Best Books of 2020, Part 2

And my top books read in the order I read them.

Small stack this year: half were ebooks/library copy.

Love Lettering – Kate Clayborn

The year was off to a great start with my January reads. This was just really cute. I’m actually afraid to go back and re-read in case I feel differently now.

The Will and the Wilds – Charlie Holmberg

Soul stealing kisses in this one. That’s all you need to know.

Homebound – Lydia Hope

I like science fiction romance where the 2 leads are different enough that they have to look past things and overcome obstacles to be together and that’s what we have here.

Strange Planet – Nathan Pyle     

A perfect feel good book that I really needed. I bought it because I follow the author’s Instagram, but I’m happy to have read the book as well.

Faro’s Daughter – Georgette Heyer

This one cracked me up so good. I loved Deb. She gives Max the run around in so many ways. I keep going back to my favorite parts.

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder – Holly Jackson

I had a blast with this one. I read it at a time when reading wasn’t really working out for me so that’s an added bonus.

Emerald Blaze – Ilona Andrews

I felt like Catalina and Alessandro’s first book had a few missteps but this one picks it up and gives the non stop action with a little romance that the Andrews’ do so well.

Swordheart – T. Kingfisher

This one surprised me big time. I read about it somewhere online, decided I had to have it and read it in one go. I wasn’t even half way done before I downloaded Paladin’s Grace. I can’t wait for more. This is the kind of fantasy romance I like to read.

Revenge in Rubies – A.M. Stuart

The author’s first book in this series was on my best of list last year so I’m happy to see this one here too. It’s another really solid story. I love that it takes place in Singapore.

Return of the King – Megan Whalen Turner

The conclusion to an epic series. It was perfect.

The Bright and Breaking Sea – Chloe O’Neill

This one was unexpected. It hit all the right spots with me. A female captain in Her Majesty’s navy has to deal with spies, pirates, and a Viscount.

And that’s it for this year. Who knows what next year will bring. I’m not even going to speculate. My list of books to buy in 2021 is pretty small right now. I’m sure it will get bigger. Maybe I’ll try and read some of the books I bought in 2020 or any other year. They are sitting on my bookshelves just waiting for me to pick them up. 

Best Books of 2020, Part 1

Another year, another stack of books. I feel like my reading was strange this year. There were times when I had a really hard time concentrating on books and times when it was hard to figure out what I wanted to read. Even so, 98 books is nothing to be ashamed about. And it doesn’t count the comfort re-reading I did or the Webtoons, both of those things I would say actually took up almost half of my reading time this year. 

The top genre was once again mystery, followed by what I labeled romantic (meaning they aren’t in the romance genre, but they have a romance subplot in them and I wanted to track them). Then it’s urban fantasy/PNR, sci-fi romance, and fantasy/sci-fi to round out the top 5. Ha ha, I can tell by my genres that I didn’t want to be in the real world so much. 

Ebooks pulled ahead this year. It’s not surprising considering the pandemic and the library was closed for a few months. I read far more purchased books than borrowed this year. Again, not too surprising.

I’m breaking my list up into 2 sections: webcomics and books. I’m going to start with my favorite webcomics, which I read on WebToons. These saved me this year. Something about the pictures and episodic format really helped me escape and I found a new medium that I love. 

Midnight Poppy Land, creator: Lilydusk – I’ve already written about this one, but I love it. Love. It. Hands down my #1. Mafia bad boy with a heart of gold, a heroine to really cheer for, and just a fun story with great artwork. My obsession is down to a manageable amount but I’m in it for the long haul. 

My Dear Cold-Blooded King, creator: Lifelight – I love the artwork and story here. I wasn’t sure at first as it’s a little love triangle-y in the beginning.  It finished recently and I went back and re-read the whole thing and I loved it even more. There may be some plot holes and things that don’t all make sense but I don’t even care.

Covenant, creator: explodikid – Priests that focus on exorcism. Magic tattoos. I love the art and I love the story. I can’t wait to see where it goes.

Punderworld/Blood Stain, creator: sigeel – Punderworld is a Hades/Persephone retelling that’s just cute, and Blood Stain is about a down on her luck girl going to work for a mad scientist. I binged it and it’s so fun. Both have fantastic art.

Suitor Armor, creator: Purpah – This one’s just getting started but I love it so much already. A magical suit of armor starts protecting a lady-in-waiting who is more than she appears.

Purple Hyacinth, creators Ephemerys and Sophism – A fantasy/mystery where a cop and an assassin work together to stop a criminal gang. I binged this one in December and now have to wait for updates like the rest.

Others that I’m really enjoying: Jeff’s Disorder (lexet), The Alley Cat (Marie Jane Works), The Empress Remarried (Alphatart and Sumpul), The Wolfman of Wulvershire (K. Oliver), The Witch and the Bull (moonsia), In the Bleak Midwinter (Kat and Ali) and Enjoy the Show! (Jenna A).

And that’s only a handful of the ones I’m subscribed to. I have a ton of them I’m still waiting to check out or haven’t gotten far enough to know if I really like them.

