Florida:
Finished my time up there with a great Christmas celebration with the family. Went to the beach Christmas eve and did what I love, laid in the sun (I only got a little burnt and we found a baby octopus). I finished my book, which I would like to give a small review on at the end of this post. We then opened presents when we got home. We went to bed late, slept in and then lazed around all Christmas day! Yeah! Then I got ready and headed out on the 26th. I got a killer headache on the flight to Germany so I slept the entire 8 hour flight. (that's never happened).
Germany:
I made Germany blue because it's so cold, especially after coming from FL. Well my brother, Lane, was in the hospital when I got here. For those of you who don't know he has T-All Leukemia. He was finishing up his last high risk block, but there was some sickness so he was still there when I arrived. It was a shock really seeing him because he's changed A LOT from the last time I saw him. However, I have gotten to experience how German medicine works. They really care about the patient, and they take all the time they need in the world, and it's so different from the way Americans roll. He got great news the second day that I was here, all the bad cells were gone, AND he was ready for transplant. They took a day to discuss it, but he will be getting the stem-cell transplant. The whole preliminary process has already began, and he will be hospitalized to make sure he is clear and healthy, starting on Jan. 7th. His transplant will start be on Jan 17th. I am leaving on the 10th, so I will still be here for a little bit of the process. After the transplant he will be in the hospital for 5 weeks, and then he will be in the 100 days to being cured. I've learned a lot about the process, and I have met some really tough little kids. Lane is soon to be 9, but we had a conversation today and I swear he's like 14 now. He's a tough cookie, and he's always quick with a joke. I'm excited for the transplant because it's been a long 5 months for them. He wasn't home for any holidays from Halloween on, but he gets to celebrate New Years Eve (Sylvester as the Germans say) at home. So we are going to set off fire works and eat great food. Hopefully I will have some pictures.
So, that's where I'm at on the Xmas trek right now. There will be more for sure because I know some more is going to happen. I hope after Erfurt and New Years I will do the picture blog I was talking about. For those of you readers, I am going to give a very short review of Delirium that I finished in Florida, and I will post a picture of the cute little guy we found at the beach. Have a great New Years!
I like to call him Fred because he just looks the type. He's cute in his own little way!Delirium: Lauren Oliver
It's a book that is the start of a trilogy. It's of a futurist distopia were people in the United States believe that love is a disease. It's written in first person, so you hear all of the girls thoughts. It's a choice that isn't used very often, but I think it works, and it's interesting in this book. I think the progression of the book is really led by this format. The book jumps right into what is going on in the world at this time. It explains how Love is a disease and what is done to fix it now days. Oliver takes you on a very emotional journey throughout the book. There is love, betrayal, adventure and murder - really the whole 9 yards if you will. I think this is a great, quick read. It's for the teen audience, but I am never opposed to reading teen books. If you liked the Hunger Game series you will for sure like this one. (And if you haven't read the Hunger Games I suggest you do because it's awesome) The second book in the Delirium Trilogy: Pandemonium will be released Feb. 2012.
(I told you the review would be short, and I would like to start doing some short reviews on the books that I read. The next will be The Help. I know they're not real reviews, but it's just to share the books I read with you.)
