Tracey's Top Books of 2013 - Books 4, 3, and 2

Books 10-5 have been revealed, so let's keep going with 4, 3, and 2. Obviously, book number 1 will get it's own special post!

4. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

I read Kite Runner in 2012 and absolutely fell in love with Khaled Hosseini. I vowed to read every novel he has ever written or will ever write. So far, I have upheld this vow as I read his newest novel, And the Mountains Echoed, the week it was released. His writing is so beautiful I can hardly stand it, the emotions are real, and he has given me a greater depth of understanding of Iranian culture, religion, and lifestyle. I appreciate this part of the world so much more now. In our society, it is important to understand different perspectives and lifestyles, not merely to tolerate or condone their existence. In order to develop these perspectives, people must learn about and understand the culture. Khaled Hosseini's novels have given me that lesson and understanding. 

I think A Thousand Splendid Suns hurt me more than Kite Runner ever could, and of his three novels, this one is my favorite. I read this novel the week before Memorial Day, sitting by the pool in my parent's backyard, grilling up tasty food, surrounded by the comforts living in a first-world country provides. The juxtaposition of my luxury and the pain and poverty the main characters of this novel experience made me appreciate the novel even more. 

This novel follows the lives of several women living in Afghanistan. Through their unique experiences, we see the inequity of women and the heartbreak they experience. An unlikely friendship develops between the women and we experience their pain and devotion to each other and their children. Many political, social, and religious issues come about in this novel and are explored through actions. Hosseini has the gift of never telling the reader his own personal opinions about controversial topics. Instead, he allows the themes of his novels to become apparent through rich characterization and actions of flat, secondary characters. So much can be learned from a novel like this, and I don't believe anyone can read this novel and look at the world the same way after. I love a novel that challenges and changes my views. This one certainly did just that.

3. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett 

Before I begin my review of this novel, I'll let you in on a little secret - I didn't actually read this novel. I listened to it. On audio. Gasp! I'm a big music fan, and most mornings, I listen to music as I get ready for the day. I also listen to music while I am working on school work or reading or sometimes just relaxing. Earlier this year, I discovered Audible, a website and app where you can download audio versions of books to listen to. It is through AmazonPrime and is wonderful! My sister loves books, but can't read due to her vision, so she uses Audible. I decided to give it a try, and what better book to begin with. Pillars of the Earth is an epic novel that takes place over the course of half a century, and the novel itself is over 1,000 pages. I started listening to this novel, and a few days later, my mom and I had to make an emergency drive to New Mexico. Ten hours in the car gave us a great jump-start on finishing this novel. Just listening to this novel in the morning as I got ready each day and in my car driving around, it took me a few months to finish, but man was it worth it! I love Ken Follett now! As soon as I was finished listening to this novel, I listened to it's sequel, World Without End, then The Handmaid's Tale and now, The Road. Audible is wonderful. 

Onto the review. Like I said, Pillars is an epic novel meaning it takes place over about half a century. It follows a lot of characters, a lot of story lines, and a lot of years. The main thread of the story is the tale of a friar named Philip and the building of a great cathedral. Throughout the novel, you get to experience love loss and growth, children growing, deaths, evil, good, people face turmoil and triumphs. Basically, every part of life and human emotion is experienced in this novel. The thing I love most about Ken Follett is his ability to so deeply develop his characters. Usually in a novel, there is one character who is developed richly while all the other characters are just secondary and remain flat and static. However, Follett develops almost every character to such a deep level. He allows the reader to experience their pain and hardship, but he takes it to the next level - he allows the reader to explore the thoughts of the characters. Not just the thoughts the character acts upon, but every thought the character has. In real life, people question their actions and weigh the pros and cons of even minute choices. Follett does this with the characters in his novel and allows the reader to be part of that process.

I have never felt like I knew characters so deeply and richly as I did in this novel. I felt like I was the characters. I could predict what they were going to do. I could anticipate their actions. I knew what they thought and felt about every little or major event in the novel. Even the characters I truly hated, I understood. This novel has sad parts that make you cry and happy parts that make you rejoice. There are characters you fall in love with, characters you respect beyond measure, and characters that you wish nothing more than a painful and terrible death upon. This novel has it all. While it is definitely epic and takes a great deal of time and energy to read, it is worth it. I can't wait to read another Follett novel in the future!

2. Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick

I was intrigued by this movie because of the title. I have long referenced "the silver linings" in my life and have written about them a time or two on this blog. I think finding the silver lining in any bad situation is the elixir of life; it is what keeps you sane and optimistic and lovable. I didn't see the movie, but when Jennifer Lawrence won the Oscar for best supporting actress, I wanted to see it. Then, I stopped and thought, "I bet it's a book". Lucky me, I was right! I purchased the book and decided I would read it before I watched the movie. I wouldn't want the movie to ruin the book for me, but I'm perfectly ok with allowing the book to ruin the movie. ;)

As soon as I started reading it, I knew I would love it. It was another psychological book. A book about a man who suffers from depression and anxiety. He has bouts of anger that are uncontrollable and many people call him crazy. I love books that deal with psychological disorders, especially if they are taboo or hold a negative social stigma. This book definitely fit that bill. Books like this, that really delve into psychological disorders and mental illnesses allow me to once again broaden my understanding of these issues. I'm quick to judge, but these books give me an outlet to better understand what people are going through.

Matthew Quick is a brilliant writer and so wonderfully captures what the main character, Pat, is feeling and his emotions. We get to see how out of control he can be and how much pain he is in. Pat is recently divorced, due to his illness, and has been released from the mental institution to live with his parents under very strict surveillance and rigid rules. Pat works out, watches Eagles games with his dad, and runs...a lot. On one run, he meets Tiffany, who suffers from her own mental illness and addictions. The two become friends and through dance lessons offered by Tiffany, Pat is able to work through his own issues. The emotions in this novel are very real and remind society that even if people have a mental illness, they are still real people with real feelings, dreams, and ambitions. Once again, we also see that hard work can bring you joy and friendship and family are the most important things in life. I love everything about this novel and could read it over and over again. I did watch the movie after reading the novel and love the movie too. It is one of my favorite movies even though it will never be as good as the book. :) 

Tomorrow, I will reveal my "Number 1 Book of 2013" (which if you have talked to me in the last year, you already have guessed) and some of my reading goals for 2014.

Tracey's Top Books of 2013 - Books 7, 6, and 5

Installment 1 of Tracey's Top Books of 2013 included Lexicon, Son, and Gone Girl. These books were all fast-paced, adventure stories that gave me a lot to think about in terms of humanity and trusting society. Books 7, 6, and 5 were less adventure-packed and more prose on the state of society.

7. Divergent by Veronica Roth (and Insurgent and Allegiant)

I am a sucker for Young Adult (YA) novels. There is something really fun and enjoyable about the innocence of youth and the captivating stories that make me feel like I'm 13 all over again. While I never actually want to be 13 again, it is fun to pretend sometimes. After reading Hunger Games, I desperately wanted a novel similar to indulge in. That is when I discovered Divergent. I would describe this novel as a nice mesh between Hunger Games and The Giver. 

This novel follows Tris, a young girl living in the post-apocalyptic United States. She has come of age and now must undergo a series of tests that are intended to show her what she should be when she grows up. The society is split into factions that specialize in helping the country run. People are divided by their unique talents, gifts, and skills. While the tests can reveal what a talents a person has, the choice is ultimately theirs. Through Tris' choice, she shows her courage. She also becomes aware of the many problems her society has and is brought into a world she did not know existed. 

This novel pinpoints the problems in society and the entire series reveals secrets that are a bit too close to home for comfort. I liked Divergent, loved Insurgent, and found Allegiant tolerable. It was a roller-coaster of emotions throughout this series, but I would highly recommend it to any lover of dystopian or YA literature. 

6. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen 

When I picked up this novel, I had no idea what I was in for. In fact, I didn't even know what the book was about. A friend of mine had read it and rated it highly on Goodreads, so I marked it as "to-read". The ratings were good on Goodreads, so I decided to give it a try. I really didn't even know what the book was about when I started it, but the writing was so good I could not stop reading. 

