What I'm Into: December 2015

Linking up with Leigh Kramer as we review the last month {and year - hello, 2016!}.

Reading:

I really should do a final Reading Challenge update and share the last quarter of the year, but I doubt that it will happen as an independent post. So let's just deal with that in our hearts and combine the updates. whatevs. 

"A Book You Chose For Its Cover" - I read The Silent Stars Go By by Dan Abnett, which is a Doctor Who adventure. Yes, I chose a book because Matt Smith's face was on the cover, but hey, that was basically the assignment! This was a light, fun read, and it was especially enjoyable because it takes place during Eleven's time with Amy and Rory - such a treat. 

"A Book Your Mom Loves" - silly Bek. Silly, silly Bek. Let's take a moment and appreciate the silliness of Bek. You guys, my mom reads a lot, but she has read this one particular book probably a dozen times. When I saw the challenge, I knew that book was the book I'd be reading. Why I waited until December to start reading a 1,400-page book, I will never know. Anyway, I'm currently reading "...And the Ladies of the Club" by Helen Hooven Santmyer. It is very enjoyable, but there's no way on God's green earth that I'll have it finished in 24 hours. 

Not related to this reading challenge, I also read:

• Room by Emma Donoghue - LOVED. Terrifyingly innocent and haunting... Don't watch any movie trailers until you read the book first. {I'm hoping that this will make the movie slightly less intense, but I doubt it}
• Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon - also loved. Don't audio-book this one; get the hard copy. There are illustrations {by the author's husband} and details that make the book. 
• Bandersnatch: An Invitation to Explore Your Unconventional Soul by Erika Morrison - this is such a good book. It's one of those soul-stretching, boundary-breaking books, and I highly recommend it. 
• Out of Sorts by Sarah Bessey - cannot recommend this one enough. To borrow her analogy of sorting through an attic, Sarah gently cradles each item and shares what she's learned from her own life and sorting. Gentle and beautiful, and I was thrilled to learn that Sarah spent some time in the Anglican Church!
• New and Selected Poems: Volume One by Mary Oliver - this is maybe probably the first book of poetry I've attempted to read as an adult, and I'm actually really enjoying it. There are a few lines of various poems that just stop me in my tracks, and I was not expecting that. 

Watching: 

• Jayna and I finished "Gilmore Girls" last night - ALL. THE. TEARS. and FEELS. Oh my word. Counting down to the Netflix revival already. Related: I'm going to start "Parenthood" very, very soon in order to get my Lauren Graham fix.
• This week I finished Season Four of "Longmire." This show sure knows how to end seasons on cliffhangers! 
• I started watching "New Girl" last night. I can't decide if it's cute and quirky or cute and annoying. 
• "Doctor Who" - Season Nine just ended. Capaldi is so brilliant.
• "Sherlock" Special airs in less than 48 hours - yipee!

Doula Adventures:

My website is live {check it out!}, I attended my second certifying birth at the beginning of this month, and this week I've been completing and mailing business licensing forms. Also, I submitted my last two BAI homework assignments, so as soon as I attend three more births and get my grades, I'm done! My goal for 2015 was to finish all the non-birth assignments, so yay me!

thanks, Meryl

Listening to:

• "Details" album by Frou Frou {Imogen Heap is part of this dynamic duo!}
• "Hello" by Adele... can't stop, won't stop
• "Satellite Kite" album by Beautiful Eulogy - discovered them because Josh Garrels does a song with them. I love the musical soundscape-esque mixed with the steady rhythm of not-quite-rap {more spoken word}.

Grateful for:

• Samara came up before Christmas, and she and Cami and I got some good reunion time together. I'm grateful for my two best friends!
• Ellen is home for Christmas break {I didn't get to see her over Thanksgiving}, and we are watching the "Harry Potter" movies together. I'm grateful for my sister and our mutual love of Hogwarts.
• My dear parents gave me a peanut ball for Christmas. This is something I asked for that is more for my business than it is for me, but I'm still thrilled. My family shook their collective head at me, but I still squealed with joy. Grateful for family who loves me at my weirdest.

That's it! December and 2015 are almost done, and I'm ready for a great year in 2016!

Reading Challenge Update: Three Quarters Done

Fall officially started September 23rd, and we are now three quarters into 2015. Sounds like it's time for a Reading Challenge Update! Doesn't autumn make you want to read?

via Modern Mrs. Darcy

July: a book from your childhood - I re-read These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I've been growing my collection of the Little House books recently; seeing these books on my shelf makes me happy. My mom read these books aloud to me when I was a kid, and revisiting them has been such a treat!

