2017 Personal & Family Goals

Can you believe 2017 is here?! I'm not sure how that happened. It seems like Dan and I were counting down to 2014 for so long, and that year took FOREVER to get here, but ever since then, time has seriously flown. We'll celebrate three years of marriage this year. Already. It doesn't even seem possible!

Like every other year, I love to start with fresh goals. Without them, I have nothing to strive for, and this year, I set some personal goals and worked with Dan to set some family goals... so here we go!

PERSONAL GOALS

1. Blog at least four times a month. This only works out to be once a week, and I think I'm comfortable with that goal. There were six weeks that slipped by during the fall that I didn't blog once, and I think it was in part due to me being unable to commit to blogging regularly and catching up on everything I missed. I don't want that to happen again. I want to document our life, so I'm going to focus on quality over quantity here. And if I'm able to post more than once a week, then I'm happy with that too!

2. Read 20 books. Last year, I successfully completed my goal of 16 books and even surpassed it with one more. I figure if I can read 17 books in a year, I can definitely read 20 as long as I make a conscious effort. I definitely sleep better when I read before bed, so that habit will continue.

3. Grow my current Etsy shop. AnnaKate Paperie was pretty successful at making passive income last year. December was definitely my busiest month with people shopping for Christmas gifts, and since all of my items are digital downloads, the orders kept rolling in through Christmas since customers could print them at home to give as last minute gifts. I am more inspired now than even before and hope to continue and piggyback on that success... which brings me to...

4. Start a new shop with a clear focus. This has been in the works behind the scenes for a few weeks now. It was actually my husband's idea, and my target customers are going to be military families. I am in the process of creating designs and setting up shop, so I'll be announcing it soon. Stay tuned.

5. Finish my personal cookbook. Yes, this has been a goal of mine for quite some time. I like my recipes to be tidy, so I am re-typing all of them to be in the same format with the same fonts, spacing, etc. I want them to be easy to read when I'm cooking and organized by category. It's been a huge undertaking, and I need to catch up so that all I need to do is add new ones as we try them.

6. Make healthier choices with food and activities. This one is the cliché "get in shape" goal, but I seriously do need to take better care of myself, and that begins with the choices I make. Dan and I are in this together, so I'm hoping that helps us stick to it.

7. Learn how to actually use my camera. We have a nice Canon DSLR camera, and I love it. It's the best purchase we made right before Annabelle was born. The problem is that I'm stuck in auto mode because I don't know how to work manual mode, even though I know I'll get better photos once I learn. There's no better time to learn than when you're trying to capture a wild toddler, am I right?!

8. Publish a piece of writing somewhere. This one is vague, but it's also my big, scary goal for myself. This is the one that will push me out of my comfort zone. It's something I've ALWAYS dreamed of. It doesn't matter if it's a bigger blog or a website or even a printed piece. I just want need to make this happen this year.


FAMILY GOALS

1. Socialize Annabelle. She is such a social butterfly, but she doesn't have any real friends. No one else in Dan's class here has a child, and of the people I've met here who do have children either have tiny babies or older kids. We want to make more of an effort for her to play with other toddlers. This will start with library story time.

2. Go on at least one date night per month. All parents know how hard it is to stay romantic when dealing with a baby/toddler/child 24/7. We want to prioritize our marriage, so we'll be taking advantage of the Parent's Night Out put on through the CDC on base once a month to go out just the two of us and have a great time.

3. Do at least one ACTIVE family activity each week. Remember my personal goal up there about making healthier choices? This will help. Dan is SUPER busy with pilot training, but we can go on a family walk or do any number of other activities at least once a week. We have to make time for it.

4. Hike in the Wichita Mountains. These "mountains" aren't big compared to the ones we were used to in Colorado, but they're only an hour away in Lawton, Oklahoma, so we definitely want to get up there this spring to check it out. It'll be the perfect first "hike" for Annabelle!

5. Go on an Oklahoma City trip. Dan and I explored Oklahoma City once when we first started dating nearly eight years ago, but we haven't really been back together since then. I've been on a couple solo trips there, and we've driven through several times, but we want to take Annabelle to the zoo and the kids science museum there, among other things.

6. Visit San Antonio. Luckily, the Air Force will make this one easy for us. Dan has a training there later this month for a few days, and Annabelle and I will be tagging along. We want to check out the Riverwalk for sure, but there's so much to do there compared to our little town in North Texas.


Do you have any goals for the year?

