July Reading Goal

So, once upon a time I was determined to read two books each month. And I did it for a few months, but then things went a little crazy and I fell off the wagon. I read in the months of April, May and June but I did not keep track of what I read (and — truth be told —  it wasn’t two books a month). But I’m back with two books I read in July.

Fahrenheit 451

This is another classic I probably should have read in high school but it was never assigned. It was a really interesting read about what could happen if we not only stop reading but consider reading a crime. Weird, huh? It was a short book and I wish I had more background on some of the characters. I could definitely see how this would fit  into a classroom setting with lots of analysis. I read a little analysis after reading the book and it was insightful. I’ll have to read the book again soon!

Room

This was a really heavy book, especially considering some things in the news recently. “Room” is a book told from the perspective of a five-year-old who lives in a one-room shed with his mother. His mother is the victim of a kidnapper/abuser and the boy is the one blessing that comes from that abuse. I won’t go too much into the plot because I don’t want to give anything away, but it is so interesting to imagine how this little boy experiences such a limited life in a garden shed, yet he doesn’t know that it is limited. His mother does everything she can for him — teaches him to read, keeps him active, keeps him fed, protects him from her abuser. It made me upset for him and his mother and I cheered for them in whatever they did.

 

This summer has been a bit of a whirlwind. I am hoping to get more regular with my blogging a little later once things settle down. Things may be changing in our lives pretty soon, so with that cliffhanger I’ll sign off!

Feeling pretty rad

I promise I’m not conceited – just rad! I participated in the Color Me Rad 5K in Little Rock June 15 and it was awesome. It was my first 5K and I had been training off and on for a while. I didn’t run the whole thing, but it was great to participate! It wasn’t timed or anything so there wasn’t a ton of pressure. There were all sorts of runners there – slow, fast, competitive, costumed. It was a lot of fun!

My “after” photo for the Color Me Rad 5K. It was awesome!

Here are some observations I tried to take note of while I was running:

• Some course (like this one) may have hills not accounted for in training. Be prepared.
• Water. Lots of it.
• Themed races like this are probably even more fun with a friend! I had a friend signed up with me but she had some family obligations and couldn’t make it.
• iPhone/iPod protection is important. I didn’t have any problems, but I could see how some people might with this race.
• I want to run more.
• Running is actually really fun.

So, yes. I like to run. I made some goals for myself and I’d like to run (like, run the whole thing) a 5K in the late fall. There is also a huge race weekend in Little Rock in March, so maybe I can up my game and participate? We shall see!

Quinoa Caprese Salad

Tomorrow I’m running my first 5K. Eeek!! I’m really nervous even though it is not a timed race. I am not as prepared as I’d like to be, but we’ll see what will happen.

After running a couple miles yesterday in preparation for Saturday, I wanted something healthy, delicious and fresh to munch on. I’ve had a bag of quinoa in the pantry for a while and finally had a chance to use it.

February and March Reading Goal

 

Busy! That’s my main word right now. But I did want to update you all on my reading goal.

Full disclosure: I only read one book in February instead of two. Combining the move, my long commute, lack of free time and the shorter month that’s just all I could do. And I finished March’s second book yesterday. Oh well.

“The Secret Man: The Story of Watergate’s Deep Throat”

This was the book I read in February. Incredible! I am a journo-nerd and I love it. If you don’t know the story of Watergate and Deep Throat, check it out. This book was written by Bob Woodward, the journalist who was able to use Deep Throat as a source to lead him to info on the Watergate scandal.

Woodward really opens up in the book about how he met former FBI assistant director W. Mark Felt, his relationship with him even before Woodward turned to journalism and the wonderful and complex way Felt communicated with Woodward through the whole scandal (and how he covered his tracks back at the FBI).

If you like journalism or have seen “All the President’s Men” or have any interest in American history, I highly recommend this book. Very interesting, well written and honest.

New experiences

This weekend was awesome! I had several new experiences and have started on some new goals. Here’s a quick rundown of what’s been going on.

1. I tried yoga for the first time.

And I’m still a little sore. I am not bendy at all. And I’m really not good at relaxing, especially when trying new things. But I found a Groupon for a local yoga studio and decided to try it out Saturday morning. I thought a few times about backing out and just going to Hobby Lobby or something, but I resolved to trying yoga. I enjoyed it and I’m trying to figure out when I can go again. Being a journalist doesn’t provide a regular schedule, so I have to plan week by week.

2. I went to the Arkansas State Capitol.

After my yoga class TK and I went to  Little Rock. They keep the Capitol building open on Saturdays so you can just wander. It was pretty cool! I love how the different branches of government work, and the building was pretty too. Plus it was a beautiful day outside so we got to wander around the complex a bit. Love it!