So yeah, lots and lots of time spent here this year and I don’t regret it at all. I’m hooked on webcomics and they will be part of my reading for the foreseeable future.  So far I'm doing all the reading on WebToons but I hear Tapas has some good ones as well. I absolutely don't need more to read, but maybe next year I'll check it out. 

Good Weekend

I didn’t feel very well for a few days last week and the week was dragging. I woke up on Saturday feeling better and decided I wanted to get out. My mom and I ended up driving to Logan to Bluebird Candy. Earlier this year we had both purchased a Christmas countdown with their candy in it and it is excellent. We decided we needed more. :) But I also bought a few small boxes of chocolates for neighbors and friends. Since I’m not baking treats this year, I thought those would do the trick. We stopped at the cheese factory also and I stocked up on cheese. Ha ha cheese and chocolate. Yum! And now my Christmas shopping is completely finished, wrapped, and under the tree. It feels really good to do things that used to be “normal”. 

I got my bonus on Friday. I put aside my tithing and decided how much to save. I reloaded my Amazon gift card for myself and then I donated to 5 different charities. I gave a lot more than I usually do. I’ve been blessed with so much and that includes a very good job that allows me to be free of financial pressures. It’s the least I can do, especially for the organizations that reach places I never could on my own. 

On the way home yesterday, we stopped at my sister’s house because my mom had bought her a countdown. My nephew wanted me to take him shopping. I told him I’d take him later in the evening when it got less crowded if he could get to my house. He called me later in the day with a plan and his parents dropped him off. He’s such a fun kid. I thought by 16 he’d be done with hanging out with his aunt. He told me that since I took him to Best Buy last year, it was now our tradition. So I guess we’ll be doing it next year too. :) Driving my nephew around to stores was not how I had planned my evening and there’s nothing better I could have been doing. 

Today we had stake conference broadcast. I used the time to cook since I don’t do well sitting for 2 hours like that. Elder Robbins said something that stood out to me. I’m paraphrasing but basically we have Google maps that will track traffic all over the world as it happens and Google will answers millions of questions simultaneously. If man can do that, why can’t we believe that God also does that? God knows all of us. It’s kind of amazing when I think about it. 

Anyway, I get to relax for the rest of my day. It’s been a good weekend and I’m feeling positive and refreshed to deal with life. 

Give Thanks

It’s only Wednesday, and I’m so happy I decided to take this week off work, even though I was afraid it would be too much home time with the pandemic. It has been so nice to relax and just not worry about work. 

Here’s my thankful list for today:

I chased 1 year old twins around my house last night for a few minutes while my sister when to Home Depot. I can’t baby proof my home completely (especially with a Christmas tree up) and they were fun and so stinking cute.

The sun was shining and I turned the radio up as I drove home from a hair appointment yesterday. I love singing to the radio in my car. 

Even if it’s just 9 of us, we are getting together to eat tomorrow. I’m grateful we’ve all been well so far. 

I bought a pink fleece poncho earlier this year and it is without a doubt one of my greatest purchases. It’s the best thing for reading. 

My poor little car is still running well. I’ve been thinking of getting a new one, but then I hold off. That car and I have been through many years and many miles together. 

I’m making grandmas’s rolls today. I made the dough last night. I love that we have that as a tradition and that I’ve been able to pick it up. I make them at other times during the year, but they are so special at Thanksgiving. 

My mom and I went to the nursery that sells 1000’s of poinsettias and I bought 4 this year. I just couldn’t decide on a color. They are so beautiful. 

Aunt Jenny has 2 little tiny buds on her this year. That particular Christmas cactus doesn’t usually bloom until after Christmas, but maybe I’ll get some flowers early this year. 

Still the Same Old

I’ve been all over the place this week, emotionally. I had a high stress/anxiety day that I made it through and finally got rid of the tension headache. Then covid fatigue hit me hard. I am so fed up with the virus and people who think it's a myth and the whole gamut. My family has decided to go ahead and have Thanksgiving. It will only be 9 of us anyway. We’re doing it potluck style even though it was recommended to have one cook and one server. We probably won’t be together all day and might wear masks. My mom and I are going to do our annual pre Thanksgiving shopping trip, although probably just staying around town and shopping local. We will be wearing masks and using hand sanitizer until we get home. I’m actually perfectly fine with the mask. I’m used to it. I wear it a bunch at work, though not all the time. My breathing has even adjusted to it.  We had turkey pickup day at work and it was actually really nice to see a few of my coworkers and have the office be a little bit busier than it has been for the past however many months. LOL I just don’t know what to think about most things anymore. I do look forward to Fridays right now. Not because the end of the work week, although that is nice, but The Mandalorian drops new episodes and my web comic updates. So yeah, looking forward to tomorrow night. There is that, at least.

The Day After

I voted early by mail (or more accurately - the library drop box) so I didn't have to worry about voting yesterday. I just checked that my vote had been received and counted and then let it go. Last night I did a puzzle as I listened to some podcasts about my favorite web comic. I waited until this afternoon to look at the news and was doing fine until I looked at one too many election articles and my anxiety spiked. 

So I'm checking out of social media, news, and other distractions and doing more self care stuff tonight. 

