Christmas Cards

To the right of my desk, I have a cork board. Through the year I pin up different memories I've had. Movie ticket stubs, favorite photos, programs from the theatre, etc. In December I clear it off, place all of the items in a box labeled for that year, and then begin placing new items up on the board. I put all of the Christmas cards I've received on first, so I have them up all year around.

Since 2017 is brand new, the only things, other than a couple wedding save the date cards, I see are Christmas cards. Having them sent to me through the month always makes me smile, and reminds me that I have more friends than I realize sometimes. I love see their life updates and happy faces looking out at me as I work on my computer on whatever project I have going at the moment.

Then comes the guilt.

Every year I intend to send out Christmas cards. I can find a favorite picture from the year, mail it out to my friends, and give them a quick update on my life.

But what would I say? What picture would I send?

"Merry Christmas! My dog Bandit is one year older this year. Isn't he adorable?"

Which... he is adorable and I'm sure people would love to see pictures of him.

Or maybe I could say "Look at how many books I've read this year! Isn't it so impressive?"

Which... yes, my 124 books I've read this year is impressive. But really?

When I see photos of exciting vacations, new babies, weddings, and job offers... these updates seem a little less than impressive.

It's a classic case of comparing myself to others, and the more I think about it, the more I delay gathering cards and addresses and sending them out. Then more Christmas cards arrive in the mail and the whole cycle begins again.

For the last 12 months, we've all been lamenting at how awful 2016 has been. Politics, deaths, terrorism, 2016 has been a doosey. It's sucked.

The thing is though, is that I've sucked too.

This isn't a statement of low self esteem or anything like that. I'm awesome and I have the potential to be awesome.

BUT I WAS NOT AWESOME THIS YEAR.

My 2016 started with my breaking my knee. Which, compared to some of my other injuries, it really wasn't that bad. I was in a lot of pain the first night, but by the next day it was tolerable and I didn't fill my pain killer prescription. I didn't have to stay overnight at the hospital, and I didn't have to have surgery. Yes, being out of work and not bending my knee for two months wasn't fun, but all things considered things could have been a lot worse.

For those two months I read. And read. And read. And read. Makes sense, since I didn't have anything else to do and couldn't walk.

Then my knee was healed and I went back to work. But I didn't return to the real world.

Instead, I just kept reading. I avoided hanging out with friends, and dove further and further into myself and my fictional worlds.

Part of this was also working on my novel - which I'm proud of. I wrote and wrote and wrote. Then, I learned that there is such a thing as writing too much. Apparently, for debut authors, literary agents won't even look at manuscripts which are over 700 pages long.

Go figure.

And that was my 2016 in a nutshell.

Not to say that these are bad things, and I did have some wonderful moments. I saw Hamilton in Chicago. I met many of my other Internet book nerd friends at BookCon and YallFest. I also met some of my favorite authors. (Becky Albertalli who wrote Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda now follows me on twitter, which is kind of awesome.) I went to weddings and was able to celebrate with my friends and family with their big moments.

Then the Christmas cards come. And I notice that my body is acting weird and randomly losing weight for no apparent reason. And I see people I haven't spoken to in years. And friends from college die. And the holidays have this weird way of forcing you to reflect on the past year and your life and everything that's wrong with it.

For me personally, I sucked.

I did not reach my full potential for awesome. And there's a lot of potential there. I want to get that awesome back.

I'm not going to stop reading and writing - obviously. That would be tragic if I did.

But I also need to make room in my life for all of the other awesome things and people around me too. I want to actually accept invitations from people when they want to hang out. I want to pay attention to my body and what it's telling me and be sure I take care of it. I want to actually talk to my friends instead of only reading about their lives through a Facebook status or the once a year card or letter I get from them in the mail.

And maybe, just maybe, next year I'll actually send out those Christmas cards to show you all how much I love you too.

Happy 2017.

