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?

Not Alone Series: Challenge Accepted!

Linking up with the fantastic Jen from Jumping in Puddles and Morgan from Follow and Believe for this challenging edition of the Not Alone Series!

It's that time again! In the past, we've challenged ourselves to grow and/or take steps toward moving closer to our vocation. These challenges have come in all different forms! Being active with online dating, getting more involved with young adult ministry/parish life and working on bettering my prayer life have been {Jen's} personal challenges. What is one thing you want to challenge yourself to do that might help you along your path towards God's will...or maybe just help you become more open to God's will? 
Share what your plan is and why, and then in 2 weeks we'll write on how this challenge went!

I love that this challenge is coming in the second half of Lent, because I can feel myself losing focus and needing something to bump me back on track. Not that this challenge will be related to/associated with Lent, but having this challenge will help me stay on track with the challenge of Lent, if that makes sense.

For the next two weeks, I want to focus on praying every morning and tracking my food intake throughout the day. I have a rosary {made by the lovely Sarah Therese!} to help with the former and I use the My Fitness Pal app for the latter.

I've been pretty good about reading the Bible every morning {thank you, Bible app!} and staying on track with my Lent reading plan. I want to emphasize prayer for two weeks for a myriad of reasons, the foremost of which is that Jesus tells us to pray :) Good reason, huh!

As for using the My Fitness Pal app, I've been hesitantly getting back on the bandwagon, but this challenge should be the accountability and habit-forming kick in the pants I need. Also, I've entered into a competition with another volunteer at Care Net, and I want to be win!

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Alright, there you have it. Prayer and food tracking, here we go!