currently obsessed with…

This break has been wonderful and hectic all at once. As a child, my dad drove us from Houston to Miami multiple times, and Daniel and I definitely another “Look at me, I am adulting!” badge by doing it for this first time this Christmas. Let the record show that I offered to drive over and over but Daniel wanted to take care of it – thanks, boo! 🙂

Working on: Time to start tracking again! I lost a total of 15 pounds before all the holiday eating began. I’m up about 4, but am not too worried about it. There’s a number floating in my head that I’d like to reach by my birthday, but all around I’m pretty happy fluctuating around 3 pounds while I’m doing Weight Watchers. I feel pretty great!

I am also trying to figure out this new WordPress format and get back into earning a decent side income through this blog and social media. A few months ago I had a DREAM BIG moment and have made some mental plans for the future (5 years?). Maybe it’ll come up later, but for now I’m thinking. 🙂

Anticipating: Work is about to start back up and January and February are looking quite busy. I had my first author visit in December and I was incredibly (and unnecessarily) stressed about it. Everything went well and the kids (and teachers) loved him! Not that I will worry any less about this second visit – but at least it’s a bit more chill. Plus the book fair, which is a lot of fun, is also a lot of work.

Listening to:  I’m trying out YouTube Music. Pretty awesome so far! A few of us are going to a Metric show at the end of February so I’m catching up on their newer stuff and checking out the openers.

I’m still obsessed with the Young House Love podcast, and a friend recently got me into Ear Hustle, which is super awesome.

Watching: I need some recommendations! And don’t say Birdbox! 😛

Daniel and I saw Aquaman recently and we totally loved it. A tad cheesy, but so good, especially considering most of the movie is “underwater.”

Wearing: I’ve been supremely obsessed with these GAP sweatershirt dresses. I even bought myself a second one. The dress I’m currently wearing in these photos was a Christmas present from my sister that is basically a sleeveless version of the GAP dress. ha! (Which she now has 2 of as well!)

I’ve linked a similar cardigan below, but this one was a gift from my uncle who has a clothing business, and I’ve been throwing it over practically every dress or tshirt/jeans combo because the color just pops so nicely.

Now let’s get to the juicy stuff: my shoes. They may look like plain old slip on sneakers, but oh, man are they comfortable. Have you heard of Rothy’s?? I kept hearing great things, and even asked a stranger about hers (she admitted to me that she actually has three pairs). Rothy’s makes 4 different styles, in a variety of colors and patterns. I went with a versatile option to start with. They’re pretty pricey, so I’m not about to go crazy. BUT if you are interested, my link above hooks you (and me!) up with a $20 discount. A friend of mine that has the flats said they smelled after a few wears. My sneakers haven’t stunk yet, but I have already taken her advice and slipped some anti-odor insoles. (linked below are similar Vans)

Oh you thought I was done talking about what I’ve been wearing? Okay, almost. As I have mentioned in previous posts, one of my favorite jewelers is Veatge. I’ve styled three pieces in the photo above: the ring on my index finger, the teeny tiny necklace, and toucan earrings, because these photos were taken in Miami, where it’s basically tropical year round. 🙂

Reading: Goodreads has a Reading Challenge that you can join. I did my first one last year and met my personal goal of fifty books. What what! I finished number fifty on new year’s eve. Cutting it close. 🙂

Okay, grab a cup of coffee, and a notepad if you want any recommendations. Other than my most recent reads (above), it’s all YA from here!

My first read of 2019 has been my school book club’s selection: Crazy Rich Asians. It was an interesting glimpse into a world I will never know. Overall I wasn’t too into the plot. Things got pretty slow, picked up right towards the end, and then fell flat. I am currently reading the newest Moriarty: Nine Perfect Strangers.

Since my last update, I have read Intertwined (eh..) and Riders (meh). I loved the Everlife series, and Intertwined is by the same author…but not the same style. I wasn’t feeling it. Riders is narrated by one of my faves, but the storyline just didn’t grab me.

I went out of my comfort zone and read Resistance, which was a good read. I guess it’s historical fiction, which I typically stay away from, because it took place during World War II. I briefly met the author while at the Texas Librarians Association conference last year.

The Invisible Life of Ivan Isaenko was awesome. Narrated by my boy Dan Bittner. At first I thought it was a true story so I was like WHOA. But it’s not, though it very well could have been. Read the summary and see.

Warcross was awesome! I really like Marie Luu though, and not just because she went to my high school. 😛 (I never met her or anything). If you liked Ready Player One, this is somewhat similar.

Leah on the Offbeat was a huge disappointment after Simon vs the Homo Sapien’s Agenda by Becky Albertalli. Leah is a character in Simon, but having her own storyline was eh…she was just very emotional, moody, and frustrating. Apparently these two books are part of a series, so hopefully the next one is good! Albertalli also wrote the Upside to Unrequited, which I read last month and thoroughly enjoyed.

Puddin’, the sequel to Dumplin’ (now on Netflix) was about a secondary character and might be even better than Dumplin’! I liked it a lot, especially after watching her character in the Netflix movie. I hope they do the sequel.

Daughter of the Pirate King was recommended by the staff at a bookshop in Victoria. Pretty good. I’ve got the sequel (Daughter of the Siren Queen) in my clutches to read soon.

My most recent reads are by an author I just discovered. They’re sort of cheesy and romantic, but whatever. 😛 I’m not sure how I found her – maybe through some of the other YA romance series. Say You’ll Remember Me, and then the Thunder Road series (Nowhere But Here and Walk the Edge).

Queen of Air and Darkness (book three of the Dark Artifices was my holiday challenge, which I got through primarily thanks to Daniel driving on all of our trips. Cassandra Clare is one of my all time fave YA fantasy authors.

Here is where I usually talk about Motherhood, but I will reserve that for its own blog post because a) I went on and on about books! and b) Lila has grown so much physically and mentally, that it’s worth standing alone.

xoxo