Sassy

-I don't think any of these books came out in 2014, but these are my top 10 out of the 62 books I read last year.

My Top 10 Books from 2014!
1) Happily Ever After: Walking with Peace and Courage Through a Year of Divorce-Kristin Armstrong--This is by far the book that ministered to me the most while I was going through my divorce.  So much so, that I have bought it for other friends going through the same thing.

2) You Learn by Living: Eleven Keys for a more Fulfilling Life-Eleanor Roosevelt--A friend was reading this book and bought a copy for me so we could read it together.  We read it in January and it was an awesome book to start my year off with.  Eleanor inspires people with her words and in the way she lived her life.  She was an incredible woman.

3) Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight-Karl Rove--Rove is an amazing man on so many levels.  I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about him in his candid book and about what went on in the Bush Administration.

4) Chasing the Devil: My Twenty-Year Quest to Capture the Green River Killer-David Reichert--Reichert is a man who never gave up on finding the Green River Killer (who turned out to be Gary Ridgeway) and thus bringing some measure of justice and closure for all the victims' loved ones.  This was an inspirational story on not giving up on a just cause.

5) Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10-Marcus Luttrell--The book and the movie about this true story made both of my Top 10 lists.  An incredible story about some amazing men, true heroes indeed.

6) Smokin' Seventeen-Janet Evanovich--No top 10 list is complete without a Stephanie Plum book on it.  Evanovich's series on Stephanie Plum makes me laugh out loud, reader beware if you are reading this in a public waiting room, people will think you are crazy.

7) Sleepers-Lorenzo Carcaterra--I saw the movie about this years ago and didn't realize it was based on a true story.  I found the book in a thrift store and ended up reading it right away and not being able to put it down.

8) Escape-Carolyn Jessop--This is the book that started all of my research on the FLDS and the many brave women and men who escaped the FLDS's clutches.

9) Frances Folsom Cleveland-Susan Sinnott--I found all the first ladies that I read about this year to be fascinating, but I especially loved learning about Frances because I didn't know much about her and there were a lot of firsts for her and her husband in the White House.

10) Harriet Tubman: The Moses of Her People-Sarah Bradford--A wonderful book about an amazing woman.

-I took a little break from blogging, so, I thought I would return with some fun lists from 2014.
-I didn't agree with the lists in the KC Star, so I thought I'd make my own.
-Below are my favorite movies that I watched in 2014, most of them are new movies from last year, but a couple were older ones that I didn't watch until last year.

My Top 10 Movies from 2014!
1) Lone Survivor
 -The movie and the book, both based on an incredible true story, were amazing.
2) Fury
-Brad Pitt was compelling.
3) The Good Lie
-A wonderful movie based on the true events of Lost boys from Sudan adjusting to life in the U.S. with a Kansas City tie.
4) Unbroken
-An inspirational true story.
5) When the Game Stands Tall
-You mix Jim Caviezel with a meaningful movie and you've got a great mix.
6) Belle
7) Invincible
8) 12 Years a Slave
9) 3 Days to Kill
10)The Shooter

