The Update | vol. 3

Over the past month a lot of things have happened. Just this past week our household has been recovering from the flu/cold. It is truly dreadful this year my friends. We have had all the symptoms and it isn't slowing down at all. Luckily no one has a fever any more and we are good to be around people, it just means that we look like we are miserable even though we actually aren't.

Over Thanksgiving break, our family had a lot of fun. My husband was able to go hunting for the fews days that hunting season opens for the short tease. My son, mother and various other family members were able to participate in the Turkey Trot 2014 this year. We all did the 5k, some ran, some walked but we all had a very good time. Later that day everyone enjoyed the scrumptious cheesy mashed potatoes that Travis and I made together.

Ryker has had a little elf visit him daily since the beginning of December. He named his elf Toby and we look for his every single morning. There have been a few days where Toby forgot that he hid in the same place the night before though. Ryker is truly enjoying the fun in looking for Toby. 

My husband and I do the Santa thing for Ryker but I wanted to share a lovely post by my friend Haley who does not do Santa with her children. You can visit the post here. I can completely understand why she does Christmas her way too. I just thought I should share her great post with you all. 

Friday Reads | Week 8

This week I am reading Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book. It is the book I pulled out of my TBR jar for the month and I could decide if I wanted to read it first. I am about 100 pages into it and it hasn't quite hooked me yet. I have heard mixed things about the novel so I guess I am going into it with the hope to like it but the fear I won't like it at all. It is becoming a slow read for me because I am doing so much to get ready for Christmas. 

#BeCritical

Recently something happened on the internet that gave concern as to how people are rating books on Goodreads.com. That person was Bazpiere on Youtube. He noticed a reviewer on goodreads was mostly rating her books as 5 start ratings. This was crazy to him because if people are reading books they typically aren't reading all 5 start rating books. He thought something fishy was going on and just wanted to let the community know. He would like for people to truly think about the books they are reading and being more critical towards them, as well as when they write the reviews for the books.

I am not saying that this person is getting paid to rate the books as 5 star ratings but it is something that can be easily done. Honestly, until recently I would just give books a star rating without really writing a review at all for the book. I just assumed people aren't going to care about my review or what I thought about that book or so. I have now started being very critical and trying to write better reviews for my books. My reviews are not going to be anything like how Barry writes his reviews because he is very critical but I am using his reviews as a way to help me grasp how I want mine to be.

I am focusing on making myself aware of what I am reading and write how it made me feel. They way I decide if a books was good is based on the content of the story, the characters-and how much I could relate to them- and my overall feelings while reading. There are many times where the book was great but the author's writing isn't that great. As long as that didn't cause any problems for me to understand the story then I'd say it was a good book.

Each and every single person is unique so I would expect each and every review of books to be different. There are several things that people can catch in a book and it will be different from someone else who read the same book. Two people are going to get different themes, ideas and emotions from the same book. That is was is so amazing about us.

I agree with Barry that people should be more aware with the reviews they are writing but I think the way Barry brought it to people's attention could have been executed a little better.

[REVIEW] Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple

Synopsis:
Bernadette Fox is notorious. To her Microsoft-guru husband, she's a fearlessly opinionated partner; to fellow private-school mothers in Seattle, she's a disgrace; to design mavens, she's a revolutionary architect, and to 15-year-old Bee, she is a best friend and, simply, Mom.

Then Bernadette disappears. It began when Bee aced her report card and claimed her promised reward: a family trip to Antarctica. But Bernadette's intensifying allergy to Seattle—and people in general—has made her so agoraphobic that a virtual assistant in India now runs her most basic errands. A trip to the end of the earth is problematic.

To find her mother, Bee compiles email messages, official documents, secret correspondence—creating a compulsively readable and touching novel about misplaced genius and a mother and daughter's role in an absurd world.

Divergent: Insurgent Teaser Trailer Reaction

I love Tris' hair in this. I know her hair is supposed to be short but technically it isn't that short in the book but I can get over that.

Why is her mother there? It looks like this is some kind of fearscape or when she drinks the candor juice or something. I am not entirely sure.

All Tris is doing in the trailer teaser is action stuff and I honestly don't remember this scene at all from the book.

The special effects don't make this scene seem real. If she and her mother actually did move around like that they should have be crushed by the two buildings crashing into one another.

I am excited about this film because I enjoyed the book but I am also a little worried at the same time. I hope the movie does the book some justice because a lot happens in it.

