Like I need something else to occupy my time.

When I began reading the Twilight series, I did it a little begrudgingly. As I mentioned, I was talked into reading the books by my sister who, like me, never really reads anything. I thought, ok I'll try the first one and see where this goes. Well the whole thing avalanched into me devouring the whole "saga." No, I didn't read it as quickly as some others have (Anne read the whole series in a couple of weeks, Lauren read them all in ONE), but for me, reading four books in a row was quite an accomplishment.

I hadn't anticipated the feeling I'd have afterwards. My lunch breaks? Boring. My evenings in front of the TV? Unfulfilling. Stupidly, it took me a while to figure out what was missing. It wasn't until I discussed it with Anne and found out she was feeling this same void that we realized our problem - gosh darnit, we MISSED READING! How on earth did this happen?!?!?


So logically, I ran out and picked up Stephenie Meyer's newest book, "The Host" even though it had nothing to to with Twilight. It's a kinder, gentler, romantic take on the "Invasion of the Body Snatcher's" theme. Sounds weird, I know.

It took me a little longer to get into than Twilight did, but once it hooked me, I loved it! The characters are infatuating. The story is intense, full of heartbreak and longing and anger and fear and drama, OH the drama. :) I couldn't put it down. I spent my entire Sunday afternoon ignoring the real-life responsibilities and chores I should have been attending to.

But...but now...what do I do now?!? I don't have anything to READ!! And the sadness has returned. This is ridiculous, I DO NOT NEED another hobby!!! Seeing as how I already feel like my free time is always sucked into a tiny black hole never to be reclaimed. The last thing I really need is something else I want to do.

Ignoring that logic, I need advice. Recommendations. I know many of you are readers. What books or series or authors float your boat? Let me preface this request by saying that I have no desire to read another vampire series. Yes, I adore Twilight and all of the characters therein. But vampires in general are not something I'm drawn to. Beyond that, I don't really know WHAT I would like to read!? There are so many options out there, it's absolutely daunting. I'm thinking of reading this, since we're going to see the musical in October. I already kinda know the story just by listening to the soundtrack, but it would probably be fun to know more. Other than that, I'm clueless!!

(BTW - my one year anniversary of blogging came and went without me noticing!! August 10th. Happy Anniversary to me! *hehe*)

Speed Bloggin'

I am a busy girl with a lot to tell you folks! Soooo, in an attempt to blog a lot of information in a limited amount of time, I am going to mimic the style of one of my favorite bloggers. We'll see if it works!

1. I got an iPHONE! 

After months of putting off the inevitable and denying Jeremy his one and only (at the moment) wish, I gave in and we got iPhones. I don't why I hemmed and hawed about it for so long...they ARE amazing! I should have known, since I am so head-over-heels in love with my iPOD and Macbook laptop, that I would love any and every product Apple puts out. They really are so user friendly. And fun! I've tried to picky in what "Apps" I've downloaded, but I still already have a bit of a collection. My sole complaint is that the texting is a bit tricky...just because of the touch-keyboard. I'm sure it's more my clumsy fingers than the phone, though, and thankfully the predictive text feature usually knows what I'm TRYING to say and fixes my mistakes. :)

2. I'm reading "Twilight!" 

I know, I know...."Wayta finally jump on THAT bandwagon after it's gone past." Honestly, I'd been resisting for a while. I did see the movie when it came out. I enjoyed it and was sorta curious about the story, but just rolled my eyes at all the hype and all my friends telling me to read the books. But then my sister got into it...and she reads about as much as I do (which is never). Well she finished the entire SERIES in like a week or something. That caught my attention. So I borrowed the first book from her...and bam, I was hooked. People told me this over and over...but there REALLY IS so much more in the book that the movie failed to portray (or left out, or changed). These characters are just absolutely engrossing...and talk about an amazing, spine-tingling love story. Wow. Sooo...I also read the unreleased "inside-Edward's-head" book that was leaked online, and now I'm reading book two, New Moon. And while it's not quite as mesmorizing as the first one was, I'm still really into it. Since I'm basically just reading on my lunch breaks (which last week was dangerously low on), I'm not running through these nearly as quickly as Lauren did though. *haha*

3. I love Sims3! 

Though I haven't really been able to play in a few weeks, I somehow feel this is still important information for you to know. I've always been a bit of a Sims nut, so Jeremy got me this latest addition when it first came out. I don't know if you've ever played or if you're familiar with the concept, but it's so fun and extremely addictive. Basically, you create people (at various stages of life, from toddler to elderly). You get to choose their features and clothes (my favorite part), then decide on their personalities. In this newest game, you even pick a life goal for them to strive for. Then you put them in a home and let them "live!" Of course you're making decisions FOR them all the time...which can get tricky if you have a large household of Sims to manage. The new features on Sims3 open up so many more possibilities...you could just play forever. Well, maybe YOU could, but I don't have that kinda time. *sigh* ;)

4. Got some really sad news last weekend: my coworker Anne that I've become such good buddies with is moving away. :( 

Just to Kansas City, which isn't TOO far away (as I've been reminded repeatedly), but she's still being taken away from my "everyday" which makes me so, so sad. We have so much fun working together and hanging out...she really has been a blessing in my life as a friend. And her hubby has become a good friend and golf parter for Jeremy, so this situation is sad on both levels. She's also become my workout partner, which brings me to...

