Summer=Sweating

I've got to write on this thing more, but for now, some fun numbered goodness shall suffice.

1. We're moving to a different apartment (in the same complex) tomorrow. We have a townhouse right now, and we HATE having 2 stories and the A/C flow upstairs is wretched, so we're switching to a 2 bed/2 bath unit, which is an upgrade in that we get 2 full baths (we have 1.5 right now), a much larger living room, and more overall square footage. It's a slight downgrade in that the bedrooms are smaller, as is the kitchen, but since we spend most of our time in the living room, we're willing to make that trade.

2. Moving and packing burns lots of calories! I used my heart rate monitor this morning just to see how many calories I could burn while transfering things to the new place, and in 34 minutes I burned 400 calories! Heck yes! Unfortunately, since I sweat at the drop of a hat, I also had to pause so I could wring the sweat out of my hair. Kidding. Well, sort of.

3. I guess there was no reason for me to do "real" exercise this morning, but I had fun doing my dance DVD. I'm glad no one sees me doing them, though, because I'm sure I look completely ridiculous.

4. Despite 6 months of dance DVDs, I still lack skills. It seems that even when I am skinnier, I will never appear in a music video. Rats.

5. We have a lot of stuff. We just got rid of quite a bit at the community yard sale, but honestly, where did all of this stuff come from? And how do we make it go away?

6. I am rather sentimental when it comes to possessions, but even I have been tossing things left and right. Hopefully I won't toss anything important, like our marriage license. (Don't worry, that's in a frame.)

7. I've lost 32.6 pounds now. I really think I'm going to make it to 40 by Sept. 8. If I don't, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

8. I'm through feeling guilty about how I treated my body in the past, and I'm through comparing myself to others (more on these later).

9. I love having a heart rate monitor. If you're trying to lose weight, it really is a must-have item.

10. Apparently, I'm not much of a hiker. I went to Nashville on Monday to see Diana, my dearest friend from grad school, and we decided to go on a 2.5 mile hike on Tuesday morning. I was excited because it would be something different from my normal workouts, and I didn't think 2.5 miles would be a problem since I've walked that several times. Turns out walking in an air-conditioned room on a treadmill isn't quite like hiking uphill in 82+ degree weather and 1000% humidity. Eventually, we had to stop because I started getting spots in front of my eyes and feeling like I was going to pass out. I was really disappointed we didn't finish, but we still got in about 1.25 miles and 30 minutes of decent exercise. I was so hoping to report back and say I finished that trail, though.

We won't have internet this weekend, and we're uprooting all of our belongings, so the blogging? Non-existent. I hope everyone else has a great weekend!

Ah, Sweet Procrastination

Because I have papers to grade and a final to write...

What were you doing 10 years ago?

I wish I'd had a blog back then so I could just look it up. Ten years ago would put me at age 16, right before my junior year of high school. I believe that is the summer I went to yearbook training in my very awesome and flashy '91 Mitsubishi Mirage hatchback (aka The Red Rocket). Gas was about .90 a gallon at that point. Wow. This summer I also went to Honduras for the first time, on a mission trip. My parents had gone the previous year, and I remember after they came back one of the first things they said was, "You two (my brother and me) are coming with us next year." So we did. It was the first time I ever flew on an airplane, and my mom will tell you that I cried because I wasn't aware that the plane jerking and shaking didn't always mean it was crashing; sometimes it is just turbulence. I deny all of this, however. That trip was amazing for many reasons, and I came back a changed person, with opened eyes and an opened heart for the people outside my little corner of the world.

Favorite Snacks

Fiber One Oats and Chocolate granola bar (seriously, so good and so good for you!)

Chex mix-original, cheddar, or turtle

Grapes

Ice cream sandiwches (I love the Skinny Cow ones, but Wal-Mart also makes a good no sugar added kind with only 110 calories!)