This novel is about life. That's about the only way to summarize it quickly. It is about an aging and ill man and his wife. The wife wants the couple's three children to bring their families home for Christmas and she strives to make this happen, as she believes it will be her husband's last Christmas. Through changing perspectives and multiple books within the novel, we get to follow the lives of the three children and the couple. There is nothing extraordinary about this novel, and each person's life is basically straight-forward and real. Each person has their own secrets, their own issues, and their own problems. 

What I loved most about this book was that it made me think. I constantly questioned society and enjoyed the subtly with which the author examined controversial topics. This is one of those novels that after reading makes you want to go back to a simpler time. It makes you want to change all the things about yourself that you see in the main characters. These are the main characters' downfalls. If you want a book that makes you think, deals with controversy in a real and open way, this is the novel for you.

5. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon

A friend I trust recommended and loaned me this book, so I could not wait to read it. It only took me two nights to finish. There are certain topics in novels that I am intrigued by most: the holocaust, autism, and social justice issues like marriage inequality, GLBT, or religion. I like controversial topics to be explored in novels. 

The Curious Incident tells the story of a dog who is murdered and a mother who disappears. The novel is told from the perspective of a teenage boy, who is autistic. There are so many wonderful things about this book. I love the curiosity and intellectual brilliance of the boy. He decides he wants to be a detective and solve the murder of his neighbor's dog, but in the process learns the truth about his own mother, which was kept from him by his father. This boy is fearless and does some very daring things throughout the novel. The pages of the novel are numbered in prime numbers because that is what the boy likes, and the novel is ultimately "written" by the boy as well. Some chapters are rich and poetic and some seem disjointed and incomplete due to the boy's attention when he wrote it. 

What is fascinating is how Mark Haddon captures the essence of the boy. The spirit of him. I felt like I was inside his head and knew what he was thinking and why at all times. It's not every day you read a novel where you truly get to know the main character. I really got to know this boy and the depth of his emotions. Autism is prevalent in my family so I appreciate such a real approach to understanding how this affects not only the person with autism but the families as well. The story is not entirely happy and definitely makes you feel.

So far, we have seen my love for books that make me feel something and question humanity. Books 4, 3, and 2 coming up, then the BIG reveal of my Number 1 Book of 2013! 

Tracey's Top Books of 2013 - Books 10, 9 and 8

I am a reader. 

I love books. Books are, in my opinion, the best drug. They help me escape, take me to new lands, teach me about human nature. I could not live without books. I read every night before going to sleep, and if for some reason I cannot read for a day or two, I start to get twitchy and grumpy. And let me clarify, I read every day for work and school, but the reading I am talking about here is reading for nothing more than pleasure and enjoyment. Fun reading. For me, that means reading novels, short stories or poems, books about powerful women, and the occasional biography or nonfiction. 

About a year ago, during my first "finals" week of being a full-time graduate student, I woke up early in the morning, in my bed, surrounded by stats books, my computer, my iPad, and notebooks filled to the brim. At that moment, I realized I had a problem. Grad school reading could easily take over my life, and I need a sacred place to get my fun reading in. At that moment, I made a deal with myself: when it is time for bed, no work or school related books can be in the bedroom, only fun books are allowed. I can work in my room during the day, but I have to put the books back in my office or backpack before bed. This has worked out marvelously and greatly reduced my level of stress. I have also ceased working on the couch or in front of the TV, which has done wonders for my productivity and sanity, but that's a tale for another post. 

Last year, I participated for the first time in the annual Reading Challenge through Goodreads (a social media site for readers!). I also joined a small, online book club through this site and have really enjoyed getting to discuss and read books that I probably wouldn't read of my own accord. For the 2013 Reading Challenge, I set the goal of reading 55 books. That is 1 book a week plus accounting for Christmas break when I get to read several books. In reality, I have read 61 books and am in the middle of three which I think I can finish by Tuesday. That will be a total of 64 books, or about 5 books per month. Obviously, some months I read more than 5 books and some months less than 5 books. I've noticed that when I am VERY VERY stressed, I tend to read more books. Hence, I read 8 books in November, which was by far my busiest month. The only month in which I read more books was January, which was my most chill month last year. 

