my yoga journey.

i’ve been meaning to write a post about how the pandemic has turned me into someone who does yoga.  YEP.  you read that right!!  I, EMILY ABBOTT, have been doing yoga, since MARCH!  and, in this case, my procrastination has worked in my favour because this month i was interviewed and featured on The Mindful Life Practice Community website!  SO, if you are interested in reading about my yoga journey, please head on over to my interview on the the MLPC!  i talk about why i started yoga, how i completed the 30 day challenge in june, and my thoughts on being a plus-size yogi.  enjoy!

Posted by & filed under life. This post has 12,356 comments.

the time i made mint-chocolate cheesecake.

so, if you know me, you know that i am not a big fan of cooking or baking.  actually, that isn’t totally true, but i dislike the monotony of some baking and cooking tasks.  like i’m NOT about to scoop cookies one-by-one or something tedious like that.  but there are some things that i make that i feel i do a pretty good job of.  i learned from my dad to measure by feel and that recipes were more of a suggestion.

anyway, for my birthday, i decided that i really wanted to try a mint-chocolate cheesecake.  i spent some time scouring pinterest, looking for a recipe that sounded easy but delicious all at the same time.  and i did find many recipes, but i didn’t LOVE any of them in their entirety.  so i just decided to use suggestions from some of the ones that i DID like, and make my own!

did i know what i was doing?  NOPE!

how did i know it would turn out?  I DIDN’T!

can you share your recipe? THERE ISN’T ONE!

which leads us to THIS!  i made a recipe for it!  so that YOU could make and enjoy this delish and SUPER easy cheesecake too!

Posted by & filed under life. This post has 9,805 comments.

lessons i learned from my dad.

i guess the title speaks for itself, but when my dad passed away it got me thinking about all of the things i wanted to remember.  all of the things i am thankful for.  all of the things that i can keep with me.  and here’s what i came up with:

 

always hold the door open. it’s a small thing but it means a lot.  my dad always said that older people would notice this gesture.  and i think he was right.

 

sometimes people suck. dogs never suck.  dad was a serious PET person.  he loved all animals but especially dogs.  his dogs were his best friends and he was happy to be with them most of the time.

 

don’t take life too seriously. have a sense of humour.  my dad had a great sense of humour.  he was always making people laugh…sometimes at inappropriate times…but still 🙂

 

the value of hard work. he always made fun of me because he said i always needed to be working on something or in charge of something. i wonder who i got that from????

 

family is first.  he worked hard for us.  he went without for us.  and he didn’t once ask me to give up my crazy lifestyle for him…even though sometimes i’m sure he wished i was closer to home.

 

recipes are more like suggestions.  never under-season.  and he was a GREAT cook.  i’m not as interested in cooking as i’d like to be, but when i cook, i follow these rules!

 

stand up for what you believe in.  be bold, be brave…and OWN it.

 

help others when you’re in the position to do so.  my dad was so generous.  and the stuff he did, he did it quietly.  he didn’t do anything for the acknowledgment or praise.  in fact, i didn’t find out until a couple years after he started, that once my parents were in a place to do so, my dad would buy gift cards from the local grocery store to hand out to those in need around christmas time.

 

 

and these are just some that i could think of off the top of my head.  i’m sure there are more.  maybe they will come to me another time.  but it also got me thinking, there are probably some lessons that he would wish i’d learned better:

 

anything and everything to do with fishing.  i started going fishing with my dad at three or four years old and i would sit for hours in the boat and play with my cabbage patch doll.  i have been fishing countless times, but i’m still not very good at it.  though i secretly think that dad liked that i still had to depend on him when we went fishing.

 

a sense of direction.  period.  speaking of the outdoors, my dad had an AMAZING sense of direction.  and my brother definitely got that from him.  i, however, have basically no sense of direction, but i have made an effort to be better at this in recent years!

 

mental math.  my dad was SO good at this.  like super impressive.  he would ask me a question and i would obviously break out the calculator.  and he would have the question solved before you could even get it typed in.  then he’d proceed to make fun of me for not being able to do it in my head! HA!

 

i want to hold on to these memories.  forever and ever.

Posted by & filed under Uncategorized. This post has 3,710 comments.

the unplanned blog post.

