Bookies Part II

Let's get right back to it.

BEST "MADE ME THINK" STORY

Winner - The Shack, William P. Young. This book is pretty well-known, especially in religious circles. I've talked to a lot of people who have read and it and the reviews are very mixed. It shows God and the Holy Trinity from an entirely new perspective and I think it was a little too much for traditionalists. For me, it was an incredibly comforting idea. No one ever thinks of God in a female form, but in his infinite power, he most certainly could. This book made me re-examine how I learn from tragedy in my own life and how my relationship with God is affected by it. Every time I read it, I pick up a little something else from it.

1st Runner-Up - Life of Pi, Yann Martel. This book blew my mind and that's all there is to it. It's the story of a young Indian boy who is in a shipwreck and he floats across the Atlantic on a life raft with a bunch of zoo animals who all die off until all he has left is a Bengal tiger for company. I realize that sounds strange, but the dynamic between the boy and this tiger is fascinating, and at the end of the book, you're left with your mouth agape, tears in your eyes, and that heavy feeling in your chest because nothing was quite what it seemed. Not enough people have read this book.

2nd Runner-Up - White Noise, Don DeLillo. I had to read this book for an honors class the summer before I started college, and I will say that it is not for the casual reader. This is a book where you have to stop and think about what you've read, really reflect on it, to get the full essence of the author's message. A chemical explosion, a new drug for the fear of death, and a complicated relationship between a man and his wife. What I really loved about this book was the writing. You'd be reading a dialogue, and then out of nowhere,  there'd be a sentence like "The radio is on upstairs." DeLillo is very attentive to even the most mundane aspects of the environment.

BEST HIGH FANTASY

Winner - The Lord of the Rings trilogy, JRR Tolkien. Who didn't see this one coming, right? Tolkien is the last word in high fantasy for a reason. I am very happy to say that I have just recently begun reading the third book in the trilogy, so I'm almost done. (Not decided yet if I'm going to tackle The Hobbit and The Silmarillion yet.) And of course, I'm a bit of a nerd for the movies. But, anyway, here's what I love about these in particular. High fantasy involves the creation of a new world, essentially, and Tolkien was endlessly thorough. Sometimes when I'm reading these books, I come across a person or a place that they don't talk much about, and I get curious. I do a little research, and I can easily find the full history. He literally created an entirely new world, and he fully designed it and mapped out its fate from beginning to end, sparing no details. It's mesmerizing.

1st Runner-Up - Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass, Lewis Carroll. Everyone knows the story of Alice from the various movie adaptations, but about two years ago, I took the time to actually read the books, and they were absolutely fabulous! I love that they are written for children but the complexity resonates so well with adults. It is completely logic-less, which is both frustrating and refreshing as an adult reader. I feel like this is one of those books that, had I read it when I was 8, I would understand it about as well as I do now.

2nd Runner-Up - The Dark Tower Series, Stephen King. Okay, so I've only read 2/7 of these books, and it is true that I struggle with King's writing, but I have every intention of finishing, (3rd book is on the Kindle now) and when I break it down to the core plotline, I really like where it's going so far. I hurt myself with this one because my dad has already finished all 7, and he told me how they end (I asked). But, I think King would say that these books are about the journey, not the destination, and it was a lifelong effort on his part, so I have a lot of respect for the writing.

**Note for this section. I am considering adding George R R Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire to my reading list. I don't know a whole lot about it, but HBO has a new show out called "Game of Thrones" which is based on the 1st book in the series, and I've been watching it. I definitely recommend it, if this kind of stuff is your thing. I compare it to LOTR except a bit more medieval feeling, and a lot more earthbound.

More to come soon...

Bookies Part I

It's a rainy, stormy, tornado-y afternoon in the Tennessee Valley. The kind of day that's so dark, you have to turn on the end table lamps to be able to see anything, which happen to be some of my favorite days. It's times like these that I most enjoy curling up on the couch with a good book. You all know how much I love to read, as I am always talking about a book I've read or one I'm about to read. People are constantly asking me about my favorite books and for recommendations, so I've decided to create an official list of Book Superlatives! Just like in high school! It's going to be great. Here we go!

Let's do this in installments so it won't be quite so overwhelming. I've read a lot of books and there are many categories.