To Do List

Let me consult the one I have already made:

1. Exercise--did it! (I actually wrote this down after I had done it, just so I could cross it off. I have a sickness.)
2. Grade poetry essays--have not even touched
3. Record research paper grades--done
4. Write final exam (which means basically looking at the other 2 finals I've written for this class and stealing questions from those)--not done
5. Finish the review game for the final--halfway done (I do a Jeopardy review--how cool am I?)
6. Record daily grades--not done

Jobs I Have Had

Babysitter, sales clerk at The Mole Hole (aka store of junk that breaks easily), perfume sales clerk at Goldsmith's (now Macy's), clerical assistant at Union Planters, student worker for the English department, administrative assistant/office manager for an electrical supply company, grad assistant, grad teacher, English professor (I still feel weird referring to myself as that, and technically I'm more of an instructor than a professor, but hey, who am I to quibble?)

Places I Have Lived

All in TN--Memphis, Jackson, and Knoxville (I miss Knoxville)

Bad Habits

procrastinating, picking at my nails, leaving clothes slung over the foot board of the bed, worrying, wiggling my feet (seriously, when I'm sitting down, my feet are dancing around like they're possessed)

5 Random Things People May Not Know

What don't you know about me?

I used to record episodes of Boy Meets World and Saved by the Bell and watch them when I got home from high school. I had seen all of them already, but still, I recorded them. I love those shows.

In college, I won a coffee mug at a women's Bible study because I was the first one to jump up and sing the theme song to Fresh Prince of Bel Air. (An odd icebreaker, but hey, the coffee mug was awesome.)

I have had 3 cars in my lifetime, 2 of which have been either damaged or totaled by a tornado (thank you, Jackson, TN)

I swam with a dolphin when my family went on a Caribbean cruise after I graduated college, and the dolphin's name was Hannah. She gave me a kiss on the cheek, and we're now friends for life. I believe I also wrote a poem about her.

I started writing poems in the fourth grade, when my teacher made us write our own poems. I was instantly hooked. I wrote poems through grade school and middle school and high school and college, only to all but stop once I got to grad school. Sadness.


CDs I would want if stranded on an island

Oh man, that's tough. Definitely something by Tommy Emmanuel (he's an amazing guitar player--I have a station on Pandora devoted to him), Steven Curtis Chapman (so I could become all nostalgic), the Beatles, U2, and Billy Joel.

What I’d Do if I Were a Billionaire

1) Buy a house with four bedrooms and an office and a large living room and kitchen and a yard with trees that a hammock can hang between. Nothing huge and flashy, just enough room for a child or two and some guests.

2) Buy a vacation house on an island, probably somewhere in the Caribbean. I think it would be amazing to step out your door and onto the beach.

3) Save money for children's college tuition/weddings, etc.

4) Donate money to church.

5) Take all of my family and Stephen's family on a trip to Disney World.

6) Tour each of the continents.

7) I also think it would be fun to have a day once a week when I go somewhere crowded, like the mall or movie theater or Wal-Mart, and just hand out money.

8) Help family and friends pay off debt. Debt-free is the way to be!

9) Buy my parents and in-laws whatever they wanted.

10) Spend an entire month in Italy.


Now, for you, my readers: is there anything else you'd like to know about me? Just ask!

The Journey: 6 Months In

On Jan. 19, 2008, I got the shock of my life.

I decided to weigh myself for the first time since the previous summer, and the number that greeted me was the highest I’d ever seen. I even weighed myself a couple of times, in the hopes that the scale was broken, but each time, the number stayed the same. While I had watched my weight shoot up and up over the past few years, I kept telling myself, “Well, at least I’m not X number. I’m doing okay.” But then I reached that benchmark I had set in my mind—surpassed it, even—and even then, I didn’t stop. I kept eating whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, and I exercised in fits but was never consistent with it for more than a few weeks at a time. I saw and felt my clothes getting tighter, but somehow I managed to tell myself lie after lie: “You’re not THAT big; there are plenty of people bigger than you.” “You don’t want to be miserable the rest of your life by depriving yourself of food.” “You only live once, and so you might as well enjoy it.” “You’ll lose the weight someday.” “And if you do lose weight, you’ll do what you’ve done before and gain it all back, plus some.”

