update.

word of the day: update \ˌəp-ˈdāt\ to bring up to date

The last time I updated my book list via this blog was right after I finished The Help.  That was in July, so it seems fitting to bring you up to date.  Since August 1, all three books in the Hunger Games series:

 My cousin, Emily, first suggested these books to me about 3 years ago, but I wasn't captured by their allure initially.  I wanted an easy read for Cancun, though, so I threw The Hunger Games into my suitcase.  Then, I proceeded to read it non-stop until I finished it 2 days later.  Then, I discovered that electronic books cannot be purchased if you are out of the country.  Then I was unable to involve myself in any other books because I was so anxious about what was going to happen to Katniss and Peeta.  And that's why I wait to read series until all the books are written.

I did manage to finish another book while in Mexico, but I'm embarrassed to say that it took me 5 months to get through I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou.

I'm a fan of memoirs and anything that depicts someone's coming of age.  For some reason this one was slow goings for me at the beginning, but I think that's mostly because I took so long to get through it.

Maya Angelou's story is alarming, but her honesty is moving.  I'd highly recommend this read. 

What's next?  Oh, well, let me tell you... The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver, My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares, Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, and When We Were Friends by Elizabeth Joy Arnold.

It's also worth noting that effective as of September 7th, 2011, I have officially banned myself from Half Priced Books until January 2012.  The fact of the matter is that I can't be trusted inside those doors; reason flies out the window when $2 books are everywhere you look.  It's such a beautiful place.

In other news, I turned 25 a few weeks ago and actually found myself looking forward to the quarter of a century mark.  Jake and I celebrated at my favorite restaurant, Centro and with a round of miniature golf--a first in our marriage.  It shouldn't surprise anyone that Jake beat me.

How did we spend my ACTUAL birthday?  A planned study date at Starbucks: Jake studying for behavioral medicine and me grading English quizzes.  Put that together with the inaugural Pumpkin Spice latte of the season and it was actually a really wonderful evening.  The older I get, the more I realize that it's not so much about the day itself but the time you have to spend. 

One of my dearest and longest friends, Sami, is getting married in a few weeks, so we celebrated her on Friday night.  It was my first experience in a karaoke bar and I have since decided that it will not be my last.

You'd be surprised to know that this is the best picture we took the whole night.

What else is new? Well since you asked, I've taken up yoga in my living room, and I joined an intramural volleyball team at DMU.  Jake and I have been consuming more Ramen noodles than you probably should once you graduate college and have doubled our coffee consumption since the summer's end. My newest radio song is "All Your Life" by The Band Perry and I'm still trying to figure out a way to incorporate the meaning of "radio song" into a blog post.  

Oh yeah, and Ginny got a haircut.

And, that about covers it.  Consider yourself up to date.

spiral.

word of the week: spiral \ˈspī-rəl\ the path of a point in a plane moving around a central point while continuously receding from or approaching it

In the education world, we throw around the term "spiral" quite frequently.  It means that once we teach a concept, we don't leave it behind entirely.  Instead, we continue to "spiral" back to it in order to keep it fresh in the minds of our students. My students, for instance, just took a test on the structure of plot. One of the terms they needed to know was foreshadowing.  Now it doesn't do them any good if I never mention it again in class.  In fact, they will almost certainly forget it.  But, if I continue to incorporate it wherever possible, the lesson is more likely to stick.

It struck me this week that the same is true of my life.  

One of the defining moments of my life took place during my freshman year of college.  Those who know me well know that I spent that first semester in my dorm room crying behind my closed door almost every day.  I lost the sense of who I was that semester and God spent quite a bit of time refining me and reminding me where my identity is actually rooted.  

I was a busy bee high school student who dipped my toes in every pool I could.  I danced, I played volleyball, I sang in the show choir, I served on student council, and I thought I was pretty important.  However, when I had none of that to identify with that first year of college, I lost myself.  I began to believe the lie that I was unimportant.  

Then I read pages 51-53 in Neil T. Anderson's book Victory Over the Darkness and I was reminded of the truth.

I am a child of God (John 1:12)
I am Christ's friend (John 15:15)
I am God's workmanship (Eph. 2:10)
I am righteous and holy (Eph. 4:24)
I am chosen of God, holy and dearly loved (Col 3:12)

What a difference it made when I let God define who I was as opposed to the things I was involved in.

Fast forward five years.  I wanted to be a teacher, but I couldn't quite convince anyone to hire me.  My sadness came from the fact that I wasn't able to do what I felt God had called me to do.  But my identity isn't in the fact that I am a teacher.  The lesson spiraled back and met me exactly where I was.

Fast forward two years. People ask me quite often what it's like being "the wife of a medical student".  While the description is true, I am reminded again that that is not what defines who I am.  

It's funny how such a small truth can have such a profound impact.  

I wouldn't be a very good teacher if I expected my students to understand a concept the first time around.  So, it makes perfect sense that the things God wants me to learn would be spiraled throughout my life again and again and again.

Keep me as the apple of your eye;
hide me in the shadow if your wings.
Psalm 17:8