MEETING IVY ANN

I was so thrilled to meet the third Agaba baby when she came - Ivy Ann! I took these photos of the family with their new addition last month, and gleefully watched the three girls together, wishing for them friendships and adventures like my sisters and I have had.  Here are some of the photos from that day!

LABOR DAY MONDAY 2018

A labor day weekend update, a month and a half later!  How is everyone doing? Do people read blogs anymore?  I still love looking back at old blog entries of mine, so I shall proceed:  documenting, telling, sharing - thank you for being here. 

Most of October stayed warm - there were pumpkins showing up at the stores, and they seemed like utterly out of place, and then there were mentions of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, and truly, I don't understand why one would ruin a chocolate chip cookie with pumpkin? And then suddenly, a few days ago, the weather turned and we are officially in autumn weather. Which isn't bad really, but I know what's coming, so I'm diligently taking my vitamins and hoping for the best. 

Anyways, rewinding back to the beginning of September, when we were mentally gearing down from summer and trying to prepare for the new school year (Sloane starting 1st grade! ah!), I realized we hadn't been to the river all summer, so I planned a trip to Belle Isle for that Monday morning. Ken and I used to go to Belle Isle at the James River all the time (and fun fact:that's where he proposed !) but we haven't gone with the kids often, so it felt novel. We took our time; we sipped and savored on that morning, the rushing waters providing reprieve from the sticky air.  Us together walking to the rocks and resting there, felt like an appropriate commemorating of a new season. 

Here are some photos from that morning: 

Do you see the person on that little bit of land? Logan saw him and said, "Look! A really tiny grownup!" 

We saw a lot of dogs that day (I think we counted 24?) and as usual, the girls tried to meet as many of them as they could. 

This seemed like a good book to start reading on labor day weekend to start the new school year. 

WHAT I'M READING V. 36

1. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

This was an absolute stunner of a book. It's a story of friendship and also one of the effects of trauma. It's also about continuing on with life when it seems like you can't, how hard it is to believe good things about yourself if you have been told something otherwise for so long, and how powerful friendship and love can be, but only to a certain extent. I cried and cried reading this one, and gave it a standing ovation once I was through.

2. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

I marvel at the self-control and restraint the author must have had to walk through the nuances of such an emotional and thing as police shooting of black kids. It's a skill to start of with a small story and spiral it out to all its cultural implication, especially one that is still so rampant in the news today. Along with all of that, the author captured the story and voice of a teenage girl and her community in vivid ways that made me feel like I got true insight into this girl's life.

3. Educated by Tara Westover

It was stunning and gripping. I was totally captivated by the narrative; I couldn't stop listening to it to the point that I felt like I was its prisoner. Not only is the story incredible, but the writing is fantastic. There is also commentary on what writing a memoir is, which I love. This was probably my favorite memoir since Mary Karr's "Lit", and I highly recommend it. It has led to many ruminations on the state of education in this country and in general, and what it means for power and opportunity and self-worth. It reminded me of "Hillbilly Elegy" but darker and more intense.

4. The Mind's Eye by Oliver Sachs

I know of Oliver Sachs from Radiolab, and always regarded his stories and clips and contributions as some of my favorites because of the fascinating insights he offered into our brains.  This book shares interesting stories of people with various conditions like face blindness, apashia, and blindness, and what is happening in the brain when these occur. I think learning more about other people's medical experience in this way enlarges our world view and our understanding of what makes us all human.