 

the past 8 months have been…a lot of things.  difficult, exhausting, emotional, long, short…all of the things.

on august 8, we learned that my dad had lung cancer.  a day or two later, we learned that it had metastasized into his liver.

on august 13, i left to go back to kuwait even though i wasn’t sure that it was the right decision…but dad insisted that i go.

on september 2, we were told that his cancer was terminal and there was nothing that could be done.  for two weeks at the end of september, dad went through radiation to help him breath more easily.

by october 1, my mom told me that it was time to come home.  i left kuwait on october 3, arrived in wawa on october 5, and that was dad’s last coherent day.

he waited.  he waited to see me and to know that i was okay.  my brother had made it home the day before and that was all he wanted.  for all of us to be together.

on october 8, he was admitted to the hospital and on october 9 we said goodbye.

.

.

.

.

it was the hardest thing i’ve ever done.  i will never, ever forget those last days.  i will never forget how i felt walking into the house to see him on october 5.  i will never forget feeling scared of being alone in the house with him because of the “what if’s”.  i will never forget waiting and wondering when “it” would happen after the doctor told us that we only had a few more hours.  i will never forget the last breath.  i will never forget my mom’s heartbreak.

 

the days following my dad’s death were strange.  but i am thankful that i was able to take enough time off to be home for his celebration of life and be with my mom for a couple weeks as she navigated her “new normal”.

on october 25, i flew back to kuwait to try and navigate my own “new normal”.

 

the months since then have flown by and gone so slow…all at the same time.  every month on the 9th, i think to myself, “how has he been gone ‘x’ months already?  and how has it ONLY been ‘x’ months?”  i don’t know how or why it feels both ways…but it does.  i can’t explain it.

 

on april 9, it was 6 months.  6 months without him.  6 months in a world where my dad isn’t.  

 

and in those 6 months…so much has happened.  the first christmas without him, first family birthday’s without him, the almost war in iran, COVID, leaving kuwait on an evacuation flight…i wonder what he would say and what he would think.  about all of it.  and i’m nervous about going home, where he isn’t.  but i know it’s a reality that i have to face and that my mom and brother have faced every day in the past 6 months.  so i can do it.

 

when i started this blog post it was supposed to be “lessons i learned from my dad” and it just came out like this instead.  so thank you for reading and letting me say all of this.  and next up, those life lessons!

Posted by & filed under life. This post has 3,899 comments.

em kat reads. june 2019.

only a couple weeks behind with this post.  truthfully, i haven’t been getting as much reading done as i thought i would this summer, but i’m doing okay.  i guess i have been busier than anticipated, and that’s okay too!  so here is what the bookshelf brought for june:

 

how to behave in a crowd by camille bordas

the good:  in some ways the protagonist reminded me of other characters that i have read about before like eleanor oliphant.  i guess you just sort of wanted to root for him?  i don’t know how to explain it really.  this book was recommended by a friend so i also felt sort of connected to her as i was reading.  i think this book is really relatable because of the disfunction that the family is going through – because who can’t relate to disfunction?!

the bad:  i think that this book left me wanting a little bit more.  i liked it, but it didn’t really GRAB me, you know?  it was maybe a bit slow at times?  just not super memorable i guess.

& the rating:  3 stars.  it was good but kind of weird.  not my favourite but i didn’t dislike it.

 

where the crawdads sing by delia owens

the good:  this book totally surprised me.  i didn’t really know what to expect and in the beginning i wasn’t convinced.  but once i was hooked, i was HOOKED.  i was totally in love with the characters and the story line.  it brought out ALL the feelings.  the life and struggles of the main character, ‘marsh girl’, really captured me.  and even though it wasn’t something i would typically pick up, i LOVED it.

the bad:  nothing really.  the beginning was just a bit slow but i think that had more to do with me.  i don’t typically like books that aren’t set in current times.  this is set in the 1950’s (i think…) and i wasn’t into that at first but it won me over very quickly.

& the rating:  4.5 stars.  this book was SO good and SO unexpected!  MUST read!

 

the perfect couple by elin hilderbrand

the good:  this was a murder mystery and that was NOT what i was expecting when i picked it up!  i hadn’t read the summary so i was surprised, but in a good way!  this was also my first time reading anything by this author and i would definitely read more by her!  i liked the writing style and the flow of the book because it really made me want to keep reading to find out what was going to happen!

the bad:  i don’t want to give too much away, but i think that the ending could have been better.  i didn’t love the direction it took but i guess i’m also not surprised.  i don’t want to say more because i don’t want to ruin it and it’s definitely worth a read!

& the rating:  4 stars.  surprisingly good!