August: a book recommended by someone with great taste {but taste vastly different than mine!} - Villette by Charlotte Bronte was recommended to me by Julie, and I hated myself for committing to read it...for the first 150 pages. And then! Suddenly I was hooked. No spoilers, but Julie and I had a wonderful rage-fest over the fate of various characters. Bronte is cruel, and I can't help but love it. 

September: a book that was originally written in a different language - The Diary of A Young Girl by Anne Frank is so touching and agonizing to read. It's took me a while to get through it, mainly because I do a lot of my reading right before bed and I really didn't want to have sad dreams {and also because Harry Potter}. Anne was a very aware teenager, and it was touching to read her observations about herself, her family, and the world in which she lived. 

I'm excited for the last two books on this challenge list: a book your mom loves and a book chosen because of its cover. What are you reading these days?

What I'm Into: August 2015

This month has positively flown by! It is crazy to me that September - the beginning of Fall!!! - is upon us.

Reading:

People.... I read the Harry Potter series. All of it. All seven books. I can't even deal with how incredible these books are, how deprived my life has been up to this point, and how much I wish I could read them for the first time over and over again. Augh! Tear count is definitely in the hundreds. {Oh, and I was officially Sorted and I am Gryffindor!}

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Embrace the Body by Tara Owens {currently reading}: This book has received great reviews from a few bloggers I admire, so I'm eager to get deeper into it. 

When We Were On Fire by Addie Zierman {currently reading}: whoa. Addie gently and beautifully captures the culture of the Evangelical Church in the 90's and 00's... It's like I'm seeing it clearly for the first time. Highly recommend this one, and you can also check out Addie's website.

Working On:

Doula website galore. SO close to hitting publish! It will probably be at the end of September - fingers crossed. And in the meantime, if you feel so moved, you can check out my Facebook page :)

Kitchen cabinets, cleaning and "frosting." Ugh. Taking forever, mainly because this last week of August has been so busy. My goal is to clean the wood of the cabinets with this cleaning goop and then paint the glass. Two doors are done but still on the floor, and I've got two doors by the fireplace waiting to be painted. I know all the chaos will be worth it when they're done, but by golly I wish they were done now. 

Celebrating:

My friend Rebecca is getting married at the end of September, and as one of her bridesmaids, I had the pleasure of helping organize and host her bachelorette party! It was really chill and fun and relaxing - how can it not be with a chill group on the beach? We also had the wedding shower and played "the shoe game," which was hysterical.

Listening to:

• Florence and the Machine's album How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful. Can't stop, won't stop.
• Hailee Steinfeld's new single "Love Myself"
• Elle King's "Ex's and Oh's"

Watching:

My sister and I are in the middle of Season 6 of "Gilmore Girls" - yes, we've just made an interesting discovery about Luke!! But that's as far as we've watched, so keep your spoilers to yourself, sweetie.

Speaking of sweetie, Season 9 of Doctor Who starts September 19th!! And River Song is going to be in the Christmas special! Happiness!!!

On the blog:

In August, I wrote a big long post on my thoughts on the Church. While there are no comments on the post itself, I've had conversations with quite a few people, and it's been good. I'm looking forward to continuing the discussion, and I welcome your thoughts and other pieces you've been reading and writing about this topic. 

Thanks to Leigh Kramer for hosting the What I'm Into link-up {that I missed via blog but am joining via Twitter}. See you next month!

What I'm Into: July 2015

Linking up with the {newly-discovered on my end} fabulous Leigh Kramer for What I'm Into: July!

Reading and Read ~ Books:

Spinster: Making a Life of One's Own by Kate Bolick - {in progress} Really, really enjoying this memoir/history lesson. The author comes from such a different place than me in many ways {East Coast, solitary, journalist} that it's fascinating for me to read and imagine what my own internal journey would be if our external circumstances were the same. P.S. It was this Long Reads article that piqued my interest on the book.

Villete by Charlotte Bronte - {in progress} I feel like I'm just getting to the good stuff at about 200 pages in. Lucy Snowe amazes me with her observations of people's character, and I'm in awe of how cool she can be to people.

Landline by Rainbow Rowell - {almost done!} I put off reading this book for a while because fantastical realism isn't really my jam. But that's almost not the point with this book, and Rowell has presented a great study on enduring love.

One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories by B.J. Novak - {completed} I laughed out loud many, many times. I listened to the audiobook {which you should do! Read by the author plus guests!!} and it made my commutes delightful. The discussion questions were, um, thought-provoking!

