When Dimples Met Glasses

Husband and I met in high school, Fall of our Senior year. We had a class together, but we didn't really like each other. Then, we started hanging out with mutual friends a lot in the Spring. I thought he may ask me to the prom, but he didn't so we went with different people (and, definitely not posting photos of that). Then, a week before graduation, he asked me to dinner which I did not think was a date. After dinner, we hung out at my house forever, and he asked if I would go out with him like be his girlfriend. So, I said yes. Then, the next morning, I may have panicked, but that's not the point.

Long story short, we dated for 4 years and then got engaged the winter after college graduation. 22 months later, we got married. On October 10, we'll be married for 10 years so I thought I'd do 10 posts on our wedding. Because we don't have a scanner, all the pictures are photos of actual photos so quality may vary. The above photo was taken right after we started dating. The below photo is a cheesy wedding picture. I had no patience for wedding pictures. I especially hated photos of myself by myself. Still, I wanted photo evidence of the dress because I really liked it. I tried on a handful of dresses, but I ultimately chose the first one I tried on. I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted.

All in all, our engagement was nice. We did most of our planning up front so a lot of the time was just enjoying being engaged. It didn't go perfectly as anybody who has planned a wedding understands, but I don't think it was a nightmare. At the end of the day, my main goal was to be married so I tried to keep that in mind. So, here is a sneak peek, and be sure to check in throughout the next 10 days for more of our special day!

Books Read in September 2009

1. Just the Sexiest Man Alive by Julie James
2. Talk Me Down by Victoria Dahl (NOTE: This is Book 1 in a series.)
3. Start Me Up by Victoria Dahl (NOTE: This is Book 2 in a series.)
4. To Tempt a Scotsman by Victoria Dahl (NOTE: This is Book 1 in a series.)
5. A Rake’s Guide to Pleasure by Victoria Dahl (NOTE: This is Book 2 in a series.)
6. One Week as Lovers by Victoria Dahl (NOTE: This is Book 3 in a series.)
7. The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

All the books I read in September were during the first week while I was on vacation. That said, they were all fun books. I should admit that I only read 1/4 (if that) of The House at Riverton. It was for bookclub and, though I started it early and had grand plans to read it, it was a slow-moving book for me. Victoria Dahl is a new author for me. She came recommended so I picked up some books with some money to Borders I had accumulated. Then, I discovered that I purchased two books that were the latest books in two separate series so I had buy the backlist. I'm glad I did. Who knows what's in store for me this month? I don't anticipate a lot of reading as it's a busy month for me, but you never know.

'Tis the Season

I was having trouble this week with the quick passage of time. I mean, I was just settling into summer and then it was September. Now, I'm deep into pumpkin patch trips, planning a 2nd birthday party, and Halloween. How did that happen?

Then, to make it worse, two of the authors I read had blog posts today about Christmas books they wrote that release today. Today! That's how I found myself ordering Christmas books in September (not to mention I also ordered a planner for 2010). If anyone figures out how to stop or slow time, please let me know.

Weekend Update - You Could Be Happy

On Friday, I met a friend in the city. We had dinner at Founding Farmers which was yummy. Then, we went to DAR Constitution Hall to see Snow Patrol with opening guest The Plain White T's. They were fantastic. When I got home, I discovered Little Miss spent the night with the In-Laws. So, on Saturday, Husband and I slept late before beginning our day of cleaning. I'm glad we decided to take 2 full weekends to clean.

We tackled Little Miss's room and the front hall closets. I packaged up all of Little Miss's old toys and outgrown clothes. I saved the kitchen, my books and my bathroom for during the week. Next weekend, we'll tackle the bedroom which scares me. We've obviously cleaned periodically, but we haven't really picked through and purged since before Little Miss was born.

So, on Sunday, I drove out to my parents' house to drop off some items to store as well as drop off many bags to donate. Lupus Foundation picks up donated items. I'll be making a similar trip next weekend. While there, we took some newly-baked cookies. Sister and Nephew were there, and the kids enjoyed playing together. Little Miss gave the tricycle a shot. She's still little, but I think she liked the concept. Because Little Miss didn't nap all day and then played hard, she fell asleep as soon as she got into the car to head home. I carried her upstairs and she took a 2 hour nap (as did I). After, she ate dinner and played some more. Then, she went to bed.

