Reading Update (2024 #10-12)
[10] Go as a River by Shelley Read
Fiction / Small Town & Rural, recommendation from Val, Kindle
Synopsis: Seventeen- year-old Victoria’s life is forever changed after she helps a stranger in her small Colorado town in the summer of 1948. She’s forced to grow up fast and make decisions she doesn’t completely understand.
Review: This is a character-driven coming-of-age story that is absolutely beautifully written, but also completely devastating and sad. I kept teasing Val (who recommended this to me) about how she was in her sad book phase and needs to read a romance.
Recommend? If you are in the mood for something heart-wrenching for some reason, yes
[11] A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
Fiction / Fantasy / Romance, part 2 after A Court of Thorns and Roses, Audio
Synopsis: (SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!): Feyre has survived the trials from Amarantha and has returned to the Spring Court but is completely traumatized by what she had to do to free Tamlin’s people. She lethargically prepares for her wedding to Tamlin and on the day of the actual event, sends a silent plea for anyone to save her from it. Rhysand, High Lord of the Night Court, uses that moment to enact their bargain and bring her to the Night Court, which she realizes is nothing like the terror she imagined, and neither is Rhysand. Oh, and there’s a lot of other bigger political humans vs faeries and different courts vs each other stuff going on that Feyre can use her powers to help with now (oh! Did I not mention? She was turned into a faerie at the end of the first book after she was killed and all the High Lords gave a little bit of her power to keep her alive and now she has SUPER POWER DUN DUN DUN WATCH OUT FOR FEYRE – she’s coming for you!).
Review: My snis told me this was her favorite book and I could see why – there were so many moments that got me right in my feels! GAH, especially one line in particular from the first book that was brought up again in the second book. And the ending had me so enraged when I was listening to it during my Denver long run. All in all to say, I really enjoyed it. There are parts that I didn’t 100% love – I am usually not a fan of “quest” books or movies, such as “we have to go here to get this thing” and there is quite a bit of that. But I got through it.
Recommend? Yes
[12] The Long Game by Elena Armas
Fiction / Romance / Multicultural & Interracial, saw on Kindle Unlimited, Kindle
Synopsis: Adalyn loses her s-word on the professional mascot of the soccer team she works for (that her dad owns) in Miami and is sent away to rural North Carolina to get out of the public eye. She’s shocked to run into Cameron Caldani, a former soccer professional there, coaching the girls’ soccer team she’s been sent to manage. Adalyn and Cameron have a horrible first encounter and can’t stand one another, but have to work together.
Review: Shame on me for being frustrated with the pacing of a book titled The Long Game. I mean, come on, Kim. I love the enemies-to-lovers trope, and Adalyn and Cameron have chemistry but the pacing KILLED me. And the backstory of the girls’ soccer team was really weak. As was most of the backstory. I finished this book and am still not sure why she took her anger out on that mascot.
Recommend? No
Reading Update (2024 #7-9)
I’m a little behind in my book reviews. I finished reading these a while ago but these reviews take me forever to write because I spend too long on the silly synopses. From now on I’m just going to take my initial stab at it and leave it as is.
[7] Penelope in Retrograde by Brooke Abrams
Fiction / Women, first saw in First Reads but didn’t get, Kindle Unlimited
Synopsis: Penelope is a romance author who has a strained relationship with her family and is returning home at Thanksgiving to ask them for a favor. Penelope runs into her ex-husband on the way in, and has to deal with her mom trying to set her up with a stranger, and with her twin sister being upset with her for always causing drama when the family is together.
Review: I started off liking this book and how sassy Penelope was, but by the end she was grating on me and I wanted her to grow TF up and deal with things instead of escaping.
