cold tangerines

As I mentioned on Tuesday, I recently read Shauna Niequist's book Cold Tangerines. It was incredible and I wanted to share some quotes from the book. I would quote the whole book to you if I could. I hope you enjoy these little gems.

"To choose to celebrate in the world we live in right now might seem irresponsible. It might seem frivolous, like cotton candy and charm bracelets. But I believe it is a serious undertaking, and one that has the potential to return us to our best selves, to deliver us back to men and women God created us to be, people who choose to see the best, believe the best, yearn the best."

"This pedestrian life is the most precious thing any of us will every experience."

"I don’t want to wait anymore. I choose to believe that there is nothing more profound than this day. I choose to believe that there may be a thousand big moments embedded in this day, waiting to be discovered like tiny shards of gold."

"Family gets made when the you decide to hold hands and sit shoulder to shoulder when it seems like the sky is falling."

"Friendship is acting out God’s love for people in tangible ways. We were made to represent the love of God in each other’s lives, so that each person we walk through life with has a more profound sense of God’s love for them. Friendship is an opportunity to act on God’s behalf in the lives of the people that we’re close to, reminding each other who God is. When we do the hard, intimate work of friendship, we bring a little more of the divine into daily life. We get to remind one another about the bigger, more beautiful picture that we can’t always see from where we are."

"We can’t stand in the way of death, but when it comes, we can stand in its face together, and celebrate life and celebrate family and celebrate having loved fiercely and expressively.
I thought I might burst at that moment, so full of sadness and beauty, so thrilled for this new family, this new symbol of possibility and life, and so heavy with the grief I carried with me. And that moment felt like a rare gift, like the essence of life and love and family was sitting in my hand, like a tiny bird."

"One look at a baby’s fingers and you just know that those little bundles of flesh and tiny bones are more sacred, more spiritual, than any thought or idea or theology could ever be."

"It’s rebellious, in a way, to choose joy, to choose to dance, to choose to love your life. It’s much easier and much more common to be miserable."

source

Seen It, Heard It, Read It

Seen It

127 Hours

I've been waiting for a long time [see here] to see this movie. I was really impressed. It was about as hard to watch as it was to read the book. Overall it was great, but I almost like the book better because it's hard to translate some of what he went through [especially his thoughts] into the movie. If you're worried about it being graphic [like I was], it's not too bad. Obviously when he actually cuts off his arm it's pretty nasty, but please don't let it deter you from watching. You can always close your eyes.

Killers

I wasn't sure what to expect, but I thought it was a fun movie! It was funny and kept me wondering what was going to happen. Like I said on twitter, I wouldn't mind running into Ashton in France. Oh la la! Haha!

Romeo + Juliet

I don't know why I've never seen this version, but I remedied that this past week. Okay, who doesn't know the story of Romeo and Juliet? It was definitely a unique take on the story. It's kind of like whenever, I watch Titanic and hope the ship doesn't sink. If only Romeo would have gotten the letter. Sigh....

Heard It

Bruno Mars: Doo-Wop & Hooligans

I got this cd from the library last week and listened to it all weekend. I think all of the songs have merged together and gotten stuck in my head.

The Civil Wars: Barton Hollow

Heather has been DYING to get this cd, but the only place they sell it in Boise is at The Record Exchange. We were out shopping on Saturday and she was finally able to get it. I've only listened to it a couple times, but I think it's gonna be a new favorite.

Read It
I was able to read REAL BOOKS over my Spring Break last week! It was so nice!

An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin

This was one of the books that Heather read recently. It was my first Steve Martin book. Like she said, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I really enjoyed it.

Cold Tangerines by Shauna Niequist

I won this book from Ryan Guard's blog. I randomly entered after he tweeted about it. I was thrilled to have won something, but had no idea what I was in for. I ate this book up! It's incredible. I want to share the synopsis so you can get a glimpse of how amazing it is. Thanks again Ryan!

"Cold Tangerines is a collection of stories that celebrate the extraordinary moments hidden in our everyday lives. It is about God, and about life, and about the thousands of daily ways in which an awareness of God changes and infuses everything. It is about spiritual life, and about all the things that we have called nonspiritual life that might be spiritual after all. It is the snapshots of a young woman making peace with herself and her life, and trying to craft a life that captures the energy and exuberance we long for in the midst of the fear and regret and envy we all carry with us. It is both a voice of challenge and song of comfort, calling us upward to the best possible life, and giving us room to breathe, to rest, to break down and break through. Cold Tangerines offers bright and varied glimpses of hope and redemption, in and among the heartbreak and boredom and broken glass."