New at the Nook

Another review! Two in one week…which is a record both in blog posting and reading!

I read Disrupting Grace, by Kristen Richburg. I received a free copy to review, but the review is all my own. The book is about an adoption gone awry, and is truly a fascinating read.

Check it out!

Surprise!

Just stopping in to say hi before another weekend (thankfully) hits us.

I’ve gotta say, this week can’t come to an end soon enough. It feels like it’s gone on for ages. And while there have been lots of good things, like Detroit Restaurant Week, tickets to Jerry Seinfeld, book club, and yoga — there have also been several not-so-good things.

I’ve had at least one meal at a restaurant every day since last Friday, and while it’s been good for my taste buds, it hasn’t been good for my figure. Couple that with completely losing my 6 a.m. my gym routine and you’ve got quite the cranky body.

I’m also leaving town this weekend, and while I’m excited to visit family, I’m sad that I’m going to miss out on a great weekend in Detroit. All week I’ve been thinking about things I want to do this weekend (bike ride! Eastern Market!) and have had to remind myself I won’t be in town. Spring and summer weekends in the D are just so precious. Being out of town also means I won’t see DD for about a week. He left town yesterday and comes back tomorrow, while I leave tomorrow and come back Monday. Ah well, we’ve had longer droughts.

But enough of the bad. Tomorrow’s Friday and though I’ll be missing a lovely weekend in the D, I’ll be heading to Nebraska to see my cousin, aunt and grandparents and to celebrate my grandma’s 85th birthday. It’s going to be a rousing event at the local VFW hall so there’s sure to be good stories.

But before I get on the jet plane, I wanted to share the thing that picked up my Thursday:

My surprise gift from Nilsa! A few weeks back, she headed down south for a lovely tropical getaway and while she was gone she kept her blog going with daily photo caption contests. I submitted a few entries, thinking my humor would be no match against her other awesome readers. But I was wrong and was voted best caption for one of the days! To see my winning wit, click on over!

Nilsa’s little surprise included a re-usable coffee cup, fancy soap, and some insanely sour candy.

I’m kind of addicted to the look of a Starbucks cup and the way it feels in my hands. It’s so much better than just your average mug. Yet, I rarely go to Starbucks these days so I’d been wanting to buy one of these coffee cups for awhile. It’s like she read my mind! I can’t wait to bust it out on my morning walk to work!

While the cup is great, DD will love the candies (and I even handled the sour-ness, which is amazing) and the soap is frankly smells too good to use!

So big thanks to Nilsa, obviously! Especially since this is my first giveaway/contest win. I’d say I lucked out, wouldn’t you?

With that, I’m off to pack. Have a fab weekend!

My Detroit

Did you catch the Dateline special on Detroit last night? If you did…this blog’s for you. If you didn’t, well, I wouldn’t mind if you ignored it in your TiVo.

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As much as I want to deny it, I can’t. Chris Hanson’s Detroit is a reality for many. Crime. Poverty. Abandonment. Bad schools.

If that’s all you knew about Detroit, you’d think we were a lost cause. You’d watch the Dateline special, tsk at the sad state of affairs, and wonder how someone like me can handle it.

Oh, and you probably wouldn’t pick Detroit as your next vacation destination. So, thanks Chris, for that blow to tourism.

The problem with the Dateline special is that it showed one part of Detroit. A real part, but one part. And frankly, that part isn’t the Detroit I know. It’s not My Detroit.

My Detroit is filled with 20 and 30 somethings who are educated and experienced. Who want to make the city better than it was when they came.

My Detroit faces unemployment. My friends — those same educated, experienced young professionals — have stood in the unemployment line and wondered how they might pay their bills. And they’ve survived. They’ve branched out on their own or found new jobs, but they’ve done it in Southeast Michigan.

In my Detroit, people don’t move. They stay.

My Detroit is the biggest small town you’ll ever know. On an average walk down the street, I’ll run into neighbors who I call friends. Does your subdivision boast the same friendliness?

My Detroit focuses on the positive and respects the diversity. It gives back. It invests in the community.

