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See you Sunday St Louis!!!

Tuesdays with Morrie

Today for Book Club Friday, I am going to share with you the other book that I got in the book swap earlier this month.

Tuesdays with Morrie

I don't have a sleeve from the book to tell you exactly what it says on the back, but here is a brief overview of it:

The author (Mitch Albom) was a student of Morrie in college and they became very close then. After he graduated, Mitch didn't speak to Morrie again until he found out that he (Morrie) was dying of Lou Gehrig's disease. He then starts flying in once a week to sit with Morrie and gain as much knowledge and wisdom as he can from Morrie while there's still time.

I LOVED this book. The fact that it is a true story makes it so great because it just makes you feel good to know that someone as amazing as Morrie really existed in our world. It's heartfelt, inspiring, and overall a feel good read. Sure, I shed a few tears in the end as Morrie's life ended, but overall it opened my eyes to some important lessons in life.

I'd give it 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Recovery Time

I'm pretty sure I'm not the only person who is still trying to recuperate from all the Christmas celebrating and not sleeping. So I thought I'd link up for It's Okay Thursday rather than try to write out cohesive thoughts.

It's okay... that I have every intention of leaving my Christmas stuff up and to listen to Christmas music until New Years

It's okay... to be considering a second dog. It seems like since my mom moved out and took her two dogs with her, Buck has been really depressed and neurotic, so I feel like a second dog would help him.

It's okay... that I am already preparing my Christmas list for next year (seriously... save a copy on your computer and update it as the year goes on so when Christmas rolls around you already have a list of things you've thought of as the year goes on!)

It's okay... that I have to avoid watching football in public due to the fact that I get WAY too worked up.

It's okay... that I love watching the drama on True Life

It's okay... that the days following a holiday feel 10x longer than normal days.

That's it, that's all I've got kids.

Spoiled Rotten

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!
I have a lot of stuff that happened over the past couple days, but due to the fact that I am fond of you guys, I will give you the cliff notes version.

Christmas Eve: 
Work until 3.
Come home and get my monster prime rib in the oven and desperately try to clean our living room for dinner.
Go to Chad's dad's house for some appetizers and gift opening.
Run BACK to our house (where the prime rib was still cooking) to get dinner all finished up and on the table.
Christmas eve church service (my FAVORITE church service of the year).
Back home to stay up until 1:45 to wrap gifts (I've never been so unprepared for Christmas in my life!)

Christmas Day (aka Today):
My mom, Sister, and brother in law came over at 8 to open gifts.
Off to Chad's mom's house at 10:30 for Christmas breakfast (where the white elephant gifts were 95% booze!)
On to Chad's aunt and uncle's house at 2:30 for dinner.
Back home for me to take a much needed nappy nap and Chad out hunting.

It was a great holiday, even though I was abnormally stressed out this year, what with all the work we've been trying to do around the house and whatnot. And now, since I know you're dying to find out what I got  from Santa, here you have it:

Island Oasis Paradise Island lounge

Games

Book

Gift Cards

Other Goodies

Yep, Sister and brother in law bought FRONT ROW TICKETS for all 5 of us!!!!

I got so many other great things too, but we don't have all day here people.

I hope everybody had an amazing Christmas and you got to spend it with your friends and loved ones!

Back to the grind tomorrow...

STRESS!!!

Well friends, the past few days have consisted of cleaning, trimming our tree, baking Christmas cookies, last minute shopping (THREE TIMES!), furniture moving, and football.

I just wanted to pop in and tell you guys that I haven't forgotten about you (although it's only been two days since I last blogger, it feels like forever because all my days are melting together, like some sort of drug movie).

I also wanted to remind you guys that the Seahawks are kickin' ass and takin' names. Watch out playoffs, we're coming for you!!!

(whoever made this thing needs to realize that Russell is spelled with two Ls. Fool. Whatever.

Catch Up Day

Although I haven't been posting any book reviews lately, it doesn't mean I haven't been reading! I have three books to share with you today.

For forty one years, Samson Brown has been caring for Hannah, the lone elephant at the down-at-the-heels Max L Biedelman Zoo. Having vowed not to retired until an equally loving and devoted caretaker is found to replace him, Sam rejoices when smart, compassionate Neva Wilson is hired as the new elephant keeper. But Neva quickly discovers what Sam already knows: that despite their loving care, Hannah is isolated from other elephants and her feet are nearly ruined from standing on hard concrete all day. Using her contacts in the zookeeping world, Neva and Sam hatch a plan to send Hannah to an elephant sanctuary - just as the zoo's angry, unhappy director launches an aggressive revitalization campaign that spotlights Hannah as the star attraction, inextricable tyle Hannah's future to the fate of the Max L Biedelman zoo.

The Good: The characters are really well developed and you get a good idea of what they are all thinking and feeling. Also the author has the book flip flopping between the current time period and back 40 years before when Sam first starts caring for Hannah.

The Bad: I don't have much to say bad about this book, aside from the fact that it leaves me wanting to know what happens in the end. I want one of those chapters that says how things end up 10 years down the road, ya know?

Overall this is a great book for people who like books about animals and I would give it 4 out of 5 stars.

To five year old Jack, Room is the world. It's where he was born, it's where he and his Ma eat and sleep and play and learn. At night, Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where Jack is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma it's the prison where she has been held for seven years. Through her fierce love for her son, she has created a life for him in this eleven-by-eleven foot space. But Jack's curiosity is building alongside Ma's own desperation - and she knows that Room cannot contact either much longer.

