2019 Goals and Challenges

Hi friends! It's time to join TBB for some new years resolutions! Just kidding, I don't do yearly goals or resolutions. I do, however, create monthly goals and you can see the ones I've created for January here (along with my word of the year!).

As for more long term goals, I started a new 101 in 1001 list on January 15th. 101 in 1001 is a challenge by the Day Zero Project in which you complete 101 goals in 1001 days. This will be my third attempt at one of these challenges. The first time I only accomplished 30, then 60, so hopefully I'll get to 90 this time around?! Some of these goals are ones from past challenges that never got accomplished, some are repeats that need to be done again, and some are brand new. One thing I've learned from doing this particular challenge is to be more realistic about what I can accomplish the the 3-ish years that make up 1001 days. You can see my latest list here. So far I have 94 things on my list and need some help coming up with a few more! 

And then I have my reading goals. My Goodreads goal for the year is 50. I'm participating in Book Challenge by Erin 10.0, in which I have 4 months to read 10 books from different categories. In the Modern Mrs. Darcy Challenge (below), you have a year to read 10 books in different categories, so that one is easy. I also want to attempt the PopSugar Reading Challenge which is 40 books across different categories in one year. I think I read 34 last year, so hopefully this time around I'll finish it! I haven't picked my books for that challenge yet, but you can see the categories below. 

Modern Mrs. Darcy Reading Challenge

Book you’ve been meaning to read: My Squirrel Days- Ellie Kemper

Book About a topic that fascinates you: The Little Book of Hygge- Meik Wiking*

Book in the backlist of a favorite author: Fangirl- Rainbow Rowell

Book recommended by someone with great taste: Bookshop of Yesterdays- Amy Meyerson*

3 books by the same author- Dash and Lily's Book of Dares, The Twelve Days of Dash and Lily, and Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist- Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

A book you chose for the cover: The Adults- Caroline Hulse*

A book by an author who is new to you: An Almost Perfect Christmas- Nina Stibbe

A book in translation: You Second Life Begins When You Realize You Only Have One- Raphaelle Giordano*

A book outside your (genre) comfort zone: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy- Douglas Adams*

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A book published before you were born: Little Women- Louisa May Alcott*

What are some of your goals this year? 

Linking up with The Blended Blog!

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10 Debuts I Meant To Read in 2018

Last year I've read the most books Ive ever read in one year, totaling at 53. While some of them were debuts, many were oldies that I'd meant to read in years past. A classic case of "too many books, too little time!" Here are some of the debuts I meant to read in 2018. Ones with an asterisk are ones I currently own. One of my reading goals this year is to read books from my shelf, so hopefully those will get prioritized and read this year!

Infinite Pieces of Us- Rebekah Crane

My Squirrel Days- Ellie Kemper*

My Favorite Half-Night Stand- Christina Lauren

Your Second Life Begins When You Realize You only Have One- Raphaelle Giordano*

I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made For Whiteness- Austin Channing Brown*

Watching You- Lisa Jewell*

My Sister, The Serial Killer- Oyinkan Brathwaite

Sadie- Courtney Summers*

Girls' Night Out- Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke*

After Nightfall- A.J. Banner*

Have you read any of these? 

What 2018 books are you surprised you still haven’t read yet?

Linking up with The Artsy Reader Girl! 

January Goals + Word of the Year

For the last 2 years I've done a "word of the year" and both times I completely forgot about that word by March.  Not this year! This year I’m creating a vision board and placing it somewhere where I can see it and be reminded to “let go” every day. 

2017: Choice
2018: Do
2019: LET GO.

