My Birthday

To sum up, I had a really good birthday this year. I normally like surprises and am not one of those women who picks out her own gifts and tells her husband what he got her. But this year, Jeff announced, "I know what I'm going to get you for your birthday, and I want you to do the research and pick it out." Okay, then! So I spent a good part of the next day researching "e-readers" - basically Nook vs. Kindle. As I kept a running tally of pros and cons in an open e-mail to my sweetie pie the clear choice was Nook. I know that an e-reader seems like the perfect gift for me, but I admit I've been a bit of a snob concerning them. I truly love the feel and smell of a good book in my hands. And I don't think I'll ever let go of them altogether - too "Fahrenheit 451" for me. But I do like my new Nook. I didn't want a lot of bells and whistles, though I did go for the one that is lighted - lots of long nights nursing ahead, not to mention reading in the car after dark.

With soon-to-be 4 little crumbsnatchers, a cover was pretty much a necessity.

Screensaver: Brontë Sisters.

I love having "bookshelves"!

All I have on there right now are some free classics - which has been my only complaint so far. I have the Kindle app on my laptop and have never had issues with the free books available through that. With Nook, however, I downloaded several that I ended up having to delete off because they were very poor quality - major typographical errors, gibberish in the middle of words, etc.

Currently (re)reading "Wives & Daughters" - absolutely LOVE Elizabeth Gaskell. She's often overshadowed by Jane Austen, but they're both wonderful.

On my actual birthday, my sweet friend Kim stopped by with a lovely frappuccino, and even lovelier flowers.

On Saturday, Jeff took me out to lunch (Italian food, of course!) and then to see Star Trek! Ever since we saw the release date of the new movie, we had an understanding that would be my birthday date. I have loved Star Trek since I was a little girl and JJ Abrams since Alias. A perfect match, in my opinion. (Speaking of  a perfect match,  how spot-on is Karl Urban as Bones? Is he DeForest Kelley's secret grandson or what?!) I'm also having lots of fun plotting how to spend the birthday money from Mom and Berk. I've splurged on a pedicure so far, and am hoarding the rest until I decide on what to do.