(Lindsey with Emerson during my visit last week)

The house is silent and I have nothing to do. Okay that isn't true. Yes the house is silent...but the whole "nothing to do,"bit isn't completely true. I have laundry. I have a GRE exam approaching this summer that needs to be studied for. I have a yard sale to organize and a house to pack. I have an endless list of phone calls I need to return and make and to be honest the more I type this list the faster my heart begins to beat...more like race. But really - tonight, in this moment,  I have nothing to do. I am in the middle of my almost MONTH long break from school.

Words to Describe School Getting Out:

Bliss, Freedom, Sunshine, Cartwheels, Cupcakes,Energy...

Oh that list could go on and on. Its not that I hate school. I don't. Really, there are moments that I love it.

Key word: moments. 

Hands down, the decision to go back was one of the best of my life. No exaggeration. It's just that I love the freedom I feel now. Going to bed when I want. Reading for fun and not feeling guilty because there is text book being neglected somewhere. I love being able to go visit my sister last week and hug baby Emerson. I loved staying up late and eating cereal with Ethan. My favorite part was letting Ethan talk about whatever he wanted to and just listening.

Key Words:

John Adams, The White House, The Statue of Liberty, The Invention of Cereal, Colors, Rainbow Bridges...and their existence,  Red Vines, funny things Josie says, songs, cats that go back in time, the definition of a perfect lunch, and how many bouncy balls he can buy with two dollars.

And although I know that list is waiting for me. Lurking in the back of my mind. For tonight, I am going to curl up with my new book and enjoy this freedom.

The Book Thief

The Book Thief 

by Markus Zusak

Oh My! Its not too often you come across a book like this. I loved it. It was beauitfully written. One particular thing that I loved about this book - aside from the beauitful prose, enchanting narrator, real humans who are loveable even with thier flaws, the humor...even in the worst of circumstances, - well I loved that you could take any page and read it and find a gem. Every page was worthy.

 It’s just a small story, really, about: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery… Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s emotionally wrenching novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Brave, tough Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist – books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in the cellar. This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul and the unlikely, beautiful relationships you find when your heart is as big as a zeppelin. Oh, and it’s narrated by Death.

I finished this book during my 5 hour cross country flight. And...found myself horribly embarrassed as I sat and bawled in my middle seat while both of my seatmates stared on. I mean, I tried, I really really tried. I kept blinking and coughing and did all I could to hold back the tears. But it wasn't meant to be. I cried and cried. And everytime I thought of that book for days after the tears threatened to come again.  

Read this book.

The END.