2018 Plans

2018 will be another busy year.

At the end of January, we are having an addition put onto our house.  It will be a kitchen for my mother-in-law.  It should take 6-8 weeks (again…hopefully).  It will change the look of the front of our house.  The wall on the right side of the house will be removed and will become the front of my mother-in-law’s house (with a front door for her).  It will be brick.  They will try to match the brick with our house the best they can, but it may be off a little bit.  She will also have a sliding glass patio door (or French doors) leading out to a little patio (in the backyard).  And she’ll have everything a kitchen should have…appliances, counters, cabinets, etc.  Oh, and a washer/dryer, most likely stackable to save space.  I’m excited for her!  

In February, my husband is going to Arizona to do the Spartan Race with a buddy of his.  I opted to stay home, mostly so I could work and not use any PTO because I need to save it up.

In May, we are going to Iceland for a week. !  I am excited.  We need to start planning more though, the only thing we’ve done is get our plane tickets and mapped out the places in the country we want to see.  We need to book an air B&B or something.  But we have the general location nailed down at least.

As for the rest of the year, we haven’t planned past May.  There are loads of projects we would like to do around the house, but we are saving money first and none of them need to be done immediately.  We are in no great rush.  Most of the stuff is not major (although we have a few major projects on our list as well, but those are YEARS down the road) and will need to wait until Spring anyways.  

So I kind of just want to hunker down for the winter, hygge (Google this if you don’t know what it is), focus on spiritual things, healthy things, get little projects done around the house, and then come out in the Spring.  :)

2017 Year in Review

Crazy, crazy year.  Here are the highlights!

January

As usual, I started off the year with a trip to Nebraska to visit my family.  It was nice to see them all!  

April

In April, we celebrated our 7^th anniversary.  We kept it pretty low-key and went to Elephant Butte Lake and Truth or Consequences.  

  

May

In May, Watson graduated from service dog training.  He’s done a great job!!  We had a little celebration for him at home.

I also got a promotion at work.  Yay!

And….we were accepted into and started our French class.

June

June was probably one of the hardest months of my life.  I can’t remember a time in my life when I’ve been more stressed out.  We listed our house for sale on June 1^st.  It sold on June 4^th.  We had a closing date of July 19^th.  

My mother-in-law’s house also went up for sale on June 1^st.  Her house sold on June 6^th, with a closing date at the end of June.

So….within 6 days, we sold 2 houses and had not yet found a new house.  I don’t exactly remember the date we first looked at the house we eventually bought.  But I’m thinking it was about a week or so.  At that point we had looked at maybe 6 or 7 houses already, and didn’t like any of them.  The last house we looked at was ‘the one’.  We made an offer and there was a LOT of back and forth/negotiating/inspections/repairs/etc.  STRESS.  FUL.  And in the meantime, we were trying to pack, dealing with stuff we had to fix with our house, and going to French class each week (along with working, meetings, service, etc.).

We closed on our new house on July 10^th I believe and moved in on July 13^th.  So from the time we listed our house for sale to the time we bought and completely moved in to our new house was less than SIX WEEKS.  I look back now and still wondered how we did it.  It was just super stressful coordinating everything (which my husband did most of), getting things packed, getting dates nailed down, hiring movers, getting storage pods delivered, etc.

July

In July we closed on our new house and moved in.  About a week and a half later, my sister and my parents came to visit.

August

August was cool just because of the solar eclipse.  We were far from totality, but it was still cool.

September

September was busy working on October projects.  We had to plan a skit for our French class graduation, and we were also in the process of planning a big thank you dinner for our French class teachers and our entire French group.  And we pretty much finished unpacking the house as well.

October

October was the balloon fiesta, and I enjoyed it again this year from my front row seat at work.

We also performed our French class skit and graduated!  This was a HUGE stress reliever.  French class was great, but it was HARD.  And extremely time consuming.

At the end of the month we had 28 people show up (our group is only about 30 ha ha) for our thank-you dinner.  It went great!  Again….I was sooooo relieved when it was over. 

