Another blogger recently posted about an event titled 20 Books of Summer, or something close to that. It intrigued me. I could never commit to that many books over the summer because for me, seasonal reading is all about mood and the flexibility it brings. Plus, this summer will be filled with moving. But, I like the idea of it. Planning for seasonal reads pulls me out of my boxed-in existence so I might do a short list. What about you? Do you have reading plans this summer?
Right Now:
It’s the Hub’s birthday today! We celebrated yesterday with a nice meal out because of church, then youth group today. He’s easy to please. He wanted a Japanese dinner, the kind where they cook at your table. It was delicious. My tofu was so delightful. The truth.
On another note, my youth group graduates very soon and then? Not sure what I will be called to do. When I became a youth leader I vowed to take them through the entire cycle, JHigh through High School but I don’t think I can cycle back around and do another seven years. Stay in youth ministry? Try children’s ministry? Or something else? Not quite sure yet. This is what I am pondering as this season ends.
This Week:
On Tuesday I get my second dose of Moderna.
On Saturday The Girl interviews for a summer camp counselor position! This would be her first job and she grew up in this summer camp! It would be a good fit.
Reading:
I finished Rules of Civility and should have the review posted for tomorrow.
My next book is one I am excited about. I am participating in a little marketing push for The Invisible Husband of Frick Island and I am here for it.
Watching:
I’ve been watching an eclectic mix of things. I’ve been very unsettled and jumpy and it’s affecting what I watch too. After a few minutes I am ready to move on to something else so either the content isn’t working for me or I am just not able to focus.
Grateful for:
In all honesty, I’ve been working myself up into a big ball of anxiety. It’s been hard to find good things to set my mind on. But, there’s always something if you really think about it.
- I am so very grateful for my daughter’s future roommate and her adorable, kind family. They live about two hours away from Missouri State and they offered to accept some shipments for us like bedding sets, etc. We plan to get a lot of stuff when we go, but bedding in a small town will be slim pickings. This allowed my daughter to find something she loves and not have to worry about getting it there.
- A new friend on FB is recovering from COVID and she found this great new band while bedridden and shared it on FB. I am LOVING them and I am obsessed! Dirty Honey. It is reminding me of high school and all the hair bands I was into. Looks like she is turning a corner with COVID too.
That’s all I have. Let me know what you are doing these days. It’s been hot hot hot here. It’s too early for 97 degree temps and we have already had three local fires. Entirely too early for this.
Book Chatter 
I was wondering who Ryan was, saw the photo on Instagram. At first, I thought it was the kid in the corner of the video. So no photo of The Hub? Awwww…and I’m checking out Dirty Honey, sounds like our kind of jam.
He is not a fan of photos!!
I think somewhere I saw a photo of him.
Once, maybe.
On FB. Attaching one here.
Not seeing it…yet.
20 Books of Summer at https://746books.com/2021/05/02/announcing-20-books-of-summer-21/
Great event! Plus, it can be 10 or 15 Books of Summer. Honestly, I’m not sure I’ve ever managed to hit my goal, but I do like lists and it does get me to stretch my reading during the summer.
Thank you!! I am going to seriously consider this. I love a good list.
I had no idea you already have temps in the 90s and fires, I am so sorry! Fire season is definitely upon us (officially begins tomorrow) and I am not looking forward to it.
Moving to college is such an exciting time and having a fantastic roommate just makes it that much better. My daughter and her freshman roommate are best friends and that’s been wonderful for both of them.
When one cycle of an activity like youth group ends, it feels both unsettling and exciting to know you can do something similar, different, or start over again. Goo luck deciding what to do!
It will be close to 90 today. We had yet another fire yesterday. I took the pup for our morning walk and it was a little too warm for the two of us in full sun. So not ready for that to be a daily thing.
Yes. The roommate situation and just the fact that my daughter already knows the entire freshman Musical Theatre class, 22 students, is such a good thing. They Zoom every week with each other.
Keep us in mind as Emma and Evan move to Kansas and Missouri. If you take I -40 you will pass through ABQ. We’re only 20 minutes off the interstate and y’all are welcome to stay with us.
Thank you!! I will definitely keep that in mind. Right now, I am not sure if I am driving Emma there or flying. They haven’t given us a move in date yet due to COVID staggering and rental cars are hard to come by right now. Not sure why to be honest.
Yes much too early for 97 degrees. Happy Bday to your husband. Hope you both have a great day. What did you think of Rules of Civility? …. I have a review of that somewhere on my blog. It was all right. I’m too behind to think of summer books yet …. still drowning in spring books, ha. Enjoy your week … and good for you, getting your 2nd shot!
I am still reading Rules. I wanted to have it reviewed tomorrow but the bday plans affected my reading. Oh well. I am liking it a lot though.
Maybe you need a break from ministry to find something new? Plus, it will give you time to have a break from over-scheduling.
COVID recovery is a long haul for some. I hope your friend’s recovery is short.
