One Lucky Dog

A couple that we are friends with were expecting their first baby on February 3rd. Michael and I had agreed that when the time came, we would go pick up their dog and take care of him while they were at the hospital. As it happens with babies, they rarely come exactly when expected, and little Ethan arrived on January 21st via c-section. That meant that Polo got to spend a few extra days with his good friend, Barkley, while mom recovered. Barkley and Polo have known each other since Polo was a puppy, and they get along really well. Barkley is part Golden Retriever, so they even look like cousins. After I took Barkley back to his house, I came home and let Polo out of his crate and he ran all over the house looking for his friend. He went to the door to see if Barkley was in the backyard, and when he didn't see him, he looked at me with these sad eyes that just said, "Mom, where's my friend?"

Barkley and Polo staying comfortable on the couch

 He didn't have to be lonely for long though. Just a few days later, another friend emailed me saying she and her family were going out of town and they wondered if we could dog-sit for them. Of course! So, Riley came over on Thursday and has been playing with Polo all weekend long. We actually dog-sat for Riley last year, but he was having joint issues and wasn't up for playing with our very active puppy. This time around is a very different story. Riley seems like a puppy himself running around and playing with Polo. I just know I'll see those sad eyes again tonight when Riley goes home and Polo gets lonely again. Hmmm.... time for a second dog? Probably not yet but maybe someday. For now, we'll just keep planning play dates and trips to the dog park.

Just Riley

January Book Reviews

First, a little note: One of my goals or resolutions for this year is to use my blog as a place to review the books I read. Since reading is one of my passions, I spend a lot of time with my nose in a book or hanging out at the library or Barnes & Noble. I would like to share with you why I read the books I do, what they're about, and what I think of them, so I will try to post a monthly review to do just that.

Title: The Shadow Children Series (Among the Hidden, Among the Impostors, Among the Betrayed, Among the Barons, Among the Brave, Among the Enemy, Among the Free)

Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix

Genre: Middle Grade, Science Fiction/Fantasy

My Rating: ***

One day last fall, I was helping re-shelve books at a school library, and I noticed that there were numerous titles by an author I did not know: Margaret Peterson Haddix. After asking the librarian about her, I found out that she is a local (Dublin, OH) writer. I called up my friend at Scholastic to ask if she had heard of Haddix, and she said that the author is very well known for her middle grade fiction. I decided that if she was so popular and she lived nearby, I should definitely check out a few of her books.
I decided to pick up Among the Hidden, which is the first in a series known as The Shadow Children.

The story is set in an unknown future fourteen years after the government has implemented a population law making all third children illegal. Luke, the main character, is a third child who has had to remain in hiding his whole life, not allowed beyond the protective trees that border his family's farm. When the woods are bulldozed to make way for a new housing development, Luke is confined to his windowless attic bedroom, but it's not long before he spies what he believes to be another third child in one of the new homes. As Luke sneaks out to try to meet this mysterious person, he starts a chain reaction of events that carries the reader through the seven book series, the last of which I finished earlier this month.

I found this to be a captivating story and flew through the entire series very quickly, which is pretty easy to do at this reading level. The theme of freedom is compelling, and Luke's dilemma will intrigue readers.

Title: The Piano Teacher
Author: Janice Y.K. Lee
Genre: Historical Fiction
My Rating: ***


I think I put The Piano Teacher on my list of books to read after it attracted my attention at the book store last year.

Moving between 1952 and 1941, the novel tells the story of two Britons living in colonial Hong Kong: Claire Pendleton and Will Truesdale. Will comes to Hong Kong in 1941 and falls in love with the beautiful and exotic Trudy Liang. In 1952, Claire moves to Hong Kong with her husband and begins teaching piano to the daughter of Victor and Melody Chen, who are among Hong Kong's elite social class. Through this connection, she meets Will and the two begin a unique affair that will reveal secrets of a hidden past bigger than either of them.

What I enjoyed most about this book was the illustration of life during the Japanese occupation. During the course of Will's relationship with Trudy, the Japanese Imperial Forces take over Hong Kong, and nearly all the non-Chinese residents are placed in internment camps (including Will). I love reading historical fiction because I feel like through the lives of fictional characters I experience and learn what it might have been like to live during a certain time period or through a specific historical event. While I wouldn't call The Piano Teacher a page-turner, it was engaging and interesting.