AD 33 Review

 

You may or may not have noticed, I've been stepping back from doing book reviews lately. One, most of my book talks have been over on my YouTube channel. Two, I've found doing book reviews can be somewhat exhausting. For some reason or another, the books I tend to pick to review before their publication date have tended to fall flat for me. But, because I said I would have to finish a book I don't like.
do a review on the book, I have to finish it and write about it. whether I like it or not. I don't know about you, but I feel like reading should be fun, not a chore. Unless I'm reading for school, I shouldn't feel like I

Therefore, I've become much pickier about the books I agree to read in advance for a review.

Last year, I had read AD 30 by Ted Dekker. It ended up being one of my favorite books I had read in 2014. It was so good and I loved every moment of it. Ted Dekker is technically a Christian writer, but many of his books have gone "mainstream" because he's a Christian, but he's also a writer. He knows how to write compelling and exciting stories. Personally, those are hard to find in Christian novels. He's not afraid to tell a good story while also wrestling with heavy theological themes. If you want to read about AD 30, click here. 

When I was approached to join the blog tour for the sequel, AD 33, I was ridiculously excited. Of course I wanted to read about what happened next! So, without further ado, here is my review for AD 33.

Overview Without Spoilers

AD 33 takes place roughly two years after the first book ends. Maviah has gained a few thousand followers and has been called "Queen of the Outcasts" with the aid of Saba, her adopted son Talya, and her faithful followers. Yet, her growing power threatens the leaders around her and they challenge, her, her faith, and her family. Seeing guidance, Maviah and Saba set out in search of Yeshua (Jesus), right as he's about to enter Jerusalem for the last time.

Spoiler alert- Yeshua dies on the cross. Shocker, I know.

The Premise

The first section of this book rushed by. The last we saw Maviah, her lover Judah was in prison and she set out to become queen. When we enter this book, she suddenly has thousands of followers, her own council of sheiks, and Judah is still in prison. I don't want to give many spoilers, but let's just say a lot happens very quickly in the first hundreded (maybe less) pages and I felt a bit whiplashed. There wasn't time to process anything which had happened and I was sitll figuring out exactly what had happened in the last two years between the two books. I wanted to know how she had gained so much power and how she had met those who gave her council and get back into the world. Instead, I was thrown into the fire along with the characters and wasn't able to get my balance when all of the sudden major events happen and left me reeling. While, this could be exciting and fast-paced, to me it felt jarring. When you make big decisions with major characters, it's nice to have at least a small amount of time to recover before moving onto the next thing. I felt like it was "BIG PLOT TWIST" and then "Okay, get over it, moving on."

Once this was over though, the pacing was much better. Maviah spent much more time in the presence of Yeshua than she did in the previous book, as well as among his followers. She spent time in Bethany with Mary, Martha, and Lazaraus, and she was in the background during the events of Holy Week. (Palm Sunday, the Last Supper, Good Friday, etc.)

The chapters switched from Maviah's perspective to her son's a few times. I liked seeing the different perspectives, but it was jarrings because when we were with Maviah, it read in the first person point of view. When it went to Talya, it was in third person. I wish he had either stuck with first person and had headed each chapter with who was speaking, or had made it all third person.

The Characters

We definitely had more action with Saba in this book! When I was looking over my previous review for AD 30 I had noted I wanted more of Saba because he was an interesting character. Dekker definitely delivered in this installment. I think he could have gone deeper with Saba's character, but he was much more of a central figure in this book and it was awesome to see his character and faith develop.

We also go to know Maviah's adoped son, Tayla more in this book. He was only a boy, but you could see his maturity and he had visions which were really interesting.

Petra barely made an appearance, which I found disapointing. I loved Petra in the first book and when she popped up in this one, I was excited. Then, she was barely there. Maviah had one conversation with her and she showed up slightly at the end. Being such a beloved character (at least to me), the events at the end I feel would have been much more powerful if Petra had played a larger role.

In this book we got to know Mary, Martha, and Lazarus more. I loved that! While we did see some of Yeshua's disciples here and there, it was good to get ot know other Bibilical characters we've read about in Sunday school.