Recommend? No
[8] A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Fiction / Fantasy / Romance, checked it out because my snis loves it so much, Audio
Synopsis: Feyre kills a wolf that is actually a shape-shifted faerie and a beast comes to her home and demands punishment for it. He takes Feyre to Prythian, where the fairies live, and soon realizes her captor, Tamlin (another shape-shifter), is the High Lord of the Spring Court. Feyre realizes most of what she grew up hearing about faeries is false, and finds herself questioning her hatred for them.
Review: This is my snister’s favorite book series, so I had her input of “you just have to get through the first book,” which is exactly what I did. The story moves a bit slow, and Feyre is kind of annoying and immature, but I was rooting for her and invested in her story by the end and excited to start the second book. I did appreciate the pace when it came to world building and character development. Sometimes I struggle with fantasy book worlds, relationships, and names, when they come at me too fast, but the pacing was just perfect.
Recommend? Yes (because I know the second book is really good and you have to read them in order)
[9] The Improbable Meet-Cute Series
Romance, heard about from @rocknreader, Kindle Unlimited
This series of short stories centers around meet-cute scenarios, I really enjoyed the first three, and the last three were meh.
1. The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren
A relationship forms between these two accidental pen pals who check in once a year on Valentine’s Day. Super cute! Definitely recommend!
2. Worst Wingman Ever by Abby Jimenez
Holly finds an accidental Valentine on her windshield and starts communicating with the person who left it there. Also super cute! Definitely recommend!
3. Rosie and the Dreamboat by Sally Thorne
Rosie and her sister go to a spa for Valentine’s Day and Rosie gets trapped inside a sensory tank and a firefighter has to rescue her. Great banter and humor. Recommend!
4. Drop, Cover, and Hold On by Jasmine Guillory
Daisy absolutely loves the bakery in her neighborhood but tries to avoid going there since the owner is so mean to her. Then finds herself stuck there after an earthquake hits on Valentine’s Day. Meh. Don’t recommend.
5. With Any Luck by Ashley Poston
The best woman and man of honor lose the groom at a wedding and try to find him. Also something with best woman being unlucky. Annoying and not entertaining. Don’t recommend.
6. Royal Valentine by Sariah Wilson
A royal goes undercover in Rome so she can experience the city and accidentally takes sleeping pills and is rescued by a handsome stranger. Should have been a fun story, was meh. Don’t recommend.
Hey! I do have friends in CO now.
Ahh, I had such a lovely weekend in Denver with Val and Tiff. Coming back to reality is hard! Can’t I spend all of my days feeling care-free with my loved ones? Le sigh. I’ll just have to settle with feeling very grateful for the time we had (which I am).
My week had felt so crazy with work, right up until the moment I left. I listened to a work call in the car, then got my computer out and got on a video call in the airport. Just… no. It shouldn’t be like that. It’s just one of those weeks in a season of blah.
Because I was working in the airport, I didn’t feel any of those excited vibes until I got on the plane* and put my work phone on airplane mode for the weekend. Also because I was working in the airport, I forgot to fill up my water bottle and felt dehydrated and crappy the first half of Friday. Lesson learned.
Anyway.
I got in Thursday evening and after we finally got my bag** we went back to Val’s house for dessert*** and chatting before going to bed.
On Friday we started painting right away (and did a stretch video and had breakfast). I’m teaching a rock painting class on Saturday and wanted to have examples to show the students. There’s something so lovely and relaxing about having a large stretch of uninterrupted time to sit, paint, and chat about whatever. The time stretches and I feel so in the moment. I cherish those times with Val and Tiff. You’ll see from the recap below that that is a lot of what we spent our time doing, and couldn’t be any happier that we did.
Val and I left around noon to get an amazing vegan brunch at Watercourse Foods, then walked to pick up vegan donuts at Voodoo, then went to the grocery store. We’d been planning to walk around a lake but the temps really dropped in the afternoon so we skipped it.