I decided on a whim that my library needed some lights and then I realized I don't ever read in the dark so I won't see them that often. Oh well.. it still makes me happy. 

And a couple days ago, I got some sunshine in. It was so nice I decided to get some more today. We should have a few more days of sunshine before a storm moves in. I'm ready for cozy reading weather, but I'm not going to complain about a warm afternoon and crunchy leaves. 

The news and life will be there tomorrow. They can wait until I'm ready. 

Ah, October

I am loving the weather. It's been mostly warm with cool nights and then this morning it was nice and almost cold! I've been out a little bit and drove through a canyon and saw the leaves changing. It's getting cool enough they are changing at my house now. Truly, I love this month. 

I'm having some of my nieces and nephews sleep over tonight. We can't really go anywhere so I got my house "kid-proofed" for our rousing game of hide and seek in the dark. It's still funny to me that they love it so much. My house doesn't have that many great spots to hide in. Then we usually have treats of some kind while we watch movies before bed. I created a treasure hunt for them to find some candy and popcorn. Hopefully, the younger ones will think it's fun. 

After I get them home tomorrow, I will have the afternoon to clean and restore my house to it's normal place and enjoy the piece and quiet. It supposed to get cold (possible mountain snow!) on Sunday and I am planning to make homemade broccoli cheddar soup with bread bowls. I can't wait!

Moving On

Well my office is officially cleaned out. I have a couple computer monitors and a chair to move into my new office (whereever it is, they only have a vague idea at the moment).  My replacement starts on Monday. Thursday was my last day in the office last week and it was bittersweet. That’s been my office for 17 years now. Wow has time flown. I’m giving up a job that I have mostly loved and that has provided me with so many opportunities for another job that has been filled with ups and downs so far. The past couple weeks have been ok and I’m starting to feel like I might be able to learn the new stuff. I have to remind myself to be patient with me. I am looking forward to all the things my new job will bring. But....it still doesn’t stop that I’m leaving what I know and love. So yeah, it’s bittersweet. 

I didn’t go to church again today. Instead, I listened to the broadcast from my ward. One of the speakers referenced a talk from President Nelson from 2016 General Conference and it was exactly what I needed to hear today.

My dear brothers and sisters, the joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives.

So here’s to starting over and again and remembering that I’ve had a great career and been very blessed with it so far and that there are still many more things to learn and ways to grow and I will enjoy it along the way. I’ll do my best to keep my focus where it should be and everything will either fall away or fall into place. 

Random Weekend

We had a small family reunion on Saturday. My aunt and uncle had come from Virginia and we got what family could be there together. This picture is the kids that are left from the William and Lura Hadley family. My mom is the youngest (though not technically, but that’s another long story). I’m really not sure who in this picture is the oldest. I looked on Family Search but none of these kids are listed. Just 6 of the older kids, who are gone. Anyway, large family.

Before the reunion I had stayed the night at my sister’s house. Her and my brother-in-law had made plans to be away and she didn’t want the kids staying alone all weekend, even if my nephew is 16 now. It was easy to spend the night there and I got to sleep in a bit since the kids could get up and do what they wanted in their own house. We had candy and popcorn for breakfast as we watched a Phineas and Ferb movie. I don’t know if that makes me the best aunt or the worst. Ha ha...

After the reunion we headed down to Kaysville to watch my 8 year old niece play in a soccer game. The weather was really perfect yesterday. Not too hot and the smoke from all the fires has cleared out. For now. 

Now I’m having a lazy Sunday. I had toast and blackberries for breakfast. My sister’s blackberry bush is still producing berries so I picked a couple handfuls while I was there. I’m going to watch a broadcast of church and cook a little bit and enjoy the silence of my home for today. I truly do have a good life with all its ups and downs.

Another Mini Road Trip

Took another quick road trip with my family last weekend. Stayed at a hotel in Vernal and then drove up to Flaming Gorge. Lot of time in the car, but it was nice to get out. 

Some Good Things

I was listening/watching an episode of Don’t Miss This on YouTube and they were talking about a spot in the scriptures where, during a time of war, the people were so happy. Then they laughed and said what if we did that about 2020. It got me really thinking about my 2020. Yeah, I can say it’s been a crappy year and nobody will argue with me but it’s the little things that make life worthwhile and I can see some good things as I look back.

I look a trip to Egypt (pre-pandemic) which has been on my list since I made it, and it was amazing.

My family has had some fun family dinners at different parks around the city.

I’ve been able to have lunch at a park a few times with one of my friends during our work day and it’s been such a wonderful blessing to have that friendship and support.

My sister’s twins are 14 months now and they are getting to be so much fun.

I had a bunch of beautiful flowers around my house this year.

Had a great drive to Star Valley, WY with my family one weekend.

I ordered my first subscription box from Margot Elena and it was like Christmas getting to open it with all kinds of soap/perfume/lotion.

Picking and eating fresh peaches and blackberries.

Catching grasshoppers with my bug-obsessed 7 year old nephew.

After some trial and error, I finally found a pillow that I can sleep on with no neck pain and it’s wonderful.

So yeah, there have been some really good moments during the year. Small and simple things make the big things worth it.

