I’m really happy because I can finally wear a semi-closed-toe shoe now!!! No more flip-flops. Now I can wear these cute shoes (lent to me by my mom) that have a mesh netting over the toes, which is quite comfortable!

What better way to celebrate than to wear cute teddy bears in my hair on this lovely Saturday? And check out my cute secondhand leopard-print purse, with my purple teddy bear ring (made by me and is available on Etsy):

Feeling happy about getting to wear closed-toe shoes again and feeling stylish, I wanted to get out and enjoy this Saturday, not having to do any work (it was a busy work week!). So I of course, brought my laptop with me to the coffee shop and my current read, American Sniper, by Chris Kyle.

I always say Band of Brothers by Stephen E. Ambrose is my favorite book of all time, and I don’t doubt that. But when I take another turn re-reading Chris Kyle’s autobiography, I’m quickly reminded that this book, too, is my all-time favorite.

One thing that proves it is, is that the spine of the book is broken! It’s been gripped onto that many times, and I actually love that, because its well-worn feel proves how much it means to me.

Chris Kyle, having been a Navy SEAL and a sniper, has a lot of fascinating stories to tell in his autobiography, from his childhood days to his years serving in Iraq, and his writing style is downright hilarious and straight-to-the-point:

I often find myself giggling as I read this book, and that’s one of the many reasons I come back to it so often – he’s hilarious! He’s a manly man full of grit, but with an unexpected soft side he sometimes lets show through his words. I also love that his wife, Taya, has excerpts throughout the book, giving her side of the story when it came to how they first met, dealing with his deployments, etc.

The one thing that haunts me about Chris Kyle’s story is his death in 2013 (roughly a year after he published this book). What makes it so heartbreaking, is that he dodged so many bullets and near-death moments when he served in Iraq, only to come home and settle down in his home state of Texas, and be shot and killed by an ex-Marine (suffering from PTSD) on a shooting range. Killed by a fellow military service member!

But Chris Kyle’s story and legacy live on through this book. I obviously never knew the guy, but reading his book brings his humor and personality to life, and it makes me smile. And I’m sure he’d appreciate that. 🙂