Books I've read, computers, and the good old health train

It's a dreary rainy morning, so why not update this forgotten little blog? 

An old picture that never made it to a published post. A picture of them doing anything is better than no picture at all, right?

I've jumped back on the health train (heard that before? broken record! argggh). This week has been full of weight lifting and healthy food choices over here and generally, I'm feeling good. I do so love the sore feeling after a good workout, so hopefully that will motivate me to continue. Also, I may or may not have bought a pair of pants that are just a little too tight for regular wear. Motivation on a superficial level - but I do find myself putting.down.the.chocolate when I think of wearing them. Whatever works, right?

My computer is getting a makeover! Years ago, when Josie started looking at books on her own, my keyboard became a victim if a thrown story. It happened so quickly that I couldn't stop it, and my 2 button went flying. Ever since then, my keyboard has looked like this:

And notice the N button. It's a little wonky, right? It looks well disguised here, but it is also the victim of a flyaway book. This tragedy happened more recently, but the keyboard is just having a rough life. Along with the cosmetic flaws, my computer (just three years old) moves and functions like a dying turtle. It is soooo slow. I learned that I can buy more memory (three times more!) for a much more affordable price than a new computer, so I ordered the max amount, a new keyboard, and a new battery for good measure since the old one is basically nonfunctional. The total for this little computer makeover? Only $130. That is a whole lot cheaper than a new computer, and it will probably be faster than when I first got it. WINNING.

Will I post more? Maybe. I can promise that there will be more pictures of higher quality since I will be able to edit pictures in less than six hours a post. That will be fabulous.

Man, it is hard to find my blogging mojo lately. My biggest excuse/hiccup is the foster care filter. Not being able to share anything about him/his daily life activities/what he is doing means it's hard to share what we are doing/our daily life activities. I haven't been able to figure out a good balance for that, and it's been a little stifling for the blog. Note: I don't blog to entertain my five or six readers, I blog because I looove to document life and look back on it later. So it's frustrating, not because I may lose one or two readers since I'm not posting as often, but because when I go back to look at this time in our lives, there won't be much to look at. 

Books. I LOVE BOOKS these days. I have missed this part of life lately so it's been awesome to reconnect with this particular hobby. Books I've read as of late (last four months or so):

the Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline (A darker book with some startling realities but fascinating and totally hooked me, The story line was interesting but I also got to understand a part of history I'd never heard of before.)
Little Bee by Chris Cleave (Not at all what I was expecting, but very good. It's about the relationship between an African refugee and an American wife/mother. That's all I can say that won't give something away. Trust me, it's good, just don't judge by the name of the book like I initially did.)

To the End of June: The Intimate Life of American Foster Care by Cris Beam (Very interesting perspective, changed my view and understanding of whether or not it is always good to actually remove kids from a negative situation vs having help for the parents in home while they continue to parent the children as best they can. I won't lie, though, this book left me feeling a little helpless about the foster care systems in the United States. It's so important to know the facts and have understanding about the reality of it, but it's not always cheerful and full of stories with happy endings.)

Something Other than God by Jennifer Fulwiler (I have followed this blogger for years and her writing style is full of humor but also intellect. She's an atheist turned Catholic and this memoir is about how she got here. It's so well written!)

Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis (A memoir of her journey to becoming a full time missionary in Uganda. Absolutely captivated my heart and gave me a wonderful perspective of a culture I'm pretty unfamiliar with.)

Room by Emma Donoghue (It's from the perspective of a five year old who was born and raised exclusively in one room, his mother having been kidnapped and held captive there before he was born. It was sooooo gooood. Obviously, this type of book is a little hard to read at times (life held captive isn't something to gloss over and make pretty) but this perspective was so different and fascinating.)

Divergent series by Veronica Roth (I liked this series a lot. Especially that the ending was a little different than the average utopian style ending. There were some things that frustrated me in the last book, but overall, I enjoyed the series and would rate it right up there with Hunger Games, which I loved.)

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (It started out slow but drew me in about a third of the way through. By the middle, I couldn't put it down. It was fascinating to see such detail into the Afghan culture, a culture I struggle to relate with or understand.)

I look like all I do is read, right? But once I get into a book I like, especially a well written fiction book, I don't watch any TV and stay up into the night reading. It's worth it. :)

I'm always looking for new books to read. Leave a comment if you have a good recommendation please!

That's all for now. Caio, from Josie!\ (sidenote: did you know that is how you spell "chow" in Italian? because I did not. Thank you, google, for keeping me up to speed.)