November

In November my Dad arranged for me to come to Missouri to surprise my mom for a little visit.  It was so much fun!  It was nice to see family and some of my extended family as well.  On my drive up there I stopped in Oklahoma (Pawhuska) to visit The Pioneer Woman’s store.  It was fun!

I also did Black Friday again this year with my friend.  We always have so much fun.

And I had a bunch of dental work done.  Yippee.

December

In December we went to Memphis for a little getaway.  My husband had a conference there for work so I joined him when it was over.  We listened to some Blues, had some BBQ, went to Graceland, the National Civil Rights Museum, and took a side trip to Nashville to take in a hockey game.

At the end of this month, hubby’s uncle came for a short visit.  It’s always nice to see him and we got to put our guest room to good use as well!

Places visited:

Nebraska, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee

New family members:  0

New pets:  1 (well, technically she’s my mother-in-law’s dog, but she’s officially part of the pack – Baby Girl)

On Reading/Reading Goals

Oh books.  One of my favorite things.  Sometimes I WISH I didn’t love reading.  It can be an expensive habit, even if you primarily buy used books.

This past year, I set a goal to read 52 books.  I ended up reading 76.  I was actually surprised I’ve been able to read so much , mostly because we’ve had such a crazy year.  But, it’s my escape from reality and life (which is just necessary sometimes!).  

I have some reading goals for 2018.

1.      I tend to have at least 10 books going at one time.  I know there is nothing wrong with this.  However, it feels like that sometimes one month I’ll finish 15 books and the next month I’ll finish 3 or 4, which just seems so inconsistent.  So, I’m going to try to focus on just one or two books (MAYBE three) at a time.  I think this will help me feel like I’m accomplishing more when I finish a book (as opposed to having a bunch of unfinished books all over the place).

2.      Read 100 books in 2018.  This might be a bit much, but I’m going to try.  It’s 8 or 9 books each month.  I think I can do it, especially considering I read a lot of young reader books that I never got around to in my childhood and these books are typically short.

3.      I want to broaden my reading each month out a bit as far as genre.  Each month, I’d like to read at least one fiction, one non-fiction, one classic, one Pulitzer, etc.  The classics are usually the last books I reach for, and they are REALLY starting to pile up.    

4.      STOP BUYING SO MANY BOOKS.  My TBR shelves are full.  Here they are:

      I have classics on the top.  Fiction on the shelves.  Non-fiction on the wicker shelf.  And this does not include the ‘shared’ books that are on my husband’s bookshelves, or the 3 books I have on my night table, OR the books I have on my Nook.  So my total TBR OWNED books that I have (on these shelves): 166.  !!!  I am both proud and horrified about this.  Ha ha.

5.      Go to the library more.   A lot of the books on my list I’m SURE can be found at the library.  I don’t need to buy them.  The issue that I’ve always had with the library is that I feel pressure to finish the books right away and get them returned.  But I’m hoping that with goal #1, that will change.  If I’m only focusing on one or two books at one time, then I should be able to easily finish library books within 3 weeks.  Plus, I’ve heard from a source that our libraries here do NOT charge for late fees.  !  Good to know.

6.      Speaking of libraries, I’m going to continue to utilize Hoopla in 2018.  I LOVE this free app that allows me check out 5 audiobooks each month.  They have new books available all the time.  Our city’s public library system has partnered with Hoopla, so all I had to do was download the app and enter my library card number and voila.  I was in.  There are a few other apps out there (Overdrive, Libby, etc.), but Hoopla is the one I use the most.  It is easy, you can speed up the pace of the books, and there is a great selection.  If your public library system does not have Hoopla, it probably has another app you can use to check out free audio books.  There is also a huge selection of e-books available on Hoopla to check out.  

