Christmas Wish #1

What is pretty, gold, personalized, and oh-so-classic?

A signet ring!

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I love these rings so much. Bold yet feminine. Unique. Timeless. And an heirloom piece - which is really special to me. My family doesn't really have any "heirlooms" and this would be a great piece of jewelry to pass down one day.

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I've been a good girl this year. I deserve this ring. Totally gorgeous. I'm drooling.

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Santa, don't forget about me :)

xoxo

jam

Bzz, Bzz.... Read Little Bee

You may or may not be surprised (probably not) to learn that I am a huge dork. A really huge book-devouring dork. I used to keep a flashlight under my pillow to read in the dark after my parents made me turn my lights out. I used to save my allowance and blow it ALL at the book fair. I was once grounded from reading for 2 days and I CRIED and blamed my mom for ruining my life.

Yeah. Really dorky.

My dorkiness for books has stayed with me as an adult too. I still love to read. I keep a book in my car in case I have to wait in line too long at the ATM. While I have gotten braver about going to eat at restaurants alone, I always bring a book with me… which makes me even more lame than people who just go to eat alone. And yes, I have been miserable at work before because I stayed up way too late reading a book that I just couldn’t put down. I really need to grow up.

Sometimes I go to bookstores and just… wander around. I pick up something that looks interesting and read the first few pages. If I get into it, I’ll commit…

The last book I took a chance on was Little Bee by Chris Cleave. The liner notes really got me; the author says he doesn’t want to tell you what the book is about for fear of giving too much away but that it is a story of 2 women’s lives that intersect in an unexpected series of events. Got me. Hook, line, and sinker.

I’m torn between telling you more about the book and honoring the author’s wishes to keep it a secret until it unfolds to you in the story, but there are a few qualities about this book that I think are relevant in case you’re considering reading it. And I think you SHOULD consider reading it, because it's really quite good.

First, it’s a quick read. Really quick. What kept me engaged was the fact that the narrative is told from the viewpoints of the two women in alternating chapters. That alone kept the story moving and the prose active. Reading about the same event from two perspectives is always interesting, but when one viewpoint is a 16-year old Nigerian girl and one is a 30-something British magazine editor with a husband and son, the juxtaposition (SAT word!) is very entertaining. Strangely, the author (a male) does a fantastic job of creating the voice of these two extremely different women. I’m fascinated by how he would be able to construct the characters with as much honesty and genuineness… but he does it. And what I really love about the book is that it makes a political statement about the absolutely real issues of asylum and refugee policies without being a political novel. I finished the book wondering what I could do to learn more about the real-world implications of the story… and that’s what you really want in a story, right? To be affected in some kind of real way?

Which reminds me of another book… The Wind in the Willows. It was not about refugees (though maybe fugitives) or women, but about little animals and their experiences trying to corral their friend Mr. Toad and going through human emotions… I didn’t get any political call-to-action from that book, but it did affect me in a very meaningful way. I was devastated when I finished that book. For no reason other than I was sad that the story was over and I would never have more to read or know any more about the Mole and Mr. Toad and Ratty and Mr. Badger.

So like I said, I’m a huge dork.

XOXO

jam

What I love about you...

There are some people who you love because you were born into a family that includes them, and you have no natural choice but to be connected by blood and family ties. However, I am blessed to have some family members who I love for reasons that aren’t hereditary; I love them just for being themselves.

Tammy, my Dad, Chad and I with Baby Conor in June 2008

My stepmom Tammy came into my life when I was in junior high, which has to be a tough time to get to know a teenaged girl. Hormones. Attitude. Defensiveness. What a nightmare. But Tammy isn’t like any stepmother described in fairy tales or “stepmonster” anecdotes. She dispelled all those stepmother fears I had and became an incredibly important person in my life from the very beginning of our relationship. Which I thought our relationship wouldn’t go well after I was busted playing with her makeup while Nair-ing my legs in her bathroom when she and my dad were just dating… but she’s a forgiving person. And even better, she later taught me how to properly Nair.

Tammy and I picking up Dad from the airport...

The first thing I fell in love with about Tammy is her selflessness. She is honestly the least selfish human I’ve ever met. She loves openly and quickly, shares everything she has, cares deeply for her loved ones and works tirelessly to make sure everyone around her is happy, healthy and having fun. She is selfless to a fault… one time she got a gift card for Christmas and bought OTHER PEOPLE stuff with it. She’s just that type of person. Hence, I’ve resorted to getting her monogrammed items so she is forced to use them for herself…

My family under the Century Tree during my A&M graduation.

Another thing I love about Tammy is her friendship. She is a true and loyal friend. When Tammy is your friend, you know that you can trust her with your most unguarded thoughts, secrets and stories and she will laugh with you, cry with you or help you come up with a plan for revenge. Whichever response is most appropriate. And she treats all her friends that way. I’ve never heard her talk bad about anyone, certainly never a friend… that’s just not how she works.

But what I love most about Tammy is the void she filled in our family. I love how much Tammy loves my dad; I used to worry about him being lonely or not having someone to take care of him. Now I know that he is going to be okay. I love how Tammy loved Tiffany and I before she ever met us and became our immediate friend and confidante. And I love how Tammy has grown our family by bringing Chad and Conor into the world. Tammy completes our family and was meant to be a part of all of our lives. I love that she was brave enough to take on the challenge of marrying a man with 2 girls, a career that demands his service and sacrifice and a “clean-freakiness” that is a little unbearable at times. God bless her bravery!

I love these two crazy kids.

I just can’t imagine my life without her. And that is what a true family is… the circle of people who you need to survive. She is as much my family as any person who shares my DNA, and these are just a few of the many reasons I love her so much. Her New Years’ Eve pina coladas are also up there on the list.

Best friends on the beach!

XOXO

jam