I did not love, or even like, every book I read last year. But, I really enjoyed many of them. That being said, I've decided to pick my top 10 books of the year. This is tough, but here goes...

10. Lexicon by Max Barry

I am very picky about books I fall in love with - they have to make me feel. Before I read a book, I usually read several reviews on Goodreads, some from people who loved the book and some from people who despised the book. I ask friends and family for their opinions, and Google the author. There are a few exceptions to my madness which make me just read a book for the sake of reading it: (1) if a friend or family member I trust recommends the book, or (2) if it is written by an author I love. For this book, I broke every rule. I was perusing Barnes and Noble one day, saw the title, liked the artwork on the front cover, thought the summary sounded interesting, bought it, and read it. That's it. And, you know what, I loved it!

Basically, this book looks at the idea that we can weaponize words. People are chosen to attend this specialized school that instructs them on how to perfect persuasion to such a degree that it becomes a weapon of mass destruction. The novel is very fast-paced, includes a love story without being super mushy-gushy, and contains thought-provoking commentary on the state of society and pitfalls of humanity. I go gaga over a book that makes me think and questions society. I love an author who can subtly point out flaws in humanity and makes me question the world. I read this book at Thanksgiving and still haven't stopped talking about it with anyone who will listen. It is certainly worth a read, especially for anyone who loves words! 

9. Son by Lois Lowry

Son came out in October of 2012, and because it was written by Lois Lowry, I immediately purchased it. I read it in January 2013 and still remember it as clearly as if I read it yesterday. When I finally read The Giver, I was intrigued by a society that was so regimented. Son is the 4th book in The Giver saga but the direct sequel to the novel. It follows the story of Gabriel's (the baby who was rescued by Jonas at the end of The Giver) birth mother, Claire. In this novel, Lowry digs deeper into the cruel world that such rigid and strict rules create. Claire's lack of freedom and distrust of the government coupled with her vivid imagination, courage, and desire for a better life make her a beautifully crafted heroine. She is strong, powerful, and driven.

This novel shows the resilience of the human spirit and the power of love that drives us to do things we never thought possible. For me, this novel is one of Lowry's greatest. Filled with all of the things I love about Lowry's writing, from her use of figurative language to her depth of characterization. But, be warned, this novel is not a happy one. It is heartbreaking, and made me cry out multiple times. Lowry has a way of making readers feel all the pain her characters feel. While that is something I love about her, it makes her novels hard to read at times. This novel comes with my highest recommendation, and it is one that I would love to read with my future daughters some day.

8. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Anyone who knows me will probably be surprised to see this novel make the list, but upon further reflection, there was no way I could be honest about the books that have affected me this year without including this book in the list. As I mentioned earlier, not every book I read was a book I loved or even liked. This book falls into that category. This book gets the official title as "The Book I Love to Hate". I feel very strongly about my books and sometimes get too emotionally involved, and this book outrages me every time I talk about it. So, the question is: why do I "love to hate" this book?

For months, I had heard people talking about Gone Girl, it was making all the best-seller lists, and I just couldn't help myself. I had to know what all the fuss was about. The rating on Goodreads is pretty high (close to 4 out of 5 stars) and the summary seemed interesting. One cold winter's night in February, I picked up this book and started reading. That night, I read 1/3 of the novel. I could not wait to go to bed the next evening so I could continue reading. I was fascinated. Every other chapter alternated between a married man and woman. The man's part of the story was present-day while the woman's was past-tense. The basic premise of the book is that a man comes home to find that his wife has disappeared and his house is in disarray, suggesting that she was kidnapped. Through her past-tense part of the story we learn about the man and woman's courtship and life. Through his part of the story, we get to see how he reacts to his wife's disappearance and how the police handle the situation. Through both stories, secrets are revealed. 