My Topics of Study This Year:
-FLDS Cult
-First Ladies
-Civil Rights Movement

1) Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight--Karl Rove
2) The Final Days: The Last, Desperate Abuses of Power by the Clinton White House--Barbara Olson
3) The Kennedy Wit--Bill Adler
4) Mugged: Racial Demagoguery from the Seventies to Obama--Ann Coulter
5) Relax-You May Only Have a Few Minutes Left: Using the Power of Humor to Overcome Stress in Your Life and Work--Loretta LaRoche
6) You Learn by Living: Eleven Keys for a More Fulfilling Life--Eleanor Roosevelt
7) American Patriots: Answering the Call to Freedom--Rick Santorum
8) Raylan--Elmore Leonard
9) The Barbarian Way: Unleash the the Untamed Faith Within--Erwin Raphael McManus
10) Fatal Vows: The Tragic Wives of Sergeant Drew Peterson--Joseph Hosey
11) The Everything Organize Your Home Book--Jason R. Rich
12) Chasing the Devil: My Twenty-Year Quest to Capture the Green River Killer--David Reichert
13) Drinking and Dating: P.S. Social Media is Ruining Romance--Brandi Glanville
14) Willoughby's Return: A Tale of Almost Irresistable Temptation--Jane Odiwe
15) Eat That Cookie--Liz Jazwiec
16) Heath Ledger: His Beautiful Life and Mysterious Death--John McShane
17) Fatal Friends, Deadly Neighbors: And Other True Cases--Ann Rule
18) Amazing Things Will Happen: A Real-World Guide on Achieving Success and Happiness--C.C. Chapman
19) Deep Thoughts From a Hollywood Blonde--Jennie Garth
20) Ignore Everybody: And 39 Other Keys to Creativity--Hugh MacLeod
21) Finding Me: A Decade of Darkness, a Life Reclaimed: A Memoir of the Cleveland Kidnappings
--Michelle Knight
22) In Freedom's Cause: A Story of Wallace & Bruce--G.A. Henty
23) In the Still of the Night: The Strange Death of Ronda Reynolds and Her Mother's Unceasing Quest for the Truth--Ann Rule
24) Happily Ever After: Walking with Peace and Courage Through a Year of Divorce--Kristin Armstrong
25) The Power of Praying Through the Bible--Stormie Omartian
26) Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims--Rush Limbaugh
27) Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10--Marcus Luttrell
28) Clippings from My Notebook--Corrie ten Boom
29) Escape in Iraq: The Thomas Hamill Story--Thomas Hamill
30) I Grew up Little: Finding Hope in a Big God--Patsy Clairmont
31) SeinLanguage--Jerry Seinfeld
32) Sizzling Sixteen--Janet Evanovich
33) Smokin' Seventeen--Janet Evanovich
34) Ted and Ann-The Mystery of a Missing Child and her Neighbor Ted Bundy
35) Explosive Eighteen--Janet Evanovich
36) Notorious Nineteen--Janet Evanovich
37) Sleepers--Lorenzo Carcaterra
38) Whispers of Hope: 10 Weeks of Devotional Prayer--Beth Moore
39) Anna Eleanor Roosevelt--Dan Santow
40) Julia Dent Grant--Christine Fitz-Gerald
41) Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams--Ann Heinrichs
42) Frances Folsom Cleveland--Susan Sinnott
43) What is the What--Dave Eggers
44) Lucretia Rudolph Garfield--Ann Heinrichs
45) Takedown Twenty--Janet Evanovich
46) Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt--Barbara Silberdick Feinberg
47) Escape--Carolyn Jessop
48) Triumph: Life After the Cult--Carolyn Jessop
49) Facing the Music: My Story--Jennifer Knapp
50) Church of Lies--Flora Jessop
51) When Men Become Gods--Stephen Singular
52) The Witness Wore Red: The 19th Wife Who Brought Polygamous Cult Leaders to Justice--Rebecca Musser
53) Stolen Innocence--Elissa Wall
54) Lost Boy--Brent W. Jeffs
55) Spelling It Like It Is--Tori Spelling
56) Prophet's Prey--Sam Brower
57) Army Wives: The Unwritten Code of Military Marriage--Tanya Biank
58) Dolley Payne Todd Madison--Alice K. Flanagan
59) Women in the Civil Rights Movement--Judy L. Hasday
60) Freedom Rides: Journey for Justice--James Haskins
61) Harriet Tubman: The Moses of her People--Sarah Bradford
62) The Civil Rights Movement: Sit-Ins and Freedom Rides--David Aretha

Previously:
2013 Book List
2012 Book List
2011 Book List
2010 Book List
2008 Book List

Behold here, in the little negro girl, the future deliverer of hundreds of her people; the spy and scout of the Union armies; the devoted hospital nurse; the protector of hunted fugitives; the eloquent speaker in public meetings; the cunning eluder of pursuing man-hunters; the heaven guided pioneer through dangers seen and unseen; in short, as she has well been called, 'The Moses of her People.--pg. 14

-Harriet Tubman's life has always been an inspiration to me. This book, written while Harriet was still alive, is a gem in many ways. Bradford (who knew Harriet well), shares her views and other esteemed people's views of her and her character. 

