Meanderings – Page 20

Morning Meanderings… Pics Of The Plunge or… ICE ICE Baby

Published on March 7, 2015 by Sheila (Book Journey)43 Comments

Kind of hard to believe from the comfort of my cozy home this morning that a week ago I was loading up the car with a prom dress, bubble toe tennis shoes, a black make up marker, and wearing a friend of mines dog tags to go to Anoka Minnesota to throw myself in the lake.

😯

Crazy Minnesotans… we will do anything for entertainment in the winter. 🙂

SO for this Saturday Snapshot, I give you the Polar Plunge pics that I have. There are more to come from the professional camera peeps of the event however those are not posted yet.

Polar Plunge Anoka MInnesota, Book Journey — This is what we walk through to get to the water. We come in through the back where that dark blue is. This is the lull before the storm 🙂

Sheila DeChantal, Book Journey — I had offered those who sponsored me to be able to choose what I wore. I had to wear something from Australia (the white t shirt I am wearing), something from Harry Potter (the scar on my forehead), my friends dog tags for his birthday, and a prom dress. Check, check, check, CHECK.

This is me and my cousins wife Rhonda (I call her cousin-in-law)…. the dude is a photo bomber and the look on my face is because I suddenly felt someone over my shoulder and he surprised me.

Sheila Book Journey Polar Plunge — Showing that I am wearing the dog tags

Book JOurney, Polar Plunge, ANoka MInnesota — We are “Plungeriffic”

Sheila DeChantal, Book JOurney, Polar Plunge — This is my “I guess I am really doing this” face.

and the pictures you are waiting for….

Polar Plunge, Anoka Minnesota, Sheila DeChantal, Book Journey — Yup… for a moment I walked on water. And yes, I plugged my nose… this one was deeper than the one I did three years ago.

Polar Plunge, Book Journey, SHeila Dechantal, Anoka Minnesota — Me… still in the water. If you are wondering what that feeling is when you jump into a Minnesota lake in March it is mainly “how fast can I get out!”

It was for a good cause, our area alone had 1,000 plungers raising a total of $208,000. Other areas:

South Metro: 985 Plungers raised more than $232,000
Alexandria: 435 Plungers raised more than $93,100

Today there is a plunge in my home town of Brainerd Minnesota. Oddly, I have completed two now but I have never jumped in Brainerd. Hmmm…. maybe next year 😀

You may recall in January I picked my word for this year to be Emerge. I purchased the above necklace for myself on my birthday to remind myself of my word. I think so far… I am living it. 🙂

Today is a day of reading, web design, working out, and just chilling around the house. I rented Mockingjay for my hubby and I to watch tonight. Laying low and loving it!

Morning Meanderings… Out Of Control

Published on March 6, 2015March 6, 2015 by Sheila (Book Journey)14 Comments

Good morning! For a while there I wasn’t sure if I would get this post up or not, but by doing things out-of-order this morning actually led to this post title so you know… all good things and all that. 🙂

I woke up a little later than usual, I usually pop awake by 6:45 – 7ish every morning but today I got up at 8. I have been knocking out deadlines all week and started a new project yesterday that I think left me feeling a little exhausted. I am also a combination night owl (go to bed around 11-midnight) and an early bird.

Eep! I like the morning qualities and half of the evening!

Anyhoo (sooooo easy to get off subject!), my plan was to write this post, answer emails, look at job proposals, hit my downstairs gym, clean up, and head up town by 11 am where I would complete all my tasks, be home by 1 and finish a book I am enjoying and later work on the Friends website.

In actuality it has gone something like this…

Up and started looking at emails. Responded to those I needed to and then went on to my book email (this is where it all went south)… my book email is where I communicate with authors and publishers and bloggers. I have neglected this email for a couple of weeks now as I just have not had time to go through the requests. For some reason this morning I was in the mood. I not only responded to all the emails, even letting them know if the book was not a fit for me, I also wrote the questions for an author I am interviewing later this month, and looked up author websites, wondered if I should sign up for Edelweiss and then wondered if perhaps I already was signed up with Edelweiss …. and

well you know how it can be…. I got stuck in a bookish time warp.

The one funny that came out of this was I agreed to read a new YA book coming out (a sequel) and the publisher said that if I would like they would send the first book “Control” along with so I could read both books. I agreed to both. The publisher than responded that the books would come in separate packages as their office was currently out of CONTROL. I found that to be funny and responded to the email,

“I had to laugh when you said your office was out of CONTROL!”

Ahhh good Friday morning humor. SO now, this post is done and I am behind on my plan for today but that is ok. It is Friday! Glorious Friday and maybe I will hit the gym a little later than I had planned, but it will happen. 🙂

Have an awesome start to your weekend! My weekend will mainly be catch up on all the projects I have going so going into next week will feel a little smoother. 🙂

Morning Meanderings… We Are Talking Alligators.

Published on March 5, 2015 by Sheila (Book Journey)10 Comments

Thursday! I think my feeling word for today is:

content.

