There is no should.

Do you ever have one of those days where you're just not feeling social?  Today was one of those days.  I went to a friend's wedding that was absolutely beautiful, but it was a smaller wedding where I didn't know anyone other than my husband (obviously!), the bride and groom, and a few members of the wedding party.  And as much as I felt like I should socialize with the other guests because that's the polite thing to do, I just couldn't bring myself to do it.  I figured 1) I'm here to support my friend who is getting married and that's the most important thing.  2) I'm probably not going to see any of the guests that I don't already know again.  3) I'd rather talk to my husband than anyone else because I'm more comfortable with him than anyone else.

So you know what?  I didn't talk to anyone else.  Obviously I congratulated the bride and groom and chatted with the girls in the wedding party, but, other than that, I gave myself permission to not be social.  Normally, I would put a lot of pressure on myself to socialize, but the simple act of giving myself permission to do what I felt like instead of what I felt like I should be doing was wonderful!

It reminds me of something a friend said to me once: That there is no should.  Think about it for a second.  It's so simple, but so freeing.  Whenever I remember that saying, it reminds me that it's okay for me to ignore the shoulds that I place on  myself and to take that pressure off of myself.

As if I didn't already have enough to read

It's time for the library book sale!!!  It happens twice a year and every time I find a bunch of books.  This year I got a paper bag full of books for only eighteen dollars!

Here are the books I got this year:

• The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve - I have seen this book all over the place, but haven't actually looked at it until today.  I read the back cover and the first few lines and now I can't wait to read it.
• Sea Glass by Anita Shreve
• The Reader by Bernhard Schlink - I actually owned this book about five years ago, but gave it away because I couldn't make it through it.  I didn't really think anything of it until I saw the movie at the library and rented it.  The movie was beautifully sad and made me want to give reading the book another try.  
• Sarah by Mark Halter - People have compared it to The Red Tent, which makes it good enough for me to read it!
• Letter to my Daughter by Maya Angelou 
• Gather Together in my Name by Maya Angelou
• and a bunch of books that I'll use for school next semester

I have a busy weekend, but I'm sure that I'll be able to work in some time to start on my new books!

A news story everyone should be aware of

I know I just posted about how I've been getting a lot of inspiration from other bloggers, but I couldn't help but post about the news article that this blogger brought to my attention in her post!

The article is about an elderly gay couple who lived together for twenty years, but because of legal issues were not permitted to be together during the last few months of one of their lives.  It breaks my heart to think of not being able to see the people I love in my (or their) last months of life.  No matter where you stand on the issue of gay marriage or gay rights, I have to hope that you would agree with me that it is ridiculous to forbid anyone to see their loved ones in their last months of life.

An update on house #4

We got a text from our realtor tonight telling us:

1. The house has been appraised by the bank.
2. The appraisal hasn't been filed yet.
3. We should hear about the appraisal (hopefully) by Friday!
4. The person who appraised this house was not the same person who appraised house #3.  If you remember, the appraisal for house #3 was $20,000 below what we had agreed to pay, which was what screwed up everything with house #3.  We're praying that the same thing doesn't happen with house #4.  We'd love it if you'd  pray about it too!

Rambling thoughts on blogging

Picture taken from this post.

I have been feeling rather uninspired lately when it comes to blogging. Most of my posts lately have been inspired by other people's blogs and wanting to repost things that they've written that I don't want to forget and want to share with others.

That brings me to my thoughts on blogging lately. I want to share my thoughts with others, but I don't feel like anyone actually reads my blog. And I don't want to be one of those whiney bloggers who posts about no one reading their blog in order to get comments saying things like "Of course we do!" and "I love what you have to say!" But I am not sure if I want to blog simply for the sake of blogging if no one is going to read what I'm writing. I LOVE reading people's posts and am daily inspired by something that I read, but I also want to feel that I'm contributing to that inspiration as well as connecting with people.

So is there a point to all this rambling? Not really. I just needed to express what I'm feeling about my blog lately and to take some time to consider why I'm blogging and who I'm blogging for.

A quote about hope

I found this quote on this beautiful blog and liked it so much I had to repost it here.

"To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness.

What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something.

If we remember those times and places (and there are so many) where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction.

And if we do act, in however small a way, we don't have to wait for some grand utopian future.

The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory."

-Howard Zinn

Springpad

Have you heard of springpad? I just started using it today and I'm completely in love! It basically lets you "clip" something on the web and save it on your springpad. I'm using it mostly for recipes, but you can also use it to save restaurants, wines, or pretty much anything on the web.

Since I just started using it, I haven't discovered all of the possibilities, but I'm so excited to figure out everything I can use it for. If you're someone who uses springpad, I'd love to hear any tips you have for how to use it.

Review of my goals: March

1. Read (and record and reflect on the books i read)

I haven't been making much progress because I'm reading three books at once, but I'm still reading. One of the three books is The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin and it's really, really good!

2. Read the Bible. That's right. The WHOLE thing.

I have made major progress in the Bible during March. I finished Exodus and Leviticus and have moved onto Numbers. And I'm actually enjoying most of what I'm listening to (remember I'm listening to the Bible) because it makes m understand how much God cares about the Israelites to give them all of the laws they are supposed to live by.

3. Write letters.

I have been doing a great job of writing to my pen pal through Barnabas Ministries, but not so good on the birthday cards. That is one of the projects I'm going to work on over spring break and I'm really excited about it.

4. Spend ten minutes a day moving my body.

I have been really inconsistent about working out, but I went on a walk yesterday and loved being outside in the sun, so my plan is to start walking every day for at least a half hour. I know that I'm better at walking with someone else so that I have them to convince me to go even when I don't want to, but sadly my friend Katie who I walked with almost every day in college is all the way in Michigan so I'll have to see if I can convince Andrew to walk with me. Or I'll keep my eyes open for someone else who's willing to walk with me?

5. Commit to following my bliss, meaning that i'm going to stop doing things because i feel like i should but because i want to.

I need to stop focusing so much on finding a house. We've managed to put offers on three houses that all didn't work out, and we're to the point where we're running out of houses that are already on the market and are waiting for more houses to go on the market. I might be just a little obsessed... I'm hoping to take a break from that and have some fun over spring break. Wish me luck!