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Just wanted to let you know that Haley changed the background. She said St. Patrick's Day is better than spring since it is up next. Hope you like it.

**Adriane, Don't read unless you have completed the first part**

Three Cups of Tea

Part 1: Chapters 1-7

This book has been an inspiration to me because it so far has shown that one Man can make a difference.

It starts out with Greg climbing the K2 for his sister, Christa who has learning disabilities from what I remember as a vaccine reaction that she never recovered from. She died just before her 23rd birthday when her Mom and her were going to make a trip to celebrate. Since Greg and Christa were so close, Christa spent a month with him every year and he taught the independence no one else would give her, he wanted to honor her with climbing to the top of K2 and leaving the special necklace he had bought for her. But unfortunately he didn't make it to the end, he got lost off the trail with his guides and supplies ahead while he was stuck at dark trying to find his way back to them. He decided to do what he had too, to survive and found a place to stay until morning when he could get himself back on track. He was an experience climber and knew what he had to do to survive the weather, so he did the best he could and actually fell asleep for a period of time until finally it was daylight again! He finally finds his crew and they end up going back down the mountain as Greg was not in the greatest shape and his crew decided that was best for him, so he took the defeat and started back down the trail.

Once he was back, he wondered into a small village where he met the kindness people who had nothing but shared everything he needed to him, even as a stranger. They knew he was an outsider but still opened their hearts to him and shared a cup of tea with him to help him recover from the hardship of trying to climb K2. This few days opened his eyes to what the rest of us didn't want see or think about, how these families had hardly nothing but gave everything and that the children were given an opportunity to learn but no where near what they should of been. A teacher was out of the question as it was way to expensive to have one even once a week, so the children gathered and were given the lessons only to write their math tables in the dirt with a stick and definitely no chairs or paper were available. This appalled Greg, only wanting to do more so as he returned to the United States he was a quest to start a school as he promised for these students as they wanted to learn and didn't have the facility to do it in. So he lived in his car, he worked shifts as a nurse no one else wanted and saved as money as he could to make the school happened for what he thought he could do for as little as $12,000. Then he began writing letters to everyone he thought would listen, and it was funny to read him using an old fashion typewriter until they introduced him to the "computer" and he could write all his letters in a couple of days.

To his surprise people started to respond and he finally got the $12,000 he needed and he was off. He left his life behind, sold his car/house and told his girlfriend he would be back and things would be different as he would make a difference and he would start to live a normal life. He found locals who helped him wheel and deal prices for the things he needed, he begin learning about the culture by learning the religion and dressing like everyone else. When he got all his supplies he found a truck to transport the materials and he was off on his intended journey to build a school, now he just had to find reliable laborers to help in continue the most important part of his journey...building the school as he promised.

It has been amazing to me to see someone so dedicated to something that he promised and actually followed through with it. You don't see that very often, and the symbolism of the offering of the tea which showed that people respected him and what he was doing.

Until our next stop.....

Happy Reading!

Three Cups of Tea

Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time



From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Some failures lead to phenomenal successes, and this American nurse's unsuccessful attempt to climb K2, the world's second tallest mountain, is one of them. Dangerously ill when he finished his climb in 1993, Mortenson was sheltered for seven weeks by the small Pakistani village of Korphe; in return, he promised to build the impoverished town's first school, a project that grew into the Central Asia Institute, which has since constructed more than 50 schools across rural Pakistan and Afghanistan. Coauthor Relin recounts Mortenson's efforts in fascinating detail, presenting compelling portraits of the village elders, con artists, philanthropists, mujahideen, Taliban officials, ambitious school girls and upright Muslims Mortenson met along the way. As the book moves into the post-9/11 world, Mortenson and Relin argue that the United States must fight Islamic extremism in the region through collaborative efforts to alleviate poverty and improve access to education, especially for girls. Captivating and suspenseful, with engrossing accounts of both hostilities and unlikely friendships, this book will win many readers' hearts. (Mar.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Bookmarks Magazine
While critics agree that Three Cups of Tea should be read for its inspirational value rather than for its literary merit, the book's central theme, derived from a Baltistan proverb, rings loud and clear. "The first time you share tea with a Balti, you are a stranger," a villager tells Greg Mortenson. "The second time, you are an honored guest. The third time you become family." An inspirational story of one man's efforts to address poverty, educate girls, and overcome cultural divides, Three Cups, which won the 2007 Kiriyama Prize for nonfiction, reveals the enormous obstacles inherent in becoming such "family." Despite the important message, critics quibbled over the awkward prose and some melodrama. After all, a story as dramatic and satisfying as this should tell itself.

I believe this is the first nonfiction book that we have read.

Happy Reading...

"Breaking Dawn"

Book of Bella

I have to say this last part of this final book in the series I had very high expectations, expectations to have everything, every piece of the puzzle answered and I have to say they did but in an unusual way that left me thinking "really, this is how it's going to end"?? I am not saying the series wasn't great and I couldn't put the books down at some points, but after all the drama and nail biting experiences through the last month I thought for sure the ending was going to be a fireworks display, and it was just there....but let me start with the story........

Bella's transformation had begun and things had gone so smoothly that Carislie had never seen anything like it. Bella could control herself, such as on the first hunt with Edward she smelled human blood but was able to control herself to not hurt them. Then when they came back she was able to hold Renesme without attacking her and she showed Bella her talents which was showing Bella what she saw, and/or missed. But backing up just slightly, Jacob had imprinted on Renesme and Bella was outraged on how he could do that to not only a baby, but to her child! Although it continued to be hard Bella kept her urges to a minimum and things were happening to her as a newborn vampire that no one had ever seen. Renesme was continually growing and already talking, and turning into a beautiful half vampire, half human.

Then the unthinkable happened and Inria saw Renesme and for revenge went back to the Volutri to tell them what she saw, so now they are in attack mode as the Cullen's had broken a rule. But as it turned out and events began to unfold as Alice saw what was about to happen, Inria was the one that was wrong and was punished for her revenge, and burned. But not until Bella's new power of protecting those with a shield, and showing the Volutri that Renesme was special. A vote was taken, and Renesme was saved when Alice came back to show them there are more than just Renesme in this world who have not hurt any humans. So as fast as the Volutri had tried to attack they were off and the Cullen's and the other vampires around the world were saved. And Bella, Renesme and Edward lived Happily Ever After.

Yes, I know I left out quite a bit, but those who haven't read the books yet I couldn't spoil everything! I have to say this series was not something I would of ever picked up on my own, but I have to say and I think Adriane feels the same way, it was definitely worth the time and a good read! I would definitely recommend the series, but in my opinion "New Moon" was my favorite of them all, and this final book was my least favorite as the ending was very disappointing.

If you are looking for a good series that is different from what you normally read or like these types of books, The Twilight series is definitely the right choice!

Happy Reading!