Happy September!

It's a new month! Time to start a-fresh and try new things.

Last month, I tried something new - doing all my grocery shopping and meal prep for the month over two different days. It was, dare I say it, AMAZING.

My freezer last month

Lasagna, chicken broccoli alfredo, chicken enchiladas, roast beef and on top of it all, I made ice cream this month too! Adam and I are really enjoying having meals all set and ready for us. It really decreases the eating out we used to do. With it all prepped, there's no excuse for me to dilly-dally about and swing by a McDonald's last minute for something to eat. On top of dinners and ice cream (which is almost gone - soooo good!), I also made breakfast sandwiches and overnight oats. The only thing left to worry about is lunches.

It feels so good to have everything set up like this, I'm going to try something new this month.

This month is getting back into running. I ran the Tower of Terror 10-Miler last year, and I haven't picked up my running shoes since. I miss the freedom running gave me, even if my personal time became oh-so-very limited. So no matter how many temptations Hulu provides me, I'm going for a run. Maybe someday you'll get to eat my dust!

Book Tuesday 8/27

I have a new release sitting on my Kindle waiting for me to devour the story and further my relationship with the characters.

but i have a problem. I'm not done with the two books i'm currently reading.

I know people who cycle through multiple books at a time, and others who must absorb every word of a series before they can read the next book. I fall into both camps. i need one long book and one fluff book at all times, and when a new installment is released in a series, I have to reread from the beginning so i can be reimersed into the world.

Back in June i made a decision that would ultimately affect my reading for the rest of the year. I decided to finish, and reread in the process, the entire Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. I adore the first three novels. the characters intrigue me and there's enough suspense that I keep wanting to read more. But now? I'm barely through the first book.

The problem is that I can't decide if this is my fluff book or my long book. The length of the book, and of the series (14!!! not counting prequels and prologues) should stick the book firmly in the long category. But my second selection places Eye of the World in the fluff category. Because my second book that i'm currently reading is The Warlord of Mars (aka the third Barsoom book in the John Carter chronicles).

As observers of my goodreads account will know, I've been making steady progress on Eye of the World, and not so much on Warlord of Mars. So I have no idea how in the world I'll squeeze in The Bitter Kingdom.

But that's the joy of reading - there's always another world to be explored, just behind another cover of another book.

TV Thursday

About a month ago, Adam and I cut cable. No DVR, no premium channels, just lightning speed internet. We already had Netflix as well as Amazon Prime, and I was subscribing to Hulu Plus for the capabilities to watch on my phone and TV. After crunching some numbers, it became clear to us that it was so much more affordable (and soooo much easier) to cut the cord already.

So what have I been watching? I've been keeping up with Warehouse 13 thanks to iTunes Season Pass, but the current binge watching is...

{source}

I stopped watching PLL back during the Halloween flashback episode of Season 2. I just had so many shows that I was watching that it just fell off my radar. Well with Summer Season officially kicking off (aka basically nothing is on), it's the perfect time to play some catchup! And with Season 4 starting just a few days ago, it's definitely time for some blitzing to be on top of everything. This show is seriously addicting... and ridiculous. High school was not like this at all for me. Although to be fair, I wasn't what you'd call part of the popular crowd.

I'm going to try to make this something of a weekly posting - updates of what I'm watching, thoughts etc. I follow so many shows that this is the easiest way to keep a good pulse check on everything.

If you have a suggestion of what to watch next, I'm all ears!

trying to play catchup

It feels like we've been moving nonstop since the wedding. First Hawaii, then getting settled and sorted, and then we had to go to Salt Lake the first weekend in June only to come back and test MagicBands the following weekend.

Going back to Salt Lake was rough to say the least. It was last minute for my Great Aunt Beverly's funeral. The flight getting there was straight up ridiculous. We flew the hour from Orlando to Charlotte, then started the 4 hour flight from Charlotte to Salt Lake. Well en route, the toilets  stopped working, meaning we had an emergency landing in Chicago. We landed 9:55pm CT and didn't leave until 2am CT... at least we were able to go into the terminal and walk around some... Considering we were supposed to land at 10:40pm MT, just getting to Salt Lake was a blessing, even if it was at 4am. We were able to spend some much needed quality time with my family, and we even were able to get some time in seeing some friends.

