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1. I turned 30!!!: I kind of had a meltdown about it but I’ve had about a little over 2 weeks of settling into my 30’s and I’m so okay with it. It’s been nice thus far. My actual birthday was nice — spent the day hiking with Will and Finn and then went out for dinner with family! Not quite the crazy bash I had planned initially but it was lovely.
2. We helped my sister move — They are about the same distance away but they bought their first house and I’m so happy for them! Was bittersweet because we had so many great memories there (like pre-babies & pre her and her husband being together romantically) but can’t wait to make new ones in their new house!!
3. We went to a beer fest: It was a little chilly but we had SUCH a great time trying new beers and OMG THEY HAD SO MANY PUMPKIN BEERS I WAS IN HEAVEN. We took the train and had a nice drunk walk home eating pizza like we were some college students or something — particularly great since I had just turned 30 so I was feeling all young and spunky and not like I was halfway to my grave. I mean, the next day I felt not so old and spunky but YA KNOW.
4. Will & I got involved in some volunteering with the local animal shelter– I talked about this in my If We Were Having Coffee post but after adopting Finn I just felt like I wanted to do something to help the shelter and the rescue we got Finn from so we did our first run of transporting a pit puppy from the shelter to an adoption center. Most of the transporting at the shelter is done solely by volunteers at this high kill shelter in Philly so when a dog gets rescued from the shelter or needs to be taken to receive medical treatment they need people to do that. Ever since I found the girl who gave Finn his freedom ride from the high kill shelter to the rescue we got him from, I’ve wanted to take part in giving those freedom rides.
5. My reading mojo came back PLUS I got a new Kindle: I had talked about how I barely read anything last month but this month I read almost as much as I normally do so YAY. AND my Kindle broke so Will got me a new one for my birthday. Love my new Kindle Paperwhite!
I put all my Monthly Rewinds in a Spotify playlist so you can listen to them here !
1. Hello — Adele
2. Kamikaze — MO
3. Dug My Heart — BORNS
4. Used To — Mutemath (OMG DID NOT KNOW THEY HAD NEW STUFF OUT COLLEGE JAMIE IS FREAKING OUT)
5. Refuse — Kevin Garrett
6. Pressure — Milk & Bone
Honorable Mentions: Wild Child by Alessia Cara (if you follow my music stuff on this blog you know how much I love her and this would have gotten a top spot had it been released more than 3 days before the end of this month), Come Alive by FMLYBND, Love Me by The 1975, Wild by Troye Sivan, Prey by The Neighborhood, I Care by Frances, Pomo
Check out the rest of my October playlist
I read 6 books this month.
- A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis: Really enjoyed this historical fiction with a twist of mystery.
- Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken: Was really craving a standalone fantasy and this totally fit the bill!
- Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman: WILD WILD WEST Y’ALL!
I know lots of people were interested in this Wild West YA!
““May we live impossibly,” Sebby said when he opened his eyes. “Against all odds. May people look at us and wonder how such jewels can sparkle in the sad desert of the world. May we live the impossible life.” — Fans of the Impossible Life by Kate Scelsa
1. Whatcha In the Mood For? — I’m glad that you guys like when I do these! I love having a way to rec books for specific reading moods but also a way to share books I read years ago!
2. I Value My Time: This was fun to talk through!! Bookworm problems FO SHO.
3. Ten Wishes I’d Ask A Book Genie To Grant: This one was so fun. STILL WAITING FOR THAT GENIE TO COME THROUGH.
4. What Is My Problem Lately?? Also another bookworm type problem that was nice to talk out with y’all!
5. Beyond the Pages: Musings On Internet Life : I had some feelings about internet life.
My latest If We Were Having Coffee post — those are always my most popular posts which I’m always so grateful for because I LOVE catching up and also sharing what’s been on my mind lately. I felt like this time I really did have a lot on my mind, too!
NOTHING. hahahha ONE DAY. There is no way Finn would let me film without sitting on my lap and I’ve had no motivation anyways.
1. Maple Cardamom Latte recipe – Yo this looks delish!
2. Why You Should Stop Saying SHOULD: I’m so guilty of this.
3. Why We Are Lonelier Than Ever: This was a super interesting read and I would *LOVE* to know what you think. To get candid, my marriage is not failing by any means but both Will and I have expressed missing having lots of people in our lives like we used to and I know it definitely causes me to have the sads. We love hanging out together and truthfully most of the time we do PREFER each other’s company but I can tell we do get a little antsy if we don’t go out and do our own thing with friends or connect with other people together. I’m so all about us having our own things and people in addition to the shared things. We used to have a big group of friends years ago and it’s been hard on us these past few years to have only a couple people that we spend time with. Do YOU have 50 people? So very interested to hear what y’all think!
4. What If Your Job Didn’t Exist?: Alex always posts stuff I need to hear or think about at the right time!
5. How Blogging Taught Me To Be Creative Again: YAS starting my blog and maintaining it since 2010 has done a lot for me as well — including bring back some creativity to my life after I graduated college in 2008.
1. Thanksgiving: I loooove getting together with my family! And eating….soooo VAIR VAIR EXCITED.
What book were you really excited about releasing this year but STILL haven’t read? (Am I the only one who is awful about this?? I get so stoked and then my TBR is out of control and I never end up reading even most anticipated books)
Pick a category (or 5… or all of them) and tell me what went on in YOUR life this month!! What sort of things were noteworthy for you this month? New obsessions? Any new song recs?? Best books you read this month? Great posts I missed on your blog? Answer to my question of the month?