Book Review: The Moon and More

It's been a while since I've reviewed a book on here. Why? Simply because I have not been reading as much as I should. Over the summer, I essentially read nothing. I think I crave the routine that comes along with a new school year. Since then, I've been reading nearly every night again, and I am on track to finish my 36 book goal for the year of 2013. 

Today, I'm going to tell you about The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen.

I'm a big fan of Sarah Dessen. I have been for years. Her books aren't normally the type I read, but I ALWAYS dive right into her novels and don't come back up for air until I finish them. 

As always, Goodreads provides a wonderful synopsis: 

Luke is the perfect boyfriend: handsome, kind, fun. He and Emaline have been together all through high school in Colby, the beach town where they both grew up. But now, in the summer before college, Emaline wonders if perfect is good enough.
Enter Theo, a super-ambitious outsider, a New Yorker assisting on a documentary film about a reclusive local artist. Theo's sophisticated, exciting, and, best of all, he thinks Emaline is much too smart for Colby.

Emaline's mostly-absentee father, too, thinks Emaline should have a bigger life, and he's convinced that an Ivy League education is the only route to realizing her potential. Emaline is attracted to the bright future that Theo and her father promise. But she also clings to the deep roots of her loving mother, stepfather, and sisters. Can she ignore the pull of the happily familiar world of Colby?

Emaline wants the moon and more, but how can she balance where she comes from with where she's going?

Sarah Dessen's devoted fans will welcome this story of romance, yearning, and, finally, empowerment. It could only happen in the summer.

Just like each of Dessen's novels, this one did not disappoint. I instantly knew who I wanted Emaline to be with, and my view actually changed as the story progressed. The Moon and More is a fun read, and I will be recommending it to everyone who asks me what book they should read next. 

• Do you enjoy Sarah Dessen books?
• Which of hers is your favorite?
• Who is your favorite author?

Book Review: Shadow Children Series

Many of you may have heard of the Shadow Children Series, a collection of seven book by Margaret Peterson Haddix. It's a middle grade level book, meaning that it is targeted for late elementary school to middle school readers. I remember reading the first one, Among the Hidden, when I was in middle school myself. Since I now teach retained 8th graders, I buy a lot of books. I always try to preview them before I put them out, so I read this entire compilation last winter.

There are seven books in the series: 

1. Among the Hidden

2. Among the Impostors

3. Among the Betrayed

4. Among the Barons

5. Among the Brave

6. Among the Enemy

7. Among the Free

As I read book one, I remembered a lot of it, which says a lot since it had been at least 12 years since I'd read it.

Goodreads, as always, provides a great synopsis. I won't bore you with all seven (and also because I don't want to give anything away). Here's book one:

Luke has never been to school. He's never had a birthday party, or gone to a friend's house for an overnight. In fact, Luke has never had a friend.

Luke is one of the shadow children, a third child forbidden by the Population Police. He's lived his entire life in hiding, and now, with a new housing development replacing the woods next to his family's farm, he is no longer even allowed to go outside.

Then, one day Luke sees a girl's face in the window of a house where he knows two other children already live. Finally, he's met a shadow child like himself. Jen is willing to risk everything to come out of the shadows -- does Luke dare to become involved in her dangerous plan? Can he afford not to?

Doesn't that just draw you in right away? It sure did for me. These books may be written for 12-14 year olds, but the concept and plot is phenomenal. I highly recommend this entire series to all children, teenagers, teachers, parents, babysitters, and book lovers. Basically, just read these books. Who cares if they weren't written for your age group? The concept of the Shadow Children Series will make you think. A lot. And then read some more and think some more. Just do it.

Oh, and if you want to read about the other books, check out GOODREADS, and search for each one by title.

Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars

When a friend recommends a book to me, I almost always at least look into it. I normally don't turn them down, and when my friend Carly recommended The Fault in Our Stars by John Green to me in March, I was excited. I had heard of the novel before, and I'd even read a synopsis... but it wasn't quite enough to draw me in for some reason. Carly's suggestion pushed me over the edge, and I am so glad I decided to give the book a chance!

Goodreads gives a great synopsis of the book, as always:

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

Am I the only person out there who wonders what it would be like to be in a situation similar to the one Hazel is in? Yes? I'm just a weirdo? Okay then. 

But seriously, The Fault in Our Stars was BRILLIANTLY written. Green gives readers a look inside two teenage cancer patients' brains, and they are tough to forget. Not only did I not want the book to end, but I often think of Hazel and Augustus as if I knew them. 

