our engagement story

(btw - the very last paragraph is a "cliffs notes version" of our engagement story, for those of  you ORB readers who don't have time to read the whole post. Also, this post has been edited recently, because the fiance reminded me of a few minor details that were not included in the first go around!)

05 // 10 // 13

I woke up early (okay, only-kinda-early-for-me) on Friday morning, and thought of how inevitably it would be my twenty-fourth birthday the next day, sighed over the fact that I probably wouldn't be able to celebrate my birthday at all, and then went about getting dressed and ready to go into work for the afternoon. After getting ready I chit-chatted with my momma and sister for a bit . . . and then I headed into the kitchen to fix myself an early lunch. 

I finished eating lunch, and then checked my cell phone again for probably the hundredth time that day to see if Jared had texted me. I mean, I knew he had an appointment in the morning and that he would be working a half day at work, so I figured texting would be very hit-and-miss that day, but I thought surely he'd at least have texted me by lunch time! Shortly after I finished eating I checked my phone for messages, again. There was a text after all. I got a tiny so-unlike-him message from Jared saying that work was going really well, but was "busy, busy." Now. I don't know about you, but when a man - my man in particular - says "busy, busy" its either for one of two reasons: #1 - plain silliness or #2 - he's covering up something. So, yes . . . that was an odd "busy, busy" text, but I quickly dismissed it and wrote it off as the former probability.

Directly after I got that tiny text my momma walks through the kitchen, stops, looks at me quizzically and asked me if I going to wear any makeup to work that day, which I thought was rather odd, as I don't normally wear makeup to work on most days (gasp!), but I didn't think anything more of her request other than that it was just plain odd. And I didn't argue with her either. I ended up spending a good ten-to-fifteen minutes in the bathroom prettying myself up for the day and desperately trying to convince myself that nothing was "up," and that momma really just did want me to conceal my ghastly-pale face under a layer of pretty makeup to enhance my own natural beauty. ;)

And then I thought some more . . . cue serious suspicions arising.

After I got a few light layers of makeup on my face I went back to my room to put on my shoes, grab my fossil bag, my water bottle, car keys and my purple work apron. I threw the apron loop over my head and tightened the loose strings around my waist - then found my cell phone, still devoid of any text messages from Jared, and slipped it into my apron pocket and took off for my car.

On the twenty to twenty-five minute drive to work I listened to Plumb's new album softly in the background as I ran through every possible "suspicious scenario" in my mind.  I kept on thinking "Why on earth did momma want me to freshen my face up with some makeup sooo badly today? What if Jared is coming up here to surprise me this weekend for my birthday? Or what if Rachelle is driving up here and Meghan will be flying in to surprise me for my birthday? And. Or. And. But." Um, I'm sure you get the picture. After that I quickly dismissed any and every scenario I had played through my mind from just moments before, if not only to reclaim enough sanity so as to make it through my workday without driving myself into the nobody-will-be-here-for-my-birthday-pit-of-despair. And then I cried silently and prayed - and slowly began to forcefully forget every crazed, silly, wild-wandering thought, and prepared myself to walk into the bookstore with a smile plastered on my face.

Work went by pretty quickly, overall. We sold a bazillion cards - seriously! Thank you Mother's Day for that! And because it was so busy, and there were a few extra hours to work, my manager asked if I'd be willing to stay, at first only just for an extra thirty minutes, which quickly became another extra hour at the store. I said that I would be willing to stay until 4:30pm, and then I shot off a text to Jared telling him that I'd be staying an extra hour at work. Then I finally got a text back from my guy! Jared's text reply was: "I thought today was 3:30 for ya. It'll be 4:30 for me today. Gotta make up for missing the morning. ;)" 

Again, I thought it was sort of suspicious that Jared hadn't texted me until later in the afternoon, but I just didn't really think he'd actually drive all the way up here and miss work and an important appointment just to surprise me for my birthday. So, I quickly let that ESP INFJ Intuition/Feeling or dream, or whatever else you wanna call it, die a slow and painful death.