But on that day in January, I was through with the lies. I looked in the mirror and was disgusted by what I saw. I couldn’t believe how badly I had treated my body, how blind I was to the subtle way I was destroying myself. I went downstairs and told Stephen how I was feeling. For me at that point, I was fed up, but I wasn’t necessarily considering doing anything about it (crazy, huh?). Stephen, however, asked me something that stopped me in my tracks: “If this is how you feel, then how will you change it? What are you going to do about it?” So I thought about it, and we talked about some ideas, and he said he would do whatever he could to help me. On Jan. 21, I did two things of supreme importance: 1) Stephen and I got up at 6 a.m. and went to the gym for our first workout. 2) I joined SparkPeople. The exercise was crucial because without it, I knew I wouldn’t be able to lose weight and build muscle at the same time. SparkPeople, although I didn’t know it at the time, became crucial because it set parameters for me—a calorie range to aim for, goals to set and achieve, cardio to complete and log on the site. That first day, I rode the stationary bike for 20 minutes, and those 20 minutes seemed endless, but I did it. And I felt good. Tired and sweaty, but good. I loved being able to enter my exercise and nutrition info into SparkPeople, and as I learned how the site worked, I got involved with some really awesome teams that still motivate and encourage and inspire me today.

The next day I did the same thing, and the day after that, and the day after that, until exercising became something I did—no excuses. Six months later, I love exercising. I never thought I would say I love exercise, but I honestly do. On days that I don’t exercise, I feel weird. (Just yesterday I was practically bouncing off the walls with energy because I hadn’t exercised, and so I did a DVD even though it was my day off.) I do a lot of different things so I don’t get bored: dance DVDs, Pilates, elliptical, treadmill, swimming, biking. I’ve made exercise a part of my life, and if I’ve done it for 6 months, there’s no reason I can’t keep on doing it for the rest of my life. There’s no excuse not to, and there’s no way I’m going to ever see that number on the scale again.

At this point, I’ve lost 31.8 pounds (can’t I call it 32??), which is about 12% of my original weight. I’ve lost numerous inches in several different places (7 inches in my waist and 6 in my hips since Feb., not to mention others). I’ve learned how to monitor my food intake, to make wise choices, and to inform myself about what goes into my mouth. I’ve learned not to let setbacks discourage me from trying. Most importantly, I’ve learned that with God’s help, I can do this and will continue to do this, that I might honor Him in this temple with which He’s entrusted me.

I truly feel that 90% of losing weight is just showing up each day, and I’m doing that. I’m showing up, and I’m trying, and I’m succeeding. I will reach my goal. I will be the person on the outside that I know I am already on the inside. I will continue making healthy choices, continuing strengthening my body, continue loving every minute of this journey. I will become who I always wanted to be.

And if I can do it, you can too.

Just a Snippet

Me: My friend Diana has tickets to see the Titans during a training game. Maybe she'll convert me to football.

Stephen: Well, you are a big fan of the Dolphins.

Me: True.

Stephen: Can you name a player on the Dolphins team? Remember the quarterback I told you about?

Me: Um...

Stephen: I'll give you a hint: his last name is a color.

Me: Um, purple?

Stephen: *Stares at me, gestures to the color of his shorts*

Me: Brown?

Stephen: No, Green.

Me: Those shorts look brown to me.

Stephen: They're kind of olivey brown.

Me: Oh.

A little later in the conversation:

Stephen: And anyway, you can't root for the Titans.

Me: It would be fun to have a little rivalry in the house.

Stephen: Well, just as long as you don't become a Cubs fan.

Me: Oh don't worry, their uniforms are boring.

My Newest Love

I'm in love.

But don't worry, I'm not having an affair. I'm in love with Pandora. I love listening to music at work, but it's not really a good idea to jam to my iPod with my earbuds in when I could have students stopping by, so when I found Pandora, I was ecstatic. Pandora is basically an online radio station that you can customize to your preferences. You can create several different "stations" around your favorite artists. For example, I love Jason Mraz, so I started a station and selected him as an artist to be included in that station. Pandora will then play not only his songs, but other songs that share similar musical characteristics. I also added Jack Johnson and Tristan Prettyman to that station, and now I get all of these wonderful acoustic tunes streaming through my computer speakers! It's genius, and it's completely free and void of commercials! I have another station with Bethany Dillon, Nichole Nordeman, and Watermark, and it also plays other Christian artists with similar styles. Another great thing about Pandora is that if you hear a song and you don't like it, you can tell Pandora by simply clicking a button that says, "Guide Us" and selecting the option that says, "I don't like this song--it shouldn't be played on this station." This allows you to ensure that even more of the songs are exactly what you want to hear.

