1- NEW MONTH ALERT! It’s December! I don’t usually look at my annual goals list when doing goals for the month, but I reviewed them when I recorded our annual BOBW Goals ep so they are fresh in my mind.
There are some that are just . . . not happening, and others that I think I could finish in the next month! Will work on my December goals list after I hit post (and share it later this weekend) but truly this has been a great year AND I’m excited for 2024.
2- I registered for the Bayshore Marathon! Hooray for getting to see Traverse City, home of lots of cherries and setting of Tom Lake. Josh registered too (I told him it was now or never since the race typically sells out quickly and his response was something like “okay”).
I feel like the timing should work even as I am still recovering to allow for a decent training cycle (and maybe a cycle that is not absurdly long like the one I did for JAX will actually be a good thing with respect to avoiding further injury.
I am hoping the trip will have some relaxation/tourist elements too – hoping to go Thurs-Sun (the race is on a Sat). I’ve never seen that part of the country and am excited.
3- PODCAST REC: Pantsuit Politics // How Reading Humbled Us in 2023
4- Sarah’s book posts make me want to read sooooo much! I feel like I’ve never read anything like Fourth Wing / Iron Flame but I think I am going to give it a shot. Plus there’s the Abraham Verghese I mentioned yesterday and omg our book club is meeting to discuss Shark Heart in 6 days and I have not started, which is very unlike me (but I only have the book in digital format and I hate reading that way, so that is why).
5- Elisabeth’s Top 5 / Bottom 5 Christmas songs cracked me up.
MY TOP 5 in no particular order:
- All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey (sorry not sorry)
- Christmas Wrappings by the Waitresses
- Basically all of A Very Kacey Christmas by Kacey Musgraves
- You’re A Mean One Mr Grinch from the Aimee Mann Christmas album (random I know but I love it!)
- The entire Vince Guaraldi soundtrack to A Charlie Brown Christmas
I honestly like almost all Christmas music because it was played nonstop in my household (despite not actually celebrating Christmas) and because I associate it with all thing cozy and celebratory and nice. I also think I like it even MORE in Florida, where the seasons are so hard to discern I’ll cling on to anything that helps me recognize that they still exist.
This is also why my phone background looks like this:
. . . while the weather looks like this:
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I love that Aimee Mann Christmas album, although I wouldn’t throw it on at a party.
My Mom LOVED Shark Heart, even though it’s like nothing she’s read before. I don’t typically read anything like Fourth Wing, either, but I bought a copy, so we’ll see. I bought a copy of Verghese when it I came out, but haven’t yet tackled… I also have a copy of Tom Lake that I should read ASAP, since everyone I know has talked about it recently. Currently am reading Minka Kelly’s memoir, Tell Me Everything.
hahah, no!!!
Shark Heart is one of my top books of the year, I could not stop reading it!! Hopefully it goes quick for you once you start it. Also I’m from MI and you will love the Traverse City area … make sure you hike the Sleeping Bear Dunes while you’re here.
And I also never read dragon books but loved Fourth Wing and also couldn’t put it down. Iron Flame was not nearly as good unfortunately but I don’t regret reading it. I do regret reading the Covenant of Water, and I loved Cutting for Stone, but I know most people love it so I think that was just me.
Almost done with Iron Flame now and agree it’s not quite as good. Fourth Wing definitely sucked me in quickly. I like fantasy but these are more romance than I usually read.
I haven’t read a fantasy book since the Hobbit in 6th grade (which was a LONG time ago) and kind of randomly picked up Fourth Wing from the Express shelf at the library. TBH I didn’t think I’d make it past chapter 1… but I’m about 75% in now and enjoying it! It really did hook me in from the start, which was key. I’m planning to try some other Romantasy books (a genre I only just learned exists) in the new year.
I would actually *not* recommend hiking sleeping bear dunes (esp if you’re running a marathon the same weekend), but there are multiple lovely trails that are nice and relaxing where you can take in some spectacular views that you can do instead.
One of the crnas recommended fourth wing to me this week and I added it to my tbr! So excited!!
Sarah, is that your phone background? I’ve dumbed down my iPhone to a large extent, but I don’t see where your camera would be! Google maps?? Or do you have another screen? Totally random, I know, but I love hearing about how other digital minimalists use and organize their phones.
Haha I have like 3 screens and all have 1 or 2 rows like that. Though I often just search for apps!
That makes sense! I really wanted everything on my phone on one screen, so I think I have 3 rows, but I love the clean look of 1-2 rows.
My book club meets tonight to pick our 2024 reads. Each member suggests 3 books and we vote. Shark Heart is one of my picks and I plan to lobby hard for it!! I haven’t read it but have heard it is so good!! My other 2 picks are No Two Persons and Search.
It was always an exciting feeling to register for a marathon. I loved updating my planner with a week countdown to the race!
Ha ha, I like your phone background! It’s supposed to get “cold” again next week, woohoo.
The Bayshore marathon is an exciting choice- the weather should be good and it will be a nice vacation too.
We agree on one of your five- I love the Vince Guaraldi album!!!
For the record, Christmas music is still played nonstop in your old household 🙂
Haha good!!!
A good choir rendition of ‘o holy night’ remains my all time favourite Christmas song … and also Fairytale of New York.
First, I LOVE that your dad (I assume?) commented on your blog. Too sweet <3
Second, you know how I feel about Mariah Carey, but we can agree to disagree – haha. At least it's not Last Christmas!
I love that he commented, too! So cute!
Hahah yes that was him :). My parents read and now so does Annabel. Also Josh and sometimes his parents too!
And, I heard another Mariah christmas song while I was doing peloton this AM and thought of you immediately!!!