long lost love

When I was in elementary school, my favorite thing about the summer was the summer reading contest at the library. I would be looking for that year's reading log before summer even started. I read alot of series- Boxcar Children one summer, Babysitter's Club the next. I would always complete at least one log and usually needed at least one more. The grand prize that stands out most to me was the year I won a blue "Race into Reading" T-shirt. I think that's where my love of free T-shirts began.

In middle school, I started to read historical fiction. I liked the history, but I think I liked the fiction more. There's something about escaping to another place and time that has always captivated me. I find myself getting caught up in movies and TV shows, but they don't allow the same level of imagination as a good book.

In high school and college, my love for reading began to decline. I never like to be forced to do anything, especially not something I enjoy. I spent who knows how many hours highlighting text to remember for the next day's test and reviewing cliff notes for reading quizzes. Somewhere between the cramming for exams and researching for papers, I forgot how much I actually liked to read.

Well, I think that phase of my life has passed! I spent the past two days reading a book just for fun! It was a girly book (The Last Summer of You and I by Ann Brashares if anyone is looking for a book to read by the beach/pool), but it reminded me how much fun it is to create a little world for a set of characters and their thoughts/feelings. I don't know what I'm going to read next so let me know if you have suggestions. I'm going to the library tomorrow to get a library card (and maybe theyll let me get a kids reading log...).

Oh! And I went to the most amazing salad place today. It's called Chop't. How cute is that? It reminded me of Marble Slab because they mix up your salad and then they take it out of the bowl and mix it more and chop everything into little pieces. What a creative idea! Love it.

Last thing- I went to a church in Maryland this morning. At first I was overwhelmed by how large it was and felt like I didn't belong. It's such a strange feeling because I spent the past couple years feeling very plugged in to the church I attended in Durham. I think it is going to be good for me to experience being "the new person." Anyways, there was a guest reception afterwards and I met a couple who was so welcoming. They offered to pick me up from the Metro on Tuesday evening for a cook-out at the church. I'm excited and nervous to meet new people. I long to be accepted, especially in this new place I call home.

It's storming out. Maybe I should start another book tonight.