Adventures in Reading

I successfully completely January's goal of 100 Miles A Month! I clocked in yesterday morning at 100.2 miles and did a celebratory happy dance. I don't know what it is about running, but there must be some correlation in my mind to reading because, just like at the end of June, I have a desire to make reading a goal for the following month. July didn't see too many books completed, but February will.

My goal is to read a book a week. For some I know this is easily attained, but I have found it a challenge spending my precious quiet time getting lost in a book. But with a touch over a month before Brian comes home and invigorated by the win from January's attained goal, I am ready to cut out my movie watching and internet surfing to read, read, read.

The last month of a deployment is often the hardest. You allow yourself to slowly come out of Superwoman mode and that terrible longing for your husband which occurred at the dead beginning, a year ago, returns as you let yourself miss him in anticipation of his homecoming. So it's a very emotional month, let me tell you, and a woman needs as many positive distractions as she can muster, hence the reading goal.

We went to the library after church this morning, Wilder seemed up for a quick trip before his nap, but I was very wrong. Wilder is at the point where he wants to run everywhere and he wriggled like a fish the entire time we were at the library. On top of Mr. Wiggleworm, the two books I had in mind were both checked out. Finally, seeing he was too tired and too wiggly, empty handed I stompted back to the car, buckled him in his seat and had a good cry before leaving (yes, it's that time of the month.) "Why can't I do things I want to do?!" I sobbed to myself. "All I want is to get a @*$#* library book!" Life is so unfair... In a few minutes I reminded myself how silly I was behaving and decided to find a book at home to read. I put Wilder down for his nap and decided to start my search again.

My bookshelves held no interest for me, so I decided to see what I could find sifting through Brian's immense collection in his study. He'll like that I called it his study. Finding a small gathering of mandatory reads from his college English courses, I happened upon The Great Gatsby. Sold.

After tidying the house and putting the kettle on, I snuggled up with a sturdy mug of tea and my new adventure in reading on our couch, surrounded by my favorite blanket. Honestly, February promises to be a very happy month if I'm to make a habit of spending my time this way. I am certainly looking forward to it!