 

the last house guest by megan miranda

the good:  i LOVED this book.  i read my first book by this author last summer and when i saw that this one was coming out this summer, i was SO excited.  and let me tell you, it did not disappoint.  this is another murder mystery and i loved it all – the characters, the setting, the storyline.  ALL.  GOOD.  i really love the style of her writing and i find myself hooked every time!

the bad:  i can’t think of anything bad!  loved this!

& the rating:  5 stars!  LOVED this one.  love this author!  GO READ NOW!

Posted by & filed under bookshelf. This post has 3,735 comments.

a podcast person.

i must admit that i haven’t always been a big podcast person.  and i was definitely late to the game.  HOWEVER, last summer i got hooked on a couple and that has led to a couple more…and this summer…I’M HOOKED.  my podcast tastes change, and i go through phases i guess you could say.  i love listening while i’m walking to the gym or working out, and i also tend to listen when i’m getting ready in the mornings.

annnnyway….all that to say that i MUST share the podcasts that i’m currently obsessing over!!

 

the papaya podcast is the latest addition to my list but has quickly become a favourite!  sarah is the host – i’m obsessed – don’t EVEN get me started on how fab she is!  and she’s CANADIAN!  this girl is the reason that i started listening to the next two podcast that i will be telling you about.  she was a guest on both of the others and i love listening to EVERYTHING she has to say!  the papaya podcast is just a super down to earth show about random things that are SO relevant: “bikini bodies”, online therapy, friends (the show…cause DUH!), and allllll the things.  when i’m listening to sarah’s podcast i just feel like i’m listening to a friend and i am TOTALLY buying ALLLLLL that she is selling!  i could listen to her all day long!

follow her podcast journey on instagram @thepapayapodcast

and her personal account (a serious fave!) @thebirdspapaya

 

i started binge listening to ‘the here for her podcast’ on my flight home from kuwait this year.  this duo is also canadian (from ontario!) and i just love listening to them because they have such great chemistry and they have covered such useful, real life topics!  i know i said this about the papaya podcast too, but it really does feel like you’re just chatting with your girlfriends over a class of wine!  these two both have young children as well so i feel that young moms could also really relate to them.  in one of their episodes they have the owners of kopari beauty on, and i am now a firm believer in natural toothpaste and deodorant!!!  more on that later!!  and their most recent episode is with their husbands and i laughed OUT LOUD!

you can find their podcast @hereforherpodcast

and their individual accounts @natalie_adele and @honestly_alexandra

 

these two girls are also canadian (from BC) and they are HILARIOUS!  the ‘what day is it?’ podcast is so relatable and the dynamics between bailey and jacci crack me up!  i think that i discovered this podcast because sarah from the papaya podcast has been on it a couple times, but i am so in love with all of their episodes!  i can’t tell you how many times these two have made me laugh out loud at the gym!  however, i also feel like i’ve learned a lot on their podcast cause they have had some really interesting guests!  so it’s a win-win, really!  they also have some really unique segments like “cute by psycho” which kills me!  similar to the other two, it’s like hanging out with your super cool besties…chatting, laughing, and drinking wine!  sounds perfect, right??

follow their podcast @whatdayisitpodcast

and individual accounts @baileyjst and @jaccirai

 

so those are my three faves right now but other’s that deserve a mention are:

  • @curiouswithjvn
  • @approachablepodcast
  • @askingforafriend
  • @serialpodcast (season 1)
  • @thisamericanlife (i am OBSESSED with ep. 664 ‘the room of requirement’ and ep. 589 ‘tell me i’m fat’)

 

ok, so that’s that for podcasts…why are you still sitting here?!  get downloading! 🙂

OH, and i’d love to hear what you’re listening to and loving!

Posted by & filed under life. This post has 13,217 comments.

em kat reads. march & april & may 2019.

first of all, we are going to go ahead and ignore the fact that i’ve been MIA for months and just jump back into things!  secondly, i’m going to jam a few months of books into this post, BUT the good (or bad) news is that i haven’t read much so it shouldn’t take that long.  this winter/spring i took the last of my librarianship courses and so i guess i was just distracted by that and didn’t have a lot of time for reading (or blogging!) clearly! HAHA!  i’m also trying out a new format for my book posts…the good, the bad, & the rating (out of 5 stars) to keep things simple and consistent!  alright, enough of that…here’s what i’ve been reading over the past few months:

 

where’d you go, bernadette? by maria semple

the good: this book was really funny at times and although things could have been perceived as a bit far-fetched, i liked the story and the way that it played out.  there was something loveable about the characters in the story – maybe because you feel bad for them…but it made me want to read more!

the bad:  it took a while to get going.  the slow start was a bit of a turn off at first but was worth sticking around for.

