Hello there fellow readers!! I'm trying to get in the habit of review books I read and sharing them with you so we can discuss as well as get new book recommendations. I just took a look and saw that my last book review was June of 2023...whoops! I was able to squeeze in four books this month and as moms of toddlers know, that is basically unheard of! Two of them were ARCs, one was a new release and the other.....well, I thought I was reading a different book until I finished it and realized the book I meant to read was by a different author. First up this month was an advanced copy of Book Club Boyfriend . It's scheduled to be released July 14th. In this enemies-to-lovers book, actress/producer Blair is going through it -- she's recently divorced and a new empty nester when her youngest child goes away to college. Enter novelist Jack who is struggling to write his second book and publicly humiliated Blair when he turned down her offer to be featured in her popular book clu...

  There have been several posts and comments lately about how public schools are the enemy and indoctrinating the children. As a public school teacher myself, I have some thoughts. Do you want to know what I did last night when I couldn’t sleep? I prayed for my students by name. While I am privileged enough to be trusted to know some of their struggles, there are many more that I don’t know. I am a safe space for my students and someone they feel comfortable talking to when it feels like everything else is falling apart and they don’t have anyone to listen to them. When I prayed for my students, I lifted up the troubles I know as well as the ones I don’t. I prayed for ALL my students, not just the “good” ones but the “challenging” ones as well. It wasn’t just my students that I prayed for, I lifted their families up as well – some of whom I know by name and others I don’t. Just because I can’t pray WITH my students in school doesn’t mean I can’t pray FOR them privately. My students...

 Hello and welcome to 2026 -- better late than never, right?? As a way to hold myself accountable, I wanted to share my goals and explain them a little. 1. Keep up with The Bible Recap Last year I read through the bible using The Bible Recap. I'm not going to lie, I got pretty far behind and was scrambling at the end, but I did it. This year, I want to follow along better with the plan. I also bought the journal and study book to go along with it. There is a daily podcast as well that I want to listen to as I go along. 2. Improve Posture One thing I've noticed since being pregnant, is how poor my posture has become. While pregnant, you do whatever you can do be comfortable and by the end, all that extra weight is hard to carry and you may end up slouching. It's officially been one year since I gave birth and I definitely need to work on improving my posture. I catch myself slouching all the time so I want to focus on correcting that and standing tall. 3. Purge Pens Okay, ok...

Hello and welcome back! A lot has happened in the nearly two years since I've checked in on here. First and foremost, I've become a mom! I gave birth January 6th, 2025 at 12:31 pm to Eleanor Marie who clocked in at 8 pounds 7 ounces and 21 inches long. While on maternity leave from work, I've wanted several times to pop back in here as a way to document this new "Era" of life. (See what I did there?? A Tay gif and a reference all in the first paragraph! I'll try and stop there.) What a way to make a comeback than to jump right in by linking up with Andrea and Erika  for Friday Favorites. My absolute favorite over the last three months of being postpartum is my Kindle Paperwhite . This has been a lifesaver during those middle of the night feedings when I need something to keep me awake and don't want to turn the light on to read. I've had my current Kindle since 2022 and it's still in great shape! I love that I can use it outside on a sunny day and...

 After our long travel day and a busy day in Gibraltar  we were more than ready for a day at sea to rest and relax before non-stop ports and tours. I'm dubbing these the best chicken nuggets at sea! Our ship had a Salty Dog location onboard and it was the perfect pool snack! If you know anything about me, you know I am a HUGE tea person. I mean my bachelorette party was a tea party so when I saw that afternoon tea was offered, I quickly ordered it! Please look at all of these tasty treats! I ordered for two people and they sent us SO. MUCH. FOOD. Who knew that avocado and mayo sandwiches were something I need in my life, but they definitely are! After his first experience with scones, clotted cream and some sort of delicious preserves (possibly apricot?) Stephen declared us "Afternoon Tea People." We also declared that we were too full to eat dinner in an hour and a half but that statement didn't last long. I was in my element when it came time for Broadway Trivia tha...

 17 Days. 10 Countries. 1200+ Pictures. 2 Cruises. Infinite laughs and memories. Stephen and I are officially back from our incredible honeymoon and adjusting back to reality. Settle in and get ready to experience our trip of a lifetime. All we saw in Switzerland was the airport but considering our passport was stamped there, we're counting it as one of our countries. After arriving in Barcelona, we stopped off in our hotel room to drop things off before grabbing an early dinner and calling it a night after a LONG day of travel. This restaurant isn't open yet, but it's already Stephen's favorite. It's hard to see in the pictures, but those are cemeteries and mausoleums built into the hillside.  Here we are getting ready to board our ship, the Enchanted Princess (all my Taylor Swift fans, IYKYK! I also walked down the aisle to that song!)  Look at my handsome HUSBAND all ready for his first cruise! The ship was gorgeous and we immediately set out exploring. The prome...