by Sarah | Jul 21, 2021 | All About Me, All of Us, Blogging Life, Book Reviews, I'm A Reader, Redefining Perfect, Wordy Wednesday
I thought about doing one book per recommendation post – but then changed my mind.
I’m going to recommend One, one, and one every month. The genres may change, but it lends some variety.
This week we’re going to look at 3 books that I recommend for beach reads. One YA, One Mystery, One Romance.
*~*~*
I literally read 1/3 of this as a beach read. I blazed through a hundred pages it in a couple of hours, sitting next to my mom. Enjoying the sun, listening to the waves, and getting lost in the world of Snow’s asylum.
The story is a light and easy read, while simultaneously has depth and darkness to keep it intriguing.
A definite recommend from me. I can’t wait to finish it. (this month, come hell or high water)
It’s not often that a mystery keeps me truly guessing until very close to the end. This one managed to do it.
The twist in this mystery is it’s told in reverse…so you think you know exactly where it’s going. You don’t.
It’s a quick read, and keeps you interested until the very end. The characters are engaging and deeply flawed.
Okay, I heard about this one LONG before I ever read it. Not sure what took me so long, but it’s a great, fun read.
Perfect for the beach, this spicy, sexy read will keep you interested…and LAUGHING. The humor is spot on.
And at least the sun will rose your cheeks to keep your blush hidden.
*~*~*
Those are my recommendations for this month! Hope you enjoyed.
What are some of your favorite books? I love adding to my TBR.
by Sarah | Jul 19, 2021 | All About Family, All About Me, All of Us, Personal, Redefining Perfect
Dad passed away on the 1st of November.
Denver and I made the long trek back to Indiana for a week of family, mourning, laughter, tears, and saying goodbye.
While there, I became the keeper of the photographs. The box of print photos from my youth to Denver’s youngest days.
At one point my mom had the entire case organized precisely by date, occasion, location, and all of that…
With dad’s Parkinson’s, he’d get on these binges of activity.
One of those that frequently happened, was him going through the pictures.
The box is chaos. A mess of photos mixed up into unorganized groups that have little to do with each other.
I began the painstaking process of organizing them so I could scan them into the computer for a digital archive.
And then I had to pause.
In the middle of the chaos of the group I was working on were 4 pictures.
4 pictures that had a similar theme.
They’re pictures of my parents. Just the two of them. No kids, no friends…just them.
Smiling, happy.
Like that’s what he wanted to see.
Just dad and mom. Together.
It’s what I needed to see, too.
Sometimes it’s easy to forget how much they loved each other.
But this little reminder brought it all to the surface.
I knew he’d left this treasure for one of us to find.
I’m glad it was me.
by Sarah | Jul 18, 2021 | 50 before 50, All About Me, All of Us, Bucket List, Redefining Perfect
For my 45th birthday, I thought it would be good to revisit this bucket list for a couple of reasons. 1 – I’m turning 50 in 5 years. 2 – I haven’t looked at it in a couple of years and it’s WAY outdated…several items are done that aren’t marked off, and others are no longer in my desires.
For this update I am keeping everything marked off that I’ve done…marking off the things I HAVE done that I hadn’t marked off yet, and adding new items to replace those I’m letting go of for now.
Color Code:
Newly Done (past 4 years)
Previously Done
New
Updated
50 X 50
Take a real vacation. (Not to Buffalo, not w/ the kids) (Done 4/23/12)Take my kids to Disney World. (Done, thanks to Make-A-Wish 10/28/14)See my name in print (get published, e-zine, paper-zine). (Done 6/24/12 – Sirens Call June 2012 Issue)Have a novel published. (Done 2/8/13 – Changing Tracks & 17 more times [so far] by 7/18/15)- Get my Dominion Falls books series in front of a producer.
- Go Parasailing
- Take a photography class (or 2 or 3)
Perform on stage again (done 12/4/15 – Violet Grey in A Charlie Brown Christmas)- See Colorado
- Speak on a panel at a conference.
