Read Fiercely 2016 Midpoint Check-In

June 21, 2016 in Read Fiercely

Summer time is here! That means only six and a half more months to finish my reading goal for this year (I think I can, I think I can, I think I can).

Above are some of the books from 2016's virtual bookshelf. I’ve already chatted about many of them in my Read Fiercely blog posts here, here, here, and here; or in my Life Behind the Lens posts here and here.

Funny side note, over half of the books pictured were “read” as audiobooks. Shout out to my favorite apps: Hoopla, Overdrive, and Audible.

I’m always on the hunt for new reads, so let me know what needs to make my reading list for the last half of 2016. Or if you have a favorite reading/book app that I must know about, do share!

#Readfiercely friends!

The most wonderful time of the year

December 22, 2011 in Personal

I think of Christmas as such a romantic time of year. I get so excited thinking of all my couples who will celebrate their 1st Christmas as Mr. & Mrs. You know those photo frames that say "our first Christmas"? I confess to finding reasons to buy them for others. Yes, I am that girl.

However, I gotta say that the whole Christmas card thing is always a huge dilemma. I love, love, love getting and receiving cards and of course the holidays are the perfect occaision. Here's the problem: as a single girl, I'm never quite sure what to do. The photo Christmas cards I get with cute little family photos, or couples on the front are just so stinking adorable. But I don't think me dressed in red & green in front of a Christmas tree will have quiiiiite the same effect. Some may even think it's a sympathy card; as in please have sympathy on me for standing here. alone. looking totally lame. Yep, definitely not the look I'm going for.

Then I thought, maybe I can make some cute and crafty cards and send those out. Well, I made the cards, but instead of them looking artsy; they say "I like glitter glue". Fail. again.

Sooo this year, I think I'll pass on the whole Christmas card thing and stick to what I know and love: photography. I know, it's a novel idea :)

And really, while I do feel like receiving the 1st Christmas card helps to officially mark the start of the season (people who have holiday cards in the mail by December 1st~I am in awe!), there are so many other things that help me feel that Christmas is here.

For me it's not Christmas until: I drink some apple cider, bake some holiday goodies, attend a holiday get together, eat a candy cane, listen to Christmas carols, shop for gifts, listen to the Christmas story, attend the Christmas eve service, eat a yummy meal with my family, and sniff a tear or too as I agree with George Bailey, that yes, It's a Wonderful Life.

So whether you send cards or not, and whatever the holidays mean to you, and however you choose to celebrate them, I hope they are filled with much joy and laughter!

Painting with a Twist

September 30, 2010 in Personal

As an artist I'm constantly looking for ways to feed my creative side. So when I heard about Painting with a Twist, I knew I just had to do it. Basically, you pay to go to a 2-3 hour night of fun where an instructor teaches a group of about 25 people how to all paint the same painting. The website assured me that even beginners (which I most certainly was) would be able to have a finished painting by the end of the class. I'd been wanting to do this for awhile, and my birthday provided the perfect opportunity for me to indulge myself. I decided to sign up, and was so glad when my friend Mentanna signed up to go with me!

We walked in to see lots of paintings on the walls.

We'd chosen the class based on the painting, and this was what we would be painting.

I wondered how exactly they could get a beginner like me to paint what looked like a masterpiece. This was how: everyone had a canvas that had been prepped with a sketched image.