Guys, this week has been insane. Our busy time of year in my area at work is the summer, specifically orientation dates for new transfer students. Our orientation was yesterday, 7/28, which means Monday was a time crunch day. I got to work right before 6 am, and didn't leave until 8. Tuesday and Wednesday, me and two of the women I work with had to travel to Macon for a training - putting us out of the office the two days before orientation. Thursday, then, was orientation, and I got sick! More so, tomorrow is graduation in the morning, and finally the Ray LaMontagne show I won tickets for back in March. Sunday is moving day. Needless to say, I've been insanely busy, so forgive me for forgetting pictures on some days.

Friday, 7/23: My mom and I attended our first craft night together and built this awesome table. I can't wait to put it in the entryway of our new home!

Saturday, 7/24: Going through some boxes from my childhood and found all these pokeballs full of Pokemon and 24-kt gold Pokemon cards!

Sunday, 7/25: More packing, complete! Basically everything is packed at this point, except our daily essentials.

Tuesday, 7/27: After a day of data training, me and the ladies hit downtown Macon and got the Rookery for dinner (YUM!). Here's a shot of the street downtown.

Wednesday, 7/28: On our way out of Macon, I had to get Chipotle (they got Panda Express). I couldn't have been more satisfied!

I haven't chatted about it a lot on here, but I have type one diabetes. It runs in my family. When I was nine, I kept getting really sick at school. My mom would pick me up, get me food, and I'd feel better. She knew something was up, because I had always loved school. So, she took me to the local clinic. I was told there was sugar in my urine and was immediately sent to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta for a multi-day stay.


I remember different things about my hospital stay. My mom was with me the entire time. There was a craft room and I made tiny sheep out of yarn. I was taught about my pancreas using a canvas-doll. And I took classes with my mom on how to take care of myself.


Life became a lot different after that. I had to eat meals at 6 am, noon, and 6 pm. I took a shot using a syringe and mixed insulins at my 6 o'clock meal times. I had to have small snacks at 10 and 2. I had to get at least 30 minutes of exercise everyday. My meal plan was very specific. It was weird, hard, and confusing. I was just a child.


I remember passing out in the bathroom in fifth grade because my blood sugar dropped, and I remember a substitute teacher that yelled at me because I had to do things a little differently and she got "tired of all my diabetes crap."


Growing up, I always felt different. I had to keep an eye on everything I ate, and excuse myself at meal times to go hide in the bathroom and take a shot. Insulin pumps were an option when I was young, but weren't included by our insurance, so I couldn't get one. Now, I've managed my diabetes for over 15 years by using an insulin pen (convenient to carry around, unlike an insulin vial and syringes), so a pump seems too uncomfortable to me.


Over the years, I've become accustomed to living life with diabetes. I know that I've got to take a shot whenever I eat, and another before I go to bed each night. I drink diet sodas and unsweet tea. I use sweeteners instead of sugars. That doesn't mean it's always easy. Sometimes, the shots hurt. More than sometimes, I want to eat a tons of sweets. For once, I'd like to eat something and not have to take a shot afterwards. I love to carry a tiny purse, with just my wallet, phone, and keys, instead of all of my diabetes supplies, too.


Sometimes, it can really be a struggle. One that I don't want to see my children have to deal with in their life or in their childrens' lives. I will be walking at the Step Out Walk to Stop Diabetes walk in Atlanta this November. I urge you to sign up to walk in your city. You can find walks near you by visiting stepout.diabetes.org. Registration is free, but you can use your walker status to raise donations. If you're not interested in walking or running your own fundraiser, please feel free to donate to my team here. You can also find volunteer opportunities with the American Diabetes Association here on their website.









This is not a sponsored post, however, I am asking for donations on my behalf to the American Diabetes Association.

Did you hear all the hoopla around the Paper Towns movie? People were all about it, because they all loved The Fault in Our Stars, and thought Paper Towns was going to be just as great. Well, I read the book, and then basically watched the movie immediately afterwards, and to sum it up: meh.
I'll give John Green this - he's a great writer. I really enjoy reading his books. They don't make me think too hard or feel dumb when I'm reading them. I hate books like that. I can read his books with ease and whole-heartedly enjoy reading them. It's not ever so often that a book makes me laugh out loud- like really truly laugh like someone told me a hilarious joke- but his books do. And Paper Towns is no exception there.
I love the main characters' personalities: Q, Ben, and Radar. I think they're an awesome group of friends and have a great relationship together. I don't like the story line. I hate that this kid just drops everything that is important to chase some girl he hardly knows across the country. I get it: prom isn't important to him. But he basically chooses this mystery of a girl over his friends, and that really bothers me. The weird thing is, I wouldn't even call this a love story. How can he love this girl, when he hasn't talked to her in almost 10 years? I don't know. This book isn't about friendship. It isn't about love. I guess it's about infatuation and a desire to be a part of something that you aren't.
Also, I hate Margo Roth Spiegelman. This girl isn't cool. She's rude and a bad influence. Ugh!
Another thing that bothered me, which others may not notice, happened within the first couple of chapters. It's 12:30 at night, and Margo and Q go to Publix. AT 12:30 AT NIGHT. So, I'm like wait a minute. Publix closes at 10. Then I think, "Well, they are in Florida, where Publix is based, so maybe they have some 24-hour stores." So I Googled it. Orlando Publix store hours. Nope. Still closes at 10. I mean, I get it. It's a book. Make stuff up. But make up things like Hogwarts and flying monkeys. Don't make up Publix store hours. Fact check those things.