BEST LOVE STORY (note this is different from Best Romance)

Winner - Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen. I know this is cliche, but cliches become cliches for a reason, and the reason for this one is that P&P is simply the most perfect love story every written. Now, we all know that Jane Austen was a prude, and she used the words 'propriety' and 'decorum' far too frequently, but the heart of the matter is that the love between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet is perfect in its imperfection. Also, the dynamics of the Bennet family are absolutely hilarious, if you can fully grasp her diction enough to understand it. This book is the go-to read for the sappy romantic. Also, I must implore everyone reading this to see the movie version featuring Kiera Knightley, if you haven't already. Matthew MacFadyen's Darcy is flawless.

1st Runner Up - Outlander, Diana Gabaldon. Some would argue that this should go in the romance category, because it certainly has its fair share of steaminess, but Jamie and Clare go beyond all of that, I think. I love their conversations more than anything, and Jamie's balance of macho manliness, sensitivity, stubbornness, and vulnerability. He is the perfect man. This really is a well-rounded novel. It has elements of science fiction, as well as excellent historical fiction on the Scottish Highlands, which is an area of our world history that we don't hear about every day. 

2nd Runner Up - One Day, David Nicholls. I realize that book doesn't really fit in with the other, timeless, epic love stories. For one thing, it is very contemporary. It just came out last year. I think I loved it so much because I drew some serious real life parallels from it. It's about these two best friends who are so obviously made for each other, but, for one reason or another, they don't act on it. The ending is both beautiful and heartbreaking. I don't think I even realized how much I cared about these characters until the last few chapters when I could barely read the page through uncontrollable sobs. 

BEST SUSPENSE/MYSTERY/THRILLER

Winner - The Millenium Trilogy, Stieg Larsson. These books are all the rage right now, and even old news for those of us who knew how great they were from the very beginning, but there are still too many people who haven't read them, and it cannot stand! Stieg Larsson is a freaking mastermind, and Lisbeth Salander is the greatest fictional character created in this generation of novels. The imagery in these books in incredible. I know very little about Stockholm, but I feel like I've lived there after reading this trilogy. Each book is better than the last, and I haven't met a person yet who read them and wasn't amazed. Again, you need to see the movies. All three have been made into Swedish movies, and they are simply marvelous. The subtitles are not an issue, and I have all three if you would like to borrow. The American version is coming out later this year, but it won't hold a candle to the Swedish. Noomi Rapace is the perfect Lisbeth.

1st Runner-Up - The Eight, Katherine Neville. I came across this book one day while browsing idly in Joseph-Beth's, and it knocked my socks off. It sort of reminds me of The Da Vinci Code. The storyline revolves around....wait for it....the game of chess. I realize that sounds nerdy, but don't let that deter you. This is a smart, epic mystery novel with an almost entirely female cast. It bounces back and forth between the 1970's and the French Revolution, and they intertwine in a surprising way. I love it because I've read it twice now, and it is so complex that I still don't fully understand what happened. That's a good sign.

2nd Runner-Up - The Robert Langdon novels, Dan Brown. Who didn't see this one coming, right? One caveat: I would like to exclude The Lost Symbol from this. I didn't really care for it. I learned a few fun facts, but I feel like the ending was kind of wishy washy. The majority of the praise here, I think, goes to Angels and Demons, which simply had a better storyline. The ending was rock solid and believable, whereas The Da Vinci Code had that "Jesus had a daughter" thing going on as it's climax, which is fine, but I think I'm a little too strong in my Christianity to really fall for it. Anywho, both books get props for how smart they are. I learned so much about so much from reading them, and I appreciate how much research Brown put into each one. The movies kind of tarnished my view of these books. I think without the movies clouding my vision, they would have ranked higher.

This is going to take forever....Part Deux Coming soon!

22 Candles

Today is my birthday =) I would just like to start by thanking all of my wonderful family, friends, and distant acquaintances for the outpouring of well wishes. It's been a very difficult weekend, for reasons that many of my readers will already know, but for the most part I enjoyed my passing into the 22nd year of being.