7.      Continue to listen to books on CD.  Our library bookshop has a GREAT selection of books on CD.  They are anywhere from $1 - $8.  Which are GREAT prices…most audiobooks (on CD) brand new are at least $20+.  I LOVE listening to these in my car.  It is so much better than the radio, which is just crappy music (most of the time), commercials, loud DJs or super depressing news and/or political talk.  And I am amazed at how quickly I can get through an a book on CD in my car and I am NOT in my car a whole lot.  My commute to work is about 8 minutes each way, so 16 minutes per day.  Plus trips to the store, errands, etc.  But it adds up!  Sometimes I will eat lunch in my car too (at work ha ha) if I’m in the middle of a great audiobook.  J  But I enjoy books on CD so much that I bought a little CD player for our desk upstairs.  It can also pair with my phone for my other audiobooks, which is nice.  The library usually has a good selection of books on CD as well.  Usually you get 3 weeks, then you can renew once for an additional 3 weeks.  This is PLENTY of time to get through a book on CD in your car, even if you don’t drive much.  

8.      Donate my ‘non-keeper’ books to the Little Free Libraries around town.  Because we don’t have Hastings anymore, there’s no place here to re-sell your books.  And selling them online is too much effort.  So in our library I have a little stand with basket drawers.  I put my donations in there and when the baskets are full, I will put them in my car.  And then usually while we’re in service, we will distribute my books (and also leave a piece of literature) into the libraries.  On our last round, I donated 9 books and picked up 3.  J  Not too shabby!!  There are two Little Free Libraries that are very close to our house (within walking distance), so when the weather is nicer I can walk to them also.  I would much rather donate to LFLs instead of Goodwill.

So there you have it.  I'm excited to read even MORE in 2018!!

2017 Reading Wrap-Up

This was a good reading year for me!  Definitely better than last year.  I realize December isn't over yet, but I doubt I will finish any more books this month.  If I do, I will just track them in January.

This year, I read 76 books. !

Here’s the breakdown-

Fiction:  41

Non-Fiction:  35

1 star books:  5

2 star books:  15

3 star books:  36

4 star books:  15

5 star books:  5

I think this is pretty typical.  3 stars (liked it) are always going to be my prominent rating.  I would LOVE to have more 4 and 5 star reads, but I’m pleased with the outcome for 2017.

Here are my 4 star books:

Lagom – The Swedish Art of Balanced Living

The Hundred Dresses

The Story of Arthur Truluv

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls

Year of Yes

Little Women

Everyone Brave is Forgiven

The Light Between Oceans

Station Eleven

Our Souls at Night

Milk & Honey

These Is My Words

Forgive for Good

Hamilton:  The Revolution

The Worst Hard Time

And here are my 5 star books:

Top 10 Iceland (ha ha)

The One-in-a-Million Boy

All the Light We Cannot See

When Breath Becomes Air

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

My favorite NON-FICTION book of 2017 was.....

This is such a great book.  I hope she writes more!

My favorite FICTION book of 2017 was.....I agonized over this.  I had it narrowed down to two.  The runner up was All the Light We Cannot See.  It almost won.  But while it was an AMAZING 5-star book, it was a difficult read and I didn’t necessarily ENJOY reading it.  I hope that makes sense.  So, my favorite fiction of 2017 is......

I would highly recommend this book!  

I have some 2018 reading goals for next year, stay tuned!

December Reads

Zero stars = hated it

One star = did not like it at all

Two stars = eh, it was okay

Three stars = liked it

Four stars = really, really liked it

Five stars = absolutely loved it

2-Stars (1)

*Tinkers (Fiction, Paul Harding)

This book won the Pulitzer Prize in 2010.  And while I can appreciate the effort, the writing, the plot…..I just have a hard time believing that this was the BEST book in 2010.  It was just…not for me.  Very slow.  Super long chapters.  The book is only 200 pages, but there’s only 4 chapters.  I HATE long chapters.  Basically, it’s about a man who is on his deathbed who is remembering his life and the life of his father and grandfather.  Parts of it are very moving, but mostly sad.  And boring.

