Anyone else out there in Blog Land that only seems to be able to fail when attempting crafts found on Pinterest? Just me? Seriously? Fine, whatever. Continue onto another page, because this blog obviously isn't for you, Just kidding, stay awhile and revel in the fact that you are crafty and have it all together. I, my friends, do not. Ever. I'm okay with it, though.
Anyway, point of this diatribe is, I FOUND A CRAFTY PINTEREST PROJECT THAT I DIDN'T SCREW UP!!!!!!!
Well, I went to work on a few of these last night, and other than one of them falling off the wall and breaking the frame, they turned out great!!!
I mean, how hard is it to cut out a map and glue a picture on top? Not very, or I wouldn't be able to do it. Anyway, I made six of them from some of my favorite trips and hung them gallery style in my office.
I am amazed that these are even remotely level and spaced evenly. Two cheers for Command Strips! Please ignore the disaster that is my desk on the left.
WTF, iPhone? Why so blurry? That's Maui, by the way.
Pics from Telluride above!
And just for fun, here's the one that fell off the wall. No project is complete without me destroying something!
So here's to the people out there that can't DIY to save their life. I'll drink one in your honor this weekend!
If you haven't been following along, I decided to join in on the Winter Book Challenge hosted by Semi-Charmed Kind of Life. I've really enjoyed it so far, any excuse to read is a-okay by me!
Here's where I stand so far:
Freebie: 5 points
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
I really enjoyed this one. It was just enough fantasy to catch my interest, and the characters are all very likable. I thought it was a bit fluffy, but overall a great read. There are a few more books written by the author that use the same characters, and I'm sure I'll read them at some point soon.
My score: 3.5/5
304 pages
Read the first book of a series that is new to you: 10 points
Divergent by Veronica Roth
I love me some young adult fantasy/sci-fi fiction! I knew I would enjoy this one, especially since it was a big enough hit to make into a movie. I read this one while at the beach and tore through it so quickly that I went out and bought the rest of the series while there. I finished the whole series in two or three days. Obsessive compulsive much???
My score: 4.5/5
487 pages
Read a book that was first released in a language that is not your native language: 15 points
The Dinner by Herman Koch
Original language: Dutch
Originally I had chosen this book for the last category of the competition, a book with a meal in the title. Turns out that it was also a translation, and once I figured out that the book I was originally using for this category wasn't 200 pages, I swapped it out to fill this one.
I really enjoyed this book, and grew quite attached to the main character, even though you end up realizing that he is a sociopath of sorts. It's very intriguing and I finished it one evening.
Score: 4/5
304 pages
Read a "bookish" book: 20 points
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
I had originally planned on reading The Loop by Joseph Coomer for this category, but ran out of books to read on vacation and ended up picking this one up at the airport. I'm glad I did, because OH. MY. GOSH. I loved it!!! I won't write about much of the plot line, but it was such a unique take on Nazi Germany during WWII. And the characters, man, do you fall in love with them!
Score: 5/5
552 pages
Read a book from a genre you don't usually read: 25 points
Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
"Chick Lit" (FYI, I find this term sexist and archaic) is definitely not my jam. But I knew it was probably the only genre (besides Harlequin Romance) that really fit for me in this category. And man, there is a reason why. I HATED this book. The characters are deplorable, self centered, miserable people. Ugh. I just wanted to scream at them during the whole thing.
Score: 1/5
322 pages
Total as of December 1, 2014: 75/200 points
I need to hurry and get back on the reading train!
Here's what I'm super excited about from this past week:
1. I HAVE THE MOST AWESOME BOYFRIEND IN THE WORLD!!!!!
Let me explain. So one of my most favorite bands in the world is The Decemberists. In case you aren't familiar with them, check out the song below. The thing about them is they NEVER tour. My bucket list definitely has a spot reserved for seeing them live, should they ever go back out on the road.
Well, lo and behold, they are on tour this spring!!!!! And coming to numerous locations near me. Or near enough that I will travel to, that is. Ahem, Detroit. So the catch on Wednesday morning: I missed the presale that morning for the show we had planned on going to. Thanks, required insurance infrared scan meeting. (I'm not even going to bother to explain the boring-ness of this...)
Anyway, the boyfriend was able to find the super secret presale code and ordered them for me from a super secret website after I realized the presale was sold out (and was kinda freaking out). He is totally my hero! Oh and did I mention that he's not only agreed to go with me but is excited to go to a show of a band he doesn't really follow? That's a good dude, right there.
{One of my favorite songs}
2. Planning for the 15th Annual Concrete Ball is officially underway! Visit Day Spring's website to find more info, if you are interested. We had our first meeting, which was more of an info session for new committee members this past Monday. I am so happy to have a fresh set of eyes (or five!) to help plan this year! The more, the merrier, IMO!
