with Tiffanie's brother and sister-in-law, Bryan and Sherry visiting, and also celebrate Tiffanie's folks' 50th wedding anniversary with a fun party with lots of long-time (can't call them "old") friends! 