Title: Atonement
Author: Ian McEwan
Genre: Literary Fiction
My Rating: ***


Atonement was the January selection for the book club I'm in, and I finished it just in time for our discussion. Though I saw the movie when it came out in 2007, I didn't have a desire to read it, but I'm glad I did.

The novel is divided into three parts. In part one, a young girl with an active imagination and a knack for story-telling named Briony witnesses an event that she cannot fully understand as child. Her subsequent story and accusation lead to ruin for the other characters involved. The second part of the novel is set a few years later during World War II and follows another character, Robbie, as he takes part in the British retreat to Dunkirk and evacuation of France. In the third and final section, the long-term effects of Briony's recrimination are revealed.

The attention to detail and development of characters in Atonement makes it a profound read. McEwan has received much praise for his writing style and theme development, but one of my favorite quotes that I think sums the book up well is from The Ottawa Citizen: "Class conflict, war and the responsibilities of the artist are among the themes of Atonement, but it is Ian McEwan's writing that makes this novel one of his best: lush and langorous in the long first section, understated and precise in the latter two."

Title: City of Bones
Author: Cassandra Clare
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction/Fantasy
My Rating: ***

One of the students in my class (when I was long-term subbing) was reading City of Bones, and I thought it sounded interesting, so I added it to my list of books to read. When it became available at the library earlier this month, I picked it up and proceeded to read it in just a few days.

Clary Fray goes to Pandemonium club in New York City with her best friend, Simon, just hoping to have some fun, but after witnessing a murder that turns out to be anything but normal, she is quickly drawn into a world she never knew existed. She discovers that she can see beyond the "glamour" that hides the faeries, demons, vampires, and other Downworlders  from the mundanes (regular humans).  Then, her mother is kidnapped by a demon before Clary can ask her what it all means, and the only person who can help is Jace, a gorgeous and powerful warrior, known as a Shadowhunter, whose purpose in life is to fight the demons and keep the mundanes safe.

City of Bones is part of the rapidly growing young adult fantasy genre, which, as is typical, means it is part of a series. Though vampires, werewolves, and wizards all make appearances, this is not another Harry Potter or Twilight. If anything, I thought it felt like a more mature Percy Jackson that appeals to girls. There's unrequited love, sexual tension (though not inappropriate for its audience), fighting, adventure, and mystery. I find that I'm looking forward to Book Two.

One Good Thing About Mornings

Depending on where I'm teaching on any given day, I wake up between 5:40 and 6:30am and leave the house between 6:30 and 7:30am respectively. Often on days when I leave at 6:30, Michael is still sleeping (or snoozing, really), and I feel a twinge of jealousy, though I would never want to trade jobs with him. On days like today, when I leave at 7:00, he is usually in bed but awake enough to talk to me as I finish getting ready. These are the mornings I like the best. (You may think I like the mornings when I don't have to leave until 7:30 the best, but those are the days I have to go to an elementary school, so no.) Usually we spend this time telling each other our dreams.  This morning I told him that I had a very adventurous dream that involved riding snowmobiles through an icy, craggy mountain. Then, he tells me that he had a dream that I was in a relationship with Harry Potter.

I Will Never Be a Travel Writer, part 3

My third and final installment detailing our vacation. (Check out Part 1 and Part 2, if you haven't already.) I do recognize that there are numerous sentence fragments in my descriptions. It is on purpose to be as brief as possible.

Dec. 20 - Left San Sebastian early in the morning to drive to Barcelona. Our only snafu on the drive was when I accidentally drove into the wrong line at a toll booth. Oops! When we finally arrived at our hotel after gassing up and dropping off the rental car, we felt so exhausted that we fell asleep for a long nap. That evening, we walked down La Rambla admiring Christmas lights, stopped in at another Starbucks for our Barcelona mug, checked out La Boqueria, and had paella for dinner at La Taverna Catalana.

Barcelona had pretty good Christmas lights, but I think La Rambla has twinkle lights year round.