God had a great work for her to do in the world, and the discipline and hardship through which she passed in her early years, were only preparing her for her after life of adventure and trial; and through these to come out as the Savior and Deliverer of her people, when she came to years of womanhood.--pg. 16

 -The more I learn about Harriet, the more amazed I am by what she was able to accomplish.   And this book in particular shares her strong faith.

Brought up by parents possessed of strong faith in God, she had never known the time, I imagine, when she did not trust Him, and cling to Him, with an all-abiding confidence.  She seemed ever to feel the Divine Presence near, and she talked with God 'as a man talketh with his friend'.  Hers was not the religion of a morning and evening prayer at stated times, but when she felt a need, she simply told God of it, and trusted Him to set the matter right.--pg. 23

-After Harriet escaped from slavery, she went back 19 times to rescue other slaves and was always successful.  She brought over 300 slaves north to freedom.  This, along with a whole host of other major accomplishments, is astounding. 

-Frederick Douglass had this to say about her:

Excepting John Brown--of sacred memory--I know of no one who has willingly encountered more perils and hardships to serve our enslaved people than she has.

-My most recent research project was on the FLDS.  I read 8 books about them and watched movies and documentaries.


-Now, I'm studying the Civil Rights Movement.  Recently, I watched the series The Sixties on CNN. There was an episode entitled, A Long March to Freedom, that described the sit-ins and the Freedom Rides. I decided I needed to know more.

-Several years ago, I watched the movie, The Help and read the book.  It further opened my eyes that it really wasn't that long ago, especially in the south, when people were openly racist.


-I realized after watching The Sixties episode, that I didn't know enough about the Civil Rights Movement, especially during the 50's and 60's.  I wanted to learn more about the sit-ins and Freedom Rides.


-I've read Women in the Civil Rights Movement by Judy Hasday and Freedom Rides: Journey for Justice by James Haskins.


-I'm in the middle of listening to The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation by Gene Roberts and Hank Klibanoff.  I'm learning a lot from all angles about how the Civil Rights Movement took shape.


-I've almost finished reading Harriet Tubman: The Moses of Her People by Sarah Bradford.  I discovered this book as suggested reading in Hasday's book.  I've read a lot about Harriet Tubman in the past, but this book is a fascinating account by someone who actually knew her well and quoted others that knew her well.  I've always thought of her as a heroine, but this book has increased my respect for her and my amazement at what her faith in God enabled her to accomplish.

-I will continue reading and watching documentaries and movies on the subject.  Stay tuned for more to come.

Links:
CORE (Congress of Racial Equality)
NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)
Sit-Ins
Freedom Riders Foundation
Civil Rights Museum

-I decided to look back at all my Thanksgiving posts that I've done since I started blogging.  I did one every year from 2006 until 2011.

-The past 3 years were a time of great transition and change for me.  My heart wasn't into blogging.  I had high hopes that this year was going to be "easier".  It wasn't, BUT, I realized I have A LOT to be thankful for.

-I have learned A LOT over the past 3 years, and I wouldn't trade any of it, even though it has been incredibly hard.

-My list below isn't necessarily in order of importance, and it is by no means exhaustive.


