Category: Meanderings

Good morning.  🙂

Last night I was staying up later than I should and was watching a movie that I own called The Brave One with Jodie Foster.  Have you seen this?  If you like a suspense thriller, this is a great movie.

When we were in New York recently for BEA Reagan (Miss Remmers Reviews) and I, were walking in Central Park when I was sure that the bridge in the park was the same one as in the movie, The Brave One.   I told Reagan  about the movie as she had never seen it and ran under the bridge pointing out key spots, “This is where the dog was captured, this is where the fight started…”  Reagan refused to walk under the bridge.

I wasn’t 100% sure that it was the same bridge but tonight I finally Googled the movie and yes, the scene is shot in Central Park and that is the bridge.  If you haven’t see this movie, I recommend it.  Jodie Foster plays an incredible role.

Here is the movie trailer – it is a bit violent in this scene:

Funny memory so thought I would share…    this morning I am setting up for our week of serving with the homeless through IHN. That will keep me busy most of the morning and a bit into the afternoon too.  After that I will be back for a bit to work on Bloggiesta and put up a review.  Yesterday if you were one of the wonderful people who helped me through comments here and on Twitter as I made a color decision for this blog – thank you.  That took way longer than I had planned and your assistance was appreciated.

In the mean time, if you did not have the chance to whack the pinata yesterday, there is still time to do so.  🙂

Good morning!  It dawned on me  that when I talk about Coffee Cup…. you really don’t know who Coffee Cup is.  Prior to this post, Coffee Cup has not shown up in any pictures.  Today – that changes.

Coffee Cup in most households would probably be one of a beautiful matched set and I do own a set of nice coffee cups… but I prefer not to use them.  Coffee Cup to me is actually 4 different favorite coffee cups.  Each has a special meaning to me and the one I drink out of in the morning truly depends on my mood.

So meet the four coffee cups:

This cup I use when I am in a funny mood but I also use it if I wake up in a cranky mood – then it is just a sarcastic reminder “that someday – this may be funny!”

This one I was given as a gift for my 40th and it still holds true.  I plan to stay young and carefree and refuse to grow up.  😀

This one is used a lot.  I received this one at Spicer Castle in Spicer Minnesota when my friends took part in a murder mystery.  I like it because it says “Guilty” and I usually am about something.

This one – this one is my favorite cup and probably gets the most use.  My mom gave me this set years ago with matching canisters.  Through the years the canisters have broke, all the cups have too – except this one.

This one, when I use it, reminds me of my mom.  When I want to feel close to her, or just take a few minutes in the morning to remember what an amazing woman she was, this is the cup I use.

I am often asked how much coffee I really drink and although I talk about coffee every morning and drink it every morning – I do not drink it all day.  I usually stop around 10 or 11 am and switch to water.  At night, I go back to coffee, a cup or two while I relax, and sometimes I drink tea instead.  😀

You are probably noticing some changes around here.  For one, I painted last night.  Not sure if this color  is the final choice but I will wait and see.  I am participating as I can in the Bloggiesta and hope to find some time today to work on future posts and pending reviews.

I am also – in typical Book Journey fashion…. planning a little something “Bloggiesta”themed for this afternoon so please, stop back in if you are in the neighborhood.

Today’s coffee cup?  The 4th one.

Have an awesome day!!!  If you are doing anything fun this weekend let me know 😀

Bloggiesta hours so far:  7

Good morning!  I have to say thank you to everyone that stopped by yesterday to send well wishes on my first official blogiversary.   I was overwhelmed with the response and laughed a lot at your fun comments.  A+ for creativity!  People arrived by row boats to cruise ships,palanquins,trains, parachutes, limos, on the Black Pearl, bikes, dog sled,  roller blades,  water bomber,  horses, rainbows and more.  Seriously – if you have some time  just read some of the comments…. I laughed all day long.  And I haven’t even mentioned the yummy food!  I also did what I always try to do and that is respond to your comments, after all – it was a party and I had to mingle with the guests.  😀

Personally I would have taken the flu powder way…. but that’s just me 😉

And maybe next year it will be interesting to see who traveled the farthest to get here.  Petty Witter came from England, and Book Whisperer from UK, or is it CCQDesigns who came from the Galapagos Islands?

Today I am thankful to be past this milestone and moving a toe into year 2.  This afternoon I am really excited to meet up with a friend I have not spent time with for 20+ years.   I graduated with Ann and we connected on Facebook.  She is meeting me today to go biking on the bike trail after I get off work.  It will be so fun to hang out and catch up on the years.

And tonight…. I may do nothing.  I need a nothing night.  I look forward to a nothing night.  The nothing night will be mine… My Precious….

Ok… hopefully I don’t look this bad in the mornings.  Maybe this is my hint to exit stage left and go get ready for work.  Have a super day – review up later along with book club discussion!

OOH!  Still stretching wiping sleep from my eyes.  I am happy and exhausted all rolled into one.  Yesterday was a marathon day and while I finished…. I feel I dragged myself across that line.