I don't think I've ever talked much at my faith on here, but it's a big part of my life, and I've really been feeling it this weekend, and not just because it was Easter. I lost a new, and extremely young friend on Friday, and I've spent a lot of time questioning myself and questioning God, which I know you should never do, but it's hard not to in a situation like this one. The conclusions were all good ones. Sometimes you just have to throw up your hands and admit that you don't have and will never find all the answers. The comfort, I guess, is in knowing that God does. I realize that we Christians tend to wear out the whole "God has a plan" thing, but it really is a phenomenal source of comfort when you stop and think about it. I met and bonded with this precious little girl in the last week of her life for a reason. All of the conversations we had happened for a reason, and she was taken for a reason.

When I was a senior in high school, I wrote a paper for my English class entitled "The Tapestry." Don't laugh because it was a flawless paper. Even the ultimate critic, Mr. Austin of Rhea County High School couldn't find fault with it. Anyway, in it, I talked about how life is like a tapestry in that when you stand really close to one, it looks like a total mess. You can see each individual thread, all of a different color, and they seem so random. It's not until you back away to see the full picture that you see the perfect image that they come together to create. I think this tragedy is one of those odd threads. Right now, I can't find a place or a meaning for it, but at some point, I'll know why it's there.

Sorry for the serious tone and introspection. I'm just not in the frame of mind to be light hearted.

On a final note, I just finished watching The First Wives Club, which oddly enough has been one of my favorite movies since I was 7 years old and didn't even really know what divorce meant. I suppose I've always loved seeing a woman stand up and take charge of her life. These are the women that I most aspire to be like. Anyway, this movie always leaves me feeling happy and empowered, and it is also relevant to this blog because these women have gumption in droves, so here you go.

Planning Ahead...

I would just like to report to everyone that I've got an interview lined up in Columbus, OH for early May and I'm really excited about it! Like I said before, I think it's bad luck to give specifics, but just know that I am very happy. As was pointed out to me the other day by a new Finnish friend, gumption is a choice and not a destination. I realize that, but I will say that when I started this whole quest thing, getting a job was a big factor in my mind when I pictured the end result of this project. I feel like I'm one step closer to accomplishing something here.

As I was doing my research on the Columbus area, I stumbled upon Easton Town Center, a shopping mall of epic proportions. All I ever really wanted out of life was to live within close range of a Norstroms, and it looks like that dream could possibly be fulfilled. And until the day comes that I am able to afford a seasonal wardrobe from there, I will shop at the nearby H&M, which happens to be one of my favorite stores, and I haven't actually been in one since the France days.

The only thing that would make this any better is if there was a Joseph Beth's. There's not, I already checked, but there is one in Cincinnati, and I can't think of a better reason to make that trip.

(PS. I realize that I do not in fact have a job yet, and that I am getting waaaaay ahead of myself, but I enjoy doing this so much. Humor me.)

As for living arrangements, I am thinking of getting a two bedroom apartment and using the second bedroom as a reading room. This means I have a new space to decorate, and the idea is overwhelming. If you have any suggestions for this room, please share. I've yet to find my inspiration.

You know, just the other day, I said to someone that I was a big believe in the power of location, and I went on to give this big speech about how our location plays such a big role in shaping our futures (I took one semester of the Space, Place, and Culture Honors track at UK. I know my stuff). Anyway, this idea is in the forefront of my mind right now as I ponder moving to a different state. As I was doing my nightly reading in Under the Tuscan Sun,  I came across the following passage:

"Southerners have a gene, as yet undetected in the DNA spirals, that causes them to believe that place is fate. Where you are is who you are. The further inside you the place moves, the more your identity is intertwined with it. Never casual, the choice of place is the choice of something you crave."

Are Frances Mayes and I riding the same brain wave, or what! Is this really just a southern thing? Or is this an everyone thing? I don't know. I just thought is was a strange coincidence and vaguely interesting. I love finding real life parallels in my reading. 

Updates

Time for some housekeeping-style blogging. My last post listed some of my missions for this month. Here's the update...

1. Once again, on the subject of job searching...I have a very promising prospect! Finally, this is one that I actually have some confidence in! It's a wonderful feeling. My resume was sent in on Thursday of last week, and I got a call on Friday. I hate giving details because I feel like it jinxes it, but I will say that I've been looking at living prospects in the Columbus, Ohio area. We shall see. Wish me luck!

