Summer Reading List

When I was in school, I used to hate those summer reading lists that the English teachers would give us. You'd always have some sort of assignment to go along with it, like Reader-Response Journals or essays. Have things really changed that much? Nope. I still have a summer reading list, but it is two-fold. I have a long list of children's novels that I need to read for the upcoming school year (17 titles, to be exact). I also have a list of books I'd like to read for pleasure. It's not that I don't like reading children's literature...I do. It's just sometimes, I don't really feel like reading about owls who work in "eggoriums" and "pelletoriums", or gasping when I read the word "hell" because I have to figure out how to explain to my kids the whole "we can say it because it is in the context of the book" thing, or because I'm constantly thinking about what kinds of literary elements I'll be able to teach. So what do I end up with? Tons of books to read. Here are my summer reading lists. You'll notice that the school one is way longer.

School Book List

I've already read Sarah, Plain and Tall, Skylark, Poppy, Three Cups of Tea and The Capture.

Personal Book List

Anyone have any reviews on these???

Marissa's Baby Shower

Yesterday, we had a baby shower for one of my very good friends Marissa (view her blog here). She and her husband David are expecting a baby at the beginning of August. We have NO idea what the baby is, but I think most people are of the mind that it will be a boy. (Won't we be surprised if a little princess shows up!) The diaper cake in the photo was actually made by me, with some help from my mom. I can't believe it turned out so cute! (Someone asked if I sold them...haha!) Here are some pictures of the shower. P.S. - How good does Marissa look??

And the Winner is...My Gallbladder!

Earlier this week I met with a surgeon to discuss my good ol' gallbladder. Apparently, it's been wreaking havoc on my digestive system, and the rest of my body. Therefore, it will be removed. You know what they say, "If you can't play nice....", and unfortunately, my gallbladder has NOT been playing nice. I've been having this achy feeling under my right arm and under my chest for the last six weeks, so I'm hoping that it goes away after this surgery. In addition to that, I'm looking forward to the lack of nausea and heartburn, which I will not miss either. The surgery is next Friday, July 2nd. It will be done laproscopically (thank goodness), and should take no more than an hour. The doctor said that I will be in recovery for 2-3 hours, and should be out of the surgery center by noon, and on my way home. My wonderful husband will then be responsible for nursing me back to health...good luck to me! Just kidding...love you honey!

The Pinskys Go on Vacation

I am back from my 2 week blogging hiatus! Last week, Kevin and I traveled to Myrtle Beach with his parents, brother Steve, and his girlfriend Cindy. We had a very relaxing (and BUSY) week. Here are some of the highlights of our trip: First, we went MEGA grocery shopping... We played on the beach... We spent time at the pool... We walked around Barefoot Landing... We shopped at the outlet malls... We sipped a few cocktails... Spending the week together was an excellent way to start off our summer. The pictures I've posted do not paint a clear enough picture of all the great things that we did together, but as I've stated before, I'm a very lazy photographer. All in all, we had a blast!

Two Birthdays and a Wedding

We are definitely kicking this summer off with celebrations! Last weekend, we went to Michigan for my friend Jen's wedding. Jen was a beautiful bride, and the lucky groom, Michael, looked very handsome. We dined on delicious food, danced to a wonderful band, and got to spend time with the happy couple. Congrats to Jen and Michael! Unfortunately, I am a super lazy photographer, and did not get very many pictures at the wedding. We also got to have lunch with my friend Julie, who lives in Michigan. So glad we were able to catch up in person!This weekend, Kevin and I celebrated our birthdays. My birthday was on June 1st, so we designated Friday night to be my night. Kevin took me out to a lovely dinner at St. Elmo's Steakhouse. Then, we met our friends at Kilroy's downtown for some mini pitchers of flavored Long Island Iced Teas. On Saturday, we got the house ready for Kevin's 30th birthday cookout. There was a ton of food, a pony keg, and cornhole. Kevin got a Bengals themed set from his parents for this occasion, and a brand new set of golf clubs from me (with a little help from my brother). He got many golf themed gifts from others, who all knew about the clubs. We got to spend time with our families, including our adorable nephew Eli, and our close friends.