Everything's better in Texas.

I'm on vacation!!

Yahoo!

I decided last year that I wanted to travel a whole bunch more, I didn't quite succeed at it for circumstances out of my control (cough cough divorce and lack of funds cough cough). The only places I went outside of Missouri was Iowa for the day with Lauren and then down to my dad's in Alabama. Don't get me wrong, both are great and fun, but I want to throw my net out a little bit more.

Hannah and I decided in December that we were going to go on vacation to some place sunny and warm. We couldn't decide on someplace out of the continental US (funds were again a pretty big deciding factor) so we decided to stick stateside. My options were Texas or California - Texas was the most financially do-able. So here we are!

Our first day was getting to Houston, picking up our rental car, going to Ikea (which was a little disappointing because it was on a Sunday and incredibly crowded. When I went in Chicago, we went during the week and it was a heavenly little ghost town). This one was a mad house. There were people everywhere that weren't paying ANY attention to their surroundings and so many loud kiddos. I got a couple little things - a fun little blanket, some frames for my vacation pictures, and a little basket/bowl thing. Then we drove to Galveston.

We knocked around the little shops (the few that were open) and then had a couple drinks and fancy appetizers at this cute little bistro next to our hotel.

The next morning, we woke up and went to the beach -


Pleasure Pier in Galveston
We hung out near Pleasure Pier, which has a Bubba Gump Shrimp Company and the little amusement park in the background of my photo. We headed back to the historic part of the town where our hotel was, checked out a shop there that was closed the night before (I got a couple souvenirs) and then headed back to the beach in bathing suits!

We headed to Corpus Christi after eating at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. (where I got another souvenir) The weather on the way to Corpus got dark and stormy, which was unfortunate because turns out, Hannah has crippling anxiety when it comes to bad weather... BUT, we made it safe and sound after a handful of detours.

We grabbed a drink in the hotel "bar" (this word is used loosely) and then went to Whataburger for a midnight snack. The next morning, we woke up and headed to the Texas State Aquarium, grabbed an authentic Mexican lunch, and then went to a really secluded beach that was beautiful and breezy. I got a bit of a sunburn... :(


Taken at the Texas State Aquarium
Wednesday morning we woke up and went back out to the beach - a different one this time, but still really pretty. It was a pretty big bummer of how many people throw their trash on the beach and just don't clean it up. I feel like a beach should always be a little big cleaner when you leave than when you got there. I guess cleaning up a beach for a summer really drilled that into my head. After the beach at Corpus, we headed to San Antonio... which is where we are now.

We checked out the Riverwalk, got some mexican food and then some mexican desserts - Tres Leches cake and Mexican Donuts. It was heavenly and indulgent and delicious. My waistline is not thanking me right now. We went out for drinks afterwards and then Hannah ended up drinking a little more than planned... which is why I am hanging out in the lobby of the Menger Hotel typing on my laptop.

Today, the plan is to get some barbecue at The County Line and then go to Sea World before heading back to Houston for the evening. Then we wake up tomorrow morning and head back to the Show-Me State!

One's philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes... and the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility" - Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt was a smart lady.

She has a bunch of good quotes and seemed pretty knowledgeable about life and living and being good at public speaking and making memorable quotes.

I keep having moments of clarity - reality checks.

Being grumpy and sad and melancholy about life isn't going to get me anywhere. I am allowing myself to have grumpy, sad, melancholy moments, but I refuse to ruin an entire day over something that is already done.

OUR CHOICES ARE ULTIMATELY OUR RESPONSIBILITY.

I can choose to be a sad panda.

Or i can choose to make the most out of my situation.
and be thankful for what I have (and don't have, in some situations).

I am going to go on a couple vacations in 2013. I have one scheduled already (I'm coming for you, Texas!) and another floating in my head for the fall. I want to see things I've never seen before. I want to be places I've never been before.

I am going to work on my CMSRN certification. I am going to get myself a study guide for Christmas (heck yes, nerdy christmas gift) and start doing it. It is going to be hard, but it is going to be worth it.

I am going to continue to try to find the beauty in each day, open myself up to new experiences, and recognize that sometimes you just have to take a step back, accept responsibility for your choices, and let others do the same.

long time, no read

I haven't posted in a while.