Michael is excited about our first paella in Spain at La Taverna Catalana

Dec. 21 - Our first rainy day of the trip, so we bought an umbrella at H&M. Breakfast at Pinotxo bar, which is part of La Boqueria. I'm pretty sure Michael would have been content to eat every meal at La Boqueria because he enjoyed the food and atmosphere so much. Walked to the ocean to check out a statue of Christopher Columbus and the ships at the piers, wandered through the Barri Gotic (Gothic Quarter) and explored the Barcelona Cathedral (La Seu). We also checked out a site that I'm willing to bet most tourists skip: Carrefour (a major grocery chain), where we bought Spanish rice, olives and spices to bring home with us. Lunch was simple jamon sandwiches at La Boqueria again, and then we took the metro to Montjuic where we visited the Olympic museum. Dinner (delicious tapas and sangria) was at Cerveceria Catalana. We spent the rest of the evening just walking around the beautiful Christmas lit streets.

In front of his favorite Barcelona sight, La Boqueria Mercat

We enjoyed cafes, tortilla, and pan con tomate here

Mirador de Colón aka Columbus Monument

In front of Olympic Stadium on Montjuic

Christmas lights at El Corte Ingles reminded me of Saks Fifth Ave lights in New York City

Dec. 22 - Breakfast at Cafe L'Opera (good thing we're on vacation b/c I had churros and chocolate again!) More walking through Barri Gotic and passed the Picasso Museum (Do any other artists have their own museums?) We chose to get tickets to the Museu de la Xocolata (Museum of Chocolate) instead where we learned about the history of chocolate and admired a variety of chocolate sculptures. The rain kept us from exploring Parc de la Ciutadella, though we made an attempt. Totally impressed by Gaudi's Sagrada Familia even though the towers were closed. The unique design and architecture are astounding. A subway trip and a long walk took us to Parc Guell. We stopped for lunch along the way at a place that was called Bar American but that served Spanish food and was run by Chinese people. We felt right at home and completely disoriented at the same time. Saw more of Gaudi's work at Parc Guell before making the long walk back to the metro. Tried to see the beach but it was dark by the time we got there, so we headed back to the hotel to find a final place for dinner. The winner was a Basque place called Zarautz, and it really was a winner. We sat at the bar and kept ordering various tapas from a very friendly and multilingual bartender.  Once we had our fill, we went back to the hotel for our last night in Spain.

Our tickets to Museu de la Xocolata were actual chocolate bars!

Depiction of Don Quixote, made entirely out of chocolate

Arc de Triomf at Parc de la Ciutadella (you can see how wet it is from the rain)

La Sagrada Familia cathedral, designed by Antoni Gaudi. Construction continues today as he died before its completion.

The passion facade on La Sagrada Familia

Stained glass window in La Sagrada Familia

Showing off one end of the longest bench in the world, designed by Antoni Gaudi, in Parc Guell

Parc Guell has multiple architectural elements designed by Gaudi

We searched all over Parc Guell looking for this dragon. He's quite famous.

Alone on the beach, admiring the Mediterranean

Dec. 23 - A long but uneventful trip home, again through JFK with a several hour layover. A friend who had been house/dog-sitting for us picked us up from the airport. It felt good to be home, and we were both actually ready to crash when we got to our house near 11pm. Fortunately we didn't experience much jet lag going either direction. I feel very blessed to have been able to take this trip with my wonderful husband who basically planned the whole thing. (Thanks, Babe!) I hope we can return before long.

I Will Never Be a Travel Writer, part 2

If you haven't already, you may want to check out Part 1 of our travels. Part 2 covers leaving Madrid, our time visiting family in Barcena, and San Sebastian.

Dec. 17 - After a quick breakfast at Starbucks where I bought my souvenir mugs, we head out of the city in our rental car with Dad driving the whole four hours to his family's town, Barcena del Bierzo in Galicia. Michael met just about everyone on my dad's side of the family. We visited a castle, took a long nap, and ate a late dinner (10pm may be normal for Spaniards but not us) to celebrate my birthday with the whole family. They fed us REALLY well and in great quantities.

Only the demitasses are souvenirs.

A - Barcena del Bierzo, where my abuela lives

One of Michael's favorite things he saw in Spain was the room where my grandma smokes and dries all her own pork.

