Ariel's Baby and Books

Today we find out what the gender of Ariel's baby is. Diana and I predict a girl (I think Ariel does as well) but Norm wants a boy. Will post the result! Ariel leaves tonight to visit family in Nova Scotia. Anyway, D and I are going over to Shawn's parents' home to spend time with Ariel while they're around. Taylor loves going to Grandma and Grandpa's house. He and his cousin, Julia, feed off of each other's energy and go nuts.

Update: Ariel's baby didn't cooperate regarding gender determination. She will be getting another ultrasound when she returns from NS for better measurements and will probably find out at this time.

Kids are driving Shawn bananas and he in turn drives me bananas! Just suck it up like I do! They're here to stay!

Got a speeding ticket on the way to the Nelson home. I was singing along to a Bryan Adams song on the radio and didn't notice the school zone... Cop was really reasonable. He gave me a warning because I hadn't updated my driver's license with my new address yet. Normally $120 (?) fine!

Spent a lovely evening at Nelson clan headquarters, aka the Nelson house. Taylor was wired on Julia's Valentine's Day candy all night but we survived. Norm and Ariel brought their new puppy, Rocky, who is so adorable. He's 3/4 boxer and 1/4 lab. The boxer portion is how he got his name.

I fell down the stairs last night and pulled a muscle in my shoulder. It's sore but not debilitating.

I've fallen waaaay behind in my reading. I have 2 stacks of books from the library whose pages haven't seen the light of day since I checked them out. I've used up all my allowed renewals which means I have to return them all soon and recheck them out when they become available again. Here's what I'd like to get around to reading sometime in the next couple of decades:

• The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
• The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
• Smart Couples Finish Rich by David Bach
• How to Cook Without a Book by Pam Anderson
• Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
• The Odyssey by Homer
• Taking Charge of Anger: How to Resolve Conflict, Sustain Relationships, and Express Yourself Without Losing Control by W. Robert Nay (read an interesting excerpt which inspired me to try and read the whole thing)
• Rebecca by Daphne duMaurier
• Raising a Son by Don & Jeanne Elium
• Raising a Daughter by Jeanne & Don Elium
• The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
• the latest "short stories" by Diana Gabaldon

Trust me this list could go on forever, but it's a start. The church books I'd like to read are endless. I like to think that heaven is a giant library that we can spend eternity reading!

Addendum: I'm adding the following to my list:

• The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
• Secrets About Men That Every Woman Should Know by Barbara De Angelis
• The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis (the late Elder Maxwell recommended this one!)
• Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
• The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
• New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn and The Host by Stephenie Meyer
• The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebolt

Addendum 2: This post inspired me to track my books in a separate blog: http://danasbooks.blogspot.com/.