& the rating:  4 stars (out of 5).  would recommend.  worth a read!

 

little fires everywhere by celeste ng 

the good:  i loooooved the characters in this story.  the characters developed really well and the relationships were super interesting.  the writing painted such a clear picture.  i felt like i could really visualize the whole thing.  i really loved parts of this book and had so much hope going into it.

the bad:  there was SO MUCH hype around this book.  it was on book list after book list and i guess it just left me wanting more.  it wasn’t bad.  but i guess i didn’t feel like it lived up to the hype.  i was left wanting more.

& the rating: 3.5 stars.  maybe 4.  glad i read it but i wanted more than i got.

 

matilda by roald dahl

the good:  i loved this book so much.  i hadn’t read it since i was a child, but re-reading it as an adult, i was absolutely smitten!  it is just the cutest story and i felt a serious book-loving connection to matilda!  i also LOVED the ending.  i am a sucker for a happy ending!

the bad:  i didn’t want it to be over!  i feel like they could have written a matilda 2…just saying!

& the rating:  5 stars.  so good.  such a great read aloud for an elementary class as well.

 

girl, stop apologizing by rachel hollis

the good:  soooooo inspirational!  i flew through this one sitting beside the pool in oman (i know, tough right?!).  when reading rachel’s books, i feel like i’m listening to a friend talk.  she’s just so relatable and she writes in a way that is conversational and easy to read.  also, i can’t even tell you how many times i ACTUALLY laughed out loud while reading this book!  how can you go wrong with that?!

the bad:  i know it’s 100% not the intention, but sometimes i feel like the writing can be a bit preachy…or like i’m not good enough….again, i know that’s not her intention, totally just my perception at times.  that being said, i still loved the book and would recommend it to a friend!

& the rating:  5 stars.  but in that case, i would also give her first book, ‘girl, wash your face’ a 5.5 out of 5 because i did like the first one more.  a definite MUST READ!

 

on the come up by angie thomas

the good:  this is written by the same author as ‘the hate u give’ which i LOVED.  it is set in the same location as her first book and makes random references to what happened in the first book, but otherwise it is a stand alone novel.  i loved the writing style (AGAIN) and i really love all of the details and thought that goes into her novels.

the bad:  i didn’t even catch some of the thought that went into the book.  when i talked to a friend about it after, he filled me in on some of the things i had missed.  i don’t want to spoil anything so i won’t get into detail but just know that this books works on SO many levels.

& the rating: 4 stars. a definite must read.

 

the woman in the window by a.j. finn

the good:  i am so glad that i realized a love for mystery/thriller novels!  this book was SO interesting and i couldn’t put it down!!  there was something about the main character that really hooked me and i felt bad/sad for her in a way but then wanted to know more about why she was the way she was.  you know?!  anyway, really good story.  page turner.  great book.

the bad:  after reading, i looked up the author.  turns out this is his pen name and that there is a chance this book is based on some of his own issues…even though it doesn’t claim to be.  again, i don’t want to spill anything, but i feel that the main character and the author run some serious parallels.  just saying.

& the rating:  5 stars!!!  HOLY SMOKES!  go read this book!

 

you don’t know everything, jilly p! by alex gino

the good:  super cute middle grades book that i would be allowed to put on the shelf in kuwait.  this author’s other book, george, was also super cute but wouldn’t be allowed in my library due to the nature of the content.  in this novel, the main character learns a lot about kids with hearing impairments and how they might want to be treated in regard to their differing abilities.  cute, quick read that i will recommend to students.

the bad:  as with many middle grade books, i find myself wanting more.  as an adult, i find myself wanting more information, more details, more substance, so to speak.  again, still a cute read, but places where i felt i needed more.

& the rating:  3.5 stars.  good for grades 4-6 or so.

 

born a crime by trevor noah

the good:  first of all, if you have ever seen anything by trevor noah, you know that he’s hilarious.  and this book was NO different!  SO hilarious but also there were moments of seriousness and loss and all of that stuff too.  i found it so interesting to read about his life, growing up in south africa and what it meant to be “mixed” in that time.  i was also drawn to this because my friend kevin is south african so it was cool to read about some of the things we have talked about before.

the bad:  i started reading this book on my phone.  and although i liked it from the very beginning, it took me waaaay too long to get through it, and i blame my phone.  once i switched over to the paper copy (thanks, kevin!) i flew through it in a couple evenings.

