Happy New Year!

Well, I have a really good reason for why I haven't posted in a while. I've been in California for 15 days and they don't have the internet there anymore. Seriously. It has something to do with falling off into the ocean and then there was all the rain....OK just kidding, but that's in honor of all of you non-Californians who say those kinds of crazy things about California.

I didn't post because I was having a blast with friends and family, eating In and Out and sleeping in. Man, I love vacations. I love them even more now that I'm back in school...no work AND no homework? This is incredible!

Some highlights from my 2 weeks in CA:

• Burger and Movie tradition with my family (We saw Narnia - it was great!)
• Playing Telephone Pictionary with my in-laws. We were trying to get my sister-in-law to go into labor. It didn't work.
• Getting a Palm Pilot. Now my crazy list-making self can go CRAZY, and I'm on my way there...the 5 hour plane trip was great for list making.
• Finding my Curious George Calendar after a painstakingly long search. I cannot start a year without one!
• Making Veranikas with my mom and sister...FYI, Veranikas are a German Mennonite ravioli-type dish. Mom grew up German Mennonite and the food is kick ass. Although I don't think my Mennonite relatives would appreciate me saying ass.

Other exciting news for 06? One of my resolutions is to blog once a week. Check out my Books blog below, I'm serious about needing reccomendations. Stay tuned....Greta's 2006 Resolutions coming soon.

Who you are Depends On...

I came across this quote recently, tucked away in one of my books.

"Who you are in 5 years depends on the people you meet, the choices you make, the books you read."

Speaking of the books you read...The past 2 years I have had a goal to read 50 books a year. And, while there was some doubt that the goal would be accomplished this year, as you will see below I made it to 51. As much as I am enjoying working on my MBA, I do resent the time it takes away from my "leisure reading."

Below is my list, in order, of the books I read in 2005. I would love to give commentary on all of these, so any questions, send them my way. For those of you with shorter attention spans, here's my top 9 for '05 in no particular order:

1. Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. Saw him speak this year.
2. Any non-fiction by Anne Lamott, but the fiction is OK too.
3. Girl Meets God and Mudhouse Sabbath by Lauren Winner. LOVE HER.
4. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris - freakin' funny stuff.
5. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho - deep. Read it with a book group.
6. The Girl in the Picture by Denise Chong - about a napalm burn victim from the Vietnam war.
7. The Curious Incident of the dog in the night time by Mark Haddon - intelligent.
8. The Challenge of the Disciplined Life by Richard Foster.
9. Walking on Water by Madeline L’Engle

A few warnings. I like to mix up serious and silly, so if you're shocked that I read something - oops. Also, I am currently taking suggestions for the 2006 list...send me your best, your boldest, your brightest...you get the idea. But I really would love to hear what YOU read in 2005 that you thought was fabulous.

Greta's Reads for 2005

1. 1/05 – The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown
2. 1/05 – A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
3. 1/05 – Evenings at Five by Gail Godwin
4. 1/05 – Skipping Christmas by John Grisham
5. 1/05 – My Soul Looks Back in Wonder by Juan Williams
6. 1/05 – The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
7. 1/05 – Sams Letters to Jennifer by James Patterson
8. 1/05 – Wouldn’t Take Nothing for My Journey Now by Maya Angelou
9. 2/05 – Can you Keep A Secret? By Sophie Kinsella
10. 2/05 – Blackbird House by Alice Hoffman
11. 2/05 – Three Weeks With My Brother by Nicholas Sparks
12. 2/05 – Shopaholic and Sister by Sophie Kinsella
13. 2/05 – Ordering Your Private World by Gordon MacDonald
14. 2/05 – A Perfect Day by Richard Paul Evans
15.3/05 – The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
16. 3/05 – The Tarnished Eye by Judith Guest
17. 3/05 – Life of Pi by Yann Markel
18. 3/05 – This Side of Married by Rachel Pastan
19. 5/05 – Make the Connection by Bob Greene and Oprah
20. 5/05 – A Series of Unfortunate Events: Book the 2nd by Lemony Snicket
21. 5/05 – Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller
22. 5/05 – The Full Cupboard of Life by Alexander McCall Smith
23. 5/05 – A Virtuous Woman by Kate Gibbons
24. 5/05 – A Short Guide to a Happy Life by Anna Quindlen
25. 6/05 – Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller
26. 6/05 – The Curious Incident of the dog in the night time by Mark Haddon
27. 6/05 – The Challenge of the Disciplined Life by Richard Foster
28. 6/05 – Storm by Reg Grant
29. 6/05 – Crooked Little Heart by Anne LaMott
30. 6/05 – Girl Meets God by Lauren Winner
31. 7/05 – She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb
32. 7/05 – Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott
33. 7/05 – Cause Celeb by Helen Fielding
34. 7/05 – Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott
35. 7/05 – Blue Shoe by Anne Lamott
36. 8/05 – Even the Stars Look Lonesome Tonight by Maya Angelous
37. 8/05 – The Good Earth by Pearl S Buck
38. 8/05 – The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
39. 8/05 – Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
40. 9/05- The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason
41. 9/05 – The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
42. 9/05 – The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Anna Brasheres
43. 10/05 – Prayer and the Art of Volkswagon Maintenance by Donald Miller
44. 10/05 – A Plain Life by Scott Savage
45. 11/05 – The Girl in the Picture by Denise Chong
46. 11/05 – Girls Night In by various British Chick Lit Authors
47. 11/05 – The Sunflower by Richard Paul Evans
48. 11/05 – Mudhouse Sabbath by Lauren Winner
49. 12/05 – The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd
50. 12/05 – French Women Don’t Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano
51. 12/05 – Walking on Water by Madeline L’Engle