What I'm Thankful For:

-God's Unconditional Love for me through thick and thin
-My 4 incredible kids (I can't imagine my life without them)
-My amazing boyfriend (who has taught me how deeply you can really love someone)
-My friends (who have stood with me during my deep valleys)
-My brother (who has been a source of strength and comfort to me these past 3 years)
-My Mom (who is a great listener and a woman of compassion)
-God providing for my needs
-Blogging (it has been a very therapeutic outlet for me and is something that I thoroughly love doing)
-Reading (I met my goal of 60 for this year and am still going strong)
-My health
-Books, Movies and Music (they take me to other places and times)
-How God has been opening my eyes over the past 3 years
-God teaching me perseverance through my job struggles
-God giving me a chance to start over
-How God is going to give me the right job at the right time

Previously:
Happy Thanksgiving 2006
Happy Thanksgiving 2007
Happy Thanksgiving 2008
Happy Thanksgiving 2009
Happy Thanksgiving 2010
Happy Thanksgiving 2011

3-The Fire of Life (1910-1919)

He (Teddy Roosevelt) could never live happily on the periphery of anything.  He had to be in the arena.  He left power too soon.--The Roosevelts

Teddy Roosevelt:
-Teddy visited the White House 1 1/2 years after he left and he remembered every servant and gardener by name and asked them about their lives.
-He was still young, and felt personally and politically betrayed by Taft.  He didn't think Taft was making the right decisions.  To be fair, he probably wouldn't have been happy with anyone, because he still had the energy and the desire to be president.
-Taft was devastated to lose Teddy's friendship when Teddy decided to run for president the next term.  Even though he was still popular, the Republican machine wanted to stick with Taft.  So, Teddy ran as a 3rd party candidate, the party was called The Progressives but became more well known as The Bull Moose Party.

True to Roosevelt's progressive beliefs, the platform of the party called for major reforms including women's suffrage, social welfare assistance for women and children, farm relief, revisions in banking, health insurance in industries, and worker's compensation. The party also wanted an easier method to amend the constitution.--The Bull Moose Party Platform

-Many of Teddy's closest friends urged him not to run.
-He was shot by John Schrank while on the campaign trail in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  This didn't stop him from finishing his speech.
-Just like Ross Perot ensured that Bill Clinton won the presidency, Teddy Roosevelt ensured that Woodrow Wilson won.  When you split the Republican vote, the Democrat wins.
-Teddy took it very hard, and was shocked that he lost, and that he lost by so much.
-He went on an expedition into the Amazon with his son Kermit and almost died from Malaria and other illnesses.
-He thought we should get into World War I right away and wasn't quiet about it.  He said, "For to be neutral between right and wrong, is to serve wrong."
-When the U.S. finally did enter World War I, he visited the White House to ask Wilson if he could help raise up a division of volunteers and lead them into battle.  He was not in good health, and for other reasons too Wilson had to turn him down.  He was devastated that he couldn't play a part.  He then gets very old, very quickly.  David McCullough says, "Its as if he was a high intensity light bulb that burned out quickly."
-Yet, all 4 of his sons did get to fight.  And his youngest, Quentin, died in the war.
-He died on January 6, 1919 at the age of 60.

Franklin Roosevelt:
-The election of 1912 divided the Roosevelt family because Franklin was supporting Woodrow Wilson.  However, Eleanor supported her Uncle Teddy.
-He won re-election to the State Senate that same year, and then was appointed to be Assistant Secretary of the Navy, he now held the same job that his cousin Teddy once had.
-All of the Roosevelts sided with our allies during World War I and thought we should be joining them right from the start.  Franklin didn't say anything in public because he worked for the Wilson administration.

Eleanor Roosevelt:
-People who didn't like Franklin, often liked Eleanor, so she helped her husband succeed politically.
-She found that she knew how to excel in the political arena.  She had finally found something that she could do better than her Mother-in-law.
-She had her 6th and last child by the time she turned 31.
-The war liberated all of her executive ability.

"The war was my emancipation and education."--Eleanor Roosevelt

-Instead of having to make social calls, she could now invest her time in helping those affected by the war.
-During this time, Eleanor came across a bundle of letters.  They were love letters from Lucy Mercer to her husband, who had once been her social secretary.  Eleanor was devastated.  Franklin always wanted someone to adore him like his mother had, and Lucy did that.
-Eleanor said he could have a divorce if he wanted one.  But Franklin's mother said she would cut him off and never give him another penny if he did, and a political advisor told him that it would end his political career, so he stayed.