Now, on night 2 of reading, I read another third of the book but something happened. Something terrible. Something that made me go from pure love to pure hate of this author. The author twisted the story. A huge, mega, super-sized twist. So big, in fact, that I no longer trusted one of the narrators. How can I not trust the narrator of the story? I know it sounds silly, but until that moment, this was something I took for granted. Since I began reading at a very young age, I have always believed I could trust the narrator to tell me the story correctly. I mean, in a novel, what more could you ask for? If you can't trust the narrator, what is the point of the story? What's more, on night 3, the author did it again, pulled a second plot-twist and completely changed the story. Again. I finished the book that night. And, almost a year later, I am still mad at this book. 

And, here is where the love-hate comes into play. The book was fascinating and a brilliant story. The writing was so good that I had no trouble keeping up, the action was fast-paced, plot-twists were wonderful, and I finished the novel in 3 nights. I remember almost every aspect of the novel and think it would make a great thriller film. I hate that the author made me not trust the narrator. I love that the author made me question my long-held beliefs about what a narrator should do. I read Dark Places later this year, also by the same author, and plan to read her third novel in the near future. I can't help myself. 

As you can see from books 10, 9, and 8, my choice of books is varied and my reasons for choosing books for this list are just as wide-spread. Stay tuned for the next installment of "Tracey's Top Books of 2013"...

The Merry Misadventures of the Hodges Clan...

Christmas in my family has always been a rather quiet affair. We are simple folk and prefer a calm and relaxing holiday to one filled with rushing and too much activity. I always see Christmastime as a few days to cozy up by the fire with a hot beverage, read lots of books, watch lots of movies, and enjoy the company of the people I love. Oh, and eat far too much delicious food (but that's a given during the holidays, right?).

There have been a few select Christmases that stand out in my mind as being particularly memorable. The Christmas of 2013 will certainly join that select group. Here begins a few tales of misadventure and Murphy's Law. Thankfully, I've been blessed with a family that sees the good in everything and maintains a high degree of optimism and laughter through mishaps. The more I learn about the world, the more I realize this is a true gift that makes life much more enjoyable.

Merry Misadventure Number 1 - The Ambulance

Right up until Christmas, I was busy with all things grad school. I had tirelessly tried to prepare several papers for upcoming conferences while TA-ing for a winter-mester course. I was grading, grading, writing, coding, grading, grading, writing clear through the evening of the 23rd. I promised myself hard work would pay off, and I would allow myself an entire WEEK-long break (Tuesday-Sunday) for my good behavior. :) 

I told my family to expect me on Christmas Eve morning, but to due to my hard work, I was able to finish enough to leave on the 23rd. I called up my family and was able to reach my dad. He told me that my mom, sister, and grandmother were out doing their grocery shopping and such, but that he was home and we could have grilled cheese sandwiches and soup (one of our favorites) for lunch, just the two of us. Great! I packed down Blue (my Escape), loaded Jack in the car, and headed out. 

I arrive at my parents house, walk through the door, and greet my dad. I had just enough time to ask him if he would help me unload my luggage and Christmas presents from the car when the phone rang. I went to answer it and got my mom on the other end of the line. "Grandma passed out at the grocery store," she informed me. Ah! Over the past few years, my grandmother has had several "fainting episodes" when out and about with no clear medical reason as to the cause. They are always the same with the same symptoms and outcomes. Since she is elderly and passing out is never a good thing, the EMTs are always called in to ensure that she is ok. Therefore, my mom wanted us to know that the EMTs were on their way to our local Wal-Mart. 

The EMTs checked my grandmother over, insisting that she go with them to the emergency room, but in true Hodges-stubborn fashion, she refused. They could not find a single thing wrong with her, and she assured everyone she felt fine, so my family headed home. For my family, this would not be the first Christmas that involved an ambulance and it probably won't be the last. Thankfully, everyone was fine the rest of the holiday and no other ambulance calls were needed. 

Christmas Eve (prelude to a Merry Mishap)

Christmas Eve is my favorite part of the holiday. Ever since I was a little girl, Christmas Eve has been the day my family opens presents. Rather than waking up super early on Christmas Day, Santa always rang the doorbell on Christmas Eve and left presents on the doorstep. Once Santa came, that was the cue that the rest of the presents from family could also be opened. (I know it's weird, but so is my family.) 