Partially because I literally haven't read more than 30 pages in a book (until this weekend), since before my last post.

On labor day, I spent about an hour outside reading. Enjoying the day off, soaking up the sun. I had a day off from work and Devin was home. I thought we were going to lounge around, take the dogs on a hike, grab an early dinner and just hang out. Instead, at 10:03 a.m., my husband of a little over four years told me he wanted a divorce.

By noon I left the house for him to get some of his things.

By 2:00 p.m., he was out of the house, only to come back 1 more time and pack up the rest of his things (save for a couple that I gave to him this weekend.)

I tried to read to get my mind off things. It didn't work. It hasn't worked. It normally always works when I am in a state of overwhelm (I know that isn't the proper use of overwhelm but this is my blog, my rules). But I've never been in this severe state of overwhelm before.

As time goes on, it gets easier. That's what I told myself on labor day. It's been almost 2 months and it has gotten easier. It is beginning to feel more real. (for a while it felt like a dream. People would talk and it would sound muffled. I felt like I was walking through water.)

So naturally, I've been working working working. I started going to a trivia night (where I actually know about 8% of the answers!) I just got home (less than 12 hours ago) from a mini-vacation at my dad's house - where in which i got some sweet deals at Banana Republic's factory store (I NEVER get sweet outlet deals. I was so excited), I spent HOURS walking MILES on the beach by myself, I caught a legit shark with legit teeth off the coast (THREE FEET LONG IS LONG ENOUGH TO BITE YOUR ARM OFF, KIDS!), I talked to my dad, who is awesome, and my step-mom, who is also awesome, about everything going on. They both had (now cherished) words of wisdom.

And I cracked open Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. And I actually read some of it.

oh the great world spins

I got out of my reading funk! Hooray!

And then my little world was flipped onto its top. Life has taken a strange turn, strange indeed.

I don't think anyone actually reads my blog (I don't blame anyone, it isn't very interesting nor do I post regularly - i swear this is not a pity party about my lack of readers), but I ask anyone who does, anyone at all, one simple request. Never apologize for your independence. Never feel bad because you are independent. Never feel guilty because you can stand on your own two feet and keep fighting.

(enter Beyonce song here. Or Adele. She's all over the place lately.)

Once my life gets a little bit more settled and I don't feel like I am walking under water, I will read more. and then I'll post about it. Hell, maybe I will post an actual book review or something.

In a funk...

This bookworm has been hibernating.

I was supposed to read The Tiger's Wife for my book club and I didn't. Well, I cracked it open and read the first 100 pages, but just couldn't get into it.

I read/finished quite a few books last month (Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern; The House of Velvet & Glass by Katherine Howe; Employee of the Month and Other Big Deals by Mary Jo Pehl; I Suck At Girls by Justin Halpern; The Likeness by Tana French; and 1 Dead In Attic by Chris Rose) and this month I have just been in a lull.

I was also supposed to do a Read-a-Thon starting this week and just didn't.

I tried to read! I got all comfy in my chair outside in the shade. I stacked up my pillows on the couch. I thought about buying a frou-frou coffee drink and going to the library. But again, the lull!

But it isn't all for naught! I'm 3 books ahead on my GOODREADS CHALLENGE for the year! (I recognize this does not give me the ability to slack! Better to be ahead!)

I'm a reader.

One look at my blog and you know I'm a reader.

One look at my pinterest and you know I'm a reader who likes batman and easy crafts for my house and really wants to travel more.

One look at my instagram and you know I'm a reader who shamelessly takes pictures of my dogs and cat (seldom myself) and loves antiques.

MY INSTAGRAM

Whew!

It is definitely summer-time here in the Midwest. I've been spending a lot of reading time outside enjoying the sunshine (and the shade!)

I just finished my 18th book for this year (to follow what I've been reading as the year goes on, you can go here: EVERYTHING I'VE READ SO FAR. I can honestly say I haven't read anything and been super duper in love with it yet. 22 more books to go! That's 22 more chances for my socks to be wow-ed off. Good luck, books.

Luckily for me, I have a list a mile long of things I want to read this summer:







And I just bought this for my kindle, which is going to be what I start tonight after bookclub (or before my lunch date)




I'm hoping to love them!