- See Yellowstone
- Go skydiving.
Go to a blogger’s conference. (done 4/23/12)Sit at a book signing. (done 3/17/2018)- Get on a regular exercise regime & stay on it for more than 3 months.
Hand craft (knit, sew) 1 item for ME for a change. (DONE 4/1/12)- Swim with dolphins.
Get some crazy color in my hair (purple, blue, pink highlites/streaks) Done 2/11/12- Finish writing THE novel, my white whale, Into A Mirror Darkly
Sing Karaoke (Done 4/2018)- Go to Key West for vacation.
Move to Florida. (done 5/4/19)- Pay off debt.
Get a car that is less than 2 years old. (done 4/2/18)Run a 5k. Done 9/22/12 Do something daring (paragliding, zipline, etc.) Done 7/14/12See the butterflies at the Indy Zoo (Done 3/19/13)- Learn sign language.
Go on a road trip with a girlfriend. (done 2018)- Go on a hot air balloon ride
See Cirque du Soleil (Done 6/27/2012)- Ride a horse – not a trail horse. A real ride on a horse.
Volunteer. (Done – w/ Make-A-Wish 2018)- Stop drinking pop
Visit Disneyland (Done 5/2/17)Get a tattoo (Done 7/16/11)- Go on a Cruise [preferably Alaskan, but I’m not picky]
Go on a wine tasting (Done 10/16/10)- Get a Henna tattoo
- Take my husband to swim with sharks
- Fly first class
- Learn to paddle board.
Have a real spa day (Done, thanks to Hubs, 7/2014)Visit a real haunted location (Done 7/16/16)- Sell a photo
- Visit Salem, MA
Visit both US based Disney Parks in one year. (done 2017)See a solar eclipse. (done 8/2/2017)- Own and use a twin-lens reflex camera.
- Become a nurse.
I think that’ll do for now. I can’t wait to get back to tackling items on the list with intention now that the world is opening again….and in six months I’ll be free of school and making decent money. I’m thinking skydiving will be one of my graduation rewards because…WOOHOO!!!
by Sarah | Jul 17, 2021 | All About Me, All of Us, Blogging Life, Oola, Redefining Perfect
4 years ago I discovered Oola.
3 years ago I put my dream on the Oola bus.
2 years ago I achieved my Oola goal to move to Florida.
1.5 years ago I began my new Oola goal to become a nurse.
And then…
My Oola got lost along the way.
Our first 2 years here were ROUGH. The move was tough on all of us. Then Erik’s mom passed away. Then Covid. Then my dad passed away. We were facing the rapid aging of our dog. The girls were struggling with school in a Covid-filled world. We had a lot of issues with Erik’s car that led to some financial difficulty.
There was a lot weighing on our spirits.
Plus I was going to school, which was tough enough, but I was working full time while doing it, which made it ridiculously more difficult.
Stress, grief, more stress, more grief, even more stress…and I completely lost focus on any sense of Oola. My magic was left in the dust, my family was suffering, I didn’t have fun anymore, it was all one big struggle bus instead of an Oola bus.
I’d see my Oola books on my shelf and just…look away. I knew I wasn’t feeling it. I knew I wasn’t trying for it. Too much seemed a struggle.
I’ve now quit my job because it was too much…everything. I was far too stressed, worn out, and failing in school because I couldn’t keep up the pace.
Our finances are a worry and Erik has the added stress of being sole breadwinner for the next six months (I am seeking something PT, but that takes time…and I’ve not had any luck as of yet).
But I have been able to find me again. To gain some sense of focus and peace again.
I’m working my way back to Oola, and continuing to work on that big Oola goal.
5 months to go until nursing school is over.
I’m hoping to reclaim my Oola by then.