Down the Rabbit Hole

I don’t know why I was complaining about there being no books to buy in August. I haven’t read any. Well, I take that back. I’ve read 1 book this month and it’s the 20th. Nothing is appealing to me at all.

Instead, I have gone down a deep, deep hole with Webtoons. I started reading 1 or 2 webtoons last winter and liked them fine. Then one day maybe not quite 2 months ago I opened the app and the Webtoons banner had an advertisement for Midnight Poppy Land. It took me less than a week to get caught up with all the published episodes. I’ve re-read the entire thing multiple times, plus smaller sections of related episodes many, many times. I’m looking at you #25 and #26. I even gave Webtoons my money to buy coins for the Fast Pass episodes. Then I joined 2 fan groups on Facebook. I don’t even like FB and I’m getting on there constantly now to check on what’s going on in the groups. I’ve found 2 different podcasts to listen to things about MPL. I bought notebooks I don’t need because they have pictures from MPL on the cover. Sure, I wanted to support the artist, but I really just wanted to look at Tora and Poppy. I am hooked. We are only on episode 44. I have no idea how many episodes it will be but years of my life can go by before this story is finished. I want to own it in print so badly. I really hope one day it gets published in print format. I haven’t started reading the fan fiction yet, but if anything gets me to do that, it will probably be MPL. I’m hoping the obsessing part will die down a little bit because I can’t live my life like that. I know from other experiences with other stories, that eventually it will fade and I’ll handle it normally. At least I think so. I’m not used to having to wait for the next episode to come out. At least I’m not alone. I’ve already figured out that I can work myself up and then get disappointed by an episode that is too short or goes in a direction I didn’t expect. 

Since I am caught up with my favorite, I’ve started reading others. Some I’m liking a lot and others are ok.  I’ve got a huge list saved on my account though and I’m slowing trying and reading through them. None others have hooked me like MPL, but there are a few really popular ones I haven’t gotten around to starting yet.

Anyway, yeah, I’m spending the majority of my reading time with web comics and podcasts about web comics. I guess it really doesn’t surprise me. Nothing about this crazy year is anything like I’d thought it would be. So if this year’s book count is a lot lower than the previous year, and it seems it will be, it’s because I’m on Webtoons. Not a bad place to be, I guess. I’m not alone, that’s for sure. 

Monday

Ug…it’s a Monday for sure. Truly, April isn’t the cruelest month. August is. It’s hot and things are on fire everything turns brown without water. Even my flowers are feeling it. It’s even a bad month for books. I have 1 book to buy this month and not until the 25^th. Twenty-eight more days until September. I know things don’t magically turn around on September 1^st and it can still be as hot, but it’s a turning point. (Plus at least 10 new books to buy next month 😊). I’ll try to not wish away my time but I am waiting for autumn.

New Normal

Here we are living in our “new normal” and life is good. I’m in parts loving and frustrated with my new job. The frustrated is because I have so much to learn and I’m used to working in a job where I know the answers, and if I don’t, I know where to go to find them. I keep reminding myself to be patient with me. I’m learning new things every day. Three weeks is definitely not long enough to learn everything or even really understand everything that is going on.

Not much else is going on. I’m usually up super early on Saturday so I can go to the grocery store or Target right when it opens. I’ve been watching some documentaries on tv about: food, travel, Egypt, making of [show or movie], etc. Plus, I ordered Hallmark Movies Now for my Roku. I am not a fan of Christmas movies, but I kind of like their mysteries and did it on a whim. LOL I’ve seriously watched more tv this year than in a long time. But whatever. I’m still reading, but old favorites instead of new stuff. I’m spending most of my reading time on web comics. I’m slightly obsessed with Midnight Poppy Land and it will definitely be on my “best of” reading list this year. I have a bunch more web comics to try while I’m waiting on new episodes of MPL. My iPad needs to be charged almost every night. And that’s kind of it. It’s going to be in the 100s this weekend so once again I’ll be up early and probably not leaving my house after it gets hot.

Mini Road Trip

My mom was dying to get out of town and go somewhere. My sister wanted to join so we waited for this weekend and her family went with us. Basically, we drove up to Star Valley, Wyoming via Bear Lake and came back home through Soda Springs and Lava Hot Springs, Idaho. We stopped plenty of times and found this nice little park in Grover, WY to eat lunch where the kids could play for a while.  I have to say it did feel good to get out and Star Valley and some of the other canyons we drove through are really beautiful.
My one little nephew got car sick a few times so he didn’t have such a good time of it. Mom and I had the 2 older kids in the car with us and they are crazy funny sometimes. Plus, we had their walkie talkies with us between the 2 cars. Nothing we did would be funny if you weren’t there but it will make some good memories. I do love road trips and I love my family. They are good people.

Random Acts of Kindness

The day started as normal (meaning I pushed snooze too many times and was rushing out the door to go to work) and then I got a flat tire on the freeway. I’ve never had a flat on the freeway, only smaller roads, and being on the side of the freeway with the traffic flying by was a scary experience. Turns out my spare was also a little flat so after getting air at the closest gas station, I headed to get my tire fixed. Turns out it wasn’t fixable so now I have 4 new tires, oil change, air filter, and alignment. I knew I needed the tires this fall anyway, so that was fine.