(book, already donated to Little Free Library)  

3-Stars (5)

***How to Manage Your home Without Losing Your Mind (Non-Fiction, Dana White)

Another podcaster/blogger writes a book.  I almost abandoned this one, because in the first few minutes, Dana (who read the audio book I listened to) said ‘if you’re the type of person who can’t sleep at night if you have dirty dishes in the sink, this book is not for you’ and ‘if your house is presentable for last minute visitors, this book is not for you’.  I CAN NOT have dishes in the sink when I go to bed.  And while I hate last minute visitors, we have a presentable front room and a clean bathroom at all times (now that we have a bigger house).  But I kept on listening and I’m glad I did.  Dana is a self-proclaimed slob and she is funny, REAL, and has some really good ideas about routines and where to start if you are overwhelmed with your home.  

(Hoopla audio, free)

***The Shadow Land (Fiction, Elizabeth Kostova)

I went back and forth on whether to give this book 3 stars or 4 stars.  Ultimately, I gave it 3 stars because while I thought it was SUCH an intriguing story, it was sooooooo long.  80+ chapters.  A doorstop kind of book.  The beginning of the book had me on the edge of my seat.  The middle had me wanting to fast forward (I listened to this book on CD).  And the ending picked up a little, with a strong finish, although somewhat abrupt.  I will say though that I know for a FACT that if I had read this book instead of listened to it, I definitely would have only given it 3 stars (not four).  The audio version on CD is PHENOMENAL.  It is read by 3 different people (I think?) and the whole book takes place over about 2 weeks in Bulgaria.  So there are accents, men, women (both young and old, etc.) and multiple characters.  The readers did an AMAZING job.  And I now know more about Bulgaria than I ever thought I would.  Basically, a young American woman arrives in Bulgaria to teach English over the summer.  In a series of unfortunate events, she ends up with a strangers ashes in an urn.  The rest of the book is her trying to find the owners of this urn that leads her in a wild goose chase (along with a cab driver) all over the country of Bulgaria.  There’s lots of jumping back and forth from present day to post World War II and the Cold War as well.  Like I said, very interesting and engaging, but the middle portion of the book seemed to drag on for a long time.  But still three star worthy (if not four…I’m still on the fence)!

(book on CD, will donate)

***The Best of Us (Non-Fiction, Joyce Maynard)

A sad, sad memoir of the author’s life with her husband, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2016.  I was interested in this one because the author is an author that I like.  She wrote the book Labor Day, which I read a few years ago (it was also made into a movie).  It was heartbreaking, but written beautifully.

(Hoopla audio, free)

***The Year of Living Danishly (Non-Fiction, Helen Russell)

I enjoyed this book that documents Helen Russell’s move from the UK to Denmark with her husband.  Denmark is the happiest country in the world and she was on a mission to find out why.  Parts of the book were very surprising!  And Helen Russell is very funny, so I found myself laughing out loud multiple times.

(Nook book)

***Into the Wild (Non-Fiction, Jon Krakauer)

So….this was my first Jon Krakauer read.  I’m giving it 3-stars (instead of 2) because of the writing/story-telling.  It’s the true story of a young man who basically hikes into the Alaska wilderness (by choice) to live off of the land.  And he dies.  This is not a spoiler, because it’s mentioned on the back cover.  I did NOT like this young man and found him to be irresponsible, selfish, and, well, stupid.  He was not prepared for what happened to him.  He could have been prepared if he would have had a proper map (I’m not kidding).  I’m giving it 3 stars though because even though I didn’t have anyone to root for (this is big for me), wow, can Jon Krakauer tell a story!!!  It’s amazing how engaged I was in this story and how amazed I was that Jon Krakauer could write so much about someone without having much information.  I’m excited to read the two other books I have on my shelf by him:  Into Thin Air and Missoula.  