I finished up at work around 4:30pm and quickly dashed to my car so I could call Jared. Jared acted like it was any other day, really - and I suspected nothing, at least not anymore at this point. I quickly told him about how busy it was at the store, and about how many tons of cards we'd sold and about how hungry I was, and I mean I was HUNGRY! Like ready-to-devour-the-entire-kitchen hungry! Then I asked him about his day real fast, and he said that his appointment kinda fell through because the person he was supposed to see got violently ill that morning and didn't show and then he went on to say that his half day at work was busy but had gone pretty well overall. As I got closer to home, five minutes out to be precise, Jared said that he'd have to call me back later that night because him and his dad and brother were going out to buy his mother Mother's Day presents. 

Once I turned onto our long winding mountain country road I started to relax a bit more, as I knew that my yoga pants, a whole fridge of food and Netflix were calling my name. I quickly gathered my personal affects together from my car and headed inside the house. Momma was standing in the kitchen and said that I had gotten a few birthday cards in the mail and that they were on my bed waiting to be read. And then she said I should go read them. (Suspicious much?) So I walked into my room and saw a golden envelope lying on my bed that was from Jared's family and then sticking out just beneath that card was a white quarter-folded piece of paper. I picked up the card and went straight for the folded piece of paper underneath. At first when I opened the folded piece of paper it was upside down - then I flipped it over and recognized the handwriting and signature immediately as Jared's. 

And that's when my heart started literally pounding out of my chest!

The white paper held a "mystery poem" scrawled upon it and the last line read: "Should you remember but one of these, you know where I am, amidst the trees." I freaked and started saying ohmygosh ohmyGosh OhMyGosh over and over again and ran as fast as I could into the kitchen and started to pace around where my mother was standing keeping herself occupied. I asked momma if she knew what was going on and she said she knew nothing about the "mystery poem" and that she guessed that I had better solve it already. Then I asked her: "HE'S HERE ISN'T HE!?!?!" and she just told me to read the poem again and turned away with a small smirk-of-a-smile on her face. So I read the poem again. 

And then I really, really, really freaked out again because there are a ginormous amount of trees around here, people! But there were only two places where that mystery poem could have lead me to and I was about to trudge onward as fast as humanly possible to the first place I thought Jared might be hidden. I raced out of the door, still wearing my black dress pants, my black and white striped dress shirt and my purple work apron, and headed towards the treeline at the front of our property. I didn't see Jared anywhere in sight, so I broke through the treeline and stumbled into a scraggly pile of thorns which got caught in my dress pants for a moment, and then I started tripping over foliage and branches and all sorts of woodsy junk, so I grabbed at the tree closest to me which was right beside a deep muddy ravine in the thick of the woods. I was deathly silent all throughout my entire poetic-hide-and-seek-adventure, so Jared didn't know I was even out there! I didn't even think to call out for Jared! I mean, honestly, its like I forgot how to think or communicate or something - and then I spotted my love through the trees! Somehow I got untangled from all that woodsy stuff and I burst out of those trees faster than lightning and made my way towards him.

As soon as I rounded the tree line I ran over to Jared and threw my arms around his neck . . . and then he suddenly pulled away from me, which kind of caught me by surprise. Then Jared dropped down onto one knee . . . and happy tears started pooling on my eyelids and I started to fan myself with my shaking-like-a-leaf hands and then he asked me THE QUESTION: "Would you accompany me through life - and write our two stories as one?" Without hesitation I exclaimed: "Yes, yes, yes - with all my heart yes, a million times yes!!!"

And that's wraps up the end of "our engagement story" post . . . thankfully though, our story together has just begun!

But before I go . . . I bet you want to see the ring, don't ya? ;)

(isn't my garnet wuthering-heights-quote-inscribed ring lovely!?)

// The Cliffs Notes Version //

Last week was *seriously* the best week of my entire life!

// May 8th //
Jared & I celebrated our 3 1/2 year dating anniversary!

// May 9th //
Jared calls me & tells me that he got hired on full time by the company he works for!