Theological Themes

What I love about Ted Dekker and his writing, is he is not afraid to tackle the big theological themes and questions. Most Christian novels I've read are pretty fluffy. They touch on the big questions, but don't dive into them much. They stay on the shallow end and sometimes dip their toes in deepr. Dekker takes the characaters and readers over to the deep end of the pool and does a cannonball. I'm talking the ideas of the Old and New Adam (which I had always found confusing), linking creation to the death and ressurection of Christ, what it means to die to yourself and to live in Christ, etc. These ideas and themes are talked about in other books, but Dekker truly dives into them and exploring the way a true theologian would in a way that translates for the reader.

The words of Yeshua are taken straight from scripture (he has the references for each chapter in the back of the book) and he weaves them into conversations naturally. At times it feels a bit preachy, but for the most part, it flows well. He then uses scripture to explain scripture and puts the pieces together. Sometimes the Bible can seem like it contradicits itself or is a strange puzzle we can't figure out. Dekker was able to show how it all works together.

I also appreciated how the characters would get confused on what the message of Yeshua truly was. We've all been there when we are at church or an event and everything makes sense in that moment. Then, the moment we walk away and are back in "the real world," we get confused and wonder "Wait... did he mean this, or this?" Maviah had so many moments when she remembered Yeshua's words, but the meaning became muddled.

Overall Thoughts


The pacing of AD 33 was a bit off for me. It felt rushed at times. I wanted to get to know the characters and get lost in the world, and Dekker rushed through those parts. While I understand needing to get through the story so you can get to where the focus needs to be, it also can throw the reader off and make them detatched from the story. Then, when big events happen, the emotional impact isn't quite as strong as it could be.

I loved getting to know Saba, Tayla,  and other characters more. They gave a new perspective on these Biblical events.

The theological themes and points were fantastic. I am always in awe of how Dekker is able to convey them in his writing.

Overall, I definitely enjoyed AD 33. It wasn't quite as good as the first book because of the pacing, but absolutely a great addition to this series.

I gave this book 4 stars on Goodreads.

Release Day: October 6, 2015

You can purchase AD 33 via these links:

Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/1SNnBwg

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1OsLc7S

Indiebound.org: http://bit.ly/1MVf8Wp

For more information about AD 33, click here. 

To read about Ted Dekker and his journey to writing AD 33 (which is super interesting), click here. 

As Enchanting as Harry Potter?

Recently on Facebook, I found this article about 15 Book as Enchanting as Harry Potter. Naturally, my curiosity got the better of me and I had to see which books they suggested. It was a good post and I wanted to share my thoughts. I've read some of the books on their list and I am going to share with you my opinions on said books and if they are as enchanting as Harry Potter as they claim.

For the record, nothing is as enchanting as Harry Potter, so let's just get that straight.

Just reference this very accurate meme.

The first book they mentioned, I was so excited they put on the list because it is one of my all time favorites. I'm talking, Harry Potter is first, this one comes in a very close second.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

This book -THIS BOOK- is so beautiful and lovely and enchanting and magical. This book gets me. Seriously, I read this book and in my head I'm all "YES. This is me."

But I do know it's a very different writing style and it's not everyone's cup of tea. But if you do read it, and you don't like it, just lie to me and say you did. That way I won't cry.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

In just that last few years I've become a fan of Gaiman. I wish I had started reading his books sooner because they are so wonderful and fantastic! However, American Gods is not the book I would have picked for this topic. Don't get me wrong - it's a great book! (In fact, I've heard rumors of it becoming a TV series.) I really enjoyed it. The books I'd pick for this topic though by him would have been Neverwhere (my fave), Stardust (so enchanting and quirky!), or The Graveyard Book (one of his middle grade books, but so wonderful!).

The Horse and His Boy by CS Lewis

Now, it's been awhile since I've read the entirety of The Chronicles of Narnia. But The Horse and His Boy? Really? From what I remember, this was my least favorite out of the series. So, let's just put all of The Chronicles of Narnia on this list, okay?

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

A classic! Granted, most people just know the movie, which is just fine because it's amazing and brilliant and hilarious. But the book is awesome too.