Previously: 
Episode 1-Get Action (1858-1901)
Episode 2-In the Arena (1901-1910)

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Few First Ladies had more influence on the social and political life of early America than Dolley Payne Todd Madison.  As the wife of the fourth president of the United States, she played a key role in the development of the new nation's character and the quality of its public image.

Dolley Madison knew all of the presidents from George Washington to Zachary Taylor.  She served as the White House hostess for President Thomas Jefferson.  She was the official hostess during her husband's two terms in office.  Until she died in 1849, Dolley was involved in the social life of Washington, D.C.--Alice K. Flanagan

FACTS:

-Dolley was born on May 20, 1768 in Guilford, North Carolina, but the family soon moved to Virginia.
-Her parents were Quakers (they are against war and believe in the equality of all people)
-Dolley attended a Quaker common school
-She had to dress in plain clothes, because Quakers didn't believe in jewelry or colorful clothes, etc...  This was hard for Dolley because she loved pretty things.
-When she was 14, the Virginia Legislature passed a law which enabled slaveholders to free their slaves.  Dolley's family were one of the first families to do this, and they then moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
-In 1789, her father's business failed, and he ended up declaring bankruptcy.

-Dolley had many men pursuing her, but she finally accepted John Todd's proposal, so she wouldn't be an additional financial drain on her parents.
-She was 22 and John Todd was 27 when they got married on January 7, 1790.
-On February 29, 1792 she gave birth to a boy and they named him John Payne.
-In 1793, Dolley gave birth to another boy but both him and her husband died in on the same day in October from yellow fever.
-The next year she met James Madison and they were married on September 15, 1794.  He was 17 years older than her and wasn't a Quaker, as a result the Quakers disowned her, but Dolley felt she was making the right decision.

Photo Credit: First Lady Biography for Kids

-James was in Congress, so even though the Quaker society disowned Dolley, she flourished in the political society in Philadelphia.  Also, now that she was no longer a Quaker, she could take advantage of the latest fashions.
-When Thomas Jefferson was elected President, he appointed James Madison to be the Secretary of State.  Since, Jefferson was widowed, he asked Dolley to serve as the official White House Hostess.
-She developed her own style in Washington D.C. as hostess, and was the "undisputed fashion leader" there, ordering all of her gowns from France.
-After Jefferson's two terms in office, James Madison was elected President and he and Dolley moved into the White House on March 4, 1809.
-Congress provided the funds so Dolley could furnish the White House with the help of a decorator.

Photo Credit: War of 1812 Archaeology

-On June 18, 1812 the War of 1812 began and the United States of America was again at war with the British.
-On August 24th, Dolley was alone at the White House with some servants.  She fled before the British came and rescued many important documents and a painting of George Washington.  This ended up being crucial since the British set the White House and the city of Washington on fire.
-After they left the White House, they retired to Montpelier.  They continued to entertain and often gave dinner parties for political friends.

-When James Madison died on June 28, 1836, she experienced a great loss.
-He had been working on his historical papers detailing the discussions that led to developing the U.S. Constitution.  Dolley had been helping him and after his death, she finally found a publisher, the U.S. Congress.
-She moved back to Washington in 1837 with her niece, Anna, leaving the care of Montpelier to her son.  Her son Payne was constantly drinking and gambling and racking up debts as a result.  Because of this, Dolley eventually had to sell the Montpelier estate to pay off his debts.
-She died on July 12, 1849 and was given a funeral fit for a president.
-There is a collection of Dolley Madison memorabilia on display at the Greensboro Historical Museum in Greensboro, North Carolina.