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen - {completed} Apparently there are two camps about Mansfield Park: either it's a satire and it's the most brilliant work ever from Austen, or it's a regular novel, in which case it is completely boring. For Austen's sake, I hope that it's satire, because this book was boring. But it led to some great conversations with friends about the characters' lives after the book ends, so that was fun.

Pondering:

This article about colorblindness by Rachel Held Evans has been on my mind for some time.

I started writing a post about my experience with both my church and the Church... about 1,000 words in and I think I'm finally saying what I want to say. Stay tuned.

Enjoying:

All the sunshine this week has been awesome! And apparently Seattle just broke a record: Thursday was the 10th day in 2015 that the official temperature reached the 90s, which is the first time that's happened in the history of recording temperatures. Whew!

The past two weeks I was cat-sitting for a friend, and this week I have SO enjoyed being home in my own bed, and I'm especially grateful to be cat-free. My dad teased me that this was a practice run of being a crazy cat lady, but I told him that these weeks were more like a vaccine against it - I've learned that my previously-neutral feelings towards cats are now decidedly negative.

My dear friend J and I went candle shopping a couple weeks ago, and while she purchased The Boyfriend Candle, I was unimpressed {I guess I like my mountain men less sweet?}. I thought I was going to leave the store sans boyfriend, but then...then I smelled Midsummer's Night, and I knew that he it had to be mine. And it made sense, because J and I have different tastes in men, so of course we would prefer different smells. Anyway, the candle has been in use almost every day, and while I've never had a boyfriend, I think that smelling this candle is pretty much what it's like.

I'd like to introduce you to someone....

There you have it! Be sure to check out the other links on Leigh's post, and happy August!

 

Halfway Done - Reading Challenge Update

June is almost over {less than 6 months till Christmas!}, so I thought I should share another update on Modern Mrs. Darcy's Reading Challenge {check out the original post and first quarter update}.

Since April, I've crossed off another 4 boxes - woot!

April: a book from a genre I don't usually read - Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson. I listened to the audiobook of this, and while there were many, many beautiful lines, overall things were slow and simple, which is probably why I don't usually read many books of this genre. I'm glad to have read it, but I probably won't re-read it. 

May: a book by a favorite author - Black Dove White Raven by Elizabeth Wein. I'm going to be honest here and say that I think I read the best book by Wein first; the two other books of hers that I've read have not been as exciting or intriguing as Code Name: Verity. This one was fun but not intense or suspenseful. 

May: a book currently on the bestseller list - The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. This book was great! A little bit slow until you realize that not everything is as it seems... can't say more without spoilers. Also fun: one of the characters was voiced by Louise Brealey aka Molly Hooper! That was an unexpected but delightful treat. 

June: a book "everyone" has read but me - The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Oh. My. Word. Why did I not read this sooner?!?! I bawled my eyes out, thank you very much. My Book Club read this and then got together and watched the movie...jeepers creepers. If you are like I was and have not yet read this book, do yourself a favor and read this {with tissues!}. 

There you have it! Isn't summer a great time for reading? Sun + sunscreen + book = perfection. What are you reading these days?

June Sunshine

The first official day of summer is in less than two weeks, but after last Sunday's sunshine + heat wave, I think summer's already here :) So to keep things light and breezy, here are some "currently" updates.

Currently...

...reading: Searching for Sunday by Rachel Held Evans. If you're like me and think that the Church is lacking, to put it mildly, read this book. RHE articulates the questions and concerns that I didn't realize I have, and she does so gracefully and succinctly. I'm about halfway done with my library copy, and I think that I'll be purchasing my own copy very soon. More eloquent reviews can be found here and here.

...watching: Season 5 of "Gilmore Girls." My sis and I are usually able to watch one episode most nights, and oh my word, pack me up and move me to Stars Hollow.

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...listening to: Florence and the Machine's new album "How Big How Blue How Beautiful." This. Album. I play it all day {or most of the day, for my co-workers' sakes} in the office, it's in my car, and then I turn it on as soon as I get home. It's beautiful and perfect and I can't get enough. "Queen of Peace" and "St Jude" are two of my favorite tracks {check out this beautiful music video, too!}.

...anticipating: a reunion dinner with Samara and Cami next week! Woohoo! It's been FAR too long since the three of us have been together.