 After my birthday dinner: Michael, me, Aunt Eva, her son Victor, her husband Roberto, and her daughter Maria (in front)

Alejandro, my cousin Cristina (his wife), Michael, me, my cousin Monica, their mom Rami, their dad Uncle Pablo

Aunt Pili, Michael, me, my cousin Jonny, my abuela, Pili's boyfriend

Carlos's girlfriend Teri, Michael, me, my cousin Roberto Carlos, his girlfriend Jenny, Uncle Carlos

My birthday mil hojas. Three cheers for turning 30 in Spain!

Dec. 18 - My official birthday! saw my cousin's new house, had lunch with the family, left in our rental car for San Sebastian, and arrived after dark. We successfully checked into our hotel in Spanish (no more Dad to translate as he stayed behind with his family), walked around the city, and found a decent but ordinary place for dinner.

Our Nissan Micra rental car. Good thing I still remember how to drive a manual!

Playa de la Concha, San Sebastian - just a few minutes walk from our hotel

Dec. 19 - a very laid-back day as San Sebastian is very small; we mostly walked around taking in the beautiful scenery of the beach and cobbled streets, hike up Mt. Urgull (very unfortunate that we forgot our camera for this), lunch at Bodegon Alejandro, more walking around enjoying the beautiful weather, pinxtos for dinner at Cuchara de Santelmo, churros and chocolate for dessert at Santa Lucia

View of Monte. Urgull with the statue of Jesus on top

Michael wanted to touch the Bay of Biscay

Monte. Urgull at sunset

Playa de la Concha at sunset

I Will Never Be a Travel Writer, part 1

Spain won the World Cup last year and decided our vacation fate. Yep. Michael and I couldn't decide where we wanted to go on vacation, so he suggested (back in May/June) that we go to whichever country won the World Cup. Crazy? Maybe, but it made soccer much more interesting to me for a while.

I feel that I should share a few tales of that trip with you, but I've been putting it off for far too long because I just don't seem to have the passion or skill to tell travel stories (or any stories, really). Also, I seem to use parentheses more than the normal, healthy writer. It would be great if I had some awesome photography skills to make up for my lack of story-telling skills. Then I could let the pictures tell my story. Alas, I am an untalented nitwit. Nevertheless, I will share a time line and a few pics and short blurbs highlighting our trip. Part 1 will cover our time in Madrid.

Dec. 13 - We depart from Columbus in the afternoon to New York (JFK) where we had a 4ish hour layover. Then on to Madrid without much delay and arrive the morning of...

Dec. 14 - Our luggage does not arrive :( We file a report and wait for my dad who arrives from Phoenix via Chicago about an hour later. Checked in to our very nice hotel: Husa Paseo del Arte. Visited El Prado museum which has a large collection of Goyas, el Grecos, Velasquez and other classic Spanish and Italian artists. Lunch at Museo de Jamon. Some sightseeing that included Plaza Mayor, Puerta del Sol, and el Corte Ingles which is like the Macy's of Spain. Dinner @ Cañas y Tapas (not so good). Checked out Plaza Santa Ana at night.

in front of El Prado

lunch at Museo del Jamon: various cured meats, cheese, and bread

I really enjoyed all the plazas they had in Spain. I love the pedestrian atmosphere and the old world architecture that surrounds them.

A woman we met on the plane told us that Madrid has some of the best Christmas lights ever.  They were pretty spectacular hanging over almost every street in the city.

Plaza Santa Ana

Dec. 15 - tour of Estadio Santiago Bernabeu where Real Madrid plays, lunch at Terra Mundi, Museo de Reina Sofia, taxi to 29 Fanegas for tapas dinner (SO good!), realization that my pre-travel freak-out about what to pack now seems ridiculous after wearing the same thing for three days

Definitely a highlight for the men was visiting the Real Madrid soccer stadium where we took a self-guided tour and got to sit in the players' seats on the sidelines.

Estadio Santiago Bernabéu

in front of Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía

Dec. 16 - San Miguel market, Palacio Real (loved the armory), lunch at La Sanabresa (good but salty, classic Spanish-homestyle), suitcase arrives and we change into clean clothes!, walk through Parque Retiro, dinner at Museo de Jamon again

Mercado de San Miguel

monkfish @ Mercado de San Miguel

Who needs a palace when you have a mansion? The royal family only uses theirs for special occasions, so we got to take a tour. The king had a huge room just to get dressed in!

lovely photo op in Parque Retiro

in Parque Retiro