Before we knew it, it was back to the grindstone at work where I've gotten more responsibility. Yay exciting! However it also means that Laura the Worrywart comes out more often. I've been stressing out over the little things again, which is just another reason why I NEED to get back to writing.

Last weekend we got to test out MagicBands, which is going to be the next big thing! And it was a blast!! We had FastPasses set up for Animal Kingdom, and we were able to change them up on the fly using the app. It was fantastic. I'm so excited to see how this new technology rolls out to the general public.

And now this weekend, we finally get a break! I'm trying to hunker down and write and pick the perfect picture for thank you cards for the wedding (only 2 months later!) as well as go through all 2000 of those pictures. So I swear Wedding and Honeymoon pictures are coming. But fair warning, it probably will be in July after our Disneyland Trip!

Thanks for sticking with me, folks!

Dance Floor on the Disney Weddings Blog

No, i'm not in the Real Couple Spotlight... yet...
But our reception dance floor was featured in yesterday's post - Making the Most of Your Dance Floor. (picture two and picture four)

I went into our planning session knowing two things:
1- Adam was in charge of the menu and it would be A-MAZ-ING
2- I wanted the reception to look like the point in Spaceship Earth when you are going backwards and down - just before you start playing with the screen

It required some YouTubeing to get the right look, but once the image of twinkle lights everywhere made sense, my wonderful wedding planner suggested the twinkle dance floor. We were sold the moment we set our eyes on it. We didn't even need to be convinced by the option of adjusting the speed of the twinkle to the music.

That floor was one of the highlights of the night. They kept it off while everyone was coming in so that it just looked like a plain white floor. But the moment that they lit it up during our first dance... we may not remember many details, but we remember the gasps of amazement that came from everyone in the room at that moment.

So for any brides currently planning and dreaming, don't forget your dance floor. There are some pretty awesome options out there.

post-wedding craze

we're now post-wedding. post-honeymoon. post-birthday!
and i plan to have updates once all the pictures start rolling in and i can make these posts more interesting than just words.

these will be BIG updates :) so keep an eye out. i'm writing things out already.

Just keep swimming

I want to blog. I want to write. I want to put creative juices back out into the world.

But I haven't. I don't.

In this attempt to keep running and losing weight, everything I hear/read is that if you don't keep at it, it won't get done. Also if you have no drive, no motivation, then you won't stick to it.

I used to be part of a VERY creative world. Granted I was the analytic side, but it was constant creativity, constant creation. And then I got sick. And everything changed.

Flash forward to 3 years after college, and I miss it. I fill the void with TV shows and Big Finish Doctor Who audio plays and needlework. But it's not the same...

I don't like it, so I'm going to change it. I don't know what you'll read here. Book reviews, tv recaps, running updates. I just have to remember that this is my space, where laii can make more appearances and be less professional.

So send me your support, your ideas, your laughter as I attempt to indulge in this thing called writing again.

12 Things

I found this list on ...unSimply Celia who is an adorable newlywed who's blog I found recently. And seeing as I've been needing some self-motivation/self-appreciation, this is a good jumping off point. Original post found here.

12 Things You Should Be Able to Say About Yourself

1. I am following my heart and intuition.

I truly believe I am. I've learned to be very flexible with all the changes that have happened in my life, and while I didn't always come out on top, I'm in a good place.

2. I am proud of myself.

Yes. Undoubtably. I've accomplish a lot. Just within the last year, I've "climbed the ladder" at work with two different changes to my job.

3. I am making a difference.

Not as much as I'd like. I donate to charities, but I used to be much more involved. I'd like to do that again.

4. I am happy and grateful.

Very much so! I don't know what I would do without my family, my friends, my furbabies, and of course Adam.

5. I am growing into the best version of me.

I certainly hope so. There's always room for improvement, but I'm very content right now.

6. I am making my time count.

eeeeh.... Not so much? My to-do list is long and I'm avoiding it all. This needs work. But when I'm focused and everything is in sync, then.my time is used very wisely.

