Book Reviews- Here, There, or Both

In February 2008 I started reviewing the books I read on a book blog. Since then, I've only posted one or two reviews on this blog and linked to my reviews on the other one. But I'm pretty sure that most people don't click on those links and read the reviews. Or if they do, I don't know about it. And that's fine, I'm not telling you to read the book blog.

I'm asking if you would like to see the reviews posted here as well. I read probably 1-2 books a week and give an honest review of almost all of them. And when I say honest I mean honest. If I hated a book, I'm going to say so. And if I loved it, I'll say so as well.

So as readers, let me know what you think. These reviews are for you not me, so I'd love your input. Would you like to see my book reviews here as well? Or just keep them strictly on the book blog.

Friday

Have I ever mentioned that I love Fridays? If not, I do. I love Thursdays of a 4-day week even more, but that's a different story. I haven't done one of these posts in a while, so here are some other things I'm loving right now.

• Fever Dream at Wolly Mammoth Theater- we went and saw this play last night with Richie's law firm, and it was hilarious. I was expecting something stiff and corporate, but this was anything but.
• So You Think You Can Dance- I've already got my four top couples picked out. And did anyone see the butt dance this week, wow.
• Smoothies- I've made one like three days this week for breakfast and can't get enough. 1 cup of frozen fruit, 1/2 cup of yogurt, 1 cup of juice (and whatever else you want to throw in) and voila, you've got a delicious and healthy breakfast.
• Royal Pains- if you haven't seen this show, you should. It's making summer TV bearable. Think Grey's Anatomy (sort of) meets Burn Notice.
• Cutting Down My Blogroll- I decided to get rid of some of the blogs that I just read to keep busy that don't really interest me and don't reciprocate. My list of blogs to read went from 175 to 140 and cut my time reading in half.
• My husband.
• Paperbackswap.com- I just found the second Karen Kingsbury series to order!
• Getting my hair done- I haven't gotten it cut since January, and I'm in desperate need. I may try to have them do this again. I loved it the first time.

And well a lot of other things, but those are the big ones for right now. We're going Duckpin bowling tonight with other young married couples from church tonight, and I'm pretty excited about that too. It should be a good weekend. What are you loving right now?

Who Was I Two Years Ago?

I saw this idea here and there and thought it sounded like fun. This post is a part of 20SB’s Looking Back Blog Carnival, and Ben & Jerry’s is awarding free ice cream to lucky bloggers and readers! I don't really need ice cream, but hey if it's free...

In September, I'll have had this blog for two years. For the Looking Back Carnival, we were supposed to go back to the first two months of our blog and pick a blog post that shows my mentality and outlook. The choice for me was easy. So here's a post from Wednesday, September 26, 2007.

After a rough experience at the DMV yesterday, I went back to work to finish out the day. Walking to the bathroom, I reached down to brush a stray hair off of my black shirt. I couldn't help but notice the seams down my side were sticking out. I almost made it to 2:20 PM without realizing I'd put my shirt on inside out when I got dressed in the morning. Waiting in line for 2 hours no longer seemed nearly as bad.

Short and sweet. But if that doesn't tell you who I am I'm not sure what will. Some things have changed since 2007, this isn't one of them. I still do dumb things. We all do. But I also laugh about those dumb things. And write blog posts so that you can laugh with me.

Blogger Book Swap

I read a lot. More like a ton. I get books to review from new authors promoting their books, and I like to read things that I choose every once in a while. That being said, I have a lot of books that I've read sitting around my apartment. My 850 sq. ft. apartment. I want to get more books but don't have anywhere to put them until I get rid of the already read books.

So I'm proposing a blogger book swap. (I know all about paperbackswap.com and bookmooch. I just wanted to try out something different.) I've got a list of 16 books below that I'm willing to send to anyone for another book. Just let me know in the comment section what book you want, and I'll email you to figure out if there are any books you have that I want to read. Or maybe you'll be lucky, and it will be one of the books that I just want to get rid of. And then I don't even need a book in return. Make sense? The only catch is you have to live in the US. I'm too broke to send the book anything but media mail, which only works in the US. I've linked the books to my reviews (if there is one).

