Gone to Green

Today was the first day of school, and Mia was so excited. Last night we picked out all of her clothing for the entire week to save us from the nightmare each morning. She's incredibly opinionated about her wardrobe, but I tried to give her as much freedom as possible. Because we have a 2 mile drive to the bus stop, I try to leave very early on the first day to judge what time the bus will actually arrive daily. Her bus tag says 7:20, but last year it was more like 7:15, so when it was 7:25 and the bus hadn't arrived yet, I was starting to panic (we arrived at 7:13 at the stop). It seems like a little thing to worry about, but after several morning of arriving at the stop at 7:17, waiting until 7:30 and then having to drive her all the way into the Falls, I've come to realize that a minute can mean everything on a school morning! The bus finally showed up at 7:26, and I'm sure its lateness was a result of first day of school pictures. We took ours before heading out to the bus stop!

Gone to Green by Judy Christie is the first book in the Green series, which looks to be a load of fun! Lois Barker is stunned to find her life turned upside down after the death of a good friend and co-worker who left her a small newspaper in Green, Louisiana, along with a stipulation that she keep it for at least a year. Lois leaves her feature editor position in Dayton, Ohio for smalltown Cajun country that is still fighting prejudice as well as inertia. The paper had been run by a team of good ole boys, so Lois is bound to shake things up. This slim novel was a completely enjoyable read, following Lois' renovation of the town that brings about changes in her heart. Christie captures the small town rivalries and drama without portraying its citizens as small-minded or stereotypes (except for the good ole boys, of course). There's just a hint of romance, a dash of faith, and a good measure of seeing how much just difference one person can make. I look forward to the follow-up, Goodness Gracious Green.

Charlie is already back into the routine of school days. This afternoon when I grabbed my phone and book and headed for the van to pick up Mia, he ran right to my door knowing that he was going to go along for the ride. It's little things like that that put a smile on my face!