We painted more, then had dinner (I made vegan alfredo), then we painted again, and eventually went to pick up Tiff at the airport. Her flight had been delayed in LA because of snow in Denver. She landed about an hour and a half late, around 9:09, but then she was stuck sitting on the plane until almost 11:00! And it took her forever to get off! Poor thing. She kept apologizing to us but we didn’t care – Val and I got a bunch of steps in in the airport then sat and chatted. I mean, we’re together to do just that, so no bother, other than we felt cheated out of some Tiff time.
We got home past midnight (big thanks to Val’s husband Steve for driving us in the snow!), had pie, then sat and painted a bit, and went to bed past 1:30. I think I fell asleep past 2:00?! Eek.
On Saturday when I woke up I’d gotten less than 4 hours of sleep but my body was ready to be up so I got up and started painting. We painted all morning, then made crunch wraps for lunch, then made a trip to Walmart to get fixatif (and a waterproof phone case for me because despite having two I left them both at home), then I went on my 12 mile run to test out the lungs at altitude.
The start of the run felt hard. My breathing was off and I was like “well, shit, maybe I can’t run a marathon at altitude?!” Then I realized I was going up an incline and felt fine once I got to the top. The run then felt the same as it does in Illinois. I listened to a book**** for most of it, then switched to music for the end and was able to pick up the pace. I was so excited when I text Val and Tiff at the turnaround and they told me they were going to finish with me! They walked 2 miles out then ran the last 2 miles with me. I loved it! I’m so grateful I could get that run in and had nice weather for it (I was going to do it Friday but it was cold and windy and eventually snowy – the snow was all gone from the trails by the time I ran).
Denver Marathon is a go! And Tiff is planning to come out for it. Yay!
When I got back I cleaned up then… you guessed it – we painted! Oh! But Ella had Facetimed me so we all chatted with her and my snis for a bit which was a lot of fun.
We ordered burgers to be delivered for dinner, got back to painting (and starting watching Under the Tuscan Sun) and went to bed at a reasonable time. Go us!
Sunday was the only day we had plans – to get ear piercings! So we had breakfast, did a stretch video, painted, then left to get piercings. Even though I already have my ears pierced (when I was 16, with a piercing gun) and was just getting a second lobe piercing on each side, my body and brain was so nervous! Val and Tiff (and the ladies at the studio) were so sweet to me. When it was my turn the piercer asked if the lightning bolts I chose had any special meaning and I told her “Thunderstruck” is my power song and she asked if I wanted her to play it and I was like “Hell yeah!” and she blasted it over the entire studio and it pumped me up. After that I was giddy. I even gave her a hug (and a rock when I left which she seemed really touched by).
Val and Tiff’s piercings look so good! It was fun to go together. I wish my snis could have been with us (she just got her second lobes too).
After that we got chais then went to the outlet mall and Tiff got a matching Columbia jacket to me and Val (we like to match), then we walked around a beautiful lake and went back to the house and painted.
Then we got to have dinner with Val’s sons! They live north and south of her so one son drove in and rode with us south of their house to meet the other son at Zomo. It meant the world to me to meet her sons. Their family has such a special relationship and I love hearing about them and feel like I know them (I’d even brought a toy for one of her son’s cats!). And I feel like meeting them means I am growing my family a bit too. What a great night.
We got ice cream on the way home then painted and finished up the movie and behaved and went to bed at a reasonable time again.
I didn’t sleep well Sunday night because I’m a side sleeper but didn’t want to sleep on my newly pierced ears. Ugh. I finally figured out a way to make it work but woke up groggy and sad it was our last day together. Womp womp.
We had a lot to do Monday morning though. We resined a lot of our rocks*****, took a bunch of photos of them, had crunch wraps****** for breakfast, and packed (sad face). The morning flew by and before we knew it Val was driving Tiff and me to the airport. We said our goodbyes then hung out until Tiff took off. I’m glad I booked the same airline as her and we got to hang out a bit more.
Then I did a bit of work for Fake Meats, started to catch up on some social media stuff, and boarded my plane. Back to reality!