// May 10th // 
Jared drives up to surprise me for my birthday & asks me to marry him!!

// May 11th // 
We celebrated my twenty-fourth birthday . . . yes, you read that right - 24!

// May 12th //
We got to celebrate my wonderful momma, & I got to take engagement photos with my fiancé thanks to my awesome sister, Mary! 

quiet my anxious heart

"Our Good Shepherd can only restore our souls when we turn our hearts and our minds away from the noise and busyness of the world back to Him. Sitting alone with the Lord leads us to peace and gives us the strength we need to move forward." -Wendy Blight

/ / /

I've been silent on the blog here for the last few weeks, mostly due to the fact that I've really just needed some quiet resting time, some exploring-my-heart-deeper time and some learning-what-my-boundary-lines-need-to-be time.

Sigh.

And then I found the above quote in a P31 devotional in my inbox and I thought "God, what impeccable timing!" I need my Good Shepherd to quiet my soul right now, right here - in this very place!

Will you join me, friends? I will be participating in Wendy Blight's Quiet My Anxious Heart: Learning to Sit at the Feet of Jesus Online Bible Study. It's a 3 week study (which started yesterday) that focuses on sitting at the feet of Jesus, and I believe its just what I need.

I hope you all have an amazingly blessed week! 

Team Novel Teen Blog Tour: Storm by Evan Angler

Age Range: 8+ (middle-grade readers to infinity and beyond!)

Genre: Juvenile Fiction / Action & Adventure / Dystopic

Part of A Series: Storm is book #3 in the Swipe Series.

Release Date: 5.7.13

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Summary: In a future United States under the power of a charismatic leader, everyone gets the Mark at age thirteen. The Mark lets citizen shop, go to school, and even get medical care—without it, you are on your own. Few refuse to get the Mark. Those who do . . . disappear.

Logan Langly went in to get his Mark, but he backed out at the last minute. Ever since, he’s been on the run from government agents and on a quest to find his sister Lily, who disappeared when she went to get her Mark five years earlier. His journey leads him to befriend the Dust, a vast network of Markless individuals who dissent against the iron-grip rule of the government. Along the way to the capital to find Lily, the Dust receive some startling information from the Markless community, opening their eyes to the message of Christianity and warning that humanity is now entering the End of Days.

In Storm, Logan and his friends are the leaders of the Markless revolution. But while some Markless are fighting Chancellor Cylis’ army, the Dust is busy trying to find a cure for a horrible epidemic sweeping through the Marked. And it’s difficult for them to know who to trust, especially when they aren’t sure if Logan’s sister Lily, one of the commanders in Cylis’ army, is on their side or not. And all across the nation—and the world—the weather has become less stable and a storm is brewing that bigger than any of them could have ever imagined.

What I Loved: I ate this book up, er, I meant to say that I read through it extremely fast, as I found myself gripped so tightly by Storm, the exciting third installment in the Swipe Series. The writing by Evan Angler was excellent, as I've come to expect. And now that the characters are an extremely well established part of the story, I really felt like the plot was able to take a rather daring all-over-the-place exciting frenzied flight - and we were even introduced to a few new characters, which I loved as well.  Storm was chock full of chaos and mystery - I mean, so many characters that I thought I had completely figured out already- like Cylis, Lamson, Lily, Erin, Peck and Logan, and you get the picture! - really, really surprised me in Storm. Everything is not as it appears, as multiple kinds of "storms" start to rear up their ugly heads at our all-over-the-map, and well-worn, team of Dust and Markless, as they begin to stand up and start the end-times revolution. 

I'm really anxious to find out what happens next to both Logan and Lily, especially whether or not they are both actually on the "wrong side of the tracks." Only time will tell, I suppose. 

I also happened to love the part in Storm where a few of the characters found a copy of Swipe in the Library, and were able to read about themselves, as the "mystery author" recounted their journey so far. I thought it was a swell addition to the story world - and it made it feel all the more real. Translation: You are so very, very clever, Mr. Angler!

