Panda, NJ, and Bob

Dave and I went to Panda Express of couple of weeks ago. We like Panda Express for quick Chinese for three reasons:

1. Orange Chicken is SO good.
2. We can order one meal with 3 entrees and split it for a dinner date of $6.99
3. I get to have my fortune told to me by a delicious cookie

But this post-believe it or not-is NOT about Panda Express. It’s about how I was inspired by a fortune cookie I unwrapped at Panda Express. See below:




I keep this fortune taped to the bottom of my computer screen at work. It’s a good reminder of what I hope to be, which got me thinking. My mission president in New Jersey believed in the power of positive affirmations. At the beginning of each transfer we had to write a list of 5-10 positive things about ourselves. These things didn’t necessarily have to be true at that moment, but the thought was that by saying them out loud every day (as part of companion study) these things would take hold in our brains and our subconscious actions would make them BECOME true.

So, in honor of Panda Express and my Mission President, I have written a handful of affirmations that perfectly illustrate my life at this moment-at least what I am working toward.

“I am productive and creative with my free time at work”
“I enjoy doing the dishes”
“I am finishing ‘The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet’ by the end of March”
“I tell my husband WHY I love him every day”
“I face the future with confidence and peace”
“I take joy in the little things in life”

In the words of Dr. Leo Marvin, “Baby Steps”

I Couldn't Help Myself

It’s no secret that I love books. I say “books” instead of “to read” because not only do I like to read, but I love to think, talk, and write about books in general. I started a book club this past fall to satiate my craving to talk about literature. We’re still working out the kinks (seeing as how I’ve never even attended another book club before) but we haven’t killed it yet.

Last month, we read “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society”, and lo and behold, one member of the book club brought (gluten free) POTATO PEEL PIE! It was so fun!

One of the things I love most about book club is the tangents we get on-about books. It doesn’t matter to me if we’re talking about books we hate:
My examples:

-The Great Gatsby. Yuck! And I’m an AMERICAN STUDIES MAJOR!
-The Handmaid’s Tale. I was warned and did not heed the counsel to stay away!
-Wicked. Yes, the book based on the popular Broadway show. Broadway does it SO much better!
-Girl with a Pearl Earring. I also watched the movie a couple years after reading the book thinking it would be better, it wasn’t.
-Their Eyes were watching God. Can’t explain my dislike, it just wasn’t good!

Or if we’re talking about memorable first lines (Just for fun I’ll let you guess what lines come from what books)

-“Last Night I dreamt I went to Manderly again”
-“Call me Ishmael”
- “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”
-“Happy families are all alike, every unhappy family is unhappy in it’s own way”
-“ It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair”

Of course we talk about books we’ve read. I like to even talk about books I haven’t read (but probably should)

-1984
-Catcher in the Rye
-Pride and Prejudice
-Crime and Punishment
-Lord of the Flies
-Great Expectations
-The Chronicles of Narnia

Clearly even writing this blog post is more of a self-indulgence rather than something I think our blog readers are actually INTERESTED in reading. 

In short, I like books.