Music you like, when you want to hear it. Perfection. Which artists would you put on your stations?

*Note: Pandora did not pay me for writing this blog, but I'm totally willing to sell out for monetary gain. :)

Another Milestone

I've reached the 30 pounds lost mark!! I've lost the amount of weight equivalent to our dog, people! I'm so excited. I want to be at the 40-pound mark by Sept. 8, the day the fall semester begins, which gives me about 7 and a half weeks, so I hope I can do it.

I'm enjoying exercise as much as ever, If I enjoy it, I know that will help me to keep going. This HAS to be a lifestyle change, so the more I find ways to fit exercise into my life, the better. It's going to be more of a struggle in fall, as I have an 8 am class 3 days a week and late classes the other 2 days. I'm already trying to figure out how to fit in my workouts around office hours and grading for 5 classes and the like. I can't let my momentum fade for a moment, or I'll just revert back to my old habits. I can do this!

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...

Music Monday: The Soundtracks of My Life

It happens a lot: a song will come on my iPod or on the radio, and immediately I am transported back in time, to a memory or experience from my past. Songs have such emotional resonances with me, and some songs and albums in particular became the "soundtracks" of my life at that time. I thought I'd take part in Kat's Music Monday by making a list of some of these nostalgia-inducing albums, in reverse-chronological order.

1. Imagination by Bethany Dillon. I got this album my first semester in grad school, and I played it constantly. That first semester, as longtime readers of my blog know, was wretched. I was weepy, stressed, and insecure. I considered dropping out. But when I would play this album, I found a respite from that stress and worry. Instead I rested in the knowledge that Jesus would bring me through this. Standout songs for me: "Be Near Me," "Hallelujah," and "My Love Hasn't Grown Cold" (I think I played that particular song over and over and over).

2. All Things New by Watermark. This was the soundtrack of my first year of college. A friend introduced me to the dulcet-toned Christy Nockels, and I was hooked. The lyrics on this album just blew me away; I remember driving in my car with the windows down and just singing along: "Because of who You are, and who I am in You, You make all things new." Such beauty and power and scriptural truth! Other standouts: "Incorruptible," "Where to Find Me," and "You Are My Stronghold."

3. Wide Eyed by Nichole Nordeman. I first heard Nichole Nordeman's song "To Know You" on the radio during the end of my junior year in high school, and I remember wondering who this woman was and wanting to hear more. I looked up the song online and found the CD, and I instantly became a fan of Nichole, whose honest, gripping, and raw lyrics continue to draw me. If only she would release a new album!!

4. "The Great Adventure" by Steven Curtis Chapman. The very first "Christian" song I ever heard is "The Great Adventure." It would come on the radio, and my mom and I would instantly sing along. I was in middle school when I first "discovered" SCC, and I became a fan in every sense of the word. When I got to go to his Heaven in the Real World concert, I was elated and danced and clapped the whole time, even though our seats were so far away that Steven was just a speck in the distance, and even though my brother was completely mortified by my behavior. (Now, I probably would be mortified by my behavior.) I've seen him more times in concert (5) than any other artist. Such was my obsession with SCC that I used to refer to him as "my husband." Yes, I knew he was married. Yes, I did not care. Yes, I am insane. I don't think I have followed any musician's career longer than I have SCC's; I own all of his albums, going back to his very first release, and while I don't love him with the same youthful fervor, his music will forever hold a place in my heart. (As an aside, you can read updates on the Chapman family as they recover from the tragedy that befell them in May by going here.) His song "Maria" took on a new meaning when he adopted a little girl from China of the same, and that meaning is even deeper in light of their loss.

5. Heart in Motion by Amy Grant. I found Amy Grant's music around the same time as SCC's, and the Heart in Motion tape (haha) got heavy play on my tape player. I loved her voice, loved singing to her songs, and spent countless hours pretending I was her, giving concerts to adoring fans. (I dream big.) Standouts: "That's What Love is For," "Galileo" (I think I had to look up Galileo, and I didn't really understand this song, but I played it a LOT.), "I Will Remember You," and "Hope Set High."