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

I'm really glad this author is getting a shoutout! I really enjoyed this trilogy, and in fact, it's one of my sister's all time favorites. It's interesting, and dark, there's magic, and a girls boarding school. The same author is also working on a new series called The Diviners and the second comes out later this fall.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Okay, I haven't actually read this book yet. But I've heard nothing but good things and if you are a gamer this is the book for you.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

This book - THIS BOOK YOU GUYS - is SO SO GOOD! This is one of my all time favorites by this author. I could read it over and over again.

It's the perfect book for the recovering Harry Potter fan. Or the fan who will never let go. Like myself. Or for people who live on the Internet and don't know how to interact with real humans. THIS BOOK UNDERSTANDS US. It's cute, funny, awkward, romantic, and touching. Also, Rainbow Rowell is coming out with a new book Carry On which is the fanfic the main character (Cath) in this book wrote. How awesome is that?

Also - were you a Draco/Harry shipper back in the day? Your time has come!

The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith

Okay... another one I haven't actually read yet. But it's on my shelf and I plan on reading it soon! Also, I've heard it's awesome. Even people who typically don't enjoy mysteries have liked this book. So, I'm really excited to read it and see how the queen (JK Rowling) does in this other genre.

Some others I'd add to the list:

The Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas

I discovered it just in the past year and it's ruined my life in the best way possible and the fourth book is being released September 1. I want time to go faster so I can read it. I also tell people, while the first book is good, the others are even better. So, if the first one isn't your all time favorite, just keep going.

Also, I might have a girl crush on the main character Celeana Sardothian. There - I SAID IT.

The Paper Magician trilogy by Charlie N Holmberg

I also discovered this trilogy in the past year and fell in love! It's magical, there's a school, romance, scandal, adventure, and no love triangles. What more could you want in a trilogy?

The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

Urban fantasy at it's finest. Friends of mine who knew how much I loved fantasy recommended this series and I'm so glad they did! If you haven't read this series yet, get on it right now.

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

It's retellings of fairytales in a futuristic dystopian society. But instead of Hunger Games or Divergent, think more Firefly. The final book is being released in November and I'm outrageously excited.

What are your thoughts? Have you read any of these books? Have you read the others on the list that I haven't? How do you think they stand up for us Harry Potter addicts who want more? Are there others you'd recommend?

Unbroken Book Talk

I am ecstatic to be joining The Life of Bon for her monthly book club! Several months ago when she was planning the club for 2015 she had said she wanted to have co-hosts for the books. I emailed her saying I was interested if she had any open slots- and she did!

This month we read Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, the biography of Louis Zamerini who became an Olympic runner then turned soldier in WWII...

Want to read more and join in? Hop on over to Bonnie's blog to participate in our book talk on Unbroken!

I Haven't Forgotten You, I Promise

Oh VEDA - how you take over my life. Filming, editing, watching, commenting, the cycle never seems to end. Even when I do have time to blog, my blog ideas end up going into ideas for videos. Sorry about that blog, I don't mean to neglect you. Soon, April will be over and I'll get back to writing for real.

Although, I have noticed a couple of you have hopped over to my YouTube channel to watch my daily videos. Thanks so much! If you want to catch up on what I've been doing all month, click here.

See? Even my Instagram knows VEDA has taken over my life. Even at Starbucks!
https://instagram.com/lovewokemeup/

In the meantime, here's a quick "currently" post to let you know what I'm up to and that I haven't died.

Watching: Other than all of the YouTube videos, I just finished the 7th season of Mad Men on Netflix and have moved onto The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (hilarious!) and going back to the first season of Reign which I still haven't finished. Oh the drama!

Listening:  I'm still ridiculously addicted to Tyler Oakley's podcast, Psychobabble. It's just so funny! When I'm not listening to that though, I'm jamming out to my typical showtunes, Glee covers, Ed Sheeran, and Hozier.

Wondering:  What's going to happen in the next few months. The preschool where I'm working officially announced they weren't going to be doing a summer program like we were last year. While, I'm always on the job hunt, it's a little more desperate now. If you're in the Chicago area and have any job leads, hook me up!

