Thursday, June 26, 2014

Coming Soon: Book Reviews!

It's like Christmas come early! I just got my first book from the Blogging for Books program. I'll have my full review of it next week. I'm so excited about this book already and I can't wait to dig in!

I have to confess that I have been denying myself the pleasure of reading at leisure for while now. Grad school tends to suck away all extra time and energy that I usually devote to such endeavors. Now that I've got some actual free time on my hands and am not writing papers every single night, I can read again!

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Blogger Bliss - June

Today, I'm posting for a monthly link-up hosted by my friend, Heather, and her amazing blog friend, Meg. The point is to share the wonderful moments, people, places, and other bloggers/posts you've come across over the month. Feel free to link up with Heather and Meg and share your bliss this month!

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Two Dates in Two Days

So...I've been on two dates in the past two days. They were awesome. I really enjoyed being with the other person and I intend on doing it again. My first date was on Sunday night with a new friend I made and her pup, Baron. The other was with myself.

Monday, June 23, 2014

Blogging Speed Bumps

Good morning, folks! Hope you had an amazing weekend.

I am doing what I can to maintain momentum on my blog, but I'm struggling with some major "to do" list items that, once checked off, will make this a lot easier. Right now, I still don't have internet at my house. I am hoping to get that taken care of this week! I also have to get a local bank account (my bank doesn't have any offices in Texas), buy car insurance, and transfer my phone bill over to my own account. Growing up and moving out is expensive!

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Life of a Blogger: School

Life of a Blogger is a weekly feature hosted by The Novel Heartbeat in order to highlight the things bloggers do when they aren't blogging. You can see the full list of topics HERE
This week's topic is school!

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Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Blogging for Books

I have been wrestling with the idea of doing reviews on this blog. I certainly intend to do some music reviews, but book reviews seemed so much more serious - a much bigger responsibility. After seeing my friend Stefani and other bloggers do them so well, I am giving it a shot.

I have officially registered for the Blogging for Books program. I had some reservations at first after reading another blogger's story about why she decided to stop doing reviews for them. However, after giving it careful consideration I decided that the issues she had were either not important to me or were resolved by the company, The Crown Publishing Group, which is rare and nice to hear. The Crown Publishing Group is an imprint of Random House, for those who care to know. I will be getting my first book from them in the next week or two, so look out for a book review for them soon!

Monday, June 16, 2014

Post-Move Catch Up

"More tomorrow." That's what I told you OVER A WEEK AGO. I am a liar and I am ashamed. However, I feel somewhat justified in my blog break. Last week was my first week of work and I really needed to focus on that and on getting my puppy in a sustainable routine. Now that that's done, back to blogging!

On my second day of work, I had the opportunity to help with a Mobile Food Bank that the university and various local organizations including the middle school and St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry partner to bring to the community. Every other month, the food bank is hosted on campus and I will be the new point person organizing this and getting volunteers for it. At the end of the food bank, over 130 families were fed. In talking with one of my new colleagues, she said that is just the tip of the iceberg. I live in a small town, but there is a high percentage of people without reliable food sources including children and the elderly. A few years ago, I probably thought that people who used food pantries and shelters were living on the streets and most likely dealing with some mental illness or addiction. Over the years, I have come to realize the average person we meet at school or in line at the post office can be struggling for meals. It was a great experience and I look forward to many more.

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Moving to Texas: Day 2

So, yesterday I said I'd be unpacking my bedroom today. Promises, promises. That didn't get done for two reasons - 1) I woke up feeling really woozy and generally awful and stayed that way until around 2pm and 2) I ADOPTED MY DOG TODAY! The shelter named him Rigby and I thought it so cute that I kept it. He's amazing and I'm already head over heels for him.

As another amazing discovery of my house, we found a little plate on the front door that reads, "cead mile failte" which is Irish for "one hundred thousand welcomes" and is, according to my 2-minute expert Wikipedia research, a traditional welcome. My house is so full of awesome.

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Moving to Texas: Day 1

WHEW! Hi, again. So sorry it's been a while since my last post but moving is already a hassle - adding in the 11-hour drive and all the odds and ends that comes with that has been exhausting. However, I couldn't be happier. This house is amazing in so many ways. It's like I've walked into the Room of Requirement requiring a perfect little house and BAM here it is served on a silver platter. Below are some photos of our progress so far.