My Favorite new toy

I have a "new" toy. It was a gift for my birthday from Steve and Wyatt. They bought me a Sony E-Reader. For those of you who do not know, it is the perfect gift for me. I can download electronic books to this device and read them just like a paperback book. I love to read. I have always loved to read. I can not remember a time in my life when I have had a book nearby to read. I would rather read than watch tv. I read fast, turning the pages, getting lost in the storyline, tuning out the real world. Did I mention I read FAST!!! On a good day, when I have nothing else to do, I can easily finish a book. Reading on vacation is great, I can read nonstop. BUT that tends to create a small problem when traveling. A person can only pack so many books before the weight pulls you down.

Last summer, we were gone for a week. I read 7 books. I had to buy a new book to read on the way home.

SO the e-reader is the perfect answer. I currently have 35 books on this device. It still boggles my mind, that I can pack around 35 books in one hand. Ohh, how happy this makes me.

Shortly after getting this gift, we took a cruise. I brought 30 books on the e-reader. I was happy in the knowledge that I would not run out of reading material. I didn't run out of reading material, I ran out of battery power. ACK!!! Steve left the compter at home.SO I could not charge my ereader. SO first stop of trip, I was at a bookstore buying a couple of new books to read. This will not happen again as I have a wall charger now.

But to really appreciate how much I love this device. I am wide awake at 2:30 in the morning. I finished my book. Still can't sleep. No worries. I just download a new book. AHHHH... life is sweet. I now have unlimited access to books 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks of the year. Without having to put on clothes, and find a place that is open that sells books. Ohhh, yeah, Steve did good. This little device will be my favorite new toy for quite some time.

2010 Word of the Year

Simplify: to make simple,

That's my word of the year. I tend to stress about things. We all do it. I tend to go overboard at times. Having people over for dinner? I feel like everything has to be perfect and better than it was the last time the company came over. Then I worry if everyone is having a good time. I need to stop that. I need to keep it simple. Not plan every last little detail. Fix a few things to eat, not 103,030 different things.

Simplify: I need to streamline the house. We have too much junk. We don't have to have one of everything. Keep it simple. Only keep the things we really use and need.
We don't drink coffee. No need for a coffee maker for when we have company. I think I have used it ONCE for company since we bought it. It's out of here. Two rice cookers? Keeping the old one for steaming veggies? Takes up too much space. I can get rid of it, and buy a small collapsible steamer basket for when I steam veggies. Keep it simple.

I do not need 4 sets of sheets for each bed. Two per bed. That's all I need. One clean set to replace the dirty set. Then wash the dirty set. Too much "stuff".

Keep it simple. I need to remember that. Stop trying to do everything perfectly. Do my best, and live with the results. Don't overthink things and make it more complicated than it really is.

If I can do that this year then I think I will have a lot less stress in my life. I think I will be able to enjoy my family and friends more. That's my word for the year. Now to live up to that word.

New Year's Eve 2009

. What a great night we had. My cousin, Mike, invited us over to his house. It was his birthday/new year's party. Growing up the two of us were pretty much inseparable. My mom and his mom were best friends their whole lives and so the we naturally followed suit. But after marriage, work, raising families, we tended to not see that much of each other. I realized after meeting up again on Facebook that we hadn't seen each other in almost 16 years. That is entirely too long. His mom's funeral was the last time I had seen him. (oh how I miss her.) Granted he had moved out of state for a lot of that time. But he's back home now, and it felt soo right going over to his house (right next door to the house he grew up in), and watching our children run rampant over the same field we ran rampant over. There was a lot of talking, drinking, and laughing, and eating. It was hard to say good bye last night. I didn't want the night to end.

To make the it even sweeter, his youngest son is now sleeping on my living room floor, camped out with wyatt. How many times in our childhoods, had the two of us done the same exact thing? It was incredible how easily, and quickly these two boys hit it off last night. I am glad. It looks like the friendship tradition will live on.

Now it is 2010. I just know that it will bring more dinners, more laughter, and more good times with my family. Here's to the start of a great year.