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Captured. We went on a Cub Scout family campout a few months ago at a gorgeous state park with almost perfect weather and I took an appallingly few number of pictures. I guess we were too busy enjoying the moment.
I did manage manage to get one picture of the resident 10-year-old camera hater. Eric had to trick him to get into photo range with a request for "special help" planning the weekend's scavenger hunt. I think the resulting action shot of my husband and son and Jonathan's best bud (wearing the coon skin cap) is kind of fun.
They look so serious--as if they were planning their next away mission.
Toddler piety. During the sign of peace at mass last Sunday, Clara turned to Eric, stuck out her little hand and said, "Dee dee dih doo, Daddy." Translated as: "Peace be with you, Daddy."
At the end of prayers with the kids last night Clara piped up with, "Dod dess baby dawls. Dod dess daddies." Translated as: "God bless baby dolls. God bless daddies."
Can there be anything cuter?
A new favorite blog. You must go check out Bobbi's Revolution of Love blog if you have not already. This sweet mom of four has been blogging for 9(!) years and I just love her style. She's smart, funny, honest and inspiring and she blogs about movies, organizing, parenting, books... so many of the things that I love.
Fantastic books. I've been on a roll lately. Book after book that I've read over the last few months has been a home run. Here are a few quick thoughts on my recent faves.
Wish You Were Here by Amy Welborn: Sad, inspiring, hard, beautiful, hopeful, made me a more empathetic person.
The Scent of Water by Elizabeth Goudge: Lovely, refreshing, thought-provoking, an explosion of imagery.
The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt: The way all YA fiction should be, funny, smart, respectful, touching.
The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen: More fantastic YA fiction, skillfully written, engaging, inspiring, made me cry (in a good way).
A Damsel in Distress by P.G. Wodehouse: My first experience with P.G. Wodehouse, hilarious, fun, a great summer read.
In awe. I'm am continually amazed at the number and beauty of the state parks within an easy drive of the Houston area. I grew up in semi-arid west Texas where the only things to see for miles around were yuccas, tumbleweeds and oil pump jacks. Though, I have to admit, we did boast some amazing sunsets.
What we did not have was this:
A living map complete with oceans and continents.
Nor this:
An alligator eying us from a mere few feet away. And, no, there were not any fences or barriers of any kind between us and the alligator.
Nor this:
A mysterious substance that is strangely available in large quantities.
It's called water.
If you're ever in the area, go check out Brazos Bend State Park just minutes southwest of Houston. It's too beautiful to be missed.
Garden serendipity. I actually took my camera out the other day. I've only done so about 3 times in the last six weeks. (All the pictures I've taken in that time period are in this particular post. Pathetic.) Every time I follow through with picking up my camera and pushing the shutter release button a few times I mentally lambast myself for not doing so more often. Because if I did, I'd capture more serendipitous photos like this:
And this:
While this last pic is far from perfect (not tack sharp, my 24mm lens was not ideal in this situation, the background is not exactly beautiful or interesting), it captured a neat moment.
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Where to start? I am very curious about the authors G.K. Chesterton and Flannery O'Connor. I see people quoting them, alluding to them, referencing their works all the time, but I've never read anything by either one of these authors. The problem is that I don't know where to start. Any recommendations?
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4 comments:
Hi Colleen,
I really struggle with Chesterton perhaps that says something about the way my mind works, but my husband loves him, and the work that everyone seems to have read is Orthodoxy. I've never actually gotten through it. He also has some delightful fiction with the Fr. Brown mysteries.
For Flannery O'Connor, you can really start with any of her fiction. The biggest thing to remember with her is that she writes is a sort of photo negative world. It is definitely a fallen world, and can be repugnant, but she's pointing out that her characters need redemption. I think she is something of an acquired taste, so if you don't love it right away (or ever) you're not alone. Tons of people feel that way.
Thanks, Christine! It's good to know what I might be getting into.
Lots of comments from me today:
My husband says that Chesterton's book on Thomas Aquinas is a must read, and one of Chesterton's best works. It's acclaimed by Thomistic scholars. Also C.S. Lewis said that Chesterton's Everlasting Man was one of the best work of apologetics. I think I might give them both a try too, I keep getting bogged down in Orthodoxy.
Christine-
That Thomas Aquinas one sounds very interesting. I've been wanting to learn more about him lately. I'm going to check it out! Thanks for all the great info!
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