What I Didn't Like So Much: I really didn't dislike, or hate anything. Seriously. Storm did sort of feel like a "bridge book" at times though, and by that I mostly mean that the story felt like it was constantly gearing up for something far grander in the future with every turn of the page. All in all the story definitely didn't "get there" completely in Storm because there were far too many loose ends revealed, though I will say that everything in the plot, loose ends included, worked really well. I only hope there will be more books in the series to come . . . and SOON!

I’m recommending this book… If you love Dystopic novels like The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins or The Left Behind Series by Tim Lahaye and Jerry B. Jenkins then Storm is definitely a book you’ll want to read. 

* In exchange for an honest review, I received this book for free from Thomas Nelson through Team Novel Teen. *

Click Here To Read My Review of Swipe (Book #1 in the Swipe Series)

Click Here To Read My Review of Sneak (Book #2 in the Swipe Series)

About The Author:

Who is Evan Angler?

Evan Angler is safe, for now. He lives without the Mark, evading DOME and writing in the shadows of Beacon.

As a kid he was quiet and well-behaved, having grown up in a town not unlike Spokie, where he enjoyed music, drawing, hover-dodge, astrophysics, hiking, virtual reality . . .

None of that matters now.

Evan Angler is the author of Storm. But if anyone asks, you know nothing about it, and you didn’t hear anything from him. Don’t make eye contact if you see him. Don’t call his name out loud. He’s in enough trouble already.

And so are you, if you’ve read his books.

Check out these other extras below…

www.evanangler.com

swipe series facebook page

purchase storm from amazon.com

                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Also, check out these other Team Novel Teen bloggers ( below ) to see what they had to say about Evan Angler's novel STORM.

ADD Librarian • Blooming with Books • The Book Fae • Book Nook 4 You • Bookworm Reading  • Christian Book Review Blog • Christian Bookshelf Reviews • CTF Devourer •  Jill Williamson • Labor Not in Vain • The Life of a Teenage Writer • The Maniacal Bookworm • Oh, Restless Bird • The Ramblings of a Young Author • Realm of Hearts • Shadow Writer World • A Slightly Nerdy Bookworm • Who YA Reading? • Worthy2Read

 Team Novel Teen is a group of bloggers dedicated to spreading the word about clean teen fiction. Check out other posts about Storm by Evan Angler by clicking on the links above, and check out www.NovelTeen.com for more information about Team Novel Teen.

happy birthday to you . . .

wowzers, love. today is your twenty-third birthday! and on your birthday you should absolutely know just how much i love you - yes you, the very man who stole my heart over three years ago now, and continues to steal it away from me again every single day! 

as tradition would have it, this is usually the part of the birthday post where i list "things" about you that i love or remember quite fondly, but this time around i thought i'd just write you a letter.

Dear Love,

I am so unbelievably proud of who you are, and of who you are becoming - yes, still. This past year has been such a greatly challenging one for you; for us both. In your twenty-second year you roughed it out in the big city, job hunted like a mad man, moved across the state, landed an awesome full time job, started writing your kaiju novel more seriously, and also successfully celebrated our three year dating anniversary. While this past year has held plenty of ups and down for us, I honestly wouldn't trade it for anything. God has been so mightily moving in you, Jared - as I always knew He would from the moment I met you - because you are faithful to believe Him for everything, past, present and future. You inspire me daily to live a life deeper in Him.

Thank you for being completely genuine always, whether you're outstandingly quiet and methodical or nerd-ranting or otherwise, etc . . . and yes, that genuine-ness includes those very times when I roll my eyes at your genuine-self because you are way too insanely goofy, sir. Your sense of humor is beyond charming - and I guess I should thank your father for that - and your mother for lending a hand in passing down the genes for your immensely handsome watery blue-grey eyes that have bewitched me, body and soul. 

Thank you for always being my fragile-heart-embracer, my faithful forever-love, my faith strengthener, my steadfast shoulder to cry on, my constant encourager, my peace-bringer, my perspective unveiler, my smile bringer, and ultimately, the man who inspires me to breathe in deep and to live beautifully every single day! I cannot imagine this world without you in it - because you make life extraordinarily, inexplicably, wonderfully-weird in the most smashing of ways, handsome-love! And I love you for you - right now and forever.