We were about to eat dinner when Husband looked at the video monitor and said, "uh oh". That's never good. Because we cleaned, all Little Miss's clothes were put away so her basket was where it normally is (near her crib) and filled with dirty clothes versus having her dirty clothes just on the floor in a pile. It's our fault really. We knew this is what she does when the clothes pile gets too big. The photo on the right will show what we discovered. We cleaned the crib out, moved the laundry basket and tried bedtime all over again.

Sexy Friday

So, last week, L.L. Cool J. had a good week. His new show, NCIS: Los Angeles debuted to good numbers though the show and his co-star, Chris O'Donnell were given some harsh reviews. I don't care because I find both quite yummy. I've been a fan of Chris O'Donnell for longer than I care to admit. On top of that, the other day, my mother told me she didn't find L.L. Cool J. that attractive after which I called her absolutely crazy. So, I use the above photo as Exhibit A. He is freaking hot. To accompany L.L. Cool J., I've chosen his Deliver Us from Eva co-star, Gabrielle Union. Though I didn't see that particular movie, I've seen Gabrielle Union in many things and have always liked her.

Breaking News!

First, I totally wish I had a link to where you can purchase this underwear, but I found the photo on a site that had no such information. The site went so far as to say it didn't have any information on any of the products featured.

So, here is the breaking news. I had no idea that Husband had such a hardship. Evidently, if you buy standard tighty whities (or the Hello Kitty underpants above), the easy access is designed for right-handed people. According to the article, boxers are the preferred type of underwear for left-handed men because they are designed more generically. So, now there is a new type of underpants especially designed for left-handed men. I'm sure Husband's day is much brighter with this late-breaking information. However, and correct me if I'm wrong as I don't wear men's underpants, I thought there was access on the right and left on underpants. Maybe this is only a challenge to the left-handed British men and American underwear is more progressive.

Happy National Punctuation Day!

Today is National Punctuation Day. If you have time, read how punctuation cost a company $2.13 million in Canada (not sure if that amount is in Canadian dollars or American dollars). If you have time, view bad punctuation photos to stress how important passing English is to your children. I would never patronize an establishment that could not use the English language correctly. I don't expect people to have perfect grammar skills, but there are common mistakes and then there are just instances that make you wonder how people passed grade school with their utter lack of understanding of the English language. I'm sorry I did not post this in time to enter the baking contest. Maybe I'll have a colon and go search out 2 cupcakes. Hm, saying I'll have a colon sounds gross, but saying I would eat a period was worse. My apologies. Can I have bullet points perhaps?

Tuesday Post

Just a random post to say we have the cutest Little Miss ever. Most of her clothes are hand-me-downs from her cousin, my mother's neighbor or my old clothes that my mother kept. So, today, I dressed her in an outfit that I think was originally my sister's. If I remember correctly, mine was red (and, by remember, I mean, I've seen pictures). I think the outfit came from San Francisco. During that trip, I was 5 so this outfit wouldn't have fit me, but Sister would have been around 18 months or so which makes sense. Either way, Little Miss wears it well even though she hated the under-the-chin snap. She looks like such a big girl.

Good luck, Husband!

I hope your first day of work went well! I hope you got a seat in the cafeteria and weren't relegated to eating your tray in the bathroom. I hope you made new friends. I hope no one played a practical joke on you by sending you to the Senate "swimming pool". OK, so your job and building are hold hat. I hope the new office loves you and thinks you have the cutest baby ever - because you totally do!

The cartoon is because I know you have a cubicle, and I know you aren't a big fan of, say, people especially people who chat you up (and you like to mock Fight Club), and it's hard to keep people out with no door.

Cartoon respectively borrowed from Toothpaste for Dinner which has some amazingly funny cartoons and sells them on merchandise.