2. I have completed the culinary adventures I mentioned last time. The croque monsieur was nothing short of amazing. It was ooey, gooey, cheesy, buttery perfection, and I fully expect to be making one again soon. Gruyere cheese is divine! Also, the lavender ice cream was one of the most interesting flavors I've ever encountered. Once I got over trying to decide what it tasted like (to no avail, it tastes like nothing else), I decided that I absolutely loved it. It was a big hit with mom and dad as well. New adventures I'm considering: chocolate croissants and Julia Child's French onion soup.

3. Haven't cracked open the French books yet, but I did listen to some great French music over the weekend!

4. Gym....well, I've done okay. I was a day short of my goal last week, but there's always this week to make up for it.

5. My Itunes is immaculate! All of my music is now on my Macbaby, organized exactly how I want it. It is heaven!

and on an unrelated note....

Some of you might remember a post from back in early February about my undying love for Bellarom chocolate (only in Europe). You should remember it, because it is far and away my most read blog post. Anyway, I have received a comment from someone in Finland who owns a food export company. After 2 years of searching, I now have a way to get my precious Bellarom chocolate!!! This is a monumental day in my history. I'm having all of my readers over for coffee and chocolate, as soon as I get a job with a steady income to where I can afford to make some frivolous purchases. Well, maybe not all of my readers. The ones from the Palestinian territories might have a hard time making it.  ;-)

April's Mission

I have just returned from a truly delightful weekend in Lexington. I spent early Friday afternoon at Keeneland with my very dearest friend Jessie and her charming manfriend. The weather was absolutely perfect, sunny and luke warm. The only downside was that for the first time in recorded history, I did not win a single penny on a race. Thank goodness I had limited funds to begin with. On my last bet, I wagered two dollars worth in quarters on a horse with 66-1 final odds to win. Obviously, I was desperate, which is never a good mindset to have when you are gambling. 

The best part of the weekend was the multitude of opportunities to reconnect with all of the people that I have sorely missed during my going on four months of exile in Dayton. It's just the teensiest bit sad to see all of my former peers with jobs, or plans for jobs, or just plans in general, but I know that my time is coming. 

In the meantime, I've decided that I need to live with a bit more purpose for the duration of this month. February and March were a complete waste, and I refuse to go on like that. Here is my plan...

1. On the subject of job searching: Focus more on quality and less on quantity. I've wasted a lot of time doing job submissions that I knew would amount to nothing just because I needed to feel like I was doing something, but I've realized just how correct my professors and advisors were when they tried to impress upon us the importance of networking, networking, networking. I've always known this, but now I need to start practicing it.

2. More culinary adventures: Cooking makes me so happy. More importantly, cooking extravagant things makes me so happy. I don't do it as often these days because I'm sharing a kitchen, and it is a bit time consuming, but it's something that I absolutely love doing, so I'm going to dedicate more time to it for the rest of this month. I've already told you about my croque monsieurs and lavender ice cream plans, but I have some more things in mind. For example, I'm thinking about making myself a birthday cake. How does Persian Love Cake sound?

3. Apprendre le français plus: The French language is divine, and I ashamed to say that my mastery of it has lessened of late. I used to be quite dedicated to my study of it, but after I returned from my time in France, I starting slacking, and now I've stopped thinking and dreaming in French, things I quite enjoyed doing. So, I have decided to start doing daily exercises in my grammar books again, as well as reading my French version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone again, and listening to Carla Bruni's Comme si de rien n'etait. (Did you know she was a folk singer in addition to being first lady of France?) This was inspired from my dear friend Aimee, by the way, who has just recently returned from her stay in Dijon, where I lived over there. I am jealous of her fluency.

4. The gym: Oh, the gym. I actually enjoy going. My problem here is in the lack of schedule. I never know what day or what time of day I'm going to go, and it stresses me out because I'm constantly thinking If I don't go today, then I have to go tomorrow, but what if I'm busy tomorrow, blah blah blah. So, I'm going to go 4-5 times a week at 10:00am (my favorite time because the old people are there, and they make me feel like I'm very fast and strong!). The days are to be determined on a weekly basis.

5. Organize my Itunes: I realize that this sound silly, but my Itunes is an absolute mess and it really stresses me out. Here's the problem. I have half of my music on my new computer, about a quarter on the Toshiba dinosaur, and the other quarter I got from friends. I cannot sync anything, and its driving me crazy. Also, I prefer using albums to playlists, and my albums are a mess. It is like an Easter Egg Hunt trying to find my favorite workout jams at the gym. So, I'm going to begin the long process of consolidating my music onto my new computer. The stuff I got from friends is just going to have to go. A small price to pay for organization.