Anyways, I watched the movie too, which left out some fun parts I was really hoping for, but that seems to be the point of movies adapted from books, right? I did like that you got to see a little bit extra that extended past how the book ended. That extra part was the part that kind of made me tear up a little bit, so I thank the screenwriters for that!

So, the books an easy read. I read it in like a day. It's funny and will make you laugh out loud, but the story line kind of sucks.


Have you read this book or seen the movie? What were your thoughts? Have you read any other John Green novels. What did you think of them?

Good morning, friends. I hope you've had a lovely week. Mine has been pretty hectic, and I feel perpetually exhausted, but I'm making it!

July 14: Since we'd been doing a lot of house-viewing lately, I spent the evening (and several other evenings) Pinteresting my life away, looking at home things.

July 15: I won a Twitter contest from a local record store for tickets to see ScHoolboy Q. Seriously, I won more tickets! So Andre and I had a yummy dinner (Cuban sandwiches at PCM) before heading across the show for one of the Masquerade's final shows.

July 16: SNEAK PEEK! We signed the lease for our new home! Definitely more to come once we get moved in and settled.

July 17: The packing begins. We picked up a ton of boxes from a friend, so we can get started on packing away.

July 18: I packed up all our DVDs and (most of) our books, and a little bit of the kitchen. Then I plopped down on the couch for a good ole binge session of Dawson's Creek.

July 19: I stopped by and saw my parents for a little bit. They've had some quail hanging out in their yard. They're just so cute (and fast!)

July 20: I did a thing, and joined in on Wine Wednesday with the local Junior Women's Club. We had some good food, and good times. I will definitely be joining in on future meetings. (Photo taken from the CJWC's Facebook page.)

You may or may not have heard of Netflix's latest exclusive release, Stranger Things. Season one premiered this previous Friday. Andre and I sat down to watch it around 11:00 Saturday night, and we watched all but two episodes before going to sleep the next morning. We finished it the next day. It is so good!
I would probably label the show as science fiction, but one thing is for sure: it is creepy in the best way.

Image from Netflix

The show gives off serious early-90s vibes, and I would compare it to Twin Peaks meets the X-Files meets The Twilight Zone. There's also a bit of a Stephen King undertone, as well. This show seriously did not feel current, which isn't a bad thing. Movies and shows from the 90s are always a favorite of mine (early-2000s, too!), so the fact that this shows feels like it was created 20-something years ago was a big win for me.
I love that the main focus of the show is a group of pre-teens. Is that weird? They're just so adorable, but it's just something that's so different from everything that's being made today. Hubby complained that there wasn't enough cursing or gore, but to me, that added to it. Everything is so vulgar now (which don't get me wrong, I enjoy the guts and gore, etc.), but this was so fresh. When there's too much sex or nude scenes, cursing or gore, it feels like they're trying too hard. Everything being made today is just too much, too over the top. Stranger Things has all the right amounts of everything.
Another big plus is that it was filmed in Atlanta, and anything filmed in Atlanta gets extra points with me!

So, what is this show about?
When a young boy goes missing, his family and friends try to figure out what happened to him. In the search for the missing boy, strange things are brought to light in this small town. I don't want to say much else, because the mystery of the show makes it better.

Weird side note while you watch: Jonathan (the missing boy's brother) looks like a weird lovechild between Ike Barinholtz (Morgan on the Mindy Project) and Norman Reedus. Just look him. You'll see it!


Watch the trailer here:

   


Have you watch Stranger Things yet? What were your thoughts?

Hi, guys! So last week, I took a stay-cation, and to be honest, it kind of sucked. I woke up Tuesday morning to a major storm and our internet was out, so I was stuck at home with no internet. We only have streaming services, so I couldn't even watch tv. I read something like four books, and slept a lot. The internet guy finally came out midday on sunny Friday, so once our internet was restored, I just wanted to get out of the house. So I went to the beach and read another book. Anyways, long story short, sorry for the lack of posts lately. The two that did post last week were pre-scheduled, and I've been so busy this week getting back into the swing of work after a week off had me too busy to post. So here's, yet again, two weeks worth of photos.

June 30: I spent the evening finishing up Me Before You, since my bestie and I had plans to go see the movie the next day.