Weekend Update - Lazy Weekend

It was a busy weekend of nothing. Let's see. On Friday, I don't think we did anything. I was really tired. Little Miss had trouble staying in bed. Then, on Saturday, Husband woke up with her before he went golfing. He did leave for golf early so I still had to wake up earlier than I would have liked. Little Miss and I shared a scrambled egg with cheese. Then, she took an extremely brief nap before we went out. We went to Panera and shared the Asian Chicken Salad. She had a little bit of my Baked Potato soup and a fruit cup. Then, we walked around for a little bit. The highlight of the trip, for her, was going to Payless. As soon as we walked in, she took off her sandals and lifted her feet so I could put on as many pairs of shoes as possible. She chose a favorite, and I purchased them. She asked to put them on before we left the store. So, I had the salesclerk clip the tags and the shoes haven't left her feet since. She even wears them during naps. The girl loves shoes. On the way home, we walked by some nearby condos where there is a fountain. The fountain varies so the spray changes every so often. You can also run through it. Some kids were soaking wet, but I knew Little Miss would just get close enough that she wouldn't get wet. Saturday was another rough night. At one point, we were sleeping on the couch. Plus, for some reason, she looked like such a big girl on Saturday. Both photos from this post were from that afternoon.

On Sunday, Husband woke up with Little Miss and I got to sleep blissfully late and then watch Supernatural in relative peace and quiet. It was nice. Sunday afternoon, Little Miss and I had to run another errand, but we mostly hung out at home. Then, my parents came over for dinner. Little Miss put on a big shy act, but she was performing by the end of the night and ate like a big girl at dinner. She fed herself very well and had good table manners (excluding the hugging and kissing of the grated cheese container). Sometimes, she's not very patient at the table, but she was good especially with an audience. Bedtime went well last night and she slept beautifully and late. I'll take the Friday and Saturday spotty sleeping if it means she sleeps on work nights.

Last but by no means least, on Sunday, a group of friends and I received news that we lost one of the members of our online community to breast cancer. I feel fortunate to have met her in person and gotten to know her while she lived in this area. She touched us all in some way and will be missed. Because these things come in threes traditionally, I'm living with a slight sense of dread as she was the second of my friends in as many weeks to lose a battle to cancer.

Weekend Update - Football Sunday

Sorry this is late. I had to have the time to write this and have the camera cable to upload photos, and those two things never happened at the same time. Last Friday, the In-Laws, Brother-in-Law, Sister-in-Law, Husband, Little Miss and I got together for dinner for Brother-in-Law's birthday. We went to Hana Tokyo. Little Miss (and Husband actually) had the first experience with hibachi. She was mesmerized but didn't care for the shock of the fire. She wouldn't eat anything while at the restaurant, but she enjoyed the leftovers for days. I've never seen her eat dinner with that much enthusiasm except for her favorite pasta dishes. She even ate the mushrooms and zucchini and bean sprouts. I didn't give her the onion but only because I didn't want a smelly Little Miss. She probably would have eaten it.

On Saturday, she was home with Husband as I went out with friends for book club.

On Sunday, Sister and Nephew came over for football snacks and, as soon as Husband's team started its game, we all were ushered out of the apartment. Sister, the kids and I went to a big playground nearby. The kids had a lot of fun. Little Miss declined a nap so she was exhausted and, towards the end, super cranky. We only stayed maybe an hour. Then, on the way back, both kids fell asleep. I took Little Miss home and she slept for 2 more hours. She woke up, ate dinner, and pretty much went back to sleep. Maybe I should go to the playground more often with her!

Sexy Friday

This week is inspired by a friend's request (this is also proof that I do take requests, but they have to be requests I like so still no to you-know-who, Sister!) though it was difficult to choose a companion for him. I almost just put the spotlight on Mehcad Brooks by himself. I mean, seriously, look at that! Oh, yeah, and he acts. He came to my attention in True Blood which I only watch for the men, but I recently discovered that I've seen him in other things - like Dollhouse. Therefore, the very attractive Mehcad Brooks shares Sexy Friday with Eliza Dushku. I can't say I'm as big of a fan of hers. I watch Dollhouse and am definitely curious about Season 2 of the show. I wasn't in love with Season 1, but I thought it ended on a strong note. So, we'll see. Either way, back to Mehcad Brooks, yummy.

Cancer Sucks

Actually, that's what I went with because this is a family blog and this photo would have been a little inappropriate. Now, I was raised that if I don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all. I can't say I abide by this rule all the time, but I try. However, in the past year, Cancer has kind of been working overtime. In the past, Cancer has come in to take a friend or mingled with others only to leave later on. However, in this last month, Cancer has taken another friend and friends and realtives of people I know, moved in with other friends and relatives, and became way too selfish with others. I mean, seriously, I think it's greedy and mean and, well, sucky. So, Cancer, I just want to say that I hate you (and I don't use that word lightly) and you may win battles, but you won't win the war because one of these days, you're going down. May it be soon.

