top 5

i love to read. everyone that knows me know this. when it was nap time in our house growing up, mom and lindsey would actually lay down and sleep... i would lay down and read. i get so excited going into a library or a bookstore that i have to visit the bathroom first just to calm down. i am so fond of reading that at times i find it difficult to articulate the reason why. i'll simply say this...

• i will sometimes sit and stare at my books remembering their stories & characters
  

• i have spent (almost) as much money on books for wil as i have spent in diapers

• i can tell you what time of year and at what age i've read most books

• i currently have 11 books in my nightstand and 5 large magazines on the floor next to it
  

reading is my addiction, my passion, my distraction and my friend...and this time, the subject of my top 5.

betsy's favorite books...thus far

1. disgrace ~ j.m. coetzee
2. the thorn birds ~ colleen mccullough
3. bel canto ~ ann patchett
4. youth in revolt ~ c.d. payne
5. clowns of god ~ morris west

this is a difficult task for me. even as i write this i believe the list could look something like this instead:

1. gone with the wind ~ margaret mitchell
2. the executioner's song ~ norman mailer
3. native son ~ richard wright
4. unless ~ carol shields
5. fall on your knees ~ ann-marie macdonald

and i hate that i am leaving out: death comes for the archbishop, lucky, the corrections, white teeth, little women, a heartbreaking work of staggering genuis, a separate peace, the color purple...and on and on and on.

ps: also, a lesson before dying (thanks mom!) which i read long before oprah even had a bookclub. i cried so hard reading the last 10 pages that i could barely see....like i say...it's almost an impossible task.

pss: apparently no one cares that this is an impossible task and everyone has a top 5. here are some that i feel need a mention (this is the last time): lonesome dove & i know this much is true (thanks emily!) and memoirs of a geisha (thanks shara dee!)

so grab a book...or try one of these. maybe it'll make your top 5!

let the sunshine in

last thursday we were lucky enough to get our first real taste of spring. it was a beautiful, sunny 80 degree day - something to celebrate! to mark the occasion wil and i had lunch outside with our friends and neighbors, heather & lily. it was the perfect way to spend a warm spring day. thanks to our hostesses for a great time!

wil takes a ride in the swing

lily's self-portrait

big kid, little kid

heather & lily ~ the perfect pair

for more photos & to see lily's photographic debut, click here!

sock it to me

wil has been slowly developing his laugh for about a month now. there are moments when he'll just burst out with a belly laugh for apparently no reason at all. much to my delight his laugh resembles ryan's and if you know how ryan laughs you'll find it delightful too!

yesterday while i was folding laundry wil began showing an intense interest in the socks. i let him play with a pair while i continued folding. after i was done i began "tossing" the socks to him - basically rolling them up his legs - while he tried to "catch" them. at one point i tossed a little too hard and the socks bounced off his head. what transpired was a moment of complete abandon and utter bliss. i was able to capture it (again and again) in this short video. it was a joyful moment and one of the best i've had as a parent. laughter truly is the best medicine.

love thursday: texas

denise turned me on to the shutter sisters and suggested we encourage each other to participate in love thursdays. it's a fun way to think outside the box about what we love and to share that in a photographic form. i am, by no means, a photographer but as the blog has evolved i have a renewed love for snapping pictures of things i think are cool.

today, thursday, i love my home state of texas. it's been almost 10 years since i left (shocking!) and there isn't a day i don't miss it: the place, the people, my friends, my family and almost everything about the lone star state. it's such a wonderful and different place full of all kinds of characters and legends.

i got this star while living in massachusetts (of all places) and it now hangs proudly on our garage in new jersey. every time i look at it i think of the lone star state and of all the people i love who still call texas home.

many thanks to ryan for allowing the star to hang on our garage even though he is a native new jersey-ian. he's just lucky i am not flying the texas flag...happy love thursday!

are you strong enough to be my man? (Q&A)

so, several questions have been raised after seeing the photos of ryan and what is quickly becoming the infamous wood pile. i will now attempt to answer those questions:

1) did ryan use a splitter?

(question submitted by: steve wilkes, lamesa, tx)

no.

2) did ryan do all of the chopping in one day?

(question submitted by: denise molina, dallas, tx)

no, the chopping was done in two parts. one saturday and a sunday the following week.

3) was the only tool used an ax?
(question submitted by both steve & denise)
yes. the only tool used was an ax. although the logs were turned on end on top of a large stump which i suppose could've "assisted" in the process. so if you want to call the stump a tool then there were two tools. oh, and how could i forget, ryan's guns. so, that's four tools total. and his back...five tools.

any further questions on this subject should be submitted to ryan in writing via email. praise, admiration and awe are also welcome.

sweet charity

last night the folks at american idol (yes, i watch - so do you, don't lie) staged their second annual idol gives back show aimed at raising funds for AIDS work in africa and disenfranchised children across america. throughout the show there were profiles done on a variety of different in-need populations: children orphaned by AIDS, migrant workers in california working for less than $9,000/year, people without health care all across the united states (50 million of them children!) and the still unsettled gulf coast region. ryan and i were moved to donate (we bought 5 malaria nets!) and we had a great discussion after the show about philanthropy.

having worked in the business of giving and philanthropy for most of my professional career i realize how easily one can become cynical about charitable giving. i have seen a lot of people who give to see what they will get from their gift and who do not give, simply, just to give. however, i have also seen people give and want nothing in return and give, just as simply, just to give. we have been involved in donating money to several charities for the past several years and are trying to hone in on one or two to become more involved with. it has been a fantastic experience for both of us. the very nature of giving comes easily to both of us but trying to equate that into action is more difficult. we realize that philanthropy is so much more than a game of dollars and cents. it's also about giving time and energy to something that you feel passionate about and attempting, through your passion, to spread that energy around, creating a better world for all. if you've read my list you'll see that "find a place to volunteer" is right at the top. it's my next step in giving and an important one. not everything is done with a checkbook and, as ryan said last night, if it is, it's easily forgotten after a day or two. it is so important to both of us that we raise a child that is charitable, compassionate, aware and involved. there is an entire world beyond the door of 126 park avenue and my greatest joy will be teaching wil to develop the realization that he cannot only exist in the world, he must participate in it as well. i hope that my actions will encourage him to give his money, donate his time and use his heart and mind to be the change he wants to see in the world. cliche, yes, but appropriate.

speaking of giving...today is ASPCA day. if you are lucky enough to share your life with an animal give them an extra hug, one more treat, or add 10 minutes to their walk today in honor of all those animals that have yet to find a great family. i get so much joy from my four legged friends and am grateful each day for their presence in my life.

(yes, they are wearing shirts - it was st. patrick's day - give me a break!)

think globally, act locally, give of yourself - time, talent and treasure. i am inspired - i hope you are!

red sox

congratulations to the 2007 world champion red sox on winning their home opener 5-0 vs. detroit!

are you strong enough to be my man?

over the past few months we have been getting our backyard ready to embark on the beginnings of what will be a very long makeover. most of the projects have been labor intensive and both ryan and i have found ourselves sore on occasion. this past weekend ryan did some work on his own that left him virtually immobile.

about a month ago we had some tree work done - trees trimmed, trees removed, etc. the largest of the trees was cut and left for us to use for firewood. (reuse, recycle!) ryan, against my advice, wanted to chop the wood himself. no one i tell can believe he chopped it all on his own. the result is truly amazing. i had no idea i'd married paul bunyan.

ryan poses with wil and lucy in front of the pile. at this point, about half of the logs had already been split!

a close-up of the pile...how professional!

in it's entirety....sort of. there are still a few small logs left but we're leaving those alone. ry's back couldn't take it!