Which songs/albums would be on your soundtrack?

Things that Make Me Uncomfortable

This entry inspired by the first item on the list:

1. People attempting to have a conversation with me while we are in the bathroom. In separate stalls. This happened to me earlier in the week, and I'm not sure why, but I just feel very awkward talking while I'm answering nature's call. Can't the conversation wait until we are washing our hands? Or better yet, out of the bathroom?

2. A room full of people I don't know. I am an introvert, so therefore large group gatherings full of people I don't know have the potential for causing me to break out in hives.

3. Making small talk with someone I just met. This is related to #2 in that #3 often occurs while in a room full of people I don't know. I hate trying to think of things to say, and inevitably weather comes up. Why is weather such a universally-agreed-upon topic of conversation? I suppose it's probably one of the only things that can't offend anyone, unless you were to say, "Oh, you're from Florida? I hear they have terrible weather there. All those hurricanes and stuff. Only nuts must live there."

4. Standing ovations in church. I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with recognizing people for acts of service, but I just feel like if we're going to be standing up and applauding, shouldn't it be for Jesus and not anyone else?

5. Feeling obligated to stand up during a standing ovation. A few times I have remained seated during a standing O, but I usually guiltily rise with everyone else b/c I don't want people to notice me not standing and think I'm a terrible person who doesn't care about really good choir solos (or even not so good ones)..

6. Long silences. This will happen sometimes when I'm teaching. I'll ask a question, and instead of a response all I get are blank faces. It must be because my questions are so thought-provoking and mind-boggling that they need time to collect their faults. Right? (Either that or they didn't do the reading. But of course they did the reading.) I try to resist answering just to fill in the silence, but if it goes on too long, I just answer my own question.

7. Confrontations / conflict. I am a big wuss. I want everyone to be happy with me at all times. And they are. Except when maybe they're not. I don't like for people to be upset with me, so I'll usually avoid conflict at all costs. I'm aware that this is not healthy, and I work on it (sometimes), but for now it's still something I find very difficult.

8. Making phone calls to people I don't know. This one is definitely revealing my unique quirkiness, but I have this phobia of calling people I don't know or don't see often. I hate making appointments for things like the eye doctor, the dentist, etc. I remember when I was in high school and my mom would ask me to make appointments for these things, and I would beg her to do it instead. And she usually would, until she finally put her foot down and insisted I make my own appointments. Can you believe that? I also hate ordering pizza on the phone. I don't do it; Stephen does. Or he used to, until we began using online ordering.

I was hoping to have a list of 10 things just because that seems like a nice number, but I suppose it's good that I could only think of 8. Perhaps more will come to mind later.

What makes you uncomfortable?

Why Didn't I Think of That?

The correct way to weigh yourself:

Remember

I've been going through 2 Kings in the One Year Bible, and today I read the account of King Josiah of Judah. Josiah was one bright shining light among many dark years of evil rule. The Bible tells us that he followed the Lord like no one before or after him, so great was his zeal. He removed all of the high places, the Asherah poles, the temples to false gods, and he completely routed all of the false prophets from Judah. What prompted these actions, when so many kings before him did nothing? One of Josiah's servants found the book of the law. The book of the law which had not been read for many, many years. The book of the law that no doubt sat in a dusty corner, hidden from sight, removed from the collective memory of God's people. The book of the law that God wrote for His people, so they could know Him and know His ways and follow Him only.

It was this book that Josiah heard read, and his response changed Judah. As soon as the reading of the book of the law concluded, Josiah tore his clothes in grief, so stricken was he at how God's people had forgotten God and His commands and promises. He read the entire book to all of Judah and made a covenant with the Lord that he would follow God only all the days of his life. He ordered the people to observe Passover, for the first time since a kingship had been instituted, and he commenced with destruction of all places devoted to false gods. During the years of Josiah's reign, Judah sought the Lord. All they needed was a reminder. A reminder of who God is, what He can do, what He expects of His people. And all we need is to remember. Remember who God is, what He has done and can do, what He expects of us, His people. How do we remember? We must constantly have His Word in our hearts and on our minds. We must constantly study this Word, remembering all of the glorious things He has done, remembering that He is the Lord, and He changes not.

