I am not dead...yet.

So yeah...it's been awhile. I have not had time until this very moment to blog. No one cares, I get that. But at one point I enjoyed this online web diary thing I've got going here. It's fun for me to look back and see the things I've done over time. I enjoy the link ups, challenges, and fun little surveys that come with it. But for the time being, I am so completely swamped with work, life, and moving.

YES. I said moving. I'm moving. Again. This time to Frankfort. Uh huh. Yeah. That's my response too. 

I never thought I'd move back home to the place I spent the first 16 years of my life. I swore up and down I'd never do it. But I've said a lot of other absolute statements like that before, and always proved myself wrong. (Example: I'll never leave Lexington...I'm never going to live in Louisville...I will never be a brunette. You see the trend here.)

Anyway, I never expected to move to Frankfort after 3 short years of living in Louisville. Don't get me wrong, I love living in Louisville. The problem is, I don't actually live there. What I have is a very large, expensive, and well decorated storage unit in Louisville.  I have only been home for around 2 weeks total this summer. 

So hence the reason for my post title. I'm not dead yet, but I'm starting to pack up my house (OMG, HOW DID I ACCUMULATE ALL THIS STUFF????) and put it on the market in a week or so. Packing and moving again might be the death of me.

Anyway, wish me luck on this crazy endeavor and I'll be back sometime this fall. Hopefully.

Until next time, cheers y'all!!!

Summer Reading Challenge: Month Two

Here's the categories:

5 points: Freebie! Read any book that fits the general rules.  
10 points: Read a book you have never heard of before. (Just go to a shelf and pick a book based on the cover, the title, whatever you want!)

Started, not finished yet!

10 points: Read a book that has been on your TBR list for at least two years. (If you've had a Goodreads account for 2+ years, this will be easy to figure out. If you don’t, do your best to pick a book you’re pretty sure you’ve been wanting to read for years.)
10 points: Read a book that won a Goodreads “Best Book” award in 2014.
15 points: Read a book by an author who is completely new to you.
15 points: Read a book by an author you have read before. (No re-reads for this one.) 

GIRL ON THE TRAIN, previously counted

15 points: Read a book with "light" or "dark" in the title. (Or "lightness" or "darkness.") 

A LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS, M L Steadman, 354 pages. I liked it, but the ending wasn't what I expected and I kind of wanted a different one. 3.5/5.

20 points: Read a book with the name of a city, state or country in the title. Edited to add: The place must be real, either current or historical, but not fictional.

THE PARIS WIFE, Paula McClain, 336 pages. Very interesting and a good version of Hemmingway's early life! I loved it, 4.5/5 stars.

20 points: Read a book with an animal on the cover. 

A DOG'S PURPOSE, W Bruce Cameron, 333 pages. This was so sweet and a go to if you need a good cry! But it has a happy ending, so 4/5 stars.

25 points: Read a book that is part of a series with at least four books.
25 points: Read a book that is longer than 500 pages long. — Submitted by winter finisher Kristen from See You in a Porridge. 

ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE, previously counted

30 points: Read a book with an alliterative title. (All words in the title must begin with the same letter; no exceptions for articles or prepositions. Examples: Gone Girl or Nicholas Nickleby. Yes, this is tough, which is why it's worth the most points!)

So my previous total was 40, plus 55 more this month is a grand total of 95. I better get to reading, y'all!

Summer Photo Dump

I'm never going to be one of those bloggers that posts daily, or let's be honest, even weekly. This summer has proven that blogging hasn't been a top priority. So here's what has!

Lots of fun with the mini! Summer festivals, his 5th birthday, Drew's 34th, baseball final games, and much, much more that's just hanging out on my hard drive waiting to be uploaded.

Fun times at the zoo! They had a Lego installation that just tickled us pink! 

Took a quick road trip up to Madison, WI for my cousin's wedding! It's a super cool city, but I never really saw the draw in cheese curds. Cheese that squeaks is weird.

Caught War on Drugs in Covington with my gal Brooke! It was an awesome show, and I'm pumped to see him perform again at Forecastle!

A heck of a good time down in Owensboro for the Romp Bluegrass Festival. Drew and almost his whole family having been going for years, and I've been excited to finally go check it out!

Despite two days of torrential downpour and missed shows, we had an absolute blast. Maybe one day, I'll do a post on how to camp with kids for long periods.

First birthday for the nugget! She's the sweetest! I hope she likes her alphabet book of classic rock stars, her super awesome aunt sure does!

In not so awesome news, Riley has been a pretty sick pup these days. It started with a double ear infection, conjunctivitis, and an infected tummy spot. 