Christmas Eve was a relaxing day spent just enjoying the company of my family and pre-cooking for Christmas. My mom and I prepared our famous pot roast for Christmas Eve dinner, and that night, we loaded up the Gator and golf cart and headed to my grandmother's house. My grandmother lives next door to my parents, about the length of a football field. When my grandparents first moved here, my grandfather had trouble walking long distances, so we got him a golf cart to ride around the property and get from house-to-house. Today, we still use the golf cart and a Gator to travel between the houses.

At my grandmother's house, we enjoyed pot roast, rolls, Christmas cookies, and presents with my aunt, uncle, and grandma. It was a nice, enjoyable evening. As the evening began to wind down, we re-loaded the Gator and golf cart with our new loot. My dad was driving the Gator with my sister, and I drove the golf cart with my mom. When we arrived at my grandmother's house, I parked too close to my uncle's truck to get out without backing up first. My dad had parked his Gator behind the golf cart. 

After we had loaded everything up, I distinctly remember hearing and seeing my dad get into the Gator, turn it on, and head back to the house. My mom was talking to the rest of the family, so I knew we would be a few minutes in leaving. Without looking, I started to back up the golf cart but rammed right into the Gator (which had not left as I previously thought). While no one was hurt and no damage was caused, the event caused an outcry of laughter from the family and reminiscing about my driving mishaps (which are plentiful!). I'll admit it, here in the open, I'm a terrible driver. Like Sheldon, from Big Bang Theory, I'm just not equipped to drive, but it's a necessary evil in Texas. 

Now, alone, this event seems unimportant and unrelated to anything. In hindsight, it was a premonition... 

Merry Misadventure Number 2 - Melody's Merry Mishap

My older sister is legally blind. She has a genetic disease called Stargardt's, or juvenile macular degeneration, which means she has slowly been losing her eyesight since she was a child. About 8 years ago, it was determined that she could no long have a driver's license. She is still able to live independently, work, and pretty much do whatever she wants...and she has Vulcan hearing (though that part is not important to the story). 

On Christmas Day, my family prepares a lunchtime feast. We are then free to spend the afternoon reading new books, watching new movies, and playing with new toys. Again, just a nice, relaxing, easy-going kind of day. My mom and I worked in the kitchen on the morning of Christmas Day while my sister and dad prepared the house for my aunt, uncle, and grandmother to join us for lunch. Around lunchtime, everything was just about ready to come out of the oven. My OCD-self had kept all the dishes cleaned and kitchen tidy. I'm the type of person who cleans every spoon right after use, even if it will be used again. Drives my mom crazy. 

My sister approaches my mom and dad in the kitchen and asks, "Do y'all want me to take the golf cart and Prince over to grandma's to tell them lunch will be ready soon?" Now, Prince is my parents' 2-year-old golden retriever puppy, who is just shy of 90 pounds. He's big! The biggest dog we've ever had by a long shot. He's still learning to cooperate, so he can be a lot to handle. But, he LOVES to ride on the golf cart or Gator and can be quite well behaved as a passenger. As I was standing in the background for this conversation, I immediately thought, "Hmmm...I'm not sure that is a good idea. My sister, who can't see well, driving the golf cart to my grandma's with the ginormous dog who can be uncooperative at times. I should probably say something." Alas, I did not say a single word. I figured my parents knew what they were doing. After all, I don't live here anymore, and I'm not around for the day-to-day adventures.

Later, my mom would tell me that she told my sister "no" at this point, but my dad said it was fine. I have no idea - I can't remember this part of the story well. Anywho, my sister takes off with the golf cart and Prince to my grandma's house. A few minutes after she leaves, both my dad and I go to separate bathrooms and discover that there is no water pressure in either bathroom. Strange. My dad comes into the kitchen and says something about it, then turns on the faucet to the sink and realizes the lack of water pressure is everywhere. Stranger still. "What would cause there to be no water pressure?" I ask. He informs me that a water main break would do that. (Did I mention how lucky we are that all the dishes to that point were done, the kitchen and house were clean, and Christmas lunch was completely prepared??)

