whatcha reading 2022 round-up {goal 35::books 26 - 38}

Once again, I have not kept
this up to date…
I have fallen behind,
I have fallen off the wagon,
lost the thread and the momentum…

but
I did read OVER my goal of books for this year
so there’s that. :)

Here is a quick & dirty summary:

26. The It Girl - Ruth Ware ♥♥♥♥ 4 out of 5

27. Carrie Soto is Back - Taylor Jenkins Reid ♥♥♥♥♥
I was surprised by how much I loved this book.
I know nothing about tennis but this had me
on the edge of my seat rooting for Carrie &
loving Javier.

28. Verity - Colleen Hoover ♥♥♥♥♥
I got sucked into the Colleen Hoover hype
but it was worth it. I did really enjoy this,
it weirdly reminded me of VC Andrews back
when VC Andrews was good & a little of 50 shades…
heh. A weird, dark mix but it worked for me.

29. The Paris Wife - Paula McLain ♥♥♥♥♥
I hated this at first but
in the end
it broke my heart….

30. The Old Man and The Sea - Ernest Hemingway ♥♥♥♥♥
also…..broke my frigging heart.

31. 5 Little Indians - Michelle Good ♥♥♥♥♥
I cried in anger, sadness & happiness while reading this.

32. Our Missing Hearts - Celeste Ng ♥♥♥♥♥
Slightly terrifying, beautifully written.

33. It’s Not Summer Without You - Jenny Han ♥♥♥♥
I needed something lighter after the last two books…
and yes, this was my year of Belly, Jeremiah & Conrad…..
don’t judge me. Heehee

34. Gut Health Hacks for Women ♥

35. And Then There Was Me - Sadeqa Johnson ♥♥♥

36. It sucked and then I cried - Heather Armstrong ♥
I wanted to love this book, I was excited to read this book….
I absolutely hated this book.
I used to read her blog and LOVED it….but maybe I have outgrown her…
I don’t know. But I hated this book.

37. Sparks like Stars - Nadia Hashemi ♥♥♥♥

38. How to Host a Viking Funeral - Kyle Scheele ♥♥♥♥♥
I finished this one at about 8:30 pm New Year’s Eve,
just in the nick of time….
and I have soooooo much to say about it…
but I have already said far too much for one post,
so I’ll save this one for another day.

cause i am dorky....but you knew that....that's why we are friends...

Every year,
I choose one word
to be a compass for the year….
some years, it works out
fantastically (like glow! and adventure!),
other years can be a bit of a bust.

Last year my word was Resolve…
which was ok…i mean…it worked….
I did some grown up stuff,
and I came to terms with some stuff
about me and who I am/was/hope to be.

But I didn’t really feel like it
lit a fire under me…it was just….
ok as a word.

This year, I chose CULTIVATE…

And I am pretty excited about this.
I feel like this is the year
I start to put the broken pieces of myself
that I have been picking up off the floor
and digging out from under the bed
and finding tucked into the back corner
of the closet
and start nurturing them, putting them back together,
to nourish and love and encourage
the little geek girl in me…heh.

This year will see a resurgence
of the 50 in my 50’s list
(see how flexibly I keep adapting the
title to make it work with my procrastination….heh)…
I want to be a year
of learning and growth and
deepening my current friendships/relationships
and being open to new ones.

I want it to be year of loving life…
embracing it fully and if you are in my life,
be prepared for my attention and affection
and hopes that you will join me
in grabbing this year
by the throat and loving it hard and with feeling.
(yeah, sometimes I am overly dramatic…)

Life is short.
What matters to me right now
are the people in my life…
the experiences we share,
the adventures, the connections…
I want to look back at 2023
and feel a full heart,
to know I lived a year in
honesty and vulnerability…
with my pollyanna positively annoying attitude
and that every day,
I tried to make someone somewhere smile,
even just a little bit….
cause that makes me smile, too.