A month later and he's got an enlarged spleen, can't keep food down unless it's chicken and rice, and is extremely lethargic.

He's making improvements, but he's 10, and this might be the beginning of his twilight years. Send a little cosmic love his way (and mine too, I've been a mess), and hopefully we'll figure it out before I run out of savings paying the vet.

Up next on the calendar is Forecastle Festival, a work trip down to Opryland, a trip to Michigan for a week on the lake with Drew, the mini, and his fam.

It doesn't slow down after that, our 1 year anniversary is the weekend after Michigan. It's hard to believe it's only been a year, we've packed so much awesome into that short time. I can't remember life without him, and am glad I don't have to!

Much more concerts to see, a trip to the beach, and who knows what else!!!

Very Pinteresting...

I got the sweetest compliment today from a friend of mine's sister. She called my house a "Pinterest" house! I'm hoping this is a good thing still. Anyway, I was flattered, but very confused how my house could possibly be compared some of the cute posts on Pinterest.

Don't get me wrong, I love my house decor, but I'm always looking to redecorate or plan my next house's decor.  Here's what I'm dreaming about for my next home...

Definitely want tons of built ins...

and a huge master closet.

I'm definitely going to need more shoe storage than above, though.

And a romantic, but not at all girly, master bedroom is a must.

Actually, this is not all that different from my bedroom decor now, except with yellow walls. Hmm, maybe I should get to painting. Or at the very least, taking better pictures.

So who wants to build (and pay for) my dream home? Ha, I'm so funny. Maybe there will be a day when I have a home where I get to design everything I want on my wish list. Who knows?!?

Has anyone ever built and not lost their mind? It seems so overwhelming, not to mention expensive, to me. Any advice for my inquiring mind is welcomed!

Happy Tuesday, y'all!

Summer Reading Challenge Update #1

I started the challenge this month right on the first! It was super great to get a head start since I had a few books sitting on my nightstand that I already borrowed from the library, The problem was waiting to start them until the first. Hence why I won't be using Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng. I finished it in one day, on the 30th of April.

Anyway, so here's what I thought I would end up using for each category in orange, and what I've actually read in pink:

5 points: Freebie! Read any book that fits the general rules.

I'm going to wait to decide on this one in case I get really hooked into the first book of a series. I tend to do that and then just absolutely demolish the entire series in a few days. Or maybe I'll wait to start the book I just got from the library, Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng, 304 pages.

Nope, read it a few days before May 1st because I couldn't wait. We'll see what I stumble across in the next few months.

10 points: Read a book you have never heard of before. (Just go to a shelf and pick a book based on the cover, the title, whatever you want!)

Hmm, guess I'm heading to the library for this one! Yay, library!!!!

I picked up one this weekend, but I can't remember the name! Ha! I know it's by Christopher Moore...

10 points: Read a book that has been on your TBR list for at least two years. (If you've had a Goodreads account for 2+ years, this will be easy to figure out. If you don’t, do your best to pick a book you’re pretty sure you’ve been wanting to read for years.)

For right now, I'm going to chose The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne, 215 pages.  I have a feeling I'll end up changing this one.

I'm currently reading Helter Skelter, but it's going very slowly. Although this one fits this category, I may not use it because I may never finish it.

10 points: Read a book that won a Goodreads “Best Book” award in 2014.

Landline by Rainbow Rowell, 320 pages

15 points: Read a book by an author who is completely new to you.

I'm thinking I might read Room by Emma Donoghue, 352 pages. I also may read I Love Everybody by Laurie Nataro, 240 pages.

I actually read Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, 336 pages. Like everyone else, I loved it. Crazy ending!

15 points: Read a book by an author you have read before. (No re-reads for this one.)

Downtown Owl by Chuck Klosterman, 275 pages

15 points: Read a book with "light" or "dark" in the title. (Or "lightness" or "darkness.")

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, 531 pages. Well this is just downright convenient since I've already placed it on hold at the library.

I actually did read All the Light We Cannot See. It was beautifully written, super sad, and I cried a lot. Which is pretty much true for almost everything I read, so take that with a grain of salt! I may end up switching this to my 500+ pages category and reading Dark Places by Gillian Flynn, 349 pages.

Actually, I just started reading A Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman, 354 pages this weekend. So I'm going to use it when I finish for this category.

20 points: Read a book with the name of a city, state or country in the title.

I'm not sure about what to read for this category. I've gotten a couple of recommendations, but none of them are really grabbing me. For now I'm thinking about Paris Red by Maureen Gibbon, 288 pages or A Girl from Yamhill by Beverly Cleary, 352 pages. Anyone else have any ideas on this one?

I think I may read the Paris Wife instead. It's been raved about by many, so why not?

