whatcha readin' 2018 catch-up post...

My goal for 2018 was to read 24 books…
and I read 36!

I wrote about 27 of them on here already,
but here is a quick blurb on the ones that I missed

28. Educated - Tara Westover
Allllll the hearts. If I could give more than 5 ♥♥♥♥♥ out of 5…I totally would.
I loved this book. Her writing, her story.
So good. Heartbreaking. Incredible.
Hard to wrap your head around.
So sad and yet so happy for her….
Those were all the notes I had written to myself about this book.
I love, love, loved it.
Go read it. If you are only going to read one thing I have recommended this year,
make it this one.
(but really, why wouldn’t you trust me on more than one book?
I’m a good judge of books! I promise!)

29. The Magnolia Story - Chip and Joanna
2.5 ♥’s out of 5 ♥’s

Honestly…I don’t know why I even tried this book.
I knew nothing about Chip and Joanna
or even why they were writing about a magnolia…
but it seemed popular
(and he is cute. I am not going to lie. His cuteness is kinda sold me on the book).
Anyway. The book irritated me
but just because…it’s not really my kind of thing.

30. In a Dark, Dark Wood - Ruth Ware
4 ♥’s out of 5 ♥’s

Pretty good. Very quick, suspenseful read.
I thought the writing was ok but nothing that
took my breath away. I didn’t love the characters.
But…it was ok.

31. The Lonely Hearts Hotel - Heather O’Neill
5 ♥’s out of 5 ♥’s

Oh. Did I mention a book taking my breath away?
Because this one did.
Heather O’Neill is a Canadian novelist but also a poet
and that is so obvious in her way with words….
I adored the writing…
but I fell head over heels in love with the characters.
Rose. Oh…I loved Rose.
Seriously. Read two books I recommended this year…
you’ll thank me!

32. Mrs - Caitlin Macy
2 ♥’s out of 5 ♥’s

This one…yeah…I am not recommending this one.
I really did not enjoy this book.
It felt presumptuous and overdone to me
I felt irritable while reading it
and that is not how you want to feel when
reading a book.

33. The Storied LIfe of AJ Fikry - Gabrielle Zevin
5 ♥’s out of 5 ♥’s

I loved this book.
I had written myself a note that said
”35 pages in and I am loving this book,
reminds me of Nick Hornby…slightly sarcastic and snide.”

Also, I loved that the part about how
people would come in the bookstore looking for
”a book with a red cover, do you know the one?”
YES. People really do that.
Sigh.
(and yet, I kind of miss retail. Heehee)

34. Option B - Sheryl Sandberg
5 ♥’s out of 5 ♥’s

Yeah…remember that I was reading this
at the height of my separation
before I had admitted out loud that
I was in the middle of a separation…
so my mindset may have affected how much I liked this book.

But it helped me. I found myself making a lot of notes
that when I look at in retrospect now,
knowing where I was at while reading it,
I can see why some of these things spoke to me
so strongly.

But I loved how she talked about Anne Dilliard saying
”how we spend our days is how we spend our lives”
which I took to mean that you should find the happy
in your every day life, don’t just wait for the big things,
make your own gawd damn happy.
And that you cannot/should not rely on someone else to make you happy.
They may not always be there.

Oh.
And you can fail by failing to try.

Also.
Believing it will all work out … helps it to all work out.

35 and 36 Pillars of the Earth and World Without End - Ken Follett
5 ♥’s out of 5 ♥’s

OK. I am not sure that these
should count
because I read them before
but they are also about a 1000 damn pages each
so…I am counting them!
:)
I loved these books. I loved them just as much the second time around.
Although I was a little frustrated with myself
when I realized
I probably didn’t NEED to re-read them before reading the third.

They are connected but very remotely…
you could easily read these as single books
or out of order and not really be affected…
I mean, obviously a little but not that much…

But the books are so good.
……………………………………………………
And that was it for 2018!
I debated on whether to set my goal for 2019 at one more
than my goal last year - which would be 25
or
to go one more than the amount I had read…
which would be 37…

Um. I set the bar low…and went with 25. :)
Got any recommendations?

goodbye 2018...

It’s New Year’s Eve
and I am wishing that I had thought ahead
and gotten food or treats or diet coke (!!!!)
but now it’s dark out
and I am in my pjs
and don’t want to leave the house.

It’s a sad state of affairs.

Heeheeheehee.

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I realize I have not blogged since November
but honestly…
my life was kind of falling apart off and on
all through 2018
so I am actually surprised that I blogged as much as I did (93 times).

If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram,
then you likely already know that my marriage of 20 years
has sadly broken into pieces & while I spent a good portion
of 2018 just trying to hold the shards of my heart and head together,
I also tried to appear normal…I didn’t want to admit out loud
for a long time
that anything was wrong…but, eventually, I had to
and, honestly, admitting it was a good thing for me, for all of us, in the end.

So. Anyway. That news is soooo 2018
and I really don’t want to talk/think about it anymore.

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This time last year, I wrote about how I wanted 2018 to be a year of fun
not realizing at the time that 2018 was actually still going to be a big year of suck.

Therefore, I reserve the right to re-use my plan of attack & make
2019
a year that I focus on fun. :)

Every year, I go back and re-read my blog & journals for the year that is passing.
This year, well, I just didn’t want to read my journals because…that’s just depressing
and for the first time ever, I am considering burning journals.
But, for my blog, I mainly only talked about the good things, the funny things,
the stuff I love…so here are some of the highlights:

• I read 36 books! My goal was 24 so yay me! I realize I didn’t write about all of them on here so I am planning to do a short summary again of the ones that I missed writing about. And now, I need to set a new goal for 2019. Is 25 setting the bar too low? Heh. Oh…any recommendations??