To quote the Lumineers . . . I belong with you, you belong with me. You're my sweetheart.

And with all that said, I must now wish you the happiest of birthdays and head to dream-land!

Love Always,

Your Redbird

Quotes from Life After Art + Book Giveaway

Monday I wrote a book review on the newly released book Life After Art, and today I have the honor of sharing some lovely quotes (click here to see more graphic art + quotes from Life After Art) and a book giveaway with you! A big shout out to the author, Matt Appling, and Moody Publishers for sponsoring this giveaway! Enter below for a chance to win your very own copy of Life After Art:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Pea Ess . . .

If you purchase your own paperback copy of Life After Art, simply email your receipt to LifeAfterArtBook{at}gmail{dot}com to get the Life After Art deluxe ebook, and the Life After Art Field Guide, designed to help you get the most out of the book, as well as The Art of Storytelling.

Happy Reading! And good luck to all who enter into the book giveaway!

Life After Art by Matt Appling // Book Review

Genre: Christian Living/Personal Growth
Release Date: 4/1/13
Number of Pages: 142
Publisher: Moody Collective Publishers

Summary (from Goodreads): For most adults, the art room is a memory from long-lost childhood school days. Art class probably did not mean much more than smearing crayons and paint onto construction paper-with no real value to an adult who is dealing with the pressures of relationships, careers, finances, and raising a family.

Even with these external pressures, the biggest concern adults often face is the spiritual crisis of self-value. We fear unmet ambitions. We fear that our lives have little meaning, purpose, or value. We fear that God has a plan for us, but we're missing it. These fears prevent us from leading the productive, contented, joy-filled lives that God created us to live.

And so, the long-forgotten art room actually holds three God-given keys, available to every adult, for living the life we were meant to live. When we entered the art room for the first time as kindergartners, we all instinctively knew some things that we would progressively forget over time and now it's time to learn them all over again.

What I Loved: Life After Art is not as much about art and creativity as one might suspect judging by the book cover. This book is more so about how to learn the art of making life beautiful, though it is not an instruction manual. Believe you me, you are going to find yourself immensely challenged and asking yourself a lot of questions about how you can live a more beautiful life after you've closed the cover . . . but you're going to be insanely happy about it.

Matt Appling invites us to journey into thought with him, a thought of a time long ago in every person's life. A time when we were that joyful and carefree five year old who wanted nothing more than to create something beautiful to share with the world. It was that time in every young person's life when the most important things to us were our crayola crayons, playing make believe, telling wild stories and singing aloud for the world to hear us, whether we were any good or not. Back then, when we were that bright-eyed five year old, we were as close to what God had intended for us to be as ever. We were the indomitable believers, dreamers and eager beauty-sharers. In the words of the author himself, "This book is about discovering and living in that moment."

Somewhere along the way most of us adults lost a bit of that creative wild eyed wonder. We lost that driving indomitable child-like faith in our art, life and dreams. We stopped creating, we learned our base limitations in life, and ultimately we got lazy (or at least I did.) But our adult lives don't have to stay this way forever. We are all capable of creating beautiful lives, lives of which are begging to be shared with the world, because we have been made in the very image of the most beautiful Creator of all. We are the created-to-create ones, whether you are a photographer, painter or writer, etc. We were created to make beauty; that is every child's gift. Now, whether we choose to challenge ourselves and run after that child-like faith or not, that driving force which begs for us to create beauty because it is such a primal desire running within us . . . well, that is our own choice to make, isn't it? And in the wise words of the writer J.R.R. Tolkien, "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” Ultimately I think this is what Matt Appling is getting at: use your time wisely to create beauty wherever and whenever you can, and be bold while doing it!

Life After Art does not tell us how to live, but rather how to run after that innate desire that has been within us along, that desire which longs to create and share beauty with the world; to live a unique life that will surely leave a legacy. To quote the author once more: "You will be creating for the rest of your life. You might as well do it on purpose."

