Book Review: East Wind: West Wind by Pearl Buck

I went to a book club meeting Thursday where we discussed East Wind: West Wind by Pearl Buck. (If you're asking how I ever have time to read a book, I have to admit that if I am reading a book usually something else is not getting done like cleaning the house or updating the blog or feeding my kids.) This book takes place in early 20th century China. The central character is a girl named Kwie-lan who is about to get married to the man she has been arranged to marry since before she was born. Her mother has taught her all the things she needs to know to please her husband like how to paint her eyebrows in just the right way and how to serve tea to her husband's mother with both hands. However, her husband has been educated in the west and wants his wife to be equal to him and to go against custom and live by themselves instead of with his parents. He even wants her to unbind her feet. These ideas are so foreign to Kwie-lan that she is distraught and seeks the advice of her mother who tells her to do whatever she needs to to please her hsuband. Unbinding her feet becomes the bonding moment between Kwie-lan and her husband. So while things are going well for Kwie-lan, the same cannot be said for her brother who went to America and brought back an American wife. He is disowned from his family and his mother is so upset that it causes her death. Kwie-lan and her brother both break from centuries-old traditions to find a new life for themselves and their families.

Here is what I took away from this book:1) No matter how much you prepare for something, sometimes it is much different than you thought it would be, and that is not necessarily bad. 2)When you really get to know someone you realize that you have more similarities than differences. 3) What happens when the western idea of love meets the eastern idea of love is the same theme of another book by Pearl Buck called Mandala which my mom checked out for me to read one summer during high school.

All in all, if you are looking for a good read, pick up East Wind: West Wind by Pearl Buck.

Grandpa Herschel's 90th Birthday Party

My grandpa Herschel Hafen turned 90 on January 19. On January 17 we had a party for him. He is one of thirteen children and he has seven children of his own. So with brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, and nephews, it was quite a full house. Each of his childrens' families shared some kind of musical number, all of which were beautiful (we get that from our grandmother). What I thought was best was that Lance spent almost the whole time sitting next to grandpa. Lance has a special affinity for old people and Grandpa said it just made his day that Lance wanted to be next to him.

If you know my grandpa, you know that he is the strong silent type, but every once in a while he can be quite witty. He owned a tire store for many years and he loves his family more than anything in the world. It's interesting that I married someone who is the strong, silent type, witty once in a while, runs a tire store, and loves his family more than anything.

Tis the Season

Tis the season for school Christmas programs with visits from Santa:

Tis the season for birthdays. In my family, just in December, birthdays include me, my mom (she turned 60 this year) my nephews Clayton and Frankie, and Alex. And just added to that December birthday count: new twin nieces, Erica and Elizabeth. These are my mom's grandkids singing at her birthday party.

Tis the season for big family get-togethers that include good food and good talent.

Tis the season for snow days, although where we live that is rather unseasonable. There was just enough snow for it to be fabulously fun and to make a few snowpeople. That really is almost a once in a lifetime memory.

Tis the season for the magic and joy that Santa can bring into a child's life.

I love this season!

Happy Birthday Alex

Alex's birthday was yesterday, Dec. 28. The card I got for him says everything I feel:

Birthday after birthday

year after year,

we live and we laugh and we grow.

We savor our joys,

learn from mistakes,

let life's little heartaches all go.

Birthday after birthday,

we're grateful for memories we've made

and for goals that we've met,

And the beauty of life

is that every new year

holds the hope it will be our best yet.

For all the beautiful days

and nights we've shared,

for all that's still to come-

I love you.

Don We Now Our Gay Apparel

I love dressing up. Fortunately for me, my husband works for a company that has a formal party every year. The annual Discount Tire Company Party was last night at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. For a bunch of tire guys, they really go all out for these annual parties. I found a great dress for this year's party: plum colored, mermaid style, slightly rouched and beaded in the middle. I love feeling like a princess! The party was fantastic! Excellent food, a surprise proposal (almost any proposal brings a tear to my eye), dancing with my husband (that's an annual event as well), and the company put us up in the hotel for the night! That's really livin' the high life! Also, I just have to say that Alex really cleans up well.
Here's a better look at the dress.


Alex and Carmen with Bruce Halle, founder and CEO of Discount Tire

HBDT Me!

So today is my birthday and I am 35 years old. I can hardly believe it myself. Thirty-five seems so old until you actually get there. Whenever I see someone that is 28 or 29 or 30 I always think they are the same age as me. Two years ago I was talking to the father of one of my college roommates and he said that I looked the exact same as the last time he had seen me ten years before. I guess I'm aging well.

However, there are times when I feel old. It seems I have to take extra time and make-up to cover up the dark circles under my eyes. Recently I substitute taught at the high school I graduated from and where I last taught. I was filling in for a teacher who co-taught with other teachers and one of the teachers I co-taught with was Mr. Purtill, the same Mr. Purtill that was my eighth-grade Algebra teacher in 1988. That was 20 years ago! And I'm really out of it when it comes to text-messaging. If I ever send a message it takes me forever because I don't know the lingo. And I am super annoyed by people who text while I am talking to them. It's not multi-tasking; it's rude!

I was looking at my baby album and I noticed this picture of me and my mom. I am about sixteen months old. I think it could be a picture of my own little girl Lacey, except her eyes are blue.

Here I am: older and wiser.

Lance's Testimony

Once when Lance was two he wanted to bear his testimony, but I said he had to wait until he was three. He has borne his testimony quite often since he turned three. At first Alex or I would tell him what to say. Then I would ask him what he wanted to say and if he got nervous, I would remind him of what he had already told me. Well today he decided that he wanted to go up to the stand all by himself and bear his testimony by himself. This is basically what he said:"I want to bear my testimony. I know this church is true. I know Thomas S. Monson can be the prophet. I love my mom and dad and my sister and my brother and my grandmas and grandpas and my teachers. I know that if we be good we can live with Jesus someday. I want to be a missionary when I grow up and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

Alex and I looked at each other and said, "Wow!" It was such a sincere, sweet testimony that it brought me to tears. I was so proud of my little five-year-old.