I feel like I’ve been carrying around a lot of resentment and anxiety, and biting my tongue and biding my time, especially in the latter part of 2018. The “Big Thing” of last year was getting my mom to meet my partner, Blue. My mom is not someone who gets pushed around or does anything she doesn’t want to do, but this was/is important to me. So I told her this, and made an agreement with her at the end of 2017: I wouldn’t say or suggest that they meet, or mention it at all, until she was ready and brought it up herself, on her own terms, for an entire year. To be honest, I didn’t think it would take that long, and that just having the freedom to do it of her own accord without me pressuring her would prompt her to do it sooner, but I’d give it a year anyway. 2018 has come and gone and I've held up my end of the deal, mentioning it only once in passing sometime in November, as a reminder. Unfortunately, she hasn't, and while that hurts (not just me but also Blue, who wants to meet her as well), I'm no longer going to pause our relationship because of my mom's inactions. No, this year, I'm making a point to let go. 

For the record, I've never seen Frozen, but this seemed fitting.

January Goals

• Respond to emails/comments with 24 hours- I've been doing better with this this year! 
• Meal plan- ...for the next 2 weeks at least! 
• Make 4 new recipes- I already started this with a beef stew last week, and making a rigatoni sausage and peas dish tomorrow! 
• Purchase and fill in new planner- Michael's is still sold out of the one I want online. 
• Read 5 books- Usually I read 2-3, but I've already read 3 this month and more than halfway through with 2 more. 
• Participate in Erin's 10.0 Reading Challenge- I'm reposting my list because I changed 4/10 categories from last week! (Changes denoted with an asterisk)

•Freebie: The Little Book of Hygge- Meik Wiking*
•Made into a movie: The Sun Is Also A Star- Nicola Yoon*
•Set in Europe: The Adults- Caroline Hulse*
•Newbery Award Winner/Honor Book: Long Way Down- Jason Reynolds
•A friend or family’s favorite: The Bookshop of Yesterdays - Amy Meyerson
•Published over 100 years ago: Little Women- Louisa May Alcott
•Six words in the title: Dash and Lily's Book of Dares- Rachel Cohn + David Levithan*
•Compass or cardinal direction in the title: Into The Beautiful North- Luis Alberto Urrea
•Originally published in a different language: P.S. From Paris- Marc Levy
•Begins with the letter N: Nine Perfect Strangers- Liane Moriarty

Do you make yearly or monthly goals?
Linking up with The Peaceful Posse!

Prime Purchases

Hey friends! Today I'm linking up my recent purchases with Tanya. These were all Christmas presents for friends and family. They aren't all from Amazon; in most cases I put where I actually purchased them from. *None of these are affiliate links!* Let's see where all of my money has been going lately...

Blue has an extensive Funko Pops! collection already, but she wanted to expand so I got her these: John McClane and Hans Gruber from Die Hard; Lord Varys and Yara Greyjoy from GoT.

I always buy socks and ornaments (and candy!) as stocking stuffers. This year I got Goonies and Star Wars socks from Hot Topic and Han Solo and Princess Leia Star Wars ornaments from Hallmark. I love the "Rebellious Rescue" one because it lights up and has sound! 

I was all about the drinks and drinking accessories for my brother and sister in law. For him, I got an Ommegang beer set and these stainless steel beer chiller sticks that you freeze and then pop right into your beer bottle. My sister in law is big on hosting and cocktails, so I gave her a set of hand dipped Maker's Mark rock glasses and a bottle of Maker's Mark.

The Big Lebowski glass set was for our token male friend. He loved the movie will probably display them rather than actually use them, but they look so cool! The picture shows a shot glass version but we got him the 16 oz ones. Love the etching. 

I wanted to buy blue and new TV, but there were so many types and sizes that I couldn't decide, so I went with a Best Buy gift card. I got her a pre-loaded Super Nintendo Classic (with 2 controllers) that she forgot she even wanted. (She's been playing Super Mario World non-stop lol). She loves all gadgets, so I also got her the new Amazon Echo Dot. She was able to set it up with her Hue lights and stereo and talks to it constantly. 

I had originally ordered this bag from DSW for my niece, but it never came! I was so annoyed, and I still haven't been reimbursed yet. So I got her a rose gold Apple Watch bracelet band.

I had also originally purchased this hydration reminder for my other niece, but I wanted to give it to her with a new water bottle, which I forgot to buy. D'oh! Since she started a new job, I got her an engraved notepad and pen set, and another one for my boss. 

