- The Glass Castle – by Jeanette Walls
- Fifty Shades of Gray – by E. James
- The Birthday Party: A Memoir of Survival – by Stanley Alpert
- To Be Sung Underwater – by Tom McNeal
All posts by Lesley
Monday Magic
Products I use because they work like magic or close enough to it to make me never want anything else
- Downy Wrinkle Release
- Fenofibrate (which I buy even though I don’t have insurance anymore because it’s actually working and I don’t want to stroke-out at the age of 45.)
- Garnier Length & Strength shampoo and conditioner
- Regis Clarifying shampoo (to remove chlorine)
- Eucerin Plus Intensive Repair lotion (to combat chlorine again)
- Tide Coldwater Free
- Static Guard
- Playtex Sport feminine products
- Sharpie markers
Things I Would Rather Be Doing Right Now
- Swimming in an outdoor pool
- Getting a sun tan
- Eating pizza without the calories
- Lying on a beach in Hawaii
- Signing a publishing contract
Languages In Which I Can Recite the Alphabet
- English
- Spanish
- Greek
- American Sign Language
- Jibberish
- Pig Latin
Greek Alphabet
19 Reasons to Celebrate My Son’s 19th Birthday Today
- It’s his Golden Birthday! Nineteen years on the nineteenth!
- He’s an amazing young man who has empathy, maturity, and wisdom beyond his years.
- He makes me laugh all the time.
- When I am sad, he hugs me until he takes away at least some of the sadness.
- Even at 19 years old, he still doesn’t mind hanging out with his mom.
- He talks to me. Really talks. About important things and unimportant things and dreams and goals and life decisions. We communicate well.
- Hardly anything can embarrass him. And I’ve tried.
- He brings his friends around.
- We like a lot of the same movies and TV shows and enjoy watching them together.
- He thinks I’m young enough to understand the music he listens to.
- He has indeed introduced me to a lot of new music.
- His smile is quick and sincere.
- Even when he was young, he’s always been able to talk to anyone. People don’t scare him the way they do me.
- He kills bugs for me.
- Almost all of my favorite memories involve him.
- Before he was born, when I was in a car wreck, there were some scary minutes when we couldn’t hear his heartbeat. I don’t think I’ve ever prayed harder than that hour.
- He supports my goals and dreams, even if they take us away from each other geographically.
- He loves with his whole heart.
- I am so proud of the man he has become.
Caleb at the top of Haleakala Volcano, Maui - June 2010