3. Finally getting a chance to hang out with Beth,and of course, my nugget! I've been traveling so much lately that it's been awhile since I've seen them. Babies change so much, so quickly, and I don't want to miss a minute of it!
{I mean, this face! Seriously!!!!}
She might need a few years before she can wear her newest present.
So when I found out Beth and JD were pregnant, I was traveling quite a bit. I decided that everywhere I went, I would get a new shirt for nugget as a souvenir. She now has way too many shirts... Ha ha!
4. The Serial Podcast. Have you all heard of this? It's a series put on by This American Life about a journalist investigating a 15 year old murder. It is so incredibly intriguing, and I still can't figure out how I feel about the whole thing. Just check it out. So far, there are nine episodes with a new one every Thursday.
5. I have vowed to drink more water instead of caffeinated beverages, and so far I'm doing pretty good. It's a lot easier if I remember to fill up the eleventy billion water bottles I have and keep them in the fridge for easy access. Hopefully, I'm going to see some positive effects in my skin soon!
What kind of water bottle do you prefer? I really like the Camelbak, mainly because of the fun flip up nozzle. It's the little things...
Hope y'all have a great weekend! I'll most likely be spending it huddled around my space heater with a book!
So, at the beginning of the month, the boyfriend and I headed up I-65 to the Windy City! And of course, I'm just now getting around to blogging about it.
The drive up was absolutely awful; rain, sleet, snow, gridlock, etc. Luckily, we had planned to stop just outside of Chicago at the Three Floyds Brewery. Delicious beer, and some, uhh, interesting music. Let's just say that black metal isn't really our thing.
Friday, once we got in to Chicago, we met a friend of Drew's for drinks near our hotel. After drinks, we checked in and ran over to Rocket Burger Bar to meet my cousin and his fiancee for dinner.
{My delicious grilled cheese with apples, onions and brie! Yummmm!!!!}
We didn't make it out to meet our friends that arrived in town later that night because we are old. However, we did wake up at the crack of dawn on Saturday in time to have breakfast at Yolk (also delicious) and hit the Field Museum.
Musk ox!!!
Texting all his friends about the capybara display. They are pretty freaking cute!
After the museum, we met up with Kate, Adam, and Hank to tailgate for the US vs. Australian All Blacks Rugby game. Let it be known here, for all of the Internet to see, that the boyfriend and I don't know the first damn thing about rugby. But my friend's do, and we were along for the ride.
The day was absoultely hilarious, crazy, and hectic and we had a great time! Since we were up so early, we didn't make it out with everyone else. I have never claimed to be cool.
Since the weekend we were up there was also the same as Day Light Savings, we lost and hour on Sunday a.m. We also were an hour ahead because of time zones. What I'm trying to say here is, we woke up at 4 FREAKING A.M. IN THE MORNING on Sunday. Yep, that's early. You know what is awesome about waking up that early when you're out of town? Beating the rush for Sunday breakfast.
We went to West Egg to eat and then headed over to Millennium Park before we headed out of town. I finally got the cheesy tourist photos of the bean I've been wanting for years!
We had a great weekend, came home exhausted, and it was worth every bit of it! There is so much to do in Chicago, and I'm sure we'll go back soon!
Any recommendations on what else to see while in Chi-town?
It is a whopping 16 degrees here in the Bluegrass State this fine morning. There is a decent amount of snow on the ground, And my toes haven't been warm for at least a week.
Folks, winter is coming here. Ugh.
I don't know if you are aware of my (and pretty much everyone else's) distaste for winter, but the hate is strong in this one. EFF WINTER.
That's really all I have to say in that matter.
I still need to take down my Halloween decorations, so I'm finding it a bit unfair that there is snow on the ground. I may not decorate for Christmas just as a protest. We'll see. I'm sure some of my friend Courtney's holiday cheer will rub off at some point and I'll cave.
But let's shift gears here, and celebrate the cuteness that are hedgehogs. Yay!
So here's what I've been loving about this past week...
1. No more traveling since I got home Tuesday at 3 am. I need a break.
2. Catching an Interpol show for the first time. I have been wanting to see them live since I was in my early 20's and I finally got a chance to this week down in Nashville!!!!
3. Finally getting caught up at work yesterday after being gone for pretty much half of the month of October! Whee!!!
4. Finally broke down and gave my fur baby a bath. It is my least favorite thing in the world to do, Mainly because he absolutely hates it and I feel terrible.
Here he is, ruining all the cleanliness. Why must dogs do that right after a bath???
5. Plans for a low key weekend. I'm not gonna lie, I am worn out from the past few months. I'm totally ready for the slow lethargy that is winter, I am not, however, ready for my thermostat in my car to read 24 degrees like it did this morning. Ugh.
Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend! If you need me, I'll be curled up on the couch with the boy and his snugly puppy.
