#AMonthofFaves: #WeekendReading

I had to pop back in here this morning with an addendum to this post. Last night, the area of northeast Texas I've called home all my life was struck by an outbreak of tornadoes. We were very lucky that we weren't affected in my hometown beyond a tornado warning that sent us into the closet with our dogs, but the nearest catastrophic damage was a mere 13 minutes away. The largest tornado, affecting Garland and Rowlett, was just shy of the area where we drop Greyson off every week with his dad. These are neighborhoods with which I'm intimately familiar. Where we shop, eat, pass through, know people.

This tornado happened across a miles-long bridge over an extremely large lake. I cannot imagine being the people stuck in cars watching this unfold ahead of them. But, in truth, I can imagine it because I go this way at least once a week. The terror of it. 

I feel for so many families who lost their loved ones, their homes, their pets. My Facebook feed is filling up with people looking, searching, for the people and animals they loved most.

The thing about having a voice...anywhere...is putting it to good use. I implore you, that if you have the means, make a donation to the American Red Cross as they set up shelters, assess damage, feed people, and help them get their lives back. One of my former students and colleagues is a digital communications specialist for the Red Cross, and I have no doubt she'll also be on the ground working toward these efforts. They do so much. I never realized how much until she began to educate me. I've made my donation to my neighbors. You can do the same by text message or at the Red Cross website. 

Thank you for all the messages of concern I received from all over the US and the world in light of these storms. We are so blessed. Many were not so fortunate.

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Today is a free for all! Tell us about something favority from the past week: a Christmas gift, a book, a blog, a post. Whatever floats your boat!

Check out Tanya Patrice and Tamara for more #WeekendReading and #AMonthofFaves.

Ahh, this past week was full of good stuff. Greyson has been having a blast in New York, and the pictures and videos have helped us feel like we're along for the ride. He will be home tomorrow, and we can't wait to see him!

We spent most of Christmas Eve and Christmas day over at my mom's house. We had a big meal with all the trimmings, a few cocktails, watched A Christmas Story, opened gifts, and generally lazed around. We even watched Scream and Scream 2 on Christmas day. That's a little quirky nostalgia for ya since growing up my mom and I always ended up seeing the newly-released Scream film in the theater on Christmas Eve. We also had a little family coloring marathon.

I always seem to find just one more favorite book at the end of the year, and this time around it's Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation by Kate Bornstein and S. Bear Bergman, but more about that later this week. 

Heather and I had fun with words this past week. We were talking about that feeling of wanting to read ALL THE BOOKS at once. It never works out that way, but we came up with a word for it...a case of "gobbledybooks." 

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. What have you been reading? Did you get any bookish gifts?