...working on: smaller reading assignments for doula certification. Last night I plopped myself and some yarn on the couch and listened to every last "lecture" that is required; it felt so good to cross half a dozen assignments off my list! I celebrated by watching a couple {required} birth videos... why yes, I do know how to have a good time ;)

...craving: time outside in the sun, flip-flops, hair long enough to stay in a messy bun, and VitaminWater.

...supporting: this Kickstarter campaign with Ricki Lake and Abby Eppstein {creators of "The Business of Being Born"} to make "Sweetening the Pill: How We Got Hooked On Hormonal Birth Control." Read an interview with the filmmakers, watch the trailer, and consider supporting this project!

...grateful for: sunshine during my commute, dinner with my CareNet friend and her family, chai lattes, new friends, and the beginning of what's promising to be an amazing summer.

I Swear I Remember How to Blog and Other Dreams

I was debating on how to jump back on the blogging train {link-up? book review? a post pretending I've been blogging regularly for the past three weeks??}, and then Natalie posted/hosted a Quick Just Because Not So Serious Takes link-up, and it was fate. This is a perfect way to give y'all some updates and share some odds and ends without being weird...although this is me, so it may still end up weird. But you knew that when you clicked this link, so I don't feel too bad.

Item 1: I spent the first week of this month in the beautiful Bluegrass State with some of my dearest friends. AJ and I got to spend lots of quality time together, some of which involved the following:

• crack popcorn - I've never made that much crack popcorn in one sitting, but I'm proud to say there was nothing left the next morning. 
• wedding video - you know you're bosom friends when you spend a Friday night watching her wedding on the small screen. So cool.
• steak nachos with beer cheese - this is becoming a tradition for me to celebrate AJ's birthday. Saul Good's steak nachos with beer cheese is basically heaven on earth. We took a picture that night, but as good as that waiter was, photography wasn't his forte. 
•  Ale-8 - I had one for breakfast every day, and I regret nothing. 
• a surprise pregnancy announcement - AJ had her youngest son announce to me that "mommy has a baby in her tummy" and I put forth a great effort and did not scream with joy and delight.

I also got to visit my good friends Carla and Victoria, as well as attend a baseball game with my friend Rae. Rachel and I got to hang out {and eat the world's most delicious cheesecake}, and I learned two new games with some friends from church. I got to hold new babies and hug old friends. 

Basically, my trip was wonderful and I'm already planning my return trip. 

Item 2: Whilst reading the book I thought was the last on my doula list, I realized that a medical book published in 1987 wasn't going to cut it. So I emailed my director and she emailed back that I should find a different book. It just came in from the library, and much to my delight, it's only about 100 pages long {as opposed to the 400 page beast I was struggling through}. So I should be finished with this little book very, very soon!

Item 3: Speaking of doula stuff, Victoria and I started a FB group for all things birthing related. We want to be able to share articles and pictures and discussions that include words like "placenta" and "dilation" without frightening away half of our FB friends. If you'd like to join, let me know and I'll send you the link. 

this little girl is us

Item 4: My roommate moved out this weekend and my sister moved in! Words cannot describe my joy. Our home is clean and cozy and beautiful, and I'm trying to convince my sis to go with a black-and-white art theme in the living room. We'll see how that goes. 

Item 5: I'm reading The Book Thief as a part of Dahlia's book club, and we're meeting to discuss and to watch the movie next weekend. I'm a bit of a late start on this book, so here's hoping I can finish it in time!

That's it - all the Just Because Not So Serious Takes I've got. Enjoy your Tuesday, friends!

Books, books, books...

You guys... it's April. Wowza the first three months of the year have gone by fast!

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Since we are 25% done with 2015, I thought I should share a Book Challenge update. Per my book reading goals for this year, I'm participating in Modern Mrs. Darcy's challenge. I want to mark the passing of three months by highlighting three books from her list.

January: a book published this year - I read Golden Son: Book II of The Red Rising Trilogy* by Pierce Brown, and holy moly it was amazing. Pierce Brown is a master story-teller, and he's only getting better. His first book is Red Rising: Book I of The Red Rising Trilogy* and it was good, but Golden Son was better. Plus, I got to meet Pierce at a book signing and he's a really nice guy! He likes Taylor Swift, so obviously we're bffs ;)

February: a book you've been meaning to read - I read Yes Please* by Amy Poehler. I laughed uproariously, snickered slyly, and snorted contentedly throughout the book. There is some language {did you expect anything different?}, so consider yourself warned. If you're a fan of Amy, you'll enjoy this book. 