Don’t get me wrong… my days are crazy busy and every time I sit down to the computer I have a post it next to me to write down things as I think of them…

but I think it suits me.

I like checking things off the list and thinking of new things to go on the list and I can tell you, freelancing is not dull. Just recently I wrote 6 articles on Social Media for a website, 60 Dump Style recipes for a book, 25 articles for a magazine, created a new non profit website and today I scheduled an interview for the alligator story for a summer magazine release.

Alligators!

I am excited about this one, it will be about a woman who has assisted in alligator rescue in South Carolina. Bucket list item? Hmmmmmm….

Today I am “touring” a new building for our spring book sale. We need a bigger space. It is going to be a good amount of work to get the books over there, but I think it will have a good outcome.

Morning Meanderings… And Now For Something Completely Different. Not.

Published on March 3, 2015 by Sheila (Book Journey)19 Comments

Tuesday and this week is already off and running. I spent most of yesterday at the library in meetings and setting up the new window display. The sun was shining, it was warm out, and it was time to take down the display of red background paper that looked a little “Christmasy”.

And then this morning I woke up to this:

Yes winter is back in Central Minnesota and it is still coming down. There is a good three inches on the ground now.

Poo.

To think that the library display window I put up over Christmas had scarves and gloves in it and the weather did not call for scarves and gloves… now the window has spring flowers in it and a springy backdrop and…

it snowed. 😯

I must have some sort of seasonal disorder.

Looking at the upside of this, I am cancelling my 1:00 pm today and instead after a coffee date with a friend I think I will read (yes read!) this afternoon. All of my time lately has been spent on projects and websites and I just want a day of hot tea and a good book.

Really, is that too much for a girl to ask for?

Enjoy your day!

Morning Meanderings…. February…. You Are A Wrap.

Published on March 1, 2015 by Sheila (Book Journey)16 Comments

Good morning! Sunday is here! End of the weekend and we are on the verge of a new week and already starting a new month.

I think I mentioned last month that some would look at the big old agenda book as pretty old school when you can not put all of your appointments in to your phone but I love to see the month of what I am doing as a whole like this. Almost like a diary. 🙂

February was a fun month. I had a birthday. I went to the Gatsby Party. I ended the month by jumping in the lake. I read 5 books, I listened to 10 audio books.

Yesterdays Polar Plunge. I have no plunge pics yet but I do have this pic of my cousins wife Rhonda and I pre-jump and a photo bomber…. 😉

Here I am sowing the dog tags I was wearing for a friend of mine as I was jumping on his birthday.

Ok on to books. It was a good book week and here is what came in the house:

The Forgotten Girls by Sara Blaedel (audio)

The Food Babe Way by Vani Hari (audio)

The Love Song Of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce (audio)

A Tough Of Stardust by Kate Alcott (audio)

The Winners Crime by Marie Rutkoski (audio)

The Cake House by Layifah Salom

The Doomsday Equation my Matt Ritchel

The World Within (a novel by Emily Bronte) by Jane Eagland

The Daddy Diaries by Joshua Braff

Pleasantville by Attica Locke

Today I am catching up on emails form the last two days and trying to get ahead on some projects so the week will be a little less tight. Hoping this afternoon I will have at leats a couple of hours of undiluted book time. 🙂

Morning Meanderings… A Good Day To Jump In The Lake

Published on February 28, 2015 by Sheila (Book Journey)34 Comments

Good morning! As the sun comes up this morning in Central Minnesota I am prepping to leave for my two-hour drive to Anoka MN where at approximately 1:45 pm today, I along with many many other crazy people are going to jump in the lake for Special Olympics.

1aa2 — The last time I did this was in 2012.

Showing off my fashionable books. When in Minnesota... — These boots will be coming along this year as well!

So….. yeah.

I am guessing I signed up, I received pledges. I am doing this.

I offered the people who pledged me to have a say in one thing that I wear. I will be wearing a prom dress. Dog tags. And something Harry Potter. I will show you what that ensemble looks like at a later time.

For the rest of you… stay warm. Read something good. I will be finishing the audio book All The Bright Places today during the drive time.

I am linking this post to Saturday Snapshop. Stop and see what everyone else is taking pictures of today 🙂

Morning Meanderings… And Once Again I Wonder If Sleep Is Really Necessary

Published on February 25, 2015 by Sheila (Book Journey)16 Comments

Happy Wednesday! Does anyone else feel like your days just fill up to the brim? I love the diversity in all that I do but some days just thinking about the day ahead makes me have heart palpitations.

This morning I have been on the phone making last-minute arrangements to pick up donations for the Polar Plunge this coming Saturday. I have a coffee date at 9:30, working on a project for my husband and our business, and then back home.

Home means I have two assignments to get moving on for my Freelance business. I also need to get in my hour work out which I was going to do early this morning but being on the phone and chatting on Facebook eliminated that.

I need to find one more female author for Wine and Words to complete the 2015 line up and then I will get to work on updating the website. The Friends of The Library email needs to go out this morning about the meeting on Monday. I need to write invoices for work I have done. I need to connect the Camp Bike ride to Minnesota Bike Ride sites to get the word out.