I needed this weekend so much. I always feel recentered after seeing them, and am grateful I get to so often. And grateful Val has a huge comfortable house with enough space for all of us. And I didn’t even mention how lovely her husband Steve was this entire weekend! (No surprise there – there’s a reason I booked a couples’ trip to Maine last year for us before he and Steven ever met – Steve is just great.)
And I am working on making my BFF Ali (their cat) love me.
When Val and I were driving on Friday (she let me drive her Jeep, woo hoo) I remembered years ago when friends were telling me about going to Colorado often to spend time with friends they had there and I had thought in my head “I wish I had friends in Colorado. How will I ever make friends there though?” Ha, well here we are. Now I have amazing friends in Denver, LA, and lots of cities all over the world. I’m very grateful (and will spend my time thinking about that and not how bummed I am the weekend is over!).
*I flew Southwest and the gal sitting next to me was the last person to get on the plane. She’d never flown Southwest before and didn’t know about the unassigned seats. I felt bad for her – she was so flustered! I told her to use the armrest and tried to give her as much space as possible. Then later she spilled her water on herself and me and apologized profusely. I told her it was fine and gave her a paper towel I’d brought. Really, not a big deal. About 20 minutes before we landed she said to me “thank you for being so kind to me – I’m an anxious flyer and your kindness made this much easier for me.” I thought that was so sweet! I was already planning to give her a kindness rock so I gave it to her then, then we had a lovely chat for the end of the flight.
**I got an AirTag and tried it for the first time on this flight. So when everyone from my flight was gone from the carousel I could tell my bag was in the airport. We eventually found it (with Southwest help) on another carousel. They tried to say our flight switched carousels (implying I was at the wrong one) but that wasn’t true – we think someone picked it up and moved it. Anyway.
***Val made a few noracooks.com recipes and they were SOOOOO good! Thank you Val!
****I was listening to A Court of Mist and Fury and when I got back I realized I stopped it at 99%! Gah! I finished it in the airport on Monday.
*****Resining in Denver is no joke. I cannot do it fast enough before the UV resin starts curing, even in the shade!
******I made 3 of our meals this weekend. So funny since I rarely cook at home. And now they know the two things I can make, ha.
Random Thoughts Thursday 442
- Yesterday was Khali’s Gotcha Day! Khali showed up at our house through the Cat Distribution System in the summer of 2016. She was spayed on February 14th, 2017, and never went back outside (even though Steven built her and Snow Sr this amazing cat house, oops). She’s lived with us 7 years! She’s my fluffy best friend (and I tell her so each day, along with “I love you” 100s of times).
- On Sunday I did something I haven’t in FOREVER – built a lego set! My snis gave us these roses for Valentine’s Day and Steven and I had fun making them together.
- For the Super Bowl we had a giant appetizer board and some vegan meatballs and chicken wings. I forget how Steven has to explain football to me each year when we watch it (the only time we watch football!). We watched until the end of the fourth quarter then I wanted to go to bed and missed the OT. How cool am I? Ha. (But for real, I have been so tired all week from eating so much Sunday and staying up a bit later.)
- Don’t you love the beginning of the year when you get an EOB and you’re like… “Ugh, does my insurance not cover this anymore, or have I just not met my deductible?” Or am I the only one who has that panic? (thankfully, it was the later)
- Here’s the mani I got yesterday! My Valentine’s Day included a mani and chatting with Lorena (she’s gone to several WWM classes now!), El Famous with Steven, and packing.
A week of baby gains
I had such a great week at the gym! I gotta share it!
On Monday, I had a PR in the shoulder press. When I started at WWM in August I struggled with the 45-lb bar alone, but on Monday I tried it with two 10 lb weights on it for shits and giggles after class and it didn’t feel horrible!
The gym used my press video in the end of this reel and that made me feel good!