1. GoneAway Into the Land by Jeffrey Allen
2. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells
3. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
4. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
5. The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd
6. Visions by Jean Koning (2 copies)
7. She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb
8. The Ambassadors by Henry James
9. A Gift of Grace by Amy Clipston
10. Faith and Honor by Robin Maderich
11. Summer Pleasures by Nora Roberts
12. Deep Thinking the Human Condition by S.A. Odunsi
13. Save the Best for Last by Kim Hanks
14. On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan
15. Prep by Curtis Sittenfield
16. What the Bayou Saw by Patti Lacy

Win, Lose, or Draw

We went over to a friend's house Friday night for some delicious frozen custard and games. We played one - Hoopla - that I've never played before, and it was pretty fun. I especially liked that we were all on the same team so there was no real competition/fighting going on. But the part I liked the most was watching people try and draw. I draw exactly what the word is- for Easter Island I drew an island and an Easter egg. My team got that quickly. Some of us, however, draw very literally in a different way. Here are my favorites from the night. See if you can guess the ones we couldn't. I'll tell you if it's a what, who, or where and post answers tomorrow.

Where

What

Where

What (circles mean time is running out,

you need to hurry up and guess)

Two different ones- both who

Better version of #4- who

My Confession- I Have No Idea What Lilly Is.

When I first started writing on my blog, I tried to do everything I could to fit into the blogger world. I joined in on Works for Me Wednesday and Thursday Thirteen. I joined 20-something bloggers and commented on new blogs in search of readers. And I eventually got some readers. But for some reason that just wasn't enough. So this past year I've tried to branch out and started reading and commenting on a number of other blogs in hope that they would read mine in return. And you know what I realized while I was reading? I'm not like a lot of other bloggers. As hard as I try, I just don't fit into parts of the blogger world. I'm not a southern belle, princess, or girly girl. I'm not planning a wedding. I'm not preppy. I don't drink wine at night or go out for martinis with the girls. And I couldn't even tell you what Lilly is.

And honestly I don't care. I'm done trying to be someone I'm not. I'm a girl that likes to play silly board games with her husband and friends. I'm an athlete pretending to be a runner. I'm an avid book reader, and a young professional just trying to find her place in the fast-paced business world. I'm a momma's (and daddy's) girl that loves her family and friends, and a sucker for puppies and kittens. I'm a sweats and ponytail wearing, coupon using, CW-watching woman. So take it or leave it, that's who I am.

Thank Goodness for the Naked

I pampered myself last night as a reward for working so hard at work for the past month. I went and got one of the most amazing facials ever. As amazing as the facial was, the best part of the night was on my way home.

7:00 PM- Left the spa and walked toward the metro.
7:05 PM- Called my mom and started walking slower as I talked.
7:10 PM- Stopped at the light on the corner of Pennsylvania and M Street.
7:11 PM- Continued walking toward metro.
7:15 PM- Stopped at Marvelous Market to get a Naked Juice for dinner.
7:25 PM- Finally made it to the metro a minute before it came.
7:27 PM - Took a step towards the metro and heard my name.

I turned to look and saw one of my good guy friends, Craig, that went with me on my study abroad to Spain four years ago. I hadn't seen him for about three years and had no idea he had been living in DC for the past year. We hugged, caught up, and promised to use Facebook to plan a date night (with our spouses of course) with some other Spain friends that are also in DC. Definitely a nice surprise ending to a wonderful night.

And the moral of the story? Good thing I stopped for Naked. And got stuck at that light. And everything else. If I had done anything differently, I never would've run into Craig. I'll think twice next time I start complaining about traffic or missing the light.

Five Months, Fifteen Days, and Eleven Hours

Five months ago I sat down and made a list of ten goals that were going to improve my life. And looking back at them right now, they did. But I've decided I don't like goals that don't have a specific end. Too many of my goals are always "in progress." Yes, I should still continue dating my husband and cooking new things, but there's no sense of accomplishment at the end of the journey. Because there is no end.

So I'm going to revise my goals to something attainable, something I can say I did and be proud of. All of these things take some time and effort but will be well worth it in the end. So here are the bigger and better goals for the rest of 2009.

1. Run two more half marathons in 2009 (Iowa and Baltimore).
2. Hit my goal weight and stay there for six weeks.
3. Save $5000 from my paychecks (not my husband's).
4. Learn how to play Stay by Sugarland on the guitar.
5. Get a book printed with the first two years of my blog.
6. Get a cookbook printed with all of our favorite recipes.
7. Plan six fun activities for the young married couples at church.
8. Go on ten real non-work related dates with my husband.
9. Go through all of my stuff and get rid of anything I don't need or use.
10. Write and send out a letter/Christmas card to friends and family.