March: a book you should have read in high school - I read I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. I was not expecting the intense content or beautiful word pictures. Maya tells the story of her life with both in-the-moment feelings of her childhood and the perspective of a few decades. I didn't love this book, but I'm glad I read it. 

For April, I'm hoping the library comes through and I can read/listen to Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson... would that count as a genre I don't usually read or "everyone" has read but me or recommended by someone with great taste? Not sure there, because I think it counts as all three.

What are you reading these days, friends?

*affiliate links

Currently...

...reading I'll Drink to That: A Life in Style with a Twist by Betty Halbreich & Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen {this is probably my tenth re-read}

...listening to Josh Garrels' "Love and War and the Sea in Between" and Florence + the Machine's "Ceremonials."

...anticipating a fantastic weekend consisting of costumes with the bestie, a sister's birthday celebration, clean sheets, and Zumba.

...excited for the start of "Call the Midwife" on Sunday! So excited to go back to Nonnatus House.

...wanting to go back to Saturday with Samara and Cami and live every moment over again. Such a wonderful, relaxing, encouraging time - love these women!

...enjoying the aloe vera plant I bought on the above-mentioned Saturday. It's just a cute little plant in a little white pot.

...buying birthday presents for a sister, grandmother, mother, and two friends with April birthdays.

...working on reading the last. two. books. on BAI's required reading list - woot!

...hoping that Target carries aloe water - Cami introduced me, and it's so refreshing!

...wearing no nail polish for just a couple of days. My nails look both clean and naked.

...grateful for friends, family, community, and good books. 

Not Alone Series: Spiritual Writings

Linking up with the ever-fabulous Jen at Jumping in Puddles and Morgan at Follow and Believe!

What are some of your favorite or go-to books for devotionals, or even blogs that help encourage you in your spiritual life?

Oooh, I'm looking for some new suggestions from you, friends! Can't wait to hear what you're reading!

My two favorites are: One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are* by Ann Voskamp {check out her blog, too!} and He Loves Me! Learning to Live in the Father's Affection* by Wayne Jacobsen.

Both are regular chapter books that I've adapted to read as part of my devotional time. Ann Voskamp does offer an accompanying devotional, and I do enjoy having space in the text to write. Wayne Jacobsen's book... man! I've read it half a dozen times, and I have two copies on my bookshelf so I can loan them out to people. It is so, so good.

As for blogs that are encouraging... that's a long list, my friends! I don't read blogs if they are not encouraging or uplifting in one way or another, but since we're focusing specifically on spiritual encouragement in this post, here are just a couple of my favorites:

• Shauna Niequist {my favorite post of hers here}
• Sarah Bessey {SO many amazing posts, but this is one of my favorites}
• my IRL friend Carla {her 31 Days of Writing were especially encouraging} 

What about you, friends? Send some recommendations this way!

* affiliate links

2015: Reading Goals

As I shared in my goals post, I am going to attempt to read 50 books this year. Eee!

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I have a few specific challenges for myself, like finishing Birth Art's book list and reading a few books by Malcolm Gladwell and Jim Collins. But then I thought, why stop there? Go big or go home, right?

So I'm participating in a reading challenge from Modern Mrs. Darcy. It's a fun addition to spice up my reading list, and I'll be adding it within my goal of 50 books. 12 books in 12 months, so each month I'll be sharing my thoughts on a book from one of these categories. Hold me accountable, readers - ask me for updates!

Modern Mrs. Darcy's 2015 Reading Challenge {with my plans in parentheses}:

• a book you've been meaning to read {Yes Please by Amy Poehler}

• a book published this year {Golden Son by Pierce Brown}

• a book in a genre you don't usually read

• a book from your childhood {The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank - I tried to read this as a pre-teen but didn't finish}

• a book your mom loves

• a book that was originally written in a different language {The Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas - gulp!}

• a book "everyone" has read but you {The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath}

• a book you chose because of the cover

• a book by a favorite author {waiting for Sarah Bessey's second book!}

• a book recommended by someone with great taste

• a book you should have read in high school {I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou}

• a book that's currently on the bestseller list

What do you think, readers? Share your thoughts and recommendations in the comments!

Goals for 2015

It's that magical time of year when Bek reviews her goals for the current year and sets in stone writing her goals for the coming year. It is also the magical time when she starts writing about herself in third person, and everybody {including her} is confused.

Nic is confused, too

Moving right along...

Shall we start with 2014's goals?