My other brother and sister in law got Rolling Stones concert tickets from their kids, so I bought them matching shirts to wear there. 

What are you purchasing lately? 

Linking up with Tanya! 

Show Us Your Books: December

It's the first SUYB of the new year- hooray! Unfortunately, I'm off to a slow start this year, but hopefully I'll find my reading mojo soon. Last year I'd set my Goodreads goal at 25, and wound up reading 53! So this year I've set my goal to 50. So far, I've read 1 lol. But it's still January! I'm also participating in Erin's latest reading challenge (further below), so that should definitely help! Here's what I've read since last time...


Almost Midnight: 2 Festive Short Stories- Rainbow Rowell: 4.5 Stars
library hard-back

My love affair with Rainbow Rowell continues. This was 2 short stories by her, Almost Midnight and Kindred Spirits. I loved this. Almost Midnight was about two friends who meet every year on NYE for 4 years and how their relationship changes. Kindred Spirits was about a Star Wars fangirl who stands on line for the latest movie and the relationship she has with the others in line. This one fell a little short for me; I definitely wanted more. But overall it was a fast fluffy read, which is exactly what I was in the mood for. 

An Almost Perfect Christmas- Nina Stibbe: 2 Stars
library hard-back

This was supposed to be a humorous memoir. It was basically a collection of short essays. Parts of it did give me a chuckle, but overall it was just very British. Like, so British that the language often confused me and the references didn't work for me. And one of the essays, "A Christmas Lunch" I think it was called, didn't make any sense at all. It wasn't about Nina and I have no idea what happened at the end. I think had this been set in the U.S. or if I'd known ahead that the whole thing was set in England I would have enjoyed it more. 

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Here's my list! So excited to participate again!

•Freebie: The Adults- Caroline Hulse
•Made into a movie: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy- Douglas Adams
•Set in Europe: It Started With Paris- Cathy Kelly
•Newbery Award Winner/Honor Book: Long Way Down- Jason Reynolds
•A friend or family’s favorite: The Bookshop of Yesterdays - Amy Meyerson
•Published over 100 years ago: Little Women- Louisa May Alcott
•Six words in the title: The Benefits of Being An Octopus- Ann Braden
•Compass or cardinal direction in the title: Into The Beautiful North- Luis Alberto Urrea
•Originally published in a different language: P.S. From Paris- Marc Levy
•Begins with the letter N: Nine Perfect Strangers- Liane Moriarty

What are you reading lately?

Linking up with Steph and Jana!

TBB Asks: Entertainment

Books you have read multiple times: I've never read a book more than once! 

Favorite Book/Author of all time: Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli. I think my favorite author would be Gillian Flynn because she's the only author I've read everything by, though Rainbow Rowell is a very close second! 

Favorite TV Show to Binge: Friday Night Lights (Hulu) and The L Word (Netflix). There are rumors that The L Word may be rebooted as well, which I would LOVE! 

Favorite New-ish TV Show: 9-1-1, The Good Doctor, A Million Little Things, Station 19

Favorite Movie of all time: Pretty Woman and Love Actually 

Movie you are looking forward to watching: 

On the Basis of Sex (out now- the Ruth Bader Ginsburg story) 

Glass (Jan 18- M. Night Shyamalan's follow up to Unbreakable and Split) 

Captain Marvel (Mar 8) 

Pet Sematary (Apr 5)

Avengers: Endgame (Apr 26- the follow up to Avengers: Infinity War) 

Zombieland 2 (Oct 11) 

Dark Phoenix (June 7- an X-Men spinoff featuring Jean Grey) 

Star Wars 9 (Dec 20)

First Concert you attended: So, funny story. The first concert I saw was by accident- I was at the New Jersey State Fair and David Hasselhoff was performing! I think I was about 9? He gave me a signed CD though! The first one I paid to see was radio station Z100's "Zootopia." I remember seeing Britney Spears, 98 Degrees, UB40, and Willa Ford. 