Eating:  Chocolate covered raisins. My family gets them from this local candy store and I'm totally addicted. On the flip side, I also have been eating a ton of salads and fruit for lunch at work. Something about spring time which makes me crave healthier foods. I'll get over soon I'm sure.

Battling:  A cough/cold/allergies. I'm in the phase where I can't go five minutes without hacking up a lung. It'll be gone after 3 or so months.

Reading: Too many books. JUST KIDDING! There's no such thing as reading too many books. Right now I'm in the middle of Reading Lolita in Tehran,  just started The Diamond Conspiracy, and just about to being Unbroken. Speaking of Unbroken, it's Bonnie's book club pick for April, and a week from tomorrow I'll be co-hosting the discussion with her! It's not too late to start reading and join us!

Drinking:  Lately my Starbucks drink of choice has been the Youthberry tea. It's sooooo good. Although, now that it's getting warmer I'm going to have to switch over to an iced drink. One of my favorites iced is a vanilla chai latte with a shot of espresso. AMAZING.

Looking Forward to:  NERDCON! What? You haven't heard of NerdCon? It's a new convention focused on the art of storytelling starting up this year and it'll be taking place in October in Minneapolis. I was somehow able to convince my friend to join me and I can't wait! I know it's 6 months away, but it'll be so awesome! You can learn more by clicking here.  They're already 1/2 sold out so you should get your tickets soon. If you're going too let me know so we can hang out!

What's going on in your lives? I'd love to hear!

Books I'd Like to Revisit From Childhood

I've been a lover of books since before I could remember. Just this weekend, when I was carpooling with a friend I've known since elementary school the topic came up. They mentioned how they remembered me back in school and how I was constantly reading and always had a million points for the Accelerated Reader program. Which... why wouldn't you want to have a ton of points? If you got over 100 you got to go to Haunted Trails. Basically... a spooky version of Chuckie Cheese, but better.

Yet, when I try to think of my favorite books from when I was a kid, I had a hard time remembering. I think part of the novelty of my reading all of the time was because I was good at it. I read quickly, and since I couldn't play sports and such, I just kept reading book after book. While I'm sure I thoroughly enjoyed them, I feel like I didn't really "get" why reading was so awesome until I was older. However, I was able to think of some books from my childhood which truly stood out.

Midnight in the Dollhouse by Marjorie Filley Stover

I still have my original copy from when I read this in the fourth grade. This book was awesome. It was about this girl during the Civil War who broke her hip and had to stay in bed for three months. (Something I could relate to.) To keep her entertained and not just wallowing that she couldn't run around with the other kids, her brother built her this massive dollhouse and got a family of dolls to go with it. Naturally, when the girl was asleep the dolls would talk to each other and have adventures. I then bought my own dolls and named them after the ones in the books and I like to consider it my early form of fan-fiction.

Meet Molly by Valerie Tripp

This really is for all of the American Girl books because my sister and I were addicted to them as kids. We had all of the books for Felicity, Kirstin, Addy, Samantha, and Molly. I think we had some Josephina too - but by the time she came around we were growing out of the books. I still have my Molly doll. She was the best. She was a picky eater (like me), had a huge imagination (like me), wanted to be pretty and glamorous but was pretty much just awkward (like me), made her friends do crazy and ridiculous things they didn't want to do (like me), and was bad at math (like me). These books I'm pretty sure is the reason why I now love anything WWII.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madelene L'Engle

I read this book in 6th grade for my reading class and it was my first venture into real sci-fi/fantasy books. Obviously, I loved it. While I had always liked the books we read for classes in school, this was the book where I learned that the books we were required to read could actually be ridiculously awesome. 

The Outsiders by SE Hinton

If I remember correctly, I also read this in 6th grade. (Or was it 8th? I had the same reading teacher for both grades so the two years gets mixed together in my brain.) It was the first book I read that was a legitimate YA book where it didn't feel like it was just required reading. Our entire class got into it, and hearing that the author was only 16 when she wrote it, only encouraged my crazy dreams of being an author.

