cold tangerines.

do you ever hear a song or watch a movie or try a recipe it was just so good that you wanted everyone that you know to listen to it, or watch it, or bake it? well, i've come across one of those exciting little treasures in the form of a book. and even though i'm only halfway done with it, i just couldn't wait to tell everyone about this book. 

my sweet friend/roommate/bridesmaid/teaching partner kate got me this particular book for my birthday titled cold tangerines. i know, i know...weird name, but wonderful book. shauna niequist, author of cold tangerines, has totally drawn me in with her writing style and i have been having to force myself to put this book down at night so that i can get some sleep. 

this book is all about living your life in the moment. niequist shares about how she felt like she waited her whole life for a "big" moment. she waited and waited until it finally dawned on her that the "big" moment lays in every single moment of every single day. and all of those little moments create our lives that have been intricately woven together my our Savior and the creator of the universe. 

the only way i can give you a glimpse into this book is to give you a few passages that have stood out to me. read them, you won't regret it. 

"But this is what I'm finding, in glimpses and flashes: this is it. This is it, in the best possible way. That thing I'm waiting for, for that adventure, that movie-score-worthy experience unfolding gracefully. This is it. Normal, daily life ticking by on our streets and sidewalks, in our houses and apartments, in our beds and at our dinner tables, in our dreams and prayers and fights and secrets - this pedestrian life is the most precious thing any of us will ever experience."

"I want a life that sizzles and pops and makes me laugh out loud. And I don't want to get to the end, or to tomorrow, even, and realize that my life is a collection of meetings and pop cans and errands and receipts and dirty dishes. I want to eat cold tangerines and sing out loud in the car with the windows open and wear pink shoes and stay up all night laughing and paint my walls the exact color of the sky right now. I want to sleep hard on clean white sheets and throw parties and eat ripe tomatoes and read books so good they make me jump up and down, and I want my everyday to make God belly laugh, glad that he gave life to someone who loves the gift."