Rest, Races, and RockBand

I love weekends where there is nothing I have to do- only things that I want to do. This weekend was full of plenty of things I wanted to do. It all started out with going to bed early Friday night to catch up on some much needed sleep.

And so I could get up in the morning for the Lawyer's Have Heart 10K in Georgetown. It may have only been my third run since the country music half-marathon, but I did it. I ran it with some good friends, Emily and Richard, and had a great time. My goal was to finish, and I did just that.

After the race, I went home and took a nice long nap then Emily and Richard came over for homemade pizza and a great night of RockBand. Today I just hung out, watched some TV, and read a lot. After an extremely long week at work, it was the exact weekend I needed.

Blah Blah Blah and Buying a Puppy

I'm not quite sure what it is about my life right now but I'm bored. I'm extremely bored with everything. It's like every part of my life right now is the script to a movie I would probably sleep through. Since we've been home from Europe, I've kept busy doing all of the normal things- working, exercising, reading, blogging, hanging out with friends, and anything else you would count as a normal thing. And I've even done some abnormal things- I hung out with my college roommates for a weekend, went to some fun baby showers, won a Monika bag, and got put on a huge project at work.

All of these things keep me busy but only physically. I'm mentally bored. Even when I'm doing things, I'm just not into them at all and looking forward to what's next. Some people might call it complacent...but I don't think that's it. I'm not stuck in one place without going anywhere. I'm just bored with all of the things I have to do to get me there. Or maybe I just don't know where I'm going. The only thing that keeps me entertained at the moment is work, but I really don't want to work more hours than the nine I am already. You can only work so much.

I'm trying to come up with something to add a little something back into my life. Some of my ideas are taking some classes at the YMCA in things I'm interested in- Spanish, baking, budgeting), volunteering somewhere, or getting a puppy to play with at night. So tell me, what do you do when you're bored with life and need to mix things up a little? Or a lot? I'll take any ideas you can give me. At this point, anything other than what I'm doing now sounds promising.

The Perfect Packing List for Europe and Beyond

It's been a while since I've done a Europe post so here goes #4-5 on my list. I first started thinking about what to pack the day before my trip. Probably not a good thing, but luckily I had the majority of these things already in my apt. Looking back after our trip, there are definitely things I'm glad we had and things I don't think were really necessary to bring. I did feel like we were always prepared for anything but had a little too much to haul around. So here goes my take on the perfect packing trip for Europe. And any other trip you may go on. It's a little (well really) long, but I didn't want to leave things out and leave someone stranded.