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi

This is another book where I have my original copy from the 5th grade still sitting on my shelf. For being a wimpy 5th grade girl- this book was intense! It was also my first glimpse into novels about kick-ass girls who weren't just from the American Girl series. Charlotte was 13, the only woman on a ship sailing to America (I think?) and then was accused of murder. CRAZY! I remember crying when it got too intense and had my mom read it to me in the kitchen.

Are You My Mother? by PD Eastman

I don't know why I loved this book so much. I just remember going to the library and asking for it all of the time and being really sad when I had to be on the waiting list. I read it out loud at the preschool not long ago and it was awesome.

The Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl

My third-grade teacher read this book out loud to us and I remember being completely enthralled with this fox who helped save his town. I wanted to see the movie but never got around to it.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson

Speaking of my third-grade teacher, she also read this book out loud to us. I found a copy on Amazon a few years ago and ordered it, and it was even better than I remembered. One of my all-time favorite Christmas stories ever. 

Voyage on the Great Titanic by Ellen Emerson White

This really represents all of the Dear America books I could get my hands on as a kid. I loved historical fiction and I thought the idea of having diaries of girls in the past was pretty awesome. I picked the Titanic one to feature because well... who didn't have a Titanic phase as a kid in the 90s?

How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Suess

When I was a kid, my uncle had gotten my sister and I this huge book of Dr. Suess stories. As an adult, I've now found editions of it still around at Barnes and Noble and give it as a gift for baby showers. However, I feel like The Grinch is the only one I ever really read. Or at least that was the one I read the most. It's still one of my favorites and I love both movie versions.

What books did you love as a kid? Are there any that you still read? Do you read any of them to kids now?

Linking up with The Broke and Bookish for Top Ten Tuesday!

My Top 10 Favorite Literary Heroines

Happy Tuesday everyone! When thinking about my all-time favorite characters, it's always more difficult than I realize. At first I think "it's going to be so hard to narrow them down! I love so many!" But when I start sorting through the books I've read it's actually the opposite. As much as I love most of the characters I read about, I end up thinking more of "Yes, they're wonderful. But when I compare them to some of the others I've picked, do they really live up to that?" It's hard.

Today I'm sharing with you ten of my favorite heroines. These women are fantastic in every way and I love them so much. I made some tough cuts for this list - so it really is a tribute to the authors of these characters for creating such fantastic heronies.

Celeanea Sardothian- Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J Maas

Celeanea has quickly become one of my all time favorite characters. I can't get enough of her and her story. I binge read the Throne of Glass series recently and I'm practically forcing my friends to all read the books too so they can feel what I've been feeling reading these books. I am team Celeana 100%. She's bad-ass, feminine, strong, and I love her. Anyone who hears me talk about this girl can tell I'm way too emotionally attached for it to be healthy.

Katniss Everdeen- Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

http://martadewinter.deviantart.com/art/Katniss-Everdeen-321150465

I really do love Katniss. She's intense and if I were a character in the books I would probably be scared of her. But I love reading her perspective and how she thinks through everything and how fiercely she loves her family and friends - even if they can't always see it.

Beth- Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

http://imnot12.tumblr.com/post/73990444646/attachments-is-a-really-cute-book-about-two-really

I didn't realize how much I loved Beth until someone criticized her. She's hilarious, a loyal friend, and okay yes a little bit of a stalker. But her story is cute and I love her.

Celia Bowen- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

http://galleryhip.com/the-night-circus-celia-and-marco.html

Ah, The Night Circus, how I love thee. This book... there just aren't words to describe my love for this book. I had to give it's main girl Celia a shout-out. She's lovely and elegant and magical.

Scarlett O'Hara- Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

http://akalilith.deviantart.com/art/Scarlett-O-Hara-Vivien-Leigh-83740657

I cannot resist putting this firey Irish Southern belle on this list. I grew up watching Gone With the Wind and I read the book when I was in 7th grade. Let's be honest - Scarlett is a bitch. I wouldn't be surprised if she could kill with that single eyebrow raise. But that's what I love about her. She's that wonderful anti-heroine where you want to hate her, but you can't help but root for her.