I haven’t been reading. It’s awful, but now that I’ve read at Literary Hill BookFest, I feel a little less stressed. But there is still chat monitoring for Gaithersburg Book Festival this month. I hope you have a great week.
I will most likely take a break from student ministry over the summer anyway. Things haven’t quite been the same since the shutdown so I suspect many things with the church will be done differently. We shall see.
Congrats on your second dose… isn’t it a relief?! I’ve seen the 20 books of summer around. Good idea, but I doubt I could stick to the list or finish them all, so I’d probably end up feeling like a failure.
Hope your husband enjoyed his day. The Japanese dinner sounds like fun, too. We haven’t done that in ages… maybe soon.
Hope you’re liking Rules of Civility. It was a favorite the year I read it.
I am enjoying Rules of Civility quite a bit. I got sidetracked with bday festivities so my review is late but oh well. I don’t want to rush through it just to get a review posted.
I’ll probably not do any summer reading lists this year. I’ve got a few year-long challenges going on and a list of 20 I curated at the beginning of the year that I want to make a dent on. But who knows, I may change my mind!
Good luck while you figure out what next regarding youth church. Has it been seven years really! I hope whatever you decide, it’s something just as rewarding, if not more.
It’s actually been 8 years because I volunteered for a year before a group was assigned to me. In one sense it went by fast but man, a lot went on in those years. The pandemic, the Saugus shooting, etc.
Ugh yes it is toooooo early for summer temperatures. I’m watching people in other parts of the country say things like “spring is finally here!” and I am happy for them, but I’m also so sad that spring is already over for me.
Congrats on getting the vaccine!!
Climate change is a real thing. If it’s this hot for us now, we are not going to be in good shape come summer. Power outages to avoid brush fires and 110 degree days will not be pleasant. I need to move by a beach somewhere.
I imagine it is quite something to have been with your youth group, seeing them grow and now spread their wings, ready to fly away. I hope your next adventure will be just as rewarding.
I hope your daughter gets the summer camp position. It does sound like a good fit for her.
I am looking forward to reading The Invisible Husband Of Frick Island.
I hope you have a great week, Ti.
20 Books Of Summer also has a 10 or 15 option in case you want to join.
Wishing The Girl luck, I hope she gest the counselor position!
The Invisible Husband Of Frick Island is on my list to read.
So happy that your friend who has COVID is getting better. I friend I’ve had since ’73 died yesterday 😦
I’m praying that California doesn’t have fires like last year! It was a nightmare. It’s 94° already and the hottest part of the day isn’t for 4 1/2 more hours. UGH!
Thank you for the link to 20 Books. I might be in it for the 10 book option. I will check it out today. Maybe having a reading goal would help keep me focused.
I am so sorry to hear about your friend. People are still getting very sick but you don’t hear about it in the news as much and now people seem to be skipping the second dose. I got mine yesterday and the nurse was literally begging the first dosers to not skip their second and to not ghost them on their second appt. She said many doses were wasted the other day when people didn’t come in and they couldn’t get them into arms.
Thank you Tina, her loss is hard on so many people. Out of 10 siblings, there is only one left (not all from COVID), and she is my friend also.
I don’t understand why people would get the first shot and not the second! What a waste!
Happy birthday to your husband! We spent the weekend chasing birds and other wildlife, so I’m a little late to the show.
I don’t really understand people who skip the second dose, but then again I don’t really understand people who skip the vaccine…and masks…social distancing…c’mon, people!
I’m reading nonfiction, and I’d really like a recommendation for good fiction. Maybe Invisible Husband…
I participated in the 20 Books of Summer last year, but didn’t hit the 20 book goal. (I’m too lazy to go back and see how many I actually read.) This year, I’ve compiled a stack of another 20, but like you, I doubt I can commit to that many, but we’ll see. Some are for book club and some are for my mystery marathon. Most have been calling to me for months (if not years!), so I’m feeling hopeful. But, summer is a busy time and my reading time typically drops way down.
My husband’s birthday was also last week (on the 4th). We celebrated with my mom (who’s birthday was the 7th) and my brother and sister-in-law who came up from San Diego for the weekend. We had our first meal in a restaurant in over a year and it was wonderful! There were only 6 tables in the entire restaurant, so not only did we feel safe, but it was very peaceful. We even had a gorgeous view of the ocean.
The parents of your daughter’s roommate sound very thoughtful. We found people in the Midwest to be very helpful and welcoming when we moved from San Diego to Lincoln. I hope your kids have the same experience.
Yikes! 97 degrees? I would love it if we hit 60, but I’m sorry you are already dealing with fires. 😦
My book club used to select books for the year, which I liked very much for planning purposes so book club reads are not factored into my summer list this year. If anything, having a list will at least keep me focused. If I can get half of them read I will be happy.
The weather this week has been all over the place but nice. 87 one day, 75 the next. Good walking weather with cool mornings and nights.