Ultimate concert (even if it can't happen): I've been extremely fortunate the last two years and already saw my favorites. P!NK, Lady Gaga, Ed Sheeran, and Foo Fighters were all excellent!

Favorite music artist/band: I used to be obsessed with Nelly Furtado. Like, I had a "Nelly Wall" with magazine cutouts of her taking up an entire wall of my bedroom and even friends who found pics of her would give them to me to add to the wall. Now though, it changes all the time. CHVRCHES, Betty Who, and Misterwives are all current faves. 

How do you listen (streaming, CD, vinyl)? Streaming through Spotify, or via my iPod mini when commuting. 

What was the first concert you attended? 

Linking up with The Blended Blog!

What's New With Me Currently

airplane view coming into NYC from Nashville

Reading: The Adults- Caroline Hulse

Watching: A lot! Saw Aquaman in the theater- it was okay. There was a lot of CGI but I don't know how they could have produced it any other way and once you got over that it was a little long but pretty good.

Bird Box was a bit creepy but not really scary, if that makes sense? I thought it was really well done though! (Also, not sure if it matters but I didn't read the book.)

Dumplin' was adorable. 

Relatable with Ellen DeGeneres was... unrelatable. I like her as a talk and game show host but her stand up is running dry. 

The Haunting of Hill House literally scared me. I get scared when things jump out at me, so yeah. I watched the first half right before bed one night and had to rationalize with myself why I had no reason to be scared. Overall I thought it was really good until the last episode. 

Tidying Up with Marie Kondo is delightful! It's like Hoarders but less disgusting and more realistic, and she gives extra little tips in each episode. 

Looking forward to: me and Blue's anniversary this weekend. We're going to see Pretty Woman the Musical on Broadway and eat dinner at one of our favorite restaurants.

Annoyed at: myself for not buying a 2019 planner sooner. Of course I started looking after Christmas and Michael's is all sold out of the mini happy planner I want. I even went to 2 different stores looking for them but they were sold out there too! Le sigh. 

Choosing: a word/phrase for 2019, which I'll be sharing next week.

Tidying: my living room. I packed away my Christmas decorations on New Years Day, but then I realized I had a blank space where the tree stood so I rearranged some furniture and am happier with the results, but still not completely pleased.

Resolving: to get back in the kitchen and meal plan. I got a programmable crock pot for Christmas (with the auto warm setting when it's done- yesss!) and a crock-pot cookbook so once I hit the store I should be all set! 

Exploring: vacation idea for Spring. I'm hoping to go to a conference in Denver in March and see some friends while I'm there, but I also would like to head to a Caribbean island soon too. Maybe Aruba?

Refreshing: my skin care routine, which I stopped doing like 3 months ago? I don't even remember why or when exactly I stopped, I just did. Anyway, time to get back into the habit!

What's Going On: December flew by and though I love it because it's my birthday month, I'm a Grinch and therefore I'm thrilled that the holiday season is over. 

My mom took me out to dinner, my neighbor surprised me with wine and balloons, but the real birthday celebration was the following week when Blue and I went to Nashville. We went to museums, ate lots of Southern food, and listened to a ton of great music. Full recap coming next week!

Christmas was fine. My mom was supposed to stay over my apartment from Christmas Eve through Dec. 26th but she didn't show. I spent Christmas Eve morning opening presents with Blue. She was super excited about the classic Super Nintendo, and I love that I was able to capture her reaction above! Christmas Day I did not put on real clothes and spent the day on my couch reading, ordered Chinese food, and drank wine, and honestly it was perfect. 

Other December Things:

• Michael and I went to see Michelle Obama's "Becoming" book tour
• I passed, and finally received my Gold Certificate from a work conference a month ago
• A bunch of friends and I went to see The Roots Holiday tour
• I found a new-to-me favorite beer, Goose Island Parka Porter 
• Rang in the new year with the Mountain Mamas (I did not have to put on a coat or shoes because the hostess lived downstairs in Blue's building- huzzah)! 

What's currently new with you? 

Linking up with Anne and Kristen!