Psalm 9:10 says, "Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, O Lord, never forsake those who seek You." God's name is who He is. It is His character, His revelation of Himself. All that He does is done to reveal this character, to spread His glory. So many times in the Old Testament I read the words, "Then you will know that I am the Lord." The Lord wants us to know Him, to see Him truly, and all He does is to reveal Himself. Are we watching? Are we listening? Are we remembering?

When we know Him intimately, how can we do anything but follow Him and trust Him?

"Then you will know that I am the Lord." Let us not forget.

Do Unto Others

I don't do waiting well. I especially don't do waiting well if I'm in a grocery store. I start swaying back and forth, huffing indignantly to myself, and criticizing people in my head. (Do you still like me?) And I always pick the worst checkout aisle. It can be an aisle with one person who only has a handful of items, and I'll choose that one (of course) over the aisle with three people with loaded-down carts, but who ends up in the quicker line? The loaded-down carts group. Something always happens in my lane to slow down the process, whether it's an item that won't scan, a coupon that won't scan, or a check that won't clear. (Why do people even use checks anymore? They're such a hassle!) This trip to Wal-Mart was no different; I found a lane that only had one couple in it. Their cart was quite full, but I figured it was the best bet since the other lanes (all 2 that were open) had several people in them. The couple was an elderly couple, and the man was slowly placing his items on the belt (emphasis on slowly). As I watched him pick up one item at a time and debate on where to put it, I started to get antsy. Couldn't he grab more than one thing at a time? Did he have to be sooo slow? As I was chastising him in my head, he turned around and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, ma'am, I just don't move like I used to. I hope we're not too much trouble." Awww. I immediately smiled and said, "Oh, it's okay, I'm not in a hurry." I mainly said that just to be nice, but the thing is, I wasn't in a hurry. I had no reason to be standing there huffing and puffing and getting all agitated at this sweet old man. What did it matter if I spent 5 more minutes in the grocery store? Why am I always in such a hurry? What am I hurrying to? Time on the Internet? Time in front of the TV? I chided myself and thanked the Lord for this check in my spirit, and I helped him put out the rest of his groceries.

As I left it occurred to me that I hope people will treat me with respect and patience when I'm older and can't "move" like I do now. I am ashamed at how quickly I grow impatient, how easy it is for me to criticize instead of love, and I am thankful that God showed this to me through a man in a grocery store. I act like my time is such a valuable commodity, and yet I waste a lot of it doing things that aren't important. May I learn to spend my time in ways that matter to the kingdom of God, in ways that show love and not hate, that build up and don't tear down.

What Have You Read?

Obviously, I have nothing else to write...

Taken from Stef
According to this meme that's been making its way around The InterWebs, "The Big Read reckons the average adult has read only six of the top 100 books it's printed."
1. Bold the books you have read.
2. Italicize those you intend to read.
3. Underline the books you LOVE.
4. Star next to the books you're reading/have read some of.
5. Copy, paste and repeat.

1.Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte (GAG)
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman* (I"ve read The Golden Compass but not the other 2)
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare* (I'd like to meet someone who's read the "complete" works of Shakespeare)
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger (I can't believe I haven't read this)
19 The Time Travelers Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot (Pretty sure that's on my summer book list, but I haven't touched it.)
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck*
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy* (Have attempted several times)
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis* (I am lacking The Silver Chair and The Last Battle)
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis (Okay, why is this separate from the Chronicles?)
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini (This book is SO sad, but I love it.)
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden* (Am trying to read right now)
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwel
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez*
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones' Diary - Helen Fielding (seriously? in the same list as Shakespeare?)
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville (I'll never get those 500 hours back.)
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens * (I think I read an abridged version of this in grade school. Hehe.)
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray* (started several times)
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker (HATED this book)
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo*

I was hoping I could say I've read half of them, but I've only read 40 completely. How many have you read? Which ones MUST I read?