friday’s “secret”: create your best, of the year {2015 edition}

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I cannot believe that the year is pretty much over! Two more weeks and I will be telling you “Happy New Year!” As Gretchen Rubin has so eloquently stated, “The days are long but the years are short” and seem to get shorter and shorter with each passing year!

One fun thing to do at the end of the year is to look back over it and think about my highlights: what I did that was fun and memorable. I have had a great year and there is so much I could write about. But this is my “best, of the year” list, so only the best here.

Quote of the Year: Honor the space between no longer and not yet! – Nancy Levin

Pic. Better Than BeforeBook of the Year: So many books, it is so hard to pick just one. But here goes: Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin – finding the Four Tendency Framework and discovering that I am an Obliger has literally changed my life and how I go about accomplishing things that I want to do. It is now available in a paperback edition here.

Race of the Year: I only entered two races this year so not many to chose from but between the two: The 12th Annual Liz Hurley Run and the 2015 Galaxy of Lights 5K, I would have to chose the Galaxy of Lights. At that race, I ran in spite of fear and anytime I do something in spite of fear it is one of my highlights!

The Wynn Las VegasMeal of the Year: A foodie like me cannot not tell you about the best food of the year; so many options here. But I will have to go with breakfast at the Wynn Buffet in Las Vegas. This is where my hubby and I held our wedding brunch almost 10 years ago and every time I get to eat there is an awesome thing. Another thing that I loved about this meal was that I didn’t pig out, even though I wanted to. A moral victory for me!

Blog of the Year: I’m sorry but I can’t pick just one so this category will have two blogs of the year. One is Modern Mrs. Darcy which I have mentioned over and over again. The second one is The Geeky Shopaholic which I have discovered just recently. I love her content.

Podcast of the Year: I devoured everything Elizabeth Gilbert this year. Her podcast Magic Lessons was the impetus that caused me to continue to put my work out into the world, regardless of my fear. Based on her book, Big Magic (see how I edged another book in there?) one of the things that will always stick with me is that fear will always be present, in my car, as I travel on this journey of life. The only thing is, he is not allowed to dictate my destination or to control the radio under any circumstances.

Trip of the Year: Even though I went to the beach three times and a family reunion in Vegas, my best travel experience was my sister’s wedding in St. Augustine, Florida! The entire weekend was full: full of joy, full of excitement, full of family and friends, full of fun. Over all, that will always take the cake.

Movie of the Year: So many of my favorite franchises released movies this year: Marvel, The Fast and the Furious, etc. But the winner in this category, and I really can’t believe I am saying this, is Disney-Pixar’s Inside Out. It was awesome!

Like Mother, Like SonInstagram of the Year: “Like mother, like son!” Slowly, ever so slowly adjusting to being a new mom was a huge part of this year and having a child is scary. One of the scariest things about it is seeing yourself in your child’s face and in his personality. I dare you to tell me, which one is the Buddy Man.

Many thanks to Paula of the Geeky Shopaholic for the idea for this post. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

enjoy life…

quick lit – next page, please {december 2015}

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 My reading was super light this month. I do need to finish two books before December 31 to meet my amended goal of 35 books in 2015 which I am confident that I will do. I have smashed my original goal of 12. I have just been in a reading slump this month.

I have identified myself as a reader for as long as I can remember. I read everything I could get my hands on, bottom of the Kleenex tissue box not withstanding – a story for another post. Since I am a “real reader”, I have always read everything that I have ever started through to completion, even if it was a struggle. Then, my girl, Gretchen Rubin (Hey! Her Happiness Project changed my life, I have read most of her books, I listen to her podcasts, and I have emailed her twice and she has been gracious enough to respond each time, so yeah, that’s my girl!), talked about how she had decided to stop reading books that she didn’t enjoy. She talks about it here. So after much debate with myself, I have decided to do that too. My reasoning: Even if I live to be 100, I will NEVER be able to read all the books I want to read. My TBR (to be read) list on Goodreads is over 125 books right now. I need to make better use of my time! So with that being said I…

Stopped Reading:

  • The Distant Hours by Kate Morton: Yes I know, in last month’s Quick Lit, I was extolling the beautiful writing and vivid setting descriptions and I said that I would finish even if I had to check it out of the library again, which I did do by the way. But the story was moving to slow for me and ultimately, when I was honest with myself, I just didn’t care about the Mud Man enough to find out who or what he was. Although my first exposure to Kate Morton ended with me not finishing, this book does not discourage me from reading more of her work. The Lake House is on the TBR.

Currently Reading:

  • The Round House by Louise Erdrich: I am reading this for a book club and I feel bad saying this but that is the ONLY reason I am still reading this book. My original plan had been to keep my reading light this December, and that is not happening with this one. The subject matter is very serious. Erdrich is the most prolific writer of novels about Native Americans, and the book has won numerous awards. A “real reader” like myself, should be eating this one up. I’m not. I just don’t think I am in the mood for it. But it must be read by December 31 so that I may contribute intelligently to the discussion, so I struggle on.
  • The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George: Thanks to Modern Mrs. Darcy, I have discovered that one of my favorite types of book is a book about books and all things dealing with books. This one is in that category and it makes me want to own a little bookstore one day. And I wish there was such a place as the Literary Apothecary and someone like Monsieur Jean Perdu who knew just what books an individual needed to cure what ailed them emotionally! Although in researching whether there was such a thing as a literary apothecary, so that I wouldn’t look like an ignoramus, I stumbled over Read It Forward and their Book Apothecary. I will be checking that out. Has anyone already done so?

Paused Reading:

  • Daring Greatly by Brené Brown: Not in the mood right now for all the introspection required to fully savor and digest this one. It’s the Holidays! Will pick this up again in the new year.

Read:

I’m just realizing that the only books I have completed this month are from Buddy Man’s personal library; and I have read them over and over again. Can these count toward my yearly reading goal?

FYI, this December, The UPS Store and the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation are teaming up! For every social media post sharing a children’s book with the #ReadItForward, The UPS Store will donate $1 to the Toys for Tots Literacy Program.

For more interesting book reviews by other readers across the blogosphere, check out Modern Mrs. Darcy’s Quick Lit Link-up.

And I wish I had some more friends on Goodreads. I am at www.goodreads.com/shannanenjoyslife

AND, I need some more story books that would be good for a 14-month-old. If they are board books, better and better.

enjoy life…