I had left my home at 7:30 am for a conference in Elk River, MN.  My friend Wendy and I made the drive so it wasn’t too painful as we chat chat chat all the way.  A little after 9 am we are at the conference and I am there until 5, where I bow out early as I have book club back in Brainerd at 6:30 and know I am going to be late late late.   I arrive at book club and we discuss Annie Freeman’s Fabulous Traveling Funeral (more on that tomorrow when I review).

After book club wraps up around 8:30 pm I rush with my friend Laura to another location where it is our friend Chad’s birthday.  My hubby had already been there and left (missed him!) but I still wanted to make an appearance.

10:30 pm I roll back into my yard and instead of going to bed I listen to That’s How I Blog with Nicole (Linus’s’ Blanket) and Amy (My Friend Amy) discussing BBAW – Book Blogger Appreciation Week.  Click on the link and learn more about it! Then I read the comments from yesterdays BEA Giveaway bag which are awesome and if you haven’t signed up yet -there is still time to get in on this win!

So…. anyway – I am tired.  And today is my Blogoversary so I am going to drink my coffee and remember what a fabulous year this has been.  Please stop back in for the all day party!  😀

Good morning!  I think I will have Coffee Cup do the talking this morning because my head is pressed into the keyboard.  Ok, not really…. but I am tired.

Yesterday morning I participated in my Group Power Class for the first time in two weeks.  Today, I feel like I was ran over by a truck.  (Since I have a business conference today I can only be hopeful that I do not look like I was hit by a truck as well…)  After class, Justin (my 20 year old) and I road tripped to MPLS. for the day to go to IKEA to look for ideas for his apartment he will have when he goes back to college this fall.

We had a great day of hanging out together and … of course I did stop at The Mother Ship (B & N) and picked up…. The Short Second Life of bree tanner.

Ok I admit it.  I am a closet Twilighter.   For the most part I liked the books and do plan on seeing all the movies.  There.  It’s out there.  What a weight off my shoulders.  (*as I cross my arms across my chest to cover up the Team Edward T-Shirt).

Funniest thing… on the book cover there is a sticker that says one dollar from each book sold will be donated to The American Red Cross.  That – is just plain brilliant.  Hey, it had to be said.  Think about it.  That’s just great marketing.

Ok…. but enough about my super fun but lllloooonnnngggg day.  I do not have a bunch of time today as I leave here in an hour and a half, hopefully showered and fresh-faced (hoping I have dri-cleaned my spare fresh face because the one I have on I think looks tired).  Tomorrow…. is my Blogoversary.   YES!  I am planning a party here like its 1999.  Mmmmm hmmmm…. and you are going to want to attend because there will be a 48 hour giveaway and if you seen last years Blogoversary, it was a lot of fun.  It’s going to look a lot like that.  😀

As for today – The BEA Swag Bag Giveaway will start a bit later so watch for that.  You are going to want to be a part of this.

Leaving you with a little Kool and The Gang, Celebration.  (ahhhhh…the 80’s…… we really had good dance moves didn’t we?  ;D  )

Good Morning! (*yawning, stretching, reaching for coffee cup….*)

I need to announce the May winners today.  May was another great month of fun comments and I so enjoy them all.  There were 997 comments (not counting my own).  You can read the details to my monthly giveaway in the sticky post that is always at the top of this blog.

My two random comment winners this month are:

#37:  Lizzy (Cornucopia Of Reviews)

#775:  E.J. Stevens (From The Shadows)

you each get to pick out of the Prize Box and email me at journeythroughbooks@gmail.com with your address and I will send you your pick!  🙂

AND…

The Top commenter who will be emailed a $20 gift card for May 2010 was:

(and it was very close this month…)

Library Pat!

Congratulations everyone!  The June comment contest has already begun!  You can find details here.

I am feeling pretty well today.  I went to bed earlier than usual and slept until 7:30.  The day is a dreary one as I look out my window.  It is cooler and it is suppose to rain.  I don’t work today so I will be continuing my quest to get caught up on reviews.  Catching my Group Power Class later today and pretty much not doing anything really exciting but loving it all the same.  Its date night tonight and I think it is Al’s pick (we switch every other Friday).  If it was my pick we would be heading to the movies.  Not sure which one, but seems like it has been forever since I saw a movie in the theater.

Later – I have a review going up that I have been so excited to write.  AND, later, I have contest winners.

Any big plans this weekend?

Que the Rocky Theme.  Can you hear it?  If not, mosey on down to the bottom of this post and hit play on the video so you can have the music to go along with the theme of this post.

I’ll wait…………………………………………………………………………..

Picture it… I have been working hard  to get caught up on the reviews for the books that I have finished and wait for me in a pile.  I read and read and add them to a pile.  “Review me!  Review me!” their little voices cry, but I have procrastinated and busied myself with other things…. and the pile grew and grew….

And now…  I am Review Conqueror Girl (picture blue tights, a red cape, and a large coffee cup).  I am able to review tall piles of books in a single swipe of my keyboard!   Ok…. maybe not a single swipe of the keyboard, but you get the picture.  I am moving forward.

Today I will be posting my review of The Opposite of Me as well as my wonderful meeting with author Sarah Pekkanen.  I will also be posting my review for The Girls From Ames by Jeffrey Zaslow.

Have an awesome and productive day – I hit the gym tread mill this morning and this afternoon I am rollerblading with my friend Wendy!