Elizabeth Bennett- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

 http://darcy--x--elizabeth.deviantart.com/gallery/

I know Lizzy will be on nearly everyone's lists. But with good reason! She was a strong female character beore that was a thing. She's funny, smart, stubborn, and fantastic.

Queen Eleanor- Eleanor of Aquitaine Trilogy by Elizabeth Chadwick

Technically, she Queen Eleanor is a real person. But, she's a prominent character in Elizabeth Chadwicks novels. I first read about her in The Greatest Knight and thought she was fabulous. When I heard she would be getting a trilogy of her own, I was over the moon! I love that a historical figure such as she is receiving the recognition she deserves.

Verity- Code Name Verity by Elizabeth E. Wein

http://www.inkbitten.com/2013/02/fan-art-code-name-verity.html

I can't say much about Verity without giving away spoilers. But just trust me... you'll love her.

Jo March- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

http://www.deviantart.com/morelikethis/57169552

I love the movie from the 90's and I love the book, and Jo is the sister I always related to the most. She's stubborn, loves writing and telling stories, and can never decide on what she wants to do. Although, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have turned Laurie down.

Hermione Granger- Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling

http://fandomania.com/fan-art-friday-hermione-granger/k

You didn't think I'd forget about my girl Hermione, did you? Normally, with lists like these I try to leave out Harry Potter because other stories deserve to be in the spotlight too. But... come on! I have to give her a shout-out. If you don't love Hermione, you're wrong.

Linking up with The Broke and Bookish for Top Ten Tuesday.

I Don't Have my **** Together

I had an emotionally rough weekend. I know exactly why, and it was stupid. I can even pinpoint the moment it started.

It was playing the comparison game. It's so easy to do, isn't it? Seeing what other people have in life and what they've accomplished and being all "why don't I have that?" Whether it's jobs, relationship status, having kids, working out, accomplishing goals, going on vacations - there's so many things we can think about and wonder why some people get what we want and we don't have it.

What didn't help was my reading. One, I've been working through The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J Maas and it's the set of pre-quel novellas to the Throne of Glass series. Holy cow- so many emotions! I've been avoiding reading the last one because I know what's going to happen and I'm dreading it. Seriously, authors, why do you think we are emotionally stable enough to handle these things? Come on now.

To take a break from it, I was reading Attachments by Rainbow Rowell for The Book Worms. It is one of my favorite books written by her and I loved every moment of it. Except, you know, when it was making me horribly depressed. Which is odd because this is probably the happiest of her books. (It really is happy - I promise!) What got to me is that the main character Lincoln, I could relate to far more than I care to admit. At the age of 28 we seemed to be in the same place in life and not sure where to go next.

I mean... what did I do with my weekend? Developed a crush on a fictional character in between mourning my own life. No joke, If that guy, Lincoln, was shorter and you know... not a fictional character and an actual real life person, I'd totally date him. But noooooooo. In the book there's a short blonde hair girl named Emilie whom he's not remotely interested in even though she has a crush on him. (No joke. It's true.) At least I spell my name the right way! What do you have against us girls named Emily who are short with blond hair Rainbow Rowell? What did we ever do to you????

Let's just say there even included a little emotional freak out while I sat at Starbucks before church on Sunday where I was texting a friend of mine about my life woes while trying not to cry in public. Thinking about how I have no idea what I'm doing, I don't know where I want to go, and how I thought at this point I would have a better idea of both. How even when I have the best of intentions nothing seems to turn out the way I planned or the way it should. That's always a good time...

When I got to church I was able to get myself together and was able to see some friends I haven't seen in a few weeks. It was wonderful. Even though I didn't talk about what was bothering me, I knew they wouldn't have minded if I had talked about it, and just seeing them again was enough to help me get out of my funk for a bit. Amazing how friends can do that.

Then, when the service started, we read Romans 7:15- 25. It's a passage I've always found comforting.

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate to do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that noting good lives in me, that is, my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do- this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God- thought Jesus Christ our Lord!

I know... it's kind of negative. But do you know why I find it so comforting? Because it's of the "big guys" of the Bible saying "I don't have my shit together."

