Book review-Death Comes to Pemberly

I first read Pride and Prejudice when I was fourteen. I fell in love with Austen's world then. With the simplicity of every day life. With tea time and dinner time and balls! I even kinda liked the smug Mr. Darcy.

I have reread that book twenty or twenty-five times now. It is like coming home every time I open the well worn cover. I know the story doesn't change but each time I feel like I am reliving the story and falling it love with it all over again.

Like many people I have often wondered about Darcy and Elizabeth's fate. I have even picked up a few of the prequels and sequels others have written. The latest of these sequels is a mystery book that brings Death to Pemberly.

Basically it is the night before a big ball and low and behold Wickham and Lydia arrive on estate. There has been a murder in the woods and Wickham is soon charged with the death of his best friend Captain Denny. Though I loved the premise of the story the book just didn't do it for me. I felt there were gaping holes in the story. There was nothing that resembled the story I loved. Yes I know it was a murder mystery and it would be different but I expected the characters at least to be the same.

I just didn't buy the changes in characters like Fitzwallace or Darcy. I also didn't understand why there were so many ideas and plots and characters brushed on but not explored. I just felt like I was left wanting for more while characters are left by the wayside. It would have been a good mystery on its own but coupled with literary classic it left much to be desired.

Lent begins.

I read a comment this morning on facebook that basically said that Mormons don't celebrate Lent because being a Mormon is basically like having lent 24/7 and that the only thing left to give up is dessert.

I chuckled a bit about that then this Mormon girl went back to racking her brain on what to give up for Lent this year. Yes I am a Mormon and yes I celebrate Lent.

It all started about seven years ago when my dad mentioned something about Lent and we decided to start observing it. Every year since then I have observed Lent. Most years I give up chocolate (a rather big sacrifice) and one year I went as far as giving up sugar all together. This year though I know my limits and having already given up some of my favorite foods while trying to lose weight s0 I know that if I gave up chocolate this year I would be just setting myself up for failure.

So last night Christian and I sat and came up of a list of possible things I give up for Lent. They included some of the following: laundry, bathing, cleaning, running errands, the diet, the baby...yeah the list got a little more crazy after that, though when Christian mentioned cheese I think I might have cried a little. I cling to cheese as much as I do to chocolate, hey we all have our crutches.

So anyway there I was trying to figure out what to give up. It continued through this morning and still I had nothing. So that is that. I will probably figure it out in a few days. But until then I will keep racking my brain to figure it out. Oh, and I welcome suggestions.

Two steps forward-one step back

So last month I talked about my goal to lose 20 lbs this year and how I was done with excuses. Well January went really well. I started working out with my lovely trainer, Stacey, again and I worked out five days a week every week. I logged my food over at Sparkpeople.com and lost 7 lbs.

I was feeling good. I was feeling strong. Then came February 1st. I worked out with Stacey that morning as planned but then came home and collapsed. Turns out the cold which my kids have managed to avoid hit me with a vengeance. I was down with it Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

No problem, I thought, I will just start again on Monday. Yeah. Sunday morning I was sitting with the girls in stake conference when I started sweating. My legs were aching and I knew I couldn't sit in that cold metal chair for another hour and twenty minutes. So I gathered up the girls and slid our way out of the row, apologizing to people as we went.

I got home and sat the girls in front of the tv with their brother to watch scripture stories while I collapsed on the bed. I should mention that my husband was sick to, the reason he stayed home from church with the boys. I spent the rest of the day either so cold I had to pile four blankets on top of me or so hot that I was happy to sit in front of an open freezer just to stop the heat from radiating. Yeah it was a happy day.

The next day was more of the same. Finally my husband convinced me to go to the doctor (I hate going to the doctor. I avoid it all costs. Usually this is more detrimental to my health that not going but I have not learned my lesson yet) and he took my to the insta-care while my parents watched our kids.

Sure enough I had an infection and that on top of the second round of the cold has put me out this week.

So yeah. My great January has fizzled into a lackluster February.

Come Monday though I am getting on that elliptical and I also hope that the grilled cheese sandwiches I have indulged in this week didn't do too much to my shrinking waist line.

Conflicted

Warning- This is a post that has some thoughts that may not jive with yours. That is fine. I am of the opinion that we can have different thoughts and ideas and still live in peace and harmony. I know it is a different world that I inhabit but a girl can always dream.

Me at the Komen 3-day in Cleveland. 2009

Growing up I heard stories about my grandmother's breast cancer and all that she endured while my mom was little. I learned of the horrors of cancer at an early age and watched my mom go in for yearly screenings and remember fretting when her scans would come back abnormal.

Years later I started involving myself in breast cancer fund raisers. I got my family together and we participated in Komen's Race for the Cure. I joined with good friends across the country and raised close to $6,000 then walked 120 miles all to help in the fight against a disease that had become a family enemy.

Then this week I heard that Komen, an organization that I have held in high respect, decided to pull money for breast screenings from Planned Parenthood. I have some very conflicted thoughts on this.

Somehow Planned Parenthood has become synonymous with abortion. Something which I find troubling. I know of several people when their insurance wouldn't cover it have turned to PP for birth control. PP provides several services for low income families including prenatal care. I don't agree with everything they do but I am grateful that they provide information to women and families on how to take care of themselves.

I now find myself wondering what I should do. I feel that Komen's actions are contrary to what they stand for. I don't think they should let politics on either side of the spectrum influence how or where they spend their money. Their goal has always been to educate women. To help teach women how to take care of themselves. To empower women to stand with others who themselves have suffered through horrible diseases and give them the chance to be inspirations to others.

I don't know what to do anymore. I want to keep supporting Komen. I want to be excited about the Race for Cure in three months. I want to look forward to one day participating in the three day again. But right now I am simply disappointed. Disappointed in an organization that I have always admired.

I know that not supporting Komen would just be hurting other women and I don't want to do that. I also know there are other organizations out there who could use my money.

Until then I will just wait and hope that things resolve themselves in a way that is best for women and not for politics.