View this post on Instagram
On Wednesday, I still felt great (probably because I worked downtown Tuesday and didn’t take the HIIT class I normally do) and decided to film some of the landmine squats after class, and thought, what the hell, and added a few more plates. Not sure how much I had on there, but it was the 45-lb bar and about 6 plates.
Then I felt great at HIIT Thursday, and at Lower Body Friday. I ran 16 miles Friday afternoon and thought I’d feel like death at Upper Body Saturday morning, but I was able to do actual pushups off the BOSU! I have been doing pushups on my knees since I started in August and it felt great to make some progress there.
So, woo hoo for all those little baby gains this week! It was exciting to see so much progress in one week.
I have to shout out the amazing trainers at WWM and my wonderful classmates. I’ve received so much encouragement (and compliments, especially on my back, which is nice) and feel so inspired by them – when I’m there, and when I’m not. What a great community!
I wonder how this week will go. Last week felt magical. I gotta check where I’m at in my cycle and see if I experience a great week in a month again.
This week I’ll take three classes there, then head to Denver, where I will test out a baby long run at altitude! I want to check that out before I sign up for the Denver Marathon.
Random Thoughts Thursday 441
I have a long list of things to share but haven’t felt like posting this week. So… this will be long.
- Let’s start with something easy – here’s my mani from last Thursday!
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- And Lorena (my nail tech) went back to WWM for class this week! Woo hoo!
- Last week my Shokz headphones “broke” (something came loose in an earbud) so I ordered a new pair and they came January 31st. Then I got this email from Garmin the next day. Sigh.
- I received a pin and certificate for 15 years at work this week! I actually hung the certificate up in our office (I put it over my 10 year certificate).
- We booked a (June) trip to Vail with Val and Steve this week! And we’re working out details for a North Carolina trip with Caitlin and Joe next month. Yay!
- The Popcast is doing a live in Chicago in June and one of my favorite people and I may go together!
- I’ve been loving eating pea pods as a snack lately. Then I was like “Oh, I should see how much Vitamin K they have since I am not supposed to have a ton (unless I adjust my blood thinner meds).” And this is what I found “Edible podded peas are also an excellent source of vitamin K, providing 20% of the daily value per 1-cup serving.” Womp womp.
- I have a long (kind of?) funny Superbowl story, and a funny carwash story (of Steven’s), and a list of crappy things that happened this week, but I will save those for another day (or never).
Things I’m excited about in February
Ha, I had this drafted to go out yesterday then never sat down to post it! Here’s what I’m excited about in February:
- Lorena coming to WWM class
todayyesterday (she did great!)
- Watching the Olympic Marathon Trials with Bobbi
tomorrowthis morning (so emotional!) - A date night with Jen
- Wearing a cute pink outfit to WWM on Valentine’s Day
- Date night with Steven on Valentine’s Day (likely El Famous!)
- A trip to Denver to see Val & Tiff
- all the rock painting we’ll do
- trying out a long run there to see how I do in altitude
- getting a second lobe piercing in each ear
- Hosting another rock painting event at WWM
- Planning a few trips for the year
- Longer days
What’s on your list for February?
Random Thoughts Thursday 440
- The RAGBRAI route was announced last Saturday night. I was really hoping it would end in Guttenberg this year, but womp womp, it’s going really far south. That will be a pain to get to if we decide to participate! (RAGBRAI is the Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa – a 7 day cycling event the last full week of July. My dad and I usually ride one day of it.)
- The Olympic Marathon Trials (to decide the women and men running the marathon for team USA in Paris this summer) are this Saturday in Orlando and I have a bit of FOMO about not going! I planned to in my head, then didn’t plan it, then thought about getting last minute tickets to go, but know traveling again this weekend (that would make 3 in a row!) would NOT be good for my mental health. We went to them in Atlanta in 2020* and I LOVED it. And I know I will love watching them on tv with Bobbi on Saturday too!
- I got a walking treadmill for my desk at home. I am excited to use it!
