# 1 - Read 30 books - Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safron Foer (book 3)



I loved this book!  It was a little slow in the beginning but once I got started, I couldn't put it down.  (Read the synposis and/or buy it here) There were some parts that were hard to follow; I had to flip back to see who was speaking (there are a lot of "Dear..." letters and sometimes it was hard to keep track).  The subject matter was unique and the main character, Oskar, is extremely well created and interesting.  It was a touching and inspiring story.  It made me remember that there are children of 9/11 who must feel the same way as Oskar - trying to hold on to the parent they lost, however they can, for as long as they can. 

After I finished it, I went to Red Box to rent it.  It was fairly different from the book (some parts were totally different) but I liked it on its own.  I love Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock, so that probably helped, but it was still a good movie.  I sort of wish I hadn't watched it so close to reading the book because I spent a lot of time noticing what parts were different and thinking I knew what was going to happen next.  I was still very glad that I watched it and would recommend it as well.

# 5 - Paddleboat in Forest Park

One of my favorite things about St. Louis is Forest Park.  (Read about it here)  It houses main St. Louis attractions like the zoo, history and art museums, science center, and skating rink.  Not to mention the acres and acres of paths, hills, and water features; it's beautiful.  Forest Park is also home to the Boathouse, a restaurant and boat rental facility.  It sits on a lake and you can rent paddleboats or kayaks for $15 an hour.

I took the day off of work so that my husband and I could have a date day since we weren't able to spend Easter together.  We were originally going to take a trolley tour of St. Louis but I didn't plan it well enough to know that they don't do tours on Mondays. Anyway, it was going to be a gorgeous day in St. Louis so I really wanted to do something outside, also preferably doing something I could cross off my list.  So paddleboating it was.  We got there within half an hour of them opening.  It wasn't too warm yet and there wasn't a line.  We paddled out to the Grand Basin and then headed back.  It took us the full hour to get back, including a couple of breaks-paddling is tough!  It was a good, unexpected workout.  Afterwards, we had lunch outside at their restaurant.  The food was so good!

I am so glad we did this today.  The weather was gorgeous and the views while paddleboating were breathtaking.  It really made me even more thankful to live in a place that offers us these activities.  I would encourage everyone to do this at least once!

#22 - Make a new recipe a month - March

Amy made delicious enchiladas while I was visiting her in Chicago.  She gave me the recipe and I knew I wanted to make them for my family right away because they are amazing.  The recipe was super easy and made plenty of enchiladas for leftovers.  I used cream cheese, sour cream, shredded cheese, black beans, corn, green onions, salsa, and some spices to give it a little kick.  My family loved them!  I know I'll be making these again since they were really simple and very yummy. I added a side of dirty rice to go along with them.

# 1 Read 30 books - If You Were Here by Jen Lancaster (book 2)

I LOVE Jen Lancaster's books.  I was introduced to her books by my friend Amy and it was love at first read.  She began by writing memoirs - hilarious, laugh-out-loud to yourself memoirs.  Her memoirs have covered topics ranging from losing weight to losing her job and trying to live frugally to trying to introduce more culture into her life and they have all been hilarious.  This book was her first attempt at fiction and it was no disappointment.  I read it in 2 days because I couldn't put it down.  Her next book, Jeneration X, comes out on May 1st and there are no doubts that I will pick it up as soon as it hits the shelves.  Read her books, you'll love them, and her.  Her blog is just as hilarious, you should follow it too: http:/www.jennsylvania.com