& the rating: 4.5 stars.  loved this book.  if you like memoir-types, i definitely recommend this one!

 

ALRIGHT.  finally done!  and i have 2 days until june is over so i guess i better get started on my next post! HA!  if you have read or decide to read any of these, i’d love to hear what you think!

happy reading!

 

Posted by & filed under bookshelf. This post has 3,692 comments.

em kat reads. jan & feb 2019.

when i’m on holidays i have such good intentions.  it seems like it will be soooo easy to work blogging into my schedule and like i will keep up with it no problemo.  and then work.  and life.  and i’m terrible at blogging.  AGAIN.  so here i am, posting my first book post of 2019 and i’m already behind schedule! HA!  anyway, here is what i was reading in jan and feb:

the incendiaries by r.o. kwon

i must admit that i bought this book because of the cover.  i totalllllly judged it by the cover.  BUT it was SO good!  i have never read a book that was written in this style and although it took a couple chapters to get the flow of it, once i got going, i didn’t want it to end!  the book is about a couple and they are sort of “looking for something”…he left a religion, she seems to be part of a cult…they are looking for somewhere to belong it seems.  and it’s so interesting reading about how that influences their relationship and their lives.  i don’t want to give too much away but i would definitely recommend this debut novel!

 

what if it’s up by becky albertalli and adam silvera

i have read many of becky albertalli’s books so when this came out i bought it on my ebook right away.  i really love her writing and this one with adam silvera was equally as fabulous.  i thought it was super cute!  i guess this would be considered a young adult novel and it’s written from the perspective of the two main characters.  the chapters are written from the two different perspectives and it’s so fun to watch the story build.  i’m a sucker for a good relationship story and this one is no different!

 

playing atari with saddam hussein by jennifer roy and ali fadhil

a friend brought me this book after her son (who is in grade 7) read it and liked it.  i started reading it on the bus ride home and a couple hours later it was DONE.  it was soooo good!  it’s about a boy from iraq who is growing up during the gulf war.  he talks about what it was like waiting for the bombs to come, or watching soldiers walk by from kuwait back into iraq, and hoping that his father will arrive home safely.  i just thought it was so cool because it all hit so close to home!  it’s a middle grades book and i think that with someone to talk to about the book, it’s a great read for middle school aged kids, especially in this area.

 

you against us by fredrik backman

another fredrick backman book and another book i LOVED.  i am so obsessed with his writing and i think it’s so interesting because his books are originally written in swedish!  this was the sequel to beartown which i read last year and i loved it so much.  so.  so.  much!  it takes place in the same little swedish hockey town and we find out how things are going for most of the main characters from the first book.  it’s not all roses and happy endings but it just seems like real life.  the whole thing all seems to relatable and like “real life”, especially being from a town like wawa!  my friend has been listening to the audio books in swedish and she says that they are great in swedish too! (in case you were wondering! ha!)

 

conversations with friends by sally rooney

so interestingly, this book was written in the same style as the first book i read this year.  i can’t even really describe it, and i don’t know what it’s called…or if there is a name for this style.  but it’s very unique and i’m totally into it!  this book was recommended to me by a super friendly employee at the bookstore in london at christmas.  and clearly i bought it.  as well as this author’s next book (this was her debut).  anyway, this book was really good and i would recommend it for sure.  i am interested to see how the next book stacks up to this one.

 

the wild robot escapes by peter brown

obsessed.  totally obsessed with peter brown and both of his robot books!  if you recall, i read ‘the wild robot’ last year and this sequel did not disappoint!  i love the style of writing and the main character is so endearing – i want to be friends with roz the robot!  it’s also interesting to think about what the world will be like when robots are doing more of the things that humans are currently able to do.  i don’t want to give anything away, but i would HIGHLY recommend this middle grades book (after you read the first one of course!).

 

the upside of unrequited by becky albertalli

as i mentioned, i may have a thing for this author’s writing.  i love to watch her characters develop and i love that she writes about ‘real’ people.  the main character in this story is a teenage girl that struggles with her body image and having confidence in herself as she goes through crushes and her first relationships.  this is a YA novel that really makes me think of my high school years…like it could be about any of us.  you know?  another great book by becky albertalli!

 

what a time to be alone by chidera eggerue

i picked this book up in london at christmas as well.  it’s written in a “coffee table book” style and is a super quick ready but is full of encouraging quotes, anecdotes, and stories.  this book is a reminder that it’s okay to be alone and it’s okay to be confident!  it’s the kind of book that makes you want to mark a bunch of pages and pass on quotes to all of your friends about how amazing they are!