When I finally got to work, the announcement about my new job had gone out and I had a bunch of emails from people all over the company telling me congratulations.

So today I am very, very grateful for:

• A guy named Tyson who stopped to help me with my tire.
• A boss who understands when I’m 3 hours late to work.
• A whole bunch of co-workers and other people I barely know who have sent me emails. There were at least 50 of them.

Now I am going to pay it forward and be the good I want to see in the world. It's going to be a good day.

What?!

So that job I applied for? They offered it to me today. Cue panic attack and wondering what am I doing?

LOL - it’s not really that bad. I’ve had about 3 hours to process it now and the happy/excited emotions are starting to win. I’ve decided that the real issue is that this change happened so fast.

I had definitely been thinking about new jobs as I was wondering what change my life needed. I had even looked around outside of my company a little bit before COVID hit. But a new job wasn’t the only change I could live with. Then this job was posted and I wasn’t expecting it at all. Nobody from the team is leaving, it’s an addition to the team. Then I applied and interviewed and got it within a 2 week period and now it’s hitting me that I didn’t have a long time to think about it. Which, knowing myself, might be a good thing.

Anyway, it feels a little daunting but that’s just because I don’t know what I’m really doing yet or what kinds of things I’ll be learning. I only have vague ideas at this point. I get a raise with it. Right now $50.00 week. Not huge, but I will not complain at all. Then with the scale the job will go up to, plus the bonus I’ll be working for, I have nothing to worry about. I’ve been blessed with my income and continue to be blessed with it. Except for tithing, it’s all going into savings.

I don’t think my current boss is super excited about it. I can’t blame him. Now he has to hire someone and they have to figure out where to put me. I’ll be able to work from home a good deal of the time, but not until we’ve transitioned over. That part will really take the rest of the year, as some of the different things I do come up.

LOL OH MY GOSH!!! :) I already had planned to have tomorrow off work so I’ve got a 4 day weekend ahead of me to let it all sink in.

Days Go By

Another crazy month almost over. I’m pretty sure a couple of positive things did happen but now I can’t think of what they are. My phone is no help either. Whatever it was, it wasn’t picture worthy.

I did apply for a new job. That’s a little bit noteworthy since it’s been 17 years since I last applied for a job. Same company, but I’d be working for someone else and doing a little traveling if the pandemic ever gets over. I had 3 interviews last Friday. I felt like I did my best in them and would only change 1 or 2 small things. It was a bit of work to prep for them and keep up the energy during them. Now that it’s over, I will not be upset if I don’t get the job and if I do get it, I will wonder what I’m doing to myself. But it would be a change and I am starting to feel like I desperately need one in my work life.

And other than that, evidently I’ll be having some kids sleep over at my house Friday night so I’m trying to gear up for that. I have a feeling it will be a long, long night. I’m tired just thinking about it.

Memorial Day 2020

I had a really great weekend. I took Friday off to make it 4 days. At first I thought why waste vacation days when I can’t go anywhere, but I’ve decided this year will be different. I’ll waste them if I want to. After all, I was lucky enough to get to go on my big vacation. Plus, I’m still working and having time away from work really does help. As it turns out, I was out of my house every day this weekend and it felt so much like “normal’ life and it was exactly what I needed to get out of a little funk.

On Friday I took some flowers up to my grandma’s grave in Wellsville and then in the afternoon/evening went up to my sister’s house where we had a family sleepover. It ended up raining and snowing that night so I was glad we were indoors. Saturday morning after breakfast we all went to the Brigham City cemetery. It was cold that morning and early enough that there were not a lot of people. We walked to all the different family graves we put flowers on. After I got home I did some housework and then took a nice long nap. On Sunday I rearranged my bedroom. I had to take my bed apart to move it. Still, it didn’t take as long as I thought and I had been putting it off. I haven’t had my bed in it’s new position ever so it is taking a little bit of getting used to but I like the change. It makes my bedroom feel bigger and it was plenty big before. Then on Monday I went with my brother and sister to explore Blacksmith Fork Canyon. Dad used to take us up there fishing a lot when we were young. I haven’t been up there in many years. It was so beautiful and felt good to get out. Of course, with crying and complaining kids, it was also nice to get back home. It’s supposed to get hot this week which means I missed the best temperatures but summer’s coming and I’m really going to try and get outside more.

Flowers and Donuts

And life during a pandemic goes on...
I planted flowers this weekend. I've got grand plans for a small garden box at the back of my house, but for now I did my normal planting in my front flower garden and my pots. And by pots, I mean all my pots. I normally try to hold myself back a little bit but I did not at all this year. I bought every flower that took my fancy. And a bunch of herbs. They used up every pot I had, plus new ones I bought.

It was a perfect day for flower shopping at the nursery. By that I mean it was raining and there were not very many people there.  I loved it. I've got ideas to turn my back patio into a miniature flower garden too, with pots and plant stands. I figure I might as well. It makes me happy and since I'm not going anywhere this summer, there's no reason I can't water them and keep them healthy and happy.