My dad walks outside and returns a few minutes later in a mild rage. He hollers something to my mom then goes out to his shop to retrieve some tools. I walk outside a few minutes later to see my sister on the golf cart with the dog in the middle of the yard looking a bit lost. She tells me that she doesn't really know where she is (because she can't really see). She takes Prince and goes inside the house and only then do I see the geyser behind her. Where a water spout used to be now exists a spewing geyser and miniature lake. My dad then comes running from his shop with a [wrench or channel locks, or something]. He and I go over to the water mess to try to turn off the now destroyed water spout. Unfortunately, the place to turn off the spout is now under a lake of water and mud. As we are tackling this issue, I see my uncle walking over and my aunt and grandma getting into my grandma's car to drive over. Perfect timing, but remember, my sister went over to tell them lunch was almost ready, but in the process, hit the water spout and destroyed the water main. Dad gets the water spout turned off and decides to deal with this issue later.

We come back in the house and enjoy Christmas dinner as a family with no running water in the house. Luckily, we didn't need it! 

After dinner, we congregated outside to fix the water main, which turned out to be an even bigger problem than we previously thought. In my family, when something breaks, it does it well. The water spout was broke and many of the pipes underneath were broke as well. Fixing this problem required digging up most of the piping and replacing it. Fortunately, my dad has his huge "shop" full of tools and parts. He just happened to have everything he needed to fix the water main just enough...doubly fortunate because everything is closed on Christmas Day. After 4 hours, we had the water main fixed enough to function for the rest of the day, and we could enjoy a calming rest of the holiday.

Merry Misadventure Number 3 - The 2-hour Drive to College Station

The final Merry Mishap is my own. After spending a wonderful holiday with my family, I needed to be heading back home. I'm lucky in that my work can pretty much be done anywhere, and for the most part, I dictate when and how it gets done. However, my parents live just outside a small, rural town that really hasn't modernized to many luxuries and comforts I have in my own home. When I am at my parent's house, I have limited access to Internet, which runs exceptionally slowly, and I have basically zero cellular service. Because I had planned to take this entire week off from work, this was not a huge inconvenience, but it does make me a little crazy. 

I had told my family I would be returning home on the evening of the 26th. That evening came, and my parents helped me load up my car with my luggage, new loot, and left overs to last me a week or two (we never out-grow some things). However, as we were loading up the car, Prince decided dashing out the door looked like fun. He did just that and ran off to terrorize the village, also known as the neighbor dogs. Before I could say my goodbyes, my parents and I set off in the dark to find the loose puppy. He was retrieved and brought back home with the help of the Gator because he loves rides, remember? 

With everyone back where they belong, I checked and double-checked the house to make sure I got everything. I said my goodbyes and headed out. About 30-minutes into my 1-hour drive, I realized I left my laptop. The curse of not working for a week is that I forgot I brought my laptop with me at all. I didn't even crack it open for 2 days which is unheard of in my world. I called my mom and said, "My laptop is sitting in it's case beside the couch, right?" "Yep," was her simple reply. Crap. I turned around and headed back. 

After retrieving my coveted laptop, I once again began my drive home. My usual 1-hour drive had turned into a 2-hour drive. I made it home safely, unloaded the car, and unpacked every single thing. I cannot stand to have luggage in the house or things in boxes. The first thing I do when I get home from a trip is unpack everything, put it away, and do laundry. After all these things were done, I finally settled into bed for my long winter's nap after all the Merry Mishaps.

Like I said, my family definitely rolls with the punches when misadventure strikes. While nothing was catastrophic, it caused just enough inconvenience to make things interesting. Christmas 2013 will be in our memories for a while as the Christmas of Merry Misadventures. Thank goodness for family and laughter, and surprisingly, I feel very relaxed, at ease, and ready to tackle a new year! 

I am reminded of all the good in my life and how blessed I truly am. Here is a a Christmas prayer (taken from Big Bang Theory, recited by my dad and I, and something my grandma loves dearly)"

"By his hand, we are all fed.

Give us Lord, our daily bread.

Please know that we are truly grateful,

For every cup and every plateful.

Amen."

I hope your holidays were full of adventure, fun, and family!

-Small Town Girl