• I sold a bunch of watercolor cards (and journals & a canvas!). This blows my mind. Seriously. And makes me incredibly happy. I have big plans for expanding this in 2019 so stay tuned! :)

• I sang Mony Mony on a speaker & didn’t get kicked out!

• I saw real live eagles.

• I went to the air show and sat in a Hornet (a stationary hornet, but still….)(and I had to line up with 50 little kids to do it…but still….)

• I joined a writing group, started nanowrimo, got further on a story than I ever have and submitted a story to a contest (I didn’t win…but I submitted it!)

• I got to talk on a taxi CB….always a goal of mine.

• I created an online dating profile. This has been both amusing and horrifying.

• I got my thumb stuck in a box of cold shots at the liquor store which prompted the cashier to say “Well. THAT’S a first.” Heh.

• I tried cabbage. I learned how not to stir fry it and that stir fried cabbage could actually kill me. And they keep it by the turnips if you are ever looking for it. And cauliflower and cabbage are not the same thing.

• I got in a car accident. Goodbye little accent…I still miss you. :(

• I ate a lot of jujubes, broccoli, ice cream sundaes, cucumber sandwiches and popcorn.

• We had unplanned kittens.

• I did a whole month of Inktober! :)

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I am not going to lie though. I didn’t love 2018.

But I learned
that I can do this…we can do this…
that a separation does not mean the end of the world
and it doesn’t mean we failed…
things happen, people grow and change…
(24 years together is a long time…we should just be proud of that)

And that, yeah, there are days it’s going to totally fucking suck
but there are also little bits of good in every day
if you look for them…some days, you have to look really damn hard
but they are there.

And that it’s ok to accept help or support.
That’s one I am still struggling with.
I know we have such a strong support system of friends & family & co-workers…
and I felt like I should write
”thanks for being there for me even when it
felt like all I was doing was pushing you away”
in EVERYONE’S Christmas card….
because…that’s what I learned I do…

The truth is we are alive and healthy…
and 2019 will not be about spinning my wheels any longer.
2019 will be about getting some traction
and moving forward…about having fun and being open minded…
making new friends and reconnecting with old ones…
laughing so hard you spit your diet coke through your nose…

and lots and lots of adventures.

Happy New Years Eve to you…if you have stuck through this
long and painful post, hahahaha, thank you.
I am always totally surprised when anyone reads this
(and always always always so appreciative….)
so thank you so much for being here!

Now…is it too late to order Chinese food?
:)

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whatcha readin'? {book 27::goal 24}

i loved this book.

i don’t really know what else
i can say
except…
i loved it (with great enthusiasm).

she is funny and sad,
cautious and bold…

definitely worth your time.
it’ll make you laugh
(but, not gonna lie, it might make you cry, too….)

5 out of 5 ♥♥♥♥♥'s

NEXT UP:  EDUCATED - TARA WESTOVER

friday i'm in love...

♥ fall leaves
♥ beautiful light in the morning and the view from my work window
(well…except for that day it SNOWED in OCTOBER. that was not beautiful. it was blech.)
♥ getting home to find an adorable halloween card from your bestie in your mailbox instead of
the constant barrage of “vote for me” fliers…

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♥ and also the view from my “work” window at home…
(where i paint my cards and doodle my doodles).
i love love love that birch tree.

♥ that my girl posted this video for me the other night…
i was feeling a little down (she didn’t even know)…
and this totally made my night.
and….not going to lie…yeah, i LOVE prince
and that she chose that song for me
but the fact that she misses me…that was the part that
kind of made me cry… ♥♥♥♥♥

♥ the tips of my fingers have been cracking and peeling
which is totally weird and annoying…i have never had
had this happen before (and no…this is not my Friday-love, haha)
but i tried this stuff AND IT SEEMS TO BE WORKING so far…
fingers crossed…(hahaha. see what I did there…)

♥ i love this radio station…the music is great and the
announcers are not annoying which is usually my
biggest pet peeve with radio stations but this guy
is my total favorite….he toys with people that call in
and makes me laugh out loud…and…i like to laugh out loud.

♥ this show. have i already told you about this show?
i apologize if i did. But seriously….IT IS SO GOOD…
dark humor, brilliant writing and THERE ARE PUPPETS.
not going to lie…i have been googling “how to make a puppet”
since watching it. :)

tuesday truths...

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***
i am not going to lie…
i absolutely love these giant crows.
i can’t remember the last time
i saw a piece of art that
stopped me in my tracks
and filled me with such
strong emotion….
with such strong
sadness.

and they are made out of tires.

and yet,
so
much
feeling.

wow.

you can read more about them here…

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***
our cat, casey, had 2 kittens.
no photos yet,
because,
well…really…they aren’t all that cute.

they just look like mice that
can’t open their eyes.

***
annnnd i know i can’t keep them…
we already have 2 cats that kind of drive me crazy
but
i really want to keep them
and name them
ziggy stardust
and
major tom.

***

mackintosh toffee
and
an after eight bar
eaten at the same time
is a delicious combination.

i did not come up with this
on my own
but now
i can’t stop eating it…

(even though i might have
appeared to be grossed out by
the combination
when he suggested it…heh)

***
oh…and…i have writing group
on saturday…
and I HAVE NOT WRITTEN ONE WORD
ON THAT STORY
SINCE LAST SPRING.

sigh.

which might be a good reason
for me to commit to
nanowrimo
in november….
(once i get through in
inktober in october…heh)

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