July 1: Girls night was a success. We had to drive an hour out to go see the movie, because it wasn't at any closer theatres. We had Mexican food and enjoyed the movie. It wasn't terrible, but I wouldn't say it was worth the $11 either. My friend hadn't read the book, and the movie had some kind of confusing scenes. Again, the book triumphed over the movie.

July 2: The obsession's started, y'all. My three year old nephew loves Starbucks (lemonade, though. Not coffee.)

July 3: I LOVE COFFEE! Alright, guys. How cute is this shirt from Target?

July 4: We went to a cookout at my parent's for fourth of July. We also celebrated Andre, and my niece Sarah. (They share a birthday, July 1!)

July 5: A yummy, yummy summer treat for day 1 of the staycation.

July 6: Day two of staycation and I spent it reading a book. (Review should be up next week).

July 7: MY PHONE CASE CAME IN. I got it from Redbubble. Any other Ron Weasley fans in the house?

July 8: (Excuse the blur, my phone's in a baggy so it wouldn't get sand in it.) I spent the day on the beach reading, after the internet guy fixed our internet. Yay!

July 9: Courage derping out, loving those rubs.

July 10: These were on sale at Kroger for $1 so I tried one out. It was pretty good, but I just wish there was more in it.

July 11: I spent a couple hours watching season 4 of Game of Thrones (we got HBO Now, so I can binge!) and working on our wedding/first year of marriage scrapbook.

July 12: Fruits and veggies for lunch. I was surprising pretty full, but I did eat about a million baby carrots.

July 13: I've been working on finishing up the last book in the Peculiar Children series. There's a lot of action in this one.

So, how have your last couple of weeks been?

I want to be comfy, everyday. I just prefer to not wear heels or stiff shirts. I will wear a nice wedge every once in a while, and I own close to 10 pairs of heels (I just can't get rid of them!), but I never feel 100% comfortable. I don't feel confident. I don't feel like me.
I feel like when the weather is chillier, dressing comfortable for work is easier. I can throw on some slacks, a sweater, and boots, and I'm good to go. I may look a little frumpy, but hey, we're talking about comfort here, right?
In the summer, it tends to be hot outside and cold inside. I'm lucky enough to have my own air/heating unit in my office, so I can get the temperatures comfortable for me, but tons of other people don't have that option. It's important to wear light layers so you can always be ready for any temperature.
This outfit is a perfect summer-y look, and oh so comfortable.







How do you stay comfy in the heat of summer?

I had heard of this book a couple of times, but wasn't really interested in reading it until it was chosen for our book club at work. When it was chosen, I wasn't 100% I would enjoy it. The cover and book description didn't clearly tell me what was going to happen in this book (which isn't a bad thing, really!). I didn't realize this book was going to be a murder mystery, or how amazing this book would be.
It takes place from the perspective of three women who all have children attending the same school. You find out at the very beginning that someone has died, but throughout the book, you get little by little information that gives you so much input into these women's lives. Nothing is really what you'd expect. I was very satisfied with the ending of the book and up until the ending, I didn't even have the slightest clue who died or if there was even a murderer, or if it was an accident.
Even though the book was close to 500 pages, one of my favorite things about the book is that the chapters were short (generally less than 10 pages), which always gave me great stopping points. I feel like I was able to read the book very quickly, because it was just too hard to put down. Big Little Lies is very quirky and funny, but also gives a really in-depth look into how things are not always what they seem to be.
I don't want to give too much information away or reveal any spoilers, but I definitely think this is must-read. I will definitely be reading more novels by Liane Moriarty.

I had a slow start to June and didn't get through as many books as I would have liked to. Here's what I did actually read this month.



June:
Hollow City by Ransom Riggs: This is the sequel to Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. The series is a trilogy, and so far, I liked this book the best between it and the first book.There were less creepy pictures in this book, and I was super okay with that. If you read my review for book one here, I talk about how I'm not a fan of the photos and feel that they almost take away from the story. So, since book two has less of those pictures, I enjoyed this book better because of that. This story is also more action packed and moves a little quicker. At this point, you know most of the characters, but there are still new characters and new developments taking place.
Smashed by Koren Zailckas: I'm a fan of memoirs, especially about struggles with a substance. I don't know why, but I do really enjoy reading them; they're intriguing to me. (see A Million Little Pieces and My Friend Leonard by James Frey.) This book though? I didn't enjoy. I didn't hate the book, but I wouldn't recommend it. I may it all the way through the story, but I struggled with it. Maybe I just couldn't connect with the author. I also have the "sequel" memoir Fury and the novel Mother, Mother by the same author on my bookshelves to read, and I probably will read them. I just wasn't a big fan here.
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty: See review here.
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes: I enjoyed this book. I was able to get through it pretty quickly, because it was such an interesting and well-written read. It definitely was a tear-jerker, and I stayed pretty hopeful throughout the entire book. I'm definitely interested in reading more from Moyes.

What did you read this month? Are any of these on your to-read list?