The Good:  The author wrote a book unlike any other I've ever read. It's suspenseful and I found myself holding my breath sometimes, not knowing how things would turn out. It also had extra little details popping up all through the story that gives you even more information than you thought you needed.

The Bad: It's very hard to get into the book because it's written from this little boys POV. Since he doesn't know anything other than the inside of this room, everything is written as proper nouns, like Bed, Toilet, Wardrobe and they are referred to almost as if they are people. It makes it really hard to read at first, but you get used to it.

I give this one 3 out of 5.

Stephanie Plum has a way of attracting danger, lunatics, oddballs, bad luck... and mystery men. A no one is more mysterious than the unmentionable Diesel. He's back and hot on the trail of a little man in green pants who's lost a giant bag of money. Problem is, the money isn't exactly lost. Stephanie's Grandma Mazur has found it, and like any good Jersey senior citizen, she's hightailed it in a Winnebago to Atlantic City and hit the slots. With Lila and Connie in tow, Stephanie attempts to bring Grandma home, but the luck of the Irish is rubbing off on everyone: Lula's found a job modeling plus-size lingerie. Connie's found a guy. Diesel's found Stephanie. And Stephanie has found herselve in over her head with a caper involved thrice-stolen money, a racehorse, a car chase, and a bad case of hives.

The Good: It was short.

The Bad: I honestly feel bad writing a bad review about this book because i know a lot of people LOVE the Stephanie Plum books. But I've never read one before, so it was really odd to read this one without having read any of the back story. The characters seemed goofy and unreal. I feel like the story was supposed to be suspensful and keep you on the edge of your seat, but when I read it, it almost seemed more like a comedy. I didn't really think anything bad was going to happen because it all seemed so weird. There was a leprechaun who wanted a horse and they kept it in an RV and an apartment... there was a guy who apparently can disappear and scramble computers... there's an angry mobster who looks like a toad. It just didn't entertain me.

I'd give it 1.5 out of 5 stars. I feel like I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I had read the series from the beginning.

It's Okay

While I'm working up my energy to battle the stuff in my living room, I thought I might pop in and link up with Neely and Amber for It's Okay Thursday.

It's okay... that I an unusually stoked about the fact that I got our bathroom sink unclogged

It's okay... that we still don't have our Christmas tree. Seriously thinking about forcing Chad to come pick one out with me tonight, regardless of all the rain!

It's okay... that Jersey Shore has been on my TV all week while I've been working on painting

It's okay... to be pissed that San Diego won Battle of the Seasons. I really wanted Brooklyn to win!

It's okay... that watching The Challenge shows on MTV makes me feel really motivated to start cross fit or something, just to be ready in case I ever end up on a Challenge.

It's okay... that my cat is a complete psycho in the mornings, and then sleeps like the dead all afternoon.

It's okay... that I don't have my Christmas shopping done yet, and I have no idea what to get for Chad's dad, sister, mom, and dad's girlfriend.

It's okay... that since I am getting such a late start on Christmas, I feel as though I will try to extend my Christmas cheer through New Years

It's okay... to buy the meat at Safeway that is almost at the sell by date, so it's 30-50% off. Don't judge me.

What I've Been Up To

This week, since I'm on vacation from work, these are the things I've been up to:

1. trying desperately to get my Christmas shopping done. I've now completed all my online shopping, which just leaves my desperate dash to the stores on Friday to get last minute stocking stuffers, etc.

2. attempting to get our master bedroom primed, painted, and finished. And find a home for my mom's old twin sized bed that apparently nobody wants to buy.

3. Going to the dentist to have filling replaced. My new fillings look awesome, but I'm definitely NOT loving the share, jagged edge of my teeth. I may be making a return visit to get that situation taken care of.

4. Trying to figure out a plan of action to deal with the plethora of stuff in my living room... it all belongs to my mom, but her condo isn't quite ready for it yet. However I fully intend to get a Christmas tree up in this joint by this weekend, so I'm gonna have to get creative.

This picture is a few weeks old... the mess isn't quite this bad anymore. But it's still a rough situation.

5. Wasting time watching the Jersey Shore marathon on MTV. Judge all you want, that's entertaining to me.

Anyways friends, that's what I've got going on this week. I felt the familiar pangs of an anxiety attack last night while I was trying to go to sleep, so I really need to get my ass in gear and get this crap taken care of so I can enjoy Christmas!

OHP

It's been a while since I linked up with Michelle for OHP Wednesday, and since I am knee deep in home improvements, I am definitely in need of a mindless blog post.

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Day of Silence

Holiday Swap Reveal!

Hey kids! I was hoping to have a whole post today about all the stuff I did over the weekend (like Wing Dome and Zoo Lights), but all the pictures are on Chad's phone, and he's at work. 

So instead, I'm just going to share with you the stuff I got in my Holiday Blog swap package from Meghan, my fellow Washingtonian!

Again, my apologies for my crappy picture. Still using the ole G1 phone...

What Meghan sent me:

1. a fun striped mug
2. a delicious smelling Glad candle
3. a gorgeous orange scarf
4. a fun glittery nail polish
5. a mini bottle of champagne
6. champagne TOPPERS (seriously what a genius idea!)
7. A hot chocolate stirrer thing (just stir it in warm milk to make chocolate peanut butter hot chocolate)
8. peppermint bark and little candy canes

It was seriously like Christmas when I was opening my package. Every little bundle I opened was more and more exciting. 

I'm also so glad that I was matched up with Meghan. She's so sweet and since we live close together, I'm really hoping we can meet someday soon!!!