A few weeks ago I decided I had to have a stand mixer, even though I've gotten along just fine without one until now. I got a wonderful Bosche compact mixer. I finally used it this weekend and the first thing I did with it was donuts. I cooked them up and delivered fresh, homemade donuts to my family. It was fun. I'm not sure I loved the donuts and they were kind of a lot of work, plus my house smelled like fry oil for days...but I really loved seeing all my family as I delivered them.

A Small Change and Random Thoughts

So ever since my vacation I have pretty much had vacation hair. I mean, you plan to when you are on vacation. I don't ever take my "normal" things to do my hair on vacation. It's basically wash and go. When I had to quarantine for 2 weeks after I got back, there was no reason to do anything with my hair. And I've been doing nothing with it ever since. It feels kind of good and I am thinking I may keep doing it. My hair is naturally wavy and rather than blowing it dry, I've been drying my bangs so I can get them to fall the right way (and sometimes still using the flat iron) and maybe the top of my head a bit. And I'm spraying on a little leave in conditioner or wavy styling product and letting it go. They gray has definitely shown up and I'm not even bothering to cover it up either. Before, I was covering all the little gray spots as I waited for my next hair appointment. It's kind of freeing, really.  I'm thinking I'm still going to get it colored when I go back to the hair salon because I like the color. I'm just not going to stress about it as it grows out. I rather like the low maintenance hair style (let's face it, I wasn't actually high maintenance before) so yeah, I think I may keep it.

As for other things that make me happy, I started following some historic and old homes people on Instagram. I love old houses. Then I read a book with a cat in it and started thinking about cats and houses.  LOL - if this virus doesn't stop soon I may do something drastic. I do not need an old house, and I definitely do not need a cat.

It was my sister-in-law's birthday last week so we gave her a "heart attack". My other sister and niece did the banner and a few hearts and I did more hearts and wrote some messages on them. Then I drove to their house at 6:00 am and stuck them to the windows and doors. It was kind of fun and she was definitely surprised.

Is It May Yet?

Things that are making me happy right now. Well, one thing anyway. Music. I went for a nice drive into the mountains this weekend and listened to some old favorites again. Sara Evans among others. And this morning I listened to the Sweeney Todd soundtrack. I really love that musical. The songs are fantastic. While it may not have the happiest ending, it’s still one of my favorites.

I am just doing what a lot of people are doing and trying not to go stir crazy. I am often alone but seldom lonely. Right now I can definitely say I get lonely. I was at a conference when I heard a speaker say that social media is the junk food of connection. It will fill you for a small time but has none of the nutritional value you need. That feels very true right now. I don’t want social media, I want real people. My people. My sister sent pictures of her family in the backyard with their fire pit. My other sister set up her tent in her living room and camped out with her babies. Now I’m jealous I don’t have a fire pit or a tent.

I’m dying to go somewhere. I was finally able to re-read some old favorite books so right now I’m going places with music and books. A pie shop in London for one, and an archaeological dig in Scotland for another. 😊

Up Next...

When this whole thing started, I quickly read a few books just to help cope. Books are great for that and I can think of other times in my life when reading has helped.  But as more and more time goes on and nothing is getting better, my reading has gotten less. I’m having a hard time figuring out what I want to read next and my attention span seems to be much shorter. I haven’t even really turned to the good old favorites like I’m wont to do when I can’t find anything else to read. Instead, I’ve been watching tv, looking at social media more, and baking things. I have enough treats in my freezer to last a while, that’s for sure. I’ve made it through 12 episodes of Warehouse 13. I’ve actually watched them. Not just on in the background for noise. Plus, I’m almost done with Ms. Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries. It’s not normal for me. I’ve been on social media more just to try and connect a bit and watching weird stuff on YouTube, but yesterday I realized I’m tired of it again. That didn’t last long. I’m trying to keep up with the positive but too many judgmental and negative things interfere. I think for this long Easter weekend coming up, I’m going to stay off it except for the family chat.

I know that really the best thing I can do for stress is to exercise, but I’m having a hard time doing that also. I always struggle with it and now it’s even worse. My favorite places to go are either over crowded or closed off right now, but that’s really just an excuse. It’s up to me to take care of myself, regardless. Any maybe if I was doing better at that, I’d settle on a book to read. Who knows?

General Conference Thoughts

This was general conference weekend and we all participated in our own homes as the pandemic is still ongoing.
I just have some thoughts I wanted to get out.

First off, I was thinking about a news article I recently read that was about churches trying to get an “essential” exception because it’s vital that people can continue to worship. I happen to agree that people need to continue to worship, but I would argue that it still has to be distant from each other to slow the spread of COVID-19. Which just makes me grateful for my church and the prophet and the inspiration to make us more home centered. This is our 2nd year of Come Follow Me and even though we aren’t together (and I do miss the being together) we are still studying the same things worldwide.  I do miss the Sunday worship, but as I have been trying to make my sabbath day different from the rest of my week, having my own little devotional, I have had some good time to focus on some things like stories in the Book of Mormon and of course on Jesus Christ, and I have to admit that it’s been good for me and I have grown because of it.
And then of course, there is conference weekend. I never did go to Salt Lake to see it live, so in my own house is normal (although I miss being with my family). I can’t help think how we are being guided if we listen to the prophet. I don’t know if he foresaw this exact pandemic, but President Nelson (and many of the apostles) have taught many things that have helped me personally. Even just with food storage and savings. Also, they have said this is temporary. The temples are closed and I can’t help but think that they won’t stay closed for long as there is still a lot of work to be done. As they announced 8 new temples, I have confidence that we will get through the pandemic and get back to normal. Or at least normal with a bit more gratitude and lessons learned to make us better people.