What I Didn't Like So Much: I so wish I could've met Matt Appling in person and talked more in depth about Life After Art over some coffee or tea. Other than that, I'm a happy young woman. ;)

I'm Recommending This Book . . . Honestly, this book is such an eye-opening and thought provoking read and you need to read it! The moment I turned the last page of this book I wanted to open it right back up to page one and start reading it all over again! Needless to say, this book will take up a permanent residence on my bookshelf. If you are a life-artist, or a life-artist wannabe, this book is for you, because you were designed by a beautiful Creator to create beauty with your life.

About The Author: MATT APPLING teaches Pre-Kindergarten through sixth grade art, as well as high school art history. He has taught and ministered in a variety of school and church settings.  He has also been a popular blogger for four years, as the author of thechurchofnopeople.com, as a syndicated columnist at prodigalmagazine.com, and as a featured contributor to many other online publications. Matt lives with his wife, Cheri in Kansas City, Missouri.

click HERE to read chapter one
click HERE to purchase Life After Art
click HERE to watch the book trailer

* I received a copy of this book for the purpose of a review from the author/moody publishers. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

Please be sure to check back on Wednesday for a post including some of my favorite quotes from Life After Art, as well as a book giveaway! 

waiting, patiently waiting

I'm sitting still in my room, leaning over my desk, though the chair beneath my tired frame is swiveled by my anxious legs. The lights are dimly lit and it is utterly silent. I do not mind the silence, because the silence brings forth a time to sort through my thoughts, my heart, my frazzled self.

I am waiting for him, my love. He'll be here tomorrow, you should know, and knowing that sends my heart into blips of excited heart-pounding joy. And I can finally take a deep breath again. No, it's not like I never take a breath when my love and I are apart, but somehow I find that I breathe more deeply, more fully when he is by my side. I hold my breath again when he walks away after our wonderful times spent together - to travel back to his home, that is not I - every single time, and I wonder secretly how much longer it will be until I no longer have to gasp for air, all while the white-knuckle waiting continues on.

I am still the girl who is waiting. No, I am not that waiting single young woman anymore, but I am still waiting, in my own way. I remember those single-nights like they were just yesterday, those nights when I cried myself to sleep as a teenager. Many a tear was shed due to my never-a-plus-one status. I tried my best to honor God by patiently waiting for my Prince Charming, even though it was beyond painful not having a boyfriend. So I waited on Him and His plan for me, through the tears, through the many sleepless nights and through the constant fear that I believed I might just possibly end up living life alone forever.

And then I gave up on love altogether one hot July Summer day in 2009. I swore I didn't want it anymore. That I didn't need it. My heart had been drained and ripped apart once and for all. And then surrender came in the form of a sweet simple prayer. I handed my heart over to the Ultimate Heart-Mender. I asked God to fix the tattered pieces of my heart; the brokenness in me. I asked if He would please take the pain and desire to be married away. And then I finally let go of my own desires, and found myself filled with a stronger-than-ever desire for Him. 

After surrendering my heart to God I met my love, my Jared Thomas, the very same week. Neither Jared or I wanted to be Chaperones at a Christian Camp, and neither one of us knew why God had called us there in the first place. And yet He did, because He knew. To my amazement I had only just told God days ago that I was fine being by myself; that I wanted only to find what He had waiting for me there at that camp. Four months after many e-mails sent back and forth, awkward text messages and a very rainy drive to get Italian food on All Hallow's Eve, Jared and I began our life-long relationship together. We fell into love. And the waiting ended.

Many season's came to pass, and our love began to grow deeper and deeper, as the days went on. I was completely in a state of bliss, and it seemed to me as if I would never have to wait again. Enter the curve ball. Jared was moved by God to the other side of the state back in September of last year and now I find myself waiting once more. I never thought the waiting season would continue once you had found the love of your life, but somehow, in my case anyway, the waiting has continued on. I wait for job news. I wait for an engagement proposal. I wait for more money to flood in. I wait. I wait. I wait . . .