I think I'm off to a great start. I'm going to ring in the big 2-2 on the proper note, as a polished young lady who has her stuff together. I feel better already.

Vacation Station

The family and I have been doing a lot of vacation exploration this week. We just want a nice little 4-5 day holiday from life, nothing fancy. We're kind of thinking Myrtle Beach, since I've never been (well, technically I have, but I don't remember it.). If you have any thoughts on this, please share. 

Anyway, planning a vacation always makes me think of past vacations, and I've had some doozies. Hawaii will always be the greatest family vacation we ever take, and the New York/Nantucket vacation of two years ago would've have been wonderful had it not been for extraneous circumstances. But, let's face it, Europe takes the cake on vacations. (Yes, I'm going to talk about Europe AGAIN). I've had it on my mind a lot this week, so much so that I've been reading back through the journal I kept while I was there. I am a master journalist. 

One of my favorite passages is about the few days I spent in Lausanne, Switzerland. I bet many of you have never even heard of it. It's a truly bizarre little town, but it has an exceptional amount of character and natural beauty. Since I love reminiscing about my travels so much, I figured I'd just write up my entry about this town for you. Heck, I'll even include pictures. Read and enjoy....

September 12, 2009

En Lausanne:

At this moment, I am sitting on a bench in a park not far from our hotel in Lausanne. There are children playing and a handful of runners making their rounds. It's sundown. There's a breeze blowing that's starting to give me the chills, and I am physically exhausted from what ended up being a delightful day. 

We started the morning down by Lake Geneva, in a part of town called 'Ouchy,' which I think is a marvelous name. It was so pretty and peaceful; a European version of Cape Cod, if I'm making comparisons. We walked along the lakefront to the Olympic Museum (Lausanne is the Olympic Capital. Who knew?) 

The museum was quite an experience, and I enjoyed it all the more for getting free admission by participating in a video interview. He asked me what I thought about the future of the Olympics. I said I thought we would see higher standards for excellence, given Michael Phelp's success in Beijing. On the fly, it was the best I could do. 

Following a quick lunch at the Swiss equivalent to a hot dog stand, we rode the metro up the hill to the Old Town. We decided to take a walking tour of the city (which I was not properly shoed for), and while we waited for it to start, we bought some chocolate and watched an adorable send off of a couple who'd just been married at the Town Hall. 

The tour was amazing (and free for us, because we're students.) I appreciated the guide's sense of humor. The highlight was the cathedrale. It's at the highest point in the city so there are some terrific views from there.

After the tour, we had an early dinner at an adorable creperie. It looked like the inside of a grandmother's house. Everything was crocheted and lace. We shared 3 crepes: one with tomatoes and some kind of cheese, one with chocolate and bananas, and the last with chocolate and ice cream. There were delectable! It was a very European dining experience, I thought. 

This city is so quiet! It's not as eery as it was last night. I'm actually starting to appreciate the beauty and tranquility of it. I'm definitely glad that we took this trip because I've enjoyed something a little different. I doubt we will have many more experiences like this, as the rest of our destinations will be more commercial. We leave at 1:00 tomorrow, so I think we'll spend the morning on the waterfront. I like it down there.

All the people have gone home, it seems. Now it is especially quiet.

-KC

Gee Whiz! Look At These Apples!

I had an incredible shopping discovery this evening. Two words: Earth Fare. To those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, it's a grocery store similar to Whole Foods and Fresh Market, but in my opinion, this one takes the cake. With the exception of the meat/poultry/fish section, which lacks a bit of diversity and creativity, Earth Fare is my new go-to grocer for my gourmet cooking whims.

On that note, I am now fully stocked to create the next round of culinary adventures. On the menu, croque monsieur and honey lavender ice cream. A croque monsieur is essentially a fancy grilled ham and cheese sandwich, made with gruyere or emmental. I'm going to use gruyere (courtesy of Earth Fare), and I think I'm going to try making some Bechamel sauce to top mine with.

The lavender ice cream is self explanatory, I think. The lavender I purchased (also at EF) is so fresh that it comes in a little zip-lock baggy. Doesn't that sound so exciting?! I've never cooked with lavender before, so who knows.