1. Invest time in new friendships. Yes! 2014 was full of friendship, and I'm looking forward to spending time with current and future friends.
2. Get into a real exercise routine. Yes! Except for a few summer weeks that were simply crazy, I exercised at least three times a week for the majority of the year. I'd like to thank my sister for the cool workout jacket she gave me and my city for offering Zumba classes. 
3. Continue to blog at least twice a week. Yes! Specifically, my goal was to keep up Funny Fridays, which has kind of died, but I did blog two times a week for the entire year!
4. Try at least one new recipe bi-monthly. Oh my word, big fat fail here! I tried one recipe and made it at least three times, but that's it. I do feel more confident cooking, though; I coordinated 5 days of meals with my sister and friends for Family Camp, and I hosted Thanksgiving and made half the dishes. 
5. Goodreads: 40 books. I adjusted my goal in June to 50 books, and as of this posting, I have read 55 books and am in the middle of 4 more. So that's a yes! :) 

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Onto 2015! I really like what Emilia is doing and I'm going to concentrate on Mind, Body, and Blog. I also have some other categories, but I'm keeping those in my journal. So here are my Mind, Body, and Blog goals:

1. Read 50 books. When I was thinking about my reading goals for next year, I came up with some specific kinds of books I want to read, and of course some of them are doula-related, so stay tuned for reviews.
2. Maintain exercise routine {3x/week}, reduce sugar intake, add more vegetables. I'm going to get back on the MyFitnessPal bandwagon and start tracking food again, and the food is going to be less sugar and more veggies!
3. Keep on blogging... Specifically, my goals are to:
• continue linking up with the Not Alone Series at least once a month
• share a doula-related book review once a month
• post something "personal" each month. This can be a Doula Update, a Funny Friday, a general update, thoughts on a specific topic, or something else. I can add it to a link-up {like 7 Quick Takes}, but the "prompt" is my own. 

Bam - goals! 2015 is going to be splendid!

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Thankful

I'm sure that this week is going to be both full in general and full of Thanksgiving posts....and I don't care. Here are ten things I'm thankful for this season {no particular order}:

• the mercy and love of God
• the opportunity to pursue passions #DoulaAdventures
• good health {and good healthcare when the health isn't good}
• my fantastic family

• the opportunity to pursue passions #DoulaAdventures
• excellent books
• wonderful friends

• a great job with my favorite bosses ;)
• a warm home in which to spend Thanksgiving with my family
• this awesome blogging community :D

What's are you thankful for this season? 

I'm Just Gonna Shake Shake Shake

{I know that I said I wanted to write more posts without prompts, but I'm not counting these as prompts; they're more like conversation initiators. I know, the hair is split super finely. Whatevs. Shaking it off.}

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Currently...

...wondering how early is too early to begin New Year's Eve party planning.

...stressing about doula training and how on earth I'm going to finish it all. Gulp.

...just finished reading UnDivided (Unwind Dystology)* by Neal Shusterman
Re'and* by Victoria Easter Wilson {review here!}

... currently reading Motherwit: An Alabama Midwife's Story* by Onnie Lee Logan
Spiritual Midwifery* by the one and only Ina May Gaskin
A Covert Affair: When Julia and Paul Child joined the OSS...* by Jennet Conant.

... going to read Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption* by Laura Hillenbrand - really excited about this one!

...listening to Imogen Heap and Kye Kye, as per usual, and.... Christmas music! Haters, please see above gif.

...craving more fudge that my flatmate made. She put a few sprinkles in and on it, and I think that was a very wise decision.

...enjoying a good hair day. Yay, straightener that works!

...getting excited for Cami and my trip to visit Samara! We are meeting at 5:30 tonight, having Chinese food for dinner {because why the hell not!?}, and then venturing down to yonder Oregon for a weekend of laughs, hugs, Doctor Who, costumes, chocolate, Portland, and whatever other adventures we find. CANNOT WAIT!!!

...grateful for a fantastic table lamp I found at Value Village. You. Guys. This thing is amazing. You know when you look at Target and you're like, mm, okay. Then you look at Pinterest and are all like, mm, if only me + drill + glass didn't = death.
And then you go to Value Village and the heavens open and a unicorn whinnies and fairy dust speeds your sprint into the embrace of the COOLEST LAMP EVER, and it doesn't even need a makeover. True story. Pictures coming soon.

...laughing at this clip from the Graham Norton Show of Miranda Hart teaching Benedict Cumberbatch how to walk like a diva. All day, every day, please and thank you.

Hope you all have a fantastic Halloween weekend!

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*affiliate links that will, ideally, contribute to my doula education. Thanks for your click!