5. I'm doing P90X! 

Ever seen the infomercials? It's this "EXTREME" DVD workout program where you can get completely RIPPED in just 90 days. Waaaaell...I don't know about all THAT, but we're certainly doing our best! *haha* The idea behind the program is "muscle confusion," so each video focuses on something different...and there's a different video for every day of the week! (Not that we've been able to do it that often, but again, I did say we're doing our best! *hehe*) It's nice because we aren't getting bored with it since there's so much variety. I am, however, worried about being able to keep this up once my workout partner is gone. :( I don't think I'm motivated enough to do it on my own!

I'm going to finally get to see "Wicked!!"

I can hardly believe it, but the show is coming to Wichita in October. (Did I already blog about this? I can't remember...my apologies if this is a repeat.) I never would have thought that Wichita could draw such a huge production, but it's going to be here for the a whole week! When I first found out a few months ago, the tickets weren't on sale yet but we found some "prices" on a site and they were OUTRAGEOUS!!! Even knowing that, Jeremy agreed we could go. But we were delighted to discover that those prices had been way off...and we bought two excellent tickets for the price of what we initially thought ONE was going to cost. HOO-RAY! I am so stinkin' excited. And thrilled that Jeremy isn't just sending me off on my own to see it by myself. What a great hubby I have!!

Well I think that's it...for now. What did we think of this style of blog? I don't know if it saved me any time...but I feel better knowing you're up to date on my life. *wink* 

I read a book!

Yeah, so? I read a book. Big deal! But you don't understand...I NEVER read books! Well, that's not entirely true. I read devotional and Christian living books and my Bible...but I can't remember the last time I sat down to read a regular ol' book. So c'mon! Celebrate with me! *haha*

The book? The Amazing Adventures of DietGirl. 

It's written by Shauna Reid, an Australian woman who weighed 351lbs by the time she was just 21. She started Weight Watchers in 2001 and decided to blog about her journey (dietgirl.org). (I actually first discovered her blog and that's how I found out she'd written this book.) She ended up losing half her body weight: 175lbs! 

Things I Loved About "DietGirl"

1. It's completely real. She's open and honest about her struggles and anxieties and obsessions. I may have never been as heavy, but I completely identified with almost everything about her. This whole unhealthy preoccupation with food...what can I eat, when I can eat it, I want more than that, when can I have seconds, is there any left, can I have some of yours, why isn't he finishing his, I think there's some chips still in the cabinet, ooh that ice cream on TV looks good I think I'll go get some...you probably get the point. 

Or the fact that with every approaching special occasion or vacation, the only thoughts in her head were of whatever foods were associated with that event or place. 

I also deal with the same insecurities and ridiculous self-loathing body image. ("After all this time, the days in which I like me and feel attractive are starting to outnumber the DIE You Fat Ugly Cow! days. I don't know what happened. I think I just decided to stop telling myself such rot all the time. I've wasted so much time convincing myself I am the rolypoly incarnation of the devil.")

I also particularly liked the part where she was explaining to someone that she didn't have a "sweet tooth" or a "savory tooth," but instead she had both. "I've got many teeth." *haha*

2. It shows the ups & downs. She didn't lose it all on the first attempt. She didn't even lose it all with Weight Watchers. It took many tries and there were a few times when she had to "restart" after gaining back some weight. 

3. Because she's Australian, she uses lot's of cute, unfamiliar words. I find myself wanting to use them too. (If you watch this clip of her on the Early Show, it's even more fun to read what she writes because you've got the accent in your head. I think she's just adorable.) She talks about clearing the cabinets of the "dodgy foods" that were tempting her, or feeling like "rubbish." And of course there's "bloody" this and "bloody" that. 

4. She has a wonderful writing style. SO easy to read that I was half-way through the book before I even knew what'd hit me. She makes every page come alive with her funny descriptions of things, like trying new classes at her gym or struggling to squeeze into those "serious undergarments" in order to "achieve maximum foxiness."

5. She overcame. Through the course of the book you get to watch her completely transform. Not just because she loses the weight or wears smaller sizes...but because she gains confidence, tries new things and really starts to experience her life. And she's learned how to live healthily without being obsessed about the scale or constant calorie counting. I want to get to that place. It's all very inspiring. I wanted to cry with pride for this real life superhero. And look at her! She's stinkin' adorable!

Pretty much the only negative thing I could think to say about this book (or her blog) is that she tends to have a bit of a potty mouth. (I know some of you think I'm a prude for even mentioning that.) Wish she would have used ALL Australian-born slang. *haha*

Overall I'd definitely recommend you take a look at this book. Especially those of you who are on a similar journey. You'll be inspired!! 

P.S. I want to thank all of you for the wonderfully encouraging comments and e-mails since my last post!! I can't convey how much they helped. I think I'll print them out and make a scrapbook page to carry around with me...or maybe post it on the cereal cabinet to keep me focused. You're the BESTEST!