If you are that single woman in the dark, perhaps crying tears of complete frustration, worried about your seemingly-never-ending-waiting-game for Mr. Right to appear, know that you, dear one, are not alone. Love will come for you, when you least expect it to. It will sweep you off your feet, and leave you breathless. A new season will claim you. A new season where the waiting wanes, and the love takes a hold. Just know, and be prepared, that there will surely be more waiting times in your life to come that will claim a hold over you once more. But the waiting is not all bad you know, because you must see, and I must see, that God is preparing a season for us in which love can fully bloom and will continue to grow.

Once again I find myself waiting. Somehow I knew this season would find me again. I am waiting to breathe. Waiting to see my love's face again, to feel his hand in mine. And I wait, until the two shall become one. God is not done penning our love stories just yet, ever really . . . it is continued on, through many new seasons and waiting-times. I know that a new season will be borne soon enough, and that the waiting will surely cease for a while . . . yes, it will like it always does. And when the waiting stops, it will be long enough for us to finally breathe in deep.

// images via pinterest //

currently reading . . .

I've been trying to carve out more time for reading lately since I only have a thousand unread books sitting in my room, because its good for you, riiight? Reading at night before I go to bed has become such an exciting, and yet also relaxing, part of my day. Translation: I'm really glad I've been reading more lately! I've also tried to read more non-fiction books lately too, which has, up until now, been a genre that I normally wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. I've never really had an issue reading fiction books mind you, especially not if it was a Fantasy or Science Fiction story, but when you have the option to either dive into (1) an imaginary world or (2) into the real world you'll usually find me running after the stars.

Anywho. I'm making some decent progress with reading more non-fiction books, in case you were wondering. In fact, I have recently finished reading the following NF books: From The Library of C.S. Lewis by James Stuart Bell, Everything by Mary DeMuth,  I Am Not But I Know I Am by Louie Giglio and Quiet by Susan Cain.

*i enjoyed all of them, strangely enough*

And here's what I'm reading currently (one is fiction and the other non-fiction) . . .

click HERE to read chapter one

visit the website: lifeafterartbook.com

watch the book trailer for life after art below

life after art book review soon to come . . .

click HERE to read chapter one

check out the website for The Scorpio Races

watch the book trailer for The Scorpio Races below

What are you reading right now? Do you prefer reading non-fiction or fiction?

pinspired // wanderlusting

sadly enough, i've been sick since sunday with an energy-zapping cold (courtesy of my dear, dear father), so naturally i turned to sleep and pinterest for healing purposes. and for whatever reason the travel bug had decided to hit me hard, right alongside the little cold bug too. so, needless to say, i spent many hours looking at places that i would love to travel to, places i constantly wander-lust after and some places of which i have been to already and miss greatly. oh boy have i ever been in desperate need of watching a rick steves' europe marathon! alas, rick steves was not on tv when i needed him, and he did not save the boredom filled last couple of days for me, but pinterest did however save the travel bug firing up within me, for now at least, that is. ahem, if you don't know who rick steves is, and you are a fellow wanderluster at heart like myself, then you must simply check out his guidebooks and tv show, because they're truly exquisite!

so, without further ado -- here's a glimpse into my rather random wanderlusting pins. please, do enjoy.

// all images found on pinterest //

if the travel bug has bitten you too, where would you most like to go? 

Quiet by Susan Cain

Genre: Psychology & Psychiatry -- Personality
Release Date: 1/24/12
Number of Pages: 333
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group a division of Random House, Inc. 

Tag Line: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking

Summary (from Goodreads): At least one-third of the people we know are introverts. They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking, reading to partying; who innovate and create but dislike self-promotion; who favor working on their own over brainstorming in teams. Although they are often labeled "quiet," it is to introverts that we owe many of the great contributions to society--from van Gogh’s sunflowers to the invention of the personal computer.