My Detroit is about action, not inaction. DD’s best friend was an integral part of a movement to change the way city council is elected. After all of the corruption of our former mayor and the insanity that has been many of our council members, we could have just stood by and accepted it. Instead, he and an entire group of concerned citizens made change. Their proposal passed in the last election and if all continues to go smoothly, it will improve the way residents are represented.

My Detroit votes.

My Detroit is creative and entrepreneurial. With a 9-5 job, I often find myself in the minority when out in groups. Many friends have launched their own businesses, returned to school, or found other ventures that aren’t your typical day job.

My Detroit is diverse. It’s black, it’s white, it’s Indian, it’s Asian. It’s young.

My Detroit is an awesome vacation destination. It’s chock-full of fine dining restaurants, fabulous casino/hotels, museums, live theater, professional sports teams, and a recently named top urban park.

My Detroit has its problems, but it also has its bright spots. And I wish the Dateline crew would have focused just a bit more on the bright spots.

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I’m also over at the Book Nook today with my latest review. Check it.

Prep work

As I close in on 30, I’m finding myself taking on a lot of what I’ll call “prep work” in anticipation of the next decade of my life. It’s mostly couched in other things, but in the back of my head I know there’s a greater reason.

Behavior: Going to church
Couched in: Be a good Catholic, Grow in your faith
Underlying reason: I need a church to get married in and a place to start my faith development in my marriage/baby-making, etc.

Behavior: Getting up and working out at 6 a.m. routinely
Couched in: Be healthy and productive
Underlying reason: Someday I’ll have kids and won’t be able to sleep all day. And right now, my morning person skills are pretty horrid.

It’s funny how all this self-improvement has occurred in the past 6 months. It’s as if a light switch went off and I realized “Oh Shit. It’s time to be an adult.” Friends laugh at all my underlying reasons and all this prep that I’m doing. After all, I’m not engaged (though it feels like it’s getting closer…) and I’m a looooong way away from birthing any babies.

Yet I know these are the next phases of my life. And I know I’m woefully unprepared for both (more so the kid part, but even marriage is rather daunting.)

So though I get teased, I don’t think it’s a bad idea to do a little prep. I’m doing things that are overall good for me and my ongoing well-being. Who cares if I also happen to be an over-planner?

Tell me, what do you find yourself preparing for?

Absent

It’s obvious I haven’t been around. It also shouldn’t be a secret that about the time DD stops traveling, I stop blogging. I long for the weeks when he actually stays in town, and when it happens, I tend to focus on him and not this.

Hope you’ll forgive me!

In an effort to catch up, here’s what’s new with me:

• I’ve been rocking out the early a.m. work outs. Going at least twice a week, even with DD home, which I consider a feat. It’s so hard to get out of a warm cozy bed, but it’s slightly easier when you’re sleeping alone. With him in the mix, it’s just that much tougher. But I’m persevering and still feeling good on those early days.
• I signed up for an art class on a whim. Last week I was thinking about life and my tendency to need routine. Every once in awhile, I decide that I need to break routine. This time, that’s manifesting itself in a Drawing for Beginners class. I’m a little excited and a little nervous — the class was more than I’d like to spend for some little ole’ continuing ed hobby, and I’m afraid I’ll start it and hate it. I’ve never been much for drawing, but for some reason, I’m interested now. We’ll see!
• I got a bike! I’m rather excited to tool around Detroit in it. I figure I can take it to Eastern Market and also use it for some lovely scenic rides so that will add to my work out routine.
• DD and I have sort of started a routine of walking in the evenings when we can. We’ve got a nice little 3-4 mile loop along the Detroit River and it’s just enough that we feel healthy, but not so much we feel dead. It’s also some nice QT with the added benefit of fresh air.
• I’ve kind of become obsessed with Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution on ABC. I’m not quite sure why — I think it has a lot to do with his accent — but it’s also an interesting premise. It’s not high drama reality TV, but perhaps reality TV that can actually accomplish some good.

All in all, life is pretty damn good these days. Spring has finally sprung and while I’m sure we’ll get hit with another cold snap before it sets in for good, I’m excited by all the potential activities the season holds. And I’m really excited by all the fitness activities. While I’m not trying to drop pounds, I am trying to get daily exercise, which is much more than I usually strive for.

What’s new with you?