This Is Jeopardy!

I have watched Jeopardy! for as long as I can remember. I used to watch with my family around dinner time. I'd go through phases. I'd watch it regularly and then take a break and then get back into it. I'd root for and against players. I'd criticize wagering strategy and playing strategy. If you watch Jeopardy! long enough, you realize how important strategy is.

This week marked the 26th anniversary of the game show. Starting this season, there will be a season-long celebrity invitational. Every third Thursday of the month, there will be a celebrity episode which will conclude in a finale where the celebrity's charity will win $1 million dollars. It always surprises me how smart some celebrities are (and how not-so-smart some other celebrities are). Granted, the show does dumb it down slightly - like even I can answer some. Still, it's always entertaining.

As for Alex Trebek, I have a love/hate relationship. I spend a lot of the episode yelling at him through my television, but disliking him kind of adds to my viewing of the show, and I can't really imagine the show without him.

My favorite part of watching Jeopardy! is occasionally feeling smarter than the contestants. In the back of my mind, being smart and playing a game show well are two different things so it's easy to sit on my couch and call the contestants idiots, but they had to qualify for the show which isn't easy. Also, playing on my couch is totally different than being under the lights in front of a live audience. If that was me, I'd look stupid, too, but that's why I like to watch at home in my pajamas.

Congratulations!

Photo: John H. McShane

Congratulations to Husband! He has a new job on the Hill. For those who don't know, he used to work on the Hill and then took a job for a non-profit. Starting next week, he's back on the Hill again. I know he'll be happier, but I also know he'll miss the private sector hours and his time with Little Miss. On the other hand, I'm not looking forward to cooking more often (and by more often, I mean cooking at all).

Sexy Friday

This week, Husband has been watching the U.S. Open. He'll be the first to tell you that I know less than nothing about tennis. Every year, I ask him the same questions - How do they keep score? Game, set, match, wha-? Is this over yet? You know, same old questions. That said, even I know a couple of tennis players. I've already showcased tennis players in the past, but there are totally more sexy tennis players out there. So, I present Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova. I understand poor Maria got kicked out of the U.S. Open already, but she can still wear the heck out of a bikini so maybe being part of Sexy Friday will soothe the disappointment of losing to an unseeded American. Either way, tennis is great for eye candy. No bulky padding, no physical contact to cause broken noses, scarring (well, rarely any bloody injury), just pure athletic hotness. I even like the grunting. I understand sexy. I don't understand tennis. At all.

Happy Birthday, Brother-in-Law!

Today, yes, we remember Patriot Day and honor those we lost on 9/11. I am in no way diminishing the weight of the events of 9/11. However, it's also important to remember that it's Brother-in-Law's birthday especially this year as it is the 30th birthday. It is also important to realize that 9 months until my birthday, but that's neither here nor there. Above is the photo of Brother-in-Law and Little Miss during the first Jets preseason game this year. Little Miss is not looking at the camera, but I love how she's smiling up at Brother-in-Law. Below is Brother-in-Law sharing his blue ice cream with Little Miss. You can see he was her favorite person at that moment. Also, in grand tradition, I now give you the link to the funniest 9/11 birthday article ever. It is from The Onion so I warn you that it is satire and contains the F-word, but that is my favorite part of the entire article. I send this article to Brother-in-Law every year, but this year, I thought I'd share it with the rest of you.

Happy 30th Birthday! We'll see you tonight to celebrate.

Bowling Night

Tonight is the beginning of the Fall bowling season. It's always nice to get back into bowling (despite the fact that it is the same night as my biggest television night). It's always like school. After the summer, it's nice to see everybody and ask what they did during the summer. With almost everyone, I only see them at bowling. It's a fun night out and truly amazing that after many seasons, I'm not at all a better bowling than when I started - and I am a horrible bowler.