I also found some rose water. If you'll remember, I made a post about using rose water as a facial toner. Well, my stash ran out about a month and a half ago, and I've been trying to find some to replace it ever since, but all that I was finding was online for over $20. Not cool. EF carries it for less than $10, and it is also culinary grade, so if I ever get a hankering to experiment in Indian-inspired sweets, I'll be covered.

After, the fun at Earth Fare, we figured, while we were at it, we might as well go to Fresh Market, where I found these...

Are these not the biggest apples you've ever seen?!?! I was astounded, and I just had to have some. They are called Gee Whiz apples, and I know why. That is the reaction when you see them in the produce section. I also picked up some delicious sushi for lunch tomorrow. Very productive stop.

Food shopping brings me so much joy. If you live near an Earth Fare (everyone in Chattanooga does, by the way), you really need to go. It is amazing.

Armchair Traveler

I have just purchased Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes on my Kindle, and I am very excited about it. This is a book that has been on my reading list since the movie version came out in 2003, but I would never commit to reading it because I have this thing about nonfiction in any form. I typically don't enjoy it. However, my opinion on the matter completely changed last summer when I read Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love, a book which has become one of my all time favorites, so much so that I now tend to think of Liz as a close personal friend.

I like the idea of changing your life through travel. It pleases me to think that eating a slice of pizza in Napoli or the simple act of waxing a brick floor to perfection can bring such earth-shattering joy. Maybe it's just the phase of life I'm in right now, but I am so inspired by reading these phenomenal stories of women taking charge of their lives and demanding change. That's what I got out of Gilbert's masterpiece, and I'm hoping that Mayes can offer something similar.

I've though of a new career option. What do you think about restauranteur/head chef? Get ready for a whole slew of Meryl Streep movie references. Anyone ever seen It's Complicated? You know the restaurant she owns in that movie? It's really more of a patisserie. That's what I want to do. I've got a plan. I want to live in Paris for a year (imagine that) while taking classes at Le Cordon Bleu, just like Julia Child (Meryl movie reference #2). Then I want to come back here and open a patisserie/cafe/restaurant. I'm not sure exactly where "here" is yet. I'm not sure how well my plan would go over in Dayton. I could try Chattanooga, but my immediate thought is to take this back to Lexington, if for no other reason than having access to Joseph Beth's again. (For those of you who don't know, Joseph-Beth's is the king of all bookstores, and it is also one of my favorite places on the planet.)

One final thing...This blog is entitled "In Search of Gumption" for a reason. I actually am trying to figure out my life this year, and I feel that I should give an update, now that I've had three full months to do work. I would say that I am somewhat improved. That's not to say that I am any closer to fulfillment than I was January 1st, but I think I'm more emotionally stable now. Give it another three months, and I should be ship shape. To my readers across the globe (I mean that literally, you really are everywhere), I appreciate your attention, and I'm going to try to find more entertaining things to tell you about in the future. Promise =)

Jeb

Ever since Phoebe and her pregnant self came along, I've been thinking a lot about getting a puppy. You know, I'm in this awful transition phase of life, I'm on the edge of striking out on my own, and I just think it would be heaven to have a living, breathing, loyal companion to pack along with me. I've never really wanted a dog before, but now I think the time has come. And I know just what I want.

Enter Back Home Farms, based out of Greensburg, KY (the momma's homeland). And what is their specialty breed you ask? Wolves. That's right, wolves. As in 'I was walking alone in the forest and I was attacked by a pack of wolves' wolves. Isn't that so beautifully different? I like different things. I like it when someone says "Only Kacey..." Look at these adorable things!

I just cannot get over it! I took one look at these little darlings, and I just knew that this was the kind of dog I was meant to have. Look at how beautiful they are when they grow up...

It's been decided. As soon as I officially get out of dodge, I'm getting a wolf puppy. I want one of the grey ones because I want it to look authentic. When the neighbors see my dog running around, I want them to fear for their lives! I want animal control calling me on a daily basis. And I want it to be a boy, because the name is the best part. Jacob Ephraim Black II (affectionately known as Jeb). I know, it's perfect, and you're jealous because I thought of it first.

Kacey Henderson, proud owner of her very own werewolf =)