Mini Vacation

I went to the beach for about 4 days as I have with a bunch of friends for the past 3 years. This year was probably the best year thus far. We managed to have more friends join us, a bigger house, and stayed a day longer than normal. It was amazing. I took this vacation as a time to catch up on all my reading I need to do since I have so many books that are on my TBR shelf (over a hundred!!) and I want to have them all read as soon as I can. I have essentially been put on a book buying ban by my husband until I have read everything on our shelves right now. UGH this is so very hard. Honestly, how does he expect me to just read what is on my shelves?! Just kidding, I got every single book on my shelves because I want to read them. Anyways, back to vacation. I decided to be pretty ambitious with my books of choice for the vacation. I knew I wanted to bring all of these books but I was very well aware that I would not manage to read them all. 

I brought 8 books with me and I was able to cross off almost 4 books from my list. I think that is pretty great odds for how slow I can read books. I started the vacation about 60 pages into The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes. I was not enjoying this book so it took me a while to get finished with it. I finished it Sunday morning and immediately picked up The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida because I wanted to know the inner voice of a 13-year old autistic kid. It was pretty interesting.  After finishing that in the evening I picked up Maus 1 by Spiegelman and I was engrossed so much into that story that I dream was visually like the graphic novel. It was pretty weird. Monday morning I had picked out the book The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett because I really want to dive into the Discworld series. I didn't manage to read anything until the afternoon. I managed 83 pages of that before we have to call it a night. Tuesday morning was clean up, so we had to pack up and leave our gorgeous vacation and head on back to the real world. 

I was able to read so much while on vacation because I was a little under the weather the entire time. I have a wisdom tooth pushing through, causing an ear ache and my husband gave me whatever he just got over so great times were had. Over all I enjoyed the vacation very much and I am so happy to call all that went with us good friends. I honestly can not wait to go again next year! 

Be the Boss of Your World | My Weight Watchers Meeting

This week's theme was be your own boss. My meeting was on Saturday (the last day for the week basically) and I really needed this meeting. I had initially had an awful week and assumed I had gained weight this week. I emailed my team leader to confess all that I did and how horrible I felt. I event told her I was accepting of the fact that I would walk into our meeting and know I had gained some weight. Turns out that I lost a pound! Holy Cow! How does that even work? I was so stressed out this week and ate all kinds of wrong things? It isn't even possible right?

Let's just say that my day was much brighter thanks to that loss of a pound. Our meetings was great for me because I can see that I need to set my own limits and be honest about what I need to eat and what I want to eat. I have some many obstacles to over come just to knock this weight off but I am going to push through them. I am going to climb over them and I am going to run straight at them, head on.

I know my spouse is a trigger that can challenge my weight loss. It isn't anything he is doing per say but I know I can eat anything around him and be completely comfortable. My mom is the opposite kind of trigger though. It can be tough sometimes because she has seen me fail over and over again and it just makes her disappointed every time.

As of yesterday morning:
Weight: 201.2 lb
+/- : -1.0 lb
Total: -1.4 lb

Project 1/3 | Intro

This is my weight loss thing for the blog. I am using the same title as BrettTheIntern used while he was trying to lose weight. The 1/3 actually works great for me. In order to lose 1/3 of my current weight I need to drop about 66 pounds. (You do the math if you want to know my exact weight.) That would bring me around the right weight for a healthy BMI for my short stature.

I need to lose the weight because I am unhappy with all the extra weight I have to carry. I enjoy doing 5k and 10k races but I'd enjoy them much more with less weight. I'd even enjoy doing the half-marathon in my town every year.

To accomplish my Project 1/3 I have signed up for Weight Watchers. My meetings are on Saturdays but I will post updates on Thursdays here. I am really enjoying the support from my group leader. She not only helps us greatly at our meetings but she emails a newsletter every week to all the members who want it. There is also a Facebook group to keep us going throughout the week for motivation and questions. I am the type of person that needs this kind of support in order to lose the weight once and for all.

I am excited to share this journey with you. I am making lifestyle changes that are the best for my family and I.

[Review] Under the Dome by Stephen King

Synopsis:
On an entirely normal, beautiful fall day in Chester's Mill, Maine, the town is inexplicably and suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field. Planes crash into it and fall from the sky in flaming wreckage, a gardener's hand is severed as "the dome" comes down on it, people running errands in the neighboring town are divided from their families, and cars explode on impact. No one can fathom what this barrier is, where it came from, and when -- or if -- it will go away.

