Books...

I've been meaning to make a little review of all the books I've read so far this year and Blogtember's prompt is perfect for today.  One of my 2013 goals was to read at least 15 new books and I can happily cross that off of my list!  So far, I've read 22 new books and I'm half way through 23! Go me!

I get most of my books from my favorite used book store Crazy 4 Books or my mom's bookshelf so they're kind of random.  I am no professional book reviewer what-so-ever so I'm going to keep this short and sweet!

The View from Mount Joy, Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons and The Tall Pine Polka are all by Lorna Landvick.  They were all good books but it took me awhile to get through all of them. I'm not sure why because they had decent story lines. Maybe they just dragged on? I just don't know guys!

The Quickie and Now You See Her are by James Patterson.  I don't know how I've just discovered James Patterson but his writing is fantastic.  Of course, the story lines are way dramatic but I read through both books in no time at all.

River, Cross my Heart by Breena Clarke... Umm...I honestly don't remember a thing about this book. So, I guess it wasn't that good.

I picked up How to Meet Cute Boys by Deanna Kizis as a complete joke.  I was with my boyfriend at the bookstore and was just trying to be a jerk, but then I actually read a few pages and laughed out loud.  It was a funny, easy read.

B is for Burglar by Sue Grafton was the first mystery novel I've ever read and it was great! Definitely picking up more Grafton books in the future.

Seriously...I'm Kidding was AWESOME.  Ellen Degeneres is a hysterical genius.  That is all.

I never read Little Women by Louisa May Alcott when I was younger so I picked it up now.  It's a great classic.

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink was alright.  I need to watch the movie now.

Found this sweet dried flower in Tuesdays with Morrie

Half Broke Horses and The Glass Castle, both by Jeanette Walls were PHENOMENAL.  And true stories, which will blow you mind. No joke. Jeanette tells the story of her Grandma's life in Half Broke Horses (her Grandma is my hero) and her own life growing up in The Glass Castle.  Jaw-dropper fo' sho'.

Go Ask Alice, an anonymous diary of a drug user.  Very interesting.

Gratitude: Affirming the Good Things in Life by Melody Beattie is a great, quick and inspiration read.  All about bringing gratitude into your life and becoming much happier.  A great reminder.

 The Lovely Bones is a perfect example of books being (way) better than the movie.  I honestly couldn't sit through that weird movie but the book was good!

The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver was great.  Kingsolver is an awesome author.  I need to pick up more of her books asap!

The Rescue, The Notebook and A Walk to Remember all by Nicholas Sparks...Yeah, I know. You're all rolling your eyes 'cause I'm a big romantic sap. And *confession* I totally teared up at work reading The Notebook... Don't judge me.

And of course I had a photobomber while setting up...

Everyone was talking about Divergent by Veronica Roth this summer so I had to read it. It was AWESOME. It's kind of like The Hunger Games.  Set in the future with some crazy, crazy stuff going on. But I'm kind of disappointed with the second book in the trilogy, Insurgent. It's not as good as the first.

And last, but certainly not least, Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom was the BEST.  It quickly became my all time favorite book.  If you haven't read it...DO IT NOW!

Read any good books lately?

xo

Reminiscing...

A memory you would love to relive

Exactly one month ago I participated in The Color Run.

If you have never heard of it before it's basically the coolest thing ever.  

It's an un-timed 5k race where you are doused in a colored powder every kilometer. 

Our before and after picture...

10,000 people participated in Buffalo and by the time we were rounding the finish line we were the most colorful, happiest, and probably the most exhausted bunch of Buffalonians ever.

Everyone participating and helping out with the run was SO supportive and motivated you to keep on moving.  It was a breeze to get through with everyone cheering each other on, giving high fives and giving words of encouragement.

Along with the shirt and headband that you get in your Color Run package, they also give you a small packet of your own colored powder to throw up in celebration at the end of the race.  Every 15 minutes the workers handed out more powder packets, counted down and everyone got to throw their powder in the air.  Seriously, SO cool.

You can also see my Instagram video of the after-run party here!

The Color Run is also known as The Happiest 5k on the Planet for obvious reasons...

My carload of friends and cousin went to get a bite to eat at a Tim Hortons after the run and we got many strange looks and comments.  I was on a high all day long.  It was the absolute best.  I would do it again in a heartbeat.  

xo

PS- I finally got to cross something off of my list!

