5 Things Friday

I’m introducing ‘5 Things Friday’ here in my corner of the interwebs today, but just for your knowledge, this has existed out there for a few years. I have yet to figure out if there is an actual structure to this, but I’m going to put my own spin on it for now. #idontknowwhatimdoing

Here are 5 things that made my week really great:

This book: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? It was recommended after I read Tina Fey’s book and I am just now getting around to reading it. I’m about half way though and it is SO FUNNY. I haven’t seen The Mindy Project, but I should probably binge watch the first few seasons and get caught up.

Wedding Countdown: Tuesday marked 5 months until the big day.

This truck: I was stuck behind this truck in traffic for a solid 20 minutes…most of which was spent laughing. Well played, Mr. Plumber. Well played.

Blog Changes: I made the leap this week and bought a hosting account and a new domain name for the blog. There is A LOT of work to be done, but I am so excited to re-launch the blog this spring.

  

Oreos: I love red velvet...and oreos...the combination would totally rock my world. I saw a rumor on Facebook a few months ago that a Red Velvet Oreo might hit the shelves and I have been praying for it every day since! Needless to say, I was beside myself when I saw the announcement on Oreo's twitter page. I was even more excited when I WON A FREE BOX and found out I get to try them BEFORE THE REST OF THE WORLD! If these are as delicious as I hope they are, I'm going to remove everything from our wedding registry and re-register for only Red Velvet Oreos. 

Tell me things that made your week great.

Who else is excited for Red Velvet Oreos?

Book List 2014

I’m posting a little late today, but I’m really trying to stick to my goal of three posts per week.

One of the things I'm most excited about, now that I’m graduated and have all of this free time on my hands, is reading for fun. I am a total book worm. It’s not unusual for me to finish a book in one day. I am the type of person who gets totally involved in the story and connects with a character and can’t put a book down until it ends.

I like all types of books, but there is a definite trend in my reading habits. I lean more towards fiction, and mostly mysteries. I buy 95% of my books on Amazon and read them on my Kindle so it was interesting to look back at what I read in 2014. You can tell that I used books as an escape from work and class because there is not one “serious” book on the list!

Clearly, I like any books that are part of a series. Mostly because I connect with the characters and want their stories to continue FOREVER.

I actually would not recommend the Hannah Swenson books. There are 18 books (and a few specials) in the series. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich and had high hopes that this series would be similar. It didn’t even come close. The first book was good, and I hoped that as I kept reading, the series would get better. I ended up bailing after book 8. What is cool though, is that there are tons of dessert recipes scattered throughout the books and I’ve actually made a couple of them!

One of those books (I’ll let you guess which one) was a gift to my brother & sister-in-law when my nephew was born, but I read it before I gave it to them so I counted it :) If you have a baby, or have a friend getting ready to have a baby, buy this book. It is hysterical.

I won’t give you full reviews on the other books, but if you haven’t read Bossy Pants or Gone Girl, drop what you are doing and go read them RIGHT NOW. They are both fantastic. I’d also recommend the Divergent series. I am super impressed that the author wrote the first book during her senior year of college! I spent my senior year studying, going to basketball games, and drinking beer.  I’ve written about the Stephanie Plum series on here before and I feel like I should write about it again! Janet Evanovich is a fantastic writer and I cannot get enough of her books. There are 21 books in her Stephanie Plum series, but I promise you it is worth the commitment to read them all!

What books have you read lately?

What book recommendations do you have for me in 2015?

- Seriously. Any genre of books! I need recommendations.

Do You Know Stephanie Plum?

One of my New Year’s Resolutions was to read at least one book per month. I promise that I really did start & finish this book a book in January (I just got super lazy about blogging). January’s book? Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich.  Janet Evanovich is one of my authors and her Stephanie Plum series is my favorite book series. The first book came out in 1994 (I was 6 years old haha), but I didn’t get hooked until high school. I spent my entire summer break laying by the pool reading the first 10 books. I started looking forward the Tuesday in June when the next book came out like I look forward to Christmas every year! Then, in 2011, Stephanie Plum fans got a treat– TWO BOOKS!! 

If you haven’t read a Stephanie Plum book, it’s probably because you live under a rock. If you’re one of the few living under the rock, let me introduce you to the world of Stephanie Plum. This series has it all: interesting characters and a great plot full of mystery, romance, and laugh out loud humor.

When we first meet Stephanie in One for the Money, she’s single, unemployed, and living with a hamster. She blackmails her cousin Vinnie into giving her a job as a bail bondsman…aka…bounty hunter. Stephanie is 0% qualified for the job, and that is what makes the story so hilarious. She manages to get herself into all kinds or ridiculous situations and has to figure out how to get out of them. Throughout the 18 books, one way or another, Stephanie Plum always gets her man! Usually, it’s with the help of friends, family members, and the two smokin’ hot men in her life!

