Read what you love, Love what you read

I am proud to report that as of late every Gnome has turned into a bookworm. It has been so lovely to come home and see all my dear friends curled up in a blanket on the couch deep into their latest book. We all have such different tastes with books but I'm glad we share the same drive and interest. I think it is so important to be well read.

Here is our current list:
Hayley - The Host
Mara - There are no children here
Juje - Saffys Angel
Natalie - Time for Andrew
Mckay - The Hunger Games

I work many hours in a retirement home and there is this Lady who I visit who reads every waking moment. She will turn down a shower because she can't put her book down. She comes to the table at lunch with her book and eats with one hand and reads with the other. I can't help but wonder how many stories and characters and ideas are swirling around in her head.

My latest pick was a Banff Mountain book finalist called The Black Grizzly of Whiskey Creek. It has consumed my mind with bears. It has made me terrified of them but in the same breath so interested and curious of them.

Here is an excerpt;
For him the mountain must seem like a living thing because it provides both food and drink all summer long from alpine meadow to valley bottom, and it speaks to him with the voice of water, with the voice of wind and the voice of the falling rock and snow.

I have a very good feeling about this. I can't put it down.

Meet Kicks

This is my bike. I named it Kicks. It does not have a gender. It is the best bike in America. I'm smiling like this every time I ride it.

Hooray for bikes and good weather!


-In the picture I look 3X to big for it but its all angles, don't worry about it. It fits me perfect.

Furr

I have probably listened to this song 18 times today and every time I do it makes me smile inside. This music video is a little cooky (hope I spelled that right).

This song is about a man that turns into a wolf and then turns back into a human.
It sounds a little out there but I think its message is beautiful.

I love the lyrics, particularly this part;

I was drawn into the pack and before long
They allowed me to join in and sing their song
From the cliffs and highest still
We would gladly get our fill
Howling endlessly and shrilly at the dawn
And I lost the taste for judging right from wrong
For my flesh had turned to furr
And my thoughts they surely were
turned to instinct and obedience to God

Thanks Ben and Adam for showing it to me

My friend the biker

I meet Arielle when I was in high school. Her Jenny and I made a funny little group. We were bestos. (thanks for the term hayley) Arielle was definitely the cool one in our group. She raced BMX so naturally, I admired her and her "coolness".

We traveled with her to races when we could and I was lucky enough to go to Interbike with her one year. It was awesome to meet some of the pros even though while I was there I wasn't "in" enough to know who most of them were.

Here are some of her stats from her Bio on her blog:
At 2 1/2 years old Arielle was riding her bike without training wheels. At five years old she raced her first BMX race, at ten she became nationally ranked. 4 national #1 amateur titles later, at 15 she became the youngest girl pro on the 2000 ABA BMX circuit. After 18 years of competing, her thirst for more is far from quenched. At 23 years old today she is the current UCI World Cup SX Champion and headed for the 2012 Olympic Games with her sights set on GOLD. Known for her exceptional jumping skills, aggressive moves, and pure passion for riding, Arielle is a name to be reckoned with in BMX.

I am so proud of her and honored to be one of her best friends. She just texted me this morning to tell me that she fell 20 feet rock climbing and broke both her ankles. Lucky for her she is a master healer. I watched her break her back, having doctors tell her she could never ride again only to prove them wrong and win world championships.

Anyways, she is my spotlight for the week.

this picture was taken by sports illustrated