My Hometown || Middle-of-Nowhere, California

There are pros and cons to growing up in a small town in the middle of nowhere, CA.

California isn't all beaches and palm trees.

Pro - Everyone knows everyone.
Con - Everyone knows everyone!
Pro - Mild winters.
Con - Freaking. Hot. Summers.

Pro - Fresh produce year 'round.
Con - Pesticides.

Pro - Family-oriented community.
Con - Am I related to everyone in this town?

Pro - Wide, open spaces.
Con - Anything "fun" is 2+ hours away.

Pro - No mosquitos!
Con - Did I mention it's hot?  Like boiling hot.  Like "why do people live here?!" kinda hot.

Pro - No hurricanes, tornadoes, or blizzards.
Con - No beach, no seasons, no trees...

Pro - It's where I grew up and where my family is currently located.
Con - Why couldn't I have grown up in San Diego?!

What are the pros and cons of your hometown?

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Barnes and Noble Haul

Hey Folks... Peter and I recently went to Barnes and Noble and bought a few things.  I thought it would be fun to share with you which books caught our fancy and why.

Sorry for the horrible picture quality.  We had to sell our nice camera when we left Brazil, and we haven't had the money to get a new one yet.  I've just been using my iPhone camera, which isn't horrible but isn't great, either.

Dutch Blitz - a fast paced card game.  Pretty fun.

These three were in the "End-of-Summer Clearance" section.

Forget about it by Caprice Crane - A girl gets in an accident and pretends to have amnesia so she can get a "do-over" on life.  So far it's pretty chick-lit.  Haha!

In the Company of Others by Jan Karon -  I absolutely LOVE the Mitford series by Jan Karon, and this book follows the protagonist of the Mitford series as he and his wife go to the country of his ancestors - Ireland.

On Hummingbird Wings by Lauraine Snelling - A woman has to move from New York back to California to take care of her dying mother, "even though her primary ailment seems to be hypochondria."  Another Chick-Lit pick.

Should I post reviews when I'm done?

We bought these three because they are part of the series of books that Barnes and Noble has where the covers are decorated by current popular illustrators... Peter already has a lot from the series.

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas - It's a classic.  You should read it.

The Constitution of the United States of America and Selected Writings of the Founding Fathers - The majority of this book is the "selected writings" portion.  Some very interesting info in here, especially for the history geeks (which I am).

A Treasury of Classic Poetry - Peter and I both love poetry.  I grew up reading all my mom's books of poems, but I realized I didn't have any of my own!  This is a good start to my collection.

So that is an overview of our most recent trip to Barnes and Noble.  I'll let you know if I like them!

XOXO,

Julie

Vacation

We've been on vacation in the mountains and haven't had internet connection all week.  I just wanted to pop in and say that I have a lot of post planned but didn't have the time to get them up this week during my 10 minute internet-cafe runs to check my email.  Also I'm really behind on my blog reading and commenting, which I feel really bad about.  On the bright side, you can expect a bundle of comments heading your way next week!  :)

In the meantime, here's a sneak peak of what we've been up to this week:

My attempt at a panoramic with my new iPhone

We're pretty sad because Shaver Lake isn't doing fireworks until the 5th (WHY?!?!?!), and we already have other travel plans for that day.  So, sadly, we won't be able to watch any fireworks this year.  :(

To my American readers, happy Independence Day!  Even though I've traveled the world and have learned so much from so many different cultures, I'm still proud to be an American.

XO,

Julie