Passionately argued, impressively researched, and filled with indelible stories of real people, Quiet shows how dramatically we undervalue introverts, and how much we lose in doing so. Taking the reader on a journey from Dale Carnegie’s birthplace to Harvard Business School, from a Tony Robbins seminar to an evangelical mega church, Susan Cain charts the rise of the Extrovert Ideal in the twentieth century and explores its far-reaching effects. She talks to Asian-American students who feel alienated from the brash, backslapping atmosphere of American schools. She questions the dominant values of American business culture, where forced collaboration can stand in the way of innovation, and where the leadership potential of introverts is often overlooked. And she draws on cutting-edge research in psychology and neuroscience to reveal the surprising differences between extroverts and introverts.

Perhaps most inspiring, she introduces us to successful introverts--from a witty, high-octane public speaker who recharges in solitude after his talks, to a record-breaking salesman who quietly taps into the power of questions. Finally, she offers invaluable advice on everything from how to better negotiate differences in introvert-extrovert relationships to how to empower an introverted child to when it makes sense to be a "pretend extrovert."

This extraordinary book has the power to permanently change how we see introverts and, equally important, how introverts see themselves.

What I Loved: In reading Quiet it was reaffirmed for myself, yet again, that yes, I live up to that statistic. I am that 1 in 3 person, but I am not just a statistic. I am an introvert who prefers listening to speaking, and would gladly choose staying at home with a book in hand over of going to a crowded place out in public or to a friend's party. That said, I was really excited to hear that there was a book out there (Enter: Quiet) that doesn't gawk at my naturally quiet nature, or tell me that there's indeed something wrong with me because I am not super outgoing or utterly talkative. 

It was quite interesting to learn about how our country is run on the idealism that everyone should be more extroverted, especially in the work place; and it was also refreshing to read about the lives of different introverts, like Rosa Parks and Steve Wozniak, people similar to myself, who shaped our American (and sometimes non-American: think Ghandi) society/culture by being true to their naturally quiet selves. These soft-powered men and women were the ones who paved the way for us quiet ones. 

I really enjoyed reading through the Introduction and the sections on Collaboration, Soft Power, Communication and Cultivating Quiet Children.

This book also debunks many myths about how introverts really operate. For example, introverts are not anti-social, they're not all shy and yes, though they sometimes come off as being extroverts they are usually just masquerading their innermost personality traits to make others, like their friends and coworkers, feel more at ease. Chances are there are introverts in your family, your workplace and in your Church. You just have to look hard enough to see them for who they really are: quiet, thoughtful, creatives, writers, scientists, poets, photographers, engineers, etc. 

This book was definitely not meant to be read by introverts alone. This book is for the extrovert and the extrovert-masquerading introvert who longs to be unleashed into the perfectly acceptable quiet life that they were born for.

What I Didn't Like So Much: The mid-portions of Quiet focused more so on introducing us to the aspects of introversion in business and in the work place, which is great for those of us who are heavily business minded, but it leaves those of us more creative introvert types, like myself, left mind-wandering and wanting. (The earlier portions and latter third of the book totally make up for this slower too-much-business-talk midsection though!)

Also, though I knew that this book was not necessarily a Christian book when I first requested it, some unknowing readers might find it helpful to know that this book discusses sexuality and uses curse words on occasion, though neither subject matter was used in a vulgar manner. 

I'm Recommending This Book . . . If you are an introvert who wants to learn more about yourself and your personality, or if you are a curious extrovert who wonders why your friend Sally would rather stay at home on a Friday night after work and read her book than come to your super-fun friend-filled parties, then this book is for you. You will learn how valuable both introverts and extroverts are; and hopefully you will find your place along the way.

About The Author: Susan Cain's writing has appeared in the New York Times; the Dallas Morning News; O, The Oprah Magazine; Time.com; and PsychologyToday.com, and her TED talk has been viewed more that three million times. She lives in the Hudson River Valley with her husband and two sons.

Click HERE to purchase Quiet from Amazon

You can find out more about  Susan Cain at her Website: The Power of Introverts

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group as part of their Blogging for Books program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255