I haven’t been posting much here lately — my oldest child had to be moved into a new apartment in Iowa before she left for a month in China; middle child is graduating from high school tomorrow and we had to prepare for the open house; youngest child wrapped up his 7th grade school year; Tim started 10 weeks of training for a new job; work (as always) is busy; and my dad was recently diagnosed with cancer. I’ve had lots on my mind.

And now, instead of posting more, I’m getting ready to attempt something that frightens me. First, let me say that I love design. I love my computer and all electronic devices. I am not afraid of these things.

But the second you move computer and design into the webosphere (I don’t think that’s a real word), I am shaking in my boots. That is, if it weren’t 84˚ today and I hadn’t already packed my boots out of sight for the summer.

I’m getting ready to attempt to convert my blog from a wordpress.com blog to one using wordpress.org. If you’re like me, that doesn’t really mean much to you. It’s supposed to offer lots more flexibility and features that I need moving forward. I will also be changing and customizing a new theme (i.e., the way it looks). But I can’t find anyone to hire to do this for me, so I’m going to try it myself. What this means for you: a longer break from my posts while I figure this stuff out. And the possibility that if you do come to my blog in the meantime, there’s a decent chance that it will look all wonky. So please bear with me and cross your fingers and toes that it’s really as easy as they say it is. I don’t think I believe them. But, boy would I like to be surprised!

Maybe it’ll only take me a couple days and you’ll hear from me again soon. Or maybe it’ll be quick and easy but I won’t get around to starting for three weeks. I just don’t know. But in the meantime, wanted you to know I hadn’t forgotten about you. I have some great ideas and posts coming up down the road. And I’m never too busy to respond to emails or messages, so if you’re so inclined, please stay in touch.

Enjoy the kids being home, the sun shining outside, the leisurely wake-ups of a summer schedule, the craziness of vacations, working while everyone else plays, the smell of sweaty kids, the sounds of bored ones, the backs of your legs sticking to black vinyl car seats, the smell of sunscreen, the chill of A/C, dinners cooked on the grill — whatever applies to you right now. I’ll be back in touch — hopefully soon — once I have a spectacularly improved new blog to show you!

P.S. It’s barely even summer and I’ve been devouring tons of books. I’m only listing ones I’ve read in the last 2-3 months that I’ve really, really liked. Here they are, in case you need any summer reading recommendations:

YA:
The Program and The Treatment (Suzanne Young)
The Selection trilogy (Kiera Cass)
MILA 2.0 (Debra Driza)
Nearly Gone (Elle Cosimano)
The Lunar Chronicles (Marissa Meyer)
The Legend trilogy (Marie Lu)
The Giver series (Lois Lowry) – movie comes out this summer!

Adult:
Whistling Past the Graveyard (Susan Crandall)
Love Gone Wild (Amy Matayo)
The Perfume Collector (Kathleen Tessaro)

Nonfiction/memoir/spiritual:
Found: A Story of Questions, Grace & Everyday Prayer (Micha Boyett) — LOVED
Glitter and Glue (Kelly Corrigan)
Spiritual Misfit: A Memoir of Uneasy Faith (Michelle Derusha) — really like but not yet finished
Memoirs of the Soul (Nan Merrick Phifer)
Choking in Fear (Mike McCarty)
the blogs of Addie Zierman, Micha Boyett, Rachel Held Evans

Middle grade:
The soon-to-be-released The Hunter Awakens (by my fabulous friend Joe Roper)

Have any suggestions for me?