- Ha, speaking of new products, we got a new blender for Christmas and it works amazingly compared to our old one (also a Ninja, that one was just old) but WHOA NELLY is it LOUD. The cats get a bit freaked out when I use it. Sorry kitties, Mamar needs to make her protein shakes.
- I’ve been learning how to read the METAR (Meteorological Aerodrome Report), a weather report pilots use. Here’s how it was reported for at time of publication: 010951Z AUTO 24011KT 10SM CLR 03/00 A2990 RMK AO2 SLP134 T00280000. Interesting, right? No? Ha. Basically it looks good to fly to me and I hope Steven gets to do his lesson this morning! Most of his January lessons were canceled due to weather.
- I’ll leave you with this Snow Jr blep pic from last Friday. What a goob. He just loves being petted now! Pretty soon I will be holding him. Ha ha. NOT.
Link to Random Thoughts Thursday 439
*Reading my lowlights and being reminded how crowded it was makes me feel better about missing out this year
Reading Update (2024 #4-6)
[4] The Five-Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand
Fiction/Friendship, Hilderbrand I hadn’t read yet, audiobook
Synopsis: Hollis’s husband died in a car accident in December. It’s now summer on Nantucket and she’s still a mess. Hollis hears about a “five-star weekend” event that another widower hosted, and decides to do one herself to see if it’ll cheer her up or at least distract her. The gist is you invite a best friend from each era of your life and indulge and connect over a weekend. Hollis invites her best friend from growing up, her best friend from college, a friend from when she was raising her daughter, and a friend she’s become close to on her very popular lifestyle influencer website. She also invites her daughter, who is studying film, to capture the event on video. Of course, everyone has their own drama – including drama with each other – going on.
Review: Fun, messy, easy-to-follow drama from Hilderband. Basically, exactly what I expect/want from her!
Recommend? Yes
[5] The Things We Leave Unfinished by Rebecca Yarros
Fiction / Romance / Contemporary, saw in Available Now section on Libby, audiobook
Synopsis: Georgia is fresh off of a very public divorce and just wants to escape to her hometown in Colorado, but finds her estranged mother in the home Georgia inherited from her great-grandmother Scarlett, attempting to sell the one manuscript Scarlett never published – the story of Scarlett’s life during WWI and her love for her first husband. How’s that for a confusing synopsis? We get the story of Georgia working with the (obviously) handsome male romance writer hired to finish the novel, and we get Scarlett’s story in the 40s in England as well.
Review: I think I should have read this with my eyes – the narrators weren’t doing it for me! This story kind of slogged along too. You know how when there’s two stories being told you sometimes have a favorite or love both? I loved neither. Ha. And the reading of the love letters between Scarlett and her boyfriend/husband were unbearably cheesy. The ending threw me for a loop and that was exciting. Not enough to redeem the whole book though.
Recommend? No
[6] Wellness by Nathan Hill
Fiction/Literary, Green Light from Knox on The Popcast, Kindle
Synopsis: Jack and Elizabeth meet in college in Chicago in the 90s and unite over escaping their upbringings and families to reinvent themselves. They quickly find their crew amongst subversive artists. Flash forward twenty years and all their friends – including themselves – have children and are escaping the city for the suburbs and the lifestyle they previously attempted to subvert. Jack and Elizabeth find themselves separately wondering who they are, and if they are living the lives they want.
Review: The writing in this book is absolutely beautiful. It’s not a book you skim. I wanted to take it all in – every thoughtful little detail. In that vein, this book is about a whole lot of things, and also, a whole lot of nothing. It’s a deep dive into the neurosis of Jack and Elizabeth (I keep wanting to write Jack and Diane, ha!) and it goes down some crazy (but mostly interesting!) rabbit holes – on the history of prairie art, social media algorithms, polyamory, placebo science, etc. And it’s somehow all connected. I loved reading it, but found the ending deeply unsatisfying. And gosh, it’s just so damn long.