Home Again

Little Miss actually fell asleep before we even left New Jersey. She slept most of the way home. She was so tired. We did the beach and the pool the day we left with no napping. She was just so happy to be home. Because she slept all the way home (we left at 7:30PM), she was wide awake when we arrived home at 11:30PM. She ran into the apartment and kissed and hugged all her toys and tried to play with everything at once. She stayed awake until almost 1AM before going to sleep. She had a bit of a stomach bug the next day. We're still not sure what it was, but she was sick to her stomach for the better part of the morning (though I wouldn't call it the better part). She took a nap and woke up a new girl. So, whatever it was, it passed quickly and messily. She's been teething and that's taken its toll on her (and us). Poor thing. So, now we're back to the daily grind. Little Miss is having the most difficulty. She's been having trouble sleeping and waking up really late, but this morning, she woke up on time (though woke up last night). We'll get back to a routine soon, I'm sure. I can't say I've completely recovered from vacation either (though work always offers a cold dose of reality).

Little Miss Meets the Atlantic Ocean

Here is the last vacation post. I have video of Little Miss and her first steps into the ocean this year. Strangely, this is very similar to her first steps into the ocean last year. Admittedly, the water was a lot colder in Maine than it was on the Jersey shore. The water still confuses her and she'd prefer to be carried in than walk in on her own accord. That'll change in the upcoming years though.

Vacation Update - Family

It was a family vacation last week. It was nice for Husband, Little Miss and I to have time together, but it was extra special to have Husband's family there as well.
Little Miss had a blast being spoiled by her uncle and aunt. She's always been happy with her aunt, but she was wary in the beginning with her uncle. During the last month, however, she's spent a lot of time with both of them and goes to both easily. On the boardwalk, she led her uncle all over the place. They watched the Go-Karts and ran all over. She also shared her uncle's ice cream and definitely stuck to him like glue (until the ice cream was gone at least). She also learned, during the course of the trip, to say her uncle and aunt's names which was a big victory. She was very pleased with herself (but not as pleased as her uncle and aunt were with her).Of course, Little Miss also loves her grandparents. She calls them "A-Pa" and "A-Ma". It'll be interesting to see if she has nicknames for them or this is just a phase. She led her grandparents all over (which helped because I think all three of them slept well during the trip). Because Mother-in-Law watches Little Miss during the day while we work, Little Miss is super comfortable with her (though she is very good with all of the members of the family at this point which is nice). She had a great time playing in the sand and trying new foods and, all in all, being a big girl.
The last photo is the whole family on the Boardwalk. Little Miss was moments away from napping so she's a little dazed and confused, but she was very patient with all the photos.

Vacation Update - Playground

One of the days, we brought Little Miss to the playground. It looked nice from the road. There were tons of children running around. Little Miss loved climbing up the stairs and jungle gym portion and then sliding down the big slides. She would do that all day if you let her. The bigger the slide the better - except for the covered slides. She wouldn't go down that one at all. We thought she'd like the swings, but she doesn't. This isn't the first time we've put her in a swing. Every time, she just looks worried and asks to be taken out.

The playground was had a cushioned man-made material as the ground. It was soft to walk on, but it was kind of prickly. Little Miss tripped and fell face first into it and all the pricklies made indents in her lip and scraped her little nose. She almost cried, but she was a trooper and just shook it off and went on her way. It was nice to see Little Miss have so much fun and get to run around and exert a lot of energy for a nap.

Vacation Update - Boardwalk

On one of the overcast days, we went to the Boardwalk. We walked up and down. Little Miss couldn't stop looking everywhere. Then, she took a nap and we continued to walk. When she woke up, we had lunch. During lunch, she was mesmerized by the kiddie rides. We weren't sure she could ride on any because we weren't sure she would stay seated or like being strapped down. She'd also have to ride alone. So, we figured we could take her on the carousel. She wasn't sure she enjoyed it, but she stayed seated and Husband could ride alongside her for safety purposes. We were very proud of our big girl. Next year, she can ride most of the rides and I'm sure she'll love them.

Later, we took her to the Boardwalk at night. If she liked it during the day, she'd love all the lights and noise and people at night. She was super tired, but she loved looking at everything. We noticed on one of the kiddie rides that the parents were allowed to sit on a bench in the inner cylinder while the children rode the cars and trucks circling. So, we strapped Little Miss in while I sat a foot or so away from her. She had a lot of fun - though towards the end, she wanted to change cars and didn't like that she was strapped in. Then, because it was her first trip to the Boardwalk, Brother-in-Law, Sister-in-Law, Husband, Little Miss and I all shared a funnel cake. She liked it, but she had more self-restraint than all of us and stopped eating after only a few bites. She fell asleep in the car ride home and barely woke as we got her up to the hotel room.

