Crazy for the Storm

On Sunday I finished Crazy for the Storm by Norman Ollestad.  I first saw this book at a Starbucks in Downtown Portland and after reading that it was a story about a boy, who at age 11, was the lone survivor of a plane crash, new I wanted to read it.

The book didn't disappoint.....very much a tribute to Norman's father, you get to know the boy and the man, and reason he was able to survive the 9 hour descent down the the mountain in a blizzard on his own.  I'd definitely recommend the book. 

My meatloaf recipe!

The gray clouds and wind came in last night and I decided to create a meatloaf recipe!!!  Made it, and it was voted the BEST MEATLOAF EVER by the family.  Thought I'd share!!!

1 lb. extra lean ground beef

1 package ground pork (about 1 pound)

1 package Italian sausage (about 1 pound)

2 packages ranch salad seasoning

3 cloves of garlic pressed

2 eggs

about 1 1/2 cups Italian bread crumbs

1/2 a sweet onion diced

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

enough milk to make it moist

Combined all of the above ingredients.  Topped with Honey Chipotle BBQ sauce.  Made one huge meat loaf that fit in a 13x9 casserole.  Baked for 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Columbine by David Cullen

After a month, I finally finished the book "Columbine" by David Cullen.  I had a tough time reading this book...part of the reason is because I lived in the school district of Thurston High School in Springfield, Or at the time of the school shooting there.  I had friends with children at the high school, and first hand know the fear and anxiety that was faced by parents that day.

With that said, I also know how wrong the media can portray an event.  I was home watching CNN when they were announcing "a school shooting on the Oregon coast" --- WHAT????  The coast is over an hour away....

Anyway, Columbine is very interesting.  I remember the Columbine shooting.....the coverage about the shooters being bullied by jocks.....about them being part of the "trench coat mafia"....the news coverage of the boy hanging out the window and police getting him down.

The book gives all the facts....everything that actually happened.  You get to know the killers on a personal level, how they planned the attack and why, and how the medias new coverage was SO SO wrong.

My husband works with a woman that was a student at Columbine that day.  She has told him the story about running to safety and the dead bodies.  I would definitely suggest the book to people.  Getting the correct information, staying informed is always good.   Just be prepared, if you are an empathetic reader....this is a tough one.