Emmah says
My mind is pretty blank as to coming up with books that came out this year that I haven’t been able to read yet, because there’s just TOO many. I think the only books that I’ve read that came out this year were… ACOTAR, AEITA, TW&TD, PSISLY, and QoS!
I rediscovered my local used bookstore and picked up five books from it. Four for me and one for the person I send to for SS. Pics on my insta (likewhoaaemmy).
This didn’t happen in October, but yesterday I signed up for TBTB Secret Santa 🙂 It’ll be my first year participating and I’m excited for it!!
I’m obsessed with the new tv show Quantico. It’s SO good. I love and hate that I can’t figure it out.
I LOVE Adele’s new song too! Another song I had on repeat in October was “Flashlight” by: Jessie J. I also listened to “Black Magic” by: Little Mix a lot.
No really noteworthy books for me in October. I didn’t rate any of them above a 3.75 :/ I read “This Song Will Save Your Life”, the Miracle Girls series (Ann Dayton and May Vanderbilt), and “Beneath the Moon and the Stars” by: Amelia Thorne. Now I’m reading “Heart of Betrayal” by: Mary E. Pearson.
Jamie says
I need to find a good local used bookstore near me! I had one before we moved but now I don’t have one!!
YAY glad when I saw your signup!
I’ve been wondering about Quantico!!! I think I want to start it!
Lily (chapterspageswords.blogspot.com) says
AHHH All the dogs in this post are adorable!!! I’ve been loving Hello by Adele too! I really want to read Vengeance Road. Awesome post 🙂
Jamie says
Hehe I lure you all in here with dog pics 😛 And omg I’m sure everyone has Hello on repeat. I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR NEW ADELE AND IT IS SO GLORIOUS TO HAVE A NEW ONE NOW
Leanna says
I like the story of your drunken walk home. Made me laugh. Half way to your grave, eh?! Girl!!! 😀
Good on you for volunteering at an animal shelter. 🙂
Jamie says
Heheh it was a fun walk home minus the last 5 minutes when I was like OMG MY FEET HURT SO BAD I AM COLD I AM OVER THIS.
The dogs make me so happyyyyy. It’s like insta-good mood booster.
Tiffany (About to Read) says
1. Spiralizers are awesome! I absolutely love mine. 2. I need to read A Madness So Discreet 3. I think it’s great that you’re volunteering. We adopted our cat from a shelter and it makes me so sad when I look at all the other cats/dogs that haven’t found homes yet.
Cilla says
To answer your question of the month, I was really excited to read Royal Wedding by Meg Cabot, but I’m not even halfway through my re-read of the series! And I’m being stubborn about not reading it before I finish the re-read haha.
One of my new TV obsessions in October was The Librarians. I’ve always had a soft spot for Rebecca Romijn and I think she’s fabulous in it. Plus it’s all about magic, which is always a bonus!
Have fun with your new girl friends – it’s always nerve-racking for me to hang out with new people, but exciting too. 😀 Also, it’s so awesome that you’re volunteering with the animal shelter 🙂
Maryam Dinzly says
Oh man, I am so guilty of being too excited about books releasing that month, but reading them a few months later. >< For this month, it would be Six of Crows and Illuminae (to be fair, Illuminae isn't out in my country yet, SIGH).
I'm gonna pick the category about my life. I just realized that I am absolutely EXCITED for Christmas. And 2016. I already have a list of who I'm going to send out random Christmas gifts too. This is probably because my country doesn't celebrate Christmas that much, but I love giving gifts, SO YAY! Also, I already bought a super duper cute 2016 planner HEHE. For some reason, I am definitely looking forward to 2016. I'm going back to school next year, and I have been planning and googling and EEEEK, I'm 21 but I am seriously excited for school hehe.
Krystal @ Books Are My Thing says
I really need to pick up ACOTAR, gah! It coming out right before BEA really messed with me!
Mel@thedailyprophecy says
The ‘what if your job didn’t exist’ post was interesting and really comforting in a way, because I can only think of one job: that’s the thing I want to do. It’s truly my calling.
The ‘why we are lonelier than ever’ article made me think, but I just don’t agree. I don’t think you NEED to surround yourself with X amount of people. I’d rather have a small group of people around me. It’s easier to connect with them on a daily base. I like having a close group around me. However, I think it’s a good idea to both have different people in a marriage. It’s important to have your own thing.
acps927 says
I think it’s common after college for your friend group to slowly wane. My husband and I have definitely had a hard time trying to keep our friend group together, especially once everyone started having babies! I hope several years down the road it gets better, when we have kids who aren’t babies and hopefully their friends’ parents might be good friends for us. But I think that’s one big reason why it’s so important to marry someone that you not only love, but like as a friend, because you spend SO much time with this one person that you want to know that you are always there for each other.
Cat says
DUDE. But. You SHOULD do a video with Finn sitting on your lap because two of the best things in life are books and dogs sooooo.. I’m into it.
Lisa @ Reading, Writing, and Random Musings says
I love how you are always so open and are willing to share your thoughts, struggles, triumphs, joys with others. I am often inspired when I read your blog. Your link to “What If Your Job Didn’t Exist” really has me thinking! Happy November and enjoy all of your amazing plans!