I need to buy bananas.

Tonight is the City Library Board Meeting.

I do not have to do all of this today. I hope to do a lot of it today.

Anyhoo…. I didn’t mean to write about all of that but that is what is in my head right now. 🙂 Hopefully the rest of you have a bit of a mellower Wednesday. It is all good 🙂

Morning Meanderings… And The Award Goes To….. Well Neil.

Published on February 24, 2015 by Sheila (Book Journey)17 Comments

Tuesday! Really my first connection on Book Journey since Sunday evening when I put up the Monday What Are You Reading post. So……

That gives me free rein to chat up The Oscars from Sunday night.

Which.

I forgot all about.

I know right?

I don’t know what happened.

So I had to catch the highlights and YA once again for Neil Patrick Harris. After listening to his audio book a few months back it was so fun to see him complete this dream of hosting the Oscars, and host them he did. If you seen the Oscars or not – you more than likely heard about Neils’ EPIC intro that took not only the Oscar’s but probably Hollywood itself to a whole new level.

But… don’t take my word for it, see for yourself. I will wait here. Well… by the coffee pot. I will wait there.

I have a whole new respect for award shows thanks to Neil. Hi is just fun to watch, and having grown up on Doogie Howser, I really have watched him since he was young. And I would be remiss, if I did not find some way to connect this to a Harry Potter moment and here it is:

Not only Dumbledore…. Neil has style too.

And the winners were for best Actor were:

WINNER: Eddie Redmayne for The Theory of Everything

Steve Carell for Foxcatcher
Benedict Cumberbatch for The Imitation Game
Bradley Cooper for American Sniper
Michael Keaton for Birdman

And the winners for best actress were:

WINNER: Julianne Moore for Still Alice
Marion Cotillard for Two Days, One Night
Felicity Jones for The Theory of Everything
Rosamund Pike for Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon for Wild

Best Picture was:

WINNER: Birdman

So many movies I have not yet seen! I love it and kudos to all the movies nominated that were first books!!! I want an Oscar night for books!!! Hmmmm…. let me think on that. 😉

Did you watch the Oscars? If you did what did you think of it?

Morning Meanderings… New Books

Published on February 22, 2015 by Sheila (Book Journey)10 Comments

Happy Happy Sunday!

It has been another fast paced week and a good one. I was able to have lunch with a friend, take a yoga class (my first ever!), and went to the movie The Duff yesterday afternoon. (More on the movie later)

Books came in this week:

Dove Arising by Karen Bao (audio book)

The Lake Season by Hannan McKinnon

The Status Of All Things by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke

As Good As Dead by Elizabeth Evans

The Third Wife by Lisa Jewell

A Fireproof Home For The Bride by Amy Scheibe

SEEKER by Arwen Elys Dayton

The Bookseller by Cynthia Swanson

Today I will be working on a website for camp and a bike ride event for July. Hopefully this afternoon I will get a little much needed book time. Seems like I have been real good lately filling up every little moment with projects.

Enjoy your Sunday! Any fun plans?

Morning Meanderings…. Glow Worm Caves Of New Zealand

Published on February 21, 2015 by Sheila (Book Journey)37 Comments

Good morning! For today’s Saturday Snapshot I thought I would share with you a little information on the Glow Worm Caves in New Zealand. When traveling there last month I had never heard of the glow worm caves. Our travel-mates were signed up to do a tour at the caves and we decided to join them.

What a trip in education!

The caves are located in Waitomo, New Zealand. From our cruise ship that had docked in Auckland it was about an hour to the caves.

The glow worm is actually while pretty to look at, also gross. It is apparently the larvae life cycle of an insect and looks like a maggot. (The caves were dark so thankfully we only seen the pretty part).

Glow Worm caves, New zealand, book journey — Pictures are not allowed in the caves so this picture is from the Glow Worm website as linked here

The caves themselves are beautiful lime caves. I wish we could have taken pictures inside, the rock formation was beautiful.

The female glow worms drop a line which is what you see in the picture. The line attracts insects and they get stuck to the line. It is crazy but the females live two days and the males live three days. The cycle continues due to the thousands of eggs each female lays in her short lifetime.

Glow worm caves, book journey, new zealand — This picture is also from the glow worm website as linked here

It is deep within the caves that we then get in the small boats. We are asked to remain very quiet as our voices cause vibrations and disturb the glow worms. It is a pretty cool experience.

Just outside the caves I was able to get a picture of two of our travel team, Wendy and Ray. I think it is funny that everyone else around them are smiling too. New Zealand… so friendly! 🙂

You can read more about the glow worms on the Glow Worm Tour website. It is a unique tour. I had never heard of a glow worm until the tour.

Check out more Saturday Snapshots here.

Today I may just read. Or I am talking big. I keep saying I am going to read all week but I have been busy with projects and the books kind of go to the wayside. I do need to have some book time this weekend. Order of the Phoenix and a few others wait on me.