January Reading Goal

In an effort to keep myself on track for my 2013 goals, I want to give you a quick update on my reading last month.

One of my goals for the year is to read at least two books each month. In January I finished the last two Harry Potter books and, in case anyone is confused, it was my first time reading them!

I know, I know; I’m a little late to the Harry Potter party. When the books first came out I was reading other things (I was working my way through all the Nancy Drew books then moved on to Anne of Green Gables) and then when I had a free reading moment I already felt a little behind. So, now that I’m a professional and have a little more time on my hands, I decided to pick these books up! I started the series in July and read the last two in January. It took me about three days to read the last book if that’s any indication of how much I liked it 🙂

There are some people out there who haven’t read the books and are thinking about it, so I’m not going to go into detail about them, but I did want to share some basic reflections.

A simple update

Well, it’s a good thing I didn’t make blogging on a regular basis one of my goals for 2013! It’s been a CRAZY few weeks and I haven’t done too much worthy to share. So, in the spirit of blogging, I want to just give you a simple update on life.

• Our lease is up soon so we’re looking/packing/freaking out a bit (well, that last one might just be me) about what’s coming up in the next couple months. At some point I want to get a small house we can make our own through all my Pinterest finds, but at this point we’re working on paying off our lovely school loans before we start thinking about buying a house. Maybe someday…
• Kora is growing up so fast! She’s getting her last puppy shots in a couple weeks. We had a bad experience at one vet and found another that we love, so that’s fantastic! She discovered her bark the other day which was quite entertaining. Too too funny 🙂
• My goals for the year are going well so far! I’ve read two books this month (working on a third) and I will be posting a review of the books I read at the end of every month. I have a crazy span of genre I like, so don’t be too shocked when you see it. We’re eating really healthy stuff recently, too. As far as running that 5K … I’ll get back to you on that.

Other than that life is just kinda rolling along. We’ve had a couple threats of “snow” here in Atlanta yet I have only seen one lone flurry on my commute today. Oh well.

Goals: 2013

Happy New Year, friends!

Happy New Year!

TK and I spent New Year’s Eve evening with some friends playing games and eating an array of delicious food. Good start? Yes, I’d say so. Unfortunately, yesterday was not a joyous start of 2013 after I had to take sweet little Kora to the emergency vet after her (soon to be former) vet overloaded her on unnecessary vaccines (Side Note: I highly suggest avoiding Banfield Vet Hospitals).

Now that Kora’s back to normal and life has continued moving with 2013, I guess it’s time to make some goals. I always hesitate making “resolutions” because I tend to be too legalistic with such things and then fall flat on my face when I make unrealistic expectations. A few years ago I did make it a goal to cut out all soda products and I have kept that one for a while now (I may have had a ginger ale on a plane trip this year, but that’s pretty much it).

This year I am going to make a few realistic goals that I can keep up with throughout the year. Then, in about 363 days I’ll look back and see how I did!

So, here they are:

Crock Pot: Baked Potato Soup

In my last post I said I had some goals for this month, and this post I’m going to give you an update and then a couple yummy recipes. I know, get excited.

So here are my goals:

1. Start running again – Well, I was going to start that this afternoon, but we had thunderstorms all around us and all the running websites I’ve visited said not to risk it if there’s lightning. And for some reason our apartment complex’s “fitness center” doesn’t have a treadmill. Hopefully the weather will clear up and I can start tomorrow.

2. Learn at least two healthy crock-pot recipes – TK and I just finished eating a delicious baked potato soup. Usually I’m leery of potato soups because they tend to be so creamy, but I eliminated the milk (which was kind of a mistake while reading the recipe but it still turned out great!), so it was better than I was expecting. Plus it was very tasty. Look below for the recipe (plus the recipe for the cheesy biscuits I made with it!).

3. Watch some football – I’m currently watching the UL- Monroe/Arkansas game. Did you know a pass interference gets 15 yards and a first down for the team the pass interference was performed against? I learned that tonight.

4. Continue learning more about HTML/CSS – Totally did that this week. I started writing code! I can now write a heading for my website. That’s a start, right?

5. Join my church in reading the New Testament – TK and I have been keeping up with this and I’ve already learned a lot. It’s interesting to read through the book of Matthew (for example) and keeping the author in mind. He had a much different perspective and audience than other writers such as Luke.

And now, the grand finale, the delicious recipes from tonight’s meal! I adapted the soup recipe from 365 Days of Slow Cooking and the cheesy biscuits came from Plain Chicken.

Baked Potato Soup