20 points: Read a book with an animal on the cover.

Obviously, I'm going to go with something featuring a dog. The question remains to be answered as to which one... Here are the contenders:

Merle's Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog by Ted Kerasote, 416 pages

A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron, 333 pages

A Big Little Life: A Memior of a Joyful Dog Named Trixie by Dean Koontz, 288 pages 

I'm leaning towards the second one.

25 points: Read a book that is part of a series with at least four books.

I think I'll start the Lunar Chronicle's, which first book is Cinder by Marissa Meyer, 448 pages

25 points: Read a book that is longer than 500 pages long. — Submitted by winter finisher Kristen from See You in a Porridge.
Good lord, can one book qualify for two categories because I have a few that might work... No? Alright then. I'm going to read The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, 784 pages. I got this one for my birthday last year from my momma and still haven't started it.

Okay, so I'm officially using All the Light We Cannot See by Doerr, 531 pages. See above for my thoughts!

30 points: Read a book with an alliterative title. (All words in the title must begin with the same letter; no exceptions for articles or prepositions. Examples: Gone Girl or Nicholas Nickleby. Yes, this is tough, which is why it's worth the most points!)

There are also a few contenders for this category as well, mostly hailing from the classics genre.

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt, 368 pages

I don't want to read that book right now, someone give me a suggestion!!!

Alright, so I officially have 40 points for the month of May. Better get to reading!

Here's the link up info, have a great week, y'all!

Can't Live Without and a Little #tbt

It's been a good, yet rather uncomfortable week here in the Bluegrass State. Well, it has for me at least. I'm still in the throes of post surgery pain, so this week I couldn't live without these things (in no particular order): Advil, my boyfriend, and my momma.

Without any of the three, I'd be up a creek right now. Let me explain....

I forgot that a friend of mine's family is going to be staying at my house this weekend while in town for a wedding, and my house would have been a complete disaster if not for the help from Drew and my mom to get it clean this past weekend and last night. 

Drew spent pretty much the better part of this holiday weekend helping me clean, do laundry, construct IKEA furniture, and cook for me. He also was quick to remind me to sit the heck down and take it easy. You know, like my doctor ordered. 

I didn't listen all that well.  What can I say, I'm stubborn as hell.

Wednesday night, my mom came over to help clean up the rest that we missed over the weekend (bathrooms, more laundry, and helping load all my various bags in the car for the weekend). She also was sweet enough to wrap Drew's b'day present for me since it was kinda heavy.

So thanks y'all and I couldn't imagine life without ya!!!

{That's my momma to the right of the giant hot dog in 2012 during a trip to San Diego. Drew on the lawn of the hotel when we were in Hawaii this past February!}

{And just for funsies, Advil! Because Vicodin makes me nauseous! Yay!!!}

Link up here, here, or here!

Blog Hiatus Recap in Pictures

It's been a whirlwind of a few weeks, so here's a photo recap of what's been keeping me so busy these days!

Wilco at Iroquois Ampitheater!!! One of the best shows I've seen in my lifetime. Doesn't hurt that I've been wanting to see them live since I was 18. Neither did the two encores!!!

Patio is ready to use, and has been!!! I'm loving the yellow! It's so bright and sunny!

Pizza for our ten month anniversary! Yummmm. If you haven't tried Pies & Pints in Lexington, I highly recommend getting over there immediately.

Lunch date with my friend Natalie and her mini. I should have gotten a picture of Cecelia and I who showed up in matching shirts!

Oh, and let's just talk about the macaron I ordered at Bluedog Bakery for dessert at lunch. If my pants fit this week, it'll be a miracle!

Work on the craft room is almost done, thanks to my fantastic boyfriend!!! He finished building the rest of the IKEA furniture this weekend. The only thing left to do is hang shelves and storage systems on the wall and move all the crafting items into the bins above. And add the decorative touches, of course!

Concrete Ball has come and gone! And I think it was a great success! It went off without any major hitches, so that was super awesome. Plus, I got to stay in a fancy schmancy suite for the weekend!

I did not, however, get a decent picture of myself taken. This year had a fun theme of Denim and Diamonds! Woohoo!

Delicious tapas at Mojito's on the Tuesday before my surgery. More on that in a minute...

Hospital gowns are so hot this season.

Pretty flowers from my girls. 

So I had an outpatient procedure to remove two large cysts (and my right ovary) last Wednesday. It was quick and I was home later that day, but I've been on the mend for the last week, Everything is healing normally, so no need for concern. A week of rest and a lot of help from the world's most loving and caring BF is all I needed. 

Welp, that sums up what I've been doing the past few weeks. Hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!