2013 goals

By now, we're deep into January and of course, with the way my mind works, I'm still thinking about New Year's resolutions... I'm not sure if it's the procrastinator in me, or I really want to stick with my list so I keep thinking about it, or maybe it's just because I like making lists...

(I'm kind of obsessed with making lists...it's weird)

But anyways, I made a new list.  I much lengthier version of this list.

I guess I'm feeling ambitious.

We'll see how it goes.

I'm also not calling it "resolutions" anymore, that seems too permanent and intimidating.

I prefer "goals."  It seems like a nicer and way more flexible word.

So here they are... all 18 of them 

(and don't be surprised if another goal pops up in the next few weeks..)

Be positive - I've struggled with this in the past... A LOT.  I plan on writing a post about the struggles and how I'm staying positive and (much) happier this year.

Start a blog & stick with it - first part...check! So far, so good!

Eat healthy, be healthy, stay healthy - ...workin' on it! Doing pretty good so far.

Read 15 new books - Proud to say I already have two of the fifteen books read and working on the third! (Maybe I should have made a more ambitious goal with that one...) check 'em out here!

Send more snail mail (cards, letters, little gifts) - so much fun to send and receive!

Save enough money to get an apartment - fingers crossed for summertime! I was really dreaming with that one #broke

Try 10 new crafts - Quilting is my numero uno project this year, as well as actually finishing knitting a scarf (I have three I'm in the middle of....who does that?)

Try 10 new recipes - One down, Nine to go! (prepare for recipes including Nutella)

Love with all you heart, every single day! - Hehe, this one's kinda easy but some days you need to be reminded to love fully and be grateful for everything in your life. (You should also know that I always put something that's incredibly easy to accomplish on almost all my lists)

Listen to music everyday - Music makes me incredibly happy, so it's a must in my daily routine to staying happy.

See more live music - I need to add, "especially with Kevin." I've never seen anyone so appreciative and so much in love with music as Kevin.  He's that person that just says "wow" and smiles uncontrollably when he hears something he likes (so cute).

Go tent camping! - hell yeah! So much fun.

Find a teaching job - easier said than done... (this is where I need to MAJORLY work on my "be positive"-ness)

Get rid of things you don't wear/ need - Seriously, Sam. Do it, ya packrat! (yeah, I talk to myself)

Get organized and stay organized - *eye-roll* every day battle...

Do a random act of kindness each month - So gratifying.

Clean the woods behind Mom and Dad's house - I meant to do this last summer but it got away from me. I have to do it this year! I look at it in disgust every time I drive by.

Run a 5K! - SUPER excited for this one! A friend told me about the Color Run which is coming to Buffalo this summer and I can't stop thinking about it!! Time to get in shape! Read about it here!

So there it is!

My very ambitious list for 2013.

Stay tuned as I make this list my bee-otch!
(wow, maybe I should put "stop being a complete loser" on here...)

xo

2013

So, today was set aside to clean my room...like, really clean it. Guess what? Didn't happen. I am way too easily distracted. It's a problem. I find things and projects I forgot about and get into them again, until I say, "Sam! What are you doing? You're supposed to be cleaning your room!" So then I go back to cleaning, until I find something else...pictures, books, pretty things, you get the picture.  Easily distracted to the max. I also dance like a maniac to whatever music I'm listening to (today it was Matt Nathanson & Grace Potter). Thank goodness my bedroom has a door I can close...

Anyways!  As I was (sorta) cleaning, I kept thinking, I gotta stay organized this year!
I figured I can start that by making a New Year's Resolution list and sticking with it!  So once again, I toss aside cleaning my room to make a list...

Here's a little peek..




I won't go into the details and I'm sure it'll keep growing these next few days, but I want this year to be different from the rest (hopefully… no, it will!)  The whole reason I’m starting this blog so close to New Year’s Day is because it’s a brand new year, a brand new start and a brand new me!  My numero uno New Year’s Resolution for 2013 is to be more positive about myself, my future and those around me.  2012 was a tough year for many, many reasons, but it was also wonderful for many, many reasons, too!  I told myself it’s time to forget about the past, move on and don’t look back.  If I want to be happy and successful in life, I need to stay positive, keep my head up and ignore anyone who tries to bring me down.

Thanks for reading!
xo Samantha Lee