Dale Barbara, Iraq vet and now a short-order cook, finds himself teamed with a few intrepid citizens -- town newspaper owner Julia Shumway, a physician's assistant at the hospital, a select-woman, and three brave kids. Against them stands Big Jim Rennie, a politician who will stop at nothing -- even murder -- to hold the reins of power, and his son, who is keeping a horrible secret in a dark pantry. But their main adversary is the Dome itself. Because time isn't just short. It's running out.

Friday Read wk7

I am currently on page 55 of Crown of Midnight which is the second book in the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas. I hope to get a good chunk of this book finished this weekend.

[Review] Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Synopsis:

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?

Friday Read Wk6

This Friday I am reading The Maze Runner by James Dashner. I hope to get this one finished today or tomorrow so that I can begin Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass series) by Sarah J. Maas.

Happy reading!

[Review] Saga Vol. 1, 2, and 3 by Brian Vaughan

Synopsis:

When two soldiers from opposite sides of a never-ending galactic war fall in love, they risk everything to bring a fragile new life into a dangerous old universe. 

From New York Times bestselling writer Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina) and critically acclaimed artist Fiona Staples (Mystery Society, North 40), Saga is the sweeping tale of one young family fighting to find their place in the worlds. Fantasy and science fiction are wed like never before in this sexy, subversive drama for adults. 

This specially priced volume collects the first six issues of the smash-hit series The Onion A.V. Club calls "the emotional epic Hollywood wishes it could make."

August 2014 Book Haul

Here is the entire pile of books (minus one) that I got this month. I went a little crazy on bookoutlet.com because they were having a great sale on some pretty nice titles that I have been wanting to add to my shelf. 

• Cinder
• Scarlet
• Ruby Red
• Sapphire Blue
• Emerald Green
• The Rithmatist 

These are the books that I picked up at the beginning of the month from the local bookstore My Favorite Books. I got all these books for about $30 so I don't think it is any cheaper to get these books from there. I did enjoy going to this bookstore and browsing around. I plan to go back and maybe take some pictures of the place for my readers. It was set up a little weird to me, maybe I will go back and try it out again. 

• Wuthering Heights
• The Sense of an Ending
• Brave New World
• White Oleander

I picked this lot up from the Books-a-Million here in town. These we all in the bargin bin so I paid a fraction of the costs for them. The three top books were $2 each. The bottom two were $4 I believe. 

• The case Book of Sherlock Holmes
• Through the Looking Glass
• 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

I picked up Ready Player One and Hollow City (paperback) from the bookdepository.com and I was so excited to get these. I had previously read Hollow City and I started reading Ready Player One as soon as I could. 

[REVIEW] The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima

Synopsis:
An epic battle between good and evil...

Before he knew about the Roses, 16-year-old Jack lived an unremarkable life in the small Ohio town of Trinity. Only the medicine he has to take daily and the thick scar above his heart set him apart from the other high schoolers. Then one day Jack skips his medicine. Suddenly, he is stronger, fiercer, and more confident than ever before. And it feels great - until he loses control of his own strength and nearly kills another player during soccer team tryouts.

Soon, Jack learns the startling truth about himself: he is Weirlind, part of an underground society of magical people who live among us. At their helm sits the feuding houses of the Red Rose and the White Rose, whose power is determined by playing The Game - a magical tournament in which each house sponsors a warrior to fight to the death. The winning house rules the Weir.

As if his bizarre heritage isn't enough, Jack finds out that he's not just another member of Weirlind - he's one of the last of the warriors - at a time when both houses are scouting for a player.

[REVIEW] The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Synopsis:
Sussex, England. A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral. Although the house he lived in is long gone, he is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered a most remarkable girl, Lettie Hempstock, and her mother and grandmother. He hasn't thought of Lettie in decades, and yet as he sits by the pond (a pond that she'd claimed was an ocean) behind the ramshackle old farmhouse, the unremembered past comes flooding back. And it is a past too strange, too frightening, too dangerous to have happened to anyone, let alone a small boy.

Forty years earlier, a man committed suicide in a stolen car at this farm at the end of the road. Like a fuse on a firework, his death lit a touchpaper and resonated in unimaginable ways. The darkness was unleashed, something scary and thoroughly incomprehensible to a little boy. And Lettie—magical, comforting, wise beyond her years—promised to protect him, no matter what.

