nine celebrations for the month of september

Balance, serenity, and focus…that describes my September. Overall it was a quiet month for me, but I have much to celebrate. In no particular order, here’s why I’m throwing some confetti as I say good-bye to September.

• This Is Us is back on NBC on Tuesday evenings! I don’t watch much television, or should I say television series, but I do completely enjoy this series. I was like a child anxiously awaiting for 9:00 PM to arrive so I could catch episode #1. It did not disappoint!
• K-cups! I purchased some K-cups just for me. I don’t drink coffee, but I do enjoy Cafe Escapes Chai Latte. It’s oh-so delicious! It’s my guilty pleasure in the morning as I begin my day at school.
• Books! There are some new books on my radar for the month of September: The Little Book of Hygge (hoo-ga) and Braving the Wilderness. Both books speak to me on different levels. That’s the thing about books, when they connect to you, you just devour them!
• My Fitbit! I continue to be just a wee bit obsessed with my Fitbit. It’s a good obsession though! I’ve gained control of my hydration and my overall sleep has improved. The sleep issue is HUGE! I’m so happy that more times than not I am finally gaining control of my sleep patterns and the amount of hours I rest each night. There are other perks to my Fitbit, but I’ll spare you the details for now. Truthfully, I could do an entire post just on my Fitbit!
• Journaling! I received a journal last Christmas from a dear friend. It’s titled Fit Happens (wink, wink!) It’s a gratitude journal and it has proven to be a great way for me to reflect on my day. I’ve been journaling in it in the evening and I think it is a nice way to wrap up my day. I heart the way it touches upon various aspects of my day and it has a well-rounded approach. I just haven’t been able to keep up with my “morning pages” so this allows me to keep up with my writing and reflections at the end of my day.
• Caps off to new pens! I have another obsession —> my Paper Mate Ink Joy Gel pens. They write oh-so smooth, come in a nice variety of colors, and do NOT smear for this left-handed girl! I heart them too!
• 1/2 Marathon training! I’m excited for my upcoming 1/2 marathon in October. During September I was able to complete *all* of the training runs that I scheduled on my new plan. It goes without saying that I’m proud of this accomplishment. After the race, I’m looking forward to mixing my fitness up a bit. It’s time to get back into my cross-training routine.
• Fall is here! The temperatures are finally cooler! This is fabulous for the runner in me. I certainly enjoyed the sunshiny days, but the heat and humidity definitely made my running a challenge, an enormous challenge! The cooler temperatures are so much more conducive to withstanding a 10, 11, or 12 mile run!
• #mustreadin2017! I only have two more books to read on my #mustreadin2017 list. They are Two Naomis and Wonderstruck. Wonderstruck will be out in the movie theaters in October so it’s down to the wire that I finish it ASAP.

And that’s a wrap for my nine September celebrations!

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 Join in each Saturday for Celebrate This Week with Ruth Ayres.

It’s a time to celebrate the joy!

#MustReadin2017 {Update 4.6.17}

The books just kept piling up. The stack grew higher and higher. New releases, older releases, books for my students to enjoy, and a sprinkling of some adult titles for me.

Sixteen books in all!

“You need to stop,” I told myself. “You’ll never have time to read all of these books.”

I needed, I craved a focus.

A plan, or perhaps a challenge! No, not another challenge!

In January of 2017 I joined fellow readers and created a #MustReadin2017 book list. You can read the initial post here.

Initially, I was a bit hesitant to participate, but today I am certainly glad that I am here, participating. I’m accomplishing much more than I thought I would, even though my reading took a back seat to my daily writing during the Slice of Life Story Challenge in March. In case you missed it, here is my #MustReadin2017 list:

 

There are sixteen books on my list and here is what I have read so far:

1. small great things by Jodi Picoult
2. The Key to Extraordinary by Natalie Llody
3. How to Live a Good Life by Jonathan Fields
4. The Playbook: 52 Lessons to Aim, Shoot, and Score in This Game Called Life by Kwame Alexander
5. Flying Lessons & Other Stories edited by Ellen Oh
6. Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk
7. Maxi’s Secrets by Lynn Plourde

They were all EXCELLENT! (Yes, I am shouting.) You must read them now, share them now! It’s also time to throw some confetti and do a happy dance! I’ve read seven out of the sixteen books on my list!  🙂

Here’s what I’m currently reading:

• One Amazing Elephant by Linda Oatman High
• The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

Oh no! Books, books, books! I’ve added more to my #MustReadin2017 list:

• Out of Wonder by Kwame Alexander
• The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
• The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
• Written In the Stars by Aisha Saeed
• Night by Elie Wiesel

Well, it’s about time I wrap up this post so I can get back to my reading. I’d like to send a special thank you and hats off to Carrie at There’s a Book for That for uniting us. And of course, I’m wondering what you have recently read or what you plan to read soon.

Please share!

I (heart) comments!

a little talk, a little tea, and some biscotti, please!

Welcome!

Sit down,

join me for some tea.

A little biscotti and some talk is all we need!

If we were talking over tea this morning I would share…

that I am training for a half marathon. This is will be my  10th half marathon (throw some confetti here) and I’ll be running it in the beautiful city of Pittsburgh (and do a happy dance here). I’m not new to the city of Pittsburgh because I ran a marathon there two years ago and I ran the half marathon there last year. I’m in week #3 of my training so my training plan is still very manageable. My long run this week is a six mile run and my total milage for this week is 16 miles. So far, I feel good about my training plan and I’m looking forward to the race in May.

If we were talking over tea this morning I would share…

that I have read six books from my #MustReadin2017 list. I’m currently reading Flying Lessons and Other Stories by Ellen Ho. It’s a great compilation of stories and it even has one written by my new all-time favorite author, Kwame Alexander. Yes, I’m obsessed with his books. I absolutely loved his newest release, The Playbook: 52 Rules to Aim, Shoot, and Score in This Game Called Life. I loved everything about that book – the quotes, the format, the illustrations, the text, and the fact that orange inside feels and looks like a basketball. (Only book nerds would understand this!) I also finished Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult. Her book is shocking, spectacular, and thought-provoking. Yes, I sing Picoult’s praises too. Oh, and then there is Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk. Have you read it? Well, if you haven’t, you should. I would love to talk to you about that character Betty. There will be no spoilers here so just read Wolf Hollow, okay!?

If we were talking over tea this morning I would share…

that I am anxious for April to arrive. Maddie will be home and she will be turning the big two.one (21!). I don’t know how this happened, but it’s true. When she was home over Christmas she insisted that I learn how to use Snapchat. We’ve been snapping back and forth and having fun with it. Yes, she keeps me young. But most of all I’d like to share how proud I am of her. She’s in her Junior year of nursing school and texted us last week that she was accepted into Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honors Society. She was excited and so are we!

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So that’s a wrap for this runner, reader, and rockin’ mom.

Your turn!

What would you like to talk about over some tea and, of course, biscotti?

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Looking for some writing ideas for the SOLSC? Click here.

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Slice of Life

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