It's Monday! is sponsored by Sheila at Book Journey.
Happy Monday, all! Today is my 13th wedding anniversary. My husband and I got married on a chilly, rainy May 11 at a church called Peace with about 60 folks in attendance. Our reception was in the Dulany room of the student union at my alma mater, a sweet little wood-paneled and wallpapered room with a china room attached. They've since torn that building down, and the new Dulany is positively soulless. We had London Broil, no wedding cake, no dance, no alcohol. We had pictures taken by the Little Niagara Creek that runs through campus, and my father and brothers ran our wedding presents into our lakeside apartment in their tuxedos in the pouring rain.
Oh how much we've learned about ourselves, each other, and marriage in those years! We're still hopelessly in love. Still annoyed by the same things, too. I've said it many times in the last 13 years, and I'll say it again today: I never expected to have this good of a marriage. I feel like I kind of won the marriage lottery.
My marriage advice: Agree on the big stuff.
My husband's: Be patient.
~~~
I'm in a bit of a reading slump. I'm still reading every day, but I haven't really been enjoying what I've been reading. I abandoned my first book of the year when I quit Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed last week. It wasn't a good fit for where I am in my childfree decision.
Somewhat foolishly, I then picked up a book I abandoned last year, My Life in Middlemarch. Is the second time a charm? Well, it does mean a great deal more having read Middlemarch in the interim, but frankly, I'd rather just re-read Middlemarch than this book. It's much too academic for my taste. But I am learning a great deal about George Eliot's life--though I'm not sure it endures her to me or does much to shed light on her masterpiece.
I'm still reading One Writer's Beginning, which is getting a little slow. I'm enjoying my audio of What the Dog Saw, leaned last week about Ronco kitchen gadgets, ketchup, stock investment, and hair dye. And I'm enjoying Novel Interiors, thankful for the fact that it's more pictures than text.
This week I'll be reading Dana Perino's And the Good News Is.... Perino was President George W. Bush's press secretary, and I've enjoyed her straightforwardness and pragmatic attitude for many years.
I also wrote several book reviews last week. I don't know if I'll catch up on all the books I've read this year, but I'll at least review the highlights (and maybe some of the lowlights, too).
What are you reading this week?
Are you on a reading high, at low ebb, or somewhere in between?
First off, Happy Anniversary! So happy for you and your husband and your 13 years. I'd love to see a photo from your wedding day!
ReplyDeleteSecond, I'm glad to hear your thoughts on My Life in Middlemarch. I was thinking of reading it, but I'm not feeling like reading anything too academic right now.
Thanks for your well wishes, Amy! I had wanted to post a wedding photo, but our official photos weren't digital and the digital photos we have a poor quality. Digital cameras were just catching on at the time. We bought our first with our wedding money!
DeleteThe wedding photo you posted was so lovely! I have nothing to compare. That's my one big regret about our wedding--the quality of the portraits.
I was excited to read your review of Middlemarch. (I put it off until I'd written mine!) I don't know if My Life in Middlemarch is worth the read. Mead doesn't talk deeply enough about her own life to warrant the title. It's mostly an academic-fan account with lots of biographical info on George Eliot. It rather bored me, and I feel it didn't really bring anything new to the stories in Middlemarch.
I remember my first digital camera too. I got it eleven years ago, the year before I got married, and yes, it was nothing compared to what we have now (the camera on my phone is far superior to it). I am grateful that all of our wedding photos were digital as it has made them far more accessible.
DeleteThat's sweet of you to say, but I promise I'm not out to compare at all. I just love seeing what people looked like on their special day, and also, it's so fun to see how people change over the years. (Our kids especially love to look at our pictures and comment on how different we looked!) I understand about photography regrets though. Mine is that I didn't get some shots of just me with my dad, Mike with his mom, etc.
I'm excited to read your review of Middlemarch! I hope you post it soon!