 

dear evan hansen by val emmich

stop what you’re doing and go look up this soundtrack!!  actually!  it’s SO good!  okay wait, i will back up and explain.  so, from my understanding, this book is based on the musical of the same name (which i want to see SO BAD!).  i love that it was done this way too, because most of the time it would be the other way around.  what’s also cool is that after you’ve read the book, when you listen to the soundtrack you can totally connect each song to that event in the book!  it’s really unique.  and the music is amazing.  and i need to see the musical.  that’s all! 🙂

 

okay.  so that’s all for january and february.  and it’s already almost march.  but my reading has been taking a back seat to my course recently and i’m NOT happy about it!  so i will post this and will try to catch up on more blogging (and reading!!!!) soon!

 

Posted by & filed under bookshelf. This post has 6,152 comments.

GEMS of london.

well.  officially home from london and settled (except sleep – why does sleep hate me?!) anyway it was an AMAZING trip all around.  i knew i loved london from my previous visit (8 YEARS AGO!!) but there is something about london at christmas time.  so, how to sum up our 12 day vacation?  here are some GEMS of london (photo diary edition – be sure to click the arrows to see more pics!):

 

this definitely wasn’t a GEM but worth noting that our flights both TO and FROM london were not stellar.  it’s safe to say that after being re-routed to aqaba and many hours of delayed flights, we will not be flying royal jordanian again.

 

we arrived super late at night because of our flight issues so day one consisted mostly of getting groceries and getting settled.  then it was time to make the most of the day before christmas!

 

christmas day came quickly and although most things were closed, we had a great day and managed to keep busy.

 

linds, hails, and i went out on a self-guided street art walk.  as you probably know, it’s basically my favourite thing ever and i was totally in my element.  we walked around the ‘brick lane’ area and wandered around shoreditch.  it was AWESOME.  truly.  the art in this city and the amount of it is INCREDIBLE!  that evening we went down town with phil and the girls to see the christmas lights.  it was insanely busy but worth it to see the ‘queen’ lights on carnaby street and the beautiful angels on regent street.

 

walking, walking and more walking!  we covered a LOT of ground on this trip!

 

on this day, the parkinsons had a family photoshoot, so suhaila and i decided to go to a fancy ‘tea’ at harrods.  it was so stunning!  the food was DELICIOUS.  and it made for a great afternoon out!

 

in the next couple days, suhaila had to return to kuwait to see some family that would be visiting.  we had a couple quiet “ish” days with…

 

we had SO much fun wandering around notting hill!  i hadn’t been there on my previous trip and it is the most adorable area ever.  truly.  so sweet and such beautifully coloured buildings!  it’s hard not to be charmed by it all!  AND we went to a spot where one of my favourite movies ever filmed a scene!!  if you’ve watched ‘love, actually’ you will remember the scene with the cue cards where the character professes his love for his best friends wife…well we went to that house!  SO EXCITING!

 

we didn’t make it until midnight, but we did ‘party’.  unless you ask nory.  she will tell you we did nothing!  BUT, people, we had confetti filled balloons, glasses, appetizers, and games!  i say it was PERFECT!  the next day while the parkinsons decided to visit the zoo, i stayed home for some down time.

 

our last day in london was pretty quiet but nory, lindsay and i did head out for some ‘girls day’ last minute shopping and starbucks!  we finally got to see hatchards (the oldest bookstore in the UK) before it got dark out — sunset before 4pm is hard to work with!

and that is THAT!  that’s london.  in a not-very-small nutshell!  it was a great vacation!  i’m so glad we did it!  and minus BOTH flights, it was PERFECT!

 

Posted by & filed under travels. This post has 4,206 comments.

2019 reading challenge.

i think i mentioned that i plan to read 52 books again this year.  BUT, in order to step up my game a bit, i’ve decided to create a ‘bucket list for books’.  so among the 52 books i will read this year, i will try to check off the things on this list to sort of broaden my reading horizons.  i spent some time browsing and compiling and brainstorming and i came up with the following list:

 

if you would like you join me in this reading journey, please feel free to grab this graphic and read along!  if you can’t get the graphic to work, or would like a high quality copy, feel free to shoot me a message and i will be happy to share!  also if you post any books that you’ve read from this list, please tag me!  i’d love to follow your journey as well!

 

OH!  and, HAPPY READING!!!

Posted by & filed under bookshelf. This post has 21,344 comments.