How he wants to do awesome things but keeps screwing it up.

It's what all of my friends have been telling me. That none of us have it together. Which, I don't know why it didn't click until I read this in church. But oh well. That's life, right?

But it's true. NONE OF US HAVE OUR SHIT TOGETHER.

For a majority of people, life isn't what they thought it would be. We've make mistakes. We screw up good things. We aren't where we want to be.

But we get through it.

In Attachments, Linclon's sister Eve gives some great advice when he gets overwhelmed by wanting to fix everything in his life.

"So, what if instead of thinking about solving your whole life, you just think about adding additional good things. One at a time. Just let your pile of good things grow."

Found this on Tumblr: http://damecatoe.tumblr.com/post/99410322877/what-if-instead-of-thinking-about-solving-your

So... I might not have it together. But I can at least try to let my pile of good things grow, right?

Like what you're reading? I've actually begun my blog email list! (Finally.) It includes a short little note from me, a quote or thought for the week, and updates on my life and the blog. Click here to join.

Also, linking up with Mingle Monday today!

12 Lessons I've Learned From Disney

So.... over the weekend a friend of mine posted some not so nice things about Disney. Their feelings about Disney are not a shock to me. They've posted and ranted and raved about Disney many times in the past. Usually, I try to ignore these posts. This time though... it just hit me the wrong way and I cannot stay silent any longer.

I won't quote their entire post in here. Basically, they said they hate Disney, they are evil, brainwash children, the films aren't good, they have no integrity, blah blah blah. 

It's not a secret I love Disney. I completely adore Disney and sing the songs on a regular basis and I'm pretty sure I'm going to go watch Frozen later today or at some point this week because there's snow everywhere and just... I have to.

I won't deny Disney has it's flaws. There's lack of diversity (which they are slllllooooowwwwwlllly working on and there's more diversity than people realize), the whole "let's marry a man we just met!" thing, characters who don't look realistic, etc. 

I mean... I can't tell you how many times I tried to do this in the swimming pool in the summer and my hair never did the cool flippy thing like Ariel's.

CLEARLY DISNEY YOU GAVE ME UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS ABOUT HAIR AND NOW I AM SCARED FOR LIFE AND BRAINWASHED HAVE A BAD IMAGE OF MY BODY BECAUSE OF THIS OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Really? It's a cartoon. Life will never be like cartoons and photo-shopped super models and actresses and musicians and other forms of media are more than likely have more of an impact on our negative than you know... A CARTOON. Can we all just agree on this? Okay, cool. Moving on.

Therefore, in defense of my beloved Disney, I'm going to share with you the top 12 lessons (in no particular order) their movies have taught me. Also - an excuse to use a million Disney GIFs is always good in my book.

1) If you meet a man whom everyone swoons over, but he thinks girls shouldn't read or think, you should run far far away as fast as you possibly can.

2) Disney learns from their mistakes and are adjusting their stories to fit our culture more and to promote positive life choices. Such as not marrying a man you just met.

3) Not everyone is perfect. We make bad choices and have issues and have troubles we need to get through. But we can still have love and fight through them.

 4) Friendship is beautiful.

5) We need to look past our differences and learn to make peace. Even when everyone seems to be against us.

6) Sometimes, the relationships which are the most destructive are the ones which are the hardest to break from - but you DO have strength and you CAN stand up for yourself.

7) Love sometimes means sacrificing yourself.

8) #likeagirl

9) It's when we are truly ourselves we can love others and be loved back.

10) The past hurts, but we can't let it define us. Instead, learn from our mistakes and do something about it.

11) Never stop dreaming - but that doesn't mean we just sit around and wait for it to happen.

12) There is no perfect family. Some families are big, some small, some have both parents, some one, some none, some several, but they're still beautiful.

Also, I love this set of images I found on Pinterest. 

 

 And if you don't like Disney and think less of me because I love them... your loss.

I am a princess. Long may I reign.

What have you learned from Disney? Who is your favorite character? Favorite movie? Quote? Share your Disney love!