7. I am honest with myself.

No - I've adapted too well to hiding things from myself. Actually writing that is step one. Hopefully I can stay honest to myself from here on out.

8. I am good to those I care about.

Oh yes. I have a mother hen mentality. If someone needs help, and I can be of help, you can be sure I'm there.

9. I know what unconditional love feels like.

yes :)

10. I have forgiven those who once hurt me.

A few years ago, my answer would have been no. But the longer its been, the more I realize that holding on to those feelings doesn't help me. I'm learning to let go and to forgive.

11. I take full accountability for my life.

Yes. I am this way because of what choices I have made. They weren't perfect choices, but they were the ones I made.

12. I have no regrets.

No. Surprisingly no regrets.

What I can say is that my choices made me who I am today. I'm talented, dedicated, dependable, trustworthy, caring and most of all, I am me. No one else can do things the way I do them. No one can replace me. Believe in yourself and dreams come true.

Thankfulness

Do I care that this picture is 2 years old? Read my face....

There's a lot to be thankful this year:

the support of my family and friends as I've transitioned to different jobs

that my health is in a much better place

my Disney wedding planners who took my ideas and are making it a reality

that Adam and I have a place that we can call home

that the budget allows some room for frivolous spending!

working 15 minutes away from home vs 45 minutes by way of the interstate

softball! Go DRC All Stars!

Other silly things I'm thankful for:

Lady Earl Grey

Arnold Palmer Half and Half Zero

coffee, coffee, coffee

automatic timers on the coffeemaker at work

my crockpot

Hulu + Netflix

Shiny Sinks (thanks FlyLady :D )

fitbit + myfitnesspal

that while I haven't been dedicated to NaBloPoMo, at least I know it's there?

Oh. And this:

day 4

Obviously I'm kind of terrible at writing daily. Missed day 2. Missed day 3. try try again right?

so mini-goal: make the post longer than a tweet. that can be do-able, right?

Friday: Adam and I saw Wreck-It Ralph. we may be seeing it again today.
Saturday: caught up on the DVR. then Party for the Senses at Epcot.
today: hulu-ing. lots and lots of hulu. why is my love of television so great???

photo-a-day - hasn't happened yet. 30 day shred - might start that today... we shall see.

--commitment--

Well... I'm going to try it. Maybe if I work the two of them together I might actually get somewhere with all of this.

I like my blog. I really do. And if I can make it a regular thing - well, that can't hurt right?

Touch Base

It's been a month and a half! So what do I have to show for it?

24 Big Finish Doctor Who audios listened. 239+ to go.
Caught up on Nerdist podcast and starting to listen to The Jillian Michaels Show
Got hooked on new TV shows: Revolution, Last Resort, Nashville, The Neighbors, Arrow.
Watched all of My Lovely Sam Soon and Magic Knight Rayearth.
Read: A Feast of Crows, Entwinted, A Dance with Dragons, The Lost Hero, The Son of Neptune, The Mark of Athena, A Princess of Mars, Cinder, Glitches, Mary Poppins, The Lost Years of Merlin, The Seven Songs of Merlin
Completed the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-Miler in 2 hours and 42 minutes.
Started a new role at work.
been sick. then not sick, then sick again.
Qualified for my $300 wellness rewards for being healthy for work's healthy pursuits program
And uber prepping has undergone for my Wedding Planning sessions.

SO yeah, look forward to reviews in the future.

Staying home today to try and tidy things up. Then Softball practice at 7, and then it's the Sunday night television block. 6 shows-3hours.

We're Okay

I've been putting a lot of things out of my mind lately. My tunnel vision has been in full force trying to keep me distracted from stressing about things. There's really no need for me to stress about exactly what I'm going to put into Welcome Baskets for everyone at the wedding. There is slightly a need for me to stress about my interview tomorrow.

There. I said it. I have an interview tomorrow. Someone think good things for me.

I don't like putting my business out into the world unless it is 100% guaranteed and secure. It's like anti good luck to me. Instead I keep it nice and quiet inside me and just bury my nose in a book so that no one will ever suspect.