A groundbreaking work from a master, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is told with a rare understanding of all that makes us human, and shows the power of stories to reveal and shelter us from the darkness inside and out. It is a stirring, terrifying, and elegiac fable as delicate as a butterfly's wing and as menacing as a knife in the dark.

[REVIEW] Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson

Synopsis from Goodreads:
The Pre-Sloane Emily didn't go to parties, she barely talked to guys, she didn't do anything crazy. Enter Sloane, social tornado and the best kind of best friend—the one who yanks you out of your shell.But right before what should have been an epic summer, Sloane just... disappears. No note. No calls. No texts. No Sloane. There’s just a random to-do list. On it, thirteen Sloane-selected-definitely-bizarre-tasks that Emily would never try... unless they could lead back to her best friend. Apple Picking at Night? Ok, easy enough.Dance until Dawn? Sure. Why not? Kiss a Stranger? Wait... what?

Getting through Sloane’s list would mean a lot of firsts. But Emily has this whole unexpected summer ahead of her, and the help of Frank Porter (totally unexpected) to check things off. Who knows what she’ll find?

Go Skinny Dipping? Um...

The Update vol. 02

This week had it's highs and lows. I thought the highs would last longer. For the last 3 weeks my son has been setting sick a lot (on and off again). We have gone to the doctor a total of 4 times during the time frame, one X-ray and one ultra sound. I am not very happy with the clinic my sons' doctor is in.

Aside from that, my son and I joined my mother-in-law on a road trip to Atlanta. We enjoyed ourselves during the visit. It was cut short though because my son got sick the first night. It was miserable for him and us. We decided to head back home the next day and to call the doctor back.

My new car freshener. I honestly only got it because it is a flower. 

Friday was really busy because we spent most of the day with to doctor or at the hospital for an ultra sound. In between all that excitement we managed to go to a local lake and feed the ducks. My son had a great time feeding them, he even fed a turtle. The geese were also very happy to have us feed them.

I think my son has started the why phase of the toddler years. He wants to know why we have to do this, why are we going there, why do I have the clean up my toys, why can't I have candy all the time? It is amazing sometimes to see what he is curious about but when Mama says do something there shouldn't be any questions asked. He will learn soon enough.

Bout of Book 11.0 Goals

Time Devoted to Reading

I will be reading for at least an hour or two each day.

My Goals

• I would like to finish 3 books this week.

Books to Read

• Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
• Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
• The Giver by Louis Lowry

[REVIEW] Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets to the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Synopsis from Goodreads:
This Printz Honor Book is an honest exploration of identity (Publishers Weekly) that distills lyrical truths about family and friendship.

Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.

Disney 2014

My little family took a trip to Disney this past week. We left on Friday and headed home on Tuesday. We had loads of fun while we were down there. This was my son's first time at Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. I think he enjoyed Animal Kingdom the most because of all the animals we got to see.

Riding the Kilimanjaro Safari at Animal Kingdom

He really enjoyed seeing all the animals. I enjoyed getting 25k steps that day with my fitbit. I would have shot for the extra 5k to reach a goal of 30k in a day but I was tired by the time we got back to the resort that I couldn't walk around the lake.

The next day we went to the Magic Kingdom for my son to really ride all the rides. Unfortunately he really wanted to ride the train. We rode the train for a few stops and got off at Fantasyland because I noticed he could ride everything in that area of the park. It was perfect for us. My husband took him on the junior roller coaster, I thought he would love the thing so much that I would have to ride it but my husband said he didn't enjoy it as soon as they went around a fast corner. He had fun on the Dumbo ride though. The wait for that ride was interesting. We stood in line to get into the big circus tent. When we entered someone gave us a beeper that would light up when it was our turn to get on the ride. Inside was a nice sized playground for the kids to enjoy as they waited for a fun ride. I enjoyed it too.

The Update vol. 01

So this is The Update where I plan to update you about what has been going on in my week. I will have updates on myself, my son and probably my husband too. I hope you enjoy The Update.

This week has been quite busy. My son has been pretty sick for the past two weeks; throwing up and having so diarrhea. It has been a pretty gross two weeks in my house. Luckily I think we figured out what was wrong with him on Thursday and hopefully he will be getting back to normal asap.

Occasionally we were able to make it outside for some fun. My son loves to be outside and hanging out with nature. He is really turning into such a curious little boy. He loves watching the ants work while staying far enough away so that they won't bite him. 