• Shirts, preferably ones that go well with a lot of different things for mix and match
• Pants/Shorts/Skirts (we brought 7 outfits total and did laundry in the middle)
• Sweatshirt/fleece- I was always very grateful for my sweatshirt on the train.
• Swimsuit- depends on where you go, we never made it to the beach
• Underwear/bras/socks- Again we brought 7 sets and did laundry
• Shoes- I brought two pairs; one pair of super comfortable padded Oakley flipflops, a pair of flat tennis shoes that I bought in Europe. It was really nice to switch off from open to closed toe shoes to give my feet time to breathe.
• Slippers- Even with the comfortable shoes, your feet will get sore. Bring them.
• Light jacket- It was really hot in Spain and Italy but rained the entire time in Paris. We were definitely grateful (especially on the Eiffel Tower) to have something waterproof.
• Money Belt- I actually used this running belt that worked perfectly. I kept my ID, credit cards, and a big chunk of cash in it at all times and didn't have to worry about it.
• Important Docs and Copies- This is probably a little overkill, but we kept our passports and credit cards on us and had copies of everything stored safely in our room. We also gave a copy of our docs to friends and family at home just in case. While we were traveling, I stored our passports in a tampon box. They fit perfect and didn't think anyone would want to steal tampons.
• Small Tote/Backpack- I just used my normal purse (since all of my valuables were in my money belt), and it worked out perfectly. I kept chapstick, the camera, bottled water, and snacks in it at all times. And since there was nothing valuable in it, I didn't have to worry too much about it getting stolen.
• Camera- Make sure you bring extra cards or at least the cord and jump drive to download the pictures onto a computer. I didn't have an extra card and brought the wrong cord so we were deleting pictures halfway through.
• Watch- If you've got one bring it. Richie carried his cell phone around because neither of us has any sort of watch. I definitely would've preferred a watch.
• Earplugs- They give you cheapie ones on the night trains, but I would definitely invest in a set of your own before coming. This helps a ton when people are waking up and moving around at 7AM and your train doesn't get in until 10AM. Or you have a noisy hotel.
• First-Aid Kit- Really the only thing we used were the bandaids, but we definitely used them. Especially on our feet.
• Toiletries- This is completely up to you. Bring what you think you'll need and use. I packed a lot more than I ever used and just ended up carrying it around with me. I'd consider just bringing a small amount of makeup, hairspray, etc. I did end up having to buy shampoo and conditioner in Paris and wish I'd just brought it from home because it's expensive.
• Hair Electronics- I brought a blow dryer and straightner and didn't use either once. Just wasted space for me, but I'm happy to just put my hair up or scrunch it. Definitely your call here but all I needed were some ponytail holders, bobby pins, and a brush.
• Plastic Baggies- This is a big one that most people don't think about. Bring sealable ones in all shapes and sizes. We used these all the time for everything from bringing home leftover bread to filling them with tissues to take on the road.
• Clothesline- I didn't think it was necessary and didn't bring one. We got to see firsthand why they were recommended. The laundromat drying machine in Italy don't work. We used door knobs, coat hangers, and lamps instead.
• Guidebook- More on this later but get one. And use it.
• Small notepad and pen- I didn't bring one and ended up buying one there that would fit easily in my purse. This was great for writing down what we did during the day, what we ate, and how much we spent in each place.
• Travel Itinerary- Again might be overkill but I made copies of everything we needed for each location (hotel info, direcctions to the hotel, museum info, train tickets) and threw it all into a binder neatly organized by city. It made it SOOO much easier to keep track of.
• Tissues- I brought an entire box, which might have been a little much but we were defintely grateful to have them. European napkins are similar to the sheets we use for donuts (scratchy not soft) and don't do anything for getting rid of the stuff on your hands. We also used these as paper towels, toilet paper, tissues, and ways to wrap up leftovers.
• Travel Pillow- I bought out of the go around your neck travel pillows when I first went to Spain and was converted to always having one. This was so helpful on the trains and planes that give you pillows that don't do anything except take up space. It was also helpful on the 2-3 hour train rides where there were no pillows involved.
• Paperback book- I typically read fast so I brought 4-5. I really didn't have a whole lot of downtime that I wasn't sleeping so I only ended up reading 1 and ignoring the other 3. Again this depends on your trip but you really don't need a whole lot to entertain you. The countryside, people, and food are entertaining enough.
• Umbrella- Nobody likes walking around soaking wet. Bring one.
• Sunscreen- We brought it and never used it, but I would definitely bring some just in case.

So that's it. That's everything we brought with us, and we were grateful for the majority of the items. We packed fairly light (other than the empty extra suitcase to bring things home), and it definitely made the trip more enjoyable not having to drag around a ton of heavy suitcases.

Meet My New Workout Buddy Monika

So I asked for an online workout buddy and found some great people to swap sweat stories with each morning. I'm excited to have someone to report to and hopefully some of them will be mean if I don't get my workouts in. If you didn't respond and still want to email back and forth about daily workouts, let me know.

But there is one workout buddy I got this weekend that beats all of the rest- sorry ladies, and her name is Monika. She'll actually go to the gym with me everytime I want to go no matter how early or late. And she'll even carry my dirty clothes and stinky shoes home after a hard workout.

Meet Monika.

With three different inside compartments to hold different items (clean clothes on one side, dirty clothes on the other, etc.) and an awesome metal fastening system, I cannot wait to get this. It's even got a cool bungee cord system to attach a yoga mat (since I'm such a huge yoga fan) to the outside.

And want to know the best part? I won her in Fit Bottomed Girls one-year anniversary celebration. So not only will she come everywhere with me and carry all of my dirty clothes- she'll do it without asking for anything in return. I'll let you know how I like it (and hopefully love it). And maybe someday I'll get to give something this cool away on my blog, but for now I'd check out Fit Bottomed Girls for their great giveaways (and workout tips, DVD reviews, etc.).

You can read more about the Nike Monika Standard Club Bag here. I'm getting it in the silver color, but I think they offer a lot of other ones (yellow, turquoise, black, white, etc.) if you're looking for something new.

Can Babies Eat Ice Cream?

