Book Club Surprise

Let's go back in time, just for a moment. It's August 2005. I am sitting in the parking lot of a condo complex talking myself into getting out of the car and going into the book club meeting. It's a group I found online (which is a bit scary in itself for me), and though I've never been in a book club before, I'm eager to get to know some people in Minnesota. As I sit in the car, I have to fight off the "stranger danger" I feel, convince myself that I'm not walking into some kind of trap, and hope for the best.

Lucky for me, I did manage to get myself out of the car -- and I discovered an amazing group of people. Our book club is proud of the fact that we actually read -- and discuss -- the books, choosing books that challenge us, help us expand our reading variety, and broaden our perspective on the world. We do enjoy catching up, eating delicious food, and even sipping a bit of wine. But ultimately our time is spent focusing the book and the discussion.

In addition to our monthly meetings, we've also celebrated weddings and babies with little showers. For baby showers, we of course bring our favorite baby books for the new little one. At our meeting on Wednesday I was caught completely off guard -- they surprised me with a shower!

So cute!

A surprise shower. A perfectly normal thing that most expecting mothers experience. In our current topsy-turvy world of family courts, red tape, emigration permissions, annual quotas and an endless amount of unknowns, this simple, normal thing was just was I needed. I was so touched and cannot properly express how much I appreciate the generosity and thoughtfulness of these women.

The host, Shirley, printed little Korean flags and attached them to toothpicks. Adding a pair of booties, it officially became a Korean baby shower cake (yellow cake with chocolate frosting...a yummy classic). Our book club founder/leader, Danielle, brought along a decedant red velvet cake as well (Tony especially enjoyed the slice I brought home -- I forgot he is a big fan of the red velvet cake). Not realizing they were throwing a shower, I made pecan date bars; Annette brought cookies to share. It was truly a dessert feast -- perfect for this dessert loving gal!

Shirley made sure Oliver was represented - thanks Shirley!

This doesn't show all of the desserts (or the meal), but what a spread!

The library is off to a stellar start! We received such a wide variety of books, I can't wait to start reading them to Oliver. There are funny books, thoughtful books, educational books...and even a Christmas book and a book of first Korean words. Wow! Tony and I are both so grateful. Thank you.

I'm speechless...I feel so blessed by the women (and their kids) who took time to select
each of these books for Oliver. 

In addition to the books, Danielle brought a bouquet of spring. With our temperatures barely reaching the 30's this week, these lovely tulips are a real mood brightener. All in all, I feel spoiled, blessed, and happy to do something other expecting moms get to do. Thank you to my amazing book club!