Tuesday, January 17, 2012

What's on your nightstand?

This is what my nightstand looks like.  I'm reading a few things eh?
Actually it looks more like this...

stacked in  categories like spiritual, fiction and fitness...but for a more impressive sight I stacked them all up together.

I want to tell you about each book that I'm perusing.  
Starting from the bottom of the stack moving up...


LDS Living- I get it in the mail every now and then and I quickly flip through it and always notice an article or two that look interesting and so I set it aside to read later.  That later reading doesn't always happen (I wonder why?) but I keep it around in case the stack of other reading dwindles.
Maybe sometime in the next couple of weeks I'll get around to the articles in this issue about Vocal Point, the delights and dangers of the media, Jimmer and Bundit Ungrangsee.

The Ensign-  I have to admit that I haven't always been faithful with reading the Ensign.  However, several years ago I somehow realized what an inspired magazine it is and that I would do well to read it every month.  I have done quite well since then and always enjoy the amazing articles that are so relevant to our times.

The Conference issue of the Ensign-  Now I'm still working on this one.  Of course this one is equally if not more important than the other issues of the Ensign.  We are counseled to study these words...not just hear them once at conference time and then forget about them. 
I am often haunted by the story of the man who was telling another man, not of the LDS faith, about how we have living prophets and they speak to us today.  The other man then asks what the prophet had said recently.  The first man couldn't respond.  He didn't know what our prophet had recently told the members.  Isn't that sad?  That often spurs me on to read another talk in the conference issue. 
I love these issues and should treasure them even more than I currently do.  We all should be able to read one or two talks a week right?

Moving on...

Marathon; You can do it! by Jeff Galloway-  Okay, so I'm running a marathon!  I can't believe I'm doing this...never thought in a million years...never in a million years did I think I would be a runner period...but I guess I am.  
Long story short, in 2008, some friends invited me to start running with them.  I accepted because I was desperate to lose some baby fat (that I still had after two years of giving birth).  My friends decided to train for a 1/2 marathon and so after putting some serious doubt aside I agreed to do it with them.  We did it and it was an amazing experience for me. 

The next year I had another baby and so I took a break from running but then in 2010 I was back in it.  I had waited too late to sign up for the Top of Utah 1/2 marathon again and so I just decided to do it unofficially.  I ran the course a couple of weeks before the event with my brother and one of my original running friends Trina, rode her bike alongside since she was dealing with Plantar Fasciitis (did you know that's now it was spelled?  I sure didn't.)  
 
2011 I did the 1/2 again along with a Fundraiser for Dravet Syndrome (I'll blog about that later).
We also did the fundraiser at the Top of Utah full marathon and as I watched the runners come across the finish line I got the bug.  I wanted to do a full marathon.  Now this is crazy since every time I crossed the 1/2 finish line I remember thinking there's no way I could ever do a full marathon and have this be my halfway mark.  Well, anyway, back to the book.  I was told by our local running store owner that this is the book to read if you want to run a marathon for the first time.  So I had Andy give it to me for Christmas.  It's nifty.  Mr. Galloway actually makes it sound doable.  I've started my training and am excited for the final race...still need to decide which one I'm doing ;o)

A Return to Virtue-  Did you know our sweet General Young Women President, Elaine Dalton, has run 17 marathons?  I didn't either until I had Andy also give me this book for Christmas. 


In this book she compares running a marathon to life.  I love having a spiritual perspective to think about while I'm running.  And how inspiring it is to me that she is a serious runner and still able to be successful in other important areas of her life.  I had wondered recently if I could be a devoted wife and mother and a committed runner.  It seems to be possible.

Daughters in My Kingdom-  I love this book.  How can you doubt that it was inspired.  I love everything about it...the words, the colors the pictures.  It is truly beautiful.  I try and read a bit from it each Sunday.


The Candy Makers-  This is a book we picked up at the last book fair at the school.  Since I have been burned before, I'm kind of leery about purchasing books that I haven't read before...even books for kids, but this one looked so cute and seemed so innocent that I let Josh get it.  I'm so glad I did.  It has not disappointed.  It is just as innocent as it sounds.  I'm reading it to the kids any night that we're semi-on time getting them to bed.  It is an intriguing (even to me) mystery that we all have enjoyed.  I have loved how the author writes different chapters from the perspectives of different characters in the book.  She is a master.  I'm excited to read more of her stuff...especially since this has been so clean!

Fable Haven-  Josh got the first two books in this series for his birthday several months ago.  We encouraged him to read them but he had flipped through the first one and was concerned about it being a little too scary for him.  That was fine I thought.  He could read them in a couple of years maybe.  In the meantime, Andy picked up the first one and read it.  He really enjoyed it and encouraged me to read it.  I liked it a lot and went on to read the second one.  I finished it and the day after Christmas, ran out and bought the last three.  They are a bit intense and am kind of glad that Josh didn't try to read them yet, but his parents are sure enjoying them.  As a matter of fact, after I finished the second one, Andy picked it up and now he breathing done my neck in the third one.  He'll read it when I'm not and he's gaining on me.  Since he didn't wait for me to finish it I've been trying to read more often so I can stay ahead of him.  Silly, I know.

Last but not least...
The Book of Mormon-  Ever since I was young, thanks to the good example of my older sister, I have been consistent with my reading of the scriptures.  However, that does not mean I was good at studying them.  That has always been a struggle for me.  It's too often a check mark to get done during the day.  I have tried several different ways to study and some have been more successful than others but have not stuck for long.  I think I have finally hit on something that I can use at least as long as I have kids living at home.  
As I have done at the beginning of many years, I had a goal to do better at my study.  Initially, my goal was to have a "meaningful moment" each day in the scriptures.  To really study something out or find a new application for my life.  Well, at the same time, we started reading the "real" Book of Mormon with the kids.  Up until now we've read from the illustrated Book of Mormon reader and had Josh read a few versus from the real one to supplement.  However, thanks to a challenge from our bishop for the month of December, we realized that our little family was probably mature enough to handle the real thing.  Only a few days into the year my goal kind of morphed into finding something in my study that day that I could discuss and share with the kids during family study.  That has been my meaningful moment each day.  I have loved it!  It's been so good to actually have a discussion with the kids about the scriptures instead of just reading and then closing the book.  The kids have been asking questions and seem to be soaking it up.  I'm thrilled with this new arrangement and hope it lasts a long time.  
P.S.  Our goal as a family is to read the entire book by the end of the year.  That's about a page and a half a day.  I'm pretty sure we'll do it!


Wow!  That was a super long post.  You're a trooper if you stuck with me the whole way.  Mom, I know you did.  Thanks.


3 comments:

  1. You are right, Aimee. I am still here. Fun to read about what you are reading and why. You put me to shame. I currently have the Book of Mormon, the conference issue, STUFF (one of Jo's books about hoarders) and an Agatha Christie Mystery in my reading pile.

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  2. Hobby Farm Home Magazine, Simplify, Monson Biography, and just finished My Antonia. I am much better at listening/reading conference talks than the scriptures right now. Not good, but they're so relevant and I can pull them up on my phone really easily that I have really enjoyed listening to a few every day.

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  3. What a coincidence that you posted this at about the same time that I added a photo of my nightstand reading list on Facebook! If you do FB we can be friends and you can see my reading list!

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