Thursday was pretty eventful not only because my son had an x-ray of his tummy but my husband had an x-ray of his foot. He was working on his Jeep and it fell off the jack and onto his toe. Luckily he only broke one toe and not his entire foot.  Here is a picture of his shoe. I think he was pretty lucky. Thanks Sperry for saving his foot with your leather shoes!

Friday I went clothes shopping for a few things that are more work appropriate. I am so excited to share with you a pair of shoes that I have been dying to have but couldn't find anywhere. The cute cat shoes were found for less than $5 at Wet Seal and I am so stoked to wear this to work when school starts on August 18th!

I hope your week was pretty great. As you can see mine was very exciting and busy this week.  If you enjoyed this post let me know by leaving me a comment or tweeting about it.

You can also find me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Goodreads.

Friday Reads Wk5

I am currently reading Gillian Flynn's novel Gone Girl. I am about 130 pages into it and I absolutely love it so far. I haven't been able to commit as much to reading over the past couple of weeks as I would have liked but I am fine with that. The school year is about to start and I expect to keep reading while the work flow is going.

After I finish Gone Girl I plan to pick up Libba Bray's The Diviners but we will see if I still feel like picking that up when I finish this novel.

Please leave a comment below letting me know what you are reading. I would love to hear about it and any book recommendations would be lovely.

Top 5 Books that made me cry

Todays top 5 is the top books that made me cry.

• A Wrinkle in Time
• Of Mice and Men
• My Life Next Door
• There Eyes Were Watching God
• The Secret Life of Bees

These are just some of the books that have made me cry over the years (most that I read this year). 

Friday Reads wk4

I am still reading Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson but I am hoping to finish the last 100 pages or so today. This weekend I plan to start the Booksplosion book of the month which is The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima. I am so excited to start this book. I will also continue to read it for the Booktube-a-thon from July 14-20.

What are you reading this weekend?

[REVIEW] A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Synopsis from Goodreads.com:
An unflinching, darkly funny, and deeply moving story of a boy, his seriously ill mother, and an unexpected monstrous visitor.

At seven minutes past midnight, thirteen-year-old Conor wakes to find a monster outside his bedroom window. But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting-- he's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments. The monster in his backyard is different. It's ancient. And wild. And it wants something from Conor. Something terrible and dangerous. It wants the truth. From the final idea of award-winning author Siobhan Dowd-- whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself-- Patrick Ness has spun a haunting and darkly funny novel of mischief, loss, and monsters both real and imagined.

Friday Read wk3

Today I finished up Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets to the Universe  by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. I finished reading it on our road trip home. I am picking up Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson. I imagine it will take me a few days to read that book because I won't have a 5 hour road trip to read it on.

What are you picking up this weekend?

[REVIEW] We Were Liars by: E. Lockhart

This book has been getting so much hype over the past two months that I was worried to read it. Usually when a book is really hyped up I get severely disappointed with the book.  Lockhart's PR for this book was a great concept, for people who read the book to not really give any details about it book, it makes you want to read it just to find out what they can't talk about.

This book follows a young girl, Cadence, who spends the summers with her family on their own private island. She has two cousins and a kind of relative who are very close to her in age, the four of them are called the Liars on the island. Things happen one summer that causes something terrible to happen to 3 of the Liars and Cadence loses memory of what actually happened. I loved Ariel Bissett's theory on the book which you can find here. She really puts the theory that I was thinking about for the book into great words so I just want to share her video rather than repeat her.

I gave this book a 3 star rating because I didn't like the book, I probably won't be picking this up to reread in the near future. I have an arc copy so I won't even be buying the final copy unfortunately. I am glad that I read the book though because it is a popular book right now and I can add my two cents to discussions now. I would recommend this book even though I gave it 3 stars because it is such a differently written book. It is almost hard to get through because of the writing.

Friday Reads wk2

I am currently reading E. Lockhart's We Were Liars. I hope to finish this one by tomorrow. When I do finish it I have Terry Pratchett's Going Postal on my list to be read next but I don't think I want to read that one just yet. I have been eyeing Patrick Ness's A Monster Calls for a day or two on my shelf so I might pick that one up first.
Happy reading this weekend.

[REVIEW] Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

I just finished reading this middle grade book because my cousin told me it was a great book. She will be 16 next week. OMG. Anyways, this book was actually pretty good for being a middle grade book. It is part of a trilogy, the final book will be released next year some time. I might finish the series once the other two books are in paperback. I hate paying for hardback books.