"Re'and" - A Book Review

Y'all, my IRL friend Victoria is quite the writer. Some of you may remember her hosting the fantastic 31 Days of Creative Writing last October, and this month she is writing for 31 days about self-publishing because she is publishing a book on October 30th, and she let me read it early! She is fantastic like that :)

You can purchase the physical copy or the Kindle edition of Re'and the Book on Amazon or click here to visit Victoria Easter Wilson Writer and download the PDF {update 11-16-14: due to some testing periods, this link is no longer available}.
{Update on 10-28-14: these links should be working properly now - please email or comment if there are problems!}

On with the review!

This book is great. I love the character development, the snark, the detail in the setting, and the plot. "Re'and" is the name of the world and there are many countries/nations within Re'and. I won't give away the story, but I will tell you that it reminded me of Middle Earth in that humans were one of several different races in the story.

I appreciated the pace of the story... throughout the journey of the main character, I felt like we spent a goodly amount of time at each place. There were some spots I wished provided more back story or detail, but maybe it will come up in a sequel or prequel, right, Victoria!?

There were several elements that definitely could have been overdone, but they were done perfectly. I never felt like Victoria thought I was unintelligent; she described what she needed to describe and then moved on. There was nothing that made me think, "Ok, I get it already!"

Re'and is really clean - no language, no sex, and only a bit of violence, but no gore. Catherine wrote a great review as well, and she is purchasing this book for her almost-a-teenager niece.

One of the best parts of Re'and for me was the characters. I loved how we met so many different people, and that we got "closure" with so many of them. I'm definitely an optimist and I love a happy ending, so it was wonderful to discover all the minor characters - and there is a beautiful variety of them! - and how the story ended with each of them.

Now that I've told you how wonderful this book is, I have to tell you something else. Victoria is so, so generous and she offered to make me an affiliate for the purpose of funding my doula education! Isn't she the greatest!? So those links up there are affiliate links, and all the affiliate income will go directly to my doula certification process. I told you Victoria is awesome!

I'm blown away by how generous she is... but I'm not at all surprised at how great her book is {and as cheesy as that sounds, I'm not saying it because of her generosity!}. If you are looking for a good read with great character development, fantastical elements, and lots of travelling, check out Re'and! 

Recently...

...reading The Locust Effect by Gary Haugen, founder of International Justice Mission, and Victor Boutros; Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin - less than 100 pages to go!

...contemplating the beginning of doula certification and the coming workload. My first desire is to GO GO GO in a crazy and futile attempt to get it all done at once, but I know that I will be more successful in a chunk-by-chunk approach.

...waiting for some essential oils and a poster frame to arrive in the mail. Can't wait for either - thank God for Amazon Prime!

...watching "The Mindy Project" - only one more episode of Season One!

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...anticipating Halloween with Cami and Samara! Last year we went as the Fantastic Fox Family, and this year we've got some pretty "rockin'" plans... no spoilers here, though!

...planning Christmas presents already. Thinking of both DIY options and more intentional purchases.

...working on finding my next crochet project. I finished Cami's birthday present with a striped cowl and matching headband, and now it's decision time for above-mentioned Christmas presents.

...hoping for some cute boxes at Michael's for beautifying my home, and some fake flowers can't hurt, either.

...dreading the end of Doctor Who Season Eight. I know we're only halfway done with the season, and there are still plenty of characters to develop, but already I'm dreading watching the last episode.

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...ready for my next audio book! I ordered The Girl Who Came Home and it's waiting for me at the library as I type.

...grateful for text conversations, spontaneous phone dates, peanut butter, family, doula adventures about to start, and the grace of God. 

Doula Adventures: Bradley Class is Done!

{Oops, I totally did not do a two/thirds done post. Forgive me and blame the summer's sunshine!}

Bradley Birth Class is over. It was a fantastic twelve weeks, and when the last class was over, we were all hugging and planning a reunion after the babies are born. Yipee!

The biggest lesson I learned from the Bradley class is how long it takes to practice and get comfortable with the different techniques. Honestly, I think you could go through any birth class and find a method or six that will work for you, but the real key to success is to practice. Stephanie said it many times: labor is a marathon, and it takes time to train for a marathon.

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The Bradley method touches on every aspect of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. The two couples had lots of questions, and Stephanie was prepared for everything. No question was outside her scope of knowledge, or if it was, she found an answer the next week.