Which brings me to myself and the things I need to do and I’m refocusing on things that are important. My recommend expired at the end of March and we weren’t going to church for me to get it renewed. I should probably contact my bishop anyway to see if it’s possible right now. The prophet called for a worldwide fast on the last Sunday of March (29) and now he has called for another one this coming Friday on Good Friday. I participated in the last one and I must admit it was the first time in a while that I had seriously fasted. I don’t know what good it did the world, but I know it did me so much good. The renewal I felt was absolutely worth it. So with faith, I will participate in this next one.

Things I have gotten out of conference: I need to put some effort into my religion. I need to go to the temple. I need to remember I can’t do everything at once, but it shouldn’t stop me from doing the one thing I need to do at that moment and I should seek the help of the spirit to decide what that one thing is for today. And after this pandemic is over, there is still so, so much in the world that is wrong and has to be faced and good people everywhere (and me personally) need to do our part. And it’s ok that I am not perfect (not even close) and I have to keep trying.

I loved the one of the first songs from the choir. They sang It is Well With My Soul and I don’t remember the first time the they sang it but man, it was powerful to me this time.

And wow! A temple in China! And Dubai! The work is going forward and I want to be part of it, even if it’s just in my own circle and sphere of influence.

Egypt, Part 3 - Aswan

The last part of my trip was Aswan. The cruise ship docked there and we saw more temples. Ha ha, yes there were a lot of them. We also drove to the high dam and got to look out on Lake Nasser. Learning about the politics behind that dam was interesting. We also got to shop for perfume oils and aromatherapy and spices. Then some of the group took a short trip to Abu Simbel. I decided not to go even though I heard it was amazing. The truth is I had never heard of it when I booked the trip and it was an extra 400 dollars. Instead I got to take a motor boat trip on the Nile to a Nubian village. I loved the boat ride. The village was kind of fun but it was a little strange to be walking into a person's house and taking pictures. Although it does get them money. I don't know...

Finally, we all flew back to Cairo and on the very last day we went to Giza and saw the pyramids up close. I have to admit that even though this is the iconic Egypt, once we got there, it was not my favorite part. It was really cool, but it didn't outweigh everything I had already seen. Part of that could be that it was the last day and I was ready to go home. Also, we didn't get to walk everywhere. The parts I saw were where the bus took us. If my sister and I had been doing it we would have walked a lot. A lot. It's a huge place.

It was such a fun trip and I'm so, so glad I got to go. The group was great, and if I ever have another trip I don't want to bother planning, I would definitely use the Women Traveling Together tour group again.

Egypt, Part 2 - Luxor

I really liked Luxor. We stayed at a hotel right on the river and it was very beautiful. It was fun to see the contrast. You can definitely tell where the irrigation ends. The fields are very beautiful and green and then suddenly, they aren't. Then it's just desert.

I've wanted to go to Karnak since I knew of it's existence so I loved that part of the trip. But we also took a bus ride to the temples at Abydos and Dendera, which I didn't even know existed, but were absolutely a must see. Very much worth the long ride. It wasn't that far in distance, but the roads are small and the speeds are slow as you travel through small villages.

We had an armed police escort every time we went outside of city limits (in every part of Egypt). We were told these are tourism police and are there to keep the tourists safe. It just felt...odd. Seriously, I felt more like we had a target on our back because of it but I realize that I don't really know what's going on. And we were safe, so there is that.

One of the highlights of the trip was waking up at 4 am for a hot air balloon ride over the Valley of the Kings. It was fantastic. After that, we actually went to the Valley of the Kings and I went down into 4 of the tombs. The big ones were really crowded but I did get into one of them (either Rameses V or VI) that had almost nobody in it and it was probably my favorite.

Then we boarded The Nile Goddess and got ready for our cruise down the Nile.

Egypt, Part 1 - Cairo

I left for Egypt at the end of February and had a wonderful time. I was a little nervous going with a tour group for the first time, but I got to travel with a great group of ladies and we had a wonderful tour guide.

We started in Cairo. I have been to chaotic cities in Asia and was kind of amazed that Cairo is just as chaotic as those in an entirely different way. Traffic is terrible and some days it takes a long time to get anywhere. We didn’t actually get to walk on the regular streets and I’m ok with that. We saw some really beautiful mosques at the beginning of the tour.

On the first night, we got to go to the Sight and Sound show at the pyramids. All of us thought it was a bit ridiculous and overpriced but I’m still glad I did it. It was a fun introduction to the pyramids and Egyptian history.