But life is all about changes and growth. So I'm going to take a deep breath, put on my big girl pants and just... go.

Life is good right now. We're both employed making enough money to accommodate both our needs and wants; for that I'm very thankful.
I'm thankful that Adam is willing to miss meeting up with the Hokies to go over common questions that make me lose what little self-confidence I have regarding interviews.
I'm thankful that I'm in a place in my life that everything is no longer riding on this one moment in my life.
I'm thankful that iTunes continues to have that strange psychic ability to play the exact song you need to hear while on shuffle.
I'm super thankful for IcyHot patches for my sprained back.
I'm thankful for...

oh so many things and people in my life.

This is just another step along the road. I just have to keep moving forward and I'll be okay.

We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.

- Walt Disney 

The Last Apprentice: Lure of the Dead

Goodreads info

I discovered Joseph Delaney's Wardstone Chronicles (or The Last Apprentice) series on accident. Books 1-7 were available for free on Amazon for the Kindle, and while I had no idea what these books were about, they were free. Nothing's better than free, right?

I normally don't read dark fantasy. Mostly because I read before bed and I really don't need those images in my head while I sleep. But Delaney takes the vivid imagery of the ghouls and witches and spins them into the fantastic story of Tom Ward, Spook Apprentice.

For a little background, Tom Ward is a seventh son of a seventh son. Meaning he's got an inherent magical ability to fight against the powers of the dark. When he is old enough to be apprenticed, his Mam works it out that he will be the apprentice to Old Gregory, County Spook. While traveling about the countryside, Tom meets Alice, a young girl wearing pointy shoes, as well as a cast of unsavory characters. Through the first 10 books you discover that Tom is the world's answer to defeating the Fiend (aka the Devil) once and for all.

Lure of the Dead (book 10) find us with less than 8 months for Tom to defeat the Fiend. He has been given two of the three weapons required as well as how to obtain weapon #3. But the question remains: is Tom willing to make the necessary sacrifices to save the world from the dark?

I cannot recommend these books more. It's very easy to get swept up into the action and you definitely care about these characters. Give these books a chance if you need some dark fantasy peppered into your life.

Princess Academy: Palace of Stone

Goodreads info

Palace of Stone is the second book in the Princess Academy series by Shannon Hale and has been on preorder for me since the day I heard that there would be a sequel.

The fantastic thing of Princess Academy is that it ended in a good place. Life would continue on with all the new changes that the Princess School had brought about. Miri and Peder would get married, or at least be considered engaged. Life would be happy. So the thought of a sequel seemed unnecessary at the time.

Well Palace of Stone changes that. It's now time for Britta's wedding and all the girls from the school have been invited to attend. Unfortunately there is civil unrest in the kingdom and things don't go as planned. Miri is off to Queen's Castle to study more, while the other girls go off on their own social excursions. I'm not going to lie - I liked the group dynamic of all the girls. I may have actually missed them while Miri was off being political with her friends in the Salon.

Overall, it was an enjoyable book that shows that you pick who your family is and that it's right to stand up for what you believe in.

Crown Duel

I've been seeing this book crop up on my Amazon Recommends a lot lately. So since my book budget finally could accomodate it, I figured I'd give it a shot.

Goodreads info

Can I give this more than 5 stars? I literally could not put this book down - in fact, my 50 minute Elliptical workout might have continued for far longer because I couldn't find a good pause point in this book.

This book is rocketing up to the top of my MUST READ list.

Crown Duel follows Countess Melaria Astair as she and her brother as they lead a rebellion revolution for the kingdom from their backwater home. The first half of the book (which was originally published as Crown Duel) is your standard battlefields in the mud with swords and hiding in the bushes to escape getting caught. Part Two (Court Duel) pushes Mel out of her familiar home after their rebellion revolution right into Court - full of fashion, fans, and battles fought with words rather than swords.

It took me a while to accept that Mel is a Countess in the first half. She seems so backwards, blindly following orders without thinking them through first. But slowly you grow to love her - especially when she is thrust into the bedazzled world of Court where people say one thing but mean another. It's just the right amount of action, adventure, intrigue and romance. Read this book today!