I really appreciated how there was no "normal" standard for a labor and delivery; all the information presented was "some women experience this and some women experience that." I think the couples found that helpful so they could know all the possibilities but also know that nothing was wrong if they did or didn't experience something.

The Bradley method is awesome at including dads. Dr. Bradley's book is actually written to dads, which I think dads appreciate with so many other pregnancy books geared towards women, obviously. The book was a little annoying to read, and Dr. Bradley has some funky, perhaps out-dated ideas, but overall good information.

If you want to learn more about the Bradley method, you can ask me anything or check out their website. Also, thanks to multiple babysitting jobs this week, BAI certification should start by the end of October at the latest {I'm hoping}. Thanks for all your kind and enthusiastic comments - you help me stay excited when the process seems slow. You are all wonderful!

Currently...

...listening to Imogen Heap's album Ellipse and loving basically every track.

...reading This Star Won't Go Out by Esther Grace Earl and her parents. Esther battled cancer for several years, was active in the Nerdfighter community, and wrote pages and pages in her journals. After she passed away in 2010, her parents published her journals, along with other stories and notes from friends and family. While The Fault In Our Stars is not written about Esther, John Green dedicated it to her and was inspired - in more ways than just his book - by Esther. 

TSWGO organization

...watching "Doctor Who" Season 8, Episode 3 tonight with Samara! I'm excited to see the interaction between Clara and Robin Hood :) And before tonight's episode, I will probably watch at least one episode of "Wonderfalls," a quirky one-season show with Lee Pace. Yes, I'm obsessed, but how can I not be?

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...working on a DIY project for a table lamp. I'm excited to share the finished product soon :)

...drinking lots of water. Feeling slightly dehydrated and I want to nip that in the bud. 

...wondering if I should have taken my sister up on her invitation to go to Wild Waves for one of the last nice days of the summer. She called this morning and I opted out - does that make me old?? Probably, but at least I own it, right?

...anticipating some packages in the mail. I ordered some clothing from Amazon and some sheets from Macys yesterday {thanks be unto whoever invented online shopping}, and both orders should be in here in a week-ish. {I think the fact that I'm excited for new sheets is confirmation that I'm old.}

...looking forward to a friend's birthday celebration tomorrow. Brunch, relaxation, and picnics in the park are all on the docket, and I'm thinking about making some sangria :)

...thinking that I should exercise and shower in order to fully appreciate this wonderful weekend.

Linking up with Bailey Jean today for Day Six of her Blog-tember challenge. Thanks for the prompt, Bailey!

Book Review: "Interrupted" by Jen Hatmaker

{I know this is too late to add to the link-up, but I promised a review and here I am working on the delivery. Please go read Jen's own words and then everyone else's words, but more importantly, read the book.}

God has perfect timing, ya know? A year ago, I would have read this book, smiled, and put it aside. What a nice little book. But this year?

After my church has completely changed directions and styles and methods? After I've read Jesus Feminist by Sarah Bessey, which completely shifted my entire brain? After reading Jen's book 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess and having my world totally rocked? After watching so many tragedies take place around the world and at home... I'll say it again: God's timing is perfect. {And I apologize for not blogging about any of these subjects extensively/at all - some things are too tender for words.}

Interrupted is a cool glass of water that doesn't appear to be that appetizing until you start drinking and realize how gosh darn thirsty you actually are. For me, the second half of the book was better than the first. Jesus calls us to share the Good News {Matthew 25}, and that Good News is detailed in Isaiah 58:6-12.

Is not this the fast that I choose:

to loose the bonds of wickedness,

to undo the straps of the yoke,

to let the oppressed go free,

and to break every yoke?

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry

and bring the homeless poor into your house;

when you see the naked, to cover him,

and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,

and your healing shall spring up speedily;

your righteousness shall go before you;

the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.

Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;

you shall cry, and He will say, "Here I am."

If you take away the yoke from your midst,

the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,

if you pour yourself out for the hungry

and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,

then shall your light rise in the darkness

and your gloom be as the noonday.

And the Lord will guide you continually 

and satisfy your desire in scorched places

and make your bones strong;

and you shall be like a watered garden,

like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.

And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;

you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;

you shall be called the repairer of the breach,

the restorer of streets to dwell in.

{ESV}

Reviews are hard to write when you want to quote the whole book, so instead I will tell you that a) I will be re-reading this book again and again, and b) you should read this book, too. Jen is so real and authentic, and I know that she is writing out of real, broken, hard-earned revelation. I laughed, cried, and sat stunned all in the same chapter {and it happened almost every chapter}. Go read it - that's my review.