And we went to the “old” Egyptian Museum. I was a little disappointed at first because, for some reason, I had thought the new museum opened last fall, but it actually opens this coming fall. But I’m actually really glad I got to go to the old one now. As our guide explained to us, very few things are behind glass and most items are displayed right in the open where you could touch them (but didn’t). It was really kind of charming the way things seemed to be haphazardly displayed. It had just a touch of the chaos that seems to be part of the country.

Anyway, it was a fun city to be in...for a couple days. We went to Luxor next and I enjoyed the slower pace and less traffic much more. 

Life Update

So I’m not gonna lie. I’ve started to miss people. LOL, I didn’t know that was possible as an introvert. Now that I’m over my cold, but still have a cough and still have to be away from work, I’m starting to go a little stir crazy. I talk with my family a lot and I’ve checked in on social media more than normal. But I have to get out of my house. I’ve gone for a couple drives and walked to get my mail. It’s raining today but I think after lunch, I will put on my raincoat and waterproof hiking shoes and go for a walk.  Today the anxiety spiked really bad. It’s a combination of being home/virus news and because we had an earthquake this morning. I’m fine where I live but people in Salt Lake had some real damage.
I’m ok and I’ll be fine and many other people have it worse than I do. I’m just acknowledging my feelings because they are mine and I’m having them and everybody gets to feel things. I’m just getting it off my chest so I don’t hold in the anxiety and I’m going to take deep breaths and do one day at a time.

Life Does Get Strange

So I’m back from my trip to Egypt and I had a great time. I’ll get some pictures posted here to journal the trip.

But in other news... Coronavirus, or COVID-19, as it is actually called.

It’s been in the news since... last fall sometime? I don’t really know. As my trip was approaching, I didn’t feel it was an issue as long as I took the basic precautions. It seems like it was only a few days before my trip when Italy got upgraded to a country to stay away from. And then I feel like while I was gone, it kind of blew up to be a big deal in the states and everywhere else. Or more of a big deal? Egypt also confirmed a case right before we left for home. I consider myself very blessed to have been able to get home with no issues.

Then...I had the bad misfortune to get sick as I got home. It felt like a bad cold, and that’s what it was. I got home Sunday afternoon. I went to work on Monday and left about 3:30 because I was exhausted with jet lag and didn’t think much else but then I realized I was also sick. I did not have a fever or shortness of breath and did not travel to a high risk country so they did not test me. I have not been to work since then and the only time I had left my house beside work, was 6:30 am Monday morning to pick up a few groceries. I figured I’d stay home for a week just to be safe.

Then my boss called me this morning and my company has decided that anyone who has been in a foreign country will have to have a 2 week quarantine before they can come back to work. So I’ll be off for another week. They are going to bring my laptop to me though so I can get some things done. I feel bad for those at work that are doing my job, but I can also understand the need to be safe and not spread disease and me staying home is an easy way to do that.

Oddly enough, the saying on my letter board right now says: Reading takes you places when you have to stay where you are. Funny. And a good thing I have lots of books to read and I can borrow online from a few sources.

Also, I was looking at my pantry this morning. We have been told for years and years to have a supply for hard times. I’ve done a half-assed job of it but I do have more than I thought. I have plenty of dry goods, toilet paper, cleaning supplies and other things that will come in handy. I have water stored, although it’s not enough if I didn’t have a good supply. And I’m a little low on canned goods.  Still, I’m grateful for a church that teaches preparedness and I’ve listened a little bit. I can see where I need to make improvements.

Anyway, who would have thought I’d end up quarantined after my trip. Not me, that’s for sure! It’s happening to a lot of people so I’m definitely not alone. I’m just so, so grateful that my quarantine is happening in my own home.

February

I took last Friday off and had a nice 3 day weekend. Of course, it’s snowing and the roads were awful this morning, but the weekend was fantastic.

I drove down to Springville on Saturday to see my niece play volleyball. It’s an almost 2 hour drive, but it was a gorgeous day with the sun shining and that’s why I went. Normally, I’d only go to games closer to home. The cast list for a play she auditioned for came out in the middle of the tournament and watching her face as she finally realized her name was at the top instead of the bottom of the list was pretty fun. She got the lead!

Then on the way home, I took my nephew with me and we stopped at a used bookstore, 2 different Barnes and Nobles, and a comic book store. We were looking for a specific manga he wanted and finally found it. He told me his mom and dad would definitely not go to 4 bookstores with him. I say sign me up! I’ll do that any day.

It’s birthday shopping month! And this year I’m not really doing birthing shopping. My trip to Egypt is coming and will be here before I know it, so I am using the birthday shopping money for that trip instead. Which is completely fine. I mean, not everybody gets to say that their birthday present to themselves was a trip to Egypt. I’m kind of hoping to find a cool piece of jewelry to bring back home, but I guess I’ll see.

The House That Built Me

I like that Miranda Lambert song. But also, it's true.

Found these pictures today. So these aren't the actual house that built me, although I found a few of those too.

It changed over the years, but this was a great yard to grow up in.

Lots and lots (and lots and lots) of good memories.  It's been 5 years now since they sold it and sometimes I still miss it.