Wish me luck.
by Sarah | Jul 15, 2021 | All About Denver, All About Erik, All About Family, All About Kennedy, All About Me, All About Molly, All of Us, Disney, Redefining Perfect
Let’s face it…we all have expectations of Disney.
I mean, it’s supposed to be THE vacation.
The happiest place on earth…
Mickey, and Minnie, and Buzz, and Pooh Bear, and family, and love, and magic.
Everything rolled into one.
Amazing.
Joyous.
It’s supposed to be this:
But, let’s face it…reality, I mean…
It’s usually more like this:
All the time.
Siblings will be siblings.
Arguments will happen.
You roll with it.
(Seriously, there was much laughter after this moment).
by Sarah | Jul 13, 2021 | All About Denver, All About Erik, All About Family, All About Kennedy, All About Me, All About Molly, All of Us, Blogging Life, Redefining Perfect, Top Ten Tuesday
Five months until Graduation! Hard to believe that in 5 months time I’ll be free from all of this schoolwork, tests, stress. It’s been a super difficult year and a half. 2021 has been exceptionally hard with me working full time as well as school full time – at least until I resolved that issue last month it was.
Now I’m dreaming of what I will do when I only have to work 3 days a week. When I can have freedom from studying, and an actually decent combined income for once in our 19 years of marriage. 6 months until I achieve my second Oola dream in life and find a new level of…well, oola. 🙂
So what do I want to do when I graduate? Oh, there’s plenty.
- Take a real, honest to goodness, 2 week vacation at Disney/Universal. I want to not be cramped by only so any hours/days that we need to cram every little thing into. I want to chill by the pool, spend some hours at the park, and maybe chill in the room with the family. A trip where we don’t have to plan every minute because we have ALL the minutes.
- Get another decent camera and start photography again. I miss my camera. It’s still here, but it’s ancient…and with all the wildlife I need some better lenses too. Maybe get hubby or one of my kids involved in it, too.
- Crochet/knit all the things. While I AM still crocheting while in school with supplies I had around…I have lots of projects saved that I want to work on.
- Get my Etsy business back up and running again. I miss the hell out of crafting. I miss making my jewelry and have some more things I want to try doing jewelry-wise. I can’t wait for the freedom to explore more projects.
- WRITE. More than my crafts, I miss making words. I miss my fun worlds and characters and hearing them chatter at me in my brain. Right now so much of my brain is vitals and anatomy and pharmacology…I want to revisit Dominion Falls, The Tribe, The Exceptionals, maybe even Lake Point again…and I want to find NEW worlds to create and explore.
- Beach time. I moved to Florida for the proximity to the gosh darn beaches…and I have not gone NEARLY enough. I am a water baby and want all the beaches.
- Travel. I want to see more of Florida, ALL of Florida. I want to pack up my kids and drive wherever. I also moved to Florida for freedom and getting-out…but school and covid and urgh…but my kids are going to virtual school next year and I’ll be working/schooling less. It’s time for us to get on the road.
- Go back to school. Weird, right? But I want my BSN. Employers want me to have that BSN. So I want to keep on going on. Not right away, but I want to start before 2022 is over.
- Tackle my bucket list(s). Next week I’m going to revisit and revamp. I’ve done a LOT more of my 50X50 list than I’ve actually managed to get around to marking as done, and some of the things need to be switched around. I also have a Florida bucket list and a Disney bucket list. I want to get back to checking things off. For a while I was doing 2-3/year on the 50X50, but the past 2 years they’ve been neglected due to moving, work-stress, school, and covid. I have a LOT to catch up on. Only 5 years until I’m 50…
- Get a personal trainer. I need someone to kick my butt to work it out…because while I plan on some plastic surgery eventually (a few tweaks I wanna make), I also want to get healthy again. I want to feel strong again…and I got that best when I was working out regularly and eating better.
What do you think I should do? I have other things…but they’re more practical/boring – like paying off credit cards and getting a new car. These were just about chilling out and being happy again. What do you think?
Stealing Snow
Wallbanger