Is it just me or does one simple thing have the power to make your entire day better? Take Saturday for example, I went to a baby shower for my friend Tiffany who is having her first baby next month. Like every other baby shower I've ever been to, we played games. But one of the games had me calling my mom and dad afterwards to tell them what a creative idea it was...oh and the fact that I'd won. Basically the game consisted of Brooke playing fifteen different songs that had some form of the word Baby in the title, and we had to guess the title and artist of the song. It may have been unfair that I won since I grew up playing Name that Tune, but I wasn't about to tell anyone that. I haven't been to Coldstone (I won a gift card) in way too long.

Let's see how you would've done. Obviously you don't get the music but let's see if you can name these songs and artists from the words. Anyone that gets more than 5 pts (2 pts possible for each song) or more I'll put your names into a hat for a $5 gift card to wherever you want and send everyone a copy of the CD that Brooke so kindly made for me from the shower. No cheating. I'll keep the contest open until 5PM on Friday. Remember all of the songs have some form of the word baby in the title.

1. You'll always be a part of me. I'm a part of you indefinitely. Boy don't you know you can't escape me.
2. Oh baby baby, how was I supposed to know. That something wasn't right here.
3. Although you're never near, your voice I often hear. Another day, another night. I long to hold you tight.
4. I'll make you happy baby, wait and see. For every kiss you give me, I'll give you three.
5. Gotta love me. Big purple eyes, I'm very cuddly. Especially when I hit my daddy with a frying pan.
6. Moon appears to shine and light the sky. With the help of some big glitters. Wonder how they have the power to shine, shine, shine.
7. They say we're young and we don't know. We won't find out until we grow. Well I don't know if all that's true.
8. Stop for a minute. Baby I'm so glad you're mine. And ever since the day I put my arms around you, baby I realize there's just no getting over you.
9. I'm hooked and I can't stop starin'.
10. I'm leaving, I must be on my way. The time is drawing near. My train is going, I see it in your eyes. The love beneath your tears.
11. Girl you got me wishin' we were huggin and a kissin' and holdin' each other tight. So could ya would ya ain't ya gonna if I asked ya...
12. Well I been lookin' real hard and I'm trying to find a job, but it just keeps gettin' tougher every day. But I've got to do my part cause I know in my heart I've got to please my sweet baby, yeah.
13. They'll promise fancy cars and diamond rings, all sorts of shiny things. But girl remember what your knees are for.
14. But all you do is treat me bad. Break my heart and leave me sad. Tell me, what did I do wrong to make you stay away so long.
15. All right. Stop. Collaborate and listen.

And now I hear another song calling my name- rock a bye baby in the tree top. Time for bed. Good luck.

Welcome Back to Weight Watchers

I joined Weight Watchers right after my birthday last year in September and lost 20 lbs between September and February. Combined with running my half-marathon I felt great and decided I knew enough that I didn't need to pay for my WW membership anymore, and opted out.

Then came our trip to Europe where I trained my mind to eat whatever all day long. Oops. I've only gained about two pounds back since I hit my goal weight in February, but I just don't feel good. I crave sweets all the time (thanks French pastries) and always want bread. Double oops.

So I joined Weight Watchers again to get my eating habits back on track again. No more of this hitting up the candy bowl at work 3x or eating a treat before, during, and after dinner. I love the game of tracking food and activity points and now have a plethora of healthy dinner ideas at my fingertips. So we'll see how it goes. I know people that do Weight Watchers Wednesday, but my week is going to start on Monday- so I'll check in each Monday and let you know how I'm doing. Not only will that hopefully keep me on track, but it'll give me something to post about.

If anyone wants to (kind of like my online workout buddy) do a weekly online weigh in, I'm all for it. Motivation, support, whatever it takes to get me (us) feeling healthy again.

I Need a Workout Buddy

So I may have dropped the ball on working out since the half-marathon in April. But for some reason I just can't get myself motivated to go now, even though I'm trying to run another half Labor Day weekend. I think my problem is that there's no one holding me accountable except for myself- and obviously that is going well.

So anyone want to be my workout buddy? I'd even just settle for an online workout buddy that I email with every day or something to tell about my workout. (I'm more than happy to listen to details of your workout as well). Just something that makes me tell someone else that I worked out. Or that I didn't work out. It's much harder for me to tell someone else oh I just didn't feel like going today. Or I was tired. Or whatever other lame excuse I came up with today.

So any takers? Anyone else lose all will to workout when the sun's shining and So You Think You Can Dance is on at night?