Sooooooooooooo….
consider this fair warning…
oh, and if you are up for
paintballing, rockclimbing
or tandem skydiving,
let me know.
heehee.
:)

farewell to 2022....

i know that sounds dramatic
but….
i’m allowed.

i have been sick.
that’s gotta buy me some
artistic liberties, i think. :)

all in all,
2022 was actually a pretty good for year
for me.

a bit of a recap in bullet point form:

• got a new laptop named iris

• tried chef’s plate with mostly success

• made a smurf display in the corner cabinet

• watched roughly 19 years of grey’s anatomy IN ONE YEAR

• wisdom tooth extracted after about 9 years of “it’s fine”….

• survived COVID (August - made me miss family camping)

• survived pneumonia (December - SO MUCH WORSE than COVID)

• purple hair in various iterations

• read 38 books! (goal was 35)

• survived fiona with one tree down & a mcgyvered sub pump

• rebuilt the deck with Cam’s help

• painted many things in my front yard purple, orange & yellow, including the door (purple)

• my dad’s emergency surgery scare

• did the wellness cocoon, acupuncture, chiropractor & may have gotten a family dr

• brought home samir the squishmallow, a car tent, a pink car mattress & a hammock

• got a park pass, went roadtripping — Wolfville with Cathy; Isle Madam with Andrea; and Cabot Trail with my brothers & wives & island-tripping with old friends home from away Angela & Chris

• got coyote spray and reclaimed the trails!!!!

• saw the skydiggers again with Cathy, heehee

• pushed out of my comfort zone with 80’s rollerskating!! and the Land & See photography workshops!!

• had a totally sweet and unexpected surprise on my birthday

• did the grown up stuff — Bell cell phone saga; got the furnace cleaned; replaced a door knob ALL BY MYSELF

• saw an almost really big murmuration!!

• listened to 182, 207 minutes of music

• sat wayyyyyyy too close to the fireworks; went to the parade; stock cars and smash up derby; minions movie; (all of this by myself and that’s ok) :)

i did some creative stuff, too, but….
not really enough to talk about.

painted some cards…did most of a month of inktober…
started a floral alphabet, finished nothing.

but that’s ok.
some years you do, some years you don’t.

but…..i kinda feel excited about 2023….
i have plans and goals and aspirations and
i feel all butterflies-in-my-belly
when i think about it,
and THAT is a good way to feel
about a new year coming in.

i hope the end of december
finds you happy and loved and
full of turkey dinners and
super sweet cupcakes…

and sending you all the best for 2023!

whatcha readin'? {goal 35::books 21-25}

Another Monday,
another catch up on books read
so far this year.

And…I know my goal was 30
but…spoiler alert…I HAVE HIT 30 ALREADY!! Yay me!!!!
so for funsies,
I am trying to do a challenge
I saw online #TenBeforeTheEnd
and have picked 10 titles that I am going to
try to finish before the end of 2022.

and as promised, here are books 21-25:

21. Cilka’s Journey - Heather Morris
♥♥♥♥♥5 out of 5
So good but so sad,
and tragic and frustrating
and horrifying.

22. The Paris Apartment - Lisa Foley
♥♥♥♥4 out of 5
Interesting…I liked the setting…
twisty-turny….quick read

23. The Summer I Turned Pretty - Jenny Hahn
♥♥♥♥4 out of 5
I like books about Belly and Conrad and Jeremiah…
don’t judge me. :D

24. Lilac Girls - Martha Hall Reilly
♥♥♥♥4 out of 5
Notes I wrote after reading it:
sad & horrifying & hopeful

25. Beautiful World, Where Are You? - Sally Rooney
♥♥♥♥4 out of 5
No notes written but I know I set the book aside
as one that I don’t want to give away
because I feel I will read it again…

a weekend in november...

i love weekends.

i am trying to get outside more…
and to keep getting outside
once the weather changes.

this weekend has been rainy
but mild.
the colors are still vivid,
with flowers still blooming
and fields still green…
it’s odd for November
but I have been taking advantage of the temps
to get outside.

yesterday was a trail
through the woods,
today i did the boardwalk and watched
the fog roll in off the water…
my only company
the thoughts in my head…
i like that because it gives me
time to think about what i might
like to do creatively…
i jot ideas onto my notes app
on my phone as i walk
and come home
fresh faced
and inspired.

i feel like i have been
full of ideas lately
and there is a small chance
i may be putting too much
on my plate
once again….
but at the moment
it’s all just exciting
and fun and promising.

Happy weekend! :)