Vacation Update - Beach

The weather was pretty overcast most of the week though we had beautiful weather the first day and the last day. The winds, at one point, neared 20 mph. Still, you do what you have to do. We managed to have fun anyway. Little Miss enjoyed the beach the first day. We were all so proud when she walked in the sand (last year, there was no touching the sand). She ran into the ocean and got right back up when the waves knocked her down. The photo to the left is Little Miss trying to remain standing while a wave came crashing into her. Most of the confrontations with waves were lost unfortunately, but she'd wipe her face and get up again.

The second day, she wouldn't go near the water and that continued until the last day when it was too hot not to go into the ocean. As I stated before, Little Miss wouldn't play with her beach toys (except the brief trip to fill up her bucket on the first day). However, on Friday, Grandpa showed her how to dig in the sand and invert a cup of sand to create a tower. So, on our last day at the beach, she did play a bit in the sand and water with her toys. On both days, she loved going deep into the water with Husband holding her. She kept wanting to go further and further out. The photo the right is Little Miss with her watering can owning the beach.

Vacation Update - Beach Toys

We all had beach toys for Little Miss. Did she play with them? Oh, of course not. She picked up a bunch of red plastic cups and used those as toys. She did eventually play with the beach toys on our last days.

Vacation Update - Drive In Drive Out

Seriously, that's how Little Miss spent 85% of the entire car ride. She just smiled like a crazy person. It was like her favorite thing to do was be squished into a car full of unfamiliar things and ride for 4 hours. Husband pretty much fit her into the car with a shoe horn and we hit the road. She grinned, laughed, giggled, and ate most of the way. Then, in the last hour, she fell asleep. At that point, it was late, and she was exhausted so it was about time. Yes, that's drool running down her cheek.

The Lemonade Award

A reader of mine gave me a little on-line award. Host sent me an email notifying me of the award so, when I returned from vacation, I went to check it out. It's very sweet to hear that your little piece of the internet shows great attitude and/or shows gratitude. I shall ponder which mine contains.

Here are the rules:
The Lemonade Award is a feel good award which shows great attitude or gratitude.

Here are the rules:
~Put the Lemonade Award logo on your blog or post.
~Nominate at least 10 blogs that show great attitude or gratitude. (I'm only doing 5.)
~Link your nominees within your post.
~Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
~Share the love and link to the person from whom you received the award. Here are my nominees:

1. Sanna, a friend through the Susan Elizabeth Phillips Bulletin Board
2. Brandi, a friend since junior high school
3. Katie, a friend from college and with whom I've recently reconnected thanks to the miracle of the internet
4. Jackie, a friend through a previous job
5. Naomi, a friend through the Judith McNaught Bulletin Board

Sexy Friday

I noticed Duplicity came out on DVD so I decided Mr. Clive Owen would be sexy this Friday. He doesn't always strike me as sexy, but sometimes, the light and the movie and the accent all come together to be absolutely yummy. I think I've only seen him in Sin City and Closer which weren't favorite movies of mine, but I think Duplicity looks interesting and definitely has a great cast.

I used one of his co-stars from Closer (sans pink wig) for his Sexy Friday counterpart. Natalie Portman has always been critically-acclaimed in almost every project in which she's appeared. I thought she was great in The Professional as a child and Husband liked her in Beautiful Girls, but I kind of drifted from her movies over time. I'll see her in something every so often and think she did a good job, but she's not someone that often makes me run out to see a movie.

Books Read in August 2009

1. Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James
2. The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell
3. Unleash the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon (NOTE: This is part of the Dark Hunter series.)
4. Dark Side of the Moon by Sherrilyn Kenyon (NOTE: This is part of the Dark Hunter series.)
5. Fear the Darkness by Sherrilyn Kenyon (NOTE: This is a super short ebook part of the Dark Hunter series.)
6. The Dream-Hunter by Sherrilyn Kenyon (NOTE: This is part of the Dark Hunter series though also starts the Dream Hunter series.)

I read a bit this month. I wanted to read more, but I decided to read a book for bookclub. I thought I could squeeze it into the last week of August, but I don't think it'll happen. I borrow the Sherrilyn Kenyon books so I tend to read them all in groups like I did this month. Julie James is a new-to-me author. I enjoyed Practice Makes Perfect and plan on reading her first book during vacation so you'll see that book when I post my September reads. I hope I can keep up my reading momentum into September!