One of the reasons I love these stories so much is because Stephanie Plum is so relatable. Outside of her ridiculous career choice, Stephanie Plum and I have a few things in common. There is usually a day of the week where her cabinets are bare and she mooches dinner from her parents, she hangs out with her grandma to catch up on the latest town gossip, and when she’s stressed out…the bakery is her happy place J

I guarantee that if you pick up a Stephanie Plum book, you won’t be able to put it down. From exploding cars to planning weddings…from creepy stalkers to the Ranger/Morelli love triangle…these books have something for everyone. Check out the author's website for more info on all 18 books. It'll be the best decision you make today.

The movie version, One for the Money, came out in January. It’s on my list of movies to see. Fingers crossed that it is as awesome as the books!

Girls In White Dresses

I’m always looking for a good book to read. I will read anything as long as there is a good story line. I’m also a firm believer in, “Don’t see the movie unless you’ve read the book.” This summer, all the talk was about The Help. Previews were on TV, book reviews were all over the internet, and it was assigned summer reading at my alma matter…good ol’ PHS. So I snagged the book from one of my runners (thanks Casey) and figured I’d get around to reading it eventually. I started reading it on a flight to St. Louis, and was so enthralled after 57 minutes that I just wanted to stay on the plane and read! I was the girl walking trough the airport with her nose in a book running into all the people in a hurry to catch their flights haha. I finished the book in three days…It only took that long because I had to stop and go to meetings! If you haven’t read it yet, stop whatever you’re doing and start reading.

The next book I got my hands on was Water for Elephants. I had been meaning to read it, just hadn’t taken the time. So on a flight to Pittsburgh, I got lost in the story of circus life (Yes, I know…need to make time to read other than in airports). The characters were captivating and I didn’t want the story to end! I joke about running away and joining the circus, but after finishing this book…I was this close to calling Ringling Bros! Another MUST READ book.

Side note: I still haven’t seen either movie. I almost don’t want to because I can’t see how they will live up to the books.

This week, I was complaining to my mom (I know…surprise, surprise) that I was bored out of my mind since I was taking a few days off from running (more on that later). So she handed me a book and said, “I got this because I thought you would like it.” As usual, she was right :)

  

The inside front cover says it all… With a wry sense of humor, Jennifer Close brings us through those thrilling, bewildering, what-on-earth-am-I-going-to-do-with-my-life years of early adulthood. These are the years when everyone else seems to have a plan, a great job, and an appropriate boyfriend, while Isabella has a blind date with a gay man, Mary has a crush on her boss, and Lauren has a goldfish named Willard. Through boozy family holidays and disastrous ski vacations, relationships lost to politics and relationships found in pet stores, Girls in White Dresses pulls us deep inside the circle of these friends, perfectly capturing the wild frustrations and soaring joys of modern life.

The book was total chick lit & required no brain power what so ever to breeze through the pages. The story was incredibly cliché, but the characters were totally relatable. I’m pretty sure EVERY 20-something female can relate to the girls in this story.

The book follows a group of friends for 10 years after college graduation, totally capturing the stereotypical “Gen Y” post college life. Some go to grad school, some get jobs, & all spend a lot of time floating from bar to bar. The story is set up so that the reader sees the daily lives of the characters…the routine, sometimes mundane, daily activities and thoughts that are slowly leading up to the next great adventure in life. 

We follow the characters through all of their “firsts” – first jobs, first apartments, first real boyfriends, and first real breakups. This story takes us through the mistakes, decisions, and not-so-fairytale romances that so many of us deal with in our 20’s. The characters all have “problems,” but none are insurmountable & all can be fixed by girl’s night out (aka improvised group therapy with cocktails). So if you’ve ever:      

• Been on a blind date
• Had a roommate
• Kissed a guy at a bar
• Contemplated getting a cat
• Been hungover at a bridal shower
• Lost touch with a friend 
• Had a cocktail at lunch
• Cried at a wedding
• Etc. Etc. Etc.

This story is for you. You’ll roll your eyes & laugh out loud at the ridiculousness of the predicaments these girls get themselves into while at the same time thinking, “that would totally happen to me.”  And of course, as with all chick lit novels, everyone has a happy ending. As long as you have a best friend, a little patience, and a lot of wine…awkward first dates will turn into great third dates; a low paying, entry level job will turn into a career; a tiny apartment will turn into a beautiful house in the suburbs and you’ll eventually get to upgrade from a bridesmaid dress to a wedding dress. 

If anyone else is counting, I’m one book away from my BOOK IT reading goal (haha remember those). If you have any recommendations, send them my way. I need something to read while I’m waiting in the next Janet Evanovich book to be released :)