No, this isn't the BEST book I've ever read... but it is way up there. If you're going to pick a book to read this summer, make The Fault in Our Stars it. After all, according to IMDB, it is coming out as a movie sometime soon (it's in pre-production now), and I personally cannot wait! 

Book Review: Unwind

Recently, I read about a book that sounded intriguing. It didn't turn out to be exactly what I had hoped, but the concept is still fascinating. Unwind by Neal Shusterman really made me think, but overall, it didn't captivate me enough to read the sequels.

Goodreads provides the synopsis for Unwind: 

The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child "unwound," whereby all of the child's organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn't technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state, is not enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape and to survive.

Overall, the plot sounds incredibly cool, but the writing style just did not captivate me like I thought it would. The story was still fun because it presents such an alternate reality to what we have. I'm glad I read this book, but I am not choosing to read the sequels that follow it. If you're looking for something different, though, Unwind by Neal Shusterman may be the way to go. 

Book Review: One Breath Away

Last December, I found a book online about a school shooting. The topic intrigued me. As a teacher, that's my worst nightmare. But I love reading stories about things that scare me. I started reading One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf just before bed one night. And then the next day the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut happened. It was surreal to be wrapped up in a fictional story of a gunman in an elementary school while I was watching it happen on CNN.

Goodreads always posts synopses that are better than ones I could ever write. Here is what they have to say about One Breath Away: 

In her most emotionally charged novel to date, New York Times bestselling author Heather Gudenkauf explores the unspoken events that shape a community, the ties between parents and their children and how the fragile normalcy of our everyday life is so easily shattered. In the midst of a sudden spring snowstorm, an unknown man armed with a gun walks into an elementary school classroom. Outside the school, the town of Broken Branch watches and waits.

Officer Meg Barrett holds the responsibility for the town's children in her hands. Will Thwaite, reluctantly entrusted with the care of his two grandchildren by the daughter who left home years earlier, stands by helplessly and wonders if he has failed his child again. Trapped in her classroom, Evelyn Oliver watches for an opportunity to rescue the children in her care. And thirteen-year-old Augie Baker, already struggling with the aftermath of a terrible accident that has brought her to Broken Branch, will risk her own safety to protect her little brother.

As tension mounts with each passing minute, the hidden fears and grudges of the small town are revealed as the people of Broken Branch race to uncover the identity of the stranger who holds their children hostage.

This book gripped me from the very first page. It is told from different perspectives, which is my favorite style of novel to read. It helps me get the whole picture instead of just knowing one person's point of view. I related the most to the teacher in this novel, for obvious reasons. Although I teach middle school, I have a feeling a situation like this would be equally as terrifying. 

Most people I know would probably not enjoy a book like this -- at least not right now. There have been too many shootings in the USA in recent times, so it hits close to home for many people. However, if curiosity gets the best of you like it did me, check out One Breath Away.

Book Review: Revived

I'm still trying to catch up with my book reviews. This one is from last November, and I have read over 20 books since then. I will NOT be reviewing all of them because I would never catch up. I am going to pick the ones that stood out to me instead. Today's review is about Revived by Cat Patrick.

Revived is one of those books that is going to stay with me for a long time. Was it the best book I've ever read? No. Was it the most well written book? No. That said, the concept is phenomenal, and I couldn't put it down. This is one of those book that I just DEVOURED. 

Goodreads has a nice summary of Revived, and it says:

It started with a bus crash.
Daisy Appleby was a little girl when it happened, and she barely remembers the accident or being brought back to life. At that moment, though, she became one of the first subjects in a covert government program that tests a drug called Revive.
Now fifteen, Daisy has died and been Revived five times. Each death means a new name, a new city, a new identity. The only constant in Daisy's life is constant change.
Then Daisy meets Matt and Audrey McKean, charismatic siblings who quickly become her first real friends. But if she's ever to have a normal life, Daisy must escape from an experiment that's much larger--and more sinister--than she ever imagined.
From its striking first chapter to its emotionally charged ending, Cat Patrick's Revived is a riveting story about what happens when life and death collide.

Doesn't that just sound new and interesting? When I first read ABOUT the book, I was so intrigued that I downloaded it to my Nook right away, even though I was in the middle of another book at the time. I jumped right in and kept staying up way too late on school nights because I just NEEDED to know what happened next. Cat Patrick did an amazing job at telling Daisy's story, and the entire book was emotional and gripping. I highly suggest this to all of my reader friends. Revived is one book you DON'T want to miss!