Recommend? If beautifully written character driven novels are your thing, definitely yes! Otherwise no.
Birthday weekend makeup!
I was in Iowa again last weekend! I went to see my family to make up for missing the birthday party two weekends prior. While I was bummed to miss the party, I have to admit, I was excited to get my family all to myself and not have to share them with the other folks at the party! Muah ha ha. Ha ha ha.
Steven was going to come if we could fly, but the visibility had been absolutely ridiculous, so that was a no go. So I went solo and listened to audiobooks and loud music in the car. And on the way there I stopped and saw a coworker! Let’s start over though, I’m jumping right in.
On Friday I worked a few hours, then had a massage, then left to drive to Iowa around 11:30. I was concerned about feeling tired after a massage (and getting up at 4:00 am for class) but I think what really made me tired was the damn fog. I switched from my audiobook to loud music and that helped a ton.
I went a different route than I normally do (since I left from the massage) and was able to stop and see a coworker at her summer home (but in the winter, ha) in Galena, Illinois. I absolutely adore this coworker and she works from home 100% of the time and it’s always a treat to see her in person! That was a perfect pick me up.
I got to my snister’s around 6:00 and we ordered Indian food for dinner (it was my parents’ first time trying it) then got into a delicious cake she ordered for my visit.
Oh! And my mom had picked up vegan donuts for me that day too! Gah, ICON has the BEST yeast twist donuts. THE BEST.
So I fueled for Saturday’s long run with spicy Indian food, cake, and donuts. What could go wrong? (Ha, nothing did.)
On Saturday Dad came over to my snister’s and rode his bike with me while I ran 12+ miles. It was such a great run! I ran a lot faster than I do on my normal long runs. Being with people really energizes me!
The weather was great – high 30s and hardly any wind. And several of the trails had been cleared and we were able to find a safe route to run too. So glad I got to run with my Dad.
After our workout we went back to the house and had lunch. My older brother and his wife stopped by, and it was great to see them,
then Mom and Snis and I spent the afternoon shopping in downtown Cedar Falls. There was one shop I wanted to peruse, and it was so nice to just take my time with those two and know neither of them were in a rush. It was so relaxing and fun! I found several gifts for people – some to send now, and some to keep for birthdays.
High 30s in the Midwest in January = no coats
There was a moment where Snis and I considered getting ear piercings (a second lobe set for both of us) but the tattoo place we went to smelled horrible – like varnish! And it was a bit pricey. So we ditched that.
We found out the cafe had vegan treats and I got a cinnamon roll and (sort of?) shared it.
Then we shopped some more, did a Walmart pickup, and went back and made dinner (goulash) then hung out with everyone, played in the playroom,
had a Mario Kart tournament (it was the first time I’ve ever really played! I even came in first once!), and ended the evening with a Disney music dance marathon with Ella.
When you tell her to close her eyes, ha ha
We also saw the dumb RAGBRAI route announcement but more on that in another post.
On Sunday I got up and hung out with William and we painted a bit, then the rest of the family joined us.
We played a bit of Akedo,
and I hit the road just before 11:00. I wanted to get back in the daylight and have time to chill with Steven and the cats before bed! I finished my audiobook in the car and started another. The drive home was much less foggy, thankfully!
I had such a nice relaxing weekend, with a perfect mix of hanging out with everyone! I can’t wait to see them all again! (And hopefully Steven can come next time.)
Hi! I’m Kim, a 40-something-year-old living in northeastern Illinois with my husband Steven, and our cats, Khaleesi, Apollo, Starbuck, and Eddard aka Ned. My current main hobbies are running, painting rocks, flying, reading, and eating. I follow a vegan lifestyle and work in an account management role. I write about a variety of topics and consider this a “life” blog – a place I can share anything that’s on my mind. Please visit the “About” page to get a better idea of who I am! 🙂
