This week was an emotional one for me.  There are feelings just racing about and dreams that are filled with people that I’d just rather forget.  I’m trying to convince myself to be and feel a certain way, but it’s like wearing a mask… I know what’s underneath.

This week was just… plain and simple… hard.  It was watching my memories fly away like beautiful butterflies… and me calling them back, “Wait!”

On the flip side of my emotional paralysis… I have some exciting “Blog News.”  A Novel Menagerie has just broken the 100K hits mark!  I never thought it could happen, but it has.  I am overjoyed and grateful for everyone who has stopped by, read, voted, skimmed, or clicked on.  Thank you so very, very much! 

This Week’s Reads

This week, I read and reviewed: 

In My Mailbox for Review

Contests 

You only have until Monday night to get in your votes for A Novel Menagerie’s First Annual “My Beautiful Baby Contest.”  We’ve got three front-runners who are in a battle for the win!  I know their mommies would appreciate your votes!

I am giving away 3 copies of April & Oliver by Tess Callahan and 1 copy of Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Home this week.  Please see the links in the sidebar or hit the “Contests” button above to enter.

Reading Challenges 

On J. Kaye’s 100+ Reading Challenge…  I’m at 70 books done.  Therefore, my statistical update for this challenge is that I’m 70% completed with 40.28% of the year completed.  This puts me ahead of schedule by 29.72%.   

Lainey Grace Update

Even though Lainey Grace finished her round of Chemotherapy and had headed home last week, she ended up back in the hospital.   It wasn’t until Thursday of this week that they finally gave her the green light to go home.  It’s because her white blood cell count just keeps jumping all over the place.  Her mommy, Lori, tells me that this is completely normal.

I’m not sure if Lori will be displeased with me sharing a part of her story or not… but, I just wanted to share the greatness of God in every day life.  This story just so simply shows it.

The story begins as Lori is trading her bedside spot with her husband so that she spend some time at home with her boys and get a little bit of rest.  Lori hasn’t left Lainey’s bedside since all of this happened, but she needed just the smallest break from the hospital to regain her strength via sleep.   So, her husband brings her the boys at the hospital and Lori and the boys head back home.  This drive is long and it is on stretches of highway that aren’t highly populated in many areas.  Unfortunately, Lori runs out of gas.  Having the boys with her, she is very concerned.  She locked up the van and safely heads down the highway to an exit that has a gas station.  (I ask her as she recounts the story, “You have Triple-A, right?”  She tells me that they didn’t renew it because they never use it.  Tell me about it… I’ve been cutting excess costs, too!)

First, a trucker stops and offers help.  She politely declines as she is most concerned about her boys safety.  And, even though she has her cell phone she is careful to protect her boys and avoid help from an unknown man.  Next, a nice SUV pulls up.  Inside is an armed forces officer.  He presents her his identification and assures her that he is a safe and honorable man.  He was in route back to the local base and she sees his fatigues on the passenger seat.   As they briefly discuss her predictament, he tells her that he just happened to throw a gas can in the back of his truck before he left home that day.  He said that it was just in his garage and it occured to him to bring it in case he was lower on gas than he thought on the long drive.  He then told her that he usually never has it with him, just today he thought to bring it.  Lori offered to pay him for the gasoline and would accept no less than him taking the money.  She paid him $20 and his honesty was further demonstrated when he told her how much it actually cost and gave her change!  Shortly thereafter, he is able to give them a short lift to their van.  He watches as Lori safely gets the boys inside.  He gets the gas into her vehicle and makes sure that she is safe and on her way.

So, as Lori is telling me this story… like it was NOTHING… she just quietly says, “Oh, it was just The Lord taking care of me.”  I’m practically shouting at her through the phone, “This is HUGE, Lori.”  I go on and on telling her that I believe that The Lord is just so overwhelmingly all-knowing and all-encompassing.  How he spoke to that officer in the recesses of his mind and told him to bring that gas can “just in case!”  God knew that Lori wouldn’t have taken help from anybody other than a very safe person and how grand it is that he provided a noble man who understood that!  I found that God’s reminder in this story was that he takes care of all the details… big and small.  God will take care of his children just as we look after ours.  He will look after our safety and provide for us!

Lainey is getting ready to head back to the hospital this week for another round of Chemotherapy.  The prayers that I am asking for this week are for not only Lainey, but for Lori as well.  It is hard for her to be distanced from home and her family for so long!  She never wants to let Lainey down and she always wants to be there.  Lori is a beautiful person and the best mommy I know.  She’s always patient and she’s always focused on loving Lainey.  I wish to ask for prayers that Lainey manages this round of chemo as easy as possible.  I ask for her body to be healed and for her spirit to remain strong.  For Lori, I ask for “mommy prayers.”  I ask for mommies to send her our best thoughts that she is able to manage this next long stay away from home.  I pray for her ability to find some peace admist the chaos of the hospital and the revolving door of doctors, nurses, and medical staff.  I pray that she is able to get more rest this visit.  I pray that she and Lainey have an easier stay, all around.  

For all of you who have kept this family in your prayers, I personally want to thank you, again!  In case you haven’t read Lainey Grace’s story, you can access it by clicking  HERE. 

At Home & On TV 

The voters have spoken and Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas won by less than 1% of the votes.  Gilles took the news with so much grace and dignity.  Of course, I was all bummed out because I loved Melissa and Tony.  But, I didn’t see how they would have the chance of winning based on her limited popularity.  In the Finale episode, I loved The Roast they did on the contestants. 

American Idol grabbed a lot of attention this week.  First, I’ll share what I did like in this way-too-long finale:

What I didn’t much care for:

• Adam Lambert screaming again.
• Singing “We Are The Champions.”  It seemed over-indulgent to me.
• Adam Lambert’s stupid boots.
• Tatiana Del Toro getting more attention.  When will it be enough?      

• Adam Lambert’s bad make-up job for the Kiss montage
• Bikini Girl. 
• Adam Lambert’s cocky and LAME reaction to getting a brand new hybrid from Ford.  Ungrateful little worm!
• Randy’s outfit.  What’s up with that, Dagh? 
• Adam Lambert’s stupid expression on his face when they were going to announce the winner.

So You Think You Can Dance started up this week.  Did y’all see it?  I LOVE LOVE LOVE that show.  I was a dancer growing up and I am a huge fan of dance.  I like this show more than Dancing With The Stars and I typically go sand see the road-show after the season is over.  So many talented dancers.  Did y’all know that Lacy Schwimmer and Chelsie Hightower both came to Dancing With The Stars from So You Think You Can Dance (as did Dimitri).  So, auditions were aired on Thursday Night and I can’t wait to blog about this show because I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!

The Bachelorette.  I know that I said that I wasn’t going to watch it because I didn’t much like Jillian on The Bachelor.  But, I’m weak.  I can’t resist it.  I keep telling myself that it’s because I want to stare at 25 HOT GUYS. I hope that I start to soften about Jillian and come to like her more. 

Pride and Prejudice.  Well, what an experience that book and movie have been.  I’m still working on my review posts. 

Well, thanks to everybody for reading my MEGA LONG post.

As always, my thanks to all of you for reading not only this post, but the others as well.   Your readership means the world to me!  AND, your comments are invaluable to me!

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