The book is about a girl, Miri who lives on Mount Eskel. She isn't allowed to work in the quarry with most of the other people in her village because her father wont let her. The princess of Dansland will be chosen from the girls in her village who are between the ages 14 and 17. The whole story is focused on the girls' time in the academy getting ready to meet the prince and learn which girl will become the princess.

The story actually took turn I wasn't expecting right there towards the very end. It was kind of nice to know that you can't assume which way the story will go just based on the rest of the book. I would recommend this book if you want to try a middle grade book. There isn't much to it but I like it either way.

On Goodreads I gave this book 4 stars.

Lunch in the park

Ryker and his friend E. 

I decided to have my mom and son meet me at a local park. I promised her I would bring lunch so it was a sure thing. When I arrived at the park (I was early), I was surprised to see a friend there with her children. 

My mom showed up with my son and a cousin of ours. He is my sons favorite cousin because they are able to have such a great time playing with each other even with the 3 year age difference. I brought the boys McD happy meals but I brought a sandwich from a local shop for my mom and I. It was a fried green tomato BLT with an avocado spread. 

Fried Green Tomato BLT from TomatoLand

After finishing our lunches the boys spent at least an hour and a half playing in the play ground. It was nice to watch all the boys playing and not arguing. I love watching how my son is around friends. I know he is going to be such a great boy as he grows up. 

Friday Reads wk1

This Friday I am still reading Princess Academy by Shannon Hale. I have been reading this for about a week. I have about 150 pages left of it. After I finish that book I hope to start on Terry Pratchett's Going Postal or picking up something else on my TBR shelf. I pulled The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo out of the jar for this month but I don't want to read it just yet. I picked up the middle grade read by Shannon Hale because of my little cousin Lacey. She said this is one of her favorite books so I promised her I would read it. I am actually enjoying the book. I find that the struggle that Miri is going through at the academy (or even at home on the mountain) is something any 12 or 13 year old can relate to I believe. She feels like she is so worthless because she can't help out at the quarry but she doesn't fit it with the other girls at the academy.

Changing Things Up

I am going to start slowly turning this blog more into a lifestyle blog. Right now it is geared towards weightloss and exercising but I want to include some other things on here too. I hope you will bare with me while I make this transition. I have a feeling the theme might change a bit while I play around with things. I am going to have some new things in the side column soon. I plan to really start writing because I would love to really share things with you guys. I hope I can make a blog that others are going to enjoy reading and that I will love to write for your pleasure. <3 Allie

Meg's Miles

The story of what happened to Meg:

Meg Cross Menzies was tragically killed by a drunk driver while out for her morning run on January 13, 2014. As an avid runner, member of the Richmond Road Runners Club, and Boston marathoner, she was a member of the running family nationwide. In her honor, our hope is to raise awareness of drunk driving, texting and driving, and overall safety of runners and cyclists everywhere. 

I decided that I wanted to run five miles for Meg. I went to the gym on Saturday to run on the treadmill. I set up to do my friday session of Ease into the 5k so I did Week 3 Day 3 of that program. During the running session I got to 2 miles so I needed to do another 3 to get to my goal. I knew those 3 miles were going to be tough for me to get in but I accomplished my goal. I put 5 miles under my feet in about an hour and a half.

I was just really happy that I was able to be apart of such a great community this past Saturday that we came together to show how much the running community is there for each other.

Dear Allie; willpower will come.

You have been feeling incredibly bad with a toothache all weekend. Hopefully it will be resolved on Monday. 

You have been struggling with your willpower this week. You didn't get around to the grocery store or making your meal plan or prepping your week because of excuses you could list but there shouldn't be any excuses. Not this time around. You barely got any steps this weekend. You should want to fit in at least twenty thousand additional steps to your weekly total just to make up for the weekend. 

This week you should focus on making a meal plan. Sit down with your cook book you bought with some Christmas gift card. Write down everything you will need for the recipes, even if you have it in the house already. You are going to be so happy that you prepared everything a head of time. Once you start to do this weekly it will become a natural habit and won't be such a drag to do. 

Run or Dye 5k

I was really looking forward to the Run or Dye race on Saturday. Unfortunately they emailed everyone saying that the race was cancelled by the city due to the weather. It is supposed to be rainy and stormy most of the day, which would suck to do a color run in. I understand why the race was cancelled but I was really excited that this was going to be my first race of the 2014 season. Oh well, I will have to decide if I am going to wait to see if they reschedule or it I will sign up for another city (free of charge, of course).

Here is to hoping I can do this race this year!