The Amber Spyglass

I've been putting off writing this review. The Amber Spyglass was one of my absolute favorites growing up. I used to read random chapters when I didn't know what I wanted to read. I used to take it as just a fantastically written fantasy novel; after rereading the trilogy, I'm astounded by my slightly narrow views.

Goodreads info

We come back to Will and Lyra after the battle. Lyra is off with her mother, Mrs Coulter, living in a cave in the Himalayas somewhere. She is being kept in a drug-enduced sleep and keeps having dreams about Roger, the kitchen boy she used to play with back at Jordan and subsequently lead to his death. Will, still adjusting to meeting his father and then seeing him die before his eyes, is joined by two angels who urge him to go to Lord Asriel. However Will is just as stubborn as Lyra and refuses to follow them until he is back with Lyra.

These two insignificant children forge their own path, regardless of what everyone wants them to do. They disrupt the "proper" order of how things should happen by letting the dead out, getting separated from their dæmons, and changing the essence of the world through their roles as Adam and Eve.

Now that I'm older, the heavy biblical significance is much more noticable. I still love this book, but there is now a deeper meaning behind it. I still highly recommend it, however, please take the symbolism with a grain of salt.

The Subtle Knife

Oh my goodness. I don't think I've blasted through a book of this length this quickly before.

Goodreads info

The Subtle Knife introduces new characters and more importantly, new worlds. We left off with Lyra crossing into the city in the sky, only to find out that it is actually the crossroads to all the worlds and that someone from "our" universe has crossed over as well. Will and Lyra are thrown together with these strange and bizarre artifacts and they don't know what they mean or what to do with them.

Again, the religious symbolism is pretty heavy in this book. However, I feel it's more action-oriented than The Golden Compass. Maybe it's because the one-on-one combats read better than the massive fight sequences of the first book. While there is still some world and character building, the universe of "His Dark Materials" has now been well established so that the reader can jump right into the action without having to understand why choices are being made.

My only negative feeling towards this story is that it jumps around a lot. There are many different characters who are following their own paths that we're interested in. In the end, it all comes together cohesively, and ready to tackle the next big thing. The Subtle Knife is not a stand-alone book by any means, but a good solid second book in a trilogy that inspires its reader to pick up the third installment, The Amber Spyglass.

The Golden Compass

I've been in mood to re-read all the books that I loved growing up. I recently acquired Philp Pullman's trilogy "His Dark Materials" and since I haven't read them since before the movie came out in 2007, my views have definitely changed.

Goodreads Info Page

The Golden Compass has a lot of religious influences. Like a lot. I remember reading this thinking that the Church was playing a role in why people did what they did, but it never became as obvious until The Amber Spyglass. It was just the adventures of Lyra, 12 year old bandit gutter rat who lived at Jordan College. But now that I'm older and understand more, it shows how much more of a driving force they were, as well as all the underlying symbolism.

On the plus side, some things never change. I still cannot pronounce dæmon. I still blasted through the fight scenes at Bolvangar. And I still love this book. It has the capability to stand on its own, but it is so much more complete with the other two books following them up.

So if you'll excuse me, I'm off to get in a few chapters of The Subtle Knife in before Weeds starts :)

countdown

I have 69 training days left for the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-miler race. 68 - because let's face it, the chances of me running today after lunch date and Batman with friends is minimal.

I have 96 days left until the planning session with our wedding planner.

I have 276 days left until our wedding.

Things I want/need to do in the meantime:
-Run enough to not have to slow down to a walk every other minute
-Find good decorations for ceremony location and reception location
-Flesh out what I want my wedding to look like
-Catch up to the current Big Finish Production audio dramas of Doctor Who and friends
-Finish re-reading the Five Hundred Kingdoms series
-Finish A Song of Fire and Ice series
-Re-read His Dark Materials
-Read A Princess of Mars and see if it is better than or equal to John Carter. (I'm hoping it can't be worse)
-Hash out other details of the wedding that I currently think are minor (fleshing out the website, favors, programs, dress fittings, etc etc)
-Finish EPIC TV rewatches (Doctor Who, Stargate) and begin others (Star Trek? BSG?)