Saying Goodbye to Summer, but not to blogging

Just that quick summer is over.  I would still like to blog, but just haven't gotten the hang of it.  I'm going to try to blog once a week - I'm hoping as I blog I will find a rhythm - we'll see how it goes!

Summer Bucket meets Lifetime Bucket...

One of the items on my Lifetime Bucket List was getting a tattoo...During a mini-getaway to Door County/Green Bay with Holly and my daughter-in-law Melanie we decided to get tattoos.  This wasn't completely "spur of the moment" because we had discussed it a few times before...it just wasn't part of our scheduled activities for that weekend.  But it couldn't have turned out any better!  We ended up going to Artrageous Ink in Green Bay and I LOVE my tattoo.  Thanks Steve! 

Tea Time!

Yesterday I had the most enjoyable day - a friend treated me to lunch at Johanna May's Fine Teas in Weston.  The tearoom is cozy and comfortable - yet elegant, with lace tablecloths and fine place settings.  The tables are nestled inside a quaint little gift shop containing assorted teapots and accessories, devotionals and gift books.  The food was fabulous and our waitress had the perfect demeanor - relaxed, friendly and informed.  I am blessed to have such thoughtful friends. What a wonderful gift!   And I will be visiting Johanna May's again.  http://www.johannamaysfineteas.com/

Summer Goal: Get in (Better) Shape

Vague, I know.  I want to lose 30 pounds and firm up my body, but I need more than one summer for that!  Instead, I've settled on implementing a few changes.

Walking every day - a trip down our road and back equates to 2.0 miles.  For the past nine days I've made at least one trip - and seven of the days I've made two trips.  Not bad for a self-proclaimed couch potato.  Well, more like a desk potato if I'm to be honest.

I attribute my early success to our granddog, Abby.  She LOVES to go for walks.  And there's something about her perky ears and wagging tail that encourages me to go for a walk even when minutes before I decided to skip it.  I guess I don't like to disappoint - be it people or animals.  The good news is that the more I walk, the more I want to walk.  This morning I was up at 5:45 and out the door a few minutes later.

Our walks are always interesting, but more on that in another post.

Drinking lots of water - I already have this one down pat.  I normally drink at least 64 ounces of water a day.

Choosing wisely - ah...my Achilles' heel.  This is the "make or break" change that will determine my success.  Watching portions, eating healthy without depriving myself of the joy of a yummy cheeseburger or french fries when necessary!  Scary stuff!

Summer Goal: Read at least 10 books

I did hit my goal of 10 for the summer - just didn't do such a great job of keeping up this list. 

• August reads included Winter Garden (unabridged audio) by Kristen Hannah, A Deadly Cliche by Ellery Adams, One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf, and One Summer by David Baldacci

I have a few more books to add to the list:

• 7//12/12 Stay Close by Harlan Coben
• 7/11/12 A Killer Plot by Ellery Adams  This was a new author for me.  It started out a little slow, but by the time I was into the third chapter I was hooked.  I am making myself read a few more of the books I already own before running out and buying the others in this series.  Not as easy as you might think...
• 7/15/12 Murder on the Half Shelf by Lorna Barrett Newest in the Booktown series.  I enjoyed revisiting Booktown and the quirky characters.  I love the recipes that are included in each book and can't wait to try Angelica's Sausage and Vegetable Strudel. 
• 7/15/12 Come Home (unabridged audio) by Lisa Scottoline This was a good story.  I thought I had it figured out a few times, but I was wrong - love when that happens! 

You may have correctly assumed that I've done nothing but read in the last week or so.  Unfortunately it was because I was keeping my mom company while she was in and recovering from surgery.  More on that in another post.
**Update 6/21/12: I'm off to a great start toward hitting my summer reading goal, but I know I won't be able to continue devoting this much time to my reading habit. Eventually I'll have to put down the book and pick up the laundry...

• 6/21/12 Beachcombers by Nancy Thayer - I like happy endings and this book didn't disappoint.  I found myself unable to stop reading, yet slowing down to linger over the last few pages because I didn't want it to end.  It was written in a few different voices intermingling throughout, each with their own chapters - but it didn't feel disjointed or confusing as it sometimes can (in my opinion) when using this format.  While visiting Ms. Thayer's website (http://www.nancythayer.com/) two more books caught my eye - Summer Breeze and Summer House.  I ordered Summer House from http://www.paperbackswap.com/ and placed Summer Breeze on my wishlist.
• 6/19/12 Hearse and Buggy by Laura Bradford - An Amish Cozy.  First in the series and very enjoyable.  Made me want to learn how to make candles....maybe I should add that to my summer goals?
• 6/12/12 Insurgent by Veronica Roth - loved it too!  No pressure Ms. Roth, but we're ready for Book Three!  Read about these books in her blog http://veronicarothbooks.blogspot.com/p/books.html
• 6/7/12 Divergent by Veronica Roth - my BFF (am I too old to use that term?) Holly highly recommended (nagged!) me to read this book.  Now that I've read it, I understand why.  As soon as I was finished, I went to the store and purchased the second novel...

Summer 2012

This summer I've set a few goals for myself - one of them is to start blogging.  Others include getting in shape, reading more, making a SMASH journal, and organizing my home.  I've thought about blogging a lot over the past few years, but can't seem to get much farther than that.  So I'm just going to dive in! Ready, Set, Blog!

Introducing...
Pieces of me - likes, dislikes, thoughts, plans, adventures, inspirations, ideas - whatever fits the moment.