First Lady Links:
-National First Ladies Library
-C-Span Series on First Ladies

Reference Material that I checked out from the library:
-Dolley Madison--Barbara Witteman
-Dolley Madison: Her Life, Letters, and Legacy--Holly Shulman
-Dolley Madison: America's First Lady--Myra Weatherly
-Dolley Madison: America's First Lady (American Experience PBS DVD) 
-A Perfect Union: Dolley Madison and the Creation of the American Nation--Catherine Allgor

My Dolley Madison Books:
-Dolley Payne Todd Madison--Alice K. Flanagan
-America's First Ladies--Diana Dixon Healy
-First Ladies--Betty Boyd Caroli
-First Ladies of the White House--Nancy J. Skarmeas
-First Ladies: Presidential Historians on the Lives of 45 Iconic American Women--Susan Swain, C-Span
 
Previous Profiles:
-Martha Washington
-Abigail Adams 
-Eleanor Roosevelt
-Julia Grant
-Louisa Adams
-Frances Cleveland 
-Lucretia Garfield 
-Edith Roosevelt

It was important for me to let the CPS know that I had never met nor spoken with any FLDS woman who had not been abused in some form.  Not one.--pg. 271

-Prophet's Prey by Sam Brower is my 8th and final book (for now) in my study of the FLDS (Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints).

-Brower was the private investigator who spent countless hours looking into all the abuse committed by Warren Jeffs and others in the leadership of the FLDS.  He accurately labeled Warren Jeffs with the title, "pedophile prophet".

With the FLDS, the Feds are facing one of the largest organized-crime syndicates in the history of this country.  Some ten to fifteen thousand members support a religion that participates in child abuse, interstate and international sex trafficking, and other crimes in support of their religious dogma.  It is a much bigger gang than Don Corleone ever had in the Godfather movies. 

I have often pondered how the public would react if the same sort of ritualistic crimes that I have investigated within the FLDS had instead centered on a congregation of Satan worshippers.  The only difference is is that Satan worshippers know without a doubt that they are going to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law if they get caught raping a virgin.  If the FLDS crimes had been put in proper perspective, outraged citizens and lawmakers would have demanded action years ago.--pgs. 300-301

-After reading books by many of the victims, it was good to get a comprehensive, overall look at the FLDS.  Brower also put into perspective how outrageous all of the crimes of the FLDS are, but because of the mob mentality of the cult, they have gotten away with things for way too long.

-What I find most reprehensible is that Jeffs and other men raped young children, and did so in the name of God.  I can't think of a more horrific thing to do to another person and then claim that God sanctions it.  The Bible says:

If anyone causes one of these little ones--those who believe in me--to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.--Matthew 18:6

-God will hold Jeffs and all the other men accountable for the abuse they have committed.  I couldn't agree more with Brower's conclusion to his book.

We live in a country in which the practice of illegal, arranged incestuous marriage, the sexual exploitation of women and children as part of religious rituals, the trafficking of children across interstate and international boundaries, and the tyranny of breaking families apart has never been tolerated.  

There is no question that great strides have been made in this worthwhile cause, and I have faith in the ultimate outcome; but the lasting changes needed to provide for the safety and security of thousands of children have yet to be achieved.  Until the FLDS hierarchy, whoever that may eventually be, finds the human decency to stand before the world and accept responsibility for their criminal actions, and sincerely apologize to their many victims with a commitment to never again abuse or neglect another child, it will never truly be over.  Until that day, I will remain vigilant.--pg. 311

 Previous FLDS Posts:
The Treatment of Women
Carolyn Jessop--A Portrait of Courage
Triumph
Church of Lies
Studying the FLDS
When Men Become Gods
The Witness Wore Red
Stolen Innocence 
Lost Boy

Taylor Kitsch: What I love him in--Friday Night Lights and Lone Survivor

-People always leaves out a couple of gems in their Sexiest Man Alive Issue.  I decided I would post the ones that I agree with, and then add some great ones that they missed.

Matt Czuchry: What I love him in--Gilmore Girls and The Good Wife

Mark Wahlberg: What I love him in--Lone Survivor and Invincible

Charlie Hunnam: What I love him in--Sons of Anarchy

Who They Missed--

Timothy Olyphant: What I love him in--Justified

Anson Mount: What I love him in--Hell on Wheels