(book on CD, will donate)

Total Books Read: 6 (4 non-fiction, 2 fiction)

Formats:

E-Books: 1

Audio Hoopla: 2

Audio CD: 2

Real Books: 1  

Abandoned books: 1 (Astrophysics for People In a Hurry….it started off talking about the big bang theory and I could almost see the narrator using air quotes when he talked about the possibility of God being the creator.  Thankfully, this was a free Hoopla audio book.  I only lost about 15 minutes of my time).

Service Dog Do's and Don'ts

It’s amazing what I’ve learned about service dogs since we’ve had one.  Most people aren’t sure what to do or not do around a service dog.  Here’s a little list:

DO

*COMPLETELY IGNORE THEM

*Speak to the owner/handler, NOT the dog

*Teach your kids that service dogs with vests are NOT supposed to be petted

*Be aware of your surroundings and that there may be a dog on the floor with a tail (or feet) that can be stepped on

DO NOT

*pet the dog

*ask to pet the dog (although this is better than reaching your hand out to try to pet him)

*ask the handler questions about their past (this is a major intrusion of privacy)

*ask the dog’s name (more on this below)

*offer food to a service dog (if it’s a dog treat, ask the handler first if it’s okay…some restaurants/coffee shops/book stores have doggie treats behind the counter)

*assume that service dogs never get to ‘just be dogs’.  Trust me on this….our service dog is a completely different (naughty) animal when his working vest comes off.  He is spoiled in every way, has toys and treats aplenty and sleeps in our bed every single night.  PLUS….he gets to hang out with his human all day every day.  He has the best of both worlds.

Here’s a few explanations and some things that happened on our trip.  

If you give a service dog ANY kind of attention, it distracts them from THEIR job.  Even a simple ‘awwwww!’ can distract a dog.  If you ask what the dog’s name is, and the handler tells you the dog’s real name, the FIRST thing that person is going to do is going to say ‘awwww, Hi Watson!’ and boom, immediately the dog’s attention goes to that person and away from their handler.  However….if you tell them their middle name (Henry), when the person says ‘Aw…hi Henry!’….Watson will not react.  His focus will remain on his handler.  Or, you could just choose not to give out the dog’s name at all.  We typically do not give out his name, but on rare occasions we will say that his name is Henry (his middle name).  Because he won’t respond to Henry.  

If you pet the dog, or attempt to pet the dog, his attention will be on you, and not his handler.  Plain and simple.  Do not pet the dog.

Almost every time we are out in public, my husband gets asked 'are you a vet?'  He gives a simple ‘yes’.  But…it doesn’t always stop there.  At the hockey game in Nashville, a guy sitting in front of us wanted to know what he did in the military and what war he was in.  Sigh.  This happens a LOT.  Most veterans do NOT like talking about these things.  My husband is always polite about it and just says “I don’t really talk about that with anyone”.  I mean….he just wanted to go to a hockey game, not reminisce about his military days (which gave him PTSD) with a random stranger during the game.

We do have positive experiences also though.  We stopped at a Target outside of Nashville for some snacks and we walked by a man pushing a cart with a child in the seat (the kid was maybe 3 or 4?).  And the kid said ‘look daddy there’s a doggie’ and the dad said “yes, remember what we talked about?  We can’t pet or talk to dogs that have vests on like that because they are working.”  I wanted to applaud. 

In Memphis, everyone was super friendly (especially at restaurants) and always asked (US) if our dog needed anything (like a bowl of water).  That’s always appreciated.  

I completely understand that not everyone knows this etiquette (I sure didn’t at first).  And I also understand that most people are animal lovers and have the best of intentions.  However, I think it’s important that everyone remember that service dogs are working dogs and just need to be ignored so they can do their jobs the best they can.

Tennessee

Hubby had a conference for work in Memphis earlier in the month.  I joined him for a quick little getaway.

I arrived on a Thursday night.  He waited for me to have dinner, and we ate at 10:00 p.m. (the latest I think I’ve ever eaten dinner) at the Blues City Café on Beale Street.  Then we went to the BB King Blues Club for a drink and some live music.    I’m not normally a big fan of blues, but hearing it live was awesome!

The next day we packed up, checked out of our hotel and drove to Nashville.  We checked into a hotel downtown and immediately went to a Predators game.  It was a full house.  The Predators have some VERY faithful fans.  We got end seats, because of Watson (he came with us everywhere).  He did REALLY well, except for when the goalie horn sounded.  We tried to cover his ears, but it happens REALLY quickly.  Fortunately it only happened 3 times.  When it happens he basically wants to bolt.  But of course he can’t, so we just hang onto him and his leash.

After the Predators game we walked around downtown a bit and went back to the hotel.  The next morning, we attempted to go to TWO different places for breakfast, but both had lines out the door.  Then we tried to go drive by the Grand Ole Opry and there was something going on (on a Saturday morning?) and the traffic was horrendous so we skipped it.  We got the heck out of Nashville.  I realize we were only there for less than 24 hours, but we were not fans of Nashville.  The hockey game was fun, but everything else was kind of a letdown (the prices of everything, parking, the traffic, the pace, the people).  We headed back to Memphis.

Sunday we ate breakfast at our hotel, then went to the National Civil Rights Museum.  It is at the Loraine Motel, where Martin Luther King was shot.  It was….super depressing.  But also amazing.  There are 25+ exhibits (rooms) full of videos, photos, facts, etc.  It’s self-guided.  The last place you go is upstairs, where you can see into MLKs hotel room and onto the balcony.  After that, you can then go across the street and tour the building where the shooter made his shot.  Also….very depressing.  But…amazing.

It’s just one of those places that I wish everyone could go see.  I learned so much.  And I’m still thinking about it.

We were already downtown on Beale Street, so we had dinner and then walked to the Mississippi and took a stroll.  Then it was time for the theater!

We went to the Phantom of the Opera.  I’ve seen it twice before, but it was really cool to see it again.  However, we had to leave in the middle of the 2^nd part (about ¾ of the way through).  I knew there were a couple of dramatic scenes that I warned my husband about (so he could cover Watson’s ears).  However, this particular production was WAY over the top.  I mean….really good…..but lots of pops, fire, guns shooting (not good for hubby either), etc.  I told myself beforehand that if we could make it until my favorite song (Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again), then I would be happy.  And we did.  We left shortly after that song.  We just didn’t want to put Watson through any more jumpiness.  He did SO GOOD, but we were both distracted making sure he was okay, etc.  I was happy we got through ¾ of the play.  It was still fantastic.

Monday, we went to Graceland.  

We aren’t big Elvis fans, but when in Memphis, you must go to Graceland, right?  And we LOVED it.  It’s one of those things that you don’t think you’re going to like, but it ends up being super interesting and cool.  We were there for like 5 hours!!  It’s perfect for dogs too (although only service animals are allowed).  We got a Groupon for the VIP tour.  Our first stop was the actual mansion.  It is kind of self-guided, but they give you iPads and earphones to listen to the tour (so it kind of moves you along).  You start off on the first floor (living room, jungle room (green shag carpeting on the floor and the ceiling), kitchen, foyer, master bedroom).  Then head downstairs.  Downstairs you view the TV room, the pool room (with fabric on the walls and the ceiling), the racquetball court, the lounge (where the piano is that he was playing the morning of his death).  Then you head outside and view the ground (the horses, the resting places of Elvis and his family), etc.  This portion of the tour takes maybe an hour and a half?  Then, the shuttle picked us up and took us across the street to the rest of the museum.  This is where his cars are, his clothing (jumpsuits galore!), his awards, and the archive room, where you can view all kinds of stuff.  With the VIP pass, you don’t have to view the exhibits in order, you can come and go at will.  It was great with Watson, because we could take him out whenever we wanted.  There are a few restaurants there and of course tons of gift shops.  We enjoyed all of it!

Tuesday we slept in, finished our last-minute packing, and had a LONG breakfast.  Then we filled up our rental car with gas and headed to the airport.  

In summary, we loved Memphis!  It was a great trip!