READING THROUGH THE UNITED STATES...ARKANSAS

Arkansas...

Just got back from a spontaneous trip to Arkansas. I took a canoe trip down the Arkansas and Mississippi border.  One would side Mississippi forests crowd the banks and on the other the Arkansas forests do the same, in between vast amounts of muddy water surrounded me. Had a wonderful scenic drive through the Ouachita National Forest, and stopped off at some scenic overlooks. After that a quick trip to see Hotsprings. It was a wonderful trip, that would have been super expensive had it really happened. Nope, just arm chair traveling or in my case kitchen table traveling. Seriously though, thanks to Google Earth for allowing me travel while having my Saturday morning cup of coffee. It was a curiosity trip sparked by my last A state, Arkansas.  

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I went a different direction with my book of choice this time and chose a non fiction book. A book that has has “thirty-nine public challenges or bans since 1983”, according to the “Spotlight on Censorship: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” article on the American Library Associations Website. I’m not sure about you, but when a book is banned or someone tells me I shouldn’t read a particular book, it just make me want to read it more. I guess I’m just a rebel that way. 

READING THROUGH THE UNITED STATES...ARIZONA

Arizona...

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My first initial panicked thoughts, when the title of my Arizona choice came up in my search, was no way...absolutely not. This wasn’t happening, keep on looking. There was just no way, with a title like that, I could manage the stress of reading this book. Really...it would just be too much. Too many horrible memories of suffering through high school British Literature. Okay, so I’m being just a tad melodramatic. The title was Paradise Lost after all.

READING THROUGH THE UNITED STATES...ALASKA

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Alaska...

I am definitely not a big city girl. New York City sounds like a nice place to visit, but live there I could not. All those tall buildings surrounding me would make me feel claustrophobic. Neither am I a live off the grid kind of girl. I like to think of myself as a small town country girl who definitely doesn’t mind the comforts having a Starbucks nearby. Would I live out further in the country than we do now? Yes. In a heart beat. Give me trees, green hills, and mountains and I’m a happy girl. Give me all that with a good cup of coffee in my hands and I’m a really happy girl. 

READING THROUGH THE UNITED STATES...ALABAMA

Check out more of Winston Groom’s work.

Alabama...

There are quite a few novels that are set in the state of Alabama, but ultimately I chose a novel that was the basis for a very well known movie. A movie that I’ve seen many times. A movie that I really enjoy. The movie has it all; romance, action, friendship, family, and a uplifting message. Think Tom Hanks...yep Forrest Gump. The book has been on my to read list for quite awhile, and now was a perfect time. Because my experience has been that nine times out of ten the book is better than the movie, I was ready for an outstanding read.

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS...

Begin with good intentions and more often than not end in failure and make us feel like failures in turn. As for myself, many many New Year’s have come and gone along with their failed resolutions. Everything from the classic lose weight to drinking less coffee. Most never made it past the month and a half mark, and if I’m being completely honest, drinking less coffee 
lasted two weeks tops. Seriously, with a Starbucks practically on every street corner I’m surprised I made it a full day. Lose weight? Did that and then gained it all back with a little extra to spare. I could go on, but it is depressing and really who wants to hear that? This year I decided to give myself a break with the “health” resolutions and try to do something a little more fun and definitely something a little more achievable.  

Human Nature

There is a night for every day, a dark for every light, and moment of unbridled kindness for every moment of callous disregard. Human nature being what it is we are likely to see one, the other, or any various combination of the two. We are all people, and in our interactions with one another, we are given the choice most every day to either lift one another up or bring each other down. Last night, I found myself drowning in the dark, struggling to bring both myself and Quirky up for air. My heart filled to the brim with pain and my eyes failing to find the good in human nature. In fact, that was what this post was intended to be, a way to pour out those thoughts and emotions like water, to release them so they do not begin to erode my faith in human kind, but instead I find the need to comment on both sides of our human nature to remind myself that there truly is light in what seems like an increasingly dark world.

Sweet and Spicy Tuna Salad

I remember as a child eating "Tuna Salad" with my mom, which consisted mostly of Dukes mayonnaise and a little bit of tuna. Needless to say it wasn't a healthy meal, but I remember as a kid loving the moist and tangy concoction served on white bread. Maybe because it was the recipe or maybe it was just the time I spent with my mom. As an adult I still like tuna, but my tastebuds have evolved a